Fear of COVID-19, loneliness, smartphone addiction, and mental wellbeing among the Turkish general population: a serial mediation model

The novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a major health problem worldwide. The impact of COVID-19 has also been associated with psychological and social problems. The main objective of the present study was to examine the associations between fear of COVID-19 and mental wellbeing, through a serial mediation analysis that included loneliness and smartphone addiction. Utilising convenience sampling from 73 of 81 cities in Turkey via the web-based survey the present study comprised 773 participants (556 females and 217 males; aged between 18 and 66 years) were collected. Self-report data were collected including psychometric measures assessing fear of COVID-19, loneliness, smartphone addiction, and mental wellbeing. Fear of COVID-19 was found to have both a direct and indirect effect on mental wellbeing. In addition, results supported a serial mediation model where fear of COVID-19 was found to influence mental wellbeing via loneliness and smartphone addiction in a sequential manner. The findings suggest that higher fear of COVID-19 is associated with lower mental wellbeing by negatively affecting individuals’ emotion and behaviour

Dlgap1 knockout mice exhibit alterations of the postsynaptic density and selective reductions in sociability

Abstract The scaffold protein DLGAP1 is localized at the post-synaptic density (PSD) of glutamatergic neurons and is a component of supramolecular protein complexes organized by PSD95. Gain-of-function variants of DLGAP1 have been associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), while haploinsufficient variants have been linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia in human genetic studies. We tested male and female Dlgap1 wild type (WT), heterozygous (HT), and knockout (KO) mice in a battery of behavioral tests: open field, dig, splash, prepulse inhibition, forced swim, nest building, social approach, and sucrose preference. We also used biochemical approaches to examine the role of DLGAP1 in the organization of PSD protein complexes. Dlgap1 KO mice were most notable for disruption of protein interactions in the PSD, and deficits in sociability. Other behavioral measures were largely unaffected. Our data suggest that Dlgap1 knockout leads to PSD disruption and reduced sociability, consistent with reports of DLGAP1 haploinsufficient variants in schizophrenia and ASD

Automated commercial slaughter lines of pigs and cattle

Ubojnie zwierząt rzeźnych od kilku lat zaliczane są do podmiotów, które coraz częściej zgłaszają zapotrzebowanie na rozwiązania z dziedziny automatyki i robotyki. W związku z tym obserwuje się wzrost produkcji urządzeń automatycznych, robotów i integratorów systemów sterujących dostosowanych do pracy w liniach uboju i obróbki poubojowej tusz zwierząt rzeźnych. Automatyzacja i robotyzacja procesów technologicznych wykonywanych na liniach uboju przyczynia się m.in. do: poprawy higieny, zmniejszenia kosztów jednostkowych, zwiększenia produkcji, poprawy efektywności i powtarzalności wykonywanych czynności, skrócenia czasu wykonywania poszczególnych operacji jednostkowych, co istotnie wpływa na jakość surowca. W niniejszej pracy omówiono w pełni zautomatyzowane linie uboju i obróbki poubojowej tusz trzody chlewnej i bydła z jednoczesnym opisem operacji jednostkowych. Podano również typy robotów stosowanych w liniach uboju trzody chlewnej produkowanych przez firmy będące liderami w branży.Commercial slaughter lines of pigs and cattle have been one of branches that more and more often have demanded automated slaughter lines, automated unit operation and robots for several years. For this reason, there has been observed the growing production of robots, automated slaughter lines and integrating units of control system which fitted to the operation in slaughter lines. The automation and robotics of slaughtering technology contributes to the improved hygiene, reduction of unit costs, production growth, efficiency improvement, repetitiveness of activities and shortening the duration of unit operations. The article discusses full automated slaughter lines of pigs and cattle with a description of unit operation as well as types of robots applied in pig slaughter lines produced by branch leaders

Impact of frozen storage on some functional properties and sensory evaluation of goose meat

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to investigate the changes in the functional properties (pH, water holding capacity [WHC], water binding capacity [WBC], cooking losses [CL], defrosting losses [DL]), color parameters (L*, a*, b*, C, h°, ΔE), and sensory evaluation of breast (BM) and leg (LM) muscles from 17-wk-old female White Kołuda geese packaged in a vacuum and stored in frozen conditions at −20°C. During 17 wk, the geese were fed ad libitum on the same complete feed. The samples (18 BM and 18 LM) from the right part of the carcasses were stored for 30, 90, 80, 270, and 365 d. The changes in functional properties were established using a standard method used in the meat industry, according to Wierbicki et al. (1962), Grau and Hamm (1953), and CIE, (1986). Sensory evaluation was established according to defined parameters in PN-ISO 8586-2:2008. The time of frozen storage affected the decrease in WHC and WBC of BM and LM. Moreover, the LM can be characterized by a higher WHC and WBC compared to the values in the BM. It was established that CL and DL, which are the critical quality indicators, negatively increased in BM and LM during frozen storage. Considering the sensory evaluation and L*, a*, b*, C, it was established that changes in BM and LM during frozen storage were unfavorable. The scores given for smell, taste, consistency, and general appearance, as also L*, a*, and b* parameters decreased significantly during frozen storage. In addition, BM received lower scores for general appearance (at 180th and 270th day), and L* (in all frozen storage), than LM. BM and LM characterized the parameter ΔE in the range of 0.44 to 1.45, which allowed us to conclude that slight color differences were visible in these muscles (<2). Based on the study, it can be suggested that the optimal frozen storage time for BM and LM should not be longer than 180 d

The effects of sous-vide, microwave cooking and stewing of goose meat on fatty acid profile and lipid indices

ABSTRACT: The effect of sous-vide (S-V), microwave cooking (M) and stewing (S) on the fatty acid profile and lipid indices of goose meat was investigated. The research material involved breast muscles (24 with skin and 24 without skin) cut from carcasses of 17-week-old females “Polish oat geese.” Gas chromatography was used to establish the fatty acid profile and lipid indices were calculated. The kind of heat treatment and the type of goose meat (muscles with- and without skin) affected the fatty acid profile and lipid indices. The sum of SFA was higher in S-V, M, and S samples for both kinds of meat than in raw ones. The cooked samples with skin had a lower percentage of Ʃ SFA than the skinless meat. S-V and M cooking (for meat with skin) caused an increase, while in the case of S heating (for both kinds of meat) there were no significant differences in Ʃ MUFA compared to raw samples. The S-V, M, and S meat with skin was characterized by a higher value of Ʃ MUFA than skinless ones. The Ʃ PUFA was lower in S-V and M than in raw meat, wherein this decline was higher for M ones (for both kinds of meat). The M meat with skin had the lowest and S without skin the highest share of Σ PUFA. Heat treatment caused an increase in Σ PUFA n-6/n-3 ratio, the lowest value was shown by the S-V muscles. Sous-vide cooking was more beneficial for consumers than the remaining methods in terms of Σ DFA/Σ OFA, Σ UFA/Σ SFA, NVI, health-promoting index (HPI), inflammatory biomarker indexes, and Σ SFA, Σ OFA, Σ UFA, Σ DFA values for meat with skin (but not all of these were significant). In turn, stewing of meat without skin was more favorable than S-V and microwave cooking in relation to indexes such as: Σ DFA/Σ OFA, Σ UFA/Σ SFA, Σ PUFA/Σ SFA, PI, UI, AI, TI, HPI

Cyclic phosphatidic acid and its analogues can regulate ERK1/2 activity via LPA receptors

Cyclic phosphatidic acid (1-acyl-sn-glycerol-2,3 cyclic phosphate, cPA) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) are bioactive lipid mediators belonging to the small glycerophospholipids. Recent studies have shown that these compounds possess contrasting biological activities: LPA induces tumor cell proliferation and motility, while cPA suppresses metastasis and invasion of cancer cells. There are known at least eight LPA receptors involved in LPA signaling, however selective receptors of cPA are still unknown