Influence of Surface Chemistry on the Hygienic Status of Industrial Stainless Steel

Coupons of fourteen different stainless steels were investigated in terms of surface chemistry and ease of cleaning. Steel surfaces were exposed to Bacillus cereus spores in static saline solution for 2?h. Surfaces were rinsed and then covered with whole milk and allowed to dry. Surfaces were then cleaned in an experimental flow system that mimics an industrial application. After cleaning, remaining spores were released by sonication, spores cultured and colony forming units determined. Surfaces with higher levels of Fe in the outer surface of the passive film cleaned more easily. There was a relation between the polar component and ease of cleaning. The higher the polar component the more easily the surface cleaned. The cleaning mechanism involves dissolution of Fe enriched hydroxide films on the surface.     

An improved method using densitometry for evaluating severity of laser photocoagulation induced CNV

Laser photocoagulation induced choroidal neovascularization currently is the most effective model available for the study of this disease in terms of efficacy of new drugs and therapies. Previously, evaluating the extent of choroidal neovascularization using this model was time- consuming and required the use of experienced personnel. We describe a new method for simple and rapid evaluation of laser induced choroidal neovascularization using densitometry. Fluorescein angiograms of a laser photocoagulated rat eye were scanned into a computer. Densitometry software subsequently was used to calculate the severity of the laser lesions. The densitometry method proved effective for calculating the extent of laser induced choroidal neovascularization. In addition, this method was more rapid than visual evaluations and less likely to produce errors.     

An improved method using densitometry for evaluating severity of laser photocoagulation induced CNV

Laser photocoagulation induced choroidal neovascularization currently is the most effective model available for the study of this disease in terms of efficacy of new drugs and therapies. Previously, evaluating the extent of choroidal neovascularization using this model was time- consuming and required the use of experienced personnel. We describe a new method for simple and rapid evaluation of laser induced choroidal neovascularization using densitometry. Fluorescein angiograms of a laser photocoagulated rat eye were scanned into a computer. Densitometry software subsequently was used to calculate the severity of the laser lesions. The densitometry method proved effective for calculating the extent of laser induced choroidal neovascularization. In addition, this method was more rapid than visual evaluations and less likely to produce errors.     

Variability of kokanee and rainbow trout food habits,distribution, and population dynamics,in an ultraoligotrophic lake with no manipulative management

Crater Lake is a unique environment to evaluate the ecology of introduced kokanee and rainbow trout because of its otherwise pristine state, low productivity, absence of manipulative management, and lack of lotic systems for fish spawning. Between 1986 and 2004, kokanee displayed a great deal of variation in population demographics with a pattern that reoccurred in about 10 years. We believe that the reoccurring pattern resulted from density dependent growth, and associated changes in reproduction and abundance, driven by prey resource limitation that resulted from low lake productivity exacerbated by prey consumption when kokanee were abundant. Kokanee fed primarily on small-bodied prey from the mid-water column; whereas rainbow trout fed on large-bodied prey from the benthos and lake surface. Cladoceran zooplankton abundance may be regulated by kokanee. And kokanee growth and reproductive success may be influenced by the availability of Daphnia pulicaria, which was absent in zooplankton samples collected annually from 1990 to 1995, and after 1999. Distribution and diel migration of kokanee varied over the duration of the study and appeared to be most closely associated with prey availability, maximization of bioenergetic efficiency, and fish density. Rainbow trout were less abundant than were kokanee and exhibited less variation in population demographics, distribution, and food habits. There is some evidence that the population dynamics of rainbow trout were in-part related to the availability of kokanee as prey.     

DIATOM ASSOCIATIONS IN YAQUINA ESTUARY,OREGON: A MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS1

A cluster analysis and a principal components analysis were performed to examine the degree to which the diatom flora of Yaquina estuary can be partitioned into discrete associations and to relate the composition of the flora to selected physical properties of the estuary. The species composition of the diatom flora during the winter was more closely associated with salinity and intertidal exposure them in the summer. A cluster of freshwater taxa obtained for the winter data was the most conspicuous diatom association defined by the cluster analysis. Although taxa within a cluster had more similar distributions than taxa from different clusters, there was considerable variation in the distributions of marine and brackish water taxa within a multispecies cluster.     

Lambda transducing phages carrying plasmid R100 replication genes

VAλ73, a λ bacteriophage carrying R100 replication genes, maintains itself as an independent plasmid under conditions in which the λ replication genes are inactive.     

Convective mass transfer effects on the intracellular calcium response of endothelial cells.

Endothelial cells, which line the vasculature, respond to specific agonists such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by elevating cytosolic calcium levels and increasing production of the vasoactive compounds, prostacyclin and endothelial derived relaxing factor (EDRF). Endothelial cells express ecto-enzymes which metabolize ATP. If the activity of these enzymes is sufficiently high, then the concentration of ATP near the endothelial cell surface can be substantially lower than the bulk concentration. The ATP concentration is determined by a balance between the convection of fresh ATP from upstream and the degradation of ATP by the endothelial cells. In this report, we present a parallel plate flow system for measurement of cytosolic calcium levels ([Ca2+]i) of individual bovine aortic endothelial cells with the calcium sensitive fluorescent dye, fura-2. The cells respond to increases in the flow rate by increasing [Ca2+]i if there is ATP present in the perfusing buffer, but not in the absence of ATP. The amount of agonist in the perfusing fluid near the endothelial cell surface is estimated by solving the governing differential equation for the concentration profile of ATP in the parallel plate flow geometry. The solution indicates that one mechanism endothelial cells may use to detect changes in the flow rate is to respond to the change in the local concentration of agonist.     

Oscillatory finite amplitude supercritical equilibria induced by active stress

The coupling of chemical reaction and motion in living materials is an area of intensive research in many disciplines. An active stress mechanism which may be important in protoplasmic flows and autologous mechanical oscillation sometimes seen in small organisms is examined. It is shown below, using finite amplitude hydrodynamic stability analysis, that fluids with specific types of active stress constitutive relations can exhibit spontaneous oscillations in time if a dimensionless active stress-reaction rate parameter is large enough. The non-linear terms in the perturbations are stabilizing, indicating that an oscillatory equilibrium state will be reached.