Densely Functionalized Cyanographene Bypasses Aqueous Electrolytes and Synthetic Limitations Toward Seamless Graphene/β‐FeOOH Hybrids for Supercapacitors

Supercapacitors are a promising energy storage technology owing to their unparalleled power and lifetime. However, to meet the continuously rising demands of energy storage, they must be equipped with higher energy densities. For this purpose, the seamless integration of metal oxides on carbon matrices, such as iron oxides/oxyhydroxides, has been pursued through hydrothermal, atomic layer and electro‐deposition methods directly on current collectors. Nevertheless, such methods present limited compatibility with commercial paste‐coating processes on the current collectors. Furthermore, iron oxides/oxyhydroxides lack conductivity and are hydrophilic, operating with low‐voltage aqueous electrolytes, limiting their power and energy and requiring corrosion‐resistant H₂O current collectors. To mitigate these challenges, a seamless and paste‐ready material is successfully developed through a 15 min wet‐chemical method, via the coordination of ultrasmall β‐FeOOH (akaganéite) nanoparticles to the nitrile groups of a covalent graphene derivative. Endowed with graphene‐like impedance response and very high wettability in organic electrolytes, combined high power and energy densities are obtained, with respect to the total mass of both electrode materials and current collectors, overcoming the identified challenges. This offers future prospects for the exploration of alternative molecular handles for improved interfaces and their application in different energy‐storage chemistries.     

Cytoskeleton Elements Contribute to Prion Peptide-Induced Endothelial Barrier Breakdown in a Blood–Brain Barrier In Vitro System

The mechanisms involved in the interaction of PrP 106-126, a peptide corresponding to the prion protein amyloidogenic region, with the blood–brain barrier (BBB) were studied. PrP 106-126 treatment that was previously shown to impair BBB function, reduced cAMP levels in cultured brain endothelial cells, increased nitric oxide (NO) levels, and changed the activation mode of the small GTPases Rac1 (inactivation) and RhoA (activation). The latter are well established regulators of endothelial barrier properties that act via cytoskeletal elements. Indeed, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based proteomic profiling study revealed extensive changes in expression of cytoskeleton-related proteins. These results shed light on the nature of the interaction between the prion peptide PrP 106-126 and the BBB and emphasize the importance of the cytoskeleton in endothelium response to prion- induced stress.     

降胆固醇乳酸菌的筛选及其益生元干预生长作用分析

本研究从传统自然发酵的酵素饮品中分离筛选出一株高效降胆固醇菌株,该菌株具有较好的胆盐耐受性和耐酸能力。在pH3的酸性环境下,耐酸率为71.53%,该菌株能够长时间耐受胆盐环境,培养16h的胆盐耐受率为42.09%。以二甲苯为吸附剂,疏水率为35.91%,有较好的黏附特性;益生元不仅能够促进菌株生长,而且可显著提高降胆固醇能力。4种益生元中乳果糖促进生物量增加幅度最大,培养至16 h时生物量达到最高。乳果糖对菌株产酸性能影响最显著,pH值可降至3.56,胆固醇去除率达41.10%。该菌株对菊粉的利用率低,说明菌株对不同益生元具有选择性代谢。菌株经形态学观察和16S rDNA鉴定为副干酪乳杆菌,并命名为Lactobacillus paracasei S0940。本研究为进一步研究体内降脂能力以及开发功能性乳酸菌食品提供理论依据。     

Use of Regression Models for Analyzing Highway Storm-Water Loads

Storm-water data collected from an expressway in the Austin, Tex. area were used to develop regression models for predicting loads for a number of constituents commonly found in highway runoff. The goal of the model development was to identify the processes that affect the quality of highway runoff. Linear regression was selected as the most appropriate technique for analyzing the data because of its ability to identify constituent specific causal variables. The regression equations indicate that the majority of variations observed in highway storm-water loading can be explained by causal variables measured during the rainstorm event, the antecedent dry period, and the previous rainstorm event. Loads for each of the constituents were dependent upon a unique subset of the identified variables, indicating that processes responsible for the generation, accumulation, and washoff of storm-water pollutants are constituent specific. Loads of some constituents, such as total suspended solids, were dependent on the characteristics of the current storm, antecedent dry period, and the preceding storm indicating the importance of buildup and washoff processes. Other constituents, such as oil and grease, were dependent only on conditions during the current storm, such as runoff volume and number of vehicles during the event. The identification of constituent-specific explanatory variables suggests the type of mitigation that would be appropriate for specific constituents in non-point-source pollution control.