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During storage, infestation by insect pests occurs, causing quantitative and qualitative losses in grains, which requires the control of these insects with phosphine gas. Rice husk has a high phosphine adsorption capacity, influencing the gas concentration during fumigation and potentially leading to inefficient fumigation. Additionally, the high sorption of rice husk results in a higher residue of phosphine in the grain. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the phosphine sorption and phosphine residue in rice husk, paddy rice, and brown rice, as well as the industrial quality (head rice yield, rehydration capacity, cooking time, colorimetric profile) of brown and white rice during storage. To achieve this, fumigation of paddy rice, brown rice, and rice husks with 3.0 g·m -3 of phosphine was carried out for 240 h (recommended duration in the industry). A high sorption rate was observed in the rice husk (94.77%), paddy rice (97.61%), and, lastly, brown rice (35.17%). Due to the high sorption rate, only brown rice maintained a concentration above the recommended level for effective pest control (400 ppm for 120 h). Higher phosphine residues than permitted were observed in the rice husk (0.25 ppm). Lower rice head yields were observed in non-fumigated rice samples when analyzing the brown rice samples (66.21% for paddy rice and 65.01% for brown rice). A greater rehydration capacity was observed in fumigated samples at the beginning of storage when analyzing the brown rice samples (1.21 for paddy rice, 1.23 for brown rice), reducing the cooking time (24.00 for paddy rice, 23.80 for brown rice). More studies should be carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of fumigation on paddy rice, considering the high sorption rate of the paddy.

Background: The majority of studies with essential oils in foods focus mainly on improving the shelf life of products; however, the present study goes further and demonstrates not only the effect of essential oil on conservation properties, but also the effect of free and encapsulated orange essential oil (OEO) on the technological, sensorial and digestibility properties of bakery products., Results: OEO was encapsulated into β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) by inclusion complex formation (β-CD/OEO 97.4% of encapsulation efficiency). OEO demonstrated in vitro antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus (inhibition zone of 11.33 mm on mycelial growth). In situ antifungal activity against A. flavus confirmed that free OEO can effectively delay the fungal growth, unlike encapsulated OEO. Regarding texture profile and starch digestibility: cake with β-CD/OEO showed lower hardness (31.64 N) and lower starch digestibility (69.10%) than cake with free OEO (44.30 N; 82.10%, respectively) and the addition of OEO (both free and encapsulated) decreased the adhesiveness of the cakes. Cake with free OEO showed a higher intensity of orange aroma, being preferred by 60% of panelists, whereas cake with β-CD/OEO presented a very slight orange taste and aroma., Conclusion: The encapsulation of OEO into β-CD improved the crumb texture of cakes and promoted a lower starch digestibility in the cakes. On the other hand, the encapsulation process was not effective under the conditions tested (OEO concentration and baking temperatures), compromising the action of the OEO as a natural flavoring and preservative agent. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.)

The formation of fungal colonies, mycotoxins, phenolic compounds, cooking quality and color properties were evaluated in freshly-harvested brown, black, and red rice grains and then subjected to ultraviolet radiation (UV-C) for 1 and 3 h. Assessments were made after 6 months of storage. The exposure of black and red rice at 1 h of UV-C was enough to decrease the presence of fungal colonies by 22% and 79%, respectively, without any changes in cooking and coloring properties. In brown rice, only 3 h of UV-C irradiation was able to reduce the formation of fungal colonies. The release of phenolic compounds associated with cell wall was observed only in black and red rice subjected to UV-C radiation. The levels of mycotoxins gradually decreased with the increase in the time of exposure to UV-C radiation, demonstrating UV-C irradiation to be an effective method in fungal control and reduction of mycotoxins in stored rice., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of transglutaminase addition on the technological properties and in vitro starch digestibility of gluten-free cakes of brown, black, and red rice, as well as the effect of baking on the content of phenolic compounds. Transglutaminase addition exerted significant effect in the technological properties only in the brown rice cake, resulting in a decrease in crumb firmness and an increase in the specific volume. Red rice cakes treated with transglutaminase presented a lower glucose release rate (k) compared to cakes without the enzyme. Cakes from pigmented rice varieties had lower crumb firmness and k values than brown rice cakes. Baking reduced only the contents of ferulic and p-coumaric acids and significantly increased the extractability of hydroxybenzoic, caffeic, caftaric, and protocatechuic acids. However, the addition of the enzyme resulted in a slight decrease in the total phenolic content of the cakes., 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 © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study evaluated the influence of different fluidized-bed drying temperatures (20, 60, and 100 °C) on the cooking properties, in vitro starch digestibility, and phenolic bioaccessibility of black rice. The results indicated that the formation of fissures in the grains dried at or above 60 °C reduced the physical integrity of the grains after cooking, increasing the starch digestion and the rehydration ratio, and reduced the cooking time, the hardness and adhesiveness. Due to the higher digestibility of grains dried at higher temperatures, an increase in the bioaccessibility of ferulic acid, which was previously associated with the polysaccharides, was observed. Caffeic acid was the only phenolic compound whose levels decreased when the drying temperature increased. At high temperatures and in the gastric phase, cyanidin chalcones were formed due to the deglycosylation of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The results of this study provide information to the food industry about the effects of different fluidized-bed drying temperatures on the rice structure after cooking and that, consequently, affect the availability of bioactive compounds after digestion and the glycemic index of black rice., (© 2020 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

This study aimed to investigate the influence of drying temperatures (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 °C) followed by 12 months-storage under normal-atmosphere (conventional), nitrogen-atmosphere, and vacuum-atmosphere on black rice phenolics. Increase in drying temperature reduced the total content of free-phenolics, free-flavonoids, and anthocyanins. An increase in bound phenolics extractability was observed at 60 and 80 °C, suggesting some extent of phenolics polymerization and complexation at these drying temperatures. The free fraction of ferulic, caffeic, p-coumaric, and gallic acids were the most thermally unstable compounds. After storage, no reductions were observed only for free caffeic and protocatechuic acids. For total flavonoids, an increase in the free fraction and reduction of the bound fraction were observed in the grains stored under conventional- and vacuum-atmosphere. A reduction of total phenolics occurred regardless of the storage condition. However, storage under nitrogen-atmosphere is the most recommendable condition for maintenance of phenolics in black rice., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The effects of the use of glyphosate (GLY), glyphosate plus carfentrazone (GLY/CAR), and paraquat (PAR) as plant desiccators on the technological and chemical properties of cowpea grains were investigated. All studied desiccants provided lower cooking time to freshly harvested cowpea. However, the coat color of PAR- and GLY/CAR-treated cowpea was reddish in comparison to the control treatment. Principal component analysis (PCA) from liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) data sets showed a clear distinction among cowpea from the different treatments. Catechin-3-glucoside and epicatechin significantly contributed for discriminating GLY-treated cowpea, while citric acid was responsible for discriminating GLY/CAR-treated cowpea. Quercetin derivative and gluconic acid were responsible for discriminating control treatment. Residual glyphosate and paraquat content was higher than the maximum limits allowed by Codex Alimentarius and the European Union Commission. Improvements in the technological and chemical properties of cowpea may not be overlapped by the risks that those desiccants exhibit when exceeding the maximum limits of tolerance in food.

In rice, several allergens have been identified such as the non-specific lipid transfer protein-1, the α-amylase/trypsin-inhibitors, the α-globulin, the 33 kDa glyoxalase I (Gly I), the 52-63 kDa globulin, and the granule-bound starch synthetase. The goal of the present study was to define optimal rice extraction and detection methods that would allow a sensitive and reproducible measure of several classes of known rice allergens. In a three-laboratory ring-trial experiment, several protein extraction methods were first compared and analyzed by 1D multiplexed SDS-PAGE. In a second phase, an inter-laboratory validation of 2D-DIGE analysis was conducted in five independent laboratories, focusing on three rice allergens (52 kDa globulin, 33 kDa glyoxalase I, and 14-16 kDa α-amylase/trypsin inhibitor family members). The results of the present study indicate that a combination of 1D multiplexed SDS-PAGE and 2D-DIGE methods would be recommended to quantify the various rice allergens.

To evaluate the digestibility of rice allergenic and nonallergenic proteins under the influence of the rice grain matrix, rice powder was subjected to in vitro digestion by simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF). Rice proteins were extracted from the liquid and the solid phases and analysed by SDS-PAGE, and rice allergenic proteins were detected by a multiplex immunodetection method. The digestion of soluble proteins was carried out in both liquid and solid phases, while that of insoluble proteins only occurred in the solid phase. In SGF digestion, rice proteins were more quickly digested at pH 1.2 than at pH 2.0 or 2.5. Moreover, the digestibility of five kinds of rice allergenic proteins was influenced by pH level, heat processing, starch matrix, solubility, and protein properties, on a case-by-case basis. On the other hand, all detected rice allergenic proteins and non-allergenic proteins were rapidly digested in SIF., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The influence of different extraction solutions on the proteins extracted from rice grains was investigated. The largest amounts of salt-soluble proteins were extracted with solutions supplemented with Tris-HCl at pH 8.0. Rice allergens were analyzed by multiplex immunodetection. Except for α-globulin extracted with the solutions at pH 8.0, which showed a low-molecular-weight band besides the main band, no significant solution-dependent difference among the allergens was found. Total proteins were extracted with four kinds of solution. The extraction of the basic subunit of glutelin was found to be SDS-dependent, and more protein was obtained with extraction solutions supplemented with SDS. The contents of α-globulin and α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors were higher in the extracts without SDS than with SDS. We conclude from the present data that, in order to obtain comparable data from rice grain salt-soluble and total protein analyses, differences in the protein extraction efficiency of solutions used should be taken into consideration.

Black powder substitutes containing ascorbic acid are a group of low explosives that utilize ascorbic acid as the fuel. The analysis of these powders is complicated by the degradation of ascorbic acid which occurs rapidly in solution and may also occur as the powder ages. Aqueous extracts of both intact powders and postblast residues were analyzed by an existing ion chromatography/mass spectrometry (IC/MS) method used at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Results have shown that while ascorbic acid itself is not detected in this method, its diagnostic degradation products (threonic acid, monohydrated diketogulonic acid, and oxalic acid) can be identified. In addition, anions from the inorganic oxidizers (perchlorate and nitrate) and combustion products such as chloride, chlorate, and nitrite, can be identified within the same experiment. While this IC/MS method shows promise, future modifications are necessary because of limitations in identifying threonate in postblast residues, as well as coeluting compounds observed in postblast residues.

TfdT is a LysR-type transcriptional regulator that activates the transcription of the chlorocatechol degradative gene operon tfdCDEF of the chlorobenzoate-degrading bacterium Burkholderia sp. NK8. To identify the amino acids involved in the effector recognition by TfdT, a polymerase-chain-reaction-based random mutagenesis protocol was applied to introduce mutations into the tfdT gene. Nine types of TfdT mutant bearing a single-amino-acid substitution at positions, Lys-129, Arg-199, Val-226, Val-246, and Pro-267 were obtained on the basis of their altered effector profiles and enhanced responses particularly to 2-chlorobenzoate, 2-aminobenzoate, and 2,6-dichlorobenzoate. All the TfdT mutants showed enhanced response to the effectors with a chloro-group in C-2 of benzoic acid. A homology model of wild-type TfdT was built on the basis of the crystal structure of CbnR with SwissModel. In this model, residues corresponding to the mutation sites of isolated TfdT mutants were located at the interface between the domains RD-I and RD-II. The findings that these TfdT mutants expressed altered effector specificities and enhanced responses to specific effectors suggest that these five residues are involved in effector binding by TfdT.

A case study involving an improvised pipe bomb with a drilled fuse hole is presented. This case study and its accompanying research details drill bit use and/or nonuse indicators. These indicators are then further classified to develop relevant conclusion criteria. These criteria are: (1) trace deposits in the form of particulate and/or smears on the drill bit, especially inside the flute and the tip area, (2) physical damage including chipping, abrasion, and fissuring on the drill bit which mostly occurred on the flute edge bevels and lip edges, and (3) thermal damage. One or any combination of these indicators could be used as effective criteria for concluding drill bit usage. This study also determined that a drill bit produces well-defined toolmarks on swarf shavings that could be identified back to that particular tool, and there is no mechanical break-in period for obtaining reproducible toolmarks on newly manufactured or unused bits.

Two kinds of chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenase (CCD), TfdC and TfdC2 were detected in Sphingomonas sp. strain TFD44. These two CCDs could be simultaneously synthesized in TFD44 during its growth with 2,4-D as the sole carbon and energy sources. The apparent subunit molecular masses of TfdC and TfdC2 estimated by SDS-PAGE analysis were 33.8 and 33.1 kDa, respectively. The genes encoding the two CCDs were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The two purified CCDs showed broad substrate specificities but had different specificity patterns. TfdC showed the highest specificity constant for 3-chlorocatechol and TfdC2 showed the highest specificity constant for 3,5-dichlorocatechol. The substrate specificity difference seemed to correlate with the alternation of amino acid supposed to be involved in the interaction with substrates. Whereas phylogenetic analysis indicated that the CCDs of Sphingomonas constitute a distinctive group among Gram-negative bacteria, TfdC and TfdC2 of TFD44 have divergently evolved in terms of their substrate specificity.

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that can elongate telomeric DNA, which is thought to be required for the development of cellular immortality and oncogenesis in mammals. We examined telomerase activity in tissues and primary cultured lymphoid cells of adult penaeid shrimps. Using the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP), we studied the characteristics of a putative novel telomerase in Penaeus japonicus. This telomerase could be inactivated by heating or treatment with RNase A or proteinase K. At elongation, this telomerase required dATP, dGTP, and dTTP, but not dCTP, as substrates. Sequence analysis of the TRAP product revealed that this telomerase synthesized (TTAGG)(n) repeated sequences. The activity of this telomerase was decreased but still readily detectable in 100 ng of protein extract from lymphoid tissue. The telomerase activity was detected in all examined tissues including testis, ovary, lymphoid, heart, hepatopancreas, and muscle. The highest telomerase activity was in the extract of ovarian tissues. In primary cultured lymphoid cells, the telomerase activity was retained. Thus, primary cultured lymphoid cells of Penaeus japonicus possess one of the factors necessary for cell line establishment.

Penaeid cell culture has gained much attention as a potential model to facilitate researches on the characterization of the virus and to develop more sophisticated and improved diagnostic procedures for use in the aquaculture industry. However, to date, cell division processes of cultured penaeid cells have not been found, which is suggested as one of the reasons that block the establishment of the continuous penaeid cell lines. We reported here the cell division processes of cultured lymphoid cells of Penaeus japonicus. The culture medium used was based on M199 and was modified by supplementing saline components. Cultures were incubated at 25 degrees C, and 5% CO2 was supplemented. In primary cultured lymphoid cells, dividing cells in different shapes were found. Cell division processes of 12 dividing lymphoid cells were tracked. After cell division, their daughter cells turned into fibroblast-like or epithelioid cells. These results proved that the culture conditions used were suitable for lymphoid cells of I japonicus to proliferate in vitro and that cultured lymphoid cells still had the ability to carry out cell division. These findings would give light to the establishment of continuous penaeid cell lines and would also provide us with the knowledge of cell division processes of the penaeid.

Patients and Method: In order to assess stability after orthodontic treatment, 132 patients who had been treated by one orthodontist in private practice were examined 6 years on average after completion of their treatment. Therapeutically induced movements and post-therapeutic changes were measured using dental casts, and the number of cases which had relapsed was calculated as a percentage of the individual measurements. The extent of post-therapeutic changes in patients with and without long-term retention was analyzed together with possible correlations with retention time and retainer type. Furthermore, the influence of gender, Angle classification, treatment-induced changes, initiation, type and duration of therapy, and extraction of premolars on the development of relapse was also investigated., Results and Conclusions: Some degree of relapse was recorded in 13% of the measurements on average, even in patients with some form of long-term retention. However, it may be possible to reduce the relapse rate by taking account of the following criteria: Retention time should be increased in cases of short-term therapy, since relapse was found to occur more often on average (19%) when the treatment time was less than 3 years than when it was longer than 4 years (13%). As the highest relapse rate registered was 24% when therapy was started between the ages of 9 and 12 years, but was up to 42% in younger and older patients, there should be more extensive retention in these latter cases. Where there is a risk of relapse in the anterior arch, fixed lingual retainers should be given preference over removable ones. This is especially applicable to male patients and to non-extraction patients, as relapses in the anterior segment occurred more often or were more marked in these cases. The use of removable retainers is necessary when the transverse stability of the buccal segment is at risk. When only fixed retainers were used in the anterior area, relapses were recorded 6-31% more frequently in the interpremolar distance in the maxilla (21%) and the mandible (35%), and in the lower intermolar distance (27%). In particular, the use of a removable mandibular retainer should not be dispensed with after bicuspid extractions, transverse expansion and, in female patients, in the lower jaw, as relapse in the buccal segment was more marked or more common in such cases. On the basis of our clinical findings and of earlier studies, the retention time should be at least 2 years. The retainer type used has been found to be just as important as the retention time. If optimum relapse prevention is aimed at, fixed maxillary and mandibular retainers in the anterior region should be combined with a removable retainer and worn until the patients reach their late twenties.

The modification of ribonuclease A with the heterobifunctional cross-linker, 4-succinimdyloxycarbonyl-methyl-alpha-[2-pyridyldithio]-toluene (SMPT) is described. RNase A has 11 potential sites of modification by the SMPT reagent. Tracking the two-dimensional separation and proteolytic digestion of SMPT-modified RNase A with ESI/FTICR-MS and HPLC/ESI/QIT-MS demonstrates the detailed information about number of SMPT modifications and sites of modification that can be obtained by application of these techniques. Analysis of native and modified RNase A tryptic digests by ESI/FTICR-MS resulted in the identification of the sites of modification. Semiquantitative results of the reactivity of certain lysine residues toward the coupling reagent SMPT are presented. Two sites (lysines 1 and 37) are highly reactive, while three sites (lysines 41, 61, and 104) appear to be unreactive toward SMPT under the conditions used. Experimental results demonstrate that quantitative comparison of relative intensities of peptide sequences of different charge states is not possible. No correlation was found between number of basic residues and sensitivity to detection. Digestion of the modified and unmodified RNase A by subtilisin followed by examination by HPLC/ESI/QIT-MS and MS(n) enabled further investigation of modification on lysines 1 and 7, including modification at the epsilon- and alpha-amino positions on lysine 1.

A scintigraphic technique employing technetium pyrophosphate uptake was used to identify the area of skeletal muscle damage in the lower leg of four runners 24 h after an ultramarathon footrace (160 km). Most of the race had been run downhill which incorporated an extensive amount of eccentric work. Soreness was diffuse throughout the posterior region of the lower leg. In order to interpret what increased technetium uptake reflects and to express extreme endurance related damages, a biopsy was taken from the 3-D position of abnormal uptake. In addition, intramuscular pressures were determined in the deep posterior compartment. Scintigraphs revealed increased technetium pyrophosphate uptake in the medial portion of the gastrocnemius muscle. For 3698 fibres analysed, 33 fibres (1%) were necrotic, while a few other fibres were either atrophic or irregular shaped. A cluster of necrotic fibres occurred at the fascicular periphery for one subject and fibre type grouping occurred for another. Ultrastructural analysis revealed Z-line streaming near many capillaries and variously altered subsarcolemmal mitochondria including some with paracrystalline inclusions. The majority of the capillaries included thickened and irregular shaped endothelial cells. Intramuscular pressures of the deep posterior compartment were slightly elevated (12-15 mmHg) for three of the four subjects. Increased technetium uptake following extreme endurance running does not just reflect muscle necrosis but also subtle fibre abnormalities. Collectively, these pathological findings are attributed to relative ischaemia occurring during the race and during pre-race training, whereas, intramuscular pressure elevations associated with muscle soreness are attributed to mechanical stress caused by extensive eccentric work during the race.

Two ultramarathon runners were hospitalized with hyponatremic encephalopathy after completing 80 and 100 km (50 and 62 miles), respectively, of the 1983 American Medical Joggers Association ultramarathon race in Chicago. The two runners consumed such large quantities of free water during the race that apparent water intoxication developed. Both recovered satisfactorily after treatment with intravenous saline. The hyponatremia was caused primarily by increased intake and retention of dilute fluids and contributed to by excessive sweat sodium loss. A possible explanation for the postrace onset of symptoms might be the sudden absorption of fluid in the gastrointestinal tract after exercise ceased, with subsequent further dilution of the plasma sodium. Hyponatremia, which has not been commonly associated with exercise, should be considered as a possible consequence of ultraendurance events.

Two technical variations of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of antibodies to Coxiella burnetii were compared in this serosurvey on 20 Ontario dairy goat herds. Both a trichloracetic acid extract and a coctoantigen of purified coxiellas were used to sensitize the microtitration plates. Technical differences related to coating pH, serum dilutions tested and interpretation of results. Results agreed in 98.6% of sera examined, the differing sera were in the low titer borderline range. Only 20% of the herds had seroreactors.

The sera of 2596 thoroughbred and standardbred racehorses from Ontario were examined by hemagglutination-inhibition for antibodies to reovirus types 1, 2 and 3. The prevalence of antibodies differed between the standardbred and thoroughbred horses and varied with the age groups within the two populations. While reovirus 1 was the principal virus type infecting thoroughbreds, all three types seemed to infect standardbred horses. Differences of these findings with data from similar studies in Europe are mentioned and the epizootiological and pathological significance of these findings are discussed.

Q fever in humans and coxiellosis in livestock are on the increase in Canada. The progressive spread of Coxiella burnetii takes place in the animal reservoirs of the rickettsia, mainly domestic ruminants. Human Q fever is a reverberation of the coxiellosis situation on our farms. Increasing animal concentration resulting from the industrialization of agriculture and oversight of the infection in livestock permitted the extension of the zoonotic problem on the farms. Initiative for control of coxiellosis, however, is called for by public health interests at the present time to assure occupational health and safety for workers, and the protection of the general population residing in coxiella threatened environments.