Plate column adsorption of Pb(II) from industrial wastewater on sponge-type composite adsorbent: Optimization and application

Nana Wang,Xingjian Xu,Li Yang,Lizhu Yuan,Tangfu Xiao,Haiyan Li,Hongwen Yu 한국공업화학회 2018 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.66 No.-

A sponge-type composite adsorbent xanthate-modified chitosan @ titanate nanotubes (XCTS@TNTs) was prepared via a simple and low-cost procedure, and its adsorption capacity was evaluated in batch and continuous plate column systems. The three-dimensional network macroporous structure made it easy to separate from the solution and suitable for the column-based treatment. The excellent adsorption capacity of Pb(II) was as high as 342.47 mg/g and could be obtained in wide ranges of pH and temperature. Interestingly, XCTS@TNTs exhibited outstanding selectivity for Pb(II) rather than other divalent heavy metal ions. Adsorption mechanism was elucidated by the FTIR and XPS analyses. The column adsorption results indicated that the treatment effect was proportional to bed height and inversely to flow rate and influent concentration. XCTS@TNTs was remarkably effective in the removal of Pb(II) from actual industrial effluents to meet the discharge requirements and contributed to the recovery of Pb(II). The treatment volumes of simulated actual battery wastewater and smelting effluent by 2.40 g XCTS@TNTs were as high as 6360 and 49584 mL for Pb(II) with the concentration of 30.55 and 4.49 mg/L, respectively. This work developed a highly practical process for removing heavy metal ions from practical wastewaters.

Overview of Transforming Growth Factor β Superfamily Involvement in Glioblastoma Initiation and Progression

Nana, Andre Wendindonde,Yang, Pei-Ming,Lin, Hung-Yun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.16

Glioblastoma, also known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is the most aggressive of human brain tumors and has a stunning progression with a mean survival of one year from the date of diagnosis. High cell proliferation, angiogenesis and/or necrosis are histopathological features of this cancer, which has no efficient curative therapy. This aggressiveness is associated with particular heterogeneity of the tumor featuring multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations, but also with implications of aberrant signaling driven by growth factors. The transforming growth factor ${\beta}$ ($TGF{\beta}$) superfamily is a large group of structurally related proteins including $TGF{\beta}$ subfamily members Nodal, Activin, Lefty, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and growth and differentiation factor (GDF). It is involved in important biological functions including morphogenesis, embryonic development, adult stem cell differentiation, immune regulation, wound healing and inflammation. This superfamily is also considered to impact on cancer biology including that of GBM, with various effects depending on the member. The $TGF{\beta}$ subfamily, in particular, is overexpressed in some GBM types which exhibit aggressive phenotypes. This subfamily impairs anti-cancer immune responses in several ways, including immune cells inhibition and major histocompatibility (MHC) class I and II abolishment. It promotes GBM angiogenesis by inducing angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-I) and insulinlike growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7), contributes to GBM progression by inducing metalloproteinases (MMPs), "pro-neoplastic" integrins (${\alpha}v{\beta}3$, ${\alpha}5{\beta}1$) and GBM initiating cells (GICs) as well as inducing a GBM mesenchymal phenotype. Equally, Nodal promotes GICs, induces cancer metabolic switch and supports GBM cell proliferation, but is negatively regulated by Lefty. Activin promotes GBM cell proliferation while GDF yields immune-escape function. On the other hand, BMPs target GICS and induce differentiation and sensitivity to chemotherapy. This multifaceted involvement of this superfamily in GBM necessitates different strategies in anti-cancer therapy. While suppressing the $TGF{\beta}$ subfamily yields advantageous results, enhancing BMPs production is also beneficial.

Effect of Ce Microalloying on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Extruded Mg–10Gd–0.5Zr Alloy

Laidong Yang,Quanan Li,Xiaoya Chen,Wanwan Mei,Nana Zhang 대한금속·재료학회 2023 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.29 No.11

The influence of Ce microalloying (0.6 wt%) on the microstructure and strengthening mechanism of the extruded Mg–10Gd–0.5Zr alloy were comprehensively researched and analyzed. The experimental results revealed that the addition of 0.6 wt% Ceexcellently reduced the grain size of the as-cast alloy and increased the amount of Mg5Gdeutectic phase. The Ce microalloyingpromoted the dynamic recrystallization level of the extruded alloy, reduced the number and grain size of deformed grains,increased the number of dynamically recrystallized grains, and transformed the basal plane < 10 1 0 > fiber texture graduallyinto < 0001 > texture. Ce microalloying promoted the dynamic precipitation of a small amount of β-Mg5Gd and α-Mg12Ceparticles. After peak aging, the Ce microalloying improved the aging response, increased the aging hardness of the alloy,promoted the aging precipitation of phase, and enhanced the quantity and aspect ratio of phase. The incremental tensileyield and ultimate tensile strength of the extruded alloy resulting from Ce microalloying are 14 MPa and 11 MPa separately,and those of the peak-aged alloy are 53 MPa and 34 MPa respectively. The increase in yield strength of the extruded andpeak-aged alloy is ascribed to the enhanced grain boundary strengthening and the promotion of the phase precipitationstrengthening by Ce microalloying, respectively.

Pharmacological blockade of cholesterol trafficking by cepharanthine in endothelial cells suppresses angiogenesis and tumor growth

Lyu, Junfang,Yang, Eun Ju,Head, Sarah A.,Ai, Nana,Zhang, Baoyuan,Wu, Changjie,Li, Ruo-Jing,Liu, Yifan,Yang, Chen,Dang, Yongjun,Kwon, Ho Jeong,Ge, Wei,Liu, Jun O.,Shim, Joong Sup Elsevier 2017 Cancer letters Vol.409 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Cholesterol is an important modulator of membrane protein function and signaling in endothelial cells, thus making it an emerging target for anti-angiogenic agents. In this study, we employed a phenotypic screen that detects intracellular cholesterol distribution in endothelial cells (HUVEC) and identified 13 existing drugs as cholesterol trafficking inhibitors. Cepharanthine, an approved drug for anti-inflammatory and cancer management use, was amongst the candidates, which was selected for in-depth mechanistic studies to link cholesterol trafficking and angiogenesis. Cepharanthine inhibited the endolysosomal trafficking of free-cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein in HUVEC by binding to Niemann-Pick disease, type C1 (NPC1) protein and increasing the lysosomal pH. The blockade of cholesterol trafficking led to a cholesterol-dependent dissociation of mTOR from the lysosomes and inhibition of its downstream signaling. Cepharanthine inhibited angiogenesis in HUVEC and in zebrafish in a cholesterol-dependent manner. Furthermore, cepharanthine suppressed tumor growth in vivo by inhibiting angiogenesis and it enhanced the antitumor activity of the standard chemotherapy cisplatin in lung and breast cancer xenografts in mice. Altogether, these results strongly support the idea that cholesterol trafficking is a viable drug target for anti-angiogenesis and that the inhibitors identified among existing drugs, such as cepharanthine, could be potential anti-angiogenic and antitumor agents.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> A phenotypic screen identified 13 existing drugs, including cepharanthine, as cholesterol trafficking inhibitors. </LI> <LI> Cepharanthine inhibited lysosomal cholesterol trafficking by binding to NPC1 protein and increasing the lysosomal pH. </LI> <LI> The blockade of cholesterol trafficking led to a cholesterol-dependent dissociation of mTOR from the lysosomes. </LI> <LI> Cepharanthine inhibited angiogenesis in HUVEC and in zebrafish in a cholesterol-dependent manner. </LI> <LI> Cepharanthine treatment enhanced the antitumor activity of cisplatin in lung and breast cancer xenografts in mice. </LI> </UL> </P>

Limonoids from the barks of Chukrasia tabularis and their anti‑inflammatory activity

Shen Jinhuang,Zhang Yifan,Yang Nana,Ma Xinhua,Zhong Tianhua,Zhang Yonghong 한국응용생명화학회 2022 Applied Biological Chemistry (Appl Biol Chem) Vol.65 No.1

Two novel phragmalin type limonoids, Tabularisin Q (1) and Chuktabularin Y (18), together with 22 known limonoids have been separated from bark of Chukrasia tabularis. The structures of 1–24 were identified with spectroscopic method (NMR, IR and mass spectrometry) and comparison with literature. The anti-inflammatory activity of all limonoids was assayed in RAW264.7 cells in vitro by evaluating the production of nitric oxide induced by lipopolysaccharide. Limonoids 8, 9, 1, and 18 showed significant anti-inflammatory activity with the inhibitory rates of 4.32, 11.28, 13.13, and 10.40 μm, respectively, and likely to be useful for the development as therapeutic agents for inflammatory diseases.

Hierarchical Resource Management Framework and Multi-hop Task Scheduling Decision for Resource-Constrained VEC Networks

Xi Hu,Yicheng Zhao,Yang Huang,Chen Zhu,Jun Yao,Nana Fang 한국인터넷정보학회 2022 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.16 No.11

In urban vehicular edge computing (VEC) environments, one edge server always serves many task requests in its coverage which results in the resource-constrained problem. To resolve the problem and improve system utilization, we first design a general hierarchical resource management framework based on typical VEC network structures. Following the framework, a specific interacting protocol is also designed for our decision algorithm. Secondly, a greedy bidding-based multi-hop task scheduling decision algorithm is proposed to realize effective task scheduling in resource-constrained VEC environments. In this algorithm, the goal of maximizing system utility is modeled as an optimization problem with the constraints of task deadlines and available computing resources. Then, an auction mechanism named greedy bidding is used to match task requests to edge servers in the case of multiple hops to maximize the system utility. Simulation results show that our proposal can maximize the number of tasks served in resource constrained VEC networks and improve the system utility.

A Small Baseline Stereo Matching Method Based on Adaptive Weight

Jilong Bian,Jinfeng Li,Nana Wang,Liu Yang 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Multimedia and Ubiquitous Vol.10 No.9

Due to a high percentage of the bad pixels in small baseline stereo matching method, a small baseline stereo matching method based on adaptive weight is proposed. Firstly, the size of reference window is adaptively calculated for each reference point and then matching costs is evaluated according to adaptive weights and reference window size. Secondly, winner take all is used to evaluate initial disparities and unreliable matches are refused by using reliability constraints. Finally, disparity post processing method based on iterative diffuse using a new cost function is used to obtain a dense disparity map. A small baseline stereo image pair of Toulouse and stereo image pairs provided by the benchmark Middlebury database are used to test the proposed method. The experimental results show that this method can effectively reduce a percentage of the bad pixels of depth discontinuity areas, improve the overall disparity matching accuracy and meet the requirements of small baseline three-dimensional reconstruction.

Cardiac-derived stem cell engineered with constitutively active HIF-1a gene enhances blood perfusion of hindlimb ischemia

Xing Pei,Jiyoung Shin,김희정,Nana Wang,Chaewon Seo,Miyun Yoon,Xiongwen Chen,Jianqing Gao,Victor C. Yang,Huining He,Seungjin Lee 한국공업화학회 2022 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.105 No.-

Stem cell-based therapeutic approach provides a possible treatment for critical limb ischemia (CLI) byinducing revascularization and regenerating ischemic tissue. However, the clinical benefit is modestdue to low cell survival and limited efficacy after transplantation. Cardiac-derived stem cells (CSCs) mightbe a novel cell source for CLI treatment owing to their superb endothelial differentiation potential andangiogenic paracrine functions. In this study, the angiogenic ability of CSCs was maximized by geneticengineering with constitutively active form of hypoxia-inducible factor-1a (CA-HIF-1a), resistant tooxygen-dependent degradation. CSCs transfected with CA-HIF-1a (CA-HIF-CSCs) promoted supplementaryexpression of proangiogenic factors including VEGF, bFGF, Ang-1 and PDGF-B, along with enhancedangiogenic function including migratory effect, tube formation and endothelial differentiation potential. In the mouse CLI model, CA-HIF-CSCs transplanted into the ischemic region using fibrin gel as cell deliveryvehicle, improved blood perfusion and limb functional recovery with minimal incidence of foot necrosisand limb loss by promoting new vessel formation. Histological evidence further confirmed that CAHIF-CSC/gel treatment markedly alleviated muscle degeneration and fibrosis. CSCs genetically engineeredwith constitutively active HIF-1a provide a novel therapeutic modality in CLI combining stem cell andgene therapy.

Changes of projectile attitude and its influence parameters during the process of penetration on the ship plate structure through material point method

Yinan Wang,Zhi Wang,Xiongliang Yao,Nana Yang,Zhipeng Chen 대한기계학회 2021 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.35 No.2

In this paper, the attitude changes of projectile and its influence parameters during the process of penetration on the ship plate structure are studied by material point method. The method is firstly verified by comparing with experimental results. The numerical results agree well with the experimental results. The failure behavior of the plate is similar to the actual situation, and the failure mode is basically the same. With the change of different parameters, the attitude of projectiles will change differently. The greater the penetration velocity, the weaker the influence of other related parameters on the projectile attitude. When other parameters are not changed, the relative size of the strength of stiffener and the thickness of target plate determines the change of the projectile attitude. Analyze from the perspective of energy and force, and finally projectile attitude can be divided into four types.

인체의 위 조직 시료에서 자기공명영상장치를 이용한 확산계수 측정에 대한 기초 연구

문치웅,최기승,양영일,장희경,은충기,Mun Chi-Woong,Choi, Ki-Sueng,Nana Roger,Hu, Xiaoping P.,Yang, Young-Il,Chang Hee-Kyung,Eun, Choong-Ki 대한의용생체공학회 2006 의공학회지 Vol.27 No.5

The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of ex vivo MR diffusion tensor imaging technique in order to observe the diffusion-contrast characteristics of human gastric tissues. On normal and pathologic gastric tissues, which have been fixed in a polycarbonate plastic tube filled with 10% formalin solution, laboratory made 3D diffusion tensor Turbo FLASH pulse sequence was used to obtain high resolution MR images with voxel size of $0.5{\times}0.5{\times}0.5mm^3\;using\;64{\times}32{\times}32mm^3$ field of view in conjunction with an acquisition matrix of $128{\times}64{\times}64$. Diffusion weighted- gradient pulses were employed with b values of 0 and $600s/mm^2$ in 6 orientations. The sequence was implemented on a clinical 3.0-T MRI scanner(Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) with a home-made quadrature-typed birdcage Tx/Rx rf coil for small specimen. Diffusion tensor values in each pixel were calculated using linear algebra and singular value decomposition(SVD) algorithm. Apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC) and fractional anisotropy(FA) map were also obtained from diffusion tensor data to compare pixel intensities between normal and abnormal gastric tissues. The processing software was developed by authors using Visual C++(Microsoft, WA, U.S.A.) and mathematical/statistical library of GNUwin32(Free Software Foundation). This study shows that 3D diffusion tensor Turbo FLASH sequence is useful to resolve fine micro-structures of gastric tissue and both ADC and FA values in normal gastric tissue are higher than those in abnormal tissue. Authors expect that this study also represents another possibility of gastric carcinoma detection by visualizing diffusion characteristics of proton spins in the gastric tissues.