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The NaOH-HCl- and ethanol-pretreated pomelo peel samples were prepared to apply to the batch adsorption for epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). The characteristics of peel samples were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and a laser particle analyzer. The results of the physiochemical properties of the peel samples demonstrate that these peel samples have a promising adsorption capacity for EGCG, because of the increased potential binding sites on the surface compared with those of untreated peel samples. These two peel samples showed enhanced adsorption capacities of EGCG compared with that of unmodified peel in terms of the isothermal adsorption process, which could be described by both Langmuir and Freundlich models, with the theoretical maximum adsorption capacity of 77.52 and 94.34 mg g−1 for the NaOH-HCl and ethanol-treated peel samples, respectively. The adsorption kinetics demonstrated an excellent fitness to pseudo-second-order, showing that chemisorption was the rate-limiting step. The thermodynamics analysis revealed that the adsorption reaction was a spontaneous and endothermic process. This work highlights that the processed pomelo peels have outstanding adsorption capacities for EGCG, which could be promising candidates for EGCG delivering in functional food application.

Based on the first-principles of density functional theory, this paper systematically studied the effect of tensile and compression deformation on the electrical properties of graphyne. The study show that the graphyne has an direct and adjustable band gap under deformation. Under uniaxial deformation, the band gap tend to be in the decline with the increase of the deformation, but under biaxial deformation, the band gap is positively correlated with the deformation, which increases with the rising of the tension deformation, and decreases with the increase of the compression deformation. The band gap value calculated by the HSE06 method is larger than what is obtained by the GGA method, but the shape characteristics of the band structure obtained by the two are basically the same, as well as the same trend between band gap and strain. With the tensile and compressive deformations increase, the charge transfer between C atoms in the graphyne is intensified. Compressive deformation makes the graphyne system more stable, while tensile deformation reduces the stability of graphyne. Compared with uniaxial, biaxial deformation has a more severe effect on the stability and band gap of the graphyne system, but less on charge transfer.

Electrospinning is an effective and versatile method to prepare continuous polymer nanofibers and nonwovens that exhibit excellent properties such as high molecular orientation, high porosity and large specific surface area. Benefitting from these outstanding and intriguing features, electrospun nanofibers have been employed as a promising candidate for the fabrication of food packaging materials. Actually, the electrospun nanofibers used in food packaging must possess biocompatibility and low toxicity. In addition, in order to maintain the quality of food and extend its shelf life, food packaging materials also need to have certain functionality. Herein, in this timely review, functional materials produced from electrospinning toward food packaging are highlighted. At first, various strategies for the preparation of polymer electrospun fiber are introduced, then the characteristics of different packaging films and their successful applications in food packaging are summarized, including degradable materials, superhydrophobic materials, edible materials, antibacterial materials and high barrier materials. Finally, the future perspective and key challenges of polymer electrospun nanofibers for food packaging are also discussed. Hopefully, this review would provide a fundamental insight into the development of electrospun functional materials with high performance for food packaging.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and hepatocytes are two attractive sources of cell-based therapies for acute liver failure (ALF). The cotransplantation of hepatocytes with MSCs can improve the therapeutic performance for the treatment of ALF. However, the therapeutic potential of conditioned medium (CM) derived from MSCs cocultured with hepatocytes (MSC-H-CM) remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of MSC-H-CM on damaged hepatocytes in vitro and on D-galactosamine-induced ALF in vivo. D-Galactosamine-treated L02 cells cultured in MSC-H-CM exhibited higher of cell viability and total protein synthesis than L02 cells cultured in MSC-CM, CM derived from hepatocytes (H-CM), MSC-CM + H-CM, or with nonconditioned medium (NCM). Lactate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase levels were lower in the supernatant of damaged L02 cells cultured in MSC-H-CM than in that of L02 cells cultured in other types of CM. The lowest percentage of apoptotic cells was observed after the MSC-H-CM treatment. When CM was injected into the tail vein of rats with ALF, MSC-H-CM was the most successful at preventing the release of liver injury biomarkers and in promoting the recovery of liver structure. The greatest survival rate 7 days after the first treatment was observed in the MSC-H-CM-treated rats. Our results reveal that the delivery of MSC-H-CM could be a novel strategy for integrating the therapeutic potentials of hepatocytes and MSCs for the treatment of ALF.

Anisodus tanguticus is endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, but its wild populations are shrinking roughly, and need urgent conservation. Here, we report the complete sequence of the chloroplast genome of A. tanguticus. The genome was 155,764 bp in length with 129 genes comprising 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. The overall GC content of A. tanguticus chloroplast genome was is 37.9%. Phylogenomic analysis suggested that A. tanguticus forms a monophyletic group with Hyoscyamus which shows closed relationship with the clade of Przewalskia and Scopolia.

Peganum harmala is the representative species of Peganum mainly growing in saline soils in temperate deserts and Mediterranean regions. Here, we report the complete chloroplast genome sequence of P. harmala. The genome was 160,068 bp in length with the GC content of 37.5%. The genome encoded 127 genes including 82 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The phylogenomic analysis suggested that P. harmala forms a monophyletic group with Nitraria, which supported to divide Peganum and Nitraria from Zygophyllaceae as Nitrariaceae.

In order to seek for new Raman crystals, the manuscript presented the discussion on the Raman frequency of α-quartz, β-quartz, as well as Pb4+-doped SiO2 crystals at different temperature and pressure. The results demonstrated that as the pressure increased, the Raman lines shifted towards higher frequency for α-SiO2 crystal, while for β-SiO2 crystals, the main lines moved to lower frequency. Several new peaks were generated from the Pb4+-doped α-SiO2 crystals. The Pb4+-doped β-SiO2 crystals presented strong and ample Raman beams in the low-frequency range. The airfoil-shaped spectra appeared and broadened at high temperature and pressure. It could be inferred that the Pb4+-doped SiO2 crystals were excellent Raman crystal candidates.

When using image processing technology to analyze mineral particle size in complex scenes, it is difficult to separate the objects from the background with traditional algorithms. This paper proposes an ore image segmentation algorithm based on a histogram accumulation moment, which is applied to multi-scenario ore object location and recognition. Firstly, the multi-scale Retinex color restoration algorithm is used to improve the contrast in the dark region and eliminates the shadows generated by the stacked adhesion ores. Then, the zero-order and first-order cumulative moments close to the selected gray level are calculated, reducing the error caused by noise. Finally, the selected gray level gradually approaches the optimal threshold to avoid falling into local optimum. It can segment mineral images with unimodal or insignificant bimodal characteristic histogram effectively and accurately. Ore images in three different scenarios are used to verify the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm provides better segmentation results than other methods.

Image feature description and matching is widely used in computer vision, such as camera pose estimation. Traditional feature descriptions lack the semantic and spatial information, and give rise to a large number of feature mismatches. In order to improve the accuracy of image feature matching, a feature description and matching method, based on local semantic information fusion and feature spatial consistency, is proposed in this paper. Once object detection is used on images, feature points are then extracted, and image patches with various sizes surrounding these points are clipped. These patches are sent into the Siamese convolution network to get their semantic vectors. Then, semantic fusion description of feature points is obtained by weighted sum of the semantic vectors, and their weights optimized by particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. When matching these feature points using their descriptions, feature spatial consistency is calculated based on the spatial consistency of matched objects, and the orientation and distance constraint of adjacent points within matched objects. With the description and matching method, the feature points are matched accurately and effectively. Our experiment results showed the efficiency of our methods.

The development of novel theranostic nanovectors is of particular interest in treating formidable diseases (e.g., cancers). Herein, we report a new tumor-targetable theranostic agent based on core crosslinked (CCL) micelles, possessing tumor targetable moieties and fluorescence and magnetic resonance (MR) dual imaging modalities. An azide-terminated diblock copolymer, N3-POEGMA-b-P(DPA-co-GMA), was synthesized via consecutive atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), where OEGMA, DPA, and GMA are oligo(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate, 2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate, and glycidyl methacrylate, respectively. The resulting diblock copolymer was further functionalized with DOTA(Gd) (DOTA is 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetrakisacetic acid) or benzaldehyde moieties via copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) chemistry, resulting in the formation of DOTA(Gd)-POEGMA-b-P(DPA-co-GMA) and benzaldehyde-POEGMA-b-P(DPA-co-GMA) copolymers. The resultant block copolymers co-assembled into mixed micelles at neutral pH in the presence of tetrakis[4-(2-mercaptoethoxy)phenyl]ethylene (TPE-4SH), which underwent spontaneous crosslinking reactions with GMA residues embedded within the micellar cores, simultaneously switching on TPE fluorescence due to the restriction of intramolecular rotation. Moreover, camptothecin (CPT) was encapsulated into the crosslinked cores at neutral pH, and tumor-targeting pH low insertion peptide (pHLIP, sequence: AEQNPIYWARYADWLFTTPLLLLDLALLVDADEGTCG) moieties were attached to the coronas through the Schiff base chemistry, yielding a theranostic nanovector with fluorescence and MR dual imaging modalities and tumor-targeting capability. The nanovectors can be efficiently taken up by A549 cells, as monitored by TPE fluorescence. After internalization, intracellular acidic pH triggered the release of loaded CPT, killing cancer cells in a selective manner. On the other hand, the nanovectors labeled with DOTA(Gd) contrast agents exhibited increased relaxivity (r1 = 16.97 mM−1·s−1) compared to alkynyl-DOTA(Gd) small molecule precursor (r1 = 3.16 mM−1·s−1). Moreover, in vivo MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) measurements revealed CCL micelles with pHLIP peptides exhibiting better tumor accumulation and MR imaging performance as well.

ADP is an important physiological agonist that induces integrin activation and platelet aggregation through its receptors P2Y(1) (Gα(q)-coupled) and P2Y(12) (Gα(i)-coupled). P2Y(12) plays a critical role in platelet activation and thrombosis. Adenosine-based P2Y(12) antagonists, 2-methylthioadenosine 5'-monophosphate triethylammonium salt hydrate (2MeSAMP) and Cangrelor (AR-C69931MX) have been widely used to demonstrate the role of P2Y(12) in platelet function. Cangrelor is being evaluated in clinical trials of thrombotic diseases. However, a recent study reported that both 2MeSAMP and Cangrelor raise intra-platelet cAMP levels and inhibit platelet aggregation through a P2Y(12)-independent mechanism.The present work, using P2Y(12) deficient mice, sought to clarify previous conflicting reports and to elucidate the mechanisms by which 2MeSAMP and Cangrelor inhibit platelet activation and thrombosis. 2MeSAMP and Cangrelor inhibited aggregation and ATP release of wild-type but not P2Y(12) deficient platelets. 2MeSAMP and Cangrelor neither raised intracellular cAMP concentrations nor induced phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) in washed human or mouse platelets. Furthermore, unlike the activators (PGI(2) and forskolin) of the cAMP pathway, 2MeSAMP and Cangrelor failed to inhibit Ca(2+) mobilization, Akt phosphorylation, and Rap1b activation in P2Y(12) deficient platelets. Importantly, while injection of Cangrelor inhibited thrombus formation in a FeCl(3)-induced thrombosis model in wild-type mice, it failed to affect thrombus formation in P2Y(12) deficient mice.These data together demonstrate that 2MeSAMP and Cangrelor inhibit platelet function through the P2Y(12)-dependent mechanism both in vitro and in vivo.

Macrophages have long been recognized as a prominent component of tumors. Activated macrophages overexpress folate receptors and we used this phenomenon to image inflammatory reactions in colon dysplasia using a fluorescent folate probe (FFP). APC Δ468 mice injected with FFP showed fluorescent adenomas (target-to-background ratio, adenoma vs. adjacent normal mucosa, of 2.46 ± 0.41), significantly higher ( p < .001) than adenomas in animals injected with a non-folate-containing control probe. Fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analysis revealed a 3-fold higher content of Mac1-positive cells in colonic adenomas compared with normal adjacent mucosa (6.8% vs. 2.2%), and confirmed the source of FFP-positive cells to be primarily an F4/80-positive macrophage subpopulation. Taken together, these results indicate that FFP potentially can be used to image dysplastic intestinal adenomas in vivo.