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Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), an economically significant species in the Rhamnaceae family, is a popular fruit tree in Asia. The sugar and acid concentrations in jujube are considerably higher than those in other plants. Due to the low kernel rate, it is extremely difficult to establish hybrid populations. Little is known about jujube evolution and domestication, particularly with regard to the role of the sugar and acid components of jujube. Therefore, we used cover net control as a hybridization technique for the cross-breeding of Ziziphus jujuba Mill and ‘JMS2’ and (Z. acido jujuba) ‘Xing16’ to obtain an F1 population (179 hybrid progeny). The sugar and acid levels in the F1 and parent fruit were determined by HPLC. The coefficient of variation ranged from 28.4 to 93.9%. The sucrose and quinic acid levels in the progeny were higher than those in the parents. The population showed continuous distributions with transgressive segregation on both sides. Analysis by the mixed major gene and polygene inheritance model was performed. It was found that glucose is controlled by one additive-dominant major gene and polygenes, malic acid is controlled by two additive-dominant major genes and polygenes, and oxalic acid and quinic acid are controlled by two additive-dominant-epistatic major genes and polygenes. The results of this study provide insights into the genetic predisposition and molecular mechanisms underlying the role of sugar acids in jujube fruit.

The affecting mechanism of activation conditions on the performance of NaNO3-modified dolomites for CO2 capture was conducted combined with the activation tests and the CO2 absorption tests. The weight loss during activation was determined by the combined effects of the NaNO3 content, activation temperature, and activation atmosphere, for their combined effects on the ion diffusion. Moreover, the greater weight loss during activation did not elicit a corresponding increase in CO2 absorption ability of the activated absorbents. CO2 absorption activity tests indicated that the sample 0.20Na-dol activated at 500 °C in N2 showed the best cyclic CO2 absorption ability. The underlying mechanism was then analyzed based on the results of the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray diffraction, and Raman analysis of the absorbents. The results indicated that the different CO2 absorption abilities might be due to the two kinds of molecular arrangements between the MgO and CaCO3 grains obtained during activation. © 2015 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The cyclic CO2 capture activity of natural CaO-MgO sorbents derived from dolomite or limestone with different MgO contents has been investigated on a TGA, with the consideration of the influence of H2O during the carbonation and calcination. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the brunauer emmett teller (BET) were used to characterize the fresh and used CaO-MgO sorbents. The results have indicated that the natural CaO-MgO sorbent with MgO content of 31.5%-38.7% should be good to improve the cyclic capture activity of CaO. The CaO-MgO sorbent has the best cyclic activity when H2O is present during both carbonation and calcination. H2O changes the sorbent morphology producing bigger particles and pores for the sintering during calcination but makes the sorbent have more stable surface area for the taking palace of the fast kinetic carbonation reaction. Besides, H2O decreases the product layer diffusion resistance and increases the reaction rate during the transition and the product layer diffusion control stage. After sorbent sinters during the reaction cycles, the H2O-improving effect becomes more obvious as the MgO content increases. The results indicate the potential of the natural CaO-MgO sorbent with proper MgO content for cyclic CO2 capture in the presence H2O. Copyright © 2013 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CaO catalyzes NH(3) oxidation, while sulfated CaO catalyzes NO reduction by NH(3) in the presence of O(2), and the adsorption and transformation of ammonia over CaO and sulfated CaO has been investigated by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) to understand their catalytic mechanism. It has been found that ammonia is first adsorbed over Lewis or Brönsted acid sites, and later undergoes hydrogen abstraction giving rise to either NH(2) amide or NH imide intermediates. The intermediates react with NO or lattice O to produce N(2) or NO. Comparing the DRIFTS of NH(3) adsorption over CaO and sulfated CaO, it is obvious that ammonia adsorbed over CaO is activated mainly in NH form apt to react with surface oxygen to produce NO, while ammonia adsorbed over sulfated CaO is activated mainly in NH(2) form apt to reduce NO. The DRIFTS results agree with experimental data and explain the catalytic mechanisms of CaO and sulfated CaO.