Lactic Acid Production from Kitchen Waste with a Newly Characterized Strain of Lactobacillus plantarum

To enhance the fermentative production of lactic acid (LA) from kitchen waste, a strain of high-yield lactic acid bacterium, designated as TD46, was characterized and its fermentation profiles were investigated. The strain TD46 could produce 91.34 g l–1 of LA from 100 g l–1 of glucose in 96 h of fermentation at pH 5.5~6.0 and 30 °C. On the basis of its fermentation ability to 49 carbohydrates and additional physio-biochemical tests, the strain TD46 was tentatively identified as Lactobacillus plantarum. The strain TD46 produced 28.85 g l–1 of LA from non-autoclaved kitchen waste in 48 h of fermentation at pH 5.5~6.0, which was 75.1 % higher than that of the spontaneous fermentation without inoculum (control). Meanwhile, 0.39 g g–1 of LA yield and 0.60 g l–1 h–1 of average productivity were reached, respectively. This study shows that enhancement of LA production from kitchen waste can be realized by using the high-yield strain TD46

A fabrication history based strain-fatigue model for prediction of crack initiation in a radial loading wheel

A strain-based fatigue model concerning fabrication history is applied to predict the fatigue life of a commercial car wheel under radial loads. As the prior conditions, the strain fatigue testing is performed on standard specimen of DP590 and FB540 steels at various fabrication states, including raw materials, pre-strain and pre-strain + bake. Furthermore, the strain distribution of car wheel during its rotation under radial loads is simulated via ANSYS. The fatigue properties mainly determined by crack initiation of car wheels at various fabrication states are predicted via local stress–strain method, in which the scale and surface factors are also taken into account. The radial fatigue testing is carried out, and the results are used to validate the present model. The fracture mechanism is analysed using FEI Nova 400 field emission gun scanning electron microscope

Paclitaxel-octreotide conjugates inhibit growth of human non-small cell lung cancer cells in vitro

Aim: To evaluate the effects of paclitaxel-octreotide conjugates on the growth of cultured non-small cell lung cancer cells. Methods: RT-PCR was performed to detect mRNA for the subtypes of the human somatostatin receptor (SSTR) using specific primers. MTT-based cytotoxicity assay was used to evaluate the cell viability after treatment with paclitaxel and the conjugates. Cell cycle perturbations were determined using a Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorter. Results: Non-small cell lung cancer A549 and Calu-6 cells expressed mRNA for SSTR2 and SSTR5. Paclitaxel and the conjugates effectively inhibited the growth of A549 and Calu-6 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. In SSTR-negative fibroblasts, the conjugates were less cytotoxic than paclitaxel. The conjugates and paclitaxel could induce the increase of G2/M phase ratio in A549 cells. Conclusion: The paclitaxel-octreotide conjugates can be used as selective-targeted chemotherapeutic agents for treating non-small cell lung cancer.Цель: оценить эффект конъюгатов паклитаксела-октреотида на рост культивированных клеток немелкоклеточного рака легкого человека. Методы: для определения мРНК подтипов рецептора соматостатина человека (SSTR) применяли ОT-ПЦР. Анализ цитотоксичности в МТТ-тесте применяли для оценки выживаемости клеток после их инкубации с паклитакселом и конъюгатами. Нарушения клеточного цикла определяли с применением FACS — клеточного сортера. Результаты: установлено, что клеточные линии немелкоклеточного рака легкого A549 и Calu-6 экспрессируют SSTR2 и SSTR5 мРНК. Отмечено эффективное дозо- и времязависимое угнетение роста клеток A549 и Calu-6 паклитакселом и конъюгатами. Для SSTR-негативных фибробластов конъюгаты менее цитотоксичны, чем паклитаксел. Конъюгаты и паклитаксел могут индуцировать повышение соотношения фаз G2 /M в клетках A549. Выводы: конъюгаты паклитаксел-октреотида могут быть использованы как селективные химиотерапевтические агенты для воздействия на немелкоклеточный рак легкого

Ground instability detection using PS-InSAR in Lanzhou, China

This paper reports on the application of radar satellite data and Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PS-InSAR) techniques for the detection of ground deformation in the semi-arid loess region of Lanzhou, northwestern China. Compared with Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR), PS-InSAR overcomes the problems of temporal and geometric de-correlation and atmospheric heterogeneities by identifying persistent radar targets (PS) in a series of interferograms. The SPINUA algorithm was used to process 40 ENVISAT ASAR images for the study period 2003–2010. The analysis resulted in the identification of over 140000 PS in the greater Lanzhou area covering some 300 km2. The spatial distribution of moving radar targets was checked during a field campaign and highlights the range of ground instability problems that the Lanzhou area faces as urban expansion continues to accelerate. The PS-InSAR application detected ground deformations with rates up to 10 mm a−1; it resulted in the detection of previously unknown unstable slopes and two areas of subsidence. Lanzhou is the capital of Gansu Province and is one of the most important industrial cities in NW China (Fig. 1). The 12th Five-Year Plan and the 2011 National Economic and Social Development Statistical Bulletin of Lanzhou City indicate that the gross domestic product (GDP) of Lanzhou more than doubled in the last decade, reaching some 136 billion Yuan (c. £13.6 billion). This is associated with a rapid increase in the urban population and current forecasts suggest that the remaining undeveloped land can sustain further development for only some 10–15 years (Yao 2008). Increasingly, people have to encroach on marginal areas having a greater potential for ground instability. Since 1949, a variety of geohazards (mainly comprising landslides, debris flows, soil collapse, subsidence and floods) in Lanzhou have caused some 676 deaths and an estimated cumulative direct economic loss of some 756 million Yuan (Ding & Li 2009; Dijkstra et al. 2014). It is expected that further casualties and economic impacts will result in this unstable landscape unless a better understanding of the spatial distribution and causes of typical geohazards involving ground instability can be implemented in the development of land-use management practices, urban planning and the design of mitigation strategies. Satellite-based radar interferometry provides an opportunity to map ground deformation over large areas of interest. This paper highlights the use of PS-InSAR (Permanent Scatterer Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry) in a region where an incomplete ground instability inventory exist

Analysis of the doubly heavy baryons in the nuclear matter with the QCD sum rules

In this article, we study the doubly heavy baryon states $\Xi_{cc}$, $\Omega_{cc}$, $\Xi_{bb}$ and $\Omega_{bb}$ in the nuclear matter using the QCD sum rules, and derive three coupled QCD sum rules for the masses, vector self-energies and pole residues. The predictions for the mass-shifts in the nuclear matter $\Delta M_{\Xi_{cc}}=-1.11\,\rm{GeV}$, $\Delta M_{\Omega_{cc}}=-0.33\,\rm{GeV}$, $\Delta M_{\Xi_{bb}}=-3.37\,\rm{GeV}$ and $\Delta M_{\Omega_{bb}}=-1.05\,\rm{GeV}$ can be confronted with the experimental data in the future.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Drying of the Qaidam basin and its controlling factors deduced from core SG-1

Abstract HKT-ISTP 2013 B

Analysis of the ΛQ\Lambda_Q baryons in the nuclear matter with the QCD sum rules

In this article, we study the $\Lambda_c$ and $\Lambda_b$ baryons in the nuclear matter using the QCD sum rules, and obtain the in-medium masses $M_{\Lambda_c}^*=2.335\,\rm{GeV}$, $M_{\Lambda_b}^*=5.678\,\rm{GeV}$, the in-medium vector self-energies $\Sigma^{\Lambda_c}_v=34\,\rm{MeV}$, $\Sigma^{\Lambda_b}_v=32\,\rm{MeV}$, and the in-medium pole residues $\lambda_{\Lambda_c}^*=0.021\,\rm{GeV}^3$, $\lambda_{\Lambda_b}^*=0.026\,\rm{GeV}^3$. The mass-shifts are $M_{\Lambda_c}^*-M_{\Lambda_c}=51\,\rm{MeV}$ and $M_{\Lambda_b}^*-M_{\Lambda_b}=60\,\rm{MeV}$, respectively.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, revised versio