Impacts of the unsaturation degree of long-chain fatty acids on the volatile fatty acid profiles of rumen microbial fermentation in goats in vitro

This study investigated the impacts of the degree of unsaturation （unsaturity） of long-chain fatty acids on volatile fatty acid （VFA） profiles of rumen fermentation in vitro. Six types of long-chain fatty acids, including stearic acid （C18：0, control group）, oleic acid （C18：1, n-9）, linoleic acid （C18：2, n-6）, a-linolenic acid （C18：3, n-3）, arachidonic acid （C20：4, n-6） and eicosapentaenoic acid （C20：5, n-3）, were tested. Rumen fluid from three goats fitted with ruminal fistulae was used as inoculum and the inclusion rate of long-chain fatty acid was at 3% （w/w） of substrate. Samples were taken for VFA analysis at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 h of incubation, respectively. The analysis showed that there were significant differences in the total VFA among treatments, sampling time points, and treatment×time point interactions （P〈0.01）. a-Linolenic acid had the highest total VFA （P〈0.01） among different long-chain fatty acids tested. The molar proportion of acetate in total VFA significantly differed among treatments （P〈0.01） and sampling time points （P〈0.01）, but not treatment×time point interactions （P〉0.05）. In contrast, the molar proportion of propionate did not differ among treatments during the whole incubation （P〉0.05）. However, for butyrate molar proportions, significant differences were found not only among sampling time points but also among treatments and treatment×time point interactions （P〈0.01）, with eicosapentaenoic acid having the highest value （P〈0.01）. Additionally, no statistically significant differences were found in the acetate to propionate ratios among treatments groups （P〉0.05）, even the treatments stearic acid and a-linolenic acid were numerically higher than the others. The inclusion of 3% long-chain unsaturated fatty acids differing in the degree of unsaturation brought out a significant quadratic regression relation between the total VFA concentration and the double bond number of fatty acid. In conclusion, the a-linolenic acid with 3 double bonds appeared better for improving rumen microbial fermentation and the total VFA concentration.

Unsaturation index and type 2 diabetes:Unknown,unloved

A useful parameter for interpreting analyses of membrane fatty-acid composition is the unsaturation index(UI),a measure of unsaturation that is calculated as the mean number of cis double bonds per fatty-acid residue multiplied by 100.The UI is a fundamental parameter that contains information about many membrane biophysical properties and behavior.UI is a crucial index for type 2 diabetes(T2D) and other disorders,yet it is not properly considered in the scientific community.The goal of the present editorial is to familiarize the scientific T2 D community with the UI.The idea of early systemic cell-membrane disease necessitates new thinking andsuggests that UI should feature prominently on the research agenda.

Effects of Cadmium on Polar Lipid Composition and Unsaturation in Maize(Zea mays) in Hydroponic Culture

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Cd exposure （100 μmol/L） on polar lipid composition, and to examine the level of fatty acid unsaturation in maize （Zea mays L.）. In roots, the level of 16：0 and monounsaturated fatty acids （16：1 ＋ 18：1） decreased in phosphatidylcholine （PC） and phosphatidylethanolamine （PE）. In contrast, the proportion of unsaturated 18-C fatty acid species showed an opposite response to Cd. The content, on the other hand, of PC, PE, digalactosyldiacylglycerol （DGDG）, and steryl lipids increased in roots （2.9-, 1.6-, 5.3-, and 1.7-fold increase, respectively）. These results suggest that a more unsaturated fatty acid composition than found in control plants with a concomitant increase in polar lipids may favor seedling growth during Cd exposure. However, the observed increase in the steryl lipid （SL） ： phospholipid （PL） ratio （twofold）, the decrease in monogalactosyldiacylglycerol （MGDG） ： DGDG ratio, as well as the induction of lipid peroxidation in roots may represent symptoms of membrane injury. In shoots, the unsaturation level was markedly decreased in PC and phosphatidylglycerol （PG） after Cd exposure, but showed a significant increase in sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol （SQDG）, MGDG and DGDG. The content of PG and MGDG was decreased by about 65%, while PC accumulated to higher levels （4.4-fold increase）. Taken together, these changes in the polar lipid unsaturation and composition are likely to be due to alterations in the glycerolipid pathway. These results also support the idea that the increase in overall unsaturation plays some role in enabling the plant to withstand the metal exposure.

A thermodynamics-based three-scale constitutive model for partially saturated granular materials

A three-scale constitutive model for unsaturated granular materials based on thermodynamic theory is presented.The three-scale yield locus,derived from the explicit yield criterion for solid matrix,is developed from a series of discrete interparticle contact planes.The three-scale yield locus is sensitive to porosity changes;therefore,it is reinterpreted as a corresponding constitutive model without phenomenological parameters.Furthermore,a water retention curve is proposed based on special pore morphology and experimental observations.The features of the partially saturated granular materials are well captured by the model.Under wetting and isotropic compression,volumetric compaction occurs,and the degree of saturation increases.Moreover,the higher the matric suction,the greater the strength,and the smaller the volumetric compaction.Compared with the phenomenological Barcelona basic model,the proposed three-scale constitutive model has fewer parameters;virtually all parameters have clear physical meanings.

Unsaturated bi-heterometal clusters in metal-vacancy sites of 2D MoS2 for efficient hydrogen evolution

The valence states and coordination structures of doped heterometal atoms in two-dimensional(2D)nanomaterials lack predictable regulation strategies.Hence,a robust method is proposed to form unsaturated heteroatom clusters via the metal-vacancy restraint mechanism,which can precisely regulate the bonding and valence state of heterometal atoms doped in 2D molybdenum disulfide.The unsaturated valence state of heterometal Pt and Ru cluster atoms form a spatial coordination structure with Pt–S and Ru–O–S as catalytically active sites.Among them,the strong binding energy of negatively charged suspended S and O sites for H+,as well as the weak adsorption of positively charged unsaturated heterometal atoms for H*,reduces the energy barrier of the hydrogen evolution reaction proved by theoretical calculation.Whereupon,the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance is markedly improved by the ensemble effect of unsaturated heterometal atoms and highlighted with an overpotential of 84 mV and Tafel slope of 68.5 mV dec^(−1).In brief,this metal vacancy-induced valence state regulation of heterometal can manipulate the coordination structure and catalytic activity of heterometal atoms doped in the 2D atomic lattice but not limited to 2D nanomaterials.

Surrogate modeling for unsaturated infiltration via the physics and equality-constrained artificial neural networks

Machine learning(ML)provides a new surrogate method for investigating groundwater flow dynamics in unsaturated soils.Traditional pure data-driven methods(e.g.deep neural network,DNN)can provide rapid predictions,but they do require sufficient on-site data for accurate training,and lack interpretability to the physical processes within the data.In this paper,we provide a physics and equalityconstrained artificial neural network(PECANN),to derive unsaturated infiltration solutions with a small amount of initial and boundary data.PECANN takes the physics-informed neural network(PINN)as a foundation,encodes the unsaturated infiltration physical laws(i.e.Richards equation,RE)into the loss function,and uses the augmented Lagrangian method to constrain the learning process of the solutions of RE by adding stronger penalty for the initial and boundary conditions.Four unsaturated infiltration cases are designed to test the training performance of PECANN,i.e.one-dimensional(1D)steady-state unsaturated infiltration,1D transient-state infiltration,two-dimensional(2D)transient-state infiltration,and 1D coupled unsaturated infiltration and deformation.The predicted results of PECANN are compared with the finite difference solutions or analytical solutions.The results indicate that PECANN can accurately capture the variations of pressure head during the unsaturated infiltration,and present higher precision and robustness than DNN and PINN.It is also revealed that PECANN can achieve the same accuracy as the finite difference method with fewer initial and boundary training data.Additionally,we investigate the effect of the hyperparameters of PECANN on solving RE problem.PECANN provides an effective tool for simulating unsaturated infiltration.

Wetting front migration model of ion-adsorption rare earth during the multi-hole unsaturated liquid injection

In the process of ion-adsorption rare earth ore leaching,the migration characteristics of the wetting front in multi-hole injection holes and the influence of wetting front intersection effect on the migration distance of wetting fronts are still unclear.Besides,wetting front migration distance and leaching time are usually required to optimize the leaching process.In this study,wetting front migration tests of ionadsorption rare earth ores during the multi-hole fluid injection(the spacing between injection holes was 10 cm,12 cm and 14 cm)and single-hole fluid injection were completed under the constant water head height.At the pre-intersection stage,the wetting front migration laws of ion-adsorption rare earth ores during the multi-hole fluid injection and single-hole fluid injection were identical.At the postintersection stage,the intersection accelerated the wetting front migration.By using the Darcy’s law,the intersection effect of wetting fronts during the multi-hole liquid injection was transformed into the water head height directly above the intersection.Finally,based on the Green-Ampt model,a wetting front migration model of ion-adsorption rare earth ores during the multi-hole unsaturated liquid injection was established.Error analysis results showed that the proposed model can accurately simulate the infiltration process under experimental conditions.The research results enrich the infiltration law and theory of ion-adsorption rare earth ores during the multi-hole liquid injection,and this study provides a scientific basis for optimizing the liquid injection well pattern parameters of ion-adsorption rare earth in situ leaching in the future.

Serum bile acid and unsaturated fatty acid profiles of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in type 2 diabetic patients

BACKGROUND The understanding of bile acid(BA)and unsaturated fatty acid(UFA)profiles,as well as their dysregulation,remains elusive in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)coexisting with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).Investigating these metabolites could offer valuable insights into the pathophy-siology of NAFLD in T2DM.AIM To identify potential metabolite biomarkers capable of distinguishing between NAFLD and T2DM.METHODS A training model was developed involving 399 participants,comprising 113 healthy controls(HCs),134 individuals with T2DM without NAFLD,and 152 individuals with T2DM and NAFLD.External validation encompassed 172 participants.NAFLD patients were divided based on liver fibrosis scores.The analytical approach employed univariate testing,orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis,logistic regression,receiver operating characteristic curve analysis,and decision curve analysis to pinpoint and assess the diagnostic value of serum biomarkers.RESULTS Compared to HCs,both T2DM and NAFLD groups exhibited diminished levels of specific BAs.In UFAs,particular acids exhibited a positive correlation with NAFLD risk in T2DM,while theω-6:ω-3 UFA ratio demonstrated a negative correlation.Levels ofα-linolenic acid andγ-linolenic acid were linked to significant liver fibrosis in NAFLD.The validation cohort substantiated the predictive efficacy of these biomarkers for assessing NAFLD risk in T2DM patients.CONCLUSION This study underscores the connection between altered BA and UFA profiles and the presence of NAFLD in individuals with T2DM,proposing their potential as biomarkers in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.

Effects of fatty acid chain length and degree of unsaturation on the surface activities of monoacyl trehaloses

The surface properties of monoacyl trehaloses with different acyl chains were investigated at 30℃,40℃,50℃,and 60℃.Monoacyl trehaloses were enzymatically synthesized and purified with silica gel column chromatography and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC),and the purity of products was identified by mass spectrometry(MS)and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR).The surface tension of monoacyl trehalose in pure water was measured using Doüy ring method at different temperatures.The critical micelle concentrations(CMC),surface tension at the CMC,γCMC,and residual area per molecule,a,were estimated from the curves.The CMC value of unsaturated monoacyl trehalose was affected by both the degree of unsaturation and the acyl chain length,and the effect of chain length on the CMC value was much stronger than that of the unsaturation degree.However,there was no significant dependency of theγCMC value and a values on the chain length or the unsaturated degree.

Thermal-water-salt coupling process of unsaturated saline soil under unidirectional freezing

Salinization and desertification are closely related to water-salt migration caused by a temperature gradient.Based on the Darcy Law of unsaturated soils,the law of energy conservation and the law of mass conservation,the thermal-water-salt coupling mathematical model of unsaturated frozen saline soil was established.The model considered the latent heat of phase change,crystallization impedance,crystallization consumption and complete precipitation of solute crystallization in ice.In order to verify the rationality of the model,the unidirectional freezing test of unsaturated saline soil was carried out in an open system with no-pressure water supplement to obtain the spatial distribution of temperature,moisture and salt in the saline soil.Finally,numerical simulations are implemented with the assistance of COMSOL Multiphysics.Validation of the model is illustrated by comparisons between the simulation and experimental data.The results demonstrated that the temperature within saline soil changes with time and can be divided into three stages,namely quick freezing stage,transitional stage and stable stage.The water and salt contents in the freezing zone are layered,with peak values at the freezing front.The coupled model could reveal the heat-mass migration mechanism of unsaturated frozen saline soil and dynamically describe the freezing depth and the movement law of the freezing front,ice and salt crystal formation mechanism,and the change law of thermal conductivity and permeability coefficient.

Contribution of groundwater to the formation of sand dunes in the Badain Jaran Desert, China

The tallest sand dune worldwide is located in the Badain Jaran Desert(BJD),China,and has been standing for thousands of years.Previous studies have conducted limited physical exploration and excavation on the formation of sand dunes and have proposed three viewpoints,that is,bedrock control,wind dominance,and groundwater maintenance with no unified conclusion.Therefore,this study analyzed the underlying bedding structure of sand dunes in the BJD.Although the bedrock of sand dunes is uplifted and wind controls the shape of dunes,the main cause of dune formation is groundwater that maintains the deposition of calcareous sandstone and accumulation of aeolian sand.According to water transport model and vapor transports in the unsaturated zone of sand dunes,capillary water transport height is limited with film water constituting the main form of water in dunes.Chemical properties and temperature of groundwater showed that aquifers in different basins receive relatively independent recharge from deep sources in the crater.Result of dune formation mechanism is of considerable importance in understanding groundwater circulation and provides a new perspective on water management in arid desert areas.

Pre-pregnant Overweight Interacts with ADIPOQ Genetic Variants to Influence Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Human Milk

Adiponectin,a specific hormone protein secreted by adipocytes,is a protective factor in the human body and has attracted great attention due to its anti-obesity activity[1,2].The adiponectin gene(ADIPOQ),which is located on human chromosome 3q27,is a single-copy gene.Various single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)of the human ADIPOQ play an important role in energy balance and are associated with body mass index(BMI)and obesity[3,4].Longchain polyunsaturated fatty acids(LC-PUFAs)have been identified to exert an important role during the first 1,000 days of life on infant growth,neurodevelopment,and visual acuity.Fatty acids,such asα-linoleic acid(ALA,C18:3n-3)and linoleic acid(LA,C18:2n-6),which cannot be synthesized de novo from other lipids,are necessary for biological reactions.Some fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid(DHA,C22:6n-3)and eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA,C20:5n-3)can be synthesized in neonates from their precursors(LA and ALA).Because of the very low conversion rates in the neonatal liver,it is crucial to provide adequate LC-PUFAs in the diet from early infancy.

Multiusers Parallel Competitive Channel Protocol Based on Unsaturated Service

In order to enhance the area throughput of next generation wireless local area network(WLAN)in high density scenarios,orthogonal frequency division multiple access(OFDMA)has been adopted as one of the key technologies in the next generation WLAN communication standards.However,the performance of the existing media access control(MAC)degrades significantly under unsaturated services.Therefore,this paper proposes a multi-user parallel contention channel MAC(MU-MAC)based on unsaturated services,which can effectively reduce the channel access conflict and improve the OFDMA access efficiency of cluster member nodes.On this basis,MU-MAC is enhanced for the spatial clustering group(SCG)formation protocol and support for the unsaturated service characteristics.Further,the optimal access radius when the service is in a non-saturated state is analyzed to make the relevant theoretical analysis more generally,and the expressions for the throughput and area throughput of the proposed protocol are modeled and derived.The simulation results verify the correctness of the theoretical analysis and the efficiency of the protocol performance.The results show that MU-MAC outperforms IEEE 802.11ax and OMAX protocol in area throughput by 40.72%and 104.15%,respectively.

Two-dimensional plane strain consolidation of unsaturated soils considering the depth-dependent stress

In practical engineering,the total vertical stress in the soil layer is not constant due to stress diffusion,and varies with time and depth.Therefore,the purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of stress diffusion on the two-dimensional(2D)plane strain consolidation properties of unsaturated soils when the stress varies with time and depth.A series of semi-analytical solutions in terms of excess pore air and water pressures and settlement for 2D plane strain consolidation of unsaturated soils can be derived with the joint use of Laplace transform and Fourier sine series expansion.Then,the inverse Laplace transform of the semi-analytical solution is given in the time domain using a self-programmed code based on Crump’s method.The reliability of the obtained solutions is proved by the degeneration.Finally,the 2D plots of excess pore pressures and the curves of settlement varying with time,considering different physical parameters of unsaturated soil stratum and depth-dependent stress,are depicted and analyzed to study the 2D plane strain consolidation properties of unsaturated soils subjected to the depthdependent stress.

Fractional derivative statistical damage model of unsaturated expansive soil based on unified hydraulic effect

Unsaturated expansive soil is widely distributed in China and has complex engineering properties.This paper proposes the unified hydraulic effect shear strength theory of unsaturated expansive soil based on the effective stress principle,swelling force principle,and soil–water characteristics.Considering the viscoelasticity and structural damage of unsaturated expansive soil during loading,a fractional hardening–damage model of unsaturated expansive soil was established.The model parameters were established on the basis of the proposed calculation method of shear strength and the triaxial shear experiment on unsaturated expansive soil.The proposed model was verified by the experimental data and a traditional damage model.The proposed model can satisfactorily describe the entire process of the strain-hardening law of unsaturated expansive soil.Finally,by investigating the damage variables of the proposed model,it was found that:(a)when the values of confining pressure and matric suction are close,the coupling of confining pressure and matric suction contributes more to the shear strength;(b)there is a damage threshold for unsaturated expansive soil,and is mainly reflected by strength criterion of infinitesimal body;(c)the strain hardening law of unsaturated expansive soil is mainly reflected by fractional derivative operator.

Tuning active sites in MoS_(2)-based catalysts via H_(2)O_(2)etching to enhance hydrodesulfurization performance

A H_(2)O_(2)etching strategy was adopted to introduce coordinatively unsaturated sites(CUS)on MoS_(2)-based catalysts for dibenzothiophene(DBT)hydrodesulfurization(HDS).The CUS concentrations on MoS_(2) slabs were finely regulated by changing the concentrations of H_(2)O_(2)solution.With the increasing H_(2)O_(2)concentrations(0.1–0.3 mol/L),The CUS concentrations on MoS_(2) slabs increased gradually.However,the high-concentration H_(2)O_(2)etching(0.5 mol/L)increased the MoOxSy and MoO_(3) contents on MoS_(2) slabs compared to etching with the H_(2)O_(2)concentration of 0.3 mol/L,which led to the less CUS concentration in the sulfided Mo–H-0.5 catalyst than in the sulfided Mo–H-0.3 catalyst.A microstructure-activity correlation indicated that the CUS introduced by H_(2)O_(2)etching on MoS_(2) slabs significantly enhanced DBT HDS.Different Co loadings were further introduced into Mo–H-0.3,which had the most CUS concentration,and the corresponding 0.2-CoMo catalyst with the highest CoMoS content(3.853 wt%)exhibited the highest reaction rate constant of 6.95×10^(−6)mol g^(−1)s^(−1)among these CoMo catalysts.

The capillary pressure curves from upscaling interfacial and unsaturated flows in porous layers with vertical heterogeneity

We provide the capillary pressure curves p_(c)(s)as a function of the effective saturation s based on the theoretical framework of upscaling unsaturated flows in vertically heterogeneous porous layers proposed recently(Z.Zheng,Journal of Fluid Mechanics,950,A17,2022).Based on the assumption of vertical gravitational-capillary equilibrium,the saturation distribution and profile shape of the invading fluid can be obtained by solving a nonlinear integral-differential equation.The capillary pressure curves p_(c)(s)can then be constructed by systematically varying the injection rate.Together with the relative permeability curves k_(rn)(s)that are already obtained.One can now provide quick estimates on the overall behaviours of interfacial and unsaturated flows in vertically-heterogeneous porous layers.

A Numerical Simulation Study of Temperature and Pressure Effects on the Breakthrough Pressure of CO_(2)in Unsaturated Low-permeability Rock Core

Gas breakthrough pressure is a key parameter to evaluate the sealing capacity of caprock,and it also plays important roles in safety and capacity of CO_(2)geological storage.Based on the published experimental results,we present numerical simulations on CO_(2)breakthrough pressure in unsaturated low-permeability rock under 9 multiple P-T conditions(which can keep CO_(2)in gaseous,liquid and supercritical states)and thus,a numerical method which can be used to accurately predict CO_(2)breakthrough pressure on rock-core scale is proposed.The simulation results show that CO_(2)breakthrough pressure and breakthrough time are exponential correlated with P-T conditions.Meanwhile,pressure has stronger effects on experimental results than that of temperature.Moreover,we performed sensitivity studies on the pore distribution indexλ(0.6,0.7,0.8,and 0.9)in van Genuchten-Muale model.Results show that with the increase ofλ,CO_(2)breakthrough pressure and breakthrough time both show decreasing trends.In other words,the larger the value ofλis,the better the permeability of the caprock is,and the worse the CO_(2)sealing capacity is.The numerical method established in this study can provide an important reference for the prediction of gas breakthrough pressure on rock-core scale and for related numerical studies.

Analysis of the Performances and Optimization of Polyurethane Concrete with a Large Percentage of Fly Ash

The properties of polyurethane concrete containing a large amount of fly ash are investigated,and accordingly,a model is introduced to account for the influence of fly ash fineness,water ratio,and loss of ignition(LOI)on its mechanical performances.This research shows that,after optimization,the concrete has a compressive strength of 20.8 MPa,a flexural strength of 3.4 MPa,and a compressive modulus of elasticity of 19.2 GPa.The main factor influencing 28 and 90 d compressive strength is fly ash content,water-binder ratio,and early strength agent content.

Characterization of Unsaturated Polyester Filled with Waste Coconut Shells, Walnut Shells, and Carbon Fibers

This study aims to evaluate the erosion behavior and the hardness of hybrid composites made of varying amounts of coconut shells,walnut shells,and carbonfibers dispersed in a polyester matrix.MINITAB(L16)Taguchi experiments were used to determine the optimal combination of parameters.In particular,an erosion device con-sisting of a motor with a constantflow rate of 45 L/min,a pump with a diameter of 40 mm,a nozzle with a dia-meter of 5 mm,and a tank made of“perspex glass”55 cm long,30 cm tall,and 25 cm wide was used.The tests were conducted by varying the sample-to-nozzle distance,the pattern angle,and the sand particle size.The results have revealed that the presence of 7.5%by weight of waste coconut shell,for conditions corresponding to 90°angle,sand size 425μm,stand distance 30 cm,gives the best wear resistance(3.04×10^(-5) g/g).Thefiller content and sand particle size affect the erosive rate,with the angle playing a secondary role.The distance between the sample and the nozzle has a weaker effect on erosive wear.The hardness results show that the models(UP-5%carbonfiber-2.5-3.5-4.5-5.5-6.5-7.5 wt.%waste coconut shell)give the best values for prayer compared to the samples(UP-5 wt.%carbonfiber-2.5-3.5-4.5-5.5-6.5-7.5 wt.%waste walnut shell).