Membrane assisted continuous production of solvents with integrated solvent removal using liquid-liquid extraction.

The aim of this work was to demonstrate an industrially relevant pilot scale integrated process to produce butanol and other solvents from lignocellulosic sugars produced with AVAP® biomass fractionation technology from southern pine wood. The concentrated sugars were concurrently fermented using genetically engineered Clostridium acetobutylicum to n-butanol, acetone, isopropanol and ethanol in continuous membrane assisted cell recycle fermentation with steady-state solvent productivity exceeding 10 g/L/h. The solvents from the cell free permeate were recovered with extractant of butyl butyrate in a continuous liquid-liquid extraction column and aqueous product (raffinate) along with unused sugars, nutrients, and metabolic intermediates were recycled back to the fermentors.

Comparison between NOD/SCID mice and BALB/c mice for patient-derived tumor xenografts model of non-small-cell lung cancer.

Background: Patient-derived tumor xenografts (PDX) are considered as a more reliable experiment model for screening chemotherapeutic drugs. However, the tumorigenic rate differs depending on mouse strains, which generates the experimental variability.

Materials And Methods: In this study, we built PDX models of human non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in NOD/SCID mice in comparison with BALB/c mice.

DOX Loaded Aggregation-induced Emission Active Polymeric Nanoparticles as a Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Traceable Drug Delivery System for Self-indicating Cancer Therapy.

In this study, an AIE-active polymer (FTP) was successfully prepared and employed to load anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) for self-indicating cancer therapy via dual FRET process. Our results demonstrated that the FTP polymer could self-assemble into nanoparticles (NPs) in aqueous solutions to give strong fluorescence emission via intramolecular FRET process. The DOX loaded FTP NPs (drug loading content: 21.

Experimental analysis of the dynamic north-finding method based on a fiber optic gyroscope: erratum.

The correction to the funding in Appl. Opt.56, 6504 (2017)APOPAI0003-693510.

Ultrafast formation and dynamics of interlayer exciton in a large-area CVD-grown WS/WSe heterostructure.

A WS/WSe heterostructure is constructed by stacking a WS monolayer on the top of WSe monolayer fabricated with chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Ultrafast transient spectroscopy is used to demonstrate the ultrafast charge transfer and interlayer exciton dynamics in the heterostructure. When the WS/WSe heterostructure was photoexcitated at 617 nm (2.

miRNA Mediated Noise Making of 3'UTR Mutations in Cancer.

Somatic mutations in 3'-untranslated regions (3'UTR) do not alter amino acids and are considered to be silent in cancers. We found that such mutations can promote tumor progression by altering microRNA (miRNA) targeting efficiency and consequently affecting miRNA⁻mRNA interactions. We identified 67,159 somatic mutations located in the 3'UTRs of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) which can alter miRNA⁻mRNA interactions (functional somatic mutations, funcMutations), and 69.

In Situ Grain Boundary Modification via Two-Dimensional Nanoplates to Remarkably Improve Stability and Efficiency of Perovskite Solar Cells.

Even though a record efficiency of 23.3% has been achieved in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells, their stability remains a critical issue, which greatly depends on the morphology of perovskite absorbers. Herein, we report a practical grain boundary modification to remarkably improve the humidity and thermal stability by gradually growing in situ two-dimensional nanoplates between the grain boundaries of perovskite films using phenylethylammonium iodide (PEAI).

Novel dual responsive alginate-based magnetic nanogels for onco-theranostics.

The aim of this work was to obtain a novel onco-theranostic system for early diagnosis and improved chemotherapeutic outcome. Hybrid nanogels with magnetic and dual responsive properties were fabricated by covalently attaching superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) with a disulfide-modified alginate derivative, while simultaneously encapsulating the anticancer drug doxorubicin. The resulting nanogels exhibited magnetic-targeted characteristics, high drug loading content, co-triggered release behavior, high toxicity to tumor cells, low side effects to normal cells, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) functions.

Bright room temperature single photon source at telecom range in cubic silicon carbide.

Single-photon emitters (SPEs) play an important role in a number of quantum information tasks such as quantum key distributions. In these protocols, telecom wavelength photons are desired due to their low transmission loss in optical fibers. In this paper, we present a study of bright single-photon emitters in cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) emitting in the telecom range.

Modelling mucosal surface roughness in the human velopharynx: a computational fluid dynamics study of healthy and obstructive sleep apnea airways.

We previously published a unique methodology for quantifying human velopharyngeal mucosal surface topography and found increased mucosal surface roughness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In fluid mechanics, surface roughness is associated with increased frictional pressure losses and resistance. This study used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to analyze the mechanistic effect of different levels of mucosal surface roughness on velopharyngeal airflow.

Amino acids profile within peripheral blood and follicular fluid based on high-performance liquid chromatography methods may explain differences in folliculogenesis between short-term under/over-fed treatments during luteal phase of Hu sheep.

The nutritional alteration of amino acids (AAs) profile in physiological fluid was poorly characterized in livestock. After oestrus synchronization, 24 ewes were randomly assigned to two groups based on the nutrient requirement recommended for maintenance (M): the feed-supplemented group (S, 1.5 × M, N = 12) and feed-restricted group (R, 0.

Donor-Acceptor Conjugated Polymer Dots for Tunable Electrochemiluminescence Activated by Aggregation-Induced Emission-Active Moieties.

Low-potential electrochemiluminescence (ECL) luminophores with excellent ECL behavior have attracted considerable interest in biological analysis. Herein, we describe the synthesis of two aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active conjugated polymers with a donor-acceptor (D-A) system via a Suzuki coupling polymerization reaction. The intramolecular D-A pairs enhanced their luminescence intensity in aggregate states, which was beneficial for preparation of conjugated polymer dots (Pdots) as ECL materials.

Role of Surface Recombination in Halide Perovskite Nanoplatelets.

Halide perovskites are an extremely promising material platform for solar cells and photonic devices. The role of surface carrier recombination-well known to detrimentally affect the performance of devices-is still not well understood for thin samples where the thickness is comparable to or less than the carrier diffusion length. Here, using time-resolved microspectroscopy along with modeling, we investigate charge-carrier recombination dynamics in halide perovskite CHNHPbI nanoplatelets with thicknesses from ∼20 to 200 nm, ranging from much lesser than to comparable to the carrier diffusion length.

Record Efficiency Stable Flexible Perovskite Solar Cell Using Effective Additive Assistant Strategy.

Even though the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of rigid perovskite solar cells is increased to 22.7%, the PCE of flexible perovskite solar cells (F-PSCs) is still lower. Here, a novel dimethyl sulfide (DS) additive is developed to effectively improve the performance of the F-PSCs.

[Impacts of multicomponent environment on intrinsic dissolution rate of berberine in biopharmaceutics classification system of Chinese materia medica].

To illustrate the intrinsic dissolution rate(IDR) involved in biopharmaceutics classification system of Chinese materia medica(CMMBCS), investigate the effect of artificial multicomponent environment on IDR of berberine, by using a non-disintegrating disk, and summarize related rules by using the obtained data. Progressive levels design was used to investigate the effects of single component environment (puerarin, baicalin, and glycyrrhizic acid); double-component environment(puerarin+baicalin, puerarin+ glycyrrhizic acid, baicalin+glycyrrhizic acid); and triple-component environment(puerarin+baicalin+glycyrrhizic acid) on IDR of berberine, laying a foundation for further researches on the absorption mechanism of multiple components.

Comparison of hepatic resection and transarterial chemoembolization for UICC stage T3 hepatocellular carcinoma: a propensity score matching study.

Background: The optimal therapeutic strategy in UICC stage T3 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients that maximizes both safety and long-term outcome has not yet been determined. Our aim was to compare clinical outcomes following hepatic resection (HR) versus transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for stage T3 HCC.

Methods: From 2005 to 2013, 1179 patients with T3 HCC who underwent HR or TACE were divided into two groups, HR group (n = 280) or TACE group (n = 899).

Comparison of in vitro digestibility and chemical composition among four crop straws treated by Pleurotus ostreatus.

Objective: The effects of Pleurotus ostreatus on the feed utilization improvement of broad bean stalks (BBS), rape straw (RS), paddy straw (PS) and corn stalk (CS) was examined.

Methods: The four roughages were co-cultured with Pleurotus ostreatus. The chemical composition; enzyme activities of laccase, carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) and xylanase; carbohydrate and protein fractions (based on CNCPS) were assessed at different days after inoculation (7, 14, 21, 28 d) and un-inoculated roughages (control, 0 d).

Degradation of Two-Dimensional CHNHPbI Perovskite and CHNHPbI/Graphene Heterostructure.

Hybrid organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites have been considered as promising materials for boosting the performance of photovoltaics and optoelectronics. Reduced-dimensional condiments and tunable properties render two-dimensional (2D) perovskite as novel building blocks for constructing micro-/nanoscale devices in high-performance optoelectronic applications. However, the stability is still one major obstacle for long-term practical use.

Loss of EGFR confers acquired resistance to AZD9291 in an EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer cell line with an epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype.

Purpose: AZD9291 is an irreversible, small-molecule inhibitor which has potency against mutant EGFR- and T790M-resistant mutation. Despite the encouraging efficacy in clinical, the acquired resistance will finally occur. Further study will need to be done to identify the acquired resistance mechanisms and determine the next treatment.

The amplified electrochemiluminescence response signal promoted by the Ir(iii)-containing polymer complex.

A novel Ir(iii)-containing polymer complex (P2) as an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitter was prepared by the coordination reaction of the N-containing bidentate ligand (-CH[double bond, length as m-dash]N-CH2-CH2-N[double bond, length as m-dash]CH-) in the conjugated polymer P1 with [Ir2(2-ppy)4(μ-Cl)2] (M3). Despite a rather low Ir(iii) content in P2, it can emit a greatly enhanced ECL signal compared with its polymer ligand P1 and the Ir(iii) model complex using TPrA as a co-reactant in CH3CN solution due to the effective intramolecular metal-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) from the Ir(iii)-complex centre to the polymer backbone.

Room temperature solid-state quantum emitters in the telecom range.

On-demand, single-photon emitters (SPEs) play a key role across a broad range of quantum technologies. In quantum networks and quantum key distribution protocols, where photons are used as flying qubits, telecom wavelength operation is preferred because of the reduced fiber loss. However, despite the tremendous efforts to develop various triggered SPE platforms, a robust source of triggered SPEs operating at room temperature and the telecom wavelength is still missing.

Comprehensive analysis of long noncoding RNA and mRNA expression patterns in sheep testicular maturation.

Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) have been identified as important regulators of testis development; however, their expression patterns and roles in sheep are not yet clear. Thus, we used stranded specific RNA-seq to profile the testis transcriptome (lncRNAs and mRNAs) in premature and mature sheep. Hormone levels and the testis index were examined, and histological analyses were performed at five stages of testis development, 5-day-old (D5), 3-month-old (3M), 6-month-old (6M), 9-month-old (9M), and 2-year-old (2Y), the results of which indicate a significant difference in hormone levels and testis morphometries between the 3M and 9M stages (P < 0.

Efficient OCT Image Enhancement Based on Collaborative Shock Filtering.

Efficient enhancement of noisy optical coherence tomography (OCT) images is a key task for interpreting them correctly. In this paper, to better enhance details and layered structures of a human retina image, we propose a collaborative shock filtering for OCT image denoising and enhancement. Noisy OCT image is first denoised by a collaborative filtering method with new similarity measure, and then the denoised image is sharpened by a shock-type filtering for edge and detail enhancement.

Microarray expression profiling and co-expression network analysis of circulating LncRNAs and mRNAs associated with neurotoxicity induced by BPA.

A growing body of evidence has shown bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogen-like industrial chemical, has adverse effects on the nervous system. In this study, we investigated the transcriptional behavior of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs to provide the information to explore neurotoxic effects induced by BPA. By microarray expression profiling, we discovered 151 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 794 differentially expressed mRNAs in the BPA intervention group compared with the control group.