Heating of a tissue by near nield exposure to a dipole: a model analysis

We report a numerical study of the induced electric fields and specific absorption rate (SAR) produced by microwave radiation from a half-wavelength dipole near tissue models, and the resulting transient and steady-state temperature rises. Several models were explored, including a uniform emi-infinite plane of tissue, uniform sphere, a phantom model of the head filled with tissue-equivalent material, a numerical model of the head with uniform dielectric properties (obtained from a digitized computed tomography image), and a numerical model of the head with different dielectric properties corresponding to various tissues. The electromagnetic calculations were performed for half-wave dipoles radiating at 900 and 1900 MHz at various distances from the model, using the finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) method. The resulting temperature rises were estimated by finite element solution of the bioheat equation. The calculated SAR values agree well with an empirical correlation due to Kuster. If the limiting hazard of such exposures is associated with excessive temperature increase, present exposure limits are very conservative and guidelines that are easier to implement might provide adequate protection.Peer Reviewe

BACTERICIDAL ACTIVITY OF ELECTROLYZED OXIDIZING WATER ON MEAT AND POULTRY

Electrolyzed oxidizing water (EOW) has potential application as a residue free sanitizing agent for food of animal origin. Meat and poultry were contaminated with microorganism, pathogens or not, and different types of electrolyzed oxidizing water treatement were investigated to evaluate the activity of each of these method. In detail, this study is aiming at evaluating the effectiveness of EOW in reducing microbial count, including total bacterial count, Salmonella Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli on meat and poultry. EOW has a very strong disinfectant activity which, along with its easy and safe use, makes a good alternative to many other more widely used disinfectants

Measurement errors and implications for preprocessing in miniaturised near-infrared spectrometers: Classification of sweet and bitter almonds as a case of study

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a well-established analytical technique that has been used in many applications over the years. Due to the advancements in the semiconductor industry, NIR instruments have evolved from benchtop instruments to miniaturised portable devices. The miniaturised NIR instruments have gained more interest in recent years because of the fast and robust measurements they provide with almost no sample pretreatments. However, due to the very different configurations and characteristics of these instruments, they need a dedicated optimization of the measurement conditions, which is crucial for obtaining reliable results. To comprehensively grasp the capabilities and potentials offered by these sensors, it is imperative to examine errors that can affect the raw data, which is a facet frequently overlooked. In this study, measurement error covariance and correlation matrices were calculated and then visually inspected to gain insight into the error structures associated with the devices, and to find the optimal preprocessing technique that may result in the improvement of the models built. This strategy was applied to the classification of sweet and bitter almonds, which were measured with the three portable low-cost NIR devices (SCiO, FlameNIR+ and NeoSpectra Micro Development Kit) after removing the shelled, since their classification is of utmost importance for the almond industry. The results showed that bitter almonds can be classified from sweet almonds using any of the instruments after selecting the optimal preprocessing, obtained through inspection of covariance and correlation matrices. Measurements obtained with FlameNIR + device provided the best classification models with an accuracy of 98 %. The chosen strategy provides new insight into the performance characterization of the fast-growing miniaturised NIR instruments

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEVEL OF CONTAMINATION ON HIDE OF ANIMALS PRESENTED FOR SLAUGHTER AND CONTAMINATION ON THE RESULTANT CARCASSES

The hide and viscera of cattle entering a slaughter facility are potential sources of contamination of carcasses including significant pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. If evisceration is correctly performed, visceral contents do not therefore contribute significantly to the overall contamination of the carcass. However, it is much more difficult to restrict contamination from the hide. The aim of this work is to investigate the relationships between the levels of dirt and contamination on the hide of animals presented for slaughter and the levels of contamination on the resultant carcasses. Cattle were visually inspected in the lairage of 2 abattoirs and assigned to a category ranging from 1 (very clean) to 5 (very dirty) depending on the observed cleanliness of the hide. Samples of hides and carcasses were taken from 50 animals for enumerate total viable counts, Enterobacteriaceae and Escherichia coli. The results show that there is a direct correlation between animal dirtiness and total bacterial count of the carcasses

APPLICATION OF CRITERIA OF INSPECTION FOR EVALUATION OF CLEANLINESS IN CATTLE PRESENTED FOR SLAUGHTER

First Codex Alimentarius, in international field, then EC Regulation 853/2004 ensure that animals that have such hide, skin or fleece conditions that there is an unacceptable risk of contamination of the meat during slaughter are not slaughtered for human consumption unless they are cleaned beforehand. In order to comply with such provisions, the operators must ensure that proper procedures have been fixed; the evaluation of such procedures is a priority for the Official Vet who must define standards of cleanliness. The authors take into account three different guidance schemes from Belgian and UK Food Safety Authorities and from the French Institut de l'Élevage in order to better classify cattle cleanliness at slaughter

Antiviral activity of benzotriazole based derivatives

Background: For the last thirty years, the benzotriazole scaffold has been the object of our group interest and we have already presented some results on the antiviral activity of our compounds. Objective: In this article, we conclude the exploration of N-(4-(R-2H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-2-yl)phenyl)-4-R’-benzamides and 1-(4-(R-2H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-R’-ureas by synthesizing further modified derivatives, in order to have more elements for SARs evaluation. Methods: Here, we reported the synthesis and the antiviral screening results of 38 newly synthesized benzotriazole derivatives against a panel of DNA and RNA viruses. We also analyse SARs in comparing these compounds with previously published benzotriazole analogues, taking stock of the situation. Results: Among the newly presented derivatives, compounds 17 and 18 were the most active with EC50 6.9 and 5.5 µM, respectively against Coxsackievirus B5 (CV-B5) and 20.5 and 17.5 µM against Poliovirus (Sb-1). Conclusion: we can conclude that N-(4-(2H-benzo[d] [1-3] triazol-2-yl)phenyl-R-amide is a good chemical scaffold for the development of new antiviral molecules

Miniaturized NIR Spectrometers in a Nutshell: Shining Light over Sources of Variance

The increasing portability and accessibility of miniaturized NIR spectrometers are promoting the spread of in-field and online applications. Alongside the successful outcomes, there are also several problems related to the acquisition strategies for each instrument and to experimental factors that can influence the collected signals. An insightful investigation of such factors is necessary and could lead to advancements in experimental set-up and data modelling. This work aimed to identify variation sources when using miniaturized NIR sensors and to propose a methodology to investigate such sources based on a multivariate method (ANOVA-Simultaneous Component Analysis) that considers the effects and interactions between them. Five different spectrometers were chosen for their different spectroscopic range and technical characteristics, and samples of worldwide interest were chosen as the case study. Comparing various portable sensors is interesting since results could significantly vary in the same application, justifying the idea that this kind of spectrometer is not to be treated as a general class of instruments

Synthesis, Antitumor and Antiviral In Vitro Activities of New Benzotriazole-Dicarboxamide Derivatives

Cancer and viral infections continue to threaten humankind causing death worldwide. Hence, the discovery of new anticancer and antiviral agents still represents a major scientific goal. Heterocycles designed to mimic the chemical structure of natural pyrimidines and purines have been designed over the years, exerting their activity acting as false substrates on several different targets. We reported a series of bis-benzotriazole-dicarboxamide derivatives which inhibit viral helicase of poliovirus, and hence we planned structure modifications to obtain different series of new dicarboxamides. Here, the synthesis and characterization of 56 new compounds: 31 bis-benzotriazole dicarboxamides and 25 mono-substituted acidic derivatives are reported. The synthesized compounds were tested for their antiviral and antitumor activity. Mostly, compounds 4a, 4c and 4d showed antiviral activity against tested Picornaviruses, Coxsackievirus B5 and Poliovirus-1. Likewise, four derivatives (3b, 3d, 4d, 9b) showed notable antiproliferative activity inhibiting cell growth in two distinct antitumor screenings. Compound 3b was selected as the antitumor lead compound for the wide range of activity and the potency proved. The lead compound was proved to induce apoptosis in SK-MES1 tumor cells, in a dose-dependent manner