scholarly journals A case study comparing distillation technologies for plum palinka production

10.5219/1472 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 1191-1199
Author(s):  
Péter Korzenszky ◽  
Gábor Barátossy ◽  
László Székely ◽  
Gábor Géczi
Keyword(s):  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
Distillation Method ◽  
Sensory Testing ◽  
Rectification Column ◽  
Alcohol Content ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Accredited Laboratory ◽  
Very High

Palinka production has a long tradition in Hungary and the neighboring countries. Previously, the fruit distillate was produced exclusively using the traditional Pot-Still Double Distillation (PSDD) technology. This distillation method means, in practice, a simple fractional distillation repeated twice. However, in other industries, such as the petroleum industry or the pharmaceutical industry, a continuous, so-called repeated distillation procedure is used (RCDS – Rectification Column Distillation Systems). In the production of palinka, the latter procedure has gained more and more ground in recent years, thus displacing the traditional technology. In the territory of today’s Hungary, there are more than 16,000 registered private palinka distillers. However, based on public databases, it is not possible to know the proportion of the two different palinka making processes used in palinka production. The two processes differ to a large degree. The amount of hearts obtained using the continuous operation plate rectification column (RCDS) is lower, while its alcohol content is very high: 75 – 90 vol%, depending on the fruit. On the other hand, when using the traditional pot-still double distillation (PSDD) method, the amount of hearts is higher, but its alcohol content is lower (60 – 70%). The continuous procedure, also called single-stage, is faster. This is one of the reasons for its popularity because it makes production more economical. The objective of our research was to find out whether a significant difference could be detected between the two plum palinkas produced using the two different distillation technologies, based on current legal requirements. Our research also included sensory testing to determine whether consumers could distinguish between the products manufactured in different ways. Our analyses were carried out in 2019 in the accredited laboratory of the National Food Chain Safety Office and among the students and staff of the Gödöllő campus of Szent István University.

Attitudes toward the use of TELL tools in English language learning among Vietnamese Tertiary English majors

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 581-596
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Guided Learning ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
English Majors ◽  
Very High ◽  
Different Levels

Technology plays a crucial role in the self-guided learning of a second language in general and English in particular. Nevertheless, many students in different contexts still ignore the application of technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) tools in enhancing their foreign language proficiency. Therefore, this study is conducted to investigate the attitudes towards the use of TELL tools in English-language learning (ELL) among English majors at one university in Vietnam. To collect data, 197 English majors participated in finishing the questionnaire, and 20 students were invited to join the interviews. The findings are that the majority of students have positive attitudes towards the use of TELL tools and the frequency of using these tools is very high. In addition, the results also reveal that there is no significant difference in attitudes towards and frequency of using TELL tools in learning English in terms of the year of study. However, students of different levels of academic achievements have different attitudes towards using TELL tools and use TELL tools to learn English differently. Received 2nd May 2019; Revised 16th July 2019, Accepted 20th October 2019

Copper Concentrations in Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (37) ◽  
pp. 6373-6383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Jouybari ◽  
Faezeh Kiani ◽  
Farhad Islami ◽  
Akram Sanagoo ◽  
Fatemeh Sayehmiri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Breast Tissue ◽  
Reference Lists ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cancer Risks ◽  
Hair Samples ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mean Differences ◽  
Very High

: Breast cancer is the most common neoplasm, comprising 16% of all women's cancers worldwide. Research of Copper (Cu) concentrations in various body specimens have suggested an association between Cu levels and breast cancer risks. This systematic review and meta-analysis summarize the results of published studies and examine this association. We searched the databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar and the reference lists of relevant publications. The Standardized Mean Differences (SMDs) between Cu levels in cancer cases and controls and corresponding Confidence Intervals (CIs), as well as I2 statistics, were calculated to examine heterogeneity. Following the specimens used in the original studies, the Cu concentrations were examined in three subgroups: serum or plasma, breast tissue, and scalp hair. We identified 1711 relevant studies published from 1984 to 2017. There was no statistically significant difference between breast cancer cases and controls for Cu levels assayed in any studied specimen; the SMD (95% CI) was -0.01 (-1.06 - 1.03; P = 0.98) for blood or serum, 0.51 (-0.70 - 1.73; P = 0.41) for breast tissue, and -0.88 (-3.42 - 1.65; P = 0.50) for hair samples. However, the heterogeneity between studies was very high (P < 0.001) in all subgroups. We did not find evidence for publication bias (P = 0.91). The results of this meta-analysis do not support an association between Cu levels and breast cancer. However, due to high heterogeneity in the results of original studies, this conclusion needs to be confirmed by well-designed prospective studies.

scholarly journals Changes of Walking Activity During the First Cycle Phases of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Seoul, Korea

2021 ◽  
pp. 193758672110265
Author(s):  
Youngjun Park ◽  
Haekwon Chung ◽  
Sohyun Park
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Voluntary Participation ◽  
Walking Activity ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Acceleration And Deceleration ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
The Government

Aim: This study explores the changes in regular walking activities during the phases of the pandemic. Background: With the spread of COVID-19 transmission, people are refraining from going out, reducing their physical activity. In South Korea, COVID-19 broke out in the 4th week of 2020 and experienced the first cycle phases of the pandemic, such as outbreak, widespread, and decline. In response to the pandemic, the government encouraged voluntary participation in social distancing campaigns, and people reduced their outside activities. Methods: This article examines the decrease and increase of the Prevalence of Regular Walking (≥30 min of moderate walking a day, on ≥5 days a week) by the COVID-19 phases. This study is based on weekly walking data for 15 weeks in 2020, via the smartphone healthcare app, which is managed by 25 public health offices of the Seoul government. Results: According to the findings, the level of prevalence of regular walking (PRW) has a significant difference before and after the outbreak, and every interval of the four-stage COVID-19 phases, that is, pre-pandemic, initiation, acceleration, and deceleration. The level of PRW sharply decreased during initiation and acceleration intervals. In the deceleration interval of COVID-19, the PRW kept increasing, but it has not yet reached the same level as the previous year when the COVID-19 did not exist. Conclusions: As a preliminary study, this study explains empirically how COVID-19 changed PRW in Seoul. It would be helpful to enhance our understanding of the changes in physical inactivity in the pandemic period.

scholarly journals On the Average Coefficient of Dominance of Deleterious Spontaneous Mutations

Genetics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 155 (4) ◽  
pp. 1991-2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
A García-Dorado ◽  
A Caballero
Keyword(s):  
Deleterious Mutations ◽  
Spontaneous Mutations ◽  
Partial Dominance ◽  
High Viability ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Plausible Hypothesis ◽  
Average Coefficient ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Very High ◽  
Balancer Chromosome

Abstract T. Mukai and co-workers in the late 1960s and O. Ohnishi in the 1970s carried out a series of experiments to obtain direct estimates of the average coefficient of dominance (h¯) of minor viability mutations in Drosophila melanogaster. The results of these experiments, although inconsistent, have been interpreted as indicating slight recessivity of deleterious mutations, with h¯≈0.4. Mukai obtained conflicting results depending on the type of heterozygotes used, some estimates suggesting overdominance and others partial dominance. Ohnishi's estimates, based on the ratio of heterozygous to homozygous viability declines, were more consistent, pointing to the above value. However, we have reanalyzed Ohnishi's data, estimating h¯ by the regression method, and obtained a much smaller estimate of ~0.1. This significant difference can be due partly to the different weighting implicit in the estimates, but we suggest that this is not the only explanation. We propose as a plausible hypothesis that a putative nonmutational decline in viability occurring in the first half of Ohnishi's experiment (affecting both homozygotes and heterozygotes) has biased upward the estimates from the ratio, while it would not bias the regression estimates. This hypothesis also explains the very high h¯≈0.7 observed in Ohnishi's high-viability chromosomes. By constructing a model of spontaneous mutations using parameters in the literature, we investigate the above possibility. The results indicate that a model of few mutations with moderately large effects and h¯≈0.2 is able to explain the observed estimates and the distributions of homozygous and heterozygous viabilities. Accounting for an expression of mutations in genotypes with the balancer chromosome Cy does not alter the conclusions qualitatively.

scholarly journals Influence of Hydrogeochemistry on Tunnel Drainage in Evaporitic Formations: El Regajal Tunnel Case Study (Aranjuez, Spain)

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1505
Author(s):  
Ignacio Menéndez Pidal ◽  
Jose Antonio Mancebo Piqueras ◽  
Eugenio Sanz Pérez ◽  
Clemente Sáenz Sanz
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Saturation Index ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Under Construction ◽  
Underground Flow ◽  
Very High ◽  
Over Time

Many of the large number of underground works constructed or under construction in recent years are in unfavorable terrains facing unusual situations and construction conditions. This is the case of the subject under study in this paper: a tunnel excavated in evaporitic rocks that experienced significant karstification problems very quickly over time. As a result of this situation, the causes that may underlie this rapid karstification are investigated and a novel methodology is presented in civil engineering where the use of saturation indices for the different mineral specimens present has been crucial. The drainage of the rock massif of El Regajal (Madrid-Toledo, Spain, in the Madrid-Valencia high-speed train line) was studied and permitted the in-situ study of the hydrogeochemical evolution of water flow in the Miocene evaporitic materials of the Tajo Basin as a full-scale testing laboratory, that are conforms as a whole, a single aquifer. The work provides a novel methodology based on the calculation of activities through the hydrogeochemical study of water samples in different piezometers, estimating the saturation index of different saline materials and the dissolution capacity of the brine, which is surprisingly very high despite the high electrical conductivity. The circulating brine appears unsaturated with respect to thenardite, mirabilite, epsomite, glauberite, and halite. The alteration of the underground flow and the consequent renewal of the water of the aquifer by the infiltration water of rain and irrigation is the cause of the hydrogeochemical imbalance and the modification of the characteristics of the massif. These modifications include very important loss of material by dissolution, altering the resistance of the terrain and the increase of the porosity. Simultaneously, different expansive and recrystallization processes that decrease the porosity of the massif were identified in the present work. The hydrogeochemical study allows the evolution of these phenomena to be followed over time, and this, in turn, may facilitate the implementation of preventive works in civil engineering.

scholarly journals Comparative Evaluation of Orthostatic Hypotension in Patients with Diabetic Nephropathy

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Gamze Aytaş ◽  
Rümeyza Kazancıoğlu ◽  
Ömer C. Elçioğlu ◽  
Meltem Gürsu ◽  
A. Serra Artan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diabetic Nephropathy ◽  
Orthostatic Hypotension ◽  
Electronic Device ◽  
Channel Blockers ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Clinical Criteria ◽  
Measure Blood Pressure ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Male Patients ◽  
Very High

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Orthostatic hypotension (OH) affects 5–20% of the population. Our study investigates the presence of OH in diabetic nephropathy (DNP) patients and the factors affecting OH in comparison with nondiabetic chronic kidney disease (NDCKD) patients. <b><i>Method:</i></b> Patients presented to the nephrology clinic, and those who consented were included in the study. DNP was defined by kidney biopsy and/or clinical criteria. NDCKD patients of the same sex, age, and eGFR were matched to DNP patients. Demographic parameters and medications were obtained from the records. OH was determined by Mayo clinic criteria. The same researcher used an electronic device to measure blood pressure (BP). All samples were taken and analyzed the same day for biochemical and hematologic parameters and albuminuria. <b><i>Results:</i></b> 112 (51 F, 61 M, mean age: 62.56 ± 9.35 years) DNP and 94 (40 F, 54 M, mean age: 62.23 ± 10.08 years) NDCKD patients were included. There was no significant difference between DNP and NDCKD groups in terms of OH prevalence (70.5 vs. 61.7%, <i>p</i> = 0.181). Male patients had significantly higher OH prevalence than female patients (74.7 vs. 60.0%, <i>p</i> = 0.026). There was no significant difference in change in systolic BP between the groups (24.00 [10.00–32.00] mm Hg vs. 24.00 [13.75–30.25] mm Hg, <i>p</i> = 0.797), but the change in diastolic BP was significantly higher in the DNP group (8.00 [2.00–13.00] mm Hg vs. 6.00 [2.00–9.00] mm Hg, <i>p</i> = 0.025). In the DNP group, patients with OH had significantly higher uric acid levels than those without OH (7.18 ± 1.55 vs. 6.36 ± 1.65 mg/dL, <i>p</i> = 0.017). And, 73.7% of patients on calcium channel blockers developed OH (<i>p</i> = 0.015), and OH developed in 80.6% of 36 patients on alpha-blockers (<i>p</i> = 0.049). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> OH prevalence is very high in CKD, and etiology of CKD does not have a statistically significant effect on the frequency of OH, despite a difference that could be meaningful clinically. Therefore, patients with CKD are checked for OH, with or without concurrent diabetes mellitus. Evaluation of postural BP changes should be a part of nephrology practice.

scholarly journals Artificial life and ‘nature’s purposes’: The question of behavioral autonomy

Human Affairs ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-596
Author(s):  
Elena Popa
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Life ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Autonomous Behavior ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Behavioral Autonomy ◽  
Synthetic Life ◽  
Biological Organisms

AbstractThis paper investigates the concept of behavioral autonomy in Artificial Life by drawing a parallel to the use of teleological notions in the study of biological life. Contrary to one of the leading assumptions in Artificial Life research, I argue that there is a significant difference in how autonomous behavior is understood in artificial and biological life forms: the former is underlain by human goals in a way that the latter is not. While behavioral traits can be explained in relation to evolutionary history in biological organisms, in synthetic life forms behavior depends on a design driven by a research agenda, further shaped by broader human goals. This point will be illustrated with a case study on a synthetic life form. Consequently, the putative epistemic benefit of reaching a better understanding of behavioral autonomy in biological organisms by synthesizing artificial life forms is subject to doubt: the autonomy observed in such artificial organisms may be a mere projection of human agency. Further questions arise in relation to the need to spell out the relevant human aims when addressing potential social or ethical implications of synthesizing artificial life forms.

scholarly journals Randomised trial on clinical performances and biocompatibility of four high-flux hemodialyzers in two mode treatments: hemodialysis vs post dilution hemodiafiltration

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Morena ◽  
Caroline Creput ◽  
Mouloud Bouzernidj ◽  
Annie Rodriguez ◽  
Lotfi Chalabi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Outcome ◽  
Randomised Trial ◽  
High Flux ◽  
Β2 Microglobulin ◽  
Inflammatory Parameters ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Good Biocompatibility ◽  
Very High ◽  
Solute Clearance

AbstractThis prospective multicenter randomized comparative cross-over trial aimed at evaluating the influence of hemodialysis vs post-dilution hemodiafiltration with high-flux dialyzers in solute clearance and biocompatibility profile. 32 patients were sequentially dialyzed with Leoceed-21HX, Polypure-22S+, Rexsys-27H and VIE-21A. Primary outcome was β2-microglobulin removal. Secondary outcomes were (i) extraction of other uremic solutes (ii) parameters of inflammation and nutrition and (iii) comparative quantification of perdialytic albumin losses (using total ‘TDC’ vs partial ‘PDC’ collection of dialysate). Significant increases in removal rates of β2-microglobulin (84.7 ± 0.8 vs 71.6 ± 0.8 mg/L), myoglobin (65.9 ± 1.3 vs 38.6 ± 1.3 µg/L), free immunoglobulin light chains Kappa (74.9 ± 0.8 vs 55.6 ± 0.8 mg/L), β-trace protein (54.8 ± 1.3 vs 26.8 ± 1.4 mg/L) and orosomucoid (11.0 ± 1.1 vs 6.0 ± 1.1 g/L) but not myostatin (14.8 ± 1.5 vs 13.0 ± 1.5 ng/mL) were observed in HDF compared to HD when pooling all dialyzers. Rexsys and VIE-A use in both HD and HDF subgroups was associated to a better removal of middle/large-size molecules compared to Leoceed and Polypure, except β2-microglobulin for Rexsys. Inflammatory parameters were unchanged between dialyzers without any interaction with dialysis modality. Mean dialysate albumin loss was comparable between TDC and PDC (1.855 vs 1.826 g/session for TDC and PDC respectively). In addition, a significant difference in albumin loss was observed between dialyzers with the highest value (4.5 g/session) observed using Rexsys. Use of all dialyzers was associated with good removals of the large spectrum of uremic toxins tested and good biocompatibility profiles, with an additional gain in removal performances with HDF. Larger surface area, thinner wall and resultant very high ultrafiltration coefficient of Rexsys should be taken into account in its clear performance advantages.

Host and backpacker perceptions of environmental impacts of backpacker tourism: A case study of the Yasawa Islands, Fiji

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Supattra Sroypetch ◽  
Neil Carr ◽  
Tara Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Less Developed Countries ◽  
Significant Difference

This paper examines host and backpacker perceptions of the environmental impacts of backpacker tourism on local communities in less-developed countries. The discussion is based on data collected in 2011 via surveys and interviews with host and backpacker populations in the Yasawa Islands of Fiji. The results suggest that there is a significant difference between the perceptions of hosts and their guests towards the environmental impacts of backpacker tourism. Backpackers believe that they generate a higher extent of negative environmental impacts on the destination than those perceived by their hosts. This study broadens the understanding of the impacts of backpacker tourism from dual perspectives – both the hosts and guests.

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