Diverse Products Research Articles

Generational dynamics of omnichannel customers: analysing shopping preferences across diverse product types

Generational dynamics of omnichannel customers: analysing shopping preferences across diverse product types

Research on Vietnamese Cultural Tourism

Vietnam is a country with great potential and advantages in building and developing cultural tourism with more than 40000 relics, including more than 10000 provincial relics, more than 3600 national relics, 128 special national relics, 15 intangible cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO. On the basis of exploiting and promoting the values ​​of cultural heritage, many localities in Vietnam have been forming and developing quite diverse cultural tourism products, such as the tourism route connecting the world heritage of ASEAN countries, the Central heritage tourism route, Hue festival, Nha Trang sea festival, Ha Long sea carnival festival, Da Lat flower festival... This study focuses on analyzing the practical development of cultural tourism in Vietnam based on a survey of localities with unique features, cultural diversity and a great role and influence on the development of the country, that is the capital Hanoi. Besides studying the core content of cultural tourism development, the author surveys and evaluates the factors affecting the cultural tourism development of Hanoi Capital, thereby discussing policy issues for reference and application to many localities in Vietnam.

Isolation and Evaluation of Rhizopus arrhizus Strains from Traditional Rice Wine Starters (Jiuqu): Enzyme Activities, Antioxidant Capacity, and Flavour Compounds.

Seventy-eight autochthonous strains of Rhizopus arrhizus were isolated from rice wine starter samples across twenty-nine regions in China to evaluate their potential in traditional rice wine fermentation. Strains were assessed for enzyme activity, antioxidant properties, amino acid production, and volatile flavour compounds. Significant variation in enzyme activities was observed, with acidic protease activity ranging from 280 to 1023 U/g, amylase from 557 to 1681 U/g, and esterase from 370 to 2949 U/g. Strains W17 and W42 exhibited the highest enzyme activities and antioxidant capacities, with a total phenolic content of 828 mg/L, total flavonoids of 215 μg/L, and an ABTS scavenging rate of 96.3%. They also produced high levels of glutamic acid (up to 3083 mg/L), enhancing the flavour profile. Histamine levels were low, ranging from 8 to 205 μg/L, ensuring product safety. Analysis of volatile compounds identified 80 substances, including 16 key aroma-active compounds, contributing to a complex flavour profile. These results provide a basis for selecting R. arrhizus strains to optimise rice wine fermentation, addressing market demand for diverse and functional products.

Multiple mutations in polyketide synthase led to disruption of Psittacofulvin production across diverse parrot species

Polyketide synthases (PKSs) are crucial multidomain enzymes in diverse natural product biosynthesis. Parrots use a type I PKS to produce a unique pigment called psittacofulvin in their feathers. In domesticated budgerigars and lovebirds, the same amino acid substitution (R644W) within malonyl/acetyltransferase (MAT) domain of this enzyme has been shown to cause the blue phenotype with no psittacofulvin pigmentation, proposing a strong evolutionary constraint on the mechanism. Here, we identified seven previously unreported variants in PKS associated with defective psittacofulvin production in four diverse species, including three nonsense mutations. Intriguingly, three of the remaining nonsynonymous substitutions reside within the ketoacyl synthase (KS) domain, whereas one at MAT domain. The heterologous expression of these PKS variants in yeast confirmed complete or partial loss of psittacofulvin production. These findings establish PKS as a functionally conserved key-enzyme determining psittacofulvin-based hues among diverse parrots, highlighting multiple conserved domains essential for the PKS function.

A hybrid variable neighborhood search for a real-world petrol station replenishment problem with multi-compartment vehicles

Studies on the Petrol Station Replenishment Problem (PSRP) have many challenges because of the limitations in real-world PSRP, including diverse oil products, various vehicle models, multiple compartments in each vehicle, a finite set of vehicles, restricted tank capacities of petrol stations, and the preparation time and cost for discharge. To address those problems, this paper proposes a novel PSRP model considering the following realistic scenarios: each vehicle has multiple compartments and is allowed for multiple trips; vehicles are heterogeneous; petrol stations have hard time windows; external vehicles can be rented when internal vehicles are not enough; after arrival, each vehicle must prepare for a certain time before discharge. The objective is to minimize the overall costs including vehicles’ fixed costs, traveling costs, and preparation costs. A Hybrid Variable Neighborhood Search algorithm (HVNS) combined with a Simulated Annealing-based acceptance criterion is developed to solve the problem. Various experiments are conducted on different scale instances and a practical application of PetroChina. Experimental results show that compared with CPLEX and other heuristics, HVNS can effectively solve the problem in terms of solution quality and computing time.

Photocatalytic Methanol Dehydrogenation with Switchable Selectivity.

Switchable selectivity achieved by altering reaction conditions within the same photocatalytic system offers great advantages for sustainable chemical transformations and renewable energy conversion. In this study, we investigate an efficient photocatalytic methanol dehydrogenation with controlled selectivity by varying the concentration of nickel cocatalyst, using zinc indium sulfide nanocrystals as a semiconductor photocatalyst, which enables the production of either formaldehyde or ethylene glycol with high selectivity. Control experiments revealed that formaldehyde is initially generated and can either serve as a terminal product or intermediate in producing ethylene glycol, depending on the nickel concentration in the solution. Mechanistic studies suggest a unique role of ionic nickel as an additional photoelectron competitor that can significantly influence selectivity, alongside its well-established function as a hydrogen evolution reaction cocatalyst under photocatalytic conditions. The demonstrated switchable selectivity provides a new tool for producing diverse products from methanol, while advancing the understanding of cocatalyst behavior for versatile catalytic performance.

Recent Advances in Natural Products Derived from Marine Echinoderms and Endophytic Microbes: Chemical Insights and Therapeutic Potential.

Echinoderms, a diverse group of marine invertebrates including starfish, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers, have been recognized as prolific sources of structurally diverse natural products. In the past five years, remarkable progress has been made in the isolation, structural elucidation, and pharmacological assessment of these bioactive compounds. These metabolites, including polysaccharides, triterpenoids, steroids, and peptides, demonstrate potent bioactivities such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antimicrobial effects, providing valuable insights and scaffolds for drug discovery. This review highlights the structural diversity and biological activities of natural products derived from echinoderms over the last five years, with a particular focus on their structure-activity relationships and therapeutic potential. It also outlines the prospects and challenges for future research, aiming to stimulate further exploration in marine drug discovery.

The Impact of Diversified Product Layout on Cultural and Creative Brand Building: Take the Operation of the Palace Museum Cultural and Creative Brands Online Stores as an Example

With the recovery of tourism industry and the support of national policies, China's cultural and creative industry has developed rapidly. Among them, the Palace Museum cultural and creative products has become a typical case because its great sales popularity, and its diversified product layout is also worth learning from other cultural and creative brands. Through case analysis and questionnaire survey, based on qualitative and quantitative data, this research makes a comprehensive analysis of the diversified product line, market performance and consumer feedback of the Palace Museum cultural and creative products. The study finds that the diversified product layout of the brand is mainly reflected in the three main aspects of diverse product types, creative product design and targeted product launch. This strategy has an important impact on the brand sales, influence, market competitiveness, and consumer loyalty. The results of this research make up for the research gap in the diversified product layout of cultural and creative brands, and provide a new perspective and program for the sustainable development of other cultural and creative brands in China. In the future, the Palace Museum needs to constantly pay attention to the changes in the consumer market and consumer demand, combine with digital technology, and continuously launch new creative products.

From Monocyclization to Pentacyclization: A Versatile Plant Cyclase Produces Diverse Sesterterpenes with Anti-Liver Fibrosis Potential.

A prolific multi-product sesterterpene synthase CbTPS1 is characterized from the medicinal Brassicaceae plant Capsella bursa-pastoris. Twenty different sesterterpenes including 16 undescribed compounds, possessing 10 different mono-/di-/tri-/tetra-/penta-carbocyclic skeletons, including the unique 15-membered macrocyclic and 24(15→14)-abeo-capbuane scaffolds, are isolated and structurally elucidated from engineered Escherichia coli strains expressing CbTPS1. Site-directed mutagenesis assisted by molecular dynamics simulations resulted in the variant L354M with up to 13.2-fold increased sesterterpene production. These structurally diverse products suggest a comprehensive cyclization mechanism for plant sesterterpenes and provide compelling evidence for the initial cyclization of geranylfarnesyl diphosphate via a crucial 15-membered monocyclic carbocation. The activities of these sesterterpenes against liver fibrosis is inferred from the inhibition of the transforming growth factor-β/Smad signaling pathway and collagen synthesis. These findings greatly expand the chemical space and biological functions of sesterterpenes and provide new insights into the catalytic mechanism of terpene synthases.

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) yielding medicinally relevant rings: a recent update and chemical space analysis of the scaffolds.

In this review we have compiled multicomponent reactions (MCRs) that produce cyclic structures. We have covered articles reported since 2019 to showcase the recent advances in this area. In contrast to other available reviews on this topic, we focus specifically on MCRs with strong prospects in medicinal chemistry. Consequently, the reactions operating in a single-pot and yielding novel rings or new substitution patterns under mild conditions are highlighted. Moreover, MCRs that do not require special reagents or catalysts and yield diverse products from commercially available building blocks are reviewed. The synthetic schemes, substrate scope, and other key aspects such as regio- and stereoselectivity are discussed for each MCR. Using cheminformatic tools, we have also attempted to characterize the chemical space of the scaffolds obtained from these MCRs. We show that the MCR scaffolds are novel, more complex, and globular in shape compared to the approved drugs and clinical candidates. Thus, our review represents a step towards identifying and characterizing the novel ring space that can be accessed efficiently through MCRs in a short timeframe.

Benchmark of Density Functional Theory in the Prediction of 13C Chemical Shielding Anisotropies for Anisotropic Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-Based Structural Elucidation.

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have emerged as a powerful theoretical toolbox for interpreting and analyzing the experimental nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of chemical compounds. While DFT has been extensively used and benchmarked for isotropic NMR observables, the evaluation of the full chemical shielding tensor, which is necessary for interpreting residual chemical shift anisotropy (RCSA), has received much less attention, despite its recent applications in the structural elucidation of organic molecules. In this study, we present a comprehensive benchmark of carbon shielding anisotropies based on coupled cluster reference tensors taken from the NS372 benchmark data set. Additionally, we investigate the representation of the DFT-predicted shielding tensors, such as the eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Moreover, we evaluated how various DFT methods influence the discrimination of possible relative configurations using recently published ΔΔRCSA data for a set of structurally diverse natural products. Our findings demonstrate that accurate interpretation of RCSAs for configurational and conformational analysis is possible with semilocal DFT methods, which also reduce computational demands compared to hybrid functionals such as the commonly used B3LYP.

Edible Mushrooms: a Nutrient-Rich Ingredient for Healthier Food Products - A Review.

Edible mushrooms are found to be foods with high nutritional content, which have been shown to be more widely used ingredients in cooking in traditional dishes. This article explores the rising trend in the use of edible mushrooms in new formulations of functional foods, taking advantage of their properties and benefits in human health. The use of mushrooms as an ingredient in new or modified food formulations is driven by solid evidence of their nutritional content and bioactivity. Mushrooms stand out for their high biological value and high bioavailability protein content, as well as dietary fiber that promotes improved digestive health. Other micronutrients present are B vitamins and minerals such as selenium, phosphorus and potassium. Mushroom flour has been the prevalent mode of addition to food formulations. This type of format aims to preserve and concentrate the nutritional content of mushrooms and has achieved nutritional enrichment of products. The use of this food has also been explored to improve technological qualities in food development, so it is intended to position itself as a natural additive. This review synthesizes data on the nutritional composition, bioactive properties, and physicochemical attributes of mushrooms, emphasizing their multifaceted contributions to modern food formulations. It advocates for further research to optimize mushroom application in diverse food products and to address practical challenges for seamless integration.

Photoinduced Regiodivergent and Enantioselective Cross-Coupling of Glycine Derivatives with Hydrocarbon Feedstocks.

Regiodivergent asymmetric synthesis represents a transformative strategy for the efficient generation of structurally diverse chiral products from a single set of starting materials, significantly enriching their enantiomeric composition. However, the design of radical-mediated regiodivergent and enantioselective reactions that can accommodate a wide range of functional groups and substrates has posed significant challenges. The obstacles primarily lie in switching the regioselectivity and achieving high enantiodiscrimination, especially when dealing with high-energy intermediates. To address these issues, we have developed a new catalytic system that integrates photoinduced hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and chiral copper catalysis, involving the fine-tuning of chiral ligands, additives, and other reaction parameters. The strategy facilitates regiodivergent and enantioselective cross-couplings between N-aryl glycine ester/amide derivatives and abundant hydrocarbon feedstocks through strong C(sp3)-H bond activation. This approach allows for the controlled and stereoselective formation of C(sp3)-C(sp3) and C(sp3)-N bonds, yielding a rich variety of C- or N-alkylated glycine esters and amides with commendable yields (up to 92% yield), exclusive regioselectivities (typically >20:1 rr), and high enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee). Our methodology not only provides a promising avenue for the stereoselective incorporation of alkyl functionalities onto specific sites of biologically significant molecules but also offers a practical approach for regioselectivity switching while simultaneously achieving high asymmetric induction within photochemical reactions.

Natural Products Diversity from Genus Aspergillus: A Bioinformatics Study for Insecticidal Activity against the Aedes aegypti Vector

Computational predictive approaches present themselves as an attractive alternative in the search for new compounds that may present toxic or growth regulatory activity in Aedes aegypti. Aspergillus species is a producer of secondary metabolites with diverse biological activities. In this study, it was possible to evaluate the pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties in silico, as well as the prediction of the insecticidal biological activities of the juvenile hormone of natural substances produced by the genus Aspergillus. Initially, 187 molecules were cataloged from various species of Aspergillus spp., and only seven molecules of indole alkaloids were found to exhibit a toxic dose 50% (TD50) after conducting toxicity predictions. The molecular dynamic simulation trajectories were utilized to study parameters such as root mean square deviation, root mean square fluctuation, radius of gyration and intermolecular hydrogen bond to understand the behavior and stability of proposed compounds in the binding pocket of the target protein. The N-β-acetyltryptamine molecule showed a binding affinity value of –8.100 ± 0.200 kcal mol-1, which classifies the compound as a potential insecticidal agent against the Aedes aegypti vector.

Chemical diversity of cyanobacterial natural products.

Covering: 2010 to 2023Cyanobacterial natural products are a diverse group of molecules with promising biotechnological applications. This review examines the chemical diversity of 995 cyanobacterial metabolites reported from 2010 to 2023. A computational analysis using similarity networking was applied to visualize the chemical space and to compare the diversity of cyanobacterial metabolites among taxonomic orders and environmental sources. Key examples are highlighted, detailing their sources, biological activities, and discovery processes.

Diastereodivergence in catalytic asymmetric conjugate addition of carbon nucleophiles.

Catalytic asymmetric conjugate additions of carbon nucleophiles have emerged as a potent tool for constructing multi-stereogenic molecules with precise stereochemical control. This review explores the concept of diastereodivergence in such reactions, focusing on strategies to achieve selective access to diverse diastereomeric products upon carbon-carbon bond formation. Drawing from a rich array of examples, we delve into key approaches for controlling the stereochemical outcome of these transformations, including alteration of alkene geometry, fine-tuning of reaction parameters, synergistic catalysis, and isomerization of conjugate adducts. Additionally, we highlight the iterative strategies for conjugate additions, showcasing their potential for diastereodivergent synthesis of methyl-branched stereocenters in 1,3-relationships. By presenting a concentrated overview of this significant topic, this review aims to provide valuable insights into the design and execution of stereodivergent catalytic conjugate additions, offering new avenues for advancing stereoselective synthesis and structural diversity in organic synthesis.

Microbial Characterization of a Zambian Honey Vinegar.

Forest Fruits Organic Honey Vinegar (FFOHV) is a spontaneously fermented (yeast) and acetified (Acetic Acid Bacteria-AAB) Miombo Woodland honey vinegar developed in Zambia. Live vinegars containing live microbial cultures are marketed for their probiotic health benefits. The correlation between a well-developed gut microbiome and human health is well studied and fermented products such as live vinegar containing AAB contribute to a healthy gut microbiome. This study details a metagenomic analysis of stable, bottled FFOHV (Zambia) alongside two commercially available live vinegar products: Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (BOACV) and Nature's Source Apple Cider Vinegar (NSACV). FFOHV contained representatives of five bacterial and nine fungal genera, compared to BOACV with two bacterial and five fungal, and NSACV containing no bacterial and six fungal genera. FFOHV and BOACV showed a dominance of Komagataeibacter bacterial species. The dominant yeast was Vanrija humicola present in all three vinegar samples. FFOHV contained greater diversity of genera, with the notable species Monascus purpureus-a microbe that produces several health-enhancing compounds. The analysis showed that FFOHV is a microbially diverse product containing several potentially health-enhancing microbes. Graphical Abstract Text: This study presents a metagenomic analysis of Forest Fruits Organic Honey Vinegar (FFOHV) from Zambia, compared with two commercial live cider vinegars: Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (BOACV) and Nature's Source Apple Cider Vinegar (NSACV). FFOHV exhibited a richer microbial diversity, containing five bacterial and nine fungal genera, including the health-promoting species Monascus purpureus. Both FFOHV and BOACV were dominated by Komagataeibacter species, with Vanrija humicola as the prevalent yeast across all samples. This confirmed FFOHV's unique potential probiotic benefits.

Dual Chamber Solar Dryers: Maximizing Thermal Performance for Diverse Product Drying

Dual Chamber Solar Dryers: Maximizing Thermal Performance for Diverse Product Drying

Descriptor for electro-oxidation of glycerol with high-efficiency bifunctional Cu-Nx single atom catalyst and coupled with hydrogen evolution/carbon dioxide reduction.

Electrochemical glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) presents a promising approach for converting excess glycerol (GLY) into high-value-added products. However, the complex mechanism and the challenge of achieving selectivity for diverse products make GOR difficult to address in both experimental and theoretical studies. In this work, three nitrogen-doped graphene-supported copper single-atom catalysts (CuNx@Gra SACs, x=2-4) were selected as the model system due to their simple structure, excellent conductivity and high structural stability. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to gain deeper insight into the catalytic mechanism. The DFT results revealed that both CuN2@Gra and CuN3@Gra follow the same optimal pathway, leading to the formation of formic acid as a key product. The GOR activity and selectivity of CuNx@Gra catalysts follow the trend CuN3@Gra>CuN2@Gra>CuN4@Gra. Subsequent microkinetic analysis, based co on the DFT-derived energetics, confirmed this predicted activity sequence. The GOR activity determined by the limiting potential (UL) is correlate well with changes in the adsorption free energy (ΔGGLY*), the d-band centers of axial dz2 orbitals (εdz2) and integrated crystal orbital Hamilton population (ICOHP). Notably, the simple descriptor ΔGGLY* exhibits a good linear correlation with the free energies of other adsorbates, clarifying the conversion relationships between reaction intermediates and simplifying the understanding of reaction complexity. Moreover, computational results indicate that CuN2@Gra and CuN3@Gra systems can serve as both anode catalysts (for GOR) and cathode catalysts (CO2 reduction for CuN2@Gra and H2 evolution for CuN3@Gra). This study offers insights for designing efficient electrocatalysts, enhancing GLY utilization.

The Advancement of Peptides Derived From Kitasatospora.

Kitasatospora continue to be a rich source of chemically diverse and bioactive peptide natural products. This review highlights two strategies in peptide natural products research of Kitasatospora: (1) a natural products-first approach guided by a major compound, biological activity, or genomic analysis, and (2) an enzyme-first approach guided by bioinformatic tools to construct a sequence similarity network for the discovery of biosynthetic enzymes. The structures of peptides, biosynthetic origins of unique building blocks, recent reports of post-translational modifying enzymes for constructing these peptides, and knowledge gaps in biosynthesis will also be presented. Actinobacteria belonging to the genus Kitasatospora are a source of biosynthetic enzymes to expand the biocatalytic toolbox for synthetic biology.