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Annealing plays a pivotal role in optimizing the morphology and quantity of cooling martensite within the solid solution matrix of additively manufactured Fe-based memory alloys. In this study, we utilized laser filament deposition to create Fe-17Mn-6Si-9Cr-5Ni alloy, and subsequently compared the microstructure and memory properties of the alloy following two treatments: a 900∘C× 60 min solution treatment and a solid solution + annealing treatment at various durations at 600∘C. Our aim was to investigate how annealing time impacts the memory properties of additively manufactured Fe-Mn-Si-Cr-Ni alloys in their solid solution state, focusing on microstructural changes during the metamorphic and revertive states. The findings reveal that after the solution treatment, the alloy contains a higher number of cooling martensite units, but their arrangement is disordered, indicating a lower degree of order. However, after a 10 min annealing treatment, the quantity of cooling martensite slightly diminishes, while their arrangement becomes more orderly. With prolonged annealing, both the quantity of cooling martensite and the grain size of the alloy decrease significantly. Consequently, after a 10-min annealing treatment, the alloy exhibits a 31% increase in shape recovery rate under a 6% pre-deformation compared to the alloy subjected solely to the solution treatment, and the recoverable strain reaches 4.59%. This demonstrates that an appropriately timed annealing process can transform the disordered cooling martensite within the solid solution structure of additive manufacturing Fe-based memory alloys into a more regular arrangement, thereby enhancing their memory performance.

The alkaloids huperzine A and huperzine B were originally isolated from the Chinese club moss Huperzia serrata. They are known inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase, and especially huperzine A shows pharmaceutical potential for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Its supply heavily relies on natural plant sources belonging to the genus Huperzia, which shows considerable interspecific huperzine A variations. Furthermore, taxonomic controversy remains in this genus, particularly in the Huperzia selago group. With focus on Icelandic H. selago taxa, we aimed to explore the relatedness of Huperzia species using multi-locus phylogenetic analysis, and to investigate correlations between huperzine A contents, morphotypes, and genotypes. Phylogenetic analysis was performed with five chloroplastic loci (the intergenic spacer between the photosystem II protein D1 gene and the tRNA-His gene, maturase K, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit, tRNA-Leu, and the intergenic spacer region between tRNA-Leu and tRNA-Phe). Huperzine A and huperzine B contents were determined using an HPLC-UV method. The phylogenetic analysis suggests that previously proposed Huperzia appressa and Huperzia arctica should not be considered species, but rather subspecies of H. selago. Three genotypes of Icelandic H. selago were identified and presented in a haplotype networking diagram. A significantly (p < 0.05) higher amount of huperzine A was found in H. selago genotype 3 (264-679 µg/g) than genotype 1 (20-180 µg/g), where the former shows a typical green and reflexed "selago" morphotype. The huperzine A content in genotype 3 is comparable to Chinese H. serrata and a good alternative huperzine A source. Genotype 2 contains multiple morphotypes with a broad huperzine A content (113-599 µg/g). The content of huperzine B in Icelandic taxa (6-13 µg/g) is much lower than that in Chinese H. serrata (79-207 µg/g). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fungus ball is an extramucosal fungal proliferation that completely fills one or more paranasal sinuses and usually occurs as a unilateral infection. It is mainly caused by Aspergillus spp [...]

In recent years, the great achievements of basic medical and healthcare services of BRICS have gained great attention and acknowledgement from the whole world. In their medical system reform, India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa have established their medical systems with their own characteristics. This provides valuable references for China in its critical stage of medical system reform. This paper explored the experience of BRICS’ reform of medical system in order to offer some references and guidance for the establishment of basic medical and health services with Chinese characteristics and conforming to Chinese practice.

In our continuing efforts to identify effective naturally sourced agents for diabetic complications, five caffeoylated phenylpropanoid glycosides, acteoside (1), isoacteoside (2), poliumoside (3), brandioside (4), and pheliposide (5) were isolated from the 80% EtOH extract of Brandisia hancei stems and leaves. These isolates (1-5) were subjected to an in vitro bioassay evaluating their inhibitory activity on advanced glycation end product formation and rat lens aldose reductase activity. All tested compounds exhibited significant inhibition of advanced glycation end product formationwith IC50 values of 4.6-25.7 μM, compared with those of aminoguanidine (IC50 = 1056 μM) and quercetin (IC50 = 28.4 μM) as positive controls. In the rat lens aldose reductase assay, acteoside, isoacteoside, and poliumoside exhibited greater inhibitory effects on rat lens aldose reductase with IC50 values of 0.83, 0.83, and 0.85 μM, respectively, than those of the positive controls, 3,3-tetramethyleneglutaric acid (IC50= 4.03 μM) and quercetin (IC50 = 7.2 μM). In addition, the effect effect of acteoside on the dilation of hyaloid-retinal vessels induced by high glucose in larval zebrafish was investigated. Acteoside reduced the diameters of high glucose-induced hyaloid-retinal vessels by 69% at 10 μMand 81% at 20 μM, compared to the high glucose-treated control group. These results suggest that B. hancei and its active components might be beneficial in the treatment and prevention of diabetic vascular complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reported in this paper is a karyomorphological study on one natural population of each of eight varieties in theSpiraea japonicacomplex. The interphase and mitotic prophase can be classified into the simple chromocenter type and the proximal type, respectively. The metaphase karyotypes of the eight varieties were formulated as follows:S. japonicavar.japonica: 2n=18=14m+2sm+2st;S. japonicavar.acuta: 2n=18=11m+4sm+3st;S. japonicavar.incisa: 2n=18=12m+4sm+2st;S. japonicavar.stellaris: 2n=18=15m+1sm+2st;S. japonicavar.acuminata: 2n=18=14m+2sm+2st;S. japonicavar.ovalifolia: 2n=18=10m+2sm+2st+4t;S. japonicavar.glabra: 2n=18=10m+4sm+4st;S. japonicavar.fortunei: 2n=36=17m+16sm+3st. Karyomorphological study reveals that the chromosome numbers within the complex are stable, and that karyomorphological divergence between the varieties lies mainly in chromosome size and organization. Based on the karyomorphological data and geographical distribution of the complex, the differentiation pattern as well as evolutionary mechanism of the complex is evaluated.