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The energy density of a flexible all-solid-state supercapacitor (ASC) requires new electrode material with special structure and morphology as a prerequisite for its secured improvement. In this paper, a new morphological exploration of chicken nuggets-like core/shell NiCo2O4/MnO2 (NCM) nanosheet arrays on Ni foam was employed. The application of this special morphology aims to greatly improve the electrochemical performance of the cathode electrode. Additionally, Buckwheat Biochar (BBC) is utilized as the anode while the PVA/KOH thin film is prepared as the separator. The chicken nuggets-like core/shell NCM nanosheet arrays were obtained by a two-step hydrothermal method. A series of characterization methods were carried out to further support the core/shell's well-designed structure and precise composition. The tests exhibited excellent specific capacitance of 593.3 F g−1 at 5 mA cm−2 and outstanding cycling stability with a retention of 90% after 10000 cycles. Furthermore, the assembled NCM//BBC ASC device indicated a high specific capacitance (239 F g−1 at the current density of 5 mA cm−2), this is in due part of the unique architecture of NCM nanosheet arrays and interconnected special porous structure of the BBC and the thin film PVA/KOH. Hence, the assembled ASC device exhibited high energy density (an energy density of 58 Wh·kg−1 at 3263 W kg−1) and remarkable cycling stability.

In recent years, gas reservoirs containing high levels of hydrogen sulfide have been found in salinized lacustrine carbonate rocks in the upper member of the Lower Ganchaigou Formation (E32) in the Yingxiongling area of the western Qaidam Basin. This poses great safety risks to drilling and development. To clarify the genetic mechanisms of hydrogen sulfide, we have analyzed the geochemical characteristics and sulfur isotopes of natural gas and predicted the distribution of hydrogen sulfide. The results show that (1) natural gas in the Yingxiongling area is dominated by wet gas, with relatively high nonhydrocarbon content. The gas is E32oil-type gas in a mature stage. (2) Hydrogen sulfide in natural gas reservoirs is less likely to originate from biological and volcanic geneses, and it is primarily a product of thermochemical sulfate reduction. The high-quality Oligocene source rocks distributed across a large area, the saline-deposit formations widely distributed in the western Qaidam Basin, and the high geothermal gradients and large numbers of developed pore-type reservoirs, all combine to provide favorable conditions for the formation of hydrogen sulfide reservoirs. (3) During the E32 deposition period, rock salt developed in the center of the lake basin, the sealing conditions for oil and gas were favorable, and the formation temperature was high during the reservoir formation period. Development of subsalt porous reservoirs is conducive to enrichment of hydrogen sulfide, and comprehensive prediction indicates that the subsalt formation in the Central Yingxiongling-Ganchaigou area is an enrichment zone for hydrogen sulfide. The research results are of considerable significance for the exploration and deployment, and the production safety, of hydrogen sulfide-containing reservoirs.

A hydrate directly growing and sintering on a pipe wall is an important hydrate deposition case that has been relatively unexplored. In the present study, the adhesion strengths of a sintered cyclopentane (CyC5) hydrate deposit under different solid precipitation and surface corrosion conditions were measured and discussed. It was found that the hydrate adhesion strengths increased by 1.2-1.5× when the soaking time of the carbon steel substrate in a 5 wt % NaCl solution increased from 24 to 72 h, which reduced the water wetting angle from 112 ± 3.5° to 94 ± 3.3°. The wax coating reduced the strength of CyC5 hydrate adhesion by up to nearly 20-fold by reversing the substrate wettability and affecting the hydrate morphology. The measurements performed on scales indicate that calcium carbonate scales strengthen the adhesion strength because of the decrease in the water wetting angle. In addition, honeycomb holes on the surface reduce amplification. Furthermore, settling quartz sand on the wall reduced the adhesion strengths by decreasing the effective sintering area of the hydrate on the underlying base. Finer sand and higher concentrations led to lower strengths. On the basis of the verified linear correlation between the hydrate adhesion strength and the adhesion work of droplets on different substrates and the influence of water conversion during deposition, both an equation and a key constant parameter were obtained to predict the sintered hydrate deposit adhesion strengths on substrates.

Reef fish are highly valuable to human society—socially, nutritionally and economically. However, they are vulnerable to both overfishing and habitat degradation. Understanding the community structure and habitat associations of reef fish is important for their management and conservation. Using a gillnet survey conducted in a subtropical rocky reef area of Ma’an Archipelago, China, we developed habitat models linking reef fish diversity and community composition with habitat factors. The parsimonious generalized additive model results showed that higher reef fish diversity was associated with southern shallower water, temperature of 25°C, lower levels of dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll a, and rock bottom type. The multivariate generalized linear model identified that month, depth, bottom type, and location significantly influenced the local reef fish; these habitat variables explained 18% of the variation in reef fish community composition. However, the lack of strong patterns and correlations between species derived from the joint species distribution model revealed that reefs within our study area are difficult to classify based on habitat-driven patterns in their associated reef fish assemblages. These findings enhance our understanding of the habitat effects on reef fish diversity and community composition and have relevance for the management of reef fish, including habitat zonation and deployment of artificial reefs.

The most common non-phenolic β-O-4-type lignin model compounds with or without the γ-hydroxymethyl group (C6-C3- or C6-C2-type, respectively) were treated in a 0.5 mol/L potassium tert-butoxide in ...

The Cenozoic in the western Qaidam Basin is rich in oil and gas resources and has good prospects for exploration. The maturity, sedimentary environment, and biological source of the crude oil in the western Qaidam Basin are discussed based on the composition characteristics of biomarkers in crude oil and source rocks. The above is performed to classify the genetic types of crude oil and determine the oil source relationship. It is found that the crude oil shows the characteristics of low mature–mature and is formed in the reducing environment with high salinity. The organic matter is from the mixed source with dominant aquatic plants input. According to the sedimentary environment, parent material types, and maturity characteristics, the crude oil in the western Qaidam Basin can be classified into four types. (1) Type I is from the Shizigou-Yuejin areas, which have a high content of gammacerane, a low value of Pr/Ph, C27 sterane predominance, and “tail-upwarping” phenomenon. (2) Type II is from the Qiekelike-Zhahaquan and Nanyishan-Youquanzi areas, which have C27 sterane predominance and no “tail-upwarping” phenomenon. Its content of gammacerane is lower than type I. (3) Type III is from the Dafengshan and Huangguamao areas, which have C29 sterane predominance and no “tail-upwarping” phenomenon. (4) Type IV is from the Kaitemilike area, which has a C27 sterane predominance, no “tail-upwarping” phenomenon, and lower content of gammacerane than that of others. The result of the oil-source correlation shows that the crude oil is dominantly derived from source rocks of the lower Ganchaigou Formation (E3) and the upper Ganchaigou Formation (N1).

Drynarioid ferns comprise a large group in the Polypodiaceae family and are characterised by anastomosing venation and line of abscission between the pinna and the costa. In this paper, after morphological comparison with other ferns, we report and describe a new species, Drynaria diplosticha Y. Yu and S. P. Xie, sp. nov. from the upper Miocene sediments of the Bangmai Formation in Lincang City, Yunnan, China. This species is characterised by sori lining the midrib in two rows. The acute curvature of the midrib and the areolae at the base, as well as the slight decurrency, indicate that the fossil was connected to a costa. The occurrence of this fossil suggests that the climate in southwestern Yunnan during the late Miocene was humid and warm with clear seasonality influenced by monsoons which, based on other studies, were weaker than those experienced at present. Given that other Neogene drynarioid fossils (i.e. Drynaria cf. propinqua from the late Miocene and Drynaria callispora, Drynaria dimorpha, Drynaria lanpingensis from the late Pliocene) were reported exclusively from western Yunnan, that region might be a radiation centre of Drynaria in the Neogene where its extant species rapidly diversified and the distribution expanded. This may have been driven by the formerly proposed rapid topographic and climatic changes there. These Drynaria fossils may indicate that western Yunnan was one of the cradles of Drynarioid ferns during their early evolution.

Well Zhongqiu 1 obtained highly productive oil-gas stream in the footwall of Zhongqiu structure, marking the strategic breakthrough of Qiulitag structural belt in the Tarim Basin. However, the oil and gas sources in Zhongqiu structural belt and the reservoir formation process in Zhongqiu 1 trap remain unclear, so study on these issues may provide important basis for the next step of oil and gas exploration and deployment in Qiulitage structural belt. In this study, a systematic correlation of oil and gas source in Well Zhongqiu 1 has been carried out. The oil in Well Zhongqiu 1 is derived from Triassic lacustrine mudstone, while the gas is a typical coal-derived gas and mainly from Jurassic coal measures. The oil charging in Well Zhongqiu 1 mainly took place during the sedimentary period from Jidike Formation to Kangcun Formation in Neogene, and the oil was mainly contributed by Triassic source rock; large-scale natural gas charging occurred in the sedimentary period of Kuqa Formation in Neogene, and the coal-derived gas generated in the late Jurassic caused large-scale gas invasion to the early Triassic crude oil reservoirs. The Zhongqiu 1 trap was formed earlier than or at the same period as the hydrocarbon generation and expulsion period of Triassic-Jurassic source rocks. Active faults provided paths for hydrocarbon migration. The source rocks-faults-traps matched well in time and space. Traps in the footwall of the Zhongqiu structural fault have similar reservoir-forming conditions with the Zhongqiu 1 trap, so they are favorable targets in the next step of exploration.

Jurassic coal-measure strata are widely developed in Northwest China and mainly distributed in the Tarim Basin, Junggar Basin, Qaidam Basin, and Tuha Basin. The Jurassic coal-formed gas resources are abundant. Although the Jurassic strata in Northwest China have similar tectonic and sedimentary environments, the geochemical characteristics of the coal-formed gas formed in Northwest China have both similarities and differences. Therefore, analyzing and summarizing the geochemical characteristics and exploration potential of the coal-formed gas in the Jurassic petroleum systems in different basins are of great significance for searching for different types of coal-formed gases. Through comprehensive comparison and analysis, it is believed that the drying coefficient of Jurassic coal-formed gases in western China present three types: namely the single peak type of wet gas, the double peak type wet gas-dry gas and the single peak type dry gas; the distribution range of δ13C1 is large, corresponding to the sequence of source rocks from low maturity to over-mature; the partial isotopic inversion of C2 and C3 is mainly caused by the mixed source and biological actions; source rock maturity is the main reason causing the geochemical differences of natural gases in different regions. The Jurassic coal-formed gas in Northwest China has large exploration potential, and the exploration degree of structural gas reservoirs is relatively high. The structural-lithological and lithological gas reservoirs, as well as the main exploration reservoir types for Jurassic coal-formed gas in Northwest China; the Jurassic system in the Kuqa Depression of Tarim Basin, Cretaceous-Jurassic system in the southern margin of the Junggar Basin, the Jurassic high maturity coal-formed gas in the Tuha Basin and the Jurassic high maturity–post-mature coal-formed gas in the Qaidam Basin have great exploration potential, which are important exploration fields for Jurassic coal-formed gas in Northwest China in the future. Keywords: Northwest China, Jurassic coal-formed gas, Geochemical characteristics, Exploration potential

The heterogeneous characteristics and their influencing factors of organic matter are still the research focuses of saline lacustrine hydrocarbon source rocks. This paper examined the heterogeneous characteristics of organic matter richness and type. The effects of tectonic activities, sedimentary facies, climate, biological sources, and preservation conditions on organic matter richness and type were examined in the Yiliping Depression, Qaidam Basin, northwestern China. Organic matter enrichment models for the Yiliping Depression were developed. Total organic carbon (TOC) content, extractable organic matter (EOM) content, and free hydrocarbon and kerogen thermal cracking hydrocarbon yield of mudstones are higher than 0.5%, 0.05% and 0.5 mg/g in the condensed sections and the early stage of high stand systems tracts while lower in other intervals. The heterogeneity of organic matter richness and type in the Pliocene is displayed. With the uplift of the A-erh-chin mountains, influenced by the Himalayan tectonic movement during the Neogene, the sedimentary facies were mainly saline lakes with braided river deltas, and their depocenters gradually migrated eastward. Climatic conditions changed from humid in the lower Pliocene to dry in the middle and upper Pliocene. Multiple water transgressive and regressive cycles formed multiple condensed sections and high stand systems tracts, where enough accommodation space, organic matter supply, favorable preservation conditions resulting from relatively deep and quiet water brought more organic matter accumulation. Mixed input of aquatic algae and terrestrial plants formed type II2 and type III kerogen in the depression, and there are more type II1 and type I hydrocarbon source rocks around lacustrine centers. The saline lacustrine evolution and organic matter accumulation models were developed, showing that the peak saline lacustrine period in the middle Pliocene was the most favorable for organic matter enrichment. The results indicate that there are active hydrocarbon source rocks (TOC content more than 0.4% and reflectance of vitrinite more than 0.5%) from the Neogene around the Jianshishan and Hongsanhan structures, and the Yikeyawuru and Taijinaier structures in the Yiliping Depression.

ATP-citrate lyase (ACL) plays a key role in the formation of acetyl-CoA, a crucial precursor for Monascus pigments biosynthesis. Whether ACL affects the pigments synthesis pathway in Monascus spp. is unknown. Here, we focus on acl1 and acl2 genes, encoding two subunits of ACL that were overexpressed in Monascus ruber CICC41233 to generate Monascus ruber ACL438469-4 and Monascus ruber ACL501969-11, respectively. Both acl overexpression strains significantly increased ACL activity, leading to elevate levels of acetyl-CoA. These strains completely degraded starch from rice powder after 4 days. Total Monascus pigments production was remarkably enhanced by 92.70% in M. ruber ACL438469-4 and 112.58% in M. ruber ACL501969-11 after 6 days. The red pigments in M. ruber ACL438469-4 and in M. ruber ACL501969-11 were more than that in parent strain. Transcriptome sequencing analysis of the acl overexpression strains vs the wild-type showed that differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in starch and glycolysis metabolism; valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation; glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism; and Monascus pigment biosynthetic pathway. This implied metabolic flux for acetyl-CoA during pigment synthesis and NH3 for amination of red pigments. Thus, ACL modulated starch and amino acid metabolism to regulate Monascus pigments production in M. ruber.

A fluorescent compound Tetra(3-[benzoylhydrazone] methyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) ethane (IV) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristic was synthesized and used as selective light-up probe for sensing of Al3+. Probe IV shows almost no fluorescence without Al3+, which is selectively enhanced with Al3+ by blocking the photo-induced electron transfer (PET) process, and locking the isomerization of C˭N bond and the intramolecular rotation around this C˭N bond. Additionally, it is interesting to observe that IV can facilely self-assemble into discrete nano-leaves with strong fluorescence emission.

Hierarchical MnO2 nanosheets attached on hollow NiO microspheres have been designed by a facile hydrothermal process. The core–shell structure is achieved by decorating an MnO2 nanosheet shell on a hollow NiO sphere core. The highly hollow and porous structure exhibits a high surface area, shortened ion diffusion length, outstanding electrochemical properties (558 F g−1 at a current density of 5 mA cm−2), and excellent cycling stability (83% retention after 5000 cycles). To further evaluate the NiO/MnO2 core–shell composite electrode for real applications, three asymmetric supercapacitors (NiO/MnO2//pomelo peel (PPC), NiO/MnO2//buckwheat hull (BHC), and NiO/MnO2//activated carbon (AC)) are assembled. The results demonstrated that NiO/MnO2//BHC delivered a substantial energy density (20.37 W h kg−1 at a power density of 133.3 W kg−1) and high cycling stability (88% retention after 5000 cycles) within a broad operating potential window of 1.6 V.

Fossil leaves from the Bangmai Formation of Lincang, Yunnan Province, southwest China, presented a variety of plant–insect interactions in the late Miocene. Six principal functional feeding types (36 DTs) in leaves of more than 13 families were identified, i.e., hole feeding, leaf mining, surface feeding, skeletonization, galling and marginal feeding. These diverse damage traces demonstrated that at least six orders of insects interacted with plants for various purposes, e.g., feeding and sheltering. Furthermore, the frequency of herbivory (21%) and the less occurrence of galling functional feeding types (20%) suggested that the climate in Lincang was humid and subtropical in the late Miocene. Our findings also suggested that the plant–insect associations similar to those observed today have been established since the late Miocene, shaping both the present flora and fauna.

Background Flammulina filiformis (previously known as Asian F. velutipes) is a popular commercial edible mushroom. Many bioactive compounds with medicinal effects, such as polysaccharides and sesquiterpenoids, have been isolated and identified from F. filiformis, but their biosynthesis and regulation at the molecular level remains unclear. In this study, we sequenced the genome of the wild strain F. filiformis Liu355, predicted its biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and profiled the expression of these genes in wild and cultivar strains and in different developmental stages of the wild F. filiformis strain by a comparative transcriptomic analysis. Results We found that the genome of the F. filiformis was 35.01 Mb in length and harbored 10,396 gene models. Thirteen putative terpenoid gene clusters were predicted and 12 sesquiterpene synthase genes belonging to four different groups and two type I polyketide synthase gene clusters were identified in the F. filiformis genome. The number of genes related to terpenoid biosynthesis was higher in the wild strain (119 genes) than in the cultivar strain (81 genes). Most terpenoid biosynthesis genes were upregulated in the primordium and fruiting body of the wild strain, while the polyketide synthase genes were generally upregulated in the mycelium of the wild strain. Moreover, genes encoding UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and UDP-glucose dehydrogenase, which are involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis, had relatively high transcript levels both in the mycelium and fruiting body of the wild F. filiformis strain. Conclusions F. filiformis is enriched in a number of gene clusters involved in the biosynthesis of polysaccharides and terpenoid bioactive compounds and these genes usually display differential expression between wild and cultivar strains, even in different developmental stages. This study expands our knowledge of the biology of F. filiformis and provides valuable data for elucidating the regulation of secondary metabolites in this unique F. filiformis strain.

Cytochromes P450 (CYP450s), a superfamily of mono-oxygenases, are essential to generate highly functionalized secondary metabolites in plants and contribute to the diversification of specialized triterpenoid biosynthesis in eudicots. However, screening and identifying the exact CYP450 genes in ginsenoside biosynthesis is extremely challenging due to existence of large quantities of members in CYP450 superfamily. Therefore, to screen the CYP450 genes involved in ginsenoside biosynthesis, transcriptome dataset of Panax ginseng was created in our previous work using the technique of the next-generation sequencing. On the basis of bioinformatics analysis, 16 putative CYP450 genes with significant differential expression were screened from the dataset and submitted to GenBank, in which 11 of them have been cloned. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) was used as an elicitor to analyze the expression profiles of candidate CYP450 genes by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The results of qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the expression of some CYP450 genes were strongly induced by MeJA and showed different transcription levels at different treatment time points. Homology analysis indicated that each putative CYP450 protein of P. ginseng has a conserved domain consisting of E-E-R-F-P-R-G. The CYP450 genes were screened and cloned here to enrich the resources of CYP450 genes, and the results of bioinformatics analysis provided a foundation to further identify the function of CYP450s involved in ginsenoside biosynthesis. Furthermore, this study facilitated the construction of microbial cell factories for increasing the production of ginsenosides by means of metabolic engineering.

Oleanolic acid is an antitumor traditional Chinese medicine component whose oral efficacy and clinical applications are limited because of its strong hydrophobicity. Recently, the use of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as drug carriers has attracted considerable research attention. In this study, the hollow structure of MOF-5 was synthesized. Its drug loading and drug release capacity were studied. The human ovarian cancer SK-OV-3 cell line was selected to study the drug loading system, cytotoxicity, and cellular uptake. We concluded that a hollow MOF with an excellent morphology was successfully fabricated in the experiment; it increased the drug loading capacity, achieved a more ideal sustained-release effect, improved the treatment efficiency of the hydrophobic Chinese medicine component, and provided a relatively efficient drug loading material.

Yunnan in SW China is a world renowned hotspot for diverse species of vascular plants such as ferns. However, fossil records of the Cenozoic ferns there are insufficient to clarify their phylogeny and historical biogeography from a geological perspective. Among these derived ferns, the monogeneric family Oleandraceae, with a pantropic distribution, is natural and distinctive; however, its origin and evolution remains unknown because of the absence of fossil records. In this study, we identified a new fossil species belonging to the genus Oleandra cav. (Oleandraceae s. s.) from the upper Miocene of Yunnan, China based on a detailed comparison of morphologically similar genera and within this genus. Oleandra bangmaii sp. n. is characterised by a simple fertile frond with an entire cartilaginous margin. Moreover, the venation system in this genus is unique and comprises a prominent midrib along with parallel, closely-spaced secondary free veins. The sori are dorsally borne, with round kidney-shaped indusia. It represents the first fossil occurrence of the genus Oleandra (Oleandraceae) within its extant distribution, suggesting that its fossil history has persisted for at least 10 Ma in Asia. Our finding, together with other existing evidence, suggests that the crown of eupolypods I (the node including families Oleandraceae, Davalliaceae and Polypodiaceae) has diversified and that the climate and vegetation of Yunnan have remained relatively stable since the late Miocene.

During the Paleogene–Neogene, the Qaidam Basin was a saline lacustrine basin so the biomarkers of hydrocarbon source rocks exhibited unique characteristics under the salinization conditions. Saturated hydrocarbons extracted from a large number of source-rock samples were analyzed using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The results showed that n-alkanes in the source rocks were evenly distributed between even and odd carbon numbers, isoprenoid alkenes were predominantly phytanes, and ratios of pristane to phytane (Pr/Ph) were low, mostly in the range from 0.2 to 0.8. Terpanes typically showed high contents of C35 homohopane and gammacerane. Overall, the ratios of gammacerane to C30 hopane (gammacerane/C30 hopane) and C35–C34 homohopane (C35/C34 homohopane) exhibited a positive correlation. Differing concentrations of oleanane were detected. The relative content of C27 and C29 steranes in the hydrocarbon source rocks varied from 25 to 75%, and the relative content of C28 sterane in a considerable number of samples was higher than 30%. C27–C29 steranes generally showed an asymmetric V-shaped distribution, and the distribution of sterane/hopane and Pr/Ph ratios showed negative correlations. The salinity and reducibility indexes of the southern area of the Western Qaidam Basin were significantly higher than those of the northern area of the basin during the Oligocene–Miocene. Source rocks in the northern area were formed in a low-salinity and weakly reductive environment with type II2–III kerogen, whereas the hydrocarbon source rocks in the southern area formed in a high salinity and strongly reductive environment. The sedimentary water salinity and reducibility of the different areas were reduced in the following order: Hongliuquan, Yuejin, Shizigou, and Wunan–Lvcaotan. The best source rocks in this basin were developed in the Hongliuquan, Yuejin, and Shizigou areas with type II1–II2 kerogen. This study lays a foundation for further understanding the geochemical distribution of the hydrocarbon source rocks and crude oil in addition to the characteristics of the oil source in Paleogene and Neogene.

Background Hericium erinaceus, a famous edible mushroom, is also a well-known traditional medicinal fungus. To date, a large number of bioactive metabolites with antitumor, antibacterial, and immune-boosting effects were isolated from the free-living mycelium and fruiting body of H. erinaceus. Objective Here we used the proteomic approach to explore proteins involved in the regulation of bioactive metabolites, including terpenoid, polyketide, sterol and etc. Results Using mass spectrometry, a total of 2543 unique proteins were identified using H. erinaceus genome, of which 2449, 1855, 1533 and 690 proteins were successfully annotated in Nr, KOG, KEGG and GO databases. Among them, 722 proteins were differentially expressed (528 up- and 194 down-regulated) in fruiting body compared with mycelium. Most of differentially expressed proteins were putatively involved in energy metabolism, molecular signaling, and secondary metabolism. Additionally, numerous proteins involved in terpenoid, polyketide, and sterol biosynthesis were identified. Our data revealed that proteins involved in polyketide biosynthesis were up-regulated in the fruiting body, while some proteins in mevalonate (MEP) pathway from terpenoid biosynthesis were generally up-regulated in mycelium. Conclusions The present study suggested that the differential regulation of biosynthesis genes could produce various bioactive metabolites with pharmacological effects in H. erinaceus.

Bottom-trawl surveys are widely used to generate data for developing habitat suitability models for rockfish species. However, bottom trawl selectivity varies with substrate type and can lead to biased and unreliable model outputs. Bottom-set gillnets provide more efficient and reliable data in untrawlable substrates, and fine-tuning bottom-trawl survey indices with supplementary gillnet survey data could enhance performance of rockfish habitat models. We applied this approach with bottom trawl and gillnet data for Sebasticus marmoratus in Ma’an Archipelago, China. Abundance indices and environmental data collected by the gillnet surveys were used to tune the bottom trawl survey data for empirical habitat suitability modeling of S. marmoratus. Under cross-validation, the habitat model based on tuned trawl data generated ecologically reliable suitability indices (SIs) and improved habitat suitability prediction for Sebasticus marmoratus compared to the habitat model developed using untuned trawl data. The data-tuning method developed in this study can be used to enhance the performance of habitat models of other demersal species whose habitats are not adequately sampled by bottom-trawl surveys.

The structural integrity of nuclear fission and fusion power plant components is the focus of this research. The state of the art is using micro scale specimens milled with a focussed ion beam (FIB). Because of their very low volume such specimens can be lab tested, even when irradiated to low or medium level of activity. This offers a possibility of testing multiple specimens to investigate stochastic effects, e.g. effects of irradiation on the shift of the ductile to brittle transition. However, FIB milled specimens suffer from Ga contamination, to the degree that the validity of fracture data obtained on such specimens is questionable. We propose to use nano-Additive manufacturing as an alternative to FIB for making micro scale fracture specimens. A combination of two-photon polymerization and electrodeposition and sputtering was used to manufacture micro-scale Brazilian disk fracture specimens (CBD), which are free from Ga and thus better suited for the study of irradiation effects on structural integrity. In this study Ni CBD specimens were made with 30 μm diameter and up to 13 μm thickness. The slot width varied between 1 μm to 2.9 μm width the corresponding slot length of between 7.5 μm and 8 Âm. Consecutive FIB characterization shows that the specimens have polycrystalline microstructure with sub-Âm grains. The work is ongoing making W CBD specimens and on reducing the slot width and using chemical vapor deposition fabrication.

It is highly desirable to develop new semiconductors for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CH4 and CO to solve greenhouse effect and energy issues. Defect pyrochlore oxides have a flexible composition and the electron/hole mobility can be manipulated by introducing foreign cations into the structure. Through Sn doping into the defect pyrochlore oxide KNbWO6·H2O, we successfully obtained a 2-times higher photocatalytic activity for converting CO2 to CO, CH4 and O2 compared to the original KNbWO6·H2O. According to the data from UV-vis, photoluminescence, and hydroxyl radical amount-related fluorescence spectra, and CO2 adsorption, the improved photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the extended visible light response, the enhanced charge separation and the improved CO2 adsorption due to Sn doping. Our results provide a new strategy for developing high-performance photocatalysts.

The northern margin of the Qaidam Basin is an important area for natural gas exploration that includes the recently discovered Dongping and Niudong gas fields. However, the origins of the natural gas and the primary factors controlling gas accumulation in the region are unclear, particularly in the piedmont zone. Planning and exploration strategies are limited by a lack of knowledge about natural gas accumulation mechanisms. In this study, various comprehensive geochemical, geophysical and geological techniques were applied to investigate the origin and distribution of natural gas in this area, as well as the main factors controlling gas accumulation. The results demonstrate that the gas deposits are dominated by gaseous hydrocarbons with C1/C1–5 ratios in the range 0.76–0.99. The natural gases are characterized by wide variations in δ13C1 values (−19.1‰ to −36.1‰) and relatively heavy δ13C2 values (−19.82% to −25.42%). The oil and gas in the investigated area exhibit a zonal spatial distribution and have features typical of coal-generated gases. The locations of major hydrocarbon-generating depressions and source rock maturity exert primary control on the distribution of oil and gas reservoirs. Paleo-uplifts and paleo-slopes controlled the direction of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation, while faults and conducting systems connected to the hydrocarbon source rocks constituted channel systems that controlled the transport of oil and gas. Suggestions for future exploration have been put forward, which will provide significant guidance for gas exploration in the area. Future promising areas for exploration include the paleo-uplifts in the east of the Altun Mountains and the west of the Qilian Mountains front and the Eboliang-Lenghu structural belt in the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin. These results will also provide guidance to natural gas exploration and research efforts in other basins with similar geological settings.

Deep natural gas in the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin is characterized by low exploration degree and large resource potential, but the genesis of deep gas reservoirs is complex. In particular, Jurassic source rocks do not develop in west of Altun foreland. The mechanism of deep accumulation is unknown, which restricts the exploration of deep gas reservoirs. Using gas components, isotopes and other data, combined with the geological characteristics of the Altun foreland, this study analyzes the genesis and source of deep gas in this area, and establishes the accumulation procesess of the deep gas reservoirs. Analysis shows that the gas in the Altun foreland is dominated by coal-type gas with the characteristics of oil cracking gas in deep reservoirs. The Jurassic source rocks in the Qaidam Basin are mainly lacustrine mudstones, with black mudstones and oil shale developed, which have the material basis for forming large oil reservoirs. The deep reservoir has experienced the process of long-term deep burial and high-temperature cracking, and has the conditions to form oil cracked gas. Accumulation in deep bedrock gas reservoirs is characterized by early oil filling, later high-temperature cracking into gas, and late adjustment. Reservoirs formed in early stage can be deeply cracked into gas reservoir under high temperature in the process of deep burial. The ancient uplifts along the basin margin and large anticline traps in the late tectonic zone are favorable exploration areas for deep gas. The exploration area for natural gas in the Qaidam Basin has been expanded by the discovery of deep oil cracking gas in the Altun foreland, which has crucial significance for guiding and intensifying deep gas exploration in the Qaidam Basin.

Aconitum carmichaelii: is a species of perennial herb with high medicinal and ornamental values, and needs urgent conservation. To facilitate its conservation genetics studies, its complete chloroplast genome was assembled from Illumina sequencing reads. The circular genome is 155,737 bp long, and comprises a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 26,193 bp each, separated by a large single-copy (LSC) region of 86,330 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,021 bp. It encodes 112 gene species (incl. 78 PCGs, 30 tRNAs & 4 rRNAs), with 18 of them being duplicated. Besides, 15 gene species possess a single intron, and another two gene species contain a couple of introns. The nucleotide composition is asymmetric with an overall A+T content of 61.9%. Phylogenetic analysis challenged the current taxonomy of the family Berberidaceae, and suggested A. carmichaelii as being closely related to the two congeners A. barbatum and A. chiisanense.

The lion’s mane mushroom Hericium erinaceus is a famous traditional medicinal fungus credited with anti-dementia activity and a producer of cyathane diterpenoid natural products (erinacines) useful against nervous system diseases. To date, few studies have explored the biosynthesis of these compounds, although their chemical synthesis is known. Here, we report the first genome and tanscriptome sequence of the medicinal fungus H. erinaceus. The size of the genome is 39.35 Mb, containing 9895 gene models. The genome of H. erinaceus reveals diverse enzymes and a large family of cytochrome P450 (CYP) proteins involved in the biosynthesis of terpenoid backbones, diterpenoids, sesquiterpenes and polyketides. Three gene clusters related to terpene biosynthesis and one gene cluster for polyketides biosynthesis (PKS) were predicted. Genes involved in terpenoid biosynthesis were generally upregulated in mycelia, while the PKS gene was upregulated in the fruiting body. Comparative genome analysis of 42 fungal species of Basidiomycota revealed that most edible and medicinal mushroom show many more gene clusters involved in terpenoid and polyketide biosynthesis compared to the pathogenic fungi. None of the gene clusters for terpenoid or polyketide biosynthesis were predicted in the poisonous mushroom Amanita muscaria. Our findings may facilitate future discovery and biosynthesis of bioactive secondary metabolites from H. erinaceus and provide fundamental information for exploring the secondary metabolites in other Basidiomycetes.

γ-Valerolactone (GVL) is receiving increasing attention because of its significant characteristics of an ideal sustainable liquid fuel. In this work, a novel and nonprecious metal catalytic method of the hydrogenation of biomass-derived levulinic acid (LA) into GVL by water splitting is first reported. Commercially available nonprecious metals of Fe, Ni, Cu, Cr, and Mo exhibited significantly catalytic activities in the hydrogenation of LA into GVL. Over 90% yield of GVL from LA can be obtained at a relatively low temperature of 180 °C, and an excellent 98% yield of GVL was achieved over the Fe catalyst at 250 °C. Catalyst Fe is stable and still keeps the high catalytic activity after recycles. The extraordinary catalytic activity of the general Fe powder is probably because of the role of hot water and also a synergistic role of the Fe and ZnO or Zn/ZnO. Also, the reactor wall of a reactor made of the stainless steel material acted as a significant catalyst, and a considerably high GVL yield of 56% can b...

The development of functionalized hyper-cross-linked resins (HCLRs) with high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area (SBET) is of great importance. Herein, a kind of anisole-modified HCLRs was fabricated by two successive Friedel-Crafts reactions and it was used for the adsorption of aniline from aqueous solution. The resultant HCLRs owned high SBET and plentiful oxygen (O), with the values of 650 m2/g and 7.6 wt% respectively. The adsorption experiments indicated that the adsorption of aniline on the prepared HCLRs was efficient with the maximum capacity of 200.6 mg/g at 308 K, and both of the SBET and the introduced O were beneficial for the adsorption. Additionally, the as-prepared HCLRs had a good reusability without obvious capacity loss after five adsorption-desorption cycles.

Most estrogen receptor positive (ER +) breast cancers depend on ER signaling pathway to develop. Clinical application of SERD fulvestrant effectively degraded ER, blocked its function and prolonged progression free survival of ER + breast cancer patients. However, current SERD suffers from limited bioavailability, therefore is given as intramuscular (IM) injection. In this paper, we report herein a novel indole series compounds with nanomolar range ER degradation potencies and oral systemic exposures. Selected compounds suppressed tumor growth in vivo in ER + MCF7 breast cancer CDX model via p.o. administration. All those data supported further optimizations of this analog to develop preclinical candidate as oral SERD for ER + breast cancer’s treatment.

On the basis of salinity and organic geochemical analyses of mudstones, this paper analyzed the relationship between salinity and sedimentary facies of different strata; studied influences of salinity on organic matter richness, types, and thermal maturities of source rocks; and built the organic enrichment accumulation model for the Paleogene and Neogene saline lakes of the western Qaidam Basin. In the western Qaidam Basin, saline lake depocenters and high salinity areas migrated eastward, and chloride ion (Cl–) concentration of source rocks showed an increasing trend from the Paleocene to Pliocene. The relationship between organic matter content and salinity of the Paleocene and Pliocene source rocks shows a three-interval model: both TOC (total organic carbon) content and chloroform bitumen content have low values at the low salinity stage, first increase to the peak and then decrease to the lowest values at the medium salinity stage, and sustain the lowest values at the super saline stage because of t...

A theoretical study with quantum chemistry calculations was performed to investigate highly efficient reduction of CO 2 to formic acid using Al under mild hydrothermal conditions. All the structures of the reactants, products and transition states were optimized by B3LYP functional using the extended 6-311 + G(3df,2p) basis set. The formation of HAlOH species, an intermediates in the reaction of Al with H 2 O, was calculated firstly. The formation of HCOO − was simulated subsequently. Our theoretical results showed that Al–H is a key intermediate species in the highly efficient reduction of CO 2 to formic acid using Al under mild hydrothermal conditions, which demonstrated that the formation of formic acid is through an SN2-like mechanism.

Cellulosic fiber has been increasingly used in many fields. The fiber charge, including the surface charge and inner charge, affects the properties of cellulosic fiber and fiber-based materials significantly. In this study, the cellulosic fiber was subjected to different treatments, including 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-1-oxyl radical-mediated oxidation, carboxymethyl cellulose attachment and mechanical refining, to alter the fiber charge selectively. The effects of the fiber surface charge and inner charge on fiber performances and inter-fiber bonding strength for improving the high-value application of cellulosic fibers, respectively, were discussed. The results showed that the performances of cellulosic fiber can be improved with the increase of either surface or inner fiber charges, including the increased water retention value, flexibility and inter-fiber bonding strength, but with slightly decreased drainability. An increasing bulk fiber charge showed more significant enhancement of the inter-fiber bonding strength than only an increase of the fiber surface charge on cellulosic fiber. This was because the fiber inner charge contributed to the increase of fiber flexibility and deformability, which could benefit the inter-fiber bonding indirectly. As a consequence, the bulk fiber charge enhancement was better for tensile strength improvement of handsheets (fiber-based material) than only fiber surface charge enhancement. Increasing both the surface charge and inner charge improved the tensile strength effectively with less change of the bulky fiber network than the refining treatment.

It is well-known that triacylglycerol (TAG) ions are suppressed by phospholipid (PL) ions in regiospecific analysis of TAG by mass spectrometry (MS). Hence, it is essential to remove the PL during sample preparation prior to MS analysis. The present article proposes a cost-effective liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) method to remove PL from TAG in different kinds of biological samples by using methanol, hexane and water. High performance thin layer chromatography confirmed the lack of PL in krill oil and salmon liver samples, submitted to the proposed LLE protocol, and liquid chromatography tandem MS confirmed that the identified TAG ions were highly enhanced after implementing the LLE procedure.

The Western Qaidam Basin (WQB) is situated at the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. It is adjacent to the Altyn Tagh Range to the west and is bordered at the south and north by the Eastern Kunlun Range and Southern Qilian Range, respectively. Sporadic Jurassic outcrops are exposed along the Altyn Tagh Range. Although subsurface data have revealed that the Jurassic rocks also developed in the basin interior, little is known about their distribution and depositional characteristics. Hydrocarbon exploration has revealed that the Lower–Middle Jurassic strata are important source rocks and reservoirs in the WQB. However, due to post-depositional uplifting, exhumation or deep burial, the sediments provenance, paleogeography and the basin properties during the Early–Middle Jurassic in the whole WQB remain less understood. In this study, we examine the sedimentary records combined with detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology based on an analysis of post-depositional modification, to reveal the source-to-sink relationship between the WQB and surrounding potential source areas, and to further reconstruct the Early–Middle Jurassic paleogeography of the WQB. During the Early Jurassic, there were a series of small-scale, separated rift basins which were characterized by proximal sedimentation and rapid facies shift in the WQB. Specifically, the Lower Jurassic sediments in the southern WQB mainly originated from the Eastern Kunlun Range with minor supply from the Paleozoic intrusions that might have been exposed in the hinterland of the Qaidam Block; the provenance in the northern WQB was dominated by the uplift area to the west. There was a broader depression basin in the southern WQB. The Eastern Kunlun Range and the ancestral Altyn Mountains, served as the two dominant source areas for the clastic material of the southern WQB during the Middle Jurassic. Integrated analysis on sedimentology and provenance reveals that the southeastern Tarim Basin and the WQB were likely to have been interconnected or adjacent during Middle Jurassic period. We thus infer that no large-scale strike-slip displacement along the Altyn Tagh Fault occurred during that period. Combining regional tectonic settings, we tentatively suggest that the extensional setting following the orogenic movement in the eastern part of the Paleo–Tethys Ocean could have been responsible for the formation of the Early Jurassic rift basins. By the early Middle Jurassic, the Bangonghu–Nujiang Tethys Ocean and the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean were subducted northward beneath the Qiangtang terrane and Siberian continent, respectively. These led to the presence of an extensional stress field and the formation of a broader depression basin in the southern WQB during the Middle Jurassic. Paleogeography reconstruction results indicate that the northern WQB should have much potential for hydrocarbon exploration.

A polyhydroxy benzoylhydrazone-based low-molecular-weight organic gelator (IV1) containing a tetraphenylethene fluorophore was designed and synthesized. Gelator IV1 exhibits exceptional gelation ability in organic solvent comparing to other analogues. More importantly, the time-dependent increase of storage modulus G′ of the gel and fluorescent intensity of IV1 are almost synchronized, which indicates that the gelation process and fluorescence enhancement are extremely relevant. This provides a convenient method to visually monitor the gelation process of organic gelators by fluorescent detection. Furthermore, gelation mechanism is studied in detail. According to these results, we propose the intermolecular interactive mechanism to understand the gelation process of polyhydroxy benzoylhydrazone-based tetraphenylethene compounds.

Single dimension gas chromatography (GC) is widely used for the analysis of a broad variety of lipid samples of a multitude of origins, most often used as a GC method in combination with mass spectrometry (MS). However, adequate characterisation and accurate identification of fatty acids (FAs) and triacylglycerols (TAGs) remain challenging due to their complexity, incomplete resolution on the separation dimension often confounded by sample matrix, and sometimes insufficient MS domain differentiation. The higher resolution of multidimensional separation enables improved quality separations that should translate to better reliability of identification and more precise analytical characterisation of major and minor abundance FA isomers that contribute nutrition and health benefits, and for compounds that can be used for medical and pharmaceutical purposes. Development of advanced multidimensional chromatographic strategies incorporating multiple separations coupled with different detection tools, including multistage-MS (MSn) methods for FA in various foods, environmental and biological samples is described.

The Qaidam Basin is the largest Meso–Cenozoic petroliferous basin on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and was situated at the northern margin of the Eastern Tethys during the Mesozoic. Jurassic strata are the main source rocks and reservoirs in the northern and western segments of this basin. However, due to exceptionally thick overlying Cenozoic strata, intensive post-depositional modification and limited deep exploration data, several crucial problems regarding this basin remain controversial, including provenance supply, original sedimentary extent, and overall properties in the Jurassic period. This hinders further understanding of regional geological evolution and hydrocarbon exploration. This paper focuses on comparison of residual Jurassic strata in the northwestern Qaidam Basin, the adjacent Saishiteng Mountains and the Suganhu area to the north based on sedimentology and provenance analyses. Detrital zircon geochronology was employed to examine the provenance of Jurassic sediments in different areas and to reconstruct their dispersal patterns. Results show that the Lower Jurassic deposits are characterized by near provenance and rapid facies shift. Fan deltas, braided river deltas, and lacustrine deposits are commonly developed. The Lower Jurassic source area was mainly located in the south Altyn Tagh Mountains. Sedimentary extent and depocenters in the Middle and Late Jurassic transferred northwards to the current piedmont of the Saishiteng and South Qilian mountains. The residual Jurassic in the Saishiteng Mountains is similar and comparable with coeval strata in the Suganhu area as well as the inner Qaidam Basin. Detrital zircon ages indicate multiple provenances in the Middle Jurassic, of which the southern Qilian Mountains are the most important. In the Middle Jurassic, deposition occurred across large areas of the Saishiteng Mountains which belonged to the same basin as the inner Qaidam Basin and the Suganhu areas. A series of small-scale continental rift basins developed in the western part of northwestern Qaidam in the Early Jurassic and then developed into a larger depression from the late Early Jurassic to the Late Jurassic. Post-collision extension was conducive to the development of rift basins in the Early Jurassic. Subduction of the northern Mongolian–Okhotsk and southern Central Tethys Ocean interactively led to an extensional tectonic setting and the development of a depression basin in late Early to Middle Jurassic. The continuous northward compression of the Qiangtang Block mainly resulted in a compressive tectonic setting in the Late Jurassic.

A tetraphenylethene (TPE) derivative tetra(3-1 H -benzo[ d ]imidazol-2-yl) -4-hydroxyphenyl)ethene (TBIHPE) which exhibits crystallization-induced emission enhancement (CIEE) induced by tetrahydrofuran (THF) and reversible fluorescence shifting upon HCl fuming and heating or NH 3 fuming was prepared. The CIEE and reversible fluorescence shift process were controlled by imino group and tertiary amine group of 2-(2′-Hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole (HBI) moiety, respectively. The intermolecular hydrogen bonds between THF and imino group have been observed by single-crystal X-ray structural analysis, which changed the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process of TBIHPE, and induced the CIEE phenomena. The fluorescence emission peak of TBIHPE shows blue shift upon HCl fuming stimuli in solid state. Moreover, the fluorescence emission of HCl fumed TBIHPE solid can recover by heating or fuming in NH 3 vapors. Based on the results, the relationship between photophysical properties and protonation-deprotonation stimuli was discussed.

There has been increasing research focusing on the detection and occurrence of wastewater contamination in urban water systems. To find suitable markers to indicate industrial and domestic sewage flows inappropriately entering storm drains, this study investigated the occurrence and fate of 52 chemical markers through wastewater treatment facilities of manufacturers of agricultural and sideline products, beverage products, and pharmaceutical products, which are also consumed in our daily life. Of the 52 candidate markers, sodium, chloride, potassium, isomalto-oligosaccharide, acesulfame, theanine, glycerol, and clarithromycin were found to be conservative markers, with an average change in concentrations through the wastewater treatment processes of

Hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs) are abundant cell wall components involved in mycorrhizal symbiosis, but little is known about their function in orchid mycorrhizal association. To gain further insight into the role of HRGPs in orchid symbiosis, the location and function of HRGPs were investigated during symbiotic germination of Dendrobium officinale. The presence of JIM11 epitope in developing protocorms was determined using immunodot blots and immunohistochemical staining procedures. Real-time PCR was also employed to verify the expression patterns of genes coding for extensin-like genes selected from the transcriptomic database. The importance of HRGPs in symbiotic germination was further investigated using 3,4-dehydro-L-proline (3,4-DHP), an inhibitor of HRGP biosynthesis. In symbiotic cultures, immunodot blots of JIM11 signals were moderate in mature seeds, and the signals became stronger in swollen embryos. After germination, signal intensities decreased in developing protocorms. In contrast, in asymbiotic cultures, JIM11 signals were much lower as compared with those stages in symbiotic cultures. Immunofluorescence staining enabled the visualization of JIM11 epitope in mature embryo and protocorm cells. Positive signals were initially localized in the larger cells near the basal (suspensor) end of uninfected embryos, marking the future colonization site of fungal hyphae. After 1 week of inoculation, the basal end of embryos had been colonized, and a strong signal was detected mostly at the mid- and basal regions of the enlarging protocorm. As protocorm development progressed, the signal was concentrated in the colonized cells at the basal end. In colonized cells, signals were present in the walls and intracellularly associated with hyphae and the pelotons. The precise localization of JIM11 epitope is further examined by immunogold labeling. In the colonized cells, gold particles were found mainly in the cell wall and the interfacial matrix near the fungal cell wall. Four extensin-like genes were verified to be highly up-regulated in symbiotically germinated protocorms as compared to asymbiotically germinated ones. The 3,4-DHP treatment inhibited the accumulation of HRGPs and symbiotic seed germination. In these protocorms, fungal hyphae could be found throughout the protocorms. Our results indicate that HRGPs play an important role in symbiotic germination. They can serve as markers for fungal colonization, establishing a symbiotic compartment and constraining fungal colonization inside the basal cells of protocorms.

A double-anode magnetron injection gun (MIG) has been designed and taken place of the single­anode magnetic injection gun used in the first version 140GHz gyrotron. The others parameters of a 140GHz TE22.6-mode gyrotron are same as the first version. And the second version gyrotron has been fabricated and tested. With pulse width 300-us and repetition frequency of 5 Hz, an output power of ~430kW with frequency of 140.2GHz is achieved in operating voltage 68kV, electron beam 28A, corresponding to 22.6% of efficiency.

Background Gastrodia elata, a mycoheterotrophic orchid, is a well-known medicinal herb. In nature, the seed germination of G. elata requires proper fungal association, because of the absence of endosperm. To germinate successfully, G. elata obtains nutrition from mycorrhizal fungi such as Mycena. However, Mycena is not able to supply nutrition for the further development and enlargement of protocorms into tubers, flowering and fruit setting of G. elata. To date, current genomic studies on this topic are limited. Here we used the proteomic approach to explore changes in G. elata at different stages of symbiotic germination. Results Using mass spectrometry, 3787 unique proteins were identified, of which 599 were classified as differentially accumulated proteins. Most of these differentially accumulated proteins were putatively involved in energy metabolism, plant defense, molecular signaling, and secondary metabolism. Among them, the defense genes (e.g., pathogenesis-/wound-related proteins, peroxidases, and serine/threonine-protein kinase) were highly expressed in late-stage protocorms, suggesting that fungal colonization triggered the significant defense responses of G. elata. Conclusions The present study indicated the metabolic change and defensive reaction could disrupt the balance between Mycena and G. elata during mycorrhizal symbiotic germination.

In the present study, the catalytic wet oxidation of pharmaceutical sludge by molecular sieve loaded with Cu/Ce as catalyst was investigated. Experiments were performed in an experimental batch reactor. Reaction parameters including catalyst dose, temperature, time, and oxygen pressure were discussed. The results showed that the catalysts prepared by co-precipitating method have good catalytic performance. Under optimum conditions, the highest volatile suspended solids (VSS) removal rate approximately 92% and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate of 75% were obtained at 260 °C for 60 min with initial oxygen pressure 1.0 MPa and the catalyst 10 g/L. These results implied that the catalytic wet oxidation of pharmaceutical sludge by molecular sieve loaded with Cu/Ce is a promising method for the highly efficient degradation of the sludge.

Background Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins were initially discovered about 35 years ago as accumulating late in embryogenesis of cotton seeds. Although abundant in seeds and pollens, these proteins have been found to protect cells against desiccation, cold, high temperature, and high salinity. Objective Here, we present the first comprehensive survey of LEA proteins and their encoding genes in Gastrodia elata, a well-known medicinal orchid in China. Moreover, we researched on LEA family evolutionary relationships and functional characteristics. Methods The LEA gene family in G. elata (GeLEAs) was cloned based on RNA-Seq data. In addition, all of GeLEA genes were introduced into Escherichia coli to assess the function of GeLEAs under low temperature stress. Results Based on the phylogenetic analysis with Arabidopsis and Oryza LEA proteins, we identified 8 LEA protein encoding genes in G. elata that could be classified into 6 distinct subgroups. The motif composition of these proteins was an important feature specific to LEA groups. Compared with control, the expressions of 5 GeLEAs in E. coli exhibited enhanced cold resistance and viability, indicating that GeLEAs protein could play a protective role in cells under low temperature stress. Conclusion Our results suggest that LEAs from G. elata play an important role in responses to abiotic stress.

Wet oxidation of an industrial pharmaceutical wastewater with high concentration organic pollutants using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant was investigated. Experiments were performed in a batch reactor to discuss the effects of reaction temperature, time, the hydrogen peroxide amount and catalyst with COD removal rate as an evaluation index. Results show that the highest COD removal rate, 81.6 %, was achieved at 240 ºC for 60 min with the addition of H

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, a diverse family, accumulate during seed desiccation in the later stages of embryogenesis. LEA proteins are associated with tolerance to abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity and high or cold temperature. Here, we report the first comprehensive survey of the LEA gene family in Dendrobium officinale, an important and widely grown medicinal orchid in China. Based on phylogenetic relationships with the complete set of Arabidopsis and Oryza LEA proteins, 17 genes encoding D. officinale LEAs (DofLEAs) were identified and their deduced proteins were classified into seven groups. The motif composition of these deduced proteins was correlated with the gene structure found in each LEA group. Our results reveal the DofLEA genes are widely distributed and expressed in tissues. Additionally, 11 genes from different groups were introduced into Escherichia coli to assess the functions of DofLEAs. Expression of 6 and 7 DofLEAs in E. coli improved growth performance compared with the control under salt and heat stress, respectively. Based on qPCR data, all of these genes were up-regulated in various tissues following exposure to salt and heat stresses. Our results suggest that DofLEAs play an important role in responses to abiotic stress.