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Against the backdrop of cap-and-trade regulations, we construct a low-carbon supply chain in which a seller holds the manufacturer's equity. We investigate the impact of the seller's equity holding and the cap-and-trade regulations on the supply chain members' optimal decisions, profits and coordination in the cases of information symmetry and asymmetry. We find that, regardless of whether there is information asymmetry or symmetry, the manufacturer always benefits from an equity holding, while the seller can only earn higher profits through equity holding if the percentage of equity holding and the level of consumer low-carbon awareness are both sufficiently high. Both the seller and the manufacturer prefer the information asymmetry scenario when the manufacturer's efficiency in emission reduction is below a particular threshold. In addition, equity holding can incentivize the manufacturer to share its information with the seller. Equity holding is beneficial for emission reduction and market demand but is not always beneficial for improving the supply chain's total profit and reducing the supply chain's total carbon emissions. Finally, with a transfer payment contract, a decentralized supply chain can obtain the same optimal profits as in the centralized supply chain scenario, and both the manufacturer and seller can earn higher profits than before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deer tendon, a deer processing byproduct, is an excellent protein source for the preparation of peptides for improving osteoporosis by its high protein content and high nutritional value. The optimal process of collagen acid extraction was implemented and the results showed that the acid concentration was 7%, the material–liquid ratio was 1:25, and the soaking time was 48 h. DTCHs could promote MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation and increase alkaline phosphatase activities in vitro. In addition, compared with the model group, the DTCHs treatment groups with an oral dosage of 350, 750, and 1500 mg/kg rat/day could significantly improve the shape, weight, bone mechanics, and alkaline phosphatase activities of tail-suspended mice. Bone microstructure and mineralization also recovered significantly in vivo. This result is expected to provide the structural and biological information for DTCHs-based functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social network cognition of the elderly has become a common consensus in the international community to actively deal with the aging population. Previous studies focused on the impact of social network cognition on the dietary diversity and self-rated health of the elderly, but ignored the possible interaction between them. Based on the CLHLS data of the health and longevity follow-up survey of the elderly in China, this paper uses fixed effect model and fixed effect model to analyze and verify the interaction between them. On the premise of controlling the related variables, the model shows that there is a significant causal relationship between the self-rated health of dietary diversity and social network cognition of the elderly. The elderly with good self-rated health of dietary diversity have a 22.0%–40.1% higher incidence of social network cognition than those with poor self-rated health of dietary diversity; Compared with the elderly without social network cognition, the elderly with social network cognition had 16.4%–25.6% higher rate of self-rated health; The study also found that social network cognition is more likely to play a significant role in the self-rated healthy samples of dietary diversity in the base period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To effectively deliver lutein, hydrothermally prepared tea seed cake protein nanoparticles (TSCPN) were used to fabricate Pickering emulsion, and the bioaccessibility of lutein encapsulated by Pickering emulsion and the conventional emulsion was evaluated in vitro. The results indicated that the average size and absolute value of zeta potential of TSCPN increased along with the increase in the protein concentration, and 2% protein concentration was adopted to prepare TSCPN. With the increase in the concentration of TSCPN, the size of Pickering emulsion decreased from 337.02 μm to 89.36 μm, and when the TSCPN concentration was greater than 0.6%, all emulsions exhibited good stability during the 14 days storage. Combined with the microstructure result, 1.2% TSCPN was used to stabilize Pickering emulsion. With the increase in ionic concentration (0–400 mM), the particle size of the emulsions increased while the absolute value of zeta potential decreased. TSCPN-based Pickering emulsion was superior to the conventional emulsion for both lutein encapsulation (96.6 ± 1.0% vs. 82.1 ± 1.4%) and bioaccessibility (56.0 ± 1.1% vs. 35.2 ± 1.2%). Thus, TSCPN-based Pickering emulsion in this study have the potential as an effective carrier for lutein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to design a Pickering emulsion (PE) stabilized by whey protein isolate nanofibers (WPINs) prepared with subcritical water (SW) to encapsulate and prevent curcumin (Cur) degradation. Cur-loaded WPINs–SW stabilized PE (WPINs–SW–PE) and hydrothermally prepared WPINs stabilized PE (WPINs–H–PE) were characterized using the particle size, zeta potential, Congo Red, CD, and TEM. The results indicated that WPINs–SW–PE and WPINs–H–PE showed regular spherical shapes with average lengths of 26.88 ± 1.11 μm and 175.99 ± 2.31 μm, and zeta potential values were −38.00 ± 1.00 mV and −34.60 ± 2.03 mV, respectively. The encapsulation efficiencies of WPINs–SW–PE and WPINs–H–PE for Cur were 96.72 ± 1.05% and 94.07 ± 2.35%. The bio-accessibility of Cur of WPINs–SW–PE and WPINs–H–PE were 57.52 ± 1.24% and 21.94 ± 2.09%. In addition, WPINs–SW–PE had a better loading effect and antioxidant activities compared with WPINs–H–PE. SW could be a potential processing method to prepare a PE, laying the foundation for the subsequent production of functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, subcritical water extraction (SWE) assisted with deep eutectic solvent (DES) is used to extract Lentinus edodes polysaccharides (LEP). In addition, the antioxidant activity of the polysaccharide samples was also investigated. Based on a single factor test and response surface test, the optimal extraction factors were a liquid–solid solvent of 40:1 mL/g, extraction temperature of 147.23 °C, water content of 39.76% and extraction time of 17.58 min. Under these extraction conditions, the yield of LEP was 6.26 ± 0.08%. Compared with the SWE and hot water extraction (HWE), it improved by 19.24% and 17.01%, respectively. In addition, the results of monosaccharide composition, molecular weight, FT-IR, UV and SEM confirmed that the extracts had the features of polysaccharides. Interestingly, the polysaccharides obtained with the SWE assisted with the DES procedure showed a higher DPPH scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, which indicated that the polysaccharides with this method had a stronger antioxidant activity. These findings demonstrated that the SWE-assisted DES is a strong method to obtain polysaccharides from Lentinus edodes for food, biopharmaceutical and other industrial production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polar components (PCs) are produced during the frying of oil, affecting the quality of edible oil and posing a hazard to human health. In this study, C57 mice were fed a high‐fat (HF) diet containing purified PCs for nine weeks. Their effects on lipid metabolism and liver function in animals were analyzed. Our results indicated that the contents of total PCs and saturated fatty acid increased from 6.07 ± 0.6% and 58.27 ± 0.35% to 19.17 ± 1.8% and 69.91 ± 0.51%, respectively (P < 0.01). PC intake resulted an 18.56% higher liver index in mice than that in the HF group. The PC group had the highest malondialdehyde (MDA) content (1.94 ± 0.11 nmol/mg protein) and the liver nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) activity score (NAS) was 4, which already showed NAFLD characteristics. In addition, the expression levels of lipid metabolism‐related genes, including sterol regulatory element binding protein‐1c (SREBP‐1c), fatty acid synthetase (FAS), peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐alpha, and peroxisome acyl‐CoA oxidase 1, indicated that PC increased hepatic lipid accumulation by upregulating the transcriptional level of fat synthesis genes and further leads to liver damage by affecting mitochondrial function. Our results provided important information about the effects of PCs produced in the frying process of PO on animal health, which is critical for assessing the biosafety of fried products. Practical Application: The research will help promote the industrial upgrading of fried foods and help consumers build healthy lifestyles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this study was to characterize the mineral and chemical composition of typical red muds in China. Changes in the physicochemical and microstructural properties of red muds collected from the Shanxi and Shandong provinces were investigated after they were immersed in an alkaline NaOH or an acidic HCl solution for 7, 28, and 120 days. The results showed that red mud has a high cation exchange capacity and active physicochemical properties, which can be closely related to its extremely high alkalinity and complex microstructure. The neutralization of red mud with the HCl solution results in the release of Na+ from the red mud particles into the leachate and can effectively decrease the pH value of the filtrate. The neutralization process can result in a significant decrease in the liquid limit, plastic limit and plasticity index, whereas the opposite was observed for the different parameters after the addition of the NaOH solution. In this sense, acid neutralization can significantly improve the cementation property of the red mud. This result will increase the water permeability of the acid-treated soil layer and improve the growth ability of plants. The specific surface area of red mud immersed in the NaOH solution decreased, whereas the specific surface area of red mud immersed in the HCl solution increased. This study contributes to our understanding of red mud properties after the red mud has been subjected to acidic and alkaline treatments, and the results can provide insights into the safe disposal of red mud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, peanut oil was prepared by cold pressing (temperature under 60 °C), hot pressing (temperature above 105 °C), and enzyme‐assisted aqueous extraction technology. Influences of an extraction technology on the oil fatty acid composition and the content of minor bioactive compounds, including tocopherols, polyphenols, and squalene, were investigated in detail. High‐fat‐diet Sprague–Dawley (SD) rat model was then established to probe the impact of cold‐pressed peanut oil (CPO), hot‐pressed peanut oil (HPO), and enzyme‐assisted aqueous‐extracted peanut oil (EAO) on lipid metabolism outcomes, to explore influences of different extraction technologies on lipid functional quality. Results showed that oleic acid was the predominate fatty acid in the EAO (52.57 ± 0.11%), which was also significantly higher (P < 0.05) than CPO and HPO. The HPO showed higher total tocopherol and polyphenol contents (206.84 ± 6.93 mg/kg and 47.87 ± 6.50 mg GA/kg, respectively) than CPO and EAO (P < 0.05). However, the squalene content in CPO was 475.47 ± 12.75 mg/kg, which was the highest among the three oils (P < 0.05). The animal experiment results revealed that EAO could be more prone to induce lipid accumulation in the liver, which may likely to cause nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. However, the serum lipid profiles indicated that the CPO was more beneficial than the EAO and HPO in lowering the serum low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase contents, and increasing the high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol content. All of our efforts indicated that an extraction technology can affect the peanut oil lipid fatty acid composition, the bioactive compounds content, and, correspondingly, the lipid metabolism in SD rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relation between longitudinal emission reduction investment of supply chain enterprises and the government's subsidy policy is studied in this paper, the game model against subsidy of the government for emission reduction investment of manufacture and retailer is developed. This study analyzes the optimal investment of enterprises and the optimal emission reduction subsidy of the government under the Nash and Stackelberg game conditions. The results show that the government's emission reduction subsidies for two parties on the supply chain, as well as the benefits to such two parties, are affected by the cooperative relationship in the supply chain. That is, manufacturer and retailer are in the highest position in the Nash game, followed by the Stackelberg game and the lowest in central decisions. Comparing the subsidy differences of the government in the emission reduction investment by manufacturer and retailer under different force structures, the longitudinal emission reduction investment in the supply chain and the government's subsidy policy under different game conditions are concluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Postweaning swimming exercise improved social dominance in mice. • Postweaning swimming exercise had long-lasting and sex-dependent effects on enhancing social dominance in mice. • Metabolomics analysis was conducted to explore the underlying mechanism. Increasing evidence has shown that early life events exert long-lasting effects on brain function and mental diseases. Exercise has been proven to have many positive effects on behaviors, such as reducing anxiety- and depression-like behaviors and alleviating cognitive impairment. However, the long-lasting and even short-term effects of regular swimming exercise on social dominance remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential effects of postweaning swimming exercise on social dominance and metabolic adaptation in adult mice. Three-week-old mice performed 1 h of swimming exercise in warm water for 4 weeks. A series of behavioral tests, such as the social dominance test (SDT), open field test (OFT), and forced swim test (FST), were conducted. Behavioral test results showed that both male and female mice in the swimming group had a higher rank than those in the sedentary group in the SDT of early adulthood, while only female mice in the swimming group maintained the social dominance in late adulthood. There was no difference between the swimming and sedentary groups in anxiety- and depression-like behaviors. Metabolomics analysis showed that there were alterations in particular metabolites and signaling pathways after one month of swimming exercise, including sphingolipid metabolism, neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction and caffeine metabolism. In conclusion, our results provide the first evidence that postweaning swimming exercise has long-lasting and sex-dependent effects on social dominance, which may be caused by metabolic adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We recently reported that exposure to triclosan (TCS), a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent, affects social behaviors in adult mice, however, the long-lasting effects of TCS exposure during early life on social behaviors are still elusive. The present study aimed to investigate the long-lasting impacts of adding TCS to the maternal drinking water during lactation on the social behaviors of adult mouse offspring and to explore the potential mechanism underlying these effects. The behavioral results showed that TCS exposure decreased body weight, increased depression-like behavior and decreased social dominance in both male and female offspring, as well as increased anxiety-like behavior and bedding preference in female offspring. In addition, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) indicated that TCS exposure increased peripheral proinflammatory cytokine levels, altered serum oxytocin (OT) levels, and downregulated the expression of postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95) in the hippocampus. Morphological analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated that exposure to TCS induced morphological changes to synapses and neurons in the hippocampus of offspring. These findings suggested that TCS exposure during lactation contributed to abnormal social behaviors accompanied by increased peripheral inflammation and altered hippocampal neuroplasticity, which provides a deeper understanding of the effects of TCS exposure during early life on brain function and behavioral phenotypes. [Display omitted] • Maternal TCS exposure induced depression- and anxiety-like behavior in mouse offspring. • Maternal TCS exposure decreased social dominance in adult mouse offspring. • Maternal TCS exposure altered serum cytokine and OT levels in adult mouse offspring. • Maternal TCS exposure induced neuroplastic changes in the hippocampus of adult mouse offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent years have seen an increase in school refusal behavior among adolescents, potentially due to factors like excessive short-form video viewing, bullying, and school anxiety. Limited research has investigated how these factors contribute to school refusal behavior. This study used random forest regression, path analysis, and network analysis to identify key variables and pathways leading to school refusal behavior., Methods: In this cross-sectional questionnaire-based study, 2,056 (996 male, 1,060 female, mean age: 14.79 ± 1.24 years) middle and senior high school students were asked to complete the School Refusal Behavior Assessment questionnaire to assess school refusal behavior features, the Excessive Short-Form Video Viewing Scale as well as self-reported viewing times during leisure days to assess excessive short-form video viewing, the SNAP-IV Rating Scale to assess the severity of inattention symptoms, and the self-administered questionnaires to assess experiences of being bullied and school anxiety., Results: The prevalence of school refusal behavior in the surveyed adolescents was found to be 31.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): 29.8-33.9%]. In terms of significance, the severity of inattention symptoms exhibited the greatest predictive power, while excessive short-form video viewing accounted for the most variance. Path analysis revealed that excessive short-form video viewing not only directly affects school refusal behavior features but also does so indirectly through severity of inattention symptoms and school anxiety. Key bridge factors in this pathway include intense fear and anxiety associated with school attendance, manifesting as somatic symptoms and avoidance behaviors., Conclusion: The findings indicate that not only does excessive short-form video viewing directly influence school refusal behavior features in adolescents, but it also indirectly impacts these features through mechanisms involving severity of inattention symptoms and school anxiety. The bridge factors highlight potential targets for interventions among the SRB features and predictors., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Du, Wang, Wang, Liu, Li, Lv, Peng, Chang, Li, Liu, Liu, Yu and Li.)

Hoarding behavior can effectively improve people's ability to resist risks, so as to reduce the negative effects of risks. However, excessive hoarding behavior will seriously reduce people's quality of life. The COVID-19 pandemic can cause excessive hoarding in a large number of people in a short period of time, and also cause a series of economic problems such as social material shortage. It is unclear how hoarding levels are linked to fear and negative emotions caused by COVID-19 among people of different educational backgrounds and social status. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and hoarding behavior in different populations in school and social contexts, as well as the mediating role of negative emotions and the moderating role of subjective/objective social status and education level in this process. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in various provinces in China in January 2022. Demographic information, the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status, the Fear of COVID-19 scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress-21, and the Saving Inventory-Revised were used to evaluate the severity of individual hoarding symptoms, the frequency of hoarding, the degree of fear, and the negative emotions (depression, anxiety, stress) caused by COVID-19. Research data showed that fear of COVID-19 was significantly correlated with hoarding behavior ( p <  0.05). Fear of COVID-19 was significantly lower in the student sample than in the nonstudent sample ( p <  0.05). Negative emotions played a mediating role in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and hoarding behavior ( p <  0.05). Educational and economic levels moderated this process, but social status did not. Compared with the student sample, educational background and income had less of a moderating effect on the depression, anxiety, and stress caused by fear of COVID-19 in the nonstudent sample. However, these factors had a more regulative effect on the clutter and excessive acquisition behavior caused by depression, anxiety, and stress, although not on difficulty discarding. These findings suggest that reduce negative emotions in the population, improve cognitive levels, and provide financial support from governments may be effective ways to reduce hoarding symptoms., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhao, Yu, Zhao, Cai, Gao, Liu, Wang, Zhang, Chen, Li and Shi.)

For the controversy still existed about the oxidation stability of the high oleic oils compared with palm oil (PO), this study was aimed to explore the possible reason causing the controversies. Total polar compounds (TPC) was used to evaluate the oxidation stability of oils. Results showed there exist two kinds of lineal changes about the content of total polar compounds (TPC) in each oil, which were closely linked with the fatty acid composition and the tocochromanols content. The possible influence of the initial quality of oils also should be considered. The TPC of high oleic peanut oil (HOPO), high oleic sunflower oil (HOSO), high oleic rapeseed oil (HORO) and PO increased slowly at the initial period mainly owing to the antioxidation of tocochromanols, then sharply after 24, 48, 36 and 72 h respectively, when tocochromanols in each oil almost reduced below the detection limit. After that, the major factor would be fatty acids, particularly PUFA. It showed that the major tocochromanols in different oils (e.g. α, γ-tocotrienols in PO, α, γ-tocopherols in HORO and HOPO, and α-tocopherols in HOSO), could impose the main effects of inhibiting the TPC generation in the initial thermal treatment. The TPC in HORO significantly increased after 84 hours of heat process, which might be caused by the higher content of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (i.e. C18:2 and C18:3). However, the content of the saturated fatty acid (SFA) did not show statistically significant change during the thermal treatment.