Porcine plasma as polyphosphate and caseinate replacer in frankfurters

The aim was to replace polyphosphate and caseinate by porcine blood plasma as functional ingredients in frankfurters. Three trials, each consisting of one control, formulated with caseinate and tripolyphosphate, and one test, formulated with plasma, were carried out in a pilot plant. The frankfurters with plasma were compared to their respective controls by determining the composition, water holding capacity, cooking losses, internal colour, texture, microstructure, sensorial characteristics, and overall acceptance. No significant differences were found in proximate analysis, WHC, and cooking losses. Texture was not affected by the replacement, according to both sensorial and instrumental measurements. Nevertheless, the panellists detected the presence of animal taste and odour in plasma-containing sausages. Despite this, their overall acceptance was scored as 6.3 in a 10 maximum scale, so plasma could be considered as an interesting alternative to produce healthier and cheaper frankfurters.     

RNA fingerprinting analysis of Oenococcus oeni strains under wine conditions

Oenococcus oeni is a lactic acid bacterium of economic interest used in winemaking. This bacterium is the preferred species for malolactic fermentation (MLF) due its adaptability to the chemically harsh wine environment. MLF enhances the organoleptic properties and ensures deacidification of wines.     

Population Growth Rate Responses of Ceriodaphnia dubia to Ternary Mixtures of Specific Acting Chemicals: Pharmacological versus Ecotoxicological Modes of Action

When considering joint toxic apical effects at higher levels of biological organization, such as the growth of populations, the so-called pharmacological mode of action that relies on toxicological mechanistic effects on molecular target sites may not be relevant. Such effects on population growth rate will depend on the extent to which juvenile and adult survival rates and production rates (juvenile developmental rates and reproduction) are affected by toxic exposure and also by the sensitivity of population growth rates to life-history changes. In such cases, the ecotoxicological mode of action, defined as the crucial life-history trait processes and/or xenobiotic-life-history trait interactions underlying a toxicological effect on population growth rate, should be considered. Life-table response experiments with the crustacean Ceriodaphnia dubia exposed to single and ternary mixtures of nine compounds were conducted to test the hypothesis that joint effects on population growth rates could be predicted from the mixture constituent ecotoxicological mode of action. Joint effects of mixtures containing pharmacologically dissimilar compounds (cadmium, λ-cyhalothrin, and chlorpyrifos) that differentially affected life-history traits contributing to population growth rates were accurately predicted by the independent-action concept. Conversely, the concentration-addition concept accurately predicted joint effects of two different mixtures: one containing pharmacologically similar acting pyrethroids that also affected similarly life-history traits, the other one that included pharmacologically dissimilar compounds (3,4-dichloroaniline, sodium bromide, and fenoxycarb) acting mainly on reproduction rates. These results indicate that when assessing combined effects on population growth rate responses, selection of mixture toxicity conceptual models based on the ecotoxicological mode of action of mixture constituents provided more accurate predictions than those based on the pharmacological mode of action.     

Effect of brine composition and brining temperature on cheese physical properties in Ragusano cheese

Composition and physical properties of cheeses are influenced by temperature, salt, and calcium concentration of brine. This work aimed to examine conditions of brine under which the cheese matrix contracts or expands in absence of restrictions imposed by surface rind development during overnight block formation. Three experimental 4-kg blocks of Ragusano cheese were produced at 3 different stretching temperatures (70, 80, and 90°C) and cut into pieces weighing approximately 40 to 50 g. One piece from each was chemically analyzed at time 0. All other pieces were measured for weight and volume and placed in plastic bags containing 300 mL of different brine solutions (2% NaCl with 0.1% Ca; 10% NaCl with 0, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.4% Ca; 18% NaCl with 0.1% Ca; and 26% NaCl with 0.1% Ca) at 3 different temperatures (4, 12, and 20°C). After 24h of brining, the cheeses were analyzed for weight, volume, chemical, and microstructural changes. Salt concentration in brine significantly influenced composition, weight, and volume of the cheeses after brining. Salt concentration was inversely related to cheese volume and weight. Changes in weight caused by altering the brining temperature were sufficient to reach statistical significance, and statistically significant volume changes were induced by brining temperature and its interaction with salt content. The highest volume increase (30%) occurred in the cheese stored in the 2% NaCl brine at the coldest temperature, whereas the greatest volume decrease was recorded in cheeses brined in the 26% NaCl brine. Composition was not affected by brining temperature. Calcium concentration did influence weight, volume, and composition, except on a fat-on-dry-basis. When cheeses were brined without added calcium, cheese volume and weight increased at all temperatures. At high calcium levels (0.4%), syneresis occurred and volume decreased, especially at 20°C (-16.5%). Microstructural investigation with porosity measurement confirmed weight and volume changes.     

EU carcass classification system: carcass and meat quality in light lambs

Sixty male Apenninica suckling lambs carcasses were studied in order to evaluate the relationship between carcass and meat quality of light lambs as evaluated according to the EU Mediterranean classification system. Increased carcass weight (6–12 kg) was accompanied by greater carcass size and compactness and reduced bone percentage. Moreover the meat quality was similar with the increase of carcass weight in terms of colour, water holding capacity and suitability for domestic storage. No differences for the examined parameters were found between carcasses classified in quality 1 and 2. The EU Mediterranean classification system appears to be unrelated to the quality of the merchandized meat.     

Connecting the dots: responses of coastal ecosystems to changing nutrient concentrations

Empirical relationships between phytoplankton biomass and nutrient concentrations established across a wide range of different ecosystems constitute fundamental quantitative tools for predicting effects of nutrient management plans. Nutrient management plans based on such relationships, mostly established over trends of increasing rather than decreasing nutrient concentrations, assume full reversibility of coastal eutrophication. Monitoring data from 28 ecosystems located in four well-studied regions were analyzed to study the generality of chlorophyll a versus nutrient relationships and their applicability for ecosystem management. We demonstrate significant differences across regions as well as between specific coastal ecosystems within regions in the response of chlorophyll a to changing nitrogen concentrations. We also show that the chlorophyll a versus nitrogen relationships over time constitute convoluted trajectories rather than simple unique relationships. The ratio of chlorophyll a to total nitrogen almost doubled over the last 30-40 years across all regions. The uniformity of these trends, or shifting baselines, suggest they may result from large-scale changes, possibly associated with global climate change and increasing human stress on coastal ecosystems. Ecosystem management must, therefore, develop adaptation strategies to face shifting baselines and maintain ecosystem services at a sustainable level rather than striving to restore an ecosystem state of the past.     

Genetic association and altered gene expression of mir-155 in multiple sclerosis patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex autoimmune disease of the central nervous system characterized by chronic inflammation, demyelination, and axonal damage. As microRNA (miRNA)-dependent alterations in gene expression in hematopoietic cells are critical for mounting an appropriate immune response, miRNA deregulation may result in defects in immune tolerance. In this frame, we sought to explore the possible involvement of miRNAs in MS pathogenesis by monitoring the differential expression of 22 immunity-related miRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of MS patients and healthy controls, by using a microbead-based technology. Three miRNAs resulted >2 folds up-regulated in MS vs controls, whereas none resulted down-regulated. Interestingly, the most up-regulated miRNA (mir-155; fold change = 3.30; P = 0.013) was previously reported to be up-regulated also in MS brain lesions. Mir-155 up-regulation was confirmed by qPCR experiments. The role of mir-155 in MS susceptibility was also investigated by genotyping four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) mapping in the mir-155 genomic region. A haplotype of three SNPs, corresponding to a 12-kb region encompassing the last exon of BIC (the B-cell Integration Cluster non-coding RNA, from which mir-155 is processed), resulted associated with the disease status (P = 0.035; OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.05-1.77), suggesting that this locus strongly deserves further investigations.     

Thermal Degradation of Polyoxymethylene Evaluated with FTIR and Spectrophotometry

Thermooxidative degradation at and beyond processing temperatures of a polyoxymethylene copolymer has been progressively accelerated to carbonisation through oven-storage aging. The quantification of such degradation was carried out through FTIR spectrography and colour spectrophotometry methods. The state of thermo-oxidation was monitored through the FTIR spectra corresponding to the carbonyl aldehyde group (O=CH) and methylene bending (–CH₂), as well as the chromaticity changes experienced on the sample surface. The results showed that the FTIR bands suggested are a reliable indicator during the initial conditions of degradation, however, the spectrophotometry becomes more appropriate method for more aggressive conditions leading to carbonisation.     

Intentional inhibition in memory and hallucinations: Directed forgetting and updating.

Hallucinations have been recently associated with inhibitory deficits in memory. In this study, the authors investigated whether hallucinations were related to difficulties to inhibit irrelevant information from episodic memory (Experiment 1) and working memory (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, a directed forgetting task was used. This task measures participants' ability to intentionally forget some recently learned material, when instructions indicate that it is no longer relevant. In Experiment 2, an updating task was used. This task requires participants to intentionally suppress irrelevant information from working memory. Results showed that patients with schizophrenia with hallucinations presented inhibitory deficits in the directed forgetting task and an increase in the number of intrusions in the updating task, compared to patients without hallucinations and healthy controls. No correlations were found between indices of inhibition and other general, negative or positive symptoms. These findings support the existence of an association between intentional inhibition in memory and hallucinations, and they suggest that problems to suppress memory representations can underlie hallucinations in schizophrenia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)