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Energy blockchain applications are becoming inevitable with the transformation of electricity distribution networks into the decentralized Smart Grid 2.0 architecture. The scalability of the blockchain platform plays a key role in catering to the increasing number of nodes connected due to consumer-turned-prosumers being integrated into the distribution grid in a distributed manner. Hence, this study aims to optimize blockchain utilization for Smart Grid 2.0 applications through a novel consensus mechanism, which eliminates the requirement for performing additional complex computations to mine a new block. The algorithm utilizes the grid monitoring process through the existing smart meters, and thus has been capable of reducing the energy footprint for block mining to a fraction of that of the legacy Proof-of-Work algorithm, and reducing the block creation time by $\sim \lt 60\%$ . The proposed Power Line Monitoring-based Consensus Mechanism (PLMC) algorithm is validated using the Process Analysis Toolkit (PAT). In addition, data collected while monitoring the network for block mining is utilized for power quality measurement purposes.

Hyperammonemia is characterized by the accumulation of ammonia within the bloodstream upon liver injury. Left untreated, hyperammonemia contributes to conditions such as hepatic encephalopathy that have high rates of patient morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have identified gut bacterial urease, an enzyme that converts urea into ammonia, as a major contributor to systemic ammonia levels. Here, we demonstrate use of benurestat, a clinical candidate used against ureolytic organisms in encrusted uropathy, to inhibit urease activity in gut bacteria. Benurestat inhibits ammonia production by urease-encoding gut bacteria and is effective against individual microbes and complex gut microbiota. When administered to conventional mice with liver injury induced by thioacetamide exposure, benurestat reduced gut and serum ammonia levels and rescued 100% of mice from lethal acute liver injury. Overall, this study provides an important proof-of-concept for modulating host ammonia levels and microbiota-driven risks for hyperammonemia with gut microbiota-targeted small-molecule inhibitors.