Effects of different low temperature conditions on anaerobic digestion efficiency of pig manure and composition of archaea community.

To explore the effect of low temperature on the anaerobic digestion of pig manure, the anaerobic digestion experiment was carried out under the conditions of inoculum concentration of 30% and TS of 8%. Five low-temperature gradients of 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 °C were set to study the activities of gas production, pH, solluted chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), volatile fatty acids (VFAs), coenzymes F420 and archaea community composition in the digestion process. The results were demonstrated: as the temperature decreased, the more unstable the gas production became, the less gas production produced, and the later the gas peak occurred. There were no significant peaks at either 4 °C or 8 °C, and the SCOD was unstable over time. From 12 °C, the SCOD increased over time, and the higher the temperature, the faster the growth trend. The pH was always greater than 7.6. 8, 12, 16, 20 °C had different degrees of VFAs accumulation at the late digestion stage. The higher the temperature, the greater the amount of volatile acid accumulation. When the VFAs of each reactor reached the maximum, the proportion of acetic acid also reached the highest. The digestion system of the five treatment groups was dominated by hydrogen-nutrient methanogenic pathway. The results could provide a further reference for the mechanism of anaerobic digestion of pig manure at low temperatures.

Revisiting SDG-7 under energy efficiency vision 2050: the role of new economic models and mass digitalization in OECD.

Policies on reducing energy demand should incorporate the newly formed economic models, digitalization, and consumer awareness trends. Therefore, this study analyzes the interaction of the three trends with SDG7 under energy efficiency vision 2050, measuring the energy efficiency of OECD from 2005 to 2017 to enable this inclusion. In this context, four new trends expected to shape future energy demand are identified through extensive consultation with experts from South Asian countries by developing future power demand for the year of 2050. Consequently, the results show a crucial impact of such trends on a future power demand that exceeds the economic potential of techno. Hence, the best-case scenario, "New Trends Efficient," reduces final energy demand by 78% compared to the South Asian "Baseline" scenario in 2050, whereas the "Worst Case" scenario increases final energy demand by 35%. Therefore, Austria and Korea have the highest energy efficiency score of 0.76 and 0.75, whereas Canada and Chile have the lowest energy efficiency score of 0.41 and 0.42. This paper discusses the ability of digitalization and energy consumer awareness trends in shaping the future energy demand based on SDG 7, emphasizing the importance of energy efficiency vision 2050 in policymaking for effective acquisition.

Roller compaction: Infrared thermography as a PAT for monitoring powder flow from feeding to compaction zone.

Roller compaction is a continuous dry granulation process, in which powder is compressed by two counter-rotating rollers. During this process, the powder feeding to the compaction zone has a significant effect on product quality. This work investigates the flow of powder from the feeding zone to the compaction zone using online infrared thermography as Process Analytical Technology (PAT) which is achieved via a specially built cheek plate (side-sealing). The powder undergoes increasing stress from the rollers when it is approaching the minimum gap of the compaction zone, which can be indirectly monitored by measuring the powder temperature. The online monitoring of the powder flow during the roller compaction helps locate the nip region and identify the effect of different roller forces on the temperature of the feeding powder. The results show that the nip region can be identified by analysing the temperature profiles from the feeding to the compaction zone. The increase of roller force results in an increasing slope of the powder temperature profile. In addition, offline X-ray CT measurement results show the increase of density along the feeding to the compaction direction, which is compared with Johanson theory under different roller forces in the roller compaction process.

Mitochondrial fusion promoter restores mitochondrial dynamics balance and ameliorates diabetic cardiomyopathy in an optic atrophy 1-dependent way.

AIM: Imbalanced mitochondrial dynamics including suppressed mitochondrial fusion has been observed in diabetic hearts. However, it is still unknown whether mitochondrial fusion promoter is an effective protection to diabetic hearts. This study was designed to explore the efficacy of mitochondrial fusion promoter on diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with streptozotocin (STZ, 65 mg/kg/d) intraperitoneally to induce diabetes. Seven weeks after vehicle or STZ injection, control or diabetic rats were treated with the vehicle or a mitochondrial fusion promoter-M1 (2 mg/kg/d) intraperitoneally for 6 weeks. Moreover, M1 was administrated to the primary cardiomyocytes cultured in normal glucose medium (NG, 5.5 mmol/L) or high glucose (HG, 33 mnol/L). RESULTS: Administration of M1 significantly promoted mitochondrial fusion and attenuated the reduction in optic atrophy 1 (Opa1) expression in diabetic hearts. Importantly, M1 treatment attenuated oxidative stress, improved mitochondrial function and alleviated DCM in diabetic rats. In HG-treated cardiomyocytes, M1 treatment consistently increased the expression of Opa1, promoted mitochondrial fusion, enhanced mitochondrial respiratory capacity and reduced mitochondria-derived superoxide production, all of which were blunted by Opa1 siRNA knockdown. In addition, selective upregulation of Opa1 alone can also promote mitochondrial fusion, improve mitochondrial function and inhibit mitochondria-derived superoxide production in HG-cultured cardiomyocytes. CONCLUSION: Our findings show for the first time that mitochondrial fusion promoter M1 effectively balances mitochondrial dynamics and protects against diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) via an Opa1-dependent way, suggesting that promoting mitochondrial fusion might be a potential therapeutic strategy for DCM.

Application of feeding guiders to improve the powder distribution in the two scales of roller compactors.

Roller compaction is a continuous dry granulation process, where the powder is compressed between two counter-rotating rollers and compacted into ribbons. The quality and homogeneity of the granulate is determined by the uniformity and porosity of the ribbon, which depends on the feeding process of the primary powder to the rollers, the flow properties of the primary powder and process parameters such as roller forces. Previous work was conducted to improve the powder flow and distribution in the feeding zone by developing new feeding guiders, which are located in the feeding zone close to the rollers on the lab-scale roller compactor Alexanderwerk WP120 Pharma (Yu et al., 2018). These new feeding guiders were used to reduce the amount of powder that is delivered to the centre of the rollers and increase the amount of powder that is delivered to the sides of the rollers, in comparison to the original feeding guiders. This modified concept using new feeding guiders has been applied to the large-scale roller compactor Alexanderwerk WP200 Pharma in the present work. In order to evaluate the homogeneity of the ribbon properties across the ribbon width, the temperature profile and porosity distribution across the ribbon width were measured. The new feeding guiders resulted in ribbons being produced with a more uniform temperature profile and porosity distribution across the ribbon width when using the small and large scale roller compactors at different process parameters.

Metal-Organic Framework-Derived Guerbet Catalyst Effectively Differentiates between Ethanol and Butanol.

RuNi nanoparticles supported on a metal-organic framework (RuNi@MOF) and formed in situ from a ruthenium complex enclosed inside a nickel-based MOF act as a highly active catalyst for the Guerbet reaction of ethanol to 1-butanol, providing turnover numbers up to 725 000 Ru-1. Negligible activity of the RuNi@MOF ethanol upgrading catalyst system toward chemically similar 1-butanol makes it possible to synthesize the competent Guerbet substrate 1-butanol with >99% selectivity.

Reduction of SIRT1 blunts the protective effects of ischemic post-conditioning in diabetic mice by impairing the Akt signaling pathway.

Ischemic post-conditioning (IPO) activates Akt signaling to confer cardioprotection. The responsiveness of diabetic hearts to IPO is impaired. We hypothesized that decreased cardiac SIRT1, a positive regulator of Akt, may be responsible for the impaired responsiveness of diabetic hearts to IPO-mediated cardioprotection. High-fat diet and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice were subjected to myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R, 30 min ischemia and 180 min reperfusion) or IPO (three cycles of 10 s of reperfusion and ischemia at the onset of reperfusion). Adenoviral vectors encoding GFP or SIRT1 (Ad-SIRT1) were administered by direct injection into the left ventricular. Our results showed that IPO activated the Akt signaling pathway and reduced MI/R injury in non-diabetic hearts but not in diabetic hearts, in which reduced expression of SIRT1 and increased Akt acetylation were observed. Delivery of Ad-SIRT1 into the diabetic hearts reduced Akt acetylation and restored the cardioprotective effects of IPO by modulating Akt signaling pathway. In contrast, cardiac-specific SIRT1 knockout increased Akt acetylation and blunted the cardioprotective effects of IPO. In in vitro study, transfection with wild-type SIRT1 but not inactive mutant SIRT1 reduced the expression of Akt acetylation and restored the protective effects of hypoxic post-conditioning in high glucose-incubated cardiomyocytes. Moreover, the cardiomyocytes transfected with constitutive Akt acetylation showed repressed Akt phosphorylation and blunted protective effects against hypoxia/reoxygenation injury. These findings demonstrate that the reduction of SIRT1 blunts the protective effects of IPO by impairing Akt signaling pathway and that SIRT1 up-regulation restores IPO-mediated cardioprotection in diabetic mice via deacetylation-dependent activation of Akt signaling pathway.

Improving feeding powder distribution to the compaction zone in the roller compaction.

In the roller compaction process, powder flow properties have a significant influence on the uniformity of the ribbon properties. The objective of this work was to improve the powder flow in the feeding zone by developing novel feeding guiders which are located in the feeding zone close to the rollers in the roller compactor (side sealing system). Three novel feeding guiders were designed by 3D printing and used in the roller compactor, aiming to control the amount of powder passing across the roller width. The new feeding guiders were used to guide more powder to the sides between the rollers and less powder to the centre comparing to the original feeding elements. Temperature profile and porosity across the ribbon width indicated the uniformity of the ribbon properties. Using the novel feeding guiders resulted in producing ribbons with uniform temperature profile and porosity distribution across the ribbon width. The design of the feeding guiders contributed to improving the tensile strength of the ribbons produced from the compaction stage as well as reducing the fines produced from the crushing stage.

Potassium-Ion Oxygen Battery Based on a High Capacity Antimony Anode.

Recent investigations into the application of potassium in the form of potassium-oxygen, potassium-sulfur, and potassium-ion batteries represent a new approach to moving beyond current lithium-ion technology. Herein, we report on a high capacity anode material for use in potassium-oxygen and potassium-ion batteries. An antimony-based electrode exhibits a reversible storage capacity of 650 mAh/g (98% of theoretical capacity, 660 mAh/g) corresponding to the formation of a cubic K3Sb alloy. The Sb electrode can cycle for over 50 cycles at a capacity of 250 mAh/g, which is one of the highest reported capacities for a potassium-ion anode material. X-ray diffraction and galvanostatic techniques were used to study the alloy structure and cycling performance, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to provide insight into the thermodynamics and kinetics of the K-Sb alloying reaction. Finally, we explore the application of this anode material in the form of a K3Sb-O2 cell which displays relatively high operating voltages, low overpotentials, increased safety, and interfacial stability, effectively demonstrating its applicability to the field of metal oxygen batteries.

Dimeric [Mo2 S12 ](2-) Cluster: A Molecular Analogue of MoS2 Edges for Superior Hydrogen-Evolution Electrocatalysis.

Proton reduction is one of the most fundamental and important reactions in nature. MoS2 edges have been identified as the active sites for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysis. Designing molecular mimics of MoS2 edge sites is an attractive strategy to understand the underlying catalytic mechanism of different edge sites and improve their activities. Herein we report a dimeric molecular analogue [Mo2 S12 ](2-) , as the smallest unit possessing both the terminal and bridging disulfide ligands. Our electrochemical tests show that [Mo2 S12 ](2-) is a superior heterogeneous HER catalyst under acidic conditions. Computations suggest that the bridging disulfide ligand of [Mo2 S12 ](2-) exhibits a hydrogen adsorption free energy near zero (-0.05 eV). This work helps shed light on the rational design of HER catalysts and biomimetics of hydrogen-evolving enzymes.

Aqueous Lithium-Iodine Solar Flow Battery for the Simultaneous Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy.

Integrating both photoelectric-conversion and energy-storage functions into one device allows for the more efficient solar energy usage. Here we demonstrate the concept of an aqueous lithium-iodine (Li-I) solar flow battery (SFB) by incorporation of a built-in dye-sensitized TiO2 photoelectrode in a Li-I redox flow battery via linkage of an I3(-)/I(-) based catholyte, for the simultaneous conversion and storage of solar energy. During the photoassisted charging process, I(-) ions are photoelectrochemically oxidized to I3(-), harvesting solar energy and storing it as chemical energy. The Li-I SFB can be charged at a voltage of 2.90 V under 1 sun AM 1.5 illumination, which is lower than its discharging voltage of 3.30 V. The charging voltage reduction translates to energy savings of close to 20% compared to conventional Li-I batteries. This concept also serves as a guiding design that can be extended to other metal-redox flow battery systems.

2H-CuScO2 Prepared by Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Methods and Post-Annealing Effects on Optical and Photoelectrochemical Properties.

The delafossite structured CuScO2 is a p-type, wide band gap oxide that has been shown to support significant oxygen intercalation, leading to darkened color and increased conductivity. Control of this oxidation proves difficult by the conventional high-temperature solid-state syntheses. In addition, a pure hexagonal (2H) or rhombohedral (3R) polytype of CuScO2 requires careful control of synthetic parameters or intentional doping. Lower-temperature hydrothermal syntheses have thus far led to only a mixed 2H/3R product. Herein, control of hydrothermal conditions with the consideration of copper and scandium hydrolysis led to the synthesis of light beige, hierarchically structured particles of 2H-CuScO2. Absorption of the particles in the visible range was found to increase upon annealing of the sample in air, most likely due to the Cu(II) formation from oxygen interstitials. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed purely Cu(I) in the as-synthesized 2H-CuScO2 and increased Cu(II) amounts upon annealing. Oxidation of the samples also led to shifts of the Fermi level toward the valence band as observed by increases in the measured flat band potentials versus normal hydrogen electrode, confirming increased hole carrier densities.

Dye-controlled interfacial electron transfer for high-current indium tin oxide photocathodes.

Efficient sensitized photocathodes are highly desired for solar fuels and tandem solar cells, yet the development is hindered by the scarcity of suitable p-type semiconductors. The generation of high cathodic photocurrents by sensitizing a degenerate n-type semiconductor (tin-doped indium oxide; ITO) is reported. The sensitized mesoporous ITO electrodes deliver cathodic photocurrents of up to 5.96±0.19 mA cm(-2), which are close to the highest record in conventional p-type sensitized photocathodes. This is realized by the rational selection of dyes with appropriate energy alignments with ITO. The energy level alignment between the highest occupied molecular orbital of the sensitizer and the conduction band of ITO is crucial for efficient hole injection. Transient absorption spectroscopy studies demonstrate that the cathodic photocurrent results from reduction of the photoexcited sensitizer by free electrons in ITO. Our results reveal a new perspective toward the selection of electrode materials for sensitized photocathodes.

Investigating dendrites and side reactions in sodium-oxygen batteries for improved cycle lives.

The development of sodium-oxygen batteries with high round-trip efficiencies is hindered by the short cycle lives. Sodium dendrite formation and oxygen crossover are identified as two major issues. By employing an ion selective membrane, the cycle life of sodium-oxygen batteries has been greatly improved.

Understanding side reactions in K-O2 batteries for improved cycle life.

Superoxide based metal-air (or metal-oxygen) batteries, including potassium and sodium-oxygen batteries, have emerged as promising alternative chemistries in the metal-air battery family because of much improved round-trip efficiencies (>90%). In order to improve the cycle life of these batteries, it is crucial to understand and control the side reactions between the electrodes and the electrolyte. For potassium-oxygen batteries using ether-based electrolytes, the side reactions on the potassium anode have been identified as the main cause of battery failure. The composition of the side products formed on the anode, including some reaction intermediates, have been identified and quantified. Combined experimental studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations show the side reactions are likely driven by the interaction of potassium with ether molecules and the crossover of oxygen from the cathode. To inhibit these side reactions, the incorporation of a polymeric potassium ion selective membrane (Nafion-K(+)) as a battery separator is demonstrated that significantly improves the battery cycle life. The K-O2 battery with the Nafion-K(+) separator can be discharged and charged for more than 40 cycles without increases in charging overpotential.

Integrating a redox-coupled dye-sensitized photoelectrode into a lithium-oxygen battery for photoassisted charging.

With a high theoretical specific energy, the non-aqueous rechargeable lithium-oxygen battery is a promising next-generation energy storage technique. However, the large charging overpotential remains a challenge due to the difficulty in electrochemically oxidizing the insulating lithium peroxide. Recently, a redox shuttle has been introduced into the electrolyte to chemically oxidize lithium peroxide. Here, we report the use of a triiodide/iodide redox shuttle to couple a built-in dye-sensitized titanium dioxide photoelectrode with the oxygen electrode for the photoassisted charging of a lithium-oxygen battery. On charging under illumination, triiodide ions are generated on the photoelectrode, and subsequently oxidize lithium peroxide. Due to the contribution of the photovoltage, the charging overpotential is greatly reduced. The use of a redox shuttle to couple a photoelectrode and an oxygen electrode offers a unique strategy to address the overpotential issue of non-aqueous lithium-oxygen batteries and also a distinct approach for integrating solar cells and batteries.

TRPV4 channel inhibits TGF-ß1-induced proliferation of hepatic stellate cells.

TRPV4, one of the TRP channels, is implicated in diverse physiological and pathological processes including cell proliferation. However, the role of TRPV4 in liver fibrosis is largely unknown. Here, we characterized the role of TRPV4 in regulating HSC-T6 cell proliferation. TRPV4 mRNA and protein were measured by RT-PCR and Western blot in patients and rat model of liver fibrosis in vivo and TGF-ß1-activated HSC-T6 cells in vitro. Both mRNA and protein of TRPV4 were dramatically increased in liver fibrotic tissues of both patients and CCl4-treated rats. Stimulation of HSC-T6 cells with TGF-ß1 resulted in increase of TRPV4 mRNA and protein. However, TGF-ß1-induced HSC-T6 cell proliferation was inhibited by Ruthenium Red (Ru) or synthetic siRNA targeting TRPV4, and this was accompanied by downregulation of myofibroblast markers including α-SMA and Col1α1. Moreover, our study revealed that miR-203 was downregulated in liver fibrotic tissues and TGF-ß1-treated HSC-T6 cell. Bioinformatics analyses predict that TRPV4 is the potential target of miR-203. In addition, overexpression of miR-203 in TGF-ß1-induced HSC significantly reduced TRPV4 expression, indicating TRPV4, which was regulated by miR-203, may function as a novel regulator to modulate TGF-ß1-induced HSC-T6 proliferation.

Understanding the crystallization mechanism of delafossite CuGaO2 for controlled hydrothermal synthesis of nanoparticles and nanoplates.

The delafossite CuGaO2 is an important p-type transparent conducting oxide for both fundamental science and industrial applications. An emerging application is for p-type dye-sensitized solar cells. Obtaining delafossite CuGaO2 nanoparticles is challenging but desirable for efficient dye loading. In this work, the phase formation and crystal growth mechanism of delafossite CuGaO2 under low-temperature (<250 °C) hydrothermal conditions are systematically studied. The stabilization of Cu(I) cations in aqueous solution and the controlling of the hydrolysis of Ga(III) species are two crucial factors that determine the phase formation. The oriented attachment (OA) growth is proposed as the crystal growth mechanism to explain the formation of large CuGaO2 nanoplates. Importantly, by suppressing this OA process, delafossite CuGaO2 nanoparticles that are 20 nm in size were successfully synthesized for the first time. Moreover, considering the structural and chemical similarities between the Cu-based delafossite series compounds, the understanding of the hydrothermal chemistry and crystallization mechanism of CuGaO2 should also benefit syntheses of other similar delafossites such as CuAlO2 and CuScO2.

Cu(I)-based delafossite compounds as photocathodes in p-type dye-sensitized solar cells.

The research of p-type dye-sensitized solar cells (p-DSSCs) has attracted growing attention because of the potential for integration with conventional n-type DSSCs (n-DSSCs) into the more efficient tandem-DSSCs. However, to date the performance of p-DSSCs is lagging behind that of n-DSSCs. One main reason is the lack of optimal photocathode materials. This article reviews the most recent progress in utilizing Cu(I)-based delafossite compounds, CuMO2 (M = Al, Ga or Cr), as photocathodes in p-DSSCs. As alternative materials to the commonly used NiO, the CuMO2 compounds have their intrinsic advantages such as lower valence band edge, larger optical bandgap and higher conductivity. By providing an insight into these materials and their applications in p-DSSCs, this perspective aims to stimulate more exciting research in the development of p-DSSCs as well as of tandem-DSSCs.

Inhibition of TRPM7 channels prevents proliferation and differentiation of human lung fibroblasts.

OBJECTIVE: Transient receptor potential melastatin 7 (TRPM7) is involved in both normal physiological processes and pathology of various diseases. The purpose of this study was to explore the function and underlying mechanisms of TRPM7 channels in human lung fibroblast (MRC5) proliferation and differentiation induced by transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We determined the expression of TRPM7 in MRC5 cells in response to TGF-ß1 treatment in vitro. Chemical inhibitors (Gd(3+) and 2-APB) and specific siRNA for TRPM7 were used to study the role of TRPM7 in MRC5 cell proliferation and differentiation. The phosphorylation of Akt was determined by Western blotting. RESULTS: The expression of TRPM7 was significantly potentiated in response to TGF-ß1. Co-incubation of MRC5 cells with Gd(3+), 2-APB or TRPM7-siRNA decreased cell proliferation and differentiation. Furthermore, we found that suppression of TRPM7 channels also reduced the p-Akt in MRC5 cells induced by TGF-ß1. We conclude that suppression of TRPM7 channels may decrease fibroblast proliferation and differentiation stimulated by TGF-ß1 in vitro and this is associated with Akt phosphorylation.