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Summary: The current work was carried out to enhance the quality (including product colour, rehydration performance, textural properties, product cracking rate and sensory evaluation) of microwave freeze‐dried prepared taro balls, a popular starch‐based food product, by synergistic addition of guar gum and sodium bicarbonate. The results showed that taro balls with added sodium bicarbonate had the shortest freeze‐drying time (153 min), but the high‐cracking rate (66.67%) was not acceptable to consumers. The addition of guar gum could effectively reduce the cracking rate (17.5%) during freeze‐drying of taro balls, but did not significantly improve sensory evaluation and textural properties. The combination of sodium bicarbonate and guar gum demonstrated satisfactory positive effects in increasing the rehydration rate of freeze‐dried taro balls (53.67%), maintaining the whiteness (WI = 84.52) and reducing the cracking rate (21.67%). Although sodium bicarbonate alone produced the best results in terms of sensory ratings and textural properties, there was no significant difference between the effects of sodium bicarbonate alone and the combination of the two food additives on rehydrated taro balls. Therefore, the combination of sodium bicarbonate and guar gum is an appropriate hybrid strategy for producing high quality freeze‐dried taro balls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The inherent poor cooking quality and poor texture of mixed‐grain pasta limit consumer acceptance. This study systematically investigated the effect of curdlan in the processing of sweet potato puree oat mixed‐grain noodles, and comprehensively analysed a number of key indicators such as cooking characteristics, moisture state, texture properties, microstructure, starch crystallinity characteristics, short‐range ordered structure and thermal properties. At the production practice level, the study clearly indicated that the 0.6% curdlan addition ratio was the best solution in sweet potato puree oat mixed‐grain noodles processing. This finding not only significantly reduces the fracture rate, water absorption rate and cooking loss rate during the cooking process, but also significantly improves the quality and yield of the product, and brings significant improvement in the taste and texture of the noodles, which is of great significance for industrial production. In the microstructural and molecular studies, we revealed how curdlan could enhance the structural stability and mechanical strength of noodles by promoting the uniform distribution of starch granules in the gluten protein network. Further, through X‐ray diffraction, ordered structure and thermal property analyses, we have found that colchicine can effectively regulate the interactions of hydrogen bonding between starch and the content of straight‐chain and branched‐chain starch, which significantly reduces the crystallinity, ordered short‐chain structure and enthalpy of pasting of starch in the pasta. These in‐depth research results not only help us to understand more comprehensively the formation mechanism of the modification of pasta quality by curdlan, but also provide a solid theoretical foundation and practical guidance for the improvement of pasta quality in mixed grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high‐efficiency polarization conversion metasurface (PCM) is proposed and applied to radar cross section (RCS) reduction. The PCM can achieve cross‐polarization conversion with a polarization conversion ratio of over 97% from 13.9 to 30.3 GHz, covering K‐band. The low‐RCS antenna is designed from a circularly polarized patch antenna loading with the PCM. The antennas with and without PCM are fabricated and measured. The results show that the radiation performance is well preserved and the scattering performance is greatly improved. The average monostatic RCS reduction value reaches 14.6 dB in an ultra‐wideband from 12.2 to 30.2 GHz under normal incidence. What's more important, bistatic RCS is researched in detail and evident RCS reduction is achieved at different incidence angles. This research has potential applications in the field of stealth platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D organic crystals play a unique role in photodetection owing to their tunable detection wavelength, low manufacturing cost, compatibility with lightweight, and controllable synthesis. However, their detection wavelength range mainly encompasses the visible (Vis) and near‐infrared (NIR) spectra. Herein, 2D erucamide crystals are synthesized using nitrogen gas and methanol as raw materials without catalysts at room temperature under atmospheric pressure via laser processing. The synthesized 2D erucamide is demonstrated to be a promising broad bandgap organic semiconductor material. A UV photodetector made of 2D erucamide exhibited a responsivity as high as 145 mA W−1, a millisecond‐level response speed, and an excellent detectivity of 4.96 × 109 Jones. Furthermore, the synthesized erucamide showed an excellent UV–vis suppression ratio (R254 nm/R532 nm) of 59. The synthesis mechanism of erucamide via laser bubbling in liquids is proposed. Thermodynamically, the high temperature of the bubbles is beneficial for nitrogen and methanol decomposition. Kinetically, rapid bubble quenching facilitates final product formation. This accomplishment represented the pioneering utilization of lasers in converting nitrogen gas into organic compounds while introducing 2D erucamide into the realm of organic UV photodetectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the spatial coupling relationship and interaction mechanism between green urbanization (GU) and tourism competitiveness (TC) is of great significance for promoting urban sustainable development. However, the lack of research on the interaction mechanism between GU and TC limits the formulation of effective environmental management policy and urban planning. Taking 734 counties in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) as the study area, this paper analyzes the spatial coupling relationship between GU and TC on the basis of comprehensive evaluation of GU and TC. Then, the interactive mechanism between GU and TC is systematically discussed, and the synergistic development strategy of the two is proposed. The results show that the GU level presents a multicore circle structure, with provincial capitals, prefecture-level urban districts and economically developed counties in east-central regions as high-value centers. The TC at county scale presents a multi-center spatial structure. Additionally, there is a significant positive spatial coupling between GU and TC in the YRB. The analysis further reveals that green urbanization level, social progress, population development, infrastructure construction, economic development quality, and eco-environmental protection has a observably influence on TC. Tourism competitiveness, service competitiveness, location competitiveness, resource competitiveness, market competitiveness, environmental influence, and talent competitiveness has a observably influence on GU. TC can promote GU, and the improvement of green urbanization level can support the development of tourism competitiveness. According to the spatial zoning method, 734 counties are divided into 6 categories, and the coordinated development strategy of GU and TC for each type of district is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of the spatial connection and structural characteristics evolution of the railway passenger transport network in Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle is of great significance to the future network construction and layout optimization. This paper constructs the railway passenger transport network of Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle based on the 46 863 617 railway passenger transport data, and uses GIS spatial analysis and social network analysis methods to analyze the space-time evolution of railway passenger transport links, the evolution of structure characteristics and the impact of network structure on economy and population in continuous time series. The results show that the polarization of railway passenger transport links in Chengdu Chongqing Economic Circle is obvious, and the passenger transport flow is mainly concentrated in Chengdu, followed by Mianyang, the main districts of Chongqing and Deyang, and other cities account for less than 20% of the passenger transport flow. The density of railway passenger transport network in Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle is increasing year by year, but it is still at a low level. The railway passenger transport network has a low average path length and a high average clustering coefficient, and it is characterized by a small world. The degree centrality and betweenness centrality of Chengdu and the main districts of Chongqing are far more than those of other cities. The accessibility of railway passenger transport in Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle is largely due to the intermediary role of Chengdu and the main districts of Chongqing. There is no railway passenger transport connection between most cities. The degree centrality, proximity centrality and intermediate centrality have positive effects on GDP, and pass the 1% significance level test. The degree centrality and intermediate centrality have negative impacts on the population, and pass the significance level tests of 5% and 10% respectively. Cities in the central position are not conducive to the permanent residence of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper was to evaluate the effect of spray drying (SD), spray freeze‐drying (SFD), freeze‐drying (FD), and microwave freeze‐drying (MFD) on the characteristics of fish oil (FO) microcapsules. The physicochemical properties, morphology, fatty acid composition, and stability of the microcapsules were analyzed. The encapsulation efficiencies of microcapsules dried by SD, SFD, FD, and MFD were 86.98%, 77.79%, 63.29%, and 57.89%, respectively. SD microcapsules exhibited superior properties in terms of effective loading capacity, color, and flowability. Conversely, SFD microcapsules demonstrated improved solubility. Microencapsulation positively affected the thermal stability of FO, but the content of unsaturated fatty acids decreased. The findings from the storage experiment indicated that the oxidative stability of SD fish oil microcapsules was marginally lower compared to microcapsules produced through three alternative drying techniques, all of which were based on the FD concept. The comparison of various drying methods and their effects on the quality of FO microcapsules offers valuable insights that can serve as a foundation for the industrial production of high‐quality microcapsules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a role in the emergence and progression of several human tumors, including luminal B breast cancer (BC). The biological functions and potential mechanisms of lncRNA myocardial infarction-associated transcripts (MIAT) in luminal B BC, on the contrary, are unknown. In this work, we used UALCAN database analysis to find high expression of lncRNA MIAT in luminal BC tissues and also confirmed high levels of lncRNA MIAT expression in luminal B BC tissues and cells. In vitro knockdown of MIAT inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of BT474 cells. In addition, we found that miR-150-5p levels were significantly reduced in luminal B BC specimens and cells, and miR-150-5p levels were significantly increased when MIAT was knocked down. And TIMER database analysis showed that MIAT was positively associated with PDL1. Through bioinformatic tools and in vitro experiments, lncRNA MIAT could function as a competitive endogenous RNA (CeRNA) to further regulate programmed cell death ligand 1 (PDL1) expression by directly sponging miR-150-5p. In conclusion, our data suggest that MIAT, an oncogene, may sponge miR-150-5p to regulate PDL1 expression and affect proliferation, migration, and invasion in luminal B BC in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The current study introduces a novel infrared‐assisted spouted bed drying technique for the dehydration of green soybeans, which aims to enhance the drying quality and efficiency. The investigation involves an examination of the flow pattern in the spouted bed to obtain relevant data, followed by an optimization of the entire drying process. The drying process of green soybeans was simulated using SolidWorks and ANSYS Fluent software, based on the principles of computational fluid dynamics. RESULTS: The simulation test results showed that the simulation outcomes were consistent with the experimental data. The optimal conditions for the process of green soybean infrared‐assisted spouted bed drying were found to be an inlet speed of 8 m/s and a temperature of 50 °C with the wavelength and power settings of the infrared board at 10 μm and 500 W, respectively. CONCLUSION: The simulation method selected in this article, based on gas–solid two‐phase flow dynamics, is feasible for green soybean infrared‐assisted spouted bed drying process. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Actinomycetota, associated with macroalgae, remains one of the least explored marine niches. The secondary metabolism of Actinomycetota, the primary microbial source of compounds relevant to biotechnology, continues to drive research into the distribution, dynamics, and metabolome of these microorganisms. In this study, we employed a combination of traditional cultivation and metagenomic analysis to investigate the diversity of Actinomycetota in two native macroalgae species from the Portuguese coast. We obtained and taxonomically identified a collection of 380 strains, which were distributed across 12 orders, 15 families, and 25 genera affiliated with the Actinomycetia class, with Streptomyces making up approximately 60% of the composition. Metagenomic results revealed the presence of Actinomycetota in both Chondrus crispus and Codium tomentosum datasets, with relative abundances of 11% and 2%, respectively. This approach identified 12 orders, 16 families, and 17 genera affiliated with Actinomycetota, with minimal overlap with the cultivation results. Acidimicrobiales emerged as the dominant actinobacterial order in both macroalgae, although no strain affiliated with this taxonomic group was successfully isolated. Our findings suggest that macroalgae represent a hotspot for Actinomycetota. The synergistic use of both culture‐dependent and independent approaches proved beneficial, enabling the identification and recovery of not only abundant but also rare taxonomic members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most common reproductive tumors in women, whereas current treatment options are limited. β-lactamase-like-protein 2 (LACTB2) has been observed to be associated with various cancers, but its function in OC is unknown. Therefore, we evaluate the prognostic value and the underlying function of LACTB2 in OC. In this study, high expression of LACTB2 was observed in OC compared with normal controls. Kaplan–Meier Plotter analysis revealed that overexpressed LACTB2 is strongly correlated with poor prognosis. We conducted GO/KEGG analysis to investigate the potential biological function of LACTB2 in OC. GESA analysis showed that LACTB2 was closely related to immune-related pathways. Subsequently, we explored the relationship between LACTB2 and 24 types of immune cells in OC. The results suggested that LACTB2 was positively associated with multiple tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Importantly, LACTB2 may modulate immune cell infiltration in OC to influence prognosis. In conclusion, LACTB2 can be used as a promising prognostic biomarker and immunotherapy target for OC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Chlorogenic acid (CA) is a natural antioxidant with multiple biological activities, but its stability is poor. In this article, CA‐load pea protein nanoparticles (PPCNPs) were constructed by an anti‐solvent method to enhance CA stability and characterised by multiple technologies. The results exhibited that the particle size of PPCNPs ranged from 211.62 to 429.79 nm, and the zeta potential ranged from −41.21 to −35.85 mV. PPCNPs had the highest encapsulation efficiency (61.2%) at the CA/pea protein isolate (PPI) mass ratio of 1:20. The loading capacity increased with the ratio of CA/PPI ranging from 1.3% to 3.8%. SEM showed that the nanoparticle surface was an irregular lamellar structure. FTIR showed that O–H and C–H functional group interactions occurred between CA and PPI. DSC results showed that CA was encapsulated in PPCNPs with an amorphous structure. During in vitro digestion, the ABTS radical scavenging ability and retention ratio of CA in PPCNPs was higher than that of free CA. Moreover, PPCNPs increased the bio‐accessibility of CA in vitro by 7.75%, compared with unencapsulated CA. These results suggested that PPCNPs constructed by the anti‐solvent method can reduce the degradation of CA and improve the biological activity of CA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HERD experiment is a future experiment for the direct detection of high-energy cosmic rays and is to be installed on the Chinese space station in 2027. The main objectives of HERD are the first direct measurement of the knee of the cosmic ray spectrum, the extension of electron+positron flux measurement up to tens of TeV, gamma ray astronomy, and the search for indirect signals of dark matter. The main component of the HERD detector is an innovative calorimeter composed of about 7500 LYSO scintillating crystals assembled in a spherical shape. Two independent readout systems of the LYSO scintillation light will be installed on each crystal: the wavelength-shifting fibers system developed by IHEP and the double photodiode readout system developed by INFN and CIEMAT. In order to measure protons in the cosmic ray knee region, we must be able to measure energy release of about 250 TeV in a single crystal. In addition, in order to calibrate the system, we need to measure typical releases of minimum ionizing particles that are about 30 MeV. Thus, the readout systems should have a dynamic range of about 10 7 . In this article, we analyze the development and the performance of the double photodiode readout system. In particular, we show the performance of a prototype readout by the double photodiode system for electromagnetic showers as measured during a beam test carried out at the CERN SPS in October 2021 with high-energy electron beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The edible rose (Rosa Crimson Glory) petals were dried using infrared‐assisted spouted bed drying technology. The effects of different drying temperature conditions (30, 35, 40, 45, and 50°C, as well as stepped heating drying [SHD] and stepped cooling drying) on the drying characteristics, physicochemical properties, antioxidant capacity, and changes in volatile flavor compounds of the rose petals were investigated. The results showed that the drying time was shortened with increasing drying temperature. Both variable temperature drying processes gave the shortest drying times. Optimal color retention of rose petals was achieved at a constant temperature of 40°C and SHD. Increased drying temperature resulted in higher water‐soluble polysaccharide content in the dried rose petals, whereas lower temperatures facilitated anthocyanin preservation. The variable temperature drying processes favored the retention of water‐soluble polysaccharides in rose petals, but not anthocyanins. Regarding antioxidant capacity, the samples dried at 40°C and those subjected to the two variable temperature drying processes performed better. This study also analyzed the differences in volatile flavor compounds of rose petals dried under different drying conditions. It was found that the majority of volatile flavor compounds in the rose petals dried by SHD exhibited higher content levels than the other drying conditions. Therefore, considering a thorough evaluation of all relevant factors, it was clear that utilizing the SHD process was the most efficient method for obtaining the best quality rose petals overall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whey protein isolates (WPIs) were treated at 50, 60, 70, and 80°C to obtain thermally modified WPI. Gum arabic (GA) and thermal modification of WPI were used as novel wall materials to improve the quality of Cornus officinalis flavonoid (COF) microcapsules using microwave freeze‐drying technique in this study. Results showed that all the thermal modification treatment decreased emulsifying activity index of WPI, whereas the solubility and emulsifying stability index (ESI) of WPI gradually increased with the increase of heating temperature. Compared to the untreated protein, the thermal modification treatment at 70°C increased the solubility and ESI of WPI by 14.91% ± 0.71% and 26.70% ± 0.94%, respectively. The microcapsules prepared with the modified protein at 60°C had the highest encapsulation efficiency (95.13% ± 2.36%), the lowest moisture content (1.42% ± 0.34%), and the highest solubility (84.41% ± 0.91). Scanning electron microscopy images showed that COF microcapsules were uniformly spherical, and the sizes of the microcapsules were in the following order: 12.42 ± 0.37 µm (80°C) > 11.7 ± 0.23 µm (untreated group) > 9.44 ± 0.33 µm (60°C) > 9.24 ± 0.14 µm (50°C) > 7.69 ± 0.29 µm (70°C). In the simulated in vitro digestion experiments, the release rate of COF microcapsules in the gastric digestion phase was less than that in the intestinal digestion phase, and it reached 66.46% at intestinal digestion phase. These results suggested that heated WPI and GA could be an effective nanocarrier to enhance the stability of COF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of wireless communication technology has led to an increasing number of internet of thing (IoT) devices, and the demand for spectrum for these devices and their related applications is also increasing. However, spectrum scarcity has become an increasingly serious problem. Therefore, we introduce a collaborative spectrum sensing (CSS) framework in this paper to identify available spectrum resources so that IoT devices can access them and, meanwhile, avoid causing harmful interference to the normal communication of the primary user (PU). However, in the process of sensing the PUs signal in IoT devices, the issue of sensing time and decision cost (the cost of determining whether the signal state of the PU is correct or incorrect) arises. To this end, we propose a distributed cognitive IoT model, which includes two IoT devices independently using sequential decision rules to detect the PU. On this basis, we define the sensing time and cost functions for IoT devices and formulate an average cost optimization problem in CSS. To solve this problem, we further regard the optimal sensing time problem as a finite horizon problem and solve the threshold of the optimal decision rule by person-by-person optimization (PBPO) methodology and dynamic programming. At last, numerical simulation results demonstrate the correctness of our proposal in terms of the global false alarm and miss detection probability, and it always achieves minimal average cost under various costs of each observation taken and thresholds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP)-based automatic tools have played a significant role in providing security evaluations of symmetric-key primitives. Differential and linear cryptanalysis are the two most important cryptographic techniques. Although some methods have conducted a great effort in exploiting MILP-aided tools in searching for differential (linear) characteristics, traditional methods still suffer from primitives with strong diffusion layers and large sizes, such as NOEKEON. Typically, searching for differential (linear) characteristics of such primitives is difficult, and the corresponding MILP models are too heavy to be solved efficiently. To this end, we propose a simple yet efficient approach to employ MILP to evaluate the security against differential and linear cryptanalysis of such primitives. The core of our approach is to reduce the complex problem to a set of simpler subproblems and obtain the optimal solution of the complex problem by combining all the subproblems. A subproblem is equivalent to searching for all differential (linear) characteristics with a fixed number of active S-boxes in each round. Furthermore, we design an elaborate algorithm consisting of three MILP-aided methods to solve various subproblems and adopt some techniques to improve efficiency further. Applying our new algorithm to three SPN primitives Serpent, NOEKEON and ASCON, we obtain the tightest security bounds against differential and linear cryptanalysis for all three primitives so far and find improved differential and linear characteristics for Serpent and NOEKEON. For Serpent, we improve the upper bound of the maximum probability of 7-round differential characteristics from |$2^{-71}$| to |$2^{-76}$| and find for the first time 7-round differential characteristics. For NOEKEON, our results show that there is no 9-round (10-round) differential (linear) characteristic with a probability (correlation) higher than |$2^{-128}$| (⁠|$2^{-64}$|⁠), whereas it needs 10 rounds (11 rounds) according to the previous results. In addition, we find an 8-round (9-round) differential (linear) characteristic with a probability (correlation) of |$2^{-127}$| (⁠|$2^{-60}$|⁠). For ASCON permutation, we provide for the first time an upper bound of the maximum probability (correlation) of 5-round differential (linear) characteristics as |$2^{-70}$| (⁠|$2^{-33}$|⁠). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effects of the covalent binding of flaxseed protein (FP) and chlorogenic acid (CA) on the structure and functional properties of FP–CA complexes fabricated using the alkali method. The results suggested that the encapsulation efficiency of CA encapsulated by FP ranged from 66.11% to 72.20% and the loading capacity of CA increased with an increasing addition ratio of CA with a dose-dependent relationship, which increased from 2.34% to 10.19%. The particle size, turbidity, zeta potential and PDI of FP and the FP–CA complexes had no significant discrepancy. UV–Vis and fluorescence spectra showed the existence of the interaction between FP and CA. SEM images showed that the surface of the FP–0.35%CA complex had more wrinkles compared to FP. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicated the decomposition temperature of FP at 198 °C was higher than that (197 °C) of the FP–0.35%CA complex, implying that the stability of the FP–CA complexes was lower than FP. The functional properties suggested that the FP–CA complex with 1.40% CA had a higher water holding capacity (500.81%), lower oil holding capacity (273.495%) and lower surface hydrophobicity. Moreover, the FP–CA complexes had better antioxidant activities than that of FP. Therefore, this study provides more insights for the potential application of FP–CA covalent complexes in functional food processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactobacillus plantarum is a kind of probiotic that benefits the host by regulating the gut microbiota, but it is easily damaged when passing through the gastrointestinal tract, hindering its ability to reach the destination and reducing its utilization value. Encapsulation is a promising strategy for solving this problem. In this study, transglutaminase (TGase)-crosslinked gelatin (GE)/sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) hydrogels were used to encapsulate L. plantarum. The effects of TGase concentration and drying method on the physiochemical properties of the hydrogels were determined. The results showed that at a TGase concentration of 9 U/gGE, the hardness, chewiness, energy storage modulus, and apparent viscosity of the hydrogel encapsulation system were maximized. This concentration produced more high-energy isopeptide bonds, strengthening the interactions between molecules, forming a more stable three-dimensional network structure. The survival rate under the simulated gastrointestinal conditions and storage stability of L. plantarum were improved at this concentration. The thermal stability of the encapsulation system dried via microwave vacuum freeze drying (MFD) was slightly higher than that when dried via freeze drying (FD). The gel structure was more stable, and the activity of L. plantarum decreased more slowly during the storage period when dried using MFD. This research provides a theoretical basis for the development of encapsulation technology of probiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trajectory prediction (TP) is a vital operation in air traffic control systems for flight monitoring and tracking. The approach phase of general aviation (GA) aircraft is more of a visual approach, which is related to the safety of the flight and whether to go around. Therefore, it is important to accurately predict the flight trajectory of the approach phase. Based on the historical flight trajectories of GA aircraft, a TP model is proposed with deep learning after feature extraction in this study, and the hybrid model combines a time convolution network and an improved transformer model. First, feature extraction of the spatiotemporal dimension is performed on the preprocessed flight data by using TCN; then, the extracted features are executed by adopting the Informer model for TP. The performance of the novel architecture is verified by experiments based on real flight trajectory data. The results show that the proposed TCN-Informer architecture performs better according to various evaluation metrics, which means that the prediction accuracies of the hybrid model are better than those of the typical prediction models widely used today. Moreover, it has been verified that the proposed method can provide valuable suggestions for decision-making regarding whether to go around during the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A viscosity jump of one to two orders of magnitude in the lower mantle of Earth at 800–1,200-km depth is inferred from geoid inversions and slab-subducting speeds. This jump is known as the mid-mantle viscosity jump1,2. The mid-mantle viscosity jump is a key component of lower-mantle dynamics and evolution because it decelerates slab subduction3, accelerates plume ascent4 and inhibits chemical mixing5. However, because phase transitions of the main lower-mantle minerals do not occur at this depth, the origin of the viscosity jump remains unknown. Here we show that bridgmanite-enriched rocks in the deep lower mantle have a grain size that is more than one order of magnitude larger and a viscosity that is at least one order of magnitude higher than those of the overlying pyrolitic rocks. This contrast is sufficient to explain the mid-mantle viscosity jump1,2. The rapid growth in bridgmanite-enriched rocks at the early stage of the history of Earth and the resulting high viscosity account for their preservation against mantle convection5–7. The high Mg:Si ratio of the upper mantle relative to chondrites8, the anomalous 142Nd:144Nd, 182W:184W and 3He:4He isotopic ratios in hot-spot magmas9,10, the plume deflection4 and slab stagnation in the mid-mantle3 as well as the sparse observations of seismic anisotropy11,12 can be explained by the long-term preservation of bridgmanite-enriched rocks in the deep lower mantle as promoted by their fast grain growth.Bridgmanite-enriched rocks in the deep lower mantle of Earth have a larger grain size and higher viscosity than those of the overlying pyrolitic rocks, which explain the mid-mantle viscosity jump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Egg yolk powder (EYP) with high immunoglobulin of yolk (IgY) content and good solubility is in great demand in the market of functional foods. In this article, the properties of spray‐dried EYP with the addition of five protectants (maltodextrin, trehalose, mannitol, maltitol and sucrose) were investigated. Results: All the protectants increased IgY activity and solubility of EYP. Among them, EYP with maltodextrin displayed the highest activity of IgY (27.11 mg/g), the highest solubility (66.39%) and the lowest surface hydrophobicity. Moreover, the average particle size of EYP with maltodextrin was the smallest (9.78 μm). The egg yolk particles obtained by adding the protectants are more uniformly distributed and have smaller particle size. Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the structural integrity of the proteins, indicating that the protectants addition enhanced the hydrogen bonding forces between the EYP protein molecules. Conclusion: The addition of protectants can significantly improve the IgY content, solubility and structural stability of EYP. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microchannel plates (MCPs) are widely utilized as key device components in various photomultipliers; however, the performance of MCPs cannot be further improved by traditional processing. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a promising route to prepare a composite conductive layer and secondary electron emission (SEE) layer structure on the inner wall of the MCP. Moreover, ZnO is an essential component of a composite conductive layer, which is located at the bottom of the SEE layer and significantly influences the SEE coefficient, which, in turn, affects the gain performance of MCPs. Herein, ALD is used to deposit different thicknesses of ZnO films (1–50 nm) on an Si substrate, resulting in an ZnO/Si double-layer film structure. The relationship between the SEE coefficient and the primary electron energy of ZnO films with different thicknesses was established. The maximum secondary electron yield value of 2.04 is achieved at a film thickness of 30 nm. Moreover, Dionne's SEE model and theory of semiconductors are used to simulate and verify the experimental results. These results provide useful guidelines for the development of ALD-MCPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquatic environments are important reservoirs for drug resistance. Aquatic foods may act as carriers to lead antibiotic-resistant commensal bacteria into the human gastrointestinal system, then contacting gut microbiota and spreading antibiotic resistance. Here, several shrimp farms were investigated to identify colistin resistance among commensal bacteria of aquaculture. A total of 884 (41.6%) colistin-resistant isolates were identified among 2126 strains. Electroporation demonstrated that colistin-resistant fragments were present in some commensal bacteria that could be transferred to other bacteria. Most of the resistant bacteria were Bacillus spp., with 69.3% of the Bacillus species exhibiting multiple drug resistance. Bacillus licheniformis was prevalent, with 58 strains identified that comprised six sequence types (ST) based on multilocus sequence typing. Whole-genome sequencing and comparisons with previous B. licheniformis genomes revealed a high degree of genomic similarity among isolates from different regions. Thus, this species is widely distributed, and this study provides new insights into global antibiotic-resistant characteristics of B. licheniformis. Sequence analyses further revealed some of these strains are even pathogenic and virulent, suggesting the antibiotic resistance and hazards of commensal bacteria in aquaculture should be considered. Considering the "One Health" perspective, improved monitoring of aquatic food is needed to prevent the spread of drug-resistant commensal bacteria from food-associated bacteria to humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the stability and solubility of Cornus officinalis flavonoid (COF), spray drying (SD), freeze‐drying (FD), and microwave freeze drying (MFD) were used to encapsulate COF using whey isolate protein (WPI) and gum arabic as wall materials. The characterization of COF microparticles was performed with encapsulation efficiency (EE), particle size, morphology, antioxidant activity, structure, thermal stability, color, stability during storage, and in vitro solubility. The results showed that COF was successfully encapsulated in the wall material with an EE between 78.86% and 91.11%. The freeze‐dried microparticles had the highest EE (91.11%) and the lowest particle size (12.42 ± 16.73 µm). However, the particle size of COF microparticles of SD and MFD was relatively large. The 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity of the microparticles obtained from SD (89.36 mg Vc/g) was higher than that of MFD (85.67 mg Vc/g), but the drying time and energy consumption of microparticles dried by SD and MFD were lower than those of FD. Furthermore, the spray‐dried COF microparticles had higher stability compared to FD and MFD when stored at 4°C for 30 days. In addition, the dissolution of COF microparticles prepared by SD and MFD was 55.64% and 57.35%, respectively, in simulated intestinal fluids, which was lower than that of FD (64.47%). Therefore, the application of microencapsulation technology showed significant advantages in improving the stability and solubility of COF, and the SD can be used for the preparation of microparticles considering energy cost and quality. Practical Application: COF is an important bioactive ingredient, but its poor stability and water solubility decreases its pharmacological value. COF microparticles can improve the stability of COF, enhance the slow‐release effect, and expand its application in the food field. The drying method will affect the properties of COF microparticles. Thus, the structures and properties analysis of COF microparticles by different drying methods can provide a reference basis for the preparation and application of COF microparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Y3Al5O12 (YAG) is a widely used phosphor host. Its optical properties are controlled by chemical substitution at its YO8 or AlO6/AlO4 sublattices, with emission wavelengths defined by rare‐earth and transition‐metal dopants that have been explored extensively. Nonstoichiometric compositions Y3+xAl5‐xO12 (x ≠ 0) may offer a route to new emission wavelengths by distributing dopants over two or more sublattices simultaneously, producing new local coordination environments for the activator ions. However, YAG typically behaves as a line phase, and such compositions are therefore challenging to synthesize. Here, a series of highly nonstoichiometric Y3+xAl5‐xO12 with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.40 is reported, corresponding to ≤20% of the AlO6 sublattice substituted by Y3+, synthesized by advanced melt‐quenching techniques. This impacts the up‐conversion luminescence of Yb3+/Er3+‐doped systems, whose yellow‐green emission differs from the red‐orange emission of their stoichiometric counterparts. In contrast, the YAG:Ce3+ system has a different structural response to nonstoichiometry and its down‐conversion emission is only weakly affected. Analogous highly nonstoichiometric systems should be obtainable for a range of garnet materials, demonstrated here by the synthesis of Gd3.2Al4.8O12 and Gd3.2Ga4.8O12. This opens pathways to property tuning by control of host stoichiometry, and the prospect of improved performance or new applications for garnet‐type materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infrared‐assisted spouted bed drying (IRSBD) is an innovative hybrid drying technology based on infrared drying and spouted bed drying, which has the advantages of higher drying efficiency and better uniformity. Temperature is an important process parameter that affects drying characteristics and product quality. Considering the overall quality of the product, drying at a constant temperature may not be the best solution. However, there is a lack of research on dynamically varying drying schemes. In this study, the effects of constant and variable temperature drying processes on the drying characteristics, uniformity, energy consumption, and quality of Chinese yams were evaluated. Results: The shortest drying time and lowest energy consumption were obtained by IRSBD at 70 °C, followed by staged rising temperature drying (SRTD). However, SRTD achieved the best drying uniformity. The Peleg model could describe the dehydration kinetics of dried yams well (R2 > 0.99). A high drying temperature (70 °C) favored the preservation of bioactive compounds (polyphenols and flavonoids) and gave the best antioxidant activity and equilibrium rehydration ratio of dried yams but resulted in poor color. Samples dried with SRTD showed comparable good antioxidant activity and better color than those dried at 70 °C. Conclusion: A reasonable variable temperature drying scheme using IRSBD is considered to be better when considering the drying performance and overall quality of the products. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice husk biochar (RHB) is a renewable agricultural waste, and its fixation on pavements helps develop environmentally friendly, economical, and sustainable asphalt pavements. This paper used RHB to replace part of styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) for the composite modification study of matrix asphalt. The high- and low-temperature properties and microscopic mechanisms of the composite-modified asphalt were studied through a series of tests. The results showed that, compared with SBS-modified asphalt, the softening point, viscosity, complex shear modulus, stiffness modulus, and rutting factors of RHB-SBS composite-modified asphalt were improved. In contrast, the ductility and creep rate were slightly decreased, indicating an improvement in the high-temperature performance of composite-modified asphalt, but a slight decrease in its low-temperature performance. The process of RHB and SBS composite modification was mainly physical blending, with only a small number of chemical reactions, and no new functional groups were generated. The porous structure of RHB enables it to adhere better to the network crosslinked continuous phase system formed by SBS and matrix asphalt. This results in composite-modified asphalt with good high-temperature storage stability and rheological properties. Therefore, RHB-SBS composite-modified asphalt can be applied to high-temperature areas and rice-producing areas, and the optimal content of RHB is suggested to be 15%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The effects of increasing temperature and dietary lipid level on the body composition, growth performance, and freshness profile of the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were evaluated through a fish trial lasting 56 days. Findings demonstrated that fish reared at 24 °C presented a lower lipid level and a higher daily growth index than those reared at 20 °C. On the other hand, the sea bass condition index did not change among treatments. Additionally, sensory analysis (the Quality Index Method) and microbiological analysis revealed that fish reared at 24 °C showed better freshness conditions than those at 20 °C. Nevertheless, the dietary lipid level did not have any influence on fish freshness conditions. Therefore, our data suggest that the increase in temperature to 24 °C is beneficial for the growth and freshness profile of this particular species in aquaculture. A fish trial was carried out to evaluate the combined effects of temperature and dietary lipid level on the body composition, growth performance, and freshness profile of the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Fish were kept for 56 days at 20 °C and 24 °C and fed on two diets, with 16% and 20% lipid. At the end of the trial, fish were euthanized at two temperature conditions (0.6 °C or −0.6 °C) and kept on ice for 10 days at 4 °C to evaluate their freshness condition. Findings demonstrated that fish reared at 24 °C presented a lower lipid level and a higher daily growth index than those at 20 °C. Additionally, sensory analysis (Quality Index Method—QIM) and microbiological analysis revealed that fish reared at 24 °C showed better freshness conditions than those at 20 °C. However, the 16S rRNA metabarcoding analyses revealed a higher proliferation of genera associated with fish-spoiling bacteria in the skin microbiome of fish reared at 24 °C, i.e., Vibrio and Acinetobacter, which was not observed in the skin microbiome of fish reared at 20 °C. Nevertheless, the dietary lipid level did not have any influence on fish freshness. Therefore, our data suggest that the increase in temperature to 24 °C is beneficial for the growth and freshness profile (lower QIM and lower CFUs/cm2) of this particular species. Additionally, the lower euthanasia temperature (−0.6 °C) seems to lead to higher fish freshness than the normal temperature (0.6 °C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated the microstructural and luminescence characteristics of high-linearity ZnS:Cu2+,Cl− phosphor. Through conducting the method of high-temperature solid state reaction, we prepared the ZnS phosphors characterizing with two different doping concentrations of Cu2+ ions. The prepared two kinds of ZnS phosphors exhibit two coexisting forms of cubic phase and hexagonal phase, to which the concentration of Cu2+ imposes no influence on the microstructure of the phosphor. The average particle size is 2.68 ± 0.5 μm and the emission wavelength locating at approximate 460 nm attribute to the zinc vacancy. As the concentration of the Cu2+ ions increases, the energy bandgap, the fluorescence lifetime and the luminescence intensity decrease, causing noticeable concentration quenching. In addition, the linear correlation between the emission intensity and the current of the prepared phosphors is stronger than that of commercial ones. The prepared ZnS:Cu2+,Cl− phosphor with high linearity and short fluorescence lifetime has great potential to be applied in practical applications in the field of high-energy physics and astrophysical exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have previously reported that Gypenoside LXXV (GP‐75), a novel natural PPARγ agonist isolated from Gynostemma pentaphyllum, ameliorated cognitive deficits in db/db mice. In this study, we further investigated the beneficial effects on cognitive impairment in APP/PS1 mice and a mouse model of diabetic AD (APP/PS1xdb/db mice). Interestingly, intragastric administration of GP‐75 (40 mg/kg/day) for 3 months significantly attenuated cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 and APP/PS1xdb/db mice. GP‐75 treatment markedly reduced the levels of glucose, HbA1c and insulin in serum and improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in APP/PS1xdb/db mice. Notably, GP‐75 treatment decreased the β‐amyloid (Aβ) burden, as measured by 11C‐PIB PET imaging. Importantly, GP‐75 treatment increased brain glucose uptake as measured by 18F‐FDG PET imaging. Moreover, GP‐75 treatment upregulated PPARγ and increased phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473) and GLUT4 expression levels but decreased phosphorylation of IRS‐1 (Ser616) in the hippocampi of both APP/PS1 and APP/PS1xdb/db mice. Furthermore, GP‐75‐induced increases in GLUT4 membrane translocation in primary hippocampal neurons from APP/PS1xdb/db mice was abolished by cotreatment with the selective PPARγ antagonist GW9662 or the PI3K inhibitor LY294002. In summary, GP‐75 ameliorated cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 and APP/PS1xdb/db mice by enhancing glucose uptake via activation of the PPARγ/Akt/GLUT4 signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a comprehensive model of the circular arc terminated (CAT) resistive anode based on the finite element method to explore the dynamic process of charge diffusion on this anode and its position linearity performance. The waveforms of charges of the electrodes on the anode are calculated for different electrical parameters and their influence on positional linearity is investigated. The influence of the signal development time and the non-uniformity of the resistance per square of the anode on positional linearity is also analyzed. The results of simulations show that the non-linearity of the image varies monotonically with the termination resistance and the non-uniformity of the resistance per square of the anode, but has a non-linear relationship with the signal development time and the ratio of the resistance per square. A CAT resistive anode with capacitance c and a resistance per square of the sensitive area of R▱ can be used to recover an image with a root mean-squared non-linearity of 2%, when the charge signals of the electrode are collected for at least 0.6R▱c s. The reliability of the results of the simulations was verified with experimental measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pilot factor is worth considering when analyzing the causes of civil aviation accidents. This study introduces a data-driven Bayesian network (BN) approach to investigating the joint causal effects of pilot and other factors on civil aviation safety. A total number of 163 individual pilot-related accidents in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) aviation accident database from 2008 to 2020 are analyzed, focusing on eliciting the causal effects of various potential risk factors, including pilot factors, on civil aviation accidents. The modeling of the interdependency among the risk influencing factors (RIFs) and their causal contributory effect on the accident outcome is structured by a tree augmented network (TAN) and validated by sensitivity analysis. The novelty of this study is to incorporate pilot factors derived from the civil aviation accident database into risk analysis, combined with other external factors. The results indicate that weather conditions and flight phases are more correlated with casualty types of civil aviation accidents than pilot action and decision, and three other pilot factors only contribute to fatal injury in civil aviation accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiphase microwave drying (MMD) was proposed to produce dried Chinese yam cubes with good quality comparable to freeze-dried products. The effects of different microwave power loading schemes on the conversion point (water phase in samples changes from solid-to-gas to liquid-to-gas) of MMD were assessed, and the macroscopic physical properties and microstructure characteristics of dried yams were investigated. Results showed that with an increase of microwave power, the time required to reach the conversion point was reduced. And the moisture content at the conversion point as affected by microwave power loading schemes had vital influence on sample quality. When it was 0.378 g·g−1, the properties of the yam cubes resembled those of freeze-dried samples in terms of rehydration, texture, and microstructure. Furthermore, a fractal theory-based microstructure characterization can accurately reflect texture characteristics. MMD has the potential to produce high quality products that matched to freeze-dried ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HERD is a future experiment for the direct detection of high energy cosmic rays. The instrument is based on a calorimeter optimized not only for a good energy resolution but also for a large acceptance. Each crystal composing the calorimeter is equipped with two read-out systems: one based on wavelength-shifting fibers and the other based on two photodiodes with different active areas assembled in a monolithic package. In this paper, we describe the photodiode read-out system, focusing on experimental requirements, design and estimated performances. Finally, we show how these features lead to the flight model project of the photodiode read-out system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aquaculture environment, especially the culture ponds and aquaculture products, is considered to be an important reservoir of colistin resistance genes. However, systematic investigations of colistin resistance in Penaeus vannamei farming in different culture modes are scarce. In this study, a total of 93 non‐duplicated samples were collected from P. vannamei farms in five cities in China from 2019 to 2021. The prevalence, antibiotic resistance and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of colistin‐resistant bacteria were measured and analysed. The results showed that among the 1601 isolates in P. vannamei and its environmental samples, the pollution of colistin‐resistant bacteria was serious (the overall prevalence was 37.3% and 28.8%, respectively), regardless of the earthen pond or high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) film‐lined pond. Among 533 isolates, the prevalence of mobile colistin resistance (mcr) genes, mcr‐1, was the highest (60%, 320/533), followed by mcr‐4 (1.5%, 8/533), mcr‐8 (0.9%, 5/533), mcr‐10 (0.6%, 3/533) and mcr‐7 (0.4%, 2/533). The prevalence of mcr‐1 in earthen ponds was significantly higher than that in HDPE film‐lined ponds (67.5% vs. 49.1%, p <.001). The dominant strain carrying mcr‐1 was Bacillus spp. (54.1%, 173/320), followed by Enterobacter spp. (8.1%, 26/320), Staphylococcus spp. (6.3%, 20/320) and Aeromonas spp. (5.3%, 17/320). The antibiotic resistance profiles of 173 Bacillus spp. varied among different sampling locations and culture types. These isolates were highly resistant to cefepime, ceftriaxone, trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole and ceftiofur (>45%), and multidrug‐resistant isolates were common (62.4%, 108/173). Sequence type (ST) 26 (37/66, 56%) was found to be the most prevalent ST in mcr‐1‐positive Bacillus cereus isolated from the aquaculture environment. In summary, our study pointed out that it is necessary to continuously monitor antibiotic usage and its residues regardless of the pond types, especially with regard to critical drugs such as colistin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artemisia selengensis Turcz (AST) as a common vegetable is rich in di‐caffeoylquinic acids (di‐CQAs) and has been reported to possess multiple health benefits. However, whether di‐CQAs from AST leaf extracts (ASTE) could alleviate gout inflammation is still unknown. Herein, this study explored the inhibitory mechanism of ASTE on gout inflammation in THP‐1 macrophages. Results suggested that ASTE suppressed the secretion and mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin‐18, interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐6, and tumor necrosis factor‐α. Pretreatment with ASTE inhibited lipopolysaccharide‐induced of IκBα degradation, p65 phosphorylation and up‐regulation of Nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain‐like receptor containing pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome proteins. Moreover, ASTE inhibited monosodium urate‐induced the up‐regulation of active caspase‐1 and interleukin‐1β, promoted nuclear factor E2‐related factor2 (Nrf2) to translocate into the nucleus, reducing the generation of MSU‐induced reactive oxygen species. These results suggested that ASTE alleviated gout inflammation via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation and activating Nrf2 signaling pathway. Practical applications: Artemisia selengensis Turcz (AST) as a common vegetable in China belongs to genus Artemisia, which are rich in di‐caffeoylquinic acids. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ASTE on alleviating gout inflammation and whether NLRP3 inflammasome and Nrf2 signaling pathways are involved in the protection of ASTE against gout inflammation. Our findings are significant for developing di‐CQAs from AST by‐products as an effective functional food for preventing gout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave freeze-drying (MFD) is a new freeze-drying technique, which differs from single microwave treatment; it involves simultaneous effects of microwave power, time, and the moisture state applied to the materials. In this study, the effects of MFD under various microwave power densities (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 W/g) on the drying characteristics of Chinese yam slices and the physicochemical, pasting, and thermal properties as well as the starch digestibility of the flour were investigated using conventional hot air drying (HAD) at 50 °C as a control. Compared to HAD, MFD shortened the drying time up to 14.29~35.71%, with a higher drying efficiency at a high microwave power density (1.5 W/g). MFD yam flours provided benefits over HAD products in terms of color, water/oil absorption capacity, and solubility, exhibiting high hot-paste viscosity but low resistant starch content. The content of total starch and free glucose of the yam flour and its iodine blue value were significantly influenced by the drying method and the MFD process parameters (p < 0.05). MFD processing could disrupt the short-range ordered structure of yam starch. Among the MFD flours, samples dried by MFD at 1.5 W/g presented the highest ratio of peak intensity at 1047 and 1022 cm−1 (R1047/1022) value, gelatinization enthalpy, and resistant starch content. These results gave a theoretical foundation for the novel freeze-drying method that MFD applied to foods with a high starch content, enabling the production of a product with the desired quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]