An Edge-Supported Blockchain-Based Secure Authentication Method and a Cryptocurrency-Based Billing System for P2P Charging of Electric Vehicles

The popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) is constantly increasing, as they use relatively greener, sustainable energy. However, it is a fact that the charging stations for EVs are yet to meet the demand. It could be a great solution if a peer-to-peer (P2P) charging system could be initiated by anyone who wants to make their garage’s charge points publicly available for commercial purposes, named a home charging station (HCS). In this work, our idea is to bring interested charging stations under a network of nodes and a blockchain-based management system, where the blockchain is responsible for ensuring the authenticity of both the charging stations and charge receiver. A cryptocurrency-based payment system has also been proposed to ensure transactions’ security, integrity, transparency, and immutability. A reputation management system is applied to maintain the quality of service. Miners with high processing power are used to alleviate lagging during block creation, supported by edge servers. The proposed system has been implemented by using virtual machines. A theoretical analysis is presented to assess the compatibility and possible cost requirements to implement the system in a real-world scenario.     

Detecting the Critical States of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Based on Degree Matrix Network Entropy by Cross-Tissue Analysis

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disease caused by multiple etiologies, the development of which can be divided into three states: normal state, critical state/pre-disease state, and disease state. To avoid irreversible development, it is important to detect the early warning signals before the onset of T2DM. However, detecting critical states of complex diseases based on high-throughput and strongly noisy data remains a challenging task. In this study, we developed a new method, i.e., degree matrix network entropy (DMNE), to detect the critical states of T2DM based on a sample-specific network (SSN). By applying the method to the datasets of three different tissues for experiments involving T2DM in rats, the critical states were detected, and the dynamic network biomarkers (DNBs) were successfully identified. Specifically, for liver and muscle, the critical transitions occur at 4 and 16 weeks. For adipose, the critical transition is at 8 weeks. In addition, we found some “dark genes” that did not exhibit differential expression but displayed sensitivity in terms of their DMNE score, which is closely related to the progression of T2DM. The information uncovered in our study not only provides further evidence regarding the molecular mechanisms of T2DM but may also assist in the development of strategies to prevent this disease.     

New 11-Methoxymethylgermacranolides from the Whole Plant of Carpesium divaricatum

Eight new 11-methoxymethylgermacranolides (1–8) were isolated from the ethanol extract of the whole plant of Carpesium divaricatum. The planar structures and relative configurations of the new compounds were determined by detailed spectroscopic analysis. The absolute configuration of 1 was established by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectrum and X-ray crystallographic analysis, and the stereochemistry of the new compounds 2–8 were determined by similar ECD data with 1. The absolute configurations of 5 and 7 were further confirmed by using quantum chemical electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Compound 4 exhibited weak cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells. Compound 8 could potently decrease PGE2 productions in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells.     

Comparison on Protein Bioaccessibility of Soymilk Gels Induced by Glucono-δ-Lactone and Lactic Acid Bacteria

In this study, the protein bioaccessibility of soymilk gels produced by the addition of glu-cono-δ-lactone (GDL) and fermentation with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was examined using an in vitro gastrointestinal simulated digestion model. The in vitro protein digestibility, soluble protein content, free amino acids contents, degree of hydrolysis, electrophoretic patterns, and peptide content were measured. The results suggested that acid-induced soymilk gel generated by GDL (SG) showed considerably reduced in vitro protein digestibility of 75.33 ± 1.00% compared to the soymilk gel induced by LAB (SL) of 80.57 ± 1.53% (p < 0.05). During the gastric digestion stage, dramatically higher (p < 0.05) soluble protein contents were observed in the SG (4.79–5.05 mg/mL) than that of SL (4.31–4.35 mg/mL). However, during the later intestinal digestion phase, the results were the opposite. At the end of the gastrointestinal digestion phase, the content of small peptides was not significantly different (p > 0.05) between the SL (2.15 ± 0.03 mg/mL) and SG (2.17 ± 0.01 mg/mL), but SL showed higher content of free amino acids (20.637 g/L) than that of SG (19.851 g/L). In general, soymilk gel induced by LAB had a higher protein bioaccessibility than the soymilk gel coagulated by GDL.     

An Efficient Method of Birch Ethanol Lignin Sulfation with a Sulfaic Acid-Urea Mixture

For the first time, the process of birch ethanol lignin sulfation with a sulfamic acid-urea mixture in a 1,4-dioxane medium was optimized experimentally and numerically. The high yield of the sulfated ethanol lignin (more than 96%) and containing 7.1 and 7.9 wt % of sulfur was produced at process temperatures of 80 and 90 °C for 3 h. The sample with the highest sulfur content (8.1 wt %) was obtained at a temperature of 100 °C for 2 h. The structure and molecular weight distribution of the sulfated birch ethanol lignin was established by FTIR, 2D ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. The introduction of sulfate groups into the lignin structure was confirmed by FTIR by the appearance of absorption bands characteristic of the vibrations of sulfate group bonds. According to 2D NMR spectroscopy data, both the alcohol and phenolic hydroxyl groups of the ethanol lignin were subjected to sulfation. The sulfated birch ethanol lignin with a weight average molecular weight of 7.6 kDa and a polydispersity index of 1.81 was obtained under the optimum process conditions. Differences in the structure of the phenylpropane units of birch ethanol lignin (syringyl-type predominates) and abies ethanol lignin (guaiacyl-type predominates) was manifested in the fact that the sulfation of the former proceeds more completely at moderate temperatures than the latter. In contrast to sulfated abies ethanol lignin, the sulfated birch ethanol lignin had a bimodal and wider molecular weight distribution, as well as less thermal stability. The introduction of sulfate groups into ethanol lignin reduced its thermal stability.     

A Molecular Electron Density Theory Study of the [3+2] Cycloaddition Reaction of an Azomethine Ylide with an Electrophilic Ethylene Linked to Triazole and Ferrocene Units

The [3+2] cycloaddition (32CA) reaction of an azomethine ylide (AY) with an electrophilic ethylene linked to triazole and ferrocene units has been studied within the Molecular Electron Density Theory (MEDT) at the ωB97X-D/6-311G(d,p) level. The topology of the electron localization function (ELF) of this AY allows classifying it as a pseudo(mono)radical species characterized by the presence of two monosynaptic basins, integrating a total of 0.76 e, at the C1 carbon. While the ferrocene ethylene has a strong electrophilic character, the AY is a supernucleophile, suggesting that the corresponding 32CA reaction has a high polar character and a low activation energy. The most favorable ortho/endo reaction path presents an activation enthalpy of 8.7 kcal·mol⁻¹, with the 32CA reaction being exergonic by −42.1 kcal·mol⁻¹. This reaction presents a total endo stereoselectivity and a total ortho regioselectivity. Analysis of the global electron density transfer (GEDT) at the most favorable TS-on (0.23 e) accounts for the high polar character of this 32CA reaction, classified as forward electron density flux (FEDF). The formation of two intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the two interacting frameworks at the most favorable TS-on accounts for the unexpected ortho regioselectivity experimentally observed.     

New Insights into Dietary Pterostilbene: Sources,Metabolism, and Health Promotion Effects

Pterostilbene (PTS), a compound most abundantly found in blueberries, is a natural analog of resveratrol. Several plant species, such as peanuts and grapes, produce PTS. While resveratrol has been extensively studied for its antioxidant properties, recent evidence also points out the diverse therapeutic potential of PTS. Several studies have identified the robust pharmacodynamic features of PTS, including better intestinal absorption and elevated hepatic stability than resveratrol. Indeed, due to its higher bioavailability paired with reduced toxicity compared to other stilbenes, PTS has become an attractive drug candidate for the treatment of several disease conditions, including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and aging. This review article provides an extensive summary of the nutraceutical potential of PTS in various disease conditions while discussing the crucial mechanistic pathways implicated. In particular, we share insights from our studies about the Nrf2-mediated effect of PTS in diabetes and associated complications. Moreover, we elucidate the important sources of PTS and discuss in detail its pharmacokinetics and the range of formulations and routes of administration used across experimental studies and human clinical trials. Furthermore, this review also summarizes the strategies successfully used to improve dietary availability and the bio-accessibility of PTS.     

Facile Synthesis of NiCo2O4 Nanowire Arrays/Few-Layered Ti3C2-MXene Composite as Binder-Free Electrode for High-Performance Supercapacitors

Herein, a 3D hierarchical structure is constructed by growing NiCo₂O₄ nanowires on few-layer Ti₃C₂ nanosheets using Ni foam (NF) as substrate via simple vacuum filtration and solvothermal treatment. Ti₃C₂ nanosheets are directly anchored on NF surface without binders or surfactants, and NiCo₂O₄ nanowires composed of about 15 nm nanoparticles uniformly grow on Ti₃C₂/NF skeleton, which can provide abundant active sites and ion diffusion pathways for enhancing electrochemical performance. Benefiting from the unique structure feature and the synergistic effects of active materials, NiCo₂O₄/Ti₃C₂ exhibits a high specific capacitance of 2468 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.5 A g⁻¹ and a good rate performance. Based on this, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) based on NiCo₂O₄/Ti₃C₂ as positive electrode and activated carbon (AC)/NF as negative electrode is assembled. The ASC achieves a high specific capacitance of 253 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ along with 91.5% retention over 10,000 cycles at 15 A g⁻¹. Furthermore, the ACS presents an outstanding energy density of 90 Wh kg⁻¹ at the power density of 2880 W kg⁻¹. This work provides promising guidance for the fabrication of binder-free, free-standing and hierarchical composites for energy storage application.     

Syringic Acid Ameliorates Cardiac,Hepatic, Renal and Neuronal Damage Induced by Chronic Hyperglycaemia in Wistar Rats: A Behavioural,Biochemical and Histological Analysis

This study investigated the effects of syringic acid (SA) on renal, cardiac, hepatic, and neuronal diabetic complications in streptozotocin-induced neonatal (nSTZ) diabetic rats. STZ (110 mg/kg i.p) was injected into Wistar rat neonates as a split dose (second and third postnatal day). Diabetes mellitus was diagnosed in adults by measuring fasting blood glucose levels, urine volume, and food and water intake. The treatment of SA (25 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg p.o) was given from the 8th to 18th postnatal week. To assess the development of diabetic complications and the effect of therapy, biochemical indicators in serum and behavioural parameters were recorded at specific intervals during the study period. SA (25 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg p.o) treatment reduced hyperglycaemia, polydipsia, polyphagia, polyuria, relative organ weight, cardiac hypertrophic indices, inflammatory markers, cell injury markers, glycated haemoglobin, histopathological score, and oxidative stress, and increased Na/K ATPase activity. These findings suggest that SA might significantly alleviate diabetic complications and/or renal, neuronal, cardiac, and hepatic damage in nSTZ diabetic rats.     

Synthesis,Docking Studies and Pharmacological Evaluation of Serotoninergic Ligands Containing a 5-Norbornene-2-Carboxamide Nucleus

A new series of 5-norbornene-2-carboxamide derivatives was prepared and their affinities to the 5-HT_1A, 5-HT_2A, and 5-HT_2C receptors were evaluated and compared to a previously synthesized series of derivatives characterized by exo-N-hydroxy-5-norbornene-2,3-dicarboximidenucleus, in order to identify selective ligands for the above-mentioned subtype receptors. Arylpiperazines represents one of the most important classes of 5-HT_1AR ligands, and recent research concerning new derivatives has been focused on the modification of one or more portions of such pharmacophore. The combination of structural elements (heterocyclic nucleus, propyl chain and 4-substituted piperazine), known to be critical to the affinity to 5-HT_1A receptors, and the proper selection of substituents led to compounds with high specificity and affinity towards serotoninergic receptors. The most active compounds were selected for further in vivo assays to determine their functional activity. Finally, to rationalize the obtained results, molecular docking studies were performed. The results of the pharmacological studies showed that Norbo-4 and Norbo-18 were the most active and promising derivatives for the serotonin receptor considered in this study.