41 research outputs found

    Influence of Emulsification Process on the Properties of Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Layered Double Hydroxide Particles

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    This paper reports the influence of emulsification process on the packing of layered double hydroxide (LDH) particles at the aqueous/oil phase interface and the properties of the resulting Pickering emulsions. Emulsions prepared by ultrasonication display superior long-term stability and gel-like characteristics at the dispersed phase volume fraction well below the random close packing limit, whereas emulsions with same compositions prepared by vortex mixing show some extent of sedimentation and liquid-like behaviors. Rheological measurements demonstrate that the zero-shear elastic modulus and yield stress of gel-like emulsions exhibit power-law dependences on particle concentration and independence on aqueous/oil phase ratio. The microstructural origin of this behavior is investigated by optical microscopy, revealing the droplets become strongly adhesive and a heterogeneous percolating network is formed among neighboring droplets. Fluorescent confocal microscopy measurements further confirm that the droplet adhesion is due to particle layers bridging opposite interfaces. In contrast, homogeneous, isolated, and densely packed droplets are present in emulsions prepared by vortex mixing, which results in these systems being dominantly viscous like the suspending fluid. This study shows that the emulsification process can be used as a trigger to modify long-term stability and rheology of solid-stabilized multiphase mixtures, which greatly expands their potential technological applications

    Table_1_Effects of pre-partum dietary crude protein level on colostrum fat globule membrane proteins and the performance of Hu ewes and their offspring.XLSX

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    Dietary proteins play important roles in the growth and reproduction of sheep, and the ewe's demand for proteins increases dramatically during late pregnancy. This research aimed to investigate the effect of dietary crude protein (CP) levels during late pregnancy on colostrum fat globule membrane (MFGM) protein and the growth performance of Hu sheep and their offspring, and provide a reference for the protein intake of ewes during late pregnancy. A total of 108 multiparous Hu sheep (45.6 ± 1.18 kg) were selected for this study, then 60 pregnant ewes confirmed by B-scan ultrasonography were randomly divided into three treatments (20 ewes/treatment) and fed by total mixed ration pellet with CP levels at 9.00% (LP), 12.0% (MP), and 15.0% (HP) during late pregnancy, respectively. The weight and dry matter intake of ewes during late pregnancy were recorded to calculate the average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Twin lambs were weighed on days 0, 7, 14, 30, 60, and 180 after birth to calculate ADG. Meanwhile, the colostrum of ewes was collected within 12 h after delivery. The colostrum MFGM proteins were identified and quantified by the isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods. In addition, biological functions of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were annotated by Gene Ontology annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis. The results revealed that a 15.0% CP level had significant effects on the BW of lambs on days 0, 7, and 30 (P < 0.05). Notably, a total of 1,529 MFGM proteins were identified and 286 DEPs were found among three treatments. Functional analysis showed that DEPs were mainly involved in cell growth, differentiation, and tissue repair, and involved in metabolic pathways, such as the porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism pathways. In this study, lambs in HP treatment had better growth performance; moreover, dietary 15.0% CP level also affected the colostrum MFGM proteins composition of Hu ewes. These observations can facilitate future studies on the feeding regimen of ewes during late pregnancy.</p

    Electrocatalytic NO Reduction to NH<sub>3</sub> on Mo<sub>2</sub>C Nanosheets

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    Electrocatalytic reduction of NO to NH3 (NORR) emerges as a promising route for achieving harmful NO treatment and sustainable NH3 generation. In this work, we first report that Mo2C is an active and selective NORR catalyst. The developed Mo2C nanosheets deliver a high NH3 yield rate of 122.7 μmol h–1 cm–2 with an NH3 Faradaic efficiency of 86.3% at −0.4 V. Theoretical computations unveil that the surface-terminated Mo atoms on Mo2C can effectively activate NO, promote protonation energetics, and suppress proton adsorption, resulting in high NORR activity and selectivity of Mo2C

    Molecular Heterogeneity of Ewing Sarcoma as Detected by Ion Torrent Sequencing

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    <div><p>Ewing sarcoma (ES) is the second most common malignant bone and soft tissue tumor in children and adolescents. Despite advances in comprehensive treatment, patients with ES metastases still suffer poor outcomes, thus, emphasizing the need for detailed genetic profiles of ES patients to identify suitable molecular biomarkers for improved prognosis and development of effective and targeted therapies. In this study, the next generation sequencing Ion AmpliSeq<sup>™</sup> Cancer Hotspot Panel v2 was used to identify cancer-related gene mutations in the tissue samples from 20 ES patients. This platform targeted 207 amplicons of 2800 loci in 50 cancer-related genes. Among the 20 tissue specimens, 62 nonsynonymous hotspot mutations were identified in 26 cancer-related genes, revealing the molecular heterogeneity of ES. Among these, five novel mutations in cancer-related genes (<i>KDR</i>, <i>STK11</i>, <i>MLH1</i>, <i>KRAS</i>, and <i>PTPN11</i>) were detected in ES, and these mutations were confirmed with traditional Sanger sequencing. ES patients with <i>KDR</i>, <i>STK11</i>, and <i>MLH1</i> mutations had higher Ki-67 proliferation indices than the ES patients lacking such mutations. Notably, more than half of the ES patients harbored one or two possible ‘druggable’ mutations that have been previously linked to a clinical cancer treatment option. Our results provided the foundation to not only elucidate possible mechanisms involved in ES pathogenesis but also indicated the utility of Ion Torrent sequencing as a sensitive and cost-effective tool to screen key oncogenes and tumor suppressors in order to develop personalized therapy for ES patients.</p></div

    Overall alteration distribution of 26 genes annotated by the COSMIC database.

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    <p>A) Mutation frequency of altered genes in 20 ES samples. The blue bars represent alterations in the ES samples, whereas the red bars represent ES samples without alterations. B) Mutation types of the 26 genes. Yellow bars represent missense mutations, and green bars represent nonsense mutations.</p

    Immunohistochemical staining of ES for CD99 and Ki-67.

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    <p>A) CD99 staining, with strong membrane positivity (400×) and B) Ki-67 staining, with strong nuclear positivity (400×).</p

    Fluorescence in situ hybridization for the assessment of <i>EWSR1</i> gene rearrangements in ES samples.

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    <p>Nuclei of tumor cells with <i>EWSR1</i> rearrangements were detected as red-green split signals as represented by the arrow.</p
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