Influence of Bagging on the Development and Quality of Fruits

none8siFruit quality is certainly influenced by biotic and abiotic factors, and a main quality attribute is the external appearance of the fruit. Various possible agronomical approaches are able to regulate the fruit microenvironment and, consequently, improve fruit quality and market value. Among these, fruit bagging has recently become an integral part of fruits’ domestic and export markets in countries such as Japan, China, Korea Australia and the USA because it is a safe and ecofriendly technique to protect fruits from multiple stresses, preserving or improving the overall quality. Despite increasing global importance, the development of suitable bagging materials and, above all, their use in the field is quite laborious, so that serious efforts are required to enhance and standardize bagging material according to the need of the crops/fruits. This review provides information about the effects of bagging technique on the fruit aspect and texture, which are the main determinants of consumer choiceopenMuhammad Moaaz Ali; Raheel Anwar; Ahmed F. Yousef; Binqi Li; Andrea Luvisi; Luigi DE BELLIS; Alessio Aprile; Faxing ChenMoaaz Ali, Muhammad; Anwar, Raheel; Yousef, Ahmed F.; Li, Binqi; Luvisi, Andrea; DE BELLIS, Luigi; Aprile, Alessio; Chen, Faxin

The association between a body shape index and elevated urinary albumin–creatinine ratio in Chinese community adults

BackgroundObesity, especially visceral obesity, seems to be one of the most decisive risk factors for chronic kidney disease. A Body Shape Index (ABSI) is an emerging body size measurement marker of visceral obesity. This study aimed to explore whether ABSI is associated with albuminuria in Chinese community adults.MethodsThis cross-sectional study enrolled 40,726 participants aged 40 or older from seven provinces across China through a cluster random sampling method. ABSI was calculated by body mass index, waist circumference, and height. Increased albuminuria was defined as urinary albumin–creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥ 30 mg/g, indicating kidney injury. For ABSI, we divided it by quartile cutoff points and tried to determine the association between ABSI levels and UACR by multiple regression analysis. DAG (Directed Acyclic Graph) was plotted using literature and expert consensus to identify potential confounding factors.ResultsThe average age of subjects with elevated UACR was 61.43 ± 10.07, and 26% were men. The average age of subjects with normal UACR was 57.70 ± 9.02, and 30.5% were men. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted and demonstrated that the ABSI quartiles were related to elevated UACR positively (OR [95% CI] Q2 vs. Q1: 1.094 [1.004, 1.197]; OR [95% CI] Q3 vs. Q1: 1.126 [1.030, 1.231]; OR [95% CI] Q4 vs. Q1: 1.183 [1.080, 1.295], p for trend < 0.001) after adjustments for confounding factors. The stratified analysis further showed that with the mounting for ABSI levels, elevated UACR more easily occurred in the people characterized by the elderly, men, and hypertension.ConclusionsIn Chinese community adults, people with higher ABSI levels can be deemed as high-risk individuals with UACR elevation, and it will be beneficial for them to lose weight and significantly reduce visceral fat

A Robust Adaptive Unscented Kalman Filter for Nonlinear Estimation with Uncertain Noise Covariance

The Unscented Kalman filter (UKF) may suffer from performance degradation and even divergence while mismatch between the noise distribution assumed as a priori by users and the actual ones in a real nonlinear system. To resolve this problem, this paper proposes a robust adaptive UKF (RAUKF) to improve the accuracy and robustness of state estimation with uncertain noise covariance. More specifically, at each timestep, a standard UKF will be implemented first to obtain the state estimations using the new acquired measurement data. Then an online fault-detection mechanism is adopted to judge if it is necessary to update current noise covariance. If necessary, innovation-based method and residual-based method are used to calculate the estimations of current noise covariance of process and measurement, respectively. By utilizing a weighting factor, the filter will combine the last noise covariance matrices with the estimations as the new noise covariance matrices. Finally, the state estimations will be corrected according to the new noise covariance matrices and previous state estimations. Compared with the standard UKF and other adaptive UKF algorithms, RAUKF converges faster to the actual noise covariance and thus achieves a better performance in terms of robustness, accuracy, and computation for nonlinear estimation with uncertain noise covariance, which is demonstrated by the simulation results

Finite Element Analysis of Nozzle Erosion Caused by Abrasive Particles of Ultra High Pressure Water Jet

In order to analyze and solve the erosion of the inside of nozzle caused by high - speed abrasive particles for improving the nozzle’s erosion and wear resistances and optimizing the structure design of ultra - high pressure jet nozzle, transient two - phase flow simulation, discrete phase simulation and visualization processing were used to simulate the erosion test. An axisymmetric solid - liquid two - phase flow analysis model was established for the inside of the nozzle, and the motion trajectory and acceleration process of the premixed abrasive water jet particles in the nozzle were simulated. Meanwhile, the maximum erosion rate of the nozzle inner wall was calculated, and the internal structure of the nozzle was optimized. Results showed that the garnet abrasive particles collided with the inner wall of the nozzle in the focusing section of the tungsten carbide nozzle and were reflected back to the axis to cause a focusing effect, the particle movement speed decreased and the inner wall was eroded. Furthermore, the maximum erosion rate was 1.9×10-6kg/(m2·s), which arose at the junction between the contraction section and focusing section of the nozzle. The second peak appeared in the middle and front of the focusing section, 20 mm away from the nozzle outlet, and the erosion rate was 1.7×10-6kg/(m2·s). According to the actual test life and failure criterion of nozzle, the calculated actual erosion rate of the nozzle was 1.078×10-6kg/(m2·s) and the correction coefficient of erosion rate was 0.567 4. Generally, the finite element analysis provided a basis for the optimization of the nozzle shape, which was beneficial for the improvement of the corrosion resistance of the nozzle

efficientabsorptionofdichloromethaneusingimidazoliumbasedionicliquids

In recent years,environment problems have been a hot issue of concern to the public.Chlorinated volatile organic compounds such as dichloromethane (DCM) have been a serious threat to the public health and environment as hazardous chemical substances.Solving these problems has become an urgent issue in nowadays society.Ionic liquids (ILs) are supposed to be potential solvents to absorb gases due to their unique structures and properties,which have exhibited excellent absorption capacity in NH_3,SO_2,CO_2 and other gases.In this paper,a series of conventional ILs including BmimBF

efficientabsorptionofdichloromethaneusingimidazoliumbasedionicliquids

In recent years,environment problems have been a hot issue of concern to the public.Chlorinated volatile organic compounds such as dichloromethane (DCM) have been a serious threat to the public health and environment as hazardous chemical substances.Solving these problems has become an urgent issue in nowadays society.Ionic liquids (ILs) are supposed to be potential solvents to absorb gases due to their unique structures and properties,which have exhibited excellent absorption capacity in NH_3,SO_2,CO_2 and other gases.In this paper,a series of conventional ILs including BmimBF

<i>Limosilactobacillus reuteri</i> HCS02-001 Attenuates Hyperuricemia through Gut Microbiota-Dependent Regulation of Uric Acid Biosynthesis and Excretion

Hyperuricemia is a prevalent metabolic disorder that arises from abnormal purine metabolism and reduced excretion of uric acid (UA). The gut microbiota plays a significant role in the biosynthesis and excretion of UA. Probiotics capable of purine degradation possess the potential to prevent hyperuricemia. Our study aimed to screen probiotics in areas with abundant dairy products and longevity populations in China, which could attenuate the level of UA and explore the underlying mechanism. In this study, twenty-three lactic acid bacteria isolated from healthy Chinese infant feces and traditional fermented foods such as hurood and lump milk were evaluated for the ability to tolerance acid, bile, artificial gastric juice, and artificial intestinal juice to determine the potential of the candidate strains as probiotics. Eight strains were identified as possessing superior tolerance to simulated intestinal conditions and were further analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), revealing that Limosilactobacillus reuteri HCS02-001 (Lact-1) and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei HCS17-040 (Lact-2) possess the most potent ability to degrade purine nucleosides. The effect of Lact-1 and Lact-2 on hyperuricemia was evaluated by intervening with them in the potassium oxonate and adenine-induced hyperuricemia Balb/c mice model in vivo. Our results showed that the level of serum UA in hyperuricemic mice can be efficiently reduced via the oral administration of Lact-1 (p Limosilactobacillus reuteri HCS02-001 possesses a capacity to ameliorate hyperuricemia by inhibiting UA biosynthesis via enhancing gastrointestinal barrier functions and promoting UA removal through the upregulation of urate transporters, thereby providing a basis for the probiotic formulation by targeting the gut microbiota

Effect of Subsequent Subgrade on Seismic Response of the High-Speed Railway Track–Bridge System

As an important part of the boundary conditions on both sides of the high-speed railway track–bridge system, the seismic response of the subgrade structure is different from that of the bridge structure. This difference has become increasingly significant with the widespread adoption of continuous welded rail technology in bridge construction. Therefore, investigating the seismic response of the bridge system, with a specific focus on the longitudinal constraint effects of the subsequent subgrade track structure, is of paramount importance. Utilizing finite element software, two distinct bridge models are developed: one incorporating the subsequent subgrade track structure and another excluding it. Through nonlinear time history analysis under varying seismic intensities, it is demonstrated that the longitudinal constraint of the subsequent subgrade track structure mitigates the longitudinal displacements and internal forces in critical components of the high-speed railway track–bridge system. Concurrently, acknowledging the heightened complexity and cost associated with post-earthquake repairs of the bridge structure compared to subgrade structure, this study uses a risk transfer connecting beam device. This device can redirect seismic damage from bridge structure to subgrade structure, thereby potentially reducing post-seismic repair expenses for the bridge