Filtration Efficiency of Functionalized Ceramic Foam Filters for Aluminum Melt Filtration

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B - The influence of filter surface chemistry on the filtration efficiency of cast aluminum alloys was evaluated for four different filter coating...     

Iceberg lettuce as suggested source of a nationwide outbreak caused by two Salmonella serotypes, Newport and Reading, in Finland in 2008

A nationwide outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotypes Newport and Reading occurred between 17 October and 28 November 2008 in Finland. A total of 77 culture-confirmed Salmonella Newport and 30 Salmonella Reading cases, including one case with a double infection, were reported. All strains isolated from the patients were subtyped using serotyping, microbial resistance profiling, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Here, the PFGE patterns of the studied Salmonella Newport strains were identical, whereas four different PFGE profiles were found among the Salmonella Reading strains. Two elderly patients died within 2 weeks of the onset of symptoms. Three geographical clusters of cases with an epidemiological link were identified. The traceback investigation suggested that the factor connecting the cases was ready-chopped iceberg lettuce available for mass catering use. However, none of the tested food, environmental samples, or the samples taken from the staff of the processing plant contained Salmonella bacteria. Tracing back to outbreak sources with a short shelf life can be complex.     

Prevalence and genetic diversity of Listeria monocytogenes in the tonsils of pigs

This study was set up to establish the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in the tonsils of sows and fattening pigs from five Finnish slaughterhouses and to evaluate the genetic similarity of L. monocytogenes strains isolated from the tonsils. A total of 271 pig tonsils (132 tonsils from fattening pigs and 139 from sows) from five different slaughterhouses in various parts of Finland were studied from June 1999 to March 2000. Overall, 14 and 4% of pig tonsils harbored L. monocytogenes and Listeria innocua, respectively. The prevalence of L. monocytogenes in tonsils of fattening pigs (22%) was significantly higher than in sows (6%). The isolates (n = 38) recovered from tonsils showed a wide genetic diversity by means of 24 different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) types presented by the strains. Moreover, in numerical analyses of restriction patterns, no association was found between the clustering of strains and the slaughterhouses, and strains showing a similar PFGE type were recovered from pigs of different slaughterhouses. The high prevalence of L. monocytogenes showing various PFGE types in the tonsils of pigs could indicate a potential source of contamination of pluck sets, carcasses, and the slaughterhouse environment and of subsequent processing steps.     

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis with limited genetic diversity is a common finding in tonsils of fattening pigs

A total of 425 pig tonsils, including 210 tonsils from fattening pigs and 215 from sows, from seven different abattoirs in Finland were studied for the occurrence of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis from 1999 to 2000. The mean prevalence of Y. pseudotuberculosis in fattening pig tonsils was 4%, varying from 0 to 10% between slaughterhouses. Y. pseudotuberculosis was not recovered from sow tonsils. All 30 Y. pseudotuberculosis isolates from eight pig tonsils were recovered after cold enrichment. Seventeen isolates from seven tonsils were found after cold enrichment for 14 days, followed by alkali treatment. Y. pseudotuberculosis was not isolated after direct plating, overnight enrichment, or selective enrichment. All 30 isolates belonged to bioserotype 2/0:3 and carried the virF gene in the virulence plasmid. The isolates exhibited calcium dependence and Congo red absorption. The pyrazinamidase test gave variable results. All isolates were characterized with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Using SpeI, NotI, and XbaI enzymes, seven, five, and two different PFGE patterns were obtained, respectively. A total of 11 genotypes, gI to gXI, identified by a combination of the various SpeI, NotI, and XbaI profiles, were detected. Three pigs were found to carry more than one genotype. Overall, variations between PFGE patterns were small, indicating genetic homogeneity among pig strains of bioserotype 2/0:3.     

Use of near-infrared radiation for oxygenic photosynthesis via photon up-conversion

Radiation between 400 and 700 nm, used for oxygenic photosynthesis by cyanobacteria, algae and plants, represents only 44% of total solar energy while the range above 700 nm comprises 52%. An ability to use near infrared (NIR, 700–1200 nm) radiation would greatly improve the efficiency of photosynthesis, but NIR photons have too low energy to excite the photosystems of oxygenic photosynthesis. Here we show that a mechanism called photon up-conversion can turn NIR radiation into an energy source for photosynthesis. In the future, it may be possible to up-convert the NIR part of the solar energy flux to visible light for use in photo-induced biohydrogen production by oxygenic photosynthesis.     

Tissue biocompatibility of new biodegradable drug-eluting stent materials

Drug-eluting stents are a recent innovation for endovascular and endourethral purposes. The aim of this study was to assess the biocompatibility of new biodegradable drug-eluting stent materials in vivo. Rods made of SR-PLDLA (self-reinforced poly-96l,4d-lactic acid) covered with P(50l/50d)LA and rods made of 96l/4D SR-PLA and covered with P(50l/50d)LA including indomethacin 3.3 μg/mm² or dexamethasone 1.5 μg/mm², were inserted into the dorsal muscles of 20 rabbits serving as test animals. Rods made of silicone and organotin-positive polyvinylchloride were used as negative and positive controls. The animals were sacrificed after 1 week, 1 month, 2 months or 4 months. Histological changes attributable to the operative trauma were seen in all specimens at 1 week and 1 month. At 2 months both dexamethasone and indomethacin induced less fibrosis than the plain SR-PLDLA covered with P(50l/50d)LA without drug. At 4 months dexamethasone induced both chronic inflammatory changes and foreign body reaction, whereas the reactions in the indomethacin and drug-free plain SR-PLDLA groups were insignificant. The new biodegradable drug-eluting stent materials are highly biocompatible. Drug-eluting biodegradable stents may offer a promising new treatment modality for vascular and urethral diseases. However, further studies are needed to demonstrate their feasibility and efficacy.     

Leaf and root litter of a legume tree as nitrogen sources for cacaos with different root colonisation by arbuscular mycorrhizae

Traditionally cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is cultivated under legume shade trees, which produce N-rich litter that improves soil organic matter content, microbial activity, and recycles N to the crop. Arbuscular mycorrhiza forming fungi (AMF) are known to play an important role in plant nutrient uptake, yet their role in plant N uptake from organic residues in tropical agroforestry systems is not clear. We studied root and leaf litter of the legume shade tree Inga edulis Mart. as a source of N for cacao and the importance of AMF colonisation in the uptake of litter N under controlled conditions. Leaf and root litter of I. edulis enriched with ¹⁵N was added to cacao pots filled with field soil. Half of the cacao saplings were AMF-inoculated and the soil of non-inoculated saplings was treated with fungicide to suppress AMF. During the 10-week experiment, young cacao leaves were sampled for ¹⁵N analyses and at the end of the experiment whole plants were harvested. Microbial populations in the soil were determined using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis, and AMF structures in the roots were quantified. Fungicide treatment decreased AMF structures in roots and increased bacterial populations, but did not affect the decomposition rate of either litter type. Inoculated and non-inoculated cacao saplings used 2.6 and 2.1%, respectively, of N added to the pots in leaf litter and 12.1 and 7.1% of N available in root litter indicating that root litter of I. edulis may be a more efficient N source than leaf litter for cacao. Although the fungicide treatment did not completely suppress AMF in non-inoculated pots, it created sufficient contrast in root AMF colonisation for concluding that AMF significantly enhanced cacao N use from both litter types. The role of root litter of shade trees as a N source in agroforestry should not be neglected.     

Stereochemistry of the hydroperoxides formed during autoxidation of CLA methyl ester in the presence of α-tocopherol

The initial steps in the autoxidation of CLA methyl ester are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine the stereochemistry of the hydroperoxides formed during autoxidation of CLA methyl ester in the presence of a good hydrogen atom donor. For this purpose, 9-cis, 11-trans CLA methyl ester was autoxidized in the presence of α-tocopherol under atmospheric oxygen at 40°C in the dark. The CLA methyl ester hydroperoxides were isolated, reduced to the corresponding hydroxy derivatives, and separated by HPLC. The stereochemistry of seven hydroxy-CLA methyl esters was investigated. The position of the hydroxy group was determined by GC-MS. The geometry as well as the position of the double bonds in the alkyl chain was determined by NMR. In addition, the ¹³C NMR spectra of six hydroxy-CLA methyl esters were assigned using COSY, gradient heteronuclear multiple bond correlation, gradient heteronuclear single quantum correlation, and total correlation spectroscopy experiments. The autoxidation of 9-cis, 11-trans CLA methyl ester in the presence of a good hydrogen atom donor is stereoselective in favor of one geometric isomer, namely the 13-(R,S)-hydroperoxy-9-cis, 11-trans-octadecadienoic acid methyl ester. Three types of conjugated diene hydroperoxides are formed as primary hydroperoxides: trans,trans hydroperoxides (12-OOH-8t,10t and 9-OOH-10t,12t), a cis,trans hydroperoxide with the trans double bond adjacent to the hydroperoxide-bearing carbon atom (13-OOH-9c,11t), and a new type of cis,trans lipid hydroperoxide with the cis double bond adjacent to the hydroperoxide-bearing carbon atom (8-OOH-9c,11t). In addition, three nonkinetic hydroperoxides (13-OOH-9t,11t, 8-OOH-9t,11t, and 9-OOH-10t,12c) are formed. This study supports the theory that CLA methyl ester autoxidizes at least partly through an autocatalytic free radical reaction. The complexity of the hydroperoxide mixture is due to formation of two different pentadienyl radicals. Moreover, the stereoslectivity in favor of one geometric isomer can be explained by the selectivity of the two previous steps: the preferential formation of a W-conformer of the pentadienyl radical over the Z-conformer, and regioselectivity of the oxygen addition to the pentadienyl radical.