Valorization of wheat bran arabinoxylan: A review on nutritional and materials perspectives

Wheat bran, a principal byproduct of flour milling, stands as an abundant source of dietary fiber, yet its economic potential remains under-exploited in current forage applications. Arabinoxylan(AX), constituting the core of dietary fiber, emerges as a versatile compound with multifaceted functionalities. Its nutritional significance,coupled with its role in cereal food processing, has prompted a surge of studies focusing on the valorization of wheat bran AX. Moreover, the hydrolyzed derivative, arabinoxylan oligosaccharides(AXOS), demonstrates prebiotic and antioxidant properties, offering potential avenues to mitigate the risk of chronic diseases. This review summarizes current knowledge on the valorization of wheat bran AX in terms of the processing and nutritional properties of AX. Moreover, multiple novel applications of AX in the materials area, including biodegradable food packaging films, delivery of bioactive substances as nanoparticles, and the manufacture of food emulsifiers, are also highlighted to extend the utilization of AX. This review underscores the immense potential of wheat bran AX, advocating for its exploitation not only as a nutritional asset but also as a primary ingredient in advanced materials. The synthesis of nutritional and materials perspectives accentuates the multifaceted utility of wheat bran AX, thereby paving the way for sustainable valorization pathways. By unraveling the latent potential within AX, this paper advocates for the holistic and sustainable utilization of wheat bran in diverse, value-added applications.

Screening of glucosinolates degrading lactic acid bacteria and their utilization in rapeseed meal fermentation

Rapeseed meal is a promising food ingredient, but its utilization is limited by the presence of some potentially harmful ingredients, such as glucosinolates. Fermentation is a cost-effective method of detoxication but a food-grade starter culture with glucosinolates degradation capacity is required. In this study, 46 strains of lactic acid bacteria from traditional paocai brines were screened for their ability to glucosinolate degradation. The results showed that more than 50% of the strains significantly degraded glucosinolates. Two strains of Lactiplantibacillus(p7 and s7) with high capacity of glucosinolates degradation through producing enzymes were identified. Then,an optimized condition for rapeseed meal fermentation by p7 was established to degrade glucosinolates, which can achieve about 80% degradation. UPLC/Q-TOF-MS analysis showed that the degradation rate of individual glucosinolates was different and the degradation rate of gluconapin and progoitrin in rapeseed meal can reach more than 90%. Meanwhile, fermentation with p7 can improve safety of rapeseed meal by inhibiting the growth of Enterobacteriaceae and improve its nutritional properties by degrading phytic acid. The in vitro digestion experiments showed that the content of glucosinolates in rapeseed meal decreased significantly during gastric digestion. Meanwhile, fermentation with p7 can greatly improve the release of soluble protein and increase the contents of free essential amino acids, such as lysine(increased by 12 folds) and methionine(increased by 10 folds).

Regulating solid electrolyte interphases on phosphorus/carbon anodes via localized high-concentration electrolytes for potassium-ion batteries

The resourceful and inexpensive red phosphorus has emerged as a promising anode material of potassium-ion batteries(PIBs) for its large theoretical capacities and low redox potentials in the multielectron alloying/dealloying reactions,yet chronically suffering from the huge volume expansion/shrinkage with a sluggish reaction kinetics and an unsatisfactory interfacial stability against volatile electrolytes.Herein,we systematically developed a series of localized high-concentration electrolytes(LHCE) through diluting high-concentration ether electrolytes with a non-solvating fluorinated ether to regulate the formation/evolution of solid electrolyte interphases(SEI) on phosphorus/carbon(P/C) anodes for PIBs.Benefitting from the improved mechanical strength and structural stability of a robust/uniform SEI thin layer derived from a composition-optimized LHCE featured with a unique solvation structure and a superior K+migration capability,the P/C anode with noticeable pseudocapacitive behaviors could achieve a large reversible capacity of 760 mA h g^(-1)at 100 mA g^(-1),a remarkable capacity retention rate of 92.6% over 200 cycles at 800 mA g^(-1),and an exceptional rate capability of 334 mA h g^(-1)at8000 mA g^(-1).Critically,a suppressed reduction of ether solvents with a preferential decomposition of potassium salts in anion-derived interfacial reactions on P/C anode for LHCE could enable a rational construction of an outer organic-rich and inner inorganic-dominant SEI thin film with remarkable mechanical strength/flexibility to buffer huge volume variations and abundant K+diffusion channels to accelerate reaction kinetics.Additionally,the highly reversible/durable full PIBs coupling P/C anodes with annealed organic cathodes further verified an excellent practical applicability of LHCE.This encouraging work on electrolytes regulating SEI formation/evolution would advance the development of P/C anodes for high-performance PIBs.

Optimizing techno-functionality of germinated whole wheat flour steamed bread via glucose oxidase(Gox)and pentosanase(Pn)enzyme innovation

Germination,a powerful biofortification technique,holds immense potential in bolstering the micronutrient profile of essential staple grains,thereby paving the way for optimal nutritional enhancement.The primary goal of this study was to improve the technological functionality of germinated wheat flour by incorporating pentosanase(Pn)and glucose oxidase(Gox)enzymes,with particular emphasis on the evolutionary changes in its components.The inclusion of Gox did not produce any substantial impact on the volumetric characteristics of the steamed bread.The incorporation of Pn and Gox has been seen to enhance the overall excellence of steamed bread by optimizing loaf volume and textural characteristics while also improving the thermal stability of the dough.The existence of two endothermic peaks could be attributed to bound water or alterations in the granules within the starch crystallization region.Adding Pn and Gox reduced and increased the formation and stability time of the dough,respectively.A certain ratio was employed to assess alternations in the crystallinity of starch granules over a limited range.After steaming,a significant decrease in IR1047/1022 was observed,indicating that the elevated temperature partially disrupted the internal starch crystal structure,leading to a gelatinization reaction with water.The ratio of tensile resistance(R)and elongation(E)of dough increased significantly compared to the control.The results obtained from this study indicate that the simultaneous inclusion of enzymes(Pn+Gox)holds significant promise for expanding the technological functionality of germinated wheat flour dough and improving the quality attributes of steamed bread.

Revealing interaction of pyridinic N in N-doped carbon with Sn sites for improved CO_(2)reduction

N-doped carbon(NC)materials have emerged as attractive supports for metal-based catalysts,enhancing their catalytic performance through the metal-support interactions.However,gaining fundamental insights into the metalsupport interaction between NC support and Sn metal sites for improving the electrocatalytic CO_(2)reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)performance remains challenging.

Identifying key genes associated with Hirschsprung's disease based on bioinformatics analysis of RNA-sequencing data

Background:Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) is a type of megacolon induced by deficiency or dysfunction of ganglion cells in the distal intestine and is associated with developmental disorders of the enteric nervous system.To explore the mechanisms of HSCR,we analyzed the RNA-sequencing data of the expansion and the narrow segments of colon tissues separated from children with HSCR.Methods:RNA-sequencing of the expansion segments and the narrow segments of colon tissues isolated from children with HSCR was performed.After differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using the edgeR package in R,functional and pathway enrichment analyses of DEGs were carried out using DAVID software.To further screen the key genes,protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and module analyses were conducted separately using Cytoscape software.Results:A total of 117 DEGs were identified in the expansion segment samples,including 47 up-regulated and 70 down-regulated genes.Functional enrichment analysis suggested that FOS and DUSP1 were implicated in response to endogenous stimulus.In the PPI network analysis,FOS (degree=20),EGR1 (degree=16),ATF3 (degree=9),NOS1 (degree=8),CCL5 (degree=8),DUSP1 (degree=7),CXCL3 (degree=6),VIP (degree=6),FOSB (degree=5),and NOS2 (degree=4) had higher degrees,which could interact with other genes.In addition,two significant modules (module 1 and module 2) were identified from the PPI network.Conclusion:Several genes (including FOS,EGR1,ATF3,NOS1,CCL5,DUSP1,CXCL3,VIP,FOSB,and NOS2) might be involved in the development of HSCR through their effect on the nervous system.

Nano functional neural interfaces

Engineered functional neural interfaces （fNIs） serve as essential abiotic-biotic transducers between an engineered system and the nervous system. They convert external physical stimuli to cellular signals in stimulation mode or read out biological processes in recording mode. Information can be exchanged using electricity, light, magnetic fields, mechanical forces, heat, or chemical signals. fNIs have found applications for studying processes in neural circuits from cell cultures to organs to whole organisms, fNI-facilitated signal transduction schemes, coupled with easily manipulable and observable external physical signals, have attracted considerable attention in recent years. This enticing field is rapidly evolving toward miniaturization and biomimicry to achieve long-term interface stability with great signal transduction efficiency. Not only has a new generation of neuroelectrodes been invented, but the use of advanced fNIs that explore other physical modalities of neuromodulation and recording has begun to increase. This review covers these exciting developments and applications of fNIs that rely on nanoelectrodes, nanotransducers, or bionanotransducers to establish an interface with the nervous system. These nano fNIs are promising in offering a high spatial resolution, high target specificity, and high communication bandwidth by allowing for a high density and count of signal channels with minimum material volume and area to dramatically improve the chronic integration of the fNI to the target neural tissue. Such demanding advances in nano fNIs will greatly facilitate new opportunities not only for studying basic neuroscience but also for diagnosing and treating various neurological diseases.

Multi-objective Collaborative Optimization for the Lightweight Design of an Electric Bus Body Frame

To analyze the rollover safety,finite element models were established for the electric bus body frame,rollover simulation platform,living space,and bus rollover.The strength and stiffness of the body frame were calculated under four typical work-ing conditions considering the main low-order elastic modal characteristics.The results indicate that the initial body frame of the electric bus satisfies the required structural strength,stiffness,modes,and rollover safety,and it has great potential for lightweight design.Sensitivity and structural contribution analyses were performed to determine the design variables for lightweight optimization of the body frame,and a mathematical model was established for multi-objective collaborative optimization design of the electric bus.Then,the radial basis function neural network was used to approximate the optimiza-tion model.Besides,the accuracy of the approximate model was verified,and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II was employed to determine solutions for the lightweight optimization.Compared with the initial model,the mass of the optimized model is reduced by 240 kg(9.0%)without any changes in the materials of the body frame.

Red light enhances folate accumulation in wheat seedlings

Red,white,blue,green,and yellow lights were applied to investigate their effects on folate accumulation in wheat seedlings.The different lights,especially red light,significantly increased the total folate content.Total folate showed maximum accumulation under 30μmol/(m2·s)of red light,with an increase of 24%compared with the control(darkness).5-Methyltetrahydrofolate(5-CH3-THF)was the dominant folate component,and was significantly increased by red light irradiation.In addition,under red light,the folate content of leaves was higher and more sensitive to light than that of endosperm or roots.Red light up-regulated the expression of guanosine triphosphate(GTP)cyclohydrolase 1(GCH1)and aminodeoxychorismate synthase(ADCS),enhanced the activity of GCH1 and ADCS,and increased the content of precursors of folate synthesis,including pterin and p-aminobenzoic acid(p ABA).Hence,the increased folate accumulation promoted by light could be attributed to the increased content of folate synthesis precursors,the activity of key enzymes,and related gene expression。