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Androgens androstadienedione (ADD) and androstenedione (AED) are predominant steroid hormones in surface water, and can disrupt the endocrine system in fish. However, little is known about the transgenerational effects of ADD and AED in fish. In the present study, F0 generation was exposed to ADD and AED from 21 to 144 days post-fertilization (dpf) at nominal concentrations of 5 (L), 50 (M) and 500 (H) ng L−1, and F1 generation was domesticated in clear water for 144 dpf. The sex ratio, histology and transcription in F0 and F1 generations were examined. In the F0 generation, ADD and AED tended to be estrogenic in zebrafish, resulting in female biased zebrafish populations. In the F1 generation, ADD at the H level caused 63.5% females, while AED at the H level resulted in 78.7% males. In brain, ADD and AED had similar effects on circadian rhythm in the F0 and F1 generations. In the F1 eleutheroembryos, transcriptomic analysis indicated that neuromast hair cell related biological processes (BPs) were overlapped in the ADD and AED groups. Taken together, ADD and AED at environmentally relevant concentrations had transgenerational effects on sex differentiation and transcription in zebrafish.

Androgens and estrogens often co-exist in aquatic environments and pose potential risks to fish populations. However, little is known about the endocrine disrupting effects of the mixture of androgens and estrogens in fish. In this study, transcriptional level of target genes related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal-liver (HPGL) axis, sex hormone level, VTG protein concentration, histology and secondary sex characteristic were assessed in the ovaries and livers of adult female western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) exposed to 17β-estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), and mixtures of E2 and T for 91 days. The results showed that the transcriptional expression of cytochrome P450, family 19, subfamily A, polypeptide 1a (Cyp19a1a) was suppressed in the 200 ng/L T treatment and the 50 ng/L E2 + 200 ng/L T treatment in the ovaries. Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (Star) and Cyp11a1 showed a similar expression pattern in the T treatment to its corresponding T + E2 mixtures. In the ovaries, the concentrations of 17β-estradiol and testosterone were decreased in most treatments compared with the solvent control. VTG protein was induced in all steroid treatment. However, exposure to T or E2 + T mixture did not cause the abnormal cells of the ovaries and livers and an extension of the anal fins in female G. affinis. This study demonstrates that chronic exposure to E2, T and their mixtures affects the transcripts of genes in the HPGL axis, steroid hormone level and VTG protein concentration in the ovaries and livers, but fails to cause the histopathological effect of the ovaries and livers and alter the morphology of the anal fins in G. affinis.

Swine farm wastewaters (SFWs) are generally discharged either directly into nearby rivers or into fish ponds as a source of fertilizer/food for aquaculture in China. SFWs contain various contaminants including steroid hormones. However, there is an extreme paucity of data on their effects in fish populations. Here we investigated the endocrine disrupting effects of SFWs in G. affinis from 2 rivers (7 sites) and 2 fish ponds (2 sites) receiving SFWs and a reference site in Guangdong Province, China. In this study, a total number of 3078 adult western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) were collected and the sex ratio was determined. In addition, secondary sexual characteristics were examined and the transcriptional levels of target genes were analyzed. The results showed the mosquitofish populations had a significant increase in male-to-female ratio from 7 sites (including 2 fish ponds) among the 9 sampling sites. The hemal spines of females were masculinized at most sites while the hemal spines of males were feminized at approximately half of the sites (including 2 fish ponds). Significant reduction in vitellogenin (Vtg) mRNA expression was observed in females from 2 sites (including RS7) while elevated Vtg mRNA expression was noticed in males from 2 sites along the rivers (including RS7). Redundancy analysis showed that androgens in the water samples were closely related with male-to-female ratio in the mosquitofish populations and the masculinized hemal spines of females. The findings from this study demonstrated that discharge of SFWs could result in occurrence of both masculinized females and feminized males in mosquitofish population. Keywords: Steroid hormones, Endocrine disrupting effects, Masculinization, Feminization, Fish

In recent years, the ecological risks of plastics to marine environments and organisms have attracted increasing attention, especially the leachates from plastics. However, a comprehensive knowledge about the leaching characteristics and subsequent toxicological effects of leachates is still sparse. In this study, 15 different plastic products were immersed in simulated seawater and fish digest for 16 h. The leachates were analyzed through non-target and target analyses and their toxicological signatures were assessed by bioassays. In total, 240 additives were identified from the plastic leachates, among which plasticizers represented the most (16.7%), followed by antioxidants (8.7%) and flame retardants (7.1%). Approximately 40% of plastic leachates exhibited significant inhibitory effects on the bioluminescence using a recombinant luminescent assay. In addition, both the hyperactive and hypoactive behaviors were displayed in the larvae of marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) exposed to some plastic leachates. In general, the number and amount of identified compounds under simulated fish digest were less than those under simulated seawater. However, the simulated fish digest leachates triggered higher toxicity. Redundancy analysis demonstrated that identified additives did not adequately explain the toxicological effects. Future research should focus on the identification of more additives in the plastic leachates and their potential ecological risks.

Levonorgestrel (LNG) and dydrogesterone (DDG) are two commonly used synthetic progestins that have been detected in aquatic environments. They could affect fish sex differentiation, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here we investigated the effects of LNG (5 ng L-1 and 50 ng L-1), DDG (100 ng L-1) and their mixtures on gonadal differentiation and sex determination in zebrafish at transcriptomic and histological levels from 2 hours post-fertilization (eleutheroembryos) to 144 days post-fertilization (sexual maturity). Germ cell development and oogenesis pathways were significantly enriched in LNG and the mixture of LNG and DDG treatments, while insulin and apoptosis pathways in the DDG treatment. LNG and the mixture of LNG and DDG strongly decreased transcripts of germ cell development and oogenesis related genes, while DDG increased the transcripts of insulin and apoptosis related genes at 28 days post fertilization (dpf) and 35 dpf. Furthermore, DDG caused ∼ 90% males, and LNG and the mixture of LNG and DDG resulted in 100% males on all sampling dates. Specifically, most males in LNG and the mixture of LNG and DDG treatments were "Type I" males without juvenile oocytes at 28 dpf and 35 dpf, while those in DDG treatment were "Type II" and "Type III" males with a few juvenile oocytes. These results indicated that LNG and DDG promoted testicular differentiation via different pathways to cause male bias. LNG and DDG mixtures have similar effect on testicular differentiation to LNG alone. The findings from this study could have significant ecological implications to fish populations.

Androstenedione (AED) is a naturally occurring steroid hormone. It is metabolized to potent androgens, which may induce androgenic effects in fish. However, little is known whether and how the androgens interfere with the fish gonadal development and reproduction. This study aimed at demonstrating the effects of long-term AED exposure on reproduction and development in mosquitofish ( Gambusia affinis ). The growth, development and several morphological endpoints, including the segment number and length of anal fin, histological changes of gonads and liver, were evaluated in mosquitofish during development from fertilized embryo to adulthood (180 days) after exposure of AED at environmentally relevant concentrations. We found that the growth (length, body weight and condition factor) of fish was negatively correlated with AED concentration in females, but not in males. The significant elongation of the ray and increment of segment numbers in the anal fin, were detected in all mosquitofish after exposure. Moreover, AED exposure (0.4gµ/L) caused damages in gonads and reduced the number of pregnant females. These findings indicate that AED has adverse effects on the growth and development of the western mosquitofish after long-term exposure (180d). Long-term exposure (180d) to AED, including environmentally relevant concentration (0.4 µg/L and 4 µg/L), induced masculinization in female mosquitofish under the experimental conditions.

Thallium is a rare-earth element, but widely distributed in water environments, posing a potential risk to our health. This study was designed to investigate the chronic effects of thallium based on physiological responses, gene expression, and changes in the activity of relevant enzymes in adult zebra fish exposed to thallium at low doses. The endpoints assessed include mRNA expression of metallothionein (MT)2 and heat shock protein HSP70; enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Na+/K+-ATPase; and the histopathology of gill, gonad, and liver tissues. The results showed significant increases in HSP70 mRNA expression following exposure to 100 ng/L thallium and in MT2 expression following exposure to 500 ng/L thallium. Significantly higher activities were observed for SOD in liver and Na+/K+-ATPase activity in gill in zebra fish exposed to thallium (20 and 100 ng/L, respectively) in comparison to control fish. Gill, liver, and gonad tissues displayed different degrees of damage. The overall results imply that thallium may cause toxicity to zebra fish at environmentally relevant aqueous concentrations.

Photo-degradation alkali lignin was prepared in sunlight by the system of TiO2 and squaraine dye (QSC). The antioxidant activity of photo-degradation was researched. The results showed that the phenolic hydroxyl of degradation alkali lignin is 5.63% with the control is 4.64%, and alcoholic hydroxyl of degradation alkali lignin is 3.21% with the control is 3.77%. The order of antioxidant activity was as following. 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol > high-phenol lignin > the control lignin.

Given their efficacy in photosynthesis, a series of metalloporphyrins were examined using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT. An experimentally known zinc porphyrin has been calculated to evaluate performance of various functionals, basis sets, computational models of solvent effect and solvent sorts. With an alternative approach, absorption spectra of complexes ( ML x , M = Zn, Cd and Hg, x = 1–4) varying substituted porphyrin L x and metal center were investigated. It was shown that the strongest peak at about 400 nm for ML x was attributed to the intra -porphyrin π → π * transition. Substitution of benzoic acid at the β -position of porphyrin core allows an extra intense peak at 450 nm in ML 3 and ML 4 , but ML 2 with the meso -substituted benzoic acid only displays some very weak low-energy absorptions. Additionally, we theoretically designed [Ru(NCS) 2 L x ] 2− and expected their possession of advantages of polypyridyl ruthenium and porphyrin-based sensitizers. The present study reveals that the L 4 complex, [Ru(NCS) 2 L 4 ] 2− , exhibits extra intense absorption peaks at 500 and 582 nm, allowing for its promising application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).

The surfactant of lignin-phosphate quaternary ammonium salt (LPQAS) has been synthesized from chemical conversion of the alkali lignin that is a byproduct of the pulp industry. Using this lignin-based LPQAS, the wurtzite-structure ZnO crystals with plenty of mesopores can be prepared through one step reaction in aqueous solution. These fine hexagonal ZnO particles have been confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and their diameters have been calculated to be within 20 and 40 nm using the Debye–Scherrer equation. It is shown from our SEM results that the mole ratio of Zn 2+ and OH − ions affects the morphology of ZnO. And at a mole ratio of 1:10 for the Zn 2+ and OH − ions, the flower-like ZnO nanomaterials were obtained. Both TEM and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) determinations reveal that as-prepared ZnO crystallites contain abundant mesoporous structures. A possible formation mechanism of these mesoporous ZnO crystallites has been proposed in this work. Finally, photoluminescent spectra of the synthesized ZnO were measured at room temperature, exhibiting two characteristic bands of typical ZnO materials at 383 nm (sharp) and in the range of 480–600 nm (broad).

In this paper, a new method was developed to synthesize betaxolol hydrochloride intermediate (1-[4-(2-Hydroxyethyl) phenoxy]-2, 3-epoxypropane). Based on the acidity difference of phenolic hydroxyl and alcoholic hydroxyl in p-hydroxyphenylethyl alcohol, the betaxolol hydrochloride intermediate was synthesized by selective A.W.Williamson etherification between p-hydroxyphenylethyl alcohol and epichlorohydrin in 18% potassium carbonate-acetone alkalescent solution. The molar ratio of p-hydroxyphenylethyl alcohol and epichlorohydrin was fixed at 1:1.7. FTIR and HPLC analysis revealed that the product purity reached 96% and the yield was 68.18%. This method simplified the synthetic process of betaxolol hydrochloride, which would also result in higher yield and purity of betaxolol hydrochloride products.

In this article, L-ascorbic acid cellulose ester, a polymer with antioxidant properties, was synthesized using L-ascorbic acid and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as feedstock. The whole reaction was divided into two parts: the preparation of carboxymethyl cellulose carbonyl chlorides and the synthesis of L-ascorbic acid cellulose ester. The optimal conditions of acyl chloride preparation: ratio (m/v) of CMCH to SOCl2 was 1:3, proportion (m/v) of CMCH to DMF was 1:20, reaction temperature was 110-120°C, reaction time was 2h. The optimal conditions of L-ascorbic acid cellulose ester synthesis: ratio (m/v) of L-ascorbic acid to solvent was 1:3.5, proportion (Mol/Mol) of Carboxymethyl cellulose carbonyl chlorides to L-ascorbic acid was 1:1.3, reaction temperature was 20°C, reaction time was 22h. In this reaction conditions, the synthetic product not only saved the antioxidant activity of the groups, and added the safe and non-toxic ability of dietary fiber.

We introduced the oxidation method of Lecithin liposome which induced by Fe2+ and fluorescence chemiluminescence method. The method used to determine the ability of the proanthocyanidin extracted from Sanguisorba of inhibit liposome peroxidation, scavenge superoxide anion(O2－.) and hydroxyl free radical(·OH). We carried out a comparative analysis with rutin, extract of Grape Seed and vitamin E (VE) in antioxidant ability. As revealed in the results, compared the extract of Grape Seeds and VE, the inhibition ratio of proanthocyanidin extracted from Sanguisorba to inhibit liposome peroxidation is 1.62 and 7 times, scavenge superoxide anion (02－.) is 1.6 and 10.15 times and scavenge hydroxyl free radical（.OH）is 1.9 and 29.5 times, respectively. The results demonstrate that proanthocyanidin extracted from Sanguisorba show better antioxidant ability, which further revealed that resource of sanguisorba is more worth exploiting and applying.

Lignin was extracted from Acanthopanax senticosus remainders after pharmaceutical production process, with acetic acid-water as extracting reagent. Four factors effects, namely reaction temperature from 160°C to 220°C, reaction time from 40 min to 100 min, acetic acid concentration from 50% to 80% and solid-liquid ratio from 1:40 to 1:5, were studied and optimized by a four-level orthogonal array design (OAD) on lignin antioxidant capacity. The results indicated the reaction temperature and reaction time were significant factors among these factors. At the same lignin solution concentration, the acetic acid lignin antioxidant capacity was better than that of Kraft lignin, but much lower than that of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA).

Sodium lignosulfonate -chitosan (SLS-CS) polyelectrolyte complex was prepared by alkaline lignin and chitosan as raw materials. The structure and thermal stability of SLS-CS polyelectrolyte were characterized by FTIR, XRD, DSC. The results indicated that NH3+was formed by the protonated amino groups of chitosan and then came into SLS-CS polyelectrolyte complex with -SO3Na of sodium lignosulfonate through electrostatic adsorption. Compared with the sodium lignosulfonate and chitosan, the thermal decomposition temperature of SLS-CS raised and thus improved the thermal stability; the amorphous peak tends to decrease; SLS-CS polymer arrangement appeared more ordering, and the molecular interaction were enhanced.

In this paper, Chinese larch bark and different areas of Korean larch bark chemical composition and quantitative analysis of active ingredients, and with several plant resources in the total flavonoids were compared and evaluated. The results showed that: Korean larch bark of ash content (1.34%) lower, phenethyl alcohol extract (16.17%), proanthocyanidins (3.84%), total flavonoids(16.59%) and dihydro-quercetin (4.87% ) the highest. The total flavonoid content is more higher than the development of herbal extracts of total flavonoids. Therefore, the bark is a great potential for development of renewable resources.

Dialdehyde oxycellulose-coated magnetite nanoparticles were prepared as carrier to immobilize the lactase, the preparation conditions and enzymatic properties of the immobilized enzyme were studied. The results showed that the maximum activity of immobilized enzyme is 0.424U/g when immobilized time is 4h, immobilized pH is 6.5, [enzyme]/[carrier] =1:15(g:g). Compared with free enzyme, the heat stability and basic resistance of immobilized lactase were increased. After reuse five times, the relative enzyme activity of immobilized enzyme was 63%.

Waterborne preservative of DDAC and boride are used to impregnate P. ussuriensis Kom lumbers by roller compression under compression rates ranging from 10 percent to 50 percent. Results showed that the cranny in intervascular pit membranes appeared, and the cell wall of vessel element and fiber segment displayed drape and cranny due to roller compression. With the rise of compression rate, both the penetration depth of preservative and the retention quantity of preservative in the experimental lumber increased, while the mass loss rate decreased.The penetration depth perpendicular to the grain was more than 3.9 mm, while that parallel to the grain of wood was more than 20 mm when the compression rate was greater than or equal to 30 percent. Under the compression rate of 30 percent, the retention quantity of preservative in the experimental lumber impregnated with DDAC (thickness of 1 percent) was 8.743 kg/m3 and the mass loss rate was 14.36 percent, while those with boride (thickness of 2 percent) are 3.322kg/m3 and 9.92 percent.

Ether of carboxymethylcellulose-based picric acid(CMC-PA) was prepared from carboxymethylcellulose(CMC) and picric acid(PA) by the mild reactive conditions of acidylation with chloric.The strcture of CMC-PA was characterized by FTIR,Element analysis,XRD and CPMAS13C NMR.Influences of reaction conditions,such as reaction temperature,reaction time,ratio of CMC to PA and amount of pyridine,were studied by mass fraction of nitrogen.Result showed that the synthetical conditions were obtained as ratio of CMC to PA 2 : 1 (by weight),amount of pyridine 50 mL,reaction temperature 85°C and reaction time 4 hours.The adsorption property of CMC-PA to creatinine was studied under simulated biological human body conditons.The kinetic and isothermal curve were given. Results showed that adsorption amount reached an equilibrium value after 10 hours,and the maximum adsorption amount was 1.75mg/g.Equilibrium data of creatinine fit well with Freundich equation,indicating that the adsorption was mainly chemical monolayer adsorption .The Freundich indx(1/n) was less than 1,which implied that the adsorption was preferential process.

N-(3-dehydroabietyloxy-2-hydroxy) propyl-N, N-dimethyl (2-hydroxy) phosphate betaine was synthesized through the 3-dehydroabietyloxy-2-hydroxypropyl chloride and tertiary amine intermediate by using dehydroabietic acid as raw materials. The structure of the target product was confirmed by FT-IR, 1H NMR. The surface-active property was investigated by surface tension experiment. The surface activity of the mixed system of the product and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) was determined. The results showed that critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the product was 1.34 mmol•L-1. Strong synergism in product was observed combining with SDS, and the optimum synergism was obtained at the molar ratio of 1:1.

Cationic surfactant, quaternary ammonium salt of lignin, was synthesis from the lignin and trimethylamine though Mannich Reaction. Then quaternary ammonium salt of lignin was used as a novel template to prepare nanostructural silica from TEOS by sol-gel templating method. After removing the template at 580°C, nanostructural silica were obtained. The results of SEM and TEM show that there were two kinds of the silica after calcined. One is 3-dimetional macroporous silica, with the pore size of 100-200 nm. The other kind of silica is nanoparticle: the particle sizes range from 20 to 200nm and the specific surface area is 387.6 m2•g-1.

The MP2 and unrestricted MP2 methods were performed to fully optimize the structures of [Au 2 (S 2 CS) 2 ] 2− ( 1 ) in the ground and lowest-energy triplet excited states, respectively. It was shown that upon excitation the Au–Au distance shortens about 0.156 A with respect to the 2.814 A one in the ground state. In the calculations, vibrational frequencies at the MP2 level and solution absorption spectra at the TD-DFT level agree with experimental observations. The comparison among 1 , [Au 2 (S 2 CC(CN) 2 ) 2 ] 2− ( 2 ) and [Au 2 (S 2 CH 2 ) 2 ] 2− ( 3 ) in ground- and excited-state properties was discussed in detail.

(Tetracarboxyphthalocyaninato) cobalt (Ⅱ) was used as dye to enhance the photocatalytic activity of nano-TiO2 in visible light. The photocatalyzer was prepared by phthlocyanine Co and TiO2, which was called TPC. The photocatalytic process of removal of benzene was investigated in visible light and ultraviolet. Results reveal that TPC can enhance photocatalytic activity of TiO2. The Benzene removal of TPC catalyst at 4.5 h was 52.80 % in incandescent lamp, at the same time it was 41.86% higher than nano-TiO2. The Benzene removal of TPC catalyst at 4.5 h was 43.53% in fluorescent lamp, at then 28.03% higher than nano-TiO2. The Benzene removal of TPC catalyst at 4.5 h was 36.58% under ultraviolet, at then 5.50% lower than nano-TiO2. The Benzene removal of TPC catalyst at 4.5 h was 10.69% in incandescent lamp, at then 2.15% higher than nano-TiO2. TPC catalyst should enhance ability of liquid photocatalytic oxidation TiO2. The highest photocatalytic degradation of nitrobenzene and methylene blue were separately 76.60 % and 21.02 % under incandescent light.

In this paper, the hydrophobic nano-calcium carbonate (CaCO3) was prepared by organic matter (the bolaform surfactant Disodium Sulfodehydroabietate as template) modifying surface structure of calcium carbonate (made by anhydrous sodium carbonate and anhydrous calcium chloride) at 40°C for 2h. The prepared hydrophobic nano-CaCO3 was characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and. The nano-CaCO3 with mean particle size of 64.4 nm was obtained in the range of 0.5~1.5µm by calculation. The contact angle of nano-CaCO3 with liquid solid was 117.49°. The hydrophobic property become stronger.

The research synthesized bis-(2-methyl quinoline) squarylium cyanine (abbr. QYCD). It was used as dye to enhance the photocatalytic activity of nano-TiO2 in sunlight. Then the photocatalytic process of removal of benzene was investigated indoor air. Results reveal that bis-(2-methyl quinoline)- squarylium cyanine has an intense absorption in the light region of 200nm - 800 nm. The Benzene removal of QYCD-nano-TiO2 complex catalyst at 78h was 97.69%, at the same time it was 36.96% higher as compared with that of nano-TiO2.

The extract of green peel of Juglans mandshurica Maxim was extracted by common method for studying its insecticidal activities and analyzing the active components. Results showed that the alcohol extract and the chloroform part of extract (separated with chloroform from alcohol extract) form green peel of J. mandshurica have insecticidal activities in contact toxicity and stomach toxicity against larvae of Lymantria dispar L. After application of the extracts for five days, the corrected mortality of larvae of Lymantria dispar for both extracts was more than 50% in contact toxicity and stomach toxicity at the concentration of ≥ 5 g·L−1. The insecticidal activity for both alcohol extract and chloroform part of extract is more effect in contact toxicity than in stomach toxicity, but no significant difference in the insecticidal activities was found between alcohol extract and chloroform part of extract. The active components in the chloroform part of extract from green peel of J. mandshurica were analyzed by GC-MS. The analyzed results showed that the active components in the chloroform part of extract are: (1) juglone (5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthaoquinone), the relative content 27.11%, (2) 1,5-Naphthalenediol, the relative content 9.52%, (3) 7-Methoxy-1-tetralone, the relative content 6.81%, (4) Benzofuran, 2,3-dihydro-, the relative content 6.76%, (5) 4-Hydroxy-2-methoxycinnamaldehyde, the relative content 3.99%, (6) 2-Methoxy-4-vinylphenol, the relative content 3.05%.

Glucose production from pretreated larch by cellulose enzymatic hydrolysis with cellulase was investigated and compared with no pretreatment, as a reference. The larch was pretreated with microwave, sulfuric acid hydrolysis and dilute sodium hydroxide solution hydrolysis respectively. The cellulose material was also submitted to a pretreatment with dilute sodium hydroxide solution hydrolysis followed by microwave and with dilute sulfuric acid solution hydrolysis followed by microwave separately. The enzymatic hydrolysis experiments were carried out at 50℃, 50 g/l dry matter (DM) solid substrate concentration and 15 filter paper unit (IU)/g DM of a commercial cellulase. Fermentable sugar were able to be produced from all the pretreated larches with an overall yield of 10-30% of the maximum theoretical yield, based on the glucan available in the solid and liquid substrate. The larch pretreated with acid and microwave had the best yield as 30% followed by the larch pretreated with dilute sodium hydroxide solution with an overall yield of 18% with 15 IU/g DM of cellulase. Glucose was the main product with enzymatic hydrolysis yield ratio 11.74%in the sulfuric acid pretreated larch, while with enzymatic hydrolysis yield ratio 23.44%in the dilute sodium hydroxide solution pretreated larch under enzymatic hydrolysis conditions. These advantages, along with its negative price, make this solid a valuable raw material for L-lactic acid production.

The insecticidal active components in Juglans mandshurica Maxim leaves were extracted by conventional method. The alcohol extract and its chloroform-extraction phase showed insecticidal activities in contact toxicity and stomach toxicity against Lymantria dispar L. and Mamestra brassicae L. larvae. When the concentration of the extract was above 10 g x L(-1), the corrected mortality was higher than 50% 5 days after applying the extract. Alcohol extract had higher insecticidal activities than its chloroform-extraction phase. The GC-MS analysis on the active components in the chloroform-extraction phase showed that the main component was juglone (5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthalenedione), and the others were 2,2'-methylenebis-6-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methyl-diphenol and 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol.

A facile precipitation method has been developed to synthesize ZnO with [bis(2-aminoethyl)amino]methyl lignin (lignin amine) that is chemically modified from low-cost pulp industrial lignin. The obtained ZnO crystallites have been characterized to exhibit a hexagonal wurtzite structure, and their sizes have been determined at ca. 24 nm (mean value). These ZnO nanocrystallites are of high purity and well crystallized. Our present synthetic approach apparently exempts the commonly used calcining purification procedure. It is found that the morphology of ZnO and its specific surface area are capable of being tuned by varying the added lignin amine amount. Using the optimal 10 mL lignin amine, the synthesized ZnO exhibits flower-like morphology with proper specific surface area. Additionally, photoluminescence property of the obtainable ZnO displays two emissive bands at 383 nm (sharp) and in the range of 480 to 600 nm (broad) at room temperature. Their intensities were revealed to depend on the added lignin amine amount as well as on the molar ratio of Zn2+/OH-. The present investigation demonstrates that our method is simple, eco-friendly, and cost-effective for the synthesis of small-size ZnO materials.