Investigation into potential allergenicity of DBD plasma-treated casein digestion products based on immunoglobulin E linear epitopes and the sensitized-cell model.

The study aimed to investigate the allergenicity change in casein treated with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma during in vitro simulated digestion, focusing on the immunoglobulin E (IgE) linear epitopes and utilizing a sensitized-cell model. Results indicated that prior treatment with DBD plasma treatment (4 min) before simulated digestion led to a 10.5% reduction in the IgE-binding capacity of casein digestion products.

Isolation and Identification of Novel Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (H5N8) Subclade 2.3.4.4b from Geese in Northeastern China.

H5N8, a highly pathogenic avian influenza, has become a new zoonotic threat in recent years. As of December 28, 2021, at least 3,206 H5N8 cases had been reported in wild birds and poultry worldwide. In January 2021, a novel virus strain named A/goose/China/1/2021 was isolated during an H5N8 goose influenza outbreak in northeastern China.

Preparation of highly efficient p-doped porous camellia shell-based activated carbon and its adsorption of carotenoids in camellia oil.

The vegetable oil industry is limited by the high cost of the refining process, and the camellia shells (CS) are beneficial to the development of the industry as a biomass raw material for camellia oil decolorization. In this study, CS-based p-doped porous activated carbon (CSHAC) obtained after the pyrolysis of HPO-laden CS-hydrochar (CSH) was used for the adsorption of carotenoids in camellia oil. The results showed that the adsorption efficiency of CSHAC for carotenoids was 96.

Purification of Camellia Oil by Inorganic Ceramic Membrane.

Camellia oil is an edible health oil with high medicinal value. While phospholipids, peroxides, and free fatty acids are present in unrefined camellia virgin oil (CVO), which has a negative impact on the quality characteristics and storage stability. This paper is to investigate the testing effects of transmembrane pressure and temperature on the membrane flux and degumming (the removal of colloidal substances from crude oil and which is mainly phospholipids) to determine the optimum process parameters for the purification of CVO.

Potential applications of pulsed electric field in the fermented wine industry.

Fermented wine refers to alcoholic beverages with complex flavor substances directly produced by raw materials (fruit or rice) through microbial fermentation (yeast and bacteria). Its production steps usually include saccharification, fermentation, filtration, sterilization, aging, etc., which is a complicated and time-consuming process.

Ultrasonic-Assisted Dual-Alkali Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Sugarcane Bagasse Followed by Fermentation to Produce Xylitol.

In this work, the investigation mainly focused on ultrasonic-assisted dual-alkali pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse followed by fermentation to produce xylitol. The results showed that the combination of NaOH and ammonia water had the best effect by comparing the effects of the four single-alkali (NaOH, KOH, ammonia water, Ca(OH)) and their mixed double-alkali pretreatments on xylose content. Then, the optimal conditions for ultrasonic-assisted pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse were obtained by response surface methodology.

Antigenic cross-reactivity among human, swine, rabbit and avian hepatitis E virus capsid proteins.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), a zoonotic virus, infects many animal species, including humans. Capsid proteins of human, swine, rabbit and avian HEVs share 48 %-100 % amino acid identity. In the present study, antigenic cross-reactivity among human, swine, rabbit and avian HEV capsid proteins were analyzed in detail using indirect and blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs).

Targeting Canonical and Non-Canonical STAT Signaling Pathways in Renal Diseases.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) plays an essential role in the inflammatory reaction and immune response of numerous renal diseases. STATs can transmit the signals of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors from the cell membrane to the nucleus. In the canonical STAT signaling pathways, upon binding with their cognate receptors, cytokines lead to a caspase of Janus kinases (JAKs) and STATs tyrosine phosphorylation and activation.

Optimizing High-Performance Computing Systems for Biomedical Workloads.

The productivity of computational biologists is limited by the speed of their workflows and subsequent overall job throughput. Because most biomedical researchers are focused on better understanding scientific phenomena rather than developing and optimizing code, a computing and data system implemented in an adventitious and/or non-optimized manner can impede the progress of scientific discovery. In our experience, most computational, life-science applications do not generally leverage the full capabilities of high-performance computing, so tuning a system for these applications is especially critical.

Development of a ReaxFF Reactive Force Field for the Pt-Ni Alloy Catalyst.

We developed the ReaxFF force field for Pt/Ni/C/H/O interactions, specifically targeted for heterogeneous catalysis application of the Pt-Ni alloy. The force field is trained using the DFT data for equations of state of PtNi, PtNi and PtNi alloys, the surface energy of the PtNi(111) (x = 0.67-0.

Examination of the phase transition behavior of nano-confined fluids by statistical temperature molecular dynamics.

The fluid-solid phase transition behavior of nano-confined Lennard-Jones fluids as a function of temperature and degree of nanoconfinement has been studied via statistical temperature molecular dynamics (STMD). The STMD method allows the direct calculation of the density of states and thus the heat capacity with high efficiency. The fluids are simulated between parallel solid surfaces with varying pore sizes, wall-fluid interaction energies, and registry of the walls.

Examining the phase transition behavior of amphiphilic lipids in solution using statistical temperature molecular dynamics and replica-exchange Wang-Landau methods.

Two different techniques - replica-exchange Wang-Landau (REWL) and statistical temperature molecular dynamics (STMD) - were applied to systematically study the phase transition behavior of self-assembling lipids as a function of temperature using an off-lattice lipid model. Both methods allow the direct calculation of the density of states with improved efficiency compared to the original Wang-Landau method. A 3-segment model of amphiphilic lipids solvated in water has been studied with varied particle interaction energies (ε) and lipid concentrations.

Incorporating configurational-bias Monte Carlo into the Wang-Landau algorithm for continuous molecular systems.

Configurational-bias Monte Carlo has been incorporated into the Wang-Landau method. Although the Wang-Landau algorithm enables the calculation of the complete density of states, its applicability to continuous molecular systems has been limited to simple models. With the inclusion of more advanced sampling techniques, such as configurational-bias, the Wang-Landau method can be used to simulate complex chemical systems.

A Wang-Landau study of a lattice model for lipid bilayer self-assembly.

The Wang-Landau (WL) Monte Carlo method has been applied to simulate the self-assembly of a lipid bilayer on a 3D lattice. The WL method differs from conventional Monte Carlo methods in that a complete density of states is obtained directly for the system, from which properties, such as the free energy, can be derived. Furthermore, from a single WL simulation, continuous curves of the average energy and heat capacity can be determined, which provide a complete picture of the phase behavior.

Heteroepitaxial growth of ZnO branches selectively on TiO2 nanorod tips with improved light harvesting performance.

A seeded heteroepitaxial growth of ZnO nanorods selectively on TiO(2) nanorod tips was achieved by restricting crystal growth on highly hydrophobic TiO(2) nanorod film surfaces. Intriguing light harvesting performance and efficient charge transport efficiency has been found, which suggest potential applications in photovoltaics and optoelectronics.

Planar scattering from hierarchical anatase TiO2 nanoplates with variable shells to improve light harvesting in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Hierarchical anatase TiO(2) nanoplates with tunable shell structure were developed as the novel planar scattering layer in dye-sensitized solar cells, showing improved cell performance due to the enhanced light harvesting capability.

Synthesis and characterization of double-layer quantum-dots-tagged microspheres.

Quantum-dots-tagged poly (styrene-acrylamide-acrylic acid) microspheres (QDsAAMs) were synthesized and modified with hydrazine hydrate through hydrazinolysis. Azidocarbonyl groups, which can be rapidly coupled with proteins under mild conditions, were introduced onto the surface of QDsAAM using azido reaction. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was selected as model protein to be covalently immobilized on the azidocarbonyl QDsAAM.

A novel reversible pH-triggered release immobilized enzyme system.

A novel immobilized enzyme system supported by poly(acrylic acid/N,N'-methylene-bisacryl-amide) hydrogel microspheres was prepared. This system exhibited characteristics of reversible pH-triggered release. The morphology, size, and chemical structure were examined through optical microscopy, particle size analyzer, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer.