A thermal perspective of flash sintering: The effect of AC current ramp rate on microstructure evolution

In flash sintering experiments, the thermal history of the sample is key to understanding the mechanisms underlying densification rate and final properties. By combining robust temperature measurements with current-ramp-rate control, this study examined the effects of the thermal profile on the flash sintering of yttria-stabilized zirconia, with experiments ranging from a few seconds to several hours. The final density was maximized at slower heating rates, although processes slower than a certain threshold led to grain growth. The amount of grain growth observed was comparable to a similar conventional thermal process. The bulk electrical conductivity correlated with the maximum temperature and cooling rate. The only property that exhibited behavior that could not be attributed to solely the thermal profile was the grain boundary conductivity, which was consistently higher than conventional in flash sintered samples. These results suggest that, during flash sintering, athermal electric field effects are relegated to the grain boundary.     

Hydrogeochemical Processes and Inverse Modeling for a Multilayer Aquifer System in the Yuaner Coal Mine,Huaibei Coalfield,China

Coal mining can dramatically change hydrogeological conditions and induce serious environmental problems. Fifty groundwater samples were collected from the main aquifers in the Yuaner coal mine (Anhui Province, China). The results show that the main hydrogeochemical processes in the mine include dissolution, precipitation, pyrite oxidation, desulfurization, and cation exchange. The Neogene porous aquifer is affected by groundwater flow conditions; its main hydrogeochemical processes are dissolution of carbonate minerals and gypsum, and cation exchange. The Permian coal measure’s fractured sandstone aquifer was confirmed to be controlled by the region’s geological structure; its main hydrogeochemical processes are desulfurization and cation exchange. The Carboniferous Taiyuan limestone aquifer was determined by both groundwater flow conditions and regional geological structure; its main hydrogeochemical processes are dissolution of carbonate minerals and gypsum, pyrite oxidation, and cation exchange. Additionally, hydrogeochemical inverse modeling of the groundwater flow path confirm the hydrochemistry results and principal component analysis.

     

A novel solution of deep learning for endoscopic ultrasound image segmentation: enhanced computer aided diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Gastrointestinal stromal tumor is one of the critical tumors that doctors do not suggest to get frequent endoscopy, so there is a need for a diagnosis system...     

中药桂枝总黄酮的提取工艺研究

优化桂枝总黄酮的提取工艺，建立桂枝的提取和含量测定方法。通过单因素试验，考察提取方法、提取溶剂浓度、提取体积、提取时间对药材总黄酮含量的影响，采用正交试验，优化提取工艺条件，筛选出桂枝总黄酮的最佳提取工艺。总黄酮最佳提取工艺为75%乙醇、料液比1:40、回流提取时间60 min。该方法能有效测定桂枝药材总黄酮的含量，为该药材的质量标准研究提供一定的科学依据。本方法重复性较好、方法稳定、可行。     

Theoretical study on a kind of cyclization mechanism of boron trichloride and hexamethyldisilazane to form the borazine ring for SiBCN ceramics precursor

Borazine rings act as a pivotal part in siliconboroncarbonitride ceramics (SiBCN) for high-temperature stability and great resistance to crystallization. A detailed investigation of the ring formation mechanism will guide the design and synthesis of SiBCN to meet application requirements under extreme conditions. Boron trichloride (BCl₃) and hexamethyldisilazane (HN(SiMe₃)₂) are common raw materials for the synthesis of precursors for SiBCN. In this paper, quantum chemical calculation was used to study the cyclization reaction mechanism between BCl₃ and HN(SiMe₃)₂ to form trichloroborazine (TCBZ) at the MP2/6-31G (d,p) level of theory. We discussed the structure properties, reaction pathways, energy barriers, reaction rates, and other aspects in detail. The results show that BCl₃ and HN(SiMe₃)₂ alternately participate in the reaction process, accompanied by the release of trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS), and that the entire reaction shows an absolute advantage in terms of energy. In the Step by step reaction, lower reaction barriers are formed due to the introduction of BCl₃ with more heat released compared to that for the introduction of HN(SiMe₃)₂. The final single-molecule cyclization and TMCS elimination steps are found to be faster compared to all previous bimolecular reactions.     

一株产羧酸酯酶菌的鉴定及酯酶特征的研究

目的:鉴定中国白酒发酵过程中的微生物种类，研究关键酶的特征与作用机制有利于提高白酒的优质品率。方法:本研究用形态学和生理学、16S rRNA、gyr B基因和antiSMASH分析的方法对酒曲中的一株微生物进行了验证；对该菌株的特性进行了研究，采用分子建模的方法获得了羧酸酯酶的3D模型，用分子对接的方法探讨了该菌株的羧酸酯酶的机理。结果:该菌株为产羧酸酯酶的革兰氏阴性菌Pb1（MW580690）；该菌株呈现典型的S型生长曲线，产物曲线为S型，羧酸酯酶活化最优pH范围为5.0~9.0。分子对接结果显示Phe21A为该酶具有催化活性的主要氨基酸，水解三丁酸甘油酯为丁酸和甘油。分子对接结果显示三丁酸甘油酯经过构象变化被转移到催化中心后，进一步被加工；酶的亲水性和疏水性的相互作用表面有利于配体向下转移，进而从疏水性通道释放产物到的酶表面。结论:产羧酸酯酶的菌株为贝莱斯芽胞杆菌，并为羧酸酯酶水解三丁酸甘油酯类物质的底物识别、转移和催化机理提供了新的见解。     

Novel approaches to purifying bacteriocin: A review

ABSTRACT

Bacteriocin is a proteinaceous biomolecule produced by bacteria (both Gram-positive and Gram-negative) that exhibits antimicrobial activity against closely related species, and food-borne pathogens. It has recently gained importance and attracted the attention of several researchers looking to produce it from various substrates and bacterial strains. This ushers in a new era of food preservation where the use of bacteriocin in food products will be an alternative to chemical preservatives, and heat treatment which are understood to cause unwanted side effects, and reduce sensory and nutritional quality. However, this new market depends on the success of novel downstream separation schemes from various types of crude feedstocks which are both effective and economic. This review focuses on the downstream separation of bacteriocin from various sources using both conventional and novel techniques. Finally, recommendations for future interesting areas of research that need to be pursued are highlighted.     

Development of a new ion-imprinted polymer (IIP) with Cd2+ ions based on divinylbenzene copolymers containing amidoxime groups

Polymer Bulletin - In this study, we synthesized a new ion-imprinted polymer (IIP) based on introduction of amidoxime groups in acrylonitrile, complexation with Cd2+ ions and polymerization with...     

Flowsheet Options for Cobalt Recovery in African Copper–cobalt Hydrometallurgy Circuits

The price of cobalt has increased by some 450% in the past two years, mainly due to increasing demand for lithium–ion batteries. With an official 2017 production of 64 kt, the Democratic Republic of Congo produces more than half of the world’s cobalt. African Copperbelt operations have traditionally focused on copper production; however, it has now become imperative to also consider cobalt recovery from these ores. A plethora of processing routes is possible. Most hydrometallurgical flowsheets recover cobalt from the raffinate of the low-grade copper solvent-extraction circuit. Downstream purification processes include sequential precipitation with a variety of reagents, solvent extraction, and ion exchange. Product choices include hydroxide, carbonate, sulfate, and metal cathode. This study assesses technical and economic advantages and limitations of various approaches to the hydrometallurgical processing of cobalt in an African context.     

Advancements in the Development of non-BET Bromodomain Chemical Probes

The bromodomain and extra terminal (BET) family of bromodomain-containing proteins (BCPs) have been the subject of extensive research over the past decade, resulting in a plethora of high-quality chemical probes for their tandem bromodomains. In turn, these chemical probes have helped reveal the profound biological role of the BET bromodomains and their role in disease, ultimately leading to a number of molecules in active clinical development. However, the BET subfamily represents just 8/61 of the known human bromodomains, and attention has now expanded to the biological role of the remaining 53 non-BET bromodomains. Rapid growth of this research area has been accompanied by a greater understanding of the requirements for an effective bromodomain chemical probe and has led to a number of new non-BET bromodomain chemical probes being developed. Advances since December 2015 are discussed, highlighting the strengths/caveats of each molecule, and the value they add toward validating the non-BET bromodomains as tractable therapeutic targets.