The effect of enhancement with salt, phosphate and milk proteins on the physical and sensory properties of pork loin

Pork loins were pumped to 110% of original weight with solutions containing 5.5% salt and 3.3% sodium tripolyphosphate, 5.5% salt and 3.3% β-lactoglobulin (β-lg) enriched fraction or 5.5% salt and 3.3% whey protein concentrate 80% (WPC80) for comparison with non-enhanced control loins. The enhancement of pork loins significantly increased (p<0.001) the tenderness and juiciness. Warner-Bratzler shear force values were lower (p<0.001) in enhanced then in non-enhanced control chops. The enhanced pork chops had a slightly higher overall flavour and overall acceptability to the control pork chops. Sensory analysis showed that β-lg enriched fraction and WPC80 can be used as replacement ingredients to reduce the amount of phosphate used in enhancement solutions, as they were comparable to salt/sodium tripolyphosphate (salt/STPP) enhancement solution. Consumers rated the tenderness, juiciness and taste of the enhanced chops significantly (p<0.001) higher then the control chops.     

The influence of hydraulic loads on depth filtration

The influence of hydraulic loads on the detachment of particles from the collector surface or from previously retained particles was observed in a packed glass beads column. A hydraulic shock load (i.e., 20% increase of flow rate) was applied after 4 h of particle attachment at a constant flow rate. A single type of particle suspension (Min-U-Sil 5, nearly pure SiO₂) and three different chemical conditions (pH control, alum and polymer destabilization) were utilized. The magnitude of particle detachment increased with increasing particle size for non-Brownian particles because more shear force was applied to large particles due to their large surface area. More favorable particles (i.e., particles with small surface charge) were detached to a lesser extent than unfavorable particles during the hydraulic shock loads application. This phenomenon can be caused by floc strength. In some cases, when the zeta potential of influent particles was relatively high, the magnitude of detachment of bigger particles (e.g., 4.0-5.0 μm) was less than that of smaller particles (e.g., 3.0-4.0 μm). This can be attributable to the breakup of detached flocs as an individual particle. It was also found that the shape of the curve relating the magnitude of particle detachment and particle size can be concave, linear, or convex depending on physicochemical conditions such as floc strength.     

Relationships over time between mental health symptoms and transmission risk among persons living with HIV.

Relationships between mental health symptoms (anxiety and depression) or a positive state of mind and behavior associated with HIV transmission (substance use and risky sexual behavior) were explored in a longitudinal study of persons living with HIV (PLH; N = 936) who were participants in a transmission-prevention trial. Bivariate longitudinal regressions were used to estimate the correlations between mental health symptoms and HIV-related transmission acts for 3 time frames: at the baseline interview, over 25 months, and from assessment to assessment. At baseline, mental health symptoms were associated with transmission acts. Elevated levels of mental health symptoms at baseline were associated with decreasing alcohol or marijuana use over 25 months. Over 25 months, an increasingly positive state of mind was associated with decreasing alcohol or marijuana use; an increasingly positive state of mind in the immediate intervention condition and increasing depressive symptoms in the lagged condition were related to increasing risky sexual behavior. Our findings suggest that mental health symptoms precede a decrease in substance use and challenge self-medication theories. Changes in mental health symptoms and sexual behavior occur more in tandem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A method for the design of MRI radiofrequency coils based on triangular and pulse basis functions

This paper presents a numerical technique for the design of an RF coil for asymmetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. The formulation is based on an inverse approach where the cylindrical surface currents are expressed in terms of a combination of sub-domain basis functions: triangular and pulse functions. With the homogeneous transverse magnetic field specified in a spherical region, a functional method is applied to obtain the unknown current coefficients. The current distribution is then transformed to a conductor pattern by use of a stream function technique. Preliminary MR images acquired using a prototype RF coil are presented and validate the design method.