Traditional fermented foods and beverages in Burundi

Several traditional fermented foods and beverages are produced at the household level in Burundi. These include milk products (urubu, amateregua and amavuta), cereal and banana-based beverages (Urwarwa, Isongo, Impeke and Kanyanga) and cassava-based fermented foods (Ikivunde, Inyange, Imikembe and Ubswage). Literature on Burundian fermented foods and beverages is non-existent. Therefore, the objective of this review is to document the methods by which these Burundian foods and beverages are produced and to devise scientific means to improve their quality and optimize their production methods.     

Physical localization of the flocculation gene FLO1 on chromosome I of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The genetics of flocculation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are poorly understood despite the importance of this property for strains used in industry. To be able to study the regulation of flocculation in yeast, one of the genes involved, FLO1, has been partially cloned. The identity of the gene was confirmed by the non-flocculent phenotype of cells in which the C-terminal part of the gene had been replaced by the URA3 gene. Southern blots and genetic crosses showed that the URA3 gene had integrated at the expected position on chromosome I. A region of approximately 2 kb in the middle of the FLO1 gene was consistently deleted during propagation in Escherichia coli and could not be isolated. Plasmids containing the incomplete gene, however, were still able to cause weak flocculation in a nonflocculent strain. The 3′ end of the FLO1 gene was localized at approximately 24 kb from the right end of chromosome I, 20 kb centromere-proximal to PHO11. Most of the newly isolated chromosome I sequences also hybridized to chromosome VIII DNA, thus extending the homology between the right end of chromosome I and chromosome VIII to approximately 28 kb.     

Thermische Behandlung von Sonderabfällen

Thermal treatment of special wastes . The incineration of waste is a proven process with known ecological consequences and is economically viable especially for large scale plant. The original ambitious objectives of the pyrolytic process have been considerably revised after the developments in this area failed to live up to many expectations or were found to be economically non-viable. The combustion of chlorinated hydrocarbons on the high seas is ecologically safe. The processes discussed in this paper demonstrate that the development of thermal processes for the treatment of industrial wastes is by no means complete. This also applies to numerous other processes not discussed here.     

Transport facilities and residential choice behavior: A model of multi-person choice processes

The aim of this paper is to gain further insight into the way in which residential location choice behavior is related to the existence of public transport facilities and to distance to the workplace. More specifically, the objectives of this paper are twofold. The first objective is to gain more insight into the influence of the characteristics of residential locations on residential location choice behavior. The selected characteristics are related to three aspects: (a) the residence itself (dwelling type, costs, type of neighborhood); (b) the transportation facilities in the residential neighborhood (frequency of bus services, availability of railway station, accessibility to main road system); and (c) the travel time from the residential location to the workplace (car, public transportation, and bike). The second objective is to test a model of joint (multi-person) decision making behavior. The results of this research indicate that the preference for a particular residential location is highly dependent on the characteristics of the dwelling and its environment, and to a lesser extent on the travel time to the workplace. The characteristics pertaining to transportation facilities seem to be less important. These results imply that transportation policy is not necessarily an effective instrument to influence residential choice behavior and the associated mobility.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 31st European Congress of the RSAI, Lisbon, Portugal, August 1991.     

Effect of a weight loss intervention on anthropometric measures and metabolic risk factors in pre- versus postmenopausal women

Background

The present study examines changes in body weight, fat mass, metabolic and hormonal parameters in overweight and obese pre- and postmenopausal women who participated in a weight loss intervention.

Methods

Seventy-two subjects were included in the analysis of this single arm study (premenopausal: 22 women, age 43.7 ± 6.4 years, BMI 31.0 ± 2.4 kg/m²; postmenopausal: 50 women, age 58.2 ± 5.1 years, BMI 32.9 ± 3.7 kg/m²). Weight reduction was achieved by the use of a meal replacement and fat-reduced diet. In addition, from week 6 to 24 participants attended a guided exercise program. Body composition was analyzed with the Bod Pod^®. Blood pressures were taken at every visit and blood was collected at baseline and closeout of the study to evaluate lipids, insulin, cortisol and leptin levels.

Results

BMI, fat mass, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, glucose, leptin and cortisol were higher in the postmenopausal women at baseline. Both groups achieved a substantial and comparable weight loss (pre- vs. postmenopausal: 6.7 ± 4.9 vs 6.7 ± 4.4 kg; n.s.). However, in contrast to premenopausal women, weight loss in postmenopausal women was exclusively due to a reduction of fat mass (-5.3 ± 5.1 vs -6.6 ± 4.1 kg; p < 0.01). In premenopausal women 21% of weight loss was attributed to a reduction in lean body mass. Blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, and glucose improved significantly only in postmenopausal women whereas total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were lowered significantly in both groups.

Conclusion

Both groups showed comparable weight loss and in postmenopausal women weight loss was associated with a pronounced improvement in metabolic risk factors thereby reducing the prevalence of metabolic syndrome.     

Variability of geotechnical parameters of lateritic gravels overlying contrasted metamorphic rocks in a tropical humid area (Cameroon): implications for road construction

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - The variability of the geotechnical properties of lateritic gravels developed on metamorphic rocks from the same clay protolith and of a nearby...     

Spatiotemporal sequencing processes of pedestrians in urban retail environments

In this article, the authors determine the extent to which several decision heuristics are present in pedestrians' spatial shopping behavior in downtown retail environments. Two factors, length of the observed route and observed sequence in which destinations are visited, were used to define temporal heuristics. Further, two spatial heuristics were investigated: the tendency of some pedestrians to choose first the destination farthest away from the point they entered the city center and the tendency of others to choose first the destination closest to their entry point. Empirical analysis demonstrated that only a small proportion of the pedestrians reveals optimal choice behavior.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 11th Pacific Conference, Singapore, July 1989.