Development and characteristics of biodegradable Aloe‐gel/egg white films

The use of synthetic nonbiodegradable polymers has led to environmental damage. This has encouraged the interest to the development of new renewable and biodegradable matrices. The potential of egg white (EW) protein for the development of bioplastic materials has been published. However, the mixture of EW with Aloe‐gel (AG) for film formation has not been documented. In this study, films with different EW and AG combinations are manufactured and their properties are analyzed. In general, the AG/EW films are homogeneous, smooth, with no pores and with cumulus of protein on the surface with better extensibility, plasticity, and low tensile strength. In addition, they are yellow colored, UV‐light blocker, with high solubility (2.2 times) and high Water Vapor Permeability (4.17 times) compared with the control (EW film). The AG/EW films showed higher percentage of soluble protein and antibacterial activity than the control. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44067.     

Measuring mental workload with the NASA-TLX needs to examine each dimension rather than relying on the global score: an example with driving

The distinction between several components of mental workload is often made in the ergonomics literature. However, measurements used are often established from a global score, notably with several questionnaires that originally reflect several dimensions. The present study tested the effect of driving situation complexity, experience and subjective levels of tension and alertness on each dimension of the NASA-TLX questionnaire of workload, in order to highlight the potential influence of intrinsic, extraneous and germane load factors. The results showed that, in complex situation, mental, temporal and physical demand (load dimensions) increased, and that novice drivers presented high physical demand when subjective tension was low on performance. Moreover, increase of mental and physical demand increased effort. It thus, appears essential to distinguish the different components of mental workload used in the NASA-TLX questionnaire.

Practitioner Summary: Currently, global score of NASA-TLX questionnaire is used to measure mental workload. Here, we considered independently each dimension of NASA-TLX, and results showed that mental load factors (driving situation complexity, experience, subjective tension and alertness) had a different effect on dimensions, questioning global score use to evaluate workload.     

The relative power of logspace and polynomial time reductions

There exist many different formalisms to model the notion of resource bounded truth-table reduction. Most papers in which truthtable reductions appear refer to the seminal paper of Ladner, Lynch and Selman for a definition. The definition of truth-table reductions given there however, pertains to only one of the possible incarnations of the notion. For larger resource bounds, this definition often coincides with other-often implicitly used-definitions of the notion. In this paper we focus our attention on resource bounds for which the various definitions probably donot pertain to the same notion. In particular, we show that coincidence of different notions implies coincidence of complexity classes likeNC ₁,LOG, andP, which are widely believed to be different.     

Sterols and Stanols in Foods and Dietary Supplements Containing Added Phytosterols: A Collaborative Study

An international, multilaboratory collaborative study was carried out to evaluate the performance of Official Method Ce 12‐16 of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) for the determination of plant sterols and stanols, collectively referred to as phytosterols, in foods and dietary supplements containing added phytosterols and in the phytosterol food additive concentrates used to prepare such products. AOCS Official Method Ce 12‐16 involves the extraction of free sterols/stanols and saponified steryl/stanol esters followed by the gas chromatographic separation and flame ionization detection of phytosterol trimethylsilyl ether derivatives. A total of 14 laboratories from six countries successfully completed the analysis of collaborative samples of foods (e.g., baked goods, beverages, margarines; n = 9), dietary supplements (n = 5), and phytosterol concentrates (n = 4). Study results for the contents of total phytosterols (weight/weight) were 0.19–8.4% for foods, 8.7–49% for dietary supplements, and 57–97% for concentrates. AOCS Official Method Ce 12‐16 showed acceptable performance for total and individual phytosterols, indicating that this method was suitable for the determination of added phytosterols in a wide variety of market products and concentrates. AOCS Official Method Ce 12‐16 is appropriate for the determination of the five major phytosterols (i.e., campesterol, stigmasterol, β‐sitosterol, campestanol, and sitostanol) that are the subject of the United States Food and Drug Administration's health claim for phytosterols and the reduced risk of coronary heart disease.     

Biological control of postharvest spoilage caused by Penicillium expansum and Botrytis cinerea in apple by using the bacterium Rahnella aquatilis

The epiphytic bacterium Rahnella aquatilis, isolated from fruit and leaves of apples, was tested for antagonistic properties against Penicillium expansum and Botrytis cinerea on Red Delicious apple fruit. In "in vitro" assays, this bacterium inhibited completely the germination of P. expansum and B. cinerea spores, but it needed direct contact with the spores to do it. However the putative mechanism seemed be different for the two pathogens. The bacterium did not produce extracellular antibiotic substances and when the acute toxicity test was performed no mortality, toxicity symptoms or organ alterations of the test animals (Wistar rats) were observed. Assays of biological control of P. expansum and B. cinerea on apple fruit were carried out at different temperatures. At 15 degrees C and 90% RH, the incidence of disease caused by P. expansum on apples stored for 20 days, was reduced by nearly 100% by R. aquatilis (10(6) cells/ml), while in the case of B. cinerea, the reduction of decay severity was nearly 64% but there was no reduction in the incidence of disease. At 4 degrees C and 90% RH the treatment with the bacterium significantly inhibited the development of B. cinerea on apples stored for 40 days and the incidence of disease was reduced by nearly 100%, while the incidence of disease caused by P. expansum at 4 degrees C was 60%. The results obtained show that R. aquatilis would be an interesting microorganism to be used as a biocontrol agent.     

Fortifying food in the field to boost nutrition: case studies from Afghanistan, Angola, and Zambia

Deficiencies in micronutrients such as iron, vitamin A, and iodine affect billions of people worldwide, causing death, disease, and disability. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has long been recognised for its ability to deliver food to some of the most remote locations, under the toughest conditions: refugees in border camps, populations cut off by conflict, extremely poor and marginalised people like ethnic minorities, orphans, and widows. Relatively little, however, is known about its efforts to ensure that the food it delivers not only provides enough calories for immediate survival but also provides the vitamins and minerals needed for healthy growth and development. Much of the food delivered by WFP is fortified with iron, vitamin A, and other micronutrients before being shipped. But there are several reasons to mill and fortify food as close to the beneficiaries as possible. For instance, milling and fortifying food locally helps to overcome the problems of the short shelf-life of whole fortified maizemeal. It also enhances the nutritional value of locally procured cereals. And it can foster demand for fortified foods among local consumers beyond WFP beneficiaries, thus nurturing an industry with potentially significant benefits for the health of entire communities. This paper outlines three approaches by WFP to fortifying cereals in Afghanistan, Angola, and Zambia. It examines the challenges faced and the outcomes achieved in an effort to share this knowledge with others dedicated to improving the nutritional status of poor and food-insecure people. In Afghanistan, attempts to mill and fortify wheat flour using small-scale chakki mills were successful but much larger-scale efforts would be needed to promote demand and reach the level of consumption required to address serious iron deficiencies across the country. In Angola, maize has been fortified to combat the persistent occurrence of pellagra, a micronutrient deficiency disease found among people whose diets are dominated by maize. By providing fortification equipment to a commercial mill at the port of Lobito and using a vitamin and mineral pre-mix provided by UNICEF, this project has overcome many of the difficulties common in countries emerging from conflict to provide monthly fortified maize rations to some 115,000 beneficiaries. In Zambia, iron deficiency anaemia was a serious problem among camp-restricted refugees. WFP and its partners imported, installed, and trained workers in the use of two containerized milling and fortification units (MFUs), halved iron-deficiency anaemia, and reduced vitamin A deficiency among camp residents. In addition, WFP dramatically reduced waiting times for refugees who used to have their whole grain maize rations milled at small local facilities with insufficient milling capacity. The context and scale of each of the three case-studies described in this paper was different, but the lessons learned are comparable. All projects were succesful in their own right, but also required a considerable amount of staff time and supervision as well as external technical expertise, limiting the potential for scaling up within the WFP operational context. In order to expand and sustain the provision of fortified cereal flour to WFP beneficiaries and beyond, getting the private milling sector as well as governments on board would be crucial. Where this is not possible, such as in very isolated, difficult to reach locations, strong, specialized partners are a prerequisite, but these are few in number. Alternatively, in such contexts or in situations where the need is urgent and cannot be met through local flour fortification in the short term, or through local purchases of fresh foods, other approaches to improve the diet, such as the use of multimicronutrient formulations, packed for individual or household use, may be more appropriate.     

Radon carcinogenesis: risk data and cellular hits

Abundant epidemiological data are now available (2008) on the human lung cancer response for lifetime radon gas exposure to residential concentrations of 100 Bq m(-3), equal to 22 working level months over 40 y. We combined published pooled epidemiological data and dosimetric calculations of alpha particle hits to target basal or mucous cell nuclei in bronchial epithelium. This yields an estimate that about 10 000 basal nuclei (target) cell hits per cm(2) per person over a lifetime are involved in radon-related lung cancer. The DNA target cell area (cross section) for a hit is about 2 bp. The present epidemiology indicates that 1000 persons need to be exposed to this hit rate for observable cancers to be detected. The mechanism proposed is that the extensive prior DNA damage in smokers, followed by alpha particle damage to a critical site in checkpoint genes, accounts for the greater lung cancer response in smokers.     

Chrysomelidial in the Opisthonotal Glands of the Oribatid Mite, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oribotritia berlesei</Emphasis>

Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analyses of whole body extracts of Oribotritia berlesei, a large-sized soil-dwelling oribatid mite, revealed a consistent chemical pattern of ten components, probably originating from the well-developed opisthonotal glands. The three major components of the extract were the iridoid monoterpene, (3S,8S)-chrysomelidial (about 45% of the extract), the unsaturated hydrocarbon 6,9-heptadecadiene, and the diterpene beta-springene (the latter two, each about 20-25% of the extract). The remaining minor components (together about 10% of the extract) included a series of hydrocarbons (tridecene, tridecane, pentadecene, pentadecane, 8-heptadecene, and heptadecane) and the tentatively identified 9,17-octadecadienal. In contrast, analysis of juveniles showed only two compounds, namely a 2:1 mixture of (3S,8S)-chrysomelidial and its epimer, epi-chrysomelidial (3S,8R-chrysomelidial). Unexpectedly, neither adult nor juvenile secretions contained the so-called astigmatid compounds, which are considered characteristic of secretions of oribatids above moderately derived Mixonomata. The chrysomelidials, as well as beta-springene and octadecadienal, are newly identified compounds in the opisthonotal glands of oribatid mites and have chemotaxonomic potential for this group. This is the first instance of finding chrysomelidials outside the Coleoptera.