The application of autochthonous potential of probiotic lactobacillus plantarum 564 in fish oil fortified yoghurt production

The objective of this work was to investigate the survival of autochthonous, potentially probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum 564, and the influence of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid omega-3 (omega-3 PUFA) fish oil fortification on the sensory quality of yoghurt. Three variants of yoghurt were produced using starter cultures of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus (Chr. Hansen, Denmark), and the potentially probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum 564 (Culture Collection of the Department for Industrial Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade) as follows: (1) without omega-3 PUPA; (2) with 100 mg/l omega-3 PUFA; and (3) with 200mg/l omega-3 PUFA. The survival of potential probiotic Lb. plantarum 564, the changes of starter bacteria counts, changes of pH values, as well as sensory evaluation, were examined during 3 weeks of yoghurt storage. Cells of Lb. plantarum 564 were maintained at > 10(8) cfug(-1). Starter bacteria counts were > 10(7)cfug(-1) for streptococci and > 10(6) cfug(-1) for lactobacilli. The changes of pH were within normal pH of fermented milks. Sensory evaluation showed that all variants of yoghurt produced with Lb. plantarum 564 and 2 concentrations of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids had a high sensory quality (above 90% of maximal quality), and which did not change significantly throughout the examined storage period. Although the sensory quality of the control sample was evaluated as better, the experimental samples fortified with fish oil were also characterized with very acceptable sensory properties. Results of high viability of potential probiotic Lb. plantarum 564, as well as very acceptable yoghurt sensory properties, indicate that this strain can be successfully used in the production of yoghurt fortified with PUFA omega-3 fish oil as a new functional dairy product

Les raisons du refus de l'allaitement maternel ‎ : recueil du point de vue de femmes primipares par une étude qualitative

Le taux d'allaitement maternel en France est l'un des plus bas en Europe malgré les recommandations internationales pour la promotion de l'allaitement. Il nous a paru intéressant de comprendre et analyser les raisons de la persistance du choix de ne pas allaiter chez les femmes primipares. Nous avons choisi de nous intéresser uniquement à des femmes primipares pour exclure les expériences négatives d'un allaitement maternel antérieur. Matériel et méthodes : Une méthodologie qualitative a été choisie. Douze femmes primipares, âgées de 18 à 35 ans, de la région havraise, ont été interrogées individuellement en entretien semi-dirigé de novembre 2012 à fin juin 2013. Résultats : Le choix de ne pas allaiter est avant tout un choix personnel et la décision est prise bien avant le début de la grossesse. La pudeur est l'une des raisons principales invoquée par ces femmes pour ne pas allaiter. Elles désirent aussi que le père joue un rôle important dès la naissance en participant au partage du biberon. L'environnement extérieur influence implicitement leur choix. Nous avons remarqué qu'elles connaissaient certains avantages de l'allaitement maternel mais cela ne semblait pas influencer sur leur décision. Conclusion : Certaines raisons personnelles et intimes sont difficilement modifiables mais une consultation préconceptionnelle systématique avec le couple permettrait de mieux l'informer sur l'allaitement maternel et d'apporter des réponses à ses questions. Cette étude permet de mieux accompagner ces femmes en tant que professionnel de santé en connaissant les raisons du choix de ne pas allaiter. Le médecin généraliste peut y tenir un rôle notamment en préconceptionnel

Nerval fantaisiste

La postérité a considéré de manière privilégiée l’œuvre de Gérard de Nerval comme celle d’un poète sinon fou, du moins irrémédiablement mélancolique, en faisant peu de cas de son inspiration fantaisiste. Bien que parfois évoquée, cette facette de l’œuvre n’a à ce jour jamais fait l’objet d’une synthèse d’envergure. C’est à cette lacune quelque peu surprenante que notre étude ambitionne de répondre. Remettre à l’honneur la fantaisie de l’auteur des « Chimères » et d’Aurélia ne revient nullement à nier la folie nervalienne, mais plutôt à penser cette dernière en relation avec une fantaisie investie des aspirations romantiques les plus hautes, à remettre en question des traditions de lecture qui ont conclu à un isolement de l’œuvre au détriment d’une volonté de lucidité sans cesse réaffirmée par l’écrivain. Interroger la fantaisie nervalienne, c’est interroger les enjeux esthétiques, socio-politiques et éthiques d’une œuvre empreinte d’un enjouement fantasque qui s’est toujours voulue en prise directe sur l’actualité et soucieuse de refonder une communication littéraire alors en crise.The works of Gérard de Nerval have mainly been regarded as the output of an irremediably melancholic, if not insane poet. However strongly established by his contemporaries, his fanciful inspiration, though occasionally mentioned, has never been subjected to thorough investigation. The ambition of this study is to rectify this rather intriguing omission. Delving into the fancy of the author of « Les Chimères » and of Aurélia, rather than denying Nerval’s madness, consists in assessing its connection with a fancy expressive of the highest romantic aspirations, as well as challenging customary interpretations that concluded in the isolation of an author’s writings, in spite of his own repeated assertions of lucidity. Probing Nerval’s fancy amounts to questioning the aesthetic, socio-political and ethical stakes of works imbued with whimsical cheerfulness, always bent on facing reality and eager to re-establish a literary communication that was then going through a critical period

Politique de la chimère nervalienne

Le monstre est omniprésent dans l’œuvre nervalienne. À l’instar de ses pairs en romantisme, Nerval était fasciné par les recherches des naturalistes de son temps en tératologie, que l’on songe par exemple à celles d’Étienne et d’Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilairequi contribuèrent à rendre compte de la part pour ainsi dire nocturne ou grotesque de la création. La monstruosité chez Nerval est physique — à travers les bêtes de foire qu’il évoque —, sociale — à travers les portraits de marginaux qu’i..

Aerodynamics and Experimental Optimisation of Automotive Underbody Diffusers in the Presence of Rake

This research project was focused on two related topics—hardware-in-the-loop aero- dynamic optimisation, and aerodynamics of automotive underbody diffusers in the presence of rake, defined as an inclination of the underfloor with respect to the ground. Two experimental systems were used for automatic, closed-loop optimisation trials, and for mapping of aerodynamic performance. Each consisted of an Ahmed-type body with a diffuser, with three controlled degrees of freedom, i.e. the model’s height above the ground, and inclinations of the underfloor and diffuser plates. The systems were equipped with force acquisition for optimisation and performance quantification purposes, and with surface pressure measurements to inspect the underlying flow patterns.The high-speed system was used for real-time optimisation runs using a range of algorithms in order to determine their suitability to problems of this type. Population-based algorithms, and genetic algorithms in particular, were found to provide the most reliable convergence in spite of the noise and hysteresis in the measurements. Reductions in pre-sampling delay and sampling time decreased the average function evaluation time without negatively impacting convergence performance, whereas combinatorial optimisation was used to minimise actuation overheads. Subsequently, both methods were shown to improve overall optimisation efficiency during experimental trials.Finally, the impact of rake on diffuser aerodynamics was investigated through quasi- static variations of the three degrees of freedom. Introducing rake was found to induce significant pressure recovery beneath the underfloor, causing strong suction under the front of the body and increased downforce. Furthermore, two counter-rotating vortices were observed along the edges of the underfloor, whose formation and strength depended on the configuration of the model, and which significantly affected the stall characteristics of the diffuser

Automatic wind tunnel-based optimisation of an automotive underbody diffuser

A wind tunnel-based morphing system was devised and utilised for aerodynamic data collection and real-time optimisation of an Ahmed body equipped with a diffuser. Three degrees of freedom were controlled, i.e. ride height, rake angle of the underfloor, and angle of the diffuser plane. Their impact on performance was investigated with a fixed ground. Real-time optimisation was carried out with the aim of determining the most suitable optimisation method for this problem. Tests were carried out using simulated annealing, particle swarm optimisation, pattern search and two genetic algorithms. The results showed that the algorithms demonstrated significantly different performance. However, they were all able to converge on a solution in spite of the hysteresis, which is a characteristic of diffuser flows, and the noise inherent in the system. Pattern search provided the most efficient convergence to the global maximum, despite several discrete aerodynamic changes within the search space, such as sudden flow separation or vortex breakdown. However, it was found to be sensitive to the initial position and noise in the data. The genetic algorithms were found to provide the most reliable convergence, although they were hindered by their inability to make small adjustments in the final stage of convergence. Population sorting was demonstrated as a way to improve the performance of population-based algorithms.Several new trends in diffuser performance were also observed, most notably that rake, even at small angles, not only generates downforce, but also significantly decreases the critical ride height and energises the diffuser, allowing it to work at higher angles. Up to 1000 different configurations per hour could be tested, making the system attractive for multi-dimensional aerodynamic optimisation, which would be very costly using computational fluid dynamics or conventional wind tunnel testing.<br/

Database of Aerodynamic Measurements of Automotive Underbody Diffusers in the Presence of Rake

Database of aerodynamic measurements of an automotive underbody diffuser model, supporting the discussion in Chapter 6 and Appendix A of the accompanying thesis entitled &quot;Aerodynamics and Experimental Optimisation of Automotive Underbody Diffusers in the Presence of Rake.&quot; University of Southampton Doctoral Thesis </span

Breakdown of slow-wave oscilliations in mouse modles of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer´s disease (AD) causes devastating impairments in long-term memory1. In the healthy brain, memory consolidation crucially depends on slow-wave oscillations2-4 that are generated during sleep5 in interconnected large-scale neuronal networks, including the neocortex and the hippocampus6-8. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies indicate that in AD patients, the functional connectivity between distant brain regions is massively impaired9-11. However, the consequences of these impairments for temporally coordinated brain activities, such as slow-wave oscillations, are unknown. Here, we implemented a method of large-scale brain calcium fluorescence imaging to analyze slow-wave activity across widely distributed neuronal networks in the neocortex and hippocampus of transgenic mouse models of AD in vivo. The results demonstrate a strong impairment of slow-wave activity, with a severe breakdown of its long-range coherence within the cortex as well as between cortex and hippocampus of transgenic mice. Similar impairments can be induced in wild-type mice by direct application of exogenous amyloid-ß (Aß) peptides. The coherence of cortical activity can be restored, both in transgenic and in Aß-treated animals, by enhancing GABAAergic inhibition with benzodiazepines. Together, our results reveal a causal link between pathologically high levels of Aß, neuronal disinhibition and the breakdown of slow-wave activity in the diseased brain