High-intensity ultrasound processed acerola juice containing oligosaccharides and dextran promotes Lacticaseibacillus casei NRRL B-442 growth

In the present study, a prebiotic acerola juice containing gluco-oligosaccharides and dextran was produced and processed by high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS). After a simulated in vitro digestion, the gluco-oligosaccharides and dextran maintained 90% and 80% of their initial concentration in all prebiotic’s juices. At the same time, Vitamin C and phenolic compounds concentration increased significantly by 19% and 7% (P < 0.05). After the in vitro digestion, the prebiotic juice HIUS processed by 10 min showed the highest increase in gluco-oligosaccharides and bioactive compound concentrations. The HIUS processing imparted some dextran hydrolysis and improved its fermentability by Lacticaseibacillus casei. Gluco-oligosaccharides were extensively consumed as substrate in simulated intestinal conditions, promoting the L. casei NRRL B-442 growth and production of organic acids and short-chain organic acids. The prebiotic juice HIUS processed for 6 min showed the best responses regarding the metabolism of L. casei NRRL B-442. The results showed high-intensity ultrasound processed acerola juices containing gluco-oligosaccharides and dextran as a prebiotic food.     

Reproductive tract disease in Irish grazing dairy cows: Retrospective observational study examining its association with reproductive performance and accuracy of 2 diagnostic tests

The detection of reproductive tract disease (RTD) 3 wk postpartum is important because of its effect on subsequent reproductive outcomes. Numerous methods for the diagnosis of RTD are described, some of which are more practical and instantaneous in terms of diagnosis. Two of these methods involve identification of purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) and evidence of ultrasonographic uterine changes indicative of endometritis (UE). The objectives of our retrospective observational study were (1) to assess the association of PVD or UE score at the prebreeding examination (PBE) with the hazard of pregnancy within the subsequent breeding season; (2) to determine the test sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) at the point of sampling of both tests using a Bayesian latent class model; and (3) to determine the effect of varying positivity thresholds on test accuracy. To achieve these objectives, we analyzed an initial data set of 5,049 PBE from 2,460 spring-calved cows in 8 herds between 2014 and 2018. Each PBE was conducted once between 25 and 86 d in milk. At each PBE, vaginal discharge was obtained with a Metricheck device (Simcro) whereas uterine contents were assessed using transrectal ultrasonography. Purulent vaginal discharge was scored on a scale of 0 to 3 depending on discharge character, and UE was scored on a scale of 0 to 4 depending on the presence and consistency of intraluminal fluid. Cows with scores of ≥2 in either test had received treatment. Fertility data were available from 4,756 PBE after data exclusion. The association between PVD or UE score at the PBE and subsequent hazard of pregnancy was analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model. Cows with a PVD score of 2 or 3 were less likely to conceive than cows with a PVD score 0 [score 2 hazard ratio (HR) = 0.74; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.59–0.94; score 3 HR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.51–0.84]. Cows with a UE score of 1, 2, 3, or 4 were less likely to conceive than cows with a UE score of 0 (score 1 HR = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.73–0.93; score 2 HR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.62–1.00; score 3 HR = 0.43; 95% CI: 0.43–0.90; score 4 HR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.26–0.58). To determine the Se and Sp of PVD or UE score for diagnosis of RTD at the time of PBE, a Bayesian latent class model was fitted on 2,460 individual cow PBE. Flat priors were used for the Se and Sp of UE, whereas informative priors were used for PVD Se (mode = 65%, 5th percentile = 45%) and Sp (mode = 90%, 5th percentile = 80%) and RTD prevalence (mode = 20%, 5th percentile = 10%). Posterior estimates (median and 95% Bayesian probability intervals; BPI) were obtained using ‘rjags' (R Studio). The optimal test thresholds (PVD and UE score ≥1) were selected by assessing the effect of different thresholds on test estimates and using a misclassification cost analysis. Based on these, median (95% BPI) Se for PVD and UE score ≥1 were 44% (29–60%) and 67% (33–100%), respectively. Median Sp for PVD and UE score ≥1 were 90% (86–93%) and 91% (86–93%), respectively. Higher scores in both tests were associated with impaired fertility, and UE scoring with a threshold of ≥1 had the highest test Se and Sp estimates although test Se was conditional on days in milk when the PBE occurred.     

Scallops as a new source of food protein: high-intensity ultrasonication improved stability of oil-in-water emulsion stabilised by myofibrillar protein

In this study, the effect of high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) (200 and 400 W for 0, 5, 10 and 15 min respectively) on conformational changes, physicochemical, rheological and emulsifying properties of scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) myofibrillar protein (SMP) was investigated. HIUS-treated SMP had lower α-helix content and higher β-sheet content compared with the native SMP. HIUS treatment induced the unfolding of SMP and increased the surface hydrophobicity. The particle size of SMP decreased and the absolute zeta-potential increased after ultrasonication, which in turn increased the solubility of SMP. The conformational changes and the improvement of physicochemical properties of SMP increased the ability for SMP to lower the interfacial tension at the oil–water interface and increased the percentage of adsorbed protein. As a result, the emulsifying properties, rheological properties of SMP and storage stability of emulsions were also improved. In conclusion, HIUS treatment has future potential for improving the emulsifying properties of SMP.     

Stable power supply of an independent power source for a remote island using a Hybrid Energy Storage System composed of electric and hydrogen energy storage systems

We propose a self-sustaining power supply system consisting of a “Hybrid Energy Storage System (HESS)” and renewable energy sources to ensure a stable supply of high-quality power in remote islands. The configuration of the self-sustaining power supply system that can utilize renewable energy sources effectively on remote islands where the installation area is limited is investigated. It is found that it is important to select renewable energy sources whose output power curve is close to the load curve to improve the efficiency of the system. The operation methods that can increase the cost-effectiveness of the self-sustaining power supply system are also investigated. It is clarified that it is important for increasing the cost effectiveness of the self-sustaining power supply system to operate the HESS with a smaller capacity of its components by setting upper limits on the output power of the renewable energy sources and cutting the infrequent generated power.     

IRS辅助的SWIPT系统中基于能效优先的波束成形设计与优化

以智能反射面(intelligent reflecting surface,IRS)辅助的无线携能通信(simultaneous wireless information and power transfer,SWIPT)系统为背景,研究了该系统中基于能效优先的多天线发送端有源波束成形与IRS无源波束成形联合设计与优化方法。以最大化接收端的最小能效为优化目标,构造在发送端功率、接收端能量阈值、IRS相移等多约束下的非线性优化问题,用交替方向乘子法(alternating direction method of multipliers,ADMM)求解。采用Dinkelbach算法转化目标函数,通过奇异值分解(singular value decomposition,SVD)和半定松弛(semi-definite relaxation,SDR)得到发送端有源波束成形向量。采用SDR得到IRS相移矩阵与反射波束成形向量。结果表明,该系统显著降低了系统能量收集(energy harvesting,EH)接收端的能量阈值。当系统总电路功耗为?15 dBm时,所提方案的用户能效为300 KB/J。当IRS反射阵源数与发送天线数均为最大值时,系统可达最大能效。     

Systematic analysis and multi-objective optimization of an integrated power and freshwater production cycle

This study represents the results of the analysis and optimization of an integrated system for cogenerating electricity and freshwater. This setup consists of a Solid Oxide Fuel cell (SOFC) for producing electricity. Unburned fuel of the SOFC is burned in the afterburner to increase the temperature of the SOFC's outlet gasses and operate a Gas turbine (GT) to produce additional power and operate the air compressor. At the bottom of this cycle, a combined setup of a Multi-Effect Desalination (MED) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) is considered to produce freshwater from the unused heat capacity of the GT's exhaust gasses. Also, a Stirling engine is used in the fuel supply line to increase the fuel's temperature. Using LNG and the Stirling engine will replace the fuel compressor with a pump which increases the system performance and eliminates the need for the expansion valve. To study the system performance a mathematical model is developed in Engineering Equation Solver (EES) program. Then, the system's simulated data from the EES has been sent to MATLAB to promote the best operating condition based on the optimization criteria. An energetic, exergetic, economic, and environmental analysis has been performed and a Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) is used to achieve the goal. The two-objective optimization is performed to maximize the exergetic efficiency of the proposed system while minimizing the system's total cost of production. This cost is a weighted distribution of the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) and Levelized Cost of freshwater (LCOW). The results showed that the exergetic and energetic efficiencies of the system can reach 73.5% and 69.06% at the optimum point. The total electricity production of the system is 99 MW. The production cost is 11.71 Cents/kWh, of which 1.04 Cents/kWh is emission-related and environmental taxes. The freshwater production rate is 42.44 kg/s which costs 4.38 USD/m³.     

多堆厂址始发事件分析探讨

多堆厂址一级概率安全评价（PSA）研究中，机组数目的增加使得建模工作量剧增，给整个核电厂的风险评估带来困难。结合已有基础，本文研究了多堆厂址始发事件分析的筛选方法，提出利用堆芯损伤频率（CDF）上下限值评估方法，分析厂址内不同机组数对厂址CDF的影响。结果表明，双机组厂址适合优先进行具体分析。针对双机组核电站，对多堆厂址内各始发事件进行筛选。结果表明，丧失厂外电、丧失热阱等事件适合建模分析，并对其他筛选结果给出后续分析建议，为多堆厂址一级PSA后续事故序列建模工作提供了重要基础。     

Bioinspired Triboelectric Soft Robot Driven by Mechanical Energy

A sustainable power source is a key technical challenge for practical applications of electrically responsive soft robots, especially the required voltage is over several thousand volts. Here, a practicable new technology, triboelectric soft robot (TESR) system with the primary characteristics of power source from mechanical energy, is developed. At its heart is TESR with bioinspired architectures made of soft-deformable body and two triboelectric adhesion feet, which is driven and accurately controlled through triboelectric effect, while reaching maximum crawling speeds of 14.9 mm s⁻¹ on the acrylic surface. The characteristics of the TESR, including displacement and force, are tested and simulated under the power of a rotary freestanding triboelectric nanogenerator (RF-TENG). Crawling of TESR is successfully realized on different materials surfaces and different angle slopes under the driven of RF-TENG. Furthermore, a real-time visual monitoring platform, in which TESR carries a micro camera to transmit images in a long narrow tunnel, is also achieved successfully, indicating that it can be used for fast diagnosis in an area inaccessible to human beings in the future. This study offers a new insight into the sustainable power source technologies suitable for electrically responsive soft robots and contributes to expanding the applicability of TENGs.     

Impact of high-intensity ultrasound on physical properties and degree of oxidation of lipase modified menhaden oil with caprylic acid and/or stearic acid

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) on physical properties, degree of oxidation, and oxidative stability of structured lipids (SLs). Caprylic acid (C) and stearic acid (S) were incorporated into menhaden oil using Lipozyme® 435 lipase to obtain five samples: (1) LC 20 (menhaden oil with 20% of C), (2) LC 30 (menhaden oil with 30% C), (3) LS 20 (menhaden oil with 20% S), (4) LS 30 (menhaden oil with 30% S), and (5) Blend C (menhaden oil with 16.24% C and 13.04% S). Samples were crystallized for 90 min at the following temperatures: (1) LC 20 at 15.5°C, (2) LC 30 at 17.5°C, (3) LS 20 at 24°C, (4) LS 30 at 30°C, and (5) Blend C at 18.0°C, and HIU was applied at the onset of crystallization. Physical properties, degree of oxidation, and oxidative stability were evaluated in sonicated and nonsonicated samples. All SLs had statistically higher G′ after sonication. Sonicated LS 30, LC 30, and Blend C had a higher melting enthalpy than the nonsonicated ones, while enthalpy values in sonicated LS 20 and LC 20 samples were not statistically different than the nonsonicated ones. No significant difference between sonicated and nonsonicated samples was observed in peroxide values (1.2 ± 0.1 meq/kg, p > 0.05) and in the oxidative stability index (6.3 ± 0.2 h, p > 0.05). These results showed that HIU was effective at changing physical properties without affecting the oxidation of the samples.     

井下供电监控及防越级跳闸系统运用分析

以井下供电监控及防越级跳闸运用为对象开展探究。在分析矿井供电系统运行中现存主要问题的基础上,对供电监控与防越级跳闸系统整体应用的积极意义进行了分析和总结,希望能够让更多矿井技术人员了解供电监控及防越级跳闸系统的优越性,为其在矿井中的广泛推广普及提供便利,为煤矿行业更加高效地发展提供帮助。