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Pre-lithiated multiwalled carbon nanotube anode was prepared by internal short approach(IS) for 5min, 30min and 60min. Lithium ion capacitors (LICs) were assembled using pre-lithiated multiwalled carbon nanotubes as cathode and activated carbon(AC) as anode. The structure characterization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and electrodes were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical performance of pre-lithiated multiwalled carbon nanotube electrodes and pure multiwalled carbon nanotubes electrodes were tested by galvanostatic charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectrum. The electrochemical tests indicate that the charge-discharge performance of LIC is greatly improved by pre-lithiation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes. The energy density reaches about 4 times over conventional electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) at the current density of 100mA/g. The LICs achived a specific capacitance of 57F/g at the current density of 100mA/g with 60min pre-lithiatiation process. The maximum energy density and power density reach 90Wh/kg and 4130W/kg respectively in the current range of 100-3200mA/g. The capacity retention rate remains more than 85% after 1000 cycles. The LIC shows excellent supercapacitor performance.

Nano silicon and multiwalled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs) composites were used as active materials, paper fiber as substrate, MWCNTs as conductive agent, MWCNTs conductive paper was obtained to replace the copper foil current collector and applied in silicon based lithium ion battery. The morphology and the electrochemical performance of the composites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM), galvanostatic charge-discharge tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) tests. The results indicate that the lithium ion battery with MWCNTS paper/nano silicon composites reaches a specific capacity of about 1000mAh/g after 50 cycles in the current density of 80mA/g, and has good cycle stability even in the high current density of 2000mA/g.

Various polycyclic arenes, such as naphthalenes, tetrahydroantharacenes, tetrahydrotetracenes, dihydropentacenes, and dihydropentaphenes are prepared from 2-alkenylphenyl ketones and aldehydes by the catalytic use of copper(II) trifluoromethanesulfonate (Cu(OTf)2) or trifluoromethanesulfuric acid (TfOH). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated carbons, RS-1, RS-2, and RS-3, prepared from rice straw with ( NH4 )2 HPO4 activation were used as adsorbents for removing phenols from aqueous solutions. The maximum adsorption capacities of phenol for RS-1, RS-2, and RS-3 were 163.9, 172.9, and 200.0 mg/g, respectively. The equilibrium data were analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models. It displayed that Langmuir isotherm fitted to the results best. The dimensionless parameter RL indicated the favorable nature of the adsorption of phenol. Otherwise, the kinetic rates were well explained by pseudo-second-order model. According to the results, activated carbon derived from waste rice straw can be a high-performance adsorbent for wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated carbons, RS-1, RS-2, and RS-3, prepared from rice straw with ( NH4 )2 HPO4 activation were used as adsorbents for removing phenols from aqueous solutions. The maximum adsorption capacities of phenol for RS-1, RS-2, and RS-3 were 163.9, 172.9, and 200.0 mg/g, respectively. The equilibrium data were analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models. It displayed that Langmuir isotherm fitted to the results best. The dimensionless parameter RL indicated the favorable nature of the adsorption of phenol. Otherwise, the kinetic rates were well explained by pseudo-second-order model. According to the results, activated carbon derived from waste rice straw can be a high-performance adsorbent for wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The model and shape equation of compression and shear fracture nucleus of rock of earthquakes are briefly recounted in this paper. Recently rock breaking areas with two special shapes have been discovered on palisade of foundation pit excavated for dam in Hunan Province, PR China. The on-the-spot investigation indicates that all two broken areas once had the stress concentration point, and the broken area was initiated and expanded from this point. Both internal crack propagation and the outline shape are consistent separately with the rock compression and shear fracture nucleus with leaf shape of KI, KII mode and the rock compression and torsion fracture nucleus with bud shape of KI, KIII mode given by the shape equations. The further research on the forming process of rock compression and shear fracture nucleus is helpful for impending earthquake prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Effects of different pretreatment protocols in (NH4)2HPO4 activation of rice straw on porous activated carbon evolution were evaluated. The pore structure, morphology and surface chemistry of obtained activated carbons were investigated by nitrogen adsorption, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was found that pretreatment combining impregnation with (NH4)2HPO4 and preoxidation could significantly affect the physicochemical properties of prepared activated carbons. The apparent surface area and total pore volume as high as 1154m2/g and 0.670cm3/g were obtained respectively, when combined process of impregnation followed by preoxidation at 200°C and activation at 700°C was carried out. Meanwhile, the activated carbon yield and maximum methylene blue adsorption capacity up to 41.14% and 129.5mg/g were achieved, respectively. The results exhibited that (NH4)2HPO4 could be an effective activating agent for producing activated carbons from rice straw. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of CH2I2 and CH2ICl with 60 fs laser pulses at 800 and 400 nm has been studied using TOF-MS. Molecular detachment of I2+ and ClI+ are observed. The generation of I2+ and ClI+ can be understood by a concerted elimination mechanism. The kinetic energy released is estimated from the peak splitting of I2+ obtained in the TOF-MS, originated from Coulomb explosion. According to the results, multiphoton ionization is excluded from the possible mechanisms. The observed phenomena are attributed to the interaction of the intense laser field with the molecular potential energy surfaces. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Performance of the novel fiber-ball filter was investigated for the treatment of high-turbidity surface water. Impact of different operating parameters, such as coagulant type, coagulant dose and filtration velocity on the effluent turbidity, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and head loss, as well as the particle removal characteristics were studied. The clean-bed filtration results showed that the fiber-ball filters had a great potential for the removal of turbidity matters. Addition of polymeric aluminum ferric chloride (PAFC) enhanced the removal of effluent turbidity and DOC, while the head loss was also increased. The effluent turbidity could be <0.5NTU and the removal efficiency of DOC was ∼16% when the PAFC was dosed at 12mg/L. The effluent turbidity and DOC increased slightly with increasing filtration velocities (30–50m/h) due to the greater drag forces resulted from higher filtration velocities. However, the head loss was also increased. The particle removal characteristics indicated that large particles were primarily removed in the top 30cm of the filter bed and the deep depth in the bottom 20cm played an important role in preventing the occurrence of turbidity breakthrough. It was also found that particles in the size larger than 2μm could be well removed by the fiber-ball filters, implying the potential application for the removal of protozoa like Cryptosporidium (3–15μm) to meet the desired requirement for drinking water treatment during depth filtration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper aims to explore the inhibitory effect of Yueju Pills on breast cancer and decipher the underlying mechanism. A total of 92 SPF-grade SD female rats were involved in this study, and 14 of them were randomly selected into control group. The remaining 78 rats were administrated with 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene(DMBA) by gavage to establish the breast cancer model. The modeled rats were randomized into model, tamoxifen(1.9 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)), and low-and high-dose(17, 34 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)) Yueju Pills groups. The mental state, food intake, and activities of the rats were observed daily, and the body weight was measured on alternate days. After 12 weeks of administration, the rats were sacrificed and the tumor weight was measured. The serum estrogen and progeste-rone levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The histopathological changes of the breast and tumor were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Western blot was employed to measure the protein levels of glucose transporter 1(GLUT1), lactate dehydrogenase A(LDHA), phosphofructokinase muscle(PFKM), pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2(PKM2), hexokinase 2(HK2), nuclear factor-kappaB(NF-κB), and phosphorylated NF-κB. The intestinal microbiome was examined by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that compared with the model group, high and low-dose Yueju Pills showed the tumor inhibition rate of 15.8% and 64.5%, respectively, and the low dose group had stronger inhibitory effect. Compared with the control group, the model group presented elevated the levels of estrogen and progesterone in serum. The administration of Yueju Pills lowered such ele-vation, and the low-dose group showed stronger lowering effect(P&lt;0.05). Compared with the model group, Yueju Pills reduced the glands with increased breast tissue, the degree of breast duct expansion, the number and area of acinar cavity, the secretions, and the layers of mammary epithelial cells. Furthermore, Yueju Pills down-regulated the expression of GLUT1, LDHA, PFKM, PKM2, HK2, and NF-κB(P&lt;0.05) and altered the diversity, composition, structure, and abundance of intestinal flora. The results showed that Yueju Pills could inhibit breast cancer by regulating the secretion of estrogen and progesterone, glycolysis, inflammatory cytokines, and intestinal flora.

The problem of bacterial resistance has become an important issue in the area of global ecological safety and human health. Waste sludge is an important reservoir and discharge source for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In this study, the quantities of seven tetracycline resistance genes (TC-ARGs), including tetA, tetC, tetG, tetM, tetO, tetW , and tetX , as well as those of class 1 integron ( intI1 ) genes, during anaerobic sludge digestion process were comprehensively quantified by quantitative PCR (qPCR). The effects of different doses of zero valent iron (Fe 0 ) on the decrease and increase in the quantities of TC-ARGs and intI1 genes were investigated. The influence of plasmid conjugation on the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of the target TC-ARGs was preliminarily analyzed. The correlations between the quantities of TC-ARGs and intI1 gene have been discussed. The results showed that the quantities of TC-ARGs and intI1 genes decreased in different degrees during anaerobic sludge digestion, and the abundance of tetX gene was reduced by 2.4 orders of magnitude. When Fe 0 was added, no significant reduction in the quantities of TC-ARGs and intI1 genes was observed. However, as the addition of Fe 0 increased, the quantities of TC-ARGs and intI1 genes increased correspondingly, as compared to those in the control group. The results obtained from the quantities of TC-ARGs carried by plasmid DNA showed that plasmid conjugation probably promoted the HGT of TC-ARGs. A positive significant correlation was found between the quantities of tetG and intI1 genes, indicating that intI1 might play an important role in the evolution of tetG during sludge anaerobic digestion process.

The contents of ten heavy metals (As, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, Zn, Ti, Mn, and Hg) were determined in the surface soils surrounding a municipal solid waste incineration plant in Shanghai using atomic spectroscopy. The spatial distribution and sources of the detected heavy metals were studied by enrichment factor and multivariate statistical and spatial interpolation analyses. In addition, their potential ecological risk was assessed. The results showed that all heavy metals, except Hg and As, were detected with mean contents ranging from 0.399 to 4220 mg·kg -1 . The mean contents of Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, Zn, and Mn were higher than their respective background values in Shanghai. In particular, the mean content of Cd was 2.9 times its background value. The results of the Pearson's correlation, principle component, enrichment factor, and spatial distribution analyses of these heavy metals indicated that Ti, Mn, and Ni primarily originated from natural sources, while Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn originated from industrial manufacturing, combustion, and traffic emissions. The potential ecological risk assessment showed that soils surrounding the municipal solid waste incineration plant suffered from a moderate-level risk. The mean value of the potential ecological risk index of these detected heavy metals was 108.92, of which Cd contributed as high as 79.63%, deserving much attention.

To investigate the effects of zero valent iron (Fe 0 ) on the decline of antibiotic resistance genes during thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sludge, the abundances of seven tetracycline resistance genes (TC-ARGs, including tetA, tetC, tetG, tetM, tetO, tetW , and tetX ) and class 1 integron gene ( intI1 ) were quantified by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Also, the concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were determined. The correlations between the abundances of TC-ARGs and intI1 gene and the concentrations of VFAs were discussed. The results showed that appropriate dose of Fe 0 such as 0.10 g·g -1 VSS could enhance the anaerobic digestion process of sludge, and the production of total VFAs and acetic acid increased significantly. The decrease in the abundances of TC-ARGs and intI1 gene was also enhanced. However, excessive Fe 0 such as 1.17 g·g -1 VSS could not further improve the reduction in the abundances of TC-ARGs and intI1 gene, probably resulted from the occurrence of horizontal gene transfer. The abundances of TC-ARGs except tetO gene, as well as intI1 gene exhibited significant negative correlation with the concentration of acetic acid, indicating that acetic acid probably had an enhanced effect on the decline of TC-ARGs and intI1 gene during thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sludge.

Effect of low-concentration ciprofloxacin (CIP) on nitrification and nitrifying microorganisms of biofilms was studied in biological aerated filters (BAF). Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to determine the abundance variance of four ciprofloxacin resistance genes (CIP-ARGs) during nitrification in biofilms. The correlations between the abundances of CIP-ARGs and nitrifying microorganisms were also discussed. The results showed that CIP had little influence on the ammonium oxidation process of biofilm microorganisms, whereas inhibition of the nitrite oxidation process was found. The quantitative results of ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) including Nitrobacter and Nitrospira indicated that the inhibition on the transformation of nitrite was resulted from the inhibition on Nitrobacter and Nitrospira. In addition, little influence of CIP on the relative abundance of aac and qepA in biofilms was found, but the influence on parC and oqxB was great. The abundance of Nitrotacter exhibited significant positive correlation with the abundance of parC. Similar significant correlation was also found between the abundances of Nitrospira and oqxB. It could be speculated that the genetic elements of different nitrifying microorganisms in biofilms possibly carried CIP-ARGs.

A batch equilibrium method was used to investigate the adsorption characteristics of ciprofloxacin (CIP), tetracycline (TC), sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and triclosan (TCS) onto Huangpu River sediments. Effects of adsorption time, initial concentration, solution pH and temperature on the adsorption process were studied. The results showed that the adsorption process of these PPCPs onto sediments was a two-step process: a rapid adsorption followed by a slow balance. The equilibrium time was about 4 h. The pH value had a significant effect on the adsorption of CIP, TC and TCS, whereas the effect on SMX adsorption was negligible. The kinetic results indicated that the adsorption processes followed the pseudo-second-order model, with adsorption rate in the range of 4.89 x 10(-3)-1.96 x 10(-2) kg x (min x mg)(-1). Adsorption isotherms were well described by the Freundlich and linear equations. As temperature increased, the amount of SMX and TC adsorbed increased, whereas CIP and TCS decreased. CIP, TC and TCS had a strong tendency to adsorb onto sediments, while the adsorption of SMX was unfavorable. When the initial concentration of PPCPs was 10 mg x L(-1), the equilibrium adsorption capacities of CIP, TC, SMX and TCS reached 702.8, 733.1, 54.7 and 695.0 mg x kg(-1), respectively.

Occurrence and distribution of twelve pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) were investigated in a sewage treatment plant in Shanghai using solid-phase extraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-HPLC-MS/MS). Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to determine the distribution and removal of seven erythromycin resistance genes (ERY-ARGs). The results showed that five PPCPs including sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, tetracycline, carbamazepine and triclosan were detected in the collected wastewater samples with concentrations in the ranges of 24.5- 38.7, 47.5-49.2, 43.1-85.4, 2.5-3.9 and 423.2-8 973.3 ng x L(-1), respectively. During the wastewater treatment process, a significant reduction of triclosan was observed, but the removal efficiencies for the other detected PPCPs were relatively low. Additionally, all target ERY-ARGs were detected in the wastewater samples ranging from 9.28 x 10(3) (ermA) to 1.83 x 10(8) (ereA) copies x L(-1) in raw influent. Though significant reductions (1.19 log-3.97 log) of ERY-ARGs were obtained, their concentrations found in the final effluent were still high. Moreover, the concentration of ERY-ARGs exhibited significant positive correlation with the concentration of erythromycin and triclosan (P < 0.05), respectively, elucidating that erythromycin played an important role in the occurrence and spread of ERY-ARGs, while triclosan may confer cross-selection for ERY-ARGs.

Aim: To investigate the characters and changes of peripheral lymphocyte subsets and cytokines in liver transplant receptors with HBV infection in short phases after liver transplantation, and to provide evidences for monitoring post-transplant immune condition of liver transplant receptors., Methods: Peripheral lymphocyte subsets and cytokine levels in pre- and post- transplant 12 h, 3 d, 10 d, 30 d, 60 d of 20 cases of patients with HBV-associated severe hepatic diseases were investigated and analyzed, and were compared respectively with those of 22 cases of healthy adults as control (HC) with flow cytometry (FCM) and ELISA., Results: The patients' accounts of peripheral lymphocyte subsets before liver transplantation were lower than those of HC significantly, but the accounts decreased significantly after transplantation 12 h. Three days later, the accounts of lymphocyte subsets increased significantly. The percentages of CD3, CD4, CD8 and NK cells got to stable stage from post-transplantation 10 d, and the absolute accounts of post-transplantation 60 d were higher than those of pre-transplantation, but were still lower than those of HC; The IFN-γ and IL-10 levels of post-transplantation 12 h increased several times and decreased after 3 days. The IL-10 levels in post-transplantation 60 d were still higher than those of HC., Conclusion: The absolute accounts of peripheral lymphocyte subsets increased to stable levels from post-transplantation 10 d, but were still lower than those of HC; Post-transplant immune condition was to Th2 polarization.

Effects of different pretreatment protocols in (NH(4))(2)HPO(4) activation of rice straw on porous activated carbon evolution were evaluated. The pore structure, morphology and surface chemistry of obtained activated carbons were investigated by nitrogen adsorption, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was found that pretreatment combining impregnation with (NH(4))(2)HPO(4) and preoxidation could significantly affect the physicochemical properties of prepared activated carbons. The apparent surface area and total pore volume as high as 1154 m(2)/g and 0.670 cm(3)/g were obtained respectively, when combined process of impregnation followed by preoxidation at 200°C and activation at 700°C was carried out. Meanwhile, the activated carbon yield and maximum methylene blue adsorption capacity up to 41.14% and 129.5 mg/g were achieved, respectively. The results exhibited that (NH(4))(2)HPO(4) could be an effective activating agent for producing activated carbons from rice straw., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Bacterial adaptation to changing environments can be achieved through the acquisition of genetic novelty by accumulation of mutations and recombination of laterally transferred genes into the genome, but the mismatch repair (MMR) system strongly inhibits both these types of genetic changes. As mutation and recombination do occur in bacteria, it is of interest to understand how genetic novelty may be achieved in the presence of MMR. Previously, we observed associations of a defective MMR genotype, 6bpΔmutL, with greatly elevated bacterial mutability in Salmonella typhimurium. To validate these observations, we experimentally converted the mutL gene between the wild-type and 6bpΔmutL in S. typhimurium and inspected the bacterial mutability status. When 6bpΔmutL was converted to mutL, the originally highly mutable Salmonella strains regained genetic stability; when mutL was converted to 6bpΔmutL, the mutability was elevated 100-fold. Interestingly, mutL cells were found to grow out of 6bpΔmutL cells; the new mutL cells eventually replaced the original 6bpΔmutL population. As conversion between mutL and 6bpΔmutL may occur readily during DNA replication, it may represent a previously unrecognized mechanism to modulate bacterial mutability at the population level, allowing bacteria to respond rapidly to changing environments while minimizing the risks associated with persistent hypermutability., (© 2010 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A series of novel C-12' substituted vinflunine derivatives have been synthesized. Several compounds in this series possess comparable in vitro cytotoxic potency against A549 cell lines.

Objective: To study the changes of red cells nature immune adhesion function (RNIAF) in liver diseases at different stages, and the feasibility of RNIAF in evaluating the severity of liver diseases., Methods: Venous blood was extracted from 682 patients with liver disease, including cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, acute hepatitis, hepatitis gravis, and 50 healthy blood donors as controls. Suspension of red cells in self-plasma was mixed with solution of mouse ascites carcinoma cells. A tumor cell attached with 5 red cells or 2 lymphocytes/granulocytes was counted as one rosette. The adhesion rate was calculated. Serum soluble complement receptor 1 (sCR1) was measured with a newly established sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The CR1 expressed on erythrocytes has assayed by cell-ELISA., Results: The expression of CR1 on erythrocytes was lower among the patients with liver diseases. Compared with that in healthy controls, RNIAF decreased among the patients with various liver diseases (all P < 0.01) in the order of acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis Child's A, cirrhosis Child's B, cirrhosis Child's C, and hepatitis gravis. CHE and PTA decreased and PT increased among the patients with cirrhosis and hepatitis gravis (all P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). RNIAF was positively correlated with CHE, PT, and PTA in patents with cirrhosis. CHE, PT and PTA remained at low levels while RNIAF almost returned to its normal level in the convalescents of hepatitis gravis. CR1 expressed on erythrocytes and sCR1 in serum in various liver diseases were decreased at different degrees, however, they changed significantly later than RNIAF. Serum sCR1 significantly increased in the patients with cirrhosis, particularly in those in grades Child's A to C., Conclusion: Low-cost, easy to operate and with early change and stable results, RNIAF may be used as an important indicator to evaluate the severity of liver diseases. of CHE, PT/PTA. It is an important to evaluate the severity of liver function in clinic.