Polarization sensing of fluorophores in tissues for drug compliance monitoring.

We used a new method, polarization sensing, to monitor the concentration of the fluorophore rhodamine 800 in an intralipid suspension and in chicken tissue. Rhodamine 800 (Rh800) could be excited at 648 nm using a laser pointer. We developed a simple device for measuring the combined emission from a highly polarized reference film and the unpolarized or orthogonally polarized emission of Rh800 from the scattering intralipid or tissue. The concentration of Rh800 in this medium was revealed by large changes in the polarization (P) with values of P ranging from 0.8 to -0.9. It is possible to vary the sensitive Rh800 concentration range by variation of the detected emission wavelengths, orientation of the excitation polarizer, or fluorophore concentration in the reference film. Polarization sensing of fluorophores in tissue requires only steady-state detection, and can be accomplished with simple and/or portable electronics. Such devices may find use in electronic detection of ingested medicines based on transdermal detection of nontoxic long-wavelength fluorophores.     

Human health risks of metals and metalloids in muscle tissue of Synodontis zambezensis Peters, 1852 from Flag Boshielo Dam,South Africa

Muscle tissue from 63 Synodontis zambezensis collected bimonthly in 2013 at Flag Boshielo Dam were analysed for metals and metalloids in a desktop human health risk assessment. The Hazard Quotient, based on a weekly meal of 67 g of fish muscle, exceeded the maximum acceptable level of one for lead, cobalt, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and selenium. The concentrations of these elements were higher in 2013 than those recorded in 2009 and 2012 in other fish species from Flag Boshielo Dam and these may pose a long-term health risk if consumed regularly by impoverished rural communities reliant on fish as a source of protein.     

QUESTIONNAIRE PRACTICE: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE JAR SCALE IS PLACED BETWEEN TWO “OVERALL” ACCEPTANCE SCALES?

ABSTRACT

Using the observational analysis of two different foods as test products, this note examined some interesting findings that emerge when the just‐about‐right (JAR) scale was placed after the overall liking rating, and before the preference ranking. The JAR data appeared to be statistically uncorrelated with the overall rating scales. First, this fortuitous observation from several studies suggests that the JAR scale can play a diagnostic role to determine how the consumer feels about changing the product. Second, the statistical analysis of the JAR ratings (e.g., bipolar nature of the JAR scale, its skewness and kurtosis) all suggest that the appropriate measure is %JAR, an incidence metric, rather than scale average, ought to be used both to report the results, and to create models relating to the JAR versus sensory magnitude or versus liking, respectively.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The results of the present analysis suggest that overall acceptance/liking can be the last question in the questionnaire design. That location is very important for the sensory analysis of foods eaten over time and then rated, as well as personal care and cosmetic studies where the products are used over time periods, and where the true evaluation of performance ought to be made at the end of the trial. In these long‐term uses, overall liking is generally the last question given at the end of the time period of product evaluation. The facts that the just‐about‐right (JAR) scales are independent of this final overall liking rating suggest that the integrity of the overall evaluation and usefulness of JAR as diagnostics will not be compromised.     

COMPARING TRANS-FAT AND TRANS-FAT-FREE DOUGHNUT SHORTENINGS BASED ON SENSORY EVALUATION AND OIL DEGRADATION

This is an initiative study on the use of trans -fat-free products in the bakery industry. A standardized doughnut product was cooked in three doughnut shortenings, one containing trans fat and two that were trans fat-free. Six hundred forty-one panelists, students, faculty and staff of a large northeastern university rated each of the three doughnuts on a variety of categories, including texture, moisture content and overall liking. Results showed that there were no significant differences between doughnuts cooked in the three shortenings – this was true for all attributes tested.
The results from this study have many significant implications for the foodservice industry, as they work to cut down or eliminate the use of trans fats in their establishments because of the significant health risks they have been proven to cause.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

This study demonstrates the variances on texture, taste, appearance and overall liking characteristics of doughnuts fried in different doughnut shortenings. The nutritional breakdown of the doughnuts and the shortenings are also addressed. In the case of shortenings, the ideal type of fat is a mixture of canola, soybean and hydrogenated cottonseed. This shortening mixture, which is trans fat-free, produced the most preferred doughnut.     

Effects of Tissue Collection Methods on Morphometrics and Survival of Captive Neonatal Northern Bobwhite

ABSTRACT We assessed effects of tissue collection methods (i.e., patagial microbiopsy and down feathers) and chick age at sampling on morphometrics and 21-day survival of 600 captive neonatal northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). We observed minimal effects on morphometrics and no difference in survival among patagial microbiopsy (x̄ = 0.96 ± 0.03), down feathers (x̄ = 0.92 ± 0.04), and control (x̄ = 0.86 ± 0.05) methods. DNA analysis from patagial microbiopsy, down feather, and egg tooth samples showed greater concentrations of DNA from patagial microbiopsy (x̄ = 10.28 ± 1.74 μg/ml) than either down feather (x̄ = 4.10 ± 1.74 μg/ml) or egg teeth (x̄ = 2.35 ± 1.74 μg/ml).     

Factors Influencing Reporting and Harvest Probabilities in North American Geese

ABSTRACT We assessed variation in reporting probabilities of standard bands among species, populations, harvest locations, and size classes of North American geese to enable estimation of unbiased harvest probabilities. We included reward (US$10, $20, $30, $50, or $100) and control ($0) banded geese from 16 recognized goose populations of 4 species: Canada (Branta canadensis), cackling (B. hutchinsii), Ross's (Chen rossii), and snow geese (C. caerulescens). We incorporated spatially explicit direct recoveries and live recaptures into a multinomial model to estimate reporting, harvest, and band-retention probabilities. We compared various models for estimating harvest probabilities at country (United States vs. Canada), flyway (5 administrative regions), and harvest area (i.e., flyways divided into northern and southern sections) scales. Mean reporting probability of standard bands was 0.73 (95% CI = 0.69–0.77). Point estimates of reporting probabilities for goose populations or spatial units varied from 0.52 to 0.93, but confidence intervals for individual estimates overlapped and model selection indicated that models with species, population, or spatial effects were less parsimonious than those without these effects. Our estimates were similar to recently reported estimates for mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). We provide current harvest probability estimates for these populations using our direct measures of reporting probability, improving the accuracy of previous estimates obtained from recovery probabilities alone. Goose managers and researchers throughout North America can use our reporting probabilities to correct recovery probabilities estimated from standard banding operations for deriving spatially explicit harvest probabilities.     

Estimating Duration of Short-Term Acute Effects of Capture Handling and Radiomarking

ABSTRACT Radiotelemetry is used extensively in zoographic studies of wildlife species, including northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). These studies assume that radiomarking does not affect survival of marked individuals. However, most researchers implicitly acknowledge that capture, handling, and radiomarking may have short-term deleterious effects on individuals and, therefore, include in analyses only animals that survive an adjustment period of arbitrary length (often 7 days) following capture and marking. Length of adjustment period is rarely empirically based and may potentially bias survival estimates. We outline an analytical approach to determine an appropriate adjustment period and illustrate this approach by examining effects of time-since-marking on survival of 410 northern bobwhite captured during winter from 1997 to 2001, in Mississippi, USA. We modeled daily survival rates using time-since-marking as a covariate in the nest-survival model of Program MARK. Although survival varied among and within years, we found no evidence to suggest that standard adjustment periods of 7–14 days were appropriate for our sample. If adjustment periods are used in radiotelemetry studies, those that are empirically based may be more appropriate than arbitrarily set periods.