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Abstract: The ferroelectric hysteresis loops of (1− x)BiScO3–xPbTiO3 (BSPT) ceramics with different phase structure were measured under sinusoidal electric fields. Three-stage behaviors between ln〈A〉 (〈A〉 is hysteresis loop area) and ln E 0 (E 0 is the amplitude of field) were identified with the increasing of E 0. These three-stage behaviors reflected different polarization behavior in each stage, which were distinct from the existing two-stage behavior. The shifting of dividing points between two stages with the evolution of phase structure revealed that in the tetragonal phase domain switching has a higher activation field due to the different domain structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstracts: Objectives: To investigate the association between cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A) gene, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2B (CDKN2B) gene, and methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) gene and myocardial infarction (MI) in Chinese Hans. Design and methods: A total of 432 patients with MI and 430 controls were included in the study. Nine polymorphisms in the MTAP gene, two polymorphisms in the CDKN2A gene, and two polymorphisms in the CDKN2B gene were selected using a tagging single nucleotide polymorphism (tSNP) strategy. Results: We observed that rs7027989 in the MTAP gene, and rs3217992 and rs1063192 in the CDKN2B gene were significantly associated with MI in male subjects. For rs7027989 and rs3217992, male subjects with the AA or AG genotypes had 1.26-fold and 1.24-fold increased risk of MI, respectively, compared with those with the GG genotype. For rs1063192, the G allele was associated with a reduced risk of MI with a per-allele OR of 0.71 in male subjects. The risk of rs7027989 and rs1063192 remained significant after adjusting for covariates. Conclusions: This study demonstrates for the first time that polymorphisms in CDKN2B and MTAP gene may influence the risk of MI in Chinese. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Seven new secondary metabolites and two known analogues were isolated from Daldinia sp. TJ403-LS1. • Their structures were elucidated via extensive spectroscopic analyses and ECD calculations. • Compound 1 showed potent immunosuppressive activity. • Compounds 1 , 6 , 8 , and 9 showed significant BChE inhibitory activity. Five new acetylenic phenol derivatives (1 – 4 and 7), one new benzofuran derivative (8), one new naphthol derivative (9), and two known analogues (5 and 6), were isolated and identified from an endophytic fungus Daldinia sp. TJ403-LS1 that was isolated from the medicinally valuable plant Anoectochilus roxburghii. Their structures were elucidated by means of extensive spectroscopic analyses and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. In addition, compound 1 exhibited remarkable immunosuppressive activity against LPS and anti-CD3/anti-CD28 mAbs activated murine splenocytes proliferation with the same IC 50 values of 0.06 μM and BChE inhibitory activity with an IC 50 value of 6.93 ± 0.71 μM, and compounds 6 , 8 and 9 showed excellent BChE inhibitory activity with IC 50 values of 16.00 ± 0.30, 23.33 ± 0.55, and 15.53 ± 0.39 μM, respectively (positive drug neostigmine, IC 50 = 49.60 ± 6.10 μM), highlighting the promising potentials to be designed and developed as immunosuppressive and BChE inhibitory agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A simple process has been investigated to synthesize nanocrystalline Ba0.70Sr0.30TiO3 (BST) powders via a nonhydrolytic sol–gel method by using barium acetate, strontium acetate, titanium tetrabutoxide, ethanol, acetic acid and acetylacetone as the starting materials. Thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were used to examine the decomposition behaviour of the xerogel. The particle size of BST is close to 30nm calculated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Using these nanocrystalline BST powders, dense BST ceramics with ultrafine grains were obtained by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The grain size effect on the dielectric properties was studied. It was shown that as the grain size decreased, the transition temperature (T c) and the dielectric constant decreased and the transition became diffuse. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Oxidized glutathione C60 derivative has been synthesized and characterized in our research. As a novel derivative of C60, the glutathione C60 derivative is soluble in dimethylsulfoxide, dimethylformamide and dimethylacetamide. Rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells are treated with hydrogen peroxide and underwent cytotoxicity; apoptotic death is determined by MTT assay, flow cytometry analysis, PI/Hoechst 33342 staining and glutathione assay. The results suggest that glutathione C60 derivative has the potential to prevent oxidative stress-induced cell death without evident toxicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Zr–N diffusion barriers were deposited on the Si substrates by rf reactive magnetron sputtering under various substrate bias voltages. Cu films were subsequently sputtered onto the Zr–N films by dc pulse magnetron sputtering without breaking vacuum. The Cu/Zr–N/Si specimens were then annealed up to 650°C in N2 ambient for an hour. The effects of deposition bias on growth rate, film resistivity, microstructure, and diffusion barrier properties of Zr–N films were investigated. An increase in negative substrate bias resulted in a decrease in deposition rate together with a decrease in resistivity. It was found that the sheet resistances of Cu/Zr–N(−200V)/Si contact system were lower than those of Cu/Zr–N(−50V)/Si specimens after annealing at 650°C. Cu/Zr–N(−200V)/Si contact systems showed better thermal stability so that the Cu3Si phase could not be detected. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ba(Zr x Ti1−x )O3 (BZT) (x =0.25, 0. 3, 0.35, 0.4) ceramics were prepared by the traditional ceramic processing and their structural, surface morphological, dielectric properties, tunable properties as well as the mechanism of their nonlinear dielectric constant under DC electric field were systemically examined. The Zr ions substitution of Ti ions has a strong effect on the dielectric properties and the grain sizes. The results show Ba(Zr x Ti1−x )O3 (x =0.25, 0.3, 0.35) ceramics to be promising candidates for the DC electric field tunable materials for microwave electronics application, because they exhibit high tunability (27.6%, 26.3%, 19.4%, respectively) as the strength of electric field is up to 2kV/mm, low dielectric loss (0.001–0.002, 0.001–0.002, 0.004–0.005, respectively) at 10kHz at room temperature and low temperature coefficient of capacitance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Undoped and ZrO2 doped (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0wt.%) Ba0.55Sr0.45TiO3/MgO composites were prepared by traditional ceramic processing. The ZrO2 doping effect on the structural, surface morphological, tunability and dielectric properties were systemically investigated. The result shows that the tunability of Ba0.55Sr0.45TiO3/MgO composites was improved by using ZrO2 dopant. The Ba0.55Sr0.45TiO3/MgO composite with 1.0wt.% ZrO2 dopant exhibits high tunability (17% at 2.5kV/mm), low dielectric constant (200) and a low microwave loss (0.005, 2.7GHz), which are suitable for microwave tunable application. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Undoped and La2O3doped (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0wt.%) Ba0.55Sr0.45TiO3/MgO composites were prepared by traditional ceramic processing and their structural, surface morphological, tunable properties and their dielectric properties at low frequency and microwave frequency were systemically examined. The result shows that La2O3 dopant has a strong effect on the average grain size. The La2O3 doped samples have lower temperature coefficient of capacitance than the undoped. The 0.5wt.% La2O3 doped sample has a little higher tunability than the undoped and the tunability of other doping concentration samples is lower as compared to the undoped. The addition of La2O3 decreases the dielectric constant and increases quality factor (Q × f) at microwave frequency. The 0.5wt.% La2O3 doped samples have the best properties among these samples and have a higher tunability, lower dielectric constant and lower dielectric loss tangent at microwave frequency and these properties are very beneficial to the development of the tunable devices application. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A correction to the article "Transient Exposure to Sodium Butyrate After Germinal Vesicle Breakdown Improves Meiosis But Not Developmental Competence in Pig Oocytes" that was published in a 2012 issue is presented.

Abstract: Acceptor (Mn-, Co-) doped and donor Y-doped Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 have been prepared by traditional ceramic processing and their structural, surface morphological, dielectric and tunable properties were investigated. The results show all dopants to have a strong effect on the average grain size. The curie temperature of all doped specimens decreases and their temperature spectrum broadens. Loss tangent at 15°C and low frequency (10kHz) increases for all doped specimens whereas the loss tangent at high frequency (100MHz) is not affected. The tunability of all the doped specimens is lower than the undoped one. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Films of Cu/Cu(Ru) and Cu(Ru) were deposited on Si substrates by magnetron sputtering. Samples were subsequently annealed and analyzed by four-point probe (FPP) measurement, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). After annealing at 500°C, resistivity values of both systems decrease, but the reduction is more significant for Cu(Ru). Moreover, the resistivity values of annealed Cu(Ru) film are still greater than those of annealed Cu/Cu(Ru) film. XRD data suggest that Cu/Cu(Ru) film has higher thermal stability and Cu silicide cannot be observed up to 500°C. According to TEM results, after annealing at 500°C, the grain size of the Cu(Ru) film is smaller than that of Cu/Cu(Ru) film. In conjunction with AES, XRD, TEM analyses and sheet resistance measurement, it indicates that Cu/Cu(Ru) seed layers are potentially good for advanced Cu interconnects from the views of interfacial stability and low resistivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Computer assisted bone age assessment (BAA) integrated with a clinical PACS is described. The image analysis is performed on a DICOM compliant workstation able to accept images from a PACS server or directly from an image modality (digital radiography or film scanner). Images can be processed in two modes. If the image is acquired from a normally developed subject, it can be added to the digital hand atlas. An image may also be subjected only to a diagnostic analysis for the BAA without archiving the features in the database. The image analysis is performed in three steps. A location of six region of interest is followed by their segmentation and feature extraction. The features analysis results in retrieving the closest image match from the standard database. Based on currently analyzed image data in the hand atlas, the standard deviation of the assessment bone age does not exceed 1 yr of age. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents information on a study which discussed the time- and frequency-domain analysis of the extraction of epiphyseal/metaphyseal regions of interest. Classification issues leading to bone age assessment; Stages of image analysis; Results and discussion; Conclusions.

[Display omitted] • The adsorption isotherms model of N 2 /CO 2 are built for PTSA dynamic simulation. • A systematic method is applied to evaluate CO 2 removal process in confined space. • Energy consumption model is established and solved to obtain optimal parameters. Pressure and Temperature Swing Adsorption (PTSA) is an appealing purification technology for removing low CO 2 concentration from confined space potentially. In this work, a systematic method integrating dynamic process simulation, sensitivity analysis, process optimization, and energy consumption assessment was established to investigate a PTSA process of low CO 2 concentration separation in the confined space using two adsorbents (Zeolite 13X and NaUSY). The dual site Langmuir adsorption isothermal models of N 2 and CO 2 were established, and calculated results showed good agreement with the experimental data. After parametric sensitivity analysis, key operational parameters (i.e. adsorption pressure, desorption pressure, regeneration temperature and P/F ratio) were optimized to achieve minimum process energy consumption. Those results indicated that Zeolite 13X was a good candidate for separating low concentration CO 2 from confined space with lower energy consumption (55.03 kJ·Nm−3 N 2). The simulation result can provide a novel strategy for removing low CO 2 concentration from confined space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The insertion of Al 2 O 3 reduces the diffusion of Ti into SiC. • The introduction of Al 2 O 3 can successfully Increase the forward turn-on voltage. • Al/Ti/Al 2 O 3 /4H-SiC Schottky diode the ideality factor approaches unit. In this paper, an Al/Ti Schottky-electrode was fabricated on a 4H- SiC surface via sputtering, and an Al 2 O 3 layer was inserted into the metal semiconductor contact-surface using atomic-layer deposition. We studied the inhomogeneity of the Schottky-barrier height by inserting the dielectric layer (Al 2 O 3) with different thicknesses. The Schottky-barrier heights and ideality factors were extracted for different measurement temperatures. The experimental results show that the barrier height changes to only 9% and the ideality factor approaches 1. Moreover, with the insertion of Al 2 O 3 , the difference between ∅ eff and ∅ B 0 is most closer. This indicates the Al 2 O 3 layer can passivate the surface defects to improve the contacts inhomogeneity. The TEM images also indicate that the insertion of Al 2 O 3 reduces the diffusion of Ti into SiC to start a solid state reaction to form titanium silicides and carbides co-exist at the interface, which improves the inhomogeneity of the Schottky interface. In particular, the thickness of Al 2 O 3 is 0.8 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we propose a Schottky diode that uses Mo C alloy as a Schottky metal to form a Schottky contact. Unlike existing diode designs based on Mo/4H-SiC, the design presented here shows near-ideal behavior at high annealing temperatures. The Schottky interface obtained was studied at different annealing temperatures, and the electrical properties were analyzed by temperature-dependent current and voltage (I-V) and capacitor voltage (C V) measurements. When annealing at 900 °C, its ideality factor was 1.03 and the barrier height reached 1.16 eV. There was no significant change in the ideality factor and barrier height while analyzing the electrical characteristics at different test temperatures. These results show that the structure has good stability at high annealing temperatures. At the same time, the morphology of the metal-semiconductor interface was observed through a transmission electron microscope and combined with the analysis of electrical characteristics, and it can be concluded that the structure has high-temperature annealing stability. [Display omitted] • Mo C alloy with the atomic ratio of 2:1 between Mo and C was used as the Schottky contact material • Any excessive reaction between the metal and the SiC interface should be avoided to form a uniform Schottky contact interface • Improve the interface uniformity and thermal stability of SBD at high annealing temperature [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frontispiece: Recent Advances in Iodine-Promoted C-S/N-S Bonds Formation Keywords: thiolation of C-H bonds; N-S bond formation; iodine promotion; multicomponent reactions; synthetic methods EN thiolation of C-H bonds N-S bond formation iodine promotion multicomponent reactions synthetic methods 1 1 1 12/24/20 20201223 NES 201223 B In modern research, b C-S/N-S bonds are indispensable in many biological important compounds and pharmaceuticals. Thiolation of C-H bonds, N-S bond formation, iodine promotion, multicomponent reactions, synthetic methods. [Extracted from the article]

The use of bio-based plasticizers with low toxicity and good compatibility with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has attracted more attention in the recent years. With bio-based 2, 5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and butyl oligo-glycol ethers as raw materials, three liquid furan-based plasticizers of di(butyl glycol) furan-2,5-dicarboxylate, di(butyldiglycol) furan-2,5-dicarboxylate and di(butyltriglycol) furan-2,5-dicarboxylate were synthesized by direct esterification. The chemical structure of three plasticizers was characterized with FTIR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR. From DMA measurement, the glass transition temperature (T g) of the plasticized PVC was decreased gradually when furan-based plasticizers were added to PVC formulation from 30 up to 50 phr. Due to lots of ether bonds in furan-based plasticizers, they expressed over two-fold lower migration in organic solvent compared with the traditional plasticizer diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). Through the characterization of elongation at break, hardness and thermal stability, furan-based plasticizers presented the same plasticization properties as DEHP, and had potential industrial application prospects. • Three liquid plasticizers are synthesized by 2, 5-furandicarboxylic acid and butyl olio-glycol ethers. • Full bio-based plasticizer. • Ether bonds are introduced to the structure of plasticizers' branch chains. • Similar or better mechanical properties than DEHP. • High properties about anti-migration in organic solvent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyroelectric response mechanism of Ba0.70Sr0.30TiO3 ceramics under dielectric bolometer (DB) mode was investigated by dielectric and pyroelectric properties measurement. The variations of total, intrinsic, and induced pyroelectric coefficients (ptot, pint, pind) with temperatures and bias fields were analyzed. pint plays the dominant role to ptot through most of the temperature range and pind will be slightly higher than pint above T0. The essence of the enhancing effect of DC bias field on pyroelectric coefficient can be attributed to the high value of pint. This mechanism is useful for the pyroelectric materials (DB mode) applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antiferroelectric Pb(Zr, Nb, Ti)O3 (PZNT) films were deposited via a sol-gel process on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si, LaNiO3- and La0.5Sr0.5CoO3-buffered Si substrate. The scaling behavior of the energy density W of antiferroelectric films was investigated. The scaling behavior of W against frequency f of PZNT on LaNiO3-buffered Si takes the form of W ∝ f0.08, which differs significantly from that form of W ∝ f-0.14 of PZNT on La0.5Sr0.5CoO3-buffered Si. This indicates that the scaling relations of W vary substantially as bottom electrodes change and might be closely related to the variation of nonuniform strain field and depolarization field within the AFE films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A phase diagram for the lead-free ceramics in the (1−x%)(0.89Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3–0.06BaTiO3–0.05K0.5Na0.5NbO3)–x%MnO2 (BNBKN-x%Mn) binary system is constructed for the first time based on the ferroelectric and dielectric measurements. The ferroelectric behaviors under different temperatures suggest that the ceramics are basically of relaxor anti-ferroelectric nature near room temperature. The temperature dependent dielectric properties show that when the addition of MnO2 increases, the relaxor anti-ferroelectric phase can be stabilized to be close to the Curie point, which corresponds to a relaxor anti-ferroelectric to paraelectric phase transition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The (0.9−x) Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-xBaTiO3-0.1K0.5Na0.5NbO3 [ BNBKN(x), x = 0.060, 0.063, 0.066, and 0.069] ceramics were fabricated by the conventional sintering technique. The P- E hysteresis loops measured under 5 kV/mm at room temperature show that the BNBKN(0.063) ceramics obtain the maximum ( Ps− Pr) value of 20.6 μC/cm2 and the largest energy-storage density W of 0.424 J/cm3. In addition, calculation from the X-ray diffraction results shows that the BNBKN(0.063) ceramics are featured with the largest c/ a ratio of 0.70887. The W is observed to increase with the increase of the c/ a ratio in the BNBKN( x) ceramics. The c/ a ratio can be regarded as a significant factor for W in the BNBKN( x) ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ferroelectric Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 (BST) and dielectric MgO composites with three different structures: columnar, layered, and spherical inclusion were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The microstructure and dielectric properties were investigated. Results show that the columnar composite exhibits an appreciable tunability (44.3%) as high as that of pure BST while the permittivity has been reduced from 5872 to 3998 at 10 kHz at room temperature, leading to a reduction of permittivity without deterioration of tunability in the bulk ceramics. This is a feasible way to balance the permittivity and the tunability, which is very promising for tunable devices application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of new 4-arylthiazole-2-amine derivatives as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) were designed and synthesized, Furthermore, their inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase in vitro were tested by Ellman spectrophotometry, and the results of inhibitory activity test showed that most of them had a certain acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity in vitro. Moreover, the IC 50 value of compound 4f was to 0.66 μM, which was higher than that of Rivastigmine and Huperzine-A as reference compounds, and it had a weak inhibitory effect on butyrylcholinesterase. The potential binding mode of compound 4f with AChE was investigated by the molecular docking, and the results showed that 4f was strongly bound up with AChE with the optimal conformation, in addition, their binding energy reached −11.27 Kcal*mol−1. At last, in silico molecular property of the synthesized compounds were predicted by using Molinspiration online servers. It can be concluded that the lead AChEIs compound 4f presented satisfactory drug-like characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In situ heterogeneous Cu/TiB 2 composites with a harmonic structure was fabricated. • The heterogeneity of the composites can be controlled by powder mixing process. • Proper degrees of heterogeneity lead to both high strength and high ductility. • High strength is attributed to back-stress hardening. • High ductility results from both back-stress hardening and strain partitioning. In situ heterogeneous Cu/TiB 2 composites with a harmonic structure, where the soft domains of pure Cu are completely surrounded by the hard TiB 2 enrichment domains, were fabricated by hot pressing. By controlling the ratio of the Cu powders during ball milling and vibrational blending, composites with different degrees of heterogeneity were obtained. The results of tensile testing show that the composites with proper degrees of heterogeneity possess an excellent combination of strength and ductility. In light of the loading–unloading–reloading tensile test and microstructure analysis results, the strengthening and toughening mechanisms of the heterogeneous composites are discussed. The high strength is attributed to back-stress hardening resulting from plastic incompatibility. The back-stress hardening associated with the strain partitioning results in an enhanced ductility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The edible fungus slag was used to prepare nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon. • High specific surface area, large pore volume and hierarchical pores were obtained. • Bisphenol A, 2,4-dichlorophenol and methylene blue could be effectively adsorbed. • The isotherm, thermodynamics and kinetics for bisphenol A adsorption were studied. In this work, agricultural waste edible fungus slag derived nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon (EFS-NPC) was prepared by a simple carbonization and activation process. Owing to the biodegradation and infiltrability of hyphae, this EFS-NPC possessed an ultra-high specific surface area (3342 m2/g), large pore volume (1.84 cm3/g) and abundant micropores and mesopores. The obtained EFS-NPC could effectively adsorb bisphenol A (BPA) with the maximal adsorption capacity of 1249 mg/g and the removal process reached 89.9% of the equilibrium uptake in the first 0.5 h. Besides, the EFS-NPC showed much better removal performance towards 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) and methylene blue (MB) than commercial activated carbons (Norit RO 0.8 and DARCO granular activated carbon). Furthermore, adsorption isotherms, thermodynamics and kinetics researches indicated that the adsorption process of BPA was monolayer, exothermic and spontaneous. This research has given evidence that the low-cost EFS-NPC can serve as a high-efficient adsorbent for removing organic contaminants from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Porous carbon (PC-SE) was prepared by silkworm excrement as raw materials. • This PC-SE was featured with high specific surface area and 3D porous structure. • The symmetrical supercapacitor displayed an energy density of 138.4 Wh kg−1. • The Li-HEC applying PC-SE exhibited high energy density (242.2 Wh kg−1). The design of carbon material with high capacitance and stability is one of the key issues in the development of supercapacitor and lithium-ion hybrid electrochemical capacitor (Li-HEC). Herein, porous carbon material with high specific surface area, honeycomb-like structure and hierarchical pore distribution ranging from macropore to micropore, was prepared from silkworm excrement by utilizing its highly porous and three-dimensional open structure. Moreover, the porous carbon is self-doped by nitrogen, which is beneficial to increase its pseudocapacitance and wettability to the electrolyte. The symmetrical supercapacitor and Li-HEC made by as-prepared porous carbon exhibited high energy density (138.4 Wh kg−1 for supercapacitor and 242.2 Wh kg−1 for Li-HEC), excellent rate performance and stability. This study offers a facile and cost-effective strategy to prepare advanced carbon material which can be applied in energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP) remains a major challenge in patients suffering from bone metastases because of the complex mechanisms and unsatisfactory treatments. Emerging evidence have shown that activation of inflammasomes contribute to the development of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. However, the role of spinal inflammasomes in CIBP remains unclear. In the present study, we explored the specific cellular mechanisms of NLRP3 inflammasome in the process of CIBP in rats. MCC950 is a small molecule inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome that exhibits remarkable activity in inflammatory diseases. Our behavioral results confirmed that both single and persistent treatment with MCC950 markedly attenuated CIBP-related mechanical allodynia. The expression of NLRP3 inflammasome, including NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, were significantly increased in a time-dependent manner. Furthermore, spinal IL-1β, cleaved by cysteine-aspartic acid protease, was upregulated in this study. Chronic administration with MCC950 restored the protein expression of NLRP3 inflammasome and significantly suppressed the upregulation of IL-1β. Spinal NLRP3 inflammasome might be a novel therapeutic target for treatment of CIBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspergoterpenins A–D (1–4), four new bisabolane sesquiterpenoid derivatives, were obtained from the endophytic fungus, Aspergillus versicolor, together with eight known compounds (5–12), and their structures were elucidated by a comprehensive analysis of their NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), MS (Mass Spectrum) and CD (Circular Dichroism) spectra. Aspergoterpenin A (1) was the first example with a characteristic ketal bridged-ring part in the degraded natural bisabolane-type sesquiterpene structures. The compounds 1–12 displayed no significant activities against four cancer cell lines (A549, Caski, HepG2 and MCF-7). Further, the antimicrobial activities to Erwinia carotovora sub sp. Carotovora were evaluated, and the results showed that compounds 1–12 displayed antimicrobial activities with MIC values ranging from 15.2 to 85.2 μg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several 0.97PbZrO3–0.03Ba(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 (0.97PZ–0.03BMN) ceramics were prepared via the columbite precursor method. Their microstructures and pressure-dependent ferroelectric and depolarization performances were then studied. The X-ray diffraction patterns of ground and fresh samples indicate that a main rhombohedral symmetry crystal structure is present in the bulk and that it sits alongside a trace quantity of an orthorhombic antiferroelectric phase that results from the effect of grinding on the surface. The remanent polarization (Pr) of the 0.97PZ–0.03BMN reached 32.4 μC/cm2 at 4.5 kV/mm and ambient pressure. In an in situ pressure-induced current measurement, more than 91% of the retained Pr of the pre-poled sample was released when the pressure was increased from 194 MPa to 238 MPa. That this pressure-driven depolarization should be attributed to the pressure-induced ferroelectric–antiferroelectric phase transition is supported by the emergence of double P–E loops at high hydrostatic pressures. Moreover, the 0.97PZ-0.03BMN ceramics exhibit no temperature-induced phase transitions and little related polarization loss up to 125 °C, which suggests that Pr has excellent thermal stability. The sharp depolarization behavior at low pressures and excellent temperature stability reveal that our 0.97PZ–0.03BMN ceramics exhibit superior performances in mechanical–electrical energy conversion applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three rare carbamate‐containing alkaloids, penicimutamides A—C are isolated from a fungal mutant from the diethyl sulfate mutagenesis of marine‐derived Penicillium purpurogenum G59. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1− x )(Ba,Sr)TiO 3 – x ZnAl 2 O 4 ( x =0.00, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.20) composites were prepared by the traditional solid state reaction. The dielectric, tunable and Raman spectroscopy properties are studied. The curie temperature of the composites does not show much difference due to low solubility between BST and ZnAl 2 O 4 . For the composition with x =0.20, its tunability is up to 46.4% (@2 kV/mm), nearly 1.5 times of that of pure BST, and meanwhile its dielectric constant and loss are decreased. The results imply that making non- or little-soluble BST-nonferroelectric composites is a very effective way to keep high tunability and low dielectric constant simultaneously. Raman results confirm that there are some residual polar microregions in (1− x )BST– x ZnAl 2 O 4 composite, and their extrinsic contribution to the dielectric tunability is responsible for a deviation from the ε versus E behavior predicted by Johnson׳s equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(Pb0.325Sr0.675)TiO3 (PST) ceramics were prepared by a traditional solid-state reaction technique. The dielectric and enhanced pyroelectric properties of PST ceramics were investigated under a DC bias field. The dielectric permittivity and dielectric loss of PST ceramics at Curie temperature were 2.97 × 10-4 and 0.006 without DC bias field, respectively. With a DC electric field of 0-500 V/mm, the maximum pyroelectric coefficient and the largest figure of merit (Fd) of PST ceramics were obtained, about 60 × 10-8 C cm-2 K-1 and 26 × 10-5 Pa-1/2, respectively. PST ceramics with such superior electric field enhanced pyroelectric properties have the potential for uncooled focal plane array detectors application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric and pyroelectric properties of Pb0.97La0.02(Zr0.42Sn0.40Ti0.18)O3 ceramics are investigated as functions of temperature and dc bias field. Induced and intrinsic pyroelectric coefficients pind and p0 are calculated and analyzed. It is found that the sign, value and variation of the net pyroelectric coefficient p with increasing dc bias all are dominated by p0 under applied biases. Polarization and depolarization processes under dc biases are analyzed. Besides the contribution of pind, the diffuse and decreased pyroelectric response under dc bias compared with that of an identical field poled sample without dc bias is mainly attributed to the depolarization process under dc bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]