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ABSTRACT: Fermented brown milk has gained popularity because of its unique taste and flavor. Lactobacillus bulgaricus ND02 is a starter culture that has good milk fermentation characteristics. This study aimed to profile the metabolites produced during Maillard browning and to identify metabolomic differences between fermented brown milk and fermented milk produced by the ND02 strain. This study used liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry to compare the metabolomes of milk, fermented milk, brown milk, and fermented brown milk. Significant differences were observed in the abundances of various groups of metabolites, including peptides, AA, aldehydes, ketones, organic acids, vitamins, and nucleosides. The Maillard browning reaction significantly increased the intensity of a wide spectrum of flavor compounds, including short peptides, organic acids, and compounds of aldehydes, ketones, sulfur, and furan, which might together contribute to the unique flavor of brown milk. However, Maillard browning led to an increase in Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine, which might cause negative health effects such as diabetes, uremia, or Alzheimer's disease. On the other hand, fermenting brown milk with the ND02 strain effectively countered such an effect. Finally, 5 differentially abundant metabolites were identified between fermented brown milk and fermented milk, including l-lysine, methylglyoxal, glyoxal, 2,3-pentanedione, and 3-hydroxybutanoic acid, which might together contribute to the different nutritional qualities of fermented brown milk and fermented milk. This study has provided novel information about the Maillard reaction and compared the metabolomes of the 4 types of dairy products.

The modal and vibration-noise response characteristics of plate structures are closely related to their boundary effects, and the analytical modeling and solution of the dynamics of plate structures with complex boundary conditions can reveal mechanisms of the influence of the boundary structure parameters on the modal characteristics. This paper proposes a new method for dynamic modeling of rectangular plates with periodic boundary conditions based on the energy equivalence principle (mixed-variable variational principle) of equating complex boundary “geometric constraints” to “mathematical physical constraints”, taking a rectangular plate structure with periodic boundaries commonly used in engineering as the object. First, the boundary external potential energy of the periodic boundary rectangular plate is obtained by equating the bending moment and deflection to the boundary conditions. Next, we establish the total potential energy model, the amplitude boundary equation, as well as the frequency equation of the periodic boundary rectangular plate in turn. Solving by numerical method, the natural frequency of the theoretical model is obtained. The validity of the theoretical model is then verified by modal test experiments. Finally, the law of the parameters such as the form of boundary constraint, the number of periods, and the clamp support ratio on the natural frequency of the rectangular plate is investigated. The results show that the natural frequency of the rectangular plate is closely related to the boundary form and period distribution of the plate. The modal frequencies of the plate structure can be tuned by the design of the boundary conditions for a certain size of the plate structure. The research in this paper provides a theoretical and technical basis for the vibration noise control of complex boundary plate structures.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which rages all over the world and seriously threatens human life and health. Currently, there is no optimal treatment for COVID-19, and emerging evidence found that COVID-19 infection results in gut microbiota dysbiosis. The intestinal microbial richness of patients of COVID-19 does not return to normal levels even six months after recovery, but probiotic adjunctive treatment has been found to restore gut homeostasis. An updated PubMed search returned four finished clinical trials that supported the use of probiotics as adjunctive treatment for COVID-19, while at least six clinical trials aiming to investigate beneficial effects of probiotic intake in managing COVID-19 are currently in progress worldwide. Here in we tentatively summarized the understanding of the actions and potential mechanisms of probiotics in the management of COVID-19. We also highlighted some future needs for probiotic researchers in the field. The success in using probiotics as adjunctive treatment for COVID-19 has expanded the scope of application of probiotics, meanwhile deepening our knowledge in the physiological function of probiotics in modulating the gut-lung axis.

The fabrication and characterization of CdS/Ti[O.sub.2] nanotube-array coaxial heterogeneous structures which could find possible potential application in various photocatalytic fields, such as water photocatalytic decomposition and toxic pollutant photocatalytic degradation are reported. The detailed synthesis process and the surface morphology, structure, elemental analysis, and photoelectrochemical properties of the resulting films with the CdS/Ti[O.sub.2] nanotube-array coaxial heterogeneous structure might find use in designing multijuction semiconductor materials for coating of highly structured substrates.

The effects of (In,Yb) double filling on the high temperature thermoelectric properties of Co[Sb.sub.3] skutterudite lattice is reported. Compared to the In and Yb single-filling approach, the (In,Yb) double-filling approach is found to be more effective in reducing the lattice thermal conductivity without degrading the power factor.

Filled skutterudites have long been singled out as one of the prime examples of phonon glass electron crystal materials. Recently the double-filling approach in these materials has been attracting increased attention. In this study, Yb0.2In yCo4Sb12 ( y = 0.0 to 0.2) samples have been prepared by a simple melting method and their thermoelectric properties have been investigated. The power factor is increased dramatically when increasing the In content, while the lattice thermal conductivity is lowered considerably, leading to a large increase of the ZT value. A state-of-the-art ZT value of 1.0 is attained in Yb0.2In0.2Co4Sb12 at 750 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the fabrication and characterization of CdS/TiO2 nanotube-array coaxial heterogeneous structures. Such structures may potentially be applied in various photocatalytic fields, such as water photocatalytic decomposition and toxic pollutant photocatalytic degradation. Thin films of CdS are conformally deposited onto TiO2 nanotubes using a modified method of electrochemical atomic layer deposition. We propose that such nanostructured electrodes can overcome the poor absorption and high charge-carrier recombination observed with nanoparticulate films. The practical electrochemical deposition technique promotes the deposition of CdS onto the TiO2 tube walls while minimizing deposition at the tube entrances, thus preventing pore clogging. The coaxial heterogeneous structure prepared by the new electrochemical process significantly enhances CdS/TiO2 and CdS/electrolyte contact areas and reduces the distance that holes and electrons must travel to reach the electrolyte or underlying conducting substrate. This results in enhanced photon absorption and photocurrent generation. The detailed synthesis process and the surface morphology, structure, elemental analysis, and photoelectrochemical properties of the resulting films with the CdS/TiO2 nanotube-array coaxial heterogeneous structure are discussed. In comparison with a pure TiO2 nanotube array, a 5-fold enhancement in photoactivity was observed using the coaxial heterogeneous structure. This methodology may be useful in designing multijunction semiconductor materials for coating of highly structured substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]