The amino acid compositions, secondary structure, and self-assembly of oat protein isolate (OPI), which was purified from the high-protein Chinese oat, have been investigated by using a combination of amino acid analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and tapping mode atomic force microscopy (TP-AFM). OPI, with molecular weights ranging from 14.0 kDa to 66.0 kDa, was rich in essential amino acids and contained 24.7% glutamic acid and 8.1% leucine. The amino acid contents of OPI are 4.5-8.7 times higher than those of oat flour. The secondary structures of OPI have been quantified by the deconvolution of the amide I band of the FTIR spectrum of OPI, which were found to contain approximately 7% beta-turn, 19% alpha-helix, and 74% beta-sheet. Tapping mode AFM results further suggest that the oat protein isolate has two major types of shapes, ellipsoidal and disk-like. At protein concentrations below 0.5 mg/mL, most of the OPI molecules are in the isolated form. However, when the concentration of OPI reaches 1.0 mg/mL, some of the OPI molecules self-assembled into large and heterogeneous protein aggregates.

A new strategy has been employed to control the cross-linking of polyaniline that allows the synthesis of high molecular weight, conducting copolymers. The new method utilizes anilineformaldehyde condensates (AFC) to establish the upper limit of possible cross-link sites in an AFCpolyaniline copolymer. By changing the ratio of AFC to aniline during the polymerization reaction, it is possible to control the number of cross-linking sites, and in turn the bulk conductivity and molecular weight. The copolymer is obtained by oxidizing aniline in the presence of AFC, where the aniline is oxidized to form polyaniline through a cation radical mechanism. The AFC present in the mixture terminates the propagation of polyaniline chains while at the same time binding it to the AFC backbone. In essence, the AFC polymer molecules tether together polyaniline chains to form much larger molecular weight molecules. Varying the ratio of AFC to aniline monomer prior to chemical polymerization allows control over the conductivity, molecular weight, and solubility of the copolymer. Under appropriate conditions, high molecular weight copolymers (weight-average molecular weight of 10 6 ) with conductivities on the order of pure polyaniline (k ) 10 Ω -1 cm -1 ) and similar redox behavior can be obtained. Adhesion measurements on glass demonstrate that of the copolymers have a significantly higher strength of adhesion compared to that observed for pure polyaniline.

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Despite the well-recognized merits of simultaneous saccharification and cofermentation (SSCF) on relieving sugar product inhibition on cellulase activity, a practical concomitance difficulty of xylose with inhibitors in the pretreated lignocellulose feedstock prohibits the essential application of SSCF for cellulosic ethanol fermentation. To maximize the SSCF potentials for cellulosic ethanol production, a dry biorefining approach was proposed starting from dry acid 60 |

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Fetal growth, survival, and development are benchmarks for the production performance of sows, and methionine has been shown to impact fetal protein mass and the transport of nutrients through the uteroplacental vasculature. This study evaluated the effects of dietary methionine, administered during the late gestation period, on the production performance of sows. Specifically, it measured the effect of methionine on biochemical indicators in the plasma, plasma metabolites, and fecal bacterial communities. Thirty Landrace × Large White sows at day 90 of gestation were randomly assigned to three groups and fed the following diets: (1) a basal diet containing 0.36% methionine; (2) a basal diet + 0.12% methionine (0.48% methionine); and (3) a basal diet + 0.24% methionine (0.60% methionine). The results showed that the 0.48% methionine diet significantly (P < 0.05) increased piglets' birth weight, and the 0.60% methionine diet significantly (P < 0.05) improved the survival ratio. Dietary methionine lowered the triglyceride (TG) levels (P < 0.05), total bilirubin (BILT3) (P < 0.001) concentration, and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (P < 0.05) enzyme activity in the plasma at farrowing. In the plasma metabolomics, dietary methionine increased plasma pyroglutamic acid and decreased 2-pyrrolidinone, hypotaurine, and anyl-histidine in both the 0.48% methionine and 0.60% methionine groups. In addition, the bacteria richness (Chao1 and ACE) and diversity (Shannon) were reduced in the 0.48% methionine group. For the microbiota composition, at the family level, the 0.48% methionine group had a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the relative abundance of Methanobacteriaceae compared to the other two groups, but a decrease in the relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae, Ruminococcaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae compared to the 0.60% methionine group. In conclusion, a diet consisting of 0.48% methionine administered during the late gestation period can improve the production performance of sows and maintain their health.