Optimum Fermentation Conditions for Bovine Lactoferricin-Lactoferrampin-Encoding LimosiLactobacillus reuteri and Regulation of Intestinal Inflammation.

The multifunctional antibacterial peptide lactoferricin-lactoferrampin (LFCA) is derived from bovine lactoferrin. Optimization of the fermentation process should be studied since different microorganisms have their own favorable conditions and processes for growth and the production of metabolites. In this study, the culture conditions of a recombinant strain, pPG-LFCA-E/LR-CO21 (LR-LFCA), expressing LFCA was optimized, utilizing the high-density fermentation process to augment the biomass of LimosiLactobacillus reuteri and the expression of LFCA. Furthermore, an assessment of the protective effect of LR-LFCA on intestinal inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was conducted to evaluate the impact of LR-LFCA on the disease resistance of piglets. The findings of this study indicate that LR-LFCA fermentation conditions optimally include 2% inoculation volume, 36.5 °C fermentation temperature, 9% dissolved oxygen concentration, 200 revolutions/minute stirring speed, pH 6, 10 mL/h glucose flow, and 50% glucose concentration. The inclusion of fermented LR-LFCA in the diet resulted in an elevation of immunoglobulin levels, significant upregulation of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and occludin, reinforcement of the intestinal barrier function, and significant amelioration of the aberrant alterations in blood physiological parameters induced by LPS. These results offer a theoretical framework for the implementation of this micro-ecological preparation in the field of piglet production to enhance intestinal well-being.

Photomultiplication photodetectors with P3HT:fullerene-free material as the active layers exhibiting a broad response.

A series of polymer photodetectors (PPDs) are fabricated based on P3HT as an electron donor and fullerene-free material DC-IDT2T as an electron acceptor. The only difference among these PPDs is the P3HT:DC-IDT2T doping weight ratios from 2 : 1 to 150 : 1. The PPDs with P3HT:DC-IDT2T (100 : 1, w/w) as the active layers exhibit champion external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 28 000% and 4000% corresponding to 390 nm and 750 nm light illumination at -20 V bias, respectively. The photomultiplication (PM) phenomenon should be attributed to the enhanced hole tunneling injection due to the interfacial band bending, which is induced by the trapped electrons in DC-IDT2T near the Al cathode. The high EQE value in the long wavelength range is due to the effect of DC-IDT2T photon harvesting and exciton dissociation on the interfacial trap-assisted hole tunneling injection. Meanwhile, the PPDs with DC-IDT2T as the electron acceptor exhibit superior stability compared with the PPDs with PC71BM as the electron acceptor.

An electron acceptor challenging fullerenes for efficient polymer solar cells.

A novel non-fullerene electron acceptor (ITIC) that overcomes some of the shortcomings of fullerene acceptors, for example, weak absorption in the visible spectral region and limited energy-level variability, is designed and synthesized. Fullerene-free polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on the ITIC acceptor are demonstrated to exhibit power conversion efficiencies of up to 6.8%, a record for fullerene-free PSCs.

Roll-Coated Fabrication of Fullerene-Free Organic Solar Cells with Improved Stability.

Large area, fullerene-free organic solar cells with improved stability and efficiency of up to 1% are fabricated by the roll-coating process on indium tin oxide free and flexible substrates, under ambient conditions.

Fluorescence detection of DNA hybridization based on the aggregation-induced emission of a perylene-functionalized polymer.

A perylene-functionalized polycation was synthesized by quaternization of poly(4-vinylpyridine) with bromomethyl-perylene and methyl iodide, which exhibited a unique aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect. The synthesized polycation and polyanion ssDNA could form a complex probe to detect DNA hybridization. Upon adding noncomplementary ssDNA, the fluorescence of the complex probe increased due to the AIE effect; upon adding complementary ssDNA, the fluorescence intensity changed little due to the combined effects of AIE and duplex-quenching resulting from the intercalation of perylene into the duplex.

Acceptor-donor-acceptor small molecules based on indacenodithiophene for efficient organic solar cells.

Four A-D-A type small molecules using 4,4,9,9-tetrakis(4-hexylphenyl)- indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b']dithiophene as central building block, bithiophene or terthiophene as π-bridges, alkyl cyanoacetate or rhodanine as end acceptor groups were synthesized and investigated as electron donors in solution-processed organic solar cells (OSCs). These molecules showed excellent thermal stability with decomposition temperatures over 360 °C, relatively low HOMO levels of -5.18 to -5.22 eV, and strong optical absorption from 350 to 670 nm with high molar extinction coefficient of 1.1 × 10(5) to 1.6 × 10(5) M(-1) cm(-1) in chloroform solution. OSCs based on blends of these molecules and PC71BM achieved average power conversion efficiencies of 2.32 to 5.09% (the best 5.32%) after thermal annealing. The effects of thiophene bridge length and end acceptor groups on absorption, energy level, charge transport, morphology, and photovoltaic properties of the molecules were investigated.

A star-shaped oligothiophene end-capped with alkyl cyanoacetate groups for solution-processed organic solar cells.

A star-shaped oligothiophene based on triphenylamine as a core and 2-ethylhexyl cyanoacetate as end groups (S(TPA-3T-CA)) was synthesized. S(TPA-3T-CA) exhibited strong absorption and high hole mobility. Solution-processed solar cells based on S(TPA-3T-CA):PC(71)BM showed a power conversion efficiency of 3.60% and a fill factor of 0.56.