A new characterization methodology for starch gelatinization

A gelatinization degree control system, with a combination of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and computer vision, was successfully developed. An intelligent measurement framework was purposely designed to achieve a precise investigation on phase transition and morphology change of starch in real time, as well as a process control during gelatinization. Base on a variation of birefringence number, the degree of gelatinization (DG) control system provided a direct and fast methodology without subjective uncertainty in studying starch gelatinization. In the course, the whole system was a cascade structure with the hot-stage temperature chosen as the inner-loop parameter, thus the granule morphology and birefringence at different DG could be easily observed and compared in real time, and the relative transition temperature was simultaneously calculated

Crystalline structures and crystallization behaviors of poly(L-lactide) in poly(L-lactide)/graphene nanosheet composites

GNS existence in PLLA favors α′ crystal formation more than α crystal formation resulting in a shift of α′–α crystal formation transition toward high Tcs.</p

Effect of Axial Force on the Performance of Micromachined Vibratory Rate Gyroscopes

It is reported in the published literature that the resonant frequency of a silicon micromachined gyroscope decreases linearly with increasing temperature. However, when the axial force is considerable, the resonant frequency might increase as the temperature increases. The axial force is mainly induced by thermal stress due to the mismatch between the thermal expansion coefficients of the structure and substrate. In this paper, two types of micromachined suspended vibratory gyroscopes with slanted beams were proposed to evaluate the effect of the axial force. One type was suspended with a clamped-free (C-F) beam and the other one was suspended with a clamped-clamped (C-C) beam. Their drive modes are the bending of the slanted beam, and their sense modes are the torsion of the slanted beam. The relationships between the resonant frequencies of the two types were developed. The prototypes were packaged by vacuum under 0.1 mbar and an analytical solution for the axial force effect on the resonant frequency was obtained. The temperature dependent performances of the operated mode responses of the micromachined gyroscopes were measured. The experimental values of the temperature coefficients of resonant frequencies (TCF) due to axial force were 101.5 ppm/°C for the drive mode and 21.6 ppm/°C for the sense mode. The axial force has a great influence on the modal frequency of the micromachined gyroscopes suspended with a C-C beam, especially for the flexure mode. The quality factors of the operated modes decreased with increasing temperature, and changed drastically when the micromachined gyroscopes worked at higher temperatures

The trans-ancestral genomic architecture of glycemic traits

Glycemic traits are used to diagnose and monitor type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic health. To date, most genetic studies of glycemic traits have focused on individuals of European ancestry. Here we aggregated genome-wide association studies comprising up to 281,416 individuals without diabetes (30% non-European ancestry) for whom fasting glucose, 2-h glucose after an oral glucose challenge, glycated hemoglobin and fasting insulin data were available. Trans-ancestry and single-ancestry meta-analyses identified 242 loci (99 novel; P < 5 x 10(-8)), 80% of which had no significant evidence of between-ancestry heterogeneity. Analyses restricted to individuals of European ancestry with equivalent sample size would have led to 24 fewer new loci. Compared with single-ancestry analyses, equivalent-sized trans-ancestry fine-mapping reduced the number of estimated variants in 99% credible sets by a median of 37.5%. Genomic-feature, gene-expression and gene-set analyses revealed distinct biological signatures for each trait, highlighting different underlying biological pathways. Our results increase our understanding of diabetes pathophysiology by using trans-ancestry studies for improved power and resolution. A trans-ancestry meta-analysis of GWAS of glycemic traits in up to 281,416 individuals identifies 99 novel loci, of which one quarter was found due to the multi-ancestry approach, which also improves fine-mapping of credible variant sets.Peer reviewe

Review of regulating Zn2+ solvation structures in aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries, due to their high power density, intrinsic safety, low cost, and environmental benign, have attracted tremendous attentions recently. However, their application is severely plagued by the inferior energy density and short cycling life, which was mainly ascribed to zinc dendrites, and interfacial side reactions, narrow potential window induced by water decomposition, all of which are highly related with the Zn ^2+ solvation structures in the aqueous electrolytes. Therefore, in this review, we comprehensively summarized the recent development of strategies of regulating Zn ^2+ solvation structures, specially, the effect of zinc salts, nonaqueous co-solvents, and functional additives on the Zn ^2+ solvation structures and the corresponding electrochemical performance of aqueous zinc-ion batteries. Moreover, future perspectives focused on the challenges and possible solutions for design and commercialization of aqueous electrolytes with unique solvation structures are provided

Shear effects on crystalline structures of poly(L-lactide)

The shearing effects of sheared polymer melts on their finally formed crystalline structures of poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) were investigated by means of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The results of WAXD prove that shear has no effects on the crystal structure of PLLA. The SAXS results demonstrate that both of the long period and the thickness of crystalline lamellae increase with rising shear rates when vertical to the shear direction, but remains constant when being parallel to the shear direction. The structural changes for samples prepared with different shear temperature or under the same shear strain but different shear rate were investigated. The mesophase of polymer melts and shearing effects on their pre-ordered phase turned out to be the key factor affecting the crystal structure of PLLA under different shearing conditions

ATR inhibitor AZD6738 enhances the antitumor activity of radiotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors by potentiating the tumor immune microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background Radioimmunotherapy has a promising antitumor effect in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), depending on the regulatory effect of radiotherapy on tumor immune microenvironment. Ionizing radiation (IR)-induced DNA damage repair (DDR) pathway activation leads to the inhibition of immune microenvironment, thus impairing the antitumor effect of radioimmunotherapy. However, it is unclear whether inhibition of the DDR pathway can enhance the effect of radioimmunotherapy. In this study, we aim to explore the role of DDR inhibitor AZD6738 on the combination of radiotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in HCC.Methods C57BL/6 mouse subcutaneous tumor model was used to evaluate the ability of different treatment regimens in tumor growth control and tumor recurrence inhibition. Effects of each treatment regimen on the alterations of immunophenotypes including the quantification, activation, proliferating ability, exhaustion marker expression, and memory status were assessed by flow cytometry.Results AZD6738 further increased radiotherapy-stimulated CD8+ T cell infiltration and activation and reverted the immunosuppressive effect of radiation on the number of Tregs in mice xenografts. Moreover, compared with radioimmunotherapy (radiotherapy plus anti-PD-L1 (Programmed death ligand 1)), the addition of AZD6738 boosted the infiltration, increased cell proliferation, enhanced interferon (IFN)-γ production ability of TIL (tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte) CD8+ T cells, and caused a decreasing trend in the number of TIL Tregs and exhausted T cells in mice xenografts. Thus, the tumor immune microenvironment was significantly improved. Meanwhile, triple therapy (AZD6738 plus radiotherapy plus anti-PD-L1) also induced a better immunophenotype than radioimmunotherapy in mice spleens. As a consequence, triple therapy displayed greater benefit in antitumor efficacy and mice survival than radioimmunotherapy. Mechanism study revealed that the synergistic antitumor effect of AZD6738 with radioimmunotherapy relied on the activation of cyclic GMP–AMP synthase /stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS/STING) signaling pathway. Furthermore, triple therapy led to stronger immunologic memory and lasting antitumor immunity than radioimmunotherapy, thus preventing tumor recurrence in mouse models.Conclusions Our findings indicate that AZD6738 might be a potential synergistic treatment for radioimmunotherapy to control the proliferation of HCC cells, prolong survival, and prevent tumor recurrence in patients with HCC by improving the immune microenvironment