Effects of Botrytis cinerea infection on Champagne wine foaming properties

Qualitative effects of Botrytis cinerea infection were studied by comparing the foaming properties of Champagnes obtained from healthy grapes with those from grapes infected by B cinerea. This is of particular interest when it is considered that the foaming properties of Champagne wines are important in terms of product attractiveness for the consumer. Experiments using artificial viewing equipment clearly showed the dramatic effects on Champagne foam characteristics when grape berries were highly infected. The speed at which liquid separated from the foam (expressed as liquid height L_S) in the glass depended largely on the level of infection for Chardonnary and Pinot noir wines (+268% for Chardonnary wines at 40% infection and +627% for Pinot noir wines at 20% infection). B cinerea infection reduced the time (L_T) at which liquid first appeared in the glass; for Pinot noir wines an infection level of 20% caused very rapid drainage. The time of pouring (P_T, ie the time to fill the glass under controlled conditions) also diminished considerably at an infection level of 20% for both Pinot noir and Pinot meunier wines (?74 and ?58% respectively). Mouldiness considerably altered the foam height observed 80 s (H₈₀) after the start of pouring (?83% for Pinot noir and ?89% for Pinot meunier at 20% infection). Champagne foamability was also quantified using a sparging technique to standardise effervescence. Foamability suffered considerably (?60 to ?65%) when the B cinerea infection level was 20% as compared to control Champagnes. All wines studied had low and very similar protein contents. Differences in the concentrations of these compounds, which are generally implicated in the formation of foam in sparkling wines, could not explain the differences in Champagne foaming properties observed here. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

The anteater and the dreamer.

Reviews the book, Brain and psyche: The biology of the unconscious by Jonathan Winson (1985). Winson offers a "biology of the unconscious," based on his reading of psychoanalysis and his research in experimental neurophysiology. Given Winson's main area of professional activity, it is not surprising that the slant of this book is one of a neuroscientist. But Winson is no slouch in the Freud department either; he devotes 3 of 10 chapters to a well-expounded, somewhat selective, chronological account of the main events leading to the development of psychoanalytic thought. In tackling the challenge of such an integration, Brain and psyche makes a unique and valuable theoretical contribution. Many different types of experiences, along with their associated cognitive and emotional concomitants, will form relatively permanent traces in the brain and thus exert subsequent effects on behavior, by virtue of their being consolidated during critical periods. This is why, says Winson, so many patterns of behavior, adaptive or maladaptive, appear so fixed and immutable in an individual's personality. Dreams allow us to glimpse at the neurobehavioral process whereby, from early childhood on, behavioral strategies are laid down, modified, or consulted, a process that Winson calls the unconscious personality. But it is Winson's account of repression that is the most intriguing. Repression is a process that intervenes in the temporal space between the generation of an idea, emotional feeling, or sensory impression, and the subjective apperception of that experience. Winson makes the conceptual leap from experimental neurophysiology (he works mainly with the rat) to human psychodynamics. What seems to be missing is a middle step, some evidence from human brain research that could link the two domains. Winson has taken an important first step in bridging the chasm between laboratory and consulting room. What we need now is more data from the human side of the brain and behavioral sciences to bring these domains closer still. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Posttraumatic stress disorders in Vietnam veterans: Selected bibliographical addendum to Fairbank et al., Silver, and Arnold.

J. A. Fairbank et al (see record 1982-12226-001), presented a selected bibliography on contributions relevant to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Vietnam veterans. Their selection included research and clinical reports found in psychological and medical journals, books and government publications, which were pertinent to epidemiology, etiology, symptomatology, and treatment of PTSD in Vietnam veterans, plus narratives by Vietnam veterans and research germane to PTSD from other conflicts. S. M. Silver (see record 1983-03626-001) updated Fairbank et al., with 171 since-published articles, reports, and other references. A. Arnold's (1987) bibliograpy contains over 1,000 clinical references, as well as accounts of the Vietnam War. This addendum is an attempt to update the enormous body of PTSD literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High energy dry coating mixing: Elements on velocities,temperatures and melting

In dry coating processes no liquid, solvent, binder or water, is required. This makes them advantageous compared to wet coating alternative: being low cost, no drying step required, environmentally friendly (no volatile organic compounds related problems) and simple in operation. But there is still a lack of fundamental knowledge of the implied mechanisms. Often the process itself has been empirically designed and is not always well characterized.In this work, some hydrodynamic elements are developed in a high energy mixer used for dry coating: the specific behavior of the Nara hybridizer NHS-0 is investigated. In the first part, recirculation velocities and temperatures are derived during the process, or when the purge is on. The effects of the pressure purge and of the rotor velocity on the purge and the effect of the rotation on the temperature increase are studied. In the second part, a simple experimental approach is carried out to derive qualitatively the local temperature inside the apparatus with the help of polymers with different melting temperatures. This approach illustrates a first step for dry coating application with waxes.     

Segmentation of store choice models using stated preferences

The understanding and modelling of consumer shopping behaviour can increasingly only be fully realised by reference to market segments. Disaggregate choice modelling methods are able to take account of such behavioural heterogeneity, but are hampered by the poor quality of observed choice data on which they are calibrated. This paper shows how a segmented modelling strategy may be developed using stated preference data, and illustrates the methodology using the example of grocery shopping in Cardiff, South Glamorgan.     

Characterization of plutonium distribution in MIMAS MOX by image analysis

A better understanding of MOX fuel in-pile behaviour requires a very detailed characterization of the Pu distribution in the pellet before and after irradiation. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) can be used to determine the distributions of chemical elements with a spatial resolution of 1 μm. This paper describes the development of X-ray microanalysis techniques to produce semi-quantitative ‘maps’ of plutonium concentrations in order to rapidly characterize large areas of the fuel microstructure (1 mm²) with reasonable accuracy. A new segmentation technique based on statistical compatibility is then proposed, so as to finely describe the MIMAS MOX fuel microstructure. Two materials were finely characterized to demonstrate the reliability of this new method. In each case, the results demonstrate the good and reliable accuracy of this new characterization methodology. The analysis method used is currently able to identify three so-called phases (Pu-rich agglomerates, a coating phase and uranium-rich agglomerates), as well as to quantify the plutonium distribution and the plutonium content of these three phases. The impact of the fabrication process on the microstructure can be seen both in the surface distribution variations of the plutonium and in the local plutonium content variations.     

Variables in the Hiring Equation: Ensuring that the Right Candidate is Hired

When making the decision to hire one of several equally qualified candidates, IS managers fall back on their instincts and choose the candidate that “feels right.” They rely on personal chemistry, which is one of the variables in the hiring equation. Other equally important elements are: aptitude, attitude, and motivational factors.     

Using statistics to make expert systems “user-acquainted”

The user-acquainted feature collects user-specific data regarding the types of advice that have been sought over time and uses this historical information to update the probabilities to affect the firing of its rules and the ordering of the recommendations of the expert system. These updates are done on auser-specific basis so that the expert can more closely emulate a true expert by providing more informed advice. One example of a place where evidence suggests that such a feature would be useful is in the area of debugging of computer programs, especially in support of novice programmers who tend, as individuals, to commit similar classes of errors over time, but who, as a group, commit very different types of errors. We conjecture that the user-acquainted feature, which can keep track of the tendencies of the users and take them into account in the evaluation of diagnostics, will be more effectiveand efficient in determining the fault. In this paper, we discuss the statistical analyses necessary to implement this feature in an expert system for debugging errors in SAS.     

Local pH variation as an initial step in bacterial surface-sensing and biofilm formation

The development of surface-associated layers of matrix-embedded microbial populations, called biofilms, is a serious problem in many medical and industrial settings. These contaminations are difficult to eradicate because of the high resistance level acquired by the cells in their particular environment. From the very beginning of the colonization process, modifications of gene expression are observed and could, at least partially, explain biofilm resistance. In order to develop anti-biofilm molecules and surface treatments, it is of pivotal importance to identify the physico-chemical parameters which activate the sensor systems of pioneering microbes when they come into contact with a surface. The aim of our study was to examine the pH variations in the local micro-environment created between the cell layer and the surface after bacteria adhesion. Using an ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET), as a substratum, colonized by a curli hyperproducing strain known to form biofilms, we observed that the evolution of the pH change was significantly different in the micro-compartment in contact with the electrochemical sensor compared to that within the liquid phase.     

The impact of a sewage treatment plant's effluent on sediment quality in a small bay in Lake Geneva (Switzerland–France). Part 2: Temporal evolution of heavy metals

The Bay of Vidy is the most contaminated area of Lake Geneva, Switzerland, as a result of the release of treated and untreated waste water from the municipal sewage treatment plant of the city of Lausanne and its surroundings. The reconstruction of the historical deposition of heavy metals in the sediment of the bay has been performed by the analysis of several dated (radiocaesium) sediment cores. The presence of sewage‐derived contaminants in the Bay of Vidy since the beginning of the sewage treatment plant's operations in 1964 is clearly observed, when a sharp increase in heavy metal contents is recorded, with maximum concentrations of cadmium, copper, zinc and lead occurring between the late 1960s and early 1970s. Despite considerable improvement in recent times, the present concentrations of the investigated heavy metals in sediments of the Bay of Vidy are still higher than concentrations measured at the centre of the lake, the latter close to Lake Geneva's natural background values. It is concluded that the quantity of heavy metals deposited in the bay is considerable and, because of sediment instability, will constitute a potential hazard for biota.