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Hand-wrist radiography is the most common and accurate method for evaluating children's bone age. To reduce the scattered radiation of radiosensitive organs in bone age assessment, we designed a small X-ray instrument with radioprotection function by adding metal enclosure for X-ray shielding. We used a phantom operator to compare the scattered radiation doses received by sensitive organs under three different protection scenarios (proposed instrument, radiation personal protective equipment, no protection). The proposed instrument showed greater reduction in the mean dose of a single exposure compared with radiation personal protective equipment especially on the left side which was proximal to the X-ray machine (≥80.0% in eye and thyroid, ≥99.9% in breast and gonad). The proposed instrument provides a new pathway towards more convenient and efficient radioprotection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatic insulin resistance is central to the metabolic syndrome. Here we investigate the role of BTB and CNC homology 1 (BACH1) in hepatic insulin signaling. BACH1 is elevated in the hepatocytes of individuals with obesity and patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Hepatocyte-specific Bach1 deletion in male mice on a high-fat diet (HFD) ameliorates hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, improves glucose homeostasis, and protects against steatosis, whereas hepatic overexpression of Bach1 in male mice leads to the opposite phenotype. BACH1 directly interacts with the protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and the insulin receptor β (IR-β), and loss of BACH1 reduces the interaction between PTP1B and IR-β upon insulin stimulation and enhances insulin signaling in hepatocytes. Inhibition of PTP1B significantly attenuates BACH1-mediated suppression of insulin signaling in HFD-fed male mice. Hepatic BACH1 knockdown ameliorates hyperglycemia and improves insulin sensitivity in diabetic male mice. These results demonstrate a critical function for hepatic BACH1 in the regulation of insulin signaling and glucose homeostasis. Hepatic insulin resistance plays a central role in metabolic syndrome. Here, the authors show that transcription factor BACH1 acts as a negative regulator of insulin signaling and that hepatic BACH1 deficiency ameliorates hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in high-fat diet-fed or diabetic mice [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that the feasibility of electron transfer reactions and the thermodynamic relationship between radicals and anions are highly dependent on the standard redox potentials. However, due to experimental limitations on the measurement of irreversible redox reactions, it is often difficult or even impossible to obtain reliable oxidation or reduction potential data. In this study, we assessed the performance of different theoretical methods and solvation models for predicting standard oxidation potentials ( E ox o ) of 33 representative anions including alcoholate, phenolate, and carboxylate anions in aprotic polar solvents. The density functional theory (DFT) M06-2X method and the composite procedure CBS-QB3 both achieved ideal precision for predicting adiabatic ionization potentials (IPs) in the gas phase, with a mean absolute deviation (MAD) value of 0.06 eV and 0.08 eV, respectively. As for solvation contributions, the SMD (solvation model density) model performed better than the latest uESE (Universal Easy Solvation Energy Evaluation) model for this kind of radical/anion couple. We suggest the optimal combination of M06-2X/ma-TZVP for IPs, and the SMD solvation model at M05-2X/6-31G(d) level is suitable for predicting E ox o , with an average error of 0.08 V. This assessment provides an alternative and reliable theoretical procedure to predict the oxidation potential and other related thermodynamic properties of O-centered organic anions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA) in gas and particles were analyzed in southeast coastal and mountainous cities, including Fuzhou, Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Nanping, to study the pollution characteristics, particle size distribution, phase partitioning and atmospheric transport. PFAA ranged from 7.8 to 290 pg m−3 in gaseous phase, 27 − 1200 pg m−3 in particulate phase, and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were main compounds. PFAA had the highest concentration in Nanping with perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) dominant, which could be related to the emission of PFAS from local industrial plants. Perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSAs) exhibited different particle size distribution characteristics, with PFSAs preferring to distribute on coarse particles, which could be affected by the salt, minerals and organic matter in different particle sizes. The gas − particle partitioning coefficient (KPA) had a line relationship with the fluorinated carbon chain length of PFAA, suggesting that long-chain PFAA tended to exist in particulate phase. The Winter Monsoon could transport to the study area and drive atmospheric PFAS to southern cities. Highlights: • Industrial plants contributed high concentrations of PFAA. • PFSAs tended to present in coarse particles. • Log KPA increased linearly with increasing carbon chain length of PFAA. • Winter Monsoon drove atmospheric PFAA to southern cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Superficial temporal artery–middle cerebral artery (STA–MCA) bypass is a common surgery in treating moyamoya disease (MMD) with occluded MCA. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation might provide a simple, non-invasive, and low-cost tool to evaluate the efficacy of STA–MCA surgery. Aim: We aim to quantitatively investigate the treatment efficacy of STA–MCA surgery in improving the blood flow of MMD patients using CFD simulation. Methods: This retrospective study included 11 MMD patients with occlusion around proximal MCA who underwent STA–MCA bypass surgery. CFD simulation was performed using patient-specific blood pressure and postoperative artery geometry. The volumetric flow rates of STA and the bypass, average flow velocity in the proximal segment of transcranial bypass, transcranial pressure drop, and transcranial flow resistance were measured and compared with a postoperative increment of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in MCA territories derived from perfusion imaging. Per-branch pressure drop from model inlet to bypass branch outlet was calculated. Results: The volumetric flow rates of STA and the bypass were 80.84 ± 14.54 mL/min and 46.03 ± 4.21 mL/min. Average flow velocity in proximal bypass, transcranial pressure drop, and transcranial flow resistance were 0.19 ± 0.07 m/s, 3.72 ± 3.10 mmHg, and 6.54 ± 5.65 10−8 Pa s m−3. Postoperative mean increment of CBF in MCA territories was 16.03 ± 11.72 mL·100 g−1·min−1. Per-branch pressure drop was 10.96 ± 5.59 mmHg and 7.26 ± 4.25 mmHg in branches with and without stenosis. Conclusions: CFD simulation results are consistent with CBF observation in verifying the efficacy of STA–MCA bypass, where postoperative stenosis may influence the hemodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chest radiography is commonly performed as a diagnostic tool of neonatal diseases. Contact-based radiation personal protective equipment (RPPE) has been widely used for radiation protection, but it does not provide full body protection and it is often shared between users, which has become a major concern during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. To address these issues, we developed a novel trolley to protect radiographers against X-ray radiation by reducing scatter radiation during neonatal radiographic examinations. We measured the scatter radiation doses from a standard neonatal chest radiograph to the radiosensitive organs using a phantom operator in three protection scenarios (trolley, radiation personal protective equipment [RPPE], no protection) and at three distances. The results showed that the scatter radiation surface doses were significantly reduced when using the trolley compared with RPPE and with no protection at a short distance (P<0.05 for both scenarios in all radiosensitive organs). The novel protective trolley provides a non-contact protective tool for radiographers against the hazard of scatter radiation during neonatal radiography examinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interactions and mechanisms between sulfur and heavy metals are a growing focus of biogeochemical studies in coastal wetlands. These issues underline the fate of heavy metals bound in sediments or released into the system through sediments. Despite the fact that numerous published studies have suggested sulfur has a significant impact on the bioavailability of heavy metals accumulated in coastal wetlands, to date, no review article has systematically summarized those studies, particularly from the perspective of the three major components of wetland ecosystems (sediments, rhizosphere, and vegetation). The present review summarizes the studies published in the past four decades and highlights the major achievements in this field. Research and studies available thus far indicate that under anaerobic conditions, most of the potentially bioavailable heavy metals in coastal wetland sediments are fixed as precipitates, such as metal sulfides. However, fluctuations in physicochemical conditions may affect sulfur cycling, and hence, directly or indirectly lead to the conversion and migration of heavy metals. In the rhizosphere, root activities and microbes together affect the speciation and transformation of sulfur which in turn mediate the migration of heavy metals. As for plant tissues, tolerance to heavy metals is enhanced by sulfur-containing compounds via promoting a series of chelation and detoxification processes. Finally, to further understand the interactions between sulfur and heavy metals in coastal wetlands, some major future research directions are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We attempted to improve the accuracy of coronary CT angiography (CCTA)-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR) (FFRCT) by expanding the coronary tree in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) domain. An observational study was performed to evaluate the effects of extending the coronary tree analysis for FFRCT from a minimal diameter of 1.2 to 0.8 mm. Methods: Patients who underwent CCTA and interventional FFR were enrolled retrospectively. Seventy-six patients qualified based on the inclusion criteria. The three-dimensional (3D) coronary artery tree was reconstructed to generate a finite element mesh for each subject with different lower limits of luminal diameter (1.2 mm and 0.8 mm). Outlet boundary conditions were defined according to Murray's law. The Newton–Krylov–Schwarz (NKS) method was applied to solve the governing equations of CFD to derive FFRCT. Results: At the individual patient level, extending the minimal diameter of the coronary tree from 1.2 to 0.8 mm improved the sensitivity of FFRCT by 16.7% (p = 0.022). This led to the conversion of four false-negative cases into true-positive cases. The AUC value of the ROC curve increased from 0.74 to 0.83. Moreover, the NKS method can solve the computational problem of extending the coronary tree to an 0.8-mm luminal diameter in 10.5 min with 2160 processor cores. Conclusions: Extending the reconstructed coronary tree to a smaller luminal diameter can considerably improve the sensitivity of FFRCT. The NKS method can achieve favorable computational times for future clinical applications. Key Points: • Extending the reconstructed coronary tree to a smaller luminal diameter can considerably improve the sensitivity of FFRCT. • The NKS method applied in our study can effectively reduce the computational time of this process for future clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been studied as a protective factor for the survival of islet β cells and regulatory glucose transport and metabolism in many studies. The addition of exogenous HGF to cells or mice is the most common way to study HGF, but the persistence and stability of the administered HGF are unclear. In this experiment, wild-type C57BL6 (WT) mice and HGF-overexpressing transgenic (HGF-Tg) mice were divided into a normal diet (ND) group and an HFD group. The HGF protein level in the liver, kidney, spleen, pancreas, and VAT of HGF-Tg-ND mice was upregulated compared to that of WT-ND mice, and it was also upregulated in HGF-Tg-HFD mice compared to that in WT-HFD mice. In the ND group, though the HGF-Tg-ND mice showed higher fasted blood glucose levels and larger integrated density (IOD) of glucagon-positive cells than WT-ND mice, we found that HGF-Tg-ND mice can still maintain normal glucose tolerance based on an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) and an intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test (IPITT). In the HFD group, the HGF-Tg-HFD mice showed insulin sensitivity in IPGTT and IPITT and had larger areas and higher IOD values of islet β cells and smaller areas and IOD values of islet α cells than the WT-HFD mice. HGF-Tg-HFD mice had lower level of serum insulin than WT-HFD mice. The HGF-Tg-HFD mice showed inhibited accumulation of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, Ly6G+ neutrophils, and F4/80+ macrophages in the blood and tissues and protected liver and kidney functions. Oil Red O–stained liver sections revealed that WT-HFD mice had larger areas and higher IOD values of Oil Red O–positive cells than HGF-Tg-HFD mice, and WT-HFD mice had higher score of NASH. PAS-stained kidney sections found WT-HFD has higher mesangial area/glomerular area × 100% than HGF-Tg-HFD mice. Comparative analyses demonstrated that HGF reduces the proportions of inflammatory cells in the blood and tissues, and protects liver and kidney tissues by regulating glucose homeostasis of type 2 diabetic mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the resource allocation (RA) problem in a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication network when the in-band device-to-device technology is applied to support cellular-based vehicle-to-everything communication. Due to the rapid mobility of vehicles, it is difficult to track real-time channel state information so that effective RA is challenging. We consider a scenario where multiple V2V links on a road can be divided into groups to reuse cellular users' channels. A location-partition-based channel allocation (CA) scheme is first proposed by transforming the CA problem into a simple data-matching problem. Further, a best-effort rate-equal power control scheme is studied to maximize the minimum achievable rate among the V2V links in one group. Two other schemes are proposed to improve the communication latency in high-density environments. Simulation results show that the performance of the proposed RA approaches is better than conventional solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Ti/RuO2-SnO2-TiO2/PbO2-CeO2 composite electrode was synthesized by two steps. The first step was to prepare the interlayer of RuO2-SnO2-TiO2 through a sol-gel method. The second was to fabricate the surface layer of Ce-doped PbO2 by an electrodeposition method. The morphologies and structures of the prepared materials were well characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrochemical properties were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and 4-chlorophenol was selected as a model pollutant to evaluate electrocatalytic activities. The results indicated that the molar ratios of 5:3:2 (Ti/Ru/Sn) and 1:100 (Ce/Pb) were optimal for the interlayer and the surface layer, respectively. Excessive cerium doping would change the preferential crystal orientation of PbO2 from (101) phase to (200) phase. The impedance of the electrode decreased with increasing cerium doping quantity. The average current efficiency and the energy consumption of the cerium-doped electrode, as compared with that of the undoped electrode, could be increased by 28.8% and decreased by 32.7%, respectively. Furthermore, the service life of the modified electrodes was enhanced greatly. The improved performance of the modified electrode could be attributed to both the interlayer and the compact surface microstructure resulted from cerium doping.ᅟ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Understanding the status and dynamics of labile arsenic (As), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn) across the sediment/water interface (SWI) is essential for As cycling in eutrophic lakes. This study conducted systematic monitoring of labile As, Fe, and Mn in water and sediments in regions of varying eutrophic levels in Lake Taihu to investigate Fe- or Mn-coupled cycling of As in sediments.Materials and methods: We arranged high-resolution combined ZrO-Chelex diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) probes in intact sediment cores to measure labile As, Fe, and Mn (i.e., DGT-labile As, Fe, and Mn) under static condition for 24 h. After retrieval, we rinsed each probe first with lake water and then with deionized water to remove any visible sediment particles for analysis.Results and discussion: Results showed that DGT-labile As in overlying water and sediments was relatively higher in the middle or hyper-eutrophic regions compared to the mesotrophic region. Diffusive flux across the SWI further demonstrated that the internal dissolution of As in the middle or hyper-eutrophic region was stronger than the mesotrophic region, indicating that eutrophic environments may facilitate As release in sediments. We observed a positive correlation between DGT-labile As and Fe or Mn, which indicated that the reductive dissolution of As binding Fe/Mn oxyhydroxides in sediments was responsible for the internal release of As, which strengthens under eutrophic environments. Furthermore, the DGT-labile molar ratio of Fe/As or Mn/As had a significant positive relation with Fd, further confirming that labile Fe or Mn is much more relevant for sediment As cycling.Conclusions: Eutrophic environments facilitated reductive dissolution of As binding Fe/Mn oxyhydroxides in sediments, resulting in the release of more labile As in the middle or hyper-eutrophic region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The red sea bream ( Pagrosomus major) 48-h embryo-larval bioassay was used to assess and compare the developmental toxicities of eight typical organic pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organophosphorus pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and alkylphenol. Toxicological endpoints such as survival rates of P. major embryos or larvae and the rates of hatching and of malformation (oedema, condensed blood, spinal curvatures or eye abnormalities) were noted and described within 48 h of exposure. The LC, EC, no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC) and lowest-observed-effect concentration (LOEC) were calculated, based on the dose-response relationship. The results showed that exposures to all of the selected organic pollutants except for methyl parathion produced acute toxic effects on P. major embryos and larvae, at different levels of exposure. The levels of acute toxicity of the eight typical organic pollutants for P. major embryos and larvae showed the following trend: benzo(a)pyrene > malathion > PCB 126 > pyrene > nonylphenol > phenanthrene > monocrotophos > methyl parathion. However, the larvae were more sensitive to these pollutants than embryos, according to the calculated LC, EC, NOEC and LOEC. This increased sensitivity of larvae could have resulted from losing the natural barrier function of the egg shell membrane. Benzo(a)pyrene, malathion, nonylphenol and monocrotophos delayed the development of P. major for both embryos and larvae, and decreased the hatching rate of the embryos. These results implied that the development of fish embryos and larvae could serve as potential biomarkers for evaluating organic contamination in the aquatic environment. The marine economic fish P. major was more sensitive to PAHs than the model fish, marine medaka ( Oryzias melastigma) . The estimated safe concentrations (SCs) for marine economic fish, as determined in our research, could provide a reference for the formulation of water quality criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estuarine systems play an important role in the transportation and transformation of organic pollutants from rivers. Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), organochlorine pesticide (OCP), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in water of the Jiulong River Estuary (JRE), China, were investigated to characterize their distribution, possible source, and potential ecological risk as well as the influencing factors. The total concentrations of PBDEs, OCPs, and PAHs varied from 5.2 to 12.3 pg L, from 29.1 to 96.4 ng L, and from 28.6 to 48.5 ng L, respectively. Their compositions were all consistent at different stations; even the input pathways were multifarious. A source analysis showed that PBDEs may come from the flame retardant usages of penta-BDE and deca-BDE; hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs) were from the use of technical HCHs, while DDTs were attributed to early residuals of industrial sources, and PAHs were mainly from pyrolytic sources. The spatial distributions of PBDEs and OCPs were quite similar with their concentrations, decreasing along the estuary and then increasing when passing the Xiamen Harbor. PAH concentrations were similar along the whole estuary, suggesting that local sources and hydrological conditions might be the influencing factors. The concentrations of these pollutants changed with tidal conditions and were positively correlated with SPM, DOC, and chlorophyll a but negatively correlated with salinity. The ecological risk assessment revealed that OCPs and PAHs posed slightly higher potential risks to aquatic organism in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase 2B1b (SULT2B1b) sulfates cholesterol and oxysterols. Hepatic oval cells (HOCs), thought to be progenitor cells, can be triggered in chemically injured livers. The present study focused on the role of SULT2B1b in HOC proliferation after liver injury. Our experiments revealed that the expression of SULT2B1b was increased dramatically in a chemical-induced liver injury model, mainly in HOCs. Upon challenge with a hepatotoxic diet containing 0.1 % 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC), SULT2B1 mice presented alleviated liver injury and less HOC proliferation compared with wild-type (WT) mice, and these findings were verified by serum analysis, histopathology, immunofluorescence staining, RNA-seq, and Western blotting. HOCs derived from SULT2B1 mice showed lower proliferative capability than those from WT mice. SULT2B1b overexpression promoted growth of the WB-F344 hepatic oval cell line, whereas SULT2B1b knockdown inhibited growth of these cells. The IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway also was promoted by SULT2B1b. Liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry indicated that the levels of 22-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, and 24,25-epoxycholesterol were higher in the DDC-injured livers of SULT2B1 mice than in livers of WT mice. The above oxysterols are physiological ligands of liver X receptors (LXRs), and SULT2B1b suppressed oxysterol-induced LXR activation. Additional in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that LXR activation could inhibit HOC proliferation and the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway, and these effects could be reversed by SULT2B1b. Our data indicate that upregulation of SULT2B1b might promote HOC proliferation and aggravate liver injury via the suppression of oxysterol-induced LXR activation in chemically induced mouse liver injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digestive tract examination has now become painless and simple with the aid of wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE). By continuously imaging and transmitting the patient's gastrointestinal tract, the capsule can store thousands of endoscopic images for medical diagnosis. The problem is that a large number of images generated in the near-time period are near-reduplicate and are therefore time-consuming for a medical expert to inspect. In this paper, we tackle this problem by proposing an online redundant image elimination system. Computer vision-based primitive features are first explored and compared to represent WCE images. A spatial sensitive version is then introduced to enhance the description. After determining the dissimilarity between neighboring images with a suitable measure, real-time and image-buffered versions of peak detection-based elimination algorithms are proposed to retain the distinctive/interesting images in the examination. Comparison results of primitive features and their spatial sensitive approaches via several probabilistic dissimilarity measures demonstrate that they are descriptive and efficient. Also, experiments performed on both the testing and the large real datasets show that the proposed elimination algorithms are effective, flexible and robust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urotensin II (U-II), one of powerful vasoconstrictor peptides, is involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension, diabetes, myocardial infarction and heart failure. However, its role in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is still unknown. We performed the present study to measure plasma U-II level in patients with ACS and the healthy subjects in the Chinese Han population. Plasma U-II level in patients with unstable angina (UA 313 ± 286 pg/dl) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI 333 ± 269 pg/dl) was higher than in healthy controls (183 ± 154 pg/dl). Plasma U-II level is positively correlated with the Gensini score (r = 0.285, P = 0.003) and Apo B level (r = 0.239, P = 0.015). Moreover, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the combination of CRP and U-II was significantly higher than it for CRP ( P = 0.024). We conclude that U-II, which is elevated in ACS patients, may act as a clinical non-invasive biomarker for ACS diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-reactive protein (CRP) emerges as an important mediator of cardiovascular lesions. In this study, we aimed to assess the role of CRP in the S-nitrosylation of proteins in endothelial cells and elucidate the potential mechanisms. Our results showed that CRP reduced protein S-nitrosylation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). NO donor S-nitrosoglutathione antagonized CRP-mediated reduction of protein S-nitrosylation. Neutralizing antibody to Fcγ receptor II remarkably attenuated these changes. In addition, CRP increased NF-κB activation via the reduction of S-nitrosylation of p65, but not p50 in HUVECs, and induced the upregulation of NF-kB target gene vascular cell adhesion molecule-1. Furthermore, we confirmed that CRP reduced S-nitrosylated proteins in the rat aorta. Taken together, these data suggest that CRP-induced decline of protein S-nitrosylation by activating NF-κB via reduction of S-nitrosylation of p65, which may contribute to the endothelial dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe-based composite coatings reinforced with TiC particles were prepared by laser surface engineering from precursor of ferrotitanium and graphite. Microstructure of the composite coatings was comprised of dendritic TiC dispersed in a ferrite matrix. In situ dendritic TiC was formed by mechanism of precipitating from the liquid Fe-Ti-C alloy system. Composite coatings showed a substantial increase in microhardness in comparison to that of the substrate. Dry sliding wear tests performed at room temperature revealed that the in situ composite coating possessed a considerably reduced wear volume loss owing to the presence of in situ synthesized TiC. A relatively smooth surface was observed for in situ TiC/Fe composite coating due to its high resistance to ploughing and adhesion, which is caused by the uniformly dispersed TiC reinforcement with high volume fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel and rapid ultra performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of eight constituents in ‘Ge-Gen-Qin-Lian’ tablets. A UPLC BEH C18 column (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.7 μm) was utilized in this method, and a mixture of methanol, 0.1% formic acid, and 5 mmol L−1 ammonium acetate was adopted in the gradient elution program. The mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source was performed in the selected-ion reaction (SIR) mode. A good linearity correlation ( R 2 > 0.9991) was obtained over the investigated concentration ranges. Recoveries of this method for the eight components were from 96.00 to 100.6% (RSD % < 3.4%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The maximum residue limit (MRL) for fungicide azoxystrobin in ginseng has not yet been established in China. This is partially due to the lack of its dissipation and residue data at China's main ginseng production areas. In this work, the dissipation rates and residue levels of azoxystrobin in ginseng roots, plant parts (stems and leaves), and soil in Beijing and Jilin Province, China were determined using gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The mean half-life of azoxystrobin in ginseng plant parts was 1.6 days with a dissipation rate of 90 % over 21 days. The mean half-life in soil was 2.8 days with a dissipation rate of 90 % over 30 days. Dissipation rates from two geographically separated experimental fields differed, suggesting that these were affected by local soil characteristics and climate. Maximum final residues of azoxystrobin in ginseng roots, plant parts, and soil were determined to be 0.343, 9.40, and 0.726 mg kg−1, respectively. Our results, particularly the high residues of azoxystrobin observed in ginseng plant parts, provide a quantitative basis for revising the application of this pesticide to ginseng. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous solid base catalysts have attracted widespread attention for various reactions from the perspective of green and economy chemistry due to their advantages such as low corrosiveness, high reaction efficiency, and easy separation. The unique properties of polyacrylonitrile fibers (PANF) such as good mechanical strength and a surface rich in cyanine and economy make them suitable catalytic supports. Herein, potassium oxide was introduced into PANF by redox strategy. Characterization using XRD, FT-IR, solid-state 13C NMR, XPS, SEM, CO2-TPD, etc. confirmed the successful preparation of this heterogeneous base catalyst and the participation of PANF in the redox process of KNO3 to promote the decomposition of KNO3. The acquired catalyst showed obvious activity for the oxidation of methylene compounds and the yield of fluorenones can reach 100% at 100 °C. This strategy provides a new development path for the application of PANF and the synthesis of heterogeneous bases.Graphical Abstract: Heterogeneous solid base catalysts have attracted widespread attention for various reactions from the perspective of green and economy chemistry due to their advantages such as low corrosiveness, high reaction efficiency, and easy separation. The unique properties of polyacrylonitrile fibers (PANF) such as good mechanical strength and a surface rich in cyanine and economy make them suitable catalytic supports. Herein, potassium oxide was introduced into PANF by redox strategy. Characterization using XRD, FT-IR, solid-state 13C NMR, XPS, SEM, CO2-TPD, etc. confirmed the successful preparation of this heterogeneous base catalyst and the participation of PANF in the redox process of KNO3 to promote the decomposition of KNO3. The acquired catalyst showed obvious activity for the oxidation of methylene compounds and the yield of fluorenones can reach 100% at 100 °C. This strategy provides a new development path for the application of PANF and the synthesis of heterogeneous bases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We attempted to improve the accuracy of coronary CT angiography (CCTA)-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR) (FFRCT) by expanding the coronary tree in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) domain. An observational study was performed to evaluate the effects of extending the coronary tree analysis for FFRCT from a minimal diameter of 1.2 to 0.8 mm. Methods: Patients who underwent CCTA and interventional FFR were enrolled retrospectively. Seventy-six patients qualified based on the inclusion criteria. The three-dimensional (3D) coronary artery tree was reconstructed to generate a finite element mesh for each subject with different lower limits of luminal diameter (1.2 mm and 0.8 mm). Outlet boundary conditions were defined according to Murray's law. The Newton–Krylov–Schwarz (NKS) method was applied to solve the governing equations of CFD to derive FFRCT. Results: At the individual patient level, extending the minimal diameter of the coronary tree from 1.2 to 0.8 mm improved the sensitivity of FFRCT by 16.7% (p = 0.022). This led to the conversion of four false-negative cases into true-positive cases. The AUC value of the ROC curve increased from 0.74 to 0.83. Moreover, the NKS method can solve the computational problem of extending the coronary tree to an 0.8-mm luminal diameter in 10.5 min with 2160 processor cores. Conclusions: Extending the reconstructed coronary tree to a smaller luminal diameter can considerably improve the sensitivity of FFRCT. The NKS method can achieve favorable computational times for future clinical applications. Key Points: • Extending the reconstructed coronary tree to a smaller luminal diameter can considerably improve the sensitivity of FFRCT. • The NKS method applied in our study can effectively reduce the computational time of this process for future clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]