Potential bio-activity of whey fermented extract as sanitizer of organic grown lettuce

Short CommunicationConsumption of vegetables is increasing due to demand for healthy products in peoples' diets. To reduce microbial contamination and maintain freshness, industrial processes in Portugal rely on minimally processing of vegetables with hypochlorite as sanitizer. Formation of toxic chlorine derivatives has raised concern restrictions to its use and alternatives with whey permeate as a disinfection agent has been attempted. The aim of this work was to evaluate the bio potential of fermented cheese whey, for use on disinfection of minimally processed lettuce organically grown. Assays were made with whey obtained from inoculated milk during cheese processing, fermented for 120 h at 37 C, after which, among other carbohydrates, lactic acid was measured by HPLC, giving average yields of 18 g L 1. The sanitizing effect of whey, undiluted, 75 and 50% solutions, was compared with 110 ppm sodium hypochlorite, after rinsing. Aerobic Microorganisms (AM), Psychrotrophic Microorganisms (PM) and Enterobacteriaceae (ENT), were used as indicators for hygiene quality. For a level of significance of P < 0.05, the hygiene quality standards of lettuce samples, were better using 75% whey solution (AM 6.62, PM 7.48 cfu g 1), than using sodium hypochlorite (AM 7.48, PM 8.15 cfu g 1), for the 7 days of shelf life studied. Evaluation of Enterobacteriaceae showed significant differences after 3 days, betweenwater (ENT 4.98 cfu g 1) sodium hypochlorite (ENT 4.81 cfu g 1) and 75% solution of whey (ENT 4.63 cfu g 1). Considering the actual limitations imposed to chlorine sanitation, these results point a good alternative to the food industry, especially for organic fresh vegetables, which are chemical free brandsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mob Rulers And Part-time Cleaners: Two Reef Fish Associations At The Isolated Ascension Island

Isolated oceanic islands may give rise not only to new and endemic species, but also to unique behaviours and species interactions. Multi-species fish interactions, such as cleaning, following, mob-feeding and others are understudied in these ecosystems. Here we present qualitative and quantitative observations on cleaning and mob-feeding reef fish associations at the isolated Ascension Island, South Atlantic Ocean. Cleaning interactions were dominated by juveniles of the facultative fish cleaners Bodianus insularis and Pomacanthus paru, with lesser contributions of Chaetodon sanctaehelenae, Thalassoma ascensionis and the cleaner shrimp Lysmata grabhami. Two types of feeding mobs were consistently identified: less mobile mobs led by the surgeonfish Acanthurus bahianus and A. coeruleus and the more mobile mobs led by the African sergeant Abudefduf hoefleri. This is the first record of A. hoefleri from outside of the Eastern Atlantic and also the first report of this species displaying mob-feeding behaviour. The principal follower of both mob types was the extremely abundant Melichthys niger, but the main aggressor differed: Stegastes lubbocki, a highly territorial herbivore, was the main aggressor of Acanthurus mobs; and Chromis multilineata a territorial fish while engaged in egg parental care, was the principal aggressor towards Abudefduf mobs. Our study enhances the scarce information on reef fish feeding associations at the isolated Ascension Island and at oceanic islands in the Atlantic in general. Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 201611

Determination of paralytic shellfish toxins using potentiometric electronic tongue

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are monitored in commercial bivalves in several countries in the world due to their toxicity to human consumers. The present work examines the application of an electronic tongue based on potentiometric chemical sensors to the quantification of PSTs in mussel extracts. The electronic tongue comprised six miniaturized sensors with solid inner contact and plasticized polyvinylchloride membranes. Calibration models were calculated by PLS regression using measurements in sixteen model mixed solutions containing four PSTs commonly found in bivalves from the Portuguese coast. Transfer of the calibration models to sample matrix was done by joint-PLS regression using measurements in five mussel extracts spiked with PST standards. Quantification of PSTs in extracts of naturally contaminated mussels, using the electronic tongue and updated calibration model, was in agreement with values of the chromatographic reference method. Those sensors alone or combined in an electronic tongue are useful tools for rapid screening of PST in bivalves.publishe

Higher Grading Conformal Affine Toda Teory and (Generalized) Sine-Gordon/Massive Thirring Duality

Some properties of the higher grading integrable generalizations of the conformal affine Toda systems are studied. The fields associated to the non-zero grade generators are Dirac spinors. The effective action is written in terms of the Wess-Zumino-Novikov-Witten (WZNW) action associated to an affine Lie algebra, and an off-critical theory is obtained as the result of the spontaneous breakdown of the conformal symmetry. Moreover, the off-critical theory presents a remarkable equivalence between the Noether and topological currents of the model. Related to the off-critical model we define a real and local Lagrangian provided some reality conditions are imposed on the fields of the model. This real action model is expected to describe the soliton sector of the original model, and turns out to be the master action from which we uncover the weak-strong phases described by (generalized) massive Thirring and sine-Gordon type models, respectively. The case of any (untwisted) affine Lie algebra furnished with the principal gradation is studied in some detail. The example of $\hat{sl}(n) (n=2,3)$ is presented explicitly.Comment: 28 pages, JHEP styl

Classical Solutions in a Lorentz-violating Maxwell-Chern-Simons Electrodynamics

We take as starting point the planar model arising from the dimensional reduction of the Maxwell Electrodynamics with the (Lorentz-violating) Carroll-Field-Jackiw term. We then write and study the extended Maxwell equations and the corresponding wave equations for the potentials. The solution to these equations show some interesting deviations from the usual MCS Electrodynamics, with background-dependent correction terms. In the case of a time-like background, the correction terms dominate over the MCS sector in the region far from the origin, and establish the behaviour of a massless Electrodynamics (in the electric sector). In the space-like case, the solutions indicate the clear manifestation of spatial anisotropy, which is consistent with the existence of a privileged direction is space.Comment: latex, 8 page

Haematological and biochemical parameters in Churra-da-Terra-Quente ewes from the northeast of Portugal

Hematological and biochemical parameters, including plasma electrolytes and thyroid hormones, were determined in 73 clinically healthy Churra-da-Terra-Quente ewes, a typical breed from the northeast of Portugal. The hemogram values were: erythrocytes 9.8±1.51012/L; haemoglobin 118.1±19.1g/L; haematocrit 40.8±5.9%; leukocytes 5.7±1.8109/L; and platelets 544.3±177.2109/L. The thrombin time was 17.3±1.7 seconds. The values of biochemical parameters were: total protein 76.4±6.1g/L; glucose 2.87±0.60mmol/L; total cholesterol 1.65±0.33mmol/L; aspartate aminotransferase 155.9±49.2U/L; alanine aminotransferase 23.2±9.6U/L; γ-glutamyl transferase 48.0±18.7U/L; total alkaline phosphatase 121.6±76.1U/L; glutamate dehydrogenase 6.4±3.7U/L; urea 7.32±2.22mmol/L; creatinine 123.0±54.1μmol/L; total calcium 2.53±0.25mmol/L; phosphorus 2.10±0.46mmol/L; magnesium 1.01±0.09mmol/L; sodium 152.04±3.65mmol/L; potassium 4.7±0.4mmol/L; ionized calcium 1.32±0.07mmol/L; total thyroxine 111.75±42.29nmol/L; total triiodothyronine 1.01±0.28nmol/L; free T4 11.93±1.78pmol/L; free T3 4.22±1.33pmol/L; and thyroid-stimulating hormone 0.18±0.19μIU/mL. Although differences among the Churra-da-Terra-Quente breed and other breeds may occur, the hematological and biochemical parameters, plasma electrolytes, and thyroid hormones, for this indigenous breed, were generally situated within the reference intervals previously reported for sheep

Township tourism as an agent for the socio-economic well-being of residents.

The development of township tourism has created contradicting views amongst researchers with two different schools of thought emerging (Kieti & Magio, 2013:38; Rogerson, 2015:320; Booyens, 2010:377). One school holds that township tourism exploits the poor and uses their living conditions as a tourist attraction, while the other suggests it is a tool to improve the local economy by combating poverty and encouraging understanding of how other people live (Kieti & Magio, 2013:38; Rogerson, 2015:320; Booyens, 2010:377). In Namibia, the residents are often the objects of tourism development rather than the ones that spearhead the process of tourism development (Saarinen, 2010:722). While the tourists’ motives to visit townships is for the social interaction with the residents in search of authentic experiences (Diekmann & Hannam, 2012:1331), authenticity is often compromised in township tours, where tourists are taken on artificial tours in the townships with little interaction with the residents (Booyens, 2010:277). Mutual respect and understanding between the residents and the tourists will reduce the situation, where residents feel they are the objects of the tourists’ gazes (Frisch, 2012:336). Academic literature has shown that there is a relationship between the residents’ perceived benefits derived from township tourism and their attitudes towards tourism development, where residents will support township tourism if they benefit from it (Kieti & Magio, 2013:39). According to Rogerson (2015:321), most of the academic research on tourism in Africa is focused on rural tourism development and there is a need for further investigation on the subject of township tourism. This paper presents a review of literature on township tourism and sustainable tourism, filling a small gap in the field of township tourism

Inhomogeneous cosmologies with Q-matter and varying Λ\Lambda

Starting from the inhomogeneous shear--free Nariai metric we show, by solving the Einstein--Klein--Gordon field equations, how a self--interacting scalar field plus a material fluid, a variable cosmological term and a heat flux can drive the universe to its currently observed state of homogeneous accelerated expansion. A quintessence scenario where power-law inflation takes place for a string-motivated potential in the late--time dominated field regime is proposed.Comment: 11 pages, Revtex. To be published in Physical Review

Conjunctival Changes Induced By Prostaglandin Analogues And Timolol Maleate: A Histomorphometric Study

Purpose: To compare histological changes induced by antiglaucoma medications in the rabbit conjunctiva. Methods: Fifty New Zeland rabbits were divided in 5 groups 10 animals. The left eyes were treated daily with one drop of bimatoprost 0.03%, travoprost 0.004%, latanoprost 0.005%, timolol maleate 0.5% or artificial tears containing benzalkonium chloride (BAK) for 30 days. The right eyes served as control. Superior limbic conjunctival biopsies were performed at the 8th and 30th day in 5 rabbits of each group. The conjunctive was fixed with 10% formaldehyde, followed by He and PAS staining. Morphohistometric quantitative analyses were performed to evaluate the following parameters: inflammatory infiltrate, epithelial thickness number of goblet cells, diameter and number of blood vessels. Results: At the 8th and 30th posttreatment days, all groups, except one that received artificial tears, exhibited a diffuse inflammatory infiltrate, composed by lymphocytes and neutrophils, which was denser in the timolol group than in the prostaglandin (PG) analogues groups. At the 30th day, the timolol group showed an increased subepithelial collagen density and a significant increase in epithelial thickness (p=0.0035). The goblet cell density was significantly increased at the 8th day in the group treated with travoprost (p=0.0006), and at the 30th day in those treated with bimaprost (p=0.0021) and latanoprost (p=0.009). Conclusions: Although a moderate, diffuse inflammatory infiltrate was observed in PG-treated eyes, no changes in conjunctival epithelial thickness or subconjunctival collagen density were observed with these medications, suggesting that these drugs induce fewer changes than timolol maleate in the rabbit conjuctiva.706910916Gordon MO, Beiser JA, Brandt JD, Heuer DK, Higginbotham EJ, Johnson CA, et al. The Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study: baseline factors that predict the onset of primary open-angle glaucoma. Arch Ophthalmol. 2002;120(6):714-20discussion 829-30. Comment in: Arch Ophthalmol. 2004;122(7):1088-9author reply 1089Ritch, P., Shields, B., Krupin, T., Pharmacology The glaucomas, 3 (C1996), pp. 1375-1489. , Ritch R, Shields MB, Krupin T, editors, 2nd ed. St. Louis: Mosby;Lindén, C., Therapeutic potential of prostoglandin analogues in glaucoma (2001) Expert Opin Investig Drug, 10 (4), pp. 679-694Noecker, R.S., Dirks, M.S., Choplin, N., Bimatoprost/Latanoprost Study Group. Comparison of latanoprost, bimatoprost, and travoprost in patients with elevated intraocular pressure: A 12-week, randomized, masked-evaluator multicenter study (2003) Am J Ophthalmol, 137 (1), pp. 210-211Parrish RK, Palmberg P, Shen WPXLT Study Group. A comparison of latanoprost, bimatoprost, and travoprost in patients with elevated intraocular pressure: a 12-week, randomized, masked-evaluator multicenter study. Am J Ophthalmol. 2003;135(5):688-703Stewart, W.C., Kolker, A.E., Stewart, J.A., Leech, J., Jackson, A.L., Conjunctival hyperemia in healthy subjects after short-term dosing with latanoprost, bimatoprost, and travoprost (2003) Am J Ophthalmol, 135 (3), pp. 314-320Feldman, R.M., Conjunctival hyperemia and the use of topical prostaglandins in glaucoma and ocular hypertension (2003) J Ocul Pharmacol Ther, 19 (1), pp. 23-35Johnstone, M.A., Hypertrichosis and increased pigmentation of eyelashes and adjacent hair in the region of the ipsilateral eyelids of patients treated with unilateral topical latanoprost (1997) Am J Ophthalmol, 124 (4), pp. 544-547Kook, M.S., Lee, K., Increased eyelid pigmentation associated with use of latanoprost (2000) Am J Ophtalmol, 129 (6), pp. 804-806Pfeiffer, N., Griesrson, I., Goldsmith, H., Hochgesand, D., Winkgen-Böhres, A., Appleton, P., Histological effects in the iris after 3 months of latanoprost therapy: The Mainz 1 study (2001) Arch Ophtalmol, 119 (2), pp. 191-196Teus, M.A., Arranz-Marquez, E., Lucea-Suescun, P., Incidence of iris colour change in latanoprost treated eyes (2002) Br J Ophthalmol, 86 (10), pp. 1085-1088Arcieri, E.S., Santana, A., Rocha, F.N., Guapo, G.L., Costa, V.P., Blood-aqueous barrier changes after the use of prostaglandin analogues in patients with pseudophakia and aphakia: A 6-month randomized trial (2005) Arch Ophthalmol, 123 (2), pp. 186-192Brandt, J.D., Wittpenn, J.R., Katz, L.J., Steinmann, W.N., Spaeth, G.L., Conjunctival impression cytology in patients with glaucoma using long-term topical medication (1991) Am J Ophthalmol, 112 (3), pp. 297-301Mietz, H., Shlötzer-Schrehardt, U., Strassfeld, C., Krieglstein, G.K., Effect of latanoprost and timolol on the histopathology of the rabbit conjunctiva (2001) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 42 (3), pp. 679-687Miatz, H., Esser, J.M., Welsandt, G., Kociok, N., Hueber, A., Joussen, A., Latanoprost stimulates secretion of matrix metalloproteinases in tenon fibroblasts both in vitro and in vivo (2003) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 44 (12), pp. 5182-5188Costagliola, C., Prete, A.D., Incorvaia, C., Fusco, R., Parmeggiani, F., Di Giovanni, A., Ocular surface changes induced by topical application of latanoprost and timolol: A short-term study in glaucomatous patients with and without allergic conjunctivitis (2001) Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol, 239 (11), pp. 809-814Herrems JM, Pastor JC, Calonge M, Asensio VM. Ocular surface alteration after long-term treatment with antiglaucomatious drug. Ophthalmology. 199299(7):1082-8. Comment in: Ophthalmology. 1993;100(3):293-4Broadway, D.C., Grierson, I., O'Brien, C., Hitchings, R.A., Adverse effects of topical antiglaucoma medication. I. The conjunctival cell profile (1994) Arch Ophthalmol, 112 (11), pp. 1437-1445Broadway DC, Grierson I, O'Brien C, Hitchings RA. Adverse effects of topical antiglaucoma medication. II. The outcome of filtration surgery. Arch Ophthalmol. 1994;112(11):1446-54. 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Ocular surface inflammatory changes induced by topical antiglaucoma drugs: human and animal studies. Ophthalmology. 1999106(3):556-63. Comment in: Ophthalmology. 1999106(10):1853Blondin, C., Hamard, P., Cholley, B., Haeffner-Cavaillon, N., Baudouin, C., In vitro effects of preserved or preservative-free antiglaucoma medications on human complement system (2003) Curr Eye Res, 27 (4), pp. 253-259Broadway, D., Hitchings, R., Grierson, I., The affect of topical anti-glaucomatous medications on the cell profile of the conjunctiva (1993) Curr Opin Ophthalmol, 4, pp. 51-57Addicks, E.M., Quigley, H.A., Green, W.R., Robin, A.L., Histologic characteristics of filtering blebs in glaucomatous eyes (1993) Arch Ophthalmol, 101 (5), pp. 795-798Gwynn, D.R., Stewart, W.C., Pitts, R.A., McMillan, T.A., Hennis, H.L., Conjunctival structure and cell counts and the results of filtering surgery (1993) Am J Ophthalmol, 116 (4), pp. 464-468Sherwood, M.B., Grierson, I., Millar, L., Hitchings, R.A., Long-term morphologic effects of antiglaucoma drugs on the conjunctiva and Tenon's capsule in glaucomatous patients (1989) Ophthalmology, 96 (3), pp. 327-335Mietz, H., Niesen, U., Krleglstein, G.K., The effect of preservatives and antiglaucomatous medication on the histopathology of the conjunctiva (1994) Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol, 232 (9), pp. 561-565Bensoussan, I., Blondin, C., Baudouin, C., Hamard, P., Sabeh Afaki, G., Creuzot-Garcher, C.A., Flow cytometic analysis of HLA-DR, IL-6 and IL-8 expression by conjunctival epithelial cells from patients with prolonged topical antiglaucoma treatments] (2003) J Fr Ophtalmol, 26 (8), pp. 762-769Guenoun, J.M., Baudouin, C., Rat, P., Pauly, A., Warnet, J.M., Brignole-Baudouin, F., In vitro study of inflammatory potential and toxicity profile of latanoprost, travoprost, and bimatoprost in conjunctiva-derived epithelial cells (2005) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 46 (7), pp. 2444-2450Moreno, M., Villena, A., Cabarga, C., Sanchez-Font, E., Garcia-Campos, J., Impression cytology of the conjunctival epithelium after antiglaucomatous treatment with latanaprost (2003) Eur J Ophthalmol, 13 (6), pp. 553-559Guglielminetti, E., Barabino, S., Monaco, M., Mantero, S., Rolando, M., HLA-DR expression in conjunctival cells after latanoprost (2002) J Ocul Pharmacol Ther, 18 (1), pp. 1-9Broadway, D., Hitchings, R., Grierson, I., Topical antiglaucoma therapy: Adverse effects on the conjunctiva and implications for filtration surgery (1995) J Glaucoma, 4, pp. 136-148Oh, D.J., Martin, J.L., Williams, A.J., Peck, R.E., Pokorny, C., Russell, P., Analysis of expression of matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases in human ciliary body after latanoprost (2006) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 47 (3), pp. 953-963Young, L.T., Higginbotham, E.J., Zou, X.L., Farber, M.D., Effects of topical glaucoma drugs on fistulized rabbit conjunctiva (1990) Ophthalmology, 97 (11), pp. 1423-1427De Saint Jean, M., Brignole, F., Bringuier, A.F., Bauchet, A., Feldmann, G., Baudouin, C., Effects of benzalkonium chloride on growth and survival of Chang conjunctival cells (1999) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 40 (3), pp. 619-630Bensoussan, L., Blondin, C., Baudouin, C., Hemard, P., Sabeh Afaki, G., Creuzot-Garcher, C., (2003) Flow cytometric analysis of HLA-DR, IL-6 and IL-8 expression by conjunctival epithelial cells from patients with prolonged topical antiglaucoma treatments]J Fr Ophtalmol, 26 (8), pp. 782-789Pisella, P.J., Debbasch, C., Hamard, P., Creuzot-Garchar, C., Rat, P., Brignole, F., Baudouin, C., Conjunctival proinflammatory and proapoptotic effects of latanoprost and preserved and unpreserved timolol: An ex vivo and in vitro study (2004) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 45 (5), pp. 1360-1368Debbasch, C., De La Salle, S.B., Brignole, F., Rat, P., Warnet, M., Baudouin, C., Cytoprotective effects of hyaluronic acid and Carbomer 934P in ocular surface epithelial cells (2002) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 43 (11), pp. 3409-341