Nitrated phenols (NPs) are regarded as a major component of brown carbon and affect the earth environment. Previous studies have suggested that NPs in the atmosphere partially originate from coal ...combustion; however, the direct emissions have not been validated. In this study, the emissions of ten NPs from ten kinds of coal for residential use were investigated via laboratory combustion experiments in which PM2.5 samples were collected and analyzed by UHPLC-MS. The fine particulate NPs emitted from coal combustion were dominated by nitrocatechols and the methyl substituents under most conditions, while the emission profile of nitrated phenols varies with different rank of coals. Based on the emission ratios of NPs/PM2.5 obtained from this study and the PM2.5 emission factors in the literature, the emission factors of fine particulate NPs for chunks of lignite, bituminite, and anthracite and for briquettes of anthracite were calculated as 0.2–10.1 mg kg−1. According to the residential coal consumption in 30 provinces in China in 2016, the total emission of fine particulate NPs from the residential coal combustion was estimated to be 178 ± 42 Mg.
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•Emission profile of nitrated phenols varies with coal maturity and combustion stage.•Emission factor of nitrated phenols decreases with the increasing rank of coal.•Emission of nitrated phenols from residential coal combustion in China was estimated.
Nitrous acid (HONO) plays a significant role in atmospheric chemistry due to its contribution to hydroxyl radical (OH). However, no scientific consensus has been achieved about the daytime HONO ...formation mechanisms. To identify the seasonal variations of HONO chemistry and the impacts of biomass burning (BB), we performed a two-phased field study in winter-spring and summer (covering a harvest season) in 2017 at a rural coastal site in North China. Though the mean HONO concentration in winter-spring (0.26 ± 0.28 ppbv) was higher than in summer (0.17 ± 0.19 ppbv), the maximum HONO concentrations were comparable (~2 ppbv) in the two campaigns. Both the HONO/NOx ratio and nocturnal heterogeneous conversion efficiency of HONO (CHONO) in summer were over twice of that in winter-spring. The daytime budget analysis also revealed that the strength of Pother (i.e., the HONO sources apart from the reaction of OH + NO) in summer was double of that in winter-spring. BB affected the HONO concentration by enhancing the contribution of heterogeneous HONO production on the aerosol surface but weakening the role of photo-related HONO formation. HONO photolysis was a significant source of OH in both winter-spring and summer, and its contribution could be further enhanced during the BB episode in summer. Our study demonstrates the significant seasonal variations of HONO and the effects of BB, and suggests needs for more multi-season observations and considerations of BB, especially during the harvest time, in HONO research.
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•Significant seasonal variations of HONO pollution and chemistry were found.•Source strength of HONO can be enhanced by solar radiation and biomass burning.•Biomass burning enhanced the role of aerosol in heterogeneous HONO formation.
Nitrous acid (HONO) can powerfully influence atmospheric photochemistry by producing hydroxyl radical (OH), which is a crucial oxidant that controls the fate of atmospheric trace species. To deduce ...HONO formation mechanisms in polluted regions, two field observations were conducted in urban Beijing during the early summer of 2017 and the winter of 2018. These two seasons bore distinguishing pollution characteristics with a higher degree of ageing and heavier aerosol loading in the early summer and more abundant NOx (NOx = NO + NO2) in the winter. Elevated concentrations of HONO were observed during these two seasons, with the mean ± standard deviation (maximum) concentrations of 1.25 ± 0.94 (6.69) ppbv and 1.04 ± 1.27 (9.55) ppbv in early summer and winter, respectively. The observed daytime (08:00–17:00 h, local time) HONO production rate was several times higher in early summer than in winter (4.44 ± 1.93 ppbv h−1 vs. 0.88 ± 0.49 ppbv h−1). Budget analysis revealed distinct daytime HONO formation mechanisms during these two seasons. Photo-induced heterogeneous conversion of NO2 on the ground surface dominated in early summer, and homogeneous reaction of NO + OH was dominant in winter. Photolysis of HONO was the major source of primary OH in both seasons, and thus, played a key role in the regulation of atmospheric oxidising capacity. This study demonstrates the significant seasonal variations in HONO budget and underlines the predominant role of HONO in primary OH production in Beijing. Our findings will be helpful to gain an understanding of the chemical mechanisms underlying the formation of secondary pollution in metropolitan areas.
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•The HONO/NOx ratio in early summer is twice that in winter in urban Beijing.•Heterogeneous reaction of NO2 on the ground governs HONO formation in early summer.•Homogeneous reaction of NO + OH is the dominant source of HONO in winter.•HONO is the major precursor of primary OH in both early summer and winter.
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•A Tf contained, redox-sensitive ligand was synthesized.•The established Tf-SS-Afa-LPNs showed GSH-triggered drug release behavior.•Tf-SS-Afa-LPNs showed in vitro cytotoxicity in ...hypoxic conditions.•Tf-SS-Afa-LPNs showed significant tumor growth inhibition ability in vitro.
Afatinib (Afa), a second-generation irreversible epidermal growth factor inhibitor for the development of non-small cell lung cancer, has low bioavailability and adverse reactions. Nanoscaled drug delivery systems offer promising alternatives to address these defects and improve therapeutic outcomes. In the present study, a Tf contained, redox-sensitive ligand was synthesized and used for the preparation of afatinib loaded, Tf modified redox-sensitive lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (Tf-SS-Afa-LPNs). Subsequently, studies of biological experiments in vitro and in vivo were performed to investigate the therapeutic effect of the system in lung cancer. The results showed that Tf-SS-Afa-LPNs has particle size of 103.5 ± 4.1 nm and zeta potential of -21.2 ± 2.4 mV. Significantly higher drug release was observed in the presence of glutathione (GSH). The area under the plasma concentration – time curve (AUC), peak concentration (Cmax) and terminal half life (T1/2) of Tf-SS-Afa-LPNs were 866.56 mg/L.h, 25.62 ± 3.21 L/kg/h, and 43.25 ± 2.31 h. Tf-SS-Afa-LPNs exhibited the most remarkable in vivo anti-tumor efficiency efficacy, which inhibited the tumor volume from 919 mm3 to 212 mm3. Tf-SS-Afa-LPNs is a promising platform for the lung cancer treatment.
Three-dimensional (3D) plant canopy structure analysis is an important part of plant phenotype studies. To promote the development of plant canopy structure measurement based on 3D reconstruction, we ...reviewed the latest research progress achieved using visual sensors to measure the 3D plant canopy structure from four aspects, including the principles of 3D plant measurement technologies, the corresponding instruments and specifications of different visual sensors, the methods of plant canopy structure extraction based on 3D reconstruction, and the conclusion and promise of plant canopy measurement technology. In the current research phase on 3D structural plant canopy measurement techniques, the leading algorithms of every step for plant canopy structure measurement based on 3D reconstruction are introduced. Finally, future prospects for a standard phenotypical analytical method, rapid reconstruction, and precision optimization are described.
Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) catalyzing the oxidative cleavage of different types of polysaccharides have potential to be used in various industries. However, AA13 family LPMOs which ...specifically catalyze starch substrates have relatively less members than AA9 and AA10 families to limit their application range. Amylase has been used in enzymatic desizing treatment of cotton fabric for semicentury which urgently need for new assistant enzymes to improve reaction efficiency and reduce cost so as to promote their application in the textile industry.
A total of 380 unannotated new genes which probably encode AA13 family LPMOs were discovered by the Hidden Markov model scanning in this study. Ten of them have been successfully heterologous overexpressed. AlLPMO13 with the highest activity has been purified and determined its optimum pH and temperature as pH 5.0 and 50 °C. It also showed various oxidative activities on different substrates (modified corn starch > amylose > amylopectin > corn starch). The results of enzymatic textile desizing application showed that the best combination of amylase (5 g/L), AlLPMO13 (5 mg/L), and H
O
(3 g/L) made the desizing level and the capillary effects increased by 3 grades and more than 20%, respectively, compared with the results treated by only amylase.
The Hidden Markov model constructed basing on 34 AA13 family LPMOs was proved to be a valid bioinformatics tool for discovering novel starch-active LPMOs. The novel enzyme AlLPMO13 has strong development potential in the enzymatic textile industry both concerning on economy and on application effect.
This study identifies interleukin-6 (IL-6)-independent phosphorylation of STAT3 Y705 at the early stage of infection with several viruses, including influenza A virus (IAV). Such activation of STAT3 ...is dependent on the retinoic acid-induced gene I/mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein/spleen tyrosine kinase (RIG-I/MAVS/Syk) axis and critical for antiviral immunity. We generate STAT3Y705F/+ knockin mice that display a remarkably suppressed antiviral response to IAV infection, as evidenced by impaired expression of several antiviral genes, severe lung tissue injury, and poor survival compared with wild-type animals. Mechanistically, STAT3 Y705 phosphorylation restrains IAV pathogenesis by repressing excessive production of interferons (IFNs). Blocking phosphorylation significantly augments the expression of type I and III IFNs, potentiating the virulence of IAV in mice. Importantly, knockout of IFNAR1 or IFNLR1 in STAT3Y705F/+ mice protects the animals from lung injury and reduces viral load. The results indicate that activation of STAT3 by Y705 phosphorylation is vital for establishment of effective antiviral immunity by suppressing excessive IFN signaling induced by viral infection.
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•Activation of STAT3 at early stage of viral infection is regulated by RIG-I/MAVS/Syk•Initial activation of STAT3 by several viruses is independent of IL-6•Disruption of STAT3 Y705 phosphorylation impairs antiviral immunity•Activated STAT3 is vital for innate immunity by suppressing overproduction of IFNs
Liu et al. find that IL-6-independent phosphorylation of STAT3 at Y705 is regulated by the RIG-I/MAVS/Syk axis at the early stage of viral infection, which is critical for establishment of initial antiviral immunity. Activation of STAT3 via Y705 phosphorylation suppresses the pathogenesis of IAV in mice by strict control over IFN signaling.
A procedure based on MATLAB combined with ANSYS is presented and utilized for the multi-objective aerodynamic and structural optimization of horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) blades. In order to ...minimize the cost of energy (COE) and improve the overall performance of the blades, materials of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) combined with glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) are applied. The maximum annual energy production (AEP), the minimum blade mass and the minimum blade cost are taken as three objectives. Main aerodynamic and structural characteristics of the blades are employed as design variables. Various design requirements including strain, deflection, vibration and buckling limits are taken into account as constraints. To evaluate the aerodynamic performances and the structural behaviors, the blade element momentum (BEM) theory and the finite element method (FEM) are applied in the procedure. Moreover, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA) II, which constitutes the core of the procedure, is adapted for the multi-objective optimization of the blades. To prove the efficiency and reliability of the procedure, a commercial 1.5 MW HAWT blade is used as a case study, and a set of trade-off solutions is obtained. Compared with the original scheme, the optimization results show great improvements for the overall performance of the blade.
Protein level of Histo-Blood Group ABO System Transferase (BGAT) has been reported to be associated with cardiometabolic diseases. But its effect on pregnancy related outcomes still remains unclear. ...Here we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to ascertain the putative causal roles of protein levels of BGAT in pregnancy related outcomes. Cis-acting protein quantitative trait loci (pQTLs) robustly associated with protein level of BGAT (P<5×10-8) were used as instruments to proxy the BGAT protein level (N=35,559, data from deCODE), with two additional pQTL datasets from Fenland (N=10,708) and INTERVAL (N=3,301) used as validation exposures. Ten pregnancy related diseases and complications were selected as outcomes. We observed that a higher protein level of BGAT showed a putative causal effect on venous complications and haemorrhoids in pregnancy (VH) (odds ratio OR=1.19, 95% confidence interval 95% CI=1.12-1.27, colocalization probability=91%), which was validated by using pQTLs from Fenland and INTERVAL. The Mendelian randomization results further showed effects of the BGAT protein on gestational hypertension (GH) (OR=0.97, 95% CI=0.96-0.99), despite little colocalization evidence to support it. Sensitivity analyses, including proteome-wide Mendelian randomization of the cis-acting BGAT pQTLs, showed little evidence of horizontal pleiotropy. Correctively, our study prioritised BGAT as a putative causal protein for venous complications and haemorrhoids in pregnancy. Future epidemiology and clinical studies are needed to investigate whether BGAT can be considered as a drug target to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes.
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A procedure based on MATLAB combined with ANSYS is presented and utilized for the aerodynamic and structural integrated optimization design of Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) blades. Three ...modules are used for this purpose: an aerodynamic analysis module using the Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory, a structural analysis module employing the Finite Element Method (FEM) and a multi-objective optimization module utilizing the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm. The former two provide a sufficiently accurate solution of the aerodynamic and structural performances of the blade; the latter handles the design variables of the optimization problem, namely, the main geometrical shape and structural parameters of the blade, and promotes function optimization. The scope of the procedure is to achieve the best trade-off performances between the maximum Annual Energy Production (AEP) and the minimum blade mass under various design requirements. To prove the efficiency and reliability of the procedure, a commercial 1.5 megawatt (MW) HAWT blade is used as a case study. Compared with the original scheme, the optimization results show great improvements for the overall performance of the blade.
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