Effects of acid adaptation on the survival of Listeria monocytogenes on modified atmosphere packaged vegetables

The survival and growth of Listeria monocytogenes and L. innocua on ready-to-use (RTU) packaged vegetables (lettuce, swedes, dry coleslaw mix, bean-sprouts) were studied. The effects of acid adaptation of Listeria spp. on their survival during subsequent storage were also investigated. Listeria innocua behaviour was similar to that of L. monocytogenes on all vegetables examined. The survival and growth patterns of Listeria varied with the packaged product. Populations on packaged lettuce and swedes significantly increased ( P  < 0.05, by 1–1.5 log cycles) during a 14-day storage period. During the same period, Listeria counts gradually decreased (by 1–1.5 log cycles) on coleslaw mix. Acid adaptation enhanced survival of Listeria spp. during storage in packages of vegetables which had relatively high in-pack CO₂ levels (i.e. 25% in packaged coleslaw, bean-sprouts). It is concluded that adapting listerial cells to mildly acidic conditions rendered cultures more resistant to relatively high (25–30%) CO₂ atmospheres.     

New Stainless Steel Solutions as Economic Alternatives to Classical 1.4301 Austenitic Grades

In the recent situation of a historically high nickel price, austenitic stainless steels, such as 1.4301, became too expensive compared to their actual technical value in many applications. This paper presents two new stainless steel grades developed by ArcelorMittal to replace 1.4301. The first one is a 20%Cr ferritic grade. The second one is a low‐Ni Cu‐bearing austenitic grade. The choices in the compositions are described as a function of the technical requirements, economical target and the production process limitations. The final properties are discussed as a function of the composition and compared with 1.4301 and other existing stainless steels. Finally, the complementarities of these two new grades are highlighted in regard to the different application markets considered.     

Glass: A critical material in the development of electronic displays

Electronic displays may be grouped into two categories, vacuum based and solid state. In both cases, glass has served as the package for the active components making up the display. Thus, glass has often been the limiting factor in the development of these technologies. This paper discusses the interrelationships between the two.     

Uncorrelated component analysis for blind source separation

The uncorrelated component analysis (UCA) of a stationary random vector process consists of searching for a linear transformation that minimizes the temporal correlation between its components. Through a general analysis we show that under practically reasonable and mild conditions UCA is a solution for blind source separation. The theorems proposed in this paper for UCA provide useful insights for developing practical algorithms. UCA explores the temporal information of the signals, whereas independent component analysis (ICA) explores the spatial information; thus UCA can be applied for source separation in some cases where ICA cannot. For blind source separation, combining ICA and UCA may give improved performance because more information can be utilized. The concept of single UCA (SUCA) is also proposed, which leads to sequential source separation.This work was supported in part by grants from the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, grants HKU553/96M, HKU7036/97E, and HKUST776/96E.     

A mnemonic based on arranging words on visual patterns.

Conducted 3 experiments with 264 undergraduates to demonstrate that arranging word lists on distinctive visual patterns results in better recall performance than does presenting the same word lists on a pattern that is always the same. In Exp I, lists of concrete nouns placed on different visual patterns were recalled better than those lists placed on the same pattern. This was true immediately after learning and 1 wk later. In Exp II, abstract terms taken from an introductory textbook in psychology were arranged on the same or on different drawings. When placed on the different drawings, the words were better learned, and what was learned was better retained in memory for 1 wk. In Exp III, both visual-pattern mnemonic aids and story mnemonic aids were provided to Ss for different lists. The story mnemonic was found to be superior. Possible reasons why the spatial-arrangement mnemonic and story mnemonic are effective are discussed. One important factor seems to be the discriminability among the representations of the word lists in memory. By placing words on distinctive visual patterns, this discriminability can be increased and recall performance can be enhanced. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of depression diagnoses to 2-year outcomes in cocaine-dependent patients in a randomized continuing care study.

This study examined the relation between depression diagnoses and outcomes in 132 cocaine-dependent patients who were randomized to relapse prevention (RP) or standard 12-step focused group continuing rare and followed for 2 years. Depressed patients attended more treatment sessions and had more cocaine-free urines during treatment than participants without depression, but they drank alcohol more frequently before treatment and during the 18-month posttreatment follow-up. Cocaine outcomes in depressed patients deteriorated to a greater degree after treatment than did cocaine outcomes in patients without depression, particularly in patients in RP who had a current depressive disorder at baseline. The best alcohol outcomes were obtained in nondepressed patients who received RIP. The results suggest that extended continuing care treatment may be warranted for cocaine-dependent patients with co-occurring depressive disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Genetic testing and psychology: New roles, new responsibilities.

Advances in genetics and genetic testing promise to catalyze a fundamental change in the practice of medicine. Psychologists have much to offer as psychotherapists, researchers, educators, and policymakers to a society heavily influenced by the genetic revolution. To make the most of new opportunities available to mental health professionals in genetics, psychologists must know basic genetic principles and learn what is new about 21st-century genetics. The core competencies for all health professionals developed by the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics are related in this article to the significant roles psychologists can play in helping individuals with genetic concerns to cope with vulnerability, optimize family interaction, and improve health behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ab initio computations of one and two hydrogen or deuterium atoms in the palladium tetrahedral site

We report ab initio cluster computations of deuterium atoms in a tetrahedral palladium site, performed at the UHF level with extended basis sets. An interstitial deuteron is found to be energetically favored over an interstitial deuterium atom. Computations with one interstitial deuterium atom or with one deuteron reveal an increase in electron density near the deuteron. Not only valence electrons but also inner core electrons of the palladium atoms are present in the vicinity of the deuteron. A potential energy curve is calculated with two deuterium atoms approaching each other, with one deuterium fixed at the center of a tetrahedral site. With regard to the environment provided by molecular deuterium, our results show that the tetrahedral site does not favor a closer deuteron encounter. No metastable dimer geometry is found. The two deuterons repel each other despite the screening. These computations represent more than 250 CPU h of a new-generation biprocessor vector computer.     

Influence of lanthanum level and interactions with nitrogen source on early development of Juglans nigra

Rare earth elements have been used for 30 years in Chinese agriculture to improve growth and yield. Numerous scientific studies have shown improvements in physiology, mineral nutrition, and growth, though deleterious effects may also occur. Very few studies have been performed on woody species. We exponentially fertilized one-year old black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) seedlings with 0, 0.1, 1, 10, or 100 mg lanthanum (La) and 800 mg nitrogen (N) as NaNO3, (NH4)2SO4, NH4NO3, or no N. One month following final fertilization, growth, mineral nutrition, photosynthesis, chlorophyll, and nitrate reductase activity were assessed. Plants fertilized with the highest level of La had reduced fine root growth, concentrations of magnesium, calcium, nickel, and phosphorus, photosynthesis levels, and chlorophyll a content. Foliar La concentration showed an interaction effect, with three to four times greater concentration in plants fed at 100 mg La to those given 10 mg La for (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3 treatments. The results suggested no beneficial effects of La addition at levels used in this study and interactions between N source and La levels did not have an important impact on the growth, mineral nutrition, or physiology of black walnut seedlings.     

Combining linguistic resources to create a machine-tractable Japanese-Malay dictionary

We present a method for combining two bilingual dictionaries to make a third, using one language as a pivot. In this case we combine a Japanese-English dictionary with a Malay-English dictionary, to produce a Japanese-Malay dictionary. Our method differs from previous methods in its improved matching through normalization of the pivot language. We have made a prototype dictionary of around 76,000 Japanese-Malay pairs for 50,000 Japanese head words.