Platinum in the human diet, blood, hair and excreta.

Baseline levels of platinum in the blood, hair and urine of 21 adults from Sydney, Australia, and three adults from the relatively unpolluted area of Lord Howe Island, Australia, were determined by adsorptive voltammetry. The median concentrations of platinum in samples from residents in Sydney were: whole blood, 0.56 microgram Pt l-1; hair, 3.84 micrograms Pt kg-1; urine, 0.18 microgram Pt l-1 (0.23 microgram Pt g creatinine). Samples from residents of Lord Howe Island had platinum levels that were within the range of values of the corresponding samples from Sydney residents. For faeces samples, the median platinum concentration was 10.5 micrograms kg-1 FW. The excretion of platinum over a 4-day period was measured in one adult male. Urinary excretion of platinum was between 0.76 and 1.07 micrograms Pt day-1 and in faeces it was between 0.61 and 0.73 microgram Pt day-1. The concentrations of platinum in a range of foodstuffs from Sydney were between 8.11 micrograms kg-1 FW for liver and 0.13 microgram kg-1 FW for full-cream milk. This information as well as the amounts of these foods in hypothetical diets for Australians was used to calculate the total dietary intake of platinum. The average diet of a Sydney adult contains 1.44 micrograms of platinum per day (adult male, 1.73 micrograms Pt day-1; adult female, 1.15 micrograms Pt day-1). The uptake of dietary platinum from the gut was estimated to be at least 42% and, therefore, diet appears to make a substantial contribution to total platinum intake.     

Phase transformations in nickel sulphide: Microstructures and mechanisms

Nickel sulphide inclusions are known to be responsible for delayed fracture in tempered glasses due to phase transformation within the inclusion. Microstructural identification of the phase transformation mechanisms in the Ni–S system close to the NiS composition were carried out on a series of partially transformed states. Observations allow to investigate the morphological evolution during transformation, the phase orientation relationships and the first stages of the transformation were investigated by optical microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The transformation mechanisms change significantly with the change in sulphur content of the α-NiS phase. Massive transformation is observed for near-stoichiometric composition. For overstoichiometric composition, the transformation is controlled by a long-range diffusion mechanism. The influence of stoichiometry and impurities (Fe) on the microstructural evolution and transformation mechanisms has also been studied.     

Microbial Quality of Industrial Liquid Egg White: Assumptions on Spoiling Issues in Egg‐Based Chilled Desserts

As a 1st step, this study aimed at investigating the microbial quality of liquid egg white in a French egg processing company. Thirty raw and 33 pasteurized liquid egg white samples were analyzed. Pasteurization was globally found efficient on mesophilic contaminants (1.7 ± 1.6 and 0.8 ± 0.9 log CFU/mL in raw and pasteurized samples, respectively), including for the control of Salmonella. However, Gram‐positive enterococci were still detected in the pasteurized samples. As a 2nd step, a representative bacterial collection was built for exploring the spoilage issue in egg‐based chilled desserts. Custard cream was chosen as growth medium since this food is widely used for the production of French chilled desserts. All of the 166 isolates of the bacterial collection were shown to be able to grow and to induce spoilage of the custard cream at refrigeration temperature (10 °C). Several spoilage types were highlighted in the custard cream, on the basis of changes regarding pH, consistency, production of holes or gas. As a 3rd step, bacterial enzymatic activities were explored on custard cream‐based agar media. The bacterial collection was reduced to 43 isolates, based on further selection regarding the genera and the spoilage types previously highlighted. Albeit to different degrees, all these isolates were able to produce proteases. A large part of these isolates also expressed lipolytic and amylolytic activities. This study emphasizes the need to control egg white contamination and especially with Gram‐positive heat‐resistant Enterococi, in order to guarantee the shelf life of egg‐based chilled desserts.     

Formalizing Cognitive Acceptance of Arguments: Durum Wheat Selection Interdisciplinary Study

In this paper we present an interdisciplinary approach that concerns the problem of argument acceptance in an agronomy setting. We propose a computational cognitive model for argument acceptance based on the dual model system in cognitive psychology. We apply it in an agronomy setting within a French national project on durum wheat.     

Imaging E-selectin expression following traumatic brain injury in the rat using a targeted USPIO contrast agent

Introduction  The aim of this work was to map E-selectin expression in a traumatic brain injury model using a newly-designed MR contrast agent. Iron cores, responsible for susceptibility effects and therefore used as T2* contrast agents, need to be coated in order to be stabilized and need to be targeted to be useful. Methods  We have designed a molecule coating composed, at one end, of bisphosphonate to ensure anchorage of the coating on the iron core and, at the other end, of Fukuda’s defined heptapeptide known to target selectin binding sites. Conclusion  The synthesized nanoparticles were able to non-invasively target the traumatic brain lesion, inducing a specific T2* decrease of about 25% up to at least 70 min post-injection of the targeted contrast agent.     

Phase diagram and thermodynamic properties of phases in the In-Te system

The In-Te phase diagram was refined in the composition range 0 to 71.77 at.% Te; the phases In₄Te₃, InTe, In₂Te₃, and In₂Te₅ were found to exist. Vaporization of In₂Te₃ and InTe was studied by the mass spectrometric method and the p _{Te 2} -T diagram was constructed. The standard molar enthalpies of formation of mentioned compounds were determined by direct synthesis calorimetry. The heat capacity of the solid In₂Te₃ was measured in a vacuum adiabatic calorimeter at 5 to 310 K, and the H ^o(T)-H ^o(0), S _T , and G ^o(T)-H ^o(0) functions were calculated.     

The Role of Change in the Relationship Between Commitment and Turnover: A Latent Growth Modeling Approach.

Through the use of affective, normative, and continuance commitment in a multivariate 2nd-order factor latent growth modeling approach, the authors observed linear negative trajectories that characterized the changes in individuals across time in both affective and normative commitment. In turn, an individual's intention to quit the organization was characterized by a positive trajectory. A significant association was also found between the change trajectories such that the steeper the decline in an individual's affective and normative commitments across time, the greater the rate of increase in that individual's intention to quit, and, further, the greater the likelihood that the person actually left the organization over the next 9 months. Findings regarding continuance commitment and its components were mixed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Combined effects of postharvest heat treatment and chitosan coating on quality of fresh‐cut mangoes (Mangifera indica L.)

The influence of heat treatment combined with coating on sensory quality, physico‐chemicals characteristics (firmness, colour, pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids and total carotenoids content) and microbiological quality of fresh‐cut mangoes were studied. Whole mangoes (Mangifera indica cv ‘Tommy Atkins’) were subjected to hot water dipping (HWD) at 50 °C for 30 min and cooled for 15 min. Heated and unheated fruits were minimally processed and mango cubes were coated with chitosan solution (0.25% w/v) dissolved in 0.5% (w/v) citric acid, and stored for 9 days at 6 °C under ambient atmosphere. This study showed that both HWD 50 °C for 30 min and chitosan coating, either alone or combined, did not affect the taste and the flavour of mangoes slices. The chitosan coating combined with HWD or not inhibited the microbial growth for 9 days at 6 °C. Indeed chitosan coating was used for his antimicrobial proprieties. HWD 50 °C for 30 min was the beneficial treatment to maintain firmness and colour during 9 days at 6 °C.     

Operating conditions of batteries in off-grid renewable energy systems

Operating conditions in off-grid renewable energy systems (RES) vary significantly in different applications and locations. To describe RES and the operating conditions of their components it is useful to define categories of similar operating conditions. Categories can also be used for lifetime considerations of RES components, for making recommendations and for analysing the properties and performance of a RES and its components. Categories support system designers and an economic analysis. This paper describes the process and the results of creating RES categories of similar operating conditions for batteries. Categories are defined in such a way that batteries belonging to the same category are subjected to similar operating conditions and a similar combination of stress factors. The results provide a comprehensive overview of battery operating conditions in existing off-grid renewable energy systems. This work is part of the EU research project Benchmarking.¹     

Evaluation of enzyme-assisted extraction on quality of garlic volatile oil

Application of enzymes to garlic prior to steam distillation/hydrodistillation resulted in a two fold increase in the yield of oil. The oil yield in case of cellulase, pectinase, protease and viscozyme pretreatment was in the range of 0.39–0.51%, as against 0.28% in a control sample by steam distillation, and in the range of 0.45–0.57% by hydrodistillation as against 0.31% in a control sample. Profiling of the garlic oil thus obtained was carried out by GC–MS. Di-2-propenyl trisulfide (52%) along with the corresponding di- and tetra-sulphides (11% and 5%) constituted the major portion of the oil. The other major flavour compounds identified were methyl 2-propenyl trisulfide (11.8%), vinyl dithiins (9.9%) and dithianes (4.1%). The studies demonstrate that enzymes facilitate the extraction of garlic oil, resulting in an increase in the yield of oil, with little change either in flavour profile or physicochemical properties of the oil.