Growth reduction of Listeria spp. caused by undefined industrial red smear cheese cultures and bacteriocin-producing Brevibacterium lines as evaluated in situ on soft cheese

The undefined microbial floras derived from the surface of ripe cheese which are used for the ripening of commercial red smear cheeses have a strong impact on the growth of Listeria spp. In some cases, these microbial consortia inhibit Listeria almost completely. From such undefined industrial cheese-ripening floras, linocin M18-producing (lin+) (N. Valdés-Stauber and S. Scherer, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:3809-3814, 1994) and -nonproducing Brevibacterium linens strains were isolated and used as single-strain starter cultures on model red smear cheeses to evaluate their potential inhibitory effects on Listeria strains in situ. On cheeses ripened with lin+ strains, a growth reduction of L. ivanovii and L. monocytogenes of 1 to 2 log units was observed compared to cheeses ripened with lin strains. Linocin M18 activity was detected in cheeses ripened with lin+ strains but was not found in those ripened with lin strains. We suggest that production of linocin M18 contributes to the growth reduction of Listeria observed on model red smear cheeses but is unsufficient to explain the almost complete inhibition of Listeria caused by some undefined microbial floras derived from the surface of ripe cheeses.     

An evaluation of the electrostatic shielded induction motor: asolution for rotor shaft voltage buildup and bearing current

This paper evaluates a new induction motor, the electrostatic shielded induction motor (ESIM). An ESIM reduces rotor shaft voltages to levels below the bearing lubricant's electric field intensity breakdown level and offers one solution to accelerated bearing wear caused by fluting induced by pulsewidth modulated (PWM) inverters. The paper begins by reviewing shaft voltages and the resulting bearing currents when operated on PWM voltage source inverters. An example of bearing fluting is shown, and system models are presented and discussed. The construction details and test results for several ESIMs are presented. Experimental results show the ESIM solves the electrostatically induced rotor shaft voltage and bearing problem without degrading the electromagnetic performance of the motor     

Amplitude-modulated lock-in vibrothermography for NDE of polymers and composites

We present a nondestructive testing method based on lock-in thermography with mechanical heat excitation. Stresses are generated in the sample by vibrating it with a mechanical shaker. The mechanical energy is converted to thermal energy due to the acoustical damping. The defected regions have a stronger damping and also a stress concentration next to them, both of which result in a higher temperature generation. Because of the changes of the thermal properties, the defects also affect the heat conduction. These phenomena result in thermal anomalies due to the defects. The high-frequency vibration used for excitation is amplitude-modulated with a low frequency. The magnitude and phase of the sample temperature with respect to the modulation are measured with an infrared camera and a software lock-in technique. The use of phase information increases the reliability of the defect detection, and the application of high vibration frequencies results in a good thermal signal even at low stress levels, which helps to keep the test truly nondestructive. The suitability of the method was proved with samples of CFRP and aramid composites, and different polymers. The measurements included detection of impact damages, inclusions, voids, and cracks, and the evaluation of stress level distributions, paint thicknesses, and quality of bondings.     

Inflammatory reaction and capillary leak syndrome related to cardiopulmonary bypass in neonates undergoing cardiac operations

We studied the inflammatory reaction related to cardiopulmonary bypass in 24 neonates (median age 6 days) undergoing the arterial switch operation for simple transposition of the great arteries, with respect to the development of postoperative capillary leak syndrome. Complement proteins, leukocyte count, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and histamine levels were determined before, during, and after cardiopulmonary bypass. Additionally, protein movement from the intravascular into the extravascular space during cardiopulmonary bypass was assessed by the measurement of plasma concentrations of proteins with molecular weights ranging from 21,200 to 718,000. Capillary leak syndrome developed in 13 of the 24 neonates. Patients with capillary leak syndrome, as compared with those without, had preoperatively higher C5a levels (C5a, 3.0 +/- 0.6 microgram/L vs 0.9 +/- 0.2 microgram/L) (mean +/- standard error of the mean) (p < 0.05) and higher leukocyte counts (leukocytes, 17.9 +/- 2.1 X 10(3) cells/ml versus 11.7 +/- 0.8 X 10(3) cells/ml) (p < 0.05), suggesting in these neonates a preoperative inflammatory state. Preoperative clinical and operative data were identical in both patient groups. Before cardiopulmonary bypass, serum protein concentrations were similar in all patients. Ten minutes after institution of cardiopulmonary bypass, protein concentrations fell to significantly lower values in patients with capillary leak syndrome than in those without: albumin (19% +/- 1.5% vs 30% +/- 6% of the prebypass value, p < 0.05), immunoglobulin G (17% +/- 1.5% vs 29% +/- 5.5%, p < 0.001), and alpha 2-macroglobulin (15% +/- 1.2% vs 25% +/- 4%, p < 0.02). During cardiopulmonary bypass, albumin concentrations remained significantly lower in patients with capillary leak syndrome than in those without, whereas hematocrit values were similar in both groups. During cardiopulmonary bypass, patients with capillary leak syndrome also had lower concentrations of complement proteins C3 and C4 but not C1 inhibitor. C3d/C3 ratio and C5a levels were similar in both patient groups. In contrast, histamine liberation during cardiopulmonary bypass was significantly more pronounced in patients with capillary leak syndrome than in those without (725.2 +/- 396.7 pg/ml vs -54.1 +/- 58.4 pg/ml, p < 0.05). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels after protamine administration were also significantly higher in patients with capillary leak syndrome (38.1 +/- 10.0 pg/ml vs 15.3 +/- 3.4 pg/ml, p < 0.05). Leukocyte count during and after cardiopulmonary bypass was similar in both patient groups. This study demonstrates increased protein leakage as early as 10 minutes after initiation of.     

Notiz, betreffend den Nachweis von Bombay-Macis im Macispulver

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Structure of abilities in math-precocious young children: Gender similarities and differences.

For this study of the organization of cognitive abilities and gender differences in young children advanced in mathematical reasoning, parents identified 778 preschoolers and kindergartners. After screening with 2 arithmetic subtests of standard intelligence tests, 310 high scorers (55% boys) were given 15 additional measures. Mean performance of these high scorers on all standardized measures was 1 to 2 standard deviations above the mean of the norming samples. Boys scored higher on 8 of 11 quantitative measures, 0 of 3 verbal measures, and l of 3 spatial measures, including quantitative and spatial working memory span. Three factors (quantitative, verbal, and spatial) were modeled using confirmatory factor analysis; patterns of relationships were similar for older and younger groups and for girls and boys. Spatial and quantitative factors were highly correlated; the verbal factor correlated weakly with the others but showed a stronger relationship with the spatial factor for boys than girls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)