Enzymatic evaluation of protein quality in feed and foodstuffs

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1969 G7Master of Scienc

Evolution of size-dependent flowering in a variable environment: construction and analysis of a stochastic integral projection model

Understanding why individuals delay reproduction is a classic problem in evolutionary biology. In plants, the study of reproductive delays is complicated because growth and survival can be size and age dependent, individuals of the same size can grow by different amounts and there is temporal variation in the environment. We extend the recently developed integral projection approach to include size- and age-dependent demography and temporal variation. The technique is then applied to a long-term individually structured dataset for Carlina vulgaris, a monocarpic thistle. The parameterized model has excellent descriptive properties in terms of both the population size and the distributions of sizes within each age class. In Carlina, the probability of flowering depends on both plant size and age. We use the parameterized model to predict this relationship, using the evolutionarily stable strategy approach. Considering each year separately, we show that both the direction and the magnitude of selection on the flowering strategy vary from year to year. Provided the flowering strategy is constrained, so it cannot be a step function, the model accurately predicts the average size at flowering. Elasticity analysis is used to partition the size- and age-specific contributions to the stochastic growth rate, λs. We use λs to construct fitness landscapes and show how different forms of stochasticity influence its topography. We prove the existence of a unique stochastic growth rate, λs, which is independent of the initial population vector, and show that Tuljapurkar's perturbation analysis for log(λs) can be used to calculate elasticities

Development of bread products containing Chordaria cladosiphon (mozuku) and its bioactive extract fucoidan : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Food Technology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

The following images have been removed for copyright reasons: Table 2.2 (MacArtain et al., 2007, p. 539 Table 7); Table 2.3 (MacArtain et al., 2007, p. 536 Table 2); Figure 2.2 (Thanh et al., 2013, p. 2439 Figure 8); Figure 2.3 (Ale et al., 2011, p. 2115 Figure 2); Figure 2.4 (Lamacchia et al., 2014, p. 579 Figure 3). Other possibly copyrighted images remain owing to broken links or for clarity's sake.Many seaweeds such as Chordaria cladosiphon, commonly known as mozuku, have been shown to contain several health promoting components such as dietary fibres, antioxidants, and a range of bioactive compounds. Mozuku is an edible brown seaweed which constitutes an important part of the diet of native Okinawans who enjoy long lives and consume the seaweed mixed with various seafoods and vegetables. Brown seaweeds and their isolated compounds, specifically a long-chain polysaccharide known as fucoidan, are reported to retard the formation and growth of various cancer cells in humans as well as having anticoagulation, antiviral and immunological activities. The present study developed wheat and gluten-free bread formulations containing mozuku powder in order to introduce its potential health effects into a staple food product thus making it more accessible to a wider range of consumers. Nutritional analysis of mozuku powder was determined by proximate analysis, fatty acid analysis and amino acid analysis, particle size distribution of the powder was also determined. Mozuku powder was added to modified wheat bread and developed gluten-free bread formulations with adjustments in levels of added salt. The effects of mozuku powder inclusion on bread quality were assessed by measuring changes in bread quality parameters, with standard methods being used to determine texture characteristics, crust and crumb colour, specific volume and water activity. Samples of gluten-free and wheat bread were evaluated by consumer sensory panellists for appearance, texture, aroma, taste, and overall acceptability using the 9-point hedonic scale. Microbial stability of wheat bread was determined by enumeration of total aerobic plate counts and, yeast and mould counts over the course of 3 days. Particle size distribution of mozuku powder showed that 90% of particle by weight were less than 500μm in diameter and that only 10% were less than 90μm. At these particle sizes, mozuku flakes were observable in the finished loaves. Nutritional analysis of mozuku powder contained (w/w, wet basis) 46.9% ash, 30.4% dietary fibre, 19.0% sodium, 5.4% protein, 4.7% available carbohydrates, 1.0% fat, 0.13% sugar and an overall energy content of 209.1 kJ/100 g. The most prevalent amino acids in mozuku powder were aspartate (0.59 mg/100 mg), glutamate (0.55 mg/100 mg), and leucine (0.42 mg/100 mg). Of the fatty acids, palmitic (69%) and oleic acid (13%) were present in highest concentrations however due to the total fat content of 1% they are unlikely to contribute to overall health. Addition of mozuku powder to both gluten-free and wheat bread formulations with adjusted salt levels, reduced specific volume and breadcrumb lightness of the products without affecting water activity. However, inclusion of the seaweed powder in formulations increased redness/yellowness in the bread crumb. There were no significant differences (P<0.05) in textural changes between wheat bread containing 1 and 2 % mozuku powder. However, wheat bread containing 2 % mozuku powder was characterised by decreased cohesiveness with no perceived changes in hardness, chewiness, resilience and springiness. Wheat bread containing 1% and 2% mozuku powder were well accepted by consumer sensory panellists receiving mean scores of 6.8 and 6.4 in overall acceptability on the 9-point hedonic scale. The addition of mozuku powder to wheat bread at 1% and 2% did not affect the microbial stability of the loaves during storage at 20°C for 3 days. With respect to gluten-free bread formulations, mozuku powder (up to 3%) did not affect texture (P<0.05), however, the inclusion of 4% mozuku powder in gluten-free bread increased hardness, chewiness and resilience. The gluten-free formulation containing a concentration of 2.5% mozuku powder was selected for consumer sensory trials due to its favourable quality results and received a mean score of 6.4 in overall acceptability on the 9-point hedonic scale thus indicating the product was well-liked by consumer sensory panellists. In this study, wheat bread and gluten-free bread containing variable levels of mozuku powder were successfully developed. Wheat bread containing 1% and 2% mozuku powder and gluten-free bread containing 2.5% mozuku powder had desirable textural characteristics, were well liked by consumer sensory panellists, and would be suitable for use in clinical trials

Mouse Phenome Database (MPD)

The Mouse Phenome Project was launched a decade ago to complement mouse genome sequencing efforts by promoting new phenotyping initiatives under standardized conditions and collecting the data in a central public database, the Mouse Phenome Database (MPD; http://phenome.jax.org). MPD houses a wealth of strain characteristics data to facilitate the use of the laboratory mouse in translational research for human health and disease, helping alleviate problems involving experimentation in humans that cannot be done practically or ethically. Data sets are voluntarily contributed by researchers from a variety of institutions and settings, or in some cases, retrieved by MPD staff from public sources. MPD maintains a growing collection of standardized reference data that assists investigators in selecting mouse strains for research applications; houses treatment/control data for drug studies and other interventions; offers a standardized platform for discovering genotype–phenotype relationships; and provides tools for hypothesis testing. MPD improvements and updates since our last NAR report are presented, including the addition of new tools and features to facilitate navigation and data mining as well as the acquisition of new data (phenotypic, genotypic and gene expression)

Genetic Differences in Dorsal Hippocampus Acetylcholinesterase Activity Predict Contextual Fear Learning Across Inbred Mouse Strains.

Learning is a critical behavioral process that is influenced by many neurobiological systems. We and others have reported that acetylcholinergic signaling plays a vital role in learning capabilities, and it is especially important for contextual fear learning. Since cholinergic signaling is affected by genetic background, we examined the genetic relationship between activity levels of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), the primary enzyme involved in the acetylcholine metabolism, and learning using a panel of 20 inbred mouse strains. We measured conditioned fear behavior and AChE activity in the dorsal hippocampus, ventral hippocampus, and cerebellum. Acetylcholinesterase activity varied among inbred mouse strains in all three brain regions, and there were significant inter-strain differences in contextual and cued fear conditioning. There was an inverse correlation between fear conditioning outcomes and AChE levels in the dorsal hippocampus. In contrast, the ventral hippocampus and cerebellum AChE levels were not correlated with fear conditioning outcomes. These findings strengthen the link between acetylcholine activity in the dorsal hippocampus and learning, and they also support the premise that the dorsal hippocampus and ventral hippocampus are functionally discrete

Intravesical rAd-IFNα/Syn3 for Patients With High-Grade, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin-Refractory or Relapsed Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Phase II Randomized Study.

Purpose Many patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) are either refractory to bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatment or may experience disease relapse. We assessed the efficacy and safety of recombinant adenovirus interferon alfa with Syn3 (rAd-IFNα/Syn3), a replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus gene transfer vector, for patients with high-grade (HG) BCG-refractory or relapsed NMIBC. Methods In this open-label, multicenter (n = 13), parallel-arm, phase II study ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01687244), 43 patients with HG BCG-refractory or relapsed NMIBC received intravesical rAd-IFNα/Syn3 (randomly assigned 1:1 to 1 × 10(11) viral particles (vp)/mL or 3 × 10(11) vp/mL). Patients who responded at months 3, 6, and 9 were retreated at months 4, 7, and 10. The primary end point was 12-month HG recurrence-free survival (RFS). All patients who received at least one dose were included in efficacy and safety analyses. Results Forty patients received rAd-IFNα/Syn3 (1 × 10(11) vp/mL, n = 21; 3 × 10(11) vp/mL, n = 19) between November 5, 2012, and April 8, 2015. Fourteen patients (35.0%; 90% CI, 22.6% to 49.2%) remained free of HG recurrence 12 months after initial treatment. Comparable 12-month HG RFS was noted for both doses. Of these 14 patients, two experienced recurrence at 21 and 28 months, respectively, after treatment initiation, and one died as a result of an upper tract tumor at 17 months without a recurrence. rAd-IFNα/Syn3 was well tolerated; no grade four or five adverse events (AEs) occurred, and no patient discontinued treatment because of an adverse event. The most frequently reported drug-related AEs were micturition urgency (n = 16; 40%), dysuria (n = 16; 40%), fatigue (n = 13; 32.5%), pollakiuria (n = 11; 28%), and hematuria and nocturia (n = 10 each; 25%). Conclusion rAd-IFNα/Syn3 was well tolerated. It demonstrated promising efficacy for patients with HG NMIBC after BCG therapy who were unable or unwilling to undergo radical cystectomy

Current Renewable Energy Technologies and Future Projections

The generally acknowledged sources of renewable energy are wind, geothermal, biomass, solar, hydropower, and hydrogen. Renewable energy technologies are crucial to the production and utilization of energy from these regenerative and virtually inexhaustible sources. Furthermore, renewable energy technologies provide benefits beyond the establishment of sustainable energy resources. For example, these technologies produce negligible amounts of greenhouse gases and other pollutants in providing energy, and they exploit domestically available energy sources, thereby reducing our dependence on both the importation of fossil fuels and the use of nuclear fuels. The market price of renewable energy technologies does not reflect the economic value of these added benefits

Mouse Phenome Database: an integrative database and analysis suite for curated empirical phenotype data from laboratory mice.

The Mouse Phenome Database (MPD; https://phenome.jax.org) is a widely used resource that provides access to primary experimental trait data, genotypic variation, protocols and analysis tools for mouse genetic studies. Data are contributed by investigators worldwide and represent a broad scope of phenotyping endpoints and disease-related traits in naïve mice and those exposed to drugs, environmental agents or other treatments. MPD houses individual animal data with detailed, searchable protocols, and makes these data available to other resources via API. MPD provides rigorous curation of experimental data and supporting documentation using relevant ontologies and controlled vocabularies. Most data in MPD are from inbreds and other reproducible strains such that the data are cumulative over time and across laboratories. The resource has been expanded to include the QTL Archive and other primary phenotype data from mapping crosses as well as advanced high-diversity mouse populations including the Collaborative Cross and Diversity Outbred mice. Furthermore, MPD provides a means of assessing replicability and reproducibility across experimental conditions and protocols, benchmarking assays in users\u27 own laboratories, identifying sensitized backgrounds for making new mouse models with genome editing technologies, analyzing trait co-inheritance, finding the common genetic basis for multiple traits and assessing sex differences and sex-by-genotype interactions. Nucleic Acids Res 2018 Jan 4; 46(D1):D843-D850

Mouse Phenome Database: a data repository and analysis suite for curated primary mouse phenotype data.

The Mouse Phenome Database (MPD; https://phenome.jax.org) is a widely accessed and highly functional data repository housing primary phenotype data for the laboratory mouse accessible via APIs and providing tools to analyze and visualize those data. Data come from investigators around the world and represent a broad scope of phenotyping endpoints and disease-related traits in naïve mice and those exposed to drugs, environmental agents or other treatments. MPD houses rigorously curated per-animal data with detailed protocols. Public ontologies and controlled vocabularies are used for annotation. In addition to phenotype tools, genetic analysis tools enable users to integrate and interpret genome-phenome relations across the database. Strain types and populations include inbred, recombinant inbred, F1 hybrid, transgenic, targeted mutants, chromosome substitution, Collaborative Cross, Diversity Outbred and other mapping populations. Our new analysis tools allow users to apply selected data in an integrated fashion to address problems in trait associations, reproducibility, polygenic syndrome model selection and multi-trait modeling. As we refine these tools and approaches, we will continue to provide users a means to identify consistent, quality studies that have high translational relevance