Combined microwave and enzymatic treatments for ��-lactoglobulin and bovine whey proteins and their effect on the IgE immunoreactivity

Effect of combined microwave (MW) and enzymatic hydrolysis on the human immunoglobulin E (IgE)-binding properties of ??-lactoglobulin (??-lg) and other whey proteins (WP) was investigated. Separated ??-lg and full whey protein isolate (WPI) were hydrolyzed with trypsin, chymotrypsin, mixture of trypsin/chymotrypsin, and pepsin at three microwave power levels: 50?W during 1 and 5?min, 100 and 200?W during 1 and 3?min. The immunoreactivity of the obtained hydrolysates resulting from combined microwave protease treatment was assessed using sera of young patients allergic to bovine whey proteins. The application of microwave treatment at 200?W enhances the hydrolysis of ??-lg by pepsin in 3?min and decreases significantly its immunoreactivity. The extensive hydrolysis of the microwave-treated ??-lg and WPI with trypsin, chymotrypsin, and the mixture of trypsin with chymotrypsin did not have an impact on the IgE binding of the products obtained in all the studied conditions.     

Proliferative effects of synthetic peptides from β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin on murine splenocytes

Eleven peptides, selected on the basis of physicochemical characteristics and their theoretical release from β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) and α-lactalbumin (α-La) by trypsin or chymotrypsin, were chemically synthesised to evaluate their immunomodulating properties. Murine splenocyte proliferation in the absence and presence of mitogen and different peptide concentrations were measured after 72–96 h incubations. β-Lg f78–83 had no effect on proliferation; β-Lg f15–20, f55–60, f84–91, f92–105, f139–148, f142–148 and α-La f10–16 stimulated proliferation to different extents; β-Lg f1–8, f102–105 and α-La f104–108 showed a cytotoxic effect. Regression analysis revealed the relationship of positive charge, hydrophobicity and length to the stimulatory proliferative effect. β-Lg f15–20, f55–60 and f139–148 also induced various inhibiting and/or stimulating effects on cytokine secretion. The results confirm that peptides releasable by digestive enzymes from α-La and β-Lg have the potential to influence the specific immune response through the modulation of splenocyte proliferation and cytokine secretion.     

The significance of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) for sea-salt episodes and acidification-related effects in Norwegian rivers

Acidification of Norwegian surface waters, as indicated by elevated concentrations of sulfate and a corresponding reduction in acid neutralizing capacity and pH, is a result of emission and subsequent deposition of sulfur and nitrogen compounds. Episodic sea-salt deposition during severe weather conditions may increase the effects of acidification by mobilizing more toxic aluminum during such episodes. Changes in climatic conditions may increase the frequency and strength of storms along the coast thus interacting with acidification effects on chemistry and biota. We found that the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is linked to sea-salt deposition and sea-salt induced water chemistry effects in five rivers. Particularly, toxic levels of aluminum in all rivers were significantly correlated with higher NAO index values. Further, temporal trends were studied by comparing tendencies for selected statistical indices (i.e. frequency distributions) with time. The selected indices exhibited strong correlations between the NAO index, sea-salt deposition and river data such as chloride, pH and inorganic monomeric aluminum, pointing at the influence of North Atlantic climate variability on water chemistry and water toxicity. The potentially toxic effects of sea-salt deposition in rivers seem to be reduced as the acidification is reduced. This suggests that sea-salt episodes have to increase in strength in order to give the same potential negative biological effects in the future, if acid deposition is further reduced. More extreme winter precipitation events have been predicted in the northwest of Europe as a result of climate change. If this change will be associated with more severe sea-salt episodes is yet unknown.     

Les valeurs de travail et le style de gestion du personnel.

Investigated the relationship between certain aspects of a superior's personality and his or her behavioral style with regard to personnel management, using 86 female employees without any managerial responsibility. Results show that work values were related to the personnel management style Ss would have advocated if they had been in a management position. While the relationships were not very strong, it is suggested that a single personality aspect (work values) may explain up to 27% of the variance. It is argued that it is essential for researchers to consider the various aspects of the superior input microsystem (experience, personality, skills) concurrently with the other subordinate and situation input microsystems. Results suggest the possibility of using work values to partially predict the eventual personnel management style of candidates for management jobs. It is contended that training should be based on and work to improve the cognitive interpretation of realities and should be concerned, if necessary, with changing basic attitudes. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Shape from shadows": Correction to Cavanagh and Leclerc (1989).

Reports an error in the original article by P. Cavanagh and Y. G. Leclerc (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1989, Vol 15[1], 3–27). Corrections are made to the brightness levels of panels g, h, and i of Figure 4. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1989-17755-001.) The colors, textures, and shapes of shadows are physically constrained in several ways in natural scenes. The visual system appears to ignore these constraints, however, and to accept many patterns as shadows even though they could not occur naturally. In the stimuli that we have studied, the only requirements for the perception of depth due to shadows were that shadow regions be darker than the surrounding, nonshadow regions and that there be consistent contrast polarity along the shadow border. Three-dimensional shape due to shadows was perceived when shadow areas were filled with colors or textures that could not occur in natural scenes, when shadow and nonshadow regions had textures that moved in different directions, or when they were presented on different depth planes. The results suggest that the interpretation of shadows begins with the identification… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attribution et vécu émotionnel post-divorce.

Examined the relationship between postdivorce adjustment, attachment to ex-partner, and attributions for marriage failure using 97 female and 30 male divorced or separated Ss. Questionnaire data revealed that Ss who attributed marriage breakup to themselves were significantly more attached to their ex-partners and less adjusted than Ss who attributed their breakup to their ex-partners or to interactional factors. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of an Experimental Device to Study High Temperature Oxidation

An experimental device was designed and constructed to study the oxidation behaviour of steel. The device consists in a special chamber mounted within the frame of a servo-hydraulic testing machine holding the sample being studied. The atmosphere within the chamber can be controlled to be either inert or oxidation by flowing either nitrogen or dry air: a flow of 14 Nl/min was used for replacing either atmosphere in less than 0.1 s. The sample of steel was heated up to the testing temperature by induction. The testing procedure was designed to be flexible enough for heating up and cooling down the sample without oxidation. The device allowed for scales that ranged from a few micrometers to close to 300 μm. The growth kinetics recorded in this work was found to agree with previous published data. It can be concluded that the present device allows for studying the behaviour of thin crusts of steel oxide, which are classified as tertiary and can damage the surface of the steel during rolling.     

Fatigue load computation of wind turbine gearboxes by coupled finite element,multi‐body system and aerodynamic analysis

The main concern of the present publication is the computation of dynamic loads of wind turbine power trains, with particular emphasis on planetary gearbox loads. The applied mathematical approach relies on a non‐linear finite element method, which is extended by multi‐body system functionalities, and aerodynamics based on the blade element momentum theory. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unidimensional and multidimensional models of dyadic adjustment: A hierarchical reconciliation.

The theoretical structure underlying the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) has recently been questioned on the basis of factor analyses demonstrating the presence of a single unrotated factor accounting for a large proportion of variance. These findings instigated a rather heated debate between proponents of unidimensional and multidimensional models of dyadic adjustment. We tested the proposition that these seemingly contradictory conceptions can be integrated under a hierarchical model. The sample consisted of 408 married or cohabiting subjects who completed the DAS. The results of first-order and second-order confirmatory factor analyses show the value of a hierarchical conceptualization of dyadic adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characterisation and removal of recalcitrants in reverse osmosis concentrates from water reclamation plants

Water reclamation plants frequently utilise reverse osmosis (RO), generating a concentrated reject stream as a by-product. The concentrate stream contains salts, and dissolved organic compounds, which are recalcitrant to biological treatment, and may have an environmental impact due to colour and embedded nitrogen. In this study, we characterise organic compounds in RO concentrates (ROC) and treated ROC (by coagulation, adsorption, and advanced oxidation) from two full-scale plants, assessing the diversity and treatability of colour and organic compounds containing nitrogen. One of the plants was from a coastal catchment, while the other was inland. Stirred cell membrane fractionation was applied to fractionate the treated ROC, and untreated ROC along with chemical analysis (DOC, DON, COD), colour, and fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) scans to characterise changes within each fraction. In both streams, the largest fraction contained <1 kDa molecules which were small humic substances, fulvic acids and soluble microbial products (SMPs), as indicated by EEM. Under optimal treatment conditions, alum preferentially removed >10 kDa molecules, with 17-34% of organic compounds as COD. Iron coagulation affected a wider size range, with better removal of organics (41-49% as COD) at the same molar dosage. As with iron, adsorption reduced organics of a broader size range, including organic nitrogen (26-47%). Advanced oxidation (UV/H₂O₂) was superior for complete decolourisation and provided superior organics removal (50-55% as COD).