Thermophiles as Potential Source of Novel Endotoxin Antagonists: the Full Structure and Bioactivity of theLipo‐oligosaccharide from Thermomonas hydrothermalis

Thermomonas hydrothermalis is a Gram‐negative thermophilic bacterium that is able to live at 50 °C. This ability is attributed to chemical modifications, involving those to bacterial cell‐wall components, such as proteins and (glyco)lipids. As the main component of the outer membrane of Gram‐negative bacteria, lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) are exposed to the environment, thus they can undergo structural chemical changes to allow thermophilic bacteria to live at their optimal growth temperature. Furthermore, as one of the major target of the eukaryotic innate immune system, LPS elicits host immune response in a structure‐dependent mode; thus the uncommon chemical features of thermophilic bacterial LPSs might exert a different biological action on the innate immune system—an antagonistic effect, as shown in studies of LPS structure–activity relationship in the ongoing research into antagonist LPS candidates. Here, we report the complete structural and biological activity analysis of the lipo‐oligosaccharide isolated from Thermomonas hydrothermalis, achieved by a multidisciplinary approach (chemical analysis, NMR, MALDI MS and cellular immunology). We demonstrate a tricky and interesting structure combined with a very interesting effect on human innate immunity.     

Influence of Particle Size on the Drying Kinetics of Single Droplets Containing Mixtures of Nanoparticles and Microparticles: Modeling and Pilot-Scale Validation

The particle size of the primary particles is an important parameter influencing the drying behavior of droplets. In this work, the influence of particle size on the drying kinetics and grain properties was analyzed for droplets containing silica nanoparticles, microparticles, and mixtures of the two. The presence of microparticles was found to increase the drying rate and shrinkage of the droplet. The drying curves were modeled using a reaction engineering approach (REA) model. Finally, different suspensions were dried in a pilot-scale spray dryer in order to prove the influence of the particle size obtained in the levitator tests.     

Mesomorphic form of isotactic polypropylene in stereodefective polypropylene: Solid mesophase or liquid-crystal like structure

A study of the crystallization of the mesomorphic form of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) in samples of different stereoregularity prepared with metallocene catalysts is presented. Contrary to what claimed in the literature, we have found that the mesomorphic form can be obtained by quenching of the melt at 0 °C also in the case of low stereoregular samples, provided that the samples are kept at 0 °C for long time. The key is the formation of mesomorphic bundles with chains in ordered 3/1 helical conformation of size large enough to be stable and inhibit the crystallization of the α form at room temperature. For stereoirregular samples the concentration of long ordered helical stretches is low and this requires long residence time at 0 °C for the formation of mesomorphic aggregates of size larger than the critical size. This result provides evidence that the mesomorphic aggregates are not formed as a result of a cooperative process driven by entropy, as in the case of liquid crystals, but rather they form via a nucleation and growth mechanism, as in the normal crystallization processes, according to the idea that the mesophase of iPP is a highly defective crystalline form.     

Public Service Broadcasting's Participation in the Reconfiguration of Online News Content1

This article analyses public service broadcasting in Europe, looking at public broadcasters' role as promoters of participative processes. Computer‐mediated communication and studies rooted in mediated human interactivity are used to explore participative elements provided by digital technology, and how these can be incorporated into the news websites, through an empirical study of 5 case studies in the European market. The analysis is based on the methodology of content analysis with the goal of outlining the particularities of the participative elements implemented by each broadcaster and revealing the most common participative strategies. The findings suggest that although public service broadcasters offer a wide variety of possibilities, encouraging audiences to take on more active roles, their role is still peripheral and complementary.     

Analysis of coding risks in progressive transmission

In progressive image transmission, there exist some risks which may appear during the processing. A first class of risks is the diminishing coding performance when the occurrence of insignificant coefficients at each transmission time is a small-probability event. It may be a catastrophic transmission risk which can lead to major and irreversible bit losses. In a second class of risks, the performance of the transmission technique diminishes though the occurrence of insignificant sample is still a large-probability event.This paper shows a “Test of Transmission Risks” which can be used to analyze, for a given image, the performance of the state of the art in progressive transmission from the viewpoint of the catastrophic transmission risks. To this aim we make use of a decision making tool based on axioms requiring sensitivity to coding situations where the occurrence of insignificant sample at the transmission time may be either a small-probability or a large-probability event.     

Improving the safety and shelf-life of orange and mango juices using Panax ginseng, malic acid and potassium sorbate

In this research, several plant compounds were in vitro evaluated against Salmonella enterica ser. Saintpaul and Escherichia coli O157:H7 through disc’s method. Among them Panax ginseng (PG) showed the highest antimicrobial activity in comparison to other natural antimicrobials. Combinations of PG (2?% v/v) with malic acid (MA) (0.5?% v/v) and/or potassium sorbate (PS) (0.05?% v/v) were made for evaluating their effects on S. Saintpaul and E. coli O157:H7 populations in sterile and fresh mango and orange juices stored at 5?°C. The best combination of antimicrobial compounds on native flora (during 21?days) as well as sensory attributes (0?day) of fresh juices were evaluated. The antimicrobial compounds added into mango and orange juices were more effective against S. Saintpaul than against E. coli O157:H7. The combination of PG (2?% v/v), MA (0.5?% v/v) and PS (0.05?% v/v) showed the highest antimicrobial effectiveness against both pathogenic microorganisms in both juices, in addition to a higher microbiological inhibition during storage (21?days). Sensory attributes such as aroma, color and taste were enhanced, but acidity was notably affected in both juices. In conclusion, the combination of PG, MA and PS could be an effective method in the food industry for ensuring the microbial safety and quality in mango and orange juices.     

Microbiological shelf life and sensory evaluation of fruit juices treated by high-intensity pulsed electric fields and antimicrobials

The effect of combining high-intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF) with citric acid or cinnamon bark oil, as antimicrobial substances, on the microbiological shelf life of strawberry, orange, apple, pear and tomato juices was evaluated in addition to the sensory properties of these products. An extension of the microbiological shelf life of fruit juices treated by HIPEF with or without antimicrobial substances was observed in comparison with those juices without processing. Naturally occurring microorganisms in the juices were inactivated by HIPEF treatment. Among the HIPEF treated juices, those from strawberry and orange did not show microbial growth along the 91 days of storage at 5 °C. However, resident microbial populations in apple, pear and tomato juices only were controlled during that time when HIPEF was combined with antimicrobials. Therefore, combinations of those treatments may be a feasible alternative to thermal pasteurization to ensure the microbiological quality and safety in juices, and to avoid the risk of foodborne illness caused by the consumption of these commodities. No significant changes on the sensory attributes in all studied fruit juices processed by HIPEF were found; but, when citric acid or cinnamon bark oil were added, noticeable changes on some sensory attributes such as aroma, taste and sourness of these fruit juices were perceived.     

Gauging food and nutritional care quality in hospitals

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Food and nutritional care quality must be assessed and scored, so as to improve health institution efficacy. This study aimed to detect and compare actions related to food and nutritional care quality in public and private hospitals. METHODS: Investigation of the Hospital Food and Nutrition Service (HFNS) of 37 hospitals by means of structured interviews assessing two quality control corpora, namely nutritional care quality (NCQ) and hospital food service quality (FSQ). HFNS was also evaluated with respect to human resources per hospital bed and per produced meal. RESULTS: Comparison between public and private institutions revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the number of hospital beds per HFNS staff member (p = 0.02) and per dietitian (p < 0.01). The mean compliance with NCQ criteria in public and private institutions was 51.8% and 41.6%, respectively. The percentage of public and private health institutions in conformity with FSQ criteria was 42.4% and 49.1%, respectively. Most of the actions comprising each corpus, NCQ and FSQ, varied considerably between the two types of institution. NCQ was positively influenced by hospital type (general) and presence of a clinical dietitian. FSQ was affected by institution size: large and medium-sized hospitals were significantly better than small ones. CONCLUSIONS: Food and nutritional care in hospital is still incipient, and actions concerning both nutritional care and food service take place on an irregular basis. It is clear that the design of food and nutritional care in hospital indicators is mandatory, and that guidelines for the development of actions as well as qualification and assessment of nutritional care are urgent.     

Identifying organizational requirements for the implementation of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (AMT)

AMT selection and adoption processes have been extensively studied. Topics that include financial and human factors, productivity, and coordination of the AMT implementation establish a substantial content of the present research agenda. The purpose of this paper is to study the organizational factors that influence the AMT implementation, considering a manufacturing strategy context and an analysis based on an organizational design framework. The research strategy is based on ‘empirical iterations’ using survey secondary data, experts’ interviews information and multiple case studies. The results show that there is a set of recommendations, which strongly influence the AMT implementation. Companies require a structured and integrative approach for the AMT implementation in order to take advantage of all their individual and systemic benefits. The set of proposed AMT recommendations for integrating these technologies to the organizational design are framed by structural, process and contextual aspects.