Effects of multi-functional additives during foam extrusion of wheat gluten materials.

To broaden the range in structures and properties, and therefore the applicability of sustainable foams based on wheat gluten expanded with ammonium-bicarbonate, we show here how three naturally ocurring multifunctional additives affect their properties. Citric acid yields foams with the lowest density (porosity of ~50%) with mainly closed cells. Gallic acid acts as a radical scavenger, yielding the least crosslinked/ aggregated foam. The use of a low amount of this acid yields foams with the highest uptake of the body-fluid model substance (saline, ~130% after 24 hours). However, foams with genipin show a large and rapid capillary uptake (50% in one second), due to their high content of open cells. The most dense and stiff foam is obtained with one weight percent genipin, which is also the most crosslinked. Overall, the foams show a high energy loss-rate under cyclic compression (84-92% at 50% strain), indicating promising cushioning behaviour. They also show a low compression set, indicating promising sealability. Overall, the work here provides a step towards using protein biofoams as a sustainable alternative to fossil-based plastic/rubber foams in applications where absorbent and/or mechanical properties play a key role.

A Real-Time Arrhythmia Heartbeats Classification Algorithm Using Parallel Delta Modulations and Rotated Linear-Kernel Support Vector Machines.

Real-time wearable electrocardiogram monitoring sensor is one of the best candidates in assisting cardiovascular disease diagnosis. In this paper, we present a novel real-time machine learning system for Arrhythmia classification. The system is based on the parallel Delta modulation and QRS/PT wave detection algorithms. We propose a patient dependent rotated linear-kernel support vector machine classifier that combines the global and local classifiers, with three types of feature vectors extracted directly from the Delta modulated bit-streams. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated using the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database. According to the AAMI standard, two binary classifications are performed and evaluated, which are supraventricular ectopic beat (SVEB) versus the rest four classes, and ventricular ectopic beat (VEB) versus the rest. For SVEB classification, the preferred SkP-32 method's F1 score, sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictivity value are 0.83, 79.3%, 99.6%, and 88.2%, respectively, and for VEB classification, the numbers are 0.92%, 92.8%, 99.4%, and 91.6%, respectively. The results show that the performance of our proposed approach is comparable to that of published research. The proposed low-complexity algorithm has the potential to be implemented as an on-sensor machine learning solution.

Polylactide-Based Chiral Porous Monolithic Materials Prepared Using the High Internal Phase Emulsion Template Method for Enantioselective Release.

Polylactide [PLA, two enantiomers: poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(d-lactide) (PDLA)] has been widely applied as biomaterials because of its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and good mechanical capacity. However, the chirality of PLA materials has not been intensively explored yet. In the present study, chiral porous poly(high internal-phase emulsion)s (polyHIPEs) derived from enantiopure PLAs were successfully prepared via a HIPE template method. The resulting polyHIPEs show optical activity. More interestingly, the polyHIPEs demonstrate enantioselective release capacity, using cinchona alkaloid and naproxen as the model chiral drugs. Notably, PLLA-based polyHIPE shows enantioselectivity in both the drug-loading step and drug-releasing step, while PDLA-based polyHIPE fails. The interesting finding is essentially different from other chiral polymer materials reported earlier. The cytotoxicity test demonstrates that all the three types of polyHIPEs, PLLA-, PDLA-, and PDLLA-based polyHIPE show biocompatibility; however, their different chirality exerts varying effects on cell growth. Accordingly, special attention should be devoted to the chirality of PLA when used as biomaterials.

Komagataeibacter cocois sp. nov., a novel cellulose-producing strain isolated from coconut milk.

Phylogenetic analysis was performed on a cellulose-producing strain, designated WE7T, isolated from contaminated coconut milk. The analysis utilized nearly complete 16S rRNA gene sequences, as well as concatenated partial sequences of the housekeeping genes dnaK, groEL and rpoB, and allowed identification of the strain as belonging to the genus Komagataeibacter. DNA-DNA correlation or average nucleotide identity analysis was performed between WE7T and its closest phylogenetic neighbours, and the resulting values were below the species level (<70 % and <95 %), suggesting that the strain represents a novel species in genus Komagataeibacter. Strain WE7T was coupled with Komagataeibacter species more tightly than with Gluconacetobacter species in a 16S rRNA gene sequence phylogenetic tree. Strain WE7T can be differentiated from closely related Komagataeibacter and Gluconacetobacter entanii species by the ability to grow on the carbon sources d-mannitol, sodium d-gluconate and glycerol, the ability to form acid by d-fructose, sucrose, d-mannitol, d-galactose and ethanol, and the ability to grow without acetic acid. The major fatty acid of WE7T is C18 : 1ω9c (52.3 %). The DNA G+C content of WE7T is 63.2 mol%. The name Komagataeibacter cocois sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain WE7T (=CGMCC 1.15338T=JCM 31140T).

A Real-Time QRS Detection System With PR/RT Interval and ST Segment Measurements for Wearable ECG Sensors Using Parallel Delta Modulators.

This paper presents a real-time electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring system for wearable devices. The system is based on the proposed parallel delta modulator architecture with local maximum point and local minimum point algorithms to detect QRS and PT waves. Therefore, using the proposed system and algorithm, real-time PR and RT intervals, and ST segment measurements can be achieved in long-term wearable ECG recording. The algorithm is tested with the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database for QRS complex detection and with the QT Database for the P and T wave detections. The simulation result shows that the algorithm achieves above 99%, 91%, and 98% accuracy in the QRS complex, P wave, and T wave detections, respectively. Experimental results are presented from the system prototype, in which the parallel delta modulator circuits are fabricated in IBM 0.13 $\mu \text{m}$ standard CMOS technology and the algorithms are implemented in a Xilinx Spartan-6 field programmable gate array (FPGA). The parallel delta modulators consume 720 nW at 1 kHz sampling rate with $\pm$0.6 V power supply. The proposed system has the potential to be applied in future long-term wearable ECG recording devices.

The Dynamic Microbiota Profile During Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) Peeling by Solid-State Fermentation.

White pepper (Piper nigrum L.), a well-known spice, is the main pepper processing product in Hainan province, China. The solid-state method of fermentation can peel pepper in a highly efficient manner and yield high-quality white pepper. In the present study, we used next-generation sequencing to reveal the dynamic changes in the microbiota during pepper peeling by solid-state fermentation. The results suggested that the inoculated Aspergillus niger was dominant throughout the fermentation stage, with its strains constituting more than 95% of the fungi present; thus, the fungal community structure was relatively stable. The bacterial community structure fluctuated across different fermentation periods; among the bacteria present, Pseudomonas, Tatumella, Pantoea, Acinetobacter, Lactococcus, and Enterobacter accounted for more than 95% of all bacteria. Based on the correlations among the microbial community, we found that Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter were significantly positively related with A. niger, which showed strong synergy with them. In view of the microbial functional gene analysis, we found that these three bacteria and fungi were closely related to the production of pectin esterase (COG4677) and acetyl xylan esterase (COG3458), the key enzymes for pepper peeling. The present research clarifies the solid-state fermentation method of pepper peeling and lays a theoretical foundation to promote the development of the pepper peeling process and the production of high-quality white pepper.

Comparative study of the gut microbiome potentially related to milk protein in Murrah buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) and Chinese Holstein cattle.

Previous studies suggested a close relationship between ruminant gut microbes and the mammary gland. In this study, shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to reveal the differences in the intestinal microbiome potentially related to milk components in Murrah buffaloes and Chinese Holstein cattle. A PCoA based on the weighted Unifrac distances showed an apparent clustering pattern in the structure of intestinal microbiota between buffalo and cattle. We could attribute the structural difference to the genera of Sutterella, Coprococcus and Dorea. A further analysis of microbial functional features revealed that the biosynthesis of amino acids (including lysine, valine, leucine and isoleucine), lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and cofactor/vitamin biosynthesis were enriched in the buffalo. In contrast, dairy cattle had higher levels of pyruvate metabolism and carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms. A further correlation analysis based on different milk components and the typical microbiome uncovered a significant positive correlation between milk protein and the microbial biosynthesis of amino acids, which was also positively correlated in the genera of Parabacteroides, Dorea and Sutterella. This study will expand our understanding of the intestinal microbiome of buffalo and cattle as representative ruminants, as well as provide new views about how to improve the production and nutritional qualities of animal milk.

Key Microbiota Identification Using Functional Gene Analysis during Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) Peeling.

Pepper pericarp microbiota plays an important role in the pepper peeling process for the production of white pepper. We collected pepper samples at different peeling time points from Hainan Province, China, and used a metagenomic approach to identify changes in the pericarp microbiota based on functional gene analysis. UniFrac distance-based principal coordinates analysis revealed significant changes in the pericarp microbiota structure during peeling, which were attributed to increases in bacteria from the genera Selenomonas and Prevotella. We identified 28 core operational taxonomic units at each time point, mainly belonging to Selenomonas, Prevotella, Megasphaera, Anaerovibrio, and Clostridium genera. The results were confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. At the functional level, we observed significant increases in microbial features related to acetyl xylan esterase and pectinesterase for pericarp degradation during peeling. These findings offer a new insight into biodegradation for pepper peeling and will promote the development of the white pepper industry.

Metagenomic approach reveals microbial diversity and predictive microbial metabolic pathways in Yucha, a traditional Li fermented food.

Yucha is a typical traditional fermented food of the Li population in the Hainan province of China, and it is made up of cooked rice and fresh fish. In the present study, metagenomic approach and culture-dependent technology were applied to describe the diversity of microbiota and identify beneficial microbes in the Yucha. At the genus level, Lactobacillus was the most abundant genus (43.82% of the total reads), followed by Lactococcus, Enterococcus, Vibrio, Weissella, Pediococcus, Enterobacter, Salinivibrio, Acinetobacter, Macrococcus, Kluyvera and Clostridium; this result was confirmed by q-PCR. PCoA based on Weighted UniFrac distances showed an apparent clustering pattern for Yucha samples from different locations, and Lactobacillus sakei, Lactobacillus saniviri and Staphylococcus sciuri represented OTUs according to the major identified markers. At the microbial functional level, it was observed that there was an enrichment of metabolic functional features, including amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism, which implied that the microbial metabolism in the Yucha samples tended to be vigorous. Accordingly, we further investigated the correlation between the predominant microbes and metabolic functional features. Thirteen species of Lactobacillus (147 strains) were isolated, and Lactobacillus plantarum (60 isolates) and Lactobacillus pentosus (34 isolates) were isolated from every sample.