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Simultaneous evolution of multiple enzyme properties remains challenging in protein engineering. A chimeric nitrilase (BaNIT

Objectives The genus Reynoutria belonging to the family Polygonaceae is widely distributed in the north temperate zone and used in folk medicine. It is administered as a sedative, tonic and digestive, also as a treatment for canities and alopecia. Herein, we reported a review on traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology reported from 1985 up to early 2022. All the information and studies concerning Reynoutria plants were summarized from the library and digital databases (e.g. ScienceDirect, SciFinder, Medline PubMed, Google Scholar, and CNKI). Key findings A total of 185 articles on the genus Reynoutria have been collected. The phytochemical investigations of Reynoutria species revealed the presence of more than 277 chemical components, including stilbenoids, quinones, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, phospholipids, lactones, phenolics and phenolic acids. Moreover, the compounds isolated from the genus Reynoutria possess a wide spectrum of pharmacology such as anti-atherosclerosis, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, anticancer, neuroprotective, anti-virus and heart protection. Summary In this paper, the traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of genus Reynoutria were reviewed. As a source of traditional folk medicine, the Reynoutria genus have high medicinal value and they are widely used in medicine. Therefore, we hope our review can help genus Reynoutria get better development and utilization.

To compare the safety and nail placement accuracy of fluoroscopy-assisted and robot-assisted minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) in the treatment of single-space lumbar disc herniation.The clinical data of 52 patients with single-space lumbar disc herniation treated by MIS-TLIF from March 2019 to February 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 24 patients were treated by robot-assisted MIS-TLIF(group A) and 28 patients were treated by fluoroscopy-assisted MIS-TLIF (group B). The intraoperative blood loss, operation time, intraoperative fluoroscopy times, preoperative and postoperative visual analogue scale(VAS), Japanese Orthopaedic Association(JOA) scores and operation-related complications were recorded in two groups. Gertzbein-Robbins grade according to CT scan was used to evaluate the nail placement after operation. Grade A and B were evaluated as satisfactory nail placement, and grade C, D, and E were evaluated as error placement. Babu's method was used to evaluate the screw's invasion to the superior articular process.The operation time, intraoperative blood loss and intraoperative fluoroscopy times in group A were less than those in group B(Compared with the traditional fluoroscopy-assisted MIS-TLIF, the spinal robot-assisted MIS-TLIF not only has more minimally invasive and safer, but also has higher accuracy in nail placement, lower incidence of upper articular process invasion, and more accurate decompression targets, which can be used for minimally invasive treatment of single-space lumbar disc herniation.

Zi-Long Zhang,1,2,* Jun-Song Yang,1,* Ding-Jun Hao,1 Tuan-Jiang Liu,1 Qi-Ming Jing2,* 1Department of Spine Surgery, Honghui Hospital, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China; 2Graduate School of Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ding-Jun HaoDepartment of Spine Surgery, HongHui Hospital, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail 1684047601@qq.comPurpose: To analyze the risk factors for new vertebral fractures after percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs).Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients with symptomatic OVCFs who underwent PVP in our hospital, from January 2014 to January 2019. Demographic and lifestyle data on the presence of underlying chronic disease, preoperative bone mineral density, details of vertebral fractures, postoperative osteoporosis treatment, and new fracture development were collected. Patients were divided into postoperative fracture and non-fracture groups. To identify the independent risk factors for new vertebral fracture development, variables significant on univariate analysis were included in a multivariate regression model.Results: Of the 2202 patients treated with PVP, 362 (16.43%) had a new postoperative vertebral fracture. All patients were followed up for > 12 months (mean 14.7 months). Univariate analysis revealed no significant difference in height; body weight; preoperative bone mineral density; number of fractured vertebrae; injection volume of bone cement in a single vertebra; leakage rate of bone cement; or presence of hypertension, coronary heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease between the fracture and non-fracture groups (P> 0.05). Age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes mellitus, postoperative exercise, and postoperative osteoporosis treatment were associated with new vertebral fractures (all P< 0.05). A multivariate analysis showed that age (odds ratio [OR]=1.212, P< 0.0001), female sex (OR=1.917, P< 0.0001), smoking (OR=1.538, P=0.026), and diabetes (OR=1.915, P< 0.0001) were positively correlated with new vertebral fracture development, whereas postoperative exercise (OR=0.220, P< 0.0001) and osteoporosis treatment (OR=0.413, P< 0.0001) were negatively correlated.Conclusion: Elderly patients, females, and those with a history of smoking and diabetes are at high risk of new vertebral fracture after PVP. Patients should be encouraged to stop smoking and consuming alcohol, control blood glucose level, participate in sufficient physical activity, and adhere to osteoporosis treatment to prevent new vertebral fractures.Keywords: aged, fractures, compression, osteoporosis, risk factors, spinal fractures, vertebral body

Core–shell nanocomposites based on polyaniline/Ni–Zn ferrite (PANI-NZFO) were successfully fabricated by a method of in situ oxidative polymerization, and the aggregation of Ni–Zn ferrite (NZFO) nanospheres can be controlled through adjusting the weight ratio of NZFO/aniline (NZFO/ANI). As a result, the sample with NZFO/ANI weight ratio of 3:100 exhibits the optimal reflection loss (RL) value of − 46.5 dB. Particularly, PANI-NZFO present excellent dielectric loss (0.18

We examined the effect of ginsenoside Re (G-Re) on autophagy in H9c2 cardiomyocytes cultured in glucose deprivation (GD). Levels of the membrane-bound autophagy-related microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3) B-2 were measured via immunoblotting and immunofluorescence was conducted to assess autophagosome formation. GD H9c2 cells were treated with 100 μmol/l G-Re. Cell viability was determined in culture medium. Phosphorylated 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-α and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) levels were measured to explore the mechanisms underlying the effects of G-Re on autophagy in GD cells. G-Re treatment inhibited autophagosome formation and may be beneficial to GD cardiomyocytes.

Although the health benefits attributed to urolithin A, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects, are based on numerous, diverse studies carried out in vitro, the bio...

Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is widely known for its multiple systems damage, especially neurocognitive deficits in children. Since their discovery, adenosine A

Background: Resection of the ossification of the thoracic ligamentum flavum (OTLF) with a high-speed burr may cause a high rate of perioperative complications, such as dural laceration and/or iatrogenic spinal cord injury. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and feasibility of the endoscopicmatched ultrasonic osteotome in full-endoscopic spinal surgery for direct removal of OTLF. Study Design: Retrospective study. Setting: All data were from Honghui Hospital in Xi’an. Methods: This study conducted between December 2017 and December 2018, included 27 consecutive patients who met the study criteria, had single-level OTLF, and underwent fullendoscopic decompression under local anesthesia. The postoperative follow-up was scheduled at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Outcomes evaluations included the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score for lower extremity pain and the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score and improvement rate for the assessment of thoracic myelopathy. Removal of OTLF was measured by comparing the pre- and postoperative computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Results: The operation was completed in all patients without conversion to open surgery. The operation time ranged from 65 to 125 minutes (average, 83.7 ± 12.3 minutes). All patients were followed up for 12 to 18 months, with an average follow-up of 14.3 ± 1.3 months. Satisfactory neurologic decompression was confirmed by postoperative CT and MRI, and no revision surgery was required. The VAS and mJOA scores showed statistically higher improvement at the 1-month follow-up and the last follow-up compared with the preoperative assessment (P < 0.05). According to the improvement rate at the final follow-up, 20 cases were classified as good, 6 cases were fair, and 1 case remained unchanged. Limitations: A single-center, noncontrol study. Conclusions: The endoscopic-matched ultrasonic osteotome can be considered quite safe and feasible for direct removal of OTLF during full-endoscopic spinal surgery in strictly selected patients, as this allows for effective direct decompression of OTLF while minimizing trauma and instability. In addition, because of the design characteristics of the ultrasonic osteotome, surgical complications, especially dural tears and spinal cord injury, can also be effectively controlled. Key words: Percutaneous endoscopic spinal surgery, ultrasonic osteotome, ossification of thoracic ligamentum flavum, microsurgery, thoracic myelopathy, minimally invasive procedures

In response to no national standard for Gynostemma pentaphyllum, a market survey was carried out, and 17 batches of gypenosides extract and 29 batches of Gypenosides Tablets on the market were collected. With gypenoside A as an index, the TLC qualitative identification and HPLC quantitative evaluation method of gypenosides extract and tablets was established. Based on the determination results of 17 batches of gypenosides extract and 29 batches of Gypenosides Tablets, the quality standards of gypenosides extract and tablets were formulated respectively, so as to give suggestions for improving the quality standards of gypenosides extract and tablets. Compared with the existing ministerial standards, the qualitative identification and quantitative detection of specific components were added, in order to provide scientific basis and suggestions for the revision of the quality standard of gypenosides extract and tablet preparation.

Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is widely known for its multiple systems damage, especially neurocognitive deficits in children. Since their discovery, adenosine A2A receptors (A2ARs) have been considered as key elements in signaling pathways mediating neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's and Alzheimer's, as well as cognitive function regulation. Herein, we investigated A2AR role in cognitive impairment induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH). Mice were exposed to CIH 7 h every day for 4 weeks, and intraperitoneally injected with A2AR agonist CGS21680 or A2AR antagonist SCH58261 half an hour before IH exposure daily. The 8-arm radial arm maze was utilized to assess spatial memory after CIH exposures.To validate findings using pharmacology, the impact of intermittent hypoxia was investigated in A2AR knockout mice. CIH-induced memory dysfunction was manifested by increased error rates in the radial arm maze test. The behavioral changes were associated with hippocampal pathology, neuronal apoptosis, and synaptic plasticity impairment. The stimulation of adenosine A2AR exacerbated memory impairment with more serious neuropathological damage, attenuated long-term potentiation (LTP), syntaxin down-regulation, and increased BDNF protein. Moreover, apoptosis-promoting protein cleaved caspase-3 was upregulated while anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 was downregulated. Consistent with these findings, A2AR inhibition with SCH58261 and A2AR deletion exhibited the opposite result. Overall, these findings suggest that A2AR plays a critical role in CIH-induced impairment of learning and memory by accelerating hippocampal neuronal apoptosis and reducing synaptic plasticity. Blockade of adenosine A2A receptor alleviates cognitive dysfunction after chronic exposure to intermittent hypoxia in mice.

To analyze the development of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19), this study systematically retrieved relevant Chinese and English literatures from both CNKI and Web of Science database platforms by bibliometric research method and CiteSpace 5.5.R2 software to obtain information and visualize relevant literatures. A total of 695 Chinese and 446 English literatures were included in this paper. Statistics showed that China had published most of the literatures and established close cooperation with the United States and the United Kingdom. Through the analysis, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and its affiliated hospitals published the largest number of the publications. Moreover, the highly productive journals including Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine and The Lancet covered eight major fields, such as medicine, medical virology, radiation medicine, infectious disease, and traditional Chinese medicine. Besides, a total of 35 special COVID-19 funds were recently established to subsidize these studies. The key words and themes analysis indicated that protein structure of COVID-19, receptor targets and mechanisms of action, integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine, screening and development of antiviral drugs from traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, vaccine research as well as epidemiological characteristics and prediction are current study hotspots. This study provides a reference for researchers to rapidly master main study directions of COVID-19 and screen out relevant literatures.

Based on the idea of plant metabolomics, ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was used to compare the chemical composition between 6 batches of fruit vinegar brewed from Choerospondias axillaris fruit peel and 6 batches of apple vinegar purchased from 3 companies. Antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibition activities were also tested in vitro. A total of 43 compounds were identified by reference substance, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS) fragmentation information or literature data. A total of 40 compounds were identified in the C. axillaris fruit peel vinegar. A total of 16 compounds were identified in apple vinegar. There were 13 common ingredients including organic acids and esters such as citric acid, 2-isopropyl malic acid, and triethyl citrate. The results of partial leastsquares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) indicated that they had 33 significantly different compounds such as proanthocyanidin oligomer, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside and heptadecanoic acid. The proanthocyanidins and flavonoid glycosides in C. axillaris peel vinegar were more abundant than apple vinegar, so it had better health function than ordinary fruit vinegar. The results showed that C. axillaris fruit peel vinegar had stronger antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibition activities in vitro. The vinegar brewed from waste C. axillaris fruit peel had more chemical ingredients than the apple vinegar. C. axillaris fruit peel vinegar had better biological activity and health function, so it had good development prospect. This study provided the scientific evidence for exploiting the C. axillaris fruit peel into high value-added products. It also provided ideas for the comprehensive development and utilization of similar Chinese medicine waste.

In practice, soil slopes are commonly unsaturated and may suffer from the adverse effects of earthquakes. Stability assessment of slopes subjected to earthquakes tends to consider whether the soils are dry or saturated while neglecting the time and spatial effects of seismic waves; in such assessments, the actual features cannot be reflected sufficiently. In the present study, a framework considering unsaturated soils was developed to investigate the seismic stability of slopes accounting for tension cracks using the pseudo-dynamic approach. Several expressions for apparent cohesion were applied to analyze the influence of matric suction, and seepage under different phreatic levels was also included. The pseudo-dynamic approach was applied to characterize the time and spatial effects of earthquakes. Two types of cracks, open cracks (cracks existing prior to slope failure) and formation cracks (cracks forming as part of a slope failure mechanism), were considered. A closed-form solution for the critical height of the slopes was derived from the energy balance equation of the Limit Analysis upper bound method, and the safety factor was obtained. The validity of this approach was verified by comparison with published solutions. Through the parametric analysis, it was found that higher amplification factors and seismic coefficients led to a smaller discrepancy in the safety factor between the slopes with open cracks and formation cracks, yet a reverse trend was observed at a higher value of matric suction. The effect of matric suction on slope stability was more apparent with a lower water level. Different shear strength models of unsaturated soils led to different safety factors.

Objective: To construct and validate a predictive model for predicting the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (maces) in elderly patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing PCI within 3 years. Methods: This study is a retrospective cohort study. 1745 subjects were randomly divided into modeling cohort and verification cohort according to a ratio of 3:1. LASSO regression model and multivariate Cox regression were used to analyze independent risk factors of major adverse cardiovascular events in elderly STEMI patients who received PCI treatment within 3 years. R software (version 3.5.3) was used to construct a nomogram model to predict the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in elderly STEMI patients receiving PCI treatment within 3 years, and to compare and verify the model. Results: The results of LASSO regression model and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age, history of diabetes, history of atrial fibrillation, cardiac function classification, coronary angiography results, and GRACE risk score were the major adverse cardiovascular diseases in elderly STEMI patients who received PCI treatment within 3 years. Independent risk factors for event risk. The prediction model was verified internally and externally. The AUC value in the modeling cohort was 0.890 (95% CI: 0.856-0.924); the AUC value in the verification cohort was 0.861 (95% CI: 0.830-0.957). The Hosmer-Lemeshow test results indicate that the prediction model has good stability. Conclusion: The simple and easyto- use nomogram model in this study can effectively predict the individualized risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in elderly STEMI patients undergoing PCI treatment within 3 years.

We previously found that Shen-yuan exerted cardioprotective activities in rodent and porcine myocardial infarction (MI) models because of its antioxidative and anti-apoptotic properties. This study aimed to investigate whether the cardioprotective effects from Shen-yuan are due to regulation of haemodynamics and inflammation in a porcine model of acute MI. Myocardial infarction was induced by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation. Low, moderate, and high doses of Shen-yuan treatment were started 1 week before MI and continued for 2 weeks after MI. Whole blood viscosity at 15 s−1 and platelet aggregation rate were significantly increased in the MI group, but were markedly attenuated by high doses of Shen-yuan. A moderate dose of Shen-yuan also restored decreased values of the peak rise of left ventricular pressure and left ventricular mean pressure after MI. Expression of the T regulatory cell marker forkhead box P3 (Foxp3)+ at 14 days post-MI was lower than that in the sham-operated group. Foxp3 was significantly up-regulated in the infarcted and non-infarcted zones of the left ventricle in the Shen-yuan treatment groups. Plasma interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-β levels were elevated by Shen-yuan treatment in a dose-dependent manner. Shen-yuan elicits cardiovascular protection by its haemodynamic stabilization and anti-inflammatory effects after onset of MI in a porcine model.

The whole chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of Cupressus chengiana has been characterized from Illumina pair-end sequencing. The circular genome is 128,151 bp in length with 115 single copy genes and two duplicated genes (trnl-CAU, trnQ-UUG). This genome contains 82 protein-coding genes, 31 tRNA genes and four ribosomal RNA genes (four rRNA species). In these genes, eight genes (atpF, ndhA, ndhB, rpoC1, petD, petB, rpl16 and rpl2) harbor a single intron and two genes (rps12 and ycf3) harbor two introns. This cp genome does not contain canonical IRs, and the overall GC content is 34.7%. Further, phylogenetic analysis suggested that C. chengiana is closely related to the species of C. gigantea.

Wenyujindiol A (1), a new sesquiterpene possessing a skeleton with a rare 4/8 ring system, together with the known compound (4S,5S)-germacrone-4,5-epoxide (2), were isolated from the rhizomes of Curcuma wenyujin. The structure of 1 was elucidated using spectroscopic measurements and single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. A plausible biogenetic pathway was also proposed for the biosynthesis of 1 from farnesyl diphosphate (FPP). Biological evaluation indicated that 1 exhibited moderate antitumor activity on the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7.

Composite panels with “I”-shape stiffeners are widely used, but cobonding process induces large warpage deformation after demoulding. Finite element simulation was used in this paper to analyze the effects of some representative processing parameters on the process-induced deformation. The results show that the deformation increases with the consolidation pressure, the CTE of mould and the friction coefficient. The deformation is more sensitive to the consolidation pressure and the friction coefficient for a shorter part, while it is more sensitive to the CTE of mould for a longer part.

Caragana intermedia is an important shrub plant with high ecological and economic value. Here, we reported and analyzed the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of C. intermedia. This cp genome is relatively short (129,331 bp) because it lacks an Inverted Repeat (IR) region. It comprises 111 genes, including four unique rRNAs, 31 tRNAs, and 76 protein-coding genes. Similar to other closely related plastomes, rpl22 and rps16 are absent, and the GC content is relatively low (31.6 %). The phylogenetic analysis suggested that C. intermedia is closely related to the genera of Astragalus.

Optimizing the curing temperature to reducing the process costs may influence the properties of the material and bring quality assurance aspects. To solving the problem, real-time strain monitoring of the curing process has become more and more important and urgent. Fiber Bragg grating sensors were successfully used in this work to monitoring the residual strain building-up and the gelling phenomena of an RTM epoxy resin. The results shows chemical shrinkage strain during isothermal curing is bigger for higher curing temperature, but the average linear shrinkage ratio during cooling is smaller.

To compare the concentration of teeth DNA extracted by three different pretreatment methods and to explore a simple, economical and practical pretreatment method with high concentration of extracted DNA from teeth.A total number of 21 molars were collected from 7 corpses. The pretreatment of 3 molars from each individual was randomly performed by tooth crumb method, ball-milling method and liquid nitrogen milling method and 50 mg tooth crumb was weight and DNA was extracted by AutoMate Express forensic DNA extraction system. Subsequently, the concentration of DNA and corresponding STR genotyping of three methods were compared.The DNA concentration extracted by tooth crumb method, ball-milling method and liquid nitrogen milling method was 0.055 6-1.989 1 ng/μL, 0.036 6-1.175 6 ng/μL and 0.037 8-1.249 0 ng/μL, respectively. The DNA concentration obtained by tooth crumb method was higher (P0.05) and the success rate of STR genotyping was high.Combined with AutoMate Express forensic DNA extraction system, tooth crumb method is an efficient and feasible method to extract DNA from teeth, which can be applied in forensic practice.

Irradiation tests of tungsten surface were performed with He and He/Ar plasma generated by microwave electron cyclotron resonance. Thickness loss was used as the erosion rate of tungsten surface under the plasma irradiation. The results revealed that the thickness loss increased linearly with negative bias. SEM images proved that the addition of Ar apparently increased the plasma erosion. The thickness loss increased sharply with the Ar fraction of Ar/He mixture when it was

Four phenolic compounds were isolated from the roots of Sanguisorba officinalis L. by silica gel column chromatography and preparative HPLC. On the basis of chemical and spectroscopic methods, their structures were identified as methyl 4-O-β-D-glucopyranosy-5-hydroxy-3-methoxylbenzoate (1), 3,3′,4′-tri-O-methylellagic acid (2), fisetinidol-(4α-8)-catechin (3), and (+)-catechin (4). Compound 1 is a new phenolic glycoside and compounds 2 and 3 were isolated from the Sanguisorba genus for the first time. Compounds 1–4 were also assayed for their antioxidant activities using the DPPH free radical assay.

The properties of four different activated carbon fiber cloth (ACF), such as specific surface area, pore volumes and pore size distribution, were evaluated. The relationship between ACF properties and its electrosorption performance was analyzed. The experimental results show that pore structure has more influence on the performance of ACF electrode than that of specific surface area for ACF material. More abundant mesopores and shallower pore channels for ACF is favorable to improve the specific capacitance and electrosorption capacity of ions.

Guided by a hemostasis bioassay, seven terpene glycosides were isolated from the roots of Sanguisorba officinalis L. by silica gel column chromatography and preparative HPLC. On the grounds of chemical and spectroscopic methods, their structures were identified as citronellol-1-O-α-l-arabinofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (1), geraniol-1-O-α-l-arabinofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), geraniol-1-O-α-l-arabinopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (3), 3β-[(α-l-arabinopyranosyl)oxy]-19α-hydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid 28-β-d-glucopyranoside (4), 3β-[(α-l-arabinopyranosyl)-oxy]-19α-hydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid 28-β-d-glucopyranoside (ziyu-glycoside I, 5), 3β,19α-hydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid 28-β-d-glucopyranoside (6) and 3β,19α-di-hydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid 28-β-d-glucopyranoside (7). Compound 1 is a new mono-terpene glycoside and compounds 2, 3 and 5 were isolated from the Sanguisorba genus for the first time. Compounds 1–7 were assayed for their hemostatic activities with a Goat Anti-Human α2-plasmin inhibitor ELISA kit, and ziyu-glycoside I (5) showed the strongest hemostatic activity among the seven terpene glycosides. This is the first report that ziyu-glycoside Ι has strong hemostatic activity.

Chemical cure shrinkage of polymer matrix is a significant source of residual strain formation in composite products during curing. In this paper, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors were used to monitor the free strain development caused by chemical shrinkage and compared with results of differential scanning calorimetry and rheological analysis. The results showed that the gel point could be clearly identified by FBG sensors and compressive residual strain of around 800με was caused by isothermal curing reaction after gelation. The relationship between the chemical shrinkage ratio and conversion degree was found to be nonlinear.

Diabetes, as a serious metobolic disorder, poses global threat to human health. It is estimated that over 50 million individuals are already affected by diabetes. Currently, diabetes-related osteoporosis has been a research hotspot due to its high incidence rate in older individuals. Osteoprotegerin, as an important protein for the prevention of osteoporosis, has been proven to be key to the suppression of osteoporosis. Hence, the loss of function of osteoprotegerin may promote the development of osteoporosis. Bergapten, as a natural anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor agent isolated from bergamot essential oil, other citrus essential oils, and grapefruit juice, has been proven to have the ability to attenuate a number of metabolic disorders. In view of these findings, in this study, we used a high-fat diet to construct a mouse model of diabetes-related osteoporosis and a mouse model of diabetes-related osteoporosis using osteoprotegerin knockout mice. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), qPCR, western blot analysis, immunohistochemical assay, H&E staining, Oil Red O staining, Masson's staining and other biochemical analyses were used to evaluate the related signaling pathways involved in the development of diabetes-related osteoporosis. We also examined the role of osteoprotegerin in the activation of these pathways and in the development of osteoporosis, as well as the protective effects of bergapten against diabetes-related osteoporosis and on the activation of related signaling pathways. Our results revealed that in diabetes-related osteoporosis, the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathways were activated and the expression levels of related indicators were increased. At the same time, osteoprotegerin knockout further promoted the activation of these pathways. By contrast, bergapten exerted effects similar to those of osteoprotegerin. Bergapten exhibited the ability to significantly inhibit RANKL-RANK signaling transduction, and to suppress the activation of the PI3K/AKT, JNK/MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways, thus protecting trabecular structure and decreasing osteoclastogenic differentiation.

It has been proved that triphenylamine (TPA) derivatives can be excellent candidates for hole-transporting materials in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). To improve on the thermal and morphological stability, a fully diarymethylene-bridged TPA derivative (FATPA) which has been proven to enhance electroluminescent (EL) efficiency was synthesized. On the basis of FATPA, two series of novel bridged TPA derivatives have been designed by using diarylmethylene (Series A) or dimethyfluorene (Series B) as the linkage between the ortho-positions of the phenyl rings in this work (see Fig. 1). To reveal the relationships between electronic structures and photophysical properties of these novel functional materials, an in-depth theoretical investigation was elaborated via quantum chemical calculations using the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) methods. In addition, the feasibility of using these bridged TPA derivatives as host in the device of ITO/MoO3/NPB/mCP/host:Ir(ppy)3/TAZ/LiF/Al was also evaluated, which including the discussion to their energy levels match with adjacent layers and energy transfer from host to guest. These calculated results show that photophysical properties can be easily tuned by the introduction of various substituent groups into the bridged TPA derivatives, such as the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs), the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMOs), the energies difference between the HOMOs and LUMOs (ΔH-L), the lowest singlet (ES) and triplet (ET) excitation energies, ionization potentials (IPs), electron affinities (EAs), reorganization energies (λ) and the absorption and emission spectra, indicating that these bridged TPA derivatives have great potential applications for OLEDs. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012

Based on meta index theory, this paper proposes an indicator system and a synthetic assessment model, which is used to assess the regional sustainable development on county level for Qingyang. And then, the paper respectively analyzes the characters of temporal and spatial evolvement on the subregional sustainable development in Qingyang from 1990 to 2008. The outcome shows that the integrated sustainability as a whole increased gradually from 1990 to 2008, where the driving force is due to the rapid growing of the economy and society along with the cost of abundant resources consumption and ecosystem degradation. At present, the integrated sustainability in some counties began to decrease.

The photophysical properties of a series of multifunctional compounds applied in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) materials have been studied by quantum chemistry. These compounds have been integrated by an electron and hole transporting component as well as an emitting component into the donor–π–acceptor (D–π–A) structures. To reveal the relationship between the structures and properties of these multifunctional electroluminescent materials, the ground- and excited-state geometries were optimized at the B3LYP/6-31G(d), HF/6-31G(d), and CIS/6-31G(d) levels, respectively. The ionization potentials and electron affinities were computed. The mobilities of hole and electron in these compounds were studied computationally based on the Marcus electron transfer theory. The maximum absorption and emission wavelengths of compounds 1–4 were calculated by time-dependent density functional theory method. As a result of these calculations, it was concluded that the electron injections of compounds 2–6 are much easier than Mes2B[p-4,4′-biphenyl-NPh(1-naphthyl)] (BNPB) due to the introduction of the thiophene group, anthracene group, and N=N as a part of the π-conjugated bridge, compounds 5 and 6 can act as electron transport and hole transport materials, respectively. Compounds 1 and 2 have higher electron mobility and light-emitting efficiency as compared to compounds 3 and 4. Compounds 3 and 4 have quite longer fluorescence lifetimes than compounds 1 and 2 due to the larger Stoke’s shifts.

This paper is aimed to study the differences of allelopathic effects of Panax notoginseng under different allelopathic chemicals resources and selection of appropriate rotation crops. The additive main effects and multiplicative interaction ( AMMI) model had been used to evaluate the stability of allelopathic effects of P. notoginseng on the varieties of corn, wheat and rice properly. The model could use not only to evaluate the stability of non-regional trial data but also explore the interaction between the rotation crop genotypes and donor substances more efficiently. Meanwhile, correspondence analysis can be used in the AMMI to evaluate genotype stability and donor substances. Ejingza No. 1 (g6) had stronger allelopathic effects with high stability, but Yunrui No. 1 (g9) which was appropriate rotation crop genotype, had weaker allelopathic effects with high stability. These findings will aid in choosing appropriate rotation crops and establishing proper rotation system.

Experimental studies on the compressive behavior of composite laminates after low velocity impact was carried out with two test methods. One is SACMA Standard, and the other is a small dimensional specimen test method. Impact damage distributions, compressive failure process after impact, quasi-static indentation and compression of laminates with a hole were brought into comparison between these two test methods. The results showed that there is a great difference between these two test methods. Compressive behavior of laminates after impact varies with different test methods. Residual compressive strength of laminates after low velocity impact measured with SACMA Standard can reflect stiffness properties of composite resins more wholely than that measured with the other method can do. Small dimensional specimen test method should be improved on as an experimental standard of compressive strength after impact.

It has been showed that there were obvious obstacle effects of Panax notoginseng replanting. Crop rotation was the main effective technique to overcome the obstacle. To find a reasonable crop rotation system for P. notoginseng, aqueous extracts from root, stem and leaf of P. notoginseng were analyzed for allelopathic effect on three maize varieties (which are often grown in regions where P. notoginseng grown). The main results were as follows: (1) Allelopathic effect of P. notoginseng stem and leaf extracts on the three other tested plants was stronger than that of root extracts; (2) Corn was more vulnerable to the effects of allelochemicals at seedling stage than at germination stage, and the corn root was more sensitive than aerial part to allelochemicals; (3) Lusan No. 3 and Yunrui No. 1 showed resistance to P. notoginseng allelopathy, with respective comprehensive sensitivity indexes (M3) of - 0.089 3 and -0.159 2, while Bainuo No. 1 is sensitive at M3 = -0.261 0. It then can be concluded that Lusan No. 3 and Yunrui No. 1 may be an alternative rotation plants for overcoming P. notoginseng continuous cropping obstacle.

In this study, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was chosen to modify graphene, which was applied to remove methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The characteristics of graphene and modified graphene were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effects of factors including pH, contact time, temperature, and dosage on the adsorption properties of MB onto graphene and modified graphene were investigated. The results revealed that the addition of CTAB in preparation could obviously increase the specific surface area and improve the efficiency of removal. The adsorption processes were rapid within the first 15 min and reached equilibrium in about 120 min. The adsorption kinetics fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model. The optimal reaction temperature was 293 K, the optimal concentration of adsorbent dosage was 2 g x L(-1), and the initial pH value of the solution had little impact on the amount of adsorption. The adsorption capacity of MB on modified graphene inferred from the Langmuir model was 86.43 mg x g(-1) at 293 K, and the adsorption was an exothermic process.

To explore the association between early menarche with anthropometry measurements among adolescent girls in China.Research material was selected from the data of 2010 Chinese National Surveys on Students Constitution and Health. Probability unit regression method was used to calculate the age of 10th percentile (P 10) at menarche and menarche age before the P 10 was defined as early menarche(9.0-11.6 years old). A total of 1072 girls with early menarche were screened. Each girl with early menarche was frequency matched with two girls who hadn't achieved menarche and with the age difference less than 0.1 yr and from the same urban or rural locations. A total of 2144 girls without menarche were screened. Participants' data of height, weight, sitting height, chest circumference, body mass index(BMI) and height and sitting height index were analyzed. t test and wilcoxon test were used to analyze the anthropometry measurements differences between the two groups, Chi square test was used to analyze the differences of overweight and obesity between the two groups. Multilevel model was used to explore the association between early menarche with anthropometry measurements and overweight and obesity.A total of 1072 girls with early menarche and 2144 girls without menarche. Early menarche girls' height, sitting height, chest circumference, weight and BMI were (151.42 ± 7.46) cm, (80.86 ± 4.21) cm, (73.88 ± 7.72) cm, (44.32 ± 9.35) kg, and (19.18 ± 3.03) kg/m(2), while they were (144.86 ± 7.55) cm, (76.96 ± 4.05) cm, (67.25 ± 6.94) cm, (36.07 ± 7.88) kg and (16.64 ± 2.48) kg/m(2) in girls without menarche. The difference between two groups were significant(Z values were -22.20, -23.69, -24.38, -23.12, -20.17, -6.33 respectively with all P values0.01). Multilevel analysis results showed that in 9.0-11.6 years old girls early menarche was associated with anthropometry measurements(all P values0.05). Compared with girls without menarche, girls with early menarche had a relative higher height, sitting height, weight, chest circumference, with increments of 5.28 cm, 3.37 cm, 5.53 cm, 6.37 kg, 1.79 kg/m(2). Within subgroup analysis, there were parabolic trends with age in the height, weight and sitting height differences and "U" trend in chest circumference difference between girls with early menarche and girls without menarche.In 9.0-10.8 years old, 10.9-11.0 years old and 11.1-11.2 years old groups, the risk of overweight and obesity among girls with early menarche were 2.98 (95%CI:1.92-4.63) times, 6.76 (95%CI:2.79-16.39) times, 2.99 (95%CI:1.40-6.40) times of girls without menarche.The early onset of menarche is related with height, sitting height, weight and chest circumference, and it is closely associated with overweight and obesity among adolescent girls in China.

The decoction of American Ginseng and Corydalis Tuber has been widely used for treatment of cardiovascular diseases due to their anti-ischemic and anti-arrhythmic effects. The aim of this study is to evaluate the anti-apoptotic effect of Shenyuan, which is composed of the bioactive components extracted from the mixture of American Ginseng and Corydalis Tuber, and to explore potential mechanisms involved in the regulation of apoptosis.A porcine model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was established by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Thirty-eight pigs were randomized into six groups: Group S, sham (n=6); Group C, AMI controls (n=8); Group L, AMI+low-dose Shenyuan (240 mg/kg·d, n=6); Group M, AMI+moderate-dose Shenyuan (320 mg/kg·d, n=6); Group H, AMI+high-dose Shenyuan (400 mg/kg·d, n=6); Group B, AMI+Metoprolol Tartrate (1 mg/kg·d, n=6). The treatment of Shenyuan or Metoprolol started one week before AMI and continued for another two weeks after AMI.Treatment with all doses of Shenyuan as well as Metoprolol produced a significant decrease of apoptotic index (P0.05), which was confirmed by TUNEL staining method. This anti-apoptotic effect was accompanied by less release of cardiac enzymes and limit of infarct size. In Group H, levels of MDA, 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α, GRP78/bip, calregulin, CHOP/GADD153, Bax, caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3 and activity of caspase-3 were reduced, while GSH, SOD, Bcl-2 and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio were significantly increased (P0.05). In groups M and L, some results did not show statistical difference. There was no statistical difference in cardiac function between treatment groups and Group C.Shenyuan treatment significantly inhibited ERS and oxidative stress, balanced the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, suppressed activation of caspase-3, and finally exerted an anti-apoptotic effect in pigs with a large anterior wall AMI. This was accompanied by less release of cardiac enzymes and limit of infarct size. Shenyuan treatment inhibited apoptosis and may have a therapeutic role in improving the natural process of AMI.

To categorize growth and development stages among children and adolescents based on height, and to explore the influences of diet behaviors on height during different growth and development stages.Children and adolescents (7 to 18 years) with normal weights were selected using "Reference Norm for Screening Overweight and Obesity in Chinese Child and Adolescent" set up by WGOC in 2003 and "Reference Norm for Screening Underweight in Chinese Child and Adolescent" from the "2010 National Physical Fitness and Health Surveillance" data, and the variables of height and diet behaviors sorted. The growth and development stages were categorized using the hierachical cluster analysis, and the multilevel model was used to analyze influences of diet behaviors on height at different growth and development stages.Basis on height, there were 4 growth and development stages among the children and adolescents. In the boys, growth and development stages included Pre-GSS (growth spurt stage, GSS) including 7 to 10 years, GSS (11 to 12 years), Post-GSS (13 to 14 years), and growth stability stage (15 to 18 years); in the girls, the stages included the fast velocity GS (growth stage, GS) including 7 to 10 years, GS (11 to 12 years), Post-GS (13 to 15 years), and growth stability stage (16 to 18 years). The results of the multilevel model showed that the students' height in the urban areas were higher than in the rural areas (P0.01), and the trend of difference between the urban and rural areas with the different growth stages was a parabola shape, the highest differences were 3.36 cm and 3.23 cm in the GSS and the fast velocity GS, respectively. There were significant influences of breakfast on height during the Pre-GSS and the fast velocity GS (P0.01), and increased 0.40 cm and 0.57 cm, respectively. Excluding the stablility growth stage in the girls, drinking milk increased significantly height during the different growth stages (P0.01), and the increases were gradual downtrend with the growth stages, the highest increase was 0.91 cm and 0.94 cm in Pre-GSS and the fast velocity GS, respectively. Eating eggs increased significantly height during all the growth stages (P0.01), and the increases were the gradual uptrend with different growth stages. There were interaction effects among breakfast, drinking milk and eating eggs during the different growth stages, which was the gradual downtrend.Breakfast and drinking milk are conducive to growth during early adolescence, and the effect of eating eggs on growth is gradual uptrend with different growth stages.