Factors affecting the activity of baker's compressed and active dry yeast : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in Biotechnology at Massey University

Factors affecting the Activity of Baker's Compressed and Active Dry Yeast. Parameters important in the production of Baker's Yeast were correlated with the product's final activity. Activity was a measure of the gas evolved in a fermenting dough, expressed as mMCO2/hr/g yeast solids. The drying of Compressed Yeast to Active Dry Yeast was optimised in terms of the drying air. A tunnel tray drier was used to dry yeast to a 9% moisture content (dry weight). At 40°C. the optimum drying humidity was found to be 30-32% relative humidity. The leavening ability of yeast dried at 17% and 45% relative humidity decreased. A drying additive, 2% glyceryl monostearate, halved the drying time to 4 hours. Equations were developed to describe these observations as a function of relative humidity, drying time and additive concentration. The equilibrium relative humidity of stored dried yeast was found to be 32% at 20°C. Fermentation parameters were correlated with the activity of Compressed Yeast using an experimental design. Growth temperatures varied from 28°C. to 37°C., initial pH from 4 to 6, glucose concentrations from 0.5% to 3%, nitrogen concentrations from 0.3% to 1.2% and dissolved oxygen varied as either agitated or standing cultures. Factors significantly affecting cell yield and yeast activity were growth temperature, dissolved oxygen and glucose concentrations. Maximal yeast activity occurred at 0.5% glucose concentration, 28°C. and non-agitated conditions. A model was developed to describe yeast activity as a function of these variables. The observed optimal conditions for cell yield were similar to those for yeast activity except for the dissolved oxygen level. Maximum yeast activity of Compressed Yeast occurred in non-agitated fermentations, compared with cell yield which required agitated conditions to achieve the greatest cell yield. A rapid screening test for evaluating dried yeast was incorporated into the yeast activity analysis. This involved monitoring foam production during rehydration

Cognitive-behavioral factors associated with sleep quality in chronic pain patients

People with chronic pain commonly complain of sleep disturbance. This study reports the characteristics of the pain and sleep of a large sample of patients with chronic pain (n = 160). This study compared subgroups of good sleepers with pain (n = 48) and poor sleepers with pain (n = 108). Poor sleepers with pain were younger and reported more pain, pain-related disability, depression, pain-related anxiety, and dysfunctional beliefs about sleep. Using simultaneous regression analysis, this study examined the roles of pain, dysfunctional beliefs about sleep, pain-related disability, depression, and pain-related anxiety in predicting concurrent sleep quality. The findings are relevant to the development of models of sleep disturbance comorbid with chronic pain

How are normal sleeping controls selected? A systematic review of cross-sectional insomnia studies, and a standardised method to select healthy controls for sleep research

There appears to be some inconsistency in how normal sleepers (controls) are selected and screened for participation in research studies for comparison with insomnia patients. The purpose of the current study is to assess and compare methods of identifying normal sleepers in insomnia studies, with reference to published standards. We systematically reviewed the literature on insomnia patients which included control subjects. The resulting 37 articles were systematically reviewed with reference to the five criteria for normal sleep specified by Edinger et al. (2004). In summary, these criteria are: evidence of sleep disruption; sleep scheduling; general health; substance/medication use; and other sleep disorders. We found sleep diaries, PSG, and clinical screening examinations to be widely used with both control subjects and insomnia participants. However, there are differences between research groups in the precise definitions applied to the components of normal sleep. We found that none of reviewed studies applied all of the Edinger et al. criteria, and 16% met four criteria. In general, screening is applied most rigorously at the level of a clinical disorder, whether physical, psychiatric, or sleep. While the Edinger et al. criteria seem to be applied in some form by most researchers, there is scope to improve standards and definitions in this area. Ideally, different methods such as sleep diaries and questionnaires would be used concurrently with objective measures to ensure normal sleepers are identified, and descriptive information for control subjects would be reported. Here, we have devised working criteria and methods to be used for assessment of normal sleepers. This would help clarify the nature of the control group, in contrast to insomnia subjects and other patient groups

A controlled comparative investigation of psychological treatments for chronic sleep-onset insomnia

Seventy, GP-referred, sleep-onset insomniacs were randomly assigned to either progressive relaxation, stimulus control, paradoxical intention, placebo or no treatment control groups. Following baseline assessment of sleep pattern and quality subjects received 8 weeks of treatment, comprising 4 weeks under counterdemand and 4 weeks under positive demand instruction to control for demand characteristics and expectancy effects. A further 14 patients were allocated consecutively to a tailored therapy condition as a development of the main study. Measures of treatment process and outcome were obtained from self-report instruments validated against objective monitoring via the `Somtra

How are normal sleeping controls selected? A systematic review of cross-sectional insomnia studies, and a standardised method to select healthy controls for sleep research

There appears to be some inconsistency in how normal sleepers (controls) are selected and screened for participation in research studies for comparison with insomnia patients. The purpose of the current study is to assess and compare methods of identifying normal sleepers in insomnia studies, with reference to published standards. We systematically reviewed the literature on insomnia patients which included control subjects. The resulting 37 articles were systematically reviewed with reference to the five criteria for normal sleep specified by Edinger et al. (2004). In summary, these criteria are: evidence of sleep disruption; sleep scheduling; general health; substance/medication use; and other sleep disorders. We found sleep diaries, PSG, and clinical screening examinations to be widely used with both control subjects and insomnia participants. However, there are differences between research groups in the precise definitions applied to the components of normal sleep. We found that none of reviewed studies applied all of the Edinger et al. criteria, and 16% met four criteria. In general, screening is applied most rigorously at the level of a clinical disorder, whether physical, psychiatric, or sleep. While the Edinger et al. criteria seem to be applied in some form by most researchers, there is scope to improve standards and definitions in this area. Ideally, different methods such as sleep diaries and questionnaires would be used concurrently with objective measures to ensure normal sleepers are identified, and descriptive information for control subjects would be reported. Here, we have devised working criteria and methods to be used for assessment of normal sleepers. This would help clarify the nature of the control group, in contrast to insomnia subjects and other patient groups

Social interactions, emotion and sleep: a systematic review and research agenda

Sleep and emotion are closely linked, however the effects of sleep on socio-emotional task performance have only recently been investigated. Sleep loss and insomnia have been found to affect emotional reactivity and social functioning, although results, taken together, are somewhat contradictory. Here we review this advancing literature, aiming to 1) systematically review the relevant literature on sleep and socio-emotional functioning, with reference to the extant literature on emotion and social interactions, 2) summarize results and outline ways in which emotion, social interactions, and sleep may interact, and 3) suggest key limitations and future directions for this field. From the reviewed literature, sleep deprivation is associated with diminished emotional expressivity and impaired emotion recognition, and this has particular relevance for social interactions. Sleep deprivation also increases emotional reactivity; results which are most apparent with neuro-imaging studies investigating amygdala activity and its prefrontal regulation. Evidence of emotional dysregulation in insomnia and poor sleep has also been reported. In general, limitations of this literature include how performance measures are linked to self-reports, and how results are linked to socio-emotional functioning. We conclude by suggesting some possible future directions for this field

Rope: An Original Piece for String Orchestra Played Concurrently with Alfred Hitchcock\u27s Film

This thesis presents an original piece of music designed to be performed concurrently with Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope (1948). The film provides a canvas upon which a musically dominant multimedia experience is built. An accompanying analysis explains the variety of compositional techniques used, explaining their significance and how each deviates from a traditional film score. The objective of this work is to challenge the existing relationship between music and film, and add to the growing body of repertoire of live works featuring synchronized video, modeling example methods of live multimedia performance. In this exploration, the goal was not to be anti-cinematic, but to be extra-cinematic; that is, to go beyond the traditional practices while still employing them when desired

The Sleep Condition Indicator: a clinical screening tool to evaluate insomnia disorder

Objective: Describe the development and psychometric validation of a brief scale (the Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI)) to evaluate insomnia disorder in everyday clinical practice.<p></p> Design: The SCI was evaluated across five study samples. Content validity, internal consistency and concurrent validity were investigated.<p></p> Participants: 30 941 individuals (71% female) completed the SCI along with other descriptive demographic and clinical information.<p></p> Setting: Data acquired on dedicated websites.<p></p> Results: The eight-item SCI (concerns about getting to sleep, remaining asleep, sleep quality, daytime personal functioning, daytime performance, duration of sleep problem, nights per week having a sleep problem and extent troubled by poor sleep) had robust internal consistency (α≥0.86) and showed convergent validity with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Insomnia Severity Index. A two-item short-form (SCI-02: nights per week having a sleep problem, extent troubled by poor sleep), derived using linear regression modelling, correlated strongly with the SCI total score (r=0.90).<p></p> Conclusions: The SCI has potential as a clinical screening tool for appraising insomnia symptoms against Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria.<p></p&gt

Biological Stimulants Increase Fertilizer Efficiency and Pasture Legume Content

The effects of a soil biological stimulant (SS) and biologically activated reactive phosphate rock (BAP) on pasture yield and botanical composition were examined in a field trial in low-fertility New Zealand rangeland. BAP application significantly increased pasture yield by 60% and BAP plus biostimulant increased yield by 120%. BAP significantly increased resident legume cover by 75% and BAP with biostimulants by 85%. Alfalfa, direct drilled as an indicator test species, increased in establishment from 0 to 3.8 plants m-2 with BAP and to 4.2 plants m-2 with BAP plus biostimulant. Biostimulant applied alone increased yield by 17%, legume cover by 2% and alfalfa establishment by 0.1 plants m-2. These results are consistent with previous trials in high-fertility pastures and may assist in the development of sustainable agriculture

Do sleep difficulties exacerbate deficits in sustained attention following traumatic brain injury?

Sustained attention has been shown to be vulnerable following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Sleep restriction and disturbances have been shown to negatively affect sustained attention. Sleep disorders are common but under-diagnosed after TBI. Thus, it seems possible that sleep disturbances may exacerbate neuropsychological deficits for a proportion of individuals who have sustained a TBI. The aim of this prospective study was to examine whether poor sleepers post-TBI had poorer sustained and general attentional functioning than good sleepers post-TBI. Retrospective subjective, prospective subjective, and objective measures were used to assess participants’ sleep. The results showed that the poor sleep group had significantly poorer sustained attention ability than the good sleep group. The differences on other measures of attention were not significant. This study supports the use of measures that capture specific components of attention rather than global measures of attention, and highlights the importance of assessing and treating sleep problems in brain injury rehabilitation