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Metal doping for active sites exhibits remarkable potential for improving the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Multi-doping and the use of a conductive substrate can further modulate catalytic performance. Herein, Nb-CoSe well dispersed in N-doped carbon nanospheres (NCs, Nb-CoSe@NC) was synthesized to serve as a conductive substrate and facilitated good dispersion of active sites for the HER. Nb doping can also change the electronic structure of CoSe, which facilitates the activity for the HER. In order to further improve the conductivity and intrinsic activity of Nb-CoSe@NC, dual, nonmetal doping was realized through gas sulfurization to prepare hierarchical Nb-CoSeS@NC. The prepared Nb-CoSeS@NC, with a core-shell structure, exhibited a low overpotential of 115 mV at 10 mA cm–2, which is smaller than that of the most doped catalysts. In addition, NCs not only improved the dispersion and conductivity of the catalyst but also prevented metal corrosion in an electrolyte, thus facilitating the long-term stability of Nb-CoSeS@NC. Moreover, the synergistic effect of the multi-doping of Nb, S, and Se was explained. This work provides a promising, multi-doping strategy for the large-scale application of transition-metal-based electrocatalysts for the HER.

As the cost-effective and nontoxic alternative for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), Co9S8 has attracted much attention. This paper explores the regulation of Zn doping impacted the unique nanostructure and electrocatalytic performance on Co9S8. Herein, utilizing copper foam (CF) as substrate, a series of different nanostructure of (Zn-)Co9S8@CF has been synthesized by accurately varying the ratio of Zn2+ to Co2+. Compared with aggregated pure Co9S8 and other different ratios contrast samples, Zn–Co9S8@CF-(1-1) with a zinc to cobalt ratio of 1 possesses highly dispersity which can be attributed to the novel nano-neuron network structure. The electrochemical measurements for HER demonstrate that Zn–Co9S8@CF-(1-1) not only reveals superior activity with small overpotentials to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in acidic (278 mV) and alkaline (273 mV) media, but also exhibits long-time durability in the solution with a wide range of pH. The excellent performance of Zn–Co9S8@CF-(1-1) can be attributed to the unique reticular structure which can facilitate exposure of numerous active sites and favorable long-term stability. The substrate of three-dimensional CF can provide the remarkable conductivity. This work provides a precise and effective approach to regulate three-dimensional nanostructure of Zn-doped electrocatalysts for HER.

In situ electrochemical activation as a new pretreating method to adjust electrocatalytic performance attracts extensive attention. However, the activation mechanisms of electrocatalysts are still ambiguous. Herein, we propose a facile modulation strategy of in situ cathodic activation of FePx based on W-incorporation (W-FePx/IF) for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The activated W-FeOx with obvious surface reconstruction demonstrates the role of W-incorporation for driving the cathodic activation of FePx, which suggests the larger surface area and more active sites. In fact, W incorporation can not only accelerate the cathodic activation process but also act as the adsorption sites for Had to form the synergistic effect with FeOx for water dissociation. The obtained W-FeOx/IF exhibits greatly enhanced HER activity featuring decreased overpotential from 237.7 to 154.0 mV at 100 mA cm−2, which may be ascribed to W-FeOx with double catalytic active sites after cathodic activation. Additionally, the modulation effects of cathodic activation can be exactly achieved by changing electrochemical parameters such as CV cycles. W-FeOx/IF also shows excellent long-term stability for at least 100 h at 100 mA cm−2. This modulation engineering based on metal doping is expected to provide inspiration for the understanding of the cathodic activation process for efficient electrocatalysts.

Background: Patients with Meniere's disease (MD) may present with peripheral vestibular end organ dysfunction and balance dysfunction. Objective: This study aimed to compare the results of vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) tests with those of the sensory organization test (SOT) in patients with MD to determine whether they are correlated. Material and methods: In total, 132 patients with unilateral MD were evaluated using an audiometric test, the SOT, a caloric test and VEMP tests. Results: Cervical VEMP and ocular VEMP tests were conducted in 132 patients with MD, and the response rates of the affected side were lower than those of the unaffected side. The composite score, C5ES, and C6ES of the SOT were significantly decreased in patients with no VEMP responses compared to those with VEMP responses. Conclusions and significance: MD patients with no VEMP responses are more likely to develop balance impairment than those with VEMP responses. MD patients with otolith organ impairment may therefore have balance disorders, and should exercise caution to prevent falls and subsequent injuries.

The metal cations, Al

Otogenic lateral sinus thrombosis (OLST) is a rare complication of otitis media. We do not know whether the disease progress between the pediatric and adult OLST patients is consistent. However, pediatric surgical methods always refer to the adults'. This study aimed to seek evidence for suitable surgical methods in pediatric patients. The clinical manifestation, laboratory findings, and findings in operation between children and adult groups were compared. Ten children and 17 adults OLST patients were included. Most pediatric patients had no history of chronic otitis media or cholesteatoma (pppp Conservative surgery is recommended to pediatric OLST to obliterate the diseases and improve middle ear and mastoid drainage, preserving hearing function.

OBJECTIVES To determine the clinical characteristics of papilloma involving the external auditory canal (PEAC) in a region of China. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective study. METHODS Demographics, manifestations, imaging results, histopathology, and treatment of 67 patients diagnosed with PEAC in a period of 6 years were analyzed at Shanghai Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital in China. RESULTS PEAC were encountered in patients between the ages of 12 and 82 years (mean 53.8 years). It was more prevalent in men (82%) than in women (18%) (P

Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations were performed on

A new acylhydrazine-derived Schiff base fluorescence probe DMI based on "ON-OFF-ON" fluorescence strategy was presented in this paper. Probe DMI could detect Cu

In order to study the influence of the helical groove number, contraction angle, center hole cylinder end diameter, length diameter ratio and other key design parameters of the new combined double jet nozzle structure on the Jet effect. Establishing turbulence model, and the numerical simulation analysis of different design parameters have been carried out according to the actual working conditions. Analysis results show that under the 60 MPa working pressure and when the helical groove number is 3, the jet velocity of the center hole and the edge hole will reach the best rock breaking effect. According to the jet velocity of the cylinder end of the central hole, the optimal shrinkage angle is 20° and the best center hole diameter is 0.4 mm; The best length to diameter ratio was 5 when considering the influence of turbulent kinetic energy. The optimization of the key design parameters have important significance for the new combined dual jet nozzle to further improve the efficiency of rock breaking.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To assess the somatosensory dysfunction of the auricle and periotic skin in patients undergoing otitis media surgery. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective study. METHODS Symptoms of periotic somatosensory function after surgery were investigated in 100 patients (42 males, 58 females, mean age 41.39 years) who underwent otitis media surgery. Questionnaires on periotic somatosensory disturbance were answered after surgery at least over 1 year postoperatively. RESULTS Of 100 tympanoplasties, all patients were completed within a postauricular approach. The highest incidence rates of periotic sensory disturbance were found in the postauricular region (75%), followed by the auricular region (20.83%); lower rates were found in the preauricular region (2.08%) and the earlobe (2.08%). Periotic somatosensory dysfunction occurred in 48 patients (48%). The most prevalent somatosensory abnormality was tactile hypoaesthesia/numbness, evident in 28% of the patients; more remarkable, inferior postauricular region. Periotic pain was reported by 21% of the cases, mostly located in the upper auricle. Compared to the recovery time of tactile hypoaesthesia (7.36 months), patients' periotic somatosensory pain improved significantly within 4.07 months, which has obvious statistical significance (P

This paper presents a new ship target detection algorithm to achieve efficient visual maritime surveillance from non-stationary surface platforms, e.g., buoys and ships, equipped with CCD cameras. In the proposed detector, the three main steps including horizon detection, background modeling and background subtraction, are all based on Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT). By exploiting the characteristics of DCT blocks, we simply extract the horizon line providing an important cue for sea-surface modeling. The DCT-based feature vectors are calculated as the sample input to a Gaussian mixture model which is effective in representing dynamic ocean textures, such as waves, wakes and foams. Having modeled sea regions, we perform the ship detection using background subtraction followed by foreground segmentation. Experimental results with various maritime images demonstrate that the proposed ship detection algorithm outperforms the traditional techniques in terms of both detection accuracy and real-time performance, especially for complex sea-surface background with large waves.

To observe the efficacy of auricular acupoint sticking based on conventional treatment in treating pain in early-stage extremity trauma. A hundred eligible patients with acute soft tissue injury or acute closed fracture were randomized into an observation group and a control group by their admission sequence, 50 cases in each group. The two groups both received routine management including routine checking, external fixing, traction, raising up the affected limb, etc., as well as cold compress with Chinese medication (Xiao Zhong Zhi Tong Powder). In addition to the routine management, the control group was given oral administration of amidopyrine and phenacetin compound tablet, 1 tablet per dose, twice a day, which was then taken only when necessary or terminated after pain subsided. The observation group was given auricular acupoint sticking in addition to the routine management. The two groups were compared in terms of numerical rating scale (NRS) score, therapeutic efficacy and adverse reactions after pain was relieved. After the intervention, the NRS scores dropped significantly in both groups (P

A strategy to suppress the expression of the DNA repair enzyme O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) by inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling may be useful as a novel treatment for pituitary adenoma. Previous studies have reported that Tanshinone IIA (TSA), a major quinone compound isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza, had antitumor effects. However, whether TSA has antitumor effects against pituitary adenoma and whether the mechanisms are associated with the Wnt/β-catenin/MGMT pathway remains to be clarified. In the present study, TSA treatment caused apoptosis in AtT-20 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, as demonstrated by cell viability reduction, phophatidylserine externalization detected by Annexin V staining and mitochondrial membrane potential disruption detected by JC-1 staining, which were associated with activation of caspase-3 and DNA fragmentation detected by TUNEL in AtT-20 cells. T-cell factor (TCF)-lymphoid-enhancing factor (LEF) reporter activity was determined by dual luciferase reporter assay and the interaction between β-catenin and TCF-4 were detected using a co-immunoprecipitation kit. The results indicated TSA treatment increased β-catenin phosphorylation, inhibited β-catenin nuclear translocation, reduced β-catenin/TCF-4 complex formation and TCF-LEF luciferase reporter activity, and subsequently reduced the expression of cyclin D1 and MGMT. Notably, overexpression of MGMT in β-catenin knock down AtT-20 cells abrogated the TSA-mediated effects in AtT-20 cells. In conclusion, TSA induced apoptosis via inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin-dependent MGMT expression, which may provide novel insights into the understanding of the mechanism of the antitumor effects of Salvia miltiorrhiza.

Temozolomide (TMZ) is the cornerstone of therapy for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, its efficacy is limited due to the development of multidrug resistance (MDR). In this study, we first identified the occurrence of ER stress-tolerance (ERST) in glioma cells and confirmed that ERST was positively correlated with TMZ resistance. We further showed that the seesaw-effect of HDAC6-p97/VCP (increased HDAC6 and decreased p97/VCP) in glioma cells was crucial to ERST-associated TMZ resistance. Moreover, the combination treatment of Tubastatin A (TUB, a selective inhibitor of HDAC6) and TMZ synergistically overcame ERST, reduced cell viability and induced apoptosis in TMZ-resistant glioma cells. TUB and TMZ triggered pro-apoptotic signals of the unfolded protein response (UPR) and ER stress and reversed the ratio between HDAC6 and p97/VCP, which potentially attenuated the activation of heat shock proteins and mediated the reversal of ERST. The combination treatment also triggered the dissociation of Dynein-HDAC6 and attenuation of the Dynein-Dynactin motor complex. In addition, this treatment induced HDAC6-p97/VCP-mediated ubiquitination-autophagy turnover, which was involved in the degradation and clearance of ubiquitinated misfolded proteins. This effect could be partially reversed by HDAC6 KO and/or p97/VCP overexpression. Therefore, we proposed that glioma cells optimized the clearance of ubiquitinated misfolded proteins via the reinforcement of HDAC6-facilitated autophagy and attenuation of the p97/VCP-mediated ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). In conclusion, our findings showed that the balance of HDAC6-p97/VCP was crucial to ERST-associated TMZ resistance and that HDAC6 inhibition might be a synergistic target and strategy along with TMZ for the improvement of clinical glioma treatment.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most frequent, lethal and aggressive tumour of the central nervous system (CNS) in adults. Multidrug resistance (MDR) results in undesirable prognosis during GBM chemotherapy. In this study, we determined that Radicol (RAD), a novel trinorguaiane-type sesquiterpene originally isolated from the root of Dictamnus radicis Cortex, exhibited potently cytotoxic effect on temozolomide (TMZ)-resistant GBM cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Radicol-induced apoptosis was confirmed with Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end-labelling (TUNEL) staining. Studies investigating the mechanism revealed that RAD triggered an attenuation of protein disulphide isomerase (PDI) and induced the unmitigated unfolded protein response (UPR) and lethal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Simultaneously, we further demonstrated that RAD suppressed the activation of Akt/mTOR/p70S6K phosphorylation by up-regulating the induction of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). These results established a link between RAD-induced ER stress and inhibition of the Akt/mTOR/p70S6K pathway, and the attenuation of PDI and activation of GSK-3β might be the synergistic target of antineoplastic effects during RAD-induced apoptosis. These findings suggested that RAD, possessing multiple cytotoxicity targets, low molecular weight and high lipid solubility, could be a promising agent for the treatment of malignant gliomas. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Deep penetration of radial horizontal drilling techniques from existing within the wellbore radial drilling in formation, is for the old oil fields, the marginal oil field, low permeable reservoirs and coal bed methane development provides an effective recovery or economic means to improve the single well production. Using integrated hydraulic deep penetrating technology of downhole tools can be up to 2 m length of horizontal drilling, hole diameter 20–50 mm, can effectively penetrate the drilling, completion and conventional shells perforating technology in the form of pollution area near wellbore area, to penetrate auxiliary directional fracturing can effectively transform low permeability fractured reservoir. Using the radial jet of step-by-step horizontal drilling technology, use under continuous tube on drilling tools, horizontal drilling length of 20–50 m or more. It points out the traction ability of nozzle and drilling performance is the length of the horizontal drilling and for the key factors influencing the maximum range.

Identifying and detecting similar target cations through combining "turn on" and "turn off" fluorescence mechanism is effective and challenging. Now a new colorimetric and ON-OFF-ON fluorescent probe N'-((7-(diethylamino)-2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)methylene)-3-hydroxy-2-naphthohydrazide (L) was reported, which could detect Cu

A new dual functional turn-on chemosensor, 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol-di(isoquinolinyl-1-hydrazone) (HL), has been developed, which could highly selectively discriminate Mg

Transition metal sulfides/selenides are promising choice for electrocatalytic water splitting. However, the relatively low conductivity and utilization of active sites severely hinder its commercial application for H2 and O2 generation. Therefore, carbon substrates have been used to construct carbon–based transition metal sulfides/selenides for improving the dispersion and charge transfer rate of active sites. Herein, the research progress and all kinds of carbon–based transition metal sulfides/selenides have been systematically summarized and discussed. Moreover, various of strategies for boosting the properties of transition metal sulfides, selenides and sulfoselenides such as carbon substrate design, nanostructure construction, ion doping and surface engineering in terms of active sites are introduced in detail. Finally, this review briefly summarizes the challenges and research direction of carbon–based transition metal sulfur selenides for electrocatalytic water splitting, providing new inspiration for the rational design of high–performance catalysts.

High levels of glucocorticoids (GCs) have been reported to damage normal hippocampal neurons, and such damage has been positively correlated with major depression (MD) and chronic stress. Our previous study showed that HDAC6 might be a potential target to regulate GC-induced glucocorticoid receptor (GR) translocation to the mitochondria and subsequent apoptosis. In the present study, we investigated the effect of HPOB, a selective HDAC6 inhibitor, on corticosterone (Cort)-induced apoptosis and explored the possible mechanism of action of HPOB in rat adrenal pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, which possesses typical neuron features and expresses high levels of glucocorticoid receptors. We demonstrated that pre-treatment with HPOB remarkably reduced Cort-induced cytotoxicity and confirmed the anti-apoptotic effect of HPOB via the caspase-3 activity assay and H33342/PI and TUNEL double staining. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that HPOB reversed the Cort-induced elevation of GR levels in the mitochondria and blocked concomitant mitochondrial dysfunction and the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Furthermore, HPOB was shown to attenuate expression of the multi-chaperone machinery (Hsp90-Hop-Hsp70) and cooperate with mitochondrial translocase of the outer/inner membrane (TOM/TIM) complex recruitment by triggering hyperacetylation of Hsps through HDAC6 inhibition. Considering all of these findings, the neuroprotective effect of HPOB demonstrated the crucial role of HDAC6 inhibition in reducing Cort-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells. The data further suggested that the anti-apoptotic activity of HDAC6 inhibition against the mitochondria-mediated impairment pathway might be mechanistically linked to the hyperacetylation of Hsps and consequent suppression of GR translocation to the mitochondria.

Xu et al.'s recent experimental work ( Adv. Mater. 2017, 29, 1702007) suggested that C

Developing high performance fluorescent chemo-sensors for in vitro and in vivo Al

The 60 MN build-up force transfer system (60 MN FTS) was established at 2014 in Fujian Province Institute of Metrology (FJIM), China, which is used to transfer or calibrate large force over 20 MN, and to do inter-comparison of force standards. It had been used to compare large force between 60 MN BM, FJIM and 30 MN HM, NPL, UK [1][2][3]. The paper described principle, construction and main specifications of the 60 MN FTS.

Multiple frequencies constraints and analytical sensitivity methods were used in the structural optimization design of the side plate of 4YK1860 vibrating screen to reduce the damage of side plate caused by high dynamic stress. The mass of side plate of the vibrating screen was taken as object function, mode frequencies were regarded as state parameters, size of the plate was used as the constraint parameter and an optimization criterion which is applicable to solve this kind of problem was given. Meanwhile, sensitivity characteristics of variable parameters were considered during the process of optimization. The results show that the optimization program with embedded analytical sensitivity calculation methods is of a higher solving precision and with a more stable calculating process. After structure optimization, the thickness of side plate to withstand large impact is increased, the thickness of stiffener and peripheral angle is decreased, the mass of side plate is reduced by 7.75% and a better optimization effect is achieved. The analysis of the optimal vibrating screen presents that the mass of vibrating screen decreases by 3.5%, elastic deformation frequency which is close to the working frequency increases by 8.8% and the dynamic stress decreases by 48%. The natural frequencies of vibrating screen are improved and modal frequency is far from the working frequency of the exciting motor, stress concentration of vibrating screen is weakened and thus the structural stiffness and reliability of vibrating screen are enhanced.

A new aluminum ion fluorescent probe (4-(diethylamino)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)isoquinoline-1-carbohydrazide (HL

Plant-derived natural products have been the highly significant sources of novel antitumor agents. The cassane-type diterpenes of genus Caesalpinia have been reported to bear antiproliferative activities toward different types of cancer cells. In this study, we evaluated the antineoplasmic activities of 16 natural origin cassane-type diterpenes isolated from the CHCl3 extract of the seeds of C. minax in pituitary adenomas cells and identified caesalpin G (CAG) showed the strongest cytotoxicity. Moreover, we further investigated the structure-activity relationship and molecular mechanism of these derivatives systematically. The results confirmed the unsaturated lactone-type ring, hydroxyl at C-7, and alkenyl at C-11 or C-14 functionality as critical for anticancer activity in this family of natural products. In addition, the mechanism experiments also demonstrated unfolded protein response and ER stress and Wnt/β-catenin pathway were involved in the CAG-induced apoptosis.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most frequent, lethal and aggressive tumour of the central nervous system (CNS) in adults. Multidrug resistance (MDR) results in undesirable prognosis during GBM chemotherapy. In this study, we determined that Radicol (RAD), a novel trinorguaiane-type sesquiterpene originally isolated from the root of Dictamnus radicis Cortex, exhibited potently cytotoxic effect on temozolomide (TMZ)-resistant GBM cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Radicol-induced apoptosis was confirmed with Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end-labelling (TUNEL) staining. Studies investigating the mechanism revealed that RAD triggered an attenuation of protein disulphide isomerase (PDI) and induced the unmitigated unfolded protein response (UPR) and lethal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Simultaneously, we further demonstrated that RAD suppressed the activation of Akt/mTOR/p70S6K phosphorylation by up-regulating the induction of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). These results established a link between RAD-induced ER stress and inhibition of the Akt/mTOR/p70S6K pathway, and the attenuation of PDI and activation of GSK-3β might be the synergistic target of antineoplastic effects during RAD-induced apoptosis. These findings suggested that RAD, possessing multiple cytotoxicity targets, low molecular weight and high lipid solubility, could be a promising agent for the treatment of malignant gliomas. Copyright © 2017 John WileySons, Ltd.