Yangling Li¹, Zhengrong Li¹, Hui Yu¹, Gang Huang¹, Xiaopeng Pei², Kun Xu^2,*, Pixin Wang², Ying Tan^3,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol., , DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.014909

Abstract In this work, the –catechol and –thiol modified starch was prepared by the esterification and amino condensation reaction, then a fully starch based hydrogel was prepared via the thiol-catechol Michael addition reaction. The starch hydrogel gained shape memory behaviors by coordinate with Fe³⁺ ions at alkaline condition. ¹ H-NMR had been used to character the structure of the starch derivatives and its character peaks. The hydrogel’s modulus had also been measured before and after coordinating with Fe³⁺ ions in linear area and the result showed that both the hydrogel’s storage modulus and loss modulus kept constant in linear area from… More >

Jingjing Liao^1,2, Jinxing Li², Hongyan Wang³, Yan Zhu², Hisham Essawy⁴, Guanben Du^1,2,*, Xiaojian Zhou^2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol., , DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.016152

Abstract The current work explores the potential use of commercial Chinese bayberry tannin (BT) to develop antioxidant PVA-based films using solvent casting process for packaging applications. The effect of BT concentration on opacity, water resistance and antioxidant capacity of resulting films was investigated. Properties like tensile strength, thermal behavior, and morphological aspects were also characterized. The experimental results showed that PVA/BT films formed with uniformly brown color and generally good transparency, offering good antioxidant ability. The PVA film containing BT presented slightly higher water resistance according to the results of moisture content and water vapor permeability, especially at low BT content… More >

Tao Li^1,2,*, Sheliang Wang², Fan Xu^2,*, Binbin Li³, Bin Dang¹, Meng Zhan⁴, Zhiqi Wang⁵

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol., , DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.012744

Abstract To improve the resource utilization of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) and make use of the unique pozzolanic activation characteristics of iron ore tailing (IOT), the constitutive curves of tailing recycled concrete (TRC) before and after carbonization were analyzed theoretically, experimentally and microscopically. Firstly, according to the experimental data, the damage constitutive and related damage parameters of TRC were theoretically established by Weibull probability distribution function. Secondly, the comprehensive damage parameter b under different working conditions was studied. Finally, the damage mechanism was formed by EDS and SEM. The results showed that the damage constitutive model based on Weibull probability distribution… More >

Zhiyu Weng¹, Lina Wang^1,2,*, Qiang Liu², Xuemin Pan¹, Yonghao Xu³, Jing Li¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol., , DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.015003

Abstract To explore an environmentally friendly improvement measure for red clay, the function and mechanism of xanthan gum biopolymer and polypropylene fibers on the strength properties of red clay were investigated by unconfined compressive strength and scanning electron microscopy tests. The test results demonstrated that the contents and curing ages of xanthan gum had significant influences on the unconfined compressive strength of red clay. Compared with untreated soil, 1.5% xanthan gum content was the optimal ratio in which the strength increment was between 41.52 kPa and 64.73 kPa. On the other hand, the strength of xanthan gum-treated red clay increased, whereas… More >

Fang Shi^1,*, Daobing Wang², Xiaogang Chen¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol., , DOI:10.32604/cmes.2021.015384

Abstract Field data suggests that carbonate reservoirs contain abundant natural fractures and cavities. The propagation mechanisms of hydraulic fractures in fracture-cavity reservoirs are different from conventional reservoirs on account of the stress concentration surrounding cavities. In this paper, we develop a fully coupled numerical model using the extended finite element method (XFEM) to investigate the behaviors and propagation mechanisms of hydraulic fractures in fracture-cavity reservoirs. Simulation results show that a higher lateral stress coefficient can enhance the influence of the natural cavity, causing a more curved fracture path. However, lower confining stress or smaller in-situ stress difference can reduce this influence,… More >

Na Kuang, Huabin Zheng, Qiyuan Tang^*, Yuanwei Chen, Xiaomin Wang, Youyi Luo

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol., , DOI:10.32604/phyton.2021.014637

Abstract Rice ratooning, or the production of a second rice crop from stubble after the harvest of the main crop, is considered to be a green and resource-efficient rice production system. The present study was conducted to examine variance in amylose content (AC), grain morphology, crystal structure, and thermal properties of starch between main- and ratoon-season rice of seven varieties. Ratoon-season rice grains had higher ACs and significantly lower transition gelatinization temperatures (To, Tp, and Tc) than did main-season rice grains. The relative crystallinity and lamellar peak intensity of ratoon-season rice starch were 7.89% and 20.38% lower, respectively, than those of… More >

YIBIN RUAN¹, ZHONGMING XIE², QIONG LIU², LIXIAO ZHANG², XIKUI HAN², XIAOYAN LIAO², JIAN LIU^1,*, FENGGUANG GAO^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol., , DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.015261

Abstract Nicotine and menthol, agonists of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and transient receptor potential melastatin type 8 (TRPM8), serve important roles in the prevention of cell death-involved neurodegenerative diseases. However, the potential synergistic effects of nicotine and menthol on anti-apoptotic ability are still uncertain. In the present study, the potential synergistic effects of nicotine and menthol on cisplatin or amyloid β_1-42 induced cell model of the neurodegenerative diseases were explored by assessing cell viability, TNF-α expression, caspase-3 activation, and the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Statistical significance was tested using Student’s t-test or one-way ANOVA with… More >

CHUNKUN FAN, YONGPENG ZHANG, CHUNBAO YANG, YAWEI TANG, JI QU, BU JIE, DEJI QUZHEN, LIYUN GAO^*

BIOCELL, Vol., , DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.014336

Abstract Salinity is a serious challenge for agriculture production by limiting the arable land. Rice is a major staple food crop but very sensitive to salt stress. In this study, we used Arabidopsis for the functional characterization of a rice F-box gene LOC_Os04g48270 (OsPP12-A13) under salinity stress. OsPP12-A13 is a nuclear-localized protein that is strongly upregulated under salinity stress in rice and showed the highest expression in the stem, followed by roots and leaves. Two types of transgenic lines for OsPP12-A13 were generated, including constitutive tissue over-expression using the CaMV35S promoter and phloem specific over-expression using the pSUC2 promoter. Both types… More >

JIYU WANG^#, YING PAN^#, YANG WAN, ZHIXIANG WANYAN, ZHITAO WANG, QIANSHAN TAO, ZHIMIN ZHAI^*

BIOCELL, Vol., , DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.014280

Abstract The present study aimed to clarify the role of SENEX in malignant cell proliferation in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). 22 DLBCL patients (6 newly diagnosed cases, 7 cases at complete remission, and 9 relapsed cases) were included in the study. Our results indicated that both SENEX gene and protein were significantly increased in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and tumor cells of relapsed DLBCL patients, accompanied by overexpression of p21, p16, and phosphorylated retinoblastoma (Rb). Silencing the SENEX gene in a DLBCL cell line caused a significant decrease in cell proliferation and inhibited cell cycle progression in the G1… More >

Wenting Ren^1,3, Fei Guo², Minghui Liu^1,3, Haocheng Xu^1,3, Hankun Wang^1,3, Yan Yu^1,2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol., , DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.015973

Abstract Understanding the assembly and spatial arrangement of bamboo cell wall components is crucial for its optimal utilization. Bamboo cell walls consist of aggregates of cellulose microfibrils and matrix. In the present study, the size and arrangement of cellulose microfibril aggregates in the cell walls of sclerenchyma fibers and parenchyma cells in moso bamboo were investigated with NMR and FE-SEM. The NMR measurement showed that the characteristic sizes of the microfibril aggregates of fibers and parenchyma cells were approximately 25.8 nm and 18.8 nm, respectively. Furthermore, high-resolution SEM showed the size of microfibril aggregates varied little across the cell wall of… More >