Sesamin,sesamolin, and sesamol content of the oil of sesame seed as affected by strain,location grown,ageing, and frost damage

Summary The effect of strain and location grown on the sesmin, sesamolin, and sesamol content of oils from sesame seed chosen to represent a wide variety of genetic material is reported. Only differences in sesamin content due to strain were significant. Three of four oils exposed as the oil to 100°F. became rancid in two to three months. Rancidity of the oil was accompanied by lesser sesamin and sesamolin contents, and the ultraviolet spectrum of the oil was much altered. Oil from seed exposed as the seed to the same conditions for six months did not become rancid even though most of the seeds were damaged in threshing. The sesamol content of all the oils subjected to the accelerated ageing procedure increased, but the increase was greatest in the rancid oils. Frost damage of sesame seed markedly diminished the sesamin and sesamolin content of the oil.     

Digital Doppler measurement with spacecraft

Digital and analog phase-locked loop (PLL) receivers were operated in parallel, each tracking the residual carrier from a spacecraft. The PLL tracked the downlink carrier and measured its instantaneous phase. This information, combined with a knowledge of the uplink carrier and the transponder ratio, permitted the computation of a Doppler observable. In this way, two separate Doppler measurements were obtained for one observation window. The two receivers agreed on the magnitude of the Doppler effect to within 1 mHz. There was less jitter on the data from the digital receiver. This was due to its smaller noise bandwidth. The demonstration and its results are described     

Seed germination as an index of potential free fatty acid content of sesame oil

Summary Damage to sesame seed by mechanical threshing equipment resulted in loss of seed viability immediately. FFA content of oil in damaged seed increased gradually after harvest. High correlation coefficients were obtained between viability immediately following harvest and free fatty acid content of oil in sesame seed at various dates after harvest. The results of the analyses of the data indicate that viability of the seed at harvest may be of value in estimating the free fatty acid content of oil for various storage periods. Presented at annual meeting. American Oil Chemists’ Society, Houston, Tex., April 23–25, 1956.     

Dental and cardiac risk factors for infective endocarditis. A population-based, case-control study

BACKGROUND: Although antibiotic prophylaxis against infective endocarditis is recommended, the true risk factors for infective endocarditis are unclear. OBJECTIVE: To quantitate the risk for endocarditis from dental treatment and cardiac abnormalities. DESIGN: Population-based, case-control study. SETTING: 54 hospitals in the Philadelphia area. PATIENTS: Persons with community-acquired infective endocarditis not associated with intravenous drug use were compared with community residents, matched by age, sex, and neighborhood of residence. MEASUREMENTS: Information on demographic characteristics, host risk factors, and dental treatment was obtained from structured telephone interviews, dental records, and medical records. RESULTS: During the preceding 3 months, dental treatment was no more frequent among case-patients than controls (adjusted odds ratio, 0.8 [95% CI, 0.4 to 1.5]). Of 273 case-patients, 104 (38%) knew of previous cardiac lesions compared with 17 controls (6%) (adjusted odds ratio, 16.7 [CI, 7.4 to 37.4]). Case-patients more often had a history of mitral valve prolapse (adjusted odds ratio, 19.4 [CI, 6.4 to 58.4]), congenital heart disease (adjusted odds ratio, 6.7 [CI, 2.3 to 19.4]), cardiac valvular surgery (adjusted odds ratio, 74.6 [CI, 12.5 to 447]), rheumatic fever (adjusted odds ratio, 13.4 [CI, 4.5 to 39.5]), and heart murmur without other known cardiac abnormalities (adjusted odds ratio, 4.2 [CI, 2.0 to 8.9]). Among case-patients with known cardiac lesions--the target of prophylaxis--dental therapy was significantly (P = 0.03) less common than among controls (adjusted odds ratio, 0.2 [CI, 0.04 to 0.7] over 3 months). Few participants received prophylactic antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: Dental treatment does not seem to be a risk factor for infective endocarditis, even in patients with valvular abnormalities, but cardiac valvular abnormalities are strong risk factors. Few cases of infective endocarditis would be preventable with antibiotic prophylaxis, even with 100% effectiveness assumed. Current policies for prophylaxis should be reconsidered.     

Aerial organic chemical release from activated sludge

The objective of this study was to investigate some of the potentially controlling factors influencing the atmospheric release of volatile organic compounds from the activated-sludge sewage treatment process. A bench-scale aeration vessel was used to investigate the influence of aeration rate, suspended solids concentration and detergent concentration on the rate of stripping of hexa-chlorobicycloheptadiene (Hex-BCH) and chloroform from simulated wastewater. These compounds had previously been found to be released from an 80 mgd activated sludge wastewater treatment plant.First order kinetic decay was found for the stripping of Hex-BCH and chloroform. The influences of aeration rate, suspended solids concentration and detergent concentration on the release of Hex-BCH were each statistically significant. The increase in aeration rate appreciably enhanced the release of Hex-BCH, while increasing the concentration of suspended solids inhibited stripping. A linear relationship was found between detergent concentration and stripping rate. Aeration rate was the only significant variable influencing the release of chloroform. The results suggest that Hex-BCH is stripped from an adsorbed state and chloroform from a dissolved state.     

Yield and chemical composition of sesame,Sesamum indicum L., as affected by variety and location grown

Summary Observation nurseries including 24 varieties of sesame were grown at 23 locations in 16 states. Data for yield, oil and protein content of the seed, and for iodine value of the oil were obtained from certain locations. Sesame seems reasonably well adapted on the better soils of most of the southern one-half of the United States. Average seed yield for varieties at 14 locations was 506 pounds per acre. Average yield of seed, oil, and protein per acre for seven varieties grown at eight locations was 662, 344, and 163 pounds per acre, respectively. The chemical composition of the seed was found to be well within the acceptable range but was markedly influenced both by the varieties and by the locations where they were grown. The average oil and protein contents on a moisture-free basis were 53.53% and 26.25%, respectively. The average iodine value of the oil was 110.0. Average protein content on the moisture- and oil-free basis was 57.28%. The genetic and environmental influences that affect protein content of the seed also inversely affected the oil content. It was suggested that in sesame protein synthesis is favored over oil synthesis as the nitrogen supply to the seed increases. Contribution of the Division of Tobacco, Medicinal, and Special Crops, Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering, and the Southern Regional Research Laboratory, Bureau of Agricultural and Industrial Chemistry, U. S. Department of Agriculture. Agronomist, Division of Tobacco, Medicinal, and Special Crops in cooperation with the Department of Agronomy, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station; and chemist, Southern Regional Research Laboratory, New Orleans, La., respectively. The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of workers in the various state agricultural experiment stations and government agencies who grew the tests and made data and seed samples available.     

Biochemical epidemiology of gallbladder cancer

To evaluate the a priori hypotheses that an increased level of glyco and tauro lithocholic acid, perhaps because of a decreased capacity for hepatic sulfation, contributed to the biochemical epidemiology of gallbladder cancer, a case-control study was undertaken at four hospitals in La Paz, Bolivia, and at one hospital in Mexico City, Mexico. Eighty-four cases with newly diagnosed histologically confirmed gallbladder cancer were compared with 264 controls with cholelithiasis or choledocholithiasis in the absence of cancer and with 126 controls with normal biliary tracts. All study subjects were undergoing abdominal surgery. Interview data were collected for all study subjects, as well as blood, bile, and gallstone specimens when feasible. Sera were analyzed for carcinoembryonic antigen, cholesterol concentration, and total bile acids. Bile specimens were analyzed for carcinoembryonic antigen; and for concentration of bile salts; cholesterol; phospholipids; and the glycine and taurine conjugates of cholic, ursodeoxycholic, chenodeoxycholic, deoxycholic, and lithocholates; sulfoglycolithocholate; and sulfotaurolithocholate. Gallstone specimens were analyzed for the percentage of cholesterol content, the percentage of calcium bilirubinate content, and the percentage of calcium carbonate content. Serum bile acids were increased in cases versus the two control groups (median 11.7 nmol/mL vs. 9.3 nmol/mL for stone controls and 8.2 nmol/L for nonstone controls, P < or = .02 for each pairwise comparison). Biliary bile acids were markedly decreased in the cases (median 3.98 micromol/mL vs. 33.09 micromol/mL, and 154.0 micromol/L, respectively, P < or = .0001 for each comparison), even after excluding those with a serum bilirubin higher than 2.0 mg/dL. Bile cholesterol was lower for the cases as well (median 1.70 micromol/mL vs. 4.90 micromol/mL, and 16.81 micromol/ mL, respectively, P < or = .02), as was the concentration of bile phospholipids (median 2.97 micromol/mL vs. 6.26 micromol/mL, and 52.69 micromol/mL, P = .1 and .0004, respectively). Contrary to our a priori hypothesis, there was no difference between the cases and either control group in their bile concentrations of lithocholate, the proportion of bile acids which were sulfated, or the concentration of nonsulfated lithocholate. However, the cases had a higher concentration of ursodeoxycholate (UDC) (P < .004 for both control groups), especially glycoursodeoxycholate (P < .001 for both control groups). A previously published suggestion that gallstone size differed between cases and controls was not confirmed. In conclusion, cases with gallbladder cancer differed from controls with stones and from controls with normal biliary tracts in their serum and bile biochemistries. These findings may be a reflection of the disease process, or may provide useful clues to its pathogenesis.