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Purpose: To assess the cross-sectional association between dietary indexes (DI) that underlie, respectively, the Nutri-score (NS), the proposed Canadian 'High In' Symbol (CHIL) and the Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines (DCCP) with food consumption, nutrient intakes and metabolic markers. Methods: 1836 adults (18–74 years) participating in the representative ESTEBAN study, conducted in mainland France in 2014–2016, were included in the analysis. Food consumption was assessed with three repeated 24 h dietary recalls. Anthropometric measurements and biomarkers of metabolic risk (cholesterol—total, LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein), HDL (High Density Lipoprotein)—triglycerides, glucose) were obtained through a clinical examination and fasting blood draw. The DI were assessed for their association with food consumption, dietary intakes and metabolic biomarkers as quintiles and continuous variables using multi-adjusted linear regression. Heathier diets were assigned to lower scores. Results: Correlations between scores ranged from + 0.62 between CHIL-DI and NS-DI to + 0.75 between NS-DI and DCCP-DI. All DIs discriminated individuals according to the nutritional quality of their diets through food consumption and nutrient intakes (healthier diets were associated with lower intakes of energy, added sugars and saturated fat; and with higher intakes of fiber, vitamins and minerals). NS-DI was associated with blood glucose (adjusted mean in Q1 = 5 vs. Q5 = 5.46 mmol/dl, ptrend = 0.001) and DCCP-DI was associated with BMI (Q1 = 24.8 kg/m2 vs. Q5 = 25.8 kg/m2, ptrend = 0.025), while CHIL showed no significant association with any anthropometric measures or biomarkers. Conclusions: This study provides elements supporting the validity of the nutrient profiling systems underlying front-of-package nutrition labellings (FOPLs) to characterize the healthiness of diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antibacterial characteristics of graphene oxide (GO-SB) nano-sheets generated by charring sugarcane bagasse (SB) are described in this study. The antibacterial capability of GO-SB was improved when it was grafted with ethyl cellulose (EC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to form GO-SB/EC/PVA hydrogels. Characterization of GO-SB nanosheets and GO-SB/EC/PVA hydrogels was accomplished by using FTIR, SEM, XRD, and thermal studies. The antimicrobial activity was carried out against Gram positive bacteria [Micrococcus leutus & Staphylococcus aureus], Gram negative bacteria [Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa] and pathogenic fungal yeast [Candida albicans] applying the disc diffusion method. The disc diffusion method results showed that the improved GO-SB/EC/PVA exhibited a reasonable level of antimicrobial capability against Micrococcus leutus, demonstrating that the antimicrobial improvement of GO-SB was more effective in the GO-SB/EC/PVA hydrogels by increasing the inhibition zone of Gram-positive bacteria, Micrococcus leutus from (13.0 to 16.0 mm)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

A novel adsorbent was prepared using a backbone comprising chemically hybridized dialdehyde cellulose (DAC) with chitosan via Schiff base reaction, followed by graft copolymerization of acrylic acid. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the hybridization while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed intensive covering of chitosan onto the surface of DAC. At the same time, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) proved the emergence of nitrogen derived from chitosan. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the crystallinity of the backbone and graft copolymer structures was neither affected post the hybridization nor the grafting polymerization. The adsorbent showed high swelling capacity (872%) and highly efficient removal and selectivity of Ni 2+ in the presence of other disturbing ions such as Pb 2+ or Cu 2+ . The kinetic study found that the second-order kinetic model could better describe the adsorption process of (Cu 2+ , Ni 2+ ) on the graft copolymer. In contrast, the first-order kinetic model prevails for the binary mixture (Pb 2+ , Ni 2+ ). Moreover, the correlation coefficient values for the adsorption process of these binary elements using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms confirmed that the developed grafted DAC/chitosan exhibits a good fit with both isotherm models, which indicates its broadened and complicated structure. Furthermore, the grafted DAC/chitosan exhibited high efficient regeneration and high adsorption capacity for Pb 2+ , Cu 2+ and Ni 2+ ., (© 2023. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

This study aimed to prepare antifouling and highly mechanical strengthening membranes for brackish and underground water desalination. It was designed from cellulose acetate (CA) loaded anatase. Anatase was prepared from tetra-iso-propylorthotitanate and carboxymethyl cellulose. Different concentrations of anatase (0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, and 0.8)% were loaded onto CA during the inversion phase preparation of the membranes. The prepared membranes were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM & EDX), mechanical properties, swelling ratio, porosity determination, and ion release. The analysis confirmed the formation of anatase on the surface and inside the macro-voids of the membrane. Furthermore, anatase loading improved the CA membrane's mechanical properties and decreased its swelling and porosity rate. Also, CA-loaded anatase membranes displayed a significant antibacterial potential against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results showed that the salt rejection of the CA/anatase films as-prepared varies considerably with the addition of nanomaterial, rising from 46%:92% with the prepared membranes under the 10-bar operation condition and 5 g/L NaCl input concentration. It can be concluded that the prepared CA-loaded anatase membranes have high mechanical properties that are safe, economical, available, and can stop membrane biofouling., (© 2023. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Synthesis of new compounds that have biological activity is an indispensible issue in order to deal with the drug resistant bacteria. This wok reports preparation of a novel composite based on substituted pyrido[2,1-b][1,3,4] oxadiazine-dialdehyde chitosan (PODACs) conjugate. Firstly, a novel approach of synthesizing of a new substituted pyrido[2,1-b][1,3,4]oxadiazine-7-carboxylic acid (PO) is reported through reacting(Z)-N'-(1-(3-aminophenyl)ethylidene)-2-cyanoacetohydrazide with (Z)-ethyl 2-cyano-3-(pyridin-3-yl)acrylate. Then Dialdehyde chitosan (DACs) has prepared via periodat oxidation of chitosan (Cs). The synthesized compounds have studied via various spectroscopic instruments to validate their chemical structure such as nuclear magnetic resonance 1 H NMR, 13  C NMR, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The substituted pyrido [2,1-b][1,3,4]oxadiazine and the composite were evaluated for antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria and unicellular fungi. The results revealed that, the composite exhibited promising antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, B. subtilis and C. albicans where inhibition zones were 19, 18, 36 and 20 mm respectively. Furthermore, the substituted pyrido [2,1-b][1,3,4]oxadiazine and the composite were evaluated for cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line as well as vero normal cell line. Results illustrated the prepared composite has anticancer activity against MCF7 where IC 50 was 238 µg/ml., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Microlens arrays (MLAs) based on the selective wetting have opened new avenues for developing compact and miniaturized imaging and display techniques with ultrahigh resolution beyond the traditional bulky and volumetric optics. However, the selective wetting lenses explored so far have been constrained by the lack of precisely defined pattern for highly controllable wettability contrast, thus limiting the available droplet curvature and numerical aperture, which is a major challenge towards the practical high-performance MLAs. Here we report a mold-free and self-assembly approach of mass-production of scalable MLAs, which can also have ultrasmooth surface, ultrahigh resolution, and the large tuning range of the curvatures. The selective surface modification based on tunable oxygen plasma can facilitate the precise pattern with adjusted chemical contrast, thus creating large-scale microdroplets array with controlled curvature. The numerical aperture of the MLAs can be up to 0.26 and precisely tuned by adjusting the modification intensity or the droplet dose. The fabricated MLAs have high-quality surface with subnanometer roughness and allow for record-high resolution imaging up to equivalently 10,328 ppi, as we demonstrated. This study shows a cost-effective roadmap for mass-production of high-performance MLAs, which may find applications in the rapid proliferating integral imaging industry and high-resolution display., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

A novel adsorbent from cationic chitosan derivative and anionic silica precursor was fabricated to remove methylene blue (MB). The hybrid material was prepared from N-guanidinium chitosan acetate (GChi) and carboxyethylsilanetriol sodium salt by a simple ionic interaction followed by sol-gel approach. Multiple characterization methods were used to analyze the morphology and the structure of the well-prepared functionalized material. Batch experiments were conducted to optimize the various operational parameters. The Langmuir isotherm was used to fit the data, and it predicted monolayer adsorption with a maximum capacity of 334 mg g -1 . A pseudo-second-order equation fit the adsorption process well. Chitosan/silica hybrids containing carboxylic groups are efficient and cost-effective adsorbents for cationic dyes adsorption from aqueous solutions., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

In this study, we have used hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) to prepare antimicrobial films for multipurpose applications. Using HEC gives mangiferin powder (M) mechanical properties, while mangiferin powder gives HEC antimicrobial activities. Various concentrations of M (2.5, 5 and 10% wt/vol) were added to HEC to enhance the antimicrobial ability of HEC/M films. The results showed that 10% (wt/vol) was the optimum concentration to accomplish the antimicrobial activity. Various analyses were performed to study the prepared films' physical, chemical, mechanical, and antimicrobial properties., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The product packaging plays a crucial role in attracting consumers, persuading them to buy the product, and serving as a vehicle for brand communication. Around 73% of purchasing decisions are made at the point of sale. An enhanced appeal and attractiveness of the product make the selection process easier for consumers. Design and marketing are two major areas that are inextricably linked to each other. Good design distinguishes brands and makes products stand out from the crowd, instilling a certain perception in consumers' minds. Brands that meet the criteria for creating a lasting impression may dominate the market on a global scale in reality. The consumer must perceive the quality that the brand has built into the package, which may be accomplished through various design elements. Colour, shape, images, material, and package convenience are all important design elements in cosmetic branding. These elements are combined well together in a design, but there is a lack of a holistic approach in the design elements that are in line with the consumers' perspective. These aspects are highlighted in the review paper, which also looks at the importance of product packaging in cosmetics branding, and tries to highlight a few ways in which brands can minimize the gap between desired brand message and consumer perception about the brand., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe author has no conflict of interests to declare., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.)

The emergence of cylindrical vector beam (CVB) multiplexing has opened new avenues for high-capacity optical communication. Although several configurations have been developed to couple/separate CVBs, the CVB multiplexer/demultiplexer remains elusive due to lack of effective off-axis polarization control technologies. Here we report a straightforward approach to realize off-axis polarization control for CVB multiplexing/demultiplexing based on a metal-dielectric-metal metasurface. We show that the left- and right-handed circularly polarized (LHCP/RHCP) components of CVBs are independently modulated via spin-to-orbit interactions by the properly designed metasurface, and then simultaneously multiplexed and demultiplexed due to the reversibility of light path and the conservation of vector mode. We also show that the proposed multiplexers/demultiplexers are broadband (from 1310 to 1625 nm) and compatible with wavelength-division-multiplexing. As a proof of concept, we successfully demonstrate a four-channel CVB multiplexing communication, combining wavelength-division-multiplexing and polarization-division-multiplexing with a transmission rate of 1.56 Tbit/s and a bit-error-rate of 10 -6 at the receive power of -21.6 dBm. This study paves the way for CVB multiplexing/demultiplexing and may benefit high-capacity CVB communication., (© 2021. The Author(s).)