Effects of different ratios of glycerol to erythritol on the structure and properties of starch straws during long term storage.

To explore starch straws with low water absorption rate (WAR) and not prone to brittleness during long term storage. Glycerol and erythritol were used as composite plasticizers to explore their effects on the structure of starch straws. The results showed that G:E (60:40) had the lowest bending force (Fb = 12.

Kinetic Study on the H-Abstraction Reactions from 1-Nitropropane by H and OH Radicals.

To improve the comprehension of the combustion kinetics of 1-nitropropane (1-NP), the H-abstraction reactions from 1-NP by H and OH radicals are theoretically explored using the canonical variational transition-state theory combined with the multistructural torsional anharmonicity and small-curvature tunneling corrections (MS-CVT/SCT). The M08-HX/cc-pVTZ method is adopted for geometry optimizations and frequency calculations due to its effective performance in describing the current reaction systems with an average mean unsigned deviation of 0.95 kcal mol against the benchmark by the high-level DLPNO-CCSD(T)/CBS(T-Q) method.

Molecularly imprinted polymer sensors for biomarker detection in cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are recognized as a significant threat to global health. The rapid, sensitive, and precise measurement of relevant biomarkers is essential for the timely diagnosis of CVDs. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), which act as artificial receptor recognition materials, have been extensively utilized in the detection of CVD biomarkers.

Chemokine receptor CXCR7 antagonism ameliorates cardiac and renal fibrosis induced by mineralocorticoid excess.

Cardiorenal fibrosis is a common feature of chronic cardiovascular disease and recent data suggests that cytokines and chemokines may also drive fibrosis. Here we tested the hypothesis that CXCR7, a highly conserved chemokine receptor, contributes to cardiac and renal fibrosis. We generated an anti-mouse CXCR7-specific monoclonal antibody (CXCR7 mAb) and tested its anti-fibrotic actions in cardiorenal fibrosis induced using the deoxycorticosterone acetate/uni-nephrectomy (DOCA-UNX) model.

Analysis of monomeric and competitive adsorption mechanisms of nutrient ions on biochar surfaces based on molecular dynamics simulations.

This study explores the mechanisms of monomeric and competitive nutrient ion adsorption on biochar surfaces using molecular dynamics simulations and experimental data. CHO offers low-energy adsorption sites for ammoniacal nitrogen, while C-SH and C-NH facilitate adsorption for nitrate nitrogen and available phosphorus. Available potassium is primarily adsorbed near the benzene ring.

Rapid and Simultaneous Determination of 13 Sulfonamides in Soil by Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion With High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Sulfonamides, the most frequent antibacterial agent, are widely used due to their low cost and excellent antibacterial effect. With the emergence of the environment, the potential hazard to the ecological environment has attracted the great attention of humans. Based on matrix solid-phase dispersion coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, an accurate, fast, and sensitive analytical method was developed for the determination of sulfonamides (SAs) in soil.

Exosomes derived from platelet-rich plasma present a novel potential in repairing knee articular cartilage defect combined with cyclic peptide-modified β-TCP scaffold.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of PRP-exos combined with cyclic peptide-modified β-TCP scaffold in the treatment of rabbit knee cartilage defect.

Methods: PRP-exos were extracted and characterized by TEM, NTA and WB. The therapeutic effects were evaluated by ICRS score, HE staining, Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR and ELISA.

Purification Processes for Generating Cationic Lignin-Acrylamide Polymers.

Purification is an essential step in many polymerization processes for fabricating highly pure polymers. This study considered various purification methods for purifying the product of lignin, acrylamide (AM), and diallyl dimethylammonium chloride (DADMAC) copolymerization reactions at a laboratory scale. The charge density, yield, molecular weight, and solubility analyses confirmed that ethanol extraction and membrane filtration were the most effective processes for producing lignin-p(AM)-p(DADMAC).

Highly Sensitive One-Pot Isothermal Assay Combining Rolling Circle Amplification and CRISPR/Cas12a for Aflatoxin B Detection.

Occurrences of mycotoxins in cereals are widespread throughout the world. However, the lack of efficient and ultrasensitive tests has largely impeded the identification of these substances in actual samples. Herein, a novel one-pot isothermal assay that integrates rolling-circle amplification (RCA) and CRISPR/Cas12a to detect aflatoxin B (AFB) is reported.

Popcorn-stick-like NH-UiO-66/TiO nanotube nanocomposites toward optimized photocatalytic carbon oxidation with nitrogen dioxide.

Developing photocatalytic technologies for pollutants removal with high harmless product selectivity is a significant challenge. Construction and optimization of nanocomposites junction with appropriate band alignments is an effective method for achieving this objective. Herein, a unique popcorn-stick-like NH-UiO-66/TiO nanotube nanocomposites with staggered band alignment is fabricated.

Novel antibacterial pullulan derivatives modified with quaternary phosphonium salts for infected wound treatments.

The development of novel antibacterial agents is urgently needed to tackle bacterial infection, the major global issue menacing human health. Among them, polymeric quaternary phosphonium salts are worth noticing owing to their strong antibacterial activities and other merits including low bacterial drug resistance. Herein, pullulan modified with quaternary phosphonium salts (PQP) was synthesized using esterification reactions of pullulan and (5-carboxypentyl)triphenylphosphonium bromide (CPTPPB) mediated by N,N'‑carbonyldiimidazole (CDI), and was evaluated as novel antibacterial agents for treating wound infection for the first time.

Polysaccharide isolated from Dioscorea septemloba improves hyperuricemia and alleviates renal fibrosis through gut-kidney axis in mice.

Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a common metabolic disorder that often accompanies kidney diseases such as tubule damage and renal interstitial fibrosis. The preventive and therapeutic effects of Dioscorea septemloba, an anti-HUA herb, polysaccharide of which was considered as the main active ingredient on HUA, need to be explored. The major polysaccharide component, BXP, was purified from Dioscorea septemloba, with an average molecular weight of 10.

Construction of electrochemical immunosensors based on Au@MXene and Au@CuS nanocomposites for sensitive detection of carcinoembryonic antigen.

Cancer is currently one of the major causes of human mortality and has received widespread attention. In this paper, Au@CuS composite nanomaterial as a sandwich immunosensor tag for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) detection strategy was studied. Herein, Au@CuS composite nanomaterials were obtained by Au nanoparticles modified with CuS, which were combined with secondary antibody (Ab) to construct an immunosensor that interacted with HO to produce a current response.

Suppression of cross-interference in the absorption spectra of gas mixtures.

In the quantitative analysis of mixed gases by tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy, the overlapping of absorption spectra and mutual interference of multi-component gases can lead to problems of large measurement errors and low analysis accuracy. In this paper, an improved firefly algorithm is proposed and applied to the support vector machine regression model to solve this problem. The specific method includes introducing an adaptive step size to balance the local and global searches and using the gradient descent method to accelerate the parameter optimization process so as to improve the model's generalization ability and prediction accuracy.

Poria cocos-derived carbon dots for parallel detection of Cr/Fe in complex environments with superior sensitivity.

Multifunctional sensor capable of parallel sensing is of great importance thanks to their wide applications and great practicality. In this report, Poria cocos-derived carbon dots (CDs) were adopted for the development of multifunctional sensor for the parallel detection of Cr and Fe with superior sensitivity and applicability. Specifically, extremely low limit of detection (LOD) of 1.

Unary Au Nanocrystal with Prestored Electrons and Intrinsic Low Hole-Injected Potential for Low-Triggering Potential Electrochemiluminescence.

Screening a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) system and lowering the ECL triggering potential are essential to ECL evolution. Herein, the near-infrared (NIR) ECL system with low-triggering potential ECL was constructed with weakly reductive -butylamine borane as coreactant and mercaptosuccinic acid/citrate (MSA/Cit)-capped Au (MSA/Cit@AuNCs) as luminophores. Toxic-element-free and dual-ligand MSA/Cit@AuNCs were prepared via ligand exchange and utilized as a model for developing unary metal NCs-based luminophores with more enhanced ECL performance than monoligand Au nanocrystals (AuNCs), which exhibited a two hole-injected process at around 0.

Structural characterization and functional properties of resistant dextrins prepared from different starch sources.

The molecular structures of different starch sources differ, and the structure of the prepared resistant dextrin is affected. Seven types of starches (corn, wheat, pea, mung bean, tapioca, sweet potato, and potato) were used to prepare resistant dextrins under identical conditions. The physicochemical properties, molecular structure, micromorphology, glucose dialysis retardation index (GDRI), and cholesterol-binding capacity of different starch-resistant dextrins were analyzed and compared.

A Core-Brush Nanoplatform with Enhanced Lubrication and Anti-Inflammatory Properties for Osteoarthritis Treatment.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is recognized as a highly friction-related joint disease primarily associated with increased joint friction and inflammation due to pro-inflammatory M1-type macrophage infiltration in the articular cavity. Therefore, strategies to simultaneously increase lubrication and relieve inflammation to remodel the damaged articular microenvironment are of great significance for enhancing its treatment. Herein, a multifunctional core-brush nanoplatform composed of a ROS-scavenging polydopamine-coated SiO core and lubrication-enhancing zwitterionic poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) brush and loaded with the anti-inflammatory drug curcumin by a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-liable conjugation (named as SiO@PP-Cur) is rationally designed.

Probing the aggregation behavior of collagen molecules regulated by dibenzaldehyde-terminated-PEG with varying molecular weights in solution.

Rigid and fragile nature of collagen-based materials cross-linked with biocompatible aldehyde-functionalized polysaccharides remains a challenge. Drawing inspiration from the pangolins' protective barrier, we introduce a novel cross-linker with a flexible chain to impart a "rigid-flexible coupled structure" to the collagen-based matrix. Successful integration of dibenzaldehyde-terminated-PEG (DF-PEG) into collagen molecules was confirmed by XRD and FTIR analyses.

Lightweight and efficient deep learning models for fruit detection in orchards.

The accurate recognition of apples in complex orchard environments is a fundamental aspect of the operation of automated picking equipment. This paper aims to investigate the influence of dense targets, occlusion, and the natural environment in practical application scenarios. To this end, it constructs a fruit dataset containing different scenarios and proposes a real-time lightweight detection network, ELD(Efficient Lightweight object Detector).

Alkyl Sulfonium Salts Enabled Radical Thiocyanohydroxylation of Alkenes.

Herein, we report a novel and practical strategy for alkyl sulfonium salts mediating radical thiocyanohydroxylation of alkenes. This reaction features metal-free and mild conditions, generation of noncarbon radicals from the readily available alkyl sulfonium salts, easy handling, and excellent functional group compatibility. A diverse range of activated and unactivated alkenes worked well to deliver various β-thiocyanato alcohols.

Quantum secure direct communication in Internet of Vehicles.

The Internet of Vehicles (IoVs) is one of the most popular techniques among the applications of Internet of Things. The existing IoVs are mainly protected by public key cryptographic systems, which provide identity authentication and information security. Nevertheless, using the proposed Shor's algorithm, the security of all classical cryptographic schemes will be exposed to future quantum computer technologies.