Thermal inactivation of Aspergillus flavus in peanut kernels as influenced by temperature, water activity and heating rate.

Infection of Aspergillus flavus, which can produce aflatoxin, is a major problem for peanut safe storage. Thermal inactivation kinetics of Aspergillus flavus is essential to design an effective heat treatment process. In this study, thermal inactivation kinetics of Aspergillus flavus in peanut kernel flour at four water activity (a) levels (0.

Comprehensive Improvement of Sample Preparation Methodologies Facilitates Dynamic Metabolomics of Aspergillus niger.

Metabolomics is an essential discipline in industrial biotechnology. Sample preparation approaches dramatically influence data quality and, ultimately, interpretation and conclusions from metabolomic experiments. However, standardized protocols for highly reproducible metabolic datasets are limited, especially for the fungal cell factory Aspergillus niger.

Non-lab and semi-lab algorithms for screening undiagnosed diabetes: A cross-sectional study.

Background: The terrifying undiagnosed rate and high prevalence of diabetes have become a public emergency. A high efficiency and cost-effective early recognition method is urgently needed. We aimed to generate innovative, user-friendly nomograms that can be applied for diabetes screening in different ethnic groups in China using the non-lab or noninvasive semi-lab data.

Association of white matter hyperintensities with migraine features and prognosis.

Background: White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are frequently detected in migraine patients. However, their significance and correlation to migraine disease burden remain unclear. This study aims to examine the correlation of WMHs with migraine features and explore the relationship between WMHs and migraine prognosis.

Effect of steam explosion on physicochemical properties of waste activated sludge and the performance of anaerobic digestion.

The effect of steam explosion on physicochemical properties of sludge and the performance of anaerobic digestion (AD) was investigated. The steam explosion was conducted under different combinations of temperature and time, ranging 151-198 °C and 4-12 min respectively. The capillary suction time (CST) and viscosity of the sludge was increased with particle size decreased by improved hydrolysis temperature and prolonged hydrolysis time.

Prophylactic Use of Troxerutin Can Delay the Development of Diabetic Cognitive Dysfunction and Improve the Expression of Nrf2 in the Hippocampus on STZ Diabetic Rats.

Background: With the change in lifestyle and the aging population, the incidence of cognitive dysfunction in diabetes mellitus is rising sharply. Oxidative stress is an important mechanism in the development of diabetic cognitive dysfunction. Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is the core transcription factor of antioxidative stress.

Carbon aerogel-based supercapacitors modified by hummers oxidation method.

Carbon aerogels of an inter-connected three-dimensional (3D) structure are a potential carbon material for supercapacitors. We report a new oxidation modification method to prepare a series of modified carbon aerogels (OM-CA) by Hummers oxidation method. Oxidation-modified carbon aerogels (OM-CA) are obtained from carbon aerogel powders oxidized by Hummers method.

Wetting Behaviors of a Nano-Droplet on a Rough Solid Substrate under Perpendicular Electric Field.

Molecular dynamic simulations were adopted to study the wetting properties of nanoscale droplets on rough silicon solid substrate subject to perpendicular electric fields. The effect of roughness factor and electric field strength on the static and dynamic wetting behaviors of a nano-droplet on a solid surface was investigated at the molecular level. Results show that the static contact angle tends to decrease slightly and show small difference with the increase of roughness factor, while it shows an obvious increase for the ramp-shaped surface because the appearing bottom space reduces the wettability of solid surface.

Effects of congestion on drivers' speed choice: Assessing the mediating role of state aggressiveness based on taxi floating car data.

Inappropriate cruising speed, such as speeding, is one of the major contributors to the road safety, which increases both the quantitative number and severity of traffic accidents. Previous studies have indicated that traffic congestion is one of the primary causes of drivers' frustration and aggression, which may lead to inappropriate speed choice. In this study, the large taxi floating car data (FCD) was used to empirically evaluate how traffic congestion-related negative moods, defined as state aggressiveness, affected drivers' speed choice.

The RhoA/ROCK pathway mediates high glucose-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via oxidative stress, JNK, and p38MAPK pathways.

Aims: To understand the roles of the RhoA/ROCK and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways in high glucose (HG)-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes.

Materials And Methods: Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium, supplemented with 5.5 or 30 mmol/L D-glucose, in the presence or absence of fasudil (50 or 100 μM), SB203580, SP600125, or PD98059 (10 μM, respectively).

Dorzagliatin monotherapy in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes: a dose-ranging, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study.

Background: Glucokinase acts as a glucose sensor in the pancreas and a glucose processor in the liver, and has a central role in glucose homoeostasis. Dorzagliatin is a new, dual-acting, allosteric glucokinase activator that targets both pancreatic and hepatic glucokinases. Dorzagliatin has good pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties in humans, and provides effective 24-h glycaemic control and improves glucose sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Effects of temperature, moisture, and metal salt content on dielectric properties of rice bran associated with radio frequency heating.

Dielectric heating including microwave (MW) and radio frequency (RF) energy has been regarded as alternative thermal treatments for food processing. To develop effective rice bran (RB) stabilization treatments based on RF and MW heating, dielectric properties (DPs) with dielectric constant (ε') and loss factor (ε″) of RB samples at frequencies (10-3000 MHz), temperatures (25-100 °C), moisture content (MC, 10.36-24.

Inactivation kinetics of food-borne pathogens subjected to thermal treatments: a review.

Thermal processing technologies are safe and easy to control methods without leaving residues, and could be used to inactivate food-borne pathogens, ensure food quality and provide the food with sufficient stability during storage. Establishing inactivation kinetics of food-borne pathogens is essential in developing effective pasteurisation protocols without damaging food quality. This study presents a comprehensive review of recent progresses in inactivation kinetics of food-borne pathogens.

Identifying possible non-thermal effects of radio frequency energy on inactivating food microorganisms.

Radio frequency (RF) heating has been successfully used for inactivating microorganisms in agricultural and food products. Athermal (non-thermal) effects of RF energy on microorganisms have been frequently proposed in the literature, resulting in difficulties for developing effective thermal treatment protocols. The purpose of this study was to identify if the athermal inactivation of microorganisms existed during RF treatments.

Effect of water activity and heating rate on Staphylococcus aureus heat resistance in walnut shells.

Water activity (a) and heating rate have shown important effects on the thermo-tolerance of pathogens in low moisture foods during thermal treatments. In this study, three strains were selected to compare the heat resistance in walnut shell powder and finally the most heat resistant S. aureus ATCC 25923 was chosen to investigate the influence of a and heating rate using a heating block system (HBS).

Continuous liquid fermentation of pretreated waste activated sludge for high rate volatile fatty acids production and online nutrients recovery.

Raw sludge was pretreated, and the separated sludge liquid was used as substrate in a continuous operated up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor to produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs). The highest VFA productivity of continuous fermentation with sludge liquid at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 10.0 kg COD/m/d was about 5.

Right-to-left shunt may be prone to affect the white matter integrity of posterior circulation in migraine without aura.

Numerous studies have indicated an association between migraine and right-to-left shunt. However, little is known about whether right-to-left shunt has an effect on the migraine brain. This observational study aims to explore the impact of right-to-left shunt on the brain of migraine without aura on microstructural level.

The cytoplasmic nuclear shuttling of Beclin 1 in neurons with Alzheimer's disease-like injury.

The abnormal expression of the autophagy-related protein Beclin 1 has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains, whereas the precise involvement of Caspase-mediated Beclin 1 cleavage in AD neurons has not yet been fully clarified. In this study, we investigated the distribution of Beclin 1 fragments in neurons with AD-like injury. Our results demonstrated that Beclin 1 was expressed in neurons but not in astrocytes in both neuron-glia co-cultures and in cortical tissue slices.

Downregulation of microRNA-145 may contribute to liver fibrosis in biliary atresia by targeting ADD3.

Background And Objectives: Biliary atresia (BA) is a pediatric liver disease characterized by fibro-obliteration and obstruction of the extrahepatic biliary system, that invariably leads to cirrhosis and even death, if left untreated for extended time. However, its pathology and etiology still remained unknown. In this study, we tested the expression of adducin 3 (ADD3), the gene identified as a susceptibility gene in BA by GWAS, and uncovered its upstream regulatory microRNA in the pathogenesis of BA.

Bacterial community diversity on in-shell walnut surfaces from six representative provinces in China.

Walnuts (Juglans regia) have been associated with foodborne illness outbreaks in recent years. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of bacteria on in-shell walnut surfaces from six representative provinces in China. The bacterial populations on walnut surfaces were investigated by high-throughput sequencing based on the bacterial 16 S rRNA hypervariable region V4.

Monitoring and analysis of coastal reclamation from 1995-2015 in Tianjin Binhai New Area, China.

Increasing coastal reclamation activities have been undertaken to solve the conflict between people and land resources, creating significant challenges for coordinating coastal reclamation, economic development and environmental protection. This paper analyzes the effects of coast reclamation on Gross Domestic Product growth and the quality of inshore seawater in the Tianjin Binhai New Area. Remote sensing and a Geographic Information System were used to extract the information of coastal reclamation.

A study of the application of Brain Atlas with and without +Gz acceleration conditions.

The purposes of this study were to utilize Brain Atlas to investigate the fluctuations in the characteristics of human EEG, with and without +Gz acceleration produced by human centrifuge, and also to examine the G load endurance of human body. The Brain Atlas of the EEG signal with and without +Gz acceleration in a static state were compared in order to reveal the correlation and differences. When compared with those in a static state, it was found that for the EEG readings of the subjects undergoing +Gz acceleration conditions, the energy and gray scale values of the low-frequency component-delta rhythm showed significant increases, while the energy and gray scale values of the high-frequency component-beta rhythm showed significant decreases.

Selection and Validation of Appropriate Reference Genes for Quantitative Real-Time PCR Normalization in Staminate and Perfect Flowers of Andromonoecious .

Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is the most commonly used and powerful method for gene expression analysis due to its high sensitivity, specificity, and high throughput, and the accuracy of this approach depends on the stability of reference genes used for normalization. Yu and Li (Rosaceae), an andromonoecious plant, produces both bisexual flowers and unisexual male flowers within the same individual. Using qRT-PCR technique, investigation of the gene expression profiling in staminate and perfect flowers would improve our understanding of the molecular mechanism in regulation of flower formation and sex differentiation in andromonoecious .

Novel insight into the relationship between organic substrate composition and volatile fatty acids distribution in acidogenic co-fermentation.

Background: Co-fermentation is an attractive technology for improving volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production by treatment of solid organic wastes. However, it remains unclear how the composition of different organic matters in solid waste influences the VFAs distribution, microbial community structure, and metabolic pathway during acidogenic co-fermentation. In this study, different organic wastes were added into waste activated sludge (WAS) as co-fermentation substrates to explore the impact of organic matter composition on VFAs pattern and the microbiological mechanism .

A Hierarchical Phosphorus Nanobarbed Nanowire Hybrid: Its Structure and Electrochemical Properties.

Nanostructured phosphorus-carbon composites are promising materials for Li-ion and Na-ion battery anodes. A hierarchical phosphorus hybrid, SiC@graphene@P, has been synthesized by the chemical vapor deposition of phosphorus on the surfaces of barbed nanowires, where the barbs are vertically grown graphene nanosheets and the cores are SiC nanowires. A temperature-gradient vaporization-condensation method has been used to remove the unhybridized phosphorus particles formed by homogeneous nucleation.