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New Batch (new + batch)
Selected AbstractsCharacteristics of egg and larval production in captive bluespotted gobiesJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2001L. A. Privitera Spawning of the Hawaiian coral-reef goby Asterropteryx semipunctata was diurnal, occurring at various times throughout the day. Mean length of eggs deposited in nests was 0·76 mm (range 0·67,0·84); mean egg width was 0·47 mm (range 0·41,0·52). Clutch size varied from 296 to 1552 eggs (mean=886±309), and was independent of standard length, total body weight, and body condition. Mean relative clutch size was 1·59 eggs mg -1 total body weight (range 0·84,2·43). Clutches hatched 4,5 nights after being deposited in a nest. Mean notochord length of newly-hatched larvae was 1·88 mm (range 1·60,2·04). The minimum period of time that elapsed between egg deposition and subsequent growth of a new batch of oocytes to spawning size was 5,6 days, providing a reasonable estimate of minimum spawning interval. Compared with other gobiids, tropical species tend to have shorter incubation periods, smaller eggs and smaller larvae at hatching. [source] EFFECT OF LACTIC ACID FERMENTATION OF CASSAVA ON FUNCTIONAL AND SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF FUFU FLOURJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, Issue 4 2008A.O. SOBOWALE ABSTRACT The effects of lactic acid fermentation of cassava on the functional and sensory characteristic of fufu flour were investigated. Two strains of Lactobacillus plantarum were used as starter cultures for the fermentation of cassava to fufu for 96 h. The resultant wet fufu samples were dried at 65C in a cabinet dryer for 48 h, and were analyzed for functional and sensory characteristics. Fermentation reduced the water-binding capacity of the fufu flour from 176.6% to between 118 and 125%. The pasting characteristics of the traditional and starter culture-fermented fufu flour samples were not significantly different from that of the unfermented cassava flour. When subjected to sensory evaluation, the traditional and starter culture-fermented cassava fufu flour were not significantly different in terms of color, odor and texture, but the cassava fufu flour produced, using starter culture SL19, had the highest overall acceptability (P < 0.05). PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Traditionally, processing of cassava to fufu is usually carried out by using the old stock from a previous fermentation to initiate the fermentation of a new batch. This old method usually results in fufu that has a strong odor that may not be acceptable to some consumers. The use of starter culture like Lactobacillus plantarum will reduce the strong odor of fufu; this will increase its acceptability by consumers and ensure the overall quality. Also, the functional properties of fufu are not affected. The development of lactobacilli strains could help in optimizing the traditional processes, therefore increasing the economic returns. [source] Latest news and product developmentsPRESCRIBER, Issue 4 2008Article first published online: 20 MAR 200 Suicide warning for all antidepressants All antidepressants are to include a warning of the risk of suicide in their product information, the MHRA says. The requirement formerly applied only to SSRIs but, following a US review of safety data, the Agency says the risk is similar for all classes of antidepressants. Patients at increased risk include young people with psychiatric morbidity and those with a history of suicidal ideation. Patients are at increased risk of suicide until remission occurs, and clinical experience shows that the risk is increased during the early stages of recovery. Confusion over type 2 diabetes management Contradictory findings have been reported from two studies of intensive management of type 2 diabetes. The STENO-2 study (N Engl J Med 2008;358:580-91) found that tight control of blood glucose, blood pressure and lipids plus low-dose aspirin in 160 patients with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria significantly reduced all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events, cardiovascular death and microvascular complications by 40-60 per cent. The US National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute has announced the end of the intensive treatment arm of the ACCORD study (unpublished). This study was comparing intensive lowering of blood glucose below currently recommended levels (target HbA1C <6 per cent) with conventional management in adults with type 2 diabetes at especially high risk for heart attack and stroke. Although mortality was reduced in both arms compared with other populations, intensive treatment was associated with increased mortality equivalent to three deaths per 1000 patients per year over four years. Another antibiotics campaign The Government has launched another campaign to promote public awareness that antibiotics are not appropriate for viral infections causing coughs, colds and sore throats. Get Well Soon , Without Antibiotics is supported by a national advertising campaign and leaflets and posters encouraging the public to ask advice rather than demand a prescription. Details are available at www.dh.gov.uk. Episenta: once-daily sodium valproate Following a launch to specialists last year, a new once-daily modified-release formulation of sodium valproate is being promoted more widely to GPs. Episenta is licensed for the treatment of all forms of epilepsy and is formulated as modified-release capsules of 150mg and 300mg and sachets of modified-release granules of 500mg and 1000mg. The dose may be administered once or twice daily. Patients may be switched from enteric-coated tablets of valproate to the same dose given as Episenta. Episenta costs £5.70 or £10.90 for 100 × 150mg or 300mg capsules, and £18 or £35.50 for 100 × 500mg or 1000mg sachets. Latest NICE agenda The Department of Health has referred a new batch of topics for appraisal by NICE. Six of seven technology appraisals are for cancer drugs; the last is for dabigatran etexilate for venous thromboembolism. There will be four new clinical guidelines: autism spectrum disorders, hypertension in pregnancy, bed-wetting in children and severe mental illness with substance abuse. Two combined public health and clinical guidelines will address alcohol misuse. Varenicline vs NRT Varenicline (Champix) offers slightly greater smoking cessation rates than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in the long term and better symptom improvement, an international study has shown (Thorax 2008; published online:10.1136/ thx.2007.090647). A total of 746 smokers were randomised to treatment with varenicline 1mg twice daily for 12 weeks or transdermal NRT (21mg reducing to 7mg per day) for 10 weeks. Continuous abstinence rates for the last four weeks of treatment were 56 vs 43 per cent. The corresponding rates for one year were 26 and 20 per cent. Varenicline was associated with greater reductions in cravings, withdrawal symptoms and smoking satisfaction, but more nausea (37 vs 10 per cent). Adverse reactions class effect of statins The MHRA has identified several adverse effects that it says are class effects of the statins (Drug Safety Update 2008;1:Issue 7). Following a review of clinical trials and spontaneous reports, it is now apparent that any statin may be associated with sleep disturbance, depression, memory loss and sexual dysfunction; interstitial lung disease has been reported rarely. Product information is being updated to include the new information. Depression, including suicidal ideation, has also been associated with varenicline (Champix), the MHRA says; affected patients should stop treatment immediately. The combination of transdermal nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and varenicline appears to be associated with a higher incidence of nausea, headache, vomiting, dizziness, dyspepsia and fatigue than NRT alone. The MHRA has also announced that, following the suspension of marketing authorisation for carisoprodol (Carisoma), it is considering a phased withdrawal of the closely-related meprobamate , the main active metabolite of carisoprodol. Following a successful pilot study, the public are being encouraged to report adverse reactions on yellow cards; the MHRA notes that health professionals provide more complete reports but patients include more information about quality of life. The scheme will be promoted via community pharmacies throughout the UK from February 2008. Cochrane: evidence on back pain interventions The latest release of Cochrane reviews includes three meta-analyses assessing interventions for back pain. Overall, NSAIDs were found to be effective as short-term treatment for acute or chronic back pain but the effect size was small. They were comparable with paracetamol but associated with more adverse effects; COX-2 selective NSAIDs were similarly effective, with slightly fewer adverse effects. There was no evidence that antidepressants reduced back pain but intensive individual patient education (lasting 2.5 hours) was effective for acute and subacute back pain and comparable with manipulation and physiotherapy; its effects on chronic pain were unclear. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Interface Ltd [source] A new batch of high-resolution images from the HiRISE camera on Mars Reconnaissance OrbiterASTRONOMY & GEOPHYSICS, Issue 5 2009Article first published online: 18 SEP 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] Population screening reduces the total community mortality rate from aortic aneurysmsBRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 4 2000E. Shaw Background: Screening of the male population for unsuspected abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has been taking place in a single UK county (population 520 000) since 1990. Methods: The general practitioner surgery-based programme involves ultrasonographic examination of each year's new batch of 65-year-old men, excluding those who were older than this when the programme started. This method of screening has resulted in a gradually enlarging cohort of screened men, so that by the end of 1998 all men between the ages of 65 and 73 years had been offered an ultrasound scan, with 85 per cent accepting and over 21 000 men examined. Total aneurysm-related deaths in the community have been quantified by examining inpatient records and post-mortem results for the county's hospitals, together with computerized death certificate records held by the health authority (available for 1994 onwards). This figure thus includes deaths at home from ruptured AAA, in-hospital deaths from ruptured AAA with or without emergency surgery and all deaths following elective AAA surgery. Results: The 65,73-year-old age group has been progressively influenced by AAA screening as new 65 year olds are examined each year. Total aneurysm-related deaths in this age range have shown a progressive, year by year fall between 1994 and 1998, with an overall reduction in deaths by two-thirds during this 5-year period. In contrast, aneurysm-related deaths in men aged below 65 and over 73 years have tended to show a slight increase in the same period. Conclusion: These figures clearly demonstrate that population screening reduces overall deaths from aortic aneurysms. © 2000 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd [source] Multivariate monitoring of batch processes using batch-to-batch informationAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 6 2004Jesus Flores-Cerrillo Abstract Multiway principal component analysis (MPCA) and multiway partial-least squares (MPLS) are well-established methods for the analysis of historical data from batch processes, and for monitoring the progress of new batches. Direct measurements made on prior batches can also be incorporated into the analysis by monitoring with multiblock methods. An extension of the multiblock MPCA/MPLS approach is introduced to explicitly incorporate batch-to-batch trajectory information summarized by the scores of previous batches, while keeping all the advantages and monitoring statistics of the traditional MPCA/MPLS. However, it is shown that the advantages of using information on prior batches for analysis and monitoring are often small. Its main advantage is that it can be useful for detecting problems when monitoring new batches in the early stages of their operation., the approach and benefits are illustrated with condensation polymerization and emulsion polymerization systems, as examples. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 50: 1219,1228, 2004 [source] | |||||||||||||