Detection of Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase in the Skin of Blueberry and Cranberry Fruits

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) was extracted from the skin of individual berries and assayed spectrophotometrically under conditions minimizing interference from co-extracted constituents. Analyses for total anthocyanin (TAcy), soluble solids (SS), and titratable acidity (A) were performed on the same berries. In blueberry fruits, PAL activity was present at all maturity levels examined. Cultivar differences in anthocyanin accumulation were unrelated to PAL activity. PAL activity in cranberry fruit was unrelated to harvest date, cultivar differences in anthocyanin accumulation, or values of TAcy and SS/A in individual berries. Activity was retained in cranberries during 4 wk of refrigerated storage.     

Visualization of Splitting and Merging Processes

Information about objects that split or merge is often generated dynamically as a by-product of computation or in the observation of real-world behavior. Visualization tools for such processes must not only reveal temporal patterns and spatial organization but should also accommodate on-the-fly generation of split–merge information. This paper develops a formal structure for split–merge processes that provides a suitable underpinning for dynamic visualization tools. The structure allows split–merge processes to be constructed dynamically and supports operations such as concatenation and partitioning while maintaining the underlying split–merge structure. The paper also proposes a method for abstracting split–merge substructure to assist in the visualization of large systems. The abstractions can be used to produce visual simplification and to guide layout heuristics in producing better visualizations. The implications of visualizing split–merge processes with time lines are explored. Auxiliary visualization strategies based on dynamic boxes and tree rings are introduced to enhance information content of focus areas in larger time-line visualizations. The concepts are illustrated using data from timings of a network protocol and from the detection of patterns in scientific video data.     

EXPLAINING THE ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES IN THE UNITED STATES

Using a large national sample of U.S. cities the authors create an environmental policy index to explore the factors that explain the adoption and implementation of environmental policies at the local level. Using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate methods, these data indicate that cities with higher populations, more highly educated citizens, higher percentages of Hispanic residents, located in the West (and more specifically California), and that are central cities are more likely to engage in environmental policies. Furthermore, this article finds evidence of differences in engagement based upon the subarea of environmental protection examined.     

CAPACITY FOR SELF-DIRECTION.

A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF SELF-DESCRIPTIVE ESSAYS WRITTEN BY STUDENTS 13 OF WHOM WERE SUBSEQUENTLY SUCCESSFUL AND 11 UNSUCCESSFUL SS IN ATTAINING SELF-DIRECTED BEHAVIOR-CHANGE GOALS REVEALED: (1) HIGH-CHANGE SS MORE FREQUENTLY STATED GOALS, WITH IMPLICIT RECOGNITION THAT THE GOAL HAD NOT YET BEEN ATTAINED; (2) LOW-CHANGE SS MORE FREQUENTLY DESCRIBED THEMSELVES WITH LITTLE RECOGNITION OF ALTERNATIVE POSSIBILITIES, AND (3) LOW-CHANGE SS SHOWED MORE TENTATIVENESS AND UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THEMSELVES (IDENTITY DIFFUSION). THE FINDINGS WERE CROSS-VALIDATED IN A 2ND SAMPLE OF 9 SUCCESSFUL AND 22 UNSUCCESSFUL SS. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT SUCCESSFUL SELF-DIRECTED CHANGE IS MOTIVATED BY AWARENESS OF THE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE CREATED WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL COMMITS HIMSELF TO A VALUED GOAL THAT HE SEES AS DIFFERENT FROM HIS PRESENT BEHAVIOR. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A method of testing for irradiation of poultry

A method for the detection of irradiated poultry is described. For chicken, free radicals produced by ionizing radiation within the hard crystalline matrix of bone can be detected by the technique of electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. The ESR signal increases linearly with dose over the likely commercial range and is stable over the probable shelf-life under likely storage conditions. The lower limit of detection is equivalent to a radiation dose of 50 Gy. The test appears equally applicable to turkey, duck and goose.     

Metamodels of production line transient behaviour for sudden machine breakdowns

Production controls based on mean value analysis and steady-state conditions are incapable of making on-time decisions that cope with unexpected dynamic events which are due to interruptions in complex work flow characteristic of modern production lines. One of the most significant dynamic events in production situations is a sudden machine/operator breakdown/outage. Computer simulation is known to be a useful tool for modelling the dynamic response of a system to machine breakdown, but it takes too long to perform its analysis to provide the response time necessary for control procedures. Analytical methods provide formulae which are suitable for real-time analysis, but there are no results available for transient behaviour associated with machine breakdown. Metamodelling is the process of summarizing the results of a simulation study in analytical form. In this paper, we present our metamodels for the dynamic behaviour of both time in system and number in system for a general arrival time, general service time, multi-station, multi-server production line system. The formulae are exponential in nature and are developed through a study of first-order differential equations from system control theory. The constants used in our results are determined off-line through discrete-event simulation analysis. The metamodels themselves are available to on-line users as a predictor of parts that will be delayed because of breakdown(s) as a function of time in the future. The integrated approach of using simulation for modelling system details and analytic method for describing the revealed system transient behaviour is a powerful methodology for analysing large-scale production systems.     

Studies of Early Stages of Paste Hydration of Different Types of Portland Cements

The early stages of hydration of four different types of portland cements were studied by electron-optical and X-ray diffraction techniques. It was observed that, except for low-heat cement, very little ettringite formed up to 3 hours of hydration and that the alite present in the cements was more reactive than the laboratory form. Ettringite formed earlier in the low-heat cement than in other cements. Ettringite was found to be the stable sulfate-bearing phase in sulfateresistant cement, at least up to 30 months, although in other cements ettringite began to change to monosulfate by 14 days. Direct evidence was found for the formation of gypsum from either CaSO₄±0.5H₂O or soluble anhydrite in some cements.