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Glycoprotein VI (GPVI) is the major collagen receptor on the platelet surface and is important in mediating granule secretion and atherothrombosis. Sulforaphane (SFN), a dietary isothiocyanate enriched in cruciferous vegetables, exerts multiple biological activities. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of SFN on GPVI-mediated signaling and platelet granule secretion in vitro. We herein demonstrated that SFN greatly attenuated granule secretion in human gel-filtered platelets in response to collagen, including inhibiting CD62P and CD63 expression and PF4, CCL5, and ATP release. Mechanistically, these inhibitory effects of SFN were mainly mediated by its attenuation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) phosphorylation and thromboxane A2 (TxA2) generation. Moreover, SFN did not further decrease the inhibitory effects of p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 on cPLA2 phosphorylation, TxA2 generation and granule secretion. Thus, SFN attenuates platelet granule secretion via down-regulating GPVI-mediated p38 MAPK/cPLA2/TxA2 signaling, which may play important preventive roles in cardiovascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hollow anode-solution cathode glow discharge (HA-SCGD) was designed as a plasma excitation source for optical emission spectrometry. The operation parameters such as the discharge current, argon flow rate and solution flow rate were investigated. The spatial distribution profiles of normalized results of spectral bands and spectral lines were investigated and analyzed. The detection limits of Na, Li, K, Ca, Mg, Pb, Sr, Mn, Rb, Cs and Zn were 0.22, 0.69, 1.33, 240.37, 21.55, 529, 619.43, 209.51, 2.94, 7.13 and 206.95 µg L−1, respectively. The repeatability, expressed as the relative standard deviation for these elements, was determined to be within the range from 0.53 to 2.70%. The Ca, Fe, K, Mg and Na concentrations in a certified reference material were quantitatively analyzed, and the results obtained by the HA-SCGD system agreed well with the reference values. The results show that the HA-SCGD system accurately and stably determined metals in aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solution cathode glow discharge-atomic emission spectrometry (SCGD-AES) has attracted wide attention globally in recent years. The technology has the advantages of on-line detection of various metal elements, small volume, and convenience. In this work, the original spectrometer based on SCGD-AES technology was replaced by filter-wheel, photomultiplier tube (PMT) and picoammeter, which was named FPP spectral discrimination device. Analytical performance of the device with narrow-band monochromator (0.08 nm) was compared to its performance with wide-bandpass filters (10 nm) with optimized spatial. The relative standard deviation of SCGD-FPP for Na, K, Ca, Li, Sr, Rb, and Cs ranged from 0.2 to 0.8%, comparable to the 0.6 to 1.4% with the monochromator. With optimized spatial resolution, the detection limits ranged from 0.15 to 350 μg/L, and the optimal plasma spectral collected points of Na, K, Ca, Li, Sr, Rb, and Cs at 0.8 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.6 mm, and 0.6 mm, respectively. The deviation analysis of the samples containing Na, K, Ca, and Li were analyzed under optimal conditions. The results show that a SCGD-FPP source with spatial resolution improved the detection performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many ungulates are reported to use natural or artificial licks with seasonal patterns around the world. From December 2016 to August 2017, we used infrared camera to record the use of artificial licks in wild sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Zhejiang Qingliangfeng National Nature Reserve, China. We explored the daily rhythm, seasonal pattern and sex difference in lick utilization. In total, 12,043 videos and 22,901 pictures were collected. Our results showed that: (1) the lick visiting frequency was higher at night than that during daytime; (2) the difference in lick visiting frequency between females and males disappeared after taking into account of sex ratio; (3) the lick duration peaked in April during a year. These findings suggested that there were clear daily rhythm and seasonal pattern of lick use in sika deer. Seasonal change in lick use intensity was consistent with our prediction. These variations in lick use might be driven by both the physiological needs of the mineral elements in different life stages and the seasonal changes in climate and food. The reserve management authority should pay more attention to the supplement of licks in spring and summer to fulfill animal's physiological needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curved π bowl compounds represent another class of the completely conjugated materials with quantum dot nature. Non-equivalent hybridisation type from rim to hub carbon atoms in curved π bowl compound triggers anisotropic physical properties. With density functional method (CAM-B3LYP) and response theory calculations, curved π bowl compounds exhibit large radial and axial component ratio for its polarisability and the second hyperpolarisability. More importantly, they possess larger effective mass second hyperpolarisability (γmass) and nondiagonal components (γxxyy) compared to C60. Except the static properties, the dispersion characters of dynamic cubic response of curved π bowl compounds have been analysed in large frequency range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]