Effect of ultrasound treatments on functional properties and structure of millet protein concentrate

In this study, the effect of high power ultrasound (US) probe in varying intensities and times (18.4, 29.58, and 73.95 W/cm² for 5, 12.5 and 20 min respectively) on functional properties of millet protein concentrate (MPC) was investigated, and also the structural properties of best modified treatment were evaluated by FTIR, DSC, Zeta potential and SDS-PAGE techniques. The results showed the solubility in all US treated MPC was significantly (p < .05) higher than those of the native MPC. Foaming capacity of native MPC (271.03 ± 4.51 ml) was reduced after US treatments at low intensities (82.37 ± 5.51 ml), but increased upon US treatments at high intensities (749.7 ± 2 ml). In addition, EAI and ES increased after US treatments. One of the best US treatments that can improve the functional properties of MPC was 73.95 W/cm² for 12.5 min that resulted in reduction of molecular weight and increase nearly 36% in the negative surface charge that was confirmed by SDS-page and Zeta potential results, respectively.     

Preparation and characterization of an asphalt-modifying agent with waste packaging polyethylene and organic montmorillonite

In this paper, waste packaging polyethylene (WPE)/organic montmorillonite (OMMT) nanocomposites were prepared and used as an asphalt-modifying agent. The structure and morphology of the nanocomposites and the effects of OMMT on the thermal properties of WPE were investigated. The influence of the microcosmic effects and physical properties of the composite agents on the base asphalt were also studied. The results show that the WPE/OMMT asphalt-modifying agents are exfoliated nanocomposites. When compared with WPE, the melting range of the composites decreases and the thermal stability is improved. In addition, the composite agents not only promote good dispersion of WPE in asphalt, but also improve the low temperature properties of WPE-modified asphalt without adversely affecting its excellent high temperature properties. Therefore, from an environmental and economic standpoint, it is a novel and significant attempt at dealing with waste plastics packaging.     

A modified accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) with capabilities for handling gaseous samples under vacuum or an inert atmosphere

A simple modification was made to the accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC^®), which has allowed for gaseous samples to be tested without the introduction of air. The modified ARC^® can also be used to test solids, liquids, or mixtures of two phases under a particular atmospheric environment with more convenience than in the original ARC^®. After the experiment, the gaseous products and/or any unreacted gaseous sample can easily be collected for further characterization. This facilitates one's ability to understand the mechanism of the exothermal reactions. The utility of this modified ARC^® was demonstrated by examining the thermal properties and polymerization of 1,1-difluoroethylene.     

Modification of the structure and properties of SAPO-11 using rare earths

Silicoaluminophosphate (SAPO)-11 molecular sieve was modified by rare earth La and Ce using impregnating and ion-exchanging methods. The RE-modified SAPO-11 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett- Teller (BET), pore-size distribution (PSD), in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH₃-TPD), and compared with the unmodified SAPO-11 sample. The XRD patterns indicated that after RE modification, especially for the La-exchanged sample, the composition of molecular sieve was changed and the crystallinity decreased. The normalized surface area (NSA) of ion-exchanged samples proved that the unsubstituted metal oxides accumulated inside the SAPO-11 pores. Because of the RE cations that were loaded onto the surface of molecular sieve, which could be regarded as the Lewis acid sites, there was an increase in the amount of Lewis acid sites and a decrease in the Brønsted acid/Lewis acid (B/L) ratio. The ability of RE cations to acquire electrons was weaker than that of Al³⁺; therefore, the bond strength of bridged hydroxyl decreased after modification. The total acidity of SAPO-11 decreased after RE modification.     

Preliminary Scheme Consideration for Modification of HL-2A Tokamak

The HL-2A tokamak is based on former ASDEX＇s magnetic field coil system, vacuum vessel （VV） and support structure. The unique closed divertor structure is its main characteristic. So far the obtained plasma current and toroidal field are Ip=410 kA and Br=2.7 T respectively, near the normal operation parameters of ASDEX. It is difficult to increase these parameters farther because of the engineering limit of the device.     

木质素磺酸钙改性丙烯酸树脂对水中甲基橙的吸附研究

以木质素磺酸钙(LS-Ca)、丙烯酸(AA)为原料,乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯(EDMA)为交联剂制备了木质素磺酸钙改性丙烯酸复合吸附树脂(LSAA).采用红外光谱、扫描电子显微镜、热重分析、比表面分析和吸附实验对LSAA树脂的性能进行表征.结果显示,LSAA树脂的初始分解温度为291.2℃,具有良好的热稳定性;表面粗糙,介孔丰富,树脂表面有较丰富的羟基等活性基团.LSAA对甲基橙的吸附过程受p H值的影响,298 K,p H=3时,24 h吸附量为188.33 mg/g;Langmuir和Freundlich方程均能较好地拟合甲基橙在LSAA树脂上的吸附等温线,吸附动力学过程符合准二级动力学方程,吸附为以物理吸附为主的放热过程.KannanSundaram模型拟合说明,LSAA的吸附过程分为吸附剂表面吸附、孔道缓慢扩散及小孔缓慢扩散3个阶段,直线都不经过原点,内扩散不是控制吸附过程的唯一步骤.     

Designing peptide inhibitor of insulin receptor to induce diabetes mellitus type 2 in animal model Mus musculus

A designing peptide as agent for inducing diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) in an animal model is challenging. The computational approach provides a sophisticated tool to design a functional peptide that may block the insulin receptor activity. The peptide that able to inhibit the binding between insulin and insulin receptor is a warrant for inducing T2DM. Therefore, we designed a potential peptide inhibitor of insulin receptor as an agent to generate T2DM animal model by bioinformatics approach. The peptide has been developed based on the structure of insulin receptor binding site of insulin and then modified it to obtain the best properties of half life, hydrophobicity, antigenicity, and stability binding into insulin receptor. The results showed that the modified peptide has characteristics 100 h half-life, high-affinity −95.1 ± 20, and high stability 28.17 in complex with the insulin receptor. Moreover, the modified peptide has molecular weight 4420.8 g/Mol and has no antigenic regions. Based on the molecular dynamic simulation, the complex of modified peptide-insulin receptor is more stable than the commercial insulin receptor blocker. This study suggested that the modified peptide has the promising performance to block the insulin receptor activity that potentially induce diabetes mellitus type 2 in mice.     

木质素在橡胶中的应用研究进展

木质素是地球上最丰富的生物材料之一,其基本单元为9-碳苯酚丙烷(香豆醇、松柏醇和芥子醇),这些单元通过不同类型的键连接在一起形成一个多酚类芳香族聚合物。作为造纸工业的主要废弃物,木质素成本低廉,目前主要用作低附加值的燃料,其开发价值还没有得到充分利用。将木质素用于填充改性橡胶既经济又环保,其不仅有补强的效果,还有偶联、抗氧防老、阻燃的作用,可部分代替炭黑。本文将对木质素的改性、橡胶/木质素复合材料的制备方法及研究进展进行综述,并对橡胶/木质素复合材料研究的挑战和机遇进行了展望。     

Polyethyleneimine-grafted polyphosphazene microspheres for rapid and efficient capture of anionic dyes from wastewater

Developing novel adsorbent to capture organic contaminants from wastewater rapidly and efficiently is highly desirable for waste treatment and environmental restoration. Herein, we reported a new amino-rich spherical adsorbent (PZS-PEI) for highly-efficient uptake of anionic dyes from aqueous solution. The PZS-PEI adsorbent was fabricated through a two-step process including synthesis of PZS-Cl microspheres via room temperature polymerization of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene with bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) sulfone and subsequent surface grafting reaction of PZS-Cl microspheres using branched polyethyleneimine (PEI). The microstructure of as-obtained PZS-PEI microspheres was fully characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, zeta potential, and N₂ adsorption test. The adsorption performance of the PZS-PEI microspheres towards organic dyes was evaluated through carrying out a series of studies including various influence factor analysis, adsorption isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamics. Results show that the PZS-PEI adsorbent owned good adsorption selectivity towards anionic dyes, and the maximum adsorption capacities for methyl orange (MO), acid chrome blue K, eosin-Y reached 190.29, 152.90, and 92.34 mg/g at 25 °C, respectively. In addition, the uptake behavior of organic dye by the PZS-PEI adsorbent conformed to Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetic model, and the adsorption process followed a three-stage intraparticle diffusion mode with an endothermic and spontaneous characteristic. Electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding were responsible for the highly-efficient adsorption of the PZS-PEI adsorbent towards typical anionic dye MO.