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In this paper, pure ZnO, Co3O4-ZnO, Pd@ZnO and Pd@Co3O4-ZnO composite nanofibers were synthesized by electrospinning method. Multiple characterizations were employed to investigate the crystal structure, composition, morphology, and bonding states of the Pd@Co3O4-ZnO composite nanofibers. The sensing properties of the as-synthesized nanofibers were evaluated toward different volatile organic components (VOCs) including ethanol, acetone, isopropanol and formaldehyde under the various operating temperatures. The obtained results have clearly demonstrated that the Pd@Co3O4-ZnO composite nanofibers exhibits significantly enhanced VOC sensing performance compared with other nanofibers. Specifically, the response of Pd@Co3O4-ZnO composite nanofibers toward 200 ppm ethanol is 59 at 240℃, which is much higher than that of ZnO nanofibers. The enhanced VOC sensing properties of Pd@Co3O4-ZnO composite nanofibers could be attributed to the electronic and chemical sensitizations of Pd and the p-n junction formation at the interface of Co3O4 and ZnO.

We have synthesized pristine SnO2 and NiO/SnO2 hierarchical structures by a facile hydrothermal method. Structural and morphological characterizations of the obtained NiO/SnO2 samples were systematically studied using XRD, SEM, TEM and XPS. Meanwhile, gas-sensing properties of the as-fabricated pristine SnO2 and NiO/SnO2 sensor devices were investigated toward ppb-level acetone detection. The measured results show that the Ni1Sn3 gas sensor can reach a response of 20.18 toward 50 ppm acetone under optimum operating temperature (300 °C), which is about 3.3 times higher than that of pristine sensor. Moreover, the Ni1Sn3 gas sensor also exhibits fast response/recovery time (2 s/9 s), low detection limit (10 ppb) and good selectivity. We attribute the enhanced gas-sensing properties of NiO/SnO2 hierarchical structures to the synergetic effect as well as p-n heterojunction between the NiO and SnO2 structures.

Three-dimensional interconnected porous graphitic carbon materials are synthesized via a combination of graphitization and activation process with rice straw as the carbon source. The physicochemical properties of the three-dimensional interconnected porous graphitic carbon materials are characterized by Nitrogen adsorption/desorption, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy and Transmission electron microscopy. The results demonstrate that the as-prepared carbon is a high surface area carbon material (a specific surface area of 3333 m2 g−1 with abundant mesoporous and microporous structures). And it exhibits superb performance in symmetric double layer capacitors with a high specific capacitance of 400 F g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1, good rate performance with 312 F g−1 under a current density of 5 A g−1 and favorable cycle stability with 6.4% loss after 10000 cycles at a current density of 5 A g−1 in the aqueous electrolyte of 6M KOH. Thus, rice straw is a promising carbon source for fabricating inexpensive, sustainable and high performance supercapacitors' electrode materials.

Ag nanoparticles functionalized flower-like molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) hybrid nanostructures (AgNPs/MoS2) were successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The structure and surface morphology were subsequently characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. The as-synthesized AgNPs/MoS2 hybrid nanostructures were modified on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and further utilized for amperometric hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) detection. The electrochemical behaviors and sensing performance of the AgNPs/MoS2/GCE were studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and single-potential amperometry methods. The obtained results have demonstrated that the developed AgNPs/MoS2/GCE amperometric sensor possesses an excellent catalytic performance toward the reduction of H2O2. The as-prepared electrochemical sensor exhibits fast response time of less than 3 s, large linear detection range of 0.025-135.2 mM (R-2=0.998) and high sensitivity of 54.5 mu A.mM(-1). cm(-2). Moreover, the developed H2O2 sensor has shown good anti interference ability, outstanding stability and reproducibility, which represents a great potential for H2O2 detection in practical applications.

In this work, palladium (Pd) nanoparticles functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) hybrid structures (Pd/rGO-MWCNTs) were successfully prepared by a combination of electrochemical reduction with electrodeposition method. The morphology, structure, and composition of the Pd/rGO-MWCNTs hybrid were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The as-synthesized hybrid structures were modified on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and further utilized for hydrazine sensing. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopic, cyclic voltammetry and single-potential amperometry experiments were carried out on Pd/rGO-MWCNTs hybrid structures to investigate the interface properties and sensing performance. The measured results demonstrate that the fabricated Pd/rGO-MWCNTs/GCE sensor show a high sensitivity of 7.09 μA μM −1 cm −2 in a large concentration range of 1.0 to 1100 μM and a low detection limit of 0.15 μM. Moreover, the as-prepared sensor exhibits good selectivity and stability for the determination of hydrazine under interference conditions.

Diabetic mellitus (DM) portends poor prognosis concerning pressure overloaded heart disease. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), elements of essential amino acids, have been found altered in its catabolism in diabetes decades ago. However, the relationship between BCAAs and DM induced deterioration of pressure overloaded heart disease remains controversial. This study is aimed to investigate the particular effect of BCKA, a metabolite of BCAA, on myocardial injury induced by pressure overloaded. Primary cardiomyocytes were incubated with or without BCKA and followed by treatment with isoproterenol (ISO); then cell viability was detected by CCK8 and apoptosis was examined by TUNNEL stain and caspase-3 activity analysis. Compared to non-BCKA incubated group, BCKA incubation decreased cell survival and increased apoptosis concentration dependently. Furthermore, Western blot assay showed that mTORC2-Akt pathway was significantly inactivated by BCKA incubation. Moreover, overexpression of rictor, a vital component of mTORC2, significantly abolished the adverse effects of BCKA on apoptosis susceptibility of cardiomyocytes. These results indicate that BCKA contribute to vulnerability of cardiomyocytes in stimulated stress via inactivation of mTORC2-Akt pathway.

In this paper, three different kinds of ZnO nanostructures were successfully synthesized on Au/Glass (Au/G) substrate by electrochemical deposition method. The morphology and crystalline structures of the obtained samples were characterized using SEM, XRD and HRTEM. Electrochemical responses of the as-prepared ZnO based sensors to hydrazine in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 7.4) were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry and single-potential amperometry. The results confirmed that the electrochemical performances of ZnO sensors are strongly dependent on the specific surface area. Especially, the branched hierarchical ZnO nanorod arrays shows the highest sensitivity of 5.35 μA μM −1 cm −2 , a short response time of 3 s, a low detection limit of 0.08 μM with a linear hydrazine concentration response range from 0.8 μM to 101 μM, and it also exhibits excellent anti-interference, stability and reproducibility abilities, which provide great potential method of ZnO branched hierarchical structures in the development of high-performance electrochemical sensor.

Vascular complications are the major causes of death in patients with diabetes, and endothelial dysfunction is the earliest event in vascular complications of diabetes. It has been reported that plasma irisin level is significantly reduced in patients with type 2 diabetic patients. The present study aimed to investigate whether irisin improved endothelial function in type 2 diabetes as well as the underlying mechanisms. The type 2 diabetes model was established by feeding C57BL/6 mice with high-fat diet. The type 2 diabetic mice exhibited reduced serum irisin level and impaired endothelial function. Irisin treatment (0.5 mg/kg/d) for two weeks improved vascular function based on the evaluation of endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation and p-VASP levels. To investigate the direct endothelial protective effects of irisin, diabetic aortic segments were incubated with irisin (1 μg/ml) ex vivo. Exposure to irisin improved endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation of diabetic aortas. Mechanically, the diabetic aortic segments exhibited increased oxidative/nitrative stresses. Irisin reduced the diabetes-induced oxidative/nitrative stresses evidenced by reducing overproduction of superoxide and peroxynitrite, and down-regulation of iNOS and gp91(phox). To further investigate the protective effects of irisin on endothelial cells and the underlying mechanisms, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) cultured in high-glucose/high-fat (HG/HF) medium were pre-incubated with irisin. Irisin (1 μg/ml) reduced the oxidative/nitrative stresses and apoptosis induced by HG/HF in HUVECs probably via inhibiting activation of PKC-β/NADPH oxidase and NF-κB/iNOS pathways. Taken together, irisin alleviates endothelial dysfunction in type 2 diabetes partially via reducing oxidative/nitrative stresses through inhibiting signaling pathways implicating PKC-β/NADPH oxidase and NF-κB/iNOS, suggesting that irisin may be a promising molecule for the treatment of vascular complications of diabetes.

Diabetic patients are sensitive to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) injury. During diabetes, branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism is defective and mitochondrial phosphatase 2C (PP2Cm) expression is reduced. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between PP2Cm downregulation and BCAA catabolism defect in diabetic mice against MI/R injury. PP2Cm was significantly downregulated in hearts of diabetic mice. The cardiac function was improved and the myocardial infarct size and apoptosis were decreased in diabetic mice overexpressing PP2Cm after MI/R. In diabetic mice, the cardiac BCAA and its metabolites branched-chain keto-acids (BCKA) levels, and p-BCKDE1α (E1 subunit of BCKA dehydrogenase)/BCKDE1α ratio were increased while the BCKD activity was decreased. Treatment of diabetic mice subjected to MI/R injury with BT2, a BCKD kinase (BDK) inhibitor, alleviated the BCAA catabolism defect, and improved the cardiac function alongside reduced apoptosis. PP2Cm overexpression alleviated the BCAA catabolism defect and MI/R injury. Similarly, MnTBAP ameliorated the oxidative stress and MI/R injury. BCKA treatment of H9C2 cells under simulated ischemia/reperfusion (SI/R) injury significantly decreased cell viability and increased LDH release and apoptosis. These effects were alleviated by BT2 and MnTBAP treatments. These results suggested that PP2Cm directly mediates the BCAA catabolism defect and oxidative stress observed after MI/R in diabetes. Overexpression of PP2Cm alleviates MI/R injury by reducing the catabolism of BCAA and oxidative stress.

Wood-polymer composites (WPC) have been extensively used for building products, outdoor decking, automotive, packaging materials, and other applications. WPC is subject to fungal and termite attacks due to wood components enveloped in the thermoplastic matrix. Much effort has been made to improve decay resistance of WPC using zinc borate and other chemicals. In this study, chitosan copper complex (CCC) compounds were used as a potential preservative for wood-HDPE composites. CCC was formulated by reacting chitosan with copper salts under controlled conditions. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analytical results indicated that chitosan had high chelating efficiency with copper cations. CCC-treated wood-HDPE composites had a thermal behavior similar to untreated and zinc borate-treated wood-HDPE composites. Incorporation of CCC in wood-HDPE composites did not significantly influence board density of the resultant composites, but had a negative effect on tensile strength at high CCC concentration. In comparison with solid wood and the untreated wood-HDPE composites, 3% CCC-treated wood-HDPE composites significantly improved the decay resistance against white rot fungus Trametes versicolor and brown rot fungus Gloeophyllum trabeum. Especially, CCC-treated wood-HDPE composites were more effectively against the brown rot than the untreated and chitosan-treated wood-HDPE composites. Moreover, CCC-treated wood-HDPE composites performed well as zinc borate-treated wood-HDPE composites on fungal decay resistance. Accordingly, CCC can be effectively used as a preservative for WPC.

Diets that are high in dietary fiber are reported to have substantial health benefits. We sought to compare the metabolic effects of 3 types of dietary fibers -- sugarcane fiber (SCF), psyllium (PSY), and cellulose (CEL) -- on body weight, carbohydrate metabolism, and stomach ghrelin gene expression in a high-fat diet-fed mouse model. Thirty-six male mice (C57BL/6) were randomly divided into 4 groups that consumed high-fat diet alone (HFD) or high-fat diet containing 10% SCF, PSY, and CEL, respectively. After baseline measurements were assessed for body weight, plasma insulin, glucose, leptin, and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), animals were treated for 12 weeks. Parameters were reevaluated at the end of study. Whereas there was no difference at the baseline, body weight gains in the PSY and SCF groups were significantly lower than in the CEL group at the end of study. No difference in body weight was observed between the PSY and SCF animals. Body composition analysis demonstrated that fat mass in the SCF group was considerably lower than in the CEL and HFD groups. In addition, fasting plasma glucose and insulin and areas under the curve of intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test were also significantly lower in the SCF and PSY groups than in the CEL and HFD groups. Moreover, fasting plasma concentrations of leptin were significantly lower and GLP-1 level was 2-fold higher in the SCF and PSY mice than in the HFD and CEL mice. Ghrelin messenger RNA levels of stomach in the SCF group were significantly lower than in the CEL and HFD groups as well. These results suggest differences in response to dietary fiber intake in this animal model because high-fat diets incorporating dietary fibers such as SCF and PSY appeared to attenuate weight gain, enhance insulin sensitivity, and modulate leptin and GLP-1 secretion and gastric ghrelin gene expression.

A piezoelectric microjet has been fabricated and its working mechanism has been investigated. Considering different physical effects, the coupling models of the device are established and the key characteristics of the microjet are simulated by finite-element method. The dynamic displacement responses of the transducer under liquid-loading and unloading are calculated and compared. From numerical results, the coupling interactions dramatically damp the vibration amplitude of the transducer. However, the effects on the resonant frequencies of the structure are negligible, which will save much calculation work during further design optimization of the device. Based on the optimal design rules, the device has been fabricated and characterized.

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is one of major complications in patients undergoing PCI. We prospectively examined the association of urinary adiponectin (UAPN), a sensitive marker for early renal function impairment, with CIN. We enrolled 208 patients without severe hepatic and renal function

Objectives. During mastication, dental amalgams are simultaneously subjected to corrosion by the oral environment and to a sliding-wear process by biting forces. In the present study, the effect of sliding wear on the corrosion behavior of two high-copper dental amalgams was investigated. Methods. An experimental apparatus was utilized that allows electrochemical testing under sliding-wear conditions. Corrosion potential measurements and anodic polarization scans were conducted in 0.1 M NaCl solution under sliding wear to characterize the behavior of two commercial, high-copper, single composition dental amalgams. In addition, long duration tests were conducted to assess possible corrosion and wear synergistic effects. Results. The results showed that sliding wear caused a sharp reduction in the corrosion potential, a significant increase in the corrosion rate and a decrease in the repassivation rate of both amalgams. These effects are due to the mechanical removal by the wear process of the surface protective film formed on dental amalgams. The simultaneous action of sliding wear and corrosion can also induce embrittlement that leads to cracking. Significance. The present evidence suggests that this cracking may be one of the major contributors to marginal failures of dental amalgam restorations.