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Summary: We present a protocol for the in vitro detection of spontaneous termination of yeast RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcription using bead-immobilized elongation complexes (ECs). We describe the steps for EC assembly, ligation to a long transcription template, and the in vitro elongation and termination reactions. Our protocol has proven successful for identifying spontaneous termination in the yeast CYC1 terminator.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Han et al.1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.

Consumer demand for high-quality, nutritious juice products is steadily increasing. Ongoing research and innovation in juice extraction technologies will likely further shape the landscape of the juice industry. The expanding market for healthy and natural juices has led to the development and adoption of novel technologies and practices in the juice industry. These advancements have the potential to not only revolutionize juice extraction and processing but also address sustainability concerns and meet the evolving needs of health-conscious consumers. This review provides a critical discussion about recent advances in physical field technologies such as pulsed electric field, high hydrostatic pressure, ultrasound, and microwave. Their mechanisms and modes of application on cellular structures are analyzed, and the main drawbacks and limitations of their industrial-scale use are discussed. Physical field technologies represent a promising group of innovative methods that can be employed in the food industry to address various processing challenges, including improved juice extraction with enhanced quality attributes. The demand for improved juice extraction methods stems from various factors, including the desire to enhance juice quality, increase extraction efficiency, and promote sustainability. As the juice market continues to expand, the development and adoption of advanced juice extraction technologies will be crucial for ensuring the long-term success and sustainability of the industry.

Existing studies have focused on the behavior of the retaining wall equipped with expanded polystyrene (EPS) geofoam inclusions under semi-infinite surcharge loading rather than limited surcharge loading. In this paper, the failure mode and the earth pressure acting on the rigid retaining wall with EPS geofoam inclusions and granular backfills (henceforth referred to as EPS-wall), under limited surcharge loading are investigated through two- and three-dimensional model tests. The testing results show that different from the sliding of almost all the backfill in the EPS-wall under semi-infinite surcharge loading, only an approximately triangular backfill slides in the wall under limited surcharge loading. The distribution of the lateral earth pressure on the EPS-wall under limited surcharge loading is non-linear, and the distribution changes from the increase of the wall depth to the decrease with the increase of the limited surcharge loading. An approach based on the force equilibrium of a differential element is developed to predict the lateral earth pressure behind the EPS-wall subjected to limited surcharge loading, and its performance was fully validated by the three-dimensional model tests.

This paper presents experimental studies on a compacted expansive soil, from Nanyang, China for investigating the at-rest lateral earth pressure σL of expansive soils. The key studies include (i) relationships between the σL and the vertical stress σV during soaking and consolidation, (ii) the influences of initial dry density ρd0 and moisture content w0 on the vertical and lateral swelling pressures at no swelling strain (i.e. σV0 and σL0), and (iii) evolution of the σL during five long-term wetting-drying cycles. Experimental results demonstrated that the post-soaking σL-σV relationships are piecewise linear and their slopes in the passive state (σL > σV) and active state (σL

The polyphenol–starch complex has become a hot research topic since it is evident that this modification method can alter the physicochemical properties of starch as well as improve its nutritional value. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of ginger polyphenol gingerols (GNs) and shogaols (SNs) on the structure of starch with different amylose content (WCS, CS, G56, G80). Textural and rheological results indicated that GNs and SNs had more pronounced inhibitory retrogradation effects for relative low-level amylose starches (WCS and CS) compared to relative high-level amylose starches (G56 and G80). GNs and SNs improved the freeze–thaw stability of starch gels. FT-IR and XRD results revealed that GNs and SNs decreased the (short- and long-range) ordered structure of starches through a non-covalent interaction. Moreover, DSC results proved that the gelatinisation temperature of CS/G56/G80 significantly increased, and the enthalpy (ΔH) decreased by the incorporation of GNs and SNs. Overall, this in-depth study is beneficial in providing valuable pathways for starch–polyphenol interactions to improve the quality of starchy foods.

This work investigated the underlying mechanism of thermo-ultrasonic treatment to improve the nutritional properties and emulsion stability of sea bass fish head broth. The effects of ultrasonication on the processing of fish broth were compared with boiling water treatment. The nutritional properties of fish broth mainly include protein, fat, total sugar, 5′-nucleotide and free amino acid content. To achieve a similar effect of nutrient extraction, the thermo-ultrasonic treatment required a shorter time (30 min) than boiling water (120 min). The water-soluble protein, fat and total sugar contents were at their maximum at 120 min of the thermo-ultrasonic treatment. In particular, the fat content increased with the time of thermo-ultrasonic treatment from 0.58% to 2.70%. The emulsion structure of the fish soup was characterized by measuring its color and particle size, using optical microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy, and determining its storage stability. Thermo-ultrasonic treatment reduced the particle size of the fish broth emulsion and the fat globules became smaller and more homogeneous. Ultrasonication not only accelerated the nutritional and flavor content of the fish head broth, but also reduced the particle size and enhanced the stability of the emulsified system of the fish broth. The fish head tissue was more severely disrupted by the cavitation effect of an ultrasound, and nutrients migrated more and faster. This was mainly due to the cavitation and mechanical breaking force of the ultrasound on the fish head tissue and the fat globules of the fish broth. Altogether, these findings suggest that the thermo-ultrasonic treatment technique is useful for processing nutrient-rich, storage-stable and ready-to-eat fish head broth.

ABSTRACTApplication of titanium alloys is restricted due to their low hardness and poor wear resistance. Duplex surface treatment consisting of depositing of Al coating by arc ion plating (AIP) plus micro-arc oxidation (MAO) was carried out on Ti6Al4V alloy to improve its tribological performance. Ceramic coating mainly composed of α-Al2O3, γ-Al2O3 and mullite was fabricated on the aluminum-coated titanium alloy after the MAO treatment, and its thickness, compactness and hardness increased with the MAO time before the titanium alloy was oxidized. After the substrate titanium alloy was locally oxidized due to oxygen anions inward migration, a thin transition layer containing titanium oxides and aluminum titanate formed and incorporation of Ti in the alumina coating occurred. Occurrence of the strong eruptible discharges at these positions was facilitated probably due to the large difference in permittivity of the alumina and the titanium oxides, which led to the formation of penetrating cracks in the MAO coating. The hardness and compactness of the ceramic coating decreased. Tensile test results showed bonding strength of MAO ceramic coating/aluminum layer/titanium alloy substrate system was more than 40 MPa, and the maximum value could reach around 68 MPa. The bonding strength of the ceramic coating/titanium alloy substrate system decreased to around 34 MPa due to the weak bonding between the alumina ceramic coating and the titanium alloy substrate. Tribological test results show wear resistance of titanium alloy was greatly improved due to the fabrication of hard alumina ceramic coating on titanium alloy.

For the problem of insufficient small target detection ability of the existing network model, a vehicle target detection method based on the improved YOLO V3 network model is proposed in the article. The improvement of the algorithm model can effectively improve the detection ability of small target vehicles in aerial photography. The optimization and adjustment of the anchor box and the improvement of the network residual module have improved the small target detection effect of the algorithm. Furthermore, the introduction of the rectangular prediction frame with orientation angles into the model of this article can improve the vehicle positioning efficiency of the algorithm, greatly reduce the problem of wrong detection and missed detection of vehicles in the model, and provide ideas for solving related problems. Experiments show that the accuracy rate of the improved algorithm model is 89.3%. Compared to the YOLO V3 algorithm, it is improved by 15.9%. The recall rate is improved by 16%, and the F1 value is also improved by 15.9%, which greatly increased the detection efficiency of aerial vehicles.

This study investigates the evolution of the structural, volumetric and water retention behaviors of a compacted clay during soaking and desiccation considering the influences of freeze-thaw (FT) cycles and saline intrusion. Compacted specimens were subjected to different FT cycles and then submerged in NaCl solution with different concentrations to facilitate the saline intrusion and measure the swelling behaviors. Shrinkage curve and filter paper tests were thereafter performed to reveal the clay's volumetric and water-retention characteristics during desiccation. Mercury intrusion porosimetry and field emission scanning electron microscopy tests were conducted to observe the evolution of the clay's microstructure. Experimental results show that the clay's micropores decrease and macropores increase after FT cycles, which is associated with the migration of water, growth of ice crystals, and development of FT-induced cracks during FT cycles. Similar observations were obtained from specimens after the saline intrusion, which is attributed to the osmotic and osmotically-induced consolidation. FT-induced cracks significantly reduce the clay's swelling and shrinkage potentials. FT cycles result in the shrinkage of micropores which leads to a reduction in the water retention capacity in the low suction range (capillary regime). The salinization suppresses the swelling of the clay and prolongs its primary and secondary swelling stages. The shrinkage potential initially increases and then decreases with increasing saline concentration. Salinization has significant influences on the osmotic suction and thus alters the clay's water-retention curves in terms of total suction. It demonstrates little impact on the clay's water-retention curves in terms of matric suction.

IntroductionMorinda citrifolia L. (Noni) as an evergreen plant is a rich source of natural polysaccharides.ObjectiveThe present work aims to investigate the maturation-related changes in polysaccharides of Morinda citrifolia L. (Noni) at five stages of maturity (stages from the lowest to highest degree – 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5).MethodsThe chemical composition (carbohydrate, protein, uronic acid, and sulfate radical) of Noni polysaccharides was determined by different chemical assays. Ion chromatography system was used to analyze the monosaccharide composition, and the molecular weight was measured by HPGPC. The polysaccharides were also analyzed by FT-IR and their radical scavenging effect against DPPH, hydroxyl radicals and ABTS was evaluated. The UV-vis assay and gel electrophoresis assay were performed to investigate the DNA damage protective effect.ResultsResults indicated the significant effect of fruit maturities on the extraction yields, molecular weights, uronic acid contents, sugar levels, monosaccharide compositions and proportions, antioxidant capacities, and DNA protective effects of Noni polysaccharides. However, no fruit maturity stage had prominent impact on the sulfuric radical contents and preliminary structure characteristics. Noni polysaccharides extracted at stage 5 (N5) had the largest extraction yield (8.26 ± 0.14%), the highest sugar content (61.94 ± 1.86%) and the most potent scavenging effect on DPPH (IC50: 1.06 mg/mL) and ABTS (IC50: 1.22 mg/mL) radicals. The stronger DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities of N5 might be contributed by its higher content of fucose and rhamnose and smaller molecular weight. Noni polysaccharides extracted at stage 4 (N4) showed the highest uronic acid content (4.10 ± 0.12%), and the superior performance in scavenging hydroxyl radicals and protecting DNA. The greater hydroxyl radical scavenging effect of N4 might be attributed to its higher percentage of the low molecular weight counterpart. Moreover, the DNA protective effects of N4 displayed a positive correlation with its hydroxyl radical scavenging ability.ConclusionOverall, stage 4 and stage 5 could be ideal stages of fruit maturity aiming at high-quality Noni polysaccharides extraction. This study provided valuable information for the selection of suitable Noni polysaccharides to cater for various industrial applications.

Kaempferia elegans polysaccharide (KEP) was extracted using a high-voltage pulsed electric field-assisted hot water method. Its physicochemical properties, in vitro activity and hypoglycemic effect was investigated. Experiments were undertaken with diabetic mice models and the potential mechanism of KEP to improve blood glucose levels was unveiled through measurements of relevant indicators in the serum and liver of the mice. Results showed that KEP is mainly composed of glucose, rhamnose, arabinose, and galactose. It has certain DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging ability and good α-glucosidase inhibitory ability, indicating that KEP has the potential to improve blood glucose levels in diabetes patients. The experimental results of KEP treatment on mice showed that KEP could control the continuous increase of fasting blood glucose levels. The potential mechanisms behind this blood glucose level control composes of (1) increasing the glucokinase and C peptide levels and decreasing Glucose-6-phosphatase content for improving key enzyme activity in the glucose metabolism pathway. This promotes the consumption of blood glucose during glycolysis, thereby inhibiting the production of endogenous glucose in gluconeogenesis pathway; (2) reducing triglyceride, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and increasing high density lipoprotein cholesterol content, for regulating blood lipid indicators to normal levels; and (3) by improving the activities of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase for further improving the antioxidant defense system in the body to reduce blood glucose.

In this study, porous starch was modified using pulsed electric field (PEF) pretreatment and alcoholic–alkaline treatment to prepare porous granular cold-water-soluble starch (P-GCWSS). The soluble porous starch has high adsorption capability and high cold water solubility, allowing effective encapsulation of zeaxanthin and improving zeaxanthin’s water solubility, stability, and bioavailability. The physical and chemical properties of GCWSS and complex were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the cold water solubility of the pulsed electric field-treated porous granular cold-water-soluble starch (PEF-P-GCWSS) increased by 12.81% compared to granular cold-water-soluble starch (GCWSS). The pulsed electric field treatment also increased the oil absorption of PEF-P-GCWSS was improved by 15.32% compared to porous granular cold-water-soluble starch (P-GCWSS). PEF-P-GCWSS was effective in encapsulating zeaxanthin, which provided a good protection for zeaxanthin. The zeaxanthin-saturated solubility in water of PPG–Z was increased by 56.72% compared with free zeaxanthin. The zeaxanthin embedded in PEF-P-GCWSS was able to be released slowly during gastric digestion and released rapidly during intestinal digestion.

The valorization of industrial fruit and vegetable waste has gained significant attention due to the environmental concerns and economic opportunities associated with its effective utilization. This review article comprehensively discusses the application of subcritical and supercritical fluid technologies in the valorization process, highlighting the potential benefits of these advanced extraction techniques for the recovery of bioactive compounds and unconventional oils from waste materials. Novel pressurized fluid extraction techniques offer significant advantages over conventional methods, enabling effective and sustainable processes that contribute to greener production in the global manufacturing sector. Recovered bio-extract compounds can be used to uplift the nutritional profile of other food products and determine their application in the food, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries. Valorization processes also play an important role in coping with the increasing demand for bioactive compounds and natural substitutes. Moreover, the integration of spent material in biorefinery and biorefining processes is also explored in terms of energy generation, such as biofuels or electricity, thus showcasing the potential for a circular economy approach in the management of waste streams. An economic evaluation is presented, detailing the cost analysis and potential barriers in the implementation of these valorization strategies. The article emphasizes the importance of fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and policymakers to enable the widespread adoption of these promising technologies. This, in turn, will contribute to a more sustainable and circular economy, maximizing the potential of fruit and vegetable waste as a source of valuable products.

ObjectiveHere, we investigated the relationship between social avoidance and depression in college students, explored the mediating roles of loneliness and trust, and the regulatory role of self-esteem, to provide a theoretical intervention approach based on internal mechanisms.MethodsUsing a simple random overall sampling method, 1,021 college students were investigated using self-rating depression, social avoidance and distress, loneliness, interpersonal trust and self-esteem scales.ResultsThere was a significant positive correlation between social avoidance and depression. Loneliness and interpersonal trust played chain-mediating roles between social avoidance and depression. The influence of social avoidance on interpersonal trust was regulated by self-esteem. Specifically, the social avoidance level of the low self-esteem group was more likely to be affected by interpersonal trust issues.ConclusionSocial avoidance not only directly affects college students’ depression, it also has indirect effects through interpersonal trust and loneliness. Thus, interpersonal trust and loneliness have chain-mediating effects between social avoidance and depression in college students, and self-esteem regulates the mediation process.

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are among the emerging selenium supplements because of their high bioactivity and low toxicity. However, bare SeNPs are prone to activity loss caused by aggregation and sedimentation. This study aims to stabilize SeNPs with curdlan (CUR), a polysaccharide, to maintain or even enhance their biological activity. Herein, the stable SeNPs were constructed via the unique conformational transition of CUR induced by alkali-neutralization (AN) pretreatment. The physicochemical properties and structures of the prepared SeNPs were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and free-radical-scavenging activity assays. The results show that most SeNPs are stabilized within the triple helix of CUR that has been pretreated with high-intensity AN treatment. These amorphous, small-sized (average size was 53.6 ± 17.7 nm), and stabilized SeNPs have significantly enhanced free-radical-scavenging ability compared to the control and can be well-stabilized for at least 240 days at 4 °C. This work indicates that CUR, as a food additive, can be used to well-stabilize SeNPs by AN pretreatment and provides a facile method to prepare and enhance the stability and bioactivity of SeNPs via triple-helix conformational transition.

Although learners’ success in learning has generally been attributed to cognitive factors, non-cognitive issues in education should be taken into consideration in the process of learning which affects learners’ achievement. One of these issues, which become popular among researchers in the previous decade is grit, that is, posited as passion and perseverance thanks to its enduring quality and the other is self-efficacy. Another factor is goal commitment that talks about the way to reach a goal or insistent determinations to achieve a goal. The proposed review attempts to focus on these three factors in regulating students’ learning achievement. Accordingly, some educational suggestions are offered for teachers, students, and syllabus designers.

The manufacturing process of modern equipment becomes very complex due to features such as mass units, multiple machining, and complicated coupling-relationships, posing a big challenge for determining the manufacturing scheme. This paper addresses the challenge by proposing a graph theory-based optimization design for the complex manufacturing process. A detailed analysis of a serial of graph models built according to the manufacturing process features reveals that the Hamilton graph is suitable for modeling the manufacturing process system. Some model weight assignment functions are extracted for the quantitative study. Further the optimal scheme for an optimization design of the complex manufacturing process is solved using the full link graph feature algorithm - a search optimization algorithm. A manufacturing model matrix is constructed, and penalty number and divisor are formulated to simplify the matrix and improve the algorithm efficiency in the process of algorithm design. An example is provided to demonstrate feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

The development of underground space resources can alleviate the problems of traffic congestion and land resource tension caused by urbanization, but there are also certain risks in the development of underground space, so the suitability of development needs to be evaluated. This paper takes the geological suitability of underground space resources in Weihai City as the evaluation object, establishes the index system for evaluating the geological suitability of underground space resources development and utilization, determines the criteria for quantifying each factor index, uses the hierarchical analysis method to determine the index weights and applies the fuzzy C-mean clustering algorithm to evaluate the geological suitability of underground space resources development and utilization in the urban area of Weihai City, and achieves excellent results that are more in line with the geological conditions.

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.

Chitosan, extenders anointed and in-situ synthesis method were used to synthesize anode-composite lead-carbon batteries.SEM, EDS, BET and RM were used to characterize and analyze the morphology of carbon materials.The results show that chitosan-carbon has non-crystal structures.Its pore size distribution is between 5-10nm.Specific surface area reaches to 487.4m2/g.The negative composite material electrode is mixed with a conductive agent to produce pastel.Pb-C analog battery was assembled.Electrochemical workstation is used to test chronoamperometry curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy so as to evaluate the possibility of in-situ synthesis anode composite material and its potential value of practical application.Electrochemical testing results show that the Pb-C negative plate,which is made by anode composite carbon material as the carbon source of in-situ synthesis of chitosan, possessing better electrochemical performance and smaller resistance.Its specific capacitance of cyclic voltammogram test is 162.9F/g with longer first discharge platform,the ultimate capacity reaches to 108.722mAh·g-1 when chitosan as carbon source, the specific capicity is 98% of the theoretical capacity. After 1000times of cycle there is almost no decay in capacity.

Abstract The association between air pollution and childhood respiratory disease is inconsistent. In the present study, we investigated a short-term effect of ambient air pollutants and daily childhood lower respiratory diseases (CLRD). Daily air pollutants, weather data, and CLRD data were collected from January 2014 to April 2015 (452 days) in Nanjing, China. Time-series regression and generalized additive models were used to assess the effects of air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, O3, and CO) on CLRD. We observed that an interquartile range (IQR) increase in concentrations of PM10, NO2, and SO2 significantly increased the daily CLRD with 6 days cumulative effects (difference of estimates: 2.8%, 95% CI: 0.6–5.0%; 4.1%, 1.2–7.0%; 5.6%, 2.6–8.6%, respectively). However, no significant association was found in IQR concentrations of PM2.5, O3, and CO. Specifically, elevated PM10, PM2.5, NO2, and SO2 significantly increased the numbers of CLRD in cool season (3.6%, 1.5–5.7%; 2.4%, 0.3–4.5%; 4.9%, 2.9–7.0%; 6.3%, 3.7–9.0%, respectively). Additionally, the effect estimates of PM10, NO2, and SO2 in female and age >27 months were more pronounced than in male and age ≤27 months. This study suggested that short-term exposure to ambient PM10, NO2, and SO2 were associated with the increased CLRD numbers.

The conservation laws of the (3+1)-dimensional Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation were obtained using Noether’s theorem after an interesting substitution u=vx to the equation. Then, with the aid of an obtained conservation law, the generalized double reduction theorem was applied to this equation. It can be verified that the reduced equation is a second order nonlinear ODE. Finally, some exact solutions of the Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation were constructed after solving the reduced equation.

Esterification is one of the most important methods to alter the structure of starch granules and improve its applications. Conventionally, starch esters are prepared by conventional or dual modification techniques, which have the disadvantages of being expensive, have regent overdoses, and are time-consuming. In addition, the degree of substitution (DS) is often considered as the primary factor in view of its contribution to estimate substituted groups of starch esters. In order to improve the detection accuracy and production efficiency, different detection techniques, including titration, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermal gravimetric analysis/infrared spectroscopy (TGA/IR) and headspace gas chromatography (HS-GC), have been developed for DS. This paper gives a comprehensive overview on the recent advances in DS analysis and starch esterification techniques. Additionally, the advantages, limitations, some perspectives on future trends of these techniques and the applications of their derivatives in the food industry are also presented.

This paper develops a mathematical optimization approach for link‐level air traffic flow management. First, a pure integer programming model is established for the problem on a link level. The model seeks to minimize the weighted summation of ground delay and airborne delay, and offers a more precise modeling for the capacity and traffic dynamics at the merge, diverge, and intersection nodes. The optimization problem is computationally NP‐hard, and a modified genetic algorithm is then presented to solve it. Besides a new chromosome coding rule for converting binary decision into time series vectors, the algorithm uses a taboo mutation operator and an adaptive mutation probability selection operator. Finally, the effectiveness and superiority of the model and algorithm are demonstrated through a real‐world case study in Dalian, China, and some managerial insights are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]