Influence of Heating and Sodium Acidic Polyphosphate on Inhibition of Salmonella Enteritidis and Lactobacillus Rhamnosus in Pomelo Juice

The research focused on the heat resistance of Salmonella Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) and Lactobacillus rhamnosus (L. rhamnosus) in pomelo juice. Sodium acidic polyphosphate was used to enhance the inhibition of these bacteria in heat treatment of pomelo juice. Temperature increased from 52 to 58°C, D-values of S. Enteritidis decreased from 1.94 to 0.15 min. With L. rhamnosus, D value reduced from 0.15 to 0.72 min when the temperature increased from 60 to 75°C. Z values of L. rhamnosus and S. Enteritidis were 16.31 and 5.37°C, respectively. It means that heat resistance of L. rhamnosus is more than that of S. Enteritidis. Adding 0.1% of sodium acidic polyphosphate significantly enhanced the inhibition of S. Enteritidis and L. rhamnosus in the heating treatment of pomelo juice. The result can be applied for pasteurization of pomelo juice.

Investigation of the Size Effects on the Elongation of Ti-2.5Al-1.5Mn Foils with Digital Image Correlation Method

The increasing demand for parts with a large specific surface area such as fuel panels has put forward higher requirements for the plasticity of foils. However, the deformation characteristics of foils is hard to be illustrated in-depth due to their very short deformation process. In this paper, the digital image correlation method was applied to investigate the influence of size effect on the elongation of Ti-2.5Al-1.5Mn foils. The results showed that the elongation of Ti-2.5Al-1.5Mn foils increased with the decrease in the ratio of thickness-to-grain diameter (t/d value). Then, the macro deformation distribution of foils was analyzed, combined with their microstructure characteristics, and it was found that the increasing influence of individual grain heterogeneity leads to the earlier formation of a concentrated deformation zone, which changes the deformation mode of foils. The concentrated deformation increases with the decrease in t/d value, thus dominating the trend of the foil elongation. Furthermore, the homogeneous deformation and concentrated deformation can be divided into two different zones by a certain critical t/d value. These results provide a basis for understanding and further exploration of the deformation behavior of titanium foils.

Evaluation of Aortic Distensibility in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver using CT

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has attracted considerable attention with continuously increasing morbidity. Objective: To evaluate the aortic distensibility in patients with non-diabetes and hypertension-type nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) through dual-source computed tomography(DSCT). Method: 120 patients with NAFLD (experimental group) and 30 healthy subjects (control group) were consecutively enrolled in the study. In the two groups, aortic distensibility was calculated as follows: D = △A/(A0 ×△p). Record fasting insulin, fasting blood glucose, fasting lipid status, age, heart rate, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure. Calculate homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and body mass index (BMI). A comparative analysis between the two groups was carried out, followed by correlation analysis between D value and risk factors. Results: D value and liver attenuation of the patients in the NAFLD group were significantly reduced relative to those in the control group (2.24±0.63×10-3mmHg-1 vs. 3.19±0.86×10-3mmHg-1, P＜0.001 and 41±6HU vs. 53±5HU, P＜0.001, respectively) and their fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, HOMA-IR, and BMI were higher than those in the control group. Liver attenuation, HOMA-IR, age, and BMI were significantly correlated with D value in the NAFLD group. The stepwise multiple linear regression analysis indicates that Liver attenuation and HOMA-IR were the significant risk factors for D value (β coefficient =0.43, P =0.001, and β coefficient =-0.33, P =0.02, respectively). Conclusion: Patients with NAFLD suffer from a reduction in aortic distensibility, and insulin resistance may play a significant role in the early atherosclerosis stage.

Enhancing Most Essential Learning Competency (Melc) in English 9 Using The Skills-Based Learning Material

The skills-based learning material was made and studied by the researcher due to sudden changes in education in a time of the pandemic. The main focus of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the skills-based learning material for English 9. This study used the pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design, which falls under the quasi-experimental design. On the test of significant difference between the formative mean scores of the experimental and comparison groups, it was found out that the formative tests had a significant effect on the respondents' learning performance at p 0.01 level. Additionally, the posttest mean scores of each group; got the 0.01 level of significance, as well as the pretest and posttest mean scores of each group. Moreover, based on the computed Cohen's d value of 1.16, the effect size of the learning material to the students' performance is large compared to the comparison group that shows a small effect size at 0.31 Cohen's d value. Generally, there is a significant difference between the formative test of the two groups with the average and high mean scores, respectively. There is also a significant difference between the posttest mean scores of the two groups and as well between the pre-test and post-test mean scores. Moreover, Cohen's effect size value of 1.16 suggested a large effect of the material on the respondents' learning performance. As for recommendations, there is a need for the teacher to incorporate the 21st Century Skills into learning competencies.

QTL mapping of drought tolerance at germination stage in wheat using the 50 K SNP array

Drought is a major concern among abiotic stresses in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production. Breeding resistant cultivars are the most effective means to manage drought stress. F6 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from the cross of Berkut/Worrakatta were used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for drought tolerance at germination stage under treatment of PEG6000 using the wheat 50 K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. Twenty-eight linkage groups were constructed, covering a length of 2220.26 cM. Eighteen QTL were detected based on the drought tolerance coefficients and D-value, explaining 2.7–6.5% of the phenotypic variances, in which 15 were likely to be novel. Three QTL, QGR.xjau-5AS, QCL.xjau-5AS and QD.xjau-5AS for GR, CL and D-value, respectively, at physical positions of 11.70–20.61 Mb between markers AX-111258240 and AX-94458300 on chromosome 5AS accounted for 3.4–4.8% of the phenotypic variances. Three QTL, QGP.xjau-5DL, QSH.xjau-5DL and QD.xjau-5DL for GP, SH and D-value, respectively, were flanked by markers AX-94524442 and AX-110998507 at 560.42–567.39 Mb on chromosome 5DL, accounting for 4.4–6.5% of the phenotypic variances. In addition, the candidate genes TraesCS5A02G022100, TraesCS5B02G014200 and TraesCS5D02G563900 were predicted. Based on transcriptional expression data, the results showed that the expression level of TaGATAs-5A, TaUbox-5B and TaGSTP-5D changed with the increase of treatment time under drought stress in tolerant and sensitive varieties. These are interesting targets in mining drought tolerance genes and the improvement of drought tolerance in wheat.

Prediction of the Recurrence of Non-Functioning Pituitary Adenomas Using Preoperative Supra-Intra Sellar Volume and Tumor-Carotid Distance

BackgroundCurrently, it is difficult to estimate the possibility of recurrence of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs). Markers such as Ki-67 or transcription factors rely on postoperative pathology, while few indices can be used for preoperative prediction. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the predictive effectiveness of supra-intrasellar volume and tumor-carotid distance based on measurements derived from preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data.MethodNinety-eight cases of NFPAs were evaluated, along with their clinical characteristics and MRI features. Four radiologic indices were analyzed, including intrasellar tumor volume, suprasellar tumor volume, maximum horizontal tumor diameter, and intercarotid distance. The ratio of supra-intrasellar volume and ratio of tumor-carotid distance were measured using 3D Slicer software, and the sum of two ratios was defined as the V-D value. The correlation between recurrence and multiple factors was analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis, and ROC curves were used to estimate the prognostic performance of radiologic measurements in NFPAs.ResultThe supra-intrasellar volume ratio, tumor-carotid distance ratio and V-D value were significantly correlated with the recurrence of NFPAs. The predictive importance of the V-D value reached 84.5%, with a sensitivity of 83.7% and specificity of 67.3%. The cutoff limit of the V-D value was 1.53, and patients with V-D values higher than 1.53 tended to relapse much earlier.ConclusionThe V-D value has predictive importance for the recurrence of NFPAs preoperatively. Patients with higher V-D values will undergo recurrence earlier and should be given greater consideration in terms of surgery and follow-up time.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Salt Tolerance in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm at the Germination Stage

Salt stress reduces the yield and quality of rice. It is of great significance to screen out salt-tolerant varieties for the development and utilization of saline land. The study was carried out on 114 rice varieties; first, seven varieties were selected and treated with different salt concentrations (0, 50, 85, 120, 155, 190, 225 mM), and seven traits, including germination energy, germination capacity, shoot length, root length, root number, plant fresh weight, and seedling vigor index, were measured. The salt concentration at which the sodium chloride injury index was 50% of the control was considered the optimal salt concentration. Second, 114 rice germplasms were carried out under an optimal salt concentration (120 mM). Then, principal component analysis, fuzzy function analysis, stepwise regression analysis, correlation analysis, and systematic cluster analysis were carried out on each parameter. There was a significant correlation between each parameter and the D-value, and the correlation coefficient between the seedling vigor index and D-value was the highest. D-value = − 0.272 + 1.335 × STI − SVI + 0.549 × STI − RN − 0.617 × STI-RL + 0.073 × STI − GE, R2 = 0.986. Using this equation, the sodium chloride tolerance of rice in the germination experiment could be quickly identified. This study showed that the seedling vigor index was a reliable parameter to identify the salinity tolerance of rice varieties. Five groups were obtained by classification at a Euclidean distance of 5. There were 8 highly salt-tolerant cultivars, 23 salt-tolerant cultivars, 42 cultivars with moderate salt tolerance, 33 salt-sensitive cultivars, and 8 highly salt-sensitive cultivars. In this study, we found that Riguang was the most salt-tolerant rice variety, and Xiangxuejing15 was the most salt-sensitive variety.

Durable Modification of Wood by Benzoylation—Proof of Covalent Bonding by Solution State NMR and DOSY NMR Quick-Test

A convenient, broadly applicable and durable wood protection was recently published by Kaufmann and Namyslo. This procedure efficiently allows for esterification of wood hydroxyl groups with (1H-benzotriazolyl)-activated functionalized benzoic acids. The result of such wood-modifying reactions is usually monitored by an increase in mass of the wood material (weight percent gain value, WPG) and by infrared spectroscopy (IR). However, diagnostic IR bands suffer from overlap with naturally occurring ester groups, mainly in the hemicellulose part of unmodified wood. In contrast to known NMR spectroscopy approaches that use the non-commonly available solid state techniques, herein we present solution state NMR proof of the covalent attachment of our organic precursors to wood. The finding is based on a time-efficient, non-uniformly sampled (NUS) solution state 1H,13C-HMBC experiment that only needs a tenth of the regular recording time. The appropriate NMR sample of thoroughly dissolved modified wood was prepared by a mild and non-destructive method. The 2D-HMBC shows a specific cross-signal caused by spin–spin coupling over three bonds from the ester carbonyl carbon atom to the α‑protons of the esterified wood hydroxyl groups. This specific coupling pathway requires a covalent bonding as a conditio sine qua non. An even more rapid test to monitor the covalent bonding was achieved with an up-to-date diffusion-ordered spectroscopy sequence (Oneshot—DOSY) based on 1H or 19F as the sensitive nucleus. The control experiment in a series of DOSY spectra gave a by far higher D value of (1.22 ± 0.06)∙10−10 m2∙s−1, which is in accordance with fast diffusion of the “free” and thus rapidly moving small precursor molecule provided as its methyl ester. In the case of a covalent attachment to wood, a significantly smaller D value of (0.12 ± 0.01)∙10−10 m2∙s−1 was obtained.

Research on Anti-Scourability of Slope Eroded Soil

Purpose - Soil aggregates are of great significance to soil and water conservation and ecological environment construction in arid area of northwest district．Methods - Exploring the effects of different vegetation includes types and land use methods on the stability of soil aggregates in the Loess Plateau, and provide reference for the rational use and management of land, also the improvement of soil structure in the region. Select 9 types of samples of 0-30 cm of typical soil plots as the research objects, compare and analyze the particle size index, stability differences and anti-erodibility of soil aggregates under various vegetation cover. Results - The results show that P value, MWD value, GMD value, D value, and AI value of the 0-10cm surface soil all show the maximum value. As the depth increases, the size distribution of the above index values of each soil sample in the 10-20cm and 20-30cm layers is different; P value in the 0-30cm depth layer is linearly positively correlated with the AI value and MWD value, and linearly negatively correlated with the D value. The correlation coefficient R between each variable is in the range of 0.78-0.97, and the D value reflects the Loess Plateau area stability and erosion resistance of soil aggregates better. GMD and MWD value show an exponential relationship, the correlation coefficient R value of 10-20cm height layer is 0.46; AI and MWD value in 0-10cm, 20-30cm height layer have a power function relationship, 10-20cm height layer has a polynomial function, the correlation coefficient R value is 0.97. The scour coefficient of different soil samples has a high degree of dispersion, the maximum CV value is 1.92, and the minimum value is 0.49. Conclusions - The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis for the ecological and hydrological benefit evaluation of slope erosion control and vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau.