Multirate SPAMM tagging

Many magnetic resonance tagging sequences rely on periodicity in order to produce a uniform tagging grid that covers the whole image plane. This, however, is not always desirable, since motion may be restricted to specific parts of the image, and also different motion characteristics may call for different tagging grid densities. In this paper, we present a combination of the spatial modulation of magnetization 1-1 method with selective excitation pulses that can be used in order to restrict the tagging grid only to regions of interest and produce tagging grid of different density in each region. The method is fast and easy to implement even on older or less expensive systems, since it does not require extensive gradient switching.     

Potential of a simple HPLC-based approach for the identification of the spoilage status of minced beef stored at various temperatures and packaging systems

The shelf life of minced beef stored (i) aerobically, (ii) under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), and (iii) under MAP with oregano essential oil (MAP/OEO) at 0, 5, 10, and 15 °C was investigated. The microbial association of meat and the temporal biochemical changes were monitored. Microbiological analyses, including total viable counts (TVC), Pseudomonas spp., Brochothrix thermosphacta, lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and yeasts/moulds, were undertaken, in parallel with sensory assessment, pH measurement and HPLC analysis of the organic acid profiles. Spectral data collected by HPLC were subjected to statistical analysis, including principal component analysis (PCA) and factorial discriminant analysis (FDA). This revealed qualitative discrimination of the samples based on their spoilage status. Partial least squares regression (PLS-R) was used to evaluate quantitative predictions of TVC, Pseudomonas spp., Br. thermosphacta, lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and yeasts/moulds. Overall, the HPLC analysis of organic acids, was found to be a potential method to evaluate the spoilage and microbial status of a meat sample regardless of the storage conditions. This could be a very useful tool for monitoring the quality of meat batches during transportation and storage in the meat food chain.     

Occurrence and Antibiotic Susceptibility Profile of Streptococcus spp. Isolated from Ewe＇s Milk

The purpose of this study was to determine the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus spp. isolated from fresh ewe＇s milk and consequently to draw conclusions concerning the health condition of the animal flocks and the current trends of antibiotic use in small ruminants. A total of 77 mountainous sheepfolds were investigated representing 10% of all transhumant sheep and goats flocks in the area. Duplicate milk samples were collected from January to February transferred to the laboratory and analyzed for the presence of Streptococcus spp. by using the serial dilution method and plating on the surface of Slanetz and Bartley agar. The isolates were tested against nine antimicrobial agents with the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. The results showed that Streptococcus spp. occurred in 84.4% of the samples and in counts ranged between 1.8 log CFU/mL and 4.6 log CFU/mL. Concerning susceptibility, only 1.3% of the isolates were resistant to all antimicrobials while 27.3% were fully susceptible. Resistance to cefepime was the most common （93.1%） observation followed by resistance to ampicillin （82.1%）, ciprofloxacine （58.3%） and meropenem （51.9%）. The isolates were vancomycin susceptible at a rate of 83.6%. Multidrug resistance to at least three antibiotics was observed to be 22.1% of Streptococcus spp.. Given the prevalence of Streptococcus spp. and the elevated resistance of isolates to various antibiotics it is concluded that further examinations and even interventions are required in order to pertain the appropriate animal health and milk quality.     

Light induced Nitrosomonas inhibition

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and verify the impact of light exposure on an enriched Nitrosomonas culture. Resting cells maintained under aerobic conditions without an exogenous ammonium-nitrogen source were fully inhibited within a 10 min period of ambient light contact (i.e. fluorescent and indirect natural room light). These cells were, however, protected against this inhibitive phenomenon during active respiration periods and during anoxic exposure conditions. Recovery, albiet partial, from such light induced inhibition was initiated after a “dark” contact period of approx. 2.5–3 h without exogenous ammonium presence. Research involving enriched or pure Nitrosomonas cultures (e.g. batch bioassay testing) should consequently be completed under environmental conditions designed to obviate this problem.     

一等奖:时间的层级

该竞赛方案是我们在国立雅典科技大学建筑工程学院的毕业论文项目的一部分.学校开展的大多数研究是关于雅典的城市环境问题处理,研究与干预的对象主要集中在城市特定区域.风景园林设计学科整合在建筑学院中.在过去3年的学习中,我们选择了大尺度的项目进行研究.然而,我们发现要对自然风景进行干预是极其困难的,甚至很小的一个举动就会在自然里留下痕迹.竞赛方案是有关于对柯蒂齐泻湖的干预.柯蒂齐泻湖位于希腊伯罗奔尼撒半岛西部,有温和的冬季和温暖的夏季,是希腊最重要的泻湖之一,也是往来非洲的候鸟栖息和中转的地方.     

3D extrusion of multi-biomaterial lattices using an environmentally informed workflow

The conventional building material palette has been proven limited in terms of adaptability to our current environmental challenges. Innovations in computational design and digital manufacturing have supported the broadening of biomaterial applications as an alternative. While biomaterials are characteristically responsive to stimuli such as temperature and humidity, their unpredictable behaviour is a hurdle to standardization and architectural utilisation. To examine the nexus between material formulation, computation and manufacturing, multi-biomaterial lattice structures were produced through an environmentally informed workflow. Customized biomaterial development resulted in three candidate biopolymer blends with varying levels of hydro-responsiveness and transparency. The computational strategy included a machine learning clustering algorithm to customise results and dictate material distribution outputs. To test the workflow, environmental data of solar radiation exposure and solar heat gain from a specific location was used to inform the material deposition via pneumatic extrusion for the design and digital fabrication of a deformation-controlled prototype of 350 mm × 350 mm. This led to a series of multi-biomaterial wall panel components that can be applied at architectural scale. In future, these techniques can support the incorporation of living elements to be embedded within the built environment for truly animate architecture.     

Biodiesel emissions profile in modern diesel vehicles. Part 2: Effect of biodiesel origin on carbonyl, PAH, nitro-PAH and oxy-PAH emissions

In the present study, the effects of different biodiesel blends on the unregulated emissions of a Euro 4 compliant passenger car were examined. Two fresh and two oxidized biodiesel fuels of different source materials were blended with an ultra low sulphur automotive diesel fuel at proportions of 10, 20, and 30% v/v. Emission measurements were conducted on a chassis dynamometer with a constant volume sampling (CVS) technique, over the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) and the Artemis driving cycles. The experimental results revealed that the addition of biodiesel led to important increases in most carbonyl compounds. Sharp increases were observed with the use of the oxidized biodiesel blends, especially those prepared from used frying oil methyl esters. Similar to carbonyl emissions, most PAH compounds increased with the addition of the oxidized biodiesel blends. It can be assumed that the presence of polymerization products and cyclic acids, along with the degree of unsaturation were the main factors that influenced carbonyl and PAH emissions profile.