Critical electric field strengths of onion tissues treated by pulsed electric fields

The impact of pulsed electric fields (PEF) on cellular integrity and texture of Ranchero and Sabroso onions (Allium cepa L.) was investigated. Electrical properties, ion leakage rate, texture, and amount of enzymatically formed pyruvate were measured before and after PEF treatment for a range of applied field strengths and number of pulses. Critical electric field strengths or thresholds (E(c)) necessary to initiate membrane rupture were different because dissimilar properties were measured. Measurement of electrical characteristics was the most sensitive method and was used to detect the early stage of plasma membrane breakdown, while pyruvate formation by the enzyme alliinase was used to identify tonoplast membrane breakdown. Our results for 100-μs pulses indicate that breakdown of the plasma membrane occurs above E(c)= 67 V/cm for 10 pulses, but breakdown of the tonoplast membrane is above either E(c)= 200 V/cm for 10 pulses or 133 V/cm for 100 pulses. This disparity in field strength suggests there may be 2 critical electrical field strengths: a lower field strength for plasma membrane breakdown and a higher field strength for tonoplast membrane breakdown. Both critical electric field strengths depended on the number of pulses applied. Application of a single pulse at an electric field up to 333 V/cm had no observable effect on any measured properties, while significant differences were observed for n≥10. The minimum electric field strength required to cause a measurable property change decreased with the number of pulses. The results also suggest that PEF treatment may be more efficient if a higher electric field strength is applied for a fewer pulses.     

Bioremediation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene under field conditions

In situ bioremediation of the nitroaromatic explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) provides a cost-effective alternative for cleaning up contaminated sites. Here we compare the effectiveness of several bioremediation techniques: natural attenuation, bioaugmentation with TNT-degrading Pseudomonas putida JLR11, phytoremediation with maize (Zea mays L.) and broad beans (Vicia faba L.), and rhizoremediation with maize and broad beans inoculated with P. putida JLR11. Experiments in spiked hydroponic medium demonstrated that inoculation with bacteria did not affect TNT levels. On the other hand, axenic plants were able to remove 32% to 38% of the TNT from the medium. However, when plants were inoculated with bacteria,TNT disappeared to an even greater extent (80% to 88%), a result that advocates a role for P. putida JLR11 in rhizoremediation. In field experiments neither natural attenuation nor bioaugmentation with P. putida JLR11 affected TNT levels to a significant degree. However, the extractable TNT content in rhizosphere soil associated to maize roots decreased by more than 96% in 60 days regardless of inoculation. This indicates that under these field conditions, the effect of phytoremediation by maize overshadowed any effect of rhizoremediation by P. putida JLR11.     

Hydroxydicarboxylic acids: markers for secondary organic aerosol from the photooxidation of alpha-pinene

Detailed organic analysis of fine (PM2.5) rural aerosol collected during summer at K-puszta, Hungary from a mixed deciduous/coniferous forest site shows the presence of polar oxygenated compounds that are also formed in laboratory irradiated alpha-pinene/NOx/air mixtures. In the present work, two major photooxidation products of alpha-pinene were characterized as the hydroxydicarboxylic acids, 3-hydroxyglutaric acid, and 2-hydroxy-4-isopropyladipic acid, based on chemical, chromatographic, and mass spectral data. Different types of volatile derivatives, including trimethylsilyl ester/ether, methyl ester trimethylsilyl ether, and ethyl ester trimethylsilyl ether derivatives were measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and their electron ionization (El) spectra were interpreted in detail. The proposed structures of the hydroxydicarboxylic acids were confirmed or supported with reference compounds. 2-Hydroxy-4-isopropyladipic acid formally corresponds to a further reaction product of pinic acid involving addition of a molecule of water and opening of the dimethylcyclobutane ring; this proposal is supported by a laboratory irradiation experiment with alpha-pinene/NOJ0 air. In addition, we report the presence of a structurally related minor alpha-pinene photooxidation product, which was tentatively identified as the C7 homolog of 3-hydroxyglutaric acid, 3-hydroxy-4,4-dimethylglutaric acid. The detection of 2-hydroxy-4-isopropyladipic acid in ambient aerosol provides an explanation for the relatively low atmospheric concentrations of pinic acid found during daytime in forest environments.     

Antioxidant activity of Potentilla fruticosa

The molecular structures of the radical scavenging compounds present in extracts of Potentilla fruticosa blossoms were elucidated and the antioxidant activities of various extracts were determined. The activities of the different fractions were monitored by off‐line and on‐line RP‐HPLC DPPH^? and ABTS^?+ scavenging methods. Twelve compounds were isolated and identified, namely ellagic acid, catechin, quercetin‐3‐β‐glucopyranoside, quercetin‐3‐β‐galactopyranoside, quercetin‐3‐β‐rutinoside, quercetin‐3‐β‐glucuronopyranoside, quercetin‐3‐α‐arabinofuranoside, kaempferol‐3‐β‐rutinoside, kaempferol‐3‐O‐β‐(6″‐O‐(E)‐p‐coumaroyl)glucopyranoside, rhamnetin‐3‐β‐glucopyranoside and rhamnetin‐3‐β‐galactopyranoside. The radical scavenging activity of each isolated compound was measured using DPPH^? and ABTS^?+ assays and compared with the activity of rosmarinic acid. Catechin and ellagic acid were found to be the most active radical scavengers. The antioxidant properties of plant fractions were assessed in model systems by measuring superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide scavenging, β‐carotene bleaching, hexanal production in edible oil, peroxide formation, and the increase in UV absorbance in the course of oxidation. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

The influence of processing on the microbial risk associated with Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) tea

This review discusses the influence of processing on the microbial risk associated with Salmonella in Rooibos tea, the identification of Salmonella and preventative and control measures to control microbial contamination. Rooibos tea, like other plant products, naturally contains a high microbial load. Downstream processing steps of these products usually help in reducing any contaminants present. Due to the delicate flavour properties and nature of Rooibos, gentle processing techniques are necessary for the production of good quality tea. However, this has a major influence on the microbiological status of the product. The presence of Salmonella in Rooibos is poorly understood. The ubiquitous distribution of Salmonella in the natural environment and its prevalence in the global food chain, the physiological adaptability, virulence of the bacterial pathogen and its serious economic impact on the food industry, emphasises the need for continued awareness and stringent controls at all levels of food production. With the advances of technology and information at hand, the processing of Rooibos needs to be re‐evaluated. Since the delicate nature of Rooibos prohibits the use of harsh methods to control Salmonella, alternative methods for the steam pasteurisation of Rooibos show great potential to control Salmonella in a fast, efficient and cost‐effective manner. These alternative methods will significantly improve the microbiological quality of Rooibos and provide a product that is safe to consumers. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

The influence of proximity dimensions on international research collaboration: an analysis of European water projects

In this paper we investigate the effect of geographical, organisational and social proximity on the propensity of organisations to collaborate internationally in knowledge production. We apply logistic regression models on data from water research projects in the European Union’s Framework Programme 1–7. Although the main challenges in the water sector typically cut across borders, knowledge development is traditionally organised in national systems. These systems have a long tradition in collaborating across societal sectors. Despite the fact that about half of the collaborations in the Framework Programmes are not proximate at all, we show that all three proximity dimensions contribute to the propensity to collaborate. The three dimensions of proximity are weakly correlated, and there is a small substitution effect between organisational and geographical proximity.     

A simulation model of residential mobility and housing choice

Residential mobility is the outcome of housing market search. Mobility rates depend on the search intensity of the household, the arrival rate of opportunities in the market, and the rates of acceptance of these opportunities by the households. Micro-analytical models of overt mobility fail in decomposing the compound rate into its constituent parts and can therefore not distinguish between demand- or supply-driven changes in the housing market. Micro-analytical models of stated preferences are only partial and do not reflect the actual behaviour of households in a specific housing market context. Simulation models of residential mobility and housing market search offer a potential advantage over micro-analytical models, due to their flexible nature. By simulating demand, supply, and the actual match of households to vacancies, a full representation of the housing market can be given. TheLocSim model presented here is a micro simulation model of a local housing market and is illustrative of the potential for modelling residential mobility. This includes:

-the variation in search intensities of households, dependent on the motive for moving, including dependence on events in other than the housing career;

-the generation of supply, as an unintended outcome of the residential mobility of households that move to another dwelling;

-the adjustment of initial preferences, as households become aware of the opportunities and constraints in the local housing market during their search;

-the public choice, with respect to the creation of opportunities by stimulating the construction of dwellings and with respect to imposing constraints on the accessibility of social rented housing.

The application of this model to the specific group of young people in the process of household formation illustrates the sensitivity of the rates of residential mobility and out-migration to shortages and other constraints in the local housing market.     

Computational intelligence methods for the efficient reliability analysis of complex flood defence structures

With the continual rise of sea levels and deterioration of flood defence structures over time, it is no longer appropriate to define a design level of flood protection, but rather, it is necessary to estimate the reliability of flood defences under varying and uncertain conditions. For complex geotechnical failure mechanisms, it is often necessary to employ computationally expensive finite element methods to analyse defence and soil behaviours; however, methods available for structural reliability analysis are generally not suitable for direct application to such models where the limit state function is only defined implicitly. In this study, an artificial neural network is used as a response surface function to efficiently emulate the complex finite element model within a Monte Carlo simulation. To ensure the successful and robust implementation of this approach, a genetic algorithm adaptive sampling method is designed and applied to focus sampling of the implicit limit state function towards the limit state region in which the accuracy of the estimated response is of the greatest importance to the estimated structural reliability. The accuracy and gains in computational efficiency obtainable using the proposed method are demonstrated when applied to the 17th Street Canal flood wall which catastrophically failed when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005.