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Objective: This study aimed to optimize the preparation process of blueberry juice and improve its antioxidant activity. Methods: Blueberry juice was prepared using a wet ultrafine grinding process and compound enzymolysis method. Response surface methodology was used to optimize the process parameters and analyze the antioxidant activity of blueberry juice. Results: There were significant differences in the juice yield and active substance content of blueberry juice under different solid-liquid ratios, crushing times, compound enzyme contents, and enzymatic hydrolysis times, with enzymatic hydrolysis time having the most significant impact on juice yield and anthocyanin content. The optimal process parameters for the wet ultrafine grinding process and compound enzymolysis method are solid-liquid ratio of 1∶1.7 (g/g), pulverization time of 8.00 min, compound enzyme content of 0.15%, and enzymatic hydrolysis time of 127 min. Under the control of these process conditions, the blueberry juice yield was 87.89%, with the contents of anthocyanin, total flavonoid and total phenol were 612.04 mg/L, 2.96 g/L and 3.43 g/L, respectively, and its antioxidant capacity was equivalent to 0.3% vitamin C when the addition amount is 1.6 mL. Conclusion: The wet ultrafine grinding process and compound enzymolysis method can improve the juice yield of blueberry juice, maximize the retention of its active substances, and enhance its antioxidant capacity.

Exploring the physical fractions of organic carbon and influencing mechanisms in grassland, forest, and farmland soils in wind erosion area can provide scientific basis for carbon sequestration, land utilization, wind prevention measure making, and fertility restoration of sloping farmland in the region. We examined the differentiation of aggregate organic carbon and density fractionation organic carbon in 0-15 cm soil layer across grassland, forest, and sloping farmland with 350 m long and 5° slope gradient in the wind erosion area of Meilisi District, Qiqihar, Heilongjiang, as well as the sloping farmland in the downhill section, middle section, and uphill section with every 100 m apart from the bottom to the top. The results showed that soil aggregates >2 mm were all destroyed across grassland, forest, and farmland soils, while the percentage of aggregates <0.053 mm was significantly higher than that of other sizes. The percentage of various soil aggregates, organic carbon content from density fractionations, and the proportion of organic carbon in the heavy fraction aggregates in farmland were significantly lower than that in grassland and forest soils. Soil aggregates in the uphill section of farmland were completely destroyed, and organic carbon content in various size aggregates and density fractionations gradually decreased with increasing slope. The proportion of organic carbon in the heavy fraction aggregates decreased, but that in light fraction aggregates increased gradually. Soil organic carbon and available potassium were key factors affecting aggregate stability, aggregate organic carbon content, and organic carbon content in density fractionations, while the loss of organic carbon in aggregate led to a decrease in aggregate stability. In summary, compared with grassland and forest soils, the stability of soil aggregates, the aggregate organic carbon content, the organic carbon content in density fractionations, and the proportion of organic carbon in heavy fraction aggregates in farmland all decreased in the wind erosion area of Northeast China. With the increases of slope, the aggregate organic carbon content, the organic carbon content in density fractionations, and the proportion of organic carbon in the heavy fraction aggregates in sloping farmland all decreased. Planting trees, conserving and expanding grassland area, and increasing the application of organic materials in sloping farmland in wind erosion area are effective approaches to stabilize and increase carbon storage, improve soil structure, and enhance soil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Rehabilitation assessment is a critical component of rehabilitation treatment. OBJECTIVE: This study focuses on a comprehensive analysis of patients' movement performance using the upper limb rehabilitation robot. It quantitatively assessed patients' motor control ability and constructed an intelligent grading model of functional impairments. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of patients' motor ability and provide valuable insights for personalized rehabilitation interventions. METHODS: Patients at different Brunnstrom stages underwent rehabilitation training using the upper limb rehabilitation robot, and data on the distal movement positions of the patients' upper limbs were collected. A total of 22 assessment metrics related to movement efficiency, smoothness, and accuracy were extracted. The performance of these assessment metrics was measured using the Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson correlation analysis. Due to the issue of imbalanced sample categories, data augmentation was performed using the Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE) algorithm based on weighted sampling, and an intelligent grading model of functional impairment based on the Extreme Gradient Boosting Tree (XGBoost) algorithm was constructed. RESULTS: Sixteen assessment metrics were screened. These metrics were effectively normalized to their maximum values, enabling the derivation of quantitative assessment scores for motor control ability across the three dimensions through a weighted fusion approach. Notably, when applied to the data-enhanced dataset, the intelligent grading model exhibited remarkable improvement, achieving an accuracy rate exceeding 0.98. Moreover, significant enhancements were observed in terms of precision, recall, and f1-score. CONCLUSION: The research findings demonstrate that this study enables the quantitative assessment of patients' motor control ability and intelligent grading of functional impairments, thereby contributing to the efficiency enhancement of clinical rehabilitation assessment. Moreover, this method resolves the issues associated with the subjectivity and prolonged periods of traditional rehabilitation assessment methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of different processing methods on the quality and nutrition of soymilk, as well as the changes in storage stability (centrifugal sedimentation rate (CSR), viscosity, and particle size) and shelf‐life of soymilk at different storage temperatures (25°C, 35°C, 45°C, and 55°C). Results showed that soymilk processed via the repeated boiling‐to‐filtering method (RBFM) exhibited the highest protein content (3.89 g/100 g), carbohydrate content (1.27 g/100 g), and stability coefficient (0.950). The CSR and particle size of RBFM soymilk increased gradually during storage at different temperatures, while the viscosity and sensory score decreased. The correlation between the CSR and the sensory score of RBFM soymilk was the highest (R2 =.9868). The CSR was selected as the key indicator to predict the shelf‐life of RBFM soymilk. The average residual variation in RBFM soymilk shelf‐life based on the predictive model was 10.78%, indicating the strong accuracy of the model for predicting the shelf‐life of RBFM soymilk stored at temperatures ranging from 25–45°C. This study provides a theoretical basis and technological support for the development, transportation, and storage of soymilk and soymilk beverage products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Apolipoprotein E (APOE) [epsilon]4 is the single most important genetic risk factor for cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease (AD), while lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking, diet, and physical activity also have impact on cognition. The goal of the study is to investigate whether the association between lifestyle and cognition varies by APOE genotype among the oldest old. Methods and findings We used the cross-sectional data including 6,160 oldest old (aged 80 years old or older) from the genetic substudy of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) which is a national wide cohort study that began in 1998 with follow-up surveys every 2-3 years. Cognitive impairment was defined as a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score less than 18. Healthy lifestyle profile was classified into 3 groups by a composite measure including smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary pattern, physical activity, and body weight. APOE genotype was categorized as APOE [epsilon]4 carriers versus noncarriers. We examined the associations of cognitive impairment with lifestyle profile and APOE genotype using multivariable logistic regressions, controlling for age, sex, education, marital status, residence, disability, and numbers of chronic conditions. The mean age of our study sample was 90.1 (standard deviation [SD], 7.2) years (range 80-113); 57.6% were women, and 17.5% were APOE [epsilon]4 carriers. The mean MMSE score was 21.4 (SD: 9.2), and 25.0% had cognitive impairment. Compared with those with an unhealthy lifestyle, participants with intermediate and healthy lifestyle profiles were associated with 28% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 16%-38%, P < 0.001) and 55% (95% CI: 44%-64%, P < 0.001) lower adjusted odds of cognitive impairment. Carrying the APOE [epsilon]4 allele was associated with 17% higher odds (95% CI: 1%-31%, P = 0.042) of being cognitively impaired in the adjusted model. The association between lifestyle profiles and cognitive function did not vary significantly by APOE [epsilon]4 genotype (noncarriers: 0.47 [0.37-0.60] healthy versus unhealthy; carriers: 0.33 [0.18-0.58], P for interaction = 0.30). The main limitation was the lifestyle measurements were self-reported and were nonspecific. Generalizability of the findings is another limitation because the study sample was from the oldest old in China, with unique characteristics such as low body weight compared to populations in high-income countries. Conclusions In this study, we observed that healthier lifestyle was associated with better cognitive function among the oldest old regardless of APOE genotype. Our findings may inform the cognitive outlook for those oldest old with high genetic risk of cognitive impairment., Author(s): Xurui Jin 1,2, Wanying He 1, Yan Zhang 1, Enying Gong 3, Zhangming Niu 2, John Ji 4, Yaxi Li 1, Yi Zeng 5,6,7, Lijing L. Yan 1,5,8,9,10,* Introduction [...]