Techno-Economic Analysis of Biogas Production from Microalgae through Anaerobic Digestion

Microalgae are a promising feedstock for bioenergy due to higher productivity, flexible growing conditions, and high lipid/polysaccharide content compared to terrestrial biomass. Microalgae can be converted to biogas through anaerobic digestion (AD). AD is a mature technology with a high energy return on energy invested. Microalgae AD can bypass energy intensive dewatering operations that are associated with liquid fuel production from algae. A techno-economic assessment of the commercial feasibility of algae-based biogas production was conducted using Cyanothece BG0011 biomass as an example. BG0011 is a naturally occurring, saline cyanobacterium isolated from Florida Keys. It fixes atmospheric nitrogen and produces exopolysaccharide (EPS). Maximum cell density and EPS concentration of 2.7 and 2.1 g afdw1/L (for total algae biomass concentration of 4.8 g afdw/L) were obtained by air sparging. For an areal cell and EPS productivity of 12.4 and 9.6 g afdw/m2/day, respectively, the biomethane production cost was 14.8 $/MMBtu using covered anaerobic lagoon and high-pressure water scrubbing for biogas purification. Electricity production from biogas costs 13 cents/kwh. If areal productivity was increased by 33$/MMBtu and electricity cost to 11 cents/kwh

Combined model of radiomics and clinical features for differentiating pneumonic-type mucinous adenocarcinoma from lobar pneumonia: An exploratory study

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to distinguish pneumonic-type mucinous adenocarcinoma (PTMA) from lobar pneumonia (LP) by pre-treatment CT radiological and clinical or radiological parameters.MethodsA total of 199 patients (patients diagnosed with LP = 138, patients diagnosed with PTMA = 61) were retrospectively evaluated and assigned to either the training cohort (n = 140) or the validation cohort (n = 59). Radiomics features were extracted from chest CT plain images. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to develop a radiomics model and a nomogram model, and their clinical utility was assessed. The performance of the constructed models was assessed with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the curve (AUC). The clinical application value of the models was comprehensively evaluated using decision curve analysis (DCA).ResultsThe radiomics signature, consisting of 14 selected radiomics features, showed excellent performance in distinguishing between PTMA and LP, with an AUC of 0.90 (95% CI, 0.83–0.96) in the training cohort and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.79–0.97) in the validation cohort. A nomogram model was developed based on the radiomics signature and clinical features. It had a powerful discriminative ability, with the highest AUC values of 0.94 (95% CI, 0.90–0.98) and 0.91 (95% CI, 0.84–0.99) in the training cohort and validation cohort, respectively, which were significantly superior to the clinical model alone. There were no significant differences in calibration curves from Hosmer–Lemeshow tests between training and validation cohorts (p = 0.183 and p = 0.218), which indicated the good performance of the nomogram model. DCA indicated that the nomogram model exhibited better performance than the clinical model.ConclusionsThe nomogram model based on radiomics signatures of CT images and clinical risk factors could help to differentiate PTMA from LP, which can provide appropriate therapy decision support for clinicians, especially in situations where differential diagnosis is difficult

TARE1, a Mutated Copia-Like LTR Retrotransposon Followed by Recent Massive Amplification in Tomato.

Long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) are the major DNA components in flowering plants. Most LTR-RTs contain dinucleotides ‘TG’ and ‘CA’ at the ends of the two LTRs. Here we report the structure, evolution, and propensity of a tomato atypical retrotransposon element (TARE1) with both LTRs starting as ‘TA’. This family is also characterized by high copy numbers (354 copies), short LTR size (194 bp), extremely low ratio of solo LTRs to intact elements (0.05:1), recent insertion (most within 0.75~1.75 million years, Mys), and enrichment in pericentromeric region. The majority (83%) of the TARE1 elements are shared between S. lycopersicum and its wild relative S. pimpinellifolium, but none of them are found in potato. In the present study, we used shared LTR-RTs as molecular markers and estimated the divergence time between S. lycopersicum and S. pimpinellifolium to be TARE1 elements, together with two closely related families, TARE2and TGRE1, have formed a sub-lineage belonging to a Copia-like Ale lineage. Although TARE1and TARE2 shared similar structural characteristics, the timing, scale, and activity of their amplification were found to be substantially different. We further propose a model wherein a single mutation from ‘G’ to ‘A’ in 3′ LTR followed by amplification is responsible for the origin ofTARE1, thus providing evidence that the proliferation of a spontaneous mutation can be mediated by the amplification of LTR-RTs at the level of RNA

Analysis and Evaluation of Grain Quality in Main Wheat Production Areas of Anhui Province

In order to clarify the status of grain quality in the main wheat production areas of Anhui Province, wheat quality sampling and testing were carried out in the main wheat production areas of Anhui Province in 2015, 23 cultivars and 62 samples were collected, and grain traits, quality indexes and quality traits were analyzed and evaluated. The average bulk density of the sample was 796 g/L; the average hardness index was 49.2; the average 1000-grain weight was 41.6 g; the average grain moisture content was 11.8%; the average crude protein content was 11.7%; the average wet gluten content was 31.1%; the average Zeleny sedimentation value was 24 mL; the average water absorption was 54.9%; the average stability time was 5.6 min. The crude protein content of 35.5% samples reached the standard of high quality weak gluten; the wet gluten content of 40.3% samples was above the second grade of high quality strong gluten; the falling number of 83.9% of the samples reached the national standard of high quality wheat; the stability time of 27.4% of the samples reached higher than the second grade of high quality gluten, and the stability time of 17.7% samples reached the standard of high quality weak gluten wheat

In Situ Growth of PbS/PbI2 Heterojunction and Its Photoelectric Properties

In this paper, PbI2 thin films with a uniform surface morphology and compact structure were prepared by adjusting the spin coating process parameters. On such a basis, the PbS/PbI2 heterojunction was fabricated on the PbI2 surface by the method of in situ chemical replacement growth. The results show that the PbS/PbI2 heterojunction grown by this method has a clear interface and is closely combined. The introduction of a PbS layer enables its spectral response range to cover the visible and near-infrared regions. Compared with the PbI2 thin film device, its responsivity is increased by three orders of magnitude, its response time reduced by 42%, and its recovery time decreased by nearly 1/2 under 450 nm illumination. In the case that there is no response for the PbI2 thin film device under 980 nm illumination, the specific detectivity of the PbS/PbI2 heterojunction device still amounts to 1.8 × 108 Jones. This indicates that the in situ chemical replacement is a technique that can construct a high-quality heterojunction in a simple process. PbS/PbI2 heterojunction fabricated by this method has a visible–near-infrared light detection response range, which provides a new idea for creating visible–near-infrared common-path detection systems

Preparation and characterization of zein–lecithin–total flavonoids from Smilax glabra complex nanoparticles and the study of their antioxidant activity on HepG2 cells

Total flavonoids from Smilax glabra (TFSG) exhibit several biological activities; however, their poor stability limits their application. In this work, zein–lecithin–TFSG complex nanoparticles (Z–L–TFSG NPs) were prepared using the anti-solvent coprecipitation technique. The prepared Z–L–TFSG NPs were spherical with an encapsulation efficiency of 98.0%. Differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and morphology tests revealed that the TFSG were successfully encapsulated by Z–L NPs. Z–L–TFSG NPs showed superior stability and better controlled release characteristics in simulated gastrointestinal digestion. The encapsulation of TFSG by Z–L NPs could improve their antioxidant capacity in vitro. Moreover, Z–L–TFSG NPs could enhance the protective effects of TFSG against H2O2-induced oxidative damage to HepG2 cells. The results indicated that the Z–L self-assembled NPs could serve as a promising drug delivery system through the integrated encapsulation of multiple flavonoids

Genome-wide association mapping of vitamins B1 and B2 in common wheat

Vitamin B is essential for maintaining normal life activities in humans and animals who have to intake the microelement from the outside, especially from cereal products. In the present study 166 Chinese and foreign wheat cultivars planted in two environments were characterized for variation in vitamin B1 and B2 contents. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the wheat 90 K SNP assay identified 17 loci for vitamin B1 and 7 for vitamin B2 contents. Linear regression analysis showed a significantly positive correlation of the number of favorable alleles with vitamin B1 and B2 contents. Marker-trait associations (MTAs) at IWB43809 (6AS, 0 cM) and IWB69903 (6AS, 13 cM) were new and stable, and significantly associated with vitamin B1 content across two environments. The loci identified in this study and associated SNP markers could be used for improvement of vitamin B1 and B2 contents to obtain superior quality along with grain yield in wheat. Keywords: 90 K SNP assay, GWAS, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Triticum aestivu