Relative effects of cultivar, heat-treatment and sucrose content on the sensory properties of blackcurrant juice

The effects of processing treatments (heat, sucrose addition) on the sensory quality of blackcurrant juices prepared from two genetically diverse cultivars (Ben Lomond and Ben Alder) were examined using sensory profiling. Sucrose level had the largest effect on the sensory profile, with heating and cultivar having smaller but still significant effects. Some interaction between sucrose level and heating of the juices was observed in the sensory profile. The results indicate that selection of preferred genotypes remains an important breeding objective in blackcurrant improvement programmes, since the sensory attributes associated with genotype persist, despite processing effects, in the extracted juice.     

Hexachlorocyclohexanes in the North American atmosphere

Annually integrated air concentrations of alpha- and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) were determined in 2000/2001 at 40 stations across North America using XAD-based passive air samplers to understand atmospheric distribution processes on a continental scale. Elevated levels of gamma-HCH in the atmosphere of the Canadian Prairies are consistent with the ongoing use of lindane as a seed treatment on canola and confirm the feasibility of detecting the agricultural use of a pesticide using long-term integrated passive air sampling. In contrast to gamma-HCH, the atmospheric concentrations of alpha-HCH show a rather uniform distribution across Canada and the United States, which is expected for a chemical with no current use on the continent. Higher levels in the atmosphere over Atlantic Canada can be explained by alpha-HCH evaporating from the waters of the Labrador Current, which is supported bythe chiral composition of alpha-HCH and the temperature dependence of its atmospheric concentrations along the east coast of Canada. Similarly, alpha-HCH is volatilizing from Lake Superior. Atmospheric HCH levels increase with elevation in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The results suggest that evaporation, in particular from cold water bodies, is an important source of alpha-HCH to the North American atmosphere. Low levels of HCHs in Central America hint at efficient degradation under tropical conditions. Chiral analysis shows that (+)-alpha-HCH is often enriched in air over continental areas and at the Pacific Coast, which is opposite to the enantiomeric enrichment in the proximity to the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. Passive air sampling is a powerful tool to discern the large-scale variability of semivolatile and persistent organic chemicals in the atmosphere.     

Momentum-diffusive model for gas transfer in granular media

The development of controlled atmosphere storage technology for insect control requires an accurate prediction of the distribution of introduced gases in bulk grain. The published models are based on either diffusion theory or convective-diffusion theory. The momentum transport of gases, which is a key driving force for the gas mixture movements, has been neglected. In this paper, all the driving forces for gas transfer were investigated. A momentum-diffusive model is proposed. The model is based on the combined effects of concentration gradients, pressure gradients, and gravity on the transport of gases in the bulk grain. The experimental data for CO₂ transfer through connected columns of hot and cold wheat were used to validate the model. The equations were solved using the finite difference method, and the predictions from the proposed model were in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Rotationplasty

Today rotationplasty is well established as an acceptable procedure for limb salvage in patients who have a malignant tumor in the femur or tibia. The main indication is that it is the alternative to amputation. Rotationplasty should further be used in the very young child because of growth-dependent complications that can be expected after tumor resection and any kind of reconstruction. This article covers the classification of the different types of rotationplasties, the operative procedure, prosthetic care, and the functional results.     

Reductions in self-injury produced by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is used to reduce pain but also may be useful for self-injurious behavior (SIB). In the current investigation, a microcurrent electromedical device, classified as a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS), was applied with a man with Down syndrome who displayed SIB that persisted in the absence of social contingencies. Although clinically significant results were not maintained, a clear difference in the rates of SIB during active and inactive TENS was observed.     

Seasonal variation in the hepatoproteome of the dehydration and freeze-tolerant wood frog, Rana sylvatica

Winter’s advent invokes physiological adjustments that permit temperate ectotherms to cope with stresses such as food shortage, water deprivation, hypoxia, and hypothermia. We used liquid chromatography (LC) in combination with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) quantitative isobaric (iTRAQ™) peptide mapping to assess variation in the abundance of hepatic proteins in summer- and winter-acclimatized wood frogs (Rana sylvatica), a northerly-distributed species that tolerates extreme dehydration and tissue freezing during hibernation. Thirty-three unique proteins exhibited strong seasonal lability. Livers of winter frogs had relatively high levels of proteins involved in cytoprotection, including heat-shock proteins and an antioxidant, and a reduced abundance of proteins involved in cell proliferation, protein synthesis, and mitochondrial function. They also exhibited altered levels of certain metabolic enzymes that participate in the biochemical reorganization associated with aphagia and reliance on energy reserves, as well as the freezing mobilization and post-thaw recovery of glucose, an important cryoprotective solute in freezing adaptation.     

The extraction of natural cashew nut-shell liquid from the cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale)

In the two-stage recovery of natural cashew nut-shell liquid (CNSL) by solvent extraction, the overall yields from half-shells obtained by mechanical cutting and from chilled fragmented shells (to solidify the phenols) by manual processing are identical, indicating that no physical loss of phenolic material occurs in the mechanical process. At the first stage, prior to comminution, the yield from intact half-shells of mechanical origin is considerably less than that from manually processed shells due to extensive internal fracturing of the shell structure and greater solvent penetration in the latter case. Static solvent extraction of macerated shells gave the same yield as Soxhlet extraction, but the filtration stage was difficult and large volumes of solvent were required. Soxhlet solvent extraction or ultrasound/solvent extraction of manually processed shells at ambient temperature gave similar yields and economy in solvent usage. Both were much superior to mechanical agitation. By catalyzed decarboxylation of the recovered natural CNSL an almost theoretical yield (25%) of phenolic lipid rich in cardanol was obtained, which is considerably higher than that (10%) in the traditional recovery of technical CNSL by the hot oil bath industrial method. Natural CNSL contains a predominant amount of anacardic acid and represents a novel phenolic lipid source. Chemical reduction with air/aqueous hydrazine gave saturated natural CNSL. Polymerization of natural CNSL was effected in alkaline solution with paraformaldehyde. Part 27. Part 26, ref. 1.