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The Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Bl.) is a woody nut crop with a high ecological value. Although many cultivars have been selected from natural seedlings, elite lines with comprehensive agronomic traits and characters remain rare. To explore genetic resources with aid of whole genome sequence will play important roles in modern breeding programs for chestnut. In this study, we generated a high-quality C. mollissima genome assembly by combining 90× Pacific Biosciences long read and 170× high-throughput chromosome conformation capture data. The assembly was 688.93 Mb in total, with a contig N50 of 2.83 Mb. Most of the assembled sequences (99.75%) were anchored onto 12 chromosomes, and 97.07% of the assemblies were accurately anchored and oriented. A total of 33,638 protein-coding genes were predicted in the C. mollissima genome. Comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses provided insights into the genes expressed in specific tissues, as well as those associated with burr development in the Chinese chestnut. This highly contiguous assembly of the C. mollissima genome provides a valuable resource for studies aiming at identifying and characterizing agronomical-important traits, and will aid the design of breeding strategies to develop more focused, faster, and predictable improvement programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article demonstrates the central position that Daoists occupied in the representations of state power in north China under Mongol rule. In the mid-thirteenth century, Daoist Master Jiang Shanxin and his disciples, under Khubilai Khan's patronage, actively rebuilt several temples of Confucian sage-kings in southern Shanxi province. Jiang Shanxin's lineage was a product of dynamic interactions between the Mongol conquerors and local Chinese Daoists in which the two found common ground in sage-kings worship that had served to strengthen imperial legitimacy in previous dynasties. The strong Mongol-Daoist alliance in reordering the empire's ritual space resulted in not just the revival of but also the creation of new ritual precedents for the Chinese imperial cult of sage-kings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive vibrations may occur in slender structures like footbridges and long-span floors due to movement of pedestrians. Problems are usually treated in the time domain as Fourier series models of the forcing function, but most methods have disadvantages of neglecting the stochastic character of human walking, being computationally inefficient for random vibration analysis, and overestimating responses in the case of resonance. Meanwhile, frequency-domain models of other types of structural loading are efficient while being a more acceptable approach widely adopted for dealing with stochastic response problems. Hence, an experiment-based power spectral-density (PSD) model normalized to walking frequency and order of harmonic is proposed. To construct this model, 1,528 individual walking-load time histories were collected from an experiment on a rigid floor. These records were then linked to obtain a smaller number of longer samples for a good frequency resolution in spectral analysis. Using the linked samples and for a frequency normalized to mean walking frequency, PSD models in the range 1 ± 0.05 for the harmonic and subharmonic are suggested as a Gaussian mixture with eight model parameters. Via the stationary and nonstationary stochastic vibration theory, the proposed model is used to predict the structural response in terms of root- mean square and peak of acceleration. The framework is finally tested via field measurements demonstrating applicability in practical design work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet sorghum is a crop with good application prospects, and the research on sweet sorghum breeding people should be strengthened. Based on this, the genetic content of QTLs (quantitative trait loci) for sugar traits in sweet sorghum was introduced, and the analysis content of the genetic breeding of sweet sorghum related to sugar traits was expounded, providing support for the cultivation of sweet sorghum with higher quality and the promotion of agricultural development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endothelial leakiness or permeability directly determines the access of any bionanotechnology to the target tissue site. Currently, cancer nanotechnology relies on tumor-derived endothelial leakiness, which suffers from unreliability, inhomogeneity of leakiness, and uncontrollability. Nanomaterials by themselves are capable of inducing endothelial leakiness (NanoEL) without any tumor involvement by targeting the endothelial cell junctions; this NanoEL phenomenon not well understood. Here, we showed that the negatively charged Au nanoparticles (NPs) induce significantly higher NanoEL than positively charged nanoparticles. We hypothesized and showed that in both in vitro and in silico models that cell junction targeting arose for the negatively charged particles due to a succession of repulsive-sedimentary interactions between the negative particle and the negatively charged glycocalyx found on the cell membrane surface. On the contrary, NPs with positive charges are attracted stably by the negatively charged glycocalyx and remained in situ for long enough, which eventually are endocytosized into the cells as contrasted to localization toward the cell junction. There are implications to how nanoparticle charges could be tuned to induce (or avoid) endothelial leakiness by design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic heart failure (CHF), the final stage of various cardiovascular diseases, is a major public health problem resulting in significant hospitalization rates, mortality, and huge health care costs despite advances in the treatment and management of heart failure and heart failure-related risk factors. Qishen granules (QSG), a Chinese herbal formula, is widely used by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners to treat CHF. Several animal experimental studies have showed that QSG can significantly relieve the heart failure symptoms in CHF rat models. However, there is as yet no standard clinical trial to confirm this. Thus, the investigators are conducting this study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of QSG in a large, and varied population.Methods/design: This study is designed as a randomized, placebo-controlled, multi-center, double-blind clinical trial with parallel groups. A total of 200 patients with CHF will be recruited and randomly allocated to either the QSG treatment group or the placebo group (in a 1:1 ratio). The patients will receive QSG or placebo granules twice a day for 12 weeks. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients in the QSG group, compared with the placebo group, demonstrating a more than 30% decrease in NT-proBNP level during 12 weeks of treatment. The secondary outcomes consist of composite cardiac events, New York Heart Association functional classification, 6-minute walking distance, left ventricular ejection fraction, patient quality of life, and the TCM syndrome integral scale.Discussion: On a background of standard treatment, QSG may further reduce the levels of NT-proBNP. This trial will provide high-quality evidence on the efficacy and safety of QSG in treating CHF, thus providing reference for clinical application of QSG.Trial Registration: Clinical Trials.gov: NCT03027375 . Registered on 16 January 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) is a pathogenic bacterium and a major cause of community-acquired pneumonia that could be fatal if left untreated. Therefore, rapid and sensitive detection of SP is crucial to enable targeted treatment during SP infections. In this study, DNA tetrahedron (DNA TH) with a hollow structure is anchored on gold electrodes to construct an electrochemical immunosensor for rapid detection of pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) peptide and SP lysate from synthetic and actual human samples. This DNA nanostructure-based immunosensor displays excellent electrochemical activity toward PspA with a sensitive linear region from 0 to 8 ng/mL of PspA peptide and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.218 ng/mL. In addition, this DNA-TH-based immunosensor exhibits good sensing performance toward SP lysate in a clinically relevant linear range from 5 to 100 CFU/mL with a LOD of 0.093 CFU/mL. Along with these attractive features, this electrochemical immunosensor is able to specifically recognize and detect the PspA peptide mixed with other physiologically relevant components like bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lipopolysaccharide. In addition, our sensor could detect SP lysate even when dispersed in BSA or Escherichia coli lysate. Lastly, uncultured samples from the nasal cavity, mouth, and axilla of a human subject could be successfully determined by this well-designed electrochemical immunosensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3 wt.% of V2O5 is loaded onto the activated semi-coke (V2O5/ASC) via impregnation method and used for low temperature selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with NH3. The prepared V2O5/ASC catalyst yields an over 90% NO conversion rate with excellent N2 selectivity at 250 °C with a space velocity of 12,000 h-1. The adsorption state of different species and reaction behaviors under various conditions are systematically examined with in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (in situ DRIFTS). It is evidenced that NH3 and NO are absorbed on different active sites over the V2O5/ASC catalyst. At the reaction temperature (200 °C) in this study, NH3 is mainly absorbed on the Lewis acid sites provided by V2O5, and NO is mainly absorbed on the active sites originated from the support ASC. In addition, the NH3-SCR process takes place according to two pathways, including reaction between the coordinated NH3 and gaseous NO (E-R mechanism), and reaction between the absorbed NO2 and coordinated NH3 (L-H mechanism). The latter one plays a primary role for the improved low-temperature SCR performance of V2O5/ASC catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Obbective] To investigate treatment effects of total Saponins from Panax japonicas cultured cells on the rat adjuvant inflammation. [Methods] Constructing the pathological model using male AA rats, by proinflammatory before and after oral administration, to study the total saponins of Panax japonicus in rat primary and secondary adjjuvant arthritis prevention and treatment effect. [Results] The total Saponins isolated from Panax japonicas cultured ceHs cm prevent and significantly reduce the AA rat adjuvant arthritis of primary lesions. Panax japonicus saponins can also weH treat and alleviate adjuvant arthritis secondary lesions. The effective dose of total saponins of Panax japonicus was 35 - 140 mg/kg. [Conclusion] Total Saponins extracted from Panax japonicas cultured ceHs have good anti-inflammatory effects as nature Pana japonicus extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peak current mode bifrequency (PCM-BF) control, a novel control technique for switching dc-dc converters in the discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), is proposed in this paper. It realizes output voltage regulation by employing high- and low-frequency control pulses with preset switching frequencies. At the beginning of each control pulse cycle, the output voltage is sampled and compared with reference voltage to determine whether high- or low-frequency control pulse should be generated as control pulse. Compared with conventional pulse-width-modulation-based PCM control (hereafter called PCM-PWM), which realizes output voltage regulation by adjusting the duty ratio of the control pulse cycle by cycle, the PCM-BF control is simple, cost effective, and enjoys fast transient response. Moreover, more low-frequency control pulses are generated for light load, which improve the power conversion efficiency at light load. Besides, high- and low-frequency control pulses with different switching frequencies spread the spectrum over discrete frequencies, resulting in low electromagnetic interference. A buck converter operating in the DCM is taken as an example to illustrate the applications and benefits of the PCM-BF control technique. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the analytical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To prolong the biological half-life of levofloxacin (LVFX) and increase the drug accumulation in the target site, an antibacterial agent, levofloxacin loaded liposomes with distearolyphos phatidyl ethanolamine-N-poly (ethylene glycol) 2000 (DSPE-PEG 2000) (LVFX-PEG-Lips) were prepared and evaluated. LVFX-PEG-Lips were prepared with the ammonium sulfate gradients method. The formulated liposomes were found to be relatively uniform in size 224.9 ± 24.5 nm with a negative zeta potential -30.11 ± 1.08 mV. The entrapment efficiency and drug loading ranged from 78.49% to 81.23% and 6.53% to 6.77%, respectively. In vitro drug release was monitored for up to 3 days, and the release behavior was in accordance with the Weibull equation. Pharmacokinetic parameters of LVFX-PEG-Lips were compared with those of levofloxacin solution (LVFX-Sol). The AUC and MRT of LVFX-PEG-Lips increased 5.7 and 9.2 fold, respectively. The encapsulation of LVFX in PEG-liposomes also changed its biodistribution in mice after intravenous injection in caudal vein. Compared with LVFX-Sol, the biodistribution of liposomal formulation in organs decreased, and can potentially reduce the side effects of free drugs and improve the treatment efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phase stability and elastic properties of Re&bond;B system were systematically investigated by use of the density functional theory. The formation enthalpies are negative for Re3B, Re7B3, Re2B, ReB, Re2B3, and ReB2, indicating that they are thermodynamically stable. Re7B3, Re2B, ReB, Re2B3, and ReB2 are mechanically stable. Combining the study of enthalpy and pressure relationship with the convex hull, it was found that the ground state phases are Re3B, Re7B3, and ReB2 at zero pressure, in agreement with the experimental observations. At the pressure of 90 GPa, Re3B, and ReB2 are the most stable phases. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2010 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to investigate the alcohol oxidation to acetaldehyde catalyzed by the Cu-bipy (bipy = 2,2′-bipyridine) catalyst with and without TEMPO (TEMPO stands for 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyloxy). In the presence of TEMPO, two mechanisms are proposed, which are (1) TEMPO and the alcohol coordinate to the Cu center and react in the coordination sphere, and (2) the formation of the nitronium cation. On the basis of our calculations, the nitronium cation mechanism can be ruled out. For the case without TEMPO, it is found that the change of the Cu oxidation states (CuII↔ CuI) plays an important role in assisting the catalytic reaction cycle, while the O2molecule assists the formation of the product acetaldehyde. In addition, the overall activation barrier with TEMPO is preferred over the pathway without TEMPO by 5.2 kcal mol−1. This is consistent with the experimental observation that the Cu-bipy catalyst in the absence of TEMPO is less efficient when compared with that in the presence of TEMPO. The difference in mechanism is discussed tentatively based on the molecular orbitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalytic mechanism for the oxidation of primary alcohols catalyzed by the two functional models of galactose oxidase (GOase), MII L (M= Cu, Zn; L = N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)- 1-2-diiminoquinone)), has been studied by use of the density functional method B3LYP. The catalytic cycle of Cu- and Zn-catalysts consists of two parts, namely, substrate oxidation (primary alcohol oxidation) and O2 reduction (catalyst regeneration). The catalytic mechanisms have been studied for the two reaction pathways (route 1 and route 2). The calculations indicate that the hydrogen atom transfer within the substrate oxidation part is the rate-determining step for both catalysts, in agreement with the experimental observation. The calculated overall reaction barrier for Cu-catalyst is 16.74 kcal mol-1, smaller than 22.96 kcal mol-1 for the Zn-catalyst. This is consistent with the experimental result that the Zn-catalyst is less efficient when compared with the Cu-catalyst. The importance of the solvent effect is demonstrated. Insights into the hydrogen atom transfer process are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalytic mechanism for the oxidation of primary alcohols catalyzed by the two functional models of galactose oxidase (GOase), MIIL (M = Cu, Zn; L = N,N′-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)-1-2-diiminoquinone)), has been studied by use of the density functional method B3LYP. The catalytic cycle of Cu- and Zn-catalysts consists of two parts, namely, substrate oxidation (primary alcohol oxidation) and O2reduction (catalyst regeneration). The catalytic mechanisms have been studied for the two reaction pathways (route 1 and route 2). The calculations indicate that the hydrogen atom transfer within the substrate oxidation part is the rate-determining step for both catalysts, in agreement with the experimental observation. The calculated overall reaction barrier for Cu-catalyst is 16.74 kcal mol−1, smaller than 22.96 kcal mol−1for the Zn-catalyst. This is consistent with the experimental result that the Zn-catalyst is less efficient when compared with the Cu-catalyst. The importance of the solvent effect is demonstrated. Insights into the hydrogen atom transfer process are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bond distances, vibrational frequencies, electron affinities, ionization potentials and dissociation energies of the title molecules in neutral, positively and negatively charged ions were studied by use of density functional method. The calculated results were compared with previous theoretical and experimental studies. Ground states for each molecule were assigned. It was found that for some molecules, low-lying state, in which the energy is much close to the ground state, was obtained. In this case, further studies both experimentally and theoretically are necessary in order to find the true global minimum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the crystal structure of tetra-mu-alpha-alanine-bis[tetraaquagadolinium (III)] hexaperchlorate. Structural parameters of unknown complexes of rare earth elements with amino acid by artificial neural networks; Average bond length; Displacement ellipsoids; Selected geometric parameters.

A novel constant time-delay control technique for switching dc–dc converters is presented. The controller with simple implementation only consists of a comparator and a delay module. Compared output voltage with a reference voltage and then delayed for a preset time interval, a control pulse for driving main power switch is finally generated. Taking constant time-delay controlled buck converter as an example, theoretical analyses and PSIM circuit simulations are performed, which indicates that the proposed control technique has the advantages including well regulation, fast transient response and robust stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing a targeted and versatile photothermal agent for the integration of precise diagnosis and effective photothermal treatment of tumors is desirable but remains a great challenge. In this study, folic acid ligand conjugated lipid-coated polyaniline hybrid nanoparticles (FA–Lipid–PANI NPs) were successfully fabricated by a distinctive technology. The obtained hybrid FA–Lipid–PANI NPs with small size exhibited not only significant photoacoustic (PA) imaging signals, but also a remarkable photothermal effect for tumor treatment. With PA imaging and photothermal therapy (PTT), the tumor could be accurately positioned and thoroughly eradicated in vivo after intravenous injection of FA–Lipid–PANI NPs. These multifunctional nanoparticles could play an important role in simultaneously facilitating imaging and PTT to achieve better therapeutic efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2018, a strain of epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), named YNDH/V079/2018, was isolated from a sentinel calf in Mangshi County, Yunnan Province, China. Nucleotide sequencing and neutralization tests indicated that the virus belongs to a novel serotype of EHDV that had not been reported previously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Study Aims: For bowel preparation, using a reduced volume of polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution without influencing its effectiveness would be preferable. While simethicone shows great potential as an adjunctive agent, data on its use are limited. We aimed to clarify whether simethicone added to low-volume PEG solution improved bowel cleansing. PATIENTS AND METHODS : Consecutive adult patients registered for colonoscopy were recruited from seven medical centers in South China between 15 April and 15 July 2015 and prospectively randomized into two groups: 2 L PEG (conventional group) and 2 L PEG plus simethicone (simethicone group). The primary endpoint was the effectiveness of bowel cleansing according to the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS). Secondary endpoints included cecal intubation time, adenoma detection rate (ADR), patient safety and compliance, and adverse events. RESULTS : We included 290 and 289 patients in the conventional and simethicone groups, respectively, for analysis. The proportion with acceptable bowel cleansing (BBPS ≥ 6) was significantly higher in the simethicone group than in the conventional group (88.2 % vs. 76.6 %; P < 0.001). The mean (SD) BBPS score was significantly lower in the conventional group (6.5 [1.8] vs. 7.3 [1.7]; P < 0.001), as was the bubble score (2.5 [0.7] vs. 2.8 [0.5]; P < 0.001). The average cecal intubation time was significantly shorter in the simethicone group (6.3 [3.1] vs. 7.5 [5.1] minutes; P < 0.001). The ADR in the right colon was higher in the simethicone group than in the conventional group (16.6 % vs. 10.3 %; P = 0.03). Safety and compliance, including the taste, smell, and dosage of PEG, were similar for both groups.Conclusions: Simethicone added to low-volume PEG solution improves bowel-cleansing efficacy, with similar safety and compliance, shorter cecal intubation time, and higher ADR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been reported that LXR agonist can inhibit Aβ generation and alleviate Aβ-induced various adverse reactions in vivo and in vitro experiments, but the mechanisms have not been clarified. The study aimed to observe the effect of LXR agonist TO901317 on the cognitive function of AD transgenic mice fed with cholesterol-rich diet (CRD), and to explore the possible mechanism. Methods: 32 male 6-month-old double transgenic AD mice were enrolled and randomly divided into 4 groups: control (normal diet) group, CRD treatment group, TO901317 treatment group and GSK2033 treatment group. After 3 month, Morris water maze was for the changes of spatial exploration and memory ability; ELISA was for detecting the production of Aβ42 in the brain; the concentration of total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) in serum were detected by cholesterol enzyme colorimetry; Finally, the expression of LXR-β, RXR-α, ABCA1, caveolin-1, BACE1 and APP at protein level in the brains was measured by Western blotting. Compared with the control group, the learning, memory ability and spatial exploration ability of the mice were more significantly serious in the CRD group (P<0.05); The contents of TC and LDL in the serum and the production of Aβ42 in the brains were significantly increased (P<0.05), but HDL was remarkably decreased (P<0.05); The protein levels of LXR-β, RXR-α and ABCA1 were also significantly decreased (P<0.05); The expression of caveolin-1, APP and BACE1 were evidently increased (P<0.05). However, after treatment with TO901317, the impaired learning and memory and spatial exploration ability of the mice were significantly improved (P<0.05); The contents of TC and LDL in serum and the production of Aβ42 in the brains were significantly decreased (P<0.05), but HLD was increased (P<0.05); The protein levels of LXR-β, RXR-α, ABCA1were all significantly increased (P<0.05), while, the expression of caveolin-1, APP and BACE1 were all significantly decreased (P<0.05). All the changes were reversed by GSK2033 (P<0.05). TO901317 attenuated the more serious impairment of spatial exploration, learning and memory in transgenic AD mice induced by CRD, and the mechanism may be that TO901317 could activate the LXR-β/RXR-α/ABCA1 transmembrane transport system, promote the cholesterol efflux, and decreased caveolin-1, APP and BACE1, further reduce Aβ42 in the brains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: People with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) have increased risk of mortality and a high risk of progression to diabetes, but the extent that the excess mortality is associated with IGT per se or is the result of subsequent diabetes is unclear.Research Design and Methods: We compared mortality before and after the development of diabetes among 542 persons with IGT initially who participated in a 6-year lifestyle diabetes prevention trial and were followed-up from 1986 to 2009.Results: During the 23-year follow-up, 174 (32.1%) died, with an overall death rate of 15.9/1,000 person-years. The majority of deaths (74.7%; 130 of 174) occurred after progression to type 2 diabetes, with age-adjusted death rates of 11.1/1,000 person-years (95% CI 8.2-12.0) before and 19.4/1,000 person-years (95% CI 11.9-23.3) after the development of type 2 diabetes. The cumulative mortality was 37.8% (95% CI 33.1-42.2%) in participants who developed type 2 diabetes during first 10 years of follow-up, 28.6% (95% CI 21.6-35.0%) in those who progressed to type 2 diabetes in 10-20 years, and 13.9% (95% CI 7.0-20.3%) in those who did not develop to type 2 diabetes within 20 years. Time-dependent multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses, with adjustment for baseline age, sex, intervention, and other potential confounding risk factors, showed that the development of type 2 diabetes was associated with a 73% higher risk of death (hazard ratio 1.73 [95% CI 1.18-2.52]).Conclusions: As elsewhere, IGT is associated with increased risk of mortality in China, but much of this excess risk is attributable to the development of type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE Despite its growing prevalence in China, the extent to which diabetes leads to excess cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and all-cause mortality is unclear. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We compared death rates and causes of death among 630 people with newly diagnosed diabetes (NDD) and 519 with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) who, in 1986, were identi ed as a result of screening 110,660 adults aged 25-74 years for diabetes in Da Qing, China. RESULTS During 23 years of follow-up, 338 (56.5%) participants with NDD and 100 (20.3%) with NGT died. CVD was the predominant cause of death in those with diabetes (47.5% in men and 49.7% in women), almost half of which was due to stroke (52.3% in men and 42.3% in women). The age-standardized incidence of all-cause death was three times as high in those with NDD as in those with NGT with incidences (per 1,000 person-years) of 36.9 (95% CI 31.5-42.3) vs. 13.3 (10.2-16.5) in men (P < 0.0001) and 27.1 (22.9-31.4) vs. 9.2 (7.8-10.6) in women (P < 0.0001). The incidence of CVD deaths in men and women with NDD (17.5 [13.8- 21.2] vs. 13.5 [10.5-16.5]) did not differ signi cantly. Signi cantly higher death rates attributable to renal disease and infectionwere also found in the NDD group. CONCLUSIONS Diabetes is associated with a substantially increased risk of death in Chinese adults, especially from CVD, almost half of which is due to stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a fluorimetric and ratiometric colorimetric dual-mode detection method was developed for the detection of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) based on carbon dots (CDs)/5,5-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB). Its main mechanism is that OPs inhibit the catalysis of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the hydrolysis of acetylthiocholine (ATCh) to form thiocholine (TCh). It specifically reacts with DTNB which has a characteristic absorption band at 325 nm to produce 5-thio-2-nitrobenzoic acid (TNB) with an absorption peak at 410 nm overlapped with the excitation spectrum of the CDs. Thus, TNB can exert an inner filter effect (IFE) on the CDs. Upon the addition of chlorpyrifos (CPF, a representative of OPs), the activity of AChE is gradually inhibited, resulting in an increase in absorbance at 325 nm and a decrease in absorbance at 410 nm, as well as a weakening of the IFE on the CDs. Therefore, a good linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity of the CDs and the logarithm of the concentration of CPF was established in a broad range from 0.3 to 200 ng mL-1 with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.081 ng mL-1. Furthermore, an excellent linear relationship was fitted between the ratio of absorbance at 410 nm to that at 325 nm (R410/325) and the logarithm of the concentration of CPF in the range of 0.3-200 ng mL-1 with a LOD of 0.054 ng mL-1. The proposed dual-mode method could recover CPF from the tap water and pork samples in the range from 93.3% to 108.8%. Therefore, it can be potentially developed as a reliable detection method for OPs with high selectivity, sensitivity and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The articles discusses the long-term impact of lifestyle changes on the prevention of diabetes. In 1986 a total of 577 adults in China with impaired glucose intolerance were randomly assigned to one of four groups--a control group, a diet group, and exercise group, or a diet and exercise group. Treatment continued for six years until 1992. In 2006 the health of all group members was evaluated. Analysis indicated favorable outcomes concerning the prevention or delay of diabetes for persons in the treatment groups relative to those in the control group.

A multi-phase model of Pr(lIl) speciation in human interstitial fluid was constructed and Pr(lll) speciation was studied. When the total concentration of Pr(lll) is below 8.401 x 10-10M, soluble Pr(lll) species are main species. [Pr(Cit)](25.5%), [Pr(Cit)(Lac)](18.7%), [Pr(Cit)(Leu)](11.8%) and free Pr(lll)(12.9%) are the most abundant species. When the total concentration of Pr(lll) is between 1.583 x 10-9-M and 4.000 x 10-3M, insoluble Pr(Ill) species are predominant species. Pr(lll) is firstly bound to phosphate as precipitate of PrPO4, then carbonate as another precipitate of Pr2(CO3)3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen generation via water electroreduction is pivotal for exploiting clean-energy skills. Nevertheless, developing a low price and high-performance catalytic activity substance to take the place of expensive precious metal currently in use is still a precedent condition for technology commercialization. In this study, large-scale hierarchical few-layer MoSe2 nanosheets were successfully grown on the surface of sodium sulfide crystals. The water solubility of sodium sulfide makes it advantageous to generate MoSe2 nanolayers via a simple and inexpensive means. The micron-level sodium sulfide crystal surface has a very critical function in the nucleus formation and development of few-layer MoSe2. The ultrathin hierarchical MoSe2 nanolayers obtained using the proposed approach have preferable hydrogen evolution reaction. Furthermore, it is a fascinating technique that the template can be reused without environmental pollution. This research can be used to manufacture other ultrathin hierarchical transition-metal dichalcogenide nanolayers for high-performance many-sided applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unstable angina pectoris (UA) is one of the most dangerous clinical symptoms of acute coronary syndrome due to the risk of myocardial ischemia, which can lead to high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Though there are many advantages in understanding the pathophysiology of UA, the identification of biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of UA remains a challenge in the clinic. A global metabolomics research based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) combined with Q-TOF/MS was performed to discover the metabolic profile of health controls, UA patients, and UA patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), and screen for potential biomarkers. Twenty-seven potential biomarkers were determined using pattern recognition. These biomarkers, which include free fatty acids, amino acids, lysoPE and lysoPC species, and organic acids, can benefit the clinical diagnosis of UA. Pathway analysis indicated that arginine and proline metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and purine metabolism were affected in the UA patients, uniquely. Additionally, alterations in the metabolic signatures between UA and UA-complicated DM were also explored. As a result, six differential metabolites with an area under the curve (AUC) of more than 0.85 were identified as biomarkers for the diagnosis of UA and UA complicated with DM. Pathway analysis implied tryptophan metabolism was a key metabolic pathway in UA patients with DM, which provides new insights into the pathological study and drug discovery of UA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell strategy targeting CD19 (CART19) has prominent anti-tumor effect for relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphomas. CART19-associated complications have been gradually recognized, however, late-onset complications have not been extensively studied. Herein, for the first time we report a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patient with terminal ileum involvement obtained rapid remission and developed spontaneous terminal ileal perforation 38 days following CART19 infusion. The late-onset perforation reminds us that, for the safety of CART treatment, more cautions are warranted for the management of delayed GI complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gold nanorod-based gene delivery system potentially represents a powerful nanotechnology for cancer therapy. Here we for the first time reported the use of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer modified-gold nanorods (dGNR) as a high efficient gene delivery system for the targeted silencing of survivin via RNA interference for breast cancer therapy. Gold nanorods were functionalized with thiol-terminated polyamidoamine dendrimer; survivin shRNA plasmid was constructed and conjugated with dGNR. The resultant survivin-shRNA-GNR nanocomposites were incubated with human breast cancer MCF-7 cells, irradiated with 140 mJ/pulse of laser light of 1,064 nm for 15 s, and then continued to culture for 1 to 3 days. These cells were collected and analyzed by MTT, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, Western blotting, fluorescent microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. 25 nude mice models with breast cancer were established; the nanocomposites of survivin-shRNA-dGNR were injected into the tumor tissues at gradually increased dose, and then were irradiated with 140 mJ/pulse of laser light of 1,064 nm for 15 s one time per week. The nude mice were raised for two months, and then were sacrificed. The tumor tissues were picked out, and their sizes were measured. Results showed that PAMAM dendrimer-functionalized gold nanorods were successfully synthesized; they could enter into MCF-7 cells within 30 min, release survivin shRNA plasmids with high efficiency, enhance the expression of transferred survivin genes in tumor cells under near-IR laser irradiation, and cause remarkable down-regulation of survivin gene and protein, inhibite cell growth in dose-and time-dependent means, and induce cell apoptosis. EGFP fluorescent signals in the tumor localization of nude mice. The tumor sizes in nude mice became smaller and smaller as the dose of the injected nanocomposites increased. In conclusion, PAMAM dendrimer-functionalized gold nanorods may be a high efficient gene delivery release system for survivin-shRNA vector under near-infrared light irradiation; the constructed survivin-shRNA-dGNR composites can effectively inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells, and have potential applications in breast cancer therapy and molecular imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uranium (U) concentration and the activities of 238U, 234U, and 230Th were determined for groundwaters, spring waters, and lake water collected from the Shihongtan sandstone-hosted U ore district and in the surrounding area, NW China. The results show that the groundwaters from the oxidizing aquifer with high dissolved oxygen concentration (O2) and oxidation-reduction potential (Eh) are enriched in U. The high U concentration of groundwaters may be due to the interaction between these oxidizing groundwaters and U ore bodies, which would result in U that is not in secular equilibrium. Uranium is re-precipitated as uraninite on weathered surfaces and organic material, forming localized ore bodies in the sandstone-hosted aquifer. The 234U/238U, 230Th/234U, and 230Th/238U activity ratios (ARs) for most water samples show obvious deviations from secular equilibrium (0.27-2.86), indicating the presence of water-rock/ore interactions during the last 1.7 Ma and probably longer. The 234U/238U AR generally increases with decreasing U concentrations in the groundwaters, suggesting that mixing of two water sources may occur in the aquifer. This is consistent with the fact that most of the U ore bodies in the deposit have a tabular shape originati from mixing between a relatively saline fluid and a more rapidly flowing U-bearing meteoric water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fault diagnosis is essentially a kind of pattern recognition. The measured signal samples usually distribute on nonlinear low-dimensional manifolds embedded in the high-dimensional signal space, so how to implement feature extraction, dimensionality reduction and improve recognition performance is a crucial task. In this paper a novel machinery fault diagnosis approach based on a statistical locally linear embedding (S-LLE) algorithm which is an extension of LLE by exploiting the fault class label information is proposed. The fault diagnosis approach first extracts the intrinsic manifold features from the high-dimensional feature vectors which are obtained from vibration signals that feature extraction by time-domain, frequency-domain and empirical mode decomposition (EMD), and then translates the complex mode space into a salient low-dimensional feature space by the manifold learning algorithm S-LLE, which outperforms other feature reduction methods such as PCA, LDA and LLE. Finally in the feature reduction space pattern classification and fault diagnosis by classifier are carried out easily and rapidly. Rolling bearing fault signals are used to validate the proposed fault diagnosis approach. The results indicate that the proposed approach obviously improves the classification performance of fault pattern recognition and outperforms the other traditional approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimizing of electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity is still a gigantic challenge for improving catalysts in renewable energy field. In this research, large-scale neoteric three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical MoSe2 hollow sphere arrays with like-Pacific Plate architecture were triumphantly prepared via a facile and reliable approach. The like-Pacific Plate architecture consists of many 3D MoSe2 arrays plates with the dimensions of 10–35 μm, which is assembled by plentiful closely connecting hierarchical MoSe2 hollow spheres with the outer diameter, hierarchically secondary unit size and shell thickness of 450 nm, 25 nm and 10 nm, respectively. The products exhibited remarkable HER performance with small Tafel slope (58.5 mV dec−1), low overpotential (169.8 mV) at 10 mA cm−2, high conductivity and durable stability, which are attribute to the mechanisms (1) 3D hollow framework furnishes large specific surface area, (2) hierarchical structure generates more active sites, (3) like-Pacific Plate architecture facilitates the touch of electrolyte and catalyst, and (4) closely packed arrays expedite the migration of electron. The current work indicates that unique 3D hierarchical hollow sphere arrays with like-Pacific Plate architecture will be a potential candidate for effective electrocatalytic water splitting catalyst material with energy source application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, fresh tomatoes are explored as a low-cost source to prepare high-performance carbon dots by using microwave-assisted pyrolysis. Given that amino groups might act as nucleophiles for cleaving covalent bridging ester or ether in the crosslinked macromolecules in the biomass bulk, ethylenediamine (EDA) and urea with amino groups were applied as nucleophiles to modulate the chemical composites of the carbon nanoparticles in order to tune their fluorescence emission and enhance their quantum yields. Very interestingly, the carbon dots synthesized in the presence of urea had a highly crystalline nature, a low-degree amorphous surface and were smaller than 5 nm. Moreover, the doped N contributed to the formation of a cyclic form of core that resulted in a strong electron-withdrawing ability within the conjugated C plane. Therefore, this type of carbon dot exhibited marked quantum confinement, with the maximum fluorescence peak located in the UV region. Carbon nanoparticles greater than 20 nm in size, prepared using pristine fresh tomato and in the presence of EDA, emitted surface state controlled fluorescence. Additionally, carbon nanoparticles synthesized using fresh tomato pulp in the presence of EDA and urea were explored for bioimaging of plant pathogenic fungi and the detection of vanillin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]