Comparative Study on the Effects and Mechanisms of Salt and Alkali on the Quality Formation of Noodles

In order to systematically investigate the quality differences between salted and alkaline noodles and the underlying mechanism, the effect of NaCl and K2CO3 on the quality formation of noodles was studied by evaluating the farinograph and extensograph properties and viscosity properties of wheat flour, as well as the cooking properties, texture properties, and storage stability of noodles. Additionally, the microstructure, protein aggregation and volatile components were investigated to explore the underlying mechanisms of the quality differences. The results showed that salt improved the extensibility of dough and noodles, endowed noodles with higher smoothness and elasticity, and showed little effect on starch viscosity, while alkali enhanced the tensile resistance of dough and the hardness and breaking force of cooked noodles, and increased the gelatinization viscosity of starch. The cooking loss of noodles increased with the addition of salt and alkali. Both salt and alkali significantly inhibited the increase of total plate count (TPC) in fresh noodles and consequently enhanced the storage stability, but 0.5% K2CO3 accelerated the browning rate. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that NaCl induced a smooth surface microstructure, while K2CO3 resulted in a rough surface of noodles; K2CO3 significantly increased the rate and extent of thermal polymerization of proteins in noodles. NaCl increased the type and concentration of volatile components in noodles, thereby making the aroma of noodles more intense, but the flavor was similar to that of the control. K2CO3 significantly changed the flavor of noodles and resulted in the generation of unique aldehyde compounds

Application of deep-learning–based artificial intelligence in acetabular index measurement

ObjectiveTo construct an artificial intelligence system to measure acetabular index and evaluate its accuracy in clinical application.MethodsA total of 10,219 standard anteroposterior pelvic radiographs were collected retrospectively from April 2014 to December 2018 in our hospital. Of these, 9,219 radiographs were randomly selected to train and verify the system. The remaining 1,000 radiographs were used to compare the system's and the clinicians' measurement results. All plain pelvic films were labeled by an expert committee through PACS system based on a uniform standard to measure acetabular index. Subsequently, eight other clinicians independently measured the acetabular index from 200 randomly selected radiographs from the test radiographs. Bland–Altman test was used for consistency analysis between the system and clinician measurements.ResultsThe test set included 1,000 cases (2,000 hips). Compared with the expert committee measurement, the 95% limits of agreement (95% LOA) of the system was −4.02° to 3.45° (bias = −0.27°, P < 0.05). The acetabular index measured by the system within all age groups, including normal and abnormal groups, also showed good credibility according to the Bland–Altman principle. Comparison of the measurement evaluations by the system and eight clinicians vs. that of, the expert committee, the 95% LOA of the clinician with the smallest measurement error was −2.76° to 2.56° (bias = −0.10°, P = 0.126). The 95% LOA of the system was −0.93° to 2.86° (bias = −0.03°, P = 0.647). The 95% LOA of the clinician with the largest measurement error was −3.41° to 4.25° (bias = 0.42°, P < 0.05). The measurement error of the system was only greater than that of a senior clinician.ConclusionThe newly constructed artificial intelligence system could quickly and accurately measure the acetabular index of standard anteroposterior pelvic radiographs. There is good data consistency between the system in measuring standard anteroposterior pelvic radiographs. The accuracy of the system is closer to that of senior clinicians

Regulation of rat intrapulmonary arterial tone by arachidonic acid and prostaglandin E2 during hypoxia

Aims Arachidonic acid (AA) and its metabolites, prostaglandins (PG) are known to be involved in regulation of vascular homeostasis including vascular tone and vessel wall tension, but their potential role in Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) remains unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of AA and PGE2 on the hypoxic response in isolated rat intrapulmonary arteries (IPAs). Methods and Results We carried out the investigation on IPAs by vessel tension measurement. Isotetrandrine (20 µM) significantly inhibited phase I, phase IIb and phase IIc of hypoxic vasoconstriction. Both indomethacin (100 µM) and NS398 attenuated KPSS-induced vessel contraction and phase I, phase IIb and phase IIc of HPV, implying that COX-2 plays a primary role in the hypoxic response of rat IPAs. PGE2 alone caused a significant vasoconstriction in isolated rat IPAs. This constriction is mediated by EP4. Blockage of EP4 by L-161982 (1 µM) significantly inhibited phase I, phase IIb and phase IIc of hypoxic vasoconstriction. However, AH6809 (3 µM), an antagonist of EP1, EP2, EP3 and DP1 receptors, exerted no effect on KPSS or hypoxia induced vessel contraction. Increase of cellular cAMP by forskolin could significantly reduce KPSS-induced vessel contraction and abolish phase I, phase II b and phase II c of HPV. Conclusion Our results demonstrated a vasoconstrictive effect of PGE2 on rat IPAs and this effect is via activation of EP4. Furthermore, our results suggest that intracellular cAMP plays dual roles in regulation of vascular tone, depending on the spatial distribution of cAMP and its coupling with EP receptor and Ca2+ channels

The Ninth Visual Object Tracking VOT2021 Challenge Results

acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Analysis of the Effects of Grid-Connected Charging/Discharging Stations on Relay Protection

The grid-connected operation of charging/discharging stations changes the original load, power supply, and network structures of the distribution network. It also affects the power flow level and direction and leads to a reduction in the sensitivity and reliability of the relay protection system. The grid connections may even lead to improper operation or failure of the relay protection protocols. In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes a method that constructs the protection criteria by using the characteristics of the positive sequence comprehensive impedance after internal and external faults. Specifically, based on the difference in amplitude of the differential positive sequence impedance in the feeder after the charging/discharging station is connected to the grid, positive sequence comprehensive impedance is proposed for the purpose of establishing longitudinal differential protection. The results show that the vertical protection principle based on the positive sequence comprehensive impedance has a certain versatility for the protection of distribution networks with charging/discharging stations. Additionally, the protection principle has high sensitivity and is generally unaffected by transition resistance. The applicability of the proposed positive sequence comprehensive impedance vertical protection principle is verified by simulation

Comparative study of silica-supported copper catalysts prepared by different methods: formation and transition of copper phyllosilicate

Cu/SiO2 catalysts prepared by ion exchange (IE), deposition precipitation (DP), homogeneous deposition-precipitation (HDP) using urea hydrolysis and ammonia evaporation (AE) were systematically characterized focusing on the formation and transition of copper phyllosilicate. It was generated during the AE, IE and HDP methods and decomposed to CuO after calcination at 450 degrees C, which was supported by BET, TPR, XRD and TEM. Copper phyllosilicate can be reduced to Cu-0 rather than Cu+ below 350 degrees C. The formation of copper phyllosilicate promoted the dispersion of copper species. The Cu/SiO2 catalyst prepared by the AE method possessed the highest Cu-0 dispersion due to the high content of copper phyllosilicate in the catalyst precursor and thus exhibited the best activity for the hydrogenation of methyl acetate

Effect of Ca promoter on LPG synthesis from syngas over hybrid catalyst

Direct synthesis of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from syngas was carried out over hybrid catalyst consisting of methanol synthesis catalyst and modified Y zeolite with Pd and Ca by different methods. The decrease of CO conversion was mostly attributable to the sintering of Cu in methanol synthesis catalyst. On the other hand, coke deposition on Y zeolite was the reason for the decrease of LPG selectivity. The introduction of Ca decreased the strong acid sites of Y zeolite, suppressed coke formation, and thus improved the stability of hybrid catalyst

Preparation of Hierarchical CaSO 4

CaSO4 whiskers (CSW) can be used to reinforce PVC matrix to produce light and strong composites. However, the weak interfacial interaction between the smooth CSW and PVC matrix limited the fabrication of PVC composite with perfect mechanical properties. In this work, CaCO3 nanoparticles were coated on CSW surface by wet modification of CSW in Na2CO3 solution at 80°C, which increased the surface roughness of CSW from 56.8 nm to 115.6 nm. The use of the hierarchical CSW rather than the raw CSW in the fabrication of CSW/PVC composite led to the increase of the flexural strength from 86.3 MPa to 113.2 MPa and the impact strength from 56.7 kJ·m−2 to 82.5 kJ·m−2 owing to the enhanced mechanical interlocking between CSW and PVC matrix