Radiation-induced oral mucositis requires predictive biomarkers for personalized therapy. We evaluated salivary IL-6 for predicting severe mucositis and response to food-grade bee products. Secondary analysis of 51 head/neck cancer patients randomized to honey (n = 15), Taiwanese green propolis (TGP, n = 17), or usual-care (n = 19). Both interventions used standardized preparations (10 g in 20 mL water, 10 mL TID). Salivary cytokines were analyzed using ELISA at baseline and during early radiotherapy. Salivary IL-6 at week 3 of radiotherapy demonstrated superior predictive performance (AUC = 0.780, 95
Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) are promising large-scale energy storage systems; however, their performance is constrained by the low activity and poor wettability of conventional graphite felt (GF) electrodes. In this study, spinel NiCo2O4 particles were directly deposited onto GF using an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ), enabling simultaneous surface activation and catalyst formation in a single, chemical-free, and binderfree process. The APPJ deposition effectively introduces surface defects, oxygen-containing functional groups, and uniformly distributed crystalline NiCo2O4 nanoparticles, as confirmed by FESEM, TEM-SAED, XRD, and XPS analyses. These modifications substantially enhance the electrode's wettability, surface area, and catalytic activity. Electrochemical measurements show that the modified electrodes exhibit a significantly reduced chargetransfer resistance (down to 4.44 Omega) and a higher Ipc/Ipa ratio, demonstrating improved redox reversibility. Single-cell VRFB tests reveal that the optimized P60 electrode delivers more than a 15% improvement in energy efficiency across current densities from 40 to 200 mA/cm2, along with stable long-term cycling performance at 120 mA/cm2. These results demonstrate that APPJ deposition provides an efficient, environmentally sustainable route to fabricate high-performance VRFB electrodes and offers a promising strategy for scalable energy storage applications.
Interactions between soil microorganisms and dissolved organic matter (DOM) represent critical processes in soil carbon cycle. Yet, the effects of nitrogen (N) addition on these interactions remain unclear. Over three years, we investigated bacterial communities and DOM quantity and quality at two soil depths under varying N addition rates. While N addition reduced dissolved organic carbon content and humification indices in surface soils, bacterial diversity, life-history strategies, and DOM molecular diversity remained largely unchanged. Network analysis revealed a shift from specialist to generalist taxa within bacterial-DOM associations, yet overall network complexity indicators (node number, average degree, path length) remained stable. Structural equation modeling showed that a positive covariation between bacterial diversity and DOM molecular diversity; the neutral response of both DOM molecular diversity and bacterial life-history strategies to N inputs stabilized network complexity. Our findings highlight that bacterial functions are more closely tied to DOM quality than quantity and support the "diversity begets diversity" framework. This study provides novel insights into the microbial mechanisms stabilizing soil carbon pools under N deposition.
Substrate availability and microbial accessibility are critical determinants in the conversion of okara into animal feed through solid-state fermentation (SSF). This study comprised two experiments to (1) optimize Lactobacillus SSF of okara using rice bran for moisture adjustment and (2) evaluate the feasibility of the resulting okara and rice bran fermented product (ORFP) for broiler feeding. Both experiments were interpreted using microbiota and metabolomic analyses. In Experiment 1, okara and rice bran were inoculated with three homofermentative Lactobacillus species (Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. delbrueckii, and L. salivarius) and fermented at four moisture levels (45, 50, 55, and 60%) for 0, 48, 60, and 72 h. The optimal SSF condition was identified at 60% moisture and 72 h, as indicated by increased lactic acid production and degradation of major soybean storage proteins. Fermentation reduced the abundance of Proteobacteria-associated genera (Pantoea, Pseudomonas, and Enterobacter) and increased Lactobacillus and Streptococcus, accompanied by changes in metabolites related to nucleotide, amino acid, and plant-derived compound metabolism. In Experiment 2, 112 one-day-old Arbor Acres broilers were assigned to a basal diet or diets containing 1.25, 2.5, or 5.0% ORFP. Broilers fed 2.5% ORFP maintained feed conversion ratio and increased ileal villus height. Ileal microbiota analysis revealed an increased abundance of the carbohydrate-utilizing bacterium Romboutsia timonensis in the 1.25 and 2.5% ORFP groups. Functional prediction indicated enhanced substrate utilization at these inclusion levels, with broader metabolic enrichment observed at 2.5% ORFP, whereas fewer functional pathways were observed in the 5.0% ORFP group. Further metabolomic analysis indicated enrichment of amino acid- and sulfur-related pathways in the 1.25 and 2.5% ORFP groups. These changes were associated with mucosal-associated metabolism, as shown by the positive association between R. timonensis and glucosamine-6-sulfate. Overall, these results indicate that Lactobacillus SSF combined with rice bran modulates substrate availability and microbial accessibility of okara, with 2.5% ORFP associated with improved intestinal morphology and changes in microbiota and metabolite profiles in broilers.
This study examines how the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) affects export-oriented manufacturing firms in Taiwan and shapes their strategic responses toward decarbonization and cleaner production. As CBAM is scheduled to impose carbon charges on selected imports from 2026, carbon-intensive industries—particularly steel, aluminum, cement, and fertilizers—are expected to face rising compliance costs and increasing pressure to adjust production and investment decisions. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study integrates focus group discussions with a structured questionnaire survey and applies the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to analyze firm-level decision-making under multiple criteria. A total of 32 valid responses were collected from Taiwanese firms with actual exports to the European Union. The results indicate that firms place the greatest emphasis on carbon reduction effectiveness, followed by policy support, while cost considerations rank third. This pattern suggests that firms are increasingly willing to pursue structural decarbonization and cleaner production strategies when supported by clear and credible policy incentives. In terms of strategic preferences, firms prioritize direct payment of CBAM charges as a short-term compliance strategy, while mitigation-oriented options—such as participation in domestic decarbonization projects combined with preferential carbon pricing—emerge as viable medium-term alternatives. Overall, these findings provide practical insights into how carbon border measures influence firm-level production strategies and highlight the importance of aligning domestic carbon pricing and policy support mechanisms to facilitate industrial transition toward cleaner production.
