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This work elucidated the roles of ultrasonication (GLP-U), phosphorylation (GLP-S) and their combination (GLP-US) on the emulsifying properties of goose liver protein (GLP-N) from an interfacial perspective. Results of interfacial pressure (11.98 ± 0.24 mN/m) and elastic modulus (10.63 ± 0.12 mN/m) showed that combined ultrasonication and phosphorylation rendered the highest interfacial interaction of GLP-N by facilitating its structural flexibility. Microrheology and multiple light scattering indicated that the enhanced electrostatic repulsion among GLP-US favored the interdroplet dissociation. Consequently, both the droplet size and flocculation index of emulsions were markedly decreased using either low (19.53 μm ± 1.06 and 8.18%) or high particle concentration (7.75 ± 0.24 μm and 6.85%) of GLP-US when compared with the sole treated groups and the control. Overall, phosphorylation fortified the intradroplet protein-protein interaction but restrained the interdroplet interaction of GLP-N, and the assistance of ultrasonication endowed the protein with enhanced interfacial stabilization and emulsifying efficiency. • Phosphorylated GLP gives larger steric and electrostatic stabilization of emulsions. • Balanced interfacial attraction and repulsion are rendered via phosphorylation. • Ultrasound favors phosphorylation on protein interfacial adsorption and association. • Ultrasound assisted phosphorylation on GLP yields highest emulsion stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple self-assembly method was applied for the successful synthesis of reduced graphene oxide-encapsulated alumina (Al 2 O 3 @RGO) nanohybrids with core-shell structures which were then added as nanofiller into a matrix of Al 2 O 3 –TiC to fabricate corresponding ceramic composites. Microstructural analysis revealed that RGO sheets were homogeneously dispersed in the matrix and bonded to grains to form a 3D RGO network. The formed unique structure forced RGO sheets to closely bond and strongly attach to matrix grains, effectively increasing load transfer efficiency and contact surface area between matrix and RGO sheets. Analysis of interface characteristics revealed that the interfacial phase Al 2 OC was generated by a localized carbothermic reduction process. Based on first-principles calculations, Al 2 OC interfacial phase was found to contribute to the generation of weak and strong hybrid interfaces in composites. The weak and strong hybrid interfaces could not only effectively promote the transfer of loads from the matrix to RGO sheets but also induce conventional toughening mechanisms. In summary, addition of Al 2 O 3 @RGO nanohybrids effectively improved the dispersion level of RGO in ceramic as well as interfacial bonding strength between these sheets and matrix, thereby improving overall mechanical characteristics of Al 2 O 3 –TiC ceramic composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a commonly used phase change material for thermal energy storage. It can store amounts of heat in the process of phase transition, whereas the solid-to-liquid transition requires it to be form-stabilized before application. In this study, a phase change composite with form-stability and processibility is prepared by simply blending PLA with PEG at 180 °C, reaching a maximum PEG loading of 90 wt%. The preparation is easy, cheap, environmental-benign, and scalable. Besides, the obtained PLA/PEG (PLEG) composites are feasible for regulating the thermal behaviors of batteries operated at high rates, providing a low-cost and simple approach to improving the cyclability of fast-charging batteries. [Display omitted] • The method of preparing PLEG by blending and heating PLA and PEG is simple and low-cost. • The prepared PLEG possesses considerable latent heat storage capacity, formability, shape-stability, and reusability. • PLEG is appliable for the thermal management of lithium-ion batteries operating at high rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Identify pathways of urban expansion. • Suitability and Ecological Risk Analysis of Urban Expansion. • Mechanism of urban expansion in perspective of sustainability. The conflict between socio-economic development and ecological environmental protection presents a significant challenge to achieving regional and urban sustainable development. In Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, China, this conflict arises from the interplay between urban expansion and ecological environmental protection land, creating a fundamental tension between built-up and non-built-up ecosystems. This study focuses on investigating the spatial characteristics of expansion, constructing an ecological security pattern based on ecosystem service functions and sensitivity, and utilizing integrated models to simulate urban expansion paths and analyze their formation mechanisms. The results highlight that Zhaotong City has undergone rapid urban expansion, characterized by linear growth surrounding the central city, specifically in the east, north, and west directions. The expansion between urban areas exhibits a discontinuous dotted-star distribution, with concentrated urbanization and a distinct urban boundary observed in Zhaoyang District. In contrast, other areas experience scattered expansion, indicative of random land encroachment. Through simulation, three primary urban expansion axes are identified: the western town sprawl belt, central town development axis, and resource-rich town corridor. Ecological conflicts primarily arise in Zhaoyang District, Zhenxiong County, and Yanjin County. By combining these findings, the study analyzes the scenario pattern of urban expansion evolution in Zhaotong City, revealing a transition from the spreading spillover expansion of a single center (Zhaoyang and Ludian) during the circle expansion phase to a polycentric expansion and spreading spillover pattern centered around Zhaoyang District along three primary axial radial paths. In conclusion, this study contributes to our understanding of the challenges posed by the conflict between socio-economic development and ecological environmental protection in Zhaotong City. The findings underscore the importance of integrating ecological considerations into urban planning processes and highlight the need for sustainable development practices to achieve a harmonious coexistence between urban expansion and ecological security. The insights gained from this research offer guidance for fostering sustainable urban development in Zhaotong City and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermodynamic incompatibility between modified goose liver protein (MGLP) and four galactomannans (fenugreek gum (FG), locust bean gum (LBG), guar gum (GG) and tara gum (TG)) and its improvement on emulsion stability were elucidated. Phase diagram and Turbiscan stability index showed that there was monotonously increased phase separation between MGLP and galactomannans from FG, LBG, GG to TG due to their gradually strengthened volumetric exclusion effect. The incompatibility provided by GG conduced to most facilitated conformational flexibility (structural unfolding and exposure of hydrophobic group) of MGLP, which was responsible for its largest interfacial loading, interfacial pressure and dilatational elastic modulus. Despite providing larger thermodynamic incompatibility, the pronounced self-entanglement and network of TG chains restrained the protein unfolding at O/W interface and rendered relatively moderate interfacial adsorption and lateral association of MGLP. In emulsion systems, GG group exhibited lowest inter-droplet instability (i.e. , flocculation and coalescence) and D [4,3] with minimized creaming instability, attributing to the most facilitated interfacial properties. Meanwhile, due to the pronounced entropy penalty mechanism, TG group gave the comparably droplet character and emulsion stability similar to GG group. This research may provide potential implications for the deep utilization of MGLP and the fabrication of by product proteins based emulsions via the interfacial concentrating effect of galactomannans. [Display omitted] • MGLP exclusion heightens as galactomannans entangling grows from FG, LBG, GG to TG. • Thermodynamic incompatibility promotes the interfacial loading of MGLP. • TG causes high viscosity and moderates adsorptive kinetics of MGLP compared with GG. • GG conduces to most improved emulsion stability via interfacial concentrating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we employed facile self-assembly methods to synthesize reduced graphene oxide-encapsulated alumina (Al 2 O 3 /rGO) nanoparticles. The Al 2 O 3 /rGO nanoparticles were subsequently incorporated into an Al 2 O 3 matrix as filler to prepare nanocomposites. The microstructural analysis showed that relatively thin rGO sheets were homogeneously dispersed in the matrix and bonded with the Al 2 O 3 grains forming a three-dimensional rGO network structure. The specific structure caused the rGO sheets to be anchored and bound to the matrix grains, resulting in a high contact area between the rGO sheets and the matrix, whilst the fracture mode alteration, grain refinement and improved interfacial strength of the nanocomposites were related to the unique structure. The results indicated that the nanocomposites with 2.5 vol.% rGO exhibited outstanding mechanical properties, increasing both the flexural strength by 105%, with a maximum value of 636 MPa, and the fracture toughness by 90% (5.9 MPa m 1/2 ) when compared with monolithic Al 2 O 3 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interfacial complexation of modified goose liver protein (M-GLP) and hydrophobic polyphenols (curcumin, resveratrol, rutin and quercetin) and its role on gastrointestinal fate of polyphenols have been investigated. Results of fluorescence quenching suggested that the type and structural specificity of polyphenols (within oil phase) influenced their capacity to form interfacial complexation with M-GLP (within aqueous phase), which was hydrophobic interaction dominated. Raman spectroscopy and interfacial dilatational analysis revealed that the diketone structure and high hydrophobicity of curcumin caused the pronounced M-GLP-curcumin hydrophobic interaction and then enhanced the protein conformational flexibility. This conduced to the improved steric stability of the emulsion through strengthened interfacial loading and lateral association. Via the mechanism, there were improved physical stability and higher photo and storage stability of curcumin than resveratrol, rutin and quercetin. Moreover, emulsion droplets size distribution and in vitro digestion results revealed that, compared with other polyphenols, the stronger interfacial complexation between M-GLP and curcumin caused higher droplet stability during gastric environment and more sufficient intestinal lipolysis with O/W interface wreckage and related micelllization, finally yielding higher bioaccessibility for curcumin. This study may put further insight into the active role of hydrophobic compounds encapsulated on the emulsion system with delivery potency. [Display omitted] • O/W emulsion was stabilized by M-GLP-polyphenol interfacial complexation. • Polyphenols enhanced the conformational flexibility and interfacial load of M-GLP. • Structure of polyphenols influenced their hydrophobic interaction with M-GLP. • Protein-curcumin interfacial complexation conduced to highest physical stability. • Emulsion with curcumin showed most improved digestive performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food proteins are susceptible to environmental stresses, including pH variance, thermal condition, high osmotic pressure, and the presence of other intervenes (enzymes, for instance), which cause restrained processing, transportation and storage activities. Phosphorylation of proteins via the incorporation of phosphate groups (PO 4 3−) has been vastly applied in emulsifiers, gelling and foaming agents in functional food models or systems, which may be an alternative to improve the protein functions and increase their processing compatibilities. This review focuses on the phosphorylation preparations via conventional (dry heating and wet heating) and novel (ultrasound and microwave) techniques. The characterization approaches and phosphorylation site elucidation were discussed to clarify the structure function relationship of phosphorylated proteins. The functional properties of proteins after phosphorylation are also presented. Deep understanding of phosphorylation would assist in modifying proteins with certain processing characteristics and yielding protein products with high satisfactory. [Display omitted] • Phosphorylation is a promising approach for the modification of food proteins. • Site characterization of phosphorylation provides insight into structure-function. • Optimized reaction parameters fortify functions of phosphorylated proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ultrasound-assisted phosphorylation enhanced conjugation of phosphate group to GLP. • Phosphorylation changed conformation and increased solubility, zeta potential of GLP. • The enhanced phosphorylation degree was responsible for EAI and ESI improvement of GLP. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of ultrasound-assisted phosphorylation on the structural and emulsifying properties of goose liver protein (GLP), and GLP underwent different treatments (native (GLP-N), only ultrasound (UGLP), only phosphorylation (GLP-STP) and ultrasound-assisted phosphorylation (UGLP-STP)). UGLP-STP showed the highest phosphorylation degree of GLP among four groups; The FT-IR spectrum confirmed the phosphate group covalently attached to GLP in UGLP-STP. The highest hydrophobic capability and solubility were exhibited in UGLP-STP, resulting from the transformation of α-helix and β-turn into β-sheet and random coil. The treatment of UGLP-STP showed significantly higher values in emulsifying activity (32.24 ± 0.27 m2/g) and emulsifying stability (103.59 ± 2.40%) compared with other treatments. Confocal laser scanning microscopy suggested that UGLP-STP showed largest uniformity of particle distribution and smallest size than other groups. These results implied that ultrasonic-assisted phosphorylation showed a great improvement in emulsifying properties of goose liver protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ethnopharmacological relevance: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as the major histological subtype of primary liver cancer remains one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Due to the complicated molecular pathogenesis of HCC, the option for effective systemic treatment is quite limited. There exists a critical need to explore and evaluate possible alternative strategies for effective control of HCC. With a long history of clinical use, Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is emerging as a noticeable choice for its multi-level, multi-target and coordinated intervention effects against HCC. With the aids of phytochemistry and molecular biological approaches, in the past decades many CHM-derived compounds have been carefully studied through both preclinical and clinical researches and have shown great potential in novel anti-HCC natural product development. The present review aimed at providing the most recent developments on anti-HCC compounds derived from CHM, especially their underlying pharmacological mechanisms. Materials and methods: A systematic search of anti-HCC compounds from CHM was carried out focusing on literatures published both in English (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Medline) and in Chinese academic databases (Wanfang and CNKI database). Results: In this review, we tried to give a timely and comprehensive update about the anti-HCC effects and targets of several representative CHM-derived compounds, namely curcumin, resveratrol, silibinin, berberine, quercetin, tanshinone II-A and celastrol. Their mechanisms of anti-HCC behaviors, potential side effects or toxicity and future research directions were discussed. Conclusion: Herbal compounds derived from CHM are of much significance in devising new drugs and providing unique ideas for the war against HCC. We propose that these breakthrough findings may have important implications for targeted-HCC therapy and modernization of CHM. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ethnopharmacological relevance: Over the past decades, research of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) mainly focused on developing potential candidates from Chinese medicinal herbs, while the wisdom of applying these traditional herbs has not been paid as much attention as it deserves. As is well-known, multi-herb therapy is one of the most important characteristics of TCM, but the modernization drive of this conventional wisdom has faced many obstacles due to its unimaginable complexity. Herb pairs, the most fundamental and the simplest form of multi-herb formulae, are a centralized representative of Chinese herbal compatibility. In light of their simplicity and the basic characteristics of complex formulae, herb pairs are of great importance in the studies of herb compatibility. Materials and methods: A systematic search of herb pair related research was carried out using multiple online literature databases, books and monographs published in the past 20 years. Results: A comprehensive introduction to the compatibility of TCM, the position of herb pairs in TCM and the progresses of several famous herb pairs were provided in this review. Furthermore, the clinical study and the future research trends of herb pairs were also discussed. Conclusions: Herb pairs have played, and may continue to play a key role in full investigation of general herb compatibility for their indispensable position in TCM. Much more research is needed for the standardization, safety evaluation, and mechanism exploration of herb pairs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Pomegranate peel extract (PPE), a polyphenolic compound derived from pomegranate, has been widely concerned for its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and bacteriostatic effects. The potential therapeutic effect of PPE on burn injury was investigated, and its possible mechanisms were explored. Minipigs with second-degree burn were treated with PPE, Jing Wan Hong, and silver sulfadiazine. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was performed to detect burn severity, and then biological tissues were biopsied on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after administration. Immunohistochemistry, western blot, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to detect the protein and mRNA expression levels of VEGF-A and TGF-β1 in skin tissues after treatment with PPE. Furthermore, the skin wound healing at different time points was monitored by macroscopic observation. HE showed that after 28-day PPE treatment, the morphology of the skin tissue showed a significant improvement. Macroscopic data monitoring indicated that the decrustation and fur growing time was shortened. Meanwhile, the rate of wound healing increased after PPE treatment. The combination of immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and RT-PCR showed that after PPE treatment, expression of VEGF-A and TGF-β1 increased sharply on day 7, maintaining a high level until day 14, showing a downward trend on day 21, and approaching normal levels on day 28. However, in the model group, the protein and mRNA expression levels of VEGF-A and TGF-β1 increased on day 28 after burn injury, which was a slow process. Results indicated that compared with the model group, the peak expression level of VEGF-A and TGF-β1 was earlier, which was consistent with decrustation, shortening of fur growing time, and improvement of wound healing rate in minipig second-degree burn model. PPE showed a significant promoting effect on minipig second-degree burn model, which might be associated with the upregulation of the protein and gene expression levels of VEGF-A and TGF-β1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We constructed a novel risk score predicting prognosis in BC. • Our score used a ten-immune-gene signature and validated the prognostic risk model using two different cohorts. • This immunogenomic signature may serve as a reliable prognostic tool for BC patients. Bladder cancer (BC) is a common internal malignant tumor with a poor prognosis worldwide. There is an urgent need to better understand the pathogenesis and progression of BC and to find useful biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis. This study was aimed at developing a potential immunogenomic prognostic signature for BC patients. To identify possible immune-system-related genes (IRGs) whose parameters predict the survival of BC patients, we chose 371 BC patients and analyzed differentially expressed IRGs from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. We then derived a 10-IRG formula, including MMP9 , RBP7 , PDGFRA , AHNAK , OAS1 , OLR1 , RAC3 , SLIT2 , IGF1 , and AGTR1 , to estimate BC prognosis. To validate the mRNA levels of these IRGs, we performed quantitative PCR and found that the expression of these genes almost matched the corresponding mRNA expression levels in TCGA. Furthermore, we validated the prognostic value of the new risk model using two external datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus: GSE13507 (n = 165) and GSE32894 (n = 224). Our data pointed to a significant correlation between the risk model and patients' prognosis. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that products of the IRGs have possible effects on tumor immune processes such as an inflammatory response and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. Finally, assessment of the clinical value of the immune-system–based risk signature showed that several of these IRGs were differentially expressed between patients with different clinical characteristics: a high risk score positively correlated with female sex, advanced tumor stage, more advanced T stage, and lymph node metastasis. This immunogenomic signature may represents a reliable prognostic tool for BC and can help to design an individualized immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In realistic industrial scenarios, the leakage of aviation kerosene (RP-5) under forced airflow easily leads to fire spread, which seriously threatens the safety of human life and causes enormous economic losses. Therefore, it is necessary to study the characteristic parameters of flame spread over RP-5 aviation kerosene under forced airflow, such as flame tilt angle (θ), flame height (H), and flame spread rate (V). In this paper, the RP-5 flame spread experiments were carried out by varying the speed (u = 0–6 m/s) and direction (concurrent, opposed, and perpendicular airflows) of the forced airflow. The results show that the flame tilt angle increases as the airflow speed increases and finally tends to be stable, while the flame height decreases monotonically with airflow speed. The special behaviors of flame bifurcation and fire spread rate induced by the critical airflow speed are observed. The phenomenon of "flame bifurcation" will occur due to the influence of differential pressure resistance under high concurrent airflow conditions (u > 1 m/s). When the airflow is relatively small (u ≤ 1 m/s), the mean flame spread rate varies slightly with increasing airflow speed. With further increasing the airflow speed (u > 1 m/s), the mean flame spread rate increases with an increase in the concurrent airflow speed while decreasing as the opposed airflow speed increases. By contrast, the mean flame spread rate remains essentially unchanged under all perpendicular airflows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A modern cyberinfrastructure is normally viewed as a highly complicated system due to complex user interfaces, heterogeneous and distributed software implementation flavors, and different hardware platforms. To mitigate the difficulties of developing a cyberinfrastructure, this study proposes a new computing paradigm: Cyberinfrastructure as a Service (CaaS), i.e., providing a service to enable building a cyberinfrastructure on demand. The paradigm of CaaS has been developed a lightweight as a distributed middleware, namely Cyberaide Creative. The Cyberaide Creative service can on-demand create distributed virtual machines, install operating systems, deploy user-required software, and finally deliver a cyberinfrastructure to users. We demonstrate the its usage via a real application, the Emergency Services Directory (ESD) system, and test it with a High Performance Computing (HPC) benchmark. Experimental results justify the design of CaaS and the implementation of the Cyberaide Creative service. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• An RGB-NIR acquisition platform and a dataset generation method were proposed for fusion data collection and production. • A characteristic band selection method based on ANOVA and band ratio analysis was proposed to distinguish various types of waste. • An RGB-NIR fusion method was proposed for waste identification, which proved effective in the color and material identification of low-value recyclable waste. Low-value recyclable waste is one of the main components of solid waste, which is challenging to recycle because of its low density, small size, multiple categories, and large quantity. However, the primarily used spectral-based sorting is expensive, so incineration and landfill are still the main disposal methods in developing countries. In order to reduce the cost of sorting equipment, improve the accuracy and efficiency of identification, and facilitate the promotion of automatic sorting, this paper combines RGB and limited NIR data to realize cost-effective sorting. Firstly, an RGB-NIR instance segmentation dataset of white, color, and transparent PE, PP, and PET plastic flakes was produced, which are the main components of low-value recyclable waste. Then PCA and ANOVA were used to analyze the characteristics of the amplitude and band ratio of NIR data, where six characteristic bands were obtained. After that, the effect of the multi-channel NIR instance segmentation algorithm was tested based on 12 combinations of 6 bands, and the F1-score of the two better band combinations (1193, 1218, 1666 nm and 1134, 1193, 1218, 1349, 1398, 1666 nm) were 0.965 and 0.980, respectively. Finally, the selected 3-band NIR data and RGB data were mixed to create a fusion identification algorithm, which achieved the best material recognition accuracy (F1-score = 0.981) and color recognition accuracy (F1-score = 0.972). Moreover, the 9-categories comprehensive F1-score of the RGB-NIR fusion model is 0.961, which shows that it can recognize both material and color recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of the present study was to prepare and characterize emodin (EMO)-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (E-SLNs) and evaluate their antitumor activity in vitro. EMO and pharmaceutical lipid material were used to prepare E-SLNs by high pressure homogenization (HPH). Poloxamer 188 and Tween 80 were used as surfactants. The physicochemical properties of the E-SLNs were investigated by particle size analysis, zeta potential measurement, drug entrapment efficiency (EE), stability and in vitro drug release behavior. The E-SLNs showed stable particle size at 28.6±3.1nm, ideal drug EE and relative long-term physical stability after being stored for 4 months. The drug release of E-SLNs could last 72h and exhibited a sustained profile, which made it a promising vehicle for oral drug delivery. MTT assay showed that E-SLNs could significantly enhance the in vitro cytotoxicity against human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells compared to the EMO solution, while free EMO, blank SLNs (B-SLNs) and E-SLNs all showed no significant toxicity to human mammary epithelial line MCF-10A cells. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that E-SLNs also showed more significant cell cycle arrest effect in MCF-7 cells compared to bulk EMO solution. Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining further confirmed that E-SLNs induced higher apoptotic rates in MCF-7 cells, indicating that cell cycle arrest and apoptosis maybe the underlying mechanism of the enhanced cytotoxicity. Taken together, it seems that HPH was a simple, available and effective method for preparing high quality E-SLNs to enhance its aqueous solubility. Moreover, these results suggest that the delivery of EMO as lipid nanoparticles maybe a promising approach for cancer therapy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]