FACTORS RELATED TO LONGISSIMUS TENDERNESS AMONG ALTERNATE METHODS OF LEAN BEEF PRODUCTION

A 2³ factorial arrangement of treatments comparing bull versus steer, Angus versus Limousin, and zeranol implanted versus nonimplanted controls was used as a data source for this trial. Bulls had less intramuscular lipid and more total collagen than steers. Limousin had less intramuscular lipid, shorter sarcomere lengths and a higher percentage of fast-twitch glycolytic fibers than Angus cattle. Limousin and implanted cattle had more rapid postmortem temperature declines. Chemical, physical and histological traits as well as yield and quality grade traits were used in correlation procedures to examine their relationship with sensory panel tenderness and Warner-Bratzler shear force values of longissimus muscle steaks. The results of this trial indicate that postmortem muscle temperature decline plays a role in longissimus palatability and must be considered in the production of leaner beef.     

Effects of Dietary Fiber from Shredded and Puffed Wheat Breakfast Cereals on Intestinal Function in Rats

Rats were fed a semi-purified diet containing 63% puffed wheat (PW) or 63% shredded wheat (SW) breakfast cereals for 6 wk. A 16% unprocessed wheat bran (WB) diet was used as control. The neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content was 3.2%, 1.9%, and 1.9% in diets PW, SW, and WB, respectively. Feces were collected during three 96-hr periods: fecal weight and volume were lower (P < 0.001), fecal density was higher (P < 0.001), and intestinal transit time was longer (P < 0.01) in group PW than in groups SW and WB. Results indicate that the dietary fiber content of puffed wheat breakfast cereals is lower than that of shredded wheat breakfast cereals.     

Titanate Ceramics for the Immobilization of Sodium-Bearing High-Level Nuclear Waste

The phase chemistries and microstructures of titanate-based ceramics containing simulated high-level nuclear waste with varying sodium contents were compared. Incorporation of relatively low sodium levels (∼0.9 wt% Na₂O) resulted in more complex phase assemblages. The principal hosts for sodium were hibonite and freudenbergite, and, when iron and sodium were present in combination, loveringite was also stabilized. During fabrication, oxygen potential was controlled by Ti-TiO₂ or TiH₂-Ti₃O₅ solid-state buffers. These metal and hydride oxygen getters behaved similarly, neither disturbing the phase assemblages nor significantly altering the partitioning of waste elements between radiophases. It is believed that the hydrothermal stability of the sodium-bearing ceramics (containing up to 2.7 wt% Na₂O) will be comparable to sodium-free material, since less durable sodium-rich phases are encapsulated in a resistant matrix. Extensive formation of glassy phases may cause embrittlement at higher sodium loadings.     

METABOLIC INTEGRITY AND POSTHARVEST HOMEOSTASIS – A BRIEF REVIEW

Metabolism in fruit, as in all forms of life, encompasses the maintenance of cellular integrity and responsiveness to stress. It is proposed that this homeostatic tendency may, when combined with improved control (genetic, molecular) of ontogenetic development, provide a basis for prolonged storage life. Homeostasis may also be the underlying cause of increased metabolic activity in ripening tissues as manifested by the respiratory climacteric.     

Alkali Attack of Glass Surfaces by Molten Salts

The surface reaction of soda-lime-silica, sodium borosilicate, soda-zirconia-silica, and soda-alumina-silica glasses with pure molten sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide was investigated at 350° and 425°C, respectively. Chemical durability of these glasses is assessed in terms of an acid-base concept in which the glass network forms the acid function. Use of a mixture of sodium hydroxide in sodium nitrate resulted in a tenfold increase in the zirconia-silica glass durability at concentrations up to 60 mole % sodium hydroxide.     

Collaboration and Trust in Healthcare Innovation: The eDiaMoND Case Study

This paper presents findings from an investigation into requirements for collaboration in e-Science in the context of eDiaMoND, a Grid-enabled prototype system intended in part to support breast cancer screening. Detailed studies based on ethnographic fieldwork reveal the importance of accountability and visibility of work for trust and for the various forms of ‘practical ethical action’ in which clinicians are seen to routinely engage in this setting. We discuss the implications of our findings, specifically for the prospect of using distributed screening to make more effective use of scarce clinical skills and, more generally, for realising the Grid’s potential for sharing data within and across institutions. Understanding how to afford trust and to provide adequate support for ethical concerns relating to the handling of sensitive data is a particular challenge for e-Health systems and for e-Science in general. Future e-Health and e-Science systems will need to be compatible with the ways in which trust is achieved, and practical ethical actions are realised and embedded within work practices.     

THESEUS—THE EVOLUTION OF A HYPERMEDIUM

The convergence of computer technology, multimedia, and high-bandwidth communication channels challenges our understanding of information technology. Processes of education, training, and entertainment, as well as provision of knowledge, can be envisaged as constituting a common environment of enhanced communication and interaction. Braiding together these disparate strands entails a novel appreciation of both knowledge itself and the learning process. The Theseus system is prototypical of such convergence, demonstrating how the idealist models of knowledge transfer and expertise that have dominated computer design and information systems may be replaced by an embodied model of knowledge and understanding as effective action. Realizing the imperatives for an enabling network system, Theseus allows the expression of personal views and subjective experience, while providing the means of constituting local, regional, and global domains of shared appreciation and understanding.