A novel utilized method of tar derived from biomass gasification for fabricating binder-free all-solid-state hybrid supercapacitors

As an industrial pollutant, tar derived from biomass gasification is used as the precursor for fabricating a novel carbon-metal hydroxides composite electrode. A slurry (the mixture of tar, KOH and melamine) is daubed uniformly onto the nickel foam, which is directly carbonized to form NPC@LDH electrode material. This electrode is further coated with NiCo-LDH nanosheets using an electrodeposition method to form NF@NPC@LDH. The newly made NF@NPC@LDH electrode exhibits a high specific capacity of 9.6 F cm⁻² at a current density of 2 mA cm⁻² and good rate performance (55.3% retention). Furthermore, a hybrid NF@NPC@LDH//NF@PC all-solid-state supercapacitor is fabricated, and the device exhibits high energy density of 1.28 mWh cm⁻³ at a power density of 8.04 mW cm⁻³, low resistance and good cycling stability.     

Efficient FPGA implementation and verification of difference expansion based reversible watermarking with improved time and resource utilization

This paper presents Xilinx System Generator (XSG) model design for realization of reversible watermarking algorithm using Difference Expansion (DE) approach in System-On-Chip (SoC) Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) environment. The reversible watermarking is verified by taking a (4 × 4) sized test image and is applicable for larger sizes of cover images. The outcomes of the result demonstrate that the proposed structural design allows combining MATLAB-Simulink and XSG during graphical user interface for image processing applications. The superiority of the algorithm is justified by using comparative analysis with some well-known methods in both software and hardware environments. The method provides effectively higher PSNR at higher embedding capacity. It is also found that the method requires less time and hardware resources with throughput of 13.516 Mb/s at operational frequency of 80 MHz for real time implementation using FPGA.     

Crystal structure of a new organic dihydrogenomonophosphate (C6H8N3O)2(H2PO4)2

Chemical preparation, X-ray single-crystal, thermal behavior, and IR spectroscopy investigations are given for a new organic cation dihydrogenomonophosphate (C₆H₈N₃O)₂(H₂PO₄)₂ (denoted IAHP) in the solid state. This compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P2₁2₁2₁. The unit cell dimensions are: a = 7.422(3) Å, b = 12.568(5) Å, c = 20.059(8) Å with V = 1871.1(13) Å³ and Z = 4. The structure has been solved using direct method and refined to a reliability R factor of 0.029. The atomic arrangement can be described as inorganic layers of H₂PO₄⁻ anions between which are located the organic groups (C₆H₈N₃O)⁺ through multiple hydrogen bonds.     

Inorganic-organic hybrid supramolecular material based on the highest connection of a Keggin arsenotungstate with electro-/photo-catalytic properties

An extraordinary supramolecular hybrid material based on the Keggin arsenotungstate, (Hbimb)₃[AsW₁₂O₄₀]·H₂O (1) (bimb = 1,4-bis(imidazol-l-yl)butane) has been synthesized under hydrothermal condition and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared (IR), thermogravimetry (TG), X-Ray Diffractomer (XRD), and single-crystal XRD. In compound 1 the {AsW₁₂O₄₀} cluster is linked to 14 organic ligands through their surface oxygen atoms, which are further embraced by 20 polyanions analogs to form a tightly packed 3D supramolecular network with a (4⁵·6)(4⁵²·6³⁸·8)(4⁹·6)₂ topology via strong hydrogen bonds and supramolecular interactions. Compound 1 represents the highest connectivity of Keggin supramolecular arsenotungstate, which exhibits electrocatalytic behaviors for reduction of H₂O₂ and high efficiency degradation capability for two typical dyes methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB) under UV light.     

Techno-economic evaluation of strategies based on two steps organosolv pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse for ethanol production

Several strategies based on a two steps organosolv pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) were evaluated with the objective of selecting operational conditions suitable to promote an efficient and low cost production of ethanol. Initially, the influence of six variables used for the organosolv pretreatment was studied. The variables included the time of the first organosolv pretreatment step, the use of 45% ethanol as pulping solution, solid-to-liquid ratio of the ethanol solution used during the first pretreatment step, time of second organosolv pretreatment, concentration of ethanol and concentration of NaOH solution used in the second pretreatment step. Further assays of enzymatic hydrolysis were carried out to promote additional reduction in the costs of the process and improve the results of cellulose conversion to glucose. Eliminating the milling step of the pretreated SCB, using a commercial tensoactive (composed of esters and several surfactants), and recycling 50% of the slurry obtained during the second step of organosolv pretreatment as reaction medium proved to be feasible for use during the enzymatic hydrolysis. Fermentation of the glucose medium produced under the selected pretreatment conditions to ethanol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae occurred with 81% efficiency and a cost of 102.88 $/hL of ethanol.     

Dynamic changes in the volatiles and sensory properties of chilled milk during exposure to light

Exposure of milk to light causes photo-oxidation and off-flavour generation. To characterise these reactions, semi-skimmed (1.5% fat) and whole (3.8% fat) extended shelf-life cows' milk were exposed to light for 20–48 h at 4 °C and volatiles in the milk headspace were measured on-line using proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). The flavour of the whole-milk was assessed by aroma profile analysis on both orthonasal/retronasal odour and taste after 0, 0.25, 1, 6 and 24 h light-exposure. Sensory changes perceived in milk exposed to light for up to 6 h varied in intensity and between replicates, most notably a transient sensory defect being detectable after 0.25 h exposure, but these changes did not correspond to any volatile organic compound (VOC) generation detected by PTR-MS. After 24 h, several compounds showed enhanced release profiles. Principal components analysis related these VOCs to changes in the sensory properties of the milk, described as oxidised/rancid/hay-like.     

Isolation,purification, and characterization of the globulin from wheat germ

This research optimized the extraction and purification of globulin from wheat germ and assessed the molecular weight distribution and structure properties of the globulin obtained. The results showed that the relative extraction efficiency and purity of wheat germ globulin (WGG) reached 18.0% and 89.1% under the enzymolysis conditions of 0.32‰ α-amylase, pH 6.5, and 55 °C. The maximal precipitation rate of WGG (91.3%) was obtained with pH 4.3 (acid precipitation). Additionally, the molecular weight of WGG was mainly distributed below 70 kDa. FT-IR confirmed that random coils (30.95%), β-sheet (27.02%), α-helix (26.55%), and β-turn (15.48%) were the secondary structures of WGG. Furthermore, LTQ mass spectrometry showed that WGG was rich in variety and high in complexity, which retrieved 1274 proteins belonging to 392 proteomes by inverse peptide analysis. The findings endow a great potential of preparing WGG with superior functionality for food applications.     

Effect of polymers and media type on extending the dissolution of amorphous pioglitazone and inhibiting the recrystallization from a supersaturated state

Amorphous forms of crystalline drug are widely utilized for bioavailability enhancement of low solubility drugs in the pharmaceutical industry. Polymers have been found to be effective crystallization inhibitors for amorphous forms in solid states during storage or in liquid states during dissolution process. The dissolution and crystallization behaviors of these amorphous forms in the presence or absence of polymers are still far from adequately understood especially in different dissolution environments. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of polymers and media type on extending the dissolution of amorphous pioglitazone and inhibiting the recrystallization from a supersaturated state. Polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 (PVPK30), polyvinylpyrrolidone K90 (PVPK90), polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG6000), polyethylene-polypropylene glycol 188 (F-68), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) and beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) were employed to understand these behaviors changes because these polymers were used widely. Three solutions including neutral water and phosphate buffer solutions (PBS, pH6.8 and pH7.4) were adopted as dissolution media to determine the behaviors changes comprehensively. In the presence of polymers, dissolution and solubility were extended to different degrees in three media. Polymers can delay the crystallization routes dependently of the medium type. Buffer salts in media reduced the dissolution and accelerated the crystallization process. Crystallization inhibition of these polymers was strongly dependent on the type and pH of media. HPMC displayed the strongest crystallization inhibition effects, resulting in the greatest degree of maintaining a supersaturated state that can sustain most effectively for biologically relevant timeframes.     

淀粉分子量调控技术研究进展

天然淀粉是由绿色植物经过光合作用合成的终产物之一,是农作物收获器官的主要储存性多糖之一,也是支撑现代工业发展的重要原料之一。淀粉分子量是研究淀粉分子结构的重要基础参数,也是决定淀粉性质及其应用的重要依据。通过对淀粉分子量进行调控,可以改善天然淀粉的诸多性能,例如热稳定性、凝胶强度、流变学特性等,使其能够更好地应用于医药、化学、食品工业等领域,成为近年来的研究热点。该文从物理、化学、生物技术三个方面对淀粉分子量调控研究进行了总结分析,并探讨了不同调控技术的作用机制及分子量变化对淀粉物化性质和应用产生的影响。提出淀粉分子量调控的新思路,并对未来发展方向进行展望,旨在为研究淀粉分子量及其应用提供理论依据。