The influence of different preservation methods on spoilage bacteria populations inoculated in morcilla de Burgos during anaerobic cold storage.

Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, University of Burgos, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, 09001, Burgos, Spain.
Blood sausage is a widely consumed traditional product that would benefit from an extended shelf life. The two main spoilage bacteria in vacuum-packaged morcilla de Burgos are Weissella viridescens and Leuconostoc mesenteroides. This study examines the way in which three preservation treatments--organic acid salts (OAS), high-pressure processing (HPP) and pasteurization--influence these bacterial populations and their spoilage behaviour. HPP and pasteurization treatments were found to inhibit growth of the inoculated species and delay sensory spoilage of the product. In both treatments, L. mesenteroides was observed to have a longer recovery time; even so, once its growth started, it grew faster than W. viridescens. This longer recovery time might be due to metabolic modification following treatment, which would affect the production of metabolites such as acetic acid and some aldehydes. W. viridescens was the first strain to recover from the two treatments. It preserved its spoilage behaviour and even increased the production of certain compounds such as acetoin or ethanol. The extended product shelf life following HPP and pasteurization treatments might be due to a combination of various factors such as the fall in both microbial populations, as well as the delay in spoilage caused by damage to L. mesenteroides cells, as this strain is the fastest-acting, most intensive spoilage microorganism. It was observed that the addition of organic salts neither diminished nor delayed the growth of the two inoculated species. Nevertheless, the results also indicate that this treatment inhibits the metabolic activity of L. mesenteroides, resulting once again in an extended product shelf life.

The Science and Technology Education Programme (STE)

In a world where every aspect of life is increasingly dependent upon science & technology (S&T) and its applications, promoting capacity-building and education in science and technology is indispensable for all nations. This is true not only for achieving sustainable development but also to create a scientifically and technologically literate citizenry in the interests of ensuring true democracy, as in the coming years, an increasing number of political decisions - whether related to the economy, the environment, socio-cultural issues, etc, - will be based on S&T. Consequently, the increasing disaffection of children and youth for science and technology worldwide is a cause of major concern as the children of today will be the citizens and decision makers of tomorrow.

Following the recommendations of the World Conference on Science (Budapest, 1999) as well as those of the World Forum on Education (Dakar, 2000) and "the International Conference on Science, Technology and Mathematics Education" (Goa, 2001), UNESCO's programme in science and technology education focuses upon the means and methods to address these issues in both formal and non-formal education, notably by supporting Member States in:

1.Cooperation at the International, Regional, and Subregional levels
2.Training and capacity building of relevant personnel
3.Production and dissemination of innovative and context-specific teaching/learning materials
4.Establishment and management of networks of specialists and specialised institutions
5.Promoting exchange of information and popularisation of STE.

Science Education Program

K-12 student enrichment programs offered by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) include both science education programs for middle and high school students and informal educational community outreach for various grades.
Science Education Program
Science on Saturday

Science on Saturday is a series of free lectures and demonstrations intended for middle and high school students and teachers. The topics are selected from the forefront of LLNL science and technology research in a variety of disciplines. Lectures are held in Livermore, Tracy and other Central Valley locations. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Tri-Valley Science and Engineering Fair

The Tri-Valley Science and Engineering Fair (TVSEF) is a science project competition for students in grades 7-12 from schools within Alamo, Danville, Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, San Ramon, and Sunol. The fair is affiliated with the prestigious Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. In preparation for the TVSEF, LLNL conducts a hands-on workshop, Science Fair 101, for high school students. Science Fair 101 helps students develop, plan and present their science fair project. A workshop for teachers is also provided to help train teachers in science fair procedures and the scientific method.
Community Outreach
Super Science Field Trips

Field trips to the Laboratory are available to local 5th grade classes Monday through Friday, LLNL holidays excluded. The half-day morning program includes a visit to the Lab's Discovery Center and an interactive, hands-on Fun with Science presentation by a Lab scientist. Registration is required, and one class at a time participates.
Scout and Science Club Field Trips

Scouts and Science Clubs are invited to experience a science adventure at the Laboratory's Discovery Center. The Discovery Center has a variety of displays relating to the Lab's incredible science and engineering in support of national and homeland security and other important areas of science. Visitors can create their own earthquake, generate energy on an energy bike, and handle the lightest substance ever made - Aerogel - created right here at LLNL. The Discovery Center is open Tuesday - Friday from 1:00 to 4:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
High School Science Tours

High school science classes can tour some of the nation's most exciting research facilities located at LLNL. Tours are offered free of charge on Tuesday mornings from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Certain restrictions apply. Registration is required, and one class at a time participates.
Expanding Your Horizons in Math & Science Conferences

Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) are one-day conferences for middle and high school girls designed to encourage girls to consider careers in math and science related fields. Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories co-sponsor two annual EYH conferences: Tri-Valley EYH (San Ramon) held in the February/March time frame and San Joaquin EYH (Stockton) held in October. Registration is required.Fun with Science
Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) travel to your school site to conduct interactive science presentations and demonstrations in chemistry, physical sciences, and environmental sciences. The presenter engages students in discussions about scientific and technological concepts, while asking questions and providing interactive, hands-on experiments to enhance learning and scientific thinking skills. Fun With Science presents to students and teachers at the grade 3-6 level. The presentations are educational and enjoyable and students learn that science is fun! Registration is required. One school site is visited at a time.
MATHCOUNTS
MATHCOUNTS is an enrichment, coaching, and competition program offered by the Livermore Valley Unified School District that promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement. Volunteer coaches meet with students at their school for one hour each week to help students solve math word problems. Students are highly motivated, and the work is fun and rewarding!

"Providing Teachers With a Real World Context to Teach Science"

The Teacher Research Academy (TRA) offers middle- and high-school science teachers unique professional development experiences at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The TRA program provides teachers a continuum of standards-based instruction, taking participants from novice to mastery in exciting scientific disciplines

Franchise Sales

Mad Science® is a brand with global exposure and appeal—and a dependable and rewarding business to own. Mad Science franchises provides a variety of fun, entertaining and educational science programs to children in schools, homes, camps, libraries, community centers—wherever children are found in their communities. The highly sought-after innovative and engaging programs we developed are easy and profitable to deliver


Mad Science offers you a unique opportunity to build a successful business while contributing to your community. Our services are in high demand. Teachers, parents, school administrators, businesses and government have vested interests in enriching children’s science experiences. Mad Science franchises realize the benefits of providing programs that make science fun and accessible.


Our franchisees focus on promoting their business and scheduling presentations to be delivered by their staff of part-time instructors. A client-base is quickly built and Mad Science customers keep coming back—and referring us to others. Over 50% of Mad Science business is repeat business! With gross margins of 60-80% per presentation and a relatively low initial investment, Mad Science is smart business.

Recently in Swine Flu Category

With a few countries in the Southern Hemisphere reporting a dramatic jump in swine flu cases, the World Health Organization is inching closer to declaring a full-scale, phase 6 pandemic. But WHO, acknowledging that its phasing system needs fine-tuning as it relies only on geographic spread of the novel H1N1 virus, soon plans to institute a severity index to make its warning system more useful to member countries. WHO also wants to provide more tailored guidance to individual countries to help them respond appropriately.

As of 2 June, 64 countries have reported nearly 19,000 confirmed cases of swine flu to WHO, including 501 from Australia, which now has the widest detected spread of the disease outside of North America. At a press conference today, Keiji Fukuda, WHO's assistant director-general, characterized Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Spain as countries “in transition” from limited to sustained community spread of the virus. “Globally, we believe that we are at phase 5, but are getting closer to phase 6,” said Fukuda.

A phase 6 alert requires sustained community spread in two WHO regions, and some epidemiologists contend that has already occurred. But WHO, following criticism from member countries that declaring phase 6 could cause undue alarm about a virus that appears no more dangerous than seasonal flu strains, has been reluctant to declare this a full-scale pandemic. Yesterday, however, WHO consulted with influenza experts and public health officials from 23 countries who backed the continued use of a phasing system based on geographic spread of the virus. To improve its usefulness, the consultants also encouraged WHO to “modify this kind of movement to phase 6 with assessments of severity,” said Fukuda.

Severity is tricky to define as it includes everything from the virulence of a particular influenza strain to the vulnerability of a particular population and its ability to respond, Fukuda said, which means it can differ from place to place. “We will build flexibility into the assessments of severity,” he said. One possibility he said is to develop a three-point scale for severity that is country specific. So WHO might decide that one country is at phase 6, level 3, while others are at phase 6, level 1. “The trick is not going to be so much coming up with the three levels of severity, but it’s really how to do it in a way which can be implemented across a lot of different countries,” he said, noting that the levels might change over time.

Currently, Fukuda said the severity level of the global epidemic is “moderate.” Much uncertainty still remains about the number of people with serious illness, he said, and it’s clear that the novel H1N1 can kill perfectly healthy people. “We do have some hesitation in calling such an infection 'mild,' ” he cautioned. And WHO remains acutely concerned about the spread of the virus in the Southern Hemisphere, which is cooling down as it enters winter, the season that typically allows influenza viruses to thrive.

DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee

NSAC is an advisory committee that provides official advice to the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) on the national program for basic nuclear science research. NSAC is chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The NSAC Charter and website are managed by DOE, together with the responsibilities for organization and meeting logistics. The lead responsibility for the direction of NSAC itself, selecting members, putting together meeting agendas and developing charges will continue to be shared by the two agencies.