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A layered charge composed of the JH-2 explosive enveloped by a thick-walled cylindrical casing (active aluminum/rubber and inert lithium fluoride/rubber composites) was designed and explosion experiments were conducted in a 1.3 m3 tank and a 113 m3 bunker. The blast parameters, including the quasistatic pressure (ΔpQS), special impulse (I), and peak overpressure (Δpmax), and images of the explosion process were recorded, and the influence of the Al content (30% and 50%) and Al particle size (1, 10, and 50 μm) on the energy release of aluminum/rubber composites were investigated. The results revealed that the use of an active layer increased the peak overpressure generated by the primary blast wave, as well as the quasistatic pressure and special impulse related to fuel burning within tens of milliseconds after detonation. When the Al content was increased from 30% to 50%, the increases of ΔpQS and I were not obvious, and Δpmax even decreased, possibly because of decreased combustion efficiency and greater absorption of the blast wave energy for layers with 50% Al. Compared with the pure JH-2 charge, the charge with 1 μm Al particles produced the highest Δpmax, indicating that better transient blast performance was generated by smaller Al particles. However, the charge with 10 μm Al particles showed the largest ΔpQS and I, suggesting that a stronger destructive effect occurred over a longer duration for charges that contained moderate 10 μm Al.

Abstract: Protein-ligand interactions are necessary for majority protein functions. Adenosine- 5’-triphosphate (ATP) is one such ligand that plays vital role as a coenzyme in providing energy for cellular activities, catalyzing biological reaction and signaling. Knowing ATP binding residues of proteins is helpful for annotation of protein function and drug design. However, due to the huge amounts of protein sequences influx into databases in the post-genome era, experimentally identifying ATP binding residues is costineffective and time-consuming. To address this problem, computational methods have been developed to predict ATP binding residues. In this review, we briefly summarized the application of machine learning methods in detecting ATP binding residues of proteins. We expect this review will be helpful for further research.

Bayer red mud (RM) is a solid waste in alumina production, and the main components is Fe2O3. To investigate the effect of Fe2O3 in RM on pyrolysis of low-rank coal and catalytic upgrading mechanism on tar quality, pyrolysis experiments of pure Fe2O3 and RM mixed with a lignite, Baiyinhua (BYH) coal, were carried out. The results indicate that RM exhibits a similar catalytic effect to Fe2O3 in terms of product distribution and tar composition of coal pyrolysis. At 20% addition of RM or Fe2O3 in coal, the yield of gas and water increases, while that of char decreases; the yield of H2 increases by 38.6% or 37.1%, and the yields of CO and CO2 increase by 58.9%, 78.1% and 24.6%, 44.1%, respectively. GC and GC-MS results prove that the existence of RM or Fe2O3 improve the tar quality, and RM shows a better effect, as the content of heavy components decreases by 11.7% with RM and 5.1% with Fe2O3. Besides, the content of bisphenol, aliphatic hydrocarbon, oxygenated compounds and heteroatomic compounds decrease simultaneously, thus generating more monophenol and naphthalene. Several characterizations show that Fe2O3, as an active component of RM, provides lattice oxygen species to participate in the reaction and changes to Fe3O4 by partial oxidation during the pyrolysis process. TGA results and kinetic analysis of coal pyrolysis illustrate that RM can promote BYH coal pyrolysis and increase the yield of gas and liquid.

Scavenger receptor is pattern-recognition receptor (PRR) that plays a crucial function in host defense against pathogens. Scavenger receptor C (SR-C) is present only in invertebrates and its function has not been studied in detail. In this study, an SR-C homologous gene from the silkworm, Bombyx mori, was identified and characterized. SR-C was largely expressed in hemocytes and Malpighian tubules, with continuous expression in hemocytes. The peak expression was observed in hemocytes during molting and wandering stages both at mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, immunofluorescence demonstrated it to be mainly distributed in the cell membranes of hemocytes, including oenocytoids and granulocytes. The recombinant SR-C protein (rSR-C) could bind to different types of bacteria and pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), with strong binding to gram-positive bacteria and Lys-type peptidoglycans. The overexpression of SR-C induced the expression of genes related to the Toll pathway and antibacterial peptides. While the knockdown of SR-C reduced the expression of AMPs and inhibited the Toll pathway, it impaired the bacterial clearance ability of silkworm larvae, thus decreasing silkworm larvae's survival rate. Altogether, SR-C is a PRR that protect silkworms against bacterial pathogens by enhancing the expression of AMPs expression via the Toll pathway in hemocytes.

Microglial activation and neuroinflammation induced by amyloid β (Aβ) play pivotal roles in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is one of the major active compounds of the traditional Chinese medicine Astmgali Radix. It has been reported that AS-IV could protect against Aβ-induced neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment, but the underlying mechanisms need to be further clarified. In this study, the therapeutic effects of AS-IV were investigated in an oligomeric Aβ (oAβ) induced AD mice model. The effects of AS-IV on microglial activation, neuronal damage and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase expression were further studied. Different doses of AS-IV were administered intragastrically once a day after intracerebroventricularly oAβ injection. Results of behavioral experiments including novel object recognition (NOR) test and Morris water maze (MWM) test revealed that AS-IV administration could significantly ameliorate oAβ-induced cognitive impairment in a dose dependent manner. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results showed that increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 in hippocampal tissues induced by oAβ injection were remarkably inhibited after AS-IV treatment. OAβ induced microglial activation and neuronal damage was significantly suppressed in AS-IV-treated mice brain, observed in immunohistochemistry results. Furthermore, oAβ upregulated protein expression of NADPH oxidase subunits gp91phox, p47phox, p22phox and p67phox were remarkably reduced by AS-IV in Western blotting assay. These results revealed that AS-IV could ameliorate oAβ-induced cognitive impairment, neuroinflammation and neuronal damage, which were possibly mediated by inhibition of microglial activation and down-regulation of NADPH oxidase protein expression. Our findings provide new insights of AS-IV for the treatment of neuroinflammation related diseases such as AD.

We explored the effects of ultrahigh-pressure technology and chlorogenic acid on the color stability and structure-activity relationship of malvidin (MV). Experimental conditions were optimized through single-factor experiments and response surface analysis at a pressure of 300 MPa, mass ratio of MV to chlorogenic acid of 1:3.64 (w/w), and time of 5 min. Compared with MV, MV derivatives showed higher stability and in vitro antioxidant activity. X-ray diffraction analysis, UV-vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry were conducted to determine the structures of MV derivatives for the first time. Ultrahigh pressure facilitated acylation of chlorogenic acid and MV and produced four new MV derivatives. Analysis of the effect of malvidin-3-O-6-(acrylic acid-(2-hydroxy, 4-carboxy-cyclohexanol) ester)-guaiacol (Mv3ACEC) on ARPE-19 cells exposed to H2O2 by RNA transcriptome sequencing showed that Mv3ACEC simultaneously inhibited various inflammatory and apoptotic signal transduction pathways, exerted a synergistic effect, and partly inhibited cell apoptosis through the MAPK signaling pathway. Therefore, the results show that ultrahigh pressure will cause acylation of chlorogenic acid and MV to produce four new MV derivatives, and MV derivatives protect ARPE-19 cells from H2O2-induced oxidative stress.

The involvement of long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs), differentially expressed genes and signals in prostate cancer (PCa) continues to be a subject of investigation. This study determined effects of LOC100996425 on human PCa by targeting hepatocyte nuclear factor 4A (HNF4A) via the AMPK/mTOR pathway. PCa and adjacent normal tissues were obtained to characterize expression pattern of LOC100996425, HNF4A and the AMPK/mTOR pathway‐related genes. Then, the target gene of LOC100996425 was determined with lncRNA target prediction website and further verification was obtained through luciferase assay and ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation. After that, PCa cells were introduced with LOC100996425, HNF4A, siLOC100996425 or siHNF4A to explore the specific significance of LOC100996425 and HNF4A in PCa. The mechanism associated with AMPK/mTOR pathway was investigated using AMPK inhibitor or activator. LOC100996425 was up‐regulated, while HNF4A was down‐regulated in the PCa tissues. HNF4A was a target gene of LOC100996425. PCa cells transfected with either siLOC100996425 or HNF4A displayed reduced rates of PCa cell proliferation and migration while elevating cell apoptosis. HNF4A overexpression reversed the promotive effect of LOC100996425 overexpression on PCa. The activation of AMPK pathway involved in the cancer progression mediated by LOC100996425. Down‐regulation of LOC100996425 retards progression of PCa through HNF4A‐mediated AMPK/mTOR pathway.

Ternary nanocomposite of TiO2@Fe3O4/reduced graphene oxide hydrogel was prepared as an effective and recyclable photocatalyst to degrade methylene blue dye. Preliminary synthesized Fe3O4 colloidal solution and in-situ synthesized TiO2 (or commercial P25) nanoparticles with different ratios were anchored on the surface of reduced graphene oxide by hydrothermal method. The composite photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, Raman, SEM, TEM, XPS, BET, and TG. The studies indicated in-situ synthesized TiO2 ternary composite displayed higher adsorption and photocatalytic activity than pure P25 and its composite. According to the obtained data, the TFG-2 catalyst with a high specific surface area of 302.28 m2g−1 showed the best degradability, achieving almost 100% elimination efficiency of MB (50 mg/L) within 80 min at neutral condition under simulated solar irradiation. Moreover, benefiting from the superparamagnetism of Fe3O4, the composites can be easily recycled and reapplied without significant activity loss after five degradation cycles. The results displayed that the degradation ability was attributed to the synergetic effect between three components. The adsorption and photocatalytic properties of TiO2@Fe3O4/RGO nanocomposites confirmed the promising dual-purpose application in wastewater treatment.

The emissions of NO2 and HONO from the KNO3 photolysis in the presence of TiO2 were measured using a round-shape reactor coupled to a NOx analyzer. TiO2 played important roles in the emission flux density of NO2 (RNO2) and HONO (RHONO), depending on crystal structures and mass ratios of TiO2. RNO2 and RHONO significantly decreased with increasing the rutile and anatase mass ratios from 0 to 8 and 0.5 wt.%, respectively. Nevertheless, with further increasing the anatase mass ratio to 8 wt.%, there was an increase in RNO2 and RHONO. RNO2 on KNO3/TiO2/SiO2 had positive correlation with the KNO3 mass (1–20 wt.%), irradiation intensity (80–400 W/m2) and temperature (278–308 K), while it had the maximum value at the relative humidity (RH) of 55%. RHONO on KNO3/TiO2/SiO2 slightly varied with the KNO3 mass and temperature, whereas it increased with the irradiation intensity and RH. In addition, the mechanism for NO2 and HONO emissions from the nitrates photolysis and atmospheric implications were discussed.

Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) can avoid the electrolyte leakage risk of electrochemical double layer capacitors (EDLCs). But aqueous GPEs often suffer from narrow electrochemical windows. Herein, a series of deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based supramolecular GPEs are firstly developed for carbon-based EDLCs with wide voltage windows. The as-fabricated DES-based GPE shows an ionic conductivity of ~58 mS cm−1, which makes the stable voltage window of a carbon-based EDLC reach 2.4 V. The carbon-based EDLC exhibits a specific capacitance of 32.1 F g−1, an energy density of 24.6 Wh kg−1 and a capacitance retention of ~90% after 15,000 charge-discharge cycles. Moreover, when quinhydrone is added into the DES-based GPE, the specific capacitance and energy density of the corresponding EDLC can be further expanded to 60 F g−1 and 43.6 Wh kg−1, respectively. Therefore, our work may present a universal strategy to prepare novel supramolecular GPEs for high-performance EDLCs with wide voltage windows.

Herein we present a new perspective showing that water-soluble liquids, when added to water, undergo transient emulsification before complete dissolution. Thus, non-amphiphilic macromolecules can self-assemble at the two-miscible-phase interface when cononsolvent effect appears. A representative case shown here is that when poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm), prepared by aqueous radical polymerization, in methanol solution is added into water, the polymer chains rapidly self-assemble into hollow micro-vesicles based on the cononsolvency at water/methanol interface. This finding provides a subtle strategy to prepare hollow micro-vesicles by non-amphiphilic polymers without template participating. We proposed a new concept “interfacial cononsolvency” to describe the formation process. Due to the easy modification process, sugar-contained PNIPAm chains are synthesized by copolymerization. As an application example, it is shown that these sugar-contained PNIPAm chains can afford “sweet” micro-vesicles (containing glucose residues). And the “sweet” micro-vesicles can well mimick the protocells which are involved in the recognition of bacteria.

To reduce the consumption of aluminum in the traditional production process of ferrotitanium, the use of economic electrical energy is considered to replace the chemical energy provided by the reaction of aluminum and heating agent. Analysis of slag by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and FactSage 7.2 revealed that heating-assisted aluminothermic reduction of ilmenite was a thermal explosion process. Increasing the Al ratio could promote the reduction of ilmenite and increase the recovery rate of Ti according to inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analysis and calculation. The optimal molar ratio of CaO to Al2O3 was 1:4 for the preparation of FeTi50, achieving good separation of alloy and slag and better Fe and Ti recovery rates than without CaO addition.

Blaps rynchopetera Fairmaire has a long history of use as a folk medicine in China for treating fever, cough, gastritis, boils, and tumors. In the present study, the content analyses, monosaccharide composition analyses, and the macrophage phagocytic activity of rynchopetera polysaccharides (RPS) were reported. B. rhynchoptera is rich in polysaccharides (content value 3.97%). Through PMP (1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone) pre-column derivatization and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) testing, the results showed that RPS consist of 8 known monosaccharides, including D-mannose (Man), Rhamnose (Rha), D-glucuronic acid (GlcUA), D-galacturonic acid (GalUA), D-glucose (Glc), D-galactose (Gal), Arabinose (Ara), and Fucose (Fuc), with the total content of 171.70 mg g−1 and Glc has the highest content of 45.40 mg g−1. The phagocytic ability of mouse peritoneal macrophages was investigated after RPS stimulating alone and combined with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). RPS played an important role in the engulfment of mouse peritoneal macrophages and can significantly enhance the phagocytic ability of macrophages. However, no synergistic effects were observed when RPS combined with LPS.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive malignant brain tumour that is resistant to existing therapeutics. Identifying signalling pathways deregulated in GBM that can be targeted therapeutically is critical to improve the present dismal prognosis for GBM patients. In this report, we have identified that the BRG1 (Brahma‐Related Gene‐1) catalytic subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complex promotes the malignant phenotype of GBM cells. We found that BRG1 is ubiquitously expressed in tumour tissue from GBM patients, and high BRG1 expression levels are localized to specific brain tumour regions. Knockout (KO) of BRG1 by CRISPR‐Cas9 gene editing had minimal effects on GBM cell proliferation, but significantly inhibited GBM cell migration and invasion. BRG1‐KO also sensitized GBM cells to the anti‐proliferative effects of the anti‐cancer agent temozolomide (TMZ), which is used to treat GBM patients in the clinic, and selectively altered STAT3 tyrosine phosphorylation and gene expression. These results demonstrate that BRG‐1 promotes invasion and migration, and decreases chemotherapy sensitivity, indicating that it functions in an oncogenic manner in GBM cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that targeting BRG1 in GBM may have therapeutic benefit in the treatment of this deadly form of brain cancer.

In an attempt to enhance the low-temperature dischargeability of A2B7-type hydrogen storage alloy, the addition of alane (AlH3) by convenient ball milling method was investigated based on La-Y-Ni superlattice alloy containing Y2Ni7-type phase and YNi3-type phase primarily. The maximum discharge capacity of the composite with doping 1 wt.% AlH3 increased by 364.2% reaching 208.9 mAh g−1 at 233 K compared with the pristine sample. The initial high-rate discharge capacity of doping 1 wt.% AlH3 sample reached 151.7 mAh g−1 at 4000 mA g−1 current density. The improvement could be ascribed to strengthening of hydrogen diffusion channel and acceleration of H-kinetics at low temperatures derived from formation of new porous structure and modification of lattice defects by dissolution of aluminum on the surface. It has made a powerfully contribution to a pace of commercialization of A2B7-type superlattice hydrogen storage alloy applying in high altitude or latitude regions.

Medical coatings are now playing key roles in the practical use of biomedical devices. By fabricating coatings, the biocompatibility of the devices would be significantly improved, and their biofunctions would be multiplied. Biomedical devices can thus satisfy the clinical requirements to a better extent with the help of coatings. Polymers and inorganic materials are the most used components in the medical coatings, while they both show limitations. By combining polymers and inorganic materials, researchers can fabricate coatings with the advantages of both components. The inorganic-polymer composite coatings would be much more qualified to enhance biocompatibility and bioactivity of the medical devices, showing great potentials in biomedical applications. In this review, we summarize the inorganic-polymer composite biomedical coatings. We introduce metal and metal oxide-based, carbon-based, ceramic-based, and silica-based composite coatings. We illustrate that what materials were used, how they were designed and fabricated into coatings, and what goals the composite coatings realized.

Dimeric natural products are a collection of molecules with diverse molecular architectures and significant bio-activities. In this tutorial review, total synthesis of complex dimeric natural products accomplished in recent years are summarized and various dimerization strategies are discussed. By highlighting the selected representative examples, this review aims to demonstrate the recent tactics of dimerization which is an important process integrated into the whole synthetic sequences of dimeric natural products, provide insights on structural and chemical properties of monomers and dimers of related natural products, and promote further technological advances in organic synthesis and biological studies of complex dimeric natural products.

The first and enantioselective total synthesis of the heterodimeric biaryl antifungal natural product parnafungin A1 as well as complex biaryl tetrahydroxanthone 10a-epi-hirtusneanine is accomplished, by employing cross-coupling through the benzoxaborole strategy to construct their sterically hindered biaryl cores. Besides the powerful Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling, the synthesis of parnafungin A1 also features a highly diastereoselective oxa-Michael addition to construct a tetrahydroxanthone skeleton, and an effective Zn-mediated reductive cyclization-Mitsunobu sequence to furnish the isoxazolidinone structure. Key innovations in total synthesis of 10a-epi-hirtusneanine include the employment of DTBS protection for functional group manipulation on the tetrahydroxanthone skeleton, stereoselective methylations, and complete reversal of the stereochemistry of the C5-hydroxy group using oxidation/Evans–Saksena reduction, as well as the strategy of preparing both complex tetrahydroxanthone monomers from the same chiral intermediate 25., The first, enantioselective total synthesis of the heterodimeric biaryl antifungal natural product parnafungin A1 as well as 10a-epi-hirtusneanine is accomplished, using a cross-coupling strategy to construct their sterically hindered biaryl cores.

Background Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains a fatal gastrointestinal disorder in neonates and has very limited therapeutic options. Sialylated human milk oligosaccharides (SHMOs) improve pathological changes in experimental NEC models. The objectives of this study were to investigate the involvement of NLRP3 inflammasome in NEC pathology and to explore the effects of SHMOs on toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor κB (NF-κB)/NLRP3 inflammatory pathway in experimental NEC. Methods The intestinal-tissue segments were collected from NEC infants, NLRP3 and caspase-1 positive cell were examined by immunohistochemistry. Newborn rats were hand-fed with formula containing or non-containing SHMOs (1500 mg/L) and exposed to hypoxia/cold stress to induce experimental NEC. The NEC pathological scores were evaluated; ileum protein expression of membrane TLR4 (mTLR4), inhibitor κB-α (IκB-α), NF-κB p65 subunit and phospho-NF-κB p65, as well as NLRP3 and caspase-1 were analyzed; ileum concentrations of interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were also measured. Human colon epithelial Caco-2 cells were pre-treated with or without SHMOs and stimulated with TLR4 activator, lipopolysaccharide. Cell viabilities, mitochondrial membrane potential and supernatant matrix metalloprotease 2 (MMP-2) activities were analyzed. Results Increased frequencies of NLRP3 and caspase-1 positive cells were found in the lamina propria of damaged intestinal area of NEC neonates. SHMOs supplementation reduced NEC incidence and pathological damage scores of rats challenged with hypoxia/cold stress. Accumulation of interleukin-1β, interleukin-6 and TNF-α in NEC group were attenuated in SHMOs + NEC group. Protein expression of mTLR4, NLRP3 and caspase-1 were elevated, cytoplasmic IκB-α were reduced, nuclear phospho-NF-κB p65 were increased in the ileum of NEC rats. SHMOs supplementation ameliorated the elevation of mTLR4, NLRP3 and caspase-1, restored IκB-α in the cytoplasmic fraction and reduced phospho-NF-κB p65 in the nuclear fraction in the ileum of NEC rats. SHMOs pre-treatment improved Caco-2 cell viability, mitigated loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and modulated MMP-2 activities in the presence of lipopolysaccharide in-vitro. Conclusions This study provided clinical evidence of involvement of NLRP3 inflammasome in NEC pathology, and demonstrated the protective actions of SHMOs might be owing to the suppression of TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3-mediated inflammation in NEC.

Song Yang, 1, 2,* Gaohua Han, 1, 2,* Quan Chen, 2, 3 Lei Yu, 1, 2 Peng Wang, 1, 2 Qi Zhang, 1, 2 Jiang Dong, 1, 2 Wei Zhang, 2, 4 Junxing Huang 1, 2 1Department of Oncology, Taizhou People’s Hospital, Taizhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Thoracic Surgery, Taizhou People’s Hospital, Taizhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Infectious Disease, Taizhou People’s Hospital, Taizhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Wei ZhangDepartment of Infectious Disease, Taizhou People’s Hospital, No. 399, South Hailing Road, Taizhou, 225300 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-523-86606739Email zw562652291@126.comJunxing HuangDepartment of Oncology, Taizhou People’s Hospital, No. 399, South Hailing Road, Taizhou, 225300 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-523-86606739Email hjxtz@sina.cnBackground: Radiotherapy occupies an essential position as one of the most significant approaches for the clinical treatment of cancer. However, we cannot overcome the shortcoming of X-rays which is the high value of the oxygen enhancement ratio (OER). Radiosensitizers with the ability to enhance the radiosensitivity of tumor cells provide an alternative to changing X-rays to protons and heavy ion radiotherapy.Materials and Methods: We prepared the Au-Pt nanoparticles (Au-Pt NPs) using a one-step method. The characteristics of the Au-Pt NPs were determined using TEM, HAADF-STEM, elemental mapping images, and DLS. The enhanced radiotherapy was demonstrated in vitro using MTT assays, colony formation assays, fluorescence imaging, and flow cytometric analyses of the apoptosis. The biodistribution of the Au-Pt NPs was analyzed using ICP-OES, and thermal images. The enhanced radiotherapy was demonstrated in vitro using immunofluorescence images, tumor volume and weigh, and hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) staining.Results: Polyethylene glycol (PEG) functionalized nanoparticles composed of the metallic elements Au and Pt were designed to increase synergistic radiosensitivity. The mechanism demonstrated that heavy metal NPs possess a high X-ray photon capture cross-section and Compton scattering effect which increased DNA damage. Furthermore, the Au-Pt NPs exhibited enzyme-mimicking activities by catalyzing the decomposition of endogenous H 2O 2 to O 2 in the solid tumor microenvironment (TME).Conclusion: Our work provides a systematically administered radiosensitizer that can selectively reside in a tumor via the EPR effect and enhances the efficiency of treating cancer with radiotherapy.Keywords: radiosensitizer, nano-enzyme, TME, radiotherapy

The re-release process and the release rate of heavy metals, cadmium and plumbum, which are rich in sediments of a certain water area, were investigated using a combined experimental and numerical method. Results show that the release law of Cd and Pb in sediments is divided into two stages: rapid release and dynamic equilibrium, which is in great agreement with the pseudo second-order kinetic equation with a correlation coefficient R2 above 0.99. As the flow velocity accelerates, the release rate of heavy metals increases. The analysis results indicate that the water quality in the area can exceed the surface water Class V standard less than 3 h, and all but one of the relative deviations between the simulation value and the field survey result are within ±10%.

In recent years, interfacial technology encompassing attributes such as defect passivation and stability enhancement of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has captivated the solar research fraternity wi...

Transcription factors play key roles in cell-fate decisions by regulating 3D genome conformation and gene expression. The traditional view is that methylation of DNA hinders transcription factors binding to them, but recent research has shown that many transcription factors prefer to bind to methylated DNA. Therefore, identifying such transcription factors and understanding their functions is a stepping-stone for studying methylation-mediated biological processes. In this paper, a two-step discriminated method was proposed to recognize transcription factors and their preference for methylated DNA based only on sequences information. In the first step, the proposed model was used to discriminate transcription factors from non-transcription factors. The areas under the curve (AUCs) are 0.9183 and 0.9116, respectively, for the 5-fold cross-validation test and independent dataset test. Subsequently, for the classification of transcription factors that prefer methylated DNA and transcription factors that prefer non-methylated DNA, our model could produce the AUCs of 0.7744 and 0.7356, respectively, for the 5-fold cross-validation test and independent dataset test. Based on the proposed model, a user-friendly web server called TFPred was built, which can be freely accessed at http://lin-group.cn/server/TFPred/., Graphical Abstract, Transcription factors binding to methylated DNA perform special and unclear functions. Lin and colleagues developed a machine-learning-based method to predict transcription factors and their preference for methylated DNA, which will help the discovery of methylated DNA-bound transcription factors and the study of their functions.

In order to study the precipitation behaviour of phosphorus-containing precipitates in the rolling and cooling process of phosphorus-containing high-strength interstitial free steels, and to solve ...

Cryopreservation of ovarian tissues (OTs) has become the most effective way to preserve the fertility of female cancer patients. However, cryopreservation of OTs is still relatively at an experimental stage. The aim of study is to examine the effect of melatonin (MTL) on cryopreserved-thawed OTs. Fragments of OTs were cryopreserved in medium containing different concentrations (0 mM, 0.001 mM, 0.01 mM, 0.1 mM and 1 mM) of MLT. The endogenous enzymes (GSH-PX, GSH, SOD, CAT and T-AOC), MDA and ROS levels were all evaluated after cryopreservation. Our results showed that the 0.1 mM of MLT significantly improved the survival and diameter of follicles (P 0.001). Meanwhile, the antioxidant enzymes activities (including GSH-PX, GSH, SOD, CAT and T-AOC) were enhanced and MDA content were significantly decreased in 0.1 mM of MLT group compared to other groups (P 0.001). Additionally, compared to the control group, MTL of 0.1 mM resulted in a significantly lower ROS level. In conclusion, MLT protects the quality of cryopreserved OTs by decreasing oxidative stress level and the optimal concentration is 0.1 mM.

The fatigue crack growth behavior of medium-density polyethylene (MDPE) under constant amplitude load was experimented on plate specimens. The effect of additional imposed single overload was also researched. An optimized crack front marking method was developed to obtain the actual crack front shape of polymer materials in fatigue crack growth, which was successfully applied to the studied MDPE. The results showed that the retardation of fatigue crack growth evidently appeared after the tensile overload was applied, which was similar to metallic materials. The passivation of the wedge-shaped plastic zone was a primary cause to crack retardation. The theory based on residual stress was introduced to describe the retardation effect, and the plastic zone size of crack tip was calculated by the Dugdale model. The Wheeler model was successfully used to fit the decreased crack growth rate.

Ginseng rusty root (GRR) symptom is one of the primary diseases of ginseng. There has been a problem of ginseng rusty root, leading to a severe decline in the quality of ginseng. To clarify the relationship between root symptoms of ginseng rust and soil, the physical and chemical properties, enzyme activity, community structure and microbial diversity of GRR and healthy ginseng (HG) rhizosphere soil were analyzed and compared. The pH and redox potential (Eh) of GRR soil decreased, and the contents of total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK) decreased. The activity of catalase and phosphatase and invertase was lower than that of HG groups. Besides, the microbial community of GRR rhizosphere soil changes much, and its abundance and diversity are significantly reduced. The community structure of GRR rhizosphere soil also shows apparent differences, and the samples of the HG group gathered together, and the samples of the GRR group were dispersed. In general, GRR was closely associated with decreases in soil pH and Eh; decreases in TP, AP, and AK; decreases in the activity of several enzymes. Additionally, it is strongly associated with an increase in pathogenic microorganisms such as Ilyonectria and a reduction of beneficial microorganisms such as Tremellomycetes Acidobacteria subgroup 6 and Gemmatimonadetes.

Heterogeneous Fenton system has been widely used in water treatment because of its effective degradability in a wide range of pH. A two-step hydrothermal method for the synthesis of Fe3O4/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) aerogel was designed as an efficient and recyclable heterogeneous Fenton catalyst for degradation of methylene blue (MB). Firstly, the Fe3O4 colloidal solution was synthesized by hydrothermal progress. Secondly, graphene oxide hydrogels were formed by the self-assembling and reduced to graphene during the hydrothermal reaction. Meanwhile, zero-dimensional Fe3O4 nanoparticles were anchored onto the graphene oxide through the colloidal coagulation effect. The obtained samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, Zeta, XPS, Raman, TG, and VSM. Adsorption isotherm and kinetics of MB onto Fe3O4/RGO composites revealed that the maximum adsorption capacity was 163.83 mg/g, and the adsorption process confirmed to the pseudo-second-order model. The determinants of heterogeneous Fenton system including oxidant concentration, initial pH, and reaction mechanism were investigated. The studies indicated that MB degradation efficiencies increased with the initial pH increasing (pH 3–10), showing a complete degradation in alkaline condition within 60 min. It is due to that catalytic reaction mainly occurs on the solid–liquid interface, as pH values increase, the electrostatic attraction between the cationic MB molecules and the surface of Fe3O4/RGO increases, the enhancement of adsorptivity is helpful to improve catalytic activity. The catalyst can be easily recovered by an applied magnetic field and exhibited excellent stability after five degradation cycles.

In this paper, detailed investigations on the reduction characteristics and kinetics mechanism of Russian high-chromium vanadium–titanium magnetite pellets under gas atmospheres of CO–CO2–N2 and CO...

In this work, the carbothermal reduction and hydrochloric acid leaching were utilized for separation and recovery of iron and rare earth from the Bayan Obo tailings. The effects of temperature, add...

Background An accumulating amount of evidence has suggested that there is a contributive role of sympathetic nervous hyperactivity in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). α1-AR promotes an increase in calcium levels in podocytes and adjusts podocyte contraction. Changes in TRPC6 expression and function can directly affect the podocyte cytoskeleton, which is a key component in podocyte injury. This study proposed to clarify the correlation between α1-AR activation-induced signal cascade reaction and TRPC6 in human podocytes. Methods Human podocytes were incubated with the calcium probe Fluo-3/AM. Next, the effects of the α1-AR agonists or antagonists and nonselective TRPC6 blockers on intracellular calcium were observed under laser confocal microscopy. FITC-phalloidin was employed to stain podocytes, and the change of F-actin under the α1-AR activation condition was observed. Results The α1-AR agonist PE (phenylephrine hydrochloride) induced an increase in intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in human podocytes. Moreover, the downregulation of TRPC6 by siRNA or TRPC blocker could attenuate the PE-induced [Ca2+]i elevation in a phospholipase C (PLC)-dependent pattern. When podocytes were stimulated to the PE, their F-actin fiber cytoskeletal structure was lost. PE subsequently increased the expression of RhoA, and the TRPC6-dependent Ca2+ influx was involved in this process. The abnormal activation of RhoA could result in disturbance of the podocyte skeleton structure, thus leading to podocyte injury. Conclusions We concluded that TRPC6 is involved in α1-AR activation-induced calcium signal changes in podocytes. Meanwhile, the α1-AR agonists can destroy the cell's cytoskeletal structure, which is mediated by TRPC6 via the RhoA/ROCK pathway.

TiO2 nanopowders and Cu-doped TiO2 were prepared by high-energy ball milling and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis diffuse reflectance (UV–vis - DRS) spectra, a scanning electron microscope (SEM), an energy dispersive spectrum (EDS) and an X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) to study the effect of Cu doping amount, milling time and balls-to-powder ratio on the microstructure and antimicrobial activity of the nanopowders. The results show that the mean size of the powders is reduced to below 100 nm after 3 h of milling. The prepared copper-doped TiO2 powders have excellent antibacterial activity against the Gram bacteria, which depends on the degree of copper doping.

Background Astrocytes are crucial regulators in the central nervous system. Abnormal activation of astrocytes contributes to some behavior deficits. However, mechanisms underlying the effects remain unclear. Here, we studied the activation of A1 astrocytes and their contribution to murine behavior deficits. Methods A1 astrocytes were induced by treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro. The functional phenotype of astrocytes was determined by quantitative RT-PCR, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry. To assess the role of A1 astrocytes in vivo, mice were injected intraperitoneally with LPS. Then, murine behaviors were tested, and the hippocampus and cortex were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry. The function of IL-10 and fluorocitrate on A1 astrocyte activation was also examined. Results Our results show that astrocytes isolated from B6.129S6-Il10tm1Flv/J homozygotes (IL-10tm1/tm1) were prone to characteristics of A1 reactive astrocytes. Compared with their wild-type counterparts, IL-10tm1/tm1 astrocytes exhibited higher expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Whether or not they were stimulated with LPS, IL-10tm1/tm1 astrocytes exhibited enhanced expression of A1-specific transcripts and proinflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6, and TNFα. In addition, IL-10tm1/tm1 astrocytes demonstrated hyperphosphorylation of STAT3. Moreover, astrocytes from IL-10tm1/tm1 mice showed attenuated phagocytic ability and were neurotoxic. IL-10tm1/tm1 mice demonstrated increased immobility time in the forced swim test and defective learning and memory behavior in the Morris water maze test. Moreover, enhanced neuroinflammation was found in the hippocampus and cortex of IL-10tm1/tm1 mice, accompanying with more GFAP-positive astrocytes and severe neuron loss in the hippocampus. Pretreatment IL-10tm1/tm1 mice with IL-10 or fluorocitrate decreased the expression of proinflammatory factors and A1-specific transcripts in the hippocampus and cortex, and then alleviated LPS-induced depressive-like behavior. Conclusion These results demonstrate that astrocytes isolated from B6.129S6-Il10tm1Flv/J homozygotes are prone to A1 phenotype and contribute to the depression-like behavior and memory deficits. Inhibiting A1 astrocyte activation may be an attractive therapeutic strategy in some neurodegenerative diseases.

Poor solubility and dissolution property of pharmaceuticals largely limits their bioavailability and efficacy, and development of a multicomponent crystal is one of the effective approaches to pote...

A series of MnOx modified TiO2 based sorbents were synthesized using wet impregnation method and its performance on elemental mercury (Hg0) removal was studied. The effects of loading amount, calcination temperature, reaction temperature, and flue gas compositions on mercury removal efficiency were investigated. The sorbents were characterized by TGA, N2 adsorption-desorption, XRD, FT-IR, XPS and Hg-TPD. It was shown that the optimum MnOx loading value was 12%, and the optimal calcination and reaction temperature were 450 and 300°C, respectively. The highest mercury removal efficiency of MnOx-TiO2 sorbent was 98.46%. O2 and HCl in flue gas played a positive role in mercury removal. SO2 had a strong inhibitory effect on mercury removal, which may be due to the competition adsorption between SO2 and Hg0. At the same time, the manganese sulfate produced during the reaction covered the surface of the active site, resulting in the decrease in mercury removal efficiency. CO2 and NO in flue gas also slightly inhibited mercury removal. Mn4+ participated in oxidizing Hg0 to Hg2+, accompanied with its reduction to Mn3+. The adsorption and oxidation process of Hg0 over MnOx-TiO2 basically conformed to Mars-Maessen and Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism.

Cobalt-doped titania (Co-TiO2) nanomaterials were synthesized by the sol–gel method at different calcination temperatures. Using Escherichia coli (a), Staphylococcus aureus (b) and Candida albicans (c) as target strains, the antibacterial activity in visible light of the nanomaterials were studied. Co-TiO2 nanomaterials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The Co ions in the Co-TiO2 nanomaterial exist in the form of CoTiO3 phase. The antibacterial properties of Co-TiO2 nanomaterials on E. coli (a), S. aureus (b) and C. albicans (c) were investigated with the oscillating flask method and the inhibition zone method. The nanomaterials calcined at 600 °C exhibit excellent antibacterial activity. The bacteriostatic rates for E. coli, S. aureus and C. albicans reached 99.5%, 91.3% and 93.4% respectively. The diameters of the antibacterial rings were up to 36 mm, 37 mm, 30 mm respectively, and the clarity of the ring was clear. The antibacterial properties of Co-TiO2 nanomaterials were compared with those of traditional silver sol, zinc oxide sol and Zn-doped TiO2 nanomaterials The mechanism of the influences of Co ions doping on the antibacterial activity of TiO2 nanomaterials was also discussed. The doping of Co ions inhibits the particle size of the antibacterial agent and extends the photocatalytic response range, thereby improving the photocatalytic performance of the antibacterial agent.

Metastable zone widths (MSZWs) are one of the crucial parameters in solution crystallization process optimization whose accuracy would determine the crystalline product quality and process robustne...

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are great candidates for energy storage systems, but need to overcome the issues of low sulfur utilization and polysulfide shuttling for use in large-scale commercial applications. Recently, quaternized polymers have received much attention for their polysulfide trapping properties due to electrostatic interaction. In this work, we report a series of polyarylether sulfone (PSF) binders with different cation structures including imidazolium (Im), triethylammonium (Tr), and morpholinium (Mo). The ability of the these quaternized binders and the conventional poly(vinylidene fluoride) or PVDF binder to capture polysulfide increases in the order of PVDF