Search Results (13,383)

Among innovative food technologies, ultrasounds have demonstrated physical damages (provided by frequency and intensity factors) on bacterial structures while determining the microbiological stabilization of many foodstuffs. This study tested the efficacy of the thermosonication process on 16 Salmonella typhimurium strains belonging to the academic biobank (isolated from swine slaughterhouses). All strains were exposed to focused ultrasounds, generated by the Waveco^® system (Milan, Italy), with the following settings: 40 KHz coupled with 80 W at different 5 min intervals starting from 5 to 15 ones, and focusing on two different temperatures: 40 °C and 50 °C. After each treatment, all strains were directly plated onto count agars immediately (t0) and after 24 h (t24) of storage at refrigerated temperature. The results showed bacterial reductions by prolonging the sonication treatments until 15 min (i.e., 50 °C for 15 min reduced of 2.16 log CFU/gr the initial loads). In the present in vitro study, the most considerable decrease was observed after 24 h. It meant that Salmonella strains were lethally damaged at the wall level, confirming the ultrasound bactericidal effect on loads. The present in vitro scientific investigation demonstrates the practical bactericidal effects of thermosonication, highlighting promising applications at the industry level for food microbial stabilization and shelf-life prolongation. Full article

In recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs), ammonia excreted by fish must be converted to the less toxic nitrate before recirculation. Nitrifying microorganisms in biofilters used for this transformation can be sensitive to changes in salinity, which can present issues for systems that raise anadromous fish such as Atlantic salmon. Freshwater biofilters maintained at a low level of salinity (such as biofilters operated in coastal areas) may be better equipped to handle more drastic salinity shifts; therefore, experiments were performed on freshwater and low-salinity (3 ppt) biofilters to assess their ability to recover nitrification activity after an abrupt change in salinity (3, 20, and 33 ppt). Two-week tests showed full nitrification recovery in freshwater biofilters after a shift to 3 ppt but no ammonia oxidation in 20 or 33 ppt. Low-salinity-adapted filters (transitioned from 0 to 3 ppt) showed a small recovery (about 11%) after a shift to 20 ppt, and no activity when shifted to 33 ppt. Illumina sequencing revealed that, while nitrification was slowed or stopped with shifting salinities, the nitrifiers survived the salinity increases; conversely, the heterotrophic communities were more greatly affected and were reduced in proportion with increasing salinity. This work indicates that biofilters operated at low salinity may recover more quickly after large salinity changes, though this slight benefit may not outweigh the cost of low-level salinity maintenance. Further research into halotolerant heterotrophs in biofilms may increase the effectiveness of nitrifying biofilters under variable salinities. Full article

This study aims to investigate the coupling and harmonization between land ecological security (LES) and high-quality agricultural development (HAD) in the Han River Basin (HRB), China, with the objective of promoting harmonious coexistence between agriculture and ecosystems. Using 17 cities in the HRB as the research objects, an evaluation index system of two systems, LES and HAD, was constructed, analyzed, and evaluated via projective tracer modeling for multiple intelligent genetic algorithms (MIGA-PTM). The degree of coupling coordination (DCC) was used to quantitatively evaluate the coupling coordination development status of the two systems, the obstacle model (OM) was used to identify the main influencing factors, and the gray predictive model first-order univariate model (GM (1, 1)) was used to predict the DCC of the LES and HAD from 2025 to 2040. The results show the following: (1) the LES and HAD levels of the 17 cities in the HRB tended to increase during the study period, and there was a large gap between cities; (2) the spatial distributions of the DCCs of the LES and HAD in the HRB were uneven, with high values in the southern and low values in the central and northern parts, and the overall degree of coupling tended to fluctuate. The overall DCC showed a fluctuating upward trend; (3) the degree of obstacles, per capita water resources, greening coverage, and rate of return on financial expenditure are the main influencing factors; and (4) the prediction results of GM (1, 1) indicate that the LES and HAD of the HRB will be close to reaching the intermediate stage of coupling in 2035. This research offers critical insights into sustainable development practices that facilitate the alignment of agricultural growth with ecological preservation. Full article

Cyperus esculentus seeds are often considered irrelevant for C. esculentus spread as their fragile seedlings would not establish or survive in agricultural soils. However, the ever-increasing spread and upsurge of genetically different clonal populations in NW-Europe raises questions about the establishment of C. esculentus seeds and the reproductive performance of seedlings. Indeed, little is known about the potential of C. esculentus seedlings to grow and propagate under outdoor conditions relative to plants grown from tubers. Seeds from different clonal populations were sown outdoors in various soil types and under different irrigation levels (rainfed, irrigated) to assess seed germination and seedling establishment. Additionally, two pot experiments were conducted with three different plant types (plants originating from mother tubers and from seeds harvested on open- or self-pollinated plants) obtained from eight clonal populations. Plant performance was investigated by measuring vegetative and generative parameters. Germination under outdoor conditions was significantly affected by clonal population and was highest in irrigated sand (5.3%). Germination in sand was 4.1 times higher in irrigated plots than in rainfed plots. In irrigated plots, germination was 3.8 and 4.7 times higher in sand than in sandy loam and clay, respectively. Depending on the year, three out of five to five out of six clonal populations produced more tubers when grown from mother tubers than from seeds. Maximal tuber reproduction factors of 1:965, 1:752, and 1:618 were achieved for plants from mother tubers and seeds from open- and self-pollinated flowers, respectively. Plants originating from open-pollinated seedlings have the potential to equal or exceed the vegetative reproductive capacity of plants originating from mother tubers. As a result of their ability to establish in situ and their substantial vegetative reproductive capacity, C. esculentus seedlings are highly relevant for agriculture and merit appropriate attention in any integrated weed management system targeting C. esculentus. Full article

In today’s society, sustainability has become a key theme, and utilizing renewable energy is part of sustainability. Under the high proportion of renewable energy access, the conventional grid is gradually shifting to an active and distributed structure, which makes the existing cost apportionment method of transmission and distribution projects unable to match the actual situation. Reasonable apportionment of the costs of different voltage levels is the basis for the evaluation of transmission and distribution projects and is important for the formulation of transmission and distribution tariffs, which in turn have a significant impact on the development of renewable energy. To this end, this paper takes China’s power system as the research object and firstly analyzes the impact of the activization of the grid on the cost apportionment of transmission and distribution projects and then the inadequacy of the existing cost apportionment, which only considers a single factor and part of the cost which should be apportioned downward is still borne by this voltage level, and then combines the activation and the inherent characteristics of the power grid to extract the multiple factors to be considered for cost apportionment, and at the same time takes into account the reverse direction of the power trend, and divides the cost apportionment into two scenarios. The cost sharing model of transmission and distribution projects based on multiple apportionment factors is established. Finally, the feasibility and applicability of the model are verified by the examples of linear and reticulated grids, and the cost sharing results obtained by this method and the traditional method are compared. Using this method for the cost sharing of transmission and distribution projects, lower voltage levels will share more costs, and higher voltage levels will share fewer costs. The results show that the inclusion of the factors affecting cost sharing in the case of an active grid is more in line with the development trend of the new power system; the cost apportionment method based on multiple sharing factors makes the results fairer; and the inclusion of the power trend conduction relationship in the sharing process reflects the essential attributes of the grid. This is conducive to improving the operational efficiency of the power grid and promoting the long-term sustainability of the power system. Full article

The study evaluated the effect of a commercial polyphenol (ELIFE^®) on the growth performance and antioxidant defense system of Penaeus vannamei juveniles. The study was completely randomized with three experimental groups and eight repetitions, divided into two 28-day phases. The experimental groups consisted of different dietary inclusion levels of ELIFE^® (0.0, 0.5, and 1.0 g kg⁻¹). Five shrimps were stocked in each experimental unit. Growth performance, oxidative stress, and enzymatic activity in shrimp hepatopancreas were assessed. In Phase 1, shrimp fed ELIFE^®, regardless of inclusion level, displayed higher specific growth rate, final weight, and final length than the control group. In Phase 2, shrimp fed 1.0 g kg⁻¹ ELIFE^® showed higher final biomass and SGR than all other experimental groups; they also displayed increased reduced glutathione and glutathione-S-transferase activities. In both test phases, shrimp fed 1.0 g kg⁻¹ ELIFE^® presented increased glutathione reductase activity compared to all other experimental groups. In both test phases, shrimp fed ELIFE^®, regardless of inclusion level, exhibited increased glutathione peroxidase activity compared to control groups. Thus, ELIFE^® enhanced the antioxidant defense system of P. vannamei and led to better shrimp performance and survival. This study recommends dietary supplementation with 1.0 g kg⁻¹ ELIFE^® for P. vannamei juveniles. Full article

Chloroisobromine cyanuric acid is a highly effective broad-spectrum systemic fungicide for disease control in agricultural crops. In this study, the degradation, residue levels, and potential dietary risks associated with the chloroisobromine cyanuric acid residues in two widely consumed crops, pepper and ginger, were evaluated through supervised field experiments conducted at 12 sites for pepper and 4 sites for ginger in China in 2021. A QuEChERS-LC-MS/MS method was established for quantifying cyanuric acid (CYA) in both crops. The method achieved a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.02 mg kg⁻¹ for ginger and 0.05 mg kg⁻¹ for pepper, with recovery rates ranging from 91% to 96% for ginger and 84% to 89% for pepper and the relative standard deviation of 2.9% to 11.2% for ginger and 2.8%~12.9% for pepper, respectively. The results indicated that CYA had half-lives ranging from 3.1 to 8.2 days in pepper, and the terminal CYA residues at harvest were all lower than 5 mg kg⁻¹, the maximum residue limit established in China. Furthermore, the chronic dietary risk exposure to chloroisobromine cyanuric acid in ginger and pepper, harvested at a pre-harvest interval of three days and at the normal harvesting time after the application of 50% chloroisobromine cyanuric acid soluble powder (SP), was 37.96%, which was much lower than 100%, indicating no significant health risks to the Chinese population. This study provides basic data for establishing the MRLs and serving as a reference for developing the analytical method applicable to CYA residues in different plant matrices. Full article

Against the backdrop of climate change, soil loss, and water scarcity, sustainable food production is a pivotal challenge for humanity. As the global population grows and urbanization intensifies, innovative agricultural methods are crucial to meet rising food demand, while mitigating environmental degradation. Hydroponic and aquaponic systems, has emerged as one of these solutions by minimizing land use, reducing water consumption, and enabling year-round crop production in urban areas. This study aimed at assessing the yield, ecophysiological performance, and nutritional content of Lactuca sativa L. and Cichorium endivia L. var. crispum grown in hydroponic and aquaponic floating raft systems, with Oreochromis niloticus L. integrated into the aquaponic system. Both species exhibited higher fresh biomass and canopy/root ratios in hydroponics compared to aquaponics. Additionally, hydroponics increased the leaf number in curly endive by 18%. Ecophysiological parameters, such as the leaf net photosynthesis rate, actual yield of PSII, and linear electron transport rate, were also higher in hydroponics for both species. However, the nutritional profiles varied between the two cultivation systems and between the two species. Given that standard fish feed often lacks sufficient potassium levels for optimal plant growth, potassium supplementation could be a viable strategy to enhance plant development in aquaponic systems. In conclusion, although aquaponic systems may demonstrate lower productivity compared to hydroponics, they offer a more sustainable and potentially healthier product with fewer harmful compounds due to the reduced use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and the absence of chemical residue accumulation. However, careful system management and monitoring are crucial to minimize potential contaminants. Full article

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is a sexually transmitted virus, the cause of genital herpes, and its infection can increase the risk of HIV-1 infection. After initial infection, HSV-2 can establish lifelong latency within the nervous system, which is likely associated with the virus-mediated immune evasion. In this study, we found that HSV-2 UL24 significantly inhibited the activation of the IFN-β promoter and the production of IFN-β at both mRNA and protein levels. Of importance, the inhibitory effect of HSV-2 on IFN-β production was significantly impaired in the context of HSV-2 infection when UL24 was knocked down. Additional studies revealed that, although the full-length HSV-2 UL24 affected cell cycle and viability to some extent, its N-terminal 1–202AA domain showed no obvious cytotoxicity while its C-terminal 201–281 AA domain had a minimal impact on cell viability. Further studies showed that the N-terminal 1–202 AA domain of HSV-2 UL24 (HSV-2 UL24-N) was the main functional region responsible for the inhibition of IFN-β production mediated by HSV-2 UL24. This domain significantly suppressed the activity of RIG-IN, MAVS, TBK-1, IKK-ε, or the IRF-3/5D-activated IFN-β promoter. Mechanistically, HSV-2 UL24-N suppressed IRF-3 phosphorylation, resulting in the inhibition of IFN-β production. The findings of this study highlight the significance of HSV-2 UL24 in inhibiting IFN-β production, revealing two potential roles of UL24 during HSV-2 infection: facilitating immune evasion and inducing cell cycle arrest. Full article

This study proposes a two-level optimization scheduling method for multi-region integrated energy systems (IESs) that considers dynamic time intervals within the day, addressing the diverse energy characteristics of electricity, heat, and cooling. The day-ahead scheduling aims to minimize daily operating costs by optimally regulating controllable elements. For intra-day scheduling, a predictive control-based dynamic rolling optimization model is utilized, with the upper-level model handling slower thermal energy fluctuations and the lower-level model managing faster electrical energy fluctuations. Building on the day-ahead plan, different time intervals are used for fast and slow layers. The slow layer establishes a decision index for command cycle intervals, dynamically adjusting based on ultra-short-term forecasts and incremental balance corrections. Case studies demonstrate that this method effectively leverages energy network characteristics, optimizes scheduling intervals, reduces adjustment costs, and enhances system performance, achieving coordinated operation of the IES network and multi-energy equipment. Full article

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) suffers severe quality and yield loss from oomycete diseases caused by Phytophthora capsici. CaSGT1 was previously determined to positively regulate the immune response of pepper plants against P. capsici, but by which mechanism remains elusive. In the present study, the potential interacting proteins of CaSGT1 were isolated from pepper using a yeast two-hybrid system, among which CaARP1 was determined to interact with CaSGT1 via bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) and microscale thermophoresis (MST) assays. CaARP1 belongs to the auxin-repressed protein family, which is well-known to function in modulating plant growth. The transcriptional and protein levels of CaARP1 were both significantly induced by infection with P. capsici. Silencing of CaARP1 promotes the vegetative growth of pepper plants and attenuates its disease resistance to P. capsici, as well as compromising the hypersensitive response-like cell death in pepper leaves induced by PcINF1, a well-characterized typical PAMP from P. capsici. Chitin-induced transient expression of CaARP1 in pepper leaves enhanced its disease resistance to P. capsici, which is amplified by CaSGT1 co-expression as a positive regulator. Taken together, our result revealed that CaARP1 plays a dual role in the pepper, negatively regulating the vegetative growth and positively regulating plant immunity against P. capsici in a manner associated with CaSGT1. Full article

Vaccination strategies are used to manage Salmonella in chickens. Salmonella-killed vaccines are considered safer since they are inactivated. However, little is known regarding the cellular immune activities at the site of vaccine administration of Salmonella-killed vaccines. The growing feather (GF) cutaneous test has been shown to be an effective bioassay to monitor local tissue/cellular responses. We assessed local and systemic antibody responses initiated by intradermal injection of Salmonella-killed vaccines into GF-pulps of 14–15-week-old pullets. Treatments consisted of two autogenous Salmonella-killed vaccines (SV1 and SV2), S. Enteritidis (SE) lipopolysaccharide (SE-LPS), and the water-oil-water (WOW) emulsion vehicle. GF-pulps were collected before (0 h) and at 6, 24, 48, and 72 h post-GF-pulp injection for leukocyte population analysis, while heparinized blood samples were collected before (0 d) and at 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 d after GF-pulp injections to assess plasma levels (a.u.) of SE-specific IgM, avian IgY (IgG), and IgA antibodies using an ELISA. Injection of GF-pulps with SV1, SV2, or SE-LPS, all in a WOW vehicle, initiated inflammatory responses characterized by the recruitment of heterophils, monocytes/macrophages, and a few lymphocytes. The WOW vehicle emulsion alone recruited more lymphocytes than vaccines or SE-LPS. The SV1 and SV2 vaccines stimulated Salmonella-specific IgM and IgA early, while IgG levels were greatly elevated later during the primary response. Overall, SV1 and SV2 stimulated a heterophil and macrophage-dominated local inflammatory- and SE-specific humoral response with an isotype switch from IgM to IgG, characteristic of a T-dependent primary antibody response. This study provides comprehensive information on innate and adaptive immune responses to autogenous Salmonella-killed vaccines and their components that will find application in the management of Salmonella in poultry. Full article

The accelerating impact of climate change on golf course conditions has led to a significant increase in pesticide dependency, underscoring the importance of innovative management strategies. The shift from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) to the latest CMIP6 phase has drawn the attention of professionals, including engineers, decision makers, and golf course managers. This study evaluates how climate projections from CMIP6, using Canadian Earth System Models (CanESM2 and CanESM5), impact pesticide application trends on Quebec’s golf courses. Through the comparison of temperature and precipitation projections, it was found that a more substantial decline in precipitation is exhibited by CanESM2 compared to CanESM5, while the latter projects higher temperature increases. A comparison between historical and projected pesticide use revealed that, in most scenarios and projected periods, the projected pesticide use was substantially higher, surpassing past usage levels. Additionally, in comparing the two climate change models, CanESM2 consistently projected higher pesticide use across various scenarios and projected periods, except for RCP2.6, which was 27% lower than SSP1-2.6 in the second projected period (PP2). For all commonly used pesticides, the projected usage levels in every projected period, according to climate change models, surpass historical levels. When comparing the two climate models, CanESM5 consistently forecasted greater pesticide use for fungicides, with a difference ranging from 65% to 222%, and for herbicides, with a difference ranging from 114% to 247%, across all projected periods. In contrast, insecticides, growth regulators, and rodenticides displayed higher AAIR values in CanESM2 during PP1 and PP3, showing a difference of 28% to 35.6%. However, CanESM5 again projected higher values in PP2, with a difference of 1.5% to 14%. Full article

The accurate, rapid, and stable prediction of electrical energy consumption is essential for decision-making, energy management, efficient planning, and reliable power system operation. Errors in forecasting can lead to electricity shortages, wasted resources, power supply interruptions, and even grid failures. Accurate forecasting enables timely decisions for secure energy management. However, predicting future consumption is challenging due to the variable behavior of customers, requiring flexible models that capture random and complex patterns. Forecasting methods, both traditional and modern, often face challenges in achieving the desired level of accuracy. To address these shortcomings, this research presents a novel hybrid approach that combines a robust forecaster with an advanced optimization technique. Specifically, the FS-FCRBM-GWDO model has been developed to enhance the performance of short-term load forecasting (STLF), aiming to improve prediction accuracy and reliability. While some models excel in accuracy and others in convergence rate, both aspects are crucial. The main objective was to create a forecasting model that provides reliable, consistent, and precise predictions for effective energy management. This led to the development of a novel two-stage hybrid model. The first stage predicts electrical energy usage through four modules using deep learning, support vector machines, and optimization algorithms. The second stage optimizes energy management based on predicted consumption, focusing on reducing costs, managing demand surges, and balancing electricity expenses with customer inconvenience. This approach benefits both consumers and utility companies by lowering bills and enhancing power system stability. The simulation results validate the proposed model’s efficacy and efficiency compared to existing benchmark models. Full article

The positioning algorithms of the Enhanced Long-Range Navigation (eLoran) system primarily include the hyperbolic positioning algorithm and the pseudorange positioning algorithm. However, the calculations present in the existing literature are inaccurate and lack empirical data, and a thorough and precise comparison of the two algorithms has yet to be conducted. Therefore, this paper employs a combination of simulation analysis and empirical analysis to explore these two positioning algorithms in depth, with an optimization of the initial position calculation in the pseudorange algorithm. Under ideal conditions without observational errors, through precise calculations and analysis, the positioning errors of both algorithms are approximately zero, and full-area solutions can be achieved. Under conditions with observational errors, this study shows that both algorithms exhibit positioning errors, with the pseudorange algorithm achieving a level of accuracy comparable to that of the hyperbolic algorithm. At the same time, the empirical analysis further verified this conclusion. Additionally, this study found that the pseudorange positioning algorithm demonstrated better applicability in practical applications, as it successfully resolved the multivalued and singularity issues present in the hyperbolic positioning algorithm. Full article