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High-temperature calcination was used to modify garnet media. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) measurements, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), zeta potential analysis, and a static adsorption experiment on humic acid removal were carried out to compare unmodified garnet and traditional quartz sand. Fitting adsorption isotherm of the media before and after modification was conducted to determine the adsorption type, and a dynamic filtration experiment was performed to treat micro-polluted water. Results of the characterization analysis and the static adsorption experiment revealed that, compared with the smooth surface of unmodified garnet, the surface of modified garnet media was covered with Fe2O3, which showed a rough concave-convex structure with a specific area that was 2.44 times larger than that of unmodified garnet. The removal efficiency of organic matter after modification increased from 2.5–4.5% to 51.7–63.1%, and the adsorption capacity increased 11–24 times. The adsorption type of the modified garnet media belongs to the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption mode, while that of the original media belongs to the Freundlich adsorption mode. Results of the dynamic filtration experiment revealed that the effect of modified garnet media on turbidity, CODMn, and UV254 removal was better than that of unmodified garnet and traditional quartz sand.

Loss of the β cell population is a crucial feature of type 2 diabetes. Restoring the β cell mass by stimulating β cell proliferation and preventing its apoptosis was proposed as a therapeutic approach to treating diabetes. Therefore, researchers have been increasingly interested in identifying exogenous factors that can stimulate β cell proliferation in situ and in vitro. Adipokine chemerin, which is secreted from adipose tissue and the liver, has been identified as a chemokine that plays a critical role in the regulation of metabolism. In this study, we demonstrate that chemerin as a circulating adipokine promotes β cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro. Chemerin serum levels and the expression of the main receptors within islets are highly regulated under a variety of challenging conditions, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. As compared to their littermates, mice overexpressing chemerin had a larger islet area and increased β cell mass with both a normal and high-fat diet. Moreover, in chemerin-overexpressed mice, we observed improved mitochondrial homeostasis and increased insulin synthesis. In summary, our findings confirm the potential role of chemerin as an inducer of β cell proliferation, and they provide novel insights into the helpful strategy to expand β cell population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the adsorption capacities of peanut shell activated carbon samples prepared using three types of peanut shell as raw material were compared. The effects of activation state, carbonization temperature, carbonization time, adsorption time during decolorization, and dosage on the performance of the peanut shell activated carbon samples were investigated. The performance of the modified peanut shell (activated carbon) on the decolorization of reactive brilliant blue X-BR and the adsorption kinetics were evaluated systematically. Among the three types of peanut shell activated carbon, the activated carbon that was first activated by phosphoric acid and then carbonized at 450°C for 3 h displayed the best performance, with an optimum dosage of 4 g l−1 and an optimum adsorption time of 2 h. The pseudo-second-order kinetics equation and the intraparticle diffusion equation could well describe the adsorption behavior of the activated carbon prepared by phosphoric acid activation. Intraparticle diffusion was not the only factor affecting the adsorption rate of the activated carbon on reactive brilliant blue X-BR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]