Numbers and strains of lactobacilli in some probiotic products

The numbers and types of Lactobacillus strains in probiotic feed or food products for sale in Europe were compared with the information stated on the product labels. The labels of all 10 products gave information on the genus and species of Lactobacillus, and seven gave information on the numbers of a specified strain(s). Lactobacilli were recovered using a recently validated method, developed as part of the European Community Project SMT4 CT98-2235 for the official control of probiotic microorganisms used as feed additives. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods were used to assess the accuracy of labelling with regard to genus and species, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to identify strains. Five products were mislabelled with respect to the numbers and three with respect to species of lactobacilli. In four cases, the specified strains were not detected. Four fermented milks sold under three trademarks contained the same strain, which was named differently on each label. As safety and functionality of probiotics are strain dependent, these results demonstrated the need to control lactobacilli present in commercially probiotic human food products, not only at the species but also at the strain level, to ensure their quality and protect the consumer. The usefulness of the official methods developed for animal feed additives to identify lactobacilli in probiotic foods for humans was demonstrated.     

On learning, representing, and generalizing a task in a humanoid robot.

We present a programming-by-demonstration framework for generically extracting the relevant features of a given task and for addressing the problem of generalizing the acquired knowledge to different contexts. We validate the architecture through a series of experiments, in which a human demonstrator teaches a humanoid robot simple manipulatory tasks. A probability-based estimation of the relevance is suggested by first projecting the motion data onto a generic latent space using principal component analysis. The resulting signals are encoded using a mixture of Gaussian/Bernoulli distributions (Gaussian mixture model/Bernoulli mixture model). This provides a measure of the spatio-temporal correlations across the different modalities collected from the robot, which can be used to determine a metric of the imitation performance. The trajectories are then generalized using Gaussian mixture regression. Finally, we analytically compute the trajectory which optimizes the imitation metric and use this to generalize the skill to different contexts.     

Solid–liquid mass transfers in an Airlift Reactor incorporating alginate beads for the application as a bioartificial liver

Airlift Reactors may present an alternative to fluidized bed bioreactors with integrated alginate beads in order to immobilize hepatocytes for bioartificial liver use. The present study was aimed to examine the bi-directional mass transfers of the marker Vitamin B₁₂ between the surrounding fluid and the empty alginate beads. A simplified mathematical model based on Fick's first law was applied to describe diffusive mass transfer at the interface between the fluid and the beads calculating the overall mass transfer coefficients for both static and dynamic experimental conditions.Comparing with the Fluidized Bed Reactor, the more shear enhanced diffusion coefficient for Vitamin B₁₂ was 1.5 times higher verifying the efficiency of such a device. Increased shear rates in Airlift Reactors are provoked by additional turbulences due to the rising bubbles. Furthermore, it could be proven that the overall mass transfer mainly depends on the relative velocity between the external fluid and the alginate beads.     

Identification of Codon 146 KRAS Variants in Isolated Epidermal Nevus and Multiple Lesions in Oculoectodermal Syndrome: Confirmation of the Phenotypic Continuum of Mosaic RASopathies

Mosaic RASopathies are a molecularly heterogeneous group of (neuro)cutaneous syndromes with high phenotypical variability. Postzygotic variants in KRAS have been described in oculoectodermal syndrome (OES), encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL) and epidermal nevus syndrome (ENS). This study confirms the continuum of mosaic neurocutaneous RASopathies showing codon 146 KRAS variants in an individual with OES and, for the first time, in an individual with (isolated) epidermal nevus. The presence of a nevus psiloliparus in individuals with OES indicates that this finding is not specific for ECCL and highlights the phenotypical overlap between ECCL and OES. The presence of the somatic KRAS variant in the nevus psiloliparus resolves the underlying molecular etiology of this fatty-tissue nevus. In addition, this finding refutes the theory of non-allelic twin-spotting as an underlying hypothesis to explain the concurrent presence of two different mosaicisms in one individual. The identification of codon 146 KRAS variants in isolated epidermal nevus introduces a new hot spot for this condition, which is useful for increasing molecular genetic testing using targeted gene sequencing panels.     

硅橡胶涂层织物表面能及稳定性研究

采用动态测量法,对液滴在硅橡胶涂层表面上的接触角进行测量及计算表面能。并对硅橡胶涂层织物进行特殊处理,使其表面性能稳定、表面能降低、提高拒水耐脏能力。     

σ-Phase Formation in Super Austenitic Stainless Steel During Directional Solidification and Subsequent Phase Transformations

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - The solidification path and the σ-phase precipitation mechanism in the S31254 (UNS designation) steel are investigated thanks to Quenching during...     

Binding of Cdc48p to a ubiquitin-related UBX domain from novel yeast proteins involved in intracellular proteolysis and sporulation

The Cdc48/p97 AAA-ATPase functions in membrane fusion and ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation. Here, we show that, in yeast, Cdc48p interacts with three novel proteins, Cuil-3p, which contain a conserved ubiquitin-related (UBX) domain. Cui2p and Cui3p are closely related, interact with each other, and are localized at the perinuclear membrane. Cdc48p binds directly the UBX domain of Cui3p in vitro. Multiple deletions of the CUI1, CUI2 and CUI3 genes confer deficiency in sporulation and degradation of model ubiquitin-protein fusions. The Cuil-3 proteins were also found to interact with Ufd3p, a WD repeat protein known to associate with Cdc48p. Together, these results indicate that the Cuil-3 proteins form complexes that are components of the ubiquitin-proteasome system.     

Patterning Nanostructured,Synthetic, Polymeric Receptors by Simultaneous Projection Photolithography,Nanomolding, and Molecular Imprinting

Microscope projection photolithography is combined with nanomolding and molecular imprinting for the fast microfabrication of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) arrays in the form of micrometric islands of nanofilaments. Dot diameters from 70–90 μm are easily obtained using a 10× objective and a photomask carrying the desired pattern. The dots are composed of parallel nanofilaments of a high aspect ratio, 150 nm in diameter and several micrometers in length, which are obtained through a nanomolding procedure on porous alumina. The arrays are molecularly imprinted with the small molecule fluorescein or with the protein myoglobin. The fluorescein MIP arrays are able to specifically recognize their target, as demonstrated by fluorescence microscopy. A four‐fold increase in binding capacity and imprinting factor (IF = 13) is obtained compared to non‐nanostructured porous dots. Imprinting of the nanofilament arrays with the protein myoglobin as the template is also possible and allows for a high imprinting factor of 4.3. Such nanostructured microarrays of synthetic receptors obtained by projection photolithography have great potential in biosensor and biochip development.     

Flavour sulphides are produced from methionine by two different pathways by Geotrichum candidum

We have investigated the capacities of Geotrichum candidum strains to produce sulphides from methionine. This attribute is very important in cheese technology because of the flavouring potential of sulphur compounds. A spectrophotometric procedure using 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) to determine sulphides was tested on a collection of G. candidum strains, and confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The strains were distinguished on the basis of their ability to produce methanethiol. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry also made it possible to identify other sulphides, such as dimethyl disulphide, dimethyl trisulphide and dimethyl sulphide. Using sonicated cells, the specific production of these four sulphides was studied in presence of L-[S-methyl-2H]methionine. Both methanethiol and dimethyl sulphide were produced from methionine, but two different pathways were used by G. candidum.     

Robota: Clever toy and educational tool

Therapeutic and educational applications of robots have created a demand for robots showing a number of social skills. These skills include the capacity to imitate, to learn from demonstration, to interpret gestures and to recognize speech. Robot toys are an ideal platform to investigate the potential and limitations of human–robot social interactions.

This paper presents Robota, a mini-humanoid doll-shaped robot. Robota is used in an introductory robotics class at the undergraduate level. The class offers an introduction to different tools necessary for building human–robot social interactions. Through a series of hands-on projects, students learn how to use vision and speech processing and how to design learning algorithms. The goal of each project is to create an educational and entertaining game for normal and disabled children.