Mature Products Research Articles

Autoignition enhancement of ammonia spray under engine-relevant conditions via hydrogen addition: Thermal, chemical, and charge cooling effects

With the growing trend of decarbonization in ground transportation, low and zero-carbon fuels have attracted extensive research interest. Liquid ammonia is a promising alternative fuel due to its relatively high volumetric energy density, mature production and distribution infrastructure, convenience of storage, and zero carbon emissions. However, ammonia combustion also suffers from low flame speed and weak chemical reactivity. In this work, we computationally investigate the suitable engine-relevant thermochemical conditions for auto-ignition of constant volume ammonia spray, as well as its spray dynamics, vaporization, flash boiling effects, and emissions. The simulation is first validated by comparing it against available experimental data from a vaporizing ammonia spray and is then extended to chemically reactive conditions. Results show that ammonia sprays under engine-relevant conditions (60 bar and 1200 K) can only successfully auto-ignite for cases with ambient hydrogen addition, through enhancement of thermal condition and chemical reactivity. A chemical flux analysis is conducted to further understand the important species and reactions that promote ammonia auto-ignition from hydrogen, which potentially can be introduced via H2 solubility, exhaust gas recirculation, and onboard ammonia thermal decomposition. Furthermore, results have indicated that charge cooling effects can further decrease the temperature in the flow field and make auto-ignition more difficult. This study provided useful insights for the application of ammonia as a zero-carbon diesel fuel for ground transportation.

Bioenergy Generation and Phenol Degradation through Microbial Fuel Cells Energized by Domestic Organic Waste.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) seem to have emerged in recent years to degrade the organic pollutants from wastewater. The current research also focused on phenol biodegradation using MFCs. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), phenol is a priority pollutant to remediate due to its potential adverse effects on human health. At the same time, the present study focused on the weakness of MFCs, which is the low generation of electrons due to the organic substrate. The present study used rotten rice as an organic substrate to empower the MFC's functional capacity to degrade the phenol while simultaneously generating bioenergy. In 19 days of operation, the phenol degradation efficiency was 70% at a current density of 17.10 mA/m2 and a voltage of 199 mV. The electrochemical analysis showed that the internal resistance was 312.58 Ω and the maximum specific capacitance value was 0.00020 F/g on day 30, which demonstrated mature biofilm production and its stability throughout the operation. The biofilm study and bacterial identification process revealed that the presence of conductive pili species (Bacillus genus) are the most dominant on the anode electrode. However, the present study also explained well the oxidation mechanism of rotten rice with phenol degradation. The most critical challenges for future recommendations are also enclosed in a separate section for the research community with concluding remarks.

A Modified Model to Predict Liquid Loading in Horizontal Gas Wells

Abstract Liquid loading is inevitable during mature gas-well production, leading the liquids to accumulate at the bottomhole and additional pressure loss. Accurately predicting the liquid-loading initiation is crucial to gas-well production optimization. Significant efforts have been made to model liquid-loading behavior. However, few mechanistic models are capable of easily and accurately tackling the complicated non-uniform liquid-film distribution in the slanted section of horizontal wells. Based on liquid-film inversion, this study developed a simple and comprehensive model to calculate liquid-loading initiation for horizontal gas wells. First, the models for film thickness and critical velocity in the vertical pipe are developed. Then, considering the effect of inclination and velocity difference in liquid-film thickness and liquid-holdup distribution between vertical and inclined pipes, the relationship in vertical and inclined pipes between liquid holdup, liquid-film thickness, and angle correction term is established based on the liquid-holdup correlation for horizontal and inclined pipes described in the empirical model developed by Beggs and Brill, so that the thickness of the film and the corresponding critical velocity at any inclination can be calculated. Finally, the new modified model has been evaluated against both experimental and field-measured data set. In comparison to the Luo et al.’s model, the proposed model has been proven to be simple, accurate, and well-performed in predicting the liquid-accumulation initiation in horizontal wells.

Advertising rivalry and discretionary disclosure

Advertising is a critical competitive tool that shapes interactions among firms in the product market. Using third-party tracked data on advertising outlet costs, I find that a nontrivial portion of public firms, even those with intense advertising activities, do not disclose advertising expenses in their financial statements, indicating significant disclosure discretion. I further use product category-level advertising data to develop a firm-specific measure of advertising rivalry. I predict and find that advertising rivalry is negatively associated with the likelihood of disclosing advertising expenses. This negative association is more pronounced when firms advertise on less trackable media outlets or have more mature products. These findings suggest that firms consider their advertising expenses proprietary and that concerns about advertising competition discourage the disclosure of advertising expenses.

NLRP3 inhibitor dopamine receptors agonist as a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of overactive immune responses in COVID-19

Patients infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have high serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines. The “cytokine storm” has become one of the major causes of death for critically ill patients infected by COVID-19. Glucocorticoids, plasma from convalescent patients, blood purification, and tocilizumab are currently recommended for use when the body’s inflammatory response is overactivated. However, there are limitations in terms of medicinal effects, equipment reserves, and treatment expense. These challenges prompted us to assess classical agents with good safety and mature production technology. A recent study showed that nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-, leucine-rich repeat (LRR)-, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes drive COVID-19 pathology. We speculate that suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome-derived cytokine production may be beneficial in COVID-19–infected patients. Dopamine receptors are present in almost all immune cells and can modulate their activation, proliferation, and cytokine production of immune cells. Previous studies have shown that dopamine receptor agonists can control systemic inflammation through inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome. This suggests that dopamine receptor agonists may be a new strategy for the treatment of overactive immune responses in COVID-19 patients. This is worthy of further investigation in clinical practice.

4DCT is long overdue for improvement.

4DCT is long overdue for improvement.

Comparison of calf morbidity, mortality, and future performance across categories of passive immunity: A retrospective cohort study in a dairy herd

Four categories of transfer of passive immunity (TPI) were recently proposed in response to the widespread high preweaning morbidity and mortality risks in calves with adequate TPI when a dichotomous classification was used. Hitherto, however, the risks of preweaning morbidity and mortality and future performance among these TPI categories have not been compared. Thus, the objective of this retrospective cohort study was to compare dairy calf morbidity, mortality, growth until weaning, and reproductive efficiency until first calving among the categories of poor (<5.1 g/dL total protein), fair (5.1-5.7 g/dL), good (5.8-6.1 g/dL), and excellent (>6.2 g/dL) TPI. For this, the records from 4,336 dairy calves (2,272 female, 2,064 male) born January 2014 to April 2017 on a commercial dairy farm in Michigan were analyzed. These calves had been randomly selected for weekly serum total protein determination on calves 2 to 7 d old. Data from both sexes were used to evaluate preweaning health and mortality, whereas only the female's data were used to investigate average daily gain (ADG), reproductive performance, and first-lactation milk yield. For each calf, data regarding disease status, growth, and reproductive parameters were obtained from the farm's software database. Associations of TPI categories with disease events (diarrhea or pneumonia), reproduction indices (age at first insemination, successful insemination, and calving, and number of inseminations), first-lactation milk yield and ADG at weaning were evaluated by survival analysis and mixed models. Compared with calves with excellent TPI, calves in the inferior TPI categories showed increased risk of diarrhea: poor [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.49; 95% CI: 1.22-1.82], fair (HR = 1.32; 95% CI: 1.16-1.51), good (HR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.02-1.29). However, the risk of pneumonia differed only between the calves in the poor and excellent TPI groups (HR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.05-1.84). The preweaning mortality risk was also higher in calves with poor TPI (HR = 4.29; 95% CI: 1.98-9.27) compared with excellent TPI. However, mortality risks were not statistically different between calves with fair or good TPI and those with excellent TPI. Similarly, calves with poor TPI had a 64, 55, and 24% lower risk of reaching first insemination, successful insemination, or first calving, respectively. However, there were no differences in ADG, number of inseminations, or first-lactation 305-d mature equivalent milk production across TPI groups. Our results confirm the positive effects of optimal TPI in calf preweaning health and postweaning reproductive efficiency. The 4 proposed categories of TPI can assist in decreasing the incidence of diseases that occur in the first weeks of life (i.e., diarrhea), but their effect on other diseases or future performance might be more limited. Although conducted in one herd, this study can be used to illustrate the effect of TPI on future calf performance.

Oviposition experience promotes active reproductive behaviour in a synovigenic parasitoid

Parasitoids are important insects that are commonly released into the environment to reduce the population sizes of pest species. The lifetime reproductive success of parasitoids mainly depends on host availability and the availability of mature eggs. Consequently, it is predicted that female wasps must balance the risk of egg or host (time) limitation with maximized lifetime fecundity. Typically, synovigenic females, which continue to mature eggs throughout their lifetime, have been shown to adjust their egg production rate in response to environmental variations in host availability to reduce the risk of egg limitation. In this study, we found that in a synovigenic egg parasitoid, Anastatus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae), the oviposition experience of Ana. japonicus females significantly enhanced the egg load and increased the rate of mature egg production. However, in contrast to other studies, the experience of contact with a host did not significantly affect the egg load in females. This result suggests that the overall oviposition experience might induce an adjustment and accelerate egg maturation in Ana. japonicus and is likely more important in egg maturation than transitory host contract. In addition to affecting the egg load, oviposition experience influenced Ana. japonicus female reproductive behaviour, which shifted virgin female behavioural preferences from mating to oviposition and laying more eggs per clutch. Our study provides an optimal strategy for the post-oviposition release of Ana. japonicus, an egg parasitoid of several lepidopteran forest pests, to improve biocontrol effectiveness.

Regeneration after blood loss and acute inflammation proceeds without contribution of primitive HSCs

AbstractHematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are the ultimate source of blood and immune cells, and transplantation reveals their unique potential to regenerate all blood lineages lifelong. HSCs are considered a quiescent reserve population under homeostatic conditions, which can be rapidly activated by perturbations to fuel blood regeneration. In accordance with this concept, inflammation and loss of blood cells were reported to stimulate the proliferation of HSCs, which is associated with a decline in their transplantation potential. To investigate the contribution of primitive HSCs to the hematopoietic stress response in the native environment, we use fate mapping and proliferation tracking mouse models. Although primitive HSCs were robustly activated by severe myeloablation, they did not contribute to the regeneration of mature blood cells in response to prototypic hematopoietic emergencies, such as acute inflammation or blood loss. Even chronic inflammatory stimulation, which triggered vigorous HSC proliferation, only resulted in a weak contribution of HSCs to mature blood cell production. Thus, our data demonstrate that primitive HSCs do not participate in the hematopoietic recovery from common perturbations and call for the reevaluation of the concept of HSC-driven stress responses.

The study of efficiency of increase of fluid production in long-term developed fields

As is known, one of the most effective methods of increase of oil development for the mature production fields is the forced fluid withdrawal (FFW). In this respect, the bypassed oil, lenses, blind and dead zones, and low-permeable interlayers are involved in the development of non-homogeneous and heavily watered formations. The decision on the employment of FFW should be made only after the study of the correlation between the flow rate of oil, water, fluid, as well as the water cut. With the purpose of the evaluation of the efficiency of FFW application, the researches based on the actual field data of the well operation in Lokbatan and Gala fields of “Azneft” PU have been carried out. Thus, the dependencies of the flow rate of oil, water and water cut of the product on the flow rate of fluid by all reviewed wells have been developed on a system approach and analyzed, as well as the mathematical models have been found. The analysis and estimation calculations justified the capacity of an approximately 7 % increase of oil production due to the forced withdrawal by the reviewed pattern of wells in Gala field. The studies conducted on the field data justify the practicability of the employment of forced fluid withdrawal in the wells operated from the upper stage of Productive Series in Gala field.

Transgenerational Effects of Water Limitation on Reproductive Mother Plants in a Common Garden of the Shrub Frangula alnus

A better understanding of responses to water limitation in woody species can help us to cope with the consequences of the progressing climate change. We focused on the putative transgenerational effects of water limitation in the maternal environment during reproduction. Water was restricted for cuttings of Frangula alnus Mill. in a common garden setting, with a Belgian (local), Italian and Swedish provenance, during the growing season of 2020 and mature berries were collected during the whole reproductive phase. Stones that were extracted from the berries were given a cold stratification. In the next spring, the germination percentage of the stones from the water restricted maternal environment was significantly higher than that of the stones from the normal maternal environment, for the three provenances, notwithstanding the fact that stone weight was not different. The timing of seedling emergence was advanced for the water-limited maternal environment, but only for the stones harvested when mature berry production was the highest (9th and 16th of July 2020). Population differentiation was observed for the timing of seedling emergence, which reflected population differentiation for bud burst of the mother plants in the common garden, including a counter-gradient effect for the Swedish provenance, and corroborating the suggestion that the timing of seedling emergence and leaf phenology may have a common genetic basis. In addition, the Swedish provenance displayed a somewhat more stable germination percentage over the whole berry collection period when the stones were harvested. A partitioning of variance analysis suggested that germination percentage is more genetically determined than timing of seedling emergence, probably reflecting the more important need to sense the environment for an adequate timing of emergence.

Evaluation of DNA Vaccine Candidates against Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus in Cattle.

We evaluated four DNA vaccine candidates for their ability to produce virus-like particles (VLPs) and elicit a protective immune response against Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in cattle. Two traditional DNA plasmids and two DNA minicircle constructs were evaluated. Both the pTarget O1P1-3C plasmid and O1P1-3C minicircle encoded a wild-type FMDV 3C protease to process the P1-2A polypeptide, whereas the O1P1-HIV-3CT minicircle used an HIV-1 ribosomal frameshift to down-regulate expression of a mutant 3C protease. A modified pTarget plasmid with a reduced backbone size, mpTarget O1P1-3CLT, used a 3C protease containing two mutations reported to enhance expression. All constructs produced mature FMDV P1 cleavage products in transfected cells, as seen by western blot analysis. Three constructs, O1P1-3C minicircles, pTarget O1P1-3C, and mpTarget O1P1-3CLT plasmids, produced intracellular VLP crystalline arrays detected by electron microscopy. Despite VLP formation in vitro, none of the DNA vaccine candidates elicited protection from clinical disease when administered independently. Administration of pTarget O1P1-3C plasmid enhanced neutralizing antibody titers when used as a priming dose prior to administration of a conditionally licensed adenovirus-vectored FMD vaccine. Further work is needed to develop these DNA plasmid-based constructs into standalone FMD vaccines in cattle.

Metabolic Hijacking of Hexose Metabolism to Ascorbate Synthesis Is the Unifying Biochemical Basis of Murine Liver Fibrosis.

We wished to understand the metabolic reprogramming underlying liver fibrosis progression in mice. Administration to male C57BL/6J mice of the hepatotoxins carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), thioacetamide (TAA), or a 60% high-fat diet, choline-deficient, amino-acid-defined diet (HF-CDAA) was conducted using standard protocols. Livers collected at different times were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. RNA was extracted from liver and assayed by qRT-PCR for mRNA expression of 11 genes potentially involved in the synthesis of ascorbic acid from hexoses, Gck, Adpgk, Hk1, Hk2, Ugp2, Ugdh, Ugt1a1, Akr1a4, Akr1b3, Rgn and Gulo. All hepatotoxins resulted in similar metabolic changes during active fibrogenesis, despite different etiology and resultant scarring pattern. Diminished hepatic glucose, galactose, fructose, pentose phosphate pathway intermediates, glucuronic acid and long-chain fatty acids were compensated by elevated ascorbate and the product of collagen prolyl 4-hydroxylase, succinate and its downstream metabolites fumarate and malate. Recovery from the HF-CDAA diet challenge (F2 stage fibrosis) after switching to normal chow was accompanied by increased glucose, galactose, fructose, ribulose 5-phosphate, glucuronic acid, the ascorbate metabolite threonate and diminished ascorbate. During the administration of CCl4, TAA and HF-CDAA, aldose reductase Akr1b3 transcription was induced six- to eightfold, indicating increased conversion of glucuronic acid to gulonic acid, a precursor of ascorbate synthesis. Triggering hepatic fibrosis by three independent mechanisms led to the hijacking of glucose and galactose metabolism towards ascorbate synthesis, to satisfy the increased demand for ascorbate as a cofactor for prolyl 4-hydroxylase for mature collagen production. This metabolic reprogramming and causal gene expression changes were reversible. The increased flux in this pathway was mediated predominantly by increased transcription of aldose reductase Akr1b3.

A kinetic mechanism for U6 snRNP biogenesis obtained by single molecule fluorescence colocalization microscopy.

Pre-mRNA splicing is the process of removing introns and forming a mature mRNA product by the spliceosome. The U6 small nuclear RNA ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) is an essential component of the splicing machinery and is composed of the U6 snRNA, Prp24, and Lsm2-8 heteroheptameric ring. In the complex, there are both RNA-protein and protein-protein interactions that play critical roles in snRNP assembly. Here, we are studying how the Lsm2-8 ring is recruited to the U6 snRNA in real-time using single-molecule fluorescence colocalization microscopy (CoSMoS). By using fluorescently labeled RNAs and proteins, we have analyzed single molecule reaction trajectories to determine the initial kinetic parameters for snRNP formation and how these change due to post-transcriptional modification of the RNA. We have also elucidated the function of highly-conserved protein domains in Prp24 in both splicing factor recruitment and stabilization of the RNP. Overall, our single-molecule results allow us to propose a kinetic mechanism for snRNP assembly and elucidate how assembly can proceed efficiently in both the presence and absence of RNA modifications.

Fine structural aspects on the web glue production in the golden orb-web spider Trichonephila clavata

ABSTRACT The water-soluble glue substance of the capture threads in Trichonephila clavata is solely produced from two pairs of aggregate silk glands. During the web glue production, secretory vesicles were synthesized via the extensive rough endoplasmic reticulum of epithelial cells. Unlike the clearly described fibrous web production in spiders, the process of aqueous web glue production appears to involve either a condensing or a packaging step by the Golgi complex. In particular, the fine structure of secretory vesicles varies from cell to cell and may represent the secretory cycle. The electron-dense multivesicular bodies were clearly visible as discrete droplets, and the mature secretory product in the glandular epithelium appeared as a spherical vacuole grown by fusion with surrounding small vesicles. Our fine structural observation reveals that the secretion occurs when the release of secreted material involves the loss of part of the cytoplasm. The bleb along the luminal surface of the secretory cells and membrane-bound extracellular vesicles which pinched off from the cell suggests that the secretory product is released by the mechanism of apocrine secretion.

Cytosolic galectin-4 enchains bacteria, restricts their motility, and promotes inflammasome activation in intestinal epithelial cells

Galectin-4, a member of the galectin family of animal glycan-binding proteins (GBPs), is specifically expressed in gastrointestinal epithelial cells and is known to be able to bind microbes. However, its function in host-gut microbe interactions remains unknown. Here, we show that intracellular galectin-4 in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) coats cytosolic Salmonella enterica serovar Worthington and induces the formation of bacterial chains and aggregates. Galectin-4 enchains bacteria during their growth by binding to the O-antigen of lipopolysaccharides. Furthermore, the binding of galectin-4 to bacterial surfaces restricts intracellular bacterial motility. Galectin-4 enhances caspase-1 activation and mature IL-18 production in infected IECs especially when autophagy is inhibited. Finally, orally administered S. enterica serovar Worthington, which is recognized by human galectin-4 but not mouse galectin-4, translocated from the intestines to mesenteric lymph nodes less effectively in human galectin-4-transgenic mice than in littermate controls. Our results suggest that galectin-4 plays an important role in host-gut microbe interactions and prevents the dissemination of pathogens. The results of the study revealed a novel mechanism of host-microbe interactions that involves the direct binding of cytosolic lectins to glycans on intracellular microbes.

Understanding the Sensitivity of Grape Terpenes to Jasmonates Using In Vitro Culture and In Vivo Vineyard Experiments.

Terpene volatiles define the flavor of terpenic grape cultivars. However, grape terpene concentrations can vary 2- to 3-fold across seasons and vineyards, impacting vintage quality. The plant hormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA) stimulates grape terpene production but is expensive and can decrease berry weight and maturity. The synthetic jasmonate prohydrojasmon (PDJ) is cost-effective yet has not been evaluated on grape maturity and terpene production. Here, we performed in vitro (berry culture) and in vivo (vineyard) experiments using Gewürztraminer (Vitis vinifera L.) to evaluate the time- and concentration-dependent sensitivity of maturity parameters and terpene content to MeJA and PDJ. In vitro berry weight was reduced by high MeJA and PDJ concentration across timings. Terpenes were most sensitive to low MeJA concentration at veraison (increased 24-fold) in vitro. Moderate PDJ concentration applied at veraison doubled (increased twofold) terpene concentration in vivo without impacting berry weight or maturity. In conclusion, PDJ may provide a solution to mitigate seasonal variability in terpene production in terpenic grape cultivars.

Effect of ageing on lees on the quality of white and rosé wines from Iași vineyard

Ageing of wines on lees (autolysis) involves keeping wines in contact with dead yeast cells for several months/years to intensify the transfer of compounds between yeast cells and wine. During yeast autolysis, release of different compounds has been shown to have a positive influence on organoleptic characteristics of wine as these compounds, including lipids, mannoproteins, peptides, proteins, amino acids, and glucans, are breakdown products of yeasts and can impact on volatile profile of wine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of white and rosé wines aged in contact with lees for 2 months, using 12 commercial maturation products. The studied wines were produced in Iasi vineyard, vintage 2020, from Sauvignon blanc and Busuioacă de Bohotin grapes variety. Thus, 26 samples were obtained (V1 SB-V13 SB; V1 BB – V13 BB). The effect of ageing on lees was assessed by analysing some main aroma compounds, performing an organoleptic analysis and quantifying color changes (CIEL ab parameters). The first impression that the consumer receives from wine is color and to some extent it can influence the taste. In terms of color parameters, an increase in color intensity was evident for all samples after the lees ageing period. Sensorial analysis coupled with statistical analysis tests showed a definite correlation between the maturation products used and their composition vs. certain sensorial indices. The treated wines boasted a smoother sensorial profile, with enhancement of mouth feel and persistence (V2, 3, 11 SB and V2, 3, 11 BB).

Putting PLX5622 into perspective: microglia in central nervous system viral infection.

Putting PLX5622 into perspective: microglia in central nervous system viral infection.

Increasing amino acids and biogenic amines content of white and rosé wines during ageing on lees

The presence of biogenic amines in wine is more and more important both to consumers and producers alike, due to the potential threats of toxicity of humans and consequent trade implications. Biogenic amines are formed from amino acids by decarboxylation carried out by various enzymes located in yeasts and bacteria. During ageing of wines on lees, the release of different compounds, especially proteins, peptides, amino acids, breakdown products of yeasts, can impact on the quality of wine. The aim of this study is to describe the evolution of twenty-two amino acids, precursors of seven biogenic amines during ageing on lees for 12 months, respectively 18 months, using 12 commercial maturation products. The number of experimental samples is 26 (V1SB-V13SB, V1BB-V13BB), produced in Iasi vineyard, vintage 2020, from Sauvignon Blanc and Busuioaca de Bohotin grapes variety. Data indicated a major impact of the variables (commercial maturation products, autolysis process and grape variety) on wine’s characteristics. Considerable amounts of some essential amino acids, such as L-alanine, L-leucine, L-lysine, L-valine and L-glutamic acid were found in samples treated with commercial products, which contained significant amounts of mannoproteins, amino acids and vitamins (samples V6SB, V4SB, V5SB, V5BB, V4BB and V6BB). Vitamins and nitrogenous compounds released by autolysis are used as a support in the decarboxylation process, thus forming biogenic amines.