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Lactobacillus plantarum is a functional probiotic and could be used in yogurt fermentation to improve the function and flavor. However, L. plantarum has relatively poor acid resistance, and cell viability gradually decreases as pH decreases during yogurt fermentation. Therefore, exploring suitable strategies to promote the fermentation of L. plantarum for yogurt processing is important. In the present study, the effects of quinoa protein hydrolysates (QPHs) on the qualities and volatiles of yogurt fermented by L. plantarum were investigated. QPH addition significantly promoted bacterial growth and organic acids production, subsequently improved the water-holding capacity and viscosity of yogurt. QPH addition also increased the overall antioxidant capacity of yogurt, but the DPPH radical-scavenging ability of 1% QPH-supplemented yogurt was significantly greater than that of 2% QPH-supplemented yogurt. Additionally, QPHs promoted the metabolism of L. plantarum and further promoted the production of volatile flavor compounds. Fifty-two volatile compounds (mainly acids, esters, and ketones) were detected in 2% QPH-supplemented yogurt, which was 1.86-fold greater than the number detected in the control samples. Some aroma components, such as nonanoic acid and maltol, were significantly increased, but undesirable volatiles, such as decanal, were decreased. QPH composition analysis indicated that 60.79% of the peptides contained hydrophobic amino acids at the N-terminus or the C-terminus, which may explain QPHs’ strong antioxidant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

【Objective】The present paper aimed to analyze the effects of endophytic fungus Y118 on the growth promotion and quality of its host, Zanthoxylum nitidum（Rox.） DC,so as to provide a reference for improving comprehensive benefits of Z.nitidum.【Method】Z.nitidum plants were cultured with endophytic fungus Y118 solid fermentation medium.The growth indexes（fresh weight, plant height, stem base width, stem middle width and fresh and dry weight of roots, stems and leaves） of Z.nitidum plants were measured at different growth stages.The contents of nitrine chloride and chelidonine in roots of Z.nitidum were determined by chromatographic method.【Result】After 3 months of culture, the fresh weight, plant height, stem base width and stem middle width of the fungus Y118 treatment group were 34.76 g, 34.47 cm, 6.54 mm and 4.25 mm, respectively, which were extremely significantly higher than those of the control group（P＜0.01,the same as below）.The fresh weight and dry weight of roots, stems and leaves were significantly increased（P＜0.05,the same as below） or extremely significantly increased.After 6 months of culture, the fresh weight and plant height of Z.nitidum were 68.33 g and 47.85 cm, respectively, which were extremely significantly higher than control group. The fresh weight and dry weight of roots, stems and leaves were extremely significantly increased. After 9 months of culture, the fresh weight, plant height and stem base width of Z.nitidum treated with fungus Y118 were 73.80 g, 49.22 cm and 9.79 mm, respectively, which were extremely significantly higher than those of the control group. The fresh weight and dry weight of roots, stems and leaves were extremely significantly increased. After 12 months of culture, the fresh weight of Z.nitidum in Y118 treatment group was 78.71 g, which was extremely significantly higher than control group, and the fresh and dry weight of root, stem and leaf were significantly increased or extremely significant. After 9 and 12 months of co-culture, Z.nitidum alkali content in fungus Y118 treatment group was 0.783 and 0.904 mg/g, respectively, which increased by 42.11% and 44.18% compared with the control group. The content of chelidonine at 9 and 12 months of co-culture were 3.704 and 4.201 mg/g, respectively, which increased by 40.73% and 26.57% compared with the control.【Conclusion】Inoculation of endophytic fungus Y118 could significantly or extremely significantly increase the fresh weight, plant height, stem base width and stem middle width of Z.nitidum seedlings, which was beneficial to promote the growth and development of Z.nitidum seedlings, and could improve the fresh and dry weight and quality of roots, stems and leaves. It can provide the basis for the field production test of Z.nitidum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanisation in China has caused drastic changes in territorial utilisation patterns, and human-land conflict has become increasingly prominent. It is therefore urgent to investigate territorial utilisation quality. This study researched the evaluation of municipal territorial utilisation quality in Changzhou, a rapid urbanising city. By interpreting new-type urbanisation goals, five evaluation criteria (planning coordination, intensive efficiency, ecological civilisation, living suitability, and infrastructure sharing) were reorganised and an evaluation indicator system was constructed. A principal component analysis-analytic hierarchy process comprehensive weighting method was used for gridded multi-element overlay evaluation, and an evaluation model for territorial utilisation quality was established. Evaluation results showed that Changzhou's planning coordination and living suitability levels were generally high, but numerous areas had a low level of infrastructure sharing. Changzhou's overall territorial utilisation quality was relatively high, with Zhonglou exhibiting the highest quality level. High-and low-level areas exhibited good spatial matching with the actual development zones with different development levels. The direction for criterion optimisation can be figured out through the conceptual model for the territorial utilisation quality promotion. Moreover, the evaluation results can provide pertinent guidance in territorial spatial planning such as the delineation of urban development boundary and ecological red line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Food Safety & Quality is the property of Journal of Food Safety & Quality Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of China Medical Education Technology is the property of China Medical Education Technology Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The need for student involvement in quality assurance and promotion in higher education has been a topical issue for a couple of decades. This is because students are valuable stakeholders who are at the receiving end of the higher education delivery chain and their contribution to quality assurance processes and promotion cannot be underscored. Various researchers have alluded to the fact that when students participate in quality assurance and promotion processes as joint partners, their desire to see the processes succeed would be re-invigorated. While it is easy to understand and appreciate the value of involving students in quality assurance and promotion processes, the literature reviewed has shown that, in practice, not much is happening in this regard. The article explored the perceptions of students from two comprehensive universities in South Africa on the factors that constrain their involvement in quality assurance and promotion processes in their respective higher education institutions and their possible solutions. Convenience sampling was used to select student respondents at the two selected comprehensive universities. Semi-structured questionnaires were sent to student participants to complete and the responses were coded and analysed using the Thematic Analysis Approach. The results of the study showed that the lack of knowledge on quality and quality assurance issues, lack of engagement platforms and lack of involvement in institutional decision-making processes were some of the challenges constraining the participation of students in processes pertaining to quality assurance. Some of the solutions to mitigate against the challenges proffered by students included having tutorials on quality and quality assurance issues, recognition of students as co-partners in the implementation of all academic processes and creating platforms to enable students, academic staff and management to engage one another on quality and quality assurance related issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the hallmarks of the democratisation of higher education is the involvement of students in the entire higher education delivery value chain. Global literature demonstrates a positive causal relationship between the involvement of students in the higher education delivery value chain and academic success. The article contends that, since quality assurance and promotion are acknowledged as integral components of the higher education delivery value chain, the involvement of students in quality assurance and promotion processes at the institutional and national levels can contribute positively towards enhancing academic success for students. The post-apartheid policies on higher education envisioned a transformed, effective and efficient higher education system, characterised by, among others, expanding access and improving student success. Unfortunately, while access has been expanding substantially, academic success of students has not improved significantly. This state of affairs requires that all stakeholders should have their hands on deck to contribute, through their diverse work activities, towards improving academic success of students. It is within this context that the CHE organised a conference on the theme: "Enhancing Academic Success through the Involvement of Students in Quality Assurance and Promotion in Higher Education". This article provides a synopsis of the contribution of the conference to the discourse on enhancing the academic success through the involvement of students in quality assurance and promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Food Research & Development is the property of Food Research & Development Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The modified agars were prepared using H 2 O 2 in ethanol solution at appropriate pH conditions. Some interesting physical and chemical properties of modified agar were determined and characterized compared with those of raw agar, and the underlying mechanisms were preliminarily studied. Results showed that the maximum gel strength of the modified agar was 1068 g/cm2, which increased by 30.9% compared with that of raw agar (816 g/cm2), and the minimum sulfate content of the modified agar was 0.21%, which decreased by 73.4% compared with that of raw agar (0.79%). Moreover, the viscosity, molecular weight, gelling temperature and melting temperature all decreased, whereas the whiteness and transparency increased after modification. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the spatial structure of agar have changed after treated with H 2 O 2. Taken together, the results demonstrated that the desulfation of agar with H 2 O 2 is a promising approach with practical significance. Unlabelled Image • Sulfate content of agar significantly decreased after H 2 O 2 treatment. • Agar molecules exhibited an orderly structure and improved structural stability. • Viscosity of modified agar decreased, while gel strength slightly increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Establishing an effective teacher-student relationship may affect the quality of learning. Such a complex human relationship may be influenced by various factors in addition to teacher and student. Aim: The present study aimed at investigating the influence of teacher characteristics on the Teacher-student relationship from students’ perspective. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-survey research, statistical population included 1500 students at Ilam University of Medical Sciences Ilam, Iran. Out of which 281 students were selected by simple random sampling, they received and completed series of questionnaires. Data was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire containing 37 Likert type items from which five items measured demographic profile of participants and 32 items measured impact of teacher’s characteristics upon the teacher-student relationship. Data was analysed by SPSS software version 16 using descriptive statistics, t-test and One way ANOVA. Results: The current study included 281 students (117 (41.6%) male, 164 (58.4%) female) studying at Ilam University of Medical Sciences. The effect of teachers' characteristics on the teacherstudent relationship from the students’ perspective in three areas (personal, professional and scientific) scored 4.37±0.54, 4.05±0.27, and 3.91±0.44, respectively. The highest score was related to “respect for students” (Mean=4.74, SD=0.55) and the lowest score was dedicated to ‘gender’ (Mean=2.40, SD= 0.64). Effect of other studied parameters was also higher than the average level. Conclusion: The findings indicated that teacher-student relationship and consequently the quality of education was overshadowed by the overall characteristics of teacher (namelypersonal, professional and scientific). Notably, coupled with the professional and scientific properties of the teacher, his/ her communication skills may also help to provide a favourable learning condition for the students. Therefore, attention to the education of scientific as well as professional skills of the teachers in interaction with students through appropriate workshops and training courses is a matter of great necessity.

Apesar da ampla adoção pelas organizações de sistemas e modelos de gestão da qualidade mundialmente reconhecidos, pouca atenção ainda tem sido dada às práticas de comunicação interna que podem contribuir para a promoção da qualidade. Para se tornarem comprometidos com a entrega de produtos e serviços de qualidade, os membros de uma organização precisam receber informações, que lhes permitam entender e aceitar seus papéis individuais e coletivos nesse processo, exigindo, portanto, comunicação. O artigo busca a compreensão de como a comunicação interna pode ser utilizada como um instrumento de promoção da qualidade. A pesquisa foi conduzida pelo método estudo de caso, contando com a contribuição de uma empresa global de comunicação. Os resultados alcançados permitiram a identificação e a proposição de um conjunto de fatores a serem considerados pelas organizações como determinantes para a efetiva utilização da comunicação interna como um instrumento de promoção da qualidade, com destaque para: segmentação do público interno; coerência da linguagem; utilização estratégica de recursos visuais; comunicação de resultados; desenvolvimento de uma cultura da qualidade e compreensão da comunicação interna sob uma abordagem processual.Despite the wide adoption of quality management systems and standards recognized all over the world by organizations, little attention has been given to internal communication practices which may contribute to an organization-s quality promotion. If an organization wants its members to commit to the delivery of good quality products and services, the individuals must receive information that enables them to understand and accept their individual and collective roles in this process. This research seeks to understand how internal communication can be utilized as a quality promotion instrument. The investigation was conducted through the case study method with the contribution of a global communication company. The results obtained enabled the identification of the combined determinant factors to be considered in the use of internal communication as a quality promotion instrument, with proposals focused on: segmentation of internal public; language coherence; strategic use of visual resources; results communication; development of a quality culture, and the understanding of internal communication as a process.

The article presents a quantitative analysis of the evaluation results for 41 newly built undergraduate schools that submitted to the qualification evaluation of undergraduate work by Ministry of Education in 2013. It shows that newly built undergraduate schools should place great emphasis on connotation construction and quality promotion and on updating their concepts of education and exploring multiple talent cultivation models. They should improve their human resource and material resource building, explore innovation of internal systems and mechanisms, create a good campus culture and educational atmosphere, and continually improve their level of teaching and quality of talent cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Journal of Southern Agriculture is the property of Journal of Southern Agriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study explores possible changes in the views of six faculty quality committees at a South African university. The initial investigation was replicated after five years and relates to the extent to which these committees perceive: (i) quality improvement as an indicator of faculty effectiveness; and (ii) faculties as the owners of quality. It was found that besides a far greater awareness of quality promotion, the committees also realised that quality must be shown to exist and that the processes of quality improvement are important. However, five years since their inception, most quality committees still view quality as ‘something that exists out there’. The implication of the study is that higher education institutions should not only promote institution‐wide quality cultures internally, but should expect it from each faculty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How is quality supported and what voluntary activities are there in the German statutory healthcare sector? Especially in outpatient healthcare, with a high proportion of chronic diseases treated that can significantly impair one's quality of life, quality of care is of utmost importance. We provide an overview of quality assurance measures that statutorily practicing doctors and psychotherapists (must) oblige to. Voluntary activities from third parties like doctor-specific associations and critical incidence reporting systems (CIRS) are presented alongside tools and services provided by the National and Regional Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians as well as the implications of "Richtlinien" (directives) from the Federal Joint Committee and of "Qualitätssicherungsvereinbarungen" (quality assurance agreements) from the Joint Committee Quality Assurance. In summary, there is a wide spectrum of (in part voluntary) instruments and rules that is the cornerstone for the high quality present in the statutory outpatient healthcare system in Germany., (© 2022. Springer-Verlag GmbH Deutschland, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Agar that has been extracted via traditional alkaline pretreatment always appears yellowish because it contains pigments. This characteristic adversely affects the food and biotechnological applications of agar. In this work, agar was bleached with hydrogen peroxide. The whiteness of high-whiteness agar reached 74.4%, which was 32% higher than that of raw agar (56.48%). The high-whiteness agar bleached with hydrogen peroxide exhibited several other excellent qualities over raw agar. These characteristics included, low sulfate content (0.67%), low ash content (1.01%), and high transparency (64.4%). In particular, the transparency of the high-whiteness agar was 13% higher than that of raw agar (56.8%). By contrast, the gel strengths of the two agars did not significantly differ. The structures of raw and high-whiteness agar were characterized by using thermogravimetric (TG)–differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). TG–DSC analysis indicated that the high-whiteness agar had better thermal stability, hygroscopicity, and water-holding capacity than raw agar. SEM images showed that the surface of the high-whiteness agar had imperfections or fissures that were caused by the oxidative degradation of hydrogen peroxide. The diversified application of the high-whiteness agar was explored on the basis of the promotion of agar quality. Results indicated that the visual appearance of the jelly prepared with the high-whiteness agar was better than that of the jelly prepared with raw agar. Moreover, the high-whiteness agar medium was easier to observe and use for colony counting than biochemical medium. Image 1 • Agar bleaching with hydrogen peroxide presents eco-friendly and efficient merits. • The whiteness and transparency of agar improves distinctly after bleaching. • High-whiteness agar has diversified application in food and biotechnology industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Establishing an effective teacher-student relationship may affect the quality of learning. Such a complex human relationship may be influenced by various factors in addition to teacher and student., Aim: The present study aimed at investigating the influence of teacher characteristics on the Teacher-student relationship from students' perspective., Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-survey research, statistical population included 1500 students at Ilam University of Medical Sciences Ilam, Iran. Out of which 281 students were selected by simple random sampling, they received and completed series of questionnaires. Data was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire containing 37 Likert type items from which five items measured demographic profile of participants and 32 items measured impact of teacher's characteristics upon the teacher-student relationship. Data was analysed by SPSS software version 16 using descriptive statistics, t-test and One way ANOVA., Results: The current study included 281 students (117 (41.6%) male, 164 (58.4%) female) studying at Ilam University of Medical Sciences. The effect of teachers' characteristics on the teacher-student relationship from the students' perspective in three areas (personal, professional and scientific) scored 4.37±0.54, 4.05±0.27, and 3.91±0.44, respectively. The highest score was related to "respect for students" (Mean=4.74, SD=0.55) and the lowest score was dedicated to 'gender' (Mean=2.40, SD= 0.64). Effect of other studied parameters was also higher than the average level., Conclusion: The findings indicated that teacher-student relationship and consequently the quality of education was overshadowed by the overall characteristics of teacher (namely-personal, professional and scientific). Notably, coupled with the professional and scientific properties of the teacher, his/ her communication skills may also help to provide a favourable learning condition for the students. Therefore, attention to the education of scientific as well as professional skills of the teachers in interaction with students through appropriate workshops and training courses is a matter of great necessity.