Antimicrobial activity of oregano oil on iceberg lettuce with different attachment conditions

In this study, the antimicrobial activity of oregano oil was investigated under different attachment conditions of Salmonella spp. to iceberg lettuce. Inoculated lettuce was either not dried or dried for 30 min, 60 min, or 120 min, under either static air or moving air. Washing iceberg lettuce with 500 ppm oregano oil for 1, 5, and 10 min reduced the population of Salmonella spp. by (respectively) 1.3, 1.65, and 2.28 log cfu/g following the most challenging inoculation conditions, an inoculum drying period of 2 h under moving air. Across all inoculation conditions, increasing the treatment time significantly increased the reductions in the populations of Salmonella spp. (P < 0.05). Browning and softening of the lettuce leaf surface was observed after 10 min of treatment with oregano oil. For each treatment time, attachment times and drying under static compared with moving air did not significantly affect the antimicrobial efficacy of the various oregano oil treatments (P > 0.05). The results obtained in this study suggest that oregano oil can effectively reduce populations of Salmonella attached to lettuce leaf surfaces. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The use of essential oils as an antimicrobial treatment can help to ensure the safety of leafy green products. As used in this study, oregano oil effectively reduced Salmonella spp., even after the pathogen had dried onto the lettuce leaves. Treatments that incorporate oregano oil therefore hold promise as a biocide treatment for process and packaged lettuce.     

The influence of breed and mh-genotype on carcass conformation, meat physico-chemical characteristics, and the fatty acid profile of muscle from yearling bulls

The influence of breed and mh-genotype on carcass conformation, meat physico-chemical characteristics and the fatty acid profile of muscle were studied. Samples from 16 yearling bulls from “Asturiana de los Valles” (AV, n = 12) and “Asturiana de la Montaña” (AM, n = 4) were collected. AV animals were classified into three groups according to the presence of the gene causing double-muscling (AV double-muscled (mh/mh), n = 4; AV heterozygous (mh/+), n = 4; AV normal (+/+), n = 4). Double-muscled animals displayed better carcass traits, lower total fat (comprised of subcutaneous (SC), intermuscular (IT) and intramuscular (IM) deposits), higher lean, moisture and drip loss, and lighter meat than AV normal animals. Heterozygous animals showed intermediate characteristics. AM animals, being a more rustic and smaller breed, showed lower conformation, higher total fat (SC, IT and IM), lower moisture and darker meat. According to the intramuscular fatty acid profile, mh/mh animals showed a lower proportion of SFA and MUFA, and a higher proportion of PUFA with an equal proportion of CLA in total fatty acid content. The P/S ratio increased with increasing number of mh alleles (or double-muscling character), while no differences between animal groups were found for the n − 6/n − 3 ratio.     

Identifying Genetic Biomarkers Predicting Response to Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Injections in Diabetic Macular Edema

Intraocular anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies are the front-line treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME); however, treatment response varies widely. This study aimed to identify genetic determinants associated with anti-VEGF treatment response in DME. We performed a genome-wide association study on 220 Australian patients with DME treated with anti-VEGF therapy, genotyped on the Illumina Global Screening Array, and imputed to the Haplotype Reference Consortium panel. The primary outcome measures were changes in central macular thickness (CMT in microns) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA in ETDRS letters) after 12 months. Association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes and DME outcomes were evaluated by linear regression, adjusting for the first three principal components, age, baseline CMT/BCVA, duration of diabetic retinopathy, and HbA1c. Two loci reached genome-wide significance (p < 5 × 10⁻⁸) for association with increased CMT: a single SNP on chromosome 6 near CASC15 (rs78466540, p = 1.16 × 10⁻⁹) and a locus on chromosome 12 near RP11-116D17.1 (top SNP rs11614480, p = 2.69 × 10⁻⁸). Four loci were significantly associated with reduction in BCVA: two loci on chromosome 11, downstream of NTM (top SNP rs148980760, p = 5.30 × 10⁻⁹) and intronic in RP11-744N12.3 (top SNP rs57801753, p = 1.71 × 10⁻⁸); one near PGAM1P1 on chromosome 5 (rs187876551, p = 1.52 × 10⁻⁸); and one near TBC1D32 on chromosome 6 (rs118074968, p = 4.94 × 10⁻⁸). In silico investigations of each locus identified multiple expression quantitative trait loci and potentially relevant candidate genes warranting further analysis. Thus, we identified multiple genetic loci predicting treatment outcomes for anti-VEGF therapies in DME. This work may potentially lead to managing DME using personalized treatment approaches.     

Growth of thin film ferroelectric PZT,PHT, and antiferroelectric PHO from atomic layer deposition precursors

We present a conformal method of growing ferroelectric lead hafnate-titanate (PbHf_xTi_1−xO₃, PHT) and lead zirconate-titanate (PbZr_xTi_1−xO₃, PZT) using atomic layer deposition (ALD) precursors. The 4+ cation precursors consist of tetrakis dimethylamino titanium (TDMAT), tetrakis dimethylamino zirconium (TDMAZ) and tetrakis dimethyl amino hafnium (TDMAH) for Ti, Zr, and Hf, respectively. The Pb (2+) precursor was Lead bis(3-N,N-dimethyl-2-methyl-2-propanoxide) [Pb(DMAMP)₂]. PZT was limited to lead titanate (PTO)-rich compositions, where x <0.25 for PbZr_xTi_1−xO₃, and exhibited a remnant polarization of 26-27 µC/cm² with a coercive field between 150 and 170 kV/cm. The 3D-structure coating capability of PZT was demonstrated by deposition on micromachined trench sidewalls 45 µm deep. We fabricated Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) cantilever arrays with PZT thin films grown using the present method and demonstrated piezoelectric actuation. Alternatively, PHT was deposited with Ti and Hf compositions within ±1 at.% of the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). The PHT exhibited a remanent polarization of 7.0-8.7 µC/cm² with a coercive field between 84-100 kV/cm. We applied the same Pb and Hf precursors from the PHT process to grow antiferroelectric lead-hafnate (PHO), which showed the characteristic electric field-induced ferroelectric phase transition at approximately ±280 kV/cm and a maximum polarization of approximately ±32.8 µC/cm².     

Forecasting renewable hydrogen production technology shares under cost uncertainty

This analysis applies a novel learning-curve methodology with uncertainty through Monte Carlo simulation to forecast market share of competing renewable fuel production technologies from 2025 through 2050. The analysis incorporates uncertainty in technology learning rate within Wright's Law, market rate of growth, and project-specific bidding to develop build-out scenarios for renewable hydrogen production capacity to serve the global market through 2050 with California as a proxy. Two major hydrogen production technologies are included: electrolyzers (with proton exchange membrane electrolytic cells as proxies) and thermochemical devices (with gasifiers as proxies). The method provides a quantitative foundation to forecasting technology shares in emerging sectors, overcomes the weakness of point estimates of relative cost that generally lead to binary behavior, and can support policy development and assessment of community impacts associated with the large-scale facility build-out needed to serve the growing demand for renewable hydrogen in transportation and other applications. Results show that biomass gasifiers are the dominant technology in the early market but the higher learning rate of electrolyzers and long-term trend of price decline for renewable electricity leads to equal shares for new installations by the mid-term and eventually to electrolyzers having the dominant share of new facilities. Electricity, biomass, and initial gasifier technology costs are the three primary factors impacting 2050 renewable hydrogen market composition.