A portable magnetic electrochemical sensor for highly efficient Pb(II) detection based on bimetal composites from Fe-on-Co-MOF.

The practical, sensitive, and real-time detection of heavy metal ions is an essential and difficult problem. This study presents the design of a unique magnetic electrochemical detection system that can achieve real-time field detection. To enhance the electrochemical performance of the sensor, Fe2O3@C-800, Co/CoO@/C-600, and CoFe2O4@C-600 magnetic composites were synthesized using three MOFs precursors by the solvothermal method. And the morphology structure and electrochemical properties of as-prepared magnetic composites were researched by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), specific surface area and porosity analyzer (BET) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The results shown that these composites improve conductivity and stability while preserving the MOFs basic frame structure. Compared with the monometallic MOFs-derived composites, the synergistic effect of the bimetallic composite CoFe2O4@C-600 can significantly enhance the electrochemical performance of the sensor. The linear range for the detection of lead ions was 0.001-60 µM, and the detection limit was 0.0043 µM with a sensitivity of 22.22 µA µM·cm-2 by differential pulse voltammetry. The sensor has good selectivity, stability, reproducibility and can be used for actual sample testing.

Morroniside promotes skin wound re-epithelialization by facilitating epidermal stem cell proliferation through GLP-1R-mediated upregulation of ß-catenin expression.

Epidermal stem cells (EpSCs) play a vital role in skin wound healing through re-epithelialization. Identifying chemicals that can promote EpSC proliferation is helpful for treating skin wounds. This study investigates the effect of morroniside on cutaneous wound healing in mice and explores the underlying mechanisms. Application of 10‒50 µg/mL of morroniside to the skin wound promotes wound healing in mice. In vitro studies demonstrate that morroniside stimulates the proliferation of mouse and human EpSCs in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Mechanistic studies reveal that morroniside promotes the proliferation of EpSCs by facilitating the cell cycle transition from the G1 to S phase. Morroniside increases the expression of ß-catenin via the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R)-mediated PKA, PKA/PI3K/AKT and PKA/ERK signaling pathways, resulting in an increase in cyclin D1 and cyclin E1 expression, either directly or by upregulating c-Myc expression. This process ultimately leads to EpSC proliferation. Administration of morroniside to mouse skin wounds increases the phosphorylation of AKT and ERK, the expressions of ß-catenin, c-Myc, cyclin D1, and cyclin E1, as well as the proliferation of EpSCs, in periwound skin tissue, and accelerates wound re-epithelialization. These effects of morroniside are mediated by the GLP-1R. Overall, these results indicate that morroniside promotes skin wound healing by stimulating the proliferation of EpSCs via increasing ß-catenin expression and subsequently upregulating c-Myc, cyclin D1, and cyclin E1 expressions through GLP-1R signaling pathways. Morroniside has clinical potential for treating skin wounds.

Porcine ß-Defensin 114: Creating a Dichotomous Response to Inflammation.

The immunity-related functions of defensins seem to be dependent on environmental stimuli, the cell type, and the concentration of peptides. However, the function and mechanism of porcine ß-defensin 114 (pBD114) in regulating the inflammatory response to macrophages are unclear. Therefore, the modulatory effects of porcine pBD114 on the inflammatory response were investigated by treating the mouse monocyte macrophage cell line RAW264.7 with different concentrations of pBD114 with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS). RNA-seq analysis was performed to investigate the mechanisms underlying pBD114's regulation of inflammatory responses in macrophages. In addition, the inflammatory response-modulating effects of pBD114 were also further verified with a mouse assay. The results showed that 100 µg/mL of pBD114 significantly promoted the secretion of TNF-α and IL-10 in RAW264.7. However, the LPS-induced increase in TNFα in the RAW264.7 cell cultures was significantly decreased with 10 µg/mL of pBD114. These results suggest that pBD114 can exhibit pro-inflammatory activities under normal physiological conditions with 100 µg/mL of pBD114, and anti-inflammatory activities during an excessive inflammatory response with 10 µg/mL of pBD114. RNA-seq analysis was performed to gain further insights into the effects of pBD114 on the inflammatory response. Among the pBD114-promoting RAW264.7 pro-inflammatory responses, pBD114 significantly up-regulated 1170 genes and down-regulated 724 genes. KEGG enrichment showed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in the immune- and signal-transduction-related signaling pathways. Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) and key driver analysis (KDA) analyses revealed that Bcl10 and Bcl3 were the key genes. In addition, pBD114 significantly up-regulated 12 genes and down-regulated 38 genes in the anti-inflammatory response. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the DEGs were mainly enriched in the "Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction" signaling pathway, and PPI and KDA analyses showed that Stat1 and Csf2 were the key genes. The results of qRT-PCR verified those of RNA-seq. In vivo mouse tests also confirmed the pro- or anti-inflammatory activities of pBD114. Although the inflammatory response is a rapid and complex physiological reaction to noxious stimuli, this study found that pBD114 plays an essential role mainly by acting on the genes related to immunity, signal transduction, signaling molecules, and interactions. In conclusion, this study provides a certain theoretical basis for the research and application of defensins.

Comparison of maternal and neonatal gut microbial community and function in a porcine model.

Our knowledge of the difference in maternal and neonatal gut microbiota composition is not fully understood. Using the Bama miniature pig model, the bacterial community in the feces from sows and piglets was analyzed on an IonS5TMXL platform targeting the single-end reads strategy. Results revealed that the maternal and neonatal bacteria profile in the pig model was distinct. Compared with the piglets, sows had higher proportions of bacteria in Spirochetes, Clostridiales, and Spirochaetales (p < 0.10) and had a lower abundance of bacteria in Tyzzerella (p < 0.05) and Alistipes (p < 0.10). Meanwhile, the proportions of bacteria in Oscillibacter and the index of Chao1, Shannon, and observed_species increased in the sows compared with those in the piglets (p < 0.05). Moreover, the abundance of bacteria associated with the human disease was higher (p < 0.05) and the population of bacteria associated with cellular processes was lower (p < 0.05) in the piglets compared with those in the sows. Collectively, the diversity and beneficial bacteria populations in the sow fecal microbiota exhibit more than those in the piglets. This study indicates that maternal fecal microbiota may be a beneficial source of transplanted bacteria to promote healthy function in neonates.

Gut microbiota absence and transplantation affect diarrhea: an investigation in the germ-free piglet model.

This experiment was conducted to explore the effects of gut microbiota on neonatal diarrhea in a germ-free (GF) pig model. Twelve hysterectomy-derived GF piglets were housed in six sterile isolators. Among them, six piglets were treated as the GF group, and the other six piglets were orally introduced with healthy sow fecal suspension and regarded as the fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) group. Another six piglets from natural birth were considered as the conventional (CV) group. The GF and FMT piglets were hand-fed with sterile milk powder for 21 days, and the CV piglets were suckled for the same days. Then, all piglets were fed with sterile feed for another 21 days. Results exhibited that the GF group's fecal score and moisture level were higher than those in the CV and FMT groups (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the abundances of colonic AQP1 and AQP8 in the GF group were the greatest among these treatments (p < 0.05). However, FMT piglets had a lower fecal score in d 22-28 and d 29-35 than that in the CV piglets (p < 0.05). Collectively, the absence of gut microbiota may cause diarrhea in the piglet model, and transplantation of maternal fecal microbiota may reverse it.

Full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing and machine learning reveal the bacterial composition of inhalable particles from two different breeding stages in a piggery.

Bacterial loading aggravates the harm of particulate matter (PM) to public health and ecological systems, especially in operations of concentrated animal production. This study aimed to explore the characteristics and influencing factors of bacterial components of inhalable particles at a piggery. The morphology and elemental composition of coarse particles (PM10, aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm) and fine particles (PM2.5, aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm) were analyzed. Full-length 16 S rRNA sequencing technology was used to identify bacterial components according to breeding stage, particle size, and diurnal rhythm. Machine learning (ML) algorithms were used to further explore the relationship between bacteria and the environment. The results showed that the morphology of particles in the piggery differed, and the morphologies of the suspected bacterial components were elliptical deposited particles. Full-length 16 S rRNA indicated that most of the airborne bacteria in the fattening and gestation houses were bacilli. The analysis of beta diversity and difference between samples showed that the relative abundance of some bacteria in PM2.5 was significantly higher than that in PM10 at the same pig house (P < 0.01). There were significant differences in the bacterial composition of inhalable particles between the fattening and gestation houses (P < 0.01). The aggregated boosted tree (ABT) model showed that PM2.5 had a great influence on airborne bacteria among air pollutants. Fast expectation-maximization microbial source tracking (FEAST) showed that feces was a major potential source of airborne bacteria in pig houses (contribution 52.64-80.58 %). These results will provide a scientific basis for exploring the potential risks of airborne bacteria in a piggery to human and animal health.

Soybean oligosaccharides combined with probiotics reduce faecal odour compound content by improving intestinal microbiota in pigs.

As a potential prebiotic, soybean oligosaccharides (SBOS) can improve animal health by modulating gut microbiota. The aim of this study was to investigate the different effects of supplementing SBOS and supplementing SBOS plus probiotic on the growth and health of pigs. Three groups of growing pigs (n = 12) were fed with basal diet (Control), basal diet + 0.5% SBOS (SBOS), or basal diet +0.5% SBOS + 0.1% compound probiotics (SOP) for 42 days. Results showed that SBOS and SOP treatments had positive effects on the pigs in the experiment, and the latter was more effective. Compared with the control pigs, the average daily gain of SBOS group and SOP group slightly increased, SOP significantly increased the serum levels of growth hormone and thyroid hormone T3. Importantly, serum concentrations of immunoglobulin (IgA, IgG and IgM), total antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutase in both treatments were increased significantly, SOP group most. Moreover, the faecal odour compounds of pigs, especially skatole, were significantly reduced by the treatments. Additionally, SOP significantly increased the diversity and richness of the faecal microbiota, both the treatments increased genera of norank_f_Muribaculaceae and Ruminococcaceae but reduced Lactobacillus. Correlation analysis indicated that Lactobacillus was significantly positively correlated with odour compounds, while Ruminococcaceae was the opposite. Conclusively, synbiotics combined with SBOS and probiotics had stronger promotion effects on the growth and health of pigs.

Time-Series Clustering of lncRNA-mRNA Expression during the Adipogenic Transdifferentiation of Porcine Skeletal Muscle Satellite Cells.

Skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs), which are multifunctional muscle-derived stem cells, can differentiate into adipocytes. Long-chain non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has diverse biological functions, including the regulation of gene expression, chromosome silencing, and nuclear transport. However, the regulatory roles and mechanism of lncRNA during adipogenic transdifferentiation in muscle cells have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, porcine SMSCs were isolated, cultured, and induced for adipogenic differentiation. The expressions of lncRNA and mRNA at different time points during transdifferentiation were analysed using RNA-seq analysis. In total, 1005 lncRNAs and 7671 mRNAs showed significant changes in expression at differential differentiation stages. Time-series expression analysis showed that the differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and mRNAs were clustered into 5 and 11 different profiles with different changes, respectively. GO, KEGG, and REACTOME enrichment analyses revealed that DE mRNAs with increased expressions during the trans-differentiation were mainly enriched in the pathways for lipid metabolism and fat cell differentiation. The genes with decreased expressions were mainly enriched in the regulation of cell cycle and genetic information processing. In addition, 1883 DE mRNAs were regulated by 193 DE lncRNAs, and these genes were related to the controlling in cell cycle mainly. Notably, three genes in the fatty acid binding protein (FABP) family significantly and continuously increased during trans-differentiation, and 15, 13, and 11 lncRNAs may target FABP3, FABP4, and FABP5 genes by cis- or trans-regulation, respectively. In conclusion, these studies identify a set of new potential regulator for adipogenesis and cell fate and help us in better understanding the molecular mechanisms of trans-differentiation.

Offset parameter cancellation produces countless coexisting attractors.

The average value of a system variable determines the position of its attractor. When the offset parameters come together and get disappeared after an algebraic operation, the location of the attractor is then governed by an initial condition only. In this case, parameter-dominated offset control turns out to be the initial condition-defined coexisting attractors. In this Letter, a special mechanism for generating countless coexisting attractors is disclosed. Furthermore, a new regime of multistability is revealed, which explains where and how countless coexisting attractors are born and arranged.

Preparation of a Z-Type g-C3N4/(A-R)TiO2 Composite Catalyst and Its Mechanism for Degradation of Gaseous and Liquid Ammonia.

In this study, an (A-R)TiO2 catalyst (ART) was prepared via the sol-gel method, and g-C3N4 (CN) was used as an amendment to prepare the g-C3N4/(A-R)TiO2 composite catalyst (ARTCN). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption curves (BET), UV-Vis diffuse absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), and fluorescence spectroscopy (PL) were used to evaluate the structure, morphology, specific surface area, optical properties, and photocarrier separation ability of the catalysts. The results showed that when the modifier CN content was 0.5 g, the dispersion of the ARTCN composite catalyst was better, with stronger light absorption performance, and the forbidden band width was smaller. Moreover, the photogenerated electrons in the conduction band of ART transferred to the valence band of CN and combined with the holes in the valence band of CN, forming Z-type heterostructures that significantly improved the efficiency of the photogenerated electron-hole migration and separation, thus increasing the reaction rate. Gaseous and liquid ammonia were used as the target pollutants to investigate the activity of the prepared catalysts, and the results showed that the air wetness and initial concentration of ammonia had a great influence on the degradation of gaseous ammonia. When the initial concentration of ammonia was 50 mg/m3 and the flow rate of the moist air was 0.9 mL/min, the degradation rate of gaseous ammonia by ARTCN-0.5 reached 88.86%, and it had good repeatability. When the catalytic dose was 50 mg and the initial concentration of NH4+ was 100 mg/L, the degradation rate of liquid ammonia by ARTCN-0.5 was 71.60% after 3 h of reaction, and small amounts of NO3- and NO2- were generated. The superoxide anion radical (·O2-) and hydroxyl radical (·OH) were the main active components in the photocatalytic reaction process.

Generation of fully human anti-GPC3 antibodies with high-affinity recognition of GPC3 positive tumors.

The acceleration of therapeutic antibody development has been motivated by the benefit to and their demand for human health. In particular, humanized transgenic antibody discovery platforms, combined with immunization, hybridoma fusion and/or single cell DNA sequencing are the most reliable and rapid methods for mining the human monoclonal antibodies. Human GPC3 protein is an oncofetal antigen, and it is highly expressed in most hepatocellular carcinomas and some types of squamous cell carcinomas. Currently, no fully human anti-GPC3 therapeutic antibodies have been reported and evaluated in extensive tumor tissues. Here, we utilized a new humanized transgenic mouse antibody discovery platform (CAMouse) that contains large V(D)J -regions and human gamma-constant regions of human immunoglobulin in authentic configurations to generate fully human anti-GPC3 antibodies. Our experiments resulted in four anti-GPC3 antibodies with high-specific binding and cytotoxicity to GPC3 positive cancer cells, and the antibody affinities are in the nanomolar range. Immunohistochemistry analysis demonstrated that these antibodies can recognize GPC3 protein on many types of solid tumors. In summary, the human anti-human GPC3 monoclonal antibodies described here are leading candidates for further preclinical studies of cancer therapy, further, the CAMouse platform is a robust tool for human therapeutic antibody discovery.

Enhanced leaching of manganese from low-grade pyrolusite using ball milling and electric field.

In this study, electric field and ball milling were used to leach Mn2+ from low-grade pyrolusite (LGP). The effects of current density, reaction time, reaction temperature, ball-to-powder weight ratio, and ball milling time on the leaching efficiency of Mn2+ from LGP as well as the leaching mechanism were systematically studied. The results showed that the combined use of electric field and ball milling enhanced the leaching of Mn2+ from LGP. The leaching efficiency of Mn2+ reached 97.79% under the optimum conditions of LGP-to-pyrite mass ratio of 1:0.18, current density of 30 mA/cm2, LGP-to-H2SO4 mass ratio of 1:0.4, liquid-to-solid ratio of 5:1, ball-to-powder weight ratio of 1:1, ball milling time of 2 h, temperature of 80 °C, and leaching duration of 120 min. This value was 25.95% higher than that attained without ball milling and 41.45% higher than that attained when neither ball milling nor electric field was employed. Pyrite was fully oxidized to generate additional SO42- and Fe3+, and was further hydrolyzed to form jarosite (KFe3(SO4)2(OH)6) and hydronium jarosite (Fe3(SO4)2(OH)5·2H2O) via ball milling and electric field application. Moreover, the electric field changed the surface charge distribution of the mineral particles and promoted collisions between them as well as the collapse of the crystal lattice, further improving the leaching efficiency of Mn2+ from LGP. This study provided a new method for leaching Mn from LGP.

Periodic offset boosting for attractor self-reproducing.

The special regime of multistability of attractor self-reproducing is deeply decoded based on the conception of offset boosting in this letter. Attractor self-reproducing is essentially originated from periodic initial condition-triggered offset boosting. Typically, a trigonometric function is applied for attractor self-reproducing. The position, size, and clone frequency determine the selected periodic function. Specifically, in-depth investigation on three elements of sinusoidal quantity is taken into account and then a universal law of attractor self-reproducing is built: the original position of an attractor determines the initial phase and the size of attractor sets the amplitude, while the reproducing interval between two attractors determines the frequency of the trigonometric function. It is found that the product of amplitude and frequency is a constant determined by the reproducing periodic function. The positive and negative switching of the slope in sinusoidal function also leads to the waste of phase space since in general there is no attractor reproduced at the region with negative slope except that new polarity balance is reconstructed paying back the attractor with conditional symmetry. Three-element-oriented offset boosting makes attractor self-reproducing more designable, achievable, and adjustable, which brings great convenience to engineering applications.

Indole-3-Propionic Acid, a Functional Metabolite of Clostridium sporogenes, Promotes Muscle Tissue Development and Reduces Muscle Cell Inflammation.

Clostridium sporogenes (C. sporogenes), as a potential probiotic, metabolizes tryptophan and produces an anti-inflammatory metabolite, indole-3-propionic acid (IPA). Herein, we studied the effects of C. sporogenes and its bioactive metabolite, IPA, on skeletal muscle development and chronic inflammation in mice. In the in vivo study, the muscle tissues and serum samples of mice with C. sporogenes supplementation were used to analyze the effects of C. sporogenes on muscle metabolism; the IPA content was determined by metabonomics and ELISA. In an in vitro study, C2C12 cells were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) alone or LPS + IPA to verify the effect of IPA on muscle cell inflammation by transcriptome, and the involved mechanism was revealed by different functional assays. We observed that C. sporogenes colonization significantly increased the body weight and muscle weight gain, as well as the myogenic regulatory factors' (MRFs) expression. In addition, C. sporogenes significantly improved host IPA content and decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in the muscle tissue of mice. Subsequently, we confirmed that IPA promoted C2C12 cells' proliferation by activating MRF signaling. IPA also effectively protected against LPS-induced C2C12 cells inflammation by activating Pregnane X Receptor and restoring the inhibited miR-26a-2-3p expression. miR-26a-2-3p serves as a novel muscle inflammation regulatory factor that could directly bind to the 3'-UTR of IL-1ß, a key initiator factor in inflammation. The results suggested that C. sporogenes with its functional metabolite IPA not only helps muscle growth development, but also protects against inflammation, partly by the IPA/ miR-26a-2-3p /IL-1ß cascade.

Microbial and metabolic alterations in gut microbiota of sows during pregnancy and lactation.

The gut microbiota plays a critical role in various physiologic processes; however, maternal microbial and metabolic changes during pregnancy and lactation remain elusive. Using pigs as an animal model, we conducted comparative analyses of gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) profiles across different stages of gestation, lactation, and the empty (nonpregnancy) phase in 2 distinct breeds of sow, Rongchang (RS) and Landrace (LS). Coriobacteriaceae were found to gradually increase over gestational time irrespective of breed, which was further validated in an independent cohort of sows, indicating that Coriobacteriaceae are likely associated with the progression of pregnancy. Escherichia increased as well. Relative to empty and gestation, lactation was associated with an increase in SCFA producers and a concomitant augmentation in SCFA production in both breeds. A comparison between the 2 breeds revealed that Ruminococcaceae were more abundant in RSs than in LSs, consistent with the strong ability of Rongchang pigs to digest highly fibrous feedstuffs. Taken together, we revealed characteristic structural and metabolic changes in maternal gut microbiota throughout pregnancy, lactation, and the empty phase, which could potentially help improve the pregnancy and lactation outcomes for both animals and humans.-Liu, H., Hou, C., Li, N., Zhang, X., Zhang, G., Yang, F., Zeng, X., Liu, Z., Qiao, S. Microbial and metabolic alterations in gut microbiota of sows during pregnancy and lactation.

Polarity balance for attractor self-reproducing.

There are complex chaotic manifolds in practical nonlinear dynamical systems, especially in nonlinear circuits and chemical engineering. Any system attractor has its own geometric and physical properties, such as granularity, orientation, and spatiotemporal distribution. Polarity balance plays an important role in the solution of a dynamical system including symmetrization, attractor merging, and attractor self-reproducing. The absolute value function and the signum function manage and control the polarity balance, strictly regulating the attractor distribution by switching the polarity balances. Attractor self-reproducing is an attractive regime for constructing the desired multistability, where the coexisting attractors at different positions can be extracted by a selected initial value. Polarity balance is the key factor for attractor self-reproducing, where the offset boosting of an attractor needs an available polarity controller to restore the imbalanced polarity.

Maternal milk and fecal microbes guide the spatiotemporal development of mucosa-associated microbiota and barrier function in the porcine neonatal gut.

BACKGROUND: The early-life microbiota exerts a profound and lifelong impact on host health. Longitudinal studies in humans have been informative but are mostly based on the analysis of fecal samples and cannot shed direct light on the early development of mucosa-associated intestinal microbiota and its impact on GI function. Using piglets as a model for human infants, we assess here the succession of mucosa-associated microbiota across the intestinal tract in the first 35 days after birth. RESULTS: Although sharing a similar composition and predicted functional profile at birth, the mucosa-associated microbiome in the small intestine (jejunum and ileum) remained relatively stable, while that of the large intestine (cecum and colon) quickly expanded and diversified by day 35. Among detected microbial sources (milk, vagina, areolar skin, and feces of sows, farrowing crate, and incubator), maternal milk microbes were primarily responsible for the colonization of the small intestine, contributing approximately 90% bacteria throughout the first 35 days of the neonatal life. Although maternal milk microbes contributed greater than 90% bacteria to the large intestinal microbiota of neonates upon birth, their presence gradually diminished, and they were replaced by maternal fecal microbes by day 35. We found strong correlations between the relative abundance of specific mucosa-associated microbes, particularly those vertically transmitted from the mother, and the expression levels of multiple intestinal immune and barrier function genes in different segments of the intestinal tract. CONCLUSION: We revealed spatially specific trajectories of microbial colonization of the intestinal mucosa in the small and large intestines, which can be primarily attributed to the colonization by vertically transmitted maternal milk and intestinal microbes. Additionally, these maternal microbes may be involved in the establishment of intestinal immune and barrier functions in neonates. Our findings strengthen the notion that studying fecal samples alone is insufficient to fully understand the co-development of the intestinal microbiota and immune system and suggest the possibility of improving neonatal health through the manipulation of maternal microbiota.

Production of F0 mice from embryonic stem cells injected eight-cell stage embryos which stored at refrigeration temperature.

At refrigeration temperature, mouse embryos can retain their developmental ability for a couple of days. Previous research reports have focused on the effect of cool temperature on the development of 2-cell stage embryos, morulae or blastocysts and determined that the embryo still has the ability to produce offspring after about 48 h storage at refrigeration temperature. Here we examined whether refrigeration temperature affects the development of the eight-cell stage and if the stored eight-cell stage embryo can still be used as a host embryo for ES cell injection. Our results show that eight-cell stage embryos can develop into blastocysts and yield pups after cold storage for 24 and 48 h. After ES cell injection, stored eight-cell stage embryos can support ES cells developing to F0 pups. In summary, cool storage can preserve the developmental ability of eight-cell stage embryos for at least 48 h, allowing transportation of the embryos at refrigeration temperature between different labs and their subsequent use as host embryos for ES cell injection.

Enhanced electrokinetic remediation of manganese and ammonia nitrogen from electrolytic manganese residue using pulsed electric field in different enhancement agents.

Electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) is a solid waste generated in the process of producing electrolytic metal manganese and contains a lot of manganese and ammonia nitrogen. In this study, electrokinetic remediation (EK) of manganese and ammonia nitrogen from EMR were carried out by using pulse electric field (PE) in different agents, and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), citric acid (CA) and ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) were used as enhancement agents. The removal behavior of ammonia nitrogen and manganese under direct current field (DC) and PE, and the relationship between manganese fractionation and transport behavior, as well as the energy consumption were investigated. The results demonstrated that the removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen and manganese using PE were higher than DC. SDBS, EDTA and CA could enhance electroosmosis and electromigration, and the sequence of enhancement agent effects were CA, SDBS, EDTA, distilled water. The highest removal efficiency of manganese and ammonia nitrogen were 94.74% and 88.20%, and the effective removal amount of manganese and ammonia nitrogen was 23.93 and 1.48 mg·wh-1, when CA and SDBS+CA was used as the enhancement agents, respectively. Moreover, electromigration was the main removal mechanism of manganese and ammonia nitrogen in the EK process.

Simultaneous optimizing removal of manganese and ammonia nitrogen from electrolytic metal manganese residue leachate using chemical equilibrium model.

Electrolytic metal manganese residue leachate (EMMRL) was produced from long-term deposition of electrolytic metal manganese residue. EMMRL contains huge amount of manganese and ammonia nitrogen which could seriously damage the ecological environment. In this study, a chemical equilibrium model-Visual MINTEQ was used to simultaneously optimize removal of manganese and ammonia nitrogen from EMMRL with chemical precipitation methods. In the laboratory experiment, the effect of different N: P ratios and pH were investigated, and the characterization of the precipitates was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that over 99.9% manganese and 96.2% ammonia nitrogen were simultaneously removed, respectively, when molar ratio of N:P was 1:1.15 at pH 9.5. Moreover, the experimental results corresponded well with the model outputs with respect to ammonia nitrogen and manganese removal. Manganese was mainly removed in the form of MnHPO4·3H2O and manganite, and ammonia nitrogen was mainly removed in the form of struvite. Economic evaluation indicated the chemical precipitation methods can be applied in the factory when the price of precipitation was higher than 0.295 $/kg.