bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Application of transglutaminase to derivatize proteins: 1. Studies on soluble proteins and preliminary results on wool
Authors: Gembeh Shirley V , Farrell Harold M , Taylor Maryann M , Brown Eleanor M , Marmer William N 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe use of enzymes in chemical processing is gaining favour due to the reduction of hazardous chemicals and because it is considered to be environmentally safe. The acyl transfer reaction between primary amines and glutamine residues in proteins is catalysed by the enzyme transglutaminase. The efficiency of microbial transglutaminase to attach functional amines and catalyse inter‐ and intra‐molecular crosslinks was investigated using reduced carboxymethylated κ‐casein, gelatin and wool. Model systems used in this research gave evidence of both cross‐linking of the protein and covalent binding of the primary amine o‐phosphorylethanolamine to the protein. These data agree with earlier publications that show transglutaminase catalyses the formation of covalent cross‐links between the γ‐carboxyamide group of glutamine and the ε‐amino group of lysine and also the incorporation of primary amines into proteins. Preliminary analysis of treated wool indicated the covalent bonding of the functional amine to the protein. Our goal is to increase the value of wool by enzymatic addition of functional groups to the wool fibre. Published in 2004 for SCI by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mathematical modelling of the drying curves of kiwi fruits: influence of the ripening stage
Authors: Simal Susana , Femenia Antoni , Cárcel Juan A , Rosselló Carmen 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe drying behaviour of kiwi fruits at different stage of ripeness has been evaluated. A diffusional model solved by a finite difference method has been proposed to simulate the drying kinetics at different temperatures. Drying curves of ripe kiwis exhibited only one diffusional period, whereas two different diffusional periods could be observed on the drying curves of green and half‐ripe kiwis. Furthermore, the drying curves of green and half‐ripe kiwis were coincident. The effective diffusional coefficient, which was identified at different temperatures (from 40 to 80 °C) from experimental data, varied with temperature according to the Arrhenius equation. An adequate simulation of the drying curves using the proposed model was achieved. Thus, the percentage of explained variance for the drying curves of green and half‐ripe kiwis (considering two diffusional periods) was 99.7 and 99.3% for the ripe kiwis (only one diffusional period). Regarding to the characteristics of the dried kiwis, it was observed that the colour of the samples was mainly affected by the drying temperature, whereas functional properties such as hydration and fat retention capacities were mostly influenced by the stage of ripeness of the fruit. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Dopaminagonists and fibrotic valvular heart disease: Further considerations
Authors: Rascol Olivier , Pathak Atul , Bagheri Haleh , Montastruc Jean‐Louis 
Published: November 2004

AbstractCompanion letters have been published in this issue of Movement Disorders: Chaudhuri et al., pp 1522–1523, and Horowski et al., pp 1523–1524.
Erratum: Chronic bilateral subthalamic deep brain stimulation in a patient with homozygous deletion in the Parkin gene. Mov Disord 2004;19(12):1451–1453
Authors: Capecci Marianna , Passamonti Luca , Annesi Ferdinanda , Annesi Grazia , Bellesi Michele , Candiano Innocenza Claudia Cirò , Ricciuti Riccardo , Iacoangeli Maurizio , Scerrati Massimo , Zappia Mario , Tarantino Patrizia , De Marco Elvira Valeria , Civitelli Donatella , Carrideo Sara , Provinciali Leandro , Ceravolo Maria Gabriella , Quattrone Aldo 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe original article to which this Erratum refers was published in Movement Disorders, Volume 19, Issue 12, pages 1451–1453.In the brief report by Capecci and colleagues that appears in this issue of Movement Disorders, the authors mistakenly refer to the patient's 30‐year‐old daughter, who suffers from parkinsonism. This individual is in fact the sister of the described patient. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society
Usefulness of double gene construct for rapid identification of transgenic mice exhibiting tissue‐specific gene expression
Authors: Sato Masahiro , Watanabe Toshiteru , Oshida Akiko , Nagashima Ayako , Miyazaki Jun‐Ichi , Kimura Minoru 
Published: November 2004

AbstractIdentification of transgenics still requires PCR and genomic Southern blot hybridization of genomic DNA isolated from tail pieces. Furthermore, identification of transgene‐expressing transgenics (hereafter called “expressor”) requires mRNA analyses (RT‐PCR and Northern blot hybridization) or protein analysis (Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining using specific antibodies). These approaches are often labor‐intensive and time‐consuming. We developed a technique that simplifies the process of screening expressor transgenics using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), a noninvasive reporter recently utilized in a variety of organisms, including mice, as a tag. We constructed a MNCE transgene consisting of two expression units, MBP‐NCre (termed “MN”) and CAG‐EGFP (termed “CE”). MN consists of a myelin basic protein (MBP) promoter and NCre gene (Cre gene carrying a nuclear localization signal (NLS) sequence at its 5′ end). CE consists of a promoter element, CAG composed of cytomegalovirus (CMV) enhancer and chicken β‐actin promoter, and EGFP cDNA. Of a total of 72 F0 mice obtained after pronuclear injection of MNCE at 1‐cell egg stage, 15 were found to express EGFP when the tail, eye, and inner surface of the ear were inspected for EGFP fluorescence under UV illumination at weaning stage. These fluorescent mice were found to possess MNCE and to express NCre mRNA in a brain‐specific manner. Mice exhibiting no fluorescence were transgenic or nontransgenic. Mice carrying MNCE, but exhibiting no fluorescence, never expressed NCre mRNA in any organs tested. These findings indicate that (i) direct inspection of the surface of mice for fluorescence under UV illumination enables identification of expressor transgenics without performances of the molecular biological analyses mentioned above, and (ii) systemic promoters such as CAG do not affect the tissue‐specificity of a tissue‐specific promoter such as MBP promoter, which is located upstream of CAG by approximately 2 kb. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 60: 446–456, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The temperament of pre‐term, low birth weight infants and its potential biological substrates
Authors: Weiss Sandra J. , Jonn‐Seed Mary St. , Wilson Peggy 
Published: November 2004

AbstractTemperament profiles of pre‐term, low birth weight (LBW) infants were assessed at 6 months of age using standardized norms from the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire (RITQ). The contributions of perinatal risk, ethnicity, and gender to various temperament dimensions were examined. The sample included 152 infants with a mean birth weight of 1687 g and a mean gestational age of 31 weeks. Eighty percent of the infants were classified as having temperaments that were difficult to manage. Irregularity of the infants' biorhythms, slowness in their ability to adapt to changes, and distractibility were the most problematic. Birth weight, gestational age, and gender were not associated with temperament. Perinatal morbidity was related to the temperament dimension of infant persistence, with implications for the infant's attention span and task performance. Euro American infants were rated as more persistent and less intense in emotional expression than were infants of other ethnic groups. Results suggest the need for a more direct assessment of the effects of neurobiological processes on development of temperament phenotypes and for measurement of temperament that is socioculturally appropriate. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 27:392–402, 2004
Mortalin is over‐expressed by colorectal adenocarcinomas and correlates with poor survival
Authors: Dundas Sinclair R , Lawrie Laura C , Rooney Patrick H , Murray Graeme I 
Published: November 2004

AbstractUsing comparative proteomic analysis we have identified over‐expression of mortalin in colorectal adenocarcinomas. Mortalin, also known as mitochondrial heat‐shock protein 70 (mhsp 70), is involved in cell cycle regulation with important roles in cellular senescence and immortalization pathways. It is known to bind to and inactivate wild‐type tumour suppressor protein p53 and influences the Ras‐Raf‐MAPK pathway. By immunostaining a colorectal cancer tissue microarray linked to a patient database, we further found that mortalin over‐expression correlates with poor patient survival and, in multivariate analysis, is independent of standard prognostic variables (p = 0.04). Our findings demonstrate that mortalin over‐expression may predict outcome in colorectal cancer and suggest that this protein is involved in colorectal neoplasia. Our experimental approach emphasises the analytical power of combining proteomics with tissue microarray analysis in the context of a well‐defined tumour database. Copyright © 2004 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Poly(ethyleneimine)/arginine–glycine–aspartic acid conjugates prepared with N‐succinimidyl 3‐(2‐pyridyldithio)propionate: An investigation of peptide coupling and conjugate stability
Authors: Bai Jiang , Açan Başak , Ghahary Aziz , Ritchie Bruce , Somayaji Vishwa , Uludağ Hasan 
Published: November 2004

AbstractPoly(ethylene imine) (PEI), a highly cationic polymer, is being used for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) complexation and delivery into cells. To enhance the cellular uptake of polymer/DNA complexes, arginine–glycine–aspartic acid (RGD) peptides have been conjugated to PEI with N‐succinimidyl 3‐(2‐pyridyldithio)propionate (SPDP). This coupling scheme creates a disulfide‐linked conjugate, the stability of which in the presence of thiols is uncertain. We have investigated the conjugation of an RGD peptide, glycine–arginine–glycine–aspartic acid–serine–proline–cysteine (GRGDSPC), to PEI with SPDP and subsequently assessed the stability of the conjugates in the presence of two thiol compounds, mercaptoethanol and cysteine. SPDP effectively controls the extent of GRGDSPC substitution on PEI. The conjugates, however, are readily cleaved in the presence of the thiols; the cleavage is rapid (∼50% cleavage in 2–4 h) and inversely related to the degree of peptide substitution on the polymers. The peptide coupling is stable in the absence of thiols, and its cleavage is strongly dependent on the pH of the medium but not on the ionic strength of the medium. We conclude that RGD peptides coupled to PEI are labile in the presence of physiological concentrations of thiols, and this should be taken into account when such polymer–peptide conjugates are used for DNA delivery. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 6143–6156, 2004
Heat capacity of poly(butylene terephthalate)
Authors: Pyda Marek , Nowak‐Pyda Elzbieta , Mays Jimmy , Wunderlich Bernhard 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe low‐temperature heat capacity of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) was measured from 5 to 330 K. The experimental heat capacity of solid PBT, below the glass transition, was linked to its approximate group and skeletal vibrational spectrum. The 21 skeletal vibrations were estimated with a general Tarasov equation with the parameters Θ1 = 530 K and Θ2 = Θ3 = 55 K. The calculated and experimental heat capacities of solid PBT agreed within better than ±3% between 5 and 200 K. The newly calculated vibrational heat capacity of the solid from this study and the liquid heat capacity from the ATHAS Data Bank were applied as reference values for a quantitative thermal analysis of the apparent heat capacity of semicrystalline PBT between the glass and melting transitions as obtained by differential scanning calorimetry. From these results, the integral thermodynamic functions (enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs function) of crystalline and amorphous PBT were calculated. Finally, the changes in the crystallinity with the temperature were analyzed. With the crystallinity, a baseline was constructed that separated the thermodynamic heat capacity from cold crystallization, reorganization, annealing, and melting effects contained in the apparent heat capacity. For semicrystalline PBT samples, the mobile‐amorphous and rigid‐amorphous fractions were estimated to complete the thermal analysis. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4401–4411, 2004
Classification of homogeneous copolymers of propylene and 1‐octene based on comonomer content
Authors: Poon B. , Rogunova M. , Chum S. P. , Hiltner A. , Baer E. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe solid‐state structure and properties of homogeneous copolymers of propylene and 1‐octene were examined. Based on the combined observations from melting behavior, dynamic mechanical response, morphology with primarily atomic force microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and tensile deformation, a classification scheme with four distinct categories is proposed. The homopolymer constitutes Type IV. It is characterized by large α‐positive spherulites with thick lamellae, good lamellar organization, and considerable secondary crystallization. Copolymers with up to 5 mol % octene, with at least 28 wt % crystallinity, are classified as Type III. Like the homopolymer, these copolymers crystallize as α‐positive spherulites, however, they have smaller spherulites and thinner lamellae. Both Type IV and Type III materials exhibit thermoplastic behavior characterized by yielding with formation of a sharp neck, cold drawing, strong strain hardening, and small recovery. Copolymers classified as Type II have between 5 and 10 mol % octene with crystallinity in the range of 15–28%. Type II materials have smaller impinging spherulites and thinner lamellae than Type III copolymers. Moreover, the spherulites are α‐negative, meaning that they exhibit very little crystallographic branching. These copolymers also contain predominately α‐phase crystallinity. The materials in this category have plastomeric behavior. They form a diffuse neck upon yielding and exhibit some recovery. Type I copolymers have more than 10 mol % octene and less than 15% crystallinity. They exhibit a granular texture with the granules often assembled into beaded strings that resemble poorly developed lamellae. Type I copolymers crystallize predominantly in the mesophase. Materials belonging to this class deform with a very diffuse neck and also exhibit some recovery. They are identified as elastoplastomers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4357–4370, 2004
How the sperm lost its tail: the evolution of aflagellate sperm
Authors: Morrow Edward H. 
Published: November 2004

ABSTRACTThe typical sperm is comprised of a head, midpiece and flagellum. Around this theme there is an enormous diversity of form ‐ giant sperm, multi‐flagellate sperm and also sperm that lack flagella entirely. Explaining this diversity in sperm morphology is a challenging question that evolutionary biologists have only recently engaged in. Nonetheless, one of the selective forces identified as being an important factor in the evolution of sperm form is sperm competition, which occurs when the sperm of two or more males compete to fertilize a female's ova. In species with a truly monandrous mating system, the absence of sperm competition means that the selection pressure on males to produce motile sperm may be relaxed. Potentially aflagellate sperm are less costly to produce, both in terms of energy and time. Thus, selection may therefore favour the loss of the sperm flagellum and any other motile mechanisms in monandrous taxa. A review of the literature revealed that 36 taxonomic groups, from red algae to fish, were found independently to have evolved aflagellate sperm. I review what is known about the mating systems of each of these taxa and their nearest sister taxa. A sister‐group analysis using this information provided weak evidence suggesting that the evolution of aflagellate sperm could be linked to the removal of selective pressures generated by sperm competition.
Cophylogeny of the Ficus microcosm
Authors: Jackson Andrew P. 
Published: November 2004

ABSTRACTThe various mutualistic and antagonistic symbioses between fig trees (Ficus: Moraceae) and chalcid wasps comprise a community in microcosm. Phylogenetic estimates of figs and fig wasps show general topological correspondence, making the microcosm a model system for cophylogeny. Incongruence between phylogenies from associated organisms can be reconciled through a combination of evolutionary events. Cophylogeny mapping reconciles phylogenies by embedding an associate tree into a host tree, finding the optimal combinations of events capable of explaining incongruence and evaluating the level of codivergence. This review addresses the results of cophylogeny analysis concerning Ficus and discusses the plausibility of different evolutionary events. Five different associations encompassing fig‐pollinator, fig‐parasite and pollinator‐parasitoid interactions are reconciled. The method improves on previous comparisons by employing‘jungles’to provide an exhaustive and quantitative analysis of cophylogeny. A jungle is a mechanism for inferring host switches and obtaining all potentially optimal solutions to the reconciliation problem. The results support the consensus that figs codiverge significantly with pollinators but not non‐pollinators. However, pollinators still appear to have switched between hosts in contradiction to the traditional model of faithful codivergence. This emphasises the growing realisation that evolutionary transitions in the microcosm are more flexible than previously thought and host specificity is necessary but not sufficient for codivergence. The importance of sampling strategy is emphasised by the influence of taxon set on the fig‐pollinator and fig‐parasite jungles. Spurious significant results for fig‐parasite and fig‐parasitoid jungles indicate that the choice of congruence measure influences significance; the total number of events required to reconcile two trees ('total cost') is not a good measure of congruence when switches cannot be realistically weighted.
TESTING THE DYNAMICS OF HIGH ENERGY SCATTERING USING VECTOR MESON PRODUCTION
Authors: ENBERG RIKARD 
Published: November 2004

I review work on diffractive vector meson production in photon–proton collisions at high energy and large momentum transfer, accompanied by proton dissociation and a large rapidity gap. This process provides a test of the high energy scattering dynamics, but is also sensitive to the details of the treatment of the vector meson vertex.The emphasis is on the description of the process by a solution of the non-forward BFKL equation, i.e. the equation describing the evolution of scattering amplitudes in the high-energy limit of QCD. The formation of the vector meson and the nonperturbative modeling needed is also briefly discussed.
ON THE CORRELATIONS OF MASSES AND LIFETIMES OF RADIONUCLIDES AND FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLES
Authors: RAMANNA RAJA , SREEKANTAN B. V. 
Published: November 2004

We show that for unstable fundamental particles and β and α emitting nuclides the product of mass M (ergs) and lifetime T (seconds) can be expressed by the quantized form MT = ħ(2n/n) where n is an integer. The lifetime T is then expressible in the form T = (ħ/M)en/λ, where λ in the case of fundamental particles is a function of "n" only. In the case of β-emitters the mass M is that of the nucleon and in the case of α-emitters, the mass is equivalent to the binding energy of the nucleus. The log T vs n plots for the fundamental particles separate them out according to their flavor. The Heisenberg energy spread relation for decay can be written in the form ΔE = M(n/2n) shows the connection between the rest mass and lifetime through n. The ranges of n values indicate the strength of interaction during decay; n < 10 — strong, n = 10−30 — electromagnetic and "hidden strong" and n > 40 — weak. On this basis we set a lower limit of 6 × 10−21 s for the weak decay of the top quark (mass ~174 GeV). Some interesting mathematical properties of the functional form n/2n which is the backbone of the present analysis are discussed at the end of the paper.
Human platelets contain forms of factor V in disulfide-linkage with multimerin
Authors: Fuller Nola , Zheng Shilun , Adam Frédéric , Jeimy Samira , Horsewood Ian , Quinn-Allen Mary , Kane William , Hayward Catherine 
Published: November 2004

SummaryFactor V is an essential cofactor for blood coagulation that circulates in platelets and plasma. Unlike plasma factor V, platelet factorV is stored complexed with the polymeric α-granule protein multimerin. In analyses of human platelet factor V on nonreduced denaturing multimer gels, we identified that approximately 25% was variable in size and migrated larger than single chain factor V, the largest form in plasma. Upon reduction, the unusually large, variably-sized forms of platelet factor V liberated components that comigrated with other forms of platelet factor V, indicating that they contained factor V in interchain disulfide-linkages. With thrombin cleavage, factor Va heavy and light chain domains, but not B-domains, were liberated from the components linked by interchain disulfide bonds, indicating that the single cysteine in the B-domain at position 1085 was the site of disulfide linkage. Since unusually large factor V had a variable size and included forms larger than factor V dimers, the data suggested disulfide-linkage with another platelet protein, possibly multimerin. Immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed that unusually large factor V was associated with multimerin and it remained associated in 0.5 M salt. Moreover, platelets contained a subpopulation of multimerin polymers that resisted dissociation from factor V by denaturing detergent and comigrated with unusually large platelet factor V, before and after thrombin cleavage.The disulfide-linked complexes of multimerin and factor V in platelets, which are cleaved by thrombin to liberate factor Va, could be important for modulating the function of platelet factor V and its delivery onto activated platelets. Factor Va generation and function from unusually large platelet factor V is only speculative at this time.