The promotional effects of metal oxides for a silica-supported cobalt catalyst were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Temperature Programmed Reaction (TPR), and Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. The La-modified cobalt catalyst with 3% La loading which was prepared by simultaneous impregnation showed higher catalytic activity while keeping slightly higher selectivity of C2+ hydrocarbons. TPR, FT-IR, and TEM studies revealed that CO is adsorbed on the La-modified cobalt catalyst in a more active state compared to the monometallic cobalt catalyst, which was caused by the agglomeration of cobalt.

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A series of ceria-zirconia solid solutions were synthesized using tobacco leaves, stems and stem-silks as biotemplates. A combination of physicochemical techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), N 2 adsorption/desorption measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the as-synthesized samples. The results show that the morphologies of the templates were well replicated in the obtained ceria-zirconia solid solutions. Catalytic oxidation activities of CO over the ceria-zirconia solid solutions were then investigated. The catalyst templated by tobacco stem-silk exhibited higher conversion of CO at lower temperature than that of ceria-zirconia solid solutions templated by tobacco leaves and stems or without templates due to its special morphology. The catalyst even showed similar CO conversion when compared to ceria-zirconia solid solutions doped with 1.0 wt % noble metals such as Pt, Ag and Au. The results highlighted the advantages of using tobacco as biotemplate.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore whether the resection of pulmonary ligament lymph nodes would affect the prognosis of patients with stage IB non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 341 patients with upper lobe stage IB NSCLC who underwent radical surgery for lung cancer at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center from 1999 to 2009. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to analyze the prognostic factors. After propensity score matching (PSM), 204 cases were selected. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were applied to compare overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Results: Among the 341 cases included in the study, 217 had no pulmonary ligament lymph nodes resected, and 124 had pulmonary ligament lymph nodes resected. They were divided into two groups according to whether the pulmonary ligament lymph nodes were resected; there were significant differences between the two groups in laterality, resected lymph node stations, and resected lymph node numbers ( P <0.05). Univariate and multivariate analyses by the Cox proportional hazards model showed that age and family history of malignant tumors were prognostic factors for OS, and no variables were prognostic factors for RFS ( P <0.05). Resection of the pulmonary ligament lymph node was not associated with OS or RFS. After propensity score matching (PSM), survival analysis was performed again using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test; the results suggested that resection of the pulmonary ligament lymph node is not statistically associated with OS and RFS ( P >0.05). Conclusions: For stage IB NSCLC, resection of the pulmonary ligament lymph nodes was not statistically associated with OS or RFS. Pulmonary ligament lymph node resection is not necessary for early-stage NSCLC.