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Deoxynivalenol is a mycotoxin, produced by Fusarium from contaminated corn, wheat, and other grains, that induces multiple effects in humans and animals, including cytotoxic, genotoxic, immunotoxic, and carcinogenic effects. Recent studies show that deoxynivalenol also affects the reproductive system of mammals, including oocyte quality. However, the effects of deoxynivalenol on early embryonic development have not been reported. In this study, fluorescence intensity analysis was used to show that deoxynivalenol disrupted the first cleavage of the zygote. The high deoxynivalenol dose disturbed the movement of the pronucleus after fertilization, while the low deoxynivalenol dose caused aberrant spindle morphology during the metaphase of the first cleavage. Further analysis showed that the reactive oxygen species level increased in the deoxynivalenol-exposed two-cell embryos, indicating oxidative stress. Moreover, deoxynivalenol caused DNA damage in the embryos, as positive γH2A.X signals were detected in the nucleus. These events led to the early apoptosis of mouse embryos, which was confirmed by autophagy. Taken together, our study provides evidence for the toxicity of deoxynivalenol during early embryonic development in the mouse model.

Background Histone modification is an important epigenetic regulatory mechanism and essential for stress adaptation in plants. However, systematic analysis of histone modification genes (HMs) in Brassicaceae species is lacking, and their roles in response to abiotic stress have not yet been identified. Results In this study, we identified 102 AtHMs, 280 BnaHMs, 251 BcHMs, 251 BjHMs, 144 BnHMs, 155 BoHMs, 137 BrHMs, 122 CrHMs, and 356 CsHMs in nine Brassicaceae species, respectively. Their chromosomal locations, protein/gene structures, phylogenetic trees, and syntenies were determined. Specific domains were identified in several Brassicaceae HMs, indicating an association with diverse functions. Syntenic analysis showed that the expansion of Brassicaceae HMs may be due to segmental and whole-genome duplications. Nine key BnaHMs in allotetraploid rapeseed may be responsible for ammonium, salt, boron, cadmium, nitrate, and potassium stress based on co-expression network analysis. According to weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), 12 BnaHMs were associated with stress adaptation. Among the above genes, BnaPRMT11 simultaneously responded to four different stresses based on differential expression analysis, while BnaSDG46, BnaHDT10, and BnaHDA1 participated in five stresses. BnaSDG46 was also involved in four different stresses based on WGCNA, while BnaSDG10 and BnaJMJ58 were differentially expressed in response to six different stresses. In summary, six candidate genes for stress resistance (BnaPRMT11, BnaSDG46, BnaSDG10, BnaJMJ58, BnaHDT10, and BnaHDA1) were identified. Conclusions Taken together, these findings help clarify the biological roles of Brassicaceae HMs. The identified candidate genes provide an important reference for the potential development of stress-tolerant oilseed plants.

Objective To explore the preoperative influential factors of difficult thyroidectomy and establish a preoperative nomogram for predicting the difficulty of thyroidectomy. Methods A total of 753 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy with central lymph node dissection between January 2018 and December 2021 were retrospectively enrolled in this study and randomly divided into training and validation groups at a ratio of 8:2. In both subgroups, the patients were divided into difficult thyroidectomy and nondifficult thyroidectomy groups based on the operation time. Patient age, sex, body mass index (BMI), thyroid ultrasound, thyroid function, preoperative fine needle aspiration (FNA), postoperative complications and other data were collected. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the predictors of difficult thyroidectomy, and a nomogram predicting surgical difficulty was created. Results Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that male sex (OR = 2.138, 95% CI 1.055–4.336, p = 0.035), age (OR = 0.954, 95% CI 0.932–0.976, p p p p = 0.001) were independent risk factors for difficult thyroidectomy. The nomogram model incorporating the above predictors performed well in both the training and validation sets. A higher postoperative complication rate was found in the difficult thyroidectomy group than in the nondifficult thyroidectomy group. Conclusion This study identified independent risk factors for difficult thyroidectomy and created a predictive nomogram for difficult thyroidectomy. This nomogram may help to objectively and individually predict surgical difficulty before surgery and provide optimal treatment.

Cerebral ischemia, resulting from compromised blood flow, is one of the leading causes of death worldwide with limited therapeutic options. Potential deleterious injuries resulting from reperfusion therapies remain a clinical challenge for physicians. This study aimed to explore the metabolomic alterations during ischemia-reperfusion injury by employing metabolomic analysis coupled with gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) and ultraperformance liquid chromatography quadrupole (UPLC/Q)-TOF-MS. Metabolomic data from mice subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by reperfusion (MCAO/R) were compared to those of the sham and MCAO groups. A total of 82 simultaneously differentially expressed metabolites were identified among each group. The top three major classifications of these differentially expressed metabolites were organic acids, lipids, and organooxygen compounds. Metabolomics pathway analysis was conducted to identify the underlying pathways implicated in MCAO/R. Based on impactor scores, the most significant pathways involved in the response to the reperfusion after cerebral ischemia were glycerophospholipid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, and galactose metabolism. 17 of those 82 metabolites were greatly elevated in the MCAO/Reperfusion group, when compared to those in the sham and MCAO groups. Among those metabolites, glucose-6-phosphate 1, fructose-6-phosphate, cellobiose 2, o-phosphonothreonine 1, and salicin were the top five elevated metabolites in MCAO/R group, compared with the MCAO group. Glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, starch and sucrose metabolism, and fructose and mannose degradation were the top four ranked pathways according to metabolite set enrichment analysis (MSEA). The present study not only advances our understanding of metabolomic changes among animals in the sham and cerebral ischemia groups with or without reperfusion via metabolomic profiling, but also paves the way to explore potential molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic alteration induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.

Background Ral family is a member of Ras-like GTPase superfamily, which includes RalA and RalB. RalA/B play important roles in many cell biological functions, including cytoskeleton dynamics, cell division, membrane transport, gene expression and signal transduction. However, whether RalA/B involve into the mammalian oocyte meiosis is still unclear. This study aimed to explore the roles of RalA/B during mouse oocyte maturation. Results Our results showed that RalA/B expressed at all stages of oocyte maturation, and they were enriched at the spindle periphery area after meiosis resumption. The injection of RalA/B siRNAs into the oocytes significantly disturbed the polar body extrusion, indicating the essential roles of RalA/B for oocyte maturation. We observed that in the RalA/B knockdown oocytes the actin filament fluorescence intensity was significantly increased at the both cortex and cytoplasm, and the chromosomes were failed to locate near the cortex, indicating that RalA/B regulate actin dynamics for spindle migration in mouse oocytes. Moreover, we also found that the Golgi apparatus distribution at the spindle periphery was disturbed after RalA/B depletion. Conclusions In summary, our results indicated that RalA/B affect actin dynamics for chromosome positioning and Golgi apparatus distribution in mouse oocytes.

PURPOSE Epidemiologic findings are inconsistent regarding the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication exposure and suicide attempt in individuals with ADHD. METHODS A systematic literature search of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library up to February 2020 was performed. A meta-analysis was conducted for outcomes in which a summary risk ratio (RR) was calculated when taking heterogeneity into account. RESULTS Both population-level and within-individual analyzes showed that ADHD medication was associated with lower odds of suicide attempts (RR = 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58-1.00; P = .049 and RR = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.49-0.97; P = .049, respectively). However, the association only existed for participants who were treated with stimulants (RR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.53-0.99; P = .042 on population-level analysis and RR = 0.75; 95% CI, 0.66-0.84; P

Podophyllotoxin (PPT) is a lignan extracted from podophyllum genera and it shows potent antitumor activity since it could effectively inhibit the assembly of microtubule in tumor cells. However, the effects of podophyllotoxin exposure on porcine oocyte quality is still unclear. In present study we tried to examine whether podophyllotoxin exposure was toxic to porcine oocyte maturation. Our results showed that podophyllotoxin exposure inhibited porcine oocyte maturation, showing with the failure of polar body extrusion, and the inhibitory effects of podophyllotoxin on porcine oocytes was dose-depended. Moreover, the meiotic spindle formation was disturbed and the chromosomes were misaligned in the podophyllotoxin-treated porcine oocytes. However, there was no different expression for p-MAPK and ace-tubulin between the control and podophyllotoxin treatment group. In addition, after 0.01 μM podophyllotoxin treatment, the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and the Annexin-V signal at MI stage significantly increased compared to the control group, indicating the occurrence of oxidative stress and early apoptosis. Taken together, our results suggested that the toxic effects of podophyllotoxin exposure on porcine oocyte maturation might be through its effects on spindle formation and the induction of oxidative stress-mediated early apoptosis.

Background. Chronic insomnia is a major public health problem, but there are limited effective therapies. Jiawei Suanzaoren Decoction (JW-SZRD) has been used as an alternative option for treating insomnia. This study aimed to investigate the long-term efficacy and safety of JW-SZRD in combination with lorazepam for chronic insomnia. Methods. A total of 207 participants were analyzed in this study. The treatment group (TG) received JW-SZRD and lorazepam orally, and the control group (CG) received lorazepam alone. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and the Somatic Self-rating Scale (SSS) were evaluated at baseline, weeks 4, 8, and 12. The MOS 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) was assessed at baseline and week 12. Adverse effects (AEs) were evaluated by the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS). Results. Both TG and CG showed obvious improvements in the sleep onset latency (SOL) (P=0.001 and 0.005) and total sleep time (TST) (P=0.0001 and 0.001). However, TG was more effective than CG at weeks 8 (P=0.02 for SOL, P=0.008 for TST) and 12 (P=0.03 for SOL, P=0.04 for TST), especially in shortening SOL (Cohen’s d = 1.28). The ISI reduction rate in TG was higher than that in CG at weeks 4, 8, and 12 (P=0.008, 0.001 and 0.001). After treatment, TG had lower SAS scores (P=0.0001, 0.007), less somatic symptoms (P<0.05 or 0.01), higher SF-36 scores (P<0.05 or 0.01), better compliance (P=0.0001), and less adverse effects (P<0.05 or 0.01) than those in CG. Conclusion. The combination of JW-SZRD with lorazepam can significantly improve sleep quality with fewer AEs. It is an effective treatment and superior to lorazepam alone for chronic insomnia.

Nonylphenol (NP) is an environmental endocrine disruptor, which is mainly used in the production of surfactants, lubricants, additives, pesticides, and emulsifiers. NP is widely found in sewage and sludge, which has neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, metabolic toxicity and reproductive toxicity. In this study, we investigated the effects of NP exposure on mammalian oocyte quality from organelle aspects with mouse in vivo model. The results showed that the ovarian weight of mice exposed to 500 μg/L NP for 4 weeks increased and the development ability of oocytes decreased, showing with lower rate of polar body extrusion. Further analysis indicated that exposure to NP caused the abnormal distribution of mitochondria, following with altered membrane potential drop. NP exposure disrupted the spindle periphery localization of ER, and affected the expression of GRP78 for the induction of ER stress. Moreover, Golgi apparatus fragment in the oocytes was observed, and Rab11-based vesicle transport was disturbed. We also found that the protein degradation might be affected since LAMP2 expression increased and LC3 decreased, indicating the lysosome and autophagy dysfunction. Taken together, our findings suggested that the exposure of NP to mice in vivo affected oocyte quality through its effects on the distribution and function of organelles.

To investigate the correlation of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) rs1126772, rs117291487, rs11730582, rs142608941 and rs6813526 of the osteopontin (OPN) gene with the risk of asthenozoospermia (AZS).We included 135 AZS patients in the AZS group and another 239 fertile men as normal controls. Using the SNaPshot technique, we genotyped the rs1126772, rs117291487, rs11730582, rs142608941 and rs6813526 polymorphisms of the OPN gene in all the subjects and analyzed the correlation of the five SNPs with AZS.The GA genotype and A allele of the OPN gene rs1126772 were found to be correlated with the risk of AZS (GA vs AA: OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.35－0.86, P = 0.009; A vs G: OR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.46－0.89, P = 0.007), and so was the CT genotype and T allele at the RS11730582 locus (CT vs TT: OR = 0.526, 95% CI: 0.34－0.82, P = 0.009; T vs C: OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.44－0.83, P = 0.002). Haplotype analysis showed that the AATCT haplotype decreased the risk of AZS (AATCT: OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.42－0.88, P = 0.008) .The polymorphisms of the OPN gene RS1126772 and RS11730582 may reduce the risk of AZS.

Nonylphenol (NP) belongs to the metabolites of commercial detergents, which acts as an environmental endocrine disruptor. NP is reported to have multiple toxicity including reproductive toxicity. In present study, we reported the protective effects of melatonin on the NP-exposed oocyte quality. We set up a mouse in vivo model of NP exposure (500 μg/L), by daily drinking and continued feeding for 4 weeks; and we gave a daily dose of melatonin (30 mg/kg) to the NP-exposed mice. Melatonin supplementation restores the development ability of oocytes exposed to NP, and this was due to the reduction of ROS level and DNA damage by melatonin. Melatonin could rescue aberrant mitochondria distribution, mitochondria membrane potential, which also was reflected by ATP content and mtDNA copy number. Moreover, melatonin could restore the RPS3 expression to ensure the ribosome function for protein synthesis, and reduced GRP78 protein level to protect against ER stress and ER distribution defects. We also found that vesicle protein Rab11 from Golgi apparatus was protected by melatonin at the spindle periphery of oocytes of NP-exposed mice, which further moderated LAMP2 for lysosome function. Our results indicate that melatonin protects oocytes from NP exposure through its effects on the reduction of oxidative stress and DNA damage, which might be through its amelioration on the organelles in mice.

During mouse oocyte meiotic maturation, actin filaments play multiple roles in meiosis such as spindle migration and cytokinesis. FASCIN is shown to be an actin-binding and bundling protein, making actin filaments tightly packed and parallel-aligned, and FASCIN is involved in several cellular processes like adhesion and migration. FASCIN is also a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for the treatment of metastatic disease. However, little is known about the functions of FASCIN in oocyte meiosis. In the present study, we knocked down the expression of FASCIN, and our results showed that FASCIN was essential for oocyte maturation. FASCIN was all expressed in the different stages of oocyte meiosis, and it mainly localized at the cortex of oocytes from the GV stage to the MII stage and showed a similar localization pattern with actin and DAAM1. Depletion of FASCIN affected the extrusion of the first polar body, and we also observed that some oocytes extruded from the large polar bodies. This might have resulted from the defects of actin assembly, which further affected the meiotic spindle positioning. In addition, we showed that inhibition of PKC activity decreased FASCIN expression, indicating that FASCIN might be regulated by PKC. Taken together, our results provided evidence for the important role of FASCIN on actin filaments for spindle migration and polar body extrusion in mouse oocyte meiosis.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the ubiquitous environmental endocrine disruptors (EEDs). Previous studies have shown that the reproduction toxicity of BPA could cause severe effects on the mammal oocytes and disturb the quality of mature oocytes. However, the toxic effects of BPA on the organelles of mouse oocytes have not been reported. In this study, to investigate whether BPA can be toxic to the organelles, we used different concentrations of BPA (50, 100, and 200 μM) to culture mouse oocytes in vitro. The results showed that 100 μM BPA exposure could significantly decrease the developmental capacity of oocytes. Then, we used the immunofluorescence staining, confocal microscopy, and western blotting to investigate the toxic effects of BPA on the organelles. The results revealed that mitochondrial dysfunction is manifested by abnormal distribution and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is abnormally distributed which is accompanied by ER stress showing increased expression of GRP78. For the Golgi apparatus, BPA-exposed dose not disorder the Golgi apparatus distribution but caused abnormal structure of Golgi apparatus, which is manifested by the decrease of GM130 protein expression. Moreover, we also found that BPA-exposed led to the damage of lysosome, which were shown by the increase of LAMP2 protein expression. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that the exposure of BPA could damage the normal function of the organelles, which may explain the reduced maturation quality of oocytes.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a secondary metabolite produced by the fungus Aspergillus, which is ubiquitous in moldy grain products. Aflatoxin B1 has been reported to possess hepatotoxicity, renal toxicity, and reproductive toxicity. Previous studies have shown that AFB1 is toxic to mammalian oocytes. However, the potential toxicity of AFB1 on the organelles of mouse oocytes is unknown. In this study, we found that exposure to AFB1 significantly reduced mouse oocyte development capacity. Further analysis showed that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) failed to accumulate around the spindle, and scattered in the cytoplasm under AFB1 exposure. Similar to the ER, the Golgi apparatus showed a uniform localization pattern following AFB1 treatment. In addition, we found that AFB1 exposure caused the condensation of lysosomes in the cytoplasm, presenting as a clustered or spindle peripheral-localization pattern, which indicated that protein modification, transport, and degradation were affected. Mitochondrial distribution was also altered by AFB1 treatment. In summary, our study showed that AFB1 exposure had toxic effects on the distribution of mouse oocyte organelles, which further led to a decline in oocyte quality.

This is a memento about the period of new coronavirus pneumonia. It's also the most precious gift I have ever received, and it's the best medicine for a doctor during that period.

Sleep disorder (SD) has a high incidence and seriously affects quality of life, mental health and even the manifestation of physical diseases. The combination of Pinellia ternata (Chinese name: banxia) and Prunella vulgaris (Chinese name: xiakucao), known as the Banxia–Xiakucao Chinese herb pair (BXHP), is a proven Chinese herbal medicine that has been used to treat SD for thousands of years due to its significant clinical effects. However, its active pharmacological components and sedative–hypnotic mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Thus, the present study used a systematic pharmacological approach to develop pharmacokinetic screens and target predictions via construction of a protein–protein interaction network and annotation database for SD-related and putative BXHP-related targets. Visualization, screening and integrated discovery enrichment analyses were conducted. The BXHP chemical database contains 166 compounds between the two herbal ingredients, and of these, 22 potential active molecules were screened by pharmacokinetic evaluation. The targets of 114 of the active molecules were predicted, and 34 were selected for further analysis. Finally, gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses suggested that BXHP can reduce inflammatory responses. and mediate immune-related and central nervous system neurotransmitters via regulation of multiple targets and pathways. The use of a systematic pharmacology-based approach in the present study further elucidated the mechanisms of action underlying BXHP for the treatment of SD from a holistic perspective and sheds light on the systemic mechanisms of action of Chinese herbal medicines in general.

Podophyllotoxin (PPT) is a kind of lignans extracted from the roots and stems of the genus Podophyllum from the tiller family, and it has been widely used in the treatment of condyloma acuminatum, multiple superficial epithelioma in the clinics. However, PPT has been reported to be toxic and can cause liver defects and other organ poisoning. In addition, emerging evidences also indicate that PPT has reproductive toxicity and causes female reproduction disorders. In this study, we used fertilized oocytes and tried to explore the effects of PPT on the early embryonic development with the mouse model. The results showed that exposure to PPT had negative effects on the cleavage of zygotes. Further analysis indicated that PPT could disrupt the organization of spindle and chromosome arrangement at the metaphase of first cleavage. We also found that PPT exposure to the zygotes induced excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), suggesting the occurrence of oxidative stress. Moreover, in the PPT-exposed embryos, there was positive γH2A.X and Annexin-V signals, indicating that PPT induced embryonic DNA damage and early apoptosis. In conclusion, our results suggested that PPT could affect spindle formation and chromosome alignment during the first cleavage of mouse embryos, and its exposure induced DNA damage-mediated oxidative stress which eventually led to embryonic apoptosis, indicating the toxic effects of PPT on the early embryo development.

A novel polyoxometalate (POM)-based hybrid is prepared for the selective adsorption of acidic and/or basic proteins. The solidification of the POM moiety P8W48 is firstly achieved through dehydration condensation between the –OH group on the P8W48 surface and the Si–OH of aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS), and thereafter further condensation of the P8W48O184–APTS intermediate with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) produces a hybrid, by linking carboxyl groups in PAA with –NH2 groups in P8W48O184–APTS via the formation of an amide bond. The P8W48–APTS–PAA hybrid surface is negatively charged due to abundant COO− groups from PAA, which provides electrostatic interactions with positively charged proteins by varying pHs. Meanwhile, the d–p π bond in P8W48 offers strong affinity to other proteins via π–π stacking interaction. The hybrid thus offers potential for achieving selective adsorption of either acidic or basic proteins by simply controlling the adsorption conditions, i.e., pH value or ionic strength of the adsorption medium. With ovalbumin (Ova) and lysozyme (Lys) as the models of acidic and basic proteins, their adsorption behaviors fit the Langmuir model, with adsorption capacities of 367.0 mg g−1 and 74.0 mg g−1, respectively. The retained proteins are readily recovered with 0.01 mol L−1 CTAB, providing recoveries of 89.0% for Ova and 93.0% for Lys. The P8W48–APTS–PAA hybrid is further applied for the isolation of Ova and Lys from real biological samples, egg white.

Podophyllotoxin is used as medical cream which is widely applied to genital warts and molluscum contagiosum. Although previous study showed that podophyllotoxin had minimal toxicity, it was forbidden to use during pregnancy since it might be toxic to the embryos. In present study we used mouse as the model and tried to examine whether podophyllotoxin exposure was toxic to oocyte maturation, which further affected embryo development. Our results showed that podophyllotoxin exposure inhibited mouse oocyte maturation, showing with the failure of polar body extrusion, and the inhibitory effects of podophyllotoxin on oocytes was dose-depended. Further studies showed that the meiotic spindle formation was disturbed, the chromosomes were misaligned and the fluorescence signal of microtubule was decreased, indicating that podophyllotoxin may affect microtubule dynamics for spindle organization. Moreover, the oocytes which reached metaphase II under podophyllotoxin exposure also showed aberrant spindle morphology and chromosome misalignment, and the embryos generated from these oocytes showed low developmental competence. We also found that the localization of p44/42 MAPK and gamma-tubulin was disrupted, which further confirmed the effects of podophyllotoxin on meiotic spindle formation. In all, our results indicated that podophyllotoxin exposure could affect mouse oocyte maturation by disturbing microtubule dynamics and meiotic spindle formation.

The construction of uniform core–shell nanostructures using transition-metal phosphates as the shell has been a long-standing challenge in the field of nanotechnology. Due to their extremely low solubility constants, metal phosphates are prone to precipitate independently in solution, making a heterogeneous growth around the preexisting seeds extremely hard to achieve. Here, we demonstrated that it is possible to overcome the hurdles arising from their intrinsic growth habit, and form uniform metal phosphate nanoshells with their thickness tuned with nanometer accuracy. Particularly, for the formation of different nanoshells including Ni3(PO4)2, Co3(PO4)2, and Mn3(PO4)2, it has been found that a cooperative effort to control both the solvent environment and the precipitating agent is critical to tuning the growth kinetics of these metal phosphates, making it convenient for us to grow uniform nanoshells around a large variety of seeds. The application of this synthetic protocol for the surface treatment of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4, a well-known high voltage cathode material in lithium ion batteries, demonstrates that a 4 nm coating layer of Co3(PO4)2 can be achieved as a protective shell, which provides a much improved cycling stability to the electrode and holds promising potential for its application as a high energy cathode.

We identified that the growth kinetics of ZrO2 could be well-tuned in a CH3COOH-CH3COONa based buffer solution, which provided an efficient way to build uniform ZrO2 nanoshells on various substrates. Using this synthetic strategy, yolk-shell structured Pd@ZrO2 is demonstrated as a promising catalyst for methane oxidation.

P2-type sodium layered oxides NaxMO2 (M = transition metal) are considered as one kind of promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries because of their known structures, superior electrochemical properties, and their ease of synthesis. The Ni2+/Ni3+ and Ni3+/Ni4+ redox reactions endow the P2–Na2/3Ni1/3Mn2/3O2 electrode with a relatively high operating voltage and high specific capacity. However, the phase transition from P2 to O2 and Na+/vacancy ordering make P2–Na2/3Ni1/3Mn2/3O2 susceptible to severe voltage and capacity decay. Herein, we propose to employ the electrochemically active copper(II) as a unique substituent to stabilize the P2 phase, forming Na0.67Ni0.3−xCuxMn0.7O2 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3). Our work highlights the importance of Cu(II) in the structural engineering of high performance cathode materials, whose existence can not only stabilize the P2 phase against the notorious phase transition, but also contribute to the rechargeable capacity due to the high potential Cu2+/Cu3+ redox. We identified that the cathode formulated as P2-type Na0.67Ni0.1Cu0.2Mn0.7O2 shows favorable battery performance with much-alleviated structural degradation.

One-part geopolymer precursors are synthesized and preliminarily optimized by calcining bentonite with NaOH or Na 2 CO 3 to compare with the two-part ones. The ground powders of the former are hydrated by only adding water at 80 °C for 3 days and 20 °C for subsequent time. Some one-part geopolymers gain satisfying compressive strengths and are quite water-resistant similar to the two-part ones. It is found that alkali alters and deepens the thermal decomposition of the bentonite and transforms quartz impurity into X-ray amorphous cementing-active glassy phases. Nepheline is usually generated in the alkali-fused bentonite, and gehlenite also occurs when calcined at 1000 °C. Different kinds of zeolites appear in the one-part geopolymers, while the calcium ferrites, only found in the precursors exclusively activated by Na 2 CO 3 , lead to produce additional hydrous gehlenite, so Na 2 CO 3 seems facilitates hydration more effective than NaOH given the pastes from the precursors calcined with Na 2 CO 3 possess higher compressive strengths. Moreover, the ferric oxide and calcium oxide have potential to enhance the cementing properties according to the mechanisms with calcination and hydration. The low hydrolysis rate might lead to poor water-resistance and the softening coefficient of the pastes increases with alkali content and calcination temperature for one-part geopolymers.

We report a simple and facile synthetic protocol to prepare an SnO2–C hollow composite, which shows improved battery performance when used as an anode material in lithium ion batteries.

Background. Paroxetine does not show satisfactory therapeutic effect for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients for the first 2–4 weeks of medication. Diazepam is always concurrently used although it has some shortcomings such as physical dependence and withdrawal reactions. In this study, we aimed to identify whether modified Suanzaorentang (MSZRT), a combined Chinese formula including Suanzaorentang (SZRT) and Zhizichitang (ZZCT), could control the anxiety of GAD for the first 4 weeks of paroxetine medication. Methods. 156 GAD patients were randomized to the treatment of paroxetine, paroxetine-diazepam, or paroxetine-MSZRT for 4 weeks. Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) Test and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) Test were determined each week as the evaluation of clinical efficacy. Adverse events (AEs) were also closely observed by performing the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) Test. Results. Both paroxetine-MSZRT and paroxetine-diazepam decreased more HAMA and SAS total scores than paroxetine from weeks 1 to 3. Paroxetine-MSZRT as well as paroxetine-diazepam had an obviously higher onset rate than paroxetine in each week. After 4 weeks’ treatment, the overall effectiveness rate in the paroxetine-MSZRT group (90.00%) was obviously higher than those of the paroxetine group (74.42%) but did not significantly differ from the paroxetine-diazepam group (93.88%). Conclusion. MSZRT had the treatment effect for GAD when paroxetine was used for the first 4 weeks.

Institute of Applied Electronics (IAE) of China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP) has been developing Grotron oscillator and traveling wave tubes (TWTs) operating in the terahertz wave regimes. The paper details the experimental results in 0.22THz and 0.34THz pulse TWTs and the continuous wave work results in 0.14THz and 0.22THz. The results of an 0.14THz Gyrotron oscillator are reported at long time pulse work.

The OMPs A (OmpA)—of Edwardsiella anguillarum and OmpU of V. vulnificus have been proven to be good antigens. In this study, after construction of a vector, a new recombinant Omp (rOMP) containing both OmpA and OmpU was expressed and purified. Then, the Japanese eels (Anguilla japonica) were intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with the phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS group), formalin‐killed‐cell (FKC group) or the recombinant Omp (rOMP group). The stimulation index of the whole blood cells in eels from FKC group was significantly higher than the eels from PBS and rOMP groups at 28 dpi; serum titers of anti‐E. anguillarum and anti‐V. vulnificus antibody of eels from FKC and rOMP group increased significantly at 21 and 28 dpi; in the rOMP group, eels serum titer stayed at a high level on 42 dpi. The activities of lysozyme in skin mucus, liver, kidney, and serum in three groups exhibited considerable changes. The relative percent survival (RPS) rate of eels from rOMP group were 100% and 83% when challenged with V. vulnificus or E. anguillarum. These results indicated that inoculation of rOMP would protect Japanese eels against the infection by E. anguillarum and V. vulnificus.

The patterning of distribution models for specific heavy metal species in biological cells is highly important for elucidating their effect on single cells or in a living organism. For this purpose, the variation of chromium levels and the distribution patterns of chromium species in single-cell subjects are investigated by culturing two kinds of native cells (i.e., HeLa cells and MCF-7 cells) in the presence of either Cr(III) or Cr(VI). The analysis of single cells is performed with time-resolved inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We found that the total chromium level in the single cells after culturing in a Cr(VI)-enriched medium is higher than that for those single cells cultured in a Cr(III)-reinforced medium. It is interesting to see that at certain culturing conditions, the chromium level in single individual cells increases linearly with Cr(III) concentration in the culture medium, whereas it increases exponentially with Cr(VI) concentration. This indicated that Cr(VI) is more prone to penetrate the cells with respect to Cr(III), and after a concentration threshold, considerably more Cr(VI) enters into the interior of HeLa cells or MCF-7 cells.

By using phthalic acid as a soft template, we showed that it was possible to prepare a microporous aluminum-based material when the precipitation of Al(3+) was properly controlled. We also identified that this microporous aluminum-based material could be promising for the removal of fluoride ions in water treatment.

A pH and redox responsive bi-trigger continuous drug release nanocarrier is developed by capping mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (MCNs) with polyacrylic acid (PAA), termed as PAA-ss-MCN. The nanocarrier contains disulfide bond units and exhibits pH responsive behavior. It provides promising potential for drug loading due to the internal uniform channels and large surface area of MCNs. PAA grafted on the exterior surface of MCNs acts as a gating layer, generating a novel nano-container and a pH-responsive intelligent nanovalve. By loading doxorubicin (DOX) in PAA-ss-MCN, its sequential release is achieved via two approaches: (1) the intracellular acidic environment induces partial release from the surface of the PAA gating layer, (2) release of the drug sealed in nanochannels via disruption of the integrity of the nanocarrier by glutathione (GSH) caused dissociation of disulfide bonds in the physiological environment. As a result, release of 62% loaded drug is readily achieved. After culturing with HeLa cells, DOX transports into the cell interior and therein exhibits pH- and GSH-sensitive release. As most tumor sites exhibit more acidic environments or high redox potential, the pH- and GSH-sensitive releasing capability of PAA-ss-MCN is particularly useful for controllable drug delivery by taking advantage of the inherent characteristics of tumor cells.

A novel pH-responsive drug delivery system, based on permeation-enhancing glutathione (GSH) and pH sensitive polyacrylic acid (PAA) grafted mesoporous organosilica nanocarriers (MONs), is developed. PAA grafted MONs are prepared via a facile grafting-to strategy and then GSH is conjugated on the PAA chain via an amidation reaction. The resultant MONs–PAA–GSH conjugate not only shows an efficient drug loading efficiency but also offers a superb binding capability to cell membranes. With doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) as a model, a loading efficiency of 43.7% is readily achieved for 1.0 mg mL−1 DOX in 1.0 mL aqueous medium with 1.0 mg of MONs–PAA–GSH conjugate. The ensuing release of DOX from the DOX–MONs–PAA–GSH conjugate is pH-dependent, offering release efficiencies of 70.2% (pH 3.0), 45.5% (pH 5.0) and 16.1% (pH 6.5), within 24 h. The MONs–PAA–GSH conjugate displays favorable cellular uptake properties, minimum cytotoxic effect or excellent biocompatibility in comparison with those for MONs–PAA. It is demonstrated that the MONs–PAA–GSH conjugate serves as a promising platform for building a controlled drug delivery system.

We identified that the growth kinetics of ZrO2 could be well-tuned in a CH3COOH-CH3COONa based buffer solution, which provided an efficient way to build uniform ZrO2 nanoshells on various substrates. Using this synthetic strategy, yolk-shell structured Pd@ZrO2 is demonstrated as a promising catalyst for methane oxidation.

Hollow nanostructures of metal oxides have found broad applications in different fields. Here, we reported a facile and versatile synthetic protocol to prepare hollow metal oxide nanospheres by modulating the chemical properties in solid nanoparticles. Our synthesis design starts with the precipitation of urea-containing metal oxalate, which is soluble in water but exists as solid nanospheres in ethanol. A controlled particle hydrolysis is achieved through the heating-induced urea decomposition, which transforms the particle composition in an outside-to-inside style: The reaction starts from the surface and then proceeds inward to gradually form a water-insoluble shell of basic metal oxalate. Such a reaction-induced solubility difference inside nanospheres becomes highly efficient to create a hollow structure through a simple water wash process. A following high temperature treatment forms hollow nanospheres of different metal oxides with structural features suited to their applications. For example, a high performance anode for Li-ion intercalation pseudocapacitor was demonstrated with the hollow and mesoporous Nb

Background Depression is a common mental disorder with unknown mechanism. Emerging evidence shows that miRNAs play a critical role in the process of depression. Here we reported the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) miR-16 expression and its association with miR-16 and serotonin transporter (SERT) in the raphe of a rat model of depression. Methods 20 rats were randomized to the control or CUMS (chronic unpredictable mild stress) group. The rats in the CUMS group underwent CUMS for 21 days, while those in the control group received no treatment. After anesthetization, CSF was collected for the measurement of miR-16. Then raphes from all rats were separated for determination of miR-16 and SERT protein. Results The expression levels of miR-16 in CSF and raphe of the CUMS group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P = 0.007 and 0.031). However, SERT protein in raphe of the CUMS group was obviously increased as compared that of the control group (P = 0.005). There was a positive correlation between CSF miR-16 and raphe miR-16 (r = 0.95, P = 0.000). Meanwhile, negative correlations between miR-16 and SERT protein in raphe (r = −0.70 P = 0.02), between CSF miR-16 and raphe SERT protein (r = −0.86, P = 0.002) were observed in the CUMS group. Limitations We have not explored the reason why CSF miR-16 was decreased in the rat model of depression and only tested the association of miR-16 between CSF and raphe. Conclusions CSF miR-16 was involved in the pathogenesis of depression via reflecting raphe miR-16 level, and thus affecting raphe SERT expression.

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, involved in genetic recombination and sex-chromosome silencing during meiosis, plays critical roles in the specification of germ-line stem cells and the differentiation of gametes from gonocytes. Zygote-specific proteasome assembly chaperone (ZPAC) is expressed in the early mouse embryo, where it is important for progression of the mouse maternal-to-zygotic transition. The role of ZPAC during spermatogenesis in the adult gonads, however, remains unknown. In this study, rapid amplification of cDNA ends was used to determine the Zpac cDNA sequence, a 1584-bp transcript that includes a putative 1122-bp open reading frame coding for a 373 amino acid protein. Western blot and immunohistochemistry revealed that ZPAC was specifically expressed in gonads. To further dissect the function of ZPAC during spermatogenesis, we employed PiggyBac-based RNA interference vectors for transgenesis combined with cell transplantation to deplete Zpac during spermatogenesis. This RNAi-mediate depletion in Zpac expression disrupted normal spermatogenesis from spermatogonial stem cells. Two independent yeast two-hybrid screens further revealed an interaction between ZPAC and SYCE1. Together, these data suggest that ZPAC is required for normal spermatogenesis in mice.

A polyethyleneimine (PEI)-iron phosphate (FePO4) nanocomposite is prepared by immobilization of PEI onto the surface of FePO4 nanoparticles via electrostatic interaction. The obtained PEI-FePO4 nanocomposites are spherical with a size centered in ca. 100 nm. They provide a novel adsorbent for the solid-phase extraction of DNA from complex sample matrices. At pH 4, 50 μg mL(-1) of DNA (salmon sperm DNA sodium salt) in 1.0 mL aqueous solution are quantitatively adsorbed (100%) by 2mg of the PEI-FePO4 nanocomposites, and meanwhile the coexisting albumin at a same concentration level is not retained, demonstrating the favorable selectivity of the nanocomposites to DNA against proteins. The adsorption behaviors of DNA onto the PEI-FePO4 nanocomposites fit Langmuir model, corresponding to an adsorption capacity of 61.88 mg g(-1). The adsorbed DNA could be readily recovered by using a 0.04 mol L(-1) Britton-Robinson (BR) buffer at pH 10, resulting in a recovery of 85%. The nanocomposites have been further used for the isolation of DNA from a series of real sample matrices, including synthetic λ-DNA sample, human whole blood and Escherichia coli cell lysate. The extraction efficiency and the purity of the recovered DNA are at least comparable to those achieved by using the reported sorbent materials or commercial kits. In addition, the DNAs isolated from human whole blood and E. coli cell lysate are of high quality, which have been further demonstrated by using them as templates for successful PCR amplifications.

The mini-pig is a useful animal model for human biomedical research due to its physiological similarity to humans and the ease of handling. In order to optimize the efficiency of production of transgenic Bama mini-pigs through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), we examined the effects of contact inhibition, roscovitine treatment, and serum starvation on the cell cycle synchronization and transgenic cloned embryo development in vivo and in vitro after nuclear transfer. The analysis showed that the rates of G0/G1 stage cells in the contact inhibition (92.11%) and roscovitine treatment groups (89.59%) were significantly higher than in serum starvation group (80.82%). A higher rate of apoptosis was seen in the serum starvation group (14.13%) compared to the contact inhibition and roscovitine treatment groups (6.71 and 2.46% respectively, P < 0.05). There was a significant decrease in blastocyst yield in the serum starvation group (14.19%) compared to the roscovitine treatment and contact inhibition groups (21.31 and 20.32% respectively, P < 0.05). A total of 1070 transgenic cloned embryos derived from the three treatment groups were transferred to surrogate sows; one pregnancy was established and three embryos from the roscovitine treatment group successfully completed gestation. These results indicate that the roscovitine treatment was more effective at synchronizing transgenic kidney cells in Bama mini-pigs and allowed reconstructed embryos to develop to full term.

A Keggin-type cobalt mono-substituted silicotungstic acid doped with aniline (SiW11Co–PANI composite, where PANI denotes polyaniline) is prepared by a liquid phase method at room temperature. The obtained SiW11Co–PANI composite possesses a porous framework structure and has proven to be a promising adsorbent for the retention of proteins, which exhibits favorable selectivity toward the adsorption of ovalbumin from egg whites. 5.0 mg of SiW11Co–PANI composite gives rise to an adsorption efficiency of >70% for 100 mg L−1 ovalbumin in 1.0 mL of sample solution within a wide pH range of 3–9, and a maximum adsorption efficiency of 92% is achieved at pH 9. The adsorption behavior of ovalbumin onto the SiW11Co–PANI composite fits the Langmuir adsorption model, corresponding to a sorption capacity of 200.0 mg g−1. The retained ovalbumin could be readily recovered by using a 0.1 mol L−1 phosphate buffer at pH 5.6 as a stripping reagent, providing a recovery of 84.4%. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra illustrate virtually no change in the conformation of ovalbumin after the process of adsorption–desorption. The SiW11Co–PANI composite has been applied for the selective adsorption of ovalbumin from the chicken egg white, and SDS-PAGE assay demonstrates that high purity of ovalbumin is obtained.

We report a simple and facile synthetic protocol to prepare an SnO

A multifunctional drug nanocarrier is developed by incorporating acetaldehyde-modified-cystine (AMC) into mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (MONs), shortly termed as MONs-AMC. The anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) links directly to MONs-AMC through electrostatic interaction between DOX and AMC to produce a conjugate, MONs-AMC-DOX, with a drug loading efficiency of 26.24 ± 1.35%, corresponding to a loading capacity of 0.26 ± 0.01 mg mg −1 for DOX. Schiff base AMC contains a –S–S– bond and two –C˭N– bonds which cleave in the presence of certain level of GSH and in an acidic medium, providing MONs-AMC-DOX the capability for triggering pH and glutathione (GSH) dual-responsive drug release. Further, the self-fluorescent nature of AMC offers the tracing capability without the need of fluorescent label, which facilitates real-time tracing of the drug delivery and cancer therapy process. With 10 mmol L −1 GSH and at pH 5.0, a drug release efficiency of 52.27 ± 2.84% is achieved. The intracellular drug release process is traced with confocal laser scanning microscope by monitoring the green fluorescence of MONs-AMC-DOX and red fluorescence of DOX with excitation at 408 nm and 488 nm, respectively. The drug loaded nanocarriers exhibit a time-dependent cellular uptake behavior, providing an enhanced therapeutic effect to A549 cancer cells.

Removed due to plagiarism. The original work was published as: Parallelized Sub-Resource Loading for Web Rendering Engine Deokho Kim, Changmin Lee, Sangpil Lee, and Won Woo Ro Journal of Systems Architecture, Vol. 59, No. 9, pp. 785-793, Oct. 2013

Taking the construction industry of Beijing as an example, we, first, accounted the energy consumption (EC) and carbon emission (CE) in 1990-2012. Then, we used the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method to analyze the drivers of the CE. It was found the EC and the CE of Beijings construction industry in 1990 was 8.1 PJ and 0.99 Mt, respectively. They grew up to 30.6 PJ and 4.52 Mt in 2012. The increasing number was 22.5 PJ and 3.53 Mt with an average annual growth rate of 6.23% and 7.15%. The sources of CE were mainly arising from electricity, diesel, gasoline and raw coal. The driver's size of GDP per capita (A) was bigger than population (P). The 1% increase of A or P would make the CE increase 1.758% or 0.105%, respectively. The classical hypothesis of Environmental Kuznet's curve did exist in the CE of Beijing's construction industry. The urbanization rate increased 1%, to some extent, would make the CE decrease 0.421%. The improvement of scientific study itself cannot make the CE decrease. Only when the gotten achievements were transformed into the concrete technology and used in real life, the CE might decrease. So, it was necessary to speed up the new-type urbanization strategies, the development pattern's upgrade and transformation of economy and to continue to carry out national relevant policies on controlling population growth.

Taking Jiangxi of China as an example, we, firstly, accounted the energy consumption (EC) and carbon emission (CO2, CE) of this provinces tourism transport in recently 13 years. Then, we used the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method to analysis the drivers of the CE. Results show that: 1Respectively, the EC and CE of tourism transport in Jiangxi in 1999 were 4.2 PJ and 0.46 Mt. They grew up to 31.9 PJ and 3.59 Mt in 2011. The increasing amounts were 27.7 PJ and 3.13 Mt, with an average annual growth rate of 18.4% and 18.6%. These meant that with the improvement of living standards, more and more people engaged in the activities of tourism industry. 2The consumption demand of peoples tourism had been greatly released in 2004 and 2011, which could arise from the influences of the "SARS" in 2003 and the global financial crisis in 2008, respectively. 3The importance of the latent drivers can be sorted as the following order: A2 (square of GDP per capita), A (GDP per capita), T (carbon intensity), T1 (EC intensity) and P (population). The impact on the CE from T2 (the factor denoted by T/T1) is negligible. The impact of U (urbanization rate) is little. The A2, A, T, T1 and P have an increase of 1%. The corresponding CE will have an increase of 0.275%, 0.259%, 0.148%, 0.145% and 0.131%, respectively. In the end, some suggestions are proposed for local development: to speed up the pattern's upgrade of the development, to promote the implementation of energy saving, to improve the technical level and energy efficiency so as to reduce the regional energy intensity, to go on controlling population growth and to boost the new-type urbanization, to some extent.

The sheet beam extended interaction klystron is an important kind of millimeter-wave and sub-millimeter-wave vacuum electron device, which has extensive applications such as in high resolution radar, imaging system, satellite communication and precision guided missiles. Compared with conventional pencil beam klystron, the sheet beam extended interaction klystron, in which a thin rectangular sheet beam is used, can generate higher power by obtaining higher current and reducing space-charge-effect of electron beam. Kinematical theory and space charge wave theory are extensively used to analyze the bunching process of electrons. Kinematical theory is precise when electron beam is especially small because the influence of space charge effect is ignored, while space charge wave theory is accurate when the modulation of electron beam is small since it is based on the premise of small amplitude. Electron flow oscillatory theory is a compromise between kinematical theory and space charge wave theory, which adapts to the bigger modulation of electron beam than space charge wave theory, while it is inaccurate in the case of big bunching parameter. Based on electron flow oscillatory theory under the small signal condition, the influence of electron beam on standing wave electric field of 2π mode in a three-gap cavity is analyzed, and the expressions of beam loading conductance and beam loading susceptance in a three-gap cavity are obtained. The influences of plasma frequency, transit angle of single gap and transit angle of drift on the interaction of beam and wave in a three-gap cavity are discussed. The results show that space-charge-effect of beam is unbeneficial to the interaction between beam and wave, otherwise beam loading conductance and beam loading susceptance fluctuate with the increasing of transit angle of single gap and transit angle of drift. A W-band sheet beam extended interaction klystron is designed by theoretical analysis and 3D PIC software. The output power of 5773 W at 94.47 GHz is obtained with an efficiency of 8.46%, a gain of 37.6 dB and a 3 dB bandwith of about 140 MHz, when beam voltage is 19.5 kV, current is 3.5 A and focus magnetic field is 0.85 T. This research is important for the engineering of the W-band sheet beam extended interaction klystron amplifier.

Extended interaction klystron is a very important millimeter-wave and sub-millimeter-wave vacuum electron device with many actual and potential applications, such as space-borne cloud profiling radar, communication, imaging system, precision guided missiles, etc. Kinematical theory and space charge wave theory are extensively used to analyze the bunching process of electrons. Kinematical theory is precise when electron beam is especially small because the influence of space charge effect is ignored, while space charge wave theory is accurate when the modulation of electron beam is small since it is based on the premise of small amplitude. Based on kinematical theory, law of induce current, principle of charge conservation in a one-dimensioanl mode and small signal condition, the influence of electron beam on standing wave electric field in multiple-gap cavity is analyzed, and the expression of beam-loading conductance and beam-loading susceptance in multiple-gap cavity are derived. The influence of the direct current transmit angle of single gap, the number of multiple gaps and the direct current transmit angle of between center of adjacent gaps on beam-loading conductance and beam-loading susceptance are analyzed. The results show that the beam-loading conductance and beam-loading susceptance of multiple-gap cavity can change to a bigger extent when the number of cavity gaps is bigger, which means that the maximum beam-wave conversion efficiency and the range of loaded frequency increase with the number of cavity gaps increasing. The results also show that the direct current transmit angle between centers of adjacent gaps is the most important parameter for the beam-wave interaction effect. Based on the above analysis, a G-band extended interaction klystron amplifier consisting of three five-gap cavities is designed by an three-dimensional PIC code. An output power of 225.5 W at 217.94 GHz with an efficiency of 6.26%, whose gain and 3 dB bandwidth are 30.5 dB and 470 MHz respectively, is obtained by simulation. This study is of great significance for the physical design and process in engineering the G-band extended interaction klystron amplifier.

Carbon dots (C-dots) have been proven to show the capability for direct reduction of Ag(+) to elemental silver (Ag(0)) without additional reducing agent or external photoirradiation by incubating Ag(+) with C-dots for 5 min in a water bath at 50 °C. Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are simultaneously formed with an average size of 3.1 ± 1.5 nm and grew on carbon dots. This process involves the oxidation of amine or phenol hydroxyl groups on the aromatic ring of C-dots. Meanwhile C-dots protect and stabilize the Ag-NPs from aggregation in aqueous medium; that is, the Ag-NPs are stable at least for 45 days in aqueous medium. The formed Ag-NPs cause significant resonance light scattering (RLS), which correlates closely with the concentration of silver cation, and this facilitates quantitative detection of silver in aqueous medium.