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In the present work, barium phosphate glasses codoped with Dy3+–Eu3+ ions are prepared and their photoluminescence properties are studied by the excitation and emission spectra. The dependence of emission spectra on the concentrations of Eu3+ and Dy3+ is discussed with respect to the energy transfer (ET) process from Dy3+ to Eu3+ ions and relevant ET mechanism was proposed.

Branched 1-O-alkyl glycerol and diglycerol monoethers were obtained in good yields and high selectivity by a straightforward catalytic reductive alkylation of glycerol with relevant ketones in the presence of 0.5 mol% of Pd/C under 10 bar of hydrogen pressure using a Bronsted acid as the co-catalyst.

This paper describes the identification of effective typhoon characteristics and the development of a new type of hourly reservoir inflow forecasting model with the effective typhoon characteristics. Firstly, a comparison of support vector machines (SVMs), which is a novel kind of neural networks (NNs), and back-propagation networks (BPNs) is made to select an appropriate NN-based model. The results show that SVM-based models are more appropriate than BPN-based models because of their higher accuracy and much higher efficiency. In addition, effective typhoon characteristics for improving forecasting performance are identified from all the collected typhoon information. Then the effective typhoon characteristics (the position of the typhoon and the distance between the typhoon center and the reservoir) are added to the proposed SVM-based models. Next, a performance comparison of models with and without effective typhoon characteristics is conducted to clearly highlight the effects of effective typhoon characteristics on hourly reservoir inflow forecasting. To reach a just conclusion, the performance is evaluated by cross validation, and the improvement in performance due to the addition of effective typhoon characteristics is tested by paired comparison t-tests at the 5% significance level. The results confirm that effective typhoon characteristics do improve the forecasting performance and the improvement increases with increasing lead-time, especially when the rainfall data are not available. For four- to six-hour ahead forecasts, the improvement due to the addition of effective typhoon characteristics increases from 3% to 18% and from 10% to 113% for Categories I (rainfall data are available) and II (rainfall data are not available), respectively. In conclusion, effective typhoon characteristics are recommended as key inputs for reservoir inflow forecasting during typhoons. The proposed SVM-based models with effective typhoon characteristics are expected to provide more accurate forecasts than BPN-based models. The proposed modeling technique is also expected to be useful to support reservoir operation systems and other disaster warning systems.

A simple and efficient approach to the synthesis of five-membered ring carbasugars is achieved starting from readily available (R)-2,3-O-isopropylideneglyceraldehyde (2) through key ring-closing metathesis (RCM) in high overall yield. We have also confirmed its viability by preparing the core bicyclo [3.1.0] hexane framework presented in the potent antiviral nucleoside N-MCT 1.

It is of great significance to design glasses with satisfactory mechanical properties predictively through modeling. Among various modeling methods, data-driven modeling is such a reliable approach that can dramatically shorten research duration, cut research cost and accelerate the development of glass materials. In this work, the ridge regression (RR) analysis was used to construct regression models for predicting the compositional dependence of CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 glass elastic moduli (Shear, Bulk, and Young's moduli) and hardness based on the ternary diagram of the compositions. The property prediction over a large glass composition space was accomplished with known experimental data of various compositions in the literature, and the simulated results are in good agreement with the measured ones. This regression model can serve as a facile and effective tool for studying the relationship between the compositions and the property, enabling high-efficient design of glasses to meet the requirements for specific elasticity and hardness.

Deletion of the insulin-like growth factor 1 (Igf1) gene was shown in previous studies to result in reduced numbers of Leydig cells in the testes of 35-day-old mice, and in reduced circulating testosterone levels. In the current study, we asked whether deletion of the Igf1 gene affects the number, proliferation, and/or steroidogenic function of some or all of the precursor cell types in the developmental sequence that leads to the establishment of adult Leydig cells (ALCs). Decreased numbers of cells in the Leydig cell lineage (ie, 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-positive cells) were seen in testes of postnatal day (PND) 14-90 Igf1(-/-) mice compared with age-matched Igf1(+/+) controls. The development of ALCs proceeds from stem Leydig cells (SLCs) through progenitor Leydig cells (PLCs) and immature Leydig cells (ILCs). The bromodeoxyuridine labeling index of putative SLCs was similar in the Igf1(-/-) and Igf1(+/+) mice. In contrast, the labeling index of PLCs was reduced in the Igf1(-/-) mice on each day of PND 14 through PND 35, and that of more mature Leydig cells (referred to herein as LCs, a combination of ILCs plus ALCs) was reduced from PND 21 through PND 56. In Igf1(-/-) mice that received recombinant IGF-I, the labeling indices of PLCs and LCs were similar to those of age-matched Igf1(+/+) mice, indicating that the reductions in the labeling indices seen in the PLCs and LCs of the Igf1(-/-) mice were a consequence of reduced IGF-I. On each day of PND 21 through PND 90, testicular testosterone concentrations were significantly reduced in the Igf1(-/-) mice, as were the expressions of testis-specific mRNAs involved in steroidogenesis, including Star, Cyp11a1, and Cyp17a1. The increased expression of the gene for 5α-reductase (Srd5a1) in adult Igf1(-/-) testes suggests that the depletion of Igf1 might suppress or delay Leydig cell maturation. These observations, taken together, indicate that the reduced numbers of Leydig cells in the adult testes of Igf1(-/-) mice result at least in part from altered proliferation and differentiation of ALC precursor cells, but not of the stem cells that give rise to these cells.

Luminescence behaviors of Ce 3+ ions in GeS 2 ―Ga 2 S 3 ―CsCl chalcohalide glasses are reported for the first time. The dependence of Ce 3+ concentration and host composition on absorption and photoluminescence spectra are investigated. Results show that these glasses exhibit broadband emission from 470 to 600 nm under a blue excitation. Luminescence intensity is enhanced with the increasing of Ce 3+ ions and reaches the maximum at 0.08 mol%. The decrease of CsCl content results in the red shift of absorption cut-off edge and emission band, and decreased luminescence intensity. The mechanism for these phenomena is discussed with the theory of optical basicity.

A modified phase-transfer catalysed enantioselective epoxidation of estra-Delta(5(10),9(11))-diene, an important intermediate of anti-early pregnancy drug mifepristone 1, have been determined and investigated. Eight chiral ammonium salts (PTC A-H), used as phase-transfer catalysts, have been synthesized from cinchona alkaloids. Among them, PTC G and PTC H have exhibited satisfying catalytic activity to improve the ratio of alpha/beta epoxide up to 7:1.

The metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions including abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and elevated blood pressure, is a natural consequence of over nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome has increased to epidemic proportions in the world. The exact pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome remains unclear, but it is known to be a complex interaction between genetic, metabolic, and environmental factors. Promotion of physical activity and dietary management are still the main methods for the prevention and management of the metabolic syndrome. Numerous experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of high fiber diet on the metabolic syndrome. The principal beneficial effects of a fiber-rich diet in these patients are: prevention of obesity, improved glucose levels, and control of the profile of blood lipids. Dietary fiber may also favor the control of arterial blood pressure. How dietary fiber exerts its beneficial effects on the metabolic syndrome is not well understood. AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK) functions as a major cellular fuel gauge and a master regulator of metabolic homeostasis. Several lines of evidence suggest that AMPK can be activated by short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) either directly or indirectly. It is our hypothesis that the main mechanism underlying the beneficial effect of a high fiber diet on the metabolic syndrome is the increased SCFA production in the colon leading to a higher concentration of SCFA in the portal vein, which activates the AMPK in the liver.

This paper describes the development of flood forecasting models to improve the long lead-time flood forecasting performance. To investigate the influence of typhoon characteristics on flood forecasting, four different types of model inputs are designed to yield 1- to 6-h ahead forecasts of runoff. The most appropriate lengths of model inputs, namely rainfall, runoff and typhoon characteristics, are then determined. A performance comparison of models with and without typhoon characteristics is made. In addition to the conventional performance measures, based on the viewpoint of early warning three measures regarding effective warnings are also proposed to evaluate the forecasting performance. With typhoon characteristics as input to the model, the forecasting performance is significantly improved for both medium and long lead-time forecastings, especially when the rainfall data are not available. It is also found that the forecasting model without typhoon characteristics cannot provide any effective warnings for long lead-time forecasting.

A new down-conversion chalcohalide glass ceramics with a composition of 37.5GeS 2 –22.5Ga 2 S 3 –40CsCl (in mol %) doped with 0.15 Eu 2 + and 0.1 Pr 3 + (in mol %) is prepared. The crystallization is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Ga 2 S 3 crystallites in the nano-scale (20-80 nm) are obtained by the controlled crystallization. Visible photoluminescence properties of the glass and transparent glass ceramics are investigated. The mechanism responsible for the enhanced luminescence of both Eu 2 + and Pr 3 + in the glass ceramics was discussed from the point of view of the reduced phonon energy effect.

Rationale:Intracranial ganglioneuroblastoma represents a rare subtype of primitive neuroectodermal tumor. Here, we report a hippocampal ganglioneuroblastoma and a literature review of cerebral anglioneuroblastoma is carried out.Patient concerns:We report a 16-year-old male patient presenting

Inflow forecasting is essential for decision making on reservoir operation during typhoons. In this paper, a radial basis function (RBF)-based model with an information processor is proposed for more accurate forecasts of hourly reservoir inflow. Firstly, based on the multilayer perceptron neural (MLP) network, an information processor is developed to pre-process the typhoon information (namely, typhoon characteristics and rainfall) and to produce forecasts of rainfall. The forecasted rainfall and the observed inflow are then used as input to the RBF-based model, which is a nonlinear function approximator, to produce forecasts of hourly inflow. For parameter estimation of the RBF-based model, the fully-supervised learning algorithm is used. Actual applications of the proposed model are performed to yield 1- to 6-h ahead forecasts of inflow. To assess the improvement due to the use of the typhoon information processor, models without the typhoon information processor are constructed and compared with the proposed model. The results show that the proposed model performs the best and is capable of providing improved forecasts of hourly inflow, especially for long lead-time. In conclusion, the proposed model with a typhoon information processor can extract useful information from typhoon characteristics and rainfall, and consequently improve the forecasting performance. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Upconversion luminescence (UCL) properties from Yb3+ doped and Tb3+/Yb3+ codoped high silica glasses excited by a 980 nm laser diode are investigated. The ln–ln plots of the UCL intensity versus laser power show abnormal relations: the slopes are larger than those reported in other papers. When tuning the laser power up and down successively, intrinsic optical bistability of Yb3+ ions is observed at room temperature in the visible and infrared range without external cavity. And this nonlinear effect induces the abnormal UCL phenomena.

Ten steroidal compounds as impurities in canrenone were isolated from the enriched mother liquor by using various chromatographic methods. Their structures were elucidated by spectrometric analysis, among which three new compounds were characterized as 3-(3-oxo-7α-(ethoxycarbonyl)methyl-17β-hydroxy-4-androsten-17α-yl) propionic acid γ-lactone (1), 3-(3-oxo-7α-ethoxy-17β-hydroxy-4-androsten-17α-yl) propionic acid γ-lactone (2) and 3-(3-oxo5β-propionic acid-γ-lactone-6β,17β-hydroxy-4-androstan-17α-yl) propionic acid γ-lactone (3).

In this paper, effective reservoir inflow forecasting models based on the support vector machine (SVM), which is a novel kind of neural networks (NNs), are proposed. Based on statistical learning theory, the SVMs have three advantages over back-propagation networks (BPNs), which are the most frequently used convectional NNs. Firstly, SVMs have better generalization ability. Secondly, the architectures and the weights of the SVMs are guaranteed to be unique and globally optimal. Finally, SVMs are trained much more rapidly. An application is conducted to clearly demonstrate these three advantages. The results indicate that the proposed SVM-based models are more well-performed, robust and efficient than the existing BPN-based models. In addition to using SVMs instead of BPNs, typhoon characteristics, which are seldom regarded as key input for inflow forecasting, are added to the proposed models to further improve the long lead-time forecasting during typhoon-warning periods. A comparison between models with and without typhoon characteristics is also presented to confirm that the addition of typhoon characteristics significantly improves the forecasting performance for long lead-time forecasting. In conclusion, the typhoon characteristics should be used as input to the reservoir inflow forecasting. The proposed SVM-based models are recommended as an alternative to the existing models because of their accuracy, robustness and efficiency. The proposed modeling technique is expected to be useful to improve the reservoir inflow forecasting.

Beta-C-glycosiduronic acid quinones and beta-C-glycosyl compounds have been synthesized as sugar-based PTP1B inhibitors. Benzoyl protected quinone derivatives (14 and 35) as well as aryl beta-C-glycosyl compounds (18, 22, 23 and 34) showed IC(50) values of 0.77-5.27 microM against PTP1B, with compounds 18 and 23 bearing an acidic function being the most potent.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) has emerged as a promising target for type 2 diabetes. We have successfully synthesized dimeric acetylated and benzoylated β-C- d -glucosyl and β-C- d -galactosyl 1,4-dimethoxy benzenes or naphthalenes by click chemistry. These compounds were further transformed into the corresponding β-C- d -glycosyl-1,4-quinone derivatives by CAN oxidation. The in vitro inhibition test showed that dimeric benzoylated β-C- d -glycosyl 1,4-dimethoxybenzenes or 1,4-benzoquinones were good inhibitors of PTP1B (IC50: 0.62–0.88 μM), with no significant difference between gluco and galacto derivatives.

Novel photolabile sugar derivatives bearing a 4- or 6- O -( o -nitro)benzyl group have been prepared from the corresponding methyl 4,6- O -( o -nitro)benzylidene α- d -glycopyranosides. Regioselective cleavage with BF 3 ·Et 2 O/Et 3 SiH led to the methyl 6- O -( o -nitro)benzyl gluco - and manno -α- d -glycopyranosides 3 and 6 . Inversion of configuration at 4-OH position of gluco and manno derivatives offered the otherwise inaccessible methyl 6- O -( o -nitro)benzyl galacto - and talo -α- d -glycopyranosides 4 , 5 , and 7 . Careful reaction with PhBCl 2 /Et 3 SiH (3 equiv of reagents, 10 min at −78 °C) led to the desired methyl 4- O -( o -nitro)benzyl gluco - and manno -α- d -glycopyranosides 8 and 9 in very good yield. However, prolonged reaction with 6 equiv of PhBCl 2 /Et 3 SiH transformed the methyl 4,6- O -( o -nitro)benzylidene α- d -glucopyranoside 11 into the reduced d -glucitol derivative 15 . Oxidative cleavage of 5,6-diol function of 15 gave the corresponding photolabile l -xylose 17 . The photolabile glucosides 3 and 8 have been further transformed into the photolabile α- C -allyl d -glucopyranosides 20 and 22 .

Adjudin (1-(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)-1H-indazole-3-carbohydrazide; formerly called AF-2364) has been shown to inhibit spermatogenesis by disrupting anchoring junctions at the Sertoligerm cell interface. This, in turn, leads to germ cell loss from the seminiferous epithelium, and transient infertility. Adjudin's efficacyin inhibiting spermatogenesis, the recovery of spermatogenesis after cessation of the drug, and side effects were examined in adult male Japanese rabbits. The pharmacokinetics profiles of adjudin in rabbits after oral administration and after intravenous injection were compared. Rabbits received 25 mg/kg adjudin once weekly for 4 consecutive weeks either by intravenous injection or by gavage. Vehicle-treated rabbits were used as controls. At 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 weeks after treatment, testes were removed for microscopic examination to assess the status of spermatogenesis. Four weeks after intravenous cessation of adjudin, the recovery of spermatogenesis also was monitored. Blood was withdrawn after first administration to measure plasma concentrations of adjudin by high-performance liquid chromatography. Four weeks after intravenous treatment, examination of testis sections showed rapid exfoliation of elongated/elongating spermatids and the presence of large multinucleated cells; more than 95% of germ cells were absent from the seminiferous epithelium. Intravenous treatment showed a more severe disturbance of spermatogenesis compared with gavage treatment, which was correlated with bioavailability of the drug. The areas under the curve for intravenous injection and gavage were 20.11 +/- 1.90 and 2.23 +/- 0.45 mg x h x L(-1), respectively. These results illustrate the potential of adjudin as a male contraceptive, and the efficacy is associated with the bioavailability of the drug.

Input determination has a great influence on the performance of artificial neural network (ANN) rainfall–runoff models. To improve the performance of ANN models, a systematic approach to the input determination for ANN models is proposed. In the proposed approach, the irrelevant inputs are removed. Then an adequate ANN model, which only includes highly relevant inputs, is constructed. Unlike the trial-and-error procedure, the proposed approach is more systematic and avoids unnecessary trials. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, an application to actual typhoon events is presented. The results show that the proposed ANN model, which is constructed by the proposed approach, has advantages over those obtained by the trial-and-error procedure. The proposed ANN model has a simpler architecture, needs less training time, and performs better. The proposed ANN model is recommended as an alternative to existing rainfall–runoff ANN models. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Treatment of dimethylhydroquinone dimethyl ethers (ortho and meta isomers) with glycopyranose pentaacetates (D-gluco, D-galacto) in the presence of SnCl4 and F3CCO2Ag selectively afforded the corresponding C-β-D-glycosyl derivatives by aromatic electrophilic substitution. Oxidation of the dimethoxybenzene moiety with ceric ammonium nitrate delivered C-β-D-glycosyl-dimethylbenzoquinones, which were reduced with Na2S2O4 to the corresponding C-β-D-glycosyl-dimethylhydroquinones. ZnCl2-catalyzed cyclization either with methylbut-2-en-1-ol (prenyl alcohol) or with all-racemic phytol led to acetyl-protected C-β-D-glycosyl chromanols or C-β-D-glycosyl tocopherols, the sugar residues of which were deacetylated under base catalysis conditions. These new molecules were evaluated as antioxidants in terms of their ability to inhibit the peroxidation of linoleic acid in SDS micelles. The position of the C-glucosyl moiety on the phenolic nucleus emerges as the critical structural determinant of their activity. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)

A three-phase composite material specimen consisting of aggregates, mortar matrix and their bonding material is created through the Monte-Carlo method. The Mazars isotropic damage evolution model is used to describe the meso-mechanics damage deterioration of concrete. And the finite element method is adopted to simulate respectively the uniaxial compression numerical models of two, three and full graded specimens with sphere and polyhedron aggregates. Following are the conclusions from the test results: the ultimate load capacity of arbitrary polyhedron aggregate specimen is greater than that of the sphere one of the same grade; the size effect law exists in these numerical models of concrete specimens; the stiffness of the polyhedron aggregates’ specimen of the same grade is greater than that of the sphere ones’, and the softening curves of the sphere aggregate model are easier than those of the polyhedron by comparison in the softening phase of stress-strain curves.

β- C -Glucosyl and β- C -galactosyl-1,4-dimethoxynaphthalenes have been synthesized using a F 3 CCO 2 Ag/SnCl 4 promoted Friedel–Crafts electrophilic substitution reaction. Both glycosyl acetates and methyl glycosides can be used as glycosyl donors. Further oxidation afforded the corresponding β- C -glycosyl-1,4-naphthoquinones. The in vitro cytotoxic activity of these compounds was evaluated against the A375 cell line.

Photo-initiated addition of glycopyranosyl radicals to such radical acceptors as allyltributyltin, acrylonitrile, or diethyl vinylphosphonate was efficiently achieved to afford stereoselectively α-configured C -glycosyl compounds. With acrylonitrile or diethyl vinylphosphonate, catalytic amounts of organotin were used with NaBH 3 CN in excess. C-1 Sugar dihalides may be converted into the β-configured C -glycosyl analogues in two radical steps (C–C bond formation, reduction), or into bis- C , C -glycosides (two C–C bond forming reactions in one pot). These dihalides also opened the first access to C -glycodienes. C -Glycosyl-ethylphosphonic acids were elaborated into non-isosteric C -glycosyl mimics of natural sugar nucleotide diphosphates, which were evaluated as inhibitors of glycosyl transferases. In another approach, aromatic electrophilic substitution of 1,4-dimethoxybenzene by d -glycopyranosylium ions gave access to C -glycosyl derivatives of 1,4-dimethoxybenzene hydroquinone, and 1,4-benzoquinone. Some were found to inhibit protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and glycogen phosphorylase (GP), as shown by enzymatic and crystallographic studies. Extension of the synthetic work led to C -glycosyl-chromanols and C -glycosyl-tocopherols, which have been studied as anti-oxidants.

Reaction of C-β-D-glycopyranosyl-1,4-dimethoxybenzenes with acetyl nitrate afforded 2-(β-D-glycopyranosyl)-1,4-dimethoxy-5-nitrobenzenes in high yields. These were converted smoothly (reduction to amines, N-acylation, oxidation, and reduction) into the corresponding C-glycosyl-hydro(benzo)quinone derivatives, with different amide-based substituents at C-5. Reduction of the nitro compounds to amines proceeded smoothly by catalytic hydrogen transfer with HCO 2 NH 4 .

Background In the present study, we describe a procedure to cryopreserve the postnatal members of the Leydig cell lineage, including progenitor (PLC), immature (ILC) and adult (ALC) Leydig cells from, respectively 21-, 35- and 90-day-old rats. Methods The cells were resuspended in a culture medium supplemented with 1% bovine serum albumin (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium [DMEM]/F12) to a final concentration of 2 x 10(6)cells/ml and the effects of varying concentrations of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) (5, 10, 15 or 20%) were assessed after freezing at -70 degrees C and then storing in liquid nitrogen. After 12 months of frozen storage, these cells were thawed rapidly at 37 degrees C and Trypan Blue exclusion staining and attachment to culture dishes were assessed as measures of viability. Results The trypan blue exclusion and attachment rates for Leydig cell stages were around 85% in the presence of 15% DMSO. After frozen storage, Leydig cell steroidogenic capacity in response to a range of LH doses, (0.01-100 ng/ml) was unchanged compared with freshly isolated control cells. Furthermore, the steady-state mRNA levels for Leydig cell specific transcripts were maintained. Conclusions This study demonstrates that purified rat Leydig cells at a range of developmental stages can be frozen and that the cryopreserved cells retain normal function.

Phthalate esters such as di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), which are commonly found in cosmetics and in flexible plastics distributed by the food, construction, and medical products industries, have been classified as anti-androgens. High-dose DEHP exposure in utero is associated with decreased androgen levels. However, when administered after birth, low doses of DEHP (eg, 10 mg/kg body weight) may stimulate androgen production. In the present study, the potential of phthalate exposure to advance or delay the timing of puberty was assessed. Male Long-Evans rat pups were chronically subjected to low or high doses of DEHP, with the androgen-driven process of preputial separation serving as an index of pubertal timing. Rats were treated with 0, 10, 500, or 750 mg/kg body weight DEHP for 28 days starting at day 21 postpartum. The average age at which the animals completed preputial separation was measured in each group. The age of preputial separation was 41.5 +/- 0.1 days postpartum in controls (vehicle). The 10 mg/kg DEHP dose advanced pubertal onset significantly to 39.7 +/- 0.1 days postpartum, whereas the 750 mg/kg DEHP dose delayed pubertal onset to 46.3 +/- 0.1 days postpartum. The 10 mg/kg DEHP dose also significantly increased serum testosterone (T) levels (3.13 +/- 0.37 ng/mL) and seminal vesicle weights (0.33 +/- 0.02 g) compared with control serum T (1.98 +/- 0.20 ng/mL) and seminal vesicle weight (0.26 +/- 0.02 g), while the 750 mg/kg dose decreased serum T (1.18 +/- 0.18 ng/mL) as well as testes and body weights. Direct action of the DEHP metabolite, monoethylhexylphthalate (MEHP), on Leydig cell steroidogenic capacity was investigated in vitro. MEHP treatment at a low concentration (100 microM) increased luteinizing hormone-stimulated T production, whereas 10 mM concentrations were inhibitory. In conclusion, data from the present study indicate that DEHP has a biphasic effect on Leydig cell function, with low-dose exposure advancing the onset of puberty. High doses of DEHP, which are anti-androgenic, may also be outside the range of real environmental exposure levels.

Penta-O-acetyl-β-D-glycopyranoses and 1,4-dimethoxybenzene led selectively by electrophilic substitution to C-β-D-glycopyranosyl-1,4-dimethoxybenzenes which were converted by simple and efficient reactions (oxidation, reduction and deacetylation) to the corresponding C-glycosylhydro- and C-glycosylbenzoquinones, with either an acetylated or deprotected sugar moiety. C-β-D-Glucosylbenzoquinone 19 and C-β-D-Glucosylhydroquinone 23 were found to be competitive inhibitors of rabbit muscle glycogen phosphorylase b (GPb), with respect to the substrate α-D-glucose-1-phosphate, with Ki values of 1.3 and 0.9 mM, respectively, whereas C-β-D-glucosylhydroquinone 17 was not effective up to a concentration of 8 mM. In order to elucidate the structural basis of inhibition, we determined the crystal structures of 19 and 23 in complex with GPb at a 2.03–2.05 A resolution. The complex structures reveal that the inhibitors can be accommodated at the catalytic site at approximately the same position as α-D-glucose and stabilise the transition state conformation of the 280s loop by making several favourable contacts to Asp283 and Asn284 of this loop. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)

Photoluminescence spectra and decay kinetics at room temperature were studied at the set of ZnO-containing mixed-oxide glasses of various compositions. The dominant broad emission band peaking round 390 nm is observed in most of the glasses regardless of their chemical composition. This emission is ascribed to the ZnO-aggregates originating both in their volume and at the interface with the glass host.

Terminal duct lobular unit (TDLU) is widely accepted as the origin of ductal carcinoma in situ of breast. The differentiation states of myoepithelial cells of breast ductal system hint the development of breast hyperplastic lesions. Basal cytokeratin (CK) phenotypes indicate the differentiation of myoepithelial cells. Using antibodies of CK5/6, CK14, and CK17, this study reports the basal CK phenotypes of myoepithelial cells in 20 foci of normal breast, 20 usual ductal hyperplasias, 36 ductal carcinomas in situ (DCIS), and 28 sclerosing adenosis (SA). The results showed that the positive staining of basal CKs of myoepithelial cells in normal ducts were significantly higher than those in normal lobules. The basal CK expression of myoepithelial cells of DCIS and usual ductal hyperplasia was similar to that of normal duct, whereas that of SA was similar to that of normal lobule. We propose a modified model of TDLU origin of intraductal carcinoma that most of DCIS originate from terminal ducts of TDLU, whereas most SA originate from lobules.

To observe the effect and mechanism of curcumin derivative B06 on kidney from rats with hyperlipidemia and type 2 diabetes.Thirty five male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups(n = 7): the normal control group, high-fat group, high-fat + B06-treatd group, diabetic group, diabetic + B06-treated group. After fed with high-fat diet for 4 weeks, the later two groups were in- jected with streptozotocin intraperitoneally to induce type 2 diabetes mellitus. B06-treated groups were given B06 by gavage at a dosage of 0.2 mg/kg . d for 8 weeks. After the treatment, the serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and uric acid were detected biochemically, the morphology of kidney was observed with light and transmission electron microscopy, the expression of collagen fibers was observed with Masson staining, the protein expression of collogen IV and fibronectin in kidney were determined by Immunohistochemistry.It was showed that the levels of the serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen elevated significantly in diabetic group. In high-fat and diabetic groups, increased glomerular mesangial matrix and collagen fiber and thicken glomerular basal membrane were observed under light microscopy, swelling and fusion of foot process were found under electron microscope; increased green matrix within glomeruli was observed under Masson staining. collogen IV and fibronectin protein expression were significantly enhanced in high-fat group and diabetic group. After B06's intervention, the levels of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were decreased in diabetic groups, the morphological change of kidney was obviously relieved, Collogen IV and fibronectin protein expression reduced.Curcumin derivative B06 exerts a protective effect on kidney in type 2 diabetic rats, reduced expressions of collogen IV and fibronectin, inhibition of the accumulation of extracellular matrix and glomerular mesangial proliferation, and then prevention of renal fibrosis may be the mechanism.

To explore the relationship between the expression of Survivin and Ki67 with prognosis of pancreatic endocrine tumors (PETs).Immunohistochemistry for Survivin and Ki67 was performed in 25 cases of normal pancreatic tissues and 81 cases of PETs by tissue microarrays and to observe the expression and evaluate the relationship with prognosis.(1)The expression of Survivin and Ki67 in PETs was significantly higher than that in normal pancreatic tissues (P0.01); (2)The expression of Survivin and Ki67 in PETs was correlated with tissue grading and the TNM-staging (P0.05), but not related with tumor size, location and functional status. In addition, the expression of nuclear Survivin was association with lymph node metastasis (P0.05). (3)The high expression of Ki67 was related with the expression of nuclear Survivin, but not related with the expression of cytoplasmic Survivin.Survivin and Ki67 were both expressed in PETs, which were closely related to the clinical pathological characteristics. They could be used as new indicators in the evaluation of prognosis of PETs. The expression of Survivin in nucleus had more diagnostic significance than that in cytoplasm, and that could be highly correlated with lymph node metastasis, which would be used as a new marker of poor prognosis.

Photochromic glasses have attracted increasing interests as switchable lenses and radiation dosimeters. Here, we report on a new and cheap photochromatic material, Mn2+ activated borophosphate glass which can be readily prepared by the conventional melt-quenching method. The photochromic properties are characterized by differential absorption spectra, and the photochromism stems from the conversion of Mn2+ to Mn3+ when the glass samples are exposed to gamma-rays. Our results show that the photochromism can be controlled by modifying the glass structure and optical basicity through adding of alkali (Na2O) and alkali-earth (SrO, BaO and CaO) oxides. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In this paper, an artificial neural network (ANN) approach to the determination of aquifer parameters is developed. The approach is based on the combination of an ANN and the Theis solution. The proposed ANN approach has advantages over the existing ANN approach. It avoids inappropriate setting of a trained range. It also determines the aquifer parameters more accurately and needs less required training time. Testing the existing and the proposed ANN approaches by 1000 sets of synthetic data also demonstrates these advantages. As to the comparison between the proposed ANN approach and the type-curve graphical method, an application to actual time-drawdown data shows that the proposed ANN approach determines the aquifer parameters more precisely. The proposed ANN approach is recommended as an alternative to the type-curve graphical method and the existing ANN approach.

This study describes the simple preparation of core–shell glycosyl gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using stepwise, copper-free click chemistry-promoted self-assembly. The as-formed glyco-AuNPs can be used for the selective detection of sugar–lectin interactions, which are vital to many important physiological and pathological processes. The approach uses AuNPs as bioprobes since they produce, sensitively, changes in both color visible to the naked eye and surface plasmon resonance (SPR), on aggregation. Strain-promoted click reaction of an azido galactoside with a lipid cyclooctyne affords a galactolipid that can be embedded into polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated AuNP via self-assembly. Subsequently, using naked-eye and plasmon resonance scattering spectroscopy, we were able to observe the colorimetric and plasmonic variations of the glyco-AuNPs, respectively, in the presence of a selective lectin over other proteins.

Dynamic tracking of pathogenic receptor expression with live cells is made possible by pyrenyl glycoanthraquinones decorated on graphene electrodes., Expression of specific transmembrane receptors by cells frequently represents an important signature of diseases, but this dynamic event can hardly be monitored directly with live cells due to the limitation of current biochemical techniques. Here we develop a pyrenyl glycoanthraquinone construct that can be firmly immobilized on a graphene-spotted screen printed electrode via strong π-interactions. The inherent current signal produced by the surface-confined glycoquinone can be used to detect selective sugar–protein recognitions with simple electrochemical techniques and portable facilities. Importantly, we demonstrate that the level of pathogenic receptors expressed by different types of live cells can be tracked with the electrode system in a label-free manner, providing a useful tool for the on-demand disease diagnosis as well as basic biochemical studies.

The result of the title cascade reaction of alkynols with imines depends on the solvent used (DMSO or THF).

Fluorogenic supramolecular complexes formed between tubular-shaped pyrenyl-β-cyclodextrins and glyco-rhodamine are determined to respond to a selective lectin with ‘turn-on’ fluorescence with excellent selectivity over a range of competing species.

2-(Per-O-acetyl-β-d-glycopyranosyl)-1,4-dimethoxybenzenes led to C-glycosyl-hydroquinones suitable for preparing C-glycosylated analogs of vitamin E, having the sugar moiety free or acetylated.

In this paper, a radial basis function network (RBFN) approach to the determination of aquifer parameters is developed. The approach is based on the combination of an RBFN and the Theis or the Hantuch‐Jacob solution. The proposed RBFN approach has advantages over the existing back‐propagation network (BPN) approach. It avoids inappropriate setting of a trained range. It also determines the aquifer parameters more accurately and needs less training time. Testing the BPN and RBFN approaches by synthetic data also demonstrates these advantages. As to the comparison between the RBFN approach and the type‐curve graphical method, two applications to actual time‐drawdown data show that the RBFN approach determines the aquifer parameters more precisely for both nonleaky‐confined and leaky‐confined aquifers. The RBFN approach is recommended as an alternative to the type‐curve graphical method and the existing BPN approach.

A method is presented for quantifying the uncertainty of the semivariogram of transmissivity and determining the required number of measurements. In this method, the estimated semivariogram and its 95% confidence limits are first determined from a finite number of measurements. The uncertainty of the estimated semivariogram is then quantified using the random field simulation technique. For a given value of the quantitative index of uncertainty, the required number of measured data can finally be obtained. Actual transmissivity data of an existing groundwater monitoring network are used in the application of the proposed method. The required numbers of measurements of transmissivity for four different values of the quantitative index of uncertainty are provided, from which reliable semivariograms of the transmissivity can be obtained. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Notably enhanced Mn2+ yellow emission is observed in CsCl modified and Eu2+/Mn2+ codoped Ge–Ga–S glasses under near-ultraviolet (NUV) excitation. The plausible efficiency of energy transfer (ET) from Eu2+ to Mn2+ is as high as 91%, which is obtained by measurement of luminescence decay of Eu2+ in samples doped with and without Mn2+. The Eu2+/Mn2+ codoping significantly increases the excitation cross section at the NUV region, which is at heart of the enhanced Mn2+ yellow emission. The ET processes responsible for the enhanced luminescence are discussed.

The anomeric mixture of a series of O-galactolipid derivatives is revealed to be more toxic against several cancer cell lines than their either single component with the pure α- or β-configuration. This interesting phenomenon has been confirmed on pairs of synthesized O-galactosyl anomers bearing length-varied alkyl chains at the lipid end. Furthermore, the most potent mixture was determined inoffensive to a normal cell line tested.

In this work a set of heavy-germanate glasses used as hosts for scintillating rare earths are analysed. Glasses were prepared from GeO 2 , BaO, Gd 2 O 3 , and SnO 2 (or La 2 O 3 ) as starting materials. Some glasses contain certain amounts of Ce 2 O 3 , which introduces Ce 3+ activator ions in the matrices. Special attention was paid to the influence of the glass composition on transmission properties in the ultraviolet and visible spectral regions; the relationship between the ultraviolet absorption edge and the content of the metals present in the glass structure is discussed. The irradiation resistance of samples was valued by comparing their transmission spectra before and after irradiation. An improvement in radiation resistance was observed when cerium was added in the glass composition.

A set of heavy germanate glasses were presented as the host for scintillating rare earths. The glasses consisted of GeO 2 , Gd 2 O 3 , BaO as the main constituents and Ce 2 O 3 and Tb 2 O 3 for introducing the activating cations Ce 3+ and Tb 3+ . Ultraviolet and visible transmittance spectra were measured on glass samples before and after irradiations at different doses to study the effects of ionising radiation on their transmission properties. Irradiated samples were submitted to annealing treatments and their transmittance spectra were compared with respect to their thermal bleaching behaviours. Extraordinary irradiation resistance of Ce 3+ doped glasses was observed after comparison with their counterparts doped with Tb 3+ , which is of special significance for their applications in high-energy particle experiments. Possible mechanisms causing the positive effect of cerium doping was discussed in terms of its special valence electron orbital configuration.

In the paper, we report the luminescence behaviors of Eu 2+ -doped chalcohalide glasses. Composition of glass matrix is 37.5GeS 2 -22.5Ga 2 S 3 -40CsCl (mol%) with the concentration of Eu 2+ in the range of 0.1–0.25 (mol%). The optimal Eu 2+ doping concentration was 0.15 mol% at which the glass exhibited an enhanced emission peaking at 434 nm with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) about 80 nm with the excitation at 395 nm.

In the present work, Ce 3+ /Tb 3+ co-doped 60P 2 O 5 -30BaO-10B 2 O 3 phosphate glasses are prepared and their luminescence properties are presented. Under excitation at 303 nm, the Ce 3+ ions singly doped sample show a novel red emission besides the UV one. The co-doped samples show enhanced Tb 3+ ions emission with the increasing of Tb 3+ ions concentration at the cost of Ce 3+ emission. The mechanism of this luminescent behavior is discussed with respect to the relevant energy transfer process.

We report on photoluminescence from Mn2+-doped chalcohalide glasses of the GeS2–Ga2S3–CsCl system. Upon blue excitation at 447 nm, a broad emission band occurs in the green spectral range from 500 to 600 nm, indicating the presence of tetrahedrally coordinated Mn2+ species. When the Mn2+-concentration is increased up to 2 mol%, an increasingly intense secondary emission band evolves at about 610–660 nm. Meanwhile, the intensity of the green band decreases gradually and shifts toward the red, resulting a very flatten luminescence from 500 to 750 nm, which provides a promising white light emitting source. As for the origin of this unique luminescence behavior of Mn2+, it is proposed that the ligand coordination number of Mn2+ in the present chalcohalide glasses experiences a partial change from tetrahedral to octahedral coordination.