Combined effect of salt addition and high-pressure processing on formation of free radicals in chicken thigh and breast muscle

The effect of working pressure, processing time, and salt addition on formation of free radicals in chicken breast and thigh muscle was investigated by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy using α-(pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone (POBN) as spin trap in order to detect early events in lipid oxidation following high-pressure meat processing. Chicken breast and thigh with and without 3.0% salt added were subjected to high hydrostatic pressure at 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 MPa for 5, 15 (only breast), and 30 min. Radical formation increased with increasing pressure and processing time and reached a maximum value in chicken breast for 15 min of processing at 1000 MPa and in chicken thigh for 5 min of processing at 600 MPa. Radical formation was found to be more significant in thigh meat compared to breast meat and salt addition further promoted radical formation in chicken breast and especially in chicken thigh.     

High-resolution genotyping of Listeria monocytogenes by fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis compared to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis, ribotyping, and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis for the inter- and intraspecies differentiation of a collection of 96 strains of Listeria monocytogenes and 10 non-L. monocytogenes strains representing six other Listeria species of different origin. The AFLP technique was compared with three other molecular typing methods--ribotyping, random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis (RAPD), and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)--in terms of discriminatory ability. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism was included for virulence gene allele characterization. The 96 L. monocytogenes strains were divided into two major clusters by AFLP fingerprinting at a similarity level of 82% in concordance with the results of PFGE, RAPD, and ribotyping. One main cluster consisted of all of the 24 L. monocytogenes hly allele 1 strains, while another main cluster consisted of all of the 72 L. monocytogenes hly allele 2 strains. This indicates the existence of two distinct phylogenetic divisions. Isolates of the remaining Listeria species were not included in the clusters. AFLP, PFGE, and RAPD typing were highly discriminatory methods, with discrimination (D) indices of 0.974, 0.969, and 0.954, respectively, whereas ribotyping had a lower D index of 0.874. AFLP, PFGE, and RAPD typing showed some level of agreement in terms of strain grouping and differentiation. However, all three methods subdivided types of strains grouped by the other methods. Isolates with identical DNA profiles were distributed across the spectrum of origin. It was not possible to associate certain types with specific food sectors or clinical cases, which is indicative of the spread of L. monocytogenes clones across species. Overall, AFLP fingerprinting was suitable for the high-resolution genotyping of L. monocytogenes and had an equally high or higher differentiation power compared to PFGE or RAPD typing.     

Dietary Linoleic Acid Elevates the Endocannabinoids 2-AG and Anandamide and Promotes Weight Gain in Mice Fed a Low Fat Diet

Dietary intake of linoleic acid (LNA, 18:2n-6) has increased dramatically during the 20th century and is associated with greater prevalence of obesity. The endocannabinoid system is involved in regulation of energy balance and a sustained hyperactivity of the endocannabinoid system may contribute to obesity. Arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n-6) is the precursor for 2-AG and anandamide (AEA), and we sought to determine if low fat diets (LFD) could be made obesogenic by increasing the endocannabinoid precursor pool of ARA, causing excessive endocannabinoid signaling leading to weight gain and a metabolic profile associated with obesity. Mice (C57BL/6j, 6 weeks of age) were fed 1 en% LNA and 8 en% LNA in low fat (12.5 en%) and medium fat diets (MFD, 35 en%) for 16 weeks. We found that increasing dietary LNA from 1 to 8 en% in LFD and MFD significantly increased ARA in phospholipids (ARA–PL), elevated 2-AG and AEA in liver, elevated plasma leptin, and resulted in larger adipocytes and more macrophage infiltration in adipose tissue. In LFD, dietary LNA of 8 en% increased feed efficiency and caused greater weight gain than in an isocaloric reduction to 1 en% LNA. Increasing dietary LNA from 1 to 8 en% elevates liver endocannabinoid levels and increases the risk of developing obesity. Thus a high dietary content of LNA (8 en%) increases the adipogenic properties of a low fat diet.     

An investigation of use case quality in a large safety-critical software development project

Use case modelling is a much-used technique for eliciting and documenting functional requirements. The quality of the use cases may have an important impact on the development project and on the resulting software product. This paper presents an empirical study of the changes that were made to the use case models in a large software project during the analysis phase. The results show (a) which were the most difficult aspects of use case modelling in this project and (b) how the quality of the functional requirements, in particular correctness, completeness, and clarity, was improved through the use case modelling process.     

Gain measurements of Fabry-Perot InP/InGaAsP lasers using an ultrahigh-resolution spectrometer

Measurements of the optical gain in a semiconductor laser using a 20 MHz resolution optical spectrum analyzer are presented for what is believed to be the first time. The high resolution allows for accurate gain measurements close to the lasing threshold. This is demonstrated by gain measurements on a bulk InGaAsP 1.5 microm Fabry-Perot laser. Combined with direct measurement of transparency carrier density values, parameters were determined for characterizing the gain at a range of wavelengths and temperatures. The necessity of the use of a logarithmic gain model is shown.     

Wavelength controlled InAs/InP quantum dots for telecom laser applications

This article reviews the recent progress in the growth and device applications of InAs/InP quantum dots (QDs) for telecom applications. Wavelength tuning of the metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy grown single layer and stacked InAs QDs embedded in InGaAsP/InP (1 0 0) over the 1.55-μm region at room temperature (RT) is achieved using ultra-thin GaAs interlayers underneath the QDs. The GaAs interlayers, together with reduced growth temperature and V/III ratio, and extended growth interruption suppress As/P exchange to reduce the QD height in a controlled way. Device quality of the QDs is demonstrated by temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) measurements, revealing zero-dimensional carrier confinement and defect-free InAs QDs, and is highlighted by continuous-wave ground-state lasing at RT of narrow ridge-waveguide QD lasers, exhibiting a broad gain spectrum. Unpolarized PL from the cleaved side, important for realization of polarization insensitive semiconductor optical amplifiers, is obtained from closely stacked QDs due to vertical electronic coupling.     

Measurement of reflectivity of butt-joint active-passive interfaces in integrated extended cavity lasers

A method and measurement results are presented for the determination of the reflectivity of butt-joint active-passive interfaces in a series of extended cavity Fabry-Pe/spl acute/rot lasers. The method is based on the analysis of subthreshold laser spectra. The small reflections at the two intracavity active-passive interfaces modify the mode structure of the laser. By fitting the calculated subthreshold mode structure to the recorded data, values of the reflectivities are extracted. An average value of 9.10/sup -5/ has been determined. The value of the reflectivity of those interfaces is relevant for photonic integrated circuits and particularly integrated mode-locked lasers.     

Design and Analysis of Storing Experiments: A Case Study

In order to achieve robust and stable food products of desired quality and characteristics, all stages of the food production process, including storage conditions, should be considered during product development projects. This article describes a multistage production development project on low-fat mayonnaise, where experimental design was used to set up a pilot plant study involving ingredient factors, processing factors, and storage factors and their effect on mayonnaise viscosity. The article discusses three alternative empirical modeling approaches to analyze the data—namely, a simple graphics approach, a robustness approach, and a mixed models approach—considering their multistratum (split-plot) structure and repeated measurements of each subsample. In the case study, all information relevant for business decisions was obtained through the combination of graphical analysis and the robustness approach. This information could also be extracted by a practitioner, while the mixed model analysis clearly requires a graduate statistician. In order to obtain valid and useful information for the practitioner in an efficient way, the authors believe that, usually, the first two approaches would be sufficient. The more complex mixed model strategy might be advisable if a deeper understanding is required or desired.     

Fabrication of bulk materials from fine particles of PbTe-SnTe solid solutions prepared through thermal decomposition of salts

A process has been proposed for the fabrication of microcrystalline thermoelectric materials based on PbTe-SnTe solid solutions by compacting and hot-pressing fine powders prepared through the thermal decomposition of lead acetate trihydrate and tin oxalate in the presence of tellurium powders. We analyze the mechanism of the thermal decomposition of the powder mixtures, resulting in the formation of Pb_{1 − x} Sn _x Te particles, and examine the influence of cold compaction, heat treatment, and hot pressing on the grain composition, electrical conductivity, and Seebeck coefficient of materials prepared by pressing the powders.