Characteristics of orange-whey fermented beverages

The aim of the present work was to determine the populations of ABT culture microorganisms in orange and orangewhey drinks after fermentation and during 28-day storage. The evaluation involved fermented fruit drinks without whey or with added acid or sweet (rennet) whey. The Streptococcus thermophilus and Bifidobacteria counts were initially 3.5×105–8.3×105 CFU cm−3 and 2.4×106–5.9×106 CFU cm−3, respectively, and did not increase during fermentation. However, an increase was observed in the Lb. acidophilus count, which amounted to 3.0×106–2.4×107 CFU cm−3 after fermentation. During storage, the Str. thermophilus and Lb. acidophilus counts remained constant, but that for Bifidobacteria fell to 103 CFU cm−3 after 28 days. Bacteria survivability was higher in drinks containing whey than in non-whey orange drinks. In 100 cm3, antioxidant activity against ABTS/DPPH radicals varied between 260 and 550 μmol TE; vitamin C content was in the range of 15.7–17.6 mg; polyphenols were 26.6–34.4 mg (+)catechin. In the sensory evaluation the best results were obtained for non-whey drinks and those containing 50% acid whey

Generation of Large-Scale Vorticity in a Homogeneous Turbulence with a Mean Velocity Shear

An effect of a mean velocity shear on a turbulence and on the effective force which is determined by the gradient of Reynolds stresses is studied. Generation of a mean vorticity in a homogeneous incompressible turbulent flow with an imposed mean velocity shear due to an excitation of a large-scale instability is found. The instability is caused by a combined effect of the large-scale shear motions (''skew-induced" deflection of equilibrium mean vorticity) and ''Reynolds stress-induced" generation of perturbations of mean vorticity. Spatial characteristics, such as the minimum size of the growing perturbations and the size of perturbations with the maximum growth rate, are determined. This instability and the dynamics of the mean vorticity are associated with the Prandtl's turbulent secondary flows. This instability is similar to the mean-field magnetic dynamo instability. Astrophysical applications of the obtained results are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, REVTEX4, submitted to Phys. Rev.

mRNA Subtype of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Significantly Affects Key Characteristics of Head and Neck Cancer Cells

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) belong among severe and highly complex malignant diseases showing a high level of heterogeneity and consequently also a variance in therapeutic response, regardless of clinical stage. Our study implies that the progression of HNSCC may be supported by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumour microenvironment (TME) and the heterogeneity of this disease may lie in the level of cooperation between CAFs and epithelial cancer cells, as communication between CAFs and epithelial cancer cells seems to be a key factor for the sustained growth of the tumour mass. In this study, we investigated how CAFs derived from tumours of different mRNA subtypes influence the proliferation of cancer cells and their metabolic and biomechanical reprogramming. We also investigated the clinicopathological significance of the expression of these metabolism-related genes in tissue samples of HNSCC patients to identify a possible gene signature typical for HNSCC progression. We found that the right kind of cooperation between cancer cells and CAFs is needed for tumour growth and progression, and only specific mRNA subtypes can support the growth of primary cancer cells or metastases. Specifically, during coculture, cancer cell colony supporting effect and effect of CAFs on cell stiffness of cancer cells are driven by the mRNA subtype of the tumour from which the CAFs are derived. The degree of colony-forming support is reflected in cancer cell glycolysis levels and lactate shuttle-related transporters

Left gaze bias in humans, rhesus monkeys and domestic dogs

While viewing faces, human adults often demonstrate a natural gaze bias towards the left visual field, that is, the right side of the viewee’s face is often inspected first and for longer periods. Using a preferential looking paradigm, we demonstrate that this bias is neither uniquely human nor limited to primates, and provide evidence to help elucidate its biological function within a broader social cognitive framework. We observed that 6-month-old infants showed a wider tendency for left gaze preference towards objects and faces of different species and orientation, while in adults the bias appears only towards upright human faces. Rhesus monkeys showed a left gaze bias towards upright human and monkey faces, but not towards inverted faces. Domestic dogs, however, only demonstrated a left gaze bias towards human faces, but not towards monkey or dog faces, nor to inanimate object images. Our findings suggest that face- and species-sensitive gaze asymmetry is more widespread in the animal kingdom than previously recognised, is not constrained by attentional or scanning bias, and could be shaped by experience to develop adaptive behavioural significance

Multi-laboratory efforts for the standardization of performance assessment of diffuse optics instruments - The BitMap Exercise

A multi-laboratory exercise, involving 29 diffuse optical instruments, aimed at performance assessment of diffuse optics instruments on standardized protocols is presented. The overarching methodology and future actions will also be discussed

A multi-laboratory comparison of photon migration instruments and their performances – the BitMap Exercise

Performance assessment and standardization are indispensable for instruments of clinical relevance in general and clinical instrumentation based on photon migration/diffuse optics in particular. In this direction, a multi-laboratory exercise was initiated with the aim of assessing and comparing their performances. 29 diffuse optical instruments belonging to 11 partner institutions of a European level Marie Curie Consortium BitMap1 were considered for this exercise. The enrolled instruments covered different approaches (continuous wave, CW; frequency domain, FD; time domain, TD and spatial frequency domain imaging, SFDI) and applications (e.g. mammography, oximetry, functional imaging, tissue spectroscopy). 10 different tests from 3 well-accepted protocols, namely, the MEDPHOT2, the BIP3, and the nEUROPt4 protocols were chosen for the exercise and the necessary phantoms kits were circulated across labs and institutions enrolled in the study. A brief outline of the methodology of the exercise is presented here. Mainly, the design of some of the synthetic descriptors, (single numeric values used to summarize the result of a test and facilitate comparison between instruments) for some of the tests will be discussed.. Future actions of the exercise aim at deploying these measurements onto an open data repository and investigating common analysis tools for the whole dataset

Association of Thalamic Dysconnectivity and Conversion to Psychosis in Youth and Young Adults at Elevated Clinical Risk

Severe neuropsychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia, affect distributed neural computations. One candidate system profoundly altered in chronic schizophrenia involves the thalamocortical networks. It is widely acknowledged that schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that likely affects the brain before onset of clinical symptoms. However, no investigation has tested whether thalamocortical connectivity is altered in individuals at risk for psychosis or whether this pattern is more severe in individuals who later develop full-blown illness