Search

The pea (Pisum sativum L.) is one of widely cultivated crops over the world, but the mechanism of pod coloration is still unclear. Understanding the underlying mechanism regulating pea pod coloration can broaden pea breeding. In this study, the comparative analysis of transcriptome and metabolome was performed to examine the changes in metabolites accumulation and gene expression at two pod developmental stages in two pea accessions with green pods (GP) and yellow pods (YP). At the two omics levels, a total of 4504 differential metabolites (DEMs) were detected in four samples, and 2709 and 3725 differential expression genes (DEGs) were detected at two pod developmental stages between GP and YP, respectively. The verification results of RT-qPCR showed that the relative expression of ten genes randomly detected showed statistically high correlations between RT-qPCR and RNA-seq. The functional analysis of DEMs and DEGs found that the flavonoid metabolism pathway was the most direct metabolic pathway for the variation of pod coloration between two pea accessions. The 34 DEMs and 21 DEGs related to flavonoid metabolism pathway exhibited different expression pattern between GP and YP samples. Additionally, the combined analysis of transcriptome and metabolome in flavonoid biosynthesis pathway revealed that a direct correlation between the decreased expression level of genes and reduction accumulation of metabolites in the delphinidin biosynthesis pathway. The obtained results of this study provided a foundation to reveal the candidate genes controlling the pod color variation, and provide new germplasm resources for genetic improvement in pea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, an ammonia complexation-oxidation-homogeneous precipitation-assisted high-temperature solid phase approach was used to constructing evenly connected Li2MnO3 surface on LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.09Al0.01O2 (NCMA) cathode materials. The structural stability of NCMA and the cycling performance at high cut-off voltages were greatly improved by the advantages of the high voltage (below 4.5 V) stability of Li2MnO3-based surface. 5%M-NCMA, obtained from Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.09Al0.01(OH)2 precursors coated with 5 wt % of Mn3O4 uniformly, showed improved electrochemical performance, which shows initial discharge specific capacities of 215.06 and 224.30 mAh g−1 at high voltage ranges of 3.0–4.5 V and 3.0–4.8 V at 0.1 C, respectively. The capacity retention of 5%M-NCMA after 200 cycles at a rate of 1 C rate under the reinforcement of the high voltage stable table interface is 83.89 and 78.09% under 4.5 and 4.8 V, which were enhanced relative by 8.39% and 32.75% relative to the uncoated samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: The effect of electrostatic interaction on regulating an anion-rich solvation in electrolyte is firstly proposed. The moderate electrostatic interaction between anion and solvent promotes anion-rich solvation sheath, inducing a stable electrolyte|electrode interface with fast Li+ transport kinetics. The outstanding electrochemical performance of 50 μm-thin Li||high-loading LiCoO2 batteries is achieved at high voltage of 4.5 V (even up to 4.6 V), lean electrolyte of 15 μL, and wide temperature range of − 20 to 60 °C.Through tailoring interfacial chemistry, electrolyte engineering is a facile yet effective strategy for high-performance lithium (Li) metal batteries, where the solvation structure is critical for interfacial chemistry. Herein, the effect of electrostatic interaction on regulating an anion-rich solvation is firstly proposed. The moderate electrostatic interaction between anion and solvent promotes anion to enter the solvation sheath, inducing stable solid electrolyte interphase with fast Li+ transport kinetics on the anode. This as-designed electrolyte exhibits excellent compatibility with Li metal anode (a Li deposition/stripping Coulombic efficiency of 99.3%) and high-voltage LiCoO2 cathode. Consequently, the 50 μm-thin Li||high-loading LiCoO2 cells achieve significantly improved cycling performance under stringent conditions of high voltage over 4.5 V, lean electrolyte, and wide temperature range (− 20 to 60 °C). This work inspires a groundbreaking strategy to manipulate the solvation structure through regulating the interactions of solvent and anion for high-performance Li metal batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current Li-based battery technology is limited in terms of energy contents. Therefore, several approaches are considered to improve the energy density of these energy storage devices. Here, we report the combination of a heteroatom-based gel polymer electrolyte with a hybrid cathode comprising of a Li-rich oxide active material and graphite conductive agent to produce a high-energy "shuttle-relay" Li metal battery, where additional capacity is generated from the electrolyte's anion shuttling at high voltages. The gel polymer electrolyte, prepared via in situ polymerization in an all-fluorinated electrolyte, shows adequate ionic conductivity (around 2 mS cm−1 at 25 °C), oxidation stability (up to 5.5 V vs Li/Li+), compatibility with Li metal and safety aspects (i.e., non-flammability). The polymeric electrolyte allows for a reversible insertion of hexafluorophosphate anions into the conductive graphite (i.e., dual-ion mechanism) after the removal of Li ions from Li-rich oxide (i.e., rocking-chair mechanism). The energy content increase is of paramount importance for the development of future Li-based batteries. Here, the authors propose a gel polymer electrolyte in combination with a positive electrode comprising of a Li-rich oxide active material and graphite to produce a high-energy Li metal cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To reveal the mechanism that links industrial trans fatty acids (iTFAs) to various chronic diseases, we examined the impact of iTFAs on the local microenvironment of the small intestine (duodenum, jejunum and ileum). Methods: Forty male 8-week-old mice were fed diets containing one of the following: (1) low soybean oil (LS); (2) high soybean oil (HS); (3) low partially hydrogenated oil (LH), and (4) high partially hydrogenated oil (HH). The analysis of microbiota from small intestinal content was performed by real-time qPCR. The fatty acid composition of small intestine mucosa was measured by GC/MS, and comparative transcriptome of the small intestinal mucosa was analyzed by RNA-sequencing. Results: The intake of iTFAs changed the fatty acid spectrum of the small intestine mucosa, especially the excessive accumulation of iTFA (mainly elaidic acid). For microbiota, the relative abundance of δ- and γ-proteobacteria, Lactobacillus, Desulfovibrio, Peptostreptococcus and Turicibacter were significantly different in the iTFA diet groups compared to the control group. Based on the identification of differently expressed genes(DEGs) and pathway annotation, comparative transcriptome analysis of the small intestine mucosa revealed obvious overexpression of genes involved in the extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathway, which suggests that ECM remodeling and abnormal lipid metabolism may have occurred with iTFA ingestion. Conclusion: Our research demonstrated multiple adverse effects of iTFA that may have originated from the small intestine. This finding could be to facilitate the development of new strategies to suppress iTFA-related diseases by reversing the adverse effects of iTFA on intestinal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SAPO-34/ZSM-5 composite catalyst (SZ-TS) was successfully fabricated using a two-step in situ crystallization method. X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, N2 adsorption–desorption, and ammonia temperature-programmed desorption measurements were used to characterize the synthesized catalysts and evaluate their catalytic performances on methanol-to-olefin (MTO) reaction. The synthesis mechanism of two-step in situ crystallization was further investigated. Results showed that the SZ-TS synthesized by two-step in situ crystallization featured an intimately bonded composite structure owing to the synergistic effects of the interface. However, the physical mixture of SAPO-34 and ZSM-5 (SZ-PM) presented two discrete phase structures. By using the composite catalyst in MTO reaction, the SZ-TS exhibited the longest life of 1400 min, which was much higher than that of SZ-PM (720 min). Methanol conversion reached 97.3%, and the selectivity for light olefins totalled 93.0%. The excellent catalytic performance of SZ-TS was attributed to the hierarchical pore structure and suitably weak acid site distribution. Via pre-crystallization, alkalinity can be adjusted in the adjacent ranges of SAPO-34 and ZSM-5. By adding the pre-crystallized alkaline SAPO-34 slurry into the strong alkaline system of the parent ZSM-5 slurry, phase dissolution of SAPO-34 in the secondary crystallization solution was avoided. The external surface of SAPO-34 was etched in the alkaline environment of the secondary crystallization solution, resulting in hierarchical pore distribution, which benefited the MTO reaction. This in situ synthesis method features the advantages of simplicity, low time consumption, and low cost. Therefore, this approach possesses the potential to satisfy the demands of the MTO market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium metal anode for batteries has attracted extensive attentions, but its application is restricted by the hazardous dendritic Li growth and dead Li formation. To address these issues, a novel Li anode is developed by infiltrating molten Li metal into conductive carbon cloth decorated with zinc oxide arrays. In carbonate-based electrolyte, the symmetric cell shows no short circuit over 1,500 h at 1 mA·cm−2, and stable voltage profiles at 3 mA·cm−2 for ∼ 300 h cycling. A low overpotential of ∼ 243 mV over 350 cycles at a high current density of 10 mA·cm−2 is achieved, compared to the seriously fluctuated voltage and fast short circuit in the cell using bare Li metal. Meanwhile, the asymmetric cell withstands 1,000 cycles at 10 C (1 C = 167 mAh·g−1) compared to the 210 cycles for the cell using bare Li anode. The excellent performance is attributed to the well-regulated Li plating/stripping driven from the formation of LiZn alloy on the wavy carbon fibers, resulting in the suppression of dendrite growth and pulverization of the Li electrode during cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel composite, functionalized N-doped hollow carbon spheres (F-NHCS), is proposed as cathode host for improving the cycle stability and rate capability of a Li-S battery, which involves the functionalization of NHCS with oxygen-containing groups. The high electronic conductivity and abundant oxygen-containing functional groups of F-NHCS can not only be served as the conductive matrix for loading S as the cathode (F-NHCS-S) but also exhibit strong absorption capability to anchor S atoms and thus effectively solve the dissolution issue of intermediates polysulfides during cycling. As a result, the as-obtained F-NHCS-S cathode exhibits excellent performances: delivering an initial specific capacity of 827 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C with about 74 wt% S loading and retaining a specific capacity of 549 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles, compared to the respective 747 mAh g−1 and 182 mAh g−1 of the cathode based on the host without N-doping and functionalization (HCS-S). The fabrications of the hosts and the corresponding cathodes are demonstrated by the physical characterizations from SEM, TEM, XPS, XRD, FT-IR, BET, and TGA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diethyl phenylphosphonite (DEPP) is used as a novel electrolyte additive to improve the cyclability of spinel LiMnO upon cycling at elevated temperature (55 °C). The charge/discharge cycling stability results indicate that capacity retention of Li/LiMnO cell is significantly improved from 40 to 78% at a rate of 1C (1C = 120 mAh g) when 1.0 wt% DEPP is added to the baseline electrolyte (1.0 M LiPF in EC/EMC/DEC (3:5:2, vol.%)) after 450 cycles at 55 °C. This improvement can be attributed to the preferential oxidation of DEPP to that of the baseline electrolyte and the subsequent formation of a protective film on the cathode surface. This passivation film suppresses detrimental electrolyte decomposition and in turn protects LiMnO from further decomposition. Molecular energy level calculations, linear sweep voltammetry, and cyclic voltammetry results confirm that DEPP is oxidized on the cathode surface prior to the oxidation of carbonate solvents. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy illustrates that the the cathode interfacial film generated from DEPP oxidation is more stable and robust than that of the surface film yielded from the baseline electrolyte's decomposition. Ex situ surface-characterization results further support the claim that DEPP incorporation in the electrolyte suppresses the electrolyte oxidation at elevated temperature and the decomposition of LiMnO cathode material as well. Graphical Abstract: The highest occupied molecular orbital energy of DEPP (−6.75305 eV) is higher than that of EC (−8.73078 eV), EMC (−8.40479 eV), and DEC (−8.36043 eV). Furthermore, the oxidation potential and the ionization energy also demonstrate that DEPP is more easily oxidized than electrolyte solvents. Therefore, DEPP is preferred to be oxidized on the cathode than the baseline electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is associated with an elevated risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. To identify genetic loci that modify breast cancer risk related to MHT use in postmenopausal women, we conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) with replication. In stage I, we performed a case-only GWAS in 731 invasive breast cancer cases from the German case-control study Mammary Carcinoma Risk Factor Investigation (MARIE). The 1,200 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showing the lowest P values for interaction with current MHT use (within 6 months prior to breast cancer diagnosis), were carried forward to stage II, involving pooled case-control analyses including additional MARIE subjects (1,375 cases, 1,974 controls) as well as 795 cases and 764 controls of a Swedish case-control study. A joint P value was calculated for a combined analysis of stages I and II. Replication of the most significant interaction of the combined stage I and II was performed using 5,795 cases and 5,390 controls from nine studies of the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC). The combined stage I and II yielded five SNPs on chromosomes 2, 7, and 18 with joint P values <6 × 10 for effect modification of current MHT use. The most significant interaction was observed for rs6707272 ( P = 3 × 10) on chromosome 2 but was not replicated in the BCAC studies ( P = 0.21). The potentially modifying SNPs are in strong linkage disequilibrium with SNPs in TRIP12 and DNER on chromosome 2 and SETBP1 on chromosome 18, previously linked to carcinogenesis. However, none of the interaction effects reached genome-wide significance. The inability to replicate the top SNP × MHT interaction may be due to limited power of the replication phase. Our study, however, suggests that there are unlikely to be SNPs that interact strongly enough with MHT use to be clinically significant in European women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several common germline variants identified through genome-wide association studies of breast cancer risk in the general population have recently been shown to be associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 mutation carriers. When combined, these variants can identify marked differences in the absolute risk of developing breast cancer for mutation carriers, suggesting that additional modifier loci may further enhance individual risk assessment for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. Recently, a common variant on 6p22 (rs9393597) was found to be associated with increased breast cancer risk for BRCA2 mutation carriers [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.55, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.25-1.92, p = 6.0 × 10]. This observation was based on data from GWAS studies in which, despite statistical correction for multiple comparisons, the possibility of false discovery remains a concern. Here, we report on an analysis of this variant in an additional 6,165 BRCA1 and 3,900 BRCA2 mutation carriers from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA). In this replication analysis, rs9393597 was not associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA2 mutation carriers (HR = 1.09, 95 % CI 0.96-1.24, p = 0.18). No association with ovarian cancer risk for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers or with breast cancer risk for BRCA1 mutation carriers was observed. This follow-up study suggests that, contrary to our initial report, this variant is not associated with breast cancer risk among individuals with germline BRCA2 mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deleterious mutations in the RAD51C gene, which encodes a DNA double-strand break repair protein, have been reported to confer high-penetrance susceptibility to both breast and ovarian cancer. To confirm this we conducted a mutation screen of the RAD51C gene in 192 probands from high-risk breast and/or ovarian cancer families that do not carry BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. The nine exons of the RAD51C gene containing protein coding sequence were screened for mutations in genomic DNA from family probands by high-resolution melting analysis and direct DNA sequencing. Four missense variants, p.Ser364Gly, p.Ala126Thr, p.Val169Ala, and p.Thr287Ala were detected in six patients. The p.Ser364Gly variant is a novel variant predicted to have little influence on RAD51C activity. The p.Ala126Thr and p.Val169Ala variants have been reported to have no association with risk of breast cancer in a case-control study. However, p.Thr287Ala disrupts the DNA repair activity of RAD51C, suggesting some influence on risk. Consistent with published results from similar follow-up studies, we suggest that RAD51C mutations are rare events among high-risk breast cancer and breast/ovarian cancer families. Large population-based studies will be needed to reliably assess the prevalence and penetrance of inactivating mutations in the RAD51C susceptibility gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer shows a higher incidence in women of African ancestry compared to women of European ancestry. In search of common risk alleles for ER-negative breast cancer, we combined genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from women of African ancestry (1,004 ER-negative cases and 2,745 controls) and European ancestry (1,718 ER-negative cases and 3,670 controls), with replication testing conducted in an additional 2,292 ER-negative cases and 16,901 controls of European ancestry. We identified a common risk variant for ER-negative breast cancer at the TERT-CLPTM1L locus on chromosome 5p15 (rs10069690: per-allele odds ratio (OR) = 1.18 per allele, P = 1.0 × 10?10). The variant was also significantly associated with triple-negative (ER-negative, progesterone receptor (PR)-negative and human epidermal growth factor-2 (HER2)-negative) breast cancer (OR = 1.25, P = 1.1 × 10?9), particularly in younger women (<50 years of age) (OR = 1.48, P = 1.9 × 10?9). Our results identify a genetic locus associated with estrogen receptor negative breast cancer subtypes in multiple populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three founder mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 contribute to the risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in Ashkenazi Jews (AJ). They are observed at increased frequency in the AJ compared to other BRCA mutations in Caucasian non-Jews (CNJ). Several authors have proposed that elevated allele frequencies in the surrounding genomic regions reflect adaptive or balancing selection. Such proposals predict long-range linkage disequilibrium (LD) resulting from a selective sweep, although genetic drift in a founder population may also act to create long-distance LD. To date, few studies have used the tools of statistical genomics to examine the likelihood of long-range LD at a deleterious locus in a population that faced a genetic bottleneck. We studied the genotypes of hundreds of women from a large international consortium of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers and found that AJ women exhibited long-range haplotypes compared to CNJ women. More than 50% of the AJ chromosomes with the BRCA1 185delAG mutation share an identical 2.1 Mb haplotype and nearly 16% of AJ chromosomes carrying the BRCA2 6174delT mutation share a 1.4 Mb haplotype. Simulations based on the best inference of Ashkenazi population demography indicate that long-range haplotypes are expected in the context of a genome-wide survey. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that a local bottleneck effect from population size constriction events could by chance have resulted in the large haplotype blocks observed at high frequency in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 regions of Ashkenazi Jews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitotic regulatory pathways insure proper timing of mitotic entry, sister chromatid cohesion and separation, and cytokinesis. Disruption of this process results in inappropriate chromosome segregation and aneuploidy, and appears to contribute to cancer. Specifically, disregulation and somatic mutation of mitotic regulators has been observed in human cancers, and overexpression of mitotic regulators is common in aggressive and late stage tumors. However, the role of germline variation in mitotic pathways and risk of cancer is not well understood. We tested 1,084 haplotype-tagging and functional variants from 164 genes in mitotic regulatory pathways in 791 Caucasian women with breast cancer and 843 healthy controls for association with risk of overall and high grade breast cancer. Sixty-one single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 40 genes were associated ( P < 0.05) with risk of breast cancer in a log-additive model. In addition, 60 SNPs were associated ( P < 0.05) with risk of high grade breast cancer. However, none of these associations were significant after Bonferroni correction for multiple testing. In gene-level analyses, CDC25C, SCC1/ RAD21, TLK2, and SMC6L1 were associated ( P < 0.05) with overall breast cancer risk, CDC6, CDC27, SUMO3, RASSF1, KIF2, and CDC14A were associated with high grade breast cancer risk, and EIF3S10 and CDC25A were associated with both. Further investigation in breast and other cancers are needed to understand the influence of inherited variation in mitotic genes on tumor grade and cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An RNAi-based functional screening of mitotic kinases in Drosophila recently identified a number of members of the kinome that are required for normal cell division. Depletion of these kinases resulted in a number of different mitotic abnormalities including spindle malformation, chromosome mis-segregation, centrosome amplification and failure of cytokinesis (Bettencourt-Dias et al. in Nature 432:980–987, 2004). Since mitotic defects are commonly observed in cancer cells, these kinases may contribute to tumor development and/or progression. To investigate whether common genetic variation in the mitotic kinases are associated with breast cancer risk, we genotyped 386 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 44 mitotic kinase genes, in 798 breast cancer cases and 843 unaffected controls from a clinic-based study. A total of 22 SNPs from 13 kinase genes displayed significant associations with breast cancer risk ( Ptrend ≤ 0.05), including two SNPs from FYN (rs6914091 and rs1465061) that remained of interest after accounting for multiple testing ( q = 0.06). These associations were stronger when evaluating cases with estrogen and progesterone receptor positive tumors. In addition, haplotype-based tests identified significant associations with risk for common haplotypes of the MAST2 ( P = 0.04) and MAP2K4 ( P = 0.006) genes. Although requiring replication, these findings suggest that genetic polymorphisms in mitotic kinases that have been implicated in chromosome instability and aneuploidy may contribute to the development of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) provide a powerful method for the identification of commonly inherited, low penetrance susceptibility loci for many diseases, including breast cancer. This approach takes advantage of the known position of millions of commonly inherited genetic variants and is independent of prior knowledge of the position of disease loci. Several GWAS of breast cancer have been completed and several others are ongoing. Taken together, these studies have identified and validated 11 susceptibility loci not previously predicted to contribute to this disease. Several of these alleles also appear to modify breast cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. These findings have led to GWAS of BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers aimed at identifying genetic modifiers of breast cancer risk in these populations. Whereas risks conferred by these loci individually are low, the combined effects may be sufficient for use in risk assessment, screening, and targeted prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spray drying and a direct carbonization technology were coupled to prepare nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (NMCs) using chitosan as a carbon source and nitrogen source precursor and a triblock amphiphilic copolymer (F127) as a soft template, then oxidative modification was performed by ammonium persulfate (APS) to prepare oxidized mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (O-NMCs). The pore structure, chemical composition and wettability of the mesoporous materials were studied before and after oxidative modification, the microscopic morphology, structure, composition and wetting performance of the mesoporous carbon were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), N2 adsorption–desorption instrument, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle tests and other analyses, meanwhile influences of the mesoporous carbon material on adsorption and release performance of a poorly-soluble antitumor drug hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) were investigated. It was demonstrated from results that the surface wettability of the oxidatively-modified mesoporous carbon material was improved, the contact angle of the mesoporous carbon materials was reduced from 133.4° to 58.2° and the saturated adsorption capacity of HCPT was 676.97 mg/g and 647.20 mg/g respectively. The dissolution rate of the raw material hydroxycamptothecin was improved due to the nanopore structure of the mesoporous carbon material, the dissolution rate of mesoporous carbon material-loaded hydroxycamptothecin was increased from 22.7% to respective 83.40% and 81.11%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ nitrogen-doped hydrophilic mesoporous carbon spheres with different carbon-to-silicon (C/Si) ratios (NMCs-x/3, x = 5, 6, 7, and 8) were prepared by one-step method coupled with a spray drying and carbonizing technique, in which triblock copolymer (F127) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) were used as template agents, and biocompatible chitosan (CS) was used as the carbon source and nitrogen source. These carbon materials were characterized by TG, BET, XRD, Raman, FTIR, TEM, XPS, and contact angle measuring device. The adsorption and release properties of mesoporous carbon materials for the poorly soluble antitumor drug hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) were investigated. Results showed that nanospherical mesoporous carbon materials were successfully prepared with high specific surface area (2061.6 m2/g), narrowly pore size distribution (2.01–3.65 nm), and high nitrogen content (4.75–6.04%). Those NMCs-x showed a satisfactory hydrophilicity, which gradually increased with the increasing of surface N content. And the better hydrophilicity of NMCs-x was, the larger adsorption capacity for HCPT. The absorption capacity of NMCs-x towards HCPT was in the following orders: qNMCs-5/3> qNMCs-6/3> qNMCs-7/3> qNMCs-8/3. NMCs-5/3 had the largest saturated adsorption capacity of HCPT (1013.51 mg g−1) and higher dissolution rate (93.75%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]