Lipidomic Analysis of Plasma from Healthy Men and Women Shows Phospholipid Class and Molecular Species Differences between Sexes

The phospholipid composition of lipoproteins is determined by the specificity of hepatic phospholipid biosynthesis. Plasma phospholipid 20:4n-6 and 22:6n-3 concentrations are higher in women than in men. We used this sex difference in a lipidomics analysis of the impact of endocrine factors on the phospholipid class and molecular species composition of fasting plasma from young men and women. Diester species predominated in all lipid classes measured. 20/54 Phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) species were alkyl ester, 15/48 phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) species were alkyl ester, and 12/48 PtdEtn species were alkenyl ester. There were no significant differences between sexes in the proportions of alkyl PtdCho species. The proportion of alkyl ester PtdEtn species was greater in women than men, while the proportion of alkenyl ester PtdEtn species was greater in men than women. None of the phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) or phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) molecular species contained ether-linked fatty acids. The proportion of PtdCho16:0_22:6, and the proportions of PtdEtn O-16:0_20:4 and PtdEtn O-18:2_20:4 were greater in women than men. There were no sex differences in PtdIns and PtdSer molecular species compositions. These findings show that plasma phospholipids can be modified by sex. Such differences in lipoprotein phospholipid composition could contribute to sexual dimorphism in patterns of health and disease.     

The control of sea lice in Atlantic salmon by selective breeding

Sea lice threaten the welfare of farmed Atlantic salmon and the sustainability of fish farming across the world. Chemical treatments are the major method of control but drug resistance means that alternatives are urgently needed. Selective breeding can be a cheap and effective alternative. Here, we combine experimental trials and diagnostics to provide a practical protocol for quantifying resistance to sea lice. We then combined quantitative genetics with epidemiological modelling to make the first prediction of the response to selection, quantified in terms of reduced need for chemical treatments. We infected over 1400 young fish with Lepeophtheirus salmonis, the most important species in the Northern Hemisphere. Mechanisms of resistance were expressed early in infection. Consequently, the number of lice per fish and the ranking of families were very similar at 7 and 17 days post infection, providing a stable window for assessing susceptibility to infection. The heritability of lice numbers within this time window was moderately high at 0.3, confirming that selective breeding is viable. We combined an epidemiological model of sea lice infection and control on a salmon farm with genetic variation in susceptibility among individuals. We simulated 10 generations of selective breeding and examined the frequency of treatments needed to control infection. Our model predicted that substantially fewer chemical treatments are needed to control lice outbreaks in selected populations and chemical treatment could be unnecessary after 10 generations of selection. Selective breeding for sea lice resistance should reduce the impact of sea lice on fish health and thus substantially improve the sustainability of Atlantic salmon production.     

The influence of viewing distance on subjective impairment assessment

In this paper, the influence of viewing distance on subjective assessment of the impairment in video sequences is investigated. Subjective tests using the double-stimulus impairment scale variant II (DSIS II) method have been conducted at viewing distances of 5H (where H stands for the screen height) and 3H, respectively. Several statistical measures have been used to analyze the influence, including correlations and ANOVA (analysis of variance) tests. The results reveal that there is a very high correlation between the subjective scores, the variances are similar under the two viewing distances, the means of subjective data at these two viewing distances are the same, and there is no interaction between the viewing distance and the other two factors, i.e., the codec system and the source sequence. Throughout the tests, there is no evidence that a closer viewing distance such as 3H will vary the subjective test result statistically significantly.     

The impact of roasting on the ochratoxin A content of coffee

Roasting coffee led to a drop in the ochratoxin A (OTA) concentration, as measured by the reference method, especially for dark type roasts. The way the beverage was prepared also affected the OTA content, which could paradoxically be higher than that of the initial roasted coffee. Assays on the thermal stability of pure OTA showed that it ought to be found in larger quantities in roasted coffee. This suggested that OTA was masked by reactions with the substrate during roasting. The absence of OTA in green coffee is therefore the best guarantee of safety.     

Unicode Steganographic Exploits: Maintaining Enterprise Border Security

Unicode is rapidly becoming the preferred means for representing symbols used in creating multimedia content, especially for information that's presented in multiple languages. This article discusses a unicode vulnerability that makes such content susceptible to being used for creation of covert channel communications. We also developed a solution architecture, the unified secure message augmentation (USMA) service. The USMA service incorporates rules (in an XML vocabulary) that we can apply to unicode transmissions that will detect an attempt to transmit a potential exploit, alert network managers to the presence of the unicode anomaly, and take action to mitigate the exploit.     

Designing the world we live in

Engineering designers, who decide the physical shape and technical features of the built world, tend to forget that their predecessors have been making design decisions for hundreds of years. This paper gives several historical examples of design experience which can supply useful insights today, because the essential nature of engineering has not changed.Adapted from: Eugene S. Ferguson,Engineering and the Mind's Eye. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1992     

Measurement and prediction of pressure drop in two-phase flow

Experimental data for air–water two-phase co-current flow in two different pipe diameters were used to test the prediction of pressure drop by a number of existing theories and correlations. Several models are shown to be useful for prediction, particularly with the stratified regimes which have proved difficult to handle in the past. The model suggested by Olujic proved to be of particular value.     

Effect of surface boundary on neuronal magnetic stimulation

The effect of the surface boundary between free space and a conducting medium on the excitation properties of neurons by magnetic fields are analyzed. The electric field and the spatial derivative of the induced field generated by a coil mounted both parallel and perpendicular to the surface of a semi-infinite conducting medium were calculated using the method of images. An imaginary axon is located in the same relative position from the coil in both configurations and the excitation properties are compared. The calculations are expressed in terms of the activating function for the electrical stimulation of axons. The calculations indicate that the activating function for magnetic stimulation is biphasic as opposed to triphasic for electrical stimulation. The large spatial extent of the magnetically induced electric field compared to the electric field generated by point source electrode suggests a different mode of excitation for neuronal structures in the CNS. The field distribution have been verified experimentally and are important for the understanding of the mechanisms of magnetic stimulation of neural tissue.     

Incremental transmission logic: The kinematics of the quadriratio stage

The paper discusses the basic component of a mechanical incremental transmission system. It is called a quadriratio stage because it is capable of four distinct gear ratios. Several stages can be combined to provide a wide gear-ratio range. The paper concludes with a design example showing a 9:1 to 1:1 range transmission having 64 gear ratios.