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The development of high-performance electrolyte is crucial for low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs). Traditional ceria-based materials such as Gd 0.1 Ce 0.9 O 2-δ (GDC) are promising electrolytes in intermediate-temperature range but their performance drop rapidly with decreasing temperature. Recent advances proposed a new concept for SOFC materials design in terms of entropy, indicative of enormous potential. Herein, a medium-entropy ceria-based oxide (Ce 0.25 Sm 0.25 La 0.25 Gd 0.25) 2 O 3-δ (CSLG25) is developed via entropy engineering and evaluated as potential electrolyte for LT-SOFCs by comparing with low-entropy electrolyte GDC. The effects of configuration entropy on crystal structure, oxygen vacancy, electrochemical performance, and proton transport characteristic of the materials are systematically investigated. It is found the CSLG25 cell device exhibits a remarkable power density of 747 mW cm−2 at 520 °C, along with a superionic conductivity of 0.1534 S cm−1. Further study via XPS and Raman technology reveals that the higher entropy of CSLG25 creates more oxygen vacancies and contributes to fast proton transport, which leads to promising fuel cell performance at 430–520 °C. The CSLG25 cell device also delivers the 55.5 h durability performance at 520 °C. This study thus provides a novel electrolyte material for LT-SOFCs and points out a feasible entropy engineering strategy for developing ionic conductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zearalenone (ZEN) is widely found in foodstuffs and has serious harmful effects on female fertility, especially in pigs. Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), a type of anthocyanin, exists in most dark fruits and vegetables; it has many positive dietary effects including as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, or anti-apoptotic agent. However, the beneficial effects of C3G alongside ZEN-induced damage in porcine oocytes and the underlying molecular mechanism have not been investigated. In this work, porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were divided into Control (Ctrl), ZEN, ZEN + C3G (Z + C), and C3G, and treated for 44–46 h in vitro. The results showed that C3G could alleviate ZEN-induced disorders of first polar body (PBI) extrusion, abnormalities of spindle assembly, cortical granule distribution, and mitochondrial distribution; these results were produced via restoring transzonal projections (TZPs), and inhibiting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX4)-dependent oxidative stress and 'glucose regulatory protein 78/protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase/α subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α/activating transcription factor 4/C/EBP-homologous protein' (GRP78/PERK/eIF2α/ATF4/CHOP)-mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) during oocyte maturation. Moreover, the over-expression of NOX4 in cumulus cells could result in a significant increase in ROS levels and ER fluorescence intensity in oocytes. In conclusion, C3G promoted in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes exposed to ZEN via mitigating NOX4-dependent oxidative stress and ERS in cumulus cells. These results contribute to our comprehension of the molecular mechanisms underlying the protective effects of C3G against ZEN toxicity in porcine oocytes, and they provide a novel theoretical foundation and strategy for future applications of C3G in the improvement of female reproduction. [Display omitted] • C3G alleviated ZEN-induced disorders of oocyte nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation. • C3G restored ZEN-induced disorder of intercellular communication. • C3G promoted oocyte maturation via mitigating NOX4-mediated ERS in cumulus cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• C3G could shield apoptosis induced by ZEN, which may be connected with the changes of lncRNA expression profiles in porcine granulosa cells (pGCs). • The DELs were related to cell metabolism and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways. • This study complements our understanding of the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms by which C3G mitigates the toxicity of ZEN in pGCs. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), a class of RNA molecules with transcripts longer than 200 nt, is crucial for maintaining animal reproductive function. Zearalenone (ZEN) damaged animal reproduction by targeting ovarian granulosa cells (GCs), especially in pigs. Nonetheless, it is not quite clear that whether Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) exert effects on porcine GCs (pGCs) after ZEN exposure by altering lncRNA expression. Here, we sought to gain novel information regarding C3G protect against damages induced by ZEN in pGCs. The pGCs were divided into control (Ctrl), ZEN, ZEN + C3G (Z + C), and C3G groups. Results revealed that C3G effectively increased cell viability and suppressed ZEN-induced apoptosis in pGCs. 87 and 82 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) were identified in ZEN vs. Ctrl and Z + C vs. ZEN group, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis observed that the DELs were related to cell metabolism and cell-matrix adhesion biological processes. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis found that the DELs were associated with the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases (PI3K)-protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway. In brief, we demonstrated that C3G could shield apoptosis induced by ZEN, which may be connected with the changes of lncRNA expression profiles in pGCs. This study complemented our understanding of the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms by which C3G mitigated the toxicity of ZEN in pGCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare-earth oxides determine the commercialization and development of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) for all the types, still remining challenges of high cost and low electrochemical performance. Here, we propose an industrial mixed rare-earth oxide fuel cell using the state-of-the-art industrial lanthanum-praseodymium-cerium (La-Pr-Ce, LCP) oxide electrolyte as a proof-of-concept, achieving low-cost and high electrochemical performance. The rare-earth oxides, La 2 O 3 , CeO 2 , PrO 2 and LCP are prepared and studied by oversimplified solid reaction experiments with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The LCP is simplified as La, Pr doped CeO 2 , in which the effects of rare-earth elements doping are concluded as follows: firstly, the Ce4+/Ce3+ redox pairs can be slightly suppressed by La, Pr co-doping; secondly, the bandgap of LCP is decreased to 2.01 eV with enhanced electron conductivity of 7.4 × 10−5 S cm−1, which may originate from Pr-doping. The power density output of industrial mixed rare-earth oxide fuel cells with La 2 O 3 , CeO 2 , PrO 2 and LCP electrolytes achieve 630 mW cm−2, 639 mW cm−2, 469 mW cm−2 and 797 mW cm−2 at 500 °C, respectively, indicating that the LCP electrolyte presents ascendant performance output with the ionic conductivity of 0.248 S cm−1. The industrial mixed rare-earth oxide fuel cells not only broaden the exploit avenue for industrial mixed rare-earth oxides, but also unravel the roadblock for the industrialization of SOFCs at low temperatures below 500 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Solar thermal and PV driven cooling/heating system with double-effect absorption heat pump is proposed. • Optimization against the specific exergo-environmental costs and cost saving ratio is performed. • Equivalent carbon and sulfur emission costs over the life-cycle chain are considered. • The ideal cost for cooling/heating is 1.10 $/kWh and 2.77 $/kWh with a cost saving ratio of 58.9%. • COP of cooling and heating is 4.5 and 1.04. Solar-driven energy systems can effectively reduce the fossil fuel use and pollutant emissions in the built environment. A solar-based cooling and heating (SCH) system employing solar thermal collectors, photovoltaics, a double-effect absorption heat pump, and an electric boiler/chiller is proposed to meet the energy demand of a community. The system and its components are optimized by simultaneously minimizing the specific exergo-environmental cooling/heating costs over the life-cycle and maximizing the cost saving ratio. Compared to the conventional exergo-economic and exergo-environmental optimization methods without life-cycle equivalent emissions, the results show that the system resulting from the proposed method has higher specific costs, or, 1.10 $/kWh for cooling and 2.77 $/kWh for heating, and the corresponding cost saving ratio is >0.02%-unit lower. The coefficient of performance of the hybrid system in the cooling and heating modes are 4.5 and 1.04, respectively. The specific heating cost shows the highest sensitivity against parameter changes. Increasing the capacity of the heat storage and price of grid power would increase the cost saving benefit, while increasing other parameters such as investment cost would decrease the saving ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anesthetic exposure induces learning and memory impairment and the mechanisms remain unknown. Green tea polyphenols(GTP) have been reported to be neuroprotective. The present study was performed to examine the therapeutic potential of GTP on isoflurane-induced cognitive deficits. Six-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were treated with 1.6% isoflurane for 6 hours. Multiple-dose of GTP at 25 mg/kg for 7 consecutive days and single-dose at 75 mg/kg on the 7th day were respectively administered intraperitoneally to model mice before anesthesia. Fear conditioning test and novel objection recognition were conducted to assess cognition of mice. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) was evaluated using assay kits. Protein expression levels of right hippocampus p-CaMKII, p-CREB and BDNF were examined by Western blot. Our results indicated that 6 h isoflurane anesthesia induced cognitive impairment in early 3 days. Meanwhile, the hippocampus SOD declined in step. The expression levels of p-CaMKII, p-CREB and BDNF were also downregulated. GTP 25mg/kg per day significantly attenuated cognitive dysfunction on Day 3 following isoflurane anesthesia. Moreover, GTP 25mg/kg per day effectively mitigated isodlurane-induced declines of SOD, as well as the p-CaMKII, p-CREB and BDNF levels. However, single-dose at 75 mg/kg of GTP had no significant effects. This study indicated that GTP attenuate isoflurane-induced cognition impairment and this positive effects may be related to its antioxidant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food polysaccharides are referred to the polysaccharides that have been approved for industrial usage in formulating food products, where they are generally utilized to boost the textural attributes of the foods. In this regard, the applications of food polysaccharides are dependent on their physicochemical properties, such as hydration, gelation , emulsification , thickening properties and so forth. The review starts by discussing the classification and properties of food polysaccharides, and subsequently outlines their links to applications in improving the textural attributes of a wide range of food products, including emulsion-based foods, low calorie foods, restructured foods, gelatin free foods, breaded or battered foods, and frozen foods as well as wheaten foods. Food polysaccharides can be categorized into different groups according to various standards. Both the intrinsic molecular characteristics and the extrinsic environmental factors significantly affect the physicochemical properties of polysaccharides, thereby affecting their functionality and usages in different types of foods. For example, surface-active polysaccharides exhibit good potential to be applied to formulating emulsion-based foods, and highly hydrophilic and gelling polysaccharides are preferred in frozen foods. Overall, rationally selecting polysaccharides requires a fundamental understanding on their properties when designing or improving food textures. Furthermore, a full understanding of the structure-property relationship of food polysaccharides and establishing valid methods for more accurately characterizing the textural attributes of foods within the mouth are still in need. • Detailed parameters affecting rheology of food polysaccharides were presented. • The applications of polysaccharides in various food products were reviewed. • The physicochemical properties of polysaccharides define their applications. • Polysaccharides with high hydrophilicity are preferred in frozen foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient energy transfer is ubiquitous in natural light-harvesting systems (LHSs), which has inspired humans to develop various carrier platforms and energy transfer strategies to mimic nature. In this study, we employ pillar [5]arene-mediated nanoparticles as the nano-platform and a sequential energy transfer strategy to achieve a highly efficient LHS. Specifically, by incorporating the hydrophobic dye, eosin Y (ESY) into the nanoparticles as a relay acceptor, the excitation energy from the host-guest donor WP5 ⸧ G can be efficiently transferred to the final acceptor, sulforhodamine 101 (SR101), making the overall donor energy transfer efficiency up to 94%. Under this condition, the radiative rate constant (k r) of WP5 ⸧ G is almost 8 times higher, and the emission brightness (ε (λ abs) × φ F) is nearly doubled, indicative of the rapid and efficient energy transfer process. Finally, the as-prepared LHS nanoparticles were applied to LED devices to achieve color-tunable photoluminescence. This work demonstrates a fabrication strategy for highly efficient light-harvesting systems that holds great potential for manufacturing bright organic luminescent materials. [Display omitted] • A two-step light-harvesting system was successfully constructed. • The system was completely self-assembled in water phase. • The overall energy transfer efficiency of the donor is up to 94%. • The emission brightness after energy transfer was doubled. • The nanoparticles can be used to make photoluminescent devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The chitosan/fly-ash-cenospheres/γ-Fe2O3 (CTS/γ-Fe2O3/FACs) magnetic composites were prepared by microemulsion process. The resulting composites were charcterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TGA, DTG and VSM, and the results indicated that CTS/γ-Fe2O3/FACs exhibited magnetic property (M s =6.553emug−1) and thermal stability, and composed of chitosan wrapping magnetic γ-Fe2O3 and fly-ash-cenospheres (thickness of the cross-linked chitosan was about 5.2μm). Then the CTS/γ-Fe2O3/FACs were employed as adsorbents for the fast removal of bisphenol A (BPA) and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption performances of CTS/γ-Fe2O3/FACs were investigated by batch mode experiments with respect to pH, temperature, initial concentration, contact time and binary solution system. The Langmuir isotherm model was fitted to the equilibrium data better than the Freundlich model, and the kinetic properties were well described by the pseudo-second-order equation. The effects of binary solution systems also demonstrated that BPA adsorption onto CTS/γ-Fe2O3/FACs was more affected by the simultaneous presence of competitive phenolic compound than that of TCP. In addition, the resulting composite reusability without obviously deterioration in performance was demonstrated by at least three repeated cycles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A coupled transient 2-D simulation model was developed for the integrated receiver-storage system. • The effect of the heterogeneous incident irradiation on the system was assessed. • The transient start-up phase of operation and the 2-D temperature distribution were studied in detail. An integrated receiver-storage (IRS) system for a concentrating solar power (CSP) beam-down system is analyzed for optimal performance and to enable efficient round-the-clock operation. For this purpose, a new in-house programme based on a transient 2-D simulation model coupling a cavity receiver and heat storage together was developed. The programme employs the Matlab® software and it was successfully validated against previous simulation results. The IRS-system was analyzed under realistic radiative boundary conditions. Charging and discharging processes considering radial and axial heat transfer were simulated. It was found that the impact of differences in the heterogeneous radiative boundary conditions on the system efficiencies were limited. The differences between the 2-D coupled model and a decoupled 1-D thermal models were at largest in the start-up of the IRS with a relative error of 5.6%, but the differences smoothened out over time. Analyzing the overall efficiency of the IRS system indicated that the performance of IRS is very good and the IRS could well be applicable for beam-down CSP. Charging and discharging efficiencies of 99% and 93% and a solar-to-exergy conversion ratio of 0.53 could be reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A modified design of an integrated receiver-storage for beam-down system is proposed. • A new approach is designed using validated cavity radiation and quasi-1D 2-phase numerical heat transfer models. • The use of a circulation air flow fan is studied in details, which enhanced the heat transfer inside the packed bed storage. • The high thermal efficiencies and solar-to-exergy conversion ratio are reached with an optimized design. Concentrating solar power systems (CSP) with thermal storage units can provide dispatchable power. Here we propose a modified design of a cavity receiver combined with a thermocline heat storage unit for the beam-down CSP. Instead of using a separate receiver and heat storage unit, an integrated unit consisting of an extended cylindrical cavity with a packed bed storage is proposed. The new approach was designed using validated cavity radiation and quasi-1D 2-phase numerical heat transfer models. As the concentrated irradiation can be directly absorbed in such a system, the structure used can be simplified and operation of the unit is more effective. A high solar-to-exergy conversion ratio of 0.52 was reached with an optimized design, charging and discharging efficiencies being well beyond 99% and 92% at 770 °C. An important detail in the integrated receiver-storage design was the use of a circulation air flow fan, which enhanced the heat transfer inside the packed bed storage. The proposed design is promising for improving the efficiency and economics of beam down CSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Radiation therapy for head and neck cancer commonly leads to radiation sialadenitis. Emerging evidence has indicated that phenylephrine pretreatment reduces radiosensitivity in the salivary gland; however, the underlying cytoprotective mechanism remains unclear. Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) is not only a key enzyme for the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide salvage pathway, but also a cytokine participating in cell survival, metabolism, and longevity, with a broad effect on cellular functions in physiology and pathology. However, the regulatory events of NAMPT in response to the irradiated salivary gland are unknown.Methods and Materials: The cell viability of primary cultured submandibular gland cells was determined using the PrestoBlue assay. NAMPT expression was measured using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting in vitro and in vivo. Silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and phosphorylated Akt protein levels were examined by Western blotting. The cellular locations of NAMPT and SIRT1 were detected by immunohistochemistry. NAMPT promoter activity was assessed using the luciferase reporter gene assay.Results: NAMPT was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm of granular convoluted tubule cells and ductal cells in normal submandibular glands. mRNA and protein expression of NAMPT was downregulated after radiation but upregulated with phenylephrine pretreatment both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, the protein expression of phosphorylated Akt and SIRT1 was decreased in irradiated glands, and phenylephrine pretreatment restored the expression of both. SIRT1 was mainly located in the cell nucleus and cytoplasm in the normal submandibular gland. Phenylephrine dramatically enhanced the expression of SIRT1, which was significantly reduced by radiation. Furthermore, phenylephrine induced a marked increase of NAMPT promoter activity.Conclusions: These findings reveal the regulatory mechanisms of NAMPT expression, which help to understand the mechanism of the cytoprotective role of phenylephrine on irradiated tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Via encapsulation of attapulgite/Fe3O4 magnetic particles (ATP/Fe3O4), the magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) were synthesized for the selective recognition of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP). MMIPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis and Raman spectroscopy. MMIPs were demonstrated claviform shape with an imprinted polymer film (thickness of about 16nm), and exhibited magnetic property (M s =5.67emug−1) and thermal stability. Batch mode adsorption studies were carried out to investigate the specific binding capacity, binding kinetics and recognition specificity. The Langmuir isotherm model was fitted to the equilibrium data better than the other models, and the monolayer adsorption capacity of MMIPs were 145.79mgg−1 at 298K. The kinetic properties of MMIPs were well described by the pseudo-second-order equation, initial adsorption rate and half-adsorption time. The selective recognition experiments demonstrated high affinity and selectivity towards 2,4-DCP over structurally related phenolic compounds. In addition, MMIPs could be regenerated, and their adsorption capacity in the fifth use was about 7.53% loss in 2,4-DCP solution. The MMIPs as-prepared were successfully applied to the separation of 2,4-DCP from environmental water samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]