Investigation of rice straw and kitchen waste degradation through vermicomposting.

This study investigated the effect of vermicomposting on the degradation of rice straw and kitchen waste. Different ratios of straw and kitchen waste mixtures were used as feedstocks. After vermicomposting the substrates for 45 days under 20-25 °C moisture 60%, the vermicomposting resulted in a significant increase in phosphorous (31.

Vertically porous nickel thin film supported Mn3O4 for enhanced energy storage performance.

Three-dimensionally porous metal materials are often used as the current collectors and support for the active materials of supercapacitors. However, the applications of vertically porous metal materials in supercapacitors are rarely reported, and the effect of vertically porous metal materials on the energy storage performance of supported metal oxides is not explored. To this end, the Mn3O4-vertically porous nickel (VPN) electrodes are fabricated via a template-free method.

The role of Moloney leukemia virus 10 in hepatitis B virus expression in hepatoma cells.

Recent studies have shown that the Moloney leukemia virus 10 (Mov10), a putative RNA helicase, has very broad and potent antiretroviral activities. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has a reverse transcription process, but the potential role of Mov10 in HBV replication remains unknown. In this study, Mov10 was demonstrated to affect HBV expression in HepG2 and HepG2.

Altered mRNA levels of MOV10, A3G, and IFN-α in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

To explore the relationship of the MOV10, A3G, and IFN-α mRNA levels with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, Blood samples from 96 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 21 healthy individuals as control were collected. HBV DNA load and aminotransferase in the serum were tested using real time PCR and velocity methods, respectively. The MOV10, A3G, and IFN-α mRNA levels in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were examined through qRT-PCR.

Successful establishment and evaluation of a new animal model for studying the hepatitis B virus YVDD mutant.

The treatment of infection with lamivudine-resistant mutants of hepatitis B virus (HBV) with mutations in the YMDD motif has become a crucial issue in the clinic. In this work, the plasmids pcDNA3.1 (+)-HBV/C-YVDD and pcDNA3.

Viral deletions among healthy young Chinese adults with occult hepatitis B virus infection.

To investigate the mechanism and prognosis of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI) at a molecular level among healthy young adults, the presence of HBV DNA in 1176 sera samples collected from healthy young people after neonatal vaccination was assessed by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers designed for the X and S regions of the HBV genome. Full-length HBV DNA from 9 patients with OBI (OB1-OB9) was cloned and sequenced. Deletions in the pre-S, basal core promoter (BCP), core (C) and polymerase (P) regions were observed.

[Influence of flocculant bacterium on characteristics of aerobic granular sludge].

The aerobic granular sludge was cultivated by adding flocculant bacteria in sequencing batch airlift reactor (SBAR), the physical-chemical properties and biodegradation effect of granules were studied so as to investigate the influence of flocculant bacterium on characteristics of aerobic granular sludge. The results showed that flocculant bacterium could prompt granulation process, the aerobic granules could be successfully cultivated when the dose of flocculants was between 0-20 mL/L. The optimum dose was 10 mL/L, in this case the formation of aerobic granules needed 35d which was faster than that of 42 d in blank experiment, and SVI was around 40 mL/g, settling velocity reached 35.

Association of plasma homocysteine and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T gene variant with schizophrenia: A Chinese Han population-based case-control study.

This study examined the association of plasma homocysteine levels and the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphism with schizophrenia in the Han population residing in northern China. We detected the MTHFR C677T genotype in 123 schizophrenia patients and compared it with the genotype of 123 controls by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). In addition, by using the cyclophorase method, the plasma homocysteine concentration in 62 schizophrenia patients was determined and then compared with that in 62 controls; these 62 patients and 62 controls were a subset of the 123 patients and 123 controls.

Thermal-behavior study of chlorine released from composite refuse derived fuel.

In order to reduce secondary pollution during the incineration of composite refuse derived fuel (CRDF), the combustion features and the emission behavior of chlorine in CRDF containing coal were analyzed. The former was analyzed using thermo-gravimetric and the latter by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The release rate of inorganic chlorine during combustion reached 90 mass% at temperature between 773.

Empirical study on clique-degree distribution of networks.

The community structure and motif-modular-network hierarchy are of great importance for understanding the relationship between structures and functions. We investigate the distribution of clique degrees, which are an extension of degree and can be used to measure the density of cliques in networks. Empirical studies indicate the extensive existence of power-law clique-degree distributions in various real networks, and the power-law exponent decreases with an increase of clique size.