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A new species, Gastrodia longitubularis Q.-W. Meng, X.-Q. Song & Y.-B. Luo from Hainan Island, southern China is described and illustrated. This is the first species of Gastrodia recorded from Hainan Island. Diagnostic characters, description, detailed illustration and taxonomic comments are given. This species is closely related to G. gracilis, which is characterized by tuberous rhizome with flesh roots, lax inflorescence and nearly united perianth tube. Gastrodia longitubularis distinctly differs from G. gracilis by having slender, glabrous, long perianth tube, horizontal or slightly downward bending flowers. The habitat was investigated in detail and its conservation status was assessed as a critically endangered EN (B2a, C2a) according to the IUCN threatened category criteria based on data from five years’ observations. The genus Gastrodia R. Br. (Orchidaceae) contains saprophytic orchids distributed in warm areas of Madagascar, tropical Asia, Oceania, Japan and China (Jones 1991, Seifenfaden 1992, Leou 2000). It is a small genus of 16� 31 species, characterized by a fleshy tuber or coralloid underground stem, absence of leaves, union of sepals and petals and two mealy pollinia without caudicles (Dressler 1993, Seifenfaden and Wood 1995, Leou 2000, Chung and Hsu 2006). Despite clear diagnostics and readily recognized characters, most Gastrodia species are unknown to botanists. During a botanical orchid expedition to Hainan Island, southern China, an unknown species of Gastrodia was collected from the tropical mountain rain forest. In general appearance, this species is similar to G. gracilis Blume distributed in Taiwan and Japan, but the morphological anatomy of floral organs and a careful field observation on its habitat have revealed that it is easily distinguished from G. gracilis by having a slender, glabrous, long perianth tube, horizontal or slightly downward bending flowers, and thus represents an undescribed species.

The nanofiber deposition method, by electrospinning, was employed to introduce antibacterial activity and biocompatibility to the surface of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) textiles. The polymer blends of PET and chitosan were electrospun on to the PET micro-nonwoven mats for biomedical applications. The PET/chitosan nanofibers were evenly deposited on to the surface, and the diameter of the nanofibers was in the range between 500 and 800 nm. The surface of the nanofibers was characterized using SEM, ESCA, AFM, and ATR-FTIR. The wettability of the PET nanofibers was significantly enhanced by the incorporation of chitosan. The antibacterial activity of the samples was evaluated utilizing the colony counting method against Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The results indicated that the PET/chitosan nanofiber mats showed a significantly higher growth inhibition rate compared with the PET nanofiber control. In addition, the fibroblast cells adhered better to the PET/chitosan nanofibers than to the PET nanofibers mats, suggesting better tissue compatibility. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007

Polyurethanes containing z-lysine segments in the main chain (PULL) were synthesized from 4,4′-diphenylmethyl diisocyanate, poly(tetramethylene glycol), and z-lysine oligomer as a chain extender. PULL film was treated with a 10% HBr–acetic acid solution and subsequently with a saturated sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution to produce a primary amine group on the surface. Heparin-immobilized PULL (PULL-H) was prepared by the coupling reaction of PULL surface amine groups and heparin carboxylic acid groups. The surface-modified PULLs were then characterized by attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, and a contact angle goniometer. The concentration of amine groups and heparins introduced on the PULL surfaces were about 2.1 μmol/cm2 and 1.9 μg/cm2, respectively. To assess in vitro blood compatibility, the interaction of modified PULLs with plasma proteins and platelets was examined. In the experiments with plasma proteins, plasma recalcification time and activated partial thromboplastin time were significantly prolonged on PULL-H compared to those on the other surfaces. The percentage of serotonin released from platelets adhering on PULL-H was less than that on the other surfaces, demonstrating a good in vitro blood compatibility. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 1959–1969, 2003

Poly(ether urethanes) containing γ-benzyl L-glutamate segments in the main chains (PUBLG) were synthesized from 4,4′-diphenylmethyl diisocyanate, poly(tetramethylene glycol) and γ-benzyl L-glutamate oligomer as a chain extender. The surface modification of the PUBLG film was carried out by means of a hydrolysis reaction and heparin immobilization. The surface-modified PUBLGs were then characterized by attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis. In vitro blood compatibility of surface-modified PUBLGs was investigated using plasma proteins, platelets and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Activated partial thromboplastin time was prolonged on heparin-immobilized PUBLG (PUBLG-H), suggesting the binding of immobilized heparin to antithrombin III. The release of serotonin from adhering platelets was significantly suppressed on PUBLG-H when compared to the other substrates. In the peripheral blood mononuclear cells experiments, the adhesion and activation of the cells were significantly suppressed on PUBLG-H and the amount of interleukin-6 released from peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with surface-modified PUBLGs decreased with a decrease in peripheral blood mononuclear cells adhesion. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In this study, N-doping porous carbons (NPCs) with a 3D aperiodic hierarchical and layered structure were prepared by the sodium hydride (NaOH) activation of graphite nanofibers (GNFs)/polypyrrole (PPY) composites. The effects of the N groups and structural features on the CO2 adsorption capacity of NPCs were investigated by N2 full isotherms, XRD, SEM, and TEM. The CO2 adsorption capacity was measured by the CO2 isothermal adsorption at 25°C and 1 atm. It was found that GNFs served as a substrate and layered graphitic carbons were formed by the thermal annealing of PPY. The content of N groups and textural properties of NPCs were enhanced with increasing activation temperature, resulting in improved CO2 adsorption capacity. The CO2 adsorption isotherms showed that GPK-600 exhibited the best CO2 adsorption capacity of 88.8 mg/g when the activation temperature was 600°C. The result indicates that the pore size and its distribution of NPCs lead to feasible contact CO2, and the presence of high N groups on the NPCs could have resulted in further stabilization of the surface effect. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40517.