A Review of Kernel Methods for Feature Extraction in Nonlinear Process Monitoring

Kernel methods are a class of learning machines for the fast recognition of nonlinear patterns in any data set. In this paper, the applications of kernel methods for feature extraction in industrial process monitoring are systematically reviewed. First, we describe the reasons for using kernel methods and contextualize them among other machine learning tools. Second, by reviewing a total of 230 papers, this work has identified 12 major issues surrounding the use of kernel methods for nonlinear feature extraction. Each issue was discussed as to why they are important and how they were addressed through the years by many researchers. We also present a breakdown of the commonly used kernel functions, parameter selection routes, and case studies. Lastly, this review provides an outlook into the future of kernel-based process monitoring, which can hopefully instigate more advanced yet practical solutions in the process industries

Metabolite profiling of the chemosphere of the macroalga ulva (ulvales, chlorophyta) and its associated bacteria

The eukaryotic green marine algae Ulva spp. (Chlorophyta), are usually associated with marine bacteria and exhibit therefore microbe-dependent growth and morphotypes. Ulva spp. might actively affect their microbiome by releasing specific compounds in its chemosphere. For instance, algal oxylipins including polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) derived from polyunsaturated acids (PUFAs) might play an important structuring role for the microbiome. In the present study, Ulva spp. collected at various sampling sites in the lagoon of the Ria Formosa (Portugal) have been studied with respect to (1) their ability to produce polyunsaturated aldehydes and (2) their ability to communicate with their surrounding bacteria via infochemicals. Lipoxygenase/hydroperoxidelyase mediated transformations convert polyunsaturated fatty acids into various oxylipins. These fatty acid transformations are highly diverse in marine algae and play a crucial role in e.g., signaling, chemical defense, and stress response often mediated through polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs). In this study, Ulva spp. were surveyed for PUAs. Ulva species with sea-lettuce like morphotype were demonstrated to produce elevated amounts of volatile C10-polyunsaturated aldehydes (2,4,7-decatrienal and 2,4-decadienal) upon tissue damage in contrast to Ulva species with tube-like morphotype. Moreover, morphogenetic and phylogenetic analyses of the collected Ulva species revealed chemotaxonomic significance of the perspective biosynthetic pathways. The aldehydes are derived from omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) with 20 or 18 carbon atoms including eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5 n-3), arachidonic acid (C20:4 n-6), stearidonic acid (C18:4 n-3), and gamma-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-6). As first evidences in this study, it was found that lipoxygenase-mediated (11-LOX and 9-LOX) eicosanoid and octadecanoid pathways catalyze the transformation of C20- and C18-polyunsaturated fatty acids into PUAs and concomitantly into short chain hydroxylated fatty acids. Ulva mutabilis Føyn (sl) with tube-like morphotype was used as an objective to investigate the chemical mediated interaction (infochemicals) within the chemosphere of tripartite community consisting of U. mutabilis and its associated marine bacteria i.e., Roseobacter and Cytophaga species. In the absence of these bacteria (axenic conditions), U. mutabilis forms callus-like colonies. However, the combination of the two bacterial strains, Roseobacter sp. and Cytophaga sp. can completely restore the morphogenesis of U. mutabilis forming a symbiotic tripartite community. The exo-metabolome of the chemosphere of this tripartite community was surveyed along with the biological metadata. Two different approaches and cultivation conditions i.e., sterile 25 L bioreactor cultures and non-sterile 200 L outdoor aquacultures were conducted which cultures were inoculated with axenic seven days old germlings. Indeed, it was feasible to observe the whole life cycle of the gametophyte under these conditions when the appropriate bacteria were inoculated as well. Hereby, the medium did not need to be changed. Bioassays revealed that U. mutabilis passed through three statuses of gametogenesis inducibility which can be distinguished whether Ulva is able to onset the gametogenesis: (1) gametogenesis is not inducible, (2) gametogenesis can be induced or (3) it starts even spontaneously. The nutrient depletion over the reproductive cycle shows that the utilization rate of nitrate as a limiting growth factor was significantly high during the inducible status, when the macroalgae was growing. The waterborne metabolites were extracted by solid phase extraction. The samples were directly analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and by gas chromatography (after derivatization) coupled with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS). Interestingly, discriminant analysis proofed that all waterborne metabolites obtained either from GC-MS or LC-MS were corresponding to the inducibility status of gametogenesis of U. mutabilis in both cultivation conditions. Even more interesting, many unknown biomarkers were found to be common in both bioreactor cultures and aquaculture, insuring the high probability of using these biomarkers as indicators to determine the growth phases corresponding to the status of gametogenesis inducibility in U. mutabilis under any cultivation condition in future land based aquacultures. Moreover, the present study revealed remarkable metabolic fingerprints which might due to the adaptation of U. mutabilis to changes in its surrounding environment. For instance, the algal biomarker 2,4,6-tribromophenol was detected in the chemosphere of the tripartite community under sterile cultivation (bioreactor) but not in the well-defined bacterial community under non-sterile cultivation (aquaculture). In summary, the changes of the metabolite profile between the growth phases were significant. Therefore, various statues in algal growth and life cycle can be predicted based on the dynamics of waterborne metabolites. This knowledge will be essential in order to maintain land based aquacultures providing economical relevant amounts of biomasses

Progress on Nutrient Composition, Meat Standardization and Grading, Processing and Safety in Different Types of Meat Sources

The alleged responsibility of meats and processed meat products for some of our population’s major health issues has created an opportunity for the promotion of meat analogs. This emerging competition forces the need for changes in livestock production systems for improving nutritive value and obtaining healthier and safer meat products. The morbidity and mortality attributed to Salmonella and other pathogens remain a public health issue. Hence, there is an urgent need for developing intervention technologies to control such pathogens. Beef is packaged with an array of healthy nutrients and is the highest valued livestock product. However, staples (e.g., pork, poultry) and some co-products can also be nutrient dense and/or provide a unique sensory experience with advantageous technological quality. Carcass yield is a major determinant of livestock value. Hence, objective technologies are strongly needed to effectively segregate the heterogeneous supply of carcasses into homogeneous groups in yield of cuts. Not all meats are created equal, and differences in their intrinsic characteristics may be expected when they are produced in different regions and under diverse production schemes. Nevertheless, reports aiming to characterize meats originated from different zones (e.g., tropical latitudes) are scarce. This Special Issue of Foods, “Progress on Nutrient Composition, Meat Standardization, Grading, Processing, and Safety for Different Types of Meat Sources”, comprising fourteen peer-reviewed papers, is now being released as a book that will serve as an invaluable reference in addressing the current dearth of knowledge regarding the aforementioned topics, and is also envisaged to serve in updating food scientists and stakeholders of the meat value chain globally

Electrical and Computer Engineering Research Report 2009

Department Research Publications Enterprisehttps://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/ece-annualreports/1004/thumbnail.jp

Fatty Acids in Natural Ecosystems and Human Nutrition

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) of the omega-3 family, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are physiologically important for many animals and humans. Moreover, fatty acids play an important roles in numerous contexts reflecting various levels: from their producers in natural ecosystems, microalgae, through to invertebrates and fish, and to culinary treatments of fish products for human consumption. Environmental threats such as anthropogenic pollution and its effects on PUFA yield in aquatic ecosystems as well as their transfer to terrestrial ecosystems are highlighted. Assumptions and challenges that are important for the study of PUFA in trophic webs of aquatic ecosystems as well as in human nutrition are discussed

Optimizing Plant Water Use Efficiency for a Sustainable Environment

The rising shortage of water resources in crop-producing regions worldwide and the need for irrigation optimisation call for sustainable water savings. The allocation of irrigation water will be an ever-increasing source of pressure because of vast agricultural demands under changing climatic conditions. Consequently, irrigation has to be closely linked with water-use efficiency with the aim of boosting productivity and improving food quality, singularly in those regions where problems of water shortages or collection and delivery are widespread. The present Special Issue (SI) showcases 19 original contributions, addressing water-use efficiency in the context of sustainable irrigation management to meet water scarcity conditions. These papers cover a wide range of subjects including (i) interaction mineral nutrition and irrigation in horticultural crops, (ii) sustainable irrigation in woody fruit crops, (iii) medicinal plants, (iv) industrial crops, and (v) other topics devoted to remote sensing techniques and crop water requirements, genotypes for drought tolerance, and agricultural management. The studies were carried out in both field and laboratory surveys, with modelling studies also being conducted, and a wide range of geographic regions are also covered. The collection of these manuscripts presented in this SI updates on and provides a relevant contribution for efficient saving water resources

Phenotypical and functional studies on putative cancer stem cells of human melanoma

Several lines of evidence obtained in a variety of human tumours support the theory of cancer stem cells (CSCs). The aim of this thesis was the isolation and the biomolecular characterization of the tumorigenic subpopulation of melanoma cells. Melanoma cells growing in stem cell medium as non-adherent colonies, here named 'melanospheres', were successfully isolated from melanoma specimens or from melanoma cell lines. Melanospheres displayed a self-renewal capacity and multipotency in vitro and were highly tumorigenic in vivo. Remarkably, melanosphere-derived xenografts maintained tumorigenic potential in subsequent recipients and mirrored the original melanoma of the patient. Melanospheres expressed a heterogeneous assortment of stem cell markers, and no direct and unique correlation between any of their phenotypes and in vivo tumorigenicity was found. Conversely, melanoma cells cultured in the presence of fetal calf serum displayed a lower tumorigenicity in SCID mice with limited engraftment capacity in secondary recipient animals. Moreover, adherent cell xenografts displayed a homogeneous phenotype for the expression of melanoma associated markers and contained cells with markers of full differentiation. Taken together our data provide further evidence on the heterogeneous nature of human melanomas and show that melanospheres and their xenografted tumours represent a useful model to investigate melanoma biology. The parent-to-progeny relationship between CSCs and tumour bulk does not necessarily reflect the well conserved and predictable rules operating in normal tissue development. CSCs may thus not be a static compartment but rather stemness features can be acquired by tumour cells in response to environmental signals. Thus, in this thesis, experiments have been performed to define the role of tumour environmental factors produced by melanoma cells themselves or by cells composing the tumour stroma in modulating the acquisition of sternness properties. The results provided in this thesis indicated that melanospheres display an extensive secretory capacity quantitatively and qualitatively different from that of melanoma cells growing as adherent monolayer. The roles of these immunerelated factors in shaping melanoma heterogeneity, plasticity and tumour maintenance are discussed