Numerical simulation of heat transfer properties of large-sized biomass particles during pyrolysis process.

During the pyrolysis process of large particles, the conduction between particles cannot be ignored. In the present work, a numerical simulation model for the pyrolysis of biomass particles was established, which takes into account the conduction within the particles. Based on this model, the temperature distribution inside the particle during the pyrolysis process was determined and the effects of particle size, moisture content, and gas velocity on heat transfer characteristics were analyzed. The results showed that the temperatures at different positions of the particles along the inflow direction were quite different, and the maximum temperature difference inside the particles was about 146.7 K for a particle diameter of 10 mm and a velocity of 0.2 m/s. During the pyrolysis process of biomass particles, there were two peaks of Nusselt number. The increase of moisture content prolonged the pyrolysis time. The pyrolysis. time of particles with moisture content of 15 % was about 1.5 times longer than that of dry particles when the particle diameter was 10 mm. Increasing the particle size decreased the difference between the two peaks and increased the time interval between the two peaks. Increasing the gas velocity can improve the heat transfer, but the effect of too high gas velocity on improving the heat transfer is limited. The present study is of great importance for a detailed understanding of the pyrolysis process of biomass particles.

[Influence of Industrial Wastewater Quality on Advanced Treatment of Microbubble Ozonation].

The treatment performance of microbubble ozonation used for advanced treatment of actual pharmaceutical wastewater and tannery wastewater was investigated and compared to show the influence of complicated wastewater quality. The results showed that most organic pollutants in pharmaceutical wastewater and tannery wastewater could be degraded by microbubble ozonation effectively. and COD was removed simultaneously. In addition, the biodegradability was improved and the bio-toxicity was eliminated significantly. The ratios of COD amount removed and ozone amount consumed were 0.77 and 1.02, respectively, in such advanced treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater and tannery wastewater, indicating different ozone oxidation efficiencies between pharmaceutical wastewater and tannery wastewater. The main types of organic pollutants in pharmaceutical wastewater and tannery wastewater were determined by GC-MS and 3D-EEM, which showed the influence on treatment performance of microbubble ozonation. More refractory complex aromatic organic pollutants were found in pharmaceutical wastewater, which seemed more difficult to undergo degradation by microbubble ozone oxidation. As a result, the microbubble ozone oxidation of pharmaceutical wastewater was less efficient than that of tannery wastewater. The inorganic anions in both kinds of wastewater were unfavorable for ozone mass transfer, ozone decomposition, and·OH generation, which reduced the reaction efficiency of microbubble ozonation as well as biodegradability improvement. The lower concentrations of inorganic anions were better for microbubble ozonation.

Morphological and Transcriptome Analyses Provide Insights into Growth Inhibition of Trichophyton rubrum Caused by Laser Irradiation.

Trichophyton rubrum is one of the most common types of dermatophyte, causing superficial skin mycosis in human populations. Although laser treatment of onychomycosis has been proven to be effective in the clinic, the underlying mechanism of the effect of the laser on fungal growth is not clear. The objective of the present study was to observe the ultrastructural changes of Trichophyton rubrum following laser irradiation and compare the transcriptome differences between the laser irradiation group and control group. In the present study, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to observe the ultrastructural changes following the laser irradiation of Trichophyton rubrum. We also performed RNA-seq to investigate the effects of laser irradiation on Trichophyton rubrum by comparing the transcriptome pattern with the control. Morphological observation with electron microscopy indicated that laser irradiation resulted in the destruction of the cell membrane system. A significant induction of apoptosis was noted compared with the control group, which was confirmed by the formation of the myeloid body and protein aggregates in the cytoplasm. RNA-seq demonstrated that the expression levels of Acyl-CoA N-acyltransferase and S-adenosyl-L-methionine-dependent methyltransferase were increased in the laser irradiation group. This result indicated that laser irradiation triggered the initiation of the damage repair pathway. In conclusion, the present study suggested that laser irradiation caused physiological injury and therefore inhibited the growth of Trichophyton rubrum.

Transcriptome analysis revealed key signaling networks regulating ovarian activities in the domestic yak.

Domestic yaks are the most important livestock species on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Adult female yaks normally breed in warm season and enter anestrous in cold season. Currently, how the ovarian activity is regulated at the molecular level remains to be determined. This study was conducted to investigate follicular development and gene expression patterns of yak ovarian tissues in the warm and cold seasons. Dynamics of follicular development was evaluated based on histological analyses and global gene expression was examined by using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) technology. Firstly, we found that follicle development of yak cows in cold season was different from that in warm season. Interestingly, ovaries collected from yaks in cold season contained a significant higher number of antral follicles and some of these follicles showed signs of polycystic structure, indicating abnormal granulosa cell function. RNA-seq analyses of ovarian tissues from non-pregnant adult yaks in cold and warm season revealed that a list of 320 transcripts were differentially expressed, specifically, 79 were up-regulated and 241 were down-regulated in the ovaries from yaks during the cold season. Further analysis demonstrated that transcripts associated with estrogen secretion and metabolism signaling pathway were altered, including FST, CYP1A1, PIK3R1 and PIK3R2. This study showed histological features of follicle development and revealed candidate genes that may have important roles in regulating ovarian activities in the yak seasonal reproduction.

Different Numbers of Long-Pulse 1064-nm Nd-YAG Laser Treatments for Onychomycosis: A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: To examine the benefits of different numbers of 1064-nm Nd-YAG laser treatments in patients with onychomycosis. METHODS: This was a pilot study of patients with onychomycosis who were divided into three groups: four treatment sessions (group A), eight sessions (group B), and 12 sessions (group C). Only infected nails of degrees II-III (Scoring Clinical Index for Onychomycosis) were included. Treatment was given once a week using a long-pulse Nd-YAG 1064-nm laser. Patients were followed at 8, 16, and 24 weeks after the first treatment. Side effects were recorded. RESULTS: Treatments were completed for 442 nails in 102 patients. The efficacy rates at 8, 16, and 24 weeks were 35.5%, 38.7%, and 37.4% for group A; 31.4%, 41.7%, and 44.0% for group B; and 27.7%, 50.0%, and 55.4% for group C, respectively. There was a significant difference in the efficacy rate at 24 weeks (P = 0.016) between groups A and C, but not for groups A vs. B, or for groups B vs. C. No difference in the efficacy rate at 8 or 16 weeks was observed among the three groups. In all three groups, the efficacy was better for degree II nails than for degree III nails (all P = 0.016) between groups A and C, but not for groups A vs. B, or for groups B vs. C. No difference in the efficacy rate at 8 or 16 weeks was observed among the three groups. In all three groups, the efficacy was better for degree II nails than for degree III nails (all. CONCLUSIONS: The 1064-nm Nd-YAG laser had clinical benefits against onychomycosis. Higher numbers of treatments provided better long-term (24-week) benefits, but had no impact on the short-term outcomes. The efficacy of laser treatment on degree II onychomycosis was better than for degree III.

[Biological Nitrogen Removal Process in a Microbubble-aerated Biofilm Reactor Treating Low C/N Wastewater].

The microbubble-aerated biofilm reactor as a new treatment process combines microbubble aeration technology with aerobic biological treatment. A microbubble aerated biofilm reactor was used in this study to treat low C/N ratio wastewater at a low air/water ratio. The process and performance of biological nitrogen removal were investigated, and the functional bacterial populations for nitrogen removal in the biofilm were analyzed. The results showed that the biological nitrogen removal process was converted from simultaneous nitrification-denitrification to simultaneous partial nitrification, ANAMMOX and denitrification (SNAD) processes when DO concentration was controlled by an air/water ratio of lower than 1:2 and the influent C/N ratio was reduced. As a result, the efficient biological nitrogen removal performance was achieved when treating low C/N ratio wastewater. When the DO concentration was lower than 1.0 mg·L-1 and the influent C/N ratio was 1:2.8, the SNAD process became dominant for biological nitrogen removal. In this case, the average total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency was 76.3%, and the average TN loading rate removed was 1.42 kg·(m3·d)-1. In addition, it was estimated that 86.0% of TN removal was attributed to the ANAMMOX process. The relative abundances of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria populations and ANAMMOX bacteria populations in the biofilm increased gradually, while the relative abundances of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria populations and denitrifying bacteria populations decreased gradually, with a decrease in influent C/N ratio. The variation of functional bacterial populations for nitrogen removal was consistent with the conversion of nitrogen removal process to SNAD process.

Testosterone-retinoic acid signaling directs spermatogonial differentiation and seasonal spermatogenesis in the Plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae).

During evolution, animals optimize their reproductive strategies to increase offspring survival. Seasonal breeders reproduce only during certain times of the year. In mammals, reproduction is tightly controlled by hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis. Although pathways regulating gametogenesis in non-seasonal model species have been well established, molecular insights into seasonal reproduction are severely limited. Using the Plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae), a small rodent animal species native to the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, as a model, here we report that seasonal spermatogenesis is governed at the level of spermatogonial differentiation. In testis of the reproductively dormant animals, undifferentiated spermatogonia failed to differentiate and accumulated in the seminiferous tubules. RNA-seq analyses of the active and dormant testes revealed that genes modulating retinoic acid biogenesis and steriodogenesis were differentially regulated. A single injection of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) reinitiated spermatogenesis and inhibition the function of RA-degrading enzyme CYP26B1 for 10 days induced spermatogonial differentiation. Strikingly, testosterone injection reinitiated spermatogenesis in short day adapted animals. Testosterone provides a permissive environment of RA biogenesis and actions in testis, therefore, indirectly controls spermatogonial differentiation. Collectively, these findings provide a key mechanistic insight regarding the molecular regulation of seasonal reproduction in mammals.

The CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling promotes oocyte maturation by regulating cumulus expansion in sheep.

Gonadotropins and growth factors synergistically regulate folliculogenesis and oocyte development. C-X-C motif chemokine 12 (CXCL12) and its receptor CXCR4 are expressed in ovaries of sheep, cattle and other species, however, roles of this multifunctional signal axis in oocyte maturation are not defined. Using sheep as a model, we examined the expression patterns and functions of the CXCL12-CXCR4 axis during oocyte maturation. CXCL12 and CXCR4 mRNA and protein were present in oocytes and granulosa cells. Relative abundance of CXCR4 transcript was controlled by epidermal growth factor (EGF). Transient inhibition of CXCR4 suppressed oocyte nuclear maturation while supplementing recombination CXCL12 significantly increased percent of oocyte undergone metaphase I phase. Inhibition of CXCR4 function decreased cumulus expansion growth rate. Furthermore, granulosa cell migration was impaired and expression of hyaluronan synthase 2 (HAS2) and hyaluronan binding protein tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced protein 6 (TNFAIP6) were downregulated by CXCR4 inhibition. These findings revealed a novel role of the CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling in oocyte development in sheep.

[Performance and Mechanism of Ferric Tannate in the Removal of Inorganic Nitrogen from Wastewater].

A novel adsorbent material-ferric tannate was synthesized, and performances and mechanisms of NH4(+) -N, NO2(-) -N and NO3(-) -N were investigated via batch adsorption experiments. The results indicated that ferric tannate exhibited preferential adsorption for NH4(+) -N and NO2(-) -N. When the mass ratios of ferric tannate to NH4(+) -N and ferric tannate to NO2(-) -N were both 200, the removal efficiencies were both higher than 95%. The adsorption behaviors were analyzed with adsorption kinetic models, Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm adsorption models, and Weber-Morris equation. The results implied that NH4(+) -N and NO2(-) -N were adsorbed on the surface of ferric tannate in the forms of monolayer and multilayer, respectively. The pseudo-second order kinetic model was more suitable to describe the adsorption processes, and the external particle diffusion and surface adsorption played the key roles in the adsorption process. NH: -N could be combined with negative oxygen ions which distributed on the external surface of ferric tannate by the electrostatic interaction, whereas NO2(-) -N could be combined with ferric ions in ferric tannate by the electrostatic interaction and coordination. The present study provided scientific evidence for the application of ferric tannate as a potential adsorbent in the future.

Effect of oocyte vitrification on deoxyribonucleic acid methylation of H19, Peg3, and Snrpn differentially methylated regions in mouse blastocysts.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether mouse oocytes vitrification could alter the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of three imprinted genes in in vitro fertilized blastocysts. DESIGN: In vitro experiments using murine model. SETTING: State key laboratory and university research laboratory. ANIMAL(S): Kunming white mice. INTERVENTION(S): The mouse metaphase II oocytes were vitrified. After thawing, the surviving oocytes were fertilized in vitro to produce blastocysts. The blastocysts derived in vitro from fresh oocytes were used as a control. The DNA methylation patterns of the DMRs of imprinted genes in oocytes and blastocysts and the relative expression of DNMTs (Dnmt1, Dnmt3a, Dnmt3b, and Dnmt3l) in oocytes and blastocysts were detected. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Methylation patterns of DMRs of H19, Peg3, and Snrpn analyzed by bisulfite mutagenesis and sequencing. Expression levels of messenger ribonucleic acid as measured by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. RESULT(S): After oocytes vitrification, the methylation levels at H19, Peg3, and Snrpn DMRs in blastocysts were decreased. However, there was no significant difference in the percentage of hypermethylated strands at Peg3 DMRs between the vitrified and control groups. DNMTs expression in vitrified oocytes and the expression of Dnmt3b in blastocysts derived from vitrified oocytes were significantly reduced. CONCLUSION(S): Oocytes vitrification could lead to the loss of DNA methylation of imprinted genes (H19, Peg3, and Snrpn) in mouse blastocysts, which is mainly caused by the reductions of DNMTs after vitrification of oocytes.

Long-pulse Nd:YAG 1064-nm laser treatment for onychomycosis.

BACKGROUND: Recent research shows that lasers can inhibit fungal growth and that Nd:YAG 1064-nm lasers can penetrate as deep as the lower nail plate. The aim of this study was to observe the effect of a long-pulse Nd:YAG 1064-nm laser on 154 nails of 33 patients with clinically and mycologically proven onychomycosis. METHODS: Thirty-three patients with 154 nails affected by onychomycosis were randomly assigned to two groups, with the 154 nails divided into three sub-groups (II degree, III degree, and IV degree) according to the Scoring Clinical Index of Onychomycosis. The 15 patients (78 nails) in group 1 were given eight sessions with a one-week interval, and the 18 patients (76 nails) in group 2 were given four sessions with a one-week interval. RESULTS: In group 1, the effective rates at 8 weeks, 16 weeks, and 24 weeks were 63%, 62%, and 51%, respectively, and the effective rates in group 2 were 68%, 67%, and 53% respectively. The treatment effect was not significantly different between any sub-group pair (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Long pulse Nd:YAG 1064-nm laser was effective for onychomycosis. It is a simple and effective method without significant complications or side effects and is expected to become an alternative or replacement therapy for onychomycosis.

A case of systemic amyloidosis beginning with purpura.

Primary systemic amyloidosis is a relatively rare disease, caused when abnormal extracellular deposition of fibrillary protein builds up in a variety of target organs, such as heart, kidneys, lungs liver, and so forth. The symptoms of the disease are usually vague, while many kinds of auxiliary or laboratory examinations especially pathologic biopsy can provide a clue for the diagnosis. Here we described a case who had purpura-like lesions in the initial stage, followed by progressive malfunctions in the kidneys, the heart, the lungs, as well as the liver. The final diagnosis was primary systemic amyloidosis determined by skin pathologic biopsy. And the disease led to a fatal outcome within three months after the diagnosis.