Production of Bio-Energy from Pig Manure: A Focus on the Dynamics Change of Four Parameters under Sunlight-Dark Conditions

This study investigated the effect of sunlight-dark conditions on volatile fatty acids (VFAs), total ammonium nitrogen (TAN), total alkalinity (TA) and pH during pig manure (PM) digestion and then the subsequent influence on biogas yield of PM. PM₁ and PM₂ were performed in a transparent reactor and a non-transparent reactor, respectively. Two sets of experiments were conducted with a temperature of 35.0±2.0 °C and a total solid concentration of 8.0% to the digestion material. The dynamic change of the four parameters in response to sunlight-dark conditions resulted in variations of the physiological properties in the digester and affected the cumulative biogas production (CBP). PM₁ obtained higher CBP (15020.0 mL) with a more stable pH and a lower TAN concentration (1414.5 mg/L) compared to PM₂ (2675.0 mL and 1670.0 mg/L, respectively). The direct path coefficients and indirect path coefficients between the four parameters and CBP were also analyzed.     

Simplified Aeroelastic Model for Fluid Structure Interaction between Microcantilever Sensors and Fluid Surroundings

Fluid-structural coupling occurs when microcantilever sensors vibrate in a fluid. Due to the complexity of the mechanical characteristics of microcantilevers and lack of high-precision microscopic mechanical testing instruments, effective methods for studying the fluid-structural coupling of microcantilevers are lacking, especially for non-rectangular microcantilevers. Here, we report fluid-structure interactions (FSI) of the cable-membrane structure via a macroscopic study. The simplified aeroelastic model was introduced into the microscopic field to establish a fluid-structure coupling vibration model for microcantilever sensors. We used the finite element method to solve the coupled FSI system. Based on the simplified aeroelastic model, simulation analysis of the effects of the air environment on the vibration of the commonly used rectangular microcantilever was also performed. The obtained results are consistent with the literature. The proposed model can also be applied to the auxiliary design of rectangular and non-rectangular sensors used in fluid environments.     

Synonymous Codon Usage Bias in Plant Mitochondrial Genes Is Associated with Intron Number and Mirrors Species Evolution

Synonymous codon usage bias (SCUB) is a common event that a non-uniform usage of codons often occurs in nearly all organisms. We previously found that SCUB is correlated with both intron number and exon position in the plant nuclear genome but not in the plastid genome; SCUB in both nuclear and plastid genome can mirror the evolutionary specialization. However, how about the rules in the mitochondrial genome has not been addressed. Here, we present an analysis of SCUB in the mitochondrial genome, based on 24 plant species ranging from algae to land plants. The frequencies of NNA and NNT (A- and T-ending codons) are higher than those of NNG and NNC, with the strongest preference in bryophytes and the weakest in land plants, suggesting an association between SCUB and plant evolution. The preference for NNA and NNT is more evident in genes harboring a greater number of introns in land plants, but the bias to NNA and NNT exhibits even among exons. The pattern of SCUB in the mitochondrial genome differs in some respects to that present in both the nuclear and plastid genomes.     

光化学法脑缺血后细胞凋亡及其相关基因bcl-2表达的变化

采用ＴＵＮＥＬ染色及免疫组织化学技术对光化学法脑缺血后细胞凋亡及其相关基因ｂｃｌ－２表达的变化进行了研究。结果发现，缺血后１２ｈ，损伤侧皮层缺血区内凋亡细胞数及ｂｃｌ－２免疫反应阳性细胞数明显增加，一直持续至缺血后７２ｈ；并呈现下列时程变化：在缺血后３ｈ每张切片上几乎无凋亡细胞出现，以后逐渐增加，缺血后１２ｈ达到峰值，缺血后２４ｈ和缺血后７２ｈ逐渐减少，但仍高于假手术组水平。凋亡相关基因ｂｃｌ－２的表达在缺血后３ｈ以前不明显，缺血后１２ｈ逐渐增加，缺血后２４ｈ最多，以后逐渐下降。上述结果提示，缺血后凋亡细胞的时程变化可能与缺血后梗塞灶的发生和发展有关，而ｂｃｌ－２表达的变化可能与抑制细胞凋亡、发挥内源性细胞保护作用有关。