The development and evaluation of the Harm Reduction Self-Efficacy Questionnaire.

The authors recruited 99 injection drug users to assess the psychometric properties of a new self-report questionnaire--the Harm Reduction Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (HRSEQ)--designed to measure injection drug users' confidence to employ 15 specific health-preserving coping skills in different types of high-risk situations (experiencing withdrawal, feeling depressed, and feeling social pressure to use drugs unsafely). Scores for each high-risk situation had good internal consistency (αs = .89 -.92) and good 1-week test-retest reliability (rs = .70 -.85). Comparison with measures of drug-related problems, use of coping skills, and health self-efficacy supported both construct and discriminant validity of the HRSEQ. Exploratory factor analyses revealed 3 major themes (cleanliness precautions, overdose precautions, and safer injection practices) that summarized most, but not all, of the 15 items. Mean differences among the 3 situations suggest that harm reduction self-efficacy should be assessed in the context of specific high-risk situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in liquid‐holding capacity,water distribution and microstructure during chill storage of smoked salmon

BACKGROUND: During recent years, increases in liquid loss and soft texture in cold smoked salmon have been reported, possibly due to increased lipid content and a change in muscle structure. These problems can lead to downgrading of the product. This study aimed to investigate the influence of raw material composition and chill storage on quality parameters of cold smoked salmon. RESULTS: Initial smoked fish had a higher liquid‐holding capacity (LHC) than samples stored for 20 days. Large fish lost more liquid than small fish. The difference in LHC was consistent with a change in water distribution, which could indicate denaturation of muscle protein. Studies of the microstructure showed the influence of both processing and chill storage. An indication of lipid released from the cells was seen after 20 days of chill storage, which could be related to the reduced LHC at that time. CONCLUSION: Both raw material composition and chill storage affected the quality parameters of smoked salmon. This study has improved knowledge about the relationships between muscle structure, liquid‐holding properties and water distribution in smoked salmon. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Judgments of the lucky across development and culture.

For millennia, human beings have believed that it is morally wrong to judge others by the fortuitous or unfortunate events that befall them or by the actions of another person. Rather, an individual's own intended, deliberate actions should be the basis of his or her evaluation, reward, and punishment. In a series of studies, the authors investigated whether such rules guide the judgments of children. The first 3 studies demonstrated that children view lucky others as more likely than unlucky others to perform intentional good actions. Children similarly assess the siblings of lucky others as more likely to perform intentional good actions than the siblings of unlucky others. The next 3 studies demonstrated that children as young as 3 years believe that lucky people are nicer than unlucky people. The final 2 studies found that Japanese children also demonstrate a robust preference for the lucky and their associates. These findings are discussed in relation to M. J. Lerner's (1980) just-world theory and J. Piaget's (1932/1965) immanent-justice research and in relation to the development of intergroup attitudes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of four weeks of creatine supplementation and high-intensity interval training on cardiorespiratory fitness: a randomized controlled trial

Background  

High-intensity interval training has been shown to be a time-efficient way to induce physiological adaptations similar to those of traditional endurance training. Creatine supplementation may enhance high-intensity interval training, leading to even greater physiological adaptations. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and creatine supplementation on cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance performance (maximal oxygen consumption (VO_2PEAK), time-to-exhaustion (VO_2PEAKTTE), ventilatory threshold (VT), and total work done (TWD)) in college-aged men.     

3-D Monte Carlo analyses of the shielding system in a Tokamak fusion reactor

In the frame of ITER (International Tokamak Experimental Reactor) design program, 3D neutronics calculations have been carried out to assess the system shielding performances in the basic machine configuration by means of Monte Carlo Neutron Photon (MCNP) code (3-B version).

The main issue concerns the estimation of the nuclear heat and radiation loads on the toroidal field superconducting coils.

“Self generated weight windows” (w.w.) and source biasing technique have been used to treat the deep penetration through the bulk shield and the streaming through the system gaps and openings.

The main results are reported together with a discussion of the computing methods, especially of the variance reduction techniques adopted.     

Considering Industry 4.0 aspects in the supply chain for an SME

Industry 4.0 is a buzzword in current research and in the manufacturing environment. However, despite this limited research has focused on how a company can determine the likely benefits of Industry 4.0 technologies and its influence on the supply chain. Additionally, the aspect of customer experience is gaining significant importance in the new Industry 4.0 supply chain. There is a research gap in implementation strategies of Industry 4.0 concepts for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper addresses this gap through an in-depth case study of an SME and highlights how the company can develop competitive advantage. First, a framework was developed to determine the realization of Industry 4.0 predicted benefits for SMEs, which was tested in a case company. Based on input from the case the five-step framework for Industry 4.0 realization is adjusted. It enables practitioners to determine the actual status for their company towards Industry 4.0 realization and thereby functions as a guide for further implementation strategies.     

Selective Pharmacophore Models of Dopamine D1 and D2 Full Agonists Based on Extended Pharmacophore Features

This study is focused on the identification of structural features that determine the selectivity of dopamine receptor agonists toward D₁ and D₂ receptors. Selective pharmacophore models were developed for both receptors. The models were built by using projected pharmacophoric features that represent the main agonist interaction sites in the receptor (the Ser residues in TM5 and the Asp in TM3), a directional aromatic feature in the ligand, a feature with large positional tolerance representing the positively charged nitrogen in the ligand, and sets of excluded volumes reflecting the shapes of the receptors. The sets of D₁ and D₂ ligands used for modeling were carefully selected from published sources and consist of structurally diverse, conformationally rigid full agonists as active ligands together with structurally related inactives. The robustness of the models in discriminating actives from inactives was tested against four ensembles of conformations generated by using different established methods and different force fields. The reasons for the selectivity can be attributed to both geometrical differences in the arrangement of the features, e.g., different tilt angels of the π system, as well as shape differences covered by the different sets of excluded volumes. This work provides useful information for the design of new D₁ and D₂ agonists and also for comparative homology modeling of D₁ and D₂ receptors. The approach is general and could therefore be applied to other ligand–protein interactions for which no experimental protein structure is available.     

The Antimicrobial Effect of Spice‐Based Marinades against Campylobacter jejuni on Contaminated Fresh Broiler Wings

The antimicrobial effect of spice‐based marinades against Campylobacter jejuni on inoculated fresh broiler wings was investigated. Experiments were carried out with 1 strain of C. jejuni and 6 marinades. Four experimental marinades were composed for the study and contained spices (thyme, rosemary, basil, marjoram, and so on) and different combination of bioactive compounds. Two marinades were commercial and contained spices (black pepper, sweet red pepper, and so on) and chemical additives (monosodium glutamate, sodium diacetate, calcium lactate), 1 commercial marinade was also enriched with bioactive compounds (linalool, cinnamaldehyde, lactic acid). Total aerobic bacterial count was examined to estimate the possible effect of tested marinades on the shelf‐life of marinated broiler wings. Study revealed that thyme‐based marinade was the most effective against C. jejuni on broiler wings and reduced the numbers of campylobacters by 1.04 log colony forming unit (CFU)/g (P ≤ 0.05) during storage for 168 h at 4 °C temperature. Moreover, it was more effective against C. jejuni than commercial marinade with 0.47 log CFU/g (P ≤ 0.05) reduction effect. Both experimental and commercial marinades had very similar effect on the total aerobic bacterial count. Although experimental and commercial marinades had different effect on pH of broiler wings, this parameter did not show a major impact on the antimicrobial effect of tested marinades (P ≥ 0.05). Our study shows that experimental natural thyme‐based marinade can reduce numbers of C. jejuni more effectively than tested commercial marinades.