Random Structure Research Articles

Nonlinear elastic general integral equations in micromechanics of random structure composites

We consider static problems for composite materials (CMs) with either locally elastic or peridynamic constitutive properties. The general integral equation (GIE) is the exact integral equationWe consider static problems for composite materials connecting the random fields at the point being considered and the surrounding points. There is a very long and colored history of the development of GIE which goes back to Lord Rayleigh. Owing to the new GIE (forming the second background of micromechanics also called the computational analytical micromechanics, CAM), one proved that local micromechanics (LM) and peridynamic micromechanics (PM) are formally similar to each other for CM of random structures. By now, the GIEs are generalized to CMs (of statistically homogeneous and inhomogeneous structures) with the phases described by local models, strongly nonlocal models (strain type and displacement type, peridynamics), and weakly nonlocal models (strain-gradient theories, stress-gradient theories, and higher-order models). However, a fundamental restriction of all mentioned GIEs is their linearity with respect to a primary unknown variable. The goal of this study is obtaining nonlinear GIEs for PM, and, in a particular case, for LM. For the presentation of PM as a unified theory, we describe PM as the formalized schemes of blocked (or modular) structures so that the experts developing one block need not be experts in the underlying another block (this is a good background for effective collaborations of different teams in so many multidisciplinary areas as PM). The opportunity for the creation of this blocked structure of the PM is supported by a critical generalization of CAM which is extremely flexible, robust, and general.

Enhancing Functional Properties and Protein Structure of Almond Protein Isolate Using High-Power Ultrasound Treatment.

The suitability of a given protein for use in food products depends heavily on characteristics such as foaming capacity, emulsifiability, and solubility, all of which are affected by the protein structure. Notably, protein structure, and thus characteristics related to food applications, can be altered by treatment with high-power ultrasound (HUS). Almonds are a promising source of high-quality vegetable protein for food products, but their physicochemical and functional properties remain largely unexplored, limiting their current applications in foods. Here, we tested the use of HUS on almond protein isolate (API) to determine the effects of this treatment on API functional properties. Aqueous almond protein suspensions were sonicated at varying power levels (200, 400, or 600 W) for two durations (15 or 30 min). The molecular structure, protein microstructure, solubility, and emulsifying and foaming properties of the resulting samples were then measured. The results showed that HUS treatment did not break API covalent bonds, but there were notable changes in the secondary protein structure composition, with the treated proteins showing a decrease in α-helices and β-turns, and an increase in random coil structures as the result of protein unfolding. HUS treatment also increased the number of surface free sulfhydryl groups and decreased the intrinsic fluorescence intensity, indicating that the treatment also led to alterations in the tertiary protein structures. The particle size in aqueous suspensions was decreased in treated samples, indicating that HUS caused the dissociation of API aggregates. Finally, treated samples showed increased water solubility, emulsifying activity, emulsifying stability, foaming capacity, and foaming stability. This study demonstrated that HUS altered key physicochemical characteristics of API, improving critical functional properties including solubility and foaming and emulsifying capacities. This study also validated HUS as a safe and environmentally responsible tool for enhancing desirable functional characteristics of almond proteins, promoting their use in the food industry as a high-quality plant-based protein.

Conformational modulation and polymerization-induced folding of proteomimetic peptide brush polymers.

Peptide-brush polymers generated by graft-through living polymerization of peptide-modified monomers exhibit high proteolytic stability, therapeutic efficacy, and potential as functional tandem repeat protein mimetics. Prior work has focused on polymers generated from structurally disordered peptides that lack defined conformations. To obtain insight into how the structure of these polymers is influenced by the folding of their peptide sidechains, a set of polymers with varying degrees of polymerization was prepared from peptide monomers that adopt α-helical secondary structure for comparison to those having random coil structures. Circular dichroism and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy confirm the maintenance of the secondary structure of the constituent peptide when polymerized. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) studies reveal the solution-phase conformation of PLPs in different solvent environments. In particular, X-ray scattering shows that modulation of solvent hydrophobicity, as well as hydrogen bonding patterns of the peptide sidechain, plays an important role in the degree of globularity and conformation of the overall polymer, with polymers of helical peptide brushes showing less spherical compaction in conditions where greater helicity is observed. These structural insights into peptide brush folding and polymer conformation inform the design of these proteomimetic materials with promise for controlling and predicting their artificial fold and morphology.

A robust synthetic data generation framework for machine learning in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM)

Machine learning techniques are attractive options for developing highly-accurate analysis tools for nanomaterials characterization, including high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). However, successfully implementing such machine learning tools can be difficult due to the challenges in procuring sufficiently large, high-quality training datasets from experiments. In this work, we introduce Construction Zone, a Python package for rapid generation of complex nanoscale atomic structures which enables fast, systematic sampling of realistic nanomaterial structures and can be used as a random structure generator for large, diverse synthetic datasets. Using Construction Zone, we develop an end-to-end machine learning workflow for training neural network models to analyze experimental atomic resolution HRTEM images on the task of nanoparticle image segmentation purely with simulated databases. Further, we study the data curation process to understand how various aspects of the curated simulated data—including simulation fidelity, the distribution of atomic structures, and the distribution of imaging conditions—affect model performance across three benchmark experimental HRTEM image datasets. Using our workflow, we are able to achieve state-of-the-art segmentation performance on these experimental benchmarks and, further, we discuss robust strategies for consistently achieving high performance with machine learning in experimental settings using purely synthetic data. Construction Zone and its documentation are available at https://github.com/lerandc/construction_zone.

Prediction of Protein Targets in Ovarian Cancer Using a Ru-Complex and Carbon Dot Drug Delivery Therapeutic Nanosystems: A Bioinformatics and µ-FTIR Spectroscopy Approach.

We predicted the protein therapeutic targets specific to a Ru-based potential drug and its combination with pristine and N-doped carbon dot drug delivery systems, denoted as RuCN/CDs and RuCN/N-CDs. Synchrotron-based FTIR microspectroscopy (µFTIR) in addition to bioinformatics data on drug structures and protein sequences were applied to assess changes in the protein secondary structure of A2780 cancer cells. µFTIR revealed the moieties of the target proteins' secondary structure changes only after the treatment with RuCN and RuCN/N-CDs. A higher content of α-helices and a lower content of β-sheets appeared in A2780 cells after RuCN treatment. Treatment with RuCN/N-CDs caused a substantial increase in parallel β-sheet numbers, random coil content, and tyrosine residue numbers. The results obtained suggest that the mitochondrion-related proteins NDUFA1 and NDUFB5 are affected by RuCN either via overexpression or stabilisation of helical structures. RuCN/N-CDs either induce overexpression of the β-sheet-rich protein NDUFS1 and affect its random coil structure or interact and stabilise its structure via hydrogen bonding between -NH2 groups from N-CDs with protein C=O groups and -OH groups of serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues. The N-CD nanocarrier tunes this drug's action by directing it toward a specific protein target, changing this drug's coordination ability and inducing changes in the protein's secondary structures and function.

High energy absorption design of porous metals using deep learning

Due to its remarkable energy absorption properties, porous metals have widespread applications in engineering. However, the high randomness of pore morphology greatly hinders the effective design and analysis of high energy absorption structures. To address this challenge, this paper first introduces a deep learning-based framework for high energy absorption-oriented design of random porous metals structures. The framework comprises two steps: (i) a generator powered by Wasserstein deep convolutional generative adversarial network is developed to swiftly generate a vast design space (∼one million samples) of porous metals with real random pore morphology. (ii) an inverse search strategy based on convolutional neural network is applied to quickly pick out the optimal structure with the best energy absorption from the design space. Results show that the optimal energy absorption is about 17.71 % higher than the maximum value of initial structures from CT scan. Additionally, a 575-fold increase in computational efficiency is achieved compared to the traversal search using finite element method. Subsequently, the deformation process of the optimal structure is analyzed focusing on the pore morphology and compression performance, showing that random porous metals with uniformly sized pores are capable of withstanding higher stress under the same strain and exhibit no yield band during compression. Inspired by this, a structural homogenization method is introduced and validated to create porous metal structure with stable microstructure evolution, extended plateau stress and high energy absorption.

Bacterial Blocking and Repair of Intestinal Defects With Well-Alighed Lamellar MXene/Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogels Prepared by Bidirectional Freezing Method

To explore the bacterial blocking effect of oriented multilayer MXene/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanocomposite hydrogels and their effect on the repair of intestinal defects. MXene/PVA nanocomposite hydrogels were prepared using the traditional freezing method and the bidirectional freezing ice template method. The structures of the different hydrogels were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro-CT reconstruction. The rheological properties of the hydrogels were measured using a dynamic rheometer, and their mechanical properties were assessed using a universal testing machine. The burst pressure of the hydrogels was determined through burst experiments, and bacterial colony growth was observed by the osmosis method to assess the bacteria blocking ability of the hydrogels in vitro. A rat model of cecal perforation was established, and the hydrogels were used for intestinal repair. Gram staining was performed to observe in vivo the bacterial blocking ability of the hydrogels, HE staining was performed to observe the intestinal inflammation, and CD31 and CD68 immunofluorescence staining and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) staining were performed to observe the repair effect of the hydrogels on intestinal defects. SEM and micro-CT reconstruction revealed that the hydrogel prepared by the traditional freezing method exhibited a random porous structure, while the hydrogel prepared by the bidirectional freezing method showed an oriented multilayer structure. Rheological and tensile tests indicated that the oriented hydrogel had superior mechanical properties, and the burst pressure of the oriented multilayer hydrogel was as high as 27 kPa, significantly higher than that of the non-oriented hydrogel (P<0.001). Bacterial colony growth was observed by the osmosis method and it was found that, compared with the non-oriented hydrogel, the oriented multilayer hydrogel could effectively prevent the infiltration of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in vitro. Gram staining results showed that the oriented multilayer hydrogel could effectively block intestinal bacteria from entering the abdominal cavity in vivo. HE staining results showed that the oriented multilayer hydrogel could effectively reduce intestinal inflammation in vivo. CD31 and CD68 immunofluorescence staining and PCNA staining results showed that the oriented multilayer hydrogel had a repairing effect on intestinal defects in vivo. The oriented multilayer hydrogel prepared by bidirectional freezing effectively prevents bacterial infiltration and reduces intestinal inflammation.

Regulatory mechanisms of phosphorylation in ovalbumin self-assembly for aggregates formation: Insights into size, structure, and morphology

In this study, the impact of different phosphorylation degrees on ovalbumin (OVA) assemblies was investigated by introducing negatively charged phosphorylated groups as driving forces at pH 9.0 and 85 °C for 2, 4, 6, 10, and 12 h to examine their turbidity, zeta-potential, and average particle size during phosphorylation-mediated aggregation. The presence of phosphate groups in the aggregates was confirmed by 31P NMR and FTIR spectra. The aggregation process, including amyloid formation, was analyzed by evaluating active thiol groups, intrinsic fluorescence spectra, surface hydrophobicity, circular dichroism, and thioflavin T (THT) fluorescence. TEM and small-angle scattering analysis of the morphological evolution of the self-assembly process over time revealed a structural progression from flexible to longer and thicker flexible fibrils, with the formation of shorter, more rigid semiflexible aggregates after 10h of phosphorylation. When phosphorylated for 12 h, the OVA aggregates exhibited a compact core primarily composed of cross β-structures and surrounded by loosely packed protein segments with random coil structures. Overall, this study highlighted the enhancement of OVA self-assembly by phosphorylation, where electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions play pivotal roles in regulating the formation of protein self-assembly aggregates.

Genome-Based Identification of the Dof Gene Family in Three Cymbidium Species and Their Responses to Heat Stress in Cymbidium goeringii.

As an important genus in Orchidaceae, Cymbidium has rich ecological diversity and significant economic value. DNA binding with one zinc finger (Dof) proteins are pivotal plant-specific transcription factors that play crucial roles in the growth, development, and stress response of plants. Although the Dof genes have been identified and functionally analyzed in numerous plants, exploration in Orchidaceae remains limited. We conducted a thorough analysis of the Dof gene family in Cymbidium goeringii, C. ensifolium, and C. sinensis. In total, 91 Dof genes (27 CgDofs, 34 CeDofs, 30 CsDofs) were identified, and Dof genes were divided into five groups (I-V) based on phylogenetic analysis. All Dof proteins have motif 1 and motif 2 conserved domains and over half of the genes contained introns. Chromosomal localization and collinearity analysis of Dof genes revealed their evolutionary relationships and potential gene duplication events. Analysis of cis-elements in CgDofs, CeDofs, and CsDofs promoters showed that light-responsive cis-elements were the most common, followed by hormone-responsive elements, plant growth-related elements, and abiotic stress response elements. Dof proteins in three Cymbidium species primarily exhibit a random coil structure, while homology modeling exhibited significant similarity. In addition, RT-qPCR analysis showed that the expression levels of nine CgDofs changed greatly under heat stress. CgDof03, CgDof22, CgDof27, CgDof08, and CgDof23 showed varying degrees of upregulation. Most upregulated genes under heat stress belong to group I, indicating that the Dof genes in group I have great potential for high-temperature resistance. In conclusion, our study systematically demonstrated the molecular characteristics of Dof genes in different Cymbidium species, preliminarily revealed the patterns of heat stress, and provided a reference for further exploration of stress breeding in orchids.

Strong s-box construction approach based on Josephus problem

There are two basic requirements for symmetric encryption algorithms. The first of these is diffusion. The second and most important is confusion. In these algorithms, this requirement is usually met by s-box structures. Therefore, s-box structures must be strong. So, a cryptographically good s-box will make the encryption algorithm difficult to crack. However, obtaining a strong s-box is a rather difficult problem. In this study, Josephus circle logic is used to solve this problem. Initially, with a random s-box structure, the elements are replaced according to their Josephus positions, and the s-box is made stronger. In the proposed algorithm, according to the Josephus logic, the elements that kill each other are replaced and this process continues until one element remains. The last 30 surviving elements are replaced with all elements. In this way, three different s-boxes were obtained. In two of them, the nonlinearity value was 110.5, and in one of them, the nonlinearity value was 110.75. Fixed points in the proposed s-box structures were identified and eliminated. In addition, it has been proven because of the analysis that the obtained s-box structures also meet other cryptographic requirements. In addition to leaving behind most studies in the literature, the proposed method will also provide strong s-box structures for encryption algorithms to be built in the future.

Hydrodynamics in a randomly packed bed of cylindrical particles: A comparison between PR-CFD simulations and MRI experiments

Slender catalytic packed bed reactors are widely used in the chemical industry for chemical processes accompanied with significant heat liberation necessitating efficient heat removal. The employed catalyst particles are often cylindrical shaped, because these are easily manufactured via extrusion. The packing of these cylindrical particles results in a random structure of the bed causing flow maldistribution which reduces the reactor efficiency. The goal of this work is to capture the flow maldistribution with particle-resolved Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations and Magnetic Resonance Imaging experiments. By utilising the packing configuration reconstructed from the experiments, we are able to study the average fluid flow profiles and flow distribution in the bed as well as the local velocity profiles. It can be concluded that there is an overall good correspondence between the experiments and simulations. The minor deviations in the experimental and computed velocity distributions can be attributed to experimental error and slight differences in the experimental and reconstructed packing.

Production of microcapsules by Maillard reaction of soy protein isolate and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose for protection of bifidobacterium lactis

Soy protein isolate (SPI) and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na) were combined in varying proportions and subjected to the Maillard reaction through spray drying and dry-heat methods. The effects of different mixing ratios and reaction times on the physicochemical properties of the reaction products were investigated, with a focus on their application as wall material for bifidobacterium lactis BB-12. The solubility of the system was significantly enhanced by the Maillard reaction, reaching its maximum at an SPI:CMC-Na ratio of 1:2. At this proportion, after a 6-hour dry-heat Maillard reaction, there was a significant increase in ultraviolet absorption and browning degree of the product, while the free amino acid content decreased significantly. Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that the conformation around tryptophan residues remained in its natural form, whereas circular dichroism spectroscopy showed a decrease in α-helix and Random coil structure content upon addition of CMC-Na, accompanied by an increase in β-sheet and β-turn content. This stretching effect on protein molecules facilitated functional property expression. Compared to unencapsulated probiotics BB-12 microcapsules prepared using secondary spray drying with a wall-core volume ratio of 6:1 exhibited higher encapsulation efficiency along with good storage stability, tolerance to gastrointestinal conditions, and heat stability. These findings have practical implications for preserving bioactive substances in the food industry.

Atomic arrangement and mechanical properties of high-entropy nonoxide ceramics simulated via location preference-based disordered random structure

The cell structures and mechanical properties (i.e., hardness, Young's modulus, shear modulus, and Poisson's ratio) of (Hf0.2Zr0.2Ti0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2)C (HEC) and (Hf0.2Zr0.2Ti0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2)N (HEN) high-entropy ceramics were simulated by special quasi-random structure (SQS) and general random structure (GRS) with atomic occupation preference based on the first-principles density functional theory. The results show that compared to SQS, the cell structure constructed by GRS is more realistic, which is verified via scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The mechanical properties simulated by GRS were also determined by microhardness and dynamic elastic modulus testers. The hardness, Young's modulus，shear modulus and Poisson's ratio predicted by GRS are 23.07 GPa, 449.71 GPa, 183.28 and 0.227 for HEC and 22.96 GPa, 413.71 GPa, 162.47 and 0.241 for HEN, which are in a reasonable agreement with the measured results (i.e., 22.05 ± 0.32 GPa, 433 ± 12 GPa, 172 ± 18 GPa, 0.21 for HEC and 22.12 ± 0.13 GPa, 372 ± 23 GPa, 158 ± 11 GPa, 0.23 for HEN). This work can provide a promising reference for preparing high-entropy non-oxide ceramics via the prediction.

New insight into enhanced carbon recovery from anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge with cation exchange resin coupled with NaCl pretreatment

Carbon recovery from waste activated sludge has been attracting considerable attention. However, the migration and transformation patterns of carbon sources between the phases have rarely been reported. In this study, a novel strategy using cation exchange resin (CER) coupled with sodium chloride (NaCl) to enhance carbon recovery through anaerobic fermentation (AF) was proposed. The results demonstrated that CER coupled with NaCl destroyed OH and CO stretching in amide I while promoting the formation of β-sheet and random coil structures, leading to sludge disintegration. This significantly improved the kinetics of endogenous carbon release, resulting in the release of 1146.33 mg/L of carbon from the solid sludge into the liquid phase. Approximately 75.61 % of the initial carbon source was bio-transformed into short-chain fatty acids. Correspondingly, carbon recovery was significantly increased up to 852.23 mg C/L, 4.57 times that of the control. Mechanism exploration revealed that carbon source recovery was significantly elevated by the synergistic effect of CER and NaCl. CER effectively removed high-valence cations from extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), weakening its bridging and adsorption-electro neutralization capabilities, promoting protein deflocculation, and triggering EPS disruption to release extracellular carbon sources. NaCl disrupted the ionic strength and distribution inside and outside microbial cells, creating an osmotic pressure difference that resulted in cell plasmolysis and lysis, ultimately inducing the release of intracellular carbon sources. Economic and carbon emission reduction benefit analyses verified that the CER coupled with NaCl pretreatment is a cost-effective sludge treatment strategy. This study illustrates the carbon source migration and transformation pathways in the CER coupled with NaCl-assisted AF process, providing guidance for sustainable sludge management.

Analysis of silicon surfaces etched in aqueous HF-(HBr)–Br2-mixtures

Solutions containing hydrofluoric acid (HF), hydrobromic acid (HBr) and bromine (Br2) were investigated as novel acidic, NOx-free mixtures for wet-chemical etching of silicon wafers. HF–Br2-mixtures exhibit isotropic etching behaviour towards silicon, etch rates up to 4.0 ​μm ​min−1 were observed at room temperature, which are higher than the etch rates of commercially used alkaline solutions. HF–HBr–Br2-mixtures show anisotropic etching behaviour, texturing the surface of monocrystalline silicon wafers with random upright or random inverted pyramidal structures. Etch rates up to 2.4 ​μm ​min−1 were observed, the etch rate increases linearly with the concentration of Br2 in the etching solution. Silicon surfaces were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). The light trapping efficiency of wafers etched by HF–HBr–Br2 solutions was compared to commercially available textured wafers by UV/Vis-reflectivity measurements indicating lower reflectivities for the HF–HBr–Br2-treated samples. A reaction scheme for the anisotropic dissolution of silicon in bromine-containing aqueous HF-solutions is proposed, which involves bromine as oxidizing agent.

Atomic-scale perspective on individual thiol-terminated molecules anchored to single S vacancies in MoS2

Sulfur vacancies in MoS2 on Au(111) have been shown to be negatively charged as reflected by a Kondo resonance. Here, we use scanning tunneling microscopy to show that these vacancies serve as anchoring sites for thiol-based molecules (CF3−3P−SH) with two distinct reaction products, one of them showing a Kondo resonance. Based on comparisons with density-functional theory (DFT) calculations, including a random structure search and computation of energies and electronic properties at a hybrid exchange-correlation functional level, we conclude that both anchored molecules are charge neutral. We propose that one of them is an anchored intact CF3−3P−SH molecule while the other one is the result of catalytically activated dehydrogenation to CF3−3P−S with subsequent anchoring. Our investigations highlight a perspective of functionalizing defects with thiol-terminated molecules that can be equipped with additional functional groups, such as charge donor or acceptor moieties, switching units, or magnetic centers. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Enhancing the foamability of poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) through formation of stereocomplex crystal by introducing of poly(D-lactic acid)

The bio-elastomer poly (L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL) with linear random molecular chain structure exhibits low viscosity and melt strength, resulting in poor foamability, cell merging, or collapse during the foaming process. Consequently, PLCL foams have large cell sizes and low cell densities, limiting their use as biodegradable elastomeric foams. To enhance the foamability of PLCL, poly (D-lactic acid) (PDLA) was incorporated into the PLCL matrix. Stereocomplex crystals (Sc-crystals) formed between the L-LA segments of PLCL and the molecular segments of PDLA. The effects of varying PDLA content on the basic properties and foaming behavior of the blends were investigated. Results indicate that optimal Sc-crystal formation occurs in the PLCL/PDLA-10 blend. The presence of Sc-crystals enhances melt strength and facilitates cell nucleation, reducing cell size from 351.2 to 11.8 μm and increasing cell density from 1.4 × 104 to 1.7 × 108 cells/cm³. Consequently, the mechanical properties of the foam are significantly improved. The Sc-crystal formation between PLCL and PDLA provides an effective method to enhance the processability of linear chain copolymers containing L-lactide.

Machine learned interatomic potentials for ternary carbides trained on the AFLOW database

Large-density functional theory (DFT) databases are a treasure trove of energies, forces, and stresses that can be used to train machine-learned interatomic potentials for atomistic modeling. Herein, we employ structural relaxations from the AFLOW database to train moment tensor potentials (MTPs) for four carbide systems: CHfTa, CHfZr, CMoW, and CTaTi. The resulting MTPs are used to relax ~6300 random symmetric structures, and are subsequently improved via active learning to generate robust potentials (RP) that can relax a wide variety of structures, and accurate potentials (AP) designed for the relaxation of low-energy systems. This protocol is shown to yield convex hulls that are indistinguishable from those predicted by AFLOW for the CHfTa, CHfZr, and CTaTi systems, and in the case of the CMoW system to predict thermodynamically stable structures that are not found within AFLOW, highlighting the potential of the employed protocol within crystal structure prediction. Relaxation of over three hundred (Mo1−xWx)C stoichiometry crystals first with the RP then with the AP yields formation enthalpies that are in excellent agreement with those obtained via DFT.

Cover Image, Volume 62, Issue 13

The cover image is based on the Research Article Synthesis and chiroptical properties of β‐1,2‐linked glycopolymers prepared by click polymerization by Misaki Suzuki et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20230746In the cover image, Yasuhito Koyama and coworkers show the design, synthesis, and folding behaviors of β‐1,2‐linked glycopolymers as a bioconjugate‐based foldamer. The glycopolymers are synthesized via the click polymerization of alkyne‐containing β‐glycosyl azides. The galactose‐based polymer adopts a helically folded structure in ClCH2CH2Cl or THF. It is indicated that the glucose‐based polymer can possibly form the helical folded structure in ClCH2CH2Cl at a low temperature region and adopt a random coil structure at 50 °C. In THF, the glucose‐based polymer does not fold the conformation at all in the observed temperature region. image

Characteristic and stability changes of peanut oil body emulsion during the process of demulsification using heptanoic acid

In this paper, the changes in oil body emulsion (OBE) during heptanoic acid demulsification (HD) were investigated from the macro and microscopic points of view. Specifically, the OBE particle size increased from 3.04 to 8.41 µm, while the zeta potential absolute decreased to 2.89 mV. The interfacial tension and apparent viscosity of OBE were reduced significantly. Heptanoic acid could contribute to oil droplets aggregation. The findings indicated that high-molecular proteins, including lipoxygenase (97.58 kDa) and arachin (70.28 kDa), detached from the OBs’ interface. HD caused alterations in the secondary structure of protein and the environment around proteins changed. The HD mechanism was speculated that the addition of heptanoic acid resulted in the reduction in pH and changes of environment surrounding OBE, which triggered polymerization and the phase transformation of the oil droplets. Overall, this study is vital for solving the problem of demulsification during aqueous enzymatic extraction (AEE).