Deferment of slaughtering in swine affected by cutaneous erysipelas

According to the European Union rules for meat inspection (Regulation (EC) No. 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004, that will be enforced in January 2006 in place of Council Directive 91/497/EEC of 29 July 1991 and Council Directive 91/498/EEC of 29 July 1991), any swine carcase affected by erysipelas must be destroyed. When pigs show erysipelas during antemortem inspection, the slaughtering must be deferred. Legislation however does not specify how long should be this period. In our research, 24 swine showing cutaneous erysipelas during antemortem inspection, have been tested: 8 of them were slaughtered after 10 days, 8 after 15 days and 8 after 20 days from the observation of the disease. Skin with scars of "diamond lesions", spleen, liver, kidney, inguinal lymph nodes, tonsils and muscle samples were tested in each carcase for the presence of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. The results suggest that the slaughtering of swine affected by cutaneous erysipelas must be deferred for at least 15 days from disappearance of typical lesions, in order to guarantee a good level of safety of the meat and to reduce the hazard of occupational disease for veterinarians, abattoir workers and meat processors.     

Protease (PrA and PrB) and prolyl and arginyl aminopeptidase activities from Debaryomyces hansenii as a function of growth phase and nutrient sources

The effects of nutrient sources and growth phase of Debaryomyces hansenii on the protease (PrA and PrB) and aminopeptidase (prolyl-[PAP] and arginyl-[AAP] aminopeptidases) activities were investigated. These activities were also monitored during growth on a whole sarcoplasmic muscle protein extract (WSPE) and on an equivalent medium but free of compounds under 10 kDa (SPE>10 kDa). The levels of specific protease and aminopeptidase activities were higher when cells were grown in urea and dipeptides than when grown in either ammonium or free amino acids as nitrogen sources. The level of each aminopeptidase (PAP or AAP) activity was preferentially induced by its own substrate (ProLeu or LysAla), suggesting a role in the utilization of exogenous peptides. Higher specific activities for all proteolytic enzymes were detected when using acetate as carbon source. The time course experiments carried out on urea or sarcoplasmic protein-containing media revealed an increase in all activities during transition and advanced stages of stationary phase of growth. In muscle protein extracts, the absence of low molecular mass nutrients (SPE>10 kDa) initially induced the production of PrA, PrB, and AAP activities, possibly involved in the breakdown of muscle oligopeptides.     

Sputtered SiO2 as low acoustic impedance material for Bragg mirror fabrication in BAW resonators

In this paper we describe the procedure to sputter low acoustic impedance SiO₂ films to be used as a low acoustic impedance layer in Bragg mirrors for BAW resonators. The composition and structure of the material are assessed through infrared absorption spectroscopy. The acoustic properties of the films (mass density and sound velocity) are assessed through X-ray reflectometry and picosecond acoustic spectroscopy. A second measurement of the sound velocity is achieved through the analysis of the longitudinal ?/2 resonance that appears in these silicon oxide films when used as uppermost layer of an acoustic reflector placed under an AlN-based resonator.     

Isothermal DNA amplification coupled with DNA nanosphere-based colorimetric detection

We present a simple, rapid method for detecting short DNA sequences that combines a novel isothermal amplification method (EXPAR) with visual, colorimetric readout based on aggregation of DNA-functionalized gold nanospheres. The reaction is initiated by a trigger oligonucleotide, synthetic in nature for this proof-of-principle study, which is exponentially amplified at 55 degrees C and converted to a universal reporter oligonucleotide capable of bridging two sets of DNA-functionalized gold nanospheres. This reaction provides >10(6)-fold amplification/conversion in under 5 min. When combined with a solution containing DNA nanospheres, the bridging reporter causes nanosphere aggregation. The resulting color change from red to dark purple or blue is enhanced through spotting the solution onto a C18 reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography plate. The reaction can easily be adapted for detection of different trigger oligonucleotides using the same set of DNA nanospheres. It permits detection of as low as 100 fM trigger oligonucleotide in under 10 min total assay time, with minimal reagent consumption and requirement for instrumentation. We expect that combining this simple, versatile assay with trigger generation from a genomic target DNA sequence of interest will be a powerful tool in the development of rapid and simple point-of-care molecular diagnostic applications.     

Relationship between comfort and back posture and mobility in sitting-posture

The objective of this work is to analyze the causes of lumbar discomfort while sitting on a chair, by analyzing the relationship of lumbar curvature, pelvic inclination and their mobilities with discomfort. An experiment has been performed with healthy subjects, in which comfort, postural and mobility parameters have been measured. Their relationship has been analyzed with multivariate analysis. Factorial analysis has been used to represent all the correlated variables measured. Logistic regression and discriminant analyses have been used to classify discomfort/absence of discomfort. The results show that great changes of posture are a good indicator of discomfort, and that lordotic postures with forward leaned pelvis and low mobility are the principal causes of the increase of discomfort.     

Effect of particle bombardment on the orientation and the residual stress of sputtered AlN films for SAW devices

We present a study of the effect of particle bombardment on the preferred orientation and the residual stress of polycrystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films for surface acoustic wave (SAW) applications. Films were deposited on silicon (100) substrates by radio frequency (RF) sputtering of an aluminum target in an argon and nitrogen gas mixture. The main deposition parameters were changed as follows: the total pressure from 4 mTorr to 11 mTorr, the N2 content in the gas mixture from 20% to 80%, and the substrate self-bias voltage from -10 V to -30 V. If a sufficiently high negative substrate self-bias voltage is induced, (00.2)-oriented films are obtained over the full ranges of pressure and N2 content. Such films have values of residual stress ranging from -3 GPa to +1 GPa, depending on the deposition conditions. Our results suggest that the energy of the Ar ions colliding with the substrate controls the preferred orientation of the films, whereas the directionality of the ions (for the same energy) is the main factor determining the residual stress. To demonstrate the suitability of our material for the intended application, SAW filters with good electroacoustic response have been fabricated using AlN thin films with optimized (00.2) orientation and controlled residual stress.     

In-flight measured and predicted ambient dose equivalent and latitude differences on effective dose estimates

The results from 2 years (2001-2002) of experimental measurements of in-board radiation doses received at IBERIA commercial flights are presented. The routes studied cover the most significant destinations and provide a good estimate of the route doses as required by the new Spanish regulations on air crew radiation protection. Details on the experimental procedures and calibration methods are given. The experimental measurements from the different instruments (Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter and the combination of a high pressure ion chamber and a high-energy neutron compensated rem-counter) and their comparison with the predictions from some route-dose codes (CARI-6, EPCARD 3.2) are discussed. In contrast with the already published data, which are mainly focused on North latitudes over parallel 50, many of the data presented in this work have been obtained for routes from Spain to Central and South America.     

Polymerase chain reaction for the direct detection of Brucella spp. in milk and cheese

A polymerase chain reaction test was developed to detect Brucella spp. directly in milk and cheese and optimized using primers for the BSCP-31 gene. A total of 46 cheese samples produced with sheep and goats milk were assayed, and Brucella spp. was detected in 46% of them, especially in cheese made from sheep milk. This method is of remarkable epidemiologic interest because it is an indirect test indicating the sanitary quality of milk used in dairy industries. The method showed good sensitivity and specificity. It is faster and less expensive than the conventional bacteriological assays.