Flavour components and antioxidant properties of several cultivated mushrooms

[[abstract]]Three mushrooms, Clitocybe maxima, Pleurotus ferulae and Pleurotus ostreatus grey strain were used to study their flavour components and antioxidant properties. The volatile flavour components found comprised of six eight-membered carbon compounds and two aromatic compounds. The content total of soluble sugars and polyols was 125-270 mg/g. The content of monosoclium glutamate-like components was 1.76-8.89 mg/g. The contents of flavour 5'-nucleoticles ranged from 1.89 to 7.59 mg/g. Based on the results obtained, three mushrooms possessed highly intense umami taste. Ethanolic extracts were more effective in the inhibition of conjugated diene and scavenging ability on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals, whereas hot water extracts were more effective in the scavenging ability of hydroxyl radicals. EC50 values were less than 14 and 30 mg/ml for ethanolic and hot water extracts, respectively, indicating that the three mushrooms were relatively effective as they exhibited antioxidant properties, despite having scavenging abilities for hydroxyl radicals. Phenols were the major antioxidant components and the total contents were 5.10-11.1 mg gallic acid equivalents/g. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Reversible writing of high-mobility and high-carrier-density doping patterns in two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures

A key feature of two-dimensional materials is that the sign and concentration of their carriers can be externally controlled with techniques such as electrostatic gating. However, conventional electrostatic gating has limitations, including a maximum carrier density set by the dielectric breakdown, and ionic liquid gating and direct chemical doping also suffer from drawbacks. Here, we show that an electron-beam-induced doping technique can be used to reversibly write high-resolution doping patterns in hexagonal boron nitride-encapsulated graphene and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) van der Waals heterostructures. The doped MoS2 device exhibits an order of magnitude decrease of subthreshold swing compared with the device before doping, whereas the doped graphene devices demonstrate a previously inaccessible regime of high carrier concentration and high mobility, even at room temperature. We also show that the approach can be used to write high-quality p–n junctions and nanoscale doping patterns, illustrating that the technique can create nanoscale circuitry in van der Waals heterostructures

Analysis on Thermal Hazard of Foam Decoration Materials

The occurrence and spread of fire often result from the flammables in interior decoration materials, which mostly contain fireproof foam to avoid fire damage. In this study, the foams with reportedly fire resistance, such as general foam, PU foam, melamine foam, and rubber foam, are compared via thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis to build a thermal parameter database of decoration materials of fireproof foams and provide green building materials, technologies, and fire preventive measures to the industry or consumers

Substrate-induced band gap opening in epitaxial graphene

Graphene has shown great application potentials as the host material for next generation electronic devices. However, despite its intriguing properties, one of the biggest hurdles for graphene to be useful as an electronic material is its lacking of an energy gap in the electronic spectra. This, for example, prevents the use of graphene in making transistors. Although several proposals have been made to open a gap in graphene's electronic spectra, they all require complex engineering of the graphene layer. Here we show that when graphene is epitaxially grown on the SiC substrate, a gap of ~ 0.26 is produced. This gap decreases as the sample thickness increases and eventually approaches zero when the number of layers exceeds four. We propose that the origin of this gap is the breaking of sublattice symmetry owing to the graphene-substrate interaction. We believe our results highlight a promising direction for band gap engineering of graphene.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures; updated reference

Certified Robustness of Quantum Classifiers against Adversarial Examples through Quantum Noise

Recently, quantum classifiers have been known to be vulnerable to adversarial attacks, where quantum classifiers are fooled by imperceptible noises to have misclassification. In this paper, we propose one first theoretical study that utilizing the added quantum random rotation noise can improve the robustness of quantum classifiers against adversarial attacks. We connect the definition of differential privacy and demonstrate the quantum classifier trained with the natural presence of additive noise is differentially private. Lastly, we derive a certified robustness bound to enable quantum classifiers to defend against adversarial examples supported by experimental results.Comment: Submitted to IEEE ICASSP 202

Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection in BCG-vaccinated healthcare workers by using an interferon-gamma release assay and the tuberculin skin test in an intermediate tuberculosis burden country

BackgroundThe risk of healthcare workers (HCWs) acquiring tuberculosis (TB) infection is high. We determined the prevalence of latent TB infection (LTBI) in HCWs with a high Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine coverage in an intermediate TB burden country by using an interferon-gamma release assay [QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G)] and by using the tuberculin skin test (TST). Risk factors associated with a positive test were determined.MethodsThis prospective cross-sectional study enrolled HCWs from a medical center in Taiwan. Participants were grouped into workers without exposure (Group 1) and workers who self-reported a history of TB exposure (Group 2). All participants completed a questionnaire to collect demographic information and risk factors for acquiring TB. The QFT-G test and the TST were administered and risk factors for a positive test were analyzed.ResultsWe recruited 193 HCWs [149 (77.2%) female workers] with a mean age of 35.6 years. All were BCG-vaccinated. The prevalence of LTBI was 88.8% (based on the TST) and 14.5% (based on the QFT-G test). There was no difference between HCWs with and without known exposure to TB. Agreement between the tests was poor (i.e., the kappa value was less than 0.05). Multivariable logistic regression showed that only the QFT-G test was associated with age (35 years or greater) (adjusted OR, 2.53; p = 0.03).ConclusionBy using the QFT-G test or TST, this study found a similar prevalence of LTBI in HCWs with and without known exposure to TB. This suggests that in intermediate TB burden countries exposure to TB may occur within the hospital and within the community. Compared to the TST, the QFT-G test was correlated better with age, which is a known risk factor for latent TB infection

Genetic and Functional Analysis of the DLG4 Gene Encoding the Post-Synaptic Density Protein 95 in Schizophrenia

Hypofunction of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated signal transduction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Post-synaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) plays a critical role in regulating the trafficking and activity of the NMDA receptor and altered expression of the PSD95 has been detected in the post-mortem brain of patients with schizophrenia. The study aimed to examine whether the DLG4 gene that encodes the PSD95 may confer genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia. We re-sequenced the core promoter, all the exons, and 3′ untranslated regions (UTR) of the DLG4 gene in 588 Taiwanese schizophrenic patients and conducted an association study with 539 non-psychotic subjects. We did not detect any rare mutations at the protein-coding sequences of the DLG4 gene associated with schizophrenia. Nevertheless, we identified four polymorphic markers at the core promoter and 5′ UTR and one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at the 3′UTR of the DLG4 gene in this sample. Genetic analysis showed an association of a haplotype (C–D) derived from 2 polymorphic markers at the core promoter (odds ratio = 1.26, 95% confidence interval = 1.06–1.51, p = 0.01), and a borderline association of the T allele of the rs13331 at 3′UTR with schizophrenia (odds ratio = 1.19, 95% confidence interval = 0.99–1.43, p = 0.06). Further reporter gene assay showed that the C-D-C-C and the T allele of the rs13331 had significant lower activity than their counter parts. Our data indicate that the expression of the DLG4 gene is subject to regulation by the polymorphic markers at the core promoter region, 5′ and 3′UTR of the gene, and is associated with the susceptibility of schizophrenia

Enhancing Therapeutic Efficacy of Cinnamon Essential Oil by Nanoemulsification for Intravaginal Treatment of Candida Vaginitis

Yi-Ting Lin,1 Wei-Chung Tsai,1 Hsueh-Yu Lu,1 Shih-Yuan Fang,1 Hsiang-Wen Chan,1 Chung-Hsiung Huang1,2 1Department of Food Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan; 2Center for Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, 20224, TaiwanCorrespondence: Chung-Hsiung Huang, Department of Food Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan, Tel +886-2-2462-2192 ext. 5116, Email [email protected]: Due to its prevalence, recurrence, and the emergence of drug-resistance, Candida vaginitis significantly impacts the well-being of women. Although cinnamon essential oil (CEO) possesses antifungal activity, its hydrophobic properties limit its clinical application.Purpose: To overcome this challenge, a nanoemulsification technology was employed to prepare cinnamon essential oil-nanoemulsion (CEO@NE), and its therapeutic efficacy and action mechanism for Candida vaginitis was investigated in vivo and in vitro.Materials and Methods: CEO@NE, composed of 4% CEO, 78% distilled water, and 18% Tween 80, was prepared by ultrasonic nanoemulsification. The physical properties, anti-Candida activity, cytotoxicity, immunomodulatory potential and storage stability of CEO@NE were explored. Subsequently, the effect of intravaginal CEO@NE treatment on Candida vaginitis was investigated in mice. To comprehend the possible mechanism of CEO@NE, an analysis was conducted to ascertain the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in C. albicans.Results: CEO@NE, with the droplet size less than 100 nm and robust storage stability for up to 8 weeks, exhibited comparable anti-Candida activity with CEO. CEO@NE at the concentration lower than 400 μg/mL had no cytotoxic and immunomodulatory effects on murine splenocytes. Intravaginal treatment of CEO@NE (400 μg/mL, 20 μL/day/mouse for 5 consecutive days) curbed Candida colonization, ameliorated histopathological changes, and suppressed inflammatory cytokine production in mice intravaginally challenged with C. albicans. Notably, this treatment preserved the density of vaginal lactic acid bacteria (LAB) crucial for vaginal health. Co-culturing C. albicans with CEO@NE revealed concentration-dependent augmentation of intracellular ROS generation and ensuing cell death. In addition, co-culturing LPS-stimulated murine splenocytes with CEO@NE yielded a decrease in the generation of cytokines.Conclusion: This discovery provides insight into the conceivable antifungal and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of CEO@NE to tackle Candida vaginitis. CEO@NE offers a promising avenue to address the limitations of current treatments, providing novel strategy for treating Candida vaginitis.Keywords: anti-inflammation, Candida vaginitis, cinnamon essential oil, nanoemulsion, reactive oxygen specie

Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection in persons with and without human immunodeficiency virus infection using two interferon-gamma release assays and tuberculin skin test in a low human immunodeficiency virus prevalence, intermediate tuberculosis-burden country

BackgroundThe risk of tuberculosis (TB) is higher in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients and intravenous drug users (IDUs). We determined the prevalence and risk factors of latent TB infection (LTBI) in individuals with or without HIV infection, including IDUs, in a country with a low HIV prevalence, an intermediate TB burden, and a high Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine coverage using two interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) and the tuberculin skin test (TST).MethodsFor this prospective, cross-sectional study, HIV-infected and -uninfected patients from a regional hospital and medical center in Taiwan were enrolled. Results of the two IGRAs [QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT)] and the TST were compared. Risk factors for positivity were analyzed.ResultsWe recruited 233 patients [198 (85%) men; mean age, 39.4 years]. Most patients (74%) were BCG vaccinated. The prevalence of LTBI was estimated to be 22.8% by TST, 15.9% by QFT-G, and 20.6% by QFT-GIT. HIV-infected individuals had fewer positive QFT-GIT [7.0% vs. 28.6%, p < 0.001, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.28, p = 0.05] and TST results, and more indeterminate QFT-G responses (9.3% vs. 0.7%, p = 0.002). Concordance between IGRAs and TST was very poor in HIV-infected patients (κ < 0.05). Independent risk factors for IGRA positivity were increasing age (QFT-G: aOR = 1.98, p = 0.03; QFT-GIT: aOR = 2.00, p = 0.01) and IDUs (aOR = 4.33, p = 0.05 by QFT-G).ConclusionHIV-infected persons had a significantly lower response to both IGRAs and TST. High discordance was found between the two generations of IGRAs and between IGRAs and TST. Increasing age, a known risk factor for LTBI, was significantly associated with IGRAs, but not with TST

User acceptance of SaaS ERP considering perceived risk, system performance and cost

The use of cloud solution to support ERP system has become the priority of many organizations to stay competitive in the current global world. This research will be focusing on the user acceptance of SaaS ERP (SAP ByDesign) in a global construction tool provider considering perceived risk, cost and system performance. Due to many unique variables, the purpose of this research is to analyze and investigate issues related to acceptance of SaaS in the construction tool provider companies. The results of this research can help both organizations and researchers to build a fundamental level on understanding how these factors that can predict the user acceptance of SaaS ERP in a global construction tool provider company which significantly beneficial. 80 users ranging from executive and higher management level globally were targeted. SAS Enterprise Guide 5.1 was used to analyze respondents' data and SAS dataset was then run by SAS Enterprise Guide 5.1 to produce descriptive analysis, Cronbach alpha, factor analysis and PLS-SEM will be used to analyses the responses and each hypothesis will be tested based on the data consolidated. Lastly, Partial Least Square- SEM will be performed to summarize and give an analysis of the research model propose