Optimal Pretreatment Research Articles

Extraction and characterisation of pigment from Yanzhiguo [Prunus napaulensis (Ser.) Steud.

Yanzhiguo [Prunus napaulensis (Ser.) Steud] belongs to Rosaceae family and is consumed as wild fruit, pulp and juice. However, its potential for extracting natural pigment has not yet been explored. Herein, the components in the fresh Yanzhiguo pulp were preliminarily analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. And, the optimal pre-treatment conditions were established for further extraction of Yanzhiguo pigment based on the a* value. Then, by combining the data from single-factor experiments and response surface methodology, the optimal extraction process was established as: 35% EtOH, a liquid-solid ratio of 200:1 mL g-1, an extraction time of 65 min, and an extraction temperature of 100 °C. Moreover, it was found that the a* value and yield had high fitness except when extracted into ethanol (EtOH) with different concentrations. Meanwhile, our result demonstrated Yanzhiguo pigment had high stability in general environments with carmine (a synthetic pigment) as control, except for extreme environments such as direct (hot) sunlight, high temperature (75 °C) and strong alkaline (pH 11). Also, Yanzhiguo pigment exhibited good antioxidant activity. Our results contribute to more information on Yanzhiguo pigment and promote its application by providing efficient extraction technology.

Combined sulfuric acid and choline chloride/glycerol pretreatment for efficiently enhancing enzymatic saccharification of reed stalk

In this study, an efficient combination of pretreatment solvents involving Choline chloride/Glycerol (ChCl/Gly) and H2SO4 was firstly developed to assess the pretreatment performance and determine optimal pretreatment conditions. The results illustrated that the H2SO4-[ChCl/Gly] combination efficiently removed lignin (52.6%) and xylan (80.5%) from the pretreated reed stalk, and subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis yielded 91.1% of glucose. Furthermore, several characterizations were conducted to examine the structural and morphological changes of the reed stalk, revealing apparently enhanced accessibility (128.4 to 522.6 mg/g), reduced lignin surface area (357.9 to 229.5 m2/g), and substantial changes on biomass surface. Based on the aforementioned study, possible mechanisms for the H2SO4-[ChCl/Gly] pretreatment of reed stalks were proposed. The comprehensive understanding of combined H2SO4-[ChCl/Gly] pretreatment system for enhancing the saccharification of the reed stalk was interpreted in this work. Overall, this novel approach could be efficiently applied to pretreat and saccharify reed stalks, empowering the biomass refining industry.

Evaluation of the Effect of Ultrasonic Pretreatment on the Drying Kinetics and Quality Characteristics of Codonopsis pilosula Slices Based on the Grey Correlation Method.

Ultrasonic (US) maltreatment was performed before the vacuum far-infrared drying (VFID) of Codonopsis pilosula (CP) slices to investigate the effects of different US parameters on the drying characteristics and nutrients of CP slices. The grey correlation method with relative correlation degree (ri) as the evaluation measure was used to construct a model for the evaluation of the pretreatment quality of CP and to determine the optimal pretreatment conditions. The results showed that with the increase in US frequency and power, the drying rate increased. Under the conditions of US power of 180 W, frequency of 60 kHz and a pre-treatment time of 30 min, the drying time reduced by 28.6%. The contents of polysaccharide and syringin in dried CP slices pretreated by US increased by 14.7% and 62.0%, respectively, compared to the non-pre-treated samples, while the total flavonoid content decreased by 10.0%. In terms of colour, pretreatment had a certain protective effect on the red colour of dried products. The highest relative correlation (0.574) and the best overall quality of performance were observed at 180 W, 60 kHz and 30 min. Overall, US technology is suitable for the pretreatment processing of CP, which is of great significance to the drying of CP.

Optimizing monosaccharide production from liquid hot water pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of grass-clover press cake

In the present study, clover-grass press cake was treated by liquid hot water at temperatures of 180–200 °C for a reaction time of 5–10 min. Evaluation of pretreatments was based on the monosaccharide yield after enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated slurry and solid fraction, respectively. Extraction of up to 48% hemicellulose and 4% cellulose was observed during pretreatment. The optimal pretreatment conditions were identified as 190 °C and 10 min resulting in monosaccharide yields of 90% and 73% of the theoretical maximum by slurry and solid conversion, respectively. At optimal conditions, the C6 monosaccharide yield (83–90%) was fairly equal compared to the C5 monosaccharide yield (56–89%), which increased by slurry conversion due to near-complete monomerization of soluble xylo-oligosaccharides. In this study, we showed that clover-grass press cake possesses considerable potential as feedstock for production of fermentable sugars in a biorefinery context.

Effects of Cold Plasma Pretreatment on the Synthesis of Polysaccharide from Pleurotus ostreatus.

Fungal polysaccharides have attracted wide attention because of their medical pharmaceutical and health care value. So far, many efforts have been made in strain improvement to produce polysaccharides on a large scale at low cost. Here, a novel cold plasma-induced strain improvement technology was employed to pretreat Pleurotus ostreatus CGMCC 5.374 by radio-frequency (RF) low-vacuum cold plasma (LVCP) for the purpose of obtaining a high-yield polysaccharide strain. The optimum pretreatment conditions including discharge power, treatment time, and working pressure were determined by single factor and orthogonal experiment in succession. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis was conducted to study the effects of RF-LVCP on cell metabolism and proliferation. Results showed that under the optimal condition of discharge power of 130 W, treatment time of 25s and working pressure of 140Pa, polysaccharide content in mycelium was increased by 3.16% after 6days in comparison to the original strain. Transcriptome analysis showed that RF-LVCP is helpful for specific gene transcription profiles, Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathways, of which the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly involve with the up-regulation of polysaccharide transport, physiology, synthesis and metabolism, as well as the down-regulation of polysaccharide hydrolysis and macromolecular degradation.

Elevated pretreatment squamous cell Carcinoma Antigen indicates unfavorable treatment outcomes in cervical cancer patients receiving definitive radiotherapy

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the prognostic value of pretreatment squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC Ag) levels for treatment failure prediction in patients with cervical cancer.MethodsA quantity of 985 patients satisfying the eligibility criteria were included, with a median follow‐up duration of 63.7 months. The optimal cutoff value for pretreatment SCC Ag levels was verified by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Five‐year disease‐free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and local control (LC) rates were evaluated utilizing the Kaplan‐Meier method. Log‐rank test and Cox proportional hazards model was implemented to recognize independent prognostic predictors.ResultsThe optimal pretreatment SCC Ag cutoff value was 8.85 ng/mL. Patients with pretreatment SCC Ag levels ≥ 8.85 ng/mL presented significantly inferior 5‐year DFS (63.8% vs. 81.8%), OS (71.7% vs. 88.7%), and LC (80.5% vs. 91.0%) compared to those with levels < 8.85 ng/mL (all p < 0.001). The results of the multivariate analysis indicated that the pretreatment SCC Ag level was an independent predictor of treatment failure (HR,1.772; 95% CI, 1.366 to 2.299; p < 0.001).ConclusionPretreatment SCC Ag is an effective prognostic factor in patients with cervical cancer undergoing definitive radiotherapy, with a ROC‐identified cutoff value of 8.85 ng/mL and elevated SCC Ag indicates unfavorable outcomes.

Fast detection of the tenderness of mulberry leaves by a portable near-infrared spectrometer with variable selection

Fast detection of the tenderness of mulberry leaves is an important process for the feeding of juvenile silkworms because the old leaves can damage their mouthparts, and it is a challenge for the sericulture industry. In this study, the near-infrared spectra of mulberry leaves were recorded by a portable near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer, and the spectral data were pretreated by the first derivative (1st Der), standard normal variate (SNV), and their combination. Competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), random frog (RF), and uninformative variable elimination (UVE) were used to select the sensitive variables to improve the model performance, and then partial least squares (PLS) regression was applied to establish the calibration model. The results showed that the combination of 1st Der and SNV was the optimal spectrum pretreatment method, and the calibration model with the variables selected by UVE has the highest calibration performance. The model was validated by the unknown samples, and it demonstrated robustness with the root mean square error of the prediction set (RMSEP) 2.59 and the coefficient of determination of the prediction set (R2P) 0.7105. Therefore, it is feasible that the portable NIR spectrometer can be used for the detection of the tenderness of mulberry leaves on-site and in-field, and it will be beneficial for the sericulture industry.

Botulinum toxin type A activates protective autophagy by modulating endoplasmic reticulum stress in hypoxia/reoxygenation-treated endothelial cells

Botulinum toxin type A (BTXA) previously protected endothelial cells in free skin flaps from ischemia/reperfusion injury by inducing autophagy. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-autophagy activation may have a role in BTXA-antagonized ischemia/reperfusion damage in human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs), however, this has yet to be proven. HDMECs were pretreated with BTXA at various concentrations for 12 h before being subjected to hypoxia and reoxygenation (H/R). Cell Count Kit 8 (CCK8) and Western blot (WB) data showed that H/R treatment significantly increased the expression of ER stress (GRP78, CHOP) and autophagy (LC3II/I, Beclin-1) proteins. The optimal BTXA pretreatment concentration was 1.6 U/mL, which resulted in the highest levels of cell survival and expression of ER stress and autophagy. Following pretreatment with 1.6 U/mL BTXA and the addition of the ER stress inducer Thapsigargin (Tg), the ER stress inhibitor 4-phenylbutyrate (4-PBA), and the inhibitor of autophagy Bafilomycin A1 (Baf A1), respectively, HDMECs were then subjected to H/R treatment. Cell survival and the percentage of ethynyldeoxyuridine-labeled cells in the BTXA pretreatment groups were reduced by the addition of Tg, 4-PBA, and Baf A1. While the expression of GRP78, CHOP, and LC3 was upregulated by Tg and Baf A1, it was downregulated by 4-PBA. The findings showed that ER stress produced by BTXA pretreatment triggers protective autophagy and protects HDMECs from H/R damage. There were no cytoprotective effects from either excessive activation or reduction of ER stress. Our results are consistent with the notion that autophagy and moderate ER stress are critical for cellular longevity and, consequently, functional integrity and may represent a potential therapeutic target.

Hot melt extrusion with low-temperature deposition-coupling control improves the 3D printing accuracy of gelatin/fish pulp recombinant products

The flow properties of original materials directly affect the shape customization of 3D printing. In order to improve the molding quality, the 3D printing equipment was developed, which was characterized by a variable pressure and temperature extrusion unit, a numerical control transmission unit, an extrusion refrigeration unit, and a control box. The optimal pretreatment condition of sturgeon skin was 0.015 M phosphoric acid with higher gel strength (739.27 g), which could be a good substitute for commercial gelatin. The 7% gelatin/fish pulp reconstituted system could exhibit optimum printing properties through an improved 3D printer. The reconstituted system displayed a smoother printing process and superior accuracy during the process of 3D printing, and showed higher apparent viscosity and modulus during the process of cooling and molding. Additionally, the network structure of 3D printing products of reconstituted the gelatin/fish pulp was denser, which showed higher water holding capacity (89.03%), higher hardness (775.64 g), and constant elasticity (0.9853).

Investigating the effect of different pre-treatment methods on Raman spectra recorded with different excitation wavelengths

Raman reference libraries can be used for identification of components in unknown samples as Raman spectroscopy offers fingerprint information of the measured samples. Since Raman libraries often contain many different and/or highly similar spectra, it is important that the spectra are a reliable fingerprint for each compound. However, Raman spectra are highly sensitive to the experimental conditions, and the Raman spectra will change in different conditions even though the same sample is measured. Raman data pre-treatment minimizes the differences between Raman spectra arising from different experimental conditions. In this study, different combinations of pre-treatment methods are used to quantify the effect of each pre-treatment step in minimizing the differences between Raman spectra of the same sample in different experimental conditions, e.g., different excitation wavelengths. These different pre-treatment processes are evaluated for six solvents. The spectra differences between spectra recorded with three excitation wavelengths (532 nm, 633 nm, and 830 nm) are evaluated by angular difference index and the influence on a classification model is tested.The angular difference index of each spectrum after every data pre-treatment step shows a decreasing behavior. It could be demonstrated that wavenumber calibration has the largest effect on the differences between the Raman spectra. However, ω4 correction doesn’t have a significate effect in this dataset. The classification results show that the prediction accuracy is improving by doing data pre-treatment. In the dataset obtained in 633 nm a lower amount of pre-treatment steps is needed but in the dataset 830 nm more pre-treatment steps are needed for a high accuracy. The result shows that the choice of an optimal pre-treatment method or combination of methods strongly influences the analysis results, but is far from straightforward, since it depends on the characteristics of the data set and the goal of data analysis.

Enhancing algal growth and nutrient recovery from anaerobic digestion piggery effluent by an integrated pretreatment strategy of ammonia stripping and flocculation.

Anaerobic digestion piggery effluent (ADPE) with a quite high ammonium (NH4 +) concentration and turbidity (dark brown color) generally requires high dilution before microalgae cultivation, owing to its NH4 + toxicity and color inhibition to algal growth. An integrated pretreatment strategy of ammonia stripping and chemical flocculation may be a more practical pretreatment procedure for enhancing algae yield and nutrient recovery from anaerobic digestion piggery effluent. In this study, we determined the optimum pretreatment strategy of anaerobic digestion piggery effluent for subsequent microalgae cultivation and nutrient recovery. The results showed that the integrated anaerobic digestion piggery effluent pretreatment strategy of high-temperature ammonia stripping and chemical flocculation at a mixed dosage of 2gL-1 polyaluminum chloride (PAC) and 40mgL-1 cationic polyacrylamide (C-PAM), and 50mgL-1 ammonium nitrogen (NH4 +-N) enrichment provided maximum algal yield (optical density = 1.8) and nutrient removal (95.2%, 98.7%, 99.3%, and 78.5% for the removal efficiencies of total nitrogen, NH4 +-N, total phosphorus, and chemical oxygen demand, respectively) from anaerobic digestion piggery effluent. The integrated pretreatment strategy is expected to become a more practical pretreatment procedure for enhancing algae yield and nutrient recovery from anaerobic digestion piggery effluent.

Extraction conditions to improve antioxidant and antibacterial activity of carrot seed oil

Competition to secure seeds is intensifying due to an increase in food demand and industrial use of biofuels. Therefore, every year, a large number of seeds are produced, but seeds that have exceeded the warranty period or are of poor quality are also discovered during the inspection process. Therefore, a strategy for utilizing non-commercial seeds as agricultural products is required. In this study, extraction methods for enhancing the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of carrot seed oil from non-commercially available (NG) seeds were explored. For this, the carrot seeds were classified into NG and commercially available grade, and the effects of extraction methods [cold pressed extraction (CE), hexane extraction, and soxhlet extraction] and pretreatments [hydro-priming, freeze-thaw (FT), and microwave] were evaluated. Based on the results of the extraction method evaluation, the CE yield was low, but its biological activity was high, and the method eco-friendly. Therefore, as a result of the pretreatment, high-quality oils with desired physicochemical composition, as well as increased extraction yield and biological activity were achieved. In addition, the optimal pretreatment was found to be five repetitions of FT. The methods described in this study can be used to increase the value of seeds by using NG seeds as useful biological materials.

Biomass as a renewable energy source

Conventional energy sources such as fossil fuels, oil, coal and natural gas methane are non-renewable energy sources that were once considered primary energy sources and are depleted due to intensive use which has led to the escalation of the global energy crisis. In addition, the use of fossil fuels has a significant disadvantage in terms of the emission of toxic and harmful gases into the atmosphere that pollute the environment. An alternative to the use of fossil fuels is to obtain energy by processing biomass obtained in the process of photosynthesis and used as a raw material for bioenergy production. Biomass refers to non-fossilized biological material obtained from living or until recently living organisms and biodegradable organic or carbon-based material originating from plants, animals, plant materials and microorganisms. Bioenergy can be defined as a source of energy obtained from organic matter or biomass that is explicitly used for energy purposes. Bioenergy is the largest renewable energy source in the world, which still has a large share in the supply of renewable energy sources and accounts for 70% of the total supply of renewable energy sources. Today, bioenergy is the only form of energy that meets the criteria of a closed system, in terms of the creation of carbon dioxide and solid material products of combustion. Most of the carbon released in the form of carbon dioxide is absorbed by the next generation of plants through photosynthesis or through minerals from the soil. Therefore, biomass is becoming one of the key energy resources in the fight against global warming and depletion of fossil fuel reserves. It should be noted that the primary advantage of biomass as an energy source is not in its significant potential, but in renewability. Renewability is the essential advantage that biomass has over conventional, fossil fuels that are nonrenewable and therefore cannot be the basis for long-term planning of sustainable growth that implies rational use of energy. Biomass is not a source of energy in transition, as it is often presented, but a resource that is becoming increasingly important as a modern energy source. Therefore, this chapter provides a detailed overview of biomass as the world’s largest source of renewable energy, including definitions of biomass, a history of biomass use, and current bioenergy production from biomass. Data on theclassification/categorization of biomass and the main methods for the production of bioenergy from biomass, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using biomass for bioenergy production, are presented. Emphasis is placed on the impact of biomass on the environment and biodiversity, as well as the most significant current challenges in the use of biomass for bioenergy production, including moisture content and density of biomass, its complexity and diversity, selection of optimal pre-treatment methods and biomass processing conditions and lack of biomass data, as well as challenges to the economic sustainability of bioenergy production from biomass and other environmental, economic and social challenges.

Enhancing enzymatic saccharification of sunflower straw through optimal tartaric acid hydrothermal pretreatment

Sunflower straw, a usually neglected and abundant agricultural waste, has great potential for contributing to environmental protection realizing its high-value of valorization if utilizing properly. Because hemicellulose contains amorphous polysaccharide chains, relatively mild organic acid pretreatment can effectively reduce its resistance. Through hydrothermal pretreatment, sunflower straw was pretreated in tartaric acid (1 wt%) at 180 °C for 60 min to enhance its reducing sugar recovery. After tartaric acid-assisted hydrothermal pretreatment, 39.9% of lignin and 90.2% of xylan were eliminated. The reducing sugar recovery increased threefold, while the solution could be effectively reused for four cycles. The properties of more porous surface, improved accessibility, and decreased surface lignin area of sunflower straw were observed through various characterizations, which explained the improved saccharide recovery and provided a basis for the mechanism of tartaric acid-assisted hydrothermal pretreatment. Overall, this tartaric acid hydrothermal pretreatment strategy greatly provided new impetus for the biomass refinery.

Effects of various persulfate oxidation pretreatments on enzymatic saccharification efficiency of sugarcane bagasse biomass and the related mechanism

This study explored the impact of different persulfate pretreatments on the substrate characteristics and enzymatic sugar yield of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and the related mechanisms. We analyzed the biomass composition, physicochemical properties of SCB, enzymatic saccharification efficiency, pure commercial cellulose and lignin degradation dynamics, and ·OH and SO4∙ − generation properties under different persulfate pretreatments. The results revealed that potassium peroxymonosulfate (2KHSO5·KHSO4·K2SO4, PPMS) pretreatment had a significant effect on SCB. Under the optimal pretreatment conditions, SCB pretreated with PPMS showed a reducing sugar yield of 67.98%, a sugar conversion rate of 90.29%, and a lignin removal rate of 87.49%, which were about 2–3 folds those under pretreatment with peroxydisulfate (PDS) including sodium persulfate (Na2S2O8, SPS) and ammonium persulfate ((NH4)2S2O8, APS). PPMS had higher selectivity for lignin degradation and stronger free radical generation ability than PDS, which may be the main contributor to its superior pretreatment performance.

Determination of fluoroacetic acid in human blood and urine by accelerated solvent extraction-ion chromatography-mass spectrometry

Fluoroacetic acid is a highly polar poison used for rodent control. When ingested by the human body, it seriously damages nerve cells and heart tissues and even causes death by cardiac arrest or respiratory failure. Common detection methods for fluoroacetic acid include gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, both of which require complex pretreatment methods, such as derivatization. In this study, a method to determine fluoroacetic acid in human blood and urine based on accelerated solvent extraction-ion chromatography-mass spectrometry (ASE-IC-MS) was established. Two pretreatment methods, namely, acetonitrile precipitation and accelerated solvent extraction, were compared. Furthermore, the effects of different extraction conditions, such as the extraction time, extraction temperature, and number of cycles, were investigated. The most suitable chromatographic separation conditions, such as the chromatographic column, column temperature, and elution procedure, were determined, and the MS conditions, such as the collision energy (CE) and declustering potential (DP) of the ion pairs of the target compound, were investigated. Based on the experimental results, the optimal pretreatment methods and detection conditions were obtained, and reliable data were collected. Deionized water was used as the extraction solvent, and blood and urine samples were processed by accelerated solvent extractor. The supernatant was sequentially collected via centrifugal ultrafiltration and 0.22 μm membrane filtration, diluted 50 times, and then injected into the chromatographic column for detection. An Ion Pac AS20 IC column was used for isocratic elution with 15.0 mmol/L KOH solution as the eluent. The effluent was passed through a suppressor and into a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, which was used to perform MS/MS (ESI-) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The quantitative ion was m/z 77.0>57.0 when the CE and DP were -15.0 eV and -20.0 V, respectively. An external standard method was used for quantitative analysis. The results showed a good linear relationship for fluoroacetic acid in the range of 0.5-500.0 μg/L (r>0.999), with limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of 0.14 and 0.47 μg/L, respectively. The recoveries of fluoroacetic acid in blood and urine were 93.4%-95.8% and 96.2%-98.4%, respectively. The intra-day RSDs for blood and urine were 0.8%-1.6% and 0.2%-1.0%, respectively, while the inter-day RSDs were 2.3%-3.8% and 3.9%-6.9%, respectively. Further investigation revealed that the matrix effects of this method in blood and urine, at -7.4% and -3.0%, respectively, were fairly weak. The established method was successfully applied to detect fluoroacetic acid in human blood and urine obtained from a poisoning case, and the results obtained provided crucial clues that led to swift case resolution. The efficiency of the method was significantly higher than that of conventional detection methods. In conclusion, the developed method has high sensitivity and good repeatability and is suitable for the rapid detection of fluoroacetic acid in human blood and urine. Moreover, because this method does not require derivatization, it is simple and efficient.

Impact of pre-treatment anemia on survival in locally advanced head neck squamous cell carcinomas treated with radiation with or without concurrent chemotherapy.

e18079 Background: Locally advanced head neck squamous cell carcinomas (LAHNSCCs) are treated either with surgery followed by radiation (RT) alone, surgery followed by concurrent chemoradiation (CTRT) or definitive CTRT. Patients receiving RT need to have an optimal hemoglobin (Hb) level, however there is limited data on what is an optimal pre-treatment Hb level required during RT/CTRT in these patients. Hence we performed this analysis. Methods: This data is a pooled analysis of 3 major randomized studies (RCT) performed in the field of chemoradiation over the last decade. These include, a RCT comparing weekly versus (vs) 3 weekly cisplatin in LAHNSCC‘s, weekly cisplatin vs weekly cisplatin plus nimotuzumab in the definitive setting in LAHNSCC‘s and in cisplatin ineligible patients, a comparison of radiation vs docetaxel plus radiation. The baseline demographics, Hb levels, and outcomes were collected and used for analysis. To ensure unanimity, anemia was defined as < 12g/dL in both males and females. Univariate (UVA) and multivariate analysis (MVA) evaluated the factors affecting anemia. The impact of anemia on locoregional control (LRC), disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was studied. Kaplan meier analysis was used for estimation of time to event parameters and log rank test was used for comparison. Cox proportional hazards model was used to test the importance of anemia in presence of other important parameters like age, gender, T and N stage, concurrent chemotherapy including its pattern (weekly vs 3 weekly) and site of disease. Results: We studied 1192 patients. Anemia of any grade was seen in 417 patients (35.0%), with the median Hb levels of the entire cohort being 12.8g/dL (IQR 11.6-13.9). Grade 3 or higher anemia (Hb < / = 8g/dL) was seen in only 2 patients (0.2%). Female gender, oral cavity disease, patients with stage IV disease and those receiving adjuvant CTRT significantly impacted anaemia on UVA (p = 0.000 for all). MVA confirmed advancing age (p = 0.001), female gender (p = 0.000), patients with stage III and IV disease (p = 0.009) and those treated with adjuvant CTRT (p = 0.011) to significantly impact anemia. The LRC in patients with or without anaemia was 12.9 months (95%CI 7.8-18.0) and 23.5 months (95%CI 17.8-29.2) respectively (p = 0.000). Similarly the DFS and OS in anemic and non anemic patients were 9.6months (95%CI 6.0-13.2) vs 18.5months (95%CI 12.4-24.7, p = 0.022) and 21.5months (95%CI 16.3-26.8) vs 39.9months (95%CI 31.0-48.9, p = 0.000) respectively. Conclusions: Pre-treatment anemia in LAHNSCC‘s leads to a decrement in treatment outcomes (LRC, DFS and OS) and is an independent prognostic factor.

Effect of various pretreatments of potato on the cooking and texture properties of the developed potato-rice noodle.

In order to ascertain optimal potato pretreatment strategy for potato-rice noodle processing, the effect of partial substitution of rice flour with potatoes processed by various pretreatment on rice noodle quality was determined. In this study, raw potato flour (RPF), cooked potato flour (CPF), potato pulp (PP), mashed potato (MP), and rice flour (RF) were prepared. The physicochemical and pasting properties of RF sample, RPF+RF, PP+RF, CPF+RF, and MP+RF blends were investigated relative to their noodle quality. The results indicated that compared to RF, CPF+RF, and MP+RF blends, RPF+RF and PP+RF blends exhibited a lower degree of starch damage, solubility, and breakdown viscosity, as well as higher relative crystallinity, final, and setback viscosity, which are favorable to quality of noodles. Therefore, the noodles made from RPF+RF and PP+RF showed the most desirable cooking quality and texture. In summary, high damaged starch content and excessive amylose content were detrimental to noodle making. Consequently, our research revealed that RPF/pulp (ungelatinized potato materials) blended with rice flour can be employed to produce decent potato-rice noodles. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Cooked potato flour is main processing method of commercial potato flour and widely used in potato staple food industry. However, the results of our study show that raw potato flour and potato pulp are more suitable for processing of potato-rice noodle than cooked potato flour and mashed potato and can significantly improve the quality of rice noodle. This provides new ideas and insights for the preprocessing of raw potato in the potato staple food industry and the quality improvement of rice noodle. HIGHLIGHTS: The physicochemical properties of potatoes changed with various pretreatments. Excessive amylose content and starch damage were detrimental to noodle making. Partial substitution of rice flour with raw potato flour/pulp improved rice noodle quality. Raw and ungelatinized potato material is preferable for potato-rice noodle making.

Effect of sample pretreatment on pelletization and performance of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for predicting key soil properties

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a promising analytical technique for determining soil properties in a rapid, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly manner. However, an optimal sample pretreatment method that enhances sample homogeneity for improved prediction accuracy is needed. In this study, the effect of different sample pretreatments on pelletization of soil samples, and prediction of texture and soil organic carbon (SOC) content, was assessed. Four pretreatments, namely 2 mm, 200 μm, and 100 μm sieved, and milled pretreatment, were applied to 133 soil samples representing a wide variability in texture and SOC content range. Visual assessment of soil pellet surface quality was done where poor surfaces, deemed unsuitable for LIBS measurement, were separated from the good-surface pellets. Partial least square regression (PLSR) models for the pretreatments across the investigated soil properties were compared, followed by interval partial least square regression (iPLSR), to evaluate potential improvements in the accuracy of the prediction models. The ratio of performance to interquartile distance (RPIQ) was used to rank the PLSR models for each pretreatment across the soil properties. The 100 μm pretreatment had the highest number of good-surface pellets followed by the 2 mm pretreatment, and lastly the 200 μm and milled pretreatments, which were comparable. The milled pretreatment achieved the best model for sand prediction (RPIQ = 7), followed by the 2 mm pretreatment for clay prediction (RPIQ = 2.5), 100 μm pretreatment for silt prediction (RPIQ = 2), and the milled pretreatment for SOC prediction (RPIQ = 1). A reduction in RMSEP of 31%, 23%, and 11% for the prediction of sand, SOC, and silt content, respectively was achieved by the milled pretreatment while the 100 μm pretreatment recorded a 15% reduction in RMSEP for the prediction of silt content. Overall, PLSR performed better than iPLSR for the prediction of texture (apart from clay) and SOC. These results show that sample pretreatment that involves sieving, or milling, influences the pellet surface quality and the prediction accuracy of texture and SOC content.

Optimal pre-treatment of moderately old landfill leachate at the pilot-scale treatment plant using the combined aerobic biochemical and reagent method

Landfill leachates contain highly concentrated pollutants, and their uncontrolled discharge poses significant risks to the public health and environment. This study validated a pilot-scale two-stage aerobic biochemical and reagent method for the pre-treatment of moderately old landfill leachate at a pilot-scale treatment plant with a capacity of 400 L per day. The kinetic curves of key pollutants were described using two-factor dimensionless exponential equations, allowing for predicting maximally achievable treatment effects during the first aerobic biochemical stage. The optimal duration of aerobic biochemical pre-treatment was determined based on the concept of limiting pollutant content and minimizing operating costs for the two-stage process. Reagent-based leachate pre-treatment using the modified Fenton method was verified in a batch reactor. Optimal concentrations and dosages of reagent solutions, including polyacrylamide, aluminium sulphate, ferrous sulphate, and hydrogen peroxide, were found to comply with Ukrainian regulations for wastewater discharge into sewerage networks. Key pollution indicators of pre-treated leachate, such as NH4+−N (13.4–15.5 mg × L−1), TKN (25.7–30.2 mg × L−1), BODtot (71.8–76.9 mg × L−1), and COD (390–459 mg × L−1), meet the required standards.