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Protein N-glycosylation in human milk whey plays a substantial role in infant health during postnatal development. Changes in site-specific glycans in milk whey reflect the needs of infants under different circumstances. However, the conventional glycoproteomics analysis of milk whey cannot reveal the changes in site-specific glycans because the attached glycans are typically enzymatically removed from the glycoproteins prior to analysis. In this study, N-glycoproteomics analysis of milk whey was performed without removing the attached glycans, and 330 and 327 intact glycopeptides were identified in colostrum and mature milk whey, respectively. Label-free quantification of site-specific glycans was achieved by analyzing the identified intact glycopeptides, which revealed 9 significantly upregulated site-specific glycans on 6 glycosites and 11 significantly downregulated site-specific glycans on 8 glycosites. Some interesting change trends in N-glycans attached to specific glycosites in human milk whey were observed. Bisecting GlcNAc was found attached to 11 glycosites on 8 glycoproteins in colostrum and mature milk. The dynamic changes in site-specific glycans revealed in this study provide insights into the role of protein N-glycosylation during infant development.

Weak electrocatalytic activity of the La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3-δ (LSM) oxygen electrode at medium and low temperatures leads to decreasing performance both in the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) mode and the solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) mode. Herein, we design an Er 0.4 Bi 1.6 O 3-δ (ESB) functionalized La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3-δ (labeled as LSM/ESB) oxygen electrode via a one-step co-synthesis modified Pechini method. The unique LSM/ESB with polarization resistance of only 0.029 Ω·cm 2 at 750 °C enables a highly enhanced rate of oxygen reduction and evolution reaction. The single cell with the LSM/ESB electrode achieves a maximum power density of 1.747 W cm -2 at 750 °C, 2.6 times higher than that of the mechanically mixed LSM-ESB electrode (0.667 W cm -2 ). In the SOEC mode, it also shows the improved performance of the LSM/ESB electrode. Furthermore, the cell exhibits admirable durability of 90 h in the fuel cell mode and excellent reversibility. The better performance can be concluded as a better surface-active state and a tighter connection between the LSM and ESB particles of LSM/ESB via a co-synthesis process. This work proposes a novel strategy to advance the application of the one-step modified Pechini technology for an efficient and stable oxygen electrode.

ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, naturally found in fish oil, are highly desirable for their associated health benefits. However, they are highly prone to oxidation and degradation. We examined the feasibility of simultaneously adding a solid lipid (palmitic acid) and an antioxidant (quercetin) into a whey-protein-isolate-stabilized solid lipid nanoparticle emulsion for encapsulating fish oil. The goal was to find a rational and new formulation containing both solid lipid and antioxidant that can encapsulate fish oil and give it the best physicochemical stability. Our results show that adding palmitic acid improved the physical stability of the emulsions by decreasing the size of the oil-in-water droplets. On the basis of the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay, we found out that at low concentrations of palmitic acid the addition of quercetin played a dominant role in increasing the oxidation stability of fish oil. On the contrary, at high concentrations of palmitic acid, it was palmitic acid that dominated the oxidation inhibition by the solidification of the encapsulates' core.

Precisely controlling microstructure of colloidal particles is crucial for their applications. Core-shell colloids have been extensively synthesized and used in past decades. However, controlling the location of cores in core-shell particles remains a challenge. To address this problem we explored the synthesis of SiO 2 -PS core-shell colloids by using a simple system containing only core particles, monomer, initiator, and water/ethanol and found the increase of ethanol/water ratio can induce a structure transition sequence from eccentric to concentric to eccentric to concentric to eccentric. Furthermore, we illustrate that the eccentric ratios of SiO 2 -PS core-shell colloids, that is, the location of SiO 2 cores in the whole particles, can be precisely controlled by a two-step polymerization procedure. It is anticipated that our results can widen the application of core-shell colloids, especially after the introduction of functionality for core or shell materials.

A quantum-dot (QD)-based micelle conjugated with an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) nanobody (Nb) and loaded with an anticancer drug, aminoflavone (AF), has been engineered for EGFR-overexpressing cancer theranostics. The near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence of the indium phosphate core/zinc sulfide shell QDs (InP/ZnS QDs) allowed for in vivo nanoparticle biodistribution studies. The anti-EGFR nanobody 7D12 conjugation improved the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of the QD-based micelles in EGFR-overexpressing MDA-MB-468 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. In comparison with the AF-encapsulated nontargeted (i.e., without Nb conjugation) micelles, the AF-encapsulated Nb-conjugated (i.e., targeted) micelles accumulated in tumors at higher concentrations, leading to more effective tumor regression in an orthotopic triple-negative breast cancer xenograft mouse model. Furthermore, there was no systemic toxicity observed with the treatments. Thus, this QD-based Nb-conjugated micelle may serve as an effective theranostic nanoplatform for EGFR-overexpressing cancers such as TNBCs.

The layered lithium-rich cathode material, Li 1.2 Ni 0.2 Mn 0.6 O 2 , was successfully synthesized by a sol-gel method followed by coating with different amounts of Li 2 O-2B 2 O (LBO, 1, 3, and 5 wt %). The effects of LBO-coating layer on the structure, morphology, and low-temperature (-30 °C) electrochemical properties of these materials are investigated systematically. The morphology, crystal structure, and grain size of the Li-rich layered oxide are not essentially changed after surface modification; according to the TEM results, the Li-B-O coating layer exists as an amorphous layer with a thickness of 5-8 nm when the amount is 3 wt %. Electrochemistry tests reveal that 3 wt % LBO-coated samples present the best electrochemical capability at low temperature. At -20 °C, the 3 wt % LBO-coated sample could retain 45.7% of the initial discharge capacity (131.7/288.0 mAh g -1 ) of that at 30 °C, while the pristine material could only retain 22.5% (57.5/256.0 mAh g -1 ). XPS spectra and EIS results reveal that such an enhancement of low-temperature discharge capacity should be attributed to the proper LBO-coating layer, which not only endows the modified materials with more stable surface structure but also lowers the interface resistance of Li + diffusion through the interface and charge transfer reaction.

Layered lithium-rich cathode materials have been considered as competitive candidates for advanced lithium-ion batteries because they are environmentally benign, high capacity (more than 250 mAh·g -1 ), and low cost. However, they still suffer from poor rate capability and modest cycling performance. To address these issues, we have proposed and constructed a spinel-structure skin and ferric oxide islands on the surface of layered lithium-rich cathode materials through a facile wet chemical method. During the surface modification, Li ions in the surface area of pristine particles could be partially extracted by H + , along with the depositing process of ferric hydrogen. After calcination, the surface structure transformed to spinel structure, and ferric hydrogen was oxidized to ferric oxide. The as-designed surface structure was verified by EDX, HRTEM, XPS, and CV. The experimental results demonstrated that the rate performance and capacity retentions were significantly enhanced after such surface modification. The modified sample displayed a high discharge capacity of 166 mAh·g -1 at a current density of 1250 mA·g -1 and much more stable capacity retention of 84.0% after 50 cycles at 0.1C rate in contrast to 60.6% for pristine material. Our surface modification strategy, which combines the advantages of spinel structure and chemically inert ferric oxide nanoparticles, has been shown to be effective for realizing the layered lithium-rich cathodes with surface construction of fast ion diffusing capability as well as robust electrolyte corroding durability.

Two molecular architectures featuring the cation-responsive tryptophan indole were designed and investigated for the development of a novel fluorescent chemosensor for Ca2+. We observed that the Trp-based open-framework chemosensor EW2 exhibits remarkable selectivity for Ca2+ over Mg2+, Ba2+, K+, Na+, and Li+ in water between pH 4.6 and 7.0 on the basis of Ca2+-induced high fluorescence enhancement of the Trp residue. A combined 13C NMR and CD spectroscopic study has demonstrated a dynamic reorientation of the indole ring due to the cation-indole interaction accompanying the Ca2+-induced dramatic fluorescence enhancement. The results suggest that the highly sensitive, metal-ion-dependent Trp indolyl C(3) chemical shifts may serve as a promising indicator for monitoring metal ion-indole noncovalent interaction in solution.