Mycoflora, toxicity and nutritive value of mouldy maize

Large populations of fungi developed in naturally infested mouldy maize stored under conditions that led to self-heating. Mould counts as high as 50 X 10⁶ propagules per gram of meal were recorded in mouldy maize meal with a moisture content of 30% stored at 10°C. The fungal population of this meal included several known toxigenic species. Pure cultures on autoclaved maize of some of these fungi isolated from the mouldy meal (Aspergillus candidus Link., A. clavatus Desm., A. fumigatus Fres., Fusarium moniliforme (Sheld.) Snyd. et Hans., F. tricinctum (Corda) Snyd. et Hans. and Trichothecium roseum Link.) were extremely toxic to chickens and rats. The natural mouldy maize meal caused significant reductions in mass gain and feed efficiency of chickens and pigs without causing mortality or significant pathological changes. Chemical analyses of the meal for aflatoxins (Aspergillus flavus Link.) and T-2 toxin (Fusarium tricinctum) were negative. In some cases chickens fed mouldy diets consumed 1,3 times more feed than the controls per gram of mass gain.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590;300dpi. adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format

Human mesenchymal stem cells stimulate EaHy926 endothelial cell migration:combined proteomic and in vitro analysis of the influence of donor-donor variability

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) stimulate angiogenesis within a wound environment and this effect is mediated through paracrine interactions with the endothelial cells present. Here we report that human MSC-conditioned medium (n=3 donors) significantly increased EaHy-926 endothelial cell adhesion and cell migration, but that this stimulatory effect was markedly donor-dependent. MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry demonstrated that whilst collagen type I and fibronectin were secreted by all of the MSC cultures, the small leucine rich proteoglycan, decorin was secreted only by the MSC culture that was least effective upon EaHy-926 cells. These individual extracellular matrix components were then tested as culture substrata. EaHy-926 cell adherence was greatest on fibronectin-coated surfaces with least adherence on decorin-coated surfaces. Scratch wound assays were used to examine cell migration. EaHy-926 cell scratch wound closure was quickest on substrates of fibronectin and slowest on decorin. However, EaHy-926 cell migration was stimulated by the addition of MSC-conditioned medium irrespective of the types of culture substrates. These data suggest that whilst the MSC secretome may generally be considered angiogenic, the composition of the secretome is variable and this variation probably contributes to donor-donor differences in activity. Hence, screening and optimizing MSC secretomes will improve the clinical effectiveness of pro-angiogenic MSC-based therapies

Effects of Amalgam Restorations on the Periodontal Membrane in Monkeys

The response of the periodontal membrane to reimplanted teeth carrying amalgam restorations in the middle third of their roots was studied from seven days to six months after grafting. The study revealed that the amalgam restorations produced an initial localized inflammation in the periodontal tissues that subsided subsequently with the formation of a pseudocapsule.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66490/2/10.1177_00220345770560092001.pd

Static Interactions of non-Abelian Vortices

Interactions between non-BPS non-Abelian vortices are studied in non-Abelian U(1) x SU(N) extensions of the Abelian-Higgs model in four dimensions. The distinctive feature of a non-Abelian vortex is the presence of an internal CP^{N-1} space of orientational degrees of freedom. For fine-tuned values of the couplings, the vortices are BPS and there is no net force between two static parallel vortices at arbitrary distance. On the other hand, for generic values of the couplings the interactions between two vortices depend non-trivially on their relative internal orientations. We discuss the problem both with a numerical approach (valid for small deviations from the BPS limit) and in a semi-analytical way (valid at large vortex separations). The interactions can be classified with respect to their asymptotic property at large vortex separation. In a simpler fine-tuned model, we find two regimes which are quite similar to the usual type I/II Abelian superconductors. In the generic model we find other two new regimes: type I*/II*. Unlike the type I (type II) case, where the interaction is always attractive (repulsive), the type I* and II* have both attractive and repulsive interactions depending on the relative orientation. We have found a rich variety of interactions at small vortex separations. For some values of the couplings, a bound state of two static vortices at a non-zero distance exists.Comment: 36 pages, 13 figures; v2 a small comment and a reference adde

Branch-and-lift algorithm for deterministic global optimization in nonlinear optimal control

This paper presents a branch-and-lift algorithm for solving optimal control problems with smooth nonlinear dynamics and potentially nonconvex objective and constraint functionals to guaranteed global optimality. This algorithm features a direct sequential method and builds upon a generic, spatial branch-and-bound algorithm. A new operation, called lifting, is introduced, which refines the control parameterization via a Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization process, while simultaneously eliminating control subregions that are either infeasible or that provably cannot contain any global optima. Conditions are given under which the image of the control parameterization error in the state space contracts exponentially as the parameterization order is increased, thereby making the lifting operation efficient. A computational technique based on ellipsoidal calculus is also developed that satisfies these conditions. The practical applicability of branch-and-lift is illustrated in a numerical example. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

Healthy lifestyle and life expectancy free of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes: prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE: To examine how a healthy lifestyle is related to life expectancy that is free from major chronic diseases. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The Nurses' Health Study (1980-2014; n=73 196) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2014; n=38 366). MAIN EXPOSURES: Five low risk lifestyle factors: never smoking, body mass index 18.5-24.9, moderate to vigorous physical activity (≥30 minutes/day), moderate alcohol intake (women: 5-15 g/day; men 5-30 g/day), and a higher diet quality score (upper 40%). MAIN OUTCOME: Life expectancy free of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. RESULTS: The life expectancy free of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer at age 50 was 23.7 years (95% confidence interval 22.6 to 24.7) for women who adopted no low risk lifestyle factors, in contrast to 34.4 years (33.1 to 35.5) for women who adopted four or five low risk factors. At age 50, the life expectancy free of any of these chronic diseases was 23.5 (22.3 to 24.7) years among men who adopted no low risk lifestyle factors and 31.1 (29.5 to 32.5) years in men who adopted four or five low risk lifestyle factors. For current male smokers who smoked heavily (≥15 cigarettes/day) or obese men and women (body mass index ≥30), their disease-free life expectancies accounted for the lowest proportion (≤75%) of total life expectancy at age 50. CONCLUSION: Adherence to a healthy lifestyle at mid-life is associated with a longer life expectancy free of major chronic diseases

Baryons: What, When and Where?

We review the current state of empirical knowledge of the total budget of baryonic matter in the Universe as observed since the epoch of reionization. Our summary examines on three milestone redshifts since the reionization of H in the IGM, z = 3, 1, and 0, with emphasis on the endpoints. We review the observational techniques used to discover and characterize the phases of baryons. In the spirit of the meeting, the level is aimed at a diverse and non-expert audience and additional attention is given to describe how space missions expected to launch within the next decade will impact this scientific field.Comment: Proceedings Review for "Astrophysics in the Next Decade: JWST and Concurrent Facilities", ed. X. Tielens, 38 pages, 10 color figures. Revised to address comments from the communit