bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
APPLICATION OF REAL‐TIME POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION FOR RAPID DETERMINATION OF SALMONELLA IN RESTAURANT FOODS
Authors: BERRADA H. , SORIANO J.M. , PICÓ Y. , MAÑES J. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT Several foods have been identified as frequently or occasionally contaminated with Salmonella, such as eggs, raw milk and all raw foods of animal origin that may carry salmonella and other bacteria. Salmonellosis is the most common food‐borne illness, but it is usually preventable according to the implementation of a food safety system that includes Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. In this study, 96 food samples of the University restaurant of Valencia (Spain) were divided into four groups: first course; main course; accompaniment; and dessert, and were analyzed simultaneously with classical and fluorogenic polymerase chain reaction microbiological analysis. Neither of the procedures detected the presence of Salmonella in the analyzed food samples.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSPolymerase chain reaction applied to identify Salmonella is time‐effective and reduces the amount of time required. Identification results are available 48 h earlier than classical testing. For this reason, this method is useful as a more rapid screening tool to sort out negative samples at an earlier stage.
NEW PRIMERS FOR AMPLIFICATION OF THE PLANCTOMYCETES 16S rRNA GENE FROM ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES
Authors: SHU QINGLONG , JIAO NIANZHI 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT Although the 16S rDNA primer set Pla‐46‐F/1392‐R is often used to explore the planctomycetes community, the universal reverse primer 1392‐R limits the capability of the forward primer Pla‐46‐F. Here we report two new reverse primers (Pla‐1097‐R and Pla‐1368‐R), which greatly promote the potential ability of the forward primer Pla‐46‐F, both theoretically and experimentally. The tests with field samples showed that PCR induced by the new primer sets both reduced mismatches to non‐planctomycetes and supplemented the diversity of planctomycetes, particularly increasing the numbers of planctomycetes genera in both seawater and sediment samples. Our results strongly suggest that the diversity of planctomycetes revealed by the previously used primer set Pla‐46F/1392‐R has been underestimated. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe planctomycetes are an important bacteria; this paper developed two robust reverse primers which have been verified with filed samples. For natural and artificial ecosystems, the application of the new primers will: 1) reduce mismatches to non‐planctomycetes during PCR amplifying; 2) supplement the diversity of planctomycetes and 3) benefit our understanding of its potential ecological role.
REPRODUCIBLE FILTRATION OF BACTERIA WITH MICROMECHANICAL FILTERS
Authors: REIDT ULRICH , CHAUHAN LINA , MÜLLER GERHARD , MOLZ RAMONA , LINDNER PETRA , WOLF HANS , FRIEDBERGER ALOIS 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT For the detection of bacteria in potable water, several kinds of biosensors could be used. However, any of them faces its physical limits when very low concentrations of bacteria should be detected. In this article, we used micromechanical filters with perforated membranes for capturing and enriching bacteria and to facilitate the detection of Escherichia coli. The results in this article show the easy and effective removal of bacteria from the surface of the microsieve membranes. By plating off the filters on LB agar plates, we could quantitatively analyze very low concentrations of bacteria and show that micromechanical filters are potentially suitable for subsequent transfer of bacteria to a biochip for further analysis. In addition, direct immunodetection of nonpathogenic E. coli O157:H7 on micromechanical filter surfaces by fluorescent‐labelled polyclonal antibodies is demonstrated. In summary, micromechanical filters present a promising tool for future detection of bacteria in potable water.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThere are two major fields of applications: (1) Laboratory analytics: Samples of water, blood or other aqueous solutions can be quickly analyzed for bacteriological contaminations using micromechanical filters for extraction; and (2) Field applications for quick monitoring of potable water quality become possible using a mobile detection system based on the micromechanical filters for sampling and simultaneous detection on the filter surface.
DETECTION OF CAMPYLOBACTER FROM BROILER CARCASS RINSE SAMPLES UTILIZING THE TECRA VISUAL IMMUNOASSAY (VIA)
Authors: BAILEY J.S. , FEDORKA‐CRAY P. , RICHARDSON L.J. , COX N.A. , COX J.M. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT Poultry meat is considered to be a major vector of transmission of Campylobacter, either directly, through consumption of poorly prepared product or cross‐contamination, or indirectly, through introduction of the bacterium into the food production environment. Efficient detection of Campylobacter is intrinsic to the management of the pathogen during poultry production. The TECRA Campylobacter Visual Immunoassay (CAMVIA) protocol, enrichment in a proprietary TECRA Campylobacter enrichment broth followed by an ELISA, was compared with a conventional cultural method, with enrichment in Bolton medium (containing lysed horse blood), followed by plating onto Campy‐cefex agar. Of the 398 broiler carcass rinses tested from 19 commercial processing plants, a total of 350 carcasses (88%) were found to be positive for Campylobacter by at least one method. The TECRA CAMVIA yielded 317 Campylobacter‐positive results, four of which were false positive and 22 of which were false negative, while conventional enrichment and plating detected the bacterium in only 280 samples with 48 false negatives. These data demonstrate that the TECRA CAMVIA has a statistically higher sensitivity and specificity than a conventional culture procedure using Bolton broth as the enrichment.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSStandard Campylobacter methodology procedures currently take 4–5 days for detection of Campylobacter spp. in a sample when using an enrichment step. The TECRA Campylobacter Visual Immunoassay (VIA) reduces the amount of time it takes to determine whether Campylobacter spp. are present on poultry carcasses that have been rinsed. The procedure can effectively determine the presence of Campylobacter spp. in 2 days and has a statistically higher sensitivity and specificity than a conventional culture procedure using Bolton broth as the enrichment.
MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES STRAINS HARBORING LISTERIA INNOCUA PUTATIVE TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATOR GENE LIN0464
Authors: LIU DONGYOU , LAWRENCE MARK L. , HITCHINS ANTHONY D. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT The genus Listeria comprises six closely related bacterial species that share considerable morphological, ecological, biochemical and molecular similarities. In this study, through examination of a large collection (n = 84) of Listeria monocytogenes strains, we identified four serovar 4c strains (i.e., RM3894, RM3899, RM3901 and RM3905) that cross‐reacted with Listeria innocua putative transcriptional regulator gene lin0464 primers. We then investigated these four unusual strains by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers for several L. monocytogenes species‐, virulence‐ and group‐specific genes and a newly identified L. innocua‐specific transcriptional regulator lin2455 gene. The fact that the four strains were recognized by L. monocytogenes inlA, lmo0733, inlJ, lmo2672 and lmo1134 primers but undetected by L. innocua‐specific lin2455 primers suggests their L. monocytogenes species identity, and this was confirmed by their testing positive for the presence of L. monocytogenes specific rRNA. As these strains displayed a reaction pattern with L. monocytogenes‐specific primers that is typical of lineage subgroup IIIA serovar 4c strains (ATCC 19116, RM3030 and FSL‐F2‐458), they are likely of serovar 4c in the lineage subgroup IIIA in spite of their possession of L. innocua putative transcriptional regulator gene lin0464. It is clear from this and other published examples that the close relatedness of the Listeria species even extends to the occasional possession by one species of gene(s) normally regarded as specific to another species.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSGiven that Listeria species resemble each other closely and often coexist in clinical, food and environmental specimens, it is important to develop a capability to differentiate pathogenic Listeria monocytogenes from nonpathogenic Listeria species, such as Listeria innocua. By employing primers derived from a newly identified L. innocua‐specific gene lin2455, along with several L. monocytogenes primers, it is possible to confirm the species and subgroup identity of L. monocytogenes strains (RM3894, RM3899, RM3901 and RM3905) possessing L. innocua putative transcriptional regulator lin0464 gene. From a food safety perspective, the ability to rapidly and precisely determine Listeria food isolates as L. innocua species with polymerase chain reaction targeting lin2455 gene offers a valuable means to verify the nonpathogenic nature of the bacteria present. On the other hand, the benefit of utilizing molecular techniques to distinguish between avirulent serovar 4a and potentially virulent serovar 4c, as well as non4a‐non4c (including 7) within lineage III lies in that it will generate additional caution and preparedness among laboratory and hospital personnel in their handling of lineage III isolates that may be potentially pathogenic.
Rethinking Remoteness: A Simple and Objective Approach
Authors: ZHAO YUEJEN , GUTHRIDGE STEVEN 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThis paper re‐examines the characteristics and assumptions of current remoteness/accessibility classifications in Australia and proposes a simple and easily understandable alternative measure for remoteness. In this study, remoteness is redefined simply as the average distance between two nearest people within an appropriate spatial unit where population distribution is assumed to be homogenous. By definition, the most straightforward remoteness and incapacity index (RII) would be remoteness times a measure of the incapacity for social and commercial interaction, where remoteness is gauged by the square root of the area divided by the population, and incapacity is measured by the reciprocal of population.Australian Bureau of Statistics Statistical Local Area (SLA) level population data and digital boundaries have been utilised for assessment of this index. The utility of the RII is demonstrated with two examples of activity measures for general practitioner services and businesses. At the State/Territory level, RIIs are negatively related to both general practitioner services per person (Pearson correlation coefficient r=−0.873), and the number of businesses per person (r=−0.546). The correlation can be further enhanced by normalising the distributions of the remoteness scores with a simple logarithmic function. The strong correlations confirm that remoteness has a substantial inverse impact on daily activities. Greater distance means longer time and higher costs for travelling, diseconomy of scale, and higher personnel costs. The RII provides an alternative measure of remoteness that is both intuitive and statistically straightforward and, at an SLA level, closely coincides with the commonly used but complex Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia Plus (ARIA+). Significantly, the RII is free of the service specific and policy sensitive adjustments justified by accessibility that have been introduced into existing measures.
The Potential of Tree Rings in Eucalyptus pauciflora for Climatological and Hydrological Reconstruction
Authors: BROOKHOUSE MATTHEW , LINDESAY JANETTE , BRACK CRIS 
Published: December 2008

AbstractWe investigate the causes of variability in a tree‐ring chronology comprising data from Eucalyptus pauciflora Sieb. Ex. Spreng. at the alpine treeline on the Kosciuszko Plateau in New South Wales, Australia. Following verification of crossdating in a subset of the available data, we found that ring width correlates significantly with net radiation, precipitation and mean minimum and maximum air temperature during the preceding winter and spring of the growing season. Our results for spring are consistent with the impact of climate on tree growth in alpine woodlands reported in previous studies. Analyses of snow‐depth data revealed negative correlations with ring width throughout winter and spring. Our results indicate that low temperature and high precipitation during winter negatively affect the growth of E. pauciflora by prolonging spring snow cover. Ring width also correlates significantly with an index of soil dryness and flow in rivers with their headwaters in the Kosciuszko plateau. Given the apparent sensitivity of our chronology to climate and snow conditions, our results suggest that tree‐ring chronologies comprising data from E. pauciflora at the alpine treeline have potential for climatological and hydrological reconstruction in southeast Australia.
Ethnic Emancipation and Urban Land Claims: Disenfranchisement of the Ga of Accra, Ghana
Authors: YEBOAH IAN E.A. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractSeveral Sub‐Saharan African countries have experienced an upsurge of land claims by various ethnic groups whose lands were acquired by both the colonial and the post‐colonial State through compulsory acquisition. Ethnicity has been used as the basis of emancipating some ethnic groups from perceived disenfranchisement and impoverishment caused by the State acquiring their land. In some cases such land claims result in violence that threatens the social fabric of these countries. An urban example of such a land claim has been made by the GaDangme Council (GDC) in Ghana. This paper assesses the land claim by GDC and argues that its claim of disenfranchisement is more a perception than reality. The paper also investigates why GDC perceives the Ga ethnic group as impoverished and disenfranchised. It concludes by providing structural and pragmatic ways for solving problems centred on Ga land acquisition by the State. Resolving the Ga case may provide lessons for other countries experiencing similar problems.
Exploratory Analysis of Similarities in Solar Cycle Magnetic Phases with Southern Oscillation Index Fluctuations in Eastern Australia
Authors: BAKER ROBERT G.V. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThere is growing interest in the role that the Sun's magnetic field has on weather and climatic parameters, particularly the ~11 year sunspot (Schwab) cycle, the ~22 yr magnetic field (Hale) cycle and the ~88 yr (Gleissberg) cycle. These cycles and the derivative harmonics are part of the peculiar periodic behaviour of the solar magnetic field. Using data from 1876 to the present, the exploratory analysis suggests that when the Sun's South Pole is positive in the Hale Cycle, the likelihood of strongly positive and negative Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) values increase after certain phases in the cyclic ~22 yr solar magnetic field. The SOI is also shown to track the pairing of sunspot cycles in ~88 yr periods. This coupling of odd cycles, 23–15, 21–13 and 19–11, produces an apparently close charting in positive and negative SOI fluctuations for each grouping. This Gleissberg effect is also apparent for the southern hemisphere rainfall anomaly. Over the last decade, the SOI and rainfall fluctuations have been tracking similar values to that recorded in Cycle 15 (1914–1924). This discovery has important implications for future drought predictions in Australia and in countries in the northern and southern hemispheres which have been shown to be influenced by the sunspot cycle. Further, it provides a benchmark for long‐term SOI behaviour.
Protect the Sick: Health Insurance Reform in One Easy Lesson
Authors: Stone Deborah 
Published: December 2008

In most other nations, insurance for medical care is called sickness insurance, and it covers sick people. In the United States, we have “health insurance,” and its major carriers — commercial insurers, large employers, and increasingly government programs — strive to avoid sick people and cover only the healthy. This perverse logic at the heart of the American health insurance system is the key to reform debates.Focusing on sick people versus healthy people might seem a strange way to view the coverage issue. Most discussions of insurance categorize people into other groupings: the insured versus the uninsured; Caucasian whites versus other racial and ethnic groups; men versus women; poor and low-income people versus everybody else; children, adults, and the elderly; or citizens versus immigrants and undocumented aliens. More recently, health researchers have begun talking about “vulnerable populations,” using most of the same demographic groupings and adding other illness-inducing factors such as social isolation, stress, and impoverished neighborhoods. But as I will show, insurance plans now use premiums, cost-sharing, and other design features in ways that indirectly divide each of these groups into the sick and the healthy, to the detriment of the sick. By shifting the costs of illness onto people who use medical care — that is, sick people — market-oriented reforms of the last few decades have eroded insurance in the name of strengthening it.
The States' Role in National Health Reform
Authors: Weil Alan R. , Tallon James R. 
Published: December 2008

Debates over health care reform often focus on the appropriate role for the government in health care. Much less attention is paid to defining the respective roles of the states and the federal government. Yet, in the American political system, the basic issue of federalism has profound implications.The question for the nation is which aspects of health policy should reflect national, uniform standards, and which should vary according to local conditions, values, and preferences. Economic mobility and the desire for efficiency militate for national uniformity and federal standards. By contrast, state policies can be more closely tailored to local economic conditions and can reflect local values regarding matters such as the appropriate role of government.
Tilapia–Shrimp Polyculture in Negros Island, Philippines: A Review
Authors: Cruz Philip S. , Andalecio Merlina N. , Bolivar Remedios B. , Fitzsimmons Kevin 
Published: December 2008

Abstract Tilapia–shrimp polyculture has played an important role in current efforts to control luminous bacterial disease caused by Vibrio harveyi. At present, green water technology is most extensively used by shrimp farmers in Negros Island in the central Philippines. While the contribution of tilapia as a biomanipulator is highlighted in the literature, the mechanism of action is not well understood. Data were gathered from shrimp ponds practicing two production systems: (a) green water system (probiotics + tilapia) and (b) closed/semiclosed system (probiotics alone). There was no difference between luminous Vibrio count (P < 0.05) in both systems, and water quality was found to be similar (P < 0.05). Because the green water system uses a bigger reservoir to raise the tilapia biomass, the net shrimp production was lower. In terms of direct cost of production, however, the green water system was 10–15% lower than the closed/semiclosed system because of significantly less aeration required. The polyculture maintained a more stable plankton environment during the early months of culture, which increased survival of shrimps. Various pathways are presented for the control of luminous bacterial growth in polyculture ponds: (a) fish feeding on organic wastes and conversion to feces; (b) selective fish foraging to increase the dominance of beneficial phytoplankton; (c) bioturbation of pond sediments; and (d) release in the water column of antimicrobials, fungi, or competing bacteria from the skin and gut mucus of tilapia.
Production and Processing Trait Comparisons of Channel Catfish, Blue Catfish, and Their Hybrids Grown in Earthen Ponds
Authors: Jiang Mingkang , Daniels William H. , Pine Harvey J. , Chappell Jesse A. 
Published: December 2008

Abstract Fingerling HS‐5 channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, NWAC 103 channel catfish, D&B blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus, HS‐5 female channel × D&B male blue catfish F1 hybrids, and NWAC 103 female channel × D&B male blue catfish F1 hybrids were stocked into twenty‐five 0.04‐ha earthen ponds at 12,500 fish/ha and grown for 277 d. Fish were fed daily at rates from 1.0 to 3.0% biomass based on feeding activity and temperature and adjusted weekly assuming a feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 1.8 and 100% survival. At harvest, 40 fish from each pond were sampled, and all other counted and weighed. Mean survival, growth rate indexes (a), FCR, and skin‐on fillet percentages were not significantly different. Mean harvest weights and net production were higher for HS‐5 channel and its hybrid than for the NWAC 103 channel, NWAC 103 hybrid, and D&B blue catfish, partially because of their larger mean stocking weights. D&B blue catfish was more uniform in size than NWAC 103 channel and NWAC 103 hybrid. D&B blue catfish was the easiest to seine. HS‐5 hybrids and NWAC 103 hybrids had lower mean head percentage and a better processing yield than their parent channel catfish.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus Associated with Mass Mortality of Postlarval Abalone, Haliotis diversicolor supertexta (L.), in Sanya, China
Authors: Cheng Lu , Huang Jie , Shi Chengyin , Thompson Kim D. , Mackey Bernard , Cai Junpeng 
Published: December 2008

Abstract Outbreaks of mass mortality in postlarval abalone, Haliotis diversicolor supertexta (L.), have swept across south China since 2002 and in turn have resulted in many abalone farms closing. Twenty‐five representative bacterial isolates were isolated from a sample of five diseased postlarval abalone, taken 15 d postfertilization during an outbreak of postlarval disease in Sanya, Hainan Province, China in October 2004. A dominant isolate, referred to as Strain 6, was found to be highly virulent to postlarvae in an experimental challenge test, with a 50% lethal dose (LD50) value of 3.2 × 104 colony forming units (CFU)/mL, while six of the other isolates were weakly virulent with LD50 values ranging from 1 × 106 to 1 × 107 CFU/mL, and the remaining 18 isolates were classified as avirulent with LD50 values greater than 1 × 108 CFU/mL. Using both an API 20E kit and 16S recombinant DNA sequence analysis, Strain 6 was shown to be Vibrio parahaemolyticus. It was sensitive to 4 and intermediately sensitive to 5 of the 16 antibiotics used when screening the antibiotic sensitivities of the bacterium. Extracellular products (ECPs) prepared from the bacterium were lethal to postlarvae when used in a toxicity test at a concentration of 3.77 mg protein/mL, and complete liquefaction of postlarvae tissues occurred within 24 h postexposure. Results from this study implicate V. parahaemolyticus as the pathogen involved in the disease outbreaks in postlarval abalone in Sanya and show that the ECPs may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease.
Gene Cloning and Expression of Major Capsid Protein of Large Yellow Croaker Iridovirus and Its Secretion Based on α‐hemolysin Transport System
Authors: Yang Zhao , Liu Qin , Wang Qiyao , Zhang Yuanxing 
Published: December 2008

Abstract Large yellow croaker iridovirus (LYCIV) is an important pathogen of mariculture fish. The complete gene of an important protective antigen, major capsid protein (MCP), of LYCIV was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and was cloned into pET‐16b for expression in Escherichia coli. The MCP‐encoded gene was in‐frame fused to the E. coliα‐hemolysin transport elements to construct the MCP secretory expression plasmid pMOhlyM, and its secretion characters in E. coli and attenuated Vibrio anguillarum MVAV6203 were investigated. With the aid of E. coliα‐hemolysin transport system, about 400 μg/L MCP was secreted into culture supernatant in E. coli, while intracellularly expressed MCP in MVAV6203 was not secreted. The study provides the foundation for attempts to secrete viral‐originated antigens by the E. coli HlyA transporter in bacterial hosts and to explore feasible ways to develop multivalent live vaccines against both bacterial and viral pathogens.