Expression of serine protease SNC19/matriptase and its inhibitor hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 1 in normal and malignant tissues of gastrointestinal tract

AIM： To provide the expression profile of serine protease SNC19/matriptase and its inhibitor hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 1 （HAI-1） in normal and malignant tissues of gastrointestinal tract at mRNA level for further study on their correlations with tumor progression and metastasis. METHODS： Total RNAs were prepared from 37 samples of colorectal cancer tissues, 40 samples of gastric cancer tissues, and their adjacent normal tissues. The expression of SNC19/matriptase and HAI-1 in these samples was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR using glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase as internal standard, and the clinical significance for the correlation with clinicopathological parameters was evaluated. RESULTS： In gastric cancer tissues the expression of HAI-1 and SNC19/matriptase was significantly lower than that in the corresponding adjacent normal tissues （Z = -3.280, P= 0.006; Z= -4.651, P= 0.000）. HAI-1：SNC19/matriptase ratio showed no difference between normal and malignant tissues （P〉0.05）. Analysis of clinicopathological parameters showed decreased expression of HAI-1 and HAI-1：SNC19/ matriptase ratio associated with stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ gastric tumors as compared to stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ ones （Z= -2.140, P= 0.031; Z = -2.155, P = 0.031）, and with lymph node-positive gastric cancer tissues as compared to lymph node-negative ones （Z = -2.081, P = 0.036; Z= -2.686, P = 0.006）. The expression of SNC19/matriptase had no relationship with stages and lymph node metastasis （P〉0.05）. The expression of HAI-1 and HAI-1：SNC19/matriptase ratio increased in well-differentiated gastric cancer tissues, but there was no statistical significance （P〉0.05）. The difference of SNC19/matriptase expression was not significant in gastric cancer tissues of different histological differentiation status （P〉0.05）. In colorectal cancer tissues, the expression of HAI-1 and SNC19/matriptase was also markedly lower than that in their adjacent normal tissues （Z= -3.100, P = 0.002; Z= -2.731, P = 0.006）, whereas HAI-1：SNC19/matriptase ratio showed no difference. Decreased expression of HAI-1 was associated with increased invasive depth and lymph node metastasis, but there was no statistical significance （P〉0.05）. The difference of SNC19/matriptase expression and HAI-1： SNC19/matriptase ratio was not significant in different stages and different lymph node metastasis status （P〉0.05）. The expression of SNC19/matriptase, HAI-1 or HAI-1： SNC19/matriptase ratio showed no difference in colorectal cancer tissues of different histological differentiation status （P〉0.05）. CONCLUSION： The expressions of SNC19/matriptase and its inhibitor HAI-1 are decreased in gastrointestinal cancer tissues compared to their normal counterparts, and the decreased expression of HAI-1 may correlate with invasion and lymph node metastasis. The possible mechanisms involved need to be further investigated.

Catalytic Transformation of Bio-oil to Olefins with Molecular Sieve Catalysts

Catalytic conversion of bio-oil into light olefins was performed by a series of molecular sieve catalysts, including HZSM-5, MCM-41, SAPO-34 and Y-zeolite. Based on the light olefins yield and its carbon selectivity, the production of light olefins decreased in the following order： HZSM-5〉SAPO-34〉MCM-41〉Y-zeolite. The highest olefins yield from bio-oil using HZSM- 5 catalyst reached 0.22 kg/kgbio-oil with carbon selectivity of 50.7% and a nearly complete bio-oil conversion. The reaction conditions and catalyst characterization were investigated in detail to reveal the relationship between the catalyst structure and the production of olefins. The comparison between the pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis of bio-oil was also performed.

In-situ fabrication SnO2/SnS2 heterostructure for boosting the photocatalytic degradation of pollutants

Heterostructure photocatalysts with a built-in electric field have become one of the most promising strategies to enhance photogenerated electron-hole pair separation. However, close contact between the two active components of heterogeneous photocatalysts remains a problem. Herein, the in-situ fabrication of an SnO2/SnS2 heterostructure photocatalyst was performed;the structure showed enhanced photocatalytic performance resulting from the tight-contact heterostructures. The results of photoelectrochemical measurements further verified that a tight-contact heterostructure improved the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The results of EIS Bode plots also demonstrated that such in-situ fabricated SnO2/SnS2 samples exhibited the longest carrier lifetime(41.6 μs) owing to the intimate interface of SnO2/SnS2 heterostructures.

Photogenerated carrier transfer mechanism and photocatalysis properties of TiO_2 sensitized by Zn(Ⅱ) phthalocyanine

The Zn(Ⅱ) phthalocyanine sensitized TiO2(ZnPc-TiO2) nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal method via impregnation with ZnPc.The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffractometry(XRD) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy(DRS),and the surface photovoltage spectroscopy(SPS) and photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B(RhB) were studied under illuminating.The experimental results indicate that TiO2 sensitized by ZnPc extends its absorption band into the visible region effectively,and the sensitized TiO2 has higher activity than TiO2(Degussa P-25) under the simulated solar light and the visible light.Based on the DRS and SPS results,the mechanism about the photogenerated carrier transfer between TiO2 and ZnPc is proposed.At a lower ZnPc content(≤0.20 μmol/g),ZnPc monomer acts as the electron donor,which provides the photoinduced electrons to the conduction band of TiO2.These photoinduced electrons can transfer to molecular oxygen(O2),leading to the formation of active species,such as superoxide/hydroxide radicals and singlet oxygen,which is beneficial to the photocatalytic reaction.While at a higher ZnPc content(>0.20 μmol/g),the formation of ZnPc dimer results in the decrease of photocatalytic activities of ZnPc-TiO2 photocatalyst.

Straightforward synthesis of beta zeolite encapsulated Pt nanoparticles for the transformation of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural into 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid

Encapsulating noble metal nanoparticles(NPs)within the zeolite framework enhances the stability and accessibility of active sites;however,direct synthesis remains a challenge because of the easy precipitation of noble metal species under strong alkali crystallization conditions.Herein,beta zeolite-encapsulated Pt NPs(Pt@Beta)were synthesized via a hydrothermal approach involving an unusual acid hydrolysis preaging step.The ligand—(3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane—and Pt precursor were cohydrolyzed and cocondensed with a silica source in an initially weak acidic environment to prevent colloidal precipitation by enhancing the interaction between the Pt and silica species.Thus,the resultant 0.2%Pt@Beta was highly active in the transformation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid(FDCA)under atmospheric O2 conditions by using water as the solvent while stably evincing a high yield(90%)associated with a large turnover number of 176.The excellent catalysis behavior is attributable to the enhanced stability that inhibits Pt leaching and strengthens the intermediates that accelerate the rate-determining step for the oxidation of 5-formyl-2-furan carboxylic acid into FDCA.

Recent Progress on Biocatalysis and Biotransformations in Ionic Liquids

Ionic liquids have negligibly low vapor pressure, high stability and polarity. They are regarded as green solvents. Enzymes, especially lipases, as well as whole-cell of microbe, are catalytically active in ionic liquids or aqueous-ionic liquid biphasic systems. Up to date, there have been many reports on enzyme-exhibited features and enzyme-mediated reactions in ionic liquids. In many cases, remarkable results with respect to yield, catalytic activity, stability and (enantio-, regio-) selectivity were obtained in ionic liquids in comparison with those observed in conventional media. Accordingly, ionic liquids provide new possibilities for the application of new type of solvent in biocatalytic reactions.

Improvement of Isomerization Process of Crude Isoamylene with Tertiary-amyl-alcohol Addition

The present work contributed to a new developed production method for enhancing the quality of isoamylene （IA） by adding a small amount of tertiary amyl alcohol （TAA） to the catalyst of strong acid cation exchange resin. TAA improved the selectivity of 2-methyl-2-butene （2M2B） at a high conversion level for the isomerization of IA. Compared with the other results from the current IA units, the conversion of 2-methyl- 1-butene （2M1B）, the mass ratio of 2M2B to 2M1B and the selectivity of 2M2B were increased from 0.5474, 7.32 and 0.6864 to 0.72, 12 and 0.95, respectively, while the dimers content in the products decreased from 4.38% to below 1.0%. Optimized conditions for IA isomerization consisted of temperature between 28 and 33℃ and system pressure of 0.5 MPa, weight hourly space velocity of 8.0 h-1 with TAA mass fraction of 0.7%-0.9% in raw material. The results in lab supported bases for the developed process in industrial application which was later proved to be successful. In addition, a possible mechanism of the isomerization process was speculated to propose a key step of water formation in the TAA-added isomerization process and a verified experiment was conducted to support this speculation.

Thermodynamic Analysis of Heavy Metals Biosorption by Two Macroalgae

The thermodynamic process of two macroalgae, Sargassum fusiforme and Laminaria japonica, absorbing heavy metal ions Cu2+, Pb2+, Cd2+ and Ni2+, has been studied. The result indicates that the absorption isotherms of these two macroalgae clearly accord with the Landmuir adsorption model. The absorptive processes of S. fusiforme and L. japonica for Cu2+℃ are endothermal, and at 35 , the adsorption heat of these two algae is 59.5 kJ/mol and 76.8 kJ/mol respectively. Temperature could affect the algae’s adsorption capacity. Their adsorption ℃℃capacity increases with temperature ( 25 and 35 ).

Novel efficient procedure for biodiesel synthesis from waste oils with high acid value using 1-sulfobutyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrosulfate ionic liquid as the catalyst

Preparation of biodiesel from waste oils containing 72% of free fatty acids catalyzed by a novel Br?nsted acidic ionic liquid 1-sulfobutyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrosulfate([BHSO_3MIM][HSO_4]) was systematically investigated.The optimum molar ratio of methanol to waste oils,catalyst amount,reaction temperature and reaction time were 8/1,10%(based on the mass of waste oils),140°C and 6 h,respectively,under which the obtained yield of biodiesel reached 94.9%.Also,[BHSO_3MIM][HSO_4] as a catalyst still retained around 97% of its original catalytic activity after successive re-use of 5 batches(6 h per batch),showing the excellent operational stability.Moreover,the acidic IL [BHSO_3MIM][HSO_4] was able to ef ficiently catalyze conversions of waste oils with different amounts of FFAs(free fatty acids) into biodiesel,and showed tremendous application potential.Therefore,an ef ficient and environmentally friendly catalyst is provided for the synthesis of biodiesel from waste oils with high acid value.

Electron Beam Application for Regeneration of Catalysts Used in Refinery Cracking Units

A catalyst is a substance that alters the rate of a reaction. The process of catalysis is essential to the modem day manufacturing industry, mainly in FCC （Fluid Catalytic Cracking） process units. However, long-term exploitation of oil and gas processing catalysts leads to formation of carbon- and sulfur-containing structures of coke and dense products on the catalyst surface. They block reactive catalyst sites and reduce the catalytic activity. The main advantage of radiation processing by EB （electron beam） and gamma rays is chain cracking reaction in crude oil. Otherwise, under exposure to ionize radiation, considerable structure modification of equilibrium silica-alumina catalyst from FCC process may occur, in addition to the removal of impurities. The conditions applied in the irradiation range （20-150 kGy） of gamma rays and EB were not sufficient to alter the structure of the catalyst, whether for removal of the contaminant nickel, a major contaminant of the FCC catalyst, either to rupture of the crystalline structure either for the future reutilization of chemical elements. ATR-FTIR （Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and EDXRFS （Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry） analysis were used to characterize and evaluate effects of radiation processing on equilibrium catalysts purification. To evaluate and comprehend the reactive catalyst sites, SEM （Scanning Electron Microscopy） and particle size distribution analyses were carried out.

One Step Preparation of Sulfonated Solid Catalyst and Its Effect in Esterification Reaction

A carbon-based sulfonated catalyst was prepared by direct sulfonation and carbonization （in moderate conditions：200 ＆#176;C, 12 h） of red liquor solids, a by-product of paper-making process. The prepared sulfonated cata-lyst （SC） had aromatic structure, composed of carbon enriched inner core, and oxygen-containing （SO3H, COOH, OH） groups enriched surface. The SO3H, COOH, OH groups amounted to 0.74 mmol·g^-1, 0.78 mmol·g^-1, 2.18 mmol·g^-1, respectively. The fresh SC showed much higher catalytic activity than that of the traditional solid acid catalysts （strong^-acid 732 cation exchange resin, hydrogen type zeolite socony mobile-five （HZSM-5）, sulfated zir-conia） in esterification of oleic acid. SC was deactivated during the reactions, through the mechanisms of leaching of sulfonated species and formation of sulfonate esters. Two regeneration methods were developed, and the catalytic activity can be mostly regenerated by regeneration Method 1 and be fully regenerated by regeneration Method 2, respectively.

The biomimetic catalytic synthesis of acetal compounds using β-cyclodextrin as catalyst

Based on the principle of biomimetic catalysis, β-cyclodextrin was applied to the acetalation reaction as a facile and efficient catalyst, and the synthesis was environmentally friendly with atomic economy. The influencing factors of the acetalation reaction e.g. the reaction time, the volume of water-carrying agent,the molar ratio of catalyst to benzaldehyde and the molar ratio of glycol to benzaldehyde had been studied.The yield of benzaldehyde glycol acetal would reach a maximum of 81.3% under the conditions approached.Six of other acetals were also synthesized. Moreover, a plausible reaction mechanism for the formation of acetal had been proposed.

厚朴

1呃——呃——鲁计划的酒嗝不到十秒钟一次。一口茶水后,酒嗝间隙,一连放出几个响屁。我们捂住鼻子。鲁计划伸手摸下光头,又张口一个哈欠,眼角挤出一层水液。放响屁,打酒嗝,此生足矣。说罢大笑。笑声却在呃呃的酒嗝声中支离破碎。他说得没错。作为便秘症患者,能够放出响屁,打出富有节律的酒嗝,以冒天下之大不韪之举排泄肉身的沉渣余毒,痛快。若干月后,鲁计划的酒嗝和响屁。

伟大的风景默默无语

美国生态学家和环境保护主义先驱奥尔多·利奥波德,曾经向世人提出“大地道德”的命题。他认为,大地道德就是要求人类放弃自然霸权之心,而变成大地共同体中平等的一员。这个命题暗含着对每种生命的尊敬,也包括对大地本身的尊敬。大自然母亲在默默无语地看着我们。一切所谓“霸权者”和“征服者”,最终都将祸及自身。

Photoluminescence of CdSe Nanowires Grown With and Without Metal Catalyst

We present temperature and power dependent photoluminescence measurements on CdSe nanowires synthesized via vapor-phase with and without the use of a metal catalyst. Nanowires produced without a catalyst can be optimized to yield higher quantum efficiency, and narrower and spatially uniform emission, when compared to the catalyst-assisted ones. Emission at energies lower than the band-edge is also found in both cases. By combining spatially-resolved photoluminescence and electron microscopy on the same nanowires, we show that catalyst-free nanowires exhibit a low-energy peak with sharp phonon replica, whereas for catalyst-assisted nanowires low-energy emission is linked to the presence of nanostructures with extended morphological defects.

A stable metal-covalent-supramolecular organic framework hybrid: enrichment of catalysts for visible light-induced hydrogen production

Cubic metal-covalent-supramolecular organic framework(MCSOF-1)hybrid has been created from the reaction of two molecular components and subsequent co-assembly with cucurbit[8]uril(CB[8])in water.In the presence of CB[8],[Ru(bpy)_3]^(2+)-based acylhydrazine 1·2Cl reacted with aldehyde 2·Cl to quantitatively yield six-armed precursor 3·8Cl through the generation of MCSOF-1.MCSOF-1 combines the structural features of metal-,covalent-and supramolecular organic frameworks.Its periodicity in water and in the solid state was confirmed by synchrotron X-ray scattering and diffraction experiments.MCSOF-1could enrich discrete anionic polyoxometalates(POMs),maintain periodicity in acidic medium,and remarkably facilitate visible light-induced electron transfer from its[Ru(bpy)_3]^(2+)units to enriched POMs,leading to enhanced catalysis of the POMs for the reduction of proton to H_2in both aqueous(homogeneous)and organic(heterogeneous)media.

Synergistic effect of atomic layer deposition-assisted cocatalyst and crystal facet engineering in SnS2 nanosheet for solar water oxidation

The severe bulk recombination and sluggish oxygen evolution reaction(OER)dynamics of photoanodes severely restrict the application of photoelectrochemical(PEC)devices.To solve these two problems,crystallographic facet orientation and cocatalyst emergence with a high-quality photoanode/cocatalyst interface were realized through an air annealing-assisted strategy to treat atomic layer deposition(ALD)-modified SnSnanosheet arrays.Based on experimental observations and theoretical calculations,the reduced(001)crystal facet of SnSdecreases the recombination of photogenerated carriers in the bulk and improves the carrier separation of the photoanode.Moreover,the unexpectedly formed ZnTiOSfilm decreases the overpotential of the surface OER,reduces interface recombination,and extends the carrier lifetime.These synergistic effects lead to significantly enhanced PEC performance,with a high photocurrent density of 1.97 mA cm^(-2)at 1.23 V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)and a low onset potential of 0.21 V vs.RHE,which are superior to reported mostly SnS-based photoanodes.

Atomically dispersed Au_1 catalyst towards efficient electrochemical synthesis of ammonia

Tremendous efforts have been devoted to explore energy-efficient strategies of ammonia synthesis to replace Haber-Bosch process which accounts for 1.4% of the annual energy consumption. In this study, atomically dispersed Au_1 catalyst is synthesized and applied in electrochemical synthesis of ammonia under ambient conditions. A high NH＋4 Faradaic efficiency of 11.1 % achieved by our Au_1 catalyst surpasses most of reported catalysts under comparable conditions. Benefiting from efficient atom utilization, an NH＋4 yield rate of 1,305 μg h-1 mg-1Au has been reached, which is roughly 22.5 times as high as that by sup- ported Au nanoparticles. We also demonstrate that by employing our Au_1 catalyst, NH＋4 can be electro- chemically produced directly from N_2 and H_2 with an energy utilization rate of 4.02 mmol kJ-1. Our study provides a possibility of replacing the Haber-Bosch process with environmentally benign and energy-efficient electrochemical strategies.

Thermally-assisted photodegradation of lignin by TiO_2/H_2O_2 under visible/near-infrared light irradiation

As a bio-recalcitrant organic pollutant in paper mill effluent, lignin is generally removed by an advanced oxidation process, such as a TiO2/H2O2 photocatalytic technique under irradiation with ultraviolet light, which only accounts for less than 5% of sunlight. Herein, we reported a TiO2/H2O2-based thermally-assisted photocatalytic process that allows lignin to be efficiently degraded under visible/near-infrared light at an elevated temperature. Adsorption of H2O2 on TiO2 nanoparticles and an increase of temperature facilitate the production and separation of charge carriers under near-infrared and visible light irradiation, accelerate carrier transfer at the TiO2-electrolyte interface and promote the production of hydroxyl radicals, A higher level of H2O2 addition results in an increased degradation rate of lignin,while the optimal temperature for the thermally-assisted photodegradation of lignin is 70℃. A charge carrier excitation and transfer process was proposed for the TiO2/H2O2, thermally-assisted photocatalytic process. This work describes a new method for the photodegradation of organic pollutants,such as residual lignin in paper mill effluent, using wide band gap semiconductors under visible and near-infrared light irradiation.