Acrylamide in a fried potato dish (rösti) from restaurants in Zurich,Switzerland

Rösti, a fried potato product, is a large contributor to acrylamide exposure locally in Switzerland. A survey of 55 dishes prepared by 51 restaurants in the city of Zurich showed that the average rösti contained 702 µg/kg acrylamide. By analysing the content of reducing sugars in the potatoes used for frying, it is shown that with simple measures, the exposure to acrylamide could easily be reduced by factor 2 or more, while even improving the culinary experience. Though rösti is a typical dish in the German-speaking areas in Switzerland, the result may be of general interest for fried potato products which are popular in large areas of Central Europe.     

Efficient Lossy Compression for IoT Using SZ and Reconstruction with 1D U-Net

Mobile Networks and Applications - Several recent research has centered on maximizing Internet of Things (IoT) devices’ lifetime by deploying data reduction techniques on IoT nodes to reduce...     

Gradient tree boosting machine learning on predicting the failure modes of the RC panels under impact loads

This paper proposed a new approach in predicting the local damage of reinforced concrete (RC) panels under impact loading using gradient boosting machine learning (GBML), one of the most powerful techniques in machine learning. A number of experimental data on the impact test of RC panels were collected for training and testing of the proposed model. With the lack of test data due to the high cost and complexity of the structural behavior of the panel under impact loading, it was a challenge to predict the failure mode accurately. To overcome this challenge, this study proposed a machine-learning model that uses a robust technique to solve the problem with a minimal amount of resources. Although the accuracy of the prediction result was not as high as expected due to the lack of data and the unbalance experimental output features, this paper provided a new approach that may alternatively replace the conventional method in predicting the failure mode of RC panel under impact loading. This approach is also expected to be widely used for predicting the structural behavior of component and structures under complex and extreme loads.

     

Ultrahigh Responsivity in Graphene–ZnO Nanorod Hybrid UV Photodetector

Ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors based on ZnO nanostructure/graphene (Gr) hybrid‐channel field‐effect transistors (FETs) are investigated under illumination at various incident photon intensities and wavelengths. The time‐dependent behaviors of hybrid‐channel FETs reveal a high sensitivity and selectivity toward the near‐UV region at the wavelength of 365 nm. The devices can operate at low voltage and show excellent selectivity, high responsivity (R_I ), and high photoconductive gain (G). The change in the transfer characteristics of hybrid‐channel FETs under UV light illumination allows to detect both photovoltage and photocurrent. The shift of the Dirac point (V _Dirac) observed during UV exposure leads to a clearer explanation of the response mechanism and carrier transport properties of Gr, and this phenomenon permits the calculation of electron concentration per UV power density transferred from ZnO nanorods and ZnO nanoparticles to Gr, which is 9 × 10¹⁰ and 4 × 10¹⁰ per mW, respectively. The maximum values of R_I and G infer from the fitted curves of R_I and G versus UV intensity are 3 × 10⁵ A W^?1 and 10⁶, respectively. Therefore, the hybrid‐channel FETs studied herein can be used as UV sensing devices with high performance and low power consumption, opening up new opportunities for future optoelectronic devices.     

Kaempferol,a dietary flavonoid,ameliorates acute inflammatory and nociceptive symptoms in gastritis,pancreatitis, and abdominal pain

Kaempferol (KF) is the most abundant polyphenol in tea, fruits, vegetables, and beans. However, little is known about its in vivo anti‐inflammatory efficacy and mechanisms of action. To study these, several acute mouse inflammatory and nociceptive models, including gastritis, pancreatitis, and abdominal pain were employed. Kaempferol was shown to attenuate the expansion of inflammatory lesions seen in ethanol (EtOH)/HCl‐ and aspirin‐induced gastritis, LPS/caerulein (CA) triggered pancreatitis, and acetic acid‐induced writhing.     

Real-time multispectral imaging system for online poultry fecal inspection using unified modeling language

A prototype real-time multispectral imaging system for fecal and ingesta contaminant detection on broiler carcasses has been developed. The prototype system includes a common aperture camera with three optical trim filters (517, 565 and 802-nm wavelength), which were selected by visible/NIR spectroscopy and validated by a hyperspectral imaging system with decision tree algorithm. The on-line testing results showed that the multispectral imaging technique can be used effectively for detecting feces (from duodenum, ceca, and colon) and ingesta on the surface of poultry carcasses with a processing speed of 140 birds per minute. This paper demonstrated both multispectral imaging hardware and real-time image processing software. For the software development, the Unified Modeling Language (UML) design approach was used for on-line application. The UML models included class, object, activity, sequence, and collaboration diagram. User interface model included 17 inputs and 6 outputs. A window-based real-time image processing software composed of 11 components, which represented class, architecture, and activity. Both hardware and software for a real-time fecal detection were tested at the pilot-scale poultry processing plant. The run-time of the software including online calibration was fast enough to inspect carcasses on-line with an industry requirement. Based on the preliminary test at the pilot-scale processing line, the system was able to acquire poultry images in real-time. According to the test results, the imaging system is reliable for the harsh environments and UML-based image processing software is flexible and easy to be updated when additional parameters are needed for in-plant trials. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.     

Environmental sciences research in northern Australia, 2000–2011: a bibliometric analysis within the context of a national research assessment exercise

This paper reports on a bibliometric analysis of environmental sciences research in northern Australia between 2000 and 2011. It draws on publications data for Charles Darwin University (CDU) and James Cook University (JCU) researchers to present a bibliometric profile of the journals in which they publish, the citations to their research outputs, and the key research topics discussed in the publications. Framing this analysis, the study explored the relationship between the two universities’ publications and their ‘fit’ with the environmental sciences field as defined by the Australian research assessment model, Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA). The Scopus database retrieved more records than Web of Science, although only minor differences were seen in the journals in which researchers published most frequently and the most highly cited articles. Strong growth in publications is evident in the 12 year period, but the journals in which the researchers publish most frequently differ from the journals in which the most highly cited articles are published. Many of the articles by CDU and JCU affiliated researchers are published in journals outside of the environmental sciences category as defined by Scopus and Web of Science categories and the ERA, however, the research conducted at each university aligns closely with that institution’s research priorities.     

XTP over AAL 5 for multimedia applications

The emerging of high-speed networks provides the infrastructure for handling a wide set of new applications, covering distributed multimedia cooperative features. The new quality of service provided by these networks as well as the various requirements of these applications raises new architectural and protocol issues and trends to cope with this paradigm. The transport layer is one point of interest because it is the one between processing and communication. Also, aal type 5 is the most popular atm adaptation layer today and is available in all atm products. In this paper, we briefly overview the xtp and aal 5 key characteristics, then analyse how these two protocols can work together in order to provide the required services to the user’s applications.     

Chitosan Microspheres Prepared by Emulsification and Ionotropic Gelation

An attempt was made to prepare chitosan microspheres by an emulsion-phase separation technique but without the usual use of glutaraldehyde as a cross-linking agent. Instead, ionotropic gelation was employed in a w/o emulsion. The effect of formulation factors was examined. The results showed that microspheres so formed were spherical, free-flowing, and had smooth surfaces. The rate of addition of counterions was important. Gelation of chitosan droplets should take place before the destabilizing effect of the counterions occurred. This effect is associated with the increase in aqueous phase volume when the counterion solution is incorporated.