Applicant hierarchical fuzzy controller for concentration control of simulated moving bed.

Simulated moving bed (SMB) is a kind of continuous process which can increase the efficiency of adsorbents in the adsorbent bed. It contains several sectors of flow rate, the switching time of valves and many other possible influencing variables, moreover, these parameters are highly sensitive, so it is very difficult to achieve precise prediction and control. Model predictive control and PID controller are often used in industrial system.

Topologies on superspaces of TVS-cone metric spaces.

This paper investigates superspaces 𝒫0(X) and 𝒦0(X) of a tvs-cone metric space (X, d), where 𝒫0(X) and 𝒦0(X) are the space consisting of nonempty subsets of X and the space consisting of nonempty compact subsets of X, respectively. The purpose of this paper is to establish some relationships between the lower topology and the lower tvs-cone hemimetric topology (resp., the upper topology and the upper tvs-cone hemimetric topology to the Vietoris topology and the Hausdorff tvs-cone hemimetric topology) on 𝒫0(X) and 𝒦0(X), which makes it possible to generalize some results of superspaces from metric spaces to tvs-cone metric spaces.

Application of graphene-pyrenebutyric acid nanocomposite as probe oligonucleotide immobilization platform in a DNA biosensor.

A stable and uniform organic-inorganic nanocomposite that consists of graphene (GR) and pyrenebutyric acid (PBA) was obtained by ultrasonication, which was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-vis absorption spectra. The dispersion was dropped onto a gold electrode surface to obtain GR-PBA modified electrode (GR-PBA/Au). Electrochemical behaviors of the modified electrode were characterized by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy using [Fe(CN)6](3-/4-) as the electroactive probe.

A sensitive DNA biosensor based on a facile sulfamide coupling reaction for capture probe immobilization.

A novel DNA biosensor was fabricated through a facile sulfamide coupling reaction. First, the versatile sulfonic dye molecule of 1-amino-2-naphthol-4-sulfonate (AN-SO3(-)) was electrodeposited on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to form a steady and ordered AN-SO3(-) layer. Then the amino-terminated capture probe was covalently grafted to the surface of SO3(-)-AN deposited GCE through the sulfamide coupling reaction between the amino groups in the probe DNA and the sulfonic groups in the AN-SO3(-).

Carbon dots and chitosan composite film based biosensor for the sensitive and selective determination of dopamine.

A simple, sensitive and reliable dopamine (DA) biosensor was developed based on a carbon dots (CDs) and chitosan (CS) composite film modified glassy carbon electrode (CDs-CS/GCE). Under optimal conditions, the CDs-CS/GCE showed a better electrochemical response for the detection of DA than that of the glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The oxidation peak current (Ipa) of DA was linear with the concentration of DA in the range from 0.

Developments and trends of molecularly imprinted solid-phase microextraction.

This review focuses on a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method coupled with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), namely molecularly imprinted solid-phase microextraction (MISPME). The first two sections discuss the summaries of conventional SPME and MIPs. The third section reviews the development of MISPME in past years, including the preparation of MISPME, and the applications to compounds in real samples.

Electrocatalytical oxidation and sensitive determination of acetaminophen on glassy carbon electrode modified with graphene-chitosan composite.

The electrochemical behaviors of acetaminophen (ACOP) on a graphene-chitosan (GR-CS) nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronocoulometry (CC) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Electrochemical characterization showed that the GR-CS nanocomposite had excellent electrocatalytic activity and surface area effect. As compared with bare GCE, the redox signal of ACOP on GR-CS/GCE was greatly enhanced.

Ultrasonic-assisted drop-to-drop solvent microextraction in a capillary tube coupled with GC-FID for trace analysis of phthalate esters.

An easy-to-use, rapid, robust and inexpensive technique termed ultrasonic-assisted drop-to-drop solvent microextraction (USA-DDSME) in a capillary tube was used to extract trace phthalate esters in the dipping solution of plastic samples, followed by determination by using gas chromatography-flame ionization detection. Extraction conditions were optimized, including type and volume of extraction solvent, sample volume, extraction time and effect of salt concentration. The method showing the best extraction performance was used to obtain optimized conditions: 20 µL of solution sample; extraction solvent, 5.

Low-background, highly sensitive DNA biosensor by using an electrically neutral cobalt(II) complex as the redox hybridization indicator.

An electrically neutral cobalt complex, [Co(GA)2(phen)] (GA = glycollic acid, phen = 1,10-phenathroline), was synthesized and its interactions with double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) were studied by using electrochemical methods on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). We found that [Co(GA)2(phen)] could intercalate into the DNA duplex through the planar phen ligand with a high binding constant of 6.2(±0.

Efficient adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of Congo red onto hydrothermally synthesized NiS nanoparticles.

NiS nanoparticles (NiS NPs) have been hydrothermally prepared and characterized by the methods of X-ray diffraction, scanning electronic microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra, photoluminescence, and thermogravimetric analysis. NiS NPs exhibit fast adsorption in the removal of Congo red (CR) in aqueous solution, in which the pseudo-second-order model was the best to describe the adsorption kinetics, and the intraparticle diffusion was not only the rate-limiting step. The NiS NPs also exhibit efficient photocatalytic activity in the degradation of CR under visible-light irradiation, in which the 30 mg/L CR was almost completely degraded after illumination during 210 min.

The interaction of polysaccharide from Auricularia polytricha with quantum dots and the protection of plasmid DNA from damage.

As a kind of folk medicine, edible mushrooms are known to be of medicinal characteristics, for example antitumor activity. However, the mechanism is not clear. In this study, the fluorescence (FL) spectroscopy was used to study the binding reactions of polysaccharide extracted from Auricularia polytricha with quantum dots (QDs).

Conserved or lost: molecular evolution of the key gene GULO in vertebrate vitamin C biosynthesis.

L-gulono-gamma-lactone oxidase (GULO) catalyzes the final step in vertebrate vitamin C biosynthesis. Vitamin C-incapable vertebrates lack the GULO gene. Gene structure and phylogenetic analyses showed that vertebrate GULO genes are 64-95% identical at the amino acid level and consist of 11 conserved exons.

Preparation, characterization and adsorption properties of a novel 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane functionalized sodium alginate porous membrane adsorbent for Cr(III) ions.

In this study, we prepared 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APTEOS) functionalized sodium alginate (SA) porous membrane adsorbent (APTEOS/SA) and tested its adsorption performance for removing of Cr(III) ions. The physico-chemical properties of the pristine and Cr(III) ions loaded APTEOS/SA were investigated by FT-IR, SEM-EDX, TG, AFM, and contact angle goniometer methods. To investigate the adsorption kinetics of Cr(III) ions onto this newly developed APTEOS/SA, we performed a batch of experiments under different adsorption conditions: solution pH, adsorbent dose, initial Cr(III) ion concentration, adsorption temperature, and contact time.

Large scale synthesis of photoluminescent carbon nanodots and their application for bioimaging.

Carbon nanodots (CDs) have been synthesized at gram scale with a high yield (41.8%) by carbonization of sucrose with oil acid in one simple step. The synthesized CDs are monodisperse with a narrow size distribution (average 1.

Effect of the cp4-epsps gene on metal bioavailability in maize and soybean using bionic gastrointestinal tracts and ICP-MS determination.

The transformation and metabolism of dietary compounds are affected significantly by gut microbiota. Hence, gut microbiota are used to improve bionic gastrointestinal tracts. The effect of the cp4-epsps gene on metal bioavailability was proved by the comparison of the affinity-liposome metal content ratio (AMCR) in transgenic and conventional crops.

Effects of nitrate addition and iron speciation on trace element transfer in coastal food webs under phosphate and iron enrichment.

Coastal organisms are often exposed to both iron enrichment and eutrophication. Trace elements transfer in coastal food webs are critical for marine life and therefore influence coastal ecosystem function and the global carbon cycle. However, how these exposures affect algal element uptake and the subsequent element transfer to marine copepods (Tigriopus japonicus) is unknown.

Molecular recognition and quantitative analysis of xylene isomers utilizing cataluminescence sensor array.

A facile and effective sensor array consisting of three cataluminescence (CTL) sensors based on nanomaterial Y(2)O(3), γ-Al(2)O(3) and ZrO(2) as probes was firstly proposed for the molecular recognition and quantitative analysis of xylene isomers. Under the optimized conditions, the linear range of CTL intensity versus concentration of xylene isomers was 86.70-8670.

Determination of zinc and copper in edible plants by nanometer silica coated, slotted quartz tube, flame atomic absorption spectrometry.

Nanometer SiO(2) was coated onto the inner wall of a slotted quartz tube atomizer (STAT) and then was used as a new atomizer (NSC- STAT) for the determination of Zn and Cu by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Compared to conventional STAT-FAAS, the analytical performance of NSC-STAT-FAAS was improved as follows: (a) the linear range of calibration curves was expanded from 30.0-200.

Genome-wide analysis of bZIP-encoding genes in maize.

In plants, basic leucine zipper (bZIP) proteins regulate numerous biological processes such as seed maturation, flower and vascular development, stress signalling and pathogen defence. We have carried out a genome-wide identification and analysis of 125 bZIP genes that exist in the maize genome, encoding 170 distinct bZIP proteins. This family can be divided into 11 groups according to the phylogenetic relationship among the maize bZIP proteins and those in Arabidopsis and rice.

Multiple-strategy analyses of ZmWRKY subgroups and functional exploration of ZmWRKY genes in pathogen responses.

The WRKY transcription factor family plays crucial roles in biotic responses, such as fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematode infections and insect attacks. In this article, multiple-strategy analyses of the three subgroups were performed in order to gain structural and evolutionary proofs of the overall WRKY family and unravel the functions possessed by each group or subgroup. Thus we analyzed the similarity of WRKY factors between maize and Arabidopsis based on homology modelling.

[Molecular mechanism for dynamic regulation of endogenous ABA signal level].

The process from stress signal perception and the trigger of ABA biosynthesis to dynamic regulation of ABA level is an important stress signaling pathway in cells. Compared to the downstream events in ABA signal transduction, the researches in this field are relatively lagged. Expression of synthase genes, such as ZEP in roots and rate-limiting enzyme genes NCED, AtRGS1 and ABA2, can be activated in response to stresses.

Structural evolution and functional diversification analyses of argonaute protein.

Argonaute (AGO) proteins are highly specialized small-RNA-binding modules and small RNAs are anchored to their specific binding pockets guiding AGO proteins to target mRNA molecules for silencing or destruction. The 135 full-length AGO protein sequences derived from 36 species covering prokaryote, archaea, and eukaryote are chosen for structural and functional analyses. The results show that bacteria and archaeal AGO proteins are clustered in the same clade and there exist multiple AGO proteins in most eukaryotic species, demonstrating that the increase of AGO gene copy number and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) have been the main evolutionary driving forces for adaptability and biodiversity.

Evolution and adaptation of hemagglutinin gene of human H5N1 influenza virus.

The H5N1 HPAI virus has brought heavy loss to poultry industry. Although, there exists limited human-to-human transmission, it poses potential serious risks to public health. HA is responsible for receptor-binding and membrane-fusion and contains the host receptor-binding sites and major epitopes for neutralizing antibodies.

Molecular phylogenetic and expression analysis of the complete WRKY transcription factor family in maize.

The WRKY transcription factors function in plant growth and development, and response to the biotic and abiotic stresses. Although many studies have focused on the functional identification of the WRKY transcription factors, much less is known about molecular phylogenetic and global expression analysis of the complete WRKY family in maize. In this study, we identified 136 WRKY proteins coded by 119 genes in the B73 inbred line from the complete genome and named them in an orderly manner.