Superchilled,chilled and frozen storage of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) fillets – changes in texture,drip loss,protein solubility and oxidation

Changes in quality characteristics in relation to protease activity and protein oxidation in chilled, superchilled and frozen mackerel fillets during storage were studied. The solubility of sarcoplasmic proteins was quite stable in mackerel samples for all storage experiments, whereas the solubility of myofibrillar proteins decreased in both superchilled and frozen samples. A significant correlation (r = 0.983, P < 0.05) between the increased activity of cathepsin B+L in chilled fillets and softening of the fish flesh during storage was revealed. Contrary with chilled samples, the texture of superchilled mackerel fillets became tougher along the storage period, which can be explained by a higher rate of myofibrillar oxidation (r = 0.940, P < 0.05). The hardness and drip loss decreased slightly at the end of frozen storage. Superchilling preserved the quality of mackerel fillets with the least side effects in relation to protein solubility, drip loss and softening of the fish tissue as compared to chilled and frozen storage.     

Production of fermentable sugars from enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated municipal solid waste after autoclave process

A ligno-cellulosic concentrate from municipal solid waste (MSW) obtained after an autoclave separation process was investigated for its potential as a feedstock to produce fermentable sugars for ethanol production. A maximum enzymatic hydrolysis conversion of 53% of the cellulose and hemi-cellulose was found using a particle size range of 150–300 μm hydrolyzed in a 100 ml buffer solution containing 6 wt% lingo-cellulosic MSW concentrate with 90 mg cellulase at pH 4.8 held at 40 °C for 12 h. The hydrolysis rate leveled off at longer hydrolysis time and with increased substrate concentration and was related to enzymatic access to substrate. Lower hydrolysis rate at smaller particle size indicates that the grinding process may change the surface chemistry or morphology of the fibers making them less available for enzyme access. A drop in the hydrolysis rate was observed for the particles above 300 μm associate with the longer diffusion time for the enzyme into the fiber particles. The findings indicate that 152 L of ethanol could be obtained from a ton of lingo-cellulosic concentrate from MSW.     

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C NMR as a tool for authentication of different gadoid fish species with emphasis on phospholipid profiles

The aim of this study was to evaluate if phospholipid profiles obtained by ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is characteristic enough to separate species of lean gadoid fish. ¹³C NMR data were obtained from muscle lipids of five categories of lean gadoid fish, namely, north-east arctic cod and Norwegian coastal cod (Gadus morhua), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglifinus), saithe (Pollachius virens), and pollack (P. pollachius). A total of 27 fish caught at the same location on the Norwegian coast in the traditional fishing season (March/April) in 2006 were analysed. The sn-2 position specificity of 22:6n-3 (docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) in phosphatidyl choline (PC) and phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE) for the different species/stocks were investigated, and the full ¹³C NMR spectra applied in multivariate analysis. Stereospecific distribution calculations showed significant differences among species in the distribution of 22:6n-3 in PC and PE, and the pollack group displayed the lowest values for 22:6n-3 in sn-2 position, both in PC and PE. This first screening showed that by using the ¹³C NMR fingerprint of muscle lipids, linear discriminant analysis gave a correct classification rate of 78% according to the five categories of lean gadoid fish, while successful classification (100%) was achieved with Bayesian belief networks (BBN) predictions.     

The Side Detection Efficiency of the Channel Multiplier

The ability of a channel multiplier to record radiation incident through its side walls has been studied, using mono-energetic MeV-electrons and protons and cosmic ray muons. The results indicate that about 25% of the total length of the detector is sensitive ta this radiation with a detection efficiency depending on particle type and energy.     

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Colorectal cancer screening

Signals elicited by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily ligands are generated following the formation of heteromeric receptor complexes consisting of type I and type II receptors. TAK1, a member of the MAP kinase kinase kinase family, and its activator, TAB1, participate in the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway involved in mesoderm induction and patterning in early Xenopus embryos. However, the events leading from receptor activation to TAK1 activation remain to be identified. A yeast interaction screen was used to search for proteins that function in the pathway linking the receptors and TAB1-TAK1. The human X-chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) was isolated as a TAB1-binding protein. XIAP associated not only with TAB1 but also with the BMP receptors in mammalian cells. Injection of XIAP mRNA into dorsal blastomeres enhanced the ventralization of Xenopus embryos in a TAB1-TAK1-dependent manner. Furthermore, a truncated form of XIAP lacking the TAB1-binding domain partially blocked the expression of ventral mesodermal marker genes induced by a constitutively active BMP type I receptor. These results suggest that XIAP participates in the BMP signaling pathway as a positive regulator linking the BMP receptors and TAB1-TAK1.     

Conversion and Validation of the Teen-Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI) for Internet and Automated-Telephone Self-Report Administration.

This study converted the Teen-Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI) into self-report formats using Internet (Net) and interactive voice response (IVR) automated-telephone technologies. Reliability and convergent validity were assessed among 95 inpatient adolescent participants. Current functioning scores obtained by clinician interview correlated well with self-report Net (mean r = .74, SD = .14) and IVR (mean r = .72, SD = .16). Lifetime history items obtained by clinicians were consistent with self-report Net (mean r = .60, SD = .32; mean κ = .67, SD = .24) and IVR formats (mean r = .60, SD = .30; mean κ = .64, SD = .26). Participants rated "ease of use" as being high for both Net and IVR formats. These findings suggest that automated T-ASI administration is a valid and potentially less expensive alternative to clinician-administered T-ASI interviews. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning by Failing (and Fixing)

Unfortunately, students can graduate with a software engineering degree without learning anything about building secure systems. However, for the past two years at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, a software security course has been giving students the theoretical foundation and practical experience necessary to start comprehending software security issues.     

An Approach to Post Mortem Diagnosability Analysis for Interacting Finite State Systems

We present a model based approach to diagnosability analysis for interacting finite state systems where fault isolation is deferred until the system comes to a standstill. Local abstractions of the system model are used to alleviate the state space explosion. Pairs of closely coupled automata are merged and replaced by a single automaton with an equivalently behavior as seen from the rest of the system; interaction between the merged automata is internalized and the new equivalent automaton is subsequently abstracted from internal behavior irrelevant to fault isolation. In moderately concurrent systems these steps can often be iterated until the system consists of a single automaton providing a compact encoding of all possible fault scenarios of the original model. We illustrate how the resulting abstraction can be used as a basis for post mortem diagnosability analysis.