Polarisation modulation in long couplers

A simple mathematical model of long tapered couplers shows that the modulation of the output power due to polarisation has a period which varies inversely with the square of wavelength. This prediction is in agreement with experimental measurements.     

Effect of diet on fecal and urinary estrogenic activity

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has identified estrogens from animal feeding operations as a major environmental concern, but few data are available to quantify the excretion of estrogenic compounds by dairy cattle. The objectives of this study were to quantify variation in estrogenic activity in feces and urine due to increased dietary inclusion of phytoestrogens. Ten Holstein heifers were assigned to 2 groups balanced for age and days pregnant; groups were randomly assigned to treatment sequence in a 2-period crossover design. Dietary treatments consisted of grass hay or red clover hay, and necessary supplements. Total collection allowed for sampling of feed refusals, feces, and urine during the last 4 d of each period. Feces and urine samples were pooled by heifer and period, and base extracts were analyzed for estrogenic activity (estrogen equivalents) using the yeast estrogen screen bioassay. Feces and urine samples collected from 5 heifers were extracted and analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to quantify excretion of 7 phytoestrogenic compounds. Excretion of 17-β estradiol equivalents in urine was higher and tended to be higher in feces for heifers fed red clover hay (84.4 and 120.2 mg/d for feces and urine, respectively) compared with those fed grass hay (57.4 and 35.6 mg/d). Analysis by LC-MS/MS indicated greater fecal excretion of equol, genistein, daidzein, coumestrol, and formononetin by heifers fed red clover hay (1634, 29.9, 96.3, 27.8, and 163 mg/d, respectively) than heifers fed grass hay (340, 3.0, 46.2, 8.8, and 18.3 mg/d, respectively). Diet had no effect on fecal biochanin A or 2-carbethoxy-5, 7-dihydroxy-4’-methoxyisoflavone. Four phytoestrogens were detected in urine (2-carbethoxy-5, 7-dihydroxy-4’-methoxyisoflavone, daidzein, equol, and formononetin) and their excretion was not affected by diet. Identifying sources of variation in estrogenic activity of manure will aid in the development of practices to reduce environmental estrogen accumulation.     

Investigating quality attributes and consumer acceptance of uncured, no-nitrate/nitrite-added commercial hams, bacons, and frankfurters

ABSTRACT:  Increasing demands for natural, organic, and/or preservative-free foods have resulted in the consumer availability of uncured, no-nitrate/nitrite-added processed meat and poultry products. A comprehensive understanding about the quality and sensory attributes of commercially available uncured products is unclear. The objective of this study was to determine if quality and sensory differences exist between uncured and cured meat products. Five different commercial brands (Brands A to E; 4 uncured, no-nitrate/nitrite-added, and 1 nitrite-added) of 3 product types (hams, frankfurters, and bacons) were obtained from retail supermarkets. The samples were evaluated for color, pigment content, pH, lipid oxidation, residual nitrate and nitrite content, and consumer acceptance. All brands from all product types evaluated, except for 1 bacon (Brand B), had cured color, aroma, and flavor attributes similar to the nitrite-added control (Brand E). All product types and brands contained residual nitrate and residual nitrite except for Brands B and D bacons (< 1 ppm nitrite). Lipid oxidation as measured by 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances revealed a large variation in the occurrence of lipid oxidation both between and within product types, with frankfurters reporting the highest levels. Color measurements indicated the majority of the brands within each product type were similar to the control. Consumer sensory ratings for surface/lean color, aroma, flavor, texture, and overall acceptance determined that variation existed. Brand E (nitrite-added control) and 1 uncured, no-nitrate/nitrite-added brand for each product type were not different ( P > 0.05) for overall acceptance and received higher scores ( P < 0.05) than all other brands within each product type.     

Differential effects of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid, indole-3-acetic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid on the gravitropic response of roots in an auxin-resistant mutant of arabidopsis, aux1

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gallbladder mucus itself has been recognized to play an important role in gallstone development. Despite the diverse mechanisms of stone induction and the differences in stone composition, there is a quantitative increase in the epithelial mucus production period before stone formation. As brown pigment stones are found frequently in gallstone disease, we conducted a study on gallbladders with brown pigment stones or combination stones with a brown periphery to evaluate the mucin content in the gallbladder epithelium in comparison to gallbladders with cholesterol stones and those without stones. METHODS: Gallbladder specimens were fixed in 10% formalin immediately after cholecystectomy and then embedded in paraffin. The specimens were sectioned for periodic acid-Schiff-alcian blue (PAS-AB, pH 2.5) double stain to evaluate the intra-epithelial mucin content. The PAS-AB index was calculated as a proportion of the PAS-AB-positive mucin area to the total epithelial area, using a computerized image analyzer. RESULTS: Evaluation of the PAS-AB index on the lining epithelia of gallbladders showed that it was 32.43 +/- 9.96% in gallbladders with brown stones, which is significantly (p < 0.001) higher than in gallbladders with cholesterol stones (15.63 +/- 6. 75%) and gallbladders without stones (9.55 +/- 4.77%). CONCLUSION: The results show that gallbladders with brown stones contain more abundant mucin than gallbladders with cholesterol stones or those without stones. They also suggest that the gallbladder epithelium per se might play a more important role in stone formation in those with brown stones than in those with cholesterol stones.     

Molded-Case Circuit Breakers?Is There Danger in Present Rating Methodology?

Molded case circuit breakers have proven to be quite versatile, with increasing capabilities being designed into new products. Interrupting capacity and adjustability of tripping times and magnitude are constantly being improved. This proliferation has developed so widely that applications may appear much simpler than actual and may be marginal even if executed in accordance with certified tests and standards. Examples of less publicized facts about the application of molded case circuit breakers are described. The possibility of the user having unsafe results is inescapable. A conclusion is reached that issues of safety should receive more open discussions so that standards can be improved. It also appears that users have not been advised of the risks involved in order to enable an economic justification study to be made. A suggestion is made that the IEEE develop an intensive educational program which would result in certification of engineers involved with protection.     

Removal of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus fecalis, coliphage MS2, poliovirus, and hepatitis A virus from oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and hard shell clams (Mercinaria mercinaria) by depuration

Filter-feeding bivalve mollusks (shellfish) can bioaccumulate pathogenic microorganisms in up to 1000-fold higher levels than overlying waters, and therefore disease risks are associated with consuming raw or partially cooked shellfish. Many of these shellfish-borne diseases are due to enteric bacteria and viruses associated with fecal contamination. To control shellfish-borne diseases, guidelines for shellfish harvest waters and shellfish meat have been devised, which include cleansing of contaminated shellfish by depuration in controlled systems, heat pasteurization, or relay to clean waters. This study examines the depuration of oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and hard shell clams (Mercinaria mercinaria) in a flow-through depuration system under variable temperature (12 °C, 18 °C, and 25 °C), salinity (8 ppt, 18 ppt, and 28 ppt), turbidity (< 1 NTU, 10 NTU, and 20 NTU), pH (pH 7 and pH 8), and algae conditions (0 cells/mL and 50,000 cells/mL), with constant dissolved oxygen (5-7 mg/L). Oysters and hard shell clams were artificially contaminated with enteric microorganisms: Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, coliphage MS2, Poliovirus type-1 and Hepatitis A virus HM-175 (HAV), then depurated in 5-day trials with daily sampling. In oysters, optimizing environmental parameters of water temperature improved E. coli, MS2, poliovirus and HAV depuration, and optimized salinity improved E. coli, E. faecalis, and MS2 depuration rates. In hard shell clams, salinity improved E. coli and E. faecalis depuration rates. Adjusting turbidity, pH or algae did not improve microorganism depuration in either oysters or hard shell clams, with the exception of turbidity on E. faecalis in hard shell clams. Microorganism depuration rates in oysters from greatest to least were: MS2 > E. coli > E. faecalis > poliovirus > HAV, and in clams depuration rates from greatest to least were: E. coli > E. faecalis > HAV > MS2 > poliovirus. Because E. coli and E. faecalis were removed at faster rates than HAV and poliovirus, these fecal bacteria appear to be poor process indicators of the virological quality of depurated oysters and hard shell clams.     

The crystal structure of {alpha}-bungarotoxin at 2.5 ? resolution: relation to solution structure and binding to acetylcholine receptor

We report collection of 2.5 ? resolution X-ray diffraction datafrom newly grown crystals of the rare ‘small unit cell’form of the long snake neurotoxin, -bungarotoxin. The previousmodel of the molecule has been rebuilt, and refined using least-squaremethods to a crystallographic residual of 0.24 at 2.5 ? resolution.-Bungarotoxin's crystal structure is compared with the crystalstructures of two other snake neurotoxins (cobratoxin and erabutoxin),and with its solution structure inferred from spectroscopicstudies. Significant differences include less ß-sheetin bungarotoxm's crystal structure than in solution, or in thecrystal structures of other neurotoxins, and an unusual orientationin the crystal of the invariant tryptophan. The functional,binding surface of bungarotoxin is described; it consists primarilyof hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonding groups and only a few chargedside chains. The structure is compared with experimental bindingparameters for neurotoxins.     

The Importance of Shallow‐Low Velocity Habitats to Juvenile Fish in the Middle Mississippi River

Habitat management is a crucial aspect of fisheries management. Without knowledge of habitat associations, fisheries scientists are unable to effectively make habitat conservation or restoration recommendations. This becomes especially prominent when trying to manage commercially harvested populations and protect threatened or endangered species. To determine juvenile fishes habitat associations in the Middle Mississippi River, we analysed mini‐trawl catch data of six common juvenile fish species: blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), channel shiner (Notropis wickliffi), freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), paddlefish (Polyodon spathula), and shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus). Overall, we conducted 2251 mini‐trawl sampling efforts between 2002 and 2013, resulting in the capture of 23,742 target specimens. Catch per unit effort was evaluated by structural habitat (i.e. velocity, depth, and substrate). Overall, these data suggest that juvenile fish species are more prevalent in shallow water and slower velocities. Ultimately the information garnered during this evaluation should be incorporated when considering habitat modifications, especially those modifications that impact the availability of shallow‐low velocity habitats. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A particulate basis for a lattice-gas model of amphiphilic fluids

We show that the flux-field expansion derived by Boghosian & Coveney for the Rothman-Keller immiscible fluid model can be derived in a simpler and more general way in terms of the completely symmetric tensor kernels introduced by those authors. Using this generalized flux-field expansion we show that the more complex amphiphilic model of Boghosian, Coveney & Emerton can also be derived from an underlying model of particle interactions. The consequences of this derivation are discussed in the context of previous equilibrium Ising-like lattice models and other non-equilibrium mesoscale models.