Decrease in serum total cholesterol and increase in high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol in rats following moderate intake of sherry

Moderate intake of sherry by rats resulted in a decrease in serum total cholesterol and an increase in the proportion of high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. Oloroso, manzanilla, fino and amontillado sherries all exerted similar effects. These effects were apparently not related to the ethanol content, since an aqueous solution of ethanol did not modify cholesterol levels. Therefore other compounds must be responsible for the effects observed. This paper shows that, in addition to typical red and white wines, sherries should be included in the list of wines with beneficial physiological effects following moderate consumption. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Chemometric study on the forensic discrimination of soil types using their infrared spectral characteristics

Soil has been utilized in criminal investigations for some time because of its prevalence and transferability. It is usually the physical characteristics that are studied; however, the research carried out here aims to make use of the chemical profile of soil samples. The research we are presenting in this work used sieved (2 mm) soil samples taken from the top soil layer (about 10 cm) that were then analyzed using mid-infrared spectroscopy. The spectra obtained were pretreated and then input into two chemometric classification tools: nonlinear iterative partial least squares followed by linear discriminant analysis (NIPALS-LDA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The models produced show that it is possible to discriminate between soil samples from different land use types and both approaches are comparable in performance. NIPALS-LDA performs much better than PLS-DA in classifying samples to location.     

Design plan and requirement of test module and testing items in IFMIF

The main purpose of present phase of IFMIF/EVEDA (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility/Engineering Validation and Engineering Design Activities) is to produce a detailed report of IFMIF engineering design with the integrated design of all facilities in IFMIF. The main function of the IFMIF is to give the demanded design database for the licensing of DEMO reactors and further reactors, and it is achieved from the materials data set obtained from the high, medium, and low flux test modules (HFTM, MFTM and LFTM) of IFMIF. In the evaluation using small specimens, developments and guidelines of small specimen test technique or technology (SSTT) are also demanded for the achievements. This paper is summarized and also analyzed about the design plan status and requirements in these test modules from users, and testing items and test methodology in IFMIF.     

Traceback identification of an ingredient (pork dewlap) as the possible source of Listeria monocytogenes serotype 4b contamination in raw chicken products

In surveys conducted on finished product samples from a single poultry processing plant in Spain, Listeria monocytogenes was found in 14 different uncooked products. To track contamination patterns, 77 L. monocytogenes isolates were characterized by PCR-based serotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) restriction analysis, and PCR-based allelic analysis of the virulence gene actA. Serotyping revealed that 12 isolates (15.6%) were of the L. monocytogenes serotype 4b complex (serotype 4b or the closely related serotypes 4d and 4e). A combination of endonucleases AscI and ApaI PFGE patterns yielded 15 different pulsotypes among all 77 tested isolates. All the serotype 4b isolates belonged to one pulsotype. Sequencing of the actA gene confirmed that all serotype 4b isolates corresponded to the same allelic subtype. The subtype was recovered from five product types, but its presence was not correlated with the production line or the date of isolation, suggesting a possible association of this strain with a common ingredient. This traceback investigation established that pork dewlap, an ingredient common to all the products contaminated with this strain, was the most probable source of L. monocytogenes 4b. The same 4b strain was isolated from four samples of pork dewlap from one specific supplier. After replacement of this contaminated ingredient in the fresh products, this strain of L. monocytogenes serotype 4b was not detected. This study confirms the effectiveness of molecular subtyping to control contamination by specific strains of L. monocytogenes and the importance of testing the different ingredients added to the food products.     

Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of Ceria Nanoparticles on Different Cell Lines in Vitro

Owing to their radical scavenging and UV-filtering properties, ceria nanoparticles (CeO₂-NPs) are currently used for various applications, including as catalysts in diesel particulate filters. Because of their ability to filter UV light, CeO₂-NPs have garnered significant interest in the medical field and, consequently, are poised for use in various applications. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of short-term (24 h) and long-term (10 days) CeO₂-NP exposure to A549, CaCo2 and HepG2 cell lines. Cytotoxicity assays tested CeO₂-NPs over a concentration range of 0.5 μg/mL to 5000 μg/mL, whereas genotoxicity assays tested CeO₂-NPs over a concentration range of 0.5 μg/mL to 5000 μg/mL. In vitro assays showed almost no short-term exposure toxicity on any of the tested cell lines. Conversely, long-term CeO₂-NP exposure proved toxic for all tested cell lines. NP genotoxicity was detectable even at 24-h exposure. HepG2 was the most sensitive cell line overall; however, the A549 line was most sensitive to the lowest concentration tested. Moreover, the results confirmed the ceria nanoparticles’ capacity to protect cells when they are exposed to well-known oxidants such as H₂O₂. A Comet assay was performed in the presence of both H₂O₂ and CeO₂-NPs. When hydrogen peroxide was maintained at 25 μM, NPs at 0.5 μg/mL, 50 μg/mL, and 500 μg/mL protected the cells from oxidative damage. Thus, the NPs prevented H₂O₂-induced genotoxic damage.     

Simulation,Power Quality Analysis and Improvements in a Hot Rolling Mill Using a STATCOM

This paper presents an analysis of the electric power flows in a hot rolling mill plant using a power quality analyzer and developing simulation models with Matlab-Simulink. The model inputs have been taken from process data by the process computer of the plant. Data from different rolling campaigns have been analysed. A STATCOM （static synchronous compensator） with a control strategy based on voltage oriented control with d-q coordinates is used as solution to improve the reactive compensation as well as to minimize the voltage fluctuations and sags effect. The overall electric model has been simulated with the STATCOM to check the improvement in the voltage stability and the consumption.     

Experiment databases

Thousands of machine learning research papers contain extensive experimental comparisons. However, the details of those experiments are often lost after publication, making it impossible to reuse these experiments in further research, or reproduce them to verify the claims made. In this paper, we present a collaboration framework designed to easily share machine learning experiments with the community, and automatically organize them in public databases. This enables immediate reuse of experiments for subsequent, possibly much broader investigation and offers faster and more thorough analysis based on a large set of varied results. We describe how we designed such an experiment database, currently holding over 650,000 classification experiments, and demonstrate its use by answering a wide range of interesting research questions and by verifying a number of recent studies.