Change in the composition of the microflora on vacuum-packaged beef during chiller storage

Five fresh beefcut samples were divided into 10 pieces, respectively, vacuum-packaged and stored at 2 degrees C for up to 6 weeks. The average pH values of five pieces from five beef samples were 5.62 +/- 0.04 at the start of storage and 5.12 +/- 0.07 after 6 weeks of storage. The pieces were homogenized, diluted and cultivated at weekly intervals on glucose-blood-liver (BL), de Man Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) and trypticase soya (TS) agars at 7 degrees C for 10-14 days. From plates with 30-300 colonies, or the highest number if below 30, 15 colonies were randomly picked from each of the three media used for each beef sample. Based on morphologies, SDS-PAGE whole-cell protein profiles and physio-chemical characteristics, a total of 1493 strains isolated were identified as Brochothrix thermosphacta (64), Carnobacterium divergens (79), Carnobacterium piscicola (27), Lactobacillus algidus (637), Lactobacillus sp. (4), Lactococcus piscium (270), Leuconostoc gelidum (375), Acinetobacter (3), Aeromonas (1), Bacillus (10), Corynebacterium (3), Enterobacteriaceae (1), Pseudomonas (13) or Psychrobacter (6). A wider range of organisms was isolated from TS (13 organisms) and BL (7) agars than from MRS agar (3). Leuc. gelidum, Lc. piscium and L. algidas increased in numbers during the first 3 weeks of storage from about 5 x 10(3) cfu/g to the level of about 10(8) cfu/g and persisted at this level thereafter. C. divergens and C. piscicola were inconsistently detected, but seemed to persist at the relatively low level of about 5 x 10(7) cfu/g during the last 3 weeks of storage. B. thermosphacta increased to the level of about 7 x 10(5) cfu/g during the first 2 weeks of storage, but was not detected thereafter. Remaining organisms were detected sporadically at levels of <3.5 x 10(2) cfu/g during the first 2 weeks of storage.     

Structural,optical and electrical characterization on ZnO film grown by a spray pyrolysis method

Undoped ZnO poly crystalline films were successfully grown by a spray pyrolysis method at 300–500∘C. The samples grown at 500∘C indicated high quality because the (0002) orientation was strongly observed in the X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum. Surface roughness reduced with increasing substrate temperature and indium concentration. Indium doping caused the resistivity to decrease and the carrier concentration to increase. Electrical conduction types in the undoped and In-doped ZnO films indicated all n-types. From these results, this indicated that indium atoms could act as a donor type impurity.     

Subjective side effects of mianserin in relation to plasma concentrations of mianserin and desmethylmianserin

The main purpose of the present study was to examine the possibility that plasma concentrations of mianserin and its metabolite, desmethylmianserin, might be predicted by recording subjective side effects. In 44 depressed patients, subjective side effects during 3 weeks of treatment with 30 mg of mianserin were evaluated by the UKU Side Effect Rating Scale, and their relationships to plasma concentrations of mianserin and desmethylmianserin were analyzed. There was no significant relationship between plasma concentrations of these compounds and the occurrence of mianserin-induced side effects, except for dryness of mouth during week one. Our study, therefore, suggests that it is difficult to predict plasma concentrations of mianserin and desmethylmianserin based on the occurrence of subjective side effects.     

Division-based analysis of symmetry and its application

A computational method, DAS, is proposed for symmetry analysis of a planar figure closed by a simply connected curve. DAS determines both the symmetric axis and the symmetric point pairs on the curve, consistently, based on the duality of two geometric plane divisions, the Delaunay triangulation and the Voronoi diagram     

Fluorescence in situ hybridization mapping of the alpha and beta subunits (HADHA and HADHB) of human mitochondrial fatty acid beta-oxidation multienzyme complex to 2p23 and their evolution

Mitochondrial fatty acid beta-oxidation multienzyme complex/trifunctional protein has an alpha4beta4 structure and catalyzes the second through fourth reactions of the fatty acid beta-oxidation cycle. The alpha and beta subunits (HADHA and HADHB) are members of the enoyl-CoA hydratase/3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase and 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase families, respectively. We analyzed the localization of each of these two genes (HADHA and HADHB) by in situ hybridization and found that both can be assigned to human chromosome band 2p23. Since the distance between the two loci is quite short, the two genes seem to exist side by side, as do the two (A and B subunit) genes of the bacterial fatty acid beta-oxidation multienzyme complex. This is an important and interesting finding in that two entirely different genes, encoding two independent proteins forming a multienzyme complex, are adjacent on chromosome band 2p23.     

Bacterial translocation in multiple organ failure

Bacterial translocation has been defined as the passage of both viable and nonviable bacteria and their products (e.g., endotoxins) across the intestinal barrier to extraintestinal sites such as the mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, etc. It has been hypothesized that intestinally derived bacteria or endotoxins serve as triggers to initiate, perpetuate, or exacerbate the septic state and thereby promote the development of multiple organ failure (MOF). In various animal studies, bacterial translocation has been associated with mortality and septic complications. Although most data on translocation have been derived from animal studies, convincing evidence has been provided that translocation may occur in humans during various disease states. The question still remains, however, of whether bacterial translocation is an important pathophysiological event in human disease or simply an epiphenomenon of severe disease, since the results are variable. Recent studies have indicated that the gut can produce important amounts of immunoinflammatory factors and that intestinal injury predisposes to distant organ injury even in the absence of detectable bacteria or endotoxins in the portal blood or tissues. This hypothesis may in part explain the inconsistent causal relationship between bacterial translocation and MOF.     

Chemical preparation of PLZT powder from aqueous solution

A new method for preparing homogeneous lanthanum-modified lead zirconate-titanate (PLZT) powder from aqueous salt solution containing hydrogen peroxide by precipitation is described. Inorganic salts such as zirconium oxychloride and titanium tetrachloride instead of organo-metallic salts can be available as raw materials which attain well reactioned and fine-grained PLZT powder processed by decomposing the dried product at 650°C. PLZT ceramics formed by hot-pressing the powder show considerable improvements in the qualities such as optical transparency and homogeneity.