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With the advancement of society, the issue of oil pollution is escalating, therefore we propose a straightforward and efficient approach for fabricating fully biodegradable poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) foams with exceptional selective oil-absorption capabilities through the integration of melt blending and supercritical CO2 (scCO2) foaming techniques. The PLA90 foams, activated at 11 MPa and temperatures ranging from 105 ℃ to 110 ℃, exhibit an expansion ratio of 44 and a highly interconnected open-cell structure with an open-cell content exceeding 80%, effectively mitigating cell shrinkage occurrences. The 105 ℃-triggered PLA90 foam displays pronounced lipophilicity/hydrophobicity, accelerated oil-absorption kinetics, and elevated oil-absorption capacity. Specifically, the equilibrium absorption capacities for cyclohexane and silicone are 12.8 g/g and 20.1 g/g, respectively. Moreover, the maximum absorption capacity decline rate for silicone oil stands at a mere 13.4% over 10 absorption–desorption cycles. The findings presented in this study establish a theoretical framework and offer empirical evidence to support the development of fully biodegradable, high-performance, and reusable oil-absorption materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new pyrone derivative 11-hydroxypyrophen (1), together with pyrophen (2) and six naphtho-γ-pyrones (3–8), were obtained from the culture extract of Aspergillus niger Pas67. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Compounds 4 and 8 showed significant antibacterial activity against MRSA with minimum inhibitory concentration values (MICs) of 25 and 16 μg/mL, while compounds 1 and 2 did not display anti-MRSA activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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During a survey of soil fungal diversity in a rocky desertification area in Yunnan Province, China, a new dematiaceous hyphomycete, Cordana yunnanensis was identified. Morphologically, this species is characterized by macronematous, mononematous conidiophores with discrete, polyblastic conidiogenous cells arranged in a whorl at the apices. Phylogenetic analysis of the combined sequences of the internal transcribed spacer and the large nuclear ribosomal RNA subunit confirmed the phylogenetic position of C. yunnanensis within the genus Cordana, in Cordanaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unknown endophytic fungus was isolated from the aquatic plant Hippuris vulgaris in Litang county, Sichuan province, China. Phylogenetic analyses inferred from combined ITS, Sod2, Apn2, and TUB2 sequences revealed that the endophyte is a new species belonging to the Colletotrichum graminicola species complex. Morphological characteristics showed that Colletotrichum litangense is characterized by its falcate, lunate to sublunate conidia, and ellipsoidal, ovoid, or lobed appressoria. Pathogenicity tests on several fruits showed that C. litangense could induce anthracnose lesions. As a result of the phylogenetic, morphological, and pathogenicity analyses, we proposed the name Colletotrichum litangense for the new species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Up to 20% of patients with cerebellar infarcts will develop malignant edema and deteriorate clinically. Radiologic measures, such as initial infarct size, aid in identifying individuals at risk. Studies of anterior circulation stroke suggest that mapping early edema formation improves the ability to predict deterioration; however, the kinetics of edema in the posterior fossa have not been well characterized. We hypothesized that faster edema growth within the first hours after acute cerebellar stroke would be an indicator for individuals requiring surgical intervention and those with worse neurological outcomes. Methods: Consecutive patients admitted to the neurological intensive care unit with acute cerebellar infarction were retrospectively identified. Hypodense regions of infarct and associated edema, "infarct–edema", were delineated by using ABC/2 for all computed tomography (CT) scans up to 14 days from last known well. To examine how rate of infarct–edema growth varied across clinical variables and surgical intervention status, nonlinear and linear mixed-effect models were performed over 2 weeks and 2 days, respectively. In patients with at least two CT scans, multivariable logistic regression examined clinical and radiological predictors of surgical intervention (defined as extraventricular drainage and/or posterior fossa decompression) and poor clinical outcome (discharge to skilled nursing facility, long-term acute care facility, hospice, or morgue). Results: Of 150 patients with acute cerebellar infarction, 38 (25%) received surgical intervention and 45 (30%) had poor clinical outcome. Age, admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, and baseline infarct–edema volume did not differ, but bilateral/multiple vascular territory involvement was more frequent (87% vs. 50%, p < 0.001) in the surgical group than that in the medical intervention group. On 410 serial CTs, infarct–edema volume progressed rapidly over the first 2 days, followed by a subsequent plateau. Of 112 patients who presented within two days, infarct–edema growth rate was greater in the surgical group (20.1 ml/day vs. 8.01 ml/day, p = 0.002). Of 67 patients with at least two scans, after adjusting for baseline infarct–edema volume, vascular territory, and NIHSS, infarct–edema growth rate over the first 2 days (odds ratio 2.55; 95% confidence interval 1.40–4.65) was an independent, and the strongest, predictor of surgical intervention. Further, early infarct–edema growth rate predicted poor clinical outcome (odds ratio 2.20; 95% confidence interval 1.30–3.71), independent of baseline infarct–edema volume, brainstem infarct, and NIHSS. Conclusions: Early infarct–edema growth rate, measured via ABC/2, is a promising biomarker for identifying the need for surgical intervention in patients with acute cerebellar infarction. Additionally, it may be used to facilitate discussions regarding patient prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During an investigation of the diversity of aquatic hyphomycetes from southern China, two interesting isolates were collected. These two isolates were cultured and sequenced, and a BLAST search of their LSU sequences against data in GenBank revealed that the closest related taxa were in the genus Microthyrium. Phylogenetic analyses, based on the combined sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large nuclear subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU), revealed that our isolates belong to the Microthyriaceae. Combined morphological characters allowed us to describe our isolates as two new genera and species in Microthyriaceae, named as: Keqinzhangia aquatica and Pseudocoronospora hainanense. The full descriptions, illustrations, and a phylogenetic tree showing the position of the two new genera were provided in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional opioids have proven analgesic effects in clinical applications but are also associated with side effects, especially hyperalgesia. Reducing the occurrence of hyperalgesia is part of effective clinical pain management. In this study, we investigated the difference between MEL-0614, a novel endomorphin analog that can effectively penetrate the blood–brain barrier, and morphine in inducing hyperalgesia. Under mechanical and thermal stimulation conditions, intravenous administration of morphine led to hyperalgesia even at low concentrations, which was not observed with MEL-0614 even at high concentrations. In a spared nerve injury model, significantly less aggravation of allodynia was caused by an intravenous injection of MEL-0614 compared with that caused by morphine, and the allodynia symptoms occurred later. Notably, MEL-0614 significantly relieved the symptoms of morphine-induced allodynia. The activation of N-methyl-d-aspartic acid receptor and expression of inflammatory mediators differed in spinal microglia after intravenous injections of MEL-0614 and morphine. Intravenous injections of morphine induced increases in the number of microglia and overexpression of inflammatory factors, including tumor necrotic factor and interleukin-1β. Conversely, the effects of MEL-0614 administration did not differ from those of saline, and there was no inflammatory mediator overexpression. Especially in the spared nerve injury model, the cross-administration of morphine and MEL-0614 could reduce the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 and other related genes to different degrees compared with the use of morphine alone. Concurrently, the results could also explain the alleviating effect of MEL-0614 on morphine-induced pain sensitivity in behavioral experiments. Our findings may provide important information regarding the clinical treatment of neuropathic pain in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mucoromycota are diverse in microbial oils, but oil-related studies have long been confined to a few particular genera and species. This study used the Sherlock Microbial Identification System to determine fatty acid compositions and consequently discover potential resources from 669 strains representing 133 species in 28 genera in 11 families from the core mucoromycotan orders Mortierellales, Mucorales, and Umbelopsidales. Results showed that 34% of strains, 50% of species, and 46% of genera were oleaginous. Eleven genera were proposed as oleaginous taxa for the first time. Among them, Backusella was highlighted in accumulating as high as 59.08 ± 2.24% of oils. Twenty-five and 50 strains were screened as potential high-yield fungi for oils and high-value fatty acids respectively. Pilaira produced the most C18:2, while Rhizopus and Thamnostylum produced the most C18:3. Only strains of Mortierella produced C20:4; Mo. amoeboidea CGMCC 3.15949 yielded 58.00% ± 1.15% of C20:4, which suggests it is an excellent source of C20:4. This study suggests for the first time that the bulk of Mucoromycota is rich in lipids. More genera and species were discovered herein as oil-producing resources. These findings serve as a foundation for further research on microbial oil production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To get reliable computational results, the RNG k-ε turbulence model with enhanced wall treatment was validated to solve the heat transfer of supercritical RP-3 in a helically coiled tube, and models of the thermo-physical properties of RP-3 were optimally chosen. Most significantly, the grid independence was validated by two-step procedure, and the effect of boundary grids of the supercritical-temperature wall on the computational accuracy was well studied. Through adjusting boundary-layer girds' size, four regions (increased, pseudo-convergence, decreased and convergence) of the outlet temperature Tout were obtained and analyzed. The results showed that the maximum computation errors of Tout and the pressure differential between the inlet and outlet ΔP reached 20.65% and 98.15%, respectively, indicating that boundary grids have a significant influence on computation of flow and heat transfer. Based on this, a dimensionless distance from the wall-adjacent cell to the wall y+ = Prw−1/1.78 (Prw denotes Wall Prandtl number) was recommended as a convergence point. The variation laws of viscous length scale y were discussed under different structural parameters, operation parameters, and helical lengths. An explicit model of y* was proposed to calculate the height (y) of the first boundary layer grids and refine boundary grids efficiently. A modified model for coefficient of friction factor Cf was proposed based on Rogers's, and Nusselt number Nu was proposed based on an analogy of momentum and heat transfer. The above models about y*, Cf and Nu could apply to both the entrance region and the whole tube length, and showed good performance when Reynolds number was extended to above 70 000, or whenever the outlet temperature is below or above the critical point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sorafenib is the most widely used first-line treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but such treatment provides only limited survival benefits that might be related to the immune status of distinct tumor microenvironments. A fundamental understanding of the distribution and phenotypes of T lymphocytes in tumors will undoubtedly lead to the development of novel immunotherapeutic strategies that could possibly enhance the efficacy of sorafenib treatments. Methods: Flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses were performed to detect the infiltration and distribution of various leukocyte populations, and the expression of different immune checkpoint molecules in fresh HCC tumor tissues. Correlations among indicating genes were calculated in 365 patients with HCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data set, and the cumulative overall survival time was calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Moreover, role of adenosinergic pathway on sorafenib anti-tumor efficacy was investigated using both subcutaneous and orthotopic transplantation tumor model in immune competent C57BL/6 mice. Results: We revealed that levels of CD3+ and CD8+ T cells were significantly downregulated in HCC tumor tissue, so were the infiltration of CD169+ cells (a Mφ subpopulation with T cell activation capacities) and their contact with CD8+ cells in tumor milieus. Moreover, levels of PD-1 and CD39 expression were significantly upregulated in human HCC-infiltrating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and CD39+CD8+ T cells exhibited a CD69+PD-1+perforinlowIFNγlow "exhausted" phenotype. Levels of both CD39+ T cells infiltration and adenosine receptor ADORA2B expression in tumor tissues were negatively correlated with overall survival of patients with HCC. Accordingly, mice treated with sorafenib in combination with adenosine A2B receptor blockage reagents exhibited significantly reduced tumor progression compared with control groups. Conclusions: These results suggest that adenosinergic pathway might represent an applicable target for sorafenib-combined-therapies in human HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The use and abuse of antibiotics in the livestock industry are believed to have contributed to the enhancement of antibiotic resistance in agricultural settings through the application of animal manure. The use of manure-based commercial organic fertilizers (COFs) shows promise for the abatement of potential dissemination of antibiotic resistance. This study aims to assess the effects of repeated COF applications on the soil antibiotic resistome and bacterial communities and to reveal potential correlations.Materials and methods: High-throughput quantitative PCR was used to characterize the shift of the antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) contents after repeated COF applications. Illumina sequencing was employed to investigate changes in the bacterial community composition.Results and discussion: Applications of COFs increased the diversity and abundance of a wide spectrum of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in the soil. The first and second COF applications enhanced the proliferation of genes encoding resistance to beta lactam and vancomycin. Procrustes analysis and mantel test revealed that ARG profiles were significantly correlated with bacterial community composition, indicating that the microbial community composition might be a determinant of the soil resistome. Network analysis further demonstrated significant associations between ARGs and MGEs, highlighting the likelihood of the horizontal gene transfer of ARGs in the COF-amended soils.Conclusions: COFs are vast ARG reservoirs that should be categorized as ARG contamination sources in agriculturally related environments. The application of COFs increased the diversity, abundance, and potential horizontal transfer of ARGs in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we aimed to explore the potential mechanism underlying atopic dermatitis (AD) and its association with asthma. The BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to three groups, including the vehicle control (VD) group, the AD group, and the treatment (TR) group. The AD mice model was successfully constructed in the AD and TR group. The dermatitis severity scores and skin lesions were significantly increased in AD mice after DNCB application. Airway responsiveness in the AD group was significantly higher than in the TR group. The number of inflammatory cells was increased in skin lesions and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of AD mice. The levels of IL-4, IL-5, IFN-γ, and OVA-IgE in BALF supernatants of mice in the AD group were higher than those in the VC group. All the changes in AD mice were decreased by tacrolimus. These results indicate that AD may be a significant risk factor for atopic asthma development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine whether cumulative brain damage produced adjacent to a minor stroke that is followed by a mild transient ischemia is detectable with MRI and histology, and whether acute or chronic recovery between insults influences this damage. Materials and methods: A minor photothrombotic (PT) stroke was followed acutely (1-2 days) or chronically (7 days) by a mild transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). MRI was performed after each insult, followed by final histology. Results: The initial PT produced small hyperintense T and DW infarct lesions and peri-lesion regions of scattered necrosis and modestly increased T. Following tMCAO, in a slice and a region adjacent to the PT, a region of T augmentation was observed when recovery between insults was acute but not chronic. Within the PT slice, a modest region of exacerbated T change proximate to the PT was also observed in the chronic group. Corresponding histological changes within regions of augmented T included increased vacuolation and cell death. Conclusion: Within regions adjacent to an experimental minor stroke, a recurrence of a mild transient cerebral ischemia augmented T above increases produced by tMCAO alone, reflecting increased damage in this region. Exacerbation appeared broader with acute versus chronic recovery between insults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of manure-based commercial organic fertilizers (COFs) is becoming increasingly extensive because of the expanding market for organic food. The present study examined the effects of repeated applications of chicken or swine manure-based COFs on the fate of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soil by conducting a soil microcosm experiment. Application of COFs significantly increased antibiotics residues, as well as the relative abundance of ARGs and the integrase gene of class 1 integrons ( intΙ1) in soil. Two months after each application, antibiotics and ARGs dissipated in amended soils, but they still remained at an elevated level, compared with the control. And, the accumulation of antibiotics was found due to repeated COF applications. However, the relative abundance of ARGs in most COF-amended soils did not differ significantly between the first application and the repeated application. The results imply that 2 months are not sufficient for ARGs to approach background levels, and that animal manure must be treated more effectively prior to using it in agriculture ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of Orbilia related to O. luteorubella is described mainly based on morphological characters of its asexual morph and molecular data. The sexual morph does not significantly differ from O. luteorubella, whereas the asexual morph obtained from its ascospore isolate resembles members of the non-predacious genus Dactylella, because it has fusiform phragmoconidia borne singly at the apex of conidiophores. Phylogenetic analysis showed that this strain clustered with a clade that included available strains of the O. luteorubella aggregate and was distant from all analysed Dactylella species. Within this clade, the new strain fell between species with filiform conidia and those of a Pseudotripoconidium anamorph. By combining morphological and phylogenetic analyses, we conclude that our isolate belongs to a new taxon. Pleomorphism of the new taxon is described and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of the genus Orbilia, O. yuanensis (Orbiliales, Orbiliomycetes), was collected from Yunnan Province (China) and Taiwan. The fungus differs from previously known Orbilia species in that it has rod-shaped ascospores with a tear-shaped spore body. An anamorph that was obtained from ascospore isolates is characterized as producing long, curved macroconidia and much smaller, partly helicoid microconidia. Morphologically, this anamorph fits the polyphyletic genus Anguillospora. Based on a sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) gained from two isolates, O. yuanensis nested near species of the Orbilia luteorubella aggregate, although at a rather high distance. To date, there have been two reports regarding a connection between Orbilia species and their Anguillospora anamorph. The connection between O. yuanensis and its Anguillospora anamorph discussed here is the third published report. In this paper, both teleomorph and anamorph are illustrated and described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proteins with internal repeats (Pir) in the Baker's yeast are located on the cell wall and include four highly homologous members. Recently, Pir proteins have become increasingly used as anchor proteins in yeast cell surface display systems. These display systems are classified into three types: N-terminal fusion, C-terminal fusion, and inserted fusion. In addition to the GPI (glycosylphosphatidyl inositol) and the FL/FS anchor proteins, these three Pir-based systems significantly increase the choices for target proteins to be displayed. Furthermore, Pir proteins can also be used as a fusion partner for target proteins to be effectively secreted into culture medium. Here, we summarize the development and application of Pir proteins as anchor proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are significant concerns about the impact of heavy metal contamination in soils as a consequence of urbanisation and industrialisation in developing countries. Routine chemical analysis of soils is used to measure the total concentration of metals from point source or diffuse activities, but this fails to put in context the bioavailability of the analyte or the potential toxicity of multiple contaminants. Bacterial biosensors provide a useful tool for assessing the toxicity of the bioavailable fraction of heavy metals in soils and for complementing chemical analysis. There are few examples of genuine environmental applications of biosensors for pollutant diagnosis. This study applied constitutively marked biosensors (which were comprehensively characterised) to soils collected from across Northern China (60,000 km). The biosensors were responsive to soils impacted by As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn when compared to 'uncontaminated controls'. The response of the biosensor correlated with individual (or groups of) metals related to their concentration and source. The geo-accumulation index ( I) assisted in explaining the biosensor response. The constitutively marked biosensors offered a focussed understanding of analyte bioavailability and placed in a relevant context the elemental analysis. When matrix-matched control samples can be collected, then such a biosensor procedure (as adopted here) is applicable to contrasting soils exposed to a wide range of contaminants. Biosensor applications complemented routine soil chemical analysis for this regional-scale study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two characteristic comb-like copolymer dispersants (PCs) with either ester (-COO-) or ether (-C-O-C-) linkages were employed to evaluate their impact on the hydration behavior of CA-gypsum suspension. It is determined that the addition of copolymers accelerates the depletion of sulfate as well as the CA dissolution at the CA/gypsum molar ratio of 0.3. Besides, we highlighted a gradual slowing down of CAH precipitation but an increasing formation of monosulfoaluminate phase (AFm). Moreover, a great impact of PCs chemistry and PCs adsorption behavior is noticed. It is demonstrated that PC2 with ester linkage has a stronger adsorption onto CA-gypsum suspension, hence induces a stronger retardation of CAH precipitation. It is assumed that the competitive adsorption between PCs and sulfate eventually leads to the dissolution sites of CA are partly occupied by PCs. With a higher amount of extra sulfate released in the pore solution, it turns out that an increasing AFm precipitation and sulfate consumption appears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new family of organometallic/inorganic hybrid Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films, consisting of rigid-rod alkynylplatinum(II)-zinc(II) porphyrinate complex (OMA) as the π-conjugated donor-acceptor-type molecule, molybdophosphoric heteropolyacid and heteropolyacid salt (POM = HPMoO, NaIMoO, abbreviated as HPMo and NaIMo, respectively) of the Keggin and Anderson structures as the inorganic composite, were prepared and characterized by π-A isotherms, UV-vis absorption and luminescence spectra, scanning tunneling microscopy and surface photovoltage spectroscopy. Our experimental results indicate that stable, well-defined and well-organized Langmuir and LB films have been formed in pure water and POM subphase. Luminescence spectra of these hybrid LB films show that HPMo can increase the emission intensity of OMA to some extent. These LB composites show good photovoltage responses and a photovoltage of 11.1 μV can be obtained for the OMA/HPMo system when it is excited by light. The 3-layer LB films on ITO wafer can also display intriguing electrical conductivity behavior and the tunneling current amounts to ±100 nA when the voltage is set at −0.7-2.5 and −1.3-0.8 V for OMA/HPMo and OMA/NaIMo hybrid LB films, respectively. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)-g-methoxypolyethylene glycols comb-like polymer was employed as the dispersant of CaCO suspensions in this paper. The comb-like polymer had much better dispersability than traditional linear polyelectrolyte. By changing the length of side chains to alter the molecular size, the dispersion of CaCO suspensions was greatly influenced. The absolute value of zeta potential and the adsorption density decreased with increasing the length of side chains, while the rheological and dispersion properties had a best value when using polymers with moderate length of side chain. Calculations were performed based on the scaling law and Flory theory. It was known from the calculations that by increasing the length of side chains, the molecular size and the steric repulsion were both increased. But due to the worse activity of adsorption, the comb-like polymers with longer side chains had lower adsorption amount. The dispersability was due to the cooperation of steric repulsion and adsorption, which resulted that comb-like polymers with moderate length of side chain presented the best dispersability in actual application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A member of the nematophagous anamorph genus Arthrobotrys was isolated from its teleomorph Orbilia blumenaviensis comb. nov. (= Orbilia fici), a species closely related to O. auricolor but deviating in having lanceolate paraphyses. In the presence of nematodes, the anamorph forms three-dimensional adhesive networks. A trimorphism in its conidia was observed which vary in shape and number of septa. In the first isolate, two types of heteropolar conidia were obtained. These differ markedly from the type strain of A. vermicola, which forms mainly homopolar (fusoid) conidia. In a further ascospore isolate of O. blumenaviensis, however, mainly fusoid conidia referable to A. vermicola occurred. Combining morphological and phylogenetic analysis, we conclude that these isolates with differently shaped conidia and/or differences in the ITS rDNA (ca. 2-4%) belong to a single anamorph species, A. vermicola. Both teleomorph and anamorph are illustrated and described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new family of organometallic/inorganic composite Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films consisting of the rigid-rod dinuclear gold(I) complex coordinated with 9,9-bis(4-ethynylphenyl)fluorene (denoted as Au-DPF) as the π-conjugated organometallic molecule coupled with some europium-substituted polyoxometalates (POM; POM = Na 9EuW 10O 36, K 13[Eu(SiW 11O 39) 2] and K 5[Eu(SiW 11O 39)(H 2O) 2]) as the inorganic component were prepared and characterized by π–A isotherms, UV–vis absorption and photoluminescence spectra, atomic force microscopy imaging, scanning tunneling microscopy, and surface photo-voltage spectroscopy. Luminescence spectra of the prepared hybrid LB films show that the near-white emission spectra can be obtained due to the dual-emissive nature of the mixed Au-DPF/POM blends, and POM can facilitate broad aggregate emission bands. These Au-diyne-based LB films displayed interesting electric conductivity behavior. Among them, Au-DPF/K 13[Eu(SiW 11O 39) 2] 13-layer film showed a good electrical response, with the tunneling current up to ±100 nA when the voltage was monitored between −1.3 and 1.8 V. The photovoltage response of Au-DPF/EuW 22 amounts to 1.5 μV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Composting may enhance bioremediation of PAH-contaminated soils by providing organic substrates that stimulate the growth of potential microbial degraders. However, the influence of added organic matter (OM) together with the microbial activities on the dissipation of PAHs has not yet been fully assessed. Materials and methods: An in-vessel composting-bioremediation experiment of a contaminated soil amended with fresh wastes was carried out. Four different experimental conditions were tested in triplicate during 60 days using laboratory-scale reactors: treatment S (100% soil), W (100% wastes), SW (soil/waste mixture), and SWB (soil/waste mixture with inoculation of degrading microorganisms). Results and discussion: A dry mass loss of 35 ± 5% was observed in treatments with organic wastes during composting in all the treatments except treatment S. The dissipation of the 16 USEPA-listed PAHs was largely enhanced from no significant change to 50.5 ± 14.8% (for SW)/63.7 ± 10.0% (for SWB). More obvious dissipation was observed when fresh wastes were added at the beginning of composting to the contaminated soil, without significant difference between the inoculated and non-inoculated treatments. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling showed that fungi and G-bacteria dominated at the beginning of experiment and were probably involved in PAH dissipation. Subsequently, greater relative abundances of G + bacteria were observed as PAH dissipation slowed down. Conclusions: The results suggest that improving the composting process with optimal organic compositions may be a feasible remediation strategy in PAH-contaminated soils through stimulation of active microbial populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Phytoremediation has been recognized as a promising technology for the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soils. However, little is known about how plant species and cropping patterns affect the process of phytoremediation removing PAHs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate further the effects of monocultures or mixed cultures of different plant species on PAH phytoremediation. Materials and methods: Soils were sampled from a coke plant in Beijing, and ryegrass, white clover, and celery were selected as the model plants. Pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using these plants as mono-, two-, and three-species mixed cultures for 75 days. At the end of the experiment, the soil and plant samples were collected for PAH analysis. Moreover, the lipid content and fresh biomass of plants were also determined. Results and discussion: The average remaining percentage of PAHs in mixtures (48%) was significantly lower than those in monocultures (55%) and nonplanted soils (70%). In all treatments, plant-promoted biodegradation accounted for almost 99% plant-enhanced PAH losses, but plant uptake only contributed less than 2%. Between individual PAHs, 2-4-ring PAHs were generally more affected by plant uptake, especially for celery and mixed cultures, while 3-6-ring PAHs were impacted the most by biodegradation which was most enhanced in the presence of multispecies mixtures. Conclusions: Our results suggest that certain multispecies mixtures facilitate the phytoremediation of PAH-contaminated soils over monocultures. Moreover, plant-promoted biodegradation was the major pathway for PAH phytoremediation, whereas plant uptake was the minor one. Both of these pathways were dependent on plant species, cropping pattern, and PAH size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel ammonia and triethanolamine assisted sol–gel synthesis method was developed to fabricate the N-doped TiO2 hollow spheres. The prepared hollow spheres were in submicron size and had good morphology and high specific surface area. Polystyrene (PS) latexes in size of 470 nm were used as the templates to fabricate PS/TiO2 core–shell spheres. Here ammonia and triethanolamine was first employed together to control the sol–gel process. The N-doped TiO2 hollow spheres were got after calcinations of the core–shell spheres by using triethanolamine as N source, and the amount of doped N could be easily adjusted by changing the amount of triethanolamine. The hollow spheres had distinct visible light response, and the optical response shifted more to the visible region as the amount of doped N increases. The photodegradation of methylene blue expressed the high photocatalytic activity of the N-doped TiO2 hollow spheres under visible light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new Dactylella species, Dactylella alba was isolated from the ascospores of Orbilia alba collected in Wenshan County, Yunnan Province, China. Conidiophores were either not branched or occasionally branched, bearing divergent sterigmata on the tip with single conidium on each. Conidia were elongated ellipsoids, 1–2 septate, mostly 1 septate. By combining the ITS sequence with morphological characteristics, a new anamorphic species is described and illustrated together with its teleomorph. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meiliang Bay is a sublake of Taihu Lake and has been polluted by domestic and industrial effluents. As part of a comprehensive risk assessment project in this region, semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were applied to evaluate the levels and potential toxic potency of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in lakewater, in combination with chemical analysis and in vitro bioassay using H4IIE rat hepatoma cells. In addition, induction of hepatic ethoxyresorufin- O-deethylase (EROD) activity, in crucian carp ( Carassius auratus), caged in the vicinity of SPMD sampling sites was also used as a biomarker of exposure to PAHs and related chemicals. The caged crucian carp accumulated similar PAH profile patterns ( p < 0.001) but at lower levels compared with SPMDs on a wet-weight basis. Total concentrations of PAHs in crucian carp muscle tissues ranged from 35.6 to 69.1 ng/g after the 32-day exposure, whereas total PAHs in SPMDs ranged from 716.9 to 1007.8 ng/g. Dialysates from SPMDs exposed to Meiliang Bay water caused marked EROD activity in H4IIE cells. Toxic potency of dialysates expressed as bioassay-derived 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p-dioxin equivalents (TCDD-EQ) ranged from 3.8 to 6.2 pg TCDD-EQ/g SPMD for 32-day exposure samples. A linear correlation of total amount of PAHs and in vitro TCDD-EQ of SPMD dialysates yielded an R 2 of 0.82. Empirical evidence suggests that aryl hydrocarbon receptor-active PAHs can account for about 42–56% of the potency observed. Significant induction of liver EROD activity was also observed in crucian carp caged alongside SPMDs and there was a good correlation between the results of EROD assays in vivo and in vitro ( R 2 = 0.62, p = 0.02). It is, therefore, suggested that the SPMD technique in connection with chemical analysis and specific in vitro bioassays might be a valuable tool to assess the levels and effects of bioavailable hydrophobic pollutants in water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is described that novel Quasi-Optical Power (Q.O.P) Combiner of Solid State Source (S.S.S) in 3 Millimeter Wave (M.M.W) band in this paper. The paper explains with emphasis methods for design, calculation and experiment of the Q.O.P. Combiner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is described that the design, configuration and the performance of a novel millimeter wave Gunn oscillator stabilized by external cavity and temperature compensation in this paper. The frequency stability is 3.6 × 10−6 at 52 GHz over the teperature range from −10 to 50 °C. An output power of more than 100mW has been obtained in the frequency range from 51.5 to 52.8 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]