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UV-C inactivation of microorganisms in droplets on food contact surfaces using UV-C light-emitting diode devices
Get PDFThe main objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of ultraviolet light (UV-C) emitting diodes for the decontamination of stainless steel food contact surfaces. Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC 19115), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (ATCC 700720) were chosen as challenge microorganisms. Target microorganisms were subjected to UV-C dosages of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 mJ cm−2 at an average fluence of 0.163 mW/cm2 using a near-collimated beam operating at 279 nm wavelength. Escherichia coli showed lower sensitivity to UV-C light compared to Salmonella Typhimurium and followed first-order kinetics. Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhimurium were reduced by more than 3-log10 cycles at the maximum UV dosage of 12 mJ cm−2 . In contrast, Listeria monocytogenes followed the Weibull model with an apparent shoulder in the initial doses. A maximum reduction of 4.4-log10 was achieved at the highest exposure level. This study showed that UV-C LED devices represent an excellent alternative for the inactivation of foodborne microorganisms in droplets. Results clearly demonstrate that UV-C LED devices can serve as an additional sanitation method to routine cleaning practices, which are commonly utilized in the food industry
Effects of full-fat high-oleic soybean meal in layer diets on nutrient digestibility and egg quality parameters of a white laying hen strain
Get PDFThis study was conducted to understand the impact of including full fat high-oleic soybean meal in layer hen diets on nutrient digestibility and added nutritional value in eggs. Forty-eight layers (∼36 wk old) were randomly assigned to one of 4 isonitrogenous (18.5% crude protein) treatment diets with 12 replicate birds per treatment in a 3-wk study. Treatments were 1) solvent extracted defatted soybean meal + corn diet, 2) dry extruded defatted soybean meal + corn, 3) full-fat soybean meal + corn, 4) high-oleic full-fat soybean meal + corn diet. Apparent ileal digestibility of crude fat (CF) and crude protein (CP) were determined using celite (∼2%) as an indigestible marker. Tibia strength and egg quality parameters (egg weight, shell strength, Haugh unit, shell color, and yolk color) were recorded during the study. Fatty acid profiles, including the monounsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid (C18:1, cis), in eggs and adipogenic tissue (liver, muscle, and fat pad) were measured using gas chromatography (GC-FID). Digestibility values of CF ranged from 71 to 84% and CP varied from 67 to 72% for treatment diets, with treatment mean values being no different (P \u3e 0.05) between treatment diets. No differences between treatment diets in tibia strength or egg quality parameters (egg weight, shell strength, and Haugh unit) were observed (P \u3e 0.05) except for yolk color. Similarly, there were no differences in the total lipids in egg yolk (P \u3e 0.05) between treatment diets. However, oleic acid percentage of total lipid in egg and tissue was significantly higher (P \u3c 0.001) in hens given the high-oleic full-fat soybean meal diet than in other treatment groups. No difference was observed in oleic acid percentage of total lipid in egg between the other 3 treatment diets (P \u3e 0.05). Overall, the results exhibited that the eggs and tissue of layer hens fed the full-fat high-oleic acid soybean meal diet were higher in oleic acid while the CF and CP digestibility remained similar to the digestibility of the other diets
Morpho-physiological and biochemical response of rice (Oryza sativa L.) to drought stress: A review
Get PDFGlobal food shortages are caused mainly by drought, the primary driver of yield loss in agriculture worldwide. Drought stress negatively impacts the physiological and morphological characteristics of rice (Oryza sativa L.), limiting the plant productivity and hence the economy of global rice production. Physiological changes due to drought stress in rice include constrained cell division and elongation, stomatal closure, loss of turgor adjustment, reduced photosynthesis, and lower yields. Morphological changes include inhibition of seed germination, reduced tillers, early maturity, and reduced biomass. In addition, drought stress leads to a metabolic alteration by increasing the buildup of reactive oxygen species, reactive stress metabolites, antioxidative enzymes, and abscisic acid. Rice tends to combat drought through three major phenomena; tolerance, avoidance, and escape. Several mitigation techniques are introduced and adapted to combat drought stress which includes choosing drought-tolerant cultivars, planting early types, maintaining adequate moisture levels, conventional breeding, molecular maintenance, and creating variants with high-yielding characteristics. This review attempts to evaluate the various morpho-physiological responses of the rice plant to drought, along with drought stress reduction techniques
Traffic State Estimation System Using Deep Transfer Learning
No full textEstimating traffic states efficiently and accurately is a fundamental problem in transportation engineering for traffic control and operation. In recent years, there is a growth of interest in using physics-regulated deep learning (PRDL) to tackle such a problem because they provide higher accuracy and does not require large amount of training data when comparing to the traditional deep learning (DL) approaches. However, one of the limitations of using PRDL is the long time associated with the training process for different but closely linked tasks. To reduce the training time and improve the estimation accuracy with inadequate observation data for traffic state estimation (TSE), this paper presents a hybrid physics-regulated deep transfer learning approach which complements the advantages of transfer learning (TL), PRDL, and DL. Under the proposed general framework, two variants are also presented. These transfer learning approaches capture the meaningful insights of general features obtained in the trained models and transfer them to the new but similar environment models. The hybrid architecture with DL training further reduces the computational expense by eliminating the calculations and training associated with physics losses. Computer simulation results show that comparing with the existing PRDL approach, the proposed transfer learning approaches significantly improve the estimation accuracy by more than 12% on average and reduce the training time by more than 50% on average. These promising results showcase the capability of the proposed hybrid transfer learning approaches in expediting the application of PRDL in TSE for transportation community with limited resources
Evaluating Lactobacillus reuteri and Escherichia coli Nissle as Probiotic for Broiler Chicken
No full textProbiotics are promising additives for improving broiler chicken health and performance. In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of two probiotic strains of Lactobacillus reuteri and Escherichia coli Nissle (EcN) probiotic strains against major pathogens (Salmonella Typhimurium, Enterica, and Cholera). Encapsulated and freeze-dried probiotics were incorporated into broiler feed at 100 cfu/g. In a 5-week trial, 160-day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to four groups: (1) L. reuteri (100 cfu/g), (2) EcN (100 cfu/g), (3) positive control (wall material mixture), and (4) negative control (no probiotics or wall materials). Wheat bran served as the carrier for L. reuteri and EcN. L. reuteri exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against all tested pathogens, while EcN displayed no significant antimicrobial effect, despite prior in vivo evidence. Both probiotics had an impact on feed consumption, but birds fed L.reuteri was seen to increase the feed consumption (FC) and birds fed EcN had improved feed conversion ratio (FCR). Over the 5-week period, L. reuteri had a higher FCR compared to the negative control, while EcN exhibited a lower FCR. L.reuteri was observed to increase body weight gain (BWG), particularly within the first 3 weeks. EcN led to a 132g increase in BWG compared to the control diet, and birds fed wall/carrier materials gained 22g more. Carcass characteristics did not significantly differ among groups. In summary, L. reuteri increased the feed consumption while EcN had an increasing impact on BWG which correlates to the low feed that was converted, with limited effects on carcass composition
Data on plant defense enzyme activity associated with three endophytes against Cornus florida Erysiphe pulchra powdery mildew
Get PDFThree bacteria endophytes that colonize flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) suppressed Erysiphe pulchra powdery mildew disease severity. The three bacteria identified as Stenotrophomonas sp. (B17A), Serratia marcescens (B17B), and Bacillus thuringiensis (IMC8) were assessed for plant defense enzymes associated with plant protection. Detached leaves inoculated with powdery mildew were spray treated with the selected bacterial isolates and incubated for 15 h, 26 h, 48 h and 72 h and then analyzed for activation of defense enzymes and Pathogenesis related (PR) proteins associated with induced systemic resistance (ISR) as a potential mode of action against powdery mildew. At each time point post treatment with the bacteria, leaf tissue was ground in liquid nitrogen and stored at -70°C for biochemical assay of enzyme activity. This data set presents the activation of enzyme activity for peroxidase (PO), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and β -1,3-glucanase at 15 h, 26 h, 48 h and 72 h post treatment with bacteria as indicated by a change in absorbance min -1 mg-1 per gram fresh weight of leaves. The gene expression of the corresponding pathogenesis related (PR) protein for each bacterial treatment compared to the control was also analyzed using Real time PCR and five primers targeting PR1, PR2, and PR5. While changes for PO, PPO, and β -1,3-glucanase enzyme activities were observed at different time points post treatment with all three bacteria, expression of PR protein was detected for PR1, but it was negligible for PR2, and PR5
Influencing Leadership: Student Perspectives of Engagement in an Online Developmental Mathematics Class
No full textThe purpose of this quantitative research study was to describe and compare Black community college students’ perceptions of engagement. The sample used in this study was 114 students in an online developmental mathematics class at a historically Black community college (HBCC). The study was based on the theoretical framework of Moore’s model and the constructivist learning theory and utilized a survey with six demographic and 29 Likert-scale questions. Nine research questions guided this study on learner-content, learner-instructor, and learner-learner engagement. Differences in responses were analyzed using an independent samples t-test for all nine research questions. The independent samples t-test revealed statistically significant differences in learner-instructor and learner-content engagement based on gender. Specifically, male students (M = 4.14, SD = .639) reported lower perceptions of learner-instructor engagement than female students (M = 4.45, SD = .521); t(112) = -2.212, p = .029. Further, males (M = 3.86, SD = .569) reported lower perceptions of learner-content engagement than females (M = 4.24, SD = .673); t(112) = -2.199, p = .03. These student engagement results can influence future educational decisions for leaders in community college systems
The Role of Cowpea in Tackling Food Insecurity in Afro-Colombian Communities
No full textThe 1996 World Food Summit defined food security as physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food by all people at all times. In many areas of the world this is not the case. Particularly, in the southern Valle del Cauca and northern Cauca regions of Colombia, the Afro-Colombian people experience persistent structural and historical discrimination which inhibits their ability to be food secure. Their lack of access to food security results in Afro-Colombian women and children being affected with issues related to having low iron intakes in their diets. Biofortified varieties of cowpea, an inexpensive legume, can be introduced into the regular diets of Afro-Colombian communities as a viable iron-rich alternative to other commonly eaten beans. Using ICP analysis, selected USDA cowpea accessions and beans commonly eaten in Afro-Colombian communities were tested for available iron (Fe) content to see if cowpeas were a better source of Fe. GIS analyses were utilized to create a series of maps and to perform a site-suitability study to see where there are potential areas for cowpea growth and availability. Cowpeas were proven to have a greater mean Fe content compared to the commonly eaten beans. Predominately Afro-Colombian communities were shown to have disproportionate access to supermarkets, fresh and nutritional goods, and the central region of southern Valle del Cauca was shown to be the most suitable area for cowpea growth
Seed Yield, Oil and Protein Content, and Pollinator Potential of Winter Canola
No full textCanola (Brassica napus L.) is an oilseed crop and is a source of healthy cooking-oil, animal feed byproducts, biodiesel, and a good cover crop, rotation with winter wheat and habitat for pollinators. The increasing demand for winter canola has been fulfilled by introducing hybrid varieties with higher yield and adapting the varieties that grow during the winter season. As new varieties are introduced there is a continuous need to identify how they perform in new areas like Tennessee where less research has been performed. Therefore, a study was conducted during 2020–2021 (Year 1) and 2021–2022 (Year 2) in Tennessee State University Agricultural Research station Ashland City, TN with seventeen (9 hybrid + 8 open-pollinated) varieties in a randomized complete block design with four replications across both years in order to calculate plant count, canopy cover, winter mortality, seed yield, oil and protein content. Although, plant count and winter mortality of the hybrids were less but canopy cover was higher. Across both years among all varieties, seed yield ranged from 1976-3295 kg ha-1, oil content ranged from 45-48%, and protein ranged from 18-21%. Generally hybrid varieties are recommended for yield and oil prospective whereas open-pollinated varieties are recommended for the protein purpose. Recommended winter canola varieties from this study was CP1077WC which came under hybrids. Pan trap collected higher number of pollinators than the sticky trap and sweet net in year 1. Afternoon time collected significantly higher number of pollinators in year 2