STRAIN SPECIFIC RESPONSE OF BREWER'S YEAST STRAINS TO ZINC CONCENTRATIONS IN CONVENTIONAL AND HIGH GRAVITY WORTS*

The effect of zinc on a variety of yeast strains is extensively documented in the literature. However, due to the varied experimental protocols employed in each study there is little opportunity to directly compare the strain specificity of this ion. In the present study, the response of six yeast strains (three Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ale type) and three S.cerevisiae (lager type)) to altered zinc concentrations, in both high (1080 OG) and conventional (1048 OG) gravity worts, was investigated. Varying the initial wort zinc concentration in both gravities had an effect on the ethanol production, rate of fermentation, cell number and sugar uptake of all six strains studied. The extent of the response was found to be dependent upon the zinc concentration, the strain employed and wort gravity employed.     

Solid-state synthesis of tungsten carbide from tungsten oxide and carbon, and its catalysis by nickel

Tungsten carbide has been produced by heating a mixture of tungsten oxide and carbon powder at 1300 °C for 2 h. Further batches were made with additional KCl, KCl + Ni, or KCl + Fe. The products were compared by XRD and SEM. A mixture of WC and W₂C was produced from the plain WO₃/carbon reaction, but adding 1 wt.% nickel assisted the formation of a pure WC phase. Both Ni and Fe assisted the growth of larger WC crystals.     

Assessment of Australian Trichogramma species (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) as control agents of stored product moths

Trichogramma species (T. brassicae, T. pretiosum and T. carverae) were assessed for their suitability as bio-control agents against Ephestia cautella and E. kuehniella which are important pests in food manufacturing and processing facilities in Australia. Parameters examined were longevity, fecundity on eggs of E. kuehniella, walking speed of adult wasps, reaction to moth scales, and host acceptance and host suitability of eggs of E. cautella and E. kuehniella. T. pretiosum and T. carverae performed better than T. brassicae in all traits examined apart from fecundity. T. pretiosum and T. carverae differ mainly in higher fecundity and host acceptance in T. pretiosum, and a better host-finding ability (walking speed, reaction to moth scales) in T. carverae. The suitability of the Trichogramma species for use as control agents is discussed with respect to these results.     

Global bounded consensus of multi-agent systems with non-identical nodes and communication time-delay topology

This article investigates the global bounded consensus problem of networked multi-agent systems exhibiting nonlinear, non-identical node dynamics with communication time-delays. Globally bounded consensus conditions for both delay-independent and delay-dependent conditions based on the Lypunov–Krasovskii functional method are derived. The proposed consensus criteria ensures that all agents eventually move along the desired trajectories in the sense of boundedness. The proposed consensus criteria generalises the case of identical agent dynamics to the case of non-identical agent dynamics, and many related results in this area can be viewed as special cases of the above results. We finally demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results by means of a numerical simulation.     

Psychotherapy in two-plus-one sessions: Outcomes of a randomized controlled trial of cognitive–behavioral and psychodynamic–interpersonal therapy for subsyndromal depression.

A total of 116 clients with a range of subsyndromal depression received 3 therapy sessions: 2 sessions 1 week apart followed by a 3rd session 3 months later (the 2?+?1 model). Clients were stratified for severity on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) as stressed, subclinical, or low-level clinically depressed. In a 2?×?2 design, they received either cognitive–behavioral (CB) or psychodynamic–interpersonal (PI) therapy, either immediately or after a 4-week delay. An initial advantage for the immediate condition disappeared once the delayed-condition clients received treatment. Improvement rates at the end of treatment were 67% (stressed), 72% (subclinical), and 65% (low-level clinically depressed). There were no significant differences between CB and PI treatment methods, with the exception at 1-year follow-up, when the BDI showed a significant advantage for CB. Implications for designing very brief planned interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Efficacy of moderation-oriented cue exposure for problem drinkers: A randomized controlled trial.

The effectiveness of cue exposure following a priming dose was compared with cognitive-behavioral intervention in a community sample of problem drinkers. Participants were randomly associated to 1 of the 2 conditions and received a mean of 5.84 (SD=2.69) sessions. A psychologist blind to treatment condition conducted an 8-month follow-up. Compared with pretreatment levels, significant decreased in alcohol consumption were evidence posttreatment and maintained at follow-up for both groups. Reductions in severity of dependence, impaired control, and alcohol-related problems were also evidence for both groups at follow-up. No differences in outcome associated with initial severity of alcohol dependence were apparent. The results raise the issue of the appropriateness of reserving a goal of controlled drinking for those with relatively mild alcohol problems and low alcohol dependence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recent Advances in Metal Complexes for Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global problem with more than 1 million deaths due to AMR infection in 2019 alone. New and innovative therapeutics are required to overcome this challenge. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is a rapidly growing area of research poised to provide much needed help in the fight against AMR. aPDT works by administering a photosensitizer (PS) that is activated only when irradiated with light, allowing high spatiotemporal control and selectivity. The PS typically generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage a variety of key biological targets, potentially circumventing existing resistance mechanisms. Metal complexes are well known to display excellent optoelectronic properties, and recent focus has begun to shift towards their application in tackling microbial infections. Herein, we review the last five years of progress in the emerging field of small-molecule metal complex PSs for aPDT.     

Combustion of Black Powder. Part III: Hot stage microscopy studies

A hot-stage unit, operating over the temperature range from ambient to 1000°C has been used to study the combustion of black powder. Direct observation of heating of mixtures was supplemented by 35-mm photomicrography. Results are presented for black powder supplied and mixture prepared in the laboratory.