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Fungal contamination and mycotoxin production pose significant challenges to maize preservation. In response, we developed ZnO@SiO 2 nanocomposite, with zinc oxide nanoparticles as the core and mesoporous silica encapsulation. Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) confirmed uniform morphology and good dispersion. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses validated the successful fabrication. Assessing the mycelial growth and mycotoxin production of Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium graminearum , two predominant fungi during maize storage, Significant inhibition by the nanocomposites was observed in both maize flour medium and sterile kernels. In maize flour, it suppressed A. flavus and F. graminearum toxin production by over 64.11% and 80.53%, respectively. In maize kernels, DON, ZEN, AFB 1 , AFB 2 , AFG 1 , and AFG 2 toxins were all inhibited by over 81.3%. Nanocomposite's effectiveness endured in practical storage, with inhibition rates exceeding 72.03% at an addition concentration of 3.0 g/kg. These findings suggest nanocomposite as a promising tool for mitigating mycotoxin contamination during maize storage, with implications for food safety enhancement. [Display omitted] • The prepared ZnO@mSiO 2 could inhibit the growth of fungal hyphae and disrupt their morphology. • The prepared nanocomposite could significantly inhibit the production of mycotoxin during maize storage. • The prepared nanocomposite could significantly improve the storage safety of maize in harsh environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A geometric scheme for array node position calibration suitable for the 3D scenario is proposed using DOA measurements. • Compared with existing algebraic methods, the proposed approach can implement the array node position calibration with comparable calibration accuracy and much less computational burden. • Under given node angle estimation error condition, the proposed method possesses predictable performance with corresponding probabilities. Wireless acoustic sensor networks (WASNs) comprised of spatially distributed acoustic nodes have been increasingly popular in many areas such as speech enhancement, blind source separation, and audio surveillance, where node position information is generally required to implement relevant processing algorithms. In this article, we focus on the node position calibration only using direction-of-arrival (DOA) information with each node consisting of a microphone array. State-of-the-art techniques translate the position calibration into optimization of DOA-based cost functions, and have shown notable success. However, a compromise between position calibration accuracy and computational load still exists. Furthermore, none of the existing studies can offer a quantitative evaluation of calibration performance before the optimization procedure is finished. To address these problems, a geometric solution to array node position calibration is proposed using DOA measurements. For a given array node, DOAs of three sources are first utilized to construct cylinder, plane, and cone equations. Next, the two-dimensional projection of intersections among these equations is calculated using Sylvester resultant matrix. Finally, a closed-form solution of node position in three-dimensional space is established. Moreover, explicit mathematical derivation of the confidence interval analysis on the calibration results under given node angle estimation error condition is presented, indicating that the proposed method can provide predictable performance with corresponding probabilities. The Cramér-Rao bound (CRB) is further investigated. Simulation results reveal that as compared with existing methods our approach achieves comparable calibration accuracy with much less computational burden. Real-world experiments also verify its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the node spreading influence is of significant for information and innovation diffusion. In this paper, we argue that the spreading process should be taken into account for identifying the node spreading influence and investigate the effect of the network structure, measured by the clustering coefficient, on the performance of spreading dynamics. Firstly, we generate a series of networks with tunable clustering coefficients. Then, taking into account the spreading process, we explore the performances among the Dynamics-sensitive (DS) index and the degree, between, closeness, eigenvector indices. Comparing with the Susceptible–Infective–Removed (SIR) model, the extensive results show that, for different spreading time steps and clustering coefficients, the DS centrality outperforms the performance, τ > 0 . 97 , of degree, betweenness, closeness and eigenvector measures. Moreover, the accuracy of closeness and eigenvector centrality is similar and conducts better in networks with larger spreading rate β = 0 . 20 , τ > 0 . 93 . As the clustering coefficient increases, all the performances decrease but DS centrality with least percent of 1.16 at most under β = 0 . 10 , and Closeness with the largest percent of 9.75 under β = 0 . 05 . This work suggests that the spreading influence not only depends on the network structure, more importantly, the spreading dynamic process also affect the performance greatly, which should be taken into account simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular mechanisms behind structural alterations between fragile and stable glycogen α particles in liver are not clear yet. In this pilot study, we re-examined the diurnal alterations of glycogen structure from the perspective of liver tissue transcriptome. By comparing the structures of liver glycogen from mice at 12 am, 8 am, 12 pm, and 8 pm (light-on: 6 am; light-off: 6 pm), we re-confirmed that the liver glycogen was fragile at 12 am and 8 am and stable at 12 pm and 8 pm as previously reported. The structural differences of glycogen particles at 12 am and 12 pm were thoroughly compared via transcriptomics. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with statistical significance were identified, while expression level of the gene ppp1r3g (log 2 Fold_Change = −6.368, P -value = 2.89E−04) that encoded PPP1R3G with glycogen binding domain was most significantly changed, which provided preliminary clues to the structural alterations of glycogen α particles during the diurnal cycle. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper empirically investigates the functions of price discovery and risk transfer in crude oil and gasoline futures markets using some econometric models. And the results indicate that, first, 95.71% and 59.41% of the price discovery function is performed by futures in crude oil and gasoline markets respectively during the sample period, implying the greater contribution of the futures markets compared with that of the spot markets. Meanwhile, the gasoline futures price makes 85.71% contribution to price discovery in its interaction with crude oil futures price. Second, crude oil futures price performs the risk transfer function much better than gasoline futures price in interactions with their respective spot prices. And the risk transfer function between crude oil and gasoline futures markets is not well performed. Finally, the recent financial crisis has not significantly influenced the price discovery and risk transfer functions between crude oil and gasoline futures markets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Necrosis at the distal end of random skin flaps remains a significant challenge, limiting the clinical application of these flaps in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Inhibiting ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and promoting the formation of neovascular networks are critical preventive strategies. Platelet-derived small extracellular vesicles (PL-sEV) are nanocarriers of growth factors that provide an alternative to clinically used platelet-rich plasma and platelet lysates, offering higher growth factor concentrations and lower immunogenicity. In this study, PANoptosis, a distinct form of inflammatory cell death, was fully characterized in a random skin flap model. Subcutaneous injection of PL-sEV improved ischemic skin flap survival by enhancing blood perfusion and reducing PANoptosis levels. In vitro , PL-sEV inhibited oxygen–glucose deprivation/reoxygenation-induced dysfunction in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Furthermore, PL-sEV was incorporated into a thermosensitive triblock hydrogel, creating a sprayable delivery system (PLEL@PL-sEV). Mechanistic analysis through RNA sequencing indicated that the protective effects of PL-sEV against PANoptosis likely resulted from its anti-inflammatory properties, particularly via suppression of the NF-κB signaling pathway. This novel hydrogel system demonstrated controlled release of PL-sEV and proved effective in improving skin flap transplantation outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been reported that glycogen in Escherichia coli has two structural states, that is, fragility and stability, which alters dynamically. However, molecular mechanisms behind the structural alterations are not fully understood. In this study, we focused on the potential roles of two important glycogen degradation enzymes, glycogen phosphorylase (glgP) and glycogen debranching enzyme (glgX), in glycogen structural alterations. The fine molecular structure of glycogen particles in Escherichia coli and three mutants (Δ glgP , Δ glgX and Δ glgP /Δ glgX) were examined, which showed that glycogen in E. coli Δ glgP and E. coli Δ glgP /Δ glgX were consistently fragile while being consistently stable in E. coli Δ glgX , indicating the dominant role of GP in glycogen structural stability control. In sum, our study concludes that glycogen phosphorylase is essential in glycogen structural stability, leading to molecular insights into structural assembly of glycogen particles in E. coli. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• New diiron monophosphine precursors FePR (R = F , H, and Me) were prepared and characterized. • A new family of CNT-supported diiron monophosphine hybrids CNT- f -FePR was fabricated and characterized. • Substituent effects of FePR on electrocatalytic HER behaviros of CNT- f -FePR were investigated systematically. • Electrochemical studies indicate hybrid CNT- f -FePF exhibits a better HER activity in 0.1 M H 2 SO 4. • DFT calculation reveals hybrid CNT- f -FePF has a lower Δ G H* value relative to homologues CNT- f -FePR (R = H , Me). In order to explore substituent effects of PR 3 -phosphine ligands of diiron dithiolato complexes on the catalytic performances of [FeFe]-hydrogenase mimics for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in an aqueous medium, three new diiron monophosphine complexes [{(μ -SCH 2) 2 N(C 6 H 4 CH 2 CH 2 OH)}Fe 2 (CO) 5 {P(C 6 H 4 R- 4) 3 }] (labeled as FePR ; R = F , H, and Me) were prepared and can be further linked covalently into carbon nanotube (CNT) to construct the target CNT-supported hybrids denoting as CNT- f -FePR. The molecular structures of diiron complexes FePR are well characterized through element analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and X-ray crystallography, whereas the formations of target hybrids CNT- f -FePR have been confirmed by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman and FT-IR. Notably, the electrochemical HER performances of target hybrids CNT- f -FePR (R = F , H, and Me) are studied and compared in 0.1 M H 2 SO 4 aqueous solution by means of linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Among these hybrids, the CNT- f -FePF hybrid exhibits a more efficient HER activity in an aqueous media based on their electrochemical observations that the CNT- f -FePF hybrid with F-substituted phosphine has lower applied overpotential, smaller Tafel slope, larger electrochemical active surface area, smaller charge transfer resistance, and lower hydrogen chemisorption free energy relative to its analogues CNT- f -FePH and CNT- f -FePMe with H- or Me-substituted phosphines. A new family of CNT-supported diiron monophosphine complexes denoting as CNT- f -FePR (R = F vs. H vs. Me) was constructed in order to investigate the substituent effects of diiron phosphine clusters FePR on the electrochemical HER performances of hydrogenase-inspired catalysts CNT- f -FePR in aqueous medium. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The optical properties of TiO2 thin films prepared by electron beam evaporation were studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry and analyzed quantitatively using effective medium approximation theory and an effective series capacitance model. The refractive indices of TiO2 are essentially constant and approach to those of bulk TiO2 for films thicker than 40nm, but drop sharply with a decrease in thickness from 40 to 5.5nm. This phenomenon can be interpreted quantitatively by the thickness dependence of the void fraction and interfacial oxide region. The optical band gaps calculated from Tauc law increase with an increase of film thickness, and can be attributed to the contribution of disorder effect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]