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SOmega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) possess anti-inflammatory properties. There is a lack of consensus regarding the effects of omega-3 PUFAs on C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, in cancer patients. Herein, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was conducted to evaluate the effects of omega-3 PUFAs on CRP levels in patients with cancer. PubMed and EMBASE were searched until May 2020 to identify randomized controlled trials that examined the effects of omega-3 PUFA administration on CRP levels in cancer patients. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to determine the differences in omega-3 PUFA administration and control conditions. Seventeen eligible studies involving 916 cancer patients were included in this meta-analysis. Significant heterogeneity was present among individual studies (Pheterogeneity = 0.000; I2 = 74.5%). The overall SMDs of CRP levels between omega-3 PUFA administration and control conditions were 0.628 (95% CI: 0.342-0.914) and 0.456 (95% CI: 0.322-0.590) by the random-effect and fixed-effect models, respectively. Sources of heterogeneity were not found through subgroup and meta-regression analyses. Existing publication bias contributed slightly to the effect size. Omega-3 PUFAs can reduce systemic inflammation, as indicated by CRP levels in cancer patients. The use of omega-3 PUFAs is recommended for cancer patients due to their anti-inflammatory properties.

A proper inflammatory response is critical to the restoration of tissue homeostasis after injury or infection, but how such a response is modulated by the physical properties of the cellular and tissue microenvironments is not fully understood. Here, using H358, HeLa, and HEK293T cells, we report that cell density can modulate inflammatory responses through the Hippo signaling pathway. We found that NF-κΒ activation through the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) is not affected by cell density. However, we also noted that specific NF-κΒ target genes, such as cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), are induced much less at low cell densities than at high cell densities. Mechanistically, we observed that the transcriptional coactivators Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) are localized to the nucleus, bind to TEA domain transcription factors (TEADs), recruit histone deacetylase 7 (HDAC7) to the promoter region of COX-2, and repress its transcription at low cell density and that high cell density abrogates this YAP/TAZ-mediated transcriptional repression. Of note, IL-1β stimulation promoted cell migration and invasion mainly through COX-2 induction, but YAP inhibited this induction and thus cell migration and invasion. These results suggest that YAP/TAZ-TEAD interactions can repress COX-2 transcription and thereby mediate cell density-dependent modulation of proinflammatory responses. Our findings highlight that the cellular microenvironment significantly influences inflammatory responses via the Hippo pathway.

An ultra-thin transparent glass-based directional loudspeaker is proposed in the paper. This novel loudspeaker may provide a private listening service with the technology of the audio directional loudspeaker. The transparent transducer is structured and assembled by fifty-four elements fabricated by Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF). Frequency response and sound pressure level characteristics are simulated. And the prototype sample based on PVDF transducer array is constructed in the structure defined by simulation and its acoustic characteristics are measured. The comparison of the experimental results with simulation result indicates the feasibility of utilizing the glass-based directional loudspeaker in the home and portable devices. By improving the fabrication techniques and optimizing the structure, screen loudspeaker would be the best solution as the multimedia devices.

Compensatory vascular mechanisms can restore cerebral blood flow (CBF) but fail to protect against chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH)-mediated neuronal damage and cognitive impairment. Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) is known as a vasodilator to protect against ischemic injury in animal models, but its protective role in CCH remains unclear. To determine the effect of PGE1 on cerebral hemodynamics and cognitive functions in CCH, bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) was used to mimic CCH in rats, which were subsequently intravenously injected with PGE1 daily for 2 weeks. Magnetic resonance imaging, immunofluorescence staining and Morris water maze (MWM) were used to evaluate CBF, angiogenesis, and cognitive functions, respectively. We found that PGE1 treatment significantly restored CBF by enhancing vertebral artery dilation. In addition, PGE1 treatment increased the number of microvascular endothelial cells and neuronal cells in the hippocampus, and decreased the numbers of astrocyte and apoptotic cells. In the MWM test, we further showed that the escape latency of CCH rats was significantly reduced after PGE1 treatment. Our results suggest that PGE1 ameliorates cognitive dysfunction in CCH rats by enhancing CBF recovery, sustaining angiogenesis, and reducing astrocyte activation and neuronal loss.

Hippocampal neuron death is a key factor in vascular dementia (VD) induced by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH). Dl-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) is a multiple-effects drug. Therefore, the potential molecular mechanisms underlying CCH and its feasible treatment should be investigated. This study had two main purposes: first, to identify a potential biomarker in a rat model of CCH induced VD using antibody microarrays; and second, to explore the neuroprotective role of NBP at targeting the potential biomarker. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)/GDNF family receptor alpha-1 (GFRα1)/receptor tyrosine kinase (Ret) signaling is altered in the hippocampus of CCH rats; however, NBP treatment improved cognitive function, protected against hippocampal neuron apoptosis via regulation of GDNF/GFRα1/Ret, and activated the phosphorylation AKT (p-AKT) and ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) signaling. We also found that 1 h oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) followed by 48 h reperfusion (R) in cultured hippocampal neurons led to downregulation of GDNF/GFRα1/Ret. NBP upregulated the signaling and increased neuronal survival. Ret inhibitor (NVP-AST487) inhibits Ret and downstream effectors, including p-AKT and p-ERK1/2. Additionally, both GDNF and GFRα1 expression are markedly inhibited in hippocampal neurons by coincubation with NVP-AST487, particularly under conditions of OGD/R. GDNF/GFRα1/Ret signaling and neuronal viability can be maintained by NBP, which activates p-AKT and p-ERK1/2, increases expression of Bcl-2, and decreases expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3. The current study showed that GDNF/GFRα1/Ret signaling plays an essential role in the CCH induced VD. NBP was protective against hippocampal neuron apoptosis, and this was associated with regulation of GDNF/GFRα1/Ret and AKT/ERK1/2 signaling pathways, thus reducing cognitive impairment.

Background Chaenomelis Fructus is a type of traditional medicine used in China. At present, the quality standard of Chaenomelis Fructus is mainly based on the content of each component as a control index, lacking overall control. To improve the rapid identification of chemical ingredients for Chaenomelis Fructus, a new approach to the construction for Chaenomelis Fructus is presented in this paper. Methods The precision, repeatability and stability of the proposed HPLC method were validated in the study. Twenty batches of Chaenomelis Fructus samples from their geographical origin were analyzed by the HPLC method. Common peaks in the chromatograms were adopted to calculate their relative retention time and relative peak area. The chromatographic data were processed by the Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine software (Version 2004 A) for similarity analysis. Results The HPLC method demonstrated satisfactory precision, repeatability and stability. The similarities of the 20 Chaenomelis Fructus samples were 0.967, 0.979, 0.965, 0.992, 0.994, 0.988, 0.974, 0.909, 0.993, 0.894, 0.983, 0.976, 0.992, 0.960, 0.990, 0.992, 0.901, 0.815, 0.947, and 0.504, indicating that the similarities of 19 samples showed a similar pattern with the exception of sample 20. Sample S20 could be considered adulterated. This was further confirmed by principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis. The HPLC fingerprints of different Chaenomelis Fructus had obvious differences in area of common peaks, but less differences in the number of common peaks. Conclusions The chromatographic fingerprint of Chaenomelis Fructus with high characteristics and specificity can be used as a reference to control its quality, providing a fast quality evaluation tool for distinguishing between the authentic Chaenomelis Fructus and the adulterated products.

In this study, twenty disazo reactive red dyes with J acid as coupling components were selected, and their ground state geometry were studied with BLYP functional and TZVP basis set. The UV-vis absorption spectra were calculated by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) employing B3LYP and PBE0 hybrid functionals and TZVP basis set, and the absolute mean errors are 0.094 eV and 0.133 eV for B3LYP and PBE0, respectively. From the comparison of the calculated λmax of the three conformations of disazo reactive red dye, cis-, trans-, and azo, with that of experimental one, we find out that conformation plays an important role on UV-Vis absorption. Dyes 6 and 8 exist in azo conformation rather than in cis-conformation. “Hole-electron” distribution analysis reveals that although these λmax arises from different electron transitions, these electron excitations have the same character of local excitation (LE).

The adsorption behavior and mechanism of Reactive Blue 19 (RB19) on cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) and cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) were investigated. The adsorption isotherm data obtained at different temperatures were fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm, and according to this model, CB[8] and CB[6] exhibited maximum monolayer adsorption capacities of 714.29 and 100.5 mg/g, respectively, at 298.15 K. The adsorption thermodynamic functions ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS were evaluated and revealed that RB19 adsorption onto CB[8] and CB[6] is a spontaneous and enthalpy-driven process. The adsorption process was determined to follow pseudo-second-order kinetics, indicating that chemisorption dominates the adsorption process. Fourier tranform IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the formation of an inclusion complex is the main driving force of adsorption. The phenyl and sulfone moieties of RB19 reside inside the cavity of CB[8], but because of the small cavity, only the sulfone of RB19 resides inside the cavity of CB[6]. Time-dependent DFT calculations revealed that all of the absorption bands of RB19 derive from π → π* transitions, while for the adsorption product of CB[8], the bands located at 590 and 287 nm derive from π → π* transitions and the bands located at 254 and 202 nm mainly derive from intermolecular charge transfer (ICT).

Previous findings have demonstrated, in a rat model, that chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) decreases cortical cerebral blood flow (CBF) while Dl-3-n-Butylphthalide (DNB) accelerates the timely recovery of CBF. However, potential biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and underlying mechanisms for these processes are unclear. In this study, a solid-phase antibody microarray for simultaneously detecting multiple proteins was used to search cortex biotargets in CCH compared to a sham control group, and these results were further examined by biological functional analysis. After DNB treatment, western blot and immunostaining were used to verify candidate protein expression. Importantly, we identified seven proteins that may serve as novel biotargets contributing to CCH. The levels of Tie-2, CNTFRα, IL-4, IL-10, ITGAM, MDC, and TROY were uniquely altered in the CCH. The Tie-2 level was significantly decreased and identified in CCH 2 week (W), CCH 4 W and CCH 8 W. In addition, Ang-1 level and Ang-1/Ang-2 ratio were significantly decreased in CCH 2 W and CCH 4 W while Ang-2 level was increased in the CCH, whereas DNB treatment created the inverse effect to some extent. Moreover, the expression of VEGF and CD34 in the earlier stage of CCH and the diameters of bilateral vertebral arteries (VAs), were significantly enlarged by DNB treatment. Together, we found that the Ang-1/Ang-2/Tie-2 signaling axis was altered in the CCH rat cortex, and DNB treatment could timely regulate this angiopoietin/Tie signaling axis to promote neovascularization in early stages.

In this research, the inclusion ratios and inclusion constants of MCT-β-CD/PERM and MCT-β-CD/CYPERM inclusion complexes were measured by UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The inclusion ratios are both 1:1, and the inclusion constants are 60 and 342.5 for MCT-β-CD/PERM and MCT-β-CD/CYPERM, respectively. The stabilities of inclusion complexes were investigated by MD simulation. MD shows that VDW energy plays a vital role in the stability of inclusion complex, and the destruction of inclusion complex is due to the increasing temperature. The UV–vis absorption spectra of MCT-β-CD and its inclusion complexes were studied by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method employing BLYP-D3, B3LYP-D3 and M06-2X-D3 functionals. BLYP-D3 well reproduces the UV–vis absorption spectrum and reveals that the absorption bands of MCT-β-CD mainly arise from n → π ∗ and n → σ ∗ transition, and those of inclusion complexes mainly arise from intramolecular charge transfer (ICT). ICT results in the shift of main absorption bands of MCT-β-CD.

Simultaneous measurements of multiple protein biomarkers are typically required to avoid false results in clinical diagnosis. In this work, we present an immunochemical event between antibody and antigen for simultaneous analysis of double biomarkers. In the presence of Staphylococcal protein A (SPA), two kinds of antibodies were captured on Ni–NTA agarose beads in a site-oriented model. Two target antigens and fluorescence-labeled antibodies were then added in turn to form an immunosorbent complex (antibody–antigen–antibody). The standard sandwich immunoassay can be visualized using a fluorescence microscope to detect the respective fluorescence-labeled antibodies bound to the bead's surface. Meanwhile, a freshly prepared gold-coated substrate was modified with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) through a glutaraldehyde linker. The immunosorbent complex of the SPA–antibody–antigen was also validated in a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) apparatus. The results showed an appreciable increase in frequency shift when the SPA, antibody, and antigen bound onto the chip, respectively. Qualitative synchronous fluorescence and quantitative QCM biosensors were practical methods for simultaneous detection of multiple serological antigen biomarkers.

A new fluorescence enhancement phenomenon in the europium(III)–balofloxacin–sodium dodecyl sulfate system was observed when yttrium(III) was added. Based on this, a sensitive cofluorescence assay for the estimation of balofloxacin was established. Under the optimized conditions, the enhanced fluorescence signal was linear over the concentration of balofloxacin ranging from 3.0 × 10−9 to 7.0 × 10−6 mol L−1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.9993. The detection limit (3 σ) was determined as 8.3 × 10−10 mol L−1. The presented method was successfully applied to determination of balofloxacin in pharmaceutical preparations, human serum, and urine. The possible fluorescence enhancement mechanism was also discussed.

A detailed analysis of the vibrational spectra of 8,8a,9,10,11,12,12a,13-octahydrodibenzo[b,h][1,4,7,10] dioxadiazacyclododecine-7,14 (6H,15H)-dione has been conducted in harmonic and anharmonic approximation. B3LYP and B3LYP-D3 functionals and 6-31G(d), 6-31+G(d,p) and TZVP basis set were employed. The calculated frequencies were compared with experimental fundamentals and the error distribution was analysis by Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD). When a relatively large basis set (6-31+G(d,p)) is adopted, anharmonic approximation presents a overall advantage than empirical scaling factor method, when a medium basis set (6-31G(d)) is adopted, empirical scaling factor method provides a better accuracy than anharmonic approximation, except for ν (CH 2 ) and ν (CH) mode. Anharmonic approximation cannot reduce the large errors of ν (N H), δ (N H) and ν (C O) modes. The bimolecular model reveals that these errors mainly arise from intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Van der Waals correction on DFT makes a significant improvement on prediction of ν (CH 2 ) and ν (CH) modes but a negligible change on the other modes.

Polystyrene is a common substrate material for protein adsorption in biosensors and bioassays. Here, we present a new method for multilayered, site-directed immobilization of antibody on polystyrene surface through the linkage of a genetically engineered ligand and the assembly of staphylococcal protein A (SPA) with immunoglobulin G (IgG). In this method, antibodies were stacked on polystyrene surface layer by layer in a potential three-dimensional way and exposed the analyte-binding sites well. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed that the new method showed a 32-fold higher detection sensitivity compared with the conventional one. Pull-down assay and Western blot analysis further confirmed that it is different from the ones of monolayer adsorption according to the comparison of adsorption capacity. The differentiated introduction of functional ligands, which is the key of this method, might offer a unique idea as a way to interfere with the dynamic behavior of a protein complex during the process of adsorption.

A comparative study of DFT and DFT-D3 has been carried out on the UV-vis absorption of permethrin, cypermethrin and their β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes. The TDDFT method with PCM (or COSMO) model was adopted and B3LYP, BLYP and BLYP-D3 functionals were selected. Comparing the simulated spectra with experimental one, we can notice that pure BLYP functional can better reproduce the UV-vis spectra than hybrid B3LYP, but empirical dispersion corrections BLYP-D3 has better performance than BLYP. BLYP-D3 calculations reveal that the main absorption bands of permethrin and cypermethrin arise from the π→π(*) transition, after encapsulated by β-CD to form inclusion complexes, the host-guest intermolecular charge transfer (ICT) makes the main absorption bands to be changed significantly in wavelength and intensity.

The suitable size hydrophobic cavity and monochlorotriazinyl group as a reactive anchor make monochlorotriazine-beta-cyclodextrin (MCT-β-CD) to be widely used in fabric finishing. In this paper, the inclusion complex of monochlorotriazinyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MCT-β-CD) with wormwood oil was synthesized and characterized by UV–Vis, FT-IR, TGA/DSC, and SEM. A 1:1 stoichiometry was confirmed by UV–Vis and fluorescence spectral analysis. The maximum absorption wavelength of the inclusion complex is shifted to 201 and 243 nm, indicating the strong intermolecular interactions between wormwood oil and MCT-β-CD. The band at 1579 cm−1 in the IR spectrum reveals that monochloroazinyl group in MCT-β-CD exists in ketone form but not in anion form. The noticeable IR shift of υ(C=C) reveals that wormwood oil molecule stays inside the cavity of MCT-β-CD. TG/DSC shows that the stability of wormwood oil is increased significantly by complexing with MCT-β-CD. The cotton fabric was finished with inclusion complex solution; I...

Cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) and cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) were applied as a high efficiency absorbent to remove reactive yellow X-RG and reactive brilliant red X-3B dyes in aqueous solution. Factors affecting adsorption such as dosage, contact time, temperature, pH value and metal cation were investigated. The adsorption isotherms for X-RG followed the Langmuir and Sips model while for X-3B followed the Freundlich model. Adsorption thermodynamic showed that X-RG and X-3B adsorption onto CB[8] and CB[6] was a spontaneous and enthalpy-driven process. Adsorption kinetics was determined to follow the pseudo-second-order model. In order to examine the adsorption mechanism, adsorbents and adsorption products of cucurbiturils were characterized further by several physicochemical techniques. FT-IR, TG analyses and DFT calculations revealed the formation of the new inclusion complexes, and Zeta potentials reveals the electrostatic interaction may be the significant driven force. UV–vis adsorption spectra were investigated by TDDFT and results showed that the main absorption bands of X-RG and X-3B mainly arisen from π → π ∗ and n → π ∗ transition. Encapsulated with CBn, the UV–vis absorption bands of inclusion complexes were shifted by 10–15 nm due to intermolecular charge transfer (ICT).

To assess the effects of single and combined pollution of cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) on soil microbial community structural and functional diversities, an incubation experiment was conducted, by employing two soils, namely, the marine sediment silty loam soil and the yellowish-red soil, in which five levels of Cd, Hg and Cd and Hg in combination were added. After being incubated for 56 days, the phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) profile and sole carbon source utilization pattern (BIOLOG) of the samples were tested. The results showed that the composition of the microbial communities changed significantly at different levels of metals application. The principal component analyses (PCA) of PLFAs indicated that the structure of the microbial community was also significantly altered with increasing levels of metals, with increasing PLFAs biomarkers for fungi and actinomycetes, and increasing ratio of Gram-positive to Gram-negative bacteria. Sole carbon source utilization pattern analysis revealed that single and combined application of Cd and Hg inhibited significantly the functional activity of soil microorganisms, the functional diversity indices [Richness (S), Shannon-Wiener indices (H) and Evenness (EH)] were significantly lower in polluted soils than those in non-polluted soils, which also significantly altered with increasing levels of metals. PCA for the sole carbon source utilization pattern also indicated that the metal contamination could result in a variable soil microbial community. The results revealed that the combination of Cd and Hg had higher toxicity to soil microbial community structural and functional diversities than the individual application of Cd or Hg.

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal, accumulated in soil by anthropogenic activities and has serious effects on soil microbial activities in contaminated soils. Moreover, there is a lack of reliable data on the effects of Cd in the soil-plant system, since most of the information on Cd-microorganism interactions in soils are based on sewage sludge without plants. The main objective of this study was to assess the effects of Cd on soil microbial activities and community structure during growth of plant. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of different concentrations of Cd on soil microbial activities during the growth of Chinese cabbage (Brassica chinensis) in two different soils. The field soils were used in this short-term (60 days) greenhouse pot experiment. The soils were spiked with different Cd concentrations, namely, 0, 1, 3, 8, 15, 30 mg Cd kg−1 oven dry soil, respectively. The experimental design was a 2 (soil) × 2 (vegetation/non-vegetation) × 5 (treatments (Cd)) × 3 (replicate factorial experiment). After 60 days, the study was terminated and soils were analyzed for selected microbial parameters, such as, microbial biomass carbon (Cmic), basal respiration and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs). Application of Cd at lower concentrations (1 and 3 mg kg−1) resulted in a slight increase in Cmic, whereas Cd concentrations >8 mg kg−1 caused an immediate significant decline in Cmic, the ratio of Cmic to total organic C (Cmic/Corg) decreased and the metabolic quotient (qCO2, namely, the basal respiration CO2/Cmic) increased with elevated Cd concentration. However, the impact on soil Cmic and basal respiration caused by Cd was dependent from plant cover or soil properties. The results of PLFAs showed relative increase in fatty acid indicators for fungi and actinomycetes and gradual increase in the ratio of Gram-positive to Gram-negative bacteria which were responsible for these differences with increasing Cd concentration in the planted and unplanted soils. Soil microbial parameters, including, soil Cmic, the ratio of Cmic/Corg, qCO2, and community structure, may be sensitive indicators reflecting environmental stress in soil-Cd-plant system. However, further research work is needed for better understanding the changes in microbial community structure and actually impact on soil microbial community function.

Nano-phase nickel hydroxide samples were prepared by a method combining supersonic and coordination–precipitation methods. The samples exhibit β-phase Ni(OH) 2 through X-ray diffraction analysis. It is shown that the grain size with the irregular grain shape is about 40 nm and ranges from 20 to 50 nm through transmission electron microscopy. Clustering phenomena were observed. The positive electrode discharge test made of a mixture of micrometer sized spherical Ni(OH) 2 and nano-phase Ni(OH) 2 was carried out. The results showed that the capacity of the electrode can be increased by about 14% when the nano-phase Ni(OH) 2 doped concentration is 8 wt%. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicates that nano-phase Ni(OH) 2 can increase the transformation between Ni 3+ and Ni 2+ in the charge–discharge cycle when the nano-phase Ni(OH) 2 is doped, and as a result the utilization of active material on the positive electrode is improved.

To investigate rhizosphere effects on the biodegradation of pyrene with the distance away from root surface in the rhizosphere of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), a glasshouse experiment was conducted using a multi-interlayer rhizobox where ryegrass were grown in a soil spiked with pyrene. The largest and most rapid dissipation of pyrene in planted soil appeared at 2 mm zone from the root zone. The pyrene degradation gradient followed the order: near-rhizosphere > root compartment > far-rhizosphere soil zones. In contrast, there was no difference in pyrene concentration with distance in the unplanted soil. Dynamic changes of soil microbial biomass carbon (Cmic) and the activities of both soil polyphenol oxidase and dehydrogenase were to some extent coincident with the degradation of pyrene with distance away from the root compartment in planted soils, which indicated the changes of soil microorganisms in different soil zones of rhizosphere were mainly responsible for the observed pyrene degradation. The largest Cmic and activities of both soil polyphenol oxidase and dehydrogenase also occurred in near-rhizosphere, especially in 2 mm zone from the root surface. The above results suggest that the effect of root proximity is important in the degradation of pyrene in ryegrass growing soil.

A rapid and easy assay method for four triterpenoic acid isomers in Eriobotryae folium was established. The sample was extracted with methanol, then separated on a C30 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) at 20 degrees C using acetonitrile-water (95 : 5, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The target compounds were simultaneously detected at 210 nm, and the injection volume was 10 microL. The validation was carried out and the resolution (Ror = 2.2), the precision (RSDor = 1.1%), the linearity (ror = 0.999 2), the repeatability (RSDor = 4.4%), and the recovery (range from 95.4% to 101.7%, RSDor = 4.8%) were acceptable. The method is reliable for the quantification of the four triterpenoic acid isomers by HPLC on C30 column.

Background: The RP-HPLC resolution of two triterpenic acid isomers was unstable. Objective: To separate the oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA) simply within RP-HPLC. Materials and Methods: The separation ability of five stationary phases was studied with the retention effect of their carbon loads. Also the resolution effects of mobile phase composition and different column temperatures were systematically investigated by using Drylab® (Rheodyne LLC.) after evaluating chromatograms automatically. Results: The best available resolution of two bioactive isomers was achieved (r = 3.4) via using PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) polymeric C18 bonded phase column. The chromatographic system was applied to the quantification in ten Chinese medicinal plants and the validation was carried out and the precision (RSD ≤1.34%), the linearity (r ≥ 0.9998) and the recovery (range from 92.1% to 102.6%) were acceptable. Conclusion: It is clear that the method was simple, rapid and reliable for the quantification of two compounds in new HPLC method within PAH polymeric C18.

Polycrystalline thin wire is an important geometric configuration in micro-electro-mechanical system and microelectronic devices. When the cross-sectional dimension is comparable with the grain size, the mechanical properties of the polycrystalline wire are different from those of its bulk counterpart. In the present paper, we use the finite element analysis with statistical concepts to numerically estimate the effective modulus of polycrystalline copper in the thin-wire configuration. As the number of grains in the cross-section increases, the predicted modulus approaches gradually from below to its bulk value. The modulus difference between the thin wire and the bulk material can be as large as 15%.