Fermentation of tomato juice improves \u3cem\u3ein vitro\u3c/em\u3e bioaccessibility of lycopene

The impact of fermentation (Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 9763) on the bioaccessibility of lycopene in a model tomato juice was examined. The physicochemical and structural properties of the tomato tissue were determined after fermentation and the bioaccessibility of lycopene was monitored using a simulated gastrointestinal tract. A lycopene concentration of 45.1 mg/100 g was obtained under optimal fermentation conditions. The cell walls of the tomato cells were hydrolyzed and disrupted by fermentation. Cell disruption decreased the pectin content and reduced the tissue fragment size, thereby reducing gravitational separation and facilitating lycopene release. The lycopene bioaccessibility in the tomato juices increased in the following order: unfermented (8.5%) \u3c fermented (11.4%) \u3c unfermented-emulsified (13.6%) \u3c fermented-emulsified (22.7%). These effects were attributed to a combination of greater tomato tissue disruption and enhanced mixed micelle formation. Our results may be useful for the development of functional foods and beverages with improved health benefits

Formation and Characterization of Lactoferrin-Hyaluronic Acid Conjugates and Their Effects on the Storage Stability of Sesamol Emulsions

The purpose of this study was to fabricate biopolymer conjugates from lactoferrin (LF) and hyaluronic acid (HA) and then to investigate their potential as emulsifiers for forming sesamol-loaded emulsions. Initially, LF-HA covalent conjugates were formed using the carbodiimide coupling method in aqueous solutions at pH = 4.5, and then the nature of the conjugates was investigated using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results demonstrated the formation of an amide link between the amine groups of LF and the carboxyl groups of HA. Sesamol emulsions were prepared using the LF-HA conjugates as emulsifiers and their stability was determined. The conjugates improved both the physical and chemical stability of the emulsions during storage. Optimum stability of the emulsion was obtained at a LF-to-HA molar ratio of 2:1. Our results suggest that LF-HA conjugates may be effective emulsifiers for use in food stuffs and other applications

Extension of the crRNA enhances Cpf1 gene editing in vitro and in vivo.

Engineering of the Cpf1 crRNA has the potential to enhance its gene editing efficiency and non-viral delivery to cells. Here, we demonstrate that extending the length of its crRNA at the 5 end can enhance the gene editing efficiency of Cpf1 both in cells and in vivo. Extending the 5 end of the crRNA enhances the gene editing efficiency of the Cpf1 RNP to induce non-homologous end-joining and homology-directed repair using electroporation in cells. Additionally, chemical modifications on the extended 5 end of the crRNA result in enhanced serum stability. Also, extending the 5 end of the crRNA by 59 nucleotides increases the delivery efficiency of Cpf1 RNP in cells and in vivo cationic delivery vehicles including polymer nanoparticle. Thus, 5 extension and chemical modification of the Cpf1 crRNA is an effective method for enhancing the gene editing efficiency of Cpf1 and its delivery in vivo

Lineage/species-specific expansion of the Mx gene family in teleosts : Differential expression and modulation of nine Mx genes in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

This work was partially funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, BB/R008442/1). Tingyu Wang was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Republic of China (Taiwan) (MOST 107-2917-I-564-019). Fuguo Liu was supported by a Newton International Fellowship funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences, UK (AMS, NIF004\1036). Guangming Tian was supported financially by the State Scholarship Fund organised by the China Scholarship Council (201808420042).Peer reviewedPostprin

Expansion of fish CCL20_like chemokines by genome and local gene duplication : Characterisation and expression analysis of 10 CCL20_like chemokines in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Acknowledgements Fuguo Liu was supported by a Newton International Fellowship funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences, UK (AMS, NIF004\1036). Tingyu Wang was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Republic of China (Taiwan) (MOST 107-2917-I-564-019). YH was supported by a PhD Studentship from the Ministry of Education, Republic of China. Guangming Tian was supported financially by the State Scholarship Fund organised by the China Scholarship Council (201808420042).Peer reviewedPostprin

The Effect of Reverse Strain on Microstructure and Strengthening of Copper Fabricated by Severe Plastic Deformation of Torsion Process

The unidirectional single torsion process of commercially pure copper was followed by different number of reverse turns of torsion deformation. The effect of reverse strain on the material refinement and hardening was investigated. It is found that the grain refinement is significantly blocked in the reverse torsion strain in comparison with that only suffered in monotonic torsion strain. The strengthening slightly decreases with the torsional direction change. This phenomenon is interpreted in terms of the average dislocation density. A qualitative assumption is proposed to explain the retarded phenomenon of material refinement and hardening in the reverse torsion process. The reverse strain maybe improves the uniformity and stress-strain equilibrium of severe plastic deformation induced material.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.24.3.18414</p

Evolution of IFN subgroups in bony fish - 2. analysis of subgroup appearance and expansion in teleost fish with a focus on salmonids

Acknowledgements FL was supported by a Newton International Fellowship funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences, UK (AMS, NIF004\1036). Thanks go to Mingli Liu (Shanghai Ocean University) for help with the bioinformatics analysis of the Icefish/Toothfish, and to Drs Dan Macqueen and Manu Gundappa (Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh) for helpful discussions and advice on the analysis.Peer reviewedPostprin

Sampling Importance Resampling Algorithm with Nonignorable Missing Response Variable Based on Smoothed Quantile Regression

The presence of nonignorable missing response variables often leads to complex conditional distribution patterns that cannot be effectively captured through mean regression. In contrast, quantile regression offers valuable insights into the conditional distribution. Consequently, this article places emphasis on the quantile regression approach to address nonrandom missing data. Taking inspiration from fractional imputation, this paper proposes a novel smoothed quantile regression estimation equation based on a sampling importance resampling (SIR) algorithm instead of nonparametric kernel regression methods. Additionally, we present an augmented inverse probability weighting (AIPW) smoothed quantile regression estimation equation to reduce the influence of potential misspecification in a working model. The consistency and asymptotic normality of the empirical likelihood estimators corresponding to the above estimating equations are proven under the assumption of a correctly specified parameter working model. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the AIPW estimation equation converges to an IPW estimation equation when a parameter working model is misspecified, thus illustrating the robustness of the AIPW estimation approach. Through numerical simulations, we examine the finite sample properties of the proposed method when the working models are both correctly specified and misspecified. Furthermore, we apply the proposed method to analyze HIV—CD4 data, thereby exploring variations in treatment effects and the influence of other covariates across different quantiles.Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and the Research Funds of Renmin University of ChinaPeer Reviewe

An Empirical Study on Factors Affecting Continuance Intention of Using Yu’e Bao

The success of Internet investment products such as Yu’e Bao directly relies on users\u27 continuous participation. However, few researches have examined Internet investment products from the context of post-adoption. The purpose of this paper is to study continuance usage intention toward Yu’e Bao, a prevalent Internet investment product. The dual-process model (DPM) has been used in several studies of information systems continuance. We have extended the DPM by examining the impact of some critical factors that directly influence continuance usage intention including expected earnings, capital liquidity and perceived risk. We used structural equation modelling to validate the proposed model and hypotheses. We discover that perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, satisfaction, loyalty, habit, expected earnings and capital liquidity positively influence continuance intention. Perceived risk has a negative effect on continuance usage intention. Furthermore, the results also demonstrate that expected earnings and capital liquidity have positive impacts on users’ perceived risk. The capital liquidity has negative influence on expected earnings. The results provide important implications for research and practice in the field of information systems and finance

Interleukin (IL)-2 Is a Key Regulator of T Helper 1 and T Helper 2 Cytokine Expression in Fish : Functional Characterization of Two Divergent IL2 Paralogs in Salmonids

This work was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, BB/N024052/1) under the Newton Fund RCUK-CONICYT Research Partnerships call. YH was supported by a PhD Studentship from the Ministry of Education, Republic of China (Taiwan). EW was supported financially by the Faculty of Technology, Mahasarakham University Grant Year 2018. FL was supported by a Newton International Fellowship funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences, UK (AMS, NIF004\1036). ML and QX were supported financially by the National Scholarship Council of China. This work was partially supported financially by European Commission contract No. 311993 (TargetFish).Peer reviewedPublisher PD