This review includes an overview of the most important preventive measures along the farm to fork chain to prevent microbial contamination of leafy greens. It also includes the technological and ...managerial interventions related to primary production, postharvest handling, processing practices, distribution, and consumer handling to eliminate pathogens in leafy greens. When the microbiological risk is already present, preventive measures to limit actual contamination events or pathogen survival are considered intervention strategies. In codes of practice the focus is mainly put on explaining preventive measures. However, it is also important to establish more focused intervention strategies. This review is centered mainly on leafy vegetables as the commodity identified as the highest priority in terms of fresh produce microbial safety from a global perspective. There is no unique preventive measure or intervention strategy that could be applied at one point of the food chain. We should encourage growers of leafy greens to establish procedures based on the HACCP principles at the level of primary production. The traceability of leafy vegetables along the chain is an essential element in ensuring food safety. Thus, in dealing with the food safety issues associated with fresh produce it is clear that a multidisciplinary farm to fork strategy is required.
High-precision handling processes are essential for various high-tech industries and are typically realized using specialized high precision robots. Articulated robots are rarely used for such tasks ...due to their low stiffness and accuracy stemming from their kinematic structure. This work presents a methodology for designing handling processes that maximise repeatability with articulated robots. By considering their kinematic structures’ highly pose dependent properties as well as sensitivity to external disturbances in every step of the processes design, significantly improved repeatability can be achieved. The applicability of the new methodology is verified experimentally using the example of handling of large silicon dies.
Abstract
Objectives
To establish the optimal parameters for group testing of pooled specimens for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.
Methods
The most efficient pool size was determined to be five specimens ...using a web-based application. From this analysis, 25 experimental pools were created using 50 µL from one SARS-CoV-2 positive nasopharyngeal specimen mixed with 4 negative patient specimens (50 µL each) for a total volume of 250 µL. Viral RNA was subsequently extracted from each pool and tested using the CDC SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assay. Positive pools were consequently split into individual specimens and tested by extraction and PCR. This method was also tested on an unselected group of 60 nasopharyngeal specimens grouped into 12 pools.
Results
All 25 pools were positive with cycle threshold (Ct) values within 0 and 5.03 Ct of the original individual specimens. The analysis of 60 specimens determined that 2 pools were positive followed by identification of 2 individual specimens among the 60 tested. This testing was accomplished while using 22 extractions/PCR tests, a savings of 38 reactions.
Conclusions
When the incidence rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection is 10% or less, group testing will result in the saving of reagents and personnel time with an overall increase in testing capability of at least 69%.
Over a course of centuries, various food processing technologies have been explored and implemented to provide safe, fresher-tasting and nutritive food products. Among these technologies, application ...of emerging food processes (e.g., cold plasma, pressurized fluids, pulsed electric fields, ohmic heating, radiofrequency electric fields, ultrasonics and megasonics, high hydrostatic pressure, high pressure homogenization, hyperbaric storage, and negative pressure cavitation extraction) have attracted much attention in the past decades. This is because, compared to their conventional counterparts, novel food processes allow a significant reduction in the overall processing times with savings in energy consumption, while ensuring food safety, and ample benefits for the industry. Noteworthily, industry and university teams have made extensive efforts for the development of novel technologies, with sound scientific knowledge of their effects on different food materials. The main objective of this review is to provide a historical account of the extensive efforts and inventions in the field of emerging food processing technologies since their inception to present day.
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•Food preservation aspects, from the beginning with heat and cold storage discussed•The concept of hurdle technologies described•A historical review of emerging technologies over the 21st century is presented.
Anaphylaxis has been defined as a ‘severe, life‐threatening generalized or systemic hypersensitivity reaction’. However, data indicate that the vast majority of food‐triggered anaphylactic reactions ...are not life‐threatening. Nonetheless, severe life‐threatening reactions do occur and are unpredictable. We discuss the concepts surrounding perceptions of severe, life‐threatening allergic reactions to food by different stakeholders, with particular reference to the inclusion of clinical severity as a factor in allergy and allergen risk management. We review the evidence regarding factors that might be used to identify those at most risk of severe allergic reactions to food, and the consequences of misinformation in this regard. For example, a significant proportion of food‐allergic children also have asthma, yet almost none will experience a fatal food‐allergic reaction; asthma is not, in itself, a strong predictor for fatal anaphylaxis. The relationship between dose of allergen exposure and symptom severity is unclear. While dose appears to be a risk factor in at least a subgroup of patients, studies report that individuals with prior anaphylaxis do not have a lower eliciting dose than those reporting previous mild reactions. It is therefore important to consider severity and sensitivity as separate factors, as a highly sensitive individual will not necessarily experience severe symptoms during an allergic reaction. We identify the knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to improve our ability to better identify those most at risk of severe food‐induced allergic reactions.
•This study considers 49,881 papers published between 2011 and 2020 in three prestigious journals: Nature, Science, and PNAS.•We compare three handling time indicators (EHT, PHT, and THT) of papers ...published in these three journals.•This analysis finds significant negative associations between all handling time indicators and both impact and attention, except for a non-significant correlation between PHT and attention.•Heterogeneity analyses indicate that these relationships are affected by the journal, subject, and affiliation.
The time required for peer review is a crucial factor for researchers when deciding where to submit their manuscripts, as it is also considered an important predictor of paper impact. This paper analyses the handling time of academic papers at the individual paper level, focusing on three key indicators: editorial handling time, processing handling time, and total handling time. Unlike previous studies that primarily examined the simple correlation between handling time and academic impact of academic papers, this paper uses a negative binomial regression model to analyse the data while controlling for various factors related to total citations. Further, we explore the relationship between handling time and social attention. The dataset used in this study comprises 49,881 papers classified as ‘articles’ and published between 2011 and 2020 in three prestigious journals: Nature, Science, and PNAS. Our main findings reveal significant negative associations between the three measures of handling time and both impact and attention, except that processing handling time and attention have a significant positive relationship. Additionally, heterogeneity analyses indicate that these relationships are affected by the journal, subject, and affiliation. This empirical analysis of handling time's effect on academic impact and social attention expands upon the insights gained from previous research and may stimulate changes in some journal editorial policies to accelerate publishing speed.
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