Antibacterial activity of V- doped rod-like MgO crystals decorated with nanoflake layer

In present study, we report a V doping fabrication method for obtaining rod-like MgO crystals decorated with a nanoflake layer. This novel structure has only been minimally reported in literature. Pure MgO and Mg₂V₂O₇–MgO composite materials were obtained by precipitation and impregnation methods, with vanadium added concentrations of 0–9%. The influence of V doping on crystal structure and particle morphology of MgO was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated that MgO has a cubic structure, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that V⁵⁺ exists on the surface of MgO. The specific surface areas and pore sizes of MgO composites were calculated by BET and BJH analysis. These techniques revealed that specific surface area and pore size of MgO increased due to vanadium doping. The antibacterial effects of Mg₂V₂O₇–MgO composite materials against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were assessed using a bacterial killing/colony-forming unit (CFU) assay and bacteriostatic ring method. Our results demonstrate that V doping dramatically improved antimicrobial properties of MgO, with 7 mol% doping inducing the best antibacterial activity. The antibacterial mechanisms of Mg₂V₂O₇–MgO composite material were also proposed.     

Multi-skeletal PtPdNi nanodendrites as efficient electrocatalyst with high activity and durability towards oxygen reduction reaction

Engineering alloy nanostructures with a combination of highly active noble metals (Pt and Pd) and less electronegative non-noble metal (Ni) is found to be crucial for improving surface reactivity by enriching with active Pt sites. Herein, a multi-skeletal PtPdNi nanodendrites (NDs) was successfully formed by a simple one-pot method with structure directing agent. The modification of Pt electronic structure and their interaction due to compressive strain were explored using benchmark characterization techniques, which showed that the PtPdNi NDs possess Pt-enriched surface, corroborating to more active catalyst sites for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acidic medium. The PtPdNi NDs have a higher electrochemical surface area (63 m² g^?1) and an earlier onset potential (1.01 V) than PtPd NDs, PtNi NDs, and commercial Pt/C catalysts, indicating the outstanding ORR performance. The high mass and specific activities, as well as superior durability after accelerated degradation test (ADT), highlight the remarkable electrocatalytic performance of PtPdNi NDs over others. As a result, enhancing Pt utilization through the formation of PtPdNi NDs could be a reliable strategy to improve ORR electrocatalysis for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications.     

Cornus officinalis vinegar reduces body weight and attenuates hepatic steatosis in mouse model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

This study aimed to determine the main bioactive components of Cornus officinalis vinegar (COV) and assess the effects of COV on the body weight (BW) and hepatic steatosis in a nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mouse model. Seven-week-old KM female mice were divided into five treatment groups: (1) Normal control (NC) group, (2) high fat diet (HFD) group, (3) low concentration treatment group (3.5% COV), (4) medium concentration treatment group (5.0% COV), and (5) high concentration treatment group (6.5% COV). Mice in the NC group were fed with a normal chow diet, and those in the other four groups were fed with a HFD known for causing obesity for 10 weeks. Then, mice in the three COV treatment groups were orally administered with COV once a day for 6 weeks. Results showed that the contents of loganin and morroniside in COV reached 16.82 and 51.17 µg/ml, respectively, and COV also contained multiple organic acids. COV significantly reduced BW, abdominal fat weight, liver weight, and the levels of glucose, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol of serum and increased the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol of serum (p < 0.05). COV also improved the liver function and anti-oxidant activity of liver (p < 0.05). COV treatments increased the interleukin-10 expression and reduced the tumor necrosis factor-α expression in the liver tissue of NAFLD mice (p < 0.05). Histopathological observation revealed that COV suppressed hepatic lipid accumulation and steatosis. The results suggest that COV may contribute to the alleviation of NAFLD and obesity.     

Preparation,structural and photocatalytic activity of Sn/Fe co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles by sol-gel method

Pure and Sn/Fe co-doped (0.2 at.% Sn and 0.6 at.% Fe, 0.6 at.% Sn and 0.2 at.% Fe, 1.0 at.% Sn and 1.0 at.% Fe) TiO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized via a sol-gel method and subsequently calcined at different temperatures. Furthermore, the particles were analyzed by TG-DSC, XRD, TEM, HRTEM, EDS, SAED and UV–Vis for investigating the influences of dopant and calcination temperature on the thermal effect, composition, morphology, energy band gap (E_g) and the degradation efficiency of methyl orange (MO) under various light irradiations respectively. Results indicated that Sn/Fe co-doping inhibited the crystallization transformation from anatase to rutile phase of TiO₂ and decreased the E_g. The increased calcination temperature and Sn/Fe co-doped effect brought about the abnormal grain growth of TiO₂ nanoparticles. 0.6 at.% Sn/0.2 at.% Fe and 1.0 at.% Sn/1.0 at.% Fe co-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles presented better photocatalytic performance than pure and 0.2 at.% Sn/0.6 at.% Fe co-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles under visible light irradiation mainly due to the decreased E_g. On the contrary, 0.2 at.% Sn and 0.6 at.% Fe co-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles calcined at 650 °C showed the most excellent photocatalytic performance under UV light irradiation, which was about twice as large as that of pure TiO₂ possibly due to the formed hybrid structure of anatase and rutile phase as well as the h⁺-mediated decomposition pathway.     

基于重要度排序的配电自动化终端优化布局方法

针对配电自动化终端优化布局问题，提出了一种基于重要度排序的终端优化布局方法。首先以等年值综合费用为目标函数，供电可靠性和投入产出比为双重约束建立了配电自动化终端优化布局模型。然后通过分析配电自动化终端对供电可靠性提升的影响，给出各个节点的“二遥”及“三遥”终端安装重要度定义及计算公式。最后采用枚举法确定最优终端安装数量，基于节点终端安装重要度排序确定终端的最优安装位置。该方法考虑了已布局节点对剩余节点终端安装重要度的影响，能够在降低计算量的同时兼顾布局合理性。运用所提方法RBTS-BUS2系统及扩充模型进行终端优化布局并与智能优化算法的布局结果进行对比，验证了本文方法的有效性及优越性。     

Effects of non-thermal plasma treating wheat kernel on the physicochemical properties of wheat flour and the quality of fresh wet noodles

The effects of non-thermal plasma (NTP) on the physicochemical properties of wheat flour and the quality of fresh wet noodles ( FWN) were investigated. The results showed that NTP effectively decreased the total plate count (TPC), yeast and mould count (YMC) and Bacillus spp. in wheat flour. Wet gluten contents and the stability time reached the maximum when treated for 20 s. The viscosity of starch increased significantly after treatment due to the increased of damaged starch. The contents of secondary structure were altered to some extent, which was because that the ordered network structure of gluten protein broken. Furthermore, compared with the control, texture properties of FWN were enhanced significantly at 20 s, and the darkening rate of FWN was greatly inhibited due to the low polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity. Consequently, the most suitable treatment was 500 W for 20 s, providing a basis for the application of NTP in flour products.     

用于电弧检测的电力专用SoC设计

针对传统的电弧电路故障检测结果不准确的问题,设计用于电弧检测的SoC系统,并且在55nm工艺下进行流片验证。采用包含两种结构的模数转换器的片上电压源,设计了锁相环以及复位电路,精度最高可达8.67 bit。验证结果表明,本设计可提高电弧检测的准确性。