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Cerebrovascular disease (CEVD) accounts for the second leading cause of death worldwide. Despite recent advancements in treatment strategies, the prevalence and cost associated with CEVD are rising. Atherosclerosis significantly contributes to CEVD risk by restricting cerebral blood flow, leading to ischemic stroke. This study aims to analyze trends in atherosclerosis-associated CEVD mortality in the United States from 1999 to 2020 to inform targeted prevention and management strategies. We examined death certificates sourced from the CDC WONDER database, from 1999 to 2020 to identify atherosclerosis-associated CEVD mortality. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 persons and annual percent changes were reported. A total of 325,401 deaths occurred from CEVD among adults with atherosclerosis from 1999 to 2020 in the US. The overall AAMR initially inclined from 10.9 in 1999 to 12.6 in 2001, followed by a decrease to 4.2 in 2016, and then a rise till 2020 was observed. Males had consistently higher AAMRs than females throughout the study period (Men = 11.9 vs Women = 10.1). When stratified by race, AAMRs were highest among non-Hispanic (NH) Whites (6.9), followed by NH American Indian/Alaska Native (10.9), NH Blacks/African Americans (6.6), Hispanics (4.9), and lastly by Asian/Pacific Islanders (4.2). The Western region had the highest mortality (AAMR: 7.7). The CEVD mortality rates of adults with atherosclerosis- are increasing in the adult U.S. population. This underscores the need for increased screening, aggressive management, and subsequent surveillance of patients at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tricuspid Regurgitation (TR) occurs when the tricuspid valve leaflets do not close properly, causing blood to flow backward from the right ventricle to the right atrium, leading to serious health issues like biventricular heart failure. • TriClip™ G4 system by Abbott was recently approved by FDA. It is a transcatheter edge-to-edge heart valve repair system that offers a minimally invasive alternative to open-heart surgery, guided by transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE). This review covers the main aspects of the system, including its benefits and drawbacks. Additionally, it offers a comparison between TriClip G4 and traditional TR treatments. Tricuspid valve regurgitation, or TR, is a difficult-to-manage condition. In addition to EVOQUE, percutaneous annuloplasty, and surgical repair, the TriClip G4 system has been added to the interventional therapeutic choices for TR. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of the TriClip G4 device to treat patients with symptomatic, severe TR who have received optimal medication therapy but are at intermediate or higher risk of surgery. This review attempts to offer a thorough examination of the procedural features, learning curves, results of the device and compares the TriClip G4 system to other interventional therapies for TR. TriClip G4 has shown to have promising results in pivotal clinical trials, be cost-effective, and improve the quality of life of patients. Furthermore, it has its unique advantages against other conventional techniques and devices. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A new HPP method was developed based on low temperature and short time. • HPP improved color whilst reducing lipid and protein oxidation of duck breast samples. • HPP yielded larger fast-relaxation 1 H1 compartments, thus improved texture. • HPP significantly reduced bacterial numbers, enabling RTE duck meat product. • PCA revealed interactions of functional properties with physicochemical attributes. Abstract Since high-temperature cooking (>95 °C) deteriorates duck meat quality, a lower temperature (70 °C) with high-pressure (400 MPa) were investigated. Duck breast was subjected to salting/pickling treatment prior to heating-alone (70 °C) or HPP with heating (P + H) for 10 or 20 min. These were compared with a Cooked-control (80 °C at 0.1 MPa). Compared with Control, the P + H method resulted in improved meat color (p < 0.05). Low-field NMR indicated that P + H contributed to protonation due to inward shift of proton equilibrium. Moreover, P + H significantly decreased MDA equivalents (TBARS) and carbonyl contents, but increased sulfhydryl contents. The protonation under P + H produced an antioxidant-like effect due to strengthening of H-bonds and recycling of thiols. PCA revealed that changes in proton relaxation of P + H samples affected extents of lipid and protein oxidation, hence influenced product color and texture. This P + H method exhibited potential as a minimal thermal processing method for duck meat, with enhanced product quality and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) impact multiple aspects of an individual's functioning, including social interactions, communication, and behaviors. The underlying biological mechanisms of NDDs are not yet fully understood, and pharmacological treatments have been limited in their effectiveness, in part due to the complex nature of these disorders and the heterogeneity of symptoms across individuals. Identifying genetic loci associated with NDDs can help in understanding biological mechanisms and potentially lead to the development of new treatments. However, the polygenic nature of these complex disorders has made identifying new treatment targets from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) challenging. Recent advances in the fields of big data and high-throughput tools have provided radically new insights into the underlying biological mechanism of NDDs. This paper reviews various big data approaches, including classical and more recent techniques like deep learning, which can identify potential treatment targets from GWAS and other omics data, with a particular emphasis on NDDs. We also emphasize the increasing importance of explainable and causal machine learning (ML) methods that can aid in identifying genes, molecular pathways, and more complex biological processes that may be future targets of intervention in these disorders. We conclude that these new developments in genetics and ML hold promise for advancing our understanding of NDDs and identifying novel treatment targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variable network conditions of end-users demand different resolutions, formats, and bitrate versions of videos to be delivered over the network. Fetching each video from the Content Delivery Network (CDN) burdens all network layers. A promising solution is to leverage Mobile Edge Computing (MEC). This paper presents a Machine Learning based caching and transcoding model, which helps release the burden on the backhaul links of the network. The purposed scheme contains a task scheduler and time estimator. The time estimator predicts the job's transcoding time based on the Virtual Machines (VMs) load. The task scheduler maps the transcoding task to different VMs regarding the cost feasibility, Quality of Service (QoS) of the users, and the cost-to-performance ratio of VMs. For this purpose, we prepare a dataset of 500 videos and transcode each video in every lower representation using Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). The time estimator is trained on 77% of the video dataset containing more than 80,000 transcoding time data of different videos. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme outperforms its counterparts in terms of cost, average delay perceived by the user, and backhaul burden. [Display omitted] • Analysis of the cost feasibility for edge-transcoding for on-demand videos. • Development of a scheduler that maps the transcoding tasks to different VMs. • Machine-learning-based decision to pull content from CDN or transcode at the edge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable and safe management of aquaculture sediments is of great concern. Biochar (BC) and fishpond sediments (FPS) are rich in organic carbon and nutrients and thus can be used as soil amendments; however, it is not fully explored how the biochar amended fishpond sediments can affect soil properties/fertility and modulate plant physiological and biochemical changes, particularly under contamination stress. Therefore, a comprehensive investigation was carried out to explore the effects of FPS and BC-treated FPS (BFPS) on soil and on spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) grown in chromium (Cr) contaminated soils. Addition of FPS and BFPS to soil caused an increase in nutrients content and reduced Cr levels in soil, which consequently resulted in a significant increase in plant biomass, chlorophyll pigments, and photosynthesis, over the control treatment. The most beneficial effect was observed with the BFPS applied at 35 %, which further increased the antioxidant enzymes (by 2.75-fold, at minimum), soluble sugars by 24.9 %, and upregulated the gene expression activities. However, the same treatment significantly decreased proline content by 74.9 %, Malondialdehyde by 65.6 %, H 2 O 2 by 65.1 %, and Cr concentration in spinach root and shoot tissues. Moreover, the average daily intake analysis showed that BFPS (at 35 %) could effectively reduce human health risks associated with Cr consumption of leafy vegetables. In conclusion, these findings are necessary to provide guidelines for the reutilization of aquaculture sediments as an organic fertilizer and a soil amendment for polluted soils. However, more future field studies are necessary to provide guidelines and codes on aquaculture sediments reutilization as organic fertilizer and soil amendment for polluted soils, aiming for a more sustainable food system in China and globally, with extended benefits to the ecosystem and human. [Display omitted] • Rational reuse of aquaculture sediments as fertilizer has been examined in this study. • Fishpond sediments (FPS) and biochar treated-FPS (BFPS) improved soil properties. • FPS and BFPS increased soil nutrients, plant growth indices, and reduced Cr uptake. • BFPS enhanced chlorophyll, antioxidant enzymes, and soluble sugars content in plants. • BFPS reduced human health risks associated with Cr consumption of leafy vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient environmental remediation of toxic chemicals using effective sorbents has received considerable attention recently. For the present study, the synthesis of a red mud/biochar (RM/BC) composite was performed from rice straw with the aim of achieving Pb(II) removal from wastewater. Characterization was performed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Zeta potential analysis, elemental mapping, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results showed that RM/BC had higher specific surface area (S BET = 75.37 m2 g−1) than raw biochar (S BET = 35.38 m2 g−1). The Pb(II) removal capacity (q e) of RM/BC was 426.84 mg g−1 at pH 5.0, and the adsorption data well fitted pseudo second order kinetics (R2 = 0.93 and R2 = 0.98), as well as the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.97 and R2 = 0.98) for both BC and RM/BC. Pb(II) removal was slightly hindered with the increasing strength of co-existing cations (Na+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Ni2+, Cd2+). The increase in temperatures (298 K, 308 K, 318 K) favored Pb(II) removal by RM/BC. Thermodynamic study indicated that Pb(II) adsorption onto BC and RM/BC was spontaneous and primarily governed by chemisorption and surface complexation. A regeneration study revealed the high reusability (>90%) and acceptable stability of RM/BC even after five successive cycles. These findings indicate that RM/BC evidenced special combined characteristics of red mud and biochar, hence its use for Pb removal from wastewater offers a green and environmentally sustainable approach fitting the "waste treating waste" concept. [Display omitted] • Rice straw biochar (BC) was prepared and modified with red mud to produce RM/BC. • The RM/BC has large specific surface area and rich functional groups. • pH, dosage, and contact time of RM/BC enhances Pb(II) removal (98.17%). • In five adsorption-desorption cycles, the removal efficiency of RMB/BC still reached >91%. • The Pb removal mechanism is attributed to the joint contribution of ion exchange and surface complexation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synovial sarcomas are rare tumors, and the incidence of axillary synovial sarcoma involving the brachial plexus has been reported as 2.9 % among all axillary soft tissue tumors. However, the recurrence of axillary synovial sarcomas has not been reported in literature. A 36-years-old Afghan female presented in Karachi, Pakistan with a history of persistently increasing, recurrent, right axillary mass for 6 months. Initially diagnosed as a spindle-cell tumor on excision in Afghanistan, she had received ifosfamide and doxorubicin, but the lesion recurred. On examination, it was a 5 × 6 cm, hard mass palpable in right axilla. After radiological work-up and a multidisciplinary team discussion, she underwent complete excision of the tumor with successful preservation of brachial plexus. The final diagnosis was reported as monophasic synovial sarcoma FNCLCC Grade 3. Our patient presented with a recurrent right axillary synovial sarcoma that was involving the axillary neurovascular bundle and brachial plexus, which was initially diagnosed as a spindle cell sarcoma. Pre-operative core-needle biopsy was unable to provide a definitive diagnosis. MRI scan was useful in delineating the proximity of the neurovascular structures. Re -excision of the tumor was performed which is the mainstay of treatment for axillary synovial sarcomas, combined with radiotherapy depending on the disease grading, staging and patient factors. Axillary synovial sarcoma recurrence with involvement of the brachial plexus is an extremely rare presentation. Our patient was successfully managed through a multidisciplinary approach with complete surgical excision and preservation of the brachial plexus followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. • Axillary synovial sarcomas, involving the brachial plexus are extremely rare soft tissue tumors. • Recurrent axillary synovial sarcoma presents a surgical challenge due to its proximity to the neurovascular bundle. • Core and excisional biopsy are the preferred methods for diagnosis, as compared to FNAC, for soft tissue sarcomas. • Surgical excision with negative margins is the main stay of treatment for axillary synovial sarcomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the role of high-pressure processing (HPP) for improving the functional properties of meat batters and the textural properties of reduced-fat sausages. Application of 200 MPa pressure at 10 °C for 2 min to pork batters containing various fat contents (0–30%) affected their rheological properties, cooking losses, color, textual properties and their protein imaging. The results revealed that both application of 200 MPa and increasing fat content decreased cooking loss, as well as improved the textural and rheological properties. Cooking losses, texture and sensory evaluation of 200 MPa treated sausages having 20% fat were similar to those of the 0.1 MPa treated sausages having 30% fat. Principal component analysis revealed that certain quality attributes were affected differently by the levels of fat addition and by HPP. These findings indicated the potential of HPP for improving yield and texture of emulsion-type sausages having reduced fat contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study optimized the high pressure conditions for development of a reduced fat sausage. A three-factor-three-level Box–Behnken design was adopted to study the simultaneous effects of one compositional variable (15, 20 and 25% fat content) and two processing variables (150, 200 and 250 MPa high pressure, along with 5, 6 and 7 min high pressure treatment time) on firmness of emulsion-type sausages. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to evaluate the potential interactive and quadratic effects between these variables. The results revealed that, the optimum processing conditions for an optimum gel setting were 22.19% fat content, 197.30 MPa high pressure and 5.92 min pressure treatment time. The adequacy of the model equation for predicting the optimum response values was effectively verified. In conclusion, the emulsion-type meat sausages using a novel high pressure based processing method were preferred for their improved textural properties and reduced fat content. Industrial relevance For health reasons, there is a need to reduce fat content of processed meat products. This study developed a novel processing method using high pressure to produce emulsion-type meat sausages with reduced-fat, with improved functional qualities, including objective appearance, textural properties and sensory evaluation. Importantly, this was achieved with a model, mainly based on prediction of the firmness of the pressure treated sausages with reduced fat contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High pressure processing has great potential for producing high quality duck meat products. Duck breasts, subjected to salting and pickling process, were further treated with heat (in water bath at 95-99°C) and/or high pressure (200MPa, 20-25°C, 15min). Pressure-treated samples were either pre-heated, or post-heated for 15min, and compared for quality changes against a cooked-control, prepared by heating for 45min. Samples treated with high pressure alone, when compared with pickled samples, gained weight, mainly resulting from larger fast-relaxation proton compartments, had highest shear force and storage modulus values, and underwent greater protein denaturation. :simple-para id="sp0015" view="all">Application of high pressure, before or after heating, when compared with cooked-control, exhibited reduced cook losses, increased lightness and yellowness, decreased redness, and larger fast-relaxation proton compartments. High pressure application at low temperature contributed to denaturation of myosin and actin, but preserved some connective tissue proteins upon subsequent heating, which ultimately contributed to enhanced palatability, as compared to cooked-control. Principal component analysis revealed that the samples pressure-treated before heating exhibited similar qualities to those of cooked-control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study investigated the effects of high pressure, in combination with heat, for development of a ready-to-eat salted duck meat product. Duck breast was subjected to a salting and pickling process prior to either heating-alone (70°C) or high-pressure (200MPa) with heating (70°C) for 10 or 20min, and compared with a cooked control (core temperature 80°C at 0.1MPa) for quality assessment. Compared with the cooked control, pressure-heat treated samples exhibited reduced cooking losses, and NMR showed they had larger fast-relaxation proton compartments. Pressure-heat preserved some sarcoplasmic and connective tissue proteins, but caused greater denaturation of actin than with heat-only samples. The reduction in microbial load with pressure-heat indicated suitability of the process for ready-to-eat products. Pressure-heat treatment did not affect color, but there was a decrease in hardness and gumminess, suggesting higher palatability. The reduction in cooking losses, resulting from altered proton compartmentalization, and changes in myofibrillar proteins enhanced product acceptability. Industrial relevance: The application of high hydrostatic pressure technology for food processing has gained much interest over recent decades because of its benefits over conventional methods. Its suitability for ready-to-eat Nanjing-style salted duck meat product was determined by assessment of proton compartmentalization and mobility by NMR, extent of protein denaturation by DSC, microbial numbers, surface color and texture which described product acceptability, palatability and microbial safety. This single-step process will aid the meat processing industry in improving existing processing methods by incorporation of high pressure technology to improve product quality and process efficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• With the increase in the upstream turbulence, the stability threshold tends to be delayed. • For multiple flexible case, stability threshold tends to move towards early values. • Spectral analysis depicts that translational mode dominates rocking mode. • For multiple flexible tube case the rocking mode tends to dominant for the fourth row. This paper deals with the analysis of the grid generated turbulence on flow induced vibration response of the parallel triangular tube bundle with pitch ratio of 1.54. Turbulence characteristics of the upstream flow can highly influence the stability behavior of a single flexible as well as multiple flexible tubes in early rows of tube bundle. Experimentation have been performed in the wind tunnel with the free stream velocity ranging from 0 to 8.9 m/s. Distinct amplitude behavior for the monitored tube has been observed for each row in both streamwise and the transverse direction. With the increase in the upstream turbulence, the stability threshold of the monitored tube tends to be delayed for single flexible case, however for the multiple flexible case the stability threshold tends to move towards early values. This indicates the importance of stiffness mechanism in generating instability in the monitored tube, which is enhanced by upstream turbulence. Surprisingly, upstream turbulence is strongly affecting frequency response of the tube bundle. Spectral analysis depicts that translational mode dominates rocking mode for single flexible tube bundle for all cases even for highest turbulence intensities. However, for multiple flexible tube case the rocking mode tends to dominant for the fourth row subjected to highest turbulence intensity of 16.5%. This may be due to the uneven distribution of forces on the tube length due to upstream turbulence and turbulence generated by first three rows which intern to excites the rocking mode. It is revealed that multiple flexible tube bundle dominates rocking mode frequency amplitude because of fluid forces generated by tube to tube coupling. The rocking mode become significant which reflects the importance of stiffness mechanism for generating instability in the monitored tube. Stability diagram delineates that for higher upstream turbulence intensities, the data points lies on the upper side of stability boundary in unstable region for multiple flexible tube case and under the stability boundary for single flexible tube case. The results depicted that the previous theoretical stability models either underestimate or overestimates the stability behavior of tube bundle and hence requires modification in the model to predict the stability boundaries for higher upstream turbulence intensities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide range of abiotic and biotic stresses adversely affect plant's growth and production. Under stress, one of the main responses of plants is the modulation of exudates excreted in the rhizosphere, which consequently leads to alterations in the resident microbiota. Thus, the exudates discharged into the rhizospheric environment play a preponderant role in the association and formation of plant-microbe interactions. In this review, we aimed to provide a synthesis of the latest and most pertinent literature on the diverse biochemical and structural compositions of plant root exudates. Also, this work investigates into their multifaceted role in microbial nutrition and intricate signaling processes within the rhizosphere, which includes quorum-sensing molecules. Specifically, it explores the contributions of low molecular weight compounds, such as carbohydrates, phenolics, organic acids, amino acids, and secondary metabolites, as well as the significance of high molecular weight compounds, including proteins and polysaccharides. It also discusses the state-of-the-art omics strategies that unveil the vital role of root exudates in plant-microbiome interactions, including defense against pathogens like nematodes and fungi. We propose multiple challenges and perspectives, including exploiting plant root exudates for host-mediated microbiome engineering. In this discourse, root exudates and their derived interactions with the rhizospheric microbiota should receive greater attention due to their positive influence on plant health and stress mitigation. • Root exudates promote a wide range of plant-rhizobiome interactions. • The biochemical composition, transport and signaling of root exudates is analyzed. • Under stress, plants modify the root exudates to recruit beneficial microbes. • The recent roles of omics tools in the study of rhizospheric interactions are discussed. • Plant root exudates could be exploited for host-mediated microbiome engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantity of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is expected to increase as its usage grows globally. In Malaysia, the biggest contributors to spent LIBs are consumer electronics (CEs), which if not properly managed, can jeopardize both the environment and human health. Additionally, the supply of raw materials for LIBs are limited. The risks to the supply chain for LIBs can be mitigated through recycling and reuse, which calls for the need of a robust circular economy model. Currently, there is a lack of local research on spent LIBs and to address this gap, the present study surveyed the actions and willingness of the public towards the disposal, collection, and recycling of LIBs, through the scope of CEs, as electric vehicles (EVs) currently does not dominate the LIB market in Malaysia. A national online survey via convenient sampling was carried out. It was found that a majority of respondents had never sent spent LIBs for recycling while 38.2% of the respondents disposed LIBs directly into the trash bin. The survey also determined that a huge number of the respondents were willing to recycle but lack knowledge and information on the disposal and recycling channels. On the other hand, 0.5% of the respondents was not motivated to recycle LIBs. Following that, relevant recommendations were set forth, revolving around three major categories – (1) laws, policies, and regulations, (2) infrastructures and technologies, and (3) education and awareness. [Display omitted] • A national-scale survey was conducted on consumers' behaviour (N = 408). • A majority of participants store spent LIBs at home or throw into the bin. • Supply chain for LIB circular economy will be disrupted from lack of recycling. • 94.6% of respondents were willing to recycle but do not know how. • Improvements on regulations, infrastructures and education are urgent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants require nutrients for growth, which they obtain from the soil via the root system. Fertilizers offer the essential nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as critical secondary elements) required by plants. Soil productivity falls with each crop until nutrients are provided. A wide range of so-called fertilizer products, such as organic fertilizers, argon mineral fertilizers, and mineral fertilizers, can assist farmers in adjusting fertilization methods based on the environment and agricultural conditions (inhibitors, restricted materials, growth mediums, plant bio-stimulants, etc.). Agricultural land is reduced by erosion, pollution, careless irrigation, and fertilization. On the other hand, more agricultural production is needed to meet the demands of expanding industries and the nutritional needs of a growing population. Nano fertilizers have recently started to be manufactured to obtain the highest yield and its quality per unit area. Previous researchers found that nano fertilizers could improve plant nutrient uptake efficiency, lower soil toxicity, mitigate the potential negative effects of excessive chemical fertilizer use, and reduce the frequency of fertilization. To maximize crop yields and optimize nutrient use while reducing the overuse of chemical fertilizers, nano fertilizersNFs are crucial in agriculture. The key component of these fertilizers is that they contain one or more macro- and micronutrients that can be applied regularly in minute doses while not damaging the environment. However, they have a minimal effect on plant growth and agricultural yields when employed in high numbers, like synthetic fertilizers. This article explains the features, relevance and classification of nano-fertilizers, their use in plant development, their advantages and disadvantages, and the results achieved in this field. [Display omitted] • Discussed gap on role of NFs in optimizing nutrient use and reducing chemical fertilizer overuse. • Explains features, classification, and applications of NFs for plant growth. • Highlighted key findings on NFs efficacy as sustainable alternative to conventional fertilizers. • Assesses impact of NFs use on crop yield, quality, and meeting food production needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic extraction of anthocyanins was done from mulberry-wine waste. • Box-Behnken design was used to optimize the extraction of anthocyanins. • Optimum extraction yield (5.98 mg/g) was close to the predicted yield (6.03 mg/g). • Macro-porous resin and Sephadex LH-20 gel column increased anthocyanins purity. • Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside the main anthocyanin structures. Mulberry wine residues produced during the wine-brewing process contain several anthocyanins and other bioactive compounds. Therefore this study optimized the conditions for ultrasound-assisted enzymatic extraction of anthocyanins from mulberry wine residues. A three-level, four-factor Box–Behnken design was used to optimize the extraction conditions. Moreover, anthocyanins were determined using an ultra-performance liquid chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (UPLC-MS). The mathematical model suggested a high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.9475) for the optimum conditions, namely 52 °C, 315 W, 0.22% enzyme and 94 min incubation. The yield (5.98 mg/g) was close to the predicted value (5.87 mg/g). The two anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside) identified are consistent with those present in mulberry. The optimized conditions increased anthocyanin yield, through improved utilization of mulberry wine residues. The findings will potentially lead to a reduction in the environmental burden of this waste and improve the efficiency and productivity of the mulberry fruit processing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A new series of macrocyclic Ni (II) complexes having indolenine and dibenzotetraaza [ 14 ] annulene (DBTAA) moieties were synthesized and tested for their application as sensitizers in dye - sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The structures are furnished with anchoring groups of ethyl ester (8a , 8b , and 8c) or carboxylic acid (9c) on the indolenine moiety and hexyloxy (8b) or neopentyloxy (8c , 9c) groups on the DBTAA moiety. The best performance was exhibited by dye 9c , which under constant AM 1.5G solar simulation (100 mW cm−2) using I−/I 3 − electrolyte gave a short-circuit current J sc = 0.43 mA cm−2, an open-circuit voltage V oc = 0.41 V and a fill factor FF = 0.528, corresponding to an overall conversion efficiency of η = 0.093%. This is the first investigation of macrocyclic DBTAA derivatives as sensitizers for DSSCs applications. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • 4 types of novel Ni-DBTAA complexes were prepared and used as sensitizers for DSSC. • Spectroscopic, electrochemical and DFT were conducted to investigate the electron transfer. • The influence of linear and branched alkyl substitutions on the dye performance were investigated. • The COOH anchoring group displayed better cell performance than ethyl ester anchoring group. • This is the first investigation of DBTAA as sensitizers for DSSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of fruits and vegetables are perishable, thus finding sustainable postharvest treatments to regulate the quality of fresh produce is imperative. Recent research has demonstrated that the exogenous application of hydrogen (H 2)-associated treatments such as H 2 gas or hydrogen-rich water (HRW), hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) at optimal concentrations can significantly maintain the quality of postharvest fruits and vegetables. The understanding of mode of action of such treatments for quality maintenance and shelf-life extension of harvested fruits and vegetables has undergone substantial development in recent years. This paper addressed recent trends in functionalities of H 2 -associated treatments, summarizes the modulations led by possible mechanism of action, lab-scale production strategies, quality-regulating aspects at both physiological and transcriptomics levels, and limitations in H 2 -associated treatments for maintaining postharvest quality of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, and suggests future research directions aimed at developing sustainable H 2 -associated postharvest treatment. The key findings of this review mainly concluded that H 2 -associated treatments are proven to be promising approaches for maintaining the quality of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, notably by delaying senescence, reducing softening, alleviating chilling injury, lowering the browning, and limiting microbial proliferation by modulating gas respiratory, antioxidant, and peroxiredoxin/thioredoxin systems; phenylpropanoid, GABA-shunt, and AsA biosynthesis pathways; mitochondrial energy, cell wall, color, proline, and lipid metabolisms, and ROS and RNS homeostasis. Future research direction emphasizes the application of hydrogen nanobubble water (HNW), and H 2 -associated treatments in combination to regulate overall quality of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Active circulation of West Nile virus (WNV) was identified in blood donors in Pakistan. • All of the WNV-positive blood donors were asymptomatic carriers of the virus. • The viruses detected in Pakistan belonged to WNV lineage 1. • No mosquito pool was found positive in this study. This study was performed to determine the presence of West Nile virus (WNV) in mosquito specimens and human blood donors in Pakistan. A total of 4150 mosquito specimens were collected using CO 2 -baited traps from five selected districts of Punjab Province, Pakistan. The mosquitoes were taxonomically identified using standard morphological keys, resulting in 166 pools. In addition, 1070 serum samples were collected from human blood donors. RNA was extracted from mosquito and human samples and screened for WNV using a reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR). None of the mosquito pools tested positive for WNV, whereas three samples from asymptomatic humans tested positive. To determine the WNV strains, partial sequences were compared against a global representation of 23 WNV sequences. The study strains were determined to come from WNV lineage 1. This study is novel in reporting the circulation of lineage 1 WNV in Pakistan. Given its ability to transmit from human to human via blood transfusion, this highlights the urgent need for nationwide surveillance to assess the distribution and impact of WNV in Pakistan. Determining the source of human infection will require more extensive mosquito sampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emulsion-type sausages were produced, at 80 °C for either 0, 10, 20 or 30 min, using homogeneous Taihu pork batters. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), with or without deuterium oxide (D 2 O) substitution, evaluated the proton mobility states related to both water and fat molecules, or fat molecules only, respectively, in the sausage samples, during heat-induced gelation. The decreasing trend in the area proportion of main peak T 21 , reflected a tighter gel structure in emulsion-type sausages. Raman spectra (400–3600 cm –1 ) revealed decreased α-helix, but increased β-sheet, β-turns and random coil contents, during the gelling process. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA) showed significant correlations between secondary protein structures with distribution of water and fat in the gel matrix. Furthermore, this study established the relationship of water and fat protons mobility with changes in secondary protein structures, and described the critical time of gel formation in emulsion-type pork sausages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of repeated freeze–thaw cycles (0–6) on any physico-chemical changes and lipid and protein oxidation in chicken breast. The results showed that meat colour, a ∗ (redness) and b ∗ (yellowness) values decreased while L ∗ values (lightness) increased with increasing cycle numbers. Increasing freeze–thaw cycles resulted in a greater degree of lipid and protein oxidation, as evidenced by higher contents of malondialdehyde and carbonyl compounds, and lower contents of sulfhydryl groups. Differential scanning calorimetry profiles and SDS–PAGE banding patterns of myofibrillar proteins indicated slight denaturation of myosin and actin with repeated freeze–thaw cycles. The structural changes occurring in proteins caused by oxidation directly affected the ability of muscles to retain water, as confirmed by the nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometery profile. In conclusion, multiple freeze–thaw cycles increased lipid and protein oxidation and decreased water holding capacity and colour stability of broiler chicken breast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]