A simplified low volume colorimetric assay for rapid comparison of cyanogenic glycoside production between barley genotypes

Ethyl carbamate (EC), a genotoxic and carcinogenic compound, is an undesirable trace component in spirits and whisky. The precursor of EC produced from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) malt is primarily a cyanogenic glycosidic nitrile (GN) known as epiheterodendrin (EPH). EPH production is genetically controlled in barley, low or non-GN varieties exist and EPH production can be controlled by using low or non-GN barley varieties for malt production. Here, we report on a rapid and inexpensive colorimetric assay modified from Cook and Oliver (in: European Brewery Convention (eds) Proceedings of the 23rd Congress, Lisbon. European Brewery Convention, Zoeterwoude, Netherlands, 1991). The new low-volume, high-throughput, semi-quantitative test method can be used for the selection of low or non-GN breeding lines through samples of acrospires. This method is based on the detection of cyanide by the reaction with chloramine-T followed by the addition of the reagent (pyridine-barbituric acid) to form a soluble violet-blue product measured at 590 nm. Absorbance measurements and the visual color are used to estimate the presence of EPH production in acrospires. In this report, the level of EPH production was compared among some commercial European non-GN lines, Canadian malt varieties and advanced barley breeding lines

Monoclinic Phases Arising Across Thermal Inter-Ferroelectric Phase Transitions

Thermotropic phase boundaries (TPBs), as thermal analogs of morphotropic phase boundaries (MPBs), are associated with the thermal inter-ferroelectric phase transitions. Similar to an MPB, a TPB exhibits a characteristically flattened energy profile which favors polarization rotation, thus giving rise to a structurally bridging low-symmetry phase. We report on the kinetic process of thermal inter-ferroelectric phase transitions in BaTiO3 and KNbO3 using the phase-field method. The domain structures are found to play key roles in stabilizing the monoclinic phase. In simple domain structures, the monoclinic phase is a transient phase and cannot be stabilized into its neighboring phase regimes. However, by introducing structural inhomogeneity (orthogonal in-plane domain twins), we found that the monoclinic phase can be stabilized over a range of over 100 K across the transition. As a result, the piezoelectric properties are enhanced due to the stabilized monoclinic phase. In addition to the emergence of new piezoelectric components with monoclinic symmetry, most of the original components present in the tetragonal symmetry also show substantial enhancement with the rotation of polarization

Association between daily screen time and risk of stroke among middle-aged and elderly people: research based on China health and nutrition survey

BackgroundWe aimed to explore the independent associations between screen time and the risk of stroke among Chinese adults based on the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS).MethodsData on Chinese adults aged older than 40 years from the CHNS in during 2004–2009 were selected. A total of 4,587 individuals were included in 2009, including screen time and the risk of stroke. Simultaneously, we traced the previous screen time to 2004 for those with outcome measures in 2009 (n = 2,100). Basic information, lifestyle, and screen behavior were obtained through face-to-face interviews and self-completed questionnaires. Anthropometric data collected included blood pressure, body weight, height, hip circumference, and waist circumference. Fasting blood was obtained for measurements of lipid and glucose levels. Cross-sectional analysis and cohort analysis were both performed using multivariate logistic regression.ResultsOf all participants, 3,004 (65.49%) participants spent more than 2 h per day on screen time. Taking the men who spent less than 2 h on screen per day as reference, the crude odds ratio (OR) of the high risk of stroke was 1.53 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.20–1.95] for the men who spent 2–3 h per day on screen and 2.37 (95% CI, 1.78–3.16) for the men who spent more than 3 h per day on screen. This difference remained significant after adjusting for confounding factors. No association was observed among women. However, in the cohort analysis with screen time in 2006 as the independent variable, the association between screen time and stroke risk was found both in men [OR, 1.83 (95% CI, 1.19–2.82)] and women [OR, 1.48 (95% CI, 1.10–1.99)]).ConclusionWe found that the high screen time was associated with an increased stroke risk, which was pronounced in men, warranting a universal need to limit screen time in order to improve health

Study on tinnitus-related electroencephalogram microstates in patients with vestibular schwannomas

Tinnitus is closely associated with cognition functioning. In order to clarify the central reorganization of tinnitus in patients with vestibular schwannoma (VS), this study explored the aberrant dynamics of electroencephalogram (EEG) microstates and their correlations with tinnitus features in VS patients. Clinical and EEG data were collected from 98 VS patients, including 76 with tinnitus and 22 without tinnitus. Microstates were clustered into four categories. Our EEG microstate analysis revealed that VS patients with tinnitus exhibited an increased frequency of microstate C compared to those without tinnitus. Furthermore, correlation analysis demonstrated that the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score was negatively associated with the duration of microstate A and positively associated with the frequency of microstate C. These findings suggest that the time series and syntax characteristics of EEG microstates differ significantly between VS patients with and without tinnitus, potentially reflecting abnormal allocation of neural resources and transition of functional brain activity. Our results provide a foundation for developing diverse treatments for tinnitus in VS patients

The Ninth Visual Object Tracking VOT2021 Challenge Results

acceptedVersionPeer reviewe