Comparison of the thermal and hydrothermal stabilities of ethylene, ethylidene, phenylene and biphenylene bridged periodic mesoporous organosilicas

The nature of the organic bridges in the framework of periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) has been shown to determine their thermal and hydrothermal stabilities. Thus, the aromatic bridges were decomposed at higher temperatures than the aliphatic ones but afterwards the mesostructure of the resulting silica remained intact. Except for the ethylidene bridged PMO, the rest of these materials have been resistant to aqueous media.     

Pixel selection for near-infrared chemical imaging (NIR-CI) discrimination between fish and terrestrial animal species in animal protein by-product meals

This paper proposes a method based on near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for discriminating between terrestrial and fish species in animal protein by-products used in livestock feed. Four algorithms (Mahalanobis distance, Kennard-Stone, spatial interpolation, and binning) were compared in order to select an appropriate subset of pixels for further partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The method was applied to a set of 50 terrestrial and 40 fish meals analyzed in the 1000-1700 nm range. Models were then tested using an external validation set comprising 45 samples (25 fish and 20 terrestrial). The PLS-DA models obtained using the four subset-selection algorithms yielded a classification accuracy of 99.80%, 99.79%, 99.85%, and 99.61%, respectively. The results represent a first step for the analysis of mixtures of species and suggest that NIR-CI, providing valuable information on the origin of animal components in processed animal proteins, is a promising method that could be used as part of the EU feed control program aimed at eradicating and preventing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and related diseases.     

Solicitation of elderly depressives for treatment outcome research: A comparison of referral sources.

Investigated differences among 725 elderly Ss (aged 60–80 yrs) solicited by traditional, semitraditional, or nontraditional methods for a clinical trial of psychotherapy for unipolar depression. 307 Ss from the initial sample completed the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and were interviewed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia; of these, 112 Ss were invited to participate, 67 of whom completed 16 wks of psychological assessment. Traditional referrals were defined as those coming from typical channels used by agencies and therapists, with no direct appeal to clients; semitraditional referrals included those coming from channels used to inform community members of available mental health services; and nontraditional referrals included direct media-related appeals aimed at potential clients. Demographics, treatment history, pretreatment status, treatment completion, and outcome were examined across referral source categories. Among the 112 Ss meeting inclusion criteria and the 67 Ss completing treatment, no significant differences were observed across referral source. It is suggested that the use of the media for recruitment may be beneficial in providing educational information to elderly individuals who are often reluctant to seek psychological services. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Associating versus proposing or associating what we propose: Comment on Gawronski and Bodenhausen (2006).

This commentary on the article by B. Gawronski and G. V. Bodenhausen (see record 2006-10465-003) highlights the strengths of the associative-propositional evaluation model. It then describes problems in proposing a qualitative separation between propositional and associative processes. Propositional processes are instead described as associative. Propositions are ordered associations, whereas many other associations do not depend on the order of the involved elements. Implications of this alternative definition for the phenomenology of thought and for social psychology are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of immunological techniques for detecting species substitution in raw and smoked fish

 Immunological techniques based on double immunodiffusion and immunodotting have been designed to detect the substitution of halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) for sole (Solea solea) fillets. An immunodotting technique has been also developed to differentiate between smoked cod (Gadus morhua) and smoked eel (Anguilla anguilla) fillets. Antisera raised against water-soluble extracts of raw halibut and smoked cod were employed. Antiserum to cod proteins did not show cross-reaction with eel proteins, whereas antiserum to halibut proteins cross-reacted with sole proteins. Species-specific antiserum to halibut proteins was achieved by adsorption on a polymer of sole proteins. These methods are very easy to perform and provide the basis for the development of rapid tests for detecting species substitution in fish products. Received: 18 April 1996/Revised version: 5 July 1996     

Aromatic DNA adducts in relation to dietary and other lifestyle factors in Spanish adults

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between bulky DNA adducts in white blood cells (WBC) and lifestyle factors in a sample from the Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). 296 subjects aged between 35 and 64 years, from five regions, were included. Food intake was estimated with a computerized version of dietary history questionnaire. Daily intake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) was estimated using a database with information on food content of potential carcinogens. Data on lifestyle and health factors were collected and DNA adducts measured using the nuclease P1 ³²P-postlabelling technique. Geometric means of adducts were similar for men and women (4.11/10⁹ and 3.94/10⁹ nucleotides, respectively). Highest levels of adduct were observed in non-smokers and non-occupationally exposed. Meat intake, oils and fats were associated with higher levels of adducts, but all non-statistically significant. Higher intakes of calcium, sodium and phosphorus were associated with lower adducts levels. Summarising, our study shows that bulky adducts measured by ³²P-postlabelling in DNA from WBC do not correlate with the usual diet of healthy Spanish adults. Although it has been proposed that diet be the main source of PAH in nonsmokers without occupational exposure, DNA adducts do not seem to be suitable biomarkers of dietary PAH in general population.     

Determination of Shelf Life of Sous Vide Salmon (Salmo Salard) Based on Sensory Attributes

ABSTRACT:  Sous vide  technology permits precooked dishes of high sensory and nutritional quality to be obtained with a longer shelf life than is possible using other cooking–cooling methods. Salmon portions (200 g; 0.5, w:w; greased with olive oil) were par-roasted (300 °C/3 min), cooked using  sous vide  technology (80 °C/43 min), and maintained in anaerobic conditions at 2 °C for 0, 4, 8, 12, 15, 18, 22, and 25 d. At each control day,  Enterobacteriaceae  counts were made and the attributes of sensory spoilage were determined (3 visual, 2 odor, 2 flavor, and 3 texture attributes) by a panel of trained judges. A loss of smell, taste, color, and juiciness was detected during storage, along with the appearance of off-odors and off-flavors. The shelf life of the  sous vide  salmon based on sensory analysis was established at 18 d.     

Elaborative inferences during reading: Do they occur on-line?

Four experiments were conducted to examine the extent to which readers construct elaborative inferences on-line during reading. In Experiment 1, gaze durations were measured while subjects read anaphors to target antecedents that referenced a particular category member either explicitly or implicitly. When the context strongly suggested a particular category member, gaze durations on an anaphor were the same following either an implicit or an explicit antecedent. When the context did not suggest any particular category member, gaze durations were significantly longer following an implicit antecedent. The results confirmed that, with sufficient context, readers will generate a simple elaborative inference on-line. These results were replicated in Experiment 2 in which the materials did not strongly signal the inference but a sentence designed to encourage subjects to infer was included. In Experiment 3, this "demand sentence" was not included, and readers did not appear to construct the targeted inference. The results of Experiment 4 confirmed that once generated, elaborative inferences are stored as part of the long-term-memory representation of a passage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)