Excess sodium consumption, mostly from dietary salt, causes high blood pressure and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease(1). In parallel, insufficient potassium intake also contributes to raised blood pressure(2). Switching regular salt for potassium-enriched salt, where a proportion of the sodium chloride is replaced with potassium chloride, is a promising public health intervention to address both these issues(3). However, the supply chain to support increased use of potassium-enriched salt in Australia is not well understood. The objectives of this study were to investigate how the salt supply chain operates in Australia and to obtain food industry stakeholder perspectives on the technical barriers and enablers to increased potassium-enriched salt use. Twelve interviews with industry stakeholders (from food companies, salt manufacturers and trade associations) were conducted and thematically analysed using a template analysis method. Two top-level themes were developed: ‘supply chain practices’ and ‘technical barriers and enablers’. The potassium-enriched salt supply chain was described as less well-established than the low-cost production and distribution of regular salt in Australia. However, food companies reported not having difficulty sourcing potassium chloride. For Australian food industry stakeholders, cost, flavour and functionality were perceived as key barriers to increased uptake of potassium-enriched salt as a food ingredient. Stakeholders from food companies were hesitant to use potassium-enriched salt due to concerns about bitter or metallic flavours and uncertainty whether it would provide the same microbial/shelf-life functions or textural quality as regular salt. However, potassium-enriched salt manufacturers had divergent opinions stating potassium-enriched salt was a suitable functional replacement for regular salt and that flavour differences observed may be due to the incorrect use of potassium chloride as opposed to use of a purpose-made potassium-enriched salt. Stakeholders identified that establishing a stable and affordable supply of potassium-enriched salt in Australia and increased support for food technology research and development would enable increased use. To improve uptake of potassium-enriched salt by the Australian food industry, future efforts should focus on strengthening potassium-enriched salt supply chains and improving appeal for food industry to use in manufacturing and for consumers to purchase. Public health advocacy efforts should ensure that industry is equipped with the latest evidence on the feasibility and benefits of using potassium-enriched salt as an ingredient. Ongoing engagement is critical to ensure that industry is aware of their responsibility and opportunity to offer healthier foods to consumers by switching regular salt to potassium-enriched salt within foods.

This abstract was presented as the Novel Nutrition Research Methodologies and Technologies

Theme Highlight. Queuosine (Q) is a vital micronutrient crucial for protein translation and cellular function in humans. Deficiencies of Q have been linked to chronic illnesses, such as inflammatory bowel disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and various cancers. Human requirements for this micronutrient have not yet been established. Thus far, there has been no systematic investigation of the human diet to understand typical intakes. It is necessary to measure the levels of Q metabolites in commonly consumed foods to identify the richest dietary sources and determine Q intake. Only then can its role in human health and disease be established.

This study aimed to comprehensively analyse Q distribution in the UK diet by quantifying it in foods, identifying rich sources, and ultimately, enabling the design of dietary intervention studies assessing Q absorption/bioavailability.

Data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS 5Y) were processed to identify the most frequently consumed foods in 31 main categories, reflecting the dietary habits of >99.5% of UK consumers. Extraction techniques were developed, including a methanol-based method for extracting free Q metabolites and a specialized approach for isolating tRNA-bound Q metabolites from various food matrices. Quantitative LC-MS/MS (SCIEX 5500+) was utilized to accurately measure queuine (q), Q, Q monophosphates (QMPs), and Q precursor (PreQ1) in food samples. These values were summed to determine Total Q levels. Additionally, four-day food diary data from 93 participants in the Northern Ireland Dietary Assessment Study (NIDAS) were analysed to determine the average daily consumption of Q metabolites in adults. Dairy sources were considered promising, so five commercial probiotic yoghurt brands were compared side-by-side.

Q metabolite levels varied significantly across various food types. Total Q metabolite levels in foods ranged from 0.05ng/g to 80ng/g, with a mean level of 20ng/g. The calculated Q consumption of participants in NIDAS ranged from nil/day in some individuals to 170µg/day in others, with a typical mean intake of 18µg/day. The mean amounts (ng/g) of Total Q metabolites (tRNA-bound + free) measured in food categories were dairy 57.2 ± 9.7, meat 20.1 ± 9.9, poultry 4.9 ± 4, and plant-based milk 15.3 ± 10, fruits 2 ± 1.3, vegetables 5.3 ± 2.8, starchy foods 2.2 ± 0.7. Dairy products emerged as significant sources of Q metabolites based on these findings. Concentrations observed in shortlisted probiotic yoghurts ranged from 32 to 352 ng/g.

This study determined typical Q intakes and is the first to identify Q-rich food sources in the UK diet. The highly Q-enriched probiotic yoghurt products could be used in controlled dietary intervention studies to assess Q absorption/bioavailability and this micronutrient’s role in human health and disease.

Identification of sugarcane hybrids is difficult when selections are based solely on morphological traits. Our objective was to combine morphological traits and molecular marker analysis to select F1 hybrids from two separate crosses between Djatiroto, a clone of Saccharum spontaneum, and elite sugarcane clones, LCP 85-384 (Cross 97-3144) and CP 62-258 (Cross 97-3146). The maternal inflorescences of Djatiroto were emasculated by submersion in a circulating 45°C hot-water tank for 10 min to minimize self-fertilization. Cross 97-3144 produced 4.7 g of seeds with 338 viable seeds per gram and Cross 97-3146 produced 2.4 g of seeds with 166 viable seeds per gram. After greenhouse germination, 96 progeny from each cross were evaluated in a field plot. Evaluations were conducted on the ratoon crops for stalk diameter (mm), juice Brix (percentage soluble solids), and a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker OPA-11-366 that was reproducibly amplified through PCR from the elite clones, but not the maternal S. spontaneum clone. Fifty progeny (52.1%) from Cross 97-3144 and 36 progeny (37.5%) from Cross 97-3146 inherited the RAPD marker. Five putative F1 progeny were selected from each cross, namely US 99-43, US 99-44, US 99-45, US 99-46 and US 99-47 from Cross 97-3144, and US 99-48, US 99-49, US 99-50, US 99-51 and US 99-52 from Cross 97-3146, based on their relatively larger stalk diameter, higher Brix and inheritance of the RAPD marker. The hybrid nature of these selected progeny was verified with sugarcane microsatellite markers. This is the first report of the development of Saccharum hybrids with the cytoplasm of S. spontaneum for breeding purpose through a combination of conventional and molecular breeding approaches. Availability of these F1 hybrids could enhance the genetic diversity of Saccharum germplasm and has enabled sugarcane geneticists and breeders to explore the possible contribution of S. spontaneum cytoplasm in the development of new sugarcane cultivars.

Analytical electron microscopy was used to confirm the location of pillars of zirconia in pillared montmorillonite. Data show that the pillared clay is of “high” quality, with surface areas ranging from 200 to 250 m2/g and (001) spacings in the 17–18 Å range. The zirconia-rich pillars were observed using bright-field imaging, annular dark-field imaging, and energy-filtered imaging. The composition of the pillars was confirmed by performing nano-analysis using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. The pillars apparently have an irregular shape <50 Å in size. The shape and relatively large size of the pillars suggest that zirconia dispersion is not ideally distributed in this sample. This study is apparently the first report of electron microscopy observation of pillaring material in clays.

A compressible large eddy simulation (LES) is performed to study a pulsed jet actuator that is used to control a turbulent axisymmetric bluff body wake. The actuator is driven at low-frequency ($f = 200$Hz, $S{t_\theta } = 0.029$) and high amplitude (${C_\mu } = 0.034$). The numerical scheme and a suitable boundary condition for the pulsed jet are validated, showing good agreement with experimental results. A comparison of the velocity boundary condition and the moving boundary condition shows that, in the vicinity of the orifice/slot and in the downstream region, the results from these two methods are identical, while the fluid behaviour inside the cavity shows difference. An analysis of the pulsed jet actuator shows that the phase lag of the cavity pressure is determined by the integration of the diaphragm motion and the pulsed jet. The mean total pressure distribution shows that the total pressure loss is concentrated in the vicinity of the slot. Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) on the pressure field is used to extract coherent structures which oscillate with the same frequency as that of the diaphragm motion. Some small-scale high-frequency structures are also apparent.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) has been a leader in weed science research covering topics ranging from the development and use of integrated weed management (IWM) tactics to basic mechanistic studies, including biotic resistance of desirable plant communities and herbicide resistance. ARS weed scientists have worked in agricultural and natural ecosystems, including agronomic and horticultural crops, pastures, forests, wild lands, aquatic habitats, wetlands, and riparian areas. Through strong partnerships with academia, state agencies, private industry, and numerous federal programs, ARS weed scientists have made contributions to discoveries in the newest fields of robotics and genetics, as well as the traditional and fundamental subjects of weed–crop competition and physiology and integration of weed control tactics and practices. Weed science at ARS is often overshadowed by other research topics; thus, few are aware of the long history of ARS weed science and its important contributions. This review is the result of a symposium held at the Weed Science Society of America’s 62nd Annual Meeting in 2022 that included 10 separate presentations in a virtual Weed Science Webinar Series. The overarching themes of management tactics (IWM, biological control, and automation), basic mechanisms (competition, invasive plant genetics, and herbicide resistance), and ecosystem impacts (invasive plant spread, climate change, conservation, and restoration) represent core ARS weed science research that is dynamic and efficacious and has been a significant component of the agency’s national and international efforts. This review highlights current studies and future directions that exemplify the science and collaborative relationships both within and outside ARS. Given the constraints of weeds and invasive plants on all aspects of food, feed, and fiber systems, there is an acknowledged need to face new challenges, including agriculture and natural resources sustainability, economic resilience and reliability, and societal health and well-being.

The target backsheath field acceleration mechanism is one of the main mechanisms of laser-driven proton acceleration (LDPA) and strongly depends on the comprehensive performance of the ultrashort ultra-intense lasers used as the driving sources. The successful use of the SG-II Peta-watt (SG-II PW) laser facility for LDPA and its applications in radiographic diagnoses have been manifested by the good performance of the SG-II PW facility. Recently, the SG-II PW laser facility has undergone extensive maintenance and a comprehensive technical upgrade in terms of the seed source, laser contrast and terminal focus. LDPA experiments were performed using the maintained SG-II PW laser beam, and the highest cutoff energy of the proton beam was obviously increased. Accordingly, a double-film target structure was used, and the maximum cutoff energy of the proton beam was up to 70 MeV. These results demonstrate that the comprehensive performance of the SG-II PW laser facility was improved significantly.

Background: Tuberculosis is an airborne disease caused by Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. Intracranial tuberculoma is a rare complication of extrapulmonary tuberculosis due to hematogenous spread to subpial and subependymal regions. Intracranial tuberculoma can occur with or without meningitis. Methods: A 3-year-old male who recently emigrated from Sudan presented to the emergency department with right-sided seizures lasting 30 minutes which were aborted with levetiracetam and midazolam. CT head revealed a multilobulated left supratentorial mass, with solid and cystic components measuring 8.0 x 4.8 x 6.5 cm. The patient had successful surgical resection of the mass which was positive for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. He was started on rifampin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, ethambutol, and fluoroquinolone and discharged home in stable condition. Results: Literature review on pediatric intracranial tuberculoma was performed which included 48 studies (n=49). The mean age was 8.8 ± 5.4 years with slight female predilection (59%). Predominant solitary tuberculomas (63%) were preferentially managed with both surgical resection and antitubercular therapy (ATT) compared to multifocal tuberculomas that were preferentially managed with ATT. Conclusions: Intracranial tuberculoma is a rare but treatable cause of space-occupying lesions in children. Clinicians should maintain high-level of suspicion in patients from endemic regions and involve infectious disease service early in patient’s care.

Meat quality is not only influenced by breed but also rearing environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different housing environments on growth performance, carcase traits, meat quality, physiological response pre-slaughter and fatty acid composition in two pig breeds. A total of 120 growing pigs at 60-70 days of age were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial design with the breeds (Duroc × Landrace × Large White [D × L × LW] and Duroc × Landrace × Min pig [D × L × M]) and environmental enrichment (barren concrete floor or enriched with straw bedding) as factors. Each treatment was performed in triplicate with ten pigs per replicate. The pigs housed in the enriched environment exhibited a higher average daily gain, average daily feed intake, saturated fatty acid percentage and backfat depth than the pigs reared in the barren environment. Plasma cortisol levels were lower and growth hormone higher in enriched compared to barren pens. The D × L × M pigs showed lower cooking loss compared with the D × L × LW pigs. Moreover, the D × L × M pigs exhibited poor growth performance but had a better water-holding capacity. Only carcase traits and meat quality interaction effects were observed. We concluded that an enriched environment can reduce preslaughter stress and improve the growth performance of pigs and modulate the fatty acid composition of pork products.

Over the last 25 years, radiowave detection of neutrino-generated signals, using cold polar ice as the neutrino target, has emerged as perhaps the most promising technique for detection of extragalactic ultra-high energy neutrinos (corresponding to neutrino energies in excess of 0.01 Joules, or 1017 electron volts). During the summer of 2021 and in tandem with the initial deployment of the Radio Neutrino Observatory in Greenland (RNO-G), we conducted radioglaciological measurements at Summit Station, Greenland to refine our understanding of the ice target. We report the result of one such measurement, the radio-frequency electric field attenuation length $L_\alpha$. We find an approximately linear dependence of $L_\alpha$ on frequency with the best fit of the average field attenuation for the upper 1500 m of ice: $\langle L_\alpha \rangle = ( ( 1154 \pm 121) - ( 0.81 \pm 0.14) \, ( \nu /{\rm MHz}) ) \,{\rm m}$ for frequencies ν ∈ [145 − 350] MHz.