Behavioral effects of methylazoxymethanol-induced micrencephaly.

This study was prompted by reports of functionally normal humans with micrencephaly or cortical hypoplasia. Methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) treatment, which induces micrencephaly in rats, was administered by injection (20 mg/kg) on Gestational Day 14. Prior to weaning and into adulthood, offspring were assessed on many behavioral tests. There were 3 findings. First, MAM rats (forebrain weight less than two-thirds of controls) were not profoundly hyperactive. Increased activity was seen only on prolonged tests or after amphetamine administration. Second, MAM rats were hypoactive in some conditions. These rats were light shy and less likely to explore lighted areas. MAM rats appeared hyperreactive to environmental stimuli, but not hyperactive. Finally, no MAM effect on behavior was as large as that on brain weight. Thus, as with clinical findings, rat micrencephalics are more remarkable for functional sparing than for behavioral abnormalities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of BBL CHROMagar orientation medium for detection and presumptive identification of urinary tract pathogens

The microbiological performance of BBL CHROMagar Orientation medium and CPS ID2 agar was compared to that of Columbia agar with 5% sheep blood and MacConkey agar without crystal violet for the enumeration and presumptive identification of bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections. Of a total of 658 clinical urine specimens, 118 specimens yielded no growth, 402 specimens yielded growth with cell counts of > or = 10(5) CFU/ml, and 138 specimens yielded growth with cell counts of < 10(5) CFU/ml. Of the specimens with cell counts of > or = 10(5) CFU/ml, 163 were pure cultures and 239 were mixed cultures. A total of 266 Escherichia coli organisms were isolated on both chromogenic media, 260 were isolated on blood agar, and 248 were isolated on MacConkey agar. One strain (0.4%) failed to develop the expected pink color on CHROMagar Orientation medium, and 23 strains (8.7%) failed to develop the expected pink color on CPS ID2 agar. Enterococci (CHROMagar Orientation medium, n = 266; CPS ID2 agar, n = 265) produced small blue-green colonies on both chromogenic media. Fifty of the mixed cultures contained enterococci that were detected only on the chromogenic media. The Klebsiella-Enterobacter-Serratia (KES) and the Proteus-Morganella-Providencia (PMP) groups could be identified on both chromogenic media. Of 66 isolates of the KES group, 63 grew with the expected color on CHROMagar Orientation medium and 58 of 64 isolates grew with the expected color on CPS ID2 agar. Other microorganisms required further identification. The use of chromogenic medium formulations offers a time-saving method for the reliable detection, enumeration, and presumptive identification of urinary tract pathogens. One of the greatest advantages of these media is the easy recognition of mixed cultures.     

Feed-Forward Prediction of Product Qualities in Enzymatic Protein Hydrolysis of Poultry By-products: a Spectroscopic Approach

Enzymatic protein hydrolysis (EPH) is one of the industrial bioprocesses used to recover valuable constituents from food processing by-products. Extensive heterogeneity of by-products from, for example, meat processing is a major challenge in production of protein hydrolysates with stable and desirable quality attributes. Therefore, there is a need for process control tools for production of hydrolysates with defined qualities from such heterogeneous raw materials. In the present study, we are reporting a new feed-forward process control strategy for enzymatic protein hydrolysis of poultry by-products. Four different spectroscopic techniques, i.e., NIR imaging scanner, a miniature NIR (microNIR) instrument, fluorescence and Raman, were evaluated as tools for characterization of the raw material composition. Partial least squares (PLS) models for ash, protein, and fat content were developed based on Raman, fluorescence, and microNIR measurements, respectively. In an effort to establish feed-forward process control tools, we developed statistical models that enabled prediction of end-product characteristics, i.e., protein yield and average molecular weight of peptides (Mw), as a function of raw material quality and hydrolysis time. A multiblock sequential orthogonalised-PLS (SO-PLS) model, where spectra from one or more techniques and hydrolysis time were used as predictor variables, was fitted for the feed-forward prediction of product qualities. The best model was obtained for protein yield based on combined use of microNIR and fluorescence (R²?=?0.88 and RMSE?=?4.8). A Raman-based model gave a relatively moderate prediction model for Mw (R²?=?0.56 and RMSE?=?150). Such statistical models based on spectroscopic measurements of the raw material can be vital process control tools for EPH. To our knowledge, the present work is the first example of a spectroscopic feed-forward process control for an industrially relevant bioprocess.     

The effect of processing parameters on the bond strength and electrical conductivity of multi-wall carbon nanotube/low-density polyethylene composite

The objective of this paper is to study the influence of processing parameters, such as melt temperature and mold temperature, on the adhesion of low density polyethylene (LDPE) to 2.5?wt/% multi-wall carbon nanotube-filled polyethylene (LDPE/MWCNT). The adhesion was obtained using two-component injection-molding method and measured using tensile experiments. The electrical conductivity of the two-component injection-molded specimens was also measured through DC voltage and compared to the volume resistivity of the LDPE and LDPE/MWCNT composite. It was found that the bond strength increases with increasing melt and mold temperatures. However, increasing the melt and mold temperatures over a certain limit can decrease the bond strength. The range of the electrical conductivity of the LDPE-LDPE/MWCNT two-component injection-molded samples was in the range of dissipative materials.     

A Drude model analysis of conductivity and free carriers in boron-doped diamond films and investigations of their internal stress and strain

Boron-doped diamond (BDD) has seen a substantial increase in interest for use as electrode coating material for electrochemistry and studies of deep brain stimulation mechanism. In this study, we present an alternative method for determining important characteristics, including conductivity, carrier concentration, and time constant, of such material by the signature of Drude-like metallic behavior in the far-infrared (IR) spectral range. Unlike the direct determination of conductivity from the four-point probe method, using far-IR transmittance provides additional information, such as whether the incorporation of boron results in a large concentration of carriers or in inducing defects in the diamond lattice. The slightly doped to medium-doped BDD samples that were produced using chemical vapor deposition and analyzed in this work show conductivities ranging between 5.5 and 11 (Ω cm)^?1. Different growth conditions demonstrate that increasing boron concentration results in an increase in the carrier concentration, with values between 7.2 × 10¹⁶ and 2.5 × 10¹⁷ carriers/cm³. Addition of boron, besides leading to a decrease in the resistivity, also resulted in a decrease in the time constant, limiting BDD conductivity. Investigations, by confocal Raman mapping, of the induced stress in the material due to interaction with the substrate or to the amount of doping are also presented and discussed. The induced tensile stress, which was distributed closer to the film-substrate interface decreased slightly with doping.     

Enantioselective Benzylic Hydroxylation with Pseudomonas monteilii TA‐5: A Simple Method for the Syntheses of (R)‐Benzylic Alcohols Containing Reactive Functional Groups

Highly enantioselective benzylic hydroxylations of benzene derivatives ( 1–4 ) containing reactive functional groups were achieved for the first time with Pseudomonas monteilii TA‐5 as biocatalyst, giving the corresponding (R)‐benzylic alcohols 5 – 8 in 93–99% ee as the only products. Preparative biotransformations were demonstrated by the biohydroxylation of 1 and 2 with resting cells of P. monteilii TA‐5 to afford (R)‐ 5 in 94% ee and 66% yield and (R)‐ 6 in 94% ee and 56% yield, respectively. The highly enantioselective biohydroxylations represent a simple access to (R)‐benzylic alcohols containing reactive functional groups that are useful pharmaceutical intermediates and versatile chiral building blocks.     

Undoped and Cr-doped TiO2 thin films obtained by spray pyrolysis

Undoped and chromium doped titanium oxide thin films were fabricated by spray pyrolysis by using a solution of titanium tetrachloride and ethyl alcohol. The films have been deposited on heated glass substrates at 373 K. After annealing for 90 min at 723 K, the initially amorphous films became polycrystalline with a predominant anatase structure and average crystallite sizes depending on dopant (Cr) concentration. The repartition of chromium impurities in the matrix of titanium oxide films, analyzed by electron paramagnetic resonance and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the entrance of chromium into the anatase structure is mainly achieved by substitution. A decrease in unit cell parameters ratio (c/a) with the increase of chromium content sustains this assertion. The wetting properties of the titanium oxide films were evaluated from contact angle measurements between de-ionized water and films surface during- and post-irradiation with UV light. The correlation between the concentration of the dopant, film structure, surface morphology and wettability characteristics is discussed.     

Feedback to teachers on student engagement as a consultation tool.

Estimated the time 3 academically delayed mainstreamed students (aged 8–9 yrs old) and their peers spent participating in their classroom assignments, using the Planned Activity Check (PLAC) observation and recording system. Teachers used the information to modify instructional strategies as they saw fit. As the feedback phase continued, despite no major increases in teacher attention, the mainstreamed Ss consistently improved their participation to close to 100%. The strategy proved practical as well as effective because teachers could use their own expertise to solve the problems that were revealed by the PLAC data. This method may be broadly used by school psychologists and educators concerned with increasing levels of student participation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thin layer chromatography for rapid detection of carbohydrate utilization by Bacteroides strains

19 weakly saccharolytic Bacteroides strains of different species were tested by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) for their fermentative abilities for fructose, sucrose, lactose, galactose, and raffinose. Conventional fermentation tests were run parallel. In general, a good agreement between both methods was recorded. Two strains, however, showed a degradation in the TLC test without an acidification. With some strains, sucrose as a substrate yielded a fructose spot, lactose a galactose spot, and raffinose a melibiose spot, indicating an incomplete degradation of these carbohydates.     

Analog Computer for Quadrupole Magnet Design

In the design of particle accelerators, magnets are sometimes used to bend the paths of charged particles in linear accelerators for focusing and defocusing purposes. These magnets, in the present case, are known as quadrupoles. Their design hinges on the solution of certain mathematical expressions of particle trajectories. A computer of the analog type was constructed to solve the equations and so facilitate magnet design. The analog computer for this application has dials labeled "L", "?", and "?". The settings of these dials represent the design parameters under study. The operator can set the dials of each stage to any of thousands of different combinations of L, ?, and ?. The results of his settings may be observed on a CRO screen. He can then proceed to search for the best combination of control settings with regard to their effect on particle trajectories. Once having found a satisfactory combination, the corresponding magnet design parameters are obtained from the settings of the controls. Three features of construction required special consideration. These were: the high gain, minimum phase shift, and minimum crosstalk. These items and others are discussed in the article from the practical as well as the theoretical point of view.