bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Selling China Looking Back and Looking Forward
Authors: Beamish Paul W. , Delios Andrew 
Published: July 2005

One of the objectives of Yasheng Huang's book Selling
China: Foreign Direct Investment in the Reform Era is ‘to
gain a better understanding of the operations of the Chinese economy in the
1990s as well as its FDI patterns’ (p. 69). We have no disagreement with
Huang's general argument that for much of the 1990s domestic Chinese firms
were less competitive than they would have been if the Chinese government
had not favoured state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
Similarly, while acknowledging the positive impact of FDI on China's
development, Huang has real concern with FDI's disproportionately large role
in the economy. He further feels that ‘some of China's FDI patterns may
reflect institutional inefficiencies and weaknesses’ (p. 67). Again, we have
no real disagreement that this was the case in the 1990s.
EVALUATION OF ATTACHMENT AND PENETRATION ABILITIES OF CAMPYLOBACTER JEJUNI ISOLATES OBTAINED FROM HUMANS AND CHICKEN CARCASSES DURING PROCESSING AND AT RETAIL
Authors: GILBERT C.D. , SLAVIK M.F. 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACT The differences in attachment and penetration ability of Campylobacter jejuni were determined by analyzing C. jejuni isolates obtained from chicken carcasses and from humans exhibiting symptoms of campylobacteriosis. INT 407 cells, a human cell line originating from the jejunal/ileal region, were used as the in vitro model, and attachment and penetration abilities were evaluated for each isolate. There were no significant differences between the attachment and penetration abilities of chicken isolates and human isolates (HUMN). In addition, a wide range of attachment and penetration abilities was found for the isolates, with many of the HUMN possessing low attachment and penetration abilities. These data indicate that C. jejuni attachment and penetration into the human ileal and jejunal regions may not be primary virulence factors and may only be important in causing more acute symptoms.
BEHAVIOR OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES AND ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7 IN FRESH‐SLICED CACTUS‐PEAR FRUIT
Authors: CORBO M. R. , CAMPANIELLO D. , D’AMATO D. , BEVILACQUA A. , SINIGAGLIA M. 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACT Storage experiments were conducted to follow the behavior of Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7, deliberately inoculated on fresh‐cut cactus‐pear fruits before packaging under modified and control atmosphere and stored at four different temperatures (4, 8, 12 and 20C). L. monocytogenes was able to proliferate during storage at different temperature both in control and modified atmosphere. By comparing the sanitary‐risk values with those of shelf life, it is possible to conclude that the storage of cactus‐pear samples at temperatures greater than 4C, both in control and in modified atmospheres, could lead to a significant health‐time risk, and that this is strictly affected by temperature. E. coli O157:H7 was able to proliferate only in the sample stored at 4 and 8C in both package atmospheres. On the contrary, this species was completely suppressed at the higher temperatures. In our study, E. coli O157:H7 appeared to be much less suited for survival on the surface of the fruit than L. monocytogenes.
OCCURRENCE OF HEMOLYSIN‐PRODUCING AEROMONADS IN MEAT AND OFFAL SOLD IN PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA
Authors: AMADI E.N. , OBUMWENRE B. , AKANI N.P. 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACT Fresh, different meat types and offal were examined for the occurrence of Aeromonas species by the direct‐plating and enrichment methods. The enrichment method (coefficient of variation = 15.1%) enhanced the recovery of Aeromonas species. The major Aeromonas species identified were A. sobria (67.3%) and A. hydrophila (21.2%). Other species occurred in minor proportions and were A. caviae, A. proteolytica and A. salmonicida. Out of the 52 isolates, 50 were motile species except two which were not motile and identified as the species A. proteolytica. Sixteen motile species occurred in cow, 18 in goat and 16 in lamb. The motile species and the two nonmotile species were hemolytic. They were all sensitive to chloramphenicol (30 mg) and resistant to ampicillin (10 mg). The nonmotile A. proteolytica were all resistant to tetracycline. Aeromonas caviae, A. salmonicida, A. hydrophila and A. sobria were killed after exposure to 50C (decimal reduction time, D10 = 30 s). Aeromonads are unlikely to pose a public health problem in Nigeria where meat undergoes prolonged cooking. Meat is a possible factor in the epidemiology of Aeromonas‐associated gastroenteritis in man.
DETERMINATION OF POSSIBLE GENOMIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH DIMORPHISM IN CAMPYLOBACTER JEJUNI
Authors: WANG H. , GILBERT C. , SLAVIK M.F. 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACTCampylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of human gastroenteritis. Using a tissue culture system, researchers have found that spiral forms of C. jejuni are more pathogenic than coccoid forms of the same strain. The objective of this research was to investigate genomic changes associated with the dimorphism in C. jejuni using pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and sequencing of flaA gene of C. jejuni isolated from chicken carcasses and human stool samples. C. jejuni isolates were cultured for 18 h (spiral form) and 72 h (coccoid form). PFGE profiles of both forms of C. jejuni showed 100% genetic similarity. For sequence analysis of the flaA gene of C. jejuni, its short‐variable region (SVR) was analyzed. For the two forms of the same isolate, the nucleic‐acid sequences of the SVR of flaA showed 95–100% similarity. It is concluded that morphological dimorphism of C. jejuni was not associated with genetic changes as measured by the mentioned tests.
EFFECTS OF VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENTATION ON MYOFIBRILLAR PROTEINS OF FAT‐TAILED AWASSI MALE LAMBS
Authors: AKSU M.İ. , AKTAŞ N. , KAYA M. , MACİT M. 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACT In this study, the effect of Vitamin E supplementation (for 75 days, 45 mg/day Vit E [DL‐α tocopheryl acetate]) on myofibrillar proteins in the M. Longissimus dorsi of Awassi male lambs was investigated. The lambs were divided into two groups consisting of a control (CG, n = 12) and an experimental (VG, n = 12) treatment starting at the beginning of the fattening period. Both the control group and the Vitamin E group were fed with a concentrate and grass hay close to ad libitum by biweekly adjustment of the amount offered. In addition, the Vitamin E group received the same concentrate plus a supplement of 45 mg of Vitamin E (DL‐α tocopheryl acetate) per lamb per day for 75 days. The effects of Vitamin E on myofibrillar proteins in the M. Longissimus dorsi were determined using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE). The SDS‐PAGE gels indicated that Vitamin E supplementation to diet had a significant effect on actin, myosin and tropomyosin. The density of these bands increased in samples from the Vitamin E‐supplemented group. Also, the pH values of the M. Longissimus dorsi muscles were determined in the present study, and differences between the control and the Vitamin E‐supplemented groups were found insignificant.
MARINATION OF SHEEP MUSCLES UNDER PRESSURE AND ITS EFFECT ON MEAT TEXTURE QUALITY
Authors: YASHODA K.P. , RAO R. JAGANNATHA , MAHENDRAKAR N.S. , RAO D. NARASIMHA 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACT Marinated products are gaining importance in the market. Better penetration of salt(s) and/or acid(s) is desirable in marinated products. In order to improve ingredient penetration, experiments were carried out to marinate sheep thigh muscles under pressure. Semimembranosus and semitendinosus muscles from sheep, 4–5 years of age, were immersed (1 : 1) in a marinating solution consisting of 25 g citric acid and 200 g NaCl dissolved in 1 L of water (pH adjusted to 1.5). Right thigh muscles immersed in marinating solution were subjected to a pressure of 0.25, 0.50 or 0.75 kg/cm

2

(gauge) for 2 h at 27 ± 2C, while muscles from the left thigh were held at atmospheric pressure for 2 h (control). Marination under pressure reduced muscle pH 2–5%, increased titrable acidity 4–19%, increased salt content 15–45%, improved water‐holding capacity 10–21% and reduced shear values 24–48% depending on muscle and pressure applied. Thus, marination of muscles under pressure in the range of 0.25–0.75 kg/cm2enhances the penetration of salt and acid and improves texture quality of muscles.
Bovine Feces from Animals with Gastrointestinal Infections Are a Source of Serologically Diverse Atypical EnteropathogenicEscherichia coliand Shiga Toxin-ProducingE. coliStrains That Commonly Possess Intimin
Authors: Hornitzky Michael A. , Mercieca Kim , Bettelheim Karl A. , Djordjevic Steven P. 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACTShiga toxin-producingEscherichia coli(STEC) and enteropathogenicE. coli(EPEC) cells were isolated from 191 fecal samples from cattle with gastrointestinal infections (diagnostic samples) collected in New South Wales, Australia. By using a multiplex PCR,E. colicells possessing combinations ofstx1,stx2,eae, andehxAwere detected by a combination of direct culture and enrichment inE. coli(EC) (modified) broth followed by plating on vancomycin-cefixime-cefsulodin blood (BVCC) agar for the presence of enterohemolytic colonies and on sorbitol MacConkey agar for the presence of non-sorbitol-fermenting colonies. The high prevalence of the intimin geneeaewas a feature of the STEC (35 [29.2%] of 120 isolates) and contrasted with the low prevalence (9 [0.5%] of 1,692 fecal samples possessed STEC witheae) of this gene among STEC recovered during extensive sampling of feces from healthy slaughter-age cattle in Australia (M. Hornitzky, B. A. Vanselow, K. Walker, K. A. Bettelheim, B. Corney, P. Gill, G. Bailey, and S. P. Djordjevic, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68:6439-6445, 2002). Forty-seven STEC serotypes were identified, including O5:H−, O8:H19, O26:H−, O26:H11, O113:H21, O157:H7, O157:H− and Ont:H− which are known to cause severe disease in humans and 23 previously unreported STEC serotypes. Serotypes Ont:H− and O113:H21 represented the two most frequently isolated STEC isolates and were cultured from nine (4.7%) and seven (3.7%) animals, respectively. Fifteeneae-positiveE. coliserotypes, considered to represent atypical EPEC, were identified, with O111:H− representing the most prevalent. Using both techniques, STEC cells were cultured from 69 (36.1%) samples and EPEC cells were cultured from 30 (15.7%) samples, including 9 (4.7%) samples which yielded both STEC and EPEC. Culture on BVCC agar following enrichment in EC (modified) broth was the most successful method for the isolation of STEC (24.1% of samples), and direct culture on BVCC agar was the most successful method for the isolation of EPEC (14.1% samples). These studies show that diarrheagenic calves and cattle represent important reservoirs ofeae-positiveE. coli.
Alternative Luciferase for Monitoring Bacterial Cells under Adverse Conditions
Authors: Wiles Siouxsie , Ferguson Kathryn , Stefanidou Martha , Young Douglas B. , Robertson Brian D. 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACT

The availability of cloned luciferase genes from fireflies (
luc
) and from bacteria (
luxAB
) has led to the widespread use of bioluminescence as a reporter to measure cell viability and gene expression. The most commonly occurring bioluminescence system in nature is the deep-sea imidazolopyrazine bioluminescence system. Coelenterazine is an imidazolopyrazine derivative which, when oxidized by an appropriate luciferase enzyme, produces carbon dioxide, coelenteramide, and light. The luciferase from the marine copepod
Gaussia princeps
(
Gluc
) has recently been cloned. We expressed the
Gluc
gene in
Mycobacterium smegmatis
using a shuttle vector and compared its performance with that of an existing
luxAB
reporter. In contrast to
luxAB
, the
Gluc
luciferase retained its luminescence output in the stationary phase of growth and exhibited enhanced stability during exposure to low pH, hydrogen peroxide, and high temperature. The work presented here demonstrated the utility of the copepod luciferase bioluminescent reporter as an alternative to bacterial luciferase, particularly for monitoring responses to environmental stress stimuli.
Quantitative Detection ofLegionella pneumophilain Water Samples by Immunomagnetic Purification and Real-Time PCR Amplification of thedotAGene
Authors: Yáñez M. A. , Carrasco-Serrano C. , Barberá V. M. , Catalán V. 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACTA new real-time PCR assay was developed and validated in combination with an immunomagnetic separation system for the quantitative determination ofLegionella pneumophilain water samples. Primers that amplify simultaneously an 80-bp fragment of thedotAgene fromL. pneumophilaand a recombinant fragment including a specific sequence of thegyrBgene fromAeromonas hydrophila, added as an internal positive control, were used. The specificity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, repetitivity, reproducibility, and accuracy of the method were calculated, and the values obtained confirmed the applicability of the method for the quantitative detection ofL. pneumophila. Moreover, the efficiency of immunomagnetic separation in the recovery ofL. pneumophilafrom different kinds of water was evaluated. The recovery rates decreased as the water contamination increased (ranging from 59.9% for distilled water to 36% for cooling tower water), and the reproducibility also decreased in parallel to water complexity. The feasibility of the method was evaluated by cell culture and real-time PCR analysis of 60 samples in parallel. All the samples found to be positive by cell culture were also positive by real-time PCR, while only eight samples were found to be positive only by PCR. Finally, the correlation of both methods showed that the number of cells calculated by PCR was 20-fold higher than the culture values. In conclusion, the real-time PCR method combined with immunomagnetic separation provides a sensitive, specific, and accurate method for the rapid quantification ofL. pneumophilain water samples. However, the recovery efficiency of immunomagnetic separation should be considered in complex samples.
Polyketide Synthase Gene Responsible for Citrinin Biosynthesis in
Monascus purpureus
Authors: Shimizu Takeo , Kinoshita Hiroshi , Ishihara Shinji , Sakai Kanae , Nagai Shiro , Nihira Takuya 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACT

Citrinin produced by
Aspergillus
,
Penicillium
, and
Monascus
species is a polyketide compound that has nephrotoxic activity in mammals and is bactericidal toward gram-positive bacteria. To avoid the risk of citrinin contamination in other fermentation products produced by
Monascus purpureus
, knowledge of the citrinin biosynthetic genes is needed so that citrinin-nonproducing strains can be generated. We cloned a polyketide synthase (PKS) gene from
M. purpureus
with degenerate primers designed to amplify the conserved region of a ketosynthase domain of a fungal PKS. A 13-kb genomic DNA fragment was identified that contained a full-length PKS gene (
pksCT
) of 7,838 bp with a single 56-bp intron.
pksCT
encodes a 2,593-amino-acid protein that contains putative domains for ketosynthase, acyltransferase, acyl carrier protein (ACP), and a rare methyltransferase. There was no obvious thioesterase domain, which usually is downstream of the ACP domain in multi-aromatic-ring PKSs.
pksCT
transcription was correlated with citrinin production, suggesting that the
pksCT
gene product was involved in citrinin biosynthesis. Homologous recombination between the wild-type allele and a truncated disruption construct resulted in a
pksCT
-disrupted strain of
M. purpureus
. The disruptant did not produce citrinin, but a
pksCT
revertant generated by successive endogenous recombination events in the
pksCT
disruptant restored citrinin production, indicating that
pksCT
encoded the PKS responsible for citrinin biosynthesis in
M. purpureus
.
Anaerobic
n
-Alkane Metabolism by a Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium,
Desulfatibacillum aliphaticivorans
Strain CV2803
T
Authors: Cravo-Laureau Cristiana , Grossi Vincent , Raphel Danielle , Matheron Robert , Hirschler-Réa Agnès 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACT

The alkane-degrading, sulfate-reducing bacterium
Desulfatibacillum aliphaticivorans
strain CV2803
T
, recently isolated from marine sediments, was investigated for
n
-alkane metabolism. The total cellular fatty acids of this strain had predominantly odd numbers of carbon atoms (C odd) when the strain was grown on a C-odd alkane (pentadecane) and even numbers of carbon atoms (C even) when it was grown on a C-even alkane (hexadecane). Detailed analyses of those fatty acids by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry allowed us to identify saturated 2-, 4-, 6-, and 8-methyl- and monounsaturated 6-methyl-branched fatty acids, with chain lengths that specifically correlated with those of the alkane. Growth of
D. aliphaticivorans
on perdeuterated hexadecane demonstrated that those methyl-branched fatty acids were directly derived from the substrate. In addition, cultures on pentadecane and hexadecane produced (1-methyltetradecyl)succinate and (1-methylpentadecyl)succinate, respectively. These results indicate that
D. aliphaticivorans
strain CV2803
T
oxidizes
n
-alkanes into fatty acids anaerobically, via the addition of fumarate at C-2. Based on our observations and on literature data, a pathway for anaerobic
n
-alkane metabolism by
D. aliphaticivorans
is proposed. This involves the transformation of the initial alkylsuccinate into a 4-methyl-branched fatty acid which, in addition to catabolic reactions, can alternatively undergo chain elongation and desaturation to form storage fatty acids.
Transcriptional Regulation and Characterization of a Novel β-Fructofuranosidase-Encoding Gene fromBifidobacterium breveUCC2003
Authors: Ryan Sinéad M. , Fitzgerald Gerald F. , van Sinderen Douwe 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACTAn operon involved in fructooligosaccharide breakdown was identified in the genome ofBifidobacterium breveUCC2003. This 2.6-kb transcriptional unit was comprised of three genes that encoded a putative permease, a conserved hypothetical protein, and a β-fructofuranosidase. Active transcription of the operon was observed whenB. breveUCC2003 was grown on sucrose or Actilight, while transcription appeared to be repressed when the organism was grown on glucose, fructose, a combination of glucose and sucrose, or a combination of fructose and sucrose. The β-fructofuranosidase encoded by this operon was purified and biochemically characterized. The optimum pH and temperature for catalytic activity were determined to be pH 6.0 and 37°C, respectively, and there was a dependence on bivalent cations, particularly manganese. TheKmandVmaxvalues for sucrose hydrolysis were determined to be 25 ± 2 mM and 24 ± 3 μmol min−1mg−1, respectively. Interestingly, the enzyme was shown to specifically catalyze cleavage of the β(2-1) glycosidic bond between glucose and its neighboring fructose moiety in sucrose and other fructooligosaccharides with a relatively low degree of polymerization, and there was no detectable activity towards the β(2-1) glycosidic bond between two fructose moieties within the same substrate. To our knowledge, such an enzymatic activity has not previously been described in bifidobacteria or other gram-positive bacteria.
Description of Toluene Inhibition of Methyl Bromide Biodegradation in Seawater and Isolation of a Marine Toluene Oxidizer That Degrades Methyl Bromide
Authors: Goodwin Kelly D. , Tokarczyk Ryszard , Stephens F. Carol , Saltzman Eric S. 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACT

Methyl bromide (CH
3
Br) and methyl chloride (CH
3
Cl) are important precursors for destruction of stratospheric ozone, and oceanic uptake is an important component of the biogeochemical cycle of these methyl halides. In an effort to identify and characterize the organisms mediating halocarbon biodegradation, we surveyed the effect of potential cometabolic substrates on CH
3
Br biodegradation using a
13
CH
3
Br incubation technique. Toluene (160 to 200 nM) clearly inhibited CH
3
Br and CH
3
Cl degradation in seawater samples from the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Oceans. Furthermore, a marine bacterium able to co-oxidize CH
3
Br while growing on toluene was isolated from subtropical Western Atlantic seawater. The bacterium, Oxy6, was also able to oxidize
o
-xylene and the xylene monooxygenase (XMO) pathway intermediate 3-methylcatechol. Patterns of substrate oxidation, lack of acetylene inhibition, and the inability of the toluene 4-monooxygenase (T4MO)-containing bacterium
Pseudomonas mendocina
KR1 to degrade CH
3
Br ruled out participation of the T4MO pathway in Oxy6. Oxy6 also oxidized a variety of toluene (TOL) pathway intermediates such as benzyl alcohol, benzylaldehyde, benzoate, and catechol, but the inability of
Pseudomonas putida
mt-2 to degrade CH
3
Br suggested that the TOL pathway might not be responsible for CH
3
Br biodegradation. Molecular phylogenetic analysis identified Oxy6 to be a member of the family
Sphingomonadaceae
related to species within the
Porphyrobacter
genus. Although some
Sphingomonadaceae
can degrade a variety of xenobiotic compounds, this appears to be the first report of CH
3
Br degradation for this class of organism. The widespread inhibitory effect of toluene on natural seawater samples and the metabolic capabilities of Oxy6 indicate a possible link between aromatic hydrocarbon utilization and the biogeochemical cycle of methyl halides.
Degradation of Corn Fiber by
Clostridium cellulovorans
Cellulases and Hemicellulases and Contribution of Scaffolding Protein CbpA
Authors: Koukiekolo Roger , Cho Hee-Yeon , Kosugi Akihiko , Inui Masayuki , Yukawa Hideaki , Doi Roy H. 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACT

Clostridium cellulovorans
, an anaerobic bacterium, degrades native substrates efficiently by producing an extracellular enzyme complex called the cellulosome. All cellulosomal enzyme subunits contain dockerin domains that can bind to hydrophobic domains termed cohesins which are repeated nine times in CbpA, the nonenzymatic scaffolding protein of
C. cellulovorans
cellulosomes. In this study, the synergistic interactions of cellulases (endoglucanase E, EngE; endoglucanase L, EngL) and hemicellulases (arabinofuranosidase A, ArfA; xylanase A, XynA) were determined on the degradation of corn fiber, a natural substrate containing mainly xylan, arabinan, and cellulose. The degradation by XynA and ArfA of cellulose/arabinoxylan was greater than that of corn fiber and resulted in 2.6-fold and 1.4-fold increases in synergy, respectively. Synergistic effects were observed in increments in both simultaneous and sequential reactions with ArfA and XynA. These synergistic enzymes appear to represent potential rate-limiting enzymes for efficient hemicellulose degradation. When mini-cellulosomes were constructed from the cellulosomal enzymes (XynA and EngL) and mini-CbpA with cohesins 1 and 2 (mini-CbpA1&2) and mini-CbpA with cohesins 5 and 6 (mini-CbpA5&6), higher activity was observed than that for the corresponding enzymes alone. Based on the degradation of different types of celluloses and hemicelluloses, the interaction between cellulosomal enzymes (XynA and EngL) and mini-CbpA displayed a diversity that suggests that dockerin-cohesin interaction from
C. cellulovorans
may be more selective than random.