Gravettian Stone Pendants in Europe (A Proposal for a Possible Repertory)

In mammalian cell culture producing therapeutic proteins, one of the important challenges is the use of several complex raw materials whose compositional variability is relatively high and their influences on cell culture is poorly understood. Under these circumstances, application of spectroscopic techniques combined with chemometrics can provide fast, simple, and non-destructive ways to evaluate raw material quality, leading to more consistent cell culture performance. In this study, a comprehensive data fusion strategy of combining multiple spectroscopic techniques is investigated for the prediction of raw material quality in mammalian cell culture. To achieve this purpose, four different spectroscopic techniques of near-infrared, Raman, 2D fluorescence, and X-ray fluorescence spectra were employed for comprehensive characterization of soy hydrolysates which are commonly used as supplements in culture media. First, the different spectra were compared separately in terms of their prediction capability. Then, ensemble partial least squares (EPLS) was further employed by combining all of these spectral datasets in order to produce a more accurate estimation of raw material properties, and compared with other data fusion techniques. The results showed that data fusion models based on EPLS always exhibit best prediction accuracy among all the models including individual spectroscopic methods, demonstrating the synergetic effects of data fusion in characterizing the raw material quality.

This paper shows the results of petrographic analyses of raw materials used for making the ground stone industry implements in two Vinca culture sites Vinca and Belovode. The assemblages from the aforementioned sites feature a number of specific characteristics. In Vinca, in late strata, a kind of devaluation in the selection of stone raw materials is registered, which is closely related to the decline in quality of stone processing and may be a consequence of territorial narrowing of the Vinca culture per se in its later phases, and of introduction of metallurgy in everyday life. For this reason an analogy with the Belovode site was made, which subsists only throughout the early phase of the Vinca culture and is doubtlessly a metallurgic settlement. Petrographic analyses of the raw materials from which ground stone tools used to be made at the Vinca and Belovode sites are only a part of the commenced petro-archaeological research. They imply that further investigations should focuses on field work, principally in the vicinity of the sites themselves. Primarily by petrographic, and, as applicable, by other analyses of samples brought from the field work, and by comparison of the tools, it could be possible to define more precisely the territory from which the raw materials originated.

Virus safety of cell-based medicinal products is a particular challenge. These products are frequently manufactured using various human- or animal-derived starting and raw materials (serum and feeder-cells) in cell culture, which are possible sources for viral contamination. For living or proliferating cells, no methods for virus inactivation (such as heat or chemical treatment) can be used and the options for testing these medicinal products for all possible viral contaminations are very limited. As a consequence, other safety measures, in particular careful selection and testing of starting and raw materials, are very important. For raw materials, attention should be paid to cell-culture additives of biological origin, such as human and bovine serum and porcine trypsin. Whenever possible, manufacturing steps for inactivation and removal of viruses should be introduced as an additional safety measure. In addition, recombinant products from animal cell cultures (such as growth factors, monoclonal antibodies for cell sorting, viral vectors) are used and have to be tested for virus safety.

Simplify product safety and quality risk analysis of raw materials for conventional, soilless culture and organic salads

Encompassing potential preventive controls using GFSI, USDA National Organic Program, FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Food and FSMA Intentional Adulteration in ready-to-eat organic leafy green salad: A case study from Thailand

Technology assessment and developing countries

Vinegar is one of the most appreciated fermented foods in European and Asian countries. In industry, its elaboration depends on numerous factors, including the nature of starter culture and raw material, as well as the production system and operational conditions. Furthermore, vinegar is obtained by the action of acetic acid bacteria (AAB) on an alcoholic medium in which ethanol is transformed into acetic acid. Besides the highlighted oxidative metabolism of AAB, their versatility and metabolic adaptability make them a taxonomic group with several biotechnological uses. Due to new and rapid advances in this field, this review attempts to approach the current state of knowledge by firstly discussing fundamental aspects related to industrial vinegar production and then exploring aspects related to AAB: classification, metabolism, and applications. Emphasis has been placed on an exhaustive taxonomic review considering the progressive increase in the number of new AAB species and genera, especially those with recognized biotechnological potential.

Interactions Between Starter Culture and Raw Material in Lactic Acid Fermentation of Sliced Carrot

An experimental study of biocompatibility of the basic prosthetic materials in the cell culture of human fibroblasts was performed. It revealed a negative effect on the morphology of the cells of chromium-cobalt alloy, the material for overdentures based on polymethyl methacrylate, the light-curing composite.

This study on layer and broiler houses is expected to give basic information on the nature of microbes, their occurrence, health hazard they could constitute and the possibilities for disease control measures. Modern husbandry practices, state or local concentration of the industry, high stocking densities, uniform age distribution of birds and continuous feeding may promote the spread of poultry diseases. Illness due to contaminated food, poultry wastes, poultry and poultry by products are one of the most widespread problems of the contemporary world. From the poultry houses investigated, bacteria and fungi were isolated from swabs of window nets dust, feed stock, roof dust, faeces, floors, feeders, drinkers, feathers, cages and egg trays using standard microbiological media and biochemicals procedures.The isolates encountered include: Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus terreus, Streptococcus faecalis, Bacillus sp., Pasteurella gallinarum, Pasteurella multocida, Klebsiella sp., Eschericia coli, Salmonella sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Yeast and Rhodotorula spp., which were nol typed. Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus terreus, Bacillus sp., Pasteurella gallinarum, Klebsiella sp., Eschericia coli, Yeast and Rhodotorula Sp., were present in both layers and broilers houses structures and materials in varying proportions. However, Pasteurella Multocida, Salmonella sp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from egg trays, feathers, faeces, and feeders respectively from poultry house materials only and none from the structures of layers and broilers houses. The layer house structures and materials tend to yield more microbes mir than broiler house structures and materials. There were no acid-fast organisms observed from the sediments of washed swabs materials for culture using Ziehl-Neelsen stain

The oldest human traces north of the Carpathians (Kończyce Wielkie 4, Poland)

Background Nowadays, stem cells draw great interest in regenerative medicine [1]. However, due to low occurrence in tissues, their in vitro expansion is required to gain access to therapeutic applications [2]. Furthermore, the existing culture systems often include xeno-derived components, present upscaling limitations [3,4] and do not necessary address important considerations, such as those related to biosafety, availability and homogeneity of (biological) raw material and process reproducibility. Moreover, the regulatory guidelines focus on the importance of defined environments, minimal handling and continuity between development and industrialization scales [5,6]. In this context, new scalable solutions a reactively considered in order to achieve production of stem cells at higher densities [7]. Among these, synthetic peptides are of particular interest [4] as potential alternatives to xeno-derived culture supports, able to mimic the physico-biochemical properties of natural cell matrices. In this way our work aims at assessing new xeno-free culture matrices based on short, synthetic and bioactive peptides and demonstrating the scalability, reproducibility and performance of such peptides-based matrices for human stem cells culture. This report is focused on a part of the work performed to study the stability of synthetic peptide coatings on polymer surfaces and the capability of such coatings to favour stem cells adhesion and growth.

본 연구는 버섯재배에 이용되는 배지재료를 이용하여 상업용 PDA 고체배지를 대체할 수 있는 원균 증식용 천연고체배지 제조 가능성에 대해 조사하였다. 천연고체배지는 큰느타리버섯 재배에 이용되는 재료를 열수 추출하여 제조하였다. 포플러톱밥, 밀기울, 미강이 버섯의 균사생육에 좋은 특성을 보였다. 천연 고체배지 제조를 위한 포플러톱밥, 밀기울, 미강의 적정 혼합 비율은 50 : 20 : 30(v/v/v, PWR523)와 50 : 30 : 20(v/v/v, PWR532) 수준이었다. 열수수출물 함유 천연 고체배지인 PWR523 및 PWR532에 대한 버섯 균사생육은 PDA 배지에 접종된 것보다 빠른 특성을 나타내었다. 또한 열수추출물 함유 천연 고체배지에 의해 만들어진 접종원을 이용한 경우 버섯의 배양 및 수확에 있어서 상업용 배지를 이용한 것과 큰 차이를 보이지 않았다. Hot-water extracted natural media were made from raw materials for mycelial culture of Pleurotus eryngii. Poplar sawdust, wheat bran and rice bran were used as substrates for hot water extraction. The mixed substrates of poplar sawdust, wheat bran, and rice bran with 50 : 20 : 30 (v/v/v, PWR523) and 50 : 30 : 20 (v/v/v, PWR532) were optimal for mycelial growth of P. eryngii, respectively. The hot-water extracted natural media from PWR523 and PWR532 showed a rapid mycelial growth and spawn running compared to PDA. There was no significant difference in mushroom yield when the mycelium grown on the hot-water extracted natural media was used as the inoculum source for producing fruit body.

Microalgae are considered to have great potential as a source of biodiesel. Currently, algae culture has three different trophic modes, i.e., autotrophic, heterotrophic, and mixotrophic, but not all kinds of algae are suitable for heterotrophic and mixotrophic cultivation. In this study, Parachlorella kessleri TY, screened from the soil of Shanxi Province, was heterotrophically and mixotrophically treated with glucose as an organic carbon source, and the physiological and biochemical levels of its growth and lipid accumulation were measured. The results showed that the highest biomass and biomass productivity (1.53 g·L−1 and 218.57 mg·L−1d−1) were attained by P. kessleri TY under mixotrophic cultivation. In comparison, the lowest (0.55 g·L−1 and 78.57 mg·L−1d−1) were attained under heterotrophic culture. Furthermore, heterotrophic and mixotrophic conditions could accumulate more lipids (total lipid contents: 39.85% and 42.92%, respectively), especially the neutral lipids. Additionally, the contents of fatty acids suitable for use as biodiesel raw materials in both heterotrophic and mixotrophic cultures increased, especially the content of C18:1. Moreover, due to the lower biomass of heterotrophic cultivation compared with that from mixotrophic cultivation, the total lipid productivity of heterotrophic conditions decreased. In summary, the conditions of mixotrophic cultivation are more conducive to the accumulation of lipids in P. kessleri TY.

Soilless culture is considered the best system for growing crops to overcome problems of soil-borne diseases and for achieving sustainable goals for saving water and nutrients. However, in many countries, the commonly used growing media, are expensive or even unavailable. To address for suitable sustainable local alternatives for the commonly used growing media, a research project was conducted at the Estidamah Research Centre at Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, studying the potential of two local substrates (volcanic rock and date palm wastes). Date palm waste (DPW) is a renewable source, locally available in large quantities since date production is a major industry in Saudi Arabia and volcanic rock (VR) is a widely available, natural, reusable and very cost-effective material. Different types of DPW were used, and pre-treated in several ways (sieved, flushed, sterilized), while VR was used from one source. Both media were compared with standard rockwool (RW) and perlite (PL) with cucumber and sweet pepper. The trials focused on the applicability water- and nutrient conditions and the crop performance in growing cycles of several months. DPW and VR were tested with the crops grown in a climate-controlled Venlo-type greenhouse with Pad-Fan cooling. The results and experiences of the first experiment were used to improve the DPW and VR treatments for the next trial. The first trial (cucumber) showed dramatic results for VR and a low score with DPW. For the next crop (sweet pepper), the fertigation strategy and design of VR substrate system were modified as well as improvements of the selection of DPW raw material and pre-treatment applications were applied. These modifications seriously improved the results, with virtually no differences for VR compared to the reference grown in RW or PL. In this respect, it could be concluded that, both VR and DPW, under conditions of right treatment, are suitable for use as local materials in soilless culture under Saudi Arabian conditions.