Composition, coagulation characteristics, and cheese making capacity of yak milk.

Yak is one of the few species of which the rennet-coagulated cheese making characteristics of its milk are still not well understood. This study investigated composition and rennet-induced coagulation properties of milk from 17 individual yak cows in comparison with milk from 32 individual Holstein cows. Yak cows produced milk with generally higher concentrations of milk components. The concentrations of fat, protein, solids-not-fat (SNF), and calcium in yak milk were 1.89-, 1.68-, 1.46-, and 2-fold those in Holstein milk, respectively. The hydrodynamic radii of casein micelles (187.25 nm) and chymosin-induced paracasein (1,620 nm) were about twice the sizes of those found in Holstein milk. Higher concentrations of calcium in yak milk, together with larger sizes of casein micelles, explains the reason for its fast rate of curd formation and firmer curd texture. Optical microrheology analysis also showed that Ca2+ concentration had greater influence on the coagulation of yak milk than on Holstein milk. Cheese making trials with yak and Holstein milk proved the higher cheese yield of yak milk: 1.67-fold that of Holstein milk. Therefore, yak milk could be a suitable source of milk for enzyme-coagulated cheese making.

Ratiometric fluorescence and absorbance dual-model immunoassay based on 2,3-diaminophenazine and carbon dots for detecting Aflatoxin B1.

In this work, a dual-model immunoassay for detecting Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was developed based on 2,3-diaminophenazine (DAP) and carbon dots (CDs). Under the catalysis of horseradish peroxidase (HRP), the o-phthalylenediamine (OPD) was oxidized to DAP which had a yellow color and intense fluorescence. The color changes form colorless to yellow was used to design absorbance model immunoassay. Meanwhile, the absorption spectrum of DAP overlapped with the emission spectrum of CDs which caused the fluorescence of CDs to be quenched. The fluorescence changes of DAP and CDs were used to develop ratiometric fluorescence immunoassay. The dual-model immunoassay showed excellent sensitivity with the limits of detection (LODs) of 0.013 ng/mL for fluorescence mode and 0.062 ng/mL for absorbance mode. Meanwhile, both models exhibited great selectivity for AFB1. Additionally, the recovery rates suggested the proposed dual-model immunoassay had great potential in actual samples detection.

Directing silicon-graphene self-assembly as a core/shell anode for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

There is great interest in utilization of silicon-containing nanostructures as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries but usually limited by manufacturing cost, their intrinsic low electric conductivity, and large volume changes during cycling. Here we present a facile process to fabricate graphene-wrapped silicon nanowires (GNS@Si NWs) directed by electrostatic self-assembly. The highly conductive and mechanical flexible graphene could partially accommodate the large volume change associated with the conversion reaction and also contributed to the enhanced electronic conductivity. The as-prepared GNS@Si NWs delivered a reversible capacity of 1648 mAh·g(-1) with an initial Coulombic efficiency as high as 80%. Moreover, capacity remained 1335 mAh·g(-1) after 80 cycles at a current of 200 mA·g(-1), showing significantly improved electrochemical performance in terms of rate capability and cycling performance.

Superconductivity in potassium-doped few-layer graphene.

Here we report the successful synthesis of superconducting potassium-doped few-layer graphene (K-doped FLG) with a transition temperature of 4.5 K, which is 1 order of magnitude higher than that observed in the bulk potassium graphite intercalation compound (GIC) KC(8) (T(c) = 0.39 K). The realization of superconductivity in K-doped FLG shows the potential for the development of new superconducting electronic devices using two-dimensional (2D) graphene as a basis material.

Screening of folate-producing lactic acid bacteria and modulatory effects of folate-biofortified yogurt on gut dysbacteriosis of folate-deficient rats.

Folate deficiency is accompanied by gut dysbacteriosis. To understand dietary intervention in folate deficiency, a folate-deficient rat model was used to evaluate the modulatory effects of folate-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and biofortified yogurt on gut dysbacteriosis. The high folate-producing strain was screened from 12 LABs, and its variant, namely Lactobacillus plantarum GSLP-7 V, with folate productivity in yogurt at 3.72 µg mL-1, was obtained by stressing with 5.0 mg L-1 methotrexate and 100.00 mg L-1 Ca2+. To our knowledge, this is the highest folate productivity in yogurt by LAB strains ever reported. To further examine the folate supplement effect in vivo, a folate-deficient rat model was established and fed a folate-free diet for 8 weeks. Also, the effects of L. plantrum GSLP-7 V, yogurt fermented with L. plantrum GSLP-7 V, plain yogurt, and chemical folic acid on folate deficiency and gut dysbacteriosis were examined. Analysis of the change in gut microbiota showed that the gut dysbacteriosis was significantly correlated with folate deficiency. Administration of L. plantrum GSLP-7 V and its fermented yogurt for 10 days restored the disrupted gut microbiota and recovered the serum folate and homocysteine to normal levels, while chemical folic acid worsened the gut dysbacteriosis. Chemical folic acid only enriched Akkermansia, while L. plantrum GSLP-7 V and its fermented yogurt modulated the gut microbiota comprehensively through 7 and 10 key genera, respectively. This study confirmed the effectiveness of dietary intervention with folate-biofortified yogurt through modulating gut microbiota, suggesting the potential of the folate-producing LAB as an agent for the treatment of folate-deficiency related diseases.

One-step hydrothermal synthesis of N/Ti3+ co-doping multiphasic TiO2/BiOBr heterojunctions towards enhanced sonocatalytic performance.

N/Ti3+ co-doping multiphasic TiO2/BiOBr heterojunctions (NT-TBx) were prepared by one-step in situ hydrothermal processes. The crystal phase, morphology, component, and optical properties of the heterojunctions were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy techniques, respectively. The as-prepared samples exhibit better sonocatalytic activity for the degradation methylene blue, Rhodamine B, and p-Nitrophenol aqueous solution compared with pristine TiO2 and N/Ti3+ co-doping multiphasic TiO2. Especially, the highest degradation ratio of methylene blue was achieved for NT-TB0.3 up to 98.2% after 50 min under ultrasonic irradiation. The high sonocatalytic activity has been kept after four cycles with the tiny decline, indicating the excellent stability of the as-prepared samples. The improvement of sonocatalytic activity could be attributed to the formation of doping level and multiphasic TiO2/BiOBr heterojunctions, which account for the absorption of long wavelength light and the electron-hole pair separation, respectively. Furthermore, superoxide radical (O2-) was demonstrated to be the main reactive species for the degradation of methylene blue under ultrasonic irradiation. This study provides a facile fabrication procedure for N/Ti3+ co-doping multiphasic TiO2/BiOBr heterojunctions and demonstrates an efficient route to promote the application of TiO2 in addressing environment-related issues.