Chicory roots improves the taste and odour of organic pork

The carbohydrate inulin is known to reduce the production of skatole in pigs. This is caused by inulin changing the intestinal flora, so that the bacteria that produce skatole are held in check. This change in intestinal flora also reduces the number of intestinal parasites in the pigs. However the high cost of inulin makes its use in pig feed impractical. Chicory root contains inulin and a series of other carbohydrates and secondary metabolites. Therefore we have examined whether chicory root can replace pure inulin and thereby reduce boar taint, improve the taste of pork and reduce the infection of pigs with pathogenic parasites and bacteria

Brugernes reaktion når det offentlige øger serviceniveauet. Resultater fra et lodtrækningsforsøg på skoleområdet

Det er først for nylig, at det inden for uddannelsesområdet er blevet undersøgt, hvordan brugere reagerer, når investeringer i den offentlige serviceproduktion øges. Disse nye studier tyder på, at det får brugerne til at sænke deres bidrag til produktionen af disse ydelser. Det er uheldigt i den forstand, at det sænker den samlede effekt af de offentlige investeringer. Teori om samproduktion tilsiger imidlertid, at brugernes reaktion på forstærkede offentlige indsatser vil afhænge af, om de opfatter indsatserne som komplementære i forhold til, hvad de selv kan bidrage med, eller om de opfatter dem som rene substitutter. Vi undersøger brugernes reaktion ved i et felteksperiment på skoleområdet at sammenligne effekten af tre forskellige men sammenlignelige indsatser. Resultaterne viser, at den indsats, der appellerede til forældrenes aktive bidrag ved at give de fagligt svageste børn flere lektier for – og som samtidig var målrettet hjælp til børnene frem for hjælp til læreren – faktisk gjorde, at børnene oplevede, at forældrene hjalp dem mere med skolearbejdet. Resultaterne giver derfor grund til at forvente, at effekten af offentlige indsatser kan forstærkes frem for svækkes, hvis de tilrettelægges, så de giver brugerne en oplevelse af, at deres bidrag kan komplementere den offentlige indsats

Transforming data to information: A parallel hybrid model for real‐time state estimation in lignocellulosic ethanol fermentation

Operating lignocellulosic fermentation processes to produce fuels and chemicals is challenging due to the inherent complexity and variability of the fermentation media. Real‐time monitoring is necessary to compensate for these challenges, but the traditional process monitoring methods fail to deliver actionable information that can be used to implement advanced control strategies. In this study, a hybrid‐modeling approach is presented to monitor cellulose‐to‐ethanol (EtOH) fermentations in real‐time. The hybrid approach uses a continuous‐discrete extended Kalman filter to reconciliate the predictions of a data‐driven model and a kinetic model and to estimate the concentration of glucose (Glu), xylose (Xyl), and EtOH. The data‐driven model is based on partial least squares (PLS) regression and predicts in real‐time the concentration of Glu, Xyl, and EtOH from spectra collected with attenuated total reflectance mid‐infrared spectroscopy. The estimations made by the hybrid approach, the data‐driven models and the internal model were compared in two validation experiments showing that the hybrid model significantly outperformed the PLS and improved the predictions of the internal model. Furthermore, the hybrid model delivered consistent estimates even when disturbances in the measurements occurred, demonstrating the robustness of the method. The consistency of the proposed hybrid model opens the doors towards the implementation of advanced feedback control schemesThis project has been partially supported by the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program in the frame of the project “Demonstration of 2G ethanol production in full scale” (Grant Number 64015‐0642), and has been realized together with Maabjerg Energy Center. The support of the BIOPRO2 Strategic Research Center (Grant Agreement No. 4105‐00020B) is gratefully acknowledged. The authors wish to acknowledge the support provided by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska‐Curie Grant Agreement Number 713683 (COFUNDfellowsDTU), by the Danish Council for Independent Research in the frame of the DFF FTP research project GREENLOGIC (Grant Agreement Number 7017‐00175A), and by Novo Nordisk Fonden in the frame of the fermentation‐based biomanufacturing education initiative. Miguel Mauricio‐Iglesias belongs to the Galician Competitive Research Group ED431C 2017/029 and the CRETUS Strategic Partnership (AGRUP2017/01)S

Cikorierødder forbedrer smag og lugt i økologisk svinekød

Sukkerstoffet inulin er kendt for at kunne nedsætte dannelsen af skatol hos svin. Det skyldes at inulin ændrer tarmfloraen, så bakterier der danner skatol bliver holdt i skak. Samtidig bevirker den ændrede tarmflora at grisene får færre indvoldsorm. Inulin er imidlertid for dyrt til, at det kan betale sig at bruge det i svinefoder. Cikorierødder indeholder inulin og en række andre kulhydrater plus sekundære metabolitter. Derfor har vi undersøgt om cikorierødder kan erstatte ren inulin og derigennem mindske ornelugten, forbedre smagen og nedsætte grisenes smitte med sygdomsfremkaldende parasitter og bakterier

The Prevalence and Clinical Implications of Rectal SARS-CoV-2 Shedding in Danish COVID-19 Patients and the General Population

Background: SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in a global pandemic since its outbreak in Wuhan, 2019. Virus transmission primarily occurs through close contact, respiratory droplets, and aerosol particles. However, since SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in fecal and rectal samples from infected individuals, the fecal-oral route has been suggested as another potential route of transmission. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and clinical implications of rectal SARS-CoV-2 shedding in Danish COVID-19 patients. Methods: Hospitalized and non-hospitalized adults and children who were recently tested with a pharyngeal COVID-19 test, were included in the study. A rectal swab was collected from all participants. Hospitalized adults and COVID-19 positive children were followed with both pharyngeal and rectal swabs until two consecutive negative results were obtained. RT-qPCR targeting the envelope gene was used to detect SARS-CoV-2 in the samples. Demographic, medical, and biochemical information was obtained through questionnaires and medical records. Results: Twenty-eight of 52 (53.8%) COVID-19 positive adults and children were positive for SARS-CoV-2 in rectal swabs. Seven of the rectal positive participants were followed for more than 6 days. Two of these (28.6%) continued to test positive in their rectal swabs for up to 29 days after the pharyngeal swabs had turned negative. Hospitalized rectal positive and rectal negative adults were comparable regarding demographic, medical, and biochemical information. Furthermore, no difference was observed in the severity of the disease among the two groups. Conclusions: We provided evidence of rectal SARS-CoV-2 shedding in Danish COVID-19 patients. The clinical importance of rectal SARS-CoV-2 shedding appears to be minimal

Water column biogeochemistry of oxygen minimum zones in the eastern tropical North Atlantic and eastern tropical South Pacific Oceans

Recent modeling results suggest that oceanic oxygen levels will decrease significantly over the next decades to centuries in response to climate change and altered ocean circulation. Hence the future ocean may experience major shifts in nutrient cycling triggered by the expansion and intensification of tropical oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). There are numerous feedbacks between oxygen concentrations, nutrient cycling and biological productivity; however, existing knowledge is insufficient to understand physical, chemical and biological interactions in order to adequately assess past and potential future changes. We investigated the pelagic biogeochemistry of OMZs in the eastern tropical North Atlantic and eastern tropical South Pacific during a series of cruise expeditions and mesocosm studies. The following summarizes the current state of research on the influence of low environmental oxygen conditions on marine biota, viruses, organic matter formation and remineralization with a particular focus on the nitrogen cycle in OMZ regions. The impact of sulfidic events on water column biogeochemistry, originating from a specific microbial community capable of highly efficient carbon fixation, nitrogen turnover and N2O production is further discussed. Based on our findings, an important role of sinking particulate organic matter in controlling the nutrient stochiometry of the water column is suggested. These particles can enhance degradation processes in OMZ waters by acting as microniches, with sharp gradients enabling different processes to happen in close vicinity, thus altering the interpretation of oxic and anoxic environments

Is the racial composition of your surroundings associated with your levels of social dominance orientation?

We investigate the extent to which minority group members are surrounded by outgroup members in their immediate environment as a predictor of social dominance orientation. Using a large representative sample of New Zealanders, we found that minority group members in outgroup dense environments reported lower levels of social dominance orientation (Study 1). In studies 2 and 3, Asian Australian and Black American participants who were surrounded by outgroup members reported lower social dominance orientation. For majority group (White) participants there was no association between social dominance orientation and outgroup density. Study 4 explained the overall pattern: Black Americans surrounded by outgroup members perceived their group to be of lower status in their immediate environment, and through this, reported lower social dominance orientation. This article adds to growing literature on contextual factors that predict social dominance orientation, especially among minority group members