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Core-shell structured hydrogels consisting of a flexible interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) core and a rigid semi-IPN shell were prepared through chemical crosslinking of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA) with Ca(2+) and glutaraldehyde. Short cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) extracted from energycane bagasse were incorporated in the hydrogel. The shell was micro-porous and the core was macro-porous. The hydrogels could be used in multiple adsorption-desorption cycles for dyes, and the maximum methyl blue adsorption capacity had a 10% increase after incorporating CNFs. The homogeneous distribution of CNFs in PVA-SA matrix generated additional hydrogen bonds among the polymer molecular chains, resulting in enhanced density, viscoelasticity, and mechanical strength for the hydrogel. Specifically, the compressive strength of the hydrogel reached 79.5kPa, 3.2 times higher than that of the neat hydrogel.

Vegetable soybean (edamame) [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is a low input, high nutritional value, short crop cycle and soil-enriching profitable crop. It offers quick economic return and provides health benefits to the consumers. The market demand for edamame has begun to flourish and expand dramatically in recent decades due to increased awareness of nutritional properties, and the change in life styles towards healthier food. This article highlighted the importance of edamame as a nutraceutical and functional food-grade produce, summarised the research advances in seed composition and their roles, cultivar selection and crop establishment, planting date and fertilisation, weed management and harvesting. Current production problem of extensive labour at harvest and future research challenges in improving crop establishment, developing cultivars competitive to weed and resistant to pest insects/diseases, assessing biological activities of edamame elemental and phytochemical properties on cancer cell inhibition, and developing organic production system were also proposed with aims of enhancing farm profitability and expanding opportunities for extensive use of edamame.

Abstract:Hibiscus sabdariffa has gained attention for its antioxidant activity. There are many accessions of H. sabdariffa in the world. However, information on the quantification of antioxidant compounds in different accessions is rather limited. In this paper, a liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS) method for simultaneous determination of five antioxidant compounds (neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, rutin, and isoquercitrin) in H. sabdariffa leaves was developed. The method was validated for linearity, sensitivity, precision, repeatability and accuracy. The validated method has been successfully applied for determination of the five analytes in eight accessions of H. sabdariffa. The eight accessions of H. sabdariffa were evaluated for their antioxidant activities by DPPH free radical scavenging assay. The investigated accessions of H. sabdariffa were rich in rutin and exhibited strong antioxidant activity. The

PDDA–CNCs supported Au nanohybrids, which were prepared by in-situ deposition of Au NPs, via the self-assembly between negative Au precursor and positively charged PDDA–CNCs, exhibited excellent electrochemical glucose sensing ability.