Search

Unlike healthy, non-transformed cells, the proteostasis network of cancer cells is taxed to produce proteins involved in tumor development. Cancer cells have a higher dependency on molecular chaperones to maintain proteostasis. The chaperonin T-complex protein ring complex (TRiC) contains eight paralogous subunits (CCT1-8), and assists the folding of as many as 10% of cytosolic proteome. TRiC is essential for the progression of some cancers, but the roles of TRiC subunits in osteosarcoma remain to be explored. Here, we show that CCT4/TRiC is significantly correlated in human osteosarcoma, and plays a critical role in osteosarcoma cell survival. We identify a compound anticarin-β that can specifically bind to and inhibit CCT4. Anticarin-β shows higher selectivity in cancer cells than in normal cells. Mechanistically, anticarin-β potently impedes CCT4-mediated STAT3 maturation. Anticarin-β displays remarkable antitumor efficacy in orthotopic and patient-derived xenograft models of osteosarcoma. Collectively, our data uncover a key role of CCT4 in osteosarcoma, and propose a promising treatment strategy for osteosarcoma by disrupting CCT4 and proteostasis.

This reported investigation dealt with the effect of the addition of internal blades to a fluidized bed and how this modification affected the bed's minimum fluidization velocity and the particle agglomerate size of LiF. This modification resulted in a new concept of dimensionless fluidization that can be used to quickly compare the fluidization quality of various types of fluidized beds. The experimental results showed that the fluidization in the bed that contained internal blades was better than the fluidization of a bed containing only LiF powder. When internal blades were added, large aggregates were found to collide with the blades and the walls of the bed as a result of airflow, resulting in fragmentation and improved fluidization of smaller aggregates. A vertical component force of the internal blades was used to modify the original Zhou-Li force balance model. The calculated results for the agglomerates in the LiF internal blade-bed using the modified Zhou-Li equation agreed well with the experimental data. Therefore, it was concluded that the modified Zhou-Li equation was adequate for predicting the size of the LiF agglomerates in a fluidized bed.

Phosphogypsum (PG) desulfurization slag is a calcium-rich residue from reductive decomposition of PG using sulfur as the reductant. We proposed a technology of preparation light calcium carbonate with PG desulfurization slag, which mainly contains two steps: leaching and carbonizing. In this work, we concentrated on the former, in which ammonium chloride aqueous solution was utilized as leaching agent to extract calcium from the slag, and conducted thermodynamics and kinetics study on it. FactSage software was employed to do thermodynamic and phase equilibrium diagram calculations. The influence of leaching conditions including agitation speed, initial concentration of leaching solution, reaction temperature, and liquid/solid ratio on the calcium leaching rate were discussed in detail by means of experiment optimal design. A kinetic model developed from the shrinking core model was given to describe the leaching process. The apparent kinetic activation energy (Ea) of the leaching reaction was calculated to be 10.58 kJ·mol−1.

Soil amendment products, such as biochar, with both sustained nutrient release and heavy metal retention properties are of great need in agricultural and environmental industries. Herein, we successfully prepared a new biochar material with multinutrient sustained-release characteristics and chromium removal potential derived from distiller grain by wet-process phosphoric acid (WPPA) modification without washing. SEM, TEM TG-IR, in situ DRIFTS and XRD characterization indicated that biochar and polyphosphate formed simultaneously and were tightly intertwined by one-step pyrolysis. The optimal product (PKBC-400) had the most stable carbon structure and an adequate P-O-P structure with less P loss. Batch experiments illustrated that 92.83% P (ortho-P), 85.94% K, 41.49% Fe, 78.42% Al and 65.60% Mg were continuously released in water from PKBC-400 within 63 days, and the maximum Cr removal rate reached 83.57% (50 mg/L K

The solubility of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (MAP) in the water–methanol system is essential for antisolvent crystallization studies. To investigate the effect of methanol on the solubility of MAP in water, the solubility of MAP in the water–methanol system was determined by dynamic method and static equilibrium method at temperatures ranging from 293.2 to 343.2 K at atmospheric pressure. Results showed that the solubility of MAP increased with the increase of temperature and the increase of water mole fraction in the water–methanol system. The experimental solubility data were correlated with the modified Apelblat equation, the combined nearly ideal binary solvent/Redlich–Kister (CNIBS/R–K) model and the Jouyban–Acree model. The calculated results based on these three models were in very good agreement with the experimental data with the average relative deviations of 0.65%, 0.97%, and 5.38%, respectively. Simultaneously, the thermodynamic properties of the MAP dissolution process in the water–methanol system, including Gibbs energy change, enthalpy, and entropy were obtained by the Van't Hoff equation, which can be used to assess the crystallization process.

This investigation focused on the effect of the operating parameters, barite content and particle size on the minimum fluidization velocity and particle agglomerate sizes of select LiF-barite binary mixtures. Experimental results showed that the relative fluidization in the bed of a binary mixture was better than the fluidization of a single component LiF bed. Results also identified two distinct regions in binary mixtures; namely the fragmentation and lubrication regions. In addition, it was found that the Zhou-Li model could be used to predict particle agglomerate sizes by explaining the forces present between agglomerate particles. The calculated results for the binary system agreed well with experimental data.

Bacterial DNA (bacDNA) is frequently found in serum of patient with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohns disease, even blood bacterial culture is negative. How bacDNA evades immune elimination and is translocated into blood remain unclear. Here, we showed that bacDNA avoids elimination and disables bacteria-killing function of antimicrobial peptide LL-37 (Cramp in mice) by forming complex with LL-37, which is inducible after culture with bacteria or bacterial products. Elevated LL-37-bacDNA complex was found in plasma and lesions of patients with UC. LL-37-bacDNA promoted inflammation by inducing Th1, Th2 and Th17 differentiation and activating toll-like receptor-9 (TLR9). The complex also increased paracellular permeability, which possibly combines its inflammatory effects to promote local damage and bacDNA translocation into blood. Cramp-bacDNA aggravated mouse colitis severity while interference with the complex ameliorated the disease. The study identifies that inflammatogenic bacDNA utilizes LL-37 as a vehicle for blood translocation and to evade immune elimination. Additionally, bacteria may make a milieu by releasing bacDNA to utilize and resist host antimicrobial peptides as a trojan horse.

Resource utilization of ferrous sulfate waste has become a bottleneck restricting the sustainable development of the titanium dioxide industry in China. This paper proposes a new solution that utilizing ferrous sulfate waste to prepare spinel-structured magnesium ferrite (MF) particles in micrometer size, through the solid-phase reaction between ferrous sulfate, magnesium sulfate and pyrite under nitrogen protection. Thermodynamics analysis and tubular reactor experiments were performed to analyze the synthetic process. The thermodynamic simulation results showed that the proposed method for synthesizing MF is feasible by controlling the proper molar ratios of raw materials and calcination temperature. Based on this, the reaction mechanism for MF generation via this route was deduced, and the effect of three key parameters including molar ratios of raw materials, calcination temperature and calcination time on the products were investigated. The properties of synthesized MF were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy (RS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method. Results demonstrated that the as-synthesized MF has a spinel structure and exhibits a micrometre-scale architecture composed of particles with size of 100–300 nm. This green synthetic method of MF provides a promising way to utilize ferrous sulfate waste, because it is in accordance with the concept of recycle economics and worthy of commercialization.

The solubilities of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (MAP) were determined by dynamic method in the systems of (NH4)2SO4 + water and NH4F + water at the temperatures of 293.2–343.2 K at an atmospheric pressure, and the experimental data was fitted by the modified Apelblat equation. The result showed that the solubilities of MAP increased with temperature and the adding of the NH4F, and decreased with the adding of (NH4)2SO4 within the measurement range. The metastable zone width (MSZW) of MAP was measured by the focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) during cooling crystallization process. The effects of the (NH4)2SO4 impurity and NH4F impurity on the supercooling temperature ΔTmax of MAP were studied. The MSZW of MAP were moved and enlarged by the two kinds of impurities mentioned above with different approaches.

Environmental pollution and resource waste caused by waste green vitriol from TiO2 industry have become an increasingly serious problem. To this end, magnetite nanoparticles were fabricated by the reduction of green vitriol with pyrite under nitrogen at 550 °C, and then oxidized to maghemite nanoparticles under air at 350 °C. Meanwhile, arsenite adsorption performances on maghemite nanoparticles were investigated. The properties of the as-formed samples were analyzed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption- desorption isotherms and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The analytic results show that the as-formed samples having the average diameter of ~35 nm exhibit pure phase maghemite with cubic structure, and the BET surface area of as-formed samples is 14.63 m2·g−1. The adsorption results indicate that the isotherm and kinetics for As(III) adsorption on maghemite nanoparticles obey Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic respectively, and As(III) adsorption is co-controlled via film diffusion and intraparticle diffusion. Adsorption capacity of As(III) obtained from Langmuir isotherm is 14.4 mg/g at 55 °C. Thermodynamic parameters show that As(III) adsorption onto maghemite nanoparticles is regarded as spontaneous endothermic process.

The continued use of antibiotics has been accompanied by the rapid emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), also known as host defense peptides, show multiple features as an ideal antimicrobial agent, including potent, rapid, and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, low promotion of antimicrobial resistance, potent anti-biofilm activity, and lethality against metabolically inactive microorganisms. However, several crucial drawbacks constrain the use of AMPs as clinical drugs, e.g., liability in vivo, toxicity when used systemically, and high production costs. Based on recent findings and our own experiences, here we summarize some chemical modifications and key design strategies to increase the therapeutic potential of AMPs, including 1) enhancing antimicrobial activities, 2) improving in vivo effectiveness, and 3) reduction in toxicity, which may facilitate the design and optimization of AMPs for the development of drug candidates. We also discuss the present challenges in the optimization of AMPs and future concerns about the resistance and cross-resistance to AMPs in the development of AMPs as therapeutic drugs.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of feeding rate, supersaturation level, stirring speed and the additives such as potassium nitrate (KNO3) and a new chelating agent (NCA) on the chord length distribution (CLD) as well as the crystal form of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (MAP). The MAP crystals’ growth is investigated by using the FBRM G400 and the PVM V19 probes respectively in an MSMPR (Mixed Suspension Mixed Product Removal) crystallizer. Herein, the FBRM ensures an on-line determination of the CLD, which is expressed as the cumulative undersize square-weight percentage distribution of MAP crystals. CLD is statistically proportional to crystal size distribution. The PVM ensures the real-time monitoring of crystal morphology. In addition, an optical microscope is used to characterize the shapes of the crystals obtained in the MSMPR crystallizer. The chemical structures of the crystals are characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis. The population density of the nuclei, the nucleation rate, and the growth rate of the MAP crystals are also calculated. Industrial problems encountered in the production of MAP crystals, such as filtration and small crystal size, are eliminated especially in the presence of KNO3 and 1% NCA, which is proved by FBRM, PVM and number density theory application.

Conventional calcification roasting–ammonium precipitate for ferrovanadium preparation have been exposed many technical problems such as roasting temperature control, leaching kinetics problem, precipitating vanadium liquor loss, reducing-melting vanadium evaporation loss and smelting vanadium evaporation loss in the process of industrialization. Therefore, a green-sustainable industrialized cleaner production for FeV50 and FeV80 alloys from vanadium slag by calcification roasting–ammonia on-line cycle is discussed. This process involves several steps including vanadium pretreatment and Fe recycling, pre-calcified vanadium slag circulating roasting, two-step circulating leaching, continuous vanadium precipitating and wastewater recycling, reducing-melting and NH3 recycling, three-stage ferrovanadium smelting. According to the theoretical base about conventional chemical, thermodynamics principles, phase diagram, dissolution kinetics, solution state diagram, separation gravity, problems, challenges and reasons analysis, the several steps including six cycles of FeV50 and FeV80 preparation were designed and industrialized. Through before and after process optimization and heat discharge, TG–DSC, XRD, SEM–EDS analysis, the mechanisms from vanadium slag to ferrovanadium help understand the increasing of the whole process vanadium yield from 57.21% to 80.81%, including vanadium oxide yield increased from 59.90% to 82.88%, ferrovanadium yield increased from 95.50% to 97.50%, respectively. All results and conclusions had guiding significance and demonstration effect on vanadium industry.

The comprehensive utilization of titanium slag can not only reduce pollution, but also bring considerable social and environmental benefits. Nanometer magnetite black pigment has been synthesized by microwave-assisted reduction method under nitrogen. The properties of nanometer magnetite black pigment were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry, zeta potential, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method and colorimetric analysis. The formation of nanometer magnetite black pigment was confirmed by XRD, FTIR, RM and XPS. FESEM and TEM indicated that nanometer magnetite pigment with the average diameter of ∼52 nm was virtually spherical, having a porous structure. The BET surface area and the pore volume of nanometer magnetite black pigment were found to be about 18.48 m2 g−1 and 0.081 cm3 g−1 respectively. The TG-DSC analysis shows that nanometer magnetite black pigment has good thermal stability in low temperature. Nanometer magnetite has good dispersion by zeta potential analysis in water. Besides, nanometer magnetite black pigment exhibits a promising prospect of application in water-based pigment.

Hematite nanoparticles (α-Fe2O3 NPs) were successfully synthesized by a low-cost solvent-free reaction using Ferrous sulfate waste (FeSO4·7H2O) and pyrite (FeS2) as raw materials and employed for the decolorization of Methyl Orange by the photo-Fenton system. The properties of α-Fe2O3 NPs before and after photo-Fenton reaction were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the optical properties of α-Fe2O3 NPs were analyzed by UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–vis DRS) and Photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The analytic results showed that the as-formed samples having an average diameter of ~50 nm exhibit pure phase hematite with sphere structure. Besides, little differences were found by comparing the characterization data of the particles before and after the photo-Fenton reaction, indicating that the photo-Fenton reaction was carried out in solution rather than on the surface of α-Fe2O3 NPs. A 24 central composite design (CCD) coupled with response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to evaluate and optimize the important variables. A significant quadratic model (P-value

The phase equilibrium and thermodynamic properties of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) in the binary water-ethanol system are of critical significance for the salting-out crystallization of KDP production using ethanol as anti-solvent. The solubility of KDP in water-ethanol solvent was determined by the static equilibrium method under constant pressure at temperatures ranging from 293.2 to 323.2 K, with the molar fraction of water varying between 0.3885 and 1.0. The solubility of KDP significantly decreased with the addition of ethanol and increased with rising temperature. A new group of parameters (middle-range interaction) of the mixed-solvent electrolyte model (MSE model) of KDP in the water-ethanol system were obtained by regressing all experimental solubility data. The MSE model with the newly acquired parameters was successfully used to simulate the KDP precipitation process in KH2PO4/C2H5OH/H2O systems and could predict the distribution of ion speciation and activity coefficients. This paper provides fundamental thermodynamic properties and a prediction model for the anti-solvent crystallization process for KDP production.

To ease environment pressure and improve the comprehensive utilization of titanium slag, Mg doped magnetite nanoparticles (MFNPs) fabricated by recycling of titanium slag via solid-phase reduction roasting technology were used as an adsorbing material for treating As(V)-polluted water, and investigated by various analytical techniques. The analysis of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that As(V) ions were partially reduced to As(III) ions by the Fe(II)-MFNPs, and then As(III) and As(V) were adsorbed on the MFNPs through electrostatic attraction, and simultaneously fabricated Fe–O–As via surface complexation. The investigation of As(V) adsorption process on the MFNPs indicated that the as-received equilibrium relationship was well depicted by the Friendlies isotherm model, and the maximum loading capacity of As(V) estimated from Langmuir isotherm model was 33.71 mg/g at ambient temperature. Moreover, the adsorption of As(V) on the MFNPs was accorded with pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The thermodynamics functions manifested that adsorption of As(V) on the MFNPs belonged to spontaneous chemisorption. Desorption of the As(V)-MFNPs was easily performed, with repeated use for at least five cycles. These results indicated that the fabricated MFNPs by reduction roasting technology was functioned as an environmentally friendly adsorbent with promising prospects for arsenic removal from contaminated water.

The effects of adding a bulking agent and chemically pretreating municipal kitchen waste before aerobic composting were studied using a laboratory-scale system. The system used 20-L reactors and each test lasted 28days. The objective was to decrease NH3 and H2S emissions during composting. The bulking agent, dry cornstalks, was mixed with the kitchen waste to give a mixture containing 15% (wet weight) bulking agent. A combined treatment was also conducted, in which kitchen waste mixed with the bulking agent was pretreated with ferric chloride (FeCl3). Less leachate was produced by the composted kitchen waste mixed with bulking agent than by the kitchen waste alone, when the materials had reached the required maturity. The presence of cornstalks also caused less H2S to be emitted, but had little impact on the amount of NH3 emitted. The FeCl3 was found to act as an effective chemical flocculant, and its presence significantly decreased the amounts of NH3 and H2S emitted. Kitchen waste mixed with cornstalks and treated with FeCl3 emitted 42% less NH3 and 76% less H2S during composting than did pure kitchen waste.

Ferrous sulfate waste has become a bottleneck in the sustainable development of the titanium dioxide industry in China. In this study, we propose a new method for the reductive decomposition of ferrous sulfate waste using pyrite. Thermodynamics analysis, tubular reactor experiments, and kinetics analysis were performed to analyze the reaction process. The results of the thermodynamic simulation showed that the reaction process and products were different when molar ratio of FeSO4/FeS2 was changed. The suitable molar ratio of FeSO4/FeS2 was 8–12. The reaction temperature of ferrous sulfate with pyrite was 580–770 K and the main products were Fe3O4 and SO2. The simulation results agreed well with the experimental results. The desulphurization rate reached 98.55% and main solid products were Fe3O4 at 823.15 K when mole ratio of FeSO4/FeS2 was 8. Nano-sized magnetite was obtained at this condition. The kinetic model was investigated by isoconversional methods. The average E value was 244.34 kJ mol−1. The ferrous sulfate decomposition process can be treated as autocatalytic reaction mechanism, which corresponded to the expanded Prout–Tompson (Bna) model. The reaction mechanism of autocatalytic reactions during the process of ferrous sulfate decomposition were explored, the products of Fe oxide substances are the catalyst components.

Tetraacetonitrilolithiumhexafluorophosphate (Li(CH3CN)4PF6) crystal is an important intermediate in the preparation of high purity lithium hexafluorophosphate electrolyte via a simple transformation method. In this study, the crystal parameters were determined by X-ray powder diffraction analysis, which showed that it belongs to the triclinic system with space group P1. FTIR spectral studies identified the characteristic absorption bands of C N and PF6− in the synthesized complex. Chemical analysis, gas chromatography, and ICP-AES results showed that the elementary ratio of Li:P:F: CH3CN in the complex is approximately: 1:1:6:4. Furthermore, the geometric optimization structure of Li(CH3CN)4PF6 was obtained using GAUSSIAN 09 program on a B3LYP/6-31+G(d, p) level. In this structure, two acetonitrile ligands bind strongly with the Li+ ion, whereas the other two are weakly-coordinated with lithium. The results of solid-state 13C-, 31P-, and 19F-NMR spectra confirmed that this configuration is reasonable.

A new phosphorus-containing flame retardant hydroquinone bis(di-2-methylphenyl phosphate) (HMP) was successfully synthesized and characterized by 31 P NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The crystallization and melting point was measured by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) separately. HMP was applied to prepare acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS)/HMP/novolac phenol (NP) composites. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of ABS/HMP/NP composites increased with a decreasing ratio of HMP to NP, then declined with a further decrease in the ratio. The ABS/HMP/NP-3 had an LOI value of 33.5 and passed the vertical burning tests (UL-94) V–I rating at the ratio of HMP to NP was 2 to 1, when the synergistic effect of HMP and NP in the ABS composites was especially obvious, which were carefully characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).

Vasotab TY is a KGD (Lys-Gly-Asp)-containing peptide identified from salivary glands of the horsefly of Tabanus yao . We have previously reported that vasotab TY showed a strong vasodilator activity. In the present study, vasotab TY was found to inhibit platelet aggregation effectively. It completely inhibited platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) at the concentration of 9.6 μg/ml. Vasotab TY significantly reduced thrombus weight in rat arteriovenous shunt model and inhibited thrombosis in carrageenan-induced mouse tail thrombosis model in vivo . Vasotab TY competitively bound to glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (GPIIb/IIIa) with eptifibatide, a well-known KGD-containing cyclic heptapeptide containing high specificity and high affinity for GPIIb/IIIa, suggesting that it is an antagonist of the fibrinogen receptor GPIIb/IIIa on the surface of platelet. The KGD motif in vasotab TY may facilitate the binding of it to GPIIb/IIIa. Vasotab TY showed a half-life of more than 1 h in vivo . It showed little side effects including little bleeding, no hemolytic activity on human blood red cells and no cytotoxicity on human keratinocyte and THP-1 cells. Combined its vasodilator and platelet inhibitory functions, vasotab TY might be an excellent candidate for the development of clinical anti-thrombosis medicines.

In this study, crystalline form II ammonium polyphosphate (APP-II) was microencapsulated with melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resin, which was prepared by in situ polymerization. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), thermogravimetry (TG), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses demonstrated that APP-II was successfully microencapsulated with the MF resin. Polypropylene (PP)/APP-II/pentaerythritol (PER) and PP/MFAPP-II/PER composites were prepared and the flame retardancy, thermal stability, and microstructure of the corresponding composites were investigated based on the limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94 testing, TG, EDS, SEM, and cone calorimetry. Compared with PP/APP-II/PER composites, the PP/MFAPP-II/PER composites had a higher LOI value and passed the V-0 rating more easily. The results of the TG, EDS, SEM, and cone calorimetry analyses demonstrate that MFAPP-II is beneficial for forming a compact and strong intumescent char, thereby reducing the rates of the maximum-rate decomposition temperature ( T max ), heat release rate (HRR), total heat release rate (THR), and mass loss (ML) for the PP/MFAPP-II/PER composites, as well as improving the thermal stability, compatibility, and dispersion of MFAPP-II in PP/MFAPP-II/PER composites.

Cutaneous wound healing is a dynamic, complex, and well-organized process that requires the orchestration of many different cell types and cellular processes. Transforming growth factor β1 is an important factor that plays a key role during wound healing. Amphibian skin has been proven to possess excellent wound healing ability, whilst no bioactive substrate related to it has ever been identified. Here, a potential wound healing-promoting peptide (AH90, ATAWDFGPHGLLPIRPIRIRPLCG) was identified from the frog skin of Odorrana grahami. It showed potential wound healing-promoting activity in a murine model with full thickness dermal wound. AH90 promoted release of transforming growth factor β1 through activation of nuclear factor-κB and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase mitogen-activated protein kinases signaling pathways, while inhibitors of nuclear factor-κB and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase inhibited the process. In addition, the effects of AH90 on Smads family proteins, key regulators in transforming growth factor β1 signaling pathways, could also be inhibited by transforming growth factor β1 antibody. Altogether, this indicated that AH90 promoted wound healing by inducing the release of transforming growth factor β1. This current study may facilitate the understanding of effective factors involved in the wound repair of amphibians and the underlying mechanisms as well. Considering its favorable traits as a small peptide that greatly promoting generation of endogenous wound healing agents (transforming growth factor β1) without mitogenic effects, AH90 might be an excellent template for the future development of novel wound-healing agents.

Phosphogypsum (PG) is one of the most significant industrial solid wastes from the phosphorus chemical industry. In order to utilize PG more effectively, a new decomposition process of PG by sulfur as a reducer is proposed in this work. Thermodynamic study of the sulfur reduction process including two-step reactions was carried out by both thermodynamic simulation and experimental research. The simulation results indicate that sulfur changes its form in a complex way with rising temperature. The final decomposition temperature of PG by simulation is 993 K in the first-step reaction, and this is in good agreement with that obtained by the experiments. For the second-step reaction, however, the final PG decomposition temperature from the experiments is 250 K lower than the simulation results predict. The reaction heat of the sulfur reduction process is 27.95% less than that of the traditional coke reduction process at T = 1473 K based on enthalpy change calculations. This new process can reduce the emission of CO 2 effectively and is more suitable for resource utilization of PG than the coke reduction process, so it may be a promising method for sulfuric acid production from PG.

The flow behavior of Al–Zn–Mg–Sc–Zr alloy and its microstructural evolution during hot compression deformation were studied by thermal simulation tests. The tests were carried out in deformation temperature range from 340 to 500 °C and at strain rate range from 0.001 to 10 s−1. The results show that deformation temperature and strain rate have significant influence on the flow behavior of Al–Zn–Mg–Sc–Zr alloy. The flow stress increased with increasing strain rate, and decreased with increasing deformation temperature. In order to demonstrate the workability of Al–Zn–Mg–Sc–Zr alloy further, the processing maps at strain of 0.3 and 0.5 were established respectively based on dynamic materials model. The dynamic recrystallization of Al–Zn–Mg–Sc–Zr alloy occurred at deformation temperature of 420 °C and a strain rate of 0.01 s−1. At higher deformation temperature or lower strain rate, the grain size as well as the volume fraction of the recrystallized grains increased. At strain of 0.3 and 0.5, the flow instability domain mainly located at higher strain rate (>0.4 s−1). On the basis of the processing map and microstructural evolution, the optimum processing conditions at a strain of 0.3 are in the strain rate range of around 0.001–0.1 s−1 and deformation temperature range between 380 and 440 °C.

Centipedes are excellent predatory arthropods that inject venom to kill or immobilize their prey. Although centipedes have long been known to be venomous, their venoms remain largely unexplored. The chemical components responsible for centipede predation and the functional mechanisms are unknown. Twenty-six neurotoxin-like peptides belonging to ten groups were identified from the centipede venoms, Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans L. Koch by peptidomics combined with transcriptome analysis, revealing the diversity of neurotoxins. These neurotoxins each contain two to four intramolecular disulfide bridges, and in most cases the disulfide framework is different from that found in neurotoxins from the venoms of spiders, scorpions, marine cone snails, sea anemones, and snakes (5S animals). Several neurotoxins contain potential insecticidal abilities, and they are found to act on voltage-gated sodium, potassium, and calcium channels, respectively. Although these neurotoxins are functionally similar to the disulfide-rich neurotoxins found in the venoms of 5S animals in that they modulate the activity of voltage-gated ion channels, in almost all cases the primary structures of the centipede venom peptides are unique. This represents an interesting case of convergent evolution in which different venomous animals have evolved different molecular strategies for targeting the same ion channels in prey and predators. Moreover, the high level of biochemical diversity revealed in this study suggests that centipede venoms might be attractive subjects for prospecting and screening for peptide candidates with potential pharmaceutical or agrochemical applications.

Density functional theory studies on the geometries and energies of the methylated derivatives of uracil yield two stable conformations, α and β, for each single-methylated uracil. They are different in the spatial orientation of the substituting methyl group and the molecular total energy. Analyzing the calculated structural parameters, we also found an elongation effect in the methylated uracil, which contributes to the increase of dipole moment and molecular size of molecules such as the methylated derivatives of nucleic acid bases.

Eight stable tautomers of the molecular uracil were presented as the results of density functional theory (DFT) studies with various exchange-correlation functionals such as the local density functional SL, the nonlocal density functional BLYP, the hybrid functional B3LYP, and the half-and-half functional BHandH, using the 6-31G ∗ , 6-31+G ∗ , and 6-31G ∗∗ basis sets. The geometries of the eight tautomers were fully optimized at the B3LYP/6-31G ∗ , B3LYP/6-31+G ∗ , and BLYP/6-31G ∗∗ level, and it was noted that the polarized p-orbital function added to hydrogen atom and the diffuse functions added to the heavy atoms (nitrogen and oxygen atoms) did not contribute to the geometrical optimization of the ring structures except for the variance within 2° for HOC bond angles. All of the present DFT results suggested that the stability order should be: U1 > U2 > U4 > U5′ > U5 > U3 > U6′ > U6, where 2,4-dioxo-dilactam tautomer (U1) was the most stable. The relative energies including corrections of zero-point vibrational energies (ZPVEs) and the dipole moments and polarizabilities of the tautomers were tabulated in detail, with references to the experimental data and ab initio data in literature.