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Investigating the different chemical species of soluble iron in food digests provides more relevant information on the nutritional potential of an iron‐rich food. The objective of this study was to assess the bioaccessibility and speciation of iron from various aqueous extracts of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaves. Aqueous extracts were prepared from fresh and dried Moringa leaves using infusion and decoction methods. Spectrophotometric assays were performed to quantify inhibitors and enhancers of iron absorption in the extracts, bioaccessible iron, and its different chemical species. The highest contents of inhibitors (239.43 mg/L for polyphenols and 2.92 mg/L for phytates) and enhancers of iron absorption (1.58 mmol/L for carotenoids and 488.00 mg/L for ascorbic acid) were found in the 5‐minute decoction extract of fresh leaves, and the lowest in all infusion extracts (27.34 mg/L for polyphenols, 0.50 mg/L for phytates, 0.15 mmol/L for carotenoids, and 86.00 mg/L for ascorbic acid). The percentages of bioaccessible iron were higher for decoction extracts (42.57–52.70%) compared to infusion extracts (33.89–36.44%). Ferrous iron was the dominant inorganic species of bioaccessible iron and was more concentrated in the digests of decoction extracts (1.32–4.85 mg/L). The highest content of organic iron (5.33 mg/L) was found in the digest of the 8‐minute decoction extract of dried leaves. Drinking decoction extracts of fresh and dried Moringa leaves could be recommended to alleviate iron deficiency in vulnerable groups of the population living in areas where this plant can grow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the demand for clean and renewable energy has grown increasingly urgent due to the irreversible alteration of the global climate change. As a result, organic solar cells (OSCs) have emerged as a promising alternative to address this issue. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in the molecular design strategies of benzodithiophene (BDT)‐based polymer and small molecule donor materials since their birth, focusing on the development of main‐chain engineering, side‐chain engineering and other unique molecular design paths. Up to now, the state‐of‐the‐art power conversion efficiency (PCE) of binary OSCs prepared by BDT‐based donor materials has approached 20%. This work discusses the potential relationship between the molecular changes of donor materials and photoelectric performance in corresponding OSC devices in detail, thereby presenting a rational molecular design guidance for stable and efficient donor materials in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transmembrane transport analysis is essential for understanding cell physiological processes. Based on an artificial simulation of internal and external cellular environment, this paper introduces an innovative approach to investigate the microscopic behavior of small molecules through porin protein under mechanical curvature of lipid membrane. A flexible device system is developed, enabling quantitative electronic transmembrane analysis. The key transistor comprises a flexible, microporous electrode covered with the support lipid bilayers (SLBs) to mimic artificial cellular membrane, serving as an extended gate of the field‐effect transistor (FET). The transmembrane behaviors of charged ions and small molecules can be effectively monitored in real time by this FET‐based flexible device system. The flexibility of the electrode allows analyzing the transmembrane behavior under different mechanical bends. In this study, the developed flexible device is employed for the first time to simulate the mechanical bending of cellular membrane embedded with channel proteins and to monitor the transmembrane behavior of small molecules, thus providing a more authentic representation of membrane protein at a curved state. This approach holds the potential to contribute as a platform‐based technological advancement, supporting research into toxicological mechanisms and facilitating drug screening endeavors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid hormones regulate metabolic rate, nutrient utilization, growth, and development. Swine are susceptible to thyroid suppression in response to disease or environmental conditions, but the physiological impact of such disruption has not been established. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of hypothyroidism induced with the antithyroid medication methimazole (MMI). 10 mg/kg MMI significantly decreased circulating triiodothyronine (T3) for the duration of treatment but had only a transient effect on circulating thyroxine (T4). Thyroid tissue weight was significantly increased by more than 3.5‐fold in response to MMI treatment. Histologically, the eosinophilic colloid was largely absent from the thyroid follicle which displayed a disorganized columnar epithelium consistent with goiter. MMI induced hypothyroidism has no effect on growth rate over 28 days. Hepatic expression of genes associated with thyroid metabolism (DIO1, DIO2, and DIO3), lipid utilization (CD36, FASN, and ACACA), apoptosis (TP53, PERP, SIVA1, and SFN) and proliferation (CDK1, CDK2, CDK4, and CDKN1A) were unaffected by treatment. Collectively these results demonstrate that MMI induces mild systemic hypothyroidism and pronounced goiter, indicating a strong homeostatic central regulation within the hypothalamic pituitary thyroid axis. This combined with limited peripheral effects, indicates resilience to hypothyroidism in modern swine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis poses a significant challenge in clinical management. Effective strategies targeting iron restriction, toxin neutralization, and inflammation regulation are crucial in combating sepsis. However, a comprehensive approach simultaneously targeting these multiple processes has not been established. Here, an engineered apoptotic extracellular vesicles (apoEVs) derived from macrophages is developed and their potential as multifunctional agents for sepsis treatment is investigated. The extensive macrophage apoptosis in a Staphylococcus aureus‐induced sepsis model is discovered, unexpectedly revealing a protective role for the host. Mechanistically, the protective effects are mediated by apoptotic macrophage‐released apoEVs, which bound iron‐containing proteins and neutralized α‐toxin through interaction with membrane receptors (transferrin receptor and A disintegrin and metalloprotease 10). To further enhance therapeutic efficiency, apoEVs are engineered by incorporating mesoporous silica nanoparticles preloaded with anti‐inflammatory agents (microRNA‐146a). These engineered apoEVs can capture iron and neutralize α‐toxin with their natural membrane while also regulating inflammation by releasing microRNA‐146a in phagocytes. Moreover, to exploit the microcosmic movement and rotation capabilities, erythrocytes are utilized to drive the engineered apoEVs. The erythrocytes‐driven engineered apoEVs demonstrate a high capacity for toxin and iron capture, ultimately providing protection against sepsis associated with high iron‐loaded conditions. The findings establish a multifunctional agent that combines natural and engineered antibacterial strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Extensive Literature Search (ELS) to collect and identify all studies published since 2010 and relevant to the topic mineral oil hydrocarbons in combination with the substance group characterisation, occurrence in food and toxicity was performed in the three databases PubMed, Web of Science and SciFinder® for six Areas. After combination of the searches from the three databases and removal of the duplicates, the total number of references is 2504. The evaluation of all retrieved references for relevance by screening the title and abstract and applying eligibility criteria (inclusion/exclusion) resulted in a total number of relevant references for Area 1 of 55, for Area 2 of 27, for Area 3 of 15, for Area 4 of 21 for Area 5 of 1 and for Area 6 of 6. The total number of relevant references was 93. However, for the substance group POH no relevant reference was identified. Additionally, there are 4 references additionally, which could not be clearly assigned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. alba), a cruciferous vegetable, is one of the most widely consumed vegetables worldwide. However, research on whether there are differences in its contents of phytochemicals and biological activities according to the drying method for each portion of the vegetable remains insufficient. The present study investigated the contents of representative polyphenols and isothiocyanates, the antioxidant capacity, and the antiproliferative effects among six leaf layers of cabbage subjected to hot air and freeze-drying. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that most phenolic and flavonoid bioactive compounds were significantly accumulated in the outer cabbage leaf layer (P1), whereas isothiocyanates were most abundant in the leaf layer close to the core of the head (P5). The contents of isothiocyanates, gallic acid, epicatechin, p-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, and myricetin were significantly higher in the hot air-dried sample than in the freeze-dried sample, whereas the contents of catechin hydrate, chlorogenic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and rutin hydrate were significantly higher in the freeze-dried sample. Compared to other leaf layers, P1 exhibited high antiproliferative efficacy against pancreatic, breast, and gastric cancer cells. P1 also showed excellent DPPH·(EC 50–4.208 ± 0.033 and 4.611 ± 0.053 mg/mL for hot air and freeze-dried samples, respectively) and ABTS· (2.422 ± 0.068 and 2.224 ± 0.070 mg/mL for hot air and freeze-dried samples, respectively) radical-scavenging effects. These results indicate that the contents of polyphenols and isothiocyanates in cabbage may vary depending on the leaf layer and the drying method. Our findings provide insight for applying appropriate food drying methods that can be used to produce cabbage leaf-based products with enhanced bioactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal‐based nanoparticles (NPs) are particularly important tools in tissue engineering‐, drug carrier‐, interventional therapy‐, and biobased technologies. However, their complex and varied migration and transformation pathways, as well as their continuous accumulation in closed biological systems, cause various unpredictable toxic effects that threaten human and ecosystem health. Considerable experimental and theoretical efforts have been made toward understanding these cytotoxic effects, though more research on metal‐based NPs integrated with clinical medicine is required. This review summarizes the mechanisms and evaluation methods of cytotoxicity and provides an in‐depth analysis of the typical effects generated in the nervous, immune, reproductive, and genetic systems. In addition, the challenges and opportunities are discussed to enhance future investigations on safer metal‐based NPs for practical commercial adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the competency of pre‐process anoxia treatment on physicochemical quality of fresh‐cut pineapples cv. 'Phulae' during storage. The fruits were kept in anoxia atmosphere (N2) for 16 h before processing. The fruits were processed immediately after treatment (G1) and after storage at 13 °C for 6 days (G2). Anoxia treatment delayed the weight loss and had no effect on the L* value of both G1 and G2 fresh‐cut pineapples. The yellowness (b*) value of G1 fresh‐cut pineapple was maintained by anoxia. The PPO activity of anoxia‐treated G1 and G2 fresh‐cut pineapples was lower than that of untreated fresh‐cut fruits (control). Total sugars contents of both G1 and G2 anoxia‐treated fresh‐cut pineapples trended to be higher than that of control samples. Anoxia had no influence on the total ascorbic acid content during storage. The increases in total bacteria and yeast of both G1 and G2 fresh‐cut pineapples were retarded by anoxia. In conclusion, anoxia is a feasible alternative to maintaining quality and delaying microbial increases in fresh‐cut pineapples during storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring the Lewis‐acidic surface sites in catalysis is problematic when the material's surface area is very low (SBET ≤1 m2 ⋅ g−1). For the first time, a quantitative assessment of total acidic surface sites of very small surface area catalysts (MoO3 as pure and mixed with 5–30 % CdO (wt/wt), as well as CdO for comparison) was performed using a smart new probe molecule, tetrahydrofuran (THF). The results were nearly identical compared to using another commonly used probe molecule, pyridine. This audition is based on the limited values of the surface area of these samples that likely require a relatively moderate basic molecule as THF with pKb=16.08, rather than strong basic molecules such as NH3 (pKb=4.75) or pyridine (pKb=8.77). We propose mechanisms for the interaction of vapour phase molecules of THF with the Lewis‐cationic Mo and Cd atoms of these catalysts. Besides, dehydration of isopropyl alcohol was used as a probe reaction to investigate the catalytic activity of these catalysts to further support our findings in the case of THF in a temperature range of 175–300 °C. A good agreement between the obtained data of sample MoO3‐10 % CdO, which is characterised by the highest surface area value, the population of Lewis‐acidic sites and % selectivity of propylene at all the applied reaction temperatures was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disordered price competition among various agricultural business agents leads to chaos of agricultural products' prices, which makes it difficult for customers to form stable price expectation and correct brand cognition, restricting the sales of agricultural products with regional brands. Based on the Salop circular market model with bounded rationality and delayed feedback, this paper discusses the complexity in price competition of agricultural products with regional brands. It is found that when the price adjustment speed of agricultural business agents exceeds the stability region, the pricing system of agricultural products with regional brands would appear the phenomenon of periodic bifurcation or chaos. The delayed feedback controlling mechanism of price adjustment could make the pricing system in the chaos state turn to the equilibrium state. Therefore, the price fluctuation of agricultural products with regional brands needs reasonable control from the industrial associations and government departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precise regulation of fluorophore binding sites in an organic probe is of great significance toward the design of fluorescent sensing materials with specific functions. In this study, a probe with specific fluorescence properties and nitrite detection ability is designed by precisely modulating benzothiazole binding sites. Only the fluorophore bond at the ortho‐position of the aniline moiety can specifically recognize nitrite, which ensures that the reaction products displays a robust green emission. The unique 2‐(2‐amino‐4‐carboxyphenyl) benzothiazole (ortho‐BT) shows superior nitrite detection performance, including a low detection limit (2.2 fg), rapid detection time (<5 s), and excellent specificity even in the presence of >40 types of strong redox active, colored substances, nitro compounds, and metal ions. Moreover, the probe is highly applicable for the rapid on‐site and semiquantitative measurement of nitrite. The proposed probe design strategy is expected to start a new frontier for the exploration of probe design methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encouraging the adoption and diffusion of low-carbon agricultural technology innovation is an important measure to cope with climate change, reduce environmental pollution, and achieve sustainable agricultural development. Based on evolutionary game theory, this paper establishes a game model among agricultural enterprises, government, and farmers and analyzes the dynamic evolutionary process and evolutionary stable strategies of the major stakeholders. The impact of innovation subsidies, carbon taxes, and adoption subsidies on low-carbon agricultural innovation diffusion is simulated using Matlab software. The results show that the government's reasonable subsidies and carbon taxes for agricultural enterprises and farmers can increase the enthusiasm of agricultural enterprises and farmers to participate in low-carbon agriculture. This study can be used as a basis for the government to formulate more targeted policies to promote the diffusion of low-carbon agricultural innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the particularity and high risk of coal mining industry, the decision-making behavior of multiple agents inside the coal-mine enterprise plays a very important role in ensuring the safety and sustainable development of coal mining industry. The existing literature studies on coal-mine safety production focus mainly on statically analyzing the game among the external entities such as the government, the enterprises themselves, and the employees inside the enterprise from a macro perspective,are short of research on revealing the dynamic interactions among the actors directly involved in the coal-mine accidents and also on proposals for effective interactions that will lead to improved safety outcomes. Therefore, this paper explores the use of evolutionary game theory to describe the interactions among the stakeholders in China's coal-mine safety production system, which includes the organization, the first-line miners, and the first-line managers. Moreover, the paper also explores dynamic simulations of the evolutionary game model to analyze the stability of stakeholder interactions and to identify equilibrium solutions. The simulation results show that when certain conditions are met, the decision-making behavior of the organization, miners, and managers can evolve into the unique ideal steady state (1, 1, 1). In addition, the strategy portfolio with a relatively high initial proportion of three agents converges more quickly to an ideal state than a relatively low strategy portfolio. Moreover, the stable state and equilibrium values are not affected by the initial value changes. Finally, we find that the combination of positive incentive policies and strict penalties policies can make the evolutionary game system converge to desired stability faster. The application of the evolutionary game and numerical simulation when simulating the multiplayer game process of coal-mine safety production is an effective way, which provides a more effective solution to the safety and sustainable development of coal mining industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food safety accidents occur frequently, which has caused great harm to people's health. With the consideration that food quality requires the joint efforts of all members of the food supply chain and that quality-improving efforts for food have a positive external effect, we focus on the quality-improving effort level, which is very important for food quality and safety. This paper builds an evolutionary game model and employs the replicated dynamic equation to study evolutionarily stable strategies of suppliers and producers. Furthermore, simulation experiments are conducted to verify the modeling analyses and demonstrate the influences of game parameters. The research results show that the behavioral strategies are closely related to the factors such as the ratios of the input to the output, the cost of quality-improving efforts, the hitchhiking benefits, and the initial strategy. Only when the punishing dynamics of the government exceeds a certain value, both participants can choose the quality-improving effort strategy. Based on the results, this paper has provided some inspiration for policy-making of government institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐composition Ba2Y2Si4O13:Bi3+,Eu3+ (BYSO:Bi3+,Eu3+) phosphors with color‐tunable and white emission were prepared by conventional high temperature solid‐state reaction method. The structural and luminescent properties of these phosphors were thoroughly investigated through X‐ray diffraction, photoluminescence, and decay curves. BYSO:Bi3+ phosphors show two excitation peaks at 342 and 373 nm, and give two emission peaks at 414 and 503 nm, respectively, indicating that there are two sites of Bi3+ in BYSO. The energy transfer from Bi3+ to Eu3+ was investigated in detail. Varied hues from blue (chromaticity coordinate [0.219, 0.350]) to white (0.288, 0.350) and orange‐red light (0.644, 0.341) can be generated by adjusting the content of Eu3+. Pure white light emission (0.311, 0.338) can be obtained under the excitation of 355 nm in BYSO:3%Bi3+,20%Eu3+ phosphor. Besides, BYSO:Bi3+,Eu3+ phosphors exhibit distinct thermal quenching properties, whose emission intensity at 473 K is 82.6% of that at 298 K. Our results indicate that BYSO:Bi3+,Eu3+ may be applied as conversion phosphors for n‐UV‐based W‐LEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advertising and sales promotion are two important specific marketing communications tools. In this paper, Internet sales promotion is introduced into a differential advertising model and investigated quantitatively. The conditions for the existence and stability of periodic solutions are obtained. Flip bifurcation of periodic solution is investigated analytically. The results show that the sales promotion parameter can modify the stability of the differential advertising model and lead to chaos through flip bifurcation, the sales level will eventually be no less than a given value by adjusting the value of the sales promotion parameter, and the optimal sales promotion strategy can lead to maximum profit. Numerical results for periodic solutions, bifurcation diagrams, and the effects of sales promotion strategies, which are illustrated with an example, are in good agreement with the theoretical analysis. These results have certain significant theoretical and practical value in related markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After water, tea is considered to be one of the most consumed drinks worldwide. To get the maximum benefit from the whole-leaf teas, the manufacturers provide instruction that these teas can be steeped 2-3 times over 6-8 h. In this study, the effect of consecutive steeping on radical-scavenging ability of whole leaf green tea (unfermented), oolong tea (partially fermented) and black tea (fully fermented) was determined. Green tea showed the highest level of antioxidant activity, total phenolic and flavonoid content followed by oolong tea and black tea irrespective of the number of steeping done. The result also demonstrated that re-steeping reduced the antioxidant potential of teas. Moreover, it was revealed that green tea is the best candidate for re-steeping followed by oolong and then black tea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various downscaling approaches have been developed to overcome the limitation of the coarse spatial resolution of general circulation models (GCMs). Such techniques can be grouped into two approaches of dynamical and statistical downscaling. In this study, we investigated the performances of different downscaling methods, focusing on East Asian summer monsoon precipitation to obtain more finely resolved and value added datasets. The dynamical downscaling was conducted by the Regional Model Program (RMP) of the Global/Regional Integrated Model system (GRIMs), while the statistical downscaling was performed through coupled pattern-based simple linear regression. The dynamical downscaling resulted in a better representation of the spatial distribution and long-term trend than the GCM produced; however, it tended to overestimate precipitation over East Asia. In contrast, the application of the statistical downscaling resulted in a bias in the amount of precipitation, due to low variance that is inherent in regression-based downscaling. A combination of dynamical and statistical downscaling produced the best results in time and space. This study provides a guideline for determining the most effective and robust downscaling method in the hydrometeorological applications, which are quite sensitive to the accuracy of downscaled precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]