Factors affecting the heat coagulation of homogenized coffee cream

Cover title.Bibliography: p. 578

Can One Hear the Spanning Trees of a Quantum Graph?

Kirchhoff showed that the number of spanning trees of a graph is the spectral determinant of the combinatorial Laplacian divided by the number of vertices; we reframe this result in the quantum graph setting. We prove that the spectral determinant of the Laplace operator on a finite connected metric graph with standard (Neummann-Kirchhoff) vertex conditions determines the number of spanning trees when the lengths of the edges of the metric graph are sufficiently close together. To obtain this result, we analyze an equilateral quantum graph whose spectrum is closely related to spectra of discrete graph operators and then use the continuity of the spectral determinant under perturbations of the edge lengths.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figur

Simulating Quantum Fields with Cavity QED

As the realization of a fully operational quantum computer remains distant, quantum simulation, whereby one quantum system is engineered to simulate another, becomes a key goal of great practical importance. Here we report on a variational method exploiting the natural physics of cavity QED architectures to simulate strongly interacting quantum fields. Our scheme is broadly applicable to any architecture involving tunable and strongly nonlinear interactions with light; as an example, we demonstrate that existing cavity devices could simulate models of strongly interacting bosons. The scheme can be extended to simulate systems of entangled multicomponent fields, beyond the reach of existing classical simulation methods.Comment: 4+3 pages, 2 figures, published versio

A study of causes of a stale metallic flavor in strawberry ice cream together with tests of methods of packing berries

Cover title.Bibliography: p. 430

Sweet-curd cottage cheese : directions for manufacturing with an enzyme

Cover title

Urban Resilience Thinking for Municipalities

This document was prepared as a contribution to the Department of Science and Technology’s (DST’s) Grand Challenge on Global Change and as a complement to flagship initiatives such as the South African Risk and Vulnerability Atlas project (Archer, et al., 2010). The Global Change Grand Challenge is aimed at “supporting knowledge generation and technological innovation that will enable South Africa, Africa, and the world, to respond to global environmental change, including climate change” (Archer, et al., 2010, p. ii). While the Grand Challenge highlights the importance of science in supporting South Africa’s response to global change, it extends beyond a purely biophysical focus to acknowledge the importance of the social sciences. There is a clear understanding that the most compelling responses to global change will come through the combined efforts of the natural and social sciences. The DST therefore supports a number of research programmes across South Africa that draw on a wide range of scientific and academic fields in responding to specific challenges of global change across rural and urban –South Africa. One of the key thematic areas supported through the Grand Challenge is “urban resilience”. This is not at the expense of work on rural areas, as there are also a number of research programmes targeting rural South Africa, but it is recognition of both the threats posed by poorly managed urban areas and of the opportunities that towns and cities offer for greater resilience and sustainability.Global Change and Sustainability Research Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, the Department of Science and Technology, and the National Research Foundation, South Afric

Lickometry: A novel and sensitive method for assessing functional deficits in rats after stroke

The need for sensitive, easy to administer assessments of long-term functional deficits is crucial in pre-clinical stroke research. In the present study, we introduce lickometry (lick microstructure analysis) as a precise method to assess sensorimotor deficits up to 40 days after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats. Impairments in drinking efficiency compared to controls, and a compensatory increase in the number of drinking clusters were observed. This highlights the utility of this easy to administer task in assessing subtle, long-term deficits, which could be likened to oral deficits in patients

Cognitively-Based Compassion Training versus cancer health education to improve health-related quality of life in survivors of solid tumor cancers and their informal caregivers: study protocol for a randomized controlled pilot trial

Background: Cancer survivors and their informal caregivers (family members, close friends) often experience significant impairments in health-related quality of life (HRQOL), including disruptions in psychological, physical, social, and spiritual well-being both during and after primary cancer treatment. The purpose of this in-progress pilot trial is to determine acceptability and preliminary efficacy (as reflected by effect sizes) of CBCT (R) (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training) compared with a cancer health education (CHE) attention control to improve the primary outcome of depressive symptoms and secondary outcomes of other HRQOL domains (e.g., anxiety, fatigue), biomarkers of inflammation and diurnal cortisol rhythm, and healthcare utilization-related outcomes in both cancer survivors and informal caregivers. Methods: Forty dyads consisting of solid tumor survivors who have completed primary treatments (chemotherapy, radiation, surgery) and their informal caregivers, with at least one dyad member with mild depressive symptoms or anxiety, will be recruited from Tucson, Arizona, USA. Survivor-caregiver dyads will be randomized together to complete either CBCT or CHE. CBCT is a manualized, 8-week, group meditation-based intervention that starts with attention and mindfulness and builds to contemplative practices aimed at cultivating compassion to the self and others. The goal of CBCT is to challenge unexamined assumptions about feelings and behaviors, with a focus on generating spontaneous self-compassion and increased empathic responsiveness and compassion for others. CHE is an 8-week, manualized group intervention that provides cancer-specific education on various topics (e.g., cancer advocacy, survivorship wellness). Patient-reported HRQOL outcomes will be assessed before, immediately after (week 9), and 1month after CBCT or CHE (week 13). At the same time points, stress-related biomarkers of inflammation (e.g., plasma interleukin-6) and saliva cortisol relevant for survivor and informal caregiver wellness and healthcare utilization will be measured. Discussion: If CBCT shows acceptability, a larger trial will be warranted and appropriately powered to formally test the efficacy of this dyadic intervention. Interventions such as CBCT directed toward both survivors and caregivers may eventually fill a gap in supportive oncology care programs to improve HRQOL and healthcare utilization in both dyad members. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03459781. Prospectively registered on 9 March 2018.The Jack Challem Trust [001]Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Genetic differences and longevity-related phenotypes influence lifespan and lifespan variation in a sex-specific manner in mice.

Epidemiological studies of human longevity found two interesting features, robust advantage of female lifespan and consistent reduction of lifespan variation. To help understand the genetic aspects of these phenomena, the current study examined sex differences and variation of longevity using previously published mouse data sets including data on lifespan, age of puberty, and circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) levels in 31 inbred strains, data from colonies of nuclear-receptor-interacting protein 1 (Nrip1) knockout mice, and a congenic strain, B6.C3H-Igf1. Looking at the overall data for all inbred strains, the results show no significant difference in lifespan and lifespan variation between sexes; however, considerable differences were found among and within strains. Across strains, lifespan variations of female and male mice are significantly correlated. Strikingly, between sexes, IGF1 levels correlate with the lifespan variation and maximum lifespan in different directions. Female mice with low IGF1 levels have higher variation and extended maximum lifespan. The opposite is detected in males. Compared to domesticated inbred strains, wild-derived inbred strains have elevated lifespan variation due to increased early deaths in both sexes and extended maximum lifespan in female mice. Intriguingly, the sex differences in survival curves of inbred strains negatively associated with age of female puberty, which is significantly accelerated in domesticated inbred strains compared to wild-derived strains. In conclusion, this study suggests that genetic factors are involved in the regulation of sexual disparities in lifespan and lifespan variation, and dissecting the mouse genome may provide novel insight into the underlying genetic mechanisms