Bacterial spores in spices and dried herbs: The risks for processed food

Production and world consumption of spices are constantly increasing. Although the antimicrobial properties of some spices are well documented, their use in the agri-food industry is also responsible for microbial contamination and spoilage. Bacterial spores introduced by spices can withstand different preparation processes, particularly thermal treatments, leading to food alterations during storage. This review brings together data from the literature about the prevalence and concentrations of spore-forming bacteria in all commercially available spices. The sporeformers found in spices belong mainly to the genera Bacillus and Clostridium. Such contaminations are very common and sometimes reach high levels, as in pepper and turmeric. Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus cereus are the most frequently detected species. Studying the harvesting, processing, and storage procedures for spices provides elements to explain why high prevalence and concentrations are observed. Spices are mostly produced in developing countries on small farms using traditional production methods. Spices become contaminated by bacterial spores in two main ways: by contact with soil during harvesting or drying, as for pepper, or by cross-contamination during the water-cooking step, as for turmeric. From these observations, we propose some recommendations. Different methods that can be used to eliminate bacterial spores from spices are presented indicating their efficiency and the limitations of their use.     

Modelization of the whispering gallery mode in microgear resonators using the Floquet-Bloch formalism

In this paper, a two-dimensional (2-D) method describing the whispering gallery mode in a microgear resonator is presented. The microgear is a microdisk surrounded by a circular grating. The method, which is based on the Floquet-Bloch formalism, analytically describes the field within the disk and outside the grating. On the other hand, the field within the grating is calculated using a finite-difference scheme in polar coordinates. Matching the boundary conditions, it is possible to work in a forced oscillation regime or in a free oscillation regime (laser mode). The resonant wavelength and quality factor can then be deduced. Compared to the coupled mode theory and to 2-D finite-difference time-domain computations, the method is faster and more accurate. Moreover, a polarization effect of the microgear is demonstrated. The TE polarization experiences a Q-factor improvement contrary to TM polarization. Finally, microgear structures prove to be more efficient than micro flowers.     

Trends in family psychology.

Presents an overview of the recent past, the present, and anticipated future trends in the field of family psychology (i.e., the scientific study of the family in terms of its historical forms and variations; structure and functioning across time, space, culture, and generations; and idiosyncratic and systems attributes). Areas discussed include availability of graduate education in family psychology, internship availability, postgraduate training opportunities, clinical practice, research and publications, ethical and legal concerns, credentialing, and impact on other family therapy organizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Novel optimized tree-based stack-type architecture for 2n-bit comparator at nanoscale with energy dissipation analysis

Comparator is an essential building block in many digital circuits such as biometric authentication, data sorting, and exponents comparison in floating-point architectures among others. Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) is a latest nanotechnology that overcomes the drawbacks of Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology. In this paper, novel area optimized 2n-bit comparator architecture is proposed. To achieve the objective, 1-bit stack-type and 4-bit tree-based stack-type (TB-ST) comparators are proposed using QCA. Then, two tree-based architectures of 4-bit comparators are arranged in two layers to optimize the number of quantum cells and area of an 8-bit comparator. Thus, this design can be extended to any 2n-bit comparator. Simulation results of 4-bit and 8-bit comparators using QCADesigner 2.0.3 show that there is a significant improvement in the number of quantum cells and area occupancy. The proposed TB-ST 8-bit comparator uses 2.5 clock cycles and 622 quantum cells with area occupancy of 0.49 µm² which is an improvement by 10.5% and 38%, respectively, compared to existing designs. Scaling it to a 32-bit comparator, the proposed architecture requires only 2675 quantum cells in an area of 2.05 µm² with a delay of 3.5 clock cycles, indicating 9.35% and 28.8% improvements, respectively, demonstrating the merit of the proposed architecture. Besides, energy dissipation analysis of the proposed TB-ST 8-bit comparator is simulated on QCADesigner-E tool, indicating average energy dissipation reduction of 17.3% compared to existing works.

     

In Silico Logical Modelling to Uncover Cooperative Interactions in Cancer

The multistep development of cancer involves the cooperation between multiple molecular lesions, as well as complex interactions between cancer cells and the surrounding tumour microenvironment. The search for these synergistic interactions using experimental models made tremendous contributions to our understanding of oncogenesis. Yet, these approaches remain labour-intensive and challenging. To tackle such a hurdle, an integrative, multidisciplinary effort is required. In this article, we highlight the use of logical computational models, combined with experimental validations, as an effective approach to identify cooperative mechanisms and therapeutic strategies in the context of cancer biology. In silico models overcome limitations of reductionist approaches by capturing tumour complexity and by generating powerful testable hypotheses. We review representative examples of logical models reported in the literature and their validation. We then provide further analyses of our logical model of Epithelium to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), searching for additional cooperative interactions involving inputs from the tumour microenvironment and gain of function mutations in NOTCH.     

A study of the plasma lipoproteins and the tissue lipids of the migrating lamprey,Mordacia mordax

Sea lampreys,Mordacia mordax, were collected in spring from the Yarra River, Victoria, during their upstream spawning migration, to study the lipid composition in their tissues and plasma and their lipid transport system. Plasma lipoproteins were isolated by preparative ultracentrifugation and their chemical compositions were analyzed. The major classes of lipoproteins were found to be similar to those of man and higher animals. Lipids from the muscle and liver were analyzed for fatty acids. The striking feature of the lipids in the migrating lamprey is the presence of very high levels of cholesterol in both plasma and muscle. The possible metabolic roles of cholesterol have been discussed.     

Free radical grafting of glycidyl methacrylate onto polypropylene in a co-rotating twin screw extruder

Free radical grafting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto molten polypropylene (PP) was studied in a co-rotating twin screw extruder. Grafting yields of GMA obtained under various experimental conditions along the screw length allowed for a good appreciation of the effects of chemical parameters (the presence of styrene and the concentrations of peroxide and monomers) and those of processing parameters (feed rate, screw speed, and specific throughput). Similar to the results obtained in a batch mixer,¹ free radical grafting of GMA carried out in the extruder in the presence or absence of styrene proceeded rapidly, as it was virtually completed half-way down stream of the extruder. Additionally, the presence of styrene as a second monomer increased the GMA grafting yield reatly with reduced PP chain degradation. The ultimate GMA grafting yield increased with increasing concentration of peroxide, 1,3-bis(tert-butylperoxyisopropyl)benzene. This similarity between the batch mixer and the extruder is related to the fact that in both cases it is the concentration of the peroxide and its half lifetime that determine the grafting rate and the ultimate grafting yield. On the othe hand, the GMA grafting yield decreased with increasing screw speed or feed rate. For a particular specific throughput (the ratio of throughput to screw speed), an increase in throughput with a concomitant increase in screw speed brought about a decrease in GMA grafting yield. It was concluded that the GMA grafting yield is affected primarily by the residence time in the zone in which free radicals are not depleted. The effects of screw speed, feed rate, and specific throughput manifest mainly through this local residence time distribution. Specific energy is not a good measure of the performance of the extruder with respect to the free radical rafting of GMA onto PP. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.