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As the need for renewable and high-performance alternative elastomer grows, efforts have been made to develop bio-based elastic polymers for engineering applications. Herein, bio-based elastomers poly(dimethyl itaconate- co -butadiene)s (PDMIBs) were successfully synthesized by emulsion copolymerization of renewable monomer dimethyl itaconate (DMI) with partially petroleum-derived butadiene under mild conditions. It is an effective strategy to tailor PDMIB properties by comonomers with different feed ratios and to adjust the compositions and sequence distributions. The structure and thermal stability were investigated by FTIR, NMR, DSC analyses, etc. In terms of properties: (1) the vulcanizates showed excellent tensile strength (10.2 MPa), elongation at break (1146%) and toughness (37.6 MJ m−3) without filler reinforcement, which were obviously superior to the mechanical properties of most traditional petroleum-based synthetic rubbers; (2) Nanosilica-filled PDMIBs exhibited good mechanical properties, excellent abrasion resistance and oil resistance due to strong polarity in molecular chains; (3) Epoxy-functionalized poly(dimethyl itaconate- co -butadiene- co -glycidyl methacrylate) PDMIBG showed better silica dispersion and excellent dynamic mechanical properties. In summary, this new kind of bio-based elastomer PDMIBs can be used in multiple engineering applications, such as bio-based gloves, conveying belts, oil-resistant products and high-performance tire tread materials, etc. This study opens the door to the use of emulsion copolymerization and functionalization modification technology in the synthesis of new high-performance bio-based elastomer nanocomposites for the rubber industry. Novel sustainable elastomers nanocomposites with versatile properties are constructed based on bio-based dimethyl itaconate. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The OC/EC online monitoring campaign was carried out in Tianjin of China from 8th February to 15th March 2015 during the Chinese Spring Festival period (CSFP). The concentrations of OC, EC, BC and other ambient pollutants (e.g. SO 2 , NO 2 and PM 2.5 , etc.) in high time resolution were measured with related online-monitoring instruments. During the CSFP, according to the peaks of PM 2.5 concentrations and number concentrations (NC) of aerosol particles with aerodynamic diameters between 0.3 and 2.5 μm, five pollution-events were generally identified and displayed. These pollution-events were closely associated with large-scale fireworks displaying, combustion activities such as heating for winter, and the stable meteorological conditions, etc. During the CSFP, EC and OC concentrations showed variations up to one order of magnitude. The uncertainty of instrument itself and the difference for measured methods, further caused the differences between thermal OC (measured OC by thermal method) and optical OC (measured OC by optical method) concentrations, as well as between thermal EC (measured EC by thermal method) and optical EC (measured EC by optical method) concentrations. The high-concentration carbonaceous aerosols could enlarge the uncertainty of measuring instrument, reducing the correlations between OC and EC, and enhance the differences among thermal EC, optical BC and optical EC. The OC/EC ratios and the percentages of SOC/OC would be declined, when the pollution-events formed during the CSFP. Due to the different sources for thermal POC and thermal SOC, the correlation of the two was relatively lower (R 2 = 0.39). Thermal POC dominated over thermal OC during the CSFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Although some studies have investigated the potential predictors of perioperative mortality, there are few specifically for pediatrics. Objective The aim of the retrospective study was to analyze potential preoperative risk factors and to develop a pediatric preoperative risk prediction score ( PRPS), and to predict postoperative ICU admission and the incidence of perioperative death in pediatric patients. Methods Patients who postoperatively admitted to ICU or died (occurred within 30 days after the surgery) from 263 607 pediatric surgical patients with age from 1 day to 14 years old in eight centers in China from October 2010 to September 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. About 5500 non- ICU admission and death patients were randomly selected from those 263 607 patients as controls for analysis comparison. Independent risk factors and a risk model were derived from these analyses, and were further assessed with the likelihood ratio test and the area under the receiver operating characteristic ( ROC) curve. Results There were 1812 ICU admission or death patients but 187 patients' records are incomplete. There were 487 patients with incomplete records among 5500 controls. Collectively, data from 6626 patients were enrolled in final analyses. With multiple logistic regression analysis, age, ASA physical status, SpO2, prematurity, and unfasted status were found to be independent predictors for critical patients. The AUC value of 0.905 indicated excellent predictive performance between critical and noncritical predictors. Conclusions Our study revealed that age, ASA physical status, SpO2, prematurity, and unfasted status are risk factors to predict postoperative ICU admission and death in pediatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are important regulator of neuronal signal transduction and a growing number of PTPs have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the brains of patients with AD, there are a variety of abnormally phosphorylated proteins, which are closely related to the abnormal expression and activity of PTPs. β-Amyloid plaques (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau protein are two pathological hallmarks of AD, and their accumulation ultimately leads to neurodegeneration. Studies have shown that protein phosphorylation signaling pathways mediates intracellular accumulation of Aβ and tau during AD development and are involved in synaptic plasticity and other stress responses. Here, we summarized the roles of PTPs related to the pathogenesis of AD and analyzed their therapeutic potential in AD. [Display omitted] • Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are important regulator of neuronal signal transduction. • PTPs related to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). • Compounds targeting PTPs alleviated pathological features of brain disease. • PTPs is expected to be an important direction and a potential breakthrough for AD research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cubic boron nitride (cBN) composites, using Al and HfC as the additives, were sintered under static high pressure of 5.0 GPa and at temperatures of 700 °C–1500 °C for 80 s. By analyzing the phase components of the sintered samples through the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, we found that when the temperature increased from 700 °C to 900 °C, cBN reacted with Al and HfC, and produced AlN, AlB 2 , HfB 2 and B 2 C 5 N 2 . Above 1000 °C, AlB 2 was not stable. It decomposed and finally generated AlB 12 . At the meantime, the content of AlN, AlB 12 , HfB 2 and B 2 C 5 N 2 increased with Al disappearing. The Vickers hardness of the sintered samples increased with increasing the cBN content. The SEM and the abrasion ratio tests revealed that the well-sintered samples with homogeneous microstructure and the best wear resistance could be obtained at 5.0 GPa, 1300 °C for 80 s with the cBN content of 80 wt.%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the utilization rate of spectroscopic data and texture information, this study proposes a method for optimal selection of spectrum and texture features based on automatic subspace division and rough set theory. This method takes advantage of rough set reduct ideology in order to realize the reduction of different types of ground object spectral features on the basis of the conventional subspace division method. In using this method, the primary spectral band based on spectral information can be determined. Then, the grey-level co-occurrence matrix method can be used to calculate the texture information of the primary spectral band and determine the reduction and optimization in order to obtain the final band based on the spectrum and texture information. Verification of this method is made by using CASI data of Heihe Region, China, and AVIRIS data of the Indiana Region, USA, and also using Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification of the original spectral, primary spectral, and final bands. The results indicate the following. (1) The method for optimal selection of the critical spectral band and texture band, based on the rough set theory, can efficiently improve the classification accuracy of high-spatial resolution remote-sensing images. However, the effects for the low-spatial resolution images are minimal. (2) For high-spatial-resolution remote-sensing images, such as roads, trenches, buildings, and other types of object with obvious textural features, the addition of image texture information can increase the degree of distinction of these different types and thereby improve the classification accuracy. However, the addition of the textural information for some objects with similar texture features will cause misclassification and reduce the classification accuracy for these types of images. (3) This method can realize the optimal selection of spectrum and texture bands of a hyperspectral image and has a certain universality. Also, the texture information will be richer and this method will be more practical through increasing the spatial resolution of images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ras-like GTPases RalA and RalB are important drivers of tumour growth and metastasis. Chemicals that block Ral function would be valuable as research tools and for cancer therapeutics. Here we used protein structure analysis and virtual screening to identify drug-like molecules that bind to a site on the GDP-bound form of Ral. The compounds RBC6, RBC8 and RBC10 inhibited the binding of Ral to its effector RALBP1, as well as inhibiting Ral-mediated cell spreading of murine embryonic fibroblasts and anchorage-independent growth of human cancer cell lines. The binding of the RBC8 derivative BQU57 to RalB was confirmed by isothermal titration calorimetry, surface plasmon resonance and 1H-15N transverse relaxation-optimized spectroscopy (TROSY) NMR spectroscopy. RBC8 and BQU57 show selectivity for Ral relative to the GTPases Ras and RhoA and inhibit tumour xenograft growth to a similar extent to the depletion of Ral using RNA interference. Our results show the utility of structure-based discovery for the development of therapeutics for Ral-dependent cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors that determine the transcription-regulating sequence (TRS) activity of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) remain largely unclear. In this study, the effect of mutagenesis of conserved C nucleotides at positions 5 and 6 in the leader TRS (TRS-L) and/or canonical body TRS7 (TRS-B) on the synthesis of subgenomic (sg) mRNA and virus infectivity was investigated in the context of a type 2 PRRSV infectious cDNA clone. The results showed that a double C mutation in the leader TRS completely abolished sg mRNAs synthesis and virus infectivity, but a single C mutation did not. A single C or double C mutation in TRS-B or/and TRS-B impaired or abolished the corresponding sg mRNA synthesis. Introduction of identical mutations in the leader and body TRSs partially restored sg mRNA7.1 and/or sg mRNA7.2 transcription, indicating that the base-pairing interaction between sense TRS-L and cTRS-B is a crucial factor influencing sg mRNA synthesis. Analysis of the mRNA leader-body junctions of mutants provided evidence for a mechanism of discontinuous minus-strand transcription. This study also showed that mutational inactivation of TRS-B or TRS-B did not affect the production of infectious progeny virus, and the sg mRNA formed from each of them could express N protein. However, TRS-B plays more important roles than TRS-B in maintaining the growth characteristic of type 2 PRRSV. These results provide more insight into the molecular mechanism of genome expression and subgenomic mRNA transcription of PRRSV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An acylhydrazone compound was designed as an anticancer candidate. • Nitryl (–NO 2) and methyl (–CH 3) were introduced to adjust the hydrophobicity. • MNB-BSA binding was an endothermal spontaneous process driven by entropy. • MNB had appropriate albumin affinity and acceptable blood toxicity. Acylhydrazone derivatives have potential antitumor activities due to their metabolic modulation effect in cancer cells. Herein, an acylhydrazone compound, p -nitrobenzaldehyde- p -methylbenzoylhydrazone (MNB), was designed, prepared and characterized. The interaction of MNB with carrier protein is systematically deciphered using spectroscopic, electrochemical and modeling techniques. Ultraviolet (UV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) indicate that MNB can couple with albumin through hydrophobic interaction. Molecular probe experiments reveal MNB is located at Sudlow's site I in albumin. Stern-Volmer equation, Langmuir adsorption isotherm, van't Hoff equation and Arrhenius equation are applied to analyze the thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of the interaction. The results demonstrate that the interaction is a typical spontaneous process dominated by entropy, whose activation energy is ca. 26.78 kJ·mol−1. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra show that MNB has a small impact on the conformation of albumin. Molecular docking investigation simulates the structural details of the new complex, which is consistent with experimental conclusions. This study provides comprehensive information on the interaction of MNB with carrier protein, which lays the basis for its application as a new anticancer candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The carbon nanotube/oxygen-defective MnO 2 composite was designed as an effective sulfur host material. • The continuous carbon nanotube skeleton facilitates electron transport. • The oxygen-defective MnO 2 exhibits successful lithium polysulfides adsorption and catalysis process. • The resulting sulfur cathode delivers stable cyclic performance. The incorporation of sulfur with multifunctional conductive host material has been regarded as a promising strategy to improve the sulfur utilization and mitigate the polysulfides diffusion for high-performance Li-S battery. Herein, an oxygen-defective MnO 2 nanoparticles modified carbon nanotube composite (CNT/OD-MnO 2) has been proposed as multifunctional sulfur host materials. In the CNT/OD-MnO 2 , the continuous CNT frameworks provide abundant conduction paths of electrons, and the oxygen-defective MnO 2 nanoparticles can accelerate the adsorption and conversion process of polysulfides during the charge–discharge process. As expected, the derived sulfur cathode exhibits superior electrochemical properties with the assistance of CNT/OD-MnO 2. Compared with the CNT/MnO 2 -S (61.8%) and CNT-S (38.8%) cathodes, the CNT/OD-MnO 2 -S cathode delivers a higher capacity retention of 81.3% even after 300 cycles. These results confirm the promising application of CNT/OD-MnO 2 as an effective sulfur host material for advanced Li-S battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus PRRSV (HP-PRRSV) was one of the most devastating diseases of the pig industry, among various strategies, vaccination was one of the most useful tools for PRRS control. Attenuated live vaccine was used worldwide, however, the genetic basis of HP-PRRSV virulence change during attenuation remain to be determined. Here, to identify virulence associated regions of HP-PRRSV during attenuation in vitro, six full-length infectious cDNA clones with interchanges of 5′UTR + ORF1a, ORF1b, and ORF2-7 + 3′UTR regions between HP-PRRSV strain HuN4-F5 and its attenuated vaccine strain HuN4-F112 were generated, and chimeric viruses were rescued. Piglets were inoculated with chimeric viruses and their parental viruses, and rectal temperature were recorded daily, and serum were collected for future experiments. Our results showed that ORF1a played an important role on virus replication, cytokine response and lung damage, the exchange of ORF1b and ORF2-7 in different backbone led to different exhibition on virus replication in vivo/vitro and cytokine response. Among 9 PRRSV attenuated series, consistent amino acid changes during PRRSV attenuation were found in NSP4, NSP9, GP2, E, GP3 and GP4. Our study provides a fundamental data for the investigation of PRRSV attenuation, the different results of the virulence change among different studies indicated that different mechanisms might be used during PRRSV virulence enhancement in vivo and attenuation in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi-stack fuel cell system based on proton exchange membrane fuel cell has gained increasing attraction in high-power transportation applications. However, the real-time coordinated optimization among multiple fuel cell systems still remains a promising problem. To achieve the online collaborative performance enhancement between fuel economy and durability for the parallel multi-stack architecture, an increment-oriented power distribution strategy is proposed in this paper. It is inspired by the quadratic polynomial formulation derived from the hydrogen consumption analysis of integrated fuel cell system. The quantitative correlation between the fuel economy and durability is obtained with analytical power increments. To improve the strategy applicability with fault tolerance, iterative high-order sliding-mode differentiation procedure is utilized in the initial condition determination. Besides, performance-dominated power limits are considered in the global switching sequence calculation. The effectiveness and practicability of the proposed strategy are verified by two designed scenario cases with one-cycle short-term and life-cycle long-term evaluations. Detailed simulation results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can guarantee fault tolerance operation and collaborative performance enhancement for multi-stack fuel cell systems with minimum hydrogen consumption and maximum service life compared with other advanced strategies. • The hydrogen consumption characteristics for PEM fuel cell system is analyzed. • An increment-oriented power distribution strategy for MFCS is proposed. • Coupling between fuel economy and durability for MFCS is characterized. • Fault tolerance performance of the proposed strategy are investigated. • Collaborative performance between fuel economy and durability is improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Diffusion of water and ethanol in silicalite has been studied in large crystals (70μm×30μm×15μm) synthesized via a fluoride mediated route. The near-perfect hydrophobic silicalite (F−) crystals have very few internal silanol defects and, as a result, display water and ethanol transport behavior that is uncontaminated by these defects. The transport diffusivity (Dt ) of ethanol is higher than that of water at the same sorbate activity. However, this difference is due to the difference in the shape of the isotherms. The thermodynamically corrected diffusivity (D o) of water is almost an order of magnitude higher than that of ethanol reflecting the difference in molecular size. Estimates of the permeability/permselectivity/separation factors for ethanol/water separation based on the present kinetic and equilibrium data for the fluoride synthesized crystals are compared with the values observed for traditional silicalite membranes. The present diffusivity values for fluoride synthesized silicalite are similar to the values for regular silicalite (OH−) derived from uptake rate measurements but much smaller (by more than four orders of magnitude) than the self-diffusivities derived from PFG-NMR measurements. This result is consistent with the results of other measurements of the diffusion of small molecules in silicalite which suggest that, in macroscopic measurements, the rate of intra-crystalline transport is controlled by the sub-structure (extensive twinning), rather than by diffusion in the ideal MFI micropores. In this situation microscale measurements such as PFG-NMR will lead to erroneously high estimates of transport rates and therefore of permeability and permselectivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reports a facile method for the preparation of nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-doped CNTs) that shows enhanced hydrogen storage capacity. The synthesis method involves simple pyrolysis of melamine using FeCl3 as catalyst in tube furnace. The materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, elemental analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis. The results indicated that the prepared N-doped CNTs have a bamboo-like structure with thin compartment layers. The nitrogen doping concentration, specific surface area, and total pore volume of the N-doped CNTs were determined to be 1.5 at%, 135 m2/g, and 0.38 cm3/g, respectively. The hydrogen adsorption measurements at 77 K showed that the N-doped CNTs exhibits gravimetric hydrogen uptake of 0.21 wt% at 1 bar and 1.21 wt% at 7 bar. At room temperature, hydrogen uptake as high as 0.17 wt% at 298 K and 19 bar is achieved, which is among the highest data reported for the N-doped carbon materials under the same condition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary Mammalian cell entry proteins (Mces) contribute to Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence. A mce homologue has been identified in the Leptospira interrogans genome, but its function was unknown. We showed that the mce gene is expressed only by pathogenic Leptospira strains tested. Leptospiral mce mRNA and Mce protein levels increased during infection of macrophages. The ability to infect macrophages was significantly lower in a strain with the mce gene deleted ( mce-). Complementation of the mce gene restored the ability of the mutant strain ( mcecom) to adhere to and invade cells. Importantly, the mce gene knock-in strain ( mce+) derived from L. biflexa acquired the ability to infect cells, and the mce+/ΔRAA knock-in strain (in which the RGD motif was replaced by RAA) was unable to infect cells. The mce- mutant was also dramatically less efficient in infecting hamsters than the wild-type L. interrogans strain, and fewer leptospires of the mutant were found in peripheral blood monocytes and the urine from infected animals. The recombinant Mce protein showed a high binding affinity to the integrins α5β1 and αVβ3. Blockade of the two integrins or the Mce protein decreased leptospiral adherence and invasiveness. The results showed that Mce is an RGD-motif-dependent virulence factor in pathogenic Leptospira species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caseous lymphadenitis is a chronic goat and sheep disease caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis ( Cp) that accounts for a huge economic loss worldwide. Proper vaccination or medication is not available because of the lack of understanding of molecular biology of the pathogen. In a recent approach, four Cp (CpFrc41, Cp1002, CpC231, and CpI-19) genomes were sequenced to elucidate the molecular pathology of the bacteria. In this study, using these four genome sequences along with other eight genomes (total 12 genomes) and a novel subtractive genomics approach (first time ever applied to a veterinary pathogen), we identified potential conserved common drug and vaccine targets of these four Cp strains along with other Corybacterium, Mycobacterium and Nocardia (CMN) group of human pathogens ( Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis) considering goat, sheep, bovine, horse, and human as the most affected hosts. The minimal genome of Cp1002 was found to consist of 724 genes, and 20 conserved common targets (to all Cp strains as well as CMN group of pathogens) from various metabolic pathways (13 from host-pathogen common and seven from pathogen's unique pathways) are potential targets irrespective of all hosts considered. ubiA from host-pathogen common pathway and an ABC-like transporter from unique pathways may serve dual (drug and vaccine) targets. Two Corynebacterium-specific (mscL and resB) and one broad-spectrum (rpmB) novel targets were also identified. Strain-specific targets are also discussed. Six important targets were subjected to virtual screening, and one compound was found to be potent enough to render two targets (cdc and nrdL). We are currently validating all identified targets and lead compounds. Various metabolic pathway related common, conserved, novel, and dual targets (drug and vaccine) in C. diphtheriae, M. tuberculosis, and four C. pseudotuberculosis strains are identified using total 12 genomes (4 are newly sequenced) and a novel subtractive genomic approach. Applying virtual screening, one compound is selected that can render two different targets cdc and nrdL simultaneously [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth observation is an effective technique that plays an important role in earthquake damage reduction and reconstruction. This paper introduces the results of dynamic analysis on monitoring and assessing heavily impacted areas affected by the Wenchuan Earthquake using remote sensing data acquired in the past 3 years from 2008 to 2010. Immediately after the disaster on 12 May 2008, the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched a project entitled 'Wenchuan Earthquake Disasters Monitoring and Assessment Using Remote Sensing Technology.' More than 400 images from 17 satellites and 20.2TB airborne remote sensing data were acquired to facilitate quick monitoring and evaluation of severely damaged areas in 14 counties. Results of the image analyses were forwarded on a timely basis to assist with consultative service and decision-making support. In subsequent years, in order to monitor the process of environmental restoration and reconstruction, airborne optical remote sensing images covering most of the severely damaged areas were again acquired in May 2009 and April 2010. These images were analyzed and compared along with images from 2008. Results were useful in support of further work on environmental protection and reconstruction in earthquake-damaged areas. Three typical areas were selected for illustrative purposes including Tangjiashan Barrier Lake, Beichuan County, and counties of Yingxiu and the new Beichuan. These results well demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of the utility of earth observation for disaster mitigation and reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Leptospirosis, caused by different Leptospira species, is one of the most widespread zoonotic infections worldwide. Here we expressed three major leptospiral lipoproteins and examined their immunogenicity. All the pathogenic Leptospira strains tested possess the lipL21, lipL32 and lipL41 genes, but the latter two can be further divided into different gene types (lipL32-1, lipL32-2, lipL41-1, lipL41-2). Microscopic agglutination test revealed that rLipLs antisera had extensive cross-immunoagglutination among the 178 leptospiral strains in which rLipL32-1 contributed the highest agglutination titer. The rLipLs-based ELISAs established in this study demonstrated that in the sera of 385 leptospirosis patients infected with different serovars of Leptospira interrogans, rLipL32-1 had the highest positive rates for IgG and IgM (89.4–98.7%), followed by the IgG/IgM positive rates of rLipL21 (87.0–96.1%) and rLipL32-2 (86.5–96.9%), while the two rLipL41s presented the lowest IgG/IgM positive rates (69.9–83.9%). The immunoprotective levels in guinea pigs of rLipL32-1 (58.3% and 66.7%) were the highest, compared to those of the other rLipLs (25.0–58.3%). Multiple different rLipLs would increase immunoprotective levels (from 58.3% and 66.7% to 83.3% and 91.7%). The data suggest that all the rLipLs are the genus-specific superficial antigens of pathogenic Leptospira species and should be considered in designing universal vaccines against leptospirosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The inhibition of glycosidase activity is regarded as an effective treatment for diabetes mellitus. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) fruit has a high content of anthocyanins with various biological activities. The objective of this study was to investigate the inhibitory activity of anthocyanin-rich bilberry extract (BE) on α-glucosidase and α-amylase and their interaction mechanisms in vitro. The IC 50 values of BE with regard to α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition were 0.31 ± 0.02 and 4.06 ± 0.12 mg/mL, respectively. The enzyme kinetics revealed that BE acts as a mixed-type inhibitor against α-glucosidase and α-amylase. Moreover, the fluorescence of two glucosidases showed significant quenching by BE. FTIR spectra and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that BE changed the enzyme structure and decreased its stability. A morphological observation of starch granules found that BE inhibited the activity of α-amylase to postpone the hydrolysis of starch. Furthermore, the in vivo study further showed that BE had a hypoglycaemic effect. The most suitable conformation (main anthocyanidins of BE) and optimal binding site (α-glucosidase, α-amylase) were assayed by molecular docking. In conclusion, this study revealed that BE could be a potential glycosidase inhibitor. [Display omitted] • Bilberry extract exert an inhibitory effect on glycosidases. • Bilberry extract reduce postprandial blood glucose efficacious in vivo. • Bilberry extract decrease the stability of enzyme protein structure. • In silico study predict the binding site of glycosidases and main anthocyanidins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PRV infection leads to endogenous OASL downregulation. • RIG-I is required for OASL-mediated anti-PRV activity. • OASL exerts inhibitory effects on PRV proliferation. • PRV UL24 impairs RIG-I signaling. • PRV UL24 reduces OASL transcription in an IRF3-dependent manner. Oligoadenylate synthetases-like (OASL) protein exerts various effects on DNA and RNA viruses by inhibiting cGAS-mediated IFN production and by enhancing RIG-I-mediated IFN induction, respectively. In this study, we aimed to examine the role of OASL in pseudorabies virus (PRV) proliferation and investigate the function of the PRV UL24 protein in cellular innate immunity. We found that OASL regulates PRV proliferation by enhancing RIG-I signaling. PRV infection decreased the expression of OASL at both the mRNA and protein levels in PK15 and HeLa cells. OASL expression suppressed the proliferation of PRV in a RIG-I-dependent manner and boosted RIG-I-mediated IFN expression as well as IFN-stimulated gene (ISG) induction. In contrast, knockdown of OASL enhanced PRV proliferation and reduced RIG-I signaling. However, the PRV UL24 protein was found to impair RIG-I signaling, thus inhibiting transcription of IFN and ISGs. In addition, the UL24 protein reduced RIG-I-induced expression of endogenous OASL in an IRF3-dependent manner, thereby antagonizing the OASL antiviral effect. Taken together, our findings characterize the role of OASL in PRV proliferation and provide new insights into the role of UL24 in PRV pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Crude carbon dots (CCDs), without any purification, were used as antioxidants for NR. • CCDs fluid was prepared by simply mixing the CCDs and water, and subsequent compounding of CCDs fluid and NR were reported. • The introduction of BR-g-MAH could effectively promote the CCDs dispersion within the NR matrix and enhance the interfacial bonding between CCDs and NR. • The CCDs could effectively improve the anti-aging performance of the rubber composites. Natural rubber (NR) is acknowledged to be a strategically important material, which spans multiple applications from tires to shock absorbers, generally, the antioxidant is indispensable for NR to prolong the service life and improve the long-term reliability. Recent reports demonstrated that the purified carbon dots with the capability of scavenging oxy radicals can be effective antioxidants for rubbers. However, the application of purified CDs is greatly restricted by the multiple tedious, complicated, time-consuming, and expensive post-purification processes. Herein, we first synthesize the amine-passivated crude carbon dots (CCDs) by a facile microwave-assisted pyrolysis method, and we attempt to directly use the CCDs (without any purifications) as a novel and inexpensive antioxidant for NR. To achieve a fine CCDs dispersion within NR matrix, we disperse the CCDs into the NR matrix by the liquid feeding and in-situ compatibilizing. The CCDs fluid was firstly prepared by mixing the CCDs with water, then the CCDs fluid together with the compatibilizer was melt-compounded with NR. The results showed that the well-dispersed CCDs endowed NR with the impressive antioxidative property. Overall, this work extends application scope of CCDs and provides unique inspiration to develop novel and effective antioxidants for elastomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose an optimized power distribution method for hybrid electric energy storage systems for electric vehicles (EVs). The hybrid energy storage system (HESS) uses two isolated soft-switching symmetrical half-bridge bidirectional converters connected to the battery and supercapacitor (SC) as a composite structure of the protection structure. The bidirectional converter can precisely control the charge and discharge of the SC and battery. Spiral wound SCs with mesoporous carbon electrodes are used as the energy storage units of EVs. Under the 1050 operating conditions of the EV driving cycle, the SC acts as a "peak load transfer" with a charge and discharge current of 2isc~3ibat. An improved energy allocation strategy under state of charge (SOC) control is proposed, that enables SC to charge and discharge with a peak current of approximately 4ibat. Compared with the pure battery mode, the acceleration performance of the EV is improved by approximately 50%, and the energy loss is reduced by approximately 69%. This strategy accommodates different types of load curves, and helps improve the energy utilization rate and reduce the battery aging effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• rPRRSV-E2 is a marker vaccine for CSFV. • rPRRSV-E2 is promising as a virus-vectored vaccine against both HP-PRRSV and CSFV infection in swine herds by single vaccination. • Maternal derived antibodies (MDAs) do not interfere with the immune efficacy of rPRRSV-E2. Currently live attenuated porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and classical swine fever (CSF) vaccines are widely used in Chinese swine herds. However, the mutual effects of vaccination procedures and severe stress caused by successive vaccinations harm piglets and make it difficult to stimulate robust and effective immune responses. In our previous study, a recombinant PRRS virus (PRRSV) vectored vaccine candidate rPRRSV-E2, which expresses CSF virus (CSFV) E2 protein, has been demonstrated being able to protect piglets against lethal challenge of highly-pathogenic (HP)-PRRSV and CSFV. In this study, we determine whether preexisting maternally derived antibodies (MDA) interfere with the immune efficacy of rPRRSV-E2. 8 experimental groups of piglets, with or without PRRSV MDAs or CSFV MDAs were immunized with a single dose of 105 TCID 50 rPRRSV-E2 or DMEM and challenged with HP-PRRSV or CSFV. Clinical characteristics, PRRSV- or CSFV-specific antibodies, viremia and pathological changes were monitored, examined and analyzed. The results showed that rPRRSV-E2-vaccinated piglets, either with or without MDAs directed against PRRSV or CSFV were completely protected from the lethal challenge of HP-PRRSV or CSFV. These results demonstrate that the MDAs do not interfere with the immune efficacy of rPRRSV-E2, which indicates that rPRRSV-E2 could have great significance in the effective prevention and control of HP-PRRSV and CSFV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Both NiAl 2 O 4 and NiCr 2 O 4 were stable during ethylene steam reforming at 873 K. • Both Fe and Ni in the NiFe 2 O 4 spinel catalyst reduced during steam reforming. • The NiFe 2 O 4 spinel catalyst severely coked during ethylene steam reforming. • The reforming rate increased after oxidation of the spent NiAl 2 O 4 and NiCr 2 O 4. Spinel oxides containing Ni cations can be present in the barrier layers of ethane steam cracker tubes. As Ni is known to catalyze steam reforming side reactions as well as coke deposition, the catalytic performance of Ni spinel catalysts was investigated. A series of NiM 2 O 4 spinel catalysts (M = Al, Cr, Fe) was synthesized from a sol-gel method and thoroughly characterized. The NiAl 2 O 4 and NiCr 2 O 4 catalysts were active for ethylene steam reforming at 873 K without degradation of the spinel structure. The NiFe 2 O 4 catalyst was the least stable because of partial reduction of Fe3+ to form Fe 3 O 4 , which facilitated Ni-Fe alloy particle formation and severe coking. The reforming activity and the coke deposited on the NiAl 2 O 4 and NiCr 2 O 4 catalyst both increased after oxidative regeneration at 873 K, suggesting a slow reduction of Ni2+ to Ni metal particles during steam reforming that subsequently sinter into larger NiO particles during oxidative regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A hybrid model for PEMFC systems with water transport equivalent is developed. • Parameters of the developed model are identified by a regional expansion method. • The hypothesis of cathode micro-flooding operation of the PEMFC system is confirmed. • The influence of cathode micro-flooding on PEMFC performance is analyzed. • Differential current injection based self-healing control is discussed. In this paper, the influence mechanism of proton exchange membrane hydration dynamics on the output characteristics of the commercial integrated 150 kW proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems was investigated under actual operating conditions. On this basis, the control-oriented model was improved for the integrated PEMFC systems. On the one hand, the anode pressure following control and cathode backpressure regulation were equivalently modeled based on analysis of interactive control characteristics of the commercial high-power integrated PEMFC systems. On the other hand, equivalent modeling of membrane hydration dynamics inside the PEMFC stack was achieved, so as to reasonably characterize the effect of liquid water saturation on the output characteristics of the commercial integrated PEMFC systems, under the premise of not significantly affecting the model complexity. Moreover, the effectiveness of the improved control-oriented model was also verified through comparing the simulation and experimental results. Further analyses based on the developed system model showed that, online evaluation and self-healing control of the membrane hydration condition can be realized through dynamic analyses of the system voltage and current according to the differential current injection method such that reasonable membrane hydration condition can be ensured. Furthermore, up to 3.74% enhancement in the system efficiency was achieved in the case of minimized membrane micro-flooding, which was of great significance to improve the service life and operation reliability of the commercial integrated PEMFC systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can impact viral infections by binding to sequences with partial complementarity on viral RNA transcripts, usually resulting in the repression of virus replication. In the present study, we identified a potential binding site for miR-130 in the 5′ untranslated region (bps 155-162) of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) genome. We found that the delivery of multiple miR-130 family mimics, especially miR-130b, resulted in inhibition of PRRSV replication in vitro. miR-130 was effective in inhibiting the replication of multiple type 2 PRRSV strains, but not against vSHE, a classical type 1 strain. miR-130 over-expression did not induce IFN-α or TNF-α expression in either uninfected or PRRSV-infected porcine alveolar macrophages. Results from luciferase reporter assays indicated that miR-130 directly targeted the PRRSV 5′ UTR. Intranasal inoculation of piglets with miR-130b exhibited antiviral activity in vivo and partially protected piglets from an otherwise lethal challenge with HP-PRRSV strain vJX143. Overall, these results demonstrate the importance of the miR-130 family in modulating PRRSV replication and also provide a scientific basis for using cellular miRNAs in anti-PRRSV therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of heterocyclic amides containing pyrrole, pyrrolidinone, and piperidone fragments is described and these are tested together with a wide range of previously prepared analogous derivatives for their binding activity at the urokinase receptor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]