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Exposure to environmental particulate matter (PM) causes lung damage in humans, but it is not sufficiently studied in companion animals. In this work, we found that organic extracts (OE) of PM induced oxidative stress and were more cytotoxic than water-soluble extracts (WE) of PM in canine (Canis familiaris) pulmonary alveolar type II epithelial (PAE) cells. Subsequently, we evaluated the alleviating effects of polyunsaturated fatty acid mixtures (eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids), vitamin E, and lycopene on OE-exposed PAE cells. The results indicated that the three nutrients attenuated OE-induced oxidative stress. Compared with OE-exposed PAE cells, cells pretreated with the three nutrients exhibited a 1.7 ~ 2.2-fold reduction in reactive oxygen species, 15.58% ~ 19.96% increase in cell viability, 26.19% ~ 29.32% reduction in lactate dehydrogenase release and 33.87% ~ 40.10% reduction in intracellular malondialdehyde. Meanwhile, the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase increased by 35.22% ~ 47.70%, 45.36% ~ 64.13%, and 48.56% ~ 68.18%. Besides, microscopic observation revealed that nutrients improved cell morphology, as evidenced by reduced cell shrinkage and increased apposition. Finally, the mechanisms of OE toxicity and antioxidant nutrients were explored respectively. The results revealed that OE triggered cytotoxicity by directly disrupting antioxidant enzyme activity through activation of ROS, while nutrients inhibited OE-induced cellular oxidative stress via upregulation of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. The present study may provide significant insights into the prevention of PM-induced lung diseases by antioxidant supplementation in animals.

Background Melt crystallization is typically recognized as a high-efficient and green method for oil fractionation. This work concentrated on the novel layer melt crystallization for preparing desirable olein and stearin products from palm oil and the evaluation of fractions quality. Layer melt crystallization was performed at varied temperature parameters and their effects on fractions were evaluated by iodine value (IV), solid fat content (SFC) and melting point. The lipid composition, thermal and crystallization properties, and phase behaviors of the final optimized fractions were determined using Gas Chromatography (GC), high-performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC/APCI-MS) and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC). Results Increasing crystallization tube temperatures under the same jacket temperature increased the melting point and SFC, while decreased the IV of the olein product. Opposite results were observed in stearin products. Major fatty acids in fractions were determined as palmitic acid and oleic acid. 1,2-Dioleoyl-3-palmitoyl-glycerol (POO) and 1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-oleoylglycerol (POP) were identified as the main triacylglycerols in olein and stearin fractions, respectively. Critical effect of crystallization temperature on co-crystallization of oleins and stearins was revealed. A transition from plate-like crystal growth to spherulitic growth with spontaneous nucleation was indicated in palm oil and stearin fractions with increasing crystallization temperature. As for olein fractions, the temperature increase resulted in heterogeneous nucleation from instantaneous nucleation. Conclusion In this study, novel layer melt crystallization was successfully applied and optimized for fractionating the palm oil. The composition and property changes of obtained fractions were analyzed and explained from both macro and micro levels. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

In this work, CPP-Ca chelate was synthesized by chelating casein phosphopeptide (CPP) and calcium and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The antioxidant activity and calcium holding capacity of CPP-Ca were evaluated and its secondary structure transition was monitored during gastrointestinal digestion by in situ Raman spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that calcium chelating rate reached 40 % and calcium ion was bound to CPP mainly through the interaction of carboxyl and amino groups. The result of calcium holding capacity confirmed the formation of calcium phosphate precipitates could be delayed by 10-15 min with increasing CPP concentration. In vitro simulated digestion revealed CPP-Ca exhibited excellent calcium solubility and its secondary structural changes occurred, especially α-helix and β-sheet content. These findings provided significant insights into enhancing bioavailability of calcium supplements and developing of calcium functional foods for human and animals.

Background Ziziphus jujuba Miller cv. Dongzao is extremely susceptible to reddening, browning, nutritional loss, and perishability after harvest. In this study, we evaluated the mechanisms of calcium chloride and chitosan/nano-silica composite film treatments on the quality, especially in reddening, by physiological and metabolomic assays. Results The treatment delayed the decline of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chalcone synthase (CHS), and chalcone isomerase (CHI) activities. Meanwhile, the treated groups retarded the increases in anthocyanin and quercetin contents by inhibiting the gene expressions of flavonol synthase (ZjFLS), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (ZjDFR), and anthocyanidin synthase (ZjANS), while promoting leucoanthocyanidin reductase (ZjLAR) expression, which leads to retardation of fruit reddening. Anthocyanins were found to be responsible for post-harvest winter jujube reddening through principal component analysis. Results from the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution indicated that the treated group delayed the decline of the quality of 'Dongzao' and extended its shelf life. Conclusion The treatment induced the heightening of flavonoids metabolism. They enhanced the nutritional value and the ability to resist stress by delaying the decline of PAL, CHS, and CHI activities. Meanwhile, the treated groups retarded the increase in anthocyanin and quercetin contents by inhibiting the gene expressions of ZjFLS, ZjDFR, and ZjANS and promoting ZjLAR expression, which leads to retardation of fruit reddening. Anthocyanins are responsible for post-harvest winter jujube reddening. Coating treatment effectively delayed the decline of winter jujube quality. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

In this work, a microemulsion emitting fluorescence was fabricated as a potential oral delivery system for bioactive compounds. In simulated oral administration, the microemulsion was characterized for its microstructure by 1hydrogen-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR). Results showed that microemulsions not only have good resistance to oral and gastric phases, but also lay a solid foundation for the release of bioactive compounds in the intestine. Fluorescence stability tests showed that microemulsions exhibit a remarkable fluorescence intensity in the digestive environment, indicating feasibility as a label-free delivery carrier. Moreover, in vitro release tests of bioactive compounds confirmed that an α-linolenic acid (ALA)-loaded microemulsion mainly released in the intestine, thereby achieving the aim of controlling the release of bioactive compounds. These results suggest that the synthesized fluorescent microemulsion, combining the favorable features of nontoxicity, antidigestive stability, remarkable fluorescence intensity, and controllable release, can be regarded as a promising label-free delivery carrier for oral administration.

Reliable and accurate real-time traffic flow state identification is crucial for an intelligent transportation system (ITS). This identification is a prerequisite for alleviating traffic congestion and improving highway operation efficiency. In this paper, we propose an improved traffic flow state identification model that is based on selective ensemble learning (SEL). First, we adopted the fuzzy C-means (FCM) clustering method to divide the traffic flow data into three main kinds of traffic flow states and obtained the parameters that correspond to each kind of traffic flow state. Second, we applied the random subspace (RS) algorithm as the ensemble method and support vector machine (SVM) model as base learners to construct the RS-SVM ensemble model for traffic flow identification. Significantly, the discrete binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO) algorithm with global optimization search ability was employed to select the classifiers obtained by the random subspace training in the ensemble system. We experimentally validated the effectiveness of the proposed BPSO–RS-SVM-SEL approach. The research results reveal that compared with other classical traffic flow state identification methods, the proposed model has a higher maximum accuracy of 98.68%. It can be seen that our model improves the classification accuracy of traffic flow state identification and the difference in the ensemble system to a certain extent.

Five novel solvates of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) were crystallized and their crystal structures were elucidated. Solvate formation was found to be a multi-point molecular recognition and self-assembly process through C–H⋯O synthons. Hirshfeld surface analysis confirms that numerous C–H⋯O interactions are formed between the host and guest molecules, and the C–H⋯O contribution is greater for solvates than for polymorphs. Thermal analysis was performed to evaluate the thermal stability and verify the stoichiometry of solvates. The phase transformation during the desolvation process was in situ monitored by variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction. Both structural similarity and Ostwald's rule of stages play important roles in determining the polymorphs obtained after desolvation. These findings provide a promising route for multi-component crystal design of CL-20 using crystal engineering strategies.

The dietary fiber in oats is mainly concentrated in the bran; however, the oat bran is mostly used for livestock and poultry feed and thus has a low utilization rate and low added value. In this study, insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) was extracted by a combination of α-amylase and neutral protease. The optimal extraction conditions of the IDF were obtained by response surface methodology. The material-to-water ratio was 1:12.1, the concentration of α-amylase was 1.85%, and the hydrolysis time was 39.14 min. After purifying the crude fiber with 4% sodium oxide (NaOH), 70 °C hot water, and anhydrous ethanol, the purity of dietary fiber exceeded 95%. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the IDF was predominantly amorphous. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the IDF surface exhibited a loose porous network structure. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy of the crude IDF showed characteristic absorption peaks at 3626, 2929, 1667, 1538, 1455, 1242, and 1048 cm−1, while the infrared spectrum of the purified IDF showed characteristic absorption peaks at 3401, 2924, 1744, 1643, 1418, and 1040 cm−1, which is consistent with the structure of cellulose polysaccharide. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that there were three exothermic peaks at 270–310 °C, 320–350 °C, and 440–460 °C, which may represent the pyrolysis peaks of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin, respectively, indicating that the oat bran IDF had good thermal stability. The results indicate that the oat bran IDF can be used for the production of dietary fiber products and health-care products.

In this work, the effects of α-linolenic acid (ALA) loaded in oil-in-water (O/W) and water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) microemulsions on cell viability, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) viability, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were examined using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), an LDH assay kit, and a fluorescence microscope, respectively. The CCK-8 assay demonstrated that ALA inhibited MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Further, the results of LDH activity and ROS levels revealed that ALA-induced cancer cell damage was closely related to oxidative stress. Under the irradiation of ultraviolet light, the microemulsion without any added fluorescent dye would emit bright blue fluorescence, and the fluorescent images of the cells treated with ALA-loaded O/W and W/O/W microemulsions at different incubation times were taken, which exhibited long-term photostability and biocompatibility. In addition, the fluorescence mechanism of the microemulsion was explained by immobilizing surfactant molecules with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties at the water-oil interface through the microemulsion with a self-assembled structure. These findings showed the potential application of O/W and W/O/W microemulsions as the label-free delivery carriers in long-term imaging of living cells and real-time release monitoring of nutrients.

The crystallization and melting behaviors of binary tripalmitoylglycerol (PPP)/1,2-dioleoyl-3-palmitoyl glycerol (POO), tripalmitoylglycerol (PPP)/1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-oleoyl glycerol (POP), and 1,3-d...

The binding domains of lysozyme with ionic liquids (ILs, [C4mim]BF4, [C4mim]Cl, [C4mim]Br and [dmim]I) in aqueous solution was investigated by studying molecular interactions using spectroscopic techniques. Ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV) showed that the addition of ILs increased the absorption peak intensity of lysozyme at 210 nm by enhancing peptide bond valence electron transition. It is also found that a weak interaction between ILs and lysozyme chromophore groups was generated by analyzing the changes of absorption peak intensity near 280 nm. Fluorescence and Synchronous Fluorescence spectra results showed that four ILs had quenching effect on the fluorescent substances of lysozyme, and the quenching effect rose with increasing ILs concentration. Meanwhile, the interaction between lysozyme and ILs molecules is mainly based on Van der Waals force and two Tryptophan (Trp) residues (Trp62 or Trp108) at the active site of lysozyme molecules play a critical role in binding ILs to their own molecules.

This paper presents a real-time dynamic path planning method for autonomous driving to avoid collision with crossing pedestrian on branch streets. The velocity obstacle algorithms are introduced to pick up the collision-free velocities for vehicles. In this method, the curvilinear lane edges are considered as static obstacle while crossing pedestrians and approaching vehicles are considered as velocity obstacles. The paths planning of vehicles are optimized by considering the delay minimum and comfort of drivers under the constraints of appropriate parameters for veer, throttle, or brake systems. A single vehicle's path planning and multi-vehicles 'coordinated or uncoordinated paths planning with crossing pedestrian collision avoidance are experimentally simulated including the longitudinal and lateral motions planning of vehicles. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and indicate its wide practical application on autonomous driving to improve the traffic safety of branch streets.

Identifying and optimizing a freight-integrated transportation corridor is a complicated problem. Currently, corridor structure optimization approaches, such as the mode split rate of freight transportation in the corridor, are topics of discussion. However, identifying the corridor lines and clustering the lines into the same corridor are the keys to reasonably optimizing the corridor. To this end, this paper establishes a corridor selection model from the importance of routes and freight communication capacity point of view and designs a corridor-clustering algorithm based on the DBSCAN clustering algorithm to optimize the transportation corridor. This method is applied to the example of freight transportation in Jilin Province, China, to demonstrate the performance of this model and algorithm.

Our previous work has demonstrated that α-linolenic acid (ALA)-loaded oil-in-water (O/W) microemulsion could enhance ALA antioxidant capacity. Meanwhile, we also observed that synthesized microemulsion itself had fluorescence. In this work, we have prepared a multiple water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) microemulsion to further enhance ALA antioxidant capacity and activate this delivery carrier application potential with a free label. The compositions of primary water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsion were obtained using pseudo-ternary phase diagrams, and then W/O/W microemulsion was prepared adopting the "two-step heterotherm method". The conductivity of W/O/W microemulsion was measured to lie between 250.0 and 350.0 μs/cm. The spherical droplets with a mean particle diameter of 10.0-20.0 nm were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Nuclear magnetic resonance confirmed that ALA diffused to the multiple water-oily interface simultaneously. In addition, the in vitro release and antioxidant capacity measurements of ALA-loaded W/O/W microemulsion concluded the sustained-release effect and excellent antioxidant capacity. The fluorescent intensity of W/O/W microemulsion was markedly increased in comparison to O/W microemulsion. The synthesized microemulsion could lead to important applications and have advantages of a label-free fluorescent carrier for optical imaging purposes.

For intelligent transportation systems (ITSs), reliable and accurate real-time traffic flow prediction is an important step and a necessary prerequisite for alleviating traffic congestion and improving highway operation efficiency. In this paper, we propose an improved hybrid predicting model including two steps: decomposition and prediction to predict highway traffic flow. First, we adopted the complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN) method to adaptively decompose the original nonlinear, nonstationary, and complex highway traffic flow data. Then, we used the improved weighted permutation entropy (IWPE) to obtain new reconstructed components. In the prediction step, we used the gray wolf optimizer (GWO) algorithm to optimize the least-squares support vector machine (LSSVM) prediction model established for each reconstruction component and integrate the prediction results of each subsequence to obtain the final prediction result. We experimentally validated the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The research results reveal that the proposed model is useful for predicting traffic flow and its changing trends and also allowing transportation officials to make more effective traffic decisions.

α-Linolenic acid (ALA)-loaded microemulsion (ME) was prepared from isoamyl acetate, polyoxyethylene ether 35 (EL-35), ethanol and water. The dynamic phase behaviour was simulated using dissipative particle dynamics (DPD), which showed that spherical ME was formed at water/oil ratios of 1:9 and 9:1, while a lamellar structure with distinctive water-course and oil layer appeared at ratios of 3:7, 5:5, and 7:3. Phase stabilizing and anti-oxidation effect of environmental stresses on ALA-loaded microemulsion were investigated. Results showed that the ME region was large and had good environmental tolerance. Subsequently, the investigation of anti-oxidation stability revealed that more than 60% ALA of ALA-loaded ME could be protected from oxidation under environmental stresses. Furthermore, ALA-loaded ME was applied in aqueous-based foods. The transparency, precipitate, stratification and phase separation were used to evaluate influence of ME on product properties, confirming great feasibility and stability of ALA-loaded ME for practical applications.

Various active ingredients play a crucial role in providing and supplementing the nutritional requirements of organisms. In this work, we attempted to chemically manipulate the interfacial microstructure of oil–water microemulsions (ME) with carbon dots (CDs), concentrating on substantially enhancing the antioxidant capacity of α-linolenic acid (ALA). To this end, CDs were synthesized and introduced into an ME. The molecular interaction of surfactant with CDs was investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The microstructure of the ME was monitored by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The cryo-EM result showed the oil–water interface in the ME was better defined after the CDs were loaded, and 1H NMR proved the CDs were distributed mainly at the interface. On the basis of these results, interfacial models were proposed. Final evaluation results demonstrated the stabilizing effect and oxidation-inhibition a...

Compared with traditional hot air drying method, the existence of optimal material layer thickness is a significant phenomenon in microwave thin layer drying process. In the current work, a new initial temperature-based methodology is proposed to predict the optimal thickness and to evaluate the effect of influential factors on optimal thickness. The evaluated optimal material layer thickness by the proposed methodology is consistent with experimentally measured value, and hence confirms that the optimal layer thickness can be predicted exactly through the average temperature of bulk material at the initial 1st min during pre-heating stage. With the help of the proposed methodology, it is discovered that attenuation factor, β, surface convective heat transfer coefficient, h, and environmental air temperature, T e are the main factors that affect the optimal thickness. And a larger β or T e tends to result in a smaller optimal thickness, while the situation for h is just the opposite. These results can play a crucial role in designing apt continuous microwave tunnel drying system or aid in guiding their operations.

Salt-dependent polymorphic control of glycine was investigated by using the microdroplet technique in this work. Sodium chloride (NaCl) was chosen as the additive to probe the influence of inorganic ions on the polymorphic nucleation of glycine. The thermodynamics and nucleation kinetics of glycine polymorphs in microdroplets were systematically analyzed based on the microdroplet technique. The crystal structures of the polymorphs were confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The results illustrate that the critical concentration of NaCl required to induce the pure γ-form in the microdroplets is lower than that in the conventional method, which means that the microdroplet technique is more sensitive for the control of polymorph nucleation. The polymorphic nucleation selectivity of glycine was then discussed in view of classical nucleation theory. The results demonstrate that NaCl reduces the nucleation energy barrier of the γ-form of glycine, and for the same form of glycine, crystallization by the conventional method has a higher interfacial tension than in microdroplets.