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Whereas the preparation and biological properties of rambutan peel phenolics (RPP) were explored in our previous studies, the metal chelating, inhibitory DNA damage, and anti-inflammatory activities of RPP were evaluated and the important phenolics of RPP quantified in this study. Results showed that RPP had high Fe2+ and Cu2+-chelating activities with EC50 of 0.80 mg/mL and 0.13 mg/mL, respectively. RPP effectively decreased the production of hydroxyl radical with IC50 of 62.4 μg/mL. The protective effects of RPP against AAPH-induced DNA damage were also explored. RPP efficiently inhibited peroxyl radical-induced plasmid DNA strand breakage. The anti-inflammatory effects of RPP were determined using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cell model. RPP significantly inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO) and controlled the levels of inducible NO synthase mRNA in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. The inhibitory activity increased in a dose-dependent manner. The above bioactivity of RPP was associated with its phenolic content and phenolic profiles. Furthermore, the contents of geraniin and corilagin in RPP were determined by an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadruple mass spectrometry (UPLC-QQQ-MS), showing 140.02 and 7.87 mg/g extract dry weight. Thus, RPP has potential applications as a novel nutraceutical and functional food in health promotion.

Introduction High levels of MG53 may attenuate the damage from myocardial infarction (MI). Furthermore, N6-methyl-adenosine (m6A) methylation is a mode of RNA modification that influences mRNA functions. Whether m6A modification on MG53 exerts a protective role on myocardial injury remains largely unknown. Materials and methods We established hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) H9c2 cell and myocardial ischemia reperfusion (I/R) rat models. MG53 expression was detected using RT-qPCR, and its m6A levels were measured using Me-RIP. The relationship between MG53 and YTHDF2 was evaluated using RNA immunoprecipitation, FISH and immunofluorescence assay, and luciferase reporter assay. MI area of rats was determined using TTC staining. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry and TUNEL assay. Results The m6A levels of MG53 were increased in H/R-induced H9c2 cells and the myocardium of I/R rats. Moreover, knockdown of YTHDF2 recognized the m6A modification of MG53 and enhanced MG53 stability. Overexpression of MG53 inhibited apoptosis of H/R-treated H9c2 cells, which was reversed by YTHDF2, while downregulation of MG53 m6A methylation caused by METTL3 knockdown further abrogated the effect induced by YTHDF2. Additionally, MG53 attenuated MI and apoptosis in I/R rats, which were rescued by YTHDF2. Conclusion YTHDF2 hinders the protective effect of MG53 on MI by recognizing the m6A modification of MG53.

High-energy-density lithium batteries play a crucial role in the lightweight design of stratospheric airship systems. This paper conducts an in-depth experimental study of the equivalent circuit model of soft-pack batteries, with a focus on how parameter identification methods affect model accuracy. To this end, first-order RC, second-order RC, and third-order RC equivalent circuit models were constructed, and model parameters under different temperature and current conditions were obtained through constant-current intermittent discharge experiments. During the parameter identification process, special consideration was given to the impact of sampling time on voltage measurements and the interdependent constraints among models. Additionally, the effects of current, temperature, and SOC (state of charge) variations on ohmic resistance and polarization resistance–capacitor parameters were analyzed. The experimental results show that the root mean square error (RMSE) of battery terminal voltage calculated using parameter identification methods that account for these factors is significantly lower than when these factors are not considered. By comparing the voltage calculation accuracy and operational efficiency of the three models, the second-order RC model was determined to be the preferred choice due to its simple structure, high computational efficiency, and superior accuracy.

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) has been widely used for medical and nutraceutical purposes due to its roles in maintaining tissue structural integrity. We investigated if CS disaccharides may act as a bioactive compound and modulate gut microbial composition in mice. Our data show that CS disaccharides supplementation for 16 days significantly reduced blood LPS in the mice experiencing exhaustive exercise stress. CS disaccharides partially restored total fecal short-chain fatty acids from the level significantly repressed in mice under the stress. Our findings demonstrated that CS was likely butyrogenic and resulted in a significant increase in fecal butyrate concentration. CS disaccharides had a profound impact on gut microbial composition, affecting the abundance of 13.6% and 7.3% Operational Taxonomic Units in fecal microbial communities in healthy and stressed mice, respectively. CS disaccharides reduced the prevalence of inflammatory Proteobacteria. Together, our findings demonstrated that CS may ameliorate stress-induced intestinal inflammation. Furthermore, CS significantly increased intestinal Bacteroides acidifaciens population, indirectly exerting its immunomodulatory effect on the intestine. CS disaccharides had a significant impact on a broad range of biological pathways under stressed condition, such as ABC transporters, two-component systems, and carbohydrate metabolism. Our results will facilitate the development of CS as a bioactive nutraceutical.

Transparent synthetic materials with similar physical and mechanical properties to the natural soft soil are fundamental for studying the failure mechanism of tunnel excavation in a soft soil foundation using a visual model test. Therefore, this paper generated a quantitative method for determining an optimal mix proportion of transparent cemented soil. Firstly, Fused quartz particles (coarse aggregate), Nanoscale hydrophobic fumed silica powder (binder), and N-dodecane mixed 15# white oil (pore fluid) were selected as the raw materials to prepare transparent cemented soil, and systematic orthogonal experiments were designed (two influencing factors and three levels). Concurrently, the physical and mechanical characteristics of transparent cemented soil were analyzed in three aspects: physical nature, compressive characteristics, and shear properties. Subsequently, to represent the relationship between various physical and mechanical parameters (unit weight, internal friction angle, cohesion) and different influencing factors (the particle size of quartz sand, the mass ratio between fumed silica and fused quartz) quantitatively, multiple nonlinear regression equations of various physical and mechanical parameters (unit weight, internal friction angle, cohesion) were obtained by fitting the original test data. Finally, the particle size of quartz sand, the mass ratio between fumed silica and fused quartz, and the geometry similarity constant were solved, combining the obtained multiple nonlinear regression equations. In addition, applying the designed method achieves uniformity in properties between the transparent material and natural soil. All the conclusions could provide theoretical support and data reference for transparent soil model test implementation.

Vitellogenin (Vg), a major reproductive protein, has been associated with infection-resistant response in fish. However, the underlying mechanisms by which Vg is involved in anti-infectious response are not understood. By both protein-microbe interaction analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as well as phagocytosis test, we demonstrate for the first time that fish Vg acts as a pattern recognition molecule with multiple specificities that can recognize bacteria as well as fungus rather than self components from fish, and functions as an opsonin that can enhance macrophage phagocytosis. This study shows that fish Vg plays an integrative function in regulating immunity via its pleiotropic effects on both recognizing pathogen-associated molecular patterns and promoting macrophage phagocytosis. It also supports the notion that factors normally involved in control of female reproduction are associated with immunity in organisms that rely on Vg for oocyte development.

The stratospheric airship is a kind of aircraft that completely relies on the cycle of photovoltaic energy systems to achieve long duration flight. The accurate estimation of the operating temperature of solar cell modules on stratospheric airship is extremely important for the design of photovoltaics system (PV system), the output power calculation of PV system, and the calculation of energy balance. However, the related study has been rarely reported. A support vector machine prediction method based on particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO-SVM) was established to predict the operating temperature of solar cell modules on stratospheric airship. The PSO algorithm was used to dynamically optimize the SVM’s parameters between the operating temperature of the solar cell modules and the measured data such as atmospheric pressure, solar radiation intensity, flight speed, and ambient temperature. The operating temperature data of the two sets of solar cell modules measured in the flight test were used to verify the accuracy of the temperature prediction model, and the prediction results were compared with a back propagation neural network (BPNN) method and the simulation results calculated by COMSOL Multiphysics of COMSOL, Inc., Columbus, MA, USA. The results shown that the PSO-SVM model realized the accurate prediction of the operating temperature of solar cell modules on stratospheric airship, which can guide the design of PV system, the output power calculation of PV system, and the calculation of energy balance.

Shrimp paste is a type of condiments with high nutritional value. However, the flavors of shrimp paste, particularly the non-uniformity flavors, have limited its application in food processing. In order to identify the characteristic flavor compounds in Chinese traditional shrimp pastes, five kinds of typical commercial products were evaluated in this study. The differences in the volatile composition of the five products were investigated. Solid phase micro-extraction method was employed to extract the volatile compounds. GC-MS and electronic nose were applied to identify the compounds, and the data were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). A total of 62 volatile compounds were identified, including 8 alcohols, 7 aldehydes, 3 ketones, 7 ethers, 7acids, 3 esters, 6 hydrocarbons, 12 pyrazines, 2 phenols, and 7 other compounds. The typical volatile compounds contributing to the flavor of shrimp paste were found as follows: dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl tetrasulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, 2, 3, 5-trimethyl-6-ethyl pyrazine, ethyl-2, 5-dimethyl-pyrazine, phenol and indole. Propanoic acid, butanoic acid, furans, and 2-hydroxy-3-pentanone caused unpleasant odors, such as pungent and rancid odors. Principal component analysis showed that the content of volatile compounds varied depending on the processing conditions and shrimp species. These results indicated that the combinations of multiple analysis and identification methods could make up the limitations of a single method, enhance the accuracy of identification, and provide useful information for sensory research and product development.

Stacking is a widely used method of microbial enrichment in the field of fermentation and is traditionally used to promote flavor in Chinese sauce-flavor Baijiu; however, its precise mechanism is unknown. This study assessed the fermentation process of light-flavor Baijiu with the simplest microbial source. After comparing differences in the microbial composition of different kinds of Daqu, a high-temperature Daqu with a microbial composition that significantly differs from light-flavor Daqu was selected for stacking. The physical and chemical indicators, microbial community composition, and metabolite profiles during the fermentation process were tracked, and the total ester content in Baiju was significantly higher with stacking than Baijiu without stacking. The dominant bacteria during stacking fermentation were Bacillus and Enterococcus, while Lactobacillus was the dominant bacteria during middle and late fermentation periods. Low levels of Lactobacillus and Pichia in Daqu were screened and enriched during the stacking process, while the glucose and acetate content significantly increased. Flavor compounds such as esters and acids were positively correlated with dominant genera such as Lactobacillus, Bacillus, and Pichia. Stacking provides microorganisms for environmental screening, which regulates the microbial community structure and produces various metabolites and precursors of flavor substances to fully saccharify and promote the production of flavor substances. Stacking during the production of light-flavor Baijiu can help regulate the fermentation process and improve Baijiu quality.

This paper aims to explore the effect and mechanism of water-soluble astaxanthin succinate diester (Asta-SD) on ulcerative colitis (UC) induced by dextran sodium sulfate in zebrafish and C57BL/6J mice. Asta-SD was synthesized with hydrophilic fatty acid succinic anhydride and the hydroxyl groups at the ends of F-Asta were synthesized by esterifying. Through the construction of a zebrafish intestinal inflammation model, it was found that Asta-SD could effectively reduce the levels of ROS and increase the number of healthy intestinal lysosomes in zebrafish. After continuous gavage of Asta-SD for seven days, the body weight, disease activity index, colonic length, colonic histopathology, expression of inflammatory factors, and intestinal flora of the mice were measured. The results showed that Asta-SD could significantly alleviate weight loss and colonic shrinkage, as well as reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and recess injury in UC mice. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that Asta-SD significantly increased the beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus, Anaerotruncus) and decreased the relative abundance of pathogenic bacteria, effectively maintaining intestinal microbiota homeostasis in mice. Based on Pearson analysis, Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, and Butyrimionas were expected to be associated with the significant difference in the expression of inflammatory factors between the UC and the corresponding host. Thus, Asta-SD significantly improves UC and maintains intestinal microbiota homeostasis.