Enhancing fuel characteristics and combustion performance of cellulose-rich straws through CO-assisted torrefaction.

Cellulose-rich straws of corn and rice were torrefied under carbon dioxide, and the fuel characteristics and combustion performance of the obtained biochar were investigated. A high severity resulted in surface collapse, greater pore volume, elimination of oxygen, elevated calorific value, and improved hydrophobicity in biochar. Following carbon dioxide torrefaction, the cellulose content in solid biochar experienced a slight decrease when the temperature was raised to 220 °C for longer residence durations.

Inhibition of ultraviolet-induced sea cucumber (Stichopus japonicus) autolysis by maintaining coelomocyte intracellular calcium homeostasis.

Apoptosis plays a critical role in sea cucumber autolysis. To investigate the ultraviolet (UV)-induced apoptosis, sea cucumbers with and without injection of BAPTA-AM (cytosolic calcium chelator) were exposed to UV (15 W/m) for 30 min. The results showed that UV irradiation caused several changes in sea cucumber coelomocytes, including calcium imbalance, abnormal morphology of endoplasmic reticulum, upregulation of pro-apoptotic proteins CRT, CHOP, and caspases 9 and 3, and downregulation of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2.

Theacrine protects against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by regulating acylcarnitine metabolism.

Objective: Acylcarnitine metabolism disorder contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). There are, however, few ideal medications for NAFLD, which work by targeting acylcarnitine metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of theacrine, a rare purine alkaloid isolated from Camellia assamica var.