Functional components from animal by-products fortified by plant-based functional ingredients constitute a contemporary strategy that is congruent with the objectives of clean-label reformulation. This research examined a cooked sausage matrix fortified with hydrolyzed collagen (5-15%) and cranberry powder (1-3%). The sausages were evaluated in terms of hardness, cohesiveness, color stability, total antioxidant capacity (FRAP), and sensory profile. A full 3 & times; 3 design incorporated second-order response surfaces and composite desirability. It made it possible to quantify the effects of factors via response surface methodology. Cranberry powder predominantly enhanced color stability and FRAP across the factor space, while hydrolyzed collagen primarily modulated hardness, cohesiveness, and other sensory attributes. Cranberry powder exhibited substantial enhancements in pigment protection and redox status. This effect was attributable to polyphenols, which functioned through electron donation and metal chelation, thereby retarding the oxidation of myoglobin and lipids in cooked sausages. As a result, peptidemediated softening occurred at higher amounts of hydrolyzed collagen, and maximum cohesion was reached at moderate amounts. The optimal combination, according to overall desirability profiles, was hydrolyzed collagen - 10.0% and cranberry powder - 2.0%. At this specific point, the responses were as follows: hardness - 3.746 g/mm2, cohesiveness - 81.92%, color stability - 89.62%, FRAP - 552.75 a.u., and sensory profile - 4.10 points. The predictability at the optimum level was high, with a mean relative error of 0.61%.
Experimental investigation biogas conversion into syngas (a mixture of CO and H-2) in the equilibrium plasma of a radiofrequency (RF) inductive discharge at atmospheric pressure is presented. It was shown that direct injection of biogas (a mixture of CH4 and CO2) into the main discharge zone leads to complete decomposition of methane. However, most of the resulting hydrogen is bound to oxygen from the dissociation of CO2, limiting the release of H-2 and leading to the formation of water. An alternative scheme with biogas injection into the post-discharge region (plasma torch) was experimentally studied. This enabled stable discharge combustion and high conversion rates: up to 100% for CH4 and similar to 70% for CO2. Optimal process conditions were determined, resulting in specific energy consumption for syngas production of similar to 16.5 kW h/m(3). The main reaction products are CO and H-2 in a ratio of similar to 2.5:1, as well as a small amount of acetylene (up to 4.5%) and water. The analysis confirms the potential for scaling the RF discharge thanks to its electrodeless design and ability to operate in the megawatt power range. To achieve the CO/H-2 ratio (0.3-0.5) required for the synthesis of methanol and hydrocarbons via the Fischer-Tropsch process, hybrid processes are proposed, involving steam reforming of a portion of the feedstock and the use of water vapor as a plasma-forming medium.
Catalytic methane combustion is an efficient way to remove methane from the exhaust of natural gas vehicles and mine ventilation streams, thereby mitigating its strong greenhouse impact and reducing the fire and explosion hazards. The most widely used catalysts for methane combustion are high-surface-area oxide supports with palladium-based nanoparticles. The promotion of Pd by noble and transition metals is one of the most effective strategies to enhance long-term stability of the catalytic nanoparticles. Here, in search of a synthetic approach to localize promoters in the vicinity of active sites, we systematically compare ternary Pd-Pt-Ni/Al2O3 catalysts with simultaneous addition of Pt and Ni promoters prepared via wet impregnation and colloidal synthesis. The efficient incorporation of promoters into the active phase, Pd1_ xPtxO nanoparticles, is achieved only for the catalyst prepared via colloidal synthesis. Contrary, in addition to Pd1_ xPtxO nanoparticles, wet impregnation results in the growth of Pt-enriched metal nanoparticles, whereas Ni is distributed uniformly over the Al2O3 support with the formation of NiAl2O4 phase. An innovative microcalorimetric approach was used to evaluate catalytic performance. Microcalorimetry showed that the Pd-Pt-Ni/Al2O3 catalyst obtained by wet impregnation has higher initial methane combustion activity, owing to larger, more easily reducible Pd1_ xPtxO nanoparticles. By contrast, the Pd-Pt-Ni/Al2O3 catalyst prepared using colloidal synthesis exhibits significantly greater long-term stability, which is caused by the promotion effect of Pt and Ni. These findings highlight the high potential of colloidal nanoparticles containing one or more promoters for the preparation of highly stable and highly active methane combustion catalysts.
In the present work we report the observations of two-dimensional plasma resonance with linear dispersion in superconducting NbN films fabricated by atomic layer deposition on sapphire and high-resistive silicon substrates. We have detected several consecutive resonance dips in terahertz transmission of the sample processed into the disk geometry. Increasing temperature results both in the pronounced shifts of their resonant frequencies and their broadening. Above the critical temperature of superconducting phase transition these features vanish. Both the linear dispersion of these features and their temperature evolution allows us to attribute these resonances to the collective plasma modes in a two-component electron system. Dispersion of these plasmonic excitations showed linear dependence, similar to the theoretical prediction calculated for the two-component system consisting of Cooper pairs and normal electrons.
Aims To evaluate how equilibrium (ETIB) and niche-based (NTIB) island-biogeography frameworks jointly explain taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity in a temperate-subarctic, volcanically active archipelago.Location Kuril Islands, northwestern Pacific (44 degrees-50 degrees N).Time Period Present.Taxon Vascular plants.Methods We compiled island-level floras. We quantified species richness (SR) and phylogenetic diversity metrics and related them to latitude, area, distance, a composite isolation index, elevation, volcanic bedrock cover, vegetation-type diversity and aggregated climatic indices. Analyses combined linear and second-order polynomial regressions, beta-diversity partitioning, non-metric multidimensional scaling and structural equation models.Results Latitude emerged as the primary large-scale filter shaping both SR and phylogenetic diversity. Volcanic activity and isolation further constrained floristic diversity, together generating a pronounced mid-archipelago diversity trough. Maximal elevation was associated with higher SR but did not translate into detectable shifts in phylogenetic structure. Island area influenced diversity mainly indirectly, through its links with elevation and dispersal accessibility. Floristic differences among islands were driven predominantly by species turnover rather than nested species loss, indicating systematic replacement along the latitudinal gradient. Isolation effects were strongly non-linear, consistent with threshold-like limits to colonisation.Main Conclusions Area-distance relationships predicted by ETIB are strongly context-dependent. Macroclimatic filtering and long-term volcanic activity outweigh simple spatial predictors, while habitat heterogeneity exerts a secondary, modulatory role. Together, our results integrate ETIB and NTIB perspectives by showing how environmental filtering and niche availability interact in a volcanically active, temperate-subarctic island system.
