Assessing potential dietary toxicity of heavy metals in selected vegetables and food crops

Heavy metals, such as cadmium, copper, lead, chromium and mercury, are important environmental pollutants, particularly in areas with high anthropogenic pressure. Their presence in the atmosphere, soil and water, even in traces can cause serious problems to all organisms, and heavy metal bioaccumulation in the food chain especially can be highly dangerous to human health. Heavy metals enter the human body mainly through two routes namely： inhalation and ingestion, ingestion being the main route of exposure to these elements in human population. Heavy metals intake by human populations through food chain has been reported in many countries. Soil threshold for heavy metal toxicity is an important factor affecting soil environmental capacity of heavy metal and determines heavy metal cumulative loading limits. For soil-plant system, heavy metal toxicity threshold is the highest permissible content in the soil （total or bioavailable concentration） that does not pose any phytotoxic effects or heavy metals in the edible parts of the crops does not exceed food hygiene standards. Factors affecting the thresholds of dietary toxicity of heavy metal in soil-crop system include： soil type which includes soil pH, organic matter content, clay mineral and other soil chemical and biochemical properties; and crop species or cultivars regulated by genetic basis for heavy metal transport and accumulation in plants. In addition, the interactions of soil-plant root-microbes play important roles in regulating heavy metal movement from soil to the edible parts of crops. Agronomic practices such as fertilizer and water managements as well as crop rotation system can affect bioavailability and crop accumulation of heavy metals, thus influencing the thresholds for assessing dietary toxicity of heavy metals in the food chain. This paper reviews the phytotoxic effects and bioaccumulation of heavy metals in vegetables and food crops and assesses soil heavy metal thresholds for potential dietary toxicity.     

A Study on the English Translation of Chinese Menus

The Chinese food is well-known in the world as one important part of traditional Chinese culture, which the foreign tourists would like very much to sample and enjoy whenever they visit China. Generally speaking, the foreign tourists also want to make sure, how and with what raw material the Chinese food is cooked while they enjoy it. So the English translation of Chinese menus plays a key role in spreading the tranditional Chinese culture. This paper attempts to explain to readers that: 1)the demands on the English translation of Chinese menus; 2)how to set about translating the Chinese menus; 3)the methods for the English translation of Chinese menus.     

Bacterial Diversity of Anshun Sufu,A Traditional Fermented Tofu in Guizhou Province of China

Samples of sufu, a traditional food product made by fermenting soybeans, were collected in the city of Anshun in Southwest China and their bacterial diversity was investigated. Nine samples were divided into groups A–C, according to the markets in which they were collected, and the samples were subjected to pyrosequencing of the 16 S rRNA V3–V4 regions for evaluation of the bacterial community. A total of 342 operational taxonomic units(OTUs) were determined. One of the samples(B2) included as many as 286 OTUs, and it also displayed the greatest bacterial richness. The most abundant bacterial diversity was shown in group B. Firmicutes was the dominant phylum in groups A and B, while Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum in group C. Lactobacillus was the prevailing genus in group A, Tetragenococcus in group B, and Empedobacter in group C. The bacterial composition of sufu depends, to a large degree, on the manufacturer. The obtained results showed regional differences in the bacterial community patterns of sufu products, which could contribute to a better understanding of the fermentation and ripening bioprocesses of sufu.     

Learning About Herbs and Spices in the Preschool Period

This study examined how much 4-year-old children know about herbs and spices. We researched how much knowledge children could obtain through experiential learning by growing plants in an herb garden and by using herbs and spices in their food. An experiment with one control and one experimental group was carried out, each comprising 18 children. With semi-structured interviews, the authors established the state of the children＇s previous knowledge on herbs and spices and recognition of plants, exemplified by growing plants and plants used in food dishes. Children from the experimental group then continued to grow herbs and spices and use them in food dishes. Following these activities, the acquired knowledge was established with repeated semi-structured interviews in both groups. At the beginning of the experiment, the children＇s prior knowledge and recognition of plants were very rudimentary. Only 33% of the children in the experimental group recognized parsley, 22% of them knew chamomile, and 17% of them knew sage and chamomile in tea. Following the activities, children of the experimental group showed statistically significant improvement in plant recognition （mint 100%, oregano on pizza 100%, chamomile 94%, parsley 94%, and oregano 94%）. We conclude that through activities of growing plants in herb gardens and their use as food ingredients already in early childhood when eating patterns develop, children obtain much knowledge of herbs and spices.     

A Cultural Study of Domestication and Foreignization in English Translation. of Chinese Menus

Economic globalization has brought China into closer contact with the rest of the world. Chinese food, as an important part of Chinese culture, attracts foreigners who come to China. But in a lot of cases, when they look at the menus, they feel stunned and baffled. For the English translations of Chinese menus are often incomprehensible and misleading. However, such awareness has not led to an in-depth study on menu translation. In this paper, the author draws on theories of foreignization and domestication, and recommends foreignization as a main strategy and domestication as a supplementary choice. In conjunction with it, the author suggests a set of techniques for menu translation. It is hoped that this will contribute to the preservation and development of Chinese cuisine culture as a whole.     

A Study on the Metaphorical Image of Cantonese Cuisine and Its Translation

Guangdong, as one of the many tourist attractions in China, has gained increasing popularity among travelers around the globe. The image of the place is by and large determined by several respects, among which, the most prominent is no other than the food, Cantonese cuisine, whose dish names are usually rich in metaphors. This paper aims to analyze the metaphors embedded deeply in the dish names, with hope to decipher the mapping from the source domain, or the metaphorical image, to the target do?main, so as to help deliver a viable solution to translate them, and improve the image of Cantonese cuisine.     

At The Tuckshop

Recess is a busy time in our school. I believe it is the same in all schools. Soon after the bell for recess rings, all the pupils come out of their classrooms. However, we do not run as our teachers have told us to be orderly at all times. Almost all the children go to the tuckshop which sells a variety of food and drinks. We line up in front of the different stalls and wait patiently for our turn. Nobody tries to jump the queue or push others. Our prefects make sure that discipline is observed by all.     

The Spring Festival

The Spring Festivalis the m ostim portantfestivalin China,justlikeChristm as in the west.Children like the Spring Festivalbestbecause theycan have a lot of delicious food to eat and new clothes to wear. TheSpring Festival is usually celebrated all over the country, which oftenlasts alm osthalfa m onth.People get m ore and m ore busy as the Spring Festival is drawingnearerand nearer.They clean the houses and do a lotofshopping.Peoplealso do a good m any other things,such as putting on ausp…     

Batch and fed-batch production of butyric acid by Clostridium butyricum ZJUCB

INTRODUCTION Butyric acid has several potential applications in industry. Its applications in the foodstuffs and beverage industries are widespread. It may be used as the pure acid in the dairy industry, or in the form of esters as a food additive to increase fruit fragrance. Furthermore, butyric acid could also have some important physiological functions. For example, butyric acid esters are the character-impact flavors in tropic fruits and dairy products (Centeno et al., 2002; Watson e…     

Isolation,Purification, and Characterization of Exopolysaccharide Produced by Leuconostoc Citreum N21 from Dried Milk Cake

A strain with high production of exopolysaccharide(EPS) was isolated from dried milk cake(a traditional fermented food from Inner Mongolia). The strain was called N21 and later identified as Leuconostoc citreum( Leu. citreum). The strain was cultured in Man-Rogosa-Sharpe medium containing 50 g/L of sucrose for 48 h at 30 °C and the EPS purified, with a yield of 24.5 g/L. An average molecular weight of 6.07 × 10~6 g/mol was determined by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography. The structure of the purified EPS was investigated through gas chromatography, ~1H and ~(13)C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results demonstrated a polysaccharide composed of D-glucopyranose units in a linear chain with consecutive α(1 → 6) linkages. No branching was found in the structure of the exopolysaccharide. The purified EPS showed high water solubility and emulsibility. Based on the thermogravimetric curve, the degradation temperature of the EPS was 308.47 °C, which suggested that the dextran in the study exhibited high thermal stability. The results indicated that Leu. citreum N21 could be widely used to produce linear EPS and that the EPS has potential applications in food science and processing as a food additive.     

糖尿病的真相(英文)

The quality of life has improved tremendously for many of us. We have more to spend on the better things in life, whether it is food, clothing or entertain-ment. Yet, even as more people are able to achieve a better standard of living for themselves and their families, we should not neglect the worrying trend of the multitude of health and social problems such wealth has created. A good example would be the epidemic of diabetes that is plaguing an increasing number of people yearly.     

悠闲英语（四十八）

In Groups——物以类聚 Yesterday, I took my mountain bike1 to the trails2. When I was passing by a pond, I saw a few Canada geese3 cruising on the water. Spring has come, and the geese are back from south and will soon be on their way farther north. The sight of the geese reminded me of a story our kindergarten teacher told us when we were very little. She said that men hunted wild geese for food and the geese didn＇t like them. So, the leader goose taught other geese to fly in the formation of ＂人＂ to remind everyone to keep away from men because they were the worst enemy of geese. Many years later, when I came to the United States, I saw geese fly in the same formation as they fly in the skies of China, and I was puzzled;     

阅读理解高分训练

Technology is the application（应用） of knowledge to production. Thanks to modem technology, we have been able to increase greatly the efficiency of our work force. New machines and new methods have helped cut down time and expense while increasing overall output. This has meant more production and a higher standard of living. For most of us in America, modern technology is thought of as the reason why we can have cars and television sets. However, technology has also increased the amount of food available（有用的） to us, by means of modern farming machinery and animal breeding techniques, and has extended our life span via（通过） medical technology.     

悠闲英语（五十六）

Actually, what I mean by eating is not the food we eat but the way in which we eat. Yes, you guessed it-we are going to talk about ＂table manners＂ Eating in a restaurant is a very enjoyable experience when you know what to expect and what you are expected of as a guest. In western culture, dinner is the most important meal of the day, so we＇ll talk about having dinner in a restaurant in America.     

Fast Food in the U．S．

The favorite food in the United States is the hamburger, a kind of round sandwich of cooked ground beef. The favorite place to buy a hamburger is a fast food restaurant. At fast food restaurants people order their food, wait a few minutes, and carry it to their tables themselves.     

完形填空解析一则

I spent two m onths with an A m ericanfam ily last year when I studied in A m erica.It is said,“The best house is in A m erica,the best w ife is in Japan,and the best food isin C hina.”So I took pride and1to2“the best food”for m y A m erican fam-ily.E ach day,regardless of m y poor skill ofcooking,I would do som ething in3w ay:changing the dishes colour,the m eat’s type orthe soup’s style(风味).Thus,m y A m ericanfriends could discover the4of eatingC hinese food.Because of m y“5”job,Iw as often rew arded(奖励)b...     

Survival of the biocontrol agents Brevibacillus brevis ZJY-1 and Bacillus subtilis ZJY-116 on the spikes of barley in the field

INTRODUCTION Soil-borne pathogens, including Pythium spp. and Fusarium spp., cause significant yield losses in horticulture and agriculture crops (Mao et al., 1997). Current practices for controlling plant diseases are based largely on disease resistant crops, cultivation management in fields and application of synthetic pesticides (Elizabeth and Emmert, 1999). Biological control using antagonistic microbes to reduce the use of chemical pesticides in a system of integrated plantdisease …     

The effects of science,technology, society and environment （STSE） education on students＇ career planning

The leakages in secondary level education brought forward the necessity to restructure the educational system so as to address the social and individual needs and meet the requirements of Turkey; therefore, a ＂reformation＂ study became an obligation. The formal education in Turkey starts at the age of 6, when the individual is shaped within the system. Determination of the characteristics of an ideal future citizen of a country should be apprehended at all levels of education and individuals should attain these appreciated characteristics. The reformed science education programs in Turkey aim to guide the individuals to be scientifically and technologically literate. Through enabling an individual, who is in a technological media, to attain the required knowledge, skills and attitudes, the individual should have the ＂science and technology literacy and creative thinking＂ skills. Individuals should recognize the technological environment they live in as well as the dimensions and facilities of technology, and should be aware of the fact that they could make use of these opportunities. In the light of this aim, this study involves the teaching of ＂separating mixtures＂ to 9th grade students in relation with science, technology, society and environment and the examination of its possible effects on students＇ achievement as well as their career choices. The Chemistry Achievement Test and the Career Choice Questionnaire were administered as pre- and post-test to serve as data collection tools. The study concluded that chemistry education in relation with science, technology, society and environment would lead students to choosing different fields for their future careers by changing their perspectives towards science. A significant increase in students＇ chemistry achievement levels was also observed.     

Why not Intercultural Education?

Now more than ever teachers and those in teacher training positions are being confronted with the prevalence of multicultural and multilingual classroom environments. Along with this presence, they also face international and national policies which call for effective and successful strategy building for coping with diverse settings. This appeal often manifests with an inability on the teacher＇s part to effectively facilitate these multicultural classrooms, as well as an inability on the students＇ part to interact and finally contribute to a larger national and global goal of intercultural cooperation. A growing body of research suggests that as those in the field of teaching and teacher education seek to improve classroom techniques, curricula, and teaching practice in the area of diversity they continue to face disparaging and almost disillusioning results. What were traditionally seen as venues in dealing with issues in multiculturalism and diversity through multicultural education have been left unanswered？ The purpose of this article thus seeks to explore the pedagogical concept of intercultural education as a way to suggest discourse of dealing with the challenges to diversity in the classroom.     

Toxicity of cadmium to soil microbial biomass and its activity：Effect of incubation time on Cd ecological dose in a paddy soil

INTRODUCTION Cadmium (Cd) is ubiquitous in the human en-vironment and has been recognized as one of the mostdeleterious heavy metal pollutants (Robards andWorsfold, 1991; Christine, 1997). It may easily movefrom soil to food plants through root absorption andaccumulate in their tissues (Oliver, 1997). In this way,Cd may enter the food chain and affect human health(Adriano, 1986). Among many heavy metals pollut-ing soil, Cd is of concern because of its potentiallyharmful effects on…