CNT-interconnected iron-doped NiP2/Ni2P heterostructural nanoflowers as high-efficiency electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) plays a decisive role in electrolytic water splitting. However, it is still challengeable to develop low-cost and efficient OER electrocatalysts. Herein, we present a combination strategy via heteroatom doping, hetero-interface engineering and introducing conductive skeleton to synthesize a hybrid OER catalyst of CNT-interconnected iron-doped NiP₂/Ni₂P (Fe-(NiP₂/Ni₂P)@CNT) heterostructural nanoflowers by a simple hydrothermal reaction and subsequent phosphorization process. The optimized Fe-(NiP₂/Ni₂P)@CNT catalyst delivers an ultralow Tafel slope of 46.1 mV dec^?1 and overpotential of 254 mV to obtain 10 mA cm^?2, which are even better than those of commercial OER catalyst RuO₂. The excellent OER performance is mainly attributed to its unique nanoarchitecture and the synergistic effects: the nanoflowers constructed by a 2D-like nanosheets guarantee large specific area and abundant active sites; the highly conductive CNT skeleton and the electronic modulation by the heterostructural NiP₂/Ni₂P interface and the hetero-atom doping can improve the catalytic activity; porous nanostructure benefits electrolyte penetration and gas release; most importantly, the rough surface and rich defects caused by phosphorization process can further enhance the OER performance. This work provides a deep insight to boost catalytic performance by heteroatom doping and interface engineering for water splitting.     

Synthesis and optical properties of novel apatite-type NaCa3Bi(PO4)3F:Dy3+ yellow-emitting fluorophosphate phosphors for white LEDs

In this study, novel yellow-emitting fluorophosphate NaCa₃Bi(PO₄)₃F phosphors doped with different concentrations of Dy³⁺ ions were first obtained via high-temperature solid-state reaction. The crystal structure, phase purity, particle morphology, photoluminescence (PL) properties, thermal stability, and luminescence decay curves of the resulting phosphors were then characterized in detail. Under the excitation of 349 nm, the three dominant peaks of the NaCa₃Bi(PO₄)₃F:Dy³⁺ are centered at 480 nm (⁴F_9/2-⁶H_15/2), 577 nm (⁴F_9/2-⁶H_13/2), and 662 nm (⁴F_9/2-⁶H_11/2). The optimal doping concentration of Dy³⁺ ions in the NaCa₃Bi(PO₄)₃F:xDy³⁺ phosphors is x = 5 mol%. The phosphors show excellent thermal stability with high activation energy (E_a = 0.32 eV). Eventually, the synthesized white light-emitting diode (w-LED) demonstrates the Commission International de L'Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity coordinates of (0.341, 0.334), a good correlated color temperature (CCT) of 5083 K, and a high color rendering index (R_a) of 92. Revealing its potential as yellow-emitting phosphors, the feasibility of the fabricated apatite-type NaCa₃Bi(PO₄)₃F:Dy³⁺ fluorophosphate phosphors was confirmed for w-LEDs.     

Effects of electron-beam generated X-ray irradiation on the postharvest storage quality of Agaricus bisporus

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of electron-beam generated X-ray irradiation on the postharvest storage quality and antioxidant capacity of Agaricus bisporus. All mushrooms were treated with different doses of electron-beam generated X-ray irradiation (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 kGy) followed by stored at 4 °C for 21 days. Results showed that when compared with the control group at the end of storage, the firmness of Agaricus bisporus treated with 1.0 kGy was increased by 43.68%, the cell membrane permeability and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were decreased by 14.48% and 32.27% respectively, and the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity was reduced by 44.30%. One-kGy treatment was better than the control group to maintain superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity. The finding suggested that the dose of 1.0 kGy generated by electron beam was suitable for keeping the postharvest quality for 21 days of Agaricus bisporus.Industrial relevanceThis study stated that electron-beam generated X-ray pretreatment could be a green and safe technology to improve the overall quality of Agaricus bisporus at 4 °C for 21 days.     

CaDHN3, a Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Dehydrin Gene Enhances the Tolerance against Salt and Drought Stresses by Reducing ROS Accumulation

Dehydrins (DHNs) play an important role in abiotic stress tolerance in a large number of plants, but very little is known about the function of DHNs in pepper plants. Here, we isolated a Y₁SK₂-type DHN gene “CaDHN3” from pepper. To authenticate the function of CaDHN3 in salt and drought stresses, it was overexpressed in Arabidopsis and silenced in pepper through virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). Sub-cellular localization showed that CaDHN3 was located in the nucleus and cell membrane. It was found that CaDHN3-overexpressed (OE) in Arabidopsis plants showed salt and drought tolerance phenotypic characteristics, i.e., increased the initial rooting length and germination rate, enhanced chlorophyll content, lowered the relative electrolyte leakage (REL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content than the wild-type (WT) plants. Moreover, a substantial increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes; including the superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and lower hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) contents and higher O₂^•− contents in the transgenic Arabidopsis plants. Silencing of CaDHN3 in pepper decreased the salt- and drought-stress tolerance, through a higher REL and MDA content, and there was more accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the CaDHN3-silenced pepper plants than the control plants. Based on the yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) screening and Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC) results, we found that CaDHN3 interacts with CaHIRD11 protein in the plasma membrane. Correspondingly, the expressions of four osmotic-related genes were significantly up-regulated in the CaDHN3-overexpressed lines. In brief, our results manifested that CaDHN3 may play an important role in regulating the relative osmotic stress responses in plants through the ROS signaling pathway. The results of this study will provide a basis for further analyses of the function of DHN genes in pepper.     

Research on Crop Irrigation Schedules Under Deficit Irrigation—A Meta-analysis

Water Resources Management - Increasing water consumption in agriculture due to global climate change has posed considerable challenges to food security, thus improving the efficiency of water...     

Effects of freeze-thaw cycles of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) subjected to radio frequency tempering on melanosis and quality

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different tempering methods and freeze-thaw cycles on melanosis and quality parameters of pacific white shrimp. Frozen pacific white shrimps tempered with radio frequency tempering (RFT) were compared to that in water tempering (WT) and refrigerator tempering (RT) in terms of temper loss, total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, melanosis, total sulfhydryl contents, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and texture properties after 0, 1, 3, 5 freeze-thaw cycles. Results showed that crushed ice was effective as an effective surrounding medium for six layers of frozen shrimp reaching −2 °C within 6 min in RFT. For quality attributes, the temper loss of samples tempered with radio frequency is lower than that of RT and WT after all freeze-thaw cycles, and RFT resulted in the lowest TVBN value (9.17 mgN/100 g) of shrimps after the 5th freeze-thaw cycle. The PPO activity and melanosis of samples increased as the number of freeze-thaw cycles increased, and RFT effectively inhibited the development of melanosis. After the 3rd freeze-thaw cycle, the enthalpy change (△H) and the sulfhydryl content (0.16 mmol/gprot) of radio frequency tempered samples was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of WT and RT. RFT retained the hardness and chewiness of shrimp samples in all freeze-thaw cycles. Therefore, RFT effectively inhibited melanosis and reduce protein oxidation in Pacific white shrimp during freeze-thaw cycles with its fast and uniform heating characteristics.     

Effect of dispersion and ion concentration on radio frequency heating

Radio frequency (RF) heating has been applied to process foods due to its unique advantages like volumetric heating. To investigate the interaction between dispersed liquid food and electromagnetic field, four dispersion structures, formed by polypropylene pellets dispersed in the samples, and six solutions with different ion concentrations were analyzed. The Results showed that 4 mm dispersion structure and 0.01 mol/L ion concentration involved in the highest heating rate and made the heating rate increase from 1.23 °C/min to 5.53 °C/min. For materials with different ion concentrations, the maximum heating rate corresponded to the dispersion structure of different sizes. But the dispersion structure would reduce the heating uniformity of the horizontal surface of materials. It suggested that dispersion structure and an proper ion concentration could change the material into a dispersed status, further improve RF heating rate, and ensure the efficiency of sterilization as well as retain the nutrition of foodstuffs.     

The protein properties of germinated naked barley with infrared and hot air-drying and its noodle-making potential

The naked barley was germinated and then carried out with hot air- or infrared drying to explore the physicochemical and functional properties of protein isolated from barley. Moreover, the relationship between protein and the noodles made from wheat and germinated barley flour was evaluated. It was found that germination affected the protein properties, and the protein properties were correlated with the properties of noodles. The content of β-sheet in protein was first increased and then decreased with germination time increased, and the protein had larger emulsification and foaming properties. Besides, the protein isolated from hot air-dried germinated barley had higher gelatinisation enthalpy and secondary structure content. Furthermore, the wheat and germinated barley mixed noodles had increased elasticity and cohesiveness and reduced viscosity and water absorption. The hardness of noodles showed was positively correlated with water absorption capacity, and the extensibility of cooked noodles was positively correlated with the foaming capacity of proteins.     

Freeze-thaw cycles changes soil nitrogen in a Mollisol sloping field in Northeast China

Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems - Freeze-thaw-cycles (FTCs) change the dynamics of soil physiochemical and biological processes, and could change the soil nitrogen (N) heterogeneity in sloping...