Ni-Based Hydrotalcite (HT)-Derived Cu Catalysts for Catalytic Conversion of Bioethanol to Butanol.

Catalytic conversion of biomass-derived ethanol into n-butanol through Guerbet coupling reaction has become one of the key reactions in biomass valorization, thus attracting significant attention recently. Herein, a series of supported Cu catalysts derived from Ni-based hydrotalcite (HT) were prepared and performed in the continuous catalytic conversion of ethanol into butanol. Among the prepared catalysts, Cu/NiAlOx shows the best performance in terms of butanol selectivity and catalyst stability, with a sustained ethanol conversion of ~35% and butanol selectivity of 25% in a time-on-stream (TOS) of 110 h at 280 °C. While for the Cu/NiFeOx and Cu/NiCoOx, obvious catalyst deactivation and/or low butanol selectivity were obtained. Extensive characterization studies of the fresh and spent catalysts, i.e., X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), reveal that the catalysts' deactivation is mainly caused by the support deconstruction during catalysis, which is highly dependent on the reducibility. Additionally, an appropriate acid-base property is pivotal for enhancing the product selectivity, which is beneficial for the key process of aldol-condensation to produce butanol.

Suggestive evidence of genetic association of IL23R polymorphisms with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk in the Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a worldwide public health problem. Previous genetic association studies have identified several susceptibility loci in the interleukin genes that may participate in the nosogenesis of COPD. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between IL23R loci and COPD susceptibility in the Chinese population. METHODS: Agena MassARRAY technology was applied to genotype five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL23R gene in 498 COPD patients and 498 healthy people. The association between IL23R SNPs and COPD risk was calculated by logistic regression analysis, with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The false-positive report probability analysis was noteworthy for evaluating the significant results. Also, haplotype analysis was performed among IL23R variants, and multifactor dimensionality reduction analysis was performed to assess the SNP-SNP interactions to predict the risk of COPD. RESULTS: Overall analysis showed that rs7517847 had a significant association with an increased risk of COPD. Age-stratified analysis revealed that rs7517847 was significantly related to an increased risk of COPD in people aged over 68 years old. Sex-stratified analysis illustrated a significant association between rs2295359 and rs7517847 and COPD risk in the female population. The significant association of COPD risk with IL23R SNPs was assessed by false-positive report probability values. Additionally, we observed that the haplotypes AAC and GGA formed by rs2201841, rs12743974 and rs10889677 were associated with a reduced risk of COPD (p = 0.009, p = 0.026). Also, the five-loci interaction model formed by rs2295359, rs7517847, rs2201841, rs12743974 and rs10889677 became the best predictor of COPD, with 10/10 cross-validation consistency and 52.4% testing balance accuracy. CONCLUSION: The research indicated a remarkable association between IL23R variants and COPD susceptibility in the Chinese population. Larger samples and functional research are required to ascertain the relationship between IL23R variants and COPD susceptibility.

In Situ Growth of Cs3Bi2Br9 Quantum Dots on Bi-MOF Nanosheets via Cosharing Bismuth Atoms for CO2 Capture and Photocatalytic Reduction.

Given the global warming caused by excess CO2 accumulation in the atmosphere, it is essential to reduce CO2 by capturing and converting it to chemical feedstock using solar energy. Herein, a novel Cs3Bi2Br9/bismuth-based metal-organic framework (Bi-MOF) composite was prepared via an in situ growth strategy of Cs3Bi2Br9 quantum dots (QDs) on the surface of Bi-MOF nanosheets through coshared bismuth atoms. The prepared Cs3Bi2Br9/Bi-MOF exhibits bifunctional merits for both the high capture and effective conversion of CO2, among which the optimized 3Cs3Bi2Br9/Bi-MOF sample shows a CO2-CO conversion yield as high as 572.24 µmol g-1 h-1 under the irradiation of a 300 W Xe lamp. In addition, the composite shows good stability after five recycles in humid air, and the CO2 photoreduction efficiency does not decrease significantly. The mechanistic investigation uncovers that the intimate atomic-level contact between Cs3Bi2Br9 and Bi-MOF via the coshared atoms not only improves the dispersion of Cs3Bi2Br9 QDs over Bi-MOF nanosheets but also accelerates interfacial charge transfer by forming a strong bonding linkage, which endows it with the best performance of CO2 photoreduction. Our new finding of bismuth-based metal-organic framework/lead-free halide perovskite by cosharing atoms opens a new avenue for a novel preparation strategy of the heterojunction with atomic-level contact and potential applications in capture and photocatalytic conversion of CO2.

Genome-wide association study of serum tumor markers in Southern Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Serum indicators AFP, CA50, CA125, CA153, CA19-9, CEA, f-PSA, SCC-Ag have been confirmed as tumor markers (TMs). We conducted a genome-wide association study on 8 tumor markers of our 427 Han population in southern China, in order to identify genetic loci that are significantly associated with the level of 8 tumor markers. METHODS: We use Gene Titan multi-channel instrument and Axiom Analysis Suite 6.0 software for genotyping. We used IMPUTE2 software for imputation, and 1000 Genomes Project (Phase 3) was used as haplotype reference. After necessary quality control and statistical analysis, genetic loci genome-wide associated with TMs (p < 5E-8) will be identified. Finally, we selected Top SNPs (p < 5E-7) from the GWAS results for replication test. We used SPSS software to draw the distribution box plots of serum TMs under different genotypes of significant loci. RESULTS: The results showed that there were only MUC1 (mucin 1)-rs4072037 significantly genome-wide associated with CA153 (p = 1.28E-18). However, we found that a total of 30 genetic loci have a suggestively significant genome-wide association with the level of 8 serum tumor markers (p < 5E-6). Then 3 Top SNPs (p < 5E-7) were selected for replication verification. The results showed that MUC1-rs4072037 was still significantly associated with CA153 in another population (p = 3.73E-08). Comparing with the TT genotype of rs4072037, the CA153 level was higher under CC or CT genotype of rs4072037. CONCLUSION: MUC1-rs4072037 is significantly genome-wide associated with CA153 level. There are 30 genetic loci suggestively genome-wide associated with level of tumor markers among the Han population from Southern China.

Preliminary study of genome-wide association identified novel susceptibility genes for thyroid-related hormones in Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid hormones are critical regulators of metabolism, development and growth in mammals. However, the genetic association of thyroid-related hormones in the Chinese Han population is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify the genetic loci associated with circulating thyroid-related hormones concentrations in the healthy Chinese Han population. METHODS: Genotyping was performed in 124 individuals using Applied Biosystems™ Axiom™ PMDA, and 796,288 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were available for the GWAS analysis. For replication, eleven SNPs were selected as candidate loci for genotyping by Agena MassARRAY platform in additional samples (313 subjects). The values of p < 5 × 10- 6 suggest a suggestively significant genome-wide association with circulating thyroid-related hormones concentrations. RESULTS: We identified that rs11178277 (PTPRB, p = 4.88 × 10- 07) and rs7320337 (LMO7DN-KCTD12, p = 1.22 × 10- 06) were associated with serum FT3 level. Three SNPs (rs4850041 in LOC105373394-LINC01249: p = 3.55 × 10- 06, rs6867291 in LINC02208: p = 2.40 × 10- 06 and rs79508321 in WWOX: p = 3.35 × 10- 06) were related to circulating T3 level. Rs12474167 (LOC105373394-LINC01249, p = 1.65 × 10- 06) and rs1864553 (IWS1, p = 2.00 × 10- 06) were associated with circulating T4 concentration. The association with TGA concentration was for rs17163542 in DISP1 (p = 3.46 × 10- 06) and rs12601151 in NOG-C17orf67 (p = 2.72 × 10- 07). Two genome-level significant SNPs (rs2114707 in LINC01314, p = 1.69 × 10- 06 and rs12601151, p = 1.41 × 10- 07) associated with serum TMA concentration were identified. Moreover, rs6083269 (CST1-CST2, p = 3.36 × 10- 06) was a significant locus for circulating TSH level. In replication, rs12601151 in NOG-C17orf67 was still associated with serum TGA level (p = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: The GWAS reported 11 new suggestively significant loci associated with circulating thyroid-related hormones levels among the Chinese Han population. These findings represented suggestively biological candidates for circulating thyroid-related hormones levels and provided new insights into the mechanisms of regulating serum TGA concentration.

C5orf66 rs4976270/rs639933 Are Associated with Colorectal Cancer Risk in Southern Chinese Han Population: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the common malignant tumors, with high mortality and poor prognosis. Our study aimed to determine the association between the long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) C5orf66 polymorphism and CRC risk in southern Chinese Han population. METHOD: Using the experimental design of "case-control" study (512 cases and 513 controls), we selected 4 candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of C5orf66. All candidate SNPs were genotyped by Agena MassARRAY. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between SNPs and CRC risk. Then, we used false-positive report probability analysis to detect whether the significant result is just a chance or noteworthy observation. Multi-factor dimensionality reduction was used to analyze the interaction of "SNP-SNP" in CRC risk. RESULTS: Our results showed that C5orf66 SNPs rs4976270 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.69, p = 0.021) and rs639933 (OR = 1.67, p = 0.024) were, respectively, associated with increasing CRC risk in the southern Chinese Han population. Stratified analysis showed that rs4976270 and rs639933 were significantly associated with an increased risk of CRC in subgroups (>60 years, body mass index ≤24 and drinking) under multiple genetic models. In addition, rs254563 and rs647161 also had potential association with CRC risk in subgroups (BMI ≤24 and drinking). Finally, haplotype analysis results showed that haplotype "TA" was significantly associated with increased CRC risk (OR = 1.21, confidence interval = 1.47-2.02, p = 0.043). CONCLUSION: Our study provides a new idea for the risk assessment of CRC. LncRNA C5orf66 SNPs have a certain association with CRC risk in the southern Chinese Han population.

Biodiversity, environmental context and structural attributes as drivers of aboveground biomass in shrublands at the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River basin.

Biodiversity-biomass relationships have been debated for decades and remain subject to controversy. Understanding the relationship between biodiversity and biomass will be crucial for soil and water conservation of the whole basin of the Yellow River. The positive effects of biodiversity on aboveground biomass are altered via two fundamental mechanisms-niche complementarity and selection effects-and are modulated by environmental context and community structure in natural communities. Most studies of biodiversity-biomass relationships have focused on grasslands and forests, rather than on shrublands. We combine multiple biotic variables (biodiversity, functional identity and community structural attributes) and environmental context with aboveground biomass across shrubland habitat types (temperate hilly, temperate montane and subtropical montane) at neighbourhood and community spatial scales, to evaluate the effects of these factors on shrubland aboveground biomass, in the Yellow River basin. We found aboveground biomass was influenced primarily by the community-weighted mean plant maximum height, followed by species richness and community-weighted mean specific leaf area. Furthermore, individual plant size inequality, mean annual precipitation and water availability either directly or indirectly influenced aboveground biomass. The biodiversity-aboveground biomass relationship was stronger at the broader spatial scale. Thus, our findings indicate that both niche complementarity and selection effects shape the effects of biodiversity on shrubland aboveground biomass, although selection effects are more important. Moreover, they indicate that water is the most important environmental factor for determining aboveground biomass, and suggest that community structure and spatial scale could influence shrubland aboveground biomass and its response to biodiversity.

Functional identity enhances aboveground productivity of a coastal saline meadow mediated by Tamarix chinensis in Laizhou Bay, China.

Research in recent decades has confirmed that biodiversity influences ecosystem productivity; however, the potential mechanisms regulating this process remain subject to controversy, due to variation across ecosystems. Here, the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem productivity were evaluated using three variables of biodiversity (taxonomic diversity, functional identity, and functional diversity) and surrounding environmental conditions in a coastal saline meadow located on the south coast of Laizhou Bay, China. At this site, the shrub and field layers were primarily dominated by Tamarix chinensis and natural mesic grasses, respectively. Our results showed that functional identity, which is quantified as the community weighted mean of trait values, had greater explanatory ability than taxonomic and functional diversity. Thus, ecosystem productivity was determined disproportionately by the specific traits of dominant species. T. chinensis coverage was a biotic environmental factor that indirectly affected ecosystem productivity by increasing the community weighted mean of plant maximum height, which simultaneously declined with species richness. The present study advances our understanding of the mechanisms driving variation in the productivity of temperate coastal saline meadows, providing evidence supporting the "mass ratio" hypothesis.

Bis(6'-carb-oxy-2,2'-bipyridine-6-carboxyl-ato-κN,N',O)nickel(II) tetra-hydrate.

In the title compound, [Ni(C(12)H(7)N(2)O(4))(2)]·4H(2)O, the Ni atom is located at the centre of a distorted octa-hedron, formed by four N atoms and two O atoms from the same two tridentating chelated 6-carb-oxy-2,2'-bipyridine-6'-carboxyl-ate (L) ligands. Face-to-face π-stacking inter-actions between inversion-related pyridine rings with centroid-centroid distances of 3.548 (3) and 3.662 (3) Š(perpendicular distances between the respective rings are 3.314 and 3.438 Å) are found. Inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds between water mol-ecules and L ligands form R(5) (3)(10), R(6) (5)(14) and R(5) (5)(12) rings and also a centrosymmetric cage-like unit of water mol-ecules, which link eight adjacent Ni(II) centers, forming a three-dimensional framework.