Search

A salt‐tolerant variety (Chuanqiao No.1) and a salt‐sensitive variety (Chuanqiao No.2) of Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum [L.] Gaertn.) were used as experimental materials to study the effect of saline soil and amino acids on quality and yield. The treatment concentration of Pro (proline), Glu (glutamic acid), and Asp (aspartic acid) was 30, 60, and 40 μM, respectively. Three kinds of amino acids were sprayed twice on the leaves at seedling stage (30 days after sowing) and flowering stage (50 days after sowing). The results showed that Tartary buckwheat in saline soil is more enriched in calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and selenium (Se), and Tartary buckwheat in saline soil is more nutritious. Under appropriate kinds of amino acids treatment, the seed protein and rutin content of Tartary buckwheat were increased, and the Tartary buckwheat quality can be obviously increased. In particular, amino acids treatment can increase the yield of Tartary buckwheat in saline soil, Asp and Glu are the best in salt‐tolerant variety and salt‐sensitive one and more obvious in salt‐tolerant variety.

Owing to the strong hydrophobicity of zein, improved solubility is required to enhance the recovery of bioactive peptides. Using a zein suspension prepared by the antisolvent precipitation method, the impact of varying the voltage during dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) treatment on the physicochemical and conformational properties of zein in water was investigated. Analysis of the particle size, specific surface area, and free sulfhydryl content indicated that the protein solubility was maximized by treatment at 70 V for 70 s. DBD treatment destroyed covalent bonds and introduced some hydrophilic groups onto the zein surface, thus enhancing the contact area with water molecules and leading to a more uniform dispersion. A decrease in the hydrodynamic radius of zein micelles indicated that intermolecular interactions were disrupted, thus improving dispersion stability. A more hydrophilic microenvironment was formed owing to the reduction in hydrophobic interactions. Additionally, evaluation of the secondary structure demonstrated that DBD treatment broke hydrogen bonds, resulting in a loose conformation with more exposed sites of action for water. These results are expected to facilitate the development of technologies for improving utilization of zein. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Strong hydrophobicity limits the application of zein in the food industry. The study indicated that DBD treatment could promote loose structure, and improve dispersion stability and hydrophilicity of zein suspension prepared by antisolvent precipitation method. This work revealed the potential of cold plasma treatment for modifying zein and other insoluble proteins, which would expand their scope of application.

Salt-tolerant variety Chuanqiao No. 1 and salt-sensitive variety Chuanqiao No. 2 of Tartary buckwheat were used as experimental materials. The effect of aspartic acid on seed germination, physiological characteristics of seedlings and gene expression of salt exclusion in Tartary buckwheat were studied under NaCl stress of 150 mM. The results showed that the aspartic acid treatment could restore the seed germination rate and root vigor of seedlings to the control with non-damage level in salt-tolerant Tartary buckwheat variety under salt stress, and the salt-sensitive variety was increased greatly. Spraying aspartic acid had some protective effects on cell membrane of leaves in Tartary buckwheat under salt stress, and the protective effects were more obviously on salt-sensitive variety, and that could restore the activity of SOD and CAT of leaves to the control level in salt-tolerant Tartary buckwheat variety under salt stress, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes in salt-sensitive variety was increased significantly. The relative expression of FtNHX1 and FtSOS1 genes was increased significantly under salt stress, and that of FtNHX1 gene in salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive varieties was reached the maximum expression level at 12 h and 24 h respectively, while that of FtSOS1 gene in salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive varieties was reached the maximum expression level at 12 h, and the salt-tolerant variety was increased greatly. After spraying aspartic acid, the relative expression of FtNHX1 and FtSOS1 genes was increased more obviously. The relative expression of FtNHX1 gene in salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive varieties was reached the maximum expression level at 12 h, while that of FtSOS1 gene was reached the maximum expression level at 12 h and 24 h respectively, and that in salt-tolerant variety was increased especially more, indicating that spraying aspartic acid on gene expression of salt exclusion in salt-tolerant variety of Tartary buckwheat has a better effect under salt stress.

A new Co/La 2 O 3 -La 4 Ga 2 O 9 catalyst was prepared by reducing LaCo 1− x Ga x O 3 perovskite and used in the direct synthesis of ethanol from CO 2 hydrogenation. The composite catalyst was characterized by XRD, XPS, TPD and TEM and its catalytic performance in CO 2 hydrogenation was investigated in a micro fixed-bed reactor operated at 230−290°C, 3 MPa, gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 3000 mL/(g cat ·h) and H 2 /CO 2 molar ratio of 3.0. The results indicate that the Co/La-Ga-O composite oxide catalyst exhibits high selectivity to ethanol in CO 2 hydrogenation. In comparison with the LaCoO 3 catalyst, the incorporation of Ga dopant can inhibit the formation of CH 4 and then promote the production of alcohols, especially ethanol. With a Co/Ga atomic ratio of 7:3, the Co/La-Ga-O composite oxide catalyst displays the best performance in CO 2 hydrogenation, with a CO 2 conversion of 9.8%, a selectivity of 74.7% to total alcohols and ethanol content of 88.1% in the alcohols mixture. On the basis of the experimental results, it is speculated that the synergistic effect of surface Co 0 and Co δ+ may contribute to the excellent performance of the Co/La 2 O 3 -La 4 Ga 2 O 9 catalyst in CO 2 hydrogenation to ethanol.

Spatiotemporal changes in China's carbon emissions during the 11th and 12th Five‐Year Plan periods are quantified for the first time through a reconstructed nationwide high‐resolution gridded data set. The hot spots of carbon emissions in China have expanded by 28.5% (toward the west) in the north and shrunk by 18.7% in the south; meanwhile, the emission densities in North and South China have increased by 15.7% and 49.9%, respectively. This suggests a clear transition to a more intensive economic growth model in South China as a result of the energy conservation and emission reduction policies, while the expanded carbon hot spots in North China are mainly dominated by the Grand Western Development Program. The results also show that China's carbon emissions exhibit a typical spatially intensive, high‐emission pattern, which has undergone a slight relaxation (up to 3%) from 2007 to 2012 due to a typical urbanization process.

Background Circulating fibrocytes (CFs) have been shown to participate in subepithelial fibrosis of asthma with chronic airflow limitation by acting as an important source of fibroblasts deposited beneath airway epithelia. Serum amyloid P (SAP) is an innate inhibitor of fibrocytes differentiation. Store-operated Ca 2+ entry (SOCE) is the major Ca 2+ influx of non-excitable cells. In this study, the role of SOCE in the regulation of fibrocytes differentiation and the effects of Th2 cytokine IL-4 and SAP on SOCE of fibrocytes were investigated. Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells or monocytes were cultured in serum-free medium for 7 days to differentiate into fibrocytes; the expression of SOC channels was determined with PCR, SOCE was measured with Ca 2+ fluorescence imaging. Results IL-4 significantly promoted monocyte derived fibrocytes differentiation in vitro . It also increased both SOCE which was induced by thapsigargin or UTP and molecules STIM1 and Orai1 which were related to expression of SOC channels in fibrocytes. Fibrocytes differentiation induced by IL-4 and SOC channels activity could be inhibited by SOC channel blocker SKF-96365. As expected, SAP significantly inhibited IL-4-induced differentiation of fibrocytes, the activity of SOCE and the expression of STIM1 and Orai1 in IL-4-treated fibrocytes. Conclusion IL-4 and SAP reversely regulates cultured fibrocytes differentiation in vitro by respectively promoting or inhibiting the expression and activity of SOC channels in fibrocytes.

A fluorescent probe, with simplicity of structure and convenience of synthesis, is capable of detecting cysteine over other biothiols, such as homocysteine and glutathione. The detection limit of 60 nM and 190-fold increase in fluorescence intensity offer advantage for detection of Cys in biological systems. Furthermore, the probe 1 could be applied in bioimaging. We designed and synthesized the fluorescent probe 1, which displayed a highly selective and sensitive response to Cys over Hcy/GSH. The detection limit of 60 nM and 190-fold increase in fluorescence intensity offer advantage for detection of Cys in biological systems. Furthermore, the probe 1 could be applied in bioimaging.

Salt-tolerant variety of Chuanqiao No.1 and salt-sensitive variety of Chuanqiao No.2 in Tartary buckwheat were used as experimental materials, through treatment of foliar spraying amino acids to study the effect of exogenous amino acids on yield and quality of Tartary buckwheat in non-saline and saline-alkali soil. The results showed that the treatment of amino acids could significantly increase the yield of Tartary buckwheat in saline-alkali soil, under appropriate treatment of amino acids, the content of seed protein, mineral element and rutin in two Tartary buckwheat varieties was significantly increased in non-saline and saline-alkali soil, and that in salt-tolerant Tartary buckwheat variety was increased obviously higher than that in salt-sensitive one. It indicated that the effect of exogenous amino acids on yield and quality varies obviously between the two Tartary buckwheat varieties. In addition, through measuring the soil composition of non-saline and saline-alkali soil, we found that the content of calcium in saline-alkali soil was higher, and that of iron and selenium in saline-alkali soil was significantly lower than that in non-saline one, while that of calcium, iron and selenium of Tartary buckwheat seeds in saline-alkali soil was significantly higher than that in non-saline one, indicating that the Tartary buckwheat in saline-alkali soil shows enrichment in calcium, iron and selenium, and should be more nutritious than that in non-saline one. From the actual usage of amino acids, the amount of amino acid used per hectare is less and the price is low, so it is very suitable for popularization and application in saline-alkali soil.

Hippocampal neuronal apoptosis is a devastating consequence of cardiac arrest (CA) and subsequent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In this study, we assessed the contribution of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-derived toxic mediator granzyme B (Gra-b) to the hippocampal neuronal apoptosis following CA/CPR in rats. Rats that experienced CA/CPA presented with cytosomal shrinkage, dense cytoplasm, and intensive eosinophilic staining in the CA1 region of dorsal hippocampus. CA/CPR rats also exhibited inability in spatial navigation and a local infiltration of peripheral CD8+ T cells into the hippocampus. The protein levels of Gra-b, cleaved Caspase-3, and cleaved PARP1 were significantly elevated in rats undergoing CA/CPR. Pretreatment with Gra-b inhibitor suppressed Gra-b release, attenuated hippocampal neuronal apoptosis, as well as improved cognitive impairment. Together, this study indicates that CTL-derived Gra-b is involved in the CA/CPR-induced neuronal apoptosis, and pharmacological manipulation of Gra-b may represent a novel avenue for the treatment of brain injury following CA/CPR.

The correct folding of proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is vital for plant adaptation to adverse environmental conditions. The genes related to the ER stress response in maize are far from clear. In this study, a maize nuclear factor, NF-YC14, was identified in the regulation of the ER stress response. Overexpression of NF-YC14 improves plant ER stress tolerance and up-regulates the expression of downstream ER stress response genes. Moreover, NF-YC14 involves abscisic acid (ABA) signaling and overexpression of NF-YC14 confers plant hypersensitivity to ABA. Furthermore, overexpression of NF-YC14 enhances the expression of downstream ER stress response genes mediated by the ABA signaling pathway in Arabidopsis. These results indicate that NF-YC14 and ABA signaling regulate the expression of ER stress response genes and NF-YC14 links ER stress response to ABA signaling.

Background β2 receptor agonists induce airway smooth muscle relaxation by increasing intracellular cAMP production. PKA is the traditional downstream signaling pathway of cAMP. Exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac) was identified as another important signaling molecule of cAMP recently. The role of Epac in asthmatic airway inflammation and airway remodeling is unclear. Methods We established OVA-sensitized and -challenged acute and chronic asthma mice models to explore the expression of Epac at first. Then, airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in acute asthma mice model and airway remodeling in chronic asthma mice model were observed respectively after treatment with Epac-selective cAMP analogue 8-pCPT-2′-O-Me-cAMP (8pCPT) and Epac inhibitor ESI-09. Next, the effects of 8pCPT and ESI-09 on the proliferation and apoptosis of in vitro cultured mouse airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) were detected with CCK-8 assays and Annexin-V staining. Lastly, the effects of 8pCPT and ESI-09 on store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) of ASMCs were examined by confocal Ca2+ fluorescence measurement. Results We found that in lung tissues of acute and chronic asthma mice models, both mRNA and protein expression of Epac1 and Epac2, two isoforms of Epac, were lower than that of control mice. In acute asthma mice model, the airway inflammatory cell infiltration, Th2 cytokines secretion and airway hyperresponsiveness were significantly attenuated by 8pCPT and aggravated by ESI-09. In chronic asthma mice model, 8pCPT decreased airway inflammatory cell infiltration and airway remodeling indexes such as collagen deposition and airway smooth muscle cell proliferation, while ESI-09 increased airway inflammation and airway remodeling. In vitro cultured mice ASMCs, 8pCPT dose-dependently inhibited, whereas ESI-09 promoted ASMCs proliferation. Interestingly, 8pCPT promoted the apoptosis of ASMCs, whereas ESI-09 had no effect on ASMCs apoptosis. Lastly, confocal Ca2+ fluorescence examination found that 8pCPT could inhibit SOCE in ASMCs at 100 μM, and ESI-09 promoted SOCE of ASMCs at 10 μM and 100 μM. In addition, the promoting effect of ESI-09 on ASMCs proliferation was inhibited by store-operated Ca2+ channel blocker, SKF-96365. Conclusions Our results suggest that Epac has a protecting effect on asthmatic airway inflammation and airway remodeling, and Epac reduces ASMCs proliferation by inhibiting SOCE in part.

AIM: To investigate the changes in the expression of microRNA-181a (miR-181a) and Bim in a rat model of retinal ischemia-reperfusion (RIR), to explore their target relationship in RIR and their involvement in regulating apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). METHODS: Target gene prediction for miR-181a was performed with the aid of bioinformatics and Bim was identified as a potential target gene of miR-181a. A rat model of RIR was created by increasing the intraocular pressure. RGCs in the flatmounted retinas were labeled with Brn3, a marker for alive RGCs, by immunofluorescent staining. The changes in the number of RGCs after RIR were recorded. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine the expression level of miR-181a in the retina. Bim/Brn3 double immunofluorescence was used to detect the localization of Bim. The expression of Bim in the retina was determined with the aids of Western blot and qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Compared with the negative control group, the density of RGCs was significantly lower in the ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-24h and I/R-72h groups (P

This paper presents a method to solidify/stabilize the municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash by originally employing the microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) technique. In this method, the rich endogenous calcium in the MSWI fly ash was utilized to induce calcite precipitation, which is different from the operation of adding extra calcium source in previous researches. The fly ash sample had a CaO content of 44.5%, and its leaching concentrations of Zn, Cr and Pb exceed the limits of the identification standard for hazardous wastes in China. The optical density at 600 nm (OD600) of the bacterial solution was about 1.0 after the processes of bacterial activation and reproduction. The prepared fly ash sample was well mixed with bacterial solution at an ash-liquid ratio of 1 kg: 0.3 L and cured at a temperature of 20 °C and a humidity of ≥95% for 7 days. After treatment, the heavy metal leachability significantly reduced to meet the standard for pollution control of landfill site, and the unconfined compressive strength increased approximately 40%. The precipitated carbonates were verified by SEM-EDS analysis and quantified by measurement of carbonate content via acid-dissolving method. The results shone a light on the possibility of using MICP technique as a useful and efficient tool to stabilize the MSWI fly ash before being reused or properly stored in landfills. • The MICP method is efficient to reduce the heavy metal leachability and increase the compressive strength of MSWI fly ash. • The endogenous calcium in MSWI fly ash was utilized to induce calcite precipitation. • The heavy metals in MSWI fly ash were well immobilized by the formation of carbonates. Method name: Microbial induced solidification/stabilization method, Keywords: Microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP), Solidification/stabilization method, Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash, Endogenous calcium, Heavy metal leachability, Compressive strength

Common buckwheat (F. esculentum), annually herbaceous crop, is prevalent in people's daily life with the increasing development of economics. Compared with wheat, it is highly praised with high content of rutin and flavonoid. Common buckwheat is recognized as healthy food with good taste, and the product price of which such as noodles, flour, bread and so on are higher than wheat, and the seeds of which are bigger than that of tartary buckwheat, so if common buckwheat are planted more widely, people will spend less money on this healthy and delicious food. However, soil salinity has been a giant problem for agriculture production. The cultivation of salt tolerant crop varieties is an effective way to make full use of saline alkali land, and the highest salinity that the common buckwheat can sow is at 6.0%, so we chose 100 mM as the concentration of NaCl for treatment. Then we conducted transcriptome comparison between control and treatment groups. Potential regulatory genes related salt stress in common buckwheat were identified. A total of 29.36 million clean reads were produced via an illumina sequencing approach. We de novo assembled these reads into a transcriptome dataset containing 43,772 unigenes with N50 length of 1778 bp. A total of 26,672 unigenes could be found matches in public databases. GO, KEGG and Swiss-Prot classification suggested the enrichment of these unigenes in 47 sub-categories, 25 KOG and 129 pathways, respectively. We got 385 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after comparing the transcriptome data between salt treatment and control groups. There are some genes encoded for responsing to stimulus, cell killing, metabolic process, signaling, multi-organism process, growth and cellular process might be relevant to salt stress in common buckwheat, which will provide a valuable references for the study on mechanism of salt tolerance and will be used as a genetic information for cultivating strong salt tolerant common buckwheat varieties in the future.

Plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) plays an important role in regulating intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis by extruding excessive Ca2+ to extracellular spaces. PMCA has four isoforms and is widely expressed in different tissues and cells including airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs). In the present study, we investigated the role of PMCA in the maintenance of Ca2+ homeostasis and regulation of ASMCs proliferation. By using Ca2+ fluorescence, we found that inhibition of PMCA with LaCl3 or carboxyeosin (CE) decreased the decay rate of Ca2+ transient induced by bradykinin (BK). No obvious decay was observed when SERCA was inhibited by thapsigargin (TpG). LaCl3 and CE also induced a spontaneous [Ca2+]i increase in the presence of TpG even in Ca2+-free bath solution. Both LaCl3 and CE inhibited UTP-induced Ca2+ oscillations in ASMCs. PCR assay found that PMCA1 and PMCA4 mRNA were expressed in rat ASMCs. The expression of PMCA4 was downregulated in proliferating ASMCs when compared to resting cells. Both the isoform-nonselective PMCA inhibitor caloxin 2a1 and PMCA4-selective inhibitor caloxin 1b1 decreased the decay rate of Ca2+ transient induced by TpG or BK. PMCA inhibitors except caloxin 2a1 promoted ASMCs proliferation. Annexin-V apoptosis assay detected that caloxin 2a1 increased ASMCs apoptosis, suggesting that inhibition of PMCA with different blockers results in different [Ca2+]i and thus different cellular response. Our results provide evidences to support the hypothesis that PMCA is involved in the regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis and ASMCs proliferation. These data suggest that PMCA may be a new target in the treatment of chronic asthma.

This article gives an overview of study on injection molding process of thermoplastic polymer SPCs. The thermoplastic polymer Polypropylene (PP) was selected as the experimental materials. Our study proves that advantages of the PP SPCs are friendly recyclability and excellent fire/matrix adhesion. PP SPCs samples had good interfacial compatibility and bonding properties. The one-component SPCs have better interfacial bonding than the multi-component SPCs. Injection molding is the most effective method with a large process window and short cycle time for processing a thermoplastic SPC. Injection molding could be developed to realize PP SPCs production.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has contributed to advanced breast cancer development over the past decades. However, the mechanism underlying this contribution is poorly understood. In this study, we determined that high glucose enhanced proteasome activity was accompanied by enhanced proliferation, migration and invasion, as well as suppressed apoptosis, in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (BZM) pretreatment mitigated high glucose-induced MCF-7 cell growth and invasion. Furthermore, high glucose increased protein kinase C delta (PKC?)-phosphorylation. Administration of the specific PKC? inhibitor rottlerin attenuated high glucose-stimulated cancer cell growth and invasion. In addition, PKC? inhibition by both rottlerin and PKC? shRNA significantly suppressed high glucose-induced proteasome activity. Our results suggest that PKC?-dependent ubiquitin proteasome system activation plays an important role in high glucose- induced breast cancer cell growth and metastasis.

In this study, the effect of operating parameters and the co-existing ions on the phosphate removal during the ferrous iron oxidation was investigated. Results showed that with the increase of DO and [Fe (II)]0, the final phosphate removal rate both increased. But with increasing of pH, the final phosphate removal rate firstly increased and then decreased when the pH was higher than 8.0. The co-existing ions affected the final removal rate significantly, and the kinetics of phosphate removal followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The corresponding kobs trends for the cation followed the order of Cu2+>Mn2+>Zn2+>NH4+-N. The presence of Cu2+ promoted the phosphate removal significantly. Compared with the control, , the time required to achieve 40 % phosphate removal rate, at the condition of 0.5 mg/L Cu2+, reduced from 60 min to 10 s. However, the selective anions inhibited the phosphate removal, due to the formation of Fe-anions complexes. The effect of selective anions on the phosphate removal rate constant decreased in the order of SO42->Cl-> NO3-.

A rapid and sensitive LC-MS/MS method based on the Triple Quad system has been developed and validated for the determination and pharmacokinetics of taxifolin and its nanodispersion in rat plasma. Taxifolin plasma samples along with butylparaben (internal standard) were pre-treated by liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate, and then separated on a SB-C18 RRHD column (150 mm × 2.1 mm × 1.8 μm) using isocratic elution with a run time of 3.0 min. The mobile phase was acetonitrile–water (90:10, v/v) containing 5 mM ammonium acetate at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. Quantification of taxifolin was performed by the electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with negative atmospheric ionization at m/z 303.0→285.0 for taxifolin and 193.1→92.0 for I.S., respectively. The calibration curve of taxifolin showed good linearity over a concentration range of 5.0–4280 ng/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9995. The limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 5.0 ng/mL. Intra-day, inter-day precision and accuracy (percent relative to standard deviation) were all within 8% at three concentration levels. A total recovery of taxifolin and I.S. was beyond 75%. The present LC-MS/MS method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies of taxifolin after intravenous administration of taxifolin, oral administration of its physical mixture and nanodispersion. The absolute bioavailability of taxifolin was calculated as 0.75% for taxifolin nanodispersion and 0.49% for taxifolin, respectively.

The software of the catalytic distillation process of methyl tertiary butyl ether was developed by using Process Simulation System Platform. The isobutylene conversion rate was calculated by using the catalytic distillation software. The relative error of isobutylene conversion rate between the simulation results and the design data from the China Petroleum Hohhot Petrochemical Co. was less than 5%. The relative error satisfies industrial design requirements. At present, enterprise workers use this software to learn how to operate the catalytic distillation process. The catalytic distillation software is further used to study the influence of reaction temperature and reflux ratio on the isobutylene conversion rate which can be used for future empirical model development and control studies.

Complex microbial inoculants are highly effective compound bacteria which are widely used in the removal of pollutants, such as organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus in the paper, printing and dyeing, petroleum and high-salt wastewater. The development of complex microbial inoculants was introduced in this paper, especially their application and influence factors in wastewater treatment. Finally we put forward current problems and development prospects of complex microbial inoculants.

A new base-aluminum-chloride-loaded fiber [PET-AA-NN-Al2(OH)nCl6−n] was prepared with polyethylene glycol terephthalate (PET) as adsorbent for fast removal of arsenic (V) from water. This new fibrous adsorbent was characterized by using SEM and C NMR spectroscopy. Adsorption kinetic curve indicated that this new fibrous adsorbent could fast remove arsenic (V) from water, and adsorption isotherm also indicated that PET-AA-NN-Al2(OH)nCl6−n had high equilibrium adsorption capacity for arsenic (V).

With nitrite or nitrate nitrogen as electron acceptor in the high salt conditons, halophilic denitrifying bacteria can transfer nitrite or nitrate to nitrogen, thereby purifying the high-salt wastewater. Halophilic denitrifying bacteria play an important role in the carbon and nitrogen removal of saline wastewater, such as petroleum, chemical industry, seafood processing and seafood farming. This article dissussed halophilic denitrifying bacteria screening, the main types and the corresponding morphological characteristics, then we focused on the research progress of main factors of halophilic denitrifying bacteria’s growth and nitrogen removal. Finally put forward the current problems of the research and development trend of halophilic denitrifying bacteria.

An approach of preparing single polymer composites (SPCs) by injection molding was demonstrated. Polypropylene (PP) was used as a model system to investigate this method. The thermal properties of PP granules and PP fibers were analyzed by Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) to determine the processing temperatures. The flexural test of PP SPCs showed that the flexural strength was obviously improved compared to the non-reinforced PP. The results also indicated that the injection pressure, holding pressure and nozzle temperature greatly affect the flexural strength of PP SPCs. The microstructure observation showed no gaps between fibers and the matrix by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The matrix melt was able to penetrate into fiber webs and the two materials had good interfacial compatibility.

The graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) onto polyethylene glycol terephthalate (PET) fiber initiated by benzoy peroxide (BPO) was carried out in heterogeneous media. Moreover, modification of the grafted PET fiber (PET-AA) was done by changing the carboxyl group into acylamino and amino groups through the reaction with ethylenediamine. The new modified chelating fiber (NDWJN6) was characterized using elementary analysis, SEM and FT-IR spectroscopy. Adsorption kinetic curve indicated that NDWJN6 could fastly remove Pb 2+ from water, and adsorption isotherm also indicated that NDWJN6 had high equilibrium adsorption capacity for Pb 2+ .

The new hyper cross-linked chelating resin NDWJN2 modified with carboxyl groups was prepared for removal of Cu2+ and Ni2+ from water. NDWJN2 was characterized using BET, SEM and FT-IR spectroscopy. Comparing with commercial resins D113 and IRC84, NDWJN2 could remove Cu2+ and Ni2+ from water more effectively. Langmuir model could fit adsorption isotherms well.

The graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) onto polyethylene glycol terephthalate (PET) fiber initiated by benzoy peroxide (BPO) was carried out in heterogeneous media. Moreover, modification of the grafted PET fiber (PET-AA) was done by changing the carboxyl group into acylamino group through the reaction with dimethylamine. The modified chelating fiber (NDWJN1) was characterized using elementary analysis, SEM and FT-IR spectroscopy. Adsorption kinetic curves indicated that NDWJN1 could fast remove heavy metal ions and phytic acids from water effectively. Furthermore, batch kinetic studies indicated that heavy metal ions adsorbed to NDWJN1 could be fitted well by both pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order adsorption equations, but the intra-particle diffusion played a dominant role in the adsorption of phytic acids.

Single polytetrafluoroethylene composites were prepared of cold compression molding and free sintering with various cooling conditions. The microstructure and properties of single polytetrafluoroethylene composites were investigated. The tensile and flexural properties of PTFE SPCs were investigated with various cooling conditions. The results show that The tensile strength and the tensile modulus of the samples cooling with the furnace are higher than these of the samples cooling by air, and cooling by water. The effect on flexural properties is the same to that on tensile strength. The structure of single polytetrafluoroethylene composites were analyzed by IR and SEM. It shows that cooling with the furnace is the better way for preparing of single polytetrafluoroethylene composites.

This paper describes a novel method of producing single-polymer composites (SPCs) by combining compression molding and free sintering. By using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibers as reinforcing phase and PTFE powder as continuous phase, PTFE SPCs can be produced. The tensile and flexural properties of PTFE SPCs were investigated with variable sintering time, mass fraction of PTFE fibers, and filament diameter. Based on the orthogonal experimental method, the PTFE SPC prepared with a sintering time of 60 min, mass fraction of fibers of 5% and filament diameter of 40 μm has the best tensile performance. The PTFE PC prepared with a sintering time of 30 min, mass fraction of fibers of 5% and filament diameter of 30 μm has the best flexural performance. The mechanical properties of PTFE SPCs are better than those of pure PTFE.

A new unusual minor triterpenoid saponin, platycoside O (1), was isolated from the 75% EtOH extract obtained from the roots of Platycodon grandiflorum, together with four known saponins: platycoside M-3 (2), platycoside J (3), platycoside F (4) and platycoside B (5). The structure of 1 was determined as 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-2β,3β,16α,23-tetrahydroxyolean-12-en-24-methoxyl, 24-oxo-28-oic acid 28-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranoside on the basis of spectral analysis and chemical evidence.

Rhein, an active ingredient extensively found in plants such as Aloe, Cassitora L., rhubarb and so on, has been used for a long time in China. Pharmacological tests revealed that rhein not only had a strong antibacterial action, but also may be useful in cancer chemotherapy as a biochemical modulator. Its therapeutic action and toxicity is still the subject of considerable research. With microsome incubation assays in vitro and HPLC methods, the inhibition of rat liver CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2D6, CYP2E1 and CYP3A enzymes by rhein were studied kinetically. The results showed the most inhibition of CYP2E1 by rhein (K(i) = 10 microm, mixed); CYP3A and CYP2C9 were also inhibited by rhein, K(i) = 30 microm (mixed) and K(i) = 38 microm (mixed), respectively; rhein revealed some inhibition of CYP1A2 (K(i) = 62 microm, uncompetitive) and CYP2D6 (K(i) = 74 microm, mixed). Drug-drug interactions, especially cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated interactions, cause an enhancement or attenuation in the efficacy of co-administered drugs. Inhibition of the five major CYP enzymes observed for rhein suggested that changes in pharmacokinetics of co-administered drugs were likely to occur. Therefore, caution should be paid to the possible drug interaction of medicinal plants containing rhein and CYP substrates.

Oridonin, a diterpenoid isolated from Rabdosia rubescences, has been reported to have antitumor effects. In this study, the growth-inhibitory activity of oridonin for L929 cells was exerted in a time-and dose-dependent manner. After treatment with oridonin for 24 h, L929 cells underwent both apoptosis and necrosis as measured by an lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity-based assay. A rapid generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was triggered by oridonin, and subsequently up-regulation of phospho-p53 (ser 15) expression and an increased expression ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 was observed. Furthermore, there was a significant fall in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and increase in caspase-3 activity after exposure to oridonin for 24 h. Surprisingly, the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk and caspase3 inhibitor z-DEVD-fmk rendered L929 cells more sensitive to oridonin, rather than preventing oridonin-induced cell death. Oridonin and z-VAD-fmk co-treatment not only resulted in an even higher ROS production, but also made a more significant reduction in the MMP. Pretreatment of ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC) led to a complete inhibition of oridonin-induced cell death, intracellular ROS generation, and MMP collapse. NAC treatment also reversed the potentiation of cell death by the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk. Taken together, these observations showed that oridonin-induced cell death in L929 cells involved intracellular ROS generation, activation of phospho-p53 (ser 15), and up-regulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio; and the augmented cell death by z-VAD-fmk was dependent on an increased ROS production.

The study was undertaken to investigate the gene expressions in N -methy- N -nitrosourea (MNU)-induced rat retinal degeneration (RD) by performing microarray analysis of retinal RNA at 12 h. All rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a 12 h model group and a 24 h model group. Rats in the two model groups received a single intraperitoneal injection of 40 mg/kg body weight of MNU, while those in the normal group were injected with equivalent volume of physiological saline. After 12 h and 24 h of the injection, rats in each respective group were sacrificed, respectively. One eye of each animal was used for hematoxylin and erosin (H&E) staining, and fresh retinas of the other eye of each animal in the both normal group and 12 h model group were used to extract total RNA, which was analyzed by microarray and real time RT-PCR. Retinal histological alteration was found in the 24 h model group. There were 75 genes differently expressed (ratio ≥2.0), including 64 genes up-regulated and 11 genes down-regulated. Seven genes were assayed by real time RT-PCR and demonstrated the same alteration tendency as in microarray analysis. These genes that expressed differently mainly involved signal transduction, development, immune and defense, and apoptosis, etc. The major pathways were MAP-kinase signaling pathways, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway and apoptosis pathway involved. The results suggest that there are significant changes of gene expression in the early stage of MNU-induced RD. These microarray results provide clues to understand the molecular pathways underlying photoreceptor degeneration and indicate directions for future studies.

Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels (DG), Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (CX) and Rheum palmatum L. (DH), three well known traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), have been used widely for the treatment of various types of disorders in China. Herb-drug interactions, especially cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated interactions, cause an enhancement or attenuation in the efficacy of co-administered drugs. In this study, to assess the possible interactions between TCM and drugs, the effect of water and ethanol extracts of DG, CX and DH on cytochrome P450 were studied in rats. The activities of various CYP enzymes were determined by HPLC method. Treatment of rats with water extracts or ethanol extracts of DG, CX and DH at daily dosages equivalent to 3 g (dry herbal material)/kg all increased the microsome protein contents and decreased the total CYP levels. The water extract of DG strongly increased the activities of CYP2D6 and 3A and the water extract of DH significantly increased the activity of 2D6. The other water extracts all showed inhibition against CYP isoforms. Only the ethanol extract of DG and DH increased the CYP2D6 and 3A activities, respectively, and the other ethanol extracts all decreased the level of CYP isoforms. All extract treatments had significant effects on CYP isoforms activities, whether induction or inhibition, compared with the blank control. Thus, caution should be paid to possible drug interactions of DG, CX, DH and CYP substrates.

The inclusion compound built of tetra-n-butylammonium bromide-thiourea (1/2), [(n-C 4 H 9 ) 4 N + Br - .2(NH 2 ) 2 CS], has been prepared and characterized by X-ray crystallography. The compound crystalline in orthorhombic space group Pbca, with a = 16.872(6) A, b = 17.214(6) A, c = 18.561(6) A, V = 5390(3) A 3 , Z = 8. The compound features a sandwich-like crystal structure built up from planar layers. In the crystal structure, zigzag hydrogen-bonded thiourea ribbons are linked by bromide anions to generate puckered layers matching the (100) planes, and the (n-C 4 H 9 ) 4 N + cations occupy the intervening space.

Crystal structure of C41H53O7Br has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The compound crystalline in the orthorhombic space group P212121, with a = 11.264(2), b = 12.058(2), c = 29.337(6) A, Z = 4. The bond angles of cyclopropane moiety in the molecule are approximate to 60° and agree with theoretic values of the internal angles in a cyclopropane, and two chiral menthyloxy groups are located above and under the whole chiral molecule, respectively. The configuration of the pentacyclic lactone is shown as envelope form.

2H-3, 1-Pyrazolo[3, 4-e]oxazines (5a-c) and tacrine analogies (6a-c) were designed and prepared using 5-amino-4-cyanopyrazole (7) and cycloketones (2a-c) as reactants. The study demonstrated that the new conversion existed in the Friedlander reaction of o-aminocyanopyrazole with cycloketones.

The syntheses of mixed-ligand complexes formulated as Et2Sn-(phen)(AMP)Cl and Et2Sn(phen)(CMP)Cl as well as Et2Sn(phen)(GMP)Cl by reactions of the antitumor agent Et2SnCl2(phen) with equimolar amounts of nucleotides under biologically relevant conditions are described. The new complexes are characterized by microanalyses, UV, IR and 1H and 31P NMR spectra. These spectroscopic data suggest that one of the cis-chloro atoms in Et2SnCl2(phen) is substituted by a nucleotide and that Sn(IV) directly coordinates a phosphate group of the nucleotide. Referee I: Y. Masuda Referee II: K. Sakata

The two symmetry-independent mol­ecules of the title compound, cevane-3β,6α,20-triol ethanol hydrate (2/1/1), 2C27H45NO3·C2H6O·H2O, have the same stereochemical assignments. The six-membered rings A, B, E and F are in the chair conformation, while ring D is in a boat conformation. The ring fusions are A/B trans, B/C trans, C/D cis, D/E trans and E/F trans. The verticine mol­ecules are bridged by water and ethanol mol­ecules via hydrogen bonds to form two-dimensional layers, and the crystal structure is built up by stacking of these layers.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of mutant of acidic fibroblast growth factor (MaFGF) on N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced retinal degeneration in Sprague-Dawley rats.Fifty (50)-day-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were given a single intraperitoneal injection of normal saline (NS) or 60 mg x kg(-1) body weight of MNU, and then NS or different doses of MaFGF were injected intravitreally twice at 0 and 12 h after NS or MNU treatment. After NS or MNU treatment for different times, the apoptotic index of the photoreceptor cell was detected by TUNEL labeling, whereas the mRNA expressions and the protein levels of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 and proapoptotic Bax were determined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. Retinal damage was evaluated based on retinal thickness.MNU-induced retinal damage was partially protected by MaFGF in a dose-independent manner in rats. MaFGF at doses of 1.25 and 2.5 microg could partially suppress photoreceptor cell loss, whereas MaFGF at a dose of 5.0 mug had no protective effect on photoreceptor cell. The apoptotic index at 24 h post-MNU in the peripheral retina was 38.1 +/- 3.6%, whereas 1.25 and 2.5 mug MaFGF markedly reduced it to 27.5 +/- 2.0 and 21.1 +/- 1.9% (P =0.001), respectively. As compared with the MNU-treated group, MaFGF significantly upregulated the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA and protein and downregulated the expression of Bax mRNA and protein (P =0.001).MaFGF could counteract MNU-induced retinal damage and may be a therapeutic agent for the treatment of retinal degeneration.

To study the in vivo and in vitro metabolism and the effect of para-toluene-sulfonamide (PTS) on cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP450).Total CYP450 and microsome protein content were determined after iv pretreatment of rats with PTS. CYP-specific substrates were incubated with rat liver microsomes. Specific CYP isoform activities were determined by using HPLC. CYP chemical inhibitors added to the incubation mixture were used to investigate the principal CYP isoforms involved in PTS metabolism. The effect of PTS on CYP isoforms was investigated by incubating PTS with specific substrates.The groups treated with 33 and 99 mg/kg per d PTS, respectively, had a total CYP content of 0.66+/-0.17 and 0.60+/-0.12 nmol/mg. The K(m) and V(max) were 92.2 micromol/L and 0.0137 nmol/min per mg protein. CYP2C7, CYP2D1 and CYP3A2 might contribute to PTS metabolism in the rat liver. The inhibitory effects of sulfaphenazole and ketoconazole on PTS metabolism were shown to have a mixed mechanism, whereas PTS metabolism was inhibited noncompetitively by quinidine. PTS had little effect on the activities of the selected CYP isoforms.Generally speaking, it is relatively safe for PTS to be co-administered with other drugs. However, care should be taken when administering PTS with CYP inhibitors and the substrates of CYP2C, CYP2D and CYP3A.

Kojic acid is a natural product and normally used as a food additive and preservative, a skin-whitening agent in cosmetics, a plant growth regulator and a chemical intermediate. Using DNA microarray technology, the overall biological effects of kojic acid on the gene expression profiling of a human skin A375 malignant melanoma cells were examined. After treatment with kojic acid, a total of 361 differentially expressed genes were distinctively changed with 136 up-regulated genes and 225 down-regulated genes. We used the bioinformatics tool to search the gene ontology and category classification of differentially expressed genes that provided the useful information of expressed genes belonging to cellular component, molecular function and biological process in regulation of melanogenesis. Seven down-regulated genes of APOBEC1, ARHGEF16, CD22, FGFR3, GALNT1, UNC5C and ZNF146 that were typically validated by the real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis technology showed to be the tumor suppressor genes in melanoma cancer cells. Thus, microarray technology coupled with RT-qPCR offered a high throughput method to explore the number of differentially expressed genes responding to kojic acid and their biological functions, and led to more understanding of kojic acid effects on skin cancer therapy and related side effects. Moreover, the differentially expressed genes may become useful markers of skin malignant melanoma for further diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

The results of research and development programs on Ni-Cd, Ni-H/sub 2/, Ag-Zn, Ag-Cd, Ni-Zn, Ni-Fe, sealed lead-acid and lithium secondary battery systems are discussed. Several types of 10-45 Ah hermetically sealed Ni-Cd batteries and a 20-Ah Ni-H/sub 2/ proto-battery for space applications have been designed and fabricated. Ag-Zn and Ag-Cd batteries for space applications and Ni-Zn and Ni-Fe batteries for vehicle propulsion are being investigated. More than ten types of sealed lead-acid batteries of special interest for use in rural areas have been developed, and commercial production has been initiated. Two types of Li-V/sub 6/O/sub 13/ batteries have been made and tested. >

A new adsorbent (JN-01) was prepared by modifying resin NDA-1800 with nitro functional groups. The adsorption capacities of resins XAD-4, NDA-1800 and JN-01 were investigated, and the results indicated that the modified resin JN-01 was much better in adsorbing phenol, p-nitrophenol and p-cresol. The adsorption capacities of the resin JN-01 were higher than those of the resins XAD-4 and NDA-1800 within a temperature range of 283–323 K, which might be attributed to the higher surface area and the partial polarity on its matrix. The new adsorbent could be widely used in wastewater treatment.

A series of spherical activated carbons (SACs) with different pore structures were prepared from chloromethylated polydivinylbenzene by ZnCl2 activation. The effects of activation temperature and retention time on the yield and textural properties of the resulting SACs were studied. All the SACs are generated with high yield of above 65% and exhibit relatively high mesopore fraction (me%) of 35.7%−43.6% compared with conventional activated carbons. The sample zlc28 prepared at 800°C for 2 h has the largest BET surface area of 891 m 2 g −1 and pore volume of 0.489 cm 3 g −1 . SEM and XRD analyses of zlc28 verify the presence of developed porous structure composed of disordered micrographite stacking with large amounts of interspaces in the order of nanometers.

The improvement of indium tin oxide (ITO) anode contact to organic electroluminescent devices via oxygen plama treatment is investigated. Enhanced hole-injection efficiency improved the performance of organic light-emitting devices. The injection current increased by 1-2 orders of magnitude and the turn-on voltages droped several volts. Much higher injection current could be applied to achieve much higher brightness. Maximum brightness and luminous efficiency can reach to about 4000 cd/m2 and 0.3lm/W for the structure of ITO/TPD/Alq3/Al, respectively.