bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pycnogenol® efficiency on glycaemia, motor nerve conduction velocity and markers of oxidative stress in mild type diabetes in rats
Authors: Jankyova S. , Kucera P. , Goldenberg Z. , Yaghi D. , Navarova J. , Kyselova Z. , Stolc S. , Klimas J. , Racanska E. , Matyas S. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe aim of this study was to describe the effects of Pycnogenol® at various doses on preprandial and postprandial glucose levels, the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs) and N‐acetyl‐β‐d‐glucosaminidase (NAGA) and on motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) in streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetic rats. Pycnogenol® treatment (10, 20, 50 mg/kg body weight (b.w.)/day) lasted for 8 weeks after induction of diabetes. Pycnogenol® significantly decreased elevated levels of preprandial glycaemia in treated animals at all doses. At doses of 10 mg/kg b.w./day and 20 mg/kg b.w./day it significantly decreased elevated levels of postprandial glycaemia compared with diabetic non‐treated animals. Pycnogenol® failed to induce a significant decrease of postprandial glycaemia at a dose of 50 mg/kg b.w./day. Pycnogenol® improved significantly the impaired MNCV at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg b.w./day compared with non‐treated animals. The levels of TBARs were elevated in diabetic rats. The levels of NAGA increased gradually despite the treatment. Pycnogenol® failed to affect the increased levels of TBARs and NAGA. Pycnogenol® lowered the elevated levels of glycaemia and reduced the decline in motor nerve conduction velocity in STZ‐induced diabetic rats. The effect of Pycnogenol® on postprandial glycaemic levels and MNCV was not dose‐dependent. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The specific isolation of C‐terminal peptides of proteins through a transamination reaction and its advantage for introducing functional groups into the peptide
Authors: Sonomura Kazuhiro , Kuyama Hiroki , Matsuo Ei‐ichi , Tsunasawa Susumu , Nishimura Osamu 
Published: January 2009

AbstractA novel method for isolating C‐terminal peptides from proteolytic digests of proteins was developed. Proteins were digested with lysyl endopeptidase (LysC) and applied to metal‐ion‐catalyzed transamination reactions. This reaction enabled the selective conversion of an Nα‐amino group to a carbonyl group. Subsequent incubation with p‐phenylenediisothiocyanate (DITC) glass effectively scavenged the lysine‐containing N‐terminus and internal peptides. The obtained C‐terminal peptide is open to modification with reagents having virtually any type of functionality owing to the reactive α‐ketocarbonyl group. In this report, 2,4‐dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) was used as an example of a nucleophile to the carbonyl group. The isolated C‐terminal peptide was modified with DNPH, which exhibited signal enhancement, and was sequenced by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Crystallinity and Rheological Properties of Pregelatinized Rice Starches Differing in Amylose Content
Authors: Nakorn Kuenchan Na , Tongdang Taewee , Sirivongpaisal Piyarat 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThree rice starches with different amylose contents (Glutinous: 1.4%, Jasmine: 15.0% and Chiang: 20.2%) were pregelatinized in a double drum dryer at 110, 117 and 123°C. Starch crystallinity was determined by X‐ray diffractometry and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. Rheological properties were assessed by a Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA) and rheometer. Pregelatinized starches obtained from Glutinous (PGS) and Jasmine rice (PJS) gave an RVA pasting profile with cold peak viscosity. At drum temperature 110°C, PGS and PJS showed X‐ray patterns that were indicative of amorphous structures. However, pregelatinized Chiang rice starch (PCS) exhibited RVA hot peak viscosity and the presence of an amylose‐lipid complex with remaining granule structure. The PCS had a lower water absorption index (WAI) and water solubility index (WSI) than PJS and PGS. After pregelatinization at increased drum temperature (117, 123°C), the PGS had a lower WAI, whereas PCS showed an opposite trend indicating lower degree of granule disruption. In addition, the cold peak viscosity of PGS and PJS decreased with increasing drum temperature. For all drum temperatures, the apparent viscosity at 25°C for PGS and PJS decreased with increasing shear rate, indicating shear‐thinning behavior.
Physicochemical Properties of Oxidized Cassava Starch Prepared under Various Alkalinity Levels
Authors: Sangseethong Kunruedee , Lertphanich Sirithorn , Sriroth Klanarong 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe physicochemical properties of hypochlorite‐oxidized cassava starch as influenced by the alkalinity levels (pH 8 to 11) during modification process were investigated. Hypochlorite oxidation generally increased the contents of carbonyl and carboxyl groups in starch but decreased starch viscosity. The formation of carbonyl and carboxyl groups was more favorable under the milder alkaline conditions (pH 8 and 9). Oxidation conducted at higher alkalinity levels produced both functional groups at a much slower rate and to a lesser extent. Starch viscosity decreased markedly with increasing reaction time. The alkalinity levels during the modification process greatly influenced the initial viscosity of the oxidized starch paste and the viscosity stability of the paste during storage. Thermal behavior studies by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) demonstrated that oxidation decreased both gelatinization temperature and enthalpy. The decrease in gelatinization temperature was strongly related to the carboxyl group content. The more carboxyl groups the oxidized starch contained, the lower was the gelatinization temperature. Retrogradation of amylopectin tended to increase slightly after oxidation. While the light transmittance of native starch paste drastically decreased during cold storage, the changes observed in oxidized starch pastes were less pronounced and appeared to depend on carboxyl content. The results from light transmittance studies suggested that carboxyl groups introduced into the starch molecules could effectively prevent retrogradation.
Endoplasmic reticulum may not be involved in the lead‐induced apoptosis in PC 12 cells in vitro
Authors: Xu Jin , Ji Lin‐Dan , Xu Li‐Hong 
Published: January 2009

AbstractRecent researches indicated that mitochondrial pathway might play an important role in lead‐induced apoptosis. Our previous study also found that lead could induce apoptosis in PC 12 cells, and mitochondrial pathway events were involved in this process. As lead can disturb Ca2+ homeostasis, the present study was undertaken to determine whether lead can activate key cellular events in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) pathway, including the expressions of C/EBP homology protein (CHOP) and glucose‐regulated protein 78 (GRP78), and the activation of caspase‐12 and calpain. The results showed that lead could increase the expression of GRP78, while the expressions of CHOP and procaspase‐12 remained unchanged. Moreover, the caspase‐12 and calpain were not activated, and the ultrastructure of endoplasmic reticulum was not altered. Therefore, it suggests that lead may induce apoptosis in PC 12 cells through mitochondrial pathway, but not through the endoplasmic reticulum pathway. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2010.
Effect of electron beam irradiation on the properties of ethylene‐(vinyl acetate) copolymer/natural rubber/organoclay nanocomposites
Authors: Munusamy Y. , Ismail H. , Mariatti M. , Ratnam C.T. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe effects of electron beam (EB) irradiation on the morphology, crosslink density, and tensile properties of EVA/SMR L (Standard Malaysian Rubber)/organoclay nanocomposites prepared by a melt‐blending technique were investigated. All the samples were irradiated by using a 3.0‐MeV EB apparatus with doses ranging from 50 to 200 kGy. Organoclay loading was varied from 0 to 10 phr (parts by weight per hundred parts of resin). X‐ray diffraction results and transmission electron microscopy images proved that the dispersion of organoclay in the nanocomposites was slightly improved by EB irradiation. The gel fraction yield for the nanocomposites increased with irradiation dose but decreased with organoclay loading. However, at 200 kGy, the gel fraction yield was almost the same at all organoclay loadings. Tensile strength and stress at 100% elongation increased proportionally with the irradiation dose. Elongation at break of the nanocomposites increased up to 100 kGy but then decreased at higher irradiation doses. The intercalation and exfoliation of the organoclay, the barrier effect, and the Hofmann degradation of the modification agent are the three major factors leading to the improvement of the properties of the irradiated nanocomposites. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
A comparison of methodologies for monthly wind energy estimation
Authors: García‐Bustamante E. , González‐Rouco J. F. , Jiménez P. A. , Navarro J. , Montávez J. P. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractMonthly wind energy estimations obtained by means of three different methodologies are evaluated. Hourly wind and wind power production data measured at five wind farms in the Northeast of Spain within the period spanning from June 1999 to June 2003 were employed for this purpose. One of the approaches is based on the combined contribution of the hourly wind speed frequency distribution and the corresponding power production. Several alternatives to represent the empirical wind power versus wind speed relationship are considered and their impacts on the error of monthly energy estimations assessed. Two more approaches derive monthly energy estimates directly from monthly wind values: one uses the theoretical power curve to obtain interpolated monthly wind power production values and the other consists in a simple linear regression between the observed wind speed and wind power monthly pairs, which serves as an approximation to the global power curve. The three methodologies reproduce reliably the total monthly wind energy. Results also reveal that linearity is a reasonable assumption for the relation between wind speed and power production at monthly timescales. This approach involves a simplification with respect to other standard procedures that require finer temporal resolution data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improved tools for efficient mapping of fission yeast genes: identification of microtubule nucleation modifier mod22‐1 as an allele of chromatin‐ remodelling factor gene swr1
Authors: Anders Andreas , Watt Stephen , Bähler Jürg , Sawin Kenneth E. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractFission yeast genes identified in genetic screens are usually cloned by transformation of mutants with plasmid libraries. However, for some genes this can be difficult, and positional cloning approaches are required. The mutation swi5‐39 reduces recombination frequency in homozygous crosses and has been used as a tool in mapping gene position (Schmidt, 1993). However, strain construction in swi5‐39‐based mapping is significantly more laborious than is desirable. Here we describe a set of strains designed to make swi5‐based mapping more efficient and more powerful. The first improvement is the use of a swi5Δ strain marked with kanamycin (G418) resistance, which greatly facilitates identification of swi5 mutants. The second improvement, which follows directly from the first, is the introduction of a large number of auxotrophic markers into mapping strains, increasing the likelihood of finding close linkage between a marker and the mutation of interest. We combine these new mapping strains with a rec12Δ‐based approach for initial mapping of a mutation to an individual chromosome. Together, the two methods allow an approximate determination of map position in only a small number of crosses. We used these to determine that mod22‐1, a modifier of microtubule nucleation phenotypes, encodes a truncation allele of Swr1, a chromatin‐remodelling factor involved in nucleosomal deposition of H2A.Z histone variant Pht1. Expression microarray analysis of mod22‐1, swr1Δ and pht1Δ cells suggests that the modifier phenotype of mod22‐1 mutants may be due to small changes in expression of one or more genes involved in tubulin function. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Coding repeat instability in the FLO11 gene of Saccharomyces yeasts
Authors: Fidalgo Manuel , Barrales Ramon R. , Jimenez Juan 
Published: January 2009

AbstractIn Saccharomyces yeasts, the FLO11 gene encodes an adhesin involved in filamentation, invasive growth, flocculation and adherence to solid surfaces. In wild Saccharomyces flor yeasts, a particularly expanded FLO11 allele also confers to these yeasts the ability to float under stressing liquid environments. We report here that, under optimal laboratory conditions, the repeats domain of the FLO11 gene in these wild yeasts is extremely unstable. Changes in length in the FLO11 coding repeats domain affected Flo11p‐associated functions but, interestingly, some of these functions were affected more than others. Therefore, length variations in this single gene provide a combinatorial diversity, which may contribute to a very rapid adaptation to fluctuating environments. Functional analysis of contracted alleles indicated that buoyancy was not associated to FLO11 length. In contrast, this property depended on the different types of repetitive units found in this gene. Thus, not only variations in the number of intragenic repeats but also the abundance and/or distribution of the different repetitive units may have phenotypic and evolutionary implications. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Flocculation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is repressed by the COMPASS methylation complex during high‐gravity fermentation
Authors: Dietvorst Judith , Brandt Anders 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe significance of COMPASS on silencing of the FLO and MAL genes, located close to telomeres, was studied in different Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that fermented high concentrations of maltose (20%) with different efficiency. In one particular fast maltose‐fermenting yeast strain, with constitutive expression of FLO11, the expression of FLO1, FLO5 and FLO9 was induced during fermentation of high concentrations of maltose or glucose. In another strain the expression of mainly FLO1 was induced. Mutants of these strains with a defective COMPASS, however, formed very large aggregates of cells earlier in the fermentation and more pronounced than the wild‐type. The formation of the large flocs was dependent on calcium ions and was inhibited by mannose. The flocculation displayed by mutants defective in COMPASS was due to increased amounts of FLO1, FLO5 and FLO9 transcripts. COMPASS‐mediated silencing of the MAL genes was detected at the later stages of fermentation in strains that fermented high concentrations of maltose slowly and incompletely, while silencing was not detectable in strains that fermented maltose fast. Thus, COMPASS, in addition to the MAL genes, is also involved in silencing the expression of the FLO1, FLO5 and FLO9 genes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of the S288c genetic background and common auxotrophic markers on mitochondrial DNA function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Young M. J. , Court D. A. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractSaccharomyces cerevisiae is a valuable model organism for the study of eukaryotic processes. Throughout its development as a research tool, several strain backgrounds have been utilized and different combinations of auxotrophic marker genes have been introduced into them, creating a useful but non‐homogeneous set of strains. The ade2 allele was used as an auxotrophic marker, and for ‘red–white’ screening for respiratory competence. his3 alleles that influence the expression of MRM1 have been used as selectable markers, and the MIP1[S] allele, found in the commonly used S228c strain, is associated with mitochondrial DNA defects. The focus of the current work was to examine the effects of these alleles, singly and in combination, on the maintenance of mitochondrial function. The combination of the ade2 and MIP1[S] alleles is associated with a slight increase in point mutations in mitochondrial DNA. The deletion in the his3Δ200 allele, which removes the promoter for MRM1, is associated with loss of respiratory competence at 37 °C in the presence of either MIP1 allele. Thus, multiple factors can contribute to the maintenance of mitochondrial function, reinforcing the concept that strain background is an important consideration in both designing experiments and comparing results obtained by different research groups. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Type of activity and fitness benefits as moderators of the effect of physical activity on affect in advanced age: a review
Authors: Netz Yael 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThis study aimed to review studies exploring the effect of physical activity on affect in advanced age with a special focus on the moderating role of fitness improvement and mode of exercise and to examine those studies in relation to the potential mechanisms for explaining the physical activity–affect relationship. Studies were assembled through a computer search of online psychological, medical, and exercise science databases. Randomized controlled studies having as their purpose the examination of physical activity effects on affect, with a mean sample population age of at least 50 years, were included. Thirty-nine studies were collated and divided into three groups: those applying aerobic activity, those applying strength training, and those applying non-specific physical activity. The main finding was that aerobic exercise and aerobic fitness do not moderate the effect of physical activity on affect. While fewer than 50% of the aerobic studies reporting fitness improvement also reported improvement in affect, over 50% of the strength training studies and of the non-specific exercise studies reported improvement in affect. Theories with a physiological orientation claiming that aerobic fitness is the mediator between physical activity and affect are not supported, whereas theories with a psychological orientation maintaining that alterations in affect are not dependent on physiological alterations do receive support. It is argued that the differentiation between physiologically and psychologically oriented theories is arbitrary. It is recommended that the relationship between physical activity and affect be explored further, embracing a psychophysiological perspective in which the psychological and physiological perspectives are complementary.
Double In Situ Approach for the Preparation of Polymer Nanocomposite with Multi-functionality
Authors: Wang De-Yi , Song Yan-Peng , Wang Jun-Sheng , Ge Xin-Guo , Wang Yu-Zhong , Stec Anna A , Richard Hull T 
Published: January 2009

Abstract
A novel one-step synthetic route, the double in situ approach, is used to produce both TiO2nanoparticles and polymer (PET), and simultaneously forming a nanocomposite with multi-functionality. The method uses the release of water during esterification to hydrolyze titanium (IV) butoxide (Ti(OBu)4) forming nano-TiO2in the polymerization vessel. This new approach is of general significance in the preparation of polymer nanocomposites, and will lead to a new route in the synthesis of multi-functional polymer nanocomposites.
The 1912 Wankie Colliery strike
Authors: Van Onselen Charles 
Published: January 2009

The strike at the Wankie Colliery in 1912 offers the labour historian of central Africa an opportunity to explore in some depth the economic and social context of an African response within a colonial industry. The system of cheap labour at Wankie periodically combined with severe production pressures to produce outbreaks of scurvy amongst the African miners. In normal years, workers alleviated the need for nutritious food by scouring the surrounding countryside but this was not possible in a drought year. Under drought conditions the outbreak of scurvy, limited access to alternative food resources and the maldistribution of rations within the compound all assumed increased importance. The policies and practices of the acting compound manager and his black compound staff served further to exacerbate tensions in the Wankie compound and precipitate a strike.Although the strike at Wankie offers further evidence of worker consciousness in early Rhodesian industry the events in the compound should not be interpreted as a sign of real or potential African radicalism. Closer examination of the African responses at Wankie reveal the essentially conservative nature of many of the demands made by the workers. It seems possible that in Rhodesia the power of the state over a colonial political economy and the repressive nature of the compound system combined to inhibit more radical responses. At Wankie, workers questioned the functioning of a repressive system, not the system itself. In many respects events at Wankie were typical of the Rhodesian mining industry and as such the strike serves to illustrate the vulnerable class position of African workers in a colonial economy.
Caudatum sorghums and speakers of Chari-Nile languages in Africa
Authors: Stemler A. B. L. , Harlan J. R. , Dewet J. M. J. 
Published: January 2009

Our study of caudatum sorghums in Africa and the ethnography, history, and archaeology of regions where caudatum sorghums are grown has led us to the following conclusions.The distributions of caudatum sorghums and Chari-Nile-speaking peoples coincide so closely that a causal relationship seems probable.Caudatum sorghums appear to be a product of selection by Chari-Nile-speaking peoples for a hardy crop which will produce a large amount of grain under adverse conditions with a minimum amount of care. Caudatums can produce grain in spite of either droughts or heavy rains during the growing season and can produce grain in places where no other indigenous African crop can grow.Caudatum may be a relatively new race of sorghum. Available evidence indicates it was developed some time after about 350 A.D. and before about 900 A.D., the date for caudatum found at Daima mound, south of Lake Chad.By about 1000 A.D. caudatum was probably being grown in many parts of the savanna belt stretching from the eastern shores of Lake Chad to southwestern Ethiopia. This is assuming that the evidence of caudatum culture at Daima is indicative of a general phenomenon occurring in a region with close intercultural contacts.The large number of varieties of caudatum in the Republic of the Sudan suggests that caudatum sorghums have been grown in the Sudan for a relatively long time and may have been developed there.A caudatum and cattle-based economy has probably been an important factor in making possible the present level of occupation of regions now inhabited by Chari-Nile-speaking peoples.On the basis of oral histories and archaeological remains of people in northern East Africa, we have concluded that caudatum-based agriculture was probably introduced to Uganda and Kenya no later than the period from 1500–1800 A.D., when the Luo occupied the areas in which they live at the present. However, it is not unlikely that caudatums were introduced more than once as various Chari-Nile-speaking groups made their way into East Africa.