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Butyric acid (BA), a short-chain fatty acid, significantly impacts gut health but is rarely incorporated as a guest molecule in starch-based products. Owing to their hydrophobic helical cavities, V-type starches can form inclusion complexes (ICs) with BA via hydrophobic interactions. In the current work, V-type lotus seed starches (VLS) were used in complexation with BA, and the structure and in vitro digestion of V-type lotus seed starch-butyric acid complexes (VLS-BAcs) as influenced by preultrasonication were investigated. The results showed that at the suitable ultrasonic power (∼360 W), 28.4% of the additional BA was complexed with preformed VLS. The IC formation significantly increased the crystallinity of starches and retarded amylose retrogradation. Highly crystallized VLS-BAcs exhibited strong thermal stability and hydrophobicity and displayed bound water-dominated structures. Moreover, VLS-BAcs formed at 360 W had a 12.4% higher RS proportion than their untreated counterparts. These obtained findings would provide valuable knowledge on the properties of VLS-BAcs modulated by ultrasound pretreatment and reveal its potential as a novel prebiotic for increasing BA concentration in the gut. [Display omitted] • Preultrasonication at suitable powers greatly promoted complex formation. • The presence of V-type complexes hindered the recrystallization of amylose. • V-type complexes had high thermal stability and surface hydrophobicity. • Highly crystallized V-type complexes were indigestible and had a high RS content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By a cation-exchange method, potassium was extracted from muscovite using hydrochloric acid as a motivator and barium ion as a potassium-exchange agent. The influences of various extracting conditions, such as initial barium concentration, reaction temperature, and reaction time, on cationic exchange were investigated at a constant pH value. Mineral phases of the treated samples were also investigated by X-ray diffraction and a significant inflective change of the interlayer spacing was detected. In addition, the significant inflective changes of stretching bonds of hydroxyl and silicon–oxygen were also discovered by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. ‘Vacancy effect’ and ‘Radius effect’ were proposed as two representative extraction mechanisms to interpret the synchronous inflective changes of the interlayer spacing and the stretching bonds of hydroxyl and silicon–oxygen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical properties of Nomex honeycomb core are governed by not only its global dimensions, cell topology, material properties and proportion of the aramid paper and phenolic resin, but also possible manufacturing imperfections, such as the debonding between the two aramid paper sheets in the double cell wall. To account for the layered feature of the cell walls and the bonding conditions between aramid paper sheets, a three-dimensional unit cell model was proposed and developed in this study. The aramid paper sheets, the phenolic resin coating, the adhesive between the aramid paper sheets, and their bonding relationships were all explicitly modelled in accordance with their actual geometry and material parameters. The model was validated by comparing the predicted load-displacement curves and failure modes with the test results. The effects of representative bonding imperfections on both the collapse load and the related displacement of the honeycomb core under flatwise compression were evaluated. Through the analyses, it was found that the debonding imperfections have significant effects on the mechanical behaviour of the honeycomb core and that with the same debonding area the debonding at the outside edge of the adhesive printing line is the most critical. It was also found that debonding fracture may occur if adhesive is not strong enough or the debonding imperfection area is large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel amino-oligosaccharide, named SF638-1, was isolated from the culture filtrate of the Streptomyces strain PW638. Its chemical structure was determined by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The novel compound was a mixed inhibitor of human pancreatic α-amylase, with a K i value in the same order of magnitude as that of the α-amylase inhibitor, acarbose. SF638-1 inhibited starch hydrolysis and glucose transfer in vitro, and suppressed postprandial blood glucose elevation in vivo. These results suggest that SF638-1 may be a potent antidiabetic agent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The development of ferroelectric photocatalytic materials with polarization electric field is a key approach to realize the spatial separation and fast transfer of charge carriers in visible-light-driven H 2 evolution. Generally, replacing traditional 3D perovskite-type ferroelectric materials with 2D ferroelectric materials is disregarded as candidates for photocatalysis. Herein a 2D CuInP 2 S 6 (CIPS) with room-temperature ferroelectricity (a Curie temperature of around 47 °C) is developed as a new photocatalyst, and 2D/2D heterojunction of CuInP 2 S 6 nanosheet/g-C 3 N 4 ultrathin flake (CIPS/CN) is constructed to further accelerate charge transfer. Benefitting from the synergetic action of the inner polarization electric field of CIPS and 2D/2D heterojunction, CIPS/CN displays a substantially accelerated charge transfer and significantly enhanced photocatalytic H 2 evolution rate, which is up to 7.6 times by contrast with that of paraelectric-phase CIPS. This work would provide a new platform for the design of 2D ferroelectric photocatalytic system with highly-efficient charge transfer. Image 1 • A new 2D ferroelectric CuInP 2 S 6 photocatalyst is developed. • A novel 2D/2D heterojunction of CuInP 2 S 6 nanosheet/g-C 3 N 4 flake is constructed. • The polarization electric field realizes spatial separation and fast transfer of charges. • The 2D/2D heterojunction can further accelerate surface-charge transfer. • CIPS/CN exhibits a significantly enhanced photocatalytic H 2 evolution activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determines the role and mechanism of APS in cyclophosphamide-induced myelosuppression in mice and bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) cell model. Cy-induced myelosuppression mice and BMSCs cell model were established. Fifty C57BL/6 mice (weighing 20 ± 2 g) were randomly divided into five groups. Femur and tibia samples, bone marrow samples, and blood samples were collected 3 days after the last injection of Cy. Histopathology changes and cell apoptosis were detected. Cell viability, apoptosis, cycle distribution, reactive oxygen species activity, osteogenesis ability, and protein levels were detected. γ-H2AX and senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity expression was detected by immunofluorescence. Cy-induced senescence and Wnt/β-catenin related protein levels were detected using western blotting. The results showed that APS effectively induced Cy-induced histological injury and cell apoptosis rate. After treated with APS, ROS and ALP levels were significantly increased. In BMSCs, cell viability, apoptosis, and cell cycle distribution were also influenced by APS treatment. Compared with the control group, cell viability was significantly increased, the cell apoptosis rate was decreased while the number of cells remained in the G0-G1 phase was increased. Meanwhile, ROS levels were significantly increased in APS group. Cell senescence and Wnt/β-catenin related protein (γ-H2AX, SA-β-gal, p21, p16, p-β-catenin/ β-catenin, c-Myc, and AXIN2) levels were also altered both in vivo and in vitro. Interestingly, the effects of APS were reversed by BML-284. Our results indicate that APS protected Cy-induced myelosuppression through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and APS is a potential therapeutic drug for Cy-induced myelosuppression. • By treated with APS, cell senescence and Wnt/β-catenin related protein levels were also altered both in vivo and in vitro. • APS protected Cy-induced myelosuppression through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. • APS is a potential therapeutic drug for Cy-induced myelosuppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical and thermal switchable materials are of interest in temperature regulation, circuit protection, sensors and other field. In this paper, functionalized carbon black (CB)/octadecane composites were synthesized for room temperature electrical and thermal switch. With these composites, large contrast ratios of electrical conductivity (EC) and thermal conductivity (TC) are achieved around the phase transition temperature (28–29 °C). The corresponding contrast ratios of EC and TC reach 4.3 × 10 5 and 3.3 times, respectively. The composites show remarkable stability and durability during the cycling experiments. The mechanisms of good stability and high EC contrast ratio are discussed as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abundant in mammalian genomes and have been found to play important roles in many biological events. However, the mechanism by which lncRNAs regulate embryonic development remains to be fully elucidated. Here, we investigated the function of the lncRNA, TCONS_00135926 (referred to as lnc5926), through knockdown and overexpression experiments in goat early embryos. Lnc5926 expression at the eight-cell embryonic stage was significantly higher than that at other stages, which was consistent with the pattern of embryonic genome activation (EGA) gene expression. The blastocyst rate after lnc5926 knockdown in eight-cell embryos was significantly lower than that in the control group (0.2% vs. 17.1%, p < 0.05), whereas the cleavage rate was not affected (71.9% vs. 75.1%, p ˃ 0.05). After knockdown or overexpression of lnc5926 in embryos, we measured expression levels of the potential target genes, STAM , HACD1 , UBL5 , MIOX , ELF1, and the key EGA genes, ZSCAN4 and EIF1AX. Only ZSCAN4 and EIF1AX were significantly downregulated after lnc5926 knockdown, and this effect was reversed by lnc5926 overexpression. We conclude that lnc5926 plays an essential role in early embryonic development in goats by regulating expression of EGA-associated genes. • lnc5926 is highly expressed during EGA in goats. • Knockdown of lnc5926 reduces in the blastocyst rate of IVF embryos. • Lnc5926 regulates key EGA genes Zscan4 and EIF1AX expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study recruited a Chinese family with hereditary cancer-predisposing syndrome. To investigate the causative mutations, disease-associated exome sequencing was conducted using peripheral blood of three members with malignant disease. As a result, three variants (PLD2 c. C1951T, RAB3GAP1 c.A701G and POLB c.C1002A) came out to be the potential candidate pathogenic mutations, which were not reported before. Sanger sequencing was used to validate the candidate variant in seven healthy members of this family. The candidate variant POLB c.C1002A was proved to co-segregate with malignant diseases, which was selected through a series of filtering criteria. This study thus identified POLB c.C1002A as a potential causative variant for hereditary cancer-predisposing syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Untargeted metabolic analysis of Tieguanyin tea was developed. • Metabolites of teas with different seasons/years were analyzed by UPLC–Q-TOF/MS. • The differences of chemical components were revealed by heat map analysis. Abstract The taste and aroma quality of Tieguanyin tea fluctuate seasonally and yearly. However, the compounds responsible for the seasonal and year variations of metabolic pattern and its sensory quality are far from clear. 60 Tieguanyin tea samples harvested in different years and seasons were analyzed by ultraperformance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC–Q-TOF/MS) and chemometrics. Principal component analysis (PCA) explained 33.2% of the total variance, while orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminate analysis (OPLS-DA) can obtain potential metabolites with better discrimination, and with R2X and Q2 of cross-validation as 0.974 and 0.937, respectively. Subsequently, heat map analysis (HCA) visualized relationships between Tieguanyin teas with these significantly different potential metabolites by Mann-Whitney U test (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the best discriminate metabolites contributing to different sensory qualities were revealed by stepwise liner discrimination analysis (SLDA) with 100% accuracy rate. The present strategy also exhibited great potential for untargeted metabolomics of other foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Indian rhesus macaque is the established animal model for HIV infection and vaccine research. Growing evidence suggests that the more readily available Chinese rhesus macaque may be a more relevant option. As increasing numbers of novel Chinese rhesus MHC alleles are reported, we decided to explore potential HIV vaccine epitopes in this model. We immunized forty Chinese rhesus macaques with three different HIV vaccine candidates either individually or following a prime/boost strategy. We used ELISPOT to measure immune response in vitro to HIV-1 p24C and HIV-1 gp160 peptide libraries. We identified five putative epitopes with associations to HLA-I alleles including HLA*B-2705 and HLA-B*5101 (associated with slow disease progression and low viral set point) and HLA-B*18 (associated with rapid disease progression and high viral set point). This suggests the possible use of Chinese rhesus macaques to model different disease progressions. We also explored the use of fusion proteins as stimulators in ELISPOT assays. While PBMCs from 6 monkeys responded to peptide stimulation, PBMCs from 28 monkeys responded to the anthrax lethal factor fusion proteins LFn p24C and/or LFn gp140C. Our results support the use of Chinese rhesus macaques in HIV vaccine studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Linguistic steganalysis has been an increasing interest stimulated by the emerging research area of linguistic steganography during the past few years. However, due to limitations of computer natural language processing capability, linguistic steganalysis is a challenging task. Existing steganalysis methods are inefficient to analyze most substitution-based linguistic steganography methods which preserve the syntactic and semantic correctness of cover texts. This paper provides a new steganalysis scheme against substitution-based linguistic steganography based on context clusters. In this scheme, we introduce context clusters to estimate the context fitness and show how to use the statistics of context fitness values to distinguish between normal texts and stego texts. Finally, under this scheme, we present the steganalysis method for synonym substitution-based linguistic steganography. Our experimental results show that the proposed steganalysis method can analyze synonym substitution-based linguistic steganography efficiently and the steganalysis accuracy reaches as high as 98.86%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Three simple fluorescence turn-on sensors have been designed for the selective detection of adenosine (AD) based on a boronic acid receptor and a coumarin fluorophore (NLC, NJC, NDC). In the absence of AD, the fluorescence emission intensity of the sensors was relatively weak due to the effective electronic transfer from the to the coumarin to the boronic acid moiety. When the AD was introduced into the system, an obvious fluorescence enhancement was observed. It was attributed to the boronic acid covalently binding to the cis -diol unit of the AD resulting in the electronic transfer process being inhibited. Under the optimal conditions, these fluorescent sensors not only could perform good selectivity and fast response (< 30 s), but also show good water solubility. Finally, the proposed sensor NLC has been utilized for the AD determination in urine without any complicated pretreatment and the recovery was in the range of 95–103%. As a result, it is promising for application on the AD detection in complex biological samples. Moreover, there are no small molecular sensors detecting AD have been reported, yet, it is promising for providing a new platform to detect AD by small molecular sensor. [Display omitted] • Fluorescence turn on sensors for specific detection of adenosine (AD) in urine. • The first synthesized small molecular sensor for detecting AD. • The sensors operated by phenylboronic acid as the recognition group and coumarin as the luminescent group. • Sensor NLC has a low detection limit when detecting AD (6.87 μM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]