Meat consumption: theory, practice and future prospects

This research reviewed human meat consumption and highlighted associated history, challenges and benefits. Selected literature for the manuscript was from relevant titles and reliable international sources. From early times of the mankind meat consumption and animal husbandry were inseparable parts of living, and with similar consequences as dramatic influence on environment. Human need for meat consumption fueled development of large world markets with incredible trade, processing and consumption. This overconsumption has caused health problems associated with high intake of cholesterol and sodium chloride. Another problem with meat consumption is the use of additives in processed products. In modern time these problems are tackled by the use of additives from plants that have health benefits. Thermal processing is yet another problem with meat consumption that food industry and science addresses by non-thermal replacements (e. g. high-pressure processing and electrotechnologies). Recently, interesting alternatives for meat processing included 3D Printing that is able to engineer admirable meat products from by-products. However, this technology might need to employ enzymes such as transglutaminase, associated with potential health problems and misleading the customers. Unfortunately, fraudulent activities are common for meat products and it would be prudent to organize enforcement centers with at least police and analysts skilled in chemometrics and various laboratory techniques for food defense. It seems as humankind expands it will seek more proteins from plant, insects, unicellular biomass, and synthetic meat than from the animal origin, however all of the alternatives must be carefully evaluated against consumer acceptance, public health and environmental concerns

RXJ 0921+4529: a binary quasar or gravitational lens?

We report the new spectroscopic observations of the gravitational lens RXJ 021+4529 with the multi-mode focal reducer SCORPIO of the SAO RAS 6-m telescope. The new spectral observations were compared with the previously observed spectra of components A and B of RXJ 0921+4529, i.e. the same components observed in different epochs. We found a significant difference in the spectrum between the components that cannot be explained with microlensing and/or spectral variation. We conclude that RXJ 0921+4529 is a binary quasar system, where redshifts of quasars A and B are 1.6535 +/- 0.0005 and 1.6625 +/- 0.0015, respectively.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letter

Application of numerical grid generation for improved CFD analysis of multiphase screw machines

Algebraic grid generation is widely used for discretization of the working domain of twin screw machines. Algebraic grid generation is fast and has good control over the placement of grid nodes. However, the desired qualities of grid which should be able to handle multiphase flows such as oil injection, may be difficult to achieve at times. In order to obtain fast solution of multiphase screw machines, it is important to further improve the quality and robustness of the computational grid. In this paper, a deforming grid of a twin screw machine is generated using algebraic transfinite interpolation to produce initial mesh upon which an elliptic partial differential equations (PDE) of the Poisson's form is solved numerically to produce smooth final computational mesh. The quality of numerical cells and their distribution obtained by the differential method is greatly improved. In addition, a similar procedure was introduced to fully smoothen the transition of the partitioning rack curve between the rotors thus improving continuous movement of grid nodes and in turn improve robustness and speed of the Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) solver. Analysis of an oil injected twin screw compressor is presented to compare the improvements in grid quality factors in the regions of importance such as interlobe space, radial tip and the core of the rotor. The proposed method that combines algebraic and differential grid generation offer significant improvement in grid quality and robustness of numerical solution

Measurement of 60CO gamma radiation induced attenuation in multimode step-index POF at 530 nm

As optical fibres are used ever more extensively in space applications, nuclear industry, medicine and high-energy physics experiments, it has become essential to investigate the influence of ionizing radiation on their characteristics. In this work, the radiation-induced attenuation at 530 nm is investigated experimentally in step-index multimode polymethyl-methacrylate plastic optical fibres exposed to low dose-rate gamma radiation. Cumulative doses ranged from 50 Gy to 500 Gy. The radiation induced attenuation has been empirically found to obey the power law RIA= aDb, where D is the total radiation dose and a and b are the constants determined by fitting

Persistent strabismus after cataract extraction

Background. Transient ocular misalignment as a complication of parabulbar and peribulbar anesthesia has already been reported in the literature. The aim of our study was to present a case of irreversible iatrogenic vertical strabismus after cataract surgery, which had to be operated on. Methods. Clinical and orthoptic evaluation of a female patient with vertical diplopia after phacoemulsification cataract surgery. Results. One week after the uneventful surgery, a 68-year-old patient complained of a sudden vertical deviation in the operated eye. The patient had not had a history of previous motility disorders. On examination, the patient showed hypertropia in the left eye of 15−20 degrees in primary position. Three and 6 months postoperatively, there was no a spontaneous improvement, while the persistent vertical deviation was 40 prism dioptres. Strabismus surgery was required 1 year after the cataract surgery. Conclusion. Diplopia is a complication of peribulbar anesthesia which could be persistent. The superior and inferior rectus muscle are especially vulnerable. Its occurrence may be technique - related and the incidence increases when hyaluronidase is not available

Micromechanical model for off-axis creep rupture in unidirectional composites undergoing finite strains

A microscale numerical framework for modeling creep rupture in unidirectional composites under off-axis loading is presented, building on recent work on imposing off-axis loading on a representative volume element. Creep deformation of the thermoplastic polymer matrix is accounted for by means of the Eindhoven Glassy Polymer material model. Creep rupture is represented with cohesive cracks, combining an energy-based initiation criterion with a time-dependent cohesive law and a global failure criterion based on the minimum in homogenized creep strain-rate. The model is compared against experiments on carbon/PEEK composite material tested at different off-axis angles, stress levels and temperatures. Creep deformation is accurately reproduced by the model, except for small off-axis angles, where the observed difference is ascribed to macroscopic variations in the experiment. Trends in rupture time are also reproduced although quantitative rupture time predictions are not for all test cases accurate.</p

Influence of Acidity and Extraction Time on the Recovery of Flavonoids from Grape Skin Pomace Optimized by Response Surface Methodology

Grape pomace is recognized as an economical source for the recovery of a large number of biologically active compounds, such as polyphenols. Grape pomace extracts can be successfully used as raw material for functional foods production, since they are generally recognized as safe for the food industry. This study aimed to quantify the amounts of recovered flavonoids (total flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, and flavonols) from grape skin pomace (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Merlot) under conventional extraction with different acidities (0.5 % – 1 % HCl) and lengths of extraction time (30–60 minutes). The grand average values in this study were as follows: (i) proanthocyanidins 12.08±0.25 mg CE g–1 d.m., (ii) anthocyanins 2.17±1.02 mg Mvd-3-glc g–1 d.m., (iii) flavonols 7.73±0.11 mg QE g–1 d.m., and (iv) total flavonoids 36.28±0.42 mg QE g–1 d.m. The amounts of studied polyphenols generally increased with acidity and length of extraction time. This relation was more evident for flavonols and total flavonoids, while less clear for other examined phenolics

Uzroci izlučenja krava u vezanom sistemu držanja

Causes for cow culling in a tie stall system were investigated on a sample of 3060 cows culled in 2011, on seven large dairy farms in the Belgrade region. The total level of culling was 34.58% of the average number of cows. The number of cows culled decreased with lactation order (from 981 cows in the first to 294 cows in the sixth and later lactations). The most dominant cause for culling were diseases of the legs and hooves (28.4%), as was expected, having in mind the tie stall system. If selection (low production) is abstracted as the reason for culling, what stands out by importance are metabolic diseases (15.7%) and problems of reproduction (reproductive diseases - 8.6%, and difficult calvings and abortions 5.7%). With the increase of duration of the lactation during which cows were culled, reproductive diseases gained importance as the reason for culling, while the importance of metabolic diseases and diseases of the legs and hooves in this context decreased. When culled, on the average, cows were 5.2 years old, having on the average spent 1112 days in production, of which 978 days in milking. Their average milk production per day of milking was 22.00 kg, per day of life 10.6 kg, and per day of production 19.8 kg.Ispitivanje uzroka izlučenja krava u vezanom sistemu držanja izvršeno je na uzorku 3060 izlučenih krava tokom 2011. godine na sedam velikih farmi za proizvodnju mleka u Beogradskom regionu. Ukupna stopa izlučenih krava iznosila je 34,58% od prosečnog broja krava. Broj izlučenih krava se smanjivao sa porastom laktacije po redu (od 981 krave u prvoj do 294 krave u šestoj i ostalim laktacijama). Najdominantniji uzrok izlučenja su bila oboljenja nogu i papaka (28,43%), što je i očekivano s obzirom na vezani sistem držanja. Ako se izuzmu selekcijski razlozi (niska proizvodnja), kao razlozi izlučenja po značaju se izdvajaju metaboličke bolesti (15,72%) i problemi sa reprodukcijom (reproduktivne bolesti - 8,63% i težina telenja i abortusi 5,65%). Sa porastom trajanja laktacije u kojoj su krave izlučene, reproduktivne bolesti su sve više dobijale na značaju kao razlog izlučenja, a metaboličke bolesti i bolesti nogu i papaka gubile. U momentu izlučenja krave su u proseku bile stare 5,18 god. i u proizvodnji su prosečno provele 1112 dana, od toga 978 dana u muži. Njihova prosečna proizvodnja mleka po danu u muži je bila 21,96 kg, po danu života 10,63kg i po produktivnom danu 19,75 kg