Specific processing steps after industrial rearing of insects for food and feed, being starvation and rinsing, are assumed to have an impact on their microbial quality. The aim of this study was to assess the effect on the microbiota of starvation (24 or 48 h, 10 or 30 °C) and rinsing (1 min using tap water) at the end of the rearing period of yellow mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor). Microbial numbers were determined using plate counts and the microbial community composition using metagenetic analyses. Total viable counts ranged from 7.7 to 8.4 log cfu/g for all treatments. Starvation did not evoke prominent shifts in the bacterial community, which was predominated by Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. No bacterial food pathogens were detected using metagenetics. Our data suggest that the processing steps under study do not contribute to a better microbial quality of fresh mealworm larvae.

Nocturnal home monitoring of epileptic children is often not feasible due to the cumbersome manner of seizure monitoring with the standard method of video/EEG-monitoring. We propose a method for hypermotor seizure detection based on accelerometers attached to the extremities. From the acceleration signals, multiple temporal, frequency, and wavelet-based features are extracted. After determining the features with the highest discriminative power, we classify movement events in epileptic and nonepileptic movements. This classification is only based on a nonparametric estimate of the probability density function of normal movements. Such approach allows us to build patient-specific models to classify movement data without the need for seizure data that are rarely available. If, in the test phase, the probability of a data point (event) is lower than a threshold, this event is considered to be an epileptic seizure; otherwise, it is considered as a normal nocturnal movement event. The mean performance over seven patients gives a sensitivity of 95.24% and a positive predictive value of 60.04%. However, there is a noticeable interpatient difference.

No abstract

A person-dependent epileptic seizure detection method has been designed that requires little human interaction. In contrast to traditional machine learning approaches, the imbalance of the dataset does not cause substantial difficulties.

Mangrove wetlands provide essential ecosystem services such as coastal protection and fisheries. Metal pollution due to industrial and agricultural activities represents an issue of growing concern for the Guayas River Basin and related mangroves in Ecuador. Fisheries and the related human consumption of mangrove crabs are in need of scientific support. In order to protect human health and aid river management, we analyzed several elements in the Guayas Estuary. Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, As, Pb, Cd, and Hg accumulation were assessed in different compartments of the commercial red mangrove crab Ucides occidentalis (hepatopancreas, carapax, and white meat) and the environment (sediment, leaves, and water), sampled at fifteen sites over five stations. Consistent spatial distribution of metals in the Guayas estuary was found. Nickel levels in the sediment warn for ecological caution. The presence of As in the crabs generated potential concerns on the consumers’ health, and a maximum intake of eight crabs per month for adults is advised. The research outcomes are of global importance for at least nine Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The results presented can support raising awareness about the ongoing contamination of food and their related ecosystems and the corresponding consequences for environmental and human health worldwide.