The effects of preharvest factors on the accumulation of antioxidants in fruit peel, and their relationships to superficial scald development after cold storage of apples (Malus domestica Borkh.).

Superficial scald, a physiological disorder of apples, develops during storage, and is believed to result from the oxidation of $\propto$ farnesene to conjugated trienes. Antioxidants are believed to protect against this oxidation, thus providing scald resistance. The hypothesis examined in this study was that temperatures below 10\sp\circC before harvest facilitate the accumulation of antioxidants in the apple peel, and that this effect is enhanced by ripening and light. Cortland and Delicious apples were harvested following exposure to increasing hours below 10\sp\circC during three years. Cortland apples were sprayed with ethephon to induce ripening at warm temperatures, and were bagged in late August to produce ripening at low light intensities, both during two years. Percent inhibition of oxidation and water-soluble reducing activities, as well as concentrations of $\propto$ tocopherol, ascorbic acid, glutathione, $\propto$ farnesene, conjugated trienes and several pigments, were determined at harvest and following intervals of storage. Scald development was determined after 3 to 5 months of storage at 0\sp\circC. Correlations and regressions demonstrated that increasing exposure to temperatures below 10\sp\circC was the primary factor in development of scald resistance. Less resistance developed when low light intensity existed during cool periods. Ripening alone was only a small factor in development of scald resistance. Cool preharvest temperatures slightly increased the concentrations of $\propto$ tocopherol and carotenes, and slightly increased water-soluble reducing capacity and percent inhibition of oxidation. Ripening increased both percent inhibition of oxidation and total water-soluble reducing activities, and increased concentrations of $\propto$ tocopherol, carotenes and ascorbic acid. Reduced light intensity (bagging) decreased concentrations of $\propto$ tocopherol, carotenes, and ascorbic acid, as well as total water-soluble reducing capacity. However, percent inhibition of oxidation and glutathione were not significantly influenced. During storage, as conjugated trienes accumulated, the $\propto$ tocopherol and carotene concentrations increased, while total water-soluble reducing capacity, ascorbic acid, and glutathione decreased. Although some support is given to the widely accepted model of scald development, it was concluded that while antioxidants play a role in scald resistance, they are probably not the key factor

Ram pressure and dusty red galaxies - key factors in the evolution of the multiple cluster system Abell 901/902

We present spectroscopic observations of 182 disk galaxies (96 in the cluster and 86 in the field environment) in the region of the Abell 901/902 multiple cluster system, which is located at a redshift of $z\sim 0.165$. The presence of substructures and non-Gaussian redshift distributions indicate that the cluster system is dynamically young and not in a virialized state. We find evidence for two important galaxy populations. \textit{Morphologically distorted galaxies} are probably subject to increased tidal interactions. They show pronounced rotation curve asymmetries at intermediate cluster-centric radii and low rest-frame peculiar velocities. \textit{Morphologically undistorted galaxies} show the strongest rotation curve asymmetries at high rest-frame velocities and low cluster-centric radii. Supposedly, this group is strongly affected by ram-pressure stripping due to interaction with the intra-cluster medium. Among the morphologically undistorted galaxies, dusty red galaxies have particularly strong rotation curve asymmetries, suggesting ram pressure is an important factor in these galaxies. Furthermore, dusty red galaxies on average have a bulge-to-total ratio higher by a factor of two than cluster blue cloud and field galaxies. The fraction of kinematically distorted galaxies is 75% higher in the cluster than in the field environment. This difference mainly stems from morphological undistorted galaxies, indicating a cluster-specific interaction process that only affects the gas kinematics but not the stellar morphology. Also the ratio between gas and stellar scale length is reduced for cluster galaxies compared to the field sample. Both findings could be best explained by ram-pressure effects.Comment: Electronic version published in Astronomy and Astrophysics Volume 549, Page 0; 19 pages, 21 figure

Tully-Fisher analysis of the multiple cluster system Abell 901/902

We derive rotation curves from optical emission lines of 182 disk galaxies (96 in the cluster and 86 in the field) in the region of Abell 901/902 located at $z\sim 0.165$. We focus on the analysis of B-band and stellar-mass Tully-Fisher relations. We examine possible environmental dependencies and differences between normal spirals and "dusty red" galaxies, i.e. disk galaxies that have red colors due to relatively low star formation rates. We find no significant differences between the best-fit TF slope of cluster and field galaxies. At fixed slope, the field population with high-quality rotation curves (57 objects) is brighter by \Delta M_{B}=-0\fm42\pm0\fm15 than the cluster population (55 objects). We show that this slight difference is at least in part an environmental effect. The scatter of the cluster TFR increases for galaxies closer to the core region, also indicating an environmental effect. Interestingly, dusty red galaxies become fainter towards the core at given rotation velocity (i.e. total mass). This indicates that the star formation in these galaxies is in the process of being quenched. The luminosities of normal spiral galaxies are slightly higher at fixed rotation velocity for smaller cluster-centric radii. Probably these galaxies are gas-rich (compared to the dusty red population) and the onset of ram-pressure stripping increases their star-formation rates. The results from the TF analysis are consistent with and complement our previous findings. Dusty red galaxies might be an intermediate stage in the transformation of infalling field spiral galaxies into cluster S0s, and this might explain the well-known increase of the S0 fraction in galaxy clusters with cosmic time.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics; 16 pages, 14 figure

SECOND-ORDER DERIVATIVE UV SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC AND RP-HPLC METHODS FOR THE ANALYSIS OF VILDAGLIPTIN AND APPLICATION FOR DISSOLUTION STUDY

This study describes two analytical methods, by second-order derivative UV spectrophotometric by HPLC, for determination of vildagliptin, a drug used for treatment of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus that belongs to a therapeutic class called inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase 4. The methods were validated in accordance with ICH and USP requirements. Analyses by UV derivative method were performed at 220 nm, which was the zero crossing point of excipient solutions. HPLC was optimized and the analysis was carried out using a Zorbax Eclipse Plus RP-C8 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm), detection at 207 nm, and potassium phosphate buffer solution pH 7.0 : acetonitrile (85:15, v/v) as mobile phase. In dissolution test, the conditions used were 0.01 mol L-1 hydrochloric acid in 900 mL of dissolution medium, USP apparatus 2 (paddle) and 50 rpm stirring speed. Both methods were successfully applied for analysis of dissolution samples from marketed vildagliptin tablets

Investigating the Filled Gel Model in Cheddar Cheese Through Use of Sephadex Beads

Cheese can be modeled as a filled gel whereby milkfat globules are dispersed in a casein gel network. We determined the filler effects using Sephadex beads (GE Healthcare Life Sciences, Pittsburgh, PA) as a model filler particle. Ideally, such a model could be used to test novel filler particles to replace milkfat in low-fat cheese. Low-filler (6% particles), reduced-filler (16%), and full-filler (33%) cheeses were produced using either Sephadex beads of varying sizes (20 to 150 μm diameter) or milkfat. Small- and large-strain rheological tests were run on each treatment at 8, 12, and 18 wk after cheese manufacturing. Differences in rheological properties were caused primarily by the main effects of filler volume and type (milkfat vs. Sephadex), whereas filler size had no obvious effect. All treatments showed a decrease in deformability and an increase in firmness as filler volume increased above 25%, although the beads exhibited a greater reinforcing effect and greater energy recovery than milkfat

TB42: The Mycotoxic Effects of Fungi Isolated from Poultry Feed Ingredients: The Response of Ducklings and Performance of Commercial Broiler Chickens Fed Experimentally Infected Corn Diets

The present work, planned to investigate the possibility of mycotoxins occurring in feed ingredients fed to poultry in Maine, was designed with the following objectives: (1) to isolate fungi from poultry feed ingredients; (2) to grow the m separately on corn (the carbohydrate source of poultry rations) for later mixing into the diets; (3) to test the variously infected lots of this corn substrate for mycotoxicity by feeding ducklings, a bioindicator for toxins; (4) to determine the effects of aflatoxin and other mycotoxins from feed ingredients, on the performance of commercial broiler chickens; and (5) to appraise this response as a measure of toxicity of the fungi found in feed ingredients.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_techbulletin/1159/thumbnail.jp

Spin-structures of N-boson systems with nonzero spins - an analytically solvable model with pairing force

A model is proposed to study the possible pairing structures of N-boson systems with nonzero spin. Analytical solutions have been obtained. The emphasis is placed on the spin-structures of ground states with attractive or repulsive pairing force, and with or without the action of a magnetic field. A quantity (an analogue of the two-body density function) is defined to study the spin-correlation between two bosons in N-body systems. The excitation of the system has also been studied.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, accepted by Few-Body System

Stellar science from a blue wavelength range - A possible design for the blue arm of 4MOST

From stellar spectra, a variety of physical properties of stars can be derived. In particular, the chemical composition of stellar atmospheres can be inferred from absorption line analyses. These provide key information on large scales, such as the formation of our Galaxy, down to the small-scale nucleosynthesis processes that take place in stars and supernovae. By extending the observed wavelength range toward bluer wavelengths, we optimize such studies to also include critical absorption lines in metal-poor stars, and allow for studies of heavy elements (Z>38) whose formation processes remain poorly constrained. In this context, spectrographs optimized for observing blue wavelength ranges are essential, since many absorption lines at redder wavelengths are too weak to be detected in metal-poor stars. This means that some elements cannot be studied in the visual-redder regions, and important scientific tracers and science cases are lost. The present era of large public surveys will target millions of stars. Here we describe the requirements driving the design of the forthcoming survey instrument 4MOST, a multi-object spectrograph commissioned for the ESO VISTA 4m-telescope. We focus here on high-density, wide-area survey of stars and the science that can be achieved with high-resolution stellar spectroscopy. Scientific and technical requirements that governed the design are described along with a thorough line blending analysis. For the high-resolution spectrograph, we find that a sampling of >2.5 (pixels per resolving element), spectral resolution of 18000 or higher, and a wavelength range covering 393-436 nm, is the most well-balanced solution for the instrument. A spectrograph with these characteristics will enable accurate abundance analysis (+/-0.1 dex) in the blue and allow us to confront the outlined scientific questions. (abridged)Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A

Indonesian couple’s pregnancy ambivalence and contraceptive use

CONTEXT: Recognizing pregnancy ambivalence is important for family planning policy and programming efforts. Most studies on pregnancy ambivalence are based on data from women; using partner’s perceived pregnancy intentions whenever partners are considered. This study examines couple’s pregnancy ambivalence and the association with contraceptive use in Indonesia. METHOD: Matched couple data from the 2002-2003 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey are used to examine contraceptive use, fertility desires, and responses to whether a pregnancy in the next few weeks would be a big problem, small problem or no problem. Inconsistent fertility desires and responses to the problem question are used to define ambivalence. Response patterns and concordance between partners is evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression analyses are used to assess whether couple’s pregnancy ambivalence is associated with contraceptive use. RESULTS: 71% of husbands and 54% of wives report that a pregnancy in the next few weeks would be “no problem.” Couple’s concordance on the problem question is 63% (kappa statistic = 0.26) among contraceptive users and 61% (0.24) among non-users. In the multivariate analysis, couples who were discordant on the problem question were 24% less likely to use contraception than were couples in which both partners agreed a pregnancy would be a big or small problem. Results were not statistically significant at p≥0.05 in a model with a disaggregated variable on couple’s discordance that identified which partner was ambivalent; this might be related to small cell sizes. Contraceptive use was also less likely for couples with discordant fertility desires. CONCLUSION: Husbands and wives influence each other’s fertility attitudes and family planning use. To improve effective contraceptive use and/or continuation, couple’s pregnancy attitudes should be taken into account at the time of screening and method selection