Influence of emulsion composition on lubrication capacity and texture perception

The role of fat content and type of surfactant for oral friction processes and texture perception of oil-in-water emulsions was assessed. Emulsions at 22% and 33% fat content containing either sodium caseinate or a sucrose ester as emulsifier were compared with viscosity-adapted aqueous solutions of dextran using both sensory evaluation and friction coefficient measurements on a tongue-palate contact model. The impact of saliva on the emulsion droplet size distribution was studied using tribology, differential interference contrast microscopy and light diffraction measurements. Emulsions at 33% and the corresponding iso-viscous aqueous solutions were discriminated in the sensory experiment whereas emulsions at 22% were not. Friction was significantly different for emulsions at 33% and the corresponding iso-viscous aqueous solutions. The difference was not significant for emulsions with 22% fat level when compared with the iso-viscous aqueous solutions. Saliva significantly decreased the friction coefficient of emulsions depending on the surfactant and amount of fat used.     

Physico-chemical characterisation of a non-conventional food protein source from earthworms and sensory impact in arepas

This study aimed to characterise a non-conventional protein source: a powder made from earthworms, and to evaluate its potential use as human food. The way it was prepared led to low solubility and wide particle size distribution. Sensory analysis was used to assess the acceptability and the organoleptic properties of maize-based pan-cakes fortified with this novel protein powder. Satisfying products were obtained with a substitution level of 5.5% (w/w) earthworm powder in pan-cakes. GC-MS allowed the identification of more than seventy volatile compounds that may be responsible for the off-odour of the powder. The most abundant chemical groups found in the volatile fraction were ketones with undecan-2-one, alcohols with pentan-1-ol, and aldehydes with hexanal. Partial delipidation was tested as a way to improve the organoleptic quality of the powder. It clearly led to less intensely coloured samples but delipidation must be optimised to have an impact on odour.     

Loisirs et santé mentale: les relations entre la motivation pour la pratique des loisirs et le bien-être psychologique.

Studied interactions between motivations for leisure activities and psychological well-being to test the hypothesis that a high degree of motivational self-determination is associated with a high level of psychological functioning. 463 secondary school students (mean age 17 yrs) completed a questionnaire assessing their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for different types of leisure activities. The types of motivation differed with regard to their levels of self-determination. Results were analyzed in relation to questionnaire data on psychological well-being. The Motivation for Leisure Scale (L. G. Pelletier et al, 1994) and the Index of Psychological Well-Being (Pelletier et al) were used. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Near‐infrared spectroscopy for the determination of lipid oxidation in cereal food products

The present study was aimed at determining the ability of near‐infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to in situ describe fat oxidation kinetics in three different cereal‐based products: salted crackers (20% saturated palm oil and lauric oil, sprayed on surface); healthy crackers (10% unsaturated rapeseed oil, homogeneously distributed inside the product matrix); and moist pasteurised Asian noodles (1.5% unsaturated rapeseed oil, sprayed on surface). Products were stored under accelerated oxidation conditions at 40 °C. Lipid oxidation rates were determined from peroxide value (PV) measurements. We observed no significant changes in PV for the dry crackers (3 meq/kg after 60 days), a slight linear increase in PV for the healthy crackers (40 meq/kg after 60 days), and a rapid increase for the Asian noodles (80 meq/kg after 20 days). The NIR spectra were recorded between 1000 and 2500 nm by using a Fourier Transform NIR spectrometer, using an external probe. Measurements were done directly in situ on the product, on the ground samples, and on the extracted fat phase. The analysis of NIR spectral data by PLS statistical methods demonstrated some correlation trends (R² = 0.575–0.897; RMSEC = 17–55%) for the products having a significant increase in PV. It was not possible to propose predictive models to calculate the oxidation rate.     

Effects of discrete emotions on young children's ability to discern fantasy and reality.

This study examined 3- to 5-year-olds' (N = 128; 54% girls) ability to discriminate emotional fantasy and reality. Children viewed images depicting fantastic or real events that elicited several emotions, reported whether each event could occur, and rated their emotional reaction to the image. Children were also administered the Play Behavior Questionnaire and Pretend Action Tasks to assess play behaviors. Findings revealed age-related improvements in performance and biases in judgment based on the emotion depicted. Children reported that happy fantastic events could occur significantly more often than frightening and angry fantastic events and that happy real events could occur significantly more often than frightening and angry real events. Children's emotional reactions to the images but not play behaviors were significantly related to their fantasy-reality distinctions. Implications for the relation between emotions and children's fantasy-reality distinctions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

XV. Yeast sequencing reports. A gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae which codes for a protein with significant homology to the bacterial 3-phosphoserine aminotransferase

During the sequencing of the gene GSP2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we have encountered an adjacent open reading frame having strong homology to the 3-phosphoserine aminotransferase (E.C.2.6.1.52) from other organisms. In this report, we present the sequence for this yeast SERC, and evidence that its deletion from the yeast genome leads to serine dependency. The sequence has been deposited in the GenBank data library under Accession Number L20917.     

A high spin configuration for six-coordinated iron (IV) in an oxygen lattice

A simple model for the variation of crystal field and of covalency with the distortion of FeO₆ octahedra shows that Fe (IV) with ground term 5A_1g (d¹_xyd¹_yzd¹_zxd¹_z2d⁰_x2?_y2) can be stabilized in an elongated FeO₆ octahedron. Such an electronic configuration has been found actually in a Sr_0.5La_1.5Li_0.5Fe_0.5O₄ phase with K₂NiF₄ structure. Structural ($\text{c}\text{a}\text{? 3.46}$), magnetic (Curie constant $\text{C}\text{? 3.06}$) and Mössbauer resonance (isomer shift at room temperature relative to metallic Fe $\text{δ ? ? 0.19}\text{mms}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$) studies illustrate this electronic configuration.     

Multiple-scattering-based lidar retrieval: method and results of cloud probings

Recent developments in the search for a practical method of exploiting the multiple-scattering contributions to lidar returns are consolidated in a robust retrieval algorithm. The theoretical basis is the small-angle diffusion approximation. This implies that the algorithm is limited to media of sufficient optical thickness to generate measurable multiple scattering and to geometries for which the receiver's footprint diameter is less than the scattering mean free path. The primary retrieval products are the range-resolved extinction coefficient and the effective particle diameter from which secondary products such as the particle volume mixing ratio and the extinction at other wavelengths can be calculated. We recall briefly earlier validation tests and present new data and analysis that demonstrate and quantify the solutions' accuracy. The results show that systematic lidar probings with the proposed multiple-scattering technique can provide valuable physical information on cloud formation and evolution.     

Convoys of social support: An intergenerational analysis.

Within the Convoy Model, social networks are viewed as dynamic hierarchic structures surrounding the individual throughout life. As a step toward empirical definition of convoy structure and function across the life span, a bicultural sample (N?=?159) of young adult women, their mothers, and their grandmothers were queried. Comparable results were obtained across generations and cultures with regard to network size, the amount of support provided by the network, and the nomination of close family members as primary sources of support. However, there was a marked shift across generations in the balance of familial vs friendship relations. Younger persons included fewer family members and more friends in their networks, and they received more support from friends. These cross-sectional results are consistent with the Convoy Model and suggest that longitudinal research is warranted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)