PUL-Mediated Plant Cell Wall Polysaccharide Utilization in the Gut Bacteroidetes

Plant cell wall polysaccharides (PCWP) are abundantly present in the food of humans and feed of livestock. Mammalians by themselves cannot degrade PCWP but rather depend on microbes resident in the gut intestine for deconstruction. The dominant Bacteroidetes in the gut microbial community are such bacteria with PCWP-degrading ability. The polysaccharide utilization systems (PUL) responsible for PCWP degradation and utilization are a prominent feature of Bacteroidetes. In recent years, there have been tremendous efforts in elucidating how PULs assist Bacteroidetes to assimilate carbon and acquire energy from PCWP. Here, we will review the PUL-mediated plant cell wall polysaccharides utilization in the gut Bacteroidetes focusing on cellulose, xylan, mannan, and pectin utilization and discuss how the mechanisms can be exploited to modulate the gut microbiota.     

The Function of Sialidase Revealed by Sialidase Activity Imaging Probe

Sialidase cleaves sialic acid residues from glycans such as glycoproteins and glycolipids. In the brain, desorption of the sialic acid by sialidase is essential for synaptic plasticity, learning and memory and synaptic transmission. BTP3-Neu5Ac has been developed for sensitive imaging of sialidase enzyme activity in mammalian tissues. Sialidase activity in the rat hippocampus detected with BTP3-Neu5Ac increases rapidly by neuronal depolarization. It is presumed that an increased sialidase activity in conjunction with neural excitation is involved in the formation of the neural circuit for memory. Since sialidase inhibits the exocytosis of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, the increased sialidase activity by neural excitation might play a role in the negative feedback mechanism against the glutamate release. Mammalian tissues other than the brain have also been stained with BTP3-Neu5Ac. On the basis of information on the sialidase activity imaging in the pancreas, it was found that sialidase inhibitor can be used as an anti-diabetic drug that can avoid hypoglycemia, a serious side effect of insulin secretagogues. In this review, we discuss the role of sialidase in the brain as well as in the pancreas and skin, as revealed by using a sialidase activity imaging probe. We also present the detection of influenza virus with BTP3-Neu5Ac and modification of BTP3-Neu5Ac.     

Zika Virus Growth in Human Kidney Cells Is Restricted by an Elevated Glucose Level

Mosquito-borne Zika virus (ZIKV) became a real threat to human health due to the lack of vaccine and effective antiviral treatment. The virus has recently been responsible for a global outbreak leading to millions of infected cases. ZIKV complications were highlighted in adults with Guillain–Barré syndrome and in newborns with increasing numbers of congenital disorders ranging from mild developmental delays to fatal conditions. The ability of ZIKV to establish a long-term infection in diverse organs including the kidneys has been recently documented but the consequences of such a viral infection are still debated. Our study aimed to determine whether the efficiency of ZIKV growth in kidney cells relates to glucose concentration. Human kidney HK-2 cells were infected with different ZIKV strains in presence of normal and high glucose concentrations. Virological assays showed a decrease in viral replication without modifying entry steps (viral binding, internalization, fusion) under high glucose conditions. This decrease replication was associated with a lower virus progeny and increased cell viability when compared to ZIKV-infected HK-2 cells in normal glucose concentration. In conclusion, we showed for the first time that an elevated glucose level influences ZIKV replication level with an effect on kidney cell survival.     

Far-red-emitting YAl3(BO3)4:Cr3+ phosphors with excellent thermal stability and high luminescent yield for plant growth LEDs

Phosphors-converted LEDs (pc-LEDs) are excellent artificial light sources for indoor plant cultivation, in which the far-red-emitting component (700−780 nm) plays an important role in regulating the photomorphogenesis of plants. Accordingly, highly efficient and thermally stable far-red-emitting phosphors are indispensable for developing high-performance plant cultivation pc-LEDs. Herein, far-red-emitting YAl₃(BO₃)₄:Cr³⁺ (YAB:Cr³⁺) phosphors were synthesized by solid-state reaction, and their photoluminescence characteristics, thermal quenching, quantum yield (QY), and application in pc-LEDs were systematically investigated. The YAB:Cr³⁺ phosphor has an intense broadband absorption to the blue light, simultaneously exhibiting the sharp-line ²E emission and the broadband ⁴ T₂ emission of Cr³⁺ with a QY of ~86.7%. The far-red broadband emissions of YAB:Cr³⁺ centered at ~735 nm show a high resemblance to the active-state (P_FR) absorption of plant phytochrome. Moreover, the YAB:Cr³⁺ phosphor shows the thermally enhanced luminescence at temperatures of 303−393 K and the near-zero thermal quenching up to 423 K. The anomalous thermal enhancement is attributed to the temperature-dependent repopulation between ²E and ⁴ T₂ states. Finally, a pc-LED device was fabricated with the YAB:Cr³⁺ phosphor and blue chip, exhibiting the light out power of ~50.6 mW and energy conversion efficiency of ~17.4% at 100 mA drive current, respectively. The exceptional PL features including suitable excitation/emission wavelengths, suppressed thermal quenching and high QY make YAB:Cr³⁺ phosphors very promising for applications in plant growth pc-LEDs.     

Dynamic energy and mass balance model for an industrial alkaline water electrolyzer plant process

This paper proposes a parameter adjustable dynamic mass and energy balance simulation model for an industrial alkaline water electrolyzer plant that enables cost and energy efficiency optimization by means of system dimensioning and control. Thus, the simulation model is based on mathematical models and white box coding, and it uses a practicable number of fixed parameters. Zero-dimensional energy and mass balances of each unit operation of a 3 MW, and 16 bar plant process were solved in MATLAB functions connected via a Simulink environment. Verification of the model was accomplished using an analogous industrial plant of the same power and pressure range having the same operational systems design. The electrochemical, mass flow and thermal behavior of the simulation and the industrial plant were compared to ascertain the accuracy of the model and to enable modification and detailed representation of real case scenarios so that the model is suitable for use in future plant optimization studies. The thermal model dynamically predicted the real case with 98.7 % accuracy. Shunt currents were the main contributor to relative low Faraday efficiency of 86 % at nominal load and steady-state operation and heat loss to ambient from stack was only 2.6 % of the total power loss.     

温度对核电站传热管阵列声透射特性的影响

为了研究温度分布对于管阵列结构中的声透射特性的影响，以核电站的实际工况为背景，构建了不同的温度场以及周期性变化的非均匀温度场，利用有限元方法进行数值模拟。结果表明：（1）温度分布会改变管阵列声透射频谱的“禁带”宽度以及中心频率位置。在同一介质中，温度变化对频率较高位置的影响大于频率较低的位置。（2）在同样为10℃的温度差下，当水的平均声速为1 653 m·s^-1、饱和水蒸气的平均声速为522.5 m·s^-1时，介质为水时的禁带宽度及中心频率位置变化较大，即声速大的介质的频谱对于温度的变化更敏感。（3）当温度差在10℃以内，在周期性变化的非均匀温度场和与均匀温度场中管阵列声透射特性在第一中心频率23 996.1 Hz之前，两频谱差别很小，在第一禁带之后会出现明显区别。该研究成果对完善核电站应用的声学检测提供了理论基础。     

Electromagnetic transients in the control system of output parameters of a solar power plant in Tajikistan Central Asia region

At present, as the demand for electricity increases in all sectors, there is an urgent need to introduce alternative renewable energy sources into modern energy systems. Renewable energy sources, which consist of solar (photovoltaic, PV), wind and hydro power, are key alternative sources of “green energy’’ energies, but it can also be used to produce “green” hydrogen. Thanks to scientific and technological progress, the cost of photovoltaic solar radiation converters is constantly decreasing at a high rate, which makes it possible to build solar power plants of sufficiently large capacity. In the coming decades, solar energy will become an incentive for the economic development of countries that have the maximum “solar” resource. The Republic of Tajikistan is one of these countries with a high potential for solar energy.The article presents an analysis of the resources and potential of solar energy in the Republic of Tajikistan. The study of electromagnetic transients in networks with photovoltaic solar power plants is performed. The main equations, simulation model and calculations of transients are presented, taking into account changes in voltage on DC buses. An algorithm for controlling the system of automatic control of output parameters is proposed. The analysis of dynamic and static modes in parallel operation of a solar power plant with the grid is carried out. A block diagram and computer model is constructed in the MATLAB package together with Simulink and Power System Blockset.     

Efficient utilization of waste heat from molten carbonate fuel cell in parabolic trough power plant for electricity and hydrogen coproduction

Direct steam generating parabolic trough power plant is an important technology to match future electric energy demand. One of the problems related to its emergence is energy storage. Solar-to-hydrogen is a promising technology for solar energy storage. Electrolysis is among the most processes of hydrogen production recently investigated. High temperature steam electrolysis is a clean process to efficiently produce hydrogen. In this paper, steam electrolysis process using solar energy is used to produce hydrogen. A heat recovery steam generator generates high temperature steam thanks to the molten carbonate fuel cell's waste heat. The analytical study investigates the energy efficiency of solar power plant, molten carbonate fuel cell and electrolyser. The impact of waste heat utilization on electricity and hydrogen generation is analysed. The results of calculations done with MATLAB software show that fuel cell produces 7.73 MWth of thermal energy at design conditions. 73.37 tonnes of hydrogen and 14.26 GWh of electricity are yearly produced. The annual energy efficiency of electrolyser is 70% while the annual mean electric efficiency of solar power plant is 18.30%.The proposed configuration based on the yearly electricity production and hydrogen generation has presented a good performance.