Sensory, chemical and microbiological assessment of farm-raised European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) stored in melting ice

Farm raised European sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ) were stored in melting ice for a period up to 22 days from the time of harvest, and sensory, chemical, and microbiological assessments were made at intervals. The storage life of the ungutted fish, determined by sensory evaluation of the cooked flesh, was 19 days. Of the chemical tests, only k ₁ value provided a useful means of monitoring early storage change. Trimethylamine, total volatile bases and pH showed practically no change during the first half of the edible storage life of the fish. Changes in free fatty acid (FFA) content and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value could not be used to determine loss of acceptability or end of storage life. Sulphide producing bacteria constituted a very low proportion of the total aerobic flora, suggesting that the common sulphide producer Shewanella putrefaciens was not a major spoiler of sea bass in this trial.     

An algebraic approach to targeting waste discharge and impure fresh usage via material recycle/reuse networks

This paper introduces an algebraic procedure that targets material-recycle networks. The problem involves the allocation of process streams and fresh sources to process units (sinks) with the objective of minimizing fresh usage and waste discharge. First, observations from the graphical targeting approach are transformed into algebraic insights. Then, a geometrical transformation is developed to account for the possibility of using impure fresh resources. These insights and geometrical transformations are arranged through a cascade analysis, which identifies and adjusts any recycle infeasibilities so as to maximize the recycle opportunities. A systematic non-iterative algebraic approach is developed to identify rigorous targets for minimum usage of impure fresh resources, maximum recycle of process resources and minimum discharge of waste. These targets are identified a priori and without commitment to the detailed design of the recycle/reuse network. The approach is valid for both pure and impure fresh resources. The devised procedure also identifies the location of the material-recycle pinch point and addresses its significance in managing process sources, fresh usage, and waste discharge. Two case studies are solved to illustrate the ease, rigor, and applicability of the developed targeting technique and its relationship to graphical targeting techniques.     

Study of the Emulsifying Ability of Olive Oil Endogenous Compounds in Co-surfactant Free Olive Oil w/o Nanoemulsions with Food Grade Non-ionic Surfactants

In the present work, the preparation of olive oil w/o nanoemulsions was studied using non-ionic surfactants (Tween 20, Span 20) without the addition of a co-surfactant. Different olive oil endogenous compounds with an amphiphilic character (gallic acid, apigenin, quercetin, and trans-cinnamic acid) were dispersed into the aqueous phase, and their impact on the nanoemulsions stability and properties ability was determined. The stable nanoemulsions were presented in pseudo-ternary phase diagrams (oil–aqueous phase–surfactant) for each surfactant and endogenous compound. The nanoemulsions properties were evaluated in relationship to compositional components. The results of this study concluded that stable w/o olive oil nanoemulsions without use of a co-surfactant were obtained and moreover, the most efficient type of emulsifier and its ratio of addition in the system were determined. The incorporation of olive oil endogenous compounds resulted into more stable emulsions. In particular, gallic acid was proven to be the most efficient compound since it enhanced the emulsion properties prolonging simultaneously the emulsions’ stability.     

Feature-based 3D morphing based on geometrically constrained spherical parameterization

Current trends in free form editing motivate the development of a novel editing paradigm for CAD models beyond traditional CAD editing of mechanical parts. To this end, we need robust and efficient 3D mesh deformation techniques such as 3D structural morphing.In this paper, we present a feature-based approach to 3D morphing of arbitrary genus-0 polyhedral objects that is appropriate for CAD editing. The technique is based on a sphere parameterization process built on an optimization technique that uses a target function to maintain the correspondence between the initial polygons and the mapped ones, while preserving topology and connectivity through a system of geometric constraints. Finally, we introduce a fully automated feature-based technique that matches surface areas (feature regions) with similar topological characteristics between the two morphed objects and performs morphing according to this feature correspondence list. Alignment is obtained without user intervention based on pattern matching between the feature graphs of the two morphed objects.     

Side-chain conformations in 4-{{alpha}}-helical bundles

The distribution of the ₁, ₂ dihedral angles in a dataset consistingof 12 unrelated 4--helical bundle proteins was determined andqualitatively compared with that observed in globular proteins.The analysis suggests that the 4--helical bundle motif couldoccasionally impose steric constraints on side chains: (i) theside-chain conformations are limited to only a subset of theconformations observed in globular proteins and for some aminoacids they are sterically more constrained than those in helicalregions of globular proteins; (ii) aspartic acid and asparagineoccasionally adopt rotamers that have not been previously reportedfor globular or helical proteins; (iii) some rotamers of tyrosineand isoleucine are predominantly or exclusively associated withhydrophobic core positions (a, d); (iv) mutations in the hydrophobiccore occur preferentially between residue types which amongother physicochemical properties also share a predominant rotamer.     

A parametric feature-based CAD system for reproducing traditional pierced jewellery

In this paper, we introduce ByzantineCAD, a parametric CAD system for the design of pierced medieval jewellery, which is jewellery created by piercing, a traditional Byzantine technique. ByzantineCAD is an automated parametric system where the design of a piece of jewellery is expressed by a collection of parameters and constraints and the user's participation in the design process is through the definition of the parameter values. We present an approach to designing traditional pierced jewellery using a voxel-oriented feature-based Computer Aided Design paradigm: a large complex pierced design is created by appropriately placing elementary structural elements. We also present a scaling algorithm for enlarging pierced designs without altering the size of the elementary structural elements used to construct them.     

Increased Autotaxin Levels in Severe COVID-19, Correlating with IL-6 Levels,Endothelial Dysfunction Biomarkers,and Impaired Functions of Dendritic Cells

Autotaxin (ATX; ENPP2) is a secreted lysophospholipase D catalyzing the extracellular production of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a pleiotropic signaling phospholipid. Genetic and pharmacologic studies have previously established a pathologic role for ATX and LPA signaling in pulmonary injury, inflammation, and fibrosis. Here, increased ENPP2 mRNA levels were detected in immune cells from nasopharyngeal swab samples of COVID-19 patients, and increased ATX serum levels were found in severe COVID-19 patients. ATX serum levels correlated with the corresponding increased serum levels of IL-6 and endothelial damage biomarkers, suggesting an interplay of the ATX/LPA axis with hyperinflammation and the associated vascular dysfunction in COVID-19. Accordingly, dexamethasone (Dex) treatment of mechanically ventilated patients reduced ATX levels, as shown in two independent cohorts, indicating that the therapeutic benefits of Dex include the suppression of ATX. Moreover, large scale analysis of multiple single cell RNA sequencing datasets revealed the expression landscape of ENPP2 in COVID-19 and further suggested a role for ATX in the homeostasis of dendritic cells, which exhibit both numerical and functional deficits in COVID-19. Therefore, ATX has likely a multifunctional role in COVID-19 pathogenesis, suggesting that its pharmacological targeting might represent an additional therapeutic option, both during and after hospitalization.     

Identification and characterization of Enterococcus spp. in Greek spontaneous sausage fermentation

A total of 108 enterococcal strains previously isolated from spontaneously fermented sausages were identified using phenotypic traits, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The proteolytic and lipolytic activities of these isolates and their ability to decarboxylate lysine, tyrosine, ornithine, and histidine and to produce antimicrobial compounds also were assessed. All strains were identified as Enterococcus faecium, and a lack of correlation between data derived from phenotypic and those derived from genotypic techniques was evident. Wide strain diversity was revealed by both phenotypic properties and PFGE strain typing results. Few strains were present in all batches, suggesting a possible persistence in the respective production plants. Neither proteolytic nor lipolytic activities were detected, and none of the strains decarboxylated lysine, tyrosine, ornithine, or histidine. A total of 42 E. faecium strains inhibited in vitro growth of Listeria monocytogenes, which suggests possible contribution of these strains to the safety of the end product and possible utilization of these strains as protective cultures.     

Scalable Synthesis of Switchable Assemblies of Gold Nanorod Lyotropic Liquid Crystal Nanocomposites

A new class of solvent free, lyotropic liquid crystal nanocomposites based on gold nanorods (AuNRs) with high nanorod content is reported. Application of shear results in switchable, highly ordered alignment of the nanorods over several centimeters with excellent storage stability for months. For the synthesis, AuNRs are surface functionalized with a charged, covalently tethered corona, which induces fluid‐like properties. This honey‐like material can be deposited on a substrate and a high orientational order parameter of 0.72 is achieved using a simple shearing protocol. Switching shearing direction results in realignment of the AuNRs. For a film containing 75 wt% of AuNRs the alignment persists for several months. In addition to the lyotropic liquid crystal characteristics, the AuNRs films also exhibit anisotropic electrical conductivity with an order of magnitude difference between the conductivities in direction parallel and perpendicular to the alignment of the AuNRs.