Effect of subclinical intramammary infection on somatic cell counts, NAGase activity and gross composition of goats' milk

The study was aimed at identifying the pathogens causing subclinical udder infections in representative Israeli dairy goat herds and determining their effect on milk quality. Five hundred goats in ten flocks of various breeds and crossbreeds were surveyed. Of the 500 goats, 13.4% were in their first lactation, 36.4% were in their second lactation and 50.2% were in their third or higher lactation. Percentages of udder halves with subclinical intramammary infection in the flocks ranged from 35 to 71%. The effect of the bacteriological infection on somatic cells count (SCC) was significant (P<0.001). Various species of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), mainly Staphylococcus caprae and Staphylococcus epidermidis, were the main pathogens in infected udder halves. Lactation number did not significantly influence either infection rate of udder halves or SCC, although the percentage of udder halves with no bacteriological findings was higher at the first lactation than at the third lactation. Milk composition (fat, protein and lactose) varied among flocks, with lower mean total protein in uninfected halves than in infected ones and higher lactose in uninfected than infected halves.     

Reconsideration of polymorphic transformations in cocoa butter using the DSC

Cocoa butter was crystallized in the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) in the presence and the absence of sorbitan monostearate at different cooling rates. The solidification and fusion curves were recorded. It was found that cooling rate affects enthalpies and temperatures of phase transitions. The very slow cooling rate causes a significant decrease in crystallization enthalpy, suggesting that fractionation of glycerides occurs under these conditions. In the presence of sorbitan monostearate 5%, cooling and heating curves of cocoa butter are sharper, the solidification point is higher and the fusion point is slightly lower. Further, in the presence of sorbitan monostearate both crystallization and fusion enthalpies are lower than in pure cocoa butter. The presence of the emulsifier seems mainly to promote the fractional crystallization. Fusion curves after different periods of isothermal crystallization suggest that higher polymorphic forms differ in chemical composition from lower ones, and that the presence of sorbitan monostearate affects the fractionation in the fat.     

In vivo oxidation of [13C]galactose in patients with galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase deficiency

We developed an intravenous and oral [13C]galactose breath test for the in vivo study of galactose metabolism. Following an intravenous bolus of 7 mg/kg of [1-13C]galactose in the fasting state, normal children and adults eliminated 3-6% and 21-47% of the bolus as 13CO2 in expired air collected over 1 and 5 h, respectively. Comparable fractional elimination was seen when the dose was given orally. Patients with galactosemia who have barely detectable or absent galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GALT) activity in erythrocytes and are homoallelic for the Q188R gene mutation, when given a 7 mg/kg intravenous bolus had barely detectable 13CO2 in air samples in the first hour, but eventually eliminated as much as 3.6% of the dose in 5 h. A galactosemia/Duarte (Q188R/N314D) compound heterozygote and a homozygous Duarte subject, as well as a subject with one normal allele and one Q188R allele, showed normal in vivo oxidation. An assessment of whole body galactose metabolism can be made with this procedure. Further use of this in vivo modality in patients with different genetic backgrounds should increase our understanding of genotype-phenotype relationships in hereditary galactosemia.     

Mechanistic considerations of polymorphic transformations of tristearin in the presence of emulsifiers

Fat polymorphs influence the quality of some food and cosmetic products. Emulsifiers traditionally have been added in order to retard undesired polymorphic transformations. The present study is an attempt to understand the role of selected emulsifiers on such transformations. Tristearin was heated or aged under controlled conditions using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray techniques, and the extent of transformation was evaluated in view of the possible pathways of α transforming into β. The temperature regime controls the extent of mobility of fat molecules, the local crystal imperfections and the degree of liquefaction. As a result, it dictates the kinetics of the polymorphic transformation. The surfactant added as an impurity does not have a straightforward effect, as thought previously, but rather varies with the kinetic conditions. During aging some selected solid emulsifiers will retard the α-β transformation while others still enhance it (during heating, all of them will inhibit β form crystallization). Their effect probably is related to different crystalline organizations and the creation of imperfections. Liquid emulsifiers in any case will enhance the α-β transformation, due probably to their weak structure compatibility with tristearin, which causes a higher mobility of triglyceride molecules.     

A proof method for cyclic programs

Summary We consider the specification and verification of cyclic (sequential and concurrent) programs. The input-output based concept of correctness traditionally applied to functional programs is replaced by another, based on the concept of eventual behaviour. Various types of eventual behaviour are introduced. In the case of concurrency, the introduction of interface-predicates reduces the proof complexity and achieves greater readability. All specifications use explicitly the auxiliary variables of a location counter and elapsing time t.The research of N.F. was partially supported by The Fund for Aiding Research, Histadrut, The Federation of Hebrew workers in Israel     

Diversification of Object-Languages for Propositional Logics

I argue in favour of object languages of logics to be diversely-generated, that is, not having identical (or equivalent) immediate sub-formulas. In addition to diversely-generated object languages constituting a more appropriate abstraction of the use of sentential connectives in natural language, I show that such language lead to a simplifications w.r.t. some specific issues: the identity of proofs, the factual equivalence (in logics of grounding) and the Mingle axiom in Relevance logics. I also point out that some of the properties of classical logic based on freely-generated object languagest.