Structure and Surface Reactivity of WO42-, SO42-, PO43- Modified Ca-Hydroxyapatite Catalysts and Their Activity in Ethanol Conversion

In the current study, we have synthesized calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHAP) from different phosphorus sources namely, NH4H2PO4 and H3PO4. The structure of CaHAP was confirmed by XRD, FT-IR, and Raman characterization methods. The CaHAP was further modified with various anions such as WO42-, SO42-, and PO43- with fixed content of 10 wt %. To understand the textural and structural properties, these samples were thoroughly characterized by N2 physisorption, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, Raman and thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis methods. Ethanol adsorption at various temperatures was studied in detail using diffuse reflectance Fourier transform spectroscopic to unravel the formation and stability of surface species and the interaction of ethanol with CaHAP. The temperature programmed desorption of ethanol (ethanol-TPD) was performed to understand the stability, surface reactivity, and product distribution. The catalytic activity of the above catalysts was tested in ethanol conversion over a temperature range of 300-450 °C

Ethanol dehydration activity on hydrothermally stable LaPxOy catalysts synthesized using CTAB template

Nanocrystalline LaPxOy with various starting P to La ratios from 0.5 to 2.0 catalysts were prepared by a sol-gel method using cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as template. The catalysts were thoroughly characterized by N2 physisorption, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature programmed desorption (TPD) of NH3, solid state31P and1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. XRD results indicate the presence of predominantly monazite LaPO4 with minor amounts of (≤B3.0 wt%) rhabdophane LaPO4 phase in the samples with starting P/La ratios of 1.0 and 1.5. NH3-TPD results show an increasing trend in the total acidity with increase in P/La ratio. These catalysts were tested in the selective ethanol dehydration in the temperature range between 250 and 400 °C. The catalyst activity (lmol/h/m2) is increased with P/La ratio and the catalyst with highest P/La ratio of 2.0 exhibiting the highest ethanol dehydration activity. The ethanol conversion increased with reaction temperature, reaching 100% at 350 °C and remains unchanged at higher temperatures. On the other hand, the ethylene selectivity is also increased up to 350 °C and then decreased with further increase of reaction temperature. At a P/La ratio of 2, the CTAB templated LaPxOy catalyst showed higher catalytic activities compared to the LaPxOy by hydrothermal method without any template

Tracing long-distance electron transfer and cable bacteria in freshwater sediments by agar pillar gradient columns.

Cable bacteria (CB) perform electrogenic sulphur oxidation (e-SOX) by spatially separating redox-half-reactions over cm-distances. For freshwater systems, the ecology of CB is not yet well understood, partly because they proved difficult to cultivate. This study introduces a new "agar pillar" approach to selectively enrich and investigate CB-populations. Within sediment columns, a central agar pillar is embedded, providing a sediment-free gradient-system in equilibrium with the surrounding sediment. We incubated freshwater sediments from a streambed, a sulfidic lake, and a hydrocarbon polluted aquifer in such agar pillar columns. Microprofiling revealed typical patterns of e-SOx, such as the development of a suboxic zone and the establishment of electric potentials. The bacterial communities in the sediments and agar pillars were analysed over depth by PacBio near-full-length 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, allowing for a precise phylogenetic placement of taxa detected. The selective niche of the agar pillar was preferentially colonized by CB related to Candidatus Electronema for surface-water sediments, including several potentially novel species, but not for putative groundwater CB affiliated with Desulfurivibrio spp. The presence of CB was seemingly linked to co-enriched fermenters, hinting at a possible role of e-SOx-populations as an electron sink for heterotrophic microbes. These findings add to our current understanding of the diversity and ecology of CB in freshwater systems, and to a discrimination of CB from surface and groundwater sediments. The agar pillar approach provides a new strategy that may facilitate the cultivation of redox gradient-dependent microorganisms, including previously unrecognized CB populations

Structure and surface reactivity of WO42– , SO42– , PO43– modified Ca-hydroxyapatite catalysts and their activity in ethanol conversion

In the current study, we have synthesized calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHAP) from different phosphorus sources namely, NH4H2PO4 and H3PO4. The structure of CaHAP was confirmed by XRD, FT-IR, and Raman characterization methods. The CaHAP was further modified with various anions such as WO42–, SO42–, and PO43– with fixed content of 10 wt %. To understand the textural and structural properties, these samples were thoroughly characterized by N2 physisorption, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, Raman and thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis methods. Ethanol adsorption at various temperatures was studied in detail using diffuse reflectance Fourier transform spectroscopic to unravel the formation and stability of surface species and the interaction of ethanol with CaHAP. The temperature programmed desorption of ethanol (ethanol-TPD) was performed to understand the stability, surface reactivity, and product distribution. The catalytic activity of the above catalysts was tested in ethanol conversion over a temperature range of 300–450 °C

Ethanol dehydration activity on hydrothermally stable LaPxOy catalysts synthesized using CTAB template

Nanocrystalline LaPxOy with various starting P to La ratios from 0.5 to 2.0 catalysts were prepared by a sol–gel method using cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as template. The catalysts were thoroughly characterized by N2 physisorption, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature programmed desorption (TPD) of NH3, solid state 31P and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. XRD results indicate the presence of predominantly monazite LaPO4 with minor amounts of (≤3.0 wt%) rhabdophane LaPO4 phase in the samples with starting P/La ratios of 1.0 and 1.5. NH3-TPD results show an increasing trend in the total acidity with increase in P/La ratio. These catalysts were tested in the selective ethanol dehydration in the temperature range between 250 and 400 °C. The catalyst activity (μmol/h/m2) is increased with P/La ratio and the catalyst with highest P/La ratio of 2.0 exhibiting the highest ethanol dehydration activity. The ethanol conversion increased with reaction temperature, reaching 100% at 350 °C and remains unchanged at higher temperatures. On the other hand, the ethylene selectivity is also increased up to 350 °C and then decreased with further increase of reaction temperature. At a P/La ratio of 2, the CTAB templated LaPxOy catalyst showed higher catalytic activities compared to the LaPxOy by hydrothermal method without any template

CALIBRATE: A Phase 2 Randomized Trial of Rituximab Plus Cyclophosphamide Followed by Belimumab for the Treatment of Lupus Nephritis.

OBJECTIVES:To assess safety and mechanism of action, and generate preliminary efficacy data on rituximabfollowed by belimumab for refractory lupus nephritis. METHODS:Forty three participants with recurrent or refractory lupus nephritis were treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, and glucocorticoids, followed by randomization to belimumab infusions (RCB) until Week 48, or no infusion (RC) in a multicenter, randomized, open label clinical trial. Patients were followed until Week 96. Total and autoreactive B cell subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS:Addition of belimumab did not increase the incidence of adverse events. At Week 48, complete or partial renal response occurred in 11/21 (52%) in those receiving belimumab, versus 9/22 (41%) in those that did not (p=0.452). LN was the major reason for treatment failure. B cell depletion occurred in both groups, but B cells remained lower in those receiving belimumab (Week 60: Geom. Mean=53 cells/μL vs. 11, p=0.0012). The percentage of total and autoreactive transitional B cells increased from baseline to Week 48 in both groups, however the percentage of total and autoreactive naïve B cells (p=0.0349) decreased in the belimumab group, consistent with impaired maturation of naïve B cells and enhanced censoring of autoreactive B cells. CONCLUSION:The addition of belimumab to rituximab and cyclophosphamide was safe. This regimen diminished maturation of transitional to naïve B cells during B cell reconstitution and enhanced negative selection of autoreactive B cells. The combination did not improve clinical efficacy compared to B cell depletion alone

Evidence of Chronic Allograft Injury in Liver Biopsies From Long-term Pediatric Recipients of Liver Transplants

Background & aimsA substantial proportion of pediatric liver transplant recipients develop subclinical chronic allograft injury. We studied whether there are distinct patterns of injury based on histopathologic features and identified associated immunologic profiles.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study of 157 stable, long-term pediatric recipients of transplanted livers (70 boys; > 6 years old at time of transplantation; mean, 8.9 ± 3.46 years after liver transplantation) who underwent liver biopsy analysis from August 13, 2012, through May 1, 2014. Participants had received livers from a living or deceased donor and had consistently normal results from liver tests. Liver biopsy specimens were scored by a central pathologist; an unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis of histologic features was used to sort biopsy samples into 3 clusters. We conducted transcriptional and cytometric analyses of liver tissue samples and performed a systems biology analysis that incorporated clinical, serologic, histologic, and transcriptional data.ResultsThe mean level of alanine aminotransferase in participants was 27.6 ± 14.57 U/L, and the mean level of γ-glutamyl transferase was 17.4 ± 7.93 U/L. Cluster 1 was characterized by interface activity (n = 34), cluster 2 was characterized by periportal or perivenular fibrosis without interface activity (n = 45), and cluster 3 had neither feature (n = 78). We identified a module of genes whose expression correlated with levels of alanine aminotransferase, class II donor-specific antibody, portal inflammation, interface activity, perivenular inflammation, portal and perivenular fibrosis, and cluster assignment. The module was enriched in genes that regulate T-cell-mediated rejection (TCMR) of liver and other transplanted organs. Functional pathway analysis showed overrepresentation of TCMR gene sets for cluster 1 but not clusters 2 or 3.ConclusionIn an analysis of biopsies from an apparently homogeneous group of stable, long-term pediatric liver transplant recipients with consistently normal liver test results, we found evidence of chronic graft injury (inflammation and/or fibrosis). Biopsy samples with interface activity had a gene expression pattern associated with TCMR

Efficacy and Safety of Immunosuppression Withdrawal in Pediatric Liver Transplant Recipients: Moving Toward Personalized Management

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/167499/1/hep31520_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/167499/2/hep31520.pd

Efficacy and Safety of Immunosuppression Withdrawal in Pediatric Liver Transplant Recipients:Moving Toward Personalized Management

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/167499/1/hep31520_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/167499/2/hep31520.pd