A High Legume Low Glycemic Index Diet Improves Serum Lipid Profiles in Men

Clinical studies have shown that fiber consumption facilitates weight loss and improves lipid profiles; however, the beneficial effects of high fermentable fiber low glycemic index (GI) diets under conditions of weight maintenance are unclear. In the Legume Inflammation Feeding Experiment, a randomized controlled cross-over feeding study, 64 middle-aged men who had undergone colonoscopies within the previous 2 years received both a healthy American (HA) diet (no legume consumption, fiber consumption = 9 g/1,000 kcal, and GI = 69) and a legume enriched (1.5 servings/1,000 kcal), high fiber (21 g/1,000 kcal), low GI (GI = 38) diet (LG) in random order. Diets were isocaloric and controlled for macronutrients including saturated fat; they were consumed each for 4 weeks with a 2–4 week break separating dietary treatments. Compared to the HA diet, the LG diet led to greater declines in both fasting serum total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01, respectively). Insulin-resistant (IR) subjects had greater reductions in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; P < 0.01), and triglycerides (TAG)/HDL-C (P = 0.02) after the LG diet, compared to the HA diet. Insulin-sensitive (IS) subjects had greater reductions in TC (P < 0.001), LDL-C (P < 0.01), TC/HDL-C (P < 0.01), and LDL-C/HDL-C (P = 0.02) after the LG diet, compared to the HA diet. In conclusion, a high legume, high fiber, low GI diet improves serum lipid profiles in men, compared to a healthy American diet. However, IR individuals do not achieve the full benefits of the same diet on cardiovascular disease (CVD) lipid risk factors.     

Steady-state and dynamic desorption of organic vapor from activated carbon with electrothermal swing adsorption

A new method to achieve steady-state and dynamic-tracking desorption of organic compounds from activated carbon was developed and tested with a bench-scale system. Activated carbon fiber cloth (ACFC) was used to adsorb methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) from air streams. Direct electrothermal heating was then used to desorb the vapor to generate select vapor concentrations at 500 ppmv and 5000 ppmv in air. Dynamic-tracking desorption was also achieved with carefully controlled yet variable vapor concentrations between 250 ppmv and 5000 ppmv, while also allowing the flow rate of the carrier gas to change by 100%. These results were also compared to conditions when recovering MEK as a liquid, and using microwaves as the source of energy to regenerate the adsorbent to provide MEK as a vapor or a liquid.     

Recovery of alicyclobacillus from inhibitory fruit juice concentrates

Growth of Alicyclobacillus in low-pH fruit juices may result in off-odors and off-flavors due to the production of compounds such as guaiacol (2-methoxy phenol). An important step in preventing Alicyclobacillus contamination of fruit juices is the screening of incoming ingredients. Many fruit juice concentrates contain compounds that inhibit Alicyclobacillus growth, but beverages produced from the concentrates may not contain sufficient amounts of the active component to prevent spoilage. Therefore, accurate screening of juice concentrates is essential to prevent false-negative test results and product spoilage. The objective of this study was to evaluate isolation methods for detection of Alicyclobacillus in inhibitory juice concentrates. Recovery of Alicyclobacillus spores from inoculated and naturally contaminated concentrates was compared by using pour plate, spread plate, and filtration methods. Pour plates consistently recovered the lowest number of spores from inoculated concentrates. Spread plating was the most effective method used to recover spores from inoculated apple and pomegranate juice concentrates, while filtration resulted in the highest recovery from cranberry concentrate. When tested on naturally contaminated concentrates, the pour plate method failed to detect Alicyclobacillus in many samples. Filtration was much more effective. The filtration method increased the likelihood of detecting Alicyclobacillus contamination of fruit juice concentrates containing inhibitory compounds.     

Distributed problem solving in social insects

In a social insect colony, large numbers of individuals all follow the same set of behavioral rules. Without centralized control, these individuals' interactions with each other and with their environment result in the allocation of individuals to various tasks, and in the distribution of foragers among available food sources. We review this highly parallel and distributed form of information processing, discussing its potential sophistication, its actual performance in various groups of social insects, its general strengths and liabilities, and finally, the adaptations that compensate for these liabilities. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

General Ribbons: A Model for Stylus-Generated Images

General ribbons are presented as a mathematical model of stylus-generated images which is based on the image formation process. One purpose of the model is to provide a formal basis for the development of thinning algorithms for the stroke components of stylus-generated images. Before the stroke components can be thinned they must be segmented from the blob components of the image, which do not require thinning. The second purpose of the model is to provide a formal basis for the development of blob/stroke segmentation algorithms. Two blob/stroke segmentation algorithms based on the model are presented.     

Integrating Constructability into Project Development: A Process Approach

The National Cooperative Highway Research Program initiated a research project to develop a constructability review process (CRP) for transportation facilities. The basic objective of this research was to develop a systematic approach and methodology for constructability reviews. This paper describes the development of a CRP that meets the National Cooperative Highway Research Program's research objectives. A process approach is followed to integrate constructability improvements into project development for transportation projects. A function modeling tool is used to portray the interface between the CRP and the project development process. The function modeling tool captures constructability functions and information necessary to perform these functions. The research method to develop the CRP is presented. The CRP has three phases corresponding to planning, design, and construction of a transportation project. Seven constructability functions are performed in each phase. The model was tested using two transportation projects of different complexity.     

The hardy organization: Success by turning change to advantage.

Our turbulent times require organizations that are hardy in the sense of having cultures, climates, structures, and workforces capable of turning potentially disruptive changes into opportunities. At the individual, or workforce, level, hardiness involves the attitudes of commitment, control, and challenge and the complementary skills of coping and social support. At the organizational level, the isomorphic counterparts of hardy attitudes are the cultural values of cooperation, credibility, and creativity. Furthermore, an organization is hardy if these cultural values are indeed expressed on an everyday basis through its climate and if its structure involves the matrix management scheme of semi-autonomous work teams rather than the more traditional hierarchical arrangement. This article also considers the assessment and consulting functions that can increase the hardiness of organizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Detection and Characterization of Blisters On Carbon-Graphite Mechanical Seal Faces

Blisters that develop on carbon-graphite mechanical seal faces are irregularities in surface topography that result in poor sealing performance and a high incidence of catastrophic failure. On first inspection, a blister is a burnished area that is slightly elevated above the surrounding seal surface. In this study, the topography of several hundred blisters was examined with interference microscopy. The shape of the burnished area is typically elliptical or cylindrical. The leading edge against the direction of rotation of the mating seal ring extends abruptly upward from the surrounding seal surface. The trailing surface gradually merges into the parent seal face. Most blisters have a maximum height of 0.25 μm to 0.75 μm (10 μ-in to 30 μ-in).     

Correction to Buehler and Welsh (2009).

Reports an error in "A process model of adolescents' triangulation into parents' marital conflict: The role of emotional reactivity" by Cheryl Buehler and Deborah P. Welsh (Journal of Family Psychology, 2009[Apr], Vol 23[2], 167-180). In the article “A Process Model of Adolescents’ Triangulation Into Parents’ Marital Conflict: The Role of Emotional Reactivity” by Cheryl Buehler and Deborah P. Welsh (Journal of Family Psychology, 2009, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 167–180), the abstract contains an error. The sample size for the study was 416 rather than 426. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2009-04780-005.) This study examined adolescents' emotional reactivity to parents' marital conflict as a mediator of the association between triangulation and adolescents' internalizing problems in a sample of 2-parent families (N = 426). Four waves of annual, multiple-informant data were analyzed (youth ages 11–15 years). The authors used structural equation modeling and found that triangulation was associated with increases in adolescents' internalizing problems, controlling for marital hostility and adolescent externalizing problems. There also was an indirect pathway from triangulation to internalizing problems across time through youths' emotional reactivity. Moderating analyses indicated that the 2nd half of the pathway, the association between emotional reactivity and increased internalizing problems, characterized youth with lower levels of hopefulness and attachment to parents. The findings help detail why triangulation is a risk factor for adolescents' development and which youth will profit most from interventions focused on emotional regulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of Composition and Physical Properties of Silicon Nitride on Rolling Wear and Fatigue Performance

The improved performance of silicon nitride components over all-steel bearings in several applications has been demonstrated. However, the effects of grain size, intergranular phase composition, fracture toughness, and hardness on rolling wear and fatigue performance are not completely understood. Three commercial bearing materials were tested under standard conditions and their physical properties were obtained. Wear and fatigue properties were compared to physical properties and material composition. It was found that a high fracture toughness is not required for high fatigue life and wear resistance. Total wear and fatigue life of the assembly must be considered, in addition to performance of the ceramic material alone, for specific applications. Grain boundary composition did not appear to affect the wear mechanism of these hot-isostatically-pressed materials.