Dietary supplementation of zinc oxide modulates intestinal functionality during the post-weaning period in clinically healthy piglets

Background To improve our understanding of host and intestinal microbiome interaction,this research investigated the effects of a high-level zinc oxide in the diet as model intervention on the intestinal microbiome and small intestinal functionality in clinically healthy post-weaning piglets.In study 1,piglets received either a high concentration of zinc(Zn)as zinc oxide(Zn O,Zn,2,690 mg/kg)or a low Zn concentration(100 mg/kg)in the diet during the post weaning period(d 14–23).The effects on the piglet's small intestinal microbiome and functionality of intestinal tissue were investigated.In study 2,the impact of timing of the dietary zinc intervention was investigated,i.e.,between d 0–14 and/or d 14–23 post weaning,and the consecutive effects on the piglet's intestinal functionality,here referring to microbiota composition and diversity and gene expression profiles.Results Differences in the small intestinal functionality were observed during the post weaning period between piglets receiving a diet with a low or high concentration Zn O content.A shift in the microbiota composition in the small intestine was observed that could be characterized as a non-pathological change,where mainly the commensals inter-changed.In the immediate post weaning period,i.e.,d 0–14,the highest number of differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in intestinal tissue were observed between animals receiving a diet with a low or high concentration Zn O content,i.e.,23 DEGs in jejunal tissue and 11 DEGs in ileal tissue.These genes are involved in biological processes related to immunity and inflammatory responses.For example,genes CD59 and REG3G were downregulated in the animals receiving a diet with a high concentration Zn O content compared to low Zn O content in both jejunum and ileum tissue.In the second study,a similar result was obtained regarding the expression of genes in intestinal tissue related to immune pathways when comparing piglets receiving a diet with a high concentration Zn O content compared to low Zn O content.Conclusions Supplementing a diet with a pharmaceutical level of Zn as Zn O for clinically healthy post weaning piglets influences various aspects intestinal functionality,in particular in the first two weeks post-weaning.The model intervention increased both the alpha diversity of the intestinal microbiome and the expression of a limited number of genes linked to the local immune system in intestinal tissue.The effects do not seem related to a direct antimicrobial effect of Zn O.

Revealing the role of calcium ion intercalation of hydrated vanadium oxides for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Exploring suitable high-capacity V_(2)O_(5)-based cathode materials is essential for the rapid advancement of aqueous zinc ion batteries(ZIBs).However,the typical problem of slow Zn^(2+)diffusion kinetics has severely limited the feasibility of such materials.In this work,unique hydrated vanadates(CaVO,BaVO)were obtained by intercalation of Ca^(2+)or Ba^(2+)into hydrated vanadium pentoxide.In the CaVO//Zn and BaVO//Zn batteries systems,the former delivered up to a 489.8 mAh g^(-1)discharge specific capacity at 0.1 A g^(-1).Moreover,the remarkable energy density of 370.07 Wh kg^(-1)and favorable cycling stability yard outperform BaVO,pure V_(2)O_(5),and many reported cathodes of similar ionic intercalation compounds.In addition,pseudocapacitance analysis,galvanostatic intermittent titration(GITT)tests,and Trasatti analysis revealed the high capacitance contribution and Zn^(2+)diffusion coefficient of CaVO,while an in-depth investigation based on EIS elucidated the reasons for the better electrochemical performance of CaVO.Notably,ex-situ XRD,XPS,and TEM tests further demonstrated the Zn^(2+)insertion/extraction and Zn-storage mechanism that occurred during the cycle in the CaVO//Zn battery system.This work provides new insights into the intercalation of similar divalent cations in vanadium oxides and offers new solutions for designing cathodes for high-capacity aqueous ZIBs.

Synergism of Zinc Oxide/Organoclay-Loaded Poly(lactic acid) Hybrid Nanocomposite Plasticized by Triacetin for Sustainable Active Food Packaging

The synergistic effect of organoclay(OC)and zinc oxide(ZnO)nanoparticles on the crucial properties of poly(lactic acid)(PLA)nanocompositefilms was systematically investigated herein.After their incorporation into PLA via the solvent casting technique,the water vapor barrier property of the PLA/OC/ZnOfilm improved by a maximum of 86%compared to the neat PLAfilm without the deterioration of Young’s modulus or the tensile strength.Moreover,thefilm’s self-antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogens,including gram-negative(Escherichia coli,E.coli)and gram-positive(Staphylococcus aureus,S.aureus)bacteria,was enhanced by a max-imum of approximately 98–99%compared to the neat PLAfilm.Furthermore,SEM images revealed the homo-geneous dispersion of both nano-fillers in the PLA matrix.However,the thermal stability of thefilm decreased slightly after the addition of the OC and ZnO.Thefilm exhibited notable light barrier properties in the UV-Vis range.Moreover,the incorporation of a suitable biodegradable plasticizer significantly decreased the Tg and notably enhanced theflexibility of the nanocompositefilm by increasing the elongation at break approxi-mately 1.5-fold compared to that of the neat PLAfilm.This contributes to its feasibility as an active food packa-ging material.

Electronic and thermal properties of Ag-doped single crystal zinc oxide via laser-induced technique

The doping of ZnO has attracted lots of attention because it is an important way to tune the properties of ZnO.Postdoping after growth is one of the efficient strategies.Here,we report a unique approach to successfully dope the single crystalline ZnO with Ag by the laser-induced method,which can effectively further post-treat grown samples.Magnetron sputtering was used to coat the Ag film with a thickness of about 50 nm on the single crystalline ZnO.Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet(Nd:YAG)laser was chosen to irradiate the Ag-capped ZnO samples,followed by annealing at700℃for two hours to form ZnO:Ag.The three-dimensional(3D)information of the elemental distribution of Ag in ZnO was obtained through time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry(TOF-SIMS).TOF-SIMS and core-level x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)demonstrated that the Ag impurities could be effectively doped into single crystalline ZnO samples as deep as several hundred nanometers.Obvious broadening of core level XPS profiles of Ag from the surface to depths of hundred nms was observed,indicating the variance of chemical state changes in laser-induced Ag-doped ZnO.Interesting features of electronic mixing states were detected in the valence band XPS of ZnO:Ag,suggesting the strong coupling or interaction of Ag and ZnO in the sample rather than their simple mixture.The Ag-doped ZnO also showed a narrower bandgap and a decrease in thermal diffusion coefficient compared to the pure ZnO,which would be beneficial to thermoelectric performance.

Maternal zinc alleviates tert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced mitochondrial oxidative stress on embryonic development involving the activation of Nrf2/PGC-1αpathway

Background Mitochondrial dysfunction induced by excessive mitochondrial reactive oxygen species(ROS)damages embryonic development and leads to growth arrest.Objective The purpose of this study is to elucidate whether maternal zinc(Zn)exert protective effect on oxidative stress targeting mitochondrial function using an avian model.Result In ovo injected tert-butyl hydroperoxide(BHP)increases(P<0.05)hepatic mitochondrial ROS,malondialdehyde(MDA)and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine(8-OHdG),and decreases(P<0.05)mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP),mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA)copy number and adenosine triphosphate(ATP)content,contributing to mitochondrial dysfunction.In vivo and in vitro studies revealed that Zn addition enhances(P<0.05)ATP synthesis and metallothionein 4(MT4)content and expression as well as alleviates(P<0.05)the BHP-induced mitochondrial ROS generation,oxidative damage and dysfunction,exerting a protective effect on mitochondrial function by enhancing antioxidant capacity and upregulating the mRNA and protein expressions of Nrf2 and PGC-1α.Conclusions The present study provides a new way to protect offspring against oxidative damage by maternal Zn supplementation through the process of targeting mitochondria involving the activation of Nrf2/PGC-1αsignaling.

Efficient degradation of dye pollutants in wastewater via photocatalysis using a magnetic zinc oxide/graphene/iron oxide-based catalyst

In this paper, we present a proof-of-concept study of the enhancement of photocatalytic activity via a combined strategy of fabricating a visible-light responsive ternary heterostructure and improving overall photostability by incorporating magnetic zinc oxide/graphene/iron oxide (ZGF). A solvothermal approach was used to synthesize the catalyst. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopic, energy dispersive X-ray, transmission electron microscopic, vibrating sample magnetometric, and ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopic techniques were used to characterize the synthesized samples. The obtained optimal Zn(NO_(3))_(2) concentration, temperature, and heating duration were 0.10 mol/L, 600℃, and 1 h, respectively. The XRD pattern revealed the presence of peaks corresponding to zinc oxide, graphene, and iron oxide, indicating that the ZGF catalyst was effectively synthesized. Furthermore, when the developed ZGF was used for methylene blue dye degradation, the optimum irradiation time, dye concentration, catalyst dosage, irradiation intensity, and solution pH were 90 min, 10 mg/L, 0.03 g/L, 100 W, and 8.0, respectively. Therefore, the synthesized ZGF system could be used as a catalyst to degrade dyes in wastewater samples. This hybrid nanocomposite consisting of zinc oxide, graphene, and iron oxide could also be used as an effective photocatalytic degrader for various dye pollutants.

Effects of Zinc Oxide Particles with Different Sizes on Root Development in Oryza sativa

Given the consistent release of zinc oxide(ZnO)nanoparticles into the environment,it is urgent to study their impact on plants in depth.In this study,grains of rice were treated with two different concentrations of ZnO nanoparticles(NP-ZnO,10 and 100 mg/L),and their bulk counterpart(B-ZnO)were used to evaluate whether ZnO action could depend on particle size.To test this hypothesis,root growth and development assessment,oxidative stress parameters,indole-3-acetic acid(IAA)content and molecules/enzymes involved in IAA metabolism were analyzed.In situ localization of Zn in control and treated roots was also performed.Though Zn was visible inside root cells only following nanoparticle treatment,both materials(NP-ZnO and B-ZnO)were able to affect seedling growth and root morphology,with alteration in the concentration/pattern of localization of oxidative stress markers and with a different action depending on particle size.In addition,only ZnO supplied as bulk material induced a significant increase in both IAA concentration and lateral root density,supporting our hypothesis that bulk particles might enhance lateral root development through the rise of IAA concentration.Apparently,IAA concentration was influenced more by the activity of the catabolic peroxidases than by the protective action of phenols.

Multi-Objective Adaptive Optimization Model Predictive Control:Decreasing Carbon Emissions from a Zinc Oxide Rotary Kiln

The zinc oxide rotary kiln,as an essential piece of equipment in the zinc smelting industrial process,is presenting new challenges in process control.China’s strategy of achieving a carbon peak and carbon neutrality is putting new demands on the industry,including green production and the use of fewer resources;thus,traditional stability control is no longer suitable for multi-objective control tasks.Although researchers have revealed the principle of the rotary kiln and set up computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulation models to study its dynamics,these models cannot be directly applied to process control due to their high computational complexity.To address these issues,this paper proposes a multi-objective adaptive optimization model predictive control(MAO-MPC)method based on sparse identification.More specifically,with a large amount of data collected from a CFD model,a sparse regression problem is first formulated and solved to obtain a reduction model.Then,a two-layered control framework including real-time optimization(RTO)and model predictive control(MPC)is designed.In the RTO layer,an optimization problem with the goal of achieving optimal operation performance and the lowest possible resource consumption is set up.By solving the optimization problem in real time,a suitable setting value is sent to the MPC layer to ensure that the zinc oxide rotary kiln always functions in an optimal state.Our experiments show the strength and reliability of the proposed method,which reduces the usage of coal while maintaining high profits.

Incorporation of Nano-Zinc Oxide in Lamellar Zirconium Phosphate: Synthesis and Characterization

In order to provide ultraviolet barrier, antifungal and antibacterial properties, nano-zinc oxide (ZnO) was added to lamellar zirconium phosphate (ZrP). The phosphate was synthesized via reaction of zirconium oxychloride octahydrate and phosphoric acid following its chemical modification with Jeffamine and nano-ZnO. Diffractometric, morphological, thermal, structural and relaxometric evaluations were conducted. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed increase of the area between 4000 - 3000 cm-1 due to the formation of ionic specie PO? +NH3-[C-(H)(CH3)-CH2-O-(C-(H)(CH3)-CH2-O)8-(CH2-CH2-O-CH3)] and nano-ZnO particles. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction indicated that intercalation of Jeffamine was successful. Thermogravimetry confirmed that nano-ZnO particle forced the expulsion of Jeffamine outside ZrP galleries. Scanning electron microscopy evidenced the Jeffamine intercalation and sample heterogeneity. Hydrogen molecular relaxation indicated the increase of molecular rigidity owing to the formation of ionic specie and the addition of nano-ZnO particles. It was postulated that a multifunctional and miscellaneous material constituted by as prepared ZrP, some delaminated ZrP platelets and nano-ZnO particles was achieved. The material has potential for usage as filler in polymeric composites.

Enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity of Z-scheme graphitic carbon nitride/oxygen vacancy-rich zinc oxide hybrid photocatalysts

With the objectives of enhancing the stability,optical properties and visible-light photocatalytic activity of photocatalysts,we modified oxygen vacancy-rich zinc oxide（Vo-ZnO） with graphitic carbon nitride（g-C3N4）. The resulting g-C3N4/Vo-ZnO hybrid photocatalysts showed higher visible-light photocatalytic activity than pure Vo-ZnO and g-C3N4. The hybrid photocatalyst with a g-C3N4 content of 1 wt% exhibited the highest photocatalytic degradation activity under visible-light irradiation（λ≥ 400 nm）. In addition,the g-C3N4/Vo-ZnO photocatalyst was not deactivated after five cycles of methyl orange degradation,indicating that it is stable under light irradiation. Finally,a Z-scheme mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability of the g-C3N4/Vo-ZnO hybrid photocatalyst was proposed. The fast charge separation and transport within the g-C3N4/Vo-ZnO hybrid photocatalyst were attributed as the origins of its enhanced photocatalytic performance.

Mechano-chemical sulfidization of zinc oxide by grinding with sulfur and reductive additives

A novel process for sulfidation of ZnO by co-grinding with sulfur and reductive additives （P, Fe, A1, and Mg） was developed. The sulfidation extent of ZnO with the addition of P, Fe, A1 or Mg can reach 85.2%, 81.6%, 96.7% and 92.6% after grinding for 4, 6, 1 and 1 h, respectively. Based on the chemical phase composition analysis and morphological characteristics of sulfidized products by XRD, SEM and TEM, a possible reaction mechanism, mechanically induced self-propagating reaction （MSR）, was proposed to explain the sulfidization reaction. In addition, the floatability of sulfidized products was investigated for the recovery of metal sulfide and ZnS can be concentrated with a high concentration ratio and concentrate grade. By using the sulfidizing process, it is expected that the recovery of zinc from the wastes or purification of heavy-metal-containing hazardous residues is technically feasible.

Determination of arsenic speciation in secondary zinc oxide and arsenic leachability

The species of arsenic in secondary zinc oxide generated from fuming furnace were investigated. The results revealed that there are mainly three types of secondary zinc oxide based on three arsenic species. The main phase of As is As2O3 in type Ⅰ, zinc arsenite （Zn（AsO2）2） in type Ⅱ and lead arsenate （Pb（As206）, Pb4As2O9） in type Ⅲ, respectively. Selective leaching of zinc oxide of type Ⅱ was carried out. The leaching rate of As kept at 65%-70% with 30 g/L NaOH and L/S ratio of 3 at 20 ℃ for 1 h, while the losses of Pb and Zn were both below 1%.

Leaching of low grade zinc oxide ores in Ida^(2-)-H_2O system

Ida2--H2O system（iminodiacetate aqueous solution） was used to leach a low grade zinc oxide ore for Zn extraction.The effects of leaching time,liquid-solid ratio（L/S）,total concentration of Ida2-（[Ida2-]T）,leaching temperature and pH on Zn leaching recovery and the dissolution of impurities such as Ca,Mg,Cu,Ni,Fe,Pb and Cd were investigated.Results show that Ca,Mg and Fe in ores were hardly dissolved in alkalescent iminodiacetate aqueous solution,while valuable metals such as Cu,Ni,Pb and Cd were partly dissolved into leaching liquor with Zn.The recovery of Zn reaches 76.6% when the ores were leached for 4 h at 70 ℃ by 0.9 mol/L iminodiacetate aqueous solution with pH of 8 and L/S of 5：1.

Selective recovery of lead from zinc oxide dust with alkaline Na_2EDTA solution

The selective recovery of lead from the zinc oxide dust using an alkaline Na2EDTA solution was investigated. The effects of temperature, leaching time, Na2EDTA concentration and initial NaOH concentration on the leaching rates of lead and zinc were studied. The following optimized leaching conditions were obtained： liquid-to-solid ratio 5：1 mL/g, stirring speed 650 r/min, Na2EDTA concentration 0.12 mol/L, initial NaOH concentration 0.5 mol/L, leaching temperature 70 ℃, leaching time 120 min. Under the optimized conditions, the average leaching rates of lead, zinc, fluoride and chloride are 89.92%, 0.94%, 62.84% and 90.02%, respectively. The filtrate was used to electrowin lead powders. The average current efficiency of electrowinning is about 93% and lead content is higher than 98% under the conditions of temperature of 60 ℃, current density of 200 A/m2, H3PO4 concentration of 1.5 g/L, and lead ion concentration of above 5 g/L. The consumption of Na2EDTA and the direct current are about respectively 0.218 kg and 0.958 kW·h for per kilogram of lead powder.

Dielectric properties and temperature increase characteristics of zinc oxide dust from fuming furnace

Cavity perturbation method was used to determine the dielectric properties （ε′,ε″, and tanδ） of zinc oxide dust in different apparent densities. The process was conducted to study the microwave-absorption properties of zinc oxide dust and the feasibility of microwave roasting zinc oxide dust to remove fluorine and chlorine. The dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and loss tangent were proportional to the apparent density of zinc oxide dust. The effects of sample mass and microwave power on the temperature increase characteristics under the microwave field were also studied. The results show that the apparent heating rate of the zinc oxide dust increases with the increase in microwave roasting power and decreases with the increase in the sample mass. The temperature of the samples reaches approximately 800 ＆#176;C after microwave treatment for 8 min, which indicates that the zinc oxide dust has strong microwave-absorption ability.

Stable zinc oxide field emitter-based backlight unit for liquid crystal display

A zinc oxide ZnO field emitter-based backlight unit for liquid crystal display with a gated structure is fabricated by screen-printing processes.The measured anode field emission current density reaches 0.62 mA/cm2 when the applied gate voltage is 570 V.Part of the anode current is contributed by the secondary electron emission which is excited from the MgO layer inside the gate apertures on the gate plate. The average emission current density and luminance are 0.47 mA/cm2 and 1 250 cd/m2 respectively with a fluctuation of about 10% during the 1 000 min measurement.By a finite element method calculation the gated structure shows a good electron beam focusing property. The driving performance of the backlight unit is characterized by SPICE simulation tools and measured by the oscilloscope. Stable field emission line-by-line scanning and fast response characteristics of the backlight unit indicate its promising application in the liquid crystal displays.

Response surface optimization of process parameters for removal of F and Cl from zinc oxide fume by microwave roasting

Microwave was applied to roasting the zinc oxide fume obtained from fuming furnace for the removal of F and Cl. The effects of important parameters, such as roasting temperature, holding time and stirring speed, were investigated and the process conditions were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The results show that the effects of roasting temperature and holding time on the removal rate of F and Cl are the most significant, and the effect of stirring speed is the second. The defluorination rate reaches 92.6% while the dechlorination rate reaches 90.2%, under the process conditions of roasting temperature of 700 °C, holding time of 80 min and stirring speed of 120 r/min. The results indicate that the removal of F and Cl from fuming furnace production of zinc oxide fumes using microwave roasting process is feasible and reliable.

Synthesis and characterization of LiFePO_4 coating with aluminum doped zinc oxide

Aluminum doped zinc oxide （AZO）, as an electrically conductive material, was applied to coating on the surface of olivine-type LiFePO4 synthesized by solid-state method. The charge-discharge test results show that the rate performance and low-temperature performance of LiFePO4 are greatly improved by the surface treatment. Even at 20C rate, the discharge specific capacity of 100.9 mA.h/g was obtained by the AZO-coated LiFePO4 at room temperature. At -20 ℃, the discharge specific capacity at 0.2C for un-coated LiFePO4 and the coated one are 50.3 mA.h/g and 119.4 mA.h/g, respectively. It should be attributed to the electrically conductive AZO-coating which increases the electronic conductivity of LiFePO4. Furthermore, the surface-coating increases the tap-density of LiFePO4. The results indicate that the AZO-coated LiFePO4 is a good candidate of cathode material for applying in lithium power batteries.

Effect of RF power on the properties of transparent conducting zirconium-doped zinc oxide films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

Transparent and conducting zirconium-doped zinc oxide films with high transparency and relatively low resistivity have been successfully prepared by radio frequency （RF） msgnetron sputtering at room temperature, The RF power is varied from 75 to 150 W. At first the crystallinity and conductivity of the film are improved and then both of them show deterioration with the increase of the RF power, The lowest resistivity achieved is 2.07 × 10^-3Ωcm at an RF power of 100W with a Hall mobility of 16cm^2V^-1s^-1 and a carrier concentration of 1.95 × 10^20 cm^-3. The films obtained are polycryetalline with a hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation along the c-axis, All the films have a high transmittance of approximately 92% in the visible range. The optical band gap is about 3.33 eV for the films deposited at different RF powers.

Surface-effects-dominated thermal and mechanical responses of zinc oxide nanobelts

t Molecular dynamics （MD） simulations are carried out to characterize the mechanical and thermal responses of [011^-1]-oriented ZnO nanobelts with lateral dimensions of 21.22A × 18.95 A, 31.02A× 29.42 A, and40.81A ×39.89A over the temperature range of 300-1000 K. The Young＇s modulus and thermal conductivity of the nanobelts are evaluated. Significant surface effects on properties due to the highsurface-to-volume ratios of the nanobelts are observed. For the mechanical response, surface-stress-induced internal stress plays an important role. For the thermal response, surface scattering of phonons dominates. Calculations show that the Young＇s modulus is higher than the corresponding value for bulk ZnO and decreases by -33% as the lateral dimensions increase from 21.22 A × 18.95A to 40.81 A × 39.89A. The thermal conductivity is one order of magnitude lower than the corresponding value for bulk ZnO single crystal and decreases with wire size. Specifically, the conductivity of the 21.22 A × 18.95 A belt is approximately （31-18）% lower than that of the 40.81 A × 39.89 A belt over the temperature range analyzed. A significant dependence of properties on temperature is also observed, with the Young＇s modulus decreasing on average by 12% and the conductivity decreasing by 50% as temperature increases from 300 K to 1000 K.