Combined effect of sodium polyphosphate and smoking on quality parameters of fish (Capoeta umbla) sausage

Improving food quality is one the major issues for the food processing industry. Since food produced from fish spoils quickly, it obviously cannot be kept for an extended time. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of sodium polyphosphate and smoking on the shelf life of fish sausage that was produced from Capoeta umbla and stored at 4±1°C. Therefore, we designed four groups: control group (A), which used neither sodium polyphosphate nor smoking; and treatment groups that used only sodium polyphosphate (group B), smoking (group C) and a combination of sodium polyphosphate and smoking (group D). The shelf life of fish sausage in each group was evaluated according to microbiological (total mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and molds), chemical (pH, thiobarbituoric acid and total volatile basic nitrogen) and sensory analysis. The shelf life of groups A, B, and C was determined as 42 days, while the shelf life of group D was 56 days. Thus, we found significant differences between group D and the other two treatment groups, B and C (p<0.05). The findings of the present study indicated that the combination of sodium polyphosphate+smoking showed a positive ability to extend the shelf life of fish sausage

Effect of vacuum-packing method on the shelf-life of Capoeta umbla sausages

The effect of vacuum packing on the shelf-life of sausages produced from Capoeta umbla were investigated during storage periods. For this purpose, microbial, chemical and sensory changes were analyzed throughout the storage time. The microbial flora of the sausages comprised mainly mesophilic bacteria, psychrotrophic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeast and molds. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and coliforms were not detected in the sausage samples. Total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) increased gradually with storage time while the concentration of moisture was not affected during the storage period. Application of vacuum-packing at 4±1°C extended the shelf-life of sausage samples by approximately 30 days

Plasticity and regeneration of gonads in the annelid Pristina leidyi

International audienceGonads are specialized gamete-producing structures that, despite their functional importance, are generated by diverse mechanisms across groups of animals and can be among the most plastic organs of the body. Annelids, the segmented worms, are a group in which gonads have been documented to be plastic and to be able to regenerate, but little is known about what factors influence gonad development or how these structures regenerate. In this study, we aimed to identify factors that influence the presence and size of gonads and to investigate gonad regeneration in the small asexually reproducing annelid, Pristina leidyi.We found that gonad presence and size in asexual adult P. leidyi are highly variable across individuals and identified several factors that influence these structures. An extrinsic factor, food availability, and two intrinsic factors, individual age and parental age, strongly influence the presence and size of gonads in P. leidyi. We also found that following head amputation in this species, gonads can develop by morphallactic regeneration in previously non-gonadal segments. We also identified a sexually mature individual from our laboratory culture that demonstrates that, although our laboratory strain reproduces only asexually, it retains the potential to become fully sexual.Our findings demonstrate that gonads in P. leidyi display high phenotypic plasticity and flexibility with respect to their presence, their size, and the segments in which they can form. Considering our findings along with relevant data from other species, we find that, as a group, clitellate annelids can form gonads in at least four different contexts: post-starvation refeeding, fission, morphallactic regeneration, and epimorphic regeneration. This group is thus particularly useful for investigating the mechanisms involved in gonad formation and the evolution of post-embryonic phenotypic plasticity

A novel algorithm for dynamic student profile adaptation based on learning styles

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.E-learning recommendation systems are used to enhance student performance and knowledge by providing tailor- made services based on the students’ preferences and learning styles, which are typically stored in student profiles. For such systems to remain effective, the profiles need to be able to adapt and reflect the students’ changing behaviour. In this paper, we introduce new algorithms that are designed to track student learning behaviour patterns, capture their learning styles, and maintain dynamic student profiles within a recommendation system (RS). This paper also proposes a new method to extract features that characterise student behaviour to identify students’ learning styles with respect to the Felder-Silverman learning style model (FSLSM). In order to test the efficiency of the proposed algorithm, we present a series of experiments that use a dataset of real students to demonstrate how our proposed algorithm can effectively model a dynamic student profile and adapt to different student learning behaviour. The results revealed that the students could effectively increase their learning efficiency and quality for the courses when the learning styles are identified, and proper recommendations are made by using our method

Investigation of the gamma ray shielding properties for polyvinyl chloride reinforced with chalcocite and hematite minerals

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is the most widely produced synthetic plastic polymer in the world: it has a variety of applications due to its low cost, elasticity, light weight, good mechanical characteristics and corrosion resistance. In order to protect living beings from harmful radiation such as gamma rays, novel low-cost chalcocite and hematite-based PVCs were fabricated for shielding purposes. The mass attenuation coefficient μm for various fabricated hematite and chalcocite-based PVCs was calculated using MCNP-5 code. The results were compared with the values calculated theoretically using XCOM software between 0.015 and 15 MeV. Moreover, the simulated μm parameter for chalcocite/PVC and hematite/PVC was used to calculate other shielding factors, such as the half value layer (HVL), the mean free path (MFP) effective atomic number Zeff, the geometric-progress (G-P) fitting parameters and the exposure buildup factor (EBF). The simulated data of μm for all composites is comparable to that obtained from a theoretical calculation. The results showed that the addition of hematite and chalcocite enhance the μm of PVC polymers. We also found that the μm of chalcocite/PVC is higher than that of hematite/PVC due to the copper content in the former. © 2020Materials science; Nuclear physics; Polyvinyl chloride; Hematite; Chalcocite; Shielding parameters; Radiation shielding. © 202

A driver focused truck crash prediction model

This paper advances a driver focused truck crash prediction model. The model investigates the contribution of driver factors on the number of state reportable crashes in which the driver was involved. The findings suggest that the following factors are significantly related to the likelihood of a crash occurrence: driver age, weight, height, gender, and employment stability as well as previous driver and vehicle violations and past crashes. The results have significance regarding the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration imperative to improve safety.Motor carrier safety United States motor carrier industry