Arginine metabolism in sugar deprived Lactococcus lactis enhances survival and cellular activity, while supporting flavour production

Flavour development in cheese is affected by the integrity of Lactococcus lactis cells. Disintegrated cells enhance for instance the enzymatic degradation of casein to free amino acids, while integer cells are needed to produce specific flavour compounds from amino acids. The impact of the cellular activity of these integer cells on flavour production remains to be elucidated. In this study we investigated whether lactose-deprived L. lactis cells that use arginine as an alternative energy source can extend cellular activity and produce more specific flavours. In cheese experiments we demonstrated that arginine metabolising cells survived about 3 times longer than non-arginine metabolising cells, which suggests prolonged cellular activity. Cellular activity and flavour production of L. lactis was further studied in vitro to enable controlled arginine supplementation. Comparable with the results found in cheese, the survival rates of in vitro incubated cells improved when arginine was metabolised. Furthermore, elongated cellular activity was reflected in 3-4-fold increased activity of flavour generating enzymes. The observed prolonged cellular activity resulted in about 2-fold higher concentrations of typical Gouda cheese flavours. These findings provide new leads for composing starter cultures that will produce specific flavour compounds.     

Optimal economic policies and uncertainty: The case against policy selection by nonlinear programming

Full optimal stochastic control is not generally a feasible decision technique in economics because of the dimensionality and nonlinearity of the integrations involved, and because of the inseparability of the deterministic and stochastic components of the decision variables. Nevertheless, despite some suboptimality due to linearisation errors, the effects of uncertainty can be controlled by repeated linearisations of the system. An example of Dutch economic planning clearly shows the advantages of this approach for selecting economic policies.     

RHOMOLO: A dynamic spatial general equilibrium model for assessing the impact of cohesion policy

The paper presents the newly developed dynamic spatial general equilibrium model of European Commission, RHOMOLO, and proposes its future extensions. The model incorporates several elements from economic geography in a novel and theoretically consistent way. It describes the location choice of different types of agents and captures the interplay between agglomeration and dispersion forces in determining the spatial equilibrium. The model is also dynamic as it allows for the accumulation of factors of production, human capital and technology. This makes RHOMOLO particularly suited for simulating policy scenario related to the EU cohesion policy and for the analysis of its impact on the regions and the Member States of the union.     

Pop sociology and the psychotherapist.

Suggests that G. W. Albee (see record 1977-29846-001) holds a model of a psychotherapist as one who loosens inhibitions and frees sensuality. It is suggested that psychotherapy actually attempts to integrate all impulses and realities within a value or philosophic context, not a context of hedonistic sensuality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A theoretical and empirical integration of the rational-emotive and classical conditioning theories.

Tested the assumptions of A. Ellis's ABC theory of psychopathology, which relates implicit verbalizations to emotional arousal. The theory is recast in a developmental conditioning framework which becomes the basis for criticism of a previous study by D. C. Rimm and S. G. Litvak (see record 1969-09037-001) of these assumptions. An empirical replication and extension was conducted, in which 5 hypotheses were derived and tested, using 40 female undergraduates as Ss. Sentence dyads, relevance of content, and neuroticism were manipulated. Response measures were galvanic skin conductance, respiration rate, and respiration depth. Only the galvanic skin response (GSR) measure differentiated the responses of the experimental Ss (with emotionally loaded stimuli) from those of control Ss (with neutral stimuli). The ABC theory was supported by the GSR measure on 3 of the 5 hypotheses under investigation. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thermal Conductivity of a Glass: I. Measurement by the Glass–Metal Contact

The thermal (phonon) conductivity of glass has been measured by contacting the sample with a metal at a different uniform initial temperature. The subsequent temperature response in the metal is measured by a tiny thermocouple just underneath the (contact) surface. The coefficient of heat penetration c _p follows directly from the fitted asymptotic temperature jump or drop for long times. Division by the separately measured heat capacity c _p yields the thermal conductivity . The conductivity measurement reproducibility was = 3%. The standard deviation between validation measurements and round robin test results on Pyrex glass was = 5.8%, somewhat more than the accuracy = 5.2% of the round robin test results. The measurement method is insensible for slight imperfections of the thermal contact and infrared radiation diffusion (photon conductivity) in a hot glass. The method has been used with minor modifications for solid and molten samples at temperatures of 50–850°C and conductivities of 0.1–25 W/(m K). The thermal (phonon) conductivity of the investigated soda-lime silicate glasses increases slightly (27–30%) with temperature from ambient up to around the glass transition.     

High efficiency, long-term clinical expression of cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) DNA in rabbit skin following particle-mediated DNA transfer

The ability of skin to support long lasting expression of genes delivered with a particle-mediated system was evaluated in rabbits inoculated with cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) DNA. The optimal delivery force for maximal gene expression in rabbit skin was determined in transient beta-galactosidase assays. Forty-five sites in four rabbits were then inoculated at 350-400 p.s.i. with CRPV DNA. All sites (100%) formed papillomas with multiple papillomas at most sites. These results support the feasibility of using a particle-mediated delivery system for gene therapy and suggest that some papillomavirus features, such an origin of replication, may be well suited for use in vectors to target long term expression to skin.