There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

THE DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF EXPERIMENTS. By Oscar Kempthorne. New York, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1952. 631 pp. $8.50. This book by a teacher of statistics (as well as a consultant for \"experimenters\") is a comprehensive study of the philosophical background for the statistical design of experiment. It is necessary to have some facility with algebraic notation and manipulation to be able to use the volume intelligently. The problems are presented from the theoretical point of view, without such practical examples as would be helpful for those not acquainted with mathematics. The mathematical justification for the techniques is given. As a somewhat advanced treatment of the design and analysis of experiments, this volume will be interesting and helpful for many who approach statistics theoretically as well as practically. With emphasis on the \"why,\" and with description given broadly, the author relates the subject matter to the general theory of statistics and to the general problem of experimental inference. MARGARET J. ROBERTSON

The Design and Analysis of Experiments

Chitosan as a bioactive polymer: Processing, properties and applications.

Recent advances on polysaccharides, lipids and protein based edible films and coatings: A review.

中国拥有数目庞大、种类繁多的动植物,也有很多珍贵、濒危生物,这些更是异常宝贵的科学资源。DNA条形码技术的出现可以更好的帮助鉴别这些物种,了解其分支来源,甚至可以预知其进化方向。笔者简述了DNA条形码的技术原理与操作步骤及这项技术的产生与发展情况;简要列出了DNA条形码发展过程中的重要进步与研究相对集中的物种;概述了DNA条形码的应用途径及目前DNA条形码研究中存在的主要问题、矛盾、研究思路与发展方向,并对其发展前景做出展望。

国际生命条形码计划—DNA Barcoding

This review discusses the latest advances in the composition of gelatin-based edible films and coatings, including nanoparticle addition, and their properties are reviewed along their potential for application in the food packaging industry. Gelatin is an important biopolymer derived from collagen and is extensively used by various industries because of its technological and functional properties. Nowadays, a very wide range of components are available to be included as additives to improve its properties, as well as its applications and future potential. Antimicrobials, antioxidants and other agents are detailed due to the fact that an increasing awareness among consumers regarding healthy lifestyle has promoted research into novel techniques and additives to prolong the shelf life of food products. Thanks to its ability to improve global food quality, gelatin has been particularly considered in food preservation of meat and fish products, among others.

/pdf/gelatin-based-films-and-coatings-for-food-packaging-38ppdyrou9.pdf

Gelatin-Based Films and Coatings for Food Packaging Applications

The most fashionable trends in food packaging research are targeted towards improvements in food quality and safety by increasing the use of environmentally-friendly materials, ideally those able to be obtained from bio-based resources and presenting biodegradable characteristics. Edible films represent a key area of development in new multifunctional materials by their character and properties to effectively protect food with no waste production. The use of edible films should be considered as a clean and elegant solution to problems related with waste disposal in packaging materials. In particular, pectin has been reported as one of the main raw materials to obtain edible films by its natural abundance, low cost and renewable character. The latest innovations in food packaging by the use of pectin-based edible films are reviewed in this paper, with special focus on the use of pectin as base material for edible coatings. The structure, properties related to the intended use in food packaging and main applications of pectins are herein reported.

/pdf/natural-pectin-polysaccharides-as-edible-coatings-4aqxjkg75w.pdf

Natural Pectin Polysaccharides as Edible Coatings

Active edible films represent one of the current and future trends in the development of new polymers for selected applications, particularly food packaging. Some biopolymers show excellent performance as carriers for active compounds extracted from natural sources and are able to be released at a controlled rate to packaged food. In this review we aim to present, in a comprehensive way, the most recent advances and updates in this subject, where much research is currently ongoing and new studies are reported very often. This review focuses on innovative biopolymer matrices, their processing to obtain edible active films, and present and future applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 42631.

/pdf/active-edible-films-current-state-and-future-trends-56h66sfdpu.pdf

Active edible films: Current state and future trends

The interest for the development of new active packaging materials has rapidly increased in the last few years. Antimicrobial active packaging is a potential alternative to protect perishable products during their preparation, storage and distribution to increase their shelf-life by reducing bacterial and fungal growth. This review underlines the most recent trends in the use of new edible coatings enriched with antimicrobial agents to reduce the growth of different microorganisms, such as Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, molds and yeasts. The application of edible biopolymers directly extracted from biomass (proteins, lipids and polysaccharides) or their combinations, by themselves or enriched with natural extracts, essential oils, bacteriocins, metals or enzyme systems, such as lactoperoxidase, have shown interesting properties to reduce the contamination and decomposition of perishable food products, mainly fish, meat, fruits and vegetables. These formulations can be also applied to food products to control gas exchange, moisture permeation and oxidation processes.

/pdf/state-of-the-art-of-antimicrobial-edible-coatings-for-food-cjcvthjwx1.pdf

State of the Art of Antimicrobial Edible Coatings for Food Packaging Applications

The main directions in food packaging research are targeted towards improvements in food quality and food safety. For this purpose, food packaging providing longer product shelf-life, as well as the monitoring of safety and quality based upon international standards, is desirable. New active packaging strategies represent a key area of development in new multifunctional materials where the use of natural additives and/or agricultural wastes is getting increasing interest. The development of new materials, and particularly innovative biopolymer formulations, can help to address these requirements and also with other packaging functions such as: food protection and preservation, marketing and smart communication to consumers. The use of biocomposites for active food packaging is one of the most studied approaches in the last years on materials in contact with food. Applications of these innovative biocomposites could help to provide new food packaging materials with improved mechanical, barrier, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. From the food industry standpoint, concerns such as the safety and risk associated with these new additives, migration properties and possible human ingestion and regulations need to be considered. The latest innovations in the use of these innovative formulations to obtain biocomposites are reported in this review. Legislative issues related to the use of natural additives and agricultural wastes in food packaging systems are also discussed.

/pdf/natural-additives-and-agricultural-wastes-in-biopolymer-ebrmf4hja5.pdf

Arantzazu Valdés

Papers

Gelatin-Based Films and Coatings for Food Packaging Applications

Natural Pectin Polysaccharides as Edible Coatings

Active edible films: Current state and future trends

State of the Art of Antimicrobial Edible Coatings for Food Packaging Applications

Natural additives and agricultural wastes in biopolymer formulations for food packaging