Effects of high-pressure-modified soy 11S globulin on the gel properties and water-holding capacity of pork batter

The effects of high-pressure-modified soy 11S globulin (0.1, 200, and 400 MPa) on the gel properties, water-holding capacity, and water mobility of pork batter were investigated. The high-pressure-modified soy 11S globulin significantly increased (P < 0.05) the emulsion stability, cooking yield, hardness, springiness, chewiness, resilience, cohesiveness, the a^* and b^* values, and the G′ and G′′ values of pork batter at 80 °C, compared with those of 0.1 MPa-modified globulin. In contrast, the centrifugal loss and initial relaxation time of T_2b, T₂₁, and T₂₂ significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the microstructure was denser, and the voids were smaller and more uniform compared with those of 0.1 MPa-modified globulin. In addition, the sample with 11S globulin modified at 400 MPa had the best water-holding capacity, gel structure, and gel properties among the samples. Overall, the use of high-pressure-modified soy 11S globulin improved the gel properties and water-holding capacity of pork batter, especially under 400 MPa.     

Inhibitory effects of curcumin and piperine on fluorescent advanced glycation end products formation in a bovine serum albumin–fructose model

This study investigated the inhibitory effects of curcumin and piperine on fluorescent advanced glycation end products (fAGEs) formation in a bovine serum albumin (BSA)–fructose model. Model systems of BSA and fructose were prepared, and curcumin or piperine was added. fAGEs and BSA oxidation product (dityrosine, kynurenine and N'-formylkynurenine) contents were determined. The results showed that fAGEs content decreased with increasing concentration of curcumin and piperine (P < 0.05). Addition of curcumin and piperine at 160 µg mL⁻¹ could inhibit fluorescent AGEs by 100% and 93% respectively. Dityrosine and N'-formylkynurenine contents decreased as curcumin and piperine concentration increased (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the result of principal component analysis indicated that curcumin and piperine markedly impeded BSA oxidation, resulting in a lower level of fAGEs in model systems. Therefore, adding curcumin and piperine may facilitate reduced fAGEs levels in BSA–fructose model.     

Utility optimization of grouping-based uplink OFDMA random access for the next generation WLANs

Wireless Networks - In this paper, a grouping-based uplink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) random access method is studied which can improve users’ satisfaction in the...     

Facile preparation and strong adhesive strength of honeycomb polyurethane films with small pore diameter

With the continuous development of bionics, such as, geckos and virginia creeper with both superhydrophobic and super-adhesive, the surface wetting and super-adhesive properties of various porous materials have attracted extensive attention of the scientific and medical communities. Here, the honeycomb polyurethane (PU) porous films with strong adhesion were successfully prepared by microphase separation method and the effects of growth parameters on their microstructure and adhesive strength to ice were investigated. It was found that a high relative humidity (e.g., 100%) and a low solution concentration (e.g., 2%) facilitated the formation of ordered honeycomb PU porous films, and as-prepared PU pores with average pore diameter as small as 5 μm are better ordered and more uniform than these in related documents. Although the contact angle of water droplets on the surface of PU porous films increased from the premodification value of 85–130° to more than 160° after surface modification with polydopamine (PDA), the corresponding rolling angle remained approximately constant (180°), indicating that the surface of PU porous films has strong adhesion similar to geckos and virginia creeper. Furthermore, at lower temperature, the PU porous films exhibited the high adhesive strength of 142.13 kPa on ice, which was strongly dependent on the porous microstructures and surface compositions. The improved adhesive behavior to ice of honeycomb PU porous films modified with PDA provides new strategies for surface modification of materials and potential applications in medical domain.     

Centimeter-scale low-damage micromachining on single-crystal 4H–SiC substrates using a femtosecond laser with square-shaped Flat-Top focus spots

Femtosecond (fs) lasers have been proved to be reliable tools for high-precision and high-quality micromachining of ceramic materials. Nevertheless, fs laser processing using a single-mode beam with a Gaussian intensity distribution is difficult to obtain large-area flat and uniform processed surfaces. In this study, we utilize a customized diffractive optical element (DOE) to redistribute the laser pulse energy from Gaussian to square-shaped Flat-Top profile to realize centimeter-scale low-damage micromachining on single-crystal 4H–SiC substrates. We systematically investigated the effects of processing parameters on the changes in surface morphology and composition, and an optimal processing strategy was provided. Mechanisms of the formation of surface nanoparticles and the removal of surface micro-burrs were discussed. We also examined the distribution of subsurface defects caused by fs laser processing by removing a thin surface layer with a certain depth through chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). Our results show that laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSSs) covered by fine SiO₂ nanoparticles form on the fs laser-processed areas. Under optimal parameters, the redeposition of SiO₂ nanoparticles can be minimized, and the surface roughness Sa of processed areas reaches 120 ± 8 nm after the removal of a 10 μm thick surface layer. After the laser processing, micro-burrs on original surfaces are effectively removed, and thus the average profile roughness Rz of 2 mm long surface profiles decreases from 920 ± 120 nm to 286 ± 90 nm. No visible micro-pits can be found after removing ~1 μm thick surface layer from the laser-processed substrates.     

Theoretical study on a kind of cyclization mechanism of boron trichloride and hexamethyldisilazane to form the borazine ring for SiBCN ceramics precursor

Borazine rings act as a pivotal part in siliconboroncarbonitride ceramics (SiBCN) for high-temperature stability and great resistance to crystallization. A detailed investigation of the ring formation mechanism will guide the design and synthesis of SiBCN to meet application requirements under extreme conditions. Boron trichloride (BCl₃) and hexamethyldisilazane (HN(SiMe₃)₂) are common raw materials for the synthesis of precursors for SiBCN. In this paper, quantum chemical calculation was used to study the cyclization reaction mechanism between BCl₃ and HN(SiMe₃)₂ to form trichloroborazine (TCBZ) at the MP2/6-31G (d,p) level of theory. We discussed the structure properties, reaction pathways, energy barriers, reaction rates, and other aspects in detail. The results show that BCl₃ and HN(SiMe₃)₂ alternately participate in the reaction process, accompanied by the release of trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS), and that the entire reaction shows an absolute advantage in terms of energy. In the Step by step reaction, lower reaction barriers are formed due to the introduction of BCl₃ with more heat released compared to that for the introduction of HN(SiMe₃)₂. The final single-molecule cyclization and TMCS elimination steps are found to be faster compared to all previous bimolecular reactions.     

Display illumination with modulated directional backlight

Illumination is essential for modern life as colorful world is perceived by human visionary system. Display technology has been developing rapidly in recent decades, and the basic principle is related to the way that the image is illuminated and light is emanated. Traditional illumination is provided by different types of light sources, and the display image is visible in large viewing space until the emanating light decays to zero. This work proposes and demonstrates a novel illumination scheme for a display in which the displaying images are visible only in specific spatial regions. The directional backlight ensures the image propagating to specific direction while imaging visibility can be controlled to terminate abruptly at certain distance from the display screen while exerting no influence to nearby regions. The working principle for such an illumination scheme is the use of the modulated coherent directional backlight through an axicon lens. It is shown that the illumination scheme can robustly deliver carried image information to the designated viewing region. This new illumination scheme has many advantages over conventional illumination, including its usage for personal display, very lower energy consumption, as well as minimizing light hazard pollution.     

Chemotherapy response of pancreatic cancer by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and intravoxel incoherent motion DWI (IVIM-DWI) in an orthotopic mouse model

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine - To investigate the value of using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and intravoxel incoherent motion DWI (IVIM-DWI) to assess the...     

In situ characterization of LiY(WO4)2 nanotubes for electrochemical energy storage

Here, LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes are prepared via a feasible electrospinning technique. This new anode material shows excellent electrochemical properties. The capacity loss of LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes is as low as 6.9% after 156 cycles, while bulk LiY(WO₄)₂ presents the capacity loss higher than 55.0%. Even after 600 long-life cycles, the capacity loss of the nanotubes is only 9%. It can be seen that the hollow structure with a rough surface and a porous morphology contributes to the improvement of electrochemical performance. Furthermore, online X-ray diffraction (XRD) method is firstly applied to understand the lithium ions insertion/extraction mechanism of LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes. It can be concluded that it is an asymmetrical two-phase reaction. A phase transformation from LiY(WO₄)₂ to Li₃Y(WO₄)₂ can be obviously seen from the in situ XRD during discharge process. While Li₂Y(WO₄)₂ appears as an intermediate phase with a reverse charge reaction. In addition, in situ XRD also demonstrates that LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes have surprised electrochemical reversibility. All the above results indicate that LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes can be expected to be anode candidate for rechargeable lithium ion batteries (LIBs).