Sulfate--a candidate for the missing essential factor that is required for the formation of protein haze in white wine

Protein haze formation in white wine is dependent on the presence of both wine protein and other unknown wine components, termed factor(s) X. The ability to reconstitute protein haze upon heating artificial model wine solutions (500 mg/L thaumatin, 12% ethanol, 4 g/L tartaric acid) to which candidate components were added was employed to identify factor(s) X. No protein haze was formed in the absence of additives. The individual or combined addition of caffeic acid, caftaric acid, epicatechin, epigallocatechin-O-gallate, gallic acid, or ferulic acid at typical white wine concentrations did not generate protein haze. However, PVPP fining of commercial wines resulted in a reduction in protein haze, suggesting that phenolic compounds may play a modulating role in haze formation. To elucidate the nature of the unknown factor(s) wine was fractionated and fractions were back-added to model wine and tested for their essentiality. Wine fractions were generated by ultrafiltration, reverse-phase chromatography, and mixed-mode anion-exchange and reverse-phase chromatography. The only purified fraction containing the essential component(s) was free of phenolic compounds, and analysis by mass spectrometry identified sulfate anion as the dominant component. Reconstitution with KHSO4 using either commercially available thaumatin or wine proteins confirmed the role of sulfate in wine protein haze formation. The two main wine proteins, thaumatin-like protein and chitinase, differed in their haze response in model wines containing sulfate. Other common wine anions, acetate, chloride, citrate, phosphate, and tartrate, and wine cations, Fe(2+/3+) and Cu(+/2+), when added at typical white wine concentrations were not found to be essential for protein haze formation.     

Outdoor environments in healthcare settings: A quality evaluation tool for use in designing healthcare gardens

This article presents the first outline of a quality evaluation tool (QET) to be used in the process of designing outdoor environments in healthcare settings, e.g. healthcare gardens. Theory triangulation is used to integrate theories and evidence from selected research on people's health/well-being and the outdoor environment. The results first present the theoretical principles underlying the tool and justifying its practical construction. Then, 19 environmental qualities constituting the backbone of the practical tool are presented, including six qualities based on the need to be comfortable in the outdoor environment and 13 qualities based on the need for access to nature and surrounding life. Furthermore, this work presents suggestions of how the tool might include concepts dealing with how users can become involved in the design process, as well as general design guidelines corresponding to the various needs and wishes users may have. The paper ends with a discussion that, among other things, relates the QET to evidence-based design, salutogenesis and pathogenesis.     

Significance of old aspen (Populus tremula) trees for the occurrence of lichen photobionts

In the boreal forest landscape, aspen has been effectively selected against in favour of conifers. The decrease in aspen is of particular concern, since it has more host-specific species associated with it than any other boreal tree species. Recently, forest management systems have begun to include green-tree retention in order to maintain structural diversity. Earlier studies have focused on the importance of remnant aspen trees for lichen species prevalence. We have focused on the occurrence of free-living photobionts, i.e. cyanobacteria and green-algae, since a successful establishment of sexually dispersed lichens will depend upon the presence of the photobiont. Our study shows that the abundances of Gloeocystis, Nostoc, Scytonema and Trentepohlia increased with stand age, while the abundance of Trebouxia decreased. The response to clear-felling differed between genera. The two cyanobacterial genera were able to persist in clear-cuts, although they were more abundant on the northern side of the remnant trees. The green-algae showed no consistent pattern, Trentepohlia was affected while Trebouxia was unaffected. Our study indicates that the prerequisites for new-establishment for spore dispersed lichen species, on remnant aspen, may be fulfilled in terms of availability of free-living photobionts on the northern side of the trunks. In support of this interpretation we found that the occurrence of cyanolichens was positively correlated with the occurrence of free-living cyanobacteria in the clear-cuts. We conclude that tree retention is likely to provide a useful tool for increasing biodiversity in managed forest landscapes provided that source populations still exist in the surrounding landscape.     

Incidence of and survival after mammary tumors in a population of over 80,000 insured female dogs in Sweden from 1995 to 2002

The main objective of this study was to describe the incidence of mammary tumors (MTs) and the survival after MTs, in female dogs between 3 and 10 years of age (insured for veterinary care and with life insurance in a Swedish animal-insurance company) from 1995 to 2002. Measures of incidence are presented crudely, by breed and across age categories and birth cohorts (1991-1998). The survivals until MT diagnosis and after a MT diagnosis were computed. The overall incidence for any MT claim was 111 dogs per 10,000 dog-years at risk (DYAR). The overall MT rate in the 1992 and 1993 birth cohorts was 154 dogs per 10,000 DYAR. The incidence for any MT claim increased with age and varied by breed, from 319 dogs per 10,000 DYAR in the English springer spaniel to 5 dogs per 10,000 DYAR in the rough-haired collie. At the ages 6, 8 and 10 years, 1%, 6% and 13% respectively, of all females had at least one MT claim. The MT mortality was 6 deaths per 10,000 DYAR and increased with age. The overall-case fatality was 6%.     

Structure of an intermediate state in protein folding and aggregation

Protein-folding intermediates have been implicated in amyloid fibril formation involved in neurodegenerative disorders. However, the structural mechanisms by which intermediates initiate fibrillar aggregation have remained largely elusive. To gain insight, we used relaxation dispersion nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine the structure of a low-populated, on-pathway folding intermediate of the A39V/N53P/V55L (A, Ala; V, Val; N, Asn; P, Pro; L, Leu) Fyn SH3 domain. The carboxyl terminus remains disordered in this intermediate, thereby exposing the aggregation-prone amino-terminal β strand. Accordingly, mutants lacking the carboxyl terminus and thus mimicking the intermediate fail to safeguard the folding route and spontaneously form fibrillar aggregates. The structure provides a detailed characterization of the non-native interactions stabilizing an aggregation-prone intermediate under native conditions and insight into how such an intermediate can derail folding and initiate fibrillation.     

On the economic interdependence between China and Japan: Challenges and possibilities

The paper presents an analysis of the economic relationship between the two most important economies in Asia. Over the last decades, the Chinese and Japanese economies have become more economically interdependent, a development which will, in the long run, impact the countries' political relationship. The paper seeks to answer the question: How can China and Japan gain from the current economic situation, further enhance their relationship and increase their synergies for regional economic development? Data on trade and Foreign Direct Investment are used in combination with primary data from interviews with Japanese and Chinese companies on how they perceive the current business situation and future potential. The result of the data analysis shows that the countries have much to gain from their economic interdependence. The firms see great potential in their respective markets but are concerned about political turbulence. Three possible scenarios for the future economic relationship are presented, including fierce competition on all markets and a leveraging of resources for mutual development between Chinese and Japanese companies.     

Chemokine gene silencing in decidual stromal cells limits T cell access to the maternal-fetal interface

The chemokine-mediated recruitment of effector T cells to sites of inflammation is a central feature of the immune response. The extent to which chemokine expression levels are limited by the intrinsic developmental characteristics of a tissue has remained unexplored. We show in mice that effector T cells cannot accumulate within the decidua, the specialized stromal tissue encapsulating the fetus and placenta. Impaired accumulation was in part attributable to the epigenetic silencing of key T cell-attracting inflammatory chemokine genes in decidual stromal cells, as evidenced by promoter accrual of repressive histone marks. These findings give insight into mechanisms of fetomaternal immune tolerance, as well as reveal the epigenetic modification of tissue stromal cells as a modality for limiting effector T cell trafficking.     

A semantic model for assessing the experience of urban biodiversity

Biodiversity is a significant element of our everyday experience of urban environments, though it is generally only perceived subconsciously. Thus, there is a need to develop a method for defining and measuring experienced biodiversity. As a first step towards such a method, a semantic test was presented to a group of 102 participants. The test consisted of a form containing words/expressions selected as possible components of biodiversity. The participants rated the words on a five-grade scale, and the form was completed at six different study sites. Statistical analyses indicated that words with biological content were strongly correlated with biodiversity, as were words associated with wilderness and variation. Correlations with words of preference were less strong. Following factor analysis, a biodiversity experience index was calculated based on the factor loadings of words strongly correlated with biological diversity. The index was then calculated for all six sites. It was suggested that the index, by measuring words/expressions with higher linguistic codability, offers a valuable tool for assessing experienced biodiversity. It was further concluded that areas containing spontaneous vegetation and water obtained higher biodiversity index scores than did areas characterized by a short-cut lawn and more uniform vegetation.