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Improving the functionality of commercial plant proteins is essential for food application. Here an alternative strategy is provided to modify the structure of pea protein by microbial transglutaminase-induced cross-linking with whey protein for enhancing emulsifying and encapsulation properties. The protein structures and the physicochemical stability of 0-carotene-loaded emulsions were investigated subject to protein ratio and cross-linking. Formation of disulphide and isopeptide bonds between heteroproteins according to crosslinking changed protein structures by exposing the hydrophobic sites of proteins with stiffer network. The cross-linked pea/whey protein complexes at protein ratio of 2:1 formed a stable emulsion with a droplet size of 0.10 _m, showing no phase separation for 30 days of storage and high encapsulation efficiency of 92%. These findings provided a novel strategy to design plant/dairy protein networks to protect lipophilic bioactive compounds by replacing half or more dair-y protein with plant protein, leading to gradual change towards plant-based diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A gaseous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) oxidative removal technology by a dual ions-dual oxidants coupling activation system (i.e., Cu2*/Fe 2*/persulfate(PS)/H 2O2 coactivation system) was put forward. The fundamental issues, mainly including H2S removal performance, process parameters optimization, products, free radicals, synergy mechanism and desulfurization mechanism were studied systematically in a bubble column reactor. The study indicates that compared with Fenton system and non-coupling activation systems, the new dual ions-dual oxidants coupling coactivation system shows much higher free radical yield and H2S removal efficiency owing to significant synergistic activation effect. Higher concentrations of Cu2+ or Fe2+ greatly increase the H2S removal efficiency. With the increase of PS concentration, H2O2 concentration or reagent pH value, the H2S removal efficiency is first enhanced, and afterwards slightly declined. The H2S removal efficiency is declined via increasing operating temperature, gas flow rate and contents of H2S, SO2, NO and CO, and is almost not affected by content of Hg°. Sulfate, CuS and elemental sulfur are determined to be the products of H2S removal, and no by-products are produced after the reaction. Oxidation via -OH and S04'-plays a crucial role in H2S removal, which is proved to be the primary pathways of H2S removal. Finally, the recovery strategy of the products is discussed preliminarily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The initial characteristics of the surface layer following the quenching and tempering treatment of ultra-high-strength steel play a significant role in determining the subsequent precision machining. This study focus on investigating the influence of machining processes on the quenching and tempering surface layer. The machining processes affect both the oxidation of the quenching and tempering treatment and the development of a distinct preferred grain orientation. Gradual diminishment of surface abrasions leads to the transformation of the needle-like oxidation pattern into a layered oxidation structure. The preferred orientation of the grains prevents the grains from shear sliding, thereby enhancing the Taylor effect. Formation mechanisms of the microhardness and residual stress of the quenching and tempering surface layer induced by machining processes were also discussed and completely revealed. The microhardness is mainly attributed to the dynamic Hall-Petch effect, while plastic strain, dislocation energy storage, and phase transformation contribute to the residual stress changes. • Formation mechanisms of the quenching and tempering surface layer induced by machining processes were revealed. • Machined surface morphology affects preferred grain orientation preference and austenitization characteristics. • Microhardness of the surface layer induced by machining processes is mainly attributed to the dynamic Hall-Petch effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anion-doping strategy represents one efficient route to adjust the structure of electrode material for advanced reversible batteries. The work herein obtains an optimized F-doping sodium manganese oxide Na 0.44 MnO 1.93 F 0.07 with a layer-tunnel hybrid structure, and the essential factors such as synthesis temperature and crystal structure which determine the electrochemical behavior for the F-doping cathode materials are systematically explored and investigated. The optimized cathode Na 0.44 MnO 1.93 F 0.07 prepared at 900 °C for 3 h, among various Na 0.44 MnO 2−x F x samples, delivers an extraordinary discharge capacity of 149 mA h g−1 and 138 mA h g−1 at 0.5 C and 1 C, respectively. In addition, the electrode displays an impressive cycling stability with a superb capacity retention rate of approximately 79% over 400 cycles at 5 C. And thus, it shows enhanced reversible capacity over the tunnel phase Na 0.44 MnO 2. Therefore, this work provides a new avenue for designing and optimizing the advanced cathode materials with superior electrochemical performance for sodium-ion batteries by introducing halogen anions to modify the structure. Image 1 • Na 0·44 MnO 1·93 F 0.07 material with a layered-tunnel hybrid structure is synthesized. • The synthesis temperature has a remarkable impact on electrochemical performance. • The NMOF 0.07 -9003 sample exhibits excellent Na-ion storage performance as cathode. • The charge transfer resistance of NMOF 0.07 -9003 is smaller than pure layered phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High borated steels (HBSs) exhibit poor mechanical properties because brittle and coarse borides served as crack source during deformation, causing a premature failure. Here we proposed a novel strategy of tailoring strain hardening behaviour of metal matrix to enhance performance. Metastable austenite was introduced as matrix, where various deformation mechanism was obtained by manipulating deform temperature to change stacking fault energy (SFE). Unexpectedly, extraordinary strength-ductility synergy was achieved in HBSs with a moderate SFE at 100 °C. During hetero-deformation, hard borides caused serious stress gradients in austenite, triggering discontinuous transformation-induced plasticity effect. The cavities originating from fractured borides and interface debonding were arrested effectively by transformed martensite, which highly retarded the coalescence to form large cracks, allowing residual strain hardening to extend much longer to induce additional ductility. This work provides a new pathway to enhance strength-ductility synergy of materials containing many coarse and brittle secondary phases. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the nuclear fuel reprocessing systems, the demands for high borated stainless steels are increasing due to their excellent thermal neutron shielding properties. However, the eutectic borides precipitating around the matrix grains could easily result in the severe edge cracking for the ingot-casting steels during processing. In this paper, a 3-layered composite plate consisting of 2.1 wt% B stainless steel and boron-free austenite steel was fabricated by welding and hot-roll-bonding. Besides, the microstructure evolution and the tensile properties of the composite and non-composite plates were comparatively investigated. It was found that the edge cracking of the composite plate was significantly suppressed comparing with the non-composite plate prepared by conventional hot rolling. Moreover, the ductility of the composite plate at room-temperature was greatly enhanced. The tensile elongation reached to 15.5% for the specimen after 1100 °C × 30 min solution treatment, and that was approximate 2.5 times as high as the elongation of the non-composite specimen. In addition, the inhibition mechanism of edge cracking during hot-roll-bonding, and the enhancement mechanism of tensile plasticity for the composite plates were both explained. The present work not only develops a new high borated stainless steel with the excellent mechanical properties, but also provides a promising method to suppress the edge cracking for some other metallic materials with poor hot workability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the soil water and stoichiometrical characteristics (SC) during long-term natural vegetation restoration is essential for managing the restoration of vegetation. To evaluate the response of soil water storage (SWS), soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen content (TN) and total phosphorous content (TP) to long-term natural vegetation restoration (∼160 a), we examined the soil moisture and SC in areas with different restoration ages located in the central part of the Loess Plateau, China. Our results showed that the SWS decreased significantly with vegetation restoration and that the C:P ratio, N:P ratio, TN and TP increased significantly. The SWS increased gradually, whereas the SOC, C:P ratio, N:P ratio, TN and TP in each restoration stage decreased significantly with increasing soil depth in the 0–60 cm soil layer. These parameters tended to be stable in the soil layer below 60 cm. Vegetation acts as a link between SWS and soil SC, and they interact with each other indirectly. SWS and SWC showed an significant positive relationship ( P  < 0.01), whereas SWS and SOC, TN, TP, C:P ratio, and N:P ratio showed significant negative relationships ( P  < 0.01), thus, SOC, TN and TP are the key chemical factors affecting SWS.. These results could help estimating the productivity and sustainability of semiarid ecosystems and improve future eco-environmental reconstructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have revealed that miRNAs and lncRNAs participate in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC); however, whether circular RNAs (circRNAs) are also involved remains unclear. In the present study, qRT-PCR was used to examine the expression of hsa_circ_0071589, miR-600, and enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) in CRC. MTT assay, colony formation assay, transwell assay, and wound-healing assay were performed to assess the effects of hsa_circ_0071589, miR-600, and EZH2 on CRC cell viability, proliferation, invasion, and migration. Bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter assay, and RIP assay were used to explore the correlations among hsa_circ_0071589, miR-600, and EZH2 expression in CRC cells. The results showed that hsa_circ_0071589 expression was significantly higher in CRC tissues than in normal tissues. Blockage of hsa_circ_0071589 in CRC cells inhibited tumor growth, invasion and migration. Hsa_circ_0071589 was able to promote the expression of EZH2 by acting as a sponge of miR-600. In addition, miR-600 expression was negatively correlated to hsa_circ_0071589 expression in CRC tissues. These results demonstrated that the hsa_circ_0071589/miR-600/EZH2 axis may play critical regulatory roles in the pathogenesis of CRC and may serve as a novel therapy target in CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the effect of CeO2 morphology on catalytic properties has been studied, research interests mainly focus on the oxidation reactions while the effect of CeO2 morphology on other reactions, such as dehydrogenation reaction, has rarely been reported. In this study, the dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (AB) was chosen as a model reaction to study the effect of CeO2 morphology (“c”, “r” and “o” denote cube, rod, and octahedron, respectively) on the catalytic properties of Ru/CeO2. Our study shows that the activity follows the order of Ru/c-CeO2 > Ru/r-CeO2 > Ru/o-CeO2, which is different from the order observed in other catalytic oxidation reactions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman and H2-Temperature program reduction (H2-TPR) measurements reveal that there is a weak interaction between Ru and c-CeO2, and metallic Ru is the dominant species in Ru/c-CeO2, which are possibly responsible for the highest catalytic activities among three Ru/CeO2 catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction and demolition waste (C&DW) is currently a worldwide issue, and the situation is the worst in China due to a rapid increase in the construction industry and the short life span of China's buildings. To create an opportunity out of this problem, comprehensive prevention measures and effective management strategies are urgently needed. One major gap in the literature of waste management is a lack of estimations on future C&DW generation. Therefore, this paper presents a forecasting procedure for C&DW in China that can forecast the quantity of each component in such waste. The proposed approach is based on a GM-SVR model that improves the forecasting effectiveness of the gray model (GM), which is achieved by adjusting the residual series by a support vector regression (SVR) method and a transition matrix that aims to estimate the discharge of each component in the C&DW. Through the proposed method, future C&DW volume are listed and analyzed containing their potential components and distribution in different provinces in China. Besides, model testing process provides mathematical evidence to validate the proposed model is an effective way to give future information of C&DW for policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil water content (SWC) is a critical variable in studies of hydrological processes and the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum, especially in arid and semi-arid regions such as the Loess Plateau. Knowledge of the effects of vegetation types on soil water dynamics would aid in understanding the mechanisms responsible for water shortages and addressing the problem of poor long-term vegetation recovery. To evaluate the response of soil water storage (SWS) to different land use types during long-term natural vegetation succession, we examined soil moisture under different land use types (grassland, shrubland and forestland) at different times (2005 and 2014) in the Ziwuling forest region, located in the central part of the Loess Plateau, China. Our results showed that vegetation type had a significant effect on SWS in the 0–500 cm soil layer. The SWS in grassland and shrubland was significantly higher in August 2014 than in August 2005, but the pattern was reversed for forestland. In the same year, the SWS was highest in grassland, intermediate in shrubland, and lowest in forestland. SWS and SWC showed a highly significant and positive relationship in the 0–60 cm soil layers ( P < 0.01), and both soil bulk density (BD) and soil total nitrogen (TN) showed a significant relationship with SWS. In addition, the SWC and soil total porosity (TP) showed a significant positive relationship in the 0–20 cm soil layer ( P < 0.05). These results are expected to provide insights into land water management and inform efforts to estimate the productivity and sustainability of semiarid ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at SDN-based storage environment, the integrity and availability of storage service are threatened by many attacks from data plane, such as packet tampering and dropping. While existing packet forwarding verification methods to deal with the sophisticated attacks are extremely limited due to the assumption that all or part of the switches are trusted. In this paper, for the untrusted data plane, a transparent gateway-based packet forwarding verification mechanism, named GwPFV, was designed to mitigate and trace back the attacks, specially utilizing the characteristics of TCP protocol to realize a packet obfuscation method to proactively defend attacks, a fast event-counting method to find attacks, and a path switching method involved with SDN controller to locate malicious switches. Finally, both the effectiveness and security of GwPFV are analyzed in depth. The experiments performed in an SDN-based prototype storage system reveal that it can achieve the security goal with relative low performance overhead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary succession can recover the properties of degraded soil. The moisture stored in different soil layers is recognized as an important driver of the productivity and sustainability of semi-arid terrestrial ecosystems, and land-use change has a significant effect on the global carbon (C) cycle through changing soil C accumulation rates. To evaluate the response of soil water storage (SWS) and soil organic carbon storage (SOCS) to long-term natural vegetation succession (∼150 a) and the coupling interaction between them, we examined the soil moisture and soil organic carbon content in the land for different restoration ages in the Ziwuling Forest region located in the central part of the Loess Plateau, China. Our results showed that the SWS decreased and the SOCS increased with long-term natural vegetation restoration. The SOCS decreased along with the increase in the soil depth, and it was highest in the topsoil (0–20 cm). In addition, the soil depth at which the SWS intensely varied and at which the SOCS tended to be stable moved downward and upward, respectively, with the vegetation succession. Furthermore, the correlation between SWS and SOCS was significant (P < 0.05) in the long-term restoration and gradually weakened with the increase in the soil depth and the vegetation restoration stages. Clay, silt, sand, total porosity (TP), inactive porosity (IP), aeration porosity (AP) and capillary porosity (CP) were important factors that influenced the coupling interaction of SWS and SOCS at the grass restoration stages (<50 a), and BD influenced this interaction in the shrub and early forest restoration stages (<130 a). The effect of soil physical factors on the interaction of SWS and SOCS gradually weakened during the vegetation restoration succession. These results are expected to help improve the understanding of the response of deep soil water and soil organic carbon to long-term natural vegetation restoration and to provide insights into the coupling interaction between soil water and soil organic carbon influenced by vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hedgehog (Hh) pathway plays a critical role in the progression of prostate cancer (PCa), the most commonly diagnosed non-cutaneous cancer in male adults. Studies showed that di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) could interference with the Hh pathway. Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), the congener of DBP, is the major plasticizer used in plastic materials that are inevitably exposed by patients with PCa. The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate whether mono-2-ethyhexyl phthalate (MEHP, the active metabolite of DEHP) could activate the Hh pathway of LNCaP cells. Results showed that the expression of the critical gene of Hh pathway PTCH and androgen-regulated gene KLK3 was significantly decreased on 3, 6 and 9 days with Hh pathway inhibitor cyclopamine's treatment. MEHP notably up-regulated the expression of PTCH with a dose–response relationship in the presence of cyclopamine, which indicate that MEHP might target on the downstream components of Hh pathway and advance the progression of PCa through activating the Hh pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondria require all translational components, including aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs), to complete organelle protein synthesis. Some aaRS mutations cause mitochondrial disorders, including human mitochondrial threonyl-tRNA synthetase (hmtThrRS) (encoded by TARS2), the P282L mutation of which causes mitochondrial encephalomyopathies. However, its catalytic and structural consequences remain unclear. Herein, we cloned TARS2 and purified the wild-type and P282L mutant hmtThrRS. hmtThrRS misactivates non-cognate Ser and uses post-transfer editing to clear erroneously synthesized products. In vitro and in vivo analyses revealed that the mutation induces a decrease in Thr activation, aminoacylation, and proofreading activities and a change in the protein structure and/or stability, which might cause reduced catalytic efficiency. We also identified a splicing variant of TARS2 mRNA lacking exons 8 and 9, the protein product of which is targeted into mitochondria. In HEK293T cells, the variant does not dimerize and cannot complement the ThrRS knock-out strain in yeast, suggesting that the truncated protein is inactive and might have a noncanonical function, as observed for other aaRS fragments. The present study describes the aminoacylation and editing properties of hmtThrRS, clarifies the molecular consequences of the P282L mutation, and shows that the yeast ThrRS-deletion model is suitable to test pathology-associated point mutations or alternative splicing variants of mammalian aaRS mRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil water is a key terrestrial water resource, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions of the world such as the Loess Plateau of China. Information on the dynamics of soil moisture following vegetation restoration is essential for managing water resources and can be helpful for adjusting relevant government policies. To evaluate the response of soil water storage (SWS) to long-term natural vegetation succession (~ 160 a), we examined the soil moisture for different restoration ages in the Ziwuling forest region, which is located in the central part of the Loess Plateau. Our results showed that the SWS decreased with long-term natural vegetation restoration. The bulk density (BD), soil water content (SWC), and clay and silt content presented similar trends to those of the SWS throughout the entire vegetation succession. The SWS was significantly and positively correlated with the SWC and aeration porosity ( P < 0.05). The SWC was lower in the upper soils (0–50 cm) than in the deeper soils (> 50 cm) at every restoration stage, as was the SWS; however, the SWS in the 200–300 cm soil layer was the highest (164.61–212.80 mm) compared to other layers in all restoration stages. These results are expected to help improve the understanding of the response of deep soil water to long-term natural vegetation restoration and to provide insights into the dynamics of deep soil water influenced by vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate effect of thrombolytic therapy with rt-PA (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator) and transcranial color Doppler ultrasound (TCCS) combined with microbubbles on histology of brain tissue. Methods: New Zealand rabbits were subjected to TCCS based thrombolytic therapy, in 8 groups depending on dose of rt-PA, exposure duration of TCCS and presence of attenuation by skull bone window, 2 animals/group: (1) skull+ 1/2 rt-PA + TCCS+ MBs, 10min, (2) skull + rt-PA + TCCS+ MBs, 10min,(3) skull+ 1/2 rt-PA + TCCS+ MBs, 20min, (4) skull + rt-PA + TCCS+ MBs, 20min,(5) skull+ 1/2 rt-PA + TCCS + MBs, 30min, (6) skull + rt-PA + TCCS+ MBs, 30min, (7) 1/2 rt-PA + TCCS + MBs, 10min, (8) 1/2 rt-PA + TCCS+ MBs, 20 min. The brain tissues were harvested after therapies and submitted for microscopic, electronic microscope and immunohistochemical examination. The histological changes were scored. Results: TCCS caused exposure duration dependent brain tissue damage. With attenuation by bone window, TCCS based therapies for 10-20 min caused minimal tissue damage. However, significant tissue damage was observed upon TCCS for 30 min in presence of skull bone window, presenting as hemorrhage, misdistribution of organelles, demyelination of nerve fibers, and thinning of basement membrane in blood-brain barrier, which was milder than that after 20 min of exposure to TCCS in absence of bone window. Dose of rt-PA did not affect brain histology in all groups. Conclusion: Short treatment of brain tissue with TCCS through a bone window is relative safe. And skull bone window protected brain tissue from TCCS induced damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study epidemic spreading in metapopulation networks wherein each node represents a subpopulation symbolizing a city or an urban area and links connecting nodes correspond to the human traveling routes among cities. Differently from previous studies, we introduce a heterogeneous infection rate to characterize the effect of nodes’ local properties, such as population density, individual health habits, and social conditions, on epidemic infectivity. By means of a mean-field approach and Monte Carlo simulations, we explore how the heterogeneity of the infection rate affects the epidemic dynamics, and find that large fluctuations of the infection rate have a profound impact on the epidemic threshold as well as the temporal behavior of the prevalence above the epidemic threshold. This work can refine our understanding of epidemic spreading in metapopulation networks with the effect of nodes’ local properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuel-cell-powered APUs (auxiliary power units) are advantageous for on-board electricity supply in heavy trucks, airplanes and ships due to their high efficiency and operation with low emissions. To operate the fuel cells with the fuel available on-board, a desulfurization process is required to avoid the catalyst deactivation in the fuel reforming unit and the fuel cells. The present study aims at developing a modified hydrodesulfurization (HDS) process. The principle underlying this process is the pre-saturation of sulfur-containing fuels with hydrogen-rich reformate. In a pre-saturator, the reformate is mixed with the liquid fuel and compressed to the saturation pressure. This paper presents experimental results demonstrating the desulfurization performance for treating a commercial jet fuel and a high sulfur diesel fuel. A commercial jet fuel with up to 813 ppmw S was desulfurized by a H2-containing reformate to a sulfur level under 10 ppmw at an operating temperature in the range of 360 °C to 390 °C and a pressure of 30 bar to 70 bar. Under these conditions a high sulfur diesel fuel was desulfurized to the desired sulfur level as well. A long-term experiment running for up to 602 h verified the durability of the investigated HDS process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CD4+ T cells in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) express growth signaling pathway in association with deregulated growth and resistance to apoptosis. The janus kinase (Jak) 3 and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway play a critical role in interleukin-2 (IL-2)-induced CD4+ T cell proliferation. The present study aimed to explore the anti-cell proliferation mechanism of curcumol, a pure monomer extracted from Chinese medical plant Rhizoma curcumae. Cell proliferation was determined using WST-1 assay after curcumol treatment. The cell cycle distribution and Bcl-2 protein expression were assessed by flow cytometry. The cellular morphology of apoptosis was evaluated by Hoechst 33258 staining. The expressions of phosphorylated-Jak3 (p-Jak3), p-STAT3, and p-STAT5a following IL-2 stimulation were determined by western blot analysis. The Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay was used to detect the DNA binding activities of transcription factors STAT3 and STAT5. The study results showed that curcumol could inhibit the IL-2-induced Jurkat cell proliferation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner in vitro. Curcumol could cause cell cycle arrest at the S phase, induce cell apoptosis, and inhibit the expression of Bcl-2 in a dose-dependent manner. Curcumol at 50µg/mL and Jak3 inhibitor ZM39923 could inhibit the phosphorylation of Jak3 and STAT5a. In conclusion, the underlying mechanism of curcumol on suppressing CD4+ T cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis might partly be mediated by inhibition of Jak3-STAT5-related molecular activities and Bcl-2 expression, respectively; further studies are required in vivo to test the use of curcumol as a promising therapeutic option for RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A miniaturized, low-cost, 4-channel fiber Bragg grating (FBG) interrogation system for real-time remote monitoring is presented in this paper. A superluminescent light emitting diode (SLED) as the broadband light source combined with an interrogation module and an optical switch is applied in the system. The moving average method is employed to remove noise effects, and then Gaussian fitting method is used to realize the interrogation of FBG central wavelength with high precision. On software design, the WebSocket network protocol is introduced to establish communication between data processing core and webpages to achieve cross-platform remote access through the browser without user's software installation. The proposed interrogation system not only displays the reflected spectrum and demodulated central wavelength in real time on the webpage, but also realizes the data storage and channel switch remotely. The interrogator for remote monitoring of FBG sensors proposed in this paper has been proved experimentally with the interrogation resolution 0.1 pm, the precision of 5 pm for the FBG central wavelength, interrogation stability up to ± 1.1 pm, and interrogation frequency of 4 kHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A palladium-catalyzed reductive carbonylation reaction has been developed for the synthesis of quinazolines. • Quinazolines were obtained in moderate to good yields from N-(2-iodophenyl)benzimidamide. • Silane act as better nucleophile than amine. A palladium-catalyzed reductive carbonylation reaction has been developed for the synthesis of quinazolines. With N-(2-iodophenyl)benzimidamide as starting materials, a series of quinazolines were obtained through the aromatic aldehyde intermediates in moderate to good yields with good functional group compatibilities. In this system, silane act as better nucleophile than amidine. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High borated steels have been applied in the nuclear power industry as excellent neutron-shielding materials, but their ductility was relatively low due to the large and brittle borides, restricting their wider utilization. In this work, the high-performance borated steels containing 2.40 wt% B were fabricated through a designing combination of titanium-alloying along with twin-roll strip casting technology. It was found that titanium addition facilitated the increasing boron content of eutectic point for steels. The TiB 2 particles solidifying firstly from molten steel depleted massive boron atoms in advance, leading to an as-cast microstructure consisting of more γ-Fe and less M 2 B-type borides comparing with titanium-free steels. Besides, TiB 2 particles were 200–240 nm, and they could act as heterogeneous nucleation cores for M 2 B borides. Thus dispersive and fine M 2 B borides smaller than 5 μm were produced in as-cast microstructure. After subsequent hot-rolling and solution-treating, ultra-fine borides were obtained with more than 80% of which in a size range of 0.1–2 μm. In this case, the steels exhibited an excellent total elongation of 16.2% that was twice as high as that of titanium-free steels. Additionally, the relations between microstructure and mechanical properties of hot-rolled and solution-treated steels were clarified. The ductility of steels was determined by the volume fraction of γ-Fe matrix that could accommodate large deformation, but the strength of steels was dominated by the volume fraction of borides that provided the strengthening effects including grain refinement, load transfer term and hindering the dislocation slip. This work provided a new promising method to enhance the ductility of such high borated steels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in casting slab thickness causes sharp increase in both the size and uneven distribution of brittle eutectic borides in high borated austenitic stainless steel, thus remarkably deteriorating the hot workability and the final room-temperature mechanical properties. Hence, it is undesirable to produce thick plates by rolling an extra-thick slab. Here it is reported that a specially designed hot-roll-bonding method for producing Fe–19Cr–15Ni-1.2B austenitic stainless steel thick plates using the conventional thick slab as starting materials. The main aim is to obtain refined and uniformly distributed borides so as to improve the room-temperature ductility and toughness by increasing total rolling compression ratio via hot-roll-bonding. It was validated that double-layered thick slabs could be successfully hot-roll-bonded though massive brittle ceramic (Cr,Fe) 2 B particles exist at the contacting interlayer interfaces. The hot-roll-bonding mechanism was clarified in terms of severe plastic flow, recrystallization and interface-diffusion. The effects of total rolling compression ratio on the morphological change and size distribution of (Cr,Fe) 2 B particles in both the mono-layered plates and the double-layered composite plates were investigated in details with the consequent effects on room-temperature comprehensive mechanical properties. It was found that the initial large and brittle (Cr,Fe) 2 B broke into more spheroidal and refined particles and significantly enhanced the ductility and toughness with increasing the total rolling compression ratio up to 10. The present work provides not only a practicable method to fabricate high borated austenitic stainless steel thick plates but also a promising way to improve the ductility and toughness of other metals containing a large number of hard and brittle particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To further understand the effects of LSP on large components of high strength steel and provide improved solutions, this paper conducts research on effects of surface integrity on fatigue life in the LSP process with absorbent coating (LSPC), without absorbent coating (LSPN), without absorbent coating but with axial polishing (LSPP) respectively. The research also put a baseline specimens (BSL) before LSP for a comparison. Results show that average fatigue life in the LSPN process is 47.8% shorter than that of baseline specimens, and crack site area presents an obvious splitting-like tearing step. In the LSPC process, fatigue life is 31.7% longer than that of baseline specimens, and crack initiation site develops from surface to subsurface. In the LSPP process, the specimens show the longest fatigue life of 2.53 × 105cycles, with multiple fine microcracks developing simultaneously. Axial polishing removes ablative layer and tensile residual stress in the LSPN process and reduces dislocation pile-ups and refines grains in the LSPC process, resulting in a surface roughness of R a 0.61 μm, surface residual stress of −531MPa and microhardness of 405HV 0.025.Thus, the fatigue performances were found to be significantly affected by multiple surface integrity indicators induced by different LSP processes. In this paper, the effect of LSP on surface integrity on the subface and its influence on crack initiation and propagation have also been discussed, the crack initiation mechanisms in different processes were explained by using Murakami's K max equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High borated steel sheets containing 0.25 wt% to 4.0 wt% boron including hypoeutectic (0.28 wt% B and 2.11 wt% B), eutectic (2.43 wt% B) and hypereutectic (4.01 wt% B) compositions were tried to be fabricated by a novel strip casting technology, and the effects of boron content on sub-rapid solidification behavior and subsequent microstructural evolution together with mechanical properties was studied. It was found that the morphology of borides depended greatly on the boron content. When increasing boron, the morphological change of borides was network-like → grainy → cluster-like → plate-like. Various orientation relationships between different morphological borides and γ-Fe in as-cast steels were also identified. After subsequent hot-rolling and solution-treating, ultra-fine (<10 μm) borides were obtained in hypoeutectic and eutectic steels. Benefiting from that, excellent mechanical properties was achieved, which was much better than that of steels prepared by traditional ingot casting. Particularly, when the boron content approached eutectic composition, of which the effect on the microstructure and mechanical properties was more sensitive. The steels containing 2.11 wt% and 2.43 wt% boron exhibited different morphological borides with a total elongation of 14.1% and 8.0%, respectively. Moreover, a thin hypereutectic borated steel sheet was also prepared, but the borides were very large and the total elongation was very low. The correlation between microstructure and strength was clarified based on the Hall-Petch behavior and intermetallic strengthening effect. Smaller γ-grains and higher volume fraction of borides were responsible for higher strength. The plastic behavior of steels was influenced by strain-hardening rate that was determined by the volume fraction of γ-Fe matrix. A better sustainable strain-hardening capability was beneficial to extend the stage of uniform deformation and enhance the ductility. In addition, the mechanical properties of steels were also decided by the fracture mechanism that was dominated by the size of borides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the extensive repertoire of carbohydrate-active enzymes, lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) have a key role in recalcitrant biomass degradation. LPMOs are copper-dependent enzymes that catalyze oxidative cleavage of glycosidic bonds in polysaccharides such as cellulose and chitin. Several LPMOs contain carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) that are known to promote LPMO efficiency. However, structural and functional properties of some CBMs remain unknown, and it is not clear why some LPMOs, like CjLPMO10A from the soil bacterium Cellvibrio japonicus, have multiple CBMs (CjCBM5 and CjCBM73). Here, we studied substrate binding by these two CBMs to shine light on their functional variation and determined the solution structures of both by NMR, which constitutes the first structure of a member of the CBM73 family. Chitin-binding experiments and molecular dynamics simulations showed that, while both CBMs bind crystalline chitin with Kd values in the micromolar range, CjCBM73 has higher affinity for chitin than CjCBM5. Furthermore, NMR titration experiments showed that CjCBM5 binds soluble chitohexaose, whereas no binding of CjCBM73 to this chitooligosaccharide was detected. These functional differences correlate with distinctly different arrangements of three conserved aromatic amino acids involved in substrate binding. In CjCBM5, these residues show a linear arrangement that seems compatible with the experimentally observed affinity for single chitin chains. On the other hand, the arrangement of these residues in CjCBM73 suggests a wider binding surface that may interact with several chitin chains. Taken together, these results provide insight into natural variation among related chitin-binding CBMs and the possible functional implications of such variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of secondary chlorination on bacterial regrowth, microbial communities (abundant and rare taxa) and bacterial functions of pipe wall biofilm and bulk water in simulated secondary water supply system (SWSS). Continuous secondary chlorination was more effective than short-term secondary chlorination to control the bacterial regrowth in both biofilm and water samples. Bacterial diversity slightly reduced after continuous secondary chlorination, and 19.27% of the total operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were shared by biofilm and water samples, with Bacillus as the dominant genus. Abundant and rare taxa exhibited different community structures. Proteobacteria and candidate division WPS-1 predominated in abundant and rare phyla were sensitive to chlorine, while Firmicutes, Acidobacteria and Bacteroidetes , exhibited relative strong chlorine resistance. The abundant genera in control sample (e.g., Bosea , Sphingobium and Gemmata) exhibited poor tolerance to chlorine, while Bacillus in biofilm and Defluviimonas in water were the main chlorine-resistant genera. Moreover, the composition of rare genera in each sample was obviously different. Furthermore, a total of 18 potential pathogens were detected with Pseudomonas as the dominant genus, most of which were significantly reduced after disinfection. There were mainly positive interactions among potential pathogenic bacteria, with Enterococcus , Legionella and Vibrio as the hub genera as revealed by network analysis. Similar bacterial functions in both biofilm and water were observed with metabolism as the predominant bacterial function, while, human disease function only accounted for 1.07% of bacterial functions. These results highlighted the importance of continuous secondary chlorination for controlling biosafety of SWSS and identified the dissimilar responses of abundant and rare bacteria to the disinfection, as well as the co-occurrence patterns among potential pathogens, improving our understanding of bacterial communities in SWSS. Unlabelled Image • Continuous secondary chlorination could effectively control bacterial regrowth. • The community structures of abundant and rare taxa were different. • Some chlorine-resistant and -sensitive abundant and rare genera were identified. • Hub pathogens mainly showed positive interactions with other pathogenic genera. • Bacterial functions included in human disease were predicted using PICRUSt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A considerable number of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) and other carbohydrate-active enzymes are modular, with catalytic domains being tethered to additional domains, such as carbohydrate-binding modules, by flexible linkers. While such linkers may affect the structure, function, and stability of the enzyme, their roles remain largely enigmatic, as do the reasons for natural variation in length and sequence. Here, we have explored linker functionality using the two-domain cellulose-active ScLPMO10C from Streptomyces coelicolor as a model system. In addition to investigating the WT enzyme, we engineered three linker variants to address the impact of both length and sequence and characterized these using small-angle X-ray scattering, NMR, molecular dynamics simulations, and functional assays. The resulting data revealed that, in the case of ScLPMO10C, linker length is the main determinant of linker conformation and enzyme performance. Both the WT and a serine-rich variant, which have the same linker length, demonstrated better performance compared with those with either a shorter linker or a longer linker. A highlight of our findings was the substantial thermostability observed in the serine-rich variant. Importantly, the linker affects thermal unfolding behavior and enzyme stability. In particular, unfolding studies show that the two domains unfold independently when mixed, whereas the full-length enzyme shows one cooperative unfolding transition, meaning that the impact of linkers in biomass-processing enzymes is more complex than mere structural tethering [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Polymorphism of formed NiO nanoparticles with size in 25-50 nm was observed. • High toxicity of nanoparticles was witnessed against MG-63 cancer cells. • NiO nanoparticles revealed high biocompatibility on HEK293 normal cells. • Nanoparticles showed bactericidal activity on various human pathogenic bacteria. The green synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles is interestingly becoming familiar as the reason of its non-toxicity, economical, eco-friendly, and commerciality. The secondary metabolites and bioactive molecules in biomaterial extract play an important role of reducing, capping, stabilizing and chelating activities to form the nanoparticles as a substitute of hazardous chemical surfactants. Hence this present work concentrated on the biogenic synthesis of NiO nanoparticles using grains extract of Oryza longistaminata (red rice), and their toxicity assessment as well as biomedical applications. The synthesized nanoparticles were widely characterized by using several analytical and biomedical techniques. The reduction mechanism of Ni2+ ions using major active phytocompound in red rice grains extract was stated. UV–visible spectroscopic analysis revealed the formation of NiO nanoparticles by emerging the sharp surface Plasmon resonance band at 326 nm. The absorption peaks of red rice grains extract at 206, 260, 330 and 410 nm stated the presence of phytocompounds in them. X-ray diffraction pattern explicated the high crystallinity of NiO nanoparticles and their average crystallite size was found to be at 36 nm. The diffraction pattern of red rice grains revealed the amorphous characteristic. Fourier transform infrared analysis displayed the different vibrational functional groups of nanoparticles and red rice grains. Dynamic light scattering analysis showed the particle size distribution was in between 30-65 nm. High-resolution transmission electron microscopic analysis showed the hexagonal, rectangular, oval and spherical shaped polymorphism of NiO nanoparticles and their size was in 25-50 nm. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrum and mapping analyses validated the formation of NiO nanoparticles by the major existence of Ni and O elements. The high toxicity of nanoparticles towards MG-63 osteosarcoma cancer cells was revealed at 94.69% in 100 μg/mL concentration. The nanoparticles showed no severe toxicity against HEK293 normal cells and red blood cells till higher concentration. The biomedical analyses such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic activities exposed the potential bio-drug activity of NiO nanoparticles with maximum activity of 86.22, 84.23 and 85.18% in the high concentration of 80 μg/mL. The antibacterial activity divulged the good bactericidal drug nature of NiO nanoparticles against both Gram-positive (S. aureus and B. Subtilis) and Gram-negative (S. typhi and K. pneumonia) bacteria with low MBC/MIC ratio. As per the assessment of results, the biosynthesized NiO nanoparticles have non-carcinogenic, high biocompatible and potent nature and it suggests that they can be used as therapeutic candidates in biomedical, clinical and pharmaceutical fields for treating various diseases. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract High borated stainless steel sheets have been widely applied in the nuclear power industry because of good thermal neutron absorption property. However, the large and network-like borides existing around the austenite grains in the conventional ingot casting steel seriously deteriorate the hot workability and the mechanical properties at ambient temperature. In this work, we tried to acquire ultra-fine microstructure by sub-rapid solidification using a novel twin-roll strip casting technology so as to enhance the mechanical properties of 2.1%B austenitic stainless steel. Surprisingly, dispersive and very fine borides mostly smaller than 5 µm were produced in the as-cast microstructure without network-like distribution. The morphologies and crystal structure of borides as well as the stacking faults in borides were investigated in detail. After subsequent hot-rolling and solution treatment, ultra-fine borides were observed with more than 50% of which in a size range of 0.3–1.5 µm, significantly smaller than those of the conventional ingot casted and hot rolled steel. Benefiting from the ultra-fine borides, excellent mechanical properties which had not been reported were obtained. In particular, a total elongation of 14.1% was exhibited, which was twice as high as that of the conventional ingot casted and hot rolled steel. Thus a new structure-function combining high borated stainless steel sheet was achieved. The strengthening and plasticity increasing mechanism was discussed based on Hall-Petch relationship, Orowan mechanism and strain-hardening rate analysis. The fracture behavior in tensile deformation was studied in detail. A characteristic fracture process accompanied with the initiation and coalescence of cavities in austenite matrix was found. This work not only developed a new processing way to produce high borated stainless steel with excellent mechanical properties, but also provided a potential solution for some other hard-worked metallic materials with brittle eutectic phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the presented research was to evaluate the possible heavy metal pollution in soil by applying Hakanson risk evaluation method with adjusting assessment domain combined with ArcGIS technology. The assessment standards were adjusted based on the amount and types of studied heavy metals. Topsoil samples in mining area were collected and tested the content of five kinds of heavy metals, Arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn). The area of different risk levels and the area ratio in each township were accurately calculate, and the regions with high pollution risk were further precisely located. The results indicate the following: (1) It was observed that the accuracy of soil-heavy metal assessment in Suxian was evidently improved by using Hakanson potential ecological risk with assessment domain adjustment. (2) The single factor and Nemero pollution indexes showed an evident contamination of five types of heavy metals in Suxian. (3) There is a high index of comprehensive ecological risk in Suxian; approximately 82.9% of Suxian is at a strong (level 3 or higher) risk level, demonstrating serious soil pollution. The quite strong risk region with the portion of 18.33% of total area is primarily concentrated in the area of the large Polymetallic mine and coal mining area. Using the single factor ecological risk index, the distribution of large areas of As and Pb high-risk pollution were explored. More than half of the soil in Suxian presents a strong Hg (level 3 and higher) risk level, and the primary strong ecological risk and quite strong ecological risk townships were identified as well. (4) A more finely characterized pollution status was achieved from this pollution assessment in Suxian based on the township level, rendering the study results a more practical guide and increasing their significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the presented research was to evaluate the possible heavy metal pollution in soil by applying Hakanson risk evaluation m ethod with adjusting assessment domain combined with ArcGIS technology. The assessment standards were adjusted based on the amount and types of studied heavy metals. Topsoil samples in mining area were collected and tested the content of five kinds of heavy metals, Arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn). The area of different risk levels and the area ratio in each township were accurately calculate and the regions with high pollution risk were further precisely located. The results indicate the following: (1) It was observed th a t the accuracy of soil-heavy metal assessment in Suxian was evidently improved by using Hakanson potential ecological risk with assessment domain adjustment. (2) The single factor and Nemero pollution indexes showed an evident contamination of five types of heavy metals in Suxian. (3) There is a high index of comprehensive ecological risk in Suxian; approximately 82.9% of Suxian is at a strong (level 3 or higher) risk level, demonstrating serious soil pollution. The quite strong risk region with the portion of 18.33% of total area is primarily concentrated in the area of the large Polymetallic mine and coal mining area. Using the single factor ecological risk index, the distribution of large areas of As and Pb high-risk pollution were explored. More than half of the soil in Suxian presents a strong Hg (level 3 and higher) risk level and the primary strong ecological risk and quite strong ecological risk townships were identified as well. (4) A more finely characterized pollution status was achieved from this pollution assessment in Suxian based on the township level, rendering the study results a more practical guide and increasing their significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Na 0.44 MnO 2 has aroused global interest as a promising cathode material for sodium ion batteries due to its unique tunnel structure. Rod-like Na 0.44 MnO 2 is synthesized here via a simple, fast and environment-friendly oxalate precursor-based process, and the electrochemical performances, as well as the structural evolution within the electrode redox process and the chemical mechanism for material synthesis, are systematically investigated. The Na 0.44 MnO 2 material prepared at 900 °C for 3 h (denoted as NMO-9003) possesses the highest reversible capacity of 120 mAh g −1 at 0.2 C and an optimal rate capacity of 106 mAh g −1 at 1 C, while its long-term capacity retention is 86% after 500 cycles at 20 C, indicating superior structural reversibility. In addition, the NMO-9003 sample shows the fastest cationic diffusion rate at approximately 1.2 × 10 −13 cm 2 s −1 . The density functional theory (DFT)-based calculation is adopted to explore the lattice variation of Na 0.44 MnO 2 upon the electrode process, which confirms that the host structure bears a minor volume change approximately 7% from 2.0 to 3.8 V, well demonstrating the origin of excellent reversibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pt-Sn/graphene catalysts were prepared by heat treatment of a dispersion of graphene oxide, SnCl2 and H2PtCl6 in ethylene glycol at 130°C for 3h after its pH value had been adjusted to 12 by NaOH, followed by centrifuging, washing with ethanol and water, and cryodrying. The pH value of the heat-treated dispersion was controlled by adding dilute nitric acid to 2, 4 and 6 to mediate the properties of the catalysts and its effects on the compositions, microstructure and catalytic activities of the resulting catalysts in ethanol electrooxidation. These were investigated by XRD, ICP, TEM and cyclic voltammetry. Results indicated that with decreasing pH values the Sn content increased, the Pt/Sn atom ratio decreased and the electrochemical activity increased. The current density for ethanol electrooxidation was increased by 120% at the pH value of 2 compared for the sample without nitric acid. The improvement of the catalytic activity can be ascribed to an increased loading of Sn and Pt since the oxidative product of ethylene glycol in the heat treatment acted as a chelating agent for metal nanoparticles under high pH values. [New Carbon Materials 2014, 29(3): 231-235] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of spin-polarized periodic density functional theory including the latest dispersion correction (PBE-D3), the mechanisms of H 2 , O 2 , H 2 O, CO 2 , CO, CH 4 and C 2 H x dissociative adsorption on the hexagonal Mo 2 C surface have been computed. In our study we used the metallic Mo 2 C(001) surface as well as the Mo 2 C(101) surface with Mo/C = 1/1 ratio. It is found that the dissociative adsorptions of these small molecules are exothermic and have low barriers; and the Mo 2 C(001) surface has much stronger dissociative adsorption than the Mo 2 C(101) surface. In contrast to the Mo 2 C(001) surface, OH + H and O + 2H can form equilibrium on Mo 2 C(101) surface. For C 2 H x dissociative adsorption on the Mo 2 C(001) surface, C H bond dissociation is kinetically much more favorable than the C C bond dissociation, and the optimum C 2 H 6 dissociation route follows the order of C 2 H 6 → CH 3 CH 2 + H → C 2 H 4 + 2H → CH 2 CH + 3H → C 2 H 2 + 4H → C 2 H + 5H→ C 2 + 6H. Due to the very strong dissociative adsorption energies, both surfaces can be oxidized easily by using H 2 O; and high oxygen coverage can be expected. The Mo 2 C(001) surface can uptake more surface O atoms than the Mo 2 C(101) surface. These surfaces can also be carburized by using CH 4 , albeit in less extent. On the surface with co-adsorbed CO 2 + 4H; CO 2 dissociation (CO 2 → CO + O → C + 2O) is more favorable than the hydrogenation of CO 2 (CO 2 + H → HCOO or COOH) and CO (CO + H → HCO or COH). It is noted that CO 2 hydrogenation towards CH 4 formation is unlikely on the Mo 2 C(001) surface, while the effective barrier of surface C hydrogenation on the Mo 2 C(101) surface can be reduced by 2O and 2OH pre-covered surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve energy security in an environmentally benign way, China has to convert a significant fraction of its abundant coal resource to clean fuels (liquid fuels or synthetic natural gas, SNG) to meet the fast increasing demand on transportation fuel and municipal gas. Following the successful operation of the 4000 bbl/d Yitai and Luan coal-to-liquids plants using the medium temperature Fischer Tropsch synthesis (MTFT) process technology from Synfuels China, tremendous progresses have been made in upscaling the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) process in China. Past experiences gained from the efforts in this field have shown that further exploration in the coal conversion field requires significant technological improvement on gasification, synthesis, and utilities related to integrating more efficient and environmentally friendly processes on the basis of current status of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by a significant increase in pulmonary vascular resistance, which results in ventricular failure and death. Ambrisentan appears to be an effective treatment in the pathogenesis and progression of ambrisentan, but some researchers disagree. Therefore, this meta-analysis aims to examine the clinical efficacy of ambrisentan in the treatment of PH. Methods: A search of the scientific literature using the Embase, Cochrane, and CHINAHL databases retrieved published studies related to our topic of interest. Eight cohort studies related to ambrisentan and PH treatment were selected on the basis of our strict inclusion and exclusion criteria for a systematic meta-analysis. Statistical analyses were conducted using STATA version 12.0 statistical software (Stata- Corp LP, College Station, Texas). Findings: Our meta-analysis retrieved 124 studies using our search criteria (90 studies in English and 34 studies in Chinese), and 8 studies (4 studies in English and 4 studies in Chinese) were eventually selected for this meta-analysis. The 8 studies contained data on a total of 172 PH patients. Pooled data in our metaanalysis revealed that 6-minute walking distance in PH patients significantly improved after ambrisentan treatment compared with before treatment. The mean pulmonary arterial pressure, brain natriuretic peptide level, and systolic pulmonary artery pressure in PH patients decreased measurably after ambrisentan treatment compared with before treatment. Sensitivity analysis results confirmed that the included studies had no publication bias (all P > 0.05). Implications: Our meta-analysis results demonstrated that ambrisentan is highly effective in improving exercise tolerance and cardiac function in PH patients, and the mean pulmonary arterial pressure, systolic pulmonary artery pressure, and brain natriuretic peptide level levels in PH patients significantly decreased. However, with the limitations of small sample size, insufficient data, and ethnic difference in the study, further studies with larger sample sizes and sufficient information are essential to validate our findings of the high safety profile and efficacy of ambrisentan in treatment of PH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As some evidences demonstrated that atypical antipsychotics (AA) may be efficacious in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), we preformed a meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials (RCTs) of AAs for the treatment of PTSD. Two hundred and fifty one papers were searched and screened. Eight RCTs met the inclusion criteria. AAs may be superior to placebo in the treatment of PTSD, as indicated by the changes in Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) total scores (weighted mean differences (WMD)=-5.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) [-9.21, -2.56], P=0.0005) and also in CAPS subscale intrusion (WMD=-2.58, 95% CI[-3.83, -1.33], P<0.0001 ) and subscale hyperarousal (WMD=-2.94, 95% CI[-5.45, -0.43], P=0.02). The acceptability measured by dropout rates between AAs and placebo showed no statistical difference (OR=1.24, 95%CI [0.78, 1.97], P=0.36). PTSD symptom cluster, especially in intrusion and hyperarousal. However, we should be careful to generalize the conclusion because of the small number of included trails. We expect more RCTs will be done in the future so as to clarify the specific value of AAs for PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isoflavone formononetin is a typical phytoestrogen isolated from Chinese medical herb red clover. It has been reported that estrogens have neuroprotective properties, and dietary intake of phytoestrogens could reduce stroke injury in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) animal models. In the present research, we sought to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of formononetin on I/R rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a 2 h period of right middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 24 h of reperfusion. Then neurological deficits and brain edema were evaluated. To provide insight into the functions of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signaling pathway in formononetin-induced neuroprotection, the expression of ER-α, Bax, Bcl-2, p-Akt (phosphorylated protein kinase B), and p-ERK1/2 (phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2) was determined by qPCR or Western blot assay. Consequently, we found that formononetin has significantly reduced the infarcted volume and the brain water content, and improved the neurological deficit. Formononetin also exhibited an upregulation in ER-α and p-Akt, a downregulation in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. However, formononetin had little effect on p-ERK1/2 proteins expression. Taken together, formononetin has shown neuroprotective effects in cerebral I/R rats, and the molecular mechanisms may correlate with the downregulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the influence of non-thermal plasma treatment on the penetration of a model dental adhesive into the demineralized dentine. Methods: Prepared dentine surfaces were conditioned with Scotchbond Universal etchant for 15 s and sectioned equally perpendicular to the etched surfaces. The separated halves were randomly selected for treatment with an argon plasma brush (input current 6 mA, treatment time 30 s) or gentle argon air blowing (treatment time 30 s, as control). The plasma-treated specimens and control specimens were applied with a model adhesive containing 2,2-bis[4-(2- hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropoxy) phenyl]-propane (BisGMA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) (mass ratio of 30/70), gently air-dried for 5 s, and light-cured for 20 s. Crosssectional specimens were characterized using micro-Raman spectral mapping across the dentine, adhesive/dentine interface, and adhesive layer at 1-m spatial resolution. SEM was also employed to examine the adhesive/dentine interfacial morphology. Results: The micro-Raman result disclosed that plasma treatment significantly improved the penetration of the adhesive, evidenced by the apparently higher content of the adhesive at the adhesive/dentine interface as compared to the control. Specifically, the improvement of the adhesive penetration using plasma technique was achieved by dramatically enhancing the penetration of hydrophilic monomer (HEMA), while maintaining the penetration of hydrophobic monomer (BisGMA). Morphological observation at the adhesive/dentine interface using SEM also confirmed the improved adhesive penetration. The results further suggested that plasma treatment could benefit polymerization of the adhesive, especially in the interface region. Conclusion: The significant role of the non-thermal plasma brush in improving the adhesive penetration into demineralized dentine has been demonstrated. The results obtained may offer a better prospect of using plasma in dental restoration to optimize adhesion between tooth substrate and restorative materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anticancer effect of prepared Cu (II) complexes on HepG2 liver cancer cells. [Display omitted] • [Cu(Phen)(Ida)](NO 3) 2 and [Cu(Phen) 2 (PABA)](NO 3) were synthesized. • Molecular docking study revealed the DNA binding of the Cu (II) complex. • Cu (II) complex demonstrated potent cytotoxicity on HepG2 cancer cells. • Cu (II) complex revealed antibacterial potential against human pathogens. • Cu (II) complex exhibited notable antifungal activity. The current work emphasizes the significance of a new copper (II) complex with [Cu(Phen)(Ida)](NO 3) 2 (Complex-1) [Cu(Phen) 2 (PABA)](NO 3) (Complex-2) (where Phen = 1;10-phenanthroline, Ida = Iminodiacetic acid, PABA = Para amino benzoic acid) has been synthesized and evaluated by using different analytical techniques. The binding mechanism of the Cu (II) complex with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was understood from the UV and fluorescence spectra, as-well as cyclic voltammetry techniques. The stability of the Cu (II) complex was observed from the findings of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy gap. Additionally, molecular docking studies have revealed the binding affinity of the Cu (II) complex within the base pairs of CT-DNA. Subsequently, the Cu (II) complex was studied in cytotoxicity assessments using human liver cancer cells. The MTT assay was employed to evaluate cellular metabolic activity, and how it serves as an indicator while assessing the cell viability, proliferation, and cytotoxic effects. The resulting complex demonstrates significant cytotoxicity against HepG2 cancer cell lines. Furthermore, the complex has been investigated for its antibacterial potential against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus haemolyticus , Bacillus cereus) and Gram-negative (Enterobacter cloacae) bacteria. Also, it exhibits notable antifungal activity against fungi (TrichodermaViride , Clodosorium). The optimized findings indicate that the Cu (II) complex displays exceptional biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Excellent weld joints of high borated steels were produced by electron beam welding. • Weld joints with higher boron content tend to exhibit better mechanical properties. • Post weld heat treatment is a crucial step to fabricate high-performance weld joints. • A proper heat input is essential to obtain weld joints with better ductility. High borated stainless steels (HBSSs) are widely used in nuclear field because of excellent neutron-shielding ability. However, coarse network-like borides are prone to be formed in weld joints during welding process, deteriorating the ductility seriously. In this work, electron beam (EB) welding was adopted to join ∼3.5 mm thick HBSSs containing 0.30–2.12 wt. % boron. Benefiting from high energy density, fine γ-Fe matrix and network-like borides were obtained in fusion zone (FZ) and partially molten zone (PMZ) of weld joints. The effects of boron content, heat input and post weld heat treatment (PWHT) on the microstructure, mechanical properties and fracture behaviour of weld joints were investigated. As boron content increased, narrower PMZ was observed in weld joints owing to smaller solidification temperature range. The volume fraction and size of borides in PMZ/FZ raised, enhancing the strength and decreasing the ductility. Meanwhile, the fracture location of weld joints was closer to the interface of PMZ and base metal (BM) during deformation. Higher heat input brought a wider PMZ and larger penetration depth, but hardly changed the size and distribution of borides. Interestingly, it caused a steep slope of interfacial line between PMZ and BM, leading to the fracture along the interface with low ductility. After PWHT, the borides in PMZ/FZ were spheroidized, and the stress localization during deformation was weakened. Consequently, excellent weld joints exhibiting similar mechanical properties with base steels were produced. This systematic work provided a reference for welding other materials containing coarse and brittle secondary phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano/ultrafine-grained 18Cr–8Ni stainless steel was produced by severe cold deformation followed by annealing. The effect of annealing temperature on the fraction of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs), the kernel average misorientation (KAM), and Schmid factor of steels are revealed through electron backscatter diffraction analysis. The analysis on HAGB, KAM values and Schmid factor frequency provide a mechanistic understanding of the impact of structure on mechanical properties, including hardness, strength, toughness and ductility. In this study, a novel application of persistent homology (PH) was employed to reduce the dimensionality of the information describing the complex processing-structure-property relationship. PH emphasizes the relationship between processing (annealing temperature), structure (distribution of the Schmid factor) and property (strength). Specifically, the PH formalism translates multidimensional data sets into clusters, distinguished by common PH features. In this analysis, two clusters emerge. First, at low annealing temperature, incomplete reversion of austenite in austenitic stainless steels results in materials with a greater fraction of grain boundaries, resulting in high strength and low ductility. Second, at high annealing temperature, fully reversed austenite results in lower, though still acceptable strength and superior ductility. The PH approach is applicable for identifying salient features in complex processing-structure-property relationships and is amenable to analysis of large data sets based on machine learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Synthetic strategies in the preparation of embedded structure, impregnated, and precipitated catalysts have an important effect on the Fe-SiO 2 interaction, morphology, and catalytic performance. • Sintering of iron species is effectively inhibited by SiO 2 shell in Fe@Si catalyst. • Fe-SiO 2 interaction can be manipulated by preparation strategies. • The properties and catalytic performance of Fe-Si FTS catalysts are governed by the configuration and Fe-SiO 2 interaction. The physico-chemical properties of SiO 2 -promoted Fe-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis catalysts were traditionally considered to be governed by Fe-SiO 2 interaction. Here we found that the configuration between SiO 2 and iron species also played a pivotal role in determining the structure and thus FTS performance of the catalysts. Fe@Si catalyst with embedded structure, impregnated Fe/Si catalyst as well as precipitated Fe-Si catalyst was fabricated by different methods respectively, and they were thoroughly characterized by multiple techniques. The results indicated that, despite the weaker Fe-SiO 2 interaction, the construction of SiO 2 shell outside the iron species core in Fe@Si catalyst strongly inhibited the reduction of iron oxides due to the confining effect of SiO 2 shell, which increased the diffusion resistance of H 2 O generated in the reduction process. However, the sintering of iron species was effectively hindered even during FTS reaction by the physical separation of SiO 2 shell. In contrast, iron species in impregnated Fe/Si and precipitated Fe-Si catalyst experienced aggregation with different degrees. The reduction behavior of these two catalysts were well correlated with the strength of Fe-SiO 2 interaction. The FTS performance showed that both Fe@Si and Fe/Si catalyst exhibited higher initial activity but deactivated gradually, while the activity of Fe-Si catalyst displayed an opposite trend. These phenomena were discussed in terms of the variation of iron carbides content at different stages, which was determined not only by Fe-SiO 2 interaction, but also by the manner that SiO 2 and iron species constructed. The present study contributed a new understanding of the structure-performance relationship for SiO 2 -promoted Fe-based FTS catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • AA-TFCW accelerated NH 4 +-N transformation with 6.68 mg/(L·h) in start-up phases. • Heterotroph and autotroph synergistically removed 74.2% TN at low temperature. • HN-AD bacteria achieved direct NH 4 +-N removal by nitrate assimilation pathway. • Ferribacterium and Nitrosomonas carried high-weight key genes for N removal. This study explored the quantitative mechanisms of heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) in a pilot-scale two-stage tidal flow constructed wetland (TFCW). The TFCW packed shale ceramsite (SC) and activated alumina (AA) at each stage, respectively, and aimed to improve decentralized wastewater treatment efficiency. In start-up phases, AA-TFCW accelerated NH 4 +-N decline, reaching transformation rates of 6.68 mg NH 4 +-N/(L·h). In stable phases, SC-AA-TFCW resisted low-temperatures (<13 °C), achieving stable NH 4 +-N and TN removal with effluents ranging 6.36–8.13 mg/L and 9.43–14.7 mg/L, respectively. The dominant genus, Ferribacterium, was the core of HN-AD bacteria, simultaneously removing NH 4 +-N and NO 3 –-N by nitrate assimilation and complete denitrification (NO 3 –-N → N 2), respectively. The quantitative associations highlighted importance of nitrification, nitrate assimilation, and denitrification in nitrogen removal. HN-AD bacteria (e.g., Lactococcus , Thauera , and Aeromonas) carried high-weight genes in quantitative associations, including nap AB, nas A and glt BD, implying that HN-AD bacteria have multiple roles in SC-AA-TFCW operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CO 2 hydrogenation over inverse supported Zr 9 O 18 /Ni(1 1 1) nanocatalyst was computed. • Charge transfer from Ni(1 1 1) to supported Zr 9 O 18 nanoparticle has been found. • Supported Zr 9 O 18 nanoparticle has coordinatively unsaturated Zr sites at interface. • H 2 prefers dissociative adsorption on Ni(1 1 1) and CO 2 activation prefers interface Zr sites. • Surface HCOO is the most important intermediate and methanol is the selective product. To tune the activity and selectivity of CO 2 hydrogenation, inverse supported Zr 9 O 18 /Ni(1 1 1) catalysts are designed based on ab initio molecular dynamics simulation and density functional theory calculation under the consideration of the number of interfacial O and Zr atoms as well as the interaction between O and Zr atoms. For the most stable catalyst with coordinatively unsaturated interface Zr sites, charge transfer from surface to oxide has been found. The Ni(1 1 1) surface is pre-covered by H atoms and the interface Zr sites can activate CO 2 to a large extent, and their interaction results in the spontaneous formation of surface formate. Further hydrogenation of surface formate leads to the selective formation of methanol with an apparent Gibbs free energy barrier of 0.62 eV, lower than that of methane formation (1.09 eV). On the contrary to metallic nickel and supported nickel catalysts, the most favoured methanol formation route [HCOO → CHO → CH 2 O → CH 3 O → CH 3 OH] does not involve CO as intermediate, revealing the mediated interface effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]