Biosynthesis of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate with a high molecular weight by methanotroph from methane and methanol

Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate （PHB） can be produced by various species of bacteria. Among the possible carbon sources, both methane and methanol could be a suitable substrate for the production of PHB. Methane is cheap and plentiful not only as natural gas, but also as biogas. Methanol can also maintain methanotrophic activity in some conditions. The methanotrophic strain Methylosinus trichosporium IMV3011 can accumulate PHB with methane and methanol in a brief nonsterile process. Liquid methanol （0.1%） was added to improve the oxidization of methane. The studies were carried out using shake flasks. Cultivation was performed in two stages： a continuous growth phase and a PHB accumulation phase under the conditions short of essential nutrients （ammonium, nitrate, phosphorus, copper, iron （Ⅲ）, magnesium or ethylenediamine tetraacetate （EDTA）） in batch culture. It was found that the most suitable growth time for the cell is 144 h. Then an optimized culture condition for second stage was determined, in which the PHB concentration could be much increased to 0.6 g/L. In order to increase PHB content, citric acid was added as an inhibitor of tricarboxylic acid cycle （TCA）. It was found that citric acid is favorable for the PHB accumulation, and the PHB yield was increased to 40% （w/w） from the initial yield of 12% （w/w） after nutrient deficiency cultivation. The PHB produced is of very high quality with molecular weight up to 1.5 × 10^6Da.

PREPARATION OF MICROPOROUS ULTRA HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYETHYLENE (UHMWPE) BY THERMALLY INDUCED PHASE SEPARATION OF A UHMWPE/LIQUID PARAFFIN MIXTURE

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with a microporous structure was prepared via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS).Liquid paraffin (LP) was used as a diluent in the preparation of microporous UHMWPE. Small angle laser light scattering (SALLS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to determine the phase separation temperatures,i.e.the cloud points and the dynamic crystallization temperatures,respectively.It was found that the cloudI points were coincident with the cryst...

Biodegraded Oil and Its High Molecular Weight (C_(35+)) n-alkanes in the Qianmiqiao Region in the Bohai Bay Basin, Northern China

With a production of 208.2 m3/d, heavy oil was produced by drill stem test (DST) from three shallow reservoirs in Sand Group Nos. Ⅰ and Ⅲ of the Neogene Guantao Formation (NgⅠ and NgⅢ) and the Eogene Dongying Formation (Ed) in an exploratory well Ban-14-1 within the Qianmiqiao region, Bohai Bay Basin, northern China. Based on the GC and GC-MS data of the NgⅠ and NgⅢ heavy oil samples, all n-alkanes and most isoprenoid hydrocarbons are lost and the GC baseline appears as an evident 'hump', implying a large quantity of unresolved complex mixture (UCM), which typically revealed a result of heavy biodegradation. However, there still is a complete series of C14-C73 n-alkanes in the high-temperature gas chromatograms (HTGC) of the heavy oil, among which, the abundance of C30- n-alkanes are drastically reduced. The C35-C55 high molecular weight (HMW) n-alkanes are at high abundance and show a normal distribution pattern with major peak at C43 and an obvious odd-carbon-number predominance with CPI37-55 and OEP45-49 values of 1.17 and 1.16-1.20, respectively. According to GC-MS analysis, the heavy oil is characterized by dual source inputs of aquatic microbes and terrestrial higher plants. Various steranes and tricyclic terpanes indicate an algal origin, and hopane-type triterpanes, C24 tetracyclic terpane and drimane series show the bacterial contribution. With the odd-carbon-number preference, HMW n-alkanes provide significant information not only on higher plant source input and immaturity, but also on the strong resistibility to biodegradation.

Structure and Properties of Self-reinforced Material Made from Ultra-high Molecular Weight Polyethylene-montmorillonite Nanocomposite

High-strength and high-modulus ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE), named self-reinforced material, was obtained by the elongation of UHMWPE-montmorillonite nanocomposite at melting temperature. According to the scanning electron microscope(SEM) analysis, a great deal of fibrillar texture formed in the direction of elongation, and the tensile fractured surface was similar to that of highly oriented fiber. The transmission electron microscope(TEM) and selective area electron diffraction(SAED) analyses reveal that the reinforced phase of the self-reinforced material is an extended chain crystal and its size is about 50_200 nm wide and several microns long, and the montmorillonite layers are broken up to pieces in the size from 100 to 10 nm. The broken layers which have a huge surface area interacting strongly with macromolecules reduces the entanglement density of UHMWPE and induces the chain orientation in flow field. It is supposed that the astriction of montmorillonite layers to polyethylene chains is not only end-tethered but also side-tethered. The differential scan calorimetry(DSC) analysis shows that there are two endothermal peaks for the self-reinforced material, of which the peak at a higher temperature(136.4 ℃) is ascribed to the melting of the reinforced phase.

Determination and Temperature Dependence of Plateau Modulus for Polymerization of Propylene to Isotactic Polypropylene with Ultra-high Molecular Weight under Catalysis of Ziegler-Natta Catalyst

The viscoelastic behavior of isotactic polypropylene with ultra-high molecular weight(UHPPH) and broad molecular weight distribution(MWD), produced in the presence of Ziegler-Natta catalyst, was investigated by means of oscillatory rheometry at 180 and 200 ℃, whose loss modulus(G″) plots at 180 and 200 ℃ versus the natural logarithm of angular frequency(ω) present a pronounced maximum at 34.35 and 69.21 rad/s, respectively, and do not show a maximum peak at 0.01-100 rad/s for Ziegler-Natta catalyzing ethylene-propylene random copolymerization(PPR) with a conventional molecular weight and broad MWD. The fact indicates that the high molecular weight is responsible for a maximum peak of G″(ω) vs. lnω curves for UHPPH. This makes it possible to determine the plateau modulus(G 0_N) of UHPPH from a certain experimental temperature G″(ω) curve directly. For UHPPH, the G 0_N determined to be 4.28×10 5 and 3.62×10 5 Pa at 180 and 200 ℃, respectively, decreases with the increase of temperature and is independent of the molecular weight, which directly confirms reputation theoretical prediction that the G 0_N has no relation to the molecular weight.

Preparation of High Molecular Weight Poly(L-lactide-co-caprolactone)(85-15)

Poly（L-lactide-co-caprolactone）（85-15）[P（LLA-CL）（85-15）] was synthesized from high purity L-lactide and e-caprolactone using tin octoate as initiator by ring-opening polymerization, and characterized by infrared spectrum and IH-NMR spectrum. The synthesized P（LLA-CL）（85-15） is a random copolymer. The influences of polymerization temperature, polymerization time, dosage of initiator and polymerization pressure on the weight average molecular weight and the polydispersity index of P（LLA-CL）（85-15） were investigated. The optimum preparation conditions of P（LLA-CL）（85-15） are： the polymerization pressure is less than 0.5 Pa, the polymerization temperature is 130 ~C, the n（M）/n（I） ratio is 8 000/1, and the polymerization time is 36 h. Under the condition, the weight-average molecular weight of prepared P（LLA-CL）（85-15） is 65.6x 104, and molecular weight distribution coefficient is 1.15.

Pt Complexes with High Molecular Weight Polyvinylmethyldimethylsiloxane Ligands Supported on Diatomite for Liquid-phase Hydrosilylation of 3, 3, 3-Trifluoropropene with Methyldichlorosilane

Pt complexes with high molecular weight polyvinylmethyldimethylsiloxane （HMPVMS） ligands supported on diatomite as a catalyst for the hydrosilylation of 3, 3, 3-trifluoropropene and methyldichlorosilane. Results show that this catalyst displays good thermal stability, high activity and excellent recyclability, and it can be readily fabricated by a simple process.

Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Tape Applied for Distal Humeral Condyle Fracture around Total Elbow Arthroplasty in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Report of Two Cases

Managing fractures of distal humerus in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is technically challenging. Total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) is one of the treatment options for these fractures. While elbow motion is largely regained by TEA, comminuted condyle fragments are often ignored. Although numerous approaches for repair of condylar fragments around TEA are described, any universal fixation strategy for these fractures has not been established. This report describes, for the first time, application of an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) tape for the treatment of distal humerus fracture in 2 patients with rheumatic elbow arthropathy. The post-operative clinical courses were good. Radiographs showed bony union of the condylar fragments without loosening in two cases. Because of its flat configuration, softness, and flexibility, UHMWPE tape is a promising material for stabilizing fracture of the distal humerus associated with TEA.

Switching from Sitagliptin to Alogliptin under Treatment with Pioglitazone Increases High Molecular Weight Adiponectin in Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Observational Study

Background: There are few clinical trials addressing the difference in pleiotropic effects among dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors. We aimed to identify difference in effects on biochemical markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and atherosclerosis between two DPP-4 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: We prospectively observed twenty subjects with type 2 diabetes before and after a practical medication change from a treatment with pioglitazone and sitagliptin 50 mg to a combination tablet containing the same dose of pioglitazone and alogliptin 25mg, which was actually identical to switching from sitagliptin to alogliptin. After 3 months, changes from baseline in clinical data and various biochemical markers were evaluated. In particular, body mass index (BMI) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were additionally followed after 12 months for evaluation of chronic outcomes. Results: Among markers, serum levels of high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin significantly increased from 6.9 ± 3.6 μg/ml to 8.2 ± 4.0 μg/ml (P = 0.0045). Although no clinical data changed after 3 months, significant improvements in HbA1c and BMI were observed after 12 months. Their rates of changes tended to inversely correlate with the increased percentages of serum HMW adiponectin levels during initial 3 months, but they did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: In spite of pretreatment with pioglitazone, additional increase in serum HMW adiponectin levels was demonstrated after switching from sitagliptin to alogliptin. Given multiple favorable roles of adiponectin in metabolic and cardiovascular states, alogliptin, at least when combined with pioglitazone, would be beneficial in treatment of type 2 diabetes.

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ULTRA-HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLY(ETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE)(PET)FIBER

This paper reports the spinning and drawing behavior of Ultra-high Molecular Weight polyethylene Terephthalate) (UHMW-PET) fibers. The as-spun fibers were produced by dry-jet wet spinning of a 15%-17% solution in 50:50(v:v) trifluroroacetic acid and dichloromethane. Both molecular weight and polymer solution concentration have marked effect on the drawability of the as-spun-fibers. The maximum extension drawing ratio (EDRmax) of as-spun fiber increases with increasing molecular weight, whereas optimal concentration to achieve the EDRmax of as-spun fibers decreases with increasing molecular weight. Drawing speed and temperature during the first step have remarkable effect on the drawability of these fiber during the second step. Relatively lower drawing temperature and drawing speed (19 ℃ , 60 mm/min) during the first drawing step was beneficial to mechanical properties of ultimate fibers. At the range of 210 ℃ to 230 ℃, the draw ratio (DR) during the second step increases with increasing temperature.

Manufacturing of Ultra-high Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber Reinforced Tape and the Loss of Strength

Due to the low density and excellent mechanical proper-ties,high performance fiber reinforced materials have aconsiderable application in the area of high technologyand dally usage.In this paper,the Ultra-high Molecu-lar Weight Polyethylene(UHMWPE)fiber reinforcedPE tape prepared with the method of powder impregnat-ion was studied.The effect of impregnate length and thetensile force of the yarn on the fiber content as well as on the strength and modulus of the tape were discussed.Calculation shows that the strength and the modulus ofthe ULMWPE fiber can keep about 85％ after it undergothe process.

Influence of Molecular Weight of Ultra-high Molecular Weight Polyacrylonitrile on Its Rheological Behavior in Dimethylsulfoxide

Ultra-high molecular weight polyacrylonitrile (UHMW PAN ) was prepared by aqueous suspension polymerization, and the effect of molecular weight on its rheological behaviors in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and the spinning stability were investigated. It shows that,compared with common polyacrylonitrile (C-PAN),UHMW- PAN/DMS0 solution has smaller non- Newtonian index, larger structural viscosity index, much longer maximum relaxation time, and no first- Newtonian region appears in the flow curves under the same experimental conditions. The explanations for these phenomena are given in the view of chain- entanglements. The optimal technology of preparing UHMW-PAN fibers and hollow fiber membranes could be obtained based on the theological study.

The influence of adiponectin G276T gene polymorphism on changes in total and high molecular weight adiponectin levels by exercise training

Adiponectin is an adipocyte-secreted hormone and regulates the metabolism of lipid and glucose. We examined the influence of adiponectin G276T gene polymorphism on changes in total or high molecular weight adiponectin levels by exercise training. A randomized parallel-design study (n = 53;40 women and 13 men;age range, 32 - 65 years) was conducted. Participants were randomly assigned to the exercise (n = 26) or control (n = 27) group and received exercise training for 70 min 2 times per week for 12 weeks and exercise advice at the baseline, respectively. Blood sample were obtained before and after the intervention. The primary outcomes were changes in total adiponectin and high molecular weight adiponectin levels. At the baseline, the participants with and without 276G allele did not differ with the total and high molecular weight adiponectin levels in the entire study population. No significant difference in the change in the total and high molecular weight adiponectin levels between the subjects with the G276G genotype and 276T allele carriers were found. This study provides evidence that the G276T polymorphism of the adiponectin gene is not associated with the magnitude of the effect of twice-weekly exercise training on the total and high molecular weight adiponectin levels.

Synthesis of High Molecular Weight Polyethylene and E-MA Copolymers Using Iminopyridine Ni(Ⅱ) and Pd(Ⅱ) Complexes Containing a Flexible Backbone and Rigid Axial Substituents

Suppressing the chain transfer reactions during polymerization in late-transition metal-catalyzed olefin polymerization systems is the key to obtaining high molecular weight polyolefin materials. In this work, two efficient strategies(“sandwich” and rotation-restricted strategies)to retard chain transfer reactions in ethylene(co)polymerization were employed for the iminopyridyl system. Herein, a family of iminopyridyl Ni(Ⅱ)and Pd(Ⅱ) complexes with a flexible backbone and rigid axial bulky aryl substituents were designed, synthesized and characterized. In ethylene polymerization, the iminopyridyl Ni(Ⅱ) and Pd(Ⅱ) catalysts using the two strategies exhibited reasonable activities and generated highly branched polyethylenes with high molecular weights, where catalysts with dibenzosuberyl substituents exhibited significantly higher activities and produced higher molecular weight polyethylene than catalysts with 8-arylnaphthalenyl substituent. A similar trend of activities and molecular weights was also found in the copolymerization of ethylene with MA using the Pd(Ⅱ) catalysts. Moreover, highly branched E-MA copolymers with moderate to high molecular weights and high incorporation ratios(up to 17.4 mol%) were generated with the two Pd(Ⅱ) catalysts. Most interestingly, as compared with the dibenzhydryl Ni(Ⅱ) and Pd(Ⅱ) catalysts, the catalysts using the two strategies exhibited a superior ability to retard the chain transfer reactions and generated polymers and copolymers with 1-2 orders of magnitude higher molecular weights during ethylene(co)polymerization.

Isolation and Molecular Characterization of High Molecular Weight Glutenin Subunit Genes 1Bx13 and 1By16 from Hexaploid Wheat

The high molecular weight glutenin subunit （HMW-GS） pair 1Bx13＋1By16 are recognized to positively correlate with bread-making quality; however, their molecular data remain unknown. In order to reveal the mechanism by which 1By16 and 1Bx13 creates high quality, their open reading frames （ORFs） were amplified from common wheat Atlas66 and Jimai 20 using primers that were designed based on published sequences of HMW glutenin genes. The ORF of 1By16 was 2220bp, deduced into 738 amino acid residues with seven cysteines including 59 hexapeptides and 22 nanopeptides motifs. The ORF of 1Bx13 was 2385bp, deduced into 795 amino acid residues with four cysteines including 68 hexapeptides, 25 nanopeptides and six tripepUdes motifs. We found that 1By16 was the largest y-type HMW glutenin gene described to date in common wheat. The 1By16 had 36 amino acid residues inserted in the central repetitive domain compared with 1By15. Expression in bacteria and western-blot tests confirmed that the sequence cloned was the ORF of HMW-GS 1By16, and that 1Bx13 was one of the largest 1Bx genes that have been described so far in common wheat, exhibiting a hexapeptide （PGQGQQ） insertion in the end of central repetitive domain compared with 1Bx7. A phylogenetic tree based on the deduced full-length amino acid sequence alignment of the published HMW-GS genes showed that the 1By16 was clustered with Glu-1B-2, and that the 1Bx13 was clustered with Glu-1B-1 alleles.

Compression Molded Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene-Hydroxyapatite-Aluminum Oxide-Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Composites for Hard Tissue Replacement

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene （UHMWPE） is widely used for articulating surfaces in total hip and knee replacements. In the present work, UHMWPE based polymer composites were synthesized by synergistic reinforcing of bioactive hydroxyapatite （HA）, bioinert aluminum oxide （Al2O3）, and carbon nanotubes （CNTs） using compression molding. Phase and microstructural analysis suggests retention of UHMWPE and reinforcing phases in the compression molded composites. Microstructural analysis elicited variation in densification due to the size effect of the reinforcing particles. The hybrid composites exhibited hardness, elastic modulus and toughness comparable to that of UHMWPE. The interfacial effect of reinforcement phases has evinced the effectiveness of Al2O3 over HA and CNT reinforcements, depicting synergistic enhancement in hardness and elastic modulus. Weak interfacial bonding of polymer matrix with HA and CNT requires utilization of coupling agents to achieve enhanced mechanical properties without deteriorating cytocompatible properties.

Rapid and efficient method for isolating plant high molecular weight(HMW)DNA with high purity

PREPARATION of HMW DNA (Megabase-size) is the basis for construction of genomic library with large DNA inserts such as bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) and yeast artificial chromosome (YAC), and for long-range physical mapping. It can also be used for the macro-study of repeat sequences. Since HMW DNA during preparation is inclined to be sheared physically and digested by internal nucleases, it is very difficult to prepare the HMW DNA. Initially, plant HMW DNA was prepared by embedding protoplasts in the low melting-point (LMP) agarose; however, it had several disadvantages: (ⅰ) Culture of protoplasts was time-consuming, costly and tedious. ( ⅱ ) It was only used successfully for limited

Improving the Stab-Resistance Performance of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fabric Intercalated with Nano-Silica-Fluid

High performance fibers impregnated by shear thickening fluids(STFs) have been recognized as a kind of latent stab-resistant materials. In our work, the rheological properties of various nano-silica particles in diffierent carriers were first investigated, some of which showed the typical characteristic of shear thickening phenomena.And then, the effiects of add-on and surface hydrophilicity of silica particles, the type and concentration of the carriers were discussed in detail. It was found that the systems of hydrophilic silica in ethylene glycol, butylenes glycol and polyethylene glycol(PEG) demonstrated shear thickening; moreover, the reversibility of rheological behaviors of hydrophilic silica-PEG300 suspensions indicated energy dissipation existed within a circulation of shear stress. Furthermore, the detail mechanism of STF based nano-silica particles was explored and a process diagram was presented. Finally, the stab-resistance and morphology of cutting edge of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE) fabric impregnated STF composites were investigated and the results were analyzed.The higher silica add-on was benefit to the improvement of the stab resistance of the composites.