Search

AbstractSpatio-temporally correlated data appear in many environmental studies, and consequently, there is an increasing demand for estimation methods that take account of spatio-temporal (ST) correlation and thereby improve the accuracy of estimation. In this paper, we propose an estimation procedure that improves efficiency, which is based upon a nonparametric pre-whitening transformation of the dependent variable that must be estimated from the data. The asymptotic normality of the proposed estimators is established under mild conditions. We demonstrate, using both simulation and case studies, that the proposed estimators are more efficient than the traditional locally linear methods which fail to account for ST correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid‐based nanostructures have garnered considerable interests over the last two decades, and have achieved tremendous clinical success including the first clinical approval of a liposome (Doxil) for cancer therapy in 1995 and the recent COVID‐19 mRNA lipid nanoparticle vaccines. Compared to liposomes which have a lipid bilayer surrounding an aqueous core, lipid nanoparticles with a particle structure have several attractive advantages for encapsulating poorly water‐soluble drugs such as better stability due to the particle structure, high drug encapsulation efficiency because of a pre‐ or co‐drug‐loading strategy. While many studies have reported the synthesis of lipid nanoparticles for hydrophobic drug encapsulation, the precise control of drug loading and encapsulation efficiency remains a significant challenge. This work reports a new concentration‐controlled nanoprecipitation platform technology for fabricating lipid nanoparticles with tunable drug loading up to 70 wt%. This method is applicable for encapsulating a wide range of drugs from very hydrophobic to slightly hydrophilic. Using this facile method, nanoparticles with tunable drug loading exhibited excellent properties such as small particle size, narrow size distribution, good particle stability, showing great promise for future drug delivery applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer. Lonicerae flos polysaccharides (LPs) have been shown to be effective in treating metabolic diseases; however, the therapeutic effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of LPs in NAFLD remain unclear. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to investigate the morphological characterization of Lonicerae flos polysaccharides (LPs) and the mechanism of LPs in relieving NAFLD. METHODS: The morphology of LPs was observed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), thermal weight (TG), and thermal weight derivative (DTG); NAFLD mice were treated with LPs at the same time as they were induced with a Western diet, and then the indexes related to glycolipid metabolism, fibrosis, inflammation, and autophagy in the serum and liver of the mice were detected. RESULTS: The atomic force microscope analysis results indicated that the LPs displayed sugar‐chain aggregates, exhibited an amorphous structure, and were relatively stable in thermal cracking at 150 °C. It was also found that LPs exerted therapeutic effects in NAFLD. The LPs prevented high‐fat and ‐cholesterol diet‐induced NAFLD progression by regulating glucose metabolism dysregulation, insulin resistance, lipid accumulation, inflammation, fibrosis, and autophagy. Adenosine 5′‐monophosphate (AMP)‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor compound C abrogated LP‐induced hepatoprotection in mice with NAFLD. The LPs further treated NAFLD by reshaping the structure of the gut microbiota, in which Desulfovibrio bacteria plays a key roles. CONCLUSION: Lonicerae flos polysaccharides exert protective effects against NAFLD in mice by improving the structure of the intestinal flora and activating the AMPK signaling pathway. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition bimetallic sulfides exhibit high capacity and outstanding chemical performance in supercapacitors due to their abundant electrochemical active sites and conductivity. In this paper, NiCo2S4 with an obvious core–shell nanosphere structure was prepared by adjusting the amount of thiourea by a one-step hydrothermal method. This special core–shell structure of the NiCo2S4 material can provide more active sites to make it exhibit better electrochemical performance. The electrochemical performance test results show that the NiCo2S4 material prepared with 16 mmol thiourea can reach 1224.0 F g−1 at the current density of 1 A g−1, and maintain 88.74% capacitance even at 10 A g−1. In addition, with the NiCo2S4 as the positive electrode and activated carbon as the negative electrode, the supercapacitor (NiCoS3//AC) can achieve the specific capacitance of 121.9 F g−1 when the current density is 1 A g−1. At a power density of 614 W kg−1, the energy density reaches 38.1 Wh kg−1. The results show that the microstructure of the material is closely related to the amount of thiourea added, and that only appropriate degree of vulcanization is helpful for the formation of core–shell-like NiCo2S4 with excellent performance. NiCo2S4 material with its unique core–shell structure makes it exhibit a better energy storage performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the integrated development of agriculture and tourism is one of the most critical strategic measures in China. The rapid growth of agricultural tourism integration presents the typical characteristics of expanding regional differences. Exploring the impact of agricultural tourism integration on the growth of green total factor productivity in agriculture has important theoretical and practical significance. This study constructs a comprehensive index system for agricultural tourism integration, measuring the development level of agricultural tourism integration in 30 sample provinces from 2008 to 2018. Using the generalized system method of moments approach and Tobit model, the impact of agricultural tourism integration on agriculture was empirically tested, and the regulatory role of rural human capital was discussed. It was found that agricultural tourism integration contributes significantly to the improvement in green total factor productivity in agriculture, with rural mobility human capital, education human capital, and health human capital all playing a significant positive moderating role in this process. Finally, it is recommended that priority be given to agricultural tourism integration in the policy framework, promoting industrial chain upgrading, raising investment in rural infrastructure, and upgrading rural human capital levels to contribute the rural economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]