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In this study, a k-nearest neighbor (kNN) method based on nonlinear directional dimension reduction is applied to gas-bearing reservoir prediction. The kNN method can select the most relevant training samples to establish a local model according to feature similarities. However, the kNN method cannot extract gas-sensitive attributes and faces dimension problems. The features important to gas-bearing reservoir prediction could not be the main features of the samples. Thus, linear dimension reduction methods, such as principal component analysis, fail to extract relevant features. We thus implemented dimension reduction using a fully connected artificial neural network (ANN) with proper architecture. This not only increased the separability of the samples but also maintained the samples' inherent distribution characteristics. Moreover, using the kNN to classify samples after the ANN dimension reduction is also equivalent to replacing the deep structure of the ANN, which is considered to have a linear classifi cation function. When applied to actual data, our method extracted gas-bearing sensitive features from seismic data to a certain extent. The prediction results can characterize gas-bearing reservoirs accurately in a limited scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a copper-catalyzed ligand-controlled selective 1,2- and 1,4-hydrosilylation of 1,3-enynes, which furnishes enantiomerically enriched propargyl- and 1,2-allenylsilane products in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). This reaction proceeds under mild conditions, shows broad substrate scope for both 1,3-enynes and trihydrosilanes, and displays excellent regioselectivities. Mechanistic studies based on deuterium-labeling reactions and density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that allenylcopper is the dominant reactive intermediate under both 1,2- and 1,4-hydrosilylation conditions, and it undergoes metathesis with silanes via selective four-membered or six-membered transition state, depending on the nature of the ligand. The weak interactions between the ligands and the reacting partners are found to be the key controlling factor for the observed regioselectivity switch. The origin of high enantiocontrol in the 1,4-hydrosilylation is also revealed by high level DLPNO-CCSD(T) calculations. Functionalization of 1,3-enyne represent a powerful method to construct allenyl- and propargylderivatives, but hydrosilylation reaction of 1,3-enynes remains underdeveloped. Here, the authors report a copper-catalyzed ligand-controlled selective 1,2- and 1,4- hydrosilylation of 1,3-enynes which proceeds enantioselectively with high yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: The pepper S locus, which controls the deciduous character of ripe fruit, was first fine mapped into an interval with a physical length of ~ 38.03 kb on chromosome P10. Capana10g002229, encoding a polygalacturonase, was proposed as a strong candidate gene based on sequence comparison, expression pattern analysis and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). The deciduous character of ripe fruit, which is controlled by the dominant S locus, is a domesticated trait with potential value in the pepper processing industry (Capsicum spp.). However, the gene associated with the S locus has not been identified. Here, one major QTL designated S10.1 was detected by using the F2 population (n = 155) derived from BA3 (Capsicum annuum) × YNXML (Capsicum frutescens) and was further verified in an intraspecific backcross population (n = 254) derived from the cross between BB3 (C. annuum) and its wild relative Chiltepin (C. annuum var. glabriusculum) with BB3 as the recurrent parent. Then, a large BC1F2 population derived from the self-pollination of BB3 × (BB3 × Chiltepin) individuals and comprising 4217 individuals was used to screen the recombinants, and the S locus was ultimately delimited into a 38.03-kb region on chromosome P10 harbouring four annotated genes. Capana10g002229, encoding a polygalacturonase (PG), was proposed as the best candidate gene for S based on sequence comparison and expression pattern analyses. Downregulation of Capana10g002229 in fruits through VIGS significantly delayed fruit softening and abscission from the fruit-receptacle junction. Taken together, the results show that Capana10g002229 could be regarded as a strong candidate gene associated with the S locus in pepper. These findings not only lay a foundation for deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying pepper domestication but also provide a strategy for genetic improvement of the deciduous character of ripe fruit using a marker-assisted selection approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appropriate gene carriers are vital components of gene therapy for treating numerous intractable diseases. Compared with viral carriers, non-viral carriers exhibit lower immunogenicity and higher biosafety, which have received increasing attention. In particular, among non-viral vectors, gene vectors based on chitosan derivatives are considered a promising gene therapy tool and have been extensively studied due to the biocompatibility, biodegradability, and modifiability of chitosan. In this review, we first discussed the influence of chitosan parameters on the efficiency of gene therapy. More importantly, we summarized the recent research progress in various diseases of chitosan derivatives to deliver different gene therapy substances including plasmid (pDNA), short interfering RNA (siRNA), short hairpin RNA (shRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated endonuclease 9 (CRISPER-Cas9) system. Finally, the current challenges and future directions of chitosan derivatives as gene carriers are also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate relationship with aggregation, secondary structures and gel properties of pork myofibrillar protein with different sodium chloride (1%, 2% and 3%). When the sodium chloride increased from 1 to 3%, the active sulfhydryl, surface hydrophobicity, hardness and cooking yield of myofibrillar protein were increased significantly (p < 0.05), the particle size, total sulfhydryl and Zeta potential were decreased significantly (p < 0.05), these meant the aggregations of pork myofibrillar protein were decreased. The changes of proteins aggregation induced the strongest intensity band of Amide I shifted up from 1660 cm−1 to 1661 cm−1, meanwhile, the β-sheet structure content was increased significantly (p < 0.05) with the sodium chloride increased. From the above, the lower proteins aggregation and higher β-sheet structure content could improve the water holding capacity and texture of pork myofibrillar protein gel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel experimental procedure was proposed to investigate the phase behavior of a solvent mixture (SM) (64 mol% CH4, 8 mol% CO2, and 28 mol% C3H8) with heavy oil. Then, a theoretical methodology was employed to estimate the phase behavior of the heavy oil–solvent mixture (HO–SM) systems with various mole fractions of SM. The experimental results show that as the mole fraction of SM increases, the saturation pressures and swelling factors of the HO–SM systems considerably increase, and the viscosities and densities of the HO–SM systems decrease. The heavy oil is upgraded in situ via asphaltene precipitation and SM dissolution. Therefore, the solvent-enriched oil phase at the top layer of reservoirs can easily be produced from the reservoir. The aforementioned results indicate that the SM has promising application potential for enhanced heavy oil recovery via solvent-based processes. The theoretical methodology can accurately predict the saturation pressures, swelling factors, and densities of HO–SM systems with various mole fractions of SM, with average error percentages of 1.77% for saturation pressures, 0.07% for swelling factors, and 0.07% for densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fire accidents casually happen during operation of ship, which would influence the load carrying capacity of stiffened panel of ship structures due to the thermal load. The present paper aims to understand the influence of thermal loads on the collapse behaviour of stiffened panels under longitudinal compressive load. Considering the heating and cooling down processes, the collapse behaviours of the stiffened panels under combined in-plane displacement and heat loads representative of fire accident are simulated in the FE (finite element) analysis herein. Firstly, the thermal load is considered to investigate the stress state of the stiffened panels during heating and cooling processes. It is found that the stiffened panels would collapse during thermal loads for the structure with large heated zone. After that, the longitudinal compression loads are applied to assess the collapse strength of the stiffened panels. The parametric studies including different geometrical dimensions and areas of heat zone are performed in detail to quantify the effects of heat loads on the collapse behaviours of stiffened panels. It is found that the expansion could produce biaxial stress state that depends on not only in-plane stiffness but also collapse modes, and for stiffened panels with various heated area the cooling down to room temperature induce similar ultimate strength to that without considering heat loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An alumina support was modified by fluorine via impregnation to investigate the effect of fluoride content on the reactivity of Ni–Mo/Al2O3 catalyst. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption–desorption (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller) isotherms, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Sulfur etherification performance of the catalyst was studied using a fixed-bed reactor. The results show that increasing fluoride content increases the pore volume and pore size but reduces the specific surface area. In addition, the degree of sulfidation of Ni first increases and then decreases. The amounts of strong acid and total acid also increase with increasing fluoride content. Performance evaluation of the catalyst reveals that the fluoride content has a minor effect on the thioetherification performance of the catalyst; however, an optimum fluoride content, which was determined to be 0.2%, can ensure lower olefin saturation and an efficient diene selective hydrogenation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas injection serves as a main enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method in fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoir, but its effect differs among single wells and multi-well groups because of the diverse fractured-vuggy configuration. Many researchers conducted experiments for the observation of fluid flow and the evaluation of production performance, while most of their physical models were fabricated based on the probability distribution of fractures and caves in the reservoir. In this study, a two-dimensional physical model of the karst fault system was designed and fabricated based on the geological model of TK748 well group in the seventh block of the Tahe Oilfield. The fluid flow and production performance of primary gas flooding were discussed. Gas-assisted gravity flooding was firstly introduced to take full use of gas–oil gravity difference, and its feasibility in the karst fault system was examined. Experimental results showed that primary gas flooding created more flow paths and achieved a remarkable increment of oil recovery compared to water flooding. Gas injection at a lower location was recommended to delay gas breakthrough. Gas-assisted gravity flooding achieved more stable gas-displacing-oil because oil production was at a lower location, and thus, the oil recovery was further enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buyuan River, the largest tributary within the Chinese Lancang-Mekong River region downstream of the Jinghong Dam, plays a crucial role in river function and ecosystem service of the Lancang-Mekong River. The geomorphic evolution of a basin exerts a key control on riverine sediment input and transport. In this study, the geomorphic characteristics of Buyuan Basin are analyzed using morphological parameters, hydrodynamic parameters and the stream power river incision model. The results show that: 1) The slight north-south difference of channel density is most likely due to lithology and independent of tectonic activity and climate. 2) The weak tectonic activity and the low hypsometric integral (HI) value suggest that the macroscopic landform condition limits erosion and sediment production. 3) The logarithmic longitudinal profile of the main channel defends that the upstream sediments generated by erosion are easily deposited in the downstream channel, rather than being transported directly into the Lancang-Mekong River. 4) Approximately 74% of the reaches have annual average stream power less than 500 W·m−1. The narrow variation ranges of stream power in 50% of the river channel indicate relatively stable hydrodynamic environment. 5) Stream erosion and tectonic activity make the longitudinal profiles of the main channel and most tributary channels unstable. The wide range (between 22.01 and 45.58 with θ=0.43) of steepness index (ksn) of longitudinal profiles implies differential uplift in the basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Felids are the only definitive hosts of Toxoplasma gondii. To lay a foundation for screening the T. gondii-felids interaction factors, we have developed a reproducible primary culture method for cat intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). The primary IECs were isolated from a new born cat's small intestine jejunum region without food ingress, and respectively in vitro cultured by tissue cultivation and combined digestion method with collagenase XI and dispase I, then purified by trypsinization. After identification, the ds cDNA of cat IECs was synthesized for constructing pGADT7 homogenization three-frame plasmid, and transformed into the yeast Y187 for generating the cDNA library. Our results indicated that cultivation of primary cat IECs relays on combined digestion to form polarized and confluent monolayers within 3 days with typical features of normal epithelial cells. The purified cells cultured by digestion method were identified to be nature intestinal epithelial cells using immunohistochemical analysis and were able to maintain viability for at least 15 passages. The homogenizable ds cDNA, which is synthesized from the total RNA extracted from our cultured IECs, distributed among 0.5-2.0 kb, and generated satisfying three-frame cDNA library with the capacity of 1.2 × 106 and the titer of 5.2 × 107 pfu/mL. Our results established an optimal method for the culturing and passage of cat IECs model in vitro, and laid a cDNA library foundation for the subsequent interaction factors screening by yeast two-hybrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the long-term thermal microstructural stability and related stress rupture lives of a new Re-containing Ni-based single-crystal superalloy, DD11, were investigated after high-temperature exposure for different lengths of time. The results show that the γ' precipitates retained a cuboidal morphology and the γ' size increased after short thermal exposure for 50 h at 1,070 °C. As the thermal exposure time was prolonged to 500 h, the cuboidal γ' gradually changed into irregular raft-like morphology due to particles coalescence, and the morphology of the microstructure was almost unchanged after further thermal exposure up to 3,000 h. The stress rupture experiments at 1,070 °C and a tensile stress of 140 MPa showed that the rupture lives increased significantly after thermal exposure for 50 h and dropped dramatically with increasing exposure time up to 500 h but decreased slowly after exposure for more than 500 h. These results imply that stress rupture properties did not decrease when the γ' remained cuboidal but degraded to different extents during the γ' coarsening process. The coarsening of the γ' precipitates and change in morphology were regarded as the main factors leading to the degradation of the stress rupture lives. This study provides fundamental information on the high-temperature longterm microstructural stability and mechanical performance, which will be of great help for DD11 alloy optimization and engineering aeroengine applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the finite element analysis, a series stiffened panels under combined normal loads and biaxial compressions are conducted to investigate the effect of several influential factors on the ultimate limit states. Two spans/bays FE model with periodical boundary condition is adopted to consider the interaction between adjacent structural members. The initial deflections assumed as Fourier components including symmetric and asymmetric modes are used to identify the half-wave number of collapse of the local plate, which is compared with half-wave number of buckling calculated by formula. Based on the numerical results, the influences of half-wave number assumed in the equivalent initial imperfection and loads combination on the collapse behaviours of stiffened panels are discussed. It is found that lateral pressure might increase the ultimate strength of stiffened panels for the stiffener-induced failure modes. The one half-wave region of local plate influences significantly the load carrying capacity of stiffened panels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biological functions of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which play an important role in regulating development and gene expression, may be affected by variations in lncRNA gene loci or associated genomic sequences. However, the functions of many lncRNAs remain unknown. To analyse correlations between mutations in pouMU1 with chicken growth and carcass traits, 860 chickens from a Gushi×Anka F2 resource population and 96 Lushi, Xichuan, Changshun and recessive white chickens were used to evaluate the genetic effect of the pouMU1 gene. We performed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to analyse the relative expression levels of pouMU1 in nine different tissues and stages of development. pouMU1 expression was highest in pectoralis and leg muscles, whereas no expression was observed in the heart, liver and abdominal fat. Using direct sequencing and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) methods, two novel sequence mutations (g.1198A>G and g.1238-1239del/insGA) were detected in the pouMU1 gene. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis in association studies. Based on the association data, the presence of both variants was significantly associated with leg muscle fibre width and leg muscle fibre roundness (P < 0.05) and highly associated with leg muscle fibre girth and body weight at 0 week of age (P < 0.01). These data suggest that pouMU1 might participate in regulating chicken muscle development and growth, and the findings offer new insight into the functions of sequence mutations in lncRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive study was conducted to evaluate the structural changes of meat and protein of pork batters produced by chopping or beating process through the phase-contrast micrograph, laser light scattering analyzer, scanning electronic microscopy and Raman spectrometer. The results showed that the shattered myofibrilla fragments were shorter and particle-sizes were smaller in the raw batter produced by beating process than those in the chopping process. Compared with the raw and cooked batters produced by chopping process, modifications in amide I and amide III bands revealed a significant decrease of α-helix content and an increase of β-sheet, β-turn and random coils content in the beating process. The changes in secondary structure of protein in the batter produced by beating process was thermally stable. Moreover, more tyrosine residues were buried, and more gauche-gauche-trans disulfide bonds conformations and hydrophobic interactions were formed in the batter produced by beating process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With complex fractured-vuggy heterogeneous structures, water has to be injected to facilitate oil production. However, the effect of different water injection modes on oil recovery varies. The limitation of existing numerical simulation methods in representing fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs makes numerical simulation difficult to characterize the fluid flow in these reservoirs. In this paper, based on a geological example unit in the Tahe Oilfield, a three-dimensional physical model was designed and constructed to simulate fluid flow in a fractured-vuggy reservoir according to similarity criteria. The model was validated by simulating a bottom water drive reservoir, and then subsequent water injection modes were optimized. These were continuous (constant rate), intermittent, and pulsed injection of water. Experimental results reveal that due to the unbalanced formation pressure caused by pulsed water injection, the swept volume was expanded and consequently the highest oil recovery increment was achieved. Similar to continuous water injection, intermittent injection was influenced by factors including the connectivity of the fractured-vuggy reservoir, well depth, and the injection-production relationship, which led to a relative low oil recovery. This study may provide a constructive guide to field production and for the development of the commercial numerical models specialized for fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To research the characteristics of the transient variation of pressure in a nuclear power station condenser under accident condition, a mathematical model was established which simulated the cycling cooling water, heat transfer and pressure in the condenser. The calculation program of transient variation characteristics was established in Fortran language. The pump's parameter, cooling line's organization, check valve's feature and the parameter of siphonic water-collecting well are involved in the cooling water flow's mathematical model. The initial conditions of control volume are determined by the steady state of the condenser. The transient characteristics of a 1000 MW nuclear power station's condenser and cooling water system were examined. The results show that at the condition of plant-powersuspension of pump, the cooling water flow rate decreases rapidly and refluxes, then fluctuates to 0. The variation of heat transfer coefficient in the condenser has three stages: at start it decreases sharply, then increases and decreases, and keeps constant in the end. Under three conditions (design, water and summer), the condenser pressure goes up in fluctuation. The time intervals between condenser's pressure signals under three conditions are about 26.4 s, which can fulfill the requirement for safe operation of nuclear power station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a model of facility location problem, the uncertainty in the weight of a vertex is represented by an interval of weights, and the objective is to minimize the maximum 'regret.' The most efficient algorithm previously known for finding the minmax regret 1-median in a tree network with nonnegative vertex weights takes O( nlog n) time. We improve it to O( n), settling the open problem posed by Brodal et al. (Oper. Res. Lett. 36:14-18, ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Awns are an important genetic character of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) and almost all awnless diploid varieties will change into awned varieties after polyploidization. In order to increase the understanding of awns and promote the development of polyploid rice breeding, the effect of polyploidization on awns was investigated and the development and distribution characteristics have been summarized. Furthermore, cross experiments were made between a special awnless tetraploid rice and two awned tetraploid rice. The results showed that the awns of polyploid rice initially emerged at the pistil-stamina formation stage and there was a stable corresponding relationship between awn development and other organs or development characteristics. Polyploidization had a great effect on awns. Awn length was considerably affected when diploid rice was doubled to polyploid. However, the degree of change varied between varieties. The F hybrids between awnless and awned tetraploid rice in this research were all partial awn types and showed that the larger the mean, maximum awn length and the percentage of awned spikelets (PAS) of their awned parents, then the larger these of their F hybrids. But different cross combinations showed some variation. The F generations were still all partially awned and awnless type was not found. And the awn length and PAS of the plants developing from awned grains were significantly greater than that of the plants developing from awnless ones. This showed that the awn character of a grain could affect the plants developing from this grain. The results laid the foundation of further research of awn inheritance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that archaea carrying the accA gene, encoding the alpha subunit of the acetyl CoA carboxylase, autotrophically fix CO using the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathway in low-temperature environments (e.g., soils, oceans). However, little new information has come to light regarding the occurrence of archaeal accA genes in high-temperature ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the abundance and diversity of archaeal accA gene in hot springs in Yunnan Province, China, using DNA- and RNA-based phylogenetic analyses and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that archaeal accA genes were present and expressed in the investigated Yunnan hot springs with a wide range of temperatures (66-96 °C) and pH (4.3-9.0). The majority of the amplified archaeal accA gene sequences were affiliated with the ThAOA/HWCG III [thermophilic ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA)/hot water crenarchaeotic group III]. The archaeal accA gene abundance was very close to that of AOA amoA gene, encoding the alpha subunit of ammonia monooxygenase. These data suggest that AOA in terrestrial hot springs might acquire energy from ammonia oxidation coupled with CO fixation using the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Gram-negative and aerobic bacterium, designated YIM 77875, was isolated from a geothermal soil sample collected at Rehai National Park, Tengchong, Yunnan Province, south-west China. Bacterial growth occurred from 37 to 65 °C (optimum 50 °C), pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and 0-1 % NaCl (w/v). Cells were rod-shaped and colonies were convex, circular, smooth, yellow and non-transparent. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain YIM 77875 belongs to the genus Lysobacter. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values between strain YIM 77875 and other species of the genus Lysobacter were all below 94.7 %. The polar lipids of strain YIM 77875 were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and five unknown phospholipids. The predominant respiratory quinone was Q-8 and the G+C content was 68.8 mol%. Major fatty acids were iso-C, iso-C and iso-C. On the basis of the morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, as well as genotypic data, strain YIM 77875 represents a novel species, Lysobacter thermophilus sp. nov., in the genus Lysobacter. The type strain is YIM 77875 (CCTCC AB 2012064 = KCTC 32020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel Gram-positive, spore-forming, thermophilic actinomycetes, designated as strain YIM 77501 and YIM 77570, were isolated from a sandy soil sample collected at Tengchong National Volcanic Geological Park, Yunnan province, south-west China. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences suggested that the two isolates fell within the family Streptosporangiaceae. The strains formed extensively branched substrate and aerial mycelia which carried masses of long, straight or irregular spore chains composed of warty ornamented spores. Cell walls of the two strains contained meso-diaminopimelic acid and glucose, galactose, mannose and ribose were detected as whole-cell sugars. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H) and MK-9(H). The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, N-acetylglucosamine-containing phospholipids and phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositolmannosides. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C and 10-methyl C. The DNA G+C content was 74-76 mol%. On the basis of the morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics as well as the phylogenetic analysis, these strains represents a novel species of a new genus within the family Streptosporangiaceae, for which the name Thermoactinospora rubra gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of T. rubra is YIM 77501 (=DSM 45614 = CCTCC AA 2011014). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a simple and cheap method for the simultaneous preconcentration and sensitive determination of three hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) diastereomers (α-, β-, and γ-HBCD) in environmental water samples has been developed. It was based on solid phase extraction (SPE) and rapid resolution liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. Bamboo charcoal, one kind of cheap material, was investigated and used as SPE adsorbent for the enrichment and determination of HBCD diastereomers. Related important parameters affecting extraction efficiencies, including type and volume of eluant, amount of sorbent, sample pH, flow rate, and sample volume, were investigated and optimized in detail. Under the optimum conditions, experimental data exhibited excellent linear relationships between peak area and concentrations over the range 0.1-10 μg L. The limits of detection and precision were in the range of 0.005-0.015 μg L and 4.59-7.47%, respectively. The proposed method has been successfully applied for the trace analysis of HBCD diastereomers in real-world environmental water samples. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionic liquids are a kind of environmentally friendly solvents which have drawn great attention in many fields. The potential of ionic liquid as dispersive liquid-phase microextraction (DLPME) solvent for the enrichment of typical persistent organic pollutants, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), and its metabolites including 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis-(4′-chlorophenyl)ethane and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis-(4′-chlorophenyl)ethylene has been investigated. Parameters that may influence the extraction efficiency, such as the type and volume of ionic liquid, the type and volume of disperser solvent, extraction time, and sample pH, were investigated and optimized in detail. The experimental results showed the excellent linear relationship between peak area and the concentration of DDT and its metabolites over the range of 1-50 μg L, and the precisions (RSDs) were 5.27-6.73% under the optimal conditions. The limits of detection could reach 0.33-0.63 μg L. Satisfied results were achieved when the proposed method was applied to determine the target compounds in real-world water samples with spiked recoveries over the range 94.4-115.3%. All these facts indicated that ionic liquid DLPME coupled to HPLC was an environmentally friendly alternative for the rapid analysis of DDT and its metabolites at trace level in environmental water samples. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the pseudo potential plane-wave method of density functional theory (DFT), Ti1− xNb xAl ( x=0, 0.062 5, 0.083 3, 0.125, 0.250) crystals’ geometry structure, elastic constants, electronic structure and Mulliken populations were calculated, and the effects of doping on the geometric structure, electronic structure and bond strength were systematically analyzed. The results show that the influence of Nb on the geometric structure is little in terms of the plasticity, and with the increase of Nb content, the covalent bond strength remarkably reduces, and Ti-Al, Nb-M (M=Ti, Al) and other hybrid bonds enhance; meanwhile, the peak district increases and the pseudo-energy gap first decreases and then increases, the overall band structure narrows, the covalent bond and direction of bonds reduce. The population analysis also shows that the results are consistent with the electronic structure analysis. The density of states of TiAlNb shows that Nb doping can enhance the activity of Al and benefit the form of Al2O3 film. All the calculations reveal that the room temperature plasticity and the antioxidation properties of the compounds can be improved with the Nb content of 8.33%–12.5% (mole fraction). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel and environmentally friendly microextraction method, termed ionic liquid dispersive liquid-phase microextraction (IL-DLPME), has been developed for rapid enrichment of triclosan and triclocarban before analysis by high-performance liquid phase chromatography–electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–ESI-MS–MS). Instead of using toxic organic solvents, an ionic liquid was used as a green extraction solvent. This also avoided the instability of the suspending drop in single-drop liquid-phase microextraction, and the heating and cooling step in temperature-controlled ionic liquid dispersive liquid phase microextraction. Factors that may affect the enrichment efficiency, for example volume of ionic liquid, type and volume of dispersive solvent, pH, extraction time, and NaCl content were investigated in detail and optimized. Under optimum conditions, linearity of the method was observed over the range 0.2–12 μg L−1 for triclocarban and 1–60 μg L−1 for triclosan with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9980 to 0.9990, respectively. The sensitivity of the proposed method was found to be excellent, with limits of detection in the range 0.040–0.58 μg L−1 and precision in the range 7.0–8.8% (RSD, n = 5). This method has been successfully used to analyze real environmental water samples and satisfactory results were achieved. Average recoveries of spiked compounds were in the range 70.0–103.5%. All these results indicated that the developed method would be a green method for rapid determination of triclosan and triclocarban at trace levels in environmental water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether bone marrow changes occur and potentially contribute to the hematological abnormalities in liver cirrhosis remain unclear. In this study, we established a rat model of liver cirrhosis induced by carbon tetrachloride. Electron microscopy examination showed focal lesions in bone marrow sinusoidal endothelium and hematopoietic cells in animals with cirrhosis. With the persistence of liver cirrhosis, injuries of bone marrow sinusoidal endothelium progressed from mild mitochondrial changes to nuclear pycnosis and cell disruption, and the trilineage hematopoietic cells showed apoptosis and necrosis. Immunohistochemistry revealed increased expression of E-selectin, P-selectin and vWF in bone marrow sinusoidal endothelium of the cirrhotic rats, which was consistent with the data from semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis. Autopsy specimens from patients with liver cirrhosis (in the absence of other disease) showed the same findings as detected by immunohistochemistry in animal models. The results provide evidence of the association between liver cirrhosis and bone marrow alterations by demonstrating the bone marrow sinusoidal endothelium lesions in both a rat model and patients. It also indicates that activation or injury of bone marrow sinusoidal endothelium mediated by E-selectin, P-selectin, and vWF might have a role in pathogenesis of bone marrow changes during liver cirrhosis. The lesions of bone marrow sinusoidal endothelium might contribute to the hematological abnormalities in the end stage of liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo charcoal, a microporous material, was used as a solid-phase extraction sorbent for the enrichment of the three endocrine disrupters: bisphenol A, nonylphenol, and 4-octylphenol from environmental samples. Parameters affecting the extraction efficiency, such as eluant and its volume, flow rate, pH and volume of the sample, were investigated and optimized. The results of HPLC analyses revealed a linear relationship between the peak area and the concentration of the three analytes over the range of 2.0–100 µg L−1, with a precision of 3.0–5.6 % under optimal conditions. The method was applied to the analysis of river water and seawater samples, the recoveries ranged from 79.5 to approx. 104.3 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we define the concept of projective Blaschke manifolds and extend the theory of equiaffine differential geometry to the projective Blaschke manifolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a novel, simple and environmentally friendly method for rapid determination of the amide herbicides metoalchlor, acetochlor, and butachlor. It is based on dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Factors that may influence the enrichment efficiency, such as type and volume of extraction solvent, type and volume of dispersive solvent, extraction time, and content of NaCl, were investigated and optimized in detail. Under the optimum conditions, the limits of detection of metoalchlor, acetochlor, and butachlor were 0.02, 0.04, and 0.003 μg L−1, respectively. The experimental results indicated that there was linearity over the range 0.1–50 μg L−1 and good reproducibility with relative standard deviations over the range 1.6–3.0% ( n = 5). The proposed method has been applied for the analysis of real-world water samples, and satisfactory results were achieved. Average recoveries of spiked herbicides were in the range 80.3–108.8%. All of these indicated that the developed method would be an efficient method for simultaneous determination of the three herbicides in environmental water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, bamboo charcoal, a new kind of material with special microporous and biological characteristics, has attracted great attention in many application fields. In this paper, the potential of bamboo charcoal to act as a solid-phase extraction (SPE) adsorbent for the enrichment of the environmental pollutant perfluorooctanoic acid, which is one of the newest types of persistent organic pollutants in the environment, has been investigated. Important factors that may influence the enrichment efficiency—such as the eluent and its volume, the flow rate of the sample, the pH of the sample and the sample volume—were investigated and optimized in detail. Under the optimum conditions, the limit of detection for PFOA was 0.2 ng L−1. The experimental results indicated that this approach gives good linearity ( R 2 = 0.9995) over the range 1–1000 ng L−1 and good reproducibility, with a relative standard deviation of 4.0% ( n = 5). The proposed method has been applied to the analysis of real water samples, and satisfactory results were obtained. The average spiked recoveries were in the range 79.5∼118.3 %. All of the results indicate that the proposed method could be used for the determination of PFOA at ultratrace levels in water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of the present study was to further elucidate the mechanism of the protective role of fluvastatin on diabetic nephropathy. Methods: Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were treated dailywith fluvastatin (4 mg/kg body weight) by gavage. The animals were killed 4 weeks later and urine and blood samples were collected. The kidney tissues were removed and subjected to the following experiments. Rat glomerular mesangial cells (GMC) were cultured under normal glucose (5.5 mmol/L), high glucose (HG, 30 mmol/L), HG+AG490 (10 μmol/L), or HG with fluvastatin (1 μmol/L). Glomeruli or the GMC lysate was immunoprecipi-tated and/or immunoblotted with antibodies against Januskinase 2 (JAK2), SH2-domain containing tyrosine phosphatase-1 (SHP-1), phosphospecific SHP-2, and signal transducer and activators of transcription (STAT), respectively. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β1) mRNA was measured by RT-PCR. The protein synthesis of TGF-β1 and fibronectin in the culture medium of GMC was detected by ELISA. Results: The phosphorylation levels of JAK2, STAT1, STAT3, and SHP-2 increased significantly, and SHP-1 phosphorylation was reduced in glom-eruli of diabetic rats. Treatment with fluvastatin reduced phosphorylation levels of JAK2, STAT1, STAT3, and SHP-2 in glomeruli of diabetic rats, but it had no effect on the dephosphorylation of SHP-1. The exposure of GMC to 30 mmol/L glucose caused the activation of JAK2, STAT1, STAT3, and SHP-2. It upregulated TGF-β1 expression and increased protein synthesis of fibronectin. These high glucose-induced changes were suppressed by fluvastatin, as well as AG490, a JAK2 inhibitor. Conclusion: The regulation of the phosphorylation of JAK/STAT by fluvastatin may be responsible for its renal protective effects on diabetic nephropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME), a relatively new sample preparation technique, has attracted much interest in the field of environmental analysis. In the current study, a novel method based on hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction with in situ derivatization and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for the measurement of triclosan in aqueous samples is described. Hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction conditions such as the type of extraction solvent, the stirring rate, the volume of derivatizing reagent, and the extraction time were investigated. When the conditions had been optimized, the linear range was found to be 0.05–100 μg l−1 for triclosan, and the limit of detection to be 0.02 μg l−1. Tap water and surface water samples collected from our laboratory and Wohushan reservoir, respectively, were successfully analyzed using the proposed method. The recoveries from the spiked water samples were 83.6 and 114.1%, respectively; and the relative standard deviation (RSD) at the 1.0 μg l−1 level was 6.9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel amperometric choline biosensor has been fabricated with choline oxidase (ChOx) immobilized by the sol-gel method on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) modified platinum electrode to improve the sensitivity and the anti-interferential property of the sensor. By analyzing the electrocatalytic activity of the modified electrode by MWCNT, it was found that MWCNT could not only improve the current response to H2O2 but also decrease the electrocatalytic potential. The effects of experimental variables such as the buffer solutions, pH and the amount of loading enzyme were investigated for the optimum analytical performance. This sensor shows sensitive determination of choline with a linear range from 5.0 × 10−6 to 1.0 × 10−4 mol/L when the operating pH and potential are 7.2 and 0.15 V, respectively. The detection limit of choline was 5.0 × 10−7 mol/L. Selectivity for choline was 9.48 μA·(mmol/L)−1. The biosensor exhibits excellent anti-interferential property and good stability, retaining 85% of its original current value even after a month. It has been applied to the determination of choline in human serum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel purge-and-trap method coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is developed for the analysis of trace and ultratrace phenols based on their derivatization with acetic anhydride. Parameters affecting the extraction efficiency, such as purge temperature, concentration of sodium chloride, purge time, and volume of derivatization reagent, were investigated. The optimized conditions were addition of 150 μL acetic anhydride, purge time of 25 min at the purge temperature of 60 °C with 30% NaCl. The linear range was 0.2–100 μg L−1 for phenols. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.08 to 0.15 μg L−1 and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) for most of the phenols at the 10 μg L−1level were below 10%. Natural water samples collected from a pool were successfully analyzed using the proposed method. The recovery of spiked water samples was 72.9–84.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses a functional link between ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) and Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) gene products. Susceptibility of A-T and NBS to cancer and similar cellular phenotypes; Mutation of NBS1 in patients with Nijmegen breakage syndrome and the formation of a complex with DNA repair proteins; Various testing methods used, including immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation.

We transform the problem of determining isometric immersions from H2(-1) into H3( c) ( c of solving an elliptic Monge--Ampère equation on the unit disc. Then we classify isometric immersions which possess bounded principal curvatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the third one of the paper series on the strike-slip earthquake generating structure in the interior of the Chinese mainland. The features of the tectonic stress field of strike-slip earthquake generating structure were discussed in the first paper (Huan et al., 1994), and the features of the deformation field of strike-slip earthquake were presented in the second paper (Hun et al., 1994). In the first section of this paper, through the analysis of the strike-slip earthquake generating structure of several-dozen large earthquakes with magnitude greater than 6.0, it is concluded that almost all strike-slip earthquake generating faults are characterized by the oblique-arranged distribution, and the barrier structure mode about the adhesive slip movement of strike-slip is put forward; then in the second section, its four types, due to the different fracture form of the barrier at the ends, are also discussed; finally in the third section, the fracture terminating scale of the barrier of strike-slip earthquake generating fault is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]