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In this paper, indium tin oxide/silver indium/indium tin oxide (ITO/AgIn/ITO) composite films were deposited on glass substrates by magnetron sputtering. The effects of the sputtering temperature on the optical and electrical properties of the composite films were systematically investigated. The ITO/AgIn/ITO composite films deposited at sputtering temperatures of 25 °C and 100 °C demonstrated a high reflectivity of 95.3% at 550 nm and a resistivity of about 6.8-7.3 μΩ·cm. As the sputtering temperature increased, the reflectivity decreased and the resistivity increased slightly. The close connection between microstructure and surface morphology and the optical and electrical properties of the composite films was further illustrated by scanning electron microscopy imaging and atomic force microscopy imaging. It is shown that the ITO/AgIn/ITO thin films have a promising application for high-reflectivity anodes.

This study was aimed at investigating the impact of varying concentrations of strontium (Sr) on calcium (Ca) excretion via the urine and determine its impact on kidney stone formation. Twenty adult male Sprague Dawley rats weighing between 200 and 300 g were selected. The rats were randomly divided into four groups of five. One group was used as a control group while the other three groups were experimental. The diet of the rats was modulated over a 12 week period to investigate the impact of Sr on the urinary excretion of Ca. Urinary samples were collected every 2 weeks from the rats. The rats were fed water ad libitum. After the study the rats were euthanised and their kidneys harvested. Urine and kidney samples from the rats were analysed using Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence (TXRF). In the urine excretion of Ca increased with increased intake of Sr in the diet. Sr excretion via the urine also increased with increased dietary intake. There was a correlation of 0.835 at the significance level of 0.01 between Ca and Sr in the urine. However, for the kidneys, the varying concentration of Sr did not impact the retention of Ca in the kidneys. There was increased retention of Sr in the kidneys with increased dietary intake. In this study an increase of Sr in the diet resulted in an increase in urinary excretion of Ca., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Understanding the scope, prevalence, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic response will be a rich ground for research for many years. Key to the response to COVID-19 was the non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) measures, such as mask mandates or stay-in-place orders. For future pandemic preparedness, it is critical to understand the impact and scope of these interventions. Given the ongoing nature of the pandemic, existing NPI studies covering only the initial portion provide only a narrow view of the impact of NPI measures. This paper describes a dataset of NPI measures taken by counties in the U.S. state of Virginia that include measures taken over the first two years of the pandemic beginning in March 2020. This data enables analyses of NPI measures over a long time period that can produce impact analyses on both the individual NPI effectiveness in slowing the pandemic spread, and the impact of various NPI measures on the behavior and conditions of the different counties and state., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Electrospinning nanofibers (NFs) made from natural proteins have drawn increasing attention recently. Rapeseed meal is a by-product that rich in protein but not fully utilized due to poor properties. Therefore, modification of rapeseed protein isolates (RPI) is necessary to expand applications. In this study, pH shift alone or ultrasonic-assisted pH shift treatment was adopted, the solubility of RPI, along with the conductivity and viscosity of the electrospinning solution were detected. Moreover, the microstructure and functional characteristics of the electrospinning NFs, as well as the antibacterial activity of clove essential oil loaded-NFs were investigated. The tested parameters were remarkably improved after different treatments compared with the control, and synergistic effects were observed, especially under alkaline conditions. Hence, pH 12.5  + US showed the maximum value of solubility, conductivity, and viscosity, which was more than 7-fold, 3-fold, and almost 1-fold higher than the control respectively. Additionally, SEM and AFM images showed a finer and smoother surface of NFs after treatments, and the finest diameter of 216.7 nm was obtained after pH 12.5  + US treatment in comparison with 450.0 nm in control. FTIR spectroscopy of NFs demonstrated spatial structure changes of RPI, and improved thermal stability and mechanical strength of NFs were achieved after different treatments. Furthermore, an inhibition zone with a diameter of 22.8 mm was observed from the composite NFs. This study indicated the effectiveness of ultrasonic-assisted pH shift treatment on the physicochemical properties improvement and functional enhancement of NFs made from RPI, as well as the potential antibacterial application of the composite NFs in the future., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ultrasonic washing has been widely applied to the postharvest storage of fruits and vegetables as a residue-free physical washing technology, which plays an important role in improving shelf-life, safety, and nutritional value. Phenolics are a large group of phytochemicals widespread in fruits and vegetables, and they have been considered potential protective factors against some diseases because of potent antioxidative properties. Previous studies have shown that ultrasonic washing can increase the phenolic content of fruits and vegetables immediately or during storage through the induction of plant stress responses, which is of great significance for improving the functional and nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. However, the mechanisms of ultrasound as an elicitor to improve the phenolic content remain controversial. Therefore, this review summarizes the applications of ultrasonic washing to increase the phenolic content in fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile, the corresponding physiological stress response mechanisms of the phenolic accumulation in terms of immediate stress responses (i.e., higher extractability of phenolics) and late stress responses (i.e., metabolism of phenolics) are expounded. Moreover, a hypothetical model is proposed to explain phenolic biosynthesis triggered by signaling molecules produced under ultrasound stress, including primary signal (i.e., extracellular adenosine triphosphate) and secondary signals (e.g., reactive oxygen species, Ca 2+ , NO, jasmonates, and ethylene). Additionally, the techno-economic feasibility of ultrasonic washing technology is also discussed. Further, challenges and trends for further development of ultrasonic washing as an abiotic elicitor applied to the postharvest storage of fruits and vegetables are presented., (© 2022 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

To protect tomato pulp quality, this study investigated the effect of the infrared peeling method (using our newly developed catalytic infrared peeling equipment) on pectin's chemical, structural and functional properties and their correlation compared with manual, hot-water, and lye peeling methods. Infrared peeling significantly improved pectin's emulsifying and antioxidant capacity compared to manual peeling by increasing branching degree. Hot water peeling significantly improved pectin's viscosity, emulsifying and antioxidant capacity. However, the pectin chains had low flexibility. The effect of lye peeling on pectin was the greatest, causing the lowest linearity and the largest degree of branching. In comparison, infrared peeling had the least impact on pectin. It was further confirmed that pectin' viscosity, emulsifying, and antioxidant capacity were highly correlated with its chemical and structural properties. In summary, the infrared peeling method provides better pulp quality and is more sustainable because no water and chemicals are used., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The application of silkworm pupa protein isolates (SPPI) in food industry was limited because SPPI's solubility is poor and it contains a potential harmful component of lysinoalanine (LAL) which formed during protein extraction. In this study, combined treatments of pH shift and heating were performed to improve the solubility of SPPI and to reduce the content of LAL. The experimental results showed that the promoting effect on SPPI's solubility by alkaline pH shift + heat treatment was greater than that by acidic pH shift + heat. And an 8.62 times increase of solubility was observed after pH 12.5 + 80 ℃ treatment compared to the control SPPI sample which was extracted at pH 9.0 without pH shift treatment. Very strong positive correlation was found between alkali dosage and SPPI solubility (Pearson's correlation coefficient r = 0.938). SPPI with pH 12.5 shift treatment showed the highest thermal stability. Alkaline pH shift combined with heat treatment altered the micromorphology of SPPI and destroyed the disulfide bonds between macromolecular subunits (72 and 95 kDa), resulting in reduced particle size and increased zeta potential and free sulfhydryl content of the isolates. The fluorescence spectra analysis showed red shifts phenomena with pH increasing and fluorescence intensity increase with temperature increasing, implying the alterations in the tertiary structure of protein. Compared to the control SPPI sample, the amount of LAL reduced by 47.40 %, 50.36 % and 52.39 % using pH 12.5 + 70 ℃, pH 12.5 + 80 ℃ and pH 12.5 + 90 ℃ treatment, respectively. These findings provide fundamental information for the development and application of SPPI in food industry., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: It would be impossible to imagine a country where cereals and their byproducts were not at the peak of foodstuff systems as a source of food, fertilizer, or for fiber and fuel production. Moreover, the production of cereal proteins (CPs) has recently attracted the scientific community's interest due to the increasing demands for physical wellbeing and animal health. However, the nutritional and technological enhancements of CPs are needed to ameliorate their functional and structural properties. Ultrasonic technology is an emerging nonthermal method to change the functionality and conformational characteristics of CPs. Scope and approach: This article briefly discusses the effects of ultrasonication on the characteristics of CPs. The effects of ultrasonication on the solubility, emulsibility, foamability, surface-hydrophobicity, particle-size, conformational-structure, microstructural, enzymatic-hydrolysis, and digestive properties are summarized., Conclusions: The results demonstrate that ultrasonication could be used to enhance the characteristics of CPs. Proper ultrasonic treatment could improve functionalities such as solubility, emulsibility, and foamability, and is a good method for altering protein structures (including surface hydrophobicity, sulfhydryl and disulfide bonds, particle size, secondary and tertiary structures, and microstructure). In addition, ultrasonic treatment could effectively promote the enzymolytic efficiency of CPs. Furthermore, the in vitro digestibility was enhanced after suitable sonication treatment. Therefore, ultrasonication technology is a useful method to modify cereal protein functionality and structure for the food industry.

This study developed two novel food packaging films, oat protein/pullulan (Op/Pul) and Nisin-loaded oat protein/pullulan (Nis@Op/Pul) films. Ultrasound was introduced to improve its mechanical, structural and physicochemical properties. The Op/Pul film has lower light transmittance, water vapour and oxygen permeability (OP) and improved film uniformity than pure oat protein and pullulan film. The addition of Nisin led to a significant decrease in the composite films' transparency, moisture content, and total soluble matter (TSM). The ultrasound treatment significantly increased the elongation at break and transparency of Nis@Op/Pul film by 18.37% and 8.03% and decreased its TSM and OP by 8.33% and 2.78%, respectively, compared to the conventional method. The structure analysis shows ultrasound enhances intermolecular hydrogen bonding, reduces the crystallinity and formed a more regular, uniform surface. Moreover, the Nis@Op/Pul film prepared by ultrasound treatment could effectively delay the decay and deterioration of fresh strawberries and prolong their shelf life., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Gender-based violence is an important topic that needs to be taken into account when identifying gender-related gaps and disadvantages that a person might face because of their gender. Violence against women could result in psychological and physical adverse outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to assess the prevalence and predictors of gender-based violence among female students at Wolkite University, southwest Ethiopia, 2021., Method: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 393 female students and the students were selected by using a systematic sampling method. Data were checked for completeness and entered into EpiData version 3.1 and then exported to SPSS version 23 for further analysis. Binary and multivariable logistic regressions were employed to determine the prevalence and predictors of gender-based violence. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) at a p -value of ≤0.05 was used to check statistical association., Result: In this study, the overall prevalence of gender-based violence among female students was 46.2%. The prevalence of physical violence and sexual violence was 56.1% and 47.0%, respectively. Factors that were significantly associated with gender-based violence among female university students were: being a 2nd-year student or having a lower educational level [AOR = 2.56 (95% CI, 1.06-6.17)], being married or living with a male partner [AOR = 3.35 (95% CI, 1.07-10.5], having a father with no formal education [AOR = 15.46 (95% CI, 5.204-45.39)], having a drinking habit [AOR = 2.53 (95% CI, 1.21-6.30)] and not being able to freely discuss issues with their families [AOR = 2.48 (95% CI, 1.27-4.84)]., Conclusions and Recommendations: The result of this study showed that more than one-third of the participants were exposed to gender-based violence. Thus, gender-based violence is an important topic deserving of more consideration; further investigations are important to decrease gender-based violence among university students., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Sitot, Mekonnen, Wedaje and Sitot.)

Giant magnetostriction could be achieved in MnCoSi-based alloys due to the magneto-elastic coupling accompanied by the meta-magnetic transition. In the present work, the effects of hydrostatic pressure on magnetostrictive behavior in MnCo 0.92 Ni 0.08 Si alloy have been investigated. The saturation magnetostriction (at 30,000 Oe) could be enhanced from 577 ppm to 5034 ppm by the hydrostatic pressure of 3.2 kbar at 100 K. Moreover, under a magnetic field of 20,000 Oe, the reversible magnetostriction was improved from 20 ppm to 2112 ppm when a hydrostatic pressure of 6.4 kbar was applied at 70 K. In all, it has been found that the magnetostrictive effect of the MnCo 0.92 Ni 0.08 Si compound is strongly sensitive to external hydrostatic pressure. This work proves that the MnCoSi-based alloys as a potential cryogenic magnetostrictive material can be modified through applied hydrostatic pressure.

Background: Puerperal sepsis is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality, particularly in low and middle-income countries where most maternal deaths occur. Women with puerperal sepsis are prone to long-term disabilities, such as chronic pelvic pain, blocked fallopian tubes, and secondary infertility. Besides this, puerperal sepsis has received less attention. For this reason, this study aimed to determine the incidence of puerperal sepsis and its predictors among postpartum women at Debre Markos Comprehensive Specialized Hospital., Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted among 330 postpartum women from September 2020 to 2021. A pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire with a data extraction checklist was used to collect the data. Data were entered into Epi data 4.2 and analyzed using STATA 14.0. The incidence rate of puerperal sepsis was calculated, and a Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to estimate the survival probability of developing puerperal sepsis. The cox-proportional hazards regression model was fitted to identify predictors of puerperal sepsis., Results: The study participants were followed for a total of 1685.3 person-week observations. The incidence rate of puerperal sepsis was 14.24 per 1,000 person-weeks. However, the overall incidence of puerperal sepsis was 7.27%. Not attending formal education [AHR: 3.55, 95% CI: (1.09-11.58)], a cesarean delivery [AHR: 4.50; 95% CI: (1.79-11.30)], premature rupture of the membranes [AHR: 3.25; 95% CI: (1.08-9.79)], complicated pregnancy [AHR: 4.80; 95% CI: (1.85-12.43)], being referred [AHR: 2.90; 95% CI: (1.10-7.65)], and not having birth preparedness and complication readiness plan [AHR: 2.95; 95% CI: (1.08-10.50)] were statistically significant predictors of puerperal sepsis., Conclusion: The incidence of puerperal sepsis was 7.27%. Not attending formal education, cesarean delivery, premature rupture of membranes, complicated pregnancy, referral status, and absence of birth preparedness and complication readiness plan were predictors associated with the incidence of puerperal sepsis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Bishaw, Sharew, Beka, Aynalem, Zeleke, Desta, Kassie, Amha, Eshete, Tamir, Bantigen, Mulugeta, Ferede and Bitewa.)

Background: Pregnancy is a time when the body is under a lot of stress, which increases your dietary needs. Under nutrition is a worldwide health issue, especially among pregnant women. Malnutrition during pregnancy can result in miscarriages, fetal deaths during pregnancy, pre-term delivery, and maternal mortality for both the mother and her fetus. Therefore, this research aimed to assess the prevalence of under nutrition and associated factors among pregnant woman attending antenatal care services at public hospitals in west Ethiopia., Objective: To assess the prevalence of under nutrition and associated factors among pregnant women attending Antenatal Care service in Public Hospitals of western Ethiopia., Methods: Facility based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 10 to May 10, 2020 among 780 pregnant mothers. The study participants were selected by systematic random sampling methods from antenatal care clinics of the hospitals. Interviewer administered structured questionnaire was used to collect the data and Mid-upper arm circumference, height and weight were measured to determine the magnitude of under nutrition among the study participants. The data were entered to Epi Info version 7.2.3, and then exported to SPSS version 24 for analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors considering adjusted odd ratio (AOR) at p-value ≤ 0.05 to measure the strength of association between dependent and independent variables., Result: The prevalence of under nutrition among pregnant women was found to be 39.2% (95%CI: 35.7%, 42.6%). Rural residence [(AOR = 1.97, 95% CI: (1.24, 3.14)], substance use [(AOR: 3.33, 95% CI: (1.63, 6.81)], low dietary diversity of women [(AOR = 7.56, 95% CI: (4.96, 11.51)], mildly food insecure household [(AOR = 4.36, 95% CI: (2.36, 8.79)], moderately food insecure household [(AOR = 3.71, 95%CI: (1.54, 8.79), and severely food insecure household [(AOR = 6.96, 95% CI: (3.15, 15.42)] were factors significantly associated with under nutrition., Conclusion: The study showed that the prevalence of under nutrition is very high among pregnant women. Factors associated with under nutrition of pregnant women were rural residency, household food insecurity, dietary diversity and substance use. All concerned bodies should made efforts to reduce the risk of under nutrition by reducing substance use and improving household food security there by to increase women's dietary diversity., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Tafara et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: Globally, neonatal mortality is decreasing, and road maps such as the Early Newborn Action Plan set ambitious targets for 2030. Despite this, deaths in the first weeks of life continue to rise as a percentage of total child mortality. Neonatal sepsis with early onset continues to be a significant cause of death and illness. The majority of sepsis-related deaths occur in developing nations, where the prevalence and causes of newborn sepsis are yet unknown. As a result, the goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of early-onset sepsis and identify determinant factors., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 368 study participants in referral hospitals of East and West Gojjam Zones from March 1 st to April 30 th , 2019. Study participants were selected at random using lottery method. Face-to-face interviews with index mothers for maternal variables and neonatal record review for neonatal variables were used to collect data using a structured pretested questionnaire. Data were entered into Epidata 3.1 and then exported to STATA/SE software version 14. Finally, the logistic regression model was used for analysis. Statistical significance was declared at P < 0.05 after multivariable logistic regression., Results: A total of 368 newborns and their index mothers took part in this study. The mean age of the newborns was 4.69 days (± 1.93SD). Early-onset neonatal sepsis was seen in 34% of the babies. Nulliparity (AOR: 3.3, 95% CI: 1.1-9.5), duration of labor > 18 h after rupture of membranes (AOR: 11.3, 95% CI: 3.0-41.8), gestational age of 32-37 weeks (AOR: 3.2, 95% CI: 1.2-8.5), and neonates who require resuscitation at birth (AOR: 4, 95% CI: 1.4 -11.8) were all found to be significantly associated with early-onset neonatal sepsis., Conclusion and Recommendation: Early-onset neonatal sepsis was found to be high in this study. Early-onset neonatal sepsis was found to be associated with maternal, obstetric, and neonatal variables. Comprehensive prevention strategies that target the identified risk factors should be implemented right away., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Low-lethality ultrasound technology has received more and more attention in regulating microorganisms of fermentation industry. Herein, two representative Ames tester strains TA97a and TA98 as model organisms were used to explore the effects of ultrasound on insertion-deletion (InDel) polymorphisms of microbial DNA and its underlying mechanisms. Results revealed that a promotion was observed in the reversion mutation of TA98 upon sonication. Sequencing results from 1752 TA98 revertants showed that there was a total of 127 InDels, of which the InDels unique to ultrasound were 36 more than that of the control. Compared with the control, ultrasound-mediated InDels of DNA displayed additional -29 bp deletion and +7 ∼ +43 bp insertions of direct repeat sequences. Combined with the analysis of transcriptomics and prediction of secondary structure of single-stranded DNA from InDels core region (No. 832 ∼ 915 bp) in hisD3052 gene of TA98 strain, ultrasound-mediated "thermal breathing" mechanism was proposed based on the formation of DNA hairpin structure with micro-homologous sequence. This finding implied that low-intensity ultrasound is expected to be developed a new low-lethal mutagenic technology for continuous mutagenesis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Walnut-origin by-products obtained from walnut oil extraction industry are high in proteins with various physiological functions and pharmacological properties and an extensive potential for usage in producing bioactive peptides. This review presents the current research status of bioactive peptides derived from walnut by-products, including preparation, separation, purification, identification, bioactivities, and bioavailability. A plethora of walnut peptides with multiple biological activities, including antioxidative, antihypertensive, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, anticancer, and antihyperuricemia activities, were obtained from walnut-origin by-products by enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation, and synthesis. Different bioactive peptides show various structural characteristics and amino acid composition due to their diverse mechanism of action. Furthermore, walnut protein and its hydrolysate present a high bioavailability in human gastrointestinal digestive system. Improving the bioavailability of walnut peptides is needful in the development of walnut industry. However, future research still needs to exploit energy conservation, high efficiency, environmentally friendly and low-cost production method of walnut bioactive peptide. The molecular mechanisms of different bioactive walnut peptides still need to be explored at the cell and gene levels. Additionally, the digestion, absorption, and metabolism processes of walnut peptides are also the focus of future research.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of ultrasound curing with various working modes and frequency combinations, including mono-, dual- and tri-frequency, on the content of NaCl and tenderness of pork loins (Longissimus dorsi). The physical qualities, myoglobin, moisture migration, distribution, and microstructure of pork were also evaluated. The results displayed that the NaCl content of samples cured by simultaneous ultrasound (100 W/L) working mode with a frequency combination of 20, 40, and 60 kHz was higher than that of other ultrasound working modes. The effect of ultrasonic brining was significantly better than the static curing when the saline solution was >35 mL. In addition, the samples cured by simultaneous ultrasound had better physical qualities, including more pickling absorptivity, less cooking loss, and lower hardness, tenderness, and chewiness value. The intensity of lightness was reduced, although redness and yellowness remained unaltered compared to static curing. The myoglobin content decreased drastically without changing the oxygenation level, and the relaxation time of T 2b and T 21 was delayed. The microstructure indicated that the ultrasonic treatment could promote changes in meat texture. Overall, the simultaneous ultrasound at various frequencies could efficiently accelerate NaCl penetration and improve pork quality., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The freeze-dried (FD) edible roses with high content of bioactive substances and superior flavor have been favored by consumers. Nevertheless, the development of freeze-dried rose industry has been plagued by a long drying time and low efficiency. This study investigated the effects of ultrasonic pretreatment (UP) in multi-frequency modes and electro-infrared pretreatment (EIP) prior to FD on polyphenol accumulation and drying characteristics of roses. The mechanism was explored by the changes in microstructure, equivalent circuit parameters, and phenol identifications of rose. The results showed that the FD time of roses decreased by 26 % after ultrasonic-infrared sequential synergistic pretreatment (UP + EIP) due to the damage of cell membrane permeability from UP. The quality attributes of UP + EIP products including color, phenols, and antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging rates) remarkably improved. UP + EIP significantly (p < 0.05) increased the content of polyphenols, namely quercetin-3β-d-glucoside, phlorizin, procyanidin B 2 , gallicacid, and rutin in the FD roses quantified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-qTOF-MS/MS). Therefore, UP + EIP is an effective pretreatment method for shortening FD time and producing high-quality FD rose products with enhanced polyphenol content., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This research aimed to use a novel and effective ultrasound (US) approach for obtaining high bio-compound production, hence proposing strategies for boosting active ingredient biosynthesis. Furthermore, the US promotes several physiological effects on the relevant organelles in the cell, morphological effects on the structure of Phellinus igniarius mycelium, and increases the transfer of nutrients and metabolites. One suitable US condition for flavonoid fermentation was determined as once per day for 7-9 days at a frequency 22 + 40 kHz, power density 120 W/L, treated 10 min, treatment off time 7 s. The flavonoid content and production increased about 47.51% and 101.81%, respectively, compared with the untreated fermentation (P < 0.05). SEM showed that sonication changes the morphology and structure of Ph. igniarius mycelium; TEM reveals the ultrasonic treatment causes organelle aggregation. The ultrasound could affect the metabolism of the biosynthesis of the active ingredients.

A novel food packaging film was developed by incorporating a tea polyphenols-loaded pullulan/trehalose (TP@Pul/Tre) into a composite film with ultrasound-assisted treatment of dual-frequency (20/35 kHz, 40 W/L) for 15 min to assess the physicochemical and mechanical properties of a composite film. The optimized ultrasound-assisted significantly increases elongation at break, tensile strength, and improves the composite film's UV/water/oxygen barrier properties. Structure analysis using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction and thermal stability revealed that these improvements were achieved through ultrasound-enhanced H-bonds, more ordered molecular arrangements, and good intermolecular compatibility. Besides, the ultrasound-assisted TP@Pul/Tre film has proven to have good antibacterial performance against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, with approximately 100 % lethality at 4 h and 8 h, respectively. Moreover, the ultrasound-assisted TP@Pul/Tre film effectively delayed moisture loss, oxidative browning, decay, and deterioration in fresh-cut apples and pears, thereby extending their shelf life. Thus, ultrasound has proved to be an effective tool for improving the quality of food packaging films, with a wide range of applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Mangiferin is a potential candidate for use in nutraceutical and functional food applications due to its numerous bioactivities. However, the low bioavailability of mangiferin is a major limitation for establishing efficacy for use. This review describes current information on known food sources and factors that influence mangiferin contents, absorption, and metabolism features, and recent progress that has come from research efforts to increase the bioavailability of mangiferin. We also list patents that targeted to enhance mangiferin bioavailability. Mangifera indica L. is the major dietary source for mangiferin, a xanthone that varies widely in different parts of the plant and is influenced by many factors that involve plant propagation and post-harvest processing. Mangiferin absorption occurs mostly in the small intestine by passive diffusion with varying absorption capacities in different segments of the gastrointestinal tract. Recent research has led to the development of novel technologies to encapsulate mangiferin in nano/microparticle carrier systems as well as generate mangiferin derivatives to improve solubility and bioavailability. Preclinical studies reported that mangiferin < 2000 mg/kg is generally nontoxic. The safety and the increase in bioavailability are key limiting factors for developing successful applications for mangiferin as a nutritional dietary supplement or nutraceutical.Supplemental data for this article is available online at.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and geminin are overexpressed in ovarian cancer, and increasing evidence supports their contribution to ovarian tumor development. Here, we reveal that geminin depletion induces autophagy suppression and enhances reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptosis of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) cells. Bioinformatics analysis and pharmacological inhibition studies confirm that LPA activates geminin expression in the early S phase in HGSOC cells via the LPAR 1/3 /MMPs/EGFR/PI3K/mTOR pathway. Furthermore, LPA phosphorylates Aurora-A kinase on Thr288 through EGFR transactivation, and this event potentiates additional geminin stabilization. In turn, overexpressed and stabilized geminin regulates DNA replication, cell-cycle progression, and cell proliferation of HGSOC cells. Our data provide potential targets for enhancing the clinical benefit of HGSOC precision medicine., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhao, Jia, Nanding, Wu, Bai, Morigen and Fan.)

Novel lotus root starch (LRS)-myristic acid (MA) complexes were prepared using an ultrasound-assisted hydrothermal method (UHM) to investigate its nutritional intervention in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Ultrasonic treatment promoted the formation of the V-type crystal structure of the complex and improved the intermolecular interaction force, the order of the short-range starch molecules, and crystallinity. The volume of the ultrasound-assisted LRS-MA composite (U-LRS-MA) particles was enlarged, the particle distribution showed non-uniformity, and the surface grooves were deepened. The resistant starch content of U-LRS-MA was greatly increased from 34.58 % of native starch to 68.20 %. Dietary Supplements of 5 % and 15 % U-LRS-MA significantly reduced the body weight, the organ index and fasting blood glucose of T2DM mice, effectively adjusted its blood lipid level, alleviated its liver damage and increased the levels of colonic short-chain fatty acids. The addition of 5 % U-LRS-MA was more effective in T2DM than 15 % U-LRS-MA. Ultrasound could be effectively employed to prepare lipid-starch complexes, namely type 5 resistant starch, which was proved for the first time to have an excellent intervention effect on T2DM., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

To improve the calcium intake, stability, and functional properties, calcium-chelating zein peptide (Ca-ZP) was developed from zein. The preparation conditions, structural characterization, stability, cellular uptake, antioxidant and antihypertensive activities of the Ca-ZP were investigated compared to the zein peptide (ZP). The highest calcium content and yield of Ca-ZP were 85.71 % and 42.91 %, respectively. After binding ZP carboxyl and amino groups with Ca 2+ , Ca-ZP was formed, confirmedby structural analyses. Moreover, Ca-ZP exhibited good stability at wide pHs, temperatures, and under-simulated gastrointestinal digestion in vitro, as well as antioxidant and ACE inhibitory capacity with the IC 50 values of DPPH scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, and ACE inhibitory activities of 0.48, 0.96, and 0.49 mg/mL respectively. Ca-ZP gastrointestinal digestive fluid showed higher calcium transport and absorption capacity than CaCl 2 digestivefluid. Overall, Ca-ZP possessed high calcium-binding capacity, calcium absorption bioavailability, stability, and bioactivity. This work provides a promising approach for preparing calcium-chelating zein peptides, which are applicable as calcium supplements, antioxidants, and antihypertensive products., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To assess prevalence and its associated factors of perceived stigma among patients with mental disorders who had appointment for treatment at Debre Markos, Finote Selam, and Felege Hiwot Hospitals, Ethiopia, 2019., Methods: At selected hospitals in the Amhara Region, an institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 February to 1 March 2019. Participants were selected using systematic random sampling technique and data were collected using a standardized questionnaire. The Internalized Stigma Scale was designed to examine the stigma associated with mental disorders. The data were coded and enter into Epi data version 4.4.2.1 before being exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Odds ratios and 95% confidence interval were used to show the strength of the association., Results: A total of 610 participants were participated, with a response rate of 98.6%, and 215 (35.2%) of them reported a high level of perceived stigma. Being single (adjusted odds ratio = 1.84, 95% confidence interval: 1.12, 3.02), accessing their medication freely (adjusted odds ratio = 1.70, 95% confidence interval: 1.08, 2.67), having suicidal thoughts (adjusted odds ratio = 1.95, 95% confidence interval: 1.25, 3.03), having low social support (adjusted odds ratio = 5.09, 95% confidence interval: 2.95, 8.76), age 25-34 years (adjusted odds ratio = 1.94, 95% confidence interval: 1.11, 3.40), age 35-44 years (adjusted odds ratio = 2.10, 95% confidence interval: 1.06-4.18), and age > 44 years (adjusted odds ratio = 3.48, 95% confidence interval: 1.67, 7.24) were revealed to be significantly associated with high perceived stigma after multivariable logistic regression analysis ( p  < 0.05)., Conclusion: The prevalence of high perceived stigma was 35.2%, which is found to be high among people who have mental disorders in this study. Being single, accessing their medication freely, having suicidal thoughts, having low social support, and being within the age of (25-34), (35-44), > 44 were all found to be significantly associated with high perceived stigma ( p  < 0.05). But married, access medication by fee, have no suicidal thought, having moderate and strong social support, and young age were significantly associated with low perceived stigma., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a vector-borne protozoan neglected tropical disease. In some parts of Ethiopia, it is a public health problem and its main causative agent is the Leishmania donovani complex . The objective of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of VL and factors associated among the asymptomatic pastoral community of Dire District, Borena Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. A community-based study was conducted among 432 pastoralist communities from June to July 2021. A systematic random sampling method was used to select households. Pretested structured questionnaires and face-to-face interviews were used to collect data. A single finger-prick blood sample was collected and tested for Leishmania donovani complex using an immune-chromatographic test (rk39-ICT). A logistic regression model was used to assess factors associated with VL infection and a p -value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 432 study participants were included (their mean age was 26.69) and 218 (50.5%) were females. The overall seroprevalence of VL was 33/432(7.6%) (95%CI: 5.32-15.60). Sero-prevalence was significantly associated with high family size (>5) (adjusted odds ratios (AOR) = 5.134; 95% CI: 2.032-9.748), sleeping or/and staying under acacia tree (AOR = 2.984; 95%CI = 1.074-8.288), presence of cracked house walls (AOR = 1.801; 95%CI: 1.026-4.926), presence of termite hills (AOR = 1.938; 95%CL: 1.002-7.050), availability of water points (AOR = 3.893; 95%CI: 1.034-7.426) and presence of domestic animals (AOR = 2.124; 95% CI: 2.341-5.108). It is recommended that community awareness on the transmission and prevention methods of Leishmania donovani complex and taking appropriate interventions on the identified factors play a greater role to prevent and control infection in the area. Further investigation is also needed to characterize the pathogens and risk factors and tackle the problem., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Ketema, Weldegebreal, Gemechu and Gobena.)

Excessive urban temperature exerts a substantially negative impact on urban sustainability. Three-dimensional (3D) landscapes have a great impact on urban thermal environments, while their heat conditions and driving factors still remain unclear. This study mapped urban 3D neighborhoods and their associated SUHI (surface urban heat island) intensities in summer daytime across 57 Chinese cities, and then explored their relationships, driving factors as well as implications. Nine categories of urban 3D neighborhoods existed in Chinese cities and the 3D neighborhood of High Density & Medium Rise (HDMR) contributed the largest share of urban areas. The distribution of 3D neighborhoods varied among cities due to their distinct natural and economic traits. The average SUHI intensity can amount to 4.27 °C across all Chinese 3D neighborhoods. High Density & Low Rise (HDLR) and HDMR presented higher SUHI intensities than other 3D neighborhoods in China. Urban green space (UGI) and building height (BH) had great influences on SUHI intensities. The relative contribution of UGI decreased with the increase of building density and building height, but BH presented the opposite trend. The interaction of urban 3D landscapes and function zones led to highly complicated urban thermal environments, with higher SUHI intensities in industrial zones. Besides, the SUHI intensities of 3D neighborhoods presented great diurnal and seasonal variations, with higher SUHI intensities in HDHR and HDMR at nighttime in winter and summer. What's more, urban residents may suffer unequal heat risk inside cities due to the deviations of SUHI intensities among different 3D neighborhoods. It could be a highly effective way to mitigate SUHI effects in cities by increasing urban greening and improving urban ventilation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The effect of low-intensity sonication treatment on cell growth, ε -polylysine ( ε -PL) yield and its biological mechanism were investigated, using a 3-L-jar fermenter coupled with an in situ ultrasonic slot with a Streptomyces albulus strain SAR 14-116. Under ultrasonic conditions (28 kHz, 0.37 W cm -2 , 60 min), a high biomass of SAR 14-116 and concentration of ε -PL were realized (i.e., they increased by 14.92% and 28.45%, respectively) when compared with a control. Besides this, ultrasonication increased the mycelia viability and intracellular ATP as well as activities of key enzymes involved in the ε -PL biosynthesis pathway, resulting in an improvement in the production of ε -PL. Data on qRT-PCR revealed that ultrasonication also affected the gene expression of key enzymes in the ε -PL biosynthesis pathway, including ε -PL synthetase (PLS). These outcomes provided the basis for understanding the effects of ultrasound-assisted fermentation on the stimulation of metabolite production and fermentation procedure in a fermenter.

Ultrasonic washing has been proved to be an abiotic elicitor to induce the accumulation of phenolics in some fruit and vegetables. However, the feasibility of ultrasonic washing on the accumulation of phenolics in fresh-cut red cabbages has not yet been reported. Therefore, the effects of ultrasonic washing on the phenolics and related phenolic metabolism enzymes of fresh-cut red cabbages, as well as quality and microbial safety during cold storage, were investigated. Firstly, the single-factor tests were used to optimize the ultrasonic processing parameters, including frequency mode, frequency amplitude, power density, frequency cycle time, and ultrasonic washing. Then the activities of the enzymes related to phenolic metabolisms after optimal ultrasound treatment were investigated, including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and peroxidase (POD). Additionally, the quality and microbial safety of fresh-cut red cabbages stored at 4°C under the optimal ultrasound treatment were evaluated. The results showed that the content of soluble phenolics (SPs) in fresh-cut red cabbages increased significantly during storage under the optimal conditions (28 ± 2 kHz, 60 W/L, 400 ms, and 20 min) compared with the control ( P < 0.05). The PAL activity was activated and the PPO and POD activities were inhibited after ultrasonic washing, which contributed to the increase in the content of SPs. Meanwhile, the storage quality and microbial safety of fresh-cut red cabbages were improved. Ultrasonic washing reduced the weight loss and respiration rate and improved the color and texture characteristics. Additionally, the fresh-cut red cabbages after ultrasonic washing showed more retention of ascorbic acid (AA), total soluble proteins (TSPs), total soluble sugars (TSSs), and total soluble solids (SSs) compared with the control. Finally, ultrasonic washing effectively inhibited the growth of bacteria, molds and yeasts, which is beneficial to the extension of the shelf-life of fresh-cut red cabbages. Therefore, ultrasonic washing can be used as a tool to increase the content of SPs in fresh-cut red cabbages while retaining quality attributes and microbial safety., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Hong, Zhou, Zhao and Ma.)

Through virtual screening, electronic tongue verification, and molecular docking technology, the structure-taste activity relationship of 47 kinds of umami peptides (octapeptide - undecapeptide) from Stropharia rugosoannulata prepared by simultaneous ultrasonic-assisted directional enzymatic hydrolysis was analyzed. The umami peptides of S.rugosoannulata can form hydrogen bond interaction and electrostatic interaction with umami receptors T1R1/T1R3. The amino acid residues at the peptides' N-terminal and C-terminal play a vital role in binding with the receptors to form a stable complex. D, E, and R are the primary amino acids in the peptides that easily bind to T1R1/T1R3. The basic amino acid in the peptides is more easily bound to T1R1, and the acidic amino acid is more easily bound to T1R3. The active amino acid sites of the receptors to which the peptides bind account for 42%-65% of the total active amino acid residues in the receptors. ASP147 and ASP219 are the critical amino acid residues for T1R1 to recognize the umami peptides, and ARG64, GLU45, and GLU48 are the critical amino acid residues for T1R3 to recognize the umami peptides. The increase in the variety and quantity of umami peptides is the main reason for improving the umami taste of the substrate prepared by synchronous ultrasound-assisted directional enzymatic hydrolysis. This study provides a theoretical basis for understanding simultaneous ultrasound-assisted directional enzymatic hydrolysis for preparing umami peptides from S.rugosoannulata, enhancing the flavor of umami, and the relationship between peptide structure and taste activity., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Thermosonication as an alternative to hot water blanching of carrots, the effect of thermosonication on the carrot texture and cell structure required deep investigation. This study was conducted from the aspects of cell membrane, cell water, and cell wall pectin. Results showed that thermosonication at 60 °C significantly increased carrot tissue hardness by up to 10.3% compared with fresh. Rheological curves showed that the carrot tissues remained rigid after thermosonication. Cell membrane permeability was damaged to different extents during processing, inducing bound and immobilized water to migrate to free water and bring intracellular electrolytes to outflow. Thermosonication affected cell structure by altering the characteristics of pectin, including uronic acids and neutral sugar contents, degree of linearity and branching, and degree of methoxylation. The modified pectin can seize more divalent cations such as Ca 2+ retained in the thermosonicated carrot cell wall, conducive to preserving the textural property of processed fruits and vegetables., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The effects of dual-frequency (40 + 20 kHz) and multi-angle ultrasound (0°, 30°, 45°) on the coagulation state, network structure, flavor and protein conformation of tofu gel were studied. The results showed that the gel flavor of 40 + 20 kHz 0° group was the best and fluorescence intensity was low. The gel flavor in the 40 + 20 kHz 30° group was better than the group without ultrasound, and hydrophobic interaction and disulfide bond content was the largest. Meanwhile, the degree of protein cross-link was increased. The gel in 40 + 20 kHz 45° group had tightly gel state, high thermal stability, but poor flavor. Combined with The Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS)-entropy weight method, the 40 + 20 kHz 30° group, was the best ultrasonic treatment of gel. It can change the interaction between proteins, promote protein cross-link, and form a uniform and dense gel network. Finally, the hardness and moisture content of finished tofu were increased significantly, and the quality was improved., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Conventional fermentation of rapeseed meal has disadvantages such as sterilization requirement, high energy consumption and low efficiency, as well as poor action of single bacteria. To overcome these drawbacks, mixed-strain fermentation of unsterilized rapeseed meal was investigated. Mixed-fermentation of unsterilized rapeseed meal (ratio of solid-liquid 1:1.2 g/mL) using Bacillus subtilis , Pediococcus acidilactici and Candida tropicalis (at 40 °C, for 3 days, with inoculation amount of 15% ( w / w )) substantially increased the polypeptide content in rapeseed meal by 814.5% and decreased the glucosinolate content by 46.20%. The relationship between microbial diversity and physicochemical indicators showed that the improvement in polypeptide content was mainly caused by C. tropicalis (on the first day of fermentation) and B. subtilis (on the second day). Compared to raw rapeseed meal, the microbial diversity following the fermentation was significantly reduced, indicating that mixed-strain fermentation can inhibit the growth of miscellaneous bacteria. The study findings suggest that mixed-strain fermentation could be used to considerably increase the polypeptide content of unsterilized rapeseed meal, increasing the potential of rapeseed meal.

The application of physical processing technologies in fermentation is an effective way to improve the quality of substrates. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of enhancing the polypeptides of rapeseed meal (RSM) by a low-intensity alternating magnetic field (LF-MF)-assisted solid-state fermentation. A protease-producing strain B16 from RSM was isolated and identified as Bacillus velezensis by analyzing its morphology and 16S rDNA sequencing. Then, it was employed in solid-state fermentation for polypeptide production. The results showed that the neutral protease activity could reach 147.48 U/mL when B. was cultured under suitable conditions. The protease activity increased rapidly on the 2.5th day of traditional fermentation, while the polypeptide yield reached the maximum on the third day. The highest polypeptides content was achieved by LF-MF-assisted fermentation at magnetic field intensity 140 Gs, treatment 4 h, magnetic field intervention after 16 h of inoculation, and rotation speed 50 rpm/min, which increased by 18.98% compared with traditional fermentation. Therefore, LF-MF-assisted fermentation effectively enhanced the polypeptide yield. The results suggested that LF-MF technology would be widely used to produce bioactive components from agro-industrial by-products.velezensis was cultured under suitable conditions. The protease activity increased rapidly on the 2.5th day of traditional fermentation, while the polypeptide yield reached the maximum on the third day. The highest polypeptides content was achieved by LF-MF-assisted fermentation at magnetic field intensity 140 Gs, treatment 4 h, magnetic field intervention after 16 h of inoculation, and rotation speed 50 rpm/min, which increased by 18.98% compared with traditional fermentation. Therefore, LF-MF-assisted fermentation effectively enhanced the polypeptide yield. The results suggested that LF-MF technology would be widely used to produce bioactive components from agro-industrial by-products.

Due to the recent increase in the human population and the associated shortage of protein resources, it is necessary to find new, sustainable, and natural protein resources from invertebrates (such as insects) and underutilized plants. In most cases, compared to plants (e.g., grains and legumes) and animals (e.g., fish, beef, chicken, lamb, and pork), insect proteins are high in quality in terms of their nutritional value, total protein content, and essential amino acid composition. This review evaluates the recent state of insects as an alternative protein source from production to application; more specifically, it introduces in detail the latest advances in the protein extraction process. As an alternative source of protein in food formulations, the functional characteristics of edible insect protein are comprehensively presented, and the risk of allergy associated with insect protein is also discussed. The biological activity of protein hydrolyzates from different species of insects ( Bombyx mori , Hermetia illucens , Acheta domesticus , Tenebrio molitor ) are also reviewed, and the hydrolysates (bioactive peptides) are found to have either antihypertensive, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial activity. Finally, the use of edible insect protein in various food applications is presented.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of low intensity alternating magnetic field on the submerged fermentation of Grifola frondosa, and its possible mechanism was also explored. Under the optimal shaking flask conditions, amino acids in mycelium with magnetic field treatment significantly increased, and the morphology of mycelium obviously changed. During the scale-up magnetic field-assisted fermentation, Mycelium biomass increased by 12%. The yield of polysaccharides and relative dissolved oxygen in the fermentation broth was higher than in the control group. Transcriptome sequencing results showed that the expression of genes related to amino acid metabolism increased significantly after magnetic treatment. In addition, magnetic field stimulation enhanced the mycelium biomass by upregulation the expression of genes related to cell repair and stress response. This study suggested that applying a magnetic field in submerged fermentation of G frondosa is an innovative approach to produce metabolites., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ultrasound-assisted enzymolysis has been applied to improve conventional enzymolysis, while there are rare reports on the application of ultrasound to high-concentration feather protein enzymolysis. Therefore, the feasibility of dual-frequency slit ultrasound (DFSU) for enzymolysis of high-concentration hydrolyzed feather meal (HFM), as well as the biological activities and structural characteristics of hydrolysates were investigated. The single-factor test was used to optimize the ultrasonic processing parameters: substrate concentration, frequency mode, intermittent ratio, power density, and time. The results showed that protein recovery rate and conversion rate increased by 6.08% and 18.63% under the optimal conditions (200 g/L, 28/80 kHz, 5:2 s/s, 600 W/L, and 3 h) compared with conventional enzymolysis, respectively. The macromolecular proteins in hydrolysates were converted into micromolecular peptides (< 500 Da) when treated by DFSU, and antioxidant activity and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity of hydrolysates were increased. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images illustrated the microstructure changes of feather protein particles in the ultrasound-assisted enzymatic hydrolysates of HFM (UEH), including more porous, smaller, and more uniform. Additionally, the conformation of protein molecules was significantly affected (P < 0.05), including the increase in free sulfhydryl (SH), the decrease in disulfide bond (SS) and surface hydrophobicity (H 0 ). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra analysis further showed that the secondary structure of feather proteins was modified with a reduction in α-helix, β-turn, and β-sheet, while an increase in random coil content was observed. These results indicated that DFSU could be a promising method to enhance high-concentration HFM for preparing peptide-rich hydrolysates with high antioxidant activity and ACE inhibitory activity., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to investigate the impact of multi-mode S-type ultrasound treatment on the protein extraction level of walnut dregs. The structural properties of the walnut protein (WP) were characterized, and the correlation between protein structure and extraction level was analyzed. The in situ real-time monitoring model for the ultrasound-assisted WP extraction process was established by a miniature fiber near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer. Results showed that the protein yield, purity, and comprehensive extraction index (CEI) of extracted WP were 71.07 %, 72.69 %, and 71.72, respectively, under optimal conditions (dual-frequency 20/28 kHz, ultrasonic treatment duration 30 min, and ultrasound power density 120 W/L). The secondary structure of extracted WP displayed that the proportion of α-helix and β-sheet reduced, while the contents of β-turn and random coil increased after ultrasonic treatment. Besides, sonication decreased the disulfide bond content and increased free sulfhydryl (-SH) and surface hydrophobicity compared to the control. The microstructures of WP confirmed that appropriate sonication could unfold the protein aggregates and reduce the particle size. The extraction level of WP is positively correlated with the -SH content (p < 0.01). The quantitative prediction model of Si-PLS for -SH content in the ultrasound-assisted WP extraction process was established and performed a good correction and prediction performance (Rc = 0.9736; RMSECV = 0.446 μmol/L; Rp = 0.9342; RMSEP = 0.807 μmol/L). This study exploited a high-efficiency way for the WP extraction industry, and provided theoretical support for the development of the intelligent system in industrial protein extraction process., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Calpurnia aurea is believed to have antidiarrheal potential but with limited scientific evidence. This study aimed investigating antidiarrheal and antibacterial activity of aqueous and 80% methanol seed extracts of the plant in mice and selected diarrhea-causing bacterial strains, respectively., Methods: Castor oil-induced diarrhea, prostaglandin-induced enteropooling, and castor oil-induced charcoal meal test models in mice of either sex using three dose levels (60, 120, and 240 mg/kg) were applied to evaluate antidiarrheal activity. Parameters, including onset, number, wet stool weight, weight and volume of secretion, and intestinal motility, were taken into consideration. The antibacterial activity was assessed on Shigella soni, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using disk diffusion and microdilution techniques., Results: Compared to controls, pretreatment of mice at the graded dose (60, 120, and 240 mg/kg) resulted in a significant ( p < 0.05) drop in frequency of wet stools and watery content of diarrhea as well as in delaying onset of diarrhea. Both extracts exhibited inhibition of diarrhea in a dose-dependent manner in all models used. The extracts also showed significant ( p < 0.05) reduction in intestinal motility in castor oil-induced models. Both extracts showed a marginal activity against the selected bacterial strains; a better effect was seen with 80% methanol seed extract., Conclusion: Both extracts of the plant have beneficial effect in controlling diarrhea. This finding supports the use of the plant as a traditional antidiarrheal remedy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Achenef Bogale et al.)

Objective: to assess the prevalence and associated factors of poor sleep quality in adults with Human Immuno Virus Syndrome who attended an Anti-Retro-Viral Treatment clinic at Finote Selam General Hospital in Amhara, Ethiopia, in 2021., Methods: A Hospital based cross sectional study was conducted from October 15 to November 2020 and systematic random sampling technique was used to select sample size of 399 study subjects. Sleep Quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The data was entered to Epi data version 4.2 and analysis was done with SPSS version 25.0 software. Binary logistic regression technique was employed and variables with p-value less than 0.25 in the Bi-variable analysis were entered to the multivariable analysis. Odds ratio with 95% Confidence Interval was calculated and statistical significance was declared at P-values < 0.05., Results: The prevalence of poor quality of sleep among PLWHA was 55.1% [95% CI: 50.1-60.2] 0.12 months duration of HIV diagnosis [AOR = 4.02,95% CI: (1.604, 10.070)], CD4 count<200 cells/mm3 [AOR = 2.76,95% CI: (1.189,6.408)]. Viral load >1000 copies [AOR = 3.41, 95% CI: (1.384, 8.417)]and having depression [AOR = 2.06, 95% CI: (1.056, 4.019)] were factors significantly associated with poor sleep quality., Conclusion: In this study, it was discovered that above 50% of people living with HIV/AIDS had poor sleep quality. It is critical to reduce prevalence by developing prevention and intervention strategies that address the identified factors., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Strawberry juice, which is rich in nutrients and charming flavor, is favored by consumers. To explore whether multi-mode thermosonication (MTS) can ensure the quality stability of strawberry clear juice (SCJ) during storage, the effects of microbial inhibition, enzyme activity, and physicochemical properties of SCJ pretreated by MTS were evaluated during storage at 4, 25, and 37 °C in comparison with thermal pretreatment (TP) at 90 °C for 1 min. The MTS, including dual-frequency energy-gathered ultrasound pretreatment (DEUP) and flat sweep-frequency dispersive ultrasound pretreatment (FSDUP), were conducted at 60 °C for 5 and 15 min, respectively. Results showed that the total phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, and DPPH free radical scavenging ability of SCJ decreased during the storage period. The control sample of SCJ was able to sage for only 7 days at 4 °C based on the microbiological quality, while the FSDUP and DEUP group extended the storage period up to 21 and 14 days, respectively. The polyphenol oxidase in SCJ pretreated by MTS did not reactivate during the storage period. The MTS remarkably (p < 0.05) reduced the color deterioration, browning degree, and nutrient degradation during the storage period. Moreover, the FSDUP group exhibited the maximum shelf life with a minimum loss of quality, demonstrating that it was the most suitable processing method for obtaining high-quality SCJ. It can be concluded that the MTS has the potential to inhibit enzymatic browning, inactivating microorganisms, preserve original quality attributes, and prolong the shelf life of SCJ.

Background: Menstrual irregularity can occur at any age, but it is most common among women under the age of 23 years. Menstrual irregularity is a foremost gynecological problem and a cause of anxiety to students and those close to them. These students experience monthly absenteeism, premenstrual symptoms, and a lack of concentration due to menstrual problems, all of which interfere with their education. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of menstrual irregularity and associated factors among college students in Debre Berhan Town, North Shewa, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia, in 2021., Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June to July 2021 in Debre Berhan town. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires in 420 eligible female college students by systematic random sampling technique. Weight and height were measured and Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated after data collection. Each questionnaire was checked for completeness, cleaned, coded, entered into EPI-DATA, and then transported to SPSS software. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to determine the association of each independent variable with the dependent variable. P ≤ 0.05 were used to declare association and select predictors., Results: In the current study, 395 students participated with a response rate of 93.6%. Of all the total respondents, the magnitude of menstrual cycle irregularity was 33.4% (95% CI 28.6-38.2). Age < 20 years old [AOR = 3.88, 95% CI (1.25-12.18)], age of menarche ≤ 12 years [AOR = 4, 95% CI (1.18-13.9), sleeping hours ≤ 5 h [AOR= 2.26, 95% CI (1.04-4.93)], perceived stress [AOR = 2, 95% CI (1.53-3.23)] and being overweight [AOR = 2, 95% CI (1.13-3.23) were the variables significantly associated with the magnitude of menstrual irregularity., Conclusion and Recommendation: This study shows that more than one-third of the college students in Debre Berhan town have experienced menstrual irregularity. Being less than 20 years old, having a history of early menarche, being overweight, and perceived stress were a variable significantly associated with menstrual irregularity. To control menstrual irregularity, girls should control their weight and lead a healthy lifestyle, including getting adequate sleep which could be aided by training on time management., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Mittiku, Mekonen, Wogie, Tizazu and Wake.)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ultrasound with different frequency modes on the chemical structure, chain conformation, and immune activity of lentinan from Lentinus edodes ; the structure-activity relationship of lentinan was also discussed. The results showed that, compared with original lentinan (extracted using hot water), although ultrasonic treatment did not change the monosaccharide composition and main functional groups of lentinan, it significantly changed its chain conformation. Especially at 60, 40/60, and 20/40/60 kHz, according to atomic force microscopy and solution chain conformation parameters, lentinan transformed from a rigid triple-helix chain to a flexible single-helix chain, and the side-chain was severely broken. Under this condition, lentinan had the worst immune activity. However, at 20/40 and 20/60 kHz, the rigid triple-helix chain transformed into a loose and flexible triple-helix chain, showing the strongest immune activity. These results indicated that dual-frequency ultrasound had significant effects on the conformation of lentinan, and the conformation characteristics of polysaccharide chain such as spiral number, stiffness and flexibility, and side-chain played an important role in immune activity. This study shows the great potential of ultrasound with different frequency modes in carbohydrate food processing, which may have important reference value and practical significance.

Awareness of edible rose being beneficial for health has attracted researchers in exploring different rose products. The study aimed to investigate effects of vacuum freeze drying (VFD), hot air drying (HAD), heat pump drying (HPD), relative humidity drying (RHD) and catalytic infrared drying (CID) on the physicochemical properties, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of Pingyin roses. Results showed that the VFD roses had significantly (p < 0.05) bright color, complete tissue cells, low shrinkage, and good plasma membrane permeability. CID roses showed the highest total phenols content (164.09 ± 0.88 mg/g) and the strongest antioxidant activity. Besides, the odor is the most crucial indicator for dried roses. VFD can well prevent the odor from diminishing/destroying and preserve the natural smell of rose. Thermal drying including HAD, HPD, RHD, and CID, could cause significant losses of VOCs. Consequently, the findings can provide the scientific basis for future large-scale production of dried rose products., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid that possesses various physiological functions. Our previous study has shown that ultrasound increased GABA accumulation in coffee leaves. In this study, we aimed to uncover the GABA enrichment mechanism by investigating the surface microstructure, cellular permeability, enzyme activities, and metabolomics of coffee leaves under ultrasound treatment. The results showed that ultrasound increased the electrical conductivity and the activities of glutamate decarboxylase, γ-aminoaldehyde dehydrogenase, and diamine oxidase by 12.0%, 265.9%, 124.1%, 46.8%, respectively. Environmental scanning electron microscope analysis demonstrated an increased opening of stomata and the rougher surface in the leaves after ultrasound treatment. UPLC-qTOF-MS/MS-based untargeted metabolomics analysis identified 82 differential metabolites involved in various metabolism pathways. Our results indicated that ultrasound changed the surface microstructure of coffee leaves, thereby accelerating the migration of glutamate into the cells; activated related enzymes; regulated C/N metabolism pathways, which led to an increase of GABA., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: If pregnant mothers have no medical or obstetrical complications, they are encouraged to maintain active lifestyles during their pregnancies. Benefits of exercise during pregnancy include; prevention of gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and reduced low back pain. Therefore this study is done to assess knowledge, attitude and practice towards antenatal exercise among pregnant women who are attending antenatal care at health centers of Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia., Method: For this study cross-sectional study design was used. It was conducted from October 2019 up to January 2020 among 255 pregnant women who are attending antenatal care at selected health centers of Mekelle city. After the data were collected it was entered into epi-data 4.2.0 and was analyzed by using SPSS version 23., Result: Among the study participants of pregnant women 51%, 56% and 16.6% had good knowledge, positive attitude and practice towards antenatal exercise respectively. Among those 38.8%, 45.9% and 49.8% were expressed as antenatal exercise can decrease back pain, prevents excessive weight gain and increase energy and stamina during pregnancy respectively. Among those who practiced antenatal exercise, 95% and 83.4% was practicing with frequency ≥ three times per week and ≥20 minutes of the duration of exercise per session respectively., Discussion: Generally, this study showed that the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of pregnant mothers regarding antenatal exercise is poor. Therefore, health care providers who work on maternal health (Gynecologists, Midwives, Nurses, Health extension workers and other community workers) should provide counseling and health education on antenatal exercise., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exist.

Due to its unique high conductivity and flexibility, the two-dimensional MXene material (Ti 3 C 2 T x ) is expected to possess great potential in the thermoelectric field. However, the low thermoelectric performance from high thermal conductivity and a low Seebeck coefficient has limited its practical application. In this report, we demonstrate the uniform growth of ZnO layers on the laminar Ti 3 C 2 T x membrane by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Benefiting from the low-temperature deposition characteristics of the ALD technique, the ZnO@Ti 3 C 2 T x composite films maintain the basic apparent morphology of the original films after the deposition. We reveal that the Schottky barrier formed between ZnO and Ti 3 C 2 T x exhibits an energy-filtering effect, significantly enhancing the Seebeck coefficient to result in more than a double increase in the power factor. Meanwhile, the strong phonon-interface scattering between ZnO and Ti 3 C 2 T x is found to reduce the thermal conductivity of the composite films by a factor of four as compared to pure Ti 3 C 2 T x ones, further improving the overall thermoelectric properties of the ZnO@Ti 3 C 2 T x composite films. Our investigation provides an ALD-based strategy for growing wide band gap layers on the narrow band gap films to improve the thermoelectric performance of various MXene materials.

Diversiform okra dry powders were prepared and controlled-temperature ultrasonic-assisted extraction (CTUAE) was then utilized to obtain okra pectin (OP) from the preparative powders. During processing of hybrid techniques, 6 types of dry powders were prepared through different drying technologies (hot air drying, HD; freeze-drying, FD) and meshes (60, 80, 120 meshes) at first. Next, the extraction yield, physicochemical and function characteristics, and molecular structure of OP were analyzed with or without CTUAE technique. Meanwhile, the time-frequency domains of acoustic fields during extraction process of OP were monitored to analyze the effects of ultrasonic fields. Results showed that OP main chains with less cracking by FD than that by HD; the yield, GalA, esterification degree (DE), M w and viscosity of OP increased, but its particle size decreased. Water holding capacity (WHC) and oil holding capacity (OHC) of OP by HD were more prominent. Secondly, HD OP had dendritic rigid chains, while FD OP had flexible chains with multiple branches. For HD OP, as meshes of okra dry powders decreased, GalA, viscosity and emulsification ability decreased; while gel strength and thermal stability increased. For FD OP, the reduction of meshes improved thermal stability. Above all, CTUAE technique increased the yield and GalA, and decreased DE, M w and particle size of OP. In terms of functional characteristics, the technique also improved gel strength, resilience and viscoelasticity, enhanced emulsifying stability, WHC and thermal stability, and reduced viscosity. Finally, the correlation between functional and structural characteristics of OP was quantified, and some suggestions were made for its application in food areas., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to investigate the effect of thermosonicaion (TS) with different frequency modes on the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) inactivation from the aspects of ultrasound field and enzyme structural changes. The relationships between the activity and structural modification were also evaluated. A thermal-only treatment was performed to estimate the action of ultrasound in TS treatment. Compared to mono-frequency, especially the 33 kHz, TS with dual- and tri-frequency modes showed an intensive inactivation impact on HRP. Exogenous hydroxyl radical test showed the hydroxyl radical played a vital role in HRP inactivation. Changes in hematin group, tertiary and secondary structures were also confirmed, and the inactivation process followed an all-or-none model. Morphological images indicated the aggregation and deformation of HRP molecules during TS treatment, and roughness values were changed accordingly. Pearson correlation analysis implied that the structural destruction on the spatial conformation of HRP was strongly related to its activity., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)