Search

The size of Ni in the prepared Ni oxide catalyst is 1–2 nm.

Recent studies have suggested that CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 1 (CRTC1) plays a role in the pathophysiology of depression. Although imipramine is thought to prevent the reuptake of synaptic serotonin and norepinephrine, its antidepressant-like mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, the effects of imipramine on CRTC1 were studied in several models of depression, including the chronic restraint stress (CRS), chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) models. We examined whether repeated imipramine administration can reverse the effects of CRS, CUMS and CSDS on CRTC1 expression in both the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Furthermore, genetic knockdown of CRTC1 by CRTC1-shRNA was used to determine whether CRTC1 is necessary for the antidepressant-like effects of imipramine in mice. Our results showed that imipramine reversed the down-regulating effects of CRS, CUMS and CSDS on CRTC1 expression in the mPFC but not the hippocampus, and that CRTC1-shRNA fully abolished the antidepressant-like actions of imipramine in mice. In conclusion, CRTC1 in the mPFC is involved in the antidepressant mechanism of imipramine.

Gephyromycin C (GC), a natural compound isolated from a marine-derived actinomycete Streptomyces sp. SS13I, which exerts anti-proliferative effect on PC3 cells. However, its underlying mechanism of the anti-cancer effect remains unknown. The results of SRB assays showed that GC inhibited the proliferation of PC3 cells with an IC50 value of 1.79 ± 0.28 μM. GC also induced G2/M cell cycle arrest which was accompanied by declining levels of cyclin proteins. Possible mechanisms were investigated and it was found that GC bound to Hsp90 and caused the degradation of Hsp90 client proteins (AKT, CHK1, P53, CDK4, Raf-b, and Raf-1). The fluorescent polarization assay with FITC-labeled geldanamycin (FITC-GA) demonstrated that GC was able to compete with FITC-GA in binding to wild type Hsp90 with an IC50 of 2.15 μM. Results of a docking study also suggested that GC interacted with the N-terminal domain of Hsp90. Our results showed that GC could bind to Hsp90, which resulted in down-regulation of Hsp90 client proteins and G2/M arrest in PC3 cells. Since the antitumor effects of this kind of angucycline via targeting Hsp90 has not been reported before, our results indicate that GC is a novel inhibitor of Hsp90 from marine resources and worthy of further study.

Background Depression is one of the most common forms of mental illness and also a leading cause of disability worldwide. Developing novel antidepressant targets beyond the monoaminergic systems is now popular and necessary. LIM kinases, including LIM domain kinase 1 and 2 (LIMK1/2), play a key role in actin and microtubules dynamics through phosphorylating cofilin. Since depression is associated with atrophy of neurons and reduced connectivity, here we speculate that LIMK1/2 may play a role in the pathogenesis of depression. Methods In this study, the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), chronic restraint stress (CRS) and chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) models of depression, various behavioral tests, stereotactic injection, western blotting and immunofluorescence methods were adopted. Results It was found that CUMS, CRS and CSDS all significantly enhanced the phosphorylation levels of LIMK1 and LIMK2 in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) but not the hippocampus of mice. Administration of fluoxetine, a most commonly used SSRI in clinical practice, fully reversed the effects of CUMS, CRS and CSDS on LIMK1 and LIMK2 in the mPFC. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of LIMK1 and LIMK2 in the mPFC by LIMKi 3 infusions notably prevented the pro-depressant effects of CUMS, CRS and CSDS in mice. Conclusions In summary, these results suggest that LIMK1/2 in the mPFC has a role in chronic stress-induced depressive-like effects in mice, and could be a novel pharmacological target for developing antidepressants. Significance statement It is now popular and necessary to develop novel antidepressant targets beyond the monoaminergic systems. LIMK1/2 plays a key role in actin and microtubules dynamics through phosphorylating cofilin. This study mainly investigated the correlation between the LIMK-Cofilin system in the mPFC and depression. It was found that both chronic stress and fluoxetine were able to significantly regulate the phosphorylation of LIMK1, LIMK2 and cofilin in the mPFC but not the hippocampus, and inhibiting LIMK1/2 in the mPFC led to antidepressant-like effects in mice. Therefore, LIMK1/2 in the mPFC is a potential participant underlying the pathophysiology of depression and could be a novel antidepressant target. Moreover, this study provides support for the potential use of LIMKi 3 treatment strategies against chronic stress-related mental disorders.

The aim of this proof-of-concept study is to develop a predictive model based on deep learning algorithms to predict working alliances after the first therapeutic session and to provide a basis for clinical decisions.Using a sample of 325 patients and 32 psychotherapists from three university counseling centers, a deep learning algorithm known as fully connected neural networks (FCNNs) was adopted to construct data-driven predictive models. The performance differences between the model including only patient indicators and the model including both patient and therapist indicators were compared. The optimal model was further tested in a general hospital sample of 85 patients and 8 therapists.The model incorporating both patient indicators and therapist-level indicators (R²: 0.30 ± 0.02) performed better than the model incorporating only patient indicators (R²: 0.11 ± 0.02). The performance of this model decreased when being transferred to the independent general hospital sample, but still retained some predictive value (R² = 0.11).This study showed that the inclusion of therapist-level indicators can improve the performance of a predictive model in predicting working alliances. This model could assist clinical decisions on choosing psychotherapists for patients and may also initiate new possibilities for future research.

Our ability to observe the network topology and nodes' behaviors of complex systems has significantly advanced in the past decade, giving rise to a new and fast-developing frontier—inferring the underlying dynamical mechanisms of complex systems from the observation data. Here we explain the rationale of data-driven dynamics inference and review the recent progress in this emerging field. Specifically, we classify the existing methods of dynamics inference into three categories, and describe their key ideas, representative applications and limitations. We also discuss the remaining challenges that are worth the future effort.

La1-xYxFeO3 (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0) ceramics have been prepared by a standard solid-state sintering process, and the conductive, dielectric and magnetic properties have been determined together with the structure. The bi-phase structure with Pbnm and P21nm is determined for x = 0.5, and the Pbnm single phase is determined for all other compositions. The dielectric constant can be modified to vary in 3 orders of magnitude by Y-substitution as a result of the conductivity change. Two dielectric anomalies are found due to the increase of DC conductivity and semiconductor to metal phase transition in all La1-xYxFeO3 ceramics. The high temperature DC conductivity is dominated by long-range motion of double ionized oxygen vacancies. With increasing Y-substitution, the magnetic transition temperature drops gradually from 742 to 642 K due to the decrease of Fe O Fe bond angles. Weak ferromagnetic state has been observed by M-H hysteresis loops and magnetic domains from MFM phase images. Enhanced magnetic property with increased remnant magnetization is achieved by Y-substitution.

Background Major depressive disorder is a worldwide neuropsychiatric disorder associated with various symptoms, but current antidepressants used in clinical practice have various side effects and high failure rates. Andrographolide is the main bioactive ingredient of Andrographis paniculata and exhibits numerous pharmacological actions. This study aimed to evaluate the antidepressant-like effects of andrographolide in male C57BL/6J mice. Methods The antidepressant-like effects of andrographolide in mice were explored in a forced swim test, tail suspension test, and chronic unpredictable mild stress model of depression. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were further performed to assess the effects of chronic unpredictable mild stress and andrographolide on the brain-derived neurotrophic factor signalling cascade and hippocampal neurogenesis. Moreover, a pharmacological inhibitor (K252a) and a lentiviral-short hairpin RNA (LV-TrkB-shRNA) were used to clarify the antidepressant-like mechanism of andrographolide. Results Andrographolide exhibited antidepressant-like potential in the forced swim test and tail suspension test without influencing the locomotor activity of mice. Repeated andrographolide treatment not only produced significant antidepressant-like effects in the chronic unpredictable mild stress model but also prevented the decreasing effects of chronic unpredictable mild stress on hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor signalling and neurogenesis in mice. Importantly, blockade of the hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor system by K252a and TrkB-shRNA fully abolished the antidepressant-like effects of andrographolide in mice. Conclusions Andrographolide exerts antidepressant-like effects in mice via promoting the hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor signalling cascade.

A healthy plant microbiome is diverse, taxonomically-structured, and gives its plant host moderate advantages in growth, development, stress tolerance, and disease resistance. The plant microbiome varies with ecological niches and is influenced by variables that are complex and difficult to separate from each other, such as the plant species, soil, and environmental factors. To explore the composition, diversity, and functions of the bacterial community of Korean pine forests, we used high-throughput sequencing to study five areas with different forest ages from June to October 2017 in northeast China. We obtained 3,247 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing via an Illumina Hi-seq platform. A total of 36 phyla and 159 known genera were classified. The Shannon index of the bacterial community from the rhizospheric soil was significantly higher (p n = 10) than that of the root tips. Beta-diversity analysis confirmed that the bacterial community of the rhizospheric soil was significantly different (p 1%) in the rhizospheric soil, but there were six dominant phyla in the root tips. Proteobacteria was the core flora in the root tips with a relative abundance of more than 50%. It is known that the formation of bacterial communities in the rhizospheric soil or the root is mainly caused by the processes of selection, and we found a relatively high abundance of a few dominant species. We further analyzed the correlations between the bacterial community from the rhizospheric soil with that of the root tips, as well as the correlations of the bacterial community with soil physicochemical properties and climate factors. We used Functional Annotation of the Prokaryotic Tax (FAPROTAX) to predict the functions of the bacterial community in the rhizospheric soil and root tips. Five related phototrophic functions, nine nitrogen cycle functions, two related chemoheterotrophic functions, and two others were predicted. The abundance of the bacteria phyla performing relevant functions was different in the rhizospheric soil than in the root tips. These functions were significantly influenced by the contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil habitat. The bacterial composition and functions in the rhizospheric soil and root tips of Korean pine were analyzed, and the results demonstrated the importance of soil and plant species on the bacterial community in the below ground plant microbiome.

Dengue virus (DENV) is an arthropod-borne viral pathogen and a global health burden. Knowledge of the DENV-host interactions that mediate virus pathogenicity remains limited. Host lipid metabolism is hijacked by DENV for virus replication in which lipid droplets (LDs) play a key role during the virus lifecycle. In this study, we reveal a novel role for phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) in LDs-mediated DENV infection. We demonstrate that PTEN expression is downregulated upon DENV infection through post-transcriptional regulation and, in turn, PTEN overexpression enhances DENV replication. PTEN lipid phosphatase activity was found to decrease cellular LDs area and number through Akt/FoxO1/Maf1 signaling, which, together with autophagy, enhanced DENV replication and virus production. We therefore provide mechanistic insight into the interaction between lipid metabolism and the DENV replication cycle. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12250-020-00291-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Fuzzy integrated evaluation method is introduced based on the results of HAZOP, to compensate for the lack of HAZOP. The byproduct steam synthetic furnace system in a company’s technological process of preparing high concentration hydrochloric acid was taken as an example in this paper. To obtain more perfect safety condition index system of the byproduct steam synthetic furnace system, the HAZOP was applied to analyses the possible causes and consequences of parameter deviation during the device running. Then, according to this established index system, fuzzy integrated evaluation was employed. The results show that the combination of HAZOP and fuzzy integrated evaluation not only achieved semi-quantitative assessment of system, but also evaluated the degree of importance of the parameters at each node to the normal operation of the device and the integral safety of the node. Furthermore, resources and information were shared and the limited resources were distributed reasonably on the basis of HAZOP analysis results.

Background Recent studies have suggested the role of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) in the pathophysiology of depression. Although venlafaxine was thought to be a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), its pharmacological mechanism remain elusive. In this study, the effects of venlafaxine on the mTORC1 system were studied in both chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) models. Method First, we examined whether repeated venlafaxine treatment reversed the effects of CUMS and CSDS on the mTORC1 signaling cascade in both the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Second, several selective pharmacological inhibitors of the mTORC1 system, including rapamycin, LY294002 and U0126, were used together to determine whether the protective effects of venlafaxine against the CUMS and CSDS models were prevented by mTORC1 system blockade. Finally, genetic knockdown of mTORC1 by mTORC1-shRNA was further adopted to test whether mTORC1 was necessary for the anti-stress effects of venlafaxine in mice. Result Our results showed that the decreasing effects of CUMS and CSDS on the mTORC1 signaling cascade in the hippocampus and mPFC were restored by venlafaxine, and the use of rapamycin, LY294002, U0126 and mTORC1-shRNA fully abolished the anti-stress actions of venlafaxine in mice. Conclusion The mTORC1 system is involved in the pharmacological mechanism of venlafaxine.

Ventilator-associated lung injury (VALI) remains a significant medical problem in intensive care units. The present study aimed to investigate the role of sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) in VALI using a two-hit model and explore the potential underlying molecular mechanism. Mice were divided into five groups: i) Non-ventilated group; ii) non-ventilated + lipopolysaccharide (LPS) group; iii) ventilated group; iv) ventilated + LPS group; and v) ventilated + LPS + SPHK1 inhibitor group. Mice were administered LPS (1 mg/kg) via an intraperitoneal injection. After 12 h, the mice were anesthetized and connected to a ventilator (10 ml/kg at 150 breaths/min) for 4 h. SPHK1 inhibitor (50 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 1 h prior to ventilation. Mouse lung vascular endothelial cells were treated with LPS and SPHK1 inhibitor, and then subjected to cyclic stretch for 4 h. The present results suggested that the expression of SPHK1 and sphingosine 1 phosphate was upregulated in the two-hit model of VALI; SPHK1 inhibitor could attenuate VALI in the two-hit model as observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, and affected the cell count and the protein content levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In addition, treatment with SPHK1 inhibitor reduced the wet-to-dry ratio of the lungs and suppressed Evans blue dye leakage into the lung tissue. Furthermore, SPHK1 inhibitor exhibited protective effects on the two-hit model of VALI by inhibiting the Ras homolog family member a-mediated phosphorylation of myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT-1) and endothelial hyperpermeability. Additionally, mice were divided into five additional groups: i) Non-ventilated group; ii) non-ventilated + LPS group; iii) ventilated group; iv) ventilated + LPS group; and v) ventilated + LPS + Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein kinase (ROCK)1 inhibitor group. ROCK1 inhibitor (10 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 1 h prior to ventilation. The present results suggested that ROCK1 inhibitor could attenuate mechanical stretch-induced lung endothelial injury and the phosphorylation of MYPT-1 in vivo and in vitro. Collectively, the present findings indicated that upregulation of SPHK1 may contribute to VALI in a two-hit model.

Depression is a serious and worldwide neuropsychiatric disesase, and developing novel antidepressant targets beyond the monoaminergic systems is now popular and necessary. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signals modulate numerous developmental, physiological, and homeostatic processes. The functions of BMPs are also regulated by secreted extracellular antagonists such as chordin and noggin. Chordin has abundant expression in adult brain, and may play critical role in the central nervous system. In this study, the chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) model of depression, various behavioral tests, western blotting, quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR, immunohistochemistry, recombinant mouse chordin protein and AAV-Chordin-EGFP were together used to explore the role of chordin in the pathogenesis of depression. It was found that CSDS significantly decreased the expression of chordin in the hippocampus but not other related brain regions. Moreover, both pharmacological and genetic overexpression of hippocampal chordin fully protected against the CSDS-induced depressive-like effects in mice. Collectively, hippocampal chordin could be a novel antidepressant target, and this study further highlights the importance of the hippocampal BMP system in the pathophysiology of depression.

Ba 4 Pr 2 Fe 2 Nb 8 O 30 tungsten bronze ceramics have been prepared by a standard solid-state sintering method, and the electrical, dielectric and ferroelectric properties have been determined together with the structure. The structure dependence of ferroelectricity has been investigated by comparing the as-sintered, N 2 -annealed and O 2 -annealed samples. The typical relaxor ferroelectric nature is generally indicated in the present ceramics, where the broaden dielectric constant and dielectric loss peaks with strong frequency dispersion feature are observed. The peak temperatures for both dielectric constant and dielectric loss are significantly increased together with the much stronger frequency dispersion by N 2 -annealing, while the O 2 -annealing results in the decreased peak temperatures and the suppressed frequency dispersion. These phenomena are closely related to the valences of Fe and Pr ions. The hopping between Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ inside the grains causes the dielectric relaxation in as-sintered and N 2 -annealed samples. The enhanced ferroelectricity near room temperature is attributed to the increased ion radius difference between A1 and A2 ions because of the “substitution” Pr 4+ for Pr 3+ after N 2 -annealing.

Highly oriented multilayered BaTiO3-(Ba,Ca)TiO3-CaTiO3 thin films were fabricated on Nb-doped (001) SrTiO3 (Nb:STO) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The configurations of multilayered BaTiO3-(Ba,Ca)TiO3-CaTiO3 thin films are designed with the thickness ratio of 1:1:1 and 2:1:1 and total thickness ∼300 nm. Microstructural characterization by X-ray diffraction indicates that the as-deposited thin films are highly c-axis oriented and large in-plane strain is determined in BaTiO3 and CaTiO3 layers. Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) studies reveal an intense in-plane polarization component, whereas the out-of-plane shows inferior phase contrast. The optimized combination is found to be the BaTiO3-(Ba0.85Ca0.15)TiO3-CaTiO3 structure with combination ratio 2:1:1, which displays the largest domain switching amplitude under DC electric field, the largest room-temperature dielectric constant ∼646, a small dielectric loss of 0.03, and the largest dielectric tunability of ∼50% at 400 kV/cm. These results suggest that the enhanced dielectric and tunability performance are greatly associated with the large in-plane polarization component and domain switching.

Apatite ceramics Ca10(PO4)6 X 2 (X = F, OH) were prepared by the standard solid state sintering method and irradiated with He ions under a fluence of 5 × 1016 ions/cm2 at 450 °C. Irradiation induced formation and growth of the He bubbles were observed by a transmission electron microscope. Hydroxyapatite Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 and fluoroapatite Ca10(PO4)6F2 with different He bubble morphologies indicate the influence of OH –/F – substitution on the He-ion annealing efficiency, as well as the structure itself, which affects the process of He bubble evolution and formation. The grain boundaries also act as sinks to accumulate He bubbles. No obvious irradiation damage but slight intensity reduction and left shift of diffraction peaks were observed according to the grazing incidence x-ray diffraction and Raman spectra characterizations, indicating that defects of interstitials and vacancies were generated.

Bi1-x (Ba0.75Ca0.25)xFe1-xTixO3 (0.25 ≤ x ≤ 0.35) ceramics were prepared by a standard solid state sintering technique, and the structural and multiferroic characteristics were investigated with comprehensive understanding. The symmetry of the present ceramics varied from R3c to P4mm, and the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), coexisting of rhombohedral and tetragonal phases, was confirmed within the composition range of 0.29 ≤ x ≤ 0.31, where the enhanced multiferroic characteristics were achieved. Due to the symmetry modulation from R3c to P4mm and the breaking of spiral cycloidal spin structure of R3c phase, the weak ferromagnetic state with obvious macroscopic remnant magnetization was achieved, and consequently led to the enhanced magnetoelectric coefficient. The optimized multiferroic characteristics are obtained at x = 0.30: Pr = 38 μC/cm2; Mr = 0.38 emu/g, αME = 0.51 mV/cm Oe. The present work paves the way for further investigations and explorations of practical applications of BiFeO3-based multiferroic ceramics.

New psychoactive substances (NPS) are emerging continuously, as the crackdown against traditional drugs becomes stricter. Metabolites of NPSs and the unchanged drugs enter wastewater through urine and are collected and treated by wastewater treatment plants before being discharged into the aquatic environment. Based on previous research, solid phase extraction (SPE) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) were used and the detection method of 11 NPSs was optimized. Influences of wastewater pretreatment procedures, including SPE columns; pH values of water samples; and processes of flushing and redissolving on NPS recoveries were compared. It was shown that the best recovery was achieved when Oasis MCX columns were used and the pH value of wastewater samples was adjusted to 2. A flushing process with 2 mL water at pH=2 followed by 2 mL methanol was needed. Redissolution of the residue after evaporation was best achieved with 400 μL of a 20% methanol water solution. It was indicated by retention times, recoveries, matrix effects, limits of detection, limits of quantification, as well as precision that C18-UPLC-MS/MS and the optimized method are efficient and valid. Influent and effluent samples from 11 municipal wastewater treatment plants in Beijing were analyzed using the optimized method for validation. The validated method can be used as an important reference for monitoring NPSs via wastewater-based epidemiology and for assessing the risk of NPS abuse in China.

Illicit drugs have been recognized as a group of emerging pollutants.Based on previous research,procedures to pre-treat wastewater including SPE column,pH of water samples,and processes of washing,acidifying and re-dissolving were compared.It was found that the best recovery was achieved when wastewater was adjusted to pH=2 and Oasis MCX column was used.It was not necessary to flush the loaded column or to acidify the eluate prior to evaporation using nitrogen steam.After evaporation,it is recommended to redissolve the evaporated samples using 200 μL acetonitrile and 100 μL acetonitrile+100 μL 5 mmol·L

Background Developing novel pharmacological targets beyond monoaminergic systems is now a popular strategy for finding new ways to treat depression. Salt-inducible kinase (SIK) is a kinase that regulates the nuclear translocation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein (CREB)-regulated transcription coactivator (CRTC) by phosphorylation. Here, we hypothesize that dysfunction of the central SIK-CRTC system may contribute to the pathogenesis of depression. Methods Chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) and chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) models of depression, various behavioral tests, viral-mediated gene transfer, Western blotting, coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry were used in this study (for in vivo studies, n = 10; for in vitro studies, n = 5). Results Both CSDS and CUMS markedly increased the expression of hippocampal SIK2, which reduced CRTC1 nuclear translocation and binding of CRTC1 and CREB in the hippocampus. Genetic overexpression of hippocampal SIK2 in naive mice simulated chronic stress, inducing depressive-like behaviors in the forced swim test, tail suspension test, sucrose preference test, and social interaction test, as well as decreasing the brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling cascade and neurogenesis in the hippocampus. In contrast, genetic knockdown and knockout of hippocampal SIK2 protected against CSDS and CUMS, exerting significant antidepressant-like effects that were mediated via the downstream CRTC1-CREB–brain-derived neurotrophic factor pathway. Moreover, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, and mirtazapine all significantly restored the effects of CSDS and CUMS on the hippocampal SIK2-CRTC1 pathway, which was necessary for their antidepressant actions. Conclusions The hippocampal SIK2-CRTC1 pathway is involved in the pathogenesis of depression, and hippocampal SIK2 could be a novel target for the development of antidepressants.

The first catalytic asymmetric styrene hydroarylation reaction has been established via the enantioselective Friedel–Crafts alkylations of phenylhydrazones with o -hydroxyl styrenes under the catalysis of a chiral phosphoric acid as an organocatalyst, leading to the construction of a chiral 1,1-diarylethane scaffold with high enantioselectivity (up to 89% ee). The investigation on the activation mode suggested that the two reactants, o -hydroxyl styrenes and phenylhydrazones, were simultaneously activated by the catalyst via multiple hydrogen-bonds. The remote activation of the hydrazone functionality by a dual hydrogen-bonding interaction with the catalyst contributed greatly to the hydroarylation reaction of the o -hydroxyl styrenes.

Considerable recent research effort has been devoted to the development of boronyl (BO) chemistry. Here we predict three perfectly planar boron boronyl clusters: C2v B6O4 (1, (1)A1), D2h B6O4(−) (2, (2)B3u), and D2h B6O4(2−) (3, (1)Ag). These are established as the global-minimum structures on the basis of the coalescence kick and basin hopping structural searches and electronic structure calculations at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ level, with complementary CCSD/6-311+G* and single-point CCSD(T)/6-311+G*//B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ calculations for 2. The C2v B6O4 neutral cluster features a hexagonal B4O2 ring with two terminal BO groups. The D2h B6O4(−/2−) clusters have ethylene-like structures and are readily formulated as B2(BO)4(−/2−), in which a B2 core with double bond character is bonded to four terminal BO groups. Chemical bonding analyses show that B6O4 (1) possesses an aromatic π bonding system with three delocalized, six-centered π bonds over the hexagonal ring, rendering it an inorganic analogue of benzene, whereas the B6O4(−/2−) (2 and 3) species closely resemble ethylene in terms of structures and bonding. This work provides new examples for the analogy between boron oxides and hydrocarbons.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and epilepsy in children. METHODS: A total of 190 children with ASD were enrolled. A self-designed questionnaire, Childhood Autism Rating Scale, and Autism Behavior Checklist were used to determine the association between ASD and epilepsy. RESULTS: Among the 190 children with ASD, 20 (10.5%) had epileptic seizures and 12 (6.3%) were diagnosed with epilepsy. The rates of abnormal physical development and hearing disorders before the age of one year were significantly higher in ASD children with epileptic seizures than in those without epileptic seizures (P < 0.05). The ASD children diagnosed with epilepsy and those receiving epilepsy treatment had a significantly increased rate of abnormal physical development before the age of one year (P < 0.05). The ASD children with epileptic seizures had poorer sensory responses and behavioral competencies than those without epileptic seizures (P < 0.05). Epilepsy treatment have a positive effect on behavioral competencies in ASD children (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant association between ASD and epilepsy in children. The possibility of the comorbidity between ASD and epilepsy may be assessed according to the status of growth and development before the age of one year, sensory responses and behavioral competencies, and the presence or absence of epileptic seizures.

A novel flow-injection chemiluminescence (CL) method for the determination of ascorbic acid (AA) is proposed, based upon its enhancing effect on the CL reaction of luminol with ferricyanide catalyzed by gold nanoparticles in alkaline solution. Different sizes gold nanoparticles exhibited different catalyzing effect towards luminol CL and 38 nm gold nanoparticles exhibited the best enhancing effect. Under the optimal experimental conditions, a linear relationship was obtained between the CL intensity and the concentration of ascorbic acid in the range of 1.0×10−10–1.0×10−6 mol L−1. The detection limit was 2.0×10–11 mol −1 and the relative standard deviation for 1.0×10−6 mol L−1 ascorbic acid was 0.71% (n=10). This method has been successfully applied in the determination of ascorbic acid in several real samples.

CMS-1, mainly composed of imperatorin as its active compound, is a partially purified fraction of a Chinese herbal medicine, Semen Cnidium monnieri. CMS-1 has the potential to be further developed as a new treatment for hypertension. Thus, we studied its toxicity in both Sprague-Dawley rats and beagle dogs. Rats (0-900mg/kg/day) and dogs (0-450mg/kg/day) received CMS-1 orally for 30 consecutive days, followed by a 15-day recovery period. The major target organs of CMS-1 toxicity are the GI (inappetence), liver (hepatocellular necrosis, enzyme elevation), thymus (atrophy), cardiovascular (hypotension), changes in ECG T and P waveforms, elevation of nitrous oxide levels and hematological (RBC parameters disturbances) systems. Most treatment-induced adverse effects were reversible or showed a progressive recovery upon discontinuation of the treatment. The No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) was 100mg/kg/day for rats and 50mg/kg/day for dogs. This non-clinical study suggests that clinical monitoring of CMS-1 in patients should focus on the gastrointestinal system, blood tests for liver functions, electrolytes, and blood homeostasis, cardiovascular functions, and immune functions.

The key technology of the auto parts management system based on the Internet of things, to realize the system function and the pre-objectives of the information management, through the construction the software part of the whole system, and the hardware of completing the information collection and transmission. Not only to save storage time-consuming, but also to avoid the emergence of errors, as compared to the traditional hand-held terminal, its identification efficiency has been improved. After RFID identification, the auto parts directly enter into the system, the efficiency has been improved than the traditional way, while the indicator on the shelves reminds effectively synchronously, improve the recognition accuracy and efficiency of labor.