Advances in the in vitro digestion and fermentation of polysaccharides

In vitro digestion models are widely used to study the structural changes, digestion and release of food components under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. As compared to the in vivo digestion tests, the in vitro digestion reflects the digestion and utilisation of food after ingestion and has the advantages of being time consuming, inexpensive, reproducible and free from moral and ethical restrictions. This study reviewed the current research studies on the in vitro simulated digestion of polysaccharides conducted in the last 5 years and focused on the oral, gastric and intestinal digestion models, with the aim of providing a basis for the further testing of changes in the content, structure and active ingredients of polysaccharides before and after digestion.     

SnO2 modified PNN-PZT ceramics with ultra-high piezoelectric and dielectric properties

In this work, a two-step solid-state reaction method is used to prepare the 0.55 Pb(Ni_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.135PbZrO₃-0.315PbTiO₃/xSnO₂ (PNN-PZT/xSnO₂) ceramics. The influences of SnO₂ on the crystalline structure, electromechanical properties, and temperature stability of PNN-PZT ceramics were studied in detail. The results demonstrate that the Sn⁴⁺ ions are successfully introduced into the PNN-PZT crystalline lattice and substitute B-site Ni²⁺ and Zr⁴⁺. The x = 0.0025 ceramic with the coexistence of rhombohedral, tetragonal, and pseudocubic phases exhibits the optimized comprehensive properties: the quasi-static piezoelectric constant d₃₃, large-signal d₃₃*, electromechanical coupling coefficients k_p and k_t, free dielectric constant ε_r, and mechanical quality factor Q_m are 1123 pC/N, 1250 p.m./V, 0.63, 0.54, 9529, and 57, respectively. Meanwhile, the Curie temperature for this composition is 103 °C, almost maintaining the same level as the PNN-PZT matrix. After annealing at 75 °C, the retained d₃₃ of x = 0.0025 ceramic is as high as 975 pC/N, superior to the PNN-PZT matrix (retained d₃₃ ≈ 873 pC/N). Our results provide a promising piezoelectric material for board bandwidth, high sensitivity, and miniaturized medical ultrasonic transducers applications.     

地勘单位转制后税务风险识别与控制

结合“减税降费”的政策背景,以陕西省某转制地勘单位为例,引入风险控制相关理论并应用层次分析法,构建了税务风险评估指标体系,对转制地勘单位面临的税务风险进行了识别、分析、评估。研究结果表明:针对不同的税收类型,应着重关注不同方面的风险,排序前6位的风险依次为企业所得税扣除类风险、增值税决策环节风险、增值税销售环节风险、房产税计税依据风险、企业所得税税收优惠类风险、增值税采购环节风险;并对上述风险的控制机制进行了分析,从企业管控、政策优化两方面分别提出了相关对策和建议。     

Double layers glaze analysis of the Fujian export blue-and-white porcelain from the Witte Leeuw shipwreck (1613)

Witte Leeuw was a cargo ship owned and operated by the Dutch East Indian Company. The wreck of this vessel is known for yielding a comprehensive range of Jingdezhen manufactured, blue-and-white export porcelains, particularly kraak wares; together with Fujian blue-and-white export porcelains, known as Swatow wares. A large number of ceramic fragments have been recovered from this wreck and currently reside in collections at the Rijksmuseum. For this study nine ceramic specimens were selected for further investigation, with the aim of determining the structure, composition and manufacturing process of the double-layer glazes. Both digital optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to examine the glaze morphology and microstructure; whilst energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy was utilised to measure the spatial distribution of chemical elements and to determine bulk elemental compositions. Raman spectroscopy was also trialled, with the technique being applied to the measurement of molecular vibrations within the silicon-oxygen network and associated alkali metal oxides, with the aim of identifying potential differences in the glaze layers. Examining the ceramic specimens, the blue decorations were applied between two layers of glaze, and the majority of the blue colour extends into the outermost layer, often exhibiting dissolution in the outer layer glaze. The two layers of the glaze appear to be formulated from different compositional recipes. Some export Swatow blue-and-white wares made in the Wanli Period (1573–1620) were glazed twice and fired twice.     

Structure,dielectric properties of novel Ba(Zr,Ti)O3 based ceramics for energy storage application

(1-x) Ba(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O₃-x Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃ (x = 0, 10, 20 30, 40, 50 mol%) (BZTN) ceramics are prepared by the traditional solid phase method. All BZTN ceramics exhibit a pseudo-cubic BZT based perovskite structure. Both the average grain size and the relaxor ferroelectricity of BZTN ceramics gradually increase with increasing NBT content. The W_rec of 3.22 J/cm³ and η of 91.2% is obtained for the BZTN40 ceramic at 241 kV/cm. BZTN40 ceramic also exhibits good temperature stability from room temperature to 150 °C and frequency stability from 1 Hz to 100 Hz. A P_D of 0.621 J/cm³ and a t_0.9 of 82 ns is obtained for the BZTN40 ceramic at 120 kV/cm. BZTN ceramics show application potential in energy storage and pulse power capacitors.     

Fabrication of platinum thin films for ultra-high electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction

While the noble metals (e.g., platinum, (Pt)) remain the benchmark electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), their mass production require a reduced metal loading and faster fabrication protocols. The aim of the present work is to prepare Pt thin films by simple and fast fabrication technique, and to evaluate their performance for HER. The thin films of Pt are grown on two substrates, namely titanium foil (Ti) and nickel foam (NF), using a single step aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) method. The film deposition time are varied from 20 to 60 min. Microscopic analyses suggest a gradual evolution of the films into percolated and/or porous nanostructures, a feature that remains highly desired to allow the maximum access of active sites. The performance of the as-prepared electrodes is evaluated by monitoring the HER in acidic electrolyte. The Pt film on nickel foam (Pt/NF) exhibits better electrical conductivity and smaller charge transfer resistance, while the film deposited on the Ti foil (Pt/Ti) demonstrates superior catalytic activity per active sites. The as-prepared Pt/Ti and Pt/NF electrodes produce 10 mA cm⁻² at overpotential of 28 mV and 26 mV, respectively, better in performance than commercial Pt/C electrode (~39 mV), set a new bench mark electrocatalyst for the HER.     

The relationship between enhanced dielectric property and structural distortion in Ca doped Ba2NaNb5O15 tungsten bronze ceramics

The relationship between enhanced dielectric property and structural distortion in tungsten bronze structure ceramics was discussed in this work. The ceramics with the composition of (Ba_1-xCa_x)₂NaNb₅O₁₅ (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) were fabricated via conventional solid-state method. All ceramics were pure without secondary phase and the distinct lattice distortion in structure was testified by Rietveld XRD refinement. Compared with the un-doped composition, the maximum polarization and energy storage density were strongly enhanced according to the ferroelectric property measurements, which were contributed to the distortion of NbO₆ octahedron induced by the variation of ionic radius. The actually pulsed charge-discharge property of x = 0.3 ceramic was tested, whist excellent power density (P_D = 35.106 MV/cm³) and discharge energy density (W_d = 0.29 J/cm³) were obtained at 100 °C under 120 kV/cm, revealing the potential for application of Ba₂NaNb₅O₁₅ system-based ceramics in harsh environment.     

Synthesis and electrochemical performance of three-dimensional ordered hierarchically porous Li4Ti5O12 for high performance lithium ion Batteries

In this work, a three-dimensional ordered hierarchically porous (3DOHP) Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ that possesses inner-particle mesopores resulting from a soft template method and a three-dimensional ordered macroporous (3DOM) Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ using polystyrene spheres as a hard template have been synthesized. Both 3DOM Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ and 3DOHP Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ have ordered macropores and interconnected skeletons with a regular periodicity revealed by SEM and TEM observations. The specific surface area of 3DOHP Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ is up to 135 m² g^?1 which is much higher compared with that of 3DOM Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ because of the existence of inner-particle mesopores. Attributed to the higher surface area and smaller crystal grain size, more excellent cycle performance and rate capability are obtained for 3DOHP Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ compared to 3DOM Li₄Ti₅O₁₂. In addition, the hierarchically porous structure of 3DOHP Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ can meet rapid insertion and deinsertion of lithium ion even at extremely high rate. It is apparent that 3DOHP Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ has a lower total resistance and faster Li⁺ diffusion coefficient compared to 3DOM Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ according to electrochemical impendence spectroscopy analysis.     

Enhanced relative permittivity in niobium and europium co-doped TiO2 ceramics

The appearance of colossal permittivity materials broadened the choice of materials for energy-storage applications. In this work, colossal permittivity in ceramics of TiO₂ co-doped with niobium and europium ions ((Eu_0.5Nb_0.5)_xTi_1-xO₂ ceramics) was reported. A large permittivity (ε_r ～ 2.01?×?10⁵) and a low dielectric loss (tanδ ～ 0.095) were observed for (Eu_0.5Nb_0.5)_xTi_1-xO₂ (x?=?1%) ceramics at 1?kHz. Moreover, two significant relaxations were observed in the temperature dependence of dielectric properties for (Eu, Nb) co-doped TiO₂ ceramics, which originated from defect dipoles and electron hopping, respectively. The low dielectric loss and high relative permittivity were ascribed to the electron-pinned defect-dipoles and electrons hopping. The (Eu_0.5Nb_0.5)_xTi_1-xO₂ ceramic with great colossal permittivity is one of the most promising candidates for high-energy density storage applications.     

Enhanced energy storage properties of Ba0.4Sr0.6TiO3 lead-free ceramics with Bi2O3-B2O3-SiO2 glass addition

In this study, we present an effective strategy to enhance the energy storage properties of Ba_0.4Sr_0.6TiO₃ (BST) lead-free ceramics by the addition of Bi₂O₃-B₂O₃-SiO₂ (BBS) glass, which were prepared by the conventional solid state sintering method. The phase structure, microstructure and energy storage properties were investigated in detail. It can be found that the Ba_0.4Sr_0.6TiO₃-x wt%(Bi₂O₃-B₂O₃-SiO₂) (BST- x wt%BBS, 0 ≤ x ≤ 12) ceramics possess large maximum polarization (P_max), low remanent polarization (P_r) and slim polarization electric field (P-E) hysteresis loops. The breakdown strength (BDS), recoverable energy storage density (W_rec) and energy storage efficiency (η) are enhanced obviously with the addition of BBS glass. The BST-9 wt%BBS ceramic is found to exhibit excellent energy storage properties with a W_rec of 1.98 J/cm³ and a η of 90.57% at 279 kV/cm. These results indicate that the BST-x wt%BBS ceramics might be good candidates for high energy storage applications.