Search

3D food printing (3DFP) provides an excellent opportunity to deposit layers of multiple food materials to create unique complex structures of products with more engaging visuals, specific textures, and customized nutritional properties. Many printed products require post-printing processing which can result in sensory variance, texture changes, and even nutritional modification. Hence it is necessary to implement the design of the complex internal structure to ensure the desired quality of the printed products following post-printing. 3-D printing of various types of food products, for example, chocolate, cheese, meat, vegetables, fruits, fish, eggs, cereal-based products, and so on, has been examined with regard to post-printing requirements. This review aims to summarize the current work on the latest developments in 3DFP technology concerning the internal structure design of 3D printed products and its effect on quality during post-printing. The quality parameters include: textural, physical, morphological, and dimensional characteristics as well as nutritional properties. Furthermore, post-printing modifications such as 4D are also analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A recent Mendelian randomization (MR) did not support an effect of the lead interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6 R) variant on risk of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Thus, we used two sets of genetic instrumental variants (IVs) and publicly available PAH genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to reassess the genetic causal link between IL-6 signaling and PAH. Methods: Six independent IL-6 signaling and 34 independent soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6 R) genetic IVs from recent MR reports and PAH GWAS including 162,962 European individuals were used to perform this two-sample MR study. Results: We found that as IL-6 signaling genetically increased, the risk of PAH reduced using IVW (odds ratio [OR] = 0.023, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.0013-0.393; p = .0093) and weighted median (OR = 0.033, 95% CI: 0.0024-0.467; p = .0116). Otherwise, as sIL-6 R genetically increased, the risk of PAH increased using IVW (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.16-1.56; p = .0001), weighted median (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.10-1.68; p = .005), MR-Egger (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.05-1.94; p = .03), and weighted mode (OR = 1.35, 95% CI for OR: 1.12-1.63; p = .0035). Conclusion: Our analysis suggested the causal link between genetically increased sIL-6 R and increased risk of PAH and between genetically increased IL-6 signaling and reduced risk of PAH. Thus, higher sIL-6 R levels may be a risk factor for patients with PAH, whereas higher IL-6 signaling may be a protective factor for patients with PAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Dyslipidemia is an emerging metabolic disorder among pesticide-exposed agricultural workers, and this study was aimed to explore biomarkers of hypertriglyceridaemia susceptibility. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 72 pesticide-exposed subjects and 78 non-exposed controls. Lipid profile, cholinesterase activity, and thyroid hormones were analysed with routine assays. Six loci, including rs11206244 and rs2235544 for deiodinase 1, rs12885300 and rs225014 for deiodinase 2, rs1803274 for butyrylcholinesterase, and rs3757869 for acetylcholinesterase were genotyped using an improved multiplex ligation detection reaction technique. Results: Pesticide-exposed subjects showed higher levels of triglyceride than controls (p=0.009), although there were comparable cholinesterase activity and genotype frequencies of all six loci between pesticide-exposed subjects and controls. Pesticide-exposed subjects with homozygous genotype of cholinesterase had increased triglyceride levels than controls (p<0.05). The percentage of hypertriglyceridaemia was 28.6% and 8.8% for pesticide-exposed subjects and controls with homozygous butyrylcholinesterase genotype (p=0.007) and 20.8% and 14.3% with homozygous acetylcholinesterase genotype (p=0.792), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analyses found that odds ratio of hypertriglyceridaemia is 21.92 and 4.56 for pesticide-exposed subjects with homozygous genotype of butyrylcholinesterase (p=0.001) and acetylcholinesterase (p=0.036), respectively. Conclusions: Cholinesterase homozygous genotype might be a potential susceptible biomarker in screening pesticide-exposed agricultural workers vulnerable to hypertriglyceridaemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) has been widely used in hyperspectral image (HSI) classification. It has obvious advantages in extracting spatial and spectral features. However, the classification performance depends not only on spatial and spectral information, but also on the sequence properties between spectral features. Transformer is an excellent model for establishing sequence relationship, however making spatial correlation loss. On the basis of preserving spatial correlation as much as possible, we propose a multi-layer feature fusion module (MLFF) to fully mine and fuse the representative spectral and spatial features and sequence relationship. The proposed MLFF is composed of Feature Transformation, Tensorbased Sobel and Transformer Fusion. Feature Transformation is implemented by transpose and convolution operations, which can get the high-level contextual features and increase the diversity of feature information. At the same time, we designed a Tensor-based Sobel module to better participate in the subsequent fusion of HSI edge and texture features. Finally, in the Transformer Fusion module, these features are fused by one feature per layer through the improved encoder and decoder. Besides, we add skip structure to maintain a good relationship between each layer and strengthen cross-layer connections. Through the above three modules, we can better acquire and fuse HSI spectral, spatial and edge features to achieve good classification accuracy. The experiments conducted on three public HSI datasets demonstrate that the proposed method has better performance compared with existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sterilization is one of the most effective food preservation methods. Conventional thermal sterilization commonly used in food industry usually causes the deterioration of food quality. Flavor, aroma, and texture, among other attributes, are significantly affected by thermal sterilization. However, demands of consumers for nutritious and safe dishes with a minimum change in their original textural and sensory properties are growing rapidly. In order to meet these demands, new approaches have been explored in the last few years to extend the shelf-life of dishes. This review discusses advantages and disadvantages of currently available physical sterilization technologies, including irradiation (eg. Gamma rays, X-rays, e-beams), microwave and radio frequency when used in prepared dishes. The preservation effect of these technologies on prepared dishes are normally evaluated by microbiological and sensory analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new one-minute global seafloor topography model was derived from vertical gravity gradient anomalies (VGG), altimetric gravity anomalies, and ship soundings. Ship soundings are used to constrain seafloor topography at wavelengths longer than 200 km and to calibrate the topography to VGG (or gravity) ratios at short wavelengths area by area. VGG ratios are used to predict seafloor topography for wavelength bands of 100–200 km and to suppress the effect of crust isostasy. Gravity anomalies are used to recover seafloor topography at wavelengths shorter than 100 km. The data processing procedure is described in detail in this paper. The accuracy of the model is evaluated using ship soundings and existing models, including General Bathymetric Charts of the Oceans (GEBCO), DTU10, ETOPO1, and SIO V15.1. The results show that, in the discussed regions, the accuracy of the model is better than ETOPO1, GEBCO, and DTU10. Additionally, the model is comparable with V15.1, which is generally believed to have the highest accuracy. In the north-central Pacific Ocean, the accuracy of the model increased by approximately 29.5% compared with the V15.1 model. This indicates that a more accurate seafloor topography model can be formed by combining gravity anomalies, VGG, and ship soundings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8), a member of the IRF transcription factor family, was recently implicated in vascular diseases. In the present study, using the mouse left carotid artery wire injury model, we unexpectedly observed that the expression of IRF8 was greatly enhanced in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) by injury. Compared with the wild-type controls, IRF8 global knockout mice exhibited reduced neointimal lesions and maintained SMC marker gene expression. We further generated SMC-specific IRF8 transgenic mice using an SM22α-driven IRF8 plasmid construct. In contrast to the knockout mice, mice with SMC-overexpressing IRF8 exhibited a synthetic phenotype and enhanced neointima formation. Mechanistically, IRF8 inhibited SMC marker gene expression through regulating serum response factor (SRF) transactivation in a myocardin-dependent manner. Furthermore, a coimmunoprecipitation assay indicated a direct interaction of IRF8 with myocardin, in which a specific region of myocardin was essential for recruiting acetyltransferase p300. Altogether, IRF8 is crucial in modulating SMC phenotype switching and neointima formation in response to vascular injury via direct interaction with the SRF/myocardin complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The drying characteristics of restructured wild cabbage chips dried using microwave vacuum (MVD), hot air (AD), and microwave freeze drying (MFD) were compared. Some of the key quality parameters of restructured wild cabbage chips such as fracturability and color and sensory characteristics were measured. Results showed that the drying time was reduced with the increase of microwave power (MVD/MFD) and in the case of air drying by the temperature (AD). Drying time was the shortest in the MVD process. Optimal quality of dried chips was obtained with the MFD process at a microwave power level 2.0 W/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation and migration energies of the mono- and di-vacancy in Mg crystal have been calculated using the modified analytical embedded atom method. The results show that, for mono-vacancy, the migration in the basal plane is slightly preferred to the migration out of the basal plane. For di-vacancy, the 1NN and 2NN configurations are not only easier to form but also more stable than the other configurations. The preferred migration mechanisms of the 1NN and 2NN di-vacancy are either invariable 1NN or 2NN configurations during migration in the basal plane or exchange 1NN for 2NN or 2NN for 1NN for migration out of the basal plane. These two-jump migration mechanisms of the di-vacancy, especially the former, are still preferred over the migration of the mono-vacancy. It is concluded that the greater the number of resting vicinity vacancies, the easier the migrating vacancy moves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the stability of various atomic configurations containing a self-interstitial atom (SIA) in a model representing α-iron is investigated. From the energy panorama maps of the SIA located in possible non-equivalent interstitial sites, six relatively stable self-interstitial sites are found, whose structures and formation energies have been described and calculated using the modified analytical embedded atom method and molecular dynamics. The simulation results indicate that the [110] dumbbell interstitial is the energetically most favorable configuration, which is in good agreement with the experimental and ab initio results, and the distances between two displaced atoms that compose the [100], [110] and [111] direction dumbbells have been computed to be 0.68a, 0.65a and 0.29a, respectively, not all being about 0.75a apart. The relaxed displacements up to the fifth-nearest-neighbor atoms around the SIA in O interstitial position are also calculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional flow of Non-Newtonian polymer melts in coextrusion dies was analyzed based on finite element simulations. The analysis considered the slip both die wall-polymer and polymer-polymer interface. The slip boundary condition is founded based on the Generalized Navier slippage model. The effects of die wall roughness on the interface were examined farther. It is found that decreasing the roughness of the fluid path can make the velocity field more uniform and the interfacial offset less. If consider the interface alip of two melts, the homologous of interface-slip coefficient and die-wall slip coefficient may ensure the stabilization of the interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: sFlt-1, a soluble secreted variant of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor-1 that possesses only its extracellular domain, is a specific endogenous inhibitor of VEGF, which is involved in retinal vasculogenesis. Our objective was to determine the effects of various sFlt-1 gene fragments on retinal neovascularization in vivo using a murine oxygen-induced ischemic retinopathy (OIR) model. Methods: Lentiviral expression plasmids carrying the sFlt-1 gene fragments containing Ig-like domains 2nd-3rd and 2nd-4th were constructed. Retinal neovascularization was induced by exposing neonatal mice to hyperoxia (75% O2) on post-natal day 7 (P7) and then returning them to normoxia (21% O2) on P12. After sFlt-1 gene fragment transfer, retinal neovascularization was examined via fluorescein angiography and hematoxylin-eosin staining. In addition, changes in the expression of VEGF and its functional receptor KDR/Flk-1 were examined via Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Results: Lenti.sFlt-1(2-3) and lenti.sFlt-1(2-4) both significantly inhibited neovascularization in OIR mice. Retinas from mice treated with lenti.sFlt-1(2-3) demonstrated a more marked reduction in neovascular cell nuclei compared with mice treated with lenti.sFlt-1(2-4), and these results were confirmed by fluorescence angiography. Gene transfer showed a very weak effect on VEGF protein expression, whereas KDR/Flk-1 protein expression was strongly inhibited, particularly in mice treated with lenti.sFlt-1(2-3). Conclusions: Lentivirus-mediated sFlt-1 gene transfer significantly inhibits retinal neovascularization in OIR. Thus, sFlt-1 gene transfer may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for preventing retinal neovascularization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysregulated mRNA translation is implicated in the pathogenesis of many human cancers including chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Because our prior work has specifically implicated translation initiation in CML, we tested compounds that could modulate translation initiation and polysomal mRNA assembly. Here, we evaluated the activity of one such compound, CGP57380, against CML cells and explored its mechanisms of action. First, using polysomal mRNA profiles, we found that imatinib and CGP57380 could independently, and cooperatively, impair polysomal mRNA loading. Imatinib and CGP57380 also synergistically inhibited the growth of Ba/F3-Bcr-Abl and K562 cells via impaired cell cycle entry and increased apoptosis. Mechanistically, CGP57380 inhibited efficient polysomal assembly via two processes. First, it enhanced imatinib-mediated inhibition of eukaryotic initiation factor 4F induction, and second, it independently impaired phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 on the preinitiation complex. We also identified multiple substrates of the mTOR, Rsk, and Mnk kinases as targets of CGP57380. Finally, we found a novel negative-feedback loop to the mitogen-activated protein kinase/Mnk pathway that is triggered by CGP57380 and demonstrated that an interruption of the loop further increased the activity of the combination against imatinib-sensitive and -resistant CML cells. Together, this work supports the inhibition of translation initiation as a therapeutic strategy for treating cancers fueled by dysregulated translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roles of adsorbed fibrinogen (Fg) and von Willebrand factor (VWF) in mediating platelet adhesion to synthetic surfaces under flow were investigated using polystyrene (PS) as a model hydrophobic surface. We measured platelet adhesion to PS pre-adsorbed with Fg, VWF, normal plasma, afibrinogenemic plasma, VWF-deficient plasma and deficient plasmas with various concentrations of added Fg or VWF. Platelets in a red blood cell suspension were passed through a flow chamber at either low (50 or 100 s-1) or high (500 or 1000 s-1) shear. Adhesion to PS pre-adsorbed with afibrinogenemic plasma was very low under both low and high shear conditions, but was restored in a dose-dependent manner with addition of Fg. Less than 20 ng/cm2of adsorbed Fg was sufficient to support full-scale platelet adhesion under flow. At high shear rate, platelet adhesion on PS pre-adsorbed with VWF-deficient plasma was much less than on PS pre-adsorbed with normal plasma, but adhesion to PS pre-adsorbed with VWF-deficient plasma with added VWF was very similar to adhesion to PS pre-adsorbed with normal plasma. At low shear, adhesion to PS pre-adsorbed with VWF-deficient plasma was the same as on PS pre-adsorbed with normal plasma. As little as 1 ng/cm2 of VWF adsorbed from plasma made platelet adhesion higher under high shear than under low shear. The effects of adsorbed Fg and VWF on the morphologies of platelets that adhered from suspensions flowing at high shear rates were also investigated. The lack of either Fg or VWF resulted in marked decreases in the extent of platelet spreading. Real-time observation of platelet adhesion under an epifluorescent microscope showed that platelets adhered to the surface in a linear pattern aligned in the direction of flow under high shear conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional flow of non-Newtonian polymer melts in coextrusion dies was analyzed based on finite element simulations. Simulation results, especially the interface predictions were discussed. The effects of flow rate ratio and the roughness of die wall on the interface were examined farther. It is found that the flow rate affects the shape and location of the interface notably. The velocity of fluid flow mainly controls the shape and location of the interface. Increasing that the higher slipperiness of the fluid path can make the velocity field more uniform and the interfacial offset less. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis was used to investigate the host-parasite trophic relationship between the parasitic isopod Ichthyoxenus japonensis and one of its freshwater fish host Carassius auratus auratus from Lake Fuxian, China. No significant differences in δ13C and δ15N were observed between the heterosexual pairs of I. japonensis in the same host. δ13C and δ15N of I. japonensis were significantly lower than those of its host fish, and the isotopic ratios of the isopod increased with the increase of host fish isotopic signatures. Unlike isotopic fractionation patterns generally observed among consumers and their diets, isopod parasite was 13C and 15N depleted relative to the muscle tissue of this host fish. Differential isotopic fractionation patterns in the isopod parasite and the fish may be attributed to differences in parasite and host metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin was modified with monomethoxypolyethylene glycol (MPEG)-succinimidyl succinate and succinimidyl ester of carboxymethyl MPEG. Effects of reaction solvents, initial molar ratio of MPEG derivative to insulin and reaction time on PEGylation of insulin were investigated by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid spectrophotometric assay and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Sephadex G75 size exclusion chromatography (SEC), ion exchange chromatography (IEC) and reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) were applied to separate PEGylated insulin. IEC and RP-HPLC were proved to be efficient tools on separation of different PEGylated insulin species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of darkness on the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and the green alga Chlorella pyrenoidosa were observed. Cell growth, metabolic activity, chlorophyll a fluorescence, cell size, and maximum quantum yield (Fv : Fm) were determined. M aeruginosa and C. pyrenoidosa both maintained their initial cell abundances while in the dark, but they showed distinctly different physiological responses to darkness. During the dark period metabolic activity decreased slightly, cell size and Fv : Fm decreased significantly, and chlorophyll a increased markedly in M. aeruginosa cells. However, metabolic activity, cell size, and Fv : Fm decreased dramatically, and chlorophyll a decreased trivially in C. pyrenoidosa cells. After re-illumination, metabolic activity, cell size, and Fv : Fm of M aeruginosa and metabolic activity, chlorophyll a, and Fv : Fm of C. pyrenoidosa recovered significantly. No recovery was found in either chlorophyll a of M aeruginosa or cell size of C. pyrenoidosa. Compared with C. pyrenoidosa, M. aeruginosa is more capable of withstanding the dark circumstances, which are unfavorable to the growth of alga but usually exists in water and sediment of eutrophic lakes. Its greater tolerance of darkness may be one of the reasons that M. aeruginosa is commonly the dominant species in eutrophic lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional, nonisothermal, generalized Newtonian polymeric fluid flow (LPDE/PS) in coextrusion dies was simulated using the finite element method with evolutionary technique. Simulation results, especially the interface predictions, velocity profiles, and temperature profiles were discussed. The simulated interface shape was compared with that obtained by the previous researchers, and the simulated results were confirmed. The effects of fluids' temperature and flow rate ratio on the interface of LDPE/PS are further examined. Increasing temperature of more viscous fluid (PS) can influence the interface location. It is also found that the flow rate affects the shape and location of the interface notably. The velocity of fluid flow mainly controls the shape and location of the interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the quality changes of the granular fruits and vegetables dried by vacuum microwave drying, freeze drying, hot air drying, and combined hot air–vacuum microwave drying are investigated, and the quality parameters compared on the basis of vitamin C and chlorophyll contents, shrinkage and rehydration capacity, color, texture, and microstructure changes. The quality parameters of products dried by vacuum microwave drying are slightly lower than those obtained by freeze drying, but much better than those obtained using conventional hot air drying. The quality characteristics of product dried by combined hot air–vacuum microwave are significantly improved compared to those simply hot air–dried. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional dichromate (Walkley and Black), carbon analyzer, and weight loss‐on‐ignition (WLOI) methods are compared for determination of organic matter contents in composts and organic mulches. The objective of this study was to evaluate these three methods for their reliability in determining the organic matter contents of composts and organic mulches that also contain inorganic carbon. The carbon analyzer method overestimated organic matter contents for samples containing inorganic carbon (C) as carbonate or charcoal C. The removal of inorganic C improved the correlation coefficients (r) of results obtained by the carbon analyzer method and the Walkley and Black method (0.95 vs. 0.89). The WLOI method produced results more similar to those obtained with the Walkley and Black method than with a carbon analyzer. Oven drying samples for 16–24 h at 105°C as a basal temperature for WLOI improved results compared with a basal temperature at 70°C, which is commonly used. A heating temperature of 500°C for 12 h resulted in organic matter determinations by the WLOI method in the closest agreement with those obtained by the Walkley and Black method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The squeezing processes for sword beans of different moisture content were studied in this paper, and the rehydration properties of the resulting dehydrated products were investigated. Regression equations were established relating the finished-product rehydration characteristics to the squeezing and predehydration material conditions. An optimum squeezing process is also derivedi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The moisture sorption isotherms for carrot chips after vacuum frying were determined using a gravimetric technique at 10, 25, and 40°C and fitted with BET, GAB, Smith, Halsey, Henderson, and Peleg models. A nonlinear least-squares regression program was used to determine the models constants. The Peleg, Halsey, and GAB models were found to best represent the experimental data throughout the entire water activity range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White mushrooms suitable for drying are thermolabile materials. At present, the determination of thermal denaturation of dehydrated white mushroom mainly depends on the drying technology. To choose the appropriate dehydration technology for thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used for determining the denaturing temperature range. White mushrooms at five different moisture content levels were chosen for the DSC tests. Five heating rates were used to observe the change of the denaturing ranges. Finally, the effects of short-term storage and instantaneous increases in temperature on the change of denaturing areas are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NS-398, a selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), has been reported to inhibit growth and induce apoptosis in several cancer cell lines that overexpress COX-2. However it has not been extensively studied in multiple myeloma (MM). Here, we studied the effects of COX-2 inhibitors on MM cell lines and primary myeloma patient cells. We investigated the effects of NS-398 on proliferation and apoptosis in three myeloma cell lines (PCM6, U266 and RPMI8226) and isolated CD138-positive cells from MM patients. Furthermore, the combined effects of NS-398 plus dexamethasone (Dex) or thalidomide (Thal) were investigated. All myeloma cell lines express COX-2. NS-398 inhibited growth and induced apoptosis in PCM6, RPMI8226 and CD138-positive MM cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. At low concentrations (10 μM), NS-398 primarily induced growth arrest without affecting cell viability, but at higher concentrations (over 25 μM), apoptosis was induced. During the process of apoptosis, the number of Fas-positive cells increased. Downstream signals of Fas, such as caspase 8, 3 and 9, were also activated. On the other hand, protein levels of the Bcl-2 family did not change, although mitochondrial transmembrane potential (Δψm) was decreased. Combined incubation with Dex or Thal enhanced NS-398-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis in RPMI8226 cells. The combined effect of Dex was more potent than that of Thal. Our findings suggests that COX-2 plays an important role in regulation of apoptosis in myeloma cells, and COX-2 inhibitors might serve as an effective tool for future chemoprevention and/or treatment of myeloma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild cabbage was dehydrated by a combination of hot-air drying and microwave vacuum drying. It showed that the total drying time was reduced by about half while the retention values of the nutrient components and chlorophyll were improved significantly. Microwave/vacuum-dried products had a more porous texture. Finally, microwave drying showed effective bactericidal action in the product with acceptable quality of dried product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of 975 W microwave irradiation on the crystalline structure of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) surface layer in Al/iPP/Al composite was studied by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and asymmetry diffraction geometry small-angle x-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that after about 60 min irradiation, the orientated structure and crystallinity of the iPP surface layer are dropped, crystal transformation (α → β) happens. The iterative peak-fit of XRD curves indicates that the reasons for crystal transformations are: the microwave effect causes the increase of the order level of the crystal lattice, the defaults within the β-crystals are, thus, reduced. D[300] (stands for β-form phase) becomes larger, β-form iPP becomes more perfect. With microscopic distortion coefficient ε[300] and the microscopic stress of β-form becomes less attraction, the microscopic stress of the α-form goes up. This crystal transformation is useful for improving the toughness of iPP in electromagnetic shielding materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anemia, a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD), is associated with poor prognosis. However, it is not completely clear whether this association is caused by anemia per se or other comorbidities. Whether different types of iron deficiency anemia can predict the outcomes of CKD remains unclear. The dataset from NHANES III was analyzed and Cox multivariate regression models and propensity score matching (PSM) method were used to evaluate the effect of anemia on mortality. Of 4103 patients with CKD, 14.6% had anemia. Among those with anemia, 38.8% had absolute iron deficiency (AID), and 19.8% had functional iron deficiency (FID). During the median follow-up time of 13.8 years, 2964 deaths and 804 cardiovascular deaths were observed. Anemia was robustly associated with a high risk of all-cause mortality in CKD patients after adjusting covariates by two multivariate regression models (Model 1: HR = 1.485, 95%CI:1.340-1.647, p < 0.001; Model 2: HR = 1.391, 95%CI:1.250-1.546, p < 0.001). In the PSM cohort, anemia was still an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality (Model 1: HR = 1.443, 95%CI: 1.256-1.656, p < 0.001; Model 2: HR = 1.357, 95%CI:1.177-1.564, p < 0.001). In the CKD population, anemia patients with FID had the highest risk of mortality than the other anemia groups (p < 0.05), while AID had a mortality rate similar to those without anemia (p > 0.05). In conclusion, anemia was associated with a worse prognosis in patients with CKD, which may be attributed to the higher mortality risk of FID rather than AID. AID wasn't associated with a higher mortality rate compared with CKD patients without anemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased intake of Western diets and ultra-processed foods is accompanied by increased intake of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs can be generated exogenously in the thermal processing of food and endogenously in the human body, which associated with various chronic diseases. In food, AGEs can be divided into free and bound forms, which differ in their bioavailability, digestion, absorption, gut microbial interactions and untargeted metabolites. We summarized the measurements and contents of free and bound AGE in foods. Moreover, the ingestion, digestion, absorption, excretion, gut microbiota interactions, and metabolites and metabolic pathways between free and bound AGEs based on animal and human studies were compared. Bound AGEs were predominant in most of the selected foods, while beer and soy sauce were rich in free AGEs. Only 10%–30% of AGEs were absorbed into the systemic circulation when orally administered. The excretion of ingested free and bound AGEs was approximately 90% and 60%, respectively. Dietary free CML has a detrimental effect on gut microbiota composition, while bound AGEs have both detrimental and beneficial impacts. Free and bound dietary AGEs changed amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism. And besides, bound dietary AGEs altered vitamin metabolism, and glycerolipid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) regulates cell mitosis, proliferation, and apoptosis. Trastuzumab is a HER2-targeted monoclonal antibody (mAB), which can prolong the overall survival rate of patients with HER2 overexpression in later periods of gastric cancer and breast cancer. Although anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody has a curative effect, adjuvant chemotherapy is still necessary to upgrade the curative effect maximumly. Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) is a kind of therapeutic drug that contains antigen-specific antibody and cytotoxic payload, which can improve the survival time of tumor patients. To date, there are several HER2-ADC products on the market, for which two anti-HER2 ADC (trastuzumab emtansine and trastuzumab deruxtecan) have been authorized by the FDA for distinct types of HER2-positive carcinoma in the breast. Disitamab vedotin (RC48) is a newly developed ADC drug targeting HER2 that is comprised of hertuzumab coupling monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) via a cleavable linker. This paper aims to offer a general insight and summary of the mechanism of action and the currently completed and ongoing clinical studies of RC-48 in HER-2 positive solid tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Ursolic acid (UA) and acteoside (ATS) are important active components that have been used to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD) because of their neuroprotective effects, but the exact mechanism is still unclear. Objective: Network pharmacology was used to explore the mechanism of UAþATS in treating AD, and cell experiments were used to verify the mechanism. Materials and methods: UAþATS targets and AD-related genes were retrieved from TCMSP, STITCH, SwissTargetPrediction, GeneCards, DisGeNET and GEO. Key targets were obtained by constructing protein interaction network through STRING. The neuroprotective effects of UAþATS were verified in H2O2-treated PC12 cells. The subsequent experiments were divided into Normal, Model (H2O2 pre-treatment for 4 h), Control (H2O2þ solvent pre-treatment), UA (5 lM), ATS (40 lM), UA (5 lM) þ ATS (40 lM). Then apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase-3 activity, ATG5, Beclin-1 protein expression and Akt, mTOR phosphorylation levels were detected. Results: The key targets of UAþATS-AD network were mainly enriched in Akt/mTOR pathway. Cell experiments showed that UA (ED50: 5lM) þ ATS (ED50: 40lM) could protect H2O2-induced (IC50: 250lM) nerve damage by enhancing cells viability, combating apoptosis, restoring MMP, reducing the activation of caspase-3, lessening the phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR, and increasing the expression of ATG5 and Beclin-1. Conclusions: ATS and UA regulates multiple targets, bioprocesses and signal pathways against AD pathogenesis. ATS and UA synergistically protects H2O2-induced neurotrosis by regulation of AKT/mTOR signalling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon oxycarbide thin film was prepared by magnetron sputtering on BK7 glass, namely, K9 glass. And the wavelength dependence of refractive index was determined by the envelop method and Wemple and Didomenico dispersion relationship from transmission spectrum. The wavelength dependence of refractive index was fitted to Cauchy dispersion relationship and the data accorded with Cauchy dispersion relationship very well. Thickness of the film was determined and by comparing the relative standard deviation, we found it could make the result more accurate by fitting the data of refractive index to Cauchy dispersion relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gloeostereum incarnatum has edible and medicinal value and was first cultivated and domesticated in China. We sequenced the G. incarnatum monokaryotic strain GiC-126 on an Illumina HiSeq X Ten system and obtained a 34.52-Mb genome assembly sequence that encoded 16,895 predicted genes. We combined the GiC-126 genome with the published genome of G. incarnatum strain CCMJ2665 to construct a genetic linkage map (GiC-126 genome) that had 10 linkage groups (LGs), and the 15 assembly sequences of CCMJ2665 were integrated into 8 LGs. We identified 1912 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci and detected 700 genes containing 768 SSRs in the genome; 65 and 100 of them were annotated with gene ontology (GO) terms and KEGG pathways, respectively. Carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) were identified in 20 fungal genomes and annotated; among them, 144 CAZymes were annotated in the GiC-126 genome. The A mating-type locus (MAT-A) of G. incarnatum was located on scaffold885 at 38.9 cM of LG1 and was flanked by two homeodomain (HD1) genes, mip and beta-fg. Fourteen segregation distortion markers were detected in the genetic linkage map, all of which were skewed toward the parent GiC-126. They formed three segregation distortion regions (SDR1-SDR3), and 22 predictive genes were found in scaffold1920 where three segregation distortion markers were located in SDR1. In this study, we corrected and updated the genomic information of G. incarnatum. Our results will provide a theoretical basis for fine gene mapping, functional gene cloning, and genetic breeding the follow-up of G. incarnatum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which examined the roles of Brahma-related gene 1 (Brg1) and Brahma (Brm) in smooth muscle development, in vivo, through generation and analysis of mice harboring a smooth muscle-specific knockout of Brg1 on wild-type and Brm null backgrounds.

In this paper, three Mn(III)-Salen complexes are synthesized and their catalytic activity for styrene oxidation were studied. Four Shifft-basa are prepared by condensation of salicylaldehyde or its derivatives with diamine, then chelated with Mn and formed into Mn(III)-Salen complexes. Their chemical structures are characterized by IR, UV, etc. Furthermore, the catalytic activities of the Salen compounds for styrene oxidation with oxygen are primarily explored. The experiments show that among them, Mn(III)-Salen-2 is the most excellent catalyst for styrene oxidation with high conversion of styrene (77.1%) and selectivity of benzaldehyde (90.4%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The JKR (Johnson–Kendall–Roberts) method of contact mechanics has been widely utilized for measuring adhesion properties between a deformable elastomeric lens and various materials. Such measurements are normally performed in air. We attempted to verify whether the JKR technique could be practical for evaluating adhesion properties under water. After modifying the common JKR apparatus to be suitable for underwater studies, two types of hydrophobic coating systems, silicone/silicone and silicone/silanized silicon wafer, were used. The work of adhesion ( W A ) values obtained from loading measurements and under zero load were found to be slightly smaller than the values estimated using surface energies and contact angles of water formed on the surfaces of these coatings. One possible cause for the slightly smaller values could be contamination/alteration of the coating surface properties upon immersion in water. The results suggested that, with proper control of experimental conditions, the JKR technique could be extended to evaluate adhesion properties under water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starches from sixteen cassava germplasms harvested at the same time in the Hainan region were evaluated for their physicochemical and structural properties. The granule morphology of all the isolated cassava starch samples showed round, bell or oval shapes and exhibited the same A-type crystalline pattern. The crystallinity range was 26.6-30.8%. The selected cassava germplasms showed a wide variation in granule size distribution: The D[4,3] (the average particle size) ranged from 13.49 µm to 306.27 µm. The water absorption capacity (192.6-226.7%), oil absorption capacity (185.-0-216.9%) and transparency (6.8-16.5%) indices varied significantly among the cassava germplasms. However, the retrogradation rates of the cassava starch pastes increased rapidly during the first 1 h and then stabilized. The solubility of starch increased with the temperature. In addition, the FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer) ratios of 1045/1022 cm-1 and 1022/995 cm-1 of the sixteen cassava starches varied in the range of 1.06-1.78 and 0.78-1.04, respectively. These results indicated that the granule size, relative crystallinity, degree of short-range order, water and oil absorption capacities, solubility and transparency of the cassava starches were greatly influenced by the variety of cassava, which could help in determining the advantages of these starches for applications in different food and nonfood industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric properties of sliced Agaricus bisporus samples, with 0.16-0.89 [g/g, wet basis (w.b.)] moisture content, were determined using a network analyser and an open-ended coaxial-line probe, over a frequency range of 915 MHz to 2450 MHz and a temperature range of 25°C to 60°C. The results showed that the permittivity of A. bisporus was a function of frequency, moisture content, and temperature. The dielectric constant and loss factor were directly proportional to moisture content and temperature, respectively, and both decreased with increasing frequency. However, the influence of temperature on the dielectric constant showed a different trend, as this was affected by the moisture content of the sample. The dielectric loss factor initially increased and then decreased with the decrease in moisture content. Both inflection points appeared at the moisture content value of 0.69 (g/g, w.b.), which represents the "semi-bound water transfer" point. Third-degree polynomial models could be used to describe dielectric constant and loss factor values as functions of moisture content and temperature. The penetration depth decreased with increasing frequency and temperature; however, this first decreased with decreasing moisture content and then increased. Notably, the penetration depth was at a low ebb when the moisture content ranged from 0.69 to 0.52 (g/g, w.b.), indicating easier uneven drying. Low frequency (915 MHz) with large penetration depth represents a highly effective method for large-scale industrial dielectric microwave drying of A. bisporus slices from the angle of uniformity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of pretreatment before microwave vacuum drying (MVD) on texture, color, expansion, rehydration, drying rate, microstructure, sensory evaluation, and other properties of sweet potato were investigated in this study. The pretreatment consisted in five processing conditions, using blanching; osmotic dehydration at 35°Brix of sucrose (OD); ultrasound in distilled water (US); ultrasound in distilled water before osmotic dehydration (US + OD), and ultrasound-assisted osmotic dehydration (USOD). Pretreatments of sweet potato before MVD have shown success in reducing drying time with US treatment relatively more effective regarding drying time than other treatments. Compared with other treatments, US showed the highest rehydration ratio values. The osmotic group pretreatment exhibited a pronounced effect on water loss and solid gain, improved the color, aroma, and taste of dried sweet potato, whereas sucrose impregnation resulted in a hard texture observed with OD sample. USOD samples had a higher expansion ratio, lower hardness and color difference values, appeared less cell damaged, and recorded better overall quality than the other samples. There was a slight difference between USOD and US + OD samples. Combining osmotic dehydration with ultrasound as a pretreatment can significantly accelerate the heat transfer rate, reducing the dried time accordingly and increasing energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We collected sediment from Lake Taihu in winter, placed it in BG-11 medium, and then observed the recruitment of phytoplankton to the water column as incubation temperature was increased stepwise in eight increments from 5.5°C at the start of incubation to 30°C after 70 days. Recruitment of chlorophytes and diatoms was observed above 9°C, but recruitment of cyanobacteria was not detected until 12.5°C. Subsequently, cyanobacteria established dominance above 19.5°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase of railway wagon axle load and the growth of marshalling quantity, the problem caused by impact and vibration of vehicles is increasingly serious, which leads to the damage of vehicle structures and the components. In order to improve the reliability of longitudinal connection model for vehicle impact tests, a new railway wagon longitudinal connection model was developed to simulate and analyse vehicle impact tests. The new model is based on characteristics of longitudinal force transmission for vehicles and parts. In this model, carbodies and bogies were simplified to a particle system that can vibrate in the longitudinal direction, which corresponded to a stiffness-damping vibration system. The model consists of three sub-models, that is, coupler and draft gear sub-model, centre plate sub-model and carbody structure sub-model. Compared with conventional draft gear models, the new model was proposed with geometrical and mechanical relations of friction draft gears considered and with behaviours of sticking, sliding and impact between centre plate and centre bowl added. Besides, virtual springs between discrete carbodies were built to describe the structural deformation of carbody. A computation program for longitudinal dynamics based on vehicle impact tests was accomplished to simulate. Comparisons and analyses regarding the train dynamics outputs and vehicle impact tests were conducted. Simulation results indicate that the new wagon longitudinal connection model can provide a practical application environment for wagons, and the outputs of vehicle impact tests agree with those of field tests. The new model can also be used to study on longitudinal vibrations of different vehicles, of carbody and bogie, and of carbody itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fruiting body pattern is an important agronomic trait of the edible fungus Auricularia auricula-judae, and an important breeding target. There are two types of fruiting body pattern: the cluster type and the chrysanthemum type. We identified the fruiting body pattern of 26 test strains, and then constructed two different near-isogenic pools. Then, we developed sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) molecular markers associated with the fruiting body pattern based on sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers. Ten different bands (189-522 bp) were amplified using 153 pairs of SRAP primers. The SCAR marker "SCL-18" consisted of a single 522-bp band amplified from the cluster-type strains, but not the chrysanthemum strains. This SCAR marker was closely associated with the cluster-type fruiting body trait of A. auricula-judae. These results lay the foundation for further research to locate and clone genes controlling the fruiting body pattern of A. auricula-judae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel kind of microwave absorption composite in Ku-band with low cost, low density and strong absorption was prepared through Bio-template carbonization and solvothermal method. The phase structures and morphologies of the composite had been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The microwave absorption properties of carbonized kapok fibers and Fe3O4/kapok fibers were measured by vector network analysis (VNA). When the sample thickness is 1.5 mm, the Fe3O4/kapok fibers have an optimal absorption peak value of about -24.1 dB at 17.4 GHz and its effective absorption bandwidth lower than -10 dB reaches 2.4 GHz (from 15.6 to 18.0 GHz). The reflection loss results indicate that the Fe3O4/kapok fibers possess higher microwave absorption in the Ku-band. A possible mechanism of the improved microwave absorption performance of the composite was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the renal-protective effect of lercanidipine in patients undergoing renal artery intervention. Methods: A prospective, single-center, cohort study was conducted and patients, 30–75 years of age, with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis were consecutively enrolled between September 2011 and October 2012. Lercanidipine (10–20 mg/day) was regularly taken after the intervention. Follow up visits were performed at 3 and 6 months after the intervention. Serum creatinine, clinical blood pressure, 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, and 24 hour urine protein were assessed. Adverse events were recorded. Results: In total, 55 patients (mean age 63.5 ± 8.9 years) were enrolled and 52 completed the study. Renal function, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and 24 hour urine protein at 3 months after the intervention were not statistically different compared with the baseline. At 6 months after the intervention eGFR significantly increased versus baseline (78 ± 23 ml/min/1.73 m2 vs 71 ± 21 ml/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.021); 24 hour urine protein decreased significantly (0.02 g [IQR, 0.01–0.1] vs 0.03 g [IQR, 0.01–0.28], p = 0.042). Blood pressure control improved at 3 months and 6 months after the intervention. The need for antihypertensive drugs decreased; clinical systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and 24 hour average systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure decreased. The pulse wave velocity decreased after 3 and 6 months. At the end of follow-up, none of the following adverse events occurred: death, dialysis, myocardial infarction or stroke. Mild lower extremity edema occurred in only one patient. No other side effects occurred. Conclusions: This study showed that lercanidipine can improve renal function in patients undergoing renal artery intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) coatings were prepared on Si3N4substrate by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method with Ar/H2/CH4gas mixture. The nano hardness and elastic modulus of the NCD coatings were evaluated using a nano indenter. The results show that the diamond grains appear to be rounded with the average grain size of less than 100 nm. The average nano hardness is ∼53.5 GPa, the elastic modulus is ∼606.8 GPa, and the elastic recovery is as high as ∼80%, for the fine NCD coatings deposited with the substrate temperature of 700°C. The nano hardness and elastic modulus of the NCD coatings will increase with the substrate temperature increasing from 600°C to 700°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earlier studies showed that human lens ALDH1A1 plays a critical role in protection against oxidative stress-induced cytotoxicity in human lens epithelial cells (HLEC), and opacification of rat and mouse lens. The complete coding sequence of ALDH1A1 was cloned from human lens cDNA library by using PCR methods and expressed it in Escherichia coli. The cloned human lens ALDH1A1 cDNA encodes a 501-amino-acid protein (molecular mass = 54.8 kD) that is 100% identical to human liver ALDH1A1 and shares significant identity with the same isozyme from other tissues and species. The purified recombinant human lens ALDH1A1 exhibited optimal catalytic activity at pH 8 and preferred NAD+ as cofactor and specifically catalyzed the oxidation of toxic lipid aldehydes such as 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE; Km = 4.8 μM) and malonaldehyde (Km MDA = 3.5 μM). Citral, disulfiram, and cyanamide were found to inhibit human lens ALDH1A1 at IC50 values of 55, 101, and 22610 μM, respectively, whereas diethylstilbestrol (DES) was found to be an activator (EC50, 1.3 μM). Further, modification of recombinant human lens ALDH1A1 with nitric oxide donors such as S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) and S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) significantly inhibited the enzyme activity. It therefore appears that activation of ALDH1A1, which efficiently catalyzes the detoxification of lipid-derived toxic aldehydes, and/or prevention of its oxidative modification may be novel therapeutic interventions against oxidative stress-induced lens pathologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed the response of Chiorella pyrenoidosa to substance(s) from the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus using flow cytometry and PHYTO-PAM fluorometry. The cell density of C. pyrenoidosa in the rotifer water treatment was significantly higher than that in the control, suggesting that substance(s) from the rotifer stimulated the alga to grow faster. Additionally, the cell size of C. pyrenoidosa in the rotifer water treatment was consistently smaller than that in the control. Esterase activity and chlorophyll fluorescence of C. pyrenoidosa cells in the rotifer water treatment increased and were higher than those in the control but were not significantly different. The maximal efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) and the effective quantum yield of PSII (ΦPSII) of C. pyrenoidosa in the rotifer water were also consistently higher than those in the control, although these differences also were not significant. The pattern, however, does seem to support the idea that C. pyrenoidosa responded to infochemical produced by the rotifer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of pyrophosphate and polyphosphate on the growth of Microcystis aeruginosa and Chiorella pyrenoidosa were studied in unialgal cultures and in cultures separated by a dialysis membrane. M. aeruginosa and C. pyrenoidosa were able to similarly utilize pyrophosphate and polyphosphate, but their growth rates and cell densities were low in comparison with those in the orthophosphate controls. C. pyrenoidosa had a higher growth rate than M. aeruginosa in both unialgal and the separated cultures; moreover, C. pyrenoidosa had a greater ability to utilize phosphorus than M. qeruginosa. But because the C. pyrenoidosa population developed early but then declined, M. aeruginosa eventually became dominant in the separated cultures. Therefore, the interaction between M aeruginosa and C. aeruginosa might be complex because of an allelopathy effect, and nutrient competition is not the only factor determining species dominance in the phytoplankton assemblage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]