Temperature-sensitive mutants of influenza A virus. XIV. Production and evaluation of influenza A/Georgia/74-ts-1[E] recombinant viruses in human adults

The two temperature-sensitive (ts) lesions present in influenza A/Hong Kong/68-ts-1[E] (H3N2 68) virus were transferred via genetic reassortment to influenza A/Georgia/74 (H3N2 74) wild-type virus. A recombinant clone possessing both ts lesions and the shutoff temperature of 38 C of the Hong Kong/68 ts donor and the two surface antigens of the Georgia/74 wild-type virus was administered to 32 seronegative adult volunteers. Thirty-one volunteers were infected, of whom only five experienced mild afebrile upper respiratory tract illness. The wild-type recipient virus was a cloned population that induced illness in five of six infected volunteers. Therfore, the attenuation exhibited by the Georgia/74-ts-1[E] virus could reasonably be assumed to be due to the acquisition of the two ts-1[E] lesions by the Georgia/74 wild-type virus. The serum and nasal wash antibody responses of the ts-1[E] vaccinees were equivalent to those of the volunteers who received wild-type virus. The two ts lesions present in the Hong Kong/68-ts-1[E] virus have now been transferred three times to a wild-type virus bearing a new hemagglutinin, and in each instance the new ts recombination exhibited a similar, satisfactory level of attenuation and antigenicity for adults. It seems likely that the transfer of the ts-1[E] lesions to any new influenza virus will regularly result in attenuation of a recombinat virus possessing the new surface antigens.     

Wetting Behavior and Mechanical Properties of Sn-Zn and Sn-Pb Solder Alloys

A comparative experimental study of the main features of the eutectic Sn-Pb alloy and Sn-Zn alloys was carried out with a view to application of the latter alloys as alternative solder materials. The resulting microstructures, mechanical properties (ultimate tensile strength and elongation), and wettability behavior (spreading area and contact angle) of a hypoeutectic Sn-Zn (Sn-4wt.%Zn), a hypereutectic Sn-Zn (Sn-12wt.%Zn), and the eutectic Sn-9wt.%Zn alloy were examined and compared with the corresponding results of the conventional Sn-40wt.%Pb solder alloy. It was found that, of the Sn-Zn alloys examined, the eutectic Sn-9wt.%Zn alloy offers a compromise between lower wettability and higher mechanical strength.     

Detection of FITC-cortisol via modulated supraparticle lighthouses

Hormones are important bioactive compounds in blood and tissue that vary in concentration in response to stress and certain disease states. Establishing the changes in physiological hormone concentrations over time can lead to more effective diagnoses and perhaps a better understanding of the evolution of stress and disease. To monitor concentration over time, the sampling must be rapid and noninvasive; specimens such as saliva that require little effort to collect are preferred. However, more sensitive assay techniques are needed when compared to blood analysis since free hormone concentration in saliva is only a small fraction of the concentration in circulating blood. In this work, magnetic field-induced structures of paramagnetic particles are used as a solid substrate to demonstrate improved detection limits for a separation-free assay of cortisol. Once formed, the structures are subjected to a rotating magnetic field and this leads to two important features. First is the ability to utilize frequency and phase filtering (lock-in amplification) for the signal generated from surface-bound labeled species. Second is the improved mass transport of the antigen to the surface of the rotating structures. These two unique capabilities result in a quantifiable signal at a relatively low target antigen concentration. This method has been demonstrated with the detection of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled cortisol (FITC-cortisol) at a concentration of 300 pM.     

Isolation and partial characterization of Mexican taro (Colocasia esculenta L.) starch

Taro starch was isolated from Mexican variety and its morphological, physicochemical, and molecular characteristics were evaluated. Yield starch (in dry basis) was 81%, and this starch had low AM content (2.5%). Taro starch granules showed a mixture of shapes with sizes between 1 and 5 µm. Taro starch presented an A‐type XRD pattern with a crystallinity level of 38.26%. Solubility and water retention capacity did not change in the temperature range of 50–70°C and thereafter they increased as temperature increased too. Taro starch showed high peak viscosity due to its high AP content. The peak temperature of gelatinization of taro starch was 80.6°C with an enthalpy value of 10.6 J/g, with low retrogradation rate due to its low AM content. Weight‐average molar mass (Mw) and gyration radius (Rz) of taro starch were 1.21 ± 0.8 × 10⁹ g/mol and 424 ± 70 nm, respectively. Taro tuber could be an alternative for starch isolation with functional and physicochemical characteristics for food and non‐food applications.     

Immunonutritional Protease Inhibitors from T. durum and A. sativa Display Metabolic Similarities When Assayed on Human Macrophage-like Cells

This study evaluated the immunonutritional effects caused by protease inhibitors from Avena sativa and Triticum durum to human macrophage-like cells. Macrophages were exposed (3 h) to extracts obtained from flours, and mitochondrial-associated oxygen consumption rates and inflammatory, metabolic, and proteome adaptations were quantified. Mass spectrometry ‘m/z’ signals of the extracts obtained from T. durum and A. sativa revealed molecular weights of 18–35 kDa and 16–22 kDa, respectively, for the compounds present at highest concentrations. Extracts from T. durum exhibited lower susceptibility to degradation by gastrointestinal enzymes than those from A. sativa: 9.5% vs 20.2%. Despite their different botanical origin, both extracts increased TLR4 expression. Metabolic protein levels were indicative of a decreased glycolytic to lactate flux in cell cultures upon stimulation with A. sativa extracts, which improved mitochondrial respiration in relation to those from T. durum. Principal components analysis confirmed relative similarities between immune–metabolic events triggered by immunonutritional ingredients in T. durum and A. sativa. Collectively, immunonutritional effects help to interpret the differences between both crops, worsening or improving, macrophage immune reactivity (tolerogenicity), and better control of inflammatory processes.     

Interfacial heat transfer coefficients and solidification of an aluminum alloy in a rotary continuous caster

The present study describes the development of an experimental set-up representing the metal/mold system of a rotary continuous caster as part of a methodology, which connected to a numerical heat transfer model permits to determine transient metal/mold heat transfer coefficients, h, during solidification. By using this approach the variation of h along the different mold walls and the metal surface has been investigated by a method based on numerically calculated/experimental fit of thermal profiles (IHCP). The results have shown that the used methodology permits the characterization of h and may be used in the simulation of solidification in industrial processes.     

Electrochemical corrosion of Pb–1 wt% Sn and Pb–2.5 wt% Sn alloys for lead-acid battery applications

The aim of this study was to compare the electrochemical corrosion behavior of as-cast Pb–1 wt% Sn and Pb–2.5 wt% Sn alloy samples in a 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution at 25 °C. A water-cooled unidirectional solidification system was used to obtain the as-cast samples. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) diagrams, potentiodynamic polarization curves and an equivalent circuit analysis were used to evaluate the electrochemical corrosion response. It was found that a coarse cellular array has a better electrochemical corrosion resistance than fine cells. The pre-programming of microstructure cell size of Pb–Sn alloys can be used as an alternative way to produce as-cast components of lead-acid batteries with higher corrosion resistance associated with environmental and economical aspects.     

The effect of temperate or tropical pasture grazing state and grain-based concentrate allocation on dairy cattle production and behavior

Grain-based concentrate (GBC) supplement is of high cost to dairy farmers as a feed source as opposed to grazed pasture. Milk production response to GBC is affected by the composition and nutritive value of the remainder of the diet, animal factors, and interactions between forage type and level of GBC. In grazing systems, dairy cattle encounter contrasting pasture states, primarily because the social structure of the herd affects the timing of when each animal accesses a paddock after milking as a result of a relatively consistent cow milking order. However, the effect of feed management, namely pasture state and GBC allocation, on dairy cattle production and behavior is unknown. We examined the effect of varying GBC allocation for dairy cattle grazing differing states of kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum, a tropical pasture species; experiment 1) and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L., a temperate pasture species; experiment 2) on dry matter intake, milk production and composition, and grazing behavior. For each experiment, 90 lactating dairy cattle were randomly allocated to 2 consistent (fresh–fresh and depleted–depleted) and 2 inconsistent (fresh–depleted and depleted–fresh pasture state treatments (defined as sequences of pasture state allocation for the morning and afternoon grazing events) and 3 GBC treatments [2.7, 5.4, and 8.1 kg of dry matter (DM)/cow per day], giving 12 treatment combinations for each experiment. The duration of each experiment was 14 d, with the first 7 d used as adaptation to treatment. In each experiment, 3 cattle were selected from each of the 12 pasture type × GBC treatment groups within the experimental herd to determine herbage intake and total DM digestibility using the n-alkanes method (n = 36). There was no interaction between kikuyu grass or ryegrass pasture state and GBC level for intake, digestibility, or milk yield or components. Dairy cattle offered fresh–fresh and depleted–fresh ryegrass produced 9% more milk yield, in line with greater pasture intakes, compared with fresh–depleted and depleted–depleted pasture states. Dairy cattle offered fresh–fresh kikuyu grass had 8% more milk yield and 14% more milk protein yield than other pastures states, but there was no effect of pasture state on milk composition. Milk yield increased with GBC level for both pasture species (～0.7–0.8 kg of milk/kg of DM GBC) as GBC level increased from 2.5 to 5.4 kg of DM/cow per day. There was a poor response (0.3 kg of milk/kg of DM GBC), and no response, when GBC levels increased from 5.4 to 8.1 kg of DM/cow per day for kikuyu grass and ryegrass, respectively, in line with pasture DMD. Time spent grazing, lying, and ruminating were not associated with kikuyu grass pasture state, GBC, or their interaction. Despite this, there was a linear increase in grazing time in the afternoon coinciding with a linear decrease in lying and rumination time for both kikuyu grass and ryegrass pasture. Together these findings reveal the effect of pasture state and GBC allocation on dairy cattle production and behavior. Tailoring GBC allocation to the state of pasture accessed by cattle appears unwarranted, but there is an opportunity to alter the timing of pasture access to increase herd-level milk production efficiency.     

Microbiological,immunological, and histological changes in the gut of Salmonella Enteritidis-challenged rats fed goat cheese containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus EM1107

Cheeses are able to serve as suitable matrices for supplying probiotics to consumers, enabling appropriate conditions for bacteria to survive gastric transit and reach the gut, where they are assumed to promote beneficial processes. The present study aimed to evaluate the microbiological, immunological, and histological changes in the gut of Salmonella Enteritidis-challenged rats fed goat cheese supplemented with the probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus EM1107. Thirty male albino Wistar rats were randomly distributed into 5 experimental groups with 6 animals each: negative (NC) and positive (PtC) control groups, control goat cheese (CCh), goat cheese added with L. rhamnosus EM1107 (LrCh), and L. rhamnosus EM1107 only (EM1107). All animals, except NC group were challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis (10⁹ cfu in 1 mL of saline through oral gavage). Microbial composition was assessed with high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing by means of Illumina MiSeq (Illumina, San Diego, CA). Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) from the animal cecum tissue was determined by real-time PCR and interleukins (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-10, and IFN-γ) by means of ELISA. Myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde levels were determined biochemically. The administration of the L. rhamnosus EM1107 probiotic strain, either as a pure culture or added to a cheese matrix, was able to reduce Salmonella colonization in the intestinal lumen and lessen tissue damage compared with rats from PtC group. In addition, the use of cheese for the probiotic strain delivery (LrCh) was associated with a marked shift in the gut microbiota composition toward the increase of beneficial organisms such as Blautia and Lactobacillus and a reduction in NF-κB expression. These findings support our hypothesis that cheeses might be explored as functional matrices for the efficacious delivery of probiotic strains to consumers.     

Inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes on frankfurters by monocaprylin alone or in combination with acetic acid

The antilisterial activity of monocaprylin (MC) and its combination with acetic acid (AA) on frankfurters was investigated. Each frankfurter was surface inoculated with a three-strain mixture of Listeria monocytogenes to obtain an inoculation level of 4.0 log CFU per frankfurter, and then dipped for 35 s in sterile deionized water (45 or 50 degrees C) containing 1% ethanol (control), 50 mM MC plus 1% ethanol, 1% AA plus 1% ethanol, or 50 mM MC plus 1% AA plus 1% ethanol. Samples were vacuum packaged, stored at 4 degrees C for 77 days, and analyzed for L. monocytogenes. Sensory odor and color of frankfurters were evaluated using a 9-point hedonic scale. Color was also objectively measured using the Minolta Chroma Meter. From day 0 to day 77, population counts of L. monocytogenes on frankfurters dipped in antimicrobial solutions at 50 degrees C were consistently lower than the control counts. Similar results were observed for samples treated at 45 degrees C. However, L. monocytogenes grew readily on control samples at both temperatures. Dipping of frankfurters in antimicrobial solutions (45 or 50 degrees C) significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the populations of L. monocytogenes. After 70 days of storage, L. monocytogenes was completely killed in samples dipped in MC+AA solution at 50 degrees C. The antimicrobial treatments did not affect the odor or color of the samples (P > 0.05). Overall, results indicated that dipping of frankfurters with MC reduced L. monocytogenes, and inclusion of AA further enhanced MC antilisterial activity, without any negative effect on odor or color.