Key Processing Stages Research Articles

An introduction for non-experts on using X-ray micro computed tomography as a tool for pore scale digital subsurface characterisation of siliciclastic materials

This paper presents an overview of using X-ray micro computed tomography (μCT) as a valuable tool for micro scale investigation of siliciclastic materials. When processed using digital image analysis (DIA), valuable quantitative data can be extracted from μCT 3D images. Subsurface reservoirs are of great importance to society as fluid-bearing formations, but also as storage reservoirs for carbon dioxide. μCT imaging has the capability to perform preliminary, highly detailed investigations of potential reservoirs. This approach has a range of benefits when compared to traditional 2D techniques, such as optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Key advantages include the technique being non-destructive and capable of 3D and 4D visualisation. This facilitates rapid repeated digital measurements and experiments on microstructures. Digital samples can also be readily shared within the scientific community to replicate results and quickly launch new investigations. However, limitations still exist, posing challenges to the wider application of such a methodology. Such limitations include the identification of a representative elementary volume (REV), computational cost, and suitable processing of the output image data. Here, we highlight the value of using μCT and DIA, from our first experiences, to facilitate pore scale siliciclastic reservoir characterisation, but also highlight our perceived limitations and barriers to its much wider application. This paper introduces the key processing stages, opportunities and limitations of these techniques.

Exploring the Cognitive Processes of Preparation for a Spelling Bee Game to Enhance Vocabulary Learning in a Foreign Language

This study investigates the cognitive processes associated with preparation for a spelling bee game to enhance vocabulary learning in a foreign language. It draws upon the Information Processing Theory, which involves attention, perception, and memory processes. During their freshman year of college in the Department of English, a group of 30 Saudi learners, at the same level of English, ranging in age from 18 to 20 years old, were provided with a weekly set of words to memorize as part of their Reading Course. Following twelve weeks of practice, memorization, and oral performance, a spelling bee was organized for the ten students who achieved the highest scores in the spelling tests. Subsequently, individual interviews were conducted with each of the ten participants in order to understand the cognitive mechanisms underlying their preparation and memorization for the event. The study's findings reveal that most participants in the spelling bee game actively engage in key stages of information processing, including encoding, storing, and retrieving information. Additionally, learners were observed to evolve from merely acquiring factual vocabulary knowledge to applying it practically through repeated practice and memorization for the spelling bee. By engaging multiple senses—such as visual and auditory perception—alongside verbal memory, most participants develop the procedural knowledge needed to spell words accurately and effortlessly, effectively transferring words from short-term to long-term memory.

A Case Study on the Integration of Powerline Communications and Visible Light Communications from a Power Electronics Perspective.

This paper presents a dual-purpose LED driver system that functions as both a lighting source and a Visible Light Communication (VLC) transmitter integrated with a Powerline Communication (PLC) network under the PRIME G3 standard. The system decodes PLC messages from the powerline grid and transmits the information via LED light to an optical receiver under a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation. The load design targets a light flux of 800 lumens, suitable for LED light bulb applications up to 10 watts, ensuring practicality and energy efficiency. The Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter (UART) module enables communication between the PLC and VLC systems, allowing for an LED driver with dynamic control and real-time operation. Key signal processing stages are commented and developed, including a hybrid buck converter with modulation capabilities and a nonlinear optical receiver to regenerate the BPSK reference signal for VLC. Results show a successful prototype working under a laboratory environment. Experimental validation shows successful transmission of bit streams from the PLC grid to the VLC setup. A design guideline is presented in order to dictate the design of the electronic devices involved in the experiment. Finally, this research highlights the feasibility of integrating PLC and VLC technologies, offering an efficient and cost-effective solution for data transmission over existing infrastructure.

ForCEPSS—A framework for cardiac electrophysiology simulations standardization

Background and Objective:Simulation of cardiac electrophysiology (CEP) is an important research tool that is increasingly being adopted in industrial and clinical applications. Typical workflows for CEP simulation consist of a sequence of processing stages starting with building an anatomical model and then calibrating its electrophysiological properties to match observable data. While the calibration stages are common and generalizable, most CEP studies re-implement these steps in complex and highly variable workflows. This lack of standardization renders the execution of computational CEP studies in an efficient, robust, and reproducible manner a significant challenge. Here, we propose ForCEPSS as an efficient and robust, yet flexible, software framework for standardizing CEP simulation studies. Methods and Results:Key processing stages of CEP simulation studies are identified and implemented in a standardized workflow that builds on openCARP11https://opencarp.org/. Plank et al. (2021) and the Python-based carputils22https://git.opencarp.org/openCARP/carputils. framework. Stages include (i) the definition and initialization of action potential phenotypes, (ii) the tissue scale calibration of conduction properties, (iii) the functional initialization to approximate a limit cycle corresponding to the dynamic reference state according to an experimental protocol, and, (iv) the execution of the CEP study where the electrophysiological response to a perturbation of the limit cycle is probed. As an exemplar application, we employ ForCEPSS to prepare a CEP study according to the Virtual Arrhythmia Risk Prediction protocol used for investigating the arrhythmogenic risk of developing infarct-related ventricular tachycardia (VT) in ischemic cardiomyopathy patients. We demonstrate that ForCEPSS enables a fully automated execution of all stages of this complex protocol. Conclusion:ForCEPSS offers a novel comprehensive, standardized, and automated CEP simulation workflow. The high degree of automation accelerates the execution of CEP simulation studies, reduces errors, improves robustness, and makes CEP studies reproducible. Verification of simulation studies within the CEP modeling community is thus possible. As such, ForCEPSS makes an important contribution towards increasing transparency, standardization, and reproducibility of in silico CEP experiments.

Designing an automated agricultural millet acceptance and packaging system using UML

This paper presents a study on the design and implementation of an automated millet acceptance and packaging system using UML. The aim of the study was to create a system capable of increasing the efficiency of production processes, reducing labour costs and improving the quality of final products. In the process, a system analysis was carried out, UML diagrams describing the structure and functionality of the system were developed, a prototype was created and tested in conditions close to real ones. The results showed that the designed system provides high performance and reliability, allows you to automate key stages of millet processing, including its acceptance, transportation, distribution and packaging. The use of UML made it possible to create a clear and structured model of the system, which facilitated the process of its implementation and integration. The data obtained confirm the effectiveness of the proposed solutions and their importance for the development of agricultural technologies. This study demonstrates the possibilities of modern automation technologies in agriculture and opens up prospects for further improvements and expansion of the functionality of the system.

МЕТОД ТА ЗАСІБ МОНІТОРИНГУ БЕЗПЕКИ В КОМП'ЮТЕРНІЙ МЕРЕЖІ ЗАСОБАМИ SIEM

This work focuses on researching, analyzing, and enhancing methods and tools for security monitoring in computer networks. The study develops security monitoring tools and methods based on SIEM agents, improving the data normalization process from security logs. The research explores SIEM's role in the SIEM-EDR-NDR triad perspective to accelerate responses to network security threats. The investigation is grounded in the experiences of foreign companies and domestic banking networks. The interaction of SIEM-EDR-NDR components, forming a SOC triad, is examined. SIEM is utilized for centralized data analysis, including EDR and NDR, providing a comprehensive security overview. EDR detects and responds to threats on endpoints, complemented by NDR, extending SIEM analysis. This combination ensures effective response to cyberattacks, reducing "dwell time" until detection. The formulation of tasks for EDR components in the SIEM-EDR-NDR triad is discussed. Emphasis is placed on the importance of protecting endpoints at all stages of an attack, and effective strategies, such as traffic analysis, application control, and centralized cybersecurity management, are identified. Integration of EDR with existing security tools to create a comprehensive system is highlighted. Within the SIEM context, data processing stages, from log collection and normalization to event classification and correlation, are illuminated. The role of correlation in incident formation and investigation is underscored. An enhanced normalization scheme with an expanded agent deployment and key data processing stages within the SIEM system is proposed. The work addresses the improvement of event log processing in SIEM for effective network security monitoring and timely threat mitigation. The achieved goal accelerates threat response processes through SIEM agent integration, facilitating the organization and classification of information flows for prompt threat mitigation.

A New Index to Detect Process Deviations Using IR Spectroscopy and Chemometrics Process Tools

Process analytical technologies (PATs) have transformed the beverage production management by providing real-time monitoring and control of critical process parameters through non-destructive measurements, such as those obtained with infrared (IR) spectroscopy and enabling process readjustment if necessary. New requirements in the analysis of beverages call for new methods, so in this article, we propose a method based on the construction of multivariate statistical process control (MSPC) charts from a new dissimilarity index (the evolving window dissimilarity index, EWDI) to monitor fermentation processes. The EWDI was applied to monitor wine alcoholic fermentation, the biochemical transformation of sugars into ethanol. Small-scale fermentations were carried out and analyzed using a portable mid-infrared spectrometer. In some of them, process deviations due to nitrogen deficiency or temperature changes were intentionally promoted to evaluate the performance of the EWDI. The MSPC charts build by using the fermentations carried out under normal operating conditions allowed identifying deviations of the fermentation in its early stages. Furthermore, the shape of the EWDI curve over time provides insights about the specific type of deviation occurring. These results show the potential of this new approach to improve the monitoring and control of key process stages in biochemical processes in the food industry, which allows maximizing quality and minimizing losses.Graphical

Changes in physicochemical properties and water‐soluble small molecular compounds of dry‐cured Xuanwei ham during processing

Thirty experimental Xuanwei hams were processed by a traditional method using green hams from local Xuanhe pigs of Xuanwei, Yunnan province, PR China. Samples of Biceps femoris were collected from six hams randomly at the five key processing stages, that is green ham, salting, air drying, aging for 3 months, and aging for 7 months. Physicochemical properties and water-soluble small molecular (WSSM) compounds change during the processing period of Xuanwei ham were evaluated. Moisture contents, water activity, and total nitrogen contents (TN) decreased significantly (p < .05). On the contrary, chloride content, weight loss rate, non-protein nitrogen content (NPN), and the protein hydrolysis index (P.I.) were observed a significant increase during the processing. The WSSM compounds in various processing stages of Xuanwei ham were analyzed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) technology. A total of 54 WSSM compounds were found, consisting of 26 amino acids and their derivatives, 10 organic acids, 6 nucleic acids, 4 amines and ammonia compounds, 3 alcohols, 2 sugars, and 3 other WSSM compounds. After aging for 7 months, the content of free amino acids in hams reached 58.93 mg/g, and the main amino acids were glutamic acid and alanine. In this study, the physicochemical properties of Xuanwei ham were evaluated effectively, which provided the basis for the quality control of Xuanwei ham. Practical applications Dry-cured Xuanwei ham is a traditional fermented meat product in Yunnan province of southwest China. The aim of this study was to determine the changes in physicochemical properties and water-soluble low molecular weight compounds of dry-cured Xuanwei ham during the production process. Our findings thus provide a theoretical analysis on the quality changes of dry-cured Chinese Xuanwei ham during processing. The results of this study can provide important theoretical basis for further study on protein degradation mechanism and characteristic flavor formation of Xuanwei ham.

Culturally relevant memory properties in English phraseology

The paper focuses on culturally relevant properties of personal memory and the potential of natural languages in codifying them. The study is based on one of the key postulates of anthropological linguistics stating that dynamic changes in human mentality, cultural developments and newly accumulated knowledge find their reflection in the lexical subsystem of the language. Relying on the concept of phraseology as a fragment of linguistic reality bearing an information-intensive map of the national world view and the type of linguistic identity, the paper examines phraseological units verbalizing fundamental memory processes of encoding, storing, remembering and forgetting and offers a linguacultural perspective on the specifics of representing individual memory processes in English phraseology. A combination of automatic processing methods applied to analyzing authentic lexicographic sources along with conventional data-collecting procedures yielded an empirical base of the research composed of phraseological units representing key stages of mnemonic processing. To analyze the obtained data, component, lexicographic, and content-analysis methods were employed. Findings allowed compiling an inventory of mnemonic phraseological units in English, developing their typology on the basis of structural, semantic and functional criteria, identifying the proportion of each structural, semantic and stylistic type in the data sample. A multi-parameter cognitive interpretation procedure yielded a stage-based typology of mnemonic phraseological units reflecting phases of mnemonic processing, its content and nature. The results suggest a possible correlation between cultural specifics of Anglo-Saxon world view and verbal representation of individual memory on the phraseological level.

An innovative extraction methodology of active deformation areas based on sentinel-1 SAR dataset: the catalonia case study

ABSTRACT Persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI) has been proved to be an advanced Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique used to measure and monitor terrain deformation. Two of the critical problems with InSAR have been the effect of the refractive atmosphere and decorrelation on the interferometric phases due to long spatial-temporal baseline. The low density of persistent scatterers (PS) in non-urban areas affected by spatial-temporal decoherence more seriously has inspired the development of alternative approaches. Sentinel-1 (S1) has improved the data acquisition throughout, and compared to previous sensors, increased considerably the differential interferometric SAR (DInSAR) and PSI deformation monitoring potential. This paper describes an innovative methodology to process S1 SAR data. Different with PSI, its most original part includes two key processing stages: high and low frequency splitting from wrapped phases, prior to atmospheric filtering, and final direct integration to generate the complete deformation with time series containing linear and nonlinear components. The proposed method has two fundamental advantages compared with traditional PSI approach: the final monitoring results with excellent coverage of coherent points and the generation of active maps even for the areas with serious deformation in short term to break through the inherent limitation of PSI. The effectiveness of the proposed tools is illustrated using a case study located in Catalonia (Spain). This methodology has supposed a definitive step towards the implementation of DInSAR based techniques to support decision makers against geohazards. In this work, the deformation procedures happened in three different areas of the Catalonia (Spain) are presented and analysed. The maximum accumulated subsidence of over – 60 cm induced by mining activity can be detected by proposed methodology with nice coverage from January 2017 to January 2019. These reported cases illustrate how DInSAR based techniques can provide detailed terrain deformation for geohazard activity with complex topographical conditions. The active deformation areas map can be generated in fast aimed at geohazard risk early warning and management.

Модель управління кар’єрою військовослужбовців

Comprehensive problem solving related to the creation of a modern personnel management system determines the introduction of automated personnel accounting and management system in the personnel services of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a component of the unified Information System of Defense Resources Management (DRMIS).One of the aspects of professional development is the availability of an effective system for evaluating the components of the career management system. The system allows to do all personnel and administrative job and increase quality: when filling vacancies, recruiting and promotion personnel, forming staff reserve, and motivating employees. This is achieved through the use of performance management information systems based on the concept of controlling.Career management is seen as a sequence of functions that are part of the technological cycle of the management system. The main driving forces of the cycle of the management system are identified. The use of the concept of controlling involves the achievement of the strategic goals of the organization. At the same time, the goals are decomposed according to the levels of the organizational hierarchy, depending on the powers and direction of activity, which must be achieved for a certain period. This is achieved through the introduction of a balanced scorecard.The article proposes a variant of the model of career management of servicemen based on controlling technology, which reflects the key stages of information flow processing in the field of personnel management. Realization of the proposed model will ensure the implementation of the main principle of career management, expressed in the combination of interests of the organization and the individual.

The impact of key processing stages and flock variables on the prevalence and levels of Campylobacter on broiler carcasses

This study examined the impact of key processing stages and flock variables on the prevalence of Campylobacter on broiler carcasses. Overall, the prevalence of Campylobacter was 62% in caeca, and 68%, 65% and 62% in neck skin samples collected after evisceration, final wash and carcass chilling, respectively. Campylobacter were found in 32% of caeca, and 52%, 40% and 32% of neck skin samples collected after evisceration, final wash and carcass chilling, respectively from first thin broiler batches. Final thin broiler batches were more frequently contaminated with prevalences of 83% found in caeca, 80% in neck skin samples collected after evisceration and 83% found in neck skin samples collected after both final wash and carcass chilling stages (p < 0.05). Thinning status had a significant effect on Campylobacter counts with significantly higher counts observed in samples from final thin batches (p < 0.05). Highest Campylobacter concentrations in neck skin samples were observed at the evisceration stage in both first and final thin samples, with counts ranging from 2.0 to 3.8 log10 CFU/g and 2.3 to 4.8 log10 CFU/g in first and final thin batches, respectively. All first thin samples had counts below the European Union (EU) Process Hygiene Criterion threshold level of 3 log10 CFU/g after chilling while 52% of final thin batches had counts above this limit.

From Henry Bessemer’s invention to comprehensive converter process optimization

The Bessemer process enabling to produce high-quality steels was implemented at steel mills of the Urals region more than 200 years ago. At the beginning of the 20th century, the process was modified by scientists from the Mining Institute and was then adopted by copper and nickel alloy producers. The converter process became one of the key processing stages with Russian copper and nickel smelters. This paper examines certain ways to improve the tuyere air flow in a horizontal converter. The authors came up with a generic equation for calculating specific blast air pressure and discuss the use of hydrothermal and aerodynamic techniques for tuyere purging. The blast air limit was determined for a horizontal converter that is characterized with massive melt ejections. The authors demonstrate that, in spite of all the process and design improvements, the modern converter process still has three major drawbacks. They include process cycling, the gas ductwork not being completely tight, unbalanced thermal and chemical status of the vessel leading to excessive thermal and chemical loads on the tuyere zone and incomplete slag formation in zones that are farther from the tuyeres. Research work is ongoing on a novel continuous converter design which involves the use of special-design unsubmerged tuyeres. Such tuyeres produce spatially oriented high-pressure blasts which enable consistent rotation of the molten matte in a tight cylindrical vessel.

In silico design of a universal carrier protein: A potential solution to the variable immunogenicity observed in past vaccines against drugs of abuse

Abstract Vaccines against drugs of abuse (VADAs) show promise as a possible therapeutic for the alleviation of addiction due to their ability to modulate intake behavior via the altering of drug pharmacokinetics. In the past, however, these vaccines have failed to show clinical efficacy due to extensive variability in the magnitude of antibody response between individual vaccinees. Correspondingly, the future success of VADAs hinges directly on whether or not researchers can find ways to engineer more broadly effective vaccines. Differences in response must, to some extent, be the result of variable capacities for each individual’s immune system to process and/or present antigens. As such, we speculate that future VADAs will need to target the three key stages of vaccine processing, recognition, processing, and presentation, in order to achieve clinical effectiveness. Here, we describe a project aiming to engineer a broadly effective carrier protein based on this concept. Using haplotype frequency data provided by Be the Match, HLA-DQ and -DR haplotypes covering 99% of the population were selected for analysis. Next, the most common carrier proteins used in conjugate vaccine formulations were analyzed for MHC II epitope content using these haplotypes and NetMHCIIPan 3.2 prediction software. Finally, a modified version of the prediction output was used to excise the most likely MHC II epitopes. The highest-ranked epitopes were then stitched together using linkers designed with chemical conjugation sites and cathepsin cleavage sequences and subsequently tethered to cholera toxin subunit B. These results present the successful design of an in silico derived, broadly effective carrier protein to be used in future VADA formulations.

Process evaluation of a whole-of-community systems approach to address childhood obesity in western Victoria, Australia

BackgroundSEA Change Portland is a systems-based approach implemented in Portland, Victoria that utilises local community resources to sustainably prevent and reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity. Action is implemented by community-led task teams with differing priority areas, and supported by a steering committee representative of four collaborating organisations. This study examines the SEA Change Portland process to identify significant events, enablers and barriers of its development and implementation to date as reported by key stakeholders involved in implementation during the first 12 months.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with eight steering group members and three community task team members. Data was collected utilising open ended interview questions to gather in-depth information regarding program implementation, and the individual attitudes, beliefs and experiences of key stakeholders.ResultsData were analysed under three key themes: collective impact, systems thinking and asset based community development (ABCD). Participants gave perceptions of significant events; factors positively and negatively affecting the process; reasons for becoming involved in the process; perceived efficacy of task teams, principles of diversity and areas of concern. Themes emerged from participant responses allowing were categorisation of their responses into four key process stages: initial lead up; process development; establishing community ownership of the obesity system; and community action.ConclusionCollective impact was a crucial element in applying the systems thinking. Strong and equitable relationships between steering organisations and topic experts provided the initiative with a sustainable foundation, and ABCD promotes community ownership and future sustainability. Understanding the process of implementing a new whole-of-community systems approach to childhood obesity prevention such as SEA Change Portland has provided vital knowledge for other communities regarding enablers and barriers of this promising approach.

Dynamic Theta Networks in the Human Medial Temporal Lobe Support Episodic Memory

The medial temporal lobe (MTL) is a locus of episodic memory in the human brain. It is comprised of cytologically distinct subregions that, in concert, give rise to successful encoding and retrieval of context-dependent memories. However, the functional connections between these subregions are poorly understood. To determine functional connectivity among MTL subregions, we had 131 subjects fitted with indwelling electrodes perform a verbal memory task and asked how encoding or retrieval correlated with inter-regional synchronization. Using phase-based measures of connectivity, we found that synchronous theta (4-8Hz) activity underlies successful episodic memory. During encoding, weobserved a dynamic pattern of connections converging on the left entorhinal cortex, beginning with the perirhinal cortex and shifting through hippocampal subfields. Retrieval-associated networks demonstrated enhanced involvement of the subiculum and CA1, reflecting a substantial reorganization of the encoding network. We posit that coherent theta activity within the MTL marks periods of successful memory, but distinct patterns of connectivity dissociate key stages of memory processing.

Data analysis tools for persistent scatterer interferometry based on Sentinel-1 data

ABSTRACT This paper describes a Persistent Scatterer Interferometry procedure to process Sentinel-1 SAR data. Its most original part includes a set of tools to perform two key processing stages: a first 2 + 1D phase unwrapping, prior to atmospheric filtering, and a second 2 + 1D phase unwrapping, to generate the deformation time series. These tools address two fundamental aspects of a Persistent Scatterer Interferometry processing chain: the quality control of the intermediate and final results, and the generation of quality indices to characterise such results. The effectiveness of the proposed tools is illustrated using a case study located in Catalonia (Northern Iberian Peninsula).

Microbiome Profiles of Commercial Broilers Through Evisceration and Immersion Chilling During Poultry Slaughter and the Identification of Potential Indicator Microorganisms.

Commercial poultry abattoirs were evaluated to determine the efficacy of the multi-hurdle antimicrobial strategy employed to reduce the microbial load present on incoming broilers from the farm. As next generation sequencing (NGS) has been recently employed to characterize the poultry production system, this study utilized 16S High throughput sequencing (HTS) and quantitative plating data to profile the microbiota of chicken carcasses and determine the efficacy of the multi-hurdle antimicrobial system. Aerobic plate count (APC) and Enterobacteriaceae (EB) microbial counts were quantified from whole bird carcass rinsates (WBCR). The remaining rinsates underwent microbiome analysis using 16S rRNA gene fragments on an Illumina MiSeq and were analyzed by Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology (QIIME). The key stages of processing were determined to be at rehang, pre-chill, and post-chill as per the Salmonella Reduction Regulation (75 Fed. Reg. 27288–27294). The APC microbial data from rehang, pre-chill, and post-chill were mean log 4.63 CFU/mL, 3.21 CFU/mL, and 0.89 CFU/mL and EB counts were mean log 2.99 CFU/mL, 1.95 CFU/mL, and 0.35 CFU/mL. NGS of WBCR identified 222 Operational Taxonomic Units’ (OTU’s) of which only 23 OTU’s or 10% of the population was recovered post-chill. Microbiome data suggested a high relative abundance of Pseudomonas at post-chill. Additionally, Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae, and Weeksellaceae Chryseobacterium have been identified as potential indicator organisms having been isolated from all processing abattoirs and sampling locations. This study provides insight into the microbiota of commercial broilers during poultry processing.

OVAS: an open-source variant analysis suite with inheritance modelling

BackgroundThe advent of modern high-throughput genetics continually broadens the gap between the rising volume of sequencing data, and the tools required to process them. The need to pinpoint a small subset of functionally important variants has now shifted towards identifying the critical differences between normal variants and disease-causing ones. The ever-increasing reliance on cloud-based services for sequence analysis and the non-transparent methods they utilize has prompted the need for more in-situ services that can provide a safer and more accessible environment to process patient data, especially in circumstances where continuous internet usage is limited.ResultsTo address these issues, we herein propose our standalone Open-source Variant Analysis Sequencing (OVAS) pipeline; consisting of three key stages of processing that pertain to the separate modes of annotation, filtering, and interpretation. Core annotation performs variant-mapping to gene-isoforms at the exon/intron level, append functional data pertaining the type of variant mutation, and determine hetero/homozygosity. An extensive inheritance-modelling module in conjunction with 11 other filtering components can be used in sequence ranging from single quality control to multi-file penetrance model specifics such as X-linked recessive or mosaicism. Depending on the type of interpretation required, additional annotation is performed to identify organ specificity through gene expression and protein domains. In the course of this paper we analysed an autosomal recessive case study. OVAS made effective use of the filtering modules to recapitulate the results of the study by identifying the prescribed compound-heterozygous disease pattern from exome-capture sequence input samples.ConclusionOVAS is an offline open-source modular-driven analysis environment designed to annotate and extract useful variants from Variant Call Format (VCF) files, and process them under an inheritance context through a top-down filtering schema of swappable modules, run entirely off a live bootable medium and accessed locally through a web-browser.

Applicability of fruit blanching and intermittent microwave-convective belt drying to industrial peel waste of different mango cultivars for the recovery of functional coproducts

To exploit the full potential of industrial mango peel waste (MPW0) as a starting material for the recovery of bioactive and functional coproducts despite its seasonality, it must be processed efficiently into a storable dried byproduct of uniform high quality, irrespective of impacts of different cultivars and ripeness. The focus of this feasibility study, performed on the pilot plant scale, was on technological options for three key process stages in the manufacture of dried mango peel (DMP) as a possible bulk commodity: fruit blanching, peel drying, and DMP packaging. Depending on cultivars, hot-water blanching of fruit (65–85°C) before peeling proved inappropriate for peel color retention, but could even induce enzymatic browning until peel drying, and thus losses of bioactive compounds due to oxidative polymerization and insolubilization. Hence, this process step should be limited to brief washing of the fruit at maximally 65°C to reduce microbial load. Intermittent microwave-convective drying (IMWC) of MPW0 in a continuous belt dryer at high peel throughput was feasible at ambient air temperatures. Finalizing initial IMWC of MPW0 by convective drying (CD, 80°C) in the falling-rate period avoided local charring. Alternatively, MPW0 had to be washed before IMWC to remove adherent pulp, but at the expense of soluble solids and β-carotene losses. Unlike the carotenoids, alk(en)ylresorcinols were hardly affected by IMWC. By washing MPW0, quality defects compared to CD-dried peel in terms of antioxidant capacity, water-holding capacity, and yield and quality of pectin were compensated. Adequate preprocessing plus IMWC was thus deemed to be a promising option, especially for biorefinery concepts including biogas production and congeneration. The minimal moisture barrier properties needed for flexible intermediate bulk containers were estimated from an 11-month shelf-life test of IMWC-dried peel in two climate zones.