•The physical properties of the bio-jet fuel can be adjusted by controlling the CC coupling conditions.•The alkane with spiro ring structure has the low freezing point.•W/O microemulsion formed by ...the NaOH solution and cyclohexane favors the aldol condensation.•The density of the jet fuel is 0.869 g·ml−1 and the freezing point is lower than −60℃.
Production of jet fuel with high performance is attractive in the field of biomass utilization. This paper provides a way to controllably produce renewable jet fuel with high-density and low-freezing point by the condensation of biomass-derived cyclopentanone and followed hydrodeoxygenation. It is found that the freezing point of the jet fuel decreased rapidly with the increase of the content of spirocyclic alkane and the density increased gradually with content of tricyclic alkane. And the composition of jet fuel can be adjusted by controlling the reaction conditions of cyclopentanone condensation. At 30 °C and 3 h, the precursors of jet fuel were prepared by condensation of cyclopentanone over NaOH catalyst and the final obtained HDO products were comprised of 54.56% bicyclopentane, 31.88% tricyclic alkane and 13.56% spirocyclic alkane. The density of the jet fuel was 0.869 g·ml−1 and the freezing point was less than −60 °C. These parameters are obviously superior to that of commercial Jet-A.
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•High-density fuel was obtained by one-pot Mannich–Michael reaction and subsequent HDO.•H+ derived from AcOH play a key role in the carbonyl activation and proton-transfer.•Chloroform ...with appropriate polarity promotes condensation reaction by proton transfer.•Combination of alkali-treated Hβ25 and Pd/C has higher catalytic activity for HDO.
Cycloalkanes jet fuel with high-density derived from biomass are the ideal alternative to fossil fuel. The one-pot Mannich-Michael reaction of cyclopentanone and formaldehyde followed by hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is a prospective route for the synthesis of cyclic high-density jet fuel. The synergistic interaction of pyrrolidine with acetic acid exhibited high catalytic activity in the one-pot Mannich-Michael reaction under mild conditions (50 ℃, 6 h). Additionally, solvents with appropriate polarity promote proton transfer to form Mannich bases, which are subsequently decomposed to produce 2-methylenecyclopentanone as the substrate for Michael addition. Thus, a high yield of condensed products (92.3%) with 93.3% conversion of cyclopentanone was obtained via an enamine catalytic pathway. The alkali-treated Hβ25-1 combined with Pd/C effectively catalyze the HDO of condensate products. The alkali-treated Hβ25-1 with larger mesoporous volume and sufficient acid sites lead to a high yield of dicyclopentylmethane (73.6%). The density and heating value of the HDO liquid products were 0.906 g/cm3 and 40.5 MJ/L, respectively. This work provided a novel route for high-density jet-fuel from lignocellulosic platform compounds.
Person re-identification (re-ID) models trained on one domain often fail to generalize well to another. In our attempt, we present a "learning via translation" framework. In the baseline, we ...translate the labeled images from source to target domain in an unsupervised manner. We then train re-ID models with the translated images by supervised methods. Yet, being an essential part of this framework, unsupervised image-image translation suffers from the information loss of source-domain labels during translation. Our motivation is two-fold. First, for each image, the discriminative cues contained in its ID label should be maintained after translation. Second, given the fact that two domains have entirely different persons, a translated image should be dissimilar to any of the target IDs. To this end, we propose to preserve two types of unsupervised similarities, 1) self-similarity of an image before and after translation, and 2) domain-dissimilarity of a translated source image and a target image. Both constraints are implemented in the similarity preserving generative adversarial network (SPGAN) which consists of an Siamese network and a CycleGAN. Through domain adaptation experiment, we show that images generated by SPGAN are more suitable for domain adaptation and yield consistent and competitive re-ID accuracy on two large-scale datasets.
Source contributions and regional transport of maximum daily average 8-h (MDA8) O3 during a high O3 month (June 2019) in Henan province in central China are explored using a source-oriented Community ...Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. The monthly average MDA8 O3 exceeds ∼70 ppb in more than half of the areas and shows a clear spatial gradient, with lower O3 concentrations in the southwest and higher in the northeast. Significant contributions of anthropogenic emissions to monthly average MDA8 O3 concentrations of more than 20 ppb are predicted in the provincial capital Zhengzhou, mostly due to emissions from the transportation sector (∼50%) and in the areas in the north and northeast regions where industrial and power generation-related emissions are high. Biogenic emissions in the region only contribute to approximately 1–3 ppb of monthly average MDA8 O3. In industrial areas north of the province, their contributions reach 5–7 ppb. Two CMAQ-based O3-NOx-VOCs sensitivity assessments (the local O3 sensitivity ratios based on the direct decoupled method and the production ratio of H2O2 to HNO3) and the satellite HCHO to NO2 column density ratio consistently show that most of the areas in Henan are in NOx-limited regime. In contrast, the high O3 concentration areas in the north and at the city centers are in the VOC-limited or transition regimes. The results from this study suggest that although reducing NOx emissions to reduce O3 pollution in the region is desired in most areas, VOC reductions must be applied to urban and industrial regions. Source apportionment simulations with and without Henan anthropogenic emissions show that the benefit of local anthropogenic NOx reduction might be lower than expected from the source apportionment results because the contributions of Henan background O3 increase in response to the reduced local anthropogenic emissions due to less NO titration. Thus, collaborative O3 controls in neighboring provinces are needed to reduce O3 pollution problems in Henan effectively.
•Local emissions contributed to 10–25% (10–20 ppb) of MDA8 O3 in Henan province.•Transportation and industry are the two largest sources of anthropogenic O3.•Three approaches lead to consistent spatial distributions of O3-NOx-VOC sensitivity.•High background O3 suggests the necessity of collaborative emission reduction measures.•Source-apportionment model could underestimate background O3 due to titration by NO.
•Silencing of LfiTCP15;2 in non-dwarf crape myrtle inhibited internode elongation and stem cell growth.•Overexpression of LfiTCP15;2 in tobacco promoted plant height, internode elongation and cell ...growth.•A cDNA library was constructed in crape myrtle.•LfiTCP15;2 plays a role in plant height regulation of crape myrtle by interacting with LfiCHI1 or LfiCHI2 encoding chitinase.
Plant height is one of the key traits affecting plant architecture, which affects the appearance and application of Lagerstroemia indica (crape myrtle) in gardens. TCP transcription factors are specific to plants and widely involved in the biological process of plant growth and development related to cell proliferation and growth, including plant height. However, the molecular mechanism by which TCP transcription factors regulate plant height development remains unclear and requires further analysis. In this study, LfiTCP15;2 was isolated from dwarf and non-dwarf progenies of crape myrtle, and the function was analyzed. Silencing of LfiTCP15;2 in non-dwarf crape myrtle inhibited internode elongation and stem cell growth, while overexpression of LfiTCP15;2 in tobacco promoted plant height, internode elongation and cell growth. To screen proteins interacting with LfiTCP15;2 and further elucidate the molecular mechanism by which LfiTCP15;2 regulates the plant height development of crape myrtle, we constructed a cDNA library of the yeast two-hybrid system using stem tips of dwarf and non-dwarf crape myrtle. The library was identified as 8.0 × 107cells/ml, with an average insert >1,000 bp in size and a 100% positive rate, providing a database for the subsequent study of the molecular regulation mechanism of the plant architecture in crape myrtle. Total of 70 proteins interacting with LfiTCP15;2 were screened in the library. LfiCHI1 and LfiCHI2 interacting with LfiTCP15;2 was proved by yeast two-hybrid assay. In conclusion, LfiTCP15;2 regulates the plant height of crape myrtle by promoting stem cell growth and internode elongation, and LfiCHI1 and LfiCHI2, which interact with LfiTCP15;2, may also be involved in this process.
Background. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are common and burdensome infectious illness. Several trials have reported that probiotics can prevent URTIs in adults. Objectives. To evaluate ...the efficacy and safety of probiotics in the prevention of URTIs in adults. Methods. PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for reports published from database inception to May 14, 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing probiotics with placebo for the prevention of URTIs in adults were included. Results. Six RCTs with 1551 participants were included. Compared with the placebo group, the probiotics intervention group significantly reduced the incidence of URTI episodes (RR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.68 to 0.87; P<0.0001; I2 = 26%), the episode rate of URTIs (rate ratio: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.60 to 0.86; P=0.0002; I2 = 99%), and the mean duration of one episode of URTI (MD: −2.66; 95% CI: −4.79 to −0.54; P=0.01; I2 = 80%). The adverse events of probiotics were mainly mild gastrointestinal symptoms. There were no significant differences in occurrence rate of adverse effects between probiotics intervention and placebo group (rate ratio: 1.01; 95% CI: 0.80 to 1.26; P=0.96; I2 = 99%). Conclusion. Low-quality evidence provides support that probiotics have potential efficacy for preventing URTI episodes in adults. More trials are required to confirm this conclusion.
To investigate the role of protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 1 (PTPN1) in mitophagy during sepsis and its underlying mechanisms and determine the therapeutic potential of PTPN1 ...inhibitors in endotoxemia-induced cardiac dysfunction.
A mouse model of endotoxemia was established by administering an intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The therapeutic effect of targeting PTPN1 was evaluated using its inhibitor Claramine (CLA). Mitochondrial structure and function as well as the expression of mitophagy-related proteins were evaluated. Rat H9c2 cardiomyocytes were exposed to mouse RAW264.7 macrophage-derived conditioned medium. Cryptotanshinone, a specific p-STAT3 (Y705) inhibitor, was used to confirm the role of STAT3 in PTPN1-mediated mitophagy following LPS exposure. Electrophoretic mobility shift and dual luciferase reporter assays were performed to discern the mechanisms by which STAT3 regulated the expression of PINK1 and PRKN.
CLA alleviated LPS-induced myocardial damage, cardiac dysfunction, and mitochondrial injury and dysfunction in the mouse heart. PTPN1 upregulation exacerbated LPS-induced mitochondrial injury and dysfunction in H9c2 cardiomyocytes, but inhibited LPS-induced mitophagy. LPS promoted the interaction between PTPN1 and STAT3 and reduced STAT3 phosphorylation at Tyr705 (Y705), which was required to inhibit mitophagy by PTPN1. Upon LPS stimulation, PTPN1 negatively regulated the transcription of PINK1 and PRKN through dephosphorylation of STAT3 at Y705. STAT3 regulated the transcription of PINK1 and PRKN by binding to STAT3-responsive elements in their promoters.
PTPN1 upregulation aggravates endotoxemia-induced cardiac dysfunction by impeding mitophagy through dephosphorylation of STAT3 at Y705 and negative regulation of PINK1 and PRKN transcription.
This study was designed to investigate the effects of dietary starch structure on muscle protein synthesis and gastrointestinal amino acid (AA) transport and metabolism of goats. Twenty-seven ...Xiangdong black female goats (average body weight = 9·00 ± 1·12 kg) were randomly assigned to three treatments, i.e., fed a T1 (normal maize 100 %, high amylose maize 0 %), T2 (normal maize 50 %, high amylose maize 50 %) and T3 (normal maize 0 %, high amylose maize 100 %) diet for 35 d. All AA in the ileal mucosa were decreased linearly as amylose:amylopectin increased in diets (P < 0·05). The plasma valine (linear, P = 0·03), leucine (linear, P = 0·04) and total AA content (linear, P = 0·03) increased linearly with the increase in the ratio of amylose in the diet. The relative mRNA levels of solute carrier family 38 member 1 (linear, P = 0·01), solute carrier family 3 member 2 (linear, P = 0·02) and solute carrier family 38 member 9 (linear, P = 0·02) in the ileum increased linearly with the increase in the ratio of amylose in the diet. With the increase in the ratio of amylose:amylopectin in the diet, the mRNA levels of acetyl-CoA dehydrogenase B (linear, P = 0·04), branched-chain amino acid transferase 1 (linear, P = 0·02) and branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase complex B (linear, P = 0·01) in the ileum decreased linearly. Our results revealed that the protein abundances of phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) (P < 0·001), phosphorylated 4E-binding protein 1 (P < 0·001) and phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 kinases 1 (P < 0·001) of T2 and T3 were significantly higher than that of T1. In general, a diet with a high amylose ratio could reduce the consumption of AA in the intestine, allowing more AA to enter the blood to maintain higher muscle protein synthesis through the mTOR pathway.
The demethylation of methylmercury has received substantial attention. Here, a novel chemical method for the demethylation of methylmercury is proposed. The low-toxicity graphene-fulvic acid (FA, a ...ubiquitous material in the environment) was synthesized without the use of a chemical reagent. The hybridized graphene-FA presented an indirect open band gap of 2.25–2.87 eV as well as adequate aqueous dispersion. More importantly, the hybridized graphene-FA exhibited 6- and 10-fold higher photocatalytic efficiencies for the demethylation of methylmercury than FA and free FA with graphene, respectively. This result implies that immobilized, rather than free, FA accelerated the catalysis. Furthermore, inorganic mercuric ion, elemental mercury, and mercuric oxide were identified as the primary demethylation products. For free FA with graphene, graphene quenches the excited-state FA, inhibiting the demethylation by electron transfer. In contrast, the graphene of the self-assembled graphene-FA serves as an electron reservoir, causing electron–hole pair separation. Graphene-FA showed a negligible toxicity toward microalgae compared to graphene. The above results reveal that the green synthesis of graphene and organic molecules is a convenient strategy for obtaining effective cocatalysts.
Mutants in the basal core promoter (BCP) and precore (PC) regions of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome are associated with the progression of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection. However, quasispecies ...characteristics of naturally occurring mutants in those regions in HBeAg-positive CHB patients has not been well described, partly limited by quantitative assay. This study aimed to develop an Ion Torrent deep sequencing assay to determine BCP and PC mutant percentages in HBeAg-positive CHB patients who were treatment naïve and correlate them with different viral and host factors. Our results showed that Ion Torrent deep sequencing could achieve high accuracy (R(2)>0.99) within a dynamic range between 1% and 100%. Twelve hotspots with prevalence of greater than 20% were observed in EnhII/BCP/PC regions. G1719T, T1753V, A1762T and G1764A were genotype C related. BCP A1762T/G1764A double mutants were generally accompanied with PC 1896 wild type or lower PC G1896A mutant percentage. Lower serum HBeAg and HBsAg levels were associated with higher BCP A1762T/G1764A mutant percentages (≥ 50%). ALT levels were higher in patients with PC G1896A mutant percentage greater than 10%. In conclusion, deep sequencing such as Ion Torrent sequencing could accurately quantify HBV mutants for providing clinical relevant information during HBV infection.
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