Biochar industry to circular economy.

Biochar, produced as a by-product of pyrolysis/gasification of waste biomass, shows great potential to reduce the environment impact, address the climate change issue, and establish a circular economy model. Despite the promising outlook, the research on the benefits of biochar remains highly debated. This has been attributed to the heterogeneity of biochar itself, with its inherent physical, chemical and biological properties highly influenced by production variables such as feedstock types and treating conditions.

Photocatalytic degradation of terephthalic acid on sulfated titania particles and identification of fluorescent intermediates.

Terephthalic acid (TA) is toxic and known as an endocrine disruptor. In this paper, the photocatalytic degradation of TA using sulfated titanium dioxide SO4(2-)/TiO2 photocatalysts was investigated. The photocatalysts were prepared by sol-gel method and characterized by XRD, SEM, BET, ICP/MS and spectroscopic methods.

Network Analyses of Gene Expression following Fascin Knockdown in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells.

Fascin-1 (FSCN1) is an actin-bundling protein that induces cell membrane protrusions, increases cell motility, and is overexpressed in various human epithelial cancers, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We analyzed various protein-protein interactions (PPI) of differentially-expressed genes (DEGs), in fascin knockdown ESCC cells, to explore the role of fascin overexpression. The node-degree distributions indicated these PPI sub-networks to be characterized as scale-free.

A systematic analysis of human lipocalin family and its expression in esophageal carcinoma.

The lipocalin proteins (lipocalins) are a large family of small proteins characterized by low sequence similarity and highly conserved crystal structures. Lipocalins have been found to play important roles in many human diseases. For this reason, a systemic analysis of the molecular properties of human lipocalins is essential.

Selective removal of photocatalytic non-degradable fluorosurfactants from reverse osmosis concentrate.

Recently photocatalytic treatment of municipal reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) has drawn increasing attention due to its relatively high efficiency and low cost. However, photocatalytic reactions by commercially available TiO₂ are not able to degrade fluorosurfactants in the ROC sample due to the absence of photoreactive groups in these compounds. Here we investigated adsorption and coagulation methods and their efficiencies in removing fluorosurfactants.

In-syringe dispersive solid-phase extraction using dissolvable layered double oxide hollow spheres as sorbent followed by high-performance liquid chromatography for determination of 11 phenols in river water.

Layered double oxide hollow spheres (LDO-HSs) were synthesized and employed as a dissolvable sorbent in dispersive solid-phase extraction (DSPE) to extract eleven United States Environmental Protection Agency's priority phenols from aqueous samples. With their higher specific surface area, LDO-HSs showed much higher extraction efficiency than normal layered double hydroxides and layered double oxides. The entire extraction process was accomplished in a syringe.

Shortest path analyses in the protein-protein interaction network of NGAL (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) overexpression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

NGAL (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) is a novel cancer-related protein involves multiple functions in many cancers and other diseases. We previously overexpressed NGAL to analyze its role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In this study, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) was constructed and the shortest paths from NGAL to transcription factors in the network were analyzed.

Caloric restriction promotes the reserve of follicle pool in adult female rats by inhibiting the activation of mammalian target of rapamycin signaling.

Caloric restriction (CR) is known to increase the number of primordial follicles and prolong the reproductive life span. However, how CR modulates follicular development is not well understood. In the present study, we examined the effects of CR on follicular development in rats and investigated the underlying mechanism.

The effects of caloric restriction and a high-fat diet on ovarian lifespan and the expression of SIRT1 and SIRT6 proteins in rats.

Background And Aims: Caloric restriction (CR) extends mammals' lifespans and suppresses ovary development. Sirtuins are involved in these mechanisms. If, and to what extent CR affects ovarian lifespan and follicle development is largely unknown.