Managing Pb-Related Imperfections via Rationally Designed Aniline Derivative with Bilateral Cyano and Acetyl Groups as Lewis Base for High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells Exceeding 24.

Pb-related imperfections (surface or halide vacancy induced uncoordinated Pb2+, Pb-I antisite, and Pb2+ vacancy defects) of the ionic crystal perovskite film seriously restrict the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here, an aniline derivative N-(4-cyanophenyl)acetamide (CAL) is rationally designed, incorporating bilateral functional sites of cyano and acetyl groups, acting as Lewis base molecule for managing the Pb-related imperfections in perovskite surface through post-treatment. Theoretical calculation and experimental verification together proved the reduced defect density, improved crystallinity, and inhibited ion migration in the CAL-modified perovskite. Precisely, cyano as a side group and acetyl as another side group can both coordinate with Pb2+ for its low electrostatic potential energy. Further, the aniline core and the π-π conjugate structure in the benzene ring of the ligand tend to form a dimer to improve the mobility for carrier transportation and collection. The strategy demonstrates a champion PCE of 24.35% for the air-processed PSCs with over 1200 hours of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) stability. This study presents a comprehensive approach to overcoming the current Pb-related imperfections induced limitations in PSCs, paving the way for their integration into mainstream solar technologies.

The role of the extension region on the structural and physicochemical characteristics of the α-subunit of ß-conglycinin: implications of pH value and ionic strength.

BACKGROUND: To clarify the role of the extension region on the structure-functional relationship of the α-subunit of ß-conglycinin, α-subunit and its segment of the core region (αc-subunit) were expressed via an Escherichia coli system. Their physicochemical properties were compared under acid, neutral or alkaline conditions (pH 4.0, 7.0, and 8.0) and high or low ionic strength (µ = 0.05 and 0.5), respectively. RESULTS: The results showed that the extension region contributed to increasing thermal stability, especially at low ionic strength under acidic and neutral conditions. The extension region stabilized the α-subunit with high solubility, low turbidity, and small particle size under neutral and alkaline conditions, whereas these impacts were suppressed at a high ionic strength and acidic conditions. Surface hydrophobicity of the α-subunit decreased under acidic and alkaline conditions without being interfered with by ionic strength. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that the extension region played different roles under different pH and ionic strength conditions. These factors should be specified carefully and speculated individually to explore the more detailed and profound nature of ß-conglycinin at the submolecular level. The results could benefit a better understanding of the relationship between domain structure and functions of soybean protein. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Molecular Cloning, Characterization, and Expression Regulation of Acyl-CoA Synthetase 6 Gene and Promoter in Common Carp Cyprinus carpio.

Omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA), particularly docosahexaenoic acids (22:6n-3, DHA), have positive effects on multiple biologic and pathologic processes. Fish are the major dietary source of n-3 LC-PUFA for humans. Growing evidence supports acyl-coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) synthetase 6 (acsl6) being involved in cellular DHA uptake and lipogenesis in mammals, while its molecular function and regulatory mechanism remain unknown in fish. The present study focused on investigating the molecular characterization and transcription regulation of the acsl6 gene in the freshwater teleost common carp (Cyprinus carpio). First, the full length of acsl6 cDNA contained a coding region of 2148 bp for 715 amino acids, which possessed all characteristic features of the acyl-CoA synthetase (ACSL) family. Its mRNA expression was the highest in the brain, followed by in the heart, liver, kidney, muscle, and eyes, but little expression was detected in the ovary and gills. Additionally, a candidate acsl6 promoter region of 2058 bp was cloned, and the sequence from -758 bp to -198 bp was determined as core a promoter by equal progressive deletion and electrophoretic mobility shift assay. The binding sites for important transcription factors (TFs), including stimulatory protein 1 (SP1), CCAAT enhancer-binding protein (C/EBPα), sterol-regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP1c), peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα), and PPARγ were identified in the core promoter by site-directed mutation and functional assays. Furthermore, the intraperitoneal injection of PPARγ agonists (balaglitazone) increased the expression of acsl6 mRNA, coupling with an increased proportion of DHA in the muscle, while opposite results were obtained in the injection of the SREBP1c antagonist (betulin). However, the expression of acsl6 and DHA content in muscle were largely unchanged by PPARα agonist (fenofibrate) treatment. These results indicated that acsl6 may play an important role for the muscular DHA uptake and deposition in common carp, and PPARγ and SREBP-1c are the potential TFs involved in the transcriptional regulation of acsl6 gene. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the characterization of acsl6 gene and its promoter in teleosts.

Physicochemical properties and protein structure of extruded corn gluten meal: Implication of temperature.

Corn gluten meal is a by-product of corn starch production. To extend its application in the food industry, the extrusion of corn gluten meal was conducted, and the effects of temperature (80, 100, 120, and 140 °C) on physicochemical properties and protein structure of the extrudates were investigated. Corn gluten meal was texturized when the extrusion temperature reached 120 °C, and puffed when it reached 140 °C. With an increment of temperature from 120 to 140 °C, the bulk density, particle size, and zeta-potential of extrudates decreased (from 662.0 to 642.5 mg/cm3, 301.0 to 191.3 nm, and 4.82 to 1.52 mV). SDS-PAGE showed that disulfide bonds and other covalent bonds participated in protein cross-linking during extrusion. Thus, a model of temperature factor on protein reaction for texturization was proposed: With increase of extrusion temperature, the protein peptides got more unfolding; more covalent reactions occurred under higher temperature, which could be important for texturization.

Thoracoscopic esophagectomy for thoracic esophageal cancer with right aortic arch and Kommerell diverticulum: a case report and literature review.

Background: Esophageal carcinoma accompanied by a right aortic arch (RAA) is very rare. When combined with Kommerell diverticulum (KD), a right aortic arch forms a vascular ring encircling both the esophagus and trachea. Due to abnormal anatomy of the upper mediastinum, it is very difficult to dissociate the esophagus and its surrounding tissues, especially the left recurrent laryngeal nerve. Herein, we report a case of successful thoracoscopic esophagectomy in an esophageal cancer patient concurrent with a RAA and KD. Case presentation: A 62-year-old male patient was diagnosed with esophageal squamous carcinoma in the middle esophagus at clinical stage I (cT1N0M0) according to UICC-TNM classification 8th edition. Further examinations revealed RAA and KD. Based on the three-dimensional CT (3D-CT) reconstruction, a Mckeown esophagectomy via a left thoracoscopic approach in semi-prone position was performed. During the operation, the left recurrent laryngeal nerve was accurately exposed and well protected. Postoperatively, severe complications, including anastomotic leakage and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, were not observed. The patient was discharged 12 days after the surgery. Conclusion: Preoperative 3D-CT reconstruction is useful to clarify the vascular malformation in esophageal cancer patients with RAA, and helpful to formulate a reasonable surgical approach.

Dietary DHA Enhanced the Textural Firmness of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) Fed Plant-Derived Diets through Restraining FoxO1 Pathways.

Omega-3 fatty acids have a positive effect on the muscle textural firmness of fish, while the intrinsic mechanism is poorly understood. To investigate the potential mechanism of textural modification caused by dietary docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA) in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.), three plant-derived diets with varying DHA levels (0%, 0.5%, 1%, D1-D3) were prepared to feed juveniles (initial weight 15.27 ± 0.77 g) for 8 weeks, and the muscular texture, fibers density, and transcriptome were analyzed. The results showed that the growth performance, muscular DHA content, fibers density, and texture of the fish fed diets D2 and D3 were significantly ameliorated compared with the fish fed diet D1. The muscular transcriptome profiles indicated that the up-regulated genes of fish fed dietary DHA mainly in response to muscle proliferation, as well as the FoxO pathway, were significantly enriched in the D2 and D3 groups. Consistent with this, the Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR ) assays indicated that the expression of myogenic regulatory factors (myog, myod, mrf4, mrf5) was up-regulated in the high-DHA groups. Additionally, the expression of foxo1 (inhibitor of myofiber development) mRNA was down-regulated, while its negative regulatory pathway (MAPK and PI3K) was activated in the D2 and D3 groups. The results suggested that the DHA supplementation is beneficial to modifying the muscular textural firmness of common carp fed plant-derived diets, which could be attributed to the inhibition of FoxO1 pathways.

Effects of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) on fillet quality of Yellow River carp (Cyprinus carpio) via the oxidative stress response.

In order to further explain the fillet texture improvement of Yellow River carp (Cyprinus carpio) fed with faba bean (Vicia faba L.), a three-month rearing trial was conducted to investigate fatty acid composition, antioxidant capacity, myofiber development, collagen deposition and transcriptome in white muscle of two farmed carp groups (One was fed only faba bean, the other was fed commercial diet). As a strong oxidant, faba bean changed fatty acids composition in white muscle, especially DHA and EPA, up-regulated the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and down-regulated major antioxidant enzyme activities in the hepatopancreas and white muscle. Through the analysis of transcriptome and subsequent verification analysis, we speculated that the increase of ROS led to the decrease of myofiber diameter and collagen metabolism. This study provides a theoretical basis for further understanding the regulation of faba bean on fillet texture characteristic of Yellow River carp.