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Adsorptions of small amide molecules, acetamide (AA) and N-methyl-acetamide (NMA) on the surface of kaolinite are investigated in this study. The focus is on the basis set effects towards the stabilities and the interaction energies of the molecules on the Al–O surface. With a fixed B3LYP functional, we increased the size of the basis sets for the single-point calculations, to find the converged interaction energies and obtain the relative stabilities. We found that, under the direct usage of Pople-type and Dunning’s correlation consistent basis sets, it is not possible to achieve the pattern of convergence for the interaction energies and the relative stabilities. Compared to the complete basis set (CBS) extrapolation scheme, the double zeta basis sets deviated the most, in the range of 21 to 27%, while it is from 1 to 7% for the triple zeta basis sets. Based on the results, we suggest using 6-311++G(2df,2pd) or cc-pVQZ for energy-related quantities. Compared to AA, NMA attached more strongly by 0.5 eV on the surface of Al–O.

This study was conducted to recover edible bird’s nest (EBN) hydrolysates from different grades of EBN, including the industrial by-products, using enzymatic treatment. The nutrient, physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of the recovered hydrolysates at different hydrolysis times were evaluated. Results showed that the recovery yield of enzymatic hydrolysis was above 89 % for all grades of EBN and the degree of hydrolysis increased over time. Nitrite content (0.321–0.433 mg/L) was below the permissible tolerance level for all samples. Interestingly, the antioxidant activities (DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities and ferric reducing antioxidant powder (FRAP) activity) were significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) in hydrolysates recovered from EBN by-products (EBNhC and EBNhD) as compared to the high grade EBN hydrolysates (EBNhA and EBNhB). The in-vitro probiotic activity of EBN and its hydrolysates were examined using the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum. Evidently, EBN by-products hydrolysate (EBNhD) recorded the highest number of L. plantarum (1.1 × 1011 CFU/mL), indicating that low grade EBN has the potential as prebiotic material that promotes probiotic activity. This study demonstrated the concept of using EBN by-products hydrolysates for various applications, such as functional ingredients with enhanced bioactivities, to improve its economic value.

In the competitive landscape where Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations vie for investments and strive to maintain competitiveness, financial development, becomes a crucial factor not only in resource allocation but also in shaping the ecological footprint. The complex and varied nature of the relationship between financial development and ecological footprint in OECD nations may be oversimplified by conventional linear regression models. This study aims to model the effects of financial development on the ecological footprint of OECD countries using panel quantile regression. Analysing a sample of 36 countries within the OECD from 1995 to 2021 using a panel quantile regression framework with distributional heterogeneity, the study reveals a U-shape relationship between financial development and ecological footprint when the countries with high ecological footprint. Policymakers may promote eco-friendly financial practices, integrate green finance principles, and develop policies to manage environmental consequences of financial development. The originality of this research is evident in highlighting that the influence of financial development on ecological footprint differs among countries, contingent on their specific ecological footprint levels. This is achieved through the application of a panel quantile regression approach, providing policymakers with valuable insights.

Kaolinite is an essential mineral with numerous applications across many sectors. One of them is in the agricultural industry, in which it is a crucial component in the method of controlled-release fertilizer. This manuscript reports the use of different functionals and basis sets on the structural and electronic properties of kaolinite's surface, intending to find reliable methods among those tested. Four different functionals, B3LYP, CAM-B3LYP, M06-2X, TPSSTPSS, complemented with various basis sets, were used in this study. The results show that TPSSTPSS complement with 6-311G** provides good agreement with previous research and experimental results among different functionals and basis sets used. The quantitative analysis was done to optimize the kaolinite molecule. Selected extrema points were used to place the urea molecule for the interaction of urea-kaolinite studies. The urea's interaction with kaolinite was reported at a different interaction site in the gas phase and different orientations of the urea molecule. Urea molecule was optimized above the Al–O and Si–O surfaces with their energy difference calculated. Our results showed that both surfaces act as promising adsorbents among the different orientations of the urea on both the Al–O and Si–O surfaces. However, Al–O, and Si–O had another preferable interaction site to the urea molecules.