The Effect of TiC-TiB Dual-Phase Nanoparticles on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Cast Ni-Fe-Based Superalloys.

TiC-TiB dual-phase nanoparticles were added into a Ni-Fe-based cast superalloy and their effects on the microstructure and mechanical properties were compared to those of a Ni-Fe-based superalloy with the addition of TiC nanoparticles. The addition of TiC nanoparticles led to the precipitation of a higher volume fraction of carbides. Compared to the addition of TiC, the addition of TiC-TiB nanoparticles not only led to the precipitation of carbides but also promoted the formation of flaky borides and a reduction in the precipitation of the Laves phase.

Progress in the Identification and Design of Novel Antimicrobial Peptides Against Pathogenic Microorganisms.

The occurrence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) pose a looming threat to human health around the world. Novel antibiotics are urgently needed to address the AMR crisis. In recent years, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have gained increasing attention as potential alternatives to conventional antibiotics due to their abundant sources, structural diversity, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and ease of production.

Rapidly synthesized porous alloy heterostructure catalysts for ultra-low energy water splitting under industrial conditions.

RANEY® nickel is extensively applied in industrial settings for its low cost and ease of scale-up. Nevertheless, its poor activity and high energy consumption restrict the progress of large-scale hydrogen production. Here, we used a RANEY® nickel substrate combined with a one-step electrodeposition method to prepare porous NiFe@RN bifunctional catalysts.

Recent Advances in Hydrogel-Based Biosensors for Cancer Detection.

Early cancer detection is crucial for effective treatment, but current methods have limitations. Novel biomaterials, such as hydrogels, offer promising alternatives for developing biosensors for cancer detection. Hydrogels are three-dimensional and cross-linked networks of hydrophilic polymers that have properties similar to biological tissues.

Mechanism-guided strategies for combating antibiotic resistance.

Bacterial antibiotic resistance has been recognized as a global threat to public health. It challenges the antibiotics currently used in clinical practice and causes severe and often fatal infectious diseases. Fighting against antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) is growing more urgent.

Eccentric Compression Behaviors of Self-Compacting Concrete-Filled Thin-Walled Steel Tube Columns.

For the sake of solving sustainability issues and analyzing the complicated service force states, eccentric compression experiments on self-compacting concrete-filled thin-walled medium-length steel tube columns with a circular cross-section were carried out in the present study. Thereafter, the influence of the eccentric ratios and the wall thickness factors on the mechanical behavior and failure characteristics of both the eccentrically loaded and axially loaded columns was comprehensively analyzed. Finally, prediction formulas for the ultimate load of the columns under eccentric compression were proposed, and a comprehensive comparison of the ultimate loads between the predicted values and experimental values was also conducted.

Compressive Behaviors of Thin-Walled Steel Tube Stub Columns Filled with Self-Compacting Concrete Containing Recycled Aggregate.

Natural resources have been excessively consumed, and large amounts of construction wastes have been generated, owing to the fast development of civil industry, causing crucial environmental issues. Therefore, reusable construction waste fabricated into recycled concrete offers a good strategy to solve this issue. Thus, this article first develops thin-walled steel tubes stub columns filled with self-compacting concrete containing recycled coarse aggregate.

Research on the Regulation of Plipastatin Production by the Quorum-Sensing ComQXPA System of .

Plipastatin is a cyclic lipopeptide synthesized by non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS), which has a diverse range of applications in postharvest preservation of fruits and vegetables, biological control, and feed processing. Whereas the yield of plipastatin in wild . is low, its chemical structure is complex and challenging to synthesize, significantly limiting its production and application.

Enhancing the Hydrolysis and Acyl Transfer Activity of Carboxylesterase DLFae4 by a Combinational Mutagenesis and In-Silico Method.

In the present study, a feruloyl esterase DLFae4 identified in our previous research was modified by error-prone PCR and site-directed saturation mutation to enhance the catalytic efficiency and acyltransferase activity further. Five mutants with 6.9-118.

BON domain-containing protein-mediated co-selection of antibiotic and heavy metal resistance in bacteria.

The widespread antibiotic resistance of bacteria has become one of the most severe threats to public health. However, the mechanisms that allow microbial acquisition of resistance are still poorly understood. In the present study, a novel BON domain-containing protein was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli.

Engineering Modular and Highly Sensitive Cell-Based Biosensors for Aromatic Contaminant Monitoring and High-Throughput Enzyme Screening.

Although a variety of whole-cell-based biosensors have been developed for different applications in recent years, most cannot meet practical requirements due to insufficient sensing performance. Here, we constructed two sets of modular genetic circuits by serial and parallel modes capable of significantly amplifying the input/output signal in . The biosensors are engineered using σ-dependent phenol-responsive regulator DmpR as a sensor and enhanced green fluorescent protein as a reporter.

Improving the activity and expression level of a phthalate-degrading enzyme by a combination of mutagenesis strategies and strong promoter replacement.

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are widely used plasticizers found in consumer products, which enter the environment and pose severe threats to human health. Here, a new PAE-degrading enzyme EstJ6 was modified by combining mutagenesis strategies and a strong promoter replacement to improve its catalytic activity and expression level. Four mutants with enhanced activity were obtained by random mutation, among which EstJ6M1.

A comprehensive review on preparation, structure-activities relationship, and calcium bioavailability of casein phosphopeptides.

Calcium is one of the important elements for human health. Calcium deficiencies can lead to numerous diseases. Calcium chelating peptides have shown potential application in the management of calcium deficiencies.

Influence of temperature gradient of slab track on the dynamic responses of the train-CRTS III slab track on subgrade nonlinear coupled system.

Temperature is an important load for ballastless track. However, there is little research on the system dynamic responses when a train travels on a ballastless track under the temperature gradient of ballastless track. Considering the moving train, temperature gradient of slab track, gravity of slab track, and the contact nonlinearity between interfaces of slab track, a dynamic model for a high-speed train runs along the CRTS III slab track on subgrade is developed by a nonlinear coupled way in ANSYS.

Improving Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Laccase Fused with Hemoglobin and a Novel Strong Promoter Replacement.

Laccases catalyze a variety of electron-rich substrates by reducing O to HO, with O playing a vital role as the final electron acceptor in the reaction process. In the present study, a laccase gene, , was identified from through sequence-based screening. LacH5 was engineered for modification by fusion expression and promoter replacement.

Promoting the Calcium-Uptake Bioactivity of Casein Phosphopeptides and .

Casein phosphopeptides have been studied widely for their ability to chelate calcium. However, systematic studies on the effects of casein phosphopeptides (CPP) on calcium absorption and are scarce. The purities of two commercially available products, CPP1 and CPP2, are 18.

Characterization of a novel carboxylesterase with catalytic activity toward di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate from a soil metagenomic library.

A novel carboxylesterase gene estyz5 was isolated from a soil metagenomic library. The recombinant enzyme EstYZ5 is 298 amino acids in length with a predicted molecular weight of 32 kDa. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis revealed that EstYZ5 belongs to the hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) family with a deduced catalytic triad of Ser144-Glu238-His268.

Extraction, isolation, characterization and antimicrobial activities of non-extractable polyphenols from pomegranate peel.

Non-extractable polyphenols (NEPPs) in pomegranate peel were released by acid hydrolysis followed by extraction using ethyl acetate (EtOAc). Ten NEPPs were identified in the hydrolysate using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Six compounds were then isolated from the EtOAc extracts whose structures were identified as β-sitosterol-3-O-glycoside (1), β-sitosterol (2), ursolic acid (3), corosolic acid (4), asiatic acid (5) and arjunolic acid (6) using a wide range of spectroscopic analyses.

Enhancing the activity and thermal stability of a phthalate-degrading hydrolase by random mutagenesis.

Our previous work has reported that EstJ6 was a phthalate-degrading hydrolase. In the study, a random mutant library was constructed by two rounds of error-prone PCR, three mutants (ET1.1, ET2.

Characterization of XtjR8: A novel esterase with phthalate-hydrolyzing activity from a metagenomic library of lotus pond sludge.

A fosmid metagenomic library containing 9.7 × 10 clones was constructed. A novel esterase, XtjR8, was isolated through functional screening.

Race-Ethnicity, Class, and Unemployment Dynamics: Do Macroeconomic Shifts Alter Existing Disadvantages?

Research indicates that individuals of different races, ethnic backgrounds, and class origins differ in their unemployment rates. We know less, however, about whether these differences result from the differing groups' unequal hazards of entering or exiting unemployment and even less about how economic fluctuations moderate the ethnoracial and class-origin gaps in the long-term risks of transitioning into and out of unemployment. Using Rounds 1-17 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 and event history models, we show that non-Hispanic blacks become more similar to non-Hispanic whites in their paces of entering unemployment as their local unemployment rate rises, perhaps because jobs largely closed to the former are eliminated in a greater proportion during recessions.

Deciphering calcium-binding behaviors of casein phosphopeptides by experimental approaches and molecular simulation.

Casein phosphopeptides (CPPs) as premium additives in functional foods can facilitate the transport and adsorption of calcium. The atomic resolution decipherment of calcium-CPP binding behaviors is critical for understanding the calcium bioavailability enhancement potential of CPPs. In the present study, the experimental methods (UV-vis, FTIR and isothermal titration calorimetry) and molecular dynamics simulation were combined to reveal the calcium-binding behaviors of β-casein phosphopeptides (1-25) (P5) with the best capability in carrying calcium ions.

A comparative study between Chinese propolis and Brazilian green propolis: metabolite profile and bioactivity.

Among different types, Chinese propolis (ChPs) and Brazilian green propolis (BrGPs) have been shown to contain multi-functional properties. Despite extensive research in the field, reports comparing propolis from different geographical areas are still limited, compromising our current understanding of the potential therapeutic effect associated with propolis and its derived compounds. Herein, a comparative study between ChPs and BrGPs including their metabolite profile and bioactivities was performed.

Identification and Determination of Seven Phenolic Acids in Brazilian Green Propolis by UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS and HPLC.

Brazilian green propolis is a complex mixture of natural compounds that is difficult to analyze and standardize; as a result, controlling its quality is challenging. In this study, we used the positive and negative modes of ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry in conjunction with high-performance liquid chromatography for the identification and characterization of seven phenolic acid compounds in Brazilian green propolis. The optimal operating conditions for the electrospray ionization source were capillary voltage of 3500 V and drying and sheath gas temperatures of 320 °C and 350 °C, respectively.