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To accomplish efficient CO2 capture from coal-fired power plants, the polyetheramine of poly(propylene glycol)bis(2-aminopropyl ether) (A), with high electron cloud density, was codispersed with tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) to prepare solid amine sorbents. The effects of the mass ratio of TEPA to A and adsorption temperature, as well as CO2 adsorption isotherms, were investigated. The regeneration, adsorption and desorption kinetics for TEPA-functionalized MCM-41 before and after A codispersion were also studied. A improved the adsorption performance of TEPA-functionalized MCM-41 not only at 60 °C, but also at lower temperatures. When the mass ratio of TEPA to A was 50% to 10%, the breakthrough time and equilibrium adsorption capacity were 14 min and 3.58 mmol/g, respectively, at 30 °C, and 12 min and 3.09 mmol/g, respectively, at 60 °C, values that are significantly better than the values for TEPA-functionalized MCM-41. The adsorption heat of co-functionalized MCM-41 was approximately 11–13 kJ/mol in the temperature range of 30–50 °C, showing a typical physisorption characteristic. In addition, CO2-TPD results indicated that co-functionalized sorbent showed faster desorption rate and lower regeneration energy consumption. After ten regenerations, the equilibrium adsorption capacity was 2.93 mmol/g, representing 94.8% of the fresh sorbent capacity.

Targeting the interaction between severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-receptor-binding domain (RBD) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is believed to be an effective strategy for drug design to inhibit the infection of SARS-CoV-2. Herein, several ultrashort peptidase inhibitors against the RBD-ACE2 interaction were obtained by a computer-aided approach based on the RBD-binding residues on the protease domain (PD) of ACE2. The designed peptides were tested on a model coronavirus GX_P2V, which has 92.2 and 86% amino acid identity to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and RBD, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy analysis predicted a potential binding pocket on the RBD of the spike protein, and this was confirmed by the specifically designed peptides SI5α and SI5α-b. They have only seven residues, showing potent antiviral activity and low cytotoxicity. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay result also confirmed their inhibitory ability against the RBD-ACE2 interaction. The ultrashort peptides are promising precursor molecules for the drug development of Corona Virus Disease 2019, and the novel binding pocket on the RBD may be helpful for the design of RBD inhibitors or antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

Targeting the interaction between severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-receptor-binding domain (RBD) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is believed to be an effective strategy for drug design to inhibit the infection of SARS-CoV-2. Herein, several ultrashort peptidase inhibitors against the RBD–ACE2 interaction were obtained by a computer-aided approach based on the RBD-binding residues on the protease domain (PD) of ACE2. The designed peptides were tested on a model coronavirus GX_P2V, which has 92.2 and 86% amino acid identity to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and RBD, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy analysis predicted a potential binding pocket on the RBD of the spike protein, and this was confirmed by the specifically designed peptides SI5α and SI5α-b. They have only seven residues, showing potent antiviral activity and low cytotoxicity. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay result also confirmed their inhibitory ability against the RBD–ACE2 interaction. The ultrashort peptides are promising precursor molecules for the drug development of Corona Virus Disease 2019, and the novel binding pocket on the RBD may be helpful for the design of RBD inhibitors or antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

Syndecans (SDCs) are a family of four members of integral membrane proteins, which play important roles in cell-cell interactions. Dimerization/oligomerization generated by transmembrane domains (TMDs) appears to crucially regulate several functional behaviors of all syndecan members. The different levels of protein-protein interactions mediated by Syndecan TMDs may lead to a rather complicated function of Syndecans. The molecular mechanism of the different dimerization tendencies in each type of SDCs remains unclear. Here, the self-assembly process of syndecan TMD homodimers and heterodimers was studied in molecular details by molecular dynamics simulations. Our computational results showed that the SDC2 forms the most stable homodimer, which is consistent with previous experimental results. Detailed analysis suggests that instead of the conserved dimerizing motif G8XXXG12 in all four SDCs involved in homo- and hetero-dimerization of SDCs. The different locations of GXXXA motif affect the stability of SDC dimers. In addition, we found that A3XXXA7 can stabilize the dimerization, making the dimer of SDC2 the most stable among these SDC dimers. Our results shed light on the complex effect of multiple dimerizing motifs on the dimerization of transmembrane domains.

Over the past decade, the implementation of the novel nanomaterials in the field of nanotechnology for the biomedical applications is essential for the comfort factors such as non-toxicity and biocompatibility in the human biological systems. In this context, a novel synthesis was worked out through bacterial species (citrobacter braakii) in the biofabrication of bioactive gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) for the wound healing management. The biosynthesized Au NPs were further modified and improved its compatibility with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polycaprolactone (PCL) for formed as Au-PEG/PCL nanocomposites to extent the activity in wound healing application. The combination of bioactive nanoparticles with biocompatible polymeric substances has been upsurges the activity of nanoparticles due to the strong interaction of polymers. The biofabricated Au NPs and its nanocomposites were characterized using UV–Vis, FT-IR, XRD, DLS and TEM studies. Further, the prepared materials were tested in a wound healing model of rat with the wound of 22 mm size. The found results are demonstrated that the improved materials are highly active in growth of keratinocytes proliferation and simultaneously reduce scar formation. After 15 days observations, the wound were almost completely healed by the developed Au- PEG/PCL nanocomposites material which was confirmed by Masson's Trichrome staining histological images and antibacterial efficacy was displayed by the CLSM images. Notably, polymeric Au-PEG/PCL nanocomposites showed no inflammation on the wounded portion and internal implantation on rats thus evidencing it as a safe and biologically very active wound healing agent.

Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) has adverse biological effects on major living organs in the body, including lungs. The complex composition of PM2.5, including carbon black and heavy metals, cause toxic effects to the lung. Nonetheless, there exists considerable knowledge gaps regarding the impact of carbon black (CB) on environmental health and safety (EHS). Thus far, the synergistic effects of CB have not gained much attention in past decades. Here, we showed that combined exposure of CB and Cadmium (Cd) enhance the cytotoxicity by altering the state of cell membrane. Specially, CB caused cell membrane collapse and increased the permeability of cells, and remarkedly enhanced the metal Cd toxicity. Furthermore, upon pre-treatment sublethal-dose CB, the increased intracellular Cd brought about a significantly amount of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and high expression of metallothionein-1 (MT-1) in human lung epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B) cells, and ultimately resulted an increased cellular toxicity. The lung of mice exposed CBs and Cd presented remarkably inflammation than Cd alone. Mechanistic exploration deciphered that CB pre-treatment triggered cell damage via apoptosis due to Cd exposure. Collectively, our findings reveal a novel path for understanding the impact of CB on EHS with its synergistic effects, through which nanomaterials might exert detrimental effects on organisms.

With the aid of same configured calorimeters as dimensions of 40% of that in ISO 9705 in Hefei (24 m, 100.8 kPa) and Lhasa (3650 m, 64 kPa), the influence of high altitude on heat release rate and combustion efficiency were investigated. Two groups of liquid pool fires of moderate sizes (D = 0.15, 0.25 m) with fuel level maintaining system were tested at two sites, respectively. Typical fuels with different sooting levels, i.e., N-heptane and Jet-A, were selected. The ambient air pressure effects were introduced by modifying the standard calculation method of heat release rate in ISO 9705. Experimental results indicated that the dimensionless burning intensity in the quasi-steady stage for both fuels could be accorded to pressure modeling with acceptable accuracy. And it could be correlated with radiation modeling well for Jet-A, while that of n-heptane failed and this may be explained by the flame convection feedback which could not be neglected for moderate sooty fuel of moderate sizes. The combustion efficiency at high altitude is slightly higher than that at atmospheric pressure, and it will gradually increase with the decreasing pool dimension regardless of the ambient pressure.

The nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome has a critical role in cerebral ischemia. Autophagy may cause microglial inflammatory response or stimulate microglial function. The evidences clarify a direct crosstalk between autophagy and NLRP3. Geniposide could protect neurons or PC-12 cells against cerebral ischemic injury. However, a detailed understanding of molecular mechanisms on geniposide is still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate whether geniposide could inhibit the expression and activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in BV-2 microglial cells following oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) and assessed whether autophagy is involved in this process. We used OGD/R model in BV2 microglial cells in order to mimic the ischemic reperfusion injury. The NLRP3 shRNA and autophagy inhibitor (3-MA) were used to suppress NLRP3 inflammation activation and autophagy. The results demonstrated geniposide decreased cell death and the levels of NLRP3, ASC, cleaved- caspase-1 and IL-1β, whereas significantly increased the conversion of LC3 and Beclin-1 expression, decreased the expression of P62. Taken together, our results suggested that the effect of geniposide could be ascribed to the reduction of the level of inflammatory cytokines via inhibiting the activation and expression of NLRP3 inflammasome and increasing autophagic activity following OGD/R in BV-2 microglial cells. We provided a new understanding of geniposide in neuroprotection by activating autophagy and promoting anti-inflammation inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome in microglial cells. It might be helpful for geniposide on effective therapeutic strategies in ischemic stroke.

Syndecans(SDCs) are a family of four members of integral membrane proteins, which play important roles in cell-cell interactions. Dimerization/oligomerization generated by transmembrane domains (TMDs) appear to crucially regulate several functional behaviors of all syndecan members. The distinct hierarchy of protein-protein interactions mediated by the syndecan TMDs may give rise to considerable complexity in the functions of syndecans. The molecular mechanism of the different dimerization tendencies in each type of SDCs remains unclear. Here, the self-assembly process of syndecan TMD homodimers and heterodimers was studied in molecular details by molecular dynamics simulations. Our computational results showed that the SDC2 forms the most stable homodimer while the SDC1 TMD dimerizes weakly, which is consistent with previous experimental results. Detailed analysis suggests that instead of the conserved dimerizing motif G8XXXG12 in all four SDCs involved in homo- and hetero-dimerization of SDCs, the G3XXXA7 motif in SDC1 competes with the interface of G8XXXG12 and thus disturbs the SDC1 involved dimerization. The SDC3 which contains a G9XXXA13 motif, however, forms a more stable dimer than SDC1, indicating the complexity of the competing effect of the GXXXA motif. As GXXXG and GXXXA are two common sequence motifs in the dimerization of helices, our results shed light on the competing effect of multiple dimerizing motifs on the dimerization of transmembrane domains.

Aluminum mirrors with high reflectivity have a wide range of applications in the vacuum ultraviolet, such as for space observation, synchrotron radiation. Due to the oxidation of Al has great effect on the reflectivity below the wavelength of 160 nm, Al-protected mirrors have experienced significant development over the past years, particularly like Al overcoated with LiF, MgF2. This paper focuses on Al mirror over-coated with LiF, MgF2 and LiF+MgF2 in the wavelength range of 105-130 nm. The mirrors are prepared by three steps thermal boat evaporation method. The reflectivity of mirrors in the wavelength range of 105~130 nm is measuring at the National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) of China， and the structural properties have been analyzed using grazing incidence X-ray reflectometer. Compared the reflectivity of samples placed in the relative humidity of 40%, the reflectivity of Al + LiF mirrors has dropped significantly within 2 months, while the reflectivity of Al+MgF2 mirrors almost has no change within 30 months. The reflectivity of Al +LiF+MgF2 mirrors stored in the relative humidity of 40% performs well within 4 months and we will further study the time stability.

The Chk1 protein is essential for genome integrity maintenance and cell survival in eukaryotic cells. After prolonged replication stress, Chk1 can be targeted for proteasomal degradation to terminate checkpoint signaling after DNA repair finishes. To ensure proper activation of DNA damage checkpoint and DNA repair signaling, a steady-state level of Chk1 needs to be retained under physiological conditions. Here, we report a dynamic signaling pathway that tightly regulates Chk1 stability. Under unperturbed conditions and upon DNA damage, ataxin-3 (ATX3) interacts with Chk1 and protects it from DDB1/CUL4A- and FBXO6/CUL1-mediated polyubiquitination and subsequent degradation, thereby promoting DNA repair and checkpoint signaling. Under prolonged replication stress, ATX3 dissociates from Chk1, concomitant with a stronger binding between Chk1 and its E3 ligase, which causes Chk1 proteasomal degradation. ATX3 deficiency results in pronounced reduction of Chk1 abundance, compromised DNA damage response, G2/M checkpoint defect and decreased cell survival after replication stress, which can all be rescued by ectopic expression of ATX3. Taken together, these findings reveal ATX3 to be a novel deubiquitinase of Chk1, providing a new mechanism of Chk1 stabilization in genome integrity maintenance.

ZnWO 4 :Eu 3+ and ZnWO 4 :Eu 3+ /Li + phosphors have been synthesized successfully by a microwave-assist hydrothermal process. The phase, morphology and luminescent properties are investigated carefully. The XRD and FTIR results indicate that ZnWO 4 :Eu 3+ and ZnWO 4 :Eu 3+ /Li + phosphors have the monoclinic phase. The SEM images indicate that ZnWO 4 :Eu 3+ and ZnWO 4 :Eu 3+ /Li + phosphors are cubes with average particle size about 1 μm. Under the excitation at 395 nm, ZnWO 4 :Eu 3+ and ZnWO 4 :Eu 3+ /Li + phosphors show emission bands originating from the 5 D 0 → 7 F j (j = 0, 1, 2 and 3) transitions of Eu 3+ ions. The Li + ion acts as charge compensator and results in the enhancement of emission intensity.

An excellent p -aminobenzene sulfonic acid ( p -ABSA) monolayer film was fabricated on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by situ electrochemical oxidation. Then a novel kind of homogeneous quaternary amine-functionalized carbon nanotube (q-CNT) film was adsorbed onto p -ABSA/GCE through electrostatic interaction to produce q-CNT/ p -ABSA/GCE. Finally an electropolymerized poly( p -ABSA) film was formed on q-CNT/ p -ABSA/GCE. The electrostatic layer-by-layer assembly process of the modified electrode poly( p -ABSA)/q-CNT/ p -ABSA/GCE was well characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The modified electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity toward ascorbic acid (AA) oxidation at a low potential of + 0.02 V in pH 7.0 PBS. Amperometric experiments were performed for the sensitive determination of AA. Linear responses in two concentration ranges of 0.002–0.06 and 0.1–3.20 mM were obtained with the detection limit of 0.5 μM (S/N = 3). The electrostatic interaction of the positively charged q-CNTs with the monolayer p -ABSA film and the poly( p -ABSA) film promoted to form a stable poly( p -ABSA)/q-CNT/ p -ABSA composite film on GCE. So the poly( p -ABSA)/q-CNT/ p -ABSA/GCE showed good reproducibility and stability, and was successfully employed for the determination of AA in vitamin C tablet and human urine real samples with satisfactory results.

CaWO 4 :Eu 3+ /Gd 3+ samples have been synthesized through a hydrothermal process with the assistant of trisodium citrate. The phase and morphology of samples have been characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM and TEM. The XRD results indicate that the samples have the pure scheelite phase. The SEM and TEM images show that the samples are microspheres containing lots of nanoparticles. The luminescent properties of CaWO 4 :Eu 3+ /Gd 3+ samples also have been measured. Under the excitation at 278 nm, CaWO 4 :Eu 3+ /Gd 3+ samples show characteristic emission bands originating from the 5 D 0 → 7 F j (j = 1, 2, 3 and 4) transitions of Eu 3+ ions. The codoping Gd 3+ ions can improve the emission intensity highly. Also, the samples show good thermal stability.

Graphene/silicon heterostructures present a Schottky characteristic and have potential applications for solar cells and photodetectors. Here, we fabricated graphene/silicon heterostructures by using chemical vapor deposition derived graphene and n-type silicon, and studied the electronic and optoelectronic properties through varying their interface and silicon resistivity. The results exhibit that the properties of the fabricated configurations can be effectively modulated. The graphene/silicon heterostructures with a Si (111) interface and high resistivity show a better photovoltaic behavior and should be applied for high-performance photodetectors. With the combined atomic force microscopy and theoretical analysis, the possible origination is discussed. The work here should be helpful on exploring high-performance graphene/silicon photoelectronics.

Mucin 1 (MUC1) is an oncogene that has a crucial role in the pathogenesis and progression of the majority of epithelial malignant tumors. Our previous study demonstrated that MUC1 gene silencing inhibited the growth of SMMC-7721 cells in vitro and in vivo, however, whether this growth inhibition is associated with apoptotic cell death remains to be elucidated. In the present study, it was found that MUC1 gene silencing not only resulted in the inhibition of SMMC-7721 cell growth, determined using a clone formation assay in vitro and a tumor xenograft mouse model with an in vivo imaging system, but also induced apoptotic alterations in SMMC-7721 cells, determined using Hoechst 33342 staining, flow cytometry with an Annexin V-PE staining and a DNA ladder assay. Further investigation using western blotting revealed that cytochrome c was released from the mitochondria into the cytoplasm, and caspase-8 and caspase-9 were activated in MUC1 gene-silenced SMMC-7721 cells. The pro-apoptotic protein Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and the tumor suppressor p53 were increased, while the anti-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma 2 was decreased in MUC1 gene-silenced cells. In addition, results from the co-immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that the MUC1 cytoplasmic tail can bind directly to Bax or caspase-8 and these interactions were reduced upon MUC1 gene silencing in SMMC-7721 cells. The above results indicate that MUC1 gene silencing induces growth inhibition in SMMC-7721 cells through Bax-mediated mitochondrial and caspase-8-mediated death receptor apoptotic pathways.

A new method for the fabrication of monodispersed Cu nanoparticles on electrode surface was explored, and a novel electrochemical sensor for the sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was constructed by assembling copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) on the precursor film poly-p-aminobenzene sulfonic acid (poly-ABSA) electropolymerized on glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The assembly process consisted of two steps: the ion-exchange and coordination of Cu2+ with the sulfonic groups contained in poly-ABSA film, and the subsequent in-situ reduction of Cu2+ ions to Cu-NPs by electrochemical method. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that Cu-NPs were highly monodispersed in whole poly-ABSA, which was strongly attached to the electrode surface. The modified electrode Cu-NPs/poly-ABSA/GCE was also characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of H2O2 with high stability. Amperometry was used for the determination of H2O2 at a more positive potential of −0.2 V versus Ag/AgCl in pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution, with a linear range from 0.2 μM to 2.32 mM and a detection limit of 0.1 μM. The Cu-NPs/poly-ABSA/GCE allowed sensitive, stable and fast amperometric sensing of H2O2, and this was promising for the development of nonenzymatic sensors. The analysis of medical disinfection solution real samples was performed using the proposed method, and the obtained results were satisfactory.

Photoinduced doping in graphene and its related heterostructures has drawn much interest as one of the possible ways to control the electronic properties of graphene. In this paper, we report that graphene/silicon (Gr/Si) heterostructures are an effective configuration for photoinduced doping in graphene. Raman spectroscopy, electrical and photoelectrical measurements are used to characterize the photoinduced doping effect. The results demonstrate that the graphene in the Gr/Si heterostructure is p-doped by light irradiation, and the doping effect can be controlled by varying the irradiation time. For the electrical properties of the Gr/Si Schottky junction, the photoinduced doping effect reduces the barrier height and series resistance but enhances the ideality factor. For the photovoltaic properties, the doping strengthens the open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, fill factor, and conversion efficiency. The work should be helpful on developing effective ways for graphene doping and in depth under...

We developed an environmentally friendly, one-pot strategy toward preparation of Ni nanoparticles-decorated reduced graphene oxide (Ni-RGO) hybrids, through the use of ethylene glycol as both solvent and reducing agent under solvothermal conditions. Several analytical techniques were used to characterize the resulting Ni-RGO hybrids, which showed that the monodispersed Ni nanoparticles with average diameter of 8 nm were uniformly anchored onto RGO sheets. Furthermore, taking the advantage of the synergetic effects between supported Ni nanoparticles and RGO sheets, Ni-RGO hybrids exhibited a better catalytic activity than pure Ni NPs for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol with sodium borohydride, with kinetic reaction rate being over 2.5 times that of pure Ni NPs.

Endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) dysfunction is associated with the formation of carotid atherosclerosis. It has been demonstrated that angiotensin II (Ang II) may impair the function of EPCs and puerarin, a natural product, possesses cardiovascular protective effects against oxidative stress and inflammation. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the beneficial effects of puerarin in Ang II‑induced EPC injury, and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Treatment with Ang II suppressed EPC proliferation and migration, increased the expression of the senescence marker β‑galactosidase, and the adhesion molecules intracellular adhesion molecule‑1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule‑1. However, the above effects were markedly alleviated by treatment with puerarin in a dose‑dependent manner (1, 10 and 100 µM). In addition, Ang II significantly increased reactive oxygen species production and the levels of the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor‑α and interleukin‑6. Notably, these effects were reversed by puerarin. However, it was identified that the impaired EPC functions were due to inhibition of the phosphorylation of extracellular signal‑regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and the degradation of nuclear factor erythroid 2 like 2 (Nrf2), and treatment with puerarin activated the ERK1/2‑Nrf2 signaling pathway. The results of the present study indicated that puerarin protected Ang II‑induced EPC dysfunction via activation of the ERK1/2‑Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) is one mode of DNA damage tolerance that uses specialized DNA polymerases to replicate damaged DNA. DNA polymerase η (Polη) is well known to facilitate TLS across ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and mutations in POLH are implicated in skin carcinogenesis. However, the basis for recruitment of Polη to stalled replication forks is not completely understood. In this study, we used an affinity purification approach to isolate a Polη-containing complex and have identified SART3, a pre-mRNA splicing factor, as a critical regulator to modulate the recruitment of Polη and its partner RAD18 after UV exposure. We show that SART3 interacts with Polη and RAD18 via its C-terminus. Moreover, SART3 can form homodimers to promote the Polη/RAD18 interaction and PCNA monoubiquitination, a key event in TLS. Depletion of SART3 also impairs UV-induced single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) generation and RPA focus formation, resulting in an impaired Polη recruitment and a higher mutation frequency and hypersensitivity after UV treatment. Notably, we found that several SART3 missense mutations in cancer samples lessen its stimulatory effect on PCNA monoubiquitination. Collectively, our findings establish SART3 as a novel Polη/RAD18 association regulator that protects cells from UV-induced DNA damage, which functions in a RNA binding-independent fashion.

Aim Kudiezi injection (KDZ) can improve the clinical outcomes of patients with stroke, but the mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether KDZ could modulate the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathways in rat models of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Materials and methods Male Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to tMCAO and randomized to Sham (sham-operated), tMCAO (tMCAO + 0.9% saline), and KDZ (tMCAO + 7.2 mL/kg KDZ) groups. The infarct volume, brain water content, and neurological deficit were assessed 72 h after reperfusion. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and NF-κBp65. The expression of cleaved caspase-3, NF-κB p65, TLR4, MyD88, TRAF6, and p-IκBα/IκBα was determined using Western blotting. The expression levels of TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-10 in the ischemic cortex were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In vitro ischemic paradigm (oxygen-glucose deprivation) was performed in SH-SY5Y cells to evaluate the effects of KDZ. Key findings Lower brain water content, smaller infarct volume, and better neurologic function were found in the KDZ group compared with the tMCAO group. The expression of activated caspase-3, TLR-4, TRAF6, NF-κBp65, and p-IκBα/IκBα reduced and the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β decreased in the KDZ group, with the increased IL-10 level. In SH-SY5Y cells, KDZ significantly reduced the expression of p-IκBα and IκBα, lowered the death ratio, and reversed the effects induced by caffeic acid phenethyl ester (a potent NF-κB inhibitor). Significance KDZ may function through downregulating the TLR-4-dependent NF-κB signaling pathway to protect the brain against ischemic injury.

DNA damage response (DDR) is essential for genome stability and human health. Recently, several RNA binding proteins (RBPs), including fused-in-sarcoma (FUS), have been found unexpectedly to modulate this process. The role of FUS in DDR is closely linked to the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Given that RBM45 is also an ALS-associated RBP, we wondered whether RBM45 plays any function during this process. Here, we report that RBM45 can be recruited to laser microirradiation-induced DNA damage sites in a PAR- and FUS-dependent manner, but in a RNA-independent fashion. Depletion of RBM45 leads to abnormal DDR signaling and decreased efficiency in DNA double-stranded break repair. Interestingly, RBM45 is found to compete with histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) for binding to FUS, thereby regulating the recruitment of HDAC1 to DNA damage sites. A common familial ALS-associated FUS mutation (FUS-R521C) is revealed to prefer to cooperate with RBM45 than HDAC1. Our findings suggest that RBM45 is a key regulator in FUS-related DDR signaling whose dysfunction may contribute to the pathogenesis of ALS.

We developed a novel Ag nanoparticles (NPs) supported on N-doped graphene (AgNPs/N-G) hybrid material that was used as an electrochemical sensor for H 2 O 2 detection. AgNPs/N-G was synthesized by an environmentally friendly strategy with urea as the N-dopant and vitamin C as the reducing agent. Electrochemical measurements revealed a lower electrical resistance and higher electrocatalytic activity of AgNPs/N-G than undoped counterparts (AgNPs/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)). The AgNPs/N-G based sensor exhibited a fast response time ( 2 O 2 detection.

The application of ion chromatography with the column-switching technique for the simultaneous analysis of peroxydisulfate and conventional inorganic anions in a single run is described. With this method, conventional inorganic anions were separated by consecutive elution through both the guard column and separation column, but peroxydisulfate that only passed through the guard column had a good peak shape and short retention time. A series of standard solutions consisting of target anions of various concentrations from 0.01 to 75 mg/L were analyzed, with a correlation coefficient (r) ≥ 0.9990. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.49-9.84 μg/L based on the S/N of 3 and a 25 μL injection volume. RSDs for retention time, peak area, and peak height were all

A highly sensitive electrochemical sensor was fabricated by electropolymerizing p-aminobenzene sulfonic acid (ABSA) on quaternary amine functionalized multi-wall carbon nanotubes (Q-MWNTs) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Q-MWNTs provide a conductive and stable network for the poly-ABSA (PABSA) immobilization. The voltammetric behaviors of methotrexate (MTX) and calcium folinate (CF) at the PABSA/Q-MWNTs/GCE were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Compared with bare GCE, Q-MWNTs/GCE and PABSA/GCE, the PABSA/Q-MWNTs/GCE exhibited excellent electrocatalytic oxidation toward MTX and CF. Separation of the oxidation peak potentials for MTX and CF was 0.26 V in phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.0), which made it suitable for simultaneous determination of these two compounds by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Under the optimized conditions, the anodic peak current of MTX was linear with the concentration from 0.1 to 8.0 μM in the presence of 8.0 μM CF, with a detection limit of 0.015 μM (S/N = 3). At the same time, the anodic current of CF was linear with the concentration from 0.1 to 6.5 μM with a detection limit of 0.020 μM in the presence of 8.0 μM MTX. The proposed sensor showed advantages of simple preparation, high sensitivity, good reproducibility and stability. It was successfully applied to simultaneous determination of MTX and CF in urine samples.

Conventional methods to produce graphene/silicon Schottky junctions inevitably involve graphene transfer and metal deposition, which leads to the techniques being complicated, high-cost, and environmentally unfriendly. It is possible to directly grow hybrid nanocrystalline graphene/graphite transparent electrodes from photoresist on quartz without any catalyst. Due to the source material being photoresist, nanographene/graphite patterns can easily be made on Si/SiO2 structures to form nanographene/silicon Schottky junctions via commercial photolithography and silicon techniques. The obtained Schottky junctions exhibit excellent properties with respect to photodetection, with photovoltage responsivity of 300 V W-1 at a light power of 0.2 W and photovoltage response time of less than 0.5 s. The devices also exhibit an excellent reliability with the photovoltage deviating less than 1% when cycled over 200 times.

The objectives of this study were to determine the chemical composition, energy content and amino acid digestibility for corn gluten meals (CGM) and to develop prediction equations for estimating energy content and amino acid digestibility for growing pigs based on the chemical characteristics of these meals. The 15 CGM tested were obtained from seven Chinese companies. Experiment 1 was conducted to determine the digestible (DE) and metabolisable energy (ME) of the 15 CGM. The 18 growing barrows (38 +/- 4 kg) were assigned to three 6 x 6 Latin square designs. The 15 CGM test diets were formulated to contain 19.20% CGM, which replaced 20% of the energy supplied by corn and crystalline amino acid in the basal diet. Experiment 2 was conducted to determine the apparent (AID) and standardised (SID) ileal digestibility of the crude protein (CP) and amino acids in the 15 CGM using chromic oxide as an inert marker. The 18 growing barrows (25 +/- 2 kg) fitted with a simple T-cannula were assigned to three 6 x 6 Latin square designs. The 15 test diets contained 35% of one of the 15 CGM as the sole source of amino acids in the diet. The results showed a considerable variation in the chemical composition of CGM within and among plants. On dry matter basis, the DE and ME content of the CGM ranged from 18.8 to 21.0 MJ/kg and from 18.0 to 19.9 MJ/kg, respectively. There were no significant differences in the AID and SID for CP, arginine, lysine, glycine and proline among the 15 CGM, however, for all the other amino acids, significant differences were found for their AID and SID. With R2 values exceeding 0.50, the DE of CGM can be predicted accurately from CP and fibre content and ME from starch and fibre content. Suitable prediction equations for SID of methionine were also developed.

In this article, the electrochemical method of preparing Mg–Li–Sm alloys by codeposition in LiCl–KCl–MgCl2–SmCl3 melts was investigated. Transient electrochemical techniques, such as cyclic voltammetry, chronopotentiometry, and chronoamperometry were used to explore the electrochemical formation of Mg–Li–Sm alloys. Chronopotentiograms demonstrated that the codepositon of Mg, Li, and Sm occurred when current densities were more negative than −0.31 A cm−2. Chronoamperograms indicated that the onset potential for the codeposition of Mg, Li, and Sm was −2.40 V, and the codeposition of Mg, Li, and Sm was formed when the applied potentials were more negative than −2.40 V. The different phases of Mg–Li–Sm alloys were prepared by galvanostatic electrolysis and characterized by X–ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscope (OM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis showed that the lithium and samarium contents in Mg–Li–Sm alloys could be controlled by the concentrations of MgCl2 and SmCl3. The results demonstrated that Sm could refine the grains dramatically. When the Sm content was 0.8 wt pct, the grain size was the finest.

The electrochemical preparaton of Al-Li-Y alloys from LiCl-KCl-AlCl3-Y2O3 system was studied. The chlorination of Y2O3 by AlCl3 led to the formation of Y (III) ions in the molten salts. Cyclic voltammogram (CV) showed that the underpotential deposition (UPD) of yttrium on pre-deposited aluminum caused the formation of Al-Y alloy. Al-Li-Y alloys with different yttrium contents were obtained by galvanostatic electrolysis and analysed by SEM-EDS and ICP. The ICP results showed that the lithium and yttrium contents in Al-Li-Y alloys depended on the addition of AlCl3 into the melts.

Corrosion inhibition and adsorption behaviour for pure iron in 0.5 M H(2)SO(4) by polyacrylamide (PA) were investigated using electrochemical techniques. The effect of iodide ion additives was also studied. It was found that inhibition efficiency increased with PA concentration. Corrosion inhibition was afforded by adsorption of PA onto the metal following El-Awady kinetic thermodynamic adsorption isotherm model via chemisorption mechanism. A mixed inhibition mechanism is proposed for the inhibitive effects of PA as revealed by potentiodynamic polarization technique. A synergistic effect was observed between PA and KI as evident from the values of synergism parameter found to be greater than unity. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ARTICLE I NFO TiAlCN coatings with various carbon contents have been prepared by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering using Ti-Al-C mosaic type targets. The composition and structure of the coatings were analyzed by energy dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The micro hardness and tribological performance were measured by micro Vickers tester and ball-on-disc tester, respectively. It was found that the carbon concentration has a significant effect on the microstructure evolution of the coatings. The hardness of TiAlCN coatings increases and then decreases as the carbon content is increased. Coating prepared by a target with 50 vol.% graphite reaches the maximum hardness(2443 HV25g). Coating with a maximum hardness and lowest friction coefficient was obtained by optimizing the carbon content. The relationships of structure-property- performance by carbon modification were discussed.

Background The nutritional value of rapeseed meal may be variable due to the variation of its chemical composition. And a precise understanding of the nutritional value of an ingredient is beneficial for the accurate diet formulation and reduction of feed costs. This study was conducted to determine the chemical composition, digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) content, and apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA) for growing pigs. Thirteen solvent-extracted double-low rapeseed meal (DLRSM) samples were obtained from the main double-low rapeseed producing areas in China. Methods The DE and ME contents of the 13 DLRSM samples were measured in growing pigs (six pigs per DLRSM sample, average initial body weight (BW) = 48.3 kg). The AID and SID of AA of 10 DLRSM samples were determined in 12 crossbred barrows (average initial BW = 35.3 kg) by using two 6 × 6 Latin square designs. Each Latin square comprised one N-free diet and 5 DLRSM test diets. Results The chemical composition of DLRSM varied among samples, and the coefficient of variation was greater than 10 % for ether extract (EE), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), calcium (Ca), and total glucosinolates. The AA content of DLRSM varied among samples especially for lysine (Lys) and methionine (Met). On a dry matter (DM) basis, the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE), the DE and ME and the ME:DE ratio of DLRSM averaged 62.39 %, 2862 kcal/kg and 2723 kcal/kg, and 94.95 %, respectively. The mean value of SID of Lys was 70.52 % which varied from 66.54–76.54 %. The SID of crude protein (CP), Met, and threonine (Thr) averaged 72.81 %, 82.41 %, and 69.76 %, respectively. Conclusions There was great variability in chemical composition especially in the concentration of EE, NDF and ADF, but no significant differences in energy content of the DLRSM samples were observed. In addition, the AID and SID of all AA were relatively similar among DLRSM samples except for that of Lys.

The corrosion behaviors of bulk nanocrystallized and coarse grain industrial pure iron (BNIPI & CGIPI) were investigated in 1 mol L-1 HCI at room temperature by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization curve. Mean-while, the inhibitive effect of thiourea (TU) on the corrosion behaviors were tested. Results indicate that BNIPI is less prone to Occur corrosion than its coarse grain counterpart in blank 1 mol L-1 HCI at room temperature. When CGIPI was immersed for a very short time.. namely, 5 min, an inductive loop appears at different concentrations at the Nyquist plots, but it doesn't appear at those of BNIPI at the same period. A critical concentration of thiourea with the largest R-ct in the complex impedance plane appears for both samples. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The boron-containing bisphenol-A formaldehyde resin from bisphenol-A, formaldehyde and boric acid was synthesized. The mechanism of synthesis and curing reaction were investigated by infrared spectroscopy and chemical analysis method. The kinetics of thermal degradation and thermal stability were determined by thermal analysis. The results show that the resin has higher heat resistant property and oxidative resistance than common phenol–formaldehyde resin. In addition, the fiberglass-reinforced laminate has good mechanical and electric properties.

The X-ray low angle reflectivity measurement is used to investigate single and bilayer films to determine the parameters of nanometer-scale structures, three effectual methods are presented by using X-ray reflectivity analysis to provide an accurate estimation of the nanometer film structures. The parameters of tungsten (W) single layer, such as the material density, interface roughness and deposition rate, were obtained easily and speedily. The base metal layer was introduced to measure the profiles of single low Z material film. A 0.3 nm chromium (Cr) film was also studied by low angle reflectivity analysis.

A novel Cu nanoparticles/reduced graphene oxide-chitosan (CuNPs/r-GO-chitosan) composite film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was fabricated by dispersing CuNPs uniformly on a stable r-GO-chitosan thin film through electrodeposition process. The modified electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and exhibited efficiently electrocatalytic oxidation toward monosaccharides with high stability. The good electrocatalytic activity of this modified electrode might be attributed to the synergistic effect of r-GO and CuNPs, and the stability might be attributed to the r-GO and chitosan thin matrix film. When the CuNPs/r-GO-chitosan/GCE was used as an electrochemical sensor in high performance anion exchange chromatography-direct current amperometric detection (HPAEC-DC) flowing system for the determination of monosaccharides under constant working potential of +0.55 V, the detection limits (S/N=3) ranged from 0.006 to 0.02 mg L(-1) for the analyzed sugars, and the dynamic linear ranges spanned from 0.02 to 500 mg L(-1). The proposed method has been applied for the determination of monosaccharide composition of crude polysaccharides from phellinus igniarius real samples, and the results were satisfactory.

We have investigated the optical properties and thermal stabilities of a serial of Mg-based multilayers including Mg/SiC, Mg/Co and Mg/Zr in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) range. Mg/X multilayer mirrors were deposited by magnetron sputtering technique onto polished silicon wafers. In order to study their stabilities under heat resistance, annealing experiments were carried out in vacuum environment keeping 1hour at different temperatures from 200°C to 550°C. Their EUV reflectivities were measured by using synchrotron radiation. Grazing incident X-ray and EUV reflection measurements were used to estimate the thermal stability of these multilayer systems. Mg/SiC and Mg/Co are stable up to 200°C and the reflectivity decreases drastically with the increase of temperature, while the reflectivity of Mg/Zr keeps constant during annealing at 300°C and falls slowly as the temperature increases. Up to 550°C, Bragg peaks of Mg/Zr multilayer are still sharp in X-ray reflectivity curve, and EUV reflectivity is 25% at 26.2nm at 30 degree incidence. These measurement results indicate that Mg/Co and Mg/SiC should be used in application requiring no heating above 200°C, while the new material combination Mg/Zr is a promising multilayer for practical application requiring stronger heat resistance in EUV range.

Mutilayers are important optical elements and widely used for extreme ultraviolet astronomical observation. For selecting the emission line multilayers should have high reflectivity and narrow spectral bandwidth. In this paper, six different multilayers including Si/C, Si/B 4 C, Si/Mo/B 4 C, Si/SiC, Mg/SiC and Mo/Si were designed for normal incidence angle of 5° at He-IIemission line(λ=30.4 nm). These multilayers have been fabricated using a direct current magnetron sputtering system. The period of multilayers were measured by X-ray diffractometer(XRD) and the reflectivities were measured on National Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Hefei, China. Then the reflectivities and the spectral bandwidth of these multilayers were compared respectively. It shows that the spectral bandwidth of multilayers of low Z materials is narrower than that of the normal Mo/Si multiayer, the reflectivity of Si/Mo/B 4 C multilayer is higher than that of Si-based multilayers of two kinds of materials. And Mg/SiC multilayer has the highest reflectivity of 43.81% and the narrowest spectral bandwidth of 1.44nm, which proves that Mg/SiC multilayer is more potential for selecting the emission line in extreme ultraviolet solar physics.

Multilayer mirrors are the important optical elements for astronomical observation at extreme ultraviolet region. In this article, three kinds of multilayer mirrors were introduced for solar observation and magnetosphere observation. Mo/Si multilayer mirror was fabricated for solar Fe-XII emission line at wavelength of 19.5nm. For solar He-II radiation at 30.4 nm, Mo/Si, Si/SiC, Si/C, Si/B4C and Mg/SiC multilayers were investigated, and the measurements results shows that Mg/SiC multilayer provides the highest reflectivity of 43.8% at incidence angle of 5 degree. The third multilayer mirror was a dual-function mirror used for earth's magnetosphere observation, which requires high-reflective for He-II emission line at wavelength of 30.4nm but anti-reflectance at 58.4nm from ionosphere He-I emission. Using aperiodic Mg/SiC multilayer, the dual-function multilayer mirror was designed. Compared to periodic multilayer, the dual-function multilayer suppresses the reflectivity for He-I at 58.4nm from 2.2% to 0.1%, without loss of the reflection for He-II at 30.4nm, significantly.

A grazing Kirkpatrick-Baez (K-B) microscope was designed for hard x-ray (8keV; Cu Ka radiation) imaging in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) diagnostic experiments. Ray tracing software was used to simulate optical system performance. The optimized theoretical resolution of K-B microscope was about 2 micron and better than 10 micron in 200 micron field of view. Tungsten and boron carbide were chosen as multilayer materials and the multilayer was deposited onto the silicon wafer substrate and the reflectivity was measured by x-ray diffraction (XRD). The reflectivity of supermirror was about 20 % in 0.3 % of bandwidth. 8keV Cu target x-ray tube source was used in x-ray imaging experiments and the magnification of 1x and 2x x-ray images were obtained.

The SiC/Mg and B4C/Mo/Si multilayers were fabricated for He-II radiation at 30.4nm. The measured reflectivitier were 38.0% for SiC/Mg multilayer at incident angle 12 degree, and 32.5% for B4C/Mo/Si multilayer at 5 degree, respectively.

We designed two kinds of supermirrors composed of Carbon and Tungsten in current paper. Using Simplex Optimization method, we designed C/W supermirror with broad incident angular range (0.5°~0.9°) at Cu Kα line (λ=0.154nm). Connecting the analytical method, based on oversimplified analytical and semi-empirical formulas, with the Simplex Optimization method, we designed C/W supermirror with broad photon energy range (16~25keV), at θ=0.5°. The negative effect, due to the interfacial roughness and diffusion between the adjacent sublayers in multilayer, also emerges in simulating the practice performance of the both supermirrors. The supermirrors with broad incident angular range were fabricated by DC magnetron sputtering, because such supermirror is easy to be measured at our lab, using X-ray diffractormeter. The measured reflectivity near the first order Bragg peak is about 30% at Cu Kα line. The roughness factor is about 0.84nm by the fitting data.

The broadband x-ray supermirrors have been designed, fabricated and studied experimentally. They are intended for operating in the photon energy range from 12.4 to 20keV at the fixed grazing incident angle of 0.5°. The choice of material pairs composing a non-periodic multilayer structure is considered from the maximum achievable reflectivity and the layer structure stability. Tungsten and silicon are selected, which have the great index contrast in this energy range and are suitable for fabrication with the use of the vested coating system. The interface width determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) lies in the range of 0.4~0.6nm. Following a theoretical approach including analytical and numerical techniques, the designed multilayer mirrors have a practically constant reflectivity of about 24% in the desired photon energy range. The multilayers were deposited onto polished silicon substrates by a high vacuum DC magnetron sputtering system and were characterized by x-ray diffractormeter (XRD) at 8.0keV. The experiments show that the sample has about 10% reflectivity in a wide angular range; The roughness of the interface for both tungsten on silicon layer and silicon on tungsten layer was estimated to be about 0.5nm. Oscillations in the reflectivity curve proved to be larger than the expected ones. They may be caused by the random variation of the layer thickness, as well as the interdiffusion between two materials. Possibilities for further improvements of wideband multilayer mirrors are analysed as well.

Anatase TiO 2 photoanodes were deposited by self-limiting growth techniques at low temperature. The optical bandgap and flatband voltage of the as-deposited films agree with the values obtained from single crystal anatase. The donor density could be increased by both UV illumination and cathodic polarization in acidic solutions. Improvements in photocurrent scaled closely with changes in carrier concentration, with over 20-fold enhancements observed over the as-deposited films. The threshold potential for hydrogen intercalation was -0.6 V vs Ag/AgCl. At this level the carrier concentration could be manipulated with no change in optical transmission. At lower potentials irreversible changes are observed which are attributed to the reduction of the underlying indium tin oxide contact. In contrast, no changes were observed when fluorinated tin oxide was used as the contact layer.

Experimental results on aperiodic broadband transmission molybdenum/silicon multilayer phase retarders for the extreme ultraviolet range are presented. The broadband phase retarders were designed using a numerical method and made using direct current magnetron sputtering on silicon nitride membrane. The polarization properties of these aperiodic transmission phase retarders have been investigated using the soft x-ray polarimeter at BESSY-II. The measured phase shift was about 42° in the wavelength range of 13.8–15.5nm, and the corresponding s-component transmission (Ts) decreased from 6% to 2% with increasing wavelength.

Broadband extreme ultraviolet molybdenum/yttrium aperiodic multilayer analyzers were designed for polarization experiments in 8.5–11.7nm wavelength range. The multilayer analyzers were made using direct current magnetron sputtering and characterized using the soft x-ray polarimeter at BESSY-II facility. Measured s reflectivities at the Brewster angle are 5.5% for a multilayer designed for 8.5–10.1nm wavelength range and 6.1% for one designed for 9.1–11.7nm. The multilayers also exhibit high polarization degree up to 98.79%. In addition, the multilayer was also measured over 38°–52° angular range at the fixed wavelength of 10.2nm and the mean s reflectivity is 6.2%.

Nonperiodic molybdenum/silicon broadband multilayer polarizers have been designed using numerical optimization algorithm and fabricated using direct current magnetron sputtering. Their performances have been characterized using the high precision eight-axis soft x-ray polarimeter at the BESSY facility. Different multilayers have measured s-polarized reflectivities of 27% at 13.1nm and higher than 15% over the wavelength range of 13–19nm. Nearly constant s reflectivity, up to 37%, is observed over the 15–17nm wavelength range, where the degree of polarization is more than 98%. Furthermore, these multilayer polarizers also show high s reflectivity and polarization over a broad angular range at fixed wavelength.