Exotic protein sources to meet all needs

Venison from farmed deer has by now become common on the market. This follows the application of animal husbandry techniques to ensure a controlled supply of quality meat. Numerous studies discussed in this presentation have elucidated some of the factors that influence the meat composition and quality derived from various deer species. On the other hand, meat from wild, free-roaming animals has not yet reached a similar position in the industry and in the mind of the consumer. Yet these species show great potential, especially as pertaining to their meat production when discussed under the global warming scenario. In particular, the rodent species that are currently utilized in the bushmeat trade show potential for meat production. This presentation will endeavor to discuss the positive and negative aspects of these species as potential meat sources.     

Distractibility in dieters and nondieters: An alternative view of "externality."

Performed 2 experiments in an investigation of the effects of distraction and emotional arousal on the proofreading performance of 60 dieting and nondieting female undergraduates. In Exp I, it was found that distraction initially impaired the performance of dieters and facilitated the performance of nondieters, a pattern previously shown by J. Rodin (see record 1973-27101-001) to apply to obese and normal weight Ss, respectively, and interpreted as evidence of greater externality in the obese. Subsequent retesting of the same Ss in succeeding months, however, revealed a complete reversal of the original results. In Exp II, the reaction to distraction found in the first phase of Exp I was obtained when Ss were in a situation of minimal threat. In a situation of high threat, the relative distractibility of dieters was reversed, as in the latter phases of Exp I. An explanation is offered for these data in terms of the greater emotionality of dieters, the susceptibility of cognitive performance to arousal (distraction, anxiety) manipulations, and the potentially competing effects of distraction and anxiety. Implications for the prevailing "trait" view of externality (stimulus binding) are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preferences for tastes paired with recovery from thiamine deficiency in rats: Appetitive conditioning or learned safety?

Conducted a study of 80 male Sprague-Dawley rats to investigate earlier findings that rats develop learned preferences for flavors paired with recovery from vitamin deficiencies. Results show that thiamine deficient Ss preferred flavors paired with recovery from deficiency to other familiar flavors, suggesting that part of the preference for flavors paired with recovery was the result of appetitive conditioning. Data are discussed in relation to "learned safety," specific hungers, illness-induced neophobia, and other phenomena in the taste-aversion literature. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High-resolution cryo-scanning electron microscopy study of the macromolecular structure of fibronectin fibrils

High-resolution cryo-scanning electron microscopy was used to examine fibronectin fibrils formed in culture by human skin fibroblasts and in a cell-free system by denaturing soluble plasma fibronectin with guanidine. These studies indicate that the conformation of fibrils formed in culture and in a cell-free system appeared to be similar and that fibronectin fibrils have at least two distinct structural conformations. Fibronectin fibrils can be very straight structures with smooth surfaces or highly nodular structures. The average diameter of the nodules in these fibrils is 12 nm. Both conformations can be seen within an individual fibril indicating that they are not different types of fibronectin fibrils but rather different conformational states. Immunolabeling studies with a monoclonal antibody, IST-2, to the heparin II binding domain of fibronectin revealed that the epitope was buried in highly smooth fibrils, but it was readily exposed in nodular fibrils. We propose, therefore, that fibronectin fibrils are highly flexible structures and, depending on the conformation of the fibril, certain epitopes on the surface may be buried or exposed.     

Housing for Health: The Role of Owner Occupation

Housing is widely regarded as playing an important role in the mediation and management of health inequalities. British policy-makers are increasingly looking to the research community to specify what it is about housing environments that impact on health, and to identify what housing interventions constitute healthy public policies. To feed into this debate, this paper begins by reviewing the state of the art of research on housing and health. It shows that the majority of work continues to focus on how housing affects health, while the limited attention to how health status affects housing outcomes has concentrated on medical priority for rehousing in the public sector. It is argued, however, that the market sector now merits closer scrutiny among those concerned with the health selectivity of the housing system. Drawing on a series of qualitative interviews, questions are raised about: how readily people with health problems and mobility difficulties gain access to owner occupation; how easily they sustain a position in that tenure sector; and how effective they are in maintaining their homes as healthy enabling living environments.     

A membrane filter method for the enumeration of aquatic ammonifiers

A standard procedure for the enumeration of heterotrophic bacteria, utilizing heterotrophic plate count medium (m-HPC), has been modified to allow bacterial ammonifier populations also to be counted. Nessler's reagent was included as an outside indicator to ascertain what portion of the population is capable of ammonification. Typically the ammonifier population varied among aquatic habitats, ranging from 0.08 to 37.0% of the heterotrophic population in river water samples, 0.2 to 10.6% for irrigation water samples, and 1.4 to 3.0% for pond and lake water samples.     

Effect of plant sterols,fatty acids and lecithin on cholesterol absorption in vivo in the rat

The inhibitory effect of plant sterols, fatty acids and lecithin on cholesterol intestnal absorption was studied in the unanesthetized rat using a single pass perfusion technique. Bile was excluded from the perfused intestine. Cholesterol absorption did not change following the additions of cholestanol, cholestanone, lanosterol, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol. A 3-fold increase in the molarity of cholestanol and β-sitosterol or the separate additions of the saturated short and medium chain fatty acids, butyric and octanoic, also did not change cholesterol absorption. The unsaturated long chain fatty acids, oleic, linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic, inhibited cholesterol absorption. Lecithin additions at concentrations of 0.1–1.5 mM caused a progressive, dose-related inhibition of cholesterol absorption. The inhibitory effect of these agents on cholesterol absorption is likely to have been caused by changes in cholesterol solubility in the micelle and shifts in the partition coefficient of cholesterol away from the cell membrane to the micelle.     

Effects of peer support and therapist contact on long-term weight loss.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of two posttreatment programs designed to enhance the maintenance of weight loss. Eighty-five obese clients were randomly assigned to either (a) behavior therapy plus a peer-support maintenance program, (b) behavior therapy plus a therapist-contact maintenance program, or (c) behavior therapy only. At a 7-month follow-up session, the therapist-contact program resulted in significantly greater maintenance of weight loss compared with the peer support and behavior therapy only conditions. However, by the time of an 18-month follow-up assessment, overall relapse rates were equivalent across conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of institutional room acoustics on speech discrimination of developmentally disabled residents and of staff.

High ambient noise levels and long reverberation times can degrade speech discrimination. An experiment examined the effects on speech discrimination of 2 acoustic factors: (a) noise level (high, 72 db; low, 65 db); and (b) reverberation times (long, 1.77 sec; short, .79 sec). Ss were 12 developmentally disabled state school residents and 12 normal staff members. Their speech discrimination abilities were tested under conditions simulating the institutional environment prior to renovations (high noise/long reverberation time) and following renovations (low noise/short reverberation time). A 3-way mixed ANOVA showed main effects of noise, reverberation time, and group. There was a Noise?×?Group interaction and a significant difference between simulated prerenovation and postrenovation conditions. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)