Characterization of phospholipidome in milk, yogurt and cream, and phospholipid differences related to various dairy processing methods.

Milk phospholipids have multiple health benefits, but the deficiency of detailed phospholipid profiles in dairy products brings obstacles to intake calculation and function evaluation of dairy phospholipids. In present study, 306 phospholipid molecular species were identified and quantified among 207 milk, yogurt and cream products using a HILIC-ESI-Q-TOF MS and a HILIC-ESI-QQQ MS. The phospholipid profiles of five mammals' milk show that camel milk contains the most abundant phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine and sphingomyelin; cow, yak and goat milk have similar phospholipidomes, while buffalo milk contains abundant phosphatidylinositol. Fewer plasmalogens but more lyso-glycerolphospholipids were found in ultra-high-temperature (UHT) sterilized milk than in pasteurized milk, and higher proportions of lyso-glycerolphospholipid/total phospholipid were observed in both cream and skimmed/semi-skimmed milk than whole milk, indicating that UHT and skimming processes improve glycerolphospholipid degradation and phospholipid nutrition loss. Meanwhile, more diacyl-glycerolphospholipids and less of their degradation products make yogurt a better phospholipid resource than whole milk.

Autism spectrum disorder diagnosis with EEG signals using time series maps of brain functional connectivity and a combined CNN-LSTM model.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have cognitive impairments. Effective connectivity between different areas of the brain is essential for normal cognition. Electroencephalography (EEG) has been widely used in the detection of neurological diseases. Previous studies on detecting ASD with EEG data have focused on frequency-related features. Most of these studies have augmented data by splitting the dataset into time slices or sliding windows. However, such approaches to data augmentation may cause the testing data to be contaminated by the training data. To solve this problem, this study developed a novel method for detecting ASD with EEG data. METHODS: This study quantified the functional connectivity of the subject's brain from EEG signals and defined the individual to be the unit of analysis. Publicly available EEG data were gathered from 97 and 92 subjects with ASD and typical development (TD), respectively, while they were at rest or performing a task. Time-series maps of brain functional connectivity were constructed, and the data were augmented using a deep convolutional generative adversarial network. In addition, a combined network for ASD detection, based on convolutional neural network (CNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM), was designed and implemented. RESULTS: Based on functional connectivity, the network achieved classification accuracies of 81.08% and 74.55% on resting state and task state data, respectively. In addition, we found that the functional connectivity of ASD differed from TD primarily in the short-distance functional connectivity of the parietal and occipital lobes and in the distant connections from the right temporoparietal junction region to the left posterior temporal lobe. CONCLUSIONS: This paper provides a new perspective for better utilizing EEG to understand ASD. The method proposed in our study is expected to be a reliable tool to assist in the diagnosis of ASD.

[Analysis of soybean phospholipids based on liquid chromatography-ion trap-time of flight-mass spectrometry].

OBJECTIVE: Using liquid chromatography-ion trap-time of flight-mass spectrometry to establish a soybean phospholipids(PL) analysis method, carry out comprehensive structural identification and quantitative analysis of soybean PL molecule species, and obtain soybean PL molecular composition and content data. METHODS: The PL profiles of 10 soybean varieties cultivated in northeast China were determined by a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-ion trap-time of flight-mass spectrometry(HILIC-ESI-IT-TOF-MS) system. The hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography realized class separation of PLs, and ion trap-time of flight-mass spectrometry realized the estimation of head group type, fatty acyl structure, and substituent position. The identified PL molecule species were quantified using accurate mass extraction and internal standard method. RESULTS: A total of 101 PL molecular species from 11 classes were estimated in soybean seeds, including 20 phosphatidylcholines(PC), 15 phosphatidylethanolamines(PE), 17 phosphatidylinositols(PI), 12 phosphatidylglycerols(PG), 9 phosphatidic acids(PA), 6 phosphatidylserines(PS), 5 lysophosphatidylcholines(LPC), 5 lysophosphatidylethanolamines(LPE), 6 lysophosphatidylinositols(LPI), 4 lysophosphatidylglycerols(LPG) and 2 lysophosphatidicacids(LPA). The limits of detection for the target object were ≤ 60 ng/mL and R~2 were all >0.99. The total concentration of PL ranged from 6873.1 to 12 678.6 µg/g in detected soybeans. Generally, most of the detected soybean cultivars were great resources of PL, especially SN-29, SN-61, HN-40 and DN-690. The concentrations of PC and PE in the tested soybean were higher, followed by PI, PG, PA and PS. Among the lysophospholipids, the concentration of LPC was the highest, followed by LPE, LPI, LPG and LPA. CONCLUSION: The soybean PL component analysis method established based on the HILIC-IT-TOF-MS system can achieve good separation of various types of PL, and can accurately characterize the head group type, fatty acyl structure and substituent position of PL molecule species. The molecular composition and content data of soybean PL were obtained.

[Determination of 21 polyphenols in fruits by high performance liquid chromatography].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) method for simultaneous determination of flavonoids(epicatechin, isoorientin, eriocitrin, hyperoside, narirutin, naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, quercetin, didymin, naringenin and hesperetin), phenolic acids(gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, sinapic acid and p-coumaric acid), terpenoids(limonin), stilbenes(piceatannol and resveratrol) in fruits. METHODS: Add ethanol-water(4∶1, V/V) solution to the fruit pulp sample, ultrasonic extraction at 55 ℃ for 10 min, after centrifugation, the supernatant was dried and re-dissolved, and then eluted with ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C_(18)(4.6 mm×100 mm, 3.5 µm) as chromatographic column, polyphenols are determined by HPLC under switching wavelength, and quantified by external standard method. RESULTS: The 21 polyphenols can be detected within 45 min and well separated from baseline, with linear correlation coefficients greater than 0.999, the detection limit of the method was 0.03-0.31 µg/g, and the limit of quantitation of the method was 0.09-1.03 µg/g. The intra-day precision was 0.5%-9.3%, the inter-day precision was 2.0%-9.6%. The recoveries of more than 90% polyphenols in the three fruits at three levels were between 80.0% and 119.8%. The relative standard deviation of spiked recoveries of three samples was less than 10.8%. The detection result of citrus, mango, blueberry, persimmon and other samples proved that the composition of polyphenols in different fruits was different. CONCLUSION: The method is sensitive, accurate and reproducible, and is suitable for the determination of polyphenols in fruits.

Technologies for depth scanning in miniature optical imaging systems [Invited].

Biomedical optical imaging has found numerous clinical and research applications. For achieving 3D imaging, depth scanning presents the most significant challenge, particularly in miniature imaging devices. This paper reviews the state-of-art technologies for depth scanning in miniature optical imaging systems, which include two general approaches: 1) physically shifting part of or the entire imaging device to allow imaging at different depths and 2) optically changing the focus of the imaging optics. We mainly focus on the second group of methods, introducing a wide variety of tunable microlenses, covering the underlying physics, actuation mechanisms, and imaging performance. Representative applications in clinical and neuroscience research are briefly presented. Major challenges and future perspectives of depth/focus scanning technologies for biomedical optical imaging are also discussed.

Differential distribution shifts in two subregions of East Asian subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests-a case of Magnoliaceae.

Aim: East Asian subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBLFs) are composed of western and eastern subregions with different topographical and environmental conditions. The distribution shifts over time of plants in the two subregions are predicted to be different, but the difference has seldom been investigated. Methods: Potential distributions of 53 Magnoliaceae species (22 in the western and 31 in the eastern subregion) during the last glacial maximum (LGM), present, and the 2070s were predicted using MaxEnt based on 58 environmental variables. The changes in the distribution range size and centroid over time were analyzed. Species-level potential habitats were overlaid to uncover species diversity distribution, and the distributions over time were overlaid to discover long-term refugia. Results: At present, the potential distributions are significantly larger than those shown by the occurrence points. During the LGM, 20/22 species in the western subregion experienced increases in range size through downwards and southward migrations, while decreases in range size in the eastern subregion (27/31 species) were accompanied by northward and eastward migrations. In the future, range size declines and northward shifts will both be found; northwestward shifts will exist in most (20/22 species) species in the western subregion, while both northwest- and northeastward shifts will occur in the eastern subregion. The diversity hotspots experienced a slight southward shift in the past and upwards to the mountain region in the future in the western subregion; in the eastern subregion, shrinks occurred in eastern China in the past and shrinks were shown in all regions in the future. Long-term refugia-preserving diversity was found in the mountains across the entire EBLFs region. Main conclusions: Significant differences in distribution shifts from past to present and similar distribution shifts from present to future are revealed in the two subregions. Species diversity in both subregions experienced no significant shifts from past to future, and Magnoliaceae plants could be preserved in mountainous regions throughout the EBLFs.

Effect of Waste Glass as Fine Aggregate on Properties of Mortar.

Currently, most cities landfill most waste glass, resulting in the waste of resources and environmental pollution. Therefore, to realize the recycling of waste glass, solid waste glass was recycled and broken. Waste glass sand was prepared according to the gradation of natural river sand particles and the fineness modulus screening. It was used as an alternative material to natural river sand and mixed with mortar materials with different replacements. Analysis of the mortar with different replacements (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%) was conducted by combining macro and micro tests on the change law and influence mechanism of permeability, mechanical properties, and microstructure. The results showed that: the replacement of waste glass sand effectively improved the gas permeation resistance of mortar; with the increase of replacement, the gas permeation resistance of mortar roughly showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing. The replacement of waste glass sand at 20% can better promote cement's hydration so that the mortar's porosity is reduced by 16.5%. The gas permeability decreases by 57.4%; the compressive strength increases by 3%, and the elastic modulus increases by 5.9%. When the replacement rate of glass sand is 20%, the test performance of mortar is the best among the five groups.

Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis reveals biomarkers of DNA methylation-related genes in varicose veins.

Background: Patients with Varicose veins (VV) show no obvious symptoms in the early stages, and it is a common and frequent clinical condition. DNA methylation plays a key role in VV by regulating gene expression. However, the molecular mechanism underlying methylation regulation in VV remains unclear. Methods: The mRNA and methylation data of VV and normal samples were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Methylation-Regulated Genes (MRGs) between VV and normal samples were crossed with VV-associated genes (VVGs) obtained by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to obtain VV-associated MRGs (VV-MRGs). Their ability to predict disease was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Biomarkers were then screened using a random forest model (RF), support vector machine model (SVM), and generalized linear model (GLM). Next, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to explore the functions of biomarkers. Furthermore, we also predicted their drug targets, and constructed a competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) network and a drug target network. Finally, we verified their mRNA expression using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: Total three VV-MRGs, namely Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein 2 (WISP2), Cysteine-rich intestinal protein 1 (CRIP1), and Odd-skipped related 1 (OSR1) were identified by VVGs and MRGs overlapping. The area under the curves (AUCs) of the ROC curves for these three VV-MRGs were greater than 0.8. RF was confirmed as the optimal diagnostic model, and WISP2, CRIP1, and OSR1 were regarded as biomarkers. GSEA showed that WISP2, CRIP1, and OSR1 were associated with oxidative phosphorylation, extracellular matrix (ECM), and respiratory system functions. Furthermore, we found that lncRNA MIR17HG can regulate OSR1 by binding to hsa-miR-21-5p and that PAX2 might treat VV by targeting OSR1. Finally, qRT-PCR results showed that the mRNA expression of the three genes was consistent with the results of the datasets. Conclusion: This study identified WISP2, CRIP1, and OSR1 as biomarkers of VV through comprehensive bioinformatics analysis, and preliminary explored the DNA methylation-related molecular mechanism in VV, which might be important for VV diagnosis and exploration of potential molecular mechanisms.

Heating Rate Effect on Gas Permeability and Pore Structure of Mortar under High Temperature.

This experimental study investigated the effect of heating rate on mortar gas permeability and microstructure. The mortar was heated to three target temperatures (400 °C, 500 °C, and 600 °C) at three heating rates (5 °C/min,10 °C/min, and 15 °C/min). The variations of gas permeability and porosity were measured simultaneously at different confining pressures, and the changes in mortar microstructure were analyzed by NMR and SEM techniques. The results show that the porosity and gas permeability increase with an increase in temperature and heating rate. The gas permeability and porosity continue to decrease as confinement is increased due to a reduction in the pore volume. The microstructure observed by SEM indicates that the high heating rate induces some microcracks at 500 °C and 600 °C. The fractal dimension based on NMR can quantitatively characterize the complexity of the mortar pore structure and shows a quadratic decreasing relationship with gas permeability and porosity.

Sodium Ions Affect Pyrraline Formation in the Maillard Reaction With Lys-Containing Dipeptides and Tripeptides.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are potentially-hazardous chemical compounds, produced by the Maillard reaction between reducing sugars and Lysine side-chain amino groups in proteins. AGEs are strongly associated with diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and atherosclerosis. Pyrraline, a sugar derivative of Lysine, is a major AGE and an established marker for the presence of dietary AGEs. In this study, the effects of NaCl and different dipeptide and tripeptide structures were compared on the formation of pyrraline-containing peptides and the glucose derivative 3-deoxyglucosone in the presence of glucose and at different NaCl concentrations. The physicochemical properties (polarizability, dipole moment, molecular volume and dissociation constant) and the thermodynamic properties of the peptides were determined. The amount of the pyrraline decreased significantly in the following order of peptides (at the same concentrations): Lys-Phe > Lys-Ala > Lys-Gly; Lys-Gly-Phe > Lys-Gly-Ala > Lys-Gly-Gly. The highest levels of both pyrraline and 3-deoxyglucosone occurred at 0.2 mol/L Na+. Sodium ions appear to alter the intramolecular electron density and charge distribution of the peptides and facilitate the reaction by stabilizing some of the intermediates in the reaction sequence.

Transcriptional profiling and network pharmacology analysis identify the potential biomarkers from Chinese herbal formula Huosu Yangwei Formula treated gastric cancer in vivo.

Huosu Yangwei (HSYW) Formula is a traditioanl Chinese herbal medicine that has been extensively used to treat chronic atrophic gastritis, precancerous lesions of gastric cancer and advanced gastric cancer. However, the effective compounds of HSYW and its related anti-tumor mechanisms are not completely understood. In the current study, 160 ingredients of HSYW were identified and 64 effective compounds were screened by the ADMET evaluation. Furthermore, 64 effective compounds and 2579 potential targets were mapped based on public databases. Animal experiments demonstrated that HSYW significantly inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Transcriptional profiles revealed that 81 mRNAs were differentially expressed in HSYW-treated N87-bearing Balb/c mice. Network pharmacology and PPI network showed that 12 core genes acted as potential markers to evaluate the curative effects of HSYW. Bioinformatics and qRT-PCR results suggested that HSYW might regulate the mRNA expression of DNAJB4, CALD, AKR1C1, CST1, CASP1, PREX1, SOCS3 and PRDM1 against tumor growth in N87-bearing Balb/c mice.

Imaging through dynamical scattering media by two-photon absorption detectors.

Imaging through a dynamical opaque scattering medium is an almost impossible task, where strong multiple light scattering from moving scatters dynamically prevents imaging formations even with state-of-art techniques like correlation imaging or adaptive optics. Meanwhile, a small number of ballistic photons can still penetrate through but require demanding detection in terms of a ultrashort time gate and high sensitivity. However, visible light is strongly scattered for most of scattering media. Here we experimentally demonstrate a non-invasive coherent imaging scheme based on two-photon absorption capable of imaging through dynamical scattering media with a length equivalent to 28 times mean free paths for single photon transport, where two-photon absorption in a conventional semiconductor photodetector when phase matching is not required works over a wide bandwidth so it can support a fast time gate down to femtosecond level, short enough to distinguish ballistic photons from scattering background, and allows accessing longer wavelengths for deeper penetration. This technique combined with successful optical coherence tomography may pave a new way for imaging through fog, storm, and rain as well as biomedical imaging applications.

Label-free plasmonic assisted optical trapping of single DNA molecules.

DNA molecules are hard to catch using traditional optical trapping due to the nanometer width of their chains. Here we experimentally demonstrate a label-free optical trapping of a single micrometer λ-DNA in solution by the aid of plasmonic gold nanoparticles (GNPs), where a double-laser trap induces strong optical interparticle forces for the tweezer. We examine such sub-resolved interparticle forces by tracking the GNP dynamics in solution. Moreover, surface-enhanced Raman scattering signals of trapped λ-DNA have also been measured simultaneously in the same setup. In comparison with prior works, ours benefit from the excitation in a dynamic configuration without fabrication. This technique opens a new avenue for all-optical manipulation of biomolecules, as well as ultra-sensitive bio-medical sensing applications.

The effects of hot forging on the preform additive manufactured 316 stainless steel parts.

Additive Manufacture (AM) offers great potential for creating metallic parts for high end products used in critical application i.e. aerospace and biomedical engineering. General acceptance of AM within these fields has been held back by a lack of confidence in the consistency of the mechanical properties of AMed parts associated by the occurrence of porosity, large columnar grains and texture. In this research, to counters this problem we have combined hot forging and subsequent heat treatment. Although, perhaps not best suited to components featuring fine detail, this technique should be well suited to the manufacture of forged components such as fan blades. Here, AM is able to create a near net-shape blank which is then hot forged to size, eliminating intermediate production stages and generating good mechanical properties in the final component. The material used in the current study is AM 316 L Stainless Steel. By altering the printing parameters of the AM machine, two batches of samples were built, each displaying a different porosity content. This allowed the influence of initial build quality to be illustrated. By comparing the two sample batches, it was possible to gain an insight into the possibilities of controlling porosity and material microstructure. The success of the proposed hot forging and heat treatment technique was validated by mechanical testing (i.e. tensile and hardness experiments) and microstructure evolution characterization (i.e. optical microscopy observation and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) techniques). The results revealed that the post processing strategy reduced material porosity and enabled the creation of a more robust microstructure, resulting in improved mechanical properties of the AM material.

Resolution enhanced photothermal imaging by high-order correlation.

Laser scanning photothermal imaging offers a powerful non-destructive testing tool to visualize subsurface structures of opaque materials, but it suffers the resolution limit imposed by thermal diffusion. To overcome this physical obstacle, a tightly focused excitation beam with a high repetition rate is usually used to improve the spatial resolution. Here, we demonstrate that the resolution of photothermal imaging could be enhanced using the high-order correlation imaging method inspired by correlated optical imaging. By carefully designing the laser scanning and modulation behavior, we can individually control the statistical properties of isolated hotspots induced by lasers. Imaging reconstructions of subsurface structures are performed afterward by reading out time-fluctuated thermal images. Moreover, the resolution can be further enhanced by using the high-order correlation, which enables a new way for highly resolved thermal imaging and metrology applications.

All-optical tunable plasmonic nano-aggregations for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Interparticle forces play a crucial role in nanoparticle-based nanoscience and nanoengineering for synthesizing new materials, manipulating nanoscale structures, understanding biological processes and ultrasensitive sensing. Complicated by the fluid-dynamical and chemical nature of the liquid environment of nanoparticles, previous attempts are limited to electromagnetic and chemical methods. Alternatively, optically induced forces provide a convenient and fabrication-free route to manipulate nanoparticles at the nanoscale. Here we demonstrate a new double laser trapping scheme for metallic nano-aggregation by inducing strong near-field optical interparticle forces without any chemical agents or complicated fabrication processes. These induced optical forces arising from strong localized plasmon resonance strongly depend on the interparticle separation well beyond the diffraction limit and the polarization of the incident laser field. We examine such sub-resolved interparticle separation in trapped nanoaggregates by measuring surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and further demonstrate the single-molecule sensitivity by implementing such nanostructures. This new technique opens a new avenue for all-optical manipulation of nanomaterials as well as ultra-sensitive bio-chemical sensing applications.

Resolution-enhanced imaging through scattering media by high-order correlation.

Super-resolution optical imaging is a rapidly emerging technology enabling many applications. Recently, correlation imaging has shown its capability in imaging beyond the diffraction limit, relying on quantum and statistical properties of light. High-order correlation imaging can further enhance resolution, however, at the expense of complicated algorithms. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a resolution-enhanced method of imaging through scattering media by exploiting high-order correlation of fluorescence light. Based on this method, individual fluorophores' temporal fluctuations are recorded and computed for their distinguished high-order correlations that enable super-resolution. Special designed time sequences are chosen to reduce computation time and memory. Such high-order correlation imaging exhibits reliable performance through scattering media with significant resolution enhancement and background noise reduction. This efficient imaging method paves the way for new biomedical applications.

Characterizing a 14 × 14 OAM mode transfer matrix of a ring-core fiber based on quadrature phase-shift interference.

The transfer matrix of light propagating in fibers can quantitatively elucidate the mechanisms of mode coupling, thus having important implications for the knowledge such as the mode division multiplexing communication link characteristics in fibers. However, most methods for measuring the transfer matrix require a prior knowledge of the launched modes at the input and a complex optical system for the characterization at the output of the fiber. In this Letter, we use an interferometric approach for decomposing orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes of the output beams from a ring-core fiber, thereby processing a 14×14 OAM mode transfer matrix of the fiber with merely a camera imaging the mode field at the output of the fiber. The suitability of such a method is validated by the beam reconstruction. Thus, this method is crucial for characterizing the fiber transfer matrix with promising features of fast response and simple operation.

Triclabendazole in the treatment of Paragonimiasis skrjabini.

OBJECTIVE: To observe triclabendazole effect on Paragonimus skrjabini in experimentally infected rats,and to develop a new drug for treating paragonimiasis. METHODS: Metacercariae of Paragonimus skrjabini were isolated from crabs (Sinopotamon) collected from endemic area. Wistar rats were infected intraperitoneally. One and two months after infection, they were treated with triclabendazole at the dosage of 300 mg.kg(-1).2 d(-1), 450 mg.kg(-1).3 d(-1) and 600 mg.kg(-1).3 d(-1) respectively. Five patients with Paragonimus skrjabini were treated, with Triclabendazole dosage of 10 mg/kg bid x 3 days. RESULTS: The worm reduction rates were 50.3%, 80.8% and 86.7% respectively one month after completion of treatment. Dead worms of sesame size recovered from muscles, liver, abdominal cavity, chest cavity and lung were greatly diminished in size and weight in comparison with that of the control group. Many large (about 1 cm) black-colored distended worm cysts were found in the lungs of the control rats. Usually there were two adult worms pairs with numerous eggs in each worm cyst. Most worm cysts in the treated groups of rats were changed into hemorrhagic-necrotic patches. All five patients were cured. CONCLUSION: Triclabendazole was highly active against Paragonimus skrjabini in rats experimentally infected and patients.