European citizen and consumer attitudes and preferences regarding beef and pork

This paper presents the combined mid-term findings of the consumer research components of two EU Sixth Framework Programme integrated projects concerning meat, ProSafeBeef and Q-PorkChains. The consumer pillar of ProSafeBeef carried out eight focus group discussions in May 2008, in France, Germany, Spain and the UK. Q-PorkChains conducted a large-scale, web-based, consumer survey in January 2008 in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece and Poland. The first project provides a set of qualitative data from a small cohort of focus groups and the second a set of quantitative data from a larger consumer sample. This paper draws together the main findings of both projects and provides a comprehensive overview of European citizens’ and consumers’ attitudes towards and preferences regarding beef and pork. In general, consumers consider meat to be a healthy and important component of the diet. Consumers support the development of technologies that can improve the health attributes of meat products and guarantee eating quality, but they have a negative view of what they see to be excessive manipulation and lack of naturalness in the production and processing of beef products. In the Q-PorkChains study consumer and citizen segments are identified and profiled. Consumer segments were built upon the frequency and variety of pork consumption. The citizen segments were built upon their attitudes towards pig production systems. Overall, the relationship between individuals’ views as citizens and their behaviour as consumers was found to be quite weak and did not appear to greatly or systematically influence meat-buying habits. Future studies in both projects will concentrate on consumers’ acceptance of innovative meat product concepts and products, with the aim of boosting consumer trust and invigorating the European beef and pork industries.     

Biodiesel compatibility with carbon steel and HDPE parts

Compatibility of the new environmentally-friendly alternative of diesel engine fuels, biodiesel, with storage and engine part materials, is still an open issue. In this work, the interaction between three fuels (petroleum diesel and two types of biodiesel — soybean and sunflower) and two materials (carbon steel and high density polyethylene) used in storage and automotive tanks, is analyzed in detail. A wide set of characterization techniques was used to evaluate the changes in both solid and fluid materials, as weight change measurement, optical, scanning electron and atomic force (AFM) microscopies, Raman and FTIR spectroscopies, and differential scanning calorimetry. The AFM technique allowed detecting surface roughness and morphology changes in the metallic material following the trends in the weight losses. In the case of polymeric material, weight gain by fluid absorption occurred, being detected by the spectroscopic techniques. The biodiesel fuels underwent some ageing however this phenomenon did not affect the interaction between the biodiesel fuels and the substrates. The petrodiesel, which did not age, caused more significant degradation of the substrates.     

Derivation of a Retinoid X Receptor Scaffold from Peroxisome Proliferator‐Activated Receptor γ Ligand 1‐Di(1H‐indol‐3‐yl)methyl‐4‐trifluoromethylbenzene

PPARγ agonist DIM‐Ph‐4‐CF ₃ , a template for RXRα agonist (E)‐3‐[5‐di(1‐methyl‐1H‐indol‐3‐yl)methyl‐2‐thienyl] acrylic acid: DIM‐Ph‐CF₃ is reported to inhibit cancer growth independent of PPARγ and to interact with NR4A1. As both receptors dimerize with RXR, and natural PPARγ ligands activate RXR, DIM‐Ph‐4‐CF₃ was investigated as an RXR ligand. It displaces 9‐cis‐retinoic acid from RXRα but does not activate RXRα. Structure‐based direct design led to an RXRα agonist.

     

Comparing surface residue transfer efficiencies to hands using polar and nonpolar fluorescent tracers

Transfer of chemicals from contaminated surfaces such as foliage, floors, and furniture is a potentially significant source of both occupational exposure and children's residential exposure. Increased understanding of relevant factors influencing transfers from contaminated surfaces to skin and resulting dermal-loading will reduce uncertainty in exposure assessment. In a previously reported study, a fluorescence imaging system was developed, tested, and used to measure transfer of riboflavin residues from surfaces to hands. Parameters evaluated included surface type, surface loading, contact motion, pressure, duration, and skin condition. Results of the initial study indicated that contact duration and pressure were not significant for the range of values tested, but that there are potentially significant differences in transfer efficiencies of different compounds. In the study reported here, experimental methods were refined and additional transfer data were collected. A second fluorescent tracer, Uvitex OB, with very different physicochemical properties than riboflavin, was also evaluated to better characterize the range of transfers that may be expected for a variety of compounds. Fluorescent tracers were applied individually to surfaces and transfers to skin were measured after repeated hand contacts with the surface. Additional trials were conducted to compare transfer of tracers and co-applied pesticide residues. Results of this study indicate that dermal loadings of both tracers increase through the seventh brief contact. Dermal loading of Uvitex tends to increase at a higher rate than dermal loadings of riboflavin. Measurement of co-applied tracer and pesticide suggest results for these two tracers may provide reasonable bounding estimates of pesticide transfer.     

A new colorimetric method to quantify β-1,3-1,6-glucans in comparison with total β-1,3-glucans in edible mushrooms

Mushroom β-glucans are known for their activity as biological response modifiers and anticarcinogenic agents. β-1,3-1,6 Branched glucans with a triple helix tertiary structure are recognised as the most potent ones. In the present work, a colorimetric method for β-1,3-1,6-glucan quantification based on the dye Congo red is introduced. This method is specific for β-glucans with a triple helix. The β-1,3-1,6-glucan content of mycelia and fruiting bodies from various mushrooms was determined and compared with the total β-1,3-glucan content, measured by a fluorimetric method. The results show equal amounts of β-1,3-1,6- and total β-1,3-glucans in the analysed species but obvious differences between mycelia and fruiting bodies. On the average, 3% of mycelia and 8% of fruiting body dry mass consist of β-1,3-1,6-glucans. The average percentage of β-1,3-1,6-glucans in the total β-1,3-glucan content differs between mycelia (46%) and fruiting bodies (87%).     

Antimicrobial and Anticancer Properties of Synthetic Peptides Derived from the Wasp Parachartergus fraternus

Agelaia-MPI and protonectin are antimicrobial peptides isolated from the wasp Parachartergus fraternus that show antimicrobial and neuroactive activities. Previously, two analogues of these peptides, neuroVAL and protonectin-F, were designed to reduce nonspecific toxicity and improve potency. Here, the three-dimensional structures of neuroVAL, protonectin and protonectin-F were determined by using circular dichroism and NMR spectroscopy. Antibacterial, antifungal, cytotoxic and hemolytic activities were tested for the parent peptides and analogues. All peptides showed moderate antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, with agelaia-MPI being the most active. Protonectin and protonectin-F were found to be toxic to cancerous and noncancerous cell lines. Internalization experiments revealed that these peptides accumulate inside both cell types. By contrast, neuroVAL was nontoxic to all tested cells and was able to enter cells without accumulating. In summary, neuroVAL has potential as a nontoxic cell-penetrating peptide, while protonectin-F needs further modification to realize its potential as an antitumor peptide.     

Unraveling the Lagged Effect of Hydro-meteorological Conditions On the Trophic State of a Reservoir By Applying Dynamic Regression

In this study we develop a novel approach to quantify the relative importance of hydro-meteorological (HM) conditions on the trophic state index (TSI) of a water reservoir (San Roque, Córdoba, Argentina). Seven HM variables measured at four reservoir sites and different depths over a time period of near 2 decades are used. We propose a dynamic regression model to predict the TSI from these variables aggregated over a range of time lags, which has not been applied in such a complex setting so far. By performing coefficient analysis, we quantify the relative importance of these variables on the TSI, as well as the time duration over which they have significant impact (lagged effect). Additionally, the analysis of the autoregressive and moving average (ARIMA) terms reveals the impact of the residual effects of previous trophic states on the current trophic state. We find that surface temperature and precipitation have the largest direct relationship to the TSI in the short-term, while the reservoir water level is inversely related to the TSI in the short- to mid-term. Also, the residual effects of the trophic state impact from 1 month (generally) up to 2 years (exceptionally). This approach can be applied to other water bodies affected by similar eutrophication phenomena.

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Guiding collaborative revision of science explanations

International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning - This paper illustrates how the combination of teacher and computer guidance can strengthen collaborative revision and identifies...     

Analysis of the interfacial micromorphology of adhesive systems in cavities prepared with Er,Cr:YSGG, Er:YAG laser and bur

The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the interaction pattern of adhesive systems on laser and bur cavities. Cavities were prepared according to the following groups (n=9): (G1) conventional diamond bur (No. 1013); (G2) Er:YAG laser (250 mJ, 4 Hz, 80.6 J/cm2); (G3) Er,Cr:YSGG laser (3.5 W, 20 Hz, 61.7 J/cm2). After cavity preparation, specimens were divided into three subgroups differing the adhesive systems used (n=3): (GA) AdheSE; (GB) Clearfil standard error (SE) Bond; (GC) Single Bond. After insertion of a micro-hybrid composite resin, the specimens were sectioned across the bonded surface dividing the teeth into two halves, which were prepared for SEM analysis. Cavities prepared with laser appeared to be more irregular than the bur cavities. Different patterns of gap formation and resin tags could be observed, showing the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of both types of cavities. Under the settings of the present study, resin tags were more pronounced in lased dentin than bur prepared dentin independently of the bonding systems used. On the other hand gap formation between dentin and resin in laser prepared cavities was observed suggesting collagen alteration.