Czochraiski crystal growth of sodium beta-alumina

At present, β-alumina is a controversial material. Reported diagrams are in disagreement with one another and chemical composition of the material appears to be uncertain. This work describes the Czochralski single crystal growth of sodium beta-alumina and relates several observations of this material to that obtained by others. Lattice parameters and chemical stoichiometry are discussed.     

Effects of dietary inclusion of xylooligo‐ saccharides,arabinoxylooligosaccha‐ rides and soluble arabinoxylan on the microbial composition of caecal contents of chickens

BACKGROUND: Arabinoxylan (AX)‐derived preparations have raised particular interest by the suggestion that they exert prebiotic properties. Therefore an in vivo experiment was conducted to study the effects of xylooligosaccharides (XOS), arabinoxylooligosaccharides (AXOS) and soluble AX (S‐AX) on several groups of gut bacteria of chickens. Chickens were fed a control diet or the same diet supplemented with 2.5 g kg^?1 of XOS (average degree of polymerisation (avDP) of 3, average degree of arabinose substitution (avDS) of 0.09), wheat bran‐derived AXOS (avDP 9, avDS 0.34) or wheat endosperm alkali‐solubilised AX (S‐AX, avDP > 6000, avDS 0.5). RESULTS: All treatment groups showed an increase in the number of caecal bifidobacteria after 2 weeks of feeding (P < 0.05), while the treatments did not impact numbers of Enterobacteriaceae and aerobic lactobacilli in the caeca relative to the control. XOS led to a tremendous increase in caecal bifidobacteria counts (10⁸ g^?1 for the XOS treatment versus 10³ g^?1 for the control treatment) after only 1 week of supplementation, while AXOS and S‐AX led to similar strong increases in bifidobacteria counts after 2 weeks of supplementation. Addition of S‐AX to the diet, but not of AXOS or XOS, led to a significantly decreased (P < 0.05) body weight gain after 2 weeks of feeding relative to animals on the control diet, consistent with its known viscosity‐related antinutritive effects in chickens. CONCLUSION: Similar to XOS, AXOS selectively stimulate the presence of bifidobacteria in the caeca of chickens, establishing their bifidogenic effect as a first indicator for prebiotic potential. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

A comparative assessment of local municipal food policy integration in the Netherlands

ABSTRACT

Local governments around the world increasingly engage in food governance, aiming to address food system challenges such as obesity, food waste, or food insecurity. However, the extent to which municipalities have actually integrated food across their policies remains unknown. This study addresses this question by conducting a medium-n systematic content analysis of local food policy outputs of 31 Dutch municipalities. Policy outputs were coded for the food goals and instruments adopted by local governments. Our analysis shows that most municipalities integrate food to a limited extent only, predominantly addressing health and local food production or consumption. Furthermore, municipalities seem hesitant to use coercive instruments and predominantly employ informative and organizational instruments. Nonetheless, a small number of municipalities have developed more holistic approaches to address food challenges. These cities may prove to be a leading group in the development of system-based approaches in Dutch local food policy.     

Synthesis and in vitro evaluation of alpha-GalCer epimers

alpha-GalCer (also known as KRN7000) is an immunomodulatory glycolipid that is known to potently activate invariant natural killer T (NKT) cells upon CD1d-mediated stimulation. Because Th1 and Th2 cytokines, which are released after alpha-GalCer presentation, antagonize each other's effects, alpha-GalCer analogues that induce a biased Th1/Th2 response are highly awaited. In this context, we report the synthesis and in vitro evaluation of alpha-Gal-D-xylo-Cer and two alpha-Gal-L-lyxo-Cer analogues, one with the natural acyl chain, the other with a truncated chain.     

Increasing robustness against changes in the interferent structure by incorporating prior information in the augmented classical least-squares framework

A class of multivariate calibration methods called augmented classical least squares (ACLS) has been proposed which combines an explicit linear additive model with the predictive power of inverse models, such as principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares (PLS). Because of its use of the explicit linear additive model, ACLS provides an interesting framework to incorporate different sources of prior information, such as measured pure component spectra, in the model. In this study, the predictive power of ACLS models incorporating different amounts of prior information has been compared to that of PCR and PLS using two examples, a designed experiment and one with biological samples. In both cases, the ACLS models showed predictive power comparable to PLS under idealized validation conditions. When a different interferent structure was present in the validation samples, the predictive power of the inverse models (PCR and PLS) dramatically decreased, with an increase in root-mean-squared error of prediction by a factor of 3.5 for the first example and a factor of 2 in the second example. The incorporation of prior information in the ACLS framework was found to considerably reduce or even completely remove these dramatic effects, especially when the pure component contributions for the interferents were taken into account.     

Cover Image,Volume 93, Issue 8

The cover image, by Marie AF Delgove et al., is based on the Research Article Application of a thermostable Baeyer–Villiger monooxygenase for the synthesis of branched polyester precursors, DOI: 10.1002/jctb.5623 .

     

Investigating the relationship between success factors and student participation in online and blended learning in adult education

Online and blended learning (OBL) is valued, but it also offers challenges. Literature indicates that OBL can enhance access to education and increase flexibility for students. However, the reported dropout rates indicate that student participation in OBL programmes is a concern. Scientifically valid knowledge about how factors that help students participate in OBL are related to student participation is necessary for quality improvement of OBL. This knowledge can help professionals determine what they need to improve in their institution and how to prioritize those improvements. In this study, we report on the validation of a quality instrument with indicators related to quality dimensions present in quality management frameworks and important success factors that aid student participation in OBL. These success factors are as follows: credibility, transparency, flexibility, accessibility, interactivity, personalization, and productivity. The partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS‐SEM) method is suitable for validating complex models in studies where predictive accuracy is important. According to adult students, all success factors, except flexibility, are important for aiding OBL participation. Adult students perceive that the quality dimensions of learning activities and student support (related to interactivity) deserve priority in improving participation in OBL in adult education.     

Access to premium content on mobile television platforms: The case of mobile sports

As broadcasting sports content has proved to be a popular strategy for driving the growth of the digital premium content marketplace in the past, mobile service operators aim to enter the sports rights market. However, as the markets for live sports broadcasting are still dominated by established broadcasters, mobile network operators are facing significant barriers to access premium content creating bottlenecks in the construction of business models. Therefore, content regulation is seen as essential for the development of mobile television platforms. This article aims to stress the strategic importance of content in the development of sustainable business models for mobile broadcasting services and will discuss the implications of bundling strategies and regulations for the viability of these emerging platforms.