Search

Hormonal products have been developed for fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) to improve the efficiency of swine production. Here, we evaluated the effect of an FTAI protocol initiated during different phases of the estrous cycle on follicle development and ovulation in gilts. A total of 36 gilts were equally divided into three groups designated as the luteal (L), follicular (F), and post-ovulation (O) groups and fed with 20 mg of altrenogest for 18 days, followed by intramuscular injection of 1000 IU PMSG at 42 h after withdrawal of altrenogest, and 100 μg of GnRH after an 80-h interval. The L group had the highest number of follicles 4–6 mm in diameter, as well as corpora hemorrhagica. The mRNA expression of caspase-9 in the L group were significantly lower than those in the O and F groups (P < 0.05), while CYP11A1 and VEGF mRNA expression levels were significantly higher (P < 0.05). Moreover, FSHR mRNA levels were significantly higher in the O group than in the L, F, and control groups (P < 0.05). LHCGR and CYP19A1 mRNA levels were the highest in the F group (P < 0.05). Thus, the changes in the expression of genes associated with follicular development, maturation, and ovulation identified in this study indicated that initiation of the FTAI protocol during the luteal phase induced a better environment for follicle development and ovulation in gilts.

Soil net nitrogen (N) mineralization is a vital process that impacts the global N cycling and regulates the N availability for plant development. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the response of N mineralization to long-term organic versus inorganic fertilization and to quantify the relationships between N mineralization and soil microbial characteristics in the ferrosol (red soil) of South China after 30 years of mineral and manure application in a wheat-maize cropping system. Soil was sampled from a wheat-maize rotation system, consisting of five treatments. The treatments included (1) CK (no fertilizer), (2) PK (synthetic phosphorus and potassium fertilizer), (3) NK (synthetic nitrogen and K fertilizer), (4) N (synthetic N fertilizer), and (5) NPKM (synthetic NPK fertilizer and manure). The sampled soil was analyzed for physicochemical parameters and incubated for the determination of N mineralization, soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN), and associated soil enzymes related to C and N cycling. Results showed that NPKM increased soil organic carbon (SOC), available P (AP), total P (TP), and total nitrogen (TN) by 132%, 880%, 293%, and 76% respectively, over the control (CK). Among different treatments, soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) and carbon (SMBC) were highest under the NPKM treatment. N-cycling and P-cycling enzyme activities also showed significant differences among treatments. N-Acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase (NAG), leucine-aminopeptidase (LAP), and acid phosphatase (AcP) activities were also highest under the NPKM treatment, at 650.36, 32.36, and 23.41 (mol g−1 h−1), respectively. A linear increase was observed in the NO3−-N and NH4+-N concentrations throughout the 90-day incubation period. NPKM showed a maximum N mineralization potential (No) and mineralization rate constant, k (NMR), at the end of the incubation period. A principal component analysis (PCA) interpreted the differences among fertilization and their effects on net N mineralization. A significant (p ≤ 0.05) positive correlation was observed between SMBC (R2 = 0.87), SMBN (R2 = 0.92), enzyme activities, and the No. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that SOC, TN, and TP directly affected mineralization, while SMBC and SMBN indirectly affected the net mineralization. Manure input increased the extracellular enzymes in soil, which accelerated the net N mineralization due to enhanced soil microbial activities. Consequently, long-term manure addition appears to be an optimal approach to meet the nutrient demands and to enhance the N availability in a wheat-maize cropping system.

Fertilization regimes greatly influence how manganese (Mn) oxides are recycled. However, information on this subject is scarce in rice managed paddies. The objective of this study was to examine the distributions of Mn pools in bulk soil and aggregates under different chemical and organic fertilizer ratios at both surface (0–20 cm) and subsurface (20–40 cm) soil depths. Depth distributions of Mn pools in bulk soil and aggregates were extracted using Mehlich 3 (M3-Mn), dithionite (Mnd), oxalate (Mno), and pyrophosphate (Mnp) solutions under a long-term fertilization experiment in a double rice cropping system. Fertilizer treatments comprised unfertilized control (CK), mineral nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), 30% mineral NPK + 70% organic fertilizer (30F; pig manure + milk vetch), 50% mineral NPK + 50% organic fertilizer (50F), and 70% mineral NPK + 30% organic fertilizer (70F) under a randomly complete block design (RCBD) in paddy conditions. A pattern of 30F > 50F > 70F > NPK > CK was established with positive and significant correlations among total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and pH. All pools of Mn were in higher concentrations at the subsurface compared to the surface layer, where all aggregate sizes contributed equally to the enrichment of the metal oxides except for Mno in the 0.25–2.0 mm sizes at the surface layer. Distribution of manganese oxides was equal among the different soil aggregates which could cause the microaggregates to transport Mn oxides and pollute both surface and underground water sources.

Berberine is an alkaloid extracted from medicinal plants such as Coptis chinensis and Phellodendron chinense. It possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour and anti-oxidation properties, and regulates Glc and lipid metabolism. This study explored the mechanisms of the protective effects of berberine on barrier function and inflammatory damage in porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) induced by LPS. We first evaluated the effects of berberine and LPS on cell viability. IPEC-J2 cells were treated with 5 μg/ml LPS for 1 h to establish an inflammatory model, and 75, 150 and 250 μg/ml berberine were used in further experiments. The expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α was measured by RT-PCR. The key proteins of the NF-κB/MAPK signalling pathway (IκBα, p-IκBα, p65, p-p65, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p-JNK, p38, p-p38, ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2) were detected by Western blot. Upon exposure to LPS, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α mRNA levels and p-IκBα p-p65 protein levels were significantly enhanced. Pre-treatment with berberine reduced the expression of inflammatory factors and was positively correlated with its concentration, and dose dependently inhibited the expression of IκBα, p-IκBα, p-p65, p-p38 and JNK. These results demonstrated that pre-treating intestinal epithelial cells with berberine was useful in preventing and treating diarrhoea induced by Escherichia coli in weaned pigs.

Fertilization is a vital approach to increase the crop yield by enhancing soil fertility, but some of the fertilizer sources such as pig manure contain non-essential toxic heavy metals, which can produce the environmental and public health risk. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the soil fertility and heavy metal pollution risk under long-term fertilization in acidic paddy soil. Fertilizer treatments that were arranged in randomized complete block design (RCBD) included CK (no fertilization), NK (inorganic nitrogen and potassium fertilization), NPK (inorganic NK and phosphorus fertilization), NPKM1 (70% of NPK and 30% pig manure application), NPKM2 (50% of NPK and 50% of pig manure application), and NPKM3 (30% of NPK and 70% of pig manure application). The rice grain yield and soil nutrient contents were highest under NPKM3 treatment. Long-term addition of manure significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased soil pH and SOC content compared to the NPK fertilization. Soil available and total Cr, Cd, and Hg contents were highest under NPKM3 treatments, while soil total and available Pb content was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher under NPK treatment. Highest ecological risk (IR) was (1904) under NPK treatment and highest pollution load index (PLI) was 1.5 under NPKM3 treatment. Cd concentration in rice grain exceeded the maximum permissible limit of 0.1 mg kg−1 under combined application of manure and inorganic fertilization treatments. Grain Cr, Hg, and Pb contents were within safe limits of their concentration in all treatments. Moreover, biological accumulation coefficients of Cr, Cd, Hg, Pb, Zn, and Cu were highest under NPK treatment. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that soil pH and nutrient contents showed significant correlation with heavy metal concentrations in soil. Soil pH showed significant (P ≤ 0.05) positive effect on Cd accumulation in rice grain. Heavy metals in pig manure should be monitored before application to the field to reduce the risk of heavy metal pollution in soil and plant. Furthermore, combined application at the rate of 70% inorganic fertilization and 30% of manure could be better strategy to produce high crop yield with minimum risk of heavy metal contamination in soil and food crops.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of combined use of chemical fertilizers with wheat straw and swine manure on rice yield and phosphorus (P) fractions distribution. We selected two field experiments, both located in Hefei, Anhui province of China. We named these experimental sites as HF-1 and HF-2. The experiments HF-1 and HF-2 were initiated on 2013 and 2015 respectively in fluvo-aquic soil. Treatments included CK (no fertilizer), NPK (chemical fertilizers), NPKS (chemical fertilizers plus wheat straw), and NPKM (chemical fertilizers plus swine manure at HF-1, and chemical fertilizers plus fermented wheat straw at HF-2). Results showed that NPKS and NPKM treatments increased grain yield, P use efficiency (PUE), P recovery efficiency, and partial factor productivity, and decreased apparent P balance compared with CK and NPK at both sites. NPKS and NPKM improved pH, organic matter, and nutrient contents in surface soil (0–20 cm) and also improved pH and organic matter content in sub-surface soil (20–40 cm), compared with CK and NPK treatments. Olsen P content in both soil depths was highest under NPKM, but NPKS had lower Olsen P content in sub-surface soil compared with that of NPK. Organic amendments changed P fractions and increased labile P and moderately labile P fractions, and decreased residual P compared with NPK. Organic amendments with chemical fertilizers also improved acid phosphomonoesterase and phosphodiesterase activities compared with chemical fertilization. In addition, path analysis showed relationship between soil properties and P mobility, and also explained soil properties influencing grain yield by changing PUE. Our results suggested that organic amendments improve crop yield through improving PUE by changing soil P fractions and increasing the phosphatase activities.

Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media is a promising electrochemical energy conversion strategy. Ruthenium (Ru) is an efficient catalyst with a desirable cost for HER, however, the sluggish H2O dissociation process, due to the low H2O adsorption on its surface, currently hampers the performances of this catalyst in alkaline HER. Herein, we demonstrate that the H2O adsorption improves significantly by the construction of Ru–O–Mo sites. We prepared Ru/MoO2 catalysts with Ru–O–Mo sites through a facile thermal treatment process and assessed the creation of Ru–O–Mo interfaces by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). By using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and H2O adsorption tests, we proved Ru–O–Mo sites have tenfold stronger H2O adsorption ability than that of Ru catalyst. The catalysts with Ru–O–Mo sites exhibited a state-of-the-art overpotential of 16 mV at 10 mA cm–2 in 1 M KOH electrolyte, demonstrating a threefold reduction than the previous bests of Ru (59 mV) and commercial Pt (31 mV) catalysts. We proved the stability of these performances over 40 h without decline. These results could open a new path for designing efficient and stable catalysts.

This research was undertaken (I) to evaluate the status of phosphorus fractions in paddy soils in response to different tillage management practices under different rice-based cropping systems and environments in order to better understand phosphorus behavior in paddy soils and (II) to assess the effects of various tillage practices on crop yield in different soil types and climatic conditions. We selected four tillage treatments, i.e., conventional tillage (T1), conventional tillage with straw return (T2), rotary tillage with straw return (T3), and no-tillage with straw return and autumn plowing with straw return (T4) at Ningxiang and Haerbin, respectively. Soil samples were collected from 20 cm depth, and we investigated soil pH, total P, Olsen P, SOM content, phosphatase activities, phosphorus fractions, and grain yield at the two experimental sites. The results showed that the T4 tillage system led to significantly higher soil organic matter (SOM) content, total P, and Olsen P concentrations at both sites compared with T1. Regardless of the tillage system, the average rice grain yield at Haerbin was 50.3% greater than that at Ningxiang. Phosphomonoesterase (AcP) and phosphodiesterase (DP) enzyme activities were significantly higher, by 39.8% and 62.1% and by 40.3% and 54.6%, under T4 compared to under T1 at Haerbin and Ningxiang, respectively. The organic and inorganic fractions of P were significantly affected by the different tillage systems. Labile and moderately labile P pools were 29.3% and 19.2% higher in Ningxiang and 64.7% and 33.8% higher in Haerbin under T4 compared to T1, and the non-labile P pools were 10.6% and 18.5% lower, respectively. The labile and moderately labile organic P fractions and phosphatase activities showed a significant correlation with SOM and total P concentrations in RDA analysis. Variance partitioning analysis (VPA) showed that different soil properties, climate factors, phosphatase activities, and their interactions were responsible for 7.1%, 6.8%, 1.3%, and 53.7%, respectively, of the variation in grain yield. Different tillage management practices revealed varied effects at both sites for grain yield, P fractions, and phosphatase activities. Tillage management and climatic variations could be the driving factors that influence grain yield in northern and southern parts of China.

Background: As first-line treatments for diabetes, sitagliptin and metformin have been widely prescribed as a combination to enhance the therapeutic effect. Objective: To establish a methodology to simultaneously monitor the two drugs in vivo by a reversedphase Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method. Methods: The two drugs were extracted from 50 μl human plasma by ion-pair solid phase extraction. The separation of the plasma samples was implemented on an Agilent Zorbax SB-CN column (150×4.6 mm, 5.0 µm). The mobile phase was the mixture (80:20, v/v) of methanol and 5.0 mM ammonium formate in water (pH 4.5). An ion trap spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source was utilized to detect the elution in positive mode. Quantification of the analytes was achieved by Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) using the transitions of m/z 408.3→235.1 for sitagliptin and m/z 130.1→ 60.2 for metformin. Results: Sitagliptin and metformin demonstrated good linearity among the range of 1.00-1000 ng/mL and 5.00-4000 ng/mL. The intra-day and inter-day investigations displayed precisions of ≤ 3.6% and an accuracy range of -7.5% to 6.0% for the two drugs. The mean recovery of the two drugs was 96.0% and 98.5%. Under mandatory storage conditions, both the drugs gave an acceptable stability. The throughput of the assay was found to be more than 100 plasma samples per day ascribed to the run time of 3.0 min for each sample. Conclusion: The developed method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study for a fixeddose tablet formulation containing 50 mg sitagliptin and 500 mg metformin in 12 healthy volunteers.

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is characterized by atherosclerotic plaque rupture with a high incidence of recurrent ischemic events. Several microRNAs are found to be aberrantly expressed in atherosclerotic plaques. This study aims to investigate the effects of microRNA-9 (miR-9) on vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque and vascular remodeling in ACS and underlying mechanisms. Microarray-based gene expression profiling was used to identify differentially expressed genes related to ACS and regulatory miRNAs. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (lectin-like) receptor 1 (OLR1) was identified to be aberrantly activated in ACS and regulated by miR-9. OLR1 was verified as a target gene of miR-9 by bioinformatics prediction and dual luciferase reporter gene assay. The atherosclerotic models were induced in ApoE-/- mice, in which the agomir or antagomir of miR-9, or small interfering RNA (siRNA) against OLR1 were separately introduced. Serum lipid levels and expression of vascular remodeling and inflammatory response-related factors were determined, respectively. On the basis of the obtained results, in the atherosclerosis mice treated with the agomir of miR-9 and siRNA against OLR1, the p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) pathway was inhibited; levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and vascular endothelial growth factor were reduced, but the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was increased, along with decreased vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque area and enhanced vascular remodeling. Taken together, these findings suggested an inhibitory role miR-9 acts in the formation of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques in ACS mice, along with a promoted vascular remodeling, via a negative feedback regulation of OLR1-mediated p38MAPK pathway.

In order to improve the energy density and broad temperature adaptability of vanadium redox flow battery based on sulfate-chloride mixed acid electrolyte, the stability and charge/discharging behavior of electrolytes at a broad temperature range (-20-50 °C) are investigated systematically. The static stability tests of vanadium ions show that the 2.4 M vanadium concentration can keep stable for 10 days with the electrolyte composition of chloride ion concentration is 6.0–7.0 M and sulfate concentration is 2.0–3.0 M. However, the static stability tests of chloride ions indicate that volatilization of hydrogen chloride can be avoided when chloride ion concentration is not exceeding 6.4 M. The cell performance of vanadium redox flow battery with optimized electrolyte compositions indicates that the sulfate-chloride mixed acid electrolyte can operate at a wider temperature range and the charge cut-off voltage must be less than 1.7 V to prevent the chlorine evolution. This work not only systematically optimizes the composition of mixed acid electrolyte, but also provides theoretical direction to the engineering application of vanadium redox flow battery at extreme environment.

Lipid vesicles, especially giant lipid vesicles (GLVs), are usually adopted as cell membrane models and their preparation has been widely studied. However, the effects of some nonelectrolytes on GLV formation have not been specifically studied so far. In this paper, the effects of the nonelectrolytes, including sucrose, glucose, sorbitol and ethanol, and their coexistence with sodium chloride, on the lipid hydration and GLV formation were investigated. With the hydration method, it was found that the sucrose, glucose and sorbitol showed almost the same effect. Their presence in the medium enhanced the hydrodynamic force on the lipid membranes, promoting the GLV formation. GLV formation was also promoted by the presence of ethanol with ethanol volume fraction in the range of 0 to 20 percent, but higher ethanol content resulted in failure of GLV formation. However, the participation of sodium chloride in sugar solution and ethanol solution stabilized the lipid membranes, suppressing the GLV formation. In addition, the ethanol and the sodium chloride showed the completely opposite effects on lipid hydration. These results could provide some suggestions for the efficient preparation of GLVs.

We identified IAA13 negatively associated with lateral root number by comparing the differential expressed genes between Bupleurum chinense and B. scorzonerifolium. Dried roots of the genus Bupleurum L. are used as a herbal medicine for diseases in Asia. Bupleurum chinense has a greater number of lateral roots than B. scorzonerifolium, but the genetic mechanisms for such differences are largely unknown. We (a) compared the transcriptome profiles of the two species and (b) identified a subset of candidate genes involved in auxin signal transduction and explored their functions in lateral root development. By isoform sequencing (Iso-Seq) analyses of the whole plant, more unigenes were found in B. scorzonerifolium (118,868) than in B. chinense (93,485). Given the overarching role of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) as one of the major regulators of lateral root development, we identified 539 unigenes associated with auxin signal transduction. Fourteen and 44 unigenes in the pathway were differentially expressed in B. chinense and B. scorzonerifolium, respectively, and 3 unigenes (LAX2, LAX4, and IAA13) were expressed in both species. The number of lateral root primordia increased after exogenous auxin application at 8 h and 12 h in B. scorzonerifolium and B. chinense, respectively. Since overexpression of IAA13 in Arabidopsis reduced the number of lateral roots, we hypothesized that IAA13 is involved in the reduction of the number of lateral roots in B. scorzonerifolium.

Soil phosphorus (P) adsorption and desorption occur in an important endogenous cycle linked with soil fertility problems and relevant to the environmental risk assessment of P. In our study, the effect of long-term inorganic and organic fertilization on P adsorption and desorption characteristics in relation to changes in soil properties was evaluated by selecting three long-term experimental sites in southern China. The selected treatments at each site were CK (unfertilized), NPK (synthetic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) and NPKM (synthetic NPK plus manure). The adsorption and desorption characteristics of P were evaluated using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The results showed that long-term application of NPK plus manure significantly increased soil organic carbon (SOC), total P and available P at all three sites compared with the NPK and CK treatments. All three treatments fit these equations well. The maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) of P increased with NPKM treatment, and the binding energy of P (K) and the maximum buffering capacity (MBC) showed increasing trends. NPKM showed the highest Qm (2346.13 mg kg-1) at the Jinxian site, followed by Nanchang (221.16 mg kg-1) and Ningxiang (2219.36 mg kg-1). Compared to CK and NPK, the NPKM treatment showed a higher MBC as 66.64, 46.93 and 44.39 L kg-1 at all three sites. The maximum desorption capacity (Dm) of P in soil was highest with the NPKM treatment (157.58, 166.76, 143.13 mg kg-1), showing a better ability to release P in soil. The correlation matrix showed a significant positive correlation of SOC, total and available P with Qm, Dm and MBC. In conclusion, it is suggested that manure addition is crucial to improve P utilization in red paddy soils within the recommended range to avoid the risk of environmental pollution.

Recent advancement in enhanced oil recovery techniques has given petroleum industries the chance to find optimum solutions to recover remained oil from hydrocarbon reservoirs. This paper aims to experimentally investigate the profound impact of reservoir characteristics such as permeability and pressure drop and foams properties such as foam quality and foams resistance factor in enhanced oil recovery processes. Therefore, a hybrid recovery technique containing a thermal recovery method (carbon dioxide) and a chemical method (foam injection) with different brine concentrations was performed to enhance the oil recovery factor. Consequently, after brine injectivity, foam injection has provided the highest recovery factor among other scenarios in shale reservoirs. Permeability increase has caused to increase in the resistance factor as the fluid mobilization is increased in the porous media. Therefore, for 80% of foam quality, the resistance factor is about 7.5, while for 40%, foam quality is about 5 at the permeability of 10mD.

Low phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) is one of the main problems of acidic soil that limit the crop growth. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the response of crop yield and PUE to the long-term application of fertilizers and quicklime (CaO) in the acidic soil under wheat–maize rotation system. Treatments included, CK (no fertilization), NP (inorganic nitrogen and P fertilization), NPK (inorganic N, P and potassium fertilization), NPKS (NPK + straw return), NPCa (NP + lime), NPKCa (NPK + lime) and NPKSCa (NPKS + lime). Results showed that, fertilizer without lime treatments, significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased soil pH and crop yield, compared to the fertilizer with lime treatments during the period of 2012–2018. Average among years, compared to the CK treatment, wheat grain yield increased by 138%, 213%, 198%, 547%, 688% and 626%, respectively and maize yield increased by 687%, 1887%, 1651%, 2605%, 5047% and 5077%, respectively, under the NP, NPK, NPKS, NPCa, NPKCa and NPKSCa treatments. Lime application significantly increased soil exchangeable base cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) and decreased Al3+ cation. Compared to the NP treatment, phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) increased by 220%, 212%, 409%, 807% and 795%, respectively, under the NPK, NPKS, NPCa, NPKCa and NPKSCa treatments. Soil pH showed significant negative relationship with exchangeable Al3+ and soil total N. While, soil pH showed significant (p ≤ 0.05) positive relationship with exchangeable Ca2+, PUE and annual crop yield. PUE was highly negatively correlated with soil exchangeable Al3+. In addition, soil exchangeable Ca2+, pH, exchangeable Al3+ and available N were the most influencing factors of crop yield. Therefore, we concluded that lime application is an effective strategy to mitigate soil acidification and to increase PUE through increasing exchangeable base cations and reducing the acidic cations for high crop yield in acidic soil.

Pluronic (Poloxomer) micelles can solubilize cabazitaxel (CTX), a second-generation taxane, and then be subjected to low-temperature “surfactant-stripping” to selectively remove loose and free surfactant, thereby increasing the drug-to-surfactant ratio. We previously found that the addition of certain other co-loaded hydrophobic cargo to the micelles can result in stabilized, surfactant-stripped cabazitaxel (sss-CTX) micelles, which resist drug aggregation in aqueous storage, a common challenge for taxanes. Here, we show that elevated temperatures can accelerate the aggregation of sss-CTX micelles, thereby enabling rapid optimization of formulations with respect to the type and ratio of co-loader used for stabilization. A sss-CTX micelle formulation was developed using mifepristone as the co-loader, at a 60% mass ratio to the CTX. Drug release, hemolysis and complement activation were investigated in vitro. Microtubule stabilization and in vitro cytotoxicity were similar for sss-CTX and a conventional Tween-80 micelle formulation. In vivo pharmacokinetics also revealed similar blood circulation of the two formulations. In subcutaneous Lewis lung carcinoma tumors, as well as in an aggressive mouse model of malignant pleural effusion, sss-CTX showed a similar therapeutic effect as the Tween-80 based formulation. Altogether, these data show that sss-CTX can achieve similar efficacy as conventional Tween-80 formulations, albeit with substantially higher drug-to-surfactant ratio and with capability of extended aqueous storage.

Copper-cobalt bimetallic oxides-doped alumina hollow spheres(CuCo/AHS) were fabricated through the sacrificial carbonaceous template strategy. The dependence of the physicochemical properties and morphologies of CuCo/AHS on the composition of copper and cobalt in CuxCoy/AHS(x/y=9/1, 7/3, 5/5, and 3/7) were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, nitrogen physisorption, atomic adsorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Among these catalysts, Cu7Co3/AHS catalyst exhibited perfect hollow sphere structure, thin wall, and big pore size. The calcined catalysts were examined for the epoxidation of styrene with tert-butyl hydroperoxide as oxidant. Compared with the monometallic counter-parts(Cu/AHS and Co/AHS) and other CuxCoy/AHS catalysts, Cu7Co3/AHS catalyst showed higher performance, yielding a styrene conversion of 64.6% with 93.0% selectivity toward styrene oxide. In addition, the strong interaction of Cu2+ or Co2+ with AHS ensured the good stability after four consecutive reactions.

A commercial textile-grade acrylic fiber was modified with guanidine hydrochloride for the preparation of low-cost carbon fibers. Thermal behavior of the modified acrylic fiber was studied by simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis, and the effect of guanidine hydrochloride on the thermal stabilization of acrylic fiber was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and densimetry. The results indicated that guanidine hydrochloride could initiate the cyclization reaction of nitrile groups at lower temperature and promote the thermal stabilization of acrylic fiber. Compared with the carbon fibers prepared from the original acrylic fiber, the tensile strength and tensile modulus of the carbon fibers prepared from the modified acrylic fiber had been increased by about 72% and 34%, respectively. The guanidine hydrochloride-modified acrylic fiber was expected to be a practical low-cost carbon fiber precursor.

It is of great significance to develop green solvents for promoting green and sustainable technology. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as new extraction solvents are emerging in the search for efficient the extraction of bioactive compounds or drugs. In this study, twelve types of DESs including choline chloride-, betaine-, and l -proline-based DESs were investigated in combination with ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) for the extraction of phenolic compounds from Morus alba L. leaves. Compared with conventional extraction system, DESs composed of choline chloride/citric acid showed more effective extraction yields (22.66 mg/g vs. 15.29 mg/g). The operation conditions were also optimized systematically. In addition, liquid–liquid extraction was an effective approach to recover the major phenolic compounds in the extracts. The recovery and recyclability of DESs were also evaluated. A broad extractability of phenolic compounds in the certain designed DESs systems was observed according to principal component analysis (PCA). The developed DESs can be an alternative procedure for the green and efficient extraction of phenolic compounds from natural sources.

Methylammonium lead bromide (CH3NH3PbBr3) nanocrystals have great potentials for lighting and display applications. Previously we synthesized CH3NH3PbBr3 nanocrystals using oleylamine as capping molecule and found that by increasing the oleylamine to CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskite ratio (OPR), the photoluminescence wavelengths and morphology of CH3NH3PbBr3 nanocrystals could be varied from 530 nm (green) platelets to 460 nm (blue) particles. Here we modified the synthesis to direct injection of precursors into toluene and found that increasing OPR not only changes the wavelength and morphology of nanocrystals but also the size of the unit cells.

Low-cost precursor fibers (PFs) were prepared from blends of a wheat straw lignin (WSL) and a commercial textile-grade polyacrylonitrile (PAN) by wet spinning, and then the precursors were converted into carbon fibers (CFs) by thermal stabilization and carbonization. The PFs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The lignin content in the blends was found to play an important role in the PF structure, which was closely related to the change of intermolecular forces in the spinning solution. The lignin, acting as the carboxylic acid comonomer, had significantly promoted the thermal stabilization of the lignin/PAN blend PFs, which helped to further decrease the production cost of CFs. With increasing lignin contents, the carbon content of CFs remained at about 95%. The carbon of lignin could be utilized for the preparation of CFs.

Glycoproteins are closely associated with the occurrence of diverse diseases, and they have been used as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in clinical diagnostics. The selective and sensitive sensing of glycoproteins still remains a challenge. Herein, we describe a biomimetic electrochemical sensor based on a novel boronate-modified graphene-molecular imprinted polymers composite (BGR@MIP) as recognition element that is well suited for detecting glycoproteins selectively and sensitively. Boronic acid functionalized reduced graphene oxide (BGR) bearing a covalent ester linkage to glycoprotein via boronate affinity was synthesized and used as supporting matrix for preparing graphene surface imprinted composite by sol-gel polymerization of organic silanes. The fabrication process of the BGR@MIP sensor was monitored by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) using [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3−/4− as probe. The combination of boronate affinity and molecularly imprinting effect endowed the sensor with remarkable selectivity for the template glycoprotein (ovalbumin, OVA). Under optimized experimental conditions, the proposed sensor exhibited a good linear response to OVA in the concentration range of 1.0 × 10 −10 mg mL −1 to 1.0 × 10 −4 mg mL −1 with detection limit of 2.0 × 10 −11 mg mL −1 , which outperformed other previously reported OVA detecting methods High stability and good reproducibility was also demonstrated. In addition, this sensor was successfully applied to the monitoring of OVA in biological fluids.

A statistical investigation is performed into the effectiveness of two disinfectants (gaseous ClO2 and weak acid hypochlorous water) in improving the indoor air quality in the reading room and study carrels of a university library in Taiwan. For each disinfectant, three different treatment modes are considered, namely a single-daily disinfection mode (SM), a twice-daily disinfection mode (TM), and a regular disinfection mode (RM). The results show that both disinfectants reduce the bacteria and fungi concentrations within the experimental areas. For the study carrel, with a relatively small and confined area, the weak acid hypochlorous water twice-daily disinfection mode (WTM) outperforms the ClO2 twice-daily disinfection mode (CTM). In the reading room, no significant difference is observed in the disinfection performance of the two disinfectants due to the large and semi-closed nature of the room. An extreme negative correlation is found among the airflow velocity, the residual bacteria and fungi concentrations. Hence, it is inferred that a higher air velocity is beneficial in spreading the disinfectant within the indoor space and improving the disinfection efficiency as a result.

Flocculants as the traditional water treatment agents were widely applied in water treatment, sludge thickening and dewatering, oil exploitation and papermaking. The synthesis of organic polymer flocculants via high-efficient initiation system has aroused special attention in the development of flocculant. Herein, a chitosan-based flocculant (CS-g-DAC(T)) was synthesized through ultraviolet (UV) initiation of titanium dioxide (TiO2) It was compared with other chitosan-based flocculant (CS-g-DAC(V)) synthesized by a traditional photoinitiator, VA-044, in terms of initiation efficiency, initiation mechanism, flocculant characteristics, molecular structures and flocculant performances in water treatment. Holes (h+), superoxide radicals (O2•-) and hydroxyl radicals ( OH) were generated in the initiation processes of TiO2 and VA-044. TiO2 generated more O2•- and less OH compared with VA-044. CS-g-DAC(T) owned the higher ratio of C = N to C-N in molecular structure, the little higher removal efficiency in water treatment and larger floc size than CS-g-DAC(V). The effect of charge neutralization of CS-g-DAC(T) and CS-g-DAC(V) were close. TiO2 possessed the potential to substitute the traditional photoinitiator in synthesis of organic polymer flocculants and improved the molecular structure and flocculation efficiency of flocculants.

A long-term experiment (38 years) was conducted to elucidate the effects of long-term N addition on the net N mineralization in both paddy and upland soils, based on their initial soil N status, with and in connection with soil microbial biomass and N cycling extracellular enzyme activities. Two treatments without N addition CK (No fertilizer) and K (inorganic potassium fertilizer) and two treatments with N addition (inorganic nitrogen fertilizer) and NK (inorganic nitrogen and potassium fertilizer) were placed in incubation for 90 days. Results showed that the total N and soil organic carbon (SOC) contents were higher in the treatments with N application compared to the treatments without N in both paddy and upland soils. The SOC content of paddy soil was increased relative to upland soil by 56.2%, 45.7%, 61.1% and 62.2% without N (CK, K) and with N (N and NK) treatments, respectively. Site-wise, total N concentration in paddy soil was higher by 0.06, 0.10, 0.57 and 0.60 times under the CK, K, N and NK treatments, respectively, compared with upland soil. In paddy soil, soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) was higher by 39.6%, 2.77%, 29.5% and 31.4%, and microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) was higher by 11.8%, 11.9%, 10.1% and 12.3%, respectively, in CK, K, N and NK treatment, compared with upland soil. Overall, compared to upland soil, the activities of leucine-aminopeptidase (LAP) were increased by 31%, 18%, 20% and 11%, and those of N-acetyl-b-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) were increased by 70%, 21%, 13% and 18% by CK, K, N and NK treatments, respectively, in paddy soil. A significantly linear increase was found in the NO3−-N and NH4+-N concentrations during the 90 days of the incubation period in both soils. NK treatment showed the highest N mineralization potential (No) along with mineralization rate constant, k (NMR) at the end of the incubation. SMBC, SMBN, enzyme activities, NO3−-N and NH4+-N concentrations and the No showed a highly significant (p ≤ 0.05) positive correlation. We concluded that long-term N addition accelerated the net mineralization by increasing soil microbial activities under both soils.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has gained enormous attention for water and wastewater treatment. Compared with g-C3N4 nanopowders, g-C3N4 based hybrid membranes have demonstrated great potential for its superior practicability. This review outlines the preparation and characterization of g-C3N4 based hybrid membranes and presents their representative applications in water and wastewater treatment (e.g., removal of organic dyes, phenolic compounds, pharmaceuticals, salt ions, heavy metals, and oils). Meanwhile, g-C3N4 based films for the removal of contaminants through photocatalytic degradation is also summarized. In addition, the corresponding mechanisms and relevant findings are discussed. Finally, the challenges and research needs in the future and application of g-C3N4 based hybrid membranes are highlighted.

The effect of edge passivation with non-metallic atoms was evaluated on some structural and electronic properties of MoS2 nanoribbons. It was observed that at Na = 12 and above, the band gap is less oscillating and converges to 0.58 eV. By reducing the dimensionality, the band gap value changed dramatically. We found that d orbital of Mo atom greatly affects the density of states. All passivation processes were performed with H and X atoms, where X is a non-metallic atom. The hybridization of p and s orbitals of X and Mo atoms plays an important role in changing the electronic properties of AMoS2NR. It was found that after passivation the largest band gap change is related to the most stable structure. Our studies suggest that the band gap of AMoS2NR-H-X depends on two factors: the nanoribbon width and the hybridization of Mo-X orbitals.

In this work, a novel kind of water-dispersible molecular imprinted conductive polyaniline particles was prepared through a facile and efficient macromolecular co-assembly of polyaniline with amphiphilic copolymer, and applied as the molecular recognition element to construct protein electrochemical sensor. In our strategy, an amphiphilic copolymer P(AMPS-co-St) was first synthesized using 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) and styrene (St) as monomer, which could co-assemble with PANI in aqueous solution to generate PANI particles driven by the electrostatic interaction. During this process, ovalbumin (OVA) as template protein was added and trapped into the PANI NPs particles owing to their interactions, resulting in the formation of molecular imprinted polyaniline (MIP-PANI) particles. When utilizing the MIP-PANI particles as recognition element, the resultant imprinted PANI sensor not only exhibited good selectivity toward template protein (the imprinting factor α is 5.31), but also a wide linear range over OVA concentration from 10-11 to 10-6mgmL-1 with a significantly lower detection limit of 10-12mgmL-1, which outperformed most of reported OVA detecting methods. In addition, an ultrafast response time of less than 3min has also been demonstrated. The superior performance is ascribed to the water compatibility, large specific surface area of PANI particles and the electrical conductivity of PANI which provides a direct path for the conduction of electrons from the imprinting sites to the electrode surface. The outstanding sensing performance combined with its facile, quick, green preparation procedure as well as low production cost makes the MIP-PANI particles attractive in specific protein recognition and sensing.

A new ESIPT-based fluorescent probe, PHC2, for the detection of hypochlorous acid has been rationally designed and developed. Endowed by the specific reaction between hypochlorous acid and phenyl azo group, PHC2 features high degree of selectivity and sensitivity for HClO with a low detection limit (13.2 nM) under physiological conditions in neutral aqueous solution.

The heterogeneously copper-catalyzed oxidative cleavage of styrene was studied using copper-doped mesoporous KIT-6 (Cu-KIT-6x) prepared via pH adjustment (where x is the pH: 1.43, 2.27, 3.78, 3.97, 4.24 or 6.62). Variations in the catalyst structure and morphology with pH values were characterized by X-ray power diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. As the pH value applied during the initial synthesis, the resulting Cu-KIT-6x exhibited different structural, textural and surface characteristics, especially in terms of specific copper species and copper content. At a pH value of 3.78, approximately 4.6 wt% copper(II) was successfully incorporated into the framework of the initial KIT-6, in the form of –Cu–O–Si– groups. The catalytic performance of each catalyst was evaluated by following the epoxidation of styrene, employing tert-butyl hydroperoxide as the oxidant and CH3CN as the solvent. A significant styrene conversion of 43.5% with 86.6% selectivity for the desired styrene epoxide was obtained over the Cu-KIT-63.78. A higher Cu content, an ordered cubic Ia3d mesoporous architecture and various specific textural characteristics all combined to endow the Cu-KIT-63.78 with high catalytic activity and good stability.

This study investigated the heterogeneity and plasticity of porcine alveolar macrophages (PAM) and pulmonary interstitial macrophages (IM) isolated from healthy pigs, including phenotype, function and gene expression. Dynamic changes of nitric oxide (NO) levels secreted by PAM and IM with stimulation of different doses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were investigated by Griess method, and the viability of the PAM and IM cells was investigated by MTT assay. Flow cytometry, fluorescence quantitative PCR and ELISA techniques were used to measure cell phenotype, gene expression and cytokine secretion, respectively. The PAM and IM cells in normal healthy pigs showed heterogeneity with 95.42±1.51% and 31.99±5.84% of CD163+ macrophage, respectively. The NO level in IM was significantly higher versus PAM after LPS treatment. Consistently, the ratio of Arg I/iNOS in IM was much lower than that in PAM, suggesting that the PAM belong to M2 macrophages and the IM belong to M1 macrophages. The PAM and IM cells in normal healthy pigs also showed plasticity. The Arg I/iNOS ratio and TIMP1/MMP12 ratio were significantly decreased in LPS- or LPS+IFNγ-treated PAM and IM, suggesting that cells were polarized towards M1 macrophages under LPS or LPS+IFNγ stimulation. On the contrary, IL-4 and IL-13 stimulation on PAM and IM lead to M2 polarization. A similar result was found in IL-1β gene expression and TNFα secretion. In conclusion, porcine macrophages have shown heterogeneity and plasticity on polarization under the stimulation of LPS, IFNγ, IL-4 and IL-13., Summary: The heterogeneity and plasticity of macrophages will be helpful for the understanding of pathologic mechanisms and the prevention of swine infectious disease.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected population has continued to grow during recent years, and novel HCV antiviral agents are urgently needed. In this work, a combined theoretical study was performed on the HCV non-structural 5B (NS5B) polymerase and 53 benzimidazole inhibitors. Comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) were carried out with ligand-based and receptor-based alignments. Ligand-based QSAR models (cross-validated q2 of 0.918 for CoMFA and 0.825 for CoMSIA) were found to be superior to receptor-based approaches (cross-validated q2 of 0.765 for CoMFA and 0.740 for CoMSIA). Based on the most predictive CoMFA and CoMSIA models, the structural features that were essential for the inhibitory activity of benzimidazoles were characterized. A molecular dynamics study revealed that the induced fit effect between NS5B and its substrate may be responsible for the inferiority of the receptor-based CoMFA and CoMSIA models. The binding-free energy calculated using the MM/PBSA method correlated well with the experimental results and revealed that the van der Waals and electrostatic interactions most contributed to the binding. In addition, energetically favorable NS5B residues were identified by the per-residue decomposition of binding-free energy. The results presented in this work provide meaningful information for the design of novel benzimidazole inhibitors targeting the NS5B polymerase.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Volcano defect is found on non-volatile memory structure after tungsten contact formation, causing longer tungsten CMP polishing time, generation of dark voltage contrast defect under e-beam inspection and severely degraded product yield. The effects of ALD TiN and position of contact liner anneal are studied for defect reduction and yield improvement.

Selectivity of deproteinization and demineralization using natural deep eutectic solvents for preparation of insect chitin (Hermetia illucens) was investigated. The relationships between the pH and pKa values of NADESs and demineralization, deproteinization and crystallinity indexes of the obtained chitin were discussed, respectively. It was found that the acidic NADESs consist of basic hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) and acidic hydrogen bond donor (HBD), or the alkali NADESs composed of acid HBA and alkali HBD were better for chitin products. After reused for three times, demineralization and deproteinization abilities of NADESs were not significantly decreased. Mechanistic analysis indicated that H+ released from HBA or HBD was the main reason for demineralization, whereas intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bond in NADESs facilitates the removal of protein. Overall, this report provides a preliminary reference for design of the sustainable NADESs for preparation of chitin from natural resources.

The identification of phosphorus (P) fractions is essential for understanding the transformation and availability of P in paddy soils. To investigate the soil P fractions associated with soil properties under long-term fertilization, we selected three fertilization treatments, including no fertilization (CK), chemical fertilizers (NPK) and chemical fertilizers combined with manure (NPKM), from three long-term experiments located in Nanchang (NC), Jinxian (JX) and Ningxiang (NX). The results showed that chemical fertilizers combined with manure (NPKM) significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased the soil total phosphorus, Olsen P and soil organic matter (SOM) by 2, 3 and 1 times, respectively, compared with the NPK treatment, and by 4, 17 and 2 times, respectively, compared with the CK treatment. NPKM significantly increased the grain yield compared with CK and NPK at all sites. The apparent P balance with NPK was higher in NC and NX but lower in JX compared with NPKM. Hedley fractionation revealed the predominance of most of the organic and inorganic phosphorus (Po and Pi) fractions with long-term fertilization, especially with the NPKM treatment, at all sites. The nonlabile P pool decreased by 14% and 18% whereas the moderately labile P pool proportions increased by 3 and 6 times with the NPK and NPKM treatments, respectively, compared to the CK treatment. The labile P pool showed a significant positive relationship with the SOM, total P and Olsen P contents. The moderately labile P was positively correlated with the total P and Olsen P. A significant positive correlation was observed between soil pH and the nonlabile P pool. Redundancy analysis revealed that the moderately labile P fraction (HCl dil. Pi fraction) was remarkably increased by the NPKM treatment and significantly correlated with the soil pH and total P concentration. The labile P fraction (NaHCO3-Pi) showed a strong relationship with the Olsen P and total P. However, the residual P fraction was negatively correlated with the HCl. dil. Pi fraction. We concluded that NPKM application improved P availability by many folds compared to NPK, which could lead to environmental pollution; therefore, the rate of combined application of manure and chemical fertilizer should be reduced compared to chemical fertilizer inputs to minimize the wastage of resources and environmental P losses.

This study investigated relationships between ecoenzymatic stoichiometry and microbial community structure under long-term (38-years) combined organic and inorganic fertilization. Experiment was initiated in 1982 and seven fertilization treatments were studied that included: CK (no fertilizer), NPK (inorganic N, P and potassium fertilizers), NPM (inorganic N, P fertilizers and manure), NKM (inorganic N, K fertilizers and manure), PKM (inorganic P, K fertilizers and manure), NPKM (inorganic N, P, K fertilizers and manure) and M (manure) treatments. We analyzed soil and microbial biomass of C, N and P, enzyme activities related to C, N and P, and their effects on the microbial community structure in the top layer (0–20 cm) of the paddy soil. The results showed that combined application of manure and inorganic fertilizers significantly increased soil C, N, P contents, extracellular enzyme activities and total phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) concentration, compared to the NPK and CK treatments. Fertilization treatments significantly changed microbial biomass stoichiometry. Among all fertilization treatments, highest microbial biomass C:N, C:P ratio and N:P ratios were 10.2, 36.0 and 3.59, respectively, under the PKM treatment. Soil C, N and P-cycling enzyme activities were highest under the NPKM treatments. Soil C:N showed positive and soil C:P ratio showed negative relationships with microbial biomass C:N and C:P ratios, respectively. Soil total PLFA concentration was highest under NPKM treatment. The order of individual PLFAs concentrations in all fertilization treatments was: Gram negative bacteria > Gram positive bacteria > Actinomycetes > AM fungi > Fungi> Eukaryotes > anaerobes. Soil organic C, total N, soil N:P and microbial N:P ratios were positively correlated with total PLFA concentration. While, soil C:N and microbial biomass C:N ratios were negatively correlation with total PLFA and individual microbial community structure. Our results suggested that ecoenzymatic stoichiometry and microbial community structure are very sensitive to combined long-term organic and inorganic fertilization that can affect the nutrient acquisition and cycling in agroecosystem.

A series of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymers with different content of itaconic acid (IA) as comonomer were prepared by an efficient aqueous free-radical polymerization technique. The thermal behavior of the PAN polymers was investigated by simultaneous DSC/TG analysis. Effects of IA content, heating rate and atmosphere on the heat release and weight loss behaviors of the PAN polymers were studied for insight of the nature of the thermo-chemical reactions. A specific triple exothermic peak was observed in the DSC curves of P(AN-IA) copolymers in air atmosphere. Three individual exothermic peaks were obtained by peak fitting and assigned to the respective thermo-chemical reactions, namely, ionic cyclization reaction, free-radical cyclization reaction and oxidation reaction. The ionic cyclization reaction was significantly influenced by the IA content. The free-radical cyclization reaction was sensitive to heating rate and atmosphere. The cyclization reaction preceded the oxidation reaction and acted as a prerequisite for the oxidation reaction. The improvement of the thermal stability of PAN was mainly attributed to the oxidation reaction through dehydrogenation and formation of oxygen-bearing groups. Mechanisms of the thermo-chemical reactions were also proposed and discussed.

This paper reports the design and synthesis of a novel molecular imprinted conductive polyaniline (PANI) nanoparticles (NPs) using polymeric micelle as nanoreactor. In our strategy, an amphiphilic acrylic copolymer was firstly synthesized which self-assemble into micelles in aqueous solution. The aniline monomer and template molecules (paracetamol, PCM) were then immobilized into polymeric micelle owing to their interactions. The subsequent polymerization of aniline occurred within the micelle with the addition of ammonium persulfate (APS), leading to the formation of molecular imprinted PANI NPs. The resulting PANI NPs were characterized by various techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A highly sensitive and selective electrochemical sensor for detecting PCM was developed using the obtained molecular imprinted PANI NPs as recognition element. The obtained imprinted PANI sensor revealed not only high selectivity toward paracetamol, but also a wider linear range over paracetamol concentration from 0.4–100 μM and 200–1000 μM with a significantly lower detection limit of 50 nM, compared to previously reported PCM electrochemical sensors. The wide linear range was attributed to numerous effective recognition sites among the PANI matrix due to the large specific surface area of PANI NPs, whereas the low detection limit should be attributed to the electrical conductivity of PANI which provides a direct path for the conduction of electrons from the imprinting sites to the electrode surface. In addition, good stability and repeatability have also been demonstrated. This work not only provides a new type of paracetamol sensor with good performance, more importantly it develops a novel imprinting strategy to prepare molecular imprinted conductive nanoparticles in aqueous solution. In addition, considering the versatility of the amphiphilic copolymers, this strategy can be extended to imprint other molecules and thus prepare advanced MIP sensors for a wide range of templates.

The intaking of water with undesired substances may cause many water-borne diseases. It is required to develop efficient and low-cost water purification technologies for developing countries. In this study, a new ceramic disk filter functionalized by chitosan/TiO2 nanocomposites (CT-CDF) for bacterial removal from drinking water was investigated. The characterization results showed that the chitosan/TiO2 nanocomposites were attached to the surface of CDFs. The optimal conditions for producing CT-CDFs were 0.2 g of chitosan, 0.05 g of TiO2, and 0.04 g of coating amount, respectively. The factorial analysis indicated that the illumination time and lamp power promoted the reduction of E. coli, but influent E. coli concentration showed a negative effect. There was an interaction between lamp power and influent E. coli concentration. The bacterial removal of CT-CDFs was due to the retention by irregular pores in CT-CDF, the cell membrane damage caused by the attached chitosan/TiO2 nanocomposites, and the oxidative stress in cells from ROS generated by nano-TiO2. Prolonging illumination time and increasing lamp power can promote the photocatalysis, resulting in the enhanced removal efficiency of CT-CDFs. The results of this study can provides not only an insight into the bacterial removal involving multiple mechanisms, but also an economic-feasible solution for resolving the water safety issues in developing countries.

Sanghuangporus species are precious edible and medicinal fungi that are traditionally used in Asian countries. Triterpenoids, the major bioactive constituents of Sanghuangporus spp. are currently receiving a lot of attention from the scientific community due to their potent pharmacological activities. However, very few reports have been conducted about the possibility of adjusting the fermentation conditions to increase the triterpenoids yield from certain fungi such as Sanghuangporus baumii. In this study, we examined the effects of four different extracts from mulberry shavings on the production of triterpenoids and traced the major components from the effective extracts by GC-MS to provide a reference for further exploration of the triterpenoids synthetic mechanism. It was found that unsaturated fatty acids significantly promoted the production of triterpenoids. The results suggested a direct correlation between the degree of unsaturation of fatty acid and the triterpenoids yield. The best stimulatory additive was linolenic acid. It increased the triterpenoids yield to 573 mg/L, which was 2.53 times higher than the control. This study not only showed that addition of mulberry shavings extract was an efficient fermentation protocol to improve the triterpenoids yield of S. baumii, but it also highlighted the importance of fatty acid content in the production of triterpenoids.

Organic and inorganic fertilization management in intensive cropping system is important to achieve long-term high crop yield sustainability. We quantitatively investigated crop yield sustainability through soil fertility and nutrients balance in 34-years long-term experiment under double rice cropping system in acidic paddy soil. Seven treatments were studied: CK (no fertilization); NPK (Chemical nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer); NPM (Chemical N, P and manure); NKM (Chemical N, K and manure); PKM (Chemical P, K and manure); NPKM (Chemical N, P, K and manure) and M (Manure). Manure was applied at the rate of 45,000 kg ha−1. Results showed that crop yield and sustainability yield index under combined application of manure and chemical fertilizers was significantly higher than chemical fertilization and highest crop yield was under NPKM treatment. Long-term combined manure and chemical fertilization improved soil fertility as compared to CK and NPK treatments. Soil organic C sequestration rates under NPM, NKM, PKM and NPKM treatments were increased, while decreased under CK and NPK over the fertilization years. The uptake of N, P and K was increased over the fertilization years in all the treatments that received manure, compared with CK and NPK. Apparent K balance was negative in all the treatments. N balance (except CK and NPKM) and P balance (except CK) was positive in all fertilization treatments. P balance was exceeded the environmental risk threshold under combined application of chemical P fertilizer and manure. Boosted regression tree indicated that soil available N (AN), orgnaic carbon (OC) and total N (TN) were the most influencing factors of crop yield, accounted 36.5 %, 17.8 %, 13.4 % of variations of relative yield, respectively. Path analysis showed that long-term fertilizer inputs increased soil nutrient contents and C input directly affected soil OC. C input and soil pH indirectly influenced the relative crop yield. This study concluded that long-term combined application of manure and inorganic fertilizers increased crop yield sustainability, organic carbon sequestration rate compared to the inorganic fertilization. But long-term combined application of manure and inorganic phosphorus fertilizer increased the P balance. Therefore, rate of P inputs should be reduced under combined application of manure and inorganic P fertilizers in acidic paddy soil.

A novel biomimetic enzyme was applied in the pretreatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) for enhancing the hydrolysis properties. An iron porphyrin complex was efficiently synthesized and purified. In comparison with the blank test, iron porphyrin complex used as biomimetic enzyme could significantly improve the sludge disintegration. Hydrogen peroxide was not the main influencing factor. During the pretreatment process, concentrations of the ammonia nitrogen (NH4 +-N) and reducing sugar (RS) both almost increased, which indicated that the protein and polysaccharide in sludge were effectively decomposed. Results demonstrated that the optimum treatment time and temperature of this biomimetic enzyme was at 7 hours and 40 °C, respectively. The efficient and economical dosage of the biomimetic enzyme used in treatment sludge digestion was 1%. Under the optimal treatment condition, the SCOD/TCOD ratio, the rate of VSS reduction, the concentrations of NH4 +-N and RS reached the values of 65.3%, 38.4%, 215.9 mg/L and 65.9 mg/L, respectively. And the possible mechanism of iron porphyrin biomimetic enzyme to promote anaerobic hydrolysis of WAS had been proposed. Therefore, the application of biomimetic enzyme was a desirable method in the WAS pretreatment.