In Related News,That Was Wrong: The Correction of Misinformation Through Related Stories Functionality in Social Media

Research on social media and research on correcting misinformation are both growing areas in communication, but for the most part they have not found common ground. This study seeks to bridge these two areas, considering the role that social media may play in correcting misinformation. To do so, we test a new function of Facebook, which provides related links when people click on a link within Facebook. We show users a post containing misinformation, and then manipulate the related stories to either confirm, correct, or both confirm and correct the misinformation. Findings suggest that when related stories correct a post that includes misinformation, misperceptions are significantly reduced.     

Global kinase screening. Applications of frontal affinity chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry in drug discovery

Utilizing frontal affinity chromatography with mass spectrometry detection (FAC-MS), we have identified novel applications in the discovery of small-molecule hits to protein targets that are difficult if not impossible to accomplish using traditional assays. We demonstrate for the first time an ability to distinguish between competitive ligands for the ATP and substrate sites of protein kinase C independently in the same experiment and show that ATP competitive ligands using a functionally inactive receptor tyrosine kinase can be identified. This ability of FAC-MS to simultaneously monitor binding at the ATP and substrate binding sites, as well as measure ligand binding to both active and inactive kinases, suggests that FAC-MS can be used as a "global kinase binding assay".     

Creatine and creatinine evolution during the processing of dry-cured ham

Dry-curing of ham involves many biochemical reactions that depend on the processing conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the dry-cured processing on the concentration of creatine, creatinine and the creatinine/creatine ratio. Dry-cured hams under study were salted using three different salt mixtures (100% NaCl; NaCl and KCl at 50% each; and 55% NaCl, 25% KCl, 15% CaCl₂ and 5% MgCl₂) in order to observe its influence on creatinine formation but no significant differences were found between them at any time of processing. However, significant differences between different post-salting times (20, 50 and 80 days) and the ripened hams (7, 9 and 11 months of ripening) were observed. Results showed that creatine and creatinine remain stable once the ripening period is reached. These results were confirmed when analysing dry-cured ham samples submitted to extreme conditions of temperature and time (20, 30, 40 and 70 °C during 0, 20, 40 and 60 min) as well as commercial dry-cured hams with more than 12 months of processing.     

Preservation of non-Saccharomyces yeasts: Current technologies and challenges

There is a recent and growing interest in the study and application of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, mainly in fermented foods. Numerous publications and patents show the importance of these yeasts. However, a fundamental issue in studying and applying them is to ensure an appropriate preservation scheme that allows to the non-Saccharomyces yeasts conserve their characteristics and fermentative capabilities by long periods of time. The main objective of this review is to present and analyze the techniques available to preserve these yeasts (by conventional and non-conventional methods), in small or large quantities for laboratory or industrial applications, respectively. Wine fermentation is one of the few industrial applications of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, but the preservation stage has been a major obstacle to achieve a wider application of these yeasts. This review considers the preservation techniques, and clearly defines parameters such as culturability, viability, vitality and robustness. Several conservation strategies published in research articles as well as patents are analyzed, and the advantages and disadvantages of each technique used are discussed. Another important issue during conservation processes is the stress to which yeasts are subjected at the time of preservation (mainly oxidative stress). There is little published information on the subject for non-Saccharomyces yeast, but it is a fundamental point to consider when designing a preservation strategy.     

Contents of creatine, creatinine and carnosine in porcine muscles of different metabolic types

Creatine, creatinine and carnosine have been analyzed by hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) in seven different pork muscles of different metabolic type (Semimembranosus, Biceps femoris, Gluteus maximus, Longissimus dorsi, Gluteus medius, Trapezius and Masseter). As reported in previous literature, carnosine contents are related with the type of metabolism, being higher in those muscles with glycolytic metabolism. Creatine and creatinine also showed significantly higher concentrations in glycolytic muscles such as Semimembranosus, Biceps femoris, Gluteus maximus and Longissimus dorsi. Masseter, a red oxidative muscle, was characterized by the lowest contents of creatine, creatinine and carnosine and, finally, Gluteus medius and Trapezius, both intermediate muscles, had also intermediate contents of these studied compounds. Finally, a correlation between initial content of creatine and creatinine formation after cooking has been verified using pure standards and two different metabolic type muscles, Longissimus dorsi and Masseter, obtaining slightly higher creatinine amounts in Longissimus dorsi, probably due to its higher initial creatine content and its lower pH.     

Modeling the Fate of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica in the Agricultural Environment: Current Perspective

The significance of fresh vegetable consumption on human nutrition and health is well recognized. Human infections with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica linked to fresh vegetable consumption have become a serious public health problem inflicting a heavy economic burden. The use of contaminated livestock wastes such as manure and manure slurry in crop production is believed to be one of the principal routes of fresh vegetable contamination with E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica at preharvest stage because both ruminant and nonruminant livestock are known carriers of E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica in the environment. A number of challenge‐testing studies have examined the fate of E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica in the agricultural environment with the view of designing strategies for controlling vegetable contamination preharvest. In this review, we examined the mathematical modeling approaches that have been used to study the behavior of E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica in the manure, manure‐amended soil, and in manure‐amended soil–plant ecosystem during cultivation of fresh vegetable crops. We focused on how the models have been applied to fit survivor curves, predict survival, and assess the risk of vegetable contamination preharvest. The inadequacies of the current modeling approaches are discussed and suggestions for improvements to enhance the applicability of the models as decision tools to control E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica contamination of fresh vegetables during primary production are presented.     

Identification of small troponin T peptides generated in dry-cured ham

Troponin T (TnT) is a myofibrillar protein present in striated muscle that develops important structural and regulatory functions. This protein is easily degraded during post-mortem ageing but details of the TnT hydrolysis occurring during much longer processes, e.g. the dry-cured processing, as well as the specific sequences of the generated fragments, still remain undetermined. In the present study, the isolation and identification of 27 peptides, generated from TnT during dry-cured processing, are reported for the first time. This study has been developed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF) and it evidences the extensive degradation of TnT occurring during the processing of dry-cured ham. Some of the cleavage sites, corresponding to these sequenced fragments, confirm the sites reported by other authors both in vitro and during post-mortem ageing of meat.     

Hydrophilic interaction chromatographic determination of adenosine triphosphate and its metabolites

A new HPLC method based on hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), adenosine monophosphate (AMP), inosine monophosphate (IMP), inosine (Ino), hypoxanthine (Hx) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) in pork loin muscle. The chromatographic analysis has been developed using a zwitterionic polymeric column and it has been optimised in terms of linearity, repeatability, reproducibility and recovery. Detection limit values of 0.10, 0.15, 0.05, 0.16, 0.16, 1.72 and 0.15 μg/mL for ATP, ADP, AMP, IMP, Ino, Hx and NAD⁺ respectively were achieved. A comparison between the pork meat concentrations of the compounds analysed by hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC), using a ZIC®-pHILIC column, and ion-pair reversed-phase chromatography (IP-RP-HPLC), using a Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C18 column, has been done, concluding that the new chromatographic methodology constitutes a valid and reliable alternative to the existing methods. Finally, this method has also proved to be very effective in the isolation of guanosine, guanosine monophosphate (GMP), guanosine diphosphate (GDP), guanosine triphosphate (GTP), creatinine (Cn) and uric acid (UA) from a standards mixture.     

Possible biological markers of the time of processing of dry-cured ham

Several muscle compounds (creatine, creatinine, hypoxanthine, inosine, inosine 5' monophosphate, xanthine, adenosine monophosphate, guanosine, and uridine) were studied as possible biological markers of a minimum dry-cured ham processing time. A correlation between the concentration of the compounds and the time of processing was found. The ratios for some of them were calculated to study their behaviour during processing. The Hx/Ino ratio substantially increased up to 5 months of curing and then remained constant (p<0.05). The Hx/Ino ratio might be considered as a potential biomarker of the minimum time of dry-cured processing (5 months). The Cn/Cr ratio increased during drying up to 9 months of ripening (p<0.05). However, although Cn/Cr ratios remained constant after 9 months of processing, variations between hams were observed due to the differences existing in the raw meats and small differences in processing conditions, making it difficult to consider Cn/Cr ratios as biomarkers of ripening time.     

Enzymatic activity of lactic acid bacteria (with antimicrobial properties) isolated from a traditional Spanish cheese

Twenty-four strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from a traditional Spanish cheese (Genestoso cheese) were evaluated for their enzymatic activities (acidifying and proteolytic abilities and carboxypeptidase, aminopeptidase, dipeptidase, caseinolytic and esterase activities), in order to select indigenous strains of technical interest for the manufacture of cheese. These strains were selected on the basis of their antimicrobial activity relative to five reference strains and were identified as Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis (thirteen strains), Leuconostoc mesenteroides (two strains), Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides (one strain), Lactobacillus paracasei (two strains), Lactobacillus plantarum (one strain) and Enterococcus faecalis (five strains).