Handling of Two Tropical Australian Sharks to Improve Quality and to Identify the Cause of Tough Texture

Sharks caught in tropical Australian waters occasionally exhibit tough texture. Two species of Carcharinid shark, originally known as the sorrah shark (Carcharinus sorrah) and the black spot shark (Carcharinus tilstoni), compose the majority of the catch. Experiments were conducted to identify the cause of tough texture and to improve the overall quality of the catch. The possibility that a cold shock reaction may occur was investigated by observing the contraction of fillets under a range of temperature conditions before freezing. The effect of on-board handling practices were evaluated using frozen shark fillets, which had been stored prior to freezing in refrigerated seawater at different rigor stages, temperatures and times as trunks. Fillets were analyzed for nucleotides, lactate, thaw pH, sarcomere length and raw and cooked shear force values. The existence of thaw rigor was also investigated. There was little difference in the texture between the individual strips of a fillet exposed to different temperatures but there were significant differences between individual sharks. A cold shock reaction could not be demonstrated in these species. The main influences on texture were of biological origin. The species, sex and size were found to have significant links with texture of fillets. The quality of the fillets deteriorated quicker during the warmer season and were at their worst if the trunks were kept on deck till post-rigor or held in 15 degree C refrigerated seawater before freezing

Changes in sensory quality of sterile cantaloupe dice stored in controlled atmospheres.

Diced cantaloupe flesh that was microbiologically sterile was prepared in order to study the physiological deterioration of fruit when stored under a range of controlled atmospheres at 4.5°C. Sterile fruit pieces were prepared by boiling whole melons for 3 min, then dicing aseptically. Storage atmospheres were in continuous flow and contained from 0 to 26% CO2 and 3.5 to 17% O2. Sensory assessments were carried out by a highly trained panel at 14-day intervals. Products that were acceptable for up to 28 days were obtained when the following 3 treatments were used: 6% CO2 and 6% O2; 9.5% CO2 and 3.5% O2; and 15% CO2 and 6% O2. Overall, treatment with 0, 19.5 or 26% CO2 (irrespective of O2 concn.) caused significant deterioration in sensory properties.

Non-invasive assessment of pineapple and mango fruit quality using near infra-red spectroscopy

The potential of near infra-red (NIR) spectroscopy for non-invasive measurement of fruit quality of pineapple (Ananas comosus var. Smooth Cayenne) and mango (Magnifera indica var. Kensington) fruit was assessed. A remote reflectance fibre optic probe, placed in contact with the fruit skin surface in a light-proof box, was used to deliver monochromatic light to the fruit, and to collect NIR reflectance spectra (760–2500 nm). The probe illuminated and collected reflected radiation from an area of about 16 cm2. The NIR spectral attributes were correlated with pineapple juice Brix and with mango flesh dry matter (DM) measured from fruit flesh directly underlying the scanned area. The highest correlations for both fruit were found using the second derivative of the spectra (d2 log 1/R) and an additive calibration equation. Multiple linear regression (MLR) on pineapple fruit spectra (n = 85) gave a calibration equation using d2 log 1/R at wavelengths of 866, 760, 1232 and 832 nm with a multiple coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.75, and a standard error of calibration (SEC) of 1.21 °Brix. Modified partial least squares (MPLS) regression analysis yielded a calibration equation with R2 = 0.91, SEC = 0.69, and a standard error of cross validation (SECV) of 1.09 oBrix. For mango, MLR gave a calibration equation using d2 log 1/R at 904, 872, 1660 and 1516 nm with R2 = 0.90, and SEC = 0.85% DM and a bias of 0.39. Using MPLS analysis, a calibration equation with R2 = 0.98, SEC = 0.54 and SECV = 1.19 was obtained. We conclude that NIR technology offers the potential to assess fruit sweetness in intact whole pineapple and DM in mango fruit, respectively, to within 1° Brix and 1% DM, and could be used for the grading of fruit in fruit packing sheds.

Effect of an Ethylene Absorbent on Quality of Tomato Slices

Ethylene production is stimulated during the slicing of fresh cut tomato slices. Experiments were conducted to investigate whether the inclusion of ethylene absorbents in packaging affects the quality of tomato slices cv. Revolution during storage at 5OC. ‘Pink’ maturity stage tomatoes were cut into 7mm thick slices and vertically stacked in closed glass containers for 12 days with or without Purafil® to remove ethylene. The ethylene removal treatment resulted in reduced ethylene, less CO2 accumulation, and firmer slices.

sopB of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a potential DNA vaccine candidate in conjugation with live attenuated bacteria

The immune response against Salmonella is multi-faceted involving both the innate and the adaptive immune system. The characterization of specific Salmonella antigens inducing immune response could critically contribute to the development of epitope based vaccines for Salmonella. We have tried to identify a protective T cell epitope(s) of Salmonella, as cell mediated immunity conferred by CD8+ T cells is the most crucial subset conferring protective immunity against Salmonella. It being a proven fact that secreted proteins are better in inducing cell mediated immunity than cell surface and cytosolic antigens, we have analyzed all the genbank annotated Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 and 2 secreted proteins of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. typhimurium) and S. enterica serovar Typhi (S. typhi). They were subjected to BIMAS and SYFPEITHI analysis to map MHC-I and MHC-II binding epitopes. The huge profile of possible T cell epitopes obtained from the two classes of secreted proteins were tabulated and using a scoring system that considers the binding affinity and promiscuity of binding to more than one allele, SopB and SifB were chosen for experimental confirmation in murine immunization model. The entire SopB and SifB genes were cloned into DNA vaccine vectors and were administered along with live attenuated Salmonella and it was found that SopB vaccination reduced the bacterial burden of organs by about 5-fold on day 4 and day 8 after challenge with virulent Salmonella and proved to be a more efficient vaccination strategy than live attenuated bacteria alone.

“We live in in a house of blo- in a block of flats.” – Self-repair in EFL Spoken Language

Tämä tutkielma on osa Helsingin yliopiston rahoittamaa HY-talk -tutkimusprojektia, jonka tavoite on vankentaa puheviestinnän, erityisesti vieraiden kielten suullisen taidon opetusta ja arviointia yleissivistävässä koulutuksessa ja korkeakouluasteella. Tämän tutkielman tavoite on selvittää millaisia korjauksia englantia vieraana kielenä puhuvat ihmiset tekevät puheeseensa ja tutkia itsekorjauksen ja sujuvuuden välistä suhdetta. Korjausjäsennystä ja itsekorjausta on aiemmin tutkittu sekä keskustelunanalyysin että psykolingvistiikan aloilla, ja vaikka tämä tutkielma onkin lähempänä aiempaa keskustelunanalyyttistä kuin psykolingvististä tutkimusta, siinä hyödynnetään molempia suuntauksia. Itsekorjausta on yleisesti pidetty merkkinä erityisesti ei-natiivien kielenpuhujien sujuvuuden puutteesta. Tämän tutkielman tarkoitus on selvittää, kuinka läheisesti itsekorjaus todella liittyy sujuvuuteen tai sen puutteeseen. Tutkielman materiaali koostuu HY-talk -projektia varten kerätyistä puhenäytteistä ja niiden pohjalta tehdyistä taitotasoarvioinneista. Puhenäytteet kerättiin vuonna 2007 projektia varten järjestettyjen puhekielen testaustilanteiden yhteydessä kolmessa eteläsuomalaisessa koulussa. Koska projektin tavoitteena on tutkia ja parantaa kielten suullisen taidon arviointia, projektissa mukana olleet kieliammattilaiset arvioivat puhujien taitotasot projektia varten (Eurooppalaisen Viitekehyksen taitotasokuvainten pohjalta) koottujen arviointiasteikoiden perusteella, ja nämä arvioinnit tallennettiin osaksi projektin materiaalia. Tutkielmassa analysoidaan itsekorjauksia aiemman psykolingvistisen tutkimuksen pohjalta kootun korjaustyyppiluokituksen sekä tätä tutkielmaa varten luodun korjausten oikeellisuutta vertailevan luokituksen avulla. Lisäksi siinä vertaillaan kahden korkeamman ja kahden matalamman taitotasoarvioinnin saaneen puhujan itsekorjauksia. Tulokset osoittavat, että ei-natiivien puheessa esiintyy monenlaisia eri korjaustyyppejä, ja että yleisimpiä korjauksia ovat alkuperäisen lausuman toistot. Yleisiä ovat myös korjaukset, joissa puhuja korjaa virheen tai keskeyttää puheensa ja aloittaa kokonaan uuden lausuman. Lisäksi tuloksista käy ilmi, ettei suurin osa korjauksista todennäköisesti johdu puhujien sujuvuuden puutteesta. Yleisimmät korjaustyypit voivat johtua suurimmaksi osaksi yksilön puhetyylistä, siitä, että puhuja hakee jotain tiettyä sanaa tai ilmausta mielessään tai siitä, että puhuja korjaa puheessaan huomaamansa kieliopillisen, sanastollisen tai äänteellisen virheen. Vertailu korkeammalle ja matalammalle taitotasolle arvioitujen puhujien välillä osoittaa selkeimmin, ettei suurin osa itsekorjauksista ole yhteydessä puhujan sujuvuuteen. Vertailusta käy ilmi, ettei pelkkä itsekorjausten määrä kerro kuinka sujuvasti puhuja käyttää kieltä, sillä toinen korkeammalle taitotasolle arvioiduista puhujista korjaa puhettaan lähes yhtä monesti kuin matalammalle tasolle arvioidut puhujat. Lisäksi korjausten oikeellisuutta vertailevan luokituksen tulokset viittaavat siihen, etteivät niin korkeammalle kuin matalammallekaan tasolle arvioidut puhujat useimmiten korjaa puhettaan siksi, etteivät pystyisi ilmaisemaan viestiään oikein ja ymmärrettävästi.

Impact of automatic region-of-interest coding on perceived quality in mobile video

At present, the most reliable method to obtain end-user perceived quality is through subjective tests. In this paper, the impact of automatic region-of-interest (ROI) coding on perceived quality of mobile video is investigated. The evidence, which is based on perceptual comparison analysis, shows that the coding strategy improves perceptual quality. This is particularly true in low bit rate situations. The ROI detection method used in this paper is based on two approaches: - (1) automatic ROI by analyzing the visual contents automatically, and; - (2) eye-tracking based ROI by aggregating eye-tracking data across many users, used to both evaluate the accuracy of automatic ROI detection and the subjective quality of automatic ROI encoded video. The perceptual comparison analysis is based on subjective assessments with 54 participants, across different content types, screen resolutions, and target bit rates while comparing the two ROI detection methods. The results from the user study demonstrate that ROI-based video encoding has higher perceived quality compared to normal video encoded at a similar bit rate, particularly in the lower bit rate range.

Assessment of quality defects in macadamia kernels using NIR spectroscopy

Spectral data were collected of intact and ground kernels using 3 instruments (using Si-PbS, Si, and InGaAs detectors), operating over different areas of the spectrum (between 400 and 2500 nm) and employing transmittance, interactance, and reflectance sample presentation strategies. Kernels were assessed on the basis of oil and water content, and with respect to the defect categories of insect damage, rancidity, discoloration, mould growth, germination, and decomposition. Predictive model performance statistics for oil content models were acceptable on all instruments (R2 > 0.98; RMSECV < 2.5%, which is similar to reference analysis error), although that for the instrument employing reflectance optics was inferior to models developed for the instruments employing transmission optics. The spectral positions for calibration coefficients were consistent with absorbance due to the third overtones of CH2 stretching. Calibration models for moisture content in ground samples were acceptable on all instruments (R2 > 0.97; RMSECV < 0.2%), whereas calibration models for intact kernels were relatively poor. Calibration coefficients were more highly weighted around 1360, 740 and 840 nm, consistent with absorbance due to overtones of O-H stretching and combination. Intact kernels with brown centres or rancidity could be discriminated from each other and from sound kernels using principal component analysis. Part kernels affected by insect damage, discoloration, mould growth, germination, and decomposition could be discriminated from sound kernels. However, discrimination among these defect categories was not distinct and could not be validated on an independent set. It is concluded that there is good potential for a low cost Si photodiode array instrument to be employed to identify some quality defects of intact macadamia kernels and to quantify oil and moisture content of kernels in the process laboratory and for oil content in-line. Further work is required to examine the robustness of predictive models across different populations, including growing districts, cultivars and times of harvest.

Intake, growth and carcass characteristics of lambs consuming low digestible hay and cereal grain

The influence of barley and oat grain supplements on hay dry matter intake (DMI), carcass components gain and meat quality in lambs fed a low quality basal diet was examined. Thirty five crossbred wether lambs (9 months of age) were divided into four groups. After adaptation to a basal diet of 85% oat hay and 15% lucerne hay for one week, an initial group of 11 was slaughtered. The weights of carcass components and digesta-free empty body weight (EBW) of this group was used to estimate the weight of carcass components of the other three experimental groups at the start of the experiment. The remaining three groups were randomly assigned to pens and fed ad libitum the basal diet alone (basal), basal with 300 g air dry barley grain (barley), basal with 300 g air dry oat grain (oat). Supplements were fed twice weekly (i.e., 900 g on Tuesday and 1200 g on Friday). After 13 weeks of feeding, animals were slaughtered and, at 24 h post-mortem meat quality and subcutaneous fat colour were measured. Samples of longissimus muscle were collected for determination of sarcomere length and meat tenderness. Hay DMI was reduced (P<0.01) by both barley and oat supplements. Lambs fed barley or oat had a higher and moderate digestibility of DM, and a higher intake of CP (P<0.05) and ME (P<0.01) than basal lambs. Final live weight of barley and oat lambs was higher (P<0.05) than basal, but this was not reflected in EBW or hot carcass weight. Lambs fed barley or oat had increases in protein (P<0.01) and water (P<0.001) in the carcass, but fat gain was not changed (P>0.05). There were no differences in eye muscle area or fat depth (total muscle and adipose tissue depth at 12th rib, 110 mm from midline; GR) among groups. The increased levels of protein and water components in the carcass of barley and oat fed lambs, associated with improved muscle production, were small and did not alter (P>0.05) any of the carcass/meat quality attributes compared to lambs fed a low quality forage diet. Feeding barley or oat grain at 0.9–1% of live weight daily to lambs consuming poor quality hay may not substantially improve carcass quality, but may be useful in maintaining body condition of lambs through the dry season for slaughter out of season

Effect of nitrogen on the skin colour and other quality attributes of ripe ‘Kensington Pride’ mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruit

Near-ripe ‘Kensington Pride’ mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruit with green skin colour generally return lower wholesale and retail prices. Pre-harvest management, especially nitrogen (N) nutrition, appears to be a major causal factor. To obtain an understanding of the extent of the problem in the Burdekin district (dry tropics; the major production area in Australia), green mature ‘Kensington Pride’ mango fruit were harvested from ten orchards and ripened at 20 ± 0.5 O C. Of these orchards, 70% produced fruit with more than 25% of the skin surface area green when ripe. The following year, the effect of N application on skin colour and other quality attributes was investigated on three orchards, one with a high green (HG) skin problem and two with a low green (LG) skin problem. N was applied at pre-flowering and at panicle emergence at the rate of 0,75,150,300 g per tree (soil applied) or 50 g per tree as foliar N for the HG orchard, and 0,150,300,450 g per tree (soil applied) or 50 g per tree (foliar) for the LG orchards. In all orchards the proportion of green colour on the ripe fruit was significantly (P<0.05) higher with soil applications of 150 g N or more per tree. Foliar sprays resulted in a higher proportion of green colour than the highest soil treatment in the HG orchard, but not in the LG orchards. Anthracnose disease severity was significantly (P<0.05) higher with 300 g of N per tree or foliar treatment in the HG orchard, compared with no additional N. Thus, N can reduce mango fruit quality by increasing green colour and anthracnose disease in ripe fruit.

Exposure of Tomato Fruit to 1-MCP Improves Quality of Stored Slices

Maintenance of quality, such as firmness, is important during storage of fresh cut produce. This study compared the effects of I-MCP on the quality of tomato slices when intact tomatoes were treated with 1-MCP and then sliced, or tomatoes were sliced and the slices treated with I-MCP. In both instances the MCP treatment was 1 µL Lˉٰ at 20 ºC for 12 h. Tomato cv. 'Revolution' was harvested at the 'pink' stage of maturity, cut into 7-mm slices, and stored as vertical stacks in closed plastic containers at 5ºC for up to 7 days after the 1-MCP treatment. Exposure of intact tomatoes to I-MCP resulted in reduced ethylene production (31%) and firmer (22%) slices than when tomatoes were not I-MCP treated. The application of I-MCP prior to slicing of tomatoes appears a useful strategy to retain quality of stored tomato slices.

Supply capability of sheep on the Mitchell grass downs of North and Central West Queensland

While, in the past, sheep have been predominantly reared and grazed in western Queensland for wool, interest in the sheep meat industry increased when wool prices became depressed. For north west and central west Queensland producers, opportunities may exist to participate in live sheep and meat export to Asia. The capability of the Mitchell grass downs to provide sufficient numbers of export quality sheep under the variable climatic conditions while sustaining the land resources has been simulated. Sheep numbers were found to be insufficient to maintain a consistent supply for live export. However, raising marking rates and lowering mortalities effectively increased reproductive performance to a level at which a surplus for export could be sustainable. Other practices might be required for the liveweight specifications to be met. 24th Biennial Conference. Adelaide, South Australia.

Exercise improves quality of life in ADT-treated prostate cancer: Systematic review of RCTs

Men receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer (PCa) are likely to develop metabolic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, abdominal obesity and osteoporosis. Other treatment-related side effects adversely influence quality of life (QoL) including vasomotor distress, depression, anxiety, mood swings, poor sleep quality and compromised sexual function. The objective of this study was to systematically review the nature and effects of dietary and exercise interventions on QoL, androgen deprivation symptoms and metabolic risk factors in men with PCa undergoing ADT. An electronic search of CINAHL, CENTRAL, Medline, PsychINFO and reference lists was performed to identify peer-reviewed articles published between January 2004 and December, 2014 in English. Eligible study designs included randomised controlled trials with pre- and post-intervention data. Data extraction and assessment of methodological quality with the Cochrane approach was conducted by two independent reviewers. Seven exercise studies were identified. Exercise significantly improved QoL, but showed no effect on metabolic risk factors (weight, waist circumference, lean or fat mass, blood pressure, lipid profile). Two dietary studies were identified, both of which tested soy supplements. Soy supplementation did not improve any outcomes. No dietary counselling studies were identified. No studies evaluated androgen-deficiency symptoms (libido, erectile function, sleep quality, mood swings, depression, anxiety, bone mineral density). Evidence from RCTs indicates that exercise enhances health- and disease-specific QoL in men with PCa undergoing ADT. Further studies are required to evaluate the effect of exercise and dietary interventions on QoL, androgen deprivation symptoms and metabolic risk factors in this cohort.

Aggressive surgical interventions for severe stroke: Impact on quality of life, caregiver burden and family outcomes

Introduction: Decompressive hemicraniectomy, clot evacuation, and aneurysmal interventions are considered aggressive surgical therapeutic options for treatment of massive cerebral artery infarction (MCA), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and severe subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) respectively. Although these procedures are saving lives, little is actually known about the impact on outcomes other than short-term survival and functional status. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of personal and social consequences of surviving these aggressive surgical interventions in order to aid acute care clinicians in helping family members make difficult decisions about undertaking such interventions. Methods: An exploratory mixed method study using a convergent parallel design was conducted to examine functional recovery (NIHSS, mRS & BI), cognitive status (Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale, MoCA), quality of life (Euroqol 5-D), and caregiver outcomes (Bakas Caregiver Outcome Scale, BCOS) in a cohort of patients and families who had undergone aggressive surgical intervention for severe stroke between the years 2000–2007. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate analysis of variance, and multivariate logistic regression. Content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative interviews conducted with stroke survivors and family members. Results: Twenty-seven patients and 13 spouses participated in this study. Based on patient MOCA scores, overall cognitive status was 25.18 (range 23.4-26.9); current functional outcomes scores: NIHSS 2.22, mRS 1.74, and BI 88.5. EQ-5D scores revealed no significant differences between patients and caregivers (p=0.585) and caregiver outcomes revealed no significant differences between male/female caregivers or patient diagnostic group (MCA, SAH, ICH; p=""0.103).<"/span><"/span> Discussion: Overall, patients and families were satisfied with quality of life and decisions made at the time of the initial stroke. There was consensus among study participants that formal community-based support (e.g., handibus, caregiving relief, rehabilitation assessments) should be continued for extended periods (e.g., years) post-stroke. Ongoing contact with health care professionals is valuable to help them navigate in the community as needs change over time.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) autotetraploids with improved processing quality produced by an in vitro colchicine treatment

Ginger autotetraploids were produced by immersing shoot tips in a 0.5% w/v colchicine, 2% v/v dimethyl sulfoxide solution for 2 h. Stomatal measurements were used as an early indicator of ploidy differences in culture with mean stomata length of tetraploids (49.2 μm) being significantly larger than the diploid (38.8 µm). Of the 500 shoot tips treated, 2% were characterised as stable autotetraploid lines following field evaluation over several seasons. Results were confirmed with flow cytometry and, of the 7 lines evaluated for distinctness and uniformity, 6 were solid tetraploid mutants and 1 was a periclinal chimera. Significant differences were noted between individual tetraploid lines in terms of shoot length, leaf length, leaf width, size of rhizome sections (knob weight) and fibre content. The solid autotetraploid lines had significantly wider, greener leaves than the diploids, they had significantly fewer but thicker shoots and, although ‘Queensland’ (the diploid parent from which the tetraploids were derived) had a greater total rhizome mass at harvest, its knob size was significantly smaller. From the autotetraploid lines, one line was selected for commercial release as ‘Buderim Gold’. It compared the most favourably with ‘Queensland’ in terms of the aroma/flavour profile and fibre content at early harvest, and had consistently good rhizome yield. More importantly it produced large rhizome sections, resulting in a higher recovery of premium grade confectionery ginger and a more attractive fresh market product.