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Alginate oligosaccharides are a kind of low molecular weight polymer composed of 2~10 monosaccharide molecules linked by the same or different glycosidic bonds. Alginate lyase is an important tool for the enzymatic preparation of AOS. AOS prepared by the enzymatic method is superior to AOS prepared by other methods in purity, performance and structure. In this paper, the origin, structure and enzymatic properties of alginate lyase were reviewed, and the applications of alginate lyase in aquaculture, such as feed additive, microalgae cultivation, immune regulation, antioxidant and antibacterial, were summarized. The research direction of alginate lyase and the application prospect of alginate lyase in aquaculture were prospected, which provided reference for the application of alginate lyase and AOS in aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was conducted to study the degradation rate of RPCys and RPMet in saliva, rumen and small intestine, examine the stability of RPCys and RPMet coating. The degradation rates of RPCys and RPMet were determined by artificial saliva method, semi-internal nylon bag method and in vitro simulated intestinal digestion method, and the protective effect of RPCys and RPMet over rumen was evaluated comprehensively. The results showed that the degradation rates of RPCys and RPMet in artificial saliva were 3.24%, 9.32% in 2 h and 4.10%, 11.84% in 4 h, respectively. The effective degradation rates in rumen were 8.97% and 32.00%, respectively. The degradation rate was higher than 87.38% and 81.12% after 2 h in the simulated small intestine environment in vitro, respectively. The experiment indicates that RPCys and RPMet are well coated, stable in artificial saliva and rumen, which have high small intestinal release rate. Compared with RPMet, RPCys has better rumen bypass protection effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value is an important quantitative parameter in the research of cervical cancer, affected by some factors. Purpose: To investigate the effect of pathological type and menstrual status on the ADC value of cervical cancer. Material and Methods: A total of 352 individuals with pathologically confirmed cervical cancer between January 2015 to December 2017 were retrospectively enrolled in this study, including 317 cases with squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 35 cases with adenocarcinomas (AC); 177 patients were non-menopausal and 175 were menopausal. All patients underwent a routine 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) examination using b-values of 0, 800, and 1000 s/mm². Three parameters including mean ADC (ADCmean), maximum ADC (ADCmax), and minimum ADC (ADCmin) of cervical cancer lesions were measured and retrospectively analyzed. Independent samples t-test was used to compare the difference of ADC values in different menstrual status and pathological types. Results: In all menopausal and non-menopausal patients, the ADCmean and ADCmin values of SCC were lower than those of AC (P<0.05), the ADCmax of two pathological types showed no statistical difference (P > 0.05). In menopausal patients, the ADCmean, ADCmax, and ADCmin values of SCC were not statistically different compared with those of AC (P > 0.05). The ADCmean, ADCmax, and ADCmin values of different pathological types cervical cancers in non-menopausal patients were all higher than those in menopausal patients (P<0.05). Conclusion: The ADC values of the cervical cancers were different in different pathological types and were also affected by menstrual status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Er3+/Yb3+ codoped tellurite-zinc-niobium (TZNb) glass was prepared by the melt-quenching method and used for the construction of a point all-fiber temperature sensor. The glass thermal stability and network structural properties were studied by differential thermal analysis and Raman spectrum, respectively. High glass transition temperature is beneficial to widen the working temperature range. The dependence of fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) of green upconversion emissions on the surrounding temperature from 276 to 363 K was experimentally investigated and the maximum temperature sensitivity is 95 × 10-4 K-1 at 363 K. Strong green upconversion emission, broad temperature measurement range and high sensitivity indicate this point temperature sensor is a promising optical device for application on optical temperature sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to examine the associations between the protein and mRNA expression levels of ovarian cancer gene 1 (OVCA1), cyclin D1 and p16 and high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection in cervical lesions. The protein expression levels of OVCA1, cyclin D1 and p16 in 66 cases of cervical cancer, 64 cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and 34 normal cervix tissues were detected using immunohistochemistry. The mRNA expression levels of OVCA1, cyclin D1 and p16 in cervical cancer and normal cervix cells were detected using real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results revealed that the protein expression levels of OVCA1 increased gradually, whereas its mRNA expression levels decreased gradually, in the progression from normal cervix tissue to CIN and cervical cancer (P<0.01). In addition, significant differences in the protein expression levels of OVCA1 between low-and high-level CIN, as well as between the early and advanced stages of cervical cancer, were observed (P<0.05). No significant associations were detected between the protein and mRNA expression levels of OVCA1 and the pathological type of cervical cancer or the presence of lymph node metastasis (P>0.05). The expression levels of OVCA1 mRNA and protein were positively correlated with the levels of p16 expression (P<0.01). Significant differences were also observed in the OVCA1 protein and mRNA expression levels between the HR-HPV (+) and HR-HPV (-) groups (P<0.05). Therefore, aberrant expression of OVCA1 protein and mRNA may be important during the development of cervical lesions, particularly in the early stages. In addition, the mechanisms underlying the effects of OVCA1 during cervical cancer development may involve p16 and HPV, as the levels of OVCA1 in cervical lesions were correlated with abnormal expression of p16 and HR-HPV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of important optical properties of chiral molecules, the real-time monitoring of the optical rotation is of great significance to study the reaction characteristics of chiral molecules. In this study, we have built an optical frequency domain weak measurement system with linear common-path method for chiral sensing, in which the response between optical rotation and central wavelength shift can reach more than 1200 nm/rad. The high-precision measurement of the optical rotation of chiral molecules and the high-sensitivity real-time monitoring of the decomposition rate in the acidic hydrolysis of sucrose under different concentrations of catalysts are realized using this system. The experimental results are basically consistent with the theoretical prediction. This study shows that optical weak measurement chiral sensing can monitor the hydrolysis degree of chiral molecules in real time without separating and labeling molecules. It has great application potential in the production and research of chiral compounds, especially chiral medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nondestructive entangled-state analyzers could save the physical entanglement resource and boost the efficiency of quantum information processing (QIP). However, up to now, there is no much progress in the nondestructive analysis of Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states. In this paper, a nondestructive photonic polarization GHZ-state analyzer, based on the interaction between circularly polarized light and quantum-dot cavity systems, is proposed. We can distinguish the GHZ states deterministically in theory, and the states are not destroyed because no single-photon detectors are required. Our scheme can be extended to $$n$$ -photon GHZ states analysis directly and can be used to achieve QIP with less resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schemes for two-qubit and three-qubit controlled gates based on cross-Kerr nonlinearity are proposed in this paper. The probability of the success of these gates can be increased by quantum nondemolition detectors, which are used to judge which paths the signal photons pass through. These schemes are almost deterministic and require no ancilla photon. The advantages of these gates over the existing ones include less resource consumption and a higher probability of success, which make our schemes more feasible with current technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a scheme for quantum superdense coding with hyperentanglement, in which the sender can transfer four bits of classical information by sending only one photon. The important device in the scheme is the hyperentangled Bell-state analyzer in both polarization and frequency degrees of freedom, which is also constructed in the paper by using a quantum nondemolition detector assisted by cross-Kerr nonlinearity. Our scheme can transfer more information with less resources than the existing schemes and is nearly deterministic and nondestructive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α-DCs (α-dicarbonyls) have been proven to be closely related to aging and the onset and development of many chronic diseases. The wide presence of this kind of components in various foods and beverages has been unambiguously determined, but their occurrence in various phytomedicines remains in obscurity. In this study, we established and evaluated an HPLC-UV method and used it to measure the contents of four α-DCs including 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), glyoxal (GO), methylglyoxal (MGO), and diacetyl (DA) in 35 Chinese herbs after they have been derivatized with 4-nitro-1,2-phenylenediamine. The results uncover that 3-DG is the major component among the α-DCs, being detectable in all the selected herbs in concentrations ranging from 22.80 μg/g in the seeds of Alpinia katsumadai to 7032.75 μg/g in the fruit of Siraitia grosuenorii. The contents of the other three compounds are much lower than those of 3-DG, with GO being up to 22.65 μg/g, MGO being up to 55.50 μg/g, and DA to 18.75 μg/g, respectively. The data show as well the contents of the total four α-DCs in the herbs are generally in a comparable level to those in various foods, implying that herb medicines may have potential risks on human heath in view of the α-DCs. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Astaxanthin (ASX) is carotenoid with the highest antioxidant activity in various cell types and reverse atherosclerosis. However, the roles and detailed mechanisms of ASX in atherosclerosis associated endothelial injury remains unclear. Methods: In vitro atherosclerosis model was established in HUVECs by incubation with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL). Cell viability and oxidative stress were measured. The mRNA and protein expressions of lectin-like ox-LDL receptor (LOX-1) and other related genes were determined. Results: ox-LDL reduced cell viability of HUVECs, and induced oxidative stress, as evidenced by elevated cellular malondialdehyde (MDA) and decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD). Pretreatment with ASX (50, 100, 200, and 400 µM) markedly reversed the reduction in cell viability and an increase in migration of HUVECs induced by ox-LDL (50 µg/mL). ASX attenuated the increase in the endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) process, as evidenced by increased CD31 and decreased a-SMA and vimentin proteins by ASX treatment in HUVECs. Furthermore, ASX attenuated the increase in MDA and decrease in SOD induced by ox-LDL, increased supernatant NO production, attenuated the increase in iNOS and decrease in eNOS in HUVECs with ox-LDL. ASX enhanced mRNA and protein expressions of the lectin-like ox-LDL receptor (LOX-1), which was dependent on ASX's antioxidant activity. The inhibitory effect of ASX on EndMT could be abolished by overexpression of LOX-1 in HUVECs induced by ox-LDL. Conclusions: Our data speculate that ASX prevents ox-LDL-induced endothelial cell injury and EndMT by inducing antioxidant property (SOD and NO) and decreasing LOX-1 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to investigate the experiences of parents who have experienced bereavement in their efforts to preserve memories of their deceased child. Methods: Employing a qualitative meta-synthesis approach, this study systematically sought relevant qualitative literature by conducting searches across various electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Wiley, up until July 2023. Results: Nine studies are eligible for inclusion and included in the meta-synthesis. Three overarching categories are identified: (1) Affirming the Significance of Memory Making. (2) Best Practices in Memory Making. (3) Barriers to Effective Memory Making. Conclusion: Bereaved parents highly value the act of creating lasting memories, emphasizing its profound significance. While forming these memories, it is imperative to offer family-centered care and honor diverse preferences and needs. It is essential to offer effective support to parents, offering them a range of choices. Furthermore, a more comprehensive examination of memory-making practices is required to better understand their influence on parents' recollections of their deceased child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bearing is widely used in the rotating machinery and prone to failure due to the harsh working environment. The bearing fault-induced impulses are weak because of poor background noise, long vibration transmission path, and slight fault degree. Therefore, the bearing fault detection is difficult. A novel adaptive stochastic resonance method based on multi-agent cuckoo search algorithm for bearing fault detection is proposed. Stochastic resonance (SR) is like a nonlinear filter, which can enhance the weak fault-induced impulses while suppressing the noise. However, the parameters of the nonlinear system exert an influence on the SR effect, and the optimal parameters are difficult to be found. Multi-agent cuckoo search (MACS) algorithm is an excellent heuristic optimization algorithm and can be used to search the parameters of nonlinear system adaptively. Two bearing fault signals are used to validate the effectiveness of our proposed method. Three other adaptive SR methods based on cuckoo search algorithm, particle swarm optimization or genetic algorithm are also used for comparison. The results show that MACS can find the optimal parameters more quickly and more accurately, and our proposed method can enhance the fault-induced impulses efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Calcium (water) density (DCa(Wa)) of gemstone spectral imaging by spectral computed tomography (CT) is a new method of evaluating bone structures.Purpose: To investigate age-related change of DCa(Wa) of a chosen lumbar vertebra in adult women with spectral CT and the correlation between the DCa(Wa) and bone mineral density (BMD) of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).Material and Methods: A total of 305 adult women underwent spectral CT, 127 of whom simultaneously underwent DXA. All the patients were divided into 11 subgroups based on age. DCa(Wa) and BMD were measured at the second lumbar vertebra on the calcium (water)-based material decomposition images of spectral CT and DXA, respectively. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for the difference of the measurements among adjacent age subgroups. Pearson correlation was used to assess the association between age and DCa(Wa), age and BMD, as well as DCa(Wa) and BMD.Results: There was a significant negative correlation between DCa(Wa) and age (r = -0.719) as well as BMD and age(r = -0.851). The mean DCa(Wa) of L2 vertebral body was significantly different between the 40-44- and 45-49-, 45-49- and 50-54-, 55-59- and 60-64-, 65-69- and 70-74-year-old age subgroups. BMD was significantly different between the 35-39- and 40-44-, 45-49- and 50-54-, and 65-69- and 70-74-year-old age subgroups. There was a significant positive correlation between DCa(Wa) and BMD.Conclusions: The DCa(Wa) of lumbar vertebra by spectral CT demonstrated similar age distribution as BMD of DXA and could be used as a method of measuring the vertebral bone mineral density in adult women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to the present diamagnetic glass used in the sensing element of optical current sensors (OCSs), the high‐sensitivity characteristics of the rare‐earth magneto‐optical glass (REMOG) can significantly improve the performance of an REMOG sensing element. The optimization objective of this study was to enhance the sensitivity of the sensing element and reduce linear birefringence. Theoretical analysis and experimental data were combined to study the practical influences of a few factors, such as the size and spatial position of the glass, the wavelength of the incident light, and the rare‐earth doping concentration, on the sensitivity of an OCS sensing element. Finally, an optimal parameter combination was obtained. The experimental results showed that the response sensitivity of the REMOG sensing element is seven times the sensitivity using diamagnetic glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose an improved Kalman filtering algorithm, to solve problems associated with processing of direct current (DC) signals in optical current transformers (OCTs). The algorithm was realized as follows. Based on the characteristics of the OCT, mixed noise was included with the parameters and state information of the measurement model, to ensure that it could be processed. State predictions and update equations for the improved Kalman algorithm were obtained, according to the minimum mean squared error criterion, using the established model. Finally, real-time noise estimation and correction was achieved by designing a recursive noise filter. Results from simulations and experiments demonstrate that the improved signal processing algorithm is effective in filtering mixed noise from DC signals measured by an OCT. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm is able to achieve real-time noise correction during the filtering process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To investigate the capability, properties, and molecular mechanism of inulin fermentation by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from Sichuan pickle. Methods and results A total of 79 LAB strains were purified from 30 aged Sichuan pickle brine samples, and only 21 Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains (26.58%, 21/79) derived from 15 samples grew well through utilizing inulin as a carbon source. The fermentation tests through using long-chain inulin (lc-inulin) as a carbon source showed that only 6 L. plantarum strains grew well, while other 15 strains could only utilize short-chain oligofructose (FOS), and thin-layer chromatography analysis evidenced a strain specificity of inulin consumption patterns. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum YT041 is a vigorous inulin fermenter, and whole genome sequencing data revealed that sacPTS1 and fosRABCDXE operons might be associated with the fermentation of FOS and lc-inulin, respectively. Conclusions The phenotype of inulin consumption is commonly present in LAB from Sichuan pickle, which is strain-specific and largely depends on their specific ecological niche and degree of polymerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) is one of the key enzymes of the biosynthesis of branched-chain amino acids, it is also an effective target for the screening of herbicides and antibiotics. In this study we present a method for preparing Escherichia coli AHAS I holoenzyme (EcAHAS I) with exceptional stability, which provides a solid ground for us to re-investigate the in vitro catalytic properties of the protein. The results show EcAHAS I synthesized in this way exhibits similar function to Bacillus subtilis acetolactate synthase in its catalysis with pyruvate and 2-ketobutyrate (2-KB) as dual-substrate, producing four 2-hydroxy-3-ketoacids including (S)-2-acetolactate, (S)-2-aceto-2-hydroxybutyrate, (S)-2-propionyllactate, and (S)-2-propionyl-2-hydroxybutyrate. Quantification of the reaction indicates that the two substrates almost totally consume, and compound (S)-2-aceto-2- hydroxybutyrate forms in the highest yield among the four major products. Moreover, the protein also condenses two molecules of 2-KB to furnish (S)-2-propionyl-2-hydroxybutyrate. Further exploration manifests that EcAHAS I ligates pyruvate/2-KB and nitrosobenzene to generate two arylhydroxamic acids N -hydroxy- N -phenylacetamide and N -hydroxy- N -phenyl- propionamide. These findings enhance our comprehension of the catalytic characteristics of EcAHAS I. Furthermore, the application of this enzyme as a catalyst in construction of C –N bonds displays promising potential. [Display omitted] • The in vitro activity of AHAS I from E. coli (EcAHAS) was re-investigated. • EcAHAS condenses pyruvate or 2-ketobutyrate (2-KB) to furnish (S)-AL or (S)-PHB. • It condenses pyruvate and 2-KB to produce (S)-AL, (S)-AHB, (S)-PL, and (S)-PHB. • It ligates pyruvate and benzylaldehyde to give (R)-PAC. • It ligates pyruvate/2-KB and nitrosobenzene to yield arylhydroxamic acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Computed tomography perfusion (CTP) can provide information on blood perfusion as a reliable marker of tumor response to therapy. Purpose: To assess the role of volume CTP (vCTP) parameters in predicting treatment response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for cervical cancer. Material and Methods: Thirty-three patients with cervical cancer underwent vCTP. Three CTP parameters of cervical cancer--including arterial flow (AF), blood volume (BV), and permeability surface (PS)--were measured in two different ways: the region of interest incorporating the "local hot" with the highest enhancement and "cold spot" with the lowest enhancement; and "whole-tumor" measurements. The patients were divided into non-residual and residual tumor groups according to the short-term response to treatment. The clinical and perfusion parameters were compared between the two groups. Results: There was no significant difference in age, body mass index, FIGO stage, pathological grade, or pretreatment tumor size between the two groups (P > 0.05). The non-residual tumor group had higher pretreatment AF in high-perfusion and low-perfusion subregions than the residual tumor group (P <0.05), but the AF in whole-tumor regions was not different between the two groups (P > 0.05). There were no differences in BV and PS between the two groups (P > 0.05). The diagnostic potency of AF in the low-perfusion subregion was higher than that in the high-perfusion subregion. Conclusion: vCTP parameters are valuable for the prediction of short-term effects. The AF in the low-perfusion subregion was a more effective index for predicting treatment response to CCRT of cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the prediction value of a radiomics model based on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps for pelvic lymph node metastasis (PLNM) in patients with stage IB–IIA cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). A total of 153 stage IB–IIA CSCC patients who underwent preoperative MRI including DWI from January 2015 to October 2017 were retrospectively studied and divided into a training cohort (n = 102) and a validation cohort (n = 51). Radiomics features were extracted from the ADC maps. The one-way ANOVA method, Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson's correlation analysis were used for selecting radiomics features. Logistic regression analyses were used to develop the model. ROC analyses were used to evaluate the prediction performance of the model. Clinical stage, tumor diameter, and MR-reported lymph node (LN) status were significantly associated with LN status (p < 0.05 for both the training and validation cohorts). The radiomics model, which incorporated clinical stage, MR-reported LN status, and grey-level non-uniformity, showed good predictive performance in the training group (AUC 0.864; 95% CI, 0.782 – 0.924) and the validation group (AUC 0.870; 95% CI, 0.747 – 0.948). The performance of the radiomics model was significantly better than that of each predictive factor alone. The presented radiomics model, a non-invasive preoperative prediction tool, has the potential to have more predictive efficacy than clinical and radiological factors for differentiating between metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes. A radiomics model derived from the ADC maps of primary lesions demonstrated good performance for predicting PLNM in stage IB-IIA CSCC patients and may help to improve clinical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural hollow fibers were used as templates to in situ produce thin Cs4PbX6 nanosheets on the inner walls, forming luminescent fibers that integrated the advantages of the large length of fibers and the emission tunability of perovskites, and exhibited great robustness as well for multiple applications like warning signs, anti-counterfeiting and fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible and wearable supercapacitors (SCs) have received extensive attention due to their promising applications in wearable electronics. Previous efforts have been mainly devoted to fabricate electrode materials with high surface areas, including activated carbon through carbonizing natural fibers at high temperature. This methodology however frequently disintegrates the fibrous structures and fails to take full advantage of the intrinsic and foremost feature of the fibers as fabrics. Herein we proposed one alternative strategy to enhance SC performance through utilizing natural hollow Calotropis gigantea fibers (CGFs) with hydrophobic surfaces to confine conductive polymer of polypyrrole (PPy) both outside and inside of the fiber lumen. The in situ electrodeposited PPy enabled a full contact between the electrode material and electrolyte, enlarged the electrolyte accessible area and spurred the capacitive performance of the SC, which demonstrated a significantly improved specific capacitance of 785.78 mF cm −2 at a current density of 4 mA cm −2 compared with the 648.44 mF cm −2 of SCs without the fibers (a 21.2% increase). The harness of confinement effect could potentially expand to be a general way to rationally design synthetic fibers with customized inner and outer diameter ratios, superficial hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties to realize optimum electrochemical performance for SCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the problem of signal processing in optical current transformers (OCTs). Based on the noise characteristics of OCTs, such as overlapping signals, noise frequency bands, low signal-to-noise ratios, and difficulties in acquiring statistical features of noise power, an improved standard Kalman filtering algorithm was proposed for direct current (DC) signal processing. The state-space model of the OCT DC measurement system is first established, and then mixed noise can be processed by adding mixed noise into measurement and state parameters. According to the minimum mean squared error criterion, state predictions and update equations of the improved Kalman algorithm could be deduced based on the established model. An improved central difference Kalman filter was proposed for alternating current (AC) signal processing, which improved the sampling strategy and noise processing of colored noise. Real-time estimation and correction of noise were achieved by designing AC and DC noise recursive filters. Experimental results show that the improved signal processing algorithms had a good filtering effect on the AC and DC signals with mixed noise of OCT. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm was able to achieve real-time correction of noise during the OCT filtering process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topological characteristics of energy bands, such as Dirac and Weyl nodes, have attracted substantial interest in condensed matter systems as well as in classical wave systems. Among these energy bands, the type-II Dirac point is a nodal degeneracy with tilted conical dispersion, leading to a peculiar crossing dispersion in the constant-energy plane. Such nodal points have recently been found in electronic materials. The analogous topological feature in photonic systems remains a theoretical curiosity, with experimental realization expected to be challenging. Here, we experimentally realize the type-II Dirac point using a planar metasurface architecture, where the band degeneracy point is protected by the underlying mirror symmetry of the metasurface. Gapless edge modes are found and measured at the boundary between the different domains of the symmetry-broken metasurface. Our Letter shows that metasurfaces are simple and practical platforms for realizing electromagnetic type-II Dirac points, and their planar structure is a distinct advantage that facilitates applications in two-dimensional topological photonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corona discharge techniques, which are employed to orient dipoles and built up charges inside functional polymers, can develop important commercial applications of electroactive polymers (EAPs) and electrets for energy storage devices, air filters, electroacoustic and electromechanical transducers. We propose hereby an elective hybrid approach to the point-plane corona modeling in order to obtain more accurate electron flow in unipolar corona discharge system. A coupled system of partial differential equations (PDEs) w.r.t. Navier-stokes equations and hydrodynamic drift diffusion equations described the nature of photo-ionization, where the secondary avalanche in the discharge process was demonstrated. The simulation was verified by comparison with Surface Potential (SP) measurement of the nano-composites after corona polarization. Consequently, the spacial electric potential distribution and initial surface potential could be obtained by the means of finite elements method (FEM), which provided a good numerical approach for the experimental data of electrostatic surface potential. In addition, the influence of nano particle on the charge retain ability of the insulating polymers was also investigated, which could be a guideline for designing an effective poling method on the functional polymers applied in electrical energy storage devices sensors, actuators and transducer etc. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Searching for potential predictors of meat color is a challenging task for the meat industry. In this study, the relationship between meat color parameters and the sarcoplasmic proteome of M. longissimuss lumborum (LL) and M. psoas major (PM) from Chinese Luxi yellow cattle during post-mortem storage (0, 5, 10 and 15 days) were explored with the aid of the integrated proteomics and bioinformatics approaches. Meat color attributes revealed that LL displayed better color stability than PM during storage. Furthermore, sarcoplasmic proteins of these two muscles were compared between days 5, 10, 15 and day 0. Several proteins were closely correlated with meat color attributes and they were muscle-specific and responsible for the meat color stability at different storage periods. Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase A isoform, glycogen phosphorylase, peroxiredoxin-2, phosphoglucomutase-1, superoxide dismutase [Cu–Zn], heat shock cognate protein (71 kDa) might serve as the candidate predictors of meat color stability during post-mortem storage. In addition, bioinformatics analyses indicated that more proteins were involved in glycolytic metabolism of LL, which contributed to better meat color stability of LL than PM. The present results could provide a proteomic insight into muscle-specific meat color stability of Chinese Luxi yellow cattle during post-mortem storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recently we found the ethanolic extract and iridoid-rich fraction from Valeriana jatamansi Jones, which is a traditional Chinese medicine exhibited anxiolytic properties. Objective: This study aims to the substance dependence effect of the ethanolic extract and iridoid-rich fraction. Materials and Methods: The study included two experiments: Mice were given orally with ethanolic extract for 12 weeks or iridoid-rich fraction for 16 weeks in experiment I and experiment II, respectively. Diazepam was used as a control drug and the normal mice groups were administered with 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose Na in both experiments. All groups were administered twice daily. Natural withdrawal symptoms, withdrawal-induced body weight change, audiogenic tail-erection test (in experiment I), and pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced convulsion test (in experiment II) were measured. Results: (1) Compared to normal group in both experiments, the diazepam-treated group exhibited obvious withdrawal symptoms of tail-erection, irritability, teeth chattering, etc; the body weight of them after withdrawal had a period of significant loss (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01); and the ratios of tail-erection and seizure in two experiments were improved significantly when mice were induced by mixer noise ringtone (experiment I) or PTZ (experiment II) (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).(2) In experiment I and II, there were no significant differences between mice that received ethanolic extract or iridoid-rich fraction and normal group in terms of natural withdrawal symptoms and withdrawal-induced body weight change (P > 0.05); in audiogenic tail-erection test, it found that the significant difference compared with normal group was just in ethanolic extract 900 mg/kg dose group on week 8 (P < 0.05); in PTZ-induced convulsion test, mice in iridoid-rich fraction groups had a slightly tail-erection and seizure, all results of them were with no significant difference compare to normal mice (P > 0.05), while significant lower than diazepam group (P < 0.01). Conclusion: (1) The two experiments successfully established the physical dependence of diazepam by gradually increasing the dose. (2)There were just a few mice received with ethanolic extract for 12 weeks or iridoid-rich fraction for 16 weeks appearing some slight withdrawal symptoms after precipitated withdrawal, but it didn't show significant difference compared to normal mice. Therefore, these indicated that the risks of potential drug dependence about ethanolic extract and iridoid-rich fraction were far lower than that of diazepam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploration of the potential predictors of meat discoloration is a challenging task, especially in Luxi yellow cattle that are highly appreciated breed in China. In the present study, the variations in meat color attributes and sarcoplasmic proteome of M. semitendinosus during post-mortem storage (0, 5, 10 and 15 days) were evaluated and analyzed via integrating proteomics and bioinformatics. The proteomics results revealed that meat discoloration gradually occurred during storage periods, while sarcoplasmic proteome experienced complex changes. Among the differential proteins identified by comparison between day 0 and days 5, 10 and 15, triosephosphate isomerase, l -lactate dehydrogenase A chain isoform, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase A isoform, peroxiredoxin-6, and pyruvate kinase isozymes M1/M2 isoform are highly related to meat color parameters, which may serve as the candidate predictors for monitoring of meat discoloration during post-mortem. Furthermore, Gene Ontology and protein–protein interaction analyses indicated that they are representative proteins of the glycolytic metabolism and the redox process during post-mortem storage, suggesting a potential relationship between post-mortem discoloration and these proteins. The present results provide the theoretic basis of searching novel strategies to maintain the stability of meat color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proteomics, as a significant and potent postgenomic tool in the field of meat science, allows researchers to decipher underlying molecular mechanisms behind different meat quality traits. In recent years, growing attention has been paid to biomarkers accounting for meat quality attributes by means of potent proteomic technologies with the objective to gain deeper insight. This review will focus on the biomarkers of protein changes associated with the most important meat quality traits, including tenderness, color, and water-holding capacity. Molecular understanding of meat quality through application of proteomics will be conducive to generating a large amount of scientific knowledge that helps improve our understanding of meat quality, improve control, and tailor better meat quality. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the present work, changes in lipid and protein oxidation, non-heme iron (NHI) content, color and texture parameters during refrigerated storage (7 days/4 °C) of ohmically (OH) and water bath (WB)-cooked pork meat were studied. A significant effect of refrigerated storage duration and cooking method on color, texture, lipid oxidation and carbonyl content was detected for OH-cooked and WB-cooked meat. The OH-cooked meat had better color appearance, lipid oxidative stability, slightly enhanced hardness and protein oxidation levels during 7 days of storage having lower values of TBARS, center lightness ( L ⁎ ), center/surface brownness ( b ⁎ ) and free thiol groups; however, there were higher values of center/surface redness ( a ⁎ ), non-heme iron, protein carbonyl and hardness compared to those from WB-cooked meat. Industrial relevance The conventional cooking protocols always result in quality deteriorations and reduced shelf-life in meat products due to longer cooking times. In this study, the ohmically-cooked meat showed comparable or improved oxidation levels, color appearance and texture attributes during 7 days of refrigerated storage. From an anti-oxidation perspective, the available data are provided for the application of ohmic cooking in Chinese commercial productions of cooked meat with high quality requirements that could be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ohmic (OH) and water bath (WB) cooking on shear parameters, protein degradation and ultrastructure changes of porcine longissimus dorsi muscle at the same endpoint temperatures (EPTs; range, 20-100 °C). The cooking loss and Warner-Bratzler shear force of the OH-cooked meat were significantly lower ( P < 0.05) while protein solubility, pH and endothermic transition temperature were higher than those obtained by WB cooking at the same EPTs (range, 20-80 °C). Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis showed that during OH cooking, the meat had slightly fainter protein bands than that of WB-cooked ones. Less obvious shrinkage of the sarcomere and loss in the structure of Z discs were detected especially in OH-cooked meat at EPTs (100 °C). Strong correlations among pH, cooking loss, Warner-Bratzler shear force, sarcoplasmic protein solubility, T, and T were observed in meat following OH cooking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • L. plantarum QS7T from Sichuan pickle grew very well on inulin as a carbon source. • L. plantarum QS7T metabolized both short-chain and long-chain inulin components. • A high percentage of genes associated with carbohydrate metabolism were predicted. • The sacPTS1 and fos operons were related to two inulin-consuming strategies. Sichuan pickle is a natural combination of probiotics and dietary fibers, in which a strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum QS7T was found to be capable of efficiently metabolizing inulin. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of inulin consumption by the strain QS7T is unclear. Therefore, this study firstly investigated the metabolic characteristics of inulin in the strain QS7T, and the results showed it could grow very well on the medium containing inulin as a carbon source (maximum OD 600 nm , 1.891 ± 0.028) and degrade both short-chain oligofructose and long-chain fructan components through thin layer chromatography analysis. Genomic sequencing and analysis revealed a high percentage of functional genes associated with carbohydrate transport and metabolism, particularly glycoside hydrolase (GH) genes responsible for hydrolysing carbohydrates, within the genome of the strain QS7T. Furthermore, comparative transcriptomic analysis of L. plantarum QS7T in response to inulin or glucose indicated that functional genes associated with inulin consumption including several genes encoding PTS sugar transporters and two predicted GH32 family genes encoding beta-fructofuranosidase and beta-fructosidase were significantly up-regulated by inulin compared to the gene expression on glucose. In conclusion, we obtained a mechanistic understanding of interplay between probiotic L. plantarum QS7T derived from Sichuan pickle and natural dietary fiber, inulin; totally two operons including a sacPTS1 operon responsible for metabolizing short-chain oligofructose primarily in the cytoplasm and a fos operon responsible for extracellularly degrading all moderate and long-chain fructan components linked to inulin consumption by L. plantarum QS7T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ohmic (OH) and waterbath (WB) cooking on colour attributes and sarcoplasmic changes of porcine longissimus dorsi muscle at the same endpoint temperatures (EPTs; range 10°C–80°C). The OH treatment was carried out at 10Vcm−1, and the WB temperature at 85°C. The colour parameters, deoxymyoglobin% (DeoMb) and metmyoglobin% (MetMb) of the OH-cooked meat were significantly lower (P <0.05) than those obtained by WB-cooking at the same EPTs (range 60°C–80°C). SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the meat treated with WB-cooking had a lower sarcoplasmic protein solubility (5.97mg/g vs.14.89mg/g, P <0.05) and fainter protein bands than that of OH-cooking thus, indicating paler colour, and lower water-holding capacity especially in WB-cooked meat at EPTs above 40°C. Strong correlations among lightness, browness, metmyoglobin% and soluble proteins were observed in meat following OH-cooking. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The juvenile Chinese mitten crabs Eriocheir sinensis (1.40 ± 0.43 g) were cultured in water of 5.34 ± 0.43 (hypoxia, treatment group) and 21.02 ± 0.06 kPa (high dissolved oxygen (DO), control group) DO for 24 h, respectively. The total hemocyte counts (THC), the hyaline hemocyte counts were measured at 0 and 24 h in the treatment group, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, concentrations of lactic acid and hemocyanin (Hc) in hemolymph and the metabolism of hepatopancreas (concentrations of glucose, total cholesterol, uric acid, total protein, urea, triglyceride in hepatopancreas) were assayed at 0, 2, 8, and 24 h in both treatment and control groups. The hyaline hemocyte counts and THC decreased significantly by 66 and 49% after exposure to hypoxic water for 24 h, respectively. SOD activity, Hc and lactic acid content were significantly affected in treatment group, and there were significant differences between treatment and control groups. In the treatment group, the concentration of glucose, cholesterol and uric acid in hepatopancreas had a significant variation for 24 h. The concentration of total protein, urea and triglyceride between treatment and control groups was not significantly different after 0, 2, 8, 24 h. However, there were significant differences between treatment and control groups in terms of total protein, glucose, and uric acid concentration. Taken together, the effect of hypoxia is comprehensive in juvenile Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multifunctional surface plasmon polariton disk device coupled by two metal–insulator–metal (MIM) waveguides is proposed and investigated numerically with finite-difference time-domain simulation. It can be used as optical switch and temperature sensor by filling disk with liquid crystal and ethanol, respectively. The simulation results demonstrate that the transmission characteristics of an optical switch can be manipulated by adjusting the radius of disk and the slit width between disk and MIM waveguides. The transmittance and modulation depth of optical switch at 1550 nm are up to 64.82% and 17.70 dB, respectively. As a temperature sensor, its figure of merit can reach 30.46. In this paper, an optical switch with better efficiency and a temperature sensor with better sensitivity can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The occurrence of violent trauma has recently increased, and it has become both a social and medical problem in China. We are the first to explore violent head trauma in China. Methods: Patients with violent head trauma were taken from all hospitalized patients with head trauma from January 2001 to December 2006 admitted to 11 hospitals in China. The rate, causes, age, sex, injury severity (GCS score), CT findings, management, outcome, and complications of patients with violent head trauma were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Two thousand two hundred fifty-four (9.46%) patients with violent head trauma were found among a total of 23816 hospitalized patients with head trauma at 11 hospitals. Violent head trauma was caused by blunt objects (n = 1260, 55.90%), sharp/cutting instruments (n = 271, 12.02%), gunshots (n = 10, 0.44%), and others (n = 713, 31.63%). Violent head trauma was more likely to be found men (n = 1890, 83.85%) and in persons aged 21 to 40 years (n = 1216, 53.95%). In 2254 patients with violent head trauma, scalpel injury was seen in 1277 cases, skull fracture in 786 cases, cerebral contusion in 285 cases, and intracranial hematomas in 898 cases. Five hundred eighty-nine (26.13%) patients had body violent trauma besides violent head trauma. A GCS score of 13 to 15 was found in 1869 (82.92%) patients, 9 to 12 in 166 (7.36%), and 8 or less in 219 (9.72%). One thousand forty-two patients got surgical treatment, and another 1212 received medical management. One thousand nine hundred thirty-one (85.67%) patients had good recovery, 141 (6.47%) had moderate deficits, 36 (1.65%) had severe deficits, 7 (0.32%) had PVS, 63 (2.89%) died, and for the other 76, records were lost. Conclusions: Violent head trauma is certainly both a social and medical problem now, which indicates that violence should be controlled and that the human right of social safety needs to be improved in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]