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A ship-in-a-bottle architecture on carbon nanotube yarn-based supercapacitor is prepared, in which transition metal hydroxide nanoparticles are confined in metal–organic frameworks anchored on carbon nanotubes and exhibits ultrahigh structural and electrochemical stability.

Yarn-shaped supercapacitors (YSSCs) based on aqueous electrolyte exhibit a relatively low voltage output due to the low decomposition voltage of water (∼1.23 V). Applying organic-based electrolyte or connecting YSSCs in series with metal-wire involves issues such as safety, air stability, contact resistance and so on. Herein, these issues are addressed by designing tandem YSSCs (T-YSSCs) where several YSSCs are interconnected in series on a single poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) filament using a simple dip-coating method. The resultant T-YSSCs display a high voltage density of 72 V m−1, robust areal specific capacitance of 475.6 mF cm−2, high electrochemical stability (95.2% retention after 10 000 cycles) and a tensile strength of 125.4 MPa. Moreover, they show negligible contact resistance compared to that of metal wires interconnected ones, because of the diminished built-in Schottky barrier between interconnected electrodes. An energy storage fabric (ESF) with adjustable voltage and current demonstrates good potential for on-body practical applications because it is well adapted to be worn on human body to power an electronic watch, a pedometer and so on.

Hydroboration of carbon dioxide (CO2) catalysed by bis(phosphinite) (POCOP) pincer nickel complexes is among the most efficient homogeneous processes for the reduction of CO2 to the methanol level. Although both POCOP pincer nickel hydride and thiolate complexes are effective catalysts, the latter is far more effective under the same conditions. The mechanism for nickel hydride complexes catalysed reactions is well-established. However, that for nickel thiolate complex catalysed reactions remains elusive. In this work, the mechanism for the reduction of CO2 catalysed by POCOP pincer nickel thiolate complexes was investigated using density functional theory. The calculated results indicated that the reaction occurs via a concerted catalytic process involving two active species and the hydride is transferred by a shuttle species. Specifically, the reaction proceeds through four cycles: formation of two active species (cycle I) followed by further reaction of these two species to form a hydride transfer shuttle which is responsible for hydride transfers CO2→HCOOBcat (cycle II), HCOOBcat→CH2O (cycle III) and CH2O→catBOCH3 (cycle IV). The calculated mechanism is in good agreement with the experimental observation that the reaction is exothermic with simultaneous HBcat degradation.

It has been reported that either the boryl formate (HCOOBR2), bis(boryl)acetal (R2BOCH2OBR2), or methoxy borane (R2BOCH3) product of CO2 reduction is selectively afforded adopting the nickel (Ni) pincer catalyst by changing the properties of borane reductants. To obtain an insight into the influence of borane reductants on the selectivity of hydroboration of CO2 catalyzed by (tBuPCP)NiH, a density functional theory (DFT) computational study is performed with three different boranes (HBcat (catecholborane), 9-BBN (9-borabicyclo [3.3.1] nonane), and HBpin (pinacolborane)). The detailed formation and conversion of four-electron product R2BOCH2OBR2 were considered for the first time, combining with the three sequential catalytic cycle mechanism, and the calculated results demonstrate that the distinctions of the electronic process in some key intermediates and transition states lead to the selectivity on products for different borane reductants.

Element doping is an effective strategy to enhance the selectivity of electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction. In this work, a dendritic core-shell In-doped Cu@Cu2O catalyst is prepared by co-electrodeposition method on carbon fiber paper for selective electroreduction of CO2 to CO. Faradaic efficiency of producing CO over this dendritic In-doped Cu@Cu2O reaches 87.6 ± 2.2% with total current density of 11.1 ± 0.85 mA cm−2 at −0.8 V vs RHE, which outperforms most of the reported Cu-based electrocatalysts. The excellent performance is mainly derived from charge re-distribution and the enhanced intrinsic activity due to the formation of In-doped Cu2O layer. Meanwhile, the Cu+/Cu0 can be adjusted by tailoring the doped-In content. The relatively high ECSA and small charge transfer resistance are also conducive to improve the selectivity and activity. The oxyphilic In metal incorporated into the copper lattice can well stabilize the intermediate *COOH through enhancing interaction with O-ends of *COOH. This work provides a facile approach and a deep insight on design and synthesis of high efficiency hybrid electrocatalysts.

To develop earth-abundant and cost-effective catalysts for overall water splitting is still a major challenge. Herein, a unique “raisins-on-bread” Ni–S–P electrocatalyst with NiS and Ni2P nanoparticles embedded in amorphous Ni(OH)2 nanosheets is fabricated on Ni foam by a facile and controllable electrodeposition approach. It only requires an overpotential of 120 mV for HER and 219 mV for OER to reach the current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 1 M KOH solution. Employed as the anode and cathode, it demonstrates extraordinary electrocatalytic overall water splitting activity (cell voltage of only 1.58 V @ 10 mA cm−2) and ultra-stability (160 h @ 10 mA cm−2 or 120 h @50 mA cm−2) in alkaline media. The synergetic electronic interactions, enhanced mass and charge transfers at the heterointerfaces facilitate HER and OER processes. Combined with a silicon PV cell, this Ni–S–P bifunctional catalyst also exhibits highly efficient solar-driven water splitting with a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 12.5%.

The experiments on microwave pyrolysis of soybean straw are studied to produce hydrogen-rich gas under CO2 atmosphere in this paper. The microwave power has an important effect on the temperature. ...

In this perspective, we present computational progress in the reduction of carbonyl compounds using boron reducing agents, such as L·BH3, HBcat, HBpin, and 9-BBN. For the catalytic reduction reactions, establishing a catalytic mechanism will provide an important theoretical basis for the improvement of a more efficient combination of reducing agents and catalysts. Current computational studies reveal that the mechanisms of reactions are different due to the various combinations of electrophilic boron reducing agents and catalysts (transition-metal catalyst, main group metal catalysts, and metal-free frustrated Lewis pair). We discuss the role of boron reducing agents on the efficiency of reactions and believe that possible Lewis acid–base interaction between Bδ+, Mδ+ and Oδ−, Hδ− existing in boron reducing agent, unsaturated substances, and catalyst should be considered fully. A tentative outlook on future opportunities of this research field is proposed.

A stable solid acid catalyst, SCPR140-1, was synthesized from chloromethyl polystyrene resin (CPR) and used for catalytic pretreatment of corncob in aqueous solution. Under the optimized pretreatment condition, 73.07 % of xylose was directly obtained, and the enzymatic digestibility of treated residue reached up to 94.65 %, indicating that the SCPR140-1 had high selectivity for xylose production and effectively deconstructed the structure of corncob. The -CH2 Cl group of CPR was substituted by -SO3 H through the sulfonation, and the -SO3 H was stably bound on the catalyst during the pretreatment process. Compared with other similar reports, the SCPR140-1 was not only synthesized through a simpler process but also had a more stable catalytic activity during multiple recycling runs.

Developing highly active and stable electrocatalysts for acidic oxygen evolution reaction is still a great challenge. Herein, we developed a novel self-supported amorphous IrOx catalyst (IrOx/Ti) encapsulated with a small number of crystalline nanoparticles for efficient acidic OER. The resulting IrOx-50-AC/Ti electrode exhibits a superior OER performance with an overpotential of 250 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slope of 50.4 mV dec−1 in 0.1 M HClO4. High contents of IrIII species and surface hydroxide groups, hierarchically porous structure and high defective density contribute to boost the OER activity. Importantly, the amorphous IrOx-50-AC/Ti also demonstrates a super long-term durability for 190 h due to the strong interaction between IrOx film and Ti. The unique amorphous-crystalline structure also enhances the stability and the activity by promoting the synergy between amorphous phase and crystalline phase. This work provides some valuable insights on developing efficient Ir-based catalysts for acidic water splitting.

Disheveled-Axin domain containing 1 (DIXDC1) is involved in the development and progression of multiple cancers. However, the function significance of DIXDC1 in prostate cancer remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the function of DIXDC1 in prostate cancer and the regulation of DIXDC1 by microRNAs (miRNAs). We found that DIXDC1 was highly expressed in prostate cancer cells. Knockdown of DIXDC1 by small interfering RNAs markedly suppressed proliferation, invasion and Wnt signaling in prostate cancer cells. DIXDC1 was identified as a target gene of miR-1271 by bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assay, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. Furthermore, DIXDC1 expression was inversely correlated with miR-1271 expression in prostate cancer tissues. The overexpression of miR-1271 significantly inhibited proliferation, invasion and Wnt signaling in prostate cancer cells. However, the inhibition of miR-1271 exhibits the opposite effects. Moreover, the overexpression of DIXDC1 significantly reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-1271 overexpression. Taken together, our results suggest that DIXDC1 plays an important role in regulating prostate cancer cell proliferation and invasion. Targeting DIXDC1 by miR-1271 may be a promising therapeutic strategy for prostate cancer.

Bio-oil model compounds dry (CO2) reforming for hydrogen production over Ni/Al2O3 catalyst is presented in this paper. The research investigates the effects of reaction conditions such as temperature, weight hourly space velocity of the aqueous phase (WHSV), CO2 to carbon in bio-oil ratio (CO2/Bio-oil) on hydrogen yield and products distribution. And also study the coke formation rates versus different reaction temperature and different CO2/Bio-oil ratio. Meanwhile analyze the types of carbon deposited on Ni/Al2O3 catalyst. The experimental results show that, the optimum reaction temperature is 700 °C, CO2/Bio-oil is 0.75, WHSV is 0.9 h−1, under these conditions, hydrogen yield and bio-oil model compounds conversion reach 88.19% and 96.87% respectively, the molar ratio of H2/CO reaches 1.08. The coke formation rate exists a maximum at 600 °C, higher temperature (>600 °C) and higher CO2/Bio-oil (>0.75) are all good for carbon elimination of dry reforming. The forms of carbon deposit on Ni/Al2O3 catalyst are mainly filamentous carbon and graphitic carbon.

To develop robust and highly active bifunctional electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting in acidic media is still a great challenge for proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer. Herein, a self-assembled IrCox nanorings (NRs) with bracelet-like architecture is fabricated as a bifunctional high-efficient overall water splitting electrocatalyst by a facile, controllable and surfactant-free strategy. The unique nanoring architecture enriches in abundant homointerface and strong synergistic electronic interaction between Ir and Co. The optimized IrCo0.14 NRs exhibits remarkable electrocatalytic performance with a low overpotential of 16 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and 278 mV for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at 10 mA cm−2 in 0.1 M HClO4, respectively, significantly outperforming the commercial Pt/C, Ir/C and reported Ir-based catalysts. As both anode and cathode, a cell voltage of only 1.53 V to reach 10 mA cm−2 is obtained for overall water splitting and no obvious activity loses after a long-term electrolysis for 14 h. Combined with a PV cell, this catalyst also shows excellent water splitting performance with a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 12.8%. This work provides further insights on designing promising and efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for clean energy electrochemical conversion in the future.

To explore the feasibility of using herbal medicine waste (HMW) as solid fuel, HMW was torrefied under different temperatures and atmospheres. The physicochemical properties and combustion behaviors of the torrefied HMW were investigated. Temperature was found to be the most influential factor affecting the torrefaction. Torrefaction improved the hydrophobicity of HMW and decreased the equilibrated moisture uptake from 24.48(0.083) % to 15.22(0.054) %. The HMW samples torrefied under different conditions are easy to ignite. The comprehensive combustibility index (S) of the torrefied HMW increased by 3–5 folds compared to that of the raw sample. In general, the HMW torrefied under lower temperatures and under CO2 and O2 have better flammability. The present results revealed that the torrefied HMW exhibited good combustion characteristics and can thus be used for solid fuel production, such as fuels for co-combustion or raw materials for pelletization.

Photo-induced conductivity modulation of stimuli-responsive materials is of great importance from the viewpoint of fundamental research and technology. In this work, 5 new kinds of azobenzene-based photo-responsive ionic liquids were synthesized and characterized, and UV/vis light modulation of their conductivity was investigated in an aqueous solution. The factors affecting the conductivity modulation of the photo-responsive fluids, such as photo-isomerization efficiency, photo-regulation aggregation, concentration and chemical structure of the ionic liquids, were examined systematically. It was found that the conductivity of the ionic liquids in water exhibited a significant increase upon UV light irradiation and the ionic liquids with a shorter alkyl spacer in the cation showed a more remarkable photo-induced conductivity enhancement with a maximum increase of 150%. In addition, the solution conductivity was restored (or very close) to the initial value upon an alternative irradiation with visible light. Thus, the solution conductivity can be modulated using alternative irradiation with UV and visible light. Although the reversible photo-isomerization of the azobenzene group under UV/vis irradiation is the origin of the conductivity modulation, the photo-regulated aggregation of the ionic liquid in water is indispensable for the maximum degree of conductivity modulation because UV irradiation can weaken, even break the aggregated cis-isomers of the ionic liquids in an aqueous solution.

In the present work, hydrolysis of sweet sorghum bagasse residue using dilute acid was investigated. The sweet sorghum bagasse residue was from pretreatment. Process parameters investigated include reactor temperature, reaction time, and acid concentration in order to find suitable conditions for hydrolysis of the cellulose fraction. The effects of dilute acid hydrolysis were assessed by glucose yield and decomposition products concentration. The highest yield of glucose, 70.10%, was found at the temperature of 170°C, acid concentration of 1.0% (w/w), and a reaction time of 10 min. Meanwhile, 0.99 g/L of acetic acid, 0.22 g/L of furfural, 0.73 g/L of hydro-xymethyl furfural, and 1.60 g/L of levulinic acid were obtained under these conditions, which concluded that the decomposition of glucose was slight and confirmed the selectivity of this dilute acid hydrolysis of the sweet sorghum bagasse residue. The present work aims to take full advantage of the sweet sorghum bagasse residue and obtain glucose soluti...

Hydrolysis of hemicellulose and disruption of cellulose during pretreatment process are conducive to the following cellulase hydrolysis performance. In this work, bagasse pith was first pretreated by 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl) solution containing 0–1.2% hydrochloric acid (HCl) and 30% water. The water (30%) added into the acidic ionic liquid (IL) solutions led to an increase in the biomass loading up to a biomass/IL solutions ratio of 1:10 (wt.%). Hemicellulose was hydrolyzed to reducing sugars by HCl and cellulose was dissolved by [BMIM]Cl. In this process, 76.9% of hemicellulose conversion and 95% of cellulose recovery were obtained. The pretreated bagasse pith was then followed by hydrolysis with commercially available enzymes. The effects of pretreatment temperature, reaction time and acid concentration on cellulase hydrolysis of pretreated bagasse pith were investigated. Pretreatment of bagasse pith with [BMIM]Cl solutions containing 1.0% HCl at 120 °C for 30 min resulted in the glucose concentration of 92.3 g/l and yield of 94.5% after 72 h of cellulase hydrolysis. The maximum total reducing sugars yield reached to 89.9% after pretreatment and cellulase hydrolysis.

A mixture of several typical model compounds was chosen as the bio-oil model. Hydrogen production via catalytic steam reforming of model bio-oil in a two-stage reaction system was studied in this article. Quartz sand was used in the first-stage fluidized bed reactor for primary steam reforming, and Ni/modified dolomite was chosen as the catalyst in the second-stage fixed bed reactor for deep steam reforming. The main influential parameters, such as temperature, steam to carbon ratio, and weight hourly space velocity, were tested in this work. The optimum conditions on hydrogen production were obtained at 800°C; steam and carbon mole ratio, 12; and weight hourly space velocity, 1 h−1. In addition, there was a comparison between a two-stage reaction system and one-stage fixed bed reactor on the optimum condition. It was concluded that H2 yield decreased 5.6% in the two-stage reaction system and 9.9% in the one-stage fixed bed reactor after 3 h reaction time; the maximum carbon deposition ratio was 1 and 0.4...

In the present work, pretreatment of sweet sorghum stalk using dilute acid was investigated under mild conditions. Process parameters investigated include reactor temperature, reaction time, and acid concentration. Xylose concentration, xylose yield, and decomposition product concentrations are measured. The highest yield of xylose (77.5%) is achieved under optimum conditions. The optimal conditions selected are 0.75% (w/w) acid concentration, 140°C, and 10 min. Using theses conditions, 23.9 g/L of xylose concentration, 0.98 g/L of furfural, and 2.52 g/L of acetic acid are obtained. The decomposition product concentrations are low.

The average molecular formula of asphaltene was calculated from the main functional groups of asphaltene determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, the average molecular weight found by gel filtration chromatography, and values of ultimate analysis. A series of average structure parameters were determined by 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectrum integrals, followed by establishing the structure models of asphaltene according to the Brown-Ladner method. Reduction of molecular weight of asphaltene was observed after bio-oil upgrading, and the oxygen-containing functional groups were apparently less than that of crude bio-oil while the number of aromatic rings was increased. The upgraded bio-oil had a lower molecular weight, lower oxygen content, and higher aromaticity compared with crude bio-oil.

H2 production by steam reforming of fast pyrolyzed bio-oil over Ni/MgO-La2O3-Al2O3 catalyst was carried out in a fixed-bed reactor by using model compounds (acetic acid, furfural, cyclopentanone, and m-cresol) and real bio-oil as the starting materials. The carbon deposition mechanism was discussed and a model of carbon deposition was built based on the amount of coke formed under different reaction temperatures, reaction times, steam to carbon molar ratios (S/C), and liquid hourly space velocities. The activation energies in the carbon deposition reaction and in the carbon elimination reaction were calculated as 28 and 71 kJ/mol, respectively, in terms of the carbon deposition model employed.

Ni-Co/γ-Al2O3, Ni/γ-Al2O3, Co/γ-Al2O3, mechanical mixed Ni/γ-Al2O3, and Co/γ-Al2O3 catalyst (another name is Ni/γ-Al2O3|Co/γ-Al2O3) were prepared by the wet impregnation method, and the catalytic performance for hydrogen production by catalytic reforming of volatile from biomass pyrolysis over the four catalysts was compared under the condition of different temperatures and weight hourly space velocity. The experimental results show that the catalytic performance of the four catalysts from high to low is Ni-Co/γ-Al2O3 > Co/γ-Al2O3 > Ni/γ-Al2O3|Co/γ-Al2O3 > Ni/γ-Al2O3 within the studied temperature and weight hourly space velocity scope. Hydrogen selectivity of 94.83% and hydrogen yield of 120.81 g/kg biomass (dry basis) were obtained over Ni-Co/γ-Al2O3 under the condition of catalytic reforming temperature of 825°C and weight hourly space velocity of 0.71 h−1.

A novel method of bio-oil upgrading over Ni-based catalysts under CO atmosphere and optimum conditions for a Ni/Cu/Zn/Al catalyst were determined. The oxygen content as well as the water content decreased significantly and the pH value of upgraded bio-oil was higher than that of crude bio-oil. The physical properties indicate that upgraded bio-oil was more stable than crude bio-oil.

In this article, the integrated process technology is introduced for production of hydrogen, which incorporates pyrolysis of biomass and catalytic steam reforming. The process adopts a fluidized bed reactor for pyrolysis and a fixed bed reactor for steam reforming, in which technological parameters, such as pyrolysis temperature, ratio of steam over biomass, reforming temperature, gas hourly space velocity, catalyst size, and the life of the catalyst, were investigated in order to conclude their effects on the hydrogen production. Results from experiments indicate the concentration of hydrogen in the gaseous product and thus the hydrogen yield increases as both operation temperatures of pyrolysis and reforming increase while catalyst size reduces. The increase in steam over biomass, however, results in hydrogen yield varying from increase to decrease.

Many oxygen compounds were contained in bio-oil, such as acids, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, phenols, and sugar. Acetic acid, ethylene glycol, butanone, furfural, and m-cresol were selected as bio-oil model compounds in this article. Hydrogen production was carried out via catalytic steam reforming under the conditions of the mole ratio of steam and carbon = 6, liquid hourly space velocity = 5 h−1, and 600°C with catalyst Ni/MgO. Infrared gas analyzer was used to analyze gas concentration via catalytic steam reforming of model compounds on line, while the liquid products from a collection device were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrum. Intermediates were formed under catalytic steam reforming through elimination and recombination reaction, etc. The intermediates reacted with steam to produce H2 and CO2, and then the reactions reached equilibrium in the end. The hydrogen yield of acetic acid, ethylene glycol, and butanone as materials were higher than that of furfural and m-cresol as materials a...

Pyrolysis kinetic characteristics of sawdust samples were studied at heating rates of 30, 40, and 50°C·min−1 by thermogravimetric analysis. The pyrolysis of sawdust could be divided into five stages, and Sestak's complex mechanism was used to study the mechanism of each stage. The thermal degradation mechanism, activation energy, and frequency factor of each stage were obtained by multi-linear regression using Microsoft Excel. The results showed that the Sestak-Berggren function is very suitable for the mechanism analysis of complex systems.

Biomass fast pyrolysis oil (bio-oil) is considered a promising renewable liquid energy. A feasible upgrading method is co-processing HHDO-oil, which is the heavy fraction of hydrodeoxygenated pyrolysis oil (HDO-oil), with paraffin oil. In this article, kinetic modeling for catalyst deactivation by coke was researched. The results show that the coke is lower by co-processing of HHDO with paraffin oil than other upgrading. Catalyst deactivation is a cascade reaction, the effect of HHDO concentration from 3.18 to 5.08 mol/m3 and the effect of temperature from 753 to 793 K were studied. The kinetic model equation of catalyst deactivation is −da/dt = 1.188 × 10−5 e 18914.85/RT · c 0.88 · a.

Biomass gasification to produce syngas was carried out in a fluidized bed reactor and a catalytic fixed bed reactor. The feedstock was sawdust and the cracking catalyst included the calcined dolomite, Ni/dolomite, Ni/modified dolomite, and reforming catalyst. The Ni/modified dolomite catalyst showed better performance and low cost. The optimum technological conditions were as follows: fluidized bed temperature, 1,073 K; catalytic fixed bed temperature, 1,073 K; the mass ratio of steam to biomass, 2.0.

Biomass fast pyrolysis oil (bio-oil) is considered to be a promising renewable liquid energy carrier. But it cannot be applied in stationary combustion engines, so upgrading is required. A considerable alternative upgrading method is hydrodeoxygenation; the heavy fraction of hydrodeoxygenated pyrolysis oil (HDO-oil) is called HHDO-oil. In this article, HHDO-oil co-processed with paraffin oil in a fixed-bed was studied under the conditions of different temperatures, different weight hourly space velocity, and also different co-processed ratio. It was found that co-processing of 20 wt% HHDO-oil with paraffin oil gave higher yields of liquid and better oil quality than that of the pure paraffin oil cracking. The optimum operating condition was at 520°C, the weight hourly space velocity was 4.0 h−1, and the co-processed ratio was 20%. In this operating condition, it produced the highest yield of liquid, which was 78.65 wt%, including gasoline fraction that was 8.48 wt%, diesel fraction was 37.37 wt%, lubrican...

Steam reforming of biomass derived bio-oil liquid products was an available low carbon technology to produce sustainable hydrogen fuel. In this article, a series of nickel-based catalysts have been prepared. To examine the catalytic steam reforming behaviors over these catalysts in a fixed bed reactor system, several typical oxygen-containing chemicals, including acetic acids, furfural, cyclopentanone, and meta-cresol, that were proved to be contained in the bio-oil feedstock, were first selected as model starting materials. In these tests, yields for hydrogen were taken as an index of the catalyst activity and the catalyst that exhibited the maximum activity by hydrogen yields was then used for the bio-oil steam reforming studies. In this work, it was concluded that the catalyst activity reached a maximum hydrogen yield of 90.56% and decreased in an order of Ni/MgO-La2O3-Al2O3 > Ni/MgO-Al2O3 ≈ Ni/La2O3-Al2O3 > Ni/Al2O3. The yield of hydrogen for steam reforming of the whole fraction of the bio-o...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a pivotal role in cancer progression and development, representing novel therapeutic tools for cancer therapy. Forkhead box Q1 (FOXQ1) functions as an oncogene in various cancer types. However, the functional significance of FOXQ1 in cervical cancer remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the biological function of FOXQ1 in cervical cancer and tested whether or not FOXQ1 can be targeted and regulated by specific miRNAs. We found that FOXQ1 was highly expressed in cervical cancer cell lines. Knockdown of FOXQ1 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) significantly suppressed the proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cervical cancer cells. FOXQ1 was predicted as a target gene of microRNA-506 (miR-506), and this prediction was validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Quantitative real-time PCR and western blot analyses demonstrated that mRNA and protein expression was negatively regulated by miR-506. The expression of miR-506 was downregulated in cervical cancer tissues, and miR-506 expression was inversely correlated with FOXQ1 expression in cervical cancer. The overexpression of miR-506 dramatically suppressed the proliferation and EMT of cervical cancer cells that mimicked the suppression of FOXO1 siRNA. Furthermore, the restoration of FOXQ1 expression significantly reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-506. Overall, our study demonstrated that miR-506 inhibited the proliferation and EMT of cervical cancer cells by targeting FOXQ1 and provided evidence that the miR-506/FOXQ1 axis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer, representing potential molecular targets for the development of anticancer agents for cervical cancer treatment.

Various Ni-Co bimetallic catalysts were prepared by incorporating sol-gel and wet impregnation methods. A laboratory-scale fixed-bed reactor was employed to investigate their effects on hydrogen production from steam reforming of bio-oil. The catalyst causes the condensation reaction of bio-oil, which generates coke and inhibits the formation of gas at temperatures of 250 °C and 350 °C. At 450 °C and above the transformation of bio-oil is initiated and gaseous products are generated. The catalyst also can promote the generation of H2 as well as the transformation of CO and CH4 and plays an active role in steam reforming of bio-oil or gaseous products from bio-oil pyrolysis. The developed 3Ni9Co/Ce-Zr-O catalyst achieved maximum hydrogen yield and lowest coke formation rate and provided a better stability than a commercial Ni-based catalyst.

Hydrogen production from the aqueous phase derived from fast pyrolysis of biomass was carried out by catalytic steam reforming in a fluidized bed reactor. The effects of reaction conditions such as reaction temperature, steam-to-carbon ratio (S/C) and weight hourly space velocity of the aqueous phase (WHSV) on the results of hydrogen yield, potential hydrogen yield and carbon selectivity of product gases were investigated. The effect of reaction temperature on the carbon deposition on catalyst was also studied. The hydrogen yield of 64.6%, potential hydrogen yield of 77.6% and the carbon selectivity for product gases of 84.3% can be obtained at the optimized conditions of reaction temperature 800 °C, S/C 10 and WHSV 1.0 h−1.

Four bifunctional catalysts were prepared by physical mixing of a commercial methanol synthesis catalyst (JC207 catalyst, a catalyst for methanol synthesis, which has been industrialized in China) with zeolite HZSM-5 (Si-Al ratios of 25, 38, 50, 150) as a methanol dehydration catalyst. The bifunctional catalyst (JC207/HZSM-5 [Si/Al = 38]) showed better performance, which can be attributed to more acidic sites with moderate strength of zeolite, and which can control methanol dehydration rate, which is a rate determining step.

HZSM-5 zeolites modified by MgO, CaO, and ZnO were prepared by impregnation and bifunctional catalysts were prepared by modified HZSM-5 zeolites and JC207 catalyst (a catalyst for methanol synthesis, which has been industrialized in China). Evaluation of catalytic activity was conducted in a fixed-bed reactor. Results show, with proper basic oxide-modified zeolite, a Br⊘nsted acid site (strong acid sites) shift to Lewis acid site (weak acid sites). Weak and less strong acid sites on HZSM-5 zeolite are activity centers for the formation of dimethyl ether (DME), whereas strong acid sites for by products such as hydrocarbons. Consequently, the selectivity of CO2 and hydrocarbons decrease, especially with zeolite modified by CaO.

Bio-oil reforming to produce hydrogen could be an attractive option for sustainable hydrogen. Hydrogen production via catalytic steam reforming of bio-oil in a fluidized-bed reactor was studied in this paper. The optimum conditions on hydrogen production were obtained at 700 °C, steam/carbon mole ratio (S/C) of 17, and weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 0.4 h−1. In addition, the reason for catalyst deactivation in a fluidized-bed reactor was investigated. The fresh and deactivation catalysts were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer−Emmett−Teller (BET), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which showed that the carbon deposition is not the main reason for catalyst deactivation. The main reason for fresh catalyst deactivation was the NiO grain sintered on the supporter surface.

Catalytic steam reforming of bio-oil is an economically-feasible route which produces renewable hydrogen. The Ni/MgO-La 2 O 3 -Al 2 O 3 catalyst was prepared with Ni as active agent, Al 2 O 3 as support, and MgO and La 2 O 3 as promoters. The experiments were conducted in fixed bed and fluidized bed reactors, respectively. Temperature, steam-to-carbon mole ratio (S/C), and liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) were investigated with hydrogen yield as index. For the fluidized bed reactor, maximum hydrogen yield was obtained under temperatures 700-800 °C, S/C 15-20, LHSV 0.5-1.0 h -1 , and the maximum H 2 yield was 75.88 %. The carbon deposition content obtained from the fluidized bed was lower than that from the fixed bed. The maximum H 2 yield obtained in the fluidized bed was 7 % higher than that of the fixed bed. The carbon deposition contents obtained from the fluidized bed was lower than that of the fixed bed at the same reaction temperature.