We assessed the chemical, microbiological, rheological and sensory parameters of a fermented dairy product (FDP) containing a galactooligosaccharide (GOS) preparation. This was made from a solution of dried whey and skim milk containing 25% (w/w) lactose using a new enzyme with high transgalactosylation activity (Nurica: Danisco A/S). Conversion of the high initial lactose content enabled a good yield of 56% GOS to be achieved. The obtained GOS preparation was applied to the FDP with a probiotic culture of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis in amounts of 0, 2, 10, and 20% (w/w). The FDPs were stored and monitored for 9 weeks. Bifidobacteria showed counts higher than 106 CFU/g throughout the storage period. GOS were not significantly utilized during fermentation and their changes during storage were also insignificant. Gel strength after fermentation showed a slight decrease with increasing doses of GOS preparation, but after 6 weeks of storage, the differences were no longer evident. The sensory analysis revealed the overall acceptability of the prepared FDPs, whilst the highest dose (20% GOS preparation) led to a sweeter taste.

This year, 2024, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Marc and Ismene Fitch Laboratory for Archaeological Science. Since its inception in 1974, this pioneering laboratory has grown from an experiment into a world-renowned hub for archaeological science. As one of the first laboratories of its kind in Greece, and among only a few globally, the Fitch Laboratory expanded its expertise over the decades to encompass a wide range of disciplines. These include archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, human osteology, geophysics, pigment analysis, and its most recognized focus: archaeological ceramics. This paper reviews its history and development, and looks to the future.

Fear for the future of democracy in the 1930s and 1940s led university educators to redefine the purpose of general education as preparation for democratic citizenship. This mobilized social scientists to engage in curricular reform and experiment with progressive pedagogical practices in new general education courses. These courses have been overlooked in the scholarship on general education, which focuses on Great Books courses and educators’ efforts to create a common culture linked to Europe. Uncovering these courses demonstrates that general education was an important part of higher education’s commitment to democracy. Mid-twentieth-century social science general education was an innovative form of political education aimed at preparing independent-minded, engaged citizens with democratic values.

Given a real differentiable function f we say that a point x0 is a stationary point of f if f′ (x0) = 0.

In any standard single-variable calculus class, students learn how to determine the nature of a stationary point by checking the sign of f(x) in intervals to the left and to the right of the stationary point. In doing so, they are performing the first derivative test.