Digital Commons Network^™

Resilience To Stress And Disturbance, And Resistance To Bromus Tectorum L. Invasion In Cold Desert Shrublands Of Western North America, Jeanne C. Chambers, Bethany A. Bradley, Cynthia S. Brown, Carla D'Antonio, Matthew J. Germino, James B. Grace, Stuart P. Hardegree, Richard F. Miller, David A. Pyke

Articles

Alien grass invasions in arid and semi-arid ecosystems are resulting in grass–fire cycles and ecosystem-level transformations that severely diminish ecosystem services. Our capacity to address the rapid and complex changes occurring in these ecosystems can be enhanced by developing an understanding of the environmental factors and ecosystem attributes that determine resilience of native ecosystems to stress and disturbance, and resistance to invasion. Cold desert shrublands occur over strong environmental gradients and exhibit significant differences in resilience and resistance. They provide an excellent opportunity to increase our understanding of these concepts. Herein, we examine a series of linked questions about (a) …

Immunoproteomic Analysis Of Proteins Expressed By Two Related Pathogens, Burkholderia Multivorans And Burkholderia Cenocepacia, During Human Infection., Minu Shinoy, Ruth Dennehy, Lorraine Coleman, Stephen Carberru, Kirsten Schaffer, Máire Callaghan, Sean Doyle, Siobhan Mcclean

Articles

Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen that causes chronic infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). It is a highly antibiotic resistant organism and Bcc infections are rarely cleared from patients, once they are colonized. The two most clinically relevant species within Bcc are Burkholderia cenocepacia and Burkholderia multivorans. The virulence of these pathogens has not been fully elucidated and the virulence proteins expressed during human infection have not been identified to date. Furthermore, given its antibiotic resistance, prevention of infection with a prophylactic vaccine may represent a better alternative than eradication of an existing infection. We …

Diffuse Migratory Connectivity In Two Species Of Shrubland Birds: Evidence From Stable Isotopes, Steven T. Knick, Matthias Leu, John T. Rotenberry, Steven E. Hanser, Kurt A. Fesenmyer

Articles

Connecting seasonal ranges of migratory birds is important for understanding the annual template of stressors that influence their populations. Brewer’s sparrows (Spizella breweri) and sagebrush sparrows (Artemisiospiza nevadensis) share similar sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats for breeding but have different population trends that might be related to winter location. To link breeding and winter ranges, we created isoscapes of deuterium [stable isotope ratio (δ) of deuterium; δ ²H] and nitrogen (δ ¹⁵N) for each species modeled from isotope ratios measured in feathers of 264 Brewer’s and 82 sagebrush sparrows and environmental …

Tree Reduction And Debris From Mastication Of Utah Juniper Alter The Soil Climate In Sagebrush Steppe, Kert R. Young, Bruce A. Roundy, Dennis L. Eggett

Articles

Juniper (Juniperus spp.) trees are masticated to reduce canopy fuel loads and the potential for crown fire. We determined the effects of tree reduction and soil cover in the forms of tree mounds and masticated debris on hourly soil water potential and soil temperature at 1–30 cm soil depth. Measurements were made in masticated and untreated areas at three sites in the western Utah portion of the Great Basin. Cumulative seasonal-response variables included wet days (>−1.5 MPa), degree days (>0 °C), and wet degree days (>−1.5 MPa and >0 °C). Masticated areas had 27 more wet …

One Step Quick Detection Of Cancer Cell Surface Marker By Integrated Nife-Based Magnetic Biosensing Cell Cultural Chip, Chenchen Bao, Lei Chen, Tao Wang, Chong Le, Furong Tian, Daxiang Cui, Yong Zhou

Articles

RGD peptides has been used to detect cell surface integrin and direct clinical effective therapeutic drug selection. Herein we report that a quick one step detection of cell surface marker that was realized by a specially designed NiFe-based magnetic biosensing cell chip combined with functionalized magnetic nanoparticles. Magnetic nanoparticles with 20-30 nm in diameter were prepared by coprecipitation and modified with RGD-4C, and the resultant RGD-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles were used for targeting cancer cells cultured on the NiFe-based magnetic biosensing chip and distinguish the amount of cell surface receptor-integrin. Cell lines such as Calu3, Hela, A549, CaFbr, HEK293 and HUVEC …

Acrylamide Reduction In Potato Chips By Selection Of Potato Variety Grown In Iran And Processing Conditions, S. Shojaee-Aliabadi, Hooshang Nikoopour, Farzad Kobarfard, Mahdi Parsapour, Maryam Moslehishad, Hassan Hassanabadi, Jesus Maria Frias, Maryam Hashemi, Ezzat Dahaghin

Articles

Background

Acrylamide as a possible carcinogen is known to form in heated carbohydrate-rich food such as potato chips. In this study, the effect of three potato varieties (Agria, Sante and Savalan) and two blanching conditions ((75˚C for 9 min and 83˚C for 2.5 min) on the concentration of precursors and acrylamide reduction in potato chips was investigated.

Results

Results revealed that potato variety and blanching time-temperature ere important parameters for acrylamide formation in potato chips. Acrylamide content in Sante variety potatoes, which contained the highest amount of reducing sugars, was found to be the highest (8825μg/kg). However, Savalan, containing …

Divergent Mechanisms Of Interaction Of Helicobacter Pylori And Campylobacter Jejuni With Mucus And Mucins, Julie Ann Naughton, Karina Mariño, Brendan Dolan, Colm Reid, Ronan Gough, Mary Gallagher, Michelle Kilcoyne, Jared Gerlachscience,, Lokesh Joshi, Pauline Rudd, Stephen Carrington, Billy Bourke, Marguerite Clyne

Articles

Helicobacter pylori and Campylobacter jejuni colonize the stomach and intestinal mucus, respectively. Using a combination of mucus-secreting cells, purified mucins, and a novel mucin microarray platform, we examined the interactions of these two organisms with mucus and mucins. H. pylori and C. jejuni bound to distinctly different mucins. C. jejuni displayed a striking tropism for chicken gastrointestinal mucins compared to mucins from other animals and preferentially bound mucins from specific avian intestinal sites (in order of descending preference: the large intestine, proximal small intestine, and cecum). H. pylori bound to a number of animal mucins, including porcine stomach mucin, but …

Mutational Analysis Of Sse1 (Hsp110) Suggests An Integral Role For This Chaperone In Yeast Prion Propagation In Vivo, Ciara Moran, Gemma Kinsella, Zai-Rong Zhang, Sarah Perrett, Gary Jones

Articles

ABSTRACT The yeast Hsp110 chaperone Sse1 is a conserved protein that is a noncanonical member of the Hsp70 protein superfamily. Sse1 influences the cellular response to heat stress and has also been implicated in playing a role in the propagation of prions in yeast. Sse1 can seemingly exert its effects in vivo through direct or indirect actions by influencing the nucleotide exchange activity of canonical cytosolic Hsp70s. Using a genetic screen based on the inability to propagate the yeast [PSI+] prion, we have identified 13 new Sse1 mutants that are predicted to alter chaperone function through a variety of different …

Kinetic Studies For The Preparation Of Probiotic Cabbage Juice: Impact On Phytochemicals And Bioactivity, Amit Jaiswal, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

A kinetic study for the production of probiotic cabbage juice was carried out under controlled pH and dissolved oxygen using several strains of Lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Furthermore, effect of probiotic fermentation on polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity was investigated. Results showed significant growth in Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus rhamnosus corresponding to 9.19, 9.47 and 10.6 log CFU/ml after 24 h of fermentation, which is satisfying criteria for a food product to be characterized as probiotic. Lactic acid (LA) was the major end product of the fermented cabbage juice attaining the concentrations of 6.97, 9.69 and 12.2 g/l …

Another Comic Food Song: The Irish Jubilee, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

This is a comic food song from the Irish American tradition.

Kinetics Of Tomato Peroxidase Inactivation By Atmospheric Pressure Cold Plasma Based On Dielectric Barrier Discharge, Patrick Cullen, Shashi Pankaj, N. Misra

Articles

Atmospheric pressure cold plasma technology is an emerging nonthermal food technology for microbiological decontamination of food and bio-materials. This study demonstrates the applicability of in-package cold plasma technology as a novel means to inactivation of enzymes. The kinetics of inactivation of tomato peroxidase as a model enzyme was studied at 30, 40 and 50kV, for up to 5’ of atmospheric air dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatments. The enzyme activity was found to decrease with both treatment time and voltage, the former variable exhibiting a more pronounced effect. Kinetic models viz. first-order, Weibull and logistic models were fitted to the experimentally …

Towards A Structured Approach To Reading Historic Cookbooks, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

This article discusses the methodology Barbara Ketchum Wheaton uses in her Reading historic Cookbook Seminars in Harvard and elsewhere and discusses from a participants perspective the strenghts of using this methodology to unlock hidden secrets of historic cookbooks.

Enhancement Of The Phytochemical And Fibre Content Of Beef-Patties With Himanthalia Elongata Seaweed, Sabrina Cox, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

The effect of adding Himanthalia elongata seaweed (10 - 40% w/w) as a source of antioxidants and dietary fibre on physical, chemical, microbial and sensory traits of cooked beef patties was studied throughout chilled storage. Patties with seaweed showed reduced cooking losses and were nearly 50% more tender as compared to patties without seaweed. Microbiological counts and lipid oxidation were significantly lower in patties containing seaweed (P < 0.05), by day 30 of storage there was no bacterial growth in samples with ≥ 20% seaweed and lipid oxidation levels were low (0.61 mg malondialdehyde/kg of sample). Seaweed incorporation significantly increased the dietary fibre (1.64 g per 100 g fw in 40% seaweed-patties), total phenolic content (up to 28.11 mg GAE/100 g fw) and DPPH radical scavenging activity (up to 52.32%) of patties compared to the control. Sensory analysis indicated that the seaweed-patties were accepted by consumers in terms of aroma, appearance, texture and taste. Patties containing 40% seaweed were rated highest in terms of overall acceptability, most likely due to improvement in texture and mouthfeel. Addition of seaweed in the formulation of beef patties leads to the enhancement of the nutritional and technological quality together with an acceptable sensory quality.

Emergent Fungal Entomopathogen Does Not Alter Density Dependence In A Viral Competitor, Andrew M. Liebhold, Ruth Plymale, Joseph S. Elkinton, Ann E. Hajek

Articles

Population cycles in forest Lepidoptera often result from recurring density-dependent epizootics of entomopathogens. While these systems are typically dominated by a single pathogen species, insects are often infected by multiple pathogens, yet little is known how pathogens interact to affect host dynamics. The apparent invasion of northeastern North America by the fungal entomopathogen Entomophaga maimaiga some time prior to 1989 provides a unique opportunity to evaluate such interactions. Prior to the arrival of E. maimaga, the oscillatory dynamics of host gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, populations were apparently driven by epizootics of a nucleopolyhedrovirus. Subsequent to its emergence, E. …

Raman Spectroscopic Analysis Of Human Skin Tissue Sections Ex-Vivo: Evaluation Of The Effects Of Tissue Processing And Dewaxing, Syed Mehmood Ali, Franck Bonnier, Ali Tfayli, Helen Lambkin, Kathleen Flynn, Vincent Mcdonagh, Claragh Healy, Thomas Lee, Fiona Lyng, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Raman spectroscopy coupled with K-means clustering analysis (KMCA) is employed to elucidate the biochemical structure of human skin tissue sections, and the effects of tissue processing. Both hand and thigh sections of human cadavers were analysed in their unprocessed and formalin fixed paraffin processed (FFPP) and subsequently dewaxed forms. In unprocessed sections, KMCA reveals clear differentiation of the stratum corneum, intermediate underlying epithelium and dermal layers for sections from both anatomical sites. The stratum corneum is seen to be relatively rich in lipidic content; the spectrum of the subjacent layers is strongly influenced by the presence of melanin, while that …

Incorporation Of Himanthalia Elongata Seaweed To Enhance The Phytochemical Content Of Breadsticks Using Response Surface Methodology (Rsm), Sabrina Cox, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

Optimization of incorporating seaweed into breadsticks was carried out using response surface methodology (RSM). Ten formulations of breadsticks were processed by varying concentrations of seaweed (X₁ = 5 to 15% of overall flour concentration) and white flour (X₂ = 10 to 30% of overall flour concentration) using a central composite design. The remaining flour concentrations were comprised of wholemeal flour. Predicted models were found to be significant (P < 0.05) for total phenolic content (TPC), DPPH radical scavenging activity, texture and color. Predicted values for each of the responses were in good agreement with the experimental values. Seaweed concentration had most significant effect on phytochemical constituents of the breadsticks with TPC and DPPH activity maximized when 17.07% H. elongata was incorporated into the flour (P < 0.05). An acceptable edible texture and color of breadsticks was also achieved at this concentration. Multiple response optimization demonstrated that phytochemical content of H. elongata breadsticks may be maximized with dried seaweed and white flour concentrations of 17.07 and 21.89%, respectively, in the …

The Economics Of Fuel Management: Wildfire, Invasive Plants, And The Dynamics Of Sagebrush Rangelands In The Western United States, Michael H. Taylor, Kimberly Rollins, Mimako Kobayashi, Robin J. Tausch

Articles

In this article we develop a simulation model to evaluate the economic efficiency of fuel treatments and apply it to two sagebrush ecosystems in the Great Basin of the western United States: the Wyoming Sagebrush Steppe and Mountain Big Sagebrush ecosystems. These ecosystems face the two most prominent concerns in sagebrush ecosystems relative to wildfire: annual grass invasion and native conifer expansion. Our model simulates long-run wildfire suppression costs with and without fuel treatments explicitly incorporating ecological dynamics, stochastic wildfire, uncertain fuel treatment success, and ecological thresholds. Our results indicate that, on the basis of wildfire suppression costs savings, fuel …

Isolation And Partial Characterization Of Bioactive Fucoxanthin From Himanthalia Elongata Brown Seaweed: A Tlc-Based Approach, Gaurav Rajauria, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

Seaweeds are important sources of carotenoids, and numerous studies have shown the beneficial effects of these pigments on human health. In the present study, Himanthalia elongata brown seaweed was extracted with a mixture of low polarity solvents, and the crude extract was separated using analytical thin-layer chromatography (TLC).The separated compounds were tested for their potential antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes bacteria using TLC bioautography approach. For bio-autography, the coloured band on TLC chromatogram was visualized after spraying with DPPH and triphenyltetrazolium chloride reagents which screen antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds, respectively, and only one active compound was screened …

Protein Kinase C Delta Is A Substrate Of Tissue Transglutaminase And A Novel Autoantigen In Coeliac Disease, Greg Byrne, Michael Freeley, Con Feighery, Alex Whelan, Aideen Long

Articles

Post-translational modification of proteins by deamidation or transamidation by tissue transglutaminase (tTG) has been suggested as a possible mechanism for the development of autoimmunity. Sequence analysis of protein kinase C delta (PKCδ) identified an amino acid motif that suggested the possibility that PKCδ was a glutamine substrate of tTG and MALDI-TOF analysis of synthesised peptides from PKCδ proved that this was the case. Polymerisation experiments using recombinant tTG and biotinylated hexapeptide substrate incorporation assays demonstrated that PKCδ is a substrate for tTG-mediated transamidation. Elevated levels of anti-PKCδ antibodies were detected in sera from patients with coeliac disease (pb0.0001) but not …

Risk Assessment Of Erosion From Concentrated Flow On Rangelands Using Overland Flow Distribution And Shear Stress Partitioning, Osama Z. Al-Hamdan, Frederick B. Pierson, Mark A. Nearing, Christopher Jason Williams, Jeffry J. Stone, Patrick R. Kormos, Jan Boll, Mark A. Weltz

Articles

Erosion rates of overland flow on rangelands tend to be relatively low, but under certain conditions where flow is concentrated, soil loss can be significant. Therefore, a rangeland site can be highly vulnerable to soil erosion where overland flow is likely to concentrate and exert high shear stress on soil grains. This concept is commonly applied in cropland and wildland soil erosion modeling using predictions of flow effective shear stress (shear stress applied on soil grains). However, historical approaches to partition shear stress in erosion models are computationally complex and require extensive parameterization. Furthermore, most models are not capable of …

Epigenetic Regulation Of Oxysterol Formation, Steve Meaney

Articles

Oxysterols are oxygenated derivatives of cholesterol that may be formed by either enzymatic or non-enzymatic mechanisms. Expression of the genes responsible oxysterol synthesis (GROS) is known to be restricted across different tissues and cell types. Regulation of the transcription of GROS and the activity of their enzyme transcripts has been the subject of intense activity for many years. Recent studies have sought to decipher the mechanism(s) that underpin the restricted expression of the GROS. Available data indicates that epigenetic mechanisms have an important role to play in the control of the expression of GROS. In the current review we summarize …

Generation Of Intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species And Genotoxicity Effect To Exposure Of Nanosized Polyamidoamine (Pamam) Dendrimers In Plhc-1 Cells In Vitro, Hugh Byrne, Pratap Naha

Articles

Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers elicit systematically variable cyto- and eco-toxic responses, promising the basis for structure activity relationships governing nanotoxicological responses. Increased production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), genotoxicity and apoptosis due to in-vitro exposure of hepatocellular carcinoma cells to dendrimer generations G-4, G-5 and G-6 is demonstrated. A generation dependent increase in ROS and genotoxicity was observed, consistent with our previous studies. The responses correlate well with the number of surface amino groups per generation. Although ROS production initially increases approximately linearly, it saturates at higher doses. Notably, normalised to molar dose of surface amino groups, the dose-dependent ROS …

Non-Cytotoxic Antibacterial Silver–Coumarin Complex Doped Sol–Gel Coatings, Swarna Jaiswal, Kunal Bhattacharya, Maeve Sullivan, Maureen Walsh, Bernadette Creaven, Fathima Laffir, Brendan Duffy, Patrick Mchale

Articles

Microbial colonisation on clinical and industrial surfaces is currently of global concern and silane based sol–gel coatings are being proposed as potential solutions. Sol–gels are chemically inert, stable and homogeneous and can be designed to act as a reservoir for releasing antimicrobial agents over extended time periods. In the present study, silver nitrate (AgN) and a series of silver coumarin complexes based on coumarin-3-carboxylatosilver (AgC) and it is 6,7 and 8 hydroxylated analogues (Ag6, Ag7, Ag8) were incorporated into sol–gel coatings. The comparative antibacterial activity of the coatings was determined against meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and multidrug resistance Enterobacter …

An Investigation Of The Biochemical Properties Of Tetrazines As Potential Coating Additives, Swarna Jaiswal, Brendan Duffy, Luke O'Neill, Patrick Mchale

Articles

1,2,4,5-Tetrazine and its 3,6-disubstituted derivatives are currently used for a range of industrial and medical applications as they exhibit particular coordination chemistries, characterized by electron and charge transfer phenomena. The aim of the present work is to describe the synthesis of two tetrazine derivatives, namely 3,6-dihydrazino-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (DHDTZ) and 1,2,4,5-tetrazine dicarboxylic acid (DCTZ), and determine their antibacterial, antioxidant and anticorrosion characteristics as additives in a sol-gel coating on SS316L steel. The structure of the tetrazines was confirmed by NMR and FTIR while the surface morphology of bacterial cells in their presence was observed by AFM. Their ability to inhibit corrosion on …

Article Navigation Wild-Type Measles Virus Infection Upregulates Poliovirus Receptor-Related 4 And Causes Apoptosis In Brain Endothelial Cells By Induction Of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Lnducing Ligand, Haniah Abdullah, Brenda B. Brankin, Clare Brady, Sara Louise Cosby

Articles

Small numbers of brain endothelial cells (BECs) are infected in children with neurologic complications of measles virus (MV) infection. This may provide a mechanism for virus entry into the central nervous system, but the mechanisms are unclear. Both in vitro culture systems and animal models are required to elucidate events in the endothelium. We compared the ability of wild-type (WT), vaccine, and rodent-adapted MV strains to infect, replicate, and induce apoptosis in human and murine brain endothelial cells (HBECs and MBECs, respectively). Mice also were infected intracerebrally. All MV stains productively infected HBECs and induced the MV receptor PVRL4. Efficient …

A Microfluidic Anti-Factor Xa Assay Device For Point-Of-Care Monitoring Of Anticoagulation Therapy, Leanne F. Harris, Paul Rainey, Vanessa Castro-Lopez, James S. O'Donnell, Anthony J. Killard

Articles

The development of new point-of-care coagulation assay devices is necessary due to the increasing number of patients requiring long-term anticoagulation in addition to the desire for appropriate, targeted anticoagulant therapy and a more rapid response to optimization of treatment. However, the majority of point-of-care devices currently available for hemostasis testing rely on clot-based endpoints which are variable and unreliable and are limited to measuring only certain portions of the coagulation pathway. There is a need for the introduction of point-of-care devices that can execute a broader range of tests; for example, the diagnosis of factor-specific diseases, as well as more …

Degradation Kinetic Modelling Of Colour, Texture, Polyphenols And Antioxidant Capacity Of York Cabbage After Microwave Processing, Amit Jaiswal, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

Vegetables as an essential component of the human diet usually undergo some type of processing before being consumed. In the present study, impact of microwave (MW) processing on various physiochemical properties of York cabbage was studied. York cabbage was processed at 400, 560 and 800W for 0 to 14 min with an increment of 2 min followed by a kinetic study for the degradation of polyphenols, flavonoids, antioxidant capacity, colour and texture were carried out. Results showed that MW processing leads to significant reductions in the texture, colour, polyphenols and antioxidant capacity. For all the MW processing power studied total …

Atmospheric Cold Plasma Inactivation Of Escherichia Coli In Liquid Media Inside A Sealed Package, Dana Ziuzina, Sonal Patil, Paula Bourke, Kevin Keener, Patrick Cullen

Articles

Abstract Aims: The main objective of this study was to determine the inactivation efficacy of dielectric barrier discharge atmospheric cold plasma (DBD-ACP) generated inside a sealed package for Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Methods and Results: A plasma discharge was generated between two circular aluminium electrodes at 40 kV. E. coli suspensions (10^7 CFU/ml) in either maximum recovery diluent (MRD) or phosphate buffered saline (PBS) were treated in a 96-well microtitre plate inside a sealed package. The effects of treatment time, post-treatment storage time, either direct or indirect samples exposure to the plasma discharge and suspension media were studied. Regardless of …

Making Connections: Networked Mindmaps As A Student Centred Assessment For Learning., Barry Ryan

Articles

Engaging students is a difficult task faced by all academics. Student engagement can be achieved by giving ownership of their learning back to the student and by carefully aligning the assessment methodology to the students learning and future employability. To promote learning ownership in this case-study, a group of final year students were involved in the design of the delivery (‘flipped classroom’) and assessment strategy (‘flipped assessment’) of the curriculum. Upon reflection, students noted a deep understanding of their self-selected topic by taking ownership of their learning and their ‘assessment for learning’ within the bounded learning environment. Additionally, students enhanced …

The Effect Of Non-Thermal Processing Technologies On Microbial Inactivation: An Investigation Into Sub-Lethal Injury Of Escherichia Coli And Pseudomonas Fluorescens, Rachel Halpin, L. Duffy, O. Cregenzán-Alberti,, J.G Lyng, F. Noci

Articles

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in food processing technologies that could lessen the thermal impact on food products. In the present study, thermosonication (TS) and pulsed electric fields (PEF), applied individually or in combination (TS/PEF), were investigated to determine their effects on inactivation and sub-lethal injury of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Escherichia coli. TS was applied at a low (L) and high (H) wave amplitude (18.6 μm and 27.9 μm, respectively), while PEF was applied at a low and high electrical field strength (29 kV cm⁻¹ and 32 kV cm⁻¹, respectively). In addition, …