Food-derived peptides unleashed: emerging roles as food additives beyond bioactivities.

Innovating food additives stands as a cornerstone for the sustainable evolution of future food systems. Peptides derived from food proteins exhibit a rich array of physicochemical and biological attributes crucial for preserving the appearance, flavor, texture, and nutritional integrity of foods. Leveraging these peptides as raw materials holds great promise for the development of novel food additives. While numerous studies underscore the potential of peptides as food additives, existing reviews predominantly focus on their biotic applications, leaving a notable gap in the discourse around their abiotic functionalities, such as their physicochemical properties. Addressing this gap, this review offers a comprehensive survey of peptide-derived food additives in food systems, accentuating the application of peptides' abiotic properties. It furnishes a thorough exploration of the underlying mechanisms and diverse applications of peptide-derived food additives, while also delineating the challenges encountered and prospects for future applications. This well-time review will set the stage for a deeper understanding of peptide-derived food additives.

High-Performance Adaptive Weak Fault Diagnosis Based on the Global Parameter Optimization Model of a Cascaded Stochastic Resonance System.

Stochastic resonance (SR), as a type of noise-assisted signal processing method, has been widely applied in weak signal detection and mechanical weak fault diagnosis. In order to further improve the weak signal detection performance of SR-based approaches and realize high-performance weak fault diagnosis, a global parameter optimization (GPO) model of a cascaded SR system is proposed in this work. The cascaded SR systems, which involve multiple multi-parameter-adjusting SR systems with both bistable and tri-stable potential functions, are first introduced. The fixed-parameter optimization (FPO) model and the GPO models of the cascaded systems to achieve optimal SR outputs are proposed based on the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Simulated results show that the GPO model is capable of achieving a better SR output compared to the FPO model with rather good robustness and stability in detecting low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) weak signals, and the tri-stable cascaded SR system has a better weak signal detection performance compared to the bistable cascaded SR system. Furthermore, the weak fault diagnosis approach based on the GPO model of the tri-stable cascaded system is proposed, and two rolling bearing weak fault diagnosis experiments are performed, thus verifying the effectiveness of the proposed approach in high-performance adaptive weak fault diagnosis.

Research on a Bearing Fault Enhancement Diagnosis Method with Convolutional Neural Network Based on Adaptive Stochastic Resonance.

As a powerful feature extraction tool, a convolutional neural network (CNN) has strong adaptability for big data applications such as bearing fault diagnosis, whereas the classification performance is limited when the quality of raw signals is poor. In this paper, stochastic resonance (SR), which provides an advanced feature enhancement approach for weak signals with strong background noise, is introduced as a data pre-processing method for the CNN to improve its classification performance. First, a multiparameter adjusting bistable Duffing system that can achieve SR under large-parameter weak signals is introduced. A hybrid optimization algorithm (HOA) combining the genetic algorithm (GA) and the simulated annealing (SA) is proposed to adaptively obtain the optimized parameters and output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the Duffing system. Therefore, the data optimization based on the multiparameter-adjusting SR of Duffing system can be realized. An SR-based mapping method is further proposed to convert the outputs of the Duffing system into grey images, which can be further processed by a normal CNN with batch normalization (BN) layers and dropout layers. After verifying the feasibility of the HOA in multiparameter optimization of the Duffing system, the bearing fault data set from the CWRU bearing data center was processed by the proposed fault enhancement classification and identification method. The research showed that the weak features of the bearing signals could be enhanced significantly through the adaptive multiparameter optimization of SR, and classification accuracies for 10 categories of bearing signals could achieve 100% and those for 20 categories could achieve more than 96.9%, which is better than other methods. The influences of the population number on the classification accuracies and calculation time were further studied, and the feature map and network visualization are presented. It was demonstrated that the proposed method can realize high-performance fault enhancement classification and identification.

Depletion Effect-mediated Association of Carbon Nanotube-Polymer Composites and Their Application as Inexpensive Electrode Support Materials.

The association between carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polymers to afford functional composites has been attributed to enthalpic interactions, neglecting the entropic depletion effect, in which bound solvents are released during the association process. Here, we show that association between multiwalled CNTs and common polymers is governed by the depletion effect, generating a corresponding entropic free energy up to ca. 13 kJ mol-1 at room temperature, while the enthalpic contribution is insignificant or even negative. Notably, association between the polymers and the CNTs takes place preferentially at the highly stacked CNT junctions, leading to mechanical reinforcement without impacting conductivity. Consequently, high-performance composite membranes were fabricated from inexpensive multiwalled CNTs and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and were used as electrode supports for platinum (Pt) nanoparticles, affording specific currents 6-7-fold higher than that of Pt foil in the hydrogen evolution reaction and displaying outstanding stability.

Universal Soft Robotic Microgripper.

Here, a soft robotic microgripper is presented that consists of a smart actuated microgel connected to a spatially photopatterned multifunctional base. When pressed onto a target object, the microgel component conforms to its shape, thus providing a simple and adaptive solution for versatile micromanipulation. Without the need for active visual or force feedback, objects of widely varying mechanical and surface properties are reliably gripped through a combination of geometrical interlocking mechanisms instantiated by reversible shape-memory and thermal responsive swelling of the microgel. The gripper applies holding forces exceeding 400 µN, which is high enough to lift loads 1000 times heavier than the microgel. An untethered version of the gripper is developed by remotely controlling the position using magnetic actuation and the contractile state of the microgel using plasmonic absorption. Gentle yet stable robotic manipulation of biological samples under physiological conditions opens up possibilities for high-throughput interrogation and minimally invasive interventions.

Indirect CO2 Methanation: Hydrogenolysis of Cyclic Carbonates Catalyzed by Ru-Modified Zeolite Produces Methane and Diols.

We report a ruthenium-modified zeolite which efficiently transforms propylene carbonate to propylene glycol and methane, under solvent-free conditions. The catalyst achieved high product selectivity and no significant ageing effect was observed after multiple cycles. The resulting liquid product (water-containing glycol) can be directly used as anti-freeze solution and the gas phase can directly be used as an energy carrier in the form of H2 -enriched methane. This process efficiently bridges energy storage and an important chemical synthesis under sustainable (CO2 consuming) conditions.

Feasibility, reliability and validity of the Chinese simplified version of the MOS-HIV health survey among AIDS patients in China.

PURPOSES: To test the feasibility, reliability and validity of the Chinese simplified version of the MOS-HIV health survey among AIDS patients in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 120 patients receiving highly active antiretroviral treatment was conducted. Feasibility was assessed using the time of administration and the response rate. Reliability was estimated using Cronbach's α. Validity was analyzed by construct and discriminant validity. RESULTS: The time of administration was about 12 min, and the response rate was 100%. The MOS-HIV showed a good internal reliability and Cronbach's α of eight multi-item scales ranged from 0.75 to 0.91. Correlations between scales were all significant. The majority of the correlations between pairs of scales were within the acceptable range (0.4-0.8). The scores of role function, pain, physical health summary scales were significantly higher for patients with time on antiretroviral treatment >1 year compared to those with time ≤ 1 year. Patients >40 years had significantly higher scores than those of ≤ 40 years on energy and mental health summary scales. CONCLUSIONS: The Chinese simplified version of MOS-HIV health survey had good feasibility, reliability and validity. It was successfully adapted for AIDS patients in rural areas and could be a valuable tool in evaluating the quality of life of AIDS patients.

Colloidal self-assembly of soft neural interfaces from injectable photovoltaic microdevices.

Biomimetic retinas with a wide field of view and high resolution are in demand for neuroprosthetics and robot vision. Conventional neural prostheses are manufactured outside the application area and implanted as a complete device using invasive surgery. Here, a minimally invasive strategy based on in situ self-assembly of photovoltaic microdevices (PVMs) is presented. The photoelectricity transduced by PVMs upon visible light illumination reaches the intensity levels that could effectively activate the retinal ganglion cell layers. The geometry and multilayered architecture of the PVMs along with the tunability of their physical properties such as size and stiffness allow several routes for initiating a self-assembly process. The spatial distribution and packing density of the PVMs within the assembled device are modulated through concentration, liquid discharge speed, and coordinated self-assembly steps. Subsequent injection of a photocurable and transparent polymer facilitates tissue integration and reinforces the cohesion of the device. Taken together, the presented methodology introduces three unique features: minimally invasive implantation, personalized visual field and acuity, and a device geometry adaptable to retina topography.

Seroprevalence of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis C virus in the general population of the Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China.

This study aimed at understanding the HIV prevalence, distribution of HIV risk factors and whether the HIV has spread from high-risk groups to the general population in the Yanyuan and Muli counties, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. A multistage probability method was used to select a representative sample of villages in each county, with stratification by risk employed in the sampling for the Yanyuan county. A real-name registration and confidential method were adopted to collect the information of the participants. Blood specimens were tested for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis C virus. A total of 4,950 subjects participated in the study. Of the participants aged ≥ 15 years, 0.12% self-reported being drug users and 40% were injection drug users; 0.46% had multiple sex partners and the condom use rate was only 26.3% during the last sexual intercourse. HIV, syphilis, and HCV prevalence of Yanyuan county were 0.06% (95% CI: 0-0.142), 0.06% (95% CI: 0-0.142), and 0.15% (95% CI: 0.020-0.280), respectively. HCV prevalence of Muli county was 0.06% (95% CI: 0-0.191), and none was found to be HIV or syphilis positive. Therefore, the rate of HIV infection in Yanyuan and Muli counties is at a low level currently. The Yanyuan county HIV infection rate is similar to the average rate in all of China, and the Muli county rate is below China's average. The HIV epidemic has not spread from high-risk groups to the general population in these two counties.

Insights into the mechanism of flavor compound changes in strong flavor baijiu during storage by using the density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulation.

The aging procedure/storage is essential to enhance the organoleptic quality of strong flavor baijiu (SFB). How the storage affects flavor changes in SFB, that is, the aging mechanisms remains unclear. Herein, the physical and chemical effects on the main flavor compounds of SFB during storage were investigated using the density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. DFT calculation results showed that the activation energy of ester alkyl-oxygen protonation was lower than that of acid hydroxyl-oxygen protonation, which explained the reason why the concentrations of acids increased and those of esters decreased during SFB storage. MD simulation results showed that electrostatic interaction was a major contributor to SFB and that the ethanol-water system containing acids had a stronger electrostatic energy and more hydrogen bonds than the ethanol-water system containing esters. These findings revealed that acids are prone to generating and strengthening associative structures in SFB during storage.

The antitumour activity of C21 steroidal glycosides and their derivatives of Baishouwu: A review.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Baishouwu has been used in China for thousands of years since it was first discovered in the late Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song and Ming Dynasties. The Chinese herbal medicines named Baishouwu include Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight., Cynanchum bungei Decne. and Cynanchum wilfordii Hemsl. It is described in the Sign of Materia Medica as "sweet, bitter, reinforce liver and kidney, and non-toxic". It is widely used for nourishing the blood to expel wind, reinforcing liver and kidney, strengthening bones and muscles. AIM OF THE REVIEW: In this review, the current research status of the C21 steroidal glycosides and their derivatives of Baishouwu for malignant tumours and their anti-tumour mechanisms are discussed. This may lay the ground for potential application of Baishouwu and its active ingredients in the treatment of tumours. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Scientific databases, including PubMed, Elsevier, Science Direct, Google Scholar, CNKI, WANFANG DATA and VIP were searched to gather data about Baishouwu and its C21 steroidal glycosides and their derivatives. RESULTS: Prior literature indicates that Baishouwu has important biological activities such as anti-tumour, anti-epileptic, reducing cholesterol, protection of liver and kidney and immunomodulatory, which are of increasing interest, especially its anti-tumour activity. Recent studies demonstrate that the C21 steroidal glycosides of Baishouwu, which have prominent antitumour efficacy, are one of its main active ingredients. Presently, a variety of C21 steroidal glycosides have been isolated from Baishouwu medicinal part, the tuberous root. This review summarizes the various antitumour activities of the C21 steroidal glycosides and their derivatives of Baishouwu. CONCLUSIONS: In this review, the antitumour effects and mechanisms of total C21 steroidal glycosides and monomers and derivatives of Baishouwu in vitro and in vivo were summarized. Baishouwu can inhibit tumourigenesis by blocking tumour cell cycle progression, regulating numerous signaling pathways, promoting apoptosis, inhibiting tumour cells proliferation and metastasis, improving immunity and so on. This review provides a theoretical basis for inheriting and developing the medical heritage of the motherland, exploring the resources of traditional Chinese medicine for ethnic minorities and clinical rational drug use.

Ordered nanoporous silica with periodic 30-60 nm pores as an effective support for gold nanoparticle catalysts with enhanced lifetime.

We demonstrate that supermolecular templating allows tuning the pore size of ordered mesoporous materials in the once elusive range from 30 nm to more than 60 nm through simple control of synthetic variables (salt/supermolecule concentration and hydrothermal temperature). Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) within the extra-large pores exhibit dramatically increased lifetime compared to those located within relatively small mesopores due to the enhanced mass diffusion that suppresses coke deposition on AuNPs.

Effects of metals released in strong-flavor baijiu on the evolution of aroma compounds during storage.

Storage is essential in improving the quality of strong-flavor baijiu (SFB). Here, we investigated the release behaviors of metals from containers into SFB and their effects on the evolution of aroma compounds during storage. Twenty-six metals were identified in SFB samples. The concentrations of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Al, and Fe obviously increased after storing in pottery jar, whereas those of Fe and Cu greatly increased after storing in stainless-steel vessel. The volatility of most esters, alcohols, ketone, furan, and aldehyde decreased, whereas that of most acids increased after adding the metal ions into fresh SFB. The fluorescence intensity of SFB decreased with increased aging time in pottery jar, whereas the fluorescence intensity of acids was quenched with adding Fe3+ and Cu2+. All these results suggested that some metals released from containers had binding affinities with acids, thereby reducing SFB organoleptic stimulation by forming metal-aroma compound complexes during storage.

Acceptorless dehydrogenation and hydrogenation of N- and O-containing compounds on Pd3Au1(111) facets.

Catalytic dehydrogenation and hydrogenation of amines and alcohols are important in the synthesis of fine chemicals. Despite several efficient homogeneous catalysts having been identified, highly active heterogeneous catalysts remain elusive, although they would meet an unmet need. Here, we show that bimetallic Pd-Au nanoparticles with Pd-to-Au molar ratios of 3:1 immobilized on multiwall carbon nanotubes (Pd3Au1/CNT) display high catalytic activity in the oxidant-free and acceptorless dehydrogenation and hydrogenation of N- and O-containing heterocyclic compounds, amines/imines, and alcohols/ketones. Transmission electron microscopy analysis demonstrates the preferential exposure of Pd3Au1(111) facets on the Pd3Au1/CNT catalyst. Mechanistic insights combining experimental data with density functional theory calculations reveal that the Pd3Au1(111) surface enhances both dehydrogenation and hydrogenation reactions and provides a rationale for the observed enhancements.

An Efficient Approach to Fabricate Air-Stable Perovskite Solar Cells via Addition of a Self-Polymerizing Ionic Liquid.

Despite the excellent photovoltaic properties achieved by perovskite solar cells at the laboratory scale, hybrid perovskites decompose in the presence of air, especially at high temperatures and in humid environments. Consequently, high-efficiency perovskites are usually prepared in dry/inert environments, which are expensive and less convenient for scale-up purposes. Here, a new approach based on the inclusion of an in situ polymerizable ionic liquid, 1,3-bis(4-vinylbenzyl)imidazolium chloride ([bvbim]Cl), is presented, which allows perovskite films to be manufactured under humid environments, additionally leading to a material with improved quality and long-term stability. The approach, which is transferrable to several perovskite formulations, allows efficiencies as high as 17% for MAPbI3 processed in air % relative humidity (RH) ≥30 (from an initial 15%), and 19.92% for FAMAPbI3 fabricated in %RH ≥50 (from an initial 17%), providing one of the best performances to date under similar conditions.

Leather-Promoted Transformation of Glucose into 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural and Levoglucosenone.

The search for efficient catalysts frequently leads to new homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts of increasing complexity, and sometimes common, natural, or hybrid natural/synthetic materials that could be used in catalysis are overlooked. For example, the leather industry has produced robust Cr-containing materials for centuries by chemical treatment of animal hides with chromium salts. Herein, the use of chromium-tanned leather as a heterogeneous catalyst for glucose dehydration to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) and levoglucosenone (LGO) is reported. Four pieces of waste leather were obtained from shoe soles and a belt, characterized by a range of techniques including FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, BET surface area measurements, XRD, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and their catalytic activity was evaluated. The activity of the scrap leather pieces compares favorably to those of many recently reported catalysts for the preparation of 5-HMF, but additionally results in significant quantities of LGO. Overall, the results demonstrate that waste leather is an outstanding material for use in catalysis.

Sustainable, Reshapable Surfactant-Polyelectrolyte Plastics Employing Water as a Plasticizer.

Natural polymers such as those present in foods contain abundant noncovalent intra- and intermolecular interactions, notably hydrogen bonds, which make them rigid when dry, but on exposure to water soften, due to disruption of these interactions. This softening process allows them to be reshaped. Food-derived materials, however, have limited practical use due to their high brittleness and gradual degradation. Nevertheless, inspired by such properties, surfactant-polyelectrolyte-based polymers that contain abundant ionic interactions and can be repeatedly reshaped using water as plasticizer are described. The polymers, on the basis of main chain anionic poly(styrene sulfonates) combined with phosphonium surfactant, are readily synthesized with well-defined lamellar domains through interfacial metathesis reactions. The polymers present typical stress-strain characteristics of plastics, and their modulus undergoes a decrease of ca. 3 orders of magnitude upon shear and stretch forces after plasticizing with water. Since recycling of plastics generally involves complicated and energy-intensive processes (that leads to the majority of plastics being land-filled or incinerated), it is envisaged that reshapable polymers, such as those described here, could reduce the amount of plastic waste as they can be remolded as and when required, thus reducing pollution and the depletion of resources, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable society.

Bilayered polyurethane/dipole-dipole and H-bonding interaction reinforced hydrogels as thermo-responsive soft manipulators.

Dipole-dipole and hydrogen-bonding interaction reinforced (DHIR) hydrogels that demonstrate both excellent thermo-responsive volume change and high mechanical strength have been developed. Their thermo-responsive volume change originates from the balance between the temperature-sensitive reversible dipole-dipole and H-bonding interaction and an embedded super-hydrophilic component. By integrating these thermal responsive DHIR hydrogels with non-swelling polyurethane (PU) hydrogels, bilayered (DHIR-PU) thermomorphic actuators capable of shape transformation have been fabricated. The hybrid DHIR-PU hydrogels have a wide temperature window allowing dual-responsive actuations to be achieved. The new hydrogel-based actuators are highly attractive materials for a range of transformative applications in soft robotics, medical devices and advanced manufacturing.

Unconventional Tough Double-Network Hydrogels with Rapid Mechanical Recovery, Self-Healing, and Self-Gluing Properties.

Hydrogels are polymeric materials that have a relatively high capacity for holding water. Recently, a double network (DN) technique was developed to fabricate hydrogels with a toughness comparable to rubber. The mechanical properties of DN hydrogels may be attributed to the brittle sacrificial bonding network of one hydrogel, facilitating stress dispersion, combined with ductile polymer chains of a second hydrogel. Herein, we report a novel class of tunable DN hydrogels composed of a polyurethane hydrogel and a stronger, dipole-dipole and H-bonding interaction reinforced (DHIR) hydrogel. Compared to conventional DN hydrogels, these materials show remarkable improvements in mechanical recovery, modulus, and yielding, with excellent self-healing and self-gluing properties. In addition, the new DN hydrogels exhibit excellent tensile and compression strengths and possess shape-memory properties, which make them promising for applications in engineering, biomedicine, and other domains where load bearing is required.

In situ growth of a polyphosphazene nanoparticle coating on a honeycomb surface: facile formation of hierarchical structures for bioapplication.

In combination with the breath-figure method, an in situ growth approach of polyphosphazenes was performed on a honeycomb surface resulting in a closely packed nanoparticle coating and a micro/nanoscale hierarchical structure. The hierarchically structured surfaces exhibited high biocompatibility, allowed good cellular adhesion and presented strong potential use as a cell scaffold.