Changes occurring in plain, straining and winter yoghurt during the storage periods

In this study, winter yoghurt, straining yoghurt and yoghurt samples produced from homogenized and non-homogenized sheep and a mixture of sheep and cows milks were evaluated during the storage periods. Winter yoghurt, straining yoghurt and yoghurt samples were stored in sterile jars in the refrigerator (4°C). Some chemical and physical analyses were made to determine the effect of milk types (cow and sheep), homogenization (homogenized and nonhomogenized) and storage times in winter yoghurt samples on the 3rd, 7th, 15th, 30th, 60th, 90th, 120th, 150th and 180th days, in straining yogurt samples on the 3rd, 7th, 15th, 30th and 60th days and in plain yoghurt samples on 3rd, 7th, 15th and 30th. Contents of the average dry matter, fat, protein, pH, titratable acidity, lipolysis, proteolysis, clot firmness and stickiness in winter yoghurt samples were determined as follows respectively: 23.79, 9.29, 8.99, 3.96, 1.75, 0.72%, 97.91 mM, 9.44 N and 5.50 N. No serum separation existed in winter yoghurts.Key words: Winter yoghurt, storage, milk type, homogenizatio

A Novel Technique for Anterior Vaginal Wall Prolapse Repair: Anterior Vaginal Wall Darn

Aim. The aim of this study is to introduce a new technique, anterior vaginal wall darn (AVWD), which has not been used before to repair the anterior vaginal wall prolapse, a common problem among women. Materials and Methods. Forty-five women suffering from anterior vaginal wall prolapse were operated on with a new technique. The anterior vaginal wall was detached by sharp and blunt dissection via an incision beginning from the 1 cm proximal aspect of the external meatus extending to the vaginal apex, and the space between the tissues that attach the lateral walls of the vagina to the arcus tendineus fascia pelvis (ATFP) was then darned. Preoperation and early postoperation evaluations of the patients were conducted and summarized. Results. Data were collected six months after operation. Cough stress test (CST), Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) evaluation, Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7), and Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6) scores indicated recovery. According to the early postoperation results, all patients were satisfied with the operation. No vaginal mucosal erosion or any other complications were detected. Conclusion. In this initial series, our short-term results suggested that patients with grade II-III anterior vaginal wall prolapsus might be treated successfully with the AVWD method

Brachiobasilic versus brachiocephalic arteriovenous fistula: A prospective randomized study

BackgroundThe most recent Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) guidelines recommend that the order of preference for arteriovenous fistula (AVF) placement is the radial-cephalic primary AVF, followed by the secondary brachiocephalic (BC) and, if either of these is not viable, then brachiobasilic (BB) AVF should be fashioned. However, there is limited prospective data comparing technical and clinical outcomes of these two approaches. The purpose of our study was to compare outcome, patency, and complication rates in these two autogenous upper arm AV accesses.MethodsBetween December 2003 and and January 2007, patients (61 male, 39 female) who have lost more distal AVFs were enrolled in the study. After preoperative duplex mapping, patients with patent both basilic and cephalic veins greater than 3 mm of diameter were randomized into BCAVF and BBAVF groups, each group consisting of 50 patients. All procedures were performed under local anesthesia as one-stage procedures. Follow-up data were prospectively collected. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate primary and secondary patency rates. Univariate and multivariate Cox-regression analysis was used to find risks for the occurrence of thrombosis.ResultsBaseline demographics, clinical characteristics, and preoperative history dialysis access were comparable between groups with the exception of the fact that mean caliber of the basilic veins were larger (4.51 ± 0.93 mm vs 3.90 ± 0.1 mm; P = .002). The mean duration of operation was significantly shorter in the BC group compared with the BB group (P < .001). There was no significant difference in the thirty day mortality, wound complications, 24 hour thrombosis, postoperative hemorrhage, maturation, and time to maturation between the groups. Mean follow-up was 43.2 ± 1.8 months. Primary patency at 1 and 3 years of follow-up was 87% and 81% for the BC group and 86% and 73% for the BB group (P = .7) Secondary patency at one and three year follow-up was 87% and 70% for the BC group and 88% and 71% for the BB group, respectively (P = .8). Twenty-eight patients (28%) in the BC (18 patients) and BB (10 patients) group died with a patent fistula during the follow-up period (P = .18). Multivariate analysis revealed that use of dominant arm increased the risk of fistula failure.ConclusionWe conclude that brachiobasilic and brachiocephalic AVF are equally effective alternatives; however, a longer and demanding operation with BB AVF construction should be considered

The role of traditional livelihood practices and local ethnobotanical knowledge in mitigating chestnut disease and pest severity in Turkey

The European chestnut population is enduring multiple compounding exotic pest and disease outbreaks across Turkey. The deeply held value of the chestnut species for the Turkish public is reflected in substantial government conservation programming. Chestnut is predominantly found on state land managed by Turkey’s General Directorate of Forestry (GDF), which generally upholds restrictive policies for chestnut-related livelihood practices other than nut collection and beehive placement. Such policies are justified by a government position that human activities and presence is likely to worsen disease dynamics. Conversely, a growing body of research findings testify that small-scale livelihood practices maintain biological diversity and, furthermore, that this traditional maintenance of diversity has been correlated with decreased pathogen pressure within agroecosystems. However, few studies have investigated this phenomenon in the context of agroforestry systems. At a global ecological moment of increasingly pervasive and severe exotic forest pathogen impact, this paper investigates the influence of diverse small-scale livelihood practices and knowledge on chestnut tree health across the highly heterogenous geography of Turkey. We conducted ethnobotanical questionnaires with 96 chestnut-utilizing households, and chestnut tree health evaluations in georeferenced forest areas they identified, throughout Turkey’s Black Sea, Marmara, and Aegean regions. Using data from 1500 trees, we characterized the effects of subsequently recorded environmental, physiological, and anthropogenic factors on tree health using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), multiple factor analysis (MFA), and mixed models. Our results show that the traditional human management of tree physiology and ecology has a significant positive effect on tree health, especially through the acts of grafting and culling as well as the maintenance of diversity. We argue that conceptualizing such livelihood systems as human niche construction and maintenance can help forest management agencies to better understand and conserve valuable landscapes, even in increasingly common periods of severe pathogenic pressure

Morphology and Oxygen Sensor Response of Luminescent Ir-Labeled Poly(dimethylsiloxane)/Polystyrene Polymer Blend Films

Polymer films consisting of a linear poly(dimethylsiloxane) end-functionalized with a luminescent Ir(III) complex (Ir−PDMS), blended with polystyrene (PS), function as optical oxygen sensors. The sensor response arises by quenching of the luminescence from the Ir(III) chromophore by oxygen that permeates into the polymer film. The morphology and luminescence oxygen sensor properties of blend films consisting of Ir−PDMS and PS have been characterized by fluorescence microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The investigations demonstrate that microscale phase segregation occurs in the films. In blends that contain a relatively small amount of Ir−PDMS in PS (ca. 10 wt %), the Ir−PDMS exists as circular domains, with diameters ranging from 2 to 5 μm, surrounded by the majority PS phase. For larger weight fractions of Ir−PDMS in the blends, the film morphology becomes bicontinuous. A novel epifluorescence microscopy method is applied that allows the construction of Stern−Volmer quenching images that quantify the oxygen sensor response of the blend films with micrometer spatial resolution. These images provide a map of the oxygen permeability of the polymer blend films with a spatial resolution of ca. 1 μm. The results of this investigation show that the micrometer-sized Ir−PMDS domains display a 2−3-fold higher oxygen sensor response compared to the surrounding PS matrix. This result is consistent with the fact that PDMS is considerably more gas permeable compared to PS. The relationship of the microscale morphology of the blends to their performance as macroscale optical oxygen sensors is discussed

Absolute properties of the binary system BB Pegasi

We present a ground based photometry of the low-temperature contact binary BB Peg. We collected all times of mid-eclipses available in literature and combined them with those obtained in this study. Analyses of the data indicate a period increase of 3.0(1) x 10^{-8} days/yr. This period increase of BB Peg can be interpreted in terms of the mass transfer 2.4 x 10^{-8} Ms yr^{-1} from the less massive to the more massive component. The physical parameters have been determined as Mc = 1.42 Ms, Mh = 0.53 Ms, Rc = 1.29 Rs, Rh = 0.83 Rs, Lc = 1.86 Ls, and Lh = 0.94 Ls through simultaneous solution of light and of the radial velocity curves. The orbital parameters of the third body, that orbits the contact system in an eccentric orbit, were obtained from the period variation analysis. The system is compared to the similar binaries in the Hertzsprung-Russell and Mass-Radius diagram.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures, accepted for Astronomical Journa

Intraoperative fracture of phacoemulsification sleeve

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We describe a case of intraoperative fracture of phacoemulsification sleeve during phacoemulsification surgery.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Phacoemulsification surgery was performed in the left eye of a 58-year-old lady with grade II nuclear sclerosis & grade I cortical cataract. Towards the end of quadrant removal, there was anterior chamber instability with impaired followability of nuclear fragments. The distal part of the fractured sleeve remained inside the anterior chamber upon removal of the phacoemulsification probe. The retained sleeve was retrieved with a pair of forceps through the corneal incision site, which did not require widening. There was no missing fragments retained intraocularly and the patient had an uneventful recovery with vision of 20/25 at three months post-operatively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Phacoemulsification sleeve fracture is an uncommon complication. With early identification of this condition and proper management, major complications can be avoided.</p

The Technical and Financial Effects of Parenteral Supplementation with Selenium and Vitamin E during Late Pregnancy and the Early Lactation Period on the Productivity of Dairy Cattle

This study aimed to determine the effects of parenteral selenium (Se) and vitamin E supplementation on economic impact, milk yield, and some reproductive parameters in high-yield dairy cows in the dry period and in those at the beginning of lactation. At the beginning of the dry period, cows (n = 323) were randomly divided into three groups as follows: Treatment 1 (T1), Treatment 2 (T2), and Control (C). Cows in group T1 received this preparation 21 days before calving and on calving day, and cows in group T2 received it only on calving day. The cows in the control group did not receive this preparation. Supplementation with Se increased Se serum levels of cows treated at calving day (p<0.05). Differences in milk yield at all weeks and the electrical conductivity values at the 8th and 12th weeks were significant (p<0.05). Supplementation with Se and Vitamin E decreased the incidence of metritis, the number of services per conception and the service period, but had no effects on the incidence of retained fetal membrane. A partial budgeting analysis indicated that Se supplementation was economically profitable; cows in group T1 averaged 240.6$per cow, those in group T2 averaged 224.6$ per cow. Supplementation with Se and Vitamin E has been found to increase serum Se levels, milk yield, and has positive effects on udder health by decreasing milk conductivity values and incidence of sub-clinical mastitis

Egypt’s 2011–2012 parliamentary elections: Voting for religious vs. secular democracy?

This study investigates whether individuals’ attitudes towards democracy and secular politics have any influence on voting behavior in Egypt. Based on data from a survey conducted immediately after the Egyptian parliamentary elections in January 2012, this study finds that Egyptians’ attitudes towards democratic governance were quite negative around the parliamentary elections, yet Egyptians still endorsed democracy as the ideal political system for their country. However, empirical findings suggest that support for democracy has a limited impact on electoral results. On the other hand, the main division in Egyptian society around the first free and fair parliamentary elections was the religious-secular cleavage. As people support secular politics more, they become significantly less likely to vote for Islamist parties. These results illustrate that preferences in regard to the type of democracy – either a liberal and secular or a religious democracy – were the main determinant of the historic 2012 elections in Egypt

Using Schema Training to Facilitate Students\u27 Understanding of Challenging Engineering Concepts in Heat Transfer and Thermodynamics

Background: Chi and colleagues have argued that some of the most challenging engineering concepts exhibit properties of emergent systems. However, students often lack a mental framework, or schema, for understanding emergence. Slotta and Chi posited that helping students develop a schema for emergent systems, referred to as schema training, would increase the understanding of challenging concepts exhibiting emergent properties. Purpose: We tested the effectiveness of schema training and explored the nature of challenging concepts from thermodynamics and heat transfer. We investigated if schema training could (a) repair misconceptions in advanced engineering students and (b) prevent them in beginning engineering students. Method: We adapted Slotta and Chi\u27s schema training modules and tested their impact in two studies that employed an experimental design. Items from the Thermal and Transport Concept Inventory and expert-developed multiple-choice questions were used to evaluate conceptual understanding of the participants. The language used by students in their open-ended explanations of multiple-choice questions was also coded. Results: In both studies, students in the experimental groups showed larger gains in their understanding of some concepts—specifically in dye diffusion and microfluidics in Study One, and in the final test for thermodynamics in Study Two. But in neither study did students exhibit any gain in conceptual questions about heat transfer. Conclusion: Our studies suggest the importance of examining the nature of the phenomena underlying the concepts being taught because the language used in instruction has implications for how students understand them. Therefore, we suggest that instructors reflect on their own understanding of the concepts