Evaluation of plant products from the Legnicko–Głogowski region for their contamination with arsenic

Contents of arsenic were determined in plant products originating from the region of two copperworks, G?ogów and Legnica. Analyses were carried out by means of atomic absorption spectrometry, using an MHS-10 unit for hydride generation (acetylene/argon), after wet mineralisation of samples.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in smoked cheese

BACKGROUND: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent a group of organic compounds containing two or more aromatic rings. Their control in the human food chain is required due to the mutagenic and carcinogenic potential, exhibited in vertebrates. In the present study, the occurrence of PAHs in 36 cheeses smoked by various processes was investigated. RESULTS: PAH concentrations (sum of 15 US EPA PAHs) found in samples smoked under controlled industrial conditions were at level 0.11 µg kg^?1, whereas in ‘home‐made’ cheeses, the PAH content was up to 10 times higher. A similar trend was observed for B[a]P, a marker compound representing carcinogenic PAHs. While its levels in commercial products prepared by controlled smoking technologies were close to the limit of quantification (0.03 µg kg^?1); in household samples, the B[a]P content ranged from 0.6 to 0.9 µg kg^?1. Significantly higher amounts of PAHs (up to three to six times) were found in surface layers as compared to internal parts of cheese. CONCLUSION: Although smoked cheese is a popular food, only several papers have focused on PAH levels in these products. This paper evaluates the contribution of different smoking technologies to PAH contamination of several cheeses and thus can help in a risk assessment associated with their consumption. Moreover, the study shows the concentration ratios of selected PAHs, from which the type of smoking technology can be indicated. The results obtained in this study also supported the suggestion of the EU Scientific Committee on Food to use benzo[a]pyrene as an indicator of the occurrence of higher‐molecular mass PAHs. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Einsatz von Vakuumpumpen bei der Herstellung von Photovoltaik‐Modulen

Use of vacuum technology in crystal pulling and lamination application in manufacturing of photovoltaic modules Dry compressing screw type vacuum pumps such as the SCREWLINE SP 630/250 are designed to reduce cost of ownership in crystal pulling plant and in lamination processes. The construction of gear house sealings, the easy maintenance of the pump on site and the use of gas ballast guarantee a very reliable performance, and long maintenance and service intervals. In the case of crystal pulling the process does not even need a dust separator at the inlet of the vacuum pump.     

The effect of geometry on three-dimensional tissue growth.

Tissue formation is determined by uncountable biochemical signals between cells; in addition, physical parameters have been shown to exhibit significant effects on the level of the single cell. Beyond the cell, however, there is still no quantitative understanding of how geometry affects tissue growth, which is of much significance for bone healing and tissue engineering. In this paper, it is shown that the local growth rate of tissue formed by osteoblasts is strongly influenced by the geometrical features of channels in an artificial three-dimensional matrix. Curvature-driven effects and mechanical forces within the tissue may explain the growth patterns as demonstrated by numerical simulation and confocal laser scanning microscopy. This implies that cells within the tissue surface are able to sense and react to radii of curvature much larger than the size of the cells themselves. This has important implications towards the understanding of bone remodelling and defect healing as well as towards scaffold design in bone tissue engineering.     

Stress and dislocations in diamond–SiC composites sintered at high pressure,high temperature conditions

Diamond–silicon carbide composites were sintered at 10 GPa and three different temperatures: 1600, 1800, and 2000 °C. Distributions of residual surface stresses in diamond crystals were obtained by the analysis of Raman band shifts and splitting. It was noted that stresses concentrate around points of contacts between diamond crystals. Average stress increase with increasing sintering temperature. Complementary information on average sizes of crystallites, concentration of stacking faults, and population of dislocations in both diamond and SiC were obtained from X-ray diffraction profile analysis. It was observed that for both diamond and silicon carbide phases the average crystallite sizes decrease. The population of dislocations in the diamond phase increases with increasing sintering temperature and the population fluctuates in the SiC phase. Concentration of stacking faults was significant only in SiC.     

Culinary plants,herbs and spices – A rich source of PPARγ ligands

Obesity and the related disorders, diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia have reached epidemic proportions world-wide. The influence of 70 plants, herbs and spices on peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor (PPAR)γ activation or antagonism, a drug target for metabolic syndrome, was investigated. Approximately 50 different plant extracts bound PPARγ in competitive ligand binding assay, including pomegranate, apple, clove, cinnamon, thyme, green coffee, bilberry and bay leaves. Five plant extracts transactivated PPARγ in chimeric GAL4-PPARγ-LBD system: nutmeg, licorice, black pepper, holy basil and sage. Interestingly, nearly all plant extracts antagonized rosiglitazone-mediated coactivator recruitment in time resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer coactivator assay. The five transactivating extracts may function as selective PPARγ modulators (SPPARγMs), and the other extracts seem to be moderate antagonists or undetectable/weak SPPARγMs. As SPPARγMs improve insulin resistance without weight gain and PPARγ antagonists exert antiobesity action, a combination of these plants in diet could reduce obesity and the incidence of metabolic syndrome.     

The Janus-III Translation System: Speech-to-Speech Translation in Multiple Domains

The Janus-III system translates spoken languages in limiteddomains. The current research focus is on expanding beyond tasksinvolving a single limited semantic domain to significantly broaderand richer domains. To achieve this goal, The MT components of oursystem have been engineered to build and manipulate multi-domain parselattices that are based on modular grammars for multiple semanticdomains. This approach yields solutions to several problems includingmulti-domain disambiguation, segmentation of spoken utterances intosentence units, modularity of system design, and re-use of earliersystems with incompatible output.     

Anti-aphrodisiac Compounds of Male Butterflies Increase the Risk of Egg Parasitoid Attack by Inducing Plant Synomone Production

During mating in many butterfly species, males transfer spermatophores that contain anti-aphrodisiacs to females that repel conspecific males. For example, males of the large cabbage white, Pieris brassicae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), transfer the anti-aphrodisiac, benzyl cyanide (BC) to females. Accessory reproductive gland (ARG) secretion of a mated female P. brassicae that is deposited with an egg clutch contains traces of BC, inducing Brussels sprouts plants (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera) to arrest certain Trichogramma egg parasitoids. Here, we assessed whether deposition of one egg at a time by the closely related small cabbage white, Pieris rapae, induced B. oleracea var. gemmifera to arrest Trichogramma wasps, and whether this plant synomone is triggered by substances originating from male P. rapae seminal fluid. We showed that plants induced by singly laid eggs of P. rapae arrest T. brassicae wasps three days after butterfly egg deposition. Elicitor activity was present in ARG secretion of mated female butterflies, whereas the secretion of virgin females was inactive. Pieris rapae used a mixture of methyl salicylate (MeSA) and indole as an anti-aphrodisiac. We detected traces of both anti-aphrodisiacal compounds in the ARG secretion of mated female P. rapae, whereas indole was lacking in the secretion of virgin female P. rapae. When applied onto the leaf, indole induced changes in the foliar chemistry that arrested T. brassicae wasps. This study shows that compounds of male seminal fluid incur possible fitness costs for Pieris butterflies by indirectly promoting egg parasitoid attack.     

Therapeutic effects of exercise: Wheel running reverses stress-induced interference with shuttle box escape.

Exercise can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in humans, but therapeutic effects of exercise in an animal model of stress-related mood disorders have yet to be demonstrated. In the current study, the authors investigated the ability of wheel running to reverse a long-lasting interference with shuttle box escape produced by uncontrollable stress. Rats who remained sedentary following uncontrollable foot shock demonstrated robust conditioned freezing behavior to the stressor environment and deficits in shuttle box escape learning. Voluntary access to running wheels for 6 weeks, but not 2 weeks, following uncontrollable foot shock reduced the expression of conditioned freezing and reversed the escape deficit. Results demonstrate a long-lasting interference with shuttle box escape that can be reversed by exercise in a duration-dependent fashion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)