Pros and cons of using a computer vision system for color evaluation of meat and meat products

The ability of a computer vision system to evaluate the color of meat and meat products was investigated by a comparison study with color measurements from a traditional colorimeter. Pros and cons of using a computer vision system for color evaluation of meat and meat products were evaluated. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between the instrumental values in all three dimensions (L*, a*, b*) between the computer vision system and the colorimeter. The computer vision system-generated colors were perceived as being more similar to the sample of the meat products visualized on the monitor, compared to colorimeter-generated colors in all (100%) individual trials performed. The use of the computer vision system is, therefore, considered a superior and less expensive alternative to the traditional method for measuring color of meat and meat products. The disadvantages of the computer vision system are its size, which makes it stationary, and the lack of official manufacturers that can provide ready-to-use systems. This type of computerized system still demands experts for its assembly and utilization

Amino Acid Requirements in Critically Ill Patients with Acute Kidney Injury Treated with Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90284/1/phco.28.5.600.pd

Poland's 2011 Online Election Campaign: New Tools, New Professionalism, New Ways to Win Votes

This article analyzes the use of the online environment within the context of the Polish parliamentary election of 2011. Using traditional methods of content analysis, we find that parties tend to adhere to a professionalized model of campaigning, and adapting online tools to suit the objectives of the campaign. There also appears to be a recognition that their most likely visitors to these online presences would be converts, and so they attempt to mobilize supporters rather than convert browsers. New parties and candidates are more likely to target browsers, with the latter offering a more personalized experience to online visitors. Importantly, when analyzing the outcome of the contest, we find that being online matters for candidates when controlling for all other variables. Equally, the reach the candidate has, which may well influence their vote share, is dependent on offering a more personalized, representational image and having a frequently updated online presence that should encourage repeat visits. Cumulatively, we suggest the future of online campaigning must not only focus on having a presence, but on using it in a way that appeals to a range of visitors, encouraging repeat visits, and that this strategy could have a positive impact on election outcomes. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Desilication of highly siliceous zeolite ZSM-5 with NaOH and NaOH/tetrabutylamine hydroxide

The results of both chemical and XPS analysis pointed out that desilication of highly siliceous ZSM-5 of Si/Al = 164 was more effective in the surface zone than in the bulk, contrary to zeolite ZSM-5 of Si/Al = 31.6. According to the IR studies in parent zeolite the concentration of protonic sites was very close to the concentration of Al indicating that all Al atoms can form Si-OH-Al. The results of our quantitative IR studies strongly support the realumination thesis, i.e. some Al atoms extracted in basic solutions are subsequently reinserted forming new acidic hydroxyls. In desilicated zeolites all Al atoms were able to form protonic sites, however part of them dehydroxylated during the activation of zeolite producing Lewis acid sites according to the stoichiometry: one protonic site was transformed into one Lewis site. Low temperature nitrogen adsorption revealed that the alkaline treatment of highly siliceous zeolite with 0.2 M NaOH/TBAOH mixture produced mesopores of smaller diameter and narrower pore size distribution than in the case of zeolite of medium Si/Al ratio. This result can be explained by low concentration of Al which similarly as TBA(+) cations plays the role of pore directing agents (PDA). Contrary to TEA(+), the presence of Al in desilication mixture, led to the formation of larger pores. Therefore, in highly siliceous zeolite TBA(+) played dominant role as PDA producing narrower pores. Highly siliceous zeolite with uniform distribution of relatively narrow pores may be useful catalyst or catalyst support. The influence of desilication temperature on porosity development was also investigated. The increase of desilication temperature from 338 to 353 K resulted in both more extensive demetalation (more Si and Al is extracted) and the distinct increase of the volume and surface of mesopores. Both lower concentration of protonic sites and higher concentration of Lewis sites confirmed partial zeolite destruction upon desilication at elevated temperature. The experiments of pivalonitrile sorption followed by IR spectroscopy showed a significant increase of accessibility of acid sites to bulky pivalonitrile molecules. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.The research was partially carried out with the equipment purchased thanks to the financial support of the European Regional Development Fund in the framework of the Polish Innovation Economy Operational Program (Contract No. POIG.02.01.00-12-023/08).Sadowska, K.; Góra-Marek, K.; Drozdek, M.; Kustrowski, P.; Datka, J.; Martínez-Triguero, J.; Rey Garcia, F. (2013). Desilication of highly siliceous zeolite ZSM-5 with NaOH and NaOH/tetrabutylamine hydroxide. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials. 168:195-205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2012.09.033S19520516

High-throughput gene discovery in the rat

The rat is an important animal model for human diseases and is widely used in physiology. In this article we present a new strategy for gene discovery based on the production of ESTs from serially subtracted and normalized cDNA libraries, and we describe its application for the development of a comprehensive nonredundant collection of rat ESTs. Our new strategy appears to yield substantially more EST clusters per ESTs sequenced than do previous approaches that did not use serial subtraction. However, multiple rounds of library subtraction resulted in high frequencies of otherwise rare internally primed cDNAs, defining the limits of this powerful approach. To date, we have generated >200,000 3′ ESTs from >100 cDNA libraries representing a wide range of tissues and developmental stages of the laboratory rat. Most importantly, we have contributed to ∼50,000 rat UniGene clusters. We have identified, arrayed, and derived 5′ ESTs from >30,000 unique rat cDNA clones. Complete information, including radiation hybrid mapping data, is also maintained locally at http://genome.uiowa.edu/clcg.html. All of the sequences described in this article have been submitted to the dbEST division of the NCBI

Patient Retention and Adherence to Antiretrovirals in a Large Antiretroviral Therapy Program in Nigeria: A Longitudinal Analysis for Risk Factors

Substantial resources and patient commitment are required to successfully scale-up antiretroviral therapy (ART) and provide appropriate HIV management in resource-limited settings. We used pharmacy refill records to evaluate risk factors for loss to follow-up (LTFU) and non-adherence to ART in a large treatment cohort in Nigeria.We reviewed clinic records of adult patients initiating ART between March 2005 and July 2006 at five health facilities. Patients were classified as LTFU if they did not return >60 days from their expected visit. Pharmacy refill rates were calculated and used to assess non-adherence. We identified risk factors associated with LTFU and non-adherence using Cox and Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) regressions, respectively. Of 5,760 patients initiating ART, 26% were LTFU. Female gender (p < 0.001), post-secondary education (p = 0.03), and initiating treatment with zidovudine-containing (p = 0.004) or tenofovir-containing (p = 0.05) regimens were associated with decreased risk of LTFU, while patients with only primary education (p = 0.02) and those with baseline CD4 counts (cell/ml(3)) >350 and <100 were at a higher risk of LTFU compared to patients with baseline CD4 counts of 100-200. The adjusted GEE analysis showed that patients aged <35 years (p = 0.005), who traveled for >2 hours to the clinic (p = 0.03), had total ART duration of >6 months (p<0.001), and CD4 counts >200 at ART initiation were at a higher risk of non-adherence. Patients who disclosed their HIV status to spouse/family (p = 0.01) and were treated with tenofovir-containing regimens (p < or = 0.001) were more likely to be adherent.These findings formed the basis for implementing multiple pre-treatment visit preparation that promote disclosure and active community outreaching to support retention and adherence. Expansion of treatment access points of care to communities to diminish travel time may have a positive impact on adherence

Active Whey Protein Edible Films and Coatings Incorporating Lactobacillus buchneri for Penicillium nordicum Control in Cheese

Fungal contamination of food is responsible for health issues and food waste. In this work, the incorporation of a lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with antifungal properties (Lactobacillus buchneri UTAD104) into whey protein-based films and coatings was tested for the control of an ochratoxigenic fungi (Penicillium nordicum) in a cheese matrix. The incorporation of L. buchneri cells resulted in thicker films with less luminosity than control films and colour alteration. Nevertheless, cells inclusion did not alter moisture content, water vapour permeability, mechanical properties, hydrophobicity and chemical structure of the films. Whey protein films were able to maintain the viability of L. buchneri UTAD104 cells in 105 CFU/mL after 30 days of storage at 25 \textdegreeC. When applied in cheese, films and coatings containing L. buchneri cells prevented fungal contamination for at least 30 days, while control cheeses with films and coatings either without LAB or with Lactobacillus casei UM3 (a strain without antifungal ability) showed fungal contamination during that period. Ochratoxin A was not found in cheeses treated with films and coatings containing L. buchneri UTAD104. Results showed that the inclusion of a LAB with antifungal properties in edible films and coatings can help to reduce or eliminate P. nordicum contamination in cheeses.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Ana Guimarães received support through grant SFRH/BD/103245/2014 from the Portuguese FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Trace elements in hemodialysis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hemodialysis patients are at risk for deficiency of essential trace elements and excess of toxic trace elements, both of which can affect health. We conducted a systematic review to summarize existing literature on trace element status in hemodialysis patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All studies which reported relevant data for chronic hemodialysis patients and a healthy control population were eligible, regardless of language or publication status. We included studies which measured at least one of the following elements in whole blood, serum, or plasma: antimony, arsenic, boron, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, tellurium, thallium, vanadium, and zinc. We calculated differences between hemodialysis patients and controls using the differences in mean trace element level, divided by the pooled standard deviation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We identified 128 eligible studies. Available data suggested that levels of cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, and vanadium were higher and that levels of selenium, zinc and manganese were lower in hemodialysis patients, compared with controls. Pooled standard mean differences exceeded 0.8 standard deviation units (a large difference) higher than controls for cadmium, chromium, vanadium, and lower than controls for selenium, zinc, and manganese. No studies reported data on antimony, iodine, tellurium, and thallium concentrations.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Average blood levels of biologically important trace elements were substantially different in hemodialysis patients, compared with healthy controls. Since both deficiency and excess of trace elements are potentially harmful yet amenable to therapy, the hypothesis that trace element status influences the risk of adverse clinical outcomes is worthy of investigation.</p

Complete remission in the nephrotic syndrome study network

Background and objectives This analysis from the Nephrotic Syndrome Study Network (NEPTUNE) assessed the phenotypic and pathology characteristics of proteinuric patients undergoing kidney biopsy and defined the frequency and factors associated with complete proteinuria remission (CRever). Design, setting, participants, &amp; measurements We enrolled adults and children with proteinuria ≥0.5 g/d at the time of first clinically indicated renal biopsy at 21 sites in North America from April 2010 to June 2014 into a prospective cohort study. NEPTUNE central pathologists assigned participants to minimal-change disease (MCD), FSGS, membranous nephropathy, or other glomerulopathy cohorts. Outcome measures for this analysis were (1) CRever with urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPC)&lt;0.3 g/g with preserved native kidney function and (2) ESRD. Continuous variables are reported as median and interquartile range (IQR; 25th, 75th percentile). Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to assess factors associated with CRever. Results We enrolled 441 patients: 116 (27%) had MCD, 142 (32%) had FSGS, 66 (15%) had membranous nephropathy, and 117 (27%) had other glomerulopathy. The baseline UPC was 4.1 g/g (IQR, 1.9, 7.7) and the eGFR was 81 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (IQR, 50, 105). Median duration of observation was 19 months (IQR, 11, 30). CRever occurred in 46% of patients, and 4.6% progressed to ESRD. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that higher prebiopsy proteinuria (hazard ratio, 0.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.2 to 0.5) and pathology diagnosis (FSGS versus MCD; hazard ratio, 0.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.1 to 0.5) were inversely associated with CRever. The effect of immunosuppressive therapy on remission varied by pathology diagnosis. Conclusions In NEPTUNE, the high frequency of other pathology in proteinuric patients affirms the value of the diagnostic kidney biopsy. Clinical factors, including level of proteinuria before biopsy, pathology diagnosis, and immunosuppression, are associated with complete remission