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A kind of composite material PdZnAl(HT)/MCM-48 was synthesized by dispersing PdZnAl-type hydrotalcite (denoted as PdZnAl(HT)) on mesoporous silica MCM-48. PdZnAl(HT) was confirmed to be formed on the MCM-48 in small particles, and the small PdZnAl(HT) particles easily collapsed during increasing the temperature. A kind of novel PdZn(Al)O/MCM-48 catalyst was obtained after calcining and reducing the PdZnAl(HT)/MCM-48 precursor. PdZn alloy species were formed on the PdZnAl(HT)/MCM-48 after reducing in H 2 at 673 K. PdZn(Al)O/MCM-48-2 (with a mass ratio of PdZn(Al)O to MCM-48 = 1) had a large BET surface area (431 cm2 g−1) and small size of PdZn particles (4.1 nm) at the same time. In the steam reforming of methanol, the catalytic stability of PdZn(Al)O/MCM-48-2 was much higher than that of the Cu-based catalyst CuZn(Al)O at 503 K. The methanol conversion over PdZn(Al)O/MCM-48-2 greatly increased with increasing reaction temperature and reached 99% at 513 K. PdZn(Al)O/MCM-48-2 showed higher catalytic activity than PdZnAl(HT) and PdZn/MCM-48 (imp) at the same reaction temperature. The initial CO 2 selectivity and H 2 selectivity over PdZn(Al)O/MCM-48-2 at 503 K were 99.6 and 99.4%, respectively. Moreover, PdZn(Al)O/MCM-48-2 showed the highest rate of H 2 production among various catalysts in the steam reforming of methanol. In a long-time operation, the methanol conversion over PdZn(Al)O/MCM-48-2 decreased from 75.8 to 68.5% after 50 h on stream at 503 K. The size of PdZn particles did not increase after 50 h on stream but the carbonaceous deposits on the catalyst surface caused the deactivation. The deactivated catalyst could be regenerated by calcining in the air at 723 K followed by reducing in the H 2 at 673 K. The carbonaceous deposits were eliminated by calcining in the air and the PdZn active species were formed again by reducing in H 2. • PdZnAl-type hydrotalcite was synthesized on MCM-48 to form PdZnAl(HT)/MCM-48. • PdZn(Al)O/MCM-48 derived from PdZnAl(HT)/MCM-48 had small metal particles. • PdZn(Al)O/MCM-48 showed high activity and stability for methanol steam reforming. • Carbonaceous deposits caused the catalyst deactivation in long-time operation. • The used catalyst was regenerated by calcining in air and then reducing in H 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxo-heteropoly compound PO4[W(O)(O2)2] was synthesized on calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite using a reaction of surface [HPO4]2− groups on hydroxyapatite with a Na2[W2O3(O2)4] aqueous solution. The vibration of [HPO4]2− at 875 cm−1 became very weak, and the vibration of the peroxo-oxygen bond [O–O]2− at 845 cm−1 appeared in the FT-IR spectrum of the solid product, indicating that PO4[W(O)(O2)2] was formed on the surface of hydroxyapatite. The formed solid sample was further reacted with PdCl2(PhCN)2 in an acetone solution to fix PdCl2 between the O sites on the hydroxyapatite. Elemental analyses proved that the resultant solid contained 1.2 wt.% Pd, implying that PdCl2 molecules were immobilized on the surface of hydroxyapatite. The hydroxyapatite-based hybrid compound containing Pd and PO4[W(O)(O2)2] was used as a heterogeneous catalyst in a methanol solvent for propylene epoxidation by molecular oxygen in an autoclave batch reaction system. A propylene conversion of 53.4% and a selectivity for propylene oxide of 88.7% were obtained over the solid catalyst after reaction at 363 K for 8 h. The novel catalyst could be reused by a simple centrifugal separation, and the yield of propylene oxide did not decrease after the reaction for five runs. By prolonging the reaction time to 13 h, the highest yield of propylene oxide at 363 K over the solid catalyst was obtained as 53.8%, which was almost the same as that of the homogeneous catalyst containing PdCl2(PhCN)2 and [(C6H13)4N]2{HPO4[W(O)(O2)2]2} for the propylene epoxidation. Methanol was used as a solvent as well as a reducing agent in the propylene epoxidation by molecular oxygen. Small particles of Pd metal were formed on the surface of the hybrid solid catalyst during the reaction, and acted as active species to achieve the catalytic turnover of PO4[W(O)(O2)2] in the propylene epoxidation by molecular oxygen in methanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Squalene and Botryococcus braunii oil (Bot-oil) were hydrocracked to light hydrocarbons over NiMo-supported catalysts. • Squalene (C 30 H 50) was hydrogenated to squalane (C 30 H 62) on NiMo and then cracked to light hydrocarbons on solid acids. • Polyoxocation-pillared montmorillonite (Al 13 -Mont) is a weak solid acid with large pores and high temperature stability. • Cheap NiMo/Al 13 -Mont achieved a yield of aviation fuel-ranged hydrocarbons comparable to that of PtRe/Al 2 O 3 catalyst. An algae oil from Botryococcus braunii (C n H 2n–10 , n = 29–34) and its model compound (squalene, C 30 H 50) were hydrocracked to light hydrocarbons over NiMo-supported catalysts in batch reactors. Polyoxocation [AlO 4 Al 12 (OH) 24 (H 2 O) 12 ]7+-pillared montmorillonite (denoted by Al 13 -Mont) was prepared as a support for NiMo catalyst in the hydrocracking reaction. Al 13 -Mont had large micropores, large BET surface area, high temperature stability, and properly weak solid acidity. For the hydrocracking of squalene at 300 °C for 6 h under 4 MPa H 2 , NiMo/SiO 2 formed squalane (C 30 H 62) as a main product; NiMo/H-ZSM-5 formed C 1 −C 4 gas hydrocarbons as main products; NiMo/H-Y and NiMo/SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 formed C 5 −C 9 gasoline-ranged hydrocarbons as main products; NiMo/Al 13 -Mont formed C 10 −C 15 aviation fuel-ranged hydrocarbons as main products. The catalysts containing NiMo and solid acids acted as bifunctional catalysts in the squalene hydrocracking reaction: squalene (C 30 H 50) was firstly hydrogenated to squalane (C 30 H 62) on the NiMo sites, and then the formed squalane was cracked to light hydrocarbons on the solid acids. The NiMo/Al 13 -Mont catalyst achieved a C 10 −C 15 aviation fuel-ranged hydrocarbons yield of 52% for the hydrocracking of Botryococcus braunii oil at 300 °C for 6 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study is to obtain bio-oil from Botyococcus (B.) Braunii residue after B. Braunii oil (Bot-oil) extraction. For this, one of a probable method is fast pyrolysis, in which the effect of zeolite catalyst was examined. From Py-GC/MS analyses at 550 °C using H-ZSM-5 (80) (Z80) catalyst, total selectivities of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons accounted for 88.6%, being much higher than 35.2% without catalyst. At fast pyrolysis using reactor, the organic liquid product (bio-oil) yield was found to be above 30%, approximately 3 times higher than that of Jatropha residue. The higher heating value (HHV) of the liquid product was approximately 35–37 MJ/kg, which was close to a HHV value of crude triglyceride. The highest overall hydrocarbon yield was 24.58% at 600 °C. In order to briefly compare with fast pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of the residues under H 2 pressure conditions was tried using PtRe/SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 catalyst, which has been extremely effective for hydrocracking of B. Braunii oil into aviation-range fuel. In the HTL of the B. Braunii residue at 400 °C, the hydrocarbon yield was 36.8% which was a little higher yield than that from pyrolysis. The n -alkanes predominantly formed over aromatic hydrocarbons, due to lower temperature of 400 °C and the catalyst different from pyrolysis. Postulated scheme was presented through cracking, hydrodeoxygenation and dehydroaromatization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An indirect route containing methanol dehydrogenation, DME carbonylation, and methyl acetate hydrogenolysis was used for ethanol synthesis from methanol and syngas. DME was produced stably from the methanol dehydrogenation with a 90% yield over H-ZSM-5 at 453K under 1MPa. A cold trap was set behind the methanol dehydrogenation to collect the formed water and unreacted methanol. Rh/Cs2H2SiW12O40 was an excellent catalyst for the DME carbonylation to methyl acetate at 473K. The selectivity for methyl acetate was very high (>90%) and raising CO/DME ratio improved the DME conversion. A reaction intermediate similar to the homogeneous Rh-I system could be formed on the Rh/Cs2H2SiW12O40 surface. Cu/CeO2 was an excellent catalyst for the methyl acetate hydrogenolysis to methanol and ethanol at 523K. Both active Cu0 species and active Cu+ species could be stabilized in the Cu/CeO2 catalyst. When three fixed-bed reactors and one cold trap were linked together to achieve the ethanol synthesis from methanol and syngas, an ethanol selectivity of 91.1% was obtained at a methanol conversion of 47.2% under 1MPa. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cu/CeO2 (cop) was prepared by a coprecipitation method using NH3·H2O as a precipitant (in order to avoid the residues of alkali metals), followed by a boiling process to eliminate NH3 and decompose [Cu(NH3)4]2+ complex. Because the Cu particles in Cu/CeO2 (cop) were much smaller than those in Cu/CeO2 (imp) (prepared by an impregnation method), Cu/CeO2 (cop) showed a higher activity than that over Cu/CeO2 (imp) for the synthesis of mixed alcohols. Moreover, Cu/CeO2 (cop) showed a higher CO conversion than that over the industrial catalyst Cu/ZnO due to the reducibility of CeO2-based compounds. Although either Cu/ZnO or Cu/CeO2 (cop) produced methanol as a dominant product, the STY of higher alcohols (C2+OH) formed over Cu/CeO2 (cop) was much larger than that over Cu/ZnO because CeO2-based compounds could catalyze the synthesis of isobutane from syngas (isosynthesis). When Cs was introduced into the Cu/CeO2 (cop) catalyst, the mass ratio of C2+OH to MeOH in the products greatly increased from 0.13 to 0.71 but the CO conversion decreased slightly. Both the CO conversion and the selectivity for higher alcohols over CsCu/CeO2 (cop) were higher than those over CsCu/ZnO. By introducing Ni (an F–T element) into CsCu/CeO2 (cop), the CO conversion increased from 22.2% to 37.6% and the mass ratio of C2+OH to MeOH in the products increased from 0.71 to 0.85. Therefore, CsNiCu/CeO2 (cop) is an excellent catalyst for the synthesis of mixed alcohols. A slow deactivation was observed over CsNiCu/CeO2 (cop) in the reaction at 573K for 18h. The deactivated catalyst could be regenerated by calcination in air at 723K and followed by reduction in H2 at 573K. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aging-associated cognitive impairment is an important health care issue since individuals with mild cognitive impairment are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, the protective effect of Gossypium herbaceam extracts (GHE) on learning and memory impairment associated with aging were examined in vivo using Morris water maze and step through task. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity and neuroprotective effect of GHE was investigated with methods of histochemistry and biochemistry. These data showed that oral administration with GHE at the doses of 35, 70, and 140 mg/kg exerted an improved effect on the learning and memory impairment in aged rats. Subsequently, GHE afforded a beneficial action on eradication of free radicals without influence on the activity of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase. GHE treatment enhanced the expression levels of nerve growth factor. Meanwhile, proliferation of neural progenitor cells was elevated in hippocampus after treatment with GHE. Taken together, neurogenic niche improvement could be involved in the mechanism underlying neuroprotection of GHE against aging-associated cognitive impairment. These findings suggested that GHE might be a potential agent as cognitive-enhancing drugs that delay or halt mild cognitive impairment progression to Alzheimer's disease or treatment of aging-associated cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this work, the decomposition behaviors of jatropha wastes (husk, seed shell and branch) have been examined in order to get desired liquid organic compounds, but not undesired inorganic compounds such as CO, CO2, water and coke. The jatropha wastes exhibit a stepwise degradation pathway which has a slight difference in between samples before and after milling. In the preliminary pyrolysis using quartz reactor and H-ZSM-5(30) catalyst, the liquid products selectivity was seed shell>blanch>husk>seed shell (no catalyst). In the absence of catalyst, the Py-GC/MS analyses for pyrolysis of jatropha wastes show a range of aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, alcohols and ketones, acids and esters, ethers and aldehydes. Aromatics are predominantly formed above 90% of area percentage by use of catalyst. Of aromatic compounds, xylenes, naphthalenes and toluene are mainly produced. The product selectivity is dependent on both the size of the catalyst pores and the nature of the active sites and one candidate is H-ZSM-5 and the other candidate is β-zeolite. The reaction pathway involves dehydrogenation and dehydroaromatization of aliphatic oxygenates such as alkylcyclohexanol and higher carboxylic acids to form phenol derivatives, which undergo hydrodeoxygenation into toluene and xylenes, followed by dehydroaromatization to give naphthalenes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A gasoline distillate from the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (so-called as F–T gasoline) was collected in a cold trap set in a gas-flowed slurry reaction system. The F–T gasoline contained 92.8wt.% n-alkanes (ranged from n-C4H10 to n-C14H30), 2.4wt.% 1-alkenes, and 4.8wt.% iso-alkanes. By the hydroisomerization-cracking in an atmospheric flowed fixed-bed reactor over the catalysts containing Pt and heteropoly compound Cs2.5H0.5PW12O40 (abbreviated as Cs2.5), the F–T gasoline was converted to gasoline distillated mixed alkanes with a high iso/n ratio. A mechanical mixture of Pt/Al2O3 and Cs2.5 (noted as Pt/Al2O3 +Cs2.5) showed the highest catalytic performance among various catalysts. The product over Pt/Al2O3 +Cs2.5 after 5h on-steam at 523K contained 94.4% C5–C9 (gasoline components) with a high iso/n ratio of 8.45. The co-grinding time of Pt/Al2O3 and Cs2.5 influenced the catalytic performance when the time was shorter than 10min but gave little influence on the catalytic performance when the time was longer than 10min. Because the iso/n ratio of products over Pt/Al2O3 +Cs2.5 increased by adding Pt in Cs2.5 and decreased with increasing H2/feedstock, the reaction proceeded through a bifunctional mechanism in which Pt sites achieved a hydrogenation/dehydrogenation function and acid sites achieved an isomerization/cracking function. The balance of Pt and solid acids was important to obtain a high catalytic performance in the hydroisomerization-cracking of F–T gasoline. Because Cs2.5 possessed moderate acidic strength and uniformly distributed acidic sites, Pt/Al2O3 +Cs2.5 showed a higher catalytic stability than that over Pt/Al2O3 +SO4/ZO2 and showed a higher catalytic activity than that over Pt/Al2O3 +H-ZSM-5. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The etiology and pathophysiology of depression remain unknown. Previous works were mostly performed on single observation time-point which might be insufficiently to reveal the molecular events changed during the disease development. Adult BALB/c mice were exposed to unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) for different periods and differential 2D gel electrophoresis (DIGE) approach was employed to the brain tissue to explore the molecular disease signatures. Sustained elevation of corticosterone level was observed, suggesting the hyperactivity of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis when the mice were subjected to the stressful situation. The behavioral results indicated the depressive alterations of the mice exposing to UCMS. The altered proteins identified by proteomics showed that abnormal energy mobilization under stress condition was accompanied by overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Cytoskeleton protein and anti-oxidant enzymes were also changed by UCMS treatment. The results of biochemical and immunohistochemical assay confirmed the changes identified by DIGE analysis. These results indicated that the insufficiency of ATP synthesis, overwhelming ROS production and ER stress subsequently contributed to the cytoskeletal damage and inhibition to expression of some anti-oxidant proteins, which might ultimately bring functional neuron to apoptosis or death. Proteins whose expression is affected may provide tools for potential treatment strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Rh/Ce1−x Zr x O2 (x =0–1) samples (with 2wt% Rh loading) were prepared by a coprecipitation method using NH3·H2O as a precipitant. The resultant samples were used as catalysts for the synthesis of ethanol from syngas in a high-pressure fixed-bed flow reactor under typical reaction conditions of T =548K, P =2.4MPa, H2/CO=2/1, and W/F =10ghmol−1. XRD results indicated that Zr4+ ions entered in the CeO2 lattices when x was less than 0.2 in Rh/Ce1−x Zr x O2. TPR results indicated that the reducibility of CeO2 increased by inducing Zr4+ ions into the CeO2 lattices in Rh/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2. NH3-TPD and CO2-TPD results indicated that Rh/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 contained both acid sites and base sites on the surface. Rh/CeO2 showed a CO conversion of 23.7%, which was higher than those over Rh/SiO2 (10.1%), Rh/MgO (10.8%), and Rh/ZrO2 (18.2%) at 548K because a strong interaction between support and metal (SISM) existed in Rh/CeO2. Moreover, the CO conversion over Rh/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 (27.3%) was higher than that over Rh/CeO2 (23.7%) due to the smaller Rh particle size and the stronger reducibility in Rh/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2. The main oxygenated products were acetaldehyde and ethanol over neutral or acidic supports supported Rh catalysts (Rh/SiO2, Rh/ZrO2), and were methanol and ethanol over basic supports supported Rh catalysts (Rh/MgO, Rh/CeO2, Rh/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2). Rh/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 showed the highest selectivity for ethanol among various catalysts because the Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 support simultaneously possesses reducibility, acidity and basicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Depressive disorders are devastating metal illness that can lead to deterioration in the social and occupational functioning of affected individuals. The etiology and pathophysiology of depression remain unknown. Present study was performed to better understand the underlying causes of depression. An experimental animal depression was induced in male BALB/c mice subjected to a chronic mild stress (CMS) procedure involving different stressor for consecutive 4 weeks. A cDNA microarray was employed to study the effects of CMS on the gene expression in cerebral cortex and hippocampus. 4-week CMS caused a significant reduction of 2% sucrose consumption. Morris water maze procedure showed impairment in cognitive function in stressed mice. Results of microarray showed that there were 102 and 60 genes were markedly affected by CMS treatment in cerebral cortex and hippocampus regions, respectively, including DNA damage/repair-related enzymes, anti-oxidant enzyme, and cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK). These findings suggest that multiple biochemical effects play an important role the etiology of depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The bench-scale production of hydrocarbon liquid fuel was achieved from woody biomass via gasification. The daily production capacity of the biomass-to-liquid (BTL) plant used in this study was 7.8L of hydrocarbon liquid from 48kg of woody biomass (on a dry basis), corresponding to 0.05 barrels. The BTL process involved the following steps: oxygen-enriched air gasification of the woody biomass, wet and dry gas cleaning, gas compression, carbon dioxide removal, and the Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis reaction. In the gasification step, oxygen-enriched air gasification was carried out using a downdraft fixed-bed gasifier. The content of oxygen, which acts as the gasifying agent, was increased from 21.0 to 56.7vol%; maximum values of the conversion to gas on a carbon basis and cold gas efficiency–approximately 96 C-mol% and 87.8%, respectively–were obtained at an oxygen content of around 30vol%. With the increased oxygen content, the concentrations of CO, H2, and CO2 increased from 22.8 to 36.5vol%, from 16.8 to 28.1vol%, and from 9.8 to 14.8vol%, respectively, while that of N2 decreased from 48.8 to 16.0vol%. The feed gas for the FT synthesis reaction was obtained by passing the product gas from the gasification step through a scrubber, carbon dioxide removal tower, and desulfurization tower; its composition was 30.8vol% CO, 25.2vol% H2, 0.9vol% CO2, 2.5vol% CH4, 40.6vol%N2, <5ppb H2S, and <5ppb COS. The hydrocarbon fuel was synthesized in a slurry bed reactor using hexadecane as the solvent and a Co/SiO2 catalyst. For hydrocarbons with carbon chain lengths of more than 5 carbon atoms (collectively referred to as C5+) in the liquid fuel, a selectivity of 87.5% was obtained along with a chain growth probability of 0.84 under the following conditions: 4MPa, 280 to 340°C, and a ratio of catalyst weight to feed gas rate (W/F) of 9.3g·h/mol. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Fischer–Tropsch (F–T) synthesis was carried out in a gas-flowed slurry-phase reaction system over Mn- and Zr-modified Co/SiO2 catalysts. A 0.5 L stirred tank slurry reactor (STSR) was used for catalyst screening and a 12.5 L slurry bubble column reactor (SBCR) was used for trial pilot operation. While using the 0.5 L reactor for catalyst screening, Co supported on the SiO2 with an average pore size of 10 nm showed a high catalytic performance for the F–T synthesis due to the suitable Co particle size in the catalyst. Zr promoter improved the activity and Mn promoter improved the stability of Co/SiO2 catalyst for the F–T synthesis. H2-TPR profiles indicated that Zr and Mn promoters improved the reduction degree of Co3O4 particles (on SiO2 surface) to Co0 active species in H2 flow at low temperature. While using the 12.5 L reactor for trial pilot operation over Mn–Zr–Co/SiO2 catalyst, the space-time yield (STY) of C5+ hydrocarbons (liquid fuel) showed almost the same values when various solvents (n-C16H34, n-C14H30, diesel from petrol station, F–T crude oil) were used. Diesel and F–T crude oil are suitable for using in a large-scaled F–T synthesis plant owing to the low prices. Mn–Zr–Co/SiO2 catalyst achieved a STY of C5+ hydrocarbons larger than 1000 g-C5+ kg-cat−1 h−1 in the 12.5 L reactor. The production capacity of liquid fuel from the 12.5 L reactor reached to 15.6 L per day (assumed for 24 h continuous operation). The stirring was very important for the F–T synthesis both reaction in the 0.5 L reactor and reaction in the 12.5 L reactor. The shape of slurry reactor also influenced the CO conversion for the F–T synthesis: reaction in the 12.5 L SBCR gave a higher CO conversion than that of reaction in the 0.5 L STSR (at the same W/F value under the same stirring speed) because the slender column reactor (SBCR) extended the residue time of reaction gas in the slurry-phase containing catalyst. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Polyoxocation ([AlO4Al12(OH)24(H2O)12]7+ and [Zr4(OH)14(H2O)10]2+)-pillared montmorillonites were prepared by ion exchange, and they were used as solid acid catalysts, in comparison to some other solid acids, for the selective hydrocracking of Fischer–Tropsch waxes to diesel-ranged hydrocarbons. XRD patterns and elemental analyses proved that the polyoxocations were successfully introduced into the interlayer region of the montmorillonites. N2 adsorption–desorption measurement indicated that polyoxocation-pillared montmorillonites have large BET surface areas (>230 m2 g−1), high thermal stability (>673 K), and large pores (comparing to those in zeolites). FT-IR spectra of chemisorbed pyridine indicated that polyoxocation-pillared montmorillonites possess both Lewis and Bronsted acid sites on the solid surface. Temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia indicated that the acidity strength of the polyoxocation-pillared montmorillonites was weaker than those of H–ZSM-5, H–Y, WO3/ZrO2, and Al2O3–SiO2. In the hydrocracking of Fischer–Tropsch (F–T) waxes, the acidity strength of the solid acids in bifunctional catalysts greatly influences the product composition. Pt-promoted H–Y afforded a high yield of gasoline-ranged hydrocarbons (>90%) while Pt-promoted H–ZSM-5 afforded a larger amount of gas products due to its strong solid acid sites. On the other hand, among various catalysts, Pt-modified polyoxocation-pillared montmorillonites afforded the highest yield of diesel-ranged hydrocarbons (>70%) due to the appropriately weak acid strength, high thermal stability, large BET surface area, and large pore size. Pt is necessary for the hydrocracking of F–T waxes because it enables hydrogenation/dehydrogenation. However, a high Pt loading on the catalyst produces more light hydrocarbons due to the stimulation of hydrogenolysis. High hydrogen pressure improved the selectivity for diesel-ranged hydrocarbons but decreased the conversion of F–T waxes due to the suppression of alkane dehydrogenation. The hydrocracking of F–T waxes at a low temperature with a large amount of catalyst for longer reaction time increased the yield of diesel-ranged hydrocarbons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dry reforming of CH4 (with CO2) at 800 °C under 1 MPa to synthesis gas and the synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) from synthesis gas were combined. A Ni/(MgO)3·Al2O3 catalyst derived from Mg3Ni3Al2(OH)16CO3·xH2O hydrotalcite precursor showed a CH4 conversion of 85.4% after 5 min on stream for the dry reforming. The CH4 conversion decreased to 70.1% after 15 h on stream because the carbonaceous deposit formed during the reaction covered the active sites of Ni/(MgO)3·Al2O3 catalyst. The deactivated Ni/(MgO)3·Al2O3 catalyst was refreshed by calcining in air at 800 °C and subsequently reducing in H2. A mechanical mixed catalyst containing Cu/(ZnO)3·Al2O3 and Cs2.5H0.5PW12O40 (denoted as Cu/(ZnO)3·Al2O3 + Cs2.5) was used for the DME synthesis from syngas. Cu/(ZnO)3·Al2O3 + Cs2.5 showed a CO conversion of 38.5% and a DME selectivity of 63.8% at 260 °C under 1 MPa. A stable activity of Cu/(ZnO)3·Al2O3 + Cs2.5 had been maintained over 30 h in the DME synthesis. A two-stage process was designed for the DME synthesis from CH4 and CO2. Two fixed-bed reactors filled with Ni/(MgO)3·Al2O3 were connected in parallel (switching between reaction and refresh) for the CH4 dry reforming. A fixed-bed reactor filled with Cu/(ZnO)3·Al2O3 + Cs2.5 was connected in series with the two reactors filled with Ni/(MgO)3·Al2O3 to produce DME. The conversion of CH4 was kept at above 80% and the yield of DME was kept at above 20% after 30 h on stream for the DME synthesis from CH4 and CO2.A two-step process combining CH4 dry reforming to syngas and DME synthesis from syngas was designed for the DME synthesis from CH4 and CO2. The conversion of CH4 was kept at above 80% and the yield of DME was kept at above 20% after 30 h on stream in the two-stage processGraphic Abstract: The dry reforming of CH4 (with CO2) at 800 °C under 1 MPa to synthesis gas and the synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) from synthesis gas were combined. A Ni/(MgO)3·Al2O3 catalyst derived from Mg3Ni3Al2(OH)16CO3·xH2O hydrotalcite precursor showed a CH4 conversion of 85.4% after 5 min on stream for the dry reforming. The CH4 conversion decreased to 70.1% after 15 h on stream because the carbonaceous deposit formed during the reaction covered the active sites of Ni/(MgO)3·Al2O3 catalyst. The deactivated Ni/(MgO)3·Al2O3 catalyst was refreshed by calcining in air at 800 °C and subsequently reducing in H2. A mechanical mixed catalyst containing Cu/(ZnO)3·Al2O3 and Cs2.5H0.5PW12O40 (denoted as Cu/(ZnO)3·Al2O3 + Cs2.5) was used for the DME synthesis from syngas. Cu/(ZnO)3·Al2O3 + Cs2.5 showed a CO conversion of 38.5% and a DME selectivity of 63.8% at 260 °C under 1 MPa. A stable activity of Cu/(ZnO)3·Al2O3 + Cs2.5 had been maintained over 30 h in the DME synthesis. A two-stage process was designed for the DME synthesis from CH4 and CO2. Two fixed-bed reactors filled with Ni/(MgO)3·Al2O3 were connected in parallel (switching between reaction and refresh) for the CH4 dry reforming. A fixed-bed reactor filled with Cu/(ZnO)3·Al2O3 + Cs2.5 was connected in series with the two reactors filled with Ni/(MgO)3·Al2O3 to produce DME. The conversion of CH4 was kept at above 80% and the yield of DME was kept at above 20% after 30 h on stream for the DME synthesis from CH4 and CO2.A two-step process combining CH4 dry reforming to syngas and DME synthesis from syngas was designed for the DME synthesis from CH4 and CO2. The conversion of CH4 was kept at above 80% and the yield of DME was kept at above 20% after 30 h on stream in the two-stage process [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new type of layered double hydroxides intercalated by peroxo-polyoxometalates was synthesized by treating PdMAl-[PW11O39] (M = Mg2+ or Zn2+) with 30% H2O2. XRD, FT-IR, and 31P MAS NMR revealed that the interlayer anion [PW11O39]7− was converted mainly to {PO4[WO(O2)2]4}3− and [W2O3(O2)4(H2O)2]2−. 27Al MAS NMR revealed that the brucite-like layers did not collapse during synthesis. PdMgAl-[PW4 + W2] showed 91.5% selectivity for propene oxide at 47.5% conversion during propene epoxidation by O2 in methanol at 353 K for 10 h. The catalytic ability of PdMgAl-[PW4 + W2] can be attributed to the presence of highly active Pd particles in the brucite-like layers that generate H2O2 in situ, the strong epoxidation ability of interlayer peroxo-polyoxometalates with dilute H2O2, and the promotion effect of the basic MgAl-type brucite-like layers toward alkene epoxidation. Moreover, PdMgAl-[PW4 + W2] can be separated and reused by filtration without leaching active components into the solvent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Heteropolyacid (HPA) and Pd(OAc)2 were immobilized through chemical bonds onto the functional organic groups modified solid surfaces of hexagaonal mesoporous silica (HMS) and polyimine (PIM). The obtained hybrid samples were used as heterogeneous catalysts for the oxidation of benzene to phenol by molecular oxygen and compared to the homogeneous catalytic system containing HPA and Pd(OAc)2 (denoted by HPA+Pd(OAc)2). The activity of various catalytic systems was in the order of HPA+Pd(OAc)2 >HMS–HPA+Pd(OAc)2 >PIM–HPA+Pd(OAc)2 >HPA+HMS–Pd(OAc)2 >HMS–HPA+HMS–Pd(OAc). Although the benzene conversions over the heterogeneous catalytic systems containing solid catalysts were lower than that over the homogeneous catalytic system HPA+Pd(OAc)2, HMS–HPA+Pd(OAc)2 gave the same maximum achievable yield of phenol as that over HPA+Pd(OAc)2 by extending the reaction time or increasing the catalyst amount. Moreover, HMS–HPA+Pd(OAc)2 was able to be reused after simple filtration without leaching HPA. The benzene conversion and the selectivity to phenol over the heterogeneous system HMS–HPA+Pd(OAc)2 did not decrease even after reused five times. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ti- and Al-containing hexagonal mesoporous silicas (Ti-Al-HMS) were synthesized through a sol–gel reaction using dodecylamine as a surfactant. All Ti4+ ions could enter into the HMS framework until Ti/Si=4mol% and all Al3+ ions could enter into the HMS framework until Al/Si=1mol% in Ti-Al-HMS after calcination at 923K for 4h. The Al3+ ions at the extra-framework of HMS are much stronger acidic sites than the Al3+ ions in the intra-framework of HMS. In a fixed-bed catalytic system, Ti-Al-HMS (Ti/Al/Si=4/1/100 (molar ratio)) showed 47.8% of propylene conversion and 30.6% of selectivity for propylene oxide (PO) for the propylene epoxidation by molecular oxygen at 523K. The simultaneous existence of Ti and Al in the framework of HMS is very important for improving the PO yield. An epoxide-like intermediate formed from Ti site, Al site and adsorbed O2 was proposed for explaining the synergy effect of Ti and Al in Ti-Al-HMS for the propylene epoxidation by molecular oxygen. The Ti4+ ions at the extra-framework had little effect on improving the PO yield, and the Al3+ ions at the extra-framework greatly decreased the selectivity for PO, because their strong acidity promoted the oligomerization-cracking of propylene. The sol–gel method is more effective than the impregnation method for preparing a catalyst containing Ti and Al for the propylene epoxidation by molecular oxygen. Ti-Al-HMS deactivated rapidly for the propylene epoxidation at 523K due to the carbonaceous deposits on the catalyst surface. The deactivated catalyst could be regenerated by calcinating in air at 923K for removing the carbonaceous deposits. Adding a little amount of hydrogen in the feed gas obviously decreased the speed of catalyst deactivation but could not completely suppress the catalyst deactivation. The amounts of the carbonaceous deposits were 2.6wt% without H2 and 0.9wt% with H2 in the feed gases over Ti-Al-HMS after 3h on stream at 523K. The KNO3 additive could improve the selectivity for PO and the Ca(NO3)2 additive could improve the propylene conversion over Ti-Al-HMS for the propylene epoxidation by molecular oxygen. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Transition metal substituted polyoxometalate (TMSP) compounds were used as catalysts for the liquid-phase oxidation of benzene to phenol by molecular oxygen with ascorbic acid as a reducing agent in an acetone/sulfolane/water mixed solvent. [(C4H9)4N]5[PW11CuO39(H2O)] is the best catalyst tested in this study. It showed 9.2% benzene conversion (TON=25.8) and 91.8% selectivity to phenol for the oxidation of benzene at 323K for 12h. The effect of the substituted transition metal in the TMSP compounds on the benzene conversion is in the order: Cu>V>Fe≫Mn>Ti>Cr>Co>Ni>Zn. The effect of the central atom in the TMSP compounds on the benzene conversion is in the order: P≈Si>Ge>B. [SiW11O39]8− is a good polyoxometalate ligand for transition metal ions as [PW11O39]7− for the oxidation of benzene. The selectivity to phenol was dramatically improved by adding the sulfolane solvent, but the benzene conversion decreased when a large amount of sulfolane was used in the mixed solvent. Ascorbic acid is indispensable for forming phenol from benzene oxidation by O2 over TMSP compounds. Higher O2 pressure in the catalytic system ensured more oxygen molecules solving in the solvent, and promoted the benzene conversion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The catalytic system containing Pd(OAc)2 and peroxo-heteropoly compound [(C6H13)4N]3{PO4[W(O)(O2)2]4} (denoted by THA-PW4) in methanol showed 81.6% selectivity for propylene oxide at a propylene conversion of 42.7% using molecular oxygen as an oxidant in an autoclave reactor at 373K for 6h, whereas, Pd(OAc)2 or THA-PW4 alone showed low conversions. The catalytic system containing Pd(OAc)2 and THA-PW4 in methanol is reusable for propylene oxidation by means of vacuum distillation after reaction. XRD patterns and Pd K-edge EXAFS indicate that Pd0 species formed by the reduction of Pd(OAc)2 with methanol acts as an active species in propylene epoxidation with molecular oxygen. FT-IR spectra of Pd¿THA-PW4 before and after reaction proved that the peroxy oxygen bonds of THA-PW4 could be regenerated in methanol medium by molecular oxygen in the presence of Pd, but could not be regenerated in acetonitrile medium. It is likely that methanol molecule reacts with oxygen molecule over Pd0 species to form a peroxy intermediate HOCH2OOH, which regenerates the peroxy oxygen bonds of THA-PW4 and achieves catalytic turnover for propylene epoxidation. Because the peroxy intermediate HOCH2OOH is not stable and finally decompose to COx and H2O, a part of methanol is co-oxidized. Moreover, hydrogen peroxide also probably formed in situ in the catalytic system during the reaction and plays an important role to regenerate the peroxy oxygen bonds of THA-PW4. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ti- and Al-containing MCM-41 (Al-c-MCM-41 and Al–Ti-c-MCM-41) have been synthesized and tested for direct oxidation of propylene with molecular oxygen. The reaction occurred over Al- and Ti-containing MCM-41 like materials. Al–Ti-c-MCM-41 was found to be more effective than Al-c-MCM-41, while no product was formed for MCM-41 alone. The catalyst performances of Al–Ti-c-MCM-41 at 523 K were dependent on the Si/Al2 and Si/Ti ratios and the highest PO yield was 3% when Si/Al2 of 150 and Si/Ti ratios of 100 were used. A postulated scheme containing Al and Ti species is proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Pd(OAc)2/Ti—Al-HMS/CH3OH catalyst system showed 61.2% selectivity for PO at 42.8% propylene conversion for the oxidation of propylene with molecular oxygen in an autoclave reactor at 373 K for 4 h. The catalyst is reusable using the filtration method or the vacuum distillation method after reaction. It is likely that a Ti cyclic peracid-like intermediate was formed in the system made up of a Ti site, an oxygen molecule and a methanol molecule. The Pd species activates the oxygen molecule and the Al site plays a role for stabilizing the Ti cyclic peracid-like intermediate to improve the yield of propylene oxide from the oxidation of propylene with molecular oxygen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalyst system consisting of Pd, Ti-modified MCM-22, and methanol was found to catalyze the epoxidation of propylene with molecular oxygen without hydrogen and PO was formed with a PO yield above 19.5% and 458 turnovers based on palladium. The catalyst performance of Pd is affected by the properties of Ti-modified MCM-22 such as BET surface area and the amount of NH3 adsorption. The catalyst material consisting of palladium and Ti-modified MCM-22 can be recovered and used 3 times without reduction in the PO yield. It is assumed that not only palladium but also peroxy intermediates derived from methanol/oxygen play an important role in the oxidation of propylene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ti and Al containing MCM-41 (Al-c-MCM-41 and Al-Ti-c-MCM-41) have been synthesized and tested for direct oxidation of propylene with molecular oxygen. Al-Ti-c-MCM-41 is more effective than Al-c-MCM-41, while no product was formed for MCM-41 alone. It is also found that MCM-22 with Si/Al2 ratio of 30 and Na/SiO2 ratio of 0.18 is active for the reaction and a highest PO yield of 11.3% was obtained at 573 K. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ti- and Al-containing hexagonal mesoporous silicas (HMS) were synthesized at ambient temperature using dodecylamine as surfactant, and the resultant compounds were used as catalysts for the oxidation of propylene by molecular oxygen. Ti-Al-HMS, which was prepared by reaction of Ti(iso-OC3H7)4, Al(iso-OC3H7)3 and SiOC2H5)4 in an alcohol-aqueous solution in the presence of dodecylamine, showed 47.8 of conversion and 30.6 of selectivity for propylene oxide (PO) at 523K. The yield of PO over Ti-Al-HMS (14.6) was much higher than those over Ti-HMS (1.3) and Al-HMS (0.9) at the same reaction conditions. Ti-Al-HMS was also found to be more effective for PO formation than the supported catalysts (Ti/Al-HMS and Al/Ti-HMS) prepared by impregnation method. These results indicated that the simultaneous existence of Ti and Al in HMS was very important for improving the yield of PO from the oxidation of propylene, and the synthesis method influenced the catalytic activity of the Ti- and Al-containing HMS catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition metal salts (Cu2+, Co2+ and Ni2+) of 10-molybdo-2-vanadophosphoric acid (H5[PMo10V2O40]) were supported on hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS), and the resultant materials were used as catalysts for the selective oxidation of propylene to acetone by molecular oxygen. CuH3[PMo10V2O40]/HMS showed a high selectivity for acetone of 84.2% at 17.8% propylene conversion in a tubular fixed-bed reactor system under atmospheric pressure at 423 K. The high yield of acetone over CuH3[PMo10V2O40]/HMS at 423 K resulted from the proper acidity and oxidation ability of the heteropoly compound, the nature (acid property, redox property, etc.) of the Cu2+ counter-ion, the high surface area of the HMS support and the proper reaction temperature for the propylene oxidation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A series of Ce1-xCuxO2-δ mixed oxides were synthesized using a co-precipitation method and tested as catalysts for the steam reforming of methanol. XRD patterns of the Ce1-xCuxO2-δ mixed oxides indicated that Cu2+ ions were dissolved in CeO2 lattices to form a solid solution by calcination at 773K when x < 0.2. A TPR (temperature-programmed reduction) investigation showed that the CeO2 promotes the reduction of the Cu2+ species. Two reduction peaks were observed in the TPR profiles, which suggested that there were two different Cu2+ species in the Ce1-xCuxO2-δ mixed oxides. The TPR peak at low temperature is attributed to the bulk Cu2+ species which dissolved into the CeO2 lattices, and the peak at high temperature is due to the CuO species dispersed on the surface of CeO2. The Ce1-xCuxO2-δ mixed oxides were reduced to form Cu/CeO2 catalysts for steam reforming of methanol, and were compared with Cu/ZnO, Cu/Zn(Al)O and Cu/AL2O3 catalysts. All the Cu-containing catalysts tested in this study showed high selectivities to CO2 (over 97%) and H2. A 3.8wt% Cu/CeO2 catalyst showed a conversion of 53.9% for the steam reforming of methanol at 513K (W/F = 4.9 g h mol-1), which was higher than that over Cu/ZnO (37.9%), Cu/Zn(Al)O (32.3%) and Cu/AL2O3 (11.2%) with the same Cu loading under the same reaction conditions. It is likely that the high activity of the Cu/CeO2 catalysts may be due to the highly dispersed Cu metal particles and the strong metalsupport interaction between the Cu metal and CeO2 support. Slow deactivations were observed over the 3.8wt% Cu/CeO2 catalyst at 493 and 513K. The activity of the deactivated catalysts can be regenerated by calcination in air at 773K followed by reduction in H2 at 673K, which indicated that a carbonaceous deposit on the catalyst surface caused the catalyst deactivation. Using the TPO (temperature-programmed oxidation) method, the amounts of coke on the 3.8wt% Cu/CeO2 catalyst were 0.8wt% at 493K and 1.7wt% at 513K after 24h on stream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ce1−xCuxO2−x mixed oxides were synthesized using the coprecipitation method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and the temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) profiles indicated that the Cu2+-ions were dissolved into the CeO2 lattices to form a solid solution by calcination at 723 K when x<0.2 in the Ce1−xCuxO2−x mixed oxides. The Ce1−xCuxO2−x mixed oxides were reduced to form the Cu/CeO2 (cop) catalysts for the steam reforming of methanol. The activity and selectivity of Cu/CeO2 (cop) were compared with those of Cu/ZnO, Cu/Zn(Al)O and Cu/Al2O3. All the Cu-containing catalysts tested in this study showed high selectivities to CO2 (over 97%) and H2. A 3.9 wt.% Cu/CeO2 (cop) catalyst showed a conversion of 53.9% for the steam reforming of methanol at 513 K, which was higher than the conversions over Cu/ZnO (37.9%), Cu/Zn(Al)O (32.3%) and Cu/Al2O3 (11.2%) with the same Cu loading under the same reaction conditions. The high activity of the 3.9 wt.% Cu/CeO2 (cop) catalyst may be due to the highly dispersed Cu metal particles and the Cu+ species stabilized by the CeO2 support. Slow deactivation was observed over the 3.9 wt.% Cu/CeO2 (cop) catalyst at 493 and 513 K. The activity of the deactivated catalysts can be regenerated by calcination in air at 723 K, followed by reduction in H2 at 673 K. Such success indicated that the carbonaceous deposit on the catalysts surface caused the catalysts’ deactivation. The temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) method indicated that the amounts of coke on the 3.9 wt.% Cu/CeO2 (cop) catalyst were 0.8 wt.% at 493 K and 1.7 wt.% at 513 K after 24 h on stream. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Al-modified hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS) materials were synthesized using dodecylamine as a template according to the methods reported in the literature. FT-IR spectra proved that Al3+ ions entered in the HMS framework in Al-HMS (prepared by sol-gel reaction) but Al3+ ions existed in the extra-framework in Al/HMS (prepared by post-modification). NH3-TPD indicated that either Al-HMS or Al/HMS had solid acid sites on the surface, and the acidic strength of Al/HMS was stronger than that of Al-HMS. For ethylene oligomerization at 200 °C under 1 MPa, Ni/Al-HMS showed an ethylene conversion of 96.3%, which was much higher than that over Ni/Al/HMS (45.6%). The selectivity for C4H8, C6H12, C8H16, and C8+ was 37.7%, 24.5%, 24.0%, and 9.1% for ethylene oligomerization over Ni/Al-HMS, respectively. Ni/Al-MCM-41, which has been reported as an effective catalyst for ethylene oligomerization in the literature, showed a high ethylene conversion (95.2%) similar to that of Ni/Al-HMS in this study. However, the selectivity for C8H16 over Ni/Al-MCM-41 (16.3%) was lower than that over Ni/Al-HMS (24.0%) in the ethylene oligomerization. For ethanol dehydration at 300 °C under 1 MPa, a commercial H-ZSM-5 catalyst showed a high ethylene yield (91.2%) after reaction for 24 h using a feed containing 90 wt.% ethanol and 10 wt.% water. In this study, a two-step process containing two fixed-bed reactors and one cold trap was designed to achieve the direct synthesis of higher olefins from bio-ethanol. The cold trap was used to collect the water formed from ethanol dehydration. By using H-ZSM-5 as a catalyst for ethanol dehydration in the first reactor and using Ni/Al-HMS as a catalyst for ethylene oligomerization in the second reactor, higher olefins were continuously formed by feeding a mixture containing 90 wt.% ethanol and 10 wt.% water. The yields of higher olefins did not decrease after reaction for 8 h in the two-step reaction system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fritillaria Cirrhosa Bulbus (known as chuanbeimu in Chinese, FCB) is one of the most used Chinese medicines for lung disease. However, a variety of substitutes have entered the market, with Fritillaria Pallidiflora Bulbus (FPB) being the most common. Due to their similarity in appearance, morphology, and chemical composition but a large price difference, the FCB has frequently been adulterated with the FPB, posing a serious challenge to the distinction and quality of the FCB. Therefore, we aimed to distinguish FCB and FPB based on their main nine isosteroidal alkaloid contents and test the potential of chemometrics as a discrimination approach for evaluating quality. The nine major isosteroidal alkaloids were measured using a liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) approach in 41 batches of FCB and 17 batches of FPB. Additionally, they were categorized and distinguished using the methods of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Quantitative analysis revealed that the nine alkaloids were present in different amounts in the two types of Fritillariae bulbus. In FCB, the highest amount was peimisine (17.92–123.53 μg/g) and the lowest was delavine (0.42–29.18 μg/g), while in FPB, imperialine was higher (78.05–344.09 μg/g), but verticinone and verticine were less than the other seven alkaloids. The FCB and FPB were successfully classified and distinguished by the HCA and PCA. Taken together, the method has a good linear relationship (R2 > 0.9975). The LOD and LOQ of the nine alkaloids were in the range of 0.0651–0.6510 and 0.1953–1.9531 ng/mL, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precision were shown to be excellent, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 1.63% and 2.39%, respectively. The LC–MS/MS method in conjunction with HCA and PCA can effectively differentiate FCB and FPB. It may be a promising strategy for quality evaluation and control at the FCB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study validated the RisingSun RS-651 blood pressure (BP) monitor based on auscultation in adults according to the American National Standards Institute/Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation/International Organization for Standardization (ANSI/AAMI/ISO) 81060-2:2013 standard. The RS-651 device was evaluated in a study of 97 participants. The same arm simultaneous method, as defined in the ANSI/AAMI/ISO standard, was used. The mean differences±standard deviation for criterion 1 were 0.8±2.3 mm Hg for systolic BP (SBP) and -0.1±2.9 mm Hg for diastolic BP (DBP). Analysis for criterion 2 resulted in values of 0.8±1.5 mm Hg for SBP and -0.1±2.1 mm Hg for DBP. All of the data fulfilled the ANSI/AAMI/ISO 81060-2:2013 standard requirements to pass the validation. The RisingSun RS-651 device can be recommended for both clinical and self/home use in adults according to the ANSI/AAMI/ISO 81060-2:2013 standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Direct and Continuous CH 4 production from model flue gas CO 2 using circulating fluidized bed. • Circulating fluidized bed enables steady-state cyclic operation of CO 2 capture and hydrogenation. • High-concentration CH 4 (>20 %) was directly produced from low-concentration CO 2 (2 %). • High CO 2 capture efficiency (>88 %) and high CH 4 selectivity (>99 %) were achieved. Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies, such as CO 2 methanation, generally require energy-intensive CO 2 capture and separation processes prior to catalytic CO 2 conversion. In contrast, integrated CO 2 capture and reduction (CCR) technologies that use dual function materials (DFM) can directly convert low-concentration CO 2 in flue gas or atmosphere into high-concentration CH 4 or CO. In this study, we demonstrate a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) approach to enable continuous operation of CCR. In the CFB approach, the DFM (Na/Ni/Al 2 O 3) circulates between two bubbling fluidized beds to enable steady-state cyclic operation of (1) selective capture of CO 2 in flue gas/air and (2) hydrogenation of the captured CO 2. We succeeded in the continuous synthesis of CH 4 with high CO 2 capture efficiency (>88 %) and high H 2 conversion (>85 %) yielding mainly CH 4 (selectivity > 99 %) as the product at high concentration (>20 % CH 4) using 2 % CO 2 /N 2 as the model flue gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide due to high heterogeneity. Although chemotherapy remains the mainstay of cancer therapy, non-selective toxicity and drug resistance of mono-chemotherapy incur broad criticisms. Subsequently, various combination strategies have been developed to improve clinical efficacy, also known as cocktail therapy. However, conventional "cocktail administration" is just passable, due to the potential toxicities to normal tissues and unsatisfactory synergistic effects, especially for the combined drugs with different pharmacokinetic properties. The drug conjugates through coupling the conventional chemotherapeutics to a carrier (such as antibody and peptide) provide an alternative strategy to improve therapeutic efficacy and simultaneously reduce the unspecific toxicities, by virtue of the advantages of highly specific targeting ability and potent killing effect. Although 14 antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) have been approved worldwide and more are being investigated in clinical trials so far, several limitations have been disclosed during clinical application. Compared with ADCs, peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) possess several advantages, including easy industrial synthesis, low cost, high tissue penetration and fast clearance. So far, only a handful of PDCs have been approved, highlighting tremendous development potential. Herein, we discuss the progress and pitfalls in the development of ADCs and underline what can learn from ADCs for the better construction of PDCs in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite tremendous success of molecular targeted therapy together with immunotherapy, only a small subset of patients can benefit from them. Chemotherapy remains the mainstay treatment for most of tumors including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, non-selective adverse effects on healthy tissues and secondary resistance are the main obstacles. Meanwhile, the quiescent or dormant cancer stem-like cells (CSLCs) are resistant to antimitotic chemoradiotherapy. Complete remission can only be realized when both proliferative cancer cells and quiescent cancer stem cells are targeted. In the present research, we constructed a cooperatively combating conjugate (DTX-P7) composed of docetaxel (DTX) and a heptapeptide (P7), which specifically binds to cell surface Hsp90, and assessed the anti-tumor effects of DTX-P7 on non-small cell lung cancer. DTX-P7 preferentially suppressed tumor growth compared with DTX in vivo with a favorable distribution to tumor tissues and long circulation half-life. Furthermore, we revealed a distinctive mechanism whereby DTX-P7 induced unfolded protein response and eventually promoted apoptosis. More importantly, we found that DTX-P7 promoted cell cycle reentry of slow-proliferating CSLCs and subsequently killed them, exhibiting a "proliferate to kill" pattern. Collecitvely, by force of active targeting delivery of DTX via membrane-bound Hsp90, DTX-P7 induces unfolded protein response and subsequent apoptosis by degrading Hsp90, meanwhile awakens and kills the dormant cancer stem cells. Thus, DTX-P7 deserves further development as a promising anticancer therapeutic for treatment of various membrane-harboring Hsp90 cancer types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although favorable effects of estrogen replacement therapy on Alzheimer''s disease on postmenopausal women have been recognized, an associated increased incidence of uterine and breast tumors has jeopardized the clinical use of estrogen. Phytoestrogen α-zearalanol (α-ZAL) is a reductive product of the Gibberella zeae metabolite and abundant in plants and vegetables, which has been shown to protect cell injury with low side-effects on uterine and breast. This study was designed to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of α-ZAL, on the cultured differentiated PC-12 cells, while 17β-estradiol (17β-E2) has been used as an estrogen positive control. Following a 24h exposure of the cells to amyloid β-peptide fragment 25–35 (Aβ25–35), a significant reduction in cell survival and activities of total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), as well as increased of malondialdehyde (MDA) were observed. However, preincubation of the cells with α-ZAL or 17β-E2 prior to Aβ25–35 exposure elevated the cell survival and SOD and GSH-Px activities, and decreased the level of MDA. In addition, Aβ25–35 caused a significant cell apoptosis and increased apoptotic rate, accompanied by decreasing of bcl-2 expression and increasing bax, caspase-3 expression, pretreatment of the cells with α-ZAL or 17β-E2 ameliorated these changes induced by Aβ25–35. Taken together, these data indicated that the phytoestrogen α-ZAL may effectively antagonize Aβ25–35-induced cell toxicity by attenuating oxidative stress and apoptotic cell death, in a manner similar to 17β-E2. Our results suggested that α-ZAL can be used as a potential substitute of 17β-E2 in postmenopausal women for Alzheimer''s disease prevention. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The site of SNP was identified in Chinese yellow cattle of MOGAT1 gene. • The MOGAT1 gene has an important influence on the growth traits of Chinese cattle. • The SNP of MOGAT1 gene had significant effect on body weight of QC cattle and XN cattle, and Chest depth of YL cattle. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has recently become one of the ideal genetic markers. SNP refers to the DNA sequence polymorphism caused by double nucleotide variation in the genome, including the conversion or transversion of segmented bases. The synthesis and metabolism of triglycerides are related to the changes of energy in the body of livestock, which in turn affects their growth and development. Studies have shown that MOGAT1 gene plays a role in the route of triglyceride synthesis. PCR-RFLP and agarose gel electrophoresis technology were used to type the SNP site of MOGAT1 gene at g.25940T > C in this study. Association analysis between typing results and growth trait data was detected by SPSS 20.0 software. Results show that MOGAT1 gene was in a low level of heterozygosity in Xianan, Qinchuan and Pinan cattle population (0 < PIC < 0.25), and in middle level of heterozygosity in YL cattle population(0.25 < PIC < 0.5). And genotype 'AA' was dominant gene in Chinese cattle population. In QC and XN cattle, genotype of GG possess advantage on Body weight (P < 0.05); in YL cattle, individuals with genotype of homozygous mutation decreased significantly on Chest depth (P < 0.05). The purpose of this research is to provide theoretical materials for molecular breeding of yellow cattle and to promote the process of improving the growth traits of Chinese local yellow cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piper laetispicum C. DC is one of the Chinese herbal medicines used for alleviating depressive disorders. G11‐5 [3‐(3, 4‐methylenedioxy‐5‐trifluoromethyl phenyl)‐2E‐propenoic acid isobutyl amide] is synthesized based on the chemical structure of an active integrant of Piper laetispicum C. DC. The present study assessed the antidepressant effect of G11‐5 and investigated the underlying mechanism with learned helplessness (LH) and social defeat stress (SDS) mice model of depression. In the LH model, mice were exposed to 60 inescapable electric shocks once a day for three consecutive days followed by 2‐week drug administration and helpless behaviour assessment. In the SDS model, mice were subjected to repeated social defeat by an aggressive CD‐1 mouse once a day for consecutive 10 days. Following oral administration for 2 weeks, the mice were subjected to a series of behavioural tests including social interaction test. G11‐5 significantly decreased the number of escape failures induced by LH paradigm, meanwhile increased the social interaction ratio and shortened the immobility time in forced swimming test for the SDS‐exposed mice, suggesting remarkable antidepressant effect. Moreover, G11‐5 ameliorated the changes in mitophagy‐related proteins induced by two stress exposures and restored retrograde axonal transport and neurotransmitter release. Our findings suggested that G11‐5 exhibited an obvious antidepressant through TSPO‐mediated mitophagy pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although multiple mechanisms have been studied, there is still a lack of effective treatment on non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Therapeutic effects of 5-(4-hydroxy-3-dimethoxybenzylidene)-thiazolidinone (RD-1), one of rhodamine derivatives, on motor recovery have been previously demonstrated, but its effects on non-motor symptoms remain unclear. Herein, we explored the beneficial effects of RD-1 on PD-related non-motor symptoms and changes in synaptic plasticity in the mesencephalon. To investigate its therapeutic effects in the non-motor symptoms of Parkinsonian model, we employed male C57BL/6N mice and double injection with noradrenergic specific neurotoxin N-2-Chloroethyl-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine hydrochloride, followed 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine. Next, we performed behavioral tests, histological analyses and immunoblotting. Our findings showed that RD-1 significantly alleviated locomotor abnormality, motor disturbance, anxiety/depression-like behavior and memory deficit. It rescued the levels of tyrosine hydroxylase in substantia nigra, and striatum. Moreover, RD-1 upregulated expression levels of α-synuclein, synapsin II, postsynaptic density 95 and vesicle-associated membrane protein 2. The restoration of synaptic function may underlie the neuroprotective effects of RD-1 in double lesioned mice, confirming its protective effect for dopaminergic neurodegeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A combined CO 2 capture and reduction process to methanol was developed and tested. • Addition of Na/Al 2 O 3 increased CCR performance to methanol. • A sequential configuration of Na/Al 2 O 3 with Cu/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 was optimal. • Higher pressures increased CO 2 capture performance and methanol selectivity. Recently, carbon capture and reduction (CCR) technology has gained interest to directly convert CO 2 to value-added products without requiring purification of CO 2 and its subsequent transportation. CCR to methanol in one dual function material (DFM) poses mechanistic and kinetic challenges. To counteract this, a process combining Na/Al 2 O 3 as a capture component and Cu/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 (CZA) as methanol synthesis catalyst was developed to allow CCR to methanol. With a 5 vol% CO 2 flow for capture and subsequent H 2 stream combined with a temperature swing, a methanol selectivity of 26 % was achieved at 9 bar. Further investigation found that Na/Al 2 O 3 significantly increased methanol yield, while a stacked configuration of Na/Al 2 O 3 followed by CZA significantly outperformed a mixed configuration of the two catalysts. With further investigation of operation at higher pressure and surface mechanism, an effective CCR to methanol process using two affordable yet readily available catalysts can be realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have shown that the release of stress hormones resulting from repeated exposure to chronic psychological stress increases DNA damage and promotes tumorigenesis. However, the mechanisms that enable cancerous cells adapt to stress hormone-induced DNA damage and survive remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of stress hormones on the survival of liver cancer cells and the underlying mechanism. HepG2 human liver cancer cells were treated with dexamethasone (DEX), epinephrine (EPI) and norepinephrine (NE) and subjected to the testing of DNA damage, cell survival and cell apoptosis by alkaline comet assay, CCK-8 viability assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The protein expression levels of DNA damage response factors were determined by western blotting analysis. The results revealed that treatment of HepG2 cells with DEX, EPI and NE induced DNA damage without affecting cell survival or inducing apoptosis. The protein levels of wild-type p53-induced phosphatase 1 (Wip1), a type 2C family serine/threonine phosphatase, were increased, and the dephosphorylation of DNA damage response factors, including phosphorylated (p-)ataxia-telangiectasia mutated and p-checkpoint kinase 2, occurred following treatment with DEX, EPI and NE. In addition, a cycloheximide chase assay was performed to explore the protein stability under treatment with stress hormones. Compared with vehicle-treated cells, Wip1 exhibited increased protein stability in stress hormone-treated HepG2 cells. Eventually, the depletion of Wip1 using small interfering RNA verified the role of Wip1 in the modulation of stress hormone-induced DNA damage. These findings suggest that cancerous cells likely adapt to stress hormone-induced DNA damage via Wip1 upregulation. The present study provides an insight into the underlying mechanism that links chronic psychological stress with tumor growth and progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low response rate was witnessed with the present monoaminergic based antidepressants, urging a need for new therapeutic target identification. Accumulated evidences strongly suggest that mitochondrial deficit is implicated in major depression and 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) plays an important role in regulating mitochondrial function. However the changes of TSPO and TSPO mediated mitophagy pathway in the depressive brain is unclear. In present study, a well validated animal model of depression, learned helplessness (LH), was employed to investigate the relevant changes. Significant behavioral changes were observed in the LH mice. Results showed that TSPO and other mitophagy related proteins, such as VDAC1, Pink1 and Beclin1 were significantly decreased by LH challenge. Moreover, KIFC2, relevant to the mitochondrial transport and Snap25, relevant to neurotransmitter vesicle release, were also obviously down-regulated in the LH mice, which further rendered supportive evidence for the existing mitochondrial dysfunction in LH mice. Present results demonstrated that LH induced depressive symptoms and affected TSPO-mediated mitophagy pathway, indicating a potential target candidate for depression treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Wuling powder (trade name: Wuling capsule), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), was extracted from mycelia of precious Xylaria Nigripes (Kl.) Sacc by modern fermentation technology, and has been claimed to be fully potent in improving the signs of insomnia and cognitive deficits. Moreover, Wuling capsule was effective in treating post-stroke and orther co-cormbid depression both in clinical and in basic research. In order to clarify the molecular mechanisms of the antidepressant effect of Wuling powder, we established learned helplessness (LH) depression animal model and focused on 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) mediated-mitophagy pathway. Materials and methods Mice were exposed to the inescapable e-shock (IS) once a day for three consecutive days to establish the LH model. Then mice were orally administered Wuling powder for 2 weeks. For the behavioral assessment, Shuttle box test, novelty suppressed feeding test (NSF) and forced swimming test (FST) were performed. Following the behavioral assessment, we assessed the protein expression level that were related to TSPO-mediated mitophagy signaling pathway by Western blotting analysis. Finally, immunohistochemistry method was used to assess the neuroprotective effects of Wuling powder. Results Compared with mice that were subjected to inescapable e-shock, Wuling powder exhibited antidepressant effect in the multiple behavioral tests. In addition, Wuling powder altered the expression level of multiple proteins related to TSPO-mediated mitophagy signaling pathway. Conclusions Our results suggested that Wuling powder exhibited an obvious antidepressant effect, which could be due to the improvement of TSPO-mediated mitophagy signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most current pharmacologic antidepressant treatments target monoaminergic systems confronts some problems such as low rate of remission and high risk for relapse indicating new therapeutic strategy is urgently need. Evidences showed that impairments in mitochondrial function were associated with the pathogenesis of mood disorders and improvement in its function may be a novel therapeutic choice. In the present study, effects of 5-(4-hydroxy-3-dimethoxybenzylidene)-2-thioxo-4-thiazolidinone (RD-1) were investigated in mice model of depression/anxiety induced by corticosterone (20 mg/kg) subcutaneously repeated injections in 5-week male BALB/c mice. Our results showed that five weeks of corticosterone administration induced anxiety/depressive-like behavioral changes, including decreased central activities in open field test, increased the immobility time in forced swimming test and the latency in the novelty-suppressed feeding test, as well as reduced bodyweight. Results showed that oral administration with RD-1 at the doses of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg for five weeks significantly improved the anxiety/depressive-like behavioral changes induced by corticosterone. In glucose metabolism analysis by photon emission computed tomography/-computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging, corticosterone significantly deactivated the prefrontal cortex (PFC), temporal lobe and hippocampus. RD-1 treatment obviously improved the energy metabolism in the involved brain regions. In primary cultured hippocampal neuron, corticosterone reduced speed of anterograde transport, yet speed of retrograde transport was increased. Furthermore, RD-1 enhanced the mitochondrial anterograde transport to supply energy for the neurotransmitter release. In conclusion, RD-1 prevents anxiety/depressive-like behavior of mice induced by corticosterone repeated injections with novel mechanism of improvement in the mitochondrial function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although conventional anticancer drugs exhibit excellent efficacy, serious adverse effects and/or even toxicity have occurred due to their nonselectivity. Moreover, active targeting approaches have not consistently led to successful outcomes. Ligands that simultaneously possess targeting capability and exert a strong influence on intracellular signaling cascades may be expected to improve the therapeutic efficacy of active targeting nanoparticulate carriers. In this study, we screened a targeting peptide, LPLTPLP, which specifically bound to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) specimens in vitro. Surprisingly, this peptide inhibited the expression of Hsp90 and induced apoptosis by preventing autophagy in A549 cells treated with docetaxel. The results suggested that this peptide might be used as a promising dual-functional ligand for cancer treatment. Based on these findings, we designed and developed a novel active targeting delivery system by modifying docetaxel nanoparticles (DNP) with the dual-functional ligand LPLTPLP. We consistently demonstrated that the cellular uptake of nanoparticles (NPs) was significantly enhanced in vitro. Furthermore, the targeting NPs exhibited significantly improved antitumor efficacy and biodistribution compared with nontargeting nanodrug and free docetaxel. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of dual-functional NPs for efficient anticancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is one of the most malignant cancers in the world and 5-year survival rate has not been significantly improved with conventional chemotherapy. Targeting treatment may be a promising alternative to enhance the antitumor efficacy. Present study was aimed at establishing a targeting nanodrug delivery system for SCLC therapy. A targeting peptide (AHSGMYP, named AP), screened in H446 cells by phage display technology, was conjugated to the docetaxel (DTX) encapsulated polylactic acid nanoparticles (DN) to prepare the targeting DTX nanoparticles (AP-DN). Cell cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, therapeutic efficacy and biodistribution of AP-DN were investigated in vitro and in vivo experiment. The mean particle size of AP-DN was 260 nm with encapsulation efficiency >94% and a sustained release profile. Cytotoxicity of AP-DN against H446 cell was superior to that of DTX and DN. AP-DN exhibited excellent antitumor efficacy and particularly effectively inhibited the liver metastases with better tolerance. Results of cellular uptake and biodistribution indicated that the excellent antitumor efficacy of AP-DN was attributed to both the increased accumulation of drug and cellular uptake. To our knowledge, this is the first report on establishing SCLC targeting delivery system which offers a potential therapeutic alterative for SCLC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Korotkoff sounds have been used to measure systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressures noninvasively for over 100 years. However, most of the research concerning the Korotkoff sound were focused on the origin and frequency component analyzing the Korotkoff sound signal.Objective: To show that the occurrence time of the Korotkoff sounds for each cardiac cycle demonstrates a characteristic value during the cuff deflating process of blood pressure measurement.Methods: The Korotkoff sound delay time (KDT) decreases as the cuff pressure P deflates and KDT is a function of arterial transmural pressure. In the present research, an experiment system was established to explore the relationship between the KDT and the cuff pressure in different subjects.Results: A pilot experiment was conducted to obtain different subjects' KDTs and investigate the relationship between KDT and cuff pressure.Conclusion: The relationship between KDT and invasive blood pressure was also studied and its potential application in detection of cardiovascular status was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological disorder characterized by degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DAergic) system. Present treatment targeting to DAergic system solely ameliorated the symptoms but failed to retard the DAergic neuron degeneration, therefore new therapeutic methods aiming at preventing or delaying the neurodegenerative process are urgently needed. In the present study, we found that 5-(4-hydroxy-3-dimethoxybenzylidene)-2-thioxo-4-thiazolidinone (RD-1), a compound derived from rhodanine, protected DAergicneurons from neurotoxicity of MPTP/MPP + . Firstly, RD-1 significantly improved the locomotor ability in the MPTP mice model, and elevated the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive cell numbers in substantianigra pars compacta (SNpc) and the integrated optical density (IOD) of TH-positive nerve fibers in striatum respectively. Since mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in pathogenesis of PD, thereby we investigated the molecular mechanisms of RD-1 against MPTP/MPP + neurotoxicity, focusing on its effects on the mitochondrial dysfunction. Immunoblotting analysis showed that RD-1 significantly elevated the Parkin and Miro2 expression levels in acute MPTP treated mice, and improved mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP synthesis in MPP + -treated Neuro-2a cells. Moreover, RD-1attenuated impaired mitochondrial transport and vesicle release dysfunction evoked by MPP + cytotoxicity in cultured primary mesencephalic neurons. Taken together, these results indicate that improving the mitochondrial dysfunction may be a good choice to delay the neurodegenerative progression commonly associated with PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]