[Establishment and Application of Foshan Ozone Concentration Forecast Equation].

The formation and changes of ozone (O3), a secondary pollutant in the atmosphere, are complex, and ozone forecasting has become one of the current problems in air pollution prevention and control. In this study, the relationships between the near-surface O3 concentration and meteorological elements (high- and low-level) in Foshan from 2014 to 2017 were analyzed, and the concentration forecasting equation was established, tested, and applied. The results showed that the near-surface O3 changed closely related to high- and low-level meteorological elements. Meteorological elements such as temperature and sunshine hours were significantly positively correlated with O3 concentration, whereas relative humidity, total (low) cloud cover, and wind speed were negatively correlated with O3. Heavy O3 pollution often occurred with meteorological conditions of low wind speed, sunny days and few clouds, low relative humidity, longer sunshine time, and higher temperature. The definitions of high-concentration O3 potential index (HOPI) and wind direction index (WDI) in the Foshan area could better characterize the meteorological conditions of O3 pollution. Considering 13 meteorological elements, such as HOPI and WDI at different heights, the O3 concentration forecasting equation in the Foshan area was established using multi-indicator stacking and multiple stepwise regression methods. Using the 2018 data, it was found that the correlation coefficient R between the simulated values and the measured values reached 0.82, and the forecast equation had a good fitting effect and predictability.

Pretreatment of rice straw with recycled ionic liquids by phase-separation process for low-cost biorefinery.

An efficient ionic liquids (ILs) recycle technology will increase the economic viability of lignocellulosic biorefinery. The availability of recycling 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride for rice straw (RS) pretreatment was conducted. The kosmotropic salt K3 PO4 (TKP) solution was used as antisolvent for cellulose precipitation and forming a three-phase system consisting of biomass, ILs-rich, and salt-rich phases. The upper ILs phase and the bottom TKP phase were recycled without additional purification, which significantly simplifies the process for recovering ILs. Subsequently, the RS pretreated with multiple reusing ILs (RPRS) were investigated by components analysis, structure evolution, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation experiments. The results showed that unpurified reusing ILs led to further delignification and improvement of enzyme accessibility of the pretreated RS. The reducing sugar yield of RS pretreated with 8th reusing IL (8th RPRS) could still reach 98.9%, and the ethanol and succinic acid concentrations achieved 91.9 and 29.3 g/L by simultaneous saccharification and cofermentation. The present study demonstrated that the ILs recovered by phase-separation process could be used for RS pretreatment, and achieving high titer ethanol fermentation.

Generation of homologous cell pairs using the oral lymphatic system.

The purpose of this study is to establish in vivo and in vitro models for studying lymphatic metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Three cell lines CAL-27, Tca-83, and HeLa were injected into the tongue of nude mice. Forty days after injection, we could isolate cells of 2 homologous cell lines LN-CAL-27 and LN-HeLa from lymph node metastasis lesions. Then, the homologous cell pairs were compared by the CCK-8 assay, wound healing assay, real-time PCR, western blot, and animal experiments. The results showed that all the three cell lines could be used to establish lymphatic metastasis animal models, and the lymphatic metastasis process was observed clearly. In addition, the homologous cell pairs performed differently from parent lines with respect to biological behavior and lymphatic metastasis-related gene and protein expression. In conclusion, CAL-27, Tca-83, and HeLa cells could be used to simulate the lymphatic metastasis process of oral cancer in vivo. Furthermore, the homologous cell pairs (CAL-27 and LN-CAL-27; HeLa and LN-HeLa) are potential tools for in vitro investigation of the mechanisms underlying metastasis.

The large intracellular loop of ptch1 mediates the non-canonical Hedgehog pathway through cyclin B1 in nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome.

Mutations in the transmembrane receptor patched homolog 1 (Homo sapiens) (ptch1) are responsible for nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS), an autosomal dominant disorder that causes developmental abnormalities and predisposes the affected individuals to cancer. Many of these mutations, including mutations in the C-terminus of the large intracellular loop (ICL) of ptch1 (p.C727VfsX745 and p.S733IfsX736), result in the premature truncation of the protein. The ptch1­C727VfsX745 and ptch1-S733IfsX736 mutations have been identified in patients with NBCCS­associated keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOTs). In the present study, we found that the molecular mechanisms regulated by the non-canonical Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway through cyclin B1 are involved in the pathogenesis of NBCCS-associated KCOTs. In contrast to wild-type ptch1, ptch1-C727VfsX745 and ptch1­S733IfsX736 clearly exhibited reduced binding to cyclin B1. Moreover, the cells expressing these two mutations demonstrated an increase in cell cycle progression and these two mutation constructs failed to inhibit cell proliferation. In addition, the mutants enhanced the activity of glioma-associated oncogene family zinc finger 1 (GLI1), a downstream reporter of Hh signaling. Thus, our data suggest that the non-canonical Hh pathway mediated through ptch1 and cyclin B1 is involved in the pathogenesis of NBCCS-associated KCOTs. The C-terminus of ICL in ptch1 may also be a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of this disease.