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Paper-based cultural relics inevitably face a variety of diseases such as acidification, yellowing, and strength loss during long-term preservation, where weakly alkaline inorganic materials play an important role in their deacidification treatments. In this work, by simply adjusting the supersaturation of crystal growing solution without the use of any organic additives, one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) weakly alkaline materials—magnesium carbonate hydrates (MCHs)—were controllably synthesized. It is worth noting that the coatings of 1D/2D MCHs not only cause little change in chromatic aberration and water wettability, but also ensure their safety for alkali-sensitive pigments. Meanwhile, the deacidification, anti-aging, strength-enhancing, and flame-retardant effects of these materials have been tested on ancient book papers, all of which achieved good protective effects. In contrast, 1D MCH materials brought about significant enhancement in both mechanical strengths and flame-retardant effects, and the related effects were investigated. Based on this facile micromorphology control strategy, more low-dimensional nanomaterials are expected to be synthesized by design for the protection of paper-based relics, which will expand our knowledge on functional deacidification and protection mechanisms.

Eukaryotic phytoplankton play a major role in the circulation of material and energy in a lake’s ecosystem. The acquisition of information on the eukaryotic phytoplankton community is extremely significant for handling and regulating the ecosystems of lakes. In this study, samples were collected from the western half of Chaohu Lake in the summer and winter periods. Analyses revealed that the eukaryotic phytoplankton in this region comprised 70 genera, 34 orders, and 7 phyla. There were 61 genera, 29 orders, and 7 phyla in summer, and 25 genera, 14 orders, and 5 phyla in winter. The dominant genus was Chlamydomonas of Chlorophyta in summer. In contrast, the dominant genus was Mychonastes of Chlorophyta in winter. The diversity index analysis revealed that the eukaryotic phytoplankton community exhibited greater fluctuation in the summer than in the winter. Moreover, analysis of the physiochemical properties of the water samples showed considerable spatial and temporal differences in the water quality. This paper focusses primarily on analysing the influence of the physiochemical properties of water on the eukaryotic phytoplankton community. In particular, the effects of the major physicochemical properties of water on the community evolution of eukaryotic phytoplankton classes were evaluated using the redundancy analysis method. The findings demonstrated that total phosphorus (TP), PO4−-P, NH4+-N, and total nitrogen (TN) were the primary influencing factors in summer, whereas NO3−-N, DO, and water temperature (WT) were the major influencing factors in winter. Subsequently, the Mantel test revealed that the phylum level of the eukaryotic phytoplankton community was significantly correlated with WT, DO, NH4+-N, TN, TP, and Chlorophyll a. Variance partitioning analysis indicated that seasonal factors accounted for a large proportion of the variation in the eukaryotic phytoplankton community, reaching 48.4%. Subsequently, co-occurrence network analysis demonstrated that most families of eukaryotic phytoplankton were facilitated mutually, with the proportion of promotion being 94.1%. This study provides insight into the crucial factors that influence the phytoplankton communities and a reasonable control direction for the positive evolution of the eukaryotic phytoplankton community in the western half of Chaohu Lake.

This study investigated the flame structure and dynamics of a bluff-body flame when numerically close to blow-off conditions. This includes the impact of the hydrogen ratio on lean CH4/H2/air flame stabilization and blow-off characteristics. In this study, we assessed the impacts of four different hydrogen ratios: 0%, 30%, 60%, and 90%. Large eddy simulation (LES) was coupled with a thickened flame (TF) model to determine the turbulent combustion using a 30-species skeletal mechanism. The numerical results were progressively validated using OH-PLIF and PIV techniques. The results obtained from the numerical simulations showed minor differences with the experimental data on the velocity field and flame structure for all conditions. The presented results reveal that the flame is stabilized in higher-strain-rate spots more easily in the presence of high hydrogen ratios. Moreover, the flame location moves away from the concentrated vortex area with an increasing hydrogen ratio. The results of our blow-off investigation indicate that the blow-off sequence of a premixed bluff-body flame can be separated into two stages. The entire blow-off process becomes shorter with an increase in the hydrogen ratio. The primary reason for global extinction is a reduction in the heat release rate, and enstrophy analysis implies that blending hydrogen can reduce the enstrophy values of flames at the downstream locations. The dilatation and baroclinic torque terms decrease close to blow-off, but their decline is not significant in high-hydrogen-ratio conditions.

This study explores storm floods in the Yangtze Estuary to investigate how extreme sea levels and storm surges change in the context of global warming. Previous studies focused on the long-term variations in amplitude or frequency of storm surges, with limited research conducted on the timing of extreme storm surge events. Based on the methods of non-stationary extreme value theory, we explored the last 33-year tidal levels at Xuliujing Station and found that the annual extreme water level has exhibited a slight downward trend, which is directly attributed to the decrease in mean sea level resulting from reduced upstream river flow. The storm surge season of the Yangtze Estuary experienced a significant lag in the period 2005–2018, which is not restricted to the Yangtze Estuary but is rather a large-scale climate characteristic of a broad oceanic region. The reason for this shift is the sustained increase in the intensity of the western Pacific subtropical high in the last 15 years, leading to the appearance of low-pressure channels in the East China Sea in September and October and thus causing more typhoons to enter the East China Sea during the later period of the storm surge season.

The plasma analyzer (PMA) on the Fengyun-3E (FY-3E) meteorological satellite series is a critical sensor of the space environment monitoring package that is capable of the comprehensive in situ detection of the thermal plasma environment and surface discharge effects. In this paper, we conducted a thorough evaluation of the PMA’s performance and reliability through a combination of ground-based laboratory calibration and in-orbit testing. During the ground-based calibration, the PMA underwent assessments for the energy range, field of view (FOV), and measurement accuracy, and obtained the detection accuracy and the geometric factors. During the in-orbit testing, the PMA successfully obtained the typical distribution characteristics of low-energy ions and electrons in orbital space regions, as well as the precipitating particles in the middle and high latitudes of both hemispheres. Notably, the PMA observed an expansion of the particle distribution in the high-latitude regions during a moderate geomagnetic storm. The results from both the ground-based calibration and in-orbit testing demonstrated that the PMA met the requirements for thermal plasma detection, with reliable and scientifically valid in-orbit detection data. These results provide a crucial foundation for studying spatial weather variations, improving the accuracy of space environment forecasts and enhancing disaster detection and monitoring capabilities.

Fluopicolide is a new benzamide fungicide with a unique mechanism of action and is toxic to some non-target organisms. However, there is a lack of research on the chronic toxicity of fluopicolide to earthworms. In this study, in order to evaluate the chronic toxicity of fluopicolide to earthworms, the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST), and DNA oxidative damage (8-hyoxy-2-deoxyguanosine content) in earthworms were measured at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after exposure to different concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg) of fluopicolide. In most treatment groups, the ROS levels increased significantly 7 days after exposure and then decreased gradually with an increase in exposure time, a certain dose–effect relationship. The antioxidant enzymes’ activities (SOD and CAT) in most treatment groups were activated, showing an increasing trend at first and then a decreasing trend; however, the CAT activity in the high-concentration treatment group was inhibited 21 days after exposure. The GST activity and MDA content showed an increasing trend at first and then a decreasing trend, which was dependent on the dose. As a biomarker of DNA damage, the 8-OHdG content was positively correlated with the concentration of fluopicolide. The results showed that a low dose of fluopicolide could cause oxidative stress and DNA damage in earthworms.

To explore the mechanism of inconsistent relationships between plasma lipid profiles and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reported before, we hypothesized that interplays might exist between PTSD and a variation of rs5925 at low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene on plasma lipid profiles. To test our hypothesis, we analyzed the plasma lipid profiles of 709 high school pupils with various genotypes of LDLR rs5925 and with or without PTSD. The results demonstrated that PTSD prevalence in the C allele carriers was higher than that in the TT homozygotes regardless of gender. The C allele carriers had higher levels of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), ratios of TC to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC/HDL-C) and LDL-C/HDL-C than the TT homozygotes in the male controls, and only higher TC in the female controls, but no differences in the male or female PTSD subjects. PTSD increased TC in the female TT homozygotes but not in the female C allele carriers. PTSD increased TC/HDL-C in the male TT homozygotes but not in the C allele carriers. These results suggest interactions between PTSD and LDLR rs5925 on plasma lipid profiles, which may be among the explanations for previously reported inconsistent relationships between LDLR rs5925 or PTSD and plasma lipid profiles, and facilitate the development of precision medicine interferences in hypercholesterolemia in individuals with different genetic backgrounds and psychiatric status. Psychiatric care or drug supplement may particularly be needed by female hypercholesterolemic subjects with the TT genotype of LDLR rs5925 in Chinese adolescents.

Anaplasmosis is a serious infection which is transmitted by ticks and mosquitos. There are very few reports and studies that have been carried out to understand the prevalence, distribution, and epidemiological profile of Anaplasma spp. infection in dogs in Hainan province/island. In the present study, we have tried to understand the prevalence, distribution, and occurrence of Anaplasma spp. infections in dogs (n = 1051) in Hainan Island/Province to establish a surveillance-based study. The confirmed positive samples by Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were subjected to capillary sequencing for further strain-specific confirmation, followed by the construction of phylogenetic trees to determine their genetic relations. Various statistical tools were used to analyze related risk factors. There were three species of Anaplasma detected from the Hainan region; namely, A. phagocytophilum, A. bovis, and A. platys. The overall prevalence of Anaplasma is 9.7% (102/1051). A. phagocytopihum was prevalent in 1.0% of dogs (11/1051), A. bovis was found in 2.7% of dogs (28/1051), and A. platys in 6.0% of dogs (63/1051). Our surveillance-based study conducted to understand the occurrence and distribution pattern of Anaplasma spp. in Hainan will help in designing effective control measures along with management strategies so as to treat and control the infection in the area.

Variations in methane–ammonia blends with hydrogen enrichment can modify premixed flame behavior and play a crucial role in achieving ultra-low carbon emissions and sustainable energy consumption. Current combustion units may co-fire ammonia/methane/hydrogen, necessitating further investigation into flame characteristics to understand the behavior of multi-component fuels. This research aims to explore the potential of replacing natural gas with ammonia while making only minor adjustments to equipment and processes. The laminar burning velocity (LBV) of binary blends, such as ammonia–methane, ammonia–hydrogen, and hydrogen–methane–air mixtures, was investigated at an equivalence ratio of 0.8–1.2, within a constant volume combustion chamber at a pressure of 0.1 MPa and temperature of 298 K. Additionally, tertiary fuels were examined with varying hydrogen blending ratios ranging from 0% to 40%. The results show that the laminar burning velocity (LBV) increases as the hydrogen fraction increases for all mixtures, while methane increases the LBV during blending with ammonia. Hydrogen-ammonia blends are the most effective mixture for increasing LBV non-linearly. Enhancement parameters demonstrate the effect of ternary fuel, which behaves similarly to equivalent methane in terms of adiabatic flame temperature and LBV achieved at 40% hydrogen. Experimental data for neat and binary mixtures were validated by different kinetics models, which also showed good consistency. The ternary fuel mixtures were also validated with these models. The Li model may qualitatively predict well for ammonia-dominated fuel. The Shrestha model may overestimate results on the rich side due to the incomplete N2Hisub-mechanism, while lean and stoichiometric conditions have better predictions. The Okafor model is always overestimated.

Research on combustion characteristics can provide basic information and theoretical support for the design of insensitive propellant. This work aims to investigate the combustion characteristics of insensitive triple-base propellant. All propellants were prepared based on same triple-base propellant, but they were desensitized with the same desensitizer in different ways. The high-speed camera, spontaneous luminescence, NO, NH chemiluminescence, and OH-planar laser induction fluorescence (PLIF) methods were employed to capture the combustion flame and derive the distributions of important intermediates. Results show that ignition delay times of insensitive propellants are obviously longer. This indicated that the application of the desensitizer has a partly hindering effect on the early ignition stage. The combustion time of insensitive propellants is mostly similar, which means that the desensitizer has little influence on the intensity of actual combustion. The change in flame height and area of insensitive propellants over time indicated that the combustion progressivity of some insensitive propellants was more prominent, which means that the desensitizer concentration and desensitizing methods all affect the performance of insensitive propellant. The signal intensities of NO and NH show a negative correlation, indicating that a competitive relationship probably exists between the formation of NO and NH radicals during the reaction process. The high concentration of OH mainly locates outside NO, suggesting that there may be a transformation between NO and OH. The maximum signal intensity of NO and NH of different insensitive propellants confirmed that both the concentration of desensitizers and the desensitizing methods exhibit important effect on the reaction process.

In experiments, flame surface density (FSD), defined as flame area per volume, is usually approximated by its two-dimensional (2D) value, as flame length per area. However, this approximation may underestimate the flame wrinkle due to the presence of a fluctuating component outside the measurement plane. Obtaining a three-dimensional (3D) flame surface density (FSD) from experiments is challenging, but it can be estimated from low-dimensional measurements under certain assumptions. Models used to estimate 3D FSD can be significantly affected by ambient pressure, as high pressure can cause a substantial decrease in small flame front scales. In this study, a CH4/air premixed turbulent flame is stabilized on a Bunsen burner and measured using the OH-PLIF technique at pressures up to 1.0 MPa. The flame front is extracted with an in-house auto adaptive threshold binarization code. Different models estimating 3D FSD with the corresponding assumptions are summarized from the definition of FSD. The reliability of the assumptions under different pressures is investigated and analyzed. The models are compared through analyzing the assumptions, and are tested in terms of global fuel consumption. The pressure’s effect on the reliability of the models could provide an essential improvement in the context of modeling turbulent combustion.

A number of canisters need to be lightweight designed to store the spherical fuel elements (SFE) used in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR). The main challenge for engineering is pursuing high-accuracy and high-efficiency optimization simultaneously. Accordingly, a hybrid surrogate model-based multi-objective optimization method with the numerical method for the lightweight and safe design of the SFE canister is proposed. To be specific, the drop analysis model of the SFE canister is firstly established where the finite element method—discrete element method (FEM–DEM) coupled method is integrated to simulate the interaction force between the SFE and canister. Through simulation, the design variables, optimization objectives, and constraints are identified. Then the hybrid radial basis function—response surface method (RBF–RSM) surrogate method is carried out to approximate and simplify the accurate numerical model. A non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is used for resolving this multi-objective model. Optimal design is validated using comprehensive comparison, and the reduction of weight and maximum strain can be up to 2.46% and 44.65%, respectively. High-accuracy simulation with high-efficiency optimization is successfully demonstrated to perform the lightweight design on nuclear facilities.

This article introduces the instrument design of the medium energy proton detector (energy range: 30 keV–5 MeV) mounted on the FY-3E satellite. Through the design and optimization of the sensor signal processing circuit, the anti-electromagnetic interference ability of the medium energy particle detector is greatly enhanced. The designed aluminum plating on sensors can effectively exclude the light pollution to the medium energy protons. The designed permanent annular magnet has a deflection efficiency of more than 95% for medium energy electrons below 1.0 MeV. Additionally, by designing the logical working mode of the sensor, the contamination by other high energy particles (high energy electrons > 1.5 MeV, high energy protons > 5 MeV, and heavy ions) is excluded. Combining the above methods, the detector achieves the detection lower limit of 30 keV for medium energy protons. Its energy resolution is better than 15%@100 keV and the mixing ratio of electrons is less than 2%.

According to the characteristics of the LEO space particles radiation environment of China’s Fengyun No. 3 (FY-3) polar-orbiting meteorological satellites, in order to monitor the characteristics, and space–time distribution of charged particle radiation in the orbit space, it is proposed to install a three-directional high-energy particle detector (HEPD) in the three vertical orthogonal directions of FY-3E, so as to carry out the energy spectrum and flux observation of high-energy protons and electrons in the three directions of the satellite, namely, −X, +Y, and −Z. The on-orbit detection data acquired by these payloads can be used for space environment modeling and solar-terrestrial physics research, and provide data sources for operational space environment weather warning and forecasting. Through the ground accelerator calibration experiment and simulation analysis of the three-directional HEPDs developed in the flight model phase, the experimental results show that all the HEPDs’ measured values meet the requirements for technical indexes, such as the detection energy range (high-energy protons: 3–300 MeV; high-energy electrons: 0.15–5.7 MeV), energy span accuracy (

In view of the uncertainty in the calibration process of two-color plane laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) temperature measurement, a new calibration method is proposed, in which the influence of fluorescence yield is considered. The calibration process was carried out at high and low temperature region, respectively. Then, the bias of thermometry results origin from quenching is restrained. This new calibration method is validated in a jet flame with temperature range of 1300–1800 K. Here, the temperature results from Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), single-point calibrated PLIF, and two-point calibrated PLIF are all acquired with the maximum standard errors of 13 K, 36 K, and 37 K, respectively. The temperature deviation between the average results from PLIF and Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) is 120 K and 10 K, when the two-point and one-point calibration methods are used. Therefore, the two-point calibrated PLIF is preferred in the combustion field, especially with a large temperature range and strong quenching coefficient.

Hydrogen addition can improve the performance and extend the lean burn limit of gasoline engines. Different hydrogen injection strategies lead to different types of hydrogen mixture distribution (HMD), which affects the engine performance. Therefore, the present study experimentally investigated the effects of hydrogen injection strategy on the combustion and emissions of a hydrogen/gasoline dual-fuel port-injection engine under lean-burn conditions. Four different hydrogen injection strategies were explored: hydrogen direct injection (HDI), forming a stratified hydrogen mixture distribution (SHMD); hydrogen intake port injection, forming a premixed hydrogen mixture distribution (PHMD); split hydrogen direct injection (SHDI), forming a partially premixed hydrogen mixture distribution (PPHMD); and no hydrogen addition (NHMD). The results showed that 20% hydrogen addition could extend the lean burn limit from 1.5 to 2.8. With the increase in the excess air ratio, the optimum HMD changed from PPHMD to SHMD. The maximum brake thermal efficiency was obtained with an excess air ratio of 1.5 with PPHMD. The coefficient of variation (COV) with NHMD was higher than that with hydrogen addition, since the hydrogen enhanced the stability of ignition and combustion. The engine presented the lowest emissions with PHMD. There were almost no carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions when the excess air ratio was, respectively, more than 1.4 and 2.0.

The ecological water diversion project (EWDP) in the Tarim River Basin, China, aims to allocate more surface water to downstream reaches to restore the degraded ecosystems. However, seasonal changes in ecological water diversion; the factors (natural and anthropogenic) controlling the ecological water diversion, whether the seasonal delivery of water temporally corresponded to the vegetation’s seasonal water demands; and the benefits of the ecological water diversion through overflowing surface water irrigation are unclear. To address the above issues, this study examines the intra-annual changes and its influencing factors in ecological water diversion (inundation) in the Daliyaboyi Oasis in the lower Keriya River valley within the Tarim Basin, discusses whether the seasonal delivery of water temporally corresponded to the vegetation’s seasonal water demands, and assesses the ecological benefits of overflowing surface water irrigation. Inundation was quantified by digitizing monthly changes in the inundated area from 2000 to 2018 in the oasis using 184 Landsat images. The results demonstrate that seasonal changes in the inundated area varied significantly, with maximum peaks occurring in February and August; a period of minimal inundation occurred in May. Differences in the July/August peak (i.e., July or August) in inundation dominated the inter-annual variations in the inundated area over the 19-year study period. The two peaks in the inundation area were temporally consistent with the vegetation’s seasonal water demand. Local residents have used ecological water to irrigate vegetation in different parts of the oasis during different seasons, an approach that expanded the inundated area. The February peak in the inundated area is closely linked to elevated downstream groundwater levels and the melting of ice along the river. The August peak is related to a peak in runoff from headwater areas. The minimum May value is correlated to a relatively low value in upstream runoff and an increase in agricultural water demand. Thus, natural factors control the intra-annual and inter-annual variations in the inundated area. Humans changed the spatial distribution of the inundated area and enhanced the water’s ecological benefits, but did not alter the correlation between peak periods of inundation and vegetation water demand. The results from this study improve our understanding of the benefits of the EWDP in the Tarim River Basin.

In this paper, two low-grade electrical steels are used to inspect the effect of initial columnar grains and final transformation treatment on the microstructure and textures. Results show that the Al and P elements, besides causing the surface oxidation or segregation, increase the critical transformation temperatures of steels, thus restricting the formation of strong {100} texture. Two-layer grain structure of typical surface-effect-induced transformation is developed in the steels without Al. The transformation textures in both steels are nearly random, which are much better than the {111} recrystallization texture or the memory type of transformation texture. The steel with initial columnar grained structure produces more {110}-oriented grains in finally transformed sheets, whereas the initial hot-rolled structure induces more {100}-oriented grains. In addition, high cold rolling reduction produces a one-layer grain structure in the final transformed sheets. It is confirmed again that the increase in final heating temperature leads to a transition from the memory type of transformation texture to surface-effect-induced transformation texture. For commercial steels containing harmful Al and P, the change in processing parameters during transformation treatment does not influence transformed structure and texture. Finally, the combined control of three stages of transformation during casting, hot rolling and final annealing is discussed.

Coastal wetland soil organic carbon (CW-SOC) is crucial for both “blue carbon” and carbon sequestration. It is of great significance to understand the content of soil organic carbon (SOC) in soil resource management. A total of 133 soil samples were evaluated using an indoor spectral curve and were categorized into silty soil and sandy soil. The prediction model of CW-SOC was established using optimized support vector machine regression (OSVR) and optimized random forest regression (ORFR). The Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation (LOO-CV) method was used to verify the model, and the performance of the two prediction models, as well as the models’ stability and uncertainty, was examined. The results show that (1) The SOC content of different coastal wetlands is significantly different, and the SOC content of silty soils is about 1.8 times that of sandy soils. Moreover, the characteristic wavelengths associated with SOC in silty soils are mainly concentrated in the spectral range of 500–1000 nm and 1900–2400 nm, while the spectral range of sandy soils is concentrated in the spectral range of 600–1400 nm and 1700–2400 nm. (2) The organic carbon prediction model of silty soil based on the OSVR method under the first-order differential of reflectance (R′) is the best, with the Adjusted-R2 value as high as 0.78, the RPD value is much greater than 2.0 and 5.07, and the RMSE value as low as 0.07. (3) The performance of the OSVR model is about 15~30% higher than that of the support vector machine regression (SVR) model, and the performance of the ORFR model is about 3~5% higher than that of the random forest regression (RFR) model. OSVR and ORFR are better methods of accurately predicting the CW-SOC content and provide data support for the carbon cycle, soil conservation, plant growth, and environmental protection of coastal wetlands.

Anthocyanins are extensively used as natural non-toxic compounds in the food industry due to their unique biological properties. However, the instability of anthocyanins greatly affects their industrial application. Studies related to acylated anthocyanins with higher stability and increased solubility in organic solvents have shown that the acylation of anthocyanins can improve the stability and fat solubility of anthocyanins. However, relevant developments in research regarding the mechanisms of acylation and applications of acylated anthocyanins are scarcely reviewed. This review aims to provide an overview of the mechanisms of acylation and the applications of acylated anthocyanins in the food industry. In the review, acylation methods, including biosynthesis, semi-biosynthesis, and chemical and enzymatic acylation, are elaborated, physicochemical properties and biological activities of acylated anthocyanins are highlighted, and their application as colourants, functionalizing agents, intelligent indicators, and novel packaging materials in the food industry are summarized. The limitations encountered in the preparation of acylated anthocyanins and future prospects, their applications are also presented. Acylated anthocyanins present potential alternatives to anthocyanins in the food industry due to their functions and advantages as compared with non-acylated analogues. It is hoped that this review will offer further information on the effective synthesis and encourage commercialization of acylated anthocyanins in the food industry.

This study aimed to explore the effect of adding different concentrations (0, 0.01%, 0.03%, and 0.05% (w/w)) of tea polyphenol palmitate (TPP) in the oil phase on the emulsifying properties of 5 and 10 mg/mL myofibrillar protein (MP). Particle size results revealed that the flocculation of droplets increased as TPP concentration increased and that droplets in 5 mg/mL MP emulsions (25–34 μm) were larger than in 10 mg/mL MP emulsions (14–22 μm). The emulsifying activity index of 5 mg/mL MP emulsions decreased with increasing TPP concentration. The micrographs showed that the droplets of MP emulsions exhibited extensive flocculation at TPP concentrations >0.03%. Compared with 5 mg/mL MP emulsions, 10 mg/mL MP emulsions showed better physical stability and reduced flocculation degree, which coincided with lower delta backscattering intensity (ΔBS) and Turbiscan stability index values. The flow properties of emulsions can be successfully depicted by Ostwald–de Waele models (R2 > 0.99). The concentrations of TPP and protein affect the K values of emulsions (p < 0.05). Altogether, increased protein concentration in the continuous phase could improve emulsion stability by increasing viscosity, offsetting the adverse effects of TPP to a certain extent. This study is expected to promote the rational application of TPP in protein emulsion products of high quality and acceptability.

The purpose of this work is to investigate the effect of different initial temperatures on the combustion characteristics of RDX materials. In the experiments, the electric heating plate below the RDX samples was controlled so that the initial temperatures were set to be 298, 323, 373, 423, and 473 K (below the material melting point), respectively. Three optical diagnostic methods were employed to capture the ignition process, flame thermal radiation, and NO distribution in the flame at different conditions. The results show that the increase in initial temperature can improve the reaction rate, shorten the ignition delay time, and increase the flame combustion intensity and speed, because of the earlier evaporation and pyrolysis process in the RDX samples. Increasing the initial temperature also enhances the thermal effect of the flame, which is related to the generation and consumption of NO to a certain extent.

Receptors are macromolecules that transmit information regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and apoptosis, play key roles in oncogenic processes and correlate with the prognoses of cancer patients. Thus, targeting receptors to constrain cancer development and progression has gained widespread interest. Small molecule compounds of natural origin have been widely used as drugs or adjuvant chemotherapeutic agents in cancer therapies due to their activities of selectively killing cancer cells, alleviating drug resistance and mitigating side effects. Meanwhile, many natural compounds, including those targeting receptors, are still under laboratory investigation for their anti-cancer activities and mechanisms. In this review, we classify the receptors by their structures and functions, illustrate the natural compounds targeting these receptors and discuss the mechanisms of their anti-cancer activities. We aim to provide primary knowledge of mechanistic regulation and clinical applications of cancer therapies through targeting deregulated receptors.

The structural stability and structural and electronic properties of lateral monolayer transition metal chalcogenide superlattice zigzag and armchair nanoribbons have been studied by employing a first-principles method based on the density functional theory. The main focus is to study the effects of varying the width and periodicity of nanoribbon, varying cationic and anionic elements of superlattice parent compounds, biaxial strain, and nanoribbon edge passivation with different elements. The band gap opens up when the (MoS2)3/(WS2)3 and (MoS2)3/(MoTe2)3 armchair nanoribbons are passivated by H, S and O atoms. The H and O co-passivated (MoS2)3/(WS2)3 armchair nanoribbon exhibits higher energy band gap. The band gap with the edge S vacancy connecting to the W atom is much smaller than the S vacancy connecting to the Mo atom. Small band gaps are obtained for both edge and inside Mo vacancies. There is a clear difference in the band gap states between inside and edge Mo vacancies for symmetric nanoribbon structure, while there is only a slight difference for asymmetric structure. The electronic orbitals of atoms around Mo vacancy play an important role in determining the valence band maximum, conduction band minimum, and impurity level in the band gap.

We describe the assembly and annotation of a chemogenomic set of protein kinase inhibitors as an open science resource for studying kinase biology. The set only includes inhibitors that show potent kinase inhibition and a narrow spectrum of activity when screened across a large panel of kinase biochemical assays. Currently, the set contains 187 inhibitors that cover 215 human kinases. The kinase chemogenomic set (KCGS), current Version 1.0, is the most highly annotated set of selective kinase inhibitors available to researchers for use in cell-based screens.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a unique technique in molecular biology and biotechnology for amplifying target DNA strands, and is also considered as a gold standard for the diagnosis of many canine diseases as well as many other infectious diseases. However, PCR still faces many challenges and issues related to its sensitivity, specificity, efficiency, and turnaround time. To address these issues, we described the use of unique ZnO nanoflowers in PCR reaction and an efficient ZnO nanoflower-based PCR (nanoPCR) for the molecular diagnosis of canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs). A total of 1 mM of an aqueous solution of ZnO nanoflowers incorporated in PCR showed a significant enhancement of the PCR assay with respect to its sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of two important CVBDs, Babesia canis vogeli and Hepatozoon canis. Interestingly, it drastically reduced the turnaround time of the PCR assay without compromising the yield of the amplified DNA, which can be of benefit for veterinary practitioners for the improved management of diseases. This can be attributed to the favorable adsorption of ZnO nanoflowers to the DNA and thermal conductivity of ZnO nanoflowers. The unique ZnO nanoflower-assisted nanoPCR greatly improved the yield, purity, and quality of the amplified products, but the mechanism behind these properties and the effects and changes due to the different concentrations of ZnO nanoflowers in the PCR system needs to be further studied.

Racemic new cyclohexenone and cyclopentenone derivatives, (±)-(4R*,5S*,6S*)-3-amino-4,5,6-trihydroxy-2-methoxy-5-methyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one (1) and (±)-(4S*,5S*)-2,4,5-trihydroxy-3-methoxy-4-methoxycarbonyl-5-methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one (2), and two new xanthone derivatives 4-chloro-1,5-dihydroxy-3-hydroxymethyl-6-methoxycarbonyl-xanthen-9-one (3) and 2,8-dimethoxy-1,6-dimethoxycarbonyl-xanthen-9-one (4), along with one known compound, fischexanthone (5), were isolated from the culture of the mangrove endophytic fungus Alternaria sp. R6. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by analysis of their MS (Mass), one and two dimensional NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopic data. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited potent ABTS [2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)] scavenging activities with EC50 values of 8.19 ± 0.15 and 16.09 ± 0.01 μM, respectively. In comparison to Triadimefon, compounds 2 and 3 exhibited inhibitory activities against Fusarium graminearum with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 215.52 and 107.14 μM, respectively, and compound 3 exhibited antifungal activity against Calletotrichum musae with MIC value of 214.29 μM.

Three new resveratrol derivatives, namely, resveratrodehydes A–C (1–3), were isolated from the mangrove endophytic fungus Alternaria sp. R6. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by analysis of their MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data. All compounds showed broad-spectrum inhibitory activities against three human cancer cell lines including human breast MDA-MB-435, human liver HepG2, and human colon HCT-116 by MTT assay (IC50 < 50 μM). Among them, compounds 1 and 2 both exhibited marked cytotoxic activities against MDA-MB-435 and HCT-116 cell lines (IC50 < 10 μM). Additionally, compounds 1 and 3 showed moderate antioxidant activity by DPPH radical scavenging assay.

The feasible, reliable and selective multi-template molecularly imprinted polymers (MT-MIPs) based on SBA-15 (SBA-15@MT-MIPs) for the selective separation and determination of the trace level of ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1), ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) and notoginsenoside R1 (R1) simultaneously from biological samples were developed. The polymers were constructed by SBA-15 as support, Rb1, Rg1, R1 as multi-template, acrylamide (AM) as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as cross-linker. The new synthetic SBA-15@MT-MIPs were satisfactorily applied to solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the separation and determination of trace Rb1, Rg1 and R1 in plasma samples. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) of the proposed method for Rb1, Rg1 and R1 were in the range of 0.63–0.75 ng·mL−1 and 2.1–2.5 ng·mL−1, respectively. The recoveries of R1, Rb1 and Rg1 were obtained between 93.4% and 104.3% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) in the range of 3.3–4.2%. All results show that the obtained SBA-15@MT-MIPs could be a promising prospect for the practical application in the selective separation and enrichment of trace Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) in the biological samples.