Spatiotemporal Variation and Influence Factors of Habitat Quality in Loess Hilly and Gully Area of Yellow River Basin: A Case Study of Liulin County, China

China has set up ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin as its national strategy. However, the fragile natural ecosystem and intensive human disturbances pose challenges to it. This study evaluates habitat quality change and analyzes its drivers in a representative county of this region, aiming to provide scientific basis for ecological protection and sustainable development. We took Liulin, a representative county of middle Yellow River Basin as the study area and evaluated the spatiotemporal variation of habitat quality from 2000 to 2020 with the InVEST model. Further, the influencing factors of habitat quality pattern were explored using GeoDetector, and their gradient ranges dominating the habitat quality change were determined by gradient analysis. The results showed that: (1) Areas of low and medium-low habitat quality grades were distributed interactively in the whole county; medium grade areas were scattered in the northeast and southwest parts of the county; and medium-high and high grades area were distributed sporadically along the Yellow River and its branches. (2) Habitat quality of the county almost unchanged from 2000 to 2010. However, from 2010 to 2020, with the rapid expansion of construction land (increased by 9.62 times), the area proportion of medium, medium-high, and high habitat quality grades decreased from 7.01% to 5.31%, while that of low and medium-low habitat quality grades increased from 92.99% to 94.69%. (3) The habitat quality was influenced by multiple natural-human factors. The main influencing factor was land use, followed by elevation. (4) Most changes of habitat quality occurred in areas with lower elevation, gentler slope, and higher vegetation coverage, which were affected by intensive human activities. These results suggest that in future land use policy making and, the construction land expansion in Liulin County should be restricted and differentiated ecological protection and restoration strategies should be implemented in areas with different habitat quality.

Use of Protein Content, Amylose Content, and RVA Parameters to Evaluate the Taste Quality of Rice

Taste quality of rice is the key to its value. However, it is greatly affected by rice types and the environment. It is a complex but necessary factor to accurately evaluate the taste quality of various types of rice in different environments. In this study, 7 different types of rice with different taste values were used as materials, and 12 nitrogen fertilizer treatments were applied to obtain 84 different rice taste values. We used protein content, amylose content, and RVA to evaluate changes in the taste value of rice. Rice with high taste value tended to have higher amylose content, peak viscosity, hold viscosity, final viscosity, and breakdown, as well as lower protein content, pasting temperature, and peak time. Protein and amylose contents affected the taste value of rice by affecting the RVA profiles except for setback. For high and low taste-value rice types, protein content could explain 66.8 and 42.9% of the variation in taste value, respectively. In the case of medium taste-value type, protein content was not enough to evaluate the taste quality of rice. Stickiness could explain 59.6% of the variation in taste value. When the protein content of rice was less than 6.61% or greater than 9.34%, it could be used to reflect the taste quality of rice. When the protein content was in between the two, protein content was not enough to reflect the taste quality of rice. Our results suggested that protein content could better reflect the taste quality change for rice, which provided a theoretical and technical basis for the accurate evaluation of the taste value of various types of rice.

Effects of Storage Conditions on Quality Change of Minimally Dried Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) Bulbs

Quality of minimally processed jackfruit bulb was evaluated during storage at different storage times, temperatures, and types of packaging. The jackfruit pulps were first dried at 45 °C, stored in polypropylene plastics, zipper bags and plastic boxes. Quality parameters were evaluated every 5 days and based on phytochemical changes such as vitamin C, polyphenol, and antioxidant activity. Results revealed that polypropylene plastics were the best packaging product for retention of vitamin C content (5.837 mg/100g) antioxidant activity (7.458%) and phenolic compounds (2526.603mg/100g) after 30 days of storage. Figures for plastic boxes were 5.641 mg/100g, 5.249% and 2361.657 mg/100g, respectively. Similarly, zipper bags were 5.32 mg/100g, 5.895 % and 2173.867 mg/100g respectively. Sensory evaluation in terms of taste, color, texture, and overall acceptability showed that polypropylene packaging gave favorable scores and the products were highly accepted by trained evaluators.

Modelling the complexity of pandemic-related lifestyle quality change and mental health: an analysis of a nationally representative UK general population sample

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way many individuals go about their daily lives. This study attempted to model the complexity of change in lifestyle quality as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its context within the UK adult population. Methods Data from the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium Study (Wave 3, July 2020; N = 1166) were utilised. A measure of COVID-19-related lifestyle change captured how individuals’ lifestyle quality had been altered as a consequence of the pandemic. Exploratory factor analysis and latent profile analysis were used to identify distinct lifestyle quality change subgroups, while multinomial logistic regression analysis was employed to describe class membership. Results Five lifestyle dimensions, reflecting partner relationships, health, family and friend relations, personal and social activities, and work life, were identified by the EFA, and seven classes characterised by distinct patterns of change across these dimensions emerged from the LPA: (1) better overall (3.3%), (2) worse except partner relations (6.0%), (3) worse overall (2.5%), (4) better relationships (9.5%), (5) better except partner relations (4.3%), (6) no different (67.9%), and (7) worse partner relations only (6.5%). Predictor variables differentiated membership of classes. Notably, classes 3 and 7 were associated with poorer mental health (COVID-19 related PTSD and suicidal ideation). Conclusions Four months into the pandemic, most individuals’ lifestyle quality remained largely unaffected by the crisis. Concerningly however, a substantial minority (15%) experienced worsened lifestyles compared to before the pandemic. In particular, a pronounced deterioration in partner relations seemed to constitute the more severe pandemic-related lifestyle change.

Clogging and Water Quality Change Effects of Typical Metal Pollutants under Intermittent Managed Aquifer Recharge Using Urban Stormwater

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) using urban stormwater facilitates relieving water supply pressure, restoring the ecological environment, and developing sustainable water resources. However, compared to conventional water sources, such as river water and lake water, MAR using urban stormwater is a typically intermittent recharge mode. In order to study the clogging and water quality change effects of Fe, Zn, and Pb, the typical mental pollutants in urban stormwater, a series of intermittent MAR column experiments were performed. The results show that the type of pollutant, the particle size of the medium and the intermittent recharge mode have significant impacts on the pollutant retention and release, which has led to different clogging and water quality change effects. The metals that are easily retained in porous media have greater potential for clogging and less potential for groundwater pollution. The fine medium easily becomes clogged, but it is beneficial in preventing groundwater contamination. There is a higher risk of groundwater contamination for a shallow buried aquifer under intermittent MAR than continuous MAR, mainly because of the de-clogging effect of porous media during the intermittent period.

Technical and operational characteristics of GPS radiosounding system in the upper air network of IMD

In recent years, the upper air radiosounding system based on Global Positioning System (GPS) is used as an effective method. GPS receiving device in a Radiosonde improves observation accuracy, allowing simplification of ground equipment. To get improved quality of upper air data, ten stations have been upgraded with new upper air systems based on GPS. This paper describes the upper air radiosounding system that adopts the GPS. After the introduction of GPS Radiosonde in the network at 10 places, data quality has improved substantially at these stations, which has been validated by National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). In all cases the quality change has been remarkable and as a result black list tag is removed by ECMWF for the Indian GPS stations.

Influence of biochemical properties of raw materials on quality change of low-salted fish products

The article defines the influence of biochemical properties of raw materials on the quality change of low-salted fish products packed in conditions of a modified medium. The main reasons for the quality deterioration of low-salted fish products are described. Possible directions for increasing the stability of low-salt fish products during storage are given. The level of activity of tissue proteolytic enzymes is one of the main factors that characterizes the maturation rate of salted fish, and the mass fraction of fat can determine the degree of influence of carbon dioxide on muscle tissue during storage. Accordingly, the results of the examination of the initial fish raw materials, namely the mass fraction of fat and enzymatic activity of muscle tissue, are highlighted. We found that fish raw materials had significant differences in both the mass fraction of fat and the activity of enzymes. The results of the investigation of physicochemical parameters in salted fish products packed in conditions of a modified medium are highlighted. The initial composition of the gas mixture: 40% carbon dioxide with 60% dinitrogen. High barrier packages were used for packaging. The results of experimental studies have shown that in terms of changes in qualitative indicators, the packaging of salted fish in conditions of a modified medium is the most effective for products from low-fat raw materials with low total acidity and activity of proteolytic enzymes.

Effect of post-harvest temperature of tomato ‘Rinka 409’ on quality and autofluorescence during overripening

Japanese tomato cultivar ‘Rinka 409’ is suitable for harvesting at a fully ripe stage since it remains firm at the stage, resulting in longer shelf life. However, it is difficult to estimate the quality change because its color does not change after the fully ripe stage. For ‘Momotaro,’ we previously proposed a fluorescence-based indicator of overripening; however, its suitability for another cultivar, ‘Rinka 409’, and its relationship with temperature and quality were unclear. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the appropriateness of this fluorescence-based index for the above purposes. In 2021, 45 tomato seedlings planted in 2020 were harvested at the fully ripe stage and used for experiments. Weight loss and firmness were evaluated to determine the quality of the tomatoes. The post-harvest temperatures were set as 10, 17, and 25 °C. The results showed that the rate of weight loss increased linearly, whereas the firmness decreased exponentially. For non-destructive estimation of these properties, the excitation-emission matrix (EEM) was measured in the range of 250–460 nm and 280–750 nm for the excitation and emission, respectively. ‘Rinka 409’ showed a strong fluorescence emission at 400 nm/620 nm of the excitation/emission, respectively, regardless of days and temperature. The fluorescence intensity, as well as the firmness, decreased exponentially. Thus, a linear relationship was observed between them. The firmness of ‘Rinka 409’ can be estimated using a simpler linear regression model using this method than previous researches.