A laboratory micro-manufacturing method for assessing individual cheese yield

This study aimed to propose a micro-manufacturing method for assessing individual cheese yield (CY) from dairy milk and to provide first evaluations of the method. Two water baths (WB) provided with 8 stainless containers (SC) each were used. The cheese making procedure involved coagulation of 500 ml of milk per SC previously inoculated with starter, cutting of the curd, separation of whey through drainage and pressure and weighing of the curd residue for computing CY. Spraydried milk powder and bulk milk were used to validate the procedure. For each type of milk, 5 cheese making sessions (CMS) were performed during 5 consecutive days by the same operator; for each trial 80 records (8 replicates x 2WB x 5CMS) were available. Sources of variation of CY were investigated separately for type of milk, and variance components were estimated using REML procedure for computing instrumental repeatability and reproducibility. Cheese yield averaged 11% and 13.4% for standard milk powder and bulk milk, respectively. Cheese making session significantly influenced CY, along with WB in the case of milk powder, while SC did not influence CY. Reproducible and repeatable measures of CY were obtained, indicating the method is suitable for assessing individual CY

Factors affecting the incidence of first-quality wheels of Trentingrana cheese

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Monitoring of sensory attributes used in the quality payment system of Trentingrana cheese

Abstract Trentingrana is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) hard cheese manufactured in the valleys of Trento province (eastern Italian Alps) by several small cooperative dairies linked in a consortium. Nine months after production, wheels are delivered to a shared facility, ripened up to 18 mo, and assessed by a panel of 8 experts for 7 sensory attributes; namely, external aspect, rind thickness, paste color, texture, odor, taste, and aroma. The evaluation takes place every 2 mo on wheels sampled within each dairy. Based on the results of the assessment, dairies receive a price premium or penalty depending on a quality index, which is the weighted sum of the scores attributed to each sampled wheel. Sensory scores and quality index of 652 wheels representing 11 dairies and 10 yr of production were analyzed using a model that included fixed effects of dairy, year, and season of production, and first-order interactions between them. The coefficients of determination ranged from 0.50 (texture) to 0.66 (aroma). All factors significantly affected the studied traits, with the exception of interactions between dairy and season of production for texture and external aspect, and between year and season of production for odor. Dairy was the most important source of variation for visually assessed traits (external aspect, rind thickness, paste color, and texture) and for quality index, whereas year of production was the most important for flavor attributes (odor, taste, and aroma). The latter traits were always highly correlated among them and with the quality index, whereas correlations among visually assessed attributes, between them and flavor attributes, and between them and the quality index were more erratic. The sensory evaluation performed by the panel of experts has proven to be a useful tool to define the quality index and address the payment system of Trentingrana cheese, but it has some limitations in correctly describing the sensory profile of cheese and identifying specific defects and possible remedies

Preditores de bem-estar e qualidade de vida em homens submetidos à prostatectomia radical: estudo longitudinal

Objective: to identify socio-demographic, clinical and psychological predictors of well-being and quality of life in men who underwent radical prostatectomy, in a 360-day follow-up. Method: longitudinal study with 120 men who underwent radical prostatectomy. Questionnaires were used for characterization and clinical evaluation of the participant, as well as the instruments Visual Analog Scale for Pain, The Ways of Coping Questionnaire, Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale, Satisfaction with Social Support Scale, Marital Satisfaction Scale, Subjective Well-Being Scale and Expanded Prostate Cancer Index. For data analysis, the linear mixed-effects model was used. Results: the socio-demographic factors age and race were not predictors of the dependent variables; time of surgery, problem-focused coping, and anxiety were predictors of subjective well-being; pain, anxiety and depression were negative predictors of quality of life; emotion-focused coping was a positive predictor. Marital dissatisfaction was a predictor of both variables. Conclusion: predictor variables found were different from the literature: desire for changes in marital relationship presented a positive association with quality of life and well-being; emotion-focused coping was a predictor of quality of life; and anxiety was a predictor of subjective well-being.Objetivo: identificar fatores preditores sociodemográficos, clínicos e psicológicos para o bem-estar e a qualidade de vida de homens submetidos à prostatectomia radical, em seguimento de 360 dias. Método: trata-se de um estudo longitudinal, com 120 homens submetidos à prostatectomia radical. Foram utilizados questionários para caracterização e avaliação clínica do participante, bem como os instrumentos Escala Visual Analógica de Dor, Inventário de Estratégias de Coping, Escala Hospitalar de Ansiedade e Depressão, Escala de Satisfação com o Suporte Social, Escala de Satisfação Conjugal, Escala de Bem-estar Subjetivo e o Expanded Prostate Cancer Index. Para análise dos dados, utilizou-se o modelo linear de efeitos mistos. Resultados: fatores sociodemográficos idade e raça não se mostraram preditores das variáveis dependentes; tempo de cirurgia, enfrentamento focado no problema e ansiedade foram preditores para bem-estar subjetivo; dor, ansiedade e depressão foram preditores negativos de qualidade de vida; estratégia de enfrentamento focado na emoção, positivo. A não satisfação conjugal foi preditora para ambas variáveis. Conclusões: foram identificados fatores preditores distintos da literatura: desejo de mudança nos níveis de satisfação conjugal apresentou relação positiva com qualidade de vida e bem-estar; modo de enfrentamento focado na emoção foi preditor de qualidade de vida; e ansiedade foi preditor de bem-estar subjetivo.Objetivo: identificar factores predictores sociodemográficos, clínicos y psicológicos para el bienestar y la calidad de vida de hombres sometidos a prostatectomía radical, en seguimiento de 360 días. Método: se trata de un estudio longitudinal, realizado entre 120 hombres sometidos a prostatectomía radical. Se utilizaron cuestionarios para caracterización y evaluación clínica del participante, así como los instrumentos Escala Visual Analógica de Dolor, Inventario de Estrategias de Afrontamiento, Escala Hospitalaria de Ansiedad y Depresión, Escala de Satisfacción con el Soporte Social, Escala de Satisfacción Marital, Escala de Bienestar Subjetivo y el Índice de Cáncer de Próstata Ampliado. Se utilizó el modelo lineal de efectos mixtos para el análisis de los datos. Resultados: los factores sociodemográficos tales como edad y raza no se mostraron predictores de las variables dependientes; tiempo de cirugía, enfrentamiento enfocado en el problema y en la ansiedad fueron predictores para el bienestar subjetivo; dolor, ansiedad y depresión fueron predictores negativos de calidad de vida; estrategia de enfrentamiento enfocado en la emoción, positivo. La no satisfacción marital fue predictora para ambas variables. Conclusiones: se identificaron factores predictores distintos de la literatura: el deseo de cambio en los niveles de satisfacción marital presentó una relación positiva con la calidad de vida y el bienestar; modo de enfrentamiento enfocado en la emoción fue predictor de calidad de vida; y ansiedad fue predictor de bienestar subjetivo

Current research practices on pro-environmental behavior: A survey of environmental psychologists

No abstrac

Synthesis of nanostructured ThO 2 pellets

International audienc

Field-induced p-n transition in yttria-stabilized zirconia

Oxide ion conducting yttria-stabilised zirconia ceramics show the onset of electronic conduction under a small bias voltage. Compositions with a high yttria content undergo a transition from p-type to n-type behavior at voltages in the range 2.4 to 10 V, which also depends on oxygen partial pressure. Surface reactions have a direct influence on bulk electronic conductivities, with possible implications for voltage-induced flash phenomena and resistive switching

Waning efficacy in a long-term AAV-mediated gene therapy study in the murine model of Krabbe disease

Neonatal AAV9-gene therapy of the lysosomal enzyme galactosylceramidase (GALC) significantly ameliorates central and peripheral neuropathology, prolongs survival, and largely normalizes motor deficits in Twitcher mice. Despite these therapeutic milestones, new observations identified the presence of multiple small focal demyelinating areas in the brain after 6-8 months. These lesions are in stark contrast to the diffuse, global demyelination that affects the brain of naive Twitcher mice. Late-onset lesions exhibited lysosomal alterations with reduced expression of GALC and increased psychosine levels. Furthermore, we found that lesions were closely associated with the extravasation of plasma fibrinogen and activation of the fibrinogen-BMP-SMAD-GFAP gliotic response. Extravasation of fibrinogen correlated with tight junction disruptions of the vasculature within the lesioned areas. The lesions were surrounded by normal appearing white matter. Our study shows that the dysregulation of therapeutic GALC was likely driven by the exhaustion of therapeutic AAV episomal DNA within the lesions, paralleling the presence of proliferating oligodendrocyte progenitors and glia. We believe that this is the first demonstration of diminishing expression in vivo from an AAV gene therapy vector with detrimental effects in the brain of a lysosomal storage disease animal model. The development of this phenotype linking localized loss of GALC activity with relapsing neuropathology in the adult brain of neonatally AAV-gene therapy-treated Twitcher mice identifies and alerts to possible late-onset reductions of AAV efficacy, with implications to other genetic leukodystrophies

Detailed spectral and morphological analysis of the shell type SNR RCW 86

Aims: We aim for an understanding of the morphological and spectral properties of the supernova remnant RCW~86 and for insights into the production mechanism leading to the RCW~86 very high-energy gamma-ray emission. Methods: We analyzed High Energy Spectroscopic System data that had increased sensitivity compared to the observations presented in the RCW~86 H.E.S.S. discovery publication. Studies of the morphological correlation between the 0.5-1~keV X-ray band, the 2-5~keV X-ray band, radio, and gamma-ray emissions have been performed as well as broadband modeling of the spectral energy distribution with two different emission models. Results:We present the first conclusive evidence that the TeV gamma-ray emission region is shell-like based on our morphological studies. The comparison with 2-5~keV X-ray data reveals a correlation with the 0.4-50~TeV gamma-ray emission.The spectrum of RCW~86 is best described by a power law with an exponential cutoff at $E_{cut}=(3.5\pm 1.2_{stat})$ TeV and a spectral index of $\Gamma$~$1.6\pm 0.2$. A static leptonic one-zone model adequately describes the measured spectral energy distribution of RCW~86, with the resultant total kinetic energy of the electrons above 1 GeV being equivalent to $\sim$0.1\% of the initial kinetic energy of a Type I a supernova explosion. When using a hadronic model, a magnetic field of $B$~100$\mu$G is needed to represent the measured data. Although this is comparable to formerly published estimates, a standard E$^{-2}$ spectrum for the proton distribution cannot describe the gamma-ray data. Instead, a spectral index of $\Gamma_p$~1.7 would be required, which implies that ~$7\times 10^{49}/n_{cm^{-3}}$erg has been transferred into high-energy protons with the effective density $n_{cm^{-3}}=n/ 1$ cm^-3. This is about 10\% of the kinetic energy of a typical Type Ia supernova under the assumption of a density of 1~cm^-3.Comment: accepted for publication by A&