The heat treatment and the gelation are strong determinants of the kinetics of milk proteins digestion and of the peripheral availability of amino acids

This study aimed to determine the kinetics of milk protein digestion and amino acid absorption after ingestion of four dairy matrices by six minipigs: unheated or heated skim milk and corresponding rennet gels. Digestive contents and plasma samples were collected over a 7 h-period after meal ingestion. Gelation of milk slowed down the outflow of the meal from the stomach and the subsequent absorption of amino acids, and decreased their bioavailability in peripheral blood. The gelled rennet matrices also led to low levels of milk proteins at the duodenum. Caseins and β-lactoglobulin, respectively, were sensitive and resistant to hydrolysis in the stomach with the unheated matrices, but showed similar digestion with the heated matrices, with a heat-induced susceptibility to hydrolysis for β-lactoglobulin. These results suggest a significant influence of the meal microstructure (resulting from heat treatment) and macrostructure (resulting from gelation process) on the different steps of milk proteins digestion.     

Analyzing furnace-lining integrity using nodal wear modeling

The Nodal Wear Model was developed to systematize the analysis of corrosion phenomena on refractory and ceramic materials that come in contact with corrosive fluids in furnace linings. The model is based on the determination of the thermal field in the furnace lining using a finite-element-method grid in which a second grid is defined to represent the surface of the lining that is attacked by the molten phases. Using a control equation for the wear-corrosion thermal-activated phenomena, a modification of the geometry is introduced and a new geometry is defined to restart the calculation. For more information, contact Roberto A. Parra, Universidad de Concepción-Chile Departamento de Ingeniería Metalúrgica, Edmundo Larenas 285, Concepcion, Chile; +56-41-20-46-63; fax +56-41-22-00-45; e-mail rparra@udec.cl.     

Artistic design with fractal matrices

A simple recursive procedure that grows integer matrices with a fractal nature is presented. Colorful translations of subsets of these matrices produce aesthetically appealing patterns that extend the, known classes of fractal images. This is illustrated with several examples.     

Cloning, sequence and regulation of expression of the lexA gene of Aeromonas hydrophila

In the United Kingdom the national quality assessment scheme (NEQAS) in haematology organizes regular surveys for blood counts, blood films, reticulocyte counts, cytochemistry, identification of abnormal haemoglobins, HbA2 and HbF quantitation, G6PD screening tests, assays of serum vitamin B12, folate and ferritin. For most tests there has been significant reduction in inter-laboratory variance despite occasional blunders. This illustrates the role of NEQAS in improving the standard of laboratory practice in the UK. The problems in equating analysis of NEQAS survey materials with routine laboratory specimen are discussed.     

User-oriented data base management systems and their selection

Data base management systems, introduced in the early 1970s, are accepted tools in the development of application systems in industry and government today. More recently, user-oriented data base management systems (UDBMSs) have been developed for smaller computers and as part of general purpose statistical analysis packages. This paper describes the basic concepts and potential of a UDBMS. principal criteria in UDBMS selection, and introduces common systems in use.     

Does switching to low tar/nicotine/carbon-monoxide-yield cigarettes decrease alveolar carbon monoxide measures? A randomized controlled trial.

Assessed the effects of changing to low tar/nicotine/carbon-monoxide-(CO)-yield cigarettes on alveolar carbon monoxide over a 5–6 wk period for 40 adult chronic smokers of high tar/nicotine/CO cigarettes. Ss were assigned to either a 5-wk step-wise brand-reduction treatment or to a delayed-treatment control group. Ss were assessed for (a) resting CO body burden and CO uptake per cigarette and (b) smoking topography and rate. Although CO uptake was significantly lower after Ss smoked low tar/nicotine/CO cigarettes than after smoking their original brand, resting CO body burden did not change. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High-Temperature Containerless Viscosity Measurement by Gas-Film Levitation

The gas levitation process development program has, so far, been focused mainly on contact-free manipulation, on molding and shaping of liquids, on high-temperature contact-free treatment, and on shaping and solidification of interesting materials for scientific and technical purposes. Recently proposed by Parayre for viscosity measurements, this process eliminates the perturbing effects of the container, in particular, that of crystallization when studying supercooled liquids. The method consists of extracting viscosity values from the damped decay of perturbed liquid drops floating on a gas-film. An apparatus has been designed and developed for viscosity values higher than 1 Pa·s and at temperatures up to 2000°C. The method was applied to a silicate glass of industrial interest containing 70 wt% per cent of SiO₂, with viscosities ranging from 10² to 10⁶ Pa·s. Experimental results are compared with the Vogel–Fulcher–Tamann law for viscosity predictions. This paper demonstrates the industrial and scientific interest of this new method for viscosity determinations, which can be used for the working and softening points of any glass. These results may lead to a better understanding of network-forming or network-modifying behavior in oxide glasses.     

Ultrafine Grained HSLA Steels for Cold Forming

 This research shows, through the analysis of three steels that comply with the EN 10149-2 Euronorm, examples of ultrafine grained (or ultrafine ferrite) ferrous alloys, with ASTM grain sizes close to 14 (2 3 m). These steels are microalloyed with Ti-Nb and have been produced by advanced hot rolling controlled techniques in the factories of ArcelorMittal de Avilés (Asturias, Spain) and are mostly used in automotive and construction applications. By comparison, other techniques to obtain ultrafine grained steels are mentioned, though they have not yet reached the industrial level and are produced in laboratories due to the fact that their mechanical properties (low strain hardening coefficient "n") don't allow cold working operations such as bending, stretching nor drawing.     

Structural Ultrafine Grained Steels Obtained by Advanced Controlled Rolling

Steels with ultrafine grains (lower than 5 μm), which usually known as ultrafine ferrite or ultrafine grained materials, are presently the object of intense research, because of the improvement in resistance and fracture toughness they may reach compared to conventional steels (with grain sizes above this value). It is shown that the forenamed steels designated in the Euronorm EN 10149-2, which are manufactured by advanced techniques of controlled rolling and mainly used in automotive industry, have an ultrafine grain size in the range of 2.5 to 3.5 μm, and with elastic yield stresses higher than 400 MPa. Based on the Morrison-Miller criterion, it is shown that values of the strain-hardening coefficient lower than 0.08 would make the industrial application of these steels unfeasible.