Development of low-alcohol isotonic beer by interrupted fermentation

Alcohol-free beer with isotonic properties is getting more popular and its production can be carried out by different production strategies; however, interrupted fermentation is still a challenge. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a low-alcohol isotonic beer (<0.5% v/v) by interrupted fermentation. Moreover, the major objective is to compare the developed product to commercial beverages (sports drinks, ‘Pilsen' regular beer, alcohol-free beers and low-alcohol isotonic beer). The beverages were evaluated based on pH, alcohol content (% v/v), total titratable acidity (mEq L⁻¹), osmolality (mOsmol kg⁻¹), bitterness International Bitterness Units, colour European Brewery Convention, total phenolic compounds (mg L⁻¹ gallic acid), reducing and total sugars (%) and Na and K contents (mg L⁻¹). The developed low-alcohol isotonic beer presented characteristics similar to sports drinks, with the advantage of being richer in phenolic compounds and suitable osmolality. Despite salts were added in its formulation, the grades attributed to all beers employed in the sensory evaluation, as well as the purchase intention did not present significant differences.     

Microwave heating controlled reactive melt infiltration for graphite-Si-SiC ceramics manufacturing

In this work, we investigated a procedure which exploits microwave ovens to produce SiC- based components by reactive melt infiltration of silicon into graphite preforms. The employed oven is designed to grant optical access to the sample surface, which allows to measure its temperature evolution though a noncontact pyrometer. This signal was used as a feedback to control the power provided to the preform and as an experimental output whose analysis provides insight into the reaction mechanism. Specifically, it is found that complete infiltration is achieved much before the end of the reaction. The latter is not fully self-sustained as the global reaction rate continuously decreases with time until it is no more able to keep the temperature above the silicon solidification value. At that point, the reaction stops. The analysis of the processed samples proved that this procedure allows producing fully infiltrated samples without material failure by adjusting the heat provided during the infiltration stage rather than by tuning the preform structure and composition, which is the usual approach. The proposed method is less time and energy consuming than the standard one.     

Ratings of the performances of practicing internists by hospital-based registered nurses

PURPOSE: To examine the feasibility and reliability of ratings completed by hospital-based registered nurses of the humanistic qualities, communication skills, and selected aspects of the clinical skills of practicing internists. METHOD: In 1988-1989, registered nurses who worked in the same 175 hospitals as 232 internists with admitting privileges at these hospitals rated the internists' performances. The nurses were selected from medicine floors, specialty floors, and intensive care units and/or critical care units, using lists provided by head nurses. A total of 1,877 rating questionnaires with 13 performance categories were collected (with a mean of 8.01 nurses per internist). The ratings were analyzed to determine measurement characteristics and the relationships of the nurses' demographic characteristics to the ratings. In addition, for each of ten performance categories for 152 of the internists, the average rating each internist received from nurses was compared with the average rating each internist received from peer physicians. Statistical analysis used Pearson correlations, canonical correlations, factor analyses, Student's t-tests, analysis of variance, and stepwise multiple regression. Finally, the internists themselves, including physicians who were not actually rated by the nurses, were asked to complete a brief questionnaire that included questions about their opinions of the use of nurses' ratings. RESULTS: The nurses' ratings correlated moderately strongly with the peer physicians' ratings and had a common structure. However, the nurses' ratings were lower for several humanistic qualities, including respect, integrity, and responsibility, and their ratings were higher for medical knowledge and verbal communications. Across the 13 performance categories, approximately 10-15 ratings from nurses were needed to obtain a reliable assessment of an internist's humanistic qualities and communication skills. Many internists felt that nurses' ratings should be used equally with, or at least as a lesser contribution to, ratings by peer physicians of humanistic qualities and communication skills. CONCLUSION: Nurses' ratings appear to provide a feasible and reliable method of evaluating the internists' communication skills and humanistic qualities, when used in conjunction with ratings by peer physicians.     

Hot-carrier reliability of 20V MOS transistors in 0.13 μm CMOS technology

This paper presents results of reliability investigation of 20 V N-Drift MOS transistor in 0.13 μm CMOS technology. Due to high performances required for CMOS applications, adding high voltage devices becomes a big challenge to guarantee the reliability criteria. In this context, new reliability approaches are needed. Safe Operating Area are defined for switch, V_ds limited and V_gs limited applications in order to improve circuit designs. For V_ds limited applications, deep doping dose effects in drift area are investigated in correlation to lifetime evaluations based on device parameter shifts under hot carrier stressing. To further determine the amount and locations of hot carriers injections, accurate 2D technological and electrical simulations are performed and permit to select the best compromise between performance and reliability for N-Drift MOS transistor.     

LP-BM5 virus causes changes in lactic dehydrogenase and oxygen radical production in splenocytes of C57BL/6J mice

The LP-BM5 murine leukemia virus causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in C57BL/6J mice (MAIDS), similar to that of AIDS in humans. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of LP-BM5 viral infection on cellular activation and membrane integrity of splenocytes. Oxidative burst in splenocytes in response to exposure to PMA (20 microg/ml) was significantly higher (p<.02) in infected than in control mice at two weeks post-infection using luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. By 13 weeks post-infection superoxide anion production in infected mice was significantly lower when compared to controls coinciding with decreased proliferative response to mitogens. The extent of cell membrane damage as indicated by lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in serum was significantly higher in infected than in control mice (p<.001). The results from this study suggests that LP-BM5 virus causes an initial stimulation of cellular activity followed by a decreased cell activation characterized by decreased proliferation of splenocytes and decreased oxygen radical production. Decreased cell membrane integrity indicated by increased LDH activity may partly be responsible for these changes.     

A PMLRARalpha transgene initiates murine acute promyelocytic leukemia

The malignant cells of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) contain a reciprocal chromosomal translocation that fuses the promyelocytic leukemia gene (PML) with the retinoic acid receptor alpha gene (RAR alpha). To test the hypothesis that the chimera PMLRAR alpha plays a role in leukemogenesis, we expressed a PMLRAR alpha cDNA in myeloid cells of transgenic mice. PMLRAR alpha transgenic mice exhibited impaired neutrophil maturation early in life, which progressed at a low frequency over the course of several months to overt APL. Both the preleukemic state and the leukemia could be transplanted to nontransgenic mice, and the transplanted preleukemia could progress to APL. The APL recapitulated features of the human disease, including a response to retinoic acid. Retinoic acid caused the leukemic cells to differentiate in vitro and in vivo, eliciting remissions of both the preleukemic state and APL in mice. Our results demonstrate that PMLRAR alpha impairs neutrophil differentiation and initiates the development of APL. The transgenic mice described here provide an apparently accurate model for human APL that includes clear evidence of tumor progression. The model should be useful for exploring the molecular pathogenesis of APL and the mechanisms of the therapeutic response to retinoic acid, as well as for preclinical studies of therapeutic regimens.     

IEEE 802.11-saturation throughput analysis

To satisfy the emerging need of wireless data communications, the IEEE is currently standardizing the 802.11 protocol for wireless local area networks. This standard adopts a CSMA/CA medium access control protocol with exponential backoff. We present a simple analytical model to compute the saturation throughput performance in the presence of a finite number of terminals and in the assumption of ideal channel conditions. The model applies to both basic and request-to-send/clear-to-send (RTS/CTS) access mechanisms. Comparison with simulation results shows that the model is extremely accurate in predicting the system throughput     

Antibodies of the anti-Yo and anti-Ri type in the absence of paraneoplastic neurological syndromes: a long-term survey of ovarian cancer patients

PURPOSE: To determine the association between lipids, microalbuminuria and systemic blood pressure. Urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) was determined in timed overnight urine samples by radioimmunoassay. Microalbuminuria was defined when two out of three urine samples had AER ranging 20-200 micrograms/min. Lipids were determined by colorimetric methods (total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides). METHODS: Fifty patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (28 females, 22 males) aged 21.9 +/- 7 years and with diabetes duration of 6.8 +/- 5.8 years attending the outpatients diabetes clinic were studied cross-sectionally. RESULTS: Microalbuminuria was present in 12% of our patients. A high systolic blood pressure (SBP) was found in microalbuminuric patients (p = 0.003). No difference concerning serum lipids were found in comparison between normo and microalbuminuric patients, although 20% of all patients had increased cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and 4% had high HDL cholesterol and triglycerides levels. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that SBP was the only significant independent variable to influence AER (r = 0.42 r2 = 0.18 p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Although in our study, microalbuminuria was associated only with SBP, the independent alteration of lipids in young IDDM patients must be considered as a possible additional risk factor for cardiovascular disease.