Search

Background: We previously have proved that sodium tanshinone II-A sulfonate (DS- 201), a derivative of traditional Chinese medicinal herb Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), is an opener and vasodilator of BKCa channel in the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Vascular tension is closely associated with Ca2+dynamics and activation of BKCa channel may not be the sole mechanism for the relaxation of the vascular tension by DS-201. Therefore, we hypothesized that the vasorelaxing effect of DS-20 may be also related to Ca2+ channel and cytoplasmic Ca2+ level in the VSMCs. Methods: Arterial tension was measured by Danish Myo Technology (DMT) myograph system in the mesentery vessels of rats, intracellular Ca2+level by fluorescence imaging system in the VSMCs of rats, and L-type Ca2+ current by patch clamp technique in Ca2+ channels transfected human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK-293) cells. Results: DS-201 relaxed the endothelium-denuded artery rings pre-constricted with PE or high K+ and the vasorelaxation was reversible. Blockade of K+ channel did not totally block the effect of DS-201 on vasorelaxation. DS-201 suppressed [Ca2+]i transient induced by high K+ in a concentration-dependent manner in the VSMCs, including the amplitude of Ca2+ transient, the time for Ca2+ transient reaching to the [Ca2+]i peak and the time to remove Ca2+ from the cytoplasm. DS-201 inhibited L-type Ca2+ channel with an EC50 of 59.5 μM and at about 40% efficacy of inhibition. However, DS-201did not significantly affect the kinetics of Ca2+ channel. The effect of DS-201 on L-type Ca2+channel was rate-independent. Conclusion: The effect of DS-201 on vasorelaxation was not only via activating BKCa channel, but also blocking Ca2+ channel and inhibiting Ca2+ influx in the VSMCs of rats. The results favor the use of DS-201 and Danshen in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases clinically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The degradation of civil engineering structures may lead to a sudden stiffness reduction in a structure and such a sudden damage will cause a discontinuity in the dynamic responses. The detection on structural sudden damage has been actively carried out in this study. The signal singularity of the acceleration responses with sudden stiffness reduction is characterized by the coefficients of continuous wavelet transform with fine scales. A detection approach based on the CWT is proposed in terms of the decomposed detail coefficients of continuous wavelet transform to detect the damage time instant and location. The Lipschitz exponent is mathematically used to estimate the local properties of certain function and is applied to reflect the damage severity. Numerical simulation using a five-story shear building under different types of excitation is carried out to assess the validity of the proposed detection approach for the building at different damage levels. The sensitivity of the damage index to the intensity and frequency range of measurement noise is also investigated. The effects of both measurement noise intensity and frequency range on the damage detection are numerically investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vibration control and performance evaluation on a transmission-tower line system by using friction dampers subjected to wind excitations are carried out in this study. The three-dimensional finite element (FE) model of a transmission tower is firstly constructed. A two-dimensional lumped mass model of a transmission tower is developed for dynamic analysis. The analytical model of transmission tower-line system is proposed by taking the dynamic interaction between the tower and the transmission lines into consideration. The mechanical model of passive friction damper is presented by involving the effects of damper axial stiffness. The equation of motion of the transmission tower-line system incorporated with the friction dampers disturbed by wind excitations is established. A real transmission tower-line system is taken as an example to examine the feasibility and reliability of the proposed control approach. An extensive parameter study is carried out to find the optimal parameters of friction damper and to assess the effects of slipping force axial stiffness and hysteresis loop on control performance. The work on an example structure indicates that the application of friction dampers with optimal parameters could significantly reduce wind-induced responses of the transmission tower-line system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrowly distributed poly(l-lysine-b-N-isopropylacrylamide) (PLL-b-PNIPAM) was prepared through ring-opening polymerization of ε-benzyloxycarbonyl-l-lysine N-carboxy-α-amino anhydride and atom transfer radical polymerization of NIPAM, followed with the removal of ε-benzyloxycarbonyl group. Then gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) grafted with PLL-b-PNIPAM (PNIPAM-PLL-AuNPs) were obtained by the reduction of chloroauric acid with sodium citrate in the presence of PLL-b-PNIPAM. PNIPAM-PLL-AuNPs and its precursors were thoroughly characterized by proton magnetic resonance spectroscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscope, UV-vis spectroscope, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, and circular dichroism. The obtained PNIPAM-PLL-AuNPs exhibited high colloid stability even at strong alkaline (pH = 12) and acidic (pH = 2) conditions. The thermal and pH dual-responsive behaviors of the grafting PLL-b-PNIPAM chains was observed to be affected by AuNPs, while not for the secondary structure of PLL chains. Correspondingly, the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of AuNPs was found to be sensitive to both pH value and temperature. A blue shift in the SPR happened both with increasing pH value and increasing temperature. The stimuli-response was reversible in heating-cooling cycles. The gold nanoparticles with both pH and temperature response may have potential applications in biomedical areas and biosensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macro-porous poly(lauryl acrylate) cryogel sheets as oil-sorbents were prepared through UV-radiation cryo-polymerizations in 1, 4-dioxane at low temperatures (−5, −2 and 0 °C) within 30 min. The influences of total monomer concentration, crosslinking monomer amount and polymerization temperature on the formation of cryogels were studied. The chemical structure and porous morphology were characterized through the techniques of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, contact angle measurement and scanning electron microscopy, confirming the features of high hydrophobicity, macro-porosity and good thermal stability. As well, the comparison between conventional gels prepared at room temperature and cryogels at lower temperatures was made, showing the higher rate of cryo-polymerization than conventional polymerization under the same UV-radiation condition. The swelling investigation was carried out with several organic solvents and oils. Enhanced performance of oil absorption was observed for those cryogels considering the absorption capacity and absorption rate. Variation of initiator amount and acrylate monomers could also modulate the absorption capacity. Those cryogel oil-sorbents exhibited wide adaptability, good reusability and high-temperature tolerance. Thus, this rapid and low-cost fabrication opens out a novel pathway to prepare efficient oil-sorbents used in waste water treatment. • Polyacrylate cryogels were prepared under UV-radiation within 30 min. • Cryogel morphology were modulated with various parameters, principally temperature. • Macro-porosity and pore-wall feature are extremely important to oil-sorbent capacity. • Oil-sorbents have wide adaptability, good reusability and high-temperature tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]