Combined Insights from Leachate Structure and Microstructure Characteristics for Eating Quality of Convenience Rice Processed by Super-Heated and Pressurized Steam Technologies

Convenience rice has become widely popular due to its easy availability for cooking. This study investigated the starch structure and composition of leachate and the microstructure of reheated convenience rice using novel processing technologies: super-heated steaming(SHS), auto-electric cooking(AEC), and pressurized-steam cooking(PSC). Additionally, the effect of two different target water contents(58% and 63%) was also evaluated. The PSC_63% sample had the highest total solids and amylopectin amount in the leachate. The amylopectin amount in the leachate differed significantly based on the targeted water content. Morphological characterization revealed that the swelling of starch and the coated layer on the surface of rice grains were most pronounced in the PSC_63% sample due to the pressure processing. The textural hardness of the AEC_58% sample was much higher than that of the other samples. The PSC_63% sample had the highest textural adhesiveness value, which can be attributed to the highest amylopectin amount in the leachate. Sensory characterization showed that the PSC_63% sample had the highest glossiness, whiteness, moistness, and overall acceptability. The principal component analysis score plots presented substantial differences in the leachate and textural and sensory characteristics of reheated convenience rice among the different processing technologies.

Exploring Nutritional Compositions,Volatile Compounds,Health Benefits,Emerging Processing Technologies,and Potential Food Products of Glutinous Rice:A Review

Glutinous rice(Oryza sativa var.glutinosa)stands out as one of the most popular rice varieties globally,amidst thousands of rice cultivars.Its increasing popularity is attributed to its rich nutritional compositions and health benefits.This review aims to summarize the nutritional compositions,volatile compounds,and health benefits of glutinous rice.Further,in-depth studies are necessary to explore the utilization of glutinous rice in enhancing processing technologies and developing new food products.Glutinous rice has been shown to possess numerous health benefits,including antioxidant activity,bioactive compounds,anti-cancer properties,anti-inflammatory effects,anti-diabetic potential,and cholesterol-lowering effects.Besides its nutritional compositions,the major volatile compounds identified in glutinous rice could serve as a functional food for human consumption.Emerging processing technologies related to glutinous rice are elaborated to improve the latest developments for incorporating them into various food products.

Ecosystem Services of Grazed Grasslands in the Flooding Pampa

The Flooding Pampa grasslands are the last remnant of the Rio de la Plata grasslands in Argentina.Anthropo-genic interventions have led to severe degradation and,as a result,the ecosystem services provided by the grass-lands are declining,in terms of provisioning,regulating,and supporting services.We synthesized the existing literature on the ecosystem goods and services provided by these grasslands under grazing in different conditions and conservation status.We found that plant and animal diversity and primary production are the most studied ecosystem services,while climate regulation,water supply,nutrient cycling,meat production and erosion control,in that order,are less studied.Cultural services are under-researched.Continuous grazing and glyphosate spraying are the main drivers of grassland degradation.Controlled grazing and conservative stocking rates have been shown to reverse degradation and demonstrate that livestock production is compatible with ecosystem conserva-tion by maintaining regulating and provisioning services.As these management strategies are poorly integrated,improving their implementation will require important changes in farmers’decisions and the development of policies that create the economic conditions for this to happen.Research is needed to understand the conditions that prevent the knowledge generated from being transferred to producers and translated into practices that would improve the provision of ecosystem services.

Flexible Fixture Design for the Top and End Surface Processing of NP2_NP4 Cylinder Heads

This paper focuses on the design of fixtures for NP2 and NP4 cylinder heads on a horizontal machining center of flexible machining automatic lines.It began with an analysis of the diagrams of part processing and working procedure which formed the basis for the design of the processing technology scheme,a selection of suitable machine tools,and the setting of processing parameters.Fixtures tailored to the chosen machine tools were then designed to meet the processing requirements.Additional aspects of the project included the design of part drawings,calculation of working time quota,design of auxiliary guides,support clamping,and hydraulic circuits,all aimed at fulfilling practical production requirements.

Organelle Structures: Bridging Strategy and Technological Processes

The shifting requirements as imposed on operations ma nagement require adjusting and tailoring the organisational structure to meet ma rket demands. However, translating these requirements directly into hierarchical structure will not ensure the integration of processes across organisational un its and guarantee desirable performance. Therefore, management and management li terature wonders: · How should we connect processes to the external environment within a strategi c framework · Which organisational structures do meet performance requirements · Which choices and freedom do we have within organisational structures · How and when do we implement organisational structures That the hierarchical structure does not meet as such the performance requiremen ts nor did it relate to these became already clear during case studies performed in the ’70s. The conclusion was drawn that organisational changes should affect working processes before they proof to be viable. This required the development of new approach through empirical studies and base d on literature. This led to the development of the organelle structure. The org anelle structure should connect to the strategy and the product flow. Thereto, a decision model has been developed for revealing these relations and the practic al implication. During a number of case studies this methodology has been refined and includes t he strategic choice between variants for the organelle structure with their own performance capabilities; we distinguish about 20 variants ranging between the f unctional organisation and the product flow organisation. These ranges of choice s however can be connected to different order entry points, stemming from logist ic concepts. This extends the performance to improved lead-times and improved c ontrol. Strategic choices relate the organelle structure to external performance criteria dictated by product/market-combinations: · lead-time · quality · costs and internal choices for performance criteria: · flexibility · productivity · resource utilisation · innovative performance. Case studies reveal the drastic improvements of the performance of operations an d manufacturing. The paper will discuss a few of these implementations to demons trate the impact. They also show how one derives the hierarchical structure from the choice for the organelle structure. Organelle structures do bridge the link of an industrial company to its environm ent and the internal possibilities, dictated by characteristics of product flow and process execution. The link to the environment results in a strategic framew ork for assessment of alternatives and possibilities. Choices for organelle stru ctures depend strongly on choices on the order entry points of the hardware flow and the specification flow. The evaluation of the characteristics takes place a gainst the strategic framework ensuring competitive advantage as well as a high probability of factual implementation and performance improvement.

Mathematical Apparatus for Selection of Optimal Parameters of Technical, Technological Systems and Materials Based on Vector Optimization

We presented Mathematical apparatus of the choice of optimum parameters of technical, technological systems and materials on the basis of vector optimization. We have considered the formulation and solution of three types of tasks presented below. First, the problem of selecting the optimal parameters of technical systems depending on the functional characteristics of the system. Secondly, the problem of selecting the optimal parameters of the process depending on the technological characteristics of the process. Third, the problem of choosing the optimal structure of the material depending on the functional characteristics of this material. The statement of all problems is made in the form of vector problems of mathematical (nonlinear) programming. The theory and the principle of optimality of the solution of vector tasks it is explained in work of https://rdcu.be/bhZ8i. The implementation of the methodology is shown on a numerical example of the choice of optimum parameters of the technical, technological systems and materials. On the basis of mathematical methods of solution of vector problems we developed the software in the MATLAB system. The numerical example includes: input data (requirement specification) for modeling;transformation of mathematical models with uncertainty to the model under certainty;acceptance of an optimal solution with equivalent criteria (the solution of numerical model);acceptance of an optimal solution with the given priority of criterion.

Research advances of magnesium and magnesium alloys worldwide in 2022

More than 4600 papers in the field of Mg and Mg alloys were published and indexed in the Web of Science(WoS)Core Collection database in 2022.The bibliometric analyses indicate that the microstructure,mechanical properties,and corrosion of Mg alloys are still the main research focus.Bio-Mg materials,Mg ion batteries and hydrogen storage Mg materials have attracted much attention.Notable contributions to the research and development of magnesium alloys were made by Chongqing University(>200 papers),Chinese Academy of Sciences,Shanghai Jiao Tong University,and Northeastern University(>100 papers)in China,Helmholtz Zentrum Hereon in Germany,Ohio State University in the USA,the University of Queensland in Australia,Kumanto University in Japan,and Seoul National University in Korea,University of Tehran in Iran,and National University of Singapore in Singapore,etc.This review is aimed to summarize the progress in the development of structural and functional Mg and Mg alloys in 2022.Based on the issues and challenges identified here,some future research directions are suggested.

Online pharmaceutical process analysis of Chinese medicine using a miniature mass spectrometer: Extraction of active ingredients as an example

The automation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)pharmaceuticals has driven the development of process analysis from offline to online.Most of common online process analytical technologies are based on spectroscopy,making the identification and quantification of specific ingredients still a challenge.Herein,we developed a quality control(QC)system for monitoring TCM pharmaceuticals based on paper spray ionization miniature mass spectrometry(mini-MS).It enabled real-time online qualitative and quantitative detection of target ingredients in herbal extracts using mini-MS without chromatographic separation for the first time.Dynamic changes of alkaloids in Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata(Fuzi)during decoction were used as examples,and the scientific principle of Fuzi compatibility was also investigated.Finally,the system was verified to work stably at the hourly level for pilot-scale extraction.This mini-MS based online analytical system is expected to be further developed for QC applications in a wider range of pharmaceutical processes.

Magnesium research in Canada:Highlights of the last two decades

The highlights of major Canadian research projects of last two decades that aimed at advancing applications of magnesium and its alloys,being at the heart of lightweighting and ecological sustainability, are outlined. The research at universities, government laboratories, and other dedicated institutions, funded primarily through federal programs, was accompanied by strong activities of the industrial sector involved in designing and building the machinery for magnesium processing and production of components from magnesium alloys. The overall research directions matched the global trends of overcoming the key challenges that prevent magnesium alloys to play the major role in large-scale applications. Among industrially oriented projects the processing technologies in liquid, semisolid and solid states such as casting, twin roll casting, injection molding, rolling, extrusion, forging, and joining techniques were frequently pursued. Although the fundamental research aimed at understanding of a variety of magnesium behaviors and structural peculiarities up to nano and atomic levels, its essence spread around the inherently poor formability and high reactivity at room and elevated temperatures, including the ignition/flammability concerns.In recent years, a shift in research interests was observed and novel directions emerged such as magnesium air batteries, biodegradable alloys, additive manufacturing, and magnesium-rich high entropy alloys. The volume of data gathered in this report may constitute a base for specifically oriented assessments, analyses, and drawing conclusions.

UV/Vis-based process analytical technology to improve monoclonal antibody and host cell protein separation

Process analytical technology(PAT) is gaining more interest in the biomanufacturing industry because of its potential to improve operational control and compliance through real-time quality assurance.Currently, biopharmaceutical producers mainly monitor chromatographic processes with ultraviolet/visible(UV/Vis) absorbance. However, this measurement has a very limited correlation with purity and quantity. The current study aims to determine the concentration of monoclonal antibody(mAb) and host cell proteins(HCPs) using a build-in UV/Vis monitoring during Protein A affinity chromatography and to optimize the separation conditions for high purity of mAb and minimizing the HCPs content. The eluate was analyzed through in-line UV/Vis at 280 and 410 nm, representing mAb and HCPs concentration,respectively. Each 0.1 column volume(CV) fraction of UV/Vis chromatogram peak area were calculated,and different separation conditions were then compared. The optimum conditions of mAb separation were found as 12 CV loading, elution at pH 3.5, and starting the collection at 0.5 CV point, resulting in high m Ab recovery of 95.92% and additional removal of 49.98% of HCP comparing with whole elution pool. This study concluded that UV/Vis-based in-line monitoring at 280 and 410 nm showed a high potential to optimize and real-time control Protein A affinity chromatography for mAb purification from HCPs.

Process Characterization of the Transesterification of Rapeseed Oil to Biodiesel Using Design of Experiments and Infrared Spectroscopy

For optimization of production processes and product quality,often knowledge of the factors influencing the process outcome is compulsory.Thus,process analytical technology(PAT)that allows deeper insight into the process and results in a mathematical description of the process behavior as a simple function based on the most important process factors can help to achieve higher production efficiency and quality.The present study aims at characterizing a well-known industrial process,the transesterification reaction of rapeseed oil with methanol to produce fatty acid methyl esters(FAME)for usage as biodiesel in a continuous micro reactor set-up.To this end,a design of experiment approach is applied,where the effects of two process factors,the molar ratio and the total flow rate of the reactants,are investigated.The optimized process target response is the FAME mass fraction in the purified nonpolar phase of the product as a measure of reaction yield.The quantification is performed using attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy in combination with partial least squares regression.The data retrieved during the conduction of the DoE experimental plan were used for statistical analysis.A non-linear model indicating a synergistic interaction between the studied factors describes the reactor behavior with a high coefficient of determination(R^(2))of 0.9608.Thus,we applied a PAT approach to generate further insight into this established industrial process.

Solid Material Formula of Small Fragrant Chicken Soup Stock and Improvement of Boiling Process

[Objectives]To study the solid material formula and boiling process of Small Fragrant Chicken Soup Stock.[Methods]Small fragrant chicken and edible fungi were used as the main raw materials to prepare instant chicken and Morchella esculenta soup stock,and the influencing factors such as solid material ratio,ratio of liquid to material,time and temperature were studied,and the optimal formula and process of the soup stock were screened out through sensory and instrument evaluation experiments.[Results]The optimal formula and process of Small Fragrant Chicken Soup Stock were as follows:small fragrant chicken 40%,M.esculenta 6%,Lyophyllum decastes 3%and Lentinus edodes 1.5%;the ratio of liquid to material was 2.5:1,the boiling time was 2 h,and the boiling temperature was 120℃.Under these conditions,the sensory score of Small Fragrant Chicken Soup Stock was the best.[Conclusions]This study provided a theoretical basis for the industrial production of edible mushroom prepared dishes.

Latest research advances on magnesium and magnesium alloys worldwide

In the past two years,significant progresses have been achieved in high-performance cast and wrought magnesium and magnesium alloys,magnesium-based composites,advanced cast technologies,advanced processing technologies,and functional magnesium materials,such as Mg ion batteries,hydrogen storage Mg materials,bio-magnesium alloys,etc.Great contributions to the development of new magnesium alloys and their processing technologies have been made by Chongqing University,Shanghai Jiaotong University,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht,Queensland University,Brunel University,etc.This review paper is aimed to summarize the latest important advances in cast magnesium alloys,wrought magnesium alloys and functional magnesium materials worldwide in 2018–2019,including both the development of new materials and the innovation of their processing technologies.Based on the issues and challenges identified here,some future research directions are suggested,including further development of high-performance magnesium alloys having high strength and superior plasticity together with high corrosion resistance and low cost,and fundamental research on the phase diagram,diffusion,precipitation,etc.,as well as the development of advanced welding and joining technology.

Research advances of magnesium and magnesium alloys worldwide in 2021

More than 4000 papers in the field of Mg and Mg alloys were published and indexed in Web of Science(WoS)Core Collection database in 2021.The bibliometric analyses indicate that the microstructure,mechanical properties,and corrosion of Mg alloys still are the main research focus.Mg ion batteries and hydrogen storage Mg materials have attracted much attention.Significant contributions to the research and development of magnesium alloys were made by Chongqing University,Shanghai Jiaotong University,and Chinese Academy of Sciences in China,Helmholtz Zentrum Hereon in Germany,Ohio State University in the United States,the University of Queensland in Australia,Kumanto University in Japan,and Seoul National University in Korea,University of Tehran in Iran,etc..This review is aimed to summarize the progress in the development of structural and functional Mg and Mg alloys in 2021.Based on the issues and challenges identified here,some future research directions are suggested.

Fermentation-enabled wellness foods:A fresh perspective

Fermented foods represent an important segment of current food markets,especially traditional or ethnic food markets.The demand for efficient utilization of agrowastes,together with advancements in fermentation technologies(microbial-and enzyme-based processing),are stimulating rapid growth and innovation in the fermented food sector.In addition,the health-promoting benefits of fermented foods are attracting increasingly attention.The microorganisms contained in many common fermented foods can serve as“microfactories”to generate nutrients and bioactives with specific nutritional and health functionalities.Herein,recent research relating to the manufacture of fermented foods are critically reviewed,placing emphasis on the potential health benefits of fermentation-enabled wellness foods.The importance of the correct selection of microorganisms and raw materials and the need for precise control of fermentation processes are explored.Major knowledge gaps and obstacles to fermented food production and market penetration are discussed.The importance of integrating multidisciplinary knowledge,communicating with consumers,establishing regulatory frameworks specifically for fermentation-enabled wellness foods and functional fermented foods,are highlighted.

Virtual Reality:A State-of-the-Art Survey

This paper presents a survey on virtual reality systems and provides an in-depth understanding toward the notion of immersion, according to the semantic meanings of the terms ＂virtual＂ and ＂reality＂. The paper analyses the structure and functions of a virtual reality system and takes the three dimensional display as the immersive medium to identify the key issues for construction of virtual environments. The paper also reviews the development of virtual reality technology and introduces new image processing techniques into the design of virtual reality systems and virtual environments.

Fluidised bed granulation of two APIs:QbD approach and development of a NIR in-line monitoring method

The study focused on the fluid-bed granulation process of a product with two active pharmaceutical ingredients,intended for coated tablets preparation and further transfer to industrial scale.The work aimed to prove that an accurate control of the critical granulation parameters can level the input material variability and offer a user-friendly process control strategy.Moreover,an in-line Near-Infrared monitoring method was developed,which offered a real time overview of the moisture level along the granulation process,thus a reliable supervision and control process analytical technology(PAT)tool.The experimental design’s results showed that the use of apparently interchangeable active pharmaceutical ingredients(APIs)and filler sorts that comply with pharmacopoeial specifications,lead to different end-product critical attributes.By adapting critical granulation parameters(i.e.binder spray rate and atomising pressure)as a function of material characteristics,led to granules with average sizes comprised in a narrow range of 280–320μm and low nongranulated fraction of under 5%.Therefore,the accurate control of process parameters according to the formulation particularities achieved the maintenance of product within the design space and removed material related variability.To complete the Quality by design(QbD)strategy,despite its limited spectral domain,the microNIR spectrometer was successfully used as a robust PAT monitoring tool that offered a real time overview of the moisture level and allowed the supervision and control of the granulation process.

Raman spectroscopy as process analytical tool in downstream processing of biotechnology

Downstream processing or product recovery plays a vital role in the development of bioprocesses.To improve the bioprocess efficiency,some unconventional methods are much required.The continuous manufacturing in downstream processing makes the Process Analytical Technologies(PATs)as an important tool.Monitoring and controlling bioprocess are an essential factor for the principles of PAT and quality by design.Spectroscopic methods can apply to monitor multiple analytes in real-time with less sample processing with significant advancements.Raman spectroscopy is an extensively used technique as an analytical and research tool owing to its modest process form,non-destructive,non-invasive optical molecular spectroscopic imaging with computer-based analysis.Generally,its application is essential for the analysis and characterization of biological samples,and it is easy to operate with minimal sample.The innovation on various types of enhanced Raman spectroscopy was designed to enhance the Raman analytical technique.Raman spectroscopy could couple with chemometrics to provide reliable alternative analysis method of downstream process analysis.Thus,this review aims to provide useful insight on the application of Raman spectroscopy for PAT in downstream processing of biotechnology and Raman data analysis in biological fields.

Human Respiration Rate Estimation Using Ultra-wideband Distributed Cognitive Radar System

It has been shown that remote monitoring of pulmonary activity can be achieved using ultra-wideband (UWB) systems, which shows promise in home healthcare,rescue,and security applications.In this paper,we first present a multi-ray propagation model for UWB signal,which is traveling through the human thorax and is reflected on the air/dry-skin/fat/muscle interfaces,A geometry-based statistical channel model is then developed for simulating the reception of UWB signals in the indoor propagation environment.This model enables replication of time-varying multipath profiles due to the displacement of a human chest.Subsequently, a UWB distributed cognitive radar system (UWB-DCRS) is developed for the robust detection of chest cavity motion and the accurate estimation of respiration rate.The analytical framework can serve as a basis in the planning and evaluation of future rheasurement programs.We also provide a case study on how the antenna beamwidth affects the estimation of respiration rate based on the proposed propagation models and system architecture.

Effect of Anion Surface Active Agent on the Preparation of SrTiO_3 Nano-Crystals

SrTiO_3 nano-crystal samples with floccule or flake crystal morphology,which were indexed as a perovskite-type crystal structure based on the results of XRD and TEM,were successfully prepared by one-step liquid reaction method.And the growth mechanism of the SrTiO_3 nano-crystals under the liquid condition with/without adding the surface active agent was investigated.It was found that adding the surface active agent contributes to the processing in which the ions gathering bodies transit to a more stable phase through the chemical reaction and form the flake SrTiO_3 nano-crystals.