A multi-criteria optimization and decision-making approach for improvement of food engineering processes.

The objective of this study was to propose a multi-criteria optimization and decision-making technique to solve food engineering problems. This technique was demostrated using experimental data obtained on osmotic dehydratation of carrot cubes in a sodium chloride solution. The Aggregating Functions Approach, the Adaptive Random Search Algorithm, and the Penalty Functions Approach were used in this study to compute the initial set of non-dominated or Pareto-optimal solutions. Multiple non-linear regression analysis was performed on a set of experimental data in order to obtain particular multi-objective functions (responses), namely water loss, solute gain, rehydration ratio, three different colour criteria of rehydrated product, and sensory evaluation (organoleptic quality). Two multi-criteria decision-making approaches, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Tabular Method (TM), were used simultaneously to choose the best alternative among the set of non-dominated solutions. The multi-criteria optimization and decision-making technique proposed in this study can facilitate the assessment of criteria weights, giving rise to a fairer, more consistent, and adequate final compromised solution or food process. This technique can be useful to food scientists in research and education, as well as to engineers involved in the improvement of a variety of food engineering processes

Modelado matemático y simulación de la fenomenología física en los niños de Llullaillaco

En marzo de 1999 se produjo uno de los descubrimientos más importantes en el campo de la arqueología de alta montaña: el hallazgo de tres cuerpos de niños, con alto grado de conservación, pertenecientes a la filiación Incaica. Los cuerpos fueron hallados cubiertos por un manto compuesto de roca y hielo en la cumbre del volcán Llullaillaco ubicado en la provincia de Salta a más de 6700 m sobre el nivel del mar. Actualmente las momias se encuentran en el Museo de Arqueología de Alta Montaña de Salta y una de las principales tareas que se están llevando a cabo es establecer condiciones óptimas de preservación de los mismos. Con este fin resulta relevante determinar los fenómenos físicos y químicos que ocurrieron, ocurren y pueden ocurrir en los cuerpos de los Niños del Llullaillaco. En este trabajo se desarrolló un modelo matemático que describe los procesos de transferencia de calor y materia en los cuerpos para los diferentes estadios y condiciones a las cuales se han encontrado expuestas dichas momias. La resolución numérica de los modelos permitió entender e interpretar la dinámica física en dichos cuerpos, con el objetivo final de visualizar y establecer políticas de preservación.publishedVersio

Look Who’s Talking:Using creative, playful arts-based methods in research with young children

Young children are often ignored or marginalised in the drive to address children’s participation and their wider set of rights. This is the case generally in social research, as well as within the field of Arts-Based Education Research. This article contributes to the growing literature on young children’s involvement in arts-based research, by providing a reflective account of our learning and playful engagement with children using creative methods. This small pilot project forms part of a larger international project titled Look Who’s Talking: Eliciting the Voices of Children from Birth to Seven, led by Professor Kate Wall at the University of Strathclyde. Visiting one nursery in Scotland, we worked with approximately 30 children from 3 to 5 years old. Seeking to connect with their play-based nursery experiences, we invited children to participate in a range of arts-based activities including drawing, craft-making, sculpting, a themed ‘play basket’ with various props, puppetry and videography. In this article, we develop reflective, analytical stories of our successes and dilemmas in the project. We were keen to establish ways of working with children that centred their own creativity and play, shaped by the materials we provided but not directed by us. However, we struggled to balance our own agenda with the more open-ended methods we had used. We argue that an intergenerational approach to eliciting voice with young children – in which adults are not afraid to shape the agenda, but do so in responsive, gradual and sensitive ways – creates the potential for a more inclusive experience for children that also meets researcher needs

Social modulation of contagious yawning in wolves

On the basis of observational and experimental evidence, several authors have proposed that contagious yawn is linked to our capacity for empathy, thus presenting a powerful tool to explore the root of empathy in animal evolution. The evidence for the occurrence of contagious yawning and its link to empathy, however, is meagre outside primates and only recently domestic dogs have demonstrated this ability when exposed to human yawns. Since dogs are unusually skilful at reading human communicative behaviors, it is unclear whether this phenomenon is deeply rooted in the evolutionary history of mammals or evolved de novo in dogs as a result of domestication. Here we show that wolves are capable of yawn contagion, suggesting that such ability is a common ancestral trait shared by other mammalian taxa. Furthermore, the strength of the social bond between the model and the subject positively affected the frequency of contagious yawning, suggesting that in wolves the susceptibility of yawn contagion correlates with the level of emotional proximity. Moreover, female wolves showed a shorter reaction time than males when observing yawns of close associates, suggesting that females are more responsive to their social stimuli. These results are consistent with the claim that the mechanism underlying contagious yawning relates to the capacity for empathy and suggests that basic building blocks of empathy might be present in a wide range of species

Design and analysis of cross vaults along history

The history of cross vaults began almost 2,000 years ago with a widespread use during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, becoming nowadays one of the most diffused and fascinating structural typologies of the European building cultural heritage. However, conversely to the undeniable excellence achieved by the ancient masons, the structural behavior of these elements is still at the center of the scientific debate. In this regard, with the aim of reviewing the knowledge on this subject as a concise and valuable support for researchers involved in conservation of historical buildings, with a focus on design rules and structural analysis, the present study firstly introduces the cross vaults from a historical perspective, by describing the evolution of the main geometrical shapes together with basic practical rules used to size them. Then, the article deals with the subsequent advancements in structural analysis methods of vaults, until the development of modern limit analysis.This work was partially carried out under the program "Dipartimento di Protezione Civile - Consorzio RELUIS", signed on 2013-12-27.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of Ultrasonic-Assisted Blanching on Size Variation, Heat Transfer, and Quality Parameters of Mushrooms

The main aim of this work was to assess the influence of the application of power ultrasound during blanching of mushrooms (60 90 °C) on the shrinkage, heat transfer, and quality parameters. Kinetics of mushroom shrinkage was modeled and coupled to a heat transfer model for conventional (CB) and ultrasonic-assisted blanching (UB). Cooking value and the integrated residual enzymatic activity were obtained through predicted temperatures and related to the hardness and color variations of mushrooms, respectively. The application of ultrasound led to an increase of shrinkage and heat transfer rates, being this increase more intense at low process temperatures. Consequently, processing time was decreased (30.7 46.0 %) and a reduction in hardness (25.2 40.8 %) and lightness (13.8 16.8 %) losses were obtained. The best retention of hardness was obtained by the UB at 60 °C, while to maintain the lightness it was the CB and UB at 90 °C. For enhancing both quality parameters simultaneously, a combined treatment (CT), which consisted of a CB 0.5 min at 90 °C and then an UB 19.9min at 60 °C, was designed. In this manner, compared with the conventional treatment at 60 °C, reductions of 39.1, 27.2, and 65.5 % for the process time, hardness and lightness losses were achieved, respectively. These results suggest that the CT could be considered as an interesting alternative to CB in order to reduce the processing time and improve the overall quality of blanched mushrooms.The authors acknowledge the financial support of Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas and Universidad Nacional de La Plata from Argentina, Erasmus Mundus Action 2-Strand 1 and EuroTango II Researcher Training Program and Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (SPAIN) and the FEDER (project DPI2012-37466-CO3-03).Lespinard, A.; Bon Corbín, J.; Cárcel Carrión, JA.; Benedito Fort, JJ.; Mascheroni, RH. (2015). Effect of Ultrasonic-Assisted Blanching on Size Variation, Heat Transfer, and Quality Parameters of Mushrooms. Food and Bioprocess Technology. 8(1):41-53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-014-1373-zS415381Aguirre, L., Frias, J. M., Barry-Ryan, C., & Grogan, H. (2009). Modelling browning and brown spotting of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) stored in controlled environmental conditions using image analysis. Journal of Food Engineering, 91, 280–286.Anantheswaran, R. C., Sastry, S. K., Beelman, R. B., Okereke, A., & Konanayakam, M. (1986). Effect of processing on yield, color, and texture of canned mushrooms. Journal of Food Science, 51(5), 1197–1200.Biekman, E. S. A., Kroese-Hoedeman, H. I., & Schijvens, E. P. H. M. (1996). Loss of solutes during blanching of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) as a result of shrinkage and extraction. Journal of Food Engineering, 28(2), 139–152.Biekman, E. S. A., van Remmen, H. H. J., Kroese-Hoedeman, H. I., Ogink, J. J. M., & Schijvens, E. P. H. M. (1997). Effect of shrinkage on the temperature increase in evacuated mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) during blanching. Journal of Food Engineering, 33(1–2), 87–99.Brennan, M., Le Port, G., & Gormley, R. (2000). Post-harvest treatment with citric acid or hydrogen peroxide to extend the shelf life of fresh sliced mushrooms. Lebensmittel Wissenschaft und Technologie, 33, 285–289.Cárcel, J. A., Benedito, J., Rosselló, C., & Mulet, A. (2007). Influence of ultrasound intensity on mass transfer in apple immersed in a sucrose solution. Journal of Food Engineering, 78, 472–479.Cárcel, J. A., Benedito, J., Bon, J., & Mulet, A. (2007). High intensity ultrasound effects on meat brining. Meat Science, 76, 611–619.Cárcel, J. A., García-Pérez, J. V., Benedito, J., & Mulet, A. (2011). Food process innovation through new technologies: Use of ultrasound. Journal of Food Engineering, 110, 200–207.Cheng, X., Zhang, M., & Adhikari, B. (2013). The inactivation kinetics of polyphenol oxidase in mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) during thermal and thermosonic treatmemts. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 20, 674–679.Cliffe-Byrnes, V., & O’Beirne, D. (2007). Effects of gas atmosphere and temperature on the respiration rates of whole and sliced mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus): implications for film permeability in modified atmosphere packages. Journal of Food Science, 72, 197–204.Coskuner, Y., & Ozdemir, Y. (1997). Effects of canning processes on the elements content of cultivated mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus). Food Chemistry, 60(4), 559–562.Cruz, R. M. S., Vieira, M. C., Fonseca, S. C., & Silva, C. L. M. (2011). Impact of thermal blanching and thermosonication treatments on watercress (Nasturtium officinale) quality: thermosonication process optimisation and microstructure evaluation. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 4(7), 1197–1204.De Gennaro, L., Cavella, S., Romano, R., & Masi, P. (1999). The use of ultrasound in food technology I: inactivation of peroxidase by thermosonication. Journal of Food Engineering, 39, 401–407.De la Fuente, S., Riera, E., Acosta, V. M., Blanco, A., & Gallego-Juárez, J. A. (2006). Food drying process by power ultrasound. Ultrasonics, 44, 523–527.Delgado, A. E., Zheng, L., & Sun, D. W. (2009). Influence of ultrasound on freezing rate of immersion-frozen apples. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 2, 263–270.Devece, C., Rodríguez-López, J. N., Fenoll, J. T., Catalá, J. M., De los Reyes, E., & García-Cánovas, F. (1999). Enzyme inactivation analysis for industrial blanching applications: comparison of microwave, conventional, and combination heat treatments on mushroom polyphenoloxidase activity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 47(11), 4506–4511.Fernandes, F. A. N., & Rodrigues, S. (2007). Ultrasound as pre-treatment for drying of fruits: dehydration of banana. Journal of Food Engineering, 82, 261–267.Gabaldón-Leyva, C. A., Quintero-Ramos, A., Barnard, J., Balandrán-Quintana, R. R., Talamás-Abbud, R., & Jiménez-Castro, J. (2007). Effect of ultrasound on the mass transfer and physical changes in brine bell pepper at different temperatures. Journal of Food Engineering, 81, 374–379.Gallego-Juárez, J. A., Riera, E., De la Fuente, S., Rodríguez-Corral, G., Acosta-Aparicio, V. M., & Blanco, A. (2007). Application of high-power ultrasound for dehydration of vegetables: processes and devices. Drying Technology, 25, 1893–1901.Gamboa-Santos, J., Montilla, A., Soria, A. C., & Villamiel, M. (2012). Effects of conventional and ultrasound blanching on enzyme inactivation and carbohydrate content of carrots. European Food Research and Technology, 234, 1071–1079.García-Pérez, J. V., Cárcel, J. A., De la Fuente, S., & Riera, E. (2006). Ultrasonic drying of foodstuff in a fluidized bed. Parametric study. Ultrasonics, 44, 539–543.García-Pérez, J. V., Cárcel, J. A., Riera, E., Rosselló, C., & Mulet, A. (2012). Intensification of low-temperature drying by using ultrasound. Drying Technology, 30, 1199–1208.Gonzáles-Fandos, E., Giménez, M., Olarte, C., Sanz, S., & Simón, A. (2000). Effect of packaging conditions on the growth of microorganisms and the quality characteristics of fresh mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) stored at inadequate temperatures. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 89, 624–632.Gormley, T. R. (1975). Chill storage of mushrooms. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 26, 401–411.Gouzi, H., Depagne, C., & Coradin, T. (2012). Kinetics and thermodynamics of thermal inactivation of polyfenol oxidase in an aqueous extract from Agaricus bisporus. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 60, 500–506.Holdsworth, S. D. (1997). Thermal processing of packaged foods. London: Chapman Hall.Horžić, D., Jambrak, A. R., Belščak-Cvitanović, A., Komes, D., & Lelas, V. (2012). Comparison of conventional and ultrasound assisted extraction techniques of yellow tea and bioactive composition of obtained extracts. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 5, 2858–2870.Jambrak, A. R., Mason, T. J., Paniwnyk, L., & Lelas, V. (2007a). Ultrasonic effect on pH, electric conductivity, and tissue surface of button mushrooms, brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Czech Journal of Food Science, 25, 90–99.Jambrak, A. R., Mason, T. J., Paniwnyk, L., & Lelas, V. (2007b). Accelerated drying of button mushrooms, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower by applying power ultrasound and its rehydration properties. Journal of Food Engineering, 81, 88–97.Jasinski, E. M., Stemberger, B., Walsh, R., & Kilara, A. (1984). Ultra structural studies of raw and processed tissue of the major cultivated mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. Food Microstructure, 3, 191–196.Jolivet, S., Arpin, N., Wicher, H. J., & Pellon, G. (1998). Agaricus bisporus browning: a review. Mycological Research, 102, 1459–1483.Konanayakam, M., & Sastry, S. K. (1988). Kinetics of shrinkage of mushroom during blanching. Journal of Food Science, 53(5), 1406–1411.Kotwaliwale, N., Bakane, P., & Verma, A. (2007). Changes in textural and optical properties of oyster mushroom during hot air drying. Journal of Food Engineering, 78(4), 1207–1211.Leadley C. & Williams A. (2002). Power ultrasound—current and potential applications for food processing, Review No 32, Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association.Lespinard, A. R., Goñi, S. M., Salgado, P. R., & Mascheroni, R. H. (2009). Experimental determination and modeling of size variation, heat transfer and quality indexes during mushroom blanching. Journal of Food Engineering, 92, 8–17.Lima, M., & Sastry, S. K. (1990). Influence of fluid rheological properties and particle location on ultrasound-assisted heat transfer between liquid and particles. Journal of Food Science, 55(4), 1112–1115.López, P., & Burgos, J. (1995). Peroxidase stability and reactivation after heat treatment and manothermosonication. Journal of Food Science, 60(3), 551–553.López, P., Sala, F. J., Fuente, J. L., Cardon, S., Raso, J., & Burgos, J. (1994). Inactivation of peroxidase lipoxigenase and phenol oxidase by manothermosonication. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 42(2), 253–256.Mansfield, T. (1962). High temperature-short time sterilization. Proceedings First International Congress on Food Science and Technology, 4, 311–316.Mason T. J. (1998). Power ultrasound in food processing—the way forward. In M. J. W. Povey & T. J. Mason (Eds.), Ultrasound in Food Processing (pp 103–126). Blackie Academic & Professional, London.McArdle F. J. & Curwen D. (1962). Some factors influencing shrinkage of canned mushrooms. Mushroom Science, 5, 547–557.McArdle, F. J., Kuhn, G. D., & Beelman, R. B. (1974). Influence of vacuum soaking on yield and quality of canned mushrooms. Journal of Food Science, 39, 1026–1028.Mohapatra, D., Bira, Z. M., Kerry, J. P., Frías, J. M., & Rodrigues, F. A. (2010). Postharvest hardness and color evolution of White button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus). Journal of Food Science, 75(3), 146–152.Ohlsson, T. (1980). Temperature dependence of sensory quality changes during thermal processing. Journal of Food Science, 45(4), 836–847.Ortuño, C., Martínez-Pastor, M., Mulet, A., & Benedito, J. (2013). Application of high power ultrasound in the supercritical carbon dioxide inactivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Food Research International, 51, 474–481.Peralta-Jimenez, L., & Cañizares-Macías, M. P. (2012). Ultrasound-assisted method for extraction of theobromine and caffeine from cacao seeds and chocolate products. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 6, 3522–3529.Rodríguez-López, J. N., Fenoll, N. G., Tudela, J., Devece, C., Sánchez-Hernández, D., De los Reyes, D., et al. (1999). Thermal inactivation of mushroom polyphenoloxidase employing 2450 MHz microwave radiation. Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, 47, 3028–3035.Sala, F., Burgos, J., Condon, S., Lopez, P., & Raso, J. (1995). Effect of heat and ultrasound on microorganisms and enzymes. In G. W. Gould (Ed.), New methods of food preservation (1st ed., pp. 176–204). Glasgow: Blackie Academic and professional.Sanjuán, N., Hernando, I., Lluch, M. A., & Mullet, A. (2005). Effects of low temperature blanching on texture, microstructure and rehydration capacity of carrots. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 85, 2071–2076.Santos, M. V., & Lespinard, A. R. (2011). Numerical simulation of mushrooms during freezing using the FEM and an enthalpy—Kirchhoff formulation. Heat and Mass Transfer, 47, 1671–1683.Sastry, S. K., Beelman, R. B., & Speroni, J. J. (1985). A three-dimensional finite element model for thermally induced changes in foods: application to degradation of agaritine in canned mushrooms. Journal of Food Science, 50(5), 1293–1299.Sastry, S. K., Shen, G. Q., & Blaisdel, J. L. (1989). Effect of ultrasonic vibration on fluid-to-particule convective heat transfer coefficients. Journal of Food Science, 54(1), 229–230.Sensoy, I., & Sastry, S. K. (2004). Ohmic blanching of mushrooms. Journal of Food Process Engineering, 27(1), 1–15.Sheen, S., & Hayakawa, K. (1991). Finite difference simulation for heat conduction with phase change in an irregular food domain with volumetric change. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 34(6), 1337–1346.Simal, S., Benedito, J., Sanchez, E. S., & Rossello, C. (1998). Use of ultrasound to increase mass transport rates during osmotic dehydration. Journal of Food Engineering, 36, 323–336.Siró, I., Vén, C., Balla, C., Jónás, G., Zeke, I., & Friedrich, L. (2009). Application of an ultrasonic assisted curing technique for improving the diffusion of sodium chloride in porcine meat. Journal of Food Engineering, 91, 353–362.Soria, A. C., & Villamiel, M. (2010). Effect of ultrasound on the technological properties and bioactivity in foods: a review. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 21, 323–331.Verlinden, B. E., Yuksel, D., Baheri, M., De Baerdemaeker, J., & Van Dijk, C. (2000). Low temperature blanching effect on the changes in mechanical properties during subsequent cooking of three potato cultivars. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 35, 331–340.Wu, C. M., Wu, J. L.-P., Chen, C.-C., & Chou, C.-C. (1981). Flavor recovery from mushroom blanching water. In G. Charalambous & G. Inglett (Eds.), The quality of foods and beverages: chemistry and technology, vol. 1. New York: Academic Press.Zivanovic, S., & Buescher, R. (2004). Changes in mushroom texture and cell wall composition affected by thermal processing. Journal of Food Science, 69, 44–48

Incidental sounds of locomotion in animal cognition

The highly synchronized formations that characterize schooling in fish and the flight of certain bird groups have frequently been explained as reducing energy expenditure. I present an alternative, or complimentary, hypothesis that synchronization of group movements may improve hearing perception. Although incidental sounds produced as a by-product of locomotion (ISOL) will be an almost constant presence to most animals, the impact on perception and cognition has been little discussed. A consequence of ISOL may be masking of critical sound signals in the surroundings. Birds in flight may generate significant noise; some produce wing beats that are readily heard on the ground at some distance from the source. Synchronization of group movements might reduce auditory masking through periods of relative silence and facilitate auditory grouping processes. Respiratory locomotor coupling and intermittent flight may be other means of reducing masking and improving hearing perception. A distinct border between ISOL and communicative signals is difficult to delineate. ISOL seems to be used by schooling fish as an aid to staying in formation and avoiding collisions. Bird and bat flocks may use ISOL in an analogous way. ISOL and interaction with animal perception, cognition, and synchronized behavior provide an interesting area for future study