Search Results (163)

Paulownia is one of the most useful and sought-after trees worldwide. Various parts (flowers, fruits, leaves, wood, bark, and seeds) have found practical applications. The present study focuses on the characterization of paulownia fruits, flowers and shells, and their potential non-traditional application for pollutant adsorption. The fruits were found to contain higher amounts of flavonoids (1051.85 ± 10.32 µg mL⁻¹) compared to flowers (401.26 ± 5.48 µg mL⁻¹). This reflects the observed antioxidant activity of the fruits: two times higher than that of the flowers. Salicylic acid was the main phenolic acid (2729.96 ± 16.89 µg mL⁻¹) in the flowers, while quercetin (572.42 ± 10.32 µg mL⁻¹) and rosmarinic acid (352.84 ± 6.97 µg mL⁻¹) were present in higher amounts in the fruits. The lipids from the flowers were rich in linoleic (48.1%) and linolenic (20.0%) acids, while the fruit lipids were rich in linoleic (53.9%) and oleic (19.5%) acids. More than half of the fruits and flowers consisted of insoluble dietary fibers. The shells were rich in cellulose and lignin (42.96 ± 0.61 and 31.23 ± 0.34 g 100 g⁻¹ DW, respectively) and were applied as a natural biosorbent for Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺ and methyl orange removal (99.05%). Paulownia fruits were effective, removing 98.25% of Cu²⁺ (5000 mg L⁻¹). Hence, paulownia shells and flowers could potentially be utilized as non-traditional biosorbents for pollutant removal. Full article

The development of nanoparticle (NP)-based drug delivery systems that combine passive tumor targeting, physiological stability, and therapeutic efficacy remains a key challenge in cancer nanomedicine. Here, we report a pH-responsive peptide-functionalized poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NP system designed for cancer targeting. The PLGA core is coated with a short glutamic acid–lysine–histidine–phenylalanine x3 (EKHFFF) peptide shell, enabling tunable surface charge modulation around its isoelectric point and promoting environmental responsiveness. Physicochemical characterization confirms spherical NPs (~70–75 nm) with good colloidal stability, serum compatibility, and ion-dependent stability in physiological conditions. The peptide coating also provides pH-dependent modulation of the zeta potential. Evaluation of the NPs in ovarian cancer (OvCA) models, including immortalized and patient-derived cell lines (PDCLs), demonstrates efficient uptake across OvCA cell lines, with significantly enhanced internalization in PDCLs compared to immortalized cells. The EKHFFF nanoparticle (EKHFFF NP) induced minimal reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide production in macrophages, indicating low immunogenicity and favorable biocompatibility. Upon platinum loading (EKHFFF-Pt NP), the system exhibits potent cytotoxicity in both platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant OvCA cell lines, outperforming carboplatin and showing comparable or improved efficacy relative to cisplatin in several cell lines. In vivo studies further demonstrate preferential tumor accumulation, sustained intratumoral retention, and measurable systemic circulation with a half-life of approximately 35 min. Full article

Based on generalized Lorenz–Mie theory (GLMT) and the Maxwell stress tensor (MST) method, this study investigates the modulation mechanism of the axial optical torque N_z exerted on Cs₂AgBiBr₆ (CABB) perovskite-coated gold nanospheres under vector Bessel-beam illumination. The results show that the CABB shell reconstructs the torque-resonance channels of the coated particle by modifying both the dispersive dielectric environment around the gold core and the core–shell interfacial response. As the shell thickness increases, the dominant response undergoes a continuous redshift. The polarization state, half-cone angle α₀, and order l of the incident vector Bessel beam serve as external optical-field degrees of freedom that regulate the incident angular-momentum channels, thereby enabling coordinated control over the torque peak magnitude, spectral line shape, and torque direction. Analyses of the near-field distributions, Poynting-vector distributions, and Mie-order decomposition reveal that the strong torque response arises from selective coupling between the intrinsic Mie channels of the core–shell particle and the vectorial structure of the incident light, rather than simply from local field-intensity enhancement. This study provides a theoretical basis for tunable N_z responses in perovskite–plasmonic hybrid nanostructures and for structured-light-driven rotational manipulation at the nanoscale. Full article

The electronic spectra of trivalent lanthanide ions constitute one of the most extensively characterised manifestations of partially filled 4f shells. Conventional rare-earth spectroscopy provides a detailed microscopic description based on assigned multiplets, angular-momentum structure, crystal-field effects and transition probabilities. Here, we examine a complementary question: whether information associated with the underlying 4f electronic architecture remains detectable after the spectroscopic labels normally used to identify it are deliberately removed. Using the multiplet-centre energies of Ln³⁺ ions in LaF₃, each ion was represented as an energy-only spectral manifold, $M_n=\left\{E_i\right\}$, obtained after removing term identity, angular-momentum labels and transition assignments. The resulting manifolds were analysed through a controlled information-reduction sequence involving spectral occupancy and four complementary descriptors: spectral entropy $S$, compactness $C$, mean manifold energy ${\mu }_E$ and spectral dispersion ${\sigma }_E$. The results show that the reduced manifolds do not collapse into featureless collections of energies. Instead, they retain structured organisation across the lanthanide series, with distinctive behaviour associated with the shell-edge configurations Ce³⁺ ($4f^1$) and Yb³⁺ ($4f^{13}$), and with the half-filled-shell configuration Gd³⁺ ($4f^7$). A blind reconstruction test provides the strongest internal validation: when Gd³⁺ is excluded from the reference evolution and subsequently reintroduced, it emerges as the dominant positive deviation of the mean manifold-energy coordinate. This demonstrates that the $4f^7$ signature is not encoded only in explicit term labels or selected multiplets but leaves a measurable fingerprint in the collective energy distribution. The comparison of normalised descriptor responses further indicates that electronic shell information is distributed across state occupation, compactness, energetic displacement and spectral spreading. These results suggest that lanthanide spectra can be analysed not only as collections of assigned transitions, but also as collective spectral manifolds whose global organisation preserves physically meaningful information about shell filling. This approach does not replace conventional rare-earth spectroscopy; rather, it provides a complementary framework for testing which aspects of electronic structure remain accessible after microscopic spectroscopic identity has been removed. Full article

The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of the PdRSb, usually also referred to as RPdSb, ($R=$ La-Lu) semi-Heusler compound series have been systematically investigated using first-principles calculations based on Density Functional Theory (DFT). Our structural optimizations reveal that the cubic $C{1}_{\mathrm{b}}$ A-type variant is the energetically most favorable and thermodynamically stable ground state across the entire series. The calculated equilibrium lattice constants follow the well-known lanthanide contraction trend, with the exception of the Yb-based compound, which displays an anomalous lattice expansion. Magnetic stability analysis demonstrates that the magnetism is highly localized at the rare-earth (R) sites and closely follows the progressive filling of the $4f$ shell, peaking at $7{\mathsf{\mu }}_{\mathrm{B}}$ for PdGdSb, while PdLaSb, PdYbSb, and PdLuSb remain non-magnetic. Furthermore, our electronic structure calculations reveal a rich variety of behaviors: PdLaSb and PdLuSb behave as gapless semiconductors, while most of the magnetic compounds exhibit near half-metallic characteristics. Notably, PdCeSb is predicted to be a perfect half-metal with an integer magnetic moment of $1{\mathsf{\mu }}_{\mathrm{B}}$. These findings highlight the significant chemical tunability of the PdRSb family, positioning them as promising candidates for future applications in spintronics and magnetoelectronics. Full article

Cysteine proteases (bromelain, ficin, and papain) are widely used in biotechnology and medicine, but their application is limited by rapid autolysis and oxidative inactivation. This study aimed to develop effective supports for these enzymes based on graft copolymers of sodium alginate and poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (SA-g-PVP) and to elucidate the structure–property relationships governing immobilization efficiency, catalytic activity, and storage stability. Copolymers were synthesized via radical solution polymerization under optimized conditions. Enzymes were immobilized by physical adsorption, and the resulting complexes were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, protein content assays, proteolytic and amidase activity measurements, and molecular docking. The graft copolymer with a smaller particle size in solution provided a larger accessible surface area, leading to higher bromelain and papain loading. Ficin showed the opposite trend due to its unique surface amino acid composition. Immobilization dramatically increased storage stability: half-life values for bromelain, ficin, and papain reached up to 20, 14, and 14 days, respectively, compared to 1–3 days for the free enzymes. Molecular docking revealed that the dense polymer shell stabilizes the enzyme tertiary structure by forming multiple contacts with internal cavities and tunnels, thereby preventing autolysis and conformational unfolding. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that SA-g-PVP copolymers are promising, non-toxic supports for cysteine proteases, with ficin showing up to 100% activity recovery, making them suitable for food, cosmetic, and biomedical applications. Full article

Locally sourced roughages constitute the dietary foundation of donkey production in northern China, yet their fermentation behavior in the donkey hindgut remains poorly characterized. The present study employed in vitro batch cultures to compare the dry matter disappearance (IVDMD), gas production (GP) kinetics and short-chain volatile fatty acid (VFA) profiles of five locally available feedstuffs—peanut vine (PNV), soybean straw (SBS), wheat shell (WS), reed grass (RG) and bamboo leaf (BL)—when incubated separately with cecal or colonic microbial inocula obtained from Dezhou donkeys. After 40 h incubation, both IVDMD and total VFA concentrations ranked identically across the two hindgut segments: PNV > SBS > WS > RG > BL (p < 0.05), and all indices were consistently higher in the cecal than in the colonic fermentation system (p < 0.05). The asymptotic gas production (A) and the time required to reach half of A (T₁/₂) followed the same ranking as IVDMD (p < 0.01), indicating that feedstuffs with greater fermentable substrate availability sustained fermentation for longer periods. In contrast, the fractional gas production rate (c) and the average gas production rate (AGPR) in RG and BL exceeded those of PNV, SBS, and WS under cecal incubation (p < 0.05), reflecting rapid utilization of a small pool of readily fermentable components in these fibrous substrates. Regarding VFA stoichiometry, BL yielded the highest molar proportion of acetate and PNV the lowest in the colonic system (p < 0.05), whereas the propionate proportion followed the order PNV > SBS > WS > RG > BL (p < 0.01). Consequently, the acetate-to-propionate (A:P) ratio and the non-glucogenic-to-glucogenic (NGR) ratio were highest in BL (p < 0.05). The molar proportions of butyrate and branched-chain VFAs (BCVFAs) in WS, RG, and BL were greater than those in PNV (p < 0.05). Collectively, the five feedstuffs differed markedly in their fermentability, kinetic behavior, and VFA yield profiles, reflecting distinct energy-supply potentials for the donkey host. PNV and SBS exhibited superior overall in vitro fermentation performance and are therefore recommended as preferred roughage sources, whereas BL and RG may serve complementary roles by supporting hindgut epithelial health through elevated butyrate production. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for the rational selection and combination of locally sourced roughages to optimize feeding strategies and improve feed-use efficiency in donkey production. Full article

Microplastics (MPs) adsorb hazardous substances and are ingested by a wide range of organisms; therefore, indicators for managing their environmental concentrations are needed. Ideally, threshold values should be based on health impacts. However, the diversity of MPs and the complexity of their environmental behavior make it difficult to establish unified environmental concentration standards. In this study, we propose a threshold for the presence of MPs on sandy beaches based on “visual cleanliness,” derived from the amount of MPs that people find psychologically unacceptable. Three types of MPs were used: white polypropylene (PP), blue PP, and white polystyrene (PS; expanded polystyrene). The survey was conducted in Japan, and the number of valid responses was 245. For defining a narrow-range cleanliness threshold, volume concentration was more appropriate than mass concentration. White particles were expected to be less noticeable because they tended to blend with white shell fragments, which are ubiquitous on beaches. In contrast, blue particles were expected to be less acceptable owing to their rarity. However, we found no difference in unacceptability between white PP and blue PP. The threshold, defined as the volume concentration at which half of the respondents find MPs psychologically unacceptable, ranged from 1 to 2 cm³-MPs/m²-sand. Gender, age, travel time to the beach, and frequency of beach visits did not influence unacceptability. Strong concern about marine plastic pollution and experience in cleaning public spaces were associated with a tendency toward low tolerance for MP contamination on beaches. Full article

The current paper studies the global shell layer of the Finite Ring Continuum framework in the symmetry-complete regime realized here by framed finite fields, ${\mathbb{F}}_{\mathsf{p}}(\mathsf{t};0,1,e_{\mathsf{t}})$, with $\mathsf{p}=4\mathsf{t}+1$. We show that a single symmetry-complete shell carries a unified finite Euclidean datum for which its continuum comparison interpretation reproduces the familiar structural roles of e, $\pi$, and i of a one-phase step with an exponential kernel, a half-period, and a quarter-turn, respectively. In the same shell, the orbital geometry is generated by additive meridian action and multiplicative phase action from that same frame datum. The resulting orbital shell has a canonical spherical completion, combinatorially equivalent to the two-sphere, with labels depending on the chosen frame, but the shell type fixed up to isomorphism. Arbitrary finite-precision approximation on this external spherical comparison object is then obtained within every fixed symmetry-complete shell by the scale-periodic framed-rational refinement generated by the same frame datum. The Fourier formalism is developed strictly as a discrete Fourier transform over the shell ring, with conventional continuum Fourier language becoming a continuum large-$\mathsf{p}$ comparison case of that shell formalism. Full article

A new species of pectinid bivalve, Syncyclonema goyi sp. nov., is described in honour of Professor Antonio Goy, one of the leading stratigraphers who shaped Mesozoic studies in Iberia over the past half century. It represents one of the smaller fossil scallops currently known from the Upper Cretaceous of Europe, alongside a few boreal species previously assigned to the family Entoliidae. The type specimens have orbicular valves, almost smooth, with unequal auricles. The right valve is more convex and bears a well-marked paleal sinus. The sculpture of the shell is weak, exhibiting concentric growth lines and lamellae. However, nearly 90 very small, uniform radial striae are discernible beneath the outer shell layer. This species is frequent in open marine, fine-grained, inner shelf facies of the Tethyan West Portuguese Carbonate Platform, near the main localities of Coimbra, Tentúgal, and Condeixa-a-Nova, in the Baixo Mondego region of West Portugal. It mostly occurs in the upper Cenomanian beds of the Trouxemil Formation, with Euomphaloceras septemseriatum and Vascoceratidae ammonites. Full article

Menstruation, a biological phenomenon experienced by more than half of the global population, remains stigmatized and poorly addressed in the context of research and public discourse. One overlooked issue is that of “period pollution,” the waste generated by millions of feminine hygiene pads (menstrual pads) that end up in landfills or the environment. Simultaneously, Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), a non-native invasive plant which disrupts native species, leads to the disruption of ecological systems. This experimental study assesses the Japanese knotweed plant for its potential to serve as the absorbent core in a sustainable menstrual pad, helping to address both environmental challenges in tandem. As control groups, commercial pads (Natracare and Saathi) were tested for their performance as absorbent materials, as defined by the absorbency ratio (AR) test. All preliminary studies were done using normal saline solutions dyed with red food coloring. Saathi pads demonstrated significantly higher levels of AR compared to Natracare and knotweed pads due to the presence of superabsorbent polymers, making it an unreliable benchmark. Because Japanese knotweed is composed of cellulosic fibers that absorb water through hydrogen bonding to hydroxyl groups and capillary imbibition within porous fiber networks, lignin removal via alkaline processing was employed to enhance absorbency prior to experimental testing. The inner lumen of the knotweed was selected and delignified using a sodium hydroxide bath, later being shaped into an absorbent core akin to the measurements of the commercial pads and inserted into Natracare shells for proof-of-concept testing. Although knotweed-based pads exhibited lower AR values than Natracare, the testing places the knotweed prototype at approximately 40% of the fluid capacity, indicating a strong starting point for a natural fiber. To further evaluate the processing feasibility of Japanese knotweed beyond laboratory-scale pad prototyping, Japanese knotweed biomass was subjected to conventional Kraft pulping, which helps to remove lignin and increase absorbency. The Kraft pulping produced a moderately delignified brown pulp with a Kappa number of 20. Due to limiting factors, the absorbency of the pulp was not tested. However, the pulp’s fiber dimensions were comparable to hardwood pulps that are commonly used in absorbent applications, suggesting feasibility for future development into bleached fluff pulp and sustainable menstrual hygiene products. Full article

The development of flexible and self-powered electronic systems requires triboelectric materials that combine high charge retention, mechanical compliance, and stable dielectric properties. Here, we report a redox reaction approach to prepare liquid metal particle-reduced graphene oxide (LMP@rGO) core–shell structures and introduce into a poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) hydrogel to create a high-performance triboelectric layer. The spontaneous interfacial reaction between gallium oxide of LMP and graphene oxide produces a conformal rGO shell while simultaneously removing the native insulating oxide layer onto the LMP surface, resulting in enhanced colloidal stability and a controllable semiconductive bandgap of 2.7 (0.01 wt%), 2.9 (0.005 wt%) and 3.2 eV (0.001 wt%). Increasing the GO content promotes more complete core–shell formation, leading to higher zeta potentials, stronger interfacial polarization, and higher electrical performance. After embedding in PAA, the LMP@rGO structures form hydrogen-bonding networks with the hydrogel nature, improving both dielectric constant and charge retention while notably preserving soft mechanical compliance. The resulting LMP@rGO/PAA hydrogels show enhanced triboelectric output, with the 2.0 wt/vol% composite generating sufficient power to illuminate more than half of 504 series-connected LEDs. All the results demonstrate the potential of LMP@rGO hydrogel composites as promising triboelectric layer materials for next-generation wearable and self-powered electronic systems. Full article

The Isles of Scilly are an archipelago of islands in the far southwest of the UK which contain numerous beds of wild bivalve molluscs which are recreationally harvested for local consumption. However, the islands have never previously been assessed for the presence of harmful algae and their shellfish toxin metabolites which can cause serious human health impacts. This study sought to address these knowledge gaps through the analysis of seawater and shellfish tissues for microalgae and toxins utilizing portable and lab-based microscopy, nanopore sequencing, chemical analysis and immunoassay kits. The study design was affected by the national COVID-19 lockdown which enforced implementation of citizen-led sampling and in-field microscopy. Microscopy and sequencing approaches led to the confirmation of multiple HAB species of concern, including those potentially responsible for production of neurotoxic and diarrhetic shellfish toxins. A portable microscope was successfully utilized in the field for recognition of microalgae and for early warning of potential shellfish toxicity events. Chemical analysis of cockle, clam and mussel samples confirmed the detection of paralytic, diarrhetic and amnesic shellfish toxins, with an unusual okadaic acid group toxin profile reaching a maximum toxicity of approximately half the regulatory limit as defined by EU law. The Sensoreal Alert Lateral Flow Assay was used to screen and highlight samples containing higher concentrations of DSP toxins. Furthermore, Tetrodotoxin was detected for the first time in the UK in cockle and grooved carpet shells. Multiple saxitoxin analogues were also detected in two echinoderm species, with this providing the first ever report of paralytic shellfish toxins in the spiny starfish, Marthasterias glacialis. The toxin profiles in the two species varied significantly with a dominance of GTX4 in Luidia ciliaris as opposed to a dominance of STX in Marthasterias glacialis. Overall, the study showed that a multi-method assessment of a previously unexplored region within the UK territory contained microalgae and toxins of concern to human health, and that a citizen-led programme could be instigated using portable microscopy and rapid toxin testing to assess the early warning for potentially harmful microalgae and toxins in the region, with confirmatory analysis being conducted to establish actual levels of risk for local consumers of seafood. Full article

The M16 protease family comprises metalloendopeptidases, characterized by a unique molecular architecture. The active enzyme molecule is composed of two halves, which together form a structure resembling a clam shell. Although the active site residues are typically located in only one half, both parts are essential for proper enzyme function. The M16 family includes many proteins that are crucial for the physiology of the organism and, therefore, are the subject of intensive research. The flagship examples are insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE), mitochondrial processing peptidases (MPPs), and mitochondrial and chloroplast presequence peptidases (PrePs). The substrates of these enzymes include many biologically important peptides, such as insulin and amyloid β. Therefore, M16 peptidases are considered attractive therapeutic targets, and understanding their structure and mechanism of action is essential for the development of specific and selective modulatory compounds. Full article

As a core component of emerging quantum-dot display technology, the stability of quantum-dot materials is crucial to determining the performance of quantum-dot photoluminescent diffuser plates. This study successfully synthesized high-stability thick-shell CdZnSeS/CdZnS/ZnS core–shell structured green-alloy quantum dots suitable for photoluminescent diffuser plates, providing an innovative solution for performance breakthroughs in this field. Through orthogonal experimental design, the synthesis parameters of the CdZnSeS alloy core were precisely optimized to achieve an ideal balance in emission wavelength, full width at half maximum (FWHM), and quantum yield (QY). Furthermore, by systematically adjusting ligands and synthesis parameters, a thick-shell CdZnSeS/CdZnS/ZnS core–shell structure was constructed, significantly improving the stability of the quantum dots. Critically, the replacement of the original oleic-acid ligands with tetradecylphosphonic-acid (TDPA) ligands at high temperature doubled the stability of the quantum-dot diffuser plates. Under extreme accelerated-aging conditions such as intense blue light, high temperature, and high humidity, the T90 lifetime of the diffuser plate exceeded 1000 h, and the xy chromaticity coordinate shift was strictly controlled within 1%, fully meeting the stringent commercial requirements. This achievement not only overcomes the stability bottleneck of quantum dots in the application of photoluminescent diffuser plates but also paves the way for their large-scale commercialization, promising to promote the development of display technology toward higher color gamut and longer lifetimes. Full article