Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM8610 Alleviates Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Prevents Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis:A Randomized,Double-Blind,Placebo-Controlled,Pilot Clinical Trial

Irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea(IBS-D)is chronic intestinal dysfunction with diarrhea and othercomplicated clinical symptoms,and it has a great impact on the daily life and mental state of patients.Some studies have reported that ingestion of probiotics can significantly alleviate a variety of intestinaldiseases.The pupose of this study was to investigate the IBS-D-alleviating effects of a probiotic strain,lactobacillus plantarum(L.plantarum)CCFM8610,with multiple health-promoting effects.The studywas a 12-week,randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled,pilot clinical trial.Seventy-five patientswere randomly assigned to receive the placebo,oligosaccharides,or L.plantarum CCFM8610(1×10^(10) colony-forming units(CFU)per day),with a 2-week run-in period,an 8-week intervention period,anda 2-week follow-up observation period.The patients'clinical symptoms and quality of life were exam-ined by the IBS symptom severity scale(IBS-SsS)and the IlBS quality of life scale(IBS-QOL).Changes ingut microbiota composition and diversity were measured at the end of the intervention period.The oraladministration of L.plantarum CCFM8610 significantly decreased the IBS-SSS and IBS-QOL scores,reduced IBS-D symptom severity,recovered gut microbiota diversity,decreased the relative abundanceof bloating-related genus Methanobrevibacter,and increased the relative abundance of butyric acid-producing genera,including Anaerostipes,Anaerotruncus,Bifidobacterium,Butyricimonas,andOdoribacter.These findings suggest that ingestion of L.plantarum CCFM8610 can significantly alleviate clinical symptoms and gut microbiota dysbiosis in IBS-D patients.The IBS-D-alleviating effect of L.plan-tarum CCFM8610 may be related to theincrease in the relative abundance of butyric acid-producing genera in the intestine.

Overview of Circuit Topologies for Inductive Pulsed Power Supplies

The pulsed power supply(PPS)is one important component in the electromagnetic launch system.The inductive PPSs have attracted researchers’attentions with the major advantages of high energy storage density(over the capacitive PPSs)as well as simple structure and easy control(over the rotating mechanical PPSs).As for the inductive PPSs,the circuit topology of the basic module will directly determine the comprehensive performance of the whole system.From the perspectives of working principles,strengths,weaknesses,and comprehensive performance,this paper presents a historical and technical review of the major circuit topologies for the inductive PPSs.

Message from Editors for the Special Section

AT present,the theories and technologies of the high power electronic system are in the rapid development.The corresponding manufacture and application are also at a crucial stage,facing three major challenges:to enhance the power conversion capability,optimize the system design,and improve the reliability.

Analysis and optimization of batteries powering inductive pulsed power supplies

Inductive pulsed power supply(IPPS)is a promising type of power supplies for electromagnetic launch,but its advantage in energy density is strongly restricted by the primary power source.Fortunately,batteries become a suitable and practical choice for the primary source.In this paper,the working process of battery powering IPPS is analysed in detail.Various indicators of the charging performance are calculated,which are then proved to be irrelevant to most of the parameters of IPPS.Based on this,an optimization method for battery and IPPS system is proposed,in which the charging and discharging processes can be decoupled.And for the decoupled battery charging process,the bi-objective optimization model is suggested.Several examples illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed optimization methods.In order to further improve the performance of the battery and IPPS system,the inherent time constant of the inductors and the output power density of the battery cell should be increased.