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We have previously reported that intratracheal delivery of donor splenocytes in mice induces hyporesponsiveness to fully allogeneic cardiac grafts and generates regulatory cells. Here, we examined whether an allopeptide would produce the same results. A 15-mer (54–68) peptide corresponding to a hypervariable region of the Kb molecule was given intratracheally or intravenously to CBA (H2k) mice 7 days before transplantation of a C57BL/10 (H2b) or BALB/c (H2d) heart and was also used in adoptive transfer experiments. Cardiac grafts in recipients given Kb peptide intratracheally experienced a median survival time (MST) of 56 days, whereas those in recipients given the peptide intravenously were rejected acutely (MST=7.5 days). Adoptive transfer of splenocytes from mice pretreated intratracheally with Kb peptide to nai¨ve secondary recipients prolonged survival of cardiac grafts (MST = 35 days). Intratracheal delivery of a single major histocompatibility complex class I peptide induced hyporesponsiveness to allogeneic cardiac grafts and generated regulatory cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study clarified relations among human bite parameters, mechanical properties, and sensory-determined ease of chewing for 11 solid foods having various textures. A multiple-point sheet sensor measured the human bite force, pressure, and impulse between molars during the first chew. Foods were categorized into four classes based on the shapes and magnitudes of human bite force–time curves. The bite parameters and mechanical parameters shared, in most cases, a non-linear relation, for which a power law model was usually representative. Bite parameters were compared with results of compression and puncture tests obtained using a universal testing machine. The highest correlation was found between the logarithm of the maximum bite force and the logarithm of the puncture force (R =0.916). Sensory evaluation revealed the optimum correlation between the impulse during the first bite and ease of chewing (R =−0.872). Ease of chewing was assessed during the first bite rather than at the maximum force point because the bite impulse showed a higher correlation than the maximum bite force and pressure. The prediction of ease of chewing was acceptable for use with the work in compression tests (R =−0.689). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In order to predict the quality of Japanese fermented soy sauces, this study focuses on selecting relevant variables for developing a flexible and objective model. There were 74 parameters with the potential to influence the overall acceptability of soy sauce being measured and regarded as potential variables for predicting the sensory scores of soy sauce samples. The variable selection approach was inspired by Compressed Sensing (CS) theory and has been used for the first time on the calibration set (soy sauce samples were collected directly from the Akita Prefectural Soy Sauce Competitions in 2016 and 2017) to evaluate the contribution of each predictive variable to the sensory score. Consequently, 30 predictive variables which make a great contribution to the quality for predicting soy sauce were successfully selected by CS-based method. The selected variables covered the important variables of sensory evaluation such as color, taste, and fragrance. Subsequently, the model for predicting soy sauce quality was established using partial least squares regression, based on the selected variables. The validity of the model was evaluated using soy sauce samples produced in 2018 leading to values of r 2 and RMSEP for the validation samples of 0.80 and 11.47, respectively. Therefore, the model was considered to be suitable for predicting the sensory quality of soy sauce. The results also confirmed that the CS-based method provided a new approach to selecting variables of practical importance for developing a predictive model. • The compress sensing theory (CS) can be used in a variable selection approach for assessing the quality of food products • 30 parameters were automatically selected by the CS-based method among 74 measured parameters related to the quality • The predictive model provides a nice quantitative evaluation and detail reflection for the quality of soy sauce [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]