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AbstractLive streaming has been increasingly popular worldwide, with gift-giving emerging as a pivotal revenue stream for many streamers. While prior research has delved into the influence of streamers’ emotions and viewer-streamer interaction on viewers’ gift-giving behaviors, we suggest that peer viewers also play an essential role. In line with the principles of social influence and herding theory, the behaviors of peer viewers and the size of the viewing group are integral factors shaping individual behaviors. Hence, in the context of lives streaming, we focus on examining the impact of peer viewers’ gift-giving behaviors and the audience size on the gift-giving behaviors of individual viewers, respectively. Additionally, we examine the moderating role of viewers’ identities. We collected data from a popular live streaming platform in China and employed a panel regression model based on a sample of 651,678 viewers. This study contributes to the gift-giving literature by revealing the influence of peer viewers on focal viewers’ likelihood of gifting, gifting frequency and gifting value, and the moderating effect of viewers’ identities. Overall, these results have significant implications for both the theoretical understanding of social influence and herding in online setting, as well as the practical implications for future live streaming management. Future research could delve deeper into understanding the impact of various types of live streaming content and cultural differences on individual’s gift-giving behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature is a very important parameter for an operating vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). During charging and discharging, the temperature of VRFB is constantly changing. In this paper, a self‐made 35 kW vanadium stack was charged & discharged at the current density of 100 and 120 mA cm−2 to investigate the change trend of real‐time operating temperature. The results show that the temperature decreases during charging and increases during discharging. And the average temperature of each cycle increases with continuous charge‐discharge cycles. The influences of real‐time temperature on performance of columbic efficiency (CE), voltage efficient (VE), over‐potential, capacity, energy, state of charge (SOC), and pressure loss were further investigated. The results show that the temperature fluctuation largely affects the electrochemical properties of VRFB. With the real‐time average temperature increased from 16.02 °C to 29.91 °C, the VE, capacity, energy and the SOC range of the battery increased, while the CE, the over‐potential and the average pressure loss decreased. This work not only gives data support to temperature management of VFB, but also provides direction to the engineering application of all flow batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Q&A Communities become not only a source of information, but an interaction platform where people gain social recognition, the research into factors impacting viewers' peer recognition of online contribution helps identify an effective model for such interaction. This study focuses on finding the connection between language mimicry and the peer recognition of online contributions. We collected a total of 13,109 contributions from Fluther , an online Q&A community. Language features including linguistic similarity, text resemblance and peer recognition of online contributions were analysed, with the contributors' followers and past responses serving as moderators. Linear regression was adopted to provide empirical evidence. This study demonstrates that language mimicry between the contributor and the information seeker has significant positive effect on the peer recognition of online contributions by the viewers. Moreover, the number of contributors' past expertise mitigates the positive influence of linguistic similarity and text resemblance while their popularity strengthens the influence. It is a novel direction as prior language mimicry studies mainly focused on dyadic communication, whereas this research study aims to examine the influence of language mimicry on peer recognition of online contribution. The study extends the literature on language mimicry and provides practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In crises such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, governments need to act in time to lead citizens toward rational reactions and disclose information effectively to the public. This paper aims to understand the content published by the government and identify how citizen engagement relates to content type and emotional valence. Design/methodology/approach: The grounded theory approach was adopted and nine types of content posted by the government were observed. The data were obtained from "People's Daily", an official Sina Weibo account representing the voice of the Chinese government, from January 3 to June 22 in 2020. Findings: The analysis shows that information related to emotional support and social mobilization were the most reposted, while those mentioning immoral and illegal incidents were the most liked and commented. Also, it was found that positive posts tend to attract more likes, yet with fewer reposts than neutral posts. Originality/value: The authors adopted thematic analysis and focused on the impact of post content and valence on user participation behavior. This study expands the existing literature. The government can improve crises management capability by learning about citizen engagement behaviors on social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boarding efficiency is essential for all airlines due to potential competitive financial pressure. Therefore, the turnaround time needs to be cut down for a shorter boarding time. The paper devised a feasible boarding strategy which combines the management mode decision of passenger boarding with the intelligent deployment of the operation process and will be likely to improve the efficiency of the passenger travel chain. Among which, to decrease the boarding time is an effective method. Firstly, we proposed an improved outside-in strategy, which costs shorter boarding time based on the existing outside-in strategy. However, this method requires passengers to stand in queue in advance. Secondly, we put forward a deterministic queue-ordered boarding method to improve it. Finally, we simulated and applied the strategy to a narrow-body aircraft A320 and a wide-body A380, both representative for their type of airplanes. It turns out that this strategy performs better than the current widely used method and will be able to increase boarding efficiency and thus maximize the profits of airlines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The reviews submitted by users are the foundation of user-generated content (UGC) platforms. However, the rapid growth of users brings the problems of information overload and spotty content, which makes it necessary for UGC platforms to screen out reviews that are really helpful to users. The authors put forward in this paper the factors influencing review helpfulness voting from the perspective of review characteristics and reviewer characteristics. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses 8,953 reviews from 20 movies listed on Douban.com with variables focusing on review characteristics and reviewer characteristics that affect review helpfulness. To verify the six hypotheses proposed in the study, Stata 14 was used to perform tobit regression. Findings: Findings show that review helpfulness is significantly influenced by the length, valence, timeliness and deviation rating of the reviews. The results also underlie that a review submitted by a reviewer who has more followers and experience is more affected by review characteristics. Originality/value: Previous literature has discussed the factors that affect the helpfulness of reviews; however, the authors have established a new model that explores more comprehensive review characteristics and the moderating effect reviewer characteristics have on helpfulness. In this empirical research, the authors selected a UGC community in China as the research object. The UGC community may encourage users to write more helpful reviews by highlighting the characteristics of users. Users in return can use this to establish his/her image in the community. Future research can explore more variables related to users. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-05-2020-0186. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human Hippo signaling pathway plays an important role in the tumorigenesis of diverse cancers and has been recognized as an attractive therapeutic target of gastric cancer. The transcriptional coactivators Yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) are the major downstream effectors of Hippo, which interact primarily with transcriptional enhanced associate domain (TEAD) protein through their TEAD-binding domain (TBD). Competitive disruption of the TEAD–YAP/TAZ interaction using peptide inhibitors has been exploited as a potential strategy to treat gastric cancer by regulating Hippo signaling. Here, the crystal structures of TEAD complex with YAP/TAZ TBD domain are investigated systematically at structural, energetic and dynamic levels, from which two binding hotspots are identified; they separately correspond to an α-helix and a Ω-loop of TBD domain, and contribute essentially to the complex interaction. Several linear peptide segments derived from the hotspot regions are highly flexibility and exhibit moderate or modest affinity for TEAD. The Ω-loop-derived peptides are found to have a higher affinity, which are cyclized by introducing a disulfide bridge across their two termini. Affinity assay confirms that the cyclization can considerably improve peptide affinity by 3.7–6.6-fold. Computational analysis reveals that the designed cyclic peptides exhibit a decreased flexibility and intrinsic disorder; they can roughly maintain in native active conformation out of TBD protein context, with a reduced entropy cost upon binding to TEAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: ACO is a syndrome with high prevalence. However, a pragmatic diagnostic criterion to differentiate ACO is non‐existent. We aimed to establish an effective model for screening ACO. Methods: A multicentre survey was developed to assess the clinical criteria considered important and applicable by pulmonologists for screening ACO. These experts were asked to take the surveys twice. The expert grading method, analytic hierarchy process and ROC curve were used to establish the model, which was then validated by a cross‐sectional study of 1066 patients. The GINA/GOLD document was the gold standard in assessing this model. Results: Increased variability of symptoms, paroxysmal wheezing, dyspnoea, historical diagnosis of COPD or asthma, allergic constitution, exposure to risk factors, the FEV1/FVC < 70% and a positive BDT were important for screening ACO. According to the weight of each criterion, we confirmed that patients meeting six or more of these eight criteria should be considered to have ACO. We called this Chinese screening model for ACO 'CSMA'. It differentiated patients with ACO with a sensitivity of 83.33%, while the sensitivity of clinician‐driven diagnosis had a sensitivity of only 42.73%. Conclusion: CSMA is a workable model for screening ACO and provides a simple tool for clinicians to efficiently diagnose ACO. We established a screening model for ACO. It is as effective as the GINA/GOLD document to distinguish between ACO, asthma and COPD patients but much simpler to perform. See related Editorial [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Listeria monocytogenes consists of four lineages that occupy a wide variety of ecological niches. Sequence type (ST) 87 (serotype 1/2b), belonging to lineage I, is one of the most common STs isolated from food products, food associated environments and sporadic listeriosis in China. Here, we performed a comparative genomic analysis of the L. monocytogenes ST87 clone by sequencing 71 strains representing a diverse range of sources, different geographical locations and isolation years. Results: The core genome and pan genome of ST87 contained 2667 genes and 3687 genes respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on core genome SNPs divided the 71 strains into 10 clades. The clinical strains were distributed among multiple clades. Four clades contained strains from multiple geographic regions and showed high genetic diversity. The major gene content variation of ST87 genomes was due to putative prophages, with eleven hotspots of the genome that harbor prophages. All strains carry an intact CRISRP/Cas system. Two major CRISPR spacer profiles were found which were not clustered phylogenetically. A large plasmid of about 90 Kb, which carried heavy metal resistance genes, was found in 32.4% (23/71) of the strains. All ST87 strains harbored the Listeria pathogenicity island (LIPI)-4 and a unique 10-open read frame (ORF) genomic island containing a novel restriction-modification system. Conclusion: Whole genome sequence analysis of L. monocytogenes ST87 enabled a clearer understanding of the population structure and the evolutionary history of ST87 L. monocytogenes in China. The novel genetic elements identified may contribute to its virulence and adaptation to different environmental niches. Our findings will be useful for the development of effective strategies for the prevention and treatment of listeriosis caused by this prevalent clone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-level sensation seeking (HSS) has been linked to a range of risky and unhealthy behavior; however, the neural mechanisms underlying such linkage remain unclear. In the present study, we used event-related potential (ERP) with a Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) to investigate how sensation seeking modulates brain responses to sequential decision-making with variable reward/loss outcome magnitudes. Behavior data showed that decision-making behavior was significantly affected by the large compared with the small magnitude of monetary outcome in the BART for individuals with low-level sensation seeking (LSS), but not for individuals with HSS. Similarly, HSS individuals displayed no changes in feedback-related negativity (FRN) in response to negative outcomes from decision-making with large or small reward/loss magnitudes, whereas LSS individuals showed greater FRN in response to decision-making with large loss magnitude than those with small loss magnitude. In addition, FRN amplitude differences correlated with decision-making behavior changes from small to large outcome magnitude for LSS, while such correlation was not observed for HSS. These findings suggest that a high-level of sensation seeking is associated with behavioral and neural insensitivity to increased negative outcome during decision-making under uncertainty, which may lead to greater risky behavior in these individuals when facing potential loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A kind of shape-stable phase change materials (SSPCMs) was prepared by using graphene aerogel (GA) with different pore size adsorbing molten paraffin wax via vacuum impregnation. The characteristics of SSPCMs were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and TCi thermal conductivity analyzer. The SSPCMs possessed a high comprehensive performance: a high thermal conductivity of 1.432 W/m·K (more than 400% increase over pure paraffin), a good capacity of thermal energy storage (more than 200 J/g), a ability to light-to-heat energy storage and coating effect (encapsulation ratio is about 55%) due to the three-dimensional GA foam structure with functions of thermal conductivity and adsorptive property. In addition, an energy conversion from light to heat was realized with the SSPCMs. For different morphologies of GA, as pore size of GA decreases, SSPCMs' thermal conductivity and solar energy usage efficiency increases and their leakage rate reduces. This means that pore size of GA can influence the properties of SSPCMs to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Prenatal VPA-exposed rat autism model performed motor dysfunction. • RNA-Seq analysis in the cerebellum of VPA rats discovered retinoic acid metabolism abnormal. • Retinoic acid supplementation ameliorates motor dysfunction via RARα-CBLN2. In addition to their core symptoms, most individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) also experience motor impairments. These impairments are often linked to the cerebellum, which is the focus of the current study. Herein, we utilized a prenatal valproic acid (VPA)-induced rat model of autism and performed RNA sequencing in the cerebellum. Relative to control animals, the VPA-treated offspring demonstrated both abnormal motor coordination and impaired dendritic arborization of Purkinje cells (PCs). Concurrently, we observed a decrease in the cerebellar expression of retinoic acid (RA) synthesis enzymes (RDH10, ALDH1A1), metabolic enzyme (CYP26A2), and lower levels of RA, retinoic acid receptor α (RARα), and Cerebellin2 (CBLN2) in the VPA-treated offspring. However, RA supplementation ameliorated these deficits, restoring motor coordination, normalizing PCs dendritic arborization, and increasing the expression of RA, RARα, and CBLN2. Further, ChIP assays confirmed that RA supplementation enhanced RARα's binding capacity to CBLN2 promoters. Collectively, these findings highlight the therapeutic potential of RA for treating motor incoordination in VPA-induced autism, acting through the RARα-CBLN2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Inhibited RA-RARα signaling and increased microglial activation in valproic acid (VPA) induced autism rats. • RA administration can ameliorate autistic-like behaviors and normalize the microglial activation in VPA rats. • Increased microglial activation might be caused by lower RARα and regulation of the TREM2 gene in VPA rats. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disease with an unclear underlying pathogenesis. Disruption of retinoic acid (RA)-retinoic acid receptor α (RARα) signaling and aberrant microglial activation were reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of ASD. However, the effect of RA-RARα signaling on microglial activation in ASD and the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Herein, we found inhibited RA-RARα signaling and increased microglial activation in valproic acid (VPA)-induced autism rats. Furthermore, we administered RA to VPA rats and found that RA ameliorated autism-like behaviors, inhibited microglial activation and normalized microglial polarization in VPA rats. Additionally, the expression levels of RARα and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) were increased in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of VPA rats given RA. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and dual luciferase reporter assays confirmed that RARα can regulate the transcriptional activity of the TREM2 gene by binding to its promoter. We conclude that RA administration ameliorates autism-like behaviors in VPA rats by inhibiting microglial activation and normalizing microglial polarization through the regulation of TREM2 transcription by RARα. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microglial dysfunction has been reported in the valproic acid (VPA)-induced autism spectrum disorder (ASD) rat models. However, how does prenatal VPA exposure affect microglia remains to be elucidated. The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is revealed to be implicated in a range of microglia functions. However, reports on the association between TREM2 and VPA-induced ASD rat models are scarce. Our results showed that prenatal VPA exposure induced autistic-like behaviors, downregulated the levels of TREM2, up-regulated microglial activation, dysregulated microglial polarization, and altered synapse in offspring. TREM2 overexpression partly ameliorated microglia dysfunction and autistic-like behaviors in prenatal VPA-exposed rats. Our findings demonstrated that prenatally VPA exposure is likely to cause autistic-like behavior in the rat offspring via TREM2 down-regulation to affect the microglial activation, microglial polarization and synaptic pruning of microglia for the first time. • Prenatal valproic acid (VPA) exposure induced autistic-like behaviors and down-regulated expression of TREM2 in offspring. • VPA exposure up-regulated microglial activation, dysregulated microglial polarization and altered synapse in offspring. • TREM2 overexpression can attenuate microglial activation, transform microglial polarization and normalize aberrant synapse. • TREM2 overexpression can ameliorate autistic-like behaviors induced by prenatal VPA exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen frequently isolated from raw pork meat. This study was designed to investigate the prevalence and molecular characteristics of L. monocytogenes in raw pork from open markets in China. The survey was conducted monthly over a 12-month period in Zigong, China. L. monocytogenes was isolated from 262 of 1641 samples collected (16.0%) including minced meat samples (131/608, 21.5%), pork pieces samples (111/857, 13.0%) and environmental swabs (20/176, 11.4%). The isolation rates in spring and winter were significantly higher than those in summer and autumn ( X 2 = 68.85, P < 0.05). All isolates were subjected to serotyping, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and AscI pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The 262 isolates were subtyped into five serotypes: 1/2b (43.1%), 1/2c (35.5%), 1/2a (19.1%), 4b (1.1%), 3a (1.1%); 20 sequence types (STs) with four most frequent STs, being ST9 (35.9%), ST87 (19.8%), ST3 (16.0%) and ST8 (14.1%); and 39 pulsotypes (PTs) with PT4 (26.3%), PT30 (14.5%) and PT11 (12.6%) being most frequent. Two primary pulsotypes from pork pieces were previously isolated from clinical listeriosis cases in the local hospitals. The six markets from different districts differed in the level of contamination and strain types. Persistent contamination of L. monocytogenes was found in the markets especially in meat mincers, which were found to be one likely source of continuous cross contamination. These findings will help develop strategies to reduce L. monocytogenes contamination in open markets for better public health control and prevention of foodborne L. monocytogenes infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Commercial pea protein isolates (CPPI) after HPH showed improved solubility. • HPH can disrupt insoluble pea protein aggregates to soluble ones. • Increased-pressure HPH can break both non-covalent and covalent bonds within CPPI. • HPH improved emulsifying and foaming capacity of insoluble pea proteins. High-pressure homogenization (HPH) is a technique that impacts the aggregation of globular proteins. In this study, the effect of HPH (at a pressure of 30/50 MPa for three cycles) was investigated on the aggregation states and functional properties of insoluble commercial pea protein isolates (CPPI). Results showed that HPH significantly improved the solubility, foaming and emulsifying capacity of CPPI. Samples treated at 50 MPa demonstrated better foaming and emulsifying capacity than that at 30 MPa. Surface hydrophobicity, intrinsic fluorescence, SDS-PAGE and FTIR analysis revealed that insoluble precipitates/aggregates (most legumins included) of CPPI were broken down and converted into soluble aggregates. Low-pressure HPH (30 MPa) can break non-covalent bonds (hydrophobic interactions), whereas higher pressure (50 MPa) can further break covalent bonds (S S). The study sheds light on the mechanism of disruption of insoluble CPPI under HPH and proposes a method to enhance their techno-functional properties for application in food formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The removal and transformation of seven high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), namely benz[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene, indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene and benzo[g,h,i]perylene, by a freshwater microalga Selenastrum capricornutum under gold and white light irradiation was studied. The two light sources did not result in significant differences in the biodegradation of the selected PAHs in live algal cells, but white light was more effective in promoting photodegradation than was gold light in dead cells. The removal efficiency of seven PAHs, as well as the difference between live and dead microalgal cells, was PAH compound-dependent. Benz[a]anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene were highly transformed in live and dead algal cells, and dead cells displayed greater transformation levels than live cells. Further investigation comparing the transformation of single PAH compound, benzo[a]pyrene, by S. capricornutum and another green microalgal species, Chlorella sp., demonstrated that the transformation in dead cells was similar, indicating the process was algal-species independent. Dead algal cells most likely acted as a photosensitizer and accelerated the photodegradation of PAHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A highly sensitive and selective molecularly imprinted (MIP) sensor combined with magnetic molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MMISPE) was developed for the determination of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) in complex matrixes. The magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MMIP) was synthesized as solid phase extraction (SPE) sorbet to extract DBP from complex matrixes and as sensing element to improve the selectivity of the imprinted sensor. The morphologies of MMIP and MIP-sensor were characterized by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical performances of MIP-sensor were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The conditions of preconcentration, elution and electrochemical determination were studied in detail. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the response currents of the MIP-sensor exhibited a linear relationship towards DBP concentrations ranging from 1.0×10−8 g/L to 1.0×10−3 g/L. The limit of detection of the MMIP-sensor coupled with the MMISPE was calculated as 0.052ng/L. The MMIP-sensor coupled with the MMISPE was applied to detect DBP in complex samples successfully. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)/fluoro-terminated hyperbranched poly(phenylene oxide) (FHPPO) composites with improved mechanical and dielectric performances were prepared by blending a FHPPO with DGEBA. The low-polarity building blocks, abundant fluorinated terminal groups, and the inherent free volume brought by FHPPO efficiently lowered the dielectric constant and the dissipation factor. The free volumes of the cured DGEBA/FHPPO composites, which were quantified by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, increased with the FHPPO loading. The moisture absorption of composites also decreased after the introduction of FHPPO due to the hydrophobicity of fluorinated substituents. Dynamic mechanical analysis tests and scanning electron morphology revealed that FHPPO phase separated from the composites during the curing process. The average diameter of dispersed FHPPO particles increased proportionally with the FHPPO loading. Composites with dispersed particle size of around 150 nm showed the best comprehensive mechanical performance. In addition, incorporation of FHPPO, which has lots of aromatic structures, into DGEBA also increased the thermal stabilities. POLYM. COMPOS., 34:1051-1060, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of carboxylate gemini surfactants, which contain two hydrocarbon chains linked by amide groups, two carboxylate groups, a flexible alkane spacer were synthesized by three-step reactions and named alkylidene-bis-( N, N′-dodecyl-carboxypropylamides) (2CHCnAm; n = 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 is the number of methylene groups of the spacer), their structures were confirmed by FTIR,H NMR, and LC-MS/TOF, and their purity checked by HPLC. The micellar properties with increasing spacer chain length of these gemini surfactants were determined by surface tension methods. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) varies slightly with spacer chain length; surface tension at CMC(γ), the tendency of micellization versus adsorption, CMC/C, the minimum area per surfactant molecule at the air/solution interface (A), all decrease with increasing spacer chain length; surface reduction efficiency, pC, the surface excess at the air/solution interface (Г) increase with increasing spacer chain length. The results probably indicate that increasing spacer chain length of these carboxylate gemini surfactants will increase spacer incorporation into the double hydrophobic chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aquatic environment often contains different groups of contaminants, but their combined toxicity on microalgae has seldom been reported. The present study compared the toxic effects of combined mixed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals on growth and antioxidant responses of free and immobilized microalga, Selenastrum capricornutum. Five PAHs-phenanthrene, fluorene, fluoranthene, pyrene, and benzo[ a]pyrene-and four heavy metals at different concentrations-0.05 to 0.1 µg Cd2+ ml−1, 0.05 to 1 µg Cu2+ ml−1, 0.05 to 1 µg Zn2+ ml−1, and 0.5 to 2.5 µg Ni2+ ml−1-were examined. Results showed that the chlorophyll a content of free and immobilized S. capricornutum was not affected by PAHs but was significantly inhibited by heavy metals. Conversely, the antioxidant parameters, including the content of reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase, were significantly induced by both PAHs and metals. For the combined toxic effects of PAHs and heavy metals, cell growth and antioxidant responses varied with exposure time and contaminants and differed between free and immobilized cells. The effects of cocontaminants on the GSH content in free cells were mainly synergistic but changed to antagonistic in immobilized cells. The toxic effects of cocontamination on free cells were also more obvious than those on immobilized cells. These findings suggest that immobilization offers some protection to microalgal cells against toxic contaminants causing differences in the interaction and responses to combined toxicants between free and immobilized cells. Immobilized cells might be more suitable for treating wastewater containing toxic contaminants than free cells. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2013;32:673-683. © 2012 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A photoanode with a mesoporous F-doped ZnO prism array (F-ZnO PA) is prepared on an F-SnO2 (FTO) glass substrate and its application in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is investigated. A superstructure of mesoporous F-ZnO PA is obtained by thermal treatment of ZnF(OH) PA precursor, which has been previously grown directly onto the FTO substrate via chemical bath deposition. The structure and morphology of the films are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and TEM-EDS elemental mapping. The ZnO prisms are homogenously doped by F and composed of oriented nanograins and nanopores. Owing to the higher surface area and stronger light scattering, as well as longer electron lifetime and lower charge-transfer resistance, an electrical energy conversion efficiency (η) of 3.43% is achieved for a DSSC containing a 5μm thick mesoporous F-ZnO PA photoanode, which is much higher than that for a similar cell based on a ZnO nanorod photoanode. The knowledge acquired in this work is important for the design of efficient photoanode materials for DSSCs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mesoporous carbons prepared using a templating method under different carbonization temperatures are sulfonated with concentrated H2SO4. Without the moving of silica template carbon-silica composites were prepared, which can maintain the pore structure well during sulfonation reaction process. The resultant samples are characterized using nitrogen adsorption, transmission electron microscope, field-emission scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and elemental analysis techniques. The catalytic performances of the sulfonated carbons and composites are evaluated by esterification reaction of methanol with acetic acid. The results show that a low-temperature carbonization process is favorable for improving the reaction conversion of acetic acid. In addition, the sulfonated carbon-silica composites show a higher acetic acid conversion than the sulfonated mesoporous carbons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneous escape routing on dense circuit boards is a very challenging task and a great amount of manual effort is still needed in order to achieve high routability. In this paper, we present a new simultaneous escape routing algorithm which is based upon a novel boundary routing approach. Our algorithm can solve complicated escape problems in a very short time. For a set of industrial escape problems, our algorithm successfully solved all of them while Cadence Allegro PCB router was only able to complete the routing of half of the problems. In addition, we propose a clustering strategy targeting at large escape routing problems. Experimental results show that this clustering strategy can significantly cut down the runtime of our router when solving large problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Zn2SnO4–SnO2 heterojunction nanocomposites (ZTO–SnO2) with high mass amount of ZTO were synthesized by a two-step technique. The route involves firstly the synthesis of monodispersed ZnSn(OH)6 nanocubes with a 50–60nm edge length as precursors by simple coprecipitation of Na2SnO3·3H2O and ZnCl2 aqueous solution, assisted by ultrasonic treatment and then followed by calcination of the precursors at 800°C under N2 atmosphere. The as-synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Heterojunction between ZTO and SnO2 nanoparticle was confirmed by the electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) elemental mapping and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM). The photovoltaic performance of the ZTO–SnO2 based DSSC was examined by measuring the J-V curves both in dark and under illumination. The results show that the ZTO–SnO2 based DSSC exhibits superior photovoltaic performance as compared to the single phase ZTO based DSSCs. Under illumination of AM 1.5 simulated sunlight (100 mW/cm2), the open circuit voltage of the cell based on ZTO–SnO2 is 706mV, the short-current density is 2.85mA/cm2, and the efficiency is 1.29% which is increased by 43% from 0.90% to 1.29% compared with pure ZTO. The formation of the heterojunctions between ZTO and SnO2 nanoparticles is believed to reduce the recombination between injected electrons and redox I−/I3 − and improve the performance of the DSSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effects of metals (cadmium, zinc, copper and nickel in a mixture) on biosorption and biodegradation of five mixed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), namely fluorene (FLU), phenanthrene (PHE), fluoranthrene (FLA), pyrene (PYR) and benzo[a]pyrene (BAP), by Selenastrum capricornutum were investigated. Exposure to metals significantly influenced the interactions between cells and PAHs and, such impact was PAH species dependent. For low molecular weight PAHs (FLU and PHE), both metal dosage and exposure time posed a significant, positive effect on their removal, with up to 99% of FLU and 89% of PHE were removed from the medium in seven days, which was mainly due to the cellular degradation induced by metal stress. For high molecular weight PAHs (FLA, PYR and BAP), the presence of metals did not affect the removal efficiency, but the uptake in the ethyl acetate-extractable fraction of the biomass was increased. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: High density aligned ZnO nanotube (NT) arrays were synthesized using a facile chemical etching of electrochemically deposited ZnO nanorods (NRs). The influence of etching time and solution concentration on the ZnO NT formation was investigated. Moreover, cadmium selenide (CdSe) nanoparticles as sensitizers were assembled onto the ZnO NT and NR arrays for solar cell application. A conversion efficiency (η) of 0.44% was achieved for CdSe/ZnO NT-based solar cell under the white light illumination intensity of 85mW/cm2. An 8% enhancement in η was observed between the CdSe/ZnO NT-based and NR-based solar cell due to the enhancement of the photocurrent density. ZnO NT arrays have been proved to have a superior ability as compared with ZnO NR arrays when employed as a semiconductor film. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A sample pretreatment method for the determination of 18 chlorophenols (CPs) in aqueous samples by derivatization liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) was investigated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Derivatization reagent was spiked into the extraction solvent to combine derivatization and extraction into one step. High sensitivity of 18 CPs derivatives could be achieved after optimization of several parameters such as extraction solvent, percentage of derivatization reagent, extraction time, pH, and ionic strength. The results from the optimal method showed that calibration ranging from 0.5 to 500μgL−1 could be achieved with the RSDs between 1.75% and 9.39%, and the limits of detection (LOD) are ranging from 0.01 to 0.12μgL−1 for the CPs. Moreover, the proposed LPME method was compared with solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with on-fiber derivatization technique. The results suggested that using both methods are quite agreeable. Furthermore, the recoveries of LPME evaluated by spiked environmental samples ranged from 87.9% (3,5-DCP) to 114.7% (2,3,5,6-TeCP), and environmental water samples collected from the Pearl River were analyzed with the optimized LPME method, the concentrations of 18 CPs ranged from 0.0237μgL−1 (3,5-DCP) to 0.3623μgL−1 (2,3,6-TCP). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, large-scale, single-crystalline ZnO nanotube arrays were directly fabricated onto F-doped SnO2 (TCO) glass substrate via an electrochemical deposition method from an aqueous solution for the first time. The tubes had a preferential orientation along the [0001] direction and hexagon-shaped cross sections. The novel nanostructure could be easily fabricated without a prepared layer of seeds on the substrate. The surface condition of substrate material and the experimental conditions played a key role in the nanotube formation. A possible formation mechanism has been proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• This is the first study to investigate whether pirfenidone could mediate cigarette smoke extract (CSE) induced inflammation and oxidative stress in vitro and in vivo. • Our study reveals the potential role of pirfenidone in regulating inflammatory response and oxidative stress induced by CSE. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects are two main pharmacological mechanisms of pirfenidone (PFD) besides the anti-fibrotic effect. This study aims to investigate whether PFD could mediate cigarette smoke extract (CSE) induced inflammation and oxidative stress in vitro and in vivo. BALB/C mice and alveolar epithelial (A549) cells treated with CSE were established as disease models in vivo and in vitro. Effects of PFD treatment on disease models were further measured. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to evaluate the pathological changes in lung tissues of mice. CCK-8 assay kit was applied to measure the viability of A549 cells treated by different concentrations of PFD. Inflammation cytokine expression in cell supernatants was measured with ELISA kits. The mRNA and protein levels of inflammation and oxidative stress-related factors were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting. Furthermore, myeloperoxidase (MPO), malondialdehyde (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were measured to detect the antioxidative activity of lung tissues. Moreover, an assay kit with fluorescent probe 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) was used to evaluate the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In vitro and in vivo, PFD significantly reversed TNF-α, IL-6, CCL2, SOD1, and CAT mRNA level changes led by CSE; in addition, PFD significantly decreased the ratios of p-p65 to p65, p-ikBα to ikBα and increased Nrf-2 protein level compared with CSE group. In mice, high-dose (100 mg/kg/d) PFD significantly reversed MPO and MDA increases induced by CSE. However, PFD didn't significantly reverse T-AOC decrease induced by CSE. In A549 cell supernatant, PFD dramatically reversed the elevated levels of TNF-α and IL-1β induced by CSE. Furthermore, PFD could significantly reverse the increased level of ROS induced by CSE in A549 cells. Our study reveals the potential role of PFD in regulating inflammatory response and oxidative stress induced by CSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of polysaccharides can effectively lower the glycemic index (GI) of rice noodles but may also negatively impact their cooking and eating quality. This study explores the use of solid-state fermentation with Limosilactobacillus fermentum and the addition of lysine to enhance the cooking and eating quality of high-fiber rice noodles (HFRN). Optimal fermentation conditions—10% Limosilactobacillus fermentum inoculum, 30 °C fermentation temperature, and 72-h fermentation time—along with a 3% lysine addition, were identified. The results revealed a significant increase in cooking quality and sensory characteristics of the rice noodles under these conditions. Compared to the control, the treated rice noodles exhibited higher sensory scores (increased by 17%), lower broken strip rates (reduced by 77.99%), and superior textural properties. Further analysis using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), rapid viscometer analyzer (RVA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) demonstrated that fermentation and lysine addition inhibited starch granule swelling, leading to decreased pasting properties (viscosity drop of 22.77–29.94% in all stages). Additionally, the retrogradation rates were reduced, and thermal stability was markedly increased (ΔH increased by 190.90%). These findings suggest that solid-state fermentation combined with lysine supplementation offers a promising strategy for enhancing the cooking and eating quality of HFRN. [Display omitted] • The fermentation & lysine addition enhances the quality of high-fiber rice noodles. • Rice noodles achieved superior quality at 10% inoculum, 30 °C, and 72h fermentation. • Processed rice noodles' stability increased for long-term storage. • The sensory rating of high-fiber rice noodles has significantly improved (by 17%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• More hydrophobic areas of nisin were exposed after interacting with SSPS. • The addition of SSPS greatly improved the EE of curcumin in nisin. • The curcumin-loaded nisin-SSPS NPs exhibited a desirable particle size (119 nm). • Curcumin-nisin-SSPS NPs protected the biological activities of curcumin and nisin. • An antioxidant and antimicrobial nanoparticle with curcumin and nisin was fabricated. Curcumin was recently attracted great interest owing to its multiple bioactivities; however, the use of curcumin was hindered by its poor solubility and stability. In this study, curcumin-nisin-soy soluble polysaccharide nanoparticles (Cur-Nisin-SSPS-NPs, size = 118.76 nm) have been successfully elaborated to improve the application of curcumin. The formation of Cur-Nisin-SSPS-NPs was mediated by amphiphilic and positively charged nisin: SSPS encapsulated nisin, which was mainly driven by electrostatic attraction. And nisin-SSPS complex encapsulated curcumin mainly through hydrophobic interactions between nisin and curcumin. The encapsulation efficiency of curcumin (91.66%) in this novel nanocarriers was significantly higher than that in nanoparticles prepared by a single SSPS (31.82%) or nisin (41.69%), most likely because more hydrophobic regions of nisin were exposed after interacting with SSPS through electrostatic interaction. Consequently, this facile and green nanocarriers improved the solubility/dispersibility and stability of curcumin and nisin, as well as endowed SSPS-based nanoparticles with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (APAHs) are the main components of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in petroleum-contaminated waters. In our study, three kinds of green microalgae (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus) were shown to degrade six kinds of methylphenanthrenes (1-methylphenanthren, 2-methylphenanthrenem, 3-nmmethylphenanthrene, 4-methylphenanthren, 9-methylphenanthrene and 3,6-dimethylphenanthrene) with different degrading abilities. Among the six methylphenanthrenes, 99.8% of 1-methylphenanthrene (1-MP) was removed and 75.6% of 3,6-dimethylphenanthrene (3,6-DMP) was removed by P. subcapitata after 7 days of incubation. The metabolites of 1-MP and 3,6-DMP were identified by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Six metabolites of 1-MP and one metabolite of 3,6-DMP were found, they were all monohydroxylated methylphenanthrenes. The –OH group was added to either methyl-group or benzene ring through the monooxygenase system, and the methyl-group attack was the main pathway. This research increases our knowledge of the degrading ability of APAHs by green microalgae and offers information for the bioremediation of APAHs. Quantum chemical calculation was conducted to elucidate the biodegradation metabolites of methylphenanthrene by green microalgae, which is a helpful tool in the bioremediation of environmental pollution. Image 1 • Microalgae degraded methylphenanthrenes with different degrading abilities. • Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata had great ability to degrade methylphenanthrenes. • Methylphenanthrenes were biodegraded through monooxygenase system with microalgae. • Quantum chemical calculation can elucidate the metabolites of methylphenanthrenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original article unfortunately had "?" in place of "훥 "on few lines and those are corrected below [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Nisin was encapsulated with 99.8% efficiency in soy soluble polysaccharides (SSPS). • Nisin-loaded SSPS nanoparticles exhibited a desirable particle size (112 nm). • Nisin has high stability and antimicrobial activity after being loaded by SSPS. • Nisin-loaded SSPS nanoparticles increases the shelf-life of the fresh tomato juice. Nisin is a natural antimicrobial agent and food-grade material, while the poor stability and short duration of antimicrobial activity limit its widespread use in the food industry. In the present work, soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS)-based nanoparticles have been developed to improve the stability and sustained antimicrobial activity of nisin. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) of nisin-loaded SSPS nanoparticles (Nisin-SSPS-NPs) prepared under the optimized conditions can be up to 99.8%, and the particle size is about 112 nm. The formation of Nisin-SSPS-NPs was mainly mediated by the electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding, which was evidenced by the results of zeta potential and Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Agar diffusion assay exhibited that Nisin-SSPS-NPs had confirmed antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, such as Listeria monocytogenes , Bacillus subtilis , and Staphylococcus aureus. The sustained release of nisin in Nisin-SSPS-NPs endows nisin with a long-lasting antimicrobial activity, which increases the shelf-life of the fresh tomato juice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neonatal listeriosis is a rare but severe disease manifesting as septicemia and central nervous system (CNS) infections with a high fatality rate of around 20 to 30%. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is a promising technique for pathogen identification and infection source tracing with its high resolution.Case Presentation: A case of neonatal sepsis with listeriosis was reported with positive blood culture for Listeria monocytogenes. The case was investigated to confirm the vertical transmission of the infection and identify the potential food source of the maternal L. monocytogenes infection using WGS. L. monocytogenes was isolated from the neonate's blood sample the day after caesarean delivery and from the mother's genital and pudenda swab samples 5 days and 13 days after caesarean delivery. WGS showed that the isolate from the neonate was identical to the genome type of the isolates from the mother, with only one of the 4 isolates from the mother differing by one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). By WGS, one L. monocytogenes isolate from a ready-to-eat (RTE) meat sample in the patients' community market shared the same sequence type but was ruled out as the cause of infection, with 57 SNP differences to the strain causing the maternal-neonatal infection. The food isolate also carried a novel plasmid pLM1686 that harbored heavy metal resistance genes. After caesarean section, the mother was treated with a third generation cephalosporin which L. monocytogenes is naturally resistant to, which may explain why genital and pudenda swabs were still culture-positive for L. monocytogenes 13 days after delivery.Conclusions: Genital swab culture for L. monocytogenes had been informative in the diagnosis of maternal listeriosis in this case. The high resolution of WGS confirmed the maternal-neonatal transmission of L. monocytogenes infection and ruled out the L. monocytogenes contaminated RTE meat from the local market as the direct source of the mother's infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilevel genome typing (MGT) enables the genomic characterization of bacterial isolates and the relationships among them. The MGT system describes an isolate using multiple multilocus sequence typing (MLST) schemes, referred to as levels. Thus, for a new isolate, sequence types (STs) assigned at multiple precisely defined levels can be used to type isolates at multiple resolutions. The MGT designation for isolates is stable, and the assignment is faster than the existing approaches. MGT's utility has been demonstrated in multiple species. This paper presents a publicly accessible web service called MGTdb, which enables the assignment of MGT STs to isolates, along with their storage, retrieval and analysis. The MGTdb web service enables upload of genome data as sequence reads or alleles, which are processed and assigned MGT identifiers. Additionally, any newly sequenced isolates deposited in the National Center for Biotechnology Information's Sequence Read Archive are also regularly retrieved (currently daily), processed, assigned MGT identifiers and made publicly available in MGTdb. Interactive visualization tools are presented to assist analysis, along with capabilities to download publicly available isolates and assignments for use with external software. MGTdb is currently available for Salmonella enterica serovars Typhimurium and Enteritidis and Vibrio cholerae. We demonstrate the usability of MGTdb through three case studies — to study the long-term national surveillance of S. Typhimurium, the local epidemiology and outbreaks of S. Typhimurium, and the global epidemiology of V. cholerae. Thus, MGTdb enables epidemiological and microbiological investigations at multiple levels of resolution for all publicly available isolates of these pathogens. Database URL : https://mgtdb.unsw.edu.au [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of the present study was to assess the beneficial effect of Lactobacillus plantarum GM11 (LacP GM11), screened from Sichuan traditional fermented food, in depressive rats induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). Male SPF SD rats were randomly assigned to 3 groups: the control group, CUMS group and CUMS + LacP GM11 group (n = 10). The rats in the CUMS and LacP GM11 groups received CUMS stimulation for 42 d. The behavioral tests and levels of monoamine neurotransmitter, glucocorticoid hormone and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the serum and hippocampus were measured. The effects of LacP GM11 on the mRNA and protein expression of BDNF and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in the hippocampus were also investigated. After supplementation for 21 d, LacP GM11 was associated with alleviation of depressive-like behavior, not anxiety-like behavior, in depressive rats. LacP GM11 increased the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and BDNF and decreased the level of cortisol (CORT) in the serum and hippocampus in depressed rats. In addition, treatment with LacP GM11 also increased the mRNA and protein expression of BDNF and CREB in the hippocampus. This work has revealed that LacP GM11 has potential beneficial effects on depression. This effect might be related to alleviating monoamine neurotransmitter deficiency, HPA axis hyperfunction and CREB-BDNF signaling pathway downregulation. This study demonstrates that LacP GM11 could be a potential therapeutic approach to treat depression and other mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel asparaginase (designated srnASNase) has been purified from soybean root nodules and identified by MALDI‐TOF/TOF‐MS. And the enzymatic properties, antitumor activity and the ability to prevent acrylamide formation in fried foods of srnASNase were evaluated. SrnASNase had high specific activity (531.37 U/mg) toward L‐asparagine under optimum conditions (pH 8.0 and 40°C), no activity toward L‐glutamine and D‐glutamine, but trace activity toward D‐asparagine. It was stable in the pH range of 7.0–9.0 and up to 40°C. The Km and Vmax of srnASNase were 0.36 mM and 51.64 mM/min, respectively. Further, in vitro anti‐proliferative activity on human cancer cells assay showed that srnASNase was superior to commercial asparaginase in solution by controlling the tumor cell growth with time. In addition, srnASNase showed more effective acrylamide mitigation than commercial asparaginase in fried foods. These results indicate that srnASNase is a potential candidate for applications in the food processing and pharmaceutical industry. Practical applications: L‐asparaginase (L‐asparagine amidohydrolase; EC 3.5.1.1) is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of the amide group of the side‐chain of L‐asparagine into aspartic acid and ammonia. It has long been used as a primary component in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (All) and other related blood cancers. Apart from its clinical usage, L‐asparaginase has attracted more attention in the food processing industries as a promising acrylamide‐mitigating agent in recent years. This research revealed that soybean root nodules might be good sources of novel asparaginase. A novel asparaginase (srnASNase) has been purified and characterized from soybean root nodules. SrnASNase had good enzymatic properties. Further, srnASNase was superior to commercial asparaginase in solution by controlling the tumor cell growth with time. In addition, srnASNase showed more effective acrylamide mitigation than commercial asparaginase in fried foods. These results indicate that srnASNase is a potential candidate for applications in the food processing and pharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bayesian estimation of finite Gamma mixture model (GaMM) has attracted considerable attention recently due to its capability of modeling positive data. With conventional variational inference (VI) frameworks, we cannot derive an analytically tractable solution for the variational posterior, since the expectation of the joint distribution of all the random variables cannot be estimated in a closed form. Therefore, numerical techniques are commonly utilized to simulate the posterior distribution. However, the optimization process of these methods can be prohibitively slow for practical applications. In order to obtain closed-form solutions, some lower-bound approximations are then introduced into the evidence lower bound (ELBO), following the recently proposed extended variational inference (EVI) framework. The problem in numerical simulation can be overcome. In this paper, we address the Bayesian estimation of the finite Gamma mixture model (GaMM) under the EVI framework in a flexible way. Moreover, the optimal mixture component number can be automatically determined based on the observed data and the over-fitting problem related to the conventional expectation–maximization (EM) is overcome. We demonstrate the excellent performance of the proposed method with synthesized data and real data evaluations. In the real data evaluation, we compare the proposed method on object detection and image categorization tasks with referred methods and find statistically significant improvement on accuracies and runtime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is a destructive disease of Stylosanthes (stylo). Combination treatment of phloretin and pterostilbene (PP) has been previously shown to effectively inhibit the conidial germination and mycelial growth of C. gloeosporioides in vitro. In this study, the effects of PP treatment on the growth of C. gloeosporioides in vivo and the biocontrol mechanisms were investigated. We found that exogenous PP treatment could limit the growth of C. gloeosporioides and alleviate the damage of anthracnose in stylo. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that 565 genes were up-regulated and 239 genes were down-regulated upon PP treatment during the infection by C. gloeosporioides. The differentially expressed genes were mainly related to oxidative stress and chloroplast organization. Further physiological analysis revealed that application of PP after C. gloeosporioides inoculation significantly reduced the accumulation of O2•− level and increased the accumulation of antioxidants (glutathione, ascorbic acid and flavonoids) as well as the enzyme activity of total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase, peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase. PP also reduced the decline of chlorophyll a + b and increased the content of carotenoid in response to C. gloeosporioides infection. These results suggest that PP treatment alleviates anthracnose by improving antioxidant capacity and reducing the damage of chloroplasts, providing insights into the biocontrol mechanisms of PP on the stylo against anthracnose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The safety and efficacy of the TuBridge flow diverter in treating middle cerebral artery aneurysms remains unknown. In this study, we report our preliminary experience treating complex middle cerebral artery aneurysms using the TuBridge flow diverter. Methods: A prospectively maintained database of intracranial aneurysms treated with the TuBridge flow diverter was retrospectively reviewed, and patients with middle cerebral artery aneurysms were included in this study. Demographics, aneurysm features, complications, and clinical and angiographic outcomes were assessed. Evaluation of the angiographic results included occlusion grade of aneurysm (O'Kelly–Marotta grading scale), patency of jailed branch(es), and in-stent stenosis. Results: Eight patients with eight middle cerebral artery aneurysms were included in this study. The mean aneurysm size was 11.8 ± 6.8 mm. There were no procedure-related complications and there was no morbidity or mortality at a mean follow-up of 11.3 ± 3.6 months. All patients had follow-up angiograms at a mean of 7.5 ± 4.0 months after surgery. Of the eight patients, there was 1 (12.5%) O'Kelly–Marotta grading scale A, 3 (37.5%) O'Kelly–Marotta grading scale B, 1 (12.5%) O'Kelly–Marotta grading scale C, and 3 (37.5%) O'Kelly–Marotta grading scale D. Of the seven patients with jailed branch, the blood flow of jailed branch was unchanged in 4 (57.1%), decreased in 2 (28.6%), and occluded in 1 (14.3%). In-stent stenosis was mild in 2 (25%) patients and moderate in 1 (12.5%) patient. Conclusion: Midterm results suggest that endovascular treatment of middle cerebral artery aneurysms using the TuBridge flow diverter is safe and associated with good outcomes. The TuBridge flow diverter may be an option for complex middle cerebral artery aneurysms that are difficult to treat with either clipping or coiling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, curcumin@high-pressure homogenization-soybean 7S protein/nanoparticles (CUR@HPH-7S-NPs) were prepared by an anti-solvent method. The physicochemical properties results showed at a CUR concentration of 4 mg/mL, CUR@HPH-7S-NPs had better size, encapsulation efficiency (EE), and zeta-potential values of 151.9 nm, 88.80 %, and −23.1 mV, respectively. Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) and endogenous fluorescence spectroscopy results indicated CUR bound to HPH-7S through hydrophobic interactions, and the force between HPH-7S and CUR molecules was greater than that between untreated 7S protein and CUR. Furthermore, the pH stability results showed the size of CUR@HPH-7S-NPs was barely affected by pH away from adjacent area of the isoelectric point of 7S protein. The physical thermal stability and bio-accessibility results suggested that HPH-7S was more effective in delaying the degradation, had more physical thermal stability, and had a significant improvement in the bio-accessibility of CUR than that of untreated 7S protein. What's more, the antioxidant activity results showed at a CUR equivalent concentration of 40 μg/mL, the DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity of CUR@HPH-7S-NPs was 85.10 % and 96.64 %, respectively, both of which were significantly higher than that of free CUR. Finally, this study aimed to provide a theoretical basis for the delivery of other hydrophobic bioactive substances. • CUR@HPH-7S-NPs had the optimum size, EE, and zeta-potential at 4 mg/mL CUR. • CUR@HPH-7S-NPs had greater hydrophobic interaction force than the control group. • The size of CUR@HPH-7S-NPs was barely affected by pH away from near the pI of the 7S. • CUR@HPH-7S-NPs had better dispersibility, physical thermal stability, and bio-accessibility. • CUR@HPH-7S-NPs had greater DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to ascertain optimal potato pretreatment strategy for potato–rice noodle processing, the effect of partial substitution of rice flour with potatoes processed by various pretreatment on rice noodle quality was determined. In this study, raw potato flour (RPF), cooked potato flour (CPF), potato pulp (PP), mashed potato (MP), and rice flour (RF) were prepared. The physicochemical and pasting properties of RF sample, RPF + RF, PP + RF, CPF + RF, and MP + RF blends were investigated relative to their noodle quality. The results indicated that compared to RF, CPF + RF, and MP + RF blends, RPF + RF and PP + RF blends exhibited a lower degree of starch damage, solubility, and breakdown viscosity, as well as higher relative crystallinity, final, and setback viscosity, which are favorable to quality of noodles. Therefore, the noodles made from RPF + RF and PP + RF showed the most desirable cooking quality and texture. In summary, high damaged starch content and excessive amylose content were detrimental to noodle making. Consequently, our research revealed that RPF/pulp (ungelatinized potato materials) blended with rice flour can be employed to produce decent potato–rice noodles. Practical Application: Cooked potato flour is main processing method of commercial potato flour and widely used in potato staple food industry. However, the results of our study show that raw potato flour and potato pulp are more suitable for processing of potato–rice noodle than cooked potato flour and mashed potato and can significantly improve the quality of rice noodle. This provides new ideas and insights for the preprocessing of raw potato in the potato staple food industry and the quality improvement of rice noodle. Highlights: The physicochemical properties of potatoes changed with various pretreatments.Excessive amylose content and starch damage were detrimental to noodle making.Partial substitution of rice flour with raw potato flour/pulp improved rice noodle quality.Raw and ungelatinized potato material is preferable for potato–rice noodle making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algal blooms cause great damage to water quality and aquaculture. However, this study showed that dead algal cells and chlorophyll could accelerate the photo-transformation of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a ubiquitous and persistent pollutant with potently mutagenic and carcinogenic toxicities, under visible light irradiation. Chlorophyll was found to be the major active substance in dead algal cells, and generated a high level of singlet oxygen to catalyse the photo-transformation of BaP. According to various BaP metabolites formed, the degradation mechanism was proposed as that chlorophyll in dead algal cells photo-oxidized BaP to quinones via photocatalytic generation of singlet oxygen. The results provided a good insight into the role of chlorophyll in the photo-transformation of organic contaminants and could be a possible remediation strategy of organic pollutants in natural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Cigarette smoke can significantly induced inflammation and apoptosis in vivo and vitro. • Our results proved the protective effects of TAX against cigarette smoke induced inflammation and apoptosis in COPD. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and is characterized by chronic airway inflammation and lung parenchymal cell apoptosis. Cigarette smoke is the major risk factor for the occurrence and development of COPD. Taxifolin (TAX) showed promising pharmacological effects in the management of inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. In the present study, our results demonstrated that TAX significantly alleviated cigarette smoke-induced inflammation and apoptosis both in vivo and in vitro. TAX notably lowered the elevated total cell count in mouse BALF compared with that in the COPD group. The cigarette smoke-induced emphysematous changes were remarkably reversed by TAX. In addition, treatment with TAX suppressed the elevated mRNA and protein levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in COPD mouse lung tissue and cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-treated human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs). Additionally, TAX significantly decreased the ratios of p-iκB to iκB and p-p65 to p65 compared with the COPD group and CSE-treated HBECs. Moreover, the results of the TUNEL assay and flow cytometry also demonstrated the anti-apoptotic effect of TAX in mouse lung tissue and HBECs. Furthermore, the elevated Bax and CCP3 levels and decreased Bcl-2 levels induced by cigarette smoke were significantly reversed by TAX treatment in vivo and in vitro. Our results highlight the ameliorating effects of TAX against cigarette smoke-induced inflammation and apoptosis in the pathogenesis of COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have revealed that immunotoxicity can be an effective window to evaluate the public health risk of environmental pollutants. Due to the fewer ethical concerns, easy culture methods, short growth cycles and lower labor and financial costs, in vitro assays are expected to emerge as popular immunotoxicity detection approaches. In this review, we provide a useful summary of cell-based immunoassays for detecting the immunotoxicity of environmental pollutants, presenting scientific challenges and potential research directions, which can also be referenced for screening drugs or additives in food/cosmetics. Current efforts to develop in vitro immunotoxicity measurements are focused on exploiting more effective endpoints, better simulating the in vivo environment and improving test throughput. Furthermore, more studies are needed to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms involved in immunotoxicity. • A review of in vitro measurements for assessing the immunotoxicity of pollutants. • Up-to-date information on common in vitro immunotoxicity assays is reviewed. • Emerging multiomics and in silico technologies are discussed. • Challenges and perspectives on in vitro detection of immunotoxicity are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, three pretreatment methods enzymatic hydrolysis, microwave treatment, and soaking with soluble soybean polysaccharides (SSPS) were employed to improve the cooking and eating quality of black rice. Meanwhile, the effects of three pretreatments on polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of black rice were evaluated. The results indicated that three pretreatments improved the textural properties, cooking quality and sensory scores of black rice, especially the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment showed excellent effects in improving the textural properties and cooking quality of black rice: the hardness/adhesion ratio decreased from 107.72 (control group) to 26.03; the soaking water absorption (SWA) rate increased from 7.76% (control group) to 20.63% at 20 min and increased from 25.85% (control group) to 35.60% at 120 min, respectively; the optimal cooking time (OCT) decreased from 30.3 min (control group) to 23 min; the cooking water absorption (CWA) rate increased from 227% (control group) to 284%, The above parameters were significantly different from the control group (p < 0.05). Simultaneously, most of the antioxidant activity of black rice was retained. In addition, there was an obvious change in the surface microstructure observed by scanning electron microscopy. [Display omitted] • Three pretreatment methods improved the textural properties and sensory scores of black rice. • Complex plant hydrolase showed the best effects in improving black rice's quality. • The antioxidant activity of pretreated black rice was still largely retained. • The cooking conditions of black rice were optimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Osteosarcoma (OS) is a primary malignant tumor of bone. Macropinocytosis, a form of non-selective nutrient endocytosis, has received increasing attention as a novel target for cancer therapy, yet its role in OS cells remains obscure. Benzethonium chloride (BZN) is an FDA-approved antiseptic and bactericide with broad-spectrum anticancer effects. Here, we described that BZN suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OS cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, BZN repressed the ERK1/2 signaling pathway, and the ERK1/2 activator partially neutralized the inhibitory effect of BZN on OS cells. Subsequently, we demonstrated that OS cells might employ macropinocytosis as a compensatory survival mechanism in response to BZN. Remarkably, macropinocytosis inhibitors enhanced the anti-OS effect of BZN in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, our results suggest that BZN may inhibit OS cells by repressing the ERK1/2 signaling pathway and propose a potential strategy to enhance the BZN-induced inhibitory effect by suppressing macropinocytosis. Osteosarcoma (OS) is a primary malignant tumor of bone. Chemotherapy is one of the crucial approaches to prevent its metastasis and improve prognosis. Despite continuous improvements in the clinical treatment of OS, tumor resistance and metastasis remain dominant clinical challenges. Macropinocytosis, a form of non-selective nutrient endocytosis, has received increasing attention as a novel target for cancer therapy, yet its role in OS cells remains obscure. Benzethonium chloride (BZN) is an FDA-approved antiseptic and bactericide with broad-spectrum anticancer effects. Here, we described that BZN suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OS cells in vitro and in vivo, but simultaneously promoted the massive accumulation of cytoplasmic vacuoles as well. Mechanistically, BZN repressed the ERK1/2 signaling pathway, and the ERK1/2 activator partially neutralized the inhibitory effect of BZN on OS cells. Subsequently, we demonstrated that vacuoles originated from macropinocytosis and indicated that OS cells might employ macropinocytosis as a compensatory survival mechanism in response to BZN. Remarkably, macropinocytosis inhibitors enhanced the anti-OS effect of BZN in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, our results suggest that BZN may inhibit OS cells by repressing the ERK1/2 signaling pathway and propose a potential strategy to enhance the BZN-induced inhibitory effect by suppressing macropinocytosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this retrospective analysis was to explore whether an elevated ALT level before pregnancy is associated with a reduction in live birth rate after IVF-FET. Retrospective observational study. Shiyan People's Hospital, China between January 2019 and December 2019. Women aged ≤ 40 years. Freeze-thawed embryo transfer (FET) The live birth rate, which was defined as the delivery of a live baby after 24 weeks of gestation. The analysis included 365 FET cycles. There was a significant difference between groups in the live birth rate (p <.05), which was highest for the low ALT tertile and lowest for the high ALT tertile. Multiple regression analysis with adjustment for multiple potential confounders revealed that the odds of live birth were decreased for each one standard deviation increase in ALT (OR = 0.56, 95%CI = 0.42–0.75, p <.0001) and lower for the high ALT tertile than for the low ALT tertile (OR = 0.38, 95%CI = 0.19–0.75, p =.0055). Smooth curve fitting showed an inverse relationship between ALT and live birth rate. Our findings indicate that relatively small elevations in baseline serum ALT level can have a clinically relevant impact on the success of FET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]