Associations among individual proteins and fatty acids in bovine milk as determined by correlations and factor analyses

Associations among quantities and concentrations of individual milk proteins and fatty acids were determined in individual milk samples from 233 Holstein cows. Correlation coefficients among the six major proteins and the eleven major fatty acids in bovine milk were grouped hierarchically. Factor analyses grouped the milk components into seven families: fatty acids 4:0-6:0, 6:0-16:0, 16:0, 18:0, 16:1 plus 18:1 plus 18:2, all milk proteins and beta-lactoglobulin alone. Correlation coefficients and groupings by factor analyses coincided with shared pathways of synthesis or genetic origins of milk proteins and fatty acids because they are the basis of the correlation coefficients. Hence, the results from correlations and factor analyses could be used to develop hypotheses for the synthesis of milk components and other coordinately regulated physiological processes.     

Stability and functionality of freeze-dried probiotic Bifidobacterium cells during storage in juice and milk

We investigated the stability of differently produced (variables being fermentation time, pH during drying, and cryoprotectant) freeze-dried Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis E-2010 (Bb-12) cells in fruit juice and low-fat milk. In addition, the effect of the food matrix on the acid and bile tolerance of the cells was studied. Cells produced in different ways had comparable stability in milk, whereas in juice, sucrose-protected cells survived better than reconstituted skim milk-protected cells. The acid and bile tolerance was better in cells added to milk compared with those in phosphate buffered saline or juice. Despite good culturable stability in milk the acid and bile tolerance of cells decreased during the storage. Apparently, culturable stability data alone do not give an accurate enough prediction of the probiotic functionality in adverse conditions (e.g. survival in acid and bile stress). When choosing a cryoprotectant for a probiotic also the stability in target food applications should be considered.     

High-level reasoning and base-rate use: Do we need cue-competition to explain the inverse base-rate effect?

Previous accounts of the inverse base-rate effect (D. L. Medin & S. M. Edelson, see record 1988-31640-001) have revolved around the concept of cue-competition. In this article, the authors propose that high-level reasoning in the form of an eliminative inference mechanism may contribute to the effect. A quantitative implementation of this idea demonstrates that it has the power by itself to produce the pattern of base-rate effects in the Medin and Edelson (1988) design. Four predictions are derived that contradict the predictions by attention to distinctive input (ADIT; J. K. Kruschke, see record 1996-02680-001), up to date the most successful account of the inverse base-rate effect. Results from 3 experiments disconfirm the predictions by ADIT and demonstrate the importance of high-level reasoning in designs of the Medin and Edelson kind. Implications for the interpretation of the inverse base-rate effect and the attention-shifting mechanisms presumed by ADIT are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thrombolytic therapy in stroke. What do clinical tests prove?

Despite the increased risk of intracranial haemorrhage associated with the use of thrombolytic treatment of stroke. American studies have shown patients treated with rt-PA (recombinant plasminogen activator) within three hours of the onset of symptoms to manifest 30 per cent less disability at three-month follow-up than those placebo. However, until satisfactory criteria for the use of rt-PA are available, caution is essential, and thrombolytic therapy should be restricted to specialised centres. It is also important to promote public awareness of the stroke patient's need of immediate treatment at a specialised stroke unit.     

InP-based optically pumped VECSEL operating CW at 1550 nm

We present a vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser operating at 1550 nm. The laser comprises an InGaAsP-based gain element, with a resonant periodic gain structure on top of a distributed Bragg reflector, and a high reflectivity spherical mirror as the external reflector. Optical pumping is achieved using a 1250-nm fiber Raman laser. A maximum continuous output power of 70 mW was obtained under multitransverse mode operation at 233 K. Under single-mode operation, we obtained a maximum power of 60 mW with a beam quality factor M/sup 2/ less than 1.1.     

Deviation of Fiber Tracts in the Vicinity of Brain Lesions: Evaluation by Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is used to characterize the diffusion properties of deviated white matter caused by brain tumors. DTI was recently shown to be very helpful in delineating white matter both within brain lesions and surrounding them. Displacement of white matter fibers may be one of the consequences of tumor growth adjacent to white matter. The combination of white matter mapping with DTI and gray matter mapping using functional MRI, in some cases, facilitated assessment of the relation between the shifted cortical areas and the corresponding white matter tracts. We found that the fractional anisotropy extracted from DTI is increased by 38% in areas of non-edematous shifted white matter fibers. By contrast, trace apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in those areas were found to be similar to contralateral side and normal control values. Analysis of the three diffusion tensor eigenvalues revealed that the increase in the fractional anisotropy is a result of two processes. The first is the increase in the diffusion parallel to the fibers—λ₁ (by 18%), and the second is the decrease in the diffusion perpendicular to fibers—λ₃ (by 34%) as compared with the contralateral side. These opposing changes cause an increase in the diffusion anisotropy but no change in the trace ADC. It is suggested that the pressure caused by the tumor may lead to an increase in white matter fiber tension, thus causing an increase in λ₁. On the other hand, the same pressure causes increased fiber density per unit area, leading to a higher degree of restricted diffusion in the extracellular space and, hence, a reduction in λ₃.     

A spectrometer for seeking exotic states of pionic atoms of xenon

The parameters of a spectrometer for searching for deeply bound pionic states of xenon are presented. The main component of the spectrometer is a multilayer semiconductor telescope based on high-purity germanium detectors. A technique for calibrating the spectrometer and measuring its energy resolution using reactions p(d, ³He)π⁰ and ¹⁴N(d, ³He)¹³C is described. The energy resolution of the setup is shown to be 0.85 MeV for ³He ions with an energy of ～360 MeV.     

Interaction between wood and polyurethane‐alkyd lacquer resulting in a decrease in the glass transition temperature

The long‐term properties of paint and glue are of great interest to both manufacturers and users of these materials. If a good bond is achieved, the surface between the wood and the paint or glue will be less susceptible to degradation. Thus, the wood and polymer must be compatible and develop some kind of bonding force between them. A high degree of interaction between wood and commercial polyurethane‐alkyd lacquer was shown as a decrease by 10°C of the glass transition temperature (T_g) for the lacquer on wood compared to the pure lacquer. The lacquer also demonstrated good adhesion to wood at a microscale. The interaction was investigated with dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and scanning electron microscopy fractography. The reason for the decrease in Tg is probably because of the lacquer having a higher free volume when applied to the wood, most likely due to it being subjected to tensile forces developed during the drying of the lacquer. Results from investigations of wood impregnated with two different acrylates, a polymethylmethacrylate and a more hydrophilic acrylate, support the suggestion that a decrease in T_g will occur if the polymer adheres to wood, but that poor interaction with little or no adhesion will result in no decrease in T_g. This article also presents results of the dynamic mechanical behavior of Scots Pine in the tangential direction. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 595–605, 2002     

Analysis of multiple mitochondrial DNA deletions in inclusion body myositis

Exercise induced pain in the posterior part of the leg is common among runners; the underlying reason for these complaints may be very different. The purpose of the present, controlled study was therefore 1. to confirm a clinically diagnosed deep posterior compartment syndrome by using intramuscular pressure measurements and 2. to evaluate the effect of a surgical release on clinical signs and intracompartment pressure values. Fifteen symptomatic runners with the clinical suspicion of a chronic deep posterior compartment syndrome and nine healthy recreational runners as controls were investigated. Intramuscular pressure was measured both at rest and up to two minutes post-exercise, using a pressure-monitor with a transducer. In symptomatic runners, the average pressure was preoperatively 5.6 mmHg (95%-confidence-interval [CI]: 3.4-7.6) at rest, rising to 18.5 mmHg (CI: 15.4-21.8) post-exercise. Corresponding values in healthy control runners were 5.1 mmHg (CI: 1.9-8.3) at rest, with a decrease induced by exercise to 2.8 mmHg (CI: -0.5-6.1). After fasciotomy of the deep posterior compartment in all fifteen symptomatic runners, average pressure values fell to 2.2 mmHg (CI: 1.0-3.4) at rest, and were further reduced after (now pain-free) exercise to 1.6 mmHg (CI: 0.6-2.6). The decrease between pre-operative and post-operative values was statistically highly significant (p < 0.0001 for values after running, p < 0.005 for values at rest). In conclusion, intracompartment pressure measurement is a useful technique to confirm the clinical diagnosis of deep posterior compartment syndrome prior to recommending surgery. Hereby, an exercise-induced rise in pressure of at least 10 mmHg, corresponding to a two- to threefold increase of values measured at rest, may be a more important diagnostic criterion than absolute levels of pressure measured before or after running.