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A palladium-catalyzed arylation reaction of arylglyoxals with arylboronic acids has been achieved. The reaction produces various acyclic α-hydroxyketones in high yields under mild conditions. Of merits mention, the rigorous exclusion of air and moisture is not required in these transformations, offering a straightforward and practical approach for the synthesis of α-hydroxyketones. [Display omitted] • A novel protocol synthesis of acyclic α-hydroxyketones. • The reaction conditions are mild and do not require inert or anhydrous conditions. • Easy operation and scale-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Four different molasses were tested as alternative carbon sources. • Corn steep liquor (CSL) was tested as an alternative nitrogen sources. • Molasses and CSL serves as a cost-effective medium for ABE fermentation. • Hydrolyzed black soldier fly larval meals were feasible for ABE fermentation. Biobutanol, produced through acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation, has been proposed for use as a transportation fuel and for the development of butanol-based materials. However, the economic viability of ABE fermentation is heavily dependent on the cost of raw materials. This study assesses various carbon and nitrogen sources for ABE fermentation. Carbon sources examined include local molasses (M1), Thai molasses (M2), Taiwan sugar agricultural molasses (M3), and Taiwan sugar edible molasses (M4). Nitrogen sources considered are corn steep liquor (CSL), acid-hydrolyzed black soldier fly larval meal (IA), and enzyme-hydrolyzed black soldier fly larval meal (IE). Our findings reveal that M2CSL, a combination of Thai molasses and corn steep liquor, serves as a cost-effective and efficient medium for ABE fermentation, resulting in a butanol concentration of 7.4 ± 3.5 g/L. Furthermore, our research identifies variations in molasses and their impact on sucrose consumption inhibition. Notably, this study underscores the potential of insect peptone derived from enzyme-hydrolyzed black soldier fly larval meal (IE) as an alternative nitrogen source, while cautioning against the use of insect peptone obtained from acid-hydrolyzed black soldier fly larval meal (IA) due to its inhibitory properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A prodigiosin-producing strain was newly isolated. • The solid-state fermentation is preferred for prodigiosin production. • Soybean dreg is preferred over rice bran and fish meal for prodigiosin production. • The prodigiosin production of 79 mg per kg of soybean dreg can be achieved. Prodigiosin is a red colored pigment with applications in antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, and immunosuppressive activities. It is produced as a secondary metabolite by bacteria genera such as Serratia, Pseudomonas , and Streptomyces. The high-value prodigiosin offers a promising opportunity for the valorization of local food wastes. The newly found red pigment-producing colony was isolated, sequenced, and identified. The red pigment was characterized using UV–VIS and liquid chromatography mass spectrum. Two cultivation methods, submerged culture and solid-state fermentation (SSF), were employed to produce prodigiosin. Three food waste sources, including rice bran, fish meal, and soybean dreg, were employed as both nutrition and solid matrices for SSF. A new red pigment-producing Serratia marcescens NCHU05 was successfully isolated and identified. The red pigment was characterized as prodigiosin. S. marcescens NCHU05 was employed for prodigiosin production. SSF outperformed submerged cultures in prodigiosin production. Specifically, SSF using LB1 agar plate (1 g/L NaCl) yielded 22 mg/kg-dry-solid, while submerged cultures in LB1 medium produced only 3.2 ± 0.2 mg/L. Remarkably, when rice bran, fish meal, and soybean dregs were used as nutrients and solid matrices for SSF, prodigiosin productions of 50, 54, and 79 mg/kg-dry-solid were achieved, respectively. This study illustrates the feasibility of utilizing locally isolated microorganisms to contribute to the valorization of local wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor acidity has emerged as a pivotal regulator of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). However, acidity-based therapy presents challenges of low efficiency and lack of reliable imaging technology for assessing the immune response. Here we report a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided ICB therapy (MRGIT) strategy to modulate and visualize the efficacy of anti-PD-L1 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). MRGIT was achieved by a pH responsive nanoprobe (APPAM@U-104) composed of ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles (USIONs) and a tumor pH regulator (U-104). Notably, the nanoprobes exhibited a T 1 "ON" MR signal in acidic tumors but switched to a T 2 "ON" MR signal in a neutralized tumor microenvironment, resulting in a switchable MR signal from T 1 to T 2 during real-time MRI monitoring. Moreover, the switch of MR signals can serve as an indicator for alleviating tumor immune suppression, thus guiding the timing of anti-PD-L1 therapy. Our results revealed that the MRGIT strategy can potentiate the antitumor efficacy of anti-PD-L1 against pancreatic tumors. Collectively, this strategy sensitively regulates and recognizes tumor acidosis, thus paving the way for the modulation and noninvasive monitoring of anti-PD-L1 efficacy in PDAC. [Display omitted] • We first design a MRGIT strategy using pH-responsive nanoprobes (APPAM@U-104) for the treatment of PDAC. • The APPAM@U-104 nanoprobes can enable real-time observation of tumor pH and remodel tumor acidosis. • By monitoring changes in the MR signal after neutralizing tumor pH, we can time the administration of anti-PD-L1. • It provides a personalized approach for the clinical application in patients with PDAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• nDNA can be formed by changing the negative-charge DNA phosphodiester to neutral methyl phosphotriester. • nDNA reduces DNA duplex formation and stability by causing high entropy penalty and steric hindrance. • Na+ cations help forming DNA duplexes by reducing entropy costs but not the strand charge repulsion. • By destabilizing duplexes, nDNA is a novel oligonucleotide for discriminating single nucleotide polymerphisms. To exploit the formation of DNA duplexes, the charge repulsion between complementary DNA strands can be reduced by adding salts or by replacing the negatively charged natural phosphodiester linkage(s) with charge- n eutral methyl phosphotriester(s) (MPTE) linkage(s) of the synthetic nDNA oligonucleotides. Recently, we reported prominent improvements of detecting target nucleic acids with nDNA probes on liquid-phase PCR and solid/liquid-interface biosensing. To understand the observed improvements from thermodynamics perspectives, we studied the formation and stability of the double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) containing nDNA and/or natural DNA. With the natural DNA oligonucleotides, increment of Na+ cations caused unexpected reductions of favorable enthaply (ΔH) of duplex formation and expected increases of favorable free energy (ΔG) and temperature of melting transition (T m). With one nDNA in duplex formation, the increase of Na+ yielded extra faborable ΔH, yet unfavorable ΔG and T m. Possibly, Na+ cations (> 50 mM) promote the formation of dsDNA through the endothermic release of DNA (and nDNA)-hydrating water molecules more than through the reduction of inter-strand repulsions. The methyl groups of MPTE of nDNA also destabilize the DNA duplexes by hindering the formation of standard double helices. These novel findings explain the duplex-destabilization property of nDNA which enables its discrimination of single-nucleotide polymorphisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ageing retina is prone to ferroptosis due to the iron accumulation and impaired efficiency of intracellular antioxidant defense system. Ferroptosis acts as a cell death modality that is characterized by the iron-dependent accumulation of lipid peroxidation. Ferroptosis is distinctively different from other types of regulated cell death (RCD) at the morphological, biochemical, and genetic levels. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common microvascular complication of diabetes. Its prevalence and severity increase progressively with age. Recent reports have shown that ferroptosis is implicated in the pathophysiology of DR. Under hyperglycemia condition, the endothelial cell and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell will undergo ferroptosis, which contributes to the increased vascular permeability and the disrupted blood retinal barrier (BRB). The underlying etiology of DR can be attributed to the impaired BRB integrity and subsequent damages of the neurovascular units. In the absence of timely intervention, the compromised BRB can ultimately cause profound visual impairments. In particular, the ageing retina is vulnerable to ferroptosis, and hyperglycemia will accelerate the progression of this pathological process. In this article, we discuss the contributory role of ferroptosis in DR pathogenesis, and summarize recent therapeutic trials that targeting the ferroptosis. Further study on the ferroptosis mediated damage would enrich our knowledge of DR pathology, and promote the development of clinical treatment for this degenerative retinopathy. • Ageing retina is prone to ferroptosis due to iron accumulation and impaired antioxidant defense system. • Diabetic retinopathy (DR) acts as a common microvascular complication of diabetes with its prevalence increases with age. • The paper reviews the contributor role of ferroptosis in DR, and summarizes therapeutic trials that targeting ferroptosis. • Exploration of ferroptosis will enrich our knowledge of DR pathogenesis and promote the development of clinical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Graphene oxide/1,3,4-oxadiazole-2,5-diamine (GO-ODA) was prepared as a greener antibacterial material. • The self-assembling GO-diamine interaction is facile, quick, safe, low-cost, and environmentally-friendly. • The aromatic ODA reacted with the oxygenated functionalities on the outer surface of the GO layer. • A near complete E. coli inhibition was achieved with GO-ODA, much better than pristine GO and ODA. The development of effective nanomaterials is becoming important to safeguard the human health from the bacteria-induced infectious diseases. Among the popular nanomaterials, graphene oxide (GO) owns functional groups and exhibits noticeable benefits which are helpful for biological applications. For raising the antibacterial activity with the reinforcement of the active organic molecules like oxadiazoles, a novel GO-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2,5-diamine (ODA) nanomaterial was prepared and characterized for the first time in our study. GO-diamine nanomaterials were synthesized by simply reacting GO with ODA or aliphatic diamine in a water bath at room temperature. In an in vitro antimicrobial activity investigation, 5 mg of the nanomaterial was immersed in 20 mL of the Escherichia coli culture in agar media at 37 °C, and the growth of bacteria was evaluated after 24 h. By XRD analysis, it was found that the increase in d-spacing after the intercalation of aliphatic diamine into GO layers was close to the molecular length of aliphatic diamine, indicating a perpendicular bridging configuration. Conversely, the aromatic ODA reacted with the oxygenated functionalities on the outer surface of GO layer and a free amine was left behind in the terminal. In the bactericide activity test, a near complete E. coli inhibition was achieved only with GO-ODA, much better than pure ODA (30–60 %) and pristine GO (0–20 %). The pure aliphatic diamines showed some extent of antibacterial activity (20–60 %) due to their natural toxicity, but their GO-aliphatic diamine derivatives demonstrated negligible bactericide activity (0–10 %). Conclusively, this study provides a greener and effective antibacterial material without using any catalyst or organic solvent. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel method of combinatorics-based chemical characterization was proposed. • A total of 131 compounds were characterized from Marsdenia tenacissima. • PCA and OPLS-DA were applied to compare different parts of Marsdenia tenacissima. • Tenacissoside H was discovered as a differential component between stems and roots. • The DPPH-scavenging activity and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity were compared. Marsdenia tenacissima is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant used for treating cancer, and its main medicinal part is the stem. Considering the resource shortage of M. tenacissima , it is of great significance to improve its utilization efficiency. Steroids and caffeoylquinic acids, the two main components of M. tenacissima , are composed of several basic structures. Based on this rule, a novel strategy of combinatorics-based chemical characterization was proposed to analyze the constituents of roots, stems and leaves of M. tenacissima. Combinatorics was used to generate a compound library for structure alignment, which has the advantages of wide coverage and high specificity. Steroids are composed of four basic parts: core skeleton (C), substituent at position 11 (A), substituent at position 12 (B) and sugar moiety (S). Based on combinatorics, a compound library consisting of 1080 steroids was generated. Diagnostic neutral loss has been used to effectively predict the substituents at position 11 and 12 of steroids, including acetyl, 2-methylpropionyl, tigloyl, 2-methylbutyryl and benzoyl. As a result, 131, 131 and 99 components were detected from the roots, stems and leaves of M. tenacissima , respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to analyze the differences of roots, stems and leaves, and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was further applied to find differential components. Tenacissoside H, a critical indicator component for quality evaluation of the stem, has been proved to be a differential component between roots and stems. Notably, the relative content of tenacissoside H in the roots was significantly higher than that in the stems. The bioactivity comparison showed that roots, stems and leaves of M. tenacissima had similar scavenging activity on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. However, their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was ranked as leaves > stems > roots. Therefore, besides stems, the other parts of M. tenacissima have potential medicinal value. This study not only helps to develop the resource of M. tenacissima , but also provides a paradigm for the research of other similar medicinal plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

P 3 O 10 5− intercalated Mg/Al hydrotalcite (LDH-P) was successfully prepared by impregnation-reconstruction, and its microstructure and surface chemical properties were characterized. It was found that P 3 O 10 5− anion has completely intercalated into the interlayer space of the LDH-P. And the LDH-P exhibited a higher dispersity and weaker hydrophobicity than the CO 3 2– intercalated Mg/Al hydrotalcite (LDH-C). The LDH-P was investigated as a potential flame retardant for polypropylene (PP) matrix, then the LDH-P and PP composite (PP/LDH-P) was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) as well as the limited oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning UL94 and mechanical test, the results revealed that the introduction of LDH-P into PP not only increased the char residue, but also formed compact and folded morphology of char residue providing more effective protection for underlying materials against heat and oxygen compare with LDH-C. The morphological structures and component observed by digital photos, scanning electron micrograph (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) of fire residues demonstrated that P-C vibration between LDH-P and PP was generated by intercalating LDH-P with P 3 O 10 5− anion. Compared with the LDH-C, the LDH-P promoted the formation of a more continuous and compact char layer during the burning process. Thus, the LDH-P intercalating with P 3 O 10 5− anion enhanced the flame retardancy of PP matrix. Promising developments for use of LDH-P in flame retardant formulations were expected in future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 21st century, sustainable energy and recycling solid waste are becoming two emerging environmental challenges for many countries, especially in a land scarce country like Singapore. Inadequacy of managing energy and waste may contribute environmental issues of climate change and global warming. Everyday million tonnes of solid waste, including sewage sludge, are incinerated before being landfilled in Semakau Island. Recycling and reusing sewage sludge as feedstock in self Fabricated Microbial Fuel Cells (FMFCs) can demonstrate a potential production of sustainable electrical energy. The objective of this project is to modify a conventional Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) containing sewage sludge into a FMFC model to multiply bioelectricity generation. A stable voltage was recorded after 3 hours of equilibration time with the recorded data of 105 mV, 320 mV and 499 mV for 15 g, 30 g and 60 g respectively of sewage sludge in the anode chamber of FMFC. Effect of different pH buffer solutions in the cathode chamber of MFC was also conducted before confirming that pH of 7 resulted the highest voltage of 499 mV. In contrast, the anode chamber with pH of 9 produced the lowest range of voltage 21 mV after overnight equilibration. Four series of FMFC set- up was able to generate three to four times higher voltage of up to 1700 mV at 3 hours of equilibration time. In conclusion, a simple FMFC with a 30% increase in exposed membrane surface area and 500% increase in volume of sludge can increase the voltage production. With sustainable energy generation from sewage sludge, the project can directly minimise incineration works and also prolong the lifespan of Semakau Island. This project can be one- stop- solution in tackling global warming and energy crisis with waste recycling technology compartmentalised in a MFC model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sec-type protein secretion is an alternative approach to recombinant protein production, where protein expression and purification are simultaneously achieved. In this study, uricase (urate oxidase, EC 1.7.3.3) was fused with a sec-type Epr signal peptide to achieve the extra-cellular uricase production in Escherichia coli MG1655. In shake-flask experiments, the enzyme activity and the specific activity in the extra-cellular fraction reached 0.73 ± 0.05 U/mL and 3.17 ± 0.22 U/mg-protein, respectively. When a 3-L bioreactor was used, the extra-cellular fraction exhibited the enzyme activity of 0.74 ± 0.00 U/mL and the specific activity of 2.75 ± 0.35 U/mg-protein. It was estimated that 89 % and 72 % of total enzyme activity as produced were found in the extra-cellular fraction in the shake flask and the 3-L bioreactor, respectively. The uricase secretion in E. coli was further supported by SDS-PAGE. In contrast, no uricase activity was found when Bacillus subtilis 168 was used as the host. This study demonstrates the efficacy of protein secretion using the Epr signal peptide in E. coli MG1655. Finally, this study presents that acidic pH results from the acetate production could be detrimental to extra-cellular uricase production. [Display omitted] • Epr signal peptide from B. subtilis was used for the uricase secretion in E. coli. • A 3.17 ± 0.22 U/mg-protein (extra-cellular part) was achieved in a shake flask. • A 2.75 ± 0.35 U/mg-protein (extra-cellular part) was achieved in a 3-L bioreactor. • The secretion efficiency is 89 % and 72 % in a shake flask and a 3-L bioreactor. • SDS-PAGE shows a uricase purity that is > 80 % in the extra-cellular fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, domestic sweet potato vines were selected as the lignocellulosic material for producing monosaccharides where monosaccharides as produced were used for biobutanol production by Clostridium acetobutylicum . First, the compositional analysis showed that dried sweet potato vines consisted of 17.7 ± 1.5 wt. % cellulose, 4.0 ± 1.4 wt. % hemicellulose, 17.2 ± 1.0 wt. % lignin, 1.5 ± 0.3 wt. % ash, and 8.5 ± 0.5 wt. % moisture. The combination of acid-pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis provided a good total glucose and xylose yields of 0.74 g/g-glucose total and 0.99 g/g-xylose total . However, 0.25 g/g-glucose total and 0.68 g/g-xylose total were released during the acid pretreatment and therefore results in a low sugar concentration in the enzymatic hydrolysis liquid. On the other hand, the combination of alkali-pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis provided total glucose and xylose yields of 0.64 g/g-glucose total and 0.63 g/g-xylose total and most of released sugars were found in the enzymatic hydrolysate. The enzymatic hydrolysate of the alkali-pretreated sweet potato vines (1.5 wt. % NaOH, 12 wt. % sample loading, and a reaction time of 20 min) was used as feedstock for acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation and 6.4 ± 0.2 g/L of butanol was obtained in 72 h with the butanol yield of 0.18 g/g-sugar total . In summary, the efficiency of converting dried sweet potato vines to bio-butanol was 23%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell immobilization is an efficient technique for achieving high-cell density; it has been shown to benefit acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) fermentation. In this study, the biodegradable material, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), was fabricated into plate-like structures by solvent casting (SC) and into fibrous structures by wet jet (WJ) and electrospinning (ES). The BET data showed that the specific surface areas of PHB SC , PHB WJ , and PHB ES were 0.17, 18.30, and 22.45 m 2 /g, respectively. Butanol yields of 0.25 ± 0.04, 0.28 ± 0.01, and 0.20 ± 0.01 g-butanol/g-glucose were obtained for PHB SC , PHB WJ , and PHB ES during batch ABE fermentation. OD 600 of fermentation broths that contain PHB SC , PHB WJ , and PHB ES can be used to evaluate the immobilization ability. It was found that while OD 600 of fermentation broths without an immobilization material was 12.0 ± 1.6, OD 600 of fermentation broths containing PHB WJ was 4.3 ± 0.3, which was the best for the three PHB materials tested. In summary, a high specific surface area with a pore size up to several hundred microns is recommended. The robustness and stability of PHB as an immobilization material for ABE fermentation was clearly confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Compositional/structural characteristics of wine polysaccharides are introduced. • Enological factors affect the wine polysaccharide composition are discussed. • Polysaccharides affect wine organoleptic qualities via different mechanisms. • Analytical procedures for further researching wine polysaccharides are summarized. Wine quality is closely related to various compounds including polysaccharides, a class of crucial macromolecules that affect its chemical and physical properties by influencing the colloidal state or interacting with other compounds via non-covalent bonds. Herein, the composition and structural characteristics of the major polysaccharides identified in wine and the factors influencing their contents are briefly described. An improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms of wine polysaccharides and their practical applications on wine stability and organoleptic qualities is thoroughly discussed. The effects of polysaccharides on wine quality are significantly correlated with their structure and composition as well as wine matrix composition. Thus, to better understand the chemical complexity of polysaccharides, relevant analytical methods are systematically summarized and highlighted, which may ultimately lead to the development of novel winery guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, fed-batch acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) fermentation was coupled with the integrated in situ extraction-gas stripping process. The total glucose consumptions were 255 and 310 g/L at the gas flow rates of 0.5 and 1.0 liter per minute (lpm), respectively. The ABE productivity and yield were 0.65 g/L/h and 0.43 g-solvent/g-glucose at the gas flow rates of 0.5 lpm. When the gas flow rates increased from 0.5 to 1.0 lpm, the ABE productivity and yield became 0.69 g/L/h and 0.48 g-solvent/g-glucose, respectively. The fractional condensation was operated by using two different cold traps where temperatures for the first and second one were 2 and −196°C, respectively. It was found that 71–81 and 64–73% of total stripped water was condensed in the 2 °C cold trap at gas flow rates of 0.5 and 1.0 lpm, respectively. Therefore, high ABE concentrations of 360–460 g/L were found in the second cold trap. The overall separation factor for butanol was calculated to be up to 34 where the raffinate solution is the fermentation broth and the extract solution is the condensate in the −196 °C cold trap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Searching for the signal of primordial gravitational waves in the B-modes (BB) power spectrum is one of the key scientific aims of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments. However, this could be easily contaminated by several foreground issues, such as the interstellar dust grains and the galactic cyclotron electrons. In this paper we study another mechanism, the cosmic birefringence, which can be introduced by a CPT-violating interaction between CMB photons and an external scalar field. Such kind of interaction could give rise to the rotation of the linear polarization state of CMB photons, and consequently induce the CMB BB power spectrum, which could mimic the signal of primordial gravitational waves at large scales. With the recently released polarization data of BICEP2 and the joint analysis data of BICEP2/Keck Array and Planck, we perform a global fitting analysis on constraining the tensor-to-scalar ratio r by considering the polarization rotation angle [ α ( n ˆ ) ] which can be separated into a background isotropic part [ α ¯ ] and a small anisotropic part [ Δ α ( n ˆ ) ]. Since the data of BICEP2 and Keck Array experiments have already been corrected by using the “self-calibration” method, here we mainly focus on the effects from the anisotropies of CMB polarization rotation angle. We find that including Δ α ( n ˆ ) in the analysis could slightly weaken the constraints on the tensor-to-scalar ratio r , when using current CMB polarization measurements. We also simulate the mock CMB data with the BICEP3-like sensitivity. Very interestingly, we find that if the effects of the anisotropic polarization rotation angle could not be taken into account properly in the analysis, the constraints on r will be dramatically biased. This implies that we need to break the degeneracy between the anisotropies of the CMB polarization rotation angle and the CMB primordial tensor perturbations, in order to measure the signal of primordial gravitational waves accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• DNA intermediate is an identified factor in improving the recombineering efficiency. • A short ssDNA is methyl phosphotriester-modified and termed MPTE DNA. • The use of MPTE DNA increases the recombineering efficiency by an order of magnitude. • MPTE DNA cannot serve as a template in PCR. Phage λ-Red recombineering is a powerful genetic tool to edit the bacterial genome. With the demand of the multiplex genome editing, the efficiency of recombineering is worthy to be further improved. The methyl phosphotriester (MPTE)-modified DNA (MPTE DNA) was used as a supplemental molecule during the electroporation of linear DNA, where the MPTE DNA was single-stranded, 69-nt long, had 5 methylation sites on its 5′-end region, and had a sequence complementary to the dsDNA for recombineering. This study is the first to demonstrate that MPTE DNAs enhance the transformation efficiency (TE) for ldhA deletion and for frdABCD deletion by 6- and 12-fold, respectively, with a low total dsDNA loading of 40–70 ng. It is suggested that MPTE DNA acts a protective agent and forms the stable ssDNA- MPTE DNA duplex, where the 3′end of ssDNA is critical in both ssDNA-annealing model and recA -dependent double-strand invasion recombination model. When the duplex reaches the target gene site, the ssDNA intermediate is interchanged and annealed due to a higher melting temperature (Tm) between the ssDNA and the target gene site than that between ssDNA and MPTE DNA. The DNA duplex formation with the DNA protective agent may apply to other genomic or biomedical studies. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)/organo-modified Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (PHBV/m-LDH) nanocomposites and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/m-LDH were synthesized and characterized as a new material for green material usages. The m-LDH was firstly prepared with oleate, magnesium nitrate hexahydrote and aluminum nitrate-9-hydrate by a novel one-step co-precipitation method to intercalate oleate into the interlayer of LDH. The m-LDH was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a high interlayer spacing of 34.0 Å was obtained. To fabricate PHB/m-LDH and PHBV/m-LDH nanocomposites, the solution mixing process was investigated and shown to be an efficient method in this study. The structure, morphology and physical properties of PHB/m-LDH and PHBV/m-LDH nanocomposites were characterized using XRD, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and dynamic mechanical analysis. It has been shown that mechanical properties of PHB/m-LDH and PHBV/m-LDH nanocomposites have improved with the increasing m-LDH content up to tested 5 wt%. Finally, the biodegradability of PHB/m-LDH and PHBV/m-LDH nanocomposites is tested by using Caldimonas manganoxidans as a microbial catalyst. It has been shown that while the addition of m-LDH in each PHB-based nanocomposite enhances their mechanical properties, the addition of m-LDH up to 5% shows insignificant difference in terms of the biodegradability. Meanwhile, it is suggested that the PHB depolymerase of C. manganoxidans is dominated by the exo-type hydrolysis activity, where the degradation of PHB polymer starts from both ends of polymer chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel integrated in situ extraction-gas stripping process (Process 3 in this study) is proposed for running batch Acetone–Butanol–Ethanol (ABE) fermentation. The process involves two butanol separation processes in which butanol is first extracted by oleyl alcohol during ABE fermentation and gas stripping is carried out on butanol in the oleyl alcohol phase at the same time. The butanol productivity and yield of Process 3 is 0.28 ± 0.01 g/L/h and 0.226 ± 0.001 g-butanol/g-glucose. The ABE productivity and yield are 0.46 ± 0.01 g/L/h and 0.374 ± 0.002 g-ABE/g-glucose. Glucose utilization was 97% and initial glucose consumption was 121 ± 2 g/L. Butanol and ABE concentrations of 93–113 and 166–204 g/L in the condensate can be achieved. This study demonstrates that Process 3 as described here enhances ABE fermentation and also results in the production of high purity solvents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) and phosphoribulokinase (PrkA) were overexpressed individually and in combination in Escherichia coli under different fermentation conditions. While wild-type E. coli produced 0.731 mol of CO 2 per consumption of one mole of arabinose, engineered E. coli JB, containing both heterologous Rubisco and PrkA, produced only 0.621 mol of CO 2 per consumption of one mole of arabinose. This represents a 15% reduction in CO 2 emission and achieves 38% of theoretical CO 2 reduction. The CO 2 fixation rate of Rubisco-based engineered E. coli JB is 67 mg-CO 2 ·mole-arabinose −1 L −1 h −1 , which is comparable to the performance of microalgae and cyanobacteria. It has been found that overexpressing Rubisco dramatically elevates the bacteria growth and sugar consumptions in the presence of oxygen and L -arabinose. It has been also found that overexpressing PrkA could demolish the balance of ATP regeneration, yet can be recovered simply by controlling the pH at 7.0 ± 0.1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Batch, fed-batch, and continuous A–B–E fermentations were conducted and compared with pH controlled at 4.5, the optimal range for solvent production. While the batch mode provides the highest solvent yield, the continuous mode was preferred in terms of butanol yield and productivity. The highest butanol yield and productivity found in the continuous fermentation at dilution rate of 0.1h−1 were 0.21g-butanol/g-glucose and 0.81g/L/h, respectively. In the continuous and fed-batch fermentation, the time needed for passing acidogenesis to solventogenesis was an intrinsic hindrance to higher butanol productivity. Therefore, a low dilution rate is suggested for the continuous A–B–E fermentation, while the fed-batch mode is not suggested for solvent production. While 3:6:1 ratio of acetone, butanol, and ethanol is commonly observed from A–B–E batch fermentation by Clostridium acetobutylicum when the pH is uncontrolled, up to 94% of the produced solvent was butanol in the chemostat with pH controlled at 4.5. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cannabis sativa Linn, known as industrial hemp, was utilized for biodiesel production in this study. Oil from hemp seed was converted to biodiesel through base-catalyzed transesterification. The conversion is greater than 99.5% while the product yield is 97%. Several ASTM tests for biodiesel quality were implemented on the biodiesel product, including acid number, sulfur content, flash point, kinematic viscosity, and free and total glycerin content. In addition, the biodiesel has a low cloud point (−5°C) and kinematic viscosity (3.48mm2/s). This may be attributed to the high content of poly-unsaturated fatty acid of hemp seed oil and its unique 3:1 ratio of linoleic to α-linolenic acid. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A novel tri-layer composite membrane consisting of the active layer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, Sylgard® 184) and dual support layers of high porosity polyethylene (PE) and high mechanical stiffness perforated metal was investigated for the separation of 1-butanol from aqueous solution by means of pervaporation. The experimental data show that total flux and separation factor are both increased by placing a layer of hydrophobic PE between the PDMS and the metal support. The enhancement is especially obvious at low temperatures. With the feed solution of 2% 1-butanol at 37°C, the PDMS/PE/Brass support composite membrane confers a total flux of 132g/h/m2 and a separation factor of 32. With the increase of the PDMS thickness, the separation factor increases as the total flux declines. It is suggested that while the water flux remains stable, the 1-butanol flux has linear relationship with respect to the feed concentration of 1-butanol. The overall mass transfer coefficient for butanol was determined to be 6.9E−7m/s using the resistance-in-series model. Using a semi-empirical Sherwood number correlation, the mass transfer coefficient of 1-butanol through the liquid side boundary layer was estimated to be 25.5E−7m/s. This is more than 3 times higher than the overall mass transfer coefficient, indicating that the membrane dominates the mass transfer of the pervaporation process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway is capable of secreting fully folded proteins into the periplasm of Gram-negative bacteria and may thus be an ideal system for the expression of active cofactor-containing proteins. However, the applications of Tat system for such purpose have been plagued by low translocation efficiencies. In this study, we demonstrate that the coexpression of a soluble chaperone, TorD, in conjunction with the TorA signal peptide, the translocation efficiency of GFP can be enhanced by more than three-fold. The enhancement in translocation efficiency is believed to be a result of reduced proteolysis mediated by the binding of TorD toward the TorA signal peptide. We believe this approach can be further exploited for the expression and secretion of other heterologous proteins as well as traditional Tat substrate proteins. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Silica-based immobilized metal affinity chromatography adsorbents with various ligand densities were prepared for the purification and immobilization of poly(His)-tagged d-hydantoinase (DHTase). An adsorbent with a ligand density of 13.0 μmol Cu2+/g gel exhibiting the optimal selectivity and a capacity of 1.4 mg/g gel toward the poly(His)-tagged enzyme was identified. The adsorbent was used for the one-step purification of His-tagged enzymes from crude cell lysate with a purity above 90%. The silica-based affinity adsorbents are particularly well suited for industrial scale operations due to their robustness. A packed-bed bioreactor with the DHTase-loaded adsorbents was used for the continuous conversion of d,l-p-hydroxyphenylhydantoin (d,l-HPH) to N-carbamoyl-d-hydroxyphenylglycine, an intermediate for the production of d-hydroxylphenylglycine. Under optimal conditions, 60 °C and pH 8.0, a conversion of 60% was obtained at a residence time of 30 min. Upon extended operation, the catalytic activity of the biocatalysts declined significantly due to enzyme leakage and enzyme denaturation. The extent of enzyme leakage can be attenuated by crosslinking with glutaraldehyde. In this study, we successfully demonstrate that a packed-bed bioreactor containing silica-based IMAC adsorbents can be used for the direct purification and immobilization of poly(His)-tagged enzymes for biotransformation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The increased knowledge in distribution patterns of traffic-related pollutants can help address the problems of air pollution. Utilities of instrumented unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) who have high mobility are an effective approach to investigate the pollutant distributions. However, UAV-based observations are mostly conducted in open suburban areas and have been rare in urban areas where present severe pollution problems. In this study, an instrumented six-rotor UAV was carried out to investigate the spatiotemporal distributions of air pollutants beside an urban arterial road in Shanghai, China. Both vertical and horizontal distributions of particulate matters (PM), carbon monoxide (CO) within the height of 120 m were investigated. Results show that the vertical fall-off of roadside CO was mainly in a height range of 0–60 m and was 0–40 m for PM. PM and CO concentrations both presented exponential decay in the vertical direction and showed more significant decay in traffic rush hours compared with that in non-rush hours. Meanwhile, the concentration of fine particles (PM 1) was mostly affected by the background concentration while the concentrations of coarse particles and CO were more related to traffic activities. Additionally, at the height of 40 m, the horizontal dispersion of CO could reach over 60 m away from the road, and the increase in pollutant concentrations was mainly in the downwind direction of the road. This study revealed the general trends of vertical and horizontal distributions of air pollutants beside an urban arterial road, which could provide implications in mitigating traffic-related air pollution. Image 1 • Distributions of traffic pollutants were investigated by instrumented UAVs. • The vertical fall-off of roadside CO and PM was mainly in 0–60 m and 0–40 m. • Roadside CO and PM concentrations presented exponential decay vertically. • The horizontal distributions of CO and PM were presented in high resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A metabolomic targeted method for profiling anthocyanin derivatives was developed. • Mass spectral and chromatographic database for anthocyanin derivatives were built. • Total of 37 anthocyanins derivatives were simultaneously profiling analyzed. • Linearity, sensitivity and repeatability were excellent compared to the literature. • PLSDA showed great discrimination on different vintage red wine. Anthocyanin derivatives are critical components that impart color to aging red wine. In this study, we developed a targeted metabolomic method for the simultaneously profiling of the primary thirty-seven malvidin-derived anthocyanin derivatives in red wine, including various pyranoanthocyanins and flavanols-related condensation products. First, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) tandem ion trap and triple-quadrupole (QqQ) mass spectrometry were used to construct the mass spectral and chromatographic database of the anthocyanin derivatives that were formed in a model wine solution. Next, the targeted profiling analysis of these compounds was achieved on a QqQ mass spectrometer in the multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM). The method displayed excellent linearity (R2 0.9391–0.9998), sensitivity (0.221–0.604 μg/L of limit of detection (LOD) and 0.274–1.157 μg/L of limit of quantification (LOQ) equivalent to malvidin-3- O -glucoside (Mv-glc)), and repeatability (less than 10% and 15% for intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviation (RSD) respectively). Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) based on this method showed great discrimination over different vintage wines, thereby promising to be an effective tool in wine anthocyanin and aging related study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An efficient and bio-based alginate pillared layered double hydroxides (SA@LDHs) was successfully prepared. • LOI value of PP/30 % SA@LDHs reached 30.9 % and samples can pass UL-94 V-0 rating. • Synergistic flame-retarding effect of alginate and layered double hydroxides was found. An efficient and bio-based alginate pillared hydrotalcite (SA@LDHs) was fabricated via calcination-reconstruction manner with sodium alginate (SA) and hydrotalcite (LDHs-C), and used as novel flame retardant for polypropylene (PP). The morphologies and combustion properties of SA@LDHs and its hybrid with PP composites (PP/SA@LDHs) had been characterized by SEM, TGA, cone calorimetry, LOI and UL-94 measurements. With 30 wt% loading, the SA@LDHs achieved a LOI value of 30.9 % and a UL-94 V-0 rating, whereas the LDHs-C exhibited only LOI value of 27.6 % and a UL-94 V-1 rating. The peak heat release rate, total heat release and total smoke production of PP/SA@LDHs were 260.8 kW m−2, 61.3 MJ m−2 and 8.2 m2, respectively, which presented declines of 69.2 %, 42.8 % and 32.2 % compared with those of Neat PP. These improvements could be attributed to the presence of the radical-trapping effect of SA, which leading to promote PP chains to participate in the carbonization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Blending for wine color improvement can be realized under different oxygen exposure. • The contribution of modifier wines can be anthocyanins, flavonols, or flavan-3-ols. • Modifier wine contributed flavan-3-ols lead to more color improvement visually. • Base wine with weak phenolic profile was more easily to be chromatically modified. Limited oxygenation and over-oxidation experiments were designed to compare the phenolic and chromatic characters of base wines Cabernet Franc (CF), Cabernet Sauvignon (CS), and their counterparts that blended with modifier wines Marselan (MA) and Petit Verdot (PV). In both limited oxygenation and over-oxidation conditions, all blend wines generally contained higher C* ab , a* and Red%, and lower h ab , b* and Yellow% than their base wine counterparts, because MA contributed flavonols (copigments) and anthocyanins, and PV contributed flavanols (anthocyanin derived pigments precursors). Chromatic changes that can be perceived by human eye (ΔE* ab) in CF based blend wines were more obvious than that of CS based blend wines, which indicate that base wine with lower phenolic concentrations and weak phenolic profiles (CF) might be more prone to be chromatically modified than base wine with higher phenolic concentrations and distinct phenolic profiles (CS). Chemical influences of different blending strategies on anthocyanin derivatives' formations were depending on phenolic profiles of the modifier wines and base wines, and also on the oxygen exposure. The results suggest that the chromatic improvement of base wines could be realized by blending modifier wines under different oxygen exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cosmological CPT violation will rotate the polarized direction of CMB photons, convert partial CMB E mode into B mode and vice versa. It will generate non-zero EB, TB spectra and change the EE, BB, TE spectra. This phenomenon gives us a way to detect the CPT-violation signature from CMB observations, and also provides a new mechanism to produce B mode polarization. In this paper, we perform a global analysis on tensor-to-scalar ratio r and polarization rotation angles based on current CMB datasets with both low ℓ (Planck, BICEP2/Keck Array) and high ℓ (POLARBEAR, SPTpol, ACTPol). Benefited from the high precision of CMB data, we obtain the isotropic rotation angle α ¯ = 0.0 ∘ ± 0.37 ∘ at 68% CL, the variance of the anisotropic rotation angles C α (0) < 0.0032 rad 2 , the scale invariant power spectrum D ℓ ∈ [ 2 , 350 ] α α < 4.65 × 10 − 5 rad 2 and r < 0.059 at 95% CL. Our result shows that with the polarization rotation effect, the 95% upper limit on r gets tightened by 14%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Non-enzymatic browning widely occurs in wine during and after vinification. • Mechanisms of non-enzymatic browning induced by monomeric flavan-3-ols are reviewed. • Chromatic features and contribution of various xanthylium derivatives are discussed. • Factors that influence non-enzymatic browning in wine are summarized. • Insights into the complete reaction pathways of non-enzymatic browning are still lacking. Non-enzymatic browning occurs widely in both white and red wines, and it has a huge impact on the color evolution and aging potential. Previous studies have proved that phenolic compounds, especially those with catechol groups, are the most important substrates involved in browning reactions of wine. This review focus on the current knowledge of non-enzymatic browning in wine resulting from monomeric flavan-3-ols. First, some relevant aspects of monomeric flavan-3-ols are introduced, including their structures, origins, chemical reactivities, as well as potential impacts on the organoleptic properties of wine. Second, the mechanism for non-enzymatic browning induced by monomeric flavan-3-ols is discussed, with an emphasis on the formation of yellow xanthylium derivatives, followed by their spectral properties and effects on the color change of wine. Finally, attentions are also be given to the factors that influence non-enzymatic browning, such as metal ions, light exposure, additives in winemaking, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract P 3 O 10 5− pillared Mg/Al hydrotalcite (HTs P) was successfully prepared by impregnation-reconstruction, and then the HTs-P was modification by rare-earth coupling agent (WOT) to obtain the flame retardant (W-HTs-P) as the filler for polypropylene (PP) matrix. The HTs-P and W-HTs-P samples were characterized using XRD, FT-IR, contact angle measurement, SEM and TG-DTG. The results revealed that W-HTs-P was coated by WOT with smaller particle sizes and their surface property was inverted from hydrophilic to hydrophobic nature. For the W-HTs-P and PP composite (PP/W-HTs-P), the XRD and SEM results indicated that the compatibility between W-HTs-P and PP matrix has been improved. The TGA analysis shown that the char residue rate at 600 °C of PP/W-HTs-P (12.5%) was higher than that of PP/HTs-P (5.3%), and W-HTs-P has proven to enhance the thermal stability of the PP matrix. Besides, W-HTs-P had gained better flammability and mechanical properties for PP matrix. Considering the fact that both the HTs-P and W-HTs-P had a similar layered structure and chemical composition, the improvement of the both physical and mechanical performances of the PP/W-HTs-P composites are due to the slight difference of size distributions resulting from the modification by the WOT. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • The P 3 O 10 5− pillared Mg/Al hydrotalcite (HTs P) was prepared and characterized. • HTs-P was modified by rare-earth coupling agent to obtain W-HTs-P. • The W-HTs-P played an excellent effect on the flame retardancy of PP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Napier grass is a potential feedstock for biofuel production because of its strong adaptability and wide availability. Compositional analysis has been done on Napier grass which was collected from a local area of Taiwan. By comparing acid- and alkali-pretreatment, it was found that the alkali-pretreatment process is favorable for Napier grass. An overall glucose yield of 0.82 g/g-glucose total can be obtained with the combination of alkali-pretreatment (2.5 wt% NaOH, 8 wt% sample loading, 121 °C, and a reaction time of 40 min) and enzymatic hydrolysis (40 FPU/g-substrate). Semi-simultaneous saccharification fermentation (sSSF) was carried out, where enzymatic hydrolysis and ABE fermentation were operated in the same batch. It was found that after 24-h hydrolysis, followed by 96-h fermentation, the butanol and acetone concentrations reached 9.45 and 4.85 g/L, respectively. The butanol yield reached 0.22 g/g-sugar glucose+xylose . Finally, the efficiency of butanol production from Napier grass was calculated at 31%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • phaG and phaC1 genes were heterologously expressed in E. coli. • The recombinant E. coli was able to produce poly(3-hydroxydecanoate). • A gene, PSEEN0908, was found to increase the performance of mcl-PHA production. • FabR substantially increased the mcl-PHA production by an order of magnitude. • The microbial catalysis of mcl-PHA can be derived from various bioresources. The fatty acid metabolism in Escherichia coli has served as a basic metabolic chassis for medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA) production. In this study, the phaG and phaC1 genes from Pseudomonas entomophila L48 were first cloned as pGRN08. E. coli BL21P (E. coli BL21(DE3) Δ ptsG) containing pGRN08 was able to produce 23 ± 3 and 7 ± 0 mg/L homopolymer poly(3-hydroxydecanoate)(P(3HD)) from glucose and xylose, respectively. Next, a gene, PSEEN0908 (encoding a putative 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA ligase), from P. entomophila L48 was found to increase the performance of mcl-PHA production. The induction of the fatty acid biosynthesis repressor (FabR), a transcription regulator that represses UFA biosynthesis, in E. coli substantially increased the mcl-PHA production by an order of magnitude from both unrelated and related carbon source conversion. A mcl-PHA concentration of 179 ± 1 mg/L and a content of 5.79 ± 0.16 % were obtained, where 31 mol% was 3-hydroxyoctanoate (3HO) and 69 mol% was 3HD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, effects of the agitation speed, the flow rate, and type of non-polar gases on the performance of gas stripping was systematically investigated. Macroscopically, the stripping rate of butanol is linearly proportional to the concentration of butanol in the feed solution. Nevertheless, a decrease in butanol selectivity was observed with the increasing butanol concentrations up to 0.01 g/cm 3 . This can be attributed to the thermodynamics reason that with increasing butanol concentrations in the feed, more stripping gas will dissolve in the feed solution that decrease the activity of butanol for mass transfer from liquids to gas bubbles. This can be supported by the use of highly soluble gas of carbon dioxide as the stripping gas where the K s a dropped 48% compared to the nitrogen stripping. By the parameter sensitivity analysis, it has been shown that the dominant variable is the flow rate. The best strategy of maximizing the performance of 1-butanol gas stripping at a given flow rate is to bubble the gases at a high superficial velocity, which leads to a less resistance on the liquid side for mass transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, six rare earth complexes based on 8-hydroxylquinoline-schiff base (HL = 5-(2-furanimino)-8-hydroxylquinoline) were synthesized and characterized. Notably, complex 3 emits characteristic near-infrared luminescence of the corresponding Er3+ ions when excited by ultraviolet spectrum of 350 nm, which demonstrates the efficient energy transfer from the excited triplet states of the ligands to the central Er3+ ions. [Display omitted] Five lanthanide-containing complexes, featured with the structural formula of [Ln 4 (L 1) 4 (L) 6 (μ 3 -OH) 2 ]·m(CH 3 CN) and a related binuclear Yb-based complex, were synthesized and structurally characterized (HL = 5-(2-furanimino)-8-hydroxylquinoline; HL 1 represents for β -diketone ligand). The solid-state near-infrared fluorescence was also tested. Complex 3 emits characteristic near-infrared luminescence of the corresponding Er3+ ions when excited by ultraviolet spectrum of 350 nm, which demonstrates the efficient energy transfer from the excited triplet states of the ligands to the central Er3+ ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress is the common mechanism of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) caused by many factors, such as noise, drugs and ageing. Here, we used tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) to cause oxidative stress damage in HEI-OC1 cells and in an in vitro cochlear explant model. We observed lipid peroxidation, iron accumulation, mitochondrial shrinkage and vanishing of mitochondrial cristae, which caused hair cell ferroptosis, after t-BHP exposure. Moreover, the number of TUNEL-positive cells in cochlear explants and HEI-OC1 cells increased significantly, suggesting that t-BHP caused the apoptosis of hair cells. Administration of deferoxamine (DFOM) significantly attenuated t-BHP-induced hair cell loss and disordered hair cell arrangement in cochlear explants as well as HEI-OC1 cell death, including via apoptosis and ferroptosis. Mechanistically, we found that DFOM treatment reduced t-BHP-induced lipid peroxidation, iron accumulation and mitochondrial pathological changes in hair cells, consequently mitigating apoptosis and ferroptosis. Moreover, DFOM treatment alleviated GSH depletion caused by t-BHP and activated the Nrf2 signalling pathway to exert a protective effect. Furthermore, we confirmed that the protective effect of DFOM mainly depended on its ability to chelate iron by constructing Fth1 knockout (KO), TfR1 KO and Nrf2 KO HEI-OC1 cell lines using CRISPR/Cas9 technology and a Flag-Fth1 (overexpression) HEI-OC1 cell line using the Flp In™ System. Our findings suggest that DFOM is a potential drug for SNHL treatment due to its ability to inhibit apoptosis and ferroptosis by chelating iron and scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS). [Display omitted] • Deferoxamine is a potential drug for sensorineural hearing loss treatment. • Deferoxamine prevents ototoxicity by inhibiting hair cell apoptosis and ferroptosis. • Gene knocked out or overexpression cells were constructed to explore the mechanism. • Fe2+ plays a key role in the deferoxamine -mediated oto-protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel fire retardant containing nitrogen and sulfur anion (triazine-sulphonate) was synthesized and then was directly intercalated into the interlayer of Mg/Al hydrotalcite (LDHs) by calcination-reconstruction manner to obtain nitrogen- and sulfur- containing flame retardant (LDH-NS) for polypropylene (PP) matrix. The microstructure and combustion properties of LDH-NS and its hybrid with PP composite (PP/LDH-NS) have been comprehensively characterized. XRD and SEM/EDS indicated that LDH-NS exhibited better dispersion than CO 3 2– intercalated LDHs (LDH-C) in the PP matrix. TGA showed that the thermal stability of PP/LDH-NS composites was enhanced. Cone calorimetry tests (CCT) illustrated that the peak heat release rate (PHRR), total heat release (THR) and total smoke release (TSR) of PP/LDH-NS composites were 255.8 kW m−2, 61.3 MJ m−2 and 205.7 m2 m−2, respectively, which exhibited declines of 69.7%, 43.1% and 75.0% compared with those of Neat PP. Furthermore, the PP/LDH-NS composites presented a limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 28.6% and exhibited a vertical burning test (UL-94) V-1 rating at 30 wt% loading LDH-NS. All of these revealed that triazine sulfonate-modified LDHs significantly improved the fire performance of the PP matrix by increasing the char formation of PP/LDH-NS composites. Moreover, by adding the LDH-NS as filler for the PP matrix could promote the mechanical properties of PP/LDH-NS composites. The 30 wt% LDH-NS shown a significant fire retardance and thermal stability of PP matrix. Unlabelled Image • A fire retardant containing N and S anion (triazine-sulphonate) was synthesized. • Triazine-sulphonate pillared layered double hydroxides (LDH-NS) was prepared. • The 30 wt% LDH-NS shown a significant fire retardance and thermal stability of PP. • Triazine-sulphonate significantly promoted the flame retardancy of hydrotalcite to PP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonium polyphosphate (APP) is well known to have a synergistic action with phosphorus-based flame retardants in enhancing the flame retardant performance of matrix polymers, but the effect of APP and phosphorous-containing hydrotalcite on synergistic effect and degradation mechanism of polypropylene (PP) has not been thoroughly studied. In the present work, a synergistic flame retardant containing P 3 O 10 5− intercalated Mg/Al hydrotalcite modified by rare-earth coupling agent (W-LDH-P) and APP were prepared and used as compounded flame retardant (W-LDH-P/APP) for PP matrix. The W-LDH-P/APP and PP composites(PP/W-LDH-P/APP) possess a limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 27.8% and achieves the V-0 standard of the flame retardant plastic. Additionally, the heat release rate (HRR), total heat release (THR) and total smoke release (TSR) for the PP/W-LDH-P/APP composites were decreased by 44.0%, 21% and 75% compared with PP/W-LDH-P. These results demonstrate that APP dramatically enhances the flame retardancy of the PP. The synergistic effect and degradation mechanism of APP and W-LDH-P are confirmed by SEM and TGA analysis. These analyses reveal that the APP and W-LDH-P promoted the formation of a more continuous and compact char layer during the burning process for PP matrix. Unlabelled Image • Hydrophobic hydrotalcite and ammonium polyphosphate were used as compounded flame retardant. • Flame-retardant mechanism of the compounded flame retardant for PP matrix was obtained. • The compounded flame retardant played an excellent effect on the flame retardancy of PP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel Ferrostatin-1-loaded thermosensitive nanodelivery system was constructed. • Intratympanic injection of this nanodelivery system had little effect on hearing. • Long-term drug retention (at least 7 d) in the middle ear was demonstrated. • Little inflammatory response in the middle ear was demonstrated. • This local drug delivery system improved hearing recovery and hair cell protection. Hearing loss is one of the most difficult sensory disorders to treat because of complicated anatomical and physiological barriers, which result in systemic administration, making it difficult to achieve effective drug concentrations in the inner ear. We recently found that the ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) can alleviate noise-induced hearing loss but large doses and multiple injections are required. Here, a novel Fer-1-loaded thermosensitive nanodelivery system was constructed by combining the advantages of chitosan (CS) and poly(d , l -lactide- co -glycolide acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs). β-Glycerophosphate disodium (β-GP) was added to the gel to make it temperature-sensitive. This thermosensitive nanodelivery system could be injected into the middle ear, change into a semisolid phase, and stick to the middle ear mucosa. In vivo experiments indicate that the gel prolonged retention for at least 7 d, causing little inflammatory response. In addition, the injection of the gel caused a temporary increase in the hearing threshold, but mice returned to normal hearing within 3 d. Finally, we demonstrated that this Fer-1-loaded thermosensitive nanodelivery system could alleviate noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) by reducing the loss of outer hair cells (OHCs), inner hair cell (IHC) ribbon synapses, and auditory nerve fibers (ANFs) in a mouse model. Our results demonstrate that intratympanic injection of the Fer-1-loaded thermosensitive nanodelivery system is a safe and effective way to attenuate NIHL, providing a new idea for the treatment of NIHL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe sarcopenia may result in severe disability. Early diagnosis is currently the key to enhancing the treatment of sarcopenia, and there is an urgent need for a highly sensitive and dependable tool to evaluate the course of early sarcopenia in clinical practice. This study aims to investigate longitudinally the early diagnosability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based fat infiltration and blood flow perfusion technology in sarcopenia progression. 48 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into six groups that were based on different periods of dexamethasone (DEX) injection (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 days). Multimodal MRI was scanned to assess muscle mass. Grip strength and swimming exhaustion time of rats were measured to assess muscle strength and function. Immunofluorescence staining for CD31 was employed to assess skeletal muscle capillary formation, and western blot was used to detect vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and muscle ring finger-1 (MuRF-1) protein expression. Subsequently, we analyzed the correlation between imaging and histopathologic parameters. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness of quantitative MRI parameters for discriminating diagnosis in both pre- and post-modeling of DEX-induced sarcopenic rats. Significant differences were found in PDFF, R2* and T2 values on day 2 of DEX-induction compared to the control group, occurring prior to the MRI-CSA values and limb grip strength on day 6 of induction and swimming exhaustion time on day 8 of induction. There is a strong correlation between MRI-CSA with HE-CSA values (r = 0.67; p < 0.001), oil red O (ORO) area with PDFF (r = 0.67; p < 0.001), microvascular density (MVD) (r = −0.79; p < 0.001) and VEGF-A (r = −0.73; p < 0.001) with R2*, MuRF-1 with MRI-CSA (r = −0.82; p < 0.001). The AUC of PDFF, R2*, and T2 values used for modeling evaluation are 0.81, 0.93, and 0.98, respectively. Imaging parameters PDFF, R2*, and T2 can be used to sensitively evaluate early pathological changes in sarcopenia. The successful construction of a sarcopenia rat model can be assessed when PDFF exceeds 1.25, R2* exceeds 53.85, and T2 exceeds 33.88. • PDFF, R2*, and T2 values demonstrate greater sensitivity than MRI-CSA, grip strength, and muscle function • Quantitative MRI parameters were strongly correlated with tissue molecular biology parameters. • Successful construction of a sarcopenia rat model can be assessed when PDFF is >1.25, R2 * is >53.85, and T2 is >33.88. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An improved factored modal combination method is developed for evaluating the in-plane seismic demands of latticed arches. In the method, an improved equivalent static earthquake load profile (ESELP) is proposed and expressed as a combination of several modal ESELPs. Two factors, an extended modal combination factor and a modal load modification factor, are proposed and used to establish the modal ESELPs, in which higher mode and geometrical nonlinear effects are taken into account. A set of improved ESELPs are established by combining the modal ESELPs of the selected modes that contribute significantly to the structural response. The structural demands are obtained from the envelope result of nonlinear pushover analyses using all the improved ESELPs. Three circular latticed arch models and two non-circular latticed arch models are built, and 30 seismic excitations are selected to investigate the applicability of the proposed method. The results show that, for latticed arches whose number of significant modes is less than or equal to three, the proposed method provides relatively high accuracy in the estimation of seismic demands. The mean errors of the seismic demands given by the proposed method are relatively low compared with those obtained from the factored modal combination method and the extended modal pushover analysis. • An improved ESELP is proposed to simulate the actual earthquake load profile for inelastic system. • The geometrical nonlinear effect and higher mode effect are considered in the improved ESELP. • The modal coupling effect is considered in the estimation of each mode contribution. • An improved FMC method for in-plane seismic evaluation of planar latticed arches is proposed. • The proposed method can be used to predict both the displacement demand and the base shear demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ABE fermentation integrated extraction-gas stripping was performed in a 5-L PBR. • The inoculation in the PBR should be specifically executed. • Butanol productivity of 2.5 g L-1 h−1 was achieved with a dilution rate of 0.5 h−1. • Inhomogeneous bacterial growth in PBR was the critical issue at the 5-L scale. A 5-L pilot-scale packed-bed bioreactor with integrated in situ extraction/gas-stripping was designed and manufactured for automated acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation using immobilized Clostridium acetobutylicum. A continuous run of 770-h demonstrated the robustness of the bioreactor. Optimal inoculation protocols were developed to prevent mass transfer hindrance and improve butanol productivity and bacterial growth. At a dilution rate of 0.1 h−1, an improvement of 0.44 g L−1 h−1 in butanol productivity was observed with the continuous process coupled with extraction/gas-stripping. However, it was found that the bacterial formation within the packed bed was inhomogeneous, with dense bacterial growth observed only at the bottom. Therefore, inhomogeneous bacterial growth cannot be simply overcome with the in situ extraction/gas-stripping process. This highlights the need to address the issue of inhomogeneous bacterial growth in pilot-scale packed-bed reactors to improve their efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately estimating peak penetration resistance in punch-through sensitive deposits is crucial for managing risks during jack-up rig installations. While offshore clays exhibit significant spatial variability, necessitating consideration of spatial variability in predicting peak penetration resistance. This study investigates the effects of spatial variability of underlying clay on the failure mechanism and magnitude of peak penetration resistance during punch-through incidents. The Modified Linear Estimation Method was used to generate three-dimensional random fields, incorporated into coupled Eulerian Lagrangian finite element analyses to simulate spudcan penetration from the ground surface. Results show that while spatial variability has an insignificant effect on the failure mechanism in the upper sand layer, it significantly alters soil flow in the underlying clay, leading to variations in peak penetration resistance. The peak penetration resistance follows a log-normal distribution, and a relationship was established between the probability of failure and the factor of safety. This study highlights the importance of considering soil spatial variability and demonstrates the significant impact of underlying clay on the failure mechanism and magnitude of peak penetration resistance during punch-through incidents, which might be helpful for the safety management of industry. • The influence of spatial variability on the failure mechanism and ultimate punch-through capacity during the continuous penetration of spudcan in sand overlying spatially variable clay is explicitly simulated. • Study considers clay variability, large deformation, strain hardening/softening, and sand dilation. • Spatial variability has negligible impact on failure mechanism within sand, but significant impact failure mechanism within clay. • A reliability-based approach is developed by establishing the relationship between safety factor and failure probability to assist engineers in probability-based design practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical and experimental investigations are presented for the precision measurement of evaporation kinetics of binary mixtures using a quartz crystal resonator. A thin layer of light alcohol mixture including a volatile (methanol) and a much less volatile (1-butanol) components is deployed on top of a crystal resonator for the evaporation experiment. A one-dimensional theoretical model is developed to describe the underlying mass transfer and interfacial transport phenomena. Along with the theoretical analysis, the transient evaporation kinetics, moving interface, and the stratification of viscosity of the liquid mixture during evaporation can be simultaneously measured by the impedance response of the shear and longitudinal waves emitted from the resonator. The result on the binary mixture presents a simplified model system for further investigations of complicated evaporation kinetics involving complex fluids or multi-component fuel systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Rubisco-based engineered Escherichia coli , containing two heterologous enzymes of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) and phosphoribulokinase (PrkA), has been shown to be capable of the in situ recycling of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) during glycolysis. Two alternative approaches have been proposed to further enhance the carbon flow from glycolysis to a Rubisco-based pathway through the non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (NOPPP). The first is achieved by elevating the expression of transketolase I (TktA) and the second by blocking the native oxidation–decarboxylation reaction of E. coli by deleting the zwf gene from the chromosome (designated as JB/pTA and MZB, respectively). Decreases in the CO 2 yield and the CO 2 evolution per unit mole of ethanol production by at least 81% and 40% are observed. It is demonstrated in this study that the production of one mole of ethanol using E. coli strain MZB, the upper limit of CO 2 emission is 0.052 mol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface functionalization of quartz is of practical importance for versatile applications. Amine functionality is constructed on quartz via surface composite engineering with an amine-terminated organosilane, 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane (APTMS). In this study, we demonstrate a facile co-silanization method which bulky triphenylsilanol (TPS) is introduced to spatially confine the grafting orientation of functional APTMS, giving rise to a well-organized APTMS-TPS composite nanolayer to maximize amine functionality and suppress molecular agglomeration. Contact angle measurement, atomic force microscopy, angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Kelvin probe force microscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and energy minimization calculation are used to identify the well-organized conformations of surface co-silanization. The co-silanized APTMS-TPS composite nanolayer exhibits high efficacy in the metal immobilization, acting as an adhesion promoter to increase the adhesion strength of Ni/quartz heterojunction. Immobilization of Ag nanoparticles on amine-functionalized quartz is also achieved which is a facile method to prepare an efficient antimicrobial surface. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, engineered butanologenic Escherichia coli T5 constructed by the OGAB method was used for 1-butanol production. The results showed the feasibility of the artificial butanologenic operon, (Promoter Pr)-thil-crt-bcd-etfB-etfA-hbd-adhe1-adhe, where the 1-butanol titer, specific BuOH yield, and BuOH yield were 4.50mg/L, 4.50mg-BuOH/g cell, and 0.35mg-BuOH/g-glucose, respectively. Fermentation conditions of anaerobic, low initial concentrations of carbon sources, low oxidation state of carbon source, pH of 6, addition of glutathione and citrate, had been shown for efficiently improving the 1-butanol production. The premise behind these fermentation approaches can be categorized into two lines of reasoning, either elevated the availability of acetyl-CoA or lowered the intracellular redox state. By comparing the fermentation conditions tested in this study, pH has been shown to be the most efficiency strategies for 1-butanol production while the replacement of glucose with glycerol provides the highest improvement in butanol yield. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Vitamin A has the neuroprotective effects of promoting the proliferation of endogenous NSCs after hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD). • In this study, we revealed that RA exerted neuroprotective effects through the promotion of cell proliferation by β-catenin signaling pathway. • A concentration of 1 μmol/L RA to 5 μmol/L RA may be a suitable to protect PC12 cells against oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced injury. Our previous experiments found that a suitable dose of vitamin A (VA) can affect neuronal apoptosis after hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) by binding to RARα to activate the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway; however, the other neuroprotective effects of VA after HIBD, for example, whether it promotes neural stem cell (NSC) proliferation, remain unclear. In this study, in vivo and in vitro experiments revealed that VA regulates β-catenin signaling through RARɑ to affect NSC proliferation after HIBD and to improve neurocognitive outcomes. Because of the accumulation and suspended growth characteristics of NSCs, we performed in vitro experiments with PC12 cells to mimic NSCs. Flow cytometry, CCK8, EdU staining, immunofluorescence and behavioral tests were performed to explore the effects of retinoic acid (RA) on NSC proliferation and post-HIBD function. The expression of RARα and β-catenin pathway components were measured by real-time PCR and Western blotting. We found that the learning and memory of the VA-deficient (VAD) group was more seriously damaged than that of the VA normal (VAN) group. The proliferation of hippocampal NSCs was significantly decreased in the VAD group compared with the VAN group. The mRNA and protein expression of RARɑ, AKT, GSK-3β, β-catenin and Cyclin D1 were significantly lower in the VAD group than in the VAN group. In vitro, too high and too low of an RA intervention resulted in decreased proliferation, while an appropriate RA concentration (1−5 μmol/L) significantly promoted proliferation, S phase cells and high β-catenin pathway expression. These results suggested that VA can exert a neuroprotective effect by promoting the proliferation of hippocampal NSCs after neonatal HIBD injury at the appropriate concentration. VA activates RARɑ, which regulates the β-catenin signaling pathway, which in turn upregulates Cyclin D1 expression, promotes NSC proliferation, and finally plays a role in the neuroprotective effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]