Vibration and Noise Analysis and Experimental Study of Rail Conveyor.

The rail conveyor is a new type of energy-saving system for the long-distance transportation of bulk materials. Operating noise is an urgent problem that the current model faces. It will cause noise pollution and affect the health of workers. In this paper, the factors causing vibration and noise are analyzed by modeling the wheel-rail system and the supporting truss structure. Based on the built test platform, the system vibration of the vertical steering wheel, the track support truss, and the track connection were measured, and the vibration characteristics at different positions were analyzed. Based on the established noise and vibration model, the distribution and occurrence rules of system noise under different operating speeds and fastener stiffness conditions were obtained. The experimental results show that the vibration amplitude of the frame near the head of the conveyor is the largest. The amplitude under the condition of 2 m/s running speed at the same position is 4 times that under the condition of 1 m/s. At different welds of the track, the width and depth of the rail gap have a great influence on the vibration impact, which is mainly due to the impact of the uneven impedance at the track gap, and the greater the running speed, the more obvious the vibration impact. The simulation results show the trend of noise generation, the speed of the trolley, and the stiffness of the track fasteners have a positive effect on the generation of noise in the low-frequency region. The research results of this paper will play an important role in the noise and vibration analysis of rail conveyors and help to optimize the structure design of the track transmission system.

MdBBX21, a B-Box Protein, Positively Regulates Light-Induced Anthocyanin Accumulation in Apple Peel.

The red coloration of apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) is due to the accumulation of anthocyanins in the fruit peel. Light is essential for anthocyanin biosynthesis in apple. In this study, we performed a transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of apple fruit exposed to light after unbagging. The identified differentially expressed genes included MdBBX21, which is homologous to Arabidopsis BBX21, suggesting it may be involved in light-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis. Additionally, MdBBX21 was localized in the nucleus and its gene was expressed earlier than MdMYB1 in apple peel treated with light. Overexpressing MdBBX21 in Arabidopsis and apple calli under light increased anthocyanin accumulation. Dual-luciferase and yeast one-hybrid assays confirmed that MdBBX21 binds to the MdHY5, MdBBX20, and MdBBX22-1/2 promoters and induces expression. At the same time, MdHY5 can also activate the expression of MdBBX21. Furthermore, bimolecular fluorescence complementation and yeast two-hybrid assays demonstrated that MdBBX21 can interact with MdHY5. This interaction can significantly enhance MdMYB1 promoter activity. These findings clarify the molecular mechanism by which MdBBX21 positively regulates light-induced anthocyanin accumulation in apple.

Identification, Comparison and Classification of Volatile Compounds in Peels of 40 Apple Cultivars by HS-SPME with GC-MS.

Aroma is an important quality indicator for apples and has a great influence on the overall flavour and consumer acceptance. However, the information of the aroma volatile compounds in apple peels is largely unknown. In this study, evaluation of volatile compounds in peels of 40 apple cultivars was carried out using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 78 volatile compounds were identified, including 47 esters, 12 aldehydes, 5 alcohols, 3 ketones, 1 acid and 10 others. Eight volatile compounds were common in all apple cultivars. Cultivar Changfu No. 2 contained the highest number of volatile compounds (47), while Qinyue contained the least (20). Honey Crisps had the highest volatile content, at 27,813.56 ± 2310.07 µg/kg FW, while Huashuo had the lowest volatile content, at 2041.27 ± 120.36 µg/kg FW. Principal component analysis (PCA) clustered the 40 apple cultivars into five groups. Aroma is cultivar-specific, volatile compounds of hexyl butyrate, hexyl 2-methylbutyrate and hexyl hexanoate, together with hexanal, (E)-2-hexenal, 1-hexanol, estragole and α-farnesene could be proposed for apple cultivar classification in the future.

Transcriptome and metabolite profiling analyses provide insight into volatile compounds of the apple cultivar 'Ruixue' and its parents during fruit development.

BACKGROUND: Aroma is one the most crucial inherent quality attributes of fruit. 'Ruixue' apples were selected from a cross between 'Pink Lady' and 'Fuji', a later ripening yellow new cultivar. However, there is little known about the content and composition of aroma compounds in 'Ruixue' apples or the genetic characters of 'Ruixue' and its parents. In addition, the metabolic pathways for biosynthesis of aroma volatiles and aroma-related genes remain poorly understood. RESULTS: Volatile aroma compounds were putatively identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Our results show that the profile of volatile compounds changes with ripening. Aldehydes were the dominant volatile compounds in early fruit development, with alcohols and esters increasing dramatically during maturation. On the basis of a heatmap dendrogram, these aroma compounds clustered into seven groups. In ripe fruit, esters and terpenoids were the main aroma volatiles in ripening fruit of 'Pink Lady' and 'Fuji' apples, and they included butyl 2-methylbutanoate; propanoic acid, hexyl ester; propanoic acid, hexyl ester; hexanoic acid, hexyl ester; acetic acid, hexyl ester and (Z, E)-α-farnesene. Interestingly, aldehydes and terpenoids were the dominant volatile aroma compounds in ripening fruit of 'Ruixue', and they mainly included hexanal; 2-hexenal; octanal; (E)-2-octenal; nonanal and (Z, E)-α-farnesene. By comparing the transcriptome profiles of 'Ruixue' and its parents fruits during development, we identified a large number of aroma-related genes related to the fatty acid, isoleucine and sesquiterpenoid metabolism pathways and transcription factors that may volatile regulate biosynthesis. CONCLUSIONS: Our initial study facilitates a better understanding of the volatile compounds that affect fruit flavour as well as the mechanisms underlying differences in flavour between 'Ruixue' and its parents.