Multivariate optimization and comparison between conventional extraction (CE) and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) of carotenoid extraction from cashew apple

Carotenoids are an essential component of cashew and can be used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, natural pigment, food additives, among other applications. The present work focuses on optimizing and comparing conventional and ultrasound-assisted extraction methods. Every optimization step took place with a 1:1 (w:w) mixture of yellow and red cashew apples lyophilized and ground in a cryogenic mill. A Simplex-centroid design was applied for both methods, and the solvents acetone, methanol, ethanol, and petroleum ether were evaluated. After choosing the extractor solvent, a central composite design was applied to optimize the sample mass (59–201 mg) and extraction time (6–34 min). The optimum conditions for the extractor solvent were 38% acetone, 30% ethanol, and 32% petroleum ether for CE and a mixture of 44% acetone and 56% methanol for UAE. The best experimental conditions for UAE were a sonication time of 19 min and a sample mass of 153 mg, while the CE was 23 min and 136 mg. Comparing red and yellow cashews, red cashews showed a higher carotenoid content in both methodologies. The UAE methodology was ca. 21% faster, presented a more straightforward composition of extracting solution, showed an average yield of superior carotenoid content in all samples compared to CE. Therefore, UAE has demonstrated a simple, efficient, fast, low-cost adjustment methodology and a reliable alternative for other applications involving these bioactive compounds in the studied or similar matrix.     

Theoretical study on the improvement of the doping efficiency of Al in 4H-SiC by co-doping group-IVB elements

The p-type doping efficiency of 4H silicon carbide (4H-SiC) is rather low due to the large ionization energies of p-type dopants. Such an issue impedes the exploration of the full advantage of 4H-SiC for semiconductor devices. In this study, we show that co-doping group-IVB elements effectively decreases the ionization energy of the most widely used p-type dopant, i.e., aluminum (Al), through the defect-level repulsion between the energy levels of group-IVB elements and that of Al in 4H-SiC. Among group-IVB elements Ti has the most prominent effectiveness. Ti decreases the ionization energy of Al by nearly 50%, leading to a value as low as ~0.13 eV. As a result, the ionization rate of Al with Ti co-doping is up to ~5 times larger than that without co-doping at room temperature when the doping concentration is up to 10¹⁸ cm^-3. This work may encourage the experimental co-doping of group-IVB elements such as Ti and Al to significantly improve the p-type doping efficiency of 4H-SiC.     

Polymeric Carbon Nitride-based Single Atom Photocatalysts for CO2 Reduction to C1 Products

Photocatalytic CO₂ reduction to C₁ fuels is considered to be an important way for alleviating increasingly serious energy crisis and environmental pollution. Due to the environment-friendly, simple preparation, easy formation of highly-stable metal-nitrogen(M-N_x) coordination bonds, and suitable band structure, polymeric carbon nitride-based single-atom catalysts(C₃N₄-based SACs) are expected to become a potential for CO₂ reduction under visible-light irradiation. In this review, we summarize the recent advancement on C₃N₄-based SACs for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction to C₁ products, including the reaction mechanism for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction to C₁ products, the structure and synthesis methods of C₃N₄-based SACs and their applications toward photocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction(CO₂RR) for C₁ production. The current challenges and future opportunities of C₃N₄-based SACs for photoreduction of CO₂ are also discussed.     

Diffusion Model of a Non-Integer Order PIγ Controller with TCP/UDP Streams

In this article, a way to employ the diffusion approximation to model interplay between TCP and UDP flows is presented. In order to control traffic congestion, an environment of IP routers applying AQM (Active Queue Management) algorithms has been introduced. Furthermore, the impact of the fractional controller PIγ and its parameters on the transport protocols is investigated. The controller has been elaborated in accordance with the control theory. The TCP and UDP flows are transmitted simultaneously and are mutually independent. Only the TCP is controlled by the AQM algorithm. Our diffusion model allows a single TCP or UDP flow to start or end at any time, which distinguishes it from those previously described in the literature.     

Full cross-diffusion limit in the stationary Shigesada-Kawasaki-Teramoto model

This paper studies the asymptotic behavior of coexistence steady-states of the Shigesada-Kawasaki-Teramoto model as both cross-diffusion coefficients tend to infinity at the same rate. In the case when either one of two cross-diffusion coefficients tends to infinity, Lou and Ni [18] derived a couple of limiting systems, which characterize the asymptotic behavior of coexistence steady-states. Recently, a formal observation by Kan-on [10] implied the existence of a limiting system including the nonstationary problem as both cross-diffusion coefficients tend to infinity at the same rate. This paper gives a rigorous proof of his observation as far as the stationary problem. As a key ingredient of the proof, we establish a uniform $L^{\infty }$ estimate for all steady-states. Thanks to this a priori estimate, we show that the asymptotic profile of coexistence steady-states can be characterized by a solution of the limiting system.     

Negative thermal expansion in NbF_3 and NbOF_2:A comparative theoretical study

Thermal expansion control is always an obstructive factor and challenging in high precision engineering field. Here,the negative thermal expansion of Nb F_3 and Nb OF_2 was predicted by first-principles calculation with density functional theory and the quasi-harmonic approximation(QHA). We studied the total charge density, thermal vibration, and lattice dynamic to investigate the thermal expansion mechanism. We found that the presence of O induced the relatively strong covalent bond in Nb OF_2, thus weakening the transverse vibration of F and O in Nb OF_2, compared with the case of Nb F_3.In this study, we proposed a way to tailor negative thermal expansion of metal fluorides by introducing the oxygen atoms.The present work not only predicts two NTE compounds, but also provides an insight on thermal expansion control by designing chemical bond type.     

利用空间位阻和氢溢流协同作用促进5-羟甲基糠醛选择性加氢制备5-甲基糠醛

化学工业生产中，用氢气为还原剂，通过选择性加氢可以制备多种重要化学品。5-羟甲基糠醛是重要的生物质基平台化合物，而5-甲基糠醛是用途广泛的化学品。由5-羟甲基糠醛加氢得到5-甲基糠醛是一条非常理想的路径，但是选择性活化C-OH非常困难。本文设计并制备了Pt@PVP/Nb₂O₅(PVP: 聚乙烯吡咯烷酮)催化剂，该催化体系巧妙地结合了位阻效应、氢溢流和催化剂界面的电子效应，系统研究了该催化剂对5-羟甲基糠醛选择性加氢制备5-甲基糠醛催化性能，在最优条件下，5-甲基糠醛的选择性可达92%。利用密度泛函理论计算研究了5-羟甲基糠醛选择性加氢制备5-甲基糠醛反应路径。     

射频等离子制备石墨烯负载Co3O4催化剂及其析氧性能研究

氢能的引入能有效提升配电网的供电可靠性,而电解水制氢是实现低碳转型的关键技术,开发高效的电解水催化剂势在必行。过渡金属氧化物储量大、催化活性高,是具有广阔应用前景的析氧反应催化剂。本文通过射频等离子体处理制备石墨烯上负载Co₃O₄析氧催化剂,XRD、Raman和XPS测试结果显示,二维结构石墨烯的引入加速表面电子迁移,增大了反应面积。等离子体处理促进了纳米粒子在石墨烯上的负载,利用等离子体刻蚀作用在催化剂表面制造出大量碳结构缺陷和氧空位结构,改善了活性位点分布,有效调控Co₃O₄电子结构,提高析氧催化活性。电化学测试表明,本文中合成的Co₃O₄@rGO在电流密度为50 mA·cm^-2时的过电位为410 mV,动力学反应速率较快,表现出优于商业IrO₂的析氧催化活性。     

Stability of Multiplier Ideal Sheaves

Chinese Annals of Mathematics, Series B - In the present article, the authors find and establish stability of multiplier ideal sheaves, which is more general than strong openness.