bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal association of anthropometry with mammographic breast density in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation
Authors: Reeves Katherine W. , Stone Roslyn A. , Modugno Francesmary , Ness Roberta B. , Vogel Victor G. , Weissfeld Joel L. , Habel Laurel A. , Sternfeld Barbara , Cauley Jane A. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractHigh percent mammographic breast density is strongly associated with increased breast cancer risk. Though body mass index (BMI) is positively associated with risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, BMI is negatively associated with percent breast density in cross‐sectional studies. Few longitudinal studies have evaluated associations between BMI and weight and mammographic breast density. We studied the longitudinal relationships between anthropometry and breast density in a prospective cohort of 834 pre‐ and perimenopausal women enrolled in an ancillary study to the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Routine screening mammograms were collected and read for breast density. Random intercept regression models were used to evaluate whether annual BMI change was associated with changes over time in dense breast area and percent density. The study population was 7.4% African‐American, 48.8% Caucasian, 21.8% Chinese, and 21.9% Japanese. Mean follow‐up was 4.8 years. Mean annual weight change was +0.32 kg/year, mean change in dense area was −0.77 cm2/year, and mean change in percent density was ‐1.14%/year. In fully adjusted models, annual change in BMI was not significantly associated with changes in dense breast area (−0.17 cm2, 95% CI −0.64, 0.29). Borderline significant negative associations were observed between annual BMI change and annual percent density change, with percent density decreasing 0.36% (95% CI −0.74, 0.02) for a one unit increase in BMI over a year. This longitudinal study provides modest evidence that changes in BMI are not associated with changes in dense area, yet may be negatively associated with percent density. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The mechanism of chemical delivery to the vomeronasal organs in squamate reptiles: a comparative morphological approach
Authors: Filoramo Nirvana I. , Schwenk Kurt 
Published: September 2008

AbstractVomeronasal chemoreception, an important chemical sense in squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes), is mediated by paired vomeronasal organs (VNOs), which are only accessible via ducts opening through the palate anteriorly. We comparatively examined the morphology of the oral cavity in lizards with unforked tongues to elucidate the mechanism of stage I delivery (transport of chemical‐laden fluid from the tongue tips to the VNO fenestrae) and to test the generality of the Gillingham and Clark (1981. Can J Zool 59:1651–1657) hypothesis (based on derived snakes), which suggests that the sublingual plicae act as the direct conveyors of chemicals to the VNOs. At rest, the foretongue lies within a chamber formed by the sublingual plicae ventrally and the palate dorsally, with little or no space around the anterior foretongue when the mouth is closed. There is a remarkable conformity between the shape of this chamber and the shape of the foretongue. We propose a hydraulic mechanism for stage I chemical transport in squamates: during mouth closure, the compliant tongue is compressed within this cavity and the floor of the mouth is elevated, expressing fluid from the sublingual glands within the plicae. Chemical‐laden fluid covering the tongue tips is forced dorsally and posteriorly toward the VNO fenestrae. In effect, the tongue acts as a piston, pressurizing the fluid surrounding the foretongue so that chemical transport to the VNO ducts is effected almost instantaneously. Our findings falsify the Gillingham and Clark (1981. Can J Zool 59:1651–1657) hypothesis for lizards lacking forked, retractile tongues. J. Exp. Zool. 311A:20–34, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Shape and size variation: Growth and development of the dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus Lowe, 1834)
Authors: Russo Tommaso , Pulcini Domitilla , Bruner Emiliano , Cataudella Stefano 
Published: September 2008

AbstractDemersal fishes have complex life cycles that involve an ontogenetic change in morphology, physiology, and behavior, as their pelagic larval stages colonize benthic habitats. The developmental transition between larvae and juveniles leads to very complex processes of morphogenesis and differentiation. These processes primarily determine changes in external morphology, which is shaped by selective pressures to optimize performance for basic activities such as swimming, escape from predators, and feeding. Fishes have provided fertile grounds for ecomorphological investigations throughout ontogeny, as the role of changing morphology in inducing ontogenetic niche shifts is not always clear. In this framework, some studies have demonstrated that certain species undergo gradual changes, whereas other species experience threshold effects in their ecomorphological relationships during ontogeny. In this study, the intraspecific allometry of the dusky grouper was examined. Geometric morphometric tools were used to quantify shape changes through the development, and a modular approach was also applied to analyze the pattern of covariation between three distinct blocks (head, trunk, and tail). For this purpose, a two‐block Partial Least Square was computed. This method reveals that the pattern of changes in the overall body shape is the result of the modularized changes of these blocks. J. Morphol., 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regulation of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor‐mediated transcription of the immediate early gene Arc by intracellular calcium and calmodulin
Authors: Zheng Fei , Luo Yongneng , Wang Hongbing 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThe induction of the immediate early gene Arc is strongly implicated in synaptic plasticity. Although the role of ERK has been demonstrated, the regulation of Arc expression is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the major signaling pathways underlying brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)‐mediated Arc transcription in cultured cortical neurons. The BDNF‐stimulated Arc transcription was regulated solely by the Ras‐Raf‐MAPK signaling through ERK, but not by phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K) and PLC‐γ activities. Although it was demonstrated that BDNF might promote calcium entry through calcium channels and NMDA receptors, chelating extracellular calcium with EGTA failed to block Arc transcription. In contrast, chelating intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) by BAPTA‐AM abolished BDNF‐mediated Arc up‐regulation. Surprisingly, BAPTA‐AM did not block ERK activation, indicating that [Ca2+]i and Ras‐Raf‐MAPK are not coupled, and the activation of ERK alone is not sufficient to up‐regulate Arc transcription. Moreover, we found that inhibition of calmodulin (CaM) by W13 blocked both Arc transcription and ERK activation, revealing a Ca2+‐independent function of CaM. These data suggested novel functions of [Ca2+]i and CaM in BDNF signaling. Comparison of the Arc transcription profiles between Ca2+‐stimulated and BDNF‐stimulated neurons demonstrated that the regulatory mechanisms were distinctively tailored to the complex features of neuronal activity. Specifically, PI3K and CaM‐dependent protein kinase (CaMK) activity were required for Ca2+‐stimulated Arc transcription through regulating ERK signaling. Such cross‐talks between PI3K, CaMK, and ERK was absent in BDNF‐stimulated neurons. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A predictive model of the effects of genotypic, pre‐ and postharvest stages on barley β‐glucan levels
Authors: Tiwari Uma , Cummins Enda 
Published: September 2008

AbstractBACKGROUND: β‐Glucan is a bioactive component of cereal grains that has many potential uses and health‐promoting benefits. Recent research has focused on improving the nutritional value of food by increasing human exposure to β‐glucan. This study looks at the development of a farm‐level baseline model (including scenario analysis) to evaluate the impact of pre‐ and postharvest stages (including genotypic factors, environmental conditions, agronomic factors and storage) on β‐glucan levels in barley. Monte Carlo simulation techniques were employed to model various stages in pre‐ and postharvest processes and to simulate the factors influencing the level of β‐glucan content in both hulled barley (HB) and hull‐less barley (HLB) genotypes.RESULTS: The baseline model found that the mean simulated level of β‐glucan was 40.99 and 56.77 g kg−1 for HB and HLB genotypes respectively. A sensitivity analysis highlighted that genotype was the most important parameter in determining the final β‐glucan content (correlation coefficients of 0.66 and 0.78 for HB and HLB respectively), more so than any of the agronomic factors analysed. The scenario analysis highlighted the importance of harvest date (scenario 2) and storage conditions (scenario 3), with a potential 32.6 and 32.7% decrease in β‐glucan (compared with the baseline model) if harvesting is carried out early during physiological maturity (i.e. at growth stage 92) and a potential 20.1 and 19.5% increase in β‐glucan for HB and HLB respectively if storage time is minimised.CONCLUSION: This study predicted the influence of genotypic, pre‐ and postharvest operations on β‐glucan content and thus allows strategies to be identified to influence β‐glucan content in barley products. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
Influence of equibiaxial extensional strain on stress relaxation of glycerol plasticised wheat gluten
Authors: Zuo Min , Song Yihu , Zheng Qiang 
Published: September 2008

AbstractBACKGROUND: Glycerol plasticised wheat gluten shows advantages for non‐food applications such as biodegradable package films and bioplastics because of their abundant resources, low cost, good biodegradability and suitable mechanical and oxygen barrier properties. The intention of this study was to evaluate to the equibiaxial stress relaxation of 400 g kg−1 glycerol plasticised gluten at different biaxial strains at room temperature for a better understanding of the processibility.RESULTS: The plasticised gluten shows significant stress relaxation and the spectra span over six decades of time at biaxial strains from 0.03 to 1.51. Plotting the instantaneous modulus against strain reveals strain softening and strain hardening at strains below and above 0.25, respectively. The relaxation modulus as a function of time can be fitted to the Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts equation.CONCLUSION: These results suggest that stress relaxation of plasticised gluten is highly dependent on strain level and biaxial deformation accelerates the network relaxation by widening the distribution of relaxation times. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
In vitro degradation and in vivo passage kinetics of carvacrol, thymol, eugenol and trans‐cinnamaldehyde along the gastrointestinal tract of piglets
Authors: Michiels Joris , Missotten Joris , Dierick Noël , Fremaut Dirk , Maene Peter , De Smet Stefaan 
Published: September 2008

AbstractBACKGROUND: The essential oils (EO) carvacrol, thymol, eugenol and trans‐cinnamaldehyde have well‐documented antimicrobial properties and offer therefore an alternative for the antimicrobial growth promoters in pig feeds. The aim of this work was to determine the degradation and kinetics of these EO along the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of piglets, which is necessary information for correct application in pig feeds.RESULTS: None of these compounds was significantly degraded in in vitro simulations of pig gastric fermentation. Carvacrol and thymol were not degraded in jejunal simulations, but significant losses of up to 29% were found in caecal simulations. Eugenol and trans‐cinnamaldehyde showed a more pronounced degradation in jejunal and caecal simulations. A single dose mixed with feed (13.0, 13.2, 12.5 and 12.7 mg kg−1 body weight for carvacrol, thymol, eugenol and trans‐cinnamaldehyde respectively) was given orally to piglets. Half‐lives in total digestive tract ranged between 1.84 and 2.05 h, whereby trans‐cinnamaldehyde showed the fastest disappearance. All of these EO were mainly and almost completely absorbed in the stomach and the proximal small intestine. Plasma concentrations (sum of free and conjugated compound) peaked at 1.39, 1.35 and 0.83 h for carvacrol, thymol and eugenol respectively and this was accompanied by high concentrations in urine.CONCLUSION: The four compounds were in vitro poorly degraded in the proximal segments of the GIT of piglets, but degradation is expected in more distal segments. In vivo, the EO were mainly and almost completely absorbed in the stomach and the proximal small intestine. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
The effects of sources of supplemental fat on performance, egg quality, and fatty acid composition of egg yolk in laying hens
Authors: Celebi Saban , Macit Muhlis 
Published: September 2008

AbstractBACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of sources of supplemental fat on laying performance, egg quality, and fatty acid composition of egg yolk.RESULTS: Two hundreds Isa Brown layers were assigned randomly to be fed ad libitum a standard commercial layer feed (BD), basal diet plus 2% tallow (T), basal diet plus a mixture of 1% tallow and 1% flaxseed oil (MTFO), basal diet plus 2% sunflower oil (SO), or basal diet plus 2% flaxseed oil (FO), which were offered for 8 weeks. Each diet was given to five groups, each containing 10 hens. The feed efficiency and egg production were 2.78 and 53.51% for BD; 2.30 and 63.47% for T; 2.45 and 60.14% for MTFO; 2.29 and 64.30% for SO, and 2.62 and 61.18% for FO groups, respectively. Dietary fat supplementation affected the laying performance but had no significant effects on egg quality parameters. The fatty acid composition of egg yolk lipids were significantly affected by dietary fatty acid composition. The supplemental tallow increased palmitic fatty acid. The proportions of linoleic and arachidonic fatty acids in egg yolks for layers fed the SO diet were higher than in the BD group and those on diets containing other fats. Concentrations of oleic and omega‐3 fatty acids were the highest in layers fed the FO diet during the laying period.CONCLUSION: The results indicated that dietary animal and plant fats changed the fatty acid composition of egg yolk. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
Development and validation of an RP‐HPLC method for the estimation of adenosine and related purines in brain tissues of rats
Authors: Akula Kiran Kumar , Kaur Manninder , Bishnoi Mahendra , Kulkarni Shrinivas K. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractA new, rapid and sensitive RP‐HPLC method with UV spectrophotometric detection was developed and validated for the concomitant estimation of adenosine and related purines in rat brain tissue preparations. The HPLC system consisted of C‐18 column with UV–photodiode‐array detection ranging from 210 to 400 nm, facilitating the online confirmation of peak purity. The column temperature was maintained at 30°C and the injection volume was 20 μL. Elution with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of water/methanol/acetonitrile (88:5:7 by volume) at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min yielded sharp, utmost‐resolved peaks of adenosine (Ade), inosine (Ino), hypoxanthine (Hypoxan) and adenine (Adn) within 10 min. The method was validated with respect to the linearity, accuracy, precision, sensitivity, selectivity and stability. The method was also employed to estimate the naturally occurring purines in discrete regions of rat brain. A new protocol developed for tissue preparation utilizing H2SO4 and Tris buffer gave well‐resolved peaks and high component recoveries (>96%) which eliminated the need of an internal standard. The results show that the method for the determination of Ade, Ino, Hypoxan and Adn by RP‐HPLC described here has good linearity, accuracy, precision, sensitivity, selectivity and is simple and rapid to perform.
Moment independent and variance‐based sensitivity analysis with correlations: An application to the stability of a chemical reactor
Authors: Borgonovo E. , Tarantola S. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractRecent works have attracted interest toward sensitivity measures that use the entire model output distribution, without dependence on any of its particular moments (e.g., variance). However, the computation of moment‐independent importance measures in the presence of dependencies among model inputs has not been dealt with yet. This work has two purposes. On the one hand, to introduce moment independent techniques in the analysis of chemical reaction models. On the other hand, to allow their computation in the presence of correlations. To do so, a new approach based on Gibbs sampling is presented that allows the joint estimation of variance‐based and moment independent sensitivity measures in the presence of correlations. The application to the stability of a chemical reactor is then discussed, allowing full consideration of historical data that included a correlation coefficient of 0.7 between two of the model parameters. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 40: 687–698, 2008
Improvement of Differentiation and Mineralization of Pre‐Osteoblasts on Composite Nanofibers of Poly(lactic acid) and Nanosized Bovine Bone Powder
Authors: Ko Eun Kyoung , Jeong Sung In , Lee Ji Hye , Shin Heungsoo 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThe effect of NBM incorporation in PLA nanofibers on their mechanical properties and the differentiation and mineralization of osteoblasts was studied. At 20% NBM, the Young's modulus of the nanofibers was 37.78 ± 4.23, significantly larger than that of pure PLA nanofibers. MC3T3‐E1 pre‐osteoblasts attached to both types of nanofibers and developed full osteogenic phenotypes. A profound effect of NBM on the mineralization of MC3T3‐E1 pre‐osteoblasts was confirmed, suggesting that NBM/PLA composite nanofibers exhibit properties similar to those of the native collagen‐rich mineralized bone matrix, and could therefore serve as a temporary substrate for facilitating the differentiation and mineralization of bone‐forming cells.magnified image
Evaluating the Ability of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Synthase Mutants to Produce P(3HB‐co‐3HA) from Soybean Oil
Authors: Tsuge Takeharu , Yamamoto Tetsuya , Yano Kotaro , Abe Hideki , Doi Yoshiharu , Taguchi Seiichi 
Published: September 2008

AbstractPolyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthase from Pseudomonas sp 61‐3 (PhaC1Ps) is able to synthesize P(3HB‐co‐3HA), consisting of a 3HB unit and medium‐chain‐length 3HA units of 6–12 carbon atoms. Expression vectors encoding 76 PhaC1Ps mutants with an amino acid replacement at position 130, 325, 477 or 481 were individually introduced into Ralstonia eutropha. The mutant enzyme genes were evaluated in terms of their abilities to synthesize P(3HB‐co‐3HA) using soybean oil as a carbon source. 20 mutants showed significantly high accumulation levels of PHA exceeding 30 wt.‐% and as high as 57 wt.‐%. It was found that hydrophobic amino acids at the positions are more likely to enhance accumulation of PHA in R. eutropha.magnified image
Kinetics of corrosion inhibition of benzotriazole to copper in 3.5% NaCl
Authors: Bayoumi F. M. , Abdullah A. M. , Attia B. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThe kinetics of interaction of benzotriazole (BTAH) with the surface of copper were studied using an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQMB) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Upon injecting BTAH into the electrolyte, three regions appear in the time response of the microbalance. Region I (at short time scale of few minutes) exhibits rapid linear growth of mass with time. This is attributed to the formation of a Cu(I)BTA film that is several hundred layers thick. Region II reveals adsorption of BTAH at a slower rate, on the inner Cu(I)BTA complex. Region III is a plateau indicating that the BTAH film attains an equilibrium thickness, which increases with the concentration of BTAH. The polarization resistance of the interface changes with time in a similar fashion while the double layer capacitance decreases. The results suggest that the thickness of the physically adsorbed film of BTAH increases with time and BTAH concentration while the thickness of the inner Cu(I)BTA remains constant. Two semicircles were obtained in the impedance spectra corresponding to the complex Cu(I)BTA and the physically adsorbed BTAH.
Hydrogen permeation measurements in natural sea environment
Authors: Domżalicki P. , Birn J. , Lunarska E. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThe specially designed, fully equipped, and computerized devices for the underwater long‐term measurements have been used to study the hydrogen permeation rate through the structural steels under natural sea water conditions. By applying constant cathodic potentials, the polarization current and the hydrogen permeation rate were recorded. The temperature and the concentration of S−2 ions in sea water were also measured. After the tests, the concentration of residual hydrogen in samples and the chemistry of the membrane surface were analyzed. The obtained permeation data were compared with the S−2 content in sea water and with the chemistry and appearance of formed deposits. The effect of SRB on the hydrogen permeation through structural steels is dependent on the site of the sample placing and on the sea water temperature. At a lower water temperature, the low hydrogen absorption was measured due to a lower activity of SRB. The highest hydrogen uptake accompanied by the highest content of S in corrosion and cathodic deposits was observed for membranes situated on the sea bed. The electric field of cathodically protected wall did not affect the hydrogen absorption. The hydrogen uptake recorded under the natural sea conditions can be higher than that measured in the laboratory tests, which should be taken into account while servicing marine constructions, especially embedded ones.
Stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of stainless steels in pulp cooking processes—online capillary electrophoresis, potentiostatic and chromatographic studies
Authors: Leinonen H. , Sirén H. , Vastamäki P. , Rovio S. , Peltonen S. , Työppönen T. , Rämö J. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractAn online high temperature capillary electrophoresis instrument (HotUCE), a potentiometer and an ion chromatograph were used in studies on corrosive ions and changes in potential at normal pulping process temperatures in experimental liquors modelling pulp cooking processes at mills. The aim was to evaluate the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of stainless steels. The HotUCE instrument and the potentiometer were online coupled with an autoclave, where welded duplex stainless steel samples were immersed for 500 h in simulated high ionic strength hot black liquor (HBL), hot white liquor (HWL) or green liquor (GL) at 130, 150 or 170 °C, respectively.The results showed that only minor amounts of oxidized sulphur compounds were formed. The concentrations of corrosive sulphur anions were calculated against sulphur standards. Amounts of sulphur species in the liquor correlated with the changes in the potential of the duplex stainless steel specimens during the cooking experiments. The formation of sulphite during cooking was greater in HWL than in HBL. Changes in the potential showed that reduction processes occurred during the SCC tests. The results indicate that the SCC risk is enhanced at higher temperatures, probably, due to the increased formation of thiosulphate.