Electrochemical determination of chemical oxygen demand using Ti/TiO2 electrode.

To overcome the shortcomings of the conventional potassium dichromate method (PDM) for monitoring chemical oxygen demand (COD) of waters, many efforts have been made on developing quick and environment-friendly techniques. Among all alternatives, electrochemical (EC) techniques are very competitive due to their relatively simple devices and quickness. A number of electrodes have been fabricated to investigate electrochemical determination of COD. However, little work has been reported on Ti/TiO2 based electrode for this purpose. In the present work, Ti/Ti/TiO2 electrode was simply prepared by anodic oxidation of pure titanium. Aqueous solutions of potassium hydrogen phthalate and phenol were electrolyzed by chronocoulometry in a three-electrode system with Ti/Ti/TiO2 as working electrode (anode). Organic compounds were electrochemically oxidized on Ti/Ti/TiO2 electrode by hydroxyl radicals and the released electrons were recorded and transferred to currents. The electric currents were proportional to the COD values of the water samples being investigated. Based on data of COD values and corresponding currents, a linear regression equation was obtained for a certain kind of waste water. With the regression equation, current of an unknown water sample was transferred to its COD value. Conditions for the presented EC method were set up as cell voltage 2.0V v.s. SCE and pH 7.0. The linear range of COD was of about 25~530 mg/L. COD values of real waste water samples were measured by Ti/Ti/TiO2 electrode and the relative errors were all in the range of ±8% compared with data determined by conventional PDM. The electrochemicalmethodology was successfully applied to evaluate COD in waste water

The analysis and fabrication of a novel tin-nickel mixed salt electrolytic coloured processing and the performance of coloured films for Al-12.7Si-0.7Mg alloy in acidic and alkali corrosive environments.

We present for the first time the analysis and fabrication of a novel Tin-Nickel mixed salt electrolytic coloured processing and the performance of coloured films for Al-12.7Si-0.7Mg alloy. This alloy is a novel alloy containing high silicon aluminum alloy extrusion profile which presents excellent mechanical properties as well as broad market prospects. Nevertheless, this kind of material is urgent in need of surface treatment technology. The orthogonal design and single factor tests were applied to optimize for electrolytic coloured technological conditions. By controlling operation conditions, the uniform electrolytic coloured films with different color were obtained. Analysis of microstructure showed that tin particles had been deposited in the coloured film. The coloured films, about 10 mu m thick, were uniform, dense and firmly attached to the substrate. After the coloured samples were maintained at 400AC for 1 h, or quenched from 300AC to room temperature, the coloured films did not change, demonstrating excellent thermostability and thermal shock resistance. Acid and alkali corrosion tests and potentiodynamic polarization showed that corrosion resistance of coloured sample was much better than those of untreated samples. After 240 h neutral salt spray test, protection ratings and appearance ratings of coloured films were Grade 9

Beta-estradiol attenuates hypoxic pulmonary hypertension by stabilizing the expression of p27kip1 in rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pulmonary vascular structure remodeling (PVSR) is a hallmark of pulmonary hypertension. P27^kip1, one of critical cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, has been shown to mediate anti-proliferation effects on various vascular cells. Beta-estradiol (β-E2) has numerous biological protective effects including attenuation of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH). In the present study, we employed β-E2 to investigate the roles of p27^kip1and its closely-related kinase (Skp-2) in the progression of PVSR and HPH.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sprague-Dawley rats treated with or without β-E2 were challenged by intermittent chronic hypoxia exposure for 4 weeks to establish hypoxic pulmonary hypertension models, which resemble moderate severity of hypoxia-induced PH in humans. Subsequently, hemodynamic and pulmonary pathomorphology data were gathered. Additionally, pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) were cultured to determine the anti-proliferation effect of β-E2 under hypoxia exposure. Western blotting or reverse transcriptional polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were adopted to test p27^kip1, Skp-2 and Akt-P changes in rat lung tissue and cultured PASMCs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Chronic hypoxia significantly increased right ventricular systolic pressures (RVSP), weight of right ventricle/left ventricle plus septum (RV/LV+S) ratio, medial width of pulmonary arterioles, accompanied with decreased expression of p27^kip1in rats. Whereas, β-E2 treatment repressed the elevation of RVSP, RV/LV+S, attenuated the PVSR of pulmonary arterioles induced by chronic hypoxia, and stabilized the expression of p27^kip1. Study also showed that β-E2 application suppressed the proliferation of PASMCs and elevated the expression of p27^kip1under hypoxia exposure. In addition, experiments both <it>in vivo </it>and <it>in vitro </it>consistently indicated an escalation of Skp-2 and phosphorylated Akt under hypoxia condition. Besides, all these changes were alleviated in the presence of β-E2.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest that β-E2 can effectively attenuate PVSR and HPH. The underlying mechanism may partially be through the increased p27^kip1by inhibiting Skp-2 through Akt signal pathway. Therefore, targeting up-regulation of p27^kip1or down-regulation of Skp-2 might provide new strategies for treatment of HPH.</p

Screening of suitable cationic dopants for solar absorber material CZTS/Se: A first principles study

The earth abundant and non-toxic solar absorber material kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S/Se)(4) has been studied to achieve high power conversion efficiency beyond various limitations, such as secondary phases, antisite defects, band gap adjustment and microstructure. To alleviate these hurdles, we employed screening based approach to find suitable cationic dopant that can promote the current density and the theoretical maximum upper limit of the energy conversion efficiency (P(%)) of CZTS/Se solar devices. For this task, the hybrid functional (Heyd, Scuseria and Ernzerhof, HSE06) were used to study the electronic and optical properties of cation (Al, Sb, Ga, Ba) doped CZTS/Se. Our in-depth investigation reveals that the Sb atom is suitable dopant of CZTS/CZTSe and also it has comparable bulk modulus as of pure material. The optical absorption coefficient of Sb doped CZTS/Se is considerably larger than the pure materials because of easy formation of visible range exciton due to the presence of defect state below the Fermi level, which leads to an increase in the current density and P(%). Our results demonstrate that the lower formation energy, preferable energy gap and excellent optical absorption of the Sb doped CZTS/Se make it potential component for relatively high efficient solar cells

A Two-Step Hydrothermal Synthesis Approach to Monodispersed Colloidal Carbon Spheres

This work reports a newly developed two-step hydrothermal method for the synthesis of monodispersed colloidal carbon spheres (CCS) under mild conditions. Using this approach, monodispersed CCS with diameters ranging from 160 to 400 nm were synthesized with a standard deviation around 8%. The monomer concentration ranging from 0.1 to 0.4 M is in favor of generation of narrower size distribution of CCS. The particle characteristics (e.g., shape, size, and distribution) and chemical stability were then characterized by using various techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FT-IR spectrum analysis, and thermalgravity analysis (TGA). The possible nucleation and growth mechanism of colloidal carbon spheres were also discussed. The findings would be useful for the synthesis of more monodispersed nanoparticles and for the functional assembly

Regulation of antibiotic production in Actinobacteria: new perspectives from the post-genomic era

The antimicrobial activity of many of their natural products has brought prominence to the Streptomycetaceae, a family of Gram-positive bacteria that inhabit both soil and aquatic sediments. In the natural environment, antimicrobial compounds are likely to limit the growth of competitors, thereby offering a selective advantage to the producer, in particular when nutrients become limited and the developmental programme leading to spores commences. The study of the control of this secondary metabolism continues to offer insights into its integration with a complex lifecycle that takes multiple cues from the environment and primary metabolism. Such information can then be harnessed to devise laboratory screening conditions to discover compounds with new or improved clinical value. Here we provide an update of the review we published in NPR in 2011. Besides providing the essential background, we focus on recent developments in our understanding of the underlying regulatory networks, ecological triggers of natural product biosynthesis, contributions from comparative genomics and approaches to awaken the biosynthesis of otherwise silent or cryptic natural products. In addition, we highlight recent discoveries on the control of antibiotic production in other Actinobacteria, which have gained considerable attention since the start of the genomics revolution. New technologies that have the potential to produce a step change in our understanding of the regulation of secondary metabolism are also described

Circular RNA vaccine in disease prevention and treatment

Abstract CircRNAs are a class of single-stranded RNAs with covalently linked head-to-tail topology. In the decades since its initial discovery, their biogenesis, regulation, and function have rapidly disclosed, permitting a better understanding and adoption of them as new tools for medical applications. With the development of biotechnology and molecular medicine, artificial circRNAs have been engineered as a novel class of vaccines for disease treatment and prevention. Unlike the linear mRNA vaccine which applications were limited by its instability, inefficiency, and innate immunogenicity, circRNA vaccine which incorporate internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs) and open reading frame (ORF) provides an improved approach to RNA-based vaccination with safety, stability, simplicity of manufacture, and scalability. However, circRNA vaccines are at an early stage, and their optimization, delivery and applications require further development and evaluation. In this review, we comprehensively describe circRNA vaccine, including their history and superiority. We also summarize and discuss the current methodological research for circRNA vaccine preparation, including their design, synthesis, and purification. Finally, we highlight the delivery options of circRNA vaccine and its potential applications in diseases treatment and prevention. Considering their unique high stability, low immunogenicity, protein/peptide-coding capacity and special closed-loop construction, circRNA vaccine, and circRNA-based therapeutic platforms may have superior application prospects in a broad range of diseases

In vitro bioactivity of 3D Ti-mesh with bioceramic coatings in simulated body fluid

3D Ti-mesh has been coated with bioceramics under different coating conditions, such as material compositions and micro-porosity, using a dip casting method. Hydroxyapatite (HA), micro-HA particles (HAp), a bioglass (BG) and their different mixtures together with polymer additives were used to control HA-coating microstructures. Layered composites with the following coating-to-substrate designs, such as BG/Ti, HA + BG/BG/Ti and HAp + BG/BG/Ti, were fabricated. The bioactivity of these coated composites and the uncoated Ti-mesh substrate was then investigated in a simulated body fluid (SBF). The Ti-mesh substrate and BG/Ti composite did not induce biomimetic apatite deposition when they were immersed in SBF for the selected BG, a pressable dental ceramic, used in this study. After seven days in SBF, an apatite layer was formed on both HA + BG/BG/Ti and HAp + BG/BG/Ti composites. The difference is the apatite layer on the HAp + BG/BG/Ti composite was rougher and contained more micro-pores, while the apatite layer on the HA + BG/BG/Ti composite was dense and smooth. The formation of biomimetic apatite, being more bioresorbable, is favored for bone regeneration

Effect of pyridine extraction on the pyrolysis of a perhydrous coal based on in-situ FTIR analysis

Pyridine extraction of coal can separate the small molecules from macromolecule skeleton and subsequently impacts the thermal behavior of coal. A perhydrous bituminous coal with a high content of volatile matters was extracted by pyridine under microwave irradiation with an extraction yield of 24.6% on the dry, ash free basis (daf). The thermal behavior of the raw coal, its extract and residue was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and in-situ Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) based on the evolution of weight loss and functional groups, respectively. Though pyridine extraction had only slight effect on TG curve of the perhydrous coal, it greatly influenced the evolution of functional groups during pyrolysis. Aromatic C-H and C=O was the most susceptible to pyridine extraction because the absence of extractable moieties reduced the production of radicals and the reactions between small molecules and macromolecules during pyrolysis. The interactions between extractable small molecules and non-extractable macromolecules could retard the decomposition of aromatic C=C and hydroxyls. The evolution of aliphatic groups and C-O was slightly impacted due to the occurrence of the abundant aliphatic side groups and bridge bonds in macromolecule structures. (C) 2018 Energy Institute. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved