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Rare-earth AB5-type hydrogen storage alloys are widely studied due to their extensive application potentials in hydrogen compressors, heat pump, Ni–MH batteries etc. However, their shortcomings such as plateau splitting and capacity degradation during hydrogen absorption/desorption hinder their practical applications. In this paper, we study the effect of Mn partial substitution for Ni on the plateau characteristics and long-term cycling performance of LaNi5-xMnx alloys. It is found that Mn addition expands the lattice interstitial for hydrogen accommodation, thus prohibiting the plateau splitting phenomenon. In addition, the substitution of Mn for Ni stabilizes the crystal structure of the alloys against hydrogen absorption/desorption, thus relieving the capacity degradation. The capacity retention of the alloys at the 1000th cycle (S1000) increases from 83.2% (x = 0) to 94.0% (x = 0.75). But when x reaches 1, the hydrogen desorption reversibility is reduced due to the low plateau pressure, resulting in a slight decrease in capacity retention.

During the storage of yogurt, acid-resistant bacteria continue to produce lactic acid (i.e., post-acidification process), leading to undesirable taste and flavor. Many methods have been proposed to inhibit post-acidification. However, the specific genes involved during this biological process have not yet been systematically studied. Hence, herein, we assessed the culture starter Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus ATCC11842 with regards to its transcriptomes under in vitro acid- and cold-culture conditions. Through differential gene expression analysis, we screened out 69 candidate genes that persistently responded to acid with or without cold stress. qPCR was then used to determine the in situ expression levels of these candidate genes at different stages of yogurt fermentation and storage. Genes whose expression levels did not change much from the end of fermentation to the early stage of yogurt storage were more likely to be post-acidification genes, as such stability indicated that they were not affected by cold stress. LDB_RS05285 was determined to be one such gene; the overexpression of this gene showed that the increase of gene expression could reduce the acid production of the strain without affecting normal growth. Therefore, the genetic manipulation techniques that increased the expression level of the LDB_RS05285 gene might have the potential to inhibit the post-acidification of yogurt. Thus, LDB_RS05285 plays an important role in the post-acidification process and would become a new target for regulating yogurt post-acidification.

Herein, a new type of highly-active platinum (Pt) nanoparticle encapsulated alumina-doped resorcinol–formaldehyde carbon composite (Al@RFC) is fabricated based on resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) resin and aluminum acetylacetonate using a one-step carbonization approach and evaluated for an asymmetric hydrogenation (AH) reaction. The carbonization process of RF is essentially completed at 700 °C and resulted in Al@RFC with uniform and ordered porous structures. The Pt/Al@RFC catalysts are decorated with uniformly dispersed Pt nanoparticles of around 4 nm diameter over the Al@RFC support. The prepared catalysts are chirally modified with cinchonidine (CD) to explore the catalytic efficiency of AH of ethyl 2-oxo-4-phenylbutanoate (EOPB). The Pt/Al@RFC catalysts have substantially circumvented the shortcomings of poor repeatability of Pt/Al2O3 and low ee values of Pt/C catalysts, displaying conversion efficiencies and ee values of 99% and 82%, respectively. Furthermore, the catalyst could be reused 16 times. Notably, the optimized catalyst displayed turn-over frequency (TOF) values of more than 80 000 h−1, which is the highest reported activity in this hydrogenation reaction. Graphene formation during the high temperature (700 °C) carbonization process is proposed to play a role in its exceptionally high activity.

Protein phosphorylation is a crucial posttranslational modification for the regulation of many different biological functions. Selective enrichment of phosphopeptides from the complex biological samples is an essential step for the mass spectrometry analysis of protein phosphorylation. In this study, an arsenate functionalized monolithic column was first prepared by a single-step copolymerization of p-methacryloylaminophenylarsonic acid and ethylene dimethacrylate. Then the metal ions Zr4+ were attached onto the prepared monolithic column via metal-chelate complex formation by Zr4+ and arsenate groups. The obtained monolithic column was employed as a new sorbent for the phosphopeptide enrichment via immobilized metal affinity chromatography. Phosphopeptides analysis was realized by polymer monolith microextraction using this monolithic column coupled to both matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The proposed method exhibited a high selectivity for phosphopeptide enrichment in complex matrices, and was applied to the analysis of phosphopeptides in human serum and tryptic digests of rat brain proteins. Four phosphopeptides could be selectively captured from human serum and 2608 endogenous phosphopeptides were identified from the tryptic digests of rat brain proteins, indicating a satisfactory performance of this method for the enrichment of phosphopeptides from complex biological samples.

Here, it reports a high-throughput detection method for reliably quantitative analysis of illegal drugs in complex biological samples by means of a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active microcavity and rapid pretreatment device. Based on the well-made hemispherical microcavities that regularly distributed on a glass array, the quality-controllable microcavity device is fabricated by the compact self-assembly of core-shell nanopeanuts (CSNPs) onto the inside surface. Both the CSNPs with a quantifiable internal standard signal of crystal violet acetate anchored inside their gap and the well-made microcavity referred to the physical amplification of the microscale groove surface will do well in trace analysis, which will allow us to realize the accurately quantitative SERS analysis of targeted analytes spread on the bottom area of the microcavity array. As an example, 0.8 nM malachite green and 160 ppb methamphetamine (MATM) have been successively detected in a wide range as standard, while even 0.01 ppm MATM mixed in the urine/serum samples has been efficiently tested by the microcavity device equipped with a rapid pretreatment device (manual monolithic column syringe needle). All of the above suggest that the SERS-active microcavity equipped with a rapid pretreatment device has potential in the on-site quick test of trace amounts of illegal drugs in bodily fluid samples or other field analysis of food sanitation, environmental safety, and public health.

This communication describes the facile and surfactant-free synthesis of Pt3Pd icosahedral nanocrystals through propionic acid (PA)–assisted solvothermal method. The complexes of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and PA play critical roles in stabilizing the icosahedral shape with {111} surfaces. Icosahedral Pt3Pd nanocrystals exhibit an impressive methanol oxidation activity and durability. The enhanced electrochemical performance is attributed to the electron effects induced by the surface strain and some steps or kinks enclosed by high energy plane of {533}, {553}, and {554}.

Grapevines are widely planted around the world. Although grapes have high nutritional value, they are highly perishable. To explore the effect of ozone concentration on the postharvest quality of Muscat Hamburg grapes, the ethylene production rate, respiratory intensity, soluble solids, titratable acidity, firmness, threshing rate, total yeast and mold counts, and the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, polyphenol oxidase and phenylalanine ammonia lyase were determined, and the fungal metagenome on the grape surface was analyzed. Among the ozone treatment groups, 14.98 mg m−3 ozone showed a positive effect on grape preservation. After 80 days of storage, the contents of soluble solids and titratable acidity increased by 3.1% and 0.03%, respectively, compared with the control group. Over the same period, firmness increased by 4.22 N and the threshing rate decreased by 0.5%. During storage, the activity of polyphenol oxidase was inhibited and the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase were maintained, which delayed the senescence of grapes and maintained freshness. Ozone can reduce the number of fungi on the grape surface, change the colony structure, and reduce the occurrence of diseases. An ozone concentration of 14.98 mg m−3 can delay the senescence of Muscat Hamburg grapes and improve storage quality.

RATIONALE 3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) is a well-known contaminant formed in food thermal processing, which could be found in a variety of foodstuffs. Due to its potential carcinogenicity, it was essential to quickly develop a rapid and high-throughput analytical method to monitor 3-MCPD in foodstuffs, which is described in this study. METHODS 3-MCPD was extracted from foodstuffs and then was derivatized with a boronic acid-modified C60 (B-C60 ) through the boronic acid-diol reaction. Microwave heating was used to accelerate the derivatization reaction. Mass spectrometry (MS) analysis was conducted using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-MS (MALDI-MS). The application of the method was validated using various smoked food samples. RESULTS The chemical derivatization of 3-MCPD with B-C60 enabled the addition of a C60 -tag to 3-MCPD. High-throughput analysis of the sample within 0.5 h was realized. A good linear range from 0.02 to 1.5 μg mL-1 for 3-MCPD was obtained, with a detection limit of 0.005 μg mL-1 . The recoveries in spiked foodstuffs ranged from 85.4% to 115.1% with relative standard deviations of 2.0%-14.2%. This method was successfully applied to detect 3-MCPD in smoked foodstuffs. CONCLUSIONS A quantitative method was developed for the detection of 3-MCPD in foodstuffs using B-C60 derivatization combined with MALDI-MS strategy. This proposed method may serve as a potential platform for the rapid and high-throughput analysis of 3-MCPD in foodstuffs for the purpose of food safety control.

Na3V2(PO4)2F3 has been considered as a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries due to its high operating voltage and structural stability. However, the issues about poor cycling performance and lack of understanding for the capacity degradation mechanism are the major hurdle for practical application. Herein, we meticulously analyzed the evolution of the morphology, crystal structure, and bonding states of the cathode material during the cycling process. We observed that capacity degradation is closely related to the shedding of the active material from the collector caused by HF corrosion. Meanwhile, HF is produced through F anion dissolution from Na3V2(PO4)2F3 induced by trace H2O during the cycling process. The F- dissolution-induced degradation mechanism based on fluorine-containing cathode materials is proposed for the first time, providing a new insight for the understanding, modification, and performance improvement for fluorophosphate-based cathode materials.

As one of the world’s most popular fruits, watermelon (Citrus lanatus) is cultivated in more than 3 million hectares across the globe, with a yearly yield of more than 100 million tons. According to ‘97103’ genome version 1, a previous study has shown that the watermelon genome consists of 11 PIN genes. However, the higher quality ‘97103’ genome version 2 was recently assembled by using PacBio long reads with the benefit of fast development sequencing technology. Using this new assembly, we conducted a new genome-wide search for PIN genes in watermelon and compared it with cucumber and melon genomes. We identified nine, nine, and eight PINs in watermelon, cucumber, and melon, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a distinct evolutionary history of PIN proteins in watermelon, which is shown by the orphan PIN6 in watermelon. We further conducted an expression analysis of the watermelon PIN genes in silico and by qRT-PCR. ClaPIN6 might not play an essential role during shoot regeneration, which is closely related to species-specific evolution. However, the up-regulated expression patterns of ClaPIN1-1 and ClaPIN1-3 indicated their important roles during shoot regeneration. The result of this research will benefit future studies to understand the regulating mechanisms of auxin in watermelon shoot regeneration.

An efficient g-C3N4-based organic photocatalyst was synthesized by hybriding with a hole-transporting material, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). The PEDOT:PSS/g-C3N4 hybrid showed much enhanced photocatalytic activity for Rhodamine B degradation under simulated sunlight irradiation. When the hybridization amount of PEDOT:PSS was 0.25 wt%, the sample exhibited maximum photocatalytic activity, which was about 3 times as high as that of pure g-C3N4. Based on the photoelectrochemical and photoluminescence measurements, the possible charge transfer mechanism of enhanced photocatalytic activity was proposed.

Ozone treatment at a suitable concentration can improve the antioxidant capacity of postharvest fruits. However, few studies have examined the antioxidant bioactive compounds in ozone-treated postharvest strawberries, especially in relation to proteomics. In this study, the total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total anthocyanin content (TAC) were used as the main antioxidant compound indicators and unlabeled proteomics was used to study the metabolism of phenylpropanoids in postharvest strawberries (Jingtaoxiang) treated with different concentrations of ozone (0, 1, 3, and 5 ppm) throughout the duration of storage. The results showed that the postharvest strawberries treated with 5 ppm ozone concentration exhibited improved accumulation of total phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins in the antioxidant bioactive compounds, which was beneficial to the expression of phenylpropanoid metabolism-related proteins over the whole storage period compared with the other three groups. The results of proteomics were consistent with the changes in the key metabolites of phenylpropanoids, which indicated that ozone treatment at a suitable concentration aids the accumulation of TPC, TAC and TFC by promoting the key proteins associated with phenylpropanoid metabolism.

Polysaccharides, common components of natural products extensively studied as dietary supplements and functional foods, have been found to have various activities. In the present study, a water-soluble polysaccharide, namely GBSP3a, was isolated and purified from G. biloba sarcotesta. The anti-inflammatory activity of GBSP3a in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophages and the potential underlying molecular mechanisms were then assessed. RESULTS GBSP3a exerted its anti-inflammatory effect by remarkably inhibiting the secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines, including nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1? (IL-1?) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Excessive mRNA and protein expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were dose-dependently inhibited by GBSP3a in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Further research suggested that the anti-inflammatory effect of GBSP3a can be attributed to the modulation of the NF-?B and MAPK signaling pathways. CONCLUSION GBSP3a exhibits anti-inflammatory activity and exerts its anti-inflammatory effect probably through suppressing both NF-?B and MAPK signaling pathway, indicating that GBSP3a could be used for the development of anti-inflammatory agent or nutraceuticals. ? 2018 Society of Chemical Industry

The manipulation of bile acid (BA) homeostasis by blocking the ileal apical Na(+)-dependent bile salt transporter (ASBT/SLC10A2) may have therapeutic effects in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We developed a novel ASBT inhibitor, an N-(3,4-o-dichlorophenyl)−2-(3-trifluoromethoxy) benzamide derivative referred to as IMB17–15, and investigated its therapeutic effects and the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects. Syrian golden hamsters were challenged with high-fat diet (HFD) to induce NAFLD and were subsequently administered 400 mg/kg IMB17–15 by gavage daily for 21 days. Serum, liver, and fecal samples were collected for further analysis. Plasma concentration-time profiles of IMB17–15 were also constructed. The human hepatocyte cell line HL-7702 was treated with Oleic acid (OA) with or without IMB17–15. Western blotting and real-time PCR were used to study the molecular mechanisms of IMB17–15. We found that IMB17–15 inhibited ASBT and subsequently suppressed ileal farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and FXR-activated fibroblast growth factor15/19 (FGF15/19) expression, which reduced the hepatic phosphorylated extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) levels and upregulated the cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) activity. Additionally, IMB17–15 stimulated adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPKα) phosphorylation and enhanced peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα) expression and thus promoted triglyceride (TG) oxidation and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) metabolism through an ASBT-independent mechanism. In conclusion, a novel ASBT inhibitor known as IMB17–15 protected hamsters against HFD-induced NFALD by manipulating BA and lipid homeostasis. IMB17–15 also reduced lipid deposition in human hepatic cell lines, indicating that it may be useful as a therapy for NAFLD patients.

Ozone has been shown to play a positive role in the storage and preservation of agricultural products. However, there is little research on the cantaloupe preservation mechanism of ozone treatment (OT), especially the effect on superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the mechanism of scavenging superoxide anion In this study, xizhoumi 25 was used as a typical cantaloupe material to detect content, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and SOD enzyme activity in the pericarp and pulp, respectively, and transcriptomics and qRT-RCR were used for cantaloupe SOD family gene expression. The results showed that the rate of and H2O2 content were inhibited and SOD activity was higher in the treatment group compared with the control (CK) group in the pericarp and pulp; SOD was more active in the pericarp and was higher than that in the pulp. The transcription level of Cu/Zn-SOD, identified as the most abundant component of the cantaloupe SOD gene family, was promoted in the OT group, especially the key gene Cu/Zn-SOD-1. The expression level of the Fe-SOD gene was promoted in the pericarp but regulated in the pulp, while the expression of the Mn-SOD gene was down-regulated in the OT group in both pericarp and pulp. In addition, the results of qRT-PCR were consistent with the transcriptome results. Correlation analysis showed that OT not only enhanced the positive correlation between and H2O2 in the whole cantaloupe and the negative correlation between and SOD activity in the pericarp but also altered the correlation between SOD genes and The mechanism of regulation in postharvest cantaloupe treated with ozone may be through stimulating the SOD activity and altering the expression of related genes in the pericarp and pulp.

Phthalocyanines, as an organic compound, are widely used in photodynamic therapy (PDT), but they still have the defect of poor selectivity. By introducing the concept of activatable photosensitizers (aPSs), the selectivity and effectiveness of phthalocyanine can be improved significantly. The so-called aPSs means that phthalocyanines are inert in healthy tissues, and regulate their photoactivity through various stimulus response processes (such as pH values, GSH concentrations, enzyme existence, and so on), thus reducing the damage to normal cells. At present, a variety of phthalocyanine-based aPSs have been isolated or designed. In this review, herein, we highlight phthalocyanine-based supramolecular aPSs for PDT in the last five years, and enhance the potential in anti-cancer therapy of phthalocyanines.

The molten globule (MG) state of soybean glycinin (11S) is partially folded at pH 1.0, so various polyhydroxyl osmotic agents are often used to maintain the structural stability of the MG state under acidic conditions. In this study trehalose was used as a penetrant, and intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism were performed to investigate the effects of a gradient concentration of trehalose on the structure of soybean 11S. The MG soybean 11S maintained a more α-helix structure (94.7%) and a larger hydrophobic area when treated with a high concentration of trehalose (1.3 mol/L) than when untreated, and retained a typical compact MG structure despite the lack of tertiary structural elements. A linear extrapolation model showed that the Gibbs free energy of the high-concentration trehalose-induced compact MG state of soybean 11S was reduced by 3 times, compared with the untreated globulin. This improvement of thermodynamic stability indicated that trehalose stabilized this structure by forming a stable trehalose–soybean 11S MG state system. With the addition of gradient trehalose, the surface tension of the solution was significantly reduced and the viscosity of the solution was increased. The emulsifying properties were optimized when the trehalose concentration was 0.5 mol/L, the emulsifying activity (EAI) and emulsifying stability (ESI) were 76.67 m2/g and 76.67%. The improvement of emulsifying property of 11S MG-trehalose system was further proved by observing the microstructure of emulsion by Cryo-SEM. This study advances the understanding of the 11S MG-trehalose system and provides a theoretical basis to produce proteins with excellent emulsifying properties.

Thermoplastic expandable microspheres (TEMs) having a core/shell structure were prepared via suspension polymerization with acrylonitrile (AN) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) as monomers and i-butane as blowing agent. The relationship between monomer compositions and expansion properties of the TEMs was explored. When the weight ratio of AN and MMA is 1: 1, suspension polymerization could yield TEMs having good expansion properties and heat stability at 120–130°C. The maximum expansion volume is 22.5 times of the original volume. The temperatures at the maximum expansion volume (Tm.e.), at the onsets of expansion (To.e.) and the onset of shrinkage (To.s.) are 80, 120–130, and 145°C, respectively. The micromorphologies were observed by polarizing optical microscope (POM), the results show that the TEMs have a core/shell structure. The blowing agent content in TEMs is–20 wt %, which was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Dynamic light-scattering (DLS) measurements show that the TEMs have an average particle size of–20 μm and a wide particle size distribution. The presence of low-molecular alcohol in water phase could help to reduce the particle size distribution.

The early auxin responsive SAUR family is an important gene family in auxin signal transduction. We here present the first report of a genome-wide identification of SAUR genes in watermelon genome. We successfully identified 65 ClaSAURs and provide a genomic framework for future study on these genes. Phylogenetic result revealed a Cucurbitaceae-specific SAUR subfamily and contribute to understanding of the evolutionary pattern of SAUR genes in plants. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis demonstrates the existed expression of 11 randomly selected SAUR genes in watermelon tissues. ClaSAUR36 was highly expressed in fruit, for which further study might bring a new prospective for watermelon fruit development. Moreover, correlation analysis revealed the similar expression profiles of SAUR genes between watermelon and Arabidopsis during shoot organogenesis. This work gives us a new support for the conserved auxin machinery in plants.

The main purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a corn straw or mixed diet on milk production, milk composition and the expression of genes associated with lactation in mid-lactation Chinese Holstein cows. In this study, 10 healthy Chinese Holstein cows were randomly assigned to two groups and fed with different diets respectively, corn straw (CS) or mixed forage (MF) diet. CS group was fed roughage consisting of 53.8% corn straw only and the forge to concentrate (F : C) ratio [dry matter (DM)] was about 40: 60. MF group was fed roughage consisting of 3.7% Chinese wildrye and 23.4% alfalfa hay, the forge to concentrate (F : C) ratio (DM) was 70: 30. All the cows were fed 8 weeks and body weight, dry matter intake, body condition score, fat, protein, lactose, milk yield, total solid and somatic cell count (SCC) were recorded. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to analyze cow mammary gland samples representing two different diets. The results suggested that different diet types had significant effects on milk yield, lactose, milk fat, milk protein, dry matter intake and somatic cell count in dairy cows, and cows fed MF diet improved milk production and lactation performance clearly (P

Perturbation of thiol homeostasis in biological fluids are thought to be associated with several diseases, and reliable analytical methods for the determination of low molecular weight (LMW) thiols in human plasma or serum are thus required. In this study, a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) method is described for high throughput determination of four LMW thiols (glutathione, cysteine, homocysteine and cysteinylglycine) in human serum. It is based on the use of a bromoacetyl functionalized C60 (Br–C60) as a derivatization reagent to label thiols. The Br–C60 labeling can add an 832-Da tag to thiols, which moves thiol signals to high mass region and effectively avoids the signal interference generated by the traditional MALDI matrix below 800 Da. The labeling can be completed within 5 min under microwave-assisted condition. Thereby, the Br–C60 labeling based MALDI-TOF MS analytical method can achieve high throughput analysis of LMW thiols in serum. Good linearities of the method for the thiols in human serum were obtained in the range of 0.5–500.0 μM with correlation coefficient (R) greater than 0.9960. The limit of detection is in the range of 0.07–0.18 μM for the investigated thiols in human serum with relative standard deviations of lower than 13.5% and recoveries ranging from 81.9 to 117.1%. Using the method, four thiols in microliter serum samples of breast cancer (BC) patients were determined. The result showed that the contents of the four thiols in BC serum samples significantly changed compared to the healthy control (HC).

Bioactive polyamines play important roles in many biological processes such as gene expression, cell growth, protein synthesis, and signal transduction. Accurate determination of polyamines is helpful for studying their biological functions. Herein, a C60-based chemical labeling strategy was proposed for the determination of polyamines (putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, and spermine) in biological samples using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS). An N-hydroxysuccinimide ester functionalized C60 (NHS–C60) was used as a labeling reagent and the m/z of the labeled polyamines reached up to more than 900 Da, which avoided matrix interferences in the low m/z region. In addition, as NHS–C60 derivatives, mono- and bis-substituted polyamines were produced simultaneously, which benefited the qualitative analysis of polyamines. The analytical method was validated using NHS–C60 labeled polyamines in cells and mice feces samples. Good linearities were obtained with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9786 to 0.9982. The limits of quantification were in the range of 0.68–1.48 pmol. Good reproducibility and reliability of our proposed method were confirmed by intra- and inter-day precisions ranged from 2.8 to 16.6%, and the recoveries ranged between 81.8 and 119.9%. Finally, the proposed method was applied to determine polyamines in cells and mice feces. Three polyamines were detected in the cells, and the contents of cadaverine and spermidine in the feces of high-fat diet mice were found to be significantly lower than those in the normal diet mice. The results show that the proposed NHS–C60 labeling coupled with MALDI MS strategy is suitable for the determination of polyamines in biological samples.

A novel multiphase tank reactor with foam block stirrer, also called rotating foam stirrer reactor (RFSR), was used to intensify ozone mass transfer and oxidation of synthetic textile wastewater processes for the first time. Results show that the RSFR can improve the ozone mass transfer process by adjusting operation conditions and gas hydromechanics. In order to predict the volumetric mass transfer coefficient, a set of correlation was developed within ±15% deviation. Further, based on an Acid Red B (ARB) solution used as simulated synthetic textile wastewater, it was found that the removal efficiency was improved by intensifying ozone mass transfer process, and changing operation conditions can promote the transformation of the ozone oxidation path to an indirect reaction way. Finally, results show that the Fe-Co oxides coated on the foam block stirrer can further intensify the degradation processes in the ARB solution. This study gives a fundamental understanding of the intensification mechanism of the RFSR and shows the promising prospect of an RFSR used in in the wastewater treatment.

Xuan-paper waste residue (XPWR) is an unfamiliar and unique solid waste in China, which caused serious environmental pollution and waste of resources. Therefore, it is extremely important to explore the characteristics of XPWR and its application. In this paper, XPWR was analyzed and used as a reinforcing filler to prepare red mud/waste polyethylene/Xuan-paper waste residue (RM/WPE/XPWR) composites by molding method at 160 °C with a pressure of 10 MPa for 5-10 min. There were about 27 wt% of mineral particles and 63 wt% of organic fibers in XPWR, indicating that XPWR can be used as a reinforcing filler. When 60 wt% of XPWR was added in RM/WPE, the bending strength reached 71.81 MPa, which surpassed 43.08 % than that of RM/WPE. Besides, the addition of XPWR increased the water absorption of the composites and helped to promote the crystallization of the composites. This work presented the characteristics of XPWR and provided a new way to use XPWR.

The effect of protonation on the molecular electronic properties of five pyridinoparacyclophane (PPC)-based molecular wires was investigated. The protonation/deprotonation process can reversibly switch the electronic properties of the molecules., The manipulation of charge transport through single molecules so that electronic information can be controlled is a basic challenge that is important for both fundamental understanding of the mechanisms and the potential applications in single-molecule technologies. This paper reports the influence of protonation on the gating effect in a series of molecular wires utilizing a pyridinoparacyclophane (PPC) moiety as the edge-on gate. It was found that the molecular conductance, transition voltage, and the corresponding tunnelling barriers can be reversibly switched by the protonation/deprotonation process of the nitrogen atom on the PPC pyridine ring. It was found that protonation levels off the tunnelling barrier of different molecules and converts p-type molecular wires into n-type, reversibly.

Similar to cupric oxides and sulfides, the nitrogen-containing analogue copper carbodiimide (CuNCN) is considered as a potentially promising photoelectric material. However, there is lack of fundamental investigations on controllable synthesis and photoelectric properties of CuNCN nano/microcrystals. Herein, a facile method was developed to synthesize high-quality CuNCN semiconductor microcrystals with different sizes and hierarchical nanostructures at room temperature. This reaction was carried out in aqueous solutions, avoiding the involvement of non-aqueous solutions and high temperature solid phase reaction during the synthesis of CuNCN microcrystals. Photoelectric response of as-prepared CuNCN microcrystals was first observed under the irradiation of visible light at room temperature. The aqueous synthetic route can also provide an inspiration to acquire other metal carbodiimides nano/microcrystals.

Cold shock treatment (CST) with cold water at 0 °C (40 min), 3 °C (20, 40 and 60 min) and 6 °C (40 min) were conducted to evaluate the effects of cold shock intensity on the physiological activity of cucumbers, respectively. Weight loss, firmness, antioxidant enzyme (SOD, CAT and POD) activities, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and respiration rate were determined during storage at 12 °C and 90% RH. Results show that CST caused a decline in weight and firmness loss, and increased antioxidant enzyme (SOD, CAT and POD) activities and respiration rate of cucumbers. The storage quality of cucumbers with 6 °C water CST was unsatisfactory compared to that with 0 °C or 3 °C water. CST with cold water at 3 °C for 40 min was the optimal method for preserving cucumbers among all treatments tested. For improving cucumber preservation quality effectively, the optimal CST temperature should be set below a threshold value between 3 °C and 6 °C. The cold shock process can be divided into dynamic and static cold shock stage according to the temperature change in cucumber, and cucumber should experience the whole dynamic cold shock stage and appropriate static cold shock stage to obtain optimal preservation quality.

Indeed, achieving control over the morphological as well as structural attributes of materials is highly desirable to fabricate the high-performance electrodes for their utilization as supercapacitors. In an attempt to demonstrate this aspect, a low-cost and facile method is developed to synthesize the three-dimensional (3D) core–shell composites based on hollow N-doped carbon (HNC)@MnO2 for supercapacitors application. In this framework, the ZIF-8-based hollow polyhedron carbon core serves not only as a templating support but also as the conducting material for the MnO2 shell to improve the performance of the capacitor. Notably, these unique core–shell architectures resulted in an extensive interfacial surface area, which substantially allowed the rapid diffusion of electrolyte through its hollow framework towards achieving a swift electronic movement through the carbon backbone. Such core–shell hybrids displayed an excellent electrochemical capacitance performance of 247.9 F g−1 in Na2SO4 electrolyte (1 M) at 0.5 A g−1 and a tremendous cycle capacity with the retention capacity of 82.9% even after 2000 cycles at 5 A g−1. Together, our findings explicitly demonstrate the optimization of the construction of innovative composite materials toward synergistic effects for improved electrochemical performances.

Fucoidan has been reported to have a variety of biological activities. However, different algae species, extraction methods, harvesting seasons, and growth regions lead to the structural variation of fucoidan, which would affect the bioactivities of fucoidan. To date, the anti-inflammatory properties and the underlying mechanism of fucoidan from brown alga Saccharina japonica (S. japonica) remain limited. The aims of the present study were to investigate the structure, the anti-inflammatory properties, and the potential molecular mechanisms of fucoidan isolated from S. japonica (SF6) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. SF6 was characterized using high performance liquid gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and observed to be rich in fucose, galactose, and sulfate. Additionally, results showed that SF6 remarkably inhibited LPS-induced production of various inflammatory mediators and pro-inflammation cytokines, including nitric oxide (NO), NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-&alpha, (TNF-&alpha, ), interleukin-&beta, (IL-&beta, ), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). A mechanism study showed that SF6 could effectively inhibit inflammatory responses through blocking LPS-induced inflammation pathways, including nuclear factor-&kappa, B (NF-&kappa, B), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and Janus kinase (JAK)-2 and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-1/3 pathways. These results suggested that SF6 has the potential to be developed as an anti-inflammatory agent applied in functional food.

The mechanical and barrier properties of plant-based enteric polymer films were enhanced by synergistic interactions between binary gum mixtures and adding plasticizers. The results indicated that the best ratio of gellan gum (GG) and xanthan gum (XG) was 7:3 by comparing tensile strength, tensile elongation, transmittance, and water vapor permeability of plant-based enteric polymer films and rheological properties of solutions. Polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG-400) was an effective plasticizer in improving plasticity and water vapor barrier property of the plant-based enteric polymer film. Rheology measurement and different characterization methods, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy, were used to explain interactions between GG and XG as well as PEG-400 and components of the film. The new mixed system, composed of GG/XG mixture with ratio of 7:3 as a novel gelling agent and PEG-400 as a plasticizer, was applied to prepare plant-based enteric hard capsules, which have potential applications in medicines and functional food preparations.

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), a hydrogenated metabolite of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), is one of the most common and threatening aflatoxins found in milk and dairy products. The ATP-binding cassette G2 efflux transporter (ABCG2) plays an important role in the mammary transport of drugs and toxins in animals, but whether ABCG2 could affect the transport of AFM1 in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs) has not been clarified. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of AFM1 on tight junctions (TJs), lactation and cells proliferation in BMECs, and explored the regulatory role of ABCG2 in AFM1 transport in vitro in BMECs. The results showed that the integrity of the TJs of BMECs was not permanently compromised after exposure to AFM1. AFM1 exposure had no obvious effects on lactation or cell proliferation in BMECs. Gene function study revealed that ABCG2 was a positive regulator of AFM1 transport. These results demonstrate that it has little effect on TJs, lactation or cell proliferation in BMECs exposed to a small dose of AFM1, and ABCG2 is a critical regulator for AFM1 transport in BMECs.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) photocatalyst has a promising application prospect in solving environment problems and energy crisis. In order to improve the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4, a novel TCNAQ/g-C3N4 organic hybrid photocatalyst was designed by introducing 11,11,12,12-tetracyanonaphtho-1,4-quinodimethane (TCNAQ) as an electron acceptor. Due to the interfacial charge-transfer transitions between g-C3N4 donor and TCNAQ acceptor, separation and migration of photo-induced charge carriers were promoted, while their recombination was prohibited, which led to enhanced photocatalytic performance in pollutant degradation. This work provides a strategy to produce efficient hybrid photocatalysts with high light-to-current conversions due to the interfacial charge-transfer transitions, which have potential applications in light-to-energy conversions.

β-SiC was synthesized with coal and sodium silicate as the raw materials via a novel microwave sintering method. The uniform heating and short production cycle makes the microwave sintering process more energy efficient. The structure and property of the prepared samples were characterized using XRD, FT-IR, XPS, TEM and HRTEM techniques. The size of nano-scaled β-SiC range from 70 to 300 nm in diameter and can be achieved 75.7% in the silicon carbide products under the condition of 1600 °C × 60 min with microwave controlling.

In this study, agarose was chemically modified with ethylene oxide, 1,2-epoxypropane and 1,2-epoxybutane, to prepare hydroxyethyl agarose (HEAG), hydroxypropyl agarose (HPAG), and hydroxybutyl agarose (HBAG). The structures and properties of the products were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 1H NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), rheology measurement and gel electrophoresis. The results showed that the gelling temperature (Tg) of HEAG, HPAG, and HBAG were decreased to 28.3 °C, 29.0 °C and 28.7 °C respectively, with the melting temperature (Tm) simultaneously declined to 64.2 °C, 63.8 °C and 63.0 °C, respectively. Meanwhile, the gel strength of HBAG, HEAG, and HPAG were dramatically reduced to 194 g/cm2, 312 g/cm2 and 279 g/cm2, respectively. Furthermore, HEAG and HPAG showed excellent separation efficiency which is in accordance with commercialized low-melting-point (LMP) agarose (Amersco 0815). These results indicated that oxyalkylation is a promising and economical method for the preparation of LMP agarose.

A mixed-mode polymer monolithic column functionalized by arsonic acid groups was prepared by single-step in situ copolymerization of monomers p-methacryloylaminophenylarsonic acid (p-MAPHA) and pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA). The prepared poly(p-MAPHA-co-PETA) monolithic column has a homogeneous monolithic structure with good permeability and mechanical stability. Zeta potential measurements reveal that the monolithic stationary phase holds a negative surface charge when the mobile phase resides in the pH range of 3.0–8.0. The retention mechanisms of prepared monolithic column are explored by the separation of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nucleosides, and three basic compounds. The results indicate that the column functions in three different separation modes associated with reversed-phase chromatography based on hydrophobic interaction, hydrophilic interaction chromatography, and cation-exchange chromatography. The column efficiency of prepared monolithic column is estimated to be 70,000 and 76,000 theoretical plates/m for thiourea and naphthalene, respectively, at a linear flow velocity of 0.85 mm/s using acetonitrile/H2O (85/15, v/v) as the mobile phase. Furthermore, an analysis of the retention factors obtained for the PAHs indicates that the prepared monolithic column exhibits good reproducibility with relative standard deviations of 2.9%, 4.0%, and 4.7% based on run-to-run injections, column-to-column preparation, and batch-to-batch preparation, respectively. Finally, we investigate the separation performance of the proposed monolithic column for select phenols, sulfonamides, nucleobases and nucleosides.

A stable magnetic separable plasmonic photocatalyst was successfully fabricated by grafting silver@silver chloride (Ag@AgCl) and ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles on graphene sheets. The composite exhibited high activity degrading methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RB) under visible light irradiation: decomposition 97.4% of MB in 100 min and 97.9% of RB in 120 min. The enhanced photocatalytic activities can be attributed to synergistic effect between Ag@AgCl and graphene: the effective charge transfer from Ag@AgCl to graphene thus promotes the separation of electron–hole pairs. Moreover, the excellent magnetic property gives a more convenient way to recycle the photocatalysts.

Reactions of chiral tetra-azane chelating ligands (1R,2R)-[(NHAr)C6H4CH N]2C6H10 (L1H2 (Ar = 2,6-iPr2C6H3); L2H2 (Ar = 2,6-Et2C6H3); L3H2 (Ar = 2,6-Me2C6H3) with 2 equivalents of ZnMe2 to afford the dinuclear zinc complexes (L1Zn2Me2(1), L2Zn2Me2(2), L3Zn2Me2(3)), respectively. These complexes were characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopies and elemental analyses. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that complex 1 adopts a trigonal planar geometry around the Zn centers. Subsequent investigations showed that all the zinc complexes were efficient catalysts for the ring-opening polymerization of cyclic esters in the presence of benzyl alcohol in a controlled fashion.

Two new ionone glycosides, named frehmaglutoside G (1) and frehmaglutoside H (2), together with six known compounds, rehmapicroside (3), sec-hydroxyaeginetic acid (4), dihydroxy-β-ionone (5), trihydroxy-β-ionone (6), rehmaionoside A (7) and rehmaionoside C (8), were isolated from the 95% EtOH extract of the dried roots of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch. Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses, including HR-ESI-MS, UV, IR, 1D and 2D NMR ((1)H-(1)H COSY, HSQC, HMBC and NOESY) methods. The absolute configurations were confirmed via the circular dichroism spectra.

In this paper, two diamine ligands having electron-withdrawing oxadiazole group and their corresponding Re(I) complexes were synthesized. Their geometric structure, electronic transition, photophysical property, thermal stability and electrochemical property were discussed in detail. Experimental data suggested that both complexes were promising yellow emitters with suited energy levels and good thermal stability for electroluminescent application. The correlation between emission performance and electron-withdrawing group was analyzed. It was found that electron-withdrawing group favored emission performance improvement. Their electroluminescence performance was also explored. Yellow electroluminescence was observed with maximum brightness of 1743 cd/m2.

Effects of intermittent heat treatment on sensory quality and antioxidant enzymes were investigated by immersing cucumber in hot water (40 °C) for 30 (H1), 50 min (H2) continuously, or for 30 (I1), 50 (I2) min intermittently, respectively, and the intermittent treatment was realized through the temperature return process by room temperature water after every 10 min continuous treatment. Compared with the control group, the relative lower weight loss, decay index, and higher CAT activity et al., indicated that H1, I1 and I2 helped to delay cucumber ripening, and I1, I2 performed better. At the end of storage, the weight losses of I1, I2 were 79.93, 69.63% of H1, and the POD activity of I1, I2 was 1.31 and 1.23 times of H1. Nevertheless, the severe softening and etiolation implied a slight heat injury occurred in H2 due to heat stress. In addition, results from the analysis of heat transfer characteristics suggested: the superior preservation effect were probably result of the faster temperature change and the higher average temperature gradient of cucumber; the highest temperature that the cucumber achieved and the duration were the important reasons for heat stress.

This study presents the luminescent properties of Yb3+/Tm3+ co-dopant ions inside a new host glass based on bismuth germanates. Judd–Ofelt intense parameters, radiative transition rate, radiative lifetime, and branching ratios of Tm3+ in the present glass are calculated based on the absorption spectrum. A strong 1.8 μm emission was observed in the Yb3+/Tm3+ co-doped bismuth germanate glass upon the excitation of a conventional 980 nm laser diode. Using a spectral overlap model, the micro parameter for direct energy transfer from Yb3+ ions to Tm3+ ions (CDA) was found to be almost 30 times larger than the back energy transfer from Tm3+ ions to Yb3+ ions (CAD). The linear dependence of energy transfer probability on the co-dopant concentration exhibits that the energy transfer is assisted by energy migration among donor ions. The large energy transfer efficiency (89%) indicates that the Yb3+/Tm3+ co-doped bismuth germanate glass is a good candidate for the 1.8 μm laser.