Search

BACKGROUND RESULTS CONCLUSION Cold chain distribution with multiple links maintains low temperatures to ensure the quality of meat products, whereas temperature fluctuations during this are often disregarded by the industry. The present study simulated two distinct temperatures cold chain distribution processes. Quality indicators and high‐throughput sequencing were employed to investigate the effects of temperature fluctuations on the quality and microbial diversity of beef meatballs during cold chain distribution.Quality indicators revealed that temperature fluctuations during simulated cold chain distribution significantly (P < 0.05) exacerbated the quality deterioration of beef meatballs. High‐throughput sequencing demonstrated that temperature fluctuations affected the diversity and structure of microbial community. Lower microbial species abundance and higher microbial species diversity were observed in the temperature fluctuations group. Proteobacteria and Pseudomonas were identified as the dominant phylum and genus in beef meatballs, respectively, exhibiting faster growth rates and greater relative abundance under temperature fluctuations.The present study demonstrates that temperature fluctuations during simulated cold chain distribution can worsen spoilage and shorten the shelf life of beef meatballs. It also offers certain insights into the spoilage mechanism and preservation of meat products during cold chain distribution. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although recent years have seen considerable interest in stimuli‐responsive hydrogels, their strict preparation conditions and narrow applicability limit their use as diverse sensors and soft robots. Herein, a versatile Agar‐Zwirrions hybrid hydrogel actuator (Agar/PSBMA) integrated with simultaneous temperature self‐sensing and wide‐range electrical response is developed. To prepare the Agar/PSBMA hydrogel, a simple and controllable preforming post‐enhancing and mechanical pressing method is used by introducing zwitterions materials into a temperature‐sensitive Agar matrix. Owing to the design, the compact multiplex complementary structure generated by this method and the materials can facilitate the improvement of flexibility, stretchability, and toughness while providing mechanical dissipation and adhesion properties. Importantly, the visible detected temperature self‐sensing ability during 10–40 °C, and quick and wide‐range bending responses of both high‐voltage and low‐voltage electric fields make it unique over other actuators. Furthermore, the electrical response behavior of the hydrogel is found to be impacted by mechanical characteristics and charge polarization based on the finite element Abaqus simulations analysis. The prepared versatile hydrogels show the potential for applications as soft robotics and controlled transportation of adhered substances while simultaneously monitoring their working temperature, which expands the response range of hydrogel actuators and broadens the scope of application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the agglomeration of tourmaline, silane coupling agent (3‐aminopropyl)‐triethoxysilane (KH‐550) was used to modify tourmaline. Then the modified tourmaline particles were added to the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) casting solution by blending, and a series of PVDF/TMKH‐550 composite membranes were prepared by Nonsolvent Induce Phase Separation (NIPS). The results showed that the agglomeration of tourmaline could be reduced by modification. With the increase of TMKH‐550 nanoparticles content, the removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen wastewater increased gradually. For PVDF/TMKH‐550 composite membranes, the results showed that the addition of TMKH‐550 nanoparticles improved the hydrophilicity, porosity, and pore size of the membrane, and increased the permeation flux. The removal efficiency of the composite membrane on ammonia nitrogen solutions could reach 75.40%, The pH and conductivity of deionized water after membrane filtration were tested. At 0.2 MPa, it was found that both pH and conductivity increased. The above results showed that tourmaline can not only activate water bodies but also remove pollutants in water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the effectiveness of currently available antihypertensive medications, there is still a need for new treatment strategies that are more effective in certain groups of hypertensive and for additional resources to combat hypertension. However, medication non‐adherence was previously recognized as a major problem in the treatment of hypertension. The mechanisms behind the positive impacts of lifestyle changes might occur in different ways. In comparison with other studies, the efficacy and effectiveness of lifestyle modifications and antihypertensive pharmaceutical treatment for the prevention and control of hypertension and concomitant cardiovascular disease have been demonstrated in randomized controlled trials. However, in this review, the attitudinal lifestyle modifications and barriers to blood pressure control were elaborated on. An effective method for reducing blood pressure (BP) and preventing cardiovascular events with antihypertensive medications has been outlined. Maintaining healthy lifestyle factors (body mass index, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, sodium excretion, and sedentary behavior) could lower systolic blood pressure BP by 3.5 mm Hg and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by about 30%, regardless of genetic susceptibility to hypertension. Conducting a lifestyle intervention using health education could improve lifestyle factors, such as reducing salt, sodium, and fat intake, changing eating habits to include more fruits and vegetables, not smoking, consuming less alcohol, exercising regularly, maintaining healthy body weight, and minimizing stressful conditions. Each behavior could affect BP by modulating visceral fat accumulation, insulin resistance, the renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system, vascular endothelial function, oxidative stress, inflammation, and autonomic function. Evidence of the joint effect of antihypertensive medications and lifestyle reforms suggests a pathway to reduce hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) have been employed in modification for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membrane intrinsic hydrophobicity. Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC), a natural organic matter, was used to relieve the agglomeration of zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs in the membrane matrix. In this paper, ZnO‐CMC NPs were successfully prepared via co‐precipitation approach, blended with PVC membranes, and the effect of ZnO‐CMC NPs for the membrane properties was studied. The SEM and EDX confirmed excellent dispersion of ZnO‐CMC NPs on the membrane surface. The enhanced hydrophilicity, porosity and inter‐connected finger‐like strcture of modified membranes confirmed by water contact angle and SEM. In addition, pure water flux of PVC/ZnO‐CMC composite membrane was 107.36 L m−2 h−1 (PVC/ZnO‐CMC (0.25 wt%)), which was higher than that of neat PVC membrane (83.11 L m−2 h−1). Importantly, the modified membranes exhibits lower static BSA adsorbtion because of the improved hydrophilicity, and a higher flux recovery rate (>90%) after three sequential filtration cycles. The antibacterial behavior of PVC/ZnO‐CMC membrane was tested simply using Escherichia coli, and the results indicated that all composite membranes possess excellent antibacterial properties. Our work presents PVC/ZnO‐CMC NPs composite membrane a promising future in wastewater treatment and antibacterial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing biologically mimetic nanofibers (NFs) is crucial for their applications as scaffolds in tissue engineering and drug carriers. Herein, we present a strategy to facilely fabricate core‐sheath NFs using coaxial electrospinning technique. Poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) and silk fibroin (SF) were employed as component materials to construct PCL/SF NFs with PCL cores uniformly encapsulated by SF sheaths. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy demonstrate a uniform core‐sheath structure of the coaxial NFs. The engineered core‐sheath structure confers the composite NFs with greatly improved properties including surface hydrophilicity and mechanical properties. In vitro cell culture validates that the core‐sheath NFs are favorable to the cultured rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC 12) attachment. To further demonstrate the advantage of the coupled structural integrity, the PCL/SF core‐sheath NFs were compared with the NFs produced from PCL and SF blend. Results showed that the PCL/SF NFs possessed a tensile strength of ~6.93 ± 0.52 MPa and an elongation at break of ~294.31 ± 24.17%, whereas the blend NFs possessed ~5.55 ± 0.50 MPa and ~88.05 ± 13.98%, respectively. Dexamethasone‐phosphate sodium (DEX) was employed as a model drug, whereby the in vitro release study indicates that the NFs exhibit an ideal releasing profile, capable of releasing DEX continuously over a period of 450 h. The constructed PCL/SF core‐sheath NFs are promising candidates for biomedical applications. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 60:802–809, 2020. © 2020 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene based copper‐nickel bimetal nanocomposite (Cu3Ni2‐rGO) was prepared via a one‐step solvothermal procedure, in which Ni(OH)2 and Cu(OH)2 were used as precursors. Structural characterization confirms that the as‐prepared Cu3Ni2‐rGO nanocomposite is composed of Cu3Ni2 nanoparticles in the size range of 20–100 nm and the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets. Benefiting from the combination of Cu3Ni2 and rGO, the Cu3Ni2‐rGO nanocomposite exhibits excellent catalytic performance on reducing highly toxic Cr(VI) at room temperature. The reduction of Cr(VI) (40 mL, 100 mg L−1) can be completed within 6 min using Cu3Ni2‐rGO nanocomposite as the catalyst, which is much more efficient than using monometallic nanocomposite containing only Cu or Ni. Moreover, Cu3Ni2‐rGO nanocomposite can be magnetically separated, which enables effective recycle. Besides, Cu3Ni2‐rGO shows good cycling stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(23)H(26)N(2), contains one half-mol-ecule, which is completed by the operation of a crystallographic twofold axis. In the mol-ecule, the two benzene rings form a dihedral angle of 77.09 (7)°.