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•AAPH was used as oxidation inducer to construct the oxidative protein model.•Negative effects of oxidized protein were mainly caused by aggregation.•Ultrasound changed the ...intermolecular force to improve functional properties.•Excessive ultrasonic resulted in hydrophobic collapse and reaggregation.
Protein oxidation leads to covalent modification of structure and deterioration of functional properties of quinoa protein. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ultrasonic treatment on the functional and physicochemical properties of quinoa protein oxidation aggregates. In this concern, 2,2′-azobis (2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) was selected as oxidative modification of quinoa protein. The microstructure of quinoa protein displayed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) indicated that oxidation induced extensive aggregation, leading to carbonylation and degradation of sulfhydryl groups. Aggregation induced by oxidation had a negative effect on the solubility, turbidity, emulsifying stability. However, according to the analysis of physicochemical properties, ultrasonic significantly improved the water solubility of quinoa protein. The quinoa protein treated by ultrasonic for 30 min exhibited the best dispersion stability in water, which corresponded to the highest ζ-potential, smallest particle size and most uniform distribution. Based on the FT-IR, SDS-PAGE and surface hydrophobicity analysis, the increase of α-helix, β-turn and surface hydrophobicity caused by cavitation effect appeared to be the main mechanism of quinoa protein solubilization. In addition, the hydrophobic region of the protein was re-buried by excessive ultrasonic treatment, and the protein molecules were reaggregated by disulfide bonds. Microstructural observations further confirmed that ultrasonic treatment effectively inhibited protein aggregation and improved the functional properties of quinoa protein.
Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) are capable of mass-producing green hydrogen with renewable and wave-trough electricity, but confront the challenge of the lack of advanced ...electrocatalysts to accelerate sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we report the synthesis of ultrafine IrRu alloy nanoparticles (1.6 ± 0.3 nm) by coprecipitation of IrCl3, RuCl3, and HCOONa in water to allow Ir3+ and Ru3+ to be well dispersed and enclosed in the matrix of crystalline HCOONa, followed by heat treatment of HCOONa to reduce Ir3+ and Ru3+. Remarkably, the overpotential of IrRu toward acidic OER at 10 mA cm–2 is merely 230 and 194 mV at 51 and 204 μgIrRu cm–2, respectively. The high electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of 577.1 m2 g–1 and high specific activity (SA) of 22.7 μA cm–2 at 1.45 V vs RHE would contribute to the exceptional OER activity. In addition, the electron transfer from Ir to Ru in IrRu should significantly boost the OER activity according to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). IrRu also shows an excellent stability during 10 h of a chronopotentiometry (CP) test at 10 mA cm–2. Eventually, the high OER activity of IrRu was verified in a PEMWE.
Aqueous zinc-iodine batteries are considered to be one of the most promising devices for future electrical energy storage due to their low cost, high safety, high theoretical specific capacity, and ...multivalent properties. However, the shuttle effect currently faced by zinc-iodine batteries causes the loss of cathode active material and corrosion of the zinc anodes, limiting the large-scale application of zinc-iodine batteries. In this paper, the electrochemical processes of iodine conversion and the zinc anode, as well as the induced mechanism of the shuttle effect, are introduced from the basic configuration of the aqueous zinc-iodine battery. Then, the inhibition strategy of the shuttle effect is summarized from four aspects: the design of cathode materials, electrolyte regulation, the modification of the separator, and anode protection. Finally, the current status of aqueous zinc-iodine batteries is analyzed and recommendations and perspectives are presented. This review is expected to deepen the understanding of aqueous zinc-iodide batteries and is expected to guide the design of high-performance aqueous zinc-iodide batteries.
The relationships between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure and health effects are complex and incompletely understood. Evidence suggests that PM2.5 exposure alters gut microbiota composition ...and metabolites, but the connections between these changes remain unclear. The aim of our study was to investigate how gut microbiota are involved in the systemic metabolic changes following PM2.5 gastrointestinal exposure. We used multi-omics approaches, including 16S rRNA sequencing and serum metabolomics, to identify alterations in gut microbes and metabolites of PM2.5-exposed rats. We then explored correlations between perturbed gut microbiota and metabolic changes, and conducted pathway analyses to determine critical metabolic pathways impacted by PM2.5 exposure. To verify links between gut microbiome and metabolome disruptions, we performed fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiment. A total of 30 differential gut microbe taxa were identified between PM2.5 and control groups, primarily in Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, and Proteobacteria phyla. We also identified 30 differential metabolites, including glycerophospholipids, fatty acyls, amino acids and others. Pathway analysis revealed disruptions in glycerophospholipid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and linoleic acid metabolism. Through FMT, we confirmed PM2.5 altered phosphatidylcholine and linoleic acid metabolism by changing specific gut bacteria. Our results suggest that PM2.5 gastrointestinal exposure triggers systemic metabolic changes by disrupting the gut microbiome, especially glycerophospholipid and linoleic acid metabolism pathways.
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•Multi-omics data was used to investigate the toxicity of PM2.5 in rats.•PM2.5 gastrointestinal exposure can disrupt metabolism and gut microbiota.•GPL/linoleic acid metabolism were linked to gut microbiota in PM2.5 exposed rats.•FMT validated that PM2.5 affects host metabolism through gut microbiota.
A comprehensive search in literature and published US Food and Drug Administration reviews was conducted to assess whether physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling could be prospectively ...used to predict clinical food effect on oral drug absorption. Among the 48 resulted food effect predictions, ∼50% were predicted within 1.25‐fold of observed, and 75% within 2‐fold. Dissolution rate and precipitation time were commonly optimized parameters when PBPK modeling was not able to capture the food effect. The current work presents a knowledgebase for documenting PBPK experience to predict food effect.
Abstract
Bi4O5Br2 with irregular flake shape was synthesized by a facile and energy-saving hydrolysis method. Its band gap energy (Eg) was 2.1 eV. The formation mechanism was proposed. The Bi4O5Br2 ...exhibited superb visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity (>90%) toward the oxidation of carbamazepine. The kinetics rate constant (k) attained 0.0196 min−1. The effect of Bi4O5Br2 dosage, initial solution pH value, and inorganic anions on carbamazepine degradation was investigated. During the oxidation process, photogenerated holes (h+) and superoxide radical anions (•O2−) were the main active species. Based on the reaction intermediates results determined through a combined system of liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, a possible reaction mechanism was speculated. The degree of contamination of carbamazepine solution after treatment was evaluated through the teratogenic effect experiment. After 120 min of visible light exposure, the carbamazepine solution is free of pollution. Also, the as-synthesized Bi4O5Br2 maintains good chemical stability and could be reused in the photodegradation process, indicating its potential in practical applications.
Wood with vertically aligned tracheids has many potential applications in energy storage. Carbonized wood inherits the previous tracheid structure and has good electrical conductivity, which provides ...favorable conditions for its application in self-supporting electrodes of supercapacitors. However, problems such as low specific surface area, low space utilization, and hydrophobicity limit the development of wood-derived carbon (WC) as an electrode material. Here, to improve the specific surface area and tracheid space utilization of WC, a porous carbon skeleton (PCS) was simply and efficiently constructed in its interior by using glucose and sodium chloride templates, and then potassium hydroxide etching treatment was used to further improve the specific surface area and hydrophilicity of the PCS, resulting in an etched porous carbon skeleton (E-PCS). The prepared E-PCS@WC electrode had an excellent area/volumetric specific capacitance of 7.29 F cm−2/145.8 F cm−3, and the supercapacitor exhibited a high volumetric capacitance and volumetric energy density of 34.99 F cm−3 and 4.86 mWh cm−3 at a power density of 2.5 mW cm−2. The supercapacitor constructed from this electrode exhibited good cycling stability with a retention rate of 98.5% over 20,000 cycles at a current density of 50 mA cm−3. This research will provide new ideas and a scientific basis for the design, construction and application of new green energy storage devices.
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•A porous carbon skeleton was constructed inside the wood tracheid.•The hydrophilicity of the electrode was effectively improved by KOH etching.•The E-PCS@WC electrode has excellent specific capacitance of 145.8 F cm−3•The E-PCS@WC//E-PCS@WC SC delivered a remarkable energy density of 4.86 mWh cm−3•This strategy can be used as a platform for high-performance electrode.
A pumped storage unit is a crucial guarantee in the pursuit of increased clean energy, especially in the progressively severe circumstances of low energy utilization and poor coordination of the ...integration of volatile renewable energy. However, due to their bidirectional operation design, pumped turbines possess an S-characteristic attribution, wherein the unsteady phenomena of unit vibration, pressure pulsation, and cavitation erosion happen during the start-up process and greatly impact the stable connection to the power grid. Therefore, a systematic study concentrating on an optimal unified paradigm of a start-up strategy for a pumped storage plant is conducted. Model construction, effective analysis, controller design, and collaborative optimization are sequentially expounded. Firstly, a refined start-up nonlinear model of a pumped storage plant with complex boundary conditions is constructed, wherein the delay time of frequency measurement, saturation, and dead zone features are comprehensively taken account. Furthermore, a variable universe fuzzy PID controller and its operation laws are proposed and specifically designed for the speed governing system of the pumped storage plant; the control quality and anti-disturbance performance are verified by a no-load frequency disturbance experiment. On this basis, taking speed overshoot for stationarity and speed rising time for rapidity, a novel open–close loop collaborative fuzzy control strategy is proposed with rotational speed feedback and a variable universe fuzzy PID control. The experiment results show that the proposed unified paradigm has better control performance in various performance indexes, and more balanced control quality and dynamic performance under various complex start-up conditions, which has great application value for ensuring the unit’s timely response to the power grid regulation task and improving the operating stability of the power system.
This study estimates the association between temperature and self-reported mental health. We match individual-level mental health data for over three million Americans between 1993 and 2010 to ...historical daily weather information. We exploit the random fluctuations in temperature over time within counties to identify its effect on a 30-day measure of self-reported mental health. Compared to the temperature range of 60-70°F, cooler days in the past month reduce the probability of reporting days of bad mental health while hotter days increase this probability. We also find a salience effect: cooler days have an immediate effect, whereas hotter days tend to matter most after about 10 days. Using our estimates, we calculate the willingness to pay to avoid an additional hot day in terms of its impact on self-reported mental health.
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