Partial replacement of fat and salt in liver pâté by addition of Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus ostreatus flour

The effect of incorporation of 7.5% (hydrated 50/50 w/w) and 10% (hydrated 70/30 w/w) of Agaricus bisporus (Ab) and Pleurotus ostreatus (Po) flours as partial replacers of fat and salts (sodium chloride and phosphates) on physicochemical properties, microbiological and sensory properties of pâté was studied during cold storage. Mushroom flours increased moisture, dietary fibre and protein contents improving the nutritional value of pâtés. Mushroom flour influenced the colour parameters, especially Ab, and gave harder pâtés in 10% mushroom flour addition. Sensorially, the odour and taste of 7.5% of mushroom flour were considered acceptable, and its addition hydrated in a ratio 50/50 w/w should be the most suitable to improve the nutritional value of this product without significantly affecting the sensory properties. The addition of Ab and Po flours was a feasible strategy to replace fat and salts in pâté.     

Role of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in the Pathogenesis of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Comprehensive Review

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the most common liver disorder, affecting around 25% of the population worldwide. It is a complex disease spectrum, closely linked with other conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome, which may increase liver-related mortality. In light of this, numerous efforts have been carried out in recent years in order to clarify its pathogenesis and create new prevention strategies. Currently, the essential role of environmental pollutants in NAFLD development is recognized. Particularly, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have a notable influence. EDCs can be classified as natural (phytoestrogens, genistein, and coumestrol) or synthetic, and the latter ones can be further subdivided into industrial (dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, and alkylphenols), agricultural (pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides), residential (phthalates, polybrominated biphenyls, and bisphenol A), and pharmaceutical (parabens). Several experimental models have proposed a mechanism involving this group of substances with the disruption of hepatic metabolism, which promotes NAFLD. These include an imbalance between lipid influx/efflux in the liver, mitochondrial dysfunction, liver inflammation, and epigenetic reprogramming. It can be concluded that exposure to EDCs might play a crucial role in NAFLD initiation and evolution. However, further investigations supporting these effects in humans are required.     

Towards a satisfactory conversion of messages among agent-based information systems

Over the last years, there has been a change of perspective concerning the management of information systems, since they are no longer isolated and need to communicate with others. However, from a semantic point of view, real communication is difficult to achieve due to the heterogeneity of the systems. We present a proposal which, considering information systems are represented by software agents, provides a framework that favors a semantic communication among them, overcoming the heterogeneity of their agent communication languages. The main components of the framework are a suite of ontologies – conceptualizing communication acts – that will be used for generating the communication conversion, and an Event Calculus interpretation of the communications, which will be used for formalizing the notion of a satisfactory conversion. Moreover, we present a motivating example in order to complete the explanation of the whole picture.     

A Comprehensive Study of Particle Size Distributions with the Use of PostInjection Strategies in DI Diesel Engines

Control strategies such as variations in injection pressure and timing have been used by researchers to reduce in-cylinder exhaust emissions and meet legislation standards. Postinjection has been studied for several years and is now well known as an efficient strategy for reducing soot emission. Diesel gaseous and particle mass emissions have been progressively reduced over the last twenty years as a consequence of increasingly restrictive emission legislation and the application of aftertreatment devices. The main objective of this work is to better understand the effect of postinjection on particle size distribution in diesel exhaust. The approach uses a modern, well-instrumented research engine test cell equipped with a flexible high pressure fuel injection system. The results of this work provide guidelines for developing strategies to reduce particle size distribution in diesel engines. A major improvement in particle size distribution was found in the accumulation mode by using a close postinjection of a small quantity of fuel. For reduction in nucleation mode, a relationship was found with close postinjections of large quantities of fuel.     

Influence of processing parameters on wear resistance of nanostructured OFHC copper manufactured by large strain extrusion machining

The tribological behaviour of three ultra-fine grained oxygen-free high conductivity (OFHC) copper materials manufactured by large strain extrusion machining (LSEM), under variable shear strain, is studied under ball-on-flat reciprocating configuration and compared with that of conventional microstructured copper. The results are discussed as a function of microstructure and sliding direction. The lowest wear volume is obtained when the sliding takes place in the perpendicular direction to that of grain orientation. The highest wear resistance is observed for nanostructured copper material with an elongated grain structure in the extrusion direction. The wear resistance of this anisotropic material depends on the sliding direction. Wear mechanisms are discussed from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) observations.     

On the analysis of microbiological processes by Monte Carlo simulation techniques

The Barcelonagram is a Monte Carlo simulator recently designed in order to take account of the behaviour of living systems. In this paper we apply this technique to real bacterial growth in different and significant experimental conditions, namely (i) the growth of the Serratia marcescens in a minimal glucose-limited medium, (ii) the temperature effect on the anaerobic growth of the same strain, (iii) the growth of the Escherichia coli in a minimal medium and (iv) the normal specific growth rate of bacterial populations against the available substrate concentration. In the context of these different cases we discuss the diverse contributions of these simulated results to the understanding of the microbiological processes and the general reliability of the simulation considered as a third alternative besides both (and together with!) experience and mathematical modelling.