Fatty acid profile of table olives and its multivariate characterization using unsupervised (PCA) and supervised (DA) chemometrics

The fatty acid composition of 67 commercial presentations of table olives was determined. The most abundant fatty acids, in decreasing order of presence, were C18:1, C16:0, C18:2 n-6, and C18:0. The ranges, expressed as grams of fatty acids per 100 g of edible portion, for the different nutritional fractions were as follows: saturated fatty acids, 2.07-5.99; monounsaturated fatty acids, 5.67-19.42; polyunsaturated fatty acids, 0.52-3.87; and trans-fatty acids, 0.08-0.44. Principal component analysis of the matrix of the fatty acid composition led to the deduction of new factors. The first accounted for 55.10% of the total variance and was mainly related to C16:10, C18:0, C20:0, C22:0, C24:0, C18:1, C18:1t, and C20:1. The second factor accounted for 10.33% of variance and was related to C16:1 and C18:2 n-6. They did not permit differentiation among elaboration types or cultivars. However, discriminant analysis was successfully applied for this objective. The fatty acids that most contributed to discriminate among elaboration styles were C17:1, C18:1, C16:0, C17:0, and C18:0 (function 1) and C17:0, C17:1, C20:0, C16:0, C18:1, and C24:0 (function 2). In the case of cultivars, they were C20:0, C18:1, C17:1, C18:2 n-6, C18:1t, and C18:2t (function 1); C18:2 n-6, C18:1, C16:0, C20:0, C18:0, and C18:2t (function 2); and C17:0, C18:3 n-3, and C17:1 (function 3). Results from this study have shown differences among the fatty acid composition and fat content of the diverse commercial presentations of table olives, which can be applied in predictive and classification discriminant analysis.     

Ostertagiasis in calves. I. The effect of control measures on infection levels and body weight gains during the grazing season in Denmark

The investigation was designed to study the gastro-intestinal helminth infection established in yearling calves with reference to fluctuations in the larval contamination of the herbage during the grazing season. In a 2 × 3 factor experiment, comprising six groups, each of six calves, a comparison was made between infection levels, growth rates etc. in calves grazing the same paddock over an entire season and calves moved before the July rise in herbage contamination to paddocks not grazed earlier in the same season. A comparison was also made between animals receiving no anthelminthic treatment, animals treated 3 weeks after the start of the grazing season and again when moved, and animals treated every 3 weeks during the season.Before July there were no weight gain differences between the various groups of calves. During the rest of the season, the calves which were moved gained 647–869 g, while those that remained on the same paddock, and were exposed to a high level of larval contamination gained only 81–361 g per day. The effect of anthelmintic treatment was less pronounced, though significant. The weight gains were correlated to a high degree with the larval contamination levels of the respective paddocks (r = ? 0.79) as well as with the serum pepsinogen (r = ? 0.75) and albumin levels (r = 0.75) of the calves and to a minor degree also with faecal egg counts (r = ? 0.45). The observed weight gain differences could not be accounted for by differences in grass quantity or quality.     

The Bovine Tuberculosis Campaign in Mexico： Present and Perspectives

Mexico is considered by different international organizations as a country where the bovine tuberculosis is an endemic problem. However, there are important and consistent improvements in eradicating the disease by the implementation of government policies and with the livestock organization support. The current situation of the program shows good results regarding decreasing the prevalence, and as a consequence, the risk of this disease for public health and animal health, as well as the improvement in animal production and international and national trade. Today, the bovine tuberculosis distribution is almost known in Mexico. In addition, a series of controls and indicators have been established, which allow maintain consistency and reliability in the data that are managed and analyzed.     

Comment on "International conservation policy delivers benefits for birds in Europe"

Donald et al. (Reports, 10 August 2007, p. 810) assessed the impact of the European Union's Birds Directive, a conservation policy enacted in 1979, and reported evidence for positive population changes in targeted species. We argue that their conclusions are overstatements based on unsuitable data and inappropriate analyses.     

The mutational landscape of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common, morbid, and frequently lethal malignancy. To uncover its mutational spectrum, we analyzed whole-exome sequencing data from 74 tumor-normal pairs. The majority exhibited a mutational profile consistent with tobacco exposure; human papillomavirus was detectable by sequencing DNA from infected tumors. In addition to identifying previously known HNSCC genes (TP53, CDKN2A, PTEN, PIK3CA, and HRAS), our analysis revealed many genes not previously implicated in this malignancy. At least 30% of cases harbored mutations in genes that regulate squamous differentiation (for example, NOTCH1, IRF6, and TP63), implicating its dysregulation as a major driver of HNSCC carcinogenesis. More generally, the results indicate the ability of large-scale sequencing to reveal fundamental tumorigenic mechanisms.     

Reconstruction of Current Flow and Imaging of Current-Limiting Defects in Polycrystalline Superconducting Films

Magneto-optical imaging was used to visualize the inhomogeneous penetration of magnetic flux into polycrystalline TlBa2Ca2Cu3Ox films with high critical current densities, to reconstruct the local two-dimensional supercurrent flow patterns and to correlate inhomogeneities in this flow with the local crystallographic misorientation. The films have almost perfect c-axis alignment and considerable local a- and b-axis texture because the grains tend to form colonies with only slightly misaligned a and b axes. Current flows freely over these low-angle grain boundaries but is strongly reduced at intermittent colony boundaries of high misorientation. The local (<10-micrometer scale) critical current density Jc varies widely, being up to 10 times as great as the transport Jc (scale of approximately 1 millimeter), which itself varies by a factor of about 5 in different sections of the film. The combined experiments show that the magnitude of the transport Jc is largely determined by a few high-angle boundaries.     

Influence of temperature and ontogeny on the levels of glucosinolates in broccoli (Brassica oleracea Var. italica) sprouts and their effect on the induction of mammalian phase 2 enzymes

Broccoli inflorescences have been recognized as components of healthy diets on the basis of their high content of fiber, vitamin C, carotenoids, and glucosinolates/isothiocyanates. Broccoli sprouts have been recently shown to have high levels of glucoraphanin (4-methylsulfinylbutyl glucosinolate), the precursor of the chemoprotective isothiocyanate, sulforaphane. This study evaluated the effects of temperature and developmental stage on the glucosinolate content of broccoli sprouts. Seedlings cultivated using a 30/15 degrees C (day/night) temperature regime had significantly higher glucosinolate levels (measured at six consecutive days postemergence) than did sprouts cultivated at lower temperatures (22/15 and 18/12 degrees C; p < 0.001). Both higher (33.1 degrees C) and lower (11.3 degrees C) constant temperatures induced higher glucosinolate levels in sprouts grown to a uniform size. Glucosinolate levels were highest in cotyledons and lowest in roots of sprouts dissected both early and late in the 11 day developmental span investigated. Nongerminated seeds have the highest glucosinolate levels and concordantly greater induction of mammalian phase 2 detoxication enzymes. Levels decline as sprouts germinate and develop, with consistently higher glucosinolate content in younger developmental stages, independent of the temperature regime. Temperature stress or its associated developmental anomalies induce higher glucosinolate levels, specific elevations in glucoraphanin content, and parallel induction of phase 2 chemoprotective enzymes.     

Model study on the effect of 15 phenolic olive mill wastewater constituents on seed germination and Vibrio fischeri metabolism

Olive mill wastewaters (OMW) can be a severe problem when disposed of as untreated because of their high organic load, elevated concentration of polyphenols, and moderately low biodegradability. In the present study, the acute toxicity of 15 compounds with low molecular weight (<350 Da), catechol, four benzoic acids, three phenylacetic acids, three phenylethanols, and four cinnamic acids, already isolated from the reverse osmosis in the fractionation of OMW, was assessed on the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri and on the seeds of two dicotyledonous species Cucumis sativus and Lepidium sativum, and on one monocotyledon Sorghum bicolor. Results of phytotoxicity showed that the most toxic compounds were catechol (EC50s ranging from 0.40 mmol/L for S. bicolor to 1.09 for C. sativus) and hydroxytyrosol, (EC50s ranging from 0.47 mmol/L for S. bicolor to 1.55 for C. sativus) while the toxic potential on bacteria was particularly elevated with EC50 values 1 or 2 orders less than phytotoxicity. These results suggested that the risk of OMW disposal may be more elevated for the water compartment than for the soil.