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1.
Materials (Basel) ; 17(10)2024 May 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38793477

ABSTRACT

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is crucial for maintaining concrete infrastructure. The data collected by these sensors are processed and analyzed using various analysis tools under different loadings and exposure to external conditions. Sensor-based investigation on concrete has been carried out for technologies used for designing structural health monitoring sensors. A Sensor-Infused Structural Analysis such as interfacial bond-slip model, corroded steel bar, fiber-optic sensors, carbon black and polypropylene fiber, concrete cracks, concrete carbonation, strain transfer model, and vibrational-based monitor. The compressive strength (CS) and split tensile strength (STS) values of the analyzed material fall within a range from 26 to 36 MPa and from 2 to 3 MPa, respectively. The material being studied has a range of flexural strength (FS) and density values that fall between 4.5 and 7 MPa and between 2250 and 2550 kg/m3. The average squared difference between the predicted and actual compressive strength values was found to be 4.405. With cement ratios of 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5, the shear strength value ranged from 4.4 to 5.6 MPa. The maximum shear strength was observed for a water-cement ratio of 0.4, with 5.5 MPa, followed by a water-cement ratio of 0.3, with 5 MPa. Optimizing the water-cement ratio achieves robust concrete (at 0.50), while a lower ratio may hinder strength (at 0.30). PZT sensors and stress-wave measurements aid in the precise structural monitoring, enhanced by steel fibers and carbon black, for improved sensitivity and mechanical properties. These findings incorporate a wide range of applications, including crack detection; strain and deformation analysis; and monitoring of temperature, moisture, and corrosion. This review pioneers sensor technology for concrete monitoring (Goal 9), urban safety (Goal 11), climate resilience (Goal 13), coastal preservation (Goal 14), and habitat protection (Goal 15) of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

2.
Childs Nerv Syst ; 40(2): 463-469, 2024 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37665341

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Papilloedema is recognised as an indicator of raised intracranial pressure, although there is a paucity of literature describing the utility of fundoscopy in screening for raised ICP in children with craniofacial synostosis, particularly young children. We sought to investigate the association of optic disc morphology with ICP in children, and to define the sensitivity and specificity of papilloedema as a clinical indicator of raised ICP and determine if age, or underlying conditions impact the findings. METHOD: Retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing ICP monitoring at a designated paediatric neurosurgical and craniofacial unit in the United Kingdom between October 2009 and October 2018. The fundoscopy findings and ICP monitoring data were analysed for 31 children with craniosynostosis and 29 children without craniosynostosis. RESULTS: All children who had papilloedema had raised ICP confirmed with monitoring. Across the 60-patient cohort, confirmed papilloedema on fundoscopy had Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of 1.00, Negative Predictive Value (NPV) of 0.64 with sensitivity 48% and specificity 100% for the presence of raised ICP (p = < 0.0001). In the craniosynostosis group, PPV was 1.00, NPV was 0.39, sensitivity 48% and specificity 100% (p = < 0.03). There is no correlation between severity of optic disc swelling using Frisen grading and elevation of ICP. Age did not affect the presence of papilloedema in those with raised ICP. CONCLUSION: The presence of papilloedema is a strong indicator of raised ICP in a child, regardless of underlying aetiology. Detailed fundoscopy can prevent the need for further investigations including imaging-related radiation and invasive CSF pressure monitoring.


Subject(s)
Craniosynostoses , Intracranial Hypertension , Papilledema , Child , Humans , Child, Preschool , Papilledema/etiology , Papilledema/complications , Intracranial Pressure , Retrospective Studies , Intracranial Hypertension/etiology , Intracranial Hypertension/complications , Craniosynostoses/complications , Craniosynostoses/surgery
4.
Data Brief ; 51: 109679, 2023 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37915832

ABSTRACT

Whilst simulating crop performance in different environments can help fill the knowledge gap and improve the adoption of crops that are currently neglected and underutilised in conventional agrifood systems, lack of experimental data remains a barrier to widespread modelling of these crops. To date, no attempt has been made to collate sub-species crop data that are specifically suited for modelling underutilised crops. This article describes the first attempt to develop a database for crop modelling data with a focus on European underutilised crops. Following a pilot study to identify crops with the potential across the EU, a structured dataset of detailed experimental data was developed by analysing more than 500 agronomic studies that were published across European agroclimatic zones from 1972 to 2022. The dataset contains minimum information for calibrating basic crop models for any location in the EU provided that enough experimental and environmental data are available. More specifically, the database includes crop phenology, yield, management practices, geographic and pedo-climatic details of select underutilised and neglected species. The information underwent a curation procedure to ensure its quality. The collated database will be used in CropBASE, the global knowledge base for underutilised crops.

5.
Heliyon ; 9(10): e20196, 2023 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37780778

ABSTRACT

In this work, tank drainage phenomena for in-compressible and isothermal fluid having unsteady fluid flow for third order fluid is studied. Analytical solution of the proposed problem is obtained using perturbation method subject to proper boundary conditions. No-slip condition is used because of fluid will have zero velocity relative to a solid boundary. Object of this work is to find out the velocity profile, flow rate, time required to empty a tank (time efflux) and mathematical relation of time and depth of the tank. Influence of different parameter over velocity profile, effect of radius of the tank over depth, effect of radius of piper over flow rate and effect of depth over flow rate are examined graphically using mathematica. Velocity profile of this model is compared with newtonian fluid's while assuming epsilon as a zero using graph and table from which it is clear that third order fluid posses greater velocity then Newtonian fluid.

6.
iScience ; 26(9): 107674, 2023 Sep 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37711647

ABSTRACT

Wind energy is crucial for meeting climate and energy sustainability targets. Small wind turbines (SWTs) have gained significant attention due to their size and adaptability. These turbines have potential for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, particularly in powering large areas and low-power devices. This review examines SWTs for IoT applications, providing an extensive overview of their development, including wind energy rectifiers, power generation mechanisms, and IoT applications. The paper summarizes and compares different types of wind energy rectifiers, explores recent advancements and representative work, and discusses applicable generator systems such as electromagnetic, piezoelectric, and triboelectric nanogenerators. In addition, it thoroughly reviews the latest research on IoT application scenarios, including transportation, urban environments, intelligent agriculture, and self-powered wind sensing. Lastly, the paper identifies future research directions and emphasizes the potential of interdisciplinary technologies in driving SWT development.

7.
PLoS One ; 18(3): e0283298, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36952502

ABSTRACT

Current agricultural production depends on very limited species grown as monocultures that are highly vulnerable to climate change, presenting a threat to the sustainability of agri-food systems. However, many hundreds of neglected crop species have the potential to cater to the challenges of climate change by means of resilience to adverse climate conditions. Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.), one of the underutilised minor millets grown as a rainfed subsistence crop, was selected in this study as an exemplary climate-resilient crop. Using a previously calibrated version of the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM), the sensitivity of the crop to changes in temperature and precipitation was studied using the protocol of the Coordinated Climate Crop Modelling Project (C3MP). The future (2040-2069) production was simulated using bias-corrected climate data from 20 general circulation models of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) under RCP4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. According to the C3MP analysis, we found a 1°C increment of temperature decreased the yield by 5-10% at zero rainfall change. However, Proso millet yields increased by 5% within a restricted climate change space of up to 2°C of warming with increased rainfall. Simulated future climate yields were lower than the simulated yields under the baseline climate of the 1980-2009 period (mean 1707 kg ha-1) under both RCP4.5 (-7.3%) and RCP8.5 (-16.6%) though these changes were not significantly (p > 0.05) different from the baseline yields. Proso millet is currently cultivated in limited areas of Sri Lanka, but our yield mapping shows the potential for expansion of the crop to new areas under both current and future climates. The results of the study, indicating minor impacts from projected climate change, reveal that Proso millet is an excellent candidate for low-input farming systems under changing climate. More generally, through this study, a framework that can be used to assess the climate sensitivity of underutilized crops was also developed.


Subject(s)
Panicum , Agriculture/methods , Climate Change , Crops, Agricultural , Farms
8.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int ; 30(3): 5371-5406, 2023 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36414897

ABSTRACT

In the automotive and transportation sectors, technological advancements and innovations aim to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of vehicles. In vehicles, a significant portion of fuel energy is wasted in heat, vibrations, and frictional losses. The vibration energy from vehicle suspension systems is always wasted in heat and can be utilized for useful purposes. Many researchers have designed various regenerative shock absorbers (RSA) to transform vibration energy into electrical energy that can charge electric vehicles' batteries and power low-wattage devices. The present work focuses on an in-depth summary of rotary, hydraulic, and linear electromagnetic RSA. Also, the applications of regenerated energy and technical challenges are discussed. In RSA, the maximum energy harvesting, and ride comfort of the vehicle cannot be achieved simultaneously. The weight of RSA may increase due to the integration of some additional components compared with conventional shock absorbers. It is necessary to examine the impact of weight on the vehicle's road handling and ride comfort. The hydraulic RSAs have low energy harvesting efficiency, so they are not suitable for lightweight vehicles despite their higher energy harvestability than rotary and linear RSAs. The bibliometric analysis is conducted using the visualization of similarities (VOS) viewer to visualize the contributing authors and countries and specify the research themes. The articles are collected from the Web of Science using keywords related to energy harvesting from 2000 to 2021. Authors from China are more productive than others, with the highest number of publications related to the energy-harvesting from RSAs in 2019.


Subject(s)
Electric Power Supplies , Transportation , Electricity , China
9.
Animals (Basel) ; 12(10)2022 May 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35625153

ABSTRACT

The present study was planned to evaluate the ameliorative effects of egg yolk antibodies (EYAs) in broiler chicken. For this purpose, 80-day-old broiler chickens were divided into four groups (A-D), where group A was kept as negative control. Experimental infection with C. perfringens (1 × 108 cfu/mL) was induced via oral route on days 17, 18 and 19 of the experiment in groups B, C and D. Groups C and D were passively immunized by anti-clostridial IgYs @ 1 mL per bird via oral and oral and intramuscular (I/M) routes respectively, on days 21 to 24, and on days 22 and 24 of the experiment, respectively. Two necropsies were performed (the first on day 26th and the second on day 35th). Birds in group B showed behavioral signs e.g., laziness, depression and diarrhea, gross post-mortem lesions e.g., increase in the relative weights (RW), due to acute swelling and congestion of liver and kidneys and ballooning and hemorrhages of jejunum and microscopic lesions e.g., congestion and necrosis in liver and kidneys' parenchyma and disrupted epithelium with fewer goblet cells in jejunum, compared to the group A. Birds in groups C and D, showed significant improvements in clinical and behavioral signs, RW of liver, kidneys and jejunum, swelling, congestion and mononuclear cells' infiltration in liver and kidneys and damages in the jejunal-wall, compared to group B. The most significant changes were found in birds of group C. Our study revealed ameliorative effects of EYAs on certain biological parameters however, further studies would be needed to justify a safer production and a reliable application of EYAs in NE outbreaks.

10.
J Phys Condens Matter ; 34(30)2022 May 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35561671

ABSTRACT

We have explored the electric field controlled magnetization in the nanodot CoFe2O4/SrRuO3/PMN-PT (CFO/SRO/PMN-PT) heterostructures. Ordered ferromagnetic CFO nanodots (∼300 nm lateral dimension) are developed on the PMN-PT substrate (ferroelectric as well as piezoelectric) using a nanostencil-mask pattering method during pulsed laser deposition. The nanostructures reveal electric field induced magnetization reversal in the single domain CFO nanodots through transfer of piezostrains from the piezoelectric PMN-PT substrate to the CFO. Further, electric field modulated spin structure of CFO nanomagnets is analyzed by using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). The XMCD analysis reveals cations (Fe3+/Co2+) redistribution on the octahedral and tetrahedral site in the electric field poled CFO nanodots, establishing the strain induced magneto-electric coupling effects. The CFO/SRO/PMN-PT nanodots structure demonstrate multilevel switching of ME coupling coefficient (α) by applying selective positive and negative electric fields in a non-volatile manner. The retention of two stable states ofαis illustrated for ∼106seconds, which can be employed to store the digital data in non-volatile memory devices. Thus the voltage controlled magnetization in the nanodot structures leads a path towards the invention of energy efficient high-density memory devices.

11.
Curr Mol Pharmacol ; 15(7): 929-942, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34979895

ABSTRACT

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex, life-threatening and most common neoplasm in the world. HCC tumors are genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous, and involve various molecular mechanisms and stimulation of several signaling pathways, such as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (EGFR), Insulin growth factor, Ras/extracellular signal-stimulated kinase, the mammalian goal of rapamycin (mTOR), c-mesenchymal- epithelial transition factor-1 (c-Met), Hedgehog, Wnt and apoptotic signaling. Lately, in patients, multi-kinase cascade blockers, such as sorafenib, selumetinib and regorafenib, have increased the survival rate of progressive HCC. This development presents a step forward towards the therapy of liver cancer infection and attests that molecular systemic rehabilitation can be useful in HCC treatment. The development of these systemic therapeutic agents has further expanded the research area for surplus molecular mediators to auxiliary increase the cure rate of patients. This article reviews the complete focus on cascades, current enduring clinical tests by means of HCC therapeutic mediators, and imminent prospects in the cure of HCC.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular , Liver Neoplasms , Animals , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology , Cell Line, Tumor , Humans , Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy , Liver Neoplasms/pathology , Mammals , Sorafenib/therapeutic use , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/therapeutic use
12.
Data Brief ; 40: 107807, 2022 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35071705

ABSTRACT

An evidence base was developed to facilitate adoption of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in tropical environments (Wimalasiri et al. (2021)). Agro-ecological requirements data of hemp were acquired from international databases and was contrasted against local climate and soil conditions using an augmented species ecological niche modeling. The outputs were then used to map the suitability for all locations for 12 possible calendar-year seasons within peninsular Malaysia. The most probable seasonal map was then used to generate a land suitability map for agricultural areas across 5 standard land suitability categories. Having developed the general suitability maps of hemp in Malaysia, detailed crop growth data were collected from literature and was then used to simulate an ideotype crop model (for both seed and fiber) for selected locations across Malaysia, where detailed daily climate data and soil information were available. Following the development of a downscaled future climate dataset, a simulated dataset of yield for the future conditions were also developed. Next, the simulated seed and fiber yield data were used to create yield maps for hemp across peninsular Malaysia. An economic value and cost-benefit analyses were also carried out using data that were collected from literature and local sources to simulate the true cost and benefit of growing hemp both for now and future conditions. This data provides the first ever evidence base for an underutilized crop in Southeast Asia. All data that was generated using the proposed published framework for the adoption of hemp in the future are stored in their original format in an online repository and is described in this article. The data can be used to map the suitability at finer scales, analyze and re-calibrate a yield model using any climate scenario and evaluate the economics of production using the standard methodology described in the above-mentioned publication.

13.
World Neurosurg ; 157: 67-68, 2022 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34624522

ABSTRACT

A 3-month-old first of dizygotic male twins, born at 34 + 5 weeks gestational age, presented with a 4-week history of increasing head circumference and vomiting. He had a tense anterior fontanelle and a head circumference above the 97th percentile. Magnetic resonance imaging showed large bilateral subdural collection with hemosiderin deposits suggestive of hemorrhage. Nine days of bilateral subdural drainage reduced the collection size and blood load. On postoperative day 16, magnetic resonance imaging confirmed persistent but smaller subdural collections, unmasking the underlying subarachnoid space enlargement. On day 18, a right subdural-peritoneal valveless shunt was inserted as definitive treatment. As part of a nonaccidental injury investigation, Twin 2 was also found to have macrocephaly secondary to benign enlargement of subarachnoid space, which was managed conservatively. Benign enlargement of subarachnoid space has an assumed autosomal/multifactorial inheritance and predisposes to subdural hemorrhage. Ultimately, no safeguarding issues were raised. Both twins continued to be neurologically stable at 2-year follow-up with head circumferences between the 98th and 99th percentiles.


Subject(s)
Megalencephaly/etiology , Megalencephaly/surgery , Subarachnoid Space/abnormalities , Subarachnoid Space/surgery , Cephalometry , Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts , Drainage , Head/anatomy & histology , Head Injuries, Closed/complications , Head Injuries, Closed/surgery , Humans , Infant , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Neurosurgical Procedures , Twins, Dizygotic
14.
Nano Converg ; 8(1): 37, 2021 Dec 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34851459

ABSTRACT

Additively manufactured nano-MEH systems are widely used to harvest energy from renewable and sustainable energy sources such as wind, ocean, sunlight, raindrops, and ambient vibrations. A comprehensive study focusing on in-depth technology evolution, applications, problems, and future trends of specifically 3D printed nano-MEH systems with an energy point of view is rarely conducted. Therefore, this paper looks into the state-of-the-art technologies, energy harvesting sources/methods, performance, implementations, emerging applications, potential challenges, and future perspectives of additively manufactured nano-mechanical energy harvesting (3DP-NMEH) systems. The prevailing challenges concerning renewable energy harvesting capacities, optimal energy scavenging, power management, material functionalization, sustainable prototyping strategies, new materials, commercialization, and hybridization are discussed. A novel solution is proposed for renewable energy generation and medicinal purposes based on the sustainable utilization of recyclable municipal and medical waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, recommendations for future research are presented concerning the cutting-edge issues hurdling the optimal exploitation of renewable energy resources through NMEHs. China and the USA are the most significant leading forces in enhancing 3DP-NMEH technology, with more than 75% contributions collectively. The reported output energy capacities of additively manufactured nano-MEH systems were 0.5-32 mW, 0.0002-45.6 mW, and 0.3-4.67 mW for electromagnetic, piezoelectric, and triboelectric nanogenerators, respectively. The optimal strategies and techniques to enhance these energy capacities are compiled in this paper.

15.
J Family Med Prim Care ; 10(10): 3832-3837, 2021 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34934688

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to evaluate maternal risk factors of preterm delivery in Fatemieh Hospital in Hamadan, Iran, 2019. METHODS: In this case-control study, 7,478 hospital files of live-born neonates and their mothers in Hamadan Fatemieh Hospital in 2019 were examined. According to statistical estimates, 261 preterm deliveries and 736 term deliveries were studied. Information files of neonates and mothers were used to complete the study questionnaire. The data were compared in two separate groups and logistic regression was performed to estimate the crude relationship between demographic and clinical characteristics of term and preterm delivery. RESULTS: The mean age of women was 27.89 ± 6.48 years. Analysis of data revealed that academic education (OR: 2.02, P = 0.014), age group 25-34 years (OR: 1.5, P = 0.016), age of 35 years and above (OR: 1.66, P = 0.018), previous history of preterm delivery (OR: 5.3, P < 0.001), history of abortion (OR: 1.67, P = 0.004), history of surgery (OR: 1.54, P = 0.007), history of infertility (P = 0.016), and a history of cesarean (OR: 2.11, P < 0.001) were potentially associated with a higher odds of preterm delivery (P < 0.2). CONCLUSION: Based on the results, it is important to identify potential risk factors of preterm delivery in mothers and corrective interventions in strengthening consultation and education of pregnant women during pregnancy. Such a measure helps select the type of delivery and strengthen prenatal care in identifying mothers in high-risk groups and performing timely interventions.

16.
MethodsX ; 8: 101420, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34430315

ABSTRACT

Evidence based crop diversification requires modelling for crops that are currently neglected or underutilised. Crop model calibration is a lengthy and resource consuming effort that is typically done for a particular variety or a set of varieties of a crop. Whilst calibration data are widely available for major crops, such data are rarely available for underutilised crops due to limited funding for detailed field data collection and model calibration. Subsequently, the lack of evidence on their performance will lead to the lack of interest from the policy and regulatory communities to include these crops in the agricultural development plans. In order to motivate further research into the use of state of the art techniques in modelling for less known crops, we have developed and validated an ideotyping technique that approximates the crop modelling parameters based on already calibrated crops of different lineage. The method has been successfully tested for hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) based on a well-known crop model. In this paper we present the method and provide an impetus on the way forward to further develop such methods for modelling the performance of minor crops and their varieties.•The approach works based on modelling the performance of hemp using the knowledge from an existing model that was developed for sugar cane.•The customisation uses one of the most prominent models (AquaCrop) to approximate growth coefficients for hemp (Cannabis sativa L.).•A sequential procedure was used to approximate the phenological stages in the growth model that performs well in the calibration and validation steps.

17.
Food Microbiol ; 97: 103751, 2021 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33653524

ABSTRACT

Campylobacter is a major cause of foodborne diarrheal infections in the United States of America (USA). This study aimed to elucidate the patterns of Campylobacter foodborne outbreaks temporally and spatially concerning food vehicles. We collected the data of foodborne outbreaks from 1998 to 2016 reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The incidence rate of outbreaks for each food source was calculated and analyzed for each variable including season, food location, and census region. Overall, 465 single-state outbreaks and 8003 cases were reported during 1998-2016. Outbreaks were frequently attributed to dairy products (32%), chicken (17%) and vegetables (6%). Binomial regression analysis showed that compared to chicken items, the highest rate ratio of outbreaks was associated with dairy products (1.86) followed by vegetables (1.35) and meat products (0.76). More outbreaks were reported in the summer (35%) followed by the spring (26%) and fall (22%) season. We found that the highest number of outbreaks occurred in the West 159 (34%) and Midwest 137 (29%) census regions. The study highlights the role of dairy, chicken, and vegetables as food vehicles in Campylobacter outbreaks. Findings from this study can help in devising strategies to mitigate the increasing occurrence of Campylobacter foodborne outbreaks.


Subject(s)
Campylobacter Infections/epidemiology , Campylobacter Infections/microbiology , Foodborne Diseases/epidemiology , Foodborne Diseases/microbiology , Animals , Chickens/microbiology , Dairy Products/microbiology , Food Contamination/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Meat/microbiology , Seasons , United States/epidemiology , Vegetables/microbiology
18.
Data Brief ; 35: 106781, 2021 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33553528

ABSTRACT

Following the development of a database that was specifically designed to store value chain information, particularly for underutilised crops, this article describes the data that are currently stored in the database and accessible through its web portal. The data includes various datasets on utilisation status, agro-ecological requirements and season lengths, potential yield and nutritional composition of crops. The data are stored in the form of tables with fixed data elements (column attributes). This article outlines the standard procedures (SOPs) that were developed in-house for data collection, metadata creation and data curation. These processes were used to ensure the quality and reusability of the data that is made available publicly through the database interface. Various statistics and example visualisations are provided to demonstrate the significance of such data for developing solutions for sustainable agricultural diversification.

19.
Int J Infect Dis ; 105: 54-61, 2021 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33578006

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the role of eggs and other food vehicles as risk factors associated with Salmonella enteritidis (SE) outbreaks in order to address the endemicity of SE infections in the USA. METHODS: We retrieved and analyzed data relating to all SE outbreaks reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 1990 and 2015. We then used descriptive and analytical statistical methods, including negative binomial regression models for the estimation of rate-ratios, to analyze the data. RESULTS: Analyses showed that egg-based dishes were the most common food vehicle associated with outbreaks of SE in the USA (273 cases [24%]); this was followed by several other food items, including meat (130 cases [11%]), vegetables (96 cases [8%]), chicken items (95 cases [8%]), dairy products (55 cases [5%]), and bakery items (8 cases [1%]). Compared to egg-based dishes, other food items such as meat (exp(ß) = 0.51, 95% CI 0.37, 0.69), chicken (exp(ß) = 0.42, 95% CI 0.30, 0.58), vegetables (exp(ß) = 0.41, 95% CI 0.29, 0.55), and dairy items (exp(ß) = 0.27, 95% CI 0.18, 0.40) were significantly associated with outbreaks of SE in the USA. Of 1144 SE outbreaks, 402 (35%) occurred in the Northeast region of the USA, followed by the South (253 [22%]), West (250 [22%]), and Midwestern regions (239 [21%]). CONCLUSIONS: Epidemiological and spatiotemporal trends analyses demonstrated that a significant proportions of Salmonella enteritidis outbreaks in the USA are attributed to food vehicles other than eggs. Our findings can be used to plan effective strategies to mitigate the increasing occurrence of foodborne SE outbreaks.


Subject(s)
Disease Outbreaks , Salmonella Food Poisoning/epidemiology , Salmonella enteritidis , Animals , Chickens , Eggs , Female , Humans , Meat , Risk Factors , Spatio-Temporal Analysis , United States/epidemiology , Young Adult
20.
J Colloid Interface Sci ; 588: 531-546, 2021 Apr 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33429349

ABSTRACT

HYPOTHESIS: The high incompatibility of bio-based materials such as protein and polysaccharides require a series of modifications to develop stable microstructures effectively. By modifying the density and charge of surface residues, pulsed electric fields processing can improve inter/intramolecular interactions, compatibility, and microstructure of bio-based nanostructured composites. EXPERIMENT: In this work, the impact of pulsed electric fields at a specific energy of 60-700 kJ/kg (electric field strength = 1.6 kV/cm) on self-assembly of zein-chitosan-poly(vinyl alcohol)-polyethylene glycol composite dispersion was investigated at pH 4.0, 5.7, and 6.8. FINDINGS: Superior complex coacervated matrices were assembled at pH 4.0 and 5.7 before and after pulsed electric fields treatment at a specific energy of 390-410 kJ/kg. The compact and homogenous behaviour was attributable to pulsed electric fields-induced alteration of functional group interactions in a pH-dependent manner. Irrespective of the pH, very high electric field intensity caused excessive system perturbation leading to severe fragmentation and poor development of coacervates. The crucial insights from this study reveal that the self-assembly behaviour and integration of biopolymer-based systems possessing different local charges can be enhanced by optimising pulsed electric fields processing parameters and the properties of the colloidal systems such as the pH.


Subject(s)
Chitosan , Polyethylene Glycols , Zein , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Polyvinyl Alcohol
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