In situ hydrodeoxygenation of heavy bio-oil using a Ce/Fe-based oxygen carrier in methanol-zero valent aluminum media.

Resource recovery from solid organic wastes, such as degradable plastics, and upgrading raw bio-oil are important ways for reducing carbon and pollution emissions. Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is a common thermochemical treatment to upgrade crude bio-oil. In this study, in order to realize in situ HDO during the hydropyrolysis of heavy bio-oil and degradable plastics, a reduced Fe/Ce oxygen carrier (OC) was used to catalytically remove oxygen from organics under the methanol-zero valent aluminum (ZV Al) media, where the hydrogen was produced during pyrolysis instead of a direct hydrogen supply. The results showed that the reduced OC captured the oxygen from the pyrolysis products of heavy bio-oil and degradable plastic, representing the multi-selectivity of reduced OC to phenols, ketones, etc. The ZV Al system promoted the production and utilization of hydrogen, as evidenced by the increased hydrogen content in gas phase and hydrocarbon content in liquid phase. The hydrocarbon component distribution in the liquid phase increased clearly when hydropyrolysis with degradable plastics addtion, but the excess degradable plastics addition caused increasing of the liquid product viscosity, and decreasing of the liquid products yield for the higher ash content in degradable plastic, and a higher ZV Al amount was required to maintain the hydropyrolysis. Molecular dynamics simulations verified the synergistic effect of degradable plastics and bio-oil by the pyrolysis behavior in different systems and temperatures, and the pyrolysis pathways were proposed. This non-autocatalytic system realized the resource recovery and heavy bio-oil upgrading using an Fe/Ce OC.

Meta-analysis of selenium effects on the meat quality of broilers.

The effects of sodium selenite or selenium yeast on the meat quality of broilers were searched in the literature published in the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct databases from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2022. Meta-analysis was performed with Stata software (StataCorp. 2011), and the standardized mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random effects model. Twenty of the identified 846 literature sources, which included 791 broilers, were screened. The meat quality indices considered were shear force, drip loss, cooking loss, water holding capacity (WHC), pH, and color. The source of heterogeneity was studied using sensitivity and subgroup analyses, and publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots. The results showed that the supplementation of selenium in the broiler diet significantly reduced the shear force (SMD = -0.67, 95% CI [-1.12, -0.22], P < 0.05) and drip loss (SMD = -0.84, 95% CI [-1.39, -0.30], P < 0.05) and increased the pH (SMD = 0.38, 95% CI [0.01, 0.75], P < 0.05) of broiler breast muscle; however, it had no significant effects on other indices. Funnel plots revealed a slight publication bias in the shear force and pH of breast muscle but none in the drip loss of breast muscle. The sensitivity analysis showed that the results were stable and reliable. In conclusion, selenium supplementation in broiler feed can improve some indices of broiler meat quality, and its inclusion in broiler diets is recommended, in conjunction with other minerals, which is of great significance to improve the quality, preservation time and economic benefits of chicken products.

Aloe Vera Extract Gel-Biosynthesized Selenium Nanoparticles Enhance Disease Resistance in Lettuce by Modulating the Metabolite Profile and Bacterial Endophytes Composition.

The use of nanotechnology to suppress crop diseases has attracted significant attention in agriculture. The present study investigated the antifungal mechanism by which aloe vera extract gel-biosynthesized (AVGE) selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) suppressed Fusarium-induced wilt disease in lettuce (Lactuca sativa). AVGE Se NPs were synthesized by utilizing sodium selenite as a Se source and AVGE as a biocompatible capping and reducing agent. Over 21 d, 2.75% of total AVGE Se NPs was dissolved into Se ions, which was more than 8-fold greater than that of bare Se NPs (0.34%). Upon exposure to soil applied AVGE Se NPs at 50 mg/kg, fresh shoot biomass was significantly increased by 61.6 and 27.8% over the infected control and bare Se NPs, respectively. As compared to the infected control, the shoot levels of citrate, isocitrate, succinate, malate, and 2-oxo-glutarate were significantly upregulated by 0.5-3-fold as affected by both Se NPs. In addition, AVGE Se NPs significantly increased the shoot level of khelmarin D, a type of coumarin, by 4.40- and 0.71-fold over infected controls and bare Se NPs, respectively. Additionally, AVGE Se NPs showed greater upregulation of jasmonic acid and downregulation of abscisic acid content relative to bare Se NPs in diseased shoots. Moreover, the diversity of bacterial endophytes was significantly increased by AVGE Se NPs, with the values of Shannon index 40.2 and 9.16% greater over the infected control and bare Se NPs. Collectively, these findings highlight the significant potential of AVGE Se NPs as an effective and biocompatible strategy for nanoenabled sustainable crop protection.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of two contrasting wolfberry genotypes during fruit development and ripening and characterization of the LrMYB1 transcription factor that regulates flavonoid biosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: Lycium barbarum and L. ruthenicum have been used as traditional medicinal plants in China and other Asian counties for centuries. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying fruit development and ripening, as well as the associated production of medicinal and nutritional components, have been little explored in these two species. RESULTS: A competitive transcriptome analysis was performed to identify the regulators and pathways involved in the fruit ripening of red wolfberry (L. barbarum) and black wolfberry (L. ruthenicum) using an Illumina sequencing platform. In total, 155,606 genes and 194,385 genes were detected in red wolfberry (RF) and black wolfberry (BF), respectively. Of them, 20,335, 24,469, and 21,056 genes were differentially expressed at three different developmental stages in BF and RF. Functional categorization of the differentially expressed genes revealed that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, anthocyanin biosynthesis, and sugar metabolism were the most differentially regulated processes during fruit development and ripening in the RF and BF. Furthermore, we also identified 38 MYB transcription factor-encoding genes that were differentially expressed during black wolfberry fruit development. Overexpression of LrMYB1 resulted in the activation of structural genes for flavonoid biosynthesis and led to an increase in flavonoid content, suggesting that the candidate genes identified in this RNA-seq analysis are credible and might offer important utility. CONCLUSION: This study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanism of Lycium fruit development and ripening and will be of value to novel gene discovery and functional genomic studies.

Alleviated systemic oxidative stress effects of combined atmospheric oxidant capacity by fish oil supplementation: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Combined atmospheric oxidant capacity (Ox), represented by the sum of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3), is an important hazardous property of outdoor air pollution mixture. It remains unknown whether its adverse effects can be ameliorated by dietary fish-oil supplementation. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of fish-oil supplementation against oxidative stress induced by acute Ox exposure. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled study among 65 young adults in Shanghai, China between September 2017 and January 2018. We randomly assigned participants to receive either 2.5 g/day of fish oil or placebo, and conducted four repeated physical examinations during the last two months of treatments. Ox concentrations were calculated as the sum of hourly measurements of NO2 and O3. We measured six biomarkers on systemic oxidative stress and antioxidant activity. Linear mixed-effect models were used to assess the short-term effects of Ox on biomarkers in each group. RESULTS: During our study period, the 72-h average Ox concentration was 93.6 µg/m3. Short-term exposure to Ox led to weaker changes in all biomarkers in the fish oil group than in the placebo group. Compared with the placebo group, for a 10-µg/m3 increase in Ox, there were smaller decrements in myeloperoxidase (MPO, difference = 5.92%, lag = 0-2 d, p = 0.03) and malondialdehyde (MDA, difference = 5.00%, lag = 1 d, p = 0.04) in the fish-oil group; there were also larger increments in total antioxidant capacity (TAC, difference = 16.33%, lag = 2 d, p = 0.02) and in glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px, difference = 8.89%, lag = 0-2 d, p = 0.03) in the fish-oil group. The estimated differences for MPO were robust to adjustment for all co-pollutants and the differences for other biomarkers remained for some co-pollutants. CONCLUSIONS: This trial provides first-hand evidence that dietary fish-oil supplementation may alleviate the systemic oxidative stress induced by Ox.

Qingyihuaji formula reverses gemcitabine resistant human pancreatic cancer through regulate lncRNA AB209630/miR-373/EphB2-NANOG signals.

To investigate the possible mechanism of Qingyihuaji formula (QYHJ) for reversing gemcitabine (GEM) resistant human pancreatic cancer. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion were detected in CFPAC-1 cells. Xenograft mice established with CFPAC-1 through subcutaneous on 33 immunodeficient nude mice and randomly divided into four groups: vehicle, GEM (35 mg/kg), QYHJ (40 g/kg), and GEM + QYHJ (35 mg/kg + 40 g/kg) groups for 28-day treatment. Tumor growth and the mRNA expression of lncRNA AB209630, miR373, EphB2, and NANOG evaluated in dissected tumor tissue by real-time PCR, the CD133+ cancer stem cells were isolated by flow cytometer, and the changes of the tumor sphere forming were measured. QYHJ, especially the combination of GEM and QYHJ, was significantly inhibited the cell proliferation and migration of CFPAC-1 in vitro in the indicated times. The combination of GEM and QYHJ also remarkably promoted the cell apoptosis of CFPAC-1. QYHJ treatment effectively blocked the tumor growth in nude mice. QYHJ, especially GEM + QYHJ treatment, was significantly increased the mRNA expression of lncRNA AB209630, significantly decreased the mRNA levels of miR373, EphB2 and NANOG, and markedly reduced the tumor sphere formation and the numbers of CD133+ stem cells. In addition, GEM alone treatment had no significant effect in the above biomarker changes. QYHJ could effectivly enhance the antihuman pancreatic tumor activity of GEM, which may be through inhibiting pancreatic cancer stem cell differentiation by lncRNA AB209630/miR-373/EphB2-NANOG signaling pathway.

Cardiovascular Benefits of Fish-Oil Supplementation Against Fine Particulate Air Pollution in China.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation against fine particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter <2.5 µm [PM2.5]) exposure in highly polluted areas. OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to evaluate whether dietary fish-oil supplementation protects cardiovascular health against PM2.5 exposure in China. METHODS: This is a randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled trial among 65 healthy college students in Shanghai, China. Participants were randomly assigned to either the placebo group or the intervention group with dietary fish-oil supplementation of 2.5 g/day from September 2017 to January 2018, and received 4 rounds of health examinations in the last 2 months of treatments. Fixed-site PM2.5 concentrations on campus were measured in real time. The authors measured blood pressure and 18 biomarkers of systematic inflammation, coagulation, endothelial function, oxidative stress, antioxidant activity, cardiometabolism, and neuroendocrine stress response. Acute effects of PM2.5 on these outcomes were evaluated within each group using linear mixed-effect models. RESULTS: The average PM2.5 level was 38 µg/m3 during the study period. Compared with the placebo group, the fish-oil group showed relatively stable levels of most biomarkers in response to changes in PM2.5 exposure. Between-group differences associated with PM2.5 exposure varied by biomarkers and by lags of exposure. The authors observed beneficial effects of fish-oil supplementation on 5 biomarkers of blood inflammation, coagulation, endothelial function, oxidative stress, and neuroendocrine stress response in the fish-oil group at a false discovery rate of <0.05. CONCLUSIONS: This trial shows that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is associated with short-term subclinical cardiovascular benefits against PM2.5 exposure among healthy young adults in China. (Effect of Dietary Supplemental Fish Oil in Alleviating Health Hazards Associated With Air Pollution; NCT03255187).

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Lycium ruthenicum (Solanaceae), a traditional medicinal plant in China.

Lycium ruthenicum, Known as a traditional medicinal plant in China, is distributed in the arid and semiarid areas of northwest China. In this study, we assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of L. ruthenicum using data from high-throughput Illumina sequencing. The L. ruthenicum cp genome is 154,979 bp in size and includes two inverted repeat regions of 25,395 bp each, which is separated by a large single copy region of 85,984 bp and a small single copy region of 18,205 bp. A total of 132 genes were predicted, including 37 tRNA, 8 rRNA, and 86 protein-coding genes. In addition, 9 PCG genes possess a single intron, 74 PCG genes no intron, and 3 other genes harbor two introns. 6 tRNA genes harbor a single intron. Phylogenetic analysis placed L. ruthenicum within the Solanaceae.

Characterization of the Lycium barbarum fruit transcriptome and development of EST-SSR markers.

Lycium barbarum, commonly known as goji, is important in Chinese herbal medicine and its fruit is a very important agricultural and biological product. However, the molecular mechanism of formation of its fruit and associated medicinal and nutritional components is unexplored. Moreover, this species lacks SSR markers due to lack of genomic and transcriptomic information. In this study, a total of 139,333 unigenes with average length of 1049 bp and N50 of 1579 bp are obtained by trinity assembly from Illumina sequencing reads. A total of 92,498 (66.38%) unigenes showed similarities in at least one database including Nr (46.15%), Nt (56.56%), KO (15.56%), Swiss-prot (33.34%), Pfam (33.43%), GO (33.62%) and KOG/COG (17.55%). Genes in flavonoid and taurine biosynthesis pathways were found and validated by RT-qPCR. A total of 50,093 EST-SSRs were identified from 38,922 unigenes, and 22,537 EST-SSR primer pairs were designed. Four hundred pairs of SSR markers were randomly selected to validate assembly quality, of which 352 (88%) were successful in PCR amplification of genomic DNA from 11 Lycium accessions and 210 produced polymorphisms. The polymorphic loci showed that the genetic similarity of the 11 Lycium accessions ranged from 0.50 to 0.99 and the accessions could be divided into 4 groups. These results will facilitate investigations of the molecular mechanism of formation of L. barbarum fruit and associated medicinal and nutritional components, and will be of value to novel gene discovery and functional genomic studies. The EST-SSR markers will be useful for genetic diversity evaluation, genetic mapping and marker-assisted breeding.

A new method of two-phase anaerobic digestion for fruit and vegetable waste treatment.

A novel method of two-phase anaerobic digestion where the acid reactor is operated at low pH 4.0 was proposed and investigated. A completely stirred tank acid reactor and an up-flow anaerobic sludge bed methane reactor were operated to examine the possibility of efficient degradation of lactate and to identify their optimal operating conditions. Lactate with an average concentration of 14.8g/L was the dominant fermentative product and Lactobacillus was the predominant microorganism in the acid reactor. The effluent from the acid reactor was efficiently degraded in the methane reactor and the average methane yield was 261.4ml/gCOD removed. Organisms of Methanosaeta were the predominant methanogen in granular sludge of methane reactor, however, after acclimation hydrogenotrophic methanogens enriched, which benefited for the conversion of lactate to acetate. The two-phase AD system exhibited a low hydraulic retention time of 3.56days and high methane yield of 348.5ml/g VS removed.

Genome-wide analysis of phylogeny, expression profile and sub-cellular localization of SKP1-Like genes in wild tomato.

SKP1 is a core component of SCF complex, a major type of E3 ubiquitin ligase catalyzing the last step in ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation pathway. In present study, SKP1 gene family in Solanum pimpinellifolium (SSK), a wild species of tomato, was investigated. A total of 19 SSK genes were identified through homologous search. Their chromosomal locations, gene structures, phylogeny, expression profiles, sub-cellular localizations and protein-protein interaction patterns with putative F-box proteins were analyzed in detail. The high homology and similar expression patterns among clustered SSK genes in chromosome suggested that they may have evolved from duplication events and are functionally redundant. Sub-cellular localization indicated that most of the SSK proteins are distributed in both cytosol and nucleus, except for SSK8, which is detected in cytosol only. Tissue-specific expression patterns suggested that many SSK genes may be involved in tomato fruit development. Furthermore, several SSK genes were found to be responsive to heat stress and salicylic acid treatment. Based on phylogenetic analysis, expression profiles and protein interaction property, we proposed that tomato SSK1 and SSK2 might have similar function to ASK1 and ASK2 in Arabidopsis.

Proteomic analysis of oil bodies in mature Jatropha curcas seeds with different lipid content.

To reveal the difference among three mature Jatropha curcas seeds (JcVH, variant with high lipid content; JcW, wild type and JcVL, variant with low lipid content) with different lipid content, comparative proteomics was employed to profile the changes of oil body (OB) associated protein species by using gels-based proteomic technique. Eighty-three protein species were successfully identified through LTQ-ES-MS/MS from mature JcW seeds purified OBs. Two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis of J. curcas OB associated protein species revealed they had essential interactions with other organelles and demonstrated that oleosin and caleosin were the most abundant OB structural protein species. Twenty-eight OB associated protein species showed significant difference among JcVH, JcW and JcVL according to statistical analysis. Complementary transient expression analysis revealed that calcium ion binding protein (CalBP) and glycine-rich RNA binding protein (GRP) were well targeted in OBs apart from the oleosins. This study demonstrated that ratio of lipid content to caleosins abundance was involved in the regulation of OB size, and the mutant induced by ethylmethylsulfone treatment might be related to the caleosin like protein species. These findings are important for biotechnological improvement with the aim to alter the lipid content in J. curcas seeds. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The economic value of Jatropha curcas largely depends on the lipid content in seeds which are mainly stored in the special organelle called oil bodies (OBs). In consideration of the biological importance and applications of J. curcas OB in seeds, it is necessary to further explore the components and functions of J. curcas OBs. Although a previous study concerning the J. curcas OB proteome revealed oleosins were the major OB protein component and additional protein species were similar to those in other oil seed plants, these identified OB associated protein species were corresponding to the protein bands instead of protein spots in the electrophoresis gels. Furthermore, the interaction of OB associated protein species and their contribution to OB formation and stabilization are still blank. In this study, with the overall object of profiling OB protein species from mature J. curcas seeds with different lipid content, we provided a setting of comparative OB proteomics with biochemical data and transient expression to explore the core of OB associated protein species involved in the regulation of OB size and lipid accumulation. The results were important for biotechnological improvement with the aim to a global modification of lipid storage in J. curcas seeds. Meanwhile, this study gave insight into possible associations between OBs and other organelles in mature J. curcas seeds. It may represent new aspects of the biological functions of the OBs during the oil mobilization. Combined the technique of transient transformation, a newly reported protein species, glycine-rich RNA binding protein (GRP) was successfully targeted in OBs. Therefore, further molecular analysis of these protein species is warranted to verify this association and what role they have in OBs.

PAHs distribution in sediments associated with gas hydrate and oil seepage from the Gulf of Mexico.

Six sediment samples collected from the Gulf of Mexico were analyzed. Total concentrations of the PAHs ranged from 52 to 403 ng g(-1) dry weight. The lowest PAH concentration without 5-6 rings PAHs appeared in S-1 sample associated with gas hydrate or gas venting. Moreover, S-1 sample had the lowest organic carbon content with 0.85% and highest reduced sulfur level with 1.21% relative to other samples. And, analysis of the sources of PAHs in S-1 sample indicated that both pyrogenic and petrogenic sources, converserly, while S-8, S-10 and S-11 sample suggested petrogenic origin. The distribution of dibenzothiophene, fluorine and dibenzofuran and the maturity parameters of triaromatic steranes suggested that organic matters in S-1 sample were different from that in S-8, S-10 and S-11 sample. This study suggested that organic geochemical data could help in distinguish the characteristic of sediment associated with gas hydrate or with oil seepage.

Organic composition in the dry season rainwater of Guangzhou, China.

This paper reports the results from a study of the organic composition of rainwater collected at Tianhe district of Guangzhou city, P.R. China, during the dry season. Several special setups of a pyrex bottle with a glass funnel were used for the collection of the rainwater. Three fractions (aliphatics, PAHs and fatty acids) were separated from the total extracted organic compounds and identified with GC-MS. The molecular diagnostic ratios were utilized for the source reconciliation. The aliphatic hydrocarbon and the biomarkers (triterpanes and steranes) distribution show a characteristic of the petrochemical source in the rainwater samples. The PAHs diagnostic ratios [e.g. MP/P, MPI, Fl/ (Fl + Py)] indicated vehicular emissions. The fatty acids ratios (e.g. C(18:1)/C(18:0) and C(18:2)/C(18:0)) reflect the contribution of cooking emissions, while the higher plant waxes play little part. Moreover, the values of MP/P, MPI, BaA/(BaA + CT) and BeP/(BeP + BaP) reflected the origin of the long-distance transportation to some extent. On the whole, for the dry season rainwater, all molecular diagnostic ratios indicated the complexity of the organic composition of the rain, which have the characteristics of both a local emission contribution and a long-distance transportation contribution.