This study reports a novel method using microwave vacuum pyrolysis combined with sodium-potassium hydroxide mixture (NaOH-KOH) activation to produce highly porous activated carbon (AC) from palm ...residue (i.e. palm kernel shell, PKS) – a solid residue constantly produced in large volume by palm industry. The yield and properties of AC produced were found significantly influenced by two key process parameters - type of activating agent and chemical impregnation ratio. The pyrolysis provided fast heating rate (60 °C/min), high temperature (607 °C), and short process time (35 min) to convert PKS into biochar, and the subsequent activation by NaOH-KOH mixture at 1.0 of chemical impregnation ratio resulted in 84 wt% yield of AC. The AC possessed high BET surface area (1320 m2/g) and highly porous structure formed by micro- and meso-pores, thus showing high adsorption capacity. The adsorption capacity of AC was examined via impregnation with nickel and aluminium atoms (termed “Ni/AC” and “Al/AC”) followed by application in treating industrial effluent abundantly released from palm oil mill (termed ‘palm oil mill effluent, POME). Both Ni/AC and Al/AC showed high removal efficiency in reducing the total suspended solid (TSS), oil and grease (O&G), biochemical (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in POME. Higher removal efficiency on BOD and COD was observed for Ni/AC and Al/AC than normal AC (non-metallic AC). The production cost of AC using this pyrolysis method was estimated to be ranged from 4 to 10 USD/kg. The results show the exceptional promise of this pyrolysis method as an approach to transform PKS into highly porous AC for utilize as an adsorbent to treat POME.
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•Microwave vacuum pyrolysis combined with NaOH-KOH activation was reported.•Two process parameters were examined for the yield and properties of AC produced.•AC was upgraded into metallic AC (Al/AC and Ni/AC) to treat palm oil mill effluent.•Metallic AC removed 85% of BOD and 89% of COD concentrations.•Normal AC (non-metallic) showed higher removal rate of TSS (80%) and O&G (88%).
Background Intracranial hemangiopericytoma is a rare disease and surgery is the mainstay treatment. Although postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy is often used, there are no reports comparing ...different radiotherapy techniques. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of post-operative radiotherapy and different radiotherapy technique on the results in patients with intracranial hemangiopericytoma (HPC). Methods We retrospectively reviewed 66 intracranial HPC patients treated between 1999 and 2019 including 29 with surgery followed by radiotherapy (11 with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and 18 with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)) and 37 with surgery alone. Chi-square test was used to compare the clinical characteristic between the groups. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine prognostic factors of survival. We also underwent a matched-pair analysis by using the propensity score method. Results The crude local control rates were 58.6% in the surgery plus post-operative radiotherapy group (PORT) and 67.6% in the surgery alone group (p = 0.453). In the subgroup analysis of the PORT patients, local controls were 72.7% in the IMRT group and 50% in the SRS group (p = 0.228). The median OS in the PORT and surgery groups were 122 months and 98 months, respectively (p = 0.169). The median RFS was 96 months in the PORT group and 72 months in the surgery alone group (p = 0.714). Regarding radiotherapy technique, the median OS and RFS of the SRS group were not significantly different from those in the IMRT group (p = 0.256, 0.960). The median RFS were 112 and 72 months for pathology grade II and III patients, respectively (p = 0.001). Propensity score matching did not change the observed results. Conclusion In this retrospective analysis, PORT did not improve the local control rates nor the survivals. The local control rates after IMRT and SRS were similar even though the IMRT technique had a much higher biological dose compared with the SRS technique. Keywords: Intracranial hemangiopericytoma, Post-operative radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, Intensity- modulated radiotherapy
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Titanium dioxide (TiO
2
) has become increasingly popular as a catalyst. Although many applications of TiO
2
involve photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical reactions, there are numerous interesting ...discoveries of TiO
2
for other reactions. This review focuses on the recent development of TiO
2
as a catalyst in green organic synthesis including in hydrodeoxygenation, hydrogenation, esterification/transesterification, the water-gas shift reaction, and visible light-induced organic transformation owing to its strong metal-support interaction (SMSI), high chemical stability, acidity, and high redox reaction at low temperature. The relationship between the catalytic performance and different metal or metal oxide dopants, and different polymorphs of TiO
2
are discussed in detail. It is interesting to note that the reduction temperature and addition of promoters have a significant effect on the catalytic performance of TiO
2
.
This review focuses on the recent development of TiO
2
as a catalyst in green organic synthesis including in hydrodeoxygenation, hydrogenation, esterification/transesterification, the water-gas shift reaction, and visible light-induced organic transformation.
•Oil palm waste has high carbon content for pyrolysis conversion into biochar.•Microwave pyrolysis produces 38wt% of biochar with high chemical resistance.•Biochar has high surface area, porosity, ...carbon, and low ash and moisture.•Biochar shows potential for use in wastewater treatment, agriculture and energy.
Oil palm waste (OPW), comprising mainly of empty fruit bunch, mesocarp fiber, frond, trunk, and palm kernel shell generated from palm oil industry, was collected, characterized, and then pyrolyzed to evaluate their potential to be converted into biochar with desirable properties for use in multi-applications. The OPW was detected to have considerable amounts of carbon (43–51wt%) and fixed carbon (30–39wt%), showing potential to be converted into carbon-rich biochar. Microwave pyrolysis of palm kernel shell as the selected OPW produced a biochar with zero sulphur content and high heating value (23–26MJ/kg) that is nearly comparable to conventional coal, thus indicating its potential as an eco-friendly solid fuel. The biochar obtained was also showed low moisture (<3wt%) and ash (3wt%), and a highly porous structure with high BET surface area (210m2/g), indicating the presence of many adsorption sites and thus showing desirable characteristics for potential use as pollutant adsorbent in wastewater treatment, or bio-fertilizer to absorb nutrient and promote plant growth. Our results demonstrate that OPW is a biowaste that shows exceptional promise to be transformed into high-grade biochar rather than simply disposed by landfilling or burned as low-grade fuel in boiler.
The cell type specific sequences of transcriptional programs during lung regeneration have remained elusive. Using time-series single cell RNA-seq of the bleomycin lung injury model, we resolved ...transcriptional dynamics for 28 cell types. Trajectory modeling together with lineage tracing revealed that airway and alveolar stem cells converge on a unique Krt8 + transitional stem cell state during alveolar regeneration. These cells have squamous morphology, feature p53 and NFkB activation and display transcriptional features of cellular senescence. The Krt8+ state appears in several independent models of lung injury and persists in human lung fibrosis, creating a distinct cell-cell communication network with mesenchyme and macrophages during repair. We generated a model of gene regulatory programs leading to Krt8+ transitional cells and their terminal differentiation to alveolar type-1 cells. We propose that in lung fibrosis, perturbed molecular checkpoints on the way to terminal differentiation can cause aberrant persistence of regenerative intermediate stem cell states.
Phloretin and its glycoside phlorizin have been reported to prevent obesity induced by high-fat diet (HFD), but the effect of 3-OH phloretin, a catechol metabolite of phloretin, has not been ...investigated. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity effects of phloretin and 3-OH phloretin in HFD-fed mice. The body weight gain induced by HFD was more inhibited by administration of 3-OH phloretin than by phloretin. The increases in fat mass, white adipose tissue (WAT) weight, adipocyte size, and lipid accumulation by HFD were also remarkably inhibited by 3-OH phloretin and, to a lesser extent, by phloretin. The HFD-induced upregulation of chemokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines was suppressed by 3-OH phloretin, preventing M1 macrophages from infiltrating into WAT and thereby reducing WAT inflammation. 3-OH phloretin also showed a more potent effect than phloretin on suppressing the expression of adipogenesis regulator genes, such as PPARγ2, C/EBPα, FAS, and CD36. Fasting blood glucose and insulin levels increased by HFD were diminished by the administration of 3-OH phloretin, suggesting that 3-OH phloretin may alleviate obesity-induced insulin resistance. These findings suggested that 3-OH phloretin has the potential to be a natural bioactive compound that can be used in the prevention or treatment of obesity and insulin resistance.
To examine the safety and efficacy of Cyberknife stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and its effect on survival in patients of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
This was a matched-pair ...study. From January 2008 to December 2009, 36 patients with 42 lesions of unresectable recurrent HCC were treated with SBRT. The median prescribed dose was 37 Gy (range, 25 to 48 Gy) in 4-5 fractions over 4-5 consecutive working days. Another 138 patients in the historical control group given other or no treatments were selected for matched analyses.
The median follow-up time was 14 months for all patients and 20 months for those alive. The 1- and 2-year in-field failure-free rates were 87.6% and 75.1%, respectively. Out-field intrahepatic recurrence was the main cause of failure. The 2-year overall survival (OS) rate was 64.0%, and median time to progression was 8.0 months. In the multivariable analysis of all 174 patients, SBRT (yes vs. no), tumor size (≤4 cm vs. >4 cm), recurrent stage (stage IIIB/IV vs. I) and Child-Pugh classification (A vs. B/C) were independent prognostic factors for OS. Matched-pair analysis revealed that patients undergoing SBRT had better OS (2-year OS of 72.6% vs. 42.1%, respectively, p = 0.013). Acute toxicities were mild and tolerable.
SBRT is a safe and efficacious modality and appears to be well-tolerated at the dose fractionation we have used, and its use correlates with improved survival in this cohort of patients with recurrent unresectable HCC. Out-field recurrence is the major cause of failure. Further studies of combinations of SBRT and systemic therapies may be reasonable.
The renewable hydrocarbon-like biofuel from biomass is crucial to substitute fossil fuel. A series of mesoporous Al2O3-TiO2 mixed oxide catalysts with different TiO2 content (0.1Ti-0.9Al, 0.2Ti-0.8Al ...and 0.3Ti-0.7Al) have been synthesized. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by XRD, FESEM-EDX, BET, FTIR, NH3-TPD, FTIR-Py, and TGA. The deoxygenation (DO) of triglyceride (i.e. triolein) was carried out in the absence of hydrogen and solvent. The mesoporous Al2O3-TiO2 catalysts showed high catalytic activity performance as compared to that of Al2O3 and TiO2. It was found that 0.2Ti-0.8Al catalyst exhibited the highest conversion (76.86%), and selectivity (27.26%) toward n-C15 + n-C17 at 380 °C after 4 h. The excellence performance of mesoporous Al2O3-TiO2 was attributed to its acidity, mesoporosity and larger surface area. The results reveal that the mesoporous Al2O3-TiO2 catalyst is a promising catalyst for the synthesis of hydrocarbon-like biofuel.
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•Deoxygenation of triglyceride was conducted over mesoporous Al2O3, TiO2 and Al2O3-TiO2 in solvent and H2 free conditions.•TiO2 content in Al2O3-TiO2 affects the physicochemical properties of Al2O3-TiO2.•Deoxygenation conversion (76.86%) and hydrocarbon distribution C8-C20 (79.38%) were obtained over 0.2Ti-0.8Al catalyst.•0.2Ti-0.8Al catalyst exhibited high reusability with conversion (>72%) for 4 consecutive runs.
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