The low survival rate in harsh stomach conditions and short retention in intestine of probiotics greatly limit their health benefits. To solve this problem, thiolated oxidized konjac glucomannan (sOKGM) microspheres is designed with pH responsive and mucoadhesive properties. First, an increased survival rate of probiotics by sOKGM microspheres encapsulation in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) is discovered in contrast to the zero‐survival rate of naked probiotics. sOKGM/probiotics even show a higher survival rate in SGF compared with commercial Bb12 formulation. Further, an enhanced mucoadhesion of probiotics to intestinal mucus by mediated interactions with sOKGM is confirmed by isotherm titration calorimetry, rheology, and tensile measurements. The in vivo intestinal transition experiment indicates a prolonged retention of probiotics at intestine by sOKGM encapsulation. Moreover, in vivo evaluation of enhanced colonization and proliferation by sOKGM/probiotics is demonstrated by the fecal and intestinal bacteria copy number via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) detection. Further investigation of the alleviation of constipation by sOKGM containing Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis A6 suggests that sOKGM increases the abundance of Bifidobacterium, balanced intestinal flora, and alleviated constipation in mice compared with other formulations. sOKGM with both enhanced gastric acid resistance and adhesion colonization at intestine can effectively improve the function of probiotics.

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The codelivery system for multiple antioxidants such as anthocyanins (Ant) and curcumin (Cur) of synergistic action may effectively enhance their stability and cellular absorption. We have reported that amphiphilic peptides obtained from enzymatic partial hydrolysis of α-lactalbumin (α-lac) can self-assemble into 20 nm monodispersed nanomicelles in aqueous solution. Cur and Ant could be coloaded into the micelles sequentially via hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, which was proved by fluorescence quenching experiments for the Cur–micelle and Ant–micelle interactions. Circular dichroism spectra proved that the Cur and Ant binding did not affect their structure confirmation. Both Cur- and Ant-loaded micelles showed improved stability and also exhibited an intestinal pH responsive release property in simulated gastrointestinal fluid. In addition, the nanomicelles exhibited an advanced cellular uptake and transmembrane permeability based on Caco-2 cell monolayer models. Finally, the coloaded micelles possessed a synergistic efficiency such that cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) for Cur and Ant was markedly improved.

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Permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC) is a sub-pool of labile soil organic carbon (SOC) and is defined as the carbon (C) that can be oxidized by potassium permanganate (KMnO 4 ). Determination of the content of POXC has been used as a way to measure labile C and may be related to soil microbial biomass and particulate organic C. Fourier transform mid-infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS) has been used for characterizing the chemical composition of soil organic matter. The objective of the current study was to identify the chemical information in the FTIR-PAS spectra that is unique to POXC and therefore associated with labile C. FTIR-PAS was used for characterizing SOC using a set of soil samples collected in four different countries (Laos, Malaysia, Peru and Thailand, n = 575). Partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to correlate the collected FTIR-PAS spectra with both POXC and total SOC. The FTIR-PAS spectra combined with the PLS method was useful for predicting both SOC and POXC. However, SOC and POXC were also highly correlated (R 2 = 0.84), and because POXC can be seen as a fraction of total SOC, a method for extracting the FTIR-PAS fingerprint of the POXC model that is independent of SOC was applied for the first time. The results showed that the POXC prediction was mainly based on its strong correlation with SOC and there was little information unique to POXC. However, the results do indicate four dominant peaks at 1,574, 1,495, 1,138 and 1,041 cm −1 to be specific for POXC. These peaks can be ascribed to amide II, aromatics, polysaccharides and carbohydrates, respectively. Highlights • Permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC) was predicted using FTIRphotoacoustic spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS).• The POXC prediction using FTIR-PAS is mainly based on its high correlation with SOC.• A method extracting the unique spectral features of POXC independently of SOC was applied.

An algorithm based on the radiance transfer model (RM) and a dynamic learning neural network (NN) for estimating water vapor content from moderate resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS) 1B data is developed in this paper. The MODTRAN4 is used to simulate the sun-surface-sensor process with different conditions. The dynamic learning neural network is used to estimate water vapor content. Analysis of the simulation data indicates that the mean and standard deviation of estimation error are under 0.06 gcm(-2 )and 0.08 gcm(-2). The comparison analysis indicates that the estimation result by RM-NN is comparable to that of a MODIS water vapor content product (MYD05_L2). Finally, validation with ground measurement data shows that RM-NN can be used to accurately estimate the water vapor content from MODIS 1B data, and the mean and standard deviation of the estimation error are about 0.12 gcm(-2 )and 0.18 gcm(-2).

A new method for characterizing the aerobic layer thickness in pig manure based on Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (FTIRM) is presented to improve the anaerobic/aerobic co-process mechanism, to ensure adequate oxygen supply and, thus, minimize methane emissions during aerobic composting. Freeze-dried manure particles were microtomed into 10 μm thick sections; the spectral range, spectral resolution, and pixel dimensions in the transmission spectra were 4000-650 cm(-1), 16 cm(-1), and 6.25 × 6.25 μm, respectively. A mean spectrum of 16 scans was used for the second-derivative analysis with nine smoothing points. This is the first attempt at determining the oxidation profile of composting particles according to the radial variations in second-derivative spectra at 2856 and 1568 cm(-1), which are attributed to the reactants and products of the oxidation, respectively. In addition, an intermediate area is detected between the aerobic layer and anaerobic core. The experimental values of the aerobic layer thickness are consistent with the estimates, and an exponential increase is observed, which is influenced by multiple dynamic factors. However, the contribution of each factor to dynamic variations in the aerobic layer thickness should be investigated using available methods.