Search

Clitoria ternatea (CT) flowers are rich in phytochemicals. An innovative approach was taken to utilize CT flower extract (CTFE) as a functional ingredient with natural pigment by incorporating it into noodles. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the CTFE amount (0–30%) on the color, texture, phytochemicals, and sensory quality of both dried and cooked noodles. Dried noodles with 30% CTFE had the highest total anthocyanins (9.48 μg/g), polyphenols (612 μg/g), DPPH radical scavenging capacity (165 μg TE/g), and reducing power (2203 μg TE/g). Cooking resulted in a significant decrease in the anthocyanin levels and blue color, while also increasing the greenness of the noodle. Both dried and cooked noodles with 20–30% CTFE showed a significantly higher color preference compared to the control sample. Despite a significant reduction in the cutting force, tensile strength, and extensibility of cooked noodles with 20–30% CTFE, the sensory attributes such as flavor, texture, and overall preferences were similar to those of noodles with 0–30% CTFE. Blue noodles with high phytochemicals, antioxidant activities, and desirable sensory qualities can be produced by the incorporation of 20–30% CTFE.

Professional musician-educators from a tertiary arts institution in Singapore collaborated on a cross-cultural performance in Beijing as part of their professional development. Through a case study, semi-structured interviews explored the music making experiences of four of the musician-educators involved: the composer, the singer, the pianist and the erhu performer. Their experiences address the concept of cross-cultural music making and its significance in professional development for musician-educators. The experiences shared by the four musician-educators illuminate challenges, tensions and some areas to further resolve and critically question regarding how cultures are engaged in the process of music-making. Through unpacking the narratives of musician-educators and how they experience interactions with culture in music making, there is the possibility to further understand diverse music making encounters in Singapore.

In the past, the method of general noise monitoring altered little; noise was still measured with a human hand-held mobile device, or the measurement at fixed sites was made using traditional analogue data-storage equipment. In recent years, with the rapidly improved network transmission capabilities, the development of a small noise-detection IoT system allows the detection data to be transmitted wirelessly without need for human strength measurements, and records noise information. The statistics of subsequent noise data become a basis for analysis and improvement. Taiwan Light Source (TLS) beamlines have many vacuum pumps, cooling pumps, liquid-nitrogen pressure-relief systems, computer servers etc. that generate much noise. This study is expected to prepare for installation of noise detection. The system uses a noise-detection box to detect, to disclose louder locations, to collect noise data, to determine the source and type of noise source, and to provide information to reduce the noise of the working environment. The TLS noise-detection results find that the inner-ring area has less noise and are more stable than the outer ring area., Proceedings of the 12th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2021, Campinas, SP, Brazil

Wheat bran is one of the major dietary fiber sources widely used in the food industry in order to produce fiber-enriched foods. The effects of wheat bra n substitution (0-30%). water absorption (46-62%) and electric power (4-12 kW) of steamer on stress relaxation and textural parameters of steamed breads were evaluated by the Texture Analyzer. The results showed that mechanical stress relaxation data of steamed breads were fitted well by both the Peleg-Normand and three-element Maxwell models. At 10-40% strains tested, common and bran-enriched steamed breads were more elastic measured at low strain. It was suitable to perform the stress relaxation test of steamed bread at 10-30% strains. Generally, increasing the substitution of flour by bran resulted in less elasticity and higher hardness of steamed bread. Results of sensory evaluation indicated no significant difference in textural and overall acceptability among various steamed breads with 0, 10 and 20% of wheat bran. Medium and high water absorptions (54-62%) produced fiber-enriched steamed bread with better elasticity and texture. The elasticity of the steamed bread was the lowest at 4 kW e1eetric power of steamer. Significant correlations were found between textural characteristics and stress relaxation parameters. This study suggests that 20% bran-enriched steamed bread, with better elasticity and sensory acceptability, can be produced at 54% of water absorption and 12 kW of electric power of the steamer.

PURPOSE Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common pathogen involved in community-acquired pneumonia. Invasive pneumococcal disease is often associated with higher co-morbidity rates, but mortality-related findings have been inconclusive. This study investigated predictors of 30-day mortality and invasive pneumococcal disease. METHODS This retrospective analysis included adults with pneumococcal disease who were admitted to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2018. Demographics, microbiological characteristics, and outcomes were compared between 30-day survivors and non-survivors, and between patients with invasive disease and those with non-invasive disease. Intensive care unit (ICU) subgroup analysis was performed. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality; secondary outcomes were ICU and hospital mortalities, and ICU and hospital lengths of stay. RESULTS In total, 792 patients had pneumococcal disease; 701 survived and 91 (11.5%) died within 30 days. Notably, 106 (13.4%) patients had invasive pneumococcal disease and 170 (21.5%) patients received intensive care. Vasopressor use (odds ratio [OR]=4.96, P

Mantou (steamed bread) is a Chinese fermented wheat product that is cooked in steamer. Whole wheat flour (WWF) is healthier than regular wheat flour (WF). This study investigated the physicochemical properties of dough and mantou made from WF and/or WWF. Results showed that the substitution of WF by WWF resulted in stiffer and less extensible dough. Both Peleg–Normand and Wiechert models fitted well to the stress relaxation data of mantou. Increasing the substitution level of WWF led to the decrease of k 1 and k 2 in Peleg–Normand model as well as λ 1 and λ 2 in Wiechert model. Mantou with 100 % WWF had significantly higher hardness but lower cohesiveness and specific volume than regular mantou. However, free and bound phenolics and DPPH radical scavenging capacity of mantou obviously increased with the amount of WWF. Mantou with 25 % WWF had the highest overall sensory score among all mantous tested.

Chinese alkaline noodle (CAN) is one of popular staple foods in Asia. Whole wheat flour (WWF) is healthier than refined wheat flour (WF). This study investigated the effect of substitution level of WWF on physicochemical and sensory properties of CAN. Results showed that increasing WWF amount significantly reduced tensile strength (TS) and extensibility (E) of cooked CAN, but increased TS/E ratio from 6.05 to 13.22 mN/mm. High WWF substitution (>60 %) significantly increased cooking loss and decreased the elasticity of CAN. CAN prepared with WWF had darker, redder and yellower color than control. However, free and bound phenolics and DPPH radical scavenging capacity of CAN obviously increased with the amount of WWF. CAN with 0–40 % WWF had similar sensory scores in color, flavor, texture and overall preferences. The study suggests that healthy whole grain CAN with higher phytochemicals and acceptable eating quality can be produced by using 20–40 % WWF.

The consumption of dietary fiber offers the health benefit of lowering the risk of many chronic diseases. Pineapple core fiber (PCF) in this study was extracted and incorporated into dough and mantou (i.e., steamed bread). The effects of PCF substitution and fiber size on textural and rheological properties of dough and mantou were evaluated by a texture analyzer. The substitution of wheat flour by PCF resulted in a stiffer and less extensible dough with or without fermentation. The hardness and gumminess of mantou significantly increased as the PCF substitution increased from 0% to 15%, but the cohesiveness, specific volume, and elasticity significantly decreased with the fiber substitution. Ten percent PCF-enriched dough and mantou with various fiber sizes had similar rheological and textural properties, except for the k1 and k2 values. By sensory evaluation, 5% PCF-enriched mantou and the control bread had better acceptability in texture, color, odor, and overall acceptability, compared to mantous enriched with 10% or 15% PCF. Significant correlations existed between the rheological properties of dough and textural parameters of mantou and between the sensory quality and textural parameters of mantou. Therefore, we suggest that fiber-enriched mantou can be prepared with 5% PCF substitution to increase the intake of dietary fiber and maintain the quality of mantou.

Chang R.-Ch., Li Ch.-Y., Shiau S.-Y. (2015): Physico-chemical and sensory properties of bread enriched with lemon pomace fiber. Czech J. Food Sci., 33: 180–185. Lemon fiber (LF) was extracted from lemon pomace and incorporated into bread. The results showed that the hardness of bread increased with the increase of LF substitution (0–9%), but the cohesiveness, springiness, and specific volume decreased with the fiber substitution. Both Peleg-Normand and Wiechert models fitted well the stress relaxation data of bread. The parameters ( k 1 and k 2 , as well as P 0 – P 2 and λ 2 ) in two models were followed significantly affected by the amount of LF. The breads enriched with LF revealed higher total phenolic contents and DPPH radical scavenging capacities than the control bread. Compared with water, methanol was a better solvent for extracting total phenolic compounds of bread. These results suggest that the addition of 3% LF can produce healthy and acceptable bread with higher phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities.

Consumption of natural bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and dietary fiber offers health benefits. Lemon pomace, a by-product during processing of lemon juice, is discarded which contributes to environmental pollution. In the present study, lemon fiber (LF) was extracted from lemon pomace and incorporated into dough and Mantou. Results showed that the substitution of wheat flour by LF resulted in stiffer and less extensible dough with or without fermentation. Both Peleg-Normand and Wiechert models fitted well to the stress relaxation data of Mantou (R2 > 0.99). The parameters of two models were significantly affected by the amount of LF. The hardness of Mantou increased with the increasing of the LF substitution (0–9 g/100 g flour), but the cohesiveness, specific volume and elasticity decreased with the fiber substitution. Steaming led to significant decrease in free phenolics and increase in bound form of proofed dough. These results suggest that the substitution of 3 or 6 g LF per 100 g flour can produce healthy and acceptable Mantou with higher free total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity.

Objective: In this study, we investigated the molecule mechanisms of podocyte injury and proteinuria and the protective effects of losartan. Methods: This study set up three groups: a control group; an Ang II group (Ang II 10 –6 mol/l, Sigma); and a losartan group (losartan 10 –6 mol/l, Sigma). We used RT-PCR assay to detect TRPC6 mRNA expression, and Western blot to detect TRPC6 protein expression. Results: TRPC6 overexpression was the basic change of podocyte injury and proteinuria occurrence. Losartan can treat podocyte injury and proteinuria induced by Ang II via downregulation of TRPC6 in podocytes. Conclusion: These findings maybe provide an ideal drug target for the diagnosis and treatment of acquired glomerular diseases.

Calamondin fiber (CF) was extracted and incorporated into dough and steamed bread. Results showed that the substitution of wheat flour by CF resulted in a stiffer and less extensible dough. Both Peleg–Normand and Wiechert models fitted well to the stress relaxation data of steamed bread. Hardness of steamed bread increased with the increase of CF substitution, but the cohesiveness, specific volume and elasticity decreased with the fiber substitution. As CF substitution was increased from 0 to 9%, total phenolic content and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging capacity of the steamed bread were improved by about 23 and 34, 52 and 53, as well as 77 and 74%, respectively. In sensory evaluation, steamed breads with 0–6% CF had similar flavor, texture and overall scores. These results suggest that the addition of 3 or 6% CF can produce healthy and acceptable fiber-enriched steamed bread with higher phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity. Practical Applications Consumption of dietary fiber offers health benefits including lower risk for many chronic diseases. The increased consumption of steamed bread enriched with calamondin fiber is proposed for health reasons. Calamondin is one of citrus fruits, and its pomace contains some phytochemicals, such as fiber, phenolics and flavonoids. The calamondin fiber was extracted and could be supplied as a potential source of dietary fiber. The study demonstrated that fiber-enriched steamed bread with good sensory and nutritional quality could be produced by the partial substitution of wheat flour by calamondin fiber.

Pineapple peel fiber (PPF) was extracted and incorporated into dough and steamed bread. Results showed that the substitution of wheat flour by PPF resulted in stiffer and less extensible dough with or without fermentation. The hardness and gumminess of steamed bread increased with increasing the PPF substitution (0–15%), but the cohesiveness, specific volume and elasticity decreased with the fiber substitution. PPF-enriched steamed bread with large fiber size had significantly higher specific volume and elasticity as well as lower hardness than that with small fiber size. By sensory evaluation, the steamed breads with 0–10% PPF had higher acceptability in overall score (4.50–4.87) than that (3.45) of 15% PPF-enriched steamed bread. Significant correlations were found between rheological properties of dough and textural characteristics of steamed bread. Therefore we suggest fiber-enriched steamed bread can be prepared with 5–10% PPF substitution in order to increase the intake of dietary fiber. Practical Applications Consumption of dietary fiber offers health benefits including lower risk for coronary heart diseases, diabetes and certain gastrointestinal diseases. The increased consumption of steamed bread enriched with pineapple peel fiber is proposed for health reasons. Pineapple is one of the important fruits, and its peel contained some phytochemicals such as fiber and polyphenol. The pineapple peel fiber was extracted and could be supplied as a potential source of dietary fiber. The study demonstrated fiber-enriched steamed bread with good sensory quality could be produced by the substitution of wheat flour by 5–10% pineapple peel fiber.

We developed a novel four-dimensional spatial task called Shapebuilder and used it to predict performance on a wide variety of cognitive tasks. In six experiments, we illustrate that Shapebuilder: (1) Loads on a common factor with complex working memory (WM) span tasks and that it predicts performance on quantitative reasoning tasks and Ravens Progressive Matrices (Experiment 1), (2) Correlates well with traditional complex WM span tasks (Experiment 2), predicts performance on the conditional go/no go task (Experiment 3) and N-back (Experiment 4), and showed weak or nonsignificant correlations with the Attention Networks Task (Experiment 5), and task switching (Experiment 6). Shapebuilder shows that it exhibits minimal skew and kurtosis, and shows good reliability. We argue that Shapebuilder has many advantages over existing measures of WM, including the fact that it is largely language independent, is not prone to ceiling effects, and take less than 6 min to complete on average.

Textural and rheological properties of raw, dried, and cooked noodles with microbial transglutaminase were evaluated by an instrumental texture analyser. Generally, the strength of the noodles significantly increased with microbial transglutaminase concentration from 0 to 1.0%. The cutting force of raw noodle is a good indicator to predict the strength of dried and cooked noodle products. Mechanical stress relaxation data of cooked noodles were fitted well by both Maxwell and Peleg-Normand models. The fitted parameters, λ1 and k2, were more sensitive to the changes in viscoelastic properties than k1 and %SR. Significant correlations were found between textural characteristics and stress relaxation parameters. Results of this study suggest that dried or cooked noodle with good quality can be produced by incubating with 0.5–1.0% microbial transglutaminase for 30 min at 30 °C.

Textural and rheological properties of raw, dried and cooked noodles enriched with wheat fibers were simultaneously evaluated by a texture analyzer. Increasing wheat fiber level led to an increase in the cutting force of raw and cooked noodles and a decrease in the breaking force of dried noodle as well as extensibility of raw and cooked noodles. Generally, raw, dried and cooked fiber-enriched noodles with small fiber size had higher breaking force and extensibility and lower cutting force than that with large fiber size. The textural properties of raw noodle are good indicators to predict the strength and elasticity of dried and cooked noodles. Both three-term Maxwell and Peleg–Normand models were found to fit well to the stress relaxation data of cooked fiber-enriched noodle. Significant correlations were found between empirical textural properties and fundamental mechanical stress relaxation parameters. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Texture is one of the important factors affecting the quality of noodles. The increased consumption of noodles enriched with wheat bran or purified wheat fiber is proposed for health reasons. The textural properties of fiber-enriched noodles are affected by the type, amount and size of wheat fiber. The cutting force, tensile strength and extensibility of raw noodle are good indicators to predict the strength and elasticity of dried and cooked noodles. Results of this study suggest that raw, dried and cooked fiber-enriched noodles with good quality can be prepared by adding 4–8% fine wheat bran or 4% fine purified wheat fiber.

Antioxidant activities, color and sensory properties of dried Angelica sinensis (AS) leaves were studied. The dried leaves were extracted with three solvents. Extract yields and total phenolic contents by hot water (HW) and ethanol (EtOH) were obviously higher than that by supercritical fluid (SCF). AS leaves exhibited good antioxidant activities in a concentration-dependent manner. At 30 and 50C, both HW- and EtOH-extracts of the leaves had better scavenging ability of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical and reducing power than SCF-extract. However, drying at 90C resulted in the obvious decrease of scavenging ability of DPPH and superoxide anion radical for EtOH- and HW-extracts. The AS leaves dried at 50C had higher green and yellow, and better appearance. The results suggest that the dried AS leaf products with good sensory quality and antioxidant activities can be produced by drying at 50C and by extracting with hot water. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Consumer demand for food with health-promoting qualities is increasing. Angelica sinensis (AS) leaves have an unique pleasant flavor and can be used as a culinary herb for seasoning. After drying, it has longer shelf life and lesser weight and volume. To the best of our knowledge, both antioxidant activities and sensory properties of AS leaves have not been reported. Drying temperature and extraction solvent significantly affected the antioxidant activities or sensory properties of AS leaves. Dried AS leaf exhibited good antioxidant activities, hence it is a potential source of natural antioxidants in food industry. The AS leaves dried at 50C had better color and appearance. This work is useful for selecting adequate drying and extraction conditions of AS leaves in order to obtain good antioxidative activity and sensory quality.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) on the rheological and textural characteristics of black soybean packed tofu containing agar as the coagulant. Results showed that the addition of MTGase increased the gelation temperature of soymilk, and produced a firmer and more elastic packed tofu with low cooking loss. Dynamic rheological and textural parameters of the tofu were significantly affected by enzyme concentration, incubation temperature and time. Both G′ and η∗ were positively correlated to the hardness, gumminess and adhesiveness of packed tofu, thus the rheological parameters (G′ and η∗) were good indicators of the texture of the packed tofu. Results suggested that good quality packed tofu could be produced by mixing 90 g black soymilk solid and 2 g agar powder in 1 L of water and incubating with 10 g MTGase for 30 min at 55 °C.

Viscoelastic studies on the mixture of black soymilk and glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) have been done to analyse the gelation process of touhua. The isothermal gelation curves of touhua were well predicted by first-order reaction kinetics. The saturated storage modulus ( G sat ′ ) of touhua was affected by the solids content, coagulation temperature and GDL concentration. The G sat ′ value was proportional to the 1.68th power of solids content. The rate constant of gelation increased with increasing coagulation temperature and GDL concentration, but decreased with increasing solids content of soymilk. The gelation time decreased with increasing coagulation temperature and GDL concentration, and increased with increasing solids content. The hardness and adhesiveness values of packed touhua, measuring by textural profile analysis, increased with increasing solids content, GDL concentration and coagulation temperature. The storage modulus of touhua, during gelation, correlated positively with the textural characteristics of the packed touhua.

The measurements from a slit die rheometer for wheat flour extrudates were compared with the data obtained from a capillary rheometer. The regression of data showed that both rheometers were complementary to extend the range of shear rate from 10 to 500 s−1. The apparent viscosity of extrudates fitted the power law. The flow behaviour index, n, decreased from 0.501 to 0.384 and the consistency, k, increased from 3.1 kPa s0.5 to 9.7 kPa s0.38 when the temperature was raised from 50 to 80 °C. The addition of oxido-reductants, kansui, and lactic acid resulted in the variations of the contents of sulfhydryl group (SH) and disulfide bonds (SS). The protein extractability was reduced by oxidants, KIO3 and L -AA, and kansui due to the increase in SS. Increasing the ratio of SH to SS resulted in decrease in both apparent viscosity and specific mechanical energy.

The effects of alkaline salt (kansui) and lactic acid on the rheological properties of wheat flour dough were evaluated using a capillary rheometer and an oscillatory rheometer. The contents of sulphhydryl groups and disulphide bonds in doughs were also determined. Kansui significantly increased the apparent viscosity and storage modulus (G′) and decreased the loss tangent, and resulted in the reduction in protein extractability. It appeared that the addition of kansui increased the proportion of solid-like behaviour in dough. Lactic acid had the opposite effect and resulted in a dough with less shear thinning. The gelatinisation of starch caused a remarkable increase in G′ and reduce the difference in G′ and tan δ among the samples. The correlation between dough rheology and characteristics of extruded noodles was also discussed.

The effects of oxido-reductants on the rheological properties of wheat flour dough were evaluated by using a capillary rheometer and an oscillatory rheometer at three temperatures. The oxidants potassium iodate (KIO3) and l-ascorbic acid (l -AA) significantly increased the apparent viscosity and G′ and decreased loss tangent at low temperatures of 30 and 60°C due to enhanced formation of disulfide bonds. The reductant glutathione (GSH) had the opposite effect. Heating caused the gelatinization of starch, which diminished the effects of the oxido-reductants and produced doughs with similar rheological properties at 80°C. The correlation between dough rheology and characteristics of extruded noodles was also studied.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with poor prognosis. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) may provide an alternative therapy for HCC. This study investigated the therapeutic efficacy of boric acid (BA)-mediated BNCT for HCC in a rat model.The pharmacokinetic and biodistribution of BA in N1S1 tumor-bearing rats were analyzed. Rats were injected with 25 mg B/kg body weight via tail veins before neutron irradiation at the Tsing Hua Open-pool Reactor, and the efficacy of BNCT was evaluated from the tumor size, tumor blood flow, and biochemical analyses.HCC-bearing rats administered BNCT showed reductions in tumor size on ultrasound imaging, as well as an obvious reduction in the distribution of tumor blood flow. The lesion located in livers had disappeared on the 80th day after BNCT; a recovery of values to normal levels was also recorded.BA-mediated BNCT is a promising alternative for liver cancer therapy since the present study demonstrated the feasibility of curing a liver tumor and restoring liver function in rats. Efforts are underway to investigate the histopathological features and the detailed mechanisms of BA-mediated BNCT.

Summary We have found that several lupane-type triterpenes, including lupeol, its acetate, betulin and betulinic acid, inhibit 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced inflammation, and that betulinic acid inhibits tumor promotion in two-stage carcinogenesis in mice. Among seven lupane-type triterpenes assayed, these compounds inhibited the inflammatory activity induced by TPA in mice. The 50 % inhibitory dose of these compounds for TPA-induced inflammation was 0.4–4.0 μmol. Furthermore, topical application of lupeol, lupeol 3-acetate and betulin markedly suppressed the tumor-promoting effect of TPA (1 μg/mouse) in mouse skin initiated with 7,12-dimethyl-benz[a]anthracene (50 μg/mouse), at a grade corresponding to that of betulinic acid.

Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor commonly found in human and animals. The ability of boric acid (BA) to accumulate in osteosarcoma due to the mechanism of the bone formation of cancer cells would make boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) an alternative therapy for osteosarcoma. This study evaluated the feasibility of using BA as the boron drug for BNCT of bone cancer. The cytotoxicity of BA to L929 cells exceeded that of UMR-106 cells. With 25 μg 10B/mL medium of BA treatment, the boron concentration in UMR-106 cells was higher than that in L929 cells. The biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of BA in Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were studied by administrating 25 mg 10B/kg body weight to SD rats. Blood boron level decreased rapidly within one hour after BA injection. Boron concentration in the long bone was 4–6 time higher than that of blood. Results of this study suggest that BA may be a potential drug for BNCT for osteosarcoma.