Overexpression of BMI-1 Promotes Cell Growth and Resistance to Cisplatin Treatment in Osteosarcoma

Background: BMI-1 is a member of the polycomb group of genes (PcGs), and it has been implicated in the development and progression of several malignancies, but its role in osteosarcoma remains to be elucidated. Methodology/Principal Findings: In the present study, we found that BMI-1 was overexpressed in different types of osteosarcomas. Downregulation of BMI-1 by lentivirus mediated RNA interference (RNAi) significantly impaired cell viability and colony formation in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo of osteosarcoma cells. BMI-1 knockdown sensitized cells to cisplatininduced apoptosis through inhibition of PI3K/AKT pathway. Moreover, BMI-1-depletion-induced phenotype could be rescued by forced expression of BMI-1 wobble mutant which is resistant to inhibition by the small interfering RNA (siRNA). Conclusions/Significance: These findings suggest a crucial role for BMI-1 in osteosarcoma pathogenesis

Experimental study on combustion optimization to alleviate fouling on heating surface of a Zhundong coal Boiler

In 2021, the price of most of the domestic coal skyrocketed, affecting the stable supply of electric power supply in some regions, while the price of Xinjiang Zhundong coal remains stable at a low level. Thus, the study of safe and stable large-scale combustion of Zhundong coal in boilers is more and more important for the energy supplyHowever, fouling and slagging often occur on the heating surfaces of the boiler due to the characteristics of Zhundong coal and the high temperature of the flue gas. The effects of the operating parameters, including the primary air velocity, operating oxygen content, air staging and coal fineness on the combustion temperature and NOx emission were investigated on a four-corner tangentially fired boiler of 660 MW capacity, which burned 95% Zhundong coal to get the relevant control criterion. Based on the research, the improvement of control function for contamination of heating surfaces was implemented under steady and dynamic working conditions. Finally, the influence of the improvement on the contamination of the heating surfaces was proved by the method of the contamination monitoring of heated surfaces. The results show that, at 660 MW load condition, the operating oxygen content had the most obvious influence on the flue gas temperature at the outlet of the furnace. The flue gas temperature decreased 99 °C when it increased from 2.0% to 3.5%. The reduction of the operating oxygen content and the local mean stoichiometric ratio of the main combustion zone could lead to a significant reduction of NOx emission and the change of the coal fineness had no obvious effect on NOx emission. After the improved control function was implemented, the rate of flue gas temperature decreased from 6.18 to 4.26 °C min−1 during the load increase process, the maximum temperature decreased from 1104 to 1023 °C under 660 MW. The heat absorption ratio of the platen superheater, low-temperature superheater and low-temperature reheater increased by 0.6%, 1.6% and 0.9%, respectively, indicating that the fouling and slagging was significantly reduced. At 330 MW load condition, increasing the coal fineness R90 to around 4.9% of the uppermost mill could effectively reduce the flue gas temperature near the bottom of the high-temperature reheater, reduce the deposition of combustible matter and fly ash, and inhibit the formation of fouling and slagging

Biogas slurry as an alternative to chemical fertilizer: Changes in soil properties and microbial communities of fluvo-aquic soil in the North China Plain

Biogas slurry application offers an alternative to chemical fertilizer in realizing ecologically re-cycling agriculture. However, the responses of soil fertility and microbial communities to long term use of biogas slurry need to be explored in different soil types and regions. We investigated the effects of repeated applications over six years on the soil properties and microbial character-istics of a fluvo-aquic soil in the North China Plain. The experiment, with equivalent nitrogen in-puts, comprised: biogas slurry (BS), chemical fertilizer (CF) or substitution of half the chemical fertilizer with biogas slurry (BSCF); a control treatment had no fertilizer addition. Soil samples, at a depth of 0–20 cm, were collected for their physicochemical properties. Microbial community diversity and composition was investigated using high-throughput sequencing. Biogas slurry ap-plication treatments tended to lower the soil bulk density while increasing the water-holding ca-pacity and the water-stable aggregate mean weight diameter. Organic carbon and available nu-trient concentrations (nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus) were enhanced in all fertilization treatments relative to the control, especially in the BSCF treatment. Significant differences in mi-crobial community composition were detected between the control and all of the fertilization treatments. BSCF resulted in the greatest diversity and most evenly balanced assemblages of both bacteria and fungi at the phylum level. There were clear associations between microbial composi-tion and changes in soil environmental variables caused by the fertilization treatments. Bacterial community composition and alpha diversity were associated particularly with differences in soil total nitrogen, pH, and available potassium, whereas fungal communities were more related to available potassium. Half substitution of the chemical fertilizer by biogas slurry gave the greatest improvement in soil structure and nutrient availability and this was associated with greater microbial diversity and better balanced microbial communities. Our results suggest that partial substitution with biogas slurry is an alternative to complete chemical fertilizer and that it offers clear benefits for the topsoil structure and fertility in fluvo-aquic soils. It also represents a prom-ising approach to a biogas-linked agroecosystem that restores sustainable coordination between cropping and animal husbandry under an intensive production regime

Effects of excluding grazing on the vegetation and soils of degraded sparse-elm grassland in the Horqin Sandy Land, China

Livestock grazing is a crucial cause of vegetation degradation and desertification in sandy lands. The sparse-elm grassland of Horqin Sandy Land, China has suffered severe degradation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Management to exclude grazing is often necessary for ecological restoration, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. We report effects on vegetation and soils in a 10-year experiment to exclude livestock, completely or seasonally, in comparison with a continuously grazed area in Horqin. Complete exclusion of grazing and restriction of grazing to summer both led to significantly increased plant cover and density relative to the grazed control. Species richness increased, reflected in higher Shannon-Wiener indices; only complete exclusion increased the Simpson diversity index, whereas Pielou evenness was significantly lowest under seasonal grazing. Exclosure treatments were also associated with improved soil texture, and increased water retention, available nitrogen, total nitrogen, total carbon and total phosphorus. Soil pH and C/N ratio were highest under the seasonal grazing regime. The results indicated that exclosure management indeed improved biodiversity and ecosystem services in an erosion-prone region. Although total exclosure was most effective in restoration of degraded sparse-elm grassland, seasonal grazing management was highly beneficial and represented a good compromise with resource utilization and economic development

Recent Advances in Synthetic Bioelastomers

This article reviews the degradability of chemically synthesized bioelastomers, mainly designed for soft tissue repair. These bioelastomers involve biodegradable polyurethanes, polyphosphazenes, linear and crosslinked poly(ether/ester)s, poly(ε-caprolactone) copolymers, poly(1,3-trimethylene carbonate) and their copolymers, poly(polyol sebacate)s, poly(diol-citrates) and poly(ester amide)s. The in vitro and in vivo degradation mechanisms and impact factors influencing degradation behaviors are discussed. In addition, the molecular designs, synthesis methods, structure properties, mechanical properties, biocompatibility and potential applications of these bioelastomers were also presented

Performance and microbial community analysis on nitrate removal in a bioelectrochemical reactor.

In this experiment, we took reflux sludge, sludge from an aeration tank, and soil from roots as microbial inoculating sources for an electrochemical device for denitrification with high-throughput sequencing on cathodic biofilms. The efficiency of nitrate nitrogen removal using different microbial inoculates varied among voltages. The optimal voltages for denitrification of reflux sludge, aeration tank sludge, and root soil were 0.7V, 0.5V, and 0.5V, respectively. Further analysis revealed that the respective voltages had a significant effect upon microbial growth from the respective inoculates. Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the main denitrifying microbes. With the addition of low current (produced by the applied voltage), the Chao1, Shannon and Simpson indexes of the diversity of microorganisms in soil inoculation sources increased, indicating that low current can increase the diversity and richness of the microorganisms, while the reflux sludge and aeration tank sludge showed different changes. Low-current stimulation decreased microbial diversity to a certain extent. Pseudomonas showed a trend of decline with increasing applied voltage, in which the MEC (microbial electrolysis cell) of rhizosphere soil as inoculates decreased most significantly from 77.05% to 12.58%, while the MEC of Fusibacter showed a significant increase, and the sludge of reflux sludge, aeration tank and rhizosphere soil increased by 31.12%, 18.7% and 34.6%, respectively. The applied voltage also significantly increased the abundance of Azoarcus in communities from the respective inoculates

Synthesis and Performance of Iron Oxide-Coated Ceramsite in a Biotrickling Filter for Nitric Oxide Removal under Thermophilic Conditions

A novel medium consisting of iron oxide-coated porous ceramsite (modified ceramsite) was investigated for NO removal under thermophilic conditions in this study. We used a surface coating method with FeCl3·6H2O as the modifier. When ceramsite was calcined for 4 h at 500 °C, the surface pH value decreased to 3.46, which is much lower than the isoelectric point of ceramsite, ensuring its surface was electropositive. The surface of modified ceramsite changed from two- to three-dimensional and exhibited excellent adsorption behavior to assist microbial growth; the maximum dry weight of the biofilm was 1.28 mg/g. It only took 8 days for the biofilter constructed from the modified ceramsite to start up, whereas that packed with commercial ceramsite took 22 days. The NO removal efficiency of the biofilter did not decrease apparently at high NO inlet concentration of above 1600 mg/m3 and maintained an average value of above 90% during the whole operation period. Additionally, the morphological observation showed that the loss of the surface coating was not obvious, and the coating properties remained stable during long-term operation. The maximum NO inlet loading of the biotrickling filter was 80 g/(m3·h) with an average removal efficiency of 91.1% along with a quick start-up when using the modified ceramsite filler. Thus, modified ceramsite can be considered a very effective medium in biotrickling filters for NO removal