Changes on the nutritional compositions of the sand smelt (Atherina Boyeri Risso, 1810) marinade during storage

This study was carried out to evaluate the chemical and sensory quality of sand smelt (Atherina boyeri) treated with marinating solution containing either 10% NaCl+2% acetic acid or 10% NaCl+3% acetic acid at 4°C for 120 days. The fish-to-marinating solution ratio was 1:1. According to the results of the chemical composition analysis of the fresh and marinated sand smelt, a significant increase (P<0.05) in ash and fat content and a decrease (P<0.05) in protein and moisture content were determined. In fatty acid analysis results, it was seen that there existed a decrease in unsaturated fatty acids in the marinated samples, and it was understood that the samples which had been marinated by using 2 and 3% acetic acid at the end of the storage period for 120 days were not spoilt according to the results obtained from the pH, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and total volatile basic-nitrogen (TVB-N) analysis and sensory analysis. When comparing all parameters of group 2% with group 3%, the differences were statistically insignificant (P>0.05). However, it has been thought that only 3% acetic acid was suitable for marination of sand smelt because of the pH value of group 2%.Key words: Sand smelt, Atherina boyeri, marinade, acetic acid, nutritional composition

Production of fish finger from sand smelt (Atherina boyeri, RISSO 1810) and determination of quality changes

In this study, changes of chemical, microbiological load and sensory properties of fish fingers prepared from sand smelt (Atherina boyeri, RISSO 1810) were investigated during storage (for 6 months at -18°C). The fish finger nutritional composition changed with the fish finger process. The changes in moisture, crude protein, crude fat and crude ash components between fresh sand smelt and fish fingers were found to be significant at P < 0.05. C18:1 w-9 and C18:2 w-6 increased with pre-frying process. The values of pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiboarbutiric acid (TBA) at the end of the storage were determined as 6.737 ± 0.012, 19.583 ± 0.087 mg/100 g and 0.293 ± 0.013 μgMDA/g, respectively. According to sensory analyses scores, the fish fingers were fondly prefered by panellists. According to the results of the chemical, sensory and microbiological quality in fish, fish fingers were found within the acceptable limits during frozen storage for 6 months.Key words: Sand smelt, Atherine boyeri, fish finger, chemical quality, sensory quality, fatty acids

Interictal rhythmical midline theta differentiates frontal from temporal lobe epilepsies

PURPOSE: We evaluated the role of interictal rhythmical midline theta (RMT) in the identification of frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) and its differentiation from temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and nonepileptic controls. METHODS: We included 162 individuals in the study: 54 FLE patients, 54 TLE patients, and 54 nonepileptic controls. Continuous electroencephalographic (EEG)-video monitoring was performed in all individuals. Interictal RMT was included only if it occurred during definite awake states. RMT associated with drowsiness or mental activation and ictal RMT was excluded. RESULTS: We identified RMT significantly more frequently in FLE patients (48.1%, 26 of 54) than in TLE patients (3.7%, 2 of 54) (p < 0.01), and not in the control group. The average frequency was 6 Hz (range 5-7 Hz), and the average RMT bursts lasted 8 s (3-12 s). Interestingly, all mesial FLE patients (n = 4) (as established by invasive EEG recordings) showed RMT, whereas this was less frequently the case in the other FLE patients (44%, 22 of 50) (p = 0.03). Thirteen of our 54 patients with FLE (24%) did not have any interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs), but RMT was observed in the majority of these patients (62%, 8 of 13). CONCLUSION: Interictal RMT is common and has a localizing value in patients with FLE, provided that conditions such as drowsiness and mental activation as confounding factors for RMT are excluded. RMT should be included in the evaluation of patients considered for resective epilepsy surgery

Diagnostic Value of Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Evaluation of the Biliary Obstruction

Purpose. In this study, our purpose was to investigate the diagnostic efficacy of the dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method in the patients with bile duct obstruction. Materials and Methods. 108 consecutive patients (53 men, 55 women, mean age; 55.77 ± 14.62, range 18–86 years) were included in this study. All the patients underwent conventional upper abdomen MRI using intravenous contrast material (Gd-DTPA) and MRCP in 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner. MRCP images were evaluated together with the T1 and T2w images, and both biliary ducts and surrounding tissues were examined for possible pathologies that may cause obstruction. Results. MRI/MRCP findings compared with final diagnoses, MRI/MRCP in the demonstration of bile duct obstruction sensitivity 96%, the specificity 100%, and accuracy 96.3%, in the detection of presence and level of obstruction, the sensitivity 96.7%, specificity 100%, and accuracy 97.2%, in the diagnosis of choledocholithiasis, the sensitivity 82.3%, specificity 96%, and accuracy 91.7%, and in the determination of the character of the stenosis, sensitivity 95.6%, specificity 91.3%, and accuracy 94.5% were found. Conclusion. The combination of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and MRCP techniques in patients with suspected biliary obstruction gives the detailed information about the presence of obstruction, location, and causes and is a highly specific and sensitive method

On the fracture prediction of 304L stainless steel sheets utilizing different hardening models

Fracture prediction is one of the challenging problems in sheet metals. Forming limit curves at fracture (FLCF), as a tool to determine fracture in sheet metal processes, are obtained through the use of numerical analyses. As one of the approaches, the ductile fracture criteria (DFCs) represent the fracture initiation of the sheets formed by different loading histories. In this study, the effects of three different hardening models on different DFCs to predict the fracture for stainless steel 304L have been investigated. The results show that most of DFCs work better in the region. epsilon(2) 0 where the stretching conditions are dominant, none of them could precisely estimate the fracture initiation

Belief propagation algorithm for computing correlation functions in finite-temperature quantum many-body systems on loopy graphs

Belief propagation -- a powerful heuristic method to solve inference problems involving a large number of random variables -- was recently generalized to quantum theory. Like its classical counterpart, this algorithm is exact on trees when the appropriate independence conditions are met and is expected to provide reliable approximations when operated on loopy graphs. In this paper, we benchmark the performances of loopy quantum belief propagation (QBP) in the context of finite-tempereture quantum many-body physics. Our results indicate that QBP provides reliable estimates of the high-temperature correlation function when the typical loop size in the graph is large. As such, it is suitable e.g. for the study of quantum spin glasses on Bethe lattices and the decoding of sparse quantum error correction codes.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Effects of pan frying with different oils on some of the chemical components, quality parameters and cholesterol levels of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The changes in chemical composition, cholesterol and fatty acids have been determined in raw and fried rainbow trout. Olive oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, margarine and butter were used in the frying process. Moisture content was decreased and protein, fat, ash and cholesterol contents were increased after frying. Differences in moisture, protein, fat, and ash content between the samples were significant (P &lt; 0.05). pH, thiobarbituric acid (TBA), and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) values were within the limiting depletability values. In the fish fried with sunflower oil and corn oil, an important amount of decrease (P &lt; 0.05) was determined for myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, linolenic, arashidic, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). However, an important amount of increase (P &lt; 0.05) was determined in heptadecanoic, oleic, and linoleic acid. DHA content was decreased in all oil groups. Cholesterol level was increased with the use of butter. The lowest level of cholesterol was observed in fish fried with margarine.Key words: Rainbow trout, frying, fatty acid, cholesterol

A Suspended Array of Square Patch Metamaterial Absorbers for Terahertz Applications

A suspended array of square metallic patches on a thin dielectric layer is introduced as a terahertz absorber. The absorber is fabricated on a metalized substrate and the device exhibits metamaterial behavior at specific frequencies determined by the size of the patches. It is feasible to place patches with different sizes in an array formation for a broadband absorber. Design of the absorber is described using electromagnetic simulations. The absorber structure was fabricated on a silicon wafer and its characteristics were measured using a terahertz time domain spectroscope. The measured data match well the simulations indicating strong absorption peaks in a band of 0.5-2 THz

Structural damages of L'Aquila (Italy) earthquake

On 6 April 2009 an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 occurred in L'Aquila city, Italy. In the city center and surrounding villages many masonry and reinforced concrete (RC) buildings were heavily damaged or collapsed. After the earthquake, the inspection carried out in the region provided relevant results concerning the quality of the materials, method of construction and the performance of the structures. The region was initially inhabited in the 13th century and has many historic structures. The main structural materials are unreinforced masonry (URM) composed of rubble stone, brick, and hollow clay tile. Masonry units suffered the worst damage. Wood flooring systems and corrugated steel roofs are common in URM buildings. Moreover, unconfined gable walls, excessive wall thicknesses without connection with each other are among the most common deficiencies of poorly constructed masonry structures. These walls caused an increase in earthquake loads. The quality of the materials and the construction were not in accordance with the standards. On the other hand, several modern, non-ductile concrete frame buildings have collapsed. Poor concrete quality and poor reinforcement detailing caused damage in reinforced concrete structures. Furthermore, many structural deficiencies such as non-ductile detailing, strong beams-weak columns and were commonly observed. In this paper, reasons why the buildings were damaged in the 6 April 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy are given. Some suggestions are made to prevent such disasters in the future