The control of surface properties of all inorganic cesium lead halide perovskite (CsPbX3; X = Cl, Br, or I) quantum dots (QDs) is essential to achieve excellent stability and high photoluminescence ...quantum yields (PLQYs). Herein, a facile method was performed to simultaneously enhance the stability and PLQYs of CsPbX3 QDs by a ZnX2/hexane solution post-treatment. We show that the halogen defect on the surface of CsPbX3 QDs can be treated in a controlled way, whereby the “black dots” that adhered on the surface as observed by transmission electron microscopy have be completely removed, resulting in enhanced stability and photoluminescence. The PLQYs of CsPbCl3, CsPbBr3, and CsPbI3 increased from 4, 58, and 63% to 86, 93, and 95%, respectively, and the origin of the “black dots” as well as their transformation mechanism has been demonstrated. As a result, the poly(dimethylsiloxane) composite films created by encapsulating stable and nearly defect-free green-emitting CsPbBr3, the red-emitting K2SiF6:Mn4+ phosphor, and a blue emission GaN chip were prepared and used to fabricate a remote-type white light-emitting diode device, which exhibits a high luminescence efficiency (≤98 lm/W) and a wide color gamut (∼130% of the National Television Standard Committee standard), suggesting the potential for liquid crystal display backlight application.
Solar steam generation and photocatalytic degradation have been regarded as the most promising techniques to address clean water scarcity issues. Although enormous efforts have been devoted to ...exploring high-efficiency clean water generation, many challenges still remain in terms of single decontamination function, relatively low efficiency, and inability to practical application. Herein, we first report the bioinspired fabrication of black titania (BT) nanocomposites with moth-eye-like nanostructures on carbon cloth for solar-driven clean water generation through solar steam generation and photocatalytic degradation. The moth-eye-like BT nanoarrays can largely prolong the effective propagation path of absorbing light and enhance the scattering of light, thereby exhibiting outstanding light absorption of 96% in the full spectrum. Such hierarchical-nanostructured BT nanocomposites not only impressively achieve solar steam efficiency of 94% under a simulated light of 1 kW m–2 but also show the prominent performance of desalination and steam generation in real life condition. In addition, 96% of rhodamine B is degraded using BT nanocomposites as a photocatalyst in 100 min. The moth-eye-like bioinspired designing concept and bifunctional applications in this study may open up a new strategy for maximizing solar energy utilization and clean water generation.
Two famous topological indices, the Gutman index and Schultz index, are studied in this article. We mainly calculate the exact analytical formulae for the expected values of the Gutman index and ...Schultz index of a random regular polygonal chain with n regular polygons. Moreover, we determine the average values and the extremal values of the indices in regard to the set of all these regular polygonal chains.
Brown rice is rich in dietary fiber and polyphenols, which have unique health benefits. Rice is usually eaten after cooking, and the change of physicochemical and functional properties of DF will ...directly affect the quality of brown rice products. This work aimed to investigate the effects of different processing techniques on the structure, physicochemical and functional properties of dietary fiber (DF) from brown rice (BR) products. DF samples were extracted from cooked germinated BR (GBR), fermented BR (FBR) and extruded BR (EBR). The results indicated that the particle size of DFs from three processed BR products decreased. Moreover, the water-holding capacity (WHC), oil-holding capacity (OHC), swelling capacity (SC), glucose adsorption capacity (GAC) and antioxidant capacity of three DF samples were improved. The DF from EBR possessed more porous structures, smaller particle size and lower crystallinity. Notably, the DF from EBR demonstrated the highest WHC, OHC, SC, GAC and antioxidant capacity. In conclusion, extrusion is a good way to promote the nutritional and functional properties of DF extracted from processed BR products. These results might provide basic information to help better understand the functionality of DF from cooked BR, and promote the development of brown rice foods with high nutritional qualities.
•DF was obtained from germinated, fermented, and extruded brown rice products.•Germination and fermentation decreased the particle size while improved WHC of DF.•DF from extruded brown rice has a more porous structure and the highest WHC and GAC.•A significant positive correlation was found between WHC, OHC, SC and GAC.
Despite progress in the diagnostics and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), its prognosis remains poor. In this study, we globally assessed long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) for contributions to ...HCC using publicly available microarray data, in vitro and in vivo assays. Here, we report that ZFAS1, encoding a lncRNA that is frequently amplified in HCC, is associated with intrahepatic and extrahepatic metastasis and poor prognosis of HCC. ZFAS1 functions as an oncogene in HCC progression by binding miR-150 and abrogating its tumor-suppressive function in this setting. miR-150 repressed HCC cell invasion by inhibiting ZEB1 and the matrix metalloproteinases MMP14 and MMP16. Conversely, ZFAS1 activated ZEB1, MMP14, and MMP16 expression, inhibiting these effects of miR-150. Our results establish a function for ZFAS1 in metastatic progression and suggest its candidacy as a new prognostic biomarker and target for clinical management of HCC.
Polyester fabrics are widely used in clothing and home furnishings, but they are highly flammable and often suffer from serious melt dripping problems. Sol-gel coatings have been employed to give the ...fabric flame retardancy, but these coatings are often unsatisfactory in the efficiency. To improve the flame retardancy of polyester fabrics in an eco-friendly and facile way, a 9, 10- dihydro-9, 10-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO)-modified colloidal silica (called PAPS-DOPA) was developed by the neutralization of poly(γ-aminopropyl silsesquioxane) (PAPS) and dibenzoc,e1,2 oxaphosphinic acid (DOPA). PAPS-DOPA is a colorless, highly transparent, and conformal coating that can be deposited on the surface of polyester fabrics via a sol-gel technique. With an ultra-low loading (even 1 wt.%), PAPS-DOPA can completely stop melt-dripping and efficiently reduce the flammability of polyester fabrics without deteriorating their thermal stability. With an 8 wt.% add-on of PAPS-DOPA coatings, the fabrics had a limiting oxygen index (LOI) value as high as 32% (LOI = 21.5% for the untreated fabrics) and showed a significant delay of ignition and a decrease in the heat release rate relative to the reference samples in the cone calorimetry test. PAPS-DOPA showed a dominating vapor-phase flame-retardant activity due to the presence of the DOPO component.
Display omitted
•A DOPO-modified sol-gel coating has been developed by a facile approach.•The coatings show superior flame-retardant efficiency for polyester fabrics.•Thecoatings don't deteriorate the thermal stability of the fabric.
Pancreatic cancer, one of the top two most fatal cancers, is characterized by a desmoplastic reaction that creates a dense microenvironment, promoting hypoxia and inducing the ...epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to facilitate invasion and metastasis. Recent evidence indicates that the long noncoding RNA NORAD may be a potential oncogenic gene and that this lncRNA is significantly upregulated during hypoxia. However, the overall biological role and clinical significance of NORAD remains largely unknown.
NORAD expression was measured in 33 paired cancerous and noncancerous tissue samples by real-time PCR. The effects of NORAD on pancreatic cancer cells were studied by overexpression and knockdown in vitro. Insights into the mechanism of competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) were gained from bioinformatics analyses and luciferase assays. In vivo, metastatic potential was identified using an orthotopic model of PDAC and quantified using bioluminescent signals. Alterations in RhoA expression and EMT levels were identified and verified by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.
NORAD is highly expressed in pancreatic cancer tissues and upregulated in hypoxic conditions. NORAD upregulation is correlated with shorter overall survival in pancreatic cancer patients. Furthermore, NORAD overexpression promoted the migration and invasion of pancreatic carcinoma cells, while NORAD depletion inhibited EMT and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. In particular, NORAD may function as a ceRNA to regulate the expression of the small GTP binding protein RhoA through competition for hsa-miR-125a-3p, thereby promoting EMT.
Elevated expression of NORAD in pancreatic cancer tissues is linked to poor prognosis and may confer a malignant phenotype upon tumor cells. NORAD may function as a ceRNA to regulate the expression of the small GTP binding protein RhoA through competition for hsa-miR-125a-3p. This finding may contribute to a better understanding of the role played by lncRNAs in hypoxia-induced EMT and provide a potential novel diagnostic and therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.
•Polyester/alginate blended fibers were conveniently developed as filling materials.•The blended fibers obtained flame retardancy without accompanying chemical hazards.•Alginates exhibited both ...vapor- and condensed-phase flame-retardant effect in the blended system.
Polyester fibers are often applied as filling materials; however, they are flammable and exhibit melt-dripping. In this work, to prepare fibers with high flame retardancy, inherently flame-retardant alginate fibers were blended with polyester fibers, without using any toxic chemicals. The blended fibers with 20 wt.% alginate fibers achieved quick self-extinguishing without any melt-dripping in the vertical flame test and a test according to Pennsylvania Stuffed Toy Regulations. During the cone calorimetry test, the blended materials with 50 wt.% alginate fibers showed a remarkable decrease in heat and smoke release, compared with the blend with 20 wt.% alginate fiber and polyester fibers. Moreover, the alginate fibers could decompose prematurely and then delay the weight loss of polyester components when the natural/synthetic blends were subjected to heating. Also, they exhibited flame-retardant activities both in the vapor phase by the fuel dilution of non-flammable gases and in the condensed phase by forming calcium-enriched residues that were incompatible with polyester melts. Given their ease of preparation and high flame retardancy, the blended fibers have the potential for applications as filling materials of children's toys, furniture, and clothing.
Background and objectives
Milling, polishing, and color selection are the basic unit operation steps during rice processing, which may remove much amounts of nutritional components, such as phenolics ...and dietary fiber. And for a long time, rice is often overprocessed which results in a serious loss of nutrients. However, the reduction of the nutritional components during rice milling process has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different milling processes during industrial rice processing on the free and bound phenolic content, composition, dietary fiber, and antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS, T‐AOC) of two kinds of rice (Dao Huaxiang and Jiangxi Indica).
Findings
As the milling degree increased, the loss percentages of total phenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins of Dao Huaxiang rice were 52.8%–76.4%, 43.3%–72.9%, and 100.0%, respectively; it was similar for the reduction percentages of total phenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins for Jiangxi Indica rice, which were 56.5%–77.4%, 58.7%–87.7%, and 87.5%–100%, respectively; the amounts of total dietary fiber were also decreased from 5.87 to 2.03 g/100 g DW for the Dao Huaxiang rice and from 5.14 to 2.84 g/100 g DW for Jiangxi Indica rice, respectively. Correspondingly, the content of individual phenolic, flavonoid, and anthocyanin compositions in both rice varieties decreased with the increase in milling degree during the rice processing. Antioxidant activities of T‐AOC, DPPH, and ABTS showed a same trend with phenolic profiles for the two rice varieties.
Conclusions
The phenolic profiles, dietary fiber, and antioxidant activities for Dao Huaxiang and Jiangxi Indica rice decreased significantly with milling degree increase during rice processing. Therefore, it is recommended that the milling and polishing degree should be reduced during rice grain processing, in order to achieve the purpose of not only satisfying the edible quality of rice but also retaining the nutritional characteristics as much as possible.
Significance and novelty
The rice samples in this study were from the actual industrial production industry, and the Dao Huaxiang rice and Jiangxi Indica rice were from northeast China and south China, respectively, which were representative and could provide specific and practical data for reducing milling degree in rice industry and reducing the removal of bran layer. These findings indicate that the milling degree should be reduced or controlled for retention of nutrients and acceptable sensory quality in rice.
PDF
