The development of biopolymer-based green packaging films has gained remarkable attention in recent years. In this study, curcumin active films were prepared using different proportions of gelatin ...(GE) and a soluble fraction of tragacanth gum (SFTG) (1GE:1SFTG and 2GE:1SFTG) by complex coacervation. The various ratios of used biopolymers did not significantly impact the mechanical properties, thickness, and WVP of final films. However, biopolymers' ratio impacted the moisture content, water solubility, swelling ratio, and release rate. Blending curcumin with biopolymers caused a reduction in tensile strength (from 1.74 MPa to 0.62 MPa for film containing 1GE:1SFTG and from 1.77 MPa to 0.17 MPa for film containing 2GE:1SFTG) and proliferation in elongation at break (from 81.48% to 122.00% for film containing 1GE:1SFTG and from 98.87% to 109.58% MPa for film containing 2GE:1SFTG). Moisture content and water solubility of films experienced a decrease after the addition of curcumin. Antioxidant activity of curcumin-loaded films was almost five times higher than neat film samples. Furthermore, the interreaction between the carboxylic group of SFTG and amide I of GE formed an amide linkage and was proven by FTIR analysis. TGA showed a drop in the thermal stability of film samples compared to the main ingredients. In general, the complex coacervate of SFTG and GE has the advantage of developing eco-friendly and low-cost packaging film in the food industry, especially for the protection of fatty foods.
Ferulic acid (FA) is a natural antioxidant with antimicrobial activity and its application is restricted due to poor water solubility. To overcome this limitation, FA was entrapped into cyclodextrin ...nanosponges (CD-NSs). The antibacterial activity of FA was assessed using the microdilution method which showed a higher antibacterial activity after encapsulation. A controlled release of FA was observed in simulated gastrointestinal environment and food simulants. Furthermore, the application of FA-loaded nanosponges (FA-NS) was investigated in pomegranate juice (PJ). Anthocyanins are the main phenolic compounds of PJ that are sensitive to different environmental conditions. Copigmentation of anthocyanins with other phenolic acids can help to improve their stabilization. The antioxidant activity and phenolic content of all PJ samples (free PJ and PJ containing pure FA and FA-NS) were enhanced during storage while the anthocyanin content of all PJ samples was lessened during the storage. However, the samples containing FA-NS compared to the other samples could better preserve the anthocyanin content. Enhanced solubility of FA after incorporation into CD-NSs can induce higher interaction of FA with other components in PJ and improve their stability to preserve during the storage. These results may pave the way for the application of FA-NS as a copigment agent in juices containing anthocyanins to improve their stability during storage.
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•Rosemary essential oil was encapsulated in gelatin and almond gum complexes.•Encapsulated rosemary essential oil was characterized by FTIR, XRD, and TGA.•Gelatin-almond gum complexes ...protected rosemary essential oil against environmental stresses.•Cytotoxicity of rosemary essential oil was decreased after encapsulation.
The potential of almond gum and gelatin complex coacervates as a colloidal carrier for rosemary essential oil (REO) was investigated along with in-vitro gastrointestinal release and cytotoxicity. The optimum formulation (1 gelatin:2 almond gum and 7% (w/w) REO) was selected based on encapsulation efficiency (43.6%) and encapsulation yield (99.3%). The particle size was 6.9 µm with a high negative zeta-potential (-37.3 mV). FTIR and XRD data revealed that REO was properly loaded within carriers and there were interactions between gelatin and almond gum. Thermal stability of REO was enhanced after complex coacervation according to TGA. REO released slowly from carriers under simulated gastrointestinal fluid. Cytotoxicity of pure REO and REO-loaded complexes was evaluated on 4 T1 cell lines. Encapsulation of REO caused a reduction in toxicity. Overall, coacervates of gelatin-almond gum could be a promising carrier to enhance the application of bioactives in the food and drug industry with low toxicity.
The present study aimed to fabricate Aloe vera (AV) mucillage/gelatin (GE) complexes as a carrier for cinnamon essential oil (CEO). Encapsulation efficiency and retention of CEO were used as ...parameters of choosing the best sample (1 GE:2AV and 30% CEO). Instrumental analysis of CEO-loaded AV/GE carriers revealed that CEO was well encapsulated within wall biopolymers. Also, the thermal stability of encapsulated CEO was higher than pure CEO confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis. Moreover, nanocarriers (29–308.9 nm) with an aggregated smooth structure were obtained. Simulated release study showed a high release of CEO (68.15%) from carriers after immersion in acidic conditions of gastric fluid. Antibacterial activity was investigated by the microdilution method and the results revealed that the antibacterial activity of CEO was escalated after encapsulation. The findings of this study pointed out that AV/GE complexes can be a promising carrier for the encapsulation of sensitive bioactive compounds.
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•Cinnamon essential oil (CEO) was encapsulated in gelatin/Aloe vera mucilage complex.•Encapsulated CEO was characterized by FTIR, XRD, TGA, SEM, DLS, and zeta potential.•Encapsulated CEO showed a sustained release in simulated gastrointestinal conditions.•Encapsulated CEO exhibited higher antibacterial activity than free form.
The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) are the neural underpinnings of reward processing, which is impaired in individuals with attention deficit ...hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In the present study, we aimed to explore the impact of the vmPFC and the dlPFC regulation on reward processing.
Twenty-six children with ADHD performed the balloon analogue risk-taking task (BART) and chocolate delay discounting task (CDDT) during five different sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), separated by a one-week interval: anodal left dlPFC/cathodal right vmPFC, the reversed electrode positioning, anodal left dlPFC stimulation with extracranial return electrode, anodal right vmPFC stimulation with extracranial return electrodes, and sham stimulation. Four-parameter and constant-sensitivity models were used to model the data.
In the BART, anodal dlPFC/cathodal vmPFC stimulation facilitated conservative decision making, anodal tDCS over dlPFC with extracranial return electrode increased positive beliefs about the explosion of a balloon, and anodal vmPFC/cathodal dlPFC stimulation reduced ongoing learning in the process of decision making. In the CDDT, anodal vmPFC stimulation with extracranial return electrode decreased impatience in the process of the task.
These results suggest a role of the left dlPFC and right vmPFC in the outcome of decision making and the process of risky decision making and delay discounting.
In this paper, we develop a function of population, GDP, import, and export by applying a hybrid bat algorithm (BAT) and artificial neural network (ANN). We apply these methods to forecast oil ...consumption in Iran. For this purpose, an improved artificial neural network (ANN) structure, which is optimized by the BAT is proposed. The variables between 1980 and 2017 were used, partly for installing and testing the method. This method would be helpful in forecasting oil consumption and would provide a level playing field for checking the energy policy authority impacts on the structure of the energy sector in an economy such as Iran with high economic interventionism by the government. The result of the model shows that the findings are in close agreement with the observed data, and the performance of the method was excellent. We demonstrate that its efficiency could be a helpful and reliable tool for monitoring oil consumption.
This paper deals with the global energy consumption to forecast future projections based on primary energy, global oil, coal and natural gas consumption using a hybrid Cuckoo optimization algorithm ...and information of British Petroleum Company plc and BP Amoco plc. The Artificial Neural Network (ANN) has some significant disadvantages, such as training slowly, easiness to fall into local optimal point, and sensitivity of the initial weights and bias. To overcome the shortcomings, an improved ANN structure, that is optimized by the Cuckoo Optimization Algorithm (COA), is proposed in this paper (COANN). The performance of the COANN is evaluated with Mean Squared Error (MSE), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Correlation Coefficient (CC) between the output of the model and the actual dataset. Finally, CO2 emission in the world by 2050 is forecasted using COANN. The findings showed that COANN is a helpful and reliable tool for monitoring global warming. This proposed method will assist experts, policy planners and researchers who study greenhouse gases.•The method can be used as a potential tool for policymakers and governments to make policy on global warming monitoring and control.•The proposed method can play a key role in the global climate changes policies and can have a significant impact on the efficiency or inefficiency of government's intervention policies.
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Achieving whiteness and opaqueness has been an issue in paint, ceramic, paper, and coating industries from the very beginning. In the past two decades, biomimetics, for the construction of ...bio-inspired functional materials, has attracted much attention. As an application of biomimetic science, various structural colored materials are investigated by many researchers. The white beetle exoskeletal scales is one of those materials that shows a brilliant white color caused by randomly arranged chitin nanofibers. This material is the inspiration for achieving light weight, efficient, and low-cost white coatings by means of a nanostructure. We used this idea in this research to apply nanofibrous polymeric layer on a substrate, paper sheet in here, and witnessed the possible achievements by varying the nanofiber layer characteristics that underpin its optical properties. We coated nylon and PAN nanofiber layers on the surface of a paper using an electrospinning method and for both polymers desirably high whiteness and opaqueness achieved. Moreover, it was observed that end-use application in printing and writing is easily attained on the nanofiber-coated paper using the common methods. Measuring the properties of the nylon nanofiber-coated paper showed that the tensile strength and hydrophilicity slightly increased depending on the nanofiber layer characteristics.
3D printing technology can be applied to practically every aspect of modern life, fulfilling the needs of people from various backgrounds. The utilization of 3D printing in the context of adult heart ...disease can be succinctly categorized into 3 primary domains: preoperative strategizing or simulation, medical instruction, and clinical consultations. 3D-printed model utilization improves surgical planning and intraoperative decision-making and minimizes surgical risks, and it has demonstrated its efficacy as an innovative educational tool for aspiring surgeons with limited practical exposure. Despite all the applications of 3D printing, it has not yet been shown to improve long-term outcomes, including safety. There are no data on the outcomes of controlled trials available. To appropriately diagnose heart disease, 3D-printed models of the heart can provide a better understanding of the intracardiac anatomy and provide all the information needed for operative planning. Experientially, 3D printing provides a wide range of perceptions for understanding lower extremity arteries' spatial geometry and anatomical features of pathology. Practicing cardiac surgery processes using objects printed using 3D imaging data can become the norm rather than the exception, leading to improved accuracy and quality of treatment. This study aimed to review the various applications of 3D printing technology in cardiac surgery and intervention.
This paper presents the application of Bat and Cuckoo optimization algorithm methods to forecast Global CO2 emerged from energy consumption. The models are developed in two forms (linear and ...exponential) and used to estimate to develop Global CO2 emission model values based on the uses global oil, natural gas, coal, primary energy consumption. The available data are partly used for finding optimal, or near optimal values of weighting parameters (1980–2013) and partly for testing the models (2014–2018). The performance of methods is evaluated with mean squared error (MSE), root mean squared error (RMSE), Mean absolute error (MAE). According to the simulation results obtained, there is a good agreement between the results obtained from BA Global CO_2 emission models (BA-GCO_2) and COA Global CO_2 emission models (COA-GCO_2) but COA- exponential model outperformed the other models. The modeling approach recommended a helpful and reliable method for forecasting global climate changes and environmental decision making.•The article provides a method for forecasting and climate policy decision making.•The method presented in this article can be useful for experts, policy planners and researchers who study greenhouse gases.•The analysis obtained herein by Metaheuristic Algorithms solver can serve as a standard benchmark for other researchers to compare their analysis of the other methods using this dataset.
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