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Cu-Co/X-MMT (X = Na, SiO2) catalysts were prepared via impregnation method using Na-MMT and SiO2-MMT (montmorillonite pillared by SiO2) as the support and copper nitrate and cobalt nitrate as precursors. In addition, the citric acid was introduced during the preparation of Cu-Co/SiO2-MMT to obtain Cu-Co/SiO2-MMT-Ac catalyst. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, H2-TPR, XPS and N2 adsorption–desorption at low temperature. The results showed that the acidity and specific surface area of SiO2-MMT were larger than those of Na-MMT, thus resulting in dimethyl ether (DME) conversion and H2 yield of Cu-Co/SiO2-MMT higher than those of Cu-Co/Na-MMT during steam reforming of DME (SRD). However, for Cu-Co/SiO2-MMT, there was a large amount of methanol in the carbon-containing product due to the large particle size of Cu. The Cu particle size of Cu-Co/SiO2-MMT-Ac was decreased significantly due to the introduction of citric acid, thus accelerating the steam reforming of methanol reaction and enabling the timely conversion of the intermediate product methanol of SRD, resulting in the increasing DME conversion and H2 yield. Therefore, Cu-Co/SiO2-MMT-Ac was expected to be a potential catalyst for SRD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offshore structures, such as oil and gas platforms and offshore wind turbines, are subjected to wind and wave loads simultaneously during their service lifetime. Since the wind and wave states are of significant randomness and dependence, the probabilistic modeling of joint wind and wave conditions plays an essential role in the safety design of offshore structures. Currently, three different methods can be adopted to establish the joint probabilistic model, which, however, are somewhat inconvenient in applications. The recently emerged generative adversarial networks has been demonstrated to be effective in dealing with high-dimensional random variables in several fields. In this study, the implicit joint probabilistic model of joint wind and wave load conditions is developed based on the Wasserstein generative adversarial network with gradient penalty. Long-term metocean reanalysis data of the site in the South China Sea is used to train and validate the model. After one million training steps, high-quality samples that are quite similar to the original data can be generated by the developed model. In addition, statistical comparisons of the generated samples obtained by the C-vine copula approach and the developed generative adversarial network model are performed as well, which demonstrates the effectiveness and superiority of the developed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate increase in the surface temperature of biased Si avalanche photodiodes (APDs) fabricated in an external capacitor circuit irradiated by a millisecond-pulse laser. The results obtained show that different external capacitance parameters have different effects on the temperature rise, the smaller the capacitance of external capacitor, the lower surface temperature increase in the APD. The reason for this phenomenon is that the external capacitor charging decreases the circuit current, which hinders the generation of Joule heat in the APD. Therefore, the laser damage resistance of Si APDs can be improved by optimizing the capacitance parameters of the external circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel polyoxometalates-based metal-organic frameworks (POMOFs) microsphere, that is [Ni(phen)H2O]·V2O6 (phen is o-phenanthroline), have been successfully fabricated by one-pot simple hydro(solvent)thermal reaction through regulating different solvent ratios (H2O/EtOH). The experimental results show that the solvent effect has a significant effect on the micro-morphology and the catalytic activity of the materials. The dual-function in electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution and catalytic reduction of Cr6+ of the as-prepared POMOFs microspheres have been also studied. The POMOF(V,Ni)_3 catalyst prepared in the medium of pure ethanol have the best catalytic activity, in which the overpotential of 159 mV for the electrode is comparable to that of MoS2-based electrode material, and the rate constant k reaches 0.14 in the process of catalytic reduction of Cr6+. In this study, a novel polyoxometalates-based metal-organic frameworks (POMOFs) microsphere [Ni(phen)H2O]·V2O6 have been successfully fabricated by one-pot simple hydro(solvent)thermal reaction through regulating different solvent ratios. The dual-function in electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution and catalytic reduction of Cr6+ of the as-prepared sample have been also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EPAS1 involves in the hypoxic response and is suggested to be responsible for the genetic adaptation of high-altitude hypoxia in Tibetans. However, the detailed molecular mechanism remains unknown. In this study, a single nucleotide polymorphism rs56721780:G>C and an insertion/deletion (indel) polymorphism —742 indel in the promoter region showed divergence between Tibetans and non-Tibetan lowlanders. rs56721780:G>C regulated the transcription of EPAS1 by IKAROS family zinc finger 1 (IKZF1), which was identified as a new transcriptional repressor for EPAS1 gene. It demonstrated that the C allele of rs56721780:G>C decreased the binding of IKZF1, leading to the attenuated transcriptional repression of EPAS1 gene. The insertion at —742 indel provided a new binding site for Sp1 and was related to the activation of EPAS1 promoter. Further functional analysis revealed that lysyl oxidase (LOX) gene, which was reported to be responsible for extracellular matrix protein cross-linking of amnion previously, was a direct target of EPAS1. The CC genotype at rs56721780:G>C and the insertion genotype at—742 indel were found associated with higher EPAS1 andLOX expression levels in amnion, as well as higher birth weight of Tibetan newborns, suggesting that EPAS1 gene might play important roles in the development of amnion, fetus growth and high-altitude adaptation of Tibetans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abalone Haliotis discus hannai Ino is a popular delicacy consumed as a luxury food owing to its unique flavor and texture. In this study, we investigated the effects of heating conditions on the fatty acids and volatile compounds in its foot muscle based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME)-GC-MS. The contents of fatty acids significantly decreased after heating at 80 °C for 2 h. In total, 52 volatile compounds, including aldehydes, aromatic compounds, alkanes, alcohols, ketones, and furans, were detected in the heated samples. Principal component analysis revealed an interaction between heating temperature and time. Heating at 80 °C for 0.5-2 h generated higher contents of volatile compounds. In particular, the contents of hexanal, heptanal, octanal, nonanal, and undecanal mainly derived from autoxidation of fatty acids during heating increased at least fourfold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1,3-Bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene (TPER) and poly(amic acid) based on TPER and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) were synthesized. After imidization of the poly(amic acid), polyimide based on TPER and PMDA was obtained. The melting process and the specific heat capacity ( C) of TPER were examined by DSC and microcalorimetry, respectively. The melting enthalpy, the melting entropy, and the C for TPER were obtained. The enthalpy change, the entropy change, and the Gibbs free energy change for TPER were obtained within 283 and 353 K. The thermal decomposition reaction mechanism of the polyimide is classified from the TG-DTG experimental data, and the thermokinetic parameters of the thermal decomposition reaction are E = 296.87 kJ moland log ( A/s) = 14.41. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene therapy has emerged as a potential new approach to treat genetic disorders by delivering therapeutic genes to target diseased tissues. However, its clinical use has been impeded by gene delivery systems. The viral vectors are very efficient in delivering and expressing their carried genes, but they have safety issues in clinical use. While nonviral vectors are much safer with very low risks after careful material design, but their gene transcription efficiency is too low to be clinically used. Thus, rational design of nonviral vectors mimicking the viral vectors would be a way to break this bottleneck. This review compares side-by-side how viral/nonviral gene vectors transcend these biological barriers in terms of blood circulation, cellular uptake, endosome escape, nucleus import and gene transcription. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binary copper(I) 3,5-dibutyl triazolate has been prepared from 3,5-dibutyl triazole and Cu(NO) under hydrothermal condition. This complex crystallizes in tetragonal I4/ a with a = b = 17.622(3) Å, c = 15.842(3) Å and exhibits a 3D structure of either four-connected lvt or three-connected lvt-a topology. Graphical Abstract: Binary copper(I) 3,5-dibutyl triazolate exhibits a 3D structure of either four-connected lvt or three-connected lvt-a topology.[Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the major inconveniences encountered in sleep studies is the time-consuming labor involved in electroencephalography (EEG) analysis. The choice of epoch duration is of prime importance and is highly related to the outcome of EEG analysis. This study was designed to find the optimal EEG epoch duration that accurately reveals the sleep-wake profiles of animals and relieve researchers of the laborious analysis of rodent sleep-wake parameters. We analyzed mouse and rat EEG signals with commonly used epoch durations (4, 8, 10, 20, and 30 s) and compared the resulting sleep-wake profiles in terms of amounts of sleep and wakefulness, number and duration of episodes, number of sleep-wake stage transitions, and EEG power spectra. There were no statistical differences in the amount and EEG power density of wakefulness, rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep among the 5 epoch durations we used. However, the shorter the epoch, the more numerous the stage transitions and the larger the episode number. The purpose of an experiment should be a main criterion for determining the optimal epoch length for the experiment. When the amount of each stage and power density of EEG signals are desired, a 30-s epoch duration is appropriate, to save time; and the results obtained are no different from those found by analysis of other epoch durations. If stage transition and duration and number of episodes are to be considered, a 4-s epoch duration is suggested as the best choice for analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Welan gum is a microbial polysaccharide produced by Alcaligenes sp. CGMCC2428 that has d-glucose, d-glucuronic acid, d-glucose, and l-rhamnose as the main structural unit. The biosynthetic pathway of sugar nucleotides essential for producing welan gum in this strain was established in the following ways: (1) the detection of the presence of several intermediates and key enzymes; (2) the analysis of the response upon addition of precursors to the culture medium; (3) the correlation of the activities between several key enzymes with the yields of welan gum. With addition of 200-μM glucose-6-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate, the production of welan gum was improved by 18%. The activities of phosphoglucomutase, phosphomannose isomerase, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, and dTDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, correlated well with the yields of welan gum. According to these findings, the biosynthetic pathway was proposed to involve the metabolism of glucose via two discrete systems. The first involves conversion of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate, with further reactions producing glucose-1-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate, which are metabolized to the nucleotide sugar precursors of welan gum. The second system involves metabolism of glucose to synthesize the basic structural skeleton of the cell via central metabolic pathways, including the Entner–Doudoroff pathway, the pentose phosphate pathway, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on several genome-wide association (GWA) studies of osteoporosis, which were discussed at the 31st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR). The meeting was held from September 11-15, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. The studies presented at the meeting were regarding genetic mechanisms of osteoporosis, gene-gene interaction, and epigenetics.

Prolamins are seed storage proteins in cereals and represent an important source of essential amino acids for feed and food. Genes encoding these proteins resulted from dispersed and tandem amplification. While previous studies have concentrated on protein sequences from different grass species, we now can add a new perspective to their relationships by asking how their genes are shared by ancestry and copied in different lineages of the same family of species. These differences are derived from alignment of chromosomal regions, where collinearity is used to identify prolamin genes in syntenic positions, also called orthologous gene copies. New or paralogous gene copies are inserted in tandem or new locations of the same genome. More importantly, one can detect the loss of older genes. We analyzed chromosomal intervals containing prolamin genes from rice, sorghum, wheat, barley, and Brachypodium, representing different subfamilies of the Poaceae. The Poaceae commonly known as the grasses includes three major subfamilies, the Ehrhartoideae (rice), Pooideae (wheat, barley, and Brachypodium), and Panicoideae (millets, maize, sorghum, and switchgrass). Based on chromosomal position and sequence divergence, it becomes possible to infer the order of gene amplification events. Furthermore, the loss of older genes in different subfamilies seems to permit a faster pace of divergence of paralogous genes. Change in protein structure affects their physical properties, subcellular location, and amino acid composition. On the other hand, regulatory sequence elements and corresponding transcriptional activators of new gene copies are more conserved than coding sequences, consistent with the tissue-specific expression of these genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytic acid (PA, myo-inositol 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexa kisphosphate) is important to the nutritional quality of cereal and legume seeds. PA and its salts with micronutrient cations, such as iron and zinc, cannot be digested by humans and non-ruminant animals, and hence may affect food/feed nutritional value and cause P pollution of groundwater from animal waste. We previously developed a set of low phytic acid (LPA) rice mutant lines with the aim of increasing the nutritional quality of rice. Two of these lines, Os-lpa-XS110-2 (homozygous non-lethal) Os-lpa-XS110-3 (homozygous lethal), contain two mutant alleles of a LPA gene (hereafter XS-lpa2-1 and XS-lpa2-2, respectively). In this study, we mapped the XS-lpa2-1 gene to a region on chromosome 3 between microsatellite markers RM14360 and RM1332, where the rice orthologue ( OsMRP5) of the maize lpa1 gene is located. Sequence analysis of the OsMRP5 gene revealed a single base pair change (C/G–T/A transition) in the sixth exon of XS-lpa2-1 and a 5-bp deletion in the first exon of XS-lpa2-2. OsMRP5 is expressed in both vegetative tissues and developing seeds, and the two mutations do not change the level of RNA transcription. A T-DNA insertion line, 4A-02500, in which OsMRP5 was disrupted, also showed the same high inorganic phosphorus phenotype as Os-lpa-XS110-3 and appeared to be homozygous lethal. PA is significantly reduced in Os-lpa-XS110-2 (~20%) and in 4A-02500 (~90%) seeds compared with their wild type lines, and no PA was detected in Os-lpa-XS110-3 using HPLC analysis. This evidence indicates that the OsMRP5 gene plays an important role in PA metabolism in rice seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  We reviewed the clinical results of the past 7 years in order to investigate the effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in nonunions of long bone fracture. Sixty-nine patients with 69 nonunions (22 femora, 28 tibiae, 13 humeri, 5 radii, and 1 ulna) were treated with extracorporeal shock waves. The technical parameters were 6,000 to 10,000 impulses at 28 kV (0.62 mJ/mm2 energy flux density) for the femur and tibia, 4,000 impulses at 24 kV for the humerus (0.56 mJ/mm2 energy flux density), and 3,000 impulses at 24 kV (0.56 mJ/mm2 energy flux density) for the radius and ulna. Sixty-six patients were followed up. The total successful rate of bony union was 75.4%. ESWT was successful in hypertrophic nonunions and seemed to have no evident effect in atrophic nonunions. We believe that extracorporeal shock wave therapy may be a good choice for nonunions of long bone fracture especially in hypertrophic nonunions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  1-(4-Aminoantipyrine)-3-tosylurea (H2L) and its three lanthanide (III) complexes, M(H2L)3 3NO3 [where M = Nd(III), Sm(III) and Eu(III)], have been synthesized and characterized. In addition, the DNA-binding properties of the three complexes have been investigated by UV–vis (ultraviolet and visible) absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and viscosity measurements. Results suggest that the three complexes bind to DNA via a groove binding mode. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity (superoxide and hydroxyl radical) of the metal complexes was determined by using spectrophotometer methods in vitro. These complexes were found to possess potent antioxidant activity and be better than standard antioxidants like vitamin C and mannitol. Absorption spectra of the complex 3 inTris-HCl buffer upon addition of calf-thymus DNA. [complex]=1×10-5 M, [DNA]=(0-1) ×10-5 M. Arrow shows the absorbance changing upon increasing DNA concentrations. Inset: plots of [DNA]/(εa – εf) versus [DNA] for the titration of DNA with the complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary  Thermoplastic biodegradable composites based on ramie fibre (RF) and a poly(l-lactic acid)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PLLA-PCL) matrix was manufactured using the in situ polymerization method. In order to improve the compatibility and strengthen the interface in natural fibre composite materials, the RF was firstly treated by coupling agents. Then the RF reinforced thermoplastic PLLA-PCL composite was prepared by in situ polymerization of PLLA oligomer with NCO-terminated PCL prepolymer. The effect of fibre length and fibre content on tensile strength and impact strength of this natural-fibre-reinforced biodegradable composite (PLLA-PCL/RF) was discussed, including the influence of the use of silane coupling agent (KH550) for improved interfacial adhesion. The results showed that the tensile strength and impact strength of PLLA-PCL/RF were highest when the RF length was 5-6mm, RF content was 45% and with KH550 as surface treatment agent of RF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the prevalence of hematuria or proteinuria in school children in Shanghai and to evaluate the screening methods, we conducted urine screening in more than 40,000 school children between 2003 and 2005. Children were tested with dipsticks read manually (method A) or dipsticks read by machines (method B) combined with a sulfosalicylic acid test or microscopy. Some children were tested once, and others who had abnormal results in the first screening were tested again 2 weeks later. The prevalence of urine abnormalities in the first screening was more than 5.00% and of the second screening about 1.00%. Either method B or testing two urine samples for each child had higher specificity. As to the direct cost, that of screening twice with method A was lower than just screening once with method B. So using method A to screen twice for each child was not only convenient and economical, but also could reduce the false positive rate effectively. More than 10 months of follow-up diagnosed two cases of IgA nephropathy. Asymptomatic chronic renal diseases in school children could be detected through school urine screening. For Shanghai, China, screening twice using method A might be the best choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors demonstrate expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and its hydroxylases in the endometrium and ovaries of women with and without endometriosis and endometrial or ovarian cancer. Immunohistochemistry showed strong staining of the VDR in endometriosis and endometrial cancer, with the most intense staining in epithelial cells. The VDR mRNA was significantly increased in patients with endometrial and ovarian cancer compared to the control group. There was a significantly higher 1α-hydroxylase expression in the endometrium of patients with endometriosis compared to healthy controls. The observed differences in VDR and 1α-hydroxylase mRNA levels were maintained at the protein level. The authors found no differences in 25-OH vitamin D levels between the serum of patients with endometriosis (25.7 ± 2.1 ng/mL, n = 46) and healthy controls (22.6 ± 2.0 ng/mL, n = 33, P = .31). They hypothesize that vitamin D might influence the local activity of immune cells and cytokines thought to play important pathogenic roles in the development and maintenance of endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytic acid (PA, myo-inositol 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexa kisphosphate), or its salt form, phytate, is commonly regarded as the major anti-nutritional component in cereal and legume grains. Breeding of low phytic acid ( lpa) crops has recently been considered as a potential way to increase nutritional quality of crop products. In this study, eight independent lpa rice mutant lines from both indica and japonica subspecies were developed through physical and chemical mutagenesis. Among them, five are non-lethal while the other three are homozygous lethal. None of the lethal lines could produce homozygous lpa plants through seed germination and growth under field conditions, but two of them could be rescued through in vitro culture of mature embryos. The non-lethal lpa mutants had lower PA content ranging from 34 to 64% that of their corresponding parent and four of them had an unchanged total P level. All the lpa mutations were inherited in a single recessive gene model and at least four lpa mutations were identified mutually non-allelic, while the other two remain to be verified. One mutation was mapped on chromosome 2 between microsatellite locus RM3542 and RM482, falling in the same region as the previously mapped lpa1-1 locus did; another lpa mutation was mapped on chromosome 3, tightly linked to RM3199 with a genetic distance of 1.198 cM. The latter mutation was very likely to have happened to the LOC_Os03g52760, a homolog of the maize myo-inositol kinase (EC 2.7.1.64) gene. The present work greatly expands the number of loci that could influence the biosynthesis of PA in rice, making rice an excellent model system for research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the genetic determination of body weight, body mass index (BMI) and cross-sectional geometric parameters of the femoral neck including cross-sectional area (CSA), cortical thickness (CT), sectional modulus (Z), and buckling ratio (BR), and to test the genetic correlation between body weight/BMI and the femoral neck geometric parameters. A total of 929 healthy subjects from 292 Chinese nuclear families was included. Femoral neck geometric parameters were estimated from bone mineral density (BMD) and bone area which were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The heritability ( h 2) estimate values were 0.643, 0.626, 0.626, 0.674, 0.405, and 0.615 for body weight, BMI, CSA, CT, Z, and BR, respectively. Body weight was significantly correlated with bone geometric parameters ( p≤0.001) with genetic correlation ( ρ G ) values of 0.551, 0.457, 0.571, and −0.385, and bivariate heritability % MathType!Translator!2!1!AMS LaTeX.tdl!TeX -- AMS-LaTeX! % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+- % feaaeaart1ev0aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbbjxAHX % garmWu51MyVXgatuuDJXwAK1uy0HwmaeHbfv3ySLgzG0uy0Hgip5wz % aebbnrfifHhDYfgasaacH8qrps0lbbf9q8WrFfeuY-Hhbbf9v8qqaq % Fr0xc9pk0xbba9q8WqFfea0-yr0RYxir-Jbba9q8aq0-yq-He9q8qq % Q8frFve9Fve9Ff0dmeaabaqaciGacaGaaeqabaWaaeWaeaaakeaada % qadaqaaiabeg8aYnaaDaaaleaacaWGhbaabaGaaGOmaaaaaOGaayjk % aiaawMcaaaaa!3C98! $${\left( {\rho ^{2}_{G} } \right)}$$ values of 0.304, 0.209, 0.326, and 0.148 for CSA, CT, Z, and BR, respectively. Similar correlations ( p≤0.001) were observed between BMI and bone geometric parameters, with ρ G values of 0.446, 0.432, 0.334, and −0.362, and % MathType!Translator!2!1!AMS LaTeX.tdl!TeX -- AMS-LaTeX! % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+- % feaaeaart1ev0aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbbjxAHX % garmWu51MyVXgatuuDJXwAK1uy0HwmaeHbfv3ySLgzG0uy0Hgip5wz % aebbnrfifHhDYfgasaacH8qrps0lbbf9q8WrFfeuY-Hhbbf9v8qqaq % Fr0xc9pk0xbba9q8WqFfea0-yr0RYxir-Jbba9q8aq0-yq-He9q8qq % Q8frFve9Fve9Ff0dmeaabaqaciGacaGaaeqabaWaaeWaeaaakeaacq % aHbpGCdaqhaaWcbaGaam4raaqaaiaaikdaaaaaaa!3B05! $$\rho ^{2}_{G}$$ values of 0.199, 0.187, 0.112, and 0.131 for CSA, CT, Z, and BR, respectively. In summary, our study suggested that body weight, BMI, and femoral neck geometry were under strong genetic determination. The strong genetic correlations suggested that the genetic factors of bone geometry may be overlapped with those of body weight and BMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interactions of a metal complex [Ru(phen)2PMIP]2+ {Ru=ruthenium, phen=1,10-phenanthroline, PMIP=2-(4-methylphenyl)imidazo[4,5-f]1,10-phenanthroline} with yeast tRNA and calf thymus DNA (CT DNA) have been investigated comparatively by UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, viscosity measurements, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), as well as equilibrium dialysis and circular dichroism (CD). Spectroscopic studies together with ITC and viscosity measurements indicate that both binding modes of the Ru(II) polypyridyl complex to yeast tRNA and CT DNA are intercalation and yeast tRNA binding of the complex is stronger than CT DNA binding. ITC experiments show that the interaction of the complex with yeast tRNA is driven by a moderately favorable enthalpy decrease in combination with a moderately favorable entropy increase, while the binding of the complex to CT DNA is driven by a large favorable enthalpy decrease with a less favorable entropy increase. The results from equilibrium dialysis and CD suggest that both interactions are enantioselective and the Δ enantiomer of the complex may bind more favorably to both yeast tRNA and CT DNA than the Λ enantiomer does, and that the complex is a better candidate for an enantioselective binder to yeast tRNA than to CT DNA. Taken together, these results indicate that the structures of nucleic acids have significant effects on the binding behaviors of metal complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low peak bone density (PBD) in adulthood is an important determinant of osteoporotic fracture (OF) in the elderly. The tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) gene has been considered as an important candidate gene for PBD due to its important role in bone turnover. In this study, we recruited a total of 1,263 subjects from 402 Chinese nuclear families composed of both parents and at least one daughter, and tested the association of the (CA)n polymorphism in intron 4 of the TNFR2 gene with PBD using a more contemporary quantitative transmission disequilibrium test (QTDT). Significant within-family association was detected between the CA16 allele and bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine with the P-value of 0.005 after permutations, which is still significant after correction for multiple testing. Some evidence of total-family association between the CA16 allele and lumbar spine BMD was found ( P=0.021), although the significant level did not reach the empirical threshold ( P≤0.007). About 3.14% of lumbar spine BMD variation can be explained by the CA16 allele. In summary, our results suggest that the TNFR2 gene may play an important role in determining lumbar spine BMD variation in Chinese women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the safety and feasibility of using a novel purpose-built single-port robotic system (the SHURUI Robotic Surgical System) with deformable surgical instruments to perform retroperitoneal single-port partial nephrectomy. Materials and methods: A prospective study was conducted to recruit patients with a single renal tumor no more than 4 cm. Robot-assisted single-port partial nephrectomy was performed by using the novel purpose-built single-port robotic system with deformable surgical instruments. Patients' demographics, tumor characteristics, and perioperative parameters were recorded and analyzed. Results: Sixteen patients were recruited to the study. The median tumor size was 2.0 cm (IQR: 1.2-2.4 cm). The median R.E.N.A.L score was 6 (IQR: 4-4.5). In 3 cases, pure single-port surgery was carried out, and all the assistance was through the robotic port. Median docking time was 15.5 min (IQR: 14.25-22.25 min). Median operating time was 148.5 min (IQR: 178-238.5 min). Median console time was 107 min (IQR: 92.75-149.75 min). Median warm ischemic time was 26.5 min (IQR: 24.5-30 min). Median blood loss was 17.5 ml (IQR: 10-50 ml). Conclusions: Retroperitoneal partial nephrectomy can be safely performed with this novel purpose-built single-port robotic system (SHURUI) with deformable surgical instruments. Further studies are needed to fully evaluate the role of this new platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the characteristics, types, models of fossil taphonomy and reef-making actions about different communities of 9 genera and 43 species algae. Fossil taphonomy of Miocene reef-making algae; Evolution of algae ecosystem in reef array; Algae reef-making actions and genesis models of Miocene reef in Xisha.

The title compound, [Cu(C10H8N2)(HCO2)2]n, in which the asymmetric unit contains one crystallographically independent copper(II) ions, one formate and half of 4, 4′-bipy molecules, has a linear polymeric structure, with the bridging ligand 4, 4′-bipyridine connecting the CuII ions. Each ion lies on an inversion center and has a distorted octahedral environment, being coordinated by two bipy ligands and four oxygen atoms from two formate groups. The O1 in the formate group is disordered over two sites with occupancy of 0.55 and 0.45. In the crystal structure, the linear polymeric chains are linked by intermolecular C–H···O hydrogen bonds, resulting in a two-dimensional supramolecular network. The compound, [Cu(C10H8N2)(HCO2)2]n, has a linear polymeric structure, with the bridging ligand 4, 4′-bipyridine connecting the CuII ions. The linear polymeric chains are linked by intermolecular C–H···O hydrogen bonds, resulting in a 2-D supramolecular network.[Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein-RNA interaction participates in many biological processes. So, studying protein–RNA interaction can help us to understand the function of protein and RNA. Although the protein–RNA 3D3D model, like PRIME, was useful in building 3D structural complexes, it can't be used genome-wide, due to lacking RNA 3D structures. To take full advantage of RNA secondary structures revealed from high-throughput sequencing, we present PRIME-3D2D to predict binding sites of protein–RNA interaction. PRIME-3D2D is almost as good as PRIME at modeling protein–RNA complexes. PRIME-3D2D can be used to predict binding sites on PDB data (MCC = 0.75/0.70 for binding sites in protein/RNA) and transcription-wide (MCC = 0.285 for binding sites in RNA). Testing on PDB and yeast transcription-wide data show that PRIME-3D2D performs better than other binding sites predictor. So, PRIME-3D2D can be used to predict the binding sites both on PDB and genome-wide, and it's freely available. Xie et al. report a new computational method PRIME-3D2D to predict binding sites of protein–RNA interaction by considering protein 3D structure and RNA 2D structure. It is freely available, performs better than other binding sites predictor and is as good as PRIME to model protein–RNA complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that many important properties of μ-pseudo almost automorphic (periodic) functions are based on the translation invariance. In this paper we give a new result of the translation invariance with conditions weaker than the known one. Then some more properties are studied, including the uniqueness of the decomposition and the convolution of the space. Moreover, we present a result on the equality of two spaces of this kind of functions, which extends the well-known results to the case when the measures of the spaces are not equivalent. As an application, we give an existence and uniqueness theorem of μ-pseudo almost automorphic mild solution for a semilinear fractional differential equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim in the article is to study the existence of μ-pseudo almost automorph mild solutions to the following fractional integro-differential equation: Dαu(t)=Au(t)+∫−∞ta(t−s)Au(s)ds+f(t,u(t)),t∈R, where for α>0, the fractional derivative Dα is understood in the sense of Weyl, and A is a closed linear operator defined on Banach space X, a∈Lloc1(R+) is a scalar-valued kernel. The novelty of this work is a study of this equation with a μ-Sp-pseudo almost automorph nonlinear term satisfying the condition of “uniform continuity” instead of some “Lipschitz” type conditions supposed in the literature. We utilize Schauder’s fixed point theorem. An example is provided to explain our abstract results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Dried blood spot (DBS) is one of promising home sampling methods for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). However, the associated reliability and feasibility (including yield, adherence, and preference), which are criteria for the promotion of home-based DBS, remain unknown. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the reliability and feasibility of TDM using DBS sampling. Methods: In this study, a combination of MeSH and free terms for (dried blood spot*[title/abstract])AND ("Drug Monitoring"[Mesh])AND(home OR venous)was surveyed using EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science upon gathering published. we registered this study protocol with the International Prospective Registry of Systematic Reviews (CRD42021247559). Results: Approximately half (35/75) of the evaluations reported good agreement between DBS and plasma, and the results for drugs with poor agreement may be improved using a haematocrit-based physiological equation. The yield and adherence to home-based DBS exceeded 87%, and questionnaire-based preference for DBS was 77%. Conclusions: DBS may be a reliable and feasible home sampling method; however, it requires intricate design and evaluation before implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research on the effect of chimerism on tolerance to kidney allografts. It references the study "Evidence for Kidney Rejection After Combined Bone Marrow and Renal Transplantation Despite Ongoing Whole-Blood Chimerism in Rhesus Macaques" by S. K. Ramakrishnan published in a 2012 issue of the "American Journal of Transplantation." Researchers also reported the role of donor T-cell engraftment in tolerance induction.

The Motor tic, Obsessions and Compulsions, Vocal tic Evaluation Survey (MOVES) is a widely used screening tool for Tourette syndrome (TS) and associated comorbidities. This study evaluated its applicability for children in China using 7,125 participants from the National Center for Children’s Health (Beijing). Psychometric evaluations included exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, yielding a 16-item, four-factor model that explained 55.11% of the variance and demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.88) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.86). The scale showed strong convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity and was significantly correlated with other established TS scales. The results affirm the reliability and validity of the MOVES for screening TS in Asian contexts, addressing a crucial gap in the region’s TS assessment tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Soft-tissue defects of the thumb and index finger remain a challenge for plastic surgeons. Our purpose was to observe the morphological characteristics of the cutaneous vessels in the first web, to design a dorsal perforator flap based on the palmar artery in the first web and to propose its clinical application. Methods: Thirty preserved hand specimens were dissected to observe the origin, course, branch and anastomosis of the dorsal perforators in the first web, and the dorsal perforator flap based on the palmar artery in the first web was designed. Clinically, seven cases of hand defects were reconstructed using this flap. Results: The blood supply for the dorsum of the first web comprised the dorsal perforators from both the dorsal artery (the branch of the first dorsal metacarpal artery) and palmar artery (the radial palmar digital artery of the index finger and the ulnar palmar digital artery of the thumb). The first dorsal metacarpal artery constantly arose from the radial artery and was divided into the radial, ulnar and medial branches. The palmar artery sent out 1–2 perforators and formed a constant anastomosis with the medial branch of the first dorsal metacarpal artery to supply the dorsal skin of the first web. In clinical application, all the flaps survived completely without contracture of the first web or other complications and the donor regions all healed at the first stage. Conclusion: The dorsal perforator flap based on the palmar artery in the first web is useful to repair soft-tissue defects of the thumb, the proximal phalanx of the index finger and thenar region, leading to a satisfactory appearance and good functional and sensory recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theoretical study of the chemisorption and dissociation pathways of water on the Al cluster was performed using the hybrid density functional B3LYP method with the 6-311+G(d, p) basis set. The activation energies, reaction enthalpies, and Gibbs free energy of activation for the reaction were determined. Calculations revealed that the HO molecule is easily adsorbed onto the Al surface, forming adlayers. The dissociation of the first HO molecule from the bimolecular HO structure via the Grotthuss mechanism is the most kinetically favorable among the five potential pathways for O-H bond breaking. The elimination of H in the reaction of an HO molecule with a hydrogen atom on the Al cluster via the Eley-Rideal mechanism has a lower activation barrier than the elimination of H in the reaction of two adsorbed H atoms or the reaction of OH and H. Following the adsorption and dissociation of HO, the structure of Al is distorted to varying degrees. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1), a structure-specific endo- and exonuclease, has multiple functions that determine essential biological processes, such as cell proliferation and cell death. As such, the enzyme must be precisely regulated to execute each of its functions with the right timing and in a specific subcellular location. Here we report that FEN1 is methylated at arginine residues, primarily at Arg192. The methylation suppresses FEN1 phosphorylation at Ser187. The methylated form, but not the phosphorylated form, of FEN1 strongly interacts with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), ensuring the 'on' and 'off' timing of its reaction. Mutations of FEN1 disrupting arginine methylation and PCNA interaction result in unscheduled phosphorylation and a failure to localize to DNA replication or repair foci. This consequently leads to a defect in Okazaki fragment maturation, a delay in cell cycle progression, impairment of DNA repair and a high frequency of genome-wide mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  To discuss the influence of dexamethasone on NF-κB expression of pancreas in rat with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Ninety rat SAP models were divided into the model group and dexamethasone treatment group with 45 rats in each group; another healthy 45 rats were selected to be the sham operation group. The groups were divided into the 3, 6 and 12 h group with 15 rats in each group. The survivals, pancreas pathological changes were observed 3, 6 and 12 h after operation. The changes in expression levels of NF-κB protein of pancreas tissue microarray were observed. The treatment group was significantly lower than the model group at 3 and 6 h (P [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Reported far-infrared laser lines for five different transition systems of CH3NH2 optically pumped by a CO2 laser have been identified spectroscopically through a high-resolution Fourier transform infrared study of the C-N stretching band together with CO2-laser/microwave-sideband broad-scan and Lamb-dip measurements. From the infrared analysis plus previous far-infrared (FIR) results for the ground vibrational state, quantum numbers have been assigned for seven methylamine FIR laser transitions and their C-N stretching pump absorptions coincident with the CO2 laser lines. The assignments are confirmed through the use of closed frequency combination loops that also provide improved FIR laser frequencies to spectroscopic accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developmental gene families have diversified during land plant evolution. The primary role of YABBY gene family is promoting abaxial fate in model eudicot, Arabidopsis thaliana. However recent results suggest that roles of YABBY genes are not conserved in the angiosperms. In this paper, a rice YABBY gene was isolated, and its expression patterns were analyzed in detail. Sequence characterization and phylogenetic analyses showed the gene is OsYABBY4, which is group-classified into FIL/YAB3 subfamily. Beta-glucuronidase reporter assay and in situ analysis consistently revealed that OsYABBY4 was expressed in the meristems and developing vascular tissue of rice, predominantly in the phloem tissue, suggesting that the function of the rice gene is different from those of its counterparts in eudicots. OsYABBY4 may have been recruited to regulate the development of vasculature in rice. However, transgenic Arabidopsis plants ectopically expressing OsYABBY4 behaved very like those over-expressing FIL or YAB3 with abaxialized lateral organs, suggesting the OsYABBY4 protein domain is conserved with its Arabidopsis counterparts in sequences. Our results also indicate that the functional diversification of OsYABBY4 may be associated with the divergent spatial–temporal expression patterns, and YABBY family members may have preserved different expression regulatory systems and functions during the evolution of different kinds of species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of ammonium-based N ( $$ {\text{NH}}^{ + }_{4} - {\text{N}} $$ ) addition on soil nitrification and acidification were investigated in terms of kinetic mechanisms and major factors controlling these soil processes for terrestrial ecosystems in subtropical China. Soil samples were collected from an upland soil derived from a sandstone parent (SU), a brush-land soil from a granite (GB), and a forest soil from a quaternary red earth (QF) in a typical subtropical region of China. The samples were incubated at 30°C with soil moisture content of 60% water holding capacity (WHC) for 35 days, after adding ammonium sulphate, urea, and ammonium bicarbonate at rates of 0, 100, and 250 mg N kg−1, respectively. Nitrification in SU soil (pH 6.27) followed a first-order reaction model ( P < 0.001). Addition of ammonium sulphate, urea and ammonium bicarbonate significantly ( P < 0.05) stimulated nitrification. As a result, the soil was significantly acidified ( P < 0.05) and the soil pH at the end of incubation decreased with increasing N addition. In contrast, nitrification in QF (pH 4.46) and GB (pH 4.82) soils followed a zero-order reaction model ( P < 0.001) and hence the addition of $$ {\text{NH}}^{ + }_{4} $$ did not directly affect soil nitrification. However, the chemical input directly changed initial pH of GB and QF soils, resulting in either a decrease or an increase in $$ {\text{NO}}^{ - }_{3} $$ production, dependent on the impact of the chemicals applied. At the end of incubation, the pH of QF and GB soils was significantly higher ( P < 0.05) in treatments with $$ {\text{NH}}^{ + }_{4} $$ -input than without $$ {\text{NH}}^{ + }_{4} $$ -input. These results indicated that for some acid soils nitrification was not controlled by available $$ {\text{NH}}^{ + }_{4} $$ -N and that $$ {\text{NH}}^{ + }_{4} $$ -N-input was not necessary to stimulate soil nitrification. And so no acceleration of soil acidification occurred. In order to characterize nitrification intensity in these humid soils and its effect on acidification, nitrification without N-amendment is a better indicator than with N-amendment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strain Aspergillus fumigatus XC6 isolated from mildewing rice straw was evaluated for its ability to decolorize a dye industry effluent. The strain was capable of decolorizing dyes effluent over a pH range 3.0–8.0 with the dyes as sole carbon and nitrogen sources. The optimum pH was 3.0; however, supplemented with either appropriate nitrogen sources (0.2% NH4Cl or (NH4)2SO4 ) or carbon sources (1.0% sucrose or potato starch), the strain decolorized the effluent completely at the original pH of the dyes effluent. Therefore, A. fumigatus XC6 is an efficient strain for the decolorization of reactive textile dyes effluents, and it might be a practical alternative in dyeing wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal decomposition behaviors of 1,3-di (azido-acetoxy)-2-methyl-2-nitropropane (DAMNP) under pressures of 0.1 MPa and 3.0 MPa were investigated by DSC techniques. The results showed that with the increase in pressure, the decomposition heat increased significantly, while the peak temperature increased slightly. The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of exothermic decomposition reaction were obtained, and the iso-kinetic point was found as 192.0 °C. Using the thermal decomposition parameters, the self-accelerating decomposition temperature and the critical temperature of thermal explosion were calculated to be 190.10 °C and 202.58 °C, respectively. The specific heat capacity of DAMNP was studied with micro-DSC method, and the molar heat capacity was found to be 531.98 J mol−1 K−1. The adiabatic time-to-explosion was calculated to be 75.67 s. The combustion heat of DAMNP was determined with an oxygen bomb calorimeter, and the standard molar enthalpy of formation was calculated to be − 189.46 kJ mol−1. These results are important in evaluating the thermal stability and application prospects of DAMNP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An investigation was carried out to assess the effect of the P content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ZCuPb20Sn5 alloy. Alloys of various compositions, (0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5% wt.% P) were melted in a melting furnace under 1200 °C and cast into metal mould, the hardness, strength and elongation of alloy castings which adding P or not in melting process were tested and the casting mircostructure was analyzed. The results show that the second phase appeared and gradually increased in amount with the content of P elements increased. Also, the microstructure of ZCuPb20Sn5 alloy was refined, and the average size of lead inclusions was reduced and formed a dispersed network of eutectoid inclusions.The addition of P had a beneficial effect on the microstructure and properties of ZCuPb20Sn5 alloy. The hardness and tensile strength of ZCuPb20Sn5 alloy increased, but the elongation increased at first, then decreased, when the P content increased. When the P content was less than 0.1 wt.%, the functions of phosphorous copper mainly was used as a deoxidizing initial gas, but when exceeded 0.1 wt.%, a second phase reinforcing particle formed with copper or nickel together, which improved the mechanical properties of the alloy. However, the elongation was lowered due to the brittle phosphide phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new qubit-loss-free fusion scheme for atom W states has been proposed in cavity quantum electrodynamics system. Based on the resonant interactions between the atoms and the cavity modes, a larger-scale atom W state can be generated from three or four small-scale entangled states on the condition that one or two qubit of each W state is permitted to enter the fusion mechanism. The premise of all current fusion schemes is that only one particle can be extracted from each W state to be fused, and with the progress of experimental technology, two particles can be extracted. In this case, the qubit-loss-free fusion scheme will be realized for fusing more W states without any ancillary particles. In addition, the fusion of the atomic states can be achieved through the detection on cavity mode rather than the complex atomic detection, which makes the preparation scheme be more efficient andsimpler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dissolution properties of 2-oxo-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazacyclohexane (Keto-RDX) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) were studied by using a RD496-2000 Calvet microcalorimeter at four different temperatures under atmospheric pressure. The heat effects, molar enthalpies (ΔdissH), and differential enthalpies (ΔdifH) of dissolution were determined. Furthermore, the corresponding kinetic equations describing the dissolution processes at the four experimental temperatures are dα/dt = 10−2.43 (1 − α)0.63 (T = 298.15 K), dα/dt = 10−2.41 (1 − α)0.67 (T = 303.15 K), dα/dt = 10−2.40 (1 − α)0.75 (T = 308.15 K), and dα/dt = 10−2.38 (1 − α)0.76 (T = 313.15 K). The determined values of the activation energy E and pre-exponential factor A for the dissolution process are 5.99 kJ mol−1 and 10−1.38 s−1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptive immunity plays a critical role in IR and T2DM development; however, the biological mechanisms linking T cell costimulation and glucose metabolism have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that the costimulatory molecule OX40 controls T cell activation and IR development. Inflammatory cell accumulation and enhanced proinflammatory gene expression, as well as high OX40 expression levels on CD4 T cells, were observed in the adipose tissues of mice with diet-induced obesity. OX40-KO mice exhibited significantly less weight gain and lower fasting glucose levels than those of WT mice, without obvious adipose tissue inflammation. The effects of OX40 on IR are mechanistically linked to the promotion of T cell activation, Th1 cell differentiation and proliferation-as well as the attenuation of Treg suppressive activity and the enhancement of proinflammatory cytokine production-in adipose tissues. Furthermore, OX40 expression on T cells was positively associated with obesity in humans, suggesting that our findings are clinically relevant. In summary, our study revealed that OX40 in CD4 T cells is crucial for adipose tissue inflammation and IR development. Therefore, the OX40 signaling pathway may be a new target for preventing or treating obesity-related IR and T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Metastasis is a leading cause of cancer-related-deaths worldwide. Recently, cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been believed to be responsible for tumor initiation and metastasis, but till now, difference of cellular features and behaviors between CSCs from tumor tissues (TCSCs) and circulation (CCSCs) remains largely unknown, which hinders the progression of targeted therapies for metastasis. Methods and Results: Here, we provide the features of circulating gastric cancer stem cells (CGCSCs) isolated from human gastric adenocarcinoma. The CGCSCs and TGCSCs were culture in a same serum free stem cell culture medium, however the morphology are different with each other. EMT-associated markers were measured by Immunofluorescence, Western Blotting, and RT-PCR methods, and the results indicated that the CGCSCs and TGCSCs carry different epithelial-mesenchymal features. And then, proliferation and apoptosis assays revealed that the CGCSCs exhibited characteristics of higher proliferation and resistance to apoptosis in vitro. Soft agar assay and nude mice tumorigenicity assay displayed strong tumorigenicity of CGCSCs. Finally, Matrigel invasion assays and in vivo experimental metastasis assay were also performed, which demonstrated that CGCSCs carry high invasive and metastatic capabilities than TGCSCs. Conclusions: As expected, the CGCSCs indeed showed extremely invasive and metastatic properties. They also exhibited distinctive mesenchymal phenotypes, high self-renewal, proliferative capabilities, tumor induction and low apoptosis. Interestingly, CGCSCs show small cell-size than TGCSCs (tissue gastric cancer stem cells). The findings might help us to understand the biological characteristic of CGCSCs deeply, and give light to strategies for cancer therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molar enthalpies of dissolution for potassium salt of bis(dinitromethyl)difurazanyl ether [K(BDFE)] in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and water were measured using a RD496-2000 Calvet microcalorimeter at 298.15 K under atmospheric pressure. Empirical formulae for the calculation of the molar enthalpies of dissolution (Δ H), relative partial molar enthalpies (Δ H), and relative apparent molar enthalpies (Δ H) were obtained from the experimental data of the dissolution processes of K(BDFE) in NMP or water. Furthermore, the corresponding kinetic equations describing the two dissolution processes were d α/d t = 10(1 − α) for the dissolution of K(BDFE) in NMP and d α/d t = 10(1 − α) for the dissolution of K(BDFE) in water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dissolution properties of 4,10-dinitro-2,6,8,12-tetraoxa-4,10-diazaisowutrzitane (TEX) in N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) were studied with a RD496-2000 Calvet microcalorimeter at four different temperatures. The heat effects were measured for TEX in NMP. The molar enthalpies and the differential molar enthalpies for TEX in NMP were also obtained at the same time. The corresponding kinetic equations that describe the four dissolution processes are d α/d t = 10(1− α) ( T = 298.15 K), d α/d t = 10(1− α) ( T = 303.15 K), d α/d t = 10(1− α) ( T = 308.15 K), d α/d t = 10(1− α) ( T = 313.15 K), and respectively. The values of activation energy E and pre-exponential factor A for TEX in the dissolution process are 16.84 kJ mol and 10 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal decomposition behaviors of dihydroxylammonium 5,5′-bistetrazole-1,1′- diolate (TKX-50) were studied by using a C-500 type Calvet microcalorimeter at five heating rates. The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of the first decomposition reaction were obtained. The specific heat capacity of TKX-50 was determined with a Micro-DSCIII calorimeter, and the specific heat capacity equation and the molar specific heat capacity at 298.15 K were also obtained. The self-accelerating decomposition temperature and the critical temperature of thermal explosion are 466.17 and 475.36 K, respectively. The adiabatic time-to-explosion is calculated to be a certain value between 112.65 and 113.93 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal decomposition behaviors of 4,10-dinitro-2,6,8,12-tetraoxa-4,10-diazaisowutrzitane (TEX) were studied by using a C-500 type Calvet microcalorimeter at five heating rates. The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of exothermic decomposition reaction were obtained. The specific heat capacity of TEX was determined with a Micro-DSC III calorimeter, the specific heat capacity equation and the molar specific heat capacity were also obtained. The self-accelerating decomposition temperature, adiabatic decomposition temperature rise, and critical temperature of thermal explosion are 512.69, 7115.59, and 527.42 K, respectively. The adiabatic time-to-explosion is calculated to be a certain value between 53.69 and 54.05 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]