Comparison Of Efficiency Research Articles

Comparison of epoprostenol and viscum album efficiencies in the treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head: An experimental animal study.

The aim of our study is to compare the efficacy of epoprostenol and viscum album in the treatment of femoral head avascular necrosis with an experimental study. Our hypothesis is that viscum album, which has similar properties to epoprostenol on the vascular system, is as effective as epoprostenol in the treatment of avascular necrosis. Avascular necrosis was created on the femoral heads of 45 New Zealand type rabbits by surgical vascular deprivation method. The rabbits were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 was designed as a control group, in group 2 Ilomedin (epoprostenol analogue) was administrated to subjects and in group 3, Helixor (viscum album extract) was administrated. At the end of the study, there were nine subjects in each group. Osteocyte necrosis, bone marrow necrosis, new bone formation and cartilage degeneration were evaluated microscopically. The extent of bone necrosis and repair and involvement of epiphysis, the bone marrow cellularity ratio and trabecular bone volume were investigated. Subchondral necrosis was seen in more animals in the control group (p=0.03). Osteoblastic and osteoclastic activity were more prominent in the Ilomedin group (p=0.25 and 0.07, respectively). It was seen that the cartilages of the subjects in the Helixor and Ilomedin groups were less damaged. In the Ilomedin group, more animals were seen in the chronic phase of the repair process than in the other groups (p=0.07). Bone marrow cellularity was higher in treatment groups (22% and 20,6% for Ilomedin and Helixor, respectively, p=0,04). Trabecular volume was found to be increased in damaged femoral heads in the treatment groups, the highest increased observed in the Helixor group (p=0.01). Viscum album seems to be effective in decreasing the extention of necrosis and protecting the articular cartilage, and epoprostenol in increasing repair and regeneration.

Clinical study of a new nutritional index for predicting long-term prognosis in patients with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease following percutaneous coronary intervention

Abstract Background and Objective Some patients continue to experience major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in frigid places. Indexes of inflammation and nutrition alone were shown to predict outcomes in patients with PCI. However, the clinical predictive value of mixed indicators is unclear. This study aimed to assess the predictive value of the albumin/neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on the long-term prognosis of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods A total of 608 post-PCI CHD patients were categorized into low- and high-index groups based on the optimal cut-off values for albumin and NLR. The primary outcome was a composite endpoint comprising all-cause mortality and major adverse cerebrovascular events. The secondary outcome was the comparison of the predictive efficiency of the new nutritional index, albumin/NLR, with that of albumin or NLR alone. Results Over the five-year follow-up period, 45 patients experienced the composite endpoint. The incidence of endpoint events was significantly higher in the low-index group (12%) compared to the high-index group (4.9%). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that the albumin/NLR index had a larger area under the curve (AUC: 0.655) than albumin (AUC: 0.621) or NLR (AUC: 0.646), indicating superior predictive efficiency. The prognostic nutritional index had an AUC of 0.644, further supporting the enhanced predictive value of the albumin/NLR index over individual nutritional and inflammatory markers. Conclusion The albumin/neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio is independently associated with the long-term prognosis of CHD patients post-PCI and demonstrates superior predictive efficiency compared to individual nutritional and inflammatory markers.

Comparison of clinical efficiency between pendulum and distal jet appliance - A randomized control trial

The study was to compare the clinical efficiency of Pendulum and distal jet appliances using both cephalometric parameters as well as dental cast analysis at two-time intervals T1-pre-treatment and T2-post-distalization. 10 patients with Angle's Class II malocclusion were enrolled in the study. The patients were divided into two groups: pendulum group & distal jet group (n = 5) for intra oral molar distalization. Lateral cephalogram and dental cast were obtained at T1 and T2. Molar distalization of 4.4 ± 1.1 mm in 4.68 ± 0.67 months in pendulum group and of 3.8 ± 0.4 mm in 5.84 ± 0.7 months in distal jet group. Relative intrusion of upper incisors was found to be more in pendulum group as compared to distal jet group. Mesial tipping of premolars and distal tipping of first molar was observed with both the groups. The transverse expansion at the level of first molars was significantly more in distal jet group as compared to pendulum group. Thus, Pendulum and distal jet appliances were found to be equally effective clinically in distalizing the maxillary molars, although the distalization period was shorter in pendulum group as compared to distal jet group owing to more distal tipping of maxillary first molars in pendulum group. The expansion was significantly more in distal jet group compared to the pendulum group which could be beneficial for patients who have Class II malocclusion with mild posterior crossbite.

Ergot alkaloids: comparison of extraction efficiencies for their monitoring in several cereal-solvent combinations by UPLC-MS/MS.

To date, there are more than 80 ergot alkaloids identified; their distribution depends on different factors (e.g. geographic regions, host plants). These toxins can cause acute and chronic toxic effects on human health and commonly infect cereal crops such as triticale and rye, wheat, barley and oats. Considering the growing consumption of plant-based foods, the European Food Safety Authority has highlighted the need to develop risk assessment strategies. This work focused on the optimization of extraction efficiency, to quantify the main ergot alkaloids and their epimers, that are available on the market without any legal restriction (ergosine, ergocristine, ergocriptyne, ergocornine, ergosinine, ergocristinine, ergocriptinine and ergocorninine). Considering the quantification of 8 out of 12 regulated compounds by EU (sum of -ine and -inine forms), this approach can be defined as a screening method for a reliable estimation of the risk, specifically devoted to industrial stakeholders that can then possibly outsource to authorized external labs only the samples suspected of significant positivity. The effectiveness of three different extraction conditions (acidic, alkaline and neutral) followed by a rapid clean-up using dispersive solid-phase extraction with C18 sorbent was evaluated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), resulting in a short chromatographic run (16min). The method was developed and validated in five different cereal production chains (rye, oat, wheat, wheat gluten and baby food). The applicability of the method was examined by analyzing a set of 54 samples, including also other cereals like spelt, tritordeum and triticale, and evaluating also some reference materials.

An improved efficient adaptive method for large-scale multi-explosives explosion simulations

Shock wave caused by a sudden release of high-energy, such as explosion and blast, usually affects a significant range of areas. The utilization of a uniform fine mesh to capture sharp shock wave and to obtain precise results is inefficient in terms of computational resource. This is particularly evident when large-scale fluid field simulations are conducted with significant differences in computational domain size. In this work, a variable-domain-size adaptive mesh enlargement (vAME) method is developed based on the proposed adaptive mesh enlargement (AME) method for modeling multi-explosives explosion problems. The vAME method reduces the division of numerous empty areas or unnecessary computational domains by adaptively suspending enlargement operation in one or two directions, rather than in all directions as in AME method. A series of numerical tests via AME and vAME with varying nonintegral enlargement ratios and different mesh numbers are simulated to verify the efficiency and order of accuracy. An estimate of speedup ratio is analyzed for further efficiency comparison. Several large-scale near-ground explosion experiments with single/multiple explosives are performed to analyze the shock wave superposition formed by the incident wave, reflected wave, and Mach wave. Additionally, the vAME method is employed to validate the accuracy, as well as to investigate the performance of the fluid field and shock wave propagation, considering explosive quantities ranging from 1 to 5 while maintaining a constant total mass. The results show a satisfactory correlation between the overpressure versus time curves for experiments and numerical simulations. The vAME method yields a competitive efficiency, increasing the computational speed to 3.0 and approximately 120,000 times in comparison to AME and the fully fine mesh method, respectively. It indicates that the vAME method reduces the computational cost with minimal impact on the results for such large-scale high-energy release problems with significant differences in computational domain size.

GeSeNet: A General Semantic-Guided Network With Couple Mask Ensemble for Medical Image Fusion.

At present, multimodal medical image fusion technology has become an essential means for researchers and doctors to predict diseases and study pathology. Nevertheless, how to reserve more unique features from different modal source images on the premise of ensuring time efficiency is a tricky problem. To handle this issue, we propose a flexible semantic-guided architecture with a mask-optimized framework in an end-to-end manner, termed as GeSeNet. Specifically, a region mask module is devised to deepen the learning of important information while pruning redundant computation for reducing the runtime. An edge enhancement module and a global refinement module are presented to modify the extracted features for boosting the edge textures and adjusting overall visual performance. In addition, we introduce a semantic module that is cascaded with the proposed fusion network to deliver semantic information into our generated results. Sufficient qualitative and quantitative comparative experiments (i.e., MRI-CT, MRI-PET, and MRI-SPECT) are deployed between our proposed method and ten state-of-the-art methods, which shows our generated images lead the way. Moreover, we also conduct operational efficiency comparisons and ablation experiments to prove that our proposed method can perform excellently in the field of multimodal medical image fusion. The code is available at https://github.com/lok-18/GeSeNet.

Efficient Growth of 1D Van der Waals Heterostructures on Zeolite-Supported SWCNTs.

The controlled synthesis of 1D van der Waals (1D vdW) heterostructures, specifically single-walled carbon nanotubes encapsulated within boron nitride nanotubes (SWCNT@BNNT), presents a challenge due to an incomplete understanding of the factors influencing BNNT growth. This study investigates the growth yield of SWCNT@BNNT heterostructures produced using zeolite-supported SWCNT templates on SiO2-coated Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) grids, which enable in situ synthesis and thorough evaluation of each step without compromising the nanotube structure. The high-resolution TEM analysis reveals a significant improvement in BNNT coverage on individual nanotubes, increasing from 9% to 42%, through optimization of the ammonia borane precursor amount. A thorough comparison of BNNT growth efficiency is performed using zeolite-supported SWCNT templates against the current benchmark of free-standing SWCNT films, highlighting comparable synthesis yields despite different morphologies and SWCNT diameter distributions. By integrating all Raman and TEM data from the studied SWCNT@BNNT samples, a correlation between BNNT coverage and the intensity of the buckling R-mode of BNNTs is established, providing a reliable criterion for evaluating BNNT growth efficiency in 1D vdW heterostructures. This work advances the understanding and characterization of 1D vdW heterostructures, offering insights into synthesizing hetero-nanotubes using other types of SWCNT templates and paving the way for their diverse applications.

Improving the CSIDH Protocol for Multi-party Cryptography: Rigorous Mathematical Analysis, Efficiency, and Security Comparison

This paper introduces a novel Distributed Key Generation (DKG) protocol based on the Commutative Supersingular Isogeny Diffie-Hellman (CSIDH) framework for secure multi-party cryptography. Our proposed protocol is designed to address scalability and security concerns, particularly in post-quantum cryptographic systems. The main contributions include the introduction of Piecewise Verifiable Proofs (PVPs) for non-interactive zero-knowledge verification of secret shares, and the provision of rigorous security analysis, including resistance to quantum adversaries via Shor’s and Grover’s algorithms. We analyze the protocol’s efficiency, ensuring low computational overhead even in large-scale systems, and compare it with other distributed cryptographic protocols such as RSA-based and lattice-based schemes. Through mathematical proofs and complexity analysis, we demonstrate that our protocol offers enhanced security, efficiency, and scalability in a post-quantum environment. The results presented in this paper provide a strong foundation for implementing secure multi-party computations in quantum-resistant systems.

Evaluating the Performance of Taiwan Airport Renovation Projects: An Application of Multiple Attributes Intelligent Decision Analysis

Performance evaluation is a vital tool for measuring whether construction projects meet their established objectives, particularly in complex tasks. It helps identify key areas for improvement and enhances resource allocation efficiency. Through precise performance evaluation, managers can make optimal decisions regarding resource use, ultimately increasing project productivity and overall performance. The objective of this study is to measure the production efficiency of airport renovation projects in Taiwan using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and to apply artificial neural networks (ANN) for predicting project quality. DEA effectively handles scenarios with multiple inputs and outputs, providing relative efficiency comparisons among projects and quantifying the potential for improvement. ANN, on the other hand, can learn nonlinear patterns from the data, allowing for accurate predictions of project quality. As construction projects become more complex, ensuring efficient operation within limited resources becomes increasingly crucial. Traditional performance evaluation methods are inadequate for addressing scenarios involving multiple inputs and outputs; therefore, using DEA and ANN offers a more accurate framework for analysis and prediction. The results of this study indicate that, through the DEA model, five projects achieved an efficiency score of 1, while twelve inefficient projects need to reduce defect frequency by 54.76% and increase the progress and budget implementation efficiency by an average of 10.33% to improve performance. The ANN model achieved a classification accuracy of 94.1% and a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.11 in regression predictions. By adopting a data-driven approach, ANN facilitates intelligent decision making and forecasting throughout the construction process. This study provides construction managers with concrete guidelines for resource allocation and quality prediction, thus enhancing project management effectiveness.

Performance Analysis of Reconnaissance Coverage for HUAV Swarms under Communication Interference Based on Different Architectures

In environments with unknown communication interference, the mission efficiency of heterogeneous unmanned aerial vehicle (HUAV) swarms is often impacted by communication disruptions due to regions of strong interference encountered when executing reconnaissance and coverage missions. Existing research has rarely focused on communication interference or on the differences in HUAV characteristics under various control architectures; thus, in this paper we explore the performance differences between HUAV swarms based on centralized, distributed, and centralized-distributed architectures when executing reconnaissance and coverage missions in environments with unknown communication interference. First, a communication model in an unknown interference environment is constructed to reflect the real-time communication status of the swarm. Second, in response to the limitations of the traditional artificial potential field (APF) algorithm in this environment, a coverage-oriented artificial potential field (COAPF) algorithm is proposed. Finally, based on the COAPF algorithm, a multi-dimensional comparison of the mission completion efficiency of HUAV swarms with three different architectures is conducted. Our simulation results indicate that the distributed architecture is suitable for large-scale environments with strong interference, while the centralized–distributed architecture performs better in small-scale environments with weak interference. Conversely, the centralized architecture exhibits poor performance in all interference scenarios due to its lack of decision-making capabilities.

Comparison of catch efficiency of wire mesh fish traps operated along the coast of Thoothukudi, South-east coast of India

Aim: The study designs and fabricates traps with diverse wire mesh colors and shapes for field experiments. It also collects detailed catch data to assess their catch efficiency and determine the most effective design. Methodology: Experimental fish traps were fabricated utilizing four distinct colors (Light green, Dark green, White and Orange) and three different shapes (rectangle, square and circle). Fishing trials were conducted in selected fishing villages of Thereshpuram, with the traps operated fortnightly from June 2022 to May 2023. The catch rate per trip (CPUE) was calculated using the Total catch (in numbers) divided by the Unit Effort (White, 1987). An economic analysis of trap fishery was also performed based on gross revenue and total cost (Geetha et al., 2014). Results: The traps' overall catch per unit effort (CPUE) was recorded at 0.48Nos hr-1. Siganus canaliculatus emerged as the dominant species among the fishes trapped, constituting 16% of the total catch. Regarding trap color, the highest CPUE was observed with traps of dark green color (0.63 Nos hr-1), followed by light green (0.51 Nos hr-1), white (0.49 Nos hr-1) and orange (0.38 Nos hr-1). Economically, the performance of the trap fishery was evaluated using indicators such as operating cost/year, fixed cost, gross revenue and profit cost ratio. The success of the trap fishery was further emphasized by a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 3.50. Interpretation: Dark green-colored, square-shaped traps show promise in significantly enhancing fishermen's profits due to their higher catch per unit effort (CPUE) compared to other colors. Moreover, dark green traps may offer ecological advantages by blending into natural surroundings. This study highlights their potential and provides practical insights for fishermen to make informed gear choices, considering factors like color and shape. Key words: BCR, Color, CPUE, Shape, Trap

Comparison of efficiency of PFA catheter designs by computer modeling.

Various catheter designs are appearing for Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA). It is unclear if they differ in terms of safety and efficiency. PFA studies have reported hemolysis, kidney injury, high troponin, among other side effects. Using a CT-derived computer model, we compared catheter designs using two metrics: (1) efficiency: power delivered to an atrial wall target, expressed as a percent of total generator power; and (2) safety: electric current to achieve 90% transmurality (since more energy causes more collateral effects), as well as the corresponding electrode current density (ECD), a heat and bubble metric. The following catheter designs were compared: penta-spline basket, Nitinol spheres (focal 9 mm and large 1-shot), circular, balloon, and flex-circuit. Target was a 6 × 47 mm circumferential segment of atrial wall at LPV antrum. Transmurality was defined as percent of target having >600 volts per centimeter (V/cm) electric field needed for electroporation. Efficiency was 0.9, 1.4, 2.7, 5.9, 10, and 12% for the large 1-shot and 9 mm Nitinol spheres, penta-spline, circular, flex spline, and balloon catheters, respectively. Regarding safety, currents for 90% transmurality were 70, 39,36,12.5, 5.3, and 4 Amps for the same respective catheters, with less being safer. ECD was 124, 25, 74, 83, 41, and 31 A/cm2, respectively. Computer models demonstrated a remarkable range in efficiency among catheters studied. Those having less atrial blood exposure had the highest efficiencies, with factors of up to 13X more efficiency compared to exposed ones. Higher efficiency designs have less collateral current and are safer. Confirmatory in-vivo studies are required.

A novel differential chaos shift keying system based on joint time slot and code index of carrier phase modulation

This paper proposes a novel differential chaos shift keying (DCSK) system that utilizes carrier phase modulation in combination with time slot and code index modulation, referred to as CP-TCIM-DCSK system, to achieve high data rate transmission. In the proposed CP-TCIM-DCSK system, the carrier modulated by the carrier phase is used to transmit the information-bearing signal. In addition to physically transmitted information bits, extra information bits are conveyed through time slot and Walsh code modulation, as well as carrier phase modulation, making full use of the benefits of multidimensional modulation. To successfully estimate carrier phase bits and code index bits, an effective joint detection algorithm for carrier phase and code index tailored for the CP-TCIM-DCSK system is introduced. The theoretical Bit Error Rate (BER) expressions for the CP-TCIM-DCSK scheme are derived for both Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) and multipath Rayleigh fading channels. Furthermore, a comparison of data rates, energy efficiency, and complexity between the CP-TCIM-DCSK system and the most advanced systems in the same category at present is conducted. The results validate the accuracy of theoretical analysis through simulation and demonstrate that the proposed scheme outperforms its competitive systems in terms of BER performance.

A comparison of ore pre-concentration efficiency between two high voltage pulse generator systems

High Voltage Pulse (HVP) enabled ore pre-concentration can potentially provide large energy savings and the ability to upgrade low-grade ores for the mining industry. Two types of pulse generator systems commonly used in HVP breakage are Marx generators and pulse transformers. This initial assessment compares the pre-concentration performance of a SelFrag Lab Unit (utilising a Marx generator) and a custom-built HVP machine (employing a pulse transformer) from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST). Eight sets of experimental results using the two generator systems were collected. Two approaches were taken to analyse the data; a trendline approach using all eight sets of data, and a single-point comparison approach with matched specific energy inputs. The results show that there are significant differences in pre-concentration efficiencies with the HUST machine performing better. To elucidate the potential causes, the degree of size reduction (t10), breakage probability, and selective breakage were investigated for the two generator systems. It is likely that the efficiency of selective breakage is one of the major causes, with the HUST machine presenting better results at selectively breaking high-grade particles and consuming less energy. Additionally, the two generator systems have different energy per discharge levels; the effect of this difference should be investigated in future work.

Microwave-Assisted vs. Conventional Extraction of Moringa oleifera Seed Oil: Process Optimization and Efficiency Comparison.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of microwave-assisted and conventional extraction using ethanol, hexane, and petroleum ether as solvents, and to optimize the process for extracting oil from Moringa oleifera Lam. seeds, with a focus on improving food-grade oil production. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to enhance the extraction process of the oil. Central composite rotational design (CCRD) was used to analyze the impact of solid-liquid ratio (x1), power (x2), and temperature (x3) on oil yield. The optimization identified the optimal conditions as a solid/liquid ratio of 1:38, power of 175 W, and temperature of 50 °C, achieving a 42% oil yield. Notably, the microwave-assisted extraction reduced the processing time from 8 h (using conventional Soxhlet extraction) to just 1 h. Conventional extraction with hexane and petroleum ether was also performed for comparison, resulting in similar oil content and fatty acid profiles, predominantly, oleic acid. FTIR analysis confirmed that the microwave-extracted oil contained fatty acids and had similar characteristics to the conventionally extracted oil. Thus, the use of ethanol as a green solvent in the microwave has shown significant improvement in terms of time and energy savings compared to the Soxhlet method with toxic solvents. This study concludes that microwave-assisted extraction with ethanol provides a more energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and time-saving alternative for food-grade oil production, aligning with advancements in food engineering and production.

Nanoencapsulation of limonene in octenyl succinic anhydride-modified starch (OSA-ST) and maltodextrin: Investigation and comparison of physicochemical properties, efficiency and morphology of nanoparticles

In recent years, the application of nanoencapsulation has attracted enormous attention for various food and pharmaceutical purposes. In this study, a functional powder containing limonene (the nutraceutical at concentration of 5 and 10 %) was prepared using octenyl succinic anhydride-modified starch (OSA-ST) and maltodextrin as carriers at 15 and 30 %. The emulsions were sonicated at a frequency of 30 kHz and a power of 100 W for 9 and 18 min, and the final nanoparticles were prepared through freeze-drying. The particle sizes were in the ranges of 62–248 and 10–24 nm in the suspensions of OSA and maltodextrin, respectively. The smaller particles of the maltodextrin-prepared sample resulted in more transparency. The zeta potential and consequently the stability of the maltodextrin-prepared emulsions were higher than those of the OSA-ST-prepared ones. As the maltodextrin concentration increased, this parameter was elevated from −42 to −36 as a result of the coverage of the surface-active lipids. The results of solubility correlated with those of the zeta potential (89.21 % for maltodextrin-prepared and 82.51 % for OSA-ST-prepared samples). The highest encapsulation efficiency (EE = 0.9) belonged to the samples prepared with OSA-ST. Comparison of the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the type of the wall material influenced the physical structure of the nanoparticles which were mostly porous and flake-like. Considering its encapsulating-emulsifying properties, OSA-ST can be suggested as a carrier for limonene with the need for emulsifiers.

Efisiensi desalinasi air laut dengan menggunakan konsentrasi reflektor parabolik

Water is very important for the life of living things, many countries in the world are experiencing a clean water crisis. The total global water reserve is less than 1.4 billion km3, of which about 97.5% is in the oceans and the remaining 2.5% is fresh water contained in the atmosphere, ice mountains and groundwater. Desalination is generally the process of removing salt from seawater or saltwater. Desalination of seawater and brackish water can be utilized to increase the availability of clean water. Two types of desalination techniques used can be classified into phase change (heat) and membrane. desalination techniques with phase change processes are processes that utilize changes in a substance under certain temperature conditions. While desalination techniques with membrane processes are processes that focus on filtering a substance accurately. Comparison of desalination efficiency between the three materials in different days is the flanel sheet material, the goni and the combination of flanels and goni. Flanel leaf material has the highest efficiency value on the 1st day with a presentation of 57,71% while the lowest one has a value of 32,24%. Then on the 2nd day the most efficient value is 45,32%, while the least value is 0%. In the first day goni material has a highest efficacy value with a presentation of 34,56%, and a lowest value with 0%. Then the second day trial with the same material has its highest effectiveness value with the presentation of 41,44%, and the lower value with 0%.

A novel efficient randomized response model designed for attributes of utmost sensitivity

The existence of potential incomplete truthful reporting emerges when dealing with topics of great sensitivity. This paper introduces a novel, efficient randomized response model to address the challenges of untruthful reporting. It is meant to improve the accuracy of estimating highly sensitive attributes. The suggested model represents a modified version of Aboalkhair's model (2024) that was found to be an efficient substitute for the models developed by Warner and Mangat & Singh. This study examines the circumstances under which the suggested model outperforms alternative models in terms of efficiency. Theoretical and numerical comparisons of efficiency with alternative models, assuming incomplete truthful reporting, revealed the superior performance of the suggested model. Furthermore, a measure of privacy protection is computed.

Efficiency comparison of DNA extraction kits for analysing the cockle gut bacteriome

Cockles play a vital ecological role and provide valuable ecosystem services globally. However, the performance, production, and safe consumption of cockles are significantly influenced by their gut-associated bacteriome. Accurate understanding of gut-bacteriome interactions, and surveillance of pathogenic bacteria loads in cockles, rely on efficient DNA extraction methods that yield high-quality and representative bacterial DNA. Despite this importance, reliable extraction methods for cockles are currently overlooked. Therefore, we evaluated the performance of five DNA extraction kits (E.Z.N.A.® Soil DNA; FastDNA® Spin; DNeasy PowerSoil Pro; QIAamp PowerFecal DNA; ZymoBIOMICS™DNA Miniprep) in terms of DNA quality, yield, bacterial community structure (analysed by using denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis; DGGE), and bacteriome composition (analysed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing) in Cerastoderma edule gut. The DNeasy kit provided the highest purity and quantity of bacterial DNA, while the PowerFecal and Zymo kits exhibited reduced extraction efficiency. DGGE profiles revealed significant variability between the tested kits (R = 0.512; mean P = 0.011), but the FastDNA kit under-represented the bacterial community in cockles’ gut. Based on alpha diversity, the DNeasy kit outperformed the others and successfully detected all abundant genera found with the alternative kits. Our findings indicate that the DNeasy kit is an efficient DNA extraction method, enabling a molecular representation of the gut-associated bacteriome in C. edule. These results contribute to the development of effective techniques for studying the cockle gut bacteriome and its ecological implications.

Extraction and Analysis of Mycotoxins from Whole Wheat Flour - A Methods Efficiency Comparison

Abstract Wheat is considered as staple food source for 40% of the population worldwide. Yet, the yield and quality can be compromised by fungal diseases, which are also responsible for mycotoxins presence at wheat seeds and originating foodstuff. In this context, the tackling of this problem by developing regulatory limits and standards have induced the development of various methods for sampling, extraction, identification and quantification of mycotoxins in food samples. This review addresses the comparison of the technical and cost efficiency of methods for the extraction and qualitative- quantitative analysis of mycotoxins from whole wheat flour. Methods of extraction such as the Solvent Extraction method, the Liquid Liquid Extraction, the Solid Liquid Extraction, the Solid Phase Extraction, the Immuno-Affinity Columns, the QuEChERS, and the use of absorbent nanomaterials such as graphene oxide and multi-walled carbon nanotubes in extraction procedures, are described in principle, technical details are presented, and examples of reported use are given. Methods of mycotoxin analysis such as Immunological Assays (LFIA, ELISA, FPIA), the Sensor-based (Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor, Piezoelectric Sensors, Electrochemical Sensors, Colorimetric Sensors), and Chromatographic Techniques (TLC, GC, HPLC, HPLC-FLD, LC-MS/MS, UPLC-MS/MS, UHPLC-MS/MS, UFLC-MS/MS) are reviewed. To compare their efficiency, main advantages and disadvantages, the ongoing improvements, as well as the validation parameters (linearity, recovery range, RSDr range, RSDR %, LOQ range, and cut off) are summarized, and pairing of extraction to analysis methods for specific mycotoxins is provided. It was evidenced that none of methods already in use is capable of analyzing all mycotoxin categories at once, because of their chemical characteristics (volatile/non-volatile, co-elution, UV absorption, fluorescence) versus methods restrictions (matrix interferences, cross-reactivity of antibodies, selectivity and reproducibility of data, need for derivatization, etc). Also, depending on the purpose of the analysis (research or screening as part of legal requirements), to date the immunological methods are only suitable for validated matrices, biosensors can be used for routine screening, and that GC-MS and HPLC-based methods fulfill the legal requirements. In conclusion, while the selectivity and accuracy of methods for mycotoxin detection is being improved rapidly (those sensor-based thanks to the use of nanoparticles, nanomaterials, aptasensors, etc., and the chromatographic techniques coupled with mass spectrometry offer a higher selectivity and sensitivity, low detection limits, maintained resolution performance), and the duration of the analysis, the cost, and the need for highly-skilled staff go in favor of rapid methods (immunological and sensors-based), it is the capacity to fulfill legal requirements, which will determine the trend and their future success in the market.