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Plant oil asphalt (POA) is underutilized lipid-based biomass residue generated from the oleochemical industry. In this work, alkali metal compounds were used as catalysts for vacuum pyrolysis of POA. Their effects on the pyrolysis reaction rate, product yields and compositions were studied. The POA feed was characterized by proximate and ultimate analysis and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The pyrolytic oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and chromatography-simulated distillation analysis. The results showed that alkali metal compounds accelerated the pyrolysis reaction rate in the order of chlorides≈sulphates>hydroxides>carbonates>non-catalyst, and affected the yield of pyrolytic oil in the order of chlorides (80wt.%)≈sulphates (77wt.%)>non-catalyst (71wt.%)>carbonates (68wt.%)>hydroxides (55wt.%). The quality of the pyrolytic oil was in the order of hydroxides>carbonates>non-catalyst≈chlorides≈sulphates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new process that coupled the reaction and separation in the production of biodiesel from feedstocks with Free Fatty Acids (FFAs) was studied. A novel solid acid catalyst, sulfonated-multiwalled carbon nanotubes (s-MWCNTs), was used in the synthesis of biodiesel from methanol and oleic acid in a 250 mL autoclave. s-MWCNTs with different concentrations of -SO3H were produced from the treatment of MWCNTs with concentrated H2SO4 (96%) at 120-210 °C, and were characterized by SEM/EDS and FTIR analysis. Recycling of the methanol phase was used to separate the water produced from the reaction mixture, which increased the esterification conversion substantially and decreased the acidity of the product. A conversion of oleic acid of 95.46 wt.% was obtained with a catalyst/oleic acid mass ratio of 0.20%, methanol/oleic acid molar ratio of 5.8, temperature of 135 °C, and reaction time of 1.5 h. By removing water from the reaction mixture and adding the recycling of the methanol steam, the conversion of oleic acid was increased to 99.10 wt.% after 1 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to determine the effects of hindlimb unloading (HU) on the ex vivo growth and the osteogenic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from the femurs of rats. Microgravity was simulated by 28-day HU in male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats, and the bone marrow (BM) was collected from hindlimb femurs of HU or control (CTL) rats. MSCs were isolated from BM and cultured for eight passages. Then MSCs at passages 2, 4, and 8 were induced for osteogenesis or adipogenesis. The results revealed that HU decreased the osteogenic potential of MSCs and also decreased the expression of osteoblast gene marker mRNAs in cells induced by osteogenic conditions. Meanwhile, the expression of Runx2 mRNA and the phosphorylation of ERK were also decreased. There were no significant differences of osteoblast gene marker and Runx2 mRNA expression between cells induced from different passages of MSCs in UH rats. Under adipogenic conditions, HU increased both the adipogenic potential of MSCs and the expression of adipocytic gene marker mRNAs in induced cells. HU also increased the expression of PPARγ2 mRNA, but with no effect on the phosphorylation of p38MAPK. The adipogenic potential of MSCs and the expression of adipocytic gene marker mRNAs in induced cells decreased along with cell cultures under normal gravity. This suggests that the normal gravity during in vitro MSC culture and the centrifugal force produced during cell harvest after each passage could decrease the adipogenic potential of MSCs, but could not reverse the effect of HU on the osteogenic potential of MSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transesterification of cottonseed oil with methanol to biodiesel was investigated in various Brønsted acidic ionic liquids with an alkane sulfonic acid group. The properties, structures, and acidities of the ionic liquids were experimentally characterized and theoretically analyzed. The Brønsted acidity−activity correlation for the ionic liquids was studied. Among all these ionic liquids, 1-(4-sulfonic acid) butylpyridinium hydrogen sulfate exhibited the best catalytic performance, which is ascribed to its strong Brønsted acidity. The catalytic activity of ionic liquids was near that of concentrated sulfuric acid. The influences of ionic liquid dosage, molar ratio of methanol to cottonseed oil, and reaction temperature were explored using 1-(4-sulfonic acid) butylpyridinium hydrogen sulfate as the catalyst; the results were systematically explained. A high yield of fatty acid methyl esters of 92% was obtained under a mild reaction condition. The separation of the biodiesel can be performed by simple decantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a study on the shape control of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) in batch cooling suspension crystallization by selecting the supersaturation as a media control variable. The effects of different cooling modes on the supersaturation level and hence on the crystal shape were investigated. The results clearly show that different shapes of crystals were obtained at the various supersaturation courses. When a specific shape of crystal is desired from suspension batch cooling crystallization, a suitable cooling mode should be selected and furthermore the optimal one can be found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments are carried out on the hung-up regime in the hopper–standpipe systems for three Geldart-A powders. Experimental results show that the hung-up regime occurs between the unstable flow regime and the slug flow regime; the incipient and terminal conditions of hung-up regime can be predicted by equations presented by Zhang [Powder Technol. 97 (1998) 109] and Steward and Davidson [Powder Technol. 1 (1967) 61], respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Cognitive dysfunction imposes a heavy economic burden on families and society. Depression and deprivation-related adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are important factors that contribute to cognitive dysfunction. However, few studies have explored these complex interactions., Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the mediating effect of depression on the relationship between deprivation-related ACEs and cognitive function in older adults., Methods: This national, cross-sectional study used data from the 2020 Chinese Longitudinal Aging Social Survey. Information regarding depression, ACEs, and cognitive function was collected from individuals aged 60 years and older. A structural equation model was used to examine the mediating effect of depression on the relationship between deprivation-related ACEs and cognitive function., Results: A total of 9828 participants were included in this study. Their mean total cognitive function score was 13.488 ± 3.006. The results showed that sex, age, educational level, marital status, body mass index, registered residence, chronic disease situation, health, smoking, living alone, life satisfaction, social security, and internet use were all related to cognitive function (P < 0.05). Deprivation-related ACEs were negatively correlated with cognitive function (r = -0.132, P < 0.01). And depression symptoms were negatively correlated with cognitive function (r = -0.158, P < 0.01). The mediating effect analysis indicated that depression symptoms had a significant mediating effect between the 3 dimensions of deprivation-related ACEs and cognitive function., Conclusions: This study highlighted that improvement of deprivation-related ACEs was indirectly related to a reduced likelihood of cognitive dysfunction through depression in older adults. With the limitations of cross-sectional studies, validation through longitudinal design studies is deemed necessary. Future interventions should focus on alleviating depression symptoms to prevent cognitive decline and impairment in this population., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: COVID-19 has created a significant risk to worldwide public health. According to recent research, C-type lectins may be SARS-CoV-2 receptors. Layilin (LAYN), a broadly expressed integral membrane hyaluronan receptor with a C-type lectin structural domain, is a gene related to cell senescence. There are a few studies on C-type lectins in pan-cancer, and no pan-cancer analysis has been conducted for LAYN., Methods: The genotype tissue expression (GTEx) portal and the cancer genome map (TCGA) database were used to collect samples from healthy and cancer patients. Bioinformatics methods are used to construct immune landscape, mutation landscape, and stemness landscape of LAYN. The single-cell sequencing data were used from the CancerSEA website to analyze the functions of LAYN. The prognosis potential of LAYN was discussed based on machine learning., Results: LAYN is differentially expressed among cancers. Survival analysis indicated that LAYN was related to a poor overall survival (OS) rate in cancers, like HNSC, MESO, and OV. Mutational landscapes of LAYN in SKCM and STAD were constructed. LAYN was negatively related to Tumor Mutation Burden (TMB) in THCA, PRAD, and UCEC, and with the Microsatellite Instability (MSI) in STAD, LUAD, and UCEC. The immune landscape in pan-cancer suggested that LAYN may be involved in tumor immune escape. LAYN plays a crucial role in the infiltration of immune cells in malignant tumors. LAYN participates in methylation modifications and affects tumor proliferation and metastasis by regulating stemness. Analysis of single-cell sequencing data suggests that LAYN may participate in several biological processes, like stemness, apoptosis, and DNA repair. LAYN transcript was predicted as a liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS)-related RNA. The results of KIRC were verified in the GEO and ArrayExpress databases. Furthermore, prognostic models based on machine learning of LAYN-related genes were established. Hsa-miR-153-5p and hsa-miR-505-3p may be the upstream miRNAs of LAYN and have a high value for tumor prognosis., Conclusion: This study elucidated the functional mechanisms of LAYN from a pan-cancer perspective and provided novel insights into cancer prognosis, metastasis, and immunotherapy. LAYN has the potential to become a new target of mRNA vaccines and molecular therapies in tumors., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The cytochrome oxidase II (COII) genes in the mitochondrial DNA of 3 mosquito species (Anopheles sinensis, Aedes albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus) were amplified and sequenced. Both the gene order and direction of transcription were identical to those of other species of Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex. The polymerase chain reaction-amplified fragments in these mosquitoes were approximately 700 base pairs and the nucleotide sequences exhibited more than 82% similarity, whereas amino acids were more than 85% similar. The frequency of transitions was less than that of transversions. Four highly conserved segments of COII proteins are similar to those in other insects. These segments contain the major amino acid residues of cytochrome c oxidase involved in electron transport and ligand binding.