Behavior and viability of spontaneous oxidative stress-resistant Lactococcus lactis mutants in experimental fermented milk processing

Previously, we isolated two strains of spontaneous oxidative (SpOx2 and SpOx3) stress mutants of Lactococcus lactis subsp cremoris. Herein, we compared these mutants to a parental wild- type strain (J60011) and a commercial starter in experimental fermented milk production. Total solid contents of milk and fermentation temperature both affected the acidification profile of the spontaneous oxidative stress- resistant L. lactis mutants during fermented milk production. Fermentation times to pH 4.7 ranged from 6.40 h (J60011) to 9.36 h (SpOx2); V(max) values were inversely proportional to fermentation time. Bacterial counts increased to above 8.50 log(10) cfu/mL. The counts of viable SpOx3 mutants were higher than those of the parental wild strain in all treatments. All fermented milk products showed post-fermentation acidification after 24 h of storage at 4 degrees C; they remained stable after one week of storage.

Spontaneous symmetry breaking in amnestically induced persistence

We investigate a recently proposed non-Markovian random walk model characterized by loss of memories of the recent past and amnestically induced persistence. We report numerical and analytical results showing the complete phase diagram, consisting of four phases, for this system: (i) classical nonpersistence, (ii) classical persistence, (iii) log-periodic nonpersistence, and (iv) log-periodic persistence driven by negative feedback. The first two phases possess continuous scale invariance symmetry, however, log-periodicity breaks this symmetry. Instead, log-periodic motion satisfies discrete scale invariance symmetry, with complex rather than real fractal dimensions. We find for log-periodic persistence evidence not only of statistical but also of geometric self-similarity.

Spontaneous long and short-range ferroelectric ordering in Pb(0.55)La(0.30)TiO(3) ceramics

In this work, we investigated the temperature dependence of short and long-range ferroelectric ordering in Pb(0.55)La(0.30)TiO(3) relaxor composition. High-resolution x-ray powder diffraction measurements revealed a clear spontaneous macroscopic cubic-to-tetragonal phase transition in the PLT relaxor sample at similar to 60 K below the maximum of the dielectric constant peak (T(m)). Indeed, the x-ray diffraction (XRD) data showed that at 300 K (above T(m) but below the Burns temperature, T(B)) the long-range order structure corresponds to a macroscopic cubic symmetry, space group number 221 (Pm-3m), whereas the data collected at 20 K revealed a macroscopic tetragonal symmetry, space group number 99 (P4mm) with c/a=1.0078, that is comparable to that of a normal ferroelectric. These results show that for samples with tetragonal composition, the long-range ferroelectric order may be recovered spontaneously at cryogenics temperatures, in contrast to ferroelectric samples with rhombohedral symmetry. On the other hand, x-ray absorption spectroscopy investigations intriguingly revealed the existence of local tetragonal disorder around Ti atoms for temperatures far below T(m) and above T(B), for which the sample presents macroscopic tetragonal and cubic symmetries, respectively. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3431024]

Nonadiabatic Coherent Evolution of Two-Level Systems under Spontaneous Decay

In this Letter we extend current perspectives in engineering reservoirs by producing a time-dependent master equation leading to a nonstationary superposition equilibrium state that can be nonadiabatically controlled by the system-reservoir parameters. Working with an ion trapped inside a nonideal cavity, we first engineer effective interactions, which allow us to achieve two classes of decoherence-free evolution of superpositions of the ground and excited ionic levels: those with a time-dependent azimuthal or polar angle. As an application, we generalize the purpose of an earlier study [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 150403 (2006)], showing how to observe the geometric phases acquired by the protected nonstationary states even under nonadiabatic evolution.

Use of Hyaluronidase to Prevent Perineal Trauma During Spontaneous Births: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-blind, Clinical Trial

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency and severity of perineal trauma during spontaneous birth with or without perineal injections of hyaluronidase (HAase). Methods: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial was conducted in a midwife-led, in-hospital birth center in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Primiparous women (N = 160) were randomly assigned to an experimental (n = 80) or control (n = 80) group. During the second stage of labor, women in the experimental group received an injection of 20.000 turbidity-reducing units of HAase in the posterior region of the perineum, and those in the control group received a placebo injection. The assessment of perineal outcome was performed by 2 independent nurse-midwives. A 1-tailed Fisher exact test was performed, and a P value < .025 was considered statistically significant. Results: Perineal integrity occurred in 34.2% of the experimental group and in 32.5% of the control group, which was not a statistically significant difference (P = .477). First-degree laceration was the most common trauma in the posterior region of the perineum in women in both groups (experimental = 56%, control = 42.6%). Severe perineal trauma occurred in 28.9% of the experimental group and 38.8% of the control group, which also was not a statistically significant difference (P =. 131). The depth of second-degree perineal lacerations in the experimental and control groups, measured by the Peri-Rule, was 1.9 cm and 2.3 cm, respectively. An episiotomy was performed in 11 women (experimental group = 3, control group = 8), and 4 (all in control group) had third-degree lacerations. Discussion: The use of injectable HAase did not increase the proportion of intact perineum and did not reduce the proportion of severe perineal trauma in our sample. J Midwifery Womens Health 2011; 56: 436-445 (C) 2011 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Use of hyaluronidase to prevent perineal trauma during spontaneous delivery: A pilot study

Our objective was to compare the frequency, degree, and location of perineal trauma during spontaneous delivery with or without perineal injections of hyaluronidase (HAase). This was a randomized, controlled pilot study, conducted in a midwifie-led hospital birth center in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Primiparous women (N = 139) were randomly assigned to an intervention group (HAase injection, n = 71) or to a control group (no injection, n = 68). Significant differences were noted between the two groups in frequency of perineal trauma (intervention, 39.4%; control, 76.5%), degree of spontaneous laceration (intervention, 0.0%; control, 82.4%), and laceration located in the posterior region of the perineum (intervention, 54.2%; control, 84.3%). When episiotomy and second-degree lacerations were considered together and women with intact perineum were excluded from the analysis, the difference between the groups was no longer significant. With the use of the HAase enzyme, the relative risk was 0.5 for perineal trauma and 0.0 for second-degree lacerations. The present findings suggest that perineal injection of HAase prevented perineal trauma. These findings provide strong rationale for a larger follow-up study.

Effectiveness of local anaesthetics with and without vasoconstrictors for perineal repair during spontaneous delivery: Double-blind randomised controlled trial

Objective: to investigate the use of local anaesthetics, in the presence or absence of vasoconstrictors, for perineal repair during spontaneous delivery. Design: double-blind, randomised-controlled trial. Setting: a birth centre, in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Participants: from June to December 2004, a total of 96 women were allocated into three groups (first-degree perineal lacerations, second-degree perineal lacerations or episiotomy), and treated with local anaesthesia (1% lidocaine or 1% lidocaine with epinephrine) (n = 16 per treatment per group). Interventions: an initial local infiltration of the anaesthetic solution was given so that episiotomy could be carried out (5 ml) and to suture spontaneous lacerations (1 ml), followed by repeated doses (1 ml) until pain was completely inhibited. Measurements and findings: the main outcome measurement was the volume of anaesthetic used during episiotomy and perineal suture. Our data suggest that the concomitant use of the vasoconstrictor resulted in a significantly lower average volume used in the treatment of first-degree (1 ml, 95% confidence interval (0) 0.4-1.6) and second-degree (3.7 ml, 95% CI 1.6-5.8) lacerations (p = 0.002 and 0.001, respectively). A 0.3 ml (95% CI 1.5-2.1) average decrease in anaesthetic volume was observed with episiotomy (p = 0.724). The maximum volume of anaesthetic used with and without vasoconstrictor was 1-2 ml in 95% and 3-4 ml in 50% of first-degree lacerations, respectively, and 1-6 ml in 88% and 7-15 ml in 81% of second-degree lacerations, respectively. For episiotomy, the maximum dose was 15 ml, regardless of anaesthetic solution used. Key conclusions: our data confirm the hypothesis that the use of anaesthetics in conjunction with vasoconstrictors is more effective than anaesthetics alone in the repair of perineal lacerations, but not for episiotomy. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perineal Analgesia With an Ice Pack After Spontaneous Vaginal Birth: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial at the Amparo Maternal Birth Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Study participants included 114 nulliparous women divided into 3 groups (n = 38 per group): experimental (ice packs on the perineum), placebo (water packs at set temperature), and control (no treatment). Results: A numerical scale (0 to 10) was used for pain assessment. A comparison of the average pain at the beginning and after 20 minutes showed a significant reduction of pain (P < .001) in the 3 groups, and the experimental group had a lower average score for pain compared with the control group (1.6 versus 3.3, P = .032). Discussion: The use of ice packs for 20 minutes was effective for perineal pain relief after vaginal birth.

Spontaneous infiltrations of compound systems of Y(2)O(3), Sm(2)O(3), RE(2)O(3), Al(2)O(3) and AIN in SiC ceramics

Silicon carbide ceramics (SiC) are used in different applications in the engineering area due to the excellent properties, mainly in high temperatures. They are usually obtained by liquid-phase sintering enabling to form volatile products and, consequently, defects. The present work aims at studying the obtention of SiC ceramics by spontaneous infiltration using a eutectic composition of the Al(2)O(3)/Y(2)O(3), AIN/Y(2)O(3), Al(2)O(3)/Sm(2)O(3), AlN/Sm(2)O(3), Al(2)O(3)/RE(2)O(3) and AlN/RE(2)O(3) Systems. RE(2)O(3) is the concentrate of the rare-earth oxide obtained from Xenotime ore. Infiltration tests were carried out in argon atmosphere, graphite crucibles, in several temperatures near the melting point of each system, varying from 2.5 to 60 min. It was observed that Al(2)O(3)/Y(2)O(3), Al(2)O(3)/SM(2)O(3), AlN/SM(2)O(3) and Al(2)O(3)/RE(2)O(3) systems do not infiltrate appropriately and the AlN/Y(2)O(3) and AlN/RE(2)O(3) systems infiltrated spontaneously more than 20 mm; however, the first one presented a higher degree of infiltration, approximately 97%. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.

Spontaneous vegetation on overburden piles in the Coal Basin of Santa Catarina, Brazil

The objective of this work was to select indigenous vegetal species for restoration programs aiming at the regeneration of ombrophilous dense forest. Thirty-five spoil piles located in the county of Sideropolis, Santa Catarina, that received overburden disposal for 39 years (1950-1989) were selected for study because they exhibited remarkable spontaneous regrowth of trees compared to surrounding spoil piles. Floristic inventory covered the whole area of the 35 piles, whereas survey on phytosociology and natural regeneration studies were conducted in 70 plots distributed along the 35 piles. Floristic inventory recorded 83 species from 28 botanical families. Herbaceous terricolous plants constituted the predominant species (47.0%), followed by shrubs (26.5%), trees (19.3%), and vines (7.2%). Results from surveys on phytosociology and natural regeneration, focused on shrubs and trees, recorded incipient ecological succession. In addition, the most adapted species recorded on the overburden piles, as ranked by index of natural regeneration (RNT) plus importance value index (IVI), were as follows: Clethra scabra (RNT = 23.93%; IVI = 17.28%), Myrsine coriacea (RNT = 20.93%, IVI = 11.26%), Eupatorium intermedium (RNT 7.56%, IVI 0.40%), Miconia ligustroides (RNT 5.84%, IVI 2.37%), Ossaea amygdaloides (RNT 3.84%, IVI 1.30%), Tibouchina sellowiana (RNT 3.29%, M 1.94%), Eup. inulaefolium (RNT = 2.65%, IVI = 0.80%), and Baccharis dracunculifolia (RNT = 2.28%; IVI = 0.56%). High values of IVI and RNT exhibited by the exotic species Eucalyptus saligna (IVI = 21.73%, RNT = 51.41%) indicated strong competition between exotic and indigenous species. Severe chemical (acidic pH and lack of nutrients) and physical (coarse substrate and slope angle of 40-50 degrees) characteristics displayed by the overburden piles constituted limitations to floristic diversity and size of indigenous trees, indicating the need for substrate reclamation prior to forest restoration.

Increased MMA concentration and body mass index are associated with spontaneous abortion in Brazilian women A pilot study

Background: The pathophysiology of spontaneous abortion is complex and may involve the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. We evaluated the predictors of spontaneous abortion in Brazilian pregnant women. The effects of age, gestational age. body mass index (BMI), cigarette smoking, alcohol ingestion, use of multivitamins and concentrations of vitamins (folate, cobalamin and vitamin 136) and vitamin-dependent metabolites were analyzed. Methods: Study population included 100 healthy women that attended pre-natal care in 2 health centers of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and in whom pregnancy outcome was known. Folate and cobalamin status was measured in blood specimens collected between 4 and 16 weeks. The genotypes for 8 gene polymorphisms were evaluated by PCR-RFLP. Results: Eighty-eight women had normal pregnancy outcome (Group 1), while 12 experienced a miscarriage after blood collection (Group 2). Increased methylmalonic acid (MMA) concentrations were found in Group 2 (median [25th-75th percentile]=274 [149-425] nmol/l) relative to Group 1 (138 [98-185]) (P<0.01). No differences between the groups were observed for serum cobalamin, serum or red cell folate, and serum total homocysteine or allele frequencies for 8 polymorphisms. In a conditional logistic regression analysis including age, gestational age, serum creatinine, MMA, cystathionine, body mass index (BMI), cigarette smoking, alcohol ingestion and use of multivitamins the risk of abortion was significantly associated with MMA (OR [95% CI] = 3.80 [1.36, 10.62] per quartile increase in MMA), BMI (OR [95% CI] = 5.49 [1.29,23.39] per quartile) and gestational age (OR [95% CI] = 0.10 [0.01, 0.77] per increase of interval in gestational age). Conclusions: Increased serum MMA and BMI concentrations are associated with spontaneous abortion in Brazilian women. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of the Rupture and Disintegration Tests for Soft-Shell Capsules

The USP General Chapter < 2040 > Disintegration and Dissolution of Dietary Supplements introduced a rupture test as a performance test of soft-shell capsules. Traditionally, the disintegration test was used for determining the disintegration time of all solid oral dosage forms. The aim of this investigation was to investigate differences between the rupture test and the disintegration test using soft-shell capsules. Five different soft-shell capsule products were chosen based on their filling contents and treated to simulate a production deficiency. The study design compared capsules as received with capsules that were treated by coating them with the liquid contents of another capsule. The capsules were incubated at room temperature and at 40 degrees C. The tests were repeated after two weeks, and at each time point, twelve capsules of each product were tested using the rupture and the disintegration tests. Six capsules were tested untreated, while the other six capsules were treated. Rupture and disintegration times were recorded as dependent variables in each experiment. Thedata were analyzed using ANOVA. According to the USP definition for disintegration, the rupture of a soft-shell capsule can be seen as fulfilling the disintegration criterion if the capsule contents is a semisolid or liquid. Statistical analysis showed no advantage of the rupture test over the disintegration test. On a product-by-product basis, both tests were sensitive to certain investigated parameters. A noticeable difference between both tests was that in most cases, the rupture test reached the defined endpoint faster than the disintegration test. Soft-shell capsules that are subject to a Quality by Design approach should be tested with both methods to determine which performance test is the most appropriate test for a specific product.

Spontaneous transitions in the coordination of a whole body task

This paper describes an example of spontaneous transitions between qualitatively different coordination patterns during a cyclic lifting and lowering task. Eleven participants performed 12 trials of repetitive lifting and lowering in a ramp protocol in which the height of the lower shelf was raised or lowered 1 cm per cycle between 10 and 50 cm. Two distinct patterns of coordination were evident: a squat technique in which moderate range of hip, knee and ankle movement was utilised and ankle plantar-flexion occurred simultaneously with knee and hip extension; and a stoop technique in which the range of knee movement was reduced and knee and hip extension was accompanied by simultaneous ankle dorsi-flexion. Abrupt transitions from stoop to squat techniques were observed during descending trials, and from squat to stoop during ascending trials. Indications of hysteresis was observed in that transitions were more frequently observed during descending trials, and the average shelf height at the transition was 5 cm higher during ascending trials. The transitions may be a consequence of a trade-off between the biomechanical advantages of each technique and the influence of the lift height on this trade-off.

Optical study of a light diaphragm rupture process in an expansion tube

Rupture of a light cellophane diaphragm in an expansion tube has been studied by an optical method. The influence of the light diaphragm on test flow generation has long been recognised, however the diaphragm rupture mechanism is less well known. It has been previously postulated that the diaphragm ruptures around its periphery due to the dynamic pressure loading of the shock wave, with the diaphragm material at some stage being removed from the flow to allow the shock to accelerate to the measured speeds downstream. The images obtained in this series of experiments are the first to show the mechanism of diaphragm rupture and mass removal in an expansion tube. A light diaphragm was impulsively loaded via a shock wave and a series of images was recorded holographically throughout the rupture process, showing gradual destruction of the diaphragm. Features such as the diaphragm material, the interface between gases, and a reflected shock were clearly visualised. Both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the rupture dynamics were derived from the images and compared with existing one-dimensional theory.

Perforin-mediated cytotoxicity is critical for surveillance of spontaneous lymphoma

Immune surveillance by cytotoxic lymphocytes against cancer has been postulated for decades, but direct evidence for the role of cytotoxic lymphocytes in protecting against spontaneous malignancy has been lacking. As the rejection of many experimental cancers by cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells is dependent on the pore-forming protein perforin (pfp), we examined pfp-deficient mice for increased cancer susceptibility. Here we show that pfp-deficient mice have a high incidence of malignancy in distinct lymphoid cell lineages (T, B, NKT), indicating a specific requirement for pfp in protection against lymphomagenesis. The susceptibility to lymphoma was accentuated by simultaneous lack of expression of the p53 gene, mutations in which also commonly predispose to human malignancies, including lymphoma. In contrast, the incidence and age of onset of sarcoma was unaffected in p53-deficient mice. Pfp-deficient mice were at least 1,000-fold more susceptible to these lymphomas when transplanted, compared with immunocompetent mice in which tumor rejection was controlled by CD8(+) T lymphocytes. This study is the first that implicates direct cytotoxicity by lymphocytes in regulating lymphomagenesis.