Rapid synthesis of BiOBrxI1-x photocatalysts : insights to the visible-light photocatalytic activity and strong deviation from Vegard’s Law

This work was supported by the Royal Society for international collaboration grants (IE160277 and IE/CNSFC170670) and Sir John Houghton Fellowship in Jesus College at University of Oxford. ZJ appreciated the institutional GCRF fund from EPSRC and JG appreciates the EUSTICE scholarship from University of Southampton.A series of visible-light-responsive BiOBrxI1-x solid solutions were prepared by a rapid and efficient ultrasonication synthesis and applied in photodegradation of Rhodamine B in aqueous solution. The detailed characterisations showed that the lattice parameters and their band structures of the BiOBrxI1-x solid solutions significantly deviated from the well-established Vegard’s law for solid solution materials. The Mulliken electronegativity and valence band XPS analyses revealed that the substitution of Br by less electronegative iodine can simultaneously modulate the edges of conductance and valence band of the BiOBr, leading to nonlinear dependence of bandgap (Eg) on the halogen anion concentrations. Although the solid solution displayed superior RhB photodegration activity to BiOI, only Br-rich BiOBrxI1-x solid solutions (x>0.5) were more active than BiOBr and BiOI, with the optimal one is BiOBr0.75I0.25. The Br-dependence of bandstructure and photocatalytic activity for the BiOBrxI1-x solid solutions as well as their rate-limiting radical species were also clarified based on experimental and theoretical analyses.PostprintPeer reviewe

Combined effects of host genetics and diet on porcine intestinal fungi and their pathogenic genes

As research on gut microbes progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that a small family of microbiota--fungi, plays a crucial role in animal health. However, little is known about the fungal composition in the pig intestine, especially after a dietary fiber diet and hybrid genetics, and the changes in host pathogenicity-associated genes they carry. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of diet and genetics on the diversity and structure of porcine intestinal fungi and to describe, for the first time, the host pathogenicity-related genes carried by porcine intestinal fungi. Samples of colonic contents were collected for metagenomic analysis using a 3 × 2 parsing design, where three pig breeds (Taoyuan, Duroc, and crossbred Xiangcun) were fed high or low fiber diets (n = 10). In all samples, we identified a total of 281 identifiable fungal genera, with Ascomycota and Microsporidia being the most abundant fungi. Compared to Duroc pigs, Taoyuan and Xiangcun pigs had higher fungal richness. Interestingly, the fiber diet significantly reduced the abundance of the pathogenic fungus Mucor and significantly increased the abundance of the fiber digestion-associated fungus Neocallimastix. Pathogenic fungi exert their pathogenicity through the genes they carry that are associated with host pathogenicity. Therefore, we obtained 839 pathogenicity genes carried by the spectrum of fungi in the pig intestine by comparing the PHI-base database. Our results showed that fungi in the colon of Taoyuan pigs carried the highest abundance of different classes of host pathogenicity-related genes, and the lowest in Duroc pigs. Specifically, Taoyuan pigs carried high abundance of animal pathogenicity-related genes (CaTUP1, CPAR2_106400, CaCDC35, Tfp1, CaMNT2), and CaTUP1 was the key gene for Candida pathogenicity. The intestinal fungal composition of crossbred Xiangcun pigs and the abundance of host pathogenicity-associated genes they carried exhibited a mixture of characteristics of Taoyuan and Duroc pigs. In conclusion, our results provide the first comprehensive report on the effects of dietary fiber and genetics on the composition of intestinal fungi and the host-associated pathogenicity genes they carry in pigs. These findings provide a reference for subsequent pig breeding and development of anti-pathogenic fungal drugs

l-Isoleucine Administration Alleviates Rotavirus Infection and Immune Response in the Weaned Piglet Model

Rotavirus (RV) infection is one of the main pathogenic causes of severe gastroenteritis and diarrhea in infants and young animals. This study aimed to determine how dietary l-isoleucine supplementation improves the growth performance and immune response in weaned piglets with RV infection. In cell culture experiment, after IPEC-J2 and 3D4/31 cells were treated by 8 mM l-isoleucine for 24 h, the gene expressions of β-defensins and pattern recognition receptors (PRR) signaling pathway were significantly increased. Then, in the in vivo experiment, 28 crossbred weaned pigs were randomly divided into two groups fed with basal diet with or without l-isoleucine for 18 days. On the 15th day, the oral RV gavage was executed in the half of piglets. Average daily feed intake and gain of piglets were impaired by RV infection (P < 0.05). RV infection also induced severe diarrhea and the increasing serum urea nitrogen concentration (P < 0.05), and decreased CD4+ lymphocyte and CD4+/CD8+ ratio of peripheral blood (P < 0.05). However, dietary l-isoleucine supplementation attenuated diarrhea and decreasing growth performance (P < 0.05), decreased the NSP4 concentration in ileal mucosa, and enhanced the productions and/or expressions of immunoglobulins, RV antibody, cytokines, and β-defensins in serum, ileum, and/or mesenteric lymph nodes of weaned piglets (P < 0.05), which could be relative with activation of PRR signaling pathway and the related signaling pathway (P < 0.05) in the weaned pigs orally infused by RV. These results indicate that dietary l-isoleucine could improve the growth performance and immune function, which could be derived from l-isoleucine treatment improving the innate and adaptive immune responses via activation of PRR signaling pathway in RV-infected piglets. It is possible that l-isoleucine can be used in the therapy of RV infection in infants and young animals

Investigation of the Thermal Degradation of SBS Polymer in Long-Term Aged Asphalt Binder Using Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM)

Styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) polymer is extensively employed for asphalt pavement construction, and its degradation significantly damages the durability of asphalt concrete. However, the effect of aging protocols on the degradation of SBS polymer in asphalt binder has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was applied to characterize the change in morphology with SBS polymer degradation. Various aging protocols were considered, including accelerated aging processes in laboratory- and field-aged samples from three highway sections with different in-service periods. Scanned images of the polymer phase in the 2D plane at different depths were processed and further reconstructed in three dimensions. Furthermore, the three-dimensional polymer morphology indices derived from the semi-quantitative analysis of the images were correlated with the rheological indices. The results show that the polymer particles change from a relatively large ellipsoidal shape to a relatively small spherical shape as aging proceeds. The increase in aging temperature appears to accelerate the degradation of the polymer at the same rheological level. The effect of the laboratory aging method on the polymer was more pronounced during the early stages of aging compared to that in the field aging process

Investigation of the Thermal Degradation of SBS Polymer in Long-Term Aged Asphalt Binder Using Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM)

Styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) polymer is extensively employed for asphalt pavement construction, and its degradation significantly damages the durability of asphalt concrete. However, the effect of aging protocols on the degradation of SBS polymer in asphalt binder has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was applied to characterize the change in morphology with SBS polymer degradation. Various aging protocols were considered, including accelerated aging processes in laboratory- and field-aged samples from three highway sections with different in-service periods. Scanned images of the polymer phase in the 2D plane at different depths were processed and further reconstructed in three dimensions. Furthermore, the three-dimensional polymer morphology indices derived from the semi-quantitative analysis of the images were correlated with the rheological indices. The results show that the polymer particles change from a relatively large ellipsoidal shape to a relatively small spherical shape as aging proceeds. The increase in aging temperature appears to accelerate the degradation of the polymer at the same rheological level. The effect of the laboratory aging method on the polymer was more pronounced during the early stages of aging compared to that in the field aging process

Influence of Binder Property and Mortar Thickness on High-Temperature Performance of Cold Recycled Mixtures with Asphalt Emulsion

Four kinds of cold recycling (CR) mixtures with different asphalt emulsions were studied for their high-temperature performance in both binder properties and internal structures aspects. Digital image processing was introduced to determine the thickness spectrum for the asphalt mortar of the CR mixtures from a mesoscopic perspective. The time–temperature sweep (TTS) test was conducted to obtain the rheological parameters of each corresponding emulsified residue and the permanent deformation performance of each CR mixture was measured by dynamic creep test. A principle component analysis (PCA) was used to compare the typical performance parameters of the CR mixtures and find the factors controlling the rutting resistance of CR mixtures. The results show that the high-temperature performance of the CR mixtures with a modified emulsified asphalt showed improvements relative to the nominal case. Including Marshall stability, several parameters from the rheological properties of binder (G*/sinδ, flow number) and mortar thickness (max, range proportion 0–10 mm) could significantly influence the high-temperature performance and rutting resistance of the CR mixtures

Regional Differences and Dynamic Evolution of High-quality Development of Vegetable Industry in Guangdong Province

【Objective】With the increasing abundance of residents "vegetable baskets", certain changes have also taken place in the development of the vegetable industry. It is of great significance to construct an indicator system to explore its high-quality development level, and analyze its regional differences and dynamic evolution.【Method】Taking Guangdong, a major vegetable consumption province, as an example, based on panel data from various cities in the province (excluding Shenzhen) from 2015 to 2021, and by using the entropy TOPSIS method to measure the level of high-quality219 development of the vegetable industry, the research explores the regional differences and dynamic evolution laws of highquality development of vegetable industry through Dagum Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, traditional and spatial Markov chains.【Result】(1) Since the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the high-quality development level of vegetable industry in Guangdong has shown a fluctuating upward trend, with high-level areas mainly being cities with larger vegetable planting areas. (2) The indicators for achievement sharing, productivity, and element support have all increased by over 25%, while the green and low-carbon dimensions have increased by over 20%. The vegetable supply dimension has the smallest increase, but also exceeded 10%. (3) The overall regional gap during the research period showed "first increasing and then decreasing", with some narrowing. The main source of the gap was the super variable density, followed by inter-regional gap, and then intra-regional gap. (4) The overall dynamic evolution of industrial development shows a positive trend, and the level transfer of development in the sample areas is stable. The probability of upward transfer in lower level cities is generally greater than that of downward transfer.【Conclusion】The vegetable industry in Guangdong is gradually moving towards high-quality development, and its regional differences and dynamic evolution show certain regular changes. It is recommended that multiple parties jointly build a provincial-level vegetable industry information platform and promote cold chain construction according to local conditions; intensify the breeding of vegetable varieties and focus on conducting research and promotion of green prevention and control technologies; differentiate and improve weak projects in different regions to enhance the high-quality development level of the vegetable industry

An in-depth understanding of the bimetallic effects and coked carbon species on an active bimetallic Ni(Co)/Al2O3 dry reforming catalyst

Ni/Al2O3, Co/Al2O3 and bimetallic Ni(Co)/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared using an impregnation method and employed in CO2 dry reforming of methane under coking-favored conditions. The spent catalysts were carefully characterized using typical characterization technologies and inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopy. The bimetallic catalyst exhibited a superior activity and anti-coking performance compared to Ni/Al2O3, while the most resistant to coking behavior was Co/Al2O3. The enhanced activity of the Ni(Co)/Al2O3 bimetallic catalyst is attributed to the reduced particle size of metallic species and resistance to forming stable filamentous carbon. The overall carbon deposition on the spent bimetallic catalyst is comparable to that of the spent Ni/Al2O3 catalyst, whereas the carbon deposited on the bimetallic catalyst is mainly less-stable carbonaceous species as confirmed by SEM, TPO, Raman and INS characterization. This study provides an in depth understanding of alloy effects in catalysts, the chemical nature of coked carbon on spent Ni-based catalysts and, hopefully, inspires the creative design of a new bimetallic catalyst for dry reforming reaction