Milk kefir grains (KGs) are composed of a complex symbiotic microbial mixture of bacteria and yeasts growing in kefiran, an extracellular polysaccharide substance of bacterial origin. This is the first report documenting a successful attempt at reforming KGs using pure mixed starter-cultures of microorganisms isolated from KGs, and gain insight into an otherwise hidden world. A milk pouch syste...

We present an experimental and theoretical study of piles consisting of monodisperse spherical grains mixed with a weight fraction nu(d) of dimer grains made by the rigid bonding of two such spherical grains. The maximum static angle of stability tantheta(c) of the pile increases from 0.45 to 1.1 and the grain packing fraction Phi decreases from 0.58 to 0.52 as nu(d) is increased from 0 to 1. T...

An improved analytical method compared with conventional ones was developed for simultaneous determination of 13 mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, 3-acetylnivalenol, aflatoxin B₁, aflatoxin B₂, aflatoxin G₁, aflatoxin G₂, fumonisin B₁, fumonisin B₂, T-2, HT-2, zearalenone, and ochratoxin A) in cereal grains by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) after a single immunoa...

We review the evidence for cosmic ray acceleration in the superbubble/hot phase of the interstellar medium, and discuss the implications for the composition of cosmic rays and the structure and evolution of the interstellar medium (ISM). We show that the bulk of the galactic supernovae, their expanding remnants, together with their metal-rich grain and gas ejecta, and their cosmic ray accelerat...

The aim of this study was to develop a kefir apple-based vinegar and evaluate this fermentation process using new methodology with Biospeckle Laser. Brazilian kefir grains were inoculated in apple must for vinegar production. In this study, the microbial community present in kefir, and correspondent vinegar, was investigated using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization - Time of Flight Mas...

Acceptability of a reformulated grain-based food: Implications for increasing whole grain consumption A. Manickavasagan a,∗, M. Reicks b, V. Singh a, A. Sawsana a, A.M. Intisar a, R. Lakshmy a a Sensory and Food Preparation Laboratory, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud, P.O.Box 34, Pin 123, Oman b Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of...

Dust is formed in the expanding atmosphere during late stages of stellar evolution. Dust influences the dynamics and thermodynamics of the stellar atmosphere by its opacity. The dust opacity depends both on the optical properties of the grain material as well as on the amount of dust present. A rich source of information on some mineral phases of dust in AGB stars comes from the study of presol...

We study the viscoelastic behavior of aqueous foam mixed with solid noncolloidal particles. We show that adding a tiny amount of grains can enhance the elastic and loss shear moduli by more than 1 order of magnitude. The scaling of these moduli with solid volume fraction is in qualitative agreement with that predicted by an effective-medium rigidity percolation model. We present a simple model,...

Whole grains have been reported to lower blood pressure, but results have been mixed. This report compares the effects of soluble and insoluble fibers on blood pressure in a whole grain diet. Twenty-one non-hypertensive men (28-62 yr) with elevated plasma cholesterol levels were selected for the study approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Men c...

Cold molecular clouds are the birthplaces of stars and planets, where dense cores of gas collapse to form protostars. The dust mixed in these clouds is thought to be made of grains of an average size of 0.1 micrometer. We report the widespread detection of the coreshine effect as a direct sign of the existence of grown, micrometer-sized dust grains. This effect is seen in half of the cores we h...