scholarly journals Ultrasonic effect on pH, electric conductivity, and tissue surface of button mushrooms, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 90-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.R Jambrak ◽  
T.J. Mason ◽  
L. Paniwnyk ◽  
V. Lelas

The aim of this work was to use ultrasound pre-treatment as a potential method prior to the subsequent processing in the food industry, for button mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower in order to observe the impact of ultrasound on the vegetable surrounding media properties in the processing conditions. The samples treated with 20 kHz probe and 40 kHz bath for 3 and 10 min were compared with blanched (80°C/3 min) and untreated samples. The effect was followed of ultrasound and blanching treatments on pH, electrical conductivity, and temperature changes. The effect of ultrasound on the sample tissue surface was also studied. The pH decreased after the ultrasound treatment with the probe, the largest change having been observed after using a 20 kHz probe for 10 min in all samples as compared with the blanching treatment, whereas it increased in mushroom and cauliflower and decreased in Brussels sprouts. Electric conductivity of the surrounding water before and after the ultrasound and blanching treatments of vegetables increased with all the treatments suggesting the loss of electrolyte. The highest increase was observed with the blanching treatment in all samples, followed by the treatments using an ultrasonic bath (10 min > 3 min) and an ultrasonic probe (3 min > 10 min). The temperature increase in the surrounding water during the ultrasonic treatments was by 1°C using the bath, and by 25&des;C using the probe. Staining of cauliflower and button mushroom tissues surfaces carried out for the damage determination showed that cavitation damage (blue spots) was present after the ultrasonical treatment with 20 kHz probe for 3 min, followed by 20 kHz probe for 10 min, while very little cavitational damage occurred after sonication with 40 kHz bath for 3 and 10 min. In Brussels sprouts, the results showed cavitation after sonication with 20 kHz probe for 3 min, followed by 20 kHz probe for 10 min, but no cavitation was present after sonication with 40 kHz bath.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 9036
Author(s):  
Guostė Antanavičienė ◽  
Eglė Zasčiurinskienė ◽  
Dalia Smailienė ◽  
Nomeda Basevičienė

(1) Background: This retrospective study aimed to examine the change of gingival recessions (GR) before and after orthodontic treatment (OT). (2) Methods: Patients who had at least one GR on the vestibular surface of maxillary/mandibular teeth mesial to first molars were included. GR was measured on good quality plaster models before and after OT. (3) Results: Significant improvement of mean GR at patient level was found between T0 and T1 (0.45 mm, 95% CI: 0.28, 0.62) (p < 0.001). In 51.4% of patients GRs became better, in 37.8% GRs did not change. and in 10.8% GRs became worse. At tooth level the mean GR improvement was 0.54 mm (CI: 0.42, 0.65; median 0.55 mm Q1; Q3: 0.12, 0.96) (p < 0.001). GR improved in 67 teeth (58.7%), did not change in 41 (36.0%), and worsened in 6 (5.3%). Full healing was observed in 15 teeth. A reduced GR improvement was found in cases with pre-treatment open bite (OR 3.89; CI: 1.35, 11.16; p = 0.008) and dental Class III patients (OR 2.6; CI: 1.11, 6.0; p = 0.026). (4) Conclusion: There was an improvement of GR after OT in more than half of the patients. Class III malocclusion and reduced pre-treatment overbite had a negative impact on GR improvement.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filipa MS Martins ◽  
Nuno A Fonseca ◽  
Bastian Egeter ◽  
Joana Pinto ◽  
Tiago Assunção ◽  
...  

Recent developments on ethanol-based DNA (etDNA) metabarcoding have shown that it is possible to extract meaningful information about macroinvertebrate community diversity and composition from the ethanol used to preserve bulk samples. The major advantages of this molecular approach are the reduced processing time and costs, and the possibility to keep specimens intact for other experiments. Yet, organisms with highly sclerotised exoskeleton or that are rare in the sample have been found to release a lower amount of DNA into solution and tend to be consistently missed by etDNA metabarcoding, thereby compromising the viability of the method. Few studies have shown that the first steps of the metabarcoding workflow are crucial for the good performance of etDNA-based assays, such as the decision on storage time before sampling and the ethanol phase to be analysed, the inclusion of pre-treatment strategies (i.e., freezing), and the choice of the DNA extraction protocol. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the combined effect of various technical choices on the performance of etDNA metabarcoding, considering factors such as sample volume, ethanol phase of sorted and unsorted samples, pre-capture treatments (evaporation vs filtration) and bioinformatic pipelines. Through the application of decision-tree models, our preliminary data revealed that the increase of volume (by itself) is enough to improve PCR amplification yields and proportion of families matching the morphological identifications, with great impact on the detection of hard-bodied and cased taxa. Also, no major differences among phases with or without a sorting step nor among bioinformatic pipelines were detected, particularly at higher volumes. Our results suggest that the higher performance (with lower observed variation) in taxonomic detection at higher volumes is likely a consequence of a higher availability of longer fragments of DNA in solution. This study highlights the importance of understanding the impact of technical choices to improve the efficiency of a DNA-based method, and reinstates etDNA metabarcoding as a potential method in the context of biomonitoring.


Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pattarapon Khemrattrakool ◽  
Jintana Yanola ◽  
Nongkran Lumjuan ◽  
Pradya Somboon

Many insect vector species of medical and veterinary importance are found abundantly in areas where animals are held. In these areas, they often rest for a period of time on objects around the animals both before and after blood feeding. However, the use of neurotoxic insecticides for vector control is not advised for use in such shelters as these chemicals can pose hazards to animals. The present study evaluated the efficacy of pyriproxyfen (PPF), an insect growth regulator, applied to polypropylene sheets and resting boxes on the reproductivity of mosquitoes found in animal shelters in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The sheets sprayed with 666 mg PPF/m2 were set on the inner wall of a cowshed and kept in place for 3 h (6.00 to 9.00 pm). During this time, fully blood-fed female mosquitoes that landed and remained continuously on the sheets for 5, 10, and 20 min were collected. The results, involving Anopheles subpictus, An. vagus, Culex gelidus, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, and Cx. vishnui, revealed significant reductions in oviposition rates, egg hatchability, pupation, and adult emergence in the PPF-treated groups compared to the control groups. Adult emergence rates were reduced to 85.6–94.9% and 95.5–100% in those exposed for 10 and 20 min, respectively. The sheets retained their effectiveness for three months. The PPF-treated (666 mg/m2) resting boxes (35 × 35 × 55 cm) were placed overnight at a chicken farm where Cx. quinquefasciatus predominated. Blood-fed mosquitoes were collected in the morning and reared in the laboratory. Oviposition rates were reduced by 71.7% and adult emergence was reduced by 97.8% compared to the controls. PPF residual spray on surface materials in animal sheds is a potential method for controlling mosquitoes. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of PPF-treated materials on wild populations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Victor De Miranda Ladewig ◽  
Milena Fabri Sanches Trecenti ◽  
Renata Rodrigues Almeida Pedrin ◽  
Marcio Rodrigues Almeida ◽  
Ana Claudia de Castro Ferreira Conti

Abstract The treatment of Class II can have a positive or a negative impact on the facial profile aesthetic. The present study aims to evaluate the impact of two methods of orthodontic treatment of Class II malocclusion on the facial profile aesthetics. The facial profiles of 46 patients with Class II malocclusion were outlined by radiography before and after treatment; 23 of the patients were treated by the extraction of two maxillary first premolars (EXT group), and the other 23, with the Thurow Appliance (TA group), followed by braces. The profile silhouettes were filled in using the Corel Draw program. An album containing the patient’s silhouettes of both groups was created randomly, with two profiles of a patient per page. The preferences of 30 orthodontists, 30 dentists, and 30 laypersons in relation to the profile were recorded along with their perceived differences between the pre-treatment and post-treatment profiles, according to the visual analog scale. All groups of evaluators preferred the post-treatment profile more frequently. There were statistically significant differences in the evaluators’ preferences only between the orthodontists’ and the laypersons’ groups. None of the evaluators’ groups indicated substantial differences between the pre-treatment and post-treatment profiles. It may be concluded that both Class II treatment protocols, i.e., the double-extraction of the first premolars and the use of TA, improved the patients’ facial profile aesthetics.Keywords: Face. Malocclusion, Angle Class II. Tooth Extraction.Resumo As modalidades de tratamentos da Classe II tem um impacto sobre a estética da face que pode ser positivo ou negativo. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o impacto da estética do perfil facial decorrente de dois tipos de tratamento para a Classe II. Foram traçados os perfis faciais das telerradiografias pré e pós-tratamento de 46 pacientes Classe II, sendo 23 de um grupo tratado com extração de dois primeiros pré-molares superiores e 23 de um grupo tratado com AEB Conjugado seguido de aparelho fixo, e estes traçados foram preenchidos com o programa Corel Draw. Foi montado um álbum com as silhuetas dos pacientes (AEB e EXO) de forma aleatória, sendo dois perfis em cada folha do mesmo paciente. Foi pedido para 30 ortodontistas, 30 cirurgiões-dentistas e 30 leigos para verificarem a sua preferência em relação ao perfil e a quantidade de diferença entre os perfis pré e pós-tratamento, de acordo com a escala analógica visual. Os 3 grupos de avaliadores preferiram o perfil pós-tratamento com maior frequência. Houve diferenças estatisticamente significantes somente entre os grupos de avaliadores ortodontistas e leigos; os 3 grupos de avaliadores indicaram que os perfis pré e pós-tratamento, não diferiram substancialmente. Pode-se concluir que o tratamento da Classe II, com extração de dois primeiros pré-molares, e com o uso do aparelho AEB Conjugado produziu um impacto positivo na estética do perfil.Palavras-chave: Face. Má Oclusão de Angle Classe II. Extração Dentária. 


2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 0140-0151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thilaga Rati Selvaraju ◽  
Huzwah Khaza’ai ◽  
Sharmili Vidyadaran ◽  
Mohd Sokhini Abd Mutalib ◽  
Vasudevan Ramachandran ◽  
...  

Glutamate is the major mediator of excitatory signals in the mammalian central nervous system. Extreme amounts of glutamate in the extracellular spaces can lead to numerous neurodegenerative diseases. We aimed to clarify the potential of the following vitamin E isomers, tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) and α-tocopherol (α-TCP), as potent neuroprotective agents against glutamate-induced injury in neuronal SK-N-SH cells. Cells were treated before and after glutamate injury (pre- and post-treatment, respectively) with 100 - 300 ng/ml TRF/α-TCP. Exposure to 120 mM glutamate significantly reduced cell viability to 76 % and 79 % in the pre- and post-treatment studies, respectively; however, pre- and post-treatment with TRF/α-TCP attenuated the cytotoxic effect of glutamate. Compared to the positive control (glutamate-injured cells not treated with TRF/α-TCP), pre-treatment with 100, 200, and 300 ng/ml TRF significantly improved cell viability following glutamate injury to 95.2 %, 95.0 %, and 95.6 %, respectively (p < 0.05).The isomers not only conferred neuroprotection by enhancing mitochondrial activity and depleting free radical production, but also increased cell viability and recovery upon glutamate insult. Our results suggest that vitamin E has potent antioxidant potential for protecting against glutamate injury and recovering glutamate-injured neuronal cells. Our findings also indicate that both TRF and α-TCP could play key roles as anti-apoptotic agents with neuroprotective properties.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-72
Author(s):  
Herlin Hamimi ◽  
Abdul Ghafar Ismail ◽  
Muhammad Hasbi Zaenal

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam which has a function of faith, social and economic functions. Muslims who can pay zakat are required to give at least 2.5 per cent of their wealth. The problem of poverty prevalent in disadvantaged regions because of the difficulty of access to information and communication led to a gap that is so high in wealth and resources. The instrument of zakat provides a paradigm in the achievement of equitable wealth distribution and healthy circulation. Zakat potentially offers a better life and improves the quality of human being. There is a human quality improvement not only in economic terms but also in spiritual terms such as improving religiousity. This study aims to examine the role of zakat to alleviate humanitarian issues in disadvantaged regions such as Sijunjung, one of zakat beneficiaries and impoverished areas in Indonesia. The researcher attempted a Cibest method to capture the impact of zakat beneficiaries before and after becoming a member of Zakat Community Development (ZCD) Program in material and spiritual value. The overall analysis shows that zakat has a positive impact on disadvantaged regions development and enhance the quality of life of the community. There is an improvement in the average of mustahik household incomes after becoming a member of ZCD Program. Cibest model demonstrates that material, spiritual, and absolute poverty index decreased by 10, 5, and 6 per cent. Meanwhile, the welfare index is increased by 21 per cent. These findings have significant implications for developing the quality of life in disadvantaged regions in Sijunjung. Therefore, zakat is one of the instruments to change the status of disadvantaged areas to be equivalent to other areas.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
Jeky El Boru

Abstract: This research aims to analyze the impact of Janti Flyover Construction toward the growth of layout at Janti Urban Area, including structured space, open space, and linkage. Method used for data collecting are observation, air photograph monitoring, and interview, whereas the analysis method is qualitative description, which is the superimposed method of two layers, that are the layout condition before and after flyover construction. The result shows that the impact of Janti Flyover construction can be seen on building mass (solid), the increasing number of open spaces, including the road network, parking place, and park, whereas the relation between spaces, visually and structurally, can be seen on the growth of buildings which have new shapes and styles, therefore the performance of the overall building does not have a proportional shape. Considering Janti Street at the collective relation, its role is getting stronger as the main frame road network.Keywords: Flyover construction, layout changing, Janti AreaAbstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh pembangunan Jalan Layang Janti terhadap perkembangan tata ruang Kawasan Janti, meliputi ruang terbangun, ruang terbuka, serta hubungan antar ruang (“linkage”). Metode pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui observasi, pengamatan foto udara, dan wawancara; sedangkan metode analisis melalui deskripsi secara kualitatif yang berupa “superimposed method” dari dua lapisan kondisi lahan, yakni kondisi tata ruang sebelum dan sesudah pembangunan jalan layang. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pengaruh pembangunan Jalan Layang Janti terdapat pada massa bangunan (“solid”), pertambahan ruang terbuka yang berupa jaringan jalan, parkir, dan taman; sedangkan pada hubungan antar ruang ̶ secara visual dan struktural ̶ yakni tumbuhnya bangunan dengan bentuk dan gaya baru, sehingga bentuk tampilan bangunan secara keseluruhan tidak proporsional. Pada hubungan kolektif, Jalan Janti semakin kuat perannya sebagai kerangka utama jaringan jalan.Kata kunci : Pembangunan jalan layang, tata ruang, Kawasan Janti


1970 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Mahadzir Ismail ◽  
Saliza Sulaiman ◽  
Hasni Abdul Rahim ◽  
Nordiana Nordin

The Financial Master Plan (2001- 2010) aims to enhance the capacity of banking industry so that higher effic iency and productivity can be reaped in the future. This study seeks to determine the impact of merger on the efficiency and productivity ofcommercial banks in Malaysia for the period 1995 until 2005. The study uses a non-parametric approach, nam ely DEA (data envelopment analysis?) to estimate the efficiency scores and to construct the Malmquist productivity index. To enable this estimation, three bank inputs and outputs are used. Amongst the findings are those banks exhibit higher efficiency score after the merger and thefo reign banks are more efficient than the local banks. Productivity of the banks is calculated in both periods, before and after the merger: The results show that, it is the local banks that have improved the most after the merger. The main source of productivity is technical change or innovation. The findings support the existing policy of having larger domestic banks in term of size.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-17
Author(s):  
Mahsa Assadi

This study reports a pre-experimental research on the impact of metacognitive instruction on EFL learners’ metacognitive awareness and their listening performance. To obtain the goal of the study, a group of 30 Iranian intermediate EFL learners, including 14 males and 16 females, were selected randomly. Their ages range from 20 to 24. The participants took part in 16 weeks’ intervention program based on metacognitive pedagogical sequence consisted of five stages. The metacognitive awareness listening questionnaire (MALQ), and a listening test were also used to find changes in metacognitive awareness and listening performance before and after the treatment. The results of comparing pre and posttests scores revealed that metacognitive instruction raised the learners’ metacognitive awareness and helped them improve their listening comprehension ability.


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