Authenticity green coffee bean species and geographical origin using near-infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics

To prevent the adulteration of agricultural resources and provide a solution to enhance the green coffee bean supply chain, authentication using the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique was investigated. Partial least square with discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) models combined with various preprocessing methods were built from NIR spectra of 153 Vietnamese green coffee samples. The model combined with the standard normal variate and the first order of derivative yielded excellent performance in predicting coffee species with the error cross-validation of 0.0261. PLS-DA model of mean centre and first-order derivative spectra also yielded good performance in verifying geographical indication of green coffee with the error of 0.0656. By contrast, the predicting abilities of post-harvest methods were poor. The overall results showed a high potential of the NIRS in online authentication practices.     

Regulatory RNAs: A Universal Language for Inter-Domain Communication

In eukaryotes, microRNAs (miRNAs) have roles in development, homeostasis, disease and the immune response. Recent work has shown that plant and mammalian miRNAs also mediate cross-kingdom and cross-domain communications. However, these studies remain controversial and are lacking critical mechanistic explanations. Bacteria do not produce miRNAs themselves, and therefore it is unclear how these eukaryotic RNA molecules could function in the bacterial recipient. In this review, we compare and contrast the biogenesis and functions of regulatory RNAs in eukaryotes and bacteria. As a result, we discovered several conserved features and homologous components in these distinct pathways. These findings enabled us to propose novel mechanisms to explain how eukaryotic miRNAs could function in bacteria. Further understanding in this area is necessary to validate the findings of existing studies and could facilitate the use of miRNAs as novel tools for the directed remodelling of the human microbiota.     

Stochastic grid bundling method for backward stochastic differential equations

ABSTRACT

In this work, we apply the Stochastic Grid Bundling Method (SGBM) to numerically solve backward stochastic differential equations (BSDEs). The SGBM algorithm is based on conditional expectations approximation by means of bundling of Monte Carlo sample paths and a local regress-later regression within each bundle. The basic algorithm for solving the backward stochastic differential equations will be introduced and an upper error bound is established for the local regression. A full error analysis is also conducted for the explicit version of our algorithm and numerical experiments are performed to demonstrate various properties of our algorithm.     

Controlled growth of nanocrystalline aluminum nitride films for full color range

Color films are widely used for visual effect as well as for their functional properties. To date, however, synthesizing thin films with desired color remains challenging. In this work, AlN color films are deposited on Si wafers by precise control of the deposition time for different thickness during reactive magnetron sputtering from an Al target in Ar/N₂ atmosphere. The thickness, morphology, structure, composition and color index are carefully examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry and colorimeter, respectively. As the film thickness changes from 57 nm to 165 nm, the film exhibits purple, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red in color. These colors repeat in the same order when the thickness goes over 165 nm. Once the thickness exceeds 467 nm, overlapping of colors takes place. The mechanisms are elucidated.     

Electrospinning as a tool in fabricating hydrated porous cobalt phosphate fibrous network as high rate OER electrocatalysts in alkaline and neutral media

Electrospinning (ES) is a most reliable method for synthesizing one dimensional (1D) fibrous material. Fibrous materials are having peculiar interest owing to their fascinating properties. For efficient hydrogen fuel generation, electrocatalytic water splitting is one of the finest way of producing hydrogen in a pure form. But it is encountered by the counter oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in more often. As of now, noble metal based catalysts are utilized in the commercial sector. Some of the disadvantages associated with the noble materials are restrict their usage commercially. To address this issue, herein, we have synthesized One dimensional (1D), hydrated porous cobalt phosphate fibrous network by an ES method and act as an electrocatalyst for OER in both alkaline and neutral media for the first time, which exhibits an overpotential of 245 and 457 mV respectively at a current density of 10 mAcm^?2 with astonishing stability.     

Physical,mechanical and thermal properties of cross laminated timber made with coconut wood

European Journal of Wood and Wood Products - The fundamental material properties of coconut wood cross-laminated timber (CLT) were experimentally evaluated with a focus on the effect of the...     

pH-independent dissolution enhancement for multiple poorly water-soluble drugs by nano-sized solid dispersions based on hydrophobic–hydrophilic conjugates

The objective of this study was to achieve an optimal formulation of hydrophilic–hydrophobic conjugates for nano-sized solid dispersions (SDs) with enhanced dissolution of multiple drugs in different gastrointestinal (GI) tract environments. A new conjugate powder with an optimized process was used to fabricate SDs that contained three poorly water-soluble drugs that were also poorly soluble in different dissolution media. The self-assembled nanoparticle formation, drug crystallinity and SD molecular interactions were investigated by measuring the particle size during dissolution testing and physicochemical property analysis (powder X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy). Drug release studies indicated that SD containing conjugated powder significantly improved the dissolution rates of these poorly water-soluble drugs in the GI tract. In addition, particle size analysis showed nano-sized particles in the dissolution media in the early stage with a tendency to reduce smaller particles over time. Physicochemical characterizations demonstrated almost amorphous drug states and hydrogen bonding interactions between the drugs and conjugates in the SD. This study optimized a promising material for SD, and the material was shown to have a promising performance under various pH medium conditions with poorly water-soluble drugs.     

Assessment of critical buckling load of functionally graded plates using artificial neural network modeling

Neural Computing and Applications - Predicting the critical buckling loads of functionally graded material (FGM) plates using an analytical method requires solving complex equations with various...     

Morphology-dependent spin Seebeck effect in yttrium iron garnet thin films prepared by metal-organic decomposition

In this study, we examined the dependence of surface morphology and spin Seebeck effect (SSE) voltages on the poly[vinylpyrrolidone] (PVP) concentration in polycrystalline Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ (YIG) ultrathin films on a silicon substrate synthesized by metal-organic decomposition followed by a crystallization process. During fabrication, PVP concentrations of 0.5–2 g were used while all other conditions remained fixed. Atomic force microscopy and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements revealed a strong dependence of crystallinity and sample morphology on PVP concentration. The 1-g PVP sample had the smoothest surface, with a root mean square roughness of 0.2 nm, as well as superior bulk uniformity with respect to the shape and intensity of XRD reflection peaks. This was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy measurements of a cross-section of the sample that revealed a uniform film without pores. SSE measurements were performed to obtain the output SSE voltages (V_SSE) of all samples, to which a platinum layer was added as a spin-detection layer. Repeatedly, the 1-g PVP sample had the best performance, demonstrating the importance of film crystallinity and morphology in the spin-to-charge conversion efficiency of YIG films.