Commercial Alternatives Research Articles

Typology of interventions for antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture systems in low- and middle-income countries

Indiscriminate antimicrobial use (AMU) in aquaculture to treat and prevent diseases is common and can lead to the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant micro-organisms, potentially impacting public health and connected ecosystems. This study aimed to develop a typology to classify and characterise interventions to reduce AMU in aquaculture and identify points of action. Seventeen aquaculture and animal health professionals in Asian and African countries were interviewed to gather information on characteristics of interventions in different contexts to develop a typology. Seven types of interventions were defined: (i) legislation and regulations; (ii) industry rules and standards; (iii) voluntary instruments; (iv) commercial technology and alternatives to antimicrobials; (v) on-farm management; (vi) learning and awareness-raising; and (vii) activities with co-benefits. Types were based on intervention function, scope of implementation, implementer, compulsion, strength of the intervention, AMU/antimicrobial resistance (AMR) objective and stakeholder to influence. For each type, examples were described and discussed. The most common interventions to address AMU and AMR were legislative and regulatory frameworks and voluntary instruments, including National Action Plans. Interventions addressing AMU/AMR specifically were scarce. Other interventions focused on indirect effect pathways to AMU and AMR reduction aiming to improve good aquaculture practices, disease prevention and improved management. Monitoring and evaluation of these interventions were found to be rare, only present for interventions driven by development projects and international agencies. The presented typology of existing strategies and interventions addressing AMU/AMR in aquaculture systems can guide evaluation of AMR-sensitive interventions that promote responsible AMU, and informs the design and implementation of future interventions.

Two New High Essential Oil and Carvacrol Yielding Oregano (Origanum vulgare) Cultivars Pierre and Eli

Two new clonal oregano cultivars Origanum vulgare cv. Pierre and cv. Eli have been developed through multiyear and multisite evaluations, and have been approved by Rutgers University for commercial and public release. Each of these new cultivars have significantly greater essential oil and 2-methyl-5-propan-2-ylphenol (carvacrol) yields than the currently offered commercial alternatives. These two new cultivars were developed to provide good field performance, upright growth habit, to accumulate high essential oils yields and serve as rich sources of carvacrol. The cultivars were designed to supplement the flavor, food, fragrance, nutraceutical, cosmetic and animal and poultry industries. These two

Optimization of the enzymatic butanolysis of jatropha oil for biodiesel production using Eversa

AbstractThe use of non‐edible oils for energy production is attracting increasing attention, with a particular focus on those oils that can be produced from plants growing in non‐arable areas. Among the possible alternatives, oils with high free fatty acid content, such as jatropha, have shown great potential. The optimization of jatropha oil in the presence of a bio‐based alcohol (butanol) was investigated for the production of biodiesel using a commercial enzyme (Eversa from Novozymes). The optimization was conducted by changing the reaction temperature and the amount of catalyst, with a 6:1 butanol/oil molar ratio, while the reaction time was set to 60 min. The optimal result was found at the highest reaction temperature (42 °C) and the highest catalyst amount (9.79%), with a biodiesel yield of 83%. A second optimization was conducted, allowing the time to run for up to 8 h. Here the final biodiesel produced was in line with the EU14214 standards, fulfilling all the requirements with the exception of the requirement for oxidation stability. In addition to fulfilling most of the EU14214 standards, the cost of this new enzyme is lower than that of other commercial alternatives. Results show that biodiesel produced using butanol as alcohol in the transesterification process improved cold flow properties in terms of cloud point (CP), pour point (PP), and cold filter plugging point (CFPP). © 2021 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Development and Implementation of an OpenSource IoT Platform, Network and Data Warehouse for Privacy-Compliant Applications in Research and Industry

Abstract In the scientific field, data acquisition using commercial or self-developed sensors is a necessity for many research activities. Data security and data privacy are important requirements in all types of IoT applications, especially in the medical context. IoTree42 is a powerful, OpenSource platform that closes the gap between cost-efficiency, the ease of use and digital sovereignty. The flexible and user-friendly design makes the platform ideal for the originally conceived research context. Nevertheless, it can be used for smaller budget-oriented setups and industrial applications with thousands of sensors and actuators likewise. The platform was developed with security in mind by minimizing interfaces and the use of stable software components and transport protocols. IoTree42 utilizes lightweight OpenSource software cast into a flexible backend, allowing the deployment not only on full-fledged servers but also on single board computers like the Raspberry Pi. Data is transmitted with low overhead via MQTT, a robust protocol optimized for machine to machine communication. The transmission technology between all components is freely selectable. Besides data acquisition, IoTree42 enables control of actuators and automation through interfaces with visual programming tools. This allows for remote interventions without requiring prior programming experience. The incoming data can conveniently be visualized in dashboards or easily be exported for further analysis. The network consists of a central server and satellites (gateways) arranged in a star topology. Sensors and actuators connect to the gateway. The initial setup of the server and the gateways is automated, well documented, and can be done within minutes. Thanks to the increasing usage and the contribution of the community, the pool of code examples for sensors is growing and lowers the entry hurdle for users without programming background. IoTree42 is a fast-growing, multi-user, hardware and cloud agnostic, easy to deploy, privacy compliant and competitive solution compared to commercial IoT alternatives.

Differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells to authentic macrophages using a defined, serum-free, open-source medium.

SummaryHuman induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and macrophages derived from them are increasingly popular tools for research into both infectious and degenerative diseases. However, as the field strives for greater modeling accuracy, it is becoming ever more challenging to justify the use of undefined and proprietary media for the culture of these cells. Here, we describe a defined, serum-free, open-source medium for the differentiation of iPSC-derived macrophages. This medium is equally capable of maintaining these cells compared with commercial alternatives. The macrophages differentiated in this medium display improved terminally differentiated cell characteristics, reduced basal expression of induced antiviral response genes, and improved polarization capacity. We conclude that cells cultured in this medium are an appropriate and malleable model for tissue-resident macrophages, on which future differentiation techniques can be built.

Retinal prostheses: Where to from here?

Researchers have been working towards the development of retinal prostheses, so called "bionic eyes" since the 1960s in an effort to restore functional vision to severely visually impaired patients. Groups from all around the world are involved in this research but in particular, groups from the United States, Germany, France, Japan and Australia have conducted clinical trials of these devices and three of these devices have achieved either FDA HDE (U.S. Food and Drug Administration Humanitarian Device Exception) or CE mark approval for commercial production. Despite this, all three of these devices are now not in commercial production. There are many challenges to overcome to develop devices suitable to implant in human patients and then reach commercial distribution. This is an exacting process and many hurdles need to be overcome to reach this point so that leaving the market after achieving this goal is a significant decision. Ongoing research is exploring the possibility of less complicated surgery with better visual processing algorithms to provide more useful visual information for our patients to provide a commercial alternative.

Development and validation of an extended predictive model for the effect of pH and water activity on the growth kinetics of Geobacillus stearothermophilus in plant-based milk alternatives

The cardinal model for the effect of temperature on Geobacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 7953 growth developed by Kakagianni, Gougouli, & Koutsoumanis, 2016 was expanded for the effect of pH and water activity (aw). The effect of pH (range: 5.7–8.5) and aw (range: 0.985–0.999) on G. stearothermophilus growth rate was studied in tryptone soy broth (TSB) using the Bioscreen C method and further modelled using a Cardinal Model (CM). The estimated values for the cardinal parameters pHmin,pHopt,pHmax,awmin, and awopt were 5.65 ± 0.14, 6.74 ± 0.03, 8.71 ± 0.03, 0.984 ± 0.007 and 0.998 ± 0.001, respectively. The growth behaviour of G. stearothermophilus was investigated in 7 commercial non-refrigerated plant-based milk alternatives under static conditions (62 °C) and the estimated maximum specific growth rates were used to determine the optimum growth rate for each product. The developed model was validated against observed growth of G. stearothermophilus in the 7 products during storage at non-isothermal conditions (testing 4 different temperature profiles). The validation results showed a good performance of the model with overall Bias factor (Bf) = 1.06 and Accuracy factor (Af) = 1.12. The developed model can be used as an effective tool by the food industry in predicting spoilage of plant-based milk alternatives during distribution and storage at retail and domestic levels.

Colorimetric isothermal nucleic acid detection of SARS-CoV-2 with dye combination

RT-LAMP detection of SARS-CoV-2 has been demonstrated to be a valuable diagnostic method for the diagnosis of COVID-191,2, which can rapidly screen carriers of the virus to effectively control the spread of the SARS-CoV-2. Here, we present a combination of dyes for isothermal detection of SARS-CoV-2 as a commercial alternative, with expanded colorimetric spectrum. We compared them with commercial reagents and proved their suitability and sensitivity through clinical RNA samples. In addition, together with commercial single dye indicators, we believe the expanded color spectrum developed here as an indicator of rapid detection will promote the diagnosis of COVID-19.

Simulated Sky

For centuries, the rich nocturnal environment of the starry sky could be modelled only by analogue tools such as paper planispheres, atlases, globes and numerical tables. The immersive sky simulator of the twentieth century, the optomechanical planetarium, provided new ways for representing and teaching about the sky, but the high construction and running costs meant that they have not become common. However, in recent decades, “desktop planetarium programs” running on personal computers have gained wide attention. Modern incarnations are immensely versatile tools, mostly targeted towards the community of amateur astronomers and for knowledge transfer in transdisciplinary research. Cultural astronomers also value the possibilities they give of simulating the skies of past times or other cultures. With this paper, we provide an extended presentation of the open-source project Stellarium, which in the last few years has been enriched with capabilities for cultural astronomy research not found in similar, commercial alternatives.

Life cycle assessment of repurposed waste electric and electronic equipment in comparison with original equipment

Reuse is considered as a priority alternative for the management of Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). The reason is that it is thought that reuse always has a lower environmental impact. However, few studies have evaluated in detail the environmental impacts of reuse, and even fewer have analysed cases of reuse for a purpose other than the original one. In this study, life cycle assessment (LCA) following the ISO 14040 standard, was employed to assess the environmental impacts of two preparing for reuse processes of desktop computer considered as WEEE, whose results were repurposed products with industrial application: a programmable logic controller (PLC) and a perimeter security system (PSA). These scenarios were compared with other equivalents in which the products come from virgin raw materials. The results showed a worse environmental performance of repurposed PLC than one original, due mainly to differences in distribution and use stages. The greater weight, the shorter lifespan and mainly the higher operating power were responsible for the greater negative effects of the reuse scenario. However, repurposed PSA has a lower negative impact than original equipment in all environmental categories analysed. This was mainly due to its lower operating power and also not having demanding technical characteristics. Therefore, in this case, the usage profile, the composition and the lifespan can be considered as the main factors that determine the environmental advantage of repurposed products. The main conclusion of this work is that the environmental viability of the reuse of WEEE depends on the existing commercial alternatives for the application of the new product obtained; being one of the main factors the power consumption and the lifespan. This constitutes an important aspect to take into account when developing regulations, strategies and policies to prevent the implementation of WEEE management systems with environmental impacts greater than other alternatives. Further, the specific information about environmental performance of repurposing can contribute to the development of new processes of preparing for reuse. In this way, the commercialization of new products from these processes is favoured, which contributes to improving the environmental management of WEEE and the development of the circular economy.

Urea-free reactive printing of viscose fabric with high color performance for cleaner production

Urea-free reactive printing has gained popularity as part of cleaner production in the textile printing industry. Printing additives containing little to no nitrogen are being explored as substitutes for urea. In this study, the hygroscopicity, ability to swell fibers, and ability to solubilize reactive dyes of various additives were compared to explore the intrinsic connections between the structures and the above-mentioned properties. The hydrogen-bond interactions between the reactive dye and additives were characterized by 1H NMR and DSC. Additives with good hygroscopic, swelling, and solubilizing properties were selected for their potential application in urea-free reactive deep printing on viscose fabric. Results showed that among various kinds of additives, glycerol had the best hygroscopicity, 1,4-butanediol had the best ability to swell viscose fibers, and the amides had the best ability to solubilize reactive turquoise K-GL. Hygroscopicity was considered as the most important factor, followed by the ability to swell fibers. When the mixed ratio of glycerol and 1,4-butanediol was 5:5, the color performances of the binary nitrogen-free compound were higher than those of a commercial alternative. Its printing performances came close to those of urea, exhibiting great potential as a substitute for urea. Nitrogen-free alternatives will remarkably reduce the ammonia–nitrogen pollutants emitted into the environment by the reactive printing process.

Direct detection of SARS-CoV-2 using non-commercial RT-LAMP reagents on heat-inactivated samples

RT-LAMP detection of SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to be a valuable approach to scale up COVID-19 diagnostics and thus contribute to limiting the spread of the disease. Here we present the optimization of highly cost-effective in-house produced enzymes, and we benchmark their performance against commercial alternatives. We explore the compatibility between multiple DNA polymerases with high strand-displacement activity and thermostable reverse transcriptases required for RT-LAMP. We optimize reaction conditions and demonstrate their applicability using both synthetic RNA and clinical patient samples. Finally, we validate the optimized RT-LAMP assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in unextracted heat-inactivated nasopharyngeal samples from 184 patients. We anticipate that optimized and affordable reagents for RT-LAMP will facilitate the expansion of SARS-CoV-2 testing globally, especially in sites and settings where the need for large scale testing cannot be met by commercial alternatives.

A Cost-Effective Analysis of 3D Printing Applications in Occupational Therapy Practice

Background: Emerging research supports 3D printing can provide customizable, low-cost, and replicable items for application in occupational therapy, but more research is necessary to inform occupational therapists on why and how 3D printing would be applicable and feasible in practice. Method: This study is a cost-effective analysis aimed to identify practical considerations of a selection of 3D printed items in comparison to commercially available items. Ten items of adaptive equipment were downloaded from open-sourced 3D printing design websites and printed. The estimated cost of material was calculated and each print time was recorded. Items with comparable design and function were selected from a thorough internet search for analysis and comparison to the 3D printed items. Results: The results demonstrate that each 3D printed item had a positive benefit in terms of material cost and print time compared to the cost and shipping time of each comparable item. Conclusion: The 3D printed items were the more cost-effective for all items, but most significantly for niche designs with fewer available commercial alternatives. 3D printing successfully replicated commonly used adaptive equipment for a comparable cost, while allowing for customization and the ability to provide the item in-house to clients.

A Flexible 3D Printed Template to Assist with Physician Modified Endografts for FEVAR

Fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR) for juxtarenal AAAs is limited by cost and the availability of custom made endografts, in addition to technical complexity. Rigid 3D printed anatomical models of the visceral aorta have been used to supplement fenestration placement and as an alternative to conventional centreline based planning; however, these do not simulate the geometric interaction between wires, delivery system, endograft, and aortic tissue. We present a novel translucent, flexible 3D printed template which simulates aortic conformation. Flexible templates better approximate the straightening of native aorta when endografts are deployed and may assist fenestration planning to reduce the risk of splanchnic vessel misalignment. The visceral segment of a juxtarenal AAA was modelled from a computed tomography aortogram, with the splanchnic vessels cropped at their origin to allow fenestrations to be marked (Fig. 1). A Projet 3500 3D printer (3D Systems Corporation, Rock Hill, USA; cost €70 000) was used to print the flexible template. The 3D printed templates are sterilised using ethylene oxide or autoclave techniques. Lunderquist wire cannulation was performed with deployment of an off the shelf Endurant endograft (Medtronic Inc., Minnesota, USA). Splanchnic branch ostia were marked with a sterile pen (Fig. 2). The material was translucent to avoid positioning the fenestrations over struts.Figure 2Fenestrations are planned by marking through the template with a sterile marking pen.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT) The template was 3D printed in flexible resin (Visijet CE-NT, 3D Systems) on its first attempt over 24 h, costing €95 in materials. This presents a significant time advantage over commercial fenestrated endografts, which require a minimum of one month lead time. In addition, 3D printed template assisted physician modified stent grafts result in substantial cost savings when compared with commercial alternatives. Flexible models may also assist with validation of commercial FEVAR graft construction. 3D printed templates to assist with the back table fenestration of standard commercial endografts are a promising frontier for FEVAR. We report the first instance of a flexible template which mitigates some limitations surrounding templates 3D printed with rigid materials. None.

The Challenges of Open Source Software Alternatives

Developing an Open Source Software application is a challenge. Mainly because there are commercial alternatives that have an army of expert developers behind them, experienced supporters and wellestablished business processes in their development and promotion. Nevertheless, web-based applications, that securely handle the users’ personal data are an area of freedom and ease of use, features that make such applications very attractive. The “ease-of-use” part is very hard to achieve, for the developers and the end-users. Dependencies change often in OSS packages, so the fear that something breaks is always around the corner. If the application looks attractive, additional user requirements fall like rain. This poses a problem of continuity, maintenance and operational quality of the packages. In this paper and presentation we shall share our experience in building such a tool, using https://cern.ch/slides, as a showcase and a learning exercise. We shall describe what was available, what was missing, how it was put together, how much effort it took, and what was achieved.

Ultrathin Three-Axis FBG Wrist Force Sensor for Collaborative Robots

Collaborative robots equipped with multicomponent force-sensing systems at the human-robot-environment interaction interface provides competitive advantages, such as collaboration, flexibility, and reliability. Most wrist force sensors use the cross-beam structures with electrical strain gauge measurement technologies. This article proposes an approach to develop a new ultrathin three-axis fiber Bragg grating (FBG) force sensor. First, an appropriate elastomer with embedded floating beams in ultrathin dimensions to measure three-axis force is designed using a finite-element method (FEM). A temperature-compensated extreme learning machine (TC-ELM) network is proposed to achieve the characteristics of low coupling and temperature compensation (TC). Calibration and experiment on the UR5 robot are conducted, and results illustrate that the highest sensitivity of the sensor can reach 34.07 pm/N, the repetition error is less than 5%, and the maximum coupling error is less than 0.21%. The maximum temperature drift after compensation is less than 20 pm. The proposed sensor has identical output as a commercial sensor and performs well in dynamic loading and unloading operations. Finally, comparison results from commercial and academic alternatives demonstrate the interest of the proposed approach to develop high-performance and integrated force-sensing solutions.

Topical Nano-Vesicular Spanlastics of Celecoxib: Enhanced Anti-Inflammatory Effect and Down-Regulation of TNF-α, NF-кB and COX-2 in Complete Freund's Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis Model in Rats.

BackgroundRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that underlies chronic inflammation of the synovial membrane. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to treat RA. However, a long list of adverse events associated with long-term treatment regimens with NSAIDs negatively influences patient compliance and therapeutic outcomes.AimThe aim of this work was to achieve site-specific delivery of celecoxib-loaded spanlastic nano-vesicle-based delivery system to the inflamed joints, avoiding systemic administration of large doses.MethodologyTo develop spanlastic nanovesicles for transdermal delivery of celecoxib, modified injection method was adopted using Tween 80 or Brij as edge activators. Entrapment efficiency, vesicle size, ex vivo permeation, and morphology of the prepared nano-vesicles were characterized. Carbopol-based gels containing the selected formulations were prepared, and their clarity, pH, rheological performance, and ex vivo permeation were characterized. Celecoxib-loaded niosomes and noisome-containing gels were developed for comparison. The in vivo efficacy of the selected formulations was evaluated in a rat model of Freund’s complete adjuvant-induced arthritis. Different inflammatory markers including TNF-α, NF-кB and COX-2 were assessed in paw tissue before and after treatment.ResultsThe size and entrapment efficiency of the selected spanlastic nano-vesicle formulation were 112.5 ± 3.6 nm, and 83.6 ± 2.3%, respectively. This formulation has shown the highest transdermal flux and permeability coefficient compared to the other investigated formulations. The spanlastics-containing gel of celecoxib has shown transdermal flux of 6.9 ± 0.25 µg/cm2/hr while the celecoxib niosomes-containing gel and unprocessed celecoxib-loaded gel have shown 5.2 ± 0.12 µg/cm2/hr and 0.64 ± 0.09 µg/cm2/hr, respectively. In the animal model of RA, the celecoxib-loaded spanlastics-containing gel significantly reduced edema circumference and significantly suppressed TNF-α, NF-кB and COX-2 levels compared to the niosomes-containing gel, the marketed diclofenac sodium gel, and unprocessed celecoxib-loaded gel.ConclusionThe spanlastic nano-vesicle-containing gel represents a more efficient site-specific treatment for topical treatment of chronic inflammation like RA, compared to commercial and other conventional alternatives.

Use of some cost-effective technologies for a routine clinical pathology laboratory.

Classically, the need for highly sophisticated instruments with important economic costs has been a major limiting factor for clinical pathology laboratories, especially in developing countries. With the aim of making clinical pathology more accessible, a wide variety of free or economical technologies have been developed worldwide in the last few years. 3D printing and Arduino approaches can provide up to 94% economical savings in hardware and instrumentation in comparison to commercial alternatives. The vast selection of point-of-care-tests (POCT) currently available also limits the need for specific instruments or personnel, as they can be used almost anywhere and by anyone. Lastly, there are dozens of free and libre digital tools available in health informatics. This review provides an overview of the state-of-the-art on cost-effective alternatives with applications in routine clinical pathology laboratories. In this context, a variety of technologies including 3D printing and Arduino, lateral flow assays, plasmonic biosensors, and microfluidics, as well as laboratory information systems, are discussed. This review aims to serve as an introduction to different technologies that can make clinical pathology more accessible and, therefore, contribute to achieve universal health coverage.

The effect of protein drying aids on the quantity and quality of spray dried sugar-rich powders: a systematic review

The present work systematically reviewed the studies that examined the effects of protein drying aids on the quantity and quality of sugar-rich spray-dried powders. Following the literature search and screeching articles based on the inclusion criteria, 39 original research articles were included in the study and were grouped into model foods and real sugar-rich foods according to feedstock. Changes in product yield, water activity (aw), glass transition temperature (Tg), bulk density, hygroscopicity, and solubility were studied in the groups based on protein drying aids. The quantity of protein drying aid required for successful spray drying of sucrose-rich food samples was several times greater than that of pure sucrose, but not for fructose. When both protein and maltodextrin were used in one study, the amount of protein and maltodextrin needed for effective spray drying (at 50% product yield) was used to calculate the relative protein/maltodextrin (Pr/MD) mass ratio. For seven studies, the Pr/MD mass ratio was in the range of 0.03 to 0.80. When feed composition and processing variables required a high amount of protein carrier (>50% db), a rise in the hygroscopicity of powders was commonly observed among the studies. Many studies support the idea that interventions with different types of protein drying agents or an increase in protein concentration can reduce the bulk density of sugar-rich powders, which should be seen as a technical and economic concern. In conclusion, although the protein drying agents are yield-effective ingredients compared to commercial alternatives, their use as wall materials for spray drying sugar-rich foods is not always the best choice.

In Vitro Protein Digestibility and Fatty Acid Profile of Commercial Plant-Based Milk Alternatives.

Plant-based milk alternatives (PBMA) are a new popular food trend among consumers in Europe and North America. The forecast shows that PBMA will double their value by 2023. The objective of this study was to analyze the nutritional value of commercial products in terms of their fatty acid profile and protein digestibility from commercial PBMA. Eight commercially available PBMA were selected for fatty acid analysis, performed with gas chromatography of methylated fatty acids (GC-FAME), and, from these, four commercial products (almond drink, hemp drink, oat drink, and soy drink) were selected for a short-term in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) analysis. The fatty acid analysis results showed that most of the products predominantly contained oleic acid (C18:1 ω-9) and linoleic acid (C18:2 ω-6). Hemp drink contained the highest omega-6/omega-3 (ω6/ω3) ratio among all tested products (3.43). Oat drink and almond drink were the PBMA with the highest short-term protein digestibility, non-significantly different from cow’s milk, while soy drink showed the lowest value of protein digestibility. In conclusion, PBMA showed a significant variability depending on the plant source, both in terms of fatty acid composition and protein digestibility. These results provide more in-depth nutritional information, for future product development, and for consumer’s choice.