Portable solid phase micro-extraction coupled with ion mobility spectrometry system for on-site analysis of chemical warfare agents and simulants in water samples.

On-site analysis is an efficient approach to facilitate analysis at the location of the system under investigation as it can result in more accurate, more precise and quickly available analytical data. In our work, a novel self-made thermal desorption based interface was fabricated to couple solid-phase microextraction with ion mobility spectrometry for on-site water analysis. The portable interface can be connected with the front-end of an ion mobility spectrometer directly without other modifications.

Autohydrolysis pretreatment of waste wheat straw for cellulosic ethanol production in a co-located straw pulp mill.

Waste wheat straw (WWS) is the waste product from feedstock preparation process in a straw pulp mill. It has a significant annual production rate and no commercial value has been explored on this material. In this study, waste wheat straw was pretreated using an autohydrolysis process followed by mechanical refining, and the pretreated materials were further enzymatically hydrolyzed to evaluate the total sugar recovery for bioethanol production.

Molecular dynamics simulations of the mechanical properties of monoclinic hydroxyapatite.

Inorganic biomedical materials are of great interest in the biomedical field. One such material, hydroxyapatite (HAP), is the main inorganic substance in the hard tissue of bones and teeth in the human body. Until recently, studies of the mechanical properties of HAP by uniaxial tension testing and compression molecular dynamics (MD) simulation had remained difficult.

Btbd7 contributes to reduced E-cadherin expression and predicts poor prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Disorders of cell adhesion are critical steps in cancer progression in which varieties of markers including cadherins are involved in.Btbd7 was found to inhibit E-cadherin expression in MDCK cells and play important roles during branching morphogenesis of embryonic salivary glands and lungs. However its function in malignant tumors is largely unknown.

Conversion of industrial paper sludge to ethanol: fractionation of sludge and its impact.

Paper sludge is an attractive biomass source for the conversion to ethanol due to its low cost and the lack of severe pretreatment required. Four sludges from pulp and paper operations including both virgin kraft (VK) and recycled and deinking (RD) paper mills were analyzed. A fractionation process using a laboratory screen was utilized to produce a fiber-rich stream for enzymatic hydrolysis.

Armc8 expression was elevated during atypia-to-carcinoma progression and associated with cancer development of breast carcinoma.

Armadillo repeat-containing protein 8 (Armc8) is a key factor to regulate cell membrane adhesion complex through promoting α-catenin degradation. However, its expression and function in human malignant tumors are largely unknown. Here, we present our study investigating Armc8 expression in tumor and non-tumor breast tissues including 45 normal epithelia, 53 lesions of hyperplasia with or without dysplasia, 22 benign tumors, and 92 carcinomas including 28 carcinomas in situ and 64 infiltrating carcinomas using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blotting study.

Acid-catalyzed autohydrolysis of wheat straw to improve sugar recovery.

A comparison study of autohydrolysis and acid-catalyzed autohydrolysis of wheat straw was performed to understand the impact of acid addition on overall sugar recovery. Autohydrolysis combined with refining is capable of achieving sugar recoveries in the mid 70s. If the addition of a small amount of acid is capable of increasing the sugar recovery even higher it may be economically attractive.

Constitutive overexpression of soybean plasma membrane intrinsic protein GmPIP1;6 confers salt tolerance.

Background: Under saline conditions, plant growth is depressed via osmotic stress and salt can accumulate in leaves leading to further depression of growth due to reduced photosynthesis and gas exchange. Aquaporins are proposed to have a major role in growth of plants via their impact on root water uptake and leaf gas exchange. In this study, soybean plasma membrane intrinsic protein 1;6 (GmPIP1;6) was constitutively overexpressed to evaluate the function of GmPIP1;6 in growth regulation and salt tolerance in soybean.

Synthesis of large-pore mesostructured cellular foam silica spheres for the adsorption of biomolecules.

Mesostructured cellular foam (MCF) silica spheres with different textual parameters were synthesized using a triblock copolymer as a template. The effects of acid concentration and aging time on the window size and morphology were discussed. Besides, the adsorption performances of lysozyme and bovine serum albumin on the blank MCF with different window size and aminopropyl-modified MCFs were studied.

Overexpression of GmAKT2 potassium channel enhances resistance to soybean mosaic virus.

Background: Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) is the most prevalent viral disease in many soybean production areas. Due to a large number of SMV resistant loci and alleles, SMV strains and the rapid evolution in avirulence/effector genes, traditional breeding for SMV resistance is complex. Genetic engineering is an effective alternative method for improving SMV resistance in soybean.

[Hazard evaluation modeling of particulate matters emitted by coal-fired boilers and case analysis].

In order to evaluate the hazard of PM2.5 emitted by various boilers, in this paper, segmentation of particulate matters with sizes of below 2. 5 microm was performed based on their formation mechanisms and hazard level to human beings and environment.

Three new tetranorditerpenes from aerial parts of acerola cherry (Malpighia emarginata).

Acerola cherry is a world famous fruit which contains abundant antioxidants such as vitamin C, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenolics. However, studies concerning bioactivity components from aerial parts of acerola (Malpighia emarginata) are scarce. In view of this, we have examined the constituents of aerial parts of acerola, and three new tetranorditerpenes acerolanins A-C (1-3) with a rare 2H-benz[e]inden-2-one substructure were isolated.

Sequential embolization of the branches of the bile duct and portal vein to the targeted hepatic lobe in rats.

Background: The high recurrence rate of hepatolithiasis and the high operative risk of right posterior, caudate or multiple lobe hepatectomy are the unsettled problems in hepatobiliary surgery. The present study was to investigate the efficacy of chemical hepatectomy performed via applying sequential embolization of the branches of the bile duct and portal vein to the targeted hepatic lobe.

Methods: The bile duct and portal vein branches of the median hepatic lobe of rats were treated with: 1) bile duct embolization followed by portal vein ligation (BDE+PVL) and 2) portal vein ligation followed by bile duct embolization (PVL+BDE).

Forsythiaside attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses in the bursa of Fabricius of chickens by downregulating the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Forsythiaside, a phenylethanoside product isolated from air-dried fruits of , has been demonstrated to exhibit antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities . However, its mechanism and the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced injury on the bursa of Fabricius (BF) of chickens are poorly understood. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of forsythiaside on LPS-induced acute inflammation.

Enrichment and purification of total flavonoids from Flos Populi extracts with macroporous resins and evaluation of antioxidant activities in vitro.

Enrichment and purification of total flavonoids from Flos Populi extracts were studied using five macroporous resins. The static tests indicated that NKA-9 resin was appropriate and its adsorption data were well fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. To optimize the separation process, dynamic adsorption and desorption tests were carried out.

Application of graphene for the SPE clean-up of organophosphorus pesticides residues from apple juices.

In this paper, an effective graphene-based SPE clean-up procedure coupled with GC-MS was developed for the determination of organophosphorus pesticide residues in apple juices. The apple juice samples were diluted with water and could be loaded onto the cartridge directly. Several parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were investigated, including the type of elution, washing solution, and sample pH.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of autohydrolyzed wheat straw followed by refining to produce fermentable sugars.

Wheat straw was pretreated using an autohydrolysis process with different temperatures (160-200 °C) and times (10-20 min) in order to allow the recovery of hemicellulose in the filtrate and help open up the structure of the biomass for improved accessibility of enzymes during enzymatic hydrolysis. Autohydrolysis at 190 °C for 10 min provided the highest overall sugar (12.2/100g raw wheat straw) in the autohydrolysis filtrate and recovered 62.

Applying chemical bile duct embolization to achieve chemical hepatectomy in hepatolithiasis: a further experimental study.

Background: Hepatolithiasis is the presence of calculi within the bile ducts of the liver. It represents a significant problem for hepatobiliary surgery because of its high recurrence rate and the associated risk for partial hepatectomy. This study was designed to explore the long-term efficacy of chemical biliary duct embolization (CBDE) to treat recurrent hepatolithiasis.

Graphene as an efficient sorbent for the SPE of organochlorine pesticides in water samples coupled with GC-MS.

The determination of organochlorine pesticides in water samples, which are harmful to humans, is very important for environmental risk assessment. Based on the excellent adsorption properties of graphene, an SPE coupled with GC-MS method for the monitoring of organochlorines (four hexachlorcyclohexanes and four dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes) was developed. Owing to the hydrophobic interaction and π-π stacking interaction between the analytes and graphene, the analytes quantitatively adsorbed onto the graphene-based SPE cartridge were eluted by ethyl acetate for analysis.

Preparation and retention mechanism study of graphene and graphene oxide bonded silica microspheres as stationary phases for high performance liquid chromatography.

Graphene oxide (GO) bonded stationary phase for high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was fabricated by coating GO sheets onto aminosilica microspheres via covalent coupling. Graphene (G) functionalized HPLC stationary phase was then prepared through hydrazine reduction of GO bonded silica (GO@SiO2) composite, which was the first example of using graphene as stationary-phase component for HPLC. Effective separations of the tested neutral and polar compounds on both GO@SiO2 and graphene bonded silica (G@SiO2) columns were achieved under the optimal experimental conditions.

Graphene-based solid-phase extraction disk for fast separation and preconcentration of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental water samples.

Graphene has great potentials for the use in sample preparation due to its ultra high specific surface area, superior chemical stability, and excellent thermal stability. In our work, a novel graphene-based SPE disk was developed for separation and preconcentration of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental water samples. Based on the strong π-π stacking interaction between the analytes and graphene, the analytes extracted by graphene were eluted by cyclohexane and then determined by GC-MS.

Synthesis of highly dispersed mesostructured cellular foam silica sphere and its application in high-performance liquid chromatography.

Highly dispersed mesostructured cellular foam silica spheres of relatively uniform micrometer size (3.5-4.5 μm) were successfully prepared using a triblock copolymer EO(20)PO(70)EO(20) as the structure-directing agent accompanied by TMB and K(2)SO(4).

Facile and tunable fabrication of Fe3O4/graphene oxide nanocomposites and their application in the magnetic solid-phase extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental water samples.

An electrostatic self-assembly approach was employed to prepare Fe(3)O(4)/graphene oxide nanocomposites, and their application in the magnetic solid-phase extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental samples was investigated. With the highly hydrophilic graphene oxide sheets and positively charged surface of the Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles, the nanocomposites were synthesized through electrostatic interaction in aqueous solution. Simultaneously, the different loading amounts of Fe(3)O(4) onto the graphene oxide were easily controlled by changing the proportion of the initial precursors.

Green liquor pretreatment for improving enzymatic hydrolysis of corn stover.

Green liquor consists of sodium carbonate and sodium sulfide and is readily available in any kraft mills. The green liquor pretreatment process for bioethanol production was developed for wood chips. This process uses only proven technology and equipment currently used in a kraft pulp mill and has several additional advantages such as high sugar recovery and concentration, no inhibitive substances produced, as compared to acid-based pretreatment methods.

A new strategy for quality control and qualitative analysis of Yinhuang preparations by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS.

A combinative method using fingerprint analysis (FA) and multi-ingredients quantification (MIQ) was developed and validated for the quality control of Yinhuang (YH) preparations including granule, capsule, and lozenge by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). Common peaks with or without standard references in FA were confirmed or identified by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). The chromatographic separations were achieved on a Sepax GP-C(18) column (250 mm × 4.