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Introduction Plants containing aristolochic acid and its derivatives are nephrotoxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic to humans; chronic diet poisoning caused by the aristolochic acid is the cause of endemic (Balkan) nephropathy and related cancers. Objective To develop a colloidal gold immunochromatographic test strip (ICS) based on the competitive format for the rapid detection of aristolochic acid A (AA-A) in herbal medicinal materials. Materials and methods For the ICS based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), the antigen [AA-A-bovine serum albumin (BSA)], and goat anti-mouse IgG were drawn on the nitrocellulose membrane as the test line (T line) and the control line (C line), respectively. Monoclonal antibody (MAb)-AuNP conjugates were sprayed onto the conjugate pad. The sensitivity of the ICS was 6 ng/mL, and the test was completed in 10 min. The analysis of AA-A in traditional Chinese medicine samples showed that the ICS results were in good agreement with those obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography methods. Conclusion These results demonstrated that the ICS test could be used as a reliable, rapid, cost-effective, and convenient qualitative tool for on-site screening techniques to detect AA-A in herbal medicinal materials without any special instrumentation.

In this paper, the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) technology, under normal pressure conditions was adopts in this study to deposited ZnO films. The cheap zinc acetate, ammonium fluoride, and gallium chloride was used as Zn source, F source, Ga source and Cl source, respectively for deposited F, Cl, Al and Ga co-doped ZnO (FCAGZO) films. The influence of substrate temperature (Ts) on the morphology, structure, optical and electrical properties of ZnO thin films was studied. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the Ts does not change the crystal structure of the ZnO film, and all films have a hexagonal wurtzite structure. With increase of Ts only the preferred orientation of the film changes from (1 0 0) to (0 0 2). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy further confirmed the successful doping of ZnO by F, Cl, Al, and Ga, which accounts for the enhancement in carrier concentration in the FCAGZO films over that of pristine ZnO. As Ts increases, the resistivity first decreases, and then gradually increases. When the optimal substrate temperature Ts = 400 °C, the prepared FCAGZO film has a resistivity of 1.47 × 10-3 Ωcm when rapid heat treatment in N2 atmosphere at 750 °C, and the average transmittance exceeds 85% in the range of 400–1400 nm.

(85-x)WC–15 wt%Al2O3–xTiC (x = 0, 1.5, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 wt%) composites were prepared by vacuum hot-press sintering. The influence of TiC addition on the corrosion behaviour of WC–Al2O3 composites in 0.1 M NaOH solution was revealed. The results suggest that all the samples containing added TiC had the TiC phase and (W, Ti) C solid-solution phase, while the base composite had neither phase. With increasing added TiC content, the average grain size of WC decreased, and the relative density first increased and then decreased. Furthermore, the results suggest that the addition of TiC could noticeably increase the free corrosion potential and impedance and reduce the corrosion current density. However, the composite containing 20 wt% added TiC showed the opposite trend. Therefore, it can be concluded that the corrosion performance of the composites in an alkaline medium can be improved by adding an appropriate amount of TiC. The change in corrosion properties was caused by changes in the solid-solution phase, relative density, and TiO2 oxide film.

The variation of the morphology and distribution of cementite particles in different prior structures with spheroidizing annealing process has been proceeded in this paper. It is found that the dissolution and coarsening progresses of various initial structures in spheroidizing annealing process are quite asynchronous due to the different interlamellar spacing. The dissolution rate of degenerated pearlite (D-P) with finer interlamellar spacing is faster. The granular cementite in the spheroidized microstructure is fine, uniform and dense. The mean diameter of spherical cementite is refined to 233 nm. However, the initial structure of degenerated pearlite (D-P) is highly sensitive to the austenitization temperature. The cementite is easy to be coarsened under high austenitizing temperature. The coarsening is accompanied by the gradual increase of the Cr content in the cementite, which increases the stability of the cementite. Therefore, the optimal austenitizing temperature for degenerated pearlite (D-P) is suggested to be 770 °C. The dissolution rates of cementite in spheroidized structures are related to the initial pearlite interlamellar spacing and the austenitizing temperature. A detailed experimental research and analysis are needed on the evolution of different initial structures during spheroidizing annealing treatment.

Formic acid intercalated Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (Mg-Al Fo-LDH) was prepared by calcination reduction intercalation assembly technology. The structure of the deicing additive was characterized by fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The freezing point of aqueous solution with different quality of deicing additive and the surface freezing point and adhesion of asphalt mixture were tested. The results show that formic acid ion has been intercalated into the interlayer of Mg-Al layered double hydroxide by FTIR and XRD patterns. The freezing point of 5wt% Mg-Al Fo-LDH aqueous solution reaches -9.32 °C, while the surface freezing point of the asphalt mixture mixed with 5wt% Mg-Al Fo-LDH is -6.5°C. At -8 °C, the adhesion force of the surface ice layer is 78.4N, and after the asphalt mixture is soaked in water, the surface freezing point and adhesion force of the ice layer do not change.

The rapid development in synthesis methodology and applications for covalent organic frameworks (COFs) has been witnessed in recent years. However, the synthesis of highly stable functional COFs still remains a great challenge. Herein two-dimensional polyimide-linked phthalocyanine COFs (denoted as CoPc-PI-COF-1 and CoPc-PI-COF-2) have been devised and prepared through the solvothermal reaction of the tetraanhydrides of 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octacarboxyphthalocyaninato cobalt(II) with 1,4-phenylenediamine and 4,4'-biphenyldiamine, respectively. The resultant CoPc-PI-COFs with a four-connected sql net exhibit AA stacking configurations according to powder X-ray diffraction studies, showing permanent porosity, thermal stability above 300 °C, and excellent resistance to a 12 M HCl aqueous solution for 20 days. Current-voltage curves reveal the conductivity of CoPc-PI-COF-1 and CoPc-PI-COF-2 with the value of 3.7 × 10-3 and 1.6 × 10-3 S m-1, respectively. Due to the same Co(II) electroactive sites together with similar permanent porosity and CO2 adsorption capacity for CoPc-PI-COFs, the cathodes made up of COFs and carbon black display a similar CO2-to-CO Faradaic efficiency of 87-97% at applied potentials between -0.60 and -0.90 V (vs RHE) in 0.5 M KHCO3 solution. However, in comparison with the CoPc-PI-COF-2&carbon black electrode, the CoPc-PI-COF-1 counterpart provides a larger current density (jCO) of -21.2 mA cm-2 at -0.90 V associated with its higher conductivity. This cathode also has a high turnover number and turnover frequency, amounting to 277 000 and 2.2 s-1 at -0.70 V during 40 h of measurement. The present result clearly discloses the great potential of 2D porous crystalline solids in electrocatalysis.

Thermal conductivity of polymers gains much attention in many fields, and the formation of a heat conduction network is very important for polymer coatings. Carbon nanofiller is one type of excellent candidate fillers for improving thermal conductivity, but the poor incorporation between the filler and the polymer restricts coating performances. In this study, the heat transfer oil (HTO) was used as a medium to communicate the carbon nanofiller with the polymer (poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP)) and to improve the thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance of PVDF composite coatings. The micronanostructure of superhydrophobic PVDF/FEP/SiO2 (modified PVDF or m-PVDF) composite coatings was used as a storage space for the HTO, so that various carbon nanofiller including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, carbon black, and carbon nanofibers can take effect in improving thermal conductivity. Among the m-PVDF/carbon nanofiller composite coatings, the HTO/m-PVDF/CNTs coating gained the highest thermal conductivity of 0.53 W·m−1·K−1 after HTO modification, which was 3.3 times that of the m-PVDF/CNTs coating and was attributed to the connectivity of HTO. The anticorrosion of HTO/m-PVDF/CNTs was increased by 3 orders of magnitude than that of m-PVDF/CNTs owing to the synergistic effect between the HTO and CNTs in blocking the invasion of corrosive species. This research provides a unique way to design and fabricate high-thermal-conductivity composite coatings with high anticorrosion by the synergism between carbon nanofiller and HTO.

The photoreduction of diluted CO2 into value-added solar fuel is a discipline at the forefront of energy and environmental research. However, this exploration largely suffers from unsatisfactory activity and selectivity. Herein, lattice-strained nickel hydroxide nanosheets (NSs) were successfully constructed via a vanadium-doped strategy toward the photoreduction of diluted CO2. X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and Williamson–Hall analysis based on X-ray diffraction revealed the formation of lattice strain on the surface of the Ni(OH)2 NSs. Consequently, the lattice-strained sample exhibited the highest CO production yield of 20.7 μmol with a CO selectivity of 97% after 3 h in pure CO2, which were almost 4 and 1.3 times those of its parent Ni(OH)2 NS. Even in diluted CO2 (0.1 atm), it exhibited a CO production rate of 5.8 μmol h−1 with a CO selectivity of 91.3%, surpassing most previous works in pure CO2. Further characterizations revealed that the lattice strain could greatly improve the CO2 adsorption and activation, and the separation efficiency of the photogenerated carriers, thus leading to an enhancement in the carbon dioxide reduction activity. This work discloses a clear atomic-level correlation between lattice strain and diluted CO2 photoreduction, which lays a foundation for reinventing their applications in photocatalysis, among other applications.

Single-element phosphorus has received extensive attention in recent years because of its remarkable photocatalytic properties. In the present experiment, amorphous red phosphorus was controllably transformed into [P12(4)]P2[and Hittorf's phosphorus structures by performing bismuth catalysis. The temperature-controllable chemical vapor transport reaction realized the conversion of more than 90% of amorphous red phosphorus to single-phase crystalline red phosphorus. Under very mild ultrasonic treatment, the high-quality [P12(4)]P2[microbelts and Hittorf's phosphorus microrods were stripped into a few layers of nanobelts and sheet-like structures, respectively. As non-metallic catalysts, their rapid photocatalytic degradations of pollutants (methyl orange) and high hydrogen evolution rates revealed the rapid charge transfer and application potential of the crystalline red phosphorus catalyst. The results of this work could provide new ideas for the development of phosphorus-based crystalline photocatalytic systems.

Phytochemical investigation of the rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort led to the isolation and identification of three new compounds, chuanxiongoside A, (2E,4E)-8-(6-O-inositolyl)-8-oxo-2,7-dimethyl-octadienoic acid (2), chuanxiongoside C (3). The structures of these compounds were unambiguously established by HR-ESI-MS, UV, IR, CD, NMR spectral data and comparison to reported data. All the isolated compounds (1-3) were investigated for their inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. All compounds showed excellent inhibition of NO production stronger than curcumin. [Formula: see text].

A series of oxygen reduction redox mediators (ORRMs) based on anthraquinone (AQ) has been developed for the lithium–oxygen (Li–O2) battery on the basis of a strategy to control the reduction potent...

As ideal cells that can be used for adoptive cell therapy, γδ T cells are a group of homogeneous cells with high proliferative and tumor killing ability. However, γδ T cells are apt to apoptosis and show decreased cytotoxicity under persistent stimulation in vitro and cannot aggregate at tumor sites efficiently in vivo, both of which are two main obstacles to tumor adoptive immunotherapy. In this study, we found that the immune checkpoint T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain 3 (TIM-3) were up-regulated significantly on γδ T cells during their ex vivo expansion and this up-regulation contributed to the dysfunction of γδ T cells. Although the killing ability of γδ T cells against breast cancer cells which exhibited a high level of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) was enhanced, the level of TIM-3 on γδ T cells was also further up-regulated under the application of the bispecific antibody MT110 (anti-CD3 × anti-EpCAM) which can redirect T cells to target cells. Besides, these γδ T cells with up-regulated TIM-3 exhibited an increased susceptibility to apoptosis. By reinvigorating dysfunctional γδ T cells and promoting them to accumulate at tumor sites, the combined use of TIM-3 inhibitor and MT110 could further enhance the anti-tumor effect of the adoptively transfused γδ T cells. These results may have clinical implications for the design of new translational anti-tumor regimens aimed at combining checkpoint blockade and immune cell redirection.

Bilobalide, one of the key bioactive components of Ginkgo biloba leaves, exerts prominent neuroprotective properties in central nervous system (CNS) disease. However, the effect of bilobalide on blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of bilobalide on BBB permeability and its potential mechanism involved. Both the in vitro and in vivo results showed that significant enhancement of BBB permeability was found following bilobalide treatment, evidenced by the reduced transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER), the increased fluorescein sodium (Na–F) penetration rate in vitro and the leakage of FITC-dextran in vivo. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images demonstrated that bilobalide modulated BBB permeability by changing the ultrastructure of tight junctions (TJs). In addition, actin-binding proteins ezrin, radixin and moesin (ERM) and Myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation was observed following bilobalide treatment. Moreover, the effect of bilobalide on TEER reduction and ERM/MLC phosphorylation was counteracted by adenosine A1 receptor (A1R) siRNA. The current findings suggested that bilobalide might reversibly modulate BBB permeability by the alteration of TJs ultrastructure through A1R-mediated phosphorylation of actin-binding proteins.

A strong sunlight-absorptive ability and high dispersity are considered as two key requirements of supported metal catalysts for efficient photothermal CO2 conversions. The former can be improved b...

The Fenton reaction is regarded as an advanced oxidation process that can efficiently remediate environmental pollutants. However, the one-time irreversible consumption of its catalysts raises the cost in practical application. Herein, we report the generation of active Fe2+ sites via photo-reduction by photogenerated electrons on a TiO2 nanotube-based catalyst (TNT(Pd)/Fe2O3) with Fe2O3 decorated on the outside wall, while the inside cavity entrapped Pd nanoparticles. Fenton catalytic investigations under visible light show that TNT(Pd)/Fe2O3 displays superior methyl orange degradation activity with 90% removal in 10 minutes. The kinetic constant is 4.3 times as the sum of the pure photocatalysis and Fenton catalytic kinetic constants. The synergistic effect between the Fenton and photocatalytic reactions is further evidenced by the photocurrent and photodegradation tests. The TNT(Pd)/Fe2O3 catalyst showed no decay in the Fenton-photocatalytic performance over three successive cycles. XPS measurements after long-term stability tests revealed no loss, but a slight increase in the number of Fe2+ species. All of these results suggest that the most active Fe2+ species in the Fenton reaction can be regenerated via the reduction by photogenerated electrons. This work addressed the challenge in catalyst regeneration in the traditional Fenton reaction via photoreduction by rational combination with a photocatalyst and the realized synergistic effect between photocatalysis and the Fenton reaction.

Biodegradable adsorbent (CSDTC) with multiple dithiocarbamate (DTC) groups was synthesized by corn stalk (CS), polyethylenimine and carbon disulfide. The adsorption groups of this adsorbent act lik...

To demonstrate the chemical characteristics and carcinogenic risk of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) emission, replicate PM2.5 samples were collected via volunteers smoking nine different brands of Chinese cigarettes. The source profile of ETS was established with an abundance of inorganic and organic chemical compositions, source signatures were recognized, and a comparison of excess cancer risk of heavy metals versus polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was completed. The results showed that organic carbon (OC), element carbon (EC) and potassium (K) were the primary components in the ETS profile; chromium (Cr), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) were the most abundant heavy metals; and PAHs were mainly distributed in middle molecular weight (MMW) and high molecular weight (HMW) ranges. Benz(a)anthracene (BaA), benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF) and chrysene (CHR) could distinguish ETS from cooking/outdoor stationary sources as source-related markers. The ranking of excess cancer risk of heavy metals was Cr > Cd > arsenic (As) > Pb > nickel (Ni) and that of PAHs was benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) > BaA > BbF > indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene (IND) > CHR. The comparison revealed that the totality of excess cancer risk of heavy metals was 785 times higher than that of PAHs, indicating that the harmful health effect caused by inorganic compositions during ETS exposure should attract public attention.

Olfactory receptors (ORs), which belong to the G-protein-coupled receptor family, have been widely studied as ectopically expressed receptors in various human tissues, including the skin. However, the physiological functions of only a few OR types have been elucidated in skin cells. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is a well-known medication for various skin diseases. However, many studies have shown that ATRA can have adverse effects, resulting from the suppression of cell proliferation. Here, we investigated the involvement of OR7A17 in the ATRA-induced suppression of human keratinocyte (HaCaT) proliferation. We demonstrated that OR7A17 is expressed in HaCaT keratinocytes, and its expression was downregulated by ATRA. The ATRA-induced downregulation of OR7A17 was attenuated via RAR α or RAR γ antagonist treatment, indicating that the effects of ATRA on OR7A17 expression were mediated through nuclear retinoic acid receptor signaling. Moreover, we found that the overexpression of OR7A17 induced the proliferation of HaCaT cells while counteracting the antiproliferative effect of ATRA. Mechanistically, OR7A17 overexpression reversed the ATRA-induced attenuation of Ca2+ entry. Our findings indicated that ATRA suppresses cell proliferation through the downregulation of OR7A17 via RAR α- and γ-mediated retinoid signaling. Taken together, OR7A17 is a potential therapeutic target for ameliorating the anti-proliferative effects of ATRA.

Synthesis of functional 3D COFs with irreversible bond is challenging. Herein, 3D imide-bonded COFs were constructed via the imidization reaction between phthalocyanine-based tetraanhydride and 1,3,5,7-tetra(4-aminophenyl)adamantine. These two 3D COFs are made up of interpenetrated pts networks according to powder X-ray diffraction and gas adsorption analyses. CoPc-PI-COF-3 doped with carbon black has been employed to fabricate the electrocatalytic cathode towards CO2 reduction reaction within KHCO3 aqueous solution, displaying the Faradaic efficiency of 88-96 % for the CO2 -to-CO conversion at the voltage range of ca. -0.60 to -1.00 V (vs. RHE). In particular, the 3D porous structure of CoPc-PI-COF-3 enables the active electrocatalytic centers occupying 32.7 % of total cobalt-phthalocyanine subunits, thus giving a large current density (jCO ) of -31.7 mA cm-2 at -0.90 V. These two parameters are significantly improved than the excellent 2D COF analogue (CoPc-PI-COF-1, 5.1 % and -21.2 mA cm-2 ).

Delphinidin is an anthocyanidin monomer, commonly found in vegetables and fruits, and has demonstrated antitumor effects in the HER-2-positive MDA-MB-453 breast cancer cell line, with low cytotoxicity on normal breast cells. However, the direct functional mechanisms underlying the effect of delphinidin on HER-2-positive breast cancer cells has not been fully characterized. In the present study, it was found that delphinidin could induce G2/M phase cell cycle arrest by inhibiting the protein expression level of cyclin B1 and Cdk1 in HER-2-positive breast cancer cell lines. In addition, delphinidin promoted the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway by inhibiting the ERK and NF-κB signaling pathway and activating the JNK signaling pathway. Therefore, delphinidin markedly suppressed the viability of the HER-2-positive breast cancer cell lines by modulating the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis. Overall, the findings from the present study demonstrated that delphinidin treatment could induce the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway in human HER-2-positive breast cancer cell lines, providing an experimental basis for the prevention and treatment of HER-2-positive breast cancer by flavonoids.

Anisotropic microstructures are utilized in various fields owing to their unique properties, such as reversible shape transitions or on-demand and sequential release of drug combinations. In this study, anisotropic multicompartmental microfibers composed of different polymers are prepared via charge reversal electrohydrodynamic (EHD) co-jetting. The combination of various polymers, such as thermoplastic polyurethane, poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide), poly(vinyl cinnamate), and poly(methyl methacrylate), results in microfibers with distinct compositional boundaries. Charge reversal during EHD co-jetting enables facile fabrication of multicompartmental microfibers with the desired composition and tunable inner architecture, broadening their spectrum of potential applications, such as functional microfibers and cell scaffolds with multiple physical and chemical properties.

In this paper, a collision friction model for a double-layer MoS2 film is proposed considering the microgravity induced collision in space environment. A modified REBO (Reactive Empirical Bond Order) potential is used to describe interactions among the atoms in the MoS2 film. The collision friction process of the MoS2 film is simulated by vibrations in the y and z directions, and the dependence of average friction force is analyzed. The influence of a single vibration in the y direction on the friction forces can be ignored, while the vibration in the z direction shows great influence. The effects of vibration frequency and amplitude on frictional behaviors of the MoS2 film are investigated. The average friction forces during the collision friction process correlate with the frequency of the vibration in the z direction, and the relationship shows four stages. As the frequency increases, average friction forces show low values in the first stage, and they are increased as the frequency in the second stage. In the third stage, the average friction forces are decreased, and they come to a stable level in the fourth stage. Increasing the vibration amplitude at different frequencies leads to an increase in average friction force, due to that the increased amplitude results in a high indentation depth. The puckering phenomenon occurs at a specific frequency, which is a reason that the average friction force is increased during this collision friction process.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone malignancy, typically occurring in childhood or adolescence. Unfortunately, the clinical outcomes of patients with osteosarcoma are usually poor because of the aggressive nature of this disease and few treatment advances in the past four decades. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most extensive forms of RNA modification in eukaryotes found both in coding and non-coding RNAs. Accumulating evidence suggests that m6A-related factors are dysregulated in multiple osteosarcoma processes. In this review, we highlight m6A modification implicated in osteosarcoma, describing its pathophysiological role and molecular mechanism, as well as future research trends and potential clinical application in osteosarcoma.

The pulmonary fibrosis could be caused by long-term inhalation of carbon black (CB) particles. Studies on the mechanisms of pulmonary fibrosis induced by CB are required to develop the stra...

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ozone (O3) are important air pollutants that are associated with adverse health effects. Land-use regression (LUR) models have been widely developed to estimate air pollution concentrations. Due to data availability, however, such models are usually not applied in developing countries. We aimed to characterize NOx and O3 concentrations and develop LUR models to predict their spatial and temporal distributions using publicly-available data in Tianjin, a heavily polluted city in China. Seasonal samples were collected across Tianjin at 29 locations for O3 and 49 locations for NOx. Heavy-duty vehicle counts estimated from 0.5 m × 0.5 m satellite images correlated well with field-measured counts, thus supporting the use of high-resolution satellite images to assess vehicle traffic. Concentrations of NOx were highest in winter, while the opposite pattern was observed for O3. The majority of the variance in NOx was explained by season (36.2%) and heavy vehicle traffic (19.8%). For O3, the variance was explained by season (80.7%) in a pooled model, and by distance to roads (43.4%) and distance to coal plants (26.2%) in a summer model. Cross-validation showed reasonable practicability for NOx (R2 = 0.53 with field-measured heavy-duty vehicle count; R2 = 0.46 with satellite-based heavy-duty vehicle count) and O3 (R2 = 0.90 for pooled model; R2 = 0.70 for summer model) models. This study provides utility for researchers investigating air pollution in regions where field-measured vehicle traffic data are not available, as well as for policy makers and public health officials seeking to understand the sources and spatial distribution of air pollution in Tianjin.

Delphinidin, one of the main anthocyanidins, has potent anti‐cancer properties. In this study, we investigated the effect of delphinidin on 1‐methyl‐1‐nitrosourea (MNU)‐induced breast carcinogenesis on rats and the mechanism of delphinidin via negative regulation of the HOTAIR/microRNA‐34a axis. We found administration of delphinidin could effectively suppress MNU‐induced mammal breast carcinogenesis. Delphinidin downregulated the level of HOTAIR and upregulated miR‐34a in breast carcinogenesis. Western blot analysis confirmed that delphinidin treatment can significantly decrease the expression of β‐catenin, glycogen synthase kinase‐3β (Gsk3β), c‐Myc, cyclin‐D1, and matrix metalloproteinase‐7(MMP‐7) expression in breast cancer cells, and inhibition of miR‐34a significantly reduced the effect of delphinidin on c‐Myc, cyclin‐D1, and MMP‐7. HOTAIR overexpression also blocked the effect of delphinidin on miR‐34a and the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway in MDA‐MB‐231 cells. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay results showed that delphinidin upregulated miR‐34a by inhibiting HOTAIR, coupled with enhancement of the zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and histone H3 Lys27 trimethylation (H3K27me3). This study indicated that delphinidin may potentially suppress breast carcinogenesis and exert its anti‐cancer effect through the HOTAIR/miR‐34a axis. These findings provided new evidence for the use of delphinidin in preventing breast carcinogenesis.

Heavy air pollution attacked Beijing and its surrounding areas in January of 2013, which attracted large attentions from around the world. In this study, we conducted highly time-resolved measurements of inorganic ions associated with PM2.5 at an urban site in Beijing during this period. We applied the curve fitting method, the quantile regression model and the probability function model to evaluate the relationship between secondary inorganic ions (sulfate, nitrate and ammonium, SNA) and meteorological parameters (relative humidity (RH) and temperature). In our model results, RH was regarded as one of the key factors of high concentrations of SNA, and high level of RH would enhance the concentrations of SNA. In addition, the effect of temperature was also important and noticeable. We further constructed a probability function model to investigate the joint effects of RH and temperature. The model results showed higher RH and a temperature of approximately −5 °C (−4∼-6 °C for sulfate and nitrate; −5∼-7 °C for ammonium) would be the most suitable conditions for the high concentrations of SNA during the air pollution episodes in Beijing.

A novel method for site-selective C-H functionalization of ethyl acetate mediated by pyridine-boryl radicals is presented, delivering a variety of 4-phenylbut-3-yn-2-yl acetate derivatives under mild conditions. A distinguishing feature of this reaction is that the pyridine-ligated boryl radicals can abstract the inactive α-hydrogen of the alkoxyl group instead of the α-hydrogen of carbonyl groups described in a previous report using amine-ligated boryl radicals. Significantly, substrates with halogen atoms are compatible under the reaction conditions.

A challenging deoxygenation of alkoxyl radicals from readily accessible alcohol derivatives was developed, affording facile synthesis of functionalized alkenes with good functional group tolerance under mild reaction conditions. Because alkoxyl radicals can easily undergo β-fragmentations or hydrogen abstractions, this new strategy for deoxygenation of alkoxyl radicals is highly valuable. Moreover, mechanistic studies revealed that the electron-neutral phosphine acts as the deoxygenation reagent.

Considering p-arsanilic acid (p-ASA) as an organoarsenic pollutant, monitoring concentration of p-ASA is significant to maintain environmental security. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) detection is promisingly applied in environmental monitoring for its lower cost and simpler operation, compared to traditional techniques. However, general electrode materials of PEC sensors need to be modified with biological probes due to lack of specific binding sites to analytes, which may lead to complicated sensor fabrication and bio-recognizers inactivation during storage. Herein, a porphyrinic metal–organic framework/reduced graphene oxide (PCN-224/rGO) nanocomposite with simultaneously excellent photoelectric activity and strong binding characteristics was prepared and used to fabricate a PEC sensor for p-ASA detection avoiding the modification of bio-recognizers. Benefiting from the high conductivity of rGO, the separation efficiency of charge carriers was improved in PCN-224/rGO and thereby photocurrent gained an amplification of about 12 times. The PCN-224/rGO nanocomposite had strong affinity to p-ASA via Zr–O–As coordination and π–π stacking. Significantly, the binding of p-ASA could adjust the band position of PCN-224/rGO and facilitate oxygen reduction by releasing more photogenerated electrons, achieving photocurrent enhancement. The developed PEC sensor had a wide detection range, from 10 ng L−1 to 10 mg L−1, with a detection limit of 5.47 ng L−1. Furthermore, the sensor was successfully applied to monitor p-ASA in simulated natural water and swine manure lixivium. This study paved the way for the design of more efficient PEC sensors for environmental monitoring.

From the view of nanostructures, hierarchical lamellar heterostructures are one of the ideal candidates for high-performance electrode materials. Herein, hierarchical lamellar Co3O4–CoMoO4 heterostructures (Co3O4–CoMoO4 HLHs) are synthesized via a facile solvothermal approach with subsequent annealing treatment. The obtained HLHs consist of lamellar parallel stacked CoMoO4 nanosheets, where Co3O4 nanoflakes uniformly grow into an array on the surface of CoMoO4 nanosheets. The formation mechanism of Co3O4–CoMoO4 HLHs can be attributed to the sequential precipitation of CoMoO4 and Co3O4 precursors during the solvothermal process. The early nucleated parallel stacked 2D nanosheets serve as templates for the growth of Co hydroxide nanoflake arrays. Owing to the structural advantage, the as-obtained Co3O4–CoMoO4 HLHs endow the constructed electrode with enhanced electrochemical activity, high specific capacity and long-term cycling stability.

A tertiary-amine modified attapulgite (TMATP) had been prepared for an advanced combination. The TMATP was incorporated into the cardo poly(aryl ether ketone) with sulfoalkyl groups site (SPEK) membrane. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra revealed that attapulgite was successfully modified with tertiary amine. The TMATP were uniformly inlaid in the SPEK matrix which presented fine interface adhesion illustrated by SEM images. The introduction of TMATP within SPEK also allowed simultaneously to increase its water uptake and to improve its mechanical properties. Compared with the neat SPEK, under 80°C and low relative humidity conditions, the TMATP/SPEK composite membranes still retain preferable proton conductivity. TGA analysis showed better thermal stability for the TMATP/SPEK composites than SPEK. In addition, the TMATP/SPEK composites possessed good water holding capacity even at elevated temperatures.

Fe3O4 nanoparticle-infiltrated chromatography paper is prepared using a low-cost blending method. Upon characterizing the basic material properties of the Fe3O4/paper nanocomposite, beam-, accordion- and star-shaped actuators are constructed using the nanocomposite and the corresponding actuation performance is investigated experimentally. The beam-shaped actuator exhibits a reversible flexural deformation due to low magnetic hysteresis loop of the Fe3O4/paper nanocomposite, maintaining a stable response after 100 cycles. The accordion-shaped actuator can reach a maximum strain of 100% while the star-shaped actuator can capture a spitball twice heavier than itself.

A new approach based on online pyrolysis-comprehensive gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GCxGC/MS) is introduced for analysis of lacquer saps with potential applications to analysis of Asian lacquers. The bidimensional GCxGC separation demonstrated its benefits for characterization of the markers of lacquer saps, alkylhydrocarbons, alkylbenzenes, alkylphenols, and alkylcatechols, in a visual way not attainable in monodimensional Py-GC/MS analysis. Moreover, the potentiality offered by GCxGC allows the separation of regioisomers difficult to obtain with a monodimensional separation. Under these circumstances, urushiol (Japanese, Chinese), laccol (Vietnamese), and thitsiol (Myanmar) lacquer sap films were differentiated by their marker fingerprints with a limit of detection in the low μg range. Additionally, thermally assisted pyrolysis with tetramethylammonium hydroxyde (TMAH) clearly differentiated the alkylcatechol markers of the four lacquer samples investigated, with a net separation of stereoisomers particularly well exemplified in the case of the Myanmar lacquer sample. The proposed Py-GCxGC/MS approach greatly facilitates the analysis of Asian lacquer saps, and is very promising for sensitive detection of lacquers in archaeological artifacts.

International audience; The origin of Tibetan papermaking is poorly documented. Up to now, only the Tibetan paper fragments from Endere and Dunhuang sites have been scientifically studied outlining the basic knowledge about plant fiber uses and artwork manufacturing procedures. In order to deepen the knowledge on the unique ancient Tibetan papermaking, we report here the analysis of a set of paper fragments from the Samye Monastery in south Tibet, China. Multidisciplinary scientific investigations utilizing 14C radiocarbon dating, microscopic observation, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), pyrolysis-comprehensive gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GCxGC/MS), and proteomic analysis have been applied to these ancient paper fragments. The results show that the fragments were dated to the 12th~13th century AD and made from fibers of the Thymelaeaceae family plant Stellera Chamaejasme L of which the fiber’s chemical profiles have been firstly studied. The presence of starch granules from Triticum spp wheat and proteins from bovine milk (more likely assigned to native yak), offers the first indication that a unique sizing technique using starch-milk sizing had been employed in early Tibetan papermaking, compared to using alum-animal glue sizing agent which is more popular in contemporary Central China. The combined use of organic material (unaltered starch grains) and inorganic material (calcium carbonate) as paper fillers is also firstly revealed in Tibetan papermaking. The application of Py-GC/MS, Py-GCxGC/MS and proteomic analysis revealed more detailed profiles of early Tibetan hand papermaking, indicating that these methods have great potential to explore the production technology of ancient handmade papers.

In this study, sediments were collected from two different sites in the deep-sea hydrothermal region of the South Atlantic Ocean. Two microbial enrichment cultures (H7S and H11S), which were enriched from the sediments collected at two sample sites, could effectively degrade petroleum hydrocarbons. The bacterial diversity was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing method. The petroleum degradation ability were evaluated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and gravimetric analysis. We found that the dominant oil-degrading bacteria of enrichment cultures from the deep-sea hydrothermal area belonged to the genera Pseudomonas, Nitratireductor, Acinetobacter, and Brevundimonas. After a 14-day degradation experiment, the enrichment culture H11S, which was obtained near a hydrothermal vent, exhibited a higher degradation efficiency for alkanes (95%) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (88%) than the enrichment culture H7S. Interestingly, pristane and phytane as biomarkers were degraded up to 90% and 91% respectively by the enrichment culture H11S, and six culturable oil-degrading bacterial strains were isolated. Acinetobacter junii strain H11S-25, Nitratireductor sp. strain H11S-31 and Pseudomonas sp. strain H11S-28 were used at a density ratio of 95:4:1 to construct high-efficiency oil-degrading consortium H. After a three-day biodegradation experiment, consortium H showed high degradation efficiencies of 74.2% and 65.7% for total alkanes and PAHs, respectively. The degradation efficiency of biomarkers such as pristane and high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (such as CHR) reached 84.5% and 80.48%, respectively. The findings of this study indicate that the microorganisms in the deep-sea hydrothermal area are potential resources for degrading petroleum hydrocarbons. Consortium H, which was artificially constructed, showed a highly efficient oil-degrading capacity and has significant application prospects in oil pollution bioremediation.

The plant bug Lygus pratensis Linnaeus (Hemiptera: Miridae) is an important insect pest of alfalfa in grassland farming in northern China. A field population of L. pratensis was selected in the laboratory for 14 consecutive generations with lambda-cyhalothrin to generate 42.555-fold resistance. Selection also induced low cross-resistance to imidacloprid and beta-cypermethrin, and medium cross-resistance to deltamethrin. Realized heritability (h2) of lambda-cyhalothrin resistance was 0.339. Susceptible baselines of L. pratensis were established for five insecticides using the glass-vial method, the values of which were 6.849, 3.423, 8.778, 3.559, and 117.553 ng/cm2 for phoxim, methomyl, imidacloprid, lambda-cyhalothrin, and avermectin, respectively, along with the calculated LC99 diagnostic doses. This resistance risk assessment study suggests that a high risk of lambda-cyhalothrin resistance exists in the field. In addition, a 5-year field investigation of resistance monitoring of L. pratensis was conducted in seven alfalfa regions in farming-pastoral ecotones in northern China. The resistance levels of most populations were very low for phoxim, methomyl, and avermectin, with an upward trend for lambda-cyhalothrin resistance in the DK (Dengkou County), TKT (Tuoketuo County), XL (Xilinhot), and LX (Linxi County) populations during 2015–2019, and medium resistance level to imidacloprid in the TKT population in five years we sampled. The study provided information on chemical control, lambda-cyhalothrin resistance development, baseline susceptibility, and the status of resistance to five commonly-used insecticides against L. pratensis. These results could be used to optimize pyrethroid insecticide use as part of a pest integrated resistance management strategy against this key insect pest of alfalfa.

Bisphenol A (BPA) and its halogenated analogs tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA) are common environmental contaminants and a method for their simultaneous determination is urgently needed. A paper-based analytical device (PAD) was prepared using a metal-organic framework of UiO-66-NH2 coated with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) using TBBPA as a template. The maximum adsorption capacity was 120.94 mg g−1 and the imprinting factor was 4.07. The selective recognition ability of this PAD enabled the effective separation of TBBPA, TCBPA and BPA based on paper chromatography. Subsequently, the PAD cut into segments were used individually to determine the presence of target chemicals using a highly sensitive fluorescent method. Under ultraviolet light irradiation, UiO-66-NH2 acts as a photocatalyst to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) that degrade TBBPA, TCBPA or BPA in the imprinted cavities and the fluorescent signal of 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2DCFDA) added as a ROS probe enabled the indirect determination of target chemicals. This method could determine BPA and its halogenated analogs in dust samples simultaneously with detection limits ranging from 0.14 to 0.30 ng g−1. The intraday relative standard deviation (RSD) was ≤6.8% and interday RSD was ≤8.1%. The recoveries ranged from 91.0 to 105.6% with RSD values that were ≤7.5%. The results stemmed from this method were consistent with those obtained from LC-MS/MS. It is an environmentally-friendly approach due to the degradation of target pollutants and possesses many advantages such as high selectivity, low cost and easy-to-fabrication.

Agar is a common adulterant of edible bird's nest (EBN) and is often added in preparation of EBN products. Currently, there is no method that can be used to assess agar content in products because it is difficult to analyze a macromolecule that does not absorb UV. Herein, we report an efficient qualitative and quantitative method for detecting agar in food products based on a daughter oligosaccharide-marker approach. There are three steps: 1) acid hydrolysis of parent agar to release daughter oligosaccharides, 2) p-aminobenzoic ethyl ester (ABEE) labeling, 3) Liquid Chromatography Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) analysis. Twenty-four daughter oligosaccharides found to be specific to agar were selected as qualitative authentication markers. One of them, which showed high signal abundance and satisfactory linearity with standard agar, was selected as the assay marker; and it was identified as neoagarotetraose by comparing with standard references. Based on this marker, a qualitative and quantitative analytical method was successfully developed and well-validated in terms of linearity, precision, repeatability, and accuracy. This method revealed that agar is being used as a minor adulterant (one out of 12) in EBN raw material. In this study, 60% of commercial “agar” was, in fact, starch and a significant number of EBN products labeled as having agar either did not contain agar or did not contain the amount listed on the label. It is proved that this oligomer approach can be used to improve quality control of all commercial products labeled as or containing agar. Furthermore, this oligomer approach is efficient and reliable in the quality analysis of other polymers like agar.

The biological activities of water-soluble components of edible mushroom Rubinoboletus ballouii (RB) were seldom reported. Polysaccharides of RB (RBP) were prepared and well-characterized using chemical analyses. The immunomodulatory properties of RBP were investigated using human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDC) in vitro, and cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppressive mouse model. Results showed that RBP was found to contain 80.6% (w/w) of neutral sugars including D-fucose, D-mannose, D-glucose and D-galactose (1.7:1.4:1.0:1.8), and 12.5% (w/w) of proteins, which composed of glutamine, threonine, serine, etc. RBP could promote the maturation of moDC and increase the secretion of IL-12p40, IL-10, and TNF-α. Furthermore, the stimulation of IL-12p40 production was inhibited by pretreatment with toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 blocker or NF-κB pathway blocker, suggesting that the activation of moDC by RBP was mediated through NF-κB pathway via TLR-4 receptor. On the other hand, in CTX-treated mice, RBP restored the loss of CD34bright CD45dim hematopoietic stem cells and increased IL-2 production in sera and splenocytes culture supernatant, as well as up-regulated the percentage of CD4+ T helper lymphocyte in mice splenocytes. These findings strongly suggested that RBP are the active ingredients of RB responsible for its immunostimulatory actions and deserved to be further investigated as cancer supplements.

The distribution, source, and ecological risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediments were analyzed and discussed at 15 sampling sites in Yazhou Bay, Sanya. Results showed that the total PAH content in the surface sediments of Yazhou Bay ranged from 13.20 ng/g to 40.37 ng/g, and the average content was 31.53 ng/g. Component analysis showed that the distribution of various PAHs in the surface sediments of Yazhou Bay was relatively average, and 3- and 4-ring PAHs were the dominant species. PAHs were traced by characteristic ratio method and principal component analysis. PAHs in the surface sediments mainly came from combustion sources, including incomplete combustion of petroleum, coal, and biomass, which also indicated the existence of petroleum sources. The ecological risk assessment results of surface sediments showed that, compared with effect range low and effect range median (ERM) of the ecological risk of 14 kinds of PAHs detected, no ecological risk existed for PAHs of all sampling sites in Yazhou Bay. The mean ERM quotient analysis also showed that PAHs in the sediments in Yazhou Bay were at a low risk level.

The root bark of Pseudolarix kaempferi, a famous traditional Chinese medicine, has been commonly used in China to treat skin diseases caused by fungal infections. To evaluate its pharmatherapeutic quality, a sensitive, simple and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the quantitative analysis of three major bioactive diterpenoids, pseudolaric acids A-C in P. kaempferi. A Zorbax XDB RP-C18 (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) was used in this HPLC system, with UV detection at 260 nm. A gradient elution was effected by a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and 1% aqueous acetic acid, where acetonitrile concentration was changed from 30% to 60% in 30 min. These three constituents were well resolved by this method with good linear relationships in the range of 0.982-98.2 μg/mL for pseudolaric acid A, 0.618-61.8 μg/mL for pseudolaric acid B, and 1.052-105.2 μg/mL for pseudolaric acid C, respectively. The correlation coefficients of the calibration curves were all over 0.999. In addition, these three compounds in six batches of the root barks of P. kaempferi were quantitatively determined to evaluate the effectiveness of this method.

A novel Ir(iii) complex 1 displays high selectivity for the G-quadruplex, and was used to establish a label-free G-quadruplex-based detection platform for lysozyme in buffer. In this study, we employed a special feature of most G-quadruplex probes that they do not respond towards the TBA G-quadruplex. A duplex DNA with a TBA G-quadruplex tail was designed for the detection of lysozyme. The presence of lysozyme will induce duplex dissociation and release the hybridized c-kit87 G-quadruplex, which would be recognized by the Ir(iii) complex to generate a strong luminescence response. Common duplex DNA designs lacking a TBA G-quadruplex tail typically contain long complementary DNA regions that may be too stable to be dissociated, thus decreasing sensitivity. We anticipate that the presence of a TBA tail in the DNA duplex may destabilize the duplex structure, allowing the aptamer to be more easily dissociated and bind to the lysozyme, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the lysozyme detection platform. To our knowledge, this is the first example of the use of the TBA G-quadruplex to improve sensitivity through fine-tuning duplex stability. We believe that this approach may be further employed in sensing platforms for other targets. This assay exhibited a linear response for lysozyme within the concentration range of 2-50 nM (R2 = 0.9904), and the limit of detection for lysozyme was 2 nM. Moreover, this platform exhibited a potential use for biological sample analysis.

Previous studies have disclosed the antihyperuricemic effect of polydatin, a natural precursor of resveratrol; however, the mechanisms of action still remain elusive. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic effects and the underlying mechanisms of polydatin on potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemia in rats through metabonomic technology from a holistic view. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was applied to capture the metabolic changes in sera and urine collected from rats induced by hyperuricemia and polydatin treatment. With multivariate data analysis, significant metabolic perturbations were observed in hyperuricemic rats compared with the healthy controls. A total of eleven and six metabolites were identified as differential metabolites related to hyperuricemia in serum and urine of rats, respectively. The proposed pathways primarily included branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism, glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies, purine metabolism, and intestinal microflora metabolism. Additionally, some metabolites indicated the risk of renal injury induced by hyperuricemia. Polydatin significantly lowered the levels of serum uric acid, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen and alleviated the abnormal metabolic status in hyperuricemic rats by partially restoring the balance of the perturbed metabolic pathways. Our findings shed light on the understanding of the pathophysiological process of hyperuricemia and provided a reference for revealing the metabolic mechanism produced by polydatin in the treatment of hyperuricemia.

Significance Glycosylation is often critical for the biological activity of plant natural products. Here we identify 2 enzymes required for glycosylation of the antifungal triterpene glycoside avenacin A-1 and show that 1 of these (AsUGT91G16) is a classical cytosolic uridine diphosphate-dependent glycosyltransferase, while the other (AsTG1) is a noncanonical vacuolar sugar transferase belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 1. The genes encoding these 2 enzymes form part of the avenacin biosynthetic gene cluster. Our findings elucidate the steps required for the biosynthesis of the branched oligosaccharide chain required for antifungal activity of avenacin A-1 and thus for disease resistance in oat. They further highlight the importance of noncanonical sugar transferases in natural product glycosylation., Plants produce an array of natural products with important ecological functions. These compounds are often decorated with oligosaccharide groups that influence bioactivity, but the biosynthesis of such sugar chains is not well understood. Triterpene glycosides (saponins) are a large family of plant natural products that determine important agronomic traits, as exemplified by avenacins, antimicrobial defense compounds produced by oats. Avenacins have a branched trisaccharide moiety consisting of l-arabinose linked to 2 d-glucose molecules that is critical for antifungal activity. Plant natural product glycosylation is usually performed by uridine diphosphate-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs). We previously characterized the arabinosyltransferase that initiates the avenacin sugar chain; however, the enzymes that add the 2 remaining d-glucose molecules have remained elusive. Here we characterize the enzymes that catalyze these last 2 glucosylation steps. AsUGT91G16 is a classical cytosolic UGT that adds a 1,2-linked d-glucose molecule to l-arabinose. Unexpectedly, the enzyme that adds the final 1,4-linked d-glucose (AsTG1) is not a UGT, but rather a sugar transferase belonging to Glycosyl Hydrolase family 1 (GH1). Unlike classical UGTs, AsTG1 is vacuolar. Analysis of oat mutants reveals that AsTG1 corresponds to Sad3, a previously uncharacterized locus shown by mutation to be required for avenacin biosynthesis. AsTG1 and AsUGT91G16 form part of the avenacin biosynthetic gene cluster. Our demonstration that a vacuolar transglucosidase family member plays a critical role in triterpene biosynthesis highlights the importance of considering other classes of carbohydrate-active enzymes in addition to UGTs as candidates when elucidating pathways for the biosynthesis of glycosylated natural products in plants.

Diversification of alternative fuels for automobiles is not only an actual situation, but also a development trend. Whether the alternative fuels are clean is an important issue. Emissions of automobiles fueled with natural gas (NG), methanol, ethanol, biodiesel, dimethyl ether (DME) and polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers (PODEn) are investigated and reviewed based on engine technology and fuel properties. Compared to gasoline, NG/gasoline bi-fuel and NG automobiles have higher brake thermal efficiencies (BTE) and produce less HC, CO and PM emissions, while more NOx emission. Compared to diesel, NG/diesel dual fuel automobiles have lower BTE and emit lower soot and NOx emissions, but higher HC and CO emissions. Methanol and ethanol blending in gasoline can obviously reduce the HC, CO and PM emissions of spark ignition (SI) automobiles. Methanol or ethanol blending in diesel may prolong the ignition delay, shorten the combustion duration and improve the BTE, resulting in lower soot emissions. However, the HC, CO and NOx emissions of methanol or ethanol diesel blend fuels are uncertain due to low cetane number, high latent heat of vaporization. Most biodiesel has higher viscosity, distillation temperature, cetane number and oxygen content than diesel. Soot emission of biodiesel is lower than that of diesel, while NOx emission is higher. Both DME and PODEn do not contain CC bonds and their blend with diesel can prohibit the formation of soot. PODEn has high cetane number and low viscosity, resulting in better ignitability and spray quality respectively. PODEn blending shortens both the ignition delay and the combustion duration, improves the BTE, and increases the temperature in the diffusion combustion phase, leading to a higher NOx emission. Keywords: Natural gas, Methanol, Ethanol, Biodiesel, PODEn, Emission

BACKGROUND The Aquaporin 11 (AQP11) rs2276415 variant has been implicated in kidney disease in Type 2 diabetes. Association of the AQP11 variant with chronic kidney disease (CKD) beyond diabetic nephropathy is unknown, with no studies reported in the Chinese population. We explored the risk of CKD progression associated with the AQP11 rs2276415 variant in a population-based study in China. METHODS We conducted a prospective cohort study of 620 participants with CKD (Stages 2-5 and who were not receiving dialysis) at the Nephrology Center of First Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University between July 2011 and December 2014 and followed up for 3 years. Incident CKD progression, defined as an increase in creatinine levels of at least 0.4 mg/dL (35 µmol/L) above baseline or maintenance dialysis initiation or transplantation, was examined by AQP11 genotypes. RESULTS During the follow-up period, CKD progression developed in 170 individuals. Cumulative events-free survival was significantly dependent on AQP11 genotypes with an apparent gene-dose effect (log-rank P

Herein we report on a novel magneto-controlled photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor for sensitive detection of telomerase activity based on an electron-acceptor elimination strategy. For telomerase activity sensing, a telomerase substrate (TS) primer is anchored on the surface of magnetic beads (MBs). Under telomerase catalysis, the TS primer is extended to generate longer G-rich single strand DNA, which can bind with hemin to form G-quadruplex/hemin complexes. Based on this mechanism, the resulting MBs are used to capture hemin molecules in electrolyte solution and reduce their concentration. Since hemin acts as electron acceptor for a p-CuBi2O4 nanorod-based photocathode, a decrease in hemin concentration will lead to a decreasing photocurrent signal. By recording the decay of the photocurrent, the telomerase activity can be monitored with high sensitivity. Under optimal conditions, the developed sensor allows measurement of telomerase activity in cell extracts over the range 100–2000 HeLa cells with the limit of detection (LOD) as low as 53 cells (S/N = 3). The practicability of the developed method is also demonstrated by using it to screen telomerase inhibitors. Keywords: Magnetic beads, Photoelectrochemical sensor, Telomerase, G-quadruplex/hemin, Electron acceptor

Malignant melanoma is a highly lethal disease, and advanced stages of melanoma have proven to be resistant to many chemotherapeutic drugs. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) and high levels of intracellular glutathione (GSH) have been proven to play important roles in drug resistance. Retinoic acid (RA) is a promising anticancer agent, which can inhibit proliferation and induce differentiation of CSCs, but its clinical use has been limited by its water insolubility and weak cancer cell killing effect when used alone. Herein, by combining RA and ferrocene, a new type of derivative of retinoic acid (FCRA) was synthesized and then oxidized by FeCl3. The oxidized FCRA (FCRA+) was exploited as a novel anticancer agent. Compared with RA, FCRA+ not only has improved water solubility and stronger anti-cancer effect to melanoma cells through depleting intracellular GSH of the cancer cells, but also can inhibit proliferation and induce differentiation of melanoma CSCs, such as free RA. Therefore, FCRA+ has better application prospects than RA and may replace RA for clinical applications.

An unprecedented meso-decorated pillar[5]arene derivative, EtP5A-DPE, embedded with a TPE unit was prepared and structurally characterized. In the crystal, the incubation of the guest 1,4-dicyanobutane molecule inside the tetraphenylethene-embedded pillar scaffold induces a significant change in the molecular conformation, shutting down the AIE emission of this compound.