Views of dairy farmers,agricultural advisors,and lay citizens on the ideal dairy farm

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the shared and divergent views among Brazilian dairy farmers, agricultural advisors, and lay citizens on what characteristics they viewed were most important on an ideal dairy farm. Responses from 107 dairy farmers, 170 agricultural advisors (including veterinarians), and 280 lay citizens were subjected to thematic analyses. Five themes were identified: milk quality, animal welfare, economics, society, and the environment. Although all 3 groups made reference to each of the 5 themes, they emphasized different characteristics. The lay citizens placed the most emphasis on milk quality. In contrast, both the farmers and the advisors highlighted economics as the most important characteristic of an ideal dairy farm. When considering only animal welfare, we noted differences in the use of the constructs of animal welfare: farmers and advisors referred mostly to aspects related to biological functioning, whereas lay citizens emphasized affective states and naturalness. All 3 stakeholder groups referred to the use of pasture as being an important component of an ideal dairy farm but again differed in their reasons; citizens referred to pasture in the context of naturalness, whereas the other 2 stakeholder groups almost always referred to pasture using economic terms. Technology was highlighted by all 3 groups as an important characteristic of an ideal dairy farm but differences were noted in their justification for this view. For example, lay citizens viewed technology as a tool to improve milk quality, whereas farmers and advisors both referred to technology as an important vehicle to improve quality of life for those working in the industry. Lay citizens raised several concerns associated with the overuse of antibiotics and other chemicals, but farmers and advisors rarely mentioned these types of concerns. The latter 2 stakeholders placed considerable emphasis on the quality of life of dairy farmers and workers, an issue rarely discussed by lay citizens. Overall, our findings highlight several disconnects between the expectations of the lay citizens, and farmers and their advisors. We suggest that dairy farmers and agricultural advisors should both reflect on the desires of the lay public in what they view to be an ideal dairy farm, as this may help bridge some of the current disconnects.     

Casein Peptization, Functional Properties, and Sensory Acceptance of Processed Cheese Spreads Made with Different Emulsifying Salts

ABSTRACT:  " Requeijão cremoso " is a traditional Brazilian processed cheese spread, showing ample acceptance on the national market. Emulsifying salts (ES) are an important factor influencing the characteristics of processed cheeses, but the literature presents conflicting results about their action on cheese functionality.  Requeijão cremoso  obtained from anhydrous ingredients allows the study of the influence of each type of ES on the cheese properties, since it can be treated as a model system where the variables are limited and well known. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different types of ES (TSC—sodium citrate, SHMP—sodium hexametaphosphate, STPP—sodium tripolyphosphate, and TSPP—tetrasodium pyrophosphate) on the sensory and functional characteristics of  requeijão cremoso -processed cheeses obtained from anhydrous ingredients. The physicochemical composition, degree of casein dissociation, fat particle size, melting index, color, texture profile, and sensory acceptance of the cheeses were determined. The functional behavior of processed cheeses was strongly influenced by the type of ES and its physicochemical properties including its ability to bind Ca, the casein dispersion during cooking, and the possible creation of cross-links with casein during cooling. The cheese made with SHMP was the one most differentiated from the others, presenting lower melting index, whiter color, and higher values for hardness, gumminess, and adhesiveness. The differences in texture had an impact on sensory acceptance: with the exception of the sample manufactured with sodium hexametaphosphate, all the samples presented good sensory acceptance.     

Synergistic photoluminescent interaction of Si and CdTe quantum dots

Microsystem Technologies - We report the synergistic photoluminescent effect observed in heterogeneous colloidal solutions comprising different volumetric concentrations of Si and CdTe quantum dots...     

Erythropoietin Modulates Autophagy Signaling in the Developing Rat Brain in an In Vivo Model of Oxygen-Toxicity

Autophagy is a self-degradative process that involves turnover and recycling of cytoplasmic components in healthy and diseased tissue. Autophagy has been shown to be protective at the early stages of programmed cell death but it can also promote apoptosis under certain conditions. Earlier we demonstrated that oxygen contributes to the pathogenesis of neonatal brain damage, which can be ameliorated by intervention with recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo). Extrinsic- and intrinsic apoptotic pathways are involved in oxygen induced neurotoxicity but the role of autophagy in this model is unclear. We analyzed the expression of autophagy activity markers in the immature rodent brain after exposure to elevated oxygen concentrations. We observed a hyperoxia-exposure dependent regulation of autophagy-related gene (Atg) proteins Atg3, 5, 12, Beclin-1, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3), LC3A-II, and LC3B-II which are all key autophagy activity proteins. Interestingly, a single injection with rhEpo at the onset of hyperoxia counteracted these oxygen-mediated effects. Our results indicate that rhEpo generates its protective effect by modifying the key autophagy activity proteins.     

Anomalous factor structure of the WISC—R for diabetic children.

The factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC—R) was analyzed with 95 diabetic children (aged 8–16 yrs), 97 regionally and demographically matched controls, and an age- and race-matched sample from the WISC—R standardization sample (n?=?1,405). Controls exhibited a 3-factor IQ structure, consistent with the standardization sample. Diabetic Ss exhibited a 4-factor structure, with the Perceptual Organization factor splitting in two. Picture Completion (PC) and Picture Arrangement (PA) formed a visual discrimination factor, and Block Design and Object Assembly created a spatial conceptual factor. Among the diabetic Ss, the PC and PA subtests did not act as traditional measures of nonverbal intelligence, and the performance of diabetic Ss on the visual discrimination factor may reflect mild visual atypicalities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Biosurfactant-and-Bioemulsifier Produced by a Promising Cunninghamella echinulata Isolated from Caatinga Soil in the Northeast of Brazil

A Mucoralean fungus was isolated from Caatinga soil of Pernambuco, Northeast of Brazil, and was identified as Cunninghamella echinulata by morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests. This strain was evaluated for biosurfactant/bioemulsifier production using soybean oil waste (SOW) and corn steep liquor (CSL) as substrates, added to basic saline solution, by measuring surface tension and emulsifier index and activity. The best results showed the surface water tension was reduced from 72 to 36 mN/m, and an emulsification index (E₂₄) of 80% was obtained using engine oil and burnt engine oil, respectively. A new molecule of biosurfactant showed an anionic charge and a polymeric chemical composition consisting of lipids (40.0% w/w), carbohydrates (35.2% w/w) and protein (20.3% w/w). In addition, the biosurfactant solution (1%) demonstrated its ability for an oil displacement area (ODA) of 37.36 cm², which is quite similar to that for Triton X-100 (38.46 cm²). The stability of the reduction in the surface water tension as well as of the emulsifier index proved to be stable over a wide range of temperatures, in pH, and in salt concentration (4%–6% w/v). The biosurfactant showed an ability to reduce and increase the viscosity of hydrophobic substrates and their molecules, suggesting that it is a suitable candidate for mediated enhanced oil recovery. At the same time, these studies indicate that renewable, relatively inexpensive and easily available resources can be used for important biotechnological processes.     

Biochemical,Structural, and Genetic Characterization of Tridecaptin A1, an Antagonist of Campylobacter jejuni

Bacillus circulans NRRL B‐30644 (now Paenibacillus terrae) was previously reported to produce SRCAM 1580, a bacteriocin active against the food pathogen Campylobacter jejuni. We have been unable to isolate SRCAM 1580, and did not find any genetic determinants in the genome of this strain. We now report the reassignment of this activity to the lipopeptide tridecaptin A₁. Structural characterization of tridecaptin A₁ was achieved through NMR, MS/MS and GC‐MS studies. The structure was confirmed through the first chemical synthesis of tridecaptin A₁, which also revealed the stereochemistry of the lipid chain. The impact of this stereochemistry on antimicrobial activity was examined. The biosynthetic machinery responsible for tridecaptin production was identified through bioinformatic analyses. P. terrae NRRL B‐30644 also produces paenicidin B, a novel lantibiotic active against Gram‐positive bacteria. MS/MS analyses indicate that this lantibiotic is structurally similar to paenicidin A.     

Cloning and Functional Characterization of Dog OCT1 and OCT2: Another Step in Exploring Species Differences in Organic Cation Transporters

OCT1 and OCT2 are polyspecific membrane transporters that are involved in hepatic and renal drug clearance in humans and mice. In this study, we cloned dog OCT1 and OCT2 and compared their function to the human and mouse orthologs. We used liver and kidney RNA to clone dog OCT1 and OCT2. The cloned and the publicly available RNA-Seq sequences differed from the annotated exon-intron structure of OCT1 in the dog genome CanFam3.1. An additional exon between exons 2 and 3 was identified and confirmed by sequencing in six additional dog breeds. Next, dog OCT1 and OCT2 were stably overexpressed in HEK293 cells and the transport kinetics of five drugs were analyzed. We observed strong differences in the transport kinetics between dog and human orthologs. Dog OCT1 transported fenoterol with 12.9-fold higher capacity but 14.3-fold lower affinity (higher K_M) than human OCT1. Human OCT1 transported ipratropium with 5.2-fold higher capacity but 8.4-fold lower affinity than dog OCT1. Compared to human OCT2, dog OCT2 showed 10-fold lower transport of fenoterol and butylscopolamine. In conclusion, the functional characterization of dog OCT1 and OCT2 reported here may have implications when using dogs as pre-clinical models as well as for drug therapy in dogs.     

First-Void Urine Microbiome in Women with Chlamydia trachomatis Infection

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is the agent of the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Until now, little information is available about the microbial composition of urine samples during CT urethritis. Therefore, in this study, we characterized the microbiome and metabolome profiles of first-void urines in a cohort of women with CT urethral infection attending an STI clinic. Methods: Based on CT positivity by nucleic acid amplification techniques on urine samples, the enrolled women were divided into two groups, i.e., “CT-negative” (n = 21) and “CT-positive” (n = 11). Urine samples were employed for (i) the microbiome profile analysis by means of 16s rRNA gene sequencing and (ii) the metabolome analysis by ¹H-NMR. Results: Irrespective of CT infection, the microbiome of first-void urines was mainly dominated by Lactobacillus, L. iners and L. crispatus being the most represented species. CT-positive samples were characterized by reduced microbial biodiversity compared to the controls. Moreover, a significant reduction of the Mycoplasmataceae family—in particular, of the Ureaplasma parvum species—was observed during CT infection. The Chlamydia genus was positively correlated with urine hippurate and lactulose. Conclusions: These data can help elucidate the pathogenesis of chlamydial urogenital infections, as well as to set up innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.     

Gender differences in the learning status of diabetic children.

Evaluated the learning status of 95 diabetic boys and girls and 97 matched controls using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) IQ factors and school histories. Of interest was whether diabetic boys would evidence more learning difficulties. Results indicated that diabetic boys had significantly lower Freedom From Distractibility scores compared with the scores of diabetic girls and control Ss and lower Perceptual Organization scores compared with scores of control boys. Although group scores were still within the average range of functioning, a significantly high percentage of diabetic boys (40%) compared with diabetic girls (16%) had learning problems that warranted either special instructional services or grade retention. Diabetic children experienced more learning difficulties (24%) than controls (13%), supporting research findings that diabetes is associated with increased risk of learning problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)