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In the present study, we found the expression of miR-15a-5p (miR-15a) was increased in glioma tissues, and we further explore the underlying mechanism of miR-15a in glioma progression. Microarray analysis used to identify the differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) in glioma tissues. The expression of miR-15a in glioma tissues and cell lines was tested by qRT-PCR. Luciferase assay was used to determine the binding between miR-15a and Smad7. Wound healing and transwell assay were used to examine the role of miR-15a/Smad7 in SHG139 cells. Western blot was used to detect the protein level of Smad7 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. A tumor formation model in nude mice was established to measure the role of miR-15a in vivo. MiR-15a was significantly increased in glioma tissues and cells, which indicated a poor prognosis of glioma patients. MiR-15a mimics induced miR-15a level in SHG139 cells, and promoted the malignancy of SHG139 cells, while miR-15a inhibitor showed the opposite effects. Luciferase assay indicated that Smad7 was the direct target of miR-15a, and Smad7 was down-regulated in glioma tissues. Functional experiments revealed that miR-15a inhibitor inhibited the EMT pathway and the migration and invasion of glioma cells, but the silencing of Smad7 reversed the effects of miR-15a inhibitor in EMT pathway and glioma progression. Finally, we performed animal experiments to verify the role of miR-15a in vivo. Present study showed that deletion of miR-15a inhibited the activation of EMT signaling via targeting Smad7, thus suppressed the tumorigenesis and tumor growth of glioma.

Epicatechin (EC) has significant antiinflammation, antioxidation, and anticancer activities. It also provides a new alternative treatment for mastitis, which can result in great economic losses in the dairy industry if left untreated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of EC on mastitis and the underlying mechanism using in vivo and in vitro systems. The use of ELISA and immunohistochemistry assays showed that EC treatment at 1.5, 7.5, 15, and 30 mg/mL decreased protein expression of inflammatory mediators, including cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase; inflammatory cytokines, which were composed of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated bovine mammary epithelial cell line (MAC-T); and mouse mammary gland, together with reduced filtration of T lymphocytes in the mouse mammary gland. Furthermore, EC treatment reduced LPS-induced phosphorylation levels of p65 and inhibitor of NF-κB, and blocked nuclear translocation of p65 as revealed by western blot and immunofluorescence test in MAC-T cells and the mouse mammary gland. Epicatechin also attenuated LPS-induced phosphorylation levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase members (i.e., p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1/2 and extracellular regulated protein kinases 1/2). Using RNA-seq and tandem mass tag analyses, upregulation of TMEM35A and TMPO proteins was disclosed in MAC-T cells cotreated with LPS and EC. Although clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9-based knockdown of TMEM35A and TMPO attenuated abundance of phosphorylated (p)-p65, p-p38, TNF-α, and iNOS, overexpression of TMEM35A reversed EC-mediated effects in TMPO knockdown cells. Moreover, interaction between TMEM35A and TMPO was detected using the co-immunoprecipitation method. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that EC inhibited LPS-induced inflammatory response in MAC-T cells and the mouse mammary gland. Importantly, TMEM35A mediated the transmembrane transport of EC, and the interaction between TMEM35A and TMPO inhibited MAPK and NF-κB pathways.

The composite layered structures including paper corrugation, paper honeycomb and expandable polyethylene are innovative structures of cushioning energy absorption, and the compression and impact resistances of the expandable polyethylene can be enhanced by laminating the corrugated paperboard or honeycomb paperboard. This article evaluated the compression performance and cushioning energy absorption of the composite layered structures by the static compression and drop impact compression tests. On one hand, the static compression properties showed that the total energy absorption, energy absorption per unit volume and stroke efficiency of the composite layered structures were all higher than those of expandable polyethylene. The specific energy absorption was enhanced with the increase in compression strain but almost not affected by the compression rate. The specific energy absorption of the composite layered structures including the expandable polyethylene and honeycomb paperboard was greater than those of the expandable polyethylene and corrugated paperboard. The energy absorption efficiency of the composite layered structures including the expandable polyethylene and corrugated paperboard was large for the low compression stress level, yet that of the composite layered structures including the expandable polyethylene and honeycomb paperboard was large for the high compression stress level. On the other hand, the dynamic compression characteristics showed that the peak stress, energy absorption per unit area, energy absorption per unit volume and specific energy absorption of the composite layered structures embodying paper sandwich cores and expandable polyethylene had linear increasing trends with the increase of drop shock energy. At the same drop impact condition, the composite layered structures including the honeycomb paperboard and expandable polyethylene had better cushioning energy absorption, the peak stress decreased by 23.6% on average, the energy absorption efficiency raised by 8.85% on average and the specific energy absorption increased by 18.1% on average than those including the corrugated paperboard and expandable polyethylene. Therefore, the corrugated paperboard and honeycomb paperboard can helpfully improve the cushioning energy absorption of the expandable polyethylene, and the composite layered structures embodying the expandable polyethylene, corrugated paperboard and honeycomb paperboard may hold excellent packaging protection.

There has been an upsurge in the discovery of topological quantum materials, where various topological insulators and semimetals have been theoretically predicted and experimentally observed. However, very few of them contain silicon, the most widely used element in the electronics industry. Recently, ternary compound $\mathrm{CaA}{\mathrm{l}}_{2}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{i}}_{2}$ has been predicted to be a topological Dirac semimetal, hosting Lorentz-symmetry-violating quasiparticles with a strongly tilted conical band dispersion. In this work, by using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we investigated the comprehensive electronic structure of $\mathrm{CaA}{\mathrm{l}}_{2}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{i}}_{2}$. A pair of topological Dirac crossings is observed along the ${k}_{z}$ direction, in good agreement with the ab initio calculations, confirming the topological Dirac semimetal nature of the compound. Our study expands the topological material family on Si-containing compounds, which have great application potential in realizing low-cost, nontoxic electronic devices with topological quantum states.

The solutions of phenol and the mixture of phenol and ammonia were gasified in a continuous supercritical water reactor to evaluate the influences of ammonia on the hydrogen production and the degradation pathways of phenol. The effects of temperature (560–640 °C), reaction time (2–20 s) and concentration of ammonia (500–2000 mg/L) on gaseous distributions, gasification efficiencies and reactants removal efficiencies were investigated. In addition, the effects of ammonia on the kinds of intermediate products were analyzed. Results showed that the increasing temperature greatly promoted the hydrogen production and degradation of phenol. Longer reaction time gave a positive effect on gasification efficiencies in 10 s, while the effect was little when the reaction time longer than 10 s. Ammonia prevented the production of hydrogen and the degradation of phenol, which was mainly due to the generation of more stable nitrogen polycyclic compounds. The possible degradation pathways for the mixture of phenol and ammonia were proposed.

Phenol, acetic acid, and naphthalene, as the most common and refractory intermediates during the supercritical water gasification (SCWG) of biomass were selected as the model compounds, and the their mutual interactive effects during the SCWG process were investigated. The gasification performances of one-component solutions and their two- and three-components mixtures were thoroughly studied in a tubular reactor at 550°C, 25 MPa, reaction time of 20 s. Results showed that for the one-component solutions, the difficulty degree of degradation order of the three compounds was naphthalene > phenol > acetic acid, and concentration of the reactants showed little influence on the gasification efficiencies. For the two-components solutions, acetic acid promoted the degradation of phenol and naphthalene, and the gasification of phenol and naphthalene inhibited each other. The 3D curved surface for gas yields and total organic concentration (TOC) removal efficiencies of three-components mixture clearly showed that the increasing concentration of acetic acid increased the H2 and CO2 yields. While the interactive effects of the three compounds were favorable for CH4 yield. Acetic acid played a positive effect on TOC removal, while the increasing concentration of naphthalene was unfavorable for the degradation of TOC, and the inhibition effect was higher when phenol existed. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2017

A quantitative kinetic model for the supercritical water partial oxidation of the mixture of acetic acid, naphthalene and phenol at 560 °C, 25 MPa was established. The model consisted a group of pathways that included two kind of compounds, which could be classified as stable cyclic compound (Int.1) and unstable ring-opening products (Int.2). The model was validated with the experimental data at oxygen ratio (OR) of 0 and 0.2, respectively. Results showed that the model could accurately predict the influences of reactants time on gas yields and intermediates concentrations. Reaction rate analysis indicated that the general trends of reaction rate at OR = 0 and OR = 0.2 were similar. The decomposition and steam reforming reactions of Int.2 were the main pathways for gas production. The oxygen during the gasification played a positive role in promoting the ring-opening reactions, which induced higher Int.2 production and increasing of steam reforming and decomposition rates, and finally increased the H2 production.

We report a systematic NMR study on [Sr4Sc2O6]Fe-2(As1-xPx)(2), for which the local lattice parameters of the iron-pnictogen (FePn) layer are similar to those of the series LaFe(As1-x'Px')O, which exhibits two segregated antiferromagnetic (AFM) order phases, AFM1 at x' = 0 - 0.2 and AFM2 at x' = 0.4 - 0.7. Our results reveal that the parent AFM1 phase at x = 0 disappears at x = 0.3 - 0.4, corresponding to a pnictogen height (h(pn)) from the Fe plane of 1.3-1.32 angstrom, which is similar to that of LaFe(As1-x'Px')O and various parent Fe pnictides. By contrast, the AFM2 order reported for LaFe(As0.4P0.6)O does not appear at x similar to 0.8, although the local lattice parameters of the FePn layer and the microscopic electronic states are quite similar. Despite the absence of the static AFM2 order, reemergent dynamical AFM spin fluctuations were observed at approximately x similar to 0.8, which can be attributed to the instability of the AFM2 phase. We suggest this re-enhancement of AFM spin fluctuations plays a significant role in enhancing the T-c to 17 K for x = 0.8 - 1. Finally, we discuss the universality and diversity of the complicated magnetic ground states from a microscopic point of view, including the difference in the origins of the AFM1 and AFM2 phases, and their relations with the high superconducting transitions in Fe pnictides.

A mixture of phenol, acetic acid, and naphthalene was partially oxidized in supercritical water in order to produce hydrogen. The effects of temperature, oxidation ratio (OR), reaction time, and reactant concentrations on gaseous distributions, gasification efficiencies, and reactants removal efficiencies were investigated. Furthermore, the effects of oxygen on the main intermediate products were analyzed, and possible degradation pathways were proposed. Results indicated that higher temperatures significantly promoted the H 2 yield. In addition, small amounts of oxygen (OR 2 and CH 4 . The maximum H 2 gasification efficiency (240.25%) and H 2 yield (70.16 mmol g −1 ) were obtained at 560 °C, 25 MPa, reaction time of 20 s and OR of 0.2. Longer reaction time enhanced the gasification efficiencies in 10 s, while the effect was little when reaction times longer than 10 s. The concentrations of the reactants did not significantly influence the gasification efficiencies.

A plasma jet, driven by an active helium atom supplied with an atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) biological breeding system, was used as a novel method to breed L-arginine high-yielding strains. A mutant with resistance to L-homoarginine and 8-azaguaine, ARG 3-15 (L-HA(r), 8-AG(r), L-His(-)), was screened after several rounds of screening. The L-arginine production of these mutants was more than that of the original strain, increased by 43.79% for ARG 3-15. Moreover, N-acetyl-L-glutamate synthase activity of these mutants was also increased. After a series of passages, the hereditary properties of these mutants were found to be stable. Interestingly, beet molasses was utilized in a co-feeding fermentation and benefited to increase the productivity by 5.88%. Moreover, the fermentation with 1.0 g/L betaine could produce 9.33% more L-arginine than without betaine. In fed-batch fermentation, C. glutamicum ARG 3-15 began to produce L-arginine at the initial of logarithmic phase, and continuously increased over 24 hr to a final titer of 45.36 ± 0.42 g/L. The L-arginine productivity was 0.571 g/L/hr and the conversion of glucose (α) was 32.4% after 96 hr. These results indicated that C. glutamicum ARG 3-15 is a promising industrial producer.

Acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS) controls carbon flux through the branch point and determines the relative rates of the synthesis of isoleucine, valine and leucine, respectively. However, it is strongly regulated by its end products. In this study, we characterized AHAS variants from five branched-chain amino acids-producing strains. Amino acid substitution occurred in both catalytic subunit and regulatory subunit. Interestingly, AHAS variants reduced sensitivity to feedback inhibition by branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Although AHAS with amino acid substitution in regulatory subunit showed higher resistance, amino acid substitution in catalytic subunit could also endow AHAS with resistance to feedback inhibition. In addition, AHAS variants from V2 and L5 displayed about 1.4-fold higher specific activity compared to other AHAS variants. On the other hand, AHAS variant from V1 exhibited the highest resistance to BCAAs, 87% of original activity left even in the presence of 10mM BCAAs. Recombinant Corynebacteriumglutamicum strains were further constructed to investigate the effects of expressing AHAS variants on the synthesis of BCAAs and alanine (main by-product) in C. glutamicum. BCAAs production was increased with the increase of resistance to feedback inhibition, although valine showed a significant increase. For instance, C. g-1BN could accumulate 9.51g/l valine, 0.450g/l leucine and 0.180g/l isoleucine, and alanine was reduced to 0.477g/l. These AHAS variants are important for further improving performance of BCAAs-producing strain.

The aspartate aminotransferase (AAT) and aspartate ammonia-lyase (AAL) catalyzes respectively the reversible reaction of oxaloacetate (OAA) and fumarate to form l -aspartate. However, the effects of AAT and AAL on metabolite variations have not been clearly elucidated as yet. Now, the effects of AAT and AAL on metabolite variations in genetically defined l -lysine producing strains were studied by genetically modifying AAT gene aspB and AAL gene aspA . AAL was not detected in Corynebacterium glutamicum Lys1 but increased in aspB -deleted strain. Inversely, AAT exhibited high activity in Lys1, but it was not detected in aspB -deleted strains. Moreover, the deletion of aspB was bad for cell growth and metabolites production. The expression of Escherichia coli aspA in aspB -deleted strain not only restored cell growth and l -lysine production, but also accumulated some metabolites. However, the over-expression of aspB or aspA in aspB -natural strain did not affect cell growth and metabolites production except l -aspartate production. Although E. coli AAL could used to restore cell growth and metabolites accumulation in aspB -deleted strain, the effect on l -lysine production was significantly worse than that of AAT. Results indicates that native AAT is both necessary and sufficient for cell growth and l -lysine production, and deepens our understanding of the role of native aspB and E. coli aspA on cell growth and metabolites productions.

This article focuses on the effects of glycine betaine on preventing caramelization, and increasing DCW and L-lysine production. The additional glycine betaine not only decreased the browning intensity (decreased 4 times), and the concentrations of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (decreased 7.8 times) and furfural (decreased 12 times), but also increased the availability of glucose (increased 17.5%) for L-lysine production. The DCW and L-lysine production were increased by adding no more than 20 mM glycine betaine, whereas the DCW and L-lysine production were decreased with the reduction of pH values, although pH had a better response to prevent caramelization than did glycine betaine. For L-lysine production, the highest increase (40%) was observed on the media with 20 mM glycine betaine. The crucial enzymes in glycolysis and L-lysine biosynthesis pathway were investigated. The results indicated that additional glycine betaine increases the activity of enzymes in glycolysis, in contrast to the effect of pH. All the results indicated that glycine betaine can be used to prevent caramelization and increase the L-lysine production. By applying this strategy, glucose would not be have to be separated from the culture media during autoclaving so that factories can save production costs and shorten the fermentation period.

In Corynebacterium glutamicum, acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS, encoded by ilvBN) is regulated by the end products in biosynthesis pathway, which catalyzes the first common reaction in the biosynthesis of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). In this study, conserved A42, A89 and K136 residues in AHAS regulatory subunit were chosen for site-directed mutagenesis, and the resulting mutations A42V, A89V and K136E exhibited higher resistance to inhibition by BCAAs than wild type AHAS. Furthermore, double-mutation was carried out on A42V, A89V and K136E mutations. Expectedly, A42V-A89V mutation exhibited nearly complete resistance to inhibition by all three BCAAs, which retained above 93% enzyme activity even at 10 mM. Strains were further studied to investigate the effects of over-expressing different mutant ilvBN on the biosynthesis of BCAAs. It was found that production of BCAAs was increased with the increase of resistance to BCAAs. However, the increase of isoleucine and leucine was slower than valine which showed a significant increase (up to 86.30 mM). Furthermore, strains harboring plasmids with different mutant ilvBN could significantly decrease production of alanine (main byproduct). This work gives additional understanding of roles of A42, A89 and K136 residues and makes the A42V, A89V, K136E and A42V-A89V mutations a good starting point for further development by protein engineering.

The experiments presented here were based on the conclusions of our previous results. In order to avoid introduction of expression plasmid and to balance the NADH/NAD ratio, the NADH biosynthetic enzyme, i.e., NAD-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GADPH), was replaced by NADP-dependent GADPH, which was used to biosynthesize NADPH rather than NADH. The results indicated that the NADH/NAD ratio significantly decreased, and glucose consumption and L-lysine production drastically improved. Moreover, increasing the flux through L-lysine biosynthetic pathway and disruption of ilvN and hom, which involve in the branched amino acid and L-methionine biosynthesis, further improved L-lysine production by Corynebacterium glutamicum. Compared to the original strain C. glutamicum Lys5, the L-lysine production and glucose conversion efficiency (α) were enhanced to 81.0 ± 6.59 mM and 36.45% by the resulting strain C. glutamicum Lys5-8 in shake flask. In addition, the by-products (i.e., L-threonine, L-methionine and L-valine) were significantly decreased as results of genetic modification in homoserine dehydrogenase (HSD) and acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS). In fed-batch fermentation, C. glutamicum Lys5-8 began to produce L-lysine at post-exponential growth phase and continuously increased over 36 h to a final titer of 896 ± 33.41 mM. The L-lysine productivity was 2.73 g l(-1) h(-1) and the α was 47.06% after 48 h. However, the attenuation of MurE was not beneficial to increase the L-lysine production because of decreasing the cell growth. Based on the above-mentioned results, we get the following conclusions: cofactor NADPH, precursor, the flux through L-lysine biosynthetic pathway and DCW are beneficial to improve L-lysine production in C. glutamicum.

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), which is mainly used to supply NADPH, has an important role in increasing L-lysine production by Corynebacterium glutamicum. However, C. glutamicum FBPase is negatively regulated at the metabolic level. Strains that overexpressed Escherichia coli fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase in C. glutamicum were constructed, and the effects of heterologous FBPase on cell growth and L-lysine production during growth on glucose, fructose, and sucrose were evaluated. The heterologous fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase is insensitive to fructose 1-phosphate and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, whereas the homologous fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase is inhibited by fructose 1-phosphate and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. The relative enzyme activity of heterologous fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase is 90.8% and 89.1% during supplement with 3 mM fructose 1-phosphate and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, respectively. Phosphoenolpyruvate is an activator of heterologous fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, whereas the homologous fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase is very sensitive to phosphoenolpyruvate. Overexpression of the heterologous fbp in wild-type C. glutamicum has no effect on L-lysine production, but fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activities are increased 9- to 13-fold. Overexpression of the heterologous fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase increases L-lysine production in C. glutamicum lysC(T311I) by 57.3% on fructose, 48.7% on sucrose, and 43% on glucose. The dry cell weight (DCW) and maximal specific growth rate (μ) are increased by overexpression of heterologous fbp. A "funnel-cask" diagram is first proposed to explain the synergy between precursors supply and NADPH supply. These results lay a definite theoretical foundation for breeding high L-lysine producers via molecular target.

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) and fructokinase (ScrK) have important roles in regenerating glucose-6-phosphate in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and thus increasing l-lysine production. This article focuses on the development of l-lysine high-producing strains by heterologous expression of FBPase gene fbp and ScrK gene scrK in C. glutamicum lysC fbr with molasses as the sole carbon source. Heterologous expression of fbp and scrK lead to a decrease of residual sugar in fermentation broth, and heterologous expression of scrK prevents the fructose efflux. Heterologous expression of fbp and scrK not only increases significantly the activity of corresponding enzymes but also improves cell growth during growth on molasses. FBPase activities are increased tenfold by heterologous expression of fbp, whereas the FBPase activity is only increase fourfold during co-expression of scrK and fbp. Compared with glucose, the DCW of heterologous expression strains are higher on molasses except co-expression of fbp and scrK strain. In addition, heterologous expression of fbp and scrK can strongly increase the l-lysine production with molasses as the sole carbon source. The highest increase (88.4 %) was observed for C. glutamicum lysC fbr pDXW-8-fbp-scrK, but the increase was also significant for C. glutamicum lysC fbr pDXW-8-fbp (47.2 %) and C. glutamicum lysC fbr pDXW-8-scrK (36.8 %). By-products, such as glycerol and dihydroxyacetone, are decreased by heterologous expression of fbp and scrK, whereas trehalose is only slightly increased. The strategy for enhancing l-lysine production by regeneration of glucose-6-phosphate in PPP may provide a reference to enhance the production of other amino acids during growth on molasses or starch.

Morphology-dependent properties of nano-/microspheres with hollow interiors have attracted immense attention because of the unique properties and potential technological applications in various fields, such as electronics, optoelectronics, selective catalysis, controlled release, and delivery, etc. [1] Inspired by the excellent properties, the study on the fabrication of transition-metal dichalcogenides with desired morphologies is continually being intensified. [2] In particular, nickel dichalcogenides (such as NiS2, NiSe2 and NiTe2) have become the focus in recent years due to their novel electric and magnetic properties and important technological applications in various fields. It is well known that NiS2 is of particular interest as a Mott–Hubbard insulator with anomalous antiferromagnetic long-range order and a metal-insulator transitional body in NiS2xSex, whereas NiSe2 is a typical Pauli paramagnet with metallic conductivity and, therefore, is suitable as a storage energy material for rechargeable lithium batteries. [3] More importantly, NiSe2 can also be applied as the prominent Pt-free electrocatalyst for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), which shows better catalytic activity in the reduction of triiodide than Pt electrode. [4] Furthermore, NiTe2 is a promising back contact to CdTe/CdS solar cells with exceeding 10 % conversion efficiencies. [5] A variety of chemical and physicochemical methods, such as solid-state synthesis, elemental direct reaction, and mechanical alloying have been used to fabricate nickel dichalcogenides; nevertheless, there is barely a report about the synthesis of NiS2, NiSe2, and NiTe2 hollow spheres up to now, partly due to the difficulties in fabricating transition-metal dichalcogenides with regular morphologies. [6] Herein, we have successfully devised a simple and general hydrothermal synthetic route to prepare the uniform NiS2 hollow spheres in the presence of l-cysteine and urea. Especially, NiSe2 and NiTe2 hollow spheres could be obtained through a chemical conversion method under hydrothermal conditions by using NiS2 hollow spheres as the precursor, respectively. Meanwhile, NiS and NiO hollow spheres could also be successfully synthesized by the calcinations of NiS2 hollow spheres at different temperatures. A probable formation mechanism of the resulting products has been proposed, which offers a designable route to prepare transition-metal dichalcogenides as well as transformations between sulfides and oxides. The magnetic properties of as-prepared nickel dichalcogenides have been investigated in detail and indicate an antiferromagnetic behavior for NiS2 and NiTe2 hollow spheres and a paramagnetic behavior for NiSe2 hollow spheres. Scheme 1 illustrates the design process and possible scenario for the formation of nickel dichalcogenide hollow spheres. Firstly, l-cysteine is dispersed in deionized water and simultaneously capped by Ni ions due to the coordination of functional groups in the l-cysteine molecules, such as NH2, COOH, and SH, which has a strong tendency to coordinate with inorganic cations. [7] Urea can be used to

Separation of municipal solid waste has been implemented in many cities in China. As a major component of municipal solid waste, food waste can be treated by anaerobic digestion (AD) for energy production. To provide reference data for disposing of food waste through engineering applications, continuous AD was carried out under various organic loading rates (OLRs) at 27 +/- 2 degrees C in the laboratory. The anaerobic reactor was stable with pH 7.0-7.1, total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations of 206-746 mg/L, and NH4+ -N concentrations of 525-1293 mg/L when the OLR was 1.118-5.588 kg volatile solids (VS)/m(3) x d. The maximum volumetric biogas production rate was 4.41 L/L x d when the OLR was increased to 5.588 kg VS/m(3) x d with a hydraulic retention time of 30 d. When the OLR was increased to 6.706 and 8.382 kg VS/m(3) x d, biogas production was seriously inhibited by VFAs, with maximum total VFA and propionate concentrations of 8738 mg/L and 2864 mg/L, respectively. Due to the incomplete degradation of lipids, the specific methane production rate of 353-488 L/kg VS accounted for 55.2-76.3% of the theoretical methane potential calculated based on the component composition. A retrofitted anaerobic digester with lipid removal was designed to improve the efficiency.

Single crystals of the osmium-containing compound Ca3OsO6 have been successfully grown under high-pressure conditions, for the first time. The crystal structure of Ca3OsO6 were characterized as an ordered double-perovskite structure of space group P2(1)/n with the Ca and Os atoms being fully ordered at the perovskite B-site. The electromagnetic analysis shows that the crystal exhibits a semiconductor-like behavior below 300 K and undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition at 50 K. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The double-perovskite compound Sr2FeOsO6 was synthesized using a high pressure, high-temperature method. The crystal structure, electrical resistivity, and magnetic properties of Sr2FeOsO6 were investigated. It was found that Sr2FeOsO6 crystallizes in a partially disordered structure (I4/m) and exhibits semiconductor-like behavior and an antiferromagnetic transition at 78 K.

Transcription factors of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) family play a key role in various biological processes. In this study, we explored the role of NF-κB in the dysfunction of splenic macrophages in hypersplenism due to liver cirrhosis. By using confocal microscopic analysis, Western Blot, TransAM NF-κB ELISA, and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), we observed that NF-κB p65, p52, and c-Rel were activated in macrophages in patients with hypersplenism (hypersplenic macrophages). Transfection of hypersplenic macrophages with a κB/luciferase reporter plasmid showed that NF-κB complexes were functional. Using co-immunoprecipitation studies, we demonstrated that p65/c-Rel dimers were activated in hypersplenic macrophages. NF-κB activation inhibitor JSH-23 and the small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated p65, and c-Rel gene silencing significantly blocked phagocytosis and secretion in hypersplenic macrophages. Using promoter analysis and RNA interference, we found that many phagocytotic and hepatic fibrogenetic regulators, including interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), were regulated by NF-κB p65 and c-Rel in hypersplenic macrophages. Our findings demonstrate that NF-κB p65 and c-Rel play an important role in phagocytosis and secretion in hypersplenic macrophages. Activation of NF-κB p65 and c-Rel may be considered an important regulator of hypersplenism and liver cirrhosis.

Carbon-for-nitrogen substitution (51 at% at most) was achieved in the antiferromagnetic metallic host material Mn(3)ZnN. The various carbon-doped compounds were studied using synchrotron X-ray diffraction, and their electrical resistivities, specific heats, and degrees of magnetization were measured for temperatures of 2-400 K. The sharp antiferromagnetic-to-paramagnetic transition of the host material at 185 K broadened markedly as the carbon content was increased, and a significant ferromagnetic character was found to coexist with the antiferromagnetism when the carbon concentration exceeded 27 at%. This critical magnetic behavior is likely in part due to the increase in the density of states at the Fermi level and the increase in the distance between neighboring Mn atoms. The exact mechanism responsible for the induction of the complicated magnetic state could not be determined. However, the results demonstrate clearly that the chemical tuning of the X site in antiperovskite Mn(3)AX materials is as useful as that of the A and Mn sites and can be used to develop the properties of these materials for practical applications.

The crystal structure of the layered cobalt oxyfluoride Sr(2)CoO(3)F synthesized under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions has been determined from neutron powder diffraction and synchrotron powder diffraction data collected at temperatures ranging from 320 to 3 K. This material adopts the tetragonal space group I4/mmm over the measured temperature range and the crystal structure is analogous to n = 1 Ruddlesden-Popper type layered perovskite. In contrast to related oxyhalide compounds, the present material exhibits the unique coordination environment around the Co metal center: coexistence of square pyramidal coordination around Co and anion disorder between O and F at the apical sites. Magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity measurements reveal that Sr(2)CoO(3)F is an antiferromagnetic insulator with the Néel temperature T(N) = 323(2) K. The magnetic structure that has been determined by neutron diffraction adopts a G-type antiferromagnetic order with the propagation vector k = (1/2 1/2 0) with an ordered cobalt moment μ = 3.18(5) μ(B) at 3 K, consistent with the high spin electron configuration for the Co(3+) ions. The antiferromagnetic and electrically insulating states remain robust even against 15%-O substation for F at the apical sites. However, applying pressure exhibits the onset of the metallic state, probably coming from change in the electronic state of square-pyramidal coordinated cobalt.

The extensive use of pesticides in modern farming on fruit and vegetables has posed risks to public health and environment. In this study, the methods for extraction and detection of pesticides in juice and fruit wine were reviewed. Sample preparation is an important step in the analytical method, and the advantages of various new extraction techniques over the classical solvent extraction have been highlighted. Current methods involve the use of one or the combination of some of the following techniques for both the sample extraction and clean-up steps: liquid–liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction, solid-phase microextraction, stir bar sorptive extraction, matrix solid-phase dispersion and single-drop microextraction. Determination of low-level pesticide residues in juice and wine has been performed mainly by chromatographic methods employing selective detectors or, in an increasing proportion, coupled to mass spectrometry for the quantification and simultaneous identification of residues.

Single-crystal Ca(10)(Pt(4)As(8))(Fe(1.8)Pt(0.2)As(2))(5) superconducting (SC) nanowhiskers with widths down to hundreds of nanometers were successfully grown in a Ta capsule in an evacuated quartz tube by a flux method. Magnetic and electrical properties measurements demonstrate that the whiskers have excellent crystallinity with critical temperature of up to 33 K, upper critical field of 52.8 T, and critical current density of J(c) of 6.0 × 10(5) A/cm(2) (at 26 K). Since cuprate high-T(c) SC whiskers are fragile ceramics, the present intermetallic SC whiskers with high T(c) have better opportunities for device applications. Moreover, although the growth mechanism is not understood well, the technique can be potentially useful for growth of other whiskers containing toxic elements.

Crystals of the newly synthesized compound Ca(3)LiOsO(6) were grown by a flux method using LiCl and KCl, followed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), low-temperature powder XRD, and measurements of ac and dc magnetic susceptibility and specific heat. The data indicate that Ca(3)LiOsO(6) has a fully opened electronic gap with an antiferromagnetic ordered state, consistent with suggestions from the first-principles study. The observed magnetic transition temperature is 117 K, too high to be caused only by a direct spin-spin interaction. It appears that the original superexchange magnetic path Os-O-Os is absent; thus, the extended superexchange path (Os-O)-(O-Os) can be expected to be responsible for the 117 K magnetic order. If this is true, Ca(3)LiOsO(6) would be highly valuable to study the nature of extended superexchange magnetic interactions in solids.

The cell performance and the polarization behavior of the fuel cell using alkaline NaBH 4 ― N 2 H 4 solutions as the fuel were investigated. It was found that the use of different membrane: anion exchange membrane (AEM) or cation exchange membrane (CEM) would influence the cell performance and cathode polarization behavior. The direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC) using CEM gave a higher power density than that using AEM, but the direct hydrazine fuel cell (DHFC) using CEM gave a lower power density compared with the DHFC using AEM. In the DBFCs using CEM, N 2 H 4 addition in alkaline NaBH 4 solution improved the cell performance but it did not make any difference when adding more N 2 H 4 . On the other hand, in the DBFCs using AEM, cell performance was improved with increasing the amount of N 2 H 4 in the anolyte.

Na2OsO4 crystals were grown by a NaCl flux method under high pressure. It crystallizes in the Ca2IrO4-type structure without having additional elements or metal vacancies, which are usually accommodated. It appears that Na2OsO4 is a metal-stoichiometric Ca2IrO4-type compound never been synthesized to date. Na2OsO4 has the octahedral environment of Os6+O6 so that the electronic configuration is 5d2, suggesting the magnetic S=1 ground state. However, magnetization, electrical resistivity, and specific heat measurements indicated that the non-magnetic S=0 state is much likely for Na2OsO4 than the S=1 state. Band structure calculations and the structure analysis found that the disagreement is probably due to the statically uniaxial compression of the OsO6 octahedra, resulting in splitting of the t 2 g band.

When employ pulsed electron deposition to grow high-quality La 1.85 Sr 0.15 CuO 4 (LSCO) thin film, the effect of the substrate and annealing temperatures on the microstructure are studied in this work. The results revealed that at low substrate temperature superconducting phase cannot be well formed, whereas too high deposition temperature will enhance the thermal expansion mismatch between the film and the substrate, which is responsible for the appearance of the cracks in the film. For the annealing, the optimal temperature is 450 °C, if it is varied, the lost of oxygen at high temperature or the difficulty for absorbing oxygen at low temperature will introduce foreign phases on the XRD patterns.

Perovskite materials provide a large variety of interesting physical properties and applications. Here, we report on unique properties of a fully ordered magnetodielectric double-perovskite, Sc2NiMnO6 (space group P21/n, a = 4.99860 A, b = 5.35281 A, c = 7.34496 A, and β = 90.7915°), exhibiting sequential magnetic transitions at T1 = 35 K and T2 = 17 K. The transition at T1 corresponds to a single-k antiferromagnetic phase with propagation vector k1 = (1/2, 0, 1/2), while the second transition at T2 corresponds to a 2-k magnetic structure with propagation vectors k1 = (1/2, 0, 1/2) and k2 = (0, 1/2, 1/2). Symmetry analysis suggests that the two ordering wave vectors are independent, and calculations imply that k1 is associated with the Mn sublattice and k2 with the Ni sublattice, suggesting that Mn-Ni coupling is very small or absent. A magnetodielectric anomaly at T2 likely arises from an antiferroelectric ordering that results from the exchange-striction between the two magnetic sublattices belonging to k1 and k2. The behavior of Sc2NiMnO6 demonstrates 3d double-perovskites with small A-site cations as a promising avenue in which to search for magnetoelectric materials.

The polycrystalline MO2's (HP-PdF2-type MO2, M = Rh, Os, Pt) with high-pressure PdF2 compounds were successfully synthesized under high-pressure conditions for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. The crystal structures and electromagnetic properties were studied. Previously unreported electronic properties of the polycrystalline HP-PdF2-type RuO2 and IrO2 were also studied. The refined structures clearly indicated that all compounds crystallized into the HP-PdF2-type structure, M(4+)O(2-)2, rather than the pyrite-type structure, M(n+)(O2)(n-) (n4). The MO2 compounds (M = Ru, Rh, Os, Ir) exhibited metallic conduction, while PtO2 was highly insulating, probably because of the fully occupied t2g band. Neither superconductivity nor a magnetic transition was detected down to a temperature of 2 K, unlike the case of 3d transition metal chalcogenide pyrites.

The new title compound is prepared by solid state reaction of a stoichiometric mixture of CaO2, Os, Fe2O3, and KClO4 (Pt capsule, 6 GPa, 1500 °C, 1 h) and characterized by synchrotron powder XRD, magnetic and electrical resistivity measurements, and DFT calculations.

5d and 3d hybrid solid-state oxide Ca2FeOsO6 crystallizes into an ordered double-perovskite structure with a space group of P2₁/n with high-pressures and temperatures. Ca2FeOsO6 presents a long-range ferrimagnetic transition at a temperature of ~320 K (T(c)) and is not a band insulator, but is electrically insulating like the recently discovered Sr2CrOsO6 (T(c) ~725 K). The electronic stat of Ca2FeOsO6 is adjacent to a half-metallic state as well as that of Sr2CrOsO6. In addition, the high-T(c) ferrimagnetism was driven by lattice distortion, which was observed for the first time among double-perovskite oxides and represents complex interplays between spins and orbitals. Unlike conventional ferrite and garnet, the interplays likely play a pivotal role of the ferrimagnetism. A new class of 5d-3d hybrid ferrimagnetic insulators with high-T(c) is established to develop practically and scientifically useful spintronic materials.

CaOsO3 and SrOsO3 are synthesized by high-pressure solid state reactions of CaO or SrO and OsO2 (Pt capsule, 6 GPa, 1500—1700 °C, 1 h).

NiS2 hollow spheres are hydrothermally synthesized from a mixture of Ni(NO3)2, L-cysteine, urea, and H2O (autoclave, 140 °C, 24 h).

Oxygen-deficient title compounds with 0 ≤ δ ≤ 0.35 are synthesized from stoichiometric amounts of LaAs, ZnO, and Zn (belt-type high-pressure apparatus, Au capsule, Ar, 6 GPa, 1300 °C, 2 h).

In continuation of the series of perovskite oxides that includes 3d(4) cubic BaFeO3 and 4d(4) cubic BaRuO3, 5d(4) cubic BaOsO3 was synthesized by a solid-state reaction at a pressure of 17 GPa, and its crystal structure was investigated by synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction measurements. In addition, its magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, and specific heat were measured over temperatures ranging from 2 to 400 K. The results establish a series of d(4) cubic perovskite oxides, which can help in the mapping of the itinerant ferromagnetism that is free from any complication from local lattice distortions for transitions from the 3d orbital to the 5d orbital. Such a perovskite series has never been synthesized at any d configuration to date. Although cubic BaOsO3 did not exhibit long-range ferromagnetic order unlike cubic BaFeO3 and BaRuO3, enhanced feature of paramagnetism was detected with weak temperature dependence. Orthorhombic CaOsO3 and SrOsO3 show similar magnetic behaviors. CaOsO3 is not as conducting as SrOsO3 and BaOsO3, presumably due to impact of tilting of octahedra on the width of the t2g band. These results elucidate the evolution of the magnetism of perovskite oxides not only in the 5d system but also in group 8 of the periodic table.

Polycrystalline samples of Sr3Co2-xZnxO6 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0) are synthesized from mixtures of Co, SrO2, and ZnO (6 GPa, 1400 °C, 1 h) and characterized by XRD, electrical resistivity, and magnetic measurements.

The title compound is characterized by neutron diffraction at temperatures between 50 and 295 K.

A postspinel phase of CdRh2O4 is prepared by solid state reaction of a stoichiometric mixture of CdO and Rh2O3 (Au capsule, 6 GPa, 1400 °C, 1 h).

The antiperovskite Mn(3)ZnN is studied by neutron diffraction at temperatures between 50 and 295 K. Mn(3)ZnN crystallizes to form a cubic structure at room temperature (C1 phase). Upon cooling, another cubic structure (C2 phase) appears at around 177 K. Interestingly, the C2 phase disappears below 140 K. The maximum mass concentration of the C2 phase is approximately 85% (at 160 K). The coexistence of C1 and C2 phase in the temperature interval of 140-177 K implies that phase separation occurs. Although the C1 and C2 phases share their composition and lattice symmetry, the C2 phase has a slightly larger lattice parameter (Δa ≈ 0.53%) and a different magnetic structure. The C2 phase is further investigated by neutron diffraction under high-pressure conditions (up to 270 MPa). The results show that the unusual appearance and disappearance of the C2 phase is accompanied by magnetic ordering. Mn(3)ZnN is thus a valuable subject for study of the magneto-lattice effect and phase separation behavior because this is rarely observed in nonoxide materials.

The crystal structure of the title compound is determined by neutron and synchrotron powder diffraction measurements in the temperature range 3—320 K.

The postspinel mineral MgAl(2)O(4) exists only under the severe pressure conditions in the subducted oceanic lithosphere in the Earth's deep interior. Here we report that its analogous oxide CdRh(2)O(4) exhibits a structural transition to a quenchable postspinel phase under a high pressure of 6 GPa at 1400 °C, which is within the general pressure range of a conventional single-stage multianvil system. In addition, the complex magnetic contributions to the lattice and metal nonstoichiometry that often complicate investigations of other analogues of MgAl(2)O(4) are absent in CdRh(2)O(4). X-ray crystallography revealed that this postspinel phase has an orthorhombic CaFe(2)O(4) structure, thus making it a practical analogue for investigations into the geophysical role of postspinel MgAl(2)O(4). Replacement of Mg(2+) with Cd(2+) appears to be effective in lowering the pressure required for transition, as was suggested for CdGeO(3). In addition, Rh(3+) could also contribute to this reduction, as many analogous Rh oxides of aluminous and silicic minerals have been quenched from lower-pressure conditions.

Single crystals of the new title compound are prepared by a flux method from mixtures of Ca3OsO6 (obtained from stoichiometric amounts of CaO2 and Os, Pt capsule, 6 GPa, 1500 °C, 1 h), LiCl, and KCl in a mass ratio of 1:5:2 (Pt crucible, 750 °C, 12 h).

Na2OsO4 crystals were grown by a NaCl flux method under high pressure. It crystallizes in the Ca2IrO4-type structure without having additional elements or metal vacancies, which are usually accommodated. It appears that Na2OsO4 is a metal-stoichiometric Ca2IrO4-type compound never been synthesized to date. Na2OsO4 has the octahedral environment of Os6+O6 so that the electronic configuration is 5d2, suggesting the magnetic S=1 ground state. However, magnetization, electrical resistivity, and specific heat measurements indicated that the non-magnetic S=0 state is much likely for Na2OsO4 than the S=1 state. Band structure calculations and the structure analysis found that the disagreement is probably due to the statically uniaxial compression of the OsO6 octahedra, resulting in splitting of the t 2 g band.

While there already exit some routes to prepare carbides, highly efficient and facile routes are still desired to meet the increasing demand on carbides. By a facile solid-state reaction process using graphite-like phase of C3N4 (g-C3N4) as the carbonizing reagent, we synthesized three technologically important carbides including cubic NbC and TaC, and hexagonal WC nanoparticles at relatively low temperature (1150 degrees C). The products were characterized by power X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM). The results show that g-C3N4 is a highly efficient carbonizing reagent and the oxides Nb2O5, Ta2O5 and WO3 are completely converted into the corresponding carbides at 1150 degrees C, which is significantly lower than that reported for the commercial preparation of the carbides, typically > 1600 degrees C. The NbC, TaC and WC nanoparticles are found to have an average particle size of 4, 35 and 60 nm, respectively. An important feature of this solid-state reaction process is that g-C3N4 plays double roles as both efficiently reducing and carbonizing reagent. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.