Emergence of Fatal PRRSV Variants: Unparalleled Outbreaks of Atypical PRRS in China and Molecular Dissection of the Unique Hallmark

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a severe viral disease in pigs, causing great economic losses worldwide each year. The causative agent of the disease, PRRS virus (PRRSV), is a member of the family Arteriviridae. Here we report our investigation of the unparalleled large-scale outbreaks of an originally unknown, but so-called “high fever” disease in China in 2006 with the essence of PRRS, which spread to more than 10 provinces (autonomous cities or regions) and affected over 2,000,000 pigs with about 400,000 fatal cases. Different from the typical PRRS, numerous adult sows were also infected by the “high fever” disease. This atypical PRRS pandemic was initially identified as a hog cholera-like disease manifesting neurological symptoms (e.g., shivering), high fever (40–42°C), erythematous blanching rash, etc. Autopsies combined with immunological analyses clearly showed that multiple organs were infected by highly pathogenic PRRSVs with severe pathological changes observed. Whole-genome analysis of the isolated viruses revealed that these PRRSV isolates are grouped into Type II and are highly homologous to HB-1, a Chinese strain of PRRSV (96.5% nucleotide identity). More importantly, we observed a unique molecular hallmark in these viral isolates, namely a discontinuous deletion of 30 amino acids in nonstructural protein 2 (NSP2). Taken together, this is the first comprehensive report documenting the 2006 epidemic of atypical PRRS outbreak in China and identifying the 30 amino-acid deletion in NSP2, a novel determining factor for virulence which may be implicated in the high pathogenicity of PRRSV, and will stimulate further study by using the infectious cDNA clone technique

Ni-Mo Sulfide Semiconductor Catalyst with High Catalytic Activity for One-Step Conversion of CO2 and H2S to Syngas in Non-Thermal Plasma

Carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) ordinarily coexist in many industries, being considered as harmful waste gases. Simultaneously converting CO2 and H2S into syngas (a mixture of CO and H2) will be a promising economic strategy for enhancing their recycling value. Herein, a novel one-step conversion of CO2 and H2S to syngas induced by non-thermal plasma with the aid of Ni-Mo sulfide/Al2O3 catalyst under ambient conditions was designed. The as-synthesized catalysts were characterized by using XRD, nitrogen sorption, UV-vis, TEM, SEM, ICP, and XPS techniques. Ni-Mo sulfide/Al2O3 catalysts with various Ni/Mo molar ratios possessed significantly improved catalytic performances, compared to the single-component catalysts. Based on the modifications of the physical and chemical properties of the Ni-Mo sulfide/Al2O3 catalysts, the variations in catalytic activity are carefully discussed. In particular, among all the catalysts, the 5Ni-3Mo/Al2O3 catalyst exhibited the best catalytic behavior with high CO2 and H2S conversion at reasonably low-energy input in non-thermal plasma. This method provides an alternative route for syngas production with added environmental and economic benefits

Synthesis of Three-Dimensionally Ordered Macroporous NiCe Catalysts for Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane to Propene

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) NiCe catalysts with different Ni/Ce molar ratio were fabricated using the colloidal crystal templating method. The physic-chemical properties of the samples were characterized by various techniques, including N2 adsorption–desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman, and H2-temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) characterizations. The results revealed that the 3DOM NiCe samples preserved the three-dimensionally ordered macroporous channels with interlinked micro- or mesoporous structure and highly dispersed nickel oxide species in the framework upon different amount of nickel incorporation. In the evaluation of the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of propane, the 3DOM NiCe catalysts exhibited higher selectivity and yield to propene than the amorphous NiCe catalyst. An optimum yield of propene of 11.9% with the 30.3% propane conversion at 375 °C was obtained over the 3DOM 2NiCe catalyst. Combining XRD, TPR, and Raman analysis, it could be found that the nickel incorporation in CeO2 lattice produced a high concentration of oxygen vacancies that were the active sites for the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane. Besides this, the 3DOM structure promoted the rapid diffusion of the reactants and products—favorable for the generation of propene in the ODH of propane

Gold(III)-Catalyzed Regioselective Oxidation/Cycloisomerization of Diynes: An Approach to Fused Furan Derivatives

The first gold­(III)-catalyzed regioselective oxidation/cycloisomerization of diynes <b>1</b> with pyridine <i>N</i>-oxide as the oxidant was developed, providing a range of synthetically valuable and useful fused furan derivatives <b>3</b> in moderate to good yields. Control experiments and the confirmation structure of minor products <b>5</b> suggest that this chemistry was a concerted gold­(III)-catalyzed oxidation/S_N2′-type addition/cyclization process via a β-gold vinyloxypyridinium intermediate and a putative vinyl cation intermediate

Structural Diversity, Magnetic Properties, and Luminescent Sensing of the Flexible Tripodal Ligand of 1,3,5-Tris(4-carbonylphenyloxy)benzene Based Mn(II)/Cd(II) Coordination Polymers

Four three-dimensional (3D) Cd­(II)/Mn­(II) coordination polymers, namely, {[Mn_1.5(TCPB)­(H₂O)­(μ₂-OH₂)]­·H₂O}_<i>n</i> (<b>1</b>), {[Cd_3.5(TCPB)₂­(H₂O)₃­(μ₂-OH₂)­(μ₃-OH)]­·H₂O}_<i>n</i> (<b>2</b>), [Mn_1.5(TCPB)­(bib)_0.5­(DMF)]_<i>n</i> (<b>3</b>), and {[Cd₂(TCPB)­(HCOO)­(bib)­(H₂O)]­·0.5dioxane}_<i>n</i> (<b>4</b>), have been constructed from the flexible tripodal ligand of 1,3,5-tris­(4-carbonylphenyloxy)­benzene (H₃TCPB) with or without the help of bib auxiliary linker (bib = 1,4-bis­(imidazol-1-yl)­benzene). On the basis of the one-dimensional (1D) rod-like {Mn₃(COO)₈­(μ₂-H₂O)₂}_<i>n</i> secondary building units (SBUs), complex <b>1</b> displays a 3D (4,8)-connected <b>flu</b> net with the point symbol of {4¹².6¹².8⁴}­{4⁶}₂. Complex <b>2</b> shows a novel 3D 12-connected {3¹².4⁴⁰.5¹².6²} net based on the 1D {Cd₆(COO)₁₂­(μ₃-OH)₂­(μ₂-OH₂)₂}_<i>n</i> SBUs. When the bib bridging ancillary linker was introduced, a trinuclear {Mn₃(COO)₆} SBU based 2-fold interpenetrated 3D (3,8)-connected {4³}₂{4⁶.6¹⁸.8⁴}-<b>tfz-d</b> net for <b>3</b>, and a binuclear {Cd₂(COO)₃} SBU based 3D (3,7)-connected {4.6²}­{4⁷.6¹⁴} net with interesting self-penetrating features for <b>4</b> were obtained. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibilities of <b>1</b> and <b>3</b> have been investigated. The results display the antiferromagnetic exchange interactions between the adjacent Mn^II ions of the SBUs in <b>1</b> and <b>3</b>. Fluorescence measurements show <b>2</b> and <b>4</b> have highly selective and sensitive detection for Cr³⁺ cations in aqueous solution and nitrobenzene derivatives in DMF

Metal-Free, Site-Selective Addition to Ynones: An Approach to Synthesize Substituted Quinoline Derivatives

An efficient two component cycloaddition reaction to synthesize various substituted quinoline derivatives was developed. Ynone <b>1</b> was functionalizated by <i>N</i>-oxide attacking the C3-oxetium site and C3-site regioselectively to give <b>3</b> and <b>4</b>. Analogues <b>3k</b> and <b>4v</b> have a high binding constant with Hg²⁺ in CH₃CN

Metal-Free, Site-Selective Addition to Ynones: An Approach to Synthesize Substituted Quinoline Derivatives

An efficient two component cycloaddition reaction to synthesize various substituted quinoline derivatives was developed. Ynone <b>1</b> was functionalizated by <i>N</i>-oxide attacking the C3-oxetium site and C3-site regioselectively to give <b>3</b> and <b>4</b>. Analogues <b>3k</b> and <b>4v</b> have a high binding constant with Hg²⁺ in CH₃CN

Gold-Catalyzed Oxidation Terminal Alkyne: An Approach to Synthesize Substituted Dihydronaphthalen-2(1<i>H</i>)‑ones and Phenanthrenols

A facile gold-catalyzed oxidation terminal alkynes to synthesize substituted dihydronaphthalen-2­(1<i>H</i>)-ones <b>3</b> and phenanthrenols <b>5</b> was realized. Various useful structures and drug precursors were generated in up to 99% yield under mild condition and low catalyst loading

Metal-Free, Site-Selective Addition to Ynones: An Approach to Synthesize Substituted Quinoline Derivatives

An efficient two component cycloaddition reaction to synthesize various substituted quinoline derivatives was developed. Ynone <b>1</b> was functionalizated by <i>N</i>-oxide attacking the C3-oxetium site and C3-site regioselectively to give <b>3</b> and <b>4</b>. Analogues <b>3k</b> and <b>4v</b> have a high binding constant with Hg²⁺ in CH₃CN