Minor depression is diagnosed when a patient suffers from two to four depressive symptoms for at least two weeks. Though minor depression is a widespread phenomenon, its pathophysiology has hardly been studied. To get a first insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this disorder we assessed serum levels of biomarkers for plasticity, glial and neuronal function: brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), S100B and neuron specific enolase (NSE). Twenty-seven subjects with minor depressive episode and 82 healthy subjects over 60 years of age were selected from the database of the Leipzig population-based study of civilization diseases (LIFE). Serum levels of BDNF, S100B and NSE were compared between groups, and correlated with age, body-mass index, and degree of white matter hyperintensities (score on Fazekas scale). S100B was significantly increased in males with minor depression in comparison to healthy males, whereas other biomarkers did not differ between groups (P = 0.10–0.66). NSE correlated with Fazekas score in patients with minor depression (rs = 0.436, P = 0.048) and in the whole sample (rs = 0.252, P = 0.019). S100B correlated with body mass index (rs = 0.246, P = 0.031) and with age in healthy subjects (rs = 0.345, P = 0.002). Increased S100B in males with minor depression, without alterations in BDNF and NSE, supports the glial hypothesis of depression. Correlation between white matter hyperintensities and NSE underscores the vascular hypothesis of late life depression.

High-fidelity simulation (HFS) is a relatively new teaching modality, which is gaining widespread acceptance in medical education. To date, dozens of studies have proven the usefulness of HFS in improving student, resident, and attending physician performance, with similar results in the allied health fields. Although many studies have analyzed the utility of simulation, few have investigated why it works. A recent study illustrated that permissive failure, leading to simulated mortality, is one HFS method that can improve long-term performance. Critics maintain, however, that the use of simulated death is troubling and excessive. Given the controversy regarding simulated death, we consider the data about the educational value and the emotional harms associated with them, expecting that evidence could be useful in resolving the question. The goal of this narrative review is to explore the argument against simulated mortality and provide educators with an imperative as to why it can be safely utilized.

This study aimed to describe the diurnal shedding dynamics of Escherichia coli O157 in cattle managed on pasture. The purpose was to identify the value of a single measurement for predicting the shedding status on subsequent days. Over a 14-day period, 24 beef cows with known E. coli O157 shedding status were sampled twice daily or daily (21 sampling points) and E. coli O157 was enumerated from faeces. No association between shedding status of individual animals within a 7-h period was identified (odds ratio 1·5, P = 0·08). Short-interval sampling demonstrated substantial diurnal volatility in shedding of E. coli O157 that is not evident in studies based on long-interval (>7 days) sampling. The findings contribute to and support previous findings on the question why it has been difficult to achieve progress in understanding the epidemiology of E. coli O157 infection in cattle.

This study aims to describe in detail the temporal dynamics of E. coli O157 shedding and risk factors for shedding in a grass-fed beef herd. During a 9-month period, 23 beef cows were sampled twice a week (58 sampling points) and E. coli O157 was enumerated from faecal samples. Isolates were screened by PCR for presence of rfbE, stx 1 and stx 2 . The prevalence per sampling day ranged from 0% to 57%. This study demonstrates that many members of the herd were concurrently shedding E. coli O157. Occurrence of rainfall (P < 0·01), feeding silage (P < 0·01) and lactating (P < 0·01) were found to be predictors of shedding. Moving cattle to a new paddock had a negative effect on shedding. This approach, based on short-interval sampling, confirms the known variability of shedding within a herd and highlights that high shedding events are rare.

Quantum dot gate (QDG) field-effect transistors (FET) have shown three-state transfer characteristics. Quantum dot channel (QDC) field-effect transistors (FET) have exhibited fourstate ID-VG characteristics. This project aims at studying the effect of incorporating cladded quantum dot layers in the gate region of QDC-FET. Four-state characteristics are explained by carrier transport in narrow energy mini-bands which are manifested in a quantum dot superlattice (QDSL) channel. QDSL is formed by an array of cladded quantum dots (such as SiOx-Si and GeOx-Ge). Multi-state FETs are needed in multi-valued logic (MVL) that can reduce the number of gates and transistors in digital circuits. The fabricated device showed the four-state characteristic (OFF, ‘I1’, ‘I2’, ON).

Age-related changes in leptin and adiponectin levels remain controversial, being affected by inconsistent normalisation for adiposity and body fat distribution in the literature. In a cross-sectional study on 210 Caucasians (127 women, eighty-three men, 18–78 years, BMI 16·8–46·8 kg/m2), we investigated the effect of age on adipokine levels independent of fat mass (FM measured by densitometry), visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue volumes (VAT and SAT assessed by whole-body MRI). Adiponectin levels increased with age in both sexes, whereas leptin levels decreased with age in women only. There was an age-related increase in VAT (as a percentage of total adipose tissue, VAT%TAT), associated with a decrease in SATlegs%TAT. Adiposity was the main predictor of leptin levels, with 75·1 % of the variance explained by %FM in women and 76·6 % in men. Independent of adiposity, age had a minor contribution to the variance in leptin levels (5·2 % in women only). The variance in adiponectin levels explained by age was 14·1 % in women and 5·1 % in men. In addition, independent and inverse contributions to the variance in adiponectin levels were found for truncal SAT (explaining additional 3·0 % in women and 9·1 % in men) and VAT%TAT (explaining additional 13·0 % in men). In conclusion, age-related changes in leptin and adiponectin levels are opposite to each other and partly independent of adiposity and body fat distribution. Normalisation for adiposity but not for body fat distribution is required for leptin. Adiponectin levels are adversely affected by subcutaneous and visceral trunk fat.

Experiments carried out by the British Egg Marketing Board in order to establish a heat treatment which would effectively pasteurize liquid whole egg are described.

The results of large scale bakery trials and subsequent trade demands indicate that the recommended pasteurization treatment gives a product of a satisfactory baking performance.

It is recommended that for the adequate pasteurization of whole-egg products, a temperature of 64·4°C. (148° F.) for the minimum holding time of 2·5 min. should be used.

The accumulation of deleterious mutations in a finite diploid selfing population is investigated. It is shown that the conditions for accumulation are very similar to those for the accumulation of mutations in an asexual population by ‘Muller's ratchet’. The ratchet is likely to operate in both types of population if there is a large class of slightly deleterious mutations.

A paramecium generally bears on its surface but one immobilization antigen from among the many it may have the potentiality for expressing. By assaying soluble extracts of whole cells, it had been demonstrated previously that animals of the E serotype may possess the cross-reacting G antigen. Now the existence of these secondary antigens—immobilization antigens undetected by in vivo tests—has been extended to include unrelated antigens, e.g. G antigen in animals of C serotype.

The amount of these cryptic immobilization antigens varies from stock to stock; also within a stock cultures harvested at different times may have quite different quantities.

The secondary and primary G antigens appear to be indistinguishable by the criteria of antigenic specificities, immunoelectrophoretic mobilities sedimentation rates and ammonium sulfate solubilities. As to their distribution within the cell, both secondary and primary antigens are located primarily on or within the cilia.

This paper presents electrical transfer (Id-Vg) and output (Id-Vds) characteristics of a GeOx-cladded-Ge quantum dot (QD) gate Si MOSFET devices. In QD gate FETs, the manifestation of an intermediate state ‘i” makes it a 3-state device. The intermediate state originates due to compensation of increment in the gate voltage by a similar increase in the threshold voltage, which occurs via charge neutralization in the QD gate due to transfer of charge from the inversion layer to either first or second of the two QD layers.