Multi-criteria decision-making approach assisting to select materials for low-temperature solid oxide fuel cell: Electrolyte,cathode& anode

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) have been emerged as a viable technology to convert chemical energy of fuels to electrical energy efficiently and environmentally friendly. However, some issues hinder the successful implementation of SOFC in industrial scales, such as elevated operating temperature, electrochemical stability, high costs associated with materials and interconnectors. To facilitate SOFCs commercialization, Low Temperature-SOFC (LT-SOFC) technology has been introduced. Various materials for core components of the LT-SOFC have been suggested and their performances are investigated. However, operating LT-SOFC faces challenges such as low ionic conductivity of electrolytes and slow rate of the oxygen reduction reaction. These obstacles can be overcome by selecting appropriate alternative materials that can conduct tasks preferably. Since assessing choices demands multiple measures, conducting a multi-criteria decision-making approach is inevitable. In this study, the Analytical Hierarchy Process is used to evaluate criteria and different options as alternatives for the main constituents of an LT-SOFC.     

Uncoupling tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-10 at tumor immune microenvironment of breast cancer through miR-17-5p/MALAT-1/H19 circuit

Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) immunotherapy has recently shown promising approach. However, some TNBC patients presented with resistance. One of the reasons was attributed to the excessive release of cytokines at the tumor microenvironment (TME) such as Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and Interleukin-10 (IL-10). Fine regulation of these cytokines’ levels via non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) might alleviate the immune quiescent nature of TME at TNBC tumors. However, the extrapolation of ncRNAs as therapeutic tools is highly challenging. Therefore, disentanglement the nature for the isolation of natural compounds that could modulate the ncRNAs and their respective targets is an applicable translational therapeutic approach. Hence, this study aimed to targeting the chief immune suppressive cytokines at the TME (TNF-α and IL-10) via ncRNAs and to examine the effects of Rosemary aerial parts extract on the expression levels of these ncRNAs in TNBC. Results revealed miR-17-5p as a dual regulator of TNF-α and IL-10. Moreover, an intricate interaction has been shown between miR-17-5p and the oncogenic lncRNAs: MALAT1 and H19. Knocking down of MALAT1 and/or H19 caused an induction in miR-17-5p and reduction in TNF-α and IL-10 expression levels. miR-17-5p was found to be down-regulated, while TNF-α, IL-10, MALAT1 and H19 were up-regulated in BC patients. Forced expression of miR-17-5p in MDA-MB-231 cells reduced TNF-α, IL-10, MALAT1 and H19 expression levels, as well as several BC hallmarks. In a translational approach, ursolic acid (UA) isolated from rosemary induced the expression of miR-17-5p, MALAT1 and decreased H19 expression levels. In conclusion, this study suggests miR-17-5p as a tumor suppressor and an immune-activator miRNA in BC through tuning up the immunological targets TNF-α, IL-10 at the TME and the oncological mediators MALAT1 and H19 lncRNAs.     

Microscopic mechanism of perfluorocarbon gas formation in aluminum electrolysis process

In view of the unclear cause of perfluorocarbons (PFCs) emission in the anode effect stage of aluminum electrolysis, the microscopic formation mechanism of PFCs was studied by density functional theory calculation and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is found that the discharge of fluorine containing anions ([F]^?) on carbon anode first causes the substitution of C—H by C—F and further results in the saturation of aromatic C—C bonds, leading to the appearance of —CF₃ or —C₂F₅ group through six-carbon-ring opening. Elimination of —CF₃ and —C₂F₅ with F atom could be a likely mechanism of CF₄ and C₂F₆ formation. XPS results confirm that different types of —CF_x group can be formed on anode surface during electrolysis, and the possibility that [F]^? discharges continuously at the C edge and finally forms different C—F bonds in quantum mechanical calculation was verified.     

海参废渣皂苷通过核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域样受体信号通路抵抗环磷酰胺诱导小鼠的免疫抑制

在我国海参是一种具有多种生物活性的传统滋补品。本实验系统性地研究了2.5、5.0、10.0 mg/（kg mb·d）海参废渣皂苷（saponins extracted from sea cucumber residues，SCRSS）对免疫抑制小鼠的调节作用。结果表明，与模型对照组相比，5.0 mg/（kg mb·d）SCRSS使小鼠的体质量、脾脏指数和胸腺指数分别增加了15.3%、23.8%和39.8%；5.0 mg/（kg mb·d）SCRSS也极显著增加了免疫抑制小鼠的吞噬指数（P＜0.01）。此外，与模型对照组相比，各剂量SCRSS均明显地增加了血清中细胞因子的水平，并促进了脾淋巴细胞和腹腔巨噬细胞的增殖活性。其中，中等剂量（5.0 mg/（kg mb·d））SCRSS可以更有效地上调免疫抑制小鼠核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域蛋白1、核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域蛋白2、受体相互作用蛋白-2和核因子-κB的表达。结论：SCRSS具有作为提高免疫力的功能性食品补充剂的潜力。     

一种基于双重ddPCR的肉制品中牛源性成分的定量分析方法

将低价肉类原料掺入高价肉制品是一种典型的肉类掺假方式，为准确鉴别牛肉及牛肉制品的真伪，建立一种基于双重微滴式数字聚合酶链式反应（droplet digital polymerase chain reaction，ddPCR）的牛源性成分定量分析方法。通过对14 种动物的Beta-actin单拷贝基因序列进行分析，设计牛源性特异性引物、探针与动物源性成分通用引物、探针并建立双重ddPCR体系，推导出牛源性成分质量与其特异性扩增拷贝数之间的计算公式，对牛源性成分进行定量检测该方法得到牛源性成分质量M牛（mg）与其特异性扩增拷贝数浓度C牛（copies/μL）之间的计算公式为M牛=0.033C牛＋2.37，对已知牛肉质量的混合肉样品与不同部位的牛肉样品进行检测，结果显示牛肉定量检测值与实际质量基本一致。同时拷贝数相对含量可辅助判断肉制品中是否存在非牛源性的其他动物源性成分掺假。对市售样品的检测发现，存在目标肉样含量不达标以及不同程度的动物源性成分等掺假现象，说明该检测方法可为牛肉制品掺假量化判定和混合源性产品分级鉴定提供技术支撑。     

杏鲍菇富硒蛋白的营养结构特性及对铅毒性的缓解作用

铅主要通过饮食进入人体并在体内积累，对人体免疫和代谢等系统造成损伤，补充硒可以显著改善铅暴露对机体的危害。本研究以杏鲍菇富硒蛋白（selenium-enriched protein from Pleurotus eryngii，SePEP）为原料，通过高效液相色谱-电感耦合等离子体质谱联用技术、傅里叶变换红外光谱等测定蛋白硒形态及结构。通过细胞实验探究蛋白体外模拟消化产物对Pb2＋引起的RAW264.7细胞毒性的缓解作用。结果表明，SePEP硒含量为（360.64±3.11）mg/kg，硒形态主要包括硒代蛋氨酸（SeMet，（48.04±0.64）%（相对含量，下同））、硒代胱氨酸（SeCys2，（31.91±0.51）%）和甲基硒代半胱氨酸（MeSeCys，（14.65±0.36）%）。硒的添加显著促进了氨基酸的生成，改变了蛋白质的结构，α-螺旋结构相对含量由（20.30±0.87）%增加至（25.00±1.60）%，无规卷曲结构相对含量由（20.38±0.84）%减少至（13.85±1.66）%，总巯基与二硫键含量及表面疏水性均显著增加（P＜0.05）。添加75 μg/mL SePEP消化产物后，Pb2＋处理的RAW264.7细胞存活率由接近50%显著升高至（76.95±6.95）%，细胞培养液中乳酸脱氢酶释放量降低57.45%，并且3 种促炎细胞因子白细胞介素（interleukin，IL）-6、IL-8和肿瘤坏死因子α的释放受到显著抑制（P＜0.05），说明SePEP消化产物对Pb2＋暴露引起的RAW264.7细胞损伤有缓解作用。本实验研究成果可为研发安全、有效的改善铅毒性的功能富硒蛋白食品提供参考。     

Prioritizing the alternatives of the natural gas grid conversion to hydrogen using a hybrid interval rough based Dombi MARCOS model

The aim of this study is to disclose an integrated multi-criteria decision making model as an instrument able to be used for hydrogen gas grid development via natural gas network conversion by considering four main criteria and sixteen sub-criteria. The proposed model consists of two stages using interval rough based Dombi MARCOS (Measurement Alternatives and Ranking according to the COmpromise Solution) method. In the first stage, the interval rough Bonferroni logarithmic methodology of additive weights is applied for determining the weight coefficients. In the second stage, the improved interval rough MARCOS method is used to rank the alternatives. A case study for hydrogen gas grid development in Romania set out the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed model. The proposed model is analysed from various points of view so that it can be used effectively in reality not only theoretically. This study analyzes four technical alternatives for hydrogen gas grid development. The results show that the conversion for mixtures natural gas with hydrogen a transporting a mix of gases is the best alternative among the four alternatives, for the next period and in the specific context described by this study. The current technical-economic criteria are rather a constraint when discussing gas infrastructures. For choosing a sustainable solution, a major role comes for decision makers, along with the desire to pay fairly from the consumer.     

Rebranding Terroir: Ethnoecology and Tea Agro-Ecosystem Management in Response to Increased Market Integration in Southern Yunnan,China

Prompted by increased domestic and transnational demand for Pu’er tea, an emergence of agroecosystem intensification in Southern Yunnan, China has resulted in various agro-ecosystems including tea forests, mixed crop systems, and monocultural terrace tea gardens, in the tea production system. Plants of Camellia sinensis assamica often grow as trees in forests whilst C. sinensis sinensis grow as shrubs in terrace tea gardens. Inspired by the wine industry, the concept „Terroir” acts as a framework that analyzes both environmental and human factors yielding var ying botanic profiles, and hence quantifies values created by the cultivation process. The approach allows economic opportunities of place-based tea products to be driven by the origin in lieu of extrinsic qualities, which has resulted in to the fabricated reputation of terroir. In response to a common gap in terms of botanical and cultural values between tea cultivation and marketing trends, this artic le investigates an alternative scenario in which tea production and promotion model could minimize its environmental impacts and utilize its economic weight to advance land conservation efforts specific to cultural complexity at community scales.     

Experimental study on the effect of diluent gas on H2/CO/air mixture turbulent premixed flame

To study the effects of different diluents on the propagation characteristics of H₂/CO/air mixture turbulent premixed flames, a series of experiments were carried out in a turbulent premixed flame experimental system. The effects of turbulence intensity (0.49–1.31 m/s), dilution gas content (10%, 20%, and 30%), hydrogen fraction (50%, 70%, and 90%), and equivalence ratio (0.6, 0.8, and 1.0) on the turbulent premixed flame were studied. The results show that with the increase in hydrogen fraction or turbulence intensity or equivalence ratio, the S_T and u_t increase at the same radius. Compared with N₂ dilution, CO₂ dilution showed a more obvious inhibition effect on S_T. With the increase of Ka, S_T;35mm/u’ gradually decreased, and the extent of S_T;35mm/u’ decrease gradually became smaller. As the intensity of turbulence increases or the hydrogen fraction increases, the slope of S_T,35mm/u’ with Da/Le gradually decreases. In the turbulence intensity range of this experiment, the u_t,35mm/μ_l under nitrogen dilution condition has a larger floating range. The growth rate of u_t,35mm/μ_l at a low equivalence ratio is significantly higher than that at a high equivalence ratio.