Ingestion of milk fermented by genetically modified Lactococcus lactis improves the riboflavin status of deficient rats

Riboflavin deficiency is common in many parts of the world, particularly in developing countries. The use of riboflavin-producing strains in the production of dairy products such as fermented milks, yogurts, and cheeses is feasible and economically attractive because it would decrease the costs involved during conventional vitamin fortification and satisfy consumer demands for healthier foods. The present study was conducted to assess in a rat bioassay the response of administration of milk fermented by modified Lactococcus lactis on the riboflavin status of deficient rats. Rats were fed a riboflavin-deficient diet during 21 d after which this same diet was supplemented with milk fermented by Lactoccus lactis pNZGBAH, a strain that overproduces riboflavin during fermentation. The novel fermented product, with increased levels of riboflavin, was able to eliminate most physiological manifestations of ariboflavinosis, such as stunted growth, elevated erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficient values and hepatomegaly, that were observed using a riboflavin depletion-repletion model, whereas a product fermented with a nonriboflavin-producing strain did not show similar results. A safety assessment of this modified strain was performed by feeding rodents with the modified strain daily for 4 wk. This strain caused no detectable secondary effects. These results pave the way for analyzing the effect of similar riboflavin-overproducing lactic acid bacteria in human trials. The regular consumption of products with increased levels of riboflavin could help prevent deficiencies of this essential vitamin.     

Review of Trouble déficit de l'attention avec ou sans hyperactivité.

Reviews the book, Trouble déficit de l'attention avec ou sans hyperactivité (Attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity) by Olivier Revol and Vincent Brun (2010). Professionals from different disciplines discussed “Attention Deficit Disorder With and Without Hyperactivity (ADDH): from theory to practice” at Montpellier in March 2010. The resulting book by specialists in the field, led by Revol and Brun, aims to help caregivers, parents and teachers to recognize, support and assist people with ADDH. The nine chapters form an introduction to the disorder, related comorbodity and diagnostic evaluation, and address possible interventions. The conflicting opinions of professionals from psychiatry, psychology, neuropsychology and psychomotility may confuse some readers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experimental methods in chemical engineering: Rheometry

Rheometry is an experimental technique that measures the relationship between stresses, strains, and their derivatives of fluids and deformable materials. Capillary and Couette viscometers were among the first instruments used to study rheology but now sophisticated shear and extensional rheometers are widely available for quality control, research, and product development. Here, we introduce the basics of rheology, define material functions, and describe conventional instruments, physical principles, applications, and uncertainties. In 2016 and 2017, the Web of Science indexed 8400 articles that mention rheometry and a bibliometric map assigned the keywords into five clusters of research: behaviour and viscosity, mechanical properties and morphology, rheological properties and microstructure, polymers and nano-particles, and visco-elastic properties and mixtures. Journal of Rheology, Construction Building Materials, Food Hydrocolloids, Soft Matter, Rheologica Acta, and Journal of Applied Polymer Science publish at least 80 articles per year that mention rheometry.     

The Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy: Development, validation, and reliability.

The authors present 3 studies on the initial validity and reliability of the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (SEE), a self-report instrument that measures empathy toward people of racial and ethnic backgrounds different from one's own. Specifically, the exploratory factor analysis yielded 4 factors: Empathic Feeling and Expression, Empathic Perspective Taking, Acceptance of Cultural Differences, and Empathic Awareness. A confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence for the stability and generalizability of this 4-factor solution. The SEE was correlated in the predicted directions with general empathy and attitudes toward people's similarities and differences. High internal consistency and test-retest reliability estimates were also found across the three studies. A discussion of how this scale can add to the research and practice regarding empathy and multicultural issues is provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tantalum silicide films deposited by dc sputtering

Tantalum disilicide films were deposited by conventional dc sputtering from a nominally stoichiometric cathode. The film characteristics were analyzed by x-ray diffraction, backscatter-ing, electron microprobe and electron transmission microsco-py. The film resistivity and stresses were also measured. The effects of heat treatments up to 1000°C were systematically investigated. After a 1000°C anneal, resistivities of 45-60 μΩcm can be achieved reproducibly. Films deposited on sili-con can be oxidized in a steam atmosphere without inducing significant changes in the silicide layer itself. An attempt is made to explain the oxidation behavior in terms of kinetic factors.     

An Estimate of the Fractal Index Using Multiscale Aggregates

We study a family of estimators of the fractal index of a Gaussian process based on the quadratic deviations at different aggregation scales. The estimators are convergent and asymptotically Gaussian when suitably normalized. Confidence intervals are provided. These asymptotic results hold for a large family of stationary-increment models including fractional Brownian motions with square-integrable spectral density. The estimates are applied to the analysis of an electrical signal     

Intégration de questions socialement vives (QS) en cours de biologie par des enseignants et enseignantes du collégial et du lycée

Résumé

Les percées récentes dans le domaine des biotechnologies permettent d’envisager l’intervention dans la production des êtres vivants en manipulant le matériel génétique. Or, cette capacité soulève des controverses à grande portée sociale. Qu’il s’agisse d’utilisation de cellules souches ou des OGM, la biologie contemporaine soulève de questions vives en lien avec les enjeux éthiques qu’elle recèle. Mais qu’en disent les enseignantes et enseignants de biologie ? Cet article présente des résultats de recherche obtenus lors d’entretiens biographiques de six enseignants et enseignantes de biologie au cours desquels ils ont traité de leur rapport au vivant. Ces résultats suggèrent que ces derniers s’intéressent à ces questions et qu’ils les prennent en charge de différentes façons malgré certaines contraintes, notamment curriculaires.     

Lexical selection and phonological encoding during language production: Evidence for cascaded processing.

The time course of lexicalization during production was explored using a production priming procedure. Participants were presented with pictures to name. Occasionally, a visual target word was presented following a picture, and participants named the word. In Experiments 1A and 1B, phonological priming was found for targets related to the dominant name of a picture, as well as for those related to a near-synonymous name. These results suggest that phonological activation occurs for multiple lexical candidates. In Experiments 2A and 2B, semantic priming was found to arise earlier than phonological priming. In Experiment 3, no priming was found for words phonologically related to category associates, suggesting that the activation of such items is weak. Overall, the results are supportive of a cascaded processing model of lexicalization in which activation spreads continuously from semantic to phonological levels of representation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Screening of 23 β-lactams in foodstuffs by LC–MS/MS using an alkaline QuEChERS-like extraction

A fast and robust high performance LC–MS/MS screening method was developed for the analysis of β-lactam antibiotics in foods of animal origin: eggs, raw milk, processed dairy ingredients, infant formula, and meat- and fish-based products including baby foods. QuEChERS extraction with some adaptations enabled 23 drugs to be simultaneously monitored. Screening target concentrations were set at levels adequate to ensure compliance with current European, Chinese, US and Canadian regulations. The method was fully validated according to the European Community Reference Laboratories Residues Guidelines using 93 food samples of different composition. False-negative and false-positive rates were below 5% for all analytes. The method is adequate for use in high-routine laboratories. A 1-year study was additionally conducted to assess the stability of the 23 analytes in the working standard solution.