Rheological and Microstructural Changes of Oat and Barley Starches During Heating and Cooling

Microstructural and rheological changes in barley and oat starch dispersions during heating and cooling were studied by light microscopy and dynamic viscoelastic measurements. The two starch pastes showed similar viscoelastic properties after gelatinization, but during cooling the 20% barley starch pastes heated at 95°C underwent a sharp transition in viscoelastic behaviour probably due to the gelation of amylose. This transition was shifted to lower temperatures at 10% starch concentration. Microstructural studies of an 8% barley starch dispersion heated to 90°C using the smear technique showed amylose to form a network structure around the granules. The granules in starch paste heated to 95°C were poorly stained and amylopectin was fragmented. Microscopic examination of an embedded section of the cooled barley starch gel showed amylose to form a continuous phase in which starch granules were dispersed. G\u27 increased below 80°C during cooling of 10% oat starch dispersions preheated at 95 °C. No rheological changes occurred when they were preheated at only 90°C. Microstructural studies of an 8% oat starch dispersion heated to 90°C using the smear technique showed amylose to form a network structure around the granules. Part of the granule structure had already broken down. Heating to 95°C induced considerable changes in the granule structure of oat starch gels. Amylopectin formed a very fine network. Microscopic examination of embedded sections of the cooled, stored gel showed a much coarser structure compared with that of the smear

The Los Alamos Trapped Ion Quantum Computer Experiment

The development and theory of an experiment to investigate quantum computation with trapped calcium ions is described. The ion trap, laser and ion requirements are determined, and the parameters required for quantum logic operations as well as simple quantum factoring are described.Comment: 41 pages, 16 figures, submitted to Fortschritte der Physi

Diversity of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. and methicillin-resistant Mammaliicoccus spp. isolated from ruminants and New World camelids

Information about livestock carrying methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci and mammaliicocci (MRCoNS/MRM) is scarce. The study was designed to gain knowledge of the prevalence, the phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance and the genetic diversity of MRCoNS/MRM originating from ruminants and New World camelids. In addition, a multi-locus sequence typing scheme for the characterization of Mammaliicoccus (formerly Staphylococcus) sciuri was developed. The study was conducted from April 2014 to January 2017 at the University Clinic for Ruminants and the Institute of Microbiology at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. Seven hundred twenty-three nasal swabs originating from ruminants and New World camelids with and without clinical signs were examined. After isolation, MRCoNS/MRM were identified by MALDI-TOF, rpoB sequencing and typed by DNA microarray-based analysis and PCR. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted by agar disk diffusion. From all 723 nasal swabs, 189 MRCoNS/MRM were obtained. Members of the Mammaliicoccus (M.) sciuri group were predominant (M. sciuri (n = 130), followed by M. lentus (n = 43), M. fleurettii (n = 11)). In total, 158 out of 189 isolates showed phenotypically a multi-resistance profile. A seven-loci multi-locus sequence typing scheme for M. sciuri was developed. The scheme includes the analysis of internal segments of the house-keeping genes ack, aroE, ftsZ, glpK, gmk, pta1 and tpiA. In total, 28 different sequence types (STs) were identified among 92 selected M. sciuri isolates. ST1 was the most prevalent ST (n = 35), followed by ST 2 (n = 15), ST3 and ST5 (each n = 5), ST4 (n = 3), ST6, ST7, ST8, ST9, ST10 and ST11 (each n = 2)

Metabolic Effects Of Duodenojejunal Bypass Surgery In A Rat Model Of Type 1 Diabetes

Background Metabolic surgery has beneficial metabolic effects, including remission of type 2 diabetes. We hypothesized that duodenojejunal bypass (DJB) surgery can protect against development of type 1 diabetes (T1D) by enhancing regulation of cellular and molecular pathways that control glucose homeostasis. Methods BBDP/Wor rats, which are prone to develop spontaneous autoimmune T1D, underwent loop DJB (n = 15) or sham (n = 15) surgery at a median age of 41 days, before development of diabetes. At T1D diagnosis, a subcutaneous insulin pellet was implanted, oral glucose tolerance test was performed 21 days later, and tissues were collected 25 days after onset of T1D. Pancreas and liver tissues were assessed by histology and RT-qPCR. Fecal microbiota composition was analyzed by 16S V4 sequencing. Results Postoperatively, DJB rats weighed less than sham rats (287.8 vs 329.9 g,P = 0.04). In both groups, 14 of 15 rats developed T1D, at similar age of onset (87 days in DJB vs 81 days in sham,P = 0.17). There was no difference in oral glucose tolerance, fasting and stimulated plasma insulin and c-peptide levels, and immunohistochemical analysis of insulin-positive cells in the pancreas. DJB rats needed 1.3 +/- 0.4 insulin implants vs 1.9 +/- 0.5 in sham rats (P = 0.002). Fasting and glucose stimulated glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) secretion was elevated after DJB surgery. DJB rats had reduced markers of metabolic stress in liver. After DJB, the fecal microbiome changed significantly, including increases inAkkermansiaandRuminococcus, while the changes were minimal in sham rats. Conclusion DJB does not protect against autoimmune T1D in BBDP/Wor rats, but reduces the need for exogenous insulin and facilitates other metabolic benefits including weight loss, increased GLP-1 secretion, reduced hepatic stress, and altered gut microbiome

Quantum Cryptography

Quantum cryptography is a new method for secret communications offering the ultimate security assurance of the inviolability of a Law of Nature. In this paper we shall describe the theory of quantum cryptography, its potential relevance and the development of a prototype system at Los Alamos, which utilises the phenomenon of single-photon interference to perform quantum cryptography over an optical fiber communications link.Comment: 36 pages in compressed PostScript format, 10 PostScript figures compressed tar fil

Observation of power-law scaling for phase transitions in linear trapped ion crystals

We report an experimental confirmation of the power-law relationship between the critical anisotropy parameter and ion number for the linear-to-zigzag phase transition in an ionic crystal. Our experiment uses laser cooled calcium ions confined in a linear radio-frequency trap. Measurements for up to 10 ions are in good agreement with theoretical and numeric predictions. Implications on an upper limit to the size of data registers in ion trap quantum computers are discussed.Comment: Physical Review Letters in press, 4 pages, 4 figure

In situ measurements of speciated atmospheric mercury and the identification of source regions in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area

In order to expand the currently limited understanding of atmospheric mercury source-receptor relationships in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area, real time measurements of atmospheric mercury were made at a downtown urban site, and a rural site on the outskirts of Mexico City, during March 2006. Numerous short-lived increases in particulate mercury (PHg) and reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) concentrations were observed at the urban site during the 17 day study, and less frequent increases in gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) concentrations were measured at both the urban and rural sites. The episodic increases observed were attributed to plume impacts from industrial point source emissions in and around Mexico City. Average concentrations and standard deviations measured during the study were as follows: i) urban site; PHg=187±300 pg m−3 [m superscript -3], RGM=62±64 pg m−3 [m superscript -3], GEM=7.2±4.8 ng m−3 [m superscript -3], and; ii) rural site; GEM=5.0±2.8 ng m−3 [m superscript -3]. Several source regions of atmospheric mercury to the urban and rural sites were determined using Concentration Field Analysis, in which atmospheric mercury measurements were combined with back trajectory data to determine source regions. Only some source regions correlated to mercury emission sources listed in the Federal Pollutant Release and Transfer Register, leaving the rest unaccounted for. Contributions of anthropogenic mercury point sources in and around Mexico City to concentration averages measured at the urban site during the study were estimated to be: 93±3% of reactive mercury (PHg and RGM), and; 81±0.4% of GEM. Point source contributions to GEM measured at the rural site were 72±1%. GEM and reactive mercury (PHg+RGM) were not found to correlate with biomass burning at either of the measurement sites.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant 0514280)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant 0511803)Science to Achieve Results Program (U.S.) (Grant R829798)United States. Environmental Protection Agenc

Modeling the Atmospheric Concentrations of Individual Gas-Phase and Particle-Phase Organic Compounds

An Eulerian photochemical airshed model is adapted to track the concentrations of individual vapor-phase, semivolatile, and particle-phase compounds over the carbon number range from C_1 to C_(34). The model incorporates primary emissions of organic gases and particles from sources based on recent source tests. These emissions are processed through a photochemical airshed model whose chemical mechanism has been expanded to explicitly follow the reaction or formation of 125 individual vapor-phase organic compounds plus 11 lumped vapor-phase compound groups. Primary organic compounds in the particle phase can be disaggregated at will from a lumped primary organic compound mass category; in the present model application, 31 individual primary particulate organic compounds are tracked as they are transported from sources to receptor air monitoring sites. The model is applied to study air quality relationships for organics in California's South Coast Air Basin that surrounds Los Angeles during the severe photochemical smog episode that occurred on September 8−9, 1993. The ambient concentra tions of all normal alkanes and most aromatic hydrocarbons are predicted within the correct order of magnitude over 6 orders of magnitude concentration change from most abundant gas phase to least abundant particulate species studied. A formal evaluation of model performance shows that, with the exception of a few outliers, the concentrations of over 100 organic compounds studied were reproduced with an average absolute bias of ±47% and with roughly equal numbers of compounds underpredicted (58) versus overpredicted (46). The time series of observed aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations are reproduced closely, production of methylglyoxal from aromatic precursors is tracked, and the predicted olefinic hydrocarbon concentrations decline dramatically in concentration due to chemical reaction and dilution during downwind transport as is observed in the ambient monitoring database. This ability to simultaneously account for the concentrations of individual gas-phase and particulate organic compounds lays a foundation for future calculations of secondary organic aerosol formation and gas/particle repartitioning in the atmosphere

Cable bacteria generate a firewall against euxinia in seasonally hypoxic basins

Seasonal oxygen depletion (hypoxia) in coastal bottom waters can lead to the release and persistence of free sulfide (euxinia), which is highly detrimental to marine life. Although coastal hypoxia is relatively common, reports of euxinia are less frequent, which suggests that certain environmental controls can delay the onset of euxinia. However, these controls and their prevalence are poorly understood. Here we present field observations from a seasonally hypoxic marine basin (Grevelingen, The Netherlands), which suggest that the activity of cable bacteria, a recently discovered group of sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms inducing long-distance electron transport, can delay the onset of euxinia in coastal waters. Our results reveal a remarkable seasonal succession of sulfur cycling pathways, which was observed over multiple years. Cable bacteria dominate the sediment geochemistry in winter, whereas, after the summer hypoxia, Beggiatoaceae mats colonize the sediment. The specific electrogenic metabolism of cable bacteria generates a large buffer of sedimentary iron oxides before the onset of summer hypoxia, which captures free sulfide in the surface sediment, thus likely preventing the development of bottom water euxinia. As cable bacteria are present in many seasonally hypoxic systems, this euxinia-preventing firewall mechanism could be widely active, and may explain why euxinia is relatively infrequently observed in the coastal ocean