Probiotics: An emerging food supplement with health benefits

Probiotics are among the important functional foods. They comprise approximately 65% of the world functional food market. Probiotic products are foods, which improve intestinal microflora and support good health of the consumer. The live bacteria present in the probiotic products are lactic acid bacteria, including Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria and Enterococci. Apart from health claims and maintenance of intestinal microflora, they protect against infections, alleviate lactose intolerance, reduce blood cholesterol levels and also stimulate the immune system. The interactive research between physiology, microbiology, food technology and molecular biology followed by clinical trials may produce a multi-functional probiotic strain for human consumption.     

Determination of deuterium site occupancy in ZrCoD3 and its role in improved durability of Zr–Co–Ni deuterides against disproportionation

In the present study, we have for the first time reported the occupancy of deuterium in a new interstitial site of ZrCoD₃ which explain the hydrogen induced disproportionation behavior of ZrCo alloy. We have also reported the effect of Ni substitution on interstitial site occupancy of deuterium in ZrCo_1−xNi_xD₃, which in turn explains the improved durability of these Ni substituted deuterides against disproportionation. The crystal structure of the ZrCo_1−xNi_x (x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) deuterides was investigated by X-ray powder diffraction and neutron diffraction methods. The XRD data reveals a single phase formation for all deuterides with varying Ni content (x). The neutron diffraction study shows that deuterium occupies a new site 8e in addition to 4c₂ and 8f₁. Additionally, the Zr–D distance in 8e site is shorter than that in ZrD₂. Therefore, increase in 8e site occupancy will in turn decreases the durability against disproportionation and vice-versa. Furthermore, the neutron diffraction reveals that occupancy of new 8e site decreases and its Zr–D distance increases with increase in Ni content, which explicate the higher durability against disproportionation for Ni rich compound.     

Lean manufacturing as a high-performance work system: the case of Cochlear

This paper addresses the Special Issue call for Australian examples of innovative management systems that enable the production of successful products by drawing on a single case study: medical device manufacturer Cochlear. Through qualitative case study methodology, we examine the human resource management practices that complemented the implementation of lean manufacturing principles. We argue that in their implementation, Cochlear’s management team enriched the traditional understanding of lean and its focus on waste reduction, low cost and quality assurance by adopting people management practices as an integrated component of the overall management capability which allowed their people to grow and develop. The combination of lean and HR practices transformed Cochlear to a high-performance work system and positively impacted production processes and output. By examining a medical device manufacturer, an under-researched sector, our paper expands existing literature on lean manufacturing and provides implications for practitioners.     

Engineering Catalytically Active Sites by Sculpting Artificial Edges on MoS2 Basal Plane for Dinitrogen Reduction at a Low Overpotential

Engineering catalytically active sites have been a challenge so far and often relies on optimization of synthesis routes, which can at most provide quantitative enhancement of active facets, however, cannot provide control over choosing orientation, geometry and spatial distribution of the active sites. Artificially sculpting catalytically active sites via laser-etching technique can provide a new prospect in this field and offer a new species of nanocatalyst for achieving superior selectivity and attaining maximum yield via absolute control over defining their location and geometry of every active site at a nanoscale precision. In this work, a controlled protocol of artificial surface engineering is shown by focused laser irradiation on pristine MoS₂ flakes, which are confirmed as catalytic sites by electrodeposition of AuNPs. The preferential Au deposited catalytic sites are found to be electrochemically active for nitrogen adsorption and its subsequent reduction due to the S-vacancies rather than Mo-vacancy, as advocated by DFT analysis. The catalytic performance of Au-NR/MoS₂ shows a high yield rate of ammonia (11.43 × 10⁻⁸ mol s⁻¹ cm⁻²) at a potential as low as −0.1 V versus RHE and a notable Faradaic efficiency of 13.79% during the electrochemical nitrogen reduction in 0.1 m HCl.     

In Situ TEM observation of the gasification and growth of carbon nanotubes using iron catalysts

We report the in situ transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation of the catalytic gasification and growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). It was found that iron catalysts can consume the CNTs when pumping out the precursor gas, acetylene, at the growth temperature, and reinitiate the growth when acetylene is re-introduced. The switching between gasification and growth of CNTs can be repeated many times with the same catalyst. To understand the phenomenon, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled with mass spectroscopy was used to study the mechanism involved. It was shown that the residual water molecules in the growth chamber of the TEM react with and remove carbon atoms of CNTs as carbon monoxide vapor under the action of the catalyst, when the precursor gas is pumped out. This result contributes to a better understanding of the water-assisted and oxygen-assisted synthesis of CNT arrays, and provides useful clues on how to extend the lifetime and improve the activity of the catalysts.      

Effect of Ni doping on the microstructure and high Curie temperature ferromagnetism in sol–gel derived titania powders

Undoped, 0.05 and 0.5 mol% Ni-doped TiO₂ powders were prepared by a modified sol–gel route. The doping effects on the microstructure and magnetism for the powdered samples have been systematically investigated. Doping of Ni in TiO₂ inhibited rutile crystal growth. The probable reason for this is discussed on the basis of band calculation based analysis of electronic structures of 3d transition metal-doped TiO₂ and the energetic, transformation kinetics and phase stability of anatase over rutile as the function of particle size. Room temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) with the saturation magnetization of 12 m emu g⁻¹ and Curie temperature as high as 820 K is observed only in case of 0.05 mol% Ni:TiO₂ powdered sample, whereas undoped TiO₂ was diamagnetic and 0.5 mol% Ni:TiO₂ was paramagnetic in nature. The role of any magnetic impurity or any Ni metal in the origin of the RTFM has been ruled out by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution TEM (HRTEM) analysis, whereas magnetic force microscopy (MFM) established the presence of magnetic domains, supporting the intrinsic diluted magnetic semiconductor behavior. The observed ferromagnetism has been attributed to the spin ordering through exchange interaction between holes trapped in oxygen orbitals adjacent to Ni substitutional sites.     

In situ observations of catalyst dynamics during surface-bound carbon nanotube nucleation

We present atomic-scale, video-rate environmental transmission electron microscopy and in situ time-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of surface-bound catalytic chemical vapor deposition of single-walled carbon nanotubes and nanofibers. We observe that transition metal catalyst nanoparticles on SiOx support show crystalline lattice fringe contrast and high deformability before and during nanotube formation. A single-walled carbon nanotube nucleates by lift-off of a carbon cap. Cap stabilization and nanotube growth involve the dynamic reshaping of the catalyst nanocrystal itself. For a carbon nanofiber, the graphene layer stacking is determined by the successive elongation and contraction of the catalyst nanoparticle at its tip.