ZnO and CuO crystal precipitation in sintering Cu-doped Ni-Zn ferrites. I. Influence of dry relative density and cooling rate

This paper presents a study of the precipitation of ZnO and CuO crystals during the sintering of Cu-doped Ni-Zn ferrites. The nature of the Zn- and Cu-containing crystal precipitates was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The influence of the dry relative density of the body and the cooling rate on the occurring precipitates was also studied. Two consecutive chemical reactions are put forward, which explain the bulk precipitation of the zinc and copper oxides in the specimen during sintering, and their re-dissolution during cooling.     

Use of a new milk-clotting protease from Thermomucor indicae-seudaticae N31 as coagulant and changes during ripening of Prato cheese

Prato cheeses were manufactured using coagulant from Thermomucor indicae-seudaticae N31 or a commercial coagulant. Cheeses were characterised using the following analysis: yield; fat; acidity; moisture; ash; salt; pH; total nitrogen; total protein; NS-pH 4.6/NT*100; NS-TCA 12%/NT*100; casein electrophoresis; and RP-HPLC. The results were statistically analysed and revealed that the proteolytic indices were not significantly different throughout the 60 days of ripening of cheeses made with either coagulant. Even though there were some quantitative differences in the peptide profile of cheeses, the enzyme from T. indicae-seudaticae N31 was used in the production of good quality Prato cheese without having to change the established technological parameters of the process.     

Rats (Rattus norvegicus) in a water maze learn both an egocentric trajectory and landmarks.

In two experiments we investigated the extent to which rats (Rattus norvegicus) use an egocentric trajectory and landmarks to locate a goal. In Experiment 1 we trained groups to locate the hidden platform in a water maze with either 1 of 3 or 3 of 3 predictive landmarks, and with either a random or fixed egocentric trajectory. A choice test revealed that regardless of the landmark configuration, rats relied on a directional, egocentric trajectory, when it was available, to locate the platform. In Experiment 2 we found that adding four predictive landmarks following training with a constant egocentric trajectory did not alter rats' initial attention to the trajectory. We conclude that the presence of nonpredictive landmarks in a predictive array did not affect the use of landmarks. With a blocking design, rats used initially an egocentric path, then landmarks. These results add to the notion that animals use available spatial cues sequentially. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Immunological determination of gliadin 33‐mer equivalent peptides in beers as a specific and practical analytical method to assess safety for celiac patients

BACKGROUND: Cereals used for beer manufacturing contain gluten, which is immunotoxic for celiac patients. The gluten remaining after processes of malting and brewing is mostly hydrolyzed, which makes practical evaluation of the immunotoxicity of the gluten pools challenging. RESULTS: We analyzed the presence of gluten peptides equivalent to the major immunotoxic protease‐resistant gliadin 33‐mer in 100 Belgium beers, using monoclonal antibodies (G12/A1). Immunochromatographic strips and enzyme‐linked immonosorbent assay G12/A1 methods estimated at least 20 ppm gluten equivalents in 90 beers and gluten‐free in 10 beers. The G12/A1 reactivity of beer high‐performance liquid chromatographic fractions correlated to the presence of T‐cell‐reactive epitopes identified by peptide sequencing. CONCLUSION: The determination of equivalent gliadin 33‐mer epitopes in beers has been shown to be practical, specific, and sensitive for the measurement of potential immunotoxicity for celiac patients. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Hydrogen production by co-cultures of Clostridium butyricum and Rhodospeudomonas palustris: Optimization of yield using response surface methodology

Both dark and photo-fermentation can be used for biological hydrogen production; either performed separately, in two-stage systems, or in co-culture. A single stage process is less laborious and costly; however, the two types of microorganisms have different nutritional requirements requiring optimization of culture conditions. Here a response surface methodology (RSM) with a Box-Behnken design was used to optimize microorganism ratio and substrate and buffer concentrations, and to evaluate their interactive effects for maximization of hydrogen yield. Clostridium butyricum and Rhodopseudomonas palustris were grown on a potato starch/glucose base medium at 30 °C under continuous illumination (40 W m^?2 light intensity). The highest hydrogen yield, 6.4 ± 1.3 mol H₂/mol glucose, was obtained with a substrate concentration of 15 g/L, buffer concentration of 50 mM, and microorganism ratio of 3. The observed strong interaction between buffer and substrate concentration is most likely due to the need to optimize the pH for co-cultures.     

Modified-three-product column (3PC) flotation of copper–gold particles in a rougher feed and tailings

Results of copper–gold rougher-flash flotation in a three-product column (3PC) are presented, and separation parameters are compared with results of an existing industrial small mill (rougher–scavenger–cleaner treating 100–120 t/day). This 3PC cell yielded 2%–5% richer Cu and Au concentrate grades at higher recoveries (5% R_Cu and 15% R_Au, respectively) while consuming only 5% of the circuit energy and occupying 10% of the actual footprint. The flotation of the fresh tailings from the same industrial circuit was also successful in recovering more than 40% of the copper losses and 25% of the gold losses with concentrate grades that were high enough to permit recycling of the recovered copper and gold. The cleaning action of the cell is due to the selective separation of the third product (froth drop-back), which corresponded to a low-grade material amenable for discard. This third product is primarily composed of misplaced (entrained) gangue particles, and the mass recoveries were found to be a function of froth height with an optimal value varying from 40 to 60 cm. Results are discussed in terms of the high potential of this 3PC cell and the positive impact on the design of a more simplified and efficient flotation flowsheet.     

Probiotics: An alternative strategy for combating salmonellosis: Immune mechanisms involved

Salmonella produces infections of different nature and severity depending of many factors including the Salmonella serovar involved, strain virulence, infective dose, host animal species, age and immune status of the host. The treatments against Salmonella infections rely on supportive and antibiotic therapy to eliminate the pathogen, but the development of resistance by Salmonella to the antimicrobials most commonly used limits its efficacy. Other disadvantages of antibiotic treatments are that they can lead to acute diarrhea (antimicrobials normally induce an imbalance of intestinal bacterial flora) and may produce chronic toxicity. Considering this undesired consequences of antibiotics and because at the present there are no effective oral vaccines which protect against salmonellosis, scientists have been searching for alternative methods to control enteric infections. In the present review, probiotics are proposed as an attractive possibility to attend this concern. Probiotic are live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. In vitro and in vivo studies showed the effectiveness of probiotic administration in the prevention or in the treatment against Salmonella infection. There are several mechanisms by which probiotic strains might exert their effects. They include non immune mechanisms (stabilization of the gut mucosal barrier, competition for adhesion, secretion of antimicrobial substances, etc.) and the modulation of the mucosal and systemic immune responses. These mechanisms are species and/or strain specific. There are also evidences that in some cases, a mix of probiotic strains can be more useful than each strain alone against this infection. In addition, the presence of one or more probiotic strains in a fermented product can improve the beneficial properties of the probiotic strains involved. It was also reviewed the security of probiotics administration after Salmonella infection in healthy host and in immunosuppressed or babies hosts. Although, the major part of the researches were performed in animal models through in vivo assays or by in vitro studies using human cell lines, some studies carried out in humans to verify the probiotic effects were also addressed in the present review. Nevertheless, is of critical importance to perform more clinical trials in humans to validate the results obtained with each specific probiotic strain or probiotic product.     

Degradation of Phenolic Compounds in Aqueous Sucrose Solutions by Ozonation

The sugar industry is concerned with color formation due to the oxidation of phenolic compounds in the presence of carbohydrates. In this study, we investigated the ozonation of a mixture of five phenolic compounds in water and aqueous sucrose solution: p-coumaric (p-COU), caffeic (CAF), syringic (SYR), and chlorogenic (CHO) acids, as well as the flavonoid quercetin (QUE). The experiments were carried out in a 3-L glass reactor with magnetic stirring and a diffuser plate at the bottom to feed the ozone-oxygen gas mixture. Initial solution concentrations of 5 mg L?1 of each acid, 15 mg L?1 of quercetin, and 40 g L?1 of sucrose were used. The degradation of phenolic compounds followed apparent first-order kinetics, with rate constants and percent removals decreasing in the presence of sucrose. In water, average consumed ozone dosages of 10.4 and 18.7 mg L?1 were necessary for 50% and 90% removals, respectively, for CHO, CAF, and p-COU; for QUE they were slightly higher (13.9 and 20.5 mg L?1, respectively). At a consumed dosage of 20.8 mg O3 L?1, more than 99% removal was obtained for CHO, CAF, and p-COU, while 96.2% was achieved for SYR. In contrast, QUE revealed to be more recalcitrant during ozonation in the absence of sucrose, with only 70% removal at the highest consumed O3 dosage. The consumed ozone dosages for 50% and 90% removals were higher for CHO, CAF, and p-COU in aqueous sucrose solution, which may impact ozone consumption during real sugarcane juice treatment. Sucrose and t-butanol were the main influential parameters that significantly affected the total amount of phenolic compounds degraded.