Molten Chloride Salt Technology for Next-Generation CSP Plants: Compatibility of cost-effective Fe-based steels with Mg-purified molten MgCl2-KCl-NaCl at 700°C

The next-generation concentrating solar power (CSP) plant can be equipped with a high-temperature thermal energy storage (TES) system and supercritical CO2 (sCO2) Brayton power cycle, whose operating temperatures are higher than 700 °C, for a higher energy conversion efficiency and lower levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). MgCl2-KCl-NaCl is a promising candidate of such high-temperature TES material and heat transfer fluid (HTF) due to its low cost and excellent thermophysical properties. Using Fe-based (Fe: ≥50 wt.%) alloys as the main structural material for the chloride-based TES system is the key to ensuring its cost competitiveness. However, it is universally believed that Fe-based alloys have unacceptably high corrosion rates in unpurified molten MgCl2-KCl-NaCl. Theoretically, purification with Mg metal can reduce the corrosion rates of Fe-based alloys to acceptable low levels (700°C could be potentially reduced close to that using commercial nitrates/nitrites at ≤565°C, leading to a significant reduction of the LCOE of CSP with higher operating temperatures

Src Inhibition Blocks c-Myc Translation and Glucose Metabolism to Prevent the Development of Breast Cancer

Preventing breast cancer will require the development of targeted strategies that can effectively block disease progression. Tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors are effective in addressing estrogen receptor–positive (ER+) breast cancer development, but estrogen receptor–negative (ER−) breast cancer remains an unmet challenge due to gaps in pathobiologic understanding. In this study, we used reverse-phase protein array to identify activation of Src kinase as an early signaling alteration in premalignant breast lesions of women who did not respond to tamoxifen, a widely used ER antagonist for hormonal therapy of breast cancer. Src kinase blockade with the small-molecule inhibitor saracatinib prevented the disorganized three-dimensional growth of ER− mammary epithelial cells in vitro and delayed the development of premalignant lesions and tumors in vivo in mouse models developing HER2+ and ER− mammary tumors, extending tumor-free and overall survival. Mechanistic investigations revealed that Src blockade reduced glucose metabolism as a result of an inhibition in ERK1/2–MNK1–eIF4E–mediated cap-dependent translation of c-Myc and transcription of the glucose transporter GLUT1, thereby limiting energy available for cell growth. Taken together, our results provide a sound rationale to target Src pathways in premalignant breast lesions to limit the development of breast cancers

Anti-Inflammatory ent-Kaurane Diterpenoids from Isodon serra

Ten new ent-kaurane diterpenoids, including two pairs of epimers 1/2 and 4/5 and a 6,7-seco-ent-kauranoid 10, were obtained from the aerial parts of Isodon serra. The structures of the new compounds were confirmed by extensive spectroscopic methods and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data analysis. An anti-inflammatory assay was applied to evaluate their nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activities by using LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells. Compounds 1 and 9 exhibited notable NO production inhibition with IC50 values of 15.6 and 7.3 μM, respectively. Moreover, the interactions of some bioactive diterpenoids with inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were explored by employing molecular docking studies.https://pubs.acs.org/journal/jnprdf2021-09-29hj2021Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Tissue Transglutaminase Promotes Drug Resistance and Invasion by Inducing Mesenchymal Transition in Mammary Epithelial Cells

Recent observations that aberrant expression of tissue transglutaminase (TG2) promotes growth, survival, and metastasis of multiple tumor types is of great significance and could yield novel therapeutic targets for improved patient outcomes. To accomplish this, a clear understanding of how TG2 contributes to these phenotypes is essential. Using mammary epithelial cell lines (MCF10A, MCF12A, MCF7 and MCF7/RT) as a model system, we determined the impact of TG2 expression on cell growth, cell survival, invasion, and differentiation. Our results show that TG2 expression promotes drug resistance and invasive functions by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Thus, TG2 expression supported anchorage-independent growth of mammary epithelial cells in soft-agar, disrupted the apical-basal polarity, and resulted in disorganized acini structures when grown in 3D-culture. At molecular level, TG2 expression resulted in loss of E-cadherin and increased the expression of various transcriptional repressors (Snail1, Zeb1, Zeb2 and Twist1). Tumor growth factor-beta (TGF-β) failed to induce EMT in cells lacking TG2 expression, suggesting that TG2 is a downstream effector of TGF-β-induced EMT. Moreover, TG2 expression induced stem cell-like phenotype in mammary epithelial cells as revealed by enrichment of CD44+/CD24-/low cell populations. Overall, our studies show that aberrant expression of TG2 is sufficient for inducing EMT in epithelial cells and establish a strong link between TG2 expression and progression of metastatic breast disease

Corrosion and protection of metallic materials in molten carbonates for concentrating solar power and molten carbonate electrolysis applications

Molten carbonates have recently attracted increasing interest for use as effective functional media in the fields of sustainable energy processes such as the Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants and the molten carbonate electrolysis (MCE) process. The compatibility between metallic materials and molten carbonate media is one of the important considerations and significant technical challenges for the practical molten carbonate application. Herein, we summarized the behaviors and mechanisms of molten carbonate-induced corrosion of metallic materials. The effects of operating temperature, gas atmosphere, electrochemical polarization, alloy elements, gas-liquid interface, and dynamic conditions on the corrosion behaviors and mechanisms of metals in molten carbonates were systematically reviewed. In addition, the corrosion mitigation approaches including regulation of melt basicity and surface treatments of metals are discussed. This review will serve as the foundation for further research addressing the challenges of molten carbonate-induced corrosion and enabling the effective applications of molten carbonates in a sustainable and low-carbon world

Enhanced kinetics of CO2 electro-reduction on a hollow gas bubbling electrode in molten ternary carbonates

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to value-added carbon and oxygen in lithium-containing molten carbonates at 723 K is a promising approach to the efficient utilization of CO2. It was recently reported that the cathodic process in this transformation is controlled by the sluggish diffusion of the generated O2− ions. The formation of Li2O on the cathode results in partial cathodic passivation of the cathode. To accelerate the reaction kinetics and also eliminate the concentration polarization of the resulting Li2O, the effect of bubbling CO2 through a hollow electrode was examined in this work using a home-made hollow gas bubbling (HGB) electrode. The localised CO2 bubbling not only accelerates the transport of O2− ions by agitating the electrolyte nearby, but the CO2 also reacts with Li2O to form the more soluble Li2CO3. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and constant current electrolysis were conducted in the melt at 723 K to study the depolarization mechanisms involved in the CO2 bubbling reaction. Using the HGB electrode, the steady-state current density increased from 15.3 mA/cm2 to ~200 mA/cm2 at a potential of −2.4 V (vs. Ag/Ag2SO4). The HGB electrode effectively improved the cathodic kinetics, which is beneficial for CO2 capture and electrochemical conversion. Keywords: CO2 conversion, Molten carbonates, Passivation, Electrode kinetic