Reduction of chromium oxides in stainless steel dust

The recovery of metal oxides from stainless steel dust using C（graphite）, SiFe, and Al as reductants was investigated under various conditions. The apparent distribution ratio of Cr（L Cr ′^m/s ） in the recovered metal and residual slag phases was defined as the major performance metric. The results show that the recovery ratio of metals increases as the ratio of CaO ：SiO2 by mass in the residual slag increases to 1.17. The residual content of metals in the slag decreases as the Al2O3 content of the slag is increased from approximately 8wt% to 10wt%. The recovery ratio of Cr increases with increasing L Cr ′^ m/s , and a linear relationship between L Cr ′^m/s and the activity coefficient ratio of CrO in the slag and the recovered metal phase is observed. The combination of C and SiFe or Al as the reducing agents reveals that Si is the more effective coreductant.

Phenylpropanoid Derivatives Are Essential Components of Sporopollenin in Vascular Plants

The outer wall of pollen and spores,namely the exine,is composed of sporopollenin,which is highly resistant to chemical reagents and enzymes.In this study,we demonstrated that phenylpropanoid pathway derivatives are essential components of sporopollenin in seed plants.Spectral analyses showed that the autofluorescence of Lilium and Arabidopsis sporopollenin is similar to that of lignin.Thioacidolysis and NMR analyses of pollen from Lilium and Cryptomeria further revealed that the sporopollenin of seed plants contains phenylpropanoid derivatives,including p-hydroxybenzoate(p-BA),p-coumarate(p-CA),ferulate(FA),and lignin guaiacyl(G)units.The phenylpropanoid pathway is expressed in the tapetum in Arabidopsis,consistent with the fact that the sporopollenin precursor originates from the tapetum.Further germination and comet assays showed that this pathway plays an important role in protection of pollen against UV radiation.In the pteridophyte plant species Ophioglossum vulgatum and Lycopodium clavata,phenylpropanoid derivatives including p-BA and p-CA were also detected,but G units were not.Taken together,our results indicate that phenylpropanoid derivatives are essential for sporopollenin synthesis in vascular plants.In addition,sporopollenin autofluorescence spectra of bryophytes,such as Physcomitrella and Haplocladium,exhibit distinct characteristics compared with those of vascular plants,indicating the diversity of sporopollenin among land plants.

Delayed callose degradation restores the fertility of multiple P/TGMS lines in Arabidopsis

Photoperiod/temperature-sensitive genic male sterility(P/TGMS)is widely applied for improving crop production.Previous investigations using the reversible male sterile(rvms)mutant showed that slow development is a general mechanism for restoring fertility to P/TGMS lines in Arabidopsis.In this work,we isolated a restorer of rvms–2(res3),as the male sterility of rvms–2 was rescued by res3.Phenotype analysis and molecular cloning show that a point mutation in UPEX1 l in res3 leads to delayed secretion of callase A6 from the tapetum to the locule and tetrad callose wall degradation.Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that the tapetal transcription factor ABORTED MICROSPORES directly regulates UPEX1 expression,revealing a pathway for tapetum secretory function.Early degradation of the callose wall in the transgenic line eliminated the fertility restoration effect of res3.The fertility of multiple known P/TGMS lines with pollen wall defects was also restored by res3.We propose that the remnant callose wall may broadly compensate for the pollen wall defects of P/TGMS lines by providing protection for pollen formation.A cellular mechanism is proposed to explain how slow development restores the fertility of P/TGMS lines in Arabidopsis.