The impact of roasting on the ochratoxin A content of coffee

Roasting coffee led to a drop in the ochratoxin A (OTA) concentration, as measured by the reference method, especially for dark type roasts. The way the beverage was prepared also affected the OTA content, which could paradoxically be higher than that of the initial roasted coffee. Assays on the thermal stability of pure OTA showed that it ought to be found in larger quantities in roasted coffee. This suggested that OTA was masked by reactions with the substrate during roasting. The absence of OTA in green coffee is therefore the best guarantee of safety.     

Decentralized energy supply: Suitability for the UK's industrial sectors

From the results reported here it is suggested that policy decisions about the potential contribution of decentralized energy supply systems to UK industrial energy requirements should be based on the suitability of individual sectors rather than averaged over all sectors. The suitability of decentralized energy sources is evaluated, based on a themodynamic match between source and demand. This suitability criterion is used to identify the most appropriate sector in manufacturing industries for the adoption of decentralized energy supply, leaving aside economic cost considerations and individual site requirements.     

Tomographic image reconstruction from incomplete view data by convex projections and direct fourier inversion

We consider the problem of reconstructing CAT imagery by the direct Fourier method (DFM) when not all view data are available. To restore the missing information we use the method of projections onto convex sets (POCS). POCS is a recursive image restoration technique that finds a solution consistent with the measured data and a priori known constraints in both the space and Fourier domain. Because DFM reconstruction is a frequency-domain technique it is ideally matched to POCS restoration when, for one reason or another, we are forced to generate an image from a less than complete set of view data. We design and apply an algorithm (PRDF) which interpolates/extrapolates the missing Fourier domain information by POCS and reconstructs an image by DFM. A simulated human thorax cross section is restored and reconstructed. The restorations using POCS are compared with the Gerchberg-Papoulis extrapolation method and shown to be superior. Applications of PRDF to other types of medical imaging modalities are discussed.     

Assay of aflatoxin in peanuts and peanut products using acetone-hexane-water for extraction

A quantitative method is described for the assay of aflatoxin in peanut products. The procedure involves extraction of aflatoxin from the sample with a homogeneous acetone-hexane-water solvent mixture followed by purification of the extract by phasic extraction of the aflatoxin with aqueous sodium chloride and then with chloroform. The purified chloroform extract is analyzed by thin-layer chromatography by comparison of the intensity of fluorescence of any aflatoxin with the intensity of a known standard. The aflatoxin analyses of peanuts were found to be very variable due to sampling, and this variability has been greatly reduced by finely grinding and thoroughly mixing 2 kg of the sample before removal of an aliquot for assay. The method is sensitive to approximately 2 parts per billion. Honorable mention, Bond Award competition. Presented at AOCS Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, October, 1964. So. Reg. Res. Lab., New Orleans, Louisiana, one of the laboratories of the So. Utiliz. Res. and Dev. Div., ARS, USDA.     

Model checking agent programming languages

In this paper we describe a verification system for multi-agent programs. This is the first comprehensive approach to the verification of programs developed using programming languages based on the BDI (belief-desire-intention) model of agency. In particular, we have developed a specific layer of abstraction, sitting between the underlying verification system and the agent programming language, that maps the semantics of agent programs into the relevant model-checking framework. Crucially, this abstraction layer is both flexible and extensible; not only can a variety of different agent programming languages be implemented and verified, but even heterogeneous multi-agent programs can be captured semantically. In addition to describing this layer, and the semantic mapping inherent within it, we describe how the underlying model-checker is driven and how agent properties are checked. We also present several examples showing how the system can be used. As this is the first system of its kind, it is relatively slow, so we also indicate further work that needs to be tackled to improve performance.     

α-(1→4)-D-Glucans. Part XXII. The Iodine Staining Properties of Linear Maltosaccharides

Maltosaccharides of degree of polymerisation (DP) 6-22 have been isolated in a chromatographically pure form, and their iodine staining properties studied under standard conditions. In the range DP 6 to DP 13, there is a logarithmic increase in the intensity of absorption of the iodine complexes; thereafter the relationship is almost linear. A plot of the reciprocals of wavelength of maximum absorption and DP indicates that there are three separate linear sections corresponding to DP 6–11, 12–18 and 18–22. Ammonium sulphate causes an increase in the intensity of absorption and wavelength of maximum absorption in all cases.     

Development of a Mortality Prediction Model in Hospitalised SARS-CoV-2 Positive Patients Based on Routine Kidney Biomarkers

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a prevalent complication in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive inpatients, which is linked to an increased mortality rate compared to patients without AKI. Here we analysed the difference in kidney blood biomarkers in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients with non-fatal or fatal outcome, in order to develop a mortality prediction model for hospitalised SARS-CoV-2 positive patients. A retrospective cohort study including data from suspected SARS-CoV-2 positive patients admitted to a large National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust hospital in the Yorkshire and Humber regions, United Kingdom, between 1 March 2020 and 30 August 2020. Hospitalised adult patients (aged ≥ 18 years) with at least one confirmed positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 and blood tests of kidney biomarkers within 36 h of the RT-PCR test were included. The main outcome measure was 90-day in-hospital mortality in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. The logistic regression and random forest (RF) models incorporated six predictors including three routine kidney function tests (sodium, urea; creatinine only in RF), along with age, sex, and ethnicity. The mortality prediction performance of the logistic regression model achieved an area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve of 0.772 in the test dataset (95% CI: 0.694–0.823), while the RF model attained the AUROC of 0.820 in the same test cohort (95% CI: 0.740–0.870). The resulting validated prediction model is the first to focus on kidney biomarkers specifically on in-hospital mortality over a 90-day period.