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BACKGROUND RESULTS CONCLUSION Determining the freshness of chilled pork is of paramount importance to consumers worldwide. Established freshness indicators such as total viable count, total volatile basic nitrogen and pH are destructive and time‐consuming. Color change in chilled pork is also associated with freshness. However, traditional detection methods using handheld colorimeters are expensive, inconvenient and prone to limitations in accuracy. Substantial progress has been made in methods for pork preservation and freshness evaluation. However, traditional methods often necessitate expensive equipment or specialized expertise, restricting their accessibility to general consumers and small‐scale traders. Therefore, developing a user‐friendly, rapid and economical method is of particular importance.This study conducted image analysis of photographs captured by smartphone cameras of chilled pork stored at 4 °C for 7 days. The analysis tracked color changes, which were then used to develop predictive models for freshness indicators. Compared to handheld colorimeters, smartphone image analysis demonstrated superior stability and accuracy in color data acquisition. Machine learning regression models, particularly the random forest and decision tree models, achieved prediction accuracies of more than 80% and 90%, respectively.Our study provides a feasible and practical non‐destructive approach to determining the freshness of chilled pork. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving comprehensive improvement in both piezoelectric coefficient (d33) and mechanical quality factor (Qm) has become a key issue in the research of high‐power piezoelectric ceramics. Here, we focused on Mn‐doped Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3‐Pb(Sc1/2Nb1/2)O3‐PbTiO3 (PIN‐PSN‐PT) relaxor ferroelectric ceramics, where Mn‐doping is employed to enhance Qm. The effects of doping concentration and PT content on phase structure, ferroelectric, dielectric, and electromechanical properties were systematically studied. The well radius matching between Mn ions and B‐site ions facilitates the ion substitution and significantly increases the concentration of oxygen vacancies, thereby enhancing the domain wall pinning effect. A significantly weakened mutual constraint relationship between d33 and Qm is observed in the 2 mol% Mn‐doped PIN‐PSN‐PT ceramics with tetragonal phase, which exhibits Qm exceeding 3000 while maintaining d33 higher than 320 pC/N and Curie temperature higher than 300°C, leading to the vibration velocity over 1.15 m/s. Rayleigh analysis reveals the higher intrinsic piezoelectric response in high PT components compared to that in low PT components, which was thought to be the origin for the weakened mutual constraint relationship between d33 and Qm in tetragonal Mn‐doped PIN‐PSN‐PT ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the important electronic components, the dielectric capacitors for energy storage applications have been extensively studied in recent years. Among various dielectric materials, the perovskite oxide Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3‐based ceramics have become promising candidates due to their high polarization, dielectric tunability, environment‐friendly composition, and so forth. Herein, the relaxor ferroelectric ceramics of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3–SrTiO3–Bi(Mg0.5Zr0.5)O3 were prepared via solid‐state reaction method. The sample with optimal composition not only retains the high polarization by introducing Bi3+ ions, but also achieves the reduced remanent polarization by enhancing relaxor behavior and the promoted electric breakdown strength by the grain size refinement. Accordingly, a high recoverable energy density of 8.3 J/cm3 under 450 kV/cm and the superb charge/discharge properties (current density CD = 1200 A/cm2, power density PD = 150 MW/cm3, charge/discharge time t0.9 = 0.15 µs) are achieved, revealing great prospect in energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modified BaTiO3 ceramics that possess high dielectric permittivity and acceptable temperature stability have been widely utilized as multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) for high‐frequency bypass and power filtering in automotive applications. However, since the increasing demand for high‐capacity and small‐size, high‐permittivity materials that can serve as dielectric layers in MLCCs are urgently required. In this work, we design and fabricate a special BaTiO3‐0.03Mg‐0.02Y‐0.02CaZrO3 ceramic with a high dielectric permittivity of 3000 and the dielectric variation below ±13% in the temperature range of ‐55–150°C, fulfilling the requirements of X8R capacitors. To achieve these results, we employed grain size engineering and cation doping, using BaTiO3 precursors with a particle size of 240 nm to prepare the BaTiO3‐based ceramics with fine grains, while Mg and Y co‐doping was used for improving the temperature stability due to dielectric dispersion. Utilizing these high‐permittivity BaTiO3‐based materials, we fabricated MLCCs that satisfy the X8R criterion, possessing a high dielectric constant of 2950 and a high breakdown field (410 kV/cm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study investigated the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum F25‐4 assisted rice soaking (LAS) on the cooking properties of japonica rice used for Chinese rice wine (CRW) production. The effects of LAS and natural soaking were compared based on the chemical composition, thermal characteristics, infrared spectroscopy and sodium dodecyl sulphate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of rice flour. After LAS, the protein content of the rice was reduced by 17.63%, and the initial temperature (To), peak temperature (Tp) and conclusion temperature (Tc) were reduced by 36.86%, 17.89% and 1.61%, respectively, as revealed by differential scanning calorimetry analysis. The Zeta (ζ) potential value changed from −8.75 mV to −3.99 mV, and the minimum cooking time was reduced by 40% to only 15 min. The viscoelasticity of LAS rice increased after gelatinisation, as confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscope images. The glutelin precursor of the LAS rice disappeared, and the disorder of protein secondary structure increased, but there was no significant difference in the starch crystal area. LAS effectively improved the cooking properties of rice by changing the protein configuration on the surface of starch granules and reducing protein adsorption, leading to increased starch water absorption and decreased rice gelatinisation temperature. Our research suggests that LAS can reduce the cooking temperature of rice in CRW production, thus saving steam consumption during cooking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Novel functional polysaccharides from fungi are important nutraceuticals. An exopolysaccharide, Morchella esculenta exopolysaccharide (MEP 2), was extracted and purified from the fermentation liquor of M. esculenta. The aim of this study was to investigate its digestion profile, antioxidant capacity, and effect on the microbiota composition in diabetic mice. RESULTS: The study found that MEP 2 was stable during in vitro saliva digestion but was partially degraded during gastric digestion. The digest enzymes exerted a negligible effect on the chemical structure of MEP 2. Molecular weight and atomic force microscope (AFM) images suggest that both smaller chains and larger aggregations were produced. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images reveal that the surface morphology was much altered after intestinal digestion. After digestion, the antioxidant ability increased as revealed by the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′‐azino‐bis (3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Both MEP 2 and its digested components showed strong α‐amylase and moderate α‐glucosidase inhibition activity, leading us to further investigate its ability to modulate the diabetic symptoms. The MEP 2 treatment ameliorated the inflammatory cell infiltration and increased the size of pancreas inlets. Serum concentration of HbA1c was significantly reduced. Blood glucose level during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was also slightly lower. The MEP 2 increased the diversity of the gut microbiota and modulated the abundance of several important bacteria including Alcaligenaceae, Caulobacteraceae, Prevotella, Brevundimonas, Demequina, and several Lachnospiraceae species. CONCLUSION: It was found that MEP 2 was partially degraded during in vitro digestion. Its potential antidiabetic bioactivity may be associated with its α‐amylase inhibition and gut microbiome modulation ability. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Black rice contains a variety of bioactive substances that contribute to the high nutritional value of black rice wine (BRW). However, the dense bran layer of black rice retards the fermentation rate and reduces the dissolution of active components. Hence, this study aims to investigate the effects of pre‐gelatinization (PG) before cooking and cellulase (CE) addition during fermentation on the fermentation performance of BRW and its antioxidant activity. RESULTS: PG combined with CE treatments (PGCE) increases the alcohol content, free amino acid content, volatile flavor content and total antioxidant activity of BRW by 90.81%, 15.36%, 38.05% and 19.56%, respectively, compared with the control group. Scanning electron microscopy, low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance and texture properties analysis indicate that PG treatment increases gelatinization degree of starch during cooking, decreases bound water content in cooked black rice and promotes unbound water release. CE destroys the aleurone layer structure, facilitates the release of unbound water and the exposure of rice starch, thus increasing the reaction area and extravasation content significantly, which is beneficial to microbial growth and fermentation. Incomplete aleurone layer also promotes the dissolution of anthocyanins, phenols and other active substances, increasing the antioxidant activities of BRW. CONCLUSION: PG and CE treatments reduce the fermentation time and improve the quality of BRW by destroying the black rice structure. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textured piezoelectric ceramics, such as textured Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3‐PbTiO3 (PMN‐PT) ceramics, have attracted considerable attention from both academia and industry, as they possess crystal‐like piezoelectric properties, high composition homogeneity, and low manufacturing cost. However, the main difficulty with the textured piezoelectric ceramics is the presence of BaTiO3 (BT) templates, which greatly reduces their piezoelectricity and phase transition temperature. Thus, it is highly recommended to fabricate textured piezoelectric ceramics using as few templates as possible. Here, we successfully fabricated high‐quality <001>‐textured PMN‐28PT ceramics (texturing degree of 99%) by using an extremely small amount of BT templates (1 vol.%) with the help of CuO/B2O3 sintering aids. The textured PMN‐28PT ceramic exhibits 80% piezoelectric coefficient (d33 ∼ 1200 pC/N), 96% electromechanical coefficient (k33 ∼ 88%) and the same temperature stability (Trt ∼ 100, Tc ∼ 150°C) when compared to its single crystal counterpart. In addition, by using an alternating current electric field poling (AC‐poling), the piezoelectric coefficient d33 and dielectric permittivity ε33 of the textured PMN‐28PT ceramics were further enhanced around 5–8%. It is believed that the advantages of high electromechanical properties, low cost, and easy mass production of textured PMN‐28PT ceramic will make it a promising candidate for advanced electromechanical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electrostatic capacitor has been widely used in many fields (such as high pulsed power technology, new energy vehicles, etc.) due to its ultrahigh discharge power density. Remarkable progress has been made over the past 10 years by doping ferroelectric ceramics into polymers because the dielectric constant is positively correlated with the energy storage density. However, this method often leads to an increase in dielectric loss and a decrease in energy storage efficiency. Therefore, the way of using a multilayer structure to improve the energy storage density of the dielectric has attracted the attention of researchers. Although research on energy storage properties using multilayer dielectric is just beginning, it shows the excellent effect and huge potential. In this review, the main physical mechanisms of polarization, breakdown and energy storage in multilayer structure dielectric are introduced, the theoretical simulation and experimental results are systematically summarized, and the preparation methods and design ideas of multilayer structure dielectrics are mainly described. This article covers not only an overview of the state‐of‐the‐art advances of multilayer structure energy storage dielectric but also the prospects that may open another window to tune the electrical performance of the electrostatic capacitor via designing a multilayer structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold sintered, Li2MoO4‐based ceramics have recently been touted as candidates for electronic packaging and low temperature co‐fired ceramic (LTCC) technology but MoO3 is an expensive and endangered raw material, not suited for large scale commercialization. Here, we present cold sintered temperature‐stable composites based on LiMgPO4 (LMP) in which the Mo (and Li) concentration has been reduced, thereby significantly decreasing raw material costs. Optimum compositions, 0.5LMP‐0.1CaTiO3‐0.4K2MoO4 (LMP‐CTO‐KMO), achieved 97% density at <300°C and 600 MPa for 60 minutes. Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X‐ray mapping confirmed the coexistence of end‐members, LMP, CTO, and KMO, with no interdiffusion and parasitic phases. Composites exhibited temperature coefficient of resonant frequency ~ –6 ppm/°C, relative permittivity ~9.1, and Q × f values ~8500 GHz, properties suitable for LTCC technology and competitive with commercial incumbents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to evaluate the rheological, textural, and antioxidant activity of fermented milks with the addition of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) extracts at concentrations of 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3% (CFM, RFM1, RFM2, and RFM3). The chemical composition of the fermented milks, including crude protein, fat, ash, total solids and non‐fat solids, were also determined. Gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC‐MS) detected 42, 46, 47, and 49 kinds of volatile flavour compounds in CFM, RFM1, RFM2, and RFM3, respectively. The antioxidant activity of fermented milks was measured using ferric reducing antioxidant power and scavenging capacities for 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radicals during 28 days of refrigerated storage. The results of this study are of great significance to improve the understanding and application of roselle extracts in the food industry. Both roselle and fermented milk are beneficial to human health, with many biological activities, such as antioxidant, hypoglycaemic, liver‐protecting, and antihypertensive properties; however, no attention has been paid to the combined effects of roselle and fermented milks. The study created a novel fermented milk and the results indicate that 0.3% roselle extracts can play the most important role in affecting the rheological, textural properties, and antioxidant activity of fermented milks, so this modification of fermented milk shows promise for potential application in the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antimetabolite 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) is a widely used antitumor agent, however the overall response rate to 5‐FU as a single agent is usually limited. Herein, how Lachnum expolysaccharide (LEP‐2a), a type of active polysaccharide isolated from Lachnum sp., acted synergistically with 5‐FU on HepG2 cells was investigated. It was found that LEP‐2a notably enhanced 5‐FU sensitivity in HepG2 cells in a synergistic manner. After combination treatment of 5‐FU and LEP‐2a, Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway were inactivated. In addition, combination treatment induced generation of reactive oxygen species, decreased the levels of intracellular antioxidant enzymes and triggered mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Furthermore, 5‐FU combined with LEP‐2a also resulted in p53 activation and NF‐κB inhibition, and cell cycle arrest in the S phase as well as cell metastasis stagnation. Interestingly, LEP‐2a treatment also blocked the DNA damage repair procedure. These findings demonstrate that LEP‐2a enhanced 5‐FU sensitivity and combination of 5‐FU and LEP‐2a exerts synergistic antitumor efficiency through multiple approaches. HIGHLIGHTS: 1.Lachnum expolysaccharide (LEP‐2a) possesses antitumor effect on HepG2 cells in vitro.2.LEP‐2a combined with 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) has a synergistic effect against HepG2 cells in vitro.3.The synergistic effect is mediated by the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.4.Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway promote the effect.5.LEP‐2a blocks DNA damage repair and induces cell cycle arrest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this study, solid dispersions (SDs) and electrospinning combined methods were used to increase the bioavailability and solubility of a water insoluble drug. Pullulan (PUL) nanofibers containing rutin-Pluronic SDs (PUL&RU@PF) were fabricated by electrospinning. Rutin was efficiently loaded with Pluronic SDs using a facile mixing method and the prepared SDs indicated that 4% w/v Pluronic concentration provided the optimal drug loading efficiency. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) verified that the morphology of the complex nanofibers had a uniformly smooth surface with a porous structure. The amorphous state of rutin was examined by XRD and DSC. Moreover, rutin in the electrospun PUL-rutin-Pluronic complex structure displayed a fast release profile and equivalent antioxidant ability compared to that of raw rutin. In conclusion, PUL&RU@PF may be a promising alternative for enhanced solubility and UV stability with remaining rutin's inherent antioxidant ability. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44859. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate whether intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) can be used to quantitatively analyze the cellular injury and microcirculation alterations in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI).Materials and Methods: Thirty-two New Zealand white rabbits were randomly and equally assigned to the sham group, 1-hour, 4-hour, and 12-hour groups according to the reperfusion time after 1 hour of ischemia using a 70% liver ischemia-reperfusion injury model. All the animals underwent IVIM-DWI with 12 b values at 1.5T. The imaging parameters (IVIM parameters and apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC]) among different groups were compared. The correlations between imaging parameters and histological scores, and the ratio of serum aspartate aminotransferase to serum alanine aminotransferase (serum AST/ALT) were analyzed.Results: During the first hour of HIRI, true diffusion coefficient (D) and ADC significantly decreased (P < 0.05), while there was no significant decrease in perfusion fraction (f) (P = 0.708). There was fair to good correlation between histological scores and f (rs  = -0.493 with the sham cases excluded, and -0.682 with all cases, both P < 0.05) and ADC (rs  = -0.479 with the sham cases excluded, and -0.766 with all cases, both P < 0.05). There was no correlation between imaging parameters and serum AST/ALT with the sham cases excluded (P = 0.673 for f, 0.568 for D, 0.403 for ADC), and good correlation between D, ADC, and serum AST/ALT (r = 0.747 and 0.748, both P < 0.001) with all cases.Conclusion: IVIM-DWI can quantitatively characterize an animal model of HIRI, with D and ADC sensitive in early detection of cellular injury, as well as fair to good correlation between f, ADC, and microcirculation alteration. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;43:1327-1336. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibers containing halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) loaded with sodium d-pantothenate (SDP) were successfully fabricated via simple blend-electrospinning. SDP was efficiently loaded into the innate HNT lumen with an SDP/HNT mass ratio of 1.5:1 via vacuum treatment. The SDP-loaded HNT-inclusion complex was evaluated with drug-loading efficiency testing, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The morphologies of the nanofibers were observed by scanning electron microscopy, which revealed uniform and smooth surfaces of the nanofibers. The addition of HNTs to the composite nanofibers increased the viscosity of the polymer solution, and this suggested shorter fiber diameters. FTIR spectroscopy verified the good compatibility of the SDP and HNTs with PVA. Moreover, the swelling properties were found to quantitatively correlate with weight loss. In vitro drug-release testing revealed that the HNTs and crosslinking reaction most dramatically affected the sustained release of SDP from the PVA and SDP-loaded HNT complex. In the drug-release kinetics model, SDP release depended on the diffusion caused by the deformation of the polymer-based structures in the medium; it followed Fickian diffusion with acceptable coefficient of determination ( r2) values between 0.88 and 0.94. Most importantly, the HNTs as natural biocontainers effectively modulated the release profile by loading the active compound in harmony with the electrospun nanofibers. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 42900. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To characterize intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) parameters in different regions of interest (ROIs) of rabbit VX2 liver tumors during a follow-up of 4 weeks.Materials and Methods: This study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. In 18 VX2 liver tumor-bearing rabbits, IVIM DW imaging was serially performed at the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th week separately after tumor implantation at 1.5T by using 12 b values. Three ROIs were drawn on the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, including the whole lesion, the visibly most restricted diffusion area (MRDA), and peripheral area of tumor. For each ROI of tumors, serial changes in ADC and D, D*, and f at three timepoints were calculated. The differences of IVIM parameters in different ROIs of tumors at each timepoint were compared.Results: Serial measurements of f in all three ROIs (P = 0.000, P = 0.002, and P = 0.000), ADC for the whole lesion, MRDA (P = 0.000 and P = 0.024), and D for MRDA (P = 0.001) from the 2nd to 4th week illustrated a statistical difference. The overall comparison of ADC (P = 0.000, P = 0.014, and P = 0.000), D (P = 0.000, P = 0.001, and P = 0.000), and f (P = 0.001, P = 0.001, and P = 0.000) for three tumor regions at weeks 2, 3, and 4 showed significant differences. D* in all three ROIs at each timepoint showed no significant differences (P = 0.612, P = 0.723, and P = 0.699; 95% confidence interval: 0.184-0.950).Conclusion: The peripheral area of tumor could be used as an alternative to the whole lesion as ROIs to assess the VX2 liver tumor with IVIM DW imaging, and in the period between weeks 2 and 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green tea infusions were prepared with three different water types: distilled water, commercial mineral water and Ca Cl2 added distilled water (at 20 mg L−1). The impact of different water type on the colloidal particle parameters, namely size, polydispersity index ( PDI) and zeta potential, was examined within 24 h. Our results indicate that distilled water green tea infusion ( DWT) brewed at 80 °C for 5 min contained the smallest particles (242.17 ± 11.78 nm) as examined by dynamic light scattering ( DLS). Moreover, DWT showed smaller size increase during the 24 h storage than that of mineral water tea and Ca Cl2 added water tea infusion. The morphology characteristics of green tea infusion particles were visualised by transmission electron microscope ( TEM) which revealed that green tea infusion particles had heteromorphic shapes. Our results suggest that mineral composition of water impacts the colloidal size and stability of green tea infusion. Additionally, DLS and TEM could be useful tools to provide colloidal information which is important to understand quality characteristics of green tea infusion during processing and storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BaTiO3 ( BTO) nanofibers were fabricated by sol-gel combined with electrospinning method. The effects of the concentration of acetic acid and sintering temperatures on the crystal phase and microstructure of the samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy ( TEM). BTO nanofibers with improved surface morphology were obtained as the ethanol to acetic acid ratio (E/A) was 8:3. The fibers calcined at 750°C for 2 h exhibited good morphology and crystallization. TEM studies revealed that the BTO nanofibers were polycrystalline, with diameters being on the order of hundreds nanometer, where the existence of domains offered proof of ferroelectric structure. The ferroelectric domains and piezoresponse of BTO nanofibers were characterized by piezoresponse force microscopy. The calculated d33 was 20 pm/V at maximum strain amplitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the important electronic components, the dielectric capacitors for energy storage applications have been extensively studied in recent years. Among various dielectric materials, the perovskite oxide Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3‐based ceramics have become promising candidates due to their high polarization, dielectric tunability, environment‐friendly composition, and so forth. Herein, the relaxor ferroelectric ceramics of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3–SrTiO3–Bi(Mg0.5Zr0.5)O3 were prepared via solid‐state reaction method. The sample with optimal composition not only retains the high polarization by introducing Bi3+ ions, but also achieves the reduced remanent polarization by enhancing relaxor behavior and the promoted electric breakdown strength by the grain size refinement. Accordingly, a high recoverable energy density of 8.3 J/cm3 under 450 kV/cm and the superb charge/discharge properties (current density CD = 1200 A/cm2, power density PD = 150 MW/cm3, charge/discharge time t0.9 = 0.15 µs) are achieved, revealing great prospect in energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]