Characteristics of Pyrolysis and Low Oxygen Combustion of Long Flame Coal and Reburning of Residues

To further understand the problems of coal combustion and coalfield fire reignition, this paper researched the reaction characteristics of coal pyrolysis and low oxygen combustion and the reburning oxidation characteristics of residual structure by thermal analysis methods. The results show that temperature promotes both pyrolysis and low oxygen combustion reactions, but low oxygen combustion reaction is more sensitive to temperature changes. As the constant temperature rises, the mass reduction rate of low oxygen combustion of coal samples reaches 80% on average, which is 4 times that of pyrolysis, and the variations of thermogravimetric parameters are also significantly higher than those of pyrolysis. However, the higher the pyrolysis degree of the residues, the stronger their oxidizability, which greatly enhances the intensity and concentration of the secondary combustion, and the mass of residues is reduced by 90% on average. Conversely, because the combustible components are continuously consumed during low oxygen combustion, the reburning characteristics of residues become less obvious. For instance, the weight loss rate slows down, the burning becomes dispersed, and the burning intensity is weakened. In addition, the heat release is reduced from 8662 to 444.5 J/g, and the change trend is just opposite to that of pyrolysis. The above results show that as the constant temperature rises, the pyrolysis reaction greatly shortens the reburning process, while the low oxygen combustion reaction largely inhibits the reburning

Two Highly Sensitive and Selective Colorimetric "Off-On" Rhodamine-Based Fluorescent Chemosensor for Hg(II) in Aqueous Media

National Science Foundation of China [20972143, 20972130]; Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University [NCET-11-0950]Two novel rhodamine derivatives were designed and synthesized. They were successfully characterized by HR-MS, H-1 NMR and C-13 NMR. They were found to exhibit a reversible colorimetric response and exhibit high selectivity and sensitivity for Hg(II) ion over other commonly coexistent metal ions. Their selectivity is excellent, and the detection of Hg(II) at ppb level is possible. The colorimetric and fluorescent response to Hg(II) can be conveniently detected even by the naked eye, which provides a facile method for visual detection of Hg(II)

Construction and Immunogenicity of Virus-Like Particles of Feline Parvovirus from the Tiger

Feline panleukopenia, caused by feline parvovirus (FPV), is a highly infectious disease characterized by leucopenia and hemorrhagic gastroenteritis that severely affects the health of large wild Felidae. In this study, tiger FPV virus-like particles (VLPs) were developed using the baculovirus expression system. The VP2 gene from an infected Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) was used as the target gene. The key amino acids of this gene were the same as those of FPV, whereas the 101st amino acid was the same as that of canine parvovirus. Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) results demonstrated that the VP2 protein was successfully expressed. SDS-PAGE and Western blotting (WB) results showed that the target protein band was present at approximately 65 kDa. Electron micrograph analyses indicated that the tiger FPV VLPs were successfully assembled and were morphologically similar to natural parvovirus particles. The hemagglutination (HA) titer of the tiger FPV VLPs was as high as 1:218. The necropsy and tissue sections at the cat injection site suggested that the tiger FPV VLPs vaccine was safe. Antibody production was induced in cats after subcutaneous immunization, with a >1:210 hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titer that persisted for at least 12 months. These results demonstrate that tiger FPV VLPs might provide a vaccine to prevent FPV-associated disease in the tiger

A N-stablization rhodamine-based fluorescent chemosensor for Fe3+ in aqueous solution and its application in bioimaging

National Science Foundation of China [20972143, 20972130]; Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University [NCET-11-0950]A novel rhodamine-based fluorescent probe 1 was synthesized, which was designed as a fluoroionophore and chromophore for the optical detection of Fe3+ ions in water with a broad pH span (4-8). As expected, it exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity for Fe3+ over other commonly coexistent metal ions in water. The detection limit was measured to be 1.5 mu M. The significant changes in the fluorescence color could be used for naked-eye detection. Furthermore, fluorescence imaging experiments of Fe3+ ions in living MGC803 cells demonstrated its value of practical applications in biological systems. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Proteomic analysis of avian influenza A (H7N9) patients within a family cluster

Background: To date, there is limited information on the progression of human infections of avian influenza virus A (H7N9). This study investigated differential blood protein profiling of a H7N9-infected family cluster to find a slice of crucial proteins concerning disease attack and virus clearance.Materials and Methods: Plasma samples from one family cluster (including one index case and one asymptomatic case) were collected at four time points. The protein profiles were identified by isobaric tagging for relative and absolute quantification-based quantitative differential LC/MS/MS, and their functional annotations were analyzed by PANTHER and STRING tools. Results: A total of 1257 nonredundant proteins were identified from 3027 unique peptides. Three differential protein profiles for each subject were generated by comparing relative protein abundance between samples of each of the first three time points and the last time point. Gene ontology analysis indicated that differential protein profiles for the two cases were mainly enriched in the biological processes of response to stimulus, immunity, blood coagulation, lipid transport, and cell adhesion. Two groups of proteins with an upward or downward expression change according to the postinfection time points were detected for each case. STRING analysis further indicated that the hubs in the network of these time-dependent proteins were mostly apolipoproteins. Conclusions: Significant perturbation of the response upon viral infection occurred immediately after confirmation of H7N9 virus infection. The differential protein profiles shed further light on distinguishing the index case from the asymptomatic one. Furthermore, apolipoproteins may play an important role in the progression of the disease

Intermediate and long-term exposure to air pollution and temperature and the extracellular microRNA profile of participants in the normative aging study (NAS)

BackgroundThe molecular effects of intermediate and long-term exposure to air pollution and temperature, such as those on extracellular microRNA (ex-miRNA) are not well understood but may have clinical consequences.ObjectivesTo assess the association between exposure to ambient air pollution and temperature and ex-miRNA profiles.MethodsOur study population consisted of 734 participants in the Normative Aging Study (NAS) between 1999 and 2015. We used high-resolution models to estimate four-week, eight-week, twelve-week, six-month, and one-year moving averages of PM2.5, O3, NO2, and ambient temperature based on geo-coded residential addresses. The outcome of interest was the extracellular microRNA (ex-miRNA) profile of each participant over time. We used a longitudinal quantile regression approach to estimate the association between the exposures and each ex-miRNA. Results were corrected for multiple comparisons and ex-miRNAs that were still significantly associated with the exposures were further analyzed using KEGG pathway analysis and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis.ResultsWe found 151 significant associations between levels of PM2.5, O3, NO2, and ambient temperature and 82 unique ex-miRNAs across multiple quantiles. Most of the significant results were associations with intermediate-term exposure to O3, long-term exposure to PM2.5, and both intermediate and long-term exposure to ambient temperature. The exposures were most often associated with the 75th and 90th percentile of the outcomes. Pathway analyses of significant ex-miRNAs revealed their involvement in biological pathways involving cell function and communication as well as clinical diseases such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and neurological disease.ConclusionOur results show that intermediate and long-term exposure to all our exposures of interest were associated with changes in the ex-miRNA profile of study participants. Further studies on environmental risk factors and ex-miRNAs are warranted

Short-term air pollution and temperature exposure and changes in the extracellular microRNA profile of Normative Aging Study (NAS) participants

BackgroundWhile the health effects of air pollution and temperature are widely studied, the molecular effects are poorly understood. Extracellular microRNAs (ex-miRNAs) have the potential to serve as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers and/or to act as intercellular signaling molecules that mediate the effects of environmental exposures on health outcomes.MethodsWe examined the relationship between short-term exposure to air pollution and ambient temperature and the ex-miRNA profiles of participants in the Normative Aging Study (NAS) from 1999 to 2015. Our exposures were defined as same-day, two-day, three-day, one-week, two-week, and three-week moving averages of PM2.5, NO2, O3, and temperature which were derived from high-resolution spatio-temporal models. The ex-miRNA profiles of the subjects were obtained during follow-up visits. We analyzed the data using a longitudinal quantile regression model adjusted for individual covariates, batch effects, and time trends. We adjusted for multiple comparisons using a false discovery rate (FDR) correction. Ex-miRNAs that were significantly associated with exposures were further investigated using pathway analyses.ResultsWe found that all the examined exposures were associated with changes in ex-miRNA profiles in our study, particularly PM2.5 which was responsible for most of the statistically significant results. We found 110 statistically significant exposure-outcome relationships that revealed associations with the levels of 52 unique ex-miRNAs. Pathway analyses showed these ex-miRNAs have been linked to target mRNAs, genes, and biological mechanisms that could affect virtually every organ system, and as such may be linked to multiple clinical disease presentations such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and neurological disease.ConclusionsAir pollution and temperature exposures were significantly associated with alterations in the ex-miRNA profiles of NAS subjects with possible biological consequences