Atmospheric cold plasma technology for meat industry: A bibliometric review

Atmospheric cold plasma is an innovative, non-thermal technology. It has shown promising results for a broad range of food processing applications. On the basis of those facts, it has prompted growing attention in the scientific community. This paper reviews the literature generation trends surrounding the atmospheric cold plasma technology. A bibliometric analysis was carried out to objectively and analytically uncover the knowledge development in the atmospheric cold plasma technology within the context of meat processing. The research began with querying the Dimensions database for scientific articles published over the past two decades. A total of 105 papers were published during this period. The articles were examined according to several bibliometric metrics such as the year of publication, countries, institutions, sources, authors, and keywords frequency. The results of the bibliometric analysis revealed that researchers are very interested in studying the interface of the atmospheric cold plasma technology and meat processing. In the last couple of years, the number of publications on the topic has been growing. This is the first bibliometric investigation of the atmospheric cold plasma technology in the context of meat processing. To the authors’ best knowledge, no similar analysis has been performed before. This paper provides researchers with a better understanding of topic developments. A better understanding can aid future research by closing present knowledge gaps. Hence, the paper provides the continuation of up-to-date technological discussions among researchers

Software tools for manipulating fe mesh, virtual surgery and post-processing

This paper describes a set of software tools which we developed for the calculation of fluid flow through cardiovascular organs. Our tools work with medical data from a CT scanner, but could be used with any other 3D input data. For meshing we used a Tetgen tetrahedral mesh generator, as well as a mesh re-generator that we have developed for conversion of tetrahedral elements into bricks. After adequate meshing we used our PAKF solver for calculation of fluid flow. For human-friendly presentation of results we developed a set of post-processing software tools. With modification of 2D mesh (boundary of cardiovascular organ) it is possible to do virtual surgery, so in a case of an aorta with aneurism, which we had received from University Clinical center in Heidelberg from a multi-slice 64-CT scanner, we removed the aneurism and ran calculations on both geometrical models afterwards. The main idea of this methodology is creating a system that could be used in clinics

IZLOŽENOST HRVATSKOG STANOVNIŠTVA OKRATOKSINU A

The exposure of general population in Croatia to ochratoxin A (OTA) was checked in several studies by measuring its concentration either in food samples or in human blood. The concentration of OTA in food and the frequency of OTA-positive samples show high variability from year to year according to the meteorological conditions. Regional variability in OTA contamination of cereals, wine and beans is also significant. However, while higher OTA concentrations and higher number of OTA-positive samples of cereals and beans are found in the northern part of Croatia, wine from the southern part of Croatia contains higher OTA concentrations. These differences are due to the distribution of different moulds, producers of OTA that specifically contaminate various commodities. However, a large-scale study performed on plasma from five Croatian cities collected four times a year showed a higher mean OTA concentration during the summer. The most exposed are citizens of Osijek, because there was no OTA-free sample collected in this town, and the frequency of samples containing the highest OTA concentration was significantly higher than in other cities.Izloženost hrvatskog stanovništva mikotoksinu okratoksinu A (OTA) ispitivana je u nekoliko navrata mjerenjem njegove koncentracije u uzorcima hrane ili u ljudskoj krvi. Koncentracija mikotoksinu OTA u hrani i učestalost pozitivnih uzoraka različita je u uzorcima saku-pljenim u različitim godinama, što ovisi o meteorološkim uvjetima. U žitaricama, vinu i grahu nađene su značajno različite koncentracije OTA s obzirom na mjesto uzorkovanja. Raspodjela uzoraka koji sadrže veću koncentraciju OTA različita je u različitim prehrambenim namirnicama. Značajno veća koncentracija OTA nađena je u uzorcima žitarica i graha sakupljenih u sjevernim dijelovima Hrvatske, dok je vino iz istog područja sadržavalo manju koncentra-ciju OTA negoli vino iz južnih krajeva. Te se razlike mogu objasniti time što u različitim namirnicama različite gljivice proizvode OTA. U opsežnom istraživanju izloženosti OTA hrvatskog stanovništva, sakupljeni su uzorci krvi u pet hrvatskih gradova (Osijek, Rijeka, Split, Varaždin i Zagreb) četiri puta tijekom godine. Najviša je srednja koncentracija u svim uzorcima nađena u uzorcima saku-pljenim u ljeti, a stanovnici Osijeka najviše su izloženi ovom mikotoksinu. Svi uzorci sakupljeni u Osijeku sadržavali su OTA, a učestalost uzoraka koji su sadržavali veće koncentracije OTA bila je značajno viša negoli u drugim gradovima

Research priorities to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries

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Kontaminacija zrna pšenice, kukuruza, soje i graška vrstama Fusariuma u Hrvatskoj

From 2002 to 2008, 203 samples of wheat, maize, soybean, and pea were analysed for the presence of Fusarium species. Contamination with Fusarium spp., expressed as the percentage of seeds with Fusarium colonies, ranged from 5 % to 69 % for wheat, from 25 % to 100 % for maize, from 4 % to 17 % for soybean, and from 3 % to 17 % for pea. 187 isolates were collected and the following 19 species determined: F. graminearum, F. poae, F. avenaceum, F. verticillioides, F. sporotrichioides, F. heterosporum, F. crookwellense, F. tricinctum, F. semitectum, F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. solani, F. equiseti, F. pseudograminearum, F. chlamydosporum, F. sambucinum, F. compactum, F. scirpi, and F. culmorum. Dominant species were F. graminearum on wheat (27 % of isolates), F. verticillioides on maize (83 % of isolates), F. sporotrichioides on soybean (34 % of isolates), and F. proliferatum on pea (29 % of isolates). Among species identifi ed, F. heterosporum, F. crookwellense, F. pseudograminearum, F. sambucinum, and F. compactum have been reported for the fi rst time in Croatia.U periodu od 2002. do 2008. g. analizirana je prisutnost vrsta Fusariuma na 208 uzoraka zrna pšenice, kukuruza, soje i graška. Kontaminacija vrstama Fusariuma, izražena kao postotak sjemenki s kolonijama Fusarium spp., kretala se od 5 % do 69 % na pšenici, od 25 % do 100 % na kukuruzu, od 4 % do 17 % na soji te od 3 % do 17 % na grašku. Prosječna kontaminacija vrstama Fusariuma u različitim godinama varirala je od 10 % do 46 % na pšenici, od 50 % do 91 % na kukuruzu, od 5 % do 9 % na soji te od 7 % do 10 % na grašku. Vrste Fusariuma koje se javljaju na zrnu izolirane su i determinirane s odabranih uzoraka pšenice, kukuruza, soje i graška. Skupljeno je 187 izolata, a utvrđeno je 19 vrsta: F. graminearum, F. poae, F. avenaceum, F. verticillioides, F. sporotrichioides, F. heterosporum, F. crookwellense, F. tricinctum, F. semitectum, F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. solani, F. equiseti, F. pseudograminearum, F. chlamydosporum, F. sambucinum, F. compactum, F. scirpi i F. culmorum. Dominantne vrste bile su F. graminearum na pšenici (27 % izolata), F. verticillioides na kukuruzu (83 % izolata), F. sporotrichioides na soji (34 % izolata) te F. proliferatum na grašku (29 % izolata). U Hrvatskoj su prvi put utvrđene vrste F. heterosporum, F. crookwellense, F. pseudograminearum, F. sambucinum i F. compactum

Research priorities to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions to the functioning of societies and their health systems. Prior to the pandemic, health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) were particularly stretched and vulnerable. The International Society of Global Health (ISoGH) sought to systematically identify priorities for health research that would have the potential to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in LMICs.MethodsThe Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) method was used to identify COVID-19-related research priorities. All ISoGH members were invited to participate. Seventy-nine experts in clinical, translational, and population research contributed 192 research questions for consideration. Fifty-two experts then scored those questions based on five pre-defined criteria that were selected for this exercise: 1) feasibility and answerability; 2) potential for burden reduction; 3) potential for a paradigm shift; 4) potential for translation and implementation; and 5) impact on equity.ResultsAmong the top 10 research priorities, research questions related to vaccination were prominent: health care system access barriers to equitable uptake of COVID-19 vaccination (ranked 1st), determinants of vaccine hesitancy (4th), development and evaluation of effective interventions to decrease vaccine hesitancy (5th), and vaccination impacts on vulnerable population/s (6th). Health care delivery questions also ranked highly, including: effective strategies to manage COVID-19 globally and in LMICs (2nd) and integrating health care for COVID-19 with other essential health services in LMICs (3rd). Additionally, the assessment of COVID-19 patients' needs in rural areas of LMICs was ranked 7th, and studying the leading socioeconomic determinants and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in LMICs using multi-faceted approaches was ranked 8th. The remaining questions in the top 10 were: clarifying paediatric case-fatality rates (CFR) in LMICs and identifying effective strategies for community engagement against COVID-19 in different LMIC contexts.InterpretationHealth policy and systems research to inform COVID-19 vaccine uptake and equitable access to care are urgently needed, especially for rural, vulnerable, and/or marginalised populations. This research should occur in parallel with studies that will identify approaches to minimise vaccine hesitancy and effectively integrate care for COVID-19 with other essential health services in LMICs. ISoGH calls on the funders of health research in LMICs to consider the urgency and priority of this research during the COVID-19 pandemic and support studies that could make a positive difference for the populations of LMICs

DYNAMICS AND INTENSITY OF APLE DISEASE DEVELOPMENT DURING ITS STORAGE

Bolesti plodova jabuke koje se razvijaju u skladištu u najvećem broju slučajeva uzrokovane su gljivama. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi gubitke uslijed pojave skladišnih bolesti i vrste gljiva uzročnika skladišnih bolesti na kultivaru Idared tijekom tri mjeseca skladištenja, kao i usporediti razvoj gljiva na inokuliranim plodovima u laboratorijskim uvjetima. U bolesne plodove ubrajali su se oni s vidljivim simptomima truleži. Ukupni gubici u razdoblju od tri mjeseca skladištenja iznosili su 1,9%. Postotak bolesnih plodova povećavao se od trenutka berbe do kraja skladištenja. Najčešći uzročnik truleži u svim rokovima očitanja bila je Monilia fructigena. U značajnom postotku javljale su se Penicillium vrste i Botrytis cinerea. Na plodovima jabuke inokuliranima gljivama izoliranim s oboljelih plodova svi su gljivični izolati uzrokovali trulež veće ili manje površine nakon 28 dana inkubacije, pri 22°C. Na plodovima inokuliranim istim izolatima i stavljenim u inkubaciju pri 4°C razvoj truleži tekao je sporije. Pri 22°C najbrže su se razvijali izolati vrste Monilia fructigena, dok su se pri 4°C najbrže razvijali izolati vrste Botrytis cinereaPost-harvest apple fruit diseases are primarily caused by fungi. The object of this research was to quantify yield loss caused by post-harvest diseases and to determine fungal species responsible for storage rots on the cv. Idared during three months of storage, as well as to compare the development of fungi inoculated on apple fruits in the laboratory conditions. Only fruits with the visible rot symptoms were regarded as "diseased". Total yield loss during all three months of storage was 1.9%. The percentage of diseased fruits increased from the harvest moment to the end of storage. The most frequent cause of post-harvest rot in all assessments was Monilia fructigena. Penicillium species and Botrytis cinerea were present in relatively high percentage. All fungal isolates from diseased fruits caused fruit rot when inoculated on apples and incubated for 28 days at 22°C. On fruits inoculated with the same isolates and incubated at 4°C rot development was slower. Isolates of M. fructigena developed most rapidly on inoculated fruits at 22°C, while the isolates of B. cinerea developed most rapidly at 4°C

PIBAS FedSPARQL: A web-based platform for integration and exploration of bioinformatics datasets

© 2017 The Author(s). Background: There are a huge variety of data sources relevant to chemical, biological and pharmacological research, but these data sources are highly siloed and cannot be queried together in a straightforward way. Semantic technologies offer the ability to create links and mappings across datasets and manage them as a single, linked network so that searching can be carried out across datasets, independently of the source. We have developed an application called PIBAS FedSPARQL that uses semantic technologies to allow researchers to carry out such searching across a vast array of data sources. Results: PIBAS FedSPARQL is a web-based query builder and result set visualizer of bioinformatics data. As an advanced feature, our system can detect similar data items identified by different Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs), using a text-mining algorithm based on the processing of named entities to be used in Vector Space Model and Cosine Similarity Measures. According to our knowledge, PIBAS FedSPARQL was unique among the systems that we found in that it allows detecting of similar data items. As a query builder, our system allows researchers to intuitively construct and run Federated SPARQL queries across multiple data sources, including global initiatives, such as Bio2RDF, Chem2Bio2RDF, EMBL-EBI, and one local initiative called CPCTAS, as well as additional user-specified data source. From the input topic, subtopic, template and keyword, a corresponding initial Federated SPARQL query is created and executed. Based on the data obtained, end users have the ability to choose the most appropriate data sources in their area of interest and exploit their Resource Description Framework (RDF) structure, which allows users to select certain properties of data to enhance query results. Conclusions: The developed system is flexible and allows intuitive creation and execution of queries for an extensive range of bioinformatics topics. Also, the novel similar data items detection algorithm can be particularly useful for suggesting new data sources and cost optimization for new experiments. PIBAS FedSPARQL can be expanded with new topics, subtopics and templates on demand, rendering information retrieval more robust