Anaerobic digestion of alkaline black liquor using an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor

The anaerobic digestion of alkaline black liquor from a cereal straw pulping mill was studied in batch (serum bottles) and continuous systems (up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor—UASB). The batch digestion studies confirmed that lignin and related compounds (LRC) in the alkaline black liquor were the main inhibitory substances and could not be decomposed by anaerobic bacteria. At organic loading rates of 5–10 kg COD m^?3 day^?1, the UASB reactor achieved 50–60% COD removal efficiencies. Gas production was 2–3 dm³ per dm³ of alkaline black liquor. Two different sludge types were examined in the reactor: granular and cluster-like sludges. Sludge in a cluster, which involved many small granules and flocs, tended to form larger aggregates and possessed good settling ability.     

Viscosities of nonelectrolyte liquid mixtures. I. binary mixtures containing p-dioxane

Viscosity measurements are reported for p-dioxans with cyclohexane, n-hexane, benzene, toluene, carbon tetrachloride, tetrachloroethane, chloroform, pentachloroethane, and ethyl acetate at 303.15 K. Excess Gibbs energies of activation G ^*E of viscous flow have been calculated with Eyring's theory of absolute reaction rates. The deviations of the viscosities from a linear dependence on the mole fraction and values of G ^*E for binary mixtures have been explained in terms of molecular interactions between unlike pairs. The Prigogine-Flory-Patterson theory has been used to estimate the excess viscosity, ln , and corresponding enthalpy ln _H, entropy ln _S, and free volume ln _v terms for binary mixtures of p-dioxane with cyclohexane, n-hexane, benzene, toluene, carbon tetrachloride, and chloroform. Estimates of excess viscosities from this theory for p-dioxane with benzene, toluene, and carbon tetrachloride are good, while for the other three mixtures they are poor. The local-composition thermodynamic model of Wei and Rowley estimates the excess viscosity quite well even for p-dioxane mixtures with cyclohexane and n-hexane.     

On the synthesis and characterization of a new manganite type CMR material: La0.7Hg0.3MnO3

A new manganite type CMR material, La_0.7Hg_0.3MnO₃ has been successfully synthesized and has been found to exhibit magnetoresistance (≈9%) at low fields (≈1.5 kG). The synthesis has been carried out through a solid state reaction route consisting of the formation of La_0.7MnO₃ followed by diffusion of Hg leading to La_0.7Hg_0.3MnO₃. The as grown samples are polycrystalline and correspond to an orthorhombic unit cell with the lattice parameters; a=5.5183 Å, b=5.6383 Å and c=7.5368 Å. The typical grain size as revealed by scanning electron microscopy is in the range of 0.5–2 μm. The ρ–T behaviour shows a peak at T_IM=227 K. The ρ–T behaviour above this temperature corresponds to that of an insulator and below this to that of a metal. The ρ–T behaviour remains unaltered when a magnetic field (H_dc=1.5 kG) is applied. However, with this magnetic field a drop in the resistivity is observed up to 77 K. At room temperature the magnetoresistance ratio (MRR) is too small but it steadily increases as the temperature is decreased. Thus, MRRs at 227.13 and 77 K are 3.41 and 9.05%, respectively, in an applied field of H_dc=1.5 kG. At a given temperature the variation in MRR with field H_dc is rapid at lower field values (H_dc<1.2 kG) and scales linearly for higher field values (H_dc>1.2 kG). It may be mentioned that the present work on the synthesis and magnetoresistance behaviour of La_0.7Hg_0.3MnO₃, is the first of its type.     

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Activate the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor and the Constitutive Androstane Receptor to Regulate Xenobiotic Metabolism in Human Liver Cells

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental pollutants produced by incomplete combustion of organic matter. They induce their own metabolism by upregulating xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes such as cytochrome P450 monooxygenase 1A1 (CYP1A1) by activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). However, previous studies showed that individual PAHs may also interact with the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR). Here, we studied ten PAHs, different in carcinogenicity classification, for their potential to activate AHR- and CAR-dependent luciferase reporter genes in human liver cells. The majority of investigated PAHs activated AHR, while non-carcinogenic PAHs tended to activate CAR. We further characterized gene expression, protein abundancies and activities of the AHR targets CYP1A1 and 1A2, and the CAR target CYP2B6 in human HepaRG hepatoma cells. Enzyme induction patterns strongly resembled the profiles obtained at the receptor level, with AHR-activating PAHs inducing CYP1A1/1A2 and CAR-activating PAHs inducing CYP2B6. In summary, this study provides evidence that beside well-known activation of AHR, some PAHs also activate CAR, followed by subsequent expression of respective target genes. Furthermore, we found that an increased PAH ring number is associated with AHR activation as well as the induction of DNA double-strand breaks, whereas smaller PAHs activated CAR but showed no DNA-damaging potential.     

Secondary Metabolic Profile as a Tool for Distinction and Characterization of Cultivars of Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) Cultivated in Pará State,Brazil

This study evaluated the chemical compositions of the leaves and fruits of eight black pepper cultivars cultivated in Pará State (Amazon, Brazil). Hydrodistillation and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were employed to extract and analyze the volatile compounds, respectively. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were predominant (58.5–90.9%) in the cultivars “Cingapura”, “Equador”, “Guajarina”, “Iaçará”, and “Kottanadan”, and “Bragantina”, “Clonada”, and “Uthirankota” displayed oxygenated sesquiterpenoids (50.6–75.0%). The multivariate statistical analysis applied using volatile composition grouped the samples into four groups: γ-Elemene, curzerene, and δ-elemene (“Equador”/“Guajarina”, I); δ-elemene (“Iaçará”/“Kottanadan”/“Cingapura”, II); elemol (“Clonada”/“Uthirankota”, III) and α-muurolol, bicyclogermacrene, and cubebol (“Bragantina”, IV). The major compounds in all fruit samples were monoterpene hydrocarbons such as α-pinene, β-pinene, and limonene. Among the cultivar leaves, phenolics content (44.75–140.53 mg GAE·g⁻¹ FW), the enzymatic activity of phenylalanine-ammonia lyase (20.19–57.22 µU·mL⁻¹), and carotenoids (0.21–2.31 µg·mL⁻¹) displayed significant variations. Due to black pepper’s susceptibility to Fusarium infection, a molecular docking analysis was carried out on Fusarium protein targets using each cultivar’s volatile components. F. oxysporum endoglucanase was identified as the preferential protein target of the compounds. These results can be used to identify chemical markers related to the susceptibility degree of black pepper cultivars to plant diseases prevalent in Pará State.     

Biflavonoid-Induced Disruption of Hydrogen Bonds Leads to Amyloid-β Disaggregation

Deposition of amyloid β (Aβ) fibrils in the brain is a key pathologic hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. A class of polyphenolic biflavonoids is known to have anti-amyloidogenic effects by inhibiting aggregation of Aβ and promoting disaggregation of Aβ fibrils. In the present study, we further sought to investigate the structural basis of the Aβ disaggregating activity of biflavonoids and their interactions at the atomic level. A thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence assay revealed that amentoflavone-type biflavonoids promote disaggregation of Aβ fibrils with varying potency due to specific structural differences. The computational analysis herein provides the first atomistic details for the mechanism of Aβ disaggregation by biflavonoids. Molecular docking analysis showed that biflavonoids preferentially bind to the aromatic-rich, partially ordered N-termini of Aβ fibril via the π–π interactions. Moreover, docking scores correlate well with the ThT EC₅₀ values. Molecular dynamic simulations revealed that biflavonoids decrease the content of β-sheet in Aβ fibril in a structure-dependent manner. Hydrogen bond analysis further supported that the substitution of hydroxyl groups capable of hydrogen bond formation at two positions on the biflavonoid scaffold leads to significantly disaggregation of Aβ fibrils. Taken together, our data indicate that biflavonoids promote disaggregation of Aβ fibrils due to their ability to disrupt the fibril structure, suggesting biflavonoids as a lead class of compounds to develop a therapeutic agent for Alzheimer’s disease.     

锆基激光熔覆涂层组织结构及性能

在纯钛(TA2)基体上激光熔覆了Zr65Al75Ni10Cu17.5合金粉末，对涂层进行了XRD，SEM和TEM分析。研究发现，涂层由金属间化合物 少量的非晶组成。这种具有高比强度、高硬度和高抗氧化性的金属间化合物与非晶相的复合组织，具有较好的力学性能。在Zr65Al75Ni10Cu17.5合金粉末中添加w(B)2％和w(Si)2．75％，发现涂层中非晶含量增加，硬度升高。两种涂层的最高硬度分别达到HK909．6和HK1444．8。     

Selective preparation of light aromatic hydrocarbons from catalytic fast pyrolysis vapors of coal tar asphaltene over transition metal ion modified zeolites

The catalytic cracking of coal tar asphaltene (CTA) pyrolysis vapors was carried out over transition met-alion modified zeolites to promote the generation of light aromatic hydrocarbons (L-ArHs) in a pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) micro-reactor system.The effects of ultra stable Y(USY),Co/USY and Mo/USY on the selectivity and yield of L-ArHs products and the extent of deoxygena-tion (Edeoxygenation),lightweight (Elightweight) from CTA pyrolysis volatiles were investigated.Results showed that the yields of L-ArHs are mainly controlled by the acid sites and specific surface area of the catalysts,while the deoxygenation effect is determined by theirs pore size.The Elightweight of CTA pyrolysis volatiles over USY is 9.65％,while the Edeoxygenation of CTA pyrolysis volatiles over Mo/USY reaches 20.85％.Additionally,the modified zeolites (Mo/USY and Co/USY) exhibit better performance than USY on L-ArHs production,owing to the synergistic effect of metal ions (Mo,Co) and acid sites of USY.Compared with the non-catalytic fast pyrolysis of CTA,the total yield of L-ArHs obtained over USY (4032 mg·kg-1),Co/USY (4363 mg·kg-1) and Mo/USY (4953 mg·kg-1) were increased by 27.03％,38.19％ and 54.78％,respectively.Furthermore,the possible catalytic conversion mechanism of transition metal ion (Co and Mo) modified zeolites was proposed based on the distribution of products and the characterizations of catalysts.     

ZrO2制备方法研究进展

以ZrO₂为活性组分或载体的催化剂,在酚类定向催化转化中具有较高的研究价值。总结了ZrO₂的各种制备方法,包括溶胶-凝胶法、共沉淀法、水热法、表面活性剂辅助法、静电纺丝法、热解法、多元醇还原法、反相微乳法和超临界合成法等。阐述了各种方法的反应原理,详细比较了不同制备方法的优劣,并具体分析了制备方法对催化剂结构及性能的影响。