bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application of Numerical Simulation Technology in New Intelligent Reinforcing Method of Shield Tunnel End in Seaside Environment
Authors: Zeng Hui , Liu Tongfei , Hu Jun
Published: March 2023

The instability of the soil at the shield end is an important safety hazard in shield tunnel construction. In loose and weak strata, the risk of instability and damage is higher, and the loss is greater. In this paper, the instability and failure of the end soil in loose and weak strata are studied. To ensure the smooth start and arrival of the shield and avoid engineering accidents such as end soil instability, surface subsidence, landslides, etc., during the construction process, this paper summarizes the commonly used reinforcement technology and characteristics of the shield in and out of the tunnel. Through numerical simulation, the influence of the thickness of the added solid on the formation and diaphragm wall is analyzed. It is found that the reinforcement effect increases with the increase in thickness of the added solid, but the change rate becomes smaller and smaller. The indoor triaxial test is used to find out the physical and mechanical properties of loose sand and soft clay. The biaxial compression numerical model is built with PFC2D (Particle Flow Code 2D PFC 6.0), and the wall constraint type is improved. With the help of the PFC biaxial test, the influence of model parameters on the macroscopic properties of the simulated material was analyzed. The research has certain reference values for the actual construction of the project.
A Video Splicing Forgery Detection and Localization Algorithm Based on Sensor Pattern Noise
Authors: Li Qian , Wang Rangding , Xu Dawen
Published: March 2023

Video splicing forgery is a common object-based intra-frame forgery operation. It refers to copying some regions, usually moving foreground objects, from one video to another. The splicing video usually contains two different modes of camera sensor pattern noise (SPN). Therefore, the SPN, which is called a camera fingerprint, can be used to detect video splicing operations. The paper proposes a video splicing detection and localization scheme based on SPN, which consists of detecting moving objects, estimating reference SPN, and calculating signed peak-to-correlation energy (SPCE). Firstly, foreground objects of the frame are extracted, and then, reference SPN are trained using frames without foreground objects. Finally, the SPCE is calculated at the block level to distinguish forged objects from normal objects. Experimental results demonstrate that the method can accurately locate the tampered area and has higher detection accuracy. In terms of accuracy and F1-score, our method achieves 0.914 and 0.912, respectively.
Reliability of Active Distribution Network Considering Uncertainty of Distribution Generation and Load
Authors: Xu Wentao , Zeng Siming , Du Xiaodong , Zhao Jianli , He Yuling , Wu Xuewei
Published: March 2023

An active distribution network is an important development trend of the power grid with widespread use of the distributed generation. The reliability of the active distribution network is not negligible due to the uninterruptible power supply. In the paper, the reliability evaluation method of the active distribution network is proposed in detail, based on combining the roulette wheel selection and the sequential Monte Carlo algorithm. The uncertainty of both the distribution generation and the load is taken into consideration based on the power probability distribution and the working state in the presented model. Furthermore, the IEEE-RBTS Bus 6 is used to verify the validity of the proposed method. The result shows that the new energy access improves the availability and the reliability of the active distribution network.
Statistical Analysis of Professors’ Assessment Regarding the Didactic Use of Virtual Reality: Engineering vs. Health
Authors: Fernández-Arias Pablo , Antón-Sancho Álvaro , Sánchez-Jiménez María , Vergara Diego
Published: March 2023

Virtual reality (VR) has proven to be an efficient didactic resource in higher education after the pandemic caused by COVID-19, mainly in the Engineering and Health Sciences degrees. In this work, quantitative research is carried out on the assessments made by Latin American professors of Health Sciences and Engineering of the didactic use of VR. Specifically, the gaps by university tenure in the assessments given by the professors of each of the two areas of knowledge analyzed are identified. For this purpose, a validated questionnaire has been used, which has been applied to a sample of 606 professors. As a result, it is shown that the professors of Engineering and Health Sciences have similar self-concepts of their digital competence, but the Engineering professors give higher values to the technical and didactic aspects of VR. Moreover, in both areas, professors from private universities rate VR technologies more highly than those from public universities, this gap being wider in Health Sciences. Finally, some recommendations are offered regarding digital training and the use of VR, derived from the results of this study.
Development and Experimental Validation of a Reduced-Scale Single-Phase Modular Multilevel Converter Applied to a Railway Static Converter
Authors: Rodrigues Nuno , Cunha Jose , Monteiro Vitor , Afonso Joao L.
Published: March 2023

With special emphasis in recent years, an increase has been verified not only in demand but also in the price of electricity, arising the need to develop more reliable and efficient electrical energy conversion systems. In this context, emerges the utilization of the modular multilevel converter (MMC) based on submodules. The key to the MMC is modularity, which allows the converter to reach higher performance levels, improving the voltage and current output signals of the converter, in a compact solution. The modularity concept allows the increase of the operation voltage using submodules in series, and the increase of the operating current using submodules in parallel. Additionally, in the event of a submodule malfunction, the converter can be reconfigured and continue the operation, albeit at a lower power level. Due to its versatility, the MMC can be used in a variety of applications, such as HVDC power transmission systems, solid-state transformers, renewable energy interfaces, and more recently, railway power systems. In this context, this paper focuses on the development and experimental validation of a single-phase MMC based on the use of half-bridge submodules applied to a railway static converter, where the main focus lies on the AC side control. The control algorithms are fully described for a single-phase MMC reduced-scale prototype implemented (500 W, 230 V–50 Hz, 200 VDC), connecting two submodules in series in the upper arm, two submodules also in series in the lower arm, the respective driver and command circuits, sensing and signal conditioning circuits, as well as a digital control platform recurring to the DSP TMS320F28379D. Experimental results were obtained to validate each submodule individually, and, later, to verify the operation of the MMC with the set of four submodules.
A Secure and Anonymous Authentication Protocol Based on Three-Factor Wireless Medical Sensor Networks
Authors: Lee JoonYoung , Oh Jihyeon , Park Youngho
Published: March 2023

Wireless medical sensor networks (WMSNs), a type of wireless sensor network (WSN), have enabled medical professionals to identify patients’ health information in real time to identify and diagnose their conditions. However, since wireless communication is performed through an open channel, an attacker can steal or manipulate the transmitted and received information. Because these attacks are directly related to the patients’ lives, it is necessary to prevent these attacks upfront by providing the security of WMSN communication. Although authentication protocols are continuously developed to establish the security of WMSN communication, they are still vulnerable to attacks. Recently, Yuanbing et al. proposed a secure authentication scheme for WMSN. They emphasized that their protocol is able to resist various attacks and can ensure mutual authentication. Unfortunately, this paper demonstrates that Yuanbing et al.’s protocol is vulnerable to smart card stolen attacks, ID/password guessing attacks, and sensor node capture attacks. In order to overcome the weaknesses and effectiveness of existing studies and to ensure secure communication and user anonymity of WMSN, we propose a secure and anonymous authentication protocol. The proposed protocol can prevent sensor capture, guessing, and man-in-the-middle attacks. To demonstrate the security of the proposed protocol, we perform various formal and informal analyses using AVISPA tools, ROR models, and BAN logic. Additionally, we compare the security aspects with related protocols to prove that the proposed protocol has excellent security. We also prove the effectiveness of our proposed protocol compared with related protocols in computation and communication costs. Our protocol has low or comparable computation and communication costs compared to related protocols. Thus, our protocol can provide services in the WMSN environment.
Enhancing Antimicrobial Peptide Productivity in Pichia pastoris (Muts Strain) by Improving the Fermentation Process Based on Increasing the Volumetric Methanol Consumption Rate
Authors: Kongsinkaew Chatchol , Chittapun Supenya , Piyapittayanun Chanitchote , Boonyaratanakornkit Viroj , Sooksai Sarintip , Ajariyakhajorn Kittisak , Pornpukdeewattana Soisuda , Krusong Warawut , Laemthong Tunyaboon , Charoenrat Theppanya
Published: March 2023

The instability of the protein expression in Pichia pastoris strains has been an issue for various peptide productions. Some modifications to the traditional fermentation process could potentially solve the problem. Here, we consider a four-stage fermentation process to express the CAP2 (cell-penetrating antimicrobial peptide 2) candidate in P. pastoris KM71H, a slow methanol utilization strain. During the fermentation process, CAP2 productivity is limited (6.15 ± 0.21 mg/L·h) by the low overall methanol consumption (approximately 645 g), which is mainly the result of the slow methanol utilization of the P. pastoris KM71H. To overcome this limitation, we increased the cell concentration two-fold prior to the induction stage. A fed-batch process with exponential and dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) stat feeding strategies was deployed to control the glycerol feed, resulting in an increase in cell concentration and enhancement of the volumetric methanol consumption rate. The improved fermentation process increased the overall methanol consumption (approximately 1070 g) and the CAP2 productivity (13.59 ± 0.24 mg/L·h) by 1.66 and 2.21 times, respectively. In addition, the CAP3 (cell-penetrating antimicrobial peptide 3) candidate could also be produced using this improved fermentation process at a high yield of 3.96 ± 0.02 g/L without any further optimization. Note that there was no oxygen limitation during the improved fermentation process operating at high cell density. This could be due to the controlled substrate addition via the DOT stat system.
Low pH Stress Enhances Gluconic Acid Accumulation with Enzymatic Hydrolysate as Feedstock Using Gluconobacter oxydans
Authors: Dai Lin , Lian Zhina , Fu Yixiu , Zhou Xin , Xu Yong , Zhou Xuelian , Kuznetsov Boris N. , Jiang Kankan
Published: March 2023

Gluconic acid has been increasingly in demand in recent years due to the wide applications in the food, healthcare and construction industries. Plant-derived biomass is rich in biopolymers that comprise glucose as the monomeric unit, which provide abundant feedstock for gluconic acid production. Gluconobacter oxydans can rapidly and incompletely oxidize glucose to gluconic acid and it is regarded as ideal industrial microorganism. Once glucose is depleted, the gluconic acid will be further bio-oxidized to 2-ketogluconic acid by Gluconobacter oxydans. The endpoint is difficult to be controlled, especially in an industrial fermentation process. In this study, it was found that the low pH environment (2.5~3.5) could limit the further metabolism of gluconic acid and that it resulted in a yield over 95%. Therefore, the low pH stress strategy for efficiently producing gluconic acid from biomass-derived glucose was put forward and investigated with enzymatic hydrolysate. As a result, 98.8 g/L gluconic acid with a yield of 96% could be obtained from concentrated corncob enzymatic hydrolysate that initially contained 100 g/L glucose with 1.4 g/L cells loading of Gluconobacter oxydans. In addition, the low pH stress strategy could effectively control end-point and decrease the risk of microbial contamination. Overall, this strategy provides a potential for industrial gluconic acid production from lignocellulosic materials.
Sulphate Uptake Plays a Major Role in the Production of Sulphur Dioxide by Yeast Cells during Oenological Fermentations
Authors: Granuzzo Sara , Righetto Francesca , Peggion Caterina , Bosaro Matteo , Frizzarin Martina , Antoniali Paolo , Sartori Geppo , Lopreiato Raffaele
Published: March 2023

Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is mostly used as an antioxidant additive in winemaking, but excessive levels may be harmful to both wine quality and consumers health. During fermentation, yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae contributes significantly to final SO2 levels, and low-producing strains become especially interesting for the wine industry. Recent evidence implicating the impairment of sulphate transport in the SO2 decrease prompted us to further investigate the sulphate/sulphite metabolic connection in multiple winery yeast strains. Here, we inactivated by CRISPR/Cas9 the high-affinity sulphate permeases (Sul1p and Sul2p) in four strains normally used in winemaking, selected by their different abilities to produce SO2. Mutant strains were then used to perform fermentation assays in different types of natural must, and the final levels of SO2 and other secondary metabolites, crucial for wine organoleptic properties, were further determined for all fermentation products. Overall, data demonstrated the double ΔSUL1/ΔSUL2 inactivation in winery strains significantly decreases the levels of SO2 produced by mutant cells, without however altering both yeast fermentative properties and the ability to release relevant metabolites. Since similar effects were observed in diverse must types for strains with different features, the data strongly support that sulphate assimilation is the determining factor in SO2 production during oenological fermentations.
Microalgal Feedstock for Biofuel Production: Recent Advances, Challenges, and Future Perspective
Authors: Khan Shoyeb , Das Probir , Abdul Quadir Mohammed , Thaher Mahmoud Ibrahim , Mahata Chandan , Sayadi Sami , Al-Jabri Hareb
Published: March 2023

Globally, nations are trying to address environmental issues such as global warming and climate change, along with the burden of declining fossil fuel reserves. Furthermore, countries aim to reach zero carbon emissions within the existing and rising global energy crisis. Therefore, bio-based alternative sustainable feedstocks are being explored for producing bioenergy. One such renewable energy resource is microalgae; these are photosynthetic microorganisms that grow on non-arable land, in extreme climatic conditions, and have the ability to thrive even in sea and wastewater. Microalgae have high photosynthetic efficiencies and biomass productivity compared to other terrestrial plants. Whole microalgae biomass or their extracted metabolites can be converted to various biofuels such as bioethanol, biodiesel, biocrude oil, pyrolytic bio-oil, biomethane, biohydrogen, and bio jet fuel. However, several challenges still exist before faster and broader commercial application of microalgae as a sustainable bioenergy feedstock for biofuel production. Selection of appropriate microalgal strains, development of biomass pre-concentrating techniques, and utilization of wet microalgal biomass for biofuel production, coupled with an integrated biorefinery approach for producing value-added products, could improve the environmental sustainability and economic viability of microalgal biofuel. This article will review the current status of research on microalgal biofuels and their future perspective.
Assessment of the Quality and Safety of Fermented Foods
Authors: Zinina Oksana
Published: March 2023

Since ancient times, fermentation has been used to increase the shelf life and improve the safety of food raw materials [...]
Effects of Fire Location and Forced Air Volume on Fire Development for Single-Ended Tunnel Fire with Forced Ventilation
Authors: Zhao Jinlong , Wang Zhenhua , Hu Zhenqi , Cui Xinyuan , Peng Xiandu , Zhang Jianping
Published: March 2023

Single-ended tunnels are a typical structure and an important part during tunnel construction. In the case of a fire in a single-ended tunnel, forced ventilation is commonly used to create a safe area near the excavation face. This work is aimed at examining the effects of fire location and air volume on fire development for single-ended tunnel fires with forced ventilation. A single-ended tunnel was built in Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), and twenty simulation tests were carried out. In the simulation, the distribution of flow field, temperature, and CO concentration in the tunnel were measured and analyzed. The results show that three regions can be identified based on airflow directions and velocity: (1) turbulent flow zone, (2) turbulent flow transition zone, and (3) steady flow zone. It was found that the maximum ceiling temperature rise decreases first with the distance between the fire source and the excavation face (XL), and then increases with a further increase in XL. The simulation results also showed that CO can easily accumulate on the ventilation duct side at the fire source position and the opposite side of the ventilation duct 5.0–15.0 m downstream of the fire source. Both the CO concentration and the maximum ceiling temperature rise decrease with increasing air volume, while the larger forced air volume will result in a higher risk for the downstream regions. The present results are of practical importance in firefighting and personnel evacuation in single-ended tunnels with a forced ventilation system.
Numerical Simulation on Smoke Temperature Distribution in a Large Indoor Pedestrian Street Fire
Authors: Lin Weidong , Liu Qiyu , Zhang Meihong , Cai Bihe , Wang Hui , Chen Jian , Zhou Yang
Published: March 2023

In order to study the characteristics of fire smoke spread and temperature distribution of a large indoor pedestrian street under different heat release rates and smoke exhaust modes, this paper focuses on the analysis of fire smoke spread, visibility, smoke temperature distribution and variation curves in an atrium. This paper uses a numerical simulation method to conduct research. PyroSim fire simulation software is used to calculate this project, which is based on a full-scale experimental design scheme. The numerical simulation results show that under the conditions of higher heat release rate, the smoke spread rate is greater than that under the conditions of lower heat release rate. Furthermore, the average temperature of smoke in the atrium is also greater, up to about 400 °C. The conditions of a higher heat release rate also show the characteristics of faster generation, faster spread and a larger volume of smoke. When the smoke exhaust system is turned on, the thickness of the smoke layer and the smoke temperature decrease. There then comes a situation where the stabile section of the fire ends in advance. The simulation results of vertical temperature distribution in an atrium can fit the modified McCaffrey plume model in any case. Under all cases, the smoke temperature reaches the maximum directly above the fire source. The horizontal dimensionless smoke temperature rises under the atrium roof, and decreases exponentially with the dimensionless distance from the fire source. The greater the heat release rate of fire source is, the smaller the attenuation coefficient is, with a more than 50% change. When the smoke exhaust system is turned on, the smoke flow accelerates and the smoke is cooled rapidly. Thus, the attenuation coefficient increases. Additionally, the effect of mechanical smoke exhaust is better than natural smoke exhaust, because mechanical smoke exhaust makes air flow and heat exchange more intense. The variation amplitudes of the attenuation coefficient under natural smoke exhaust and mechanical smoke exhaust are 13% and 22%, respectively.
Effects of Three Extraction Methods on Avocado Oil Lipid Compounds Analyzed via UPLC-TOF-MS/MS with OPLS-DA
Authors: Liu Yijun , Xia Qiuyu , Qian Yangyang , Kuang Yu , Liu Jiameng , Lin Lijing
Published: March 2023

Avocado oil is excellent functional oil. Effects of three extraction methods (squeezing extraction, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, and aqueous extraction) on the species, composition, and contents of lipids in avocado oil were analyzed via ultra-performance liquid chromatography–time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-TOF-MS/MS), and the differential components of lipids were revealed by OrthogonalPartialLeast Squares-DiscriminantAnalysis (OPLS-DA), S-plot combined with variable importance in the projection (VIP). The results showed that the fatty acid composition of avocado oil mainly consisted of oleic acid (36–42%), palmitic acid (25–26%), linoleic acid (14–18%), and palmitoleic acid (10–12%). A total of 134 lipids were identified first from avocado oil, including 122 glycerides and 12 phospholipids, and the total number of carbon atoms contained in the fatty acid side chains of the lipids was 32–68, and the number of double bonds was 0–9. Forty-eight differential lipid compounds with significant effects of the three extraction methods on the lipid composition of avocado oil were excavated, among which the differences in triglycerides (TG), phosphatidylethanol (PEtOH), and phosphatidylmethanol (PMeOH) contents were highly significant, which provided basic data to support the subsequent guidance of avocado oil processing, quality evaluation, and functional studies.
Differentiation of Geographic Origin of South African Wines from Austrian Wines by IRMS and SNIF-NMR
Authors: Horacek Micha , Nieuwoudt Helene , Bauer Florian F. , Bagheri Bahareh , Setati Mathabatha E.
Published: March 2023

Geographic origin and terroir are very important parameters for wine and significantly impact price. Incorrect declarations are known to occur intentionally to increase profit, thus, measures for control are required. Accompanying paperwork has been shown to be unreliable, thus, control of the product itself is required. Here we investigate and compare the stable isotope pattern of South African (Western Cape Province) wine, and evaluate its potential for discrimination from Central European/Austrian wine. The results show that the isotope values of the investigated South African wine samples differ significantly from the values of average Austrian (Central European) wines. Thus, a differentiation of the products from these two regions by stable isotope analysis is generally straightforward. However, the data suggest that vintages from years with exceptionally hot and dry summer weather in Europe may reduce the differentiation between these regions. Therefore, this method is a potent tool for the discrimination of Austrian (Central European) and South African wines under current climatic conditions, although drier and hotter summer weather in Europe, which is likely to occur more frequently due to global climate change, may require further method adjustments in the future.
Shoot Nutrition and Flavor Variation in Two Phyllostachys Species: Does the Quality of Edible Bamboo Shoot Diaphragm and Flesh Differ?
Authors: Fan Lili , Hu Junjing , Guo Ziwu , Chen Shuanglin , He Qijiang
Published: March 2023

For their quality evaluation, it is essential to determine both bamboo shoot nutrition and palatability, which will have a decisive effect on their economic value and market potential. However, differences in shoot nutrition and flavor variation among bamboo species, positions, and components have not been scientifically validated. This study assessed nutritional and flavor differences in two components (i.e., shoot flesh (BSF) and diaphragm (BSD)) of two Phyllostachys species (i.e., Phyllostachys edulis and Phyllostachys violascens) and analyzed any positional variation. Results showed that BSF protein, starch, fat, and vitamin C contents were comparatively higher. Nutrient compounds in the upper shoot segment of Ph. edulis were higher and contained less cellulose and lignin. However, both species’ BSD total acid, oxalic acid, and tannin contents were comparable. BSD soluble sugar and sugar:acid ratio were higher than upper BSD total amino acid, four key amino acids (i.e., essential amino acid, bitter amino acid, umami amino acid, and sweet amino acid flavor compounds), and associated ratios were all higher than BSF while also being rich in amino acids. The content and proportion of BSF essential and bitter amino acid flavor compounds in Ph. edulis were high relative to Ph. violascens. Conversely, the content and proportion of BSD umami and sweet amino acid flavor compounds were comparable to that of Ph. edulis. Our results showed that bamboo shoot quality was affected by flavor compound differences and that interspecific and shoot components interact. This study offers a new perspective to determine the formative mechanisms involved in bamboo shoot quality while providing a basis for their different usages.
Hepatoprotective Effect of Albumin Peptide Fractions from Corn Germ Meal against Alcohol-Induced Acute Liver Injury in Mice
Authors: Yu Yali , Guan Shiyao , Feng Mengmeng , Wang Lijun , Gao Feng
Published: March 2023

Acute alcoholic liver disease can cause serious liver damage. This study reports on the hepatoprotective effect of albumin peptide fractions from corn germ meal (MW < 1 kDa) (APF4) on acute alcohol hepatic damage in mice. In the mice model, the results indicated that APF4 at a dose of 800 mg/kg/bw could markedly boost alcohol metabolism, which was shown in the reduced duration of the loss of the righting reflex; the reduced level of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aminotransferase (AST), triglycerides (TG), and malondialdehyde (MDA) (p < 0.01); the enhanced activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH); and the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) levels being increased by up to 84.02% and 193.22% (p < 0.01) compared to the control group. The antioxidant capability and lipid peroxidation inhibition activity of APF4 may be responsible for its protective effect against liver damage induced by alcohol. The findings suggested that APF4 had the hepatoprotective property against liver damage induced by alcohol.
Pressurized Liquid Extraction for the Production of Extracts with Antioxidant Activity from Borututu (Cochlospermum angolense Welw.)
Authors: Chipaca-Domingos Honória S. , Ferreres Federico , Fornari Tiziana , Gil-Izquierdo Angel , Pessela Benevides C. , Villanueva-Bermejo David
Published: March 2023

Borututu (Cochlospermum angolense Welw.) roots have been described as a rich source of phenolic compounds. Despite the potential of this plant for the production of bioactive extracts, studies reported until now have been scarce, and they have been based on the use of inefficient conventional extraction techniques. In this study, pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) was investigated for the production of borututu root extracts. Different temperatures (50–200 °C) and solvents (water, ethanol, and 50% ethanol:water) were applied. The total phenolic compound (TPC) content, the main phenolic compounds and the in vitro antioxidant activity of the extracts were evaluated. The results were compared with those obtained by conventional decoction with water. The highest concentrations of TPC and antioxidant activity were obtained with 50% ethanol:water, followed by water. The extract obtained with 50% ethanol:water at 150 °C had a TPC concentration of 343.80 mg/g and presented the largest antioxidant activity (1488 and 4979 µmol Trolox/g extract, determined by DDPH and ABTS assay, respectively). These values were considerably higher than those obtained by conventional decoction. Ellagic acid, and ellagic and methyl ellagic acid glycosides were the main phenolic compounds found in the extracts. Therefore, was PLE demonstrated to be a selective and efficient technique to obtain extracts with high concentrations of phenolic compounds and high antioxidant activity form borututu roots.
Pathways Affected by Falcarinol-Type Polyacetylenes and Implications for Their Anti-Inflammatory Function and Potential in Cancer Chemoprevention
Authors: Alfurayhi Ruyuf , Huang Lei , Brandt Kirsten
Published: March 2023

Polyacetylene phytochemicals are emerging as potentially responsible for the chemoprotective effects of consuming apiaceous vegetables. There is some evidence suggesting that polyacetylenes (PAs) impact carcinogenesis by influencing a wide variety of signalling pathways, which are important in regulating inflammation, apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, etc. Studies have shown a correlation between human dietary intake of PA-rich vegetables with a reduced risk of inflammation and cancer. PA supplementation can influence cell growth, gene expression and immunological responses, and has been shown to reduce the tumour number in rat and mouse models. Cancer chemoprevention by dietary PAs involves several mechanisms, including effects on inflammatory cytokines, the NF-κB pathway, antioxidant response elements, unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway, growth factor signalling, cell cycle progression and apoptosis. This review summarises the published research on falcarinol-type PA compounds and their mechanisms of action regarding cancer chemoprevention and also identifies some gaps in our current understanding of the health benefits of these PAs.
Characterization and Antibiotic Resistance of Listeria monocytogenes Strains Isolated from Greek Myzithra Soft Whey Cheese and Related Food Processing Surfaces over Two-and-a-Half Years of Safety Monitoring in a Cheese Processing Facility
Authors: Andritsos Nikolaos D. , Mataragas Marios
Published: March 2023

Listeriosis is a serious infectious disease with one of the highest case fatality rates (ca. 20%) among the diseases manifested from bacterial foodborne pathogens in humans, while dairy products are often implicated as sources of human infection with Listeria monocytogenes. In this study, we characterized phenotypically and genetically by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) 54 L. monocytogenes strains isolated from Myzithra, a traditional Greek soft whey cheese (48 isolates), and swabs collected from surfaces of a cheese processing plant (six isolates) in the Epirus region of Greece. All but one strain of L. monocytogenes belonged to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) serogroups IIa (16.7%) and IIb (81.5%), corresponding to serotypes 1/2a, 3a and 1/2b, 3b, 7, respectively. The latter was identified as a PCR-serogroup IVb strain (1.8%) of serotypes 4b, 4d, 4e. Bioinformatics analysis revealed the presence of five sequence types (STs) and clonal complexes (CCs); ST1, ST3, ST121, ST 155, ST398 and CC1, CC3, CC121, CC155, CC398 were thus detected in 1.9, 83.3, 11.0, 1.9, and 1.9% of the L. monocytogenes isolates, respectively. Antibiograms of the pathogen against a panel of seven selected antibiotics (erythromycin, tetracycline, benzylpenicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, and meropenem) showed that 50 strains (92.6%), the six surface isolates also included, were intermediately resistant to ciprofloxacin and susceptible to the rest of the six antimicrobial agents tested, whereas strong resistance against the use of a single from three implicated antibiotics was recorded to four strains (7.4%) of the pathogen isolated from Myzithra cheese samples. Thence, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined for erythromycin (MIC = 0.19 μg/mL), ciprofloxacin (MIC ≥ 0.19 μg/mL), and meropenem (MIC = 0.64 μg/mL), and finally, just one strain was deemed resistant to the latter antibiotic. The phylogenetic positions of the L. monocytogenes strains and their genetic variability were determined through WGS, whilst also stress response and virulence gene analysis for the isolates was conducted. Findings of this work should be useful as they could be utilized for epidemiological investigations of L. monocytogenes in the food processing environment, revealing possible contamination scenarios, and acquired antimicrobial resistance along the food production chain.
A Rice Hazards Risk Assessment Method for a Rice Processing Chain Based on a Multidimensional Trapezoidal Cloud Model
Authors: Yu Jiabin , Chen Huimin , Zhang Xin , Cui Xiaoyu , Zhao Zhiyao
Published: March 2023

Rice is common in the human diet, making rice safety issues important. Moreover, rice processing safety is key for rice security, so rice processing chain risk assessment is critical. However, methods proposed to assess the rice processing chain risk have issues, such as the use of unreasonable thresholds for the rice processing chain and fixed weight. To solve these problems, we propose a risk assessment method for the rice processing chain based on a multidimensional trapezoidal cloud model. First, an evaluation model based on a multidimensional trapezoidal cloud model was established. Based on the historical evaluation results, Atanassov’s interval-valued intuition language numbers (AIVILNs) were introduced to determine the cloud model’s parameters. Second, the concept of dynamic weight was introduced to integrate the static and dynamic weights. An exponential function was used to construct dynamic weighting mechanisms, and the analytic hierarchy stage (AHP) was used to construct a static weight. The proposed method was validated by 104 sets of rice processing chain data, and the results show that the method could evaluate the risk level of the rice processing chain more accurately and reasonably than other methods, indicating that it can provide a sound decision-making basis for food safety supervision authorities.
Molecular Approaches for Food Protein Allergenicity Assessment and the Diagnosis and Treatment of Food Allergies
Authors: Lozano-Ojalvo Daniel , Benedé Sara
Published: March 2023

Food allergy, an adverse immune reaction triggered by commonly innocuous food proteins, is a health problem that affects millions of people worldwide (around 10% of the global population), and the most recent reports suggest its increasing progression [...]
A Comparative Study of Skimmed Milk and Cassava Flour on the Viability of Freeze-Dried Lactic Acid Bacteria as Starter Cultures for Yogurt Fermentation
Authors: Ibrahim Iddrisu , Ayariga Joseph Atia , Xu Junhuan , Boakai Robertson K. , Ajayi Olufemi S. , Owusu-Kwarteng James
Published: March 2023

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the survival rates and fermentation performance of three freeze-dried lactic acid bacterial cultures previously isolated from Ghanaian traditional fermented milk. LAB cultures, i.e., Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides, were frozen in the chamber of a Telstar (Lyoquest) laboratory freeze dryer for 10 h at −55 °C (as single and combined cultures) using skimmed milk and cassava flour as cryoprotectants held in plastic or glass cryovials. For viability during storage, freeze-dried LAB cultures were stored in a refrigerator (4 °C) and at room temperature (25 °C) for 4 weeks. The survival of freeze-dried cultures was determined by growth kinetics at 600 nm (OD600). The performance of freeze-dried LAB cultures after 4 weeks of storage was determined by their growth, acidification of milk during yogurt fermentation and consumer sensory evaluation of fermented milk using a nine-point hedonic scale. The survival rates for LAB ranged between 60.11% and 95.4% following freeze-drying. For single cultures, the highest survival was recorded for Lactobacillus delbrueckii (L12), whereas for combined cultures, the highest survival was observed for Lactococcus lactis (L3) combined with Lactobacillus delbrueckii (L12). The consumer acceptability results showed that yogurts produced from a combined starter culture of Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus delbrueckii or from a single culture of Lactococcus lactis were the most preferred products with Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus delbrueckii possessing high survival rates and high consumer acceptability in yogurt production. These findings are crucial and can be adopted for large-scale production and commercialization of yogurt.
An Ethereum-Based Distributed Application for Enhancing Food Supply Chain Traceability
Authors: Kechagias Evripidis P. , Gayialis Sotiris P. , Papadopoulos Georgios A. , Papoutsis Georgios
Published: March 2023

In today’s era, humanity has been overwhelmed by technological revolutions that have changed and will continue to change how business operations are performed, directly or indirectly. At the same time, the processes within the supply chain are quite complex, and as technology and processes evolve, they become more and more challenging. Traceability has become a critical issue in the food industry to ensure safety, quality, and compliance with regulations. The adoption of blockchain technology in the food supply chain has gained significant attention as a potential solution to improve traceability. This paper presents the development of a distributed application for table olives’ traceability on the Ethereum network. The paper also presents a methodological framework, which can help anyone aiming to implement an Ethereum decentralized application and demonstrates the practical use of the developed application by a Greek table olives producer. The application significantly improved the producer’s product traceability by providing a secure, transparent, and efficient solution for tracking and tracing the products in the supply chain. The app reduced the time, increased the accuracy and reliability of data, improved supply chain efficiency, and helped the producer comply with international regulations and standards.
Extended Convergence for Two Sixth Order Methods under the Same Weak Conditions
Authors: Argyros Ioannis , Regmi Samundra , John Jinny , Jayaraman Jayakumar
Published: March 2023

High-convergence order iterative methods play a major role in scientific, computational and engineering mathematics, as they produce sequences that converge and thereby provide solutions to nonlinear equations. The convergence order is calculated using Taylor Series extensions, which require the existence and computation of high-order derivatives that do not occur in the methodology. These results cannot, therefore, ensure that the method converges in cases where there are no such high-order derivatives. However, the method could converge. In this paper, we are developing a process in which both the local and semi-local convergence analyses of two related methods of the sixth order are obtained exclusively from information provided by the operators in the method. Numeric applications supplement the theory.
Mittag–Leffler Functions in Discrete Time
Authors: Atıcı Ferhan M. , Chang Samuel , Jonnalagadda Jagan Mohan
Published: March 2023

In this paper, we give an efficient way to calculate the values of the Mittag–Leffler (h-ML) function defined in discrete time hN, where h>0 is a real number. We construct a matrix equation that represents an iteration scheme obtained from a fractional h-difference equation with an initial condition. Fractional h-discrete operators are defined according to the Nabla operator and the Riemann–Liouville definition. Some figures and examples are given to illustrate this new calculation technique for the h-ML function in discrete time. The h-ML function with a square matrix variable in a square matrix form is also given after proving the Putzer algorithm.
On Exact Solutions of Some Space–Time Fractional Differential Equations with M-truncated Derivative
Authors: Özkan Ayten , Özkan Erdoĝan Mehmet , Yildirim Ozgur
Published: March 2023

In this study, the extended G′/G method is used to investigate the space–time fractional Burger-like equation and the space–time-coupled Boussinesq equation with M-truncated derivative, which have an important place in fluid dynamics. This method is efficient and produces soliton solutions. A symbolic computation program called Maple was used to implement the method in a dependable and effective way. There are also a few graphs provided for the solutions. Using the suggested method to solve these equations, we have provided many new exact solutions that are distinct from those previously found. By offering insightful explanations of many nonlinear systems, the study’s findings add to the body of literature. The results revealed that the suggested method is a valuable mathematical tool and that using a symbolic computation program makes these tasks simpler, more dependable, and quicker. It is worth noting that it may be used for a wide range of nonlinear evolution problems in mathematical physics. The study’s findings may have an influence on how different physical problems are interpreted.
End-to-End QA with Polymer Gel Dosimeter for Photon Beam Radiation Therapy
Authors: Zhu Libing , Du Yi , Peng Yahui , Xiang Xincheng , Wang Xiangang
Published: March 2023

With the complexity and high demands on quality assurance (QA) of photon beam radiation therapy, end-to-end (E2E) QA is necessary to validate the entire treatment workflow from pre-treatment imaging to beam delivery. A polymer gel dosimeter is a promising tool for three-dimensional (3D) dose distribution measurement. The purpose of this study is to design a fast “one delivery” polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantom with a polymer gel dosimeter for the E2E QA test of the photon beam. The one delivery phantom is composed of ten calibration cuvettes for the calibration curve measurement, two 10 cm gel dosimeter inserts for the dose distribution measurement, and three 5.5 cm gel dosimeters for the square field measurement. The one delivery phantom holder is comparable in size and shape to that of a human thorax and abdomen. In addition, an anthropomorphic head phantom was employed to measure the patient-specific dose distribution of a VMAT plan. The E2E dosimetry was verified by undertaking the whole RT procedure (immobilization, CT simulation, treatment planning, phantom set-up, imaged-guided registration, and beam delivery). The calibration curve, field size, and patient-specific dose were measured with a polymer gel dosimeter. The positioning error can be mitigated with the one-delivery PMMA phantom holder. The delivered dose measured with a polymer gel dosimeter was compared with the planned dose. The gamma passing rate is 86.64% with the MAGAT-f gel dosimeter. The results ascertain the feasibility of the one delivery phantom with a polymer gel dosimeter for a photon beam in E2E QA. The QA time can be reduced with the designed one delivery phantom.
Effect of Black Tea Powder on Antioxidant Activity and Gel Characteristics of Silver Carp Fish Balls
Authors: Hong Jinling , Wu Jiaying , Chen Yanhong , Jiang Zedong , Zhu Yanbing , Li Zhipeng , Chen Xianmu , Ni Hui , Zheng Mingjing
Published: March 2023

The effect of black tea powder on the antioxidant activity and gel characteristics of fish balls from silver carp were investigated after freezing storage for 7 days. The results show that black tea powder with different concentrations of 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3% (w/w) could significantly increase the antioxidant activity of fish balls (p < 0.05). In particular, at the concentration of 0.3%, the antioxidant activity was the strongest among these samples, where the reducing power, DPPH, ABTS and OH free radical scavenging rate were up to 0.33, 57.93%, 89.24% and 50.64%, respectively. In addition, black tea powder at the level of 0.3% significantly increased the gel strength, hardness and chewiness while greatly reducing the whiteness of the fish balls (p < 0.05). ESEM observation found that the addition of black tea powder could promote the crosslinking of proteins and reduced the pore size of the gel network structure of the fish balls. The results suggest that black tea powder could be used as a natural antioxidant and gel texture enhancer in fish balls, which we found to be much related to the phenolic compounds of black tea powder.
Comprehensive Geriatric Care in Older Hospitalized Patients with Depressive Symptoms
Authors: Niemöller Ulrich , Arnold Andreas , Stein Thomas , Juenemann Martin , Farzat Mahmoud , Erkapic Damir , Rosenbauer Josef , Kostev Karel , Meyer Marco , Tanislav Christian
Published: March 2023

Background/Objectives: Depressive symptoms (DS) may interfere with comprehensive geriatric care (CGC), the specific multimodal treatment for older patients. In view of this, the aim of the current study was to investigate the extent to which DS occur in older hospitalized patients scheduled for CGC and to analyze the associated factors. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate whether DS are relevant with respect to outcomes after CGC. Methods: For this retrospective study, all patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were selected by reviewing case files. The main inclusion criterion was the completion of CGC within the defined period (May 2018 and May 2019) in the geriatrics department of the Diakonie Hospital Jung-Stilling Siegen (Germany). The Geriatric Depression Scale was used to asses DS in older adults scheduled for CGC (0–5, no evidence of DS; 6–15 points, DS). Scores for functional assessments (Timed Up and Go test (TuG), Barthel Index, and Tinetti Gait and Balance test) were compared prior to versus after CGC. Factors associated with the presence of DS were studied. Results: Out of the 1263 patients available for inclusion in this study, 1092 were selected for the analysis (median age: 83.1 years (IQR 79.1–87.7 years); 64.1% were female). DS (GDS > 5) were found in 302 patients (27.7%). The proportion of female patients was higher in the subgroup of patients with DS (85.5% versus 76.3%, p = 0.024). Lower rates of patients diagnosed with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease were detected in the subgroup of patients without DS (8.0% versus 14.9%, p = 0.001). Higher rates of dizziness were observed in patients with DS than in those without (9.9% versus 6.2%, p = 0.037). After CGC, TuG scores improved from a median of 4 to 3 (p < 0.001) and Barthel Index scores improved from a median of 45 to 55 (p < 0.001) after CGC in both patients with and without DS. In patients with DS, the Tinetti score improved from a median of 10 (IQR: 4.75–14.25) prior to CGC to 14 (IQR 8–19) after CGC (p < 0.001). In patients without DS, the Tinetti score improved from a median of 12 (IQR: 6–7) prior to CGC to 15 (IQR 2–20) after CGC (p < 0.001). Conclusions: DS were detected in 27.7% of the patients selected for CGC. Although patients with DS had a poorer baseline status, we detected no difference in the degree of improvement in both groups, indicating that the performance of CGC is unaffected by the presence of DS prior to the procedure.