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The electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) is an advanced and promising technology for fabricating micro structures. This method is effectively applicable for non-conductive hard and brittle materials micromachining, such as glass and ceramics. However, the ceramics high melting point and intense heat exchange effects during microchannel fabrication lead to the easy dissipation of thermal energy and the difficulty in processing. To address this issue and expanded the ECDM processing range. This paper dedicated to the investigation of the material removal mechanism and process characteristics for the alumina ceramic surfaces microchannels preparation. Firstly, this study explained the difference of the ECDM critical applied voltage and gas film generation mechanism by analyzing the volt-ampere characteristic curve of 20 wt% NaOH electrolyte with a tool immersed depth of 2 mm and 10 mm respectively. Then, a thermal removal finite element model (FEM) for ECDM was developed. The heat cumulative and intermittent cooling effects applied on the alumina ceramic surface dominated the materiel removal. Additionally, it can be found that the microchannel machining accuracy and bottom surface quality depended on the Gaussian heat source characteristics, gas film formation mechanism, heat accumulation effect, and temperatures spatial and temporal distribution. And a series of single factor experiments for evaluating the parametric studies such as the effect of discharge frequency, applied voltage, duty ratio and tool feed rate on the fabricated microchannel performance are executed. Finally, the complex three-dimensional structures of cross microchannel grid and zigzag microchannel array with variable depth were successfully fabricated on aluminum oxide ceramic surface. Notably, the results highlighted and enriched the ECDM stability, consistency and applicability for alumina ceramic surface microchannel fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity predisposes to type 2 diabetes (T2D) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. Potassium channel tetramerization domain-containing protein 17 (Kctd17) levels are increased in livers from obese mice and humans. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of increased Kctd17 and whether it is causal to obesity-induced metabolic complications. We transduced Rosa26-LSL-Cas9 knockin mice with AAV8-TBG-Cre (Control), AAV8-U6-Kctd17 sgRNA-TBG-Cre (L-Kctd17), AAV8-U6-Oga sgRNA-TBG-Cre (L-Oga), or AAV8-U6-Kctd17/Oga sgRNA-TBG-Cre (DKO). We fed mice a high-fat diet (HFD) and assessed for hepatic glucose and lipid homeostasis. We generated Kctd17 , O-GlcNAcase (Oga) , or Kctd17/Oga -knockout hepatoma cells by CRISPR-Cas9, and Kctd17 -directed antisense oligonucleotide to test therapeutic potential in vivo. We analyzed transcriptomic data from patients with NAFLD. Hepatocyte Kctd17 expression was increased in HFD-fed mice due to increased Srebp1c activity. HFD-fed L-Kctd17 or Kctd1 7 antisense oligonucleotide–treated mice show improved glucose tolerance and hepatic steatosis, whereas forced Kctd17 expression caused glucose intolerance and hepatic steatosis even in lean mice. Kctd17 induced Oga degradation, resulting in increasing carbohydrate response element-binding protein (Chrebp) protein, so concomitant Oga knockout negated metabolic benefits of hepatocyte Kctd17 deletion. In patients with NAFLD, KCTD17 messenger RNA was positively correlated with expression of Chrebp target and other lipogenic genes. Srebp1c-induced hepatocyte Kctd17 expression in obesity disrupted glucose and lipid metabolism by stabilizing Chrebp, and may represent a novel therapeutic target for obesity-induced T2D and NAFLD. Hepatocyte Kctd17 expression is increased in obesity, which predisposes to insulin resistance and liver fat accumulation. Blocking excess Kctd17 by either genetic or pharmacologic means reverses these pathologic processes, by decreasing Chrebp protein stability, a key factor that regulates both glucose and lipid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

50%–80% of the hydrocarbons in gasoline engine emissions come from during cold starts. Zeolites are often used to adsorb HCs during gasoline engine cold-starting. In order to investigate the effect of adsorption enhancement of different molecular sieves on HCs during gasoline engine cold-starting. In this paper, the adsorption properties of Beta, MOR and FER zeolites at different temperatures were simulated based on Monte Carlo method using propylene and toluene as probe molecules. The results show that all three molecular sieves exhibit good adsorption properties at low temperatures. The adsorption capacity decreased with increasing temperature. The molecular sieves tend to adsorb molecules with diameters similar to the pore size of zeolite. In addition, the three-dimensional zeolites Beta and FER showed better adsorption properties than the one-dimensional zeolites. Based on Monte Carlo method, the adsorption properties of Beta, MOR and FER molecular sieves were investigated at different temperatures under multi-components using toluene, isopentane, propylene, ethylene, methane and water as adsorbents. The results showed that there was a competitive adsorption among the components due to the limited adsorption sites in the molecular sieve channels. Large molecules such as toluene and isopentane occupied most of the adsorption sites and hindered the adsorption of small molecules. • Adsorption models of the different zeolites are established and validated. • Hydrocarbon adsorption performance of the different zeolites is investigated. • Influence characteristics of the hydrocarbon adsorption efficiency are gotten. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed at evaluating the size and microstructure of cellulose fibres modified via ultrafine ball-milling methods and investigated the effects of these fibres on the rheological properties, compressive strength, hydration behaviour, and pore structure of cement paste in the early stage of hydration by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), isothermal calorimetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TG), low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF NMR) and electrical resistivity. The results showed that the ultrafine ball-milling method with a velocity of 500 r/min effectively produced cellulose fibre-sheets (CFS) by rupturing intermolecular hydrogen bonds. And their microstructure was transformed from a "fibrous structure" to a "fibre-sheet structure", which improved the rheological properties and early compressive strength of cement by bridging effect between the cement particles, hydration products, and CFS. Meanwhile, CFS provided more nucleation sites for hydration products accelerating the early hydration rate without changing the structure of hydration products. Compared to pure cement paste, the cumulative heat released from the CFS-cement paste with 0.3% CFS increased by 14%, reaching 113.34 J/g over 20 h. Besides, CFS altered hydration product distribution and increased product content, thus rapidly decreasing the pore connectivity of cement paste. Hydrating for 12 h, the cement paste containing 0.3% CFS had a reduction in pore connectivity from 0.25 to 0.07, which decreased by 72% in contrast with that of pure cement paste. • Ultrafine ball milling was used to prepare micro- and nano-fibers. • Effect of micro- and nano-fibres on the early pore structure of cement in the early hydration stage was investigated. • Micro- and nano-fibres quickly decreased the pore connectivity of cement paste in the early hydration stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is a well-established risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Herein, we aimed to identify novel pathogenic factors (and possible therapeutic targets) underlying metabolic dysfunction in the liver. We applied a tandem quantitative proteomics strategy to enrich and identify transcription factors (TFs) induced in the obese liver. We used flow cytometry of liver cells to analyze the source of the induced TFs. We employed conditional knockout mice, shRNA, and small-molecule inhibitors to test the metabolic consequences of the induction of identified TFs. Finally, we validated mouse data in patient liver biopsies. We identified PU.1/SPI1, the master hematopoietic regulator, as one of the most upregulated TFs in livers from diet-induced obese (DIO) and genetically obese (db/db) mice. Targeting PU.1 in the whole liver, but not hepatocytes alone, significantly improved glucose homeostasis and suppressed liver inflammation. Consistently, treatment with the PU.1 inhibitor DB1976 markedly reduced inflammation and improved glucose homeostasis and dyslipidemia in DIO mice, and strongly suppressed glucose intolerance, liver steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis in a dietary NASH mouse model. Furthermore, hepatic PU.1 expression was positively correlated with insulin resistance and inflammation in liver biopsies from patients. These data suggest that the elevated hematopoietic factor PU.1 promotes liver metabolic dysfunction, and may be a useful therapeutic target for obesity, insulin resistance/T2D, and NASH. Expression of the immune regulator PU.1 is increased in livers of obese mice and people. Blocking PU.1 improved glucose homeostasis, and reduced liver steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis in mouse models of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Inhibition of PU.1 is thus a potential therapeutic strategy for treating obesity-associated liver dysfunction and metabolic diseases. • Liver, primarily macrophage, PU.1 expression is increased in obese mice and people. • Targeting Pu.1 inhibits the inflammatory response in macrophages. • Pharmacologic Pu.1 inhibition improves glucose homeostasis and alleviates liver inflammation, steatosis and fibrosis. • Hepatocyte PU.1 does not play a major role in regulating its metabolic function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the harsh air environment caused by disasters and human activities poses a great challenge to the development of efficient and antibacterial air purification systems to protect human health. In this work, a new type of high-efficiency polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) air filter was successfully prepared by employing silver nanoparticles decorated with graphene oxide (Ag NPs/GO) functional materials that deposited in PTFE substrate membranes hydrophilic modified with TiO 2 for the improvement of the enclosed space air quality. The results revealed that the introduction of TiO 2 can improve the interfacial adhesion between PTFE membrane and functional materials, improving the feasibility of long-term application of composite membrane. The composite membrane possessed the crisscross network structure interconnected by fibrils, which gives the membrane high-efficiency particulate matters (PMs) removal rate (99.25% for PM 2.5) without sacrificing the pressure drop (90.52 Pa). Moreover, the prepared composite membrane also has more excellent antibacterial performance (98.7% for Escherichia coli (E. coli)), which can reduce the secondary pollution caused by improper post-treatment of the polluted filter in practical applications. After simple cleaning and regeneration, the composite membrane can still maintain an ultra-high particle removal rate (over 95%) after 5 cycles. The prepared efficiency air filtration composite membranes have positive potential applications in air purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • HHP increased phenolic compounds in both ethanol extraction and in vitro digestion. • Grape diets exerted positive effects on cognitive and learning in AD mice. • Positive effects of grape on APP processing in AD mice. • Grape diets decreased inflammation levels and oxidative stress in brain. Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and there is no effective treatment to delay disease progression. Our study was to examine potential protection mechanisms by administering 2% grape powder or 2% grape powder modified by high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) diets to APP/PS1 mice for 24 weeks. The grape supplementation altered APP processing by increasing ADAM10 expression and reducing BACE1 and PS1 expression in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, which therefore improved cognitive deficits in mice. The levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were remarkably decreased in serum and hippocampus by grape supplementation. Furthermore, there was a significant enhancement of SOD activities and reduction of MDA levels in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice treated with grape supplementation. Our findings indicated that grape supplementation could be an effective approach for AD intervention, which might be associated with altering APP processing, inhibiting inflammation responses, and enhancing antioxidant capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxalate decarboxylase (OxDC), catalyzing the degradation of oxalic acid, is widely distributed in varieties of organisms. In this study, an oxalate decarboxylase gene from Bacillus subtilis strain BS-916, Bacisubin , was transformed into rice variety Nipponbare to generate transgenic rice with increased OxDC activity. Pathogenicity test revealed that the transgenic rice showed enhanced resistance to rice blast and sheath blight. Further RNA-seq analysis between Nipponbare WT (wild type) and transgenic rice identified 1764 DEGs (Differentially expressed genes) including 723 up-regulated unigenes and 1041 down-regulated unigenes. Five GO terms including single-organism process and oxidation-reduction process were significantly enriched in the up-regulated genes. Interestingly, five genes encoding glutaredoxin and one gene encoding MADS box were up- and down-regulated in the transgenic rice, respectively. Collectively, our study advances the understanding of OxDC in resistance to rice disease and its possible mechanisms. Our results also suggest that OxDC would be an effective antifungal protein preventing fungal infection in transgenic rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is uncertain whether an association exists for decreases in driving pressure and the occurrence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in patients undergoing selective lung resection surgery. Thus, we designed this study to determine whether the positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) titration to the lowest driving pressure compared with conventional low PEEP level during one-lung ventilation (OLV) in patients undergoing selective lung resection surgery decreases PPCs. This single-centre, randomised trial approved by the Ethical Committee of the Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center involved patients who signed written consent. Patients were randomised to the PEEP titration to the lowest driving pressure group (n = 104), or to the conventional low level of PEEP group (n = 103), consisting a PEEP level of 4 cm H 2 O during OLV. All patients received volume-controlled ventilation with a tidal volume of 6 mL/kg of predicted body weight. The primary outcome was defined as positive if 4 or more of eight Melbourne Group Scale (MGS) variables developed within the first 3 days after surgery. The incidence of major PPCs occurring during postoperative 7 days was also recorded. Among 222 patients who were randomised, 207 (93%) completed the trial (109 men [53%]; mean age, 56.9 years). The primary outcome occurred in 4 of 104 patients (4%) in the PEEP titration to the lowest driving pressure group compared with 13 of 103 patients (13%) in the conventional low level of PEEP group (risk ratio, 0.32 [95% CI, 0.10−0.90]; P = 0.021). Among patients undergoing selective lung surgery, intraoperative OLV with PEEP titration to the lowest driving pressure compared with conventional low PEEP level (4 cm H 2 O) significantly reduced PPCs within the first 3 postoperative days, however, did not significantly reduce PPCs within the first 7 postoperative days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ustilaginoidea virens is the causal agent of rice false smut, causing quantitative and qualitative losses in rice industry. However, the development and application of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers for genetic diversity studies in U. virens were limited. This study is the first to perform large-scale development of SSR markers of this pathogen at the genome level, to (1) compare these SSR markers with those of other fungi, (2) analyze the pattern of the SSRs, and (3) obtain more informative genetic markers. U. virens is rich in SSRs, and 13,778 SSRs were identified with a relative abundance of 349.7 SSRs/Mb. The most common motifs in the genome or in noncoding regions were mononucleotides, whereas trinucleotides in coding sequences. A total of 6 out of 127 primers were randomly selected to be used to analyze 115 isolates, and these 6 primers showed high polymorphism in U. virens . This study may serve as an important resource for molecular genetic studies in U. virens . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective As the obesity pandemic continues to expand, novel molecular targets to reduce obesity-related insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) continue to be needed. We have recently shown that obesity is associated with reactivated liver Notch signaling, which, in turn, increases hepatic insulin resistance, opening up therapeutic avenues for Notch inhibitors to be repurposed for T2D. Herein, we tested the systemic effects of γ-secretase inhibitors (GSIs), which prevent endogenous Notch activation, and confirmed these effects through creation and characterization of two different adipocyte-specific Notch loss-of-function mouse models through genetic ablation of the Notch transcriptional effector Rbp-Jk ( A-Rbpj ) and the obligate γ-secretase component Nicastrin ( A-Nicastrin ). Methods Glucose homeostasis and both local adipose and systemic insulin sensitivity were examined in GSI-treated, A-Rbpj and A-Nicastrin mice, as well as vehicle-treated or control littermates, with complementary in vitro studies in primary hepatocytes and 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Results GSI-treatment increases hepatic insulin sensitivity in obese mice but leads to reciprocal lowering of adipose glucose disposal. While A-Rbpj mice show normal body weight, adipose development and mass and unchanged adipose insulin sensitivity as control littermates, A-Nicastrin mice are relatively insulin-resistant, mirroring the GSI effect on adipose insulin action. Conclusions Notch signaling is dispensable for normal adipocyte function, but adipocyte-specific γ-secretase blockade reduces adipose insulin sensitivity, suggesting that specific Notch inhibitors would be preferable to GSIs for application in T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Microstructure of Portland cement with increasing hydration time was studied; • Hydration kinetics of Portland cement in the early hydration were investigated; • Quantitative relationship between the hydrostatic pressure and hydration kinetics was discussed; • Prediction method for the hydrostatic pressure was developed based on the hydration kinetics. This study investigated the hydration kinetics and microstructure of oil-well cement slurry in the early hydration stage using calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction, thermogravimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray computed tomography to reveal the hydrostatic pressure reduction mechanism and the quantitative relationship between the hydration kinetics and hydrostatic pressure of the cement slurry. The results showed that the time-varying characterisation of the hydrostatic pressure of the cement slurry was in accordance with the Arrhenius equation. During the hydrostatic pressure reduction of the cement slurry, its microstructure developed from "suspension particles" to a "particles framework," and the "framework" bonded to external interfaces. The hydration products strengthened the "framework" and decreased the porosity, pore size, and connectivity of the cement slurry, leading to the gravity of the entire cement slurry being supported by external interfaces and the slurry lost hydrostatic pressure. Hydration kinetics indicated that the cement slurry hydrostatic pressure changed linearly with hydration heat increments. Using hydration heat increments, a prediction method which successfully predicted the hydrostatic pressure of oil-well cement slurry was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Flocs would absorb and release NOM during aging, aquatic humics is the primary releasing organic matter. • The flocs generated form Al 13 and AlCl 3 have the same organic release pattern during aging, but the release intensity of Al 13 is lower. • The flocs generated form nanoparticles and microparticles have different release and absorption pattern of NOM during aging. • The flocs will further generate Al hydrolysates with higher polymerization during aging. Most studies on the interaction between coagulation and NOM (natural organic matter) currently focus on pollutant removal and coagulant species distribution, while studies on floc aging are lacking. Investigation onto the effects of floc aging could guide further processes that utilize flocs, such as densadeg sludge recirculation, floc predeposition for ultrafiltration, sludge condensation, and other traditional sludge reflux processes. In this study, flocs generated by Al 13 and AlCl 3 in microparticle- and nanoparticle-containing water were investigated, and the effect of floc aging on NOM was quantified based on several organic matter characterization techniques. Flocs absorb and release organics during aging. The flocs generated from micro-SiO 2 have a significant absorbing effect for LWM-N (low-molecular-weight neutral substances) and protein-like substances, while the absorption of NOM by flocs generated from nano-SiO 2 is insignificant. HS (humic substances) with high aromaticity are released during floc aging. From the molecular perspective, the molecules released during floc aging are those with higher double bond equivalents and higher aromaticity, while the absorbed molecules are those with lower double bond equivalents and lower aromaticity. 2D-COS (two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy) demonstrated that the flocs generated by Al 13 and AlCl 3 had the same organic release patterns but different intensities, while the flocs generated in the micro-SiO 2 and nano-SiO 2 systems had different organics release patterns. Abundant aluminum hydrolysates with low polymerization and amorphous Al(OH) 3 would be produced from AlCl 3 during the coagulation process and then undergo hydroxyl‑bridging reaction and crystallization during floc aging, thus releasing more HS with high aromaticity into the supernatant; in comparison, prehydrolyzed Al 13 produces a more stable floc and releases less HS during aging. The flocs produced by nano-SiO 2 and Al-based coagulants release higher aromaticity HS into the water than those produced by micro-SiO 2 , which may be related to the formation of more highly polymerized degree hydrolysates and nanocrystalline Al(OH) 3 in the nano-SiO 2 system. The flocs generated in water with micro-SiO 2 may contain a large amount of Al-OH and have a loose structure, thus further absorbing NOM, such as protein-like substances and LWM-N. In contrast, the flocs generated from nano-SiO 2 possess abundant adsorbed water and a denser structure; thus, organic matter cannot be absorbed stably. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: We recently discovered that leucine deprivation increases hepatic insulin sensitivity via general control nondepressible (GCN) 2/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathways. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether the above effects were leucine specific or were also induced by deficiency of other branched chain amino acids including valine and isoleucine. Methods: Following depletion of BCAAs, changes in metabolic parameters and the expression of genes and proteins involved in regulation of insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism were analyzed in mice and cell lines including human HepG2 cells, primary mouse hepatocytes and a mouse myoblast cell line C2C12. Results: Valine or isoleucine deprivation for 7days has similar effect on improving insulin sensitivity as leucine, in wild type and insulin-resistant mice models. These effects are possibly mediated by decreased mTOR/S6K1 and increased AMPK signaling pathways, in a GCN2-dependent manner. Similar observations were obtained in in vitro studies. In contrast to leucine withdrawal, valine or isoleucine deprivation for 7days significantly decreased fed blood glucose levels, possibly due to reduced expression of a key gluconeogenesis gene, glucose-6-phosphatase. Finally, insulin sensitivity was rapidly improved in mice 1day following maintenance on a diet deficient for any individual BCAAs. Conclusions: Our results show that while improvement on insulin sensitivity is a general feature of BCAAs depletion, individual BCAAs have specific effects on metabolic pathways, including those that regulate glucose level. These observations provide a conceptual framework for delineating the molecular mechanisms that underlie amino acid regulation of insulin sensitivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Integrated optical E-field sensor suitable for measuring intense transient field is developed. [•] The sensor can effectively response time-domain waveforms with a rise time of 1ns. [•] The operating point and transfer function of the sensor are affected by temperature. [•] The sensor was applied to measure gas discharge field, providing criterions for the streamer inception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Luoyuan Bay is a mariculture influenced water body located in southeastern China. Multi-statistical techniques were applied to 21 sampling locations in the bay to identify the sources of microplastics and other pollutants in the sediment. In microplastics detection, fragment was the most abundant shape (~36%), and rayon was the dominant polymer (~59%). The size of more than 48% of total microplastics observed was less than 200 μm. The study showed that the upper part of Luoyuan Bay was dominated by microplastic pollution, while the lower part of the bay was dominated by persistent organic pollutants (PAHs, OCPs). Mariculture is one of the main sources of pollution in Luoyuan Bay. Apart from mariculture, there were additional sources such as industry, land reclamation, port, and so on; industry and land reclamation were the leading sources of microplastics, while port, industry, and mariculture were the primary sources of PAHs and OCPs. • Mariculture is the main major source of overall pollutants in Luoyuan Bay. • Upper region of Luoyuan Bay was dominated by microplastic pollution. • Lower region of the bay was dominated by POPs. • Industry and land reclamation probably were the main sources of microplastics. • Port, mariculture, and industry could be the main sources of POPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased hepatic glucose production (HGP) contributes to hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes. Hormonal regulation of this process is primarily, but not exclusively, mediated by the AKT-FoxO1 pathway. Here, we show that cAMP and dexamethasone regulate the high-mobility group superfamily member TOX4 to mediate HGP, independent of the insulin receptor/FoxO1 pathway. TOX4 inhibition decreases glucose production in primary hepatocytes and liver and increases glucose tolerance. Combined genetic ablation of TOX4 and FoxO1 in liver has additive effects on glucose tolerance and gluconeogenesis. Moreover, TOX4 ablation fails to reverse the metabolic derangement brought by insulin receptor knockout. TOX4 expression is increased in livers of patients with steatosis and diabetes and in diet-induced obese and db/db mice. In the latter two murine models, knockdown Tox4 decreases glycemia and improves glucose tolerance. We conclude that TOX4 is an insulin receptor-independent regulator of HGP and a candidate contributor to the pathophysiology of diabetes. [Display omitted] • Discovery of TOX4 as a hormone-responsive transcription factor acting on hepatic Pck1 • Inhibition of hepatic TOX4 reduces gluconeogenesis and improves glucose tolerance • Silencing hepatic TOX4 ameliorates hyperglycemia in DIO and db/db mice • Effects of TOX4 are additive to FoxO1 and independent of IR Wang et al. have identified TOX4 as an alternative pathway to IR-FoxO1 in hormone control of hepatic glucose production. Liver TOX4 expression is increased in patients or experimental animals with diabetes, while TOX4 inhibition decreased glycemia and improved glucose tolerance, suggesting that TOX4 contributes to the pathophysiology of diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-phase high-entropy perovskite ceramics (Ln 0.2 Gd 0.2 La 0.2 Nd 0.2 Sm 0.2)MnO 3 (Ln-GLNSMO HEPCs) have been synthesized using solid-state reactions. The effect of A-site rare-earth ions (Ln = Eu, Ho, Yb) on the structure and magnetic properties was systematically investigated. The results show that all samples are orthorhombic phases (with a space group of Pbnm) and exhibit a strong crystallization trend sintered at 1300 °C for 16 h. All the HEPCs are composed of irregular spherical particles with smooth surfaces and show obvious hysteresis effects at T = 5 K. The changing Mn–O bond distance, Mn–O–Mn bond angle and the increase of Mn4+ ion concentration enhance the double exchange effect of Mn3+-O2--Mn4+, leading to different magnetic interactions. The residual magnetization M r (coercivity H c) of the samples is significantly enhanced, which is increasing from 0.13 emu/g (16.34 Oe) to 3.17 emu/g (97.07 Oe) due to the increase of configuration entropy, lattice distortion and the double exchange effect (DE). In addition, there is a strong relationship between the magnetic properties and the average radius of the A-site ions, in which Ho-GLNSMO HEPCs have a high M s magnetism. This work is a valuable reference for the magnetic regulation of high-entropy ceramics based on rare-earth and entropy-stabilized perovskite types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel prolyl endopeptidase, SmPEP, was cloned and expressed in E. coli. • The specific activity of recombinant SmPEP was 68.3 U/mg at pH 8.0 and 37 °C. • An inter-domain open configuration was rational-designed for substrate entrance. • F263 V achieved catalysis efficiency on 13-mer peptide 10.2 times of wild type. • F263 V significantly improved the ACE inhibitory activity of the casein hydrolysate. A novel prolyl endopeptidase from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia , SmPEP, was discovered and characterized. The specific activity of the recombinant SmPEP expressed by Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), was 68.3 U/mg at pH 8.0 and 37 °C. In order to improve the substrate specificity for long-chain peptide, rational design was applied based on the structure constructed by homology modeling. Inter-domain sites within the β-propeller domain were chosen for the mutation to weaken the inter-domain interaction and form an open conformation for long-chain substrate entering into the active site. The substrate specificity on a designed long-chain substrate, PQPQLPYPQPQLP, of the mutants F263A and E184 G increased 8.77 and 5.75 times respectively versus wild-type. After the saturated mutation of the both sites, the reactive rate of mutant F263 V on 13-mer peptide was 10.2 times higher than that of the wild-type. Then the mutant F263 V was used in the hydrolysis of casein, and the ACE inhibitory activity of the hydrolysate was significantly improved compared with wild type enzyme, which verified the efficiency of the design strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhenium-bearing molybdenite concentrate is a typical mineral resource to recover molybdenum and rhenium, but has long been poorly utilized via oxidative roasting-leaching route. In this work, a novel flowsheet consisting of chloride leaching, co-volatilization, selective condensation, and water leaching has been proposed and verified on the basis of both experimental and thermodynamic studies. Purification treatment was first performed using a solution of HCl and CaCl 2 , which increased the grades of Mo and Re from 43.6 wt% and 321 mg/kg to 51.3 wt% and 374 mg/kg, respectively, after leaching at 95 °C for 30 min. The purified concentrate was then roasted with air supply after being pelletized with the addition of SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 , which served as skeleton materials to prevent pellets from being broken. The results showed that over 99.9% of rhenium and 90.4% of Mo could be co-volatilized within 30 min when temperature was 1050 °C. The volatile material condensed above 500 °C was assayed to be highly pure MoO 3 (99.9%) with almost no rhenium, while the volatile material collected at lower temperature was concentrated with high-content Re 2 O 7. Furthermore, through water leaching at 25 °C for 30 min with liquid to solid ratio of 5 mL/g, 98.6% of Re was easily leached out from volatiles. • Low-grade MoS 2 concentrate was purified using a solution of HCl and CaCl 2. • Within 30 min, 90.4% of Mo and almost all Re were co-volatilized at 1050 °C. • Volatilized MoO 3 condensed as high-purity product (99.9%) at over 500 °C. • 98.6% of Re was leached out with water at ambient temperature within 30 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, single-phase (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ high-entropy fluorite oxides (HEFOs) were successfully prepared by conventional solid-phase reaction method and crystal structure and microstructure were studied in-depth. Single-phase (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ is formed at 1600 °C for 12 h, and five cationic elements are uniformly distributed without any segregation at the micrometer and nanometer scales. And the XRD patterns with Rietveld refinement reveal the formation of single-phase fluorite structure of (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ. The SAED patterns on the [0 1 ‾ 1] band axes are similar to the diffraction patterns of face-centered cubic fluorite structure, and the standard deviation of the cation radius (coordination VIII) distribution of the specimens is 0.1277, which is again identified as forming a single-phase fluorite structure. The bulk specimens are solid compacts free of obvious cracks with randomly distribution porosity at a rare level, and the powder specimens are irregular fragmented shapes with an average particles size of 5.41 μm. The average cation radius and interplanar spacings becomes larger compared with standard fluorite structure of CeO 2 due to the cation radius of La3+, Sm3+ and Nd3+ are larger than that of Ce4+, leading to an increase in lattice parameters of the HEFOs. In addition, the concentration of Ce3+ in the Ce cation is only 8.1 %, and the δ -value is calculated to be 0.3081 based on the content of all cations per mole of the substance, which indicates that the composition of the prepared specimen is (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 1.6919. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The existing methods for MoO 3 production from high-grade molybdenite concentrates normally suffer from the inefficiency of oxidation and complexity of the overall process. In this work, a novel method for MoO 3 production from alumina-silica-added molybdenite concentrate pellets by simultaneous oxidizing-volatilizing was proposed, validated and compared with other methods. Molybdenite concentrate mixed with additives was fabricated into spherical balls and roasted in air. Molybdenum disulfide was rapidly oxidized, volatilized and thus separated from pellets, wherein additives were sintered to be mullite as porous framework to keep the strength of single pellet, and in turn to support the stacked pellets. With mass ratio of additives to ore 1:2, ratios of S removal and Mo recovery from pellets reached over 99.9% and 97.2% respectively at 1050 °C within 20 min, and the condensed material was identified to be valuable MoO 3 with purity over 99.9%. The excellent performance of MoO 3 separation was attributed to the construction of firm pellet layers and favorable diffusion conditions inside pellets. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • A novel MoO 3 production method consisting of oxidizing-volatizing of molybdenite concentrate pellets was proposed. • Binary additives of Al 2 O 3 and SiO 2 transformed into mullite to sustain the porous pellet structure. • Within 20 min, 97.2% of Mo was volatilized and condensed as powdery MoO 3 with purity over 99.9%. • Favorable kinetic conditions contribute to the excellent performance of MoO 3 separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Comparative experiment on MoO 3 preparation from a technical-grade Mo calcine by volatilizing in water vapor atmosphere and air atmosphere was investigated. MoO 3 deposition in the forms of strip-like α-MoO 3 and spherical β-MoO 3 were obtained at varying condensing temperatures. By adjusting the carrying gas from air to water vapor, MoO 3 separating rate and product purity were remarkably improved, which is attributed to the selectively intensified evaporation of MoO 3 from melted calcine. Specifically, MoO 3 purity was over 99.99% and its corresponding recovery reached 70.6% when the calcine was evaporated at 1050 °C within 10 min in the water vapor atmosphere. Mechanisms of MoO 3 separation from polynary system were furtherly explored and impurities including calcium, iron molybdates and silica were found to exert negative influence on MoO 3 separation. Highlights • Volatilization of technical-grade Mo calcine in air or water vapor atmosphere was applied to prepare pure MoO 3. • Purification of MoO 3 could be improved by using water vapor instead of air as carrying gas. • MoO 3 vapor deposits into strip-like α-MoO 3 or spherical β-MoO 3 at varying condensing temperatures. • Thermal behaviors of MoO 3 and impurities in vapor-melt-solid system were clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrimination of geographical origin of extra-virgin olive oils (EVOOs) is of great importance for legislation and consumers worldwide. The feasibility of a rapid discrimination of four different geographical origins of EVOOs with terahertz spectroscopy system was examined. Different chemometrics including least squares-support vector machines (LS-SVM), back propagation neural network (BPNN) and random forest (RF) combined with principal component analysis (PCA), genetic algorithm (GA) were compared to obtain the best discrimination model. The results demonstrated that there were apparent differences among the four different geographical origins of EVOOs in fatty acid compositions and the absorbance spectra, and an excellent classification (accuracy was 96.25% in prediction set) could be achieved using the LS-SVM method combine with GA. It can be concluded that THz spectroscopy together with chemometrics would be a promising technique to rapid discriminate the geographical origin of EVOOs with high efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]