KOH activated carbon derived from biomass-banana fibers as an efficient negative electrode in high performance asymmetric supercapacitor

Here we demonstrate the fabrication, electrochemical performance and application of an asymmetric supercapacitor (AS) device constructed with ss-Ni(OH)(2)/MWCNTs as positive electrode and KOH activated honeycomb-like porous carbon (K-PC) derived from banana fibers as negative electrode. Initially, the electrochemical performance of hydrothermally synthesized ss-Ni(OH)(2)/MWCNTs nanocomposite and K-PC was studied in a three-electrode system using 1 M KOH. These materials exhibited a specific capacitance (Cs) of 1327 Fig and 324 F/g respectively at a scan rate of 10 mV/s. Further, the AS device i.e., ss-Ni(OH)(2)/MWCNTs// K-PC in 1 M KOH solution, demonstrated a Cs of 156 F/g at scan rate of 10 mV/s in a broad cell voltage of 0-2.2 V. The device demonstrated a good rate capability by maintaining a Cs of 59 F/g even at high current density (25 A/g). The device also offered high energy density of 63 Wh/kg with maximum power density of 5.2 kW/kg. The AS device exhibited excellent cycle life with 100% capacitance retention at 5000th cycle at a high current density of 25 A/g. Two AS devices connected in series were employed for powering a pair of LEDs of different colors and also a mini fan. (C) 2016 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights reserved.

High energy density performance of hydrothermally produced hydrous ruthenium oxide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes composite: Design of an asymmetric supercapacitor with excellent cycle life

Hydrous ruthenium oxide(h-Ru O) nanoparticles and its composite with multiwalled carbon nanotubes(h-Ru O/MWCNT) were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method and proved to have potential application as hybrid supercapacitor material.The h-Ru Oand h-Ru O/MWCNT were characterized for their physico-chemical properties by PXRD,BET surface area,Raman,SEM-EDS and TEM techniques.The electrochemical performance of the materials were investigated,specific capacitance(Cs) of h-Ru Oand hRu O/MWCNT estimated by their cyclic voltammetric studies were found to be 604 and 1585 F/g respectively at a scan rate of 2 m V/s in the potential range 0–1.2 V.Further,this value was found to be nearly three times higher than that of pure h-Ru O.An asymmetric supercapacitor(AS) device was fabricated by employing h-Ru O/MWCNT as the positive electrode and activated carbon as the negative electrode.The device exhibited Cs of 61.8 F/g at a scan rate of 2 m V/s.Further,the device showed excellent long term stability for 20,000 cycles with 88% capacitance retention at a high current density of 25 A/g.

A Preliminary Vegetation-Ecological Study of <i>Davidia involucrata</i>Forest

Davidia involucrata is a rare endangered species belonging to the paleo-tropical flora of the Tertiary period, endemic to China, and has an important protection and ornamental value. However, the natural populations and distribution areas of this ancient plant have been decreased sharply, because it suffers much disturbance from human activity in many regions. In this paper, data on Davidia involucrata forest in its most natural distribution areas were collected;the percentages of geographical areal types of seed-plant genera (Sensu Wu 1991) were summed;the community types were summarized using Braun-Blanquet methodology;and the geographical differentiation among communities was analyzed by detrended canonical correspondence analysis. The analysis of geographical types shows that temperate species are dominant and that tropical species also make up a high percentage. This indicates that Davidia involucrata forest is mainly temperate vegetation. In total, 16 communities were recognized by classification, and these communities were usually dominated by deciduous broad-leaved species, sometimes mixed with some evergreen species. The shrub layer of Davidia involucrata forest is generally occupied by bamboos. The geographical patterns among the communities are influenced mainly by temperature and moisture availability, and the forest is most likely to grow in warm, humid habitats.

Effects of life-history components on population dynamics of the rare endangered plant <i>Davidia involucrata</i>

In order to estimate the most effect stage and process on population growth and effective conserve the rare endangered plant Davidia involucrata, we analyzed the dynamics and the contributions of life-history components on population dynamics based on Lefkovitch matrix model and sensitivity analysis. The life cycle of Davidia involucrata was divided into six stages (seed, seedling, juvenile, immature, early adult and late adult) based on the species characteristics and published literature data, the survival rates in each life-history stage were simulated using a static life table, and the fecundity of each stage was determined according to sample information. The results showed that the structure of the observed population was not ideal, and the numbers of seedlings and coppice shoots was similar. The population growth rate was influenced largely by individual growth process, and asexual reproduction made a larger contribution to population growth than sexual reproduction. However, sexual reproduction was more important than asexual reproduction, because most asexual reproducing individuals (the coppice shoots) were derived mainly from human destruction (e.g. felling trees). The most important stage was stage V (late adult), associated with seed production and germination. Therefore, conservation of Davidia involucrata populations should focus on stage V and sexual reproduction, in order to improve the seed production and germination rate, and to promote population stability and development.

Engineering Solutions for Representative Models of the Gastrointestinal Human-Microbe Interface

Host-microbe interactions at the gastrointestinal interface have emerged as a key component in the governance of human health and disease. Advances in micro-physiological systems are providing researchers with unprecedented access and insights into this complex relationship. These systems combine the benefits of microengineering, microfluidics, and cell culture in a bid to recreate the environmental con- ditions prevalent in the human gut. Here we present the human-microbial cross talk （HuMiX） platform, one such system that leverages this multidisciplinary approach to provide a representative in vitro model of the human gastrointestinal interface. HuMiX presents a novel and robust means to study the molecular interactions at the host-microbe interface. We summarize our proof-of-concept results obtained using the platform and highlight its potential to greatly enhance our understanding of host-microbe interactions with a potential to greatly impact the pharmaceutical, food, nutrition, and healthcare industries in the future. A number of key questions and challenges facing these technologies are also discussed.

用于太阳光光催化降解溴化乙锭的高活性锆掺杂锐钛矿型二氧化钛催化剂的制备和表征(英文)

Ethidium bromide is a fluorescent tag and is used in biomedical applications.It is a potent mutagen because of its DNA intercalating nature.A catalyst composition for the feasible elimination of ethidium bromide using a broad spectrum of solar radiation was investigated.Nanostructured anatase TiO2 was synthesized by gel to crystalline conversion and its bandgap was engineered by doping with zirconium to effectively harness sunlight.The doped nanocrystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,energy dispersive X-ray analysis,and UV-Vis spectroscopy.The formed crystals retained the anatase phase with a marginal increase in size.The pulverization process used to dope Zr into titania resulted in a nano and doped lattice with an increased and extended light absorption range,which gave a nearly five-fold increase in photoactivity over pure titania.The catalytic effect of the modified titania,the dopant concentration,and the dynamics of the dopant concentration on the charge carriers(trapping-recombination)for the degradation of the mutagen was investigated.The modified titania is capable of total ethidium bromide elimination in sunlight.The loss of its mutagenic property was confirmed by an Ames test.The induced revertant colonies observed were nil in the treated sample indicating a complete loss of the intercalating property of the mutagen.

Extract of Emblica officinalis enhances the growth of human keratinocytes in culture

Objective: Keratinocytes are the predominant cell type in the epidermis and play key roles in epidermal function. Thus, identification of the compounds that regulate the growth of keratinocytes is of importance. Here we searched for such compounds from the herbs used in traditional medicine Ayurveda.Methods: Human keratinocytes were cultured in the presence or absence of the herbal extracts for 2 weeks; the effect of the extracts on cell growth was determined by staining the cells with Coomassie brilliant blue. To detect the compounds that regulate the growth of keratinocytes, the herbal extracts were subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).Results: We found that the extract of Emblica officinalis enhanced the growth of keratinocytes in culture.Further, we fractionated the extract of E. officinalis using HPLC and identified the fractions responsible for the enhanced growth of keratinocytes.Conclusion: The extract of E. officinalis enhanced the growth of human keratinocytes in culture.E. officinalis contains the compounds that would be beneficial for human skin health because enhanced growth of keratinocytes would promote wound healing.

Chyawanprash,a formulation of traditional Ayurvedic medicine,shows a protective effect on skin photoaging in hairless mice

OBJECTIVE： Chronic exposure to ultraviolet （UV） radiation induces skin photoaging （premature skin aging）. UV irradiation generates reactive oxygen species （ROS）, which are shown to play a pivotal role in skin photoaging. Ayurveda is a holistic traditional medical system, and Chyawanprash is one of the most popular formulations in Ayurveda. Since maintenance of the function and appearance of skin is important, we examined whether Chyawanprash has a protective effect on skin photoaging. METHODS： To examine the effect of Chyawanprash on skin photoaging, hairless mice were administered with Chyawanprash in drinking water for 3 weeks, and then repeatedly exposed to ultraviolet light B （UVB） irradiation （225 or 450 mJ/cm2） to induce skin photoaging. To further examine the function of Chyawanprash, its effects were examined in cells cultured in vitro. Chyawanprash was added in culture medium, and examined for the effect on the growth of human keratinocytes, and for the ability to eliminate ROS which generated by paraquat （50 μmol/L） in HeLa cells. RESULTS： UVB irradiation caused symptoms such as rough skin, erythema, and edema on the skin in hairless mice, but administration of Chyawanprash relieved these symptoms. Further, Chyawanprash significantly suppressed epidermal thickening, a typical marker of skin photoaging, in mice. We then analyzed the effect of Chyawanprash in human cells in culture, and found that Chyawanprash enhanced the growth of human keratinocytes, and efficiently eliminated ROS, which are causally involved in skin photoaging, in HeLa cells. CONCLUSION： These findings suggested that Chyawanprash may have beneficial effects on slowing skin photoaging.

Exome-wide variation in a diverse barley panel reveals genetic associations with ten agronomic traits in Eastern landraces

Barley(Hordeum vulgare ssp.vulgare)is one of the first crops to be domesticated and is adapted to a wide range of environments.Worldwide barley germplasm collections possess valuable allelic variations that could further improve barley productivity.Although barley genomics has offered a global picture of allelic variation among varieties and its association with various agronomic traits,polymorphisms from East Asian varieties remain scarce.In this study,we analyze exome polymorphisms in a panel of 274 barley varieties collected worldwide,including 137 varieties from East Asian countries and Ethiopia.We reveal the underlying population structure and conduct genome-wide association studies for 10 agronomic traits.Moreover,we examin genome-wide associations for traits related to grain size such as awn length and glume length.Our results demonstrate the value of diverse barley germplasm panels containing Eastern varieties,highlighting their distinct genomic signatures relative to Western subpopulations.

Bacteriocins as antimicrobial and preservative agents in food:Biosynthesis,separation and application

Emerging evidence shows the trend of using safe and natural preservatives like bacteriocins in food processing.The increasing demand by the food industry to extend keeping quality and prevent spoilage of various food products has appealed for new preservatives and new methods of conservation.Further,to discover the novel spectrum of antimicrobial compounds that could effectively battle food-borne pathogens,bacteriocins have been intensively studied in the last few years.Recently,great attention has been paid to the application of lactic acid-bacterial bacteriocins targeting food spoilage-causing or pathogenic microorganisms with no significant side effects.Different mechanisms of action like pore-formation,retarding cell-wall/nucleic acid/protein synthesis have been proposed and described for diverse bacteriocins.Therefore,the syntheses,purification of bacteriocins in addition to their applications as antimicrobial and preservative agents in food processing are reviewed in detail.The review will also discuss the preservative effect of bacteriocins and their combinations having multiple modes of action(hurdle approach)to reduce the microbial load as well as antimicrobial resistance.