Experimental and modeling studies on the sorption breakthrough behaviors of butanol from aqueous solution in a fixed-bed of KA-I resin

Removal of biobutanol from acetone-butanolethanol (ABE) fermentation broth can be achieved by fixed-bed sorption by means of KA-I resin, and the relevant breakthrough curves would provide much valuable information to help design a continuous fixed-bed sorption process in field application. In the present study, the effects of several important design parameters, i.e., initial butanol concentration (C _f: 3.0 ～ 30.0 g/L), inlet flow rate (Q _f: 0.5 ～ 5.5 mL/min) and adsorbent bed height (Z: 4.2 ～ 18.0 cm), on the adsorption breakthrough curves of KA-I resin in a fixed-bed column were investigated. It was found that the amount of adsorbed butanol at breakthrough point was increased with an increase in the value of C _f and Z; and with decrease in the value of Q _f. However, the maximum sorption capacities of butanol at saturated point were basically unchanged. Three well-established fixed-bed adsorption models, namely Thomas, Yoon-Nelson and Adams-Bohart, were applied to predict the breakthrough curves and to determine the characteristic parameters of fixed-bed column, which are the basis for the process design at a real scale. Good agreement between the theoretical breakthrough curves and the experimental result were observed using Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models.     

Synthesis and pharmacokinetics of strontium fructose 1,6-diphosphate (Sr-FDP) as a potential anti-osteoporosis agent in intact and ovariectomized rats

A novel strontium compound has been synthesized by the reaction of fructose-1,6-diphosphate with strontium (Sr-FDP). The compound was characterized and confirmed with elemental analyses and spectroscopic (IR, NMR) methods. The pharmacokinetic profiles of Sr-FDP were investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats following oral administration at a dose of 110, 220, and 440 mg/kg respectively. Pharmacokinetic differences were also compared in intact rats and ovariectomized rats with and without estrogen supplement. Strontium concentrations in plasma, urine, tissue and feces were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS). The results showed that Sr-FDP was absorbed rapidly with T_max < 1 h in all the groups with AUC_0-∞ proportional to the oral dose. The pharmacokinetic profiles were characterized by long half-life, a large apparent volume of distribution. The highest Sr concentration was observed in the bone at 6 h, and the level of Sr decreased close to the baseline in heart, liver, spleen, lung, intestine, brain and kidney after 12 h. The cumulative amounts of Sr over 96 h were found to be ~ 3% in urine, but ~ 70% in feces suggesting that the parent drug was mainly excreted from the intestine. The C_max and AUC_0-∞ of Sr-FDP in ovariectomized rats were significantly decreased compared to those in intact rats, and this trend was ameliorated by using 17-beta-estradiol (E₂) treatment in the ovariectomized rats.     

Enhancing the production of uridine 5′-monophosphate by recombinant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> using a whole cell biocatalytic process

Attempts were made with success to produce uridine 5′-monophosphate (UMP) from orotic acid by a recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain pYX212-URA5/BJX12, using the whole cell biocatalytic process. URA5 and URA3 genes, encoding orotate phosphoribosytransferase (OPRTase) and orotidine monophosphate decarboxylase (ODCase), respectively were successfully overexpressed in the industrial yeast strain. As a result, S .cerevisae pYX212-URA5/BJX12 exhibited the highest biocatalytic ability, in contrast with the original industrial yeast strain and S. cerevisae pYX212/BJX12 that overexpressed ODCase only. It indicated that the first step of UMP production from orotic acid is a rate-limiting step. Effects of cultivation for the recombinant strain and biocatalytic reaction conditions on UMP production were also investigated. Cultivating the cells in malt extract medium for 36 h in the exponential phase of growth is in favor of converting orotic acid to UMP. To acquire a higher UMP yield, the conditions of the whole cell biocatalytic reaction were optimized and up to 3.8 g l⁻¹ UMP was produced in 24 h consequently. The yield was fivefold higher than the original UMP yield from the industrial yeast. In addition, the accumulation of 2.6 g l⁻¹ UDP (uridne 5′-diphosphate) in the process demonstrated the possibility for further genetic manipulation: deleting the UMPK (Uridylate Kinase, catalyzing UMP–UDP).     

Determinants of public T cell responses

Historically, sharing T cell receptors (TCRs) between individuals has been speculated to be impossible, considering the dramatic discrepancy between the potential enormity of the TCR repertoire and the limited number of T cells generated in each individual. However, public T cell response, in which multiple individuals share identical TCRs in responding to a same antigenic epitope, has been extensively observed in a variety of immune responses across many species. Public T cell responses enable individuals within a population to generate similar antigen-specific TCRs against certain ubiquitous pathogens, leading to favorable biological outcomes. However, the relatively concentrated feature of TCR repertoire may limit T cell response in a population to some other pathogens. It could be a great benefit for human health if public T cell responses can be manipulated. Therefore, the mechanistic insight of public TCR generation is important to know. Recently, high-throughput DNA sequencing has revolutionized the study of immune receptor repertoires, which allows a much better understanding of the factors that determine the overlap of TCR repertoire among individuals. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on public T-cell response and discuss future challenges in this field.     

Screening of promoters from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arthrobacter</Emphasis> sp. CGMCC 3584 using a green fluorescent protein reporter system

Available molecular and genetic tools for the genetic manipulation of Arthrobacter species are limited until now. In gene engineering, a continuous set of promoters with various strengths are of importance for fine-tuning gene expression in metabolic optimization and control analysis. Here, for the first time, we constructed a promoter trap system using green fluorescence protein (GFP) as a reporter, for screening and characterizing functional Arthrobacter promoters. Twenty-three Arthrobacter transformants of various GFP fluorescence strengths were isolated and characterized through the analysis of DNA sequences. Among the 23 putative promoters, 2 were selected for deletion analysis of promoter elements. As a result, the deletion of the upstream of the putative promoter P8 and P13 caused a 43.8% decrease and a 29.1% increase in the fluorescence signals, respectively. Finally, we obtained the strongest promoter P13-3 which was 4.4 times more potent than the promoter of 6–hydroxyl–d–nicotine oxidase gene which was previously reported in Arthrobacter nicotinovorans, and the obtained promoter was used to improve the production of cyclic adenosine monophosphate in Arthrobacter sp. CGMCC 3584. The screening strategy together with obtained promoters in this study would contribute to the future engineering of Arthrobacter species.     

Paleoenvironmental proxies and what the Xiamaling Formation tells us about the mid‐Proterozoic ocean

The Mesoproterozoic Era (1,600–1,000 million years ago, Ma) geochemical record is sparse, but, nevertheless, critical in untangling relationships between the evolution of eukaryotic ecosystems and the evolution of Earth‐surface chemistry. The ca. 1,400 Ma Xiamaling Formation has experienced only very low‐grade thermal maturity and has emerged as a promising geochemical archive informing on the interplay between climate, ecosystem organization, and the chemistry of the atmosphere and oceans. Indeed, the geochemical record of portions of the Xiamaling Formation has been used to place minimum constraints on concentrations of atmospheric oxygen as well as possible influences of climate and climate change on water chemistry and sedimentation dynamics. A recent study has argued, however, that some portions of the Xiamaling Formation deposited in a highly restricted environment with only limited value as a geochemical archive. In this contribution, we fully explore these arguments as well as the underlying assumptions surrounding the use of many proxies used for paleo‐environmental reconstructions. In doing so, we pay particular attention to deep‐water oxygen‐minimum zone environments and show that these generate unique geochemical signals that have been underappreciated. These signals, however, are compatible with the geochemical record of those parts of the Xiamaling Formation interpreted as most restricted. Overall, we conclude that the Xiamaling Formation was most likely open to the global ocean throughout its depositional history. More broadly, we show that proper paleo‐environmental reconstructions require an understanding of the biogeochemical signals generated in all relevant modern analogue depositional environments. We also evaluate new data on the δ⁹⁸Mo of Xiamaling Formation shales, revealing possible unknown pathways of molybdenum sequestration into sediments and concluding, finally, that seawater at that time likely had a δ⁹⁸Mo value of about 1.1‰.     

N-乙酰神经氨酸在离子交换树脂AD-1上的吸附热/动力学

主要研究了N-乙酰神经氨酸(Neu5Ac)在AD-1离子交换树脂上的吸附行为。通过静态摇瓶的方法,利用Langmuir模型对热力学平衡数据进行拟合,测得树脂的最大Neu5Ac吸附量为0.39 g/g,且不受温度影响。依次用大孔扩散模型、大孔微孔扩散模型对不同Neu5Ac初始质量浓度的动力学数据进行拟合,结果表明,在较低浓度和较高浓度下,Neu5Ac在AD-1树脂上的离子交换过程的限速步骤依次为大孔扩散和大孔微孔扩散,其中大孔扩散系数Dp为1.453×10-8m2/min,微孔扩散系数Dc为9.153×10-15m2/min。最后利用大孔微孔扩散模型研究了树脂颗粒度大小对Neu5Ac在AD-1树脂上的离子交换动力学的影响,发现选取较小颗粒度的树脂有利于提高离子交换速率,且模型与实验数据吻合较好,从而验证了模型的准确性。AD-1树脂对Neu5Ac有较大的吸附容量和较快的吸附速率。     

农林复合生态系统与低层大气间的通量研究

根据近年在黄淮海平原大面积农林复合区的观测资料,采用简单的一维模型,讨论了此类复合系统与低层大气之间的热量、动量和水汽通量,比较了不同的结构林网形成的通量差异。结果表明,由于林冠层的摩擦作用,农林复合生态系统上空风速随高度增大较快,动量输送总是向下的。在层结稳定的夜间,其数值较大,而在湍流比较活跃的正午前后,由于垂直风切变减弱,动量输送也相应减小。夜间农林作物冠层的辐射冷却加强,近地层逆温梯度增大,加之作物冠层内部因辐射冷却而造成水汽凝结,冠层上部水汽大于冠层内部,此时热通量和水汽通量均向下。这一现象在白天日出后开始逆转,日出后,地面升温加快,并逐渐形成超绝热梯度,致使热量通量向上。此时农林作物蒸腾加剧,冠层高度范围内水汽含量增大,造成水汽向上输送。文中还讨论了一维模式的缺点,指出了进一步研究生态系统与大气相互作用的重要性.     

Dynamic mathematical models of batch experiments and fed-batch cultures for cyclic adenosine monophosphate production by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arthrobacter</Emphasis> A302

A glucose utilizing strain, Arthrobacter A302 was used for cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) production in batch modes. The non-structured model in a 5 l stirred tank bioreactor for understanding, controlling, and optimizing the fermentation process was proposed using the logistic equation for microbial growth, the Luedeking-Piret equation for product formation and Luedeking-Piret-like equation for substrate uptake, respectively. The production of cAMP was a mixed-growth-associated pattern. Based on model prediction, a comparison of calculated value using the parameters evaluated above with another experimental data in 30 l bioreactor was used to test the model. The results predicted from the model were in good agreement with the experimental observations in 30 l bioreactor, which demonstrated that the model might be useful for the development and optimization of production of cAMP in industrial scale. Based on estimated kinetic parameters, three different fed-batch modes, constant rate and intermittent (once and repeated), were adopted in order to obtain more cAMP accumulation. Furthermore, the final production of cAMP reached 11.24 g l⁻¹ after 72 h incubation using three stages feeding strategy. In particular, the cAMP productivity (0.156 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹) was successfully improved by 22.83, 11.43 and 9.86%, respectively, compared with the modes of the batch, constant rate fed-batch and intermittent fed-batch once.