Who profits from the Canadian nanotechnology reward system? Implications for gender-responsible innovation

Scientometrics - Gender equality is one of the primary dimensions of responsible research and innovation. Based on bibliometric and survey data of nanotechnology researchers in Canada, this paper...     

Stress-induced anisotropy in sand under cyclic loading

The anisotropy of a granular material’s structure will influence its response to applied loads and deformations. Anisotropy can be either inherent (e.g. due to depositional process) or induced as a consequence of the applied stresses or strains. Discrete element simulations allow the interactions between individual particles to be explicitly simulated and the fabric can be quantified using a fabric tensor. The eigenvalues of this fabric tensor then give a measure of the anisotropy of the fabric. The coordination number is a particle scale scalar measure of the packing density of the material. The current study examines the evolution of the fabric of a granular material subject to cyclic loading, using two-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) simulations. Isotropic consolidation modifies and reduces the inherent anisotropy, but anisotropic consolidation can accentuate anisotropy. The ratio of the normal to shear spring stiffness at the particle contacts in the DEM model affects the evolution of anisotropy. Higher ratios reduce the degree of anisotropy induced by anisotropic consolidation. The anisotropy induced by cyclic loading depends on the amplitude of the loading cycles and the initial anisotropy.     

Top-down study of β2-microglobulin deamidation

Although differentiation of the isomeric Asn deamidation products (Asp and isoAsp) at the peptide level by electron capture dissociation (ECD) has been well-established, isoAsp identification at the intact protein level remains a challenging task. Here, a comprehensive top-down deamidation study is presented using the protein beta2-microglobulin (β(2)M) as the model system. Of the three deamidation sites identified in the aged β(2)M, isoAsp formation was detected at only one site by the top-down ECD analysis. The absence of diagnostic ions likely resulted from an increased number of competing fragmentation channels and a decreased likelihood of product ion separation in ECD of proteins. To overcome this difficulty, an MS(3) approach was applied where a protein ion was first fragmented by collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) and the resulting product ion was isolated and further analyzed by ECD. IsoAsp formation at all three deamidation sites was successfully identified by this CAD-ECD approach. Furthermore, the abundance of the isoAsp diagnostic ion was found to increase linearly with the extent of deamidation. These results demonstrated the potential of ECD in the detection and quantitative analysis of isoAsp formation using the top-down approach.     

Evaluation of ascorbic acid and sugar degradation products during fruit dessert processing under conventional or ohmic heating treatment

The effects of conventional heating (C) or ohmic heating (O) treatment on the degradation of sugar and ascorbic acid (AA) were evaluated in chunky fruit desserts prepared with apple puree (Golden Delicious var.) and chunky peach (Panavi var.) pieces. Concentrations of 5-HMF, furfural (F), 3-hydroxy-2-pyrone (3H2P) and 2-furoic acid (FA) were determined to assess the importance of oxidative and/or thermal reactions during processing. Depending on the thermal processing, 5-HMF and F levels in samples ranged from not detected to 3260 and from not detected to 570 μg/100 g FW respectively. Production of 3H2P and FA ranged from 480 to 2670 and from 84 to 420 μg/100 g FW respectively. Results showed that the impact of final heating treatment on the formation of AA degradation products (3H2P and FA) was minor, if any. Thus, AA degradation during apple products processing mainly depended on oxidative reactions pathway. Likewise, ohmic heating processing had very little effect on the formation of 5-HMF and F, in opposite to conventional heating.     

Attachment and biofilm formation by Escherichia coli O157:H7 at different temperatures, on various food-contact surfaces encountered in beef processing

Escherichia coli O157:H7 attached to beef-contact surfaces found in beef fabrication facilities may serve as a source of cross-contamination. This study evaluated E. coli O157:H7 attachment, survival and growth on food-contact surfaces under simulated beef processing conditions. Stainless steel and high-density polyethylene surfaces (2 × 5 cm) were individually suspended into each of three substrates inoculated (6 log CFU/ml or g) with E. coli O157:H7 (rifampicin-resistant, six-strain composite) and then incubated (168 h) statically at 4 or 15 °C. The three tested soiling substrates included sterile tryptic soy broth (TSB), unsterilized beef fat-lean tissue (1:1 [wt/wt]) homogenate (10% [wt/wt] with sterile distilled water) and unsterilized ground beef. Initial adherence/attachment of E. coli O157:H7 (0.9 to 2.9 log CFU/cm²) on stainless steel and high-density polyethylene was not affected by the type of food-contact surface but was greater (p < 0.05) through ground beef. Adherent and suspended E. coli O157:H7 counts increased during storage at 15 °C (168 h) by 2.2 to 5.4 log CFU/cm² and 1.0 to 2.8 log CFU/ml or g, respectively. At 4 °C (168 h), although pathogen levels decreased slightly in the substrates, numbers of adherent cells remained constant on coupons in ground beef (2.4 to 2.5 log CFU/cm²) and increased on coupons in TSB and fat-lean tissue homogenate by 0.9 to 1.0 and 1.7 to 2.0 log CFU/cm², respectively, suggesting further cell attachment. The results of this study indicate that E. coli O157:H7 attachment to beef-contact surfaces was influenced by the type of soiling substrate and temperature. Notably, attachment occurred not only at a temperature representative of beef fabrication areas during non-production hours (15 °C), but also during cold storage (4 °C) temperatures, thus, rendering the design of more effective sanitation programs necessary.     

Factors associated with carcass contamination by Campylobacter at slaughterhouse in cecal-carrier broilers

A study was conducted in 2009 to identify risk factors of Campylobacter spp. transmission from the digestive tract to the carcasses of standard broilers (slaughter age: 37 day, carcass weight: 1.3 kg on average). Counts of Campylobacter were performed on pools of 10 ceca and 10 neck-skins from 108 Campylobacter ceca-positive batches in three slaughterhouses. Technical and health data also was collected on the broilers: age, size, carcass weight (mean and standard deviation), condemnation rate, mortality rate and nature of treatment during the rearing period.Cecal counts varied from 4.8 to 10.2 log₁₀ cfu/g. In seventeen batches (15.7%), the skin count was below the detection limit. In the 91 batches with positive neck-skin test results, the counts varied from 2.0 to 5.2 log₁₀ cfu/g. Standard deviation of carcass weight, condemnation rate, slaughter rate and cecal count were significantly lower and growth rate higher in the 17 batches where neck-skin results were not detected positive. Multivariate analysis showed that batches with higher standard deviation of carcass weight were 5 to 9 fold more at risk of having detectable carcass contamination. Among the 91 positive neck-skin batches, only slaughter rate and cecal counts were found to have a significant but limited effect on the level of neck-skin contamination. As far as body weight homogeneity may be affected by disease, better health control can contribute to a reduction of the contamination of the broiler carcasses in Campylobacter carrier batches.     

Inhibition of verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli by antimicrobial peptides caseicin A and B and the factors affecting their antimicrobial activities

The antimic robial activities of caseicin A and B antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) were assessed against a selection of verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) strains (n = 11), other bacterial pathogenic and spoilage bacteria (n = 7), using a model broth system. The ability of the AMPs to retain their antimicrobial activities against a strain of E. coli O157:H7 380-94 under various test conditions (pH, temperature, water activity, sodium chloride concentrations, inoculum size and the presence of competitive microflora) was assessed and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and number of surviving E. coli O157:H7 calculated. The mean number of VTEC surviving after exposure to 2 mg/ml caseicin A and B was reduced by 4.96 and 4.19 log₁₀ cfu/ml compared to the respective controls. The susceptibility of E. coli O157:H7 to the caseicin AMPs decreased as temperature, pH, water activity and inoculum size were reduced. The presence of sodium chloride (0.5-2.5%) did not affect the activity of caseicin A (p > 0.05), however it did inhibit the activity of caseicin B. The presence of a competitive microflora cocktail did not significantly (p > 0.05) affect the activities of the AMPs for the majority of the concentrations tested. Using a quantitative PCR assay, the levels of verotoxins (vt1 and vt2) expressed by E. coli O157:H7 following exposure to a sub-inhibitory concentration (0.5 mg/ml) of caseicin A showed that the verotoxin levels did not differ from the levels produced by the control cultures. The antimicrobial activity of caseicin A against E. coli O157:H7 was also tested in a model rumen system, however concentrations of ≥ 2 mg/ml did not significantly (p > 0.05) reduce E. coli O157:H7 numbers in the model system over a 24 h period. The application of caseicin AMPs in food and/or animal production may be valuable in combination with other antimicrobials although further research is required.     

News: Lawsuit urges action on U.S. "Great Waters"

Society.     

News: Pressure mounts as particulate, ozone proposal deadline nears

Government.