Color Intensity Difference Research Articles

Exploring the Potential of the Mixture of Alginate and Aqueous Plant Extracts as Functional Drinks for Diabetics

Diabetes, which affects millions of people every year, has led to a functional food development for diabetics. This study aimed to explore the potential of functional drinks made of a mixture of alginate and aqueous plant extracts to treat diabetics. Samples studied, were 1% alginate solution (alginate drink), aqueous plant extracts, and functional drinks consisting of a mixture of alginate-plant extracts. Those functional drinks were made from okra aqueous extract, moringa leaf aqueous extract, bay leaf aqueous extract, and guava leaf aqueous extract, each of which was mixed with alginate. The samples were analyzed for qualitative phytochemical content, dietary fiber content, total phenolic content, alpha-glucosidase inhibition, and antioxidant capability. The phytochemical content of functional drinks showed differences in color intensity and types of phytochemicals. Saponins were identified in all the drinks. The high phenolic and dietary fiber content was shown by a drink of alginate - moringa leaf extract mixture. High alpha glucoside inhibitors and antioxidant activity were shown by drinks prepared from a mixture of alginate-bay leaf extract and a mixture of alginate-guava leaf extract. Overall, drinks from a mixture of alginate-bay leaf extract and a mixture of alginate-guava leaf extract had the potential to be used to treat diabetes.

Optimization of acid ensilaging method for the extraction of oil from Lake Victoria nile perch’ lates niloticus viscera

A study was carried out to optimize the wet acidic rendering for extracting oil from Nile perch viscera. Oil was extracted at 93oC by varying the acid concentration from 0 – 10% and heating time from 5 – 25 minutes. The oil yield, lipolytic, oxidative and color qualities were determined to compare the effect of acid and time using a factorial completely randomized design. Statistical analysis of data was carried out at p  0.05 using GenStat 13th edition software. There was significant difference in yield, with interaction between acid concentration and heating time, the yield being highest at 15 minutes and declining thereafter with increasing acid concentration. There was significant difference in free fatty acids (%FFA), with interaction between acid concentration and heating time, values increasing with acid concentration and heating time. Heating times of 5 and 15 minutes produced the lowest %FFA at 0% acid concentration, being significantly higher after 15 minutes. All the %FFA values were within permitted limits for crude fish oil, however. There was difference in peroxide value (PV) with interaction between acid concentration and heating time, decreasing with increasing concentrations. Heating for 15 and 25 minutes produced lower PV for 0% acid concentration, with no difference between them. But the PVs were within permitted limits for crude fish oil. There were differences in color intensity, with acid concentrations, heating time not producing a significant difference, and the interaction between acid concentration and heating time not significant. There was significant difference in color intensity between 0% and subsequent acid concentrations, increasing with acid concentration. Heating for 15 minutes without acid is therefore the most suitable combination for mass production of crude oil from Nile perch viscera.

Design and Engineering of a Palm-Sized Optical Immunosensing Device for the Detection of a Kidney Dysfunction Biomarker.

Creatinine is one of the most common and specific biomarkers for renal diseases, usually found in the serum and urine of humans. Its level is extremely important and critical to know, not only in the case of renal diseases, but also for various other pathological conditions. Hence, detecting creatinine in clinically relevant ranges in a simplistic and personalized manner is interesting and important. In this direction, an optical sensing device has been developed for the simple, point-of-care detection of creatinine. The developed biosensor was able to detect creatinine quantitatively based on optical signals measured through a change in color. The sensor has been integrated with a smartphone to develop a palm-sized device for creatinine analysis in personalized settings. The sensor has been developed following facile chemical modification steps to anchor the creatinine-selective antibody to generate a sensing probe. The fabricated sensor has been thoroughly characterized by FTIR, AFM, and controlled optical analyses. The quantitative analysis is mediated through the reaction between picric acid and creatinine which was detected by the antibody-functionalized sensor probe. The differences in color intensity and creatinine concentrations show an excellent dose-dependent correlation in two different dynamic ranges from 5 to 20 μM and 35 to 400 μM, with a detection limit of 15.37 (±0.79) nM. Several interfering molecules, such as albumin, glucose, ascorbic acid, citric acid, glycine, uric acid, Na+, K+, and Cl-, were tested using the biosensor, in which no cross-reactivity was observed. The utility of the developed system to quantify creatinine in spiked serum samples was validated and the obtained percentage recoveries were found within the range of 89.71-97.30%. The fabricated biosensor was found to be highly reproducible and stable, and it retains its original signal for up to 28 days.

A learning-based, region of interest-tracking algorithm for catheter detection in echocardiography.

Echocardiography (echo) is gaining popularity to guide the catheter during surgical procedures. However, it is difficult to discern the catheter tip in echo even with an acoustically active catheter. An acoustically active catheter is detected for the first time in cardiac echo images using two methods. First, a convolutional neural network (CNN) model was trained to detect the region of interest (ROI), the interior of the left ventricle, containing the catheter tip. Color intensity difference detection technique was implemented on the ROI to detect the catheter. This method succeeded in detecting the catheter without any manual input on 94% and 57% of long- and short-axis projections, respectively. Second, several tracking methods were implemented and tested. Given the manually identified initial positions of the catheter, the tracking methods could distinguish between the target (catheter tip) and the surrounding on the rest of the frames. Combining the two techniques, for the first time, resulted in an automatic, robust, and fast method for catheter detection in echo images.

Preliminary Exploration of the Red Pigment from Scytalidium cuboideum as a Cellulosic Pulp Colorant

Pollution from the international dye industry continues to be a global problem. Biotechnology offers new options, including a closer look at select wood decay fungi to replace inorganic dyes. The pigments produced by a small group of soft rotting fungi are generally naphthoquinonic and remarkably stable. From this group, the dramada crystals, produced by Scytalidium cuboideum, are of particular interest. To test the application of this pigment as a natural colorant of cellulosic pulps, four different bleached pulps were selected (one hardwood, three softwood), in three different mediums (acetone, ethanol, and DI water). The pigment generated a significant change of color, but there was no significant difference in color intensity based on the solvent carrier. These preliminary results are promising as they open the door for further exploration of applications of fungal pigments in the paper industry. Once these pigments can be reliably grown, they will offer a sustainable organic alternative to polluting inorganic dyestuffs and help reduce the toxic effluent released into the soil and waterways.

DISTRIBUSI KARBOHIDRAT NETRAL PADA LAMBUNG DEPAN SAPI SUMBA ONGOLE (Bos indicus)

Sumba Ongole cattle (Bos indicus) is a superior livestock commodity in East Nusa Tenggara Province, especially on the island of Sumba. Cattle have a forestomach consisting of the rumen, reticulum, and omasum. This forestomach plays an important role in carbohydrate fermentation. This study aims to determine the distribution of neutral carbohydrates in the forestomach of Sumba Ongole cattle. Six samples of the rumen, reticulum, and omasum were collected from East Sumba Slaughter House. The tissue was fixed in formalin 10 %, continued with processed histologically and PAS staining. The result showed that neutral carbohydrates distributed in the tunica mucosa and tunica muscularis rumen, reticulum, and omasum with a weak (+) to strong (+++) reaction intensity staining. The factors that influence the difference in color intensity in each tunica of the rumen, reticulum, and omasum are related to the function and mucus secretion of each cell.

Physicochemical properties, antioxidant activities, and sensory evaluation of pineapple peel biovinegar

The objective of this study was to characterize a biovinegar (OPPB) produced from natural fermentation of pineapple peel. Physicochemical properties, antioxidant activities and sensory evaluation were investigated to compare its quality with apple cider vinegar (ACV) and dates vinegar (DV). The vinegars were evaluated for their scavenging activity towards 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical for the antioxidant activities. Physicochemical properties such as ascorbic acid, reducing sugar, acidity, acetic acid, ethanol, total soluble solid, pH and sucrose content were also determined. Consumer preferences and perception towards the biovinegar were carried out through a survey. The OPPB shows a comparable radical scavenging of 82 % and physicochemical properties such as acidity of 3.03 %, ascorbic acid of 1.43 mg equi. AA/100 mL sample, pH of 3.16, acetic acid of 0.61 %, ethanol of 1.03 %, sucrose of 4.0 g/100 g, reducing sugar of 3.18 % and total soluble solid content of 8.0°Brix with commercial vinegar (ACV and DV). Descriptive statistical test indicates that there were no significant differences in color intensity, sourness, sweetness, flavor, and aroma with the vinegars tested but OPPB was 56 % more preferred than ACV and DV by the respondents.

Correction pen based paper fluidic device for the detection of multiple gene targets of Leptospira using Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification

Paper-based nucleic acid testing techniques are increasingly in demand. Hence, we have developed a simple and cheap paper fluidic device to detect multiple gene targets in Leptospira. Fluidic channels of the penta-clover device are drawn using a correction pen on Whatman filter paper 1. The fluid blocks the pores of the paper, avoiding leakage and ensuring the equal flow of sample to the reaction pads. The target genes are amplified by performing Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) with dry reaction components. Thecolor change of leuco crystal violetallows real-time monitoring of a positive amplification. The difference in color intensity is captured with a smartphone and analyzed using image processing software. The device amplifies the target within 15 min, detects the pathogen at a concentration as low as 50 attogram μL−1, detects Leptospira in blood samples without prior treatment and differentiates the Leptospira species even after 21 days of storage at room temperature.

Efficient phenotypic sex classification of zebrafish using machine learning methods.

Sex determination in zebrafish by manual approaches according to current guidelines relies on human observation. These guidelines for sex recognition have proven to be subjective and highly labor‐intensive. To address this problem, we present a methodology to automatically classify the phenotypic sex using two machine learning methods: Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNNs) based on the whole fish appearance and Support Vector Machine (SVM) based on caudal fin coloration. Machine learning techniques in sex classification provide potential efficiency with the advantage of automatization and robustness in the prediction process. Furthermore, since developmental plasticity can be influenced by environmental conditions, we have investigated the impact of elevated water temperature during embryogenesis on sex and sex‐related differences in color intensity of adult zebrafish. The estimated color intensity based on SVM was then applied to detect the association between coloration and body weight and length. Phenotypic sex classifications using machine learning methods resulted in a high degree of association with the real sex in nontreated animals. In temperature‐induced animals, DCNNs reached a performance of 100%, whereas 20% of males were misclassified using SVM due to a lower color intensity. Furthermore, a positive association between color intensity and body weight and length was observed in males. Our study demonstrates that high ambient temperature leads to a lower color intensity in male animals and a positive association of male caudal fin coloration with body weight and length, which appears to play a significant role in sexual attraction. The software developed for sex classification in this study is readily applicable to other species with sex‐linked visible phenotypic differences.

대추씨 주변 과육 농축물을 활용한 제육구이 소스 개발에 관한 연구

This study was conducted to evaluate use of concentrate of residual jujube flesh around seeds as a thickening agent of Jeyuk-gui (spicy broiled pork) sauce. Quality characteristics and sensory attributes of Jeyuk-gui sauces containing jujube concentrate were evaluated. The moisture content of Jeyuk-gui sauce amended with 10% jujube concentrate was highest (67.43%), while the Brix (%) of 10% jujube concentrate amended sauce (41.57), was lowest among the tested sauces. As jujube concentrate increased, the Brix(%) of increased to 45.65%. Salinity (%) was highest in the sauce containing 10% jujube concentrate (0.92%), then decreased significantly to 0.68% with increasing jujube concentrate levels. Viscosity was highest in sauce containing 30% jujube concentrate (78.68 cP), while it was lowest in that containing 10% jujube concentrate (8.69 cP). Spreadability was highest in sauce containing 10% jujube concentrate (10.67 cm). As the amount of jujube concentrate increased, the viscosity increased, while spreadability decreased. The color also differed L-, a- and b-values of the control sauce being highest (32.55, 9.24, and 14.50, respectively). Sensory evaluation of Jeyuk-gui sauce showed that overall preference was highest for sauce containing 20% jujube concentrate, as was preference of appearance, flavor, taste, and fluidity. A differentiation test revealed significant differences in color intensity, jujube flavor and jujube taste. However, no significant differences in sweetness or fluidity were observed. The preference test for Jeyuk-gui seasoned with sauces containing added jujube concentrate showed that overall preference, appearance, flavor, taste, and texture were the highest for Jeyuk-gui seasoned with sauce containing 20% jujube concentrate.

대추씨 주변 과육 농축물을 활용한 불고기 소스 개발

This study was carried out to develop concentrate of residual jujube flesh around the seed as a thickening agent of Bulgogi sauce. Quality characteristics and sensory test of Bulgogi sauces added with jujube concentrate (30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%) were evaluated in comparison with control sauce containing xanthan gum as a thickening agent. Moisture content of Bulgogi sauce added with 30% jujube concentrate was the highest (74.59%). As content of jujube concentrate increased, moisture contents in Bulgogi sauces significantly decreased. Sugar content of control sauce ( $30.82^{\circ}Bx$ ), was lowest among the sauces. As content of jujube concentrate increased, Sugar content of sauces significantly increased ( $33.00{\sim}34.38^{\circ}Bx$ ). Salinity (%) was highest in control sauce (1.38%), and there was no difference in salinity among the sauces depending on the amount of jujube concentrate. Viscosity was highest in sauce added with 50% jujube concentrate (43.33 cP) and lowest in sauce with 30% jujube concentrate (13.20 cP). As content of jujube concentrate increased, viscosity tended to increase significantly. Spreadability was highest in sauce added with 30% jujube concentrate (8.88 cm). As the amount of jujube concentrate increased, spreadability of sauce tended to decrease significantly. Color value was different according to the contents of jujube concentrate in sauces. L-, a-, and b-values of control sauce were highest at 40.19, 1.5, and 24.57, respectively. The results of the sensory test for Bulgogi sauce showed that overall preference was significantly highest in sauce added with 35% jujube concentrate. Moreover, sauce added with 35% jujube concentrate was preferred the most in terms of appearance, taste, and fluidity. Meanwhile, the results of the differentiation test showed a significant difference in color intensity, jujube flavor and taste, sweet taste, and salty taste. However, no significant difference was observed in fluidity. The results of the preference test for Bulgogi seasoned with sauces added with jujube concentrate showed that overall preference and flavor, taste, and texture preference were highest in Bulgogi seasoned with sauce added with 35% jujube concentrate. However, no significant difference was observed in preference towards appearance among the samples.

Detection of Therapeutic Levels of Ionizing Radiation Using Plasmonic Nanosensor Gels

Radiotherapy is a highly complex and efficient treatment modality for ablation of malignant tumors. Despite several technological advances, determination of the dose delivered to the tumor remains a challenge due to limitations of complex fabrication, cumbersome operation, and high costs associated with current dosimeters. This study describes fundamental studies and development of a novel gel‐based colorimetric nanosensor for detecting therapeutic levels of X‐rays (1–10 Gy) administered in clinical radiotherapy. Following exposure to X‐rays, gold salts in the gel are converted to nanoparticles within the matrix, resulting in the formation of a maroon‐colored plasmonic gel. Differences in color intensity of the gel following irradiation are used as a quantitative indicator of the radiation dose employed. The gel‐based nanosensor is able to detect doses as low as 0.5 Gy, and demonstrates a linear detection range of 0–3 Gy, which indicates its application in the fractionated radiotherapy regime. The gel is also able to successfully report therapeutic levels of radiation doses administered to anthropomorphic tissue phantoms. The range of detection, ease of fabrication, simplicity of colorimetric detection, and relatively lower costs indicate that this technology can be potentially translated to different radiotherapy applications in the clinic.

Carotenoids and carotenoid esters of orange- and yellow-fleshed mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota (Jacq.) H.E. Moore & Stearn) fruit and their post-prandial absorption in humans.

Although different genotypes of mamey sapote with distinct pulp colors are consumed in countries from Central to South America, in-depth knowledge on genotype-related differences of their carotenoid profile is lacking. Since the fruit was found to contain the potentially vitamin A-active keto-carotenoids sapotexanthin and cryptocapsin, we sought to qualitatively and quantitatively describe the carotenoid profile of different genotypes by HPLC-DAD-MSn. Sapotexanthin and cryptocapsin were present in all genotypes. Keto-carotenoids such as cryptocapsin, capsoneoxanthin, and their esters were most abundant in orange-fleshed fruit, whereas several carotenoid epoxides prevailed in yellow-fleshed fruit. Differing carotenoid profiles were associated with different color hues of the fruit pulp, while the widely variable carotenoid content (3.7-8.0mg/100gFW) was mainly reflected by differences in color intensity (chroma C∗). Furthermore, the post-prandial absorption of sapotexanthin to human plasma was proven for the first time. Besides sapotexanthin, cryptocapsin was found to be resorbed.

Color Difference in Placentas with Twin Anemia-Polycythemia Sequence: An Additional Diagnostic Criterion?

Objective: To determine the color intensity difference between the 2 placental shares in monochorionic placentas with twin anemia-polycythemia sequence (TAPS). Methods: We evaluated all digital pictures of TAPS placentas examined at our center and compared them to a control group of uncomplicated monochorionic placentas. We determined the color intensity of individual placental share on the maternal side of each monochorionic placenta using an image processing program and calculated the color difference ratio (CDR). Results: Digital pictures of 19 TAPS and 19 uncomplicated monochorionic placentas were included in this study. The TAPS group consisted of 12 spontaneous TAPS placentas (63%) and 7 post-laser TAPS placentas (37%). The median CDR in the group with TAPS was significantly higher than in the control group, 2.73 (range 1.73-6.36) versus 1.09 (range 1.00-1.35), respectively (p < 0.01). We found a positive correlation between CDR and inter-twin hemoglobin (Hb) difference in the TAPS group (R = 0.66, p < 0.01) but not in the control group (R = 0.04, p = 0.87). Conclusion: TAPS placentas have a significantly higher CDR compared to uncomplicated monochorionic twin placentas. Large inter-twin Hb differences in TAPS are associated with higher CDR.

Machine vision system for grading of dried figs

Fig is a horticultural product which requires sorting at the postharvest stage before being marketed. In this study, a grading system based on machine vision was developed for grading figs. The system hardware was composed of a feeder, a belt conveyor, a CCD camera, a lighting system, and a separation unit. Three quality indices, namely color, size, and split size, were first classified by fig-processing experts into the five classes. Then, the images of the fig samples were captured using a machine vision system. First, the length of pixels in each image and longitudinal coordinates of the center of gravity of fig pixels were extracted for calculating the nozzle eject time. For extracting the three quality indices of each class, a machine vision algorithm was developed. This algorithm determined color intensity and diameter of each fig as the indicators of its color and size, respectively. For calculating the split area, the images were first binarized by using the color intensity difference between the split and other parts of the fruit in order to determine the area of the split section. A grading algorithm was also coded in Lab-VIEW for sorting figs based on their quality indices extracted by the image processing algorithm into five qualitative grades. In the grading algorithm, the values of these features were compared with the threshold value that was predetermined by an expert. Results showed that the developed system improved the sorting accuracy for all the classes up to 95.2%. The system’s mean rate was 90kg/h for processing and grading figs.

Chemical and sensory characterisation of Sangiovese red wines: Comparison between biodynamic and organic management

The effects of biodynamic production practices on composition and sensory attributes of Sangiovese wines were examined for 2years (2009 and 2010) in a vineyard that was converted from organic (ORG) to biodynamic (BDN) viticulture. During the first year (2009), the BDN wines were characterised by low alcohol strength, colour intensity, total polyphenols, monomeric anthocyanins and catechin. Conversely, the second year BDN wines differed from the organic wines in terms of total polyphenols and phenolic compounds, including polymeric pigments, co-pigmentation, tannins and iron-reactive polyphenols. The effect of management practices, harvest and their interaction was analysed for each compound. Positive interaction was observed for total acidity, volatile acidity, cyanidin-3-glucoside, protocatechuic acid, (+)-catechin, quercetin and trans-resveratrol.ORG wine initially showed a more complex aroma profile; however, the differences were almost indistinguishable during the second year. Trained panellists highlighted differences in colour intensity between ORG and BDN wines although no preference was found by consumers. The concentrations of ochratoxin A and biogenic amines were far below the health-hazardous threshold.

A semi-automated hybrid algorithm for accurate detection and counting of chemically etched tracks

In this paper, we present an accurate and comprehensive semi-automated algorithm for detection and counting the chemically etched tracks on polycarbonate nuclear Track detectors. The proposed algorithm consists of two main phases: a preprocessing phase for image preparation and quality improvement. It uses a format conversion into gray-scale image and contrast enhancement procedure. The contrast enhancement procedure employs the first-order fuzzy moment of the image and the Sugeno class of fuzzy complements to maximize the parametric indices of fuzziness of the image. In one feature extraction phase, two intrinsic characteristics of tracks are defined and formulated as topological feature (TF) and chromatic feature (CF). TF refers to tracks shape and geometry which are characterized and quantized by calculating the local Gray Level Spatial Correlation histogram of the tracks and CF refers to the color intensity difference of the tracks borders and tracks centric areas. The CF characterizes this difference specified to the tracks. After the feature extraction phase, the algorithm enters the detection and counting phase in which the fuzzy sets of background, noise (including small objects, notches, etc.) and track are constructed. Detected objects are then characterized according to their membership values to the fuzzy sets. The algorithm is designed in order to be applicable for different forms of tracks and track counting systems. Accuracy, linearity, sensitivity to the input parameters and comprehensibility of the method are validated in the simulation section.

Minimal electrical stimulation is effective in low stressed and well fed cattle

Four groups of carcasses of eighty grain fed low stressed steers (~12months old, 240kg carcass weight) received no stimulation or had low voltage stimulation for 15, 45 and 90s. M. longissimus was aged for 2 and 14days at 2°C. Shear force, sarcomere length, water holding capacity, purge, muscle fibre detachment, sarcomere breaks and colour shelf life over 7days was measured. Both 45s and 90s stimulated samples completed rigor above 35°C and 15s stimulated and non-stimulated samples below 35°C. The greatest muscle fibre detachment occurred for 15s stimulated samples which were the most tender at all times with non-stimulated samples toughest at 2days of ageing and all samples being tender at 14days of ageing. The 45 and 90s stimulated samples consistently exhibited a brighter red colour at 2days of ageing with no differences in colour intensity for the samples aged 14days.

Combined effects of potassium lactate and calcium ascorbate as sodium chloride substitutes on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of low-sodium frankfurter sausage

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the combined effects of sodium chloride (NaCl) substitutes, including potassium lactate (K-lactate) and calcium ascorbate (Ca-ascorbate), on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of low-sodium frankfurter sausage (1.2% content of NaCl). Sausages produced with 40% substitution of NaCl with combined K-lactate and Ca-ascorbate showed a higher value of lightness (P<0.001) than sausages containing 2.0% content of NaCl (control). However, the sensory panels were unable to distinguish a difference in color intensity between the control and treatment groups. Frankfurter sausages produced with 30% K-lactate and 10% Ca-ascorbate exhibited similar water-holding capacity, textural properties, and organoleptic characteristics (P>0.05) when compared to control sausages. Thus, the use of these salt mixtures is a good way to reduce the NaCl content in meat products while maintaining the quality of meat products. These results may be useful in developing low-sodium meat products.

Fast automatic quantitative cell replication with fluorescent live cell imaging.

Backgroundlive cell imaging is a useful tool to monitor cellular activities in living systems. It is often necessary in cancer research or experimental research to quantify the dividing capabilities of cells or the cell proliferation level when investigating manipulations of the cells or their environment. Manual quantification of fluorescence microscopic image is difficult because human is neither sensitive to fine differences in color intensity nor effective to count and average fluorescence level among cells. However, auto-quantification is not a straightforward problem to solve. As the sampling location of the microscopy changes, the amount of cells in individual microscopic images varies, which makes simple measurement methods such as the sum of stain intensity values or the total number of positive stain within each image inapplicable. Thus, automated quantification with robust cell segmentation techniques is required.ResultsAn automated quantification system with robust cell segmentation technique are presented. The experimental results in application to monitor cellular replication activities show that the quantitative score is promising to represent the cell replication level, and scores for images from different cell replication groups are demonstrated to be statistically significantly different using ANOVA, LSD and Tukey HSD tests (p-value < 0.01). In addition, the technique is fast and takes less than 0.5 second for high resolution microscopic images (with image dimension 2560 × 1920).ConclusionA robust automated quantification method of live cell imaging is built to measure the cell replication level, providing a robust quantitative analysis system in fluorescent live cell imaging. In addition, the presented unsupervised entropy based cell segmentation for live cell images is demonstrated to be also applicable for nuclear segmentation of IHC tissue images.