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This study investigated the interaction mechanisms between rice starch (RS) and two different Flammulina velutipes polysaccharides (FPs) obtained through water-extracted (WEFP) and alkali-extracted (AEFP) methods regarding the pasting, gelatinization, retrogradation, and in vitro digestive properties. The WEFP, with a majority of α-glucan and lower MW, and the AEFP, a high MW trihelix β-glucan, distinctly affected the physicochemical and digestive properties of RS in a dose-dependent manner. Both FPs reduced the leached amylose content, retrogradation, and digestibility of RS, and increased the shear stress, storage modulus, and loss modulus of RS. The swelling power and pasting viscosities of RS were inhibited by WEFP and enhanced with AEFP. Compared with the control RS gel, WEFP increased the gelatinization temperatures while AEFP accelerated the gelatinization of RS. Fourier-transform infrared analysis revealed WEFP enhanced the hydrogen bonding with starch and water molecules which increased the short-range ordered structures, and a more compact, wrinkle, and ordered network structures could be visualized in RS-WEFP gel, which attributed to the decreased glycemic responses of RS-WEFP gels. However, reduced hydrogen bonds were observed in RS-AEFP systems, and entanglement effect of viscous AEFP on starch granules resulted a thicker and more disordered RS-AEFP gel structure, which was the main factor restricted the digestion rates of RS. This study provides a theoretical insight about the application of FPs on RS-based hypoglycemic foods. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The effect of probiotics on gut microbes, metabolites and phages in patients with respiratory tract infection were studied. • Bifidobacterium animalis , Corynebacterium pyruviciproducens , Clostridium sp. CAG:58 were increased significantly, while the Escherichia coli decreased significantly after probiotic intervention. • Changes in gut microbiota and metabolites were associated with immune factors and improved symptoms. Respiratory tract infections constitute a significant global public health concern, accounting for around 20 % of child fatalities worldwide. Modulating the gut microbiota have the potential to serve as a promising strategy for both the prevention and treatment of respiratory infections. According to our prior research, the consumption of Bifidobacterium lactis Probio-M8 can notably enhance symptoms associated with respiratory tract infections in infants and young children. The current study is a follow-up work aimed at exploring the functional role of the gut microbes in the observed beneficial effects. We analyzed the fecal metagenomes of patients in both the probiotic group (n = 50) and the placebo group (n = 49). The results showed that Probio-M8 intervention may regulate the host inflammatory response by regulating the balance of intestinal microorganisms, bioactive metabolites and related pathways. Provides new insights into the study of probiotics in alleviating diseases related to the gut-lung axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of metal oxides functionalized clay ceramsite as a soil amendment for immobilizing trace metals in the soil gives some novel insights and has gained extensive attention. The clay ceramsite functionalized with Fe/Mn oxides was controllably synthesized, including clay ceramsite (NCs), iron oxide ceramsite (FeO x -NCs), manganese oxide ceramsite (MnO x -NCs), and iron-manganese oxide ceramsite (FeO x /MnO x -NCs). The underlying mechanisms of these materials on Cd migration and transformation in soil, and bioaccumulation in rice plants were studied. The results revealed that compared to the control (without adding any materials), all the amendments increased soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). DTPA-Cd contents decreased by 7.15%, 4.14%, 34.21%, and 30.45% in the treatments of NCs, FeO x -NCs, MnO x -NCs, and FeO x /MnO x -NCs after 48 days, respectively. Exchangeable Cd fraction was mainly transformed into carbonate-bound and Fe/Mn-bound fractions. The concentrations of DCB-Fe, DCB-Mn, and DCB-Cd on the root surface of rice increased by 2.9%− 79.6%, 5.1%− 116.9%, and 56.7%− 84.4%, respectively. Obviously, the contents of root-Cd, stem-Cd, and leaf-Cd decreased by 26.37%− 49.22%, 45.39%− 85.73%, and 43.41%− 73.26%, respectively. Principal components analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis explained the migration pathways of Cd in the soil-rice-material system, which helped us to further explore the remediation mechanism of soil. All the amendments improved soil physicochemical properties, and decreased the Cd accumulation in rice plants. Meanwhile, the materials structural characterization pointed out that the chemical precipitation and surface complexation of oxygen-containing functional groups were main Cd immobilization mechanisms. Our results provided valuable references for Cd immobilization in the soil by using Fe/Mn oxides functionalized clay ceramsite. [Display omitted] • Fe/Mn oxides functionalized ceramsite was applied in Cd-contaminated soil. • Ceramsite has a positive effect on the remediation of Cd pollution soil. • A significant reduction of Cd accumulation in rice plants was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The convective heat transfer between wind and photovoltaic (PV) panels will cause fluctuations in the temperature and performance of PV cells, which have a great negative impact on the grid-connected solar energy. The development of large-scale PV power plants in desertification areas has certain advantages, but the output power fluctuations caused by windy-dusty environment will be more common and important. This paper established a new model of convective heat transfer coefficient with and without dust deposition. Results show that the convective heat transfer coefficient of PV panel is not only affected by wind speed and dust density, but also related to the tilt angle of panel. As the dust accumulation density increases, the convective heat transfer coefficient of the dusty PV panel firstly increasing and then decreasing, and the maximum value appears when the dust deposition density is 20 g/m2. In addition, the average heat transfer coefficient of dusty PV module is slightly higher than that of clean PV panels by 4.13%, which can be revealed by the thermal diffusivity. This work confirms the influence of dust on the convective heat transfer characteristics, and provides an important basis for establishing a more practical PV panel temperature prediction model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stroke is considered a leading cause of mortality and neurological disability, which puts a huge burden on individuals and the community. To date, effective therapy for stroke has been limited by its complex pathological mechanisms. Autophagy refers to an intracellular degrading process with the involvement of lysosomes. Autophagy plays a critical role in maintaining the homeostasis and survival of cells by eliminating damaged or non-essential cellular constituents. Increasing evidence support that autophagy protects neuronal cells from ischemic injury. However, under certain circumstances, autophagy activation induces cell death and aggravates ischemic brain injury. Diverse naturally derived compounds have been found to modulate autophagy and exert neuroprotection against stroke. In the present work, we have reviewed recent advances in naturally derived compounds that regulate autophagy and discussed their potential application in stroke treatment. This review summarizes the current knowledge on natural compounds, focusing on the potential implication of stroke, acting as modulators of autophagy. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the problem of enhancing convection-cooling via active control of the incompressible velocity field, described by a stationary diffusion–convection model. This essentially leads to a bilinear optimal control problem. A rigorous proof of the existence of an optimal control is presented and the first order optimality conditions are derived for solving the control using a variational inequality. Moreover, the second order sufficient conditions are established to characterize the local minimizer. Finally, numerical experiments are conducted utilizing finite elements methods together with nonlinear iterative schemes, to demonstrate and validate the effectiveness of our control design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of pectin extracted from mandarin citrus peels by manosonication extraction (MSp) were systematically studied and compared with pectin obtained by the conventional maceration method (CMp). The yield of MSp (25.5%) was significantly higher than that of CMp (18.3%), while MSp exhibited two Mw fraction distributions. Monosaccharide analysis demonstrated that MSp had more branched RG-I regions (78.3 mol%) than CMp (36.6 mol%) with a high content of arabinose and galactose. The branched-chain morphological characteristics of samples were directly imaged by atomic force microscopy. MSp exhibited a significantly lower degree of methoxylation than CMp by FT-IR and NMR analysis, but X-ray diffraction analysis showed little difference in the level of crystallinity. Moreover, MSp and CMp showed non-Newtonian behaviour, and the increasing order of apparent viscosities was 1.0 w/v% MSp < 1.0 w/v% CMp < 2.0 w/v% CMp < 2.0 w/v% MSp. Thermal analysis and weight loss measurements indicated MSp exhibited greater thermal stability. The results also indicated that both MSp and CMp significantly enhanced the emulsion activity at high concentrations; the emulsions containing 1.5 w/v% pectin showed no phase separation over 21 days, suggesting that MSp could be a potential effective stabiliser in the food and beverage industry. [Display omitted] • The various molecular structures of pectin result in different properties. • MSp possessed more branched RG-I regions with high content of Ara and Gal. • Atomic force microscopy revealed the branched-chain morphology of pectin samples. • MSp showed significantly lower degree of methoxylation via FT-IR and NMR analysis. • MSp revealed better thermal stability and higher viscosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • BDNF promoted the release of Ach from cholinergic-like neurons. • BDNF modified hUC-MSCs-derived cholinergic-like neurons improved spatial learning and memory abilities in AD rats. Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disease and the most common type of dementia. Although it is still incurable, stem cell replacement therapy provides new hope for AD. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) have multiple differentiation potentials, which can differentiate into cholinergic-like neurons and promote the release of acetylcholine. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) can also promote neurogenesis and synaptic formation, reduce oxidative stress and cell death. Therefore, we investigated the therapeutic effects of BDNF modified hUC-MSCs-derived cholinergic-like neurons in AD rats in this study. To make AD models, 1 μl beta amyloid (Aβ) 1-42 was injected into the right hippocampus of the rats. After two weeks, the hUC-MSCs-derived cholinergic-like neurons null cells or overexpressing BDNF cells delivered by lentiviral vectors were slowly injected into the right hippocampus of the AD rats. After 8 weeks of transplantation, Morris water maze test, Western blotting, Immunohistochemistry, Immunofluorescence assay and TdT mediated dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) detection were performed. Transplantation of BDNF modified hUC-MSCs-derived cholinergic-like neurons significantly improved spatial learning and memory abilities in the AD rats, increased the release of acetylcholine and ChAT expression in the hippocampus, enhanced the activation of astrocytes and microglia, reduced the expression of Aβ and recombinant human beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme1 (BACE1), inhibited neuronal apoptosis, and promoted neurogenesis. Our results demonstrate that BDNF modified hUC-MSCs-derived cholinergic-like neurons might be a promising therapeutic strategy for AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a member of the endocrine FGF subfamily and an important metabolic regulator that has multiple beneficial effects on glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism. However, it was unclear whether FGF21 would induce bone defects in humans. This study evaluated the associations of FGF21 levels, bone mineral density (BMD), osteoporotic fracture, and bone turnover marks (BTMs) in postmenopausal women. A total of 1342 postmenopausal Chinese Han women (511 cases of fragility fracture in the case group and 831 cases in nonfragility fracture group) were enrolled. Serum FGF21 concentration was measured by ELISA (Quantikine), serum calcium (Ca), phosphate (P), alkaline phosphatase, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, β-crosslinked C-telopeptide of type l collagen, were measured using an automated Roche electro-chemiluminescence system. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The association with age, BMD, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, β-crosslinked C-telopeptide of type l collagen, and FGF21 levels were also evaluated in postmenopausal women. In nonfracture group and fragility fracture group, postmenopausal women's FGF21 level was 226.57pg/mL (149.11–354.43 pg/mL) and 219.43pg/mL (147.21–323.74 pg/mL), respectively. There is no significant difference in serum FGF21 levels between the fragility fracture group and the nonfracture group (p = 0.160). There was a significant statistical difference in BMD between the fragility fracture group and the nonfracture group (p = 0.000). In multiple linear regression analysis, FGF21 levels were significantly positive associated with lumbar BMD in postmenopausal women (L1-4, p = 0.007), independent of other factors, especially in fragility fracture group (L1-4, p = 0.001). In addition, a significant positive association was also observed between serum FGF21 levels and age in postmenopausal women (p < 0.05). We reveal a positive correlation between serum FGF21 concentrations with lumbar BMD in Chinese Han postmenopausal women. No significant correlations are present between serum FGF21 and bone turnover marks or serum FGF21 and fragility fracture in our study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A intracavity cascading pumped dual-wavelength output Nd:YAG/Yb:YAG laser is demonstrated for the first time. The system adopts a coaxial composite cavity structure, and using an all-solid-state Nd:YAG laser operating at 946 nm as intracavity pump source, a 1160 mW 946 nm laser and a 43 mW 1030 nm laser were obtained with 1.39 W absorbed pump power. The fluctuation of the output power was better than 5% in the given 30 min. The corresponding beam quality factors M2 are 1.25 and 1.27. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overly strong fear memories can cause pathological conditions. Histamine H 3 receptor (H 3 R) has been viewed as an optimal drug target for CNS disorders, but its role in fear memory remains elusive. We find that a selective deficit of H 3 R in cholinergic neurons, but not in glutamatergic neurons, enhances freezing level during contextual fear memory retrieval without affecting cued memory. Consistently, genetically knocking down H 3 R or chemogenetically activating cholinergic neurons in the ventral basal forebrain (vBF) mimics this enhanced fear memory, whereas the freezing augmentation is rescued by re-expressing H 3 R or chemogenetic inhibition of vBF cholinergic neurons. Spatiotemporal regulation of H 3 R by a light-sensitive rhodopsin-H 3 R fusion protein suggests that postsynaptic H 3 Rs in vBF cholinergic neurons, but not presynaptic H 3 Rs of cholinergic projections in the dorsal hippocampus, are responsible for modulating contextual fear memory. Therefore, precise modulation of H 3 R in a cell-type- and subcellular-location-specific manner should be explored for pathological fear memory. [Display omitted] • Deficit of H 3 R in cholinergic neurons selectively enhances contextual fear memory • vBF is critical for H 3 R in cholinergic neurons to modulate contextual fear memory • Postsynaptic H 3 R of vBF cholinergic neurons modulates contextual fear memory • Presynaptic H 3 R of cholinergic efferent in the dHP is dispensable for fear memory H 3 R in cholinergic neurons modulates contextual fear memory in a cell-type- and subcellular-location-specific manner. Postsynaptic H 3 R of vBF cholinergic neurons selectively modulates contextual fear memory, but not cued fear memory and other kinds of memory, whereas presynaptic H 3 R of cholinergic efferent in the dHP is dispensable for fear memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]