Tuning the Fermi Level of Silver Nanoparticles by Thiocyanate Ions for Plasmonic Catalysis.

The Fermi level of plasmonic metals governs the generation and energetics of hot electrons, thereby determining their catalytic behavior. Herein, we introduce thiocyanate ions (SCN) as surface ligands to modulate the Fermi level of silver. Their strong and stable chemisorption enables efficient tuning of the electronic structure over a broad range.

Influence mechanisms of particle concentration and oil content on the formation and stability of rice bran protein-based Pickering emulsion.

This study is dedicated to fabricating rice bran protein particles (RBPPs) through a thermal-acid modification strategy and exploring their potential as Pickering emulsifiers. The results confirmed that compared with rice bran protein (RBP), RBPPs exhibited enhanced hydrophobicity, reduced interfacial tension, and favorable wettability (83.4 ± 5.

Unraveling NK cell heterogeneity through single-cell sequencing: insights from physiological and tumor contexts for clinical applications.

Natural killer cells (NK cells) are important immune cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME) and are considered the first line of defense in tumor immunity. Although many studies have focused on the role of NK cells in tumor therapy, the heterogeneity of NK cells complicates the investigation of the complex mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment. Single-cell sequencing technology, with its high-resolution capability, reveals the gene expression profiles of individual NK cells, highlighting their heterogeneity and providing more accurate information for NK cell therapy.

Porous poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres loaded with neutral and acidic ginseng polysaccharides ameliorate pneumonia in mice.

In this study, porous poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres loaded with ginseng polysaccharides were successfully prepared and used to ameliorate pneumonia in mice. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed the successful preparation of porous PLGA microspheres loaded with neutral ginseng polysaccharides (GP-N) and acidic ginseng polysaccharides (GP-S). Porous PLGA microspheres loaded with GP-N and GP-S had good release profiles.

Structural characterization of two polysaccharides from Gastrodia elata Blume and their neuroprotective effect on copper exposure-induced HT-22 cell damage.

In this study, the structural characterization and neuroprotective effects of two Gastrodia elata Blume polysaccharides (GEP-1 and GEP-2) were investigated. GEP-1 and GEP-2, with molecular weights (Mws) of 3.698 kDa and 59.

Effect of cellulose fibers on the structure, rheological and 3D printing properties of corn starch-based hydrogel ink.

In recent years, there has been a lot of study focused on controlling the rheological and 3D printing characteristics of starch-based hydrogels. Rigid cellulose fiber (CF) was employed in this study as a modifier to control the rheology, structure, and 3D printing characteristics of corn starch (CS) hydrogels. The findings demonstrated that CS and CF had a robust hydrogen connection, which facilitated CF's dispersion inside the CS matrix.

Carboxymethyl freeze-thawed tapioca starch moderates oil deterioration in deep-frying cycles of battered sausages.

This study was aimed at investigating the effect of carboxymethyl freeze-thawed tapioca starch (CM-FTS) in the batter wrapped ham sausages (CM-FTS-BHS) on the oil qualities following deep-frying cycles compared with tapioca starch, freeze-thawed tapioca starch, and carboxymethyl tapioca starch. As the deep-frying cycles increased, the degree of all oil deterioration continued to increase. Analysis of oxidation, acid values, carbonyl values, conjugated diene/triene content and low-field magnetic resonance revealed that adding CM-FTS to batter was more conducive to reducing the formation of oil deterioration products than other samples.

Low-internal-phase and high-viscoelastic emulsion gel synergistically stabilized by buckwheat protein microgel and carboxylated cellulose nanofibers.

With the increasing demand for healthy diets, low-fat foods have gradually become a hot issue. This study successfully prepared low-internal-phase and high-viscoelastic emulsion gels using the synergistic effect between buckwheat protein microgel (BPM) and carboxylated cellulose nanofibers (CNF). The effects of the ratio of BPM to CNF on the microstructure, stability, rheological properties, and 3D printing characteristics of the emulsion gels were investigated.

Neutral oligosaccharides from ginseng (Panax ginseng) residues vs. neutral ginseng polysaccharides: A comparative study of structure elucidation and biological activity.

This study aimed to compare the structural and biological activities of neutral ginseng residue oligosaccharides (GRO-N) and neutral ginseng polysaccharides (GP-N). Their structures of GRO-N and GP-N were established based on their molecular weight (Mw), monosaccharide composition, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, methylation, and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses. The Mws of GRO-N and GP-N were 1121.

Comparative evaluation of fermented ginseng on alleviating antibiotic-associated diarrhea in mice.

Antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD) was a common side effect of antibiotics, and fermented ginseng exhibited potential in treating AAD. In this study, the effects of fermented red, white, and black ginseng on AAD were investigated, with a focus on intestinal flora and inflammation. Clindamycin was used to induce AAD in mice, which caused severe diarrhea and weight loss.

Fermented Ginsenosides Alleviate Acute Liver Injury Induced by CCl in Mice by Regulating the AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway.

This study investigated the alleviating effect of fermented ginsenosides obtained through yeast strain fermentation transformation on acute liver injury (ALI) induced by CCl. Strains were screened for their ability to produce β-glucosidase, the transformation ability of the strain was verified by high-performance liquid chromatography, and the strain F6 was obtained by 26S rRNA sequencing. After fermentation by F6 strain, it was found that the content of ginsenosides Re, Rb, and Rb was significantly decreased ( < 0.

Four-Dimensional Label-Free Quantitative Proteomics of Ginsenoside Rg Ameliorated Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment in Mice through the Lysosomal Pathway.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease. Ginsenoside Rg has shown potential in treating AD, but the underlying protein regulatory mechanisms associated with ginsenoside Rg treatment for AD remain unclear. This study utilized scopolamine to induce memory impairment in mice, and proteomics methods were employed to investigate the potential molecular mechanism of ginsenoside Rg in treating AD model mice.

Salt-Supported Nickel Oxides for Boosted Hydrogen Production: The Critical Role of Halogen.

Hydrogen production from organic waste by gasification and reforming technologies offers major benefits to both the environment and climate. The long-term stability and regeneration of the reforming catalyst are still the biggest challenges because of carbon deposition. Here we report a recyclable salt-supported nickel oxide NiO/NaX (X: F, Cl, Br) catalyst for effective autothermal reforming of the oxygenated volatile organic compound (OVOC) ethyl acetate to hydrogen.

Investigation of the structure, rheology and 3D printing characteristics of corn starch regulated by glycyrrhizic acid.

This study aimed to construct a novel corn starch-glycyrrhizic acid (CS-GA) ink and systematically investigate the effects of GA on the water distribution, microstructure, rheology and 3D printing properties of CS hydrogels. The results showed that the CS chains could form strong hydrogen bonds with GA molecules, inhibit the formation of short-range ordered structure of CS and reduce the content of B-type starch. The low-field nuclear magnetic results showed that the introduction of GA could increase bound water content in CS-GA hydrogels.

Effect of fermentation with FL-0616 on probiotic-rich bean powders.

Unlabelled: Plant-based diets have received considerable attention for balancing human health and environmental sustainability. This study investigated the effects of fermentation with FL-0616 on probiotic-rich mung bean, chickpea and tiger skin kidney bean powders. A particle size distribution experiment showed that the particle size of probiotic-rich bean powder was significantly reduced and the specific surface area was increased.

Structure and properties of Pickering emulsions stabilized solely with novel buckwheat protein colloidal particles.

In this paper, buckwheat protein colloidal particles (BPCPs) were prepared by heat treatment to stabilize oil-water interface. The results of particle size, surface hydrophobicity and wettability indicated that the prepared BPCPs could be used as novel Pickering emulsifier. The effects of BPCPs concentration, ionic strength and heat treatment on the structure and properties of Pickering emulsions were explored.

Polysaccharides-based delivery system for efficient encapsulation and controlled release of food-derived active peptides.

A polysaccharides-based delivery system was designed to encapsulate and control the release of peanut peptide (PP). The PP-loaded polyelectrolyte complex (TMC-PP-SA) was fabricated based on the electrostatic self-assembly between n-trimethy chitosan (TMC) and sodium alginate (SA). The complex exhibited uniform spherical morphology, satisfactory stability and high encapsulation efficiency.

Unsupervised Monocular Depth Estimation Method Based on Uncertainty Analysis and Retinex Algorithm.

Depth estimation of a single image presents a classic problem for computer vision, and is important for the 3D reconstruction of scenes, augmented reality, and object detection. At present, most researchers are beginning to focus on unsupervised monocular depth estimation. This paper proposes solutions to the current depth estimation problem.

Front Vehicle Detection Algorithm for Smart Car Based on Improved SSD Model.

Vehicle detection is an indispensable part of environmental perception technology for smart cars. Aiming at the issues that conventional vehicle detection can be easily restricted by environmental conditions and cannot have accuracy and real-time performance, this article proposes a front vehicle detection algorithm for smart car based on improved SSD model. Single shot multibox detector (SSD) is one of the current mainstream object detection frameworks based on deep learning.

Pedestrian Detection Algorithm for Intelligent Vehicles in Complex Scenarios.

Pedestrian detection is an important aspect of the development of intelligent vehicles. To address problems in which traditional pedestrian detection is susceptible to environmental factors and are unable to meet the requirements of accuracy in real time, this study proposes a pedestrian detection algorithm for intelligent vehicles in complex scenarios. YOLOv3 is one of the deep learning-based object detection algorithms with good performance at present.

Changing the Phosphorus Allotrope from a Square Columnar Structure to a Planar Zigzag Nanoribbon by Increasing the Diameter of Carbon Nanotube Nanoreactors.

Elemental phosphorus nanostructures are notorious for a large number of allotropes, which limits their usefulness as semiconductors. To limit this structural diversity, we synthesize selectively quasi-1D phosphorus nanostructures inside carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that act both as stable templates and nanoreactors. Whereas zigzag phosphorus nanoribbons form preferably in CNTs with an inner diameter exceeding 1.

Improved Traffic Sign Detection and Recognition Algorithm for Intelligent Vehicles.

Traffic sign detection and recognition are crucial in the development of intelligent vehicles. An improved traffic sign detection and recognition algorithm for intelligent vehicles is proposed to address problems such as how easily affected traditional traffic sign detection is by the environment, and poor real-time performance of deep learning-based methodologies for traffic sign recognition. Firstly, the HSV color space is used for spatial threshold segmentation, and traffic signs are effectively detected based on the shape features.

A flexible, adhesive and self-healable hydrogel-based wearable strain sensor for human motion and physiological signal monitoring.

The advent of hydrogel-based strain sensors has attracted immense research interest in artificial intelligence, wearable devices, and health-monitoring systems. However, the integration of the synergistic characteristics of good mechanical properties, self-adhesiveness, self-healing capability and high strain sensitivity for fabricating hydrogel-based strain sensors is still a challenge. Here, a multifunctional conductive hydrogel composed of a polyacrylamide (PAAm)/chitosan (CS) hybrid network is fabricated for wearable strain sensors.

Lane Detection Algorithm for Intelligent Vehicles in Complex Road Conditions and Dynamic Environments.

Lane detection is an important foundation in the development of intelligent vehicles. To address problems such as low detection accuracy of traditional methods and poor real-time performance of deep learning-based methodologies, a lane detection algorithm for intelligent vehicles in complex road conditions and dynamic environments was proposed. Firstly, converting the distorted image and using the superposition threshold algorithm for edge detection, an aerial view of the lane was obtained via region of interest extraction and inverse perspective transformation.