Staphylococcus aureus growth and enterotoxin production during the manufacture of uncooked, semihard cheese from cows' raw milk

Staphylococcus aureus growth and enterotoxin production during the manufacture of model Saint-Nectaire, Registered Designation of Origin Saint-Nectaire, and Registered Designation of Origin Salers cheeses, three types of uncooked, semihard, raw milk cheese, were investigated. Coagulase-positive staphylococci (SC+) grew rapidly during the first 6 h. Between 6 and 24 h, counts increased by less than 0.5 log CFU/ml. Raw milk counts ranged from undetectable (<10 CFU/ml) to 3.03 log CFU/ml. Maximal levels reached in cheese on day 1 ranged from 2.82 to 6.84 log CFU/g. The level of SC+ after 24 h was mainly influenced by the milk baseline SC+ level (correlation coefficient, r > 0.80) but pH at 6 h influenced the SC+ growth observed between 6 and 24 h (r > 0.70). Thus, the initial level of SC+ in raw milk should be maintained below 100 CFU/ml and best below 40 CFU/ml. To limit growth, acidification should be managed to obtain pH values around or below 5.8 at 6 h in Saint-Nectaire cheeses and around or below 6.3 at 6 h in Salers cheeses. Enterotoxins were only detected in two Salers cheeses whose SC+ counts on day 1 were 5.55 log CFU/g and 5.06 log CFU/g, respectively, and whose pH values at 6 h were high (approximately 6.6 and 6.5, respectively).     

Concreteness training reduces dysphoria: Proof-of-principle for repeated cognitive bias modification in depression.

A tendency toward abstract and overgeneral processing is a cognitive bias hypothesized to causally contribute to symptoms of depression. This hypothesis predicts that training dysphoric individuals to become more concrete and specific in their thinking would reduce depressive symptoms. To test this prediction, 60 participants with dysphoria were randomly allocated either to (a) concreteness training; (b) bogus concreteness training, matched with concreteness training for treatment rationale, experimenter contact, and treatment duration but without active engagement in concrete thinking; (c) a waiting-list, no training control. Concreteness training resulted in significantly greater decreases in depressive symptoms and significantly greater increases in concrete thinking than the waiting-list and the bogus training control, and significantly greater decreases in rumination than the waiting-list control. These findings suggest that concreteness training has potential as a guided self-help intervention for mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Eye tracking as a debriefing tool in upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) for general aviation pilots

Abstract

Upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) is intended to improve the ability of pilots to recognize and avoid situations that can lead to airplane upsets and to improve their ability to recover control of an airplane that has exceeded the normal flight envelope. To this end, a set of different training contents – from theoretical knowledge of aerodynamics and human factors to practice-based flight training – is necessary. In order to support the debriefing with an objective feedback, and because visual scanning is a core competence, two studies on subjective evaluation of aviation pilots – one conducted in a flight simulator and the other one in-flight – focussed on the practical application of eye tracking as a debriefing tool in UPRT. From a practitioner’s perspective, eye tracking appeared to be a useful method in terms of visualising instrument scanning techniques, supporting the instructor with objective debriefing material and fostering self-awareness in human processes. The discussion recommends adjusted UPRT instructor training and further improvements to eye tracking hardware and software.

Practitioner Summary: The article focuses on pilot evaluations of eye tracking as a debriefing tool in UPRT and the identification of critical elements in its use. Eye tracking is a promising debriefing tool for UPRT. The discussion points to desirable improvements of eye tracking hardware and software as well as adjustments to instructor training that are pertinent.     

Nanoscale Microstructural and Chemical Analysis of SiO2–Zn1−xAlxO Nanocomposites: Towards a Better Understanding of Si and Al Substitution in ZnO

In this study, we report on the microstructure of SiO₂‐coated Al‐doped ZnO nanoparticles densified by spark plasma sintering(SPS), using a multiscale approach. Our observations show that it is possible to successfully prepare dense pellets while keeping the nanostructure with well‐defined Si‐rich grain boundaries. Although a very limited partial solubility of Si in the ZnO matrix has been observed, Si is mostly concentrated at the grain boundaries. More surprisingly, we evidenced some areas with nanoscale inhomogeneity of the Al concentration, which can locally strongly exceed the average composition of the matrix. It could explain the apparent discrepancy observed in the literature between the simultaneous presence of ZnAl₂O₄ in Al‐doped ZnO, which should be the signature of the doping level exceeding the solubility limit, and the concentration of carriers that still depends on the nominal Al concentration in ZnO even in the presence of ZnAl₂O₄.     

A pattern analysis based underwater video segmentation system for target object detection

Multidimensional Systems and Signal Processing - Detecting and classifying the target objects in the underwater videos is the primary and essential operation in this modern era. The present works...     

Current knowledge in species-related bioavailability of selenium in food

Selenium is an essential trace element that has raised interest because of its antioxidant and anticancer properties. The beneficial or toxic effect of Se is not only dose-dependent, but also relates to the chemical form of the element and its bioavailability. In this review, recently published data is summarised concerning both Se speciation and Se relative bioavailability in various foodstuffs. In addition, Se bioavailability is discussed in relation to the species-dependent metabolism in humans. In this way, the understanding of the potential health impact of Se species in commonly consumed food is aimed to be improved. It is strongly suggested on the basis of a higher retention and a lower toxicity, that organic Se (especially SeMet, the major species in food) is more recommendable than inorganic Se in the frame of a balanced diet. Further research is however desirable concerning the characterisation of unidentified Se species and determination of their health effects.     

Record 12.34% stabilized conversion efficiency in a large area thin‐film silicon tandem (MICROMORPH™) module

Mass‐adoption of thin‐film silicon (TF‐Si) photovoltaic modules as a renewable energy source can be viable if the cost of electricity production from the module is competitive with conventional energy solutions. Increased module performance (electrical power generated) is an approach to reduce this cost. Progress towards higher conversion efficiencies for ‘champion’ large area modules paves the way for mass‐production module performance to follow. At TEL Solar AG, Trübbach, Switzerland, significant progress in the absolute stabilized module conversion efficiency has been achieved through optimized solar cell design that integrates high‐quality amorphous and microcrystalline TF‐Si‐deposited materials with efficient light management and transparent conductive oxide layers in a tandem MICROMORPH™ module. This letter reports a world record large area (1.43 m²) stabilized module conversion efficiency of 12.34% certified by the European Solar Test Installation; an increase of more than 1.4% absolute compared with the previous record for a TF‐Si triple junction large area module. This breakthrough result generates more than 13.2% stabilized efficiency from each equivalent 1 cm² of the active area of the full module. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.