Modification Of Matrix Research Articles

Food Innovation in the Frame of Circular Economy by Designing Ultra-Processed Foods Optimized for Sustainable Nutrition.

Despite the large debate about the relationship between ultra-processed foods and the prevalence of some diet-related diseases, the innovative potential of various processing technologies has been evidenced in pathways that could lead to modifications of the food matrix with beneficial health effects. Many efforts have been directed toward the conjugation of a healthy diet and sustainable exploitation of natural resources for the preparation of accessible foods. This minireview highlights the possible links between processing, sustainability, and circular economy through the valorization of by-products that could be exploited to prepare nutrient-rich ingredients at lower economic and environmental costs. The assessment of the quality and safety of functional foods based on ingredients derived from food waste requires a more robust validation by means of the food-omics approach, which considers not only the composition of the final products but also the structural characterization of the matrix, as the bioaccessibility and the bioavailability of nutrients are strictly dependent on the functional characteristics of the innovative ingredients.

Facile Synthesis and Structural, Microstructural, and Dielectric Characteristics of SnO2-CeO2 Semiconducting Binary Nanocomposite

Polycrystalline (1-x)SnO2-xCeO2 nanocomposites, where x = 0, 0.05, and 0.10, were synthesized using conventional co-precipitation method without any traces of impurities. Structural characterization revealed that the composition with x = 0 exhibited single-phase tetragonal rutile symmetry, whereas for x = 0.05 and 0.10 compositions showed both tetragonal and cubic phase coexistence as confirmed by Rietveld refinement studies. HRTEM micrographs showed nanoscale formation of nanocomposites and also displayed fringes depicting d spacing (110) = 0.34 nm belonging to SnO2 crystal matrix and d spacing (111) = 0.31 nm for cubic CeO2 crystal lattice. Dielectric properties of host SnO2 nanoparticles were improved by CeO2 addition in the SnO2. The increment in the real part of dielectric permittivity was observed for CeO2 modification of SnO2 matrix.

Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is required in female mice for 17β-estradiol enhancement of hippocampal memory consolidation

Hippocampal plasticity and memory are modulated by the potent estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2). Research on the molecular mechanisms of hippocampal E2 signaling has uncovered multiple intracellular pathways that contribute to these effects, but few have questioned the role that extracellular signaling processes may play in E2 action. Modification of the extracellular matrix (ECM) by proteases like matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is critical for activity-dependent remodeling of synapses, and MMP-9 activity is required for hippocampal learning and memory. Yet little is known about the extent to which E2 regulates MMP-9 in the hippocampus, and the influence this interaction may have on hippocampal memory. Here, we examined the effects of hippocampal MMP-9 activity on E2-induced enhancement of spatial and object recognition memory consolidation. Post-training bilateral infusion of an MMP-9 inhibitor into the dorsal hippocampus of ovariectomized female mice blocked the enhancing effects of E2 on object placement and object recognition memory, supporting a role for MMP-9 in estrogenic regulation of memory consolidation. E2 also rapidly increased the activity of dorsal hippocampal MMP-9 without influencing its protein expression, providing further insight into hippocampal E2/MMP-9 interactions. Together, these results provide the first evidence that E2 regulates MMP-9 to modulate hippocampal memory and highlight the need to further study estrogenic regulation of extracellular modification.

Transcription factor Runx2 changes the expression of some matricellular proteins in metastatic breast cancer cells.

Runx2 is one of the runt-related genes that are overexpressed in human cancers and contribute to metastasis. The cancer cell metastasis requires modifications of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and reduction in ECM-cell interaction. This process is performed by various enzymes and proteins secreted by cancer and surrounding cells. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the Runx2 transcription factor on the expression of matricellular proteins such as HPA1, LOX, SPARC, and OPN, which have important roles in ECM modification and ECM-cell interaction in human breast cancer. Also, the changes in their associated oncogenic pathways including Akt, Erk, FAK activities, and c-jun protein expression were investigated. Runx2 knockdown model was created using runx2 siRNA in MDA-MB-231 human metastatic breast cancer cells. The changes in the mRNA and protein expressions of ECM proteins were shown by the qPCR and Western blotting, respectively. The results showed that there was a decrease in both mRNA and protein expressions of HPA1, SPARC, and LOX, whereas there was no change in those of OPN. Phosphorylated Akt, Erk, FAK levels, and protein expression of c-jun, however, decreased in the cells. Our results revealed that Runx2 affected matricellular protein expression, which is important for metastasis and invasion of breast cancer. Hence, we have concluded that runx2 appears to be efficient for regulating breast cancer metastasis through an expression of matricellular proteins.

The Role of Exosomes and Exosomal Noncoding RNAs From Different Cell Sources in Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) not only affects the quality of life of patients but also poses a heavy burden on their families. Therefore, it is essential to prevent the occurrence of SCI; for unpreventable SCI, it is critical to develop effective treatments. In recent years, various major breakthroughs have been made in cell therapy to protect and regenerate the damaged spinal cord via various mechanisms such as immune regulation, paracrine signaling, extracellular matrix (ECM) modification, and lost cell replacement. Nevertheless, many recent studies have shown that the cell therapy has many disadvantages, such as tumorigenicity, low survival rate, and immune rejection. Because of these disadvantages, the clinical application of cell therapy is limited. In recent years, the role of exosomes in various diseases and their therapeutic potential have attracted much attention. The same is true for exosomal noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), which do not encode proteins but affect transcriptional and translational processes by targeting specific mRNAs. This review focuses on the mechanism of action of exosomes obtained from different cell sources in the treatment of SCI and the regulatory role and therapeutic potential of exosomal ncRNAs. This review also discusses the future opportunities and challenges, proposing that exosomes and exosomal ncRNAs might be promising tools for the treatment of SCI.

Constructing a highly bioactive tendon-regenerative scaffold by surface modification of tissue-specific stem cell-derived extracellular matrix.

Developing highly bioactive scaffold materials to promote stem cell migration, proliferation and tissue-specific differentiation is a crucial requirement in current tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Our previous work has demonstrated that the decellularized tendon slices (DTSs) are able to promote stem cell proliferation and tenogenic differentiation in vitro and show certain pro-regenerative capacity for rotator cuff tendon regeneration in vivo. In this study, we present a strategy to further improve the bioactivity of the DTSs for constructing a novel highly bioactive tendon-regenerative scaffold by surface modification of tendon-specific stem cell-derived extracellular matrix (tECM), which is expected to greatly enhance the capacity of scaffold material in regulating stem cell behavior, including migration, proliferation and tenogenic differentiation. We prove that the modification of tECM could change the highly aligned surface topographical cues of the DTSs, retain the surface stiffness of the DTSs and significantly increase the content of multiple ECM components in the tECM-DTSs. As a result, the tECM-DTSs dramatically enhance the migration, proliferation as well as tenogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow-derived stem cells compared with the DTSs. Collectively, this strategy would provide a new way for constructing ECM-based biomaterials with enhanced bioactivity for in situ tendon regeneration applications.

Thermal and Calorimetric Investigations of Some Phosphorus-Modified Chain Growth Polymers 2: Polystyrene

In this paper, we report on the thermal degradation behaviours and combustion attributes of some polymers based on polystyrene (PSt). Here, both additive and reactive strategies were employed, through the bulk polymerization route, where the modifying groups incorporated P-atom in various chemical environments. These included oxidation states of III or V, and the loading of phosphorus was kept at ca. 2 wt.% in all cases. The characterization techniques that were employed for the recovered products included spectroscopic, thermal, and calorimetric. It was found that the presence of different modifying groups influenced the degradation characteristics of the base polymer, and also exerted varying degrees of combustion inhibition. In all cases, the modification of the base matrix resulted in a noticeable degree of fire retardance as compared to that of the virgin material. Therefore, some of the modifications presented have the potential to be explored on a commercial scale.

Effect of polymer nanoparticle morphology on fracture toughness enhancement of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites

Poor interlaminar fracture toughness has been a major issue in carbon fiber reinforced thermoset polymer composites . A number of techniques have been studied to improve this property, and resin matrix modification is the most direct and effective one. This study focuses on nanoparticle (NP) toughening of epoxy resins and how well the matrix toughness improvement transfers to its carbon fiber reinforced composites . The NPs used contain the same percentage of soft and hard polymer composition, but have different particle morphology , i.e. homogenous versus core/shell structures. Results show that the core/shell particles, especially when the soft polymer is the core and the rigid polymer is the shell, give 851%, 185%, and 43% enhancement in G IC (epoxy), G IC (composite) and G IIC (composite), respectively, compared to the control specimen. Homogeneous particles are much less effective. Fracture surface morphology analysis suggests that effective toughening of composite requires the combination of well dispersed and strong particle-resin and resin matrix-fiber interfaces. This study provides insightful guidelines in selecting high-efficiency toughening particles, as well as comprehensive data on toughness transfer from neat resin to its corresponding composites.

Study of matrix modifications by nano-clay on the mechanical properties of AA3003 honeycomb sandwich panels

Face/core debonding is one of the crucial problems of composite sandwich panels which consist of AA3003 aluminium honeycomb and glass fiber reinforced polymer face sheets. The panel was prepared by a hand-lay process at different nano-clay weight addition of 0%, 2%, 4%, and 6% with the objective of improving face/core adhesion. Interface bonding between face sheets and honeycomb core composite sandwiches and their mechanical behavior were investigated under in-plane compression and bending load. The flexural property of sandwich panels due to the influence of variation in strain rate is further determined. The morphologies of fractured samples were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results revealed a significant improvement in mechanical characteristics when nano-clay was loaded to the composites at a concentration from 2 to 4 wt%, and the in-plane compression and flexural failure load values increased by 45% and 81%, respectively, when compared to a pristine sample. It was observed that increasing strain rate led to the increase in failure load of the sandwich panel. SEM images of fractured surfaces showed residual aluminium honeycomb was present in the face sheet, which indicates better adhesion between aluminium honeycomb core and face sheets.

High-dimensional correlation matrix estimation for general continuous data with Bagging technique

High-dimensional covariance matrix estimation plays a central role in multivariate statistical analysis. It is well-known that the sample covariance matrix is singular when the sample size is smaller than the dimension of the variable, but the covariance estimate must be positive-definite. This motivates some modifications of the sample covariance matrix to preserve its efficient estimation of pairwise covariance. In this paper, we modify the sample correlation matrix using the Bagging technique. The proposed Bagging estimator is flexible for general continuous data. Under some mild conditions, we show theoretically that the Bagging estimator can ensure positive-definiteness with probability one in finite samples. We also prove the consistency of the bootstrap estimator of Pearson correlation and the consistency of our Bagging estimator when the dimension p is fixed. Simulation results and a real application are provided to demonstrate that our method strikes a better balance between RMSE and likelihood, and is more robust, than other existing estimators.

Properties of kenaf/textile waste fibre hybridisation in a carbon nanotubes modified matrix

AbstractTextile waste is part of the solid waste that should be disposed of due to environmental concerns. Thus, the textile waste composite was proposed as one solution to minimise this problem. However, the properties of the composite produced is one of the issues to tackle to produce high‐quality composite materials. Fibre hybridisation and nanofiller addition have been proved to enhance the properties of polymer composites. Therefore, hybridising textile waste with kenaf fibres was expected to improve the composite‘s mechanical properties as kenaf fibres have been extensively accepted due to their flexural and tensile strength capabilities. While incorporating carbon nanotubes should enhance the properties of a matrix system. This research aims to analyse the effect of fibre hybridisation and matrix modification on the mechanical properties of kenaf/textile waste composites. The specimens were fabricated using a casting method in a silicon rubber mould. The results show that the hybrid composite had improved tensile, compressive, and impact strength up to 28.57 %, 39.15 %, and 16.33 %, respectively, compared to textile waste composites. Meanwhile, incorporating 1.0 wt. % carbon nanotubes in hybrid composite specimens improved the compressive modulus and impact strength by 108 % and 48.95 % compared to hybrid textile waste composites.

Induction and rescue of skeletal fragility in a high-fat diet mouse model of type 2 diabetes: An in vivo and in vitro approach.

Poor bone quality is associated with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), with patients having a higher risk of fracture despite normal to high bone mineral density (BMD). Diabetes contributes to modifications of the mineral and organic matrix of bone. Hyperglycemia has been linked to the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) which increase the risk for skeletal fragility fractures. To this end, we investigated diabetes-induced skeletal fragility using a high-fat diet (HFD) mouse model and evaluated the efficacy of phenacyl thiazolium chloride (PTC) for in vitro removal of glycation products to rescue bone toughness. Ten-week-old C57BL/6J male mice (n=6/group) were fed a HFD or low-fat diet (LFD) for 22weeks. Mice given a HFD developed T2D and increased body mass compared to LFD-fed mice. MicroCT results showed that diabetic mice had altered microarchitecture and increased mineralization as determined by volumetric BMD and increased mineral crystal size as determined by X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Diabetic mice demonstrated loss of initiation and maximum toughness, which represent estimates of the stress intensity factor at a notch tip using yield force and ultimate force, respectively. Diabetic mice also showed higher accumulation of AGEs measured by biochemical assay (total fAGEs) and confocal Raman spectroscopy (Pentosidine (PEN), Carboxymethyl-lysine (CML)). Regression analyses confirmed the association between increased glycoxidation (CML, PEN) and loss of fracture toughness. Within the diabetic group, CML was the most significant predictor of initiation toughness while PEN predicted maximum toughness as determined by stepwise linear regression (i.e., stepAIC). Contralateral femora from HFD group were harvested and treated with PTC in vitro. PTC-treated samples showed total fAGEs decreased by 41.2%. PTC treatment partially restored bone toughness as, compared to T2D controls, maximum toughness increased by 35%. Collectively, our results demonstrate that matrix modifications in diet-induced T2D, particularly AGEs, induce bone fragility and their removal from bone matrix partially rescues T2D associated bone fragility.

Modified Playfair cryptosystem for improved data security

Playfair is the earliest known classical block cipher which is capable of taking two characters as a unit in the process of encryption and decryption. However, the cipher is suffering from vulnerability to many cryptanalysis attacks due to a lack of confusion and diffusion properties, an inability to handle numbers and special characters in the process of encryption and decryption, and a host of other deficiencies. Although several modifications and improvements had been done by different researchers, the emphasis has been on the modification of the key matrix to accommodate more characters to increase the keyspace. No attention has been given to increment in the size of the block that the Playfair cipher can handle at a time. In this paper, a modified Playfair (MPF) cryptosystem that is capable of handling different block sizes with high diffusion and confusion properties is developed. cryptanalysis of the developed cryptosystem was carried out and the results show that the MPF cryptosystem is resistant to Known plaintext attack, chosen-plaintext attack, chosen ciphertext attack, frequency analysis attack, autocorrelation attack, differential cryptanalysis attacks, entropy attacks, brute force attack, and can handle variable block sizes.

Modified Playfair cryptosystem for improved data security

Playfair is the earliest known classical block cipher which is capable of taking two characters as a unit in the process of encryption and decryption. However, the cipher is suffering from vulnerability to many cryptanalysis attacks due to a lack of confusion and diffusion properties, an inability to handle numbers and special characters in the process of encryption and decryption, and a host of other deficiencies. Although several modifications and improvements had been done by different researchers, the emphasis has been on the modification of the key matrix to accommodate more characters to increase the keyspace. No attention has been given to increment in the size of the block that the Playfair cipher can handle at a time. In this paper, a modified Playfair (MPF) cryptosystem that is capable of handling different block sizes with high diffusion and confusion properties is developed. cryptanalysis of the developed cryptosystem was carried out and the results show that the MPF cryptosystem is resistant to Known plaintext attack, chosen-plaintext attack, chosen ciphertext attack, frequency analysis attack, autocorrelation attack, differential cryptanalysis attacks, entropy attacks, brute force attack, and can handle variable block sizes.

Effect of Dispersing Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene Nanoplatelets Hybrids in the Matrix on the Flexural Fatigue Properties of Carbon/Epoxy Composites

The synergistic effect of applying hybrid nanoparticles in improving the fatigue property of fiber reinforced polymer composites has rarely been explored before. Hence the monotonic and fatigue flexure properties of the carbon fiber reinforced epoxy laminates with matrix modified by multiwalled carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets were experimentally studied herein. The nanofiller ratio applied in the matrix modification was considered as a variable in the experimental program to investigate the effect of nanofiller ratio on the studied mechanical properties. A synergistic index has been employed to evaluate the synergistic effect of hybrid nanoparticles on the studied properties successfully. Experimental results show that the laminates with matrix modified under a nanofiller ratio (multiwalled carbon nanotube: graphene nanoplatelet) of 9:1 have the higher monotonic and fatigue strengths than those modified under other nanofiller ratios. The monotonic flexural strength and fatigue limit of the specimens modified under a nanofiller ratio of 9:1 are higher than the neat laminate specimens by 9.3 and 11.0%, respectively. The fatigue limits of the studied nano-modified laminates increase with the static strengths. Adding hybrid nanoparticles under proper nanofiller ratios in the matrix can suppress the degradation of the stiffness, further increase the resistance to fatigue damage. Examining the fracture surfaces of fatigued specimens reveals that the pullout/bridging effects of carbon nanotubes and the crack deflection effect of graphene nanoplatelets are the main reinforcement mechanisms in enhancing the fatigue strength of the composites.

The impact of wormhole generation in carbonate reservoirs on CO2-WAG oil recovery

In this paper, the impact of CO2-carbonate interactions on hydrocarbon recovery from three initially oil-saturated heterogeneous carbonate core samples (with low and mid permeabilities) were investigated. Alternate injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) and synthetic formation brine was conducted after water flooding. X-ray computed tomography scanning of the core samples before and after core flooding was performed at ambient conditions. Extent of carbonate dissolutions and rock matrix modifications were observed from the change in porosities, permeabilities, and wormhole formations. Generally, the CO2-WAG injection resulted in more than 30% extra oil recovery from the three cores after water flooding scenario. As expected, the total recovery factor of the core with lowest initial permeability and porosity was the smallest, however the core permeability increased from 1.45 mD (pre-flood) to 1987.9 mD (post-flood). Considerable amount of oil was left behind in the core with initially low permeability and porosity due to preferentially flow of WAG fluid through the wormholes, bypassing the trapped oil in the pore spaces at the uninvaded region of the rock. The study suggests that low oil recovery from core with low initial permeability and porosity is principally due to formation of wormhole because of rapid rate of rock dissolution and faster rate of CO2-carbonate reactions. Compared to the mid permeability cores, the low permeable core slows down the WAG fluid flow and give more time for CO2-carbonate rock interactions and reactions because of the tightness of the pore spaces. Thus, facilitated more exposure time and effective contact between the carbonate rock fabrics and the CO2-saturated brine.

Targeting the IGF/PI3K/mTOR pathway and AXL/YAP1/TAZ pathways in primary bone cancer

Primary bone cancers (PBC) belong to the family of mesenchymal tumors classified based on their cellular origin, extracellular matrix, genetic regulation, and epigenetic modification. The three major PBC types, Ewing sarcoma, osteosarcoma, and chondrosarcoma, are frequently aggressive tumors, highly metastatic, and typically occur in children and young adults. Despite their distinct origins and pathogenesis, these sarcoma subtypes rely upon common signaling pathways to promote tumor progression, metastasis, and survival. The IGF/PI3K/mTOR and AXL/YAP/TAZ pathways, in particular, have gained significant attention recently given their ties to oncogenesis, cell fate and differentiation, metastasis, and drug resistance. Naturally, these pathways – and their protein constituents – have caught the eye of the pharmaceutical industry, and a wide array of small molecule inhibitors and antibody drug-conjugates have emerged. Here, we review how the IGF/PI3K/mTOR and AXL/YAP/TAZ pathways promote PBC and highlight the drug candidates under clinical trial investigation.

SIMULATIONS OF IMPROVED BLIND ELECTRONIC DIGITAL SIGNATURES 2D TYPE FOR INFORMATION PROTECTION SYSTEMS

The article considers aspects of application of matrix modifications of RSA cryptosystem for creation on the basis of matrix models and algorithms of cryptoconversions of images of blind electronic digital signatures (BEDS). The advantage of the proposed matrix models of RSA is to take into account the specifics of images and ease of adaptation to different types and formats of images. Formulas and algorithmic steps of BEDS creation procedures and intermediate steps of closing, encrypting and decrypting images are given. Model experiments in the Mathcad Professional software environment, screens from the created software modules demonstrate the functionality and advantages of procedures and algorithms for creating improved blind EDS of matrix type for textual documents (TGD) of a confidential nature. The results of modeling the processes of creating such signatures for large-format documents in the Mathcad software environment confirmed the adequacy of the proposed transformation models and the correct operation and verification of BEDS and allowed to determine the processing time and limitations of relevant cryptographic transformations. Improved BEDS take into account the specifics of TGD, adapt to different formats, have better temporal, histogram-entropy characteristics (shown an increase in the entropy of BEDS to 7.98 bits/el.).

Low velocity impact resistance of thin and toughened carbon fibre reinforced epoxy

This study investigates the effect of core-shell rubber nanoparticle and block copolymer matrix modifications on the low velocity impact resistance of thin (∼1.6 mm), multi-axial carbon fibre reinforced epoxy laminates. The results demonstrate a strongly enhanced damage resistance predominantly to impact energies of 9 J and 13 J. Lower impact energies do not sufficiently activate the energy dissipating capabilities of the applied toughening agents. In the case of 9 J impacts, it is found that the damage resistance increases with increasing modifier concentration by a successive reduction of the indentation depth. Once the impact causes large-scale fibre fracture (13 J), the damage mode changes and an increasing matrix toughness leads to a strong reduction of the damage area. However, a proper bonding between matrix and the embedded fibres is a mandatory precondition to take advantage of a core-shell rubber and block copolymer toughened matrix.

Hierarchically structured MoO2/dopamine-derived carbon spheres as intercalation electrodes for lithium-ion batteries

A hydrogen peroxide initiated sol-gel process involving molybdenum transformation in the presence of dopamine (Dopa) hydrochloride excess produced the metastable precipitate composed of polydopamine (PDopa) spheres coated with Dopa preintercalated molybdenum oxide, (Dopa)xMoOy@PDopa. The hydrothermal treatment (HT) of the (Dopa)xMoOy@PDopa precursor resulted in the simultaneous carbonization of Dopa and molybdenum reduction generating MoO2 nanoplatelets distributed and confined on the surface of the Dopa-derived carbon matrix (HT-MoO2/C). The consecutive annealing (An) of the HT-MoO2/C sample at 600 °C under Ar atmosphere led to the formation of MoO2 with increased Mo oxidation state and improved structural stability (AnHT-MoO2/C). Annealing had also further facilitated interaction between the molybdenum-derived and Dopa-derived components resulting in the modification of the carbon matrix confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Morphology of both materials is best described as Dopa-derived carbon spheres decorated with MoO2 nanoplatelets. These integrated metal oxide and carbon structures were tested as electrodes for lithium-ion batteries in the potential window that corresponds to the intercalation mechanism of charge storage. The AnHT-MoO2/C electrode showed enhanced electrochemical activity, with an initial specific discharge capacity of 260 mAh/g and capacity retention of 67% after 50 cycles, compared to the HT-MoO2/C electrode which exhibited an initial specific discharge capacity of 235 mAh g−1 and capacity retention of 47% after 50 cycles. The rate capability experiments revealed that the capacity of 93 mAh/g and 120 mAh/g was delivered by the HT-MoO2/C and AnHT-MoO2/C electrodes, respectively, when the current density was increased to 100 mA/g. The improved specific capacity, electrochemical stability, and rate capability achieved after annealing were attributed to higher crystallinity of MoO2, increased oxidation state of Mo, and formation of the tighter MoO2/carbon contact accompanied by the annealing assisted interaction between MoO2 and Dopa-derived carbon.