The Plants of the Asteraceae Family as Agents in the Protection of Human Health

The Asteraceae family is one of the largest flowering plant families, with over 1600 genera and 2500 species worldwide. Some of its most well-known taxa are lettuce, chicory, artichoke, daisy and dandelion. The members of the Asteraceae have been used in the diet and for medicine for centuries. Despite their wide diversity, most family members share a similar chemical composition: for example, all species are good sources of inulin, a natural polysaccharide with strong prebiotic properties. They also demonstrate strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity, as well as diuretic and wound healing properties. Their pharmacological effects can be attributed to their range of phytochemical compounds, including polyphenols, phenolic acids, flavonoids, acetylenes and triterpenes. One such example is arctiin: a ligand with numerous antioxidant, antiproliferative and desmutagenic activities. The family is also a source of sesquiterpene lactones: the secondary metabolites responsible for the bitter taste of many plants. This mini review examines the current state of literature regarding the positive effect of the Asteraceae family on human health.     

A comprehensive review of wheat phytochemicals: From farm to fork and beyond

The health benefits of whole wheat consumption can be partially attributed to wheat's phytochemicals, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkylresorcinols, carotenoids, phytosterols, tocopherols, and tocotrienols. It is of increasing interest to produce whole wheat products that are rich in bioactive phytochemicals. This review provides the fundamentals of the chemistry, extraction, and occurrence of wheat phytochemicals and includes critical discussion of several long-lasting issues: (1) the commonly used nomenclature on distribution of wheat phenolic acids, namely, soluble-free, soluble-conjugated, and insoluble-bound phenolic acids; (2) different extraction protocols for wheat phytochemicals; and (3) the chemistry and application of in vitro antioxidant assays. This review further discusses recent advances on the effects of genotypes, environments, field management, and processing techniques including ultrafine grinding, germination, fermentation, enzymatic treatments, thermal treatments, and food processing. These results need to be interpreted with care due to varied sample preparation protocols and limitations of in vitro assays. The bioaccessibility, bioavailability, metabolism, and potential health benefits of wheat phytochemicals are also reviewed. This comprehensive and critical review will benefit scientific researchers in the field of bioactive compounds of cereal grains and also those in the cereal food industry to produce high-quality functional foods.     

基于深度学习的传感器优化布置方法

针对传感器优化布置(optimal sensor placement,简称OSP)问题,提出了一种新的使用深度神经网络的解决方案,并以简化的桥梁形状的桁架结构中的振动测试传感器优化为例进行了验证。首先,选择一种传统的传感器优化布置方法,对自动化生成的大量不同的桁架结构分别进行传感器优化布置计算,将所得优化布置结果在进行数据预处理后构建出深度学习方法所需要的训练集与验证集;其次,使用Python语言和深度学习框架TensorFlow设计实现与本研究问题适配的深度神经网络模型并训练;然后,随机生成了新的桁架结构参数;最后,将深度神经网络输出的传感器布置结果和传统方法的计算结果进行了比较,验证了本研究方法的有效性以及在速度上、可移植性与可扩展性方面的性能优势。     

提升生活排水系统卫生安全性能的关键问题

新冠肺炎确诊患者粪便病毒检测呈阳性,意味着新冠病毒可能会通过气溶胶的方式进行传播,使得生活排水系统的卫生安全问题时隔17年后再次摆在人们面前。以保障人的健康为出发点,从基础研究、排水机理、系统设计、施工监管、维护管理等多方面提出了提升生活排水系统卫生安全性能的关键问题,以期从全生命周期内切断排水系统可能传播病毒的隐形途径,切实保障居民居家健康。     

Pregnancy by Assisted Reproductive Technology Is Associated with Shorter Telomere Length in Neonates

Telomere length (TL) influences the development of lifestyle-related diseases, and neonatal TL may influence their prevalence. Various factors have been reported to affect neonatal TL. Although the fetus is exposed to multiple conditions in utero, the main factors affecting the shortening of neonatal TL are still not known. In this study, we sought to identify factors that influence fetal TL. A total of 578 mother-newborn pairs were included for TL analysis. TL was measured in genomic DNA extracted from cord blood samples using quantitative PCR. The clinical factors examined at enrollment included the following intrauterine environmental factors: maternal age, assisted reproductive technology (ART) used, body mass index (BMI), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), maternal stress, smoking, alcohol consumption, preterm delivery, small-for-gestational-age, neonatal sex, and placental weight. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to verify the relationship between neonatal TL and these clinical factors. The median neonatal TL to single-copy gene ratio was 1.0. Pregnancy with ART was among the 11 factors associated with shorter neonatal TL. From multiple regression analysis, we determined that neonatal TL was significantly shorter for pregnancies in the ART group than in the other groups. We conclude that pregnancy with ART is associated with shorter neonatal TL.     

Salience of public leaders’ “meaning making” in news coverage of a health crisis

Meaning making by leadership in a crisis is required to reduce uncertainty. We used analytic criteria for meaning making suggested by crisis management literature to investigate public leaders’ quotations in news coverage of a health crisis. The quotations were examined in terms of the five frame functions, which include offering a credible explanation of what happened, offering guidance, instilling hope, showing empathy, and suggesting that leaders are in control. The Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea was examined. As a result, the most salient frame function identified was displaying they are in control of the emergency, followed by offering guidance and explaining what happened. The salience of leaders’ meaning making disappeared in coverage by a liberal newspaper.     

Furan fatty acid concentrations in tea infusions prepared from green,black, and herbal teas

Furan fatty acids (FuFAs) are valuable antioxidants with highly effective radical scavenging properties which are widely distributed at low levels in food. Previous research indicated that tea is a valuable source of FuFAs. However, tea is only consumed in form of infusions. To fill this gap, we prepared infusions from different herbal, green, and black teas. Initial measurements with GC-MSMS of tea verified previous findings that 11-(3,4-dimethyl-5-penylfuran-2-yl)-undecanoic acid (11D5) was the prevalent FuFA in tea matrix. Therefore, 11D5 was quantified in tea infusions by means of UHPLC-MSMS equipment after mild alkaline hydrolysis. While herbal tea infusions were low or free of FuFAs, 11D5 was detectable in all samples of green and black tea infusions. Amounts of 11D5 were higher in green tea than in black tea. Moreover, Darjeeling tea infusions were by ~30% richer in 11D5 than black and green teas from other regions. Each cup of green and black tea infusion may provide 20–60 μg 11D5, which is about 5% of the amounts found in tea samples. Spread over the day, regular tea consumption may contribute to the intake of valuable FuFAs.