Large surface area hexagonal phase WO3 (h-WO3) nanowires were synthesized by a hydrothermal route with the assistance of C2H12N6O4S. They were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, FT-IR and XPS. It is shown that C2H12N6O4S not only acts as a stabilizer to facilitate the generation of a metastable hexagonal phase, but also functions as a structure directing agent to assist the construction of nanowires. The obtained h-WO3 possesses a large specific surface area and numerous adsorption functional groups such as -OH groups. These characteristics result in an excellent adsorption performance for the removal of strontium from acidic aqueous solutions. A maximum adsorption capacity of 52.93 mg g(-1) was achieved on the h-WO3 prepared in the presence of C2H12N6O4S. This value is almost two times higher than that of bare h-WO3 (no C2H12N6O4S). The effects of pH, contact time, initial Sr(2+) concentration and ion strength on Sr(2+) removal from the solution by h-WO3 were systematically investigated. The adsorption mechanism involving the combination of electrostatic attraction and ion exchange for the adsorption of Sr(2+) is proposed. Based on our results, h-WO3 with high adsorption capacity and good surface characteristics exhibits great potential for the removal of Sr(2+) from radioactive wastewater.
Ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT), ghrelin, and GHSR have been reported to play important roles that influence feed intake in mammals. LEAP2, an endogenous antagonist of GHSR, plays an important role in the regulation of feed intake. However, chicken ghrelin has also been reported to have an inhibitory effect on feed intake. The role of the GOAT–Ghrelin–GHSR–LEAP2 axis in chicken-feed intake remains unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically evaluate the changes in the tissue expression levels of these genes under different energy states. In this study, broiler chicks in different energy states were subjected to starvation and feeding, and relevant gene expression levels were measured using quantitative real-time PCR. Different energy states significantly modulated the expression levels of LEAP2 and GHSR but did not significantly affect the expression levels of GOAT and ghrelin. A high expression level of LEAP2 was detected in the liver and the whole small intestine. Compared to the fed group, the fasted chicks showed significantly reduced LEAP2 expression levels in the liver and the small intestine; 2 h after being refed, the LEAP2 expression of the fasted chicks returned to the level of the fed group. Transcription factor prediction and results of a dual luciferase assay indicated that the transcription factor CDX4 binds to the LEAP2 promoter region and positively regulates its expression. High expression levels of GHSR were detected in the hypothalamus and pituitary. Moreover, we detected GHSR highly expressed in the jejunum—this finding has not been previously reported. Thus, GHSR may regulate intestinal motility, and this aspect needs further investigation. In conclusion, this study revealed the function of chicken LEAP2 as a potential feed-intake regulator and identified the potential mechanism governing its intestine-specific expression. Our study lays the foundations for future studies on avian feed-intake regulation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.