Effects on the Physicochemical Properties of Hydrochar Originating from Deep Eutectic Solvent (Urea and ZnCl2)-Assisted Hydrothermal Carbonization of Sewage Sludge

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) (ZnCl2 and urea) have been used to solubilize organic matter from sewage sludge (SS), followed by subsequent hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) to obtain low-nitrogen-content hydrochar. The nitrogen content in hydrochar obtained after DES addition decreased to 1.93 from 3.15% (no DES) at 210 °C. DES can notably dissolve proteins and lipids during HTC of SS. HTC of polysaccharides was enhanced, increasing the degree of carbonization. The key role of DES in SS during HTC was the dissolution of proteins, promoting carbonization of polysaccharides, Maillard reactions, deamination, and decarboxylation of proteins. ZnCl2 was probably converted into β-Zn(OH)C1 and ZnO during HTC. Results pointed to relevant enhancements when DES was added, useful for organic waste valorization such as SS, food waste, poultry manure, and related waste feedstock

リュツォ・ホルム湾，プリンスオラフ海岸，及び，エンダビーランド地質調査隊報告2016-2017（JARE-58）

第58次日本南極地域観測隊（JARE-58）では，2016−2017の夏期期間にリュツォ・ホルム湾，プリンスオラフ海岸，及び，エンダビーランドにおいて地質調査をおこなった．調査隊のメンバーは，日本人地質研究者4名とアジア地域（タイ，インドネシア，モンゴル）の交換科学者3名で構成され，本吉隊長が一部期間の調査に加わった．第58次夏期観測では，「しらせ」搭載の2機の大型ヘリコプター（CH101）とともに観測隊チャーターの小型ヘリコプター（AS350）1機による野外調査の支援がなされた．本稿では，観測計画を実施するための，主に設営面での計画，準備，そして行動経過について報告する．The 58th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE-58) conducted geological field surveys in the regions of Lützow-Holm Bay, Prince Olav Coast, and Enderby Land during the 2016−2017 austral summer season. The field party consisted of four Japanese geologists and three Asian geologists (Thai, Indonesian, Mongolian), and was joined periodically by JARE-58 expedition leader, Prof. Motoyoshi. Field parties were supported throughout the summer season by a smaller secondary helicopter (AS350) in addition to two main helicopters (CH101) stationed on the icebreaker Shirase. This report summarizes field preparations and the geological work undertaken, and highlights several key points for future planning and research

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

A Feed-Forward Circuit of Endogenous PGC-1α and Estrogen Related Receptor α Regulates the Neuronal Electron Transport Chain

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) is a central regulator of cellular and mitochondrial metabolism. Cellular bioenergetics are critically important in “energy-guzzling” neurons, but the components and wiring of the transcriptional circuit through which PGC-1α regulates the neuronal electron transport chain have not been established. This information may be vital for restoring neuronal bioenergetics gene expression that is compromised during incipient Parkinson's neuropathology and in aging-dependent brain diseases. Here we delineate a neuronal transcriptional circuit controlled by endogenous PGC-1α. We show that a feed-forward circuit of endogenous neuronal PGC-1α and the orphan nuclear estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα) activates the nuclear-encoded mitochondrial electron transport chain. PGC-1α not only trans-activated expression of ERRα, but also coactivated ERRα target genes in complexes I, II, IV, and V of the neuronal electron transport chain via association with evolutionary conserved ERRα promoter binding motifs. Chemical activation of this transcriptional program induced transcription of the neuronal electron transport chain. These data highlight a neuronal transcriptional circuit regulated by PGC-1α that can be therapeutically targeted for Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases

Research on Damage Localization of Steel Truss–Concrete Composite Beam Based on Digital Orthoimage

Most structural health monitoring is carried out for a limited number of key measurement points of a bridge, and incomplete measurement data lead to incomplete mechanical equation inversion results, which is a key problem faced in bridge damage identification. The ability of digital images to holographically describe structural morphology can effectively alleviate the problem of damage identification due to incomplete test data. Based on digital image processing technology, a matrix similarity damage identification method based on a structural digital orthoimage was proposed. Firstly, a steel truss–concrete composite beam specimen with a complex support bar system was designed and fabricated in the laboratory, and the digital orthoimage of the test beam was obtained by the perspective transformation of the original image of the test beam. The body contour of the structure was extracted from the digital orthoimage of the test beam, and wavelet threshold denoising was performed on the lower edge profile to obtain the deflection curves of the structure under different working conditions. The verification results show that the maximum error of the deflection curve is 3.42%, which proves that the digital orthoimage can accurately and completely reflect the deformation of the structure. Finally, based on the digital orthophoto of the test beam, a matrix similarity test before and after the damage was carried out, and the results show that the singularities of the similarity distribution are consistent with the location of the damage; furthermore, the accurate positioning of the damage in different working conditions is achieved

Mechanical properties analysis of polyetherimide parts fabricated by fused deposition modeling

Mechanical properties analysis of polyetherimide parts fabricated by fused deposition modelin