Impact of sourdough fermentation on nutrient transformations in cereal-based foods:Mechanisms,practical applications,and health implications

Sourdough is often considered a healthy choice and quality improver for use in cereal production due to its unique microbial composition and fermentation properties.During sourdough fermentation of cereals,biotransformation of nutrients occurs,resulting in notable changes to proteins,carbohydrates,fats,vitamins,and minerals.Each nutrient undergoes specific transformations,providing various advantages for human health.Proteins undergo hydrolysis to produce small molecular weight peptides and amino acids that are more easily digested and absorbed by the human body.Carbohydrates break down to improve the digestibility and absorption of cereals and lower the glycemic index.Fatty acids experience oxidation to produce new substances with health benefits.Additionally,the application of sourdough fermentation can enhance the texture,flavor,and nutritional value of cereal foods while also extending their shelf life and improving food safety.In conclusion,sourdough fermentation has a broad range of applications in cereal food processing.Further research is encouraged to investigate the mechanisms and processes of sourdough fermentation to develop even more nutritious,healthy,and flavorful cereal-based foods.

Coastal protection using building with nature concept:A case study from Chongming Dongtan Shoal,China

With climate change and rising sea levels,the coastal zone’s flood risk is deteriorating.Previous researches have shown a gradually degrading capacity of traditional hard engineering structures(e.g.,seawall,dikes)on flood mitigation due to problems such as land subsidence and insufficient maintenance.To remedy the defects,the"building with nature concept"for coastal protection with saltmarshes was examined by combining field measurements and numerical simulations.The advantages of saltmarsh over traditional seawall on flood protection was demonstrated from the perspective of both flood area mitigation and economic gain,based on scenario simulations.Results show that tidal wetlands are essential in mitigating significant wave heights(Hs)and current velocities even during storm conditions.The storm wave and current velocity reduction ratio(RRw and RRc)by saltmarshes on Chongming Dongtan Shoal(CMDS)during Typhoon 9711 is approximately 11%and 51%,respectively.The wave and current mitigation by Scirpus mariqueter are more efficient than Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis during measurements in 2010,which were approximately 0.3 m and 0.2 m/s,0.125 m and 0.155 m/s,0.086 m and 0.128 m/s per kilometer width,respectively.The summer saltmarsh area 54.2 km2 on CMDS protects approximately 32 km^(2)land area behind the seawall from being flooded,equivalent to the seawall heightening of approximately 0.42 m on equivalent flood mitigation.The performance of cost-and-benefit analysis shows a relatively higher(by 3%–7%)net present value(NPV)and a higher(by 1.5 times)benefit-cost ratio(BC)of nature-based solution(i.e.,saltmarsh restoration)compared with traditional hard engineering solution(i.e.,seawall construction).Thus,building seawall with nature,such as a hybrid flood protection measure,should be implemented in the future coastal redesign and maintenance.

Bio-Adhesives Combined with Lotus Leaf Fiber to Prepare Bio-Composites for Substituting the Plastic Packaging Materials

This work was aim to prepare a packing material from natural resources to reduce the environment pollution caused by plastics.Four bio-adhesives(guar gum,sodium alginate,agar and chitosan)were combined with lotus leaf fibers to prepare degradable composites,respectively.The mechanical properties,moisture absorption profiles and the thermal conductivity of the composites were studied and the cross section morphology and the thermal properties of the composites were analyzed.The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)results showed that the polar groups such as–OH and–COO^(–)in bio-adhesives can form hydrogen bond with–OH in lotus leaf fibers to connect the two components.The combination of agar and lotus leaf fiber was good,and their composite had the best mechanical properties,with the tensile strength,flexural strength and impact strength of 2.05,5.9 MPa and 4.29 kJ·m_(−2),respectively,and the composite had a low moisture absorption profile,and the equilibrium moisture absorption rate was 32.32%.The lotus leaf fiber/agar composite(LAC)had an excellent comprehensive performance and it was non-toxic,degradable and thermal insulating,which indicated that it had the potential to use in packaging field to substitute plastics.

High Fischer ratio oligopeptides in food:sources,functions and application prospects

High Fischer ratio oligopeptides(HFROs)are a group of oligopeptides containing high levels of branched-chain amino acids(BCAA)and low levels of aromatic amino acids(AAA).HFROs have received a lot of attention as they are believed to have significant physiological activities,including antioxidant,liver damage repair,anti-fatigue,anti-tumor and energy supply to the body.HFROs are available from a wide range of sources and both plant and animal proteins can be used to prepare HFROs but the physiological tolerability and rejection of special populations needs to be considered.Enzymatic hydrolysis is the most common method for the preparation of HFROs,but optimization of the separation and purification process is still needed in the future.Diseases caused by disruptions in the balance of BCAA and AAA in the blood,such as hepatic encephalopathy,can be treated by supplementing HFROs with drugs or food.In addition,HFROs are able to reduce fatigue feedback and assist in the treatment of phenylketonuria at the molecular nutrient level.The aim of this review is to review recent research on HFROs and provide new perspectives on the high value use of crops and the development of novel functional and special medical purpose foods.

Association between ambient NO_(2) exposure and health status in a floating population:findings from 338 cities in China

Few studies investigated the effects of exposure to NO_(2) on health status in the Chinese floating population.The present cross-sectional study evaluated the association of ambient NO_(2) with health status in a floating population in China.Data on 168961 floating individuals in 338 cities were obtained from the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey.The association between exposure to NO_(2) and self-related health(SRH)status was assessed by binary logistic regression analysis,both in the entire subject cohort and in subgroups assorted by socioeconomic levels and demographic characteristics.The robustness of the associations between NO_(2) exposure and health status was evaluated by sensitivity analyses.Each grade increment of annual average NO_(2) exposure was found to increase the risk of poor SRH by 2.4%in the floating population(odds ratio[OR]=1.024,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.011-1.038).When subgrouped by age,subjects in the floating population aged 31-49 years had the highest NO_(2) associated health risk(OR=1.036,95%CI:1.018-1.054).When subgrouped by per capita gross domestic product(PGDP),subjects in regions with mid-level PDGP had the highest NO_(2) associated SRH(OR=1.116,95%CI:1.091-1.i41).These findings indicated that exposure to NO_(2) increases the risk of poor SRH in the floating population,with individuals aged 31-49 years and those living in mid-level PGDP regions being more sensitive to the adverse effects of NO_(2).More effective strategies to reduce air pollution may improve the health status of the floatingpopulation in China.

Classification of spin Hall effect in two-dimensional systems

Physical properties such as the conductivity are usually classified according to the symmetry of the underlying system using Neumann’s principle, which gives an upper bound for the number of independent components of the corresponding property tensor. However, for a given Hamiltonian, this global approach usually can not give a definite answer on whether a physical effect such as spin Hall effect (SHE) exists or not. It is found that the parity and types of spin-orbit interactions (SOIs) are good indicators that can further reduce the number of independent components of the spin Hall conductivity for a specific system. In terms of the parity as well as various Rashba-like and Dresselhaus-like SOIs, we propose a local approach to classify SHE in two-dimensional (2D) two-band models, where sufficient conditions for identifying the existence or absence of SHE in all 2D magnetic point groups are presented.

基于网络大数据和水文-水动力模型的沿海城市洪水风险与适应

气候变化、海平面上升、地面沉降和快速城市化很可能将加剧沿海城市洪水风险.如何定量刻画洪水风险未来变化趋势并进行有效适应是亟待解决的前沿科学问题.为此,我们提出了一套多学科的综合方法:(1)基于网络大数据和机器学习对承灾体分布与暴露价值进行精细尺度建模;(2)基于水文-水动力模型对未来极端风暴洪水进行淹没情景模拟;(3)针对不同情景进行经济损失风险分析和适应措施的成本效益评估.以上海为例,将上述方法应用于综合评估极端风暴洪水情景下的住宅建筑风险、未来演化(2050年)和适应措施的成本效益.结果表明,海平面上升和地面沉降将显著加剧上海的洪水风险,RCP4.5、RCP8.5和RCP8.5 High-end三种典型浓度情景下住宅建筑的年期望损失在2050年达7.0亿元~9.0亿元,是当前结果的1.6~2.0倍.实施干适应措施和湿适应措施可分别将年期望损失减少76%~79%和88%~90%;并且两种措施均具有可观的成本效益,净现值分别达28.4亿元~55.3亿元和58.5亿元~99.4亿元,效益/成本比分别为1.9~2.4和7.9~9.8.上述研究可为科学理解和有效适应上海未来洪水风险提供依据,该综合分析方法也可应用于其他沿海城市的洪水风险和适应策略研究.

液态金属上“赏”石墨烯舞动

在大自然中,我们常会看到落叶随水流漂动之景,其在水表面上自由漂浮与水的流动性是密不可分的.液体正是由于这种独特的性质,为我们呈现了别样的动态之美.在二维材料世界中,液态金属充当着兼具催化性能和流动性的生长基底的角色,为二维材料的可控合成与自组装注入了新的活力;.

Surface disorder engineering in ZnCdS for cocatalyst free visible light driven hydrogen production

Metal chalcogenide solid solution,especially ZnCdS,has been intensively investigated in photocatalytic H_(2) generation due to their cost-effective synthetic procedure and adjustable band structures.In this work,we report on the defect engineering of ZnCdS with surface disorder layer by simple room temperature Li-ethylenediamine(Li-EDA)treatment.Experimental results confirm the formation of unusual Zn and S dual vacancies,where rich S vacancies(Vs)served as electron trapping sites,meanwhile Zn vacancies(Vzn)served as hole trapping sites.The refined structure significantly facilitates the photo charge carrier transfer and improves photocatalytic properties of ZnCdS.The disordered ZnCdS shows a highest photocatalytic H_(2) production rate of 33.6 mmol·g^(-1)·h^(-1) under visible light with superior photocatalytic stabilities,which is 7.3 times higher than pristine ZnCdS and 7 times of Pt(1 wt.%)loaded ZnCdS.

Real-time programmable metasurface for terahertz multifunctional wave front engineering

Terahertz(THz)technologies have become a focus of research in recent years due to their prominent role in envisioned future communication and sensing systems.One of the key challenges facing the field is the need for tools to enable agile engineering of THz wave fronts.Here,we describe a reconfigurable metasurface based on GaN technology with an array-of-subarrays architecture.This subwavelength-spaced array,under the control of a 1-bit digital coding sequence,can switch between an enormous range of possible configurations,providing facile access to nearly arbitrary wave front control for signals near 0.34 THz.We demonstrate wide-angle beam scanning with 1°of angular precision over 70 GHz of bandwidth,as well as the generation of multi-beam and diffuse wave fronts,with a switching speed up to 100 MHz.This device,offering the ability to rapidly reconfigure a propagating wave front for beam-forming or diffusively scattered wide-angle coverage of a scene,will open new realms of possibilities in sensing,imaging,and networking.

Dual-band multifunctional coding metasurface with a mingled anisotropic aperture for polarized manipulation in full space

Integrated metasurfaces with diversified functionalities have demonstrated promising prospects for comprehensive implementations in compact 5G/6G communication systems by flexibly manipulating electromagnetic(EM)waves. Increasingly emerged multifunctional metasurfaces have successfully revealed integrated wavefront manipulations via phase gradient arrays, coding apertures, independent polarization control, asymmetric transmission/reflection, etc. However, multifunctional metasurfaces with more degrees of freedom in terms of multi-band/broadband operation frequencies, full-space coverage, and computable array factors are still in dire demand.As a step forward in extending manipulation dimensions, we propose and corroborate a dual-band multifunctional coding metasurface for anomalous reflection, radar cross-section reduction, and vortex beam generation through full-wave analysis and experiment. Our tri-layer meta-device comprises a shared coding aperture of splitring and cross-shaped resonators sandwiched between two layers of orthogonal wire gratings. With an approach of independent control of a reflection–transmission wavefront under orthogonal polarization states and Fabry–Perot-like constructive interference, the low-cross-talk shared coding aperture features a smooth phase shift and high efficiency for 3-bit coding in the K-band and 1-bit coding in the Ka-band. Both numerical and measured results verify that the proposed coding metasurface can effectively realize full-space EM control and improve the capacity of the information channel, which could be developed for potential applications in multifunctional devices and integrated systems.

Vertical distribution characteristics of soil mercury and its formation mechanism in permafrost regions:A case study of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Continuing permafrost degradation is increasing the risk of mercury(Hg) exposure in the permafrost regions on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP),but related studies are still limited,especially the ones on the detailed Hg migration processes in permafrost.The vertical distribution characteristics of soil Hg were investigated in three ecosystems in the Beiluhe area on the QTP,and its influencing factors and formation mechanism were investigated.The results indicate that the total soil mercury(THg)concentration in the Beiluhe area remains at an extremely low level(6.33±2.45 ng/g).In the vertical profile,the THg concentration of the shallow soil layer(0-50 cm)(5.96±2.22 ng/g)is significantly lower than that of the deep layer(50-400 cm)(7.44±2.71 ng/g)(p<0.05).Within the upper 50 cm,the THg concentration decreases with soil depth,and the peak THg concentration occurs at 100-300 cm on the entire profile.Although the THg concentration is slightly affected by the organic matter in the shallow soil layer,in general,the soil parent material is the dominant factor affecting the THg concentration.Intense weathering results in a low THg concentration in the shallow soil layer because the soil Hg is carried downward with the soil moisture.To a certain depth,the impermeable frozen soil layer intercepts the flow of the soil Hg,and it forms a Hg enrichment layer.This paper presents the distinctive pattern of the soil Hg distribution in the permafrost regions of the QTP.

A semiclassical approach to surface Fermi arcs in Weyl semimetals

We present a semiclassical explanation for the morphology of the surface Fermi arcs of Weyl semimetals.Viewing the surface states as a two-dimensional Fermi gas subject to band bending and Berry curvatures,we show that it is the non-parallelism between the velocity and the momentum that gives rise to the spiral structure of Fermi arcs.We map out the Fermi arcs from the velocity field for a single Weyl point and a lattice with two Weyl points.We also investigate the surface magnetoplasma of Dirac semimetals in a magnetic field,and find that the drift motion,the chiral magnetic effect and the Imbert-Fedorov shift are all involved in the formation of surface Fermi arcs.Our work not only provides an insightful perspective on the surface Fermi arcs and a practical way to find the surface dispersion,but also paves the way for the study of other physical properties of the surface states of topological semimetals,such as transport properties and orbital magnetization,using semiclassical methods.

Steady-state model for predicting size-resolved gas-particle partitioning of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in indoor environments

Semi-volatile organic compounds(SVOCs)are ubiquitous and important pollutants in indoor environments.The strong partition between gas phase and suspended particles has significant effects on the transport,human exposure via inhalation,and control strategies of indoor SVOCs.Several models have been developed to simulate the gas–particle partitioning of indoor SVOCs,including a steady-state model by expanding the steady-state model suitable for the outdoor environment to indoor environments.However,the effects of two important indoor environment-specific parameters,i.e.,the particle size distribution(PSD)and the air-change rate(ACH),were not considered in the existing steady-state model,leading to the inaccurate predictions among buildings.To solve this problem,this study developed a novel steady-state model to more comprehensively simulate the gas-particle partitioning of indoor SVOCs by incorporating the effects of PSD and ACH.Better agreement between the predictions of the novel model and the results collected via both field tests and laboratory tests(retrieved from two different studies)supported the effectiveness of the improvements in the novel model.Sensitivity analysis further supported the necessity of involving PSD and ACH.Further implications of the novel model were also discussed.This study should be helpful for deepening the understanding and accurate simulation of the gas-particle partitioning,as well as the transport and human exposure via inhalation,of indoor SVOCs.