Solid state reaction synthesis and photoluminescence properties of Dy3+ doped NaGd(MoO4)2 phosphor

Dy³⁺ doped NaGd(MoO₄)₂ phosphors were synthesized by a traditional solid-state reaction route using NH₄HF₂ as a flux. The influence of calcination temperature on the crystal structure and spectral properties was studied, and the optimum calcination temperature for producing Dy³⁺ doped NaGd(MoO₄)₂ phosphor was experimentally confirmed. The concentration quenching of Dy³⁺ fluorescence and excitation-wavelength dependent spectroscopic properties were studied. On the base of both the Van Uitert's and I-H models, the electric dipole–dipole (D–D) interaction was ascribed to be the main physical mechanism responsible for energy transfer between Dy³⁺ ions. It was also discovered that the color coordinates of the Dy³⁺ doped NaGd(MoO₄)₂ phosphor depends on the Dy³⁺ doping concentration and the excitation wavelength.     

Insight into biochar properties and its cost analysis

Biochars (BCs) are widely produced and used for the remediation of environmental contaminants as bio-sorbents. In this review, statistical analysis of different BC physico–chemical properties was conducted. It was observed that woody materials are the most suitable for preparing BCs, among many other potential raw materials such as food wastes and agricultural materials. Currently BCs are produced through a variety of thermal treatment processes between 300 and 900 °C, among which slow pyrolysis is widely used due to its moderate operating conditions and optimization of BC yields. Hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) is also an effective approach for BC production under certain conditions. As pyrolysis temperature is increased, the carbon content, ash content, surface area, and pore volume tend to be increased while the yield, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen content, and H/C and O/C molar ratios tend to decrease. The economic feasibility of BCs depends on a range of factors from raw material price to efficient production technologies. Thus, the overall cost equation of a pilot BC production plant together with the cost equation for BC regeneration has been proposed. The future research directions of BCs are also elaborated.     

Solution of the point reactor kinetics equations with temperature feedback by the ITS2 method

The ITS2 method is used to solve the point-reactor kinetics equations in the integral formulation with arbitrary number of delayed neutron groups and Newtonian temperature feedback. The method is based on low-order Taylor series expansions of neutron density and reactivity functions and uses variable time steps to control the numerical instabilities resulting from the stiff nature of the governing equations. Time steps are determined through an analytic criterion relating their magnitudes to the maximum admissible truncation error in the neutron-density expansion series. Temperature feedback is included in the reactivity as a function of the neutron density for different input types, including step change with adiabatic temperature feedback and compensated ramp functions. An iterative procedure is applied to determine the time steps while simultaneously updating the reactivity function. Numerical results show the ITS2 method is highly accurate for solving point reactor dynamics problems with temperature feedback.     

Fe7S8/FeS2/C as an efficient catalyst for electrocatalytic water splitting

Exploring effective bi-functional catalysts is of great significance to enhance the electrochemical activity for overall water splitting. To date, Fe₇S₈ has been rarely reported to realize electrochemical overall water splitting because of its intrinsic poor conductivity. In this paper, Fe₇S₈/FeS₂ heterostructured nanosheets with interface structures and defect sites are prepared via a facile hydrothermal method. Fe₇S₈/FeS₂/C electrocatalysts are constructed through the addition of carbon powder to weaken the electron transfer barrier. As expected, Fe₇S₈/FeS₂/C requires the overpotential of 262 mV and 198 mV to reach 10 mA/cm² toward oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction, respectively. Moreover, Fe₇S₈/FeS₂/C attains a voltage of 1.67 V at 10 mA/cm² and maintains long-term stability for 24 h toward overall water splitting in a two-electrode system. The excellent activity can be related to interface structures and surface defect sites, which boost the charge transfer rate owing to the rich active sites.     

Logistics cost analysis of rice straw pellets for feasible production capacity and spatial scale in heat utilization systems: A case study in Nanporo town,Hokkaido, Japan

Rice straw is a promising renewable energy source because it is abundantly available in Asia. This study conducted a case study of logistics cost analysis for rice straw pellets by considering all stages in the supply chain to define the main factors affecting the selling price of rice straw pellets: collection (job-commission or employment of part-time workers), transportation, storage (vinyl greenhouses or storage buildings with larger capacity), pelletizing, and delivery to users with biomass boilers. The selling price was found to be strongly dependent on the production capacity because the investment cost for the pellet production facility had a significant effect of economies of scale. A production capacity of larger than 1500 t y⁻¹ is required for rice straw pellets to compete with wood pellets and fossil fuels in the studied Japanese context if the subsidy rate for the investment is 50%, part-time workers conduct the collection, and rice straw is stored in the storage buildings. Our sensitivity analysis also showed an economically feasible spatial scale: for example, rice straw should be collected within a 20 km radius and the users should be within a 38 km radius when the production capacity is 1500 t y⁻¹. In addition, other critical factors related to the collection of rice straw from the paddy fields and transportation of rice straw rolls to storage were identified as planning factors to further reduce the total logistics cost of rice straw pellets.     

Contribution of green labels in electricity retail markets to fostering renewable energy

In European countries, retailers are obliged to disclose the energy source and the related environmental impacts of their portfolio over the preceding year. The electricity supplied in the Dutch retail market is presented as renewable energy for 34%, but this relatively high share is for 69% based on certificates (Guarantees of Origin) which are imported from in particular Norway. The certificates are used to sell green electricity to consumers. The premium for green electricity which is actually paid by Dutch consumers is no more than a few percentages of the retail price. The low level of this premium is related to the abundant supply of certificates at low marginal costs from Norway. This also means that the premium for green electricity is too low to give an incentive for investments in new capacity. Hence, the current labelling system for renewable electricity is mainly valuable, besides being an instrument for tracking and tracing of renewable energy, as a marketing instrument for electricity retailers. The effectiveness of Guarantees of Origin as a policy instrument to foster renewable electricity sources is weak. This effectiveness can be raised by implementing restrictions on the international trade or the issuance of new certificates.     

The effect of pectin concentration and degree of methyl-esterification on the in vitro bioaccessibility of β-carotene-enriched emulsions

Soluble fibers, like pectin, are known to influence the physicochemical processes during the digestion of dietary fat and may therefore affect the absorption of lipophilic micronutrients such as carotenoids. The objective of the current work was to investigate whether the pectin concentration and degree of methyl-esterification (DM) influence the bioaccessibility of carotenoids loaded in the oil phase of oil-in-water emulsions. The in vitro β-carotene bioaccessibility was determined for different oil-in-water emulsions in which 1 or 2% citrus pectin with a DM of 99%, 66% and 14% was present. Results show that pectin concentration and DM influence the initial emulsion properties. The most stable emulsions with the smallest oil droplets (D(v,0.9) of 15–16 μm) were obtained when medium or high methyl-esterified pectin was present in a 2% concentration while gel-like pectin structures (D(v,0.9) of 114 μm), entrapping oil droplets, were observed in the case where low methyl-esterified pectin was present in the aqueous emulsion phase. During in vitro stomach digestion, these gel-like structures, entrapping β-carotene loaded oil droplets, significantly enlarged (D(v,0.9) of 738 μm), whereas the emulsion structure could be preserved when the medium or high methyl-esterified pectin was present. Initial emulsion viscosity differences, due to pectin concentration and especially due to pectin DM, largely disappeared during in vitro digestion, but were still significant after the stomach digestion phase. The observed differences in emulsion structure before and during in vitro digestion only resulted in a significant difference between emulsions containing low methyl-esterified pectin (β-carotene bioaccessibility of 33–37%) and medium/high methyl-esterified pectin (β-carotene bioaccessibility of 56–62%).     

Controlled transglutaminase treatment in Edam cheese-making

Transglutaminase (TG) has been widely used in the dairy industry to increase product yield. However, it has not been used in the production of ripened cheeses because of the difficulty of controlling TG activity. It was observed that cross-linking of TG in ultrafiltration retentate could be controlled using a protein standardisation step. TG increased the cheese yield 4%, due to an increase in the moisture content of the cheeses. Traditionally, increased cheese moisture reduces hardness of cheese, but this was not observed in the cheese from TG-treated milk. Furthermore, the organoleptic properties of the TG-cheeses did not differ significantly from those of the control cheeses. No differences were observed in the protein profile of the whey fraction as a result of the TG treatment. The protein standardisation process thus makes it possible to use TG in the production of Edam cheese.     

Recent advances in the design,development, and targeting mechanisms of polymeric micelles for delivery of siRNA in cancer therapy

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a relatively novel nucleic acid-based therapy to treat diseases such as cancer. Nevertheless, substantial obstacles to its clinical applications have been reported, such as low cellular uptake, immunogenicity, off-target effects, and instability in physiological environments. The design of appropriate delivery vehicles capable of transporting siRNA to target cells has been pursued. Nanoparticles are extensively studied for the delivery of siRNA. Among the various nanocarriers, polymeric micelles have recently gained strong interest. Polymeric micelles of average nanometer size are straightforward to design and modify. Hydrophilic groups incorporated in the polymeric micelles can extend in vivo half-life of siRNA to ensure adequate accumulation in tumors, be exchanged for cations that electrostatically interact with siRNA, and be coupled to various ligands for cell-specific targeting. The polymeric micelle core provides stability and serves as a loading dock for drugs. In this review, the different types of polymers used, the design and characterization of polymeric micelles for siRNA delivery, and the established polymeric micelle targeting mechanisms are discussed.