Techno-Economic and Life Cycle Assessment of Enhanced Rock Weathering: A Case Study from the Midwestern United States.

Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy for combating climate change. The CDR potentials of ERW have been assessed at the process and national/global levels, but the environmental and economic implications of ERW have not been fully quantified for U.S. applications with real-world supply chain considerations. This study develops an optimization-based, integrated life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis framework for ERW, which is demonstrated by a case study applying mining waste to croplands in the Midwestern U.S. The case study explores maximum transportation distances for intermodal transportation at varied mineral CDR yields and costs, informing supply chain design for economically viable ERW. ERW costs (US$45 to 472/tonne of net CO2e captured) and cradle-to-farm gate GHG emissions (41 to 359 kg CO2e/tonne of CO2e captured) are estimated based on a range of CDR yields and by transportation distances to and from two Midwest port destinations: Chicago and Duluth. Our sensitivity analysis identifies CDR yields, and transportation modes and distances as driving factors for result variations. Our study reveals the importance of ERW supply chain design and provides an example of U.S. CDR implementation. Our framework and findings can be applied to other regional ERW projects.

Climate-smart forestry through innovative wood products and commercial afforestation and reforestation on marginal land.

Afforestation and reforestation (AR) on marginal land are nature-based solutions to climate change. There is a gap in understanding the climate mitigation potential of protection and commercial AR with different combinations of forest plantation management and wood utilization pathways. Here, we fill the gap using a dynamic, multiscale life cycle assessment to estimate one-century greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation delivered by (both traditional and innovative) commercial and protection AR with different planting density and thinning regimes on marginal land in the southeastern United States. We found that innovative commercial AR generally mitigates more GHGs across 100 y (3.73 to 4.15 Giga tonnes of CO2 equivalent (Gt CO2e)) through cross-laminated timber (CLT) and biochar than protection AR (3.35 to 3.69 Gt CO2e) and commercial AR with traditional lumber production (3.17 to 3.51 Gt CO2e), especially in moderately cooler and dryer regions in this study with higher forest carbon yield, soil clay content, and CLT substitution. In a shorter timeframe (≤50 y), protection AR is likely to deliver higher GHG mitigation. On average, for the same wood product, low-density plantations without thinning and high-density plantations with thinning mitigate more life cycle GHGs and result in higher carbon stock than that of low-density with thinning plantations. Commercial AR increases the carbon stock of standing plantations, wood products, and biochar, but the increases have uneven spatial distributions. Georgia (0.38 Gt C), Alabama (0.28 Gt C), and North Carolina (0.13 Gt C) have the largest carbon stock increases that can be prioritized for innovative commercial AR projects on marginal land.

A review of recent strategies to improve the physical stability of phycocyanin.

There is an increasing demand for more healthy and sustainable diets, which led to an interest in replacing synthetic colors with natural plant-based ones. Phycocyanin, which is commonly extracted from Spirulina platensis, has been explored as a natural blue pigment for application in the food industry. It is also used as a nutraceutical in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products because of its potentially beneficial biological properties, such as radical scavenging, immune modulating, and lipid peroxidase activities. The biggest challenges to the widespread application of phycocyanin for this purpose are its high sensitivity to chemical degradation when exposed to heat, light, acids, high pressure, heavy metal cations, and denaturants. Consequently, it is of considerable importance to improve its chemical stability, which requires a thorough knowledge of the relationship between the structure, environment, and chemical reactivity of phycocyanin. To increase the application of this natural pigment and nutraceutical within foods and other products, the structure, biological activities, and factors affecting its stability are reviewed, as well as strategies that have been developed to improve its stability. The information contained in this article is intended to stimulate further studies on the development of effective strategies to improve phycocyanin stability and performance.

Effect of Salvia Miltiorrhiza Polyphenolic Acid Injection on Improving Limb Use and Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Acute Stroke.

Aims: To investigate the effect of injectable salvia polyphenolic acid on the improvement of limb movement and cognitive dysfunction in acute stroke patients. Materials and Methods: The clinical data of 90 acute stroke patients were collected for retrospective study and divided into 45 cases each in the comparison group and the observation group according to the different treatment methods; using basic treatment + salvianolic acid, the comparison group implemented conventional alteplase and butalbital treatment, and the observation group used injectable salvianolic acid treatment, to observe and compare the clinical efficacy, changes in neurological deficits, cognitive function, and motor function scores before and after treatment in the two groups. Results: The NIHSS (National Institute of Health stroke scale) score, cerebral infarct volume, NSE (neuron-specific enolase), and S100ß (A neurotrophic factor) levels were reduced after treatment compared with those before treatment in this group, and the NIHSS score, cerebral infarct volume, NSE, and S100ß levels in the observation group were lower than those in the comparison group after treatment, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Compared with the clinical efficacy of the comparison group and the observation group, the treatment effect of the observation group was better than that of the comparison group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). After treatment, the cognitive function and motor function scores of both groups were significantly improved compared with those before treatment, and the degree of improvement of each score in the observation group was significantly better than that in the comparison group (P < 0.05). During the trial, two patients in the comparison group developed a generalized rash and withdrew from the experiment, and the rash subsided after anti-allergic treatment, and no significant adverse events were observed in the remaining participants. There was no statistically significant difference in liver and kidney function and cardiac enzyme test indexes between the two groups of patients at 14 days of treatment (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Danshen polyphenolic acid for injection has definite clinical efficacy in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, and it can effectively improve cognitive and motor functions and promote neurological recovery in patients with high safety.

Circular RNA circ­CCT3 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by regulating the miR­1287­5p/TEAD1/PTCH1/LOX axis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by a poor prognosis because of its insensitivity to radiation and chemotherapy. Recently, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been found to serve important roles in hepatocellular carcinogenesis. circ­CCT3, a novel circRNA, was screened from the differential tissue expression results of a circRNA microarray. Relative expression levels of circ­CCT3 in specimens and cell lines were evaluated by reverse transcription­quantitative PCR and the relationship between circ­CCT3 and prognosis was analyzed by Kaplan­Meier curves. The oncogenic role of circ­CCT3 was confirmed in HCC cells through a cell counting kit­8 (CCK­8) assay, a colony formation assay, acridine orange/ethidium bromide double fluorescence staining, flow cytometry, a wound­healing assay and a Transwell assay. Bioinformatics prediction and luciferase reporter assays validated that circ­CCT3 facilitated HCC progression through the miR­1287­5p/TEA domain transcription factor 1 (TEAD1) axis. TEAD1 could then directly activate patched 1 and lysyl oxidase transcription, as analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays. The present study identified a novel circRNA, circ­CCT3, which may be used as a potential therapeutic target for HCC.

Spatiotemporal assessment of farm-gate production costs and economic potential of Miscanthus × giganteus, Panicum virgatum L., and Jatropha grown on marginal land in China.

Spatially explicit farm-gate production costs and the economic potential of three types of energy crops grown on available marginal land in China for 2017 and 2040 were investigated using a spatial accounting method and construction of cost-supply curves. The average farm-gate cost from all available marginal land was calculated as 32.9 CNY/GJ for Miscanthus Mode, 27.5 CNY/GJ for Switchgrass Mode, 32.4 CNY/GJ for Miscanthus & Switchgrass Mode, and 909 CNY/GJ for Jatropha Mode in 2017. The costs of Miscanthus and switchgrass were predicted to decrease by approximately 11%-15%, whereas the cost of Jatropha was expected to increase by 5% in 2040. The cost of Jatropha varies significantly from 193 to 9,477 CNY/GJ across regions because of the huge differences in yield across regions. The economic potential of the marginal land was calculated as 28.7 EJ/year at a cost of less than 25 CNY/GJ for Miscanthus Mode, 4.0 EJ/year at a cost of less than 30 CNY/GJ for Switchgrass Mode, 29.6 EJ/year at a cost of less than 25 CNY/GJ for Miscanthus & Switchgrass Mode, and 0.1 EJ/year at a cost of less than 500 CNY/GJ for Jatropha Mode in 2017. It is not feasible to develop Jatropha production on marginal land based on existing technologies, given its high production costs. Therefore, the Miscanthus & Switchgrass Mode is the most economical way, because it achieves the highest economic potential compared with other modes. The sensitivity analysis showed that the farm-gate costs of Miscanthus and switchgrass are most sensitive to uncertainties associated with yield reduction and harvesting costs, while, for Jatropha, the unpredictable yield has the greatest impact on its farm-gate cost. This study can help policymakers and industrial stakeholders make strategic and tactical bioenergy development plans in China (exchange rate in 2017: 1€ = 7.63ï¿¥; all the joules in this paper are higher heat value).

Long non-coding RNA LOXL1-AS1 acts as a ceRNA for miR-324-3p to contribute to cholangiocarcinoma progression via modulation of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1.

Accumulating evidence has appreciated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as novel prognostic markers and therapeutic targets in malignant carcinomas. Here, we aim to investigate the value of a novel cancer-related lncRNA, LOXL1-AS1, in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). LOXL1-AS1 was found overexpressed in CCA tissues screened by high-throughput sequencing technology. Upregulation of LOXL1-AS1 was identified by TCGA database and qRT-PCR analysis. Additionally, upregulation of LOXL1-AS1 was associated with lymph node invasion, advanced TNM stages and unfavorable prognosis. Loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments were conducted and validated that LOXL1-AS1 could facilitate cell proliferation, migration and invasion and attenuate cell apoptosis. Moreover, luciferase reporter and rescue assays indicated that LOXL1-AS1 functioned as a ceRNA to elevate ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) level by sponging miR-324-3p and exhibited the malignant phenotypes of CCA cells, thereby playing an oncogenic role in CCA. Taken together, this study reveals that LOXL1-AS1 might act as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for CCA clinical application.

E2F1-induced upregulation of long non-coding RNA LMCD1-AS1 facilitates cholangiocarcinoma cell progression by regulating miR-345-5p/COL6A3 pathway.

Cholangiocarcinomas (CCA) is a refractory cancer with increasing incidence worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to associate with the occurrence and development of CCA. A previous study identified upregulation of LMCD1-AS1 in CCA tissues relative to their normal counterparts by Agilent human lncRNA + mRNA arrayV4.0. However, the biological roles and molecular mechanisms of LMCD1-AS1-regulated tumorigenesis and progression of CCA remain to be elucidated. In our study, we confirmed that LMCD1-AS1 expression was significantly higher in CCA tissues and cell lines than in normal tissues and HIBEC, respectively. E2F1 could bind directly to the promoter region of LMCD1-AS1 and activate its transcription. Function study showed depletion of LMCD1-AS1 suppressed cell proliferation, clone formation and invasion, and induced apoptosis of CCA cells. Whereas, ectopic expressed LMCD1-AS1 facilitated CCA cell progression. In addition, LMCD1-AS1 could sponge miR-345-5p in CCA cells. Moreover, collagenVI-alpha3 chain (COL6A3) was found as a downstream target of miR-345-5p by bioinformatic prediction and dual luciferase reporter assay. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the oncogenic role of LMCD1-AS1 is partly dependent on COL6A3 expression. Taken together, we reported a newly identified regulatory mechanism of E2F1/LMCD1-AS1/miR-345-5p/COL6A3 axis, which might lead to a better understanding of CCA tumorigenesis and progression and provide potential therapeutic targets for CCA.

Upregulation of circular RNA hsa_circ_0007534 predicts unfavorable prognosis for NSCLC and exerts oncogenic properties in vitro and in vivo.

Emerging evidence documented the key functions of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in various malignancies. Nevertheless, the research relevant to the clinical value and functions of circRNAs in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still very limited. In this study, we performed qRT-PCR to assess the levels of hsa_circ_0007534 in NSCLC tissues and cell lines and evaluated its clinical significance using Fisher's exact test, Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis. Additionally, loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments were performed to detect whether hsa_circ_0007534 could affect cell proliferation, apoptosis, metastatic properties and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in A549 and H1299 cells. Further xenograft study was carried out to validate the in vitro data. The results indicated that hsa_circ_0007534 was up-regulated in both NSCLC tissue samples and cell lines and this up-regulation is linked to lymph node invasion and advanced TNM stage. Hsa_circ_0007534 could also function as an unfavorable prognostic indicator for the patients with NSCLC. For the part of functional assays, down-regulation of hsa_circ_0007534 suppressed cell growth, migratory and invasive capacities; facilitating cell apoptosis in A549 and H1299 cells. Conversely, up-regulation of hsa_circ_0007534 caused the opposite biological behaviors. What's more, animal experiments validated the oncogenic role of hsa_circ_0007534. Ultimately, the present study indicates that hsa_circ_0007534 might be a potential NSCLC-associated prognostic/therapeutic target.