scholarly journals Characterization of Pure and Blended Pellets Made from Norway Spruce and Pea Starch: A Comparative Study of Bonding Mechanism Relevant to Quality

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 4415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anukam ◽  
Berghel ◽  
Frodeson ◽  
Famewo ◽  
Nyamukamba
Keyword(s):  
Norway Spruce ◽  
Bonding Mechanism ◽  
Visual Appearance ◽  
Analytical Instruments ◽  
Particle Bonding ◽  
Pea Starch ◽  
Polar Functional Groups ◽  
Level Analysis

The mechanism of bonding in biomass pellets is such a complex event to comprehend, as the nature of the bonds formed between combining particles and their relevance to pellet quality are not completely understood. In this study, pure and blended biomass pellets made from Norway spruce and pea starch were characterized using advanced analytical instruments able to provide information beyond what is visible to the human eye, with intent to investigate differences in bonding mechanism relevant to quality. The results, which were comprehensively interpreted from a structural chemistry perspective, indicated that, at a molecular level, the major disparity in bonding mechanism between particles of the pellets and the quality of the pellets, defined in terms of strength and burning efficiency, were determined by variation in the concentration of polar functional groups emanating from the major organic and elemental components of the pellets, as well as the strength of the bonds between atoms of these groups. Microscopic-level analysis, which did not provide any clear morphological features that could be linked to incongruity in quality, showed fracture surfaces of the pellets and patterns of surface roughness, as well as the mode of interconnectivity of particles, which were evidence of the production of pellets with dissimilarities in particle bonding mechanism and visual appearance.

Characterization of stilbenoids from the stem bark of Norway spruce (Picea abies) as antifungal agents

Planta Medica ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 81 (S 01) ◽  
pp. S1-S381
Author(s):  
J Gabaston ◽  
T Richard ◽  
B Biais ◽  
P Waffo-Teguo ◽  
MF Corio-Costet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Picea Abies ◽  
Norway Spruce ◽  
Antifungal Agents ◽  
Stem Bark

Analysis of color Image Enhancement Using DWT, Wavelet Shrinkageand FHE Methods

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
Ashish Dwivedi ◽  
Nirupma Tiwari
Keyword(s):  
Image Enhancement ◽  
Color Image ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
Histogram Equalization ◽  
Wavelet Shrinkage ◽  
Visual Appearance ◽  
Enhancement Method ◽  
Fuzzy Histogram ◽  
Rgb Image

Image enhancement (IE) is very important in the field where visual appearance of an image is the main. Image enhancement is the process of improving the image in such a way that the resulting or output image is more suitable than the original image for specific task. With the help of image enhancement process the quality of image can be improved to get good quality images so that they can be clear for human perception or for the further analysis done by machines.Image enhancement method enhances the quality, visual appearance, improves clarity of images, removes blurring and noise, increases contrast and reveals details. The aim of this paper is to study and determine limitations of the existing IE techniques. This paper will provide an overview of different IE techniques commonly used. We Applied DWT on original RGB image then we applied FHE (Fuzzy Histogram Equalization) after DWT we have done the wavelet shrinkage on Three bands (LH, HL, HH). After that we fuse the shrinkage image and FHE image together and we get the enhance image.

Physicochemical and bacteriological characterization of hospital effluents and their impact on the environment

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chem Int
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Fecal Coliforms ◽  
Chemical Pollution ◽  
Hospital Effluents ◽  
Biological Contaminants ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Direct Discharge ◽  
Significant Chemical

Liquid effluents discharged by hospitals may contain chemical and biological contaminants whose main source is the different substances used for the treatment of patients. This type of rejection can present a sanitary potentially dangerous risk for human health and can provoke a strong degradation of diverse environmental compartments mainly water and soils. The present study focuses on the quality of the liquid effluents of Hassani Abdelkader’s hospital of Sidi Bel-Abbes (West of Algeria). The results reveal a significant chemical pollution (COD: 879 mgO2/L, BOD5: 850 mgO2/L, NH4+ : 47.9 mg/l, NO2- : 4.2 mg/l, NO3- : 56.8 mg/l with respect to WHO standard of 90 mgO2/L, 30 mgO2/L, 0.5 mg/l, 1 mg/l and 1 mg/l respectively). However, these effluents are biodegradable since the ratio COD/BOD5 do not exceeded the value of 2 in almost all samples. The presence of pathogen germs is put into evidence such as pseudomonas, the clostridium, the staphylococcus, the fecal coliforms and fecal streptococcus. These results show that the direct discharge of these effluents constitutes a major threat to human health and the environment.

scholarly journals Proteomic Advances in Milk and Dairy Products

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 3832
Author(s):  
Rubén Agregán ◽  
Noemí Echegaray ◽  
María López-Pedrouso ◽  
Radwan Kharabsheh ◽  
Daniel Franco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Products ◽  
Two Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Fundamental Parameters ◽  
Complex Fluid ◽  
Proteins And Peptides ◽  
Milk And Dairy Products

Proteomics is a new area of study that in recent decades has provided great advances in the field of medicine. However, its enormous potential for the study of proteomes makes it also applicable to other areas of science. Milk is a highly heterogeneous and complex fluid, where there are numerous genetic variants and isoforms with post-translational modifications (PTMs). Due to the vast number of proteins and peptides existing in its matrix, proteomics is presented as a powerful tool for the characterization of milk samples and their products. The technology developed to date for the separation and characterization of the milk proteome, such as two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) technology and especially mass spectrometry (MS) have allowed an exhaustive characterization of the proteins and peptides present in milk and dairy products with enormous applications in the industry for the control of fundamental parameters, such as microbiological safety, the guarantee of authenticity, or the control of the transformations carried out, aimed to increase the quality of the final product.

scholarly journals Physicochemical Characterization Cascade of Nanoadjuvant–Antigen Systems for Improving Vaccines

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 544
Author(s):  
Giuditta Guerrini ◽  
Antonio Vivi ◽  
Sabrina Gioria ◽  
Jessica Ponti ◽  
Davide Magrì ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Protein Structure ◽  
Physicochemical Properties ◽  
Physicochemical Characterization ◽  
Protein Antigen ◽  
Efficacy And Safety

Adjuvants have been used for decades to enhance the immune response to vaccines, in particular for the subunit-based adjuvants. Physicochemical properties of the adjuvant-protein antigen complexes, such as size, morphology, protein structure and binding, influence the overall efficacy and safety of the vaccine. Here we show how to perform an accurate physicochemical characterization of the nanoaluminum–ovalbumin complex. Using a combination of existing techniques, we developed a multi-staged characterization strategy based on measurements of increased complexity. This characterization cascade has the advantage of being very flexible and easily adaptable to any adjuvant-protein antigen combinations. It will contribute to control the quality of antigen–adjuvant complexes and immunological outcomes, ultimately leading to improved vaccines.

scholarly journals Gut microbiota profiles and characterization of cultivable fungal isolates in IBS patients

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piero Sciavilla ◽  
Francesco Strati ◽  
Monica Di Paola ◽  
Monica Modesto ◽  
Francesco Vitali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Fungal Isolates ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Irritable Bowel

Abstract Studies so far conducted on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have been focused mainly on the role of gut bacterial dysbiosis in modulating the intestinal permeability, inflammation, and motility, with consequences on the quality of life. Limited evidences showed a potential involvement of gut fungal communities. Here, the gut bacterial and fungal microbiota of a cohort of IBS patients have been characterized and compared with that of healthy subjects (HS). The IBS microbial community structure differed significantly compared to HS. In particular, we observed an enrichment of bacterial taxa involved in gut inflammation, such as Enterobacteriaceae, Streptococcus, Fusobacteria, Gemella, and Rothia, as well as depletion of health-promoting bacterial genera, such as Roseburia and Faecalibacterium. Gut microbial profiles in IBS patients differed also in accordance with constipation. Sequence analysis of the gut mycobiota showed enrichment of Saccharomycetes in IBS. Culturomics analysis of fungal isolates from feces showed enrichment of Candida spp. displaying from IBS a clonal expansion and a distinct genotypic profiles and different phenotypical features when compared to HS of Candida albicans isolates. Alongside the well-characterized gut bacterial dysbiosis in IBS, this study shed light on a yet poorly explored fungal component of the intestinal ecosystem, the gut mycobiota. Our results showed a differential fungal community in IBS compared to HS, suggesting potential for new insights on the involvement of the gut mycobiota in IBS. Key points • Comparison of gut microbiota and mycobiota between IBS and healthy subjects • Investigation of cultivable fungi in IBS and healthy subjects • Candida albicans isolates result more virulent in IBS subjects compared to healthy subjects

scholarly journals A Methodology Based on FT-IR Data Combined with Random Forest Model to Generate Spectralprints for the Characterization of High-Quality Vinegars

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1411
Author(s):  
José Luis P. Calle ◽  
Marta Ferreiro-González ◽  
Ana Ruiz-Rodríguez ◽  
Gerardo F. Barbero ◽  
José Á. Álvarez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Random Forest ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Protected Designation Of Origin ◽  
Ft Ir

Sherry wine vinegar is a Spanish gourmet product under Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Before a vinegar can be labeled as Sherry vinegar, the product must meet certain requirements as established by its PDO, which, in this case, means that it has been produced following the traditional solera and criadera ageing system. The quality of the vinegar is determined by many factors such as the raw material, the acetification process or the aging system. For this reason, mainly producers, but also consumers, would benefit from the employment of effective analytical tools that allow precisely determining the origin and quality of vinegar. In the present study, a total of 48 Sherry vinegar samples manufactured from three different starting wines (Palomino Fino, Moscatel, and Pedro Ximénez wine) were analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The spectroscopic data were combined with unsupervised exploratory techniques such as hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), as well as other nonparametric supervised techniques, namely, support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF), for the characterization of the samples. The HCA and PCA results present a clear grouping trend of the vinegar samples according to their raw materials. SVM in combination with leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) successfully classified 100% of the samples, according to the type of wine used for their production. The RF method allowed selecting the most important variables to develop the characteristic fingerprint (“spectralprint”) of the vinegar samples according to their starting wine. Furthermore, the RF model reached 100% accuracy for both LOOCV and out-of-bag (OOB) sets.

scholarly journals Bone Pain in Multiple Myeloma (BPMM)—A Protocol for a Prospective, Longitudinal, Observational Study

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1596
Author(s):  
Marta Diaz-delCastillo ◽  
Rebecca E. Andrews ◽  
Aritri Mandal ◽  
Thomas L. Andersen ◽  
Andrew D. Chantry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Bone Turnover ◽  
Bone Pain ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal ◽  
Bone Turnover Biomarkers

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a bone marrow neoplasia that causes bone pain in 70% patients. While preclinical models of MM have suggested that both nerve sprouting and nerve injury may be causative for the pain, there is a lack of clinical data. Thus, the primary aims of this clinical study are: (1) to provide a deep characterization of the subjective experience of pain and quality of life in MM patients; (2) to investigate disturbances in the bone innervation of MM patients. Secondary aims include exploring correlations between pain and serum inflammatory and bone turnover biomarkers. In a prospective, observational study (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04273425), patients with suspected MM requiring a diagnostic iliac crest biopsy at Sheffield Teaching Hospital (UK) are invited to participate. Consenting patients answer seven standardized questionnaires assessing pain, quality of life and catastrophizing. Bone turnover biomarkers and inflammatory cytokines are measured in fasting serum samples, and bone innervation is evaluated in diagnostic biopsies. MM patients are invited to a follow-up upon completion of first line treatment. This will be the first deep characterization of pain in MM patients and its correlation with disturbances in bone innervation. Understanding how bone turnover and inflammation correlate to pain in MM is crucial to identify novel analgesic targets for this condition.

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