Chinese melon (Momordica charantia L.) seed: Composition and potential use

Chinese melon (Momordica charantia L.), also known as bitter gourd, is a tropical crop, grown throughout Asian countries for use as food and medicinals. In 1993, four cultivars of Chinese melon were grown in Mississippi and the seeds were collected. Oil contents of the seeds ranged from 41 to 45% and the oils contained 63–68% eleostearic acid and 22–27% stearic acid. Industrially important tung oil, a “fast-drying oil” used in paints and varnishes, contains 90% eleostearic and 2–3% stearic acid. The ratio of stearic to eleostearic in Chinese melon seed oil is ten times greater than that in tung oil. The higher ratio should reduce the rate of drying and crosslinking and could be advantageous in the paint industry. The defatted meals contained 52–61% protein and would be a good source of methionine.     

eDNA Inactivation and Biofilm Inhibition by the PolymericBiocide Polyhexamethylene Guanidine Hydrochloride (PHMG-Cl)

The choice of effective biocides used for routine hospital practice should consider the role of disinfectants in the maintenance and development of local resistome and how they might affect antibiotic resistance gene transfer within the hospital microbial population. Currently, there is little understanding of how different biocides contribute to eDNA release that may contribute to gene transfer and subsequent environmental retention. Here, we investigated how different biocides affect the release of eDNA from mature biofilms of two opportunistic model strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 (PA) and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (SA) and contribute to the hospital resistome in the form of surface and water contaminants and dust particles. The effect of four groups of biocides, alcohols, hydrogen peroxide, quaternary ammonium compounds, and the polymeric biocide polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHMG-Cl), was evaluated using PA and SA biofilms. Most biocides, except for PHMG-Cl and 70% ethanol, caused substantial eDNA release, and PHMG-Cl was found to block biofilm development when used at concentrations of 0.5% and 0.1%. This might be associated with the formation of DNA–PHMG-Cl complexes as PHMG-Cl is predicted to bind to AT base pairs by molecular docking assays. PHMG-Cl was found to bind high-molecular DNA and plasmid DNA and continued to inactivate DNA on surfaces even after 4 weeks. PHMG-Cl also effectively inactivated biofilm-associated antibiotic resistance gene eDNA released by a pan-drug-resistant Klebsiella strain, which demonstrates the potential of a polymeric biocide as a new surface-active agent to combat the spread of antibiotic resistance in hospital settings.     

Integration of Public and Private Networks

As the designs of private automatic branch exchanges (PABX's) evolve towards "electronic offices" and incorporate aspects of the integrated services digital network (ISDN), public exchanges are themselves taking on functions that were often only found in private networks. It is therefore pertinent to question the status of the PABX as a node of the ISDN rather than as a mere customer terminal. With the present designs of PABX's, public exchanges, and the signaling systems employed, it is not possible to provide PABX extensions with all the facilities on the public network which are available to directly connected main-exchange subscribers, although facilities available over private networks continue to proliferate. This paper considers aspects of signaling via both public and private networks to ensure that there need be no restriction on the facilities offered.     

Physical function and perceived health: cohort differences and interrelationships in older people

Differences between seven-year birth cohorts in physical functioning (as measured by independence in activities of daily living) are compared with corresponding inter-cohort differences in perceived health, in people aged 75 years and over. Age-period-cohort models were fitted to two linked cross-sectional surveys undertaken in 1981 (N = 1,203) and 1988 (N = 1,579). The proportion of older people who were dependent in ADLs was lower in succeeding cohorts but, by contrast, the proportion with less than good self-perceived health was higher. These inter-cohort differences in perceived health were particularly marked for the comparison between 1981 and 1988 of men aged 75-81 years in the dependent subpopulation. Furthermore, self-perceived health remained as strong a predictor of mortality in 1988 as in 1981. Self-perceived health may be indexing a higher prevalence of mild chronic conditions in newer cohorts of older people, with implications for primary health care providers.     

Effects of supplemental shade on thermoregulatory response of calves to heat challenge in a hutch environment

Holstein (n = 12) and Guernsey (n = 6) calves, housed in hutches, were used to evaluate the complex relationships among external environment, housing microclimate, and thermal status of calves. The study was conducted during the summer; 9 calves were housed in hutches under supplemental shade, and 9 calves were maintained in hutches under direct sunlight. Environmental and calf temperatures were measured twice daily at 0700 and 1500 h, which included determinations of air temperature, inner and outer surface temperatures of the hutch, rectal and skin temperatures of the calf, and respiration rate. Outer and inner surface temperatures of the hutch were lower under supplemental shade. Hutch air temperature was highly correlated with inner surface temperature and therefore was lower in the shaded environment. During the p.m. period, when heat stress was highest, calves housed in a shaded hutch environment had lower skin temperatures and respiration rates than did unshaded calves. Body temperature and respiration rates increased less for calves in shade than for calves in sun. These data define the relationship between the calf and the environment. Supplemental shade diminished the severity of heat stress experienced by calves that were housed in hutches during the summer.     

Review of Experimental techniques in human neuropsychology.

Reviews the book, Experimental techniques in human neuropsychology by H. J. Hannay (1986). With the growth of the field of neuropsychology during the last few decades, research related to the varied aspects of human neuropsychology has progressed with insufficient attention to the quality of the methods employed. Certainly, the need for this type of book is unquestionable. This edited volume is designed to present a variety of procedures and current technologies at a level which can be beneficial to both the novice and the expert researcher in various areas of neuropsychology. It is, for the most part, successful in explaining techniques in sufficient detail for the new researcher while also presenting recent advances of interest to the more experienced researcher. The volume contains chapters approximately equally divided between behavioral and physiological measures, written by authors who have established reputations in the research areas which they discuss. Although this book addressed a broad range of experimental topics in neuropsychology, it should provide particular appeal to those interested in methods of investigating cerebral dominance and asymmetry. The research populations discussed represent a diverse mix of neurologically impaired adult groups, with a brief mention of child populations in two chapters. The strength of this book lies on the questions raised about the status of current neuropsychological research techniques. The chapters are well written and are structured in a clearly organized manner that provides ready assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. Researchers in almost every area of neuropsychology should find this book a valuable aid in designing studies by avoiding the pitfalls which have beset other projects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of thermal status to productivity in heat-stressed dairy cows given recombinant bovine somatotropin

The responses of lactating Holstein cows to daily administration of bovine somatotropin (bST) were measured at thermoneutrality (Tn) and under both constant and cycled heat-stress conditions to determine the relationship between thermal status and bST-induced shifts in milk production. All tests included a 5-d acclimation period at Tn (18°C), followed by a 2-d increase in ambient temperature to 28.5°C. After d 3, ambient temperature was cycled between 28.5 (day) and 25.5°C (night) for 4 d. Daily injections with either 31 mg of bST or saline began on d 1 of the experiment. Milk production, feed intake, and respiratory rate (RR) were measured daily. Intraperitoneal, telemetric temperature transmitters were used for a continuous measure of core body temperature (T_core). Blood samples were collected during each phase to evaluate the changes in serum chemistry in response to bST and heat stress. Following a 15-d recovery, cows were switched across injection treatments and the study was repeated. Milk production decreased by ∼18.4% below the initial yield at Tn by the end of 7 d of heat challenge. Although a reduction in milk production occurred during heat stress in both groups, milk production was higher in bST-treated cows compared with control cows during periods of constant and cyclic heat. Likewise, bST treatment during the entire period increased the milk-to-feed ratio over the control level by ∼11.3%. Plasma insulin-like growth factor 1 and serum nonesterified fatty acids accompanied the increased growth hormone level with bST treatment (∼122.0 and 88.8%, respectively), whereas plasma urea nitrogen was reduced by ∼13.3% to reflect the shift to lipid metabolism. There was no difference in T_core of the treatment and control groups at Tn. Both bST and control cows increased RR and T_core above the Tn level by ∼94.8 and 2.9%, respectively, during constant heat, with a greater increase in T_core of bST-treated compared with control cows (∼0.6%). The increase in RR during heat stress preceded T_core by 1 d for both groups. During cyclic heat, T_core decreased by ∼0.4% compared with constant heat in both the control and bST-treated groups. Bovine somatotropin treatment increased milk production similarly during the Tn and heat-stress periods, ∼8.3% over the control; however, the bST-induced increase in milk-to-feed ratio was greatest during the continuous and cyclic heat-stress phases, ∼16.2%. This increase occurred together with the elevation in T_core.     

eDNA,Amyloid Fibers and Membrane Vesicles Identified in Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 Biofilms

Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 is a model soil- and plant-associated bacterium capable of forming a variety of air–liquid interface biofilms in experimental microcosms and on plant surfaces. Previous investigations have shown that cellulose is the primary structural matrix component in the robust and well-attached Wrinkly Spreader biofilm, as well as in the fragile Viscous Mass biofilm. Here, we demonstrate that both biofilms include extracellular DNA (eDNA) which can be visualized using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), quantified by absorbance measurements, and degraded by DNase I treatment. This eDNA plays an important role in cell attachment and biofilm development. However, exogenous high-molecular-weight DNA appears to decrease the strength and attachment levels of mature Wrinkly Spreader biofilms, whereas low-molecular-weight DNA appears to have little effect. Further investigation with CLSM using an amyloid-specific fluorophore suggests that the Wrinkly Spreader biofilm might also include Fap fibers, which might be involved in attachment and contribute to biofilm strength. The robust nature of the Wrinkly Spreader biofilm also allowed us, using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, to identify matrix-associated proteins unable to diffuse out of the structure, as well as membrane vesicles which had a different protein profile compared to the matrix-associated proteins. CLSM and DNase I treatment suggest that some vesicles were also associated with eDNA. These findings add to our understanding of the matrix components in this model pseudomonad, and, as found in other biofilms, biofilm-specific products and material from lysed cells contribute to these structures through a range of complex interactions.     

Realization and Application of an Intelligent GKS Workstation

This articles summarizes the work at SIGMEX Systems Limited from its origin in 1982 just prior to the publication of the draft of the International Graphics Standard, GKS. This article covers the original concept of the GKS workstation as defined in the Standard, its realization, the practical implications, and the real-world application of the resulting intelligent workstation device.     

Compaction of granular calcite by pressure solution at room temperature and effects of pore fluid chemistry

Pressure solution is an efficient compaction mechanism leading to porosity/permeability reduction in both clastic and carbonate rocks. We performed compaction experiments on crushed limestone and granular calcite at room temperature and 1–4 MPa effective stress using various pore fluids. By applying a dry pre-compaction at 8 MPa, we could largely eliminate deformation mechanisms such as grain rearrangement, sliding and fracturing from runs employing a pore fluid. Compaction creep occurred only in samples filled with a saturated carbonate solution, in contrast to those filled with chemically inert fluids, at . The measured strain rates increased with decreasing grain size and with increasing effective stress according to power laws with exponents of about 3 and 1–2, respectively. Samples made from naturally oil-contaminated limestone showed far less compaction than oil-free samples. Addition of dissolution and precipitation inhibitors (magnesium and phosphate ions) to the pore fluid significantly decreased compaction rates of wet samples, indicating that creep must have involved calcite dissolution/precipitation. Pore fluid with a salinity (NaCl) of 0.1–0.5 mole/l increased the compaction strain rate compared to non-saline solutions. The experimental results suggest the main deformation mechanism in calcite under our experimental conditions was pressure solution and that diffusion is likely to be the rate-controlling process in pure solution system.