Elevated Cr(VI) reduction in a biocathode microbial fuel cell without acclimatization inversion based on strain Corynebacterium vitaeruminis LZU47-1

Biocathode application in microbial fuel cell has been developed as a sustainable technology for heavy metal reduction. However, most biocathodes require pretreatment with acclimatization inversion. Here, a biocathode MFC based on strain Corynebacterium vitaeruminis LZU47-1 without acclimatization inversion was constructed for hexavalent chromium reduction. The maximum power generation by the biocathode MFC with C. vitaeruminis LZU47-1 increased by 24.5% and 53.4% in inversion and abiotic cathode groups, respectively. Compared with the inversion (72.52%) and abiotic cathode groups (64.75%), the biocathode group achieved a Cr(VI) removal efficiency of 98.63%. Furthermore, electrochemical analysis such as SEM-EDS, XPS and CV test were conducted to elucidate the adsorption-reduction mechanism for Cr(VI) reduction. MiSeq sequencing revealed that Geobacter (51.28%) was enriched on the anode biofilm in the biocathode group than inversion (38.52%) and abiotic cathode groups (31.74%). Therefore, this study provides a convenient and highly effective method for enhancing power output and Cr(VI) reduction in biocathode MFCs.     

Learning-detailed 3D face reconstruction based on convolutional neural networks from a single image

Neural Computing and Applications - The efficiency of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) facilitates 3D face reconstruction, which takes a single image as an input and demonstrates significant...     

GPU-based embedded edge server configuration and offloading for a neural network service

The Journal of Supercomputing - Recently, emerging edge computing technology has been proposed as a new paradigm that compensates for the disadvantages of the current cloud computing. In...     

An end-to-end deep learning model for human activity recognition from highly sparse body sensor data in Internet of Medical Things environment

The Journal of Supercomputing - Recognizing human activity from highly sparse body sensor data is becoming an important problem in Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) industry. As IoMT currently uses...     

Effect of temperature on fatty acid composition in the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): A temperature dependent nutritive lipid profile

In this study, the effects of temperature on the fatty acids profile and the effects of temperature on the degree of unsaturation of fatty acids of Oreochromis niloticus were investigated. The analysis was performed by gas chromatography. The study showed that there were large temperature variations (10.0–32.0°C) during the study period (January–December). The highest crude fat content was found in January (3380 mg/100 g) and the lowest in June (2050 mg/100 g). The fatty acids profile showed significantly different diversity (p < 0.05). Total saturated fatty acid (∑SFA) content ranged from 409.54 to 1297.61 mg/100 g, monounsaturated fatty acid (∑MUFA) from 207.68 to 665.81 mg/100 g, and polyunsaturated fatty acid (∑PUFA) from 175.12 to 972.23 mg/100 g. The ∑MUFA and ∑PUFA concentrations were highest in January and lowest in June, and the ∑SFA concentration was lowest in January and highest in June. EPA and DHA contents were highest in January (198.96 mg/100 g) and lowest in June (48.76 mg/100 g). The contents of omega-3 (653.17 mg/100 g) and omega-6 fatty acids (252.54 mg/100 g) were highest in January and lowest in June (ω-3; 106.43 and ω-6; 60.91 mg/100 g). It concluded that the degree of unsaturation of fatty acids increases with decreasing temperature. In this study, the nutritional quality of the FAs profile was assessed using lipid quality indices. The indices indicating dietary quality of lipids by their values: Atherogenic index (0.47), thrombogenic index (0.38), hypocholesterolemic to hypercholesterolemic (3.00), meat fat quality (6.78), ω6/ω3 ratio (0.39), PUFA/SFA (2.37), MUFA/SFA (1.62), PUFA/MUFA (1.46), and PUFA + MUFA/SFA (3.99). These values are within the recommended range, indicating that the lipid profile of O. niloticus has high nutritional quality, which can be further improved by harvesting the fish during the winter season. Due to the nutritional importance of O. niloticus, the culture of this species could have significant interest to the people of Karachi, especially the coastal communities. To promote the nutritional diet in local population, the government should support the aquaculture of Nile tilapia.     

Effects of Maillard reaction on physicochemical and functional properties of walnut protein isolate

Food Science and Biotechnology - In this study, the Maillard reaction (MR) of glucose was applied to improve the physicochemical and functional properties of walnut protein isolate (WNPI). The MR...     

Oil/fat blending strategy for improving milk fat globule membrane stability and its effect on fatty acid composition

This study examined the effect of blending with cumin essential oil (CEO) on the stabilisation of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) emulsions, as well as the particle migration rate, fatty acid composition and phospholipid content after pasteurisation. Blending the MFGM with 20% CEO at pH 6.6 (CM4) led to a decrease in the creaming rate. With increasing CEO ratio, the creaming measurements increased to a 30 mm height with 20% CEO at pH 5.5 (CM3) from 25 mm with 10% CEO at pH 5.5 (CM2). The CM4 migration rate was 0.55 mm/h, and this sample showed no significant forward movement during implementation. The droplet size increased with increasing CEO ratio from 1.69 to 2.07 µm. A total of 20% CEO at pH 6.6 (CM4) was the best blending condition for MFGM stabilisation. This study showed enhanced creaming rate and droplet size, indicating greater destabilisation of the MFGM emulsion, when the CEO ratio was increased.     

Soft‐template synthesis of high surface area mesoporous titanium dioxide for dye‐sensitized solar cells

In the present work, 10 to 14 nm titania nanoparticles with high‐packing density are synthesized by the soft‐template method using a range of cationic surfactants including cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide (DTAB). The synthesized nanoparticles are used as a photoanode material in dye solar cells. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations reproduce our experimental results of charge transfer and strong interaction between the TiO₂ and N719. N719‐TiO₂ complex establishes strong electrostatic bonding through H of the dye with the O of TiO₂ surface. Solar cell efficiency of 6.08% with 12.63 mA/cm², 793 mV, and 48.5% for short circuit current density, open circuit voltage, and fill factor, respectively, are obtained under 1 sun illumination for the dye‐sensitized solar cell (DSSC) using a film of mesoporous TiO₂ synthesized from the SDS surfactant. On the other hand, the 21 nm commercial TiO₂ powder (P25) device results in 4.60% efficiency under similar conditions. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopic studies show that the SDS device has lesser charge transport resistance than the other devices because of its higher surface area, packing density, and dye loading capacity. Our results show that employing high packing density‐based TiO₂ nanoparticles represents a commercially viable approach for highly beneficial photoanode development for future DSSC applications.