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Photoelectrochemical (PEC) detection as a potential development strategy for hydrogen peroxide and dopamine sensors has received extensive attentions. Herein, BiOI/ZnIn2S4-X (X = n (BiOI)/n(ZnIn2S4)) heterojunction was synthesized using various molar ratios via a two-step method. A series of characterization techniques were employed to analyze the composition, surface structure, valence state, and optical properties of BiOI/ZnIn2S4-X. The results show that BiOI/ZnIn2S4-X perform significantly better than both BiOI and ZnIn2S4. Furthermore, BiOI/ZnIn2S4-9% exhibits superior visible light absorption capacity and photocurrent response among all of the BiOI/ZnIn2S4-X tested. Therefore, a PEC sensor was developed using BiOI/ZnIn2S4-9% for the detection of hydrogen peroxide and dopamine. The linear detection range for hydrogen peroxide spans from to 1 ~ 40,000 µM, with the LOD of 0.036 µM (S/N = 3). For dopamine, the corresponding values are 2 ~ 250 µM for the linear detection range, and 0.017 μM for the LOD, respectively. The sensor exhibits demonstrates excellent stability, reproducibility and resistance to interference, enabling the detection of real samples and thus holds promising application potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to utilize a hemorrhagic shock pig model to compare two hemodynamic monitoring methods, pulse index continuous cardiac output (PiCCO) and spectral carotid artery Doppler ultrasound (CDU). Additionally, we sought to explore the feasibility of employing CDU as a non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring tool in the context of hemorrhagic shock and fluid resuscitation. Design: Animal experiments. Setting and subjects: Female pigs were selected, and hemorrhagic shock was induced by rapid bleeding through an arterial sheath. Interventions: Hemodynamic monitoring was conducted using both PiCCO and CDU during episodes of hemorrhagic shock and fluid resuscitation. Measurements and main results: Among the 10 female pigs studied, CDU measurements revealed a significant decrease in carotid velocity time integral (cVTI) compared to baseline values under shock conditions. During the resuscitation phase, after the mean arterial pressure (MAP) returned to its baseline level, there was no significant difference between cVTI and baseline values. A similar trend was observed for carotid peak velocity (cPV). The corrected flow time (FTc) exhibited a significant difference only at the time of shock compared to baseline values. In comparison to PiCCO, there was a significant correlation between cVTI and MAP (r = 0.616, P < 0.001), stroke volume (SV) (r = 0.821, P < 0.001), and cardiac index (CI) (r = 0.698, P < 0.001). The carotid Doppler shock index (cDSI) displayed negative correlations with MAP (r = − 0.593, P < 0.001), SV (r = − 0.761, P < 0.001), and CI (r = − 0.548, P < 0.001), while showing a positive correlation with the shock index (SI) (r = 0.647, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Compared to PiCCO, CDU monitoring can reliably reflect the volume status of hemorrhagic shock and fluid resuscitation. CDU offers the advantages of being non-invasive, providing real-time data, and being operationally straightforward. These characteristics make it a valuable tool for assessing and managing hemorrhagic shock, especially in resource-limited settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health of women of childbearing age in rural areas is crucial for the development of individuals, families, and society. Research on the identification and influencing factors of health vulnerability in impoverished and disadvantaged groups is important for adjusting and implementing health poverty alleviation policies. However, there is limited research on the health vulnerability of women of childbearing age in rural Western China. Based on panel data from the Rural Residents' Family Health Status Survey in 2019 and 2022, the vulnerability to health poverty of women of childbearing age in rural areas was constructed using the three-stage feasible generalized least squares method. Variables from four dimensions—physical capital, financial capital, social capital, and human capital—were included in the sustainable livelihood analysis framework for analysis. The Tobit model was used to analyze the influencing factors of vulnerability to health poverty among women of childbearing age in rural Western China, and the contribution rates of various factors were studied using the Shapley value decomposition method. In 2019 and 2022, under the poverty line standards of $1.90 and $2.15, respectively, the vulnerability to health poverty among rural women of childbearing age exceeded 20%. Tobit regression analysis revealed that the type of drinking water being well water significantly increased the vulnerability to health poverty of rural women of childbearing age (P < 0.05), whereas the separation of housing and kitchen, registered poor households, household loans, annual per capita household income, expenditures on social interactions, educational level, self-assessed health status, respondent age, and the utilization of hospital services significantly reduced the vulnerability to health poverty of rural women of childbearing age (P < 0.05). Shapley's decomposition shows that annual per capita household income, expenditures on social interactions, respondent age, and household loans are the factors contributing most to the vulnerability to health poverty of rural women of childbearing age, while other variables have a smaller contribution rate. The health poverty situation of women of childbearing age in rural Western China is not optimistic. Preintervention for health poverty should be strengthened among rural women of childbearing age, early warning mechanisms for the risk of falling back into poverty due to illness should be established, the precise identification of highly vulnerable rural women of childbearing age should be improved, and the medical insurance system for rural women of childbearing age should be enhanced to help improve their current health poverty situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cast thin sections of tight oil reservoirs contain important parameters such as rock mineral composition and content, porosity, permeability and stratigraphic characteristics, which are of great significance for reservoir evaluation. The use of deep learning technology for intelligent identification of thin section images is a development trend of mineral identification. However, the difficulty of making cast thin sections, the complexity of the making process and the high cost of thin section annotation have led to a lack of cast thin section images, which cannot meet the training requirements of deep learning image recognition models. In order to increase the sample size and improve the training effect of deep learning model, we proposed a generation and annotation method of thin section images of tight oil reservoir based on deep learning, by taking Fuyu reservoir in Sanzhao Sag as the target area. Firstly, the Augmentor strategy space was used to preliminarily augment the original images while preserving the original image features to meet the requirements of the model. Secondly, the category attention mechanism was added to the original StyleGAN network to avoid the influence of the uneven number of components in thin sections on the quality of the generated images. Then, the SALM annotation module was designed to achieve semi-automatic annotation of the generated images. Finally, experiments on image sharpness, distortion, standard accuracy and annotation efficiency were designed to verify the advantages of the method in image quality and annotation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most significant applications of SBS is as the modifier in modified asphalt. However, the emulsified asphalt modified by traditional SBS solid particles or SBS latex has the disadvantages of high emulsification requirements, cumbersome process and high solvent toxicity. In this paper, the non-ionic SBS latex modifier was prepared by using low toxic solvent cyclohexane. Firstly, parameters such as water addition, emulsifier dosage and stabilizer dosage were investigated through orthogonal experiments to determine the formulation of non-ionic SBS latex. Non-ionic SBS latex with about high solid content (40%), uniform particle size (1.5 μm) and good storage stability was successfully prepared. Secondly, non-ionic SBS latex modified cationic/anionic emulsified asphalt was prepared by mechanical mixing method. The effect of SBS latex dosage on the performance of different ionic emulsified asphalts was investigated. The conventional performance of the modified emulsified asphalt was tested, and thermal analysis and microscopic characterization were carried out by DSC, SEM and fluorescence microscopy. The test results show that the prepared SBS latex can be used to modify cationic emulsified asphalt and anionic emulsified asphalt, and the modification effect meets the requirements of relevant standards. This study contributes to the widespread application and development of SBS-modified emulsified asphalt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron-based catalysts are environmentally friendly, and iron minerals are abundant in the earth's crust, with great potential advantages for PMS-based advanced oxidation process applications. However, homogeneous Fe2+/PMS systems suffer from side reactions and are challenging to reuse. Therefore, developing catalysts with improved stability and activity is a long-term goal for practical Fe-based catalyst applications. In this study, we prepared Fe-HNTs nanoreactors by encapsulating a nitrogen-doped carbon layer with one-dimensional halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) using the molten salt-assisted method. Subsequently, Fe (Co, Ni) nanoclusters were anchored onto the nitrogen-doped carbon layer at a relatively low temperature (550℃), resulting in stable and uniform distribution of metal nanoclusters on the surface of HNTs carriers in the form of Fe-Nx coordination. The results showed that the dissolution of the molten salt and leaching of post-treated metal oxides generated numerous mesopores within the Fe-HNTs nanoreactor, leading to a specific surface area more than 10 times that of HNTs. This enhanced mass transfer capability facilitates rapid pollutant removal while exposing more active sites. Remarkably, Fe-HNTs adsorbed up to 97% of tetracycline within 60 min. In the Fe-HNTs/PMS system, the predominant reactive oxygen species has been shown to be 1O2, and the added tetracycline was degraded by more than 98% within 5 min. The removal of tetracycline was maintained above 96% in the presence of interfering factors such as wide pH (3–11) and inorganic anions (5 mM Cl−, HCO3−, NO3−, and SO42−). The investigated mechanism suggests that efficient degradation and interference resistance of the Fe-HNTs/PMS system is attributed to the synergistic effect between the rapid adsorption of porous structure and the non-radical (1O2)-dominated degradation pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of porous silica microspheres in the field of materials has made a breakthrough because of its unique properties. Nevertheless, owing to the limitation of technology, there was no simple and inexpensive method to industrialize porous silica microspheres which could be adjusted pore size and pore size distribution. In this paper, porous silica microspheres were prepared using silica nanoparticles with different morphologies and particle sizes as silica sources by the polymerization-induced colloid aggregation (PICA) method. The particle size, morphology, porosity, and thermal stability of the porous silica microspheres were analyzed by optical microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption analysis, and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The results showed that the porous silica microspheres prepared with branched-chain silica nanoparticles as the silica source had an extensive pore size distribution and many macro- and mesoporous structures. By changing the size and morphology of silica nanoparticles, it reached the purpose of regulating pore size and pore size distribution of porous silica microspheres. The porous silica microspheres were loaded with copper catalyst and subjected to furfural hydrogenation reaction. The results showed that the catalytic effect of the porous silica microspheres prepared with branched-chain silica as the carrier was suitable, and the catalytic efficiency was 85% when the mass ratio of urea-formaldehyde resin to silica was 1/2. It was 1.28–2.57 times higher than that of other microspheres-loaded catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dual-fluorescence lab-on-fiber biosensor was developed for the rapid and simultaneous on-site determination of acetamiprid and fipronil, based on time-resolved effect and indirect competitive immunoassay principle. The optical fiber modified with two hapten-protein conjugates serves as a bifunctional bio-probe. The dual-color fluorescent reporters were prepared via labeling acetamiprid and fipronil antibodies with Cy5.5 and Alexa Fluor 555, which were excited at 635-nm and 520-nm laser wavelengths, respectively. In the presence of targets, the binding sites of corresponding antibodies were occupied and less antibodies were connected to the probe surface, resulting in the reduction of fluorescence signal. The concentration of acetamiprid and fipronil was determined by measuring the fluorescence signals at 568 nm and 702 nm (emission wavelengths), respectively. Under optimal conditions, the linear response range was 14.2–225.4 ng/L for acetamiprid and 25.1–162.8 ng/L for fipronil, and the limit of detection was 6.51 ng/L and 17.8 ng/L for acetamiprid and fipronil, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the simultaneous detection of acetamiprid and fipronil in three environmental samples, and the recoveries were between 90 and 128%. The dual-fluorescence lab-on-fiber biosensor provides a feasible platform for simultaneous and rapid detection of multiple pesticide residues. A dual-fluorescence lab-on-fiber biosensor was developed for the rapid and simultaneous on-site determination of acetamiprid and fipronil. A bifunctional bio-probe was prepared from the optical fiber modified with two hapten-protein conjugates. Acetamiprid and fipronil antibodies were labeled with different fluorophores and used as dual-color fluorescent reporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)/vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/VEGF receptor subtype 2 (VEGFR-2) pathway has been implicated in ischemia/reperfusion injury. The aim of this study was to clarify whether whole-body hypothermic targeted temperature management (HTTM) inhibits the HIF-1α/VEGF/VEGFR-2 pathway in a swine model of cardiac arrest (CA) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Methods: Twenty-four domestic male Beijing Landrace pigs were used in this study. CA was electrically induced with ventricular fibrillation and left untreated for 8 min. Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was achieved in 16 pigs, which were randomly assigned either to normothermia at 38 °C or to HTTM at 33 °C (each group: n = 8). HTTM was intravascularly induced immediately after ROSC. The core temperature was reduced to 33 °C and maintained for 12 h after ROSC. The serum levels of HIF-1α, VEGF, VEGFR-2, and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were measured with enzyme immunoassay kits 0.5, 6, 12, and 24 h after ROSC. The expression of HIF-1α, VEGF, and VEGFR-2 in cerebral cortical tissue was measured by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis 24 h after ROSC. Neurological deficit scores and brain cortical tissue water content were evaluated 24 h after ROSC. Results: The serum levels of HIF-1α, VEGF, and VEGFR-2 were significantly increased under normothermia within 24 h after ROSC. However, these increases were significantly reduced by HTTM. HTTM also decreased cerebral cortical HIF-1α, VEGF, and VEGFR-2 mRNA and protein expression 24 h after ROSC (all p < 0.05). HTTM pigs had better neurological outcomes and less brain edema than normothermic pigs. Conclusion: The HIF-1α/VEGF/VEGFR-2 system is activated following CA and CPR. HTTM protects against cerebral injury after ROSC, which may be part of the mechanism by which it inhibits the expression of components of the HIF-1α/VEGF/VEGFR-2 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has promoted to develop novel serological testing technologies since they can be effectively complementary to RT-PCR. Here, a new all-fiber Fresnel reflection microfluidic biosensor (FRMB) was constructed through combining all-fiber optical system, microfluidic chip, and multimode fiber bio-probe. The transmission of the incident light and the collection and transmission of Fresnel reflection light are achieved using a single-multi-mode fiber optic coupler (SMFC) without any other optical separation elements. This compact design greatly simplifies the whole system structure and improves light transmission efficiency, which makes it suitable for the label-free, sensitive, and easy-to-use point-of-care testing (POCT) of targets in nanoliter samples. Based on Fresnel reflection mechanism and immunoassay principle, both the SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein could be sensitively quantified in 7 min using the secondary antibodies-modified multimode fiber bio-probe. The FRMB performs in one-step, is accurate, label-free, and sensitive in situ/on-site detection of SARS-CoV-2 IgM or IgG in serum with simple dilution only. The limits of detection of SARS-CoV-2 IgM and SARS-CoV-2 IgG were 0.82 ng/mL and 0.45 ng/mL, respectively. Based on our proposed theory, the affinity constants of SARS-CoV-2 IgM or IgG antibody and their respective secondary antibodies were also determined. The FRMB can be readily extended as a universal platform for the label-free, rapid, and sensitive in situ/on-site measurement of other biomarkers and the investigation of biomolecular interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: This study mapped QTLs associated with kernel-related traits by high-density genetic map. Five new major and stable QTLs for KL, KDR, SN, and KWPS were mapped in multiple environments. In the present study, a recombinant inbred line population including 371 lines derived from the cross of Chuannong18 and T1208 was genotyped using the Wheat55K single nucleotide polymorphism array. A novel high-density genetic map consisting of 11,583 markers spanning 4192.62 cM and distributed across 21 wheat chromosomes was constructed. QTLs for important kernel-related traits were mapped in multiple environments. A total of 96 and 151 QTLs were mapped by using the ICIM method and the MET method, respectively. And a total of 114 digenic epistatic QTLs were also detected across 21 chromosomes, and the epistatic effects of each trait were analyzed. BLAST analysis showed that 23 QTLs for different kernel-related traits were first time mapped and five of them were major and stable QTLs for kernel diameter ratio (121.34–126.83 cM on 4BS), spike number per square meter (71.32–73.84 cM on 2DS), kernel weight per spike (71.32–75.26 cM on 2DS), and kernel length (16.78–31.64 cM on 6A and 51.63–58.40 cM on 3D), respectively. Fifteen QTL clusters that contained 58 QTLs were also detected, and all most stable QTLs were contained in these QTL clusters. Significant correlations between different traits were detected and discussed. These results lay the foundation for fine mapping and cloning of the gene(s) underlying the stable QTLs detected in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our previous study found that mild hypothermia (MH) after resuscitation reduced cerebral microcirculation, but the mechanism was not elucidated. The aim of this study was to clarify changes of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) systems in brain tissue during hypothermia after resuscitation.Methods: Twenty-six domestic male Beijing Landrace pigs were used in this study. MH was intravascularly induced 1 h after resuscitation from 8-min ventricular fibrillation. Core temperature was reduced to 33 °C and maintained until 8 h after resuscitation, and then animals were euthanized. ET-1 and NO levels in brain tissue and peripheral plasma were measured. Expression of endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1), endothelin A receptor (ET-AR), endothelin-B receptor, and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in brain tissue was determined by Western blot analysis.Results: Compared with non-hypothermia (NH) treatment, MH after resuscitation significantly increased the level of endothelin-1 and reduced the level of NO in peripheral blood and brain tissue. Cerebral expression of ECE-1 and ET-AR was significantly increased during MH after resuscitation. Moreover, MH significantly decreased inducible NOS expression compared with the NH group.Conclusions: The ET-1 system is activated, while inducible NOS is inhibited in brain tissue during MH after resuscitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structure-engineered platinum-based nanoframes (NFs) at the atomic level can effectively improve the catalytic performance for fuel cells and other heterogeneous catalytic fields. We report herein, a microwave-assisted wet-chemical method for the preparation of platinum-copper-cobalt NFs with tunable defect density and architecture, which exhibit enhanced activity and durability towards the electro-oxidation reactions of methanol (MOR) and formic acid (FAOR). By altering the reduction/capping agents and thus the nucleation/growth kinetics, trimetallic platinum-copper-cobalt hexapod NFs with different density high-index facets are achieved. Especially, the rough hexapod nanoframes (rh-NFs) exhibit excellent specific activities towards MOR and FAOR, 7.25 and 5.20 times higher than those of benchmark Pt/C, respectively, along with prolonged durability. The excellent activities of the rh-NFs are assigned to a synergistic effect, including high density of defects and high-index facets, suitable d-band center, and open-framework structure. This synergistic working mechanism opens up a new way for enhancing their electrocatalytic performances by increasing defect density and high-index facets in open-framework platinum-based NFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The productivity evaluation of gas reservoirs is used to determine the optimal number of well pattern, which is an important part of the preparation of gas reservoir development plan. Using integral transformation and asymptotic analyses to solve the pseudo steady-state flow model in closed rectangular gas reservoir of constant thickness, analytic solution of pressure distribution of eccentric well can be obtained. This paper presents mathematical model of multiple wells producing from a closed gas reservoir by applying the principle of pressure superposition. The pseudo steady-state dimensionless production index is introduced to solve the multiple well mathematical models under the constant pressure, and the number of production wells and cumulative production in different production interval are obtained. The results of the calculation shows that the curve of the cumulative production and economic benefits have a maximum value when the producing time, gas price, and drilling costs are given, so it can determine the optimal number of wells and provide the basis for making gas reservoir development plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A radiobioassay method has been developed for the sequential determination of 90Sr, 241Am and Pu isotopes in a urine sample. Unlike the existing methods using multiple extraction chromatographic cartridges, this work demonstrates an application of an automated ion chromatographic (IC) system for the separation of these radionuclides on a single IC column. The method meets the bioassay performance criteria for relative bias and relative precision as recommended by ANSI/HPS N13.30-2011. The detection limits for the radionuclides are found to be satisfactory for medical intervention in case of an accidental exposure scenario. Sample preparation time is less than 11 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effect of mild hypothermia (MH) on microcirculation after resuscitation from cardiac arrest is controversial. The aim of this study was to determine whether MH improves or aggravates the disturbance of cerebral microcirculation.Methods: Twenty domestic male pigs were randomized into the MH group (n = 8), non-hypothermia (NH) group (n = 8) or sham operation group (n = 4). In the MH group, the animals were initiated rapid intravascular cooling at 1 h after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) from 8 min ventricular fibrillation, and the core temperature was reduced to 33 °C for 12 h and then rewarmed to 37 °C. In the NH group, animals did not receive hypothermia treatment after ROSC. In the sham operation group, the same surgical procedure was performed, but without inducing ventricular fibrillation and hypothermia treatment. The cerebral microvascular flow index (MFI) of large microvessel (diameter > 20 μm) and small microvessel (diameter < 20 μm) was measured after ROSC. Cerebral oxygen extraction ratio, internal jugular venous-artery lactate difference, and CO2 difference were also calculated.Results: Cerebral MFI dramatically reduced after ROSC, and MH further aggravated the decrease in MFI of small microvessel compared with NH (p < 0.05). Internal jugular venous-arterial lactate difference and CO2 difference, and oxygen extraction ratio were all significantly increased after ROSC. MH significantly decreased the values compared with NH (p < 0.05).Conclusions: MH decreases cerebral small microvessel blood flow and cerebral metabolism after ROSC compared with NH. However, the total effect is that cerebral oxygen supply-demand relationship is improved during hypothermia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a DFB laser with a horn ridge waveguide (HRW) to suppress the longitudinal spatial hole burning (LSHB) effect in the lasers cavity, thus to reduce the rolloff at low frequency. The simulation result shows that HRW DFB lasers could significantly suppress the LSHB effect and its modulation bandwidth is increased by 14% comparing with the conventional straight ridge waveguide (RW) DFB lasers when the normalized coupling coefficient ( κL) is 3.0. The calculated eye diagrams of HRW DFB lasers under direct 25 Gbps modulation have clearer opening than that of the conventional RW DFB lasers. These superior properties are due to the suppression of the LSHB effect by the HRW structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four isonitrogenous experimental diets were used to test the effects of replacing white fish meal with poultry by-product meal (PBM) and adding bile acid (BA) in a commercial feed for the Chinese soft-shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis with 9 replicates and 6 turtles in a 60-day study. Diet 1 contained white fish meal as a main protein source (100 %). Diet 2 contained white fish meal (60.8 %) and PBM (39.2 %) as the protein source. Diets 3 and 4 comprised the addition of 1 g kg of bile acid to diets 1 and 2, respectively. Compared to diet 1, the glutamic-pyruvic transaminase level in the turtles fed with diet 2 were not augmented significantly as was the case for glutamic oxalacetic transaminase level. The relative growth rate and specific growth rate in diet 2 were the same as those of diet 1. The apparent digestibility coefficient for lipid (ADCL) tended to decrease after that white fish meal was partially replaced. The values of weight gain, relative growth rate, feeding rate, specific growth rate, apparent digestibility coefficient for dry matter, ADCL and apparent digestibility coefficient for protein (ADCP) of the turtles on diet 4 (1 g kg bile acid added in diet 2) increased by 28.1, 28.8, 10.1, 20.6, 1.7, 0.6 and 0.3 %, respectively, compared to those on diet 2. The combined effects of bile acid and PBM on the growth of turtles was even more effective than the whole white fish meal diet, by increasing feeding rate 7.4 %; it decreased the amounts of crude lipids (by 22.8 %), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (by 1.9 %), and alkaline phosphatase (by 3.9 %). Therefore, replacing 39.2 % of white fish meal with PBM and adding BA was feasible in turtle feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan-montmorillonite composite was extensively used for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater. In wastewater, copper (Cu) usually coexist with the organic ligands, which had unknown effect on Cu adsorption by the composite materials. In order to understand further on that, the adsorption of copper by the composite materials must be studied. In the present study, montmorillonite was coated with chitosan, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the composite proved the intercalation of chitosan in the montmorillonite. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of the composite identified the presence of amino group on the composite, and that of the composite saturated with metals identified the interaction between the amino groups and metals. Langmuir adsorption isotherm indicated that the composite had more capacity to adsorb Cu from wastewater than montmorillonite. The adsorption capacity of Cu by montmorillonite and chitosan-montmorillonite composite was studied, respectively, as a function of pH and in the presence of acetate. Compared to the montmorillonite at low ligand concentration (0.08 mmol/L) or low pH (<4.0), the coexisting acetate increased more Cu adsorption by the composite. The acetate ligand presented less depression on the adsorption by the composite than that by montmorillonite at high ligand concentration (4 mmol/L) or high pH (>4.5). Therefore, the composite is more suitable for removing Cu than montmorillonite in acid aqueous medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to assess the feasibility of a noninvasive urine specimen for the detection of proteins as indicators of internal exposure to ionizing radiation. Three groups of rats (five in each group) were intravenously injected with 1601 ± 376, 10,846 ± 591 and 48,467 ± 2812 Bq of Po in citrate form. A sham-exposed control group of five rats was intravenously injected with sterile physiological saline. Daily urine samples were collected over 4 days following injection. Purification and pre-concentration of urinary proteins were carried out by ultrafiltration using a 3000 Da molecular weight cutoff membrane filter. The concentration of common urinary proteins, namely albumin, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, immunoglobulins IgA and IgG, was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Urinary excretion of albumin decreased dose-dependently ( p < 0.05) 96 h post-injection relative to the control group. In contrast, no statistically significant effects were observed for other proteins tested. The dose-dependent decrease in urinary excretion of albumin observed in this study underscores the need for further research, which may lead to the discovery of new biomarkers that would reflect the changes in the primary target organs for deposition of Po. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

4′4″(5″)di-tert-butyl dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 ether was immobilized onto the surface of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles coated with divinylbenzene-crosslinked polyacrylamide. The coated magnetic nanoparticles were successful in selectively extracting Sr from human urine samples, as confirmed by the liquid scintillation counting spectra. This method offers excellent repeatability for Sr in urine bioassay, with a relative precision of 8 % when five urine samples collected from different donors were spiked with1.58 Bq of Sr and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Gram-negative, aerobic, short rod-shaped and non-motile bacterium, designated SWA25, was isolated from Chinese fermented fish sauce in Shantou, Guangdong Province, China. Strain SWA25 was moderately halophilic, formed colourless colonies and grew at 10-45 °C (optimum, 37 °C) and pH 4-9 (optimum, 6-7) in the presence of 0.5-22.5 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 3 %). The major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) were identified as C ω7C, C, C ω7c, and C cyclo ω8c, and the predominant respiratory ubiquinone was Q-9. The genomic DNA G+C content was 61.3 ± 2.1 mol %. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain SWA25 belonged to the genus Halomonas in the family Halomonadaceae. The closest relatives were Halomonas xianhensis A-1 (96.5 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), H. lutea DSM 23508 (96.5 %) and H. muralis LMG 20969 (96.1 %). DNA-DNA hybridization assays showed 30.7 ± 2.6 % relatedness between strain SWA25 and H. xianhensis A-1, and 39.4 ± 4.1 % between strain SWA25 and H. lutea DSM 23508. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic features, strain SWA25 should be placed in the genus Halomonas as a representative of a novel species. The name Halomonas shantousis sp. nov. is proposed, with SWA25(=CCTCC AB 2013151 = JCM 19368) as the type strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the role of soluble thrombomodulin (sTM) in the evaluation of the severity and outcome of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the emergency department (ED) and compare sTM with two biomarkers-procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP)-and two scoring systems-the Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) and CURB65 score. Patients with CAP were consecutively enrolled in the ED of an urban university hospital. sTM, PCT, and CRP levels were measured on enrolment. In addition, the PSI and CURB65 scores were calculated. For all patients, a 30-day follow-up was performed. A total of 573 patients with CAP were enrolled in this study. sTM, PCT, and CRP levels increased with the aggravation of the disease severity as assessed by the PSI and CURB65 score (all P <0.01). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that sTM and the PSI were independent predictors of 30-day mortality, and the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the accuracy of sTM in the prediction of 30-day mortality was comparable with the PSI ( P >0.05) and better than PCT, CRP, and the CURB65 score ( P all <0.05). Furthermore, a combination of sTM and scoring systems can enhance the predictive accuracy of 30-day mortality. sTM is useful in the evaluation of the severity and outcome of CAP in the ED. A well-designed, multi-center study will be needed to further investigate the value of sTM in CAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasal swabs and facial swipes have been used to screen potential internal radioactive contamination for decades. However, the ratio between the lung intake and the activity on a swab or a swipe varies according to the nature of the contaminant involved and the exposure conditions such as particle sizes of the contaminant and the humidity in the air. This paper reports the experimental results using stable LaO as an analog for actinide oxides, focusing on the most important parameters such as humidity, plume velocity, and facial condition at a fixed room temperature of 23 ± 2 °C. The results showed that the effects of humidity, plume velocity, and facial condition vary more on orofacial swipe/lung deposition ratios compared to nasal swab/lung deposition ratios. The amounts on nasal swabs tended to show smaller change with respect to parameters such as plume velocity, humidity, and skin moisture. The amounts on orofacial swipes varied by a factor of 10-15 among the samples collected across all parameters. Such variability would be expected to be even greater in a real-world scenario with a larger range of physiological and environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zygosaccharomyces rouxii is a salt-tolerant yeast species capable of removing cadmium (Cd) pollutant from aqueous solution. Presently, the physiological characteristics of Z. rouxii under the stress of sodium chloride (NaCl) and Cd are poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of NaCl and Cd on the growth, oxidative stress and antioxidant enzyme activities of Z. rouxii after stress treatment for 24 h. Results showed that NaCl or Cd alone negatively affected the growth of Z. rouxii, but the growth-inhibiting effect of Cd on Z. rouxii was reduced in the presence of NaCl. Flow cytometry assay showed that under Cd stress, NaCl significantly reduced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell death of Z. rouxii compared with those in the absence of NaCl. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) of Z. rouxii were significantly enhanced by 2%-6% NaCl, which likely contributed to the high salt tolerance of Z. rouxii. The POD activity was inhibited by 20 mg L Cd while the SOD and CAT activities were enhanced by 8 mg L Cd and inhibited by 20 mg L or 50 mg L Cd. The inhibitory effect of high-level Cd on the antioxidant enzyme activities of Z. rouxii was counteracted by the combined use of NaCl, especially at 6%. This probably accounted for the decrease in Cd-induced ROS production and cell death of Z. rouxii after incubation with NaCl and Cd. Our work provided physiological clues as to the use of Z. rouxii as a biosorbent for Cd removal from seawater and liquid highly salty food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bare (unmodified) and crown ether (CE)-modified Fe 3O 4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were investigated for the rapid extraction of 226Ra from water samples. It involved synthesizing the MNPs, introducing them into the sample solutions, ultrasonicating and agitating the suspension, magnetically separating the nanoparticles from solution, and measuring the 226Ra content in the supernatant. Experimental parameters such as salt choice, salt concentration and pH were optimized to achieve maximum extraction of 226Ra onto the MNPs. 226Ra content was determined using a Hidex 300SL liquid scintillation counter with α/β separation capability, or a gamma spectrometric detection system. The bare Fe 3O 4 nanoparticles showed significant pH dependence for the extraction of 226Ra from an aqueous solution over a pH range of 2–10. They gave an extraction of 95 ± 1 and 98 ± 1 % at pH 9 in 0.1 M NaCl and 0.1 M NaClO 4, respectively, whereas an extraction of 8–24 % was obtained, over the pH ranges from 2 to 5. The CE-modified MNPs yielded extraction efficiencies as high as 99 ± 1 % in the presence of 0.01 M picric acid at pH 4. This study demonstrates that the surface functionalization of Fe 3O 4 MNPs with suitable ligand modification can offer a selective mode of extraction for 226Ra in the presence of its daughter progenies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pampus cinereus (Bloch, 1795) (Stromateidae), a species believed to be widely distributed throughout the Indo-Western Pacific region, was redescribed and a neotype was designated. The designation of a neotype was necessary because of ambiguous data in Bloch's original description and the loss of the original type specimen. Morphological data indicated that 10 recently-collected specimens from the coasts of southern China agreed well with Bloch's original description and figure of P. cinereus. A neotype for this species was selected from among the 10 specimens, and a detailed description is presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compressive sensing (CS) techniques offer a framework for the detection and allocation of sparse signal with a reduced number of measurements. This paper proposes a novel SAR range compression, namely compressive sensing with chirp scaling (CS-CS), achieving the same range resolution as conventional SAR approach, while using fewer range samplings. In order to realize accurate range cell migration correction (RCMC), chirp scaling principle is used to construct reference matrix for compressive sensing recovery. Additionally, error diagrams are designed for measurement of the performance of CS-CS, and some experiments of using real data are performed to deal with the errors caused by three conditions: SNR, sparsity and sampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spotlight synthetic aperture radar (SAR) emits a chirp signal and the echo bandwidth can be reduced through dechirp processing, where the A/D sampling rate decreases accordingly at the receiver. Compressive sensing allows the compressible signal to be reconstructed with a high probability using only a few samples by solving a linear program problem. This paper presents a novel signal sampling and imaging method for application to spotlight SAR based on compressive sensing. The signal is randomly sampled after dechirp processing to form a low-dimensional sample set, and the dechirp basis is imported to reconstruct the dechirp signal. Matching pursuit (MP) is used as a reconstruction algorithm. The reconstructed signal uses polar format algorithm (PFA) for imaging. Although our novel mechanism increases the system complexity to an extent, the data storage requirements can be compressed considerably. Several simulations verify the feasibility and accuracy of spotlight SAR signal processing via compressive sensing, and the method still obtains acceptable imaging results with 10% of the original echo data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid bioassay for Sr was developed involving preconcentration of Sr/Y from human urine samples with a cation exchange polymer (poly-acrylamido-methyl-propanesulfonic acid) coated onto magnetic nanoparticles, followed by selective elution of Sr (over Y) with phosphate for determination by liquid scintillation analysis. The minimum detectable activity for this method (4.9 ± 0.5 Bq/L) is lower than the required sensitivity of 19 Bq/L for Sr in human urine samples, as defined in the requirements for radiation emergency bioassay techniques for the public and first responders based on the dose threshold for possible medical attention recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The relative bias was 9.2%, the relative precision was 3.2%, and the linear dynamic range covered 12-600 Bq/L. This simple and rapid bioassay method is found to be in compliance with the HPS ANSI N13.30 performance criteria for radiobioassay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new radioanalytical method was developed for rapid determination of Ra in drinking water samples. The method is based on extraction and preconcentration of Ra from a water sample to an organic solvent using a dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) technique followed by radiometric measurement using liquid scintillation counting. In DLLME for Ra, a mixture of an organic extractant (toluene doped with dibenzo-21-crown-7 and 2-theonyltrifluoroacetone) and a disperser solvent (acetonitrile) is rapidly injected into the water sample resulting in the formation of an emulsion. Within the emulsion, Ra reacts with dibenzo-21-crown-7 and 2-theonyltrifluoroacetone and partitions into the fine droplets of toluene. The water/toluene phases were separated by addition of acetonitrile as a de-emulsifier solvent. The toluene phase containing Ra was then measured by liquid scintillation counting. Several parameters were studied to optimize the extraction efficiency of Ra, including water immiscible organic solvent, disperser and de-emulsifier solvent type and their volume, chelating ligands for Ra and their concentrations, inorganic salt additive and its concentration, and equilibrium pH. With the optimized DLLME conditions, the accuracy (expressed as relative bias, B) and method repeatability (expressed as relative precision, S) were determined by spiking Ra at the maximum acceptable concentration level (0.5 Bq L) according to the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. Accuracy and repeatability were found to be less than −5% ( B) and less than 6% ( S), respectively, for both tap water and bottled natural spring water samples. The minimum detectable activity and sample turnaround time for determination of Ra was 33 mBq L and less than 3 h, respectively. The DLLME technique is selective for extraction of Ra from its decay progenies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

water-soluble boron (B)-containing thiophosphite derivative (BTP) was synthesized, and its tribological, anticorrosion, and antirust properties as an additive for the base liquid of water-glycol hydraulic fluid were evaluated in detail. The results of tests demonstrated that BTP is indeed a high-performance and multifunctional water-soluble lubricant additive that was able to remarkably improve the extreme pressure, friction-reducing, antiwear, anticorrosion, and rust-inhibiting properties of the base liquid when added at a low adding concentration (<3 wt%). Based on a performance comparison of BTP and thiophosphite (TP), whose chemical structure is similar to that of BTP but without B, a number of primary conclusions were drawn. The B element existing as alkanolamine borate group could greatly improve the extreme pressure, antiwear, and antirust performance of BTP, especially the antirust performance, but had only a small effect on the friction-reducing and anticorrosion properties. Based on characterizations and analyses of the worn surfaces, we propose that the antiwear mechanism consists of the prepared compound BTP reacting with the steel surface during the friction process to generate a protective film mainly composed of phosphate, sulfide, sulfate, organic amine, and BO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monodisperse polydivinylbenzene (PDVB) microspheres with clean surface were prepared by precipitation polymerization without stabilizer in supercritical carbon dioxide using acetone as cosolvent. Effects of the cosolvent, reaction time and pressure, and monomer concentration on the polymerization were studied. It was found that the conversions in all polymerization systems were above 95%. Examination by scanning electron microscopy showed that reaction pressure, divinylbenzene concentration, and level of the cosolvent had pronounced effects on the morphology of the microspheres. When 6 ∼ 7 ml of acetone was used in a reactor of 50 ml, monodisperse PDVB microspheres of around 2.1 μm in diameter were obtained. Thermal gravimetrical analysis showed the products were of good thermostability up to about 400 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ~22 nucleotide long, noncoding, endogenous RNA molecules which exert their functions by base pairing with messenger RNAs (mRNAs), thereby regulate protein-coding gene expression. In eukaryotic cells, miRNAs play important roles in regulating biological processes such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and stem cell self-renewal. The human genome may contain as many as 1,000 miRNAs, and more than 700 of them have been identified. miRNAs are predicted to target up to one third of mRNAs. Each miRNA can target hundreds of transcripts directly or indirectly, while more than one miRNA can converge on a single transcript target. Therefore, the potential regulatory circuitry afforded by miRNA is enormous. Recently, mounting evidence implicates miRNAs as a new class of modulator for human tumor initiation and progression. Therefore, it has been proposed that manipulating miRNA activity and miRNA biogenesis may be a novel avenue for developing efficient therapies against cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mg micro/nanoscale materials with sphere-like morphologies are prepared via a vapor-transport deposition process. The structure and morphology of the as-prepared products are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Vapor-liquid-solid mechanism is proposed to explain the formation of Mg micro/nanospheres on the basis of the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the synthesis of porous LiFePO4/NiP composite nanospheres and their application in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. A simple one-step spraying technique was developed to prepare LiFePO4/NiP composite nanospheres with an electrical conductivity 103–104 times that of bulk particles of LiFePO4. Electrochemical measurements show that LiFePO4 nanospheres with a uniform loading of 0.86 wt%–1.50 wt% NiP exhibit high discharge capacity, good cycling reversibility, and low apparent activation energies. The superior electrode performance of the as-prepared composite nanospheres results from the greatly enhanced electrical conductivity and porous structure of the materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formation flying orbit design is one of the key technologies for system design and performance analysis of the distributed SAR satellites. The approximately analytic solution of the passive stable formation flying orbit elements is explored based on the expansion form of Kepler’s equation. A new method of orbital parameters design for three-dimensional formation flying SAR satellites is presented, and the precision of the orbital elements is analyzed. Formation flying orbit elements are calculated for the L-Band distributed SAR satellites using the formulas deduced in this paper. The accuracy of the orbital elements is validated by the computer simulation results presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen and ammonia were evaluated as reaction gases for the chemical separation between uranium and plutonium in the bandpass reaction cell or dynamic reaction cell (DRC) of the ELAN DRC II mass spectrometer. Both uranium and plutonium demonstrated similar reactivity with oxygen giving rise to corresponding oxides. At the same time, remarkable selectivity in the reaction with ammonia was observed. While uranium was rapidly converted into UNHand UN2H, plutonium remained unreactive in the DRC pressurized with ammonia. This difference in the reactivity allowed the determination of plutonium isotopes in urine and water samples containing excess uranium without preceding separation procedure. Detection limits of 0.245, 0.092, 0.270 and 0.237 ng L-1 were obtained for238Pu,239Pu,240Pu and242Pu, respectively, in urine spiked with 10 µg L-1 of U. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Condensation reactions in the bandpass reaction cell or dynamic reaction cell (DRC) were used for the determination of actinides and lanthanides such as uranium, thorium, neodymium and praseodymium. These elements react with oxygen reagent gas in the dynamic reaction cell of the ELAN DRC II instrument to give mono- and/or dioxo cationic species (UO2+, ThO+, NdO+ and PrO+, respectively). Increasing the oxygen flow rate in the dynamic reaction cell leads to the rapid decrease of the singly charged metal ions accompanied by the fast increase in the intensity of the oxide ion. This phenomenon is used to improve considerably the sensitivity of ICP-MS instruments equipped with a dynamic reaction cell for actinides and lanthanides. Estimated detection limits (EDL) obtained in this work for uranium, thorium, neodymium-144 and praseodymium are 0.022, 1.0, 0.045, and 0.10 ng L-1, respectively.The detection limit for uranium measured in the standard (vented) mode of an ELAN DRC II was found to be 0.22 ng L-1, which is an order of magnitude higher compared to the pressurized mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a degenerated primer and a T-primer, a MADS-box gene, M79, was amplified by RT-PCR from rice fluorescence at meiosis stage and then cloned. Sequence analysis shows that M79 shares 98.2% homology with OsMADS7 at DNA level while only 92% at the amino acid level. The transcript of M79 possesses five different polyadenylation sites. Only a single copy of M79 gene has been found in rice genome, which is located on chromosome 8. M79 is expressed specifically in flower organs, from pre-meiosis stage through pollen maturation. Ectopic expression of M79 in T0 and T1 transgenic rice results in early-flowering, implying that M79 is involved in controlling the flowering time. In the same time, M79 may be involved in controlling the branching process to make more flower buds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an algorithm of generating INSAR unwrapped phase image from SAR single-look complex images is presented. Besides the general processing technique, this article focuses on the methods of flat-earth phase removal, phase noise reduction and phase unwrapping. The availability is tested by the results of processing ERS-1/2 SAR images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromosomal locations of the stable QTL associated with KWPS, SN, KDR, KW, KL, TKW and PH based on a 371 RIL population derived from a across between CN18 and T1208. The QTL clusters were marked clearly on the chromosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular activation analysis (MAA) refers to an activation analysis method that is able to provide information on the chemical species of elements in systems of interest, though its exact definition has yet to be assigned. Its development is strongly stimulated by the urgent need to know the chemical species of elements, because knowledge of bulk contents or concentrations is often insufficient to judge biological, environmental or geochemical effects of elements. The features, methodology and limitations of MAA are outlined, as well as the up-to-date MAA progress in our laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gives information on the use of the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) technique, for the determination of numbers of important long-lived radioisotopes. Information on the AMS technique; Identification of the isobar technique; Examination if the Se half-life value.

Four algae reference materials, IAEA-391, 392, 393 and IAEA-140, prepared by the International Atomic Energy Agency for intercomparison under different preparation conditions were analyzed for 24 elements. Conventional neutron activation analysis (NAA) was used to determine Al, Ca, Cl, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Sb, V and Zn and epithermal NAA using BN and Cd as shielding material for I, Br, As, Ni, Mo and Cd. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) as a complementary and comparative method was applied to determine Pb, Sn, Ni, Sr, Rb, As, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, V, Mo and Zn. Two analytical quality control standard reference materials IAEA-V-10 (hay powder) and IAEA-331 (spinach) were analyzed simultaneously with real samples. The results agree quite well with each other and with the certified values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]