Investigation of the Influence of Antioxidant Compositions on Development of Microbiological Spoilage in Storage of Fruits

The studies are devoted to the scientific grounding of expedience of after-harvest processing by antioxidant compositions for preventing the development of pathogenic microflora on fruit surfaces during a long storage. For the studies were used apple fruits of the varieties Aidared, Golden Dushesse, Renet Simirenka, pear fruits of the varieties Victoria, Crimea Raisin and Cure, plum fruits of the varieties Voloshka, Stanley and Italian Ugorka. Fruits were processed by immersion in the following antioxidant compositions: ACM is a mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide, ionol and polyethylene glycols; AARL – mixture of ascorbic acid, routin and lecithin; DL – mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide, ionol and lecithin. Fruits, processed by water, were used as a control. Exposition - 10 seconds. Storage was carried out at the temperature 0±1 ºС, relative air humidity 90–95 %. It was established that in the period of fruits laying for storage, the mean amount of epiphyte microflora was fixed on surfaces of plump and pear fruits of the mean ripening term. In the variety composition of epiphyte microflora prevailed spores of mesophyl aerobic and facultative-anaerobic microorganisms. Their mean number on apple fruits surface was 9,6·103 CCU/g, pear fruits – 10,6 103 CCU/g, plump fruits – 18·103CCCU/g. AOC processing of all types of fruits essentially decreased the speed of both MAFAnM and micromycetes growth. It was demonstrated that the used compositions in 2…3,5 times decreased the level of day losses from microbiological spoilage during the whole storage period. The most positive effect was received at using compositions, based on dystinol and lecithin. Multifactor analysis determined that the level of day losses from microbiological spoilage was mainly influenced by factors of raw material variety features (factor A) and antioxidant compositions processing (factor D). The shares of influence are 24 and 21 % respectively

TRIC-B channels display labile gating: evidence from the TRIC-A knockout mouse model.

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00424-013-1251-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized usersPublished online: 7 March 2013. ©The Author(s) 2013. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com via: doi:10.1007/s00424-013-1251-y)Available under Open AccessSarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum (SR) and nuclear membranes contain two related cation channels named TRIC-A and TRIC-B. In many tissues, both subtypes are co-expressed, making it impossible to distinguish the distinct single-channel properties of each subtype. We therefore incorporated skeletal muscle SR vesicles derived from Tric-a-knockout mice into bilayers in order to characterise the biophysical properties of native TRIC-B without possible misclassification of the channels as TRIC-A, and without potential distortion of functional properties by detergent purification protocols. The native TRIC-B channels were ideally selective for cations. In symmetrical 210 mM K(+), the maximum (full) open channel level (199 pS) was equivalent to that observed when wild-type SR vesicles were incorporated into bilayers. Analysis of TRIC-B gating revealed complex and variable behaviour. Four main sub-conductance levels were observed at approximately 80 % (161 pS), 60 % (123 pS), 46 % (93 pS), and 30 % (60 pS) of the full open state. Seventy-five percent of the channels were voltage sensitive with Po being markedly reduced at negative holding potentials. The frequent, rapid transitions between TRIC-B sub-conductance states prevented development of reliable gating models using conventional single-channel analysis. Instead, we used mean-variance plots to highlight key features of TRIC-B gating in a more accurate and visually useful manner. Our study provides the first biophysical characterisation of native TRIC-B channels and indicates that this channel would be suited to provide counter current in response to Ca(2+) release from the SR. Further experiments are required to distinguish the distinct functional properties of TRIC-A and TRIC-B and understand their individual but complementary physiological roles.British Heart FoundationEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)Japan Society for the Promotion of Scienc

In-beam fast-timing measurements in 103,105,107Cd

Fast-timing measurements were performed recently in the region of the medium-mass 103,105,107Cd isotopes, produced in fusion evaporation reactions. Emitted gamma-rays were detected by eight HPGe and five LaBr3:Ce detectors working in coincidence. Results on new and re-evaluated half-lives are discussed within a systematic of transition rates. The $7/2_1^+$ states in 103,105,107Cd are interpreted as arising from a single-particle excitation. The half-life analysis of the $11/2_1^-$ states in 103,105,107Cd shows no change in the single-particle transition strength as a function of the neutron number

Influence of facial feedback and mind perception during a cooperative human-robot task in schizophrenia

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer Nature via the DOI in this record.Rapid progress in the area of humanoid robots offers tremendous possibilities for investigating and improving social competences in people with social deficits, but remains yet unexplored in schizophrenia. In this study, we examined the influence of social feedbacks elicited by a humanoid robot on motor coordination during a human-robot interaction. Twenty-two schizophrenia patients and twenty-two matched healthy controls underwent a collaborative motor synchrony task with the iCub humanoid robot. Results revealed that positive social feedback had a facilitatory effect on motor coordination in the control participants compared to non-social positive feedback. This facilitatory effect was not present in schizophrenia patients, whose social-motor coordination was similarly impaired in social and non-social feedback conditions. Furthermore, patients’ cognitive flexibility impairment and antipsychotic dosing were negatively correlated with patients’ ability to synchronize hand movements with iCub. Overall, our findings reveal that patients have marked difficulties to exploit facial social cues elicited by a humanoid robot to modulate their motor coordination during human-robot interaction, partly accounted for by cognitive deficits and medication. This study opens new perspectives for comprehension of social deficits in this mental disorder.This experiment was supported by a grant from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7 ICT 2011 Call 9) under grant agreement n FP7-ICT-600610 ALTEREGO

ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF THE STRUCTURAL REFORM IN BULGARIAN AGRICULTURE

A structural reform is underway in Bulgarian agriculture. The aim is to bring the sector out of the grave crisis. The paper presents the main directions of the structural reform in the sector, basing on the analysis of its current situation: - providing of due legislation; - development of the land market and rent relations; - development of operative production structures; - regulating the functions of the administrative and branch organizations governing the implementation of the agrarian policy

Characteristics of some Macedonian and introduced oats genotypes cultivated in organic and conventional production

In the period 2005-2007 trials with five oats populations (Krivogastani,Trebenishta,Radolishta, Bugarija, Kuceviste) and three oats varieties Rajac, Slavuj and Lovcen), were carried out. The trials were set up in conditions of organic and conventional production. The main objective of this investigation was to determine the differences in some morphological characteristics of the tested genotypes, which directly or indirectly affect the yield, and also, to determine the differences that came up as a result of the different systems of production (conventional and organic production). The average height of the oats plant cultivated in organic production (114,4 cm) was higher absolutely by 2,2 cm or relatively by 2.0% than the height of the oats plantcultivated in conventional production. The system of production showed no effect on the length of the panicle. The yield of oats grain by panicle in organic production (3,30 g) was higher absolutely by 0,3 g or relatively by 9.1% than the yield of oats grain by panicle in conventional production (3,0 g). The system of production did not impact significantly on the percentage of the glumes. The lowest percentage of glumes in both systems of production gavevariety Rajac.</jats:p

Pseudo-plateau bursting and mixed-mode oscillations in a model of developing inner hair cells

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordInner hair cells (IHCs) are excitable sensory cells in the inner ear that encode acoustic information. Before the onset of hearing IHCs fire calcium-based action potentials that trigger transmitter release onto developing spiral ganglion neurones. There is accumulating experimental evidence that these spontaneous firing patterns are associated with maturation of the IHC synapses and hence involved in the development of hearing. The dynamics organising the IHCs’ electrical activity are therefore of interest. Building on our previous modelling work we propose a three-dimensional, reduced IHC model and carry out non-dimensionalisation. We show that there is a significant range of parameter values for which the dynamics of the reduced (three-dimensional) model map well onto the dynamics observed in the original biophysical (four-dimensional) IHC model. By estimating the typical time scales of the variables in the reduced IHC model we demonstrate that this model could be characterised by two fast and one slow or one fast and two slow variables depending on biophysically relevant parameters that control the dynamics. Specifically, we investigate how changes in the conductance of the voltage-gated calcium channels as well as the parameter corresponding to the fraction of free cytosolic calcium concentration in the model affect the oscillatory model bahaviour leading to transition from pseudo-plateau bursting to mixed-mode oscillations. Hence, using fast-slow analysis we are able to further our understanding of this model and reveal a path in the parameter space connecting pseudo-plateau bursting and mixed-mode oscillations by varying a single parameter in the model.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC

Representations of mental health and arts participation in the national and local British press, 2007-2015

We analysed news articles published in national and local British newspapers between 2007 and 2015 to understand 1) how mental health and arts participation were framed and 2) how the relationships between participants in arts initiatives were conceptualised. Using corpus-assisted qualitative frame analysis, we identified frames of recovery, stigma and economy. The recovery frame, which emphasised that mental illness can be treated similarly to physical illness, positioned arts participation as a form of therapy that can complement or substitute medication. The stigma frame presented arts participation as a mechanism for challenging social conceptions that mentally ill individuals are incapable of productive work. The economy frame discussed the economic burden of mentally ill individuals and portrayed arts participation as facilitating their return to employment. Using thematic analysis, which paid attention to the representation of social actors, we found that service users were identified as the prime beneficiaries of arts initiatives and arts participation was conceptualised as a way to bring people with mental health issues together. We discuss these findings against existing research on media representations of mental health and the concept of ‘mutual recovery’ and suggest what wider concurrent developments in the areas of mental health and the media may account for the uncovered frames and themes

CHANGES IN THE ACTIVITY OF SOME SERUM ENZYMES IN CHRONI CLIVER DISEASES

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Changing frames of obesity in the UK press 2008–2017

Obesity is a persistently newsworthy topic for the UK press and in recent years levels of coverage have increased. In this study, we examine the ways in which obesity has been framed by the press over a ten-year period (2008–2017), focussing both on areas of stability and change. The analysis is based on a ~36 million-word database of all UK newspaper articles mentioning the words ‘obese’ or ‘obesity’ published within this time frame and draws upon techniques from corpus linguistics – a collection of computational methods for examining recurrent linguistic patterns in large bodies of language data. Our analysis shows that, over time, obesity is represented increasingly as a biomedical problem that is both caused and should be prevented by individual action. Meanwhile, focus on wider environmental determinants of health, including the role of Government and the food industry, decreases over time. In the paper, we situate these trends within the wider context of UK society and argue that they both represent the increasing dominance of neoliberal models of health but also have the potential to contribute to weight stigma and the blaming of individuals. Accordingly, it is argued that the press should seek greater balance in its reporting of the potential causes of and solutions to obesity, as well as closer alignment with scientific evidence. By doing so, the press could begin to report on obesity in a way that raises useful public awareness around the topic and which challenges some of the stigma that currently attends to this social justice issue