Search Results (15)

In this study, a composite film with dual antioxidant and antibacterial properties was prepared by combining 2% chitosan and 7% gelatin (2:1, w:w), with D-carvone (0–4%) as the primary active component. The effect of D-carvone content on the performance of the composite films was systematically investigated. The results showed that adding 1% D-carvone increased the water contact angle by 28%, increased the elongation at break by 35%, and decreased the WVTR by 18%. FTIR and SEM confirmed that ≤2% D-carvone uniformly bonded with the substrate through hydrogen bonds, and the film was dense and non-porous. In addition, the DPPH scavenging rate of the 1–2% D-carvone composite film increased to about 30–40%, and the ABTS⁺ scavenging rate increased to about 35–40%; the antibacterial effect on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus increased by more than 70%. However, when the addition amount was too high (exceeding 2%), the composite film became agglomerated, microporous, and phase-separated, affecting the film performance, and due to its own taste, it reduced the sensory quality of the noodles. Comprehensively, the composites showed better performance when the content of D-carvone was 1–2% and also the best effect for freshness preservation in Xinjiang ramen. This study provides a broad application prospect for natural terpene compound-based composite films in the field of high-moisture, multi-fat food preservation, and provides a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the development of efficient and safe food packaging materials. In the future, the composite film can be further optimized, and the effect of flavor can be further explored to meet the needs of different food preservation methods. Full article

Real-time, high-resolution monitoring of chemically diverse water pollutants remains a critical challenge for smart water management. Here, we report a fully integrated, multi-modal nano-sensor array, combining graphene field-effect transistors, Ag/Au-nanostar surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrates, and CdSe/ZnS quantum dot fluorescence, coupled to an edge-deployable CNN-LSTM architecture that fuses raw electrochemical, vibrational, and photoluminescent signals without manual feature engineering. The 45 mm × 20 mm microfluidic manifold enables continuous flow-through sampling, while 8-bit-quantised inference executes in 31 ms at <12 W. Laboratory calibration over 28,000 samples achieved limits of detection of 12 ppt (Pb²⁺), 17 pM (atrazine) and 87 ng L⁻¹ (nanoplastics), with R² ≥ 0.93 and a mean absolute percentage error <6%. A 24 h deployment in the Cherwell River reproduced natural concentration fluctuations with field R² ≥ 0.92. SHAP and Grad-CAM analyses reveal that the network bases its predictions on Dirac-point shifts, characteristic Raman bands, and early-time fluorescence-quenching kinetics, providing mechanistic interpretability. The platform therefore offers a scalable route to smart water grids, point-of-use drinking water sentinels, and rapid environmental incident response. Future work will address sensor drift through antifouling coatings, enhance cross-site generalisation via federated learning, and create physics-informed digital twins for self-calibrating global monitoring networks. Full article

Salt intake, specifically NaCl, should be reduced to prevent hypertension. Ramen often contains high-NaCl soup in Japan, but there are no reports of the actual sodium (Na) or potassium (K) contents. We visited ramen restaurants in Kyoto that had received high ratings on review sites and sampled the soups and toppings (n = 52). The Na and K concentrations were measured using ion electrodes, and the NaCl and K contents per serving and Na/K ratio were calculated. The results were compared among different types of “tare” (thick seasonings) (salt, soy sauce, and miso) and different types of broth (chicken, pork bone, and fish). The average NaCl and K contents per serving were 6.53 ± 1.48 g and 448 ± 141 mg, respectively, and Na/K was 10.7 ± 4.3 mmol/mmol. Considering the different broths, the Na/K ratio was the lowest for fish (9.6 ± 5.2), followed by chicken (10.0 ± 3.1) and pork bone (13.2 ± 4.8). Ramen dishes were high in both Na and the Na/K ratio. The low Na/K of fish soup ramen was thought to be due to the higher K content extracted from dried fish. Depending on the broth, it is possible to reduce the Na/K ratio. Full article

In pregnancies with vasa previa, prenatal diagnosis and pre-labor cesarean delivery are associated with significantly improved perinatal outcomes compared to undetected cases. However, a universally accepted ultrasonographic definition of vasa previa is lacking. Specifically, the distance from the cervical internal os beyond which vaginal delivery can be safely recommended remains to be determined. Field experts and recently published societal guidelines agree that a 2 cm cut-off is suboptimal, given that complete cervical dilation during labor risks unprotected fetal vessels within a 5 cm radius from the internal os. Thus, in the setting of a scarcity of evidence and case reports of perinatal death with unprotected fetal vessels beyond 2 cm from the internal os, a more conservative definition that includes unprotected fetal vessels located within 5 cm of the internal os is imperative to improve outcomes. Full article

A cross-sectional study involving 224 healthy Japanese adult females explored the relationship between ramen intake, gut microbiota diversity, and blood biochemistry. Using a stepwise regression model, ramen intake was inversely associated with gut microbiome alpha diversity after adjusting for related factors, including diets, Age, BMI, and stool habits (β = −0.018; r = −0.15 for Shannon index). The intake group of ramen was inversely associated with dietary nutrients and dietary fiber compared with the no-intake group of ramen. Sugar intake, Dorea as a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing gut microbiota, and γ-glutamyl transferase as a liver function marker were directly associated with ramen intake after adjustment for related factors including diets, gut microbiota, and blood chemistry using a stepwise logistic regression model, whereas Dorea is inconsistently less abundant in the ramen group. In conclusion, the increased ramen was associated with decreased gut bacterial diversity accompanying a perturbation of Dorea through the dietary nutrients, gut microbiota, and blood chemistry, while the methodological limitations existed in a cross-sectional study. People with frequent ramen eating habits need to take measures to consume various nutrients to maintain and improve their health, and dietary management can be applied to the dietary feature in ramen consumption. Full article

Salt reduction is a public health priority for the Japanese population. We focused on the effect of salt reduction by changing eating utensils to reduce salt consumption. As a test meal, we used ramen, which is commonly eaten by Japanese individuals and has a high salt content. In this randomized crossover study, we hypothesized that eating ramen with a perforated spoon would reduce the quantity of ramen soup and salt consumed compared to using a regular spoon without holes. Soup intake, after-meal fullness, and deliciousness were compared between eating with chopsticks and a regular spoon, and with chopsticks and a perforated spoon. In total, 36 male university students (mean age, 20.7 [standard deviation, 1.8] years) were included in the analyses. The median salt intake (25th and 75th percentiles) was significantly lower with perforated spoons (1.8 [1.5, 4.3] g) than with regular spoons (2.4 [1.8, 4.8] g; p = 0.019). There were no significant differences in after-meal fullness or deliciousness for both spoon conditions (p > 0.05). For young men, the soup intake when eating ramen with a perforated spoon was lower than that with a regular spoon; this suggests a reduction in salt intake. Full article

Photographic evidence of some important coral diseases (black band disease, black disease/Terpios hoshinota, white syndrome, pink line syndrome, pink spots, invertebrate galls, skeletal growth anomalies, tissue loss), coral competing sponges, and coral–algal phase shifts (competitive overgrowth of the seaweed Caulerpa spp. over corals and competitive scleractinian interactions such as with Halimeda spp.) have been collected during field observations in a few atolls within the Lakshadweep archipelago, Arabian Sea. Further, earlier reports of similar diseases and other stressors within the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and its contiguous international waters, including the reefs of the Maldives and Sri Lanka, are highlighted and their distributional ranges are shown. Full article

Sensory professionals are looking for alternative ways to conduct laboratory sensory testing, especially central location testing (CLT), during the COVID-19 pandemic. One way could be conducting CLTs at home (i.e., in-home testing). It is questionable whether food samples under in-home testing should be presented in uniform utensils, as it does so under laboratory sensory testing. This study aimed to determine whether utensil conditions could affect consumer perception and acceptance of food samples evaluated under in-home testing. Sixty-eight participants (40 females and 28 males) prepared chicken-flavored ramen noodle samples and evaluated them for attribute perception and acceptance, under two utensil conditions, using either their utensils (“Personal”) or uniform utensils provided (“Uniform”). Participants also rated their liking of forks/spoons, bowls, and eating environments, respectively, and attentiveness to sensory evaluation under each utensil condition. Results of the in-home testing showed that participants liked ramen noodle samples and their flavors under the “Personal” condition significantly more than under the “Uniform” condition. Ramen noodle samples evaluated under the “Uniform” condition were significantly higher in terms of saltiness than those evaluated under the “Personal” condition. Participants liked forks/spoons, bowls, and eating environments used under the “Personal” condition significantly more than those used under the “Uniform” condition. While overall likings of ramen noodle samples, evaluated under the “Personal” condition, significantly increased with an increase in hedonic ratings of forks/spoons or bowls, such significant correlations were not observed under the “Uniform” condition. In other words, providing uniform utensils (forks, spoons, and bowls) to participants in the in-home testing can reduce the influences of utensils on consumer likings of ramen noodle samples evaluated at home. In conclusion, this study suggests that sensory professionals should consider providing uniform utensils when they want to focus solely on consumer perception and acceptance of food samples by minimizing influences of environmental contexts, especially utensils, in the “in-home” testing. Full article

The present study investigated the effects of the evaluation environment and sample number on liking ratings within the same testing session. It comprised two experiments that determined consumer taste ratings of the following food products: (1) almond beverage and (2) vegan ramen, as rated by 322 and 287 Korean consumers, respectively. Consumers tasted each food product under either laboratory or home-used test conditions. Additionally, three levels of sample numbers were established for evaluation (almond beverage test: 1, 2, and 4; vegan ramen test: 1, 3, and 5) in each test condition. A target sample was selected for each of the two food products to directly ascertain the effects of the evaluation environment and sample number on the liking ratings. The results revealed that during the same evaluation session, the sample number affected the liking ratings of the target sample more than the testing location. Moreover, the sample number effect was product item dependent, that is, no significant change was noted in the liking ratings of the target almond beverage sample according to sample number, whereas significant differences were observed in the liking ratings of the target vegan ramen sample. Furthermore, the sample number effect was more prominent under laboratory test conditions than under home-used test conditions probably due to the serving order effect driven by hedonic contrast, carry over effect, and sensory specific satiety. The findings demonstrate that home-used tests should be recommended over laboratory tests when measuring the liking of a small number of multiple sample food items with high flavor complexity. Full article

There is a Chinese proverb which states “Where there are Shaxian Snacks, there are generally Lanzhou Ramen nearby”. This proverb reflects the characteristics of spatial clustering in the catering industry. Since the proverbs are rarely elucidated from the geospatial perspective, we aimed to explore the spatial clustering characteristics of the fast food industry from the perspective of geographical proximity and mutual attraction. Point-of-interest, OSM road network, population, and other types of data from the typical fast-food industry in Hangzhou were used as examples. The spatial pattern of the overall catering industry in Hangzhou was analyzed, while the spatial distribution of the four types of fast food selected in Hangzhou was identified and evaluated. The “core-edge” circle structure characteristics of Hangzhou’s catering industry were fitted by the inverse S function. The common location connection between the Western fast-food KFC and McDonald’s and the Chinese fast-food Lanzhou Ramen and Shaxian Snacks and the spatial aggregation were elucidated, being supported by correlation analysis. The degree of mutual attraction between the two was applied to express the spatial correlation. The analysis demonstrated that (1) the distribution of the catering industry in Hangzhou was northeast–southwest. The center of the catering industry in Hangzhou was located near the economic center of the main city rather than in the center of urban geography. (2) The four types of fast food were distributed in densely populated areas and exhibited an anti-S law, which first increased but then decreased as the distance from the center increased. Among these, the number of four typical fast foods was the highest within a distance of 4–10 km from the center. (3) It was concluded that 81.6% of KFCs had a McDonald’s nearby within 2500 m, and 68.5% of Shaxian Snacks had a Lanzhou Ramen nearby within 400 m. McDonald’s attractiveness to KFC was calculated as 0.928448. KFC’s attractiveness to McDonald’s was 0.908902. The attractiveness of the Shaxian Snacks to Lanzhou Ramen was 0.826835. The attractiveness of Lanzhou Ramen to Shaxian Snacks was 0.854509. McDonald’s was found to be dependent on KFC in the main urban area. Shaxian Snacks were strongly attributed to Lanzhou Ramen in commercial centers and streets, while Shaxian Snacks were distributed independently in the eastern Xiaoshan and Yuhang Districts. This study also helped us to optimize the spatial distribution of a typical fast-food industry, while providing case references and decision-making assistance with respect to the locations of catering industries. Full article

The Indo-Pacific zooxanthellate scleractinian coral genus Montipora is the host of many coral diseases. Among these are cyanobacterial Black Band Disease (BBD) and Skeletal Growth Anomalies (GAs), but in general data on both diseases are lacking from many regions of the Indo-Pacific, including from Okinawa, southern Japan. In this study, we collected annual prevalence data of Black Band Disease (BBD) and Skeletal Growth Anomalies (GAs) affecting the encrusting form of genus Montipora within the shallow reefs of the subtropical Sesoko Island (off the central west coast of Okinawajima Island) from summer to autumn for four years (2017 to 2020). In 2020 Montipora percent coverage and colony count were also assessed. Generalized Linear Models (GLM) were used to understand the spatial and temporal variation of both BBD and GAs in the nearshore (NE) and reef edge (RE) sites, which revealed higher probability of BBD occurrence in RE sites. BBD prevalence was significantly higher in 2017 in some sites than all other years with site S12 having significant higher probability during all four surveyed years. In terms of GAs, certain sites in 2020 had higher probability of occurrence than during the other years. While the general trend of GAs increased from 2017 to 2020, it was observed to be non-fatal to colonies. In both diseases, the interaction between sites and years was significant. We also observed certain BBD-infected colonies escaping complete mortality. BBD progression rates were monitored in 2020 at site S4, and progression was related to seawater temperatures and was suppressed during periods of heavy rain and large strong typhoons. Our results suggest that higher BBD progression rates are linked with high sea water temperatures (SST > bleaching threshold SST) and higher light levels (>1400 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹), indicating the need for further controlled laboratory experiments. The current research will help form the basis for continued future research into these diseases and their causes in Okinawa and the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Full article

Many college students struggle to cook frequently, which has implications for their diet quality and health. Students’ ability to plan, procure, and prepare food (food agency) may be an important target for shifting the college student diet away from instant and inexpensive staples like packaged ramen. The randomized intervention study included two sequential cooking interventions: (1) six weeks of cooking classes based in food agency pedagogy held once per week, and (2) six weekly home delivered meal kits (3 meals per kit) to improve food agency, diet quality, and at home cooking frequency of college students. Based on availability and subsequent randomization, participants were assigned to one of four conditions that included active cooking classes, meal kit provision, or no intervention. Participants who took part in the cooking intervention had significant improvement in food agency immediately following the intervention period. Participants who did not participate in cooking classes and only received meal kits experienced significant, though less pronounced, improvement in food agency scores following the meal kit provision. Neither intervention improved diet quality or routinely improved cooking frequency. Active cooking classes may improve food agency of college students, though further research is needed to determine how this may translate into improved diet quality and increased cooking frequency. Full article

Vision-induced gustatory manipulation interfaces can help people with dietary restrictions feel as if they are eating what they want by modulating the appearance of the alternative foods they are eating in reality. However, it is still unclear whether vision-induced gustatory change persists beyond a single bite, how the sensation changes over time, and how it varies among individuals from different cultural backgrounds. The present paper reports on a user study conducted to answer these questions using a generative adversarial network (GAN)-based real-time image-to-image translation system. In the user study, 16 participants were presented somen noodles or steamed rice through a video see-through head mounted display (HMD) both in two conditions; without or with visual modulation (somen noodles and steamed rice were translated into ramen noodles and curry and rice, respectively), and brought food to the mouth and tasted it five times with an interval of two minutes. The results of the experiments revealed that vision-induced gustatory manipulation is persistent in many participants. Their persistent gustatory changes are divided into three groups: those in which the intensity of the gustatory change gradually increased, those in which it gradually decreased, and those in which it did not fluctuate, each with about the same number of participants. Although the generalizability is limited due to the small population, it was also found that non-Japanese and male participants tended to perceive stronger gustatory manipulation compared to Japanese and female participants. We believe that our study deepens our understanding and insight into vision-induced gustatory manipulation and encourages further investigation. Full article

Aims and objectives: Lighting constitutes a critical issue in school design because of its importance as a strong enabler of performance, which is crucial for child development. However, data on light impacts on school performance are scarce. The main objective of this study was to assess the relationship between daylighting conditions in classrooms and mathematical and logical test scores. Methods: The population-based SINPHONIE (Schools Indoor Pollution and Heath: Observatory Network in Europe) study provides information on relationships between lighting conditions and school performance for 2670 elementary schoolchildren, aged 8–13 years from 155 classrooms in 53 schools across 12 European countries. These data were acquired through direct physical assessments and questionnaires completed by teachers, schoolchildren, and their parents, allowing for estimations of multiple objective daylight indicators, as well as subjective parameters such as the perception of lighting. Schoolchildren performed an attention/concentration exam that included simple mathematical exercises in addition to a logical ciphering test. The corresponding performance scores were compared against multiple daylighting parameters. Results: A positive relationship was found between performance scores and type of window shading, latitude, percentage of window facing south, and window glazing, with the highest impact due to the window-to-floor area ratio. Conclusion: Data collected in the SINPHONIE study across 12 European countries indicate that daylighting parameters are relevant to schoolchildren’s performance. As SINPHONIE was not designed specifically with lighting in mind, dedicated studies covering a wide range of classroom configurations would be enlightening. Full article

We identified dish-based dietary patterns for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and assessed the diet quality of each pattern. Dietary data were obtained from 392 Japanese adults aged 20–69 years in 2013, using a 4 d dietary record. K-means cluster analysis was conducted based on the amount of each dish group, separately for breakfasts (n = 1462), lunches (n = 1504), and dinners (n = 1500). The diet quality of each dietary pattern was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015) and Nutrient-Rich Food Index 9.3 (NRF9.3). The extracted dietary patterns were as follows: ‘bread-based’ and ‘rice-based’ for breakfast; ‘bread’, ‘rice-based’, ‘ramen’, ‘udon/soba’, and ‘sushi/rice bowl dishes’ for lunch; and ‘miscellaneous’, ‘meat dish and beer’, and ‘hot pot dishes’ for dinner. For breakfast, the HEI-2015 and NRF9.3 total scores were higher in the ‘rice-based’ pattern than the ‘bread-based’ pattern. For lunch, the HEI-2015 and NRF9.3 total scores were relatively high in the ‘rice-based’ pattern and low in the ‘ramen’ pattern. For dinner, the HEI-2015 total score was the highest in the ‘meat dish and beer’ pattern, and the NRF9.3 total score was higher in the ‘hot pot dishes’ than the ‘miscellaneous’ pattern. These results suggested that breakfast, lunch, and dinner have distinctive dietary patterns with different diet qualities. Full article