Uncertainty of Trypsin Inhibitor Activity Measurement of Legume Crops Using Microtiter Plate Method

Trypsin inhibitors could limit utilization of legumes in human nutrition, but they could also have beneficial health effects. The objective of this study was to measure trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA) of different legumes using microtiter plate method and to identify factors that contribute to uncertainty of TIA measurement. TIA measurements were performed on seeds of faba bean, pea, common vetch, soybean, and common bean cultivars. The significant effect of legume crop on TIA measurement uncertainty was confirmed with P = 0.045. Certain sources of measurement uncertainty were related with the content of trypsin inhibitors (Tis) in legume seeds. In respect to that, significant effect of level of sample dilution (P ? 0.001) was confirmed. Significant influence of the repeated absorbance measurement of sample reaction mixture on uncertainty of TIA measurement was identified (P ? 0.001), and it took 60% of overall TIA measurement uncertainty for soybean cultivars. TIA of soybean cultivars exceeded 90 TUI/mg. Repeated absorbance measurement of positive control reaction mixture took 70% of TIA measurement uncertainty of cultivars with TIA lesser than 4.5 TUI/mg. Graduated cylinder used for preparation of the final sample solutions took the range from 45 to 90% of overall TIA measurement uncertainty of the cultivars whose TIA were in the middle of previously mentioned. The uncertainty of TIA measurement of legume crops was not studied before; thus, this study pointed out that acquiring insight into factors contributing to uncertainty of TIA measurement could give directions for improvement of TIA testing if microtiter plate method is used.     

Pulsed field gel electrophoresis typing of human and retail foodstuff Campylobacters: an Irish perspective

Campylobacter enteritis is a zoonosis, an infectious disease transmissible under normal conditions from vertebrate animals to man, presenting a major global public health burden. In this study, Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) was employed to identify common genotypes in a collection of 600 Campylobacter isolates in order to investigate if profiles obtained from retail samples of foodstuffs matched genotypes causing illness in the community in Ireland. The Campylobacters were isolated from retail foodstuffs, and cases of gastroenteritis, over the same 20-month period in three population centres in Ireland. The major observation made was of a high level of PFGE-genotype heterogeneity; 236 SmaI discrete genotypes were found in 507 strains successfully analysed. Analysis of the PFGE profiles revealed 22 common profiles amongst food isolates and those causing enteritis in humans. These cojoint PFGE genotypes indicate that 56 (38%) of the human clinical isolates are genetically related to 129 (36%) of the food isolates. The identification of these recurrent PFGE types, in the sampled Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni populations, indicates that a high proportion of Campylobacter isolates found in foods of animal origin also occur in patients with symptoms of enteritis. This data adds weight to the epidemiological hypothesis that a high proportion of human Campylobacter cases are contracted via the handling and consumption of contaminated foodstuffs, in particular poultry.     

Chaninik Wind Group: Lessons learned beyond wind integration for remote Alaska

This case study highlights the challenges, innovations and recommendations of wind-diesel integration projects in remote Alaska through the lens of the Chaninik Wind Group. Although energy access and affordability is extremely difficult in remote areas, renewable energy technologies prove valuable in reducing the cost of energy for consumers.     

Using geographic information systems to assess conflicts between agriculture and development

The conflict between agriculture and urban development is intense in urbanizing areas of the United States and is a problem best resolved at the local level. To effectively develop and apply techniques for preserving farmland, areas of conflict must be identified. This article describes the application of a geographic information system (GIS) for determining the location and level of conflict between agriculture and other forms of human intervention. The procedures used for assessing conflicts are described through a case study in the city of Westfield, Massachusetts and the findings show that GIS can be an effective tool for local decision makers, allowing alternative strategies to be developed and evaluated for agricultural protection.     

Error rates for M-ary noncoherent FSK in impulsive reverberation noise

It is shown that reverberation noise for primary acoustic scattering in the ocean has an integral representation and that a canonical model for its analysis can be found. Exact values of error rates for M-ary noncoherent FSK for correlation receivers in such noise are given. Comparison with the well known Gaussian case is also made.     

Sexual pathology and dangerousness from a Thematic Apperception Test protocol.

This report concerns the TAT protocol of a 17-yr-old male patient who gave stories with a disturbing amount of sexual perversity. The stories included accounts of rape, incest, pedophilia, sadism, exhibitionism, necrophilia, and hermaphroditism. Furthermore, he showed signs of schizophrenia, which involved command hallucinations, interest in black magic, and paranoid grandiosity. The testing report described the patient as dangerous, leading to a prolonged, restrictive, and, in many respects, tragic hospitalization. Can the TAT be used to predict sexual dangerousness? A verbatim TAT protocol and its interpretation at the time within supervision are examined, followed by an account of the patient's course through hospitalization as a means to validate the clinical findings and predictions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personal therapy in the training of psychologists.

Surveyed 185 clinical and counseling psychologists in British Columbia about their opinions on personal therapy as a component of professional training, and about the circumstances under which personal therapy had been provided to them while they were in graduate school. Ss identified potential benefits and risks of personal therapy. 88% saw at least 1 benefit for the experience, and 83% saw at least 1 risk. 41% of Ss had undergone therapy as part of their clinical training, and in many cases this experience was provided in a manner inconsistent with ethical guidelines. Of those receiving personal therapy, 46% reported that therapy was required rather than optional. Ethical issues concerning therapeutic interventions in the training of psychotherapists are discussed. A French summary of the article is also presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring the relationship between impulsivity and decision-making on mobile devices

Mobile devices offer a common platform for both leisure and work-related tasks, but this has resulted in a blurred boundary between home and work. In this paper, we explore the security implications of this blurred boundary, both for the worker and the employer. Mobile workers may not always make optimal security-related choices when “on the go” and more impulsive individuals may be particularly affected as they are considered more vulnerable to distraction. In this study, we used a task scenario, in which 104 users were asked to choose a wireless network when responding to work demands while out of the office. Eye-tracking data was obtained from a subsample of 40 of these participants in order to explore the effects of impulsivity on attention. Our results suggest that impulsive people are more frequent users of public devices and networks in their day-to-day interactions and are more likely to access their social networks on a regular basis. However, they are also likely to make risky decisions when working on-the-go, processing fewer features before making those decisions. These results suggest that those with high impulsivity may make more use of the mobile Internet options for both work and private purposes, but they also show attentional behavior patterns that suggest they make less considered security-sensitive decisions. The findings are discussed in terms of designs that might support enhanced deliberation, both in the moment and also in relation to longer term behaviors that would contribute to a better work–life balance.