ACS Omega最新文献

Poultry litter (PL) hydrochars obtained at different temperatures and charring times were characterized by solid-state ¹H, ¹³C and ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. ¹³C NMR spectra obtained with cross polarization (CP) and magic-angle spinning evidenced the chemical and structural changes suffered by PL during its transformation into hydrochar; these changes were particularly dependent on the production temperature rather than the residence time. The hydrochars were essentially composed of aromatic and alkyl domains at the temperature of 250 °C. ³¹P NMR observations were conducted using single-pulse excitation (SPE) and CP sequences to distinguish between phosphorus far from protons and protonated phosphate species. Results showed that water-soluble phosphorus was the only form detected in hydrochars through the CP sequence. In contrast, the stable phosphorus species formed during hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) exhibited broad signals, detected exclusively using the SPE sequence. This indicates that unprotonated orthophosphates were the dominant form. These NMR results offer a deeper understanding of hydrochar formation from PL, shedding light on the chemical and structural changes caused by the HTC process at the atomic scale.

Background: Qinglian Hongqu decoction (QLHQD), a traditional Chinese herbal remedy, shows potential in alleviating metabolic issues related to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, its precise mode of action remains uncertain. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and mechanisms of QLHQD in treating NAFLD. Methods: This study utilized a NAFLD mouse model to assess the effects of QLHQD on lipid metabolism, including blood lipids and hepatic steatosis, as well as glucose metabolism, including blood glucose levels, OGTT results, and serum insulin. Network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and molecular docking were used to explore how QLHQD may improve NAFLD treatment. Key proteins involved in these mechanisms were validated via WB and immunohistochemistry. Additionally, the expression of downstream pathway targets was examined to further validate the insulin resistance mechanism by which QLHQD improves NAFLD. Results: Animal studies demonstrated that QLHQD alleviated lipid abnormalities, hepatic steatosis, blood glucose levels, the insulin resistance index, and the OGTT results in NAFLD mice (P < 0.05 or 0.01). Network pharmacology and bioinformatics analyses indicated that the effects of QLHQD on NAFLD might involve bile acid secretion pathways. Subsequent validation through Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and qPCR demonstrated that QLHQD may influence fat metabolism and insulin sensitivity in NAFLD mice via the FXR/TGR5/GLP-1 signaling pathway. Conclusion: QLHQD significantly alleviates glucose and lipid metabolism disorders in a high-fat diet-induced NAFLD mouse model. Its mechanism of action may involve the activation of the FXR/TGR5/GLP-1 signaling pathway in the gut, which reduces lipid accumulation and insulin resistance.

The analysis of data-independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry data is crucial for comprehensive proteomics studies. However, traditional single-run methods often fall short in terms of identification depth and consistency. We present HFDiscrim, a specialized multirun DIA analysis tool aimed at enhancing the depth and consistency of reliable peptide identifications of DIA analysis tools. HFDiscrim was extensively benchmarked on multiple data sets, including the MCB data set, the ccRCC data set, and a three-species benchmark mixture. Compared to PyProphet, HFDiscrim identified 22.04% more precursors, 19.1% more peptides, and 13.2% more proteins while maintaining a controllable false discovery rate. Furthermore, HFDiscrim demonstrated higher identification rates and improved reproducibility across multiple runs. HFDiscrim is publicly available at https://github.com/yachliu/HFDiscrim.

As a fragile topological state lacking spin–orbit coupling (SOC) and possessing space–time inversion (PT) symmetry, the Stiefel–Whitney (SW) insulator has received much attention. Up until now, the identification of SW insulators has been extensively suggested for 2D phononic systems but has been rarely considered for 3D phononic systems. 3D carbon allotrope 4³T57-CA has the capability to achieve nontrivial phononic SW topology, which can be distinguished by a nontrivial second SW number. Moreover, 3D 4³T57-CA can host hinge vibrational modes, which are protected by PT.

Understanding the effect of clay on the mechanical properties and strength criteria of hydrate-bearing sediments (HBS) is essential for evaluating the safety of clay-rich reservoirs. In this study, a series of triaxial shear tests were conducted to investigate the impacts of clay type and content on the mechanical behavior of I-HBS (hydrate-bearing sediments containing illite) and M-HBS (hydrate-bearing sediments containing montmorillonite). The findings reveal that M-HBS exhibit greater susceptibility to strain hardening compared to I-HBS, accompanied by more extensive volume deformation, and both strain hardening and shear shrinkage intensify with increasing clay content. Moreover, the results demonstrate higher failure strength and Young’s modulus in I-HBS than M-HBS. The failure strength of sediments is affected by both the clay content and effective confining pressure, with an established relationship between the failure strength and these two factors. Additionally, the cohesion and internal friction angle of sediments exhibit distinct linear correlations with clay content due to variations in the clay type. The Mohr–Coulomb strength criterion incorporating the clay content is established, enabling the prediction of shear strength in clay-rich hydrate reservoirs. The clay type and content are the cause for different strengths and shear mechanisms of sediments. This research holds significant implications for the safe mining of natural gas clay-rich hydrate reservoirs.

Bauxite residue (or red mud) is a highly alkaline waste generated during the extraction of alumina. As a result of the substantial accumulation of bauxite residue in tailings facilities, there is a growing interest in exploring the potential for reusing this material for other purposes. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the use of activated bauxite residue (ABR) for remediating oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) and as a supplement to municipal wastewater treatment through bench-scale, proof-of-concept studies. The ABR is produced through a reduction roasting process that alters the physicochemical properties of bauxite residue, resulting in the generation of potentially effective adsorbent media. The treatment performance via chemical and biological activity removals (cytotoxicity, estrogenicity, and mutagenicity) was also assessed. For OSPW, ABR treatment resulted in the effective removal of recalcitrant acid-extractable organics (AEOs), with kinetics following the pseudo-second-order and comparable adsorption capacity to other waste materials (e.g., petroleum coke). ABR also effectively reduced the estrogenicity and mutagenicity of OSPW, albeit cytotoxicity increased at higher dosages, possibly due to some components leaching out of the material (e.g., metals). For municipal wastewater, ABR treatment reduced fecal coliform concentrations (>99%), total phosphorus (up to 98%), total ammonia-nitrogen (63%), estrogenicity (nondetectable), and mutagenicity (nondetectable), especially in the primary effluent. The ultimate end use of ABR is for the recovery of valuable metals (especially iron) and as a construction material, but additional work is needed to optimize the dosage (currently in the g/L range) and maximize the use of ABR as an adsorbent prior to its subsequent uses.

Plastic waste is a major threat in our industrialized world and is driving research into bioplastics. The success of biobased polyethylene furanoate (PEF) as a viable alternative to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) of fossil origin will depend on designing effective enzymes to break it down, aiding its recycling. Here, a panel of fungal and bacterial cutinases were functionally expressed in a tandem yeast expression system based on Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris. The activity of the enzyme panel was tested with soluble PEF model scaffolds, observing a correlation with the degradation of real PEF powder. A high-throughput colorimetric screening assay based on the PEF scaffold diethyl furan-2,5-dicarboxylate was developed, establishing the basis for future directed evolution campaigns of PEFases.

The use of nucleic acid-based detection tools for microorganisms and fungi has become a gold standard. This is particularly the case for wood-decaying fungi like Serpula lacrymans, which are hard to discriminate based on macroscopic and microscopic observations. This dry rot is important to detect as it is particularly destructive in an infested building, which requires immediate action to prevent spreading and significant damage to structural elements. Through the development and optimization of loop-mediated isothermal amplification against S. lacrymans-specific rDNA internal transcribed spacer region, we demonstrate that it is possible to achieve rapid and specific amplification without nonspecific self-amplification in a similar range as real-time quantitative PCR without any necessary DNA isolation using a colorimetric detection assay. Through a combined set of self-amplification minimization along with hand-held sample homogenization, the LAMP assay was optimized to provide a femtogram-range assay capable of confirming identification in a real field sample either predominantly composed of S. lacrymans or containing the fungus while remaining negative when tested on different types of fungi found in basement-collected samples.