Double emulsion (W/O/W) gel stabilised by polyglycerol polyricinoleate and calcium caseinate as mangiferin carrier: insights on formulation and stability properties

Mangiferin (MGF) is a phenolic compound isolated from mango, but its poor solubility significantly limits its use. In this study, MGF was embedded into the inner aqueous phase of W₁/O/W₂ emulsions. Firstly, the dissolution method of MGF was determined. MGF remained stable in solution with pH 13 at 30 min, and its solubility reached 10 mg mL⁻¹. When the pH of MGF solutions was adjusted from pH 13 to pH 6, MGF did not immediately crystallise, providing sufficient time to construct the MGF-loaded W₁/O/W₂ emulsions. Subsequently, the MGF-loaded W₁/O/W₂ emulsions were constructed using polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) and calcium caseinate (CAS). The formation and stability of the W₁/O/W₂ emulsions were investigated. The MGF-loaded W₁/O/W₂ emulsions stabilised with 1% PGPR and 1% – 3% CAS exhibited a low viscosity, limited loading capacity, and poor stability. Conversely, the MGF-loaded W₁/O/W₂ emulsions stabilised by 3%PGPR–3%CAS exhibited optimal loading capacity (encapsulation efficiency = 95.31% and loading efficiency = 0.91%) and stability, which was attributed to the fact that high viscosity and gel state retarded the migration of inner aqueous phase. These results indicated that the W₁/O/W₂ emulsions stabilised by PGPR and CAS may be a potential alternative for encapsulating mangiferin.     

Influence of surfactants on rheological behaviors of polyacrylonitrile/dimethyl sulfoxide/silicon blending polymer solutions

KH550, KH560, CTAB, and F127 were adopted to modify silicon (Si) to improve the dispersity and stability of Si in the polyacrylonitrile/dimethyl sulfoxide (PAN/DMSO) polymer solutions. The influence of surfactants on rheological behaviors of PAN/DMSO/Si blending polymer solutions was investigated by an advanced solution and melt rotation rheometer. The homogeneity and stability were also studied. The results showed that the surfactants could change the viscosity dependence of blending polymer solutions on shear rate, temperature and storage time by increase the steric hindrance of Si. Among the four solutions, PAN/DMSO/Si blending polymer solution with F127 exhibited the lowest viscosity, activation energy and the smallest structural viscosity index and exhibited the trend close to the Newtonian fluids. Moreover, PAN/DMSO/Si blending polymer solution with F127 exhibited the best dispersity and stability, indicating its best physical properties and machinability.     

GM-CSF及CBS在肝损伤中的研究进展

肝损伤(liver injury)是指基因遗传或外部原因诱发的肝脏功能异常性疾病.临床表现为食欲不振、乏力、恶心、黄疸、疲乏等,严重者将出现肝功能衰竭,致死风险极高.在交通肇事、暴力犯罪及意外事件中,肝由于体积大、位置固定、质地脆弱、血运丰富等原因,往往是最容易发生损伤的器官之一,肝损伤后的死亡率可高达10.5％～25％[1].随着时间的变化,肝损伤的程度、病理改变、GM-CSF等相关细胞因子及CBS等相关酶的表达水平也会进一步变化.肝损伤后,由于肝内部环境稳态的破坏,器官的状态、结构、各种蛋白的转录水平、蛋白及细胞因子的表达变化水平也会发生一定程度的改变.因此定性定量地分析这些变化,找到时间相关性强的特异性指标,对于指导法医学的实践具有重要的作用.因此在法医学鉴定中,通过肝脏损伤及病变程度的改变,明确肝损伤病变与死亡时间的关系有利于判断事件或案件性质,并有助于进一步对责任方的认定.     

Effect of MoS2/PTFE coatings on performance of Si3N4/TiC ceramics in dry sliding against WC/Co

To enhance the tribological performance of Si₃N₄/TiC ceramics, MoS₂/PTFE composite coatings were deposited on the ceramic substrate through spraying method. The micrographs and basic properties of the MoS₂/PTFE coated samples were investigated. Dry sliding friction experiments against WC/Co ball were performed with the coated ceramics and traditional ones. These results showed that the composite coatings could significantly reduce the friction coefficient of ceramics, and protect the substrate from adhesion wear. The primary tribological mechanisms of the coated ceramics were abrasive wear, coating spalling and delamination, and the tribological property was transited from slight wear to serious wear with the increase of load because of the lower surface hardness and shear strength. The possible mechanisms for the effects of MoS₂/PTFE composite coatings on the friction performance of ceramics were discussed.     

Enhanced strains of Nb-doped BNKT-4ST piezoelectric ceramics via phase boundary and domain design

A strategy that constructs the morphotropic phase boundary and manipulates the domain structure has been used to design the component of 0.96[Bi_0.5(Na_0.84K_0.16)_0.5Ti_(1-x)Nb_xO₃]-0.04SrTiO₃ (BNKT-4ST-100xNb) to enhance the strain properties for actuator application. Non-equivalent Nb⁵⁺ donor doping modulates the phase transition from the mixture of rhombohedral and tetragonal phases to the pseudocubic phase and results in the coexistence of multiple phases. Moreover, the high-resolution TEM confirms the existence of polar nano regions that contribute to the macroscopic relaxor behaviour. The size of the domains is reduced with increasing Nb⁵⁺, resulting in an enhanced relaxor behaviour. The ferroelectric-relaxor transition temperature decreases from 85 to below 30 °C, implying a non-ergodic to ergodic relaxor transition. An improved strain of 0.56% and a giant normalized strain of 1120 pm/V were achieved for BNKT-4ST-1.5Nb, which were attributed to the unique domain structure in which nanodomains are embedded in an undistorted cubic matrix. Ferroelectric, antiferroelectric, and relaxor phases coexist. As the electric field is large enough, a reversible phase transition occurs. Furthermore, good temperature stability was obtained due to the stability of the nanodomains, and no degradation in strains was observed even after 10⁴ cycles, which may originate from the reversible phase transition and dynamic domain wall. The results show that this design strategy offers a reference way to improve the strain behaviour and that BNKT-4ST-100xNb ceramics could be a potential material for high-displacement actuator applications.     

Approximation Optimal Vibration Control with Applications to Jacket Offshore Platforms with Nonlinear Dynamic Characteristics

International Journal of Control, Automation and Systems - The vibration control problem of offshore jacket platforms is studied. The model of offshore platforms with nonlinear interactions of the...     

锂-二氧化碳电池阴极催化剂的研究进展

锂-二氧化碳电池通过捕获、转化二氧化碳为储能物质，既可以减少二氧化碳排放量又可以作为创新的储能装置，引起了研究者们的广泛关注。本文简单介绍了锂-二氧化碳电池的工作机理、发展历程和目前研究存在的难题，通过对研究工作的总结、电池性能的对比，将不同类型的催化剂进行了系统的分类和简单的概括，综述了催化剂的设计理念和研究现状，提出了催化剂目前存在的难题与挑战，并展望了催化剂未来的发展方向。本文主要针对锂-二氧化碳电池阴极催化剂的最新研究进展进行了详细的阐述，指出高效的阴极催化剂是促进锂-二氧化碳电池电化学反应动力学、降低充电平台和过电势的关键所在。