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Antipsychotic-induced metabolic disturbance (AIMD) is a common adverse effect of antipsychotics with genetics partly underpinning variation in susceptibility among schizophrenia patients. Melanocortin4 receptor (MC4R) gene, one of the candidate genes for AIMD, has been under-studied in the Chinese patients. We conducted a pharmacogenetic study in a large cohort of Chinese patients with schizophrenia. In this study, we investigated the genetic variation of MC4R in Chinese population by genotyping two SNPs (rs489693 and rs17782313) in 1,991 Chinese patients and examined association of these variants with the metabolic effects that were often observed to be related to AIMD. Metabolic measures, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), glucose, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were assessed at baseline and after 6-week antipsychotic treatment. We found that interaction of SNP×medication status (drug-naïve/medicated) was significantly associated with BMI, WC, and HDL change %, respectively. Both SNPs were significantly associated with baseline BMI and WC in the medicated group. Moderate association of rs489693 with WC, Triglyceride, and HDL change % were observed in the whole sample. In the drug-naïve group, we found recessive effects of rs489693 on BMI gain more than 7%, WC and Triglyceride change %, with AA incurring more metabolic adverse effects. In conclusion, the association between rs489693 and the metabolic measures is ubiquitous but moderate. Rs17782313 is less involved in AIMD. Two SNPs confer risk of AIMD to patients treated with different antipsychotics in a similar way.

To understand the role of hydrogen donation from solvents to the coal-generated free-radical fragments (coal radicals) in direct coal liquefaction (DCL), a coal with 72.4 wt % carbon was reacted at...

Low phosphate (Pi) availability and high aluminum (Al) toxicity constitute two major plant mineral nutritional stressors that limit plant productivity on acidic soils. Advances toward the identification of genes and signaling networks that are involved in both stresses in model plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana and rice (Oryza sativa), and in other plants as well have revealed that some factors such as organic acids (OAs), cell wall properties, phytohormones, and iron (Fe) homeostasis are interconnected with each other. Moreover, OAs are involved in recruiting of many plant-growth-promoting bacteria that are able to secrete both OAs and phosphatases to increase Pi availability and decrease Al toxicity. In this review paper, we summarize these mutual mechanisms by which plants deal with both Al toxicity and P starvation, with emphasis on OA secretion regulation, plant-growth-promoting bacteria, transcription factors, transporters, hormones, and cell wall-related kinases in the context of root development and root system architecture remodeling that plays a determinant role in improving P use efficiency and Al resistance on acidic soils.

It is demonstrated that EBIC imaging technique is superior in quick localizing polysilicon defect of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). Once polysilicon leakage phenomena are examined, relying on EBIC imaging analysis, we can rapidly isolate nanoscale defect in tens of microns length range. Although faulty polysilicon is employed by more than one MOSFET, it turns out to be unnecessary to characterize all devices after EBIC imaging analysis. By comparative studies, it is concluded that 2-probe EBIC imaging is preferred for mega-Ohm range resistive defect localization while 1-probe configuration is only applicable for kilo-Ohm range. Nanoprobe I-V measurement of the isolated device uncovers the abnormal electrical characteristic which fairly aligns with EBIC imaging analysis. Focused ion beam (FIB) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) findings imply the EBIC imaging has submicron level spatial resolution toward resistive defects. Therefore it overcomes traditional limits in terms of technical method and lowers failure analysis (FA) difficulty considerably. Ultimately, a simplified model is proposed to explain the physical mechanism of this application. Our modeling describes the strong dependance of EBIC imaging on hot excess carrier behavior within shallow p-n junction when electron beam (e-beam) penetrates into bulk silicon. The work improves the understanding of excess minority carriers transport properties in p-n junction under scanning e-beam irradiation. And this paper may make EBIC imaging be a more promising way to identify minute material defect of future advanced MOSFET.

The swelling and sorption experiments were carried out simultaneously for two block coal samples under CO 2 and CH 4 pressure (up to 16 MPa) at three temperatures (25, 45 and 65 °C). The absolute sorption isotherms present type- II pattern and can be described by a modified BET model. The swelling isotherms present L -type pattern and can be described by a modified Langmuir model. The relationship between swelling ratio and absolute sorption amount presents S -type pattern and can be described by a modified Gompertz function (a logistic function). It is interesting to find that the correlations of normalized properties have a single relationship that is independent of experimental conditions, coals and gases. When the sorption amount approaches to the monolayer sorption coverage ( n a / n m = 1), the swelling ratio reaches ∼93% of the maximum swelling ratio. It implies the importance of the mutual contact between coal and sorbate. The differential characteristic of swelling process shows that the swelling rate with respect to sorption amount varies with the sorbate coverage; the swelling rate peaks at n a / n m ≈ 0.37 and approches zero at n a / n m ≈ 1.5. In addition, a theoretical model correlating swelling and sorption was established. The concept of reduction of surface free energy by sorption was taken into account. It is encouraged that the experiment data match of model is generally acceptable.

The pyrolysis of 14 coals with carbon contents (C%) of 67.5–94.9% are studied in the presence of 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene (DHP) at 440 °C. The amounts of stable radicals in the coals and that generated in the pyrolysis are quantified by electron spin resonance (ESR). The amounts of active radicals generated in the pyrolysis are quantified by the amounts of hydrogen donated by DHP. The changes in quantity of these radicals during the pyrolysis are correlated with the parameters representing the coal rank (C%, the amounts of aromatic and aliphatic carbon). It is found that the quantity of stable radicals of the coals in the pyrolysis increases with an increase in C%. The lignites and bituminous coals break up significantly in the first 2 min in the pyrolysis. All the coals contain some rigid structures that do not break at 440 °C and the structure can be categorized to fusinite. The quantities of active radicals generated in the pyrolysis are approximately 3 orders of magnitude higher than that of the stable radicals in the coals. The total amounts of cleavable bonds in the coals and the rate constants of the bond cleavage are determined by the first order kinetics.

Efficient recovery of coal liquids from direct coal liquefaction residue (DCLR) is beneficial for improving the economics of the direct coal liquefaction process. An attempt was made to evaluate the possibility of extracting coal liquids from DCLR using subcritical water (SBCW). The properties of water are compared with those of typical organic solvents. With regard to the ability of dissolving/emulsifying organic components, SBCW compares favorably with some typical organic solvents under certain conditions. This is evidenced by the fact that the SBCW3 (320 °C/11.7 MPa) extraction yield is similar to the n-hexane extraction yield, although the SBCW1 (250 °C/5.2 MPa) and SBCW2 (300 °C/8.9–11.6 MPa) extraction yields are lower than the n-hexane extraction yields under comparable conditions. The recovery rate of coal liquids from DCLR by SBCW3 extraction can be higher than the maximum recovery rate by n-hexane or methanol extraction when the (SBCW3/DCLR)mass is high enough. In comparison with n-hexane-extra...

This study examines the cleavage of covalent bonds and the radical behavior in the pyrolysis of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose at 350, 400, and 440 °C. In the presence of a sufficient amount of a hydrogen donor solvent, i.e., 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene (DHP), the quantity of covalent bonds cleaved is determined, and the quantity of stable radicals formed is measured. It is found that more than 99.9% of the radicals generated in the pyrolysis are coupled to hydrogen donated by DHP. The pyrolysis of the biomass can be characterized as cleavage of two types of covalent bonds, weak and strong. The cleavage of the weak bonds dominates the pyrolysis in the early stage, less than 10 min at 440 °C, whereas that of the strong bonds becomes significant in the later stage, and its rate is promoted by DHP. The amounts of the weak bonds are 0.89 × 10–2, 0.63 × 10–2, and 0.68 × 10–2 mol/g in lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, respectively. These values correspond to the sum of the Cal–O and Cal–Cal bonds linking...

A process was proposed for upgrading heavy oil using non-thermal plasma technology in a conventional thermal cracking system under atmospheric pressure. Results from a comparison of the reactivity of a N2, H2 and CH4 plasma showed that the plasma can increase the trap oil yield significantly. The trap oil yield increased by ∼9% when the N2 plasma was applied and showed a further increase of ∼19% when the H2 or CH4 plasma was applied. A detailed study on the H2 plasma-enhanced upgrading process was carried out and the results showed that the trap oil yields of the plasma-on runs can be 8–33% higher than those of the plasma-off runs, depending on experimental conditions. Compared with the plasma-off runs, trap oil from the plasma-on runs had a higher (H/C)atomic but less heteroatoms (S and N). Over-balanced hydrogen in the products from plasma-on runs revealed the H2 plasma reactivity, which was further demonstrated by an increase in the substitution and condensation indices of trap oil from the plasma-on runs. Although thermal cracking was mainly involved whether the plasma was applied or not, the electrical field for generating the plasma and the generated plasma may assist with hydrocarbon bond cleavage. This was shown by the increased trap oil yield with the N2 plasma and the hydrogen and carbon residue distribution. Compared with the feedstock, more aromatic and γ-hydrogen (HA and Hγ, respectively) and less α- and β-hydrogen (Hα and Hβ, respectively) were present in the residues, which agrees with the bond dissociation energy data. Similarly, the amounts of saturated (Cs) and alkyl (Cp) carbons in the residues were significantly lower than those in the feedstock while the amount of aromatic carbons (Ca) in the residues was higher than the feedstock. The changes in hydrogen and carbon distribution were more significant for the plasma-on runs. This implies that mainly side chain losses and bridged bond breakage are involved in the processes. This was demonstrated further by the molecular weight distribution. In general, the molecular weight of the residues was lower than that of the feedstock, especially for residues from the plasma-on runs. However, compared with the feedstock, the residues contained less saturated, aromatic and resin fractions but more asphaltene and toluene insoluble fractions. This implies that intra-molecular condensation was more significant than inter-molecular condensation, especially in the plasma-on runs. This should be attributed to the higher stabilization ability of the H2 plasma for fragments or radicals and gas (plasma) flow by which the fragments or radicals are separated rapidly.

The gasification reactivity of 13 carbonaceous materials in CO2 or in steam was studied in the temperature range 1000–1600 °C. The gasification reaction was carried out in a drop-in-fixed-bed react...

The aim of this study is to understand details about the sample size influence on the CH 4 and CO 2 sorption behaviors of coals. Two anthracites (YQ and QS) were selected, ground and sieved. Four size fractions (from powder size −0.354 mm to the lump size 4–10 mm) were tested. The manometric method was used to determine the CH 4 and CO 2 sorption isotherms and kinetics. The unipore diffusion model was selected for sorption kinetic modeling. Although the compositions of the different size fractions generally exhibit slight variations the isotherms with different sample basis (air-dried, ash-free or dry-ash-free) are not apparently different, except for the largest size YQ sample that contains significantly higher amounts of minerals. However, the “ash correction” or the “ash-moisture correction” made the sorption isotherm of the largest size YQ sample deviate from the main trend. The predicted effective diffusion coefficients of CH 4 and CO 2 for both coal samples increase, however, unexpectedly with the increase of the sample size. It is probably due to the differences in the mineral contents, the improper estimation of sample size, and the differences in pore structures.

The introduction of bulky ammoniums into methyl ammonium lead iodide hybrid perovskites (MAPbI3) has emerged as a promising strategy to improve the properties of these materials. In the present work, we studied the effects of several aromatic ammoniums onto the structural, electronic, and optical properties of MAPbI3. Although powder XRD data suggest that the bulky cations are not involved in the bulk phase of the MAPbI3, a surprisingly large effect of the bulky cations onto the photoluminescence properties was observed.

Although it has been recognized that inhibition of calcineurin induced depressive-like behavior, the underlying neural mediators have not yet been identified. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a serine/threonine protein kinase that regulates protein synthesis in synapses, has been demonstrated to be involved in the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine.To investigate a potential role of mTOR signaling pathway which interferes with depressive-like behavior induced by calcineurin blockade and to determine the neurobiological mechanisms underlying mood-related disorders.Calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine A (CsA) and tacrolimus (FK506) were microinjected into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in rats, and the depressive-like behavior was measured in sucrose preference test and forced swim test. Additionally, mTOR activity was tested by the levels of phosphorylation of p70s6 kinase (p70s6k) and 40S ribosomal protein S6 (rps6).Chronic microinjection of CsA or FK506 into mPFC increased depressive-like behaviors and decreased mTOR activity, but acute CsA or FK506 had no effects on both behavioral phenotype and mTOR activity. Furthermore, activation of mTOR by NMDA reversed the depressive-like behavior induced by chronic CsA or FK506 administration. Moreover, inhibition of mTOR by rapamycin reversed the antidepressant effects of ketamine. Finally, traditional antidepressant venlafaxine prevented the depressive-like performance induced by chronic CsA or FK506 treatment.These findings indicate that calcineurin-inhibition-induced depressive-like behavior is mediated by blockade of the mTOR signaling pathway and raise the possibility that stimulation of specific brain mTOR may be sufficient to decrease risk of affective disorders in patients treated with calcineurin inhibitor.

Carbon dioxide sequestration in unmineable coalbeds combined with enhanced coalbed methane recovery is attracting attention as one of the possible methods for carbon capture and storage. Sorption a...

The carbon dioxide (CO2) sorption isotherms of coals from different ranks and coals treated by HCl, HCl and HF sequentially by supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) alone and with H2O (SCCO2/H2O), a...

Mercury (Hg) is a volatile and toxic trace element in coal. Its emission to the environment can cause long-term contamination problems to human health and the environment. In this study, Hg in six Chinese coals from different ranks was characterized by temperature-programmed decomposition–atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (TPD–AFS) and acid-leaching techniques. The results show that TPD–AFS is an effective method to assist the characterization of Hg in coals. With the aid of acid leaching, the thermal behavior of the grouped Hg-containing components can be obtained. Generally, the content of organic-bound Hg is in the range of 16–36% and releases in the temperature range of 220–600 °C. The content of silicate-bound Hg is in the range of 10–26% and releases in the temperature range of >600 °C. The content of pyrite-bound Hg is in the range of 5–44% and releases in the temperature range of 250–630 °C. The content of HCl-soluble Hg is in the range of 10–34% and releases at the lower temperature range. The the...

Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) has an extremely fast growth rate, however little information is available on the dynamics of carbon accumulation during the fast growth period. Bamboo trunk were sampled at three different stages (1: shoot emergence to first shell detachment; 2: first shell detachment to branch emergence; 3: branch emergence to detachment of all shells) and divided into three parts (upper, middle and lower). The average shoot elongation rate and biomass accumulation rate were 17 cm/d and 96 g/d, respectively. The carbon content increased progressively at the growth stage, and the fixed carbon was partitioned into cell wall hemicellulose and cellulose to meet the demand of rapid cell elongation. Different rates of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg content were found among different parts. These results indicated that the fast growth of the bamboo trunk is related to the extraordinary ability of bamboo to assimilate carbon, but not consistently related to mineral nutrients absorption.

Aims and background Human malignant melanoma is a very aggressive and highly angiogenesis-dependent tumor. Basic fibroblast growth factor and angiogenin are the potentially important angiogenic factors for melanoma progression and metastasis. Many studies have mainly focused on how they induce angiogenesis. In the present study, we investigated the effects of basic fibroblast growth factor on the expression of angiogenin and melanoma cell growth. Methods and study design Angiogenin mRNA and protein expression were investigated by means of semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay and western blotting. We analyzed cell proliferation using MTT, flow cytometry and soft agar assay. Immunofluorescence staining was applied to investigate co-localization and nuclear translocation. Results We found that basic fibroblast growth factor negatively affected the expression of angiogenin in A375 cells. The result showed that down-regulation of basic fibroblast growth factor induced decreased cell proliferation of A375 cells, and in basic fibroblast growth factor up-regulated cells, cell proliferation was increased. We demonstrated that basic fibroblast growth factor protein was co-localized with angiogenin and that it underwent nuclear translocation in A375 cells. Conclusion These findings suggest that there is a cooperation mechanism between basic fibroblast growth factor and angiogenin in A375 cells, and the cooperation mechanism affects the progress of tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis. Free full text available at www.tumorionline.it

The fluid transport phenomena were studied on a cleat-plug (with cleats) and a matrix-plug (cleat-free) of a Chinese coal under controlled confining stresses (10−40 MPa). The single-phase fluid flo...

To better understand the coal swelling kinetics in solvent, a kinetic model based on a pseudopolymolecular reaction is proposed to model the swelling data up to the quasi-equilibrium stage. The swelling isotherms of a Chinese sub-bituminous coal, named Coal-1, in carbon disulfide (CS 2 ), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), and CS 2 /NMP mixtures with the different volumetric mixing ratios at various temperatures were obtained by a so-called linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) deformation transducer, continually. The corresponding kinetic parameters, including the rate constants, order of the pseudopolymolecular reaction, apparent activation energy, and pre-exponential factor, were obtained with the coefficients of determination, R 2 , range between 0.851 and 0.999. The kinetic parameters obtained with obvious meanings which are useful for better understanding the mechanism of the coal swelling in solvent as well as the structure of coal. The apparent activation energy for Coal-1 swelling in CS 2 is 8.9 kJ/mol, which corresponds to the dissociation energy barrier of van der Waals forces. It is less than that for Coal-1 swelling in NMP, 40.9 kJ/mol, which corresponds to the dissociation energy barrier of hydrogen bonds. It implies that the dissociation of the noncovalent bonds in coal is crucially important during coal swelling in solvent. The CS 2 in the test system appeared as "catalyst", accelerating the swelling rate by lowering the energy barrier.

Gas-phase elemental mercury (Hg 0 ) capture by an activated coke (AC) supported V 2 O 5 (V 2 O 5 /AC) catalyst was studied in simulated flue gas and compared with that by the AC. The study on the influences of V 2 O 5 loading, temperature, capture time and flue gas components (O 2 , SO 2 , H 2 O and N 2 ) shows that the Hg 0 capture capability of V 2 O 5 /AC is much higher than that of AC. It increases with an increase in V 2 O 5 loading and is promoted by O 2 , which indicates the important role of V 2 O 5 in Hg 0 oxidation and capture; it is promoted slightly by SO 2 but inhibited by H 2 O; it increases with an increase in temperature up to 150 °C when Hg desorption starts. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis and sequential chemical extraction experiments indicate that the main states of Hg captured on V 2 O 5 /AC are HgO and HgSO 4 . Temperature programmed desorption experiments were also made to understand the stability of the Hg captured.

The operation and numerical simulation of CO2-ECBM processes requires a thorough understanding of the fluid conductivity properties of the coal matrix. Therefore, single phase (water) and two-phase (water and gas) fluid flow tests on a cylindrical anthracite coal matrix plug of 28.5 mm in diameter and about 20 mm in length were conducted in a triaxial flow cell at a confining pressure and axial load of 20 MPa. The absolute permeability coefficient, determined by single phase steady-state water flow tests, was about 2.0 ∙ 10− 20 m2 (20 nDarcy). Two-phase flow tests ("gas breakthrough tests") were performed by imposing high differential gas pressures (up to 7 MPa) on the water-saturated sample and monitoring the pressure changes over time in closed upstream and downstream reservoirs. Argon (Ar), methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) showed significant differences in their pressure transient curves during gas breakthrough tests, which indicated different controlling processes. The inert gas Ar exhibited capillary pressure-controlled breakthrough behavior. The maximum effective permeability, measured after gas breakthrough at maximum gas saturation, was 1.8 ∙ 10− 21 m2 (1.8 nDarcy); a residual pressure difference referred to as the “capillary threshold pressure” was 0.9 MPa for the Ar–water–coal system. The sorbing gas CH4 exhibited solely diffusion-controlled transport behavior, and no indications of capillary pressure effects. The reactive and sorbing gas CO2 showed initially capillary pressure-controlled and subsequently diffusion-controlled breakthrough behavior. The mass balance of the gas breakthrough tests indicated that the bulk of CO2 and CH4 were taken up by the coal sample. Sorption accounted for the strong uptake of CH4 by the coal sample, whereas both sorption and, to a lesser extent, CO2–water–mineral reactions were inferred for CO2.

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic and ubiquitous trace element in coal. Monitoring its release behavior during coal processing is a challenging problem. This paper presents a method that is capable of online measurement of the dynamic release behavior of elemental Hg (Hg0) from thermal decomposition of coal. The method couples a temperature-programmed decomposition unit with an atomic fluorescence spectrometry detector (TPD-AFS). The AFS signal can be converted to Hg content for quantitative analysis through calibration. The main advantage of the TPD-AFS system is that it can provide either real-time or accumulated data. It was confirmed that the amount of Hg0 determined by this method agreed well with that by the Ontario-Hydro method, and the results are reproducible with a high accuracy. The method can be used to characterize the release behavior of Hg in coals upon heating and may be used to identify the forms of occurrence of Hg in coals.

The effect of temperature on reaction of H 2 S with carbon structures of a coke were studied in a fixed-bed quartz tube reactor coupled with two parallel detectors, flame photometric detector (FPD) and mass spectrum (MS). The uptake of H 2 S with the coke matrix was studied through a sulfur uptake/temperature programmed desorption process (SU/TPD) and a temperature programmed oxidation process (TPO). The results show that the sulfur imbibed by a demineralized coke at elevated temperatures is very stable, which can only be decomposed and released to gas phase under combustion conditions. The chemical imbibition of sulfur takes place at an elevated temperature. At relatively lower temperatures, H 2 S was adsorbed physically by the sample and then transformed to stable sulfur species. At higher temperatures, the chemical reactions between H 2 S and DM-Coke led to the formation of more stable sulfur-containing forms and consequently increased H 2 S uptake ability. This is essence of the temperature effect on the uptake of H 2 S by a demineralized coke. The irregular behavior with the temperature was caused by the different interactions.

For hydrogenation of heavy liquids in direct coal liquefaction residue (DCLR) within the direct coal liquefaction (DCL) process, heavy liquids in a DCLR derived from a bench-scale Shenhua DCL process using Shenhua coal are evaluated under two conditions. One simulates the coal liquefaction conditions of the Shenhua plant in the presence of a Fe-based Shenhua catalyst; the other one simulates the online hydrotreating conditions in the presence of a NiMo/Al2O3 catalyst. The results show that the heavy liquids of DCLR can be hydrogenated under these two conditions yielding less heavy products; hydrogenating the heavy liquids under the online hydrotreating conditions is more effective than that under the coal liquefaction conditions; the preasphaltene fraction is a main problem that yields non-soluble materials under these hydrogenation conditions. The results suggest that hydrogenation of toluene soluble and tetrahydrofuran soluble fractions of the DCLR under the coal liquefaction and online hydrotreating conditions is feasible, but their conversion to lighter products are inapparent under the coal liquefaction conditions, and elimination of the formation of tetrahydrofuran insoluble fraction in the online hydrotreator should be considered.

Forms of arsenic in a Chinese bituminous coal, Yima, and their transformation behaviors during coal pyrolysis were investigated. The chemical leaching method was used to characterize the forms of a...

The mercury release behavior during thermal decomposition of three Chinese coals with different types was studied under nitrogen, carbon dioxide and air at temperatures of 800, 900, 1,000 and 1,100 °C. The thermal treatment experiments were carried out in a quartz tube reactor. Results showed that the release ratio of total mercury during thermal decomposition of coals increases with the increasing temperature. The order of the amount of mercury released under the three atmospheres is nitrogen carbon dioxide>air for all three coals. The release behavior of the total mercury under air is independent of the coal type. Under the other two atmospheres the release behavior is distinguished by the coal type.

The effect of silicon, a “non-active” element, on uptake of H2S by carbon matrix of a coke under elevated temperature was studied. A quartz tube reactor was coupled with a flame photometric detector (FPD). The sulfur uptake/temperature programmed desorption (SU/TPD) process was used to simulate coal pyrolysis or coking process. The SU was carried out at 300 °C. The TPD was carried out from 300 to 1000 °C to desorb physically or loosely bonded sulfur species. Temperature programmed oxidation (TPO) process was used to measure amount of sulfur chemically or tightly imbibed by coke. The results show that the H2S uptake is higher for a demineralized coke than that for its parent coke. The presence of silicon showed a significant negative effect in H2S uptake. The H2S uptake decreased gradually as the silicon content increased from 0 to 0.6% (w/w). XPS and SEM-EDX were used to characterize silicon on the coke surface. The results show that the silicon loaded on the coke surface is in the form of SiO2 or metal-silicates which may possibly inhibit the reaction of H2S and coke. The silicon and sulfur distribute unevenly on the coke surface and tend to concentrate at similar locations, which indicate that the active sites for H2S adsorption and reaction at high temperatures are also active for attracting silicon species.

The thermal behavior of coal-derived pyrite as well as ferrous sulfide compound during heat treatments was investigated by temperature-programmed decomposition–mass spectrometer analysis (TPD–MS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. An influence of atmosphere on pyrite and FeS decomposition and the interaction between pyrite and a coal-like environment were examined. The results showed that pyrite decomposition under inert atmosphere occurred in steps and the different transition states with Fe/S value were formed during heat treatments. The final solid state under helium contained only Fe (1− x ) S phase. The presence of carbon support and hydrogen could promote pyrite transfer and change the sulfur evolution behavior during decomposition process. However, hydrogen was the principal factor which could determine the presence of iron phase in the final products.

This paper systematically investigates the roles of lattice oxygen in V 2 O 5 and activated coke over coke-supported V 2 O 5 catalysts in SO 2 removal process at 200 °C. The results show that one SO 2 molecule reacts with one O atom in a surface V 2 O 5 molecule to form an intermediate (a VOSO 4 -like structure), which then reacts with gaseous O 2 to form sulfur species (SO 3 or H 2 SO 4 in the presence of H 2 O) and V 2 O 5 . The SO 3 /H 2 SO 4 migrates over the coke surface and stores in the pores in the vicinity of V 2 O 5 sites. Mineral matters, oxygen and nitrogen species in the activated coke are unfavorable to migration of SO 3 /H 2 SO 4 . The pores effective for storage of SO 3 /H 2 SO 4 are those less than 1 nm in size.

Flue gas SO 2 removal at 200 °C over Mo and Co doped V 2 O 5 /AC catalyst-sorbents and regeneration of the used catalyst-sorbents in H 2 at 380 °C in the same reactor are studied in this paper. Compared with V 2 O 5 /AC, the catalyst-sorbents containing Co show higher SO 2 uptake while the one containing Mo shows a slightly lower SO 2 uptake. Elemental sulfur is produced during H 2 -regeneration of the used catalyst-sorbents when effluent gas of the regeneration is recycled back to the reactor. H 2 -regeneration of the used V 2 O 5 /AC produces little elemental sulfur, but the Mo and Co doped ones show high elemental sulfur yields with an elemental sulfur selectivity of 50% for a catalyst-sorbent containing 2% V 2 O 5 , 0.5% MoO 3 and 0.5% CoO, V2Mo0.5 Co0.5/AC. Molybdenum and cobalt sulfides are likely formed in the regeneration, which catalyze the elemental sulfur formation but reduce the SO 2 uptake of the catalyst-sorbents in the subsequent SO 2 removal stage.

Direct coal liquefaction residue (DCLR) contains a significant fraction of heavy liquids. Better use of DCLR is an important task to overall economy of direct coal liquefaction. This paper studies hydro-treatment of a DCLR and its solvent-extraction components under typical direct coal liquefaction conditions. The DCLR is found hydro-treatable, resulting in more light products and less heavy products. In one case, 40 wt% heavy fractions in the DCLR are converted into light fractions. Hexane soluble fraction (HS) is the most stable while pre-asphaltene fraction (PA) is the most active during the hydro-treatment. Some synergetic effect can be observed when DCLR is treated as whole. The fractions of DCLR, before and after the hydro-treatment, are subjected to FTIR and NMR analyses, which show increase in hydrogen content and decrease in oxygen content in HS fractions after the hydro-treatment. GPC analysis reveals that the hydro-treatment results in slight decreases in molecular weight of HS fraction. The data seem to suggest that separation and hydro-treatment of liquid fractions from a DCLR is a viable option for high oil yield.

A systematic study was made on the identification and quantitative determination of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in heavy products derived from coal and petroleum with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). After the separation of PAHs by a high-resolution column, identification was made through four methods: (1) the relative retention time (RRT) method, (2) the stop-flow-UV scanning method, (3) the method of fluorescence characteristic index Φ′ and (4) the method of V′ index at different UV wavelengths. For the quantitative determination of the components, methods of external standard (E-X), internal standard (I-N) and external standard-response factors (E-F) were compared. The E-F method was recommended by the present paper. For the determination of quantitative response factors (F) two methods were studied, including the HPLC peak-area method (Peak-area method) and the UV absorbance method using a UV spectrometer (absorbance method). The absorbance method was better and is recommended by the present paper. The F values of 30 PAHs from the two different methods are given. The samples analyzed include a coal tar pitch, a thermal cracking residue oil and a residual oil from ethylene production.

Bright spot (including stacked seismic brigh-spot and traditional AVO anomaly) does not mean high gas saturation hydrocarbon (maybe non reservoir, or brine, or low gas saturation hydrocarbon), and high gas saturation hydrocarbon maybe not exhibit bright-spot (maybe nonbright-spot) behavior especially in deep water area or deep gas situation. But high gas saturation hydrocarbon must exhibit low elastic properties (Poisson’s ratio, or density, etc.) behavior in the northern South China Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Quantitative elastic prediction is the effective solution of non-gas bright-spot and non-bright-spot gas identification problem in those areas.

Release behaviors of fluorine and chlorine during thermal treatments of two Chinese coals, DT and JC, were studied in a quartz tube reactor. The thermal treatments included temperature programmed decomposition (TPD, 300-1000 degrees C) in N2 and gasification (800-1100 degrees C) under a H2O or CO2 atmosphere. The TPD results show that F and Cl in the two coals can be classified into three forms of occurrence, evolving in three temperature ranges, 150350 degrees C, 350-750 dgrees C, and870 degrees C. Fluorine in the coals is significantly more stable than Cl during the TPD process. Both elements in DT coal are more volatile than that in JC coal, which may be attributed to coexisting F or Cl salts with minerals in JC coal. Gasification under a H2O or CO2 atmosphere may promote the release of F and CI. The promotion effect is more significant in a H2O steam, which is due possibly to reactions of H2O with F and Cl salts in the coals. For both coals, the release ratios are close to 94% for F and 98% for Cl at 1000 degrees C in a H2O steam. Under these conditions, the difference in release ability of F and Cl from the two coals diminishes. No clear correlation can be found between the release ratio of F or Cl with the corresponding volatile yield of the coals.

Dynamic behaviors of gaseous sulfur-containing compounds evolved from pyrolysis of six Chinese coals were studied in the temperature range of up to 800°C under N2 and H2. The released amount of total sulfur-containing gases was traced by an online flame photometric detector (FPD). Simultaneously, the changes of different sulfur forms, including H2S, SO2, COS and CS2, also were investigated using an online mass spectrometer (MS). FPD results show that the effect of H2 on gaseous sulfur evolved is complex, which promoted certain peak and suppresses other peaks. Based on the data from MS, it is suggested that a series of competitive reactions between active sulfur and other active matters during pyrolysis may impact on the sulfur form in gas phase. Interactions between active sulfur-containing intermediates and the coal matrix are attributed to be the main factor determining the dynamic behavior.

Angiogenin was isolated as a tumor angiogenic factor solely on the basis of its angiogenic activity. Its expression is essential for melanoma progression and metastasis. Many studies have mainly focused on how it induces angiogenesis, which allows further melanoma growth and metastasis. Here, we investigated the effects of angiogenin on melanoma cell growth and studied its influence on the expression and function of the basic fibroblast growth factor. We transfected the angiogenin gene in the sense and antisense orientation into A375 cells, and obtained stable angiogenin under-expressing and over-expressing transfectants. We found that in the angiogenin antisense transfectants, the cell proliferation was decreased and the basic fibroblast growth factor-induced cell proliferation was inhibited, but the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor was increased. In contrast, in the angiogenin sense transfectants, the cell proliferation was increased, and the basic fibroblast growth factor-induced cell proliferation was also increased. The expression of basic fibroblast growth factor, however, was decreased. In conclusion, we demonstrated that, besides its angiogenic activity, angiogenin also directly contributes to A375 cell proliferation and is required for the basic fibroblast growth factor to induce cell proliferation. We also demonstrated that the endogenous angiogenin expression levels affect the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor in A375 cells. By targeting angiogenin, therefore, one may find a potential therapeutic approach to human malignant melanoma.

The degradation behaviour of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) in supercritical methanol was investigated to develop a chemical recycling process for waste plastics. GPC and HPLC combined with FTIR spectrometry were applied to qualitative and quantitative analysis of products. DMT, MHPT, BHPT, MHET, BHET and HEHPT were found to be the main reaction products. The yields of monomer components are strongly consistent with the bond energy differences in the repeat unit. The detailed reaction process was discussed based on the experimental data. Further investigation indicates that the complex characteristic of supercritical fluids and impurities in raw materials can result complication in products.

A method based on high-resolution size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) was established to analyze the solid products from the depolymerization of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) in supercritical methanol. In the qualitative analysis, four factors (chromatographic retention time, qualitative multi-wavelength ultraviolet spectra, linear internal-insert SEC and qualitative IR spectra) were considered. The main solid products from the process were dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), methyl-(2-hydroxypropyl) terephthalate (MHPT), bis(2-hydroxypropyl) terephthalate (BHPT), methyl-(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (MHET), bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET), and hydroxyethyl-(2-hydroxypropyl) terephthalate (HEHPT). It is found that the method is of a high resolution among the solid products and has a fine repeatability. In addition, the solid products from the de-polymerization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) in similar process were also analyzed by this method. Furthermore, the effects of supercritical conditions on the distribution of the products were also discussed.

To simulate coal-like environment, five organic sulfur compounds, representing some of the organic sulfur structures in coal, were impregnated on a charcoal and subjected to pyrolysis in N 2 . The pyrolysis was carried out in a temperature-programmed reactor at a heating rate of 5 °C min −1 up to 800 °C. The gases released (including H 2 S, COS, SO 2 , CS 2 and the main hydrocarbons) from the pyrolysis were analyzed by an on-line mass spectrometer (MS). It is found that the behavior of sulfur-containing compounds evolved into the gas phase depends on the structure of the compounds as well as on the functional groups on the charcoal. Sulfur radical is likely to be the main intermediate sulfur form which has strong interactions with the charcoal to form H 2 S, COS, SO 2 and CS 2 , and stable non-volatile sulfur compounds which crack at higher temperatures to form also H 2 S, COS, SO 2 and CS 2 . The carbon in COS and CS 2 are likely to come from the charcoal, and the oxygen in COS, SO 2 have close relation with the evolution of CO and CO 2 , respectively. Dibenzothiophene is stable under the conditions employed.

The forms and pyrolysis behavior of arsenic in three Chinese coals was studied. The arsenic in the coals and the coal-derived pyrolysis chars were characterized into five forms using a sequential extraction method where a series of solutions with increasing acidity and oxidizability were used. The five arsenic forms are named as ion exchangeable, bound to carbonates, bound to Fe–Mn oxides, bound to organic matter and remained in residue. XRD, SEM-EDX and TOF-SIMS techniques were also used to characterize the coals and the chars. Results show that bleeding ratio of arsenic in the three coals increases with increasing pyrolysis temperature. The type of coal and the arsenic distribution in the coal have significant effect on the pyrolysis behavior of arsenic. The different volatility of arsenic was attributed to its chemical stability and thermal stability. Ion exchangeable arsenic and the arsenic bound to carbonates are not present in the three coals. Other arsenic forms undergo transformation during the pyrolysis, from the solid phase to the vapor phase and from one chemical form to other chemical forms. The main arsenic remained in the residue may include resistant sulfides.

A flame ionization detector (FID) and a flame photometric detector (FPD) with a sulfur filter are coupled with a fixed-bed micro-reactor for temperature-programmed decomposition (TPD), TPD-FPD&FID, to allow simultaneously analysis of gaseous sulfur compounds and gaseous hydrocarbons released during pyrolysis of coals. As an example, a Chinese bituminous coal is used. Detailed experimental and quantification procedures are discussed. The results, mass of gaseous sulfur compounds and mass of gaseous hydrocarbons released as functions of pyrolysis temperature, can be used to analyze pyrolysis behavior and characteristics of sulfur and organic matrix in the coal. The results show that the method is reproducible with high accuracy in a wide range of experimental conditions, and the total amounts of sulfur determined by the FPD measurements are highly comparable to that obtained using a standard wet chemistry method.

Release behavior and chemical form distribution of As, Pb, Cr, Cd and Mn in Datong coal during pyrolysis was studied in a simulated drop-tube reactor at a heating rate of about 1000 °C/s, including effects of temperature (300–1000 °C), atmosphere (N 2 and H 2 ), and holding time (0.3–10 min). Results show that the bleeding ratios of As, Pb, Cr, Cd and Mn increase with increasing pyrolysis temperature and holding time. Reductive environment results in higher emission of the elements. Among the five trace elements, As, Pb and Cd show similar behavior with volatilities higher than that of Cr and Mn at 1000 °C. The five trace elements in the coal and coal-derived chars are separated into five fractions through an extraction procedure. Ion exchangeable form of the elements is not found in the coal and the chars, and the elements remained in the residue fraction is the most dominant occurrence form in the coal and the chars for As, Pb, Cd and Cr. All the forms for all the elements undergo transformation in the pyrolysis resulting in reduced content in the chars.

Chlorine emission from Datong bituminous coal of China during fast heat treatments was reported. The heat treatment experiments were carried out in a closed simulated dropping tube reactor (∼1000 °C s−1). Effects of temperature (300–700 °C), N2 pressure (0.1–4 MPa), and heating time under N2 atmosphere on chlorine release were studied. Influence of atmosphere (N2 and H2) was also investigated. Results show that the bleeding ratio of chlorine increases with increases in heating temperature and time. High N2 pressure restrains chlorine emission. H2 environment promotes chlorine emission. The data implies that secondary reactions may play an important role in chlorine release and reducing environment is beneficial for chlorine release.

Sulfur removal from coal prior to combustion is an ideal form of sulfur emission control. Pyrolysis is likely to be an effective way to transform sulfur in coal to gas and liquid phases and to generate chars of low sulfur for clean combustion. This article presents recent research on the effects of organic additives on sulfur removal from a Spanish coal and 3 Chinese coals (Yanzhou, Datong, and Xianfeng) by pyrolysis. The coal samples were pyrolyzed in a fixed-bed reactor in a temperature range up to 700°C. Ethanol or acetone was introduced to a pyrolysis atmosphere. It was observed that the introduction of the organic reagents in pyrolysis altered the behavior of sulfur removal as well as the evolution of volatile matter from coals, which resulted in lower sulfur content chars and higher char yields than that in hydrogen and nitrogen. The desulfurization efficiency increases with increasing ethanol or acetone addition. For Datong coal, the promotion of ethanol and acetone on sulfur removal was the most r...

The properties of residues from thermal or catalytic coal hydroliquefaction experiments were characterised by the ultimate, proximate analyses. The relations between the properties of the residues and the liquefaction reaction conditions, such as temperature, time, catalyst, H-donor solvent and atmosphere were investigated. Variations in H/C ratio and organic volatile matter (OVM) content of the residues with liquefaction conditions and coal conversion were studied. Results show that liquefaction temperature and time are main factors that control the organic properties of the residues. The roles of the Fe–S catalyst and H-donor solvent are to reduce the proportion of condensation products in the residue rather than increase the extent of polymerisation. Consequently, coal liquefaction conversion is improved by 100% by the catalyst, but H/C ratio and OVM content of the residues are not significantly decreased.

N -methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) raw coal extract (EXT), hydrogenated coal extract (HEXT) and the blend of EXT and HEXT in NMP (BLD), from two bituminous coals, were studied. The extracts were carbonized in both tube-bomb and a temperature programmable furnace. Elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy and optical microscopy techniques were employed to characterize the extracts and the carbonization residues. It was found that the extracts resembled petroleum-derived pitches in the hydrogen content and (C/H) atomic ratio. Higher oxygen and nitrogen contents differentiated the coal extracts from commercial petroleum pitch. More carbon and hydrogen, and lesser oxygen and sulfur differentiated HEXT from EXT. The ratios of integrated IR band intensity for aromatic and aliphatic CH stretching indicate that the relative content of aliphatic hydrogen in EXT is higher than in HEXT. HEXT contains comparatively more aromatic hydrogen, a feature necessary for thermal stability and fluidity during carbonization. BLD materials are at a place somewhere in between. Kinetic modeling of the aliphatic hydrogen change during carbonization reveals that EXT has high carbonization rate and low apparent activation energy. This can be related to the optical texture size of carbonization residues. The residues made from EXTs exhibited fine mosaic optical texture and limited mesophase development. HEXTs were readily converted into highly anisotropic coke. BLDs produced carbonization residues with intermediate properties. Extracts with similar activation energies produced similar residues in the same coal series. The degree or extent of anisotropy displayed by the carbonization residues was found to be dependent on the relative distribution of aromatic and aliphatic hydrogen.

Sulfur released from five Chinese coals and an USA coal in hydrogen was correlated with the catalytic activity of an impregnated ferrous sulfate for hydrogenation of the coals. The hydrogenation was carried out at a high or ambient pressure. Sulfur released from the coals into the gas phase at the ambient pressure was monitored online with a flame photometric detector. The data indicate that the catalytic activity of the impregnated ferrous sulfate was promoted by the sulfur released from the coals. The promotion ability is proportional to the amount of sulfur released for the lower sulfur coals generally and levels out for the higher sulfur coals. The promotive effect of sodium sulfide on the activity of ferrous sulfate shows the similar behavior. Additional sulfur, no matter added or released, does not improve the catalytic activity further significantly for the higher sulfur coals. The results partially explain the difference in the catalytic activity of ferrous sulfate and effectiveness on added sulfur for different coals.

Transformation behavior of trace elements during pyrolysis of three Chinese coals at temperatures up to 1000 °C was studied. Effects of temperature, atmosphere (N 2 and H 2 ), and coal type on release of As, Pb, Cr, Cd and Mn were examined. Experiments were carried out in a fixed bed quartz reactor with a heating rate of 20 °C/min. Results show that bleeding ratios of As, Pb, Cr, Cd and Mn increase with increasing pyrolysis temperature. H 2 atmosphere promotes the release of these elements. Among the trace elements studied, Pb is the most volatile element; Cr and Mn are relatively non-volatile. However, the volatility of these elements varies with coal type. This suggests that these elements are present in various compounds in the coals and the distribution of the element in the compounds is different. Distribution of the forms for these elements in Yima coal and char was analyzed.