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Natural edible films have recently gained a lot of interests in future food packaging. Polysaccharides and proteins in edible materials are not toxic and widely available, which have been confirmed as sustainable and green materials used for packaging films due to their good film-forming abilities. However, polysaccharides and proteins are hydrophilic in nature, they exhibit some undesirable material properties. Cold plasma (CP), as an innovative and highly efficient technology, has been introduced to improve the performance of polysaccharides and proteins-based films. This review mainly presents the basic information of polysaccharides and proteins-based films, principles of CP modified biopolymer films, and the effects of CP on the structural changes including surface morphology, surface composition, and bulk modification, and properties including wettability, mechanical properties, barrier properties, and thermal properties of polysaccharides, proteins, and polysaccharide/protein composite-based films. It is concluded that the CP modified performances are mainly depending on the polysaccharides and proteins raw materials, CP generation types and treatment conditions. The existing difficulties and future trends are also discussed. Despite natural materials currently not fully substitute for traditional plastic materials, CP has exhibited an effective solution to shape the future of natural materials for food packaging.

Food safety is veryimportant in our daily life. In food processing or disinfection, microorganisms are commonly exposed to oxidative stress perturbations. However, microorganisms can adapt and respond to physicochemical interventions, leading to difficulty and complexity for food safety assurance. Therefore, understanding the response mechanisms of microbes and providing an overview of the responses under oxidative stress conditions are beneficial for ensuring food safety for the industry. The current review takes the metabolomics approach to reveal small metabolite signatures and key pathway alterations during oxidative stress at the molecular and technical levels. These alterations are involved in primary oxidative stress responses due to inactivation treatments such as using hypochlorite (HOCl), hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ), electrolyzed water (EW), irradiation, pulsed light (PL), electron beam (EB), and secondary oxidative stress responses due to exposures to excessive conditions such as heat, pressure, acid, and alkaline. Details on the putative origin of exogenous or endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) are discussed, with particular attention paid to their effects on lipid, amino acid, nucleotide, and carbohydrate metabolism. In addition, mechanisms on counteracting oxidative stresses, stabilization of cell osmolality as well as energy provision for microbes to survive are also discussed.

An efficient Pd-catalyzed double annulation reaction of 1-(2,6-dibromophenyl)-1H-pyrroles with arynes is developed to synthesize π-extended dibenzo[d,k]ullazines in good to excellent yields. For the first time, the parent dibenzo[d,k]ullazine core is obtained and characterized.

In this work, an experiment was carried out to investigate the preparation condition of anisotropic Fe-deficient M-type Ca–Sr–La system ferrite with optimum magnetic and physical properties using the raw material Fe2O3 from steel industrial iron oxide waste. The compositions of the calcined ferrites were chosen according to the stoichiometry ${\mathrm {Ca}}_{1-x-y}$ La x Sr y Fe10.9CozO19, where M-type single-phase calcined powder was synthesized with a composition of $x = 0.45$ , $y = 0.18$ , and $z= 0$ . The effect of CaO, SiO2, and Co3O4 inter-additives on the Ca–Sr–La system ferrite was also discussed in order to obtain low-temperature sintered magnets. The magnetic properties of $B_{r} = 4570$ Gauss, $_{b}H_{c} = 4320$ Oe, $_{i}H_{c} = 5260$ Oe, and ( $BH$ ) $_{\mathrm {max}}= 5.16$ MGOe were obtained for Ca–Sr–La system hard magnets with low cobalt content at 1.85 wt%. The magnetic properties of the prepared magnets really good compared to that of the traditional Sr–La–cobalt (Co) M-type ferrite, which has been the highest grade M-type hard ferrite. The remarkable steel industrial iron oxide waste Fe2O3 is recycled to produce high-end permanent magnets under an output power of < 1 kW, which will eventually be used in high-efficiency motors.

In this study, we investigated the stress and doping effects of ferroelectric hafnium zirconium oxide (HfZrO) based on material analysis and electrical characteristics. The experimental results revealed that the ferroelectric crystalline phase is effectively transferred by mechanical stress of tantalum nitride (TaN) electrodes, and the origin of stress is mainly the thermal residual stress formed near the TaN and HfZrO interface. The ferroelectric polarization characteristics of HfZrO can be further modified by additional Al doping, which not only improves the leakage current of HfZrO due to the large bandgap of Al2O3 but also simultaneously stabilizes the ferroelectric domain switching under a large coercive field.

Molecular engineering enabling reversible transformation between helical and planar conformations is described herein. Starting from easily available 2-(pyridin-2-yl)anilines and alkynes, a one-pot strategy is set up for the synthesis of aza[4]helicenes via two successive rhodium-catalyzed C–H activation/cyclizations. Helical pyrrolophenanthridiziniums can be transformed into planar conformations through the cleavage of acidic pyrrole N–H, leading to turn-off fluorescence. NMR spectra, single crystal X-ray diffraction and DFT calculations demonstrate that the formation of an intramolecular C–H⋯N hydrogen bond is beneficial to stabilize the pyrrole nitrogen anion of the planar molecule and provide increased planarity. The reversible conformation transformations can be finely adjusted by the electron-donating and -withdrawing groups on the π+-fused pyrrole skeleton in the physiological pH range, thus affording an opportunity for pH-controlled intracellular selective fluorescence imaging. Pyrrolophenanthridiziniums show turn-on fluorescence in lysosomes owing to the acidic environment of lysosomes and turn-off fluorescence out of lysosomes, indicating the occurrence of the deprotonation reaction outside lysosomes and the corresponding transformation from helical to planar conformations., One-pot synthesis of aza[4]helicenes is accomplished through two successive C–H activation/cyclizations, which exhibit on/off fluorescence switching through reversible transformation between helical and planar conformations.

A bottom-up approach was developed to prepare TEMPO radical decorated hollow aromatic frameworks (HPAF-TEMPO) by using TEMPO radical functionalized monomers and SiO2 nanospheres as templates. The accessible inner layer, high density of TEMPO sites, and hybrid micro-/mesopores of the HPAF-TEMPO enable the aerobic oxidation of a broad range of alcohols with high efficiency and excellent selectivity.

Mn oxides are the major sinks for Cd(II) in the aquatic environment. At the redox interface, reduced sulfur might affect the fate of sorbed Cd(II) by either reducing Mn oxides or forming strong complexes with Cd(II). Here, we investigated the fate of Cd(II) immobilized on δ-MnO2 affected by reduced sulfur (S2- and cysteine). A low concentration of S2- led to Cd(II) migration from vacant sites to edge sites, while a high concentration of S2- largely converted Cd(II) adsorbed on the surface of δ-MnO2 to CdS. At low pH, the cysteine addition led to the release of Cd(II) initially adsorbed at the δ-MnO2 vacant sites into the solution and caused the migration of a small portion of Cd(II) to the δ-MnO2 edge sites. At high pH, a high concentration of cysteine led to the detachment of Cd(II) from δ-MnO2, Cd(II) readsorption by Mn(III)-bearing minerals, and Cd-cysteine formation. Changes of Cd(II) speciation were caused by δ-MnO2 dissolution induced by reduced sulfur, the competition of generated Mn(II/III) for the adsorption sites, and the precipitation of Cd(II) with reduced sulfur. This study indicates that reduced sulfur is a critical factor controlling the fate of Cd(II) immobilized on Mn oxides in the aquatic environment.

Plasma-functionalized liquids (PFL) emerge as an effective sanitizer with great potential to be against a variety of microorganisms but their applications on seafood products are limited. In the current study, the physicochemical properties of plasma-functionalized water (PFW) and plasma-functionalized buffer (PFB), and their antimicrobial activities on grass carp, were investigated under different conditions of applied voltage, plasma exposure time and immersion time. Results indicated that increasing voltage and exposure time led to an increase in levels of reactive species in PFW and PFB, while the presence of citric acid in the buffer accelerated possible reactions of active species and enhanced acidification, electrical conductivity (EC) and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) as compared with PFW. Results also showed that the decontamination efficiency depended on voltage and exposure time, which could be up to 1.21 and 1.52 log reductions for L. monocytogenes, and 1.44 and 1.75 log reductions for S. Typhimurium for PFW and PFB, respectively. Immersing fish fillet samples in both solutions also led to a reduced pH and increased total acidity level in the samples with no significant difference (p > 0.05) between PFW and PFB, while PFB greatly affected the colour change in fish fillets. This study provided a basis for the potential development of novel sanitizers to decontaminate microorganism in fish and seafood products. Key points • Cold plasma induced a time-dependent change of active species in water and buffer. • Ionic equilibria of conjugate base and weak acid in buffer enhanced RNS and ROS. • Decontamination depended on voltage and exposure time of liquids to cold plasma. • Reduced pH, increased acidity and colour change were noticed in treated fish. • A basis for developing potential sanitizers for seafood products is provided.

Background Cold plasma (CP) as an innovative and efficient technology has been developed for food sterilization. During CP treatments, exogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated, which are usually considered as the key bactericidal agent. Therefore, understanding various resistant mechanisms developed during CP processing by bacteria and their stress responses to ROS are important for the successful application of CP treatments. Scope and approach This review summarizes the sterilizing effects of exogenous ROS induced by plasma, bacterial oxidative stress protection and repair mechanisms, and regulation of their oxidative stress responses. The damaging effects of proven free radicals to bacterial cells are introduced. Stress protection and repair mechanisms of bacteria to exogenous ROS and their antioxidant properties including changes in bacterial cell morphology, biofilm protection in quorum sensing systems, as well as multiple antioxidant regulations in bacterial cells are also discussed. Key findings and conclusions The recent studies conducted on the bacterial stress responses to ROS induced by CP treatments indicated that foodborne pathogens possess some resistance mechanisms to CP treatment in real food systems. Therefore, clarifying the development of resistance of foodborne pathogens to active substances produced by CP, balancing the relationship between minimum processing and food safety assurance, and translating laboratory results of the bacterial sterilization effectiveness of CP treatments into industrial applications should be focuses of future research.

Perylene-based organic semiconductors are attractive photoactive materials due to their broad visible-light absorption, large extinction coefficients, high photostability, and relatively low cost. ...

Softening is a common phenomenon of texture changes associated with plant cell walls, inducing a decrease in the quality of fruit. Inhibiting the softening is effective to extend the shelf life of fruit. Cold plasma (CP), as a novel nonthermal technology, has been applied to keep the freshness of the fruit. This review centers on applying cold plasma treatments to the inhibition of fruit softening. Different pathways for inhibiting fruit softening by CP treatments, including maintenance of fruit firmness, reduction in the activities of enzymes, inactivation of fungal pathogens and lowering of respiration rates, are discussed. The biochemistry of fruit softening and the fundamental of cold plasma are also presented. In general, among all postharvest technologies, cold plasma is a promising method with many advantages, showing great potential in maintaining the quality and inhibiting the softening of the fruit. Future work should focus on process optimization to achieve better results in maintaining fruit freshness, and commercial applications of cold plasma technology should also be explored.

We report experimental determination of compressibility and thermoelasticity for CrN based on in situ high pressure/high temperature synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements. The pressure-induced...

Background The interfacial performance of protein and polysaccharide plays a vital role in the improvement of food quality. As an innovative technology in food processing, cold plasma has attracted much attention from researchers and has become an attractive tool for nonthermal food processing due to the abundant reactive species generated at low temperatures. In particular, cold plasma shows great potential in food component modification. However, some of the specific physical-chemical reactions between reactive species in plasma, and protein and polysaccharide still remain obscure, limiting the development of accurate modification. Scope and approach This review provides an overview of the effects that plasma makes on the interfacial performance of protein and polysaccharide in the emulsion. Aspects discussed include types of active species in cold plasma, detailed interaction between reactive species, and protein and polysaccharide, and changes of interfacial properties. In addition, the current review presents a summary of the modification of protein and polysaccharide resulting from cold plasma application. Key findings and conclusions The reactive species produced by cold plasma improve the interfacial performance of protein and polysaccharide by changing their residue composition and stereostructure. In the process of modification, hydrophobic groups hidden in protein are exposed and hydrophilic groups are grafted onto the polysaccharide skeleton. Meanwhile, the structural looseness is changed due to the breakage and the formation of bonds. Although successful applications of cold plasma for protein and polysaccharide modification have been demonstrated, it is not enough to characterize the changes at the macro level, and more in-depth studies should be conducted in the future. To improve the interfacial performance of protein and polysaccharide, the mechanism of plasma regulatable modification should be explored, and the accuracy of modification should be enhanced.

In this paper, we investigated the performance of an n-type tin-oxide (SnOx) thin film transistor (TFT) by experiments and simulation. The fabricated SnOx TFT device by oxygen plasma treatment on the channel exhibited n-type conduction with an on/off current ratio of 4.4×104, a high field-effect mobility of 18.5 cm2/V.s and a threshold swing of 405 mV/decade, which could be attributed to the excess reacted oxygen incorporated to the channel to form the oxygen-rich n-type SnOx. Furthermore, a TCAD simulation based on the n-type SnOx TFT device was performed by fitting the experimental data to investigate the effect of the channel traps on the device performance, indicating that performance enhancements were further achieved by suppressing the density of channel traps. In addition, the n-type SnOx TFT device exhibited high stability upon illumination with visible light. The results show that the n-type SnOx TFT device by channel plasma processing has considerable potential for next-generation high-performance display application.

Transparent electronics has attracted much attention and been widely studied for next-generation high-performance flat-panel display application in the past few years, because of its excellent electrical properties. In display application, thin film transistors (TFTs) play an important role as the basic units by controlling the pixels. Among them, oxide-based TFTs have become promising candidates and gradually replaced the conventional amorphous and polycrystalline silicon TFTs, due to high mobility, good transparency, excellent uniformity and low processing temperature. Even though n-type oxide TFTs have shown high device performance and been used in commercial display application, p-type oxide TFTs with the equal performance have been rarely reported. Hence, in this paper, recent progress and challenges in p-type oxide-based TFTs are reviewed. After a short introduction, the TFT device structure and operation are presented. Then, recent developments in p-type oxide TFTs are discussed in detail, with the emphasis on the potential p-type oxide candidates as copper oxide, tin oxide and nickel oxide. Moreover, miscellaneous applications of p-type oxide TFTs are also presented. Despite this, the performance of p-type oxide TFTs still lags behind, as compared with that of n-type counterparts. Thus, the current issues and challenges of p-type oxide TFTs are briefly discussed.

Rapid capture of 129 I with high volatility and toxicity in the environment has attracted much attention. Herein we reported a firstly synthesized nonporous material: pyridine N-oxides (NTPO and ATPO) as iodine adsorbent. Both of NTPO and ATPO exhibit remarkable performance on the adsorption of iodine in aqueous solution, vapor state and organic solvents. Upon the capture of iodine, pyridine N-oxides were transformed to binary cocrystals combined with the pyridine N-oxides and iodine which is driven by halogen bond between iodine and oxygen atoms. Moreover, pyridine N-oxides shows high chemical, thermal and moisture stability.

Graphical abstract, A novel technique for treating grass carp by combining plasma functionalized liquids and ultrasound to inactivate bacteria was developed. The effects of the plasma functionalized liquids (PFL) including plasma functionalized water (PFW) and buffer (PFB) and their respective combination with ultrasound treatment (USPFW and USPFB) on the oxidative and physical qualities of grass carp were also investigated. Individual applications of PFW and PFB significantly reduced the populations of Escherichia coli and Shewanella putrefaciens in the range of 0.31–1.18 log CFU/g, compared with the control with a reduction of 0.18 log CFU/g, while combined treatments of USPFW and USPFB presented additional reductions of 0.05–0.65 log CFU/g, with potential synergy demonstrated for PFW and ultrasound. The treatment resulted in improved biomedical index and nutritional value of fatty acids and lipids, protein structural unfolding, increased lipid oxidation and protein degradation with values within the acceptable limits, and the combined treatment was more effective for retarding the hardness reduction in grass carp, while the colour change was also significantly affected, resulting in increased whiteness. The results indicated that the combined treatments may be a promising approach to improving the quality of seafood products.

Herein a regioselective addition/annulation strategy of ferrocenyl (Fc) thioamides with alkynes to construct thienylferrocene (ThienylFc) structures, involving a rhodium-catalyzed C–H activation, an unusual C2-selective addition of 1,3-diyne, and an unexpected intramolecular sulfur-transfer rearrangement process is described. In this protocol, thioamide not only serves as a directing group to activate the ortho-C–H bond of the ferrocene, but also as a sulfur source to form the thiophene ring. The resulting carboxylic ester group after sulfur transfer can act as a linkage to construct extended π-conjugated ferrocenes (OCTFc) with luminescent properties. ThienylFc displays effective fluorescence quenching due to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from the Fc unit to the excited luminophore, which turns out to be a promising type of redox molecular switch. OCTFc exhibit relatively strong emission owing to their intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) characteristics. The ring-fused strategy is herein employed for the first time to construct luminescent materials based on ferrocenes, which provides inspiration for the development of novel organic optoelectronic materials, such as electroluminescent materials based on ferrocenes., Regioselective addition/annulation of ferrocenyl thioamides with 1,3-diynes has been developed to construct extended π-conjugated ferrocenes with luminescent properties.

Microbial extracellular electron transfer (EET) at microbe-mineral interface has been reported to play a significant role in pollutant biotransformation. Different metals often co-exist with organic pollutants and are immobilized on mineral surfaces. However, little is known about the influence of mineral surface metal ions on organic pollutant biodegradation and the involved electron transfer mechanism. To address this knowledge gap, pyrene was used as a model compound to investigate the biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon on montmorillonite mineral saturated with metal ions (Na(I), Ni(II), Co(II), Cu(II) and Fe(III)) by Mycobacteria strain NJS-1. Further, the possible underlying electron transfer mechanism by electrochemical approaches was investigated. The results show that pyrene biodegradation on montmorillonite was markedly influenced by surface metal ions, with degradation efficiency following the order Fe(III) > Na(I) ≈ Co(II) > Ni(II) ≈ Cu(II). Bioelectrochemical analysis showed that electron transfer activities (i.e., electron donating capacity and electron transport system activity) varied in different metal-modified montmorillonites and were closely related to pyrene biodegradation. Fe(III) modification greatly stimulated degrading enzyme activities (i.e., peroxidase and dioxygenase) and electron transfer activities resulting in enhanced pyrene biodegradation, which highlights its potential as a technique for pollutant bioremediation. The bacterial extracellular protein and humic substances played important roles in EET processes. Membrane-bound cytochrome C protein and extracellular riboflavin were identified as the electron shuttles responsible for transmembrane and cross extracellular matrix electron transfer, respectively. Additions of exogenetic electron mediators of riboflavin, humic acid and potassium ferricyanide accelerated pyrene biodegradation which further verified the critical role of EET in PAH transformation at bacteria-mineral interfaces. These results support the development of clay mineral based advanced bioremediation techniques through regulating the electron transfer processes at the microbe-mineral interfaces by mineral surface modification.

There has been a recent booming development of multifunctional nanoparticles with precisely defined materials and an accompanying abundance of synthesis methods. However, developing a rational strategy to choose the proper nanoparticle and optimal synthesis method for geological applications remains a bottleneck. Here, a rhodamine B covalently decorated Fe3O4 nanoparticle was studied to assess its application as a novel bifunctional nanomarker for the optical imaging of the pore structure in geomaterials. With this bifunctional nanomarker, we were able to combine magnetic injection, which provides a simple and non-destructive way of introducing the nanomarker into rocks, with fluorescence imaging techniques, which provide clear contrast imaging between geomaterials (black) and porosity (bright). The covalent bifunctional nanomarker exhibits higher fluorescence and less leakage of the fluorescence dye than those produced by the physical coating method. It offers not only a more practical and reliable nanom...

In this paper, the effect of channel annealing and oxygen flow rate in P-type tin-monoxide (SnO) thin film transistor (TFT) was investigated to reach the process compatibility with n-type oxide-based TFT. The optimized P-type SnO TFT with a small threshold voltage of -0.1 V, a high field-effect mobility of 4 cm² V-1 s-1 and an on/off current ratio of >10² was proposed. From the experimental results, the 150 °C channel annealing revealed a metallic behavior but a semiconductor-like property at a higher 200 °C that was favorable for transistor rectification. Besides, the higher oxygen flow rate was also helpful for improving device mobility and driving current, but shows a slight increase in off-state leakage, which is unavoidable due to the increase of grain in SnO channel.

A study was carried out to detect and assess possible sublethal injury and inactivation kinetics of Listeria monocytogenes suspended in phosphate-buffered saline (0.01 M PBS, pH = 7.4) by Ar/O2 plasma treatment. Results showed that both the germicidal effect and proportion of sublethally injured cells exhibited a time-dependent behavior, and post-treatment storage further extended the plasma lethality. The cytoplasmic enzymatic activity was reduced, but no considerable leakage levels of intracellular DNA and protein occurred. Incorporating the post-treatment storage for 48 h substantially decreased the intensity of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) (p

In this work, we successfully demonstrated the 9.6-nm-thick HfAlOx ferroelectric memory using light aluminium doping of 6.5% to form ferroelectric orthorhombic phase. Compared to ferroelectric HfZrOx film with zirconium diffusion issue, the HfAlOx film showed excellent thermal stability under high temperature annealing. Besides, the ferroelectric HfAlOx also exhibited robust polarization characteristics under endurance cycling test. A >106 stressed cycles with 4 MV/cm can be measured and a long endurance was sustained over 5 × 107 cycles under 3.6 MV/cm. Therefore, the HfAlOx film showed the great promise for integrating in high performance ferroelectric memory with thermal budget concerns.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) derived porous carbons are promising electrode materials in electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems. However, the typical synthetic route of MOFs involving high temperature, organic solvent, massive energy consuming, and laboratory-scale production, hinders the realistic applications of MOFs serving as sacrificial templates for porous carbon. Herein, we demonstrate that highly crystalline MIL-100 (Fe) nanoparticles (MIL: Materials of Institute Lavoisier) can be synthesized in large scale with low cost under mild and green conditions. High-temperature pyrolysis of MIL-100(Fe) under argon atmosphere results in hollow carbon polyhedra (HCPs) featuring high degree of graphitization and hierarchical pore structures. The obtained HCPs are excellent electrode materials for electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), and show a specific capacitance of 214 F g−1 at current density 50 mA g−1. Moreover, the HCP-based supercapacitors can endure more than 5000 cycles without significant degradation of capacitance. The unique structure of HCPs, including hollow polyhedral shape, hierarchical micro/mesopore structures, and ultrathin layer of highly graphitized carbon shells, endows the superior performance of HCPs based EDLCs with specific capacitance and high rate capability.

The aim of this study was to ascertain the impact of atmospheric pressure plasma jet treatment (APPJ) as a function of treatment times (0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 min) on the conformation and physicochemical properties of myofibrillar proteins (MPs) extracted from king prawn (Litopenaeus vannamei). The results showed that the pH and protein solubility were decreased after 10 min treatment of APPJ. These results were also confirmed by dynamic light scattering, which indicated an increase in mean particle diameter of MPs from 654 to 2297 nm. Complementary methodologies used to characterize the structural changes confirmed the exposure of hydrophobic groups and promotion of protein-protein interactions. These occurrences were particularly more intense at the longest treatment duration. The high energetic and oxidizing species contained in the plasma gas may have considerable implications on the physical and structural characteristics of MPs from king prawn.

With experimental and numerical simulation, we report the origin of the performance enhancement in p-type SnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) due to fluorine plasma treatment (FPT). To study the effect of fluorination, using the reactive-ion-etching process, the devices are treated at various plasma powers upto 60 W. It is observed, through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and XRD measurements, that the plasma fluorination modifies the defect/trap states of SnO channel and SnO/HfO2 interface. These effects are introduced through density of state (DOS) model for SnO in numerical simulations, to understand the routes of electrical performance improvement. It is observed that the attributes of donor-like band-tail state and acceptor-like Gaussian defect states (Sn vacancies) are modified in overall DOS due to plasma fluorination. The treated device shows excellent electrical performances with high ${I}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}/{I}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle OFF}}$ ratio of ~107 and low substhreshold swing of ~ 100 mV/dec and field-effect mobility ( $\mu _{\text {FE}}$ ) of 2.13 cm2V−1s−1.

Food endogenous enzymes have impacts on color, texture and flavor of foods during food processing or preservation. Cold plasma is a novel non-thermal food processing technology, which has been extensively studied for contamination elimination and shelf life extension of foods. Particularly, much work has been reported about the effects of cold plasma on enzyme activities and alterations about enzymes conformational structures. It is thus necessary to understand the mechanisms of actions and applications of cold plasma technology in the conformation of food endogenous enzymes. This review focuses on the applications of cold plasma for the inactivation of various endogenous enzymes, including peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, lysozyme, α-chymotrypsin, alkaline phosphatase, and pectin methylesterase. The activations of several enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and lipase, by cold plasma are also discussed. In addition, this review highlights the transformation of conformational structures including primary and spatial structures induced by chemical reactive species during cold plasma treatments, such as reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species, especially, active sites consisting of prosthetic group and specific amino acids are demonstrated. Both extrinsic and intrinsic factors affecting cold plasma treatments are also described. In general, cold plasma exhibits the ability to activate or inactivate enzymes activities with affecting the conformational structures of enzyme. Further studies should be focused on exploration at molecular level for providing more insight on the interaction mechanism. In addition, equipment and process parameters of cold plasma operation for different fresh food products should be optimized for achieving appropriate control on enzyme variation and obtaining maximum efficiency.

In this paper, we reported a ferroelectric HfAlO x negative capacitor transistor with gate-stress (GS) engineering. Compared to control device, the HfAlO x transistor with GS engineering percentage of $\text{I}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ enhancement and 27% $\text{V}_{T}$ reduction under the assistance of the negative capacitance (NC) effect. The orthorhombic phase transition played a crucial role in realizing the NC effect. From the results of the material analysis, the theoretical Landau simulation and electrical measurement, we demonstrated that the GS is favorable for inducing orthorhombic phase crystallization of HfAlOx and stabilizing the NC effect, which shows the potential for the application of advanced technology node.

Cellulose is a most abundant natural biopolymer, however, the strong hydrogen bonding system makes cellulose hard to dissolve, limiting its further applications. In this study, an innovative cold plasma (CP) technology was used to modify cellulose from sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) bagasse pulp. Dissolution, structure, and surface chemistry of cellulose before and after CP treatment were investigated. Results showed that the dissolution rate of cellulose after different CP treatment time (3-12 min) and operating voltage (40-70 kV) was significantly improved. Roughness, even holes (CP treatment 9 min with 50 kV) and breakage (CP treatment 9 min with 70 kV) were observed on the surface. The crystallinity index decreased from 62.31% (control) to 60.88% (CP treatment 3 min with 50 kV). The hydrogen bonding force was weakened and the peak intensity of C=O and C-O stretching vibration groups were enhanced. Therefore, CP-modified cellulose may be applied more in future, such as biological films for food future packaging.

In the present work, the structure and physicochemical properties of natural actomyosin (NAM) extracted from king prawn ( Litopenaeus vannamei) and subjected to atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) generated in argon gas as a function of the treatment time were examined. The results revealed that prawn NAM exhibited a correlating decrease in pH from 7.06 ± 0.03 to 6.92 ± 0.02 and a slight increase ( p0.05) in solubility from 91.89 ± 1.57 to 96.86 ± 1.19 within the first few minutes of plasma exposure as a result of the formation of soluble aggregates. A rise in turbidity was also noted, confirming the occurrence of protein aggregation. These changes were also accompanied by a rise in emulsifying activity from 48.96 ± 1.66 to 67.31 ± 1.39 m

Analysis and characterization of micro/nano-sized pore structure are critical issues in shale geology and engineering. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging is one of the most widespread methods for the analysis of the micro/nano-sized pores in shale, but precise identification of the ultrafine pore structure in shale is still a big challenge because shale is so complex that some components may have overlap with pores based on the simple discrimination of gray scale under SEM microscopy. Here, Fe3O4/Au nanocomposite with magnetic properties is synthesized, characterized, and introduced as a novel pore-marker to improve SEM identification and quantitation of micro/nano-sized pores in shale. Due to the superparamagnetic property, the nanomarker is conveniently controlled by an external magnetic field to fill into pores and offers a sharp contrast imaging between matrix of shale (various gray) and pores (bright), which makes the identification of micro/nano-sized pores in shale much more straightforward...

This study was carried out to understand the moisture transfer behavior of tomato fruits subjected to pre-drying and drying processes. Effects of variety and process conditions on the moisture ratio (MR) and effective moisture diffusivity (Deff) of tomato were investigated using three-level-four-variable Box–Behnken design of response surface methodology (RSM). The experiment involved three varieties of tomato (Hausa, Tiwantiwa, and Roma VFN) and the process conditions include slice thickness (5, 7.5, and 10 mm), pre-drying treatment (ethyl acetate, NaCl, MgCl2∙6H2O and Na2S2O5, and honey and sugar solutions), and inlet air temperature (45, 55, and 65 °C). Results show that variety and process conditions influenced MR and Deff of tomato (p ≤ .05). Furthermore, quadratic model best described the moisture transfer behavior of tomato in convective hot-air dryer with R2 values of 0.8538 and 0.7150 for MR and Deff, respectively. Based on the aforementioned process conditions, optimum conditions achieved were Tiwantiwa variety, 5 mm slice thickness, pre-drying treatment in ethyl acetate solution, and inlet air temperature of 65 °C. With predictions of 0.774 and 2.844 × 10–8 m2/s for MR and Deff, respectively, and obtained desirability function of 0.771.

Invasive plants pose a significant threat to natural ecosystems because of their high adaptability, rapid propagation and spreading ability in the environment. In this study, a typical aquatic invasive plant, Pistia stratiotes, was chosen as a novel feedstock for the preparation of nitrogen-doped biochars (NBs) for the first time, and the NBs were used as efficient sorbents to remove phthalate esters (PAEs) from aqueous solution. Characterization results showed that NBs possess great pore structure (up to 126.72 m2 g−1), high nitrogen (2.02%–2.66%) and ash (24.7%–34.1%) content, abundant surface functional groups, hydrophobicity and a graphene structure. Batch sorption experiments were performed to investigate the sorption performance, processes and mechanisms. The capacities for PAEs sorption onto NBs were high, especially with NBs pyrolyzed at 700 °C, ranging up to 161.7 mg g−1 for diethyl phthalate and 85.4 mg g−1 for dibutyl phthalate; these levels were better than many reported for other sorbents. With kinetic and isotherm results, Pseudo-second order and Freundlich models fit the sorption data well, and chemical interactions involving hydrogen bonding, Lewis acid-base interaction, functional group interaction, cation-π interaction and π-π stacking interaction were identified as possible rate-limited steps. Moreover, Intra-particle diffusion and Dubinin-Radushkevich models indicated that multiple pore filling and partitioning dominated the process of PAEs sorption onto NBs. This study opens the door for new methods of pollution control with waste treatment, since invasive plant biomass resources were converted into advanced biochars for efficient environmental remediation.

The present study investigated the effects of dielectric-barrier-discharge (DBD) plasma treatment (12 kHz, 40 kV) at 1, 2, 3, and 4 min on the reduction of the immunoglobulin G (IgG) binding capacity of β-lactoglobulin (β-LG). The IgG binding capacity of β-LG was reduced by 58.21% following a plasma treatment time of 4 min, as confirmed by western-blot and ELISA analyses. The reduction in IgG binding capacity of β-LG was directly related to a stepwise change in its structure. The initial drop in the IgG binding capacity of β-LG was found to be caused by conformational alteration, free sulfhydryl exposure and cross-linkage of molecules induced by oxidation of NH–/NH2– functional groups of peptide bonds and of sensitive amino acid residues (Tyr, Trp) as confirmed by SDS-PAGE, surface hydrophobicity and multi-spectroscopic analyses. Plasma treatment of more than 3 min resulted in cleavage of disulfide bonds and fragmentation of β-LG that was confirmed by LC–MS/MS analysis, which resulted a further decline in the IgG binding capacity of β-LG. Plasma treatment therefore has great potential as a substitute treatment for enzymatic hydrolysis for the production of hypoallergenic milk protein-based products.

Boron suboxide (B6O) with superhardness holds great promise for a wide range of practical applications, but suffers from a low fracture toughness due to the formation of unusual nanoscale amorphous bands. Understanding of the underlying deformation mechanisms in this material, however, has been hindered limited experimental evidences. Here we report the discovery of new mechanisms for the formation of amorphous bands in B6O under nonhydrostatic pressure, based on in-situ high-pressure optical absorption measurements and analysis of postmortem samples. We find that the bandgap of B6O is sensitive to plastic deformation, offering an effective approach for exploring deformation behaviors of this material. Two new amorphous bands are identified along two distinct crystallographic planes of (1-10-4) and (4-3-1-8) associated with unbonded O-O pairs. Our findings establish a methodology for in-situ probe of plastic deformation in brittle materials, and demonstrate how their properties can be altered by plastic deformations under nonhydrostatic pressures.

Goal-directed spatial decision making video games combine spatial mapping, memory, and reward; all of which can involve hippocampal excitation through suppression of an inhibitory neurotransmitter, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In this study, GABA was measured before and after 30 min of video game play within a voxel around the hippocampus. It was predicted that all participants would experience a decrease in GABA during gaming as a result of in-game rewards; and, those who were most competitive with the goal-directed spatial decision making game would display lower hippocampal GABA concentrations after gaming. Those who were not competitive, because they were too skilled or not skilled enough, would demonstrate higher hippocampal GABA concentrations after gaming. While there were no significant differences in hippocampal GABA before and after gaming for gamers and non-gamers alike, there was a significant quadratic regression between performance on a spatial working memory task and post-gaming hippocampal GABA concentrations.

Although lots of work has reported the structural variations of starch in microwave treatment, most of them are detected in the environment with non-constant microwave power and inhomogeneous heating, and the results are always in poor repeatability. In this study, the equipment with constant microwave power (CPM) and homogeneous heating was designed. And the phase transition of multi-scale structure of rice starch (30% moisture content) caused by CPM treatments with two heating modes, namely rapid microwave heating (RWH) and slow microwave heating (SWH) were investigated systematically. SEM results showed that the surface of starch granules after CPM treatment were rough and broken, and the damage caused by RWH was more distinct than that by SWH. SAXS, XRD and 13C NMR results revealed that the CPM treatment decreased the degree of crystallinity and content of double helices of starch. Moreover, the influence of RWH on the variation of starch granules was greater than that of SWH, which can be attributed to the intensive friction and collision as well as the rapid evaporation of water in RWH treatment. Specifically, it exhibited greater destruction on the linkage of starch and the internal crystalline region in RWH treatment than SWH treatment, thereby resulting in more obvious damages on the lamellar and morphological structure of rice starch. In conclusion, CPM equipment has improved the problems of uneven heating and poor experimental repeatability. After CPM treated starch, the molecular structure of starch was destroyed, which provides a useful method to modify properties of starch.

The effects of combined treatment (PAL-U) of plasma-activated liquid (PAL) including plasma-activated water (PAW) and plasma-activated buffer solution (PABS) and ultrasound (U) for the degradation of chlorothalonil fungicide on tomato fruit was investigated. Distilled water and buffer solution were activated by radiofrequency plasma jet for durations of 1, 3, 5, and 10 min to obtain PAL1 to PAL10. Fruits were immersed in PAL for 15 min and also in distilled water with sonication for 15 min for individual treatments, and in PAL with sonication for 15 min for combined treatments. The maximum chlorothalonil fungicide residues were reduced by 89.28 and 80.23% for PAW10-U and PABS10-U, respectively. HPLC-MS characterization revealed chlorothalonil degradation pathway and formation of 2,4,5-trichloroisophthalonitrile, 2,4-dichloroisophthalonitrile, 4-chloroisophthalonitrile, isophthalonitrile and phenylacetonitrile as degradation products. Treatments also showed no negative effects on tomato quality. Therefore, PAL and PAL-U treatments could serve as effective methods for degrading pesticides on tomatoes.