Prevalence of weight reducing and weight gaining in adolescent girls and boys.

Surveyed the prevalence of weight reducing and weight gaining in 1,373 high school students. 63% of the girls and 16.2% of the boys reported being on weight-reducing regimens; 9.1% of the girls and 28.4% of the boys were trying to gain weight. Most female reducers and male gainers were already normal weight. Whites and Hispanics were more likely to be reducing, whereas Blacks were more likely to be gaining. Exercise and moderate caloric reduction were most popular for weight reducing, and a small but significant number were regularly using fasting, vomiting, laxatives, and appetite suppressants. The rate of weight reducing in female high school adolescents has increased significantly since similar surveys of American youths 20 yrs ago. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The composition and microbial quality of pre-packed dates purchased in Greater Glasgow

Composition and microbiological contamination was measured in samples of pre-packed dates purchased from a number of stores and retail outlets in Greater Glasgow. The sugar content of dried pitted dates was c . 74%, about 10% more than reported on those packs where nutritional information was given. Potentially pathogenic bacteria like Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus were identified in some of the samples together with lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and moulds, Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus . Fresh dates were the most heavily contaminated of all samples, probably owing to the high moisture content.     

On perspectives, theories, models, and friends: A reply to the relationalists.

The authors respond to the "relational" issue of Psychoanalytic Psychology (PP; Vol. 12, No. 1) and support Karol Marshall's remonstration about the need to clarify what exactly the category relational refers to. It is noteworthy that in this issue of PP the relational thinkers do not engage the specific topics of our essay. The author's article attempted to review the most comprehensive relational thinkers of that time across theoretical variables. Relationalists have begun to spell out the technical consequences of their perspective in recent discussions of neutrality, authority, and self-disclosure, among other issues. This is a useful trend in the relational literature, and we hope it continues. We are concerned, however, that the relational thinkers writing in this issue tend to dismiss the contributions to PP 12(1) because the perspectives presented there did not satisfy the relationalist vision of how scientific exchange should be undertaken. Although we feel that it is important for emerging points of view to be able to elaborate assumptions, constructs, and principles within their own framework and in their own way, constructive dialogue, much less a comparative analysis of the contributions and limitations of different points of view, requires that we have some common ground. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Studies of lipoproteins and fatty acids in maternal and cord blood of two racial groups in Trinidad

The high mortality rate from coronary heart disease (CHD) among Indians compared to Negroes in Trinidad led us to test plasma lipid profiles to see whether dietary or genetic factors might be involved. There were no interracial differences in the composition of plasma cholesterol ester fatty acids of the tested women and neonates. This finding suggests that dietary fat does not account for the interracial difference in CHD, nor does the cause appear to be due to genetic differences in lipid profiles, as there was no significant difference between values for plasma triglycerides, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, apo-I, apo-II, apo B or cholesterol ester fatty acids in the cord blood of each racial group. Blood samples were collected from 69 nonpregnant and 71 postpartum, fasted Negro and Indian women. Also taken were 71 umbilical cord blood samples. The mean triglyceride level was significantly lower in the Negro nonpregnant and postpartum women than in the Indians. HDL cholesterol and apo-I values were lower in the Indian women. There were no significant differences in the total cholesterol and apo B measurements. The triglyceride values for postpartum women were higher than those of the nonpregnant Negroes and Indians (75% and 47%, respectively), whereas the total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol, apo A-I and apo A-II ranged from 9% to 29% higher in the postpartum women. Apo B was about 40% higher postpartum in both ethnic groups. The high CHD rate of Indians in Trinidad cannot be explained by dietary factors, plasma total cholesterol or fatty acid composition. However, the lower level of HDL cholesterol and plasma A-I could play a role in the higher CHD rate in Indians.     

Fiber Coating Concepts for Brittle-Matrix Composites

The current interest in tough, high-temperature materials has motivated fiber coating development for brittle-matrix composites with brittle reinforcements. Such coatings are needed for controlled interface debonding and frictional sliding. The system investigated in this study was sapphire fiber-reinforced alumina. This system is thermochemically stable for severe use conditions, exhibits little thermal expansion mismatch, and utilizes the excellent strength and creep resistance of sapphire reinforcements. Porous oxide and refractory metal coatings which satisfy requirements for toughness improvement in these composites were identified by employing a variety of newly developed mechanical testing techniques for determining the interfacial fracture energies and sliding resistances.     

A study of structural determinants in the interleukin-1 fold

The structures of interleukin-1ß, basic fibroblastgrowth factor and Erythrina trypsin inhibitor have been analysedin order to determine whether the hydrophobic core remains conserved,even when the structures have extremely low sequence similarities.We find that there are significant differences in the way eachprotein achieves a satisfactory arrangement of core residuesand that positions which contribute to the core of one structureare not guaranteed to contribute to the integrity of another.Furthermore, the side-chain packing arrangements of these coreresidues vary significantly between the three structures. Duringthis analysis the side-chain rotamers for three independentlydetermined interleukin-1ß structures were also compared.It was found that although buried residues are generally inagreement the remaining residues frequently occupy differentrotamers in the three structures. This suggests that althoughmeaningful studies are possible for buried side-chains the resultsobtained from equivalent analyses of accessible residues shouldbe treated with caution. These results are discussed with specificreference to the optimization of side-chain packing in proteinsof known structure.     

Variations of the chemical composition of clonal black tea (Camellia sinensis) due to delayed withering

The chemical composition of black teas (Camellia sinensis L) varies when the green leaf from which they are manufactured is withered physically to the same degree but for different periods. Caffeine contents progressively increase with prolonged withering time whereas theaflavins decrease due to prolonged withering. Although the sums of group I and group II volatile flavour compounds (VFC) decrease with prolonged withering time, the flavour index (expressed as group II VFC/group I VFC) increases due to prolonged withering. No significant changes were noted in the thearubigin levels with variation in withering time, but the tasters' evaluations were at a maximum for teas withered for 14 h. Subsequently the evaluation decreased with longer withering times.