MiniGRAIL progress report 2004

The MiniGRAIL detector was improved. The sphere was replaced by a slightly larger one, having a diameter of 68 cm (instead of 65 cm), reducing the resonant frequency by about 200 Hz to around 2.9 kHz. The last four masses of the attenuation system were machined to increase their resonant frequency and improve the attenuation around the resonant frequency of the sphere. In the new sphere, six holes were machined on the TIGA positions for easy mounting of the transducers. During the last cryogenic run, two capacitive transducers and a calibrator were mounted on the sphere. The first transducer was coupled to a double-stage SQUID amplifier having a commercial quantum design SQUID as a first stage and a DROS as a second stage. The second transducer was read by a single-stage quantum design SQUID. During the cryogenic run, the sphere was cooled down to 4 K. The two-stage SQUID had a flux noise of about 1.6 μ0 Hz−1/2. The detector was calibrated and the sensitivity curve of MiniGRAIL was determined

Effects on lipid and glucose metabolism of diets with different types of fat and sugar in male fatty Zucker rats

The nutritional problem with regard to fat and sugar consumption in relation to lipid and glucose metabolism, and the ultimate goal of the study are generally outlined in Chapter 1. The obese Zucker rat was chosen as being likely a suitable animal model for a study like this. Chapter 2 is a review of the literature on the Zucker rat strain, of restricted size but aimed to be complete.In Chapter 3 the design of the study is provided with regard to the grouping and dieting of the rats involved. To six groups of at least 12 obese rats per group, of approximately 6 weeks of age, semi-synthetic diets were given, being either low-fat or high-fat diets; the groups fed on the high-fat diets were provided with either a saturated (consisting of two parts of cocoa butter and one part of palm oil) or a poly-unsaturated (sunflower oil) type of fat. Each of the three types of dietary fat (low-fat, high-saturated and high-poly-unsaturated- fat) was combined with either sucrose or starch. One group of obese and one group of lean Zucker rats fed on a commercial ration served as control groups. Only male rats were used.Chapter 4 deals with the results of the body weight gains, food consumption and digestion as obtained during the first part of the experiment, at an age of the rats of approximately 6 to 22 weeks. There was a large similarity in body weight gain of the group of obese rats. On the high-saturated-fat diets a steatorrhoea was observed; the food intake of the rats fed on the poly-unsaturated-fat diets had to be somewhat restricted, In the rats fed on the commercial ration a decreased apparent digestibility of protein was found.In Chapter 5 the results are given for the plasma levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin and the blood glucose, as measured after 2, 4, 9 and 15 weeks of the experiment. The lean rats showed, as expected, by far the lowest plasma cholesterol concentrations. The low-fat diets gave the highest plasma cholesterol levels, even higher than did the high- saturated-fat diets (which latter, however, gave rise to steatorrhoea). The high-poly-unsaturated-fat diets gave lower levels, but the lowest values for obese rats were seen on the commercial ration. The plasma triglyceride concentrations were significantly higher on all high-fat diets than on the low-fat diets. Again, the values observed in the lean controls were by far the lowest. Sucrose in the diets had an elevating effect particularly during the first weeks of dieting, firstly on the triglyceride and somewhat later on the cholesterol levels of the plasma, but this effect gradually disappeared. There was no interaction found between the effects of dietary fats and sugar on the plasma lipid levels.The high-poly-unsaturated-fat diets gave significantly higher blood glucose concentrations (after the rats had fasted overnight) than did the other diets (pChapter 6 gives a description of the cholesterol turnover study carried out on half of the rats from most dietary groups, with the help of two cholesterol isotopes provided. This turnover was higher in obese than in lean rats. The obese rats had larger pool masses and higher values for the transfer from the rapidly to the slowly exchangeable pool. The most striking result was the observation that all groups of obese rats, in contrast to the lean rats, appeared to have reached their maximal capacity for excretion of cholesterol. This leads us to the conclusion that the differences in plasma cholesterol concentrations observed between the groups of obese rats are the result of a different distribution of the cholesterol over the tissues.Further, a positive correlation was found between the mass of the slowly exchangeable pool and the intestinal absorption of cholesterol. Of the significant differences found in the intestinal absorption of cholesterol between the dietary groups (pcf. Table 19 with Table 2 in Chapter 3). The lower cholesterol absorption from the high-saturated-fat diet than from the comparable high-poly-unsaturated- fat diet will be related to the impaired fat absorption from this former diet.The excretion of 3-β-OH-sterols in the faeces (pooled samples) was somewhat higher in the obese control group than in that of the lean rats. It was also higher than in the groups fed on the semi-synthetic diets, with the exception of the groups fed on the high-saturated-fat diets which gave the highest values for this, probably connected to the steatorrhoea observed in these latter groups. Since the rats fed on this type of fat had shown to have almost identical figures for the cholesterol turnover ( = the production rate) as the obese rats in the other groups, a different synthesis of cholesterol will presumably have compensated for this difference in sterol excretion with the faeces.Chapter 7 reveals the data obtained on the blood parameters mentioned ( vide supra ) during a period of four days of fasting of the second half of the rats from all groups participating in the study. Body weights decreased similarly in all groups, plasma triglycerides fell almost exponentially, whereas the plasma cholesterol levels showed an initial rise, with highest figures on the second day, and the most pronounced in the groups fed on the low-fat diets, to be followed by a gradual decrease. The blood glucose concentrations tended to increase between the second and the fourth day of fasting, whereas the plasma insulin levels did not change significantly.Chapter 8 is devoted to the measurements, in the blood plasma of half of the rats from all groups, of the enzyme lecithin : cholesterol acyl-transferase (LCAT). A relative LCAT deficiency might be involved in the development of the increased plasma cholesterol concentrations of obese Zucker rats. Significant differences (pIn Chapter 9 the results are presented of the lipid determinations performed in liver and perirenal fat of the same rats as were used in the preceeding latter two chapters, after their sacrifice. The perirenal fat of obese rats contained twice as much cholesterol as that of lean rats, without a dietary effect measured. The livers of the obese rats were very much fatter than those of the lean rats and had a different fatty acid composition. Very pronounced fatty livers were found in the groups fed on the low-fat diets, particularly in the combination with sucrose. There was a statistically very significant interaction (pChapter 10 on the aortic atheromatosis points to the lack of atherosclerotic processes occurring in our Zucker rats despite a dietary induced hyperlipidaemia during a period regarded as sufficiently extended, of more than seven months. This negative result will be related to the different lipoprotein composition of rats in general, making them not particularly prone to a development of atherosclerosis in their large arteries.In Chapter 11 the combined aspects of the fat and sugar metabolism as arising from the respective parts of the total investigation are discussed. Although the differences between obese and lean Zucker rats exceeded by far those observed between the dietary groups of obese rats, a number of significant differences was found between these groups, which resulted from dietary treatment. These differences concern plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as blood glucose concentrations, cholesterol pool masses, LCAT activities of the plasma, hepatic lipid metabolism and fatty acid composition of both liver and perirenal fat. Further, these differences are related to the quantity and the type of dietary fat as well as to the type of carbohydrate used and, in addition, to the degree of purity of the diet.The differences in dietary composition, however, apparently did not affect the hepatic excretion of cholesterol, which was found to be similar, and nearly maximal, in all groups of obese rats studied.In the end an investigation was made to determine the significance of these results for human nutrition

Observation of the amorphous‐crystalline phase transition in the Ovonic semiconducting glass Te81Ge15As4 by the Mössbauer effect in Te125 and I129

Mössbauer spectra obtained with absorbers of Te12581Ge15As4 and a ZnTe125m source indicate that tellurium atoms are in an environment similar to that in tellurium metal. These spectra as well as those obtained with sources of Te129m81Ge15As4 and a CuI129 absorber indicate that the amorphous phase has a higher charge asymmetry than the crystalline phase which is consistent with the concept of ``dangling'' chemical bonds. Because of the great difference in the I129 spectra of the amorphous and crystalline phases it appears of interest to investigate Ovonic devices prepared with Te129m in order to see if voltage‐dependent phenomena can be observed in the I129 Mössbauer spectra

Serum samples can be substituted by plasma samples for the diagnosis of paratuberculosis

Employing plasma samples rather than serum samples for serological paratuberculosis diagnosis is practical, especially when bovine TB is assessed in the same cattle herd with the gamma interferon bovine avian (IFN- BA) test. We demonstrate that antibody titers in serum and plasma samples, utilizing the PARACHECK® ELISA kit, are highly comparable (Cohen’s kappa test, k = 0.955). We conclude that serum can be replaced with plasma in this commercially available antibody detection assay resulting in working hour savings for sampling and blood sample work-up and cost reductions for materials and sample storage.Employing plasma samples rather than serum samples for serological paratuberculosis diagnosis is practical, especially when bovine TB is assessed in the same cattle herd with the gamma interferon bovine avian (IFN- BA) test. We demonstrate that antibody titers in serum and plasma samples, utilizing the PARACHECK® ELISA kit, are highly comparable (Cohen’s kappa test, k = 0.955). We conclude that serum can be replaced with plasma in this commercially available antibody detection assay resulting in working hour savings for sampling and blood sample work-up and cost reductions for materials and sample storage

A prospective study on obesity and subcutaneous fat patterning in relation to breast cancer in post-menopausal women participating in the DOM project.

The associations of body fat and body fat distribution with breast cancer risk were examined in a prospective study in 9,746 post-menopausal women with a natural menopause, aged 49-66 at intake, participating in a breast cancer screening project (the DOM project in Utrecht). During a follow-up period of 15 years (mean follow-up time 12.5 years) 260 women developed breast cancer. Fat distribution, assessed by contrasting groups of subcapsular and triceps skinfold thickness, was found to be unrelated to breast cancer incidence. No significant relationship between body fat, measured either by weight, Quetelet's index, triceps skinfold or subscapular skinfold, and breast cancer risk was found when analysed in quartiles. However, women in the upper decile compared with the lower decile of the distribution of Quetelet's index were found to have a 1.9 times (95% CI 1.1-3.3) higher risk for breast cancer. These results seemed to be in contrast with the significant positive association between fatness, analysed in quartiles, and breast cancer observed in a cross-sectional study, based on mammographic screening, carried out previously in the same population. Although the differences between the present, prospective, study and our cross-sectional study may be due to chance it may be that there are differences between characteristics of breast cancer detected at screening and subsequently, which influence the associations between measures of fatness and risk of breast cancer

Don’t shoot the messenger:traffic-irrelevant messages on variable message signs (VMSs) might not interfere with traffic management

Road authorities struggle with the question whether variable message signs (VMSs) should exclusively be used for traffic management or could also be used to display traffic-irrelevant messages, such as mottos or commercial advertisements. The current study assesses behavioural responses to a critical route instruction displayed on the same VMS that previously displayed a variety of traffic-irrelevant messages. For this, thirty-two participants were divided between a control group and an experimental group (the advertisements group). In a driving simulator, all were familiarised with the same route by driving a VMS-equipped motorway nine times. For the advertisements group, up to drive 8, this VMS displayed various advertisements. Whereas for the control group it was blank. In the 9th drive, the VMS displayed a critical detour message for all participants. This critical route instruction – informing drivers to take the nearest exit – resulted in compliant driver behaviour in the advertisements group. In addition, they only reduced speed marginally to increase the time to process the VMS text. The control group, on the contrary, displayed a much sharper speed reduction; though the instruction only moderately altered motorway exit behaviour. What is more, the 31% (n = 4) of the advertisements group who complied with the critical route instruction subsequently failed to recall this message (recalling an advertisement instead). In conclusion, this study provides evidence that displaying traffic-irrelevant messages on VMSs might not interfere with traffic management; provided the format of said messages is in accordance with ergonomic VMS guidelines as used in this study. It is proposed that due to repeated exposure to various VMS texts, reading the sign has been practised to the extent that little to no conscious deliberation was required. As a result, recall of what was seen, proved to be an inadequate proxy for assessing driver behaviour. This study shows that conscious attention might not be a prerequisite for compliance. Furthermore, it suggests that continuous variability in objects in the traffic environment may become part of a subconscious monitoring process, as long as they have been sufficiently practised