No evidence for a low linear energy transfer adaptive response in irradiated RKO cells

It has become increasingly evident from reports in the literature that there are many confounding factors capable of modulating radiation-induced non-targeted responses, such as the bystander effect and the adaptive response. In this paper, we examine recent data which suggest that the observation of non-targeted responses may not be universally observable for differing radiation qualities. We have conducted a study of the adaptive response following low-linear energy transfer exposures for human colon carcinoma cells and failed to observe adaption for the endpoints of clonogenic survival or micronucleus formation.     

产品能源安全标准

中国每年城乡新增建筑约20亿m2,其中超过80％属于高耗能建筑。目前,中国每层建筑的耗能量相比发达国家高出2～3倍,其中施工过程的耗能占到27．5％。但目前还没有一个包括建筑节能、节地、节水、节材和环保的综合标准体系。     

Seasonal Changes of Mineral Content of Southern Forages

Forage samples were collected at 2-wk intervals during the grazing season from bermudagrass, bahiagrass, millet, and mixed oats and ryegrass pastures. Immature stands of the summer grasses were maintained by rotational grazing and clipping. Corn silage, sorghum silage, and concentrate samples were collected bi-weekly at feeding. Forages and silages were grown on a Providence silt loam soil and fertilized according to results of soil analyses. Sorghum silage was higher in magnesium (.34 versus .21%) and potassium (1.47 versus 1.11%) than corn silage. Both silages were low in copper, zinc, and selenium and averaged 5.6, 21.8, and .056 μg/g. Bermudagrass and bahiagrass contained less calcium and potassium than millet or oats and ryegrass. Differences existed among the grasses in manganese, copper, zinc, and selenium. Concentrations in bermudagrass, bahiagrass, oats and ryegrass, and millet were 111.1, 139.9, 84.6, and 90.0 μg/g for manganese; 8.0, 8.5, 5.8, and 15.3 μg/g for copper; 35.0, 29.4, 23.0, and 43.3 μg/g for zinc; and .164, .086, .082, and .076 μg/g for selenium. For bahiagrass, changes occurred in concentration of all minerals during April through October. For oats and ryegrass, all minerals except zinc varied during November through May. For bermudagrass, copper and phosphorus exhibited significant changes of concentration during the grazing season.     

Thermal inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cow manure compost

Rates of inactivation of a five-strain mixture of green fluorescent protein-labeled Escherichia coli O157:H7 in autoclaved and unautoclaved commercial cow manure compost with a moisture content of ca. 38% were determined at temperatures of 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70 degrees C. Trypticase soy agar with ampicillin was determined to be the best medium for the enumeration of heat-injured and uninjured cells of green fluorescent protein-labeled E. coli O157:H7. The results obtained in this study revealed that in autoclaved compost, E. coli O157:H7 reductions of ca. 4 log CFU/g occurred within 8 h, 3 h, 15 min, 2 min, and < 1 min at 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70 degrees C, respectively. At 65 and 70 degrees C, considerably less time was required to kill the pathogen in unautoclaved compost than in autoclaved compost. Decimal reduction times (D-values) for autoclaved compost at 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70 degrees C were 137, 50.3, 4.1, 1.8, and 0.93 min, respectively, and D-values for unautoclaved compost at 50, 55, and 60 degrees C were 135, 35.4, and 3.9 min, respectively. Considerable tailing was observed for inactivation curves, especially at 60, 65, and 70 degrees C. These results are useful for identifying composting conditions that will reduce the risk of the transmission of E. coli O157:H7 to foods produced in the presence of animal fecal waste.     

Microbiological effects of acid decontamination of pork carcasses at various locations in processing

The microbiological effect of hot (55° C), 1% (v/v) lactic acid sprayed on the surface of pork carcasses (n = 36) immediately after dehairing, after evisceration (immediately before chilling) or at both locations in slaughter/ processing was determined. Mean aerobic plate counts (APCs) of all acid-treated carcass surfaces were numerically lower than those of control carcasses: however, in most cases these reductions were not statistically significant (P>0·05). All samples tested for the presence of Salmonella and Listeria were negative. No significant differences in sensory characteristics or microbiological counts were evident for acid-treated and control carcass loins that were vacuum packaged and stored 0–14 days post-fabrication. Mean pH value and scores of sensory attributes such as lean color, surface discoloration, fat color, overall appearance and off-odor of chops from acid-treated carcasses were not significantly and/or consistently different from chops of comparable control carcasses. The role of bacterial attachment to pork skin and its effect on the decontaminating efficiency of lactic acid are discussed.     

Effects of muscle α-tocopherol level and surface microbiological contamination on retail caselife of fresh beef from the US, Japan and Australia

This study evaluated effects of dietary supplementation of vitamin E (1000 IU vitamin E/daily for 100 days prior to harvest) to fed cattle on retail caselife performance of fresh US beef in an export market (Japan). Economic performance (monetary losses associated with color deterioration) for US beef from vitamin E supplemented cattle vs beef from non-vitamin E supplemented cattle was contrasted. An additional, controlled study was performed to compare muscle α-tocopherol concentrations, color changes and microbiological growth for fresh beef derived from vitamin E supplemented US cattle and fresh beef from cattle with an unknown history, but from other countries. Australian strip loin steaks had the highest muscle α-tocopherol concentrations (4.6 μg/g tissue), followed by US strip loin steaks derived from vitamin E supplemented cattle (3.4 μg/g tissue) and Japanese strip loin steaks (2.8 or 2.5 μg/g tissue). US strip loin steaks from non-vitamin E supplemented cattle had the lowest (p<0.05) α-tocopherol levels (1.7 μg/g tissue). Aerobic plate counts and total coliform counts were generally low at 0 days of retail display, and they changed similarly among treatments over 6 days of display, regardless of the country of origin of the beef. Vitamin E supplementation of US cattle reduced total Japanese retail store losses due to discoloration of US beef, in yen, by 5.2 percentage points (p<0.05), saving Japanese retailers US $0.24/kg. Data suggest that US beef-normally perceived, in Japan, to discolor more quickly in the retail display case than beef from Australia-would compete more favorably, in shelf-life, with beef from other countries if it was derived from cattle that had been fed supplemental vitamin E.     

Automated Assessment of Atrioventricular Conduction in the Heart

After a pacemaker impulse passes along the atrioventricular conducting pathway of the heart, that tissue resists subsequent conduction for a time interval known as the ``effective refractory period.' Effective refractory period (ERP) and transit time of conducted impulses vary in response to drug, hormonal and electrical influences and may be used as indicators of the immediate physiologic state of intracardiac conduction. The traditional manual technique for measurement of ERP and conduction time consists in repeatedly adjusting a pulse generator until conduction of a stimulus of minimum interval can be observed on a chart recorder or oscilloscope. In contrast to the slow, imprecise and tedious manual method, the automated system described here provides whole graphs of ERP and conduction times as functions of external pacing interval or intervals of induced premature beats with a minimum of operator intervention. Thus, atrioventricular conduction can be conveniently assessed by machine, while the human intellect is freed to dwell on the abstractions of interpreting results and controlling the overall measurement environment.     

Optical and acoustical observations of the effects of ultrasound on contrast agents

Optimal use of encapsulated microbubbles for ultrasound contrast agents and drug delivery requires an understanding of the complex set of phenomena that affect the contrast agent echo and persistence. With the use of a video microscopy system coupled to either an ultrasound flow phantom or a chamber for insonifying stationary bubbles, we show that ultrasound has significant effects on encapsulated microbubbles. In vitro studies show that a train of ultrasound pulses can alter the structure of an albumin-shelled bubble, initiate various mechanisms of bubble destruction or produce aggregation that changes the echo spectrum. In this analysis, changes observed optically are compared with those observed acoustically for both albumin and lipid-shelled agents. We show that, when insonified with a narrowband pulse at an acoustic pressure of several hundred kPa, a phospholipid-shelled bubble can undergo net radius fluctuations of at least 15%; and an albumin-shelled bubble initially demonstrates constrained expansion and contraction. If the albumin shell contains air, the shell may not initially experience surface tension; therefore, the echo changes more significantly with repeated pulsing. A set of observations of contrast agent destruction is presented, which includes the slow diffusion of gas through the shell and formation of a shell defect followed by rapid diffusion of gas into the surrounding liquid. These observations demonstrate that the low-solubility gas used in these agents can persist for several hundred milliseconds in solution. With the transmission of a high-pulse repetition rate and a low pressure, the echoes from, contrast agents can be affected by secondary radiation force. Secondary radiation force is an attractive force for these experimental conditions, creating aggregates with distinct echo characteristics and extended persistence. The scattered echo from an aggregate is several times stronger and more narrowband than echoes from individual bubbles.     

VARIATION IN THE BIOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF ACID EXTRACTS FROM BARLEYS OF CONTRASTING MALTING QUALITY

Acid extracts from barleys of poor malting quality were characterized by high viscosity caused by enhanced concentrations of high molecular weight carbohydrates of which more than 80 per cent was β-glucan. Up to 67 per cent of the β-glucan in these barleys was soluble in the acid extracting solution. In contrast, only about 25 per cent of the β-glucan in good malting barleys was soluble, resulting in extracts having low viscosity. No evidence was found for autolysis in any of the extracts, and extracts from good malting varieties were characterized by high concentrations of fructose and sucrose. Protein concentration in the extracts varied little, although the protein content of the barleys ranged from 9·1 per cent to 15·4 per cent. Soluble protein has no effect on extract viscosity or the gel filtration properties of the carbohydrates. Some quantitative variation in acid-soluble and salt-soluble proteins was seen after electrophoresis on polyacrylamide.     

Biohybrid Microtube Swimmers Driven by Single Captured Bacteria

Bacteria biohybrids employ the motility and power of swimming bacteria to carry and maneuver microscale particles. They have the potential to perform microdrug and cargo delivery in vivo, but have been limited by poor design, reduced swimming capabilities, and impeded functionality. To address these challenge, motile Escherichia coli are captured inside electropolymerized microtubes, exhibiting the first report of a bacteria microswimmer that does not utilize a spherical particle chassis. Single bacterium becomes partially trapped within the tube and becomes a bioengine to push the microtube though biological media. Microtubes are modified with “smart” material properties for motion control, including a bacteria‐attractant polydopamine inner layer, addition of magnetic components for external guidance, and a biochemical kill trigger to cease bacterium swimming on demand. Swimming dynamics of the bacteria biohybrid are quantified by comparing “length of protrusion” of bacteria from the microtubes with respect to changes in angular autocorrelation and swimmer mean squared displacement. The multifunctional microtubular swimmers present a new generation of biocompatible micromotors toward future microbiorobots and minimally invasive medical applications.