Effects of dietary inclusion of sunflower soap stocks on colour,oxidation and microbiological growth of meat from light fattening lambs

Thirty-two lambs were finished on a total mixed ration (TMR) pelleted alone (00SS) or including sunflower soap stock (SS): 15SS (15 g SS per kg TMR), 30SS (30 g SS per kg TMR) and 60SS (60 g SS per kg TMR). Lambs (8 per group) were slaughtered at 27 kg live weight. Colour evolution, lipid oxidation, microbial growth and detection of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli were studied in meat samples. SS in the diet reduced meat lipid oxidation (P < 0.05), but had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on the cholesterol oxidation products. Meat from 60SS and control animals (00SS) revealed greater discoloration (P < 0.05) than 15SS. SS supplementation did not affect the microbiological populations, whereas high doses of SS seemed to increase the proliferation of diarrhoeagenic E. coli on day 14 (P < 0.10). These results suggest that the rate of SS inclusion in the diet of fattening lambs should not be above 15 g SS per kg TMR.     

Thermal and flammability properties influenced by Zn/Al,Co/Al,and Ni/Al layered double hydroxide in low-density polyethylene nanocomposites

Layered double hydroxide (LDH) containing different metal constituents (Zn, Co, and Ni) was intercalated with different organic anions and has been used as fillers in low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and its thermal and flammability behavior was evaluated. The best thermal stability (∆T_0.5 = 21 °C) was obtained with the LDPE-Ni/Al-dodecyl sulfate (4 wt %) nanocomposite. Addition of hydrophobic LDHs systematically decreases the enthalpy of melting and crystallization compared to the neat polymer. In LDPE-Co/Al-dodecyl sulfate (2 wt %) nanocomposite, the melting and crystallization enthalpies declined by about 45 J/g, indicating a good interaction of the filler with the polymer matrix. A reduction of 20% of the flammability for the LDPE-Ni/Al-stearate (4 wt %) nanocomposite was obtained. On the other hand, Zn–Co LDH as filler in LDPE nanocomposite did not affect effectively the same property. In an innovative study, results indicate that different metal constituents and interlayer anion of LDH as filler can change thermal and flammability properties of the polymer nanocomposite. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48737.     

In vivo assessment of the corrosion of nickel–titanium orthodontic archwires by using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy

This study was undertaken to assess in vivo the corrosion in two commercial nickel–titanium (NiTi) orthodontic archwires removed from the oral cavity of patients using fluoride mouthwashes. Five volunteers took part in this study on the corrosion behavior of two brands of NiTi archwires (3M and AO (brand of archwire)) during use of two mouthwashes with neutral sodium fluoride 1.1%, one with acidulated fluoride 1.1%, and one with placebo and a control group. Each patient used one mouthwash in three different periods of time for 1 min a day for 30 days. The archwires were assessed with scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy for qualitative and quantitative analysis. The values obtained with atomic force microscopy (AFM) were submitted to normality test, two‐way analysis of variance, and Tukey's test at a significance level of 5%. The AFM images showed a gradual qualitative increase in the roughness of both types of wire between the treatments: control < placebo < neutral fluoride < acidulated fluoride. The arithmetic average of the roughness and root mean square of the roughness were similar. As for 3M archwires, only the acidulated fluoride group differed statistically from the others. As for AO archwires, the control and placebo groups did not differ from each other, but differed from the other fluoride treatments. The group using neutral fluoride also differed significantly from the acidulated fluoride group. 3M archwires were not affected by daily oral challenges. AO archwires were not affected by daily oral challenges either; their association with fluoride, either neutral or acidulated, increased their roughness.     

Comparison between discrete and continuous analysis of facial expressions,elicited by bitter-tasting beverages in overweight and healthy-weight individuals

The aim of the present study was to compare the information provided by a discrete and continuous data analysis of two emotions (disgust and joy), elicited by bitter-tasting beverages (coffee, yerba mate infusion and grapefruit juice) in two groups with different body mass index (BMI): overweight group (25 < BMI < 30), and healthy-weight control group (18.5 < BMI ≤ 25). Participants (n = 66; 34 females, 32 males) evaluated a total of three consecutive sips of the same beverage (taking one sip every 20 s and registering a continuous video for 60 s). The Wilcoxon test (continuous analysis) showed some changes generated as the drinks were being consumed. The biggest difference was the expression of disgust for coffee in the high BMI group, at the first sip (0–10 s). It represented 27% compared to 2% in normal BMI. The continuous analysis allowed to observe the periods where the differences were greater (0–10 and 40–50 s).     

A logic-based incremental approach to graph repair featuring delta preservation

We introduce a logic-based incremental approach to graph repair, generating a sound and complete (upon termination) overview of least-changing graph repairs from which a user may select a graph repair based on non-formalized further requirements. This incremental approach features delta preservation as it allows to restrict the generation of graph repairs to delta-preserving graph repairs, which do not revert the additions and deletions of the most recent consistency-violating graph update. We specify consistency of graphs using the logic of nested graph conditions, which is equivalent to first-order logic on graphs. Technically, the incremental approach encodes if and how the graph under repair satisfies a graph condition using the novel data structure of satisfaction trees, which are adapted incrementally according to the graph updates applied. In addition to the incremental approach, we also present two state-based graph repair algorithms, which restore consistency of a graph independent of the most recent graph update and which generate additional graph repairs using a global perspective on the graph under repair. We evaluate the developed algorithms using our prototypical implementation in the tool AutoGraph and illustrate our incremental approach using a case study from the graph database domain.

     

A dimensional reduction approach to modulate the core ruminal microbiome associated with methane emissions via selective breeding

The rumen is a complex microbial system of substantial importance in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and feed efficiency. This study proposes combining metagenomic and host genomic data for selective breeding of the cow hologenome toward reduced methane emissions. We analyzed nanopore long reads from the rumen metagenome of 437 Holstein cows from 14 commercial herds in 4 northern regions in Spain. After filtering, data were treated as compositional. The large complexity of the rumen microbiota was aggregated, through principal component analysis (PCA), into few principal components (PC) that were used as proxies of the core metagenome. The PCA allowed us to condense the huge and fuzzy taxonomical and functional information from the metagenome into a few PC. Bivariate animal models were applied using these PC and methane production as phenotypes. The variability condensed in these PC is controlled by the cow genome, with heritability estimates for the first PC of ~0.30 at all taxonomic levels, with a large probability (>83%) of the posterior distribution being >0.20 and with the 95% highest posterior density interval (95%HPD) not containing zero. Most genetic correlation estimates between PC1 and methane were large (≥0.70), with most of the posterior distribution (>82%) being >0.50 and with its 95%HPD not containing zero. Enteric methane production was positively associated with relative abundance of eukaryotes (protozoa and fungi) through the first component of the PCA at phylum, class, order, family, and genus. Nanopore long reads allowed the characterization of the core rumen metagenome using whole-metagenome sequencing, and the purposed aggregated variables could be used in animal breeding programs to reduce methane emissions in future generations.