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This article has been retracted. Please see the Retraction Notice for more detail: https://doi.org/ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has been retracted. Please see the Retraction Notice for more detail: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0022476624030235 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of the mixed-ligand strategy, a new Ni(II)-bearing coordination complex [Ni(pda)(bimb)(H2O)](H2O)1.5(1, bimb = 6,6′-bis(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)-2,2′-bipyridine, H2pda = 4,4′-(pyridine-2,6-diyl)dibenzoic acid) is successfully obtained by the reaction of Ni(NO3)2·6H2O, bimb, and H2pda under hydrothermal reaction conditions. Furthermore, the nanoparticles of 1 (nano-1) with a size distribution of around 160 nm can be produced via a grinding method. In the section of biological research, we describe the anti-inflammatory activity of nano-1 on the acute viral myocarditis model. In the CVB3-induced acute viral myocarditis model, the treatment effect of nano-1 is evaluated by determining the mice survival rate and the CVB3 titer. The anti-inflammatory activity of nano-1 is determined by the ELISA assay of TNF-α and IL-1β levels in plasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a new Co(II)-containing coordination polymer with the chemical formula [Co(ox)(dimb)] (1, ox = oxalic acid, dimb = 1,4-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)butane) is successfully prepared by the reaction of Co(NO3)2·6H2O, oxalic acid, and 1,4-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)butane in a mixed solvent of DMF and water under the solvothermal conditions. As-prepared crystalline complex 1 is characterized by the elemental analysis and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, the mechanical grinding method is used to produce nanostructured 1 with the average size distribution of around 326 nm. To detect the in vivo protective effect of nano 1 on CVB3-induced myocarditis, the histopathology evaluation is performed. To reveal the underlying relationship between the cell inflammatory response and the mechanism of the compound protective activity, the level of IL-1 and TNF-α in the myocardial tissue is measured by ELISA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high corrosion rate of Mg alloys has hindered their wider use in orthopedic applications. In order to decrease the corrosion rate and to improve the bioactivity, a modified nanocrystalline (NC) surface layer with an average grain size of 70 nm and a thickness of 70 μm on the topmost surface of coarse-grained (CG) AZ31 alloy was successfully achieved by means of a surface nanocrystallization technique called sliding friction treatment (SFT). It showed that the extreme grain refinement in NC layer was favorably capable of enhancing the protective efficiency of the corrosion product layer and alleviating the susceptibility to localized corrosion. Moreover, SFT-induced second-phase particles fragmentation also helped to hinder micro-galvanic corrosion. Resultantly, the NC sample exhibited notably enhanced corrosion resistance as compared to the CG counterpart (e.g., the average hydrogen evolution rate of AZ31 during 170 h immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) solution was reduced from 0.12 to 0.068 mL cm−2 h−1 after SFT processing). Meanwhile, the in vitro results confirmed that SFT processing enhanced the cytocompatibility of AZ31 Mg alloy to osteoblasts, which also benefited from the improved corrosion resistance induced by grain size reduction. Therefore, our study suggests a promising approach for the fabrication of biodegradable Mg alloy with modified properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultrafine-grained surface layer of a pure Mg sheet was fabricated by sliding friction treatment. The grain size of the surface for the treated sample was reduced to 300 nm from 50 μm for the as-received counterpart. The ultrafine-grained pure Mg shows significantly enhanced corrosion resistance compared to its coarse-grained counterpart, representing a lower mass loss, a higher polarization resistance and a smaller hydrogen volume, mainly attributed to the relatively compacted film formed on the sample surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abrus mollis Hance is an endemic genuine medicinal material growing widely in Southern China. We used the next-generation sequencing technology to carry out de novo transcriptome sequencing and analysis of A. mollis leaves. 57669118 high quality reads and 53743 assembled unigenes were obtained. 36271 unigenes (67.49%) were annotated in the four public databases (NCBI-nr, Swiss-Prot, KEGG, and KOG). After comprehensive analysis of the A. mollis transcriptome, 35656 unigenes were classified into 25 KOG function classifications and 7572 unigenes were assigned to 128 different KEGG pathways. Then, the unigenes with their key enzymes in phenylalanine, phenylpropanoid, flavonoids and isoflavonoid biosynthesis pathway were investigated in KEGG pathways. The study results will be helpful to reveal the biosynthesis mechanism of flavonoids and isoflavonoid in A. mollis leaves and carry out its biological regulation research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-dense titanium alloys with a 3D network core-shell structure of different N contents were synthesized successfully by means of spark plasma sintering of the nitrided titanium particles. The microstructure investigation shows that the core-shell structure with an obvious boundary within a grain is constructed in light of different solid solution levels of nitrogen in grain boundary and grain inner. The mechanical behaviors have been experimentally assessed through compressive testing. The compacts exhibit a much enhanced strength while retaining a reasonable ductility, which can be attributed to their novel core-shell structure. With an increasing N content as well as shell thickness, the strength increases and the ductility decreases, in accordance with the morphology observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate and evaluate the accuracy and the preoperative diagnostic value of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, three-dimensional time-of-flight (3D-TOF) and three-dimensional constructive interference in steady state (3D-CISS) sequence, solely or in combination for the detection of the relationship between the facial nerve and adjacent vessels in patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS). Methods: A total of 95 patients with primary HFS were subject to 3D-TOF and 3D-CISS MRI. The MR images were then used to evaluate the anatomical neurovascular relationships, and the results were compared with the surgical findings. We categorized the neurovascular relationship into three types: compression, contact, and neighboring or distant. Compression and/or contacts between root exit zone (REZ) and vessels were defined as positive, whereas neighboring or distant was considered to be negative. Results: 3D-TOF combined with 3D-CISS assessment showed that 94 of 95 patients had artery compression or contact at REZ, whereas the remaining patient had compression at the peripheral branch of the facial nerve but not at REZ. The positive rates and the overall accuracy were 98.95 and 100 %, respectively, for the 3D-TOF combined with 3D-CISS assessment; 92.63 and 93.68 %, respectively, for the 3D-TOF assessment; and 85.26 and 86.32 %, respectively, for the 3D-CISS assessment. The positive rates and overall accuracy for the 3D-TOF combined with 3D-CISS assessment was significantly higher than those for the 3D-TOF or 3D-CISS assessment. Conclusions: Combination of 3D-TOF with 3D-CISS imaging well delineates the relationship between the facial nerve and adjacent vessels in terms of increased positive rates and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As soon as the energies of electrons near the Fermi surface exceed Q, the threshold energy of inverse β-decay, electron capture (EC) dominates inside a neutron star. The high-energy neutrons released by EC will destroy anisotropic P neutron Cooper pairs in the degenerate superfluid. By colliding with the neutrons produced in the process n+( n↑ n↓)→ n+ n+ n, the kinetic energies of the neutrons released by EC will be transformed into thermal energy. A portion of this thermal energy will be transported from the star interior to the star surface by conduction, then converted to a thermal spectrum of soft X-rays and γ-rays. By introducing two important parameters: the Landau level-superfluid modified factor and the overal soft X/ γ-ray efficiency coefficient, we compute the theoretical luminosity L of a magnetar under our model and plot a diagram of L as a function of magnetic field strength B. Numerical calculations based on our model agree well with the observed properties of magnetar candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the mass differences $\Delta M_{B_{d,s}}$ in $B^0_{d,s}$– $\bar B^0_{d,s}$ mixing with a new up-like quark $t^{\prime}$ in the sequential fourth generation model. We give the basic formulae for $\Delta M_{B_{d,s}}$ in this model and obtain two kinds of numerical results for $\Delta M_{B_{s}}$ as a function of $m_{t^{\prime}}$. We find that one of our results can satisfy the present experimental lower bound of $\Delta M_{B_s}$. We also get the constraints of the fourth generation CKM factor $V^*_{t'b}V_{t'd}$, as a function of $t'$, from the experimental measurements of $\Delta M_{B_d}$. Thus, $\Delta M_{B_{d,s}}$ provides a possible test of the fourth generation and may give a signal of new physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tantalum (Ta) metal is receiving increasing interest as biomaterial for load-bearing orthopedic applications and the synthetic properties of Ta can be tailored by altering its grain structures. This study evaluates the capability of sliding friction treatment (SFT) technique to modulate the comprehensive performances of pure Ta. Specifically, novel nanocrystalline (NC) surface with extremely small grains (average grain size of ≤20 nm) was fabricated on conventional coarse-grained (CG) Ta by SFT. It shows that NC surface possessed higher surface hydrophilicity and enhanced corrosion resistance than CG surface. Additionally, the NC surface adsorbed a notably higher percentage of protein as compared to CG surface. The in vitro results indicated that in the initial culture stages (up to 24 h), the NC surface exhibited considerably enhanced osteoblast adherence and spreading, consistent with demonstrated superior hydrophilicity on NC surface. Furthermore, within the 14 days culture period, NC Ta surface exhibited a remarkable enhancement in osteoblast cell proliferation, maturation and mineralization as compared to CG surface. Ultimately, the improved osteoblast functions together with the good mechanical and anti-corrosion properties render the SFT-processed Ta a promising alternative for the load-bearing bone implant applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifunctional materials with more than two good properties are widely required in modern industries. However, some properties are often trade-off with each other by single microstructural designation. For example, nanostructured materials have high strength, but low ductility and thermal stability. Here by means of spark plasma sintering (SPS) of nitrided Ti particles, we synthesized bulk core-shell structured Ti alloys with isolated soft coarse-grained Ti cores and hard Ti-N solid solution shells. The core-shell Ti alloys exhibit a high yield strength (~1.4 GPa) comparable to that of nanostructured states and high thermal stability (over 1100 °C, 0.71 of melting temperature), contributed by the hard Ti-N shells, as well as a good plasticity (fracture plasticity of 12%) due to the soft Ti cores. Our results demonstrate that this core-shell structure offers a design pathway towards an advanced material with enhancing strength-plasticity-thermal stability synergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]