Can a Group Support System equipped with Group Cognitive Maps reduce Cognitive Conflicts?

A process for resolving cognitive conflicts among group members with the help of cognitive maps and a group support system has been proposed. Cognitive conflicts have been studied in the context of Social Judgment Theory. The model involves a set of criterion events, a set of cues, and a set of judgments about those events, based on observation of those cues, by a set of judges. Disagreement arises because the judges fail to understand each other’s judgment making policies. Cognitive maps, which are designed to capture the structure of a person\u27s causal assertions, can be used as a cognitive feedback mechanism that makes a decision-maker aware of his own cognitive orientation as well as that of others and help reduce differences. Since group support systems have been successfully used to manage conflicts, it is proposed to use the cognitive mapping technique within the purview of a group support system. A set of hypotheses are proposed to test the effect of the proposed process on the group’s judgment-making capability

Proteome and nutritional shifts observed in hordein double-mutant barley lines

Lysine is the most limiting essential amino acid in cereals, and efforts have been made over the decades to improve the nutritional quality of these grains by limiting storage protein accumulation and increasing lysine content, while maintaining desired agronomic traits. The single lys3 mutation in barley has been shown to significantly increase lysine content but also reduces grain size. Herein, the regulatory effect of the lys3 mutation that controls storage protein accumulation as well as a plethora of critically important processes in cereal seeds was investigated in double mutant barley lines. This was enabled through the generation of three hordein double-mutants by inter-crossing three single hordein mutants, that had all been backcrossed three times to the malting barley cultivar Sloop. Proteome abundance measurements were integrated with their phenotype measurements; proteins were mapped to chromosomal locations and to their corresponding functional classes. These models enabled the prediction of previously unknown points of crosstalk that connect the impact of lys3 mutations to other signalling pathways. In combination, these results provide an improved understanding of how the mutation at the lys3 locus remodels cellular functions and impact phenotype that can be used in selective breeding to generate favourable agronomic traits

Assessing the utility of multiplexed liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for gluten detection in Australian breakfast food products

Coeliac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder triggered by the ingestion of gluten that is associated with gastrointestinal issues, including diarrhea, abdominal pain, and malabsorption. Gluten is a general name for a class of cereal storage proteins of wheat, barley, and rye that are notably resistant to gastrointestinal digestion. After ingestion, immunogenic peptides are subsequently recognized by T cells in the gastrointestinal tract. The only treatment for CD is a life-long gluten-free diet. As such, it is critical to detect gluten in diverse food types, including those where one would not expect to find gluten. The utility of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) using cereal-specific peptide markers to detect gluten in heavily processed food types was assessed. A range of breakfast products, including breakfast cereals, breakfast bars, milk-based breakfast drinks, powdered drinks, and a savory spread, were tested. No gluten was detected by LC-MS in the food products labeled gluten-free, yet enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) measurement revealed inconsistencies in barley-containing products. In products containing wheat, rye, barley, and oats as labeled ingredients, gluten proteins were readily detected using discovery proteomics. Panels comprising ten cereal-specific peptide markers were analyzed by targeted proteomics, providing evidence that LC-MS could detect and differentiate gluten in complex matrices, including baked goods and milk-based products

Multi-Omics strategies for decoding smoke-assisted germination pathways and seed vigour

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The success of seed germination and the successful establishment of seedlings across diverse environmental conditions depends on seed vigour, which is of both economic and ecologic importance. The smoke-derived exogenous compound karrikins (KARs) and the endogenous plant hormone strigolactone (SL) are two classes of butanolide-containing molecules that follow highly similar signalling pathways to control diverse biological activities in plants. Unravelling the precise mode-of-action of these two classes of molecules in model species has been a key research objective. However, the specific and dynamic expression of biomolecules upon stimulation by these signalling molecules remains largely unknown. Genomic and post-genomic profiling approaches have enabled mining and association studies across the vast genetic diversity and phenotypic plasticity. Here, we review the background of smoke-assisted germination and vigour and the current knowledge of how plants perceive KAR and SL signalling and initiate the crosstalk with the germination-associated hormone pathways. The recent advancement of ‘multi-omics’ applications are discussed in the context of KAR signalling and with relevance to their adoption for superior agronomic trait development. The remaining challenges and future opportunities for integrating multi-omics datasets associated with their application in KAR-dependent seed germination and abiotic stress tolerance are also discussed

Low gluten beers contain variable gluten and immunogenic epitope content

Gluten content labels inform food choice and people practicing a gluten-free diet rely upon them to avoid illness. The regulations differ between jurisdictions, especially concerning fermented foodstuffs such as beer. Gluten abundance is typically measured using ELISAs, which have come into question when testing fermented or hydrolysed foodstuffs such as beer. Mass spectrometry can be used to directly identify gluten peptides and reveal false negatives recorded by ELISA. In this survey of gluten in control and gluten-free beers, gluten protein fragments that contain known immunogenic epitopes were detected using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in multiple beers that claim to be gluten-free and have sufficiently low gluten content, as measured by ELISA, to qualify as being gluten-free in some jurisdictions. In fact, several purportedly gluten-free beers showed equivalent or higher hordein content than some of the untreated, control beers. The shortcomings of ELISAs for beer gluten testing are summarised, the mismatch between ELISA and mass spectrometry results are explored, and the suitability of existing regulations as they pertain to the gluten content in fermented foods in different jurisdictions are discussed

Nutrition, allergenicity and physicochemical qualities of food-grade protein extracts from Nannochloropsis oculata

Microalgae offer an opportunity to act as a sustainable source of dietary protein. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of different protein extraction methods on the nutritional and physicochemical properties of Nannochloropsis oculata. Food-grade protein extracts were obtained by hypotonic osmotic shock using milli-Q water. Food grade (FG) and non-food grade (NFG) extraction buffers were compared along with three cell disruption methods including bead beating, probe sonication and a combination of both methods for protein extraction. Mass spectrometry was used for protein and putative allergen identification in FG extracts. Bead beating led to a slightly higher number of identifiable proteins in FG extracts compared to control condition. Putative allergenic proteins were identified in FG extracts of N. oculata using different in-silico methods. These findings support the need to further evaluate the potential allergenic proteins in microalgae including N. oculata such as immunoglobulin E (IgE) binding tests

Safe food through better labelling: A robust method for the rapid determination of caprine and bovine milk allergens

Accidental milk cross-contamination is one of the most common causes for costly food recalls. Yet, quantifying trace-levels of allergen is time-consuming and current methods are not adapted for routine analyses making quality control for trace-level allergen content impractical. This perpetuates voluntary “may-contain” statements that are unhelpful for people suffering from food allergies. Here, we developed a rapid LC-MS method enabling milk allergen quantification by comparing all tryptic-peptides of major milk allergens. The bovine-specific αS-2 casein peptide and allergen-epitope NAVPITPTLNR provided excellent performance in sensitivity (LOD 1 mg.kg − 1; LOQ 2 mg.kg − 1) across various dairy products, good recovery rates in baked croissants (77 % with a 10 % inter-day RSD) and a linear range of 2 – 2,000 mg.kg − 1. The method can be used for routine determination of trace-contamination with bovine milk allergen and the adulteration of high-value caprine dairy products with lower-value bovine milk products, protecting consumer trust and the growing population suffering from food allergies

Evaluation of phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Aegiceras corniculatum Blanco (Myrsinaceae) bark

The methanol extract of the dried barks of Aegiceras corniculatum Blanco (Myrsinaceae) was investigated for its possible antinociceptive, cytotoxic and antidiarrhoeal activities in animal models. The preliminary studies of A. corniculatum bark showed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, steroids, flavonoids, saponins and tannins. The extract produced significant writhing inhibition in acetic acid-induced writhing in mice at the oral dose of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight (P < 0.001) comparable to the standard drug diclofenac sodium at the dose of 25 mg/kg of body weight. The crude extract produced the most prominent cytotoxic activity against brine shrimp Artemia salina (LC50 = 5.5 µg/ml and LC90 = 9.3 µg/ml). The extract showed antidiarrhoeal activity on castor oil induced diarrhoea in mice, it increased mean latent period and decreased the frequency of defecation significantly at the oral dose of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight (P < 0.01) comparable to the standard drug Loperamide at the dose of 50 mg/kg of body weight. The obtained results provide a support for the use of this plant in traditional medicine and its further investigation.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Proteome phenotypes discriminate the growing location and malting traits in field-grown barley

Barley is one of the key cereal grains for malting and brewing industries. However, climate variability and unprecedented weather events can impact barley yield and end-product quality. The genetic background and environmental conditions are key factors in defining the barley proteome content and malting characteristics. Here, we measure the barley proteome and malting characteristics of three barley lines grown in Western Australia, differing in genetic background and growing location, by applying liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Using data-dependent acquisition LC-MS, 1571 proteins were detected with high confidence. Quantitative data acquired using sequential window acquisition of all theoretical (SWATH) MS on barley samples resulted in quantitation of 920 proteins. Multivariate analyses revealed that the barley lines\u27 genetics and their growing locations are strongly correlated between proteins and desired traits such as the malt yield. Linking meteorological data with proteomic measurements revealed how high-temperature stress in northern regions affects seed temperature tolerance during malting, resulting in a higher malt yield. Our results show the impact of environmental conditions on the barley proteome and malt characteristics; these findings have the potential to expedite breeding programs and malt quality prediction

Unpacking the proteome and metaproteome of the black soldier fly larvae: Efficacy and complementarity of multiple protein extraction protocols

The larvae of the black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), have demonstrated the ability to efficiently bioconvert organic waste into a sustainable source of food and feed, but fundamental biology remains to be discovered to exploit their full biodegradative potential. Herein, LC-MS/MS was used to assess the efficiency of eight differing extraction protocols to build foundational knowledge regarding the proteome landscape of both the BSF larvae body and gut. Each protocol yielded complementary information to improve BSF proteome coverage. Protocol 8 (liquid nitrogen, defatting, and urea/thiourea/chaps) was better than all other protocols for the protein extraction from larvae gut samples, and the exclusion of defatting steps yielded the highest number of proteins for the larval body samples. Protocol-specific functional annotation using protein level information has shown that the selection of extraction buffer can affect protein detection and their associated functional classes within the measured BSF larval gut proteome. A targeted LC-MRM-MS experiment was performed on the selected enzyme subclasses to assess the influence of protocol composition using peptide abundance measurements. Metaproteome analysis of the BSF larvae gut has uncovered the prevalence of two bacterial phyla: actinobacteria and proteobacteria. We envisage that using complementary extraction protocols and investigating the proteome from the BSF body and gut separately will expand the fundamental knowledge of the BSF proteome and thereby provide translational opportunities for future research to enhance their efficiency for waste degradation and contribution to the circular economy