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To explore the differences in structure and diversity of为了明确闽江河口互花米草海向不同入侵阶段湿地土壤

Hydrogen production via alkaline water electrolysis is of significant interest. However, the additional water dissociation step makes the Volmer step a relatively more sluggish kinetics and consequently leads to a slower reaction rate than that in acidic solution. Herein, we demonstrate an effective strategy that Co(OH)2 can promote the Volmer process by accelerating water dissociation and enhance the electrocatalytic performance of CoP toward alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction. The Co(OH)2 nanoplates are electrochemically induced in-situ generated to form a nanotree-like structure with porous CoP nanowires, endowing the hybrid electrocatalyst with superior charge transportation, more exposed active sites, and enhanced reaction kinetics. This strategy may be extended to other phosphides and chalcogenides and provide insight into the design and fabrication of efficient alkaline HER catalysts.

We examined the effects of选择闽江河口鳝鱼滩互花米草不同入侵年限湿地(SA

Sulfur oxidation-reduction process (SORP) in marsh soil is an important link in sulfur cycle, which plays an important role in maintaining the stability and health of marsh. We summarized the SORP in marsh soil and its influencing factors, and analyzed the research progress of its coupling effects with other elements. The influencing factors of SORP in marsh soil mainly involved biotic (plants, microorganisms, zoobenthos, human activities,湿地土壤硫(S)的氧化-还原过程是硫循环的重要环节,其对于维持湿地系统的稳定与健康具有重要意义。本文综述了湿地土壤S的氧化-还原过程及影响因素,并分析了其与其他元素耦合机制的研究进展。湿地土壤S氧化-还原过程的影响因素主要涉及生物因子(植物、微生物、底栖动物及人类活动等)和非生物因子(温度、水分和粒度等物理因素及pH、盐度、有机质等化学因素),而其与其他元素的耦合作用主要涉及碳(C)、氮(N)、磷(P)等生源元素以及铁(Fe)、锰(Mn)等金属元素。鉴于当前湿地土壤S氧化-还原过程影响机制揭示不深入、耦合作用研究不均衡及生态效应探讨不充分等问题,未来应重点加强S氧化-还原过程的关键功能微生物研究,强化其与痕量元素迁移转化的耦合机理研究,重视其与其他元素耦合作用的生态效应研究。.

Conventional carbonate solvents with low HOMO levels are theoretically compatible with the low-cost, high-voltage chemistry of Zn/graphite batteries. However, the nucleophilic attack of the anion on carbonates induces an oxidative breakdown at high potentials. Here, we restore the inherent anodic stability of carbonate electrolytes by designing a micro-heterogeneous anion solvation network. Based on the addition of a strongly electron-donating solvent, trimethyl phosphate (TMP), the oxidation-vulnerable anion-carbonate affinities are decoupled because of the preferential sequestration of anions into solvating TMP domains around the metal cations. The hybridized electrolytes elevate the electrochemical window of carbonate electrolytes by 0.45 V and enable the operation of Zn/graphite dual-ion cells at 2.80 V with a long cycle life (92 % capacity retention after 1000 cycles). By inheriting the non-flammability from TMP and the high ion-transport kinetics from the carbonate systems, this facile strategy provides cells with the additional benefits of fire retardancy and high-power capability.

BackgroundA recent genome-wide copy number variations (CNVs) scan identified a 16q12.2 deletion that included the carboxylesterase 1 (CES1) gene, which is important in the metabolism of fatty acids and cholesterol. We aimed to investigate whether CES1 CNVs was associated with susceptibility to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a Chinese Han population.MethodsA case-control study was conducted among 303 patients diagnosed with NAFLD and 303 age (± 5) and sex-matched controls from the Affiliated Nanping First Hospital of Fujian Medical University in China. The copy numbers of CES1 were measured using TaqMan quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and serum CES1 was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The Chi-squared test and a logistic regression model were used to evaluate the association between CES1 CNVs and NAFLD susceptibility.ResultsThe distribution of CES1 CNVs showed a higher frequency of CNVs loss (< 2) among patients; however, the difference was not significant (P = 0.05). After controlling for other known or suspected risk factors for NAFLD, CES1 CNVs loss was significantly associated with greater risk of NAFLD (adjusted OR = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.30–5.85, P = 0.01); while CES1 CNVs gain (>2) was not. There was a suggestion of an association between increased CES1 serum protein levels and CNVs losses among cases, although this was not statistically significant (P=0.07).ConclusionsCopy number losses (< 2) of CES1 contribute to susceptibility to NAFLD in the Chinese Han population.

PDT is a well-established therapeutic modality for many types of cancer. Photoluminescent cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes are one of the most commonly used classes of organometallic compounds with potential beneficial applications in bioimaging and as promising anticancer agents. In the present study, three new cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes (Ir1–Ir3) containing guanidinium ligands were found to exert excellent cytotoxic effects on different types of cancer cells upon light irradiation at 425 nm. Notably, Ir1 conferred almost no dark toxicity (IC50 > 100 μM) to HepG2 cells, but the value decreased by 387-fold to 0.36 μM following 10 min of light irradiation (425 nm). Further mechanistic investigation revealed that complex Ir1 could induce apoptosis via the activation of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated mitochondrial signaling pathways in the presence or absence of light irradiation. In vivo studies demonstrated that Ir1 significantly inhibited tumor growth in HepG2 xenograft-bearing mice under light irradiation at 425 nm. Taken together, these findings indicate that designing PDT-based Ir(III) complexes may hold a great deal of promise for anticancer drug development.

To investigate the distributions and stocks of total phosphorus (TP) in plant-soil systems of marshes in Shanyutan of the Minjiang River estuary and explore its influencing factors,本研究选择闽江河口鳝鱼滩芦苇和短叶茳芏空间扩展前的芦苇湿地、短叶茳芏湿地,以及二者空间扩展形成的交错带湿地为对象,探讨了两种植物空间扩展过程中植物-土壤系统的全磷(TP)赋存特征及其主要影响因素。结果表明: 在空间扩展影响下,湿地植物和土壤的TP含量均发生了明显变化。其中,交错带湿地土壤的TP含量比芦苇湿地和短叶茳芏湿地土壤分别增加了20.0%和7.1%。这与芦苇和短叶茳芏空间扩展过程中土壤的颗粒组成以及植物的生物量、根冠比变化有关。除叶外,交错带芦苇不同器官的TP含量整体均低于短叶茳芏的相应器官。这与二者在交错带生境中对P养分吸收利用与转运方式的差异有关。另外,空间扩展导致的竞争作用使二者的P分配比也发生较大变化,与纯群落相比,交错带芦苇提高了根、叶的P分配比,而交错带短叶茳芏提高了根的P分配比。芦苇和短叶茳芏为了应对空间扩展过程中的竞争可能采取了不同的P养分利用策略,前者通过加强根部P养分吸收和提高叶片光合作用的方式来占据竞争优势,而后者通过提高根系生物量以增强对P养分吸收利用的方式来抗衡来自芦苇的竞争。.

Single atom catalysts (SACs) with the maximized metal atom efficiency have sparked great attention. However, it is challenging to obtain SACs with high metal loading, high catalytic activity, and good stability. Herein, we demonstrate a new strategy to develop a highly active and stable Ag single atom in carbon nitride (Ag-N2 C2 /CN) catalyst with a unique coordination. The Ag atomic dispersion and Ag-N2 C2 configuration have been identified by aberration-correction high-angle-annular-dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (AC-HAADF-STEM) and extended X-ray absorption. Experiments and DFT calculations further verify that Ag-N2 C2 can reduce the H2 evolution barrier, expand the light absorption range, and improve the charge transfer of CN. As a result, the Ag-N2 C2 /CN catalyst exhibits much better H2 evolution activity than the N-coordinated Ag single atom in CN (Ag-N4 /CN), and is even superior to the Pt nanoparticle-loaded CN (PtNP /CN). This work provides a new idea for the design and synthesis of SACs with novel configurations and excellent catalytic activity and durability.

As the "powerhouse" of a cell, mitochondria maintain energy homeostasis, synthesize ATP via oxidative phosphorylation, generate ROS signaling molecules, and modulate cell apoptosis. Herein, three Re(I) complexes bearing guanidinium derivatives have been synthesized and characterized. All of these complexes exhibit moderate anticancer activity in HepG2, HeLa, MCF-7, and A549 cancer cells. Mechanism studies indicate that complex 3, [Re(CO)3(L)(Im)](PF6)2, can selectively localize in the mitochondria and induce cancer cell death through mitochondria-associated pathways. In addition, complex 3 can effectively depress the ability of cell migration, cell invasion, and colony formation.

Hydrogen production via alkaline water electrolysis is of significant interest. However, the additional water dissociation step makes the Volmer step a relatively more sluggish kinetics and consequently leads to a slower reaction rate than that in acidic solution. Herein, we demonstrate an effective strategy that Co(OH)2 can promote the Volmer process by accelerating water dissociation and enhance the electrocatalytic performance of CoP toward alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction. The Co(OH)2 nanoplates are electrochemically induced in-situ generated to form a nanotree-like structure with porous CoP nanowires, endowing the hybrid electrocatalyst with superior charge transportation, more exposed active sites, and enhanced reaction kinetics. This strategy may be extended to other phosphides and chalcogenides and provide insight into the design and fabrication of efficient alkaline HER catalysts.

Background: A recent genome-wide copy number variations (CNVs) scan identified a 16q12.2 deletion that included the carboxylesterase 1 (CES1) gene, which is important in the metabolism of fatty acids and cholesterol. We aimed to investigate whether CES1 CNVs was associated with susceptibility to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a Chinese Han population. Methods: A case-control study was conducted among 303 patients diagnosed with NAFLD and 303 age (± 5) and sex-matched controls from the Affiliated Nanping First Hospital of Fujian Medical University in China. The copy numbers of CES1 were measured using TaqMan quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and serum CES1 was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The Chi-squared test and a logistic regression model were used to evaluate the association between CES1 CNVs and NAFLD susceptibility. Results: The distribution of CES1 CNVs showed a higher frequency of CNVs loss (< 2) among patients; however, the difference was not significant (P = 0.05). After controlling for other known or suspected risk factors for NAFLD, CES1 CNVs loss was significantly associated with greater risk of NAFLD (adjusted OR = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.30–5.85, P = 0.01); while CES1 CNVs gain (>2) was not. There was a suggestion of an association between increased CES1 serum protein levels and CNVs losses among cases, although this was not statistically significant (P=0.07). Conclusions: Copy number losses (< 2) of CES1 contribute to susceptibility to NAFLD in the Chinese Han population.

By dropping particles into black hole, we have employed the recently new assumption [1] that the change of the black hole mass(enthalpy) should be the same amount as the energy of an infalling particle($\omega = dM$), to carefully test the laws of thermodynamics and the weak cosmic censorship conjecture of a conformal anomaly corrected AdS black hole in different phase spaces. Using the energy-momentum relation, the result shows that the first law, second law and weak cosmic censorship conjecture of black hole are all valid in the normal phase space, no violations occur. In the extended phase space, it firstly shows that the first law of black hole thermodynamics is always true in our case. Then, we interestingly find that if the condition ${d\ell} > -\left(P^r \ell^3\right)/{r_+^3}$ satisfied the variation of entropy is always positive, which means there would be no violation of the second law in the extend phase spaces. Also, it is true that there are always horizons by which the singularity is also covered. So, the configurations of the extremal and near-extremal black holes will not be changed, and there has no violation of the weak cosmic censorship conjecture. Finally, all of those conclusions are independent of the scalar curvature parameter $k$ and the conformal anomaly parameter $\tilde{\alpha}$, Comment: 10 pages, 13 figures

To explore the effect of storage time on discharge and content of exosome from leukocyte-reduced apheresis platelets (LRA-Plt).Exosome (EXO) from LRA-Plt were acquired by ExoQuick, and its' morphology, immunological marker and particle size distribution were detected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Western blotting and dynamic light scattering (DLS), respectively. The changes in particle size distribution of EXO from LRA-Plt with different storage time were detected by DLS. The changes in content of protein and RNA of EXO from LRA-Plt with different storage time were detected by Nanodrop® ND-2000.EXO from LRA-Plt was acquired successfully, which was characterized by cup-like shape, CD63/TSG101 enriched and Calnexin negative, and the particle size of which ranged from 30 to 200 nm. At early stored stage (stored for 1 day and 2 days), particle size of EXO from LRA-Plt was small and ranges from 30 to 40 nm. Meanwhile, the contents of protein and RNA were low. The particle size distribution, contents of protein and RNA of EXO from LRA-Plt were not significanty different ammg groups (P＞0.05). At middle-late stored stage (stored for 3, 4 and 5 days), the particle size of EXO from LRA-Plt was larger than that of early stored stage, which ranges was from 130 to 200 nm. Meanwhile, the contents of protein and RNA were higher than those of early stored stage. Particle size distribution, contents of protein and RNA of EXO from LRA-Plt stored for middle-late stage were significant higher than those of early stored stage (P＜0.05).Morphology of EXO from LRA-Plt stored for middle-late stage was different from that stored for early stored stage. Moreover, the particle size distribution, contents of protein and RNA of EXO from LRA-Plt stored for middle-late stage were higher than those of early stored stage. A large amount of protein and RNA contained in EXO from LRA-Plt may participate in the multiple functions caused by platelet transfusion.不同储存时间的少白细胞单采血小板中外泌体释放及内容物.探讨不同储存时间对少白细胞单采血小板（leukocyte-reduced apheresis platelet，LRA-Plt）中外泌体（exosome，EXO）释放及内容物的影响.应用ExoQuick获得不同储存时间对LRA-Plt中的EXO，采用透射电镜术（transmission electron microscopy，TEM）、蛋白免疫印迹法、动态光散射（Dynamic Light Scattering，DLS）法分别进行形态、免疫标记、粒径分布检测。应用DLS检测不同储存时间LRA-Plt中EXO的粒径分布变化，通过Nanodrop® ND-2000检测不同储存时间LRA-Plt中EXO的蛋白和RNA含量变化.成功获取类杯状、CD63/TSG101富集、Calnexin阴性、直径分布在30-200 nm的LRA-Plt来源EXO。储存早期（储存d 1、2），LRA-Plt来源EXO的粒径较小，分布多在30-40 nm；蛋白和RNA含量较低；2组间粒径分布、蛋白和RNA含量无显著差异（P＞0.05）。储存中晚期，LRA-Plt来源EXO的粒径较储存早期大，分布多在130-200 nm；蛋白和RNA含量较早期显著上升；与储存早期相比，储存中晚期LRA-Plt中EXO在粒径分布、蛋白和RNA含量上均出现显著上升（P＜0.05）.储存中晚期的LRA-Plt中EXO形态与储存早期存在差异，且粒径分布、蛋白和RNA含量显著高于储存早期。EXO携带的大量蛋白和RNA可能参与了血小板输注后多种功能作用的执行.

Two new Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes, [Ru(dpq) 2 (maip)](PF 6 ) 2 ( 1 ) and [Ru(dpq) 2 (paip)](PF 6 ) 2 ( 2 ) (dpq = dipyrido [3,2-d:2′,3′-f]quinoxaline; maip = 2-(3-aminophenyl)imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline; paip = 2-(4-aminophenyl)imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline), were synthesized and characterized to investigate their antitumor activity. MTT assay showed that both complexes exhibit moderate antitumor activity against HeLa, A549, HepG2, MCF-7, and CNE-2 cell lines, but have lower cytotoxicity compared to cisplatin. Complex 1 exhibits higher toxicity than complex 2 . Mechanism studies indicate that the two Ru(II) complexes were present in the cytoplasm after 10 h of incubation with HeLa cells and were selectively localized in the mitochondria. Additionally, the two complexes arrested the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase, which suggests that both complexes can induce cancer cell death through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent pathways.

Calcium homeostasis plays vital roles in the management of bone health. Traditional herbal formula Gushukang (GSK) was clinically applied to treat primary osteoporosis. This study aimed to explore the osteoprotective effects of GSK and its roles in maintaining calcium homeostasis in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. The OVX mice were orally treated with low (0.38 g/kg), middle (0.76 g/kg) and high (1.52 g/kg) dose of GSK for 8 weeks. GSK treatment dramatically increased serum calcium level and decreased urinary calcium excretion as well as enhanced calcium content in bone of OVX mice. Serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D was significantly increased in OVX mice with exposure to GSK. Treatment with GSK improved bone mass and micro-structure of trabecular bone at distal metaphysis of femur and proximal metaphysis of tibia in OVX mice shown by safranin O staining and micro-CT measurement. GSK treatment at all doses up-regulated mRNA expression of calcium-binding protein-28k and vitamin D receptor in kidney of OVX mice, and dose-dependently decreased mRNA expression of claudin-14 and elevated mRNA expression of claudin-16 in duodenum of OVX mice. Taken together, GSK exerted beneficial effects on trabecular bone of OVX mice by improving calcium homeostasis via regulating paracellular calcium absorption in duodenum and transcellular calcium reabsorption in kidney.

Mitochondrial damage will hinder the energy production of cells and produce excessive ROS (reactive oxygen species), resulting in cell death through autophagy or apoptosis. In this paper, four cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes (Ir1: [Ir(piq)2L]PF6; Ir2: [Ir(bzq)2L]PF6; Ir3: [Ir(dfppy)2L]PF6; Ir4: [Ir(thpy)2L]PF6; piq = 1-phenylisoquinoline; bzq = benzo[h]quinoline; dfppy = 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyridine;thpy = 2-(2-thienyl)pyridine; L = 1,10-phenanthroline-5-amine) were synthesized and characterized. Cytotoxicity tests show that these complexes have excellent cytotoxicity to cancer cells, and mechanism studies indicatethat these complexes can specifically target mitochondria. Complexes Ir1 and Ir2 can damage the function of mitochondria, subsequently increasing intracellular levels of ROS, decreasing MMP (mitochondrial membrane potential), and interfering with ATP energy production, which leads to autophagy and apoptosis. Furthermore, autophagy induced by Ir1 and Ir2 can promote cell death in coordination with apoptosis. Surprisingly, these four complexes also showed moderate antibacterial activity to S. aureusand P. aeruginosa.

To explore the effects of Spartina alterniflora invasion in a seaward direction on variations of inorganic sulfur forms in marsh soils, the levels of inorganic sulfur forms (H选择闽江河口鳝鱼滩互花米草海向入侵前的光滩(BF)、入侵过程中(入侵1年)的互花米草湿地(SA′)以及入侵后(入侵3年)的互花米草湿地(SA)为研究对象,基于时空互代法,研究了互花米草海向入侵对湿地土壤无机硫赋存形态(水溶性硫H

ObjectivesNut consumption has been associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. However, its effect on the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is unknown. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between nut consumption and NAFLD risk.Setting and participantsWe conducted a retrospective case-control study including 534 patients diagnosed with NAFLD and 534 controls matched by sex and age (±5 years) from the Affiliated Nanping First Hospital of Fujian Medical University in China.Main outcome measuresInformation on dietary intake was collected using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire and nut consumption was calculated. Nut consumption was categorised using quartiles based on the distribution of daily nut intake of the controls. Binary logistic regression models were used to estimate ORs and the 95% CIs for the association between nut consumption and NAFLD risk.ResultsAfter adjusting for potential confounding variables, nut consumption was not associated with NAFLD risk in the overall sample. When the fully adjusted model was stratified by sex, a significant inverse association was found between high nut consumption and NAFLD only among the men in the highest quartile (OR=0.43; 95% CI 0.26 to 0.71;Ptrend =0.01). The inverse association of nut consumption with NAFLD risk in men remained significant after controlling for other known or suspected risk factors for NAFLD.ConclusionsDiets with a higher intake of nuts may be associated with a decreased risk of NAFLD, particularly in men.

Additional lateral load tests, with improved techniques, were conducted on M22 stainless bolts to supplement the series of metric system stainless bolt tests which were conducted previously. Using the strain gage-deflection data collected from the entire set, i.e., of different sizes and different lengths, of the bolt tests, the “rigidity coefficient”, which is used in calculating the deflection of the bolts under lateral loads, using the conventionally assumed effective shank length, is derived. Alternatively, a new analytical effective shank length, which is more accurate than the conventional assumed effective shank length, derived from the test data, is proposed.

Compared to efficient green and near-infrared light-emitting diodes (LEDs), less progress has been made on deep-blue perovskite LEDs. They suffer from inefficient domain [various number of PbX6 - layers (n)] control, resulting in a series of unfavorable issues such as unstable color, multipeak profile, and poor fluorescence yield. Here, a strategy involving a delicate spacer modulation for quasi-2D perovskite films via an introduction of aromatic polyamine molecules into the perovskite precursor is reported. With low-dimensional component engineering, the n1 domain, which shows nonradiative recombination and retarded exciton transfer, is significantly suppressed. Also, the n3 domain, which represents the population of emission species, is remarkably increased. The optimized quasi-2D perovskite film presents blue emission from the n3 domain (peak at 465 nm) with a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) as high as 77%. It enables the corresponding perovskite LEDs to deliver stable deep-blue emission (CIE (0.145, 0.05)) with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 2.6%. The findings in this work provide further understanding on the structural and emission properties of quasi-2D perovskites, which pave a new route to design deep-blue-emissive perovskite materials.

In this paper, by introducing a Lorentz-invariance-violation (LIV) class of dispersion relations (DR) suppressed by the second power $(E/E_{QG})^2$, we have investigated the effect of LIV on the Hawking radiation of the charged Dirac particle via tunneling from a Reissner-Nordstr\"om(RN) black hole. We first find the effect of LIV speeds up the black hole evaporation, leaving the induced Hawking temperature very sensitive to the changes in the energy of the radiation particle, but at the same energy level, insensitive to the changes in the charge of the radiation particle. This provides a phenomenological evidence for the LIV-DR as a candidate for describing the effect of quantum gravity. Then, when the effect of LIV is included, we find the statistical correlations with the Planck-scale corrections between the successive emissions can leak out the information through the radiation. And, it turns out that the black hole radiation as tunneling is an entropy conservation process, and no information loss occurs during the radiation, where the interpretation for the entropy of black hole is addressed. Finally, we conclude that black hole evaporation is still an unitary process in the context of quantum gravity., Comment: 11 pages;4 figures;accepted by Chinese Physics C

In this paper, three water-soluble polysaccharides (PS-D1, PS-D2, and PS-D3) isolated and purified from Pueraria lobata roots were characterized and their biological activities were evaluated. Results showed that PS-D1 was a neutral heteropolysaccharide comprised glucose and fructose in a molar ratio of 24.4:1.0 with a weight-average molecular weight ( M w ) of 62 kDa, while PS-D2 and PS-D3 were both acidic heteropolysaccharides consisting of glucose, fructose, arabinose and glucose, fructose, galactose, arabinose in a molar ratio of 54.5:1.0:1.0 and 61.0:1.0:2.7:2.4 with M w s of 159 and 385 kDa, respectively. Amongst of them, PS-D3 had the highest uronic acid content (∼12.4%), carbohydrate content (∼88.9%) and M w . All the three polysaccharides exhibited as random coils or large aggregates in aqueous solution. In vitro antioxidant activity tests indicated that PS-D3 showed the strongest scavenging capacities on hydroxyl (79.6%) and DPPH (60%) radicals at 3.0 mg/ml, and exhibited the highest antioxidant activity with a Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity of 53.8 µmol Trolox/g and a ferric reducing ability of plasma of 56.9 µmol Fe 2+ /g. Moreover, the inhibitory activity on advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) formation of PS-D3 was 59.1% at 0.8 mg/ml. These results indicated that PS-D3 with prominent antioxidant capability showed pronounced non-enzymatic glycation inhibition activity in vitro .

2,3,5,4'-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-d-glucoside (TSG), an active component from the functional and medicinal herb Polygonum multiflorum Thunb, has the capacity of blocking angiotensin II (ANG II) signaling, a pathway within the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) which plays a critical role in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN), and blockade of the RAS is currently used for the treatment of DN. Here we investigated the beneficial effect of TSG therapy on renal damage in the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes model. The STZ-treated C57BL/6J diabetic mice developed progressive albuminuria and renal tubular interstitial fibrosis within 10 weeks, accompanied by increased production of ANG II, fibronection, TGF-β, CTGF, TNF-α, RANTES and MCP-1 and decreased expression of slit diaphragm proteins in the kidney. The treatment of the diabetic mice with a TSG ameliorated kidney mass increase prevented albuminuria, and reduced tubular interstitial fibrosis. The TSG treatment suppressed the induction of fibronection, CTGF, TGF-β, and MCP-1 and reversed the decline of slit diaphragm proteins Neph-1, ZO-1, and FAT-1. These were accompanied by blockade of renal renin and ANG II accumulation induced by hyperglycemia. These data demonstrated that the inhibition of the RAS with TSG effectively prevented renal injury in diabetic nephropathy.

Gasoline, as one of the flammable liquids, is used commonly in arson. Due to its typical fluidity and permeability, particular burn patterns can be formed in fire scene. In order to provide references for fire investigators to collect trace evidences and identify fire cause accurately, the burn patterns on different flooring materials are investigated in this paper. Two new kinds of flooring materials (Rubber pad and EVA mosaic floor) were selected in the experiments to study the burn pattern characteristics by simulating the fire scene. By comparing the difference of the burning pattern with and without gasoline, rules of pattern characteristics on different material surface have been summarized. Meanwhile, fire extinguishing style was considered in this work. The results show that the burn pattern characteristics become remarkably different when the flooring materials loaded by gasoline. In addition, fire extinguishing style has a great impact on the burn patterns, such as the carbonized degree, the residual shape and the fire traces. It is believed that the results in this paper would provide important guidance for investigation on arson which applied gasoline as the combustion improver.

In this paper, we have employed the second-order Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) to carefully investigate the effect of quantum gravity on the Hawking radiation of the Dirac particle via tunneling from the Kerr black hole. Firstly, it turns out that the Hawking temperature is not only related to the angular momentum and mass of the black hole, but related to the energy and mass of the emitted particle. In particular, we find that the effective temperature is bigger and bigger with the increase of the energy ω, the angular momentum j and the LIV parameter l p , but is smaller and smaller with the increase of the black hole mass M. Also, it further shows that, although quantum gravity speeds up the black-hole evaporation, it will not evaporate completely, instead a remaining mass, temperature and entropy are left. Finally, through a careful count of the number of the microstates taken away by the black-hole radiation, the initial and remaining number of microstates for the Schwarzschild black hole are presented with the inclusion of the LIV-induced quantum gravity effects.

Leydig cells are the testicular cells responsible for the biosynthesis and secretion of androgens, which are critical for the development of the reproductive tract and for reproductive function in the male. There are two distinct populations of Leydig cells: fetal Leydig cells (FLCs), which originate and function in the fetus but largely regress soon after birth, and adult Leydig cells (ALCs). FLCs produce high levels of testosterone (T) required for the stimulation of male sexual differentiation and testis descent. ALCs form from precursor cells during postnatal life. The adult cells produce high levels of T required for maintaining spermatogenesis and male secondary sexual characteristics in adult life. A number of environmental toxicants have been shown to disrupt FLC function, ALC development, and/or ALC function. Based on when in the life cycle cells are exposed, exposures to toxicants have been shown to have a variety of pathological consequences, including hypospadia and cryptorchidism, resulting from exposures of FLCs; delayed puberty, resulting from Leydig cell precursor cell postnatal exposures; or hypogonadism and infertility, resulting from ALC exposures.

Fatigue failure analysis on key components of bladder accumulators was conducted. Failure fracture of the key components, which included the shell, the support ring and the oil inlet valve body in the accumulators, was investigated by optical microscope (OM) scanning electron microscope (SEM). According to the metallographic analysis and micro-hardness determination at the crack profile, crack initiation and propagation direction was confirmed. By simulation using the finite element method, it was detected that the peak stress of the key components applied on the contact surfaces. Obvious plastic deformation was observed at the region with high stress. However, the fatigue crack did not initiate at the contact surface, but occurred on the second high stress area without contact.

The PCE has a great relationship with the work function of conductors in organic and printed electronics devices. And organic photovoltaics require an electrode with a work function (WF) that is low enough to either facilitate the transport of electrons in and out of various optoelectronic devices or collect electrons from the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of a given organic semiconductor. In inverted organic photovoltaics, the ITO is normally used as cathode to collect electrons .By using PDDA deposition, the surface work function of ITO can be decreased by 0.3 eV, which is able to improve the electrons transport and the PCE in OPV, as it has been proved that the surface electronic potential of ITO is very sensitive to the presence of self-assembled molecular layers.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are involved in the metabolism of endogenous and exogenous compounds. Human and rat liver microsomes were used to investigate the inhibitory effects of methoxychlor (MXC) and its metabolite 2,2-bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (HPTE) on the activities of corresponding human and rat CYPs. Probe drugs were used to test the inhibitory effects of MXC and HPTE on human and rat CYPs. The results showed that MXC and HPTE inhibited both human CYP2C9 and rat liver CYP2C11 activity, with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 15.47 ± 0.36 (MXC) and 8.87 ± 0.53 μmol/l (HPTE) for human CYP2C9, and of 22.45 ± 1.48 (MXC) and 24.63 ± 1.35 μmol/l (HPTE) for rat CYP2C11. MXC and HPTE had no effects on human CYP2C19 activity but inhibited rat CYP2C6 activity with IC50 values of 14.84 ± 0.04 (MXC) and 8.72 ± 0.25 μmol/l (HPTE). With regard to human CYP2D6 and rat CYP2D2 activity, only HPTE potently inhibited human CYP2D6 activity, with an IC50 value of 16.56 ± 0.69 μmol/l. Both chemicals had no effect on human CYP3A4 and rat CYP3A1 activity. In summary, MXC and HPTE are potent inhibitors of some human and rat CYPs.

In calculating the bolt stresses under lateral loads, such as caused by the differential thermal movement between two components — problems often found in the reactor internal design, the boundary condition of the bolt is usually conservatively assumed to be in a guided-cantilever beam mode, i.e., the bolt head is not allowed to rotate. In reality, the bolt head could rotate to a certain degree and, furthermore, the bolt head could slip, a form of loosening, under the lateral loads. A series of lateral load-deflection tests was conducted on bolts of different sizes and different lengths, with different preloads, to study the bolt behaviors, including when the bolts start to slip and what is the effect of preloading on the slippage. Furthermore, finite element studies were conducted to correlate the test results to find the proper boundary condition to be used in the bolt stress calculation.

Guanidinium-functionalized molecules are commonly studied for their use as pharmaceutically active compounds and drugs carriers. Herein, four cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes containing guanidinium ligands have been synthesized and characterized as potential anticancer agents. These complexes exhibit moderate antitumor activity in HeLa, MCF-7, HepG2, CNE-2, and A549 human tumor cells. Interestingly, all complexes showed higher cytotoxicity than cisplatin against a cisplatin-resistant cell line A549R, and less cytotoxicity on the nontumorigenic LO2 cells. Intracellular distribution studies suggest that these complexes are selectively localized in the mitochondria. Mechanism studies indicate that these complexes arrested the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase and can influence mitochondrial integrity, inducing cancer cell death through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent pathways.

The numerical simulation model for predicting fast filling process of 70 MPa type III (with metal liner) hydrogen vehicle cylinder was presented, which has considered turbulence, real gas effect and solid heat transfer issues. Through the numerical analysis method, the temperature distributions of the gas within the solid walls were revealed; adiabatic filling was studied to evaluate the heat dissipation during the filling; the influences of various filling conditions on temperature rise were analyzed in detail. Finally, cold filling was proposed to evaluate the effect on temperature rise and SoC (state of charge) within the cylinder. The hydrogen pre-cooling was proved to be an effective solution to reduce maximum temperature and acquire higher SoC during the filling process.

The objective of the present study is to determine whether methoxychlor (MXC) exposure in adulthood affects rat Leydig cell regeneration and to compare its effects with estradiol (E2). Adult 90-day-old male Sprague-Dawley rats received ethane dimethane sulfonate (EDS) to eliminate the adult Leydig cell population. Subsequently, rats were randomly assigned to four groups and gavaged with corn oil (control), 0.25 mg/kg E2 and 10 or 100 mg/kg MXC daily from days 5 to 30 post-EDS treatment. The results showed that MXC and E2 reduced serum testosterone levels on day 58 post-EDS treatment. qPCR showed Hsd17b3 mRNA levels were downregulated 7–15 fold by E2 and MXC, indicating that development of the new population of Leydig cells was arrested at the earlier stage. This observation was supported by the results of histochemical staining, which demonstrated that Leydig cells in MXC-treated testis on day 58 post-EDS treatment were mostly progenitor Leydig cells. However, Pdgfb mRNA levels were downregulated, while Lif transcript levels were increased by MXC. In contrast, E2 did not affect gene expression for these growth factors. In conclusion, our findings indicated that both MXC and E2 delayed rat Leydig cell regeneration in the EDS-treated model, presumably acting by different mechanisms.

A 70MPa hydrogen environment fatigue test system has been designed and applied in the manufacture of a hydrogen storage vessel. Key equipment is the 80MPa flat steel ribbon wound high pressure hydrogen storage vessel. A reasonable stress distribution has been realized, that is low stress in the liner of the pressure vessel and even stress in the flat ribbon layers. This optimal stress distribution is achieved through the adjustment of the prestress in flat steel ribbons. A control system for the fatigue test system has also been designed. It consists of a double control model, i.e. manual control and automatic control, to satisfy different experimental requirements. The system is the unique one that can be used in the real hydrogen environmental fatigue test system in China. An experiment for the 70MPa onboard composite material hydrogen vessel has been carried out on the system. The experimental result from this test is in close agreement with the practical operating conditions.

In this paper, the black hole spectroscopy is intriguingly described in the isotropic coordinate by combining the black hole property of adiabaticity and the oscillation velocity of the black hole horizon. The result shows that the horizon area of a Schwarzschild black hole is quantized independent of the choice of coordinates, with an equally spaced spectroscopy always given by .