Search

π–π stacking interactions and C–H⋯X (X = O, F) interactions formed by counteranions help to enhance the rigidity of these structures and further improve their luminescence quantum yields.

To explore the mechanism by which the plant growth-promoting bacterium Brevibacillus sp. SR-9 improves sweet sorghum tolerance and enriches soil cadmium (Cd) under pot conditions, the effect of strain SR-9 inoculation on the microbial community of sorghum rhizosphere soil was analyzed by metagenomics. Gene expression in sweet sorghum roots was analyzed using transcriptomics. The results showed that strain SR-9 promoted the growth of sweet sorghum and improved the absorption and enrichment of Cd in the plants. Compared with the uninoculated treatment, the aboveground part and root dry weight in strain SR-9 inoculated with sorghum increased by 21.09% and 17.37%, respectively, and the accumulation of Cd increased by 135% and 53.41%, respectively. High-throughput sequencing showed that strain SR-9 inoculation altered the rhizosphere bacterial community, significantly increasing the relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. Metagenomic analysis showed that after inoculation with strain SR-9, the abundance of genes involved in amino acid transport metabolism, energy generation and conversion, and carbohydrate transport metabolism increased. KEGG functional classification showed that inoculation with strain SR-9 increased the abundance of genes involved in soil microbial metabolic pathways in the rhizosphere soil of sweet sorghum and the activity of soil bacteria. Transcriptome analysis identified 198 upregulated differentially expressed genes in sweet sorghum inoculated with strain SR-9, including those involved in genetic information processing, biological system, metabolism, environmental information processing, cellular process, and human disease. Most of the annotated differentially expressed genes were enriched in the metabolic category and were related to pathways such as signal transduction, carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites. This study showed that plant growth-promoting bacteria can alter the rhizosphere bacterial community composition, increasing the activity of soil bacteria and upregulating gene expression in sweet sorghum roots. The findings enhance our understanding of the microbiological and botanical mechanisms by which plant growth-promoting bacterial inoculation improves the remediation of heavy metals by sorghum.

Heavy metal contamination affects microbial composition and diversity. The interaction between heavy metal contamination and soil microorganisms has been a hot topic in ecological research. Battery manufacturing has been going on for over six decades in Xinxiang City, resulting in severe soil heavy metal contamination due to battery wastewater runoff. Few studies have investigated the effect of heavy metal contamination due to long-term battery wastewater runoff on microbial diversity and metabolomics in Xinxiang City. In this study, we collected samples from three heavy metal contaminated sites in Xinxiang City and found that Cd and Pb exceeded the recommended thresholds by 34-66 fold and 1.5-2.32 fold, respectively. High-throughput sequencing showed that

Fe4N nanopowders were prepared using specially-made high-pressure gas-solid reaction equipment, and their composition, morphology, and magnetic properties were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). An average particle size of 35 nm was obtained at 0.4 MPa, an ammonia-to-hydrogen ratio of 3:1, 623 K, in an ammonia solution for 2 h. The hysteresis loop displayed a thin and narrow shape at 673 K during VSM tests. The saturation magnetization (Ms) reached 169.80 emu/g.

A series of unnatural tripeptides, each consisting of two aromatic γ-amino acid residues and an ϖ-amino acid residue, are designed to probe their folding into hairpin conformations. The ϖ-amino acid residues, with aliphatic or aromatic spacers of different sizes, serve as the loop of the hairpins. Studies based on one-dimensional (1D) 1H NMR performed at different concentrations, solvent polarity, and temperature, along with 2D-NMR studies, demonstrated that the doubly H-bonded aromatic γ-amino acid residues play important roles in driving these tripeptides into the hairpin conformation. The loop based on 5-aminovaleric acid, which offers a four-carbon (CH2)4 spacer, enhanced the stability of the corresponding hairpin, while loops having a shorter, a longer and a more rigid spacer disfavored the formation of the hairpins. Results from computational studies are in good agreement with the experimental observations. Furthermore, the crystal structure of peptide 1b revealed the expected hairpin conformation in the solid state. This turn motif, which contains H-bonded aromatic γ-amino acid residues as the core unit and an ϖ-amino acid residue serving as the loop, provides a new platform that can be used to obtain a variety of turn conformations by incorporating diverse amino acids into the loops.

Heat shock protein (HSP) is a family of highly conserved protein, which exists widely in various organisms and has a variety of important physiological functions. Currently, there is no systematic analysis of HSPs in human glioma. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of HSPs through constructing protein-protein interaction network (PPIN) considering the expression level of HSPs in glioma. After the identification of the differentially expressed HSPs in glioma tissues, a specific PPIN was constructed and found that there were many interactions between the differentially expressed HSPs in glioma. Subcellular localization analysis shows that HSPs and their interacting proteins distribute from the cell membrane to the nucleus in a multilayer structure. By functional enrichment analysis, gene ontology analysis, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis, the potential function of HSPs and two meaningful enrichment pathways was revealed. In addition, nine HSPs (DNAJA4, DNAJC6, DNAJC12, HSPA6, HSP90B1, DNAJB1, DNAJB6, DNAJC10, and SERPINH1) are prognostic markers for human brain glioma. These analyses provide a full view of HSPs about their expression, biological process, as well as clinical significance in glioma.

Our previous studies have clarified that red nucleus (RN) interleukin (IL)-6 is involved in the maintenance of neuropathic pain and produces a facilitatory effect by activating JAK2/STAT3 and ERK pathways. In this study, we further explored the immune molecular mechanisms of rubral IL-6-mediated descending facilitation at the spinal cord level. IL-6-evoked tactile allodynia was established by injecting recombinant IL-6 into the unilateral RN of naive male rats. Following intrarubral administration of IL-6, obvious tactile allodynia was evoked in the contralateral hindpaw of rats. Meanwhile, the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-1β, and IL-6 were elevated in the contralateral spinal dorsal horn (L4–L6), blocking spinal TNF-α, IL-1β, or IL-6 with neutralizing antibodies relieved IL-6-evoked tactile allodynia. Conversely, the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and IL-10 were reduced in the contralateral spinal dorsal horn (L4–L6), an intrathecal supplement of exogenous TGF-β, or IL-10 attenuated IL-6-evoked tactile allodynia. Further studies demonstrated that intrarubral pretreatment with JAK2/STAT3 inhibitor AG490 suppressed the elevations of spinal TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 and promoted the expressions of TGF-β and IL-10 in IL-6-evoked tactile allodynia rats. However, intrarubral pretreatment with ERK inhibitor PD98059 only restrained the increase in spinal TNF-α and enhanced the expression of spinal IL-10. These findings imply that rubral IL-6 plays descending facilitation and produces algesic effect through upregulating the expressions of spinal pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 and downregulating the expressions of spinal anti-inflammatory cytokines TGF-β and IL-10 by activating JAK2/STAT3 and/or ERK pathways, which provides potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of pathological pain.

AIM: To evaluate the accuracy of segmented measurement of axial length (AL) in high myopia filled with silicone oil by immersion B-scan ultrasonography (immersion B-scan). METHODS: From June 2016 to June 2020, a total of 67 ultra-high myopia inpatients (67 eyes) who underwent silicone oil removal combined with cataract extraction and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation were retrospectively enrolled. The preoperative axial length (AL) of 31 patients with severe cataract were segmented measured using immersion B-scan (B-scan group) and another 36 patients with mild or moderate cataract were measured using IOLMaster 500 (IOLMaster group). The post-operative ALs in two groups were both measured using IOLMaster 500. The IOL power was calculated with Haigis formula. The differences in ALs between pre- and post-surgery, as well as the postoperative refractive spherical equivalent, absolute refractive error, the prediction deviation of postoperative refraction and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were compared. RESULTS: The pre- and post-operative ALs were 30.46±1.63 mm (range 28.09-33.51 mm) and 30.42±1.70 mm (range 28.03-33.90 mm) in B-scan group (t=0.644, P=0.542) and 30.51±1.21 mm (range 28.03-33.90 mm) and 30.43±1.27mm (range 28.54-33.50 mm) in IOLMaster group (t=1.843, P=0.074), respectively. Three months after surgery, BCVA were 0.45±0.13 (range 0.3-0.9) and 0.44±0.20 (range 0.2-1.0) in B-scan and IOLMaster group respectively (t=0.086, P=0.932). There was no significant difference of the postoperative spherical equivalent (-3.11±0.65 D vs -3.21±0.51 D, t=0.671, P=0.505) and the absolute refractive error (0.589±0.340 vs 0.470±0.245 D, t=1.615, P=0.112) between two groups. In B-scan group, absolute refractive error within ±0.50 D was found in 18 eyes (58.1%), within ±1.00 D in 26 eyes (83.9%), and within ±1.50 D in 31 eyes (100%). In IOLMaster group, absolute refractive error within ±0.50 D was found in 23 eyes (63.9%), within ±1.00 D in 34 eyes (94.4%), and within ±1.50 D in 36 eyes (Z=0.757, P=0.449). CONCLUSION: The segmented measurement of ALs by immersion B-scan shows comparable measurement accuracy with that of IOLMaster 500 in ultra-high myopia patients with severe cataract secondary to silicone oil filling and can obtain an ideal postoperative refractive state.

Flexible thermoelectric (TE) materials have attracted increasing interest due to their potential applications in energy harvesting and high-spatial-resolution thermal management. However, a high-performance flexible micro-TE device (TED) compatible with the modern electronics fabrication process has not yet been developed. Here we report a general van der Waals epitaxial growth approach to fabricating a freestanding and flexible hybrid comprised of single-wall carbon nanotubes and highly ordered (Bi,Sb)2Te3 nanocrystals. High power factors ranging from ~1,680 to ~1,020 µW m−1 K−2 in the temperature range of 300-480 K, combined with a strongly depressed thermal conductivity yield an average figure of merit of ~0.81. A prototype flexible micro-TED module consisting of two p-n hybrids was then fabricated, which demonstrated an unprecedented open circuit voltage of ~22.7 mV and a power density of ~0.36 W cm−2 under a ~30 K temperature difference, and a net cooling temperature of ~22.4 K and a heat absorption density of ~92.5 W cm−2.

Background Gallbladder stone diseases being common disorder, prior studies have identified an association between gallstones and abnormal lipids, type 2 diabetics have higher rates of significant abnormalities in lipid metabolism, so the prevalence of dyslipidemia may be higher in gallstone disease patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) than in the general population. The aim of this study was to compare the serum lipid and lipoprotein abnormalities between gallbladder stone patients who have T2DM and controls in China. Methods Retrospective analysis of serum lipid and apolipoprotein levels in patients aged 40 years and older with gallbladder stone combined with T2DM, T2DM, gallbladder stone and normal group of 407 individuals in four groups. 135 cases with gallbladder stones combined with T2DM were compared with 102 cases with T2DM, 119 cases with gallbladder stone and 51 normal individuals respectively among four groups. Triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), serum apolipoprotein (apo) AI (ApoAI), apolipoprotein (apo) B (ApoB) and their ratio (ApoAI/ApoB) were collected from the four groups and compared. One-way ANOVA and nonparametric tests (Kruskal-Wallis tests) were used to compare groups. P

Metallic single-wall carbon nanotubes (m-SWCNTs) have a high electrical conductivity due to ballistic electron transport, and have a bright future for use in nanocircuitry, conductive fibers, and transparent conductive films. To realize these applications, it is essential to obtain pure, high-quality m-SWCNTs on a large scale. In recent years, many techniques such as density-gradient centrifugation, gel chromatography, selective etching, direct growth by catalyst design and external electric field assistance have been developed to prepare m-SWCNTs. Here we present a state-of-the-art overview of the preparation of m-SWCNTs focusing on the principles, methods, and their advantages and limitations. The key challenges remaining for obtaining high quality m-SWCNTs with a high yield are discussed, and the developing trend for the selective preparation of m-SWCNTs is examined.

In this study, the contents of Cu, As, Cd, Pb and Hg in 10 batches of Gardeniae Fructus and 10 batches of fried Gardeniae Fructus from Fuzhou in Jiangxi were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS), and the target hazard coefficient(THQ) for different drug users(adults and children) was calculated by using the international health risk assessment model. According to the ISO and green industry standard, the content of Hg in 4 batches of Gardeniae Fructus exceeded the standard with an over-standard rate of 40%. The THQ and total THQ of Hg in 2 batches of Gardeniae Fructus were higher than the international standard limit of Gardeniae Fructus. For 10 batches of fried Gardeniae Fructus, the content of every heavy metal and total amount of five heavy metals did not exceed the standard. However, the THQ and total THQ of Hg in 1 batch of fried Gardeniae Fructus were higher than the international standard limit of Gardeniae Fructus. As compared with Gardeniae Fructus, the contents of Cu, Pb and Hg in fried Gardeniae Fructus decreased by 34.0%, 77.6% and 23.1%; the THQ of Cu, Pb and Hg for adults decreased by 33.3%, 75.0% and 96.9%; and the THQ of Cu, Pb and Hg for children decreased by 37.5%, 75.0%, 90.7%. It showed that the contents of heavy metals in individual batches of Gardeniae Fructus in this experiment had a certain risk to human health, but the contents of these heavy metals in fried Gardeniae Fructus had no obvious effect on human health. This study provided experimental basis and research ideas for safety evaluation of Gardeniae Fructus and fried Gardeniae Fructus.

The study aimed to compare the difference in intestinal absorption of the components of Gegen Qinlian Decoction between normal rats and those with large intestinal damp-heat syndrome in the pathological state, in order to explore the rational application of Gegen Qinlian Decoction in the treatment of large intestinal damp-heat syndrome. Puerarin, daidzin, liquiritin, scutellarin, baicalin, wogonoside, coptisine, jatrorrhizine, berberine and palmatine were used as the detection indexes in the in vitro everted gut sacs absorption experiment. The cumulative absorption amount(Q/μg) and the absorption rate(K_a) of each component in each intestine segment were calculated and compared. It was found that the absorption of each component in different intestinal segments were linear absorption, with R~2 greater than 0.9, which conformed to the zero-order absorption rate. There were differences between normal rats and model rats in the absorption of the components in Gegen Qinlian Decoction with the same concentration. Intestinal absorption of most components of Gegen Qinlian Decoction in the model of large intestinal damp-heat syndrome increased to some extent. The components of Gegen Qinlian Decoction with the concentration of 200 g·L~(-1) had the highest absorption in the jejunum of the model rats, and the absorption in the ileum, duodenum and colon successively decreased except daidzin and baicalin. In terms of the absorption rate constant, the absorption in the duodenum and jejunum were significantly increased(Plt;0.01) compared with normal rats, and the absorption in the ileum was significantly decreased(Plt;0.01) compared with normal rats. In addition, the absorption of puerarin, daidzin, glycyrrhizin, coptisine and berberine increased selectivity in the colon. Therefore, pathological model animals were recommended in the study of the components relating to absorption effect, in order to really lay a research foundation for the symptomatic treatment of large intestinal damp-heat syndrome.

Phototoxicity can cause toxic responses such as edemas and lesions, and is one of the severe adverse effects that largely limit the use of these phototoxic drugs. Some traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) and their constituents have been reported to be phototoxic. However, to date, their phototoxicity information is still very limited, and lacks systemic investigation. This article presents the phototoxicity potential of various types of TCMs and their active components in an effort to provide valuable information for drug research and discovery to mitigate phototoxicity concerns. Some potential mechanisms of action (MoAs) of phototoxicity are discussed. In addition, in vivo and in vitro phototoxicity assays are summarized this review.

Corrosion behavior of pure titanium in H2SO4, HCl and HNO3 with different concentrations of F- was studied with electrochemical testing and morphology observation. The threshold F- concentration triggering severe corrosion is between 0.0005 and 0.001 M in the three acids. The F- promotes anodic dissolution and inhibits oxygen reduction, resulting in the decrease of cathodic current density. The corrosion process presents a two-step reaction mechanism, and the influence mechanism of fluoride in different acids is different. The oxidizing nitrate participates in the corrosion reaction as an oxidant and accelerates the corrosion, resulting in the most severe corrosion in fluoride-bearing HNO3.

Freestanding membrane electrodes with a high electrocatalytic activity and stability are desirable for use in high-performance metal-air batteries. Here, we report a gas-phase fluorination-assisted method to anchor single atom Fe-Nx moieties on a freestanding single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) film that involves fluorination and defluorination/ammoniation processes. It is shown that the fluorination followed by defluorination/ammoniation harvests Fe atoms from the residual Fe nanoparticles used for SWCNT growth to form high density of Fe-Nx active sites, while retaining the flexibility, integrity and high quality of the films so that they can be directly used as a bifunctional oxygen electrode for rechargeable Zn-Air batteries. The single-atom Fe-Nx loaded SWCNT film shows an even better catalytic activity than commercial Pt/C-Ir/C catalysts, and an assembled Zn-Air battery using it exhibits a low charge-discharge voltage gap of 0.84 V under 20 mA/cm2, a high peak power density of 210 mW/cm2, and excellent long-time cycling stability. In addition, a flexible all-solid-state Zn-Air battery was assembled which has a stable open circuit voltage when bent to different angles.

Bo Wu,1,* Bing Wan,2,* Shu-Ting Lu,1 Kai Deng,3 Xiao-Qi Li,1 Bao-Lin Wu,1 Yu-Shuang Li,1 Ru-Fang Liao,1 Shi-Wen Huang,3 Hai-Bo Xu1,2 1Department of Radiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, 2Department of Radiology, Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 3Department of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: The major challenge in current clinic contrast agents (CAs) and chemotherapy is the poor tumor selectivity and response. Based on the self-quench property of IR820 at high concentrations, and different contrast effect ability of Gd-DOTA between inner and outer of liposome, we developed “bomb-like” light-triggered CAs (LTCAs) for enhanced CT/MRI/FI multimodal imaging, which can improve the signal-to-noise ratio of tumor tissue specifically. IR820, Iohexol and Gd-chelates were firstly encapsulated into the thermal-sensitive nanocarrier with a high concentration. This will result in protection and fluorescence quenching. Then, the release of CAs was triggered by near-infrared (NIR) light laser irradiation, which will lead to fluorescence and MRI activation and enable imaging of inflammation. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that LTCAs with 808nm laser irradiation have shorter T1 relaxation time in MRI and stronger intensity in FI compared to those without irradiation. Additionally, due to the high photothermal conversion efficiency of IR820, the injection of LTCAs was demonstrated to completely inhibit C6 tumor growth in nude mice up to 17 days after NIR laser irradiation. The results indicate that the LTCAs can serve as a promising platform for NIR-activated multimodal imaging and photothermal therapy. Keywords: light triggered, near-infrared light, tumor-specific, multimodal imaging, photothermal therapy, contrast agents

In this study, a microbial fuel cell (MFC)-biofilm electrode reactor (BER) coupled system was established for degradation of the azo dye Reactive Brilliant Red X-3B. In this system, electrical energy generated by the MFC degrades the azo dye in the BER without the need for an external power supply, and the effluent from the BER was used as the inflow for the MFC, with further degradation. The results indicated that the X-3B removal efficiency was 29.87% higher using this coupled system than in a control group. Moreover, a method was developed to prevent voltage reversal in stacked MFCs. Current was the key factor influencing removal efficiency in the BER. The X-3B degradation pathway and the types and transfer processes of intermediate products were further explored in our system coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.

Heat-shock proteins (HSPs), one of the evolutionarily conserved protein families, are widely found in various organisms, and play important physiological functions. Nevertheless, HSPs have not been systematically analyzed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In this study, we applied the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network methodology to explore the characteristics of HSPs, and integrate their expression in ESCC. First, differentially expressed HSPs in ESCC were identified from our previous RNA-seq data. By constructing a specific PPI network, we found differentially expressed HSPs interacted with hundreds of neighboring proteins. Subcellular localization analyses demonstrated that HSPs and their interacting proteins distributed in multiple layers, from membrane to nucleus. Functional enrichment annotation analyses revealed known and potential functions for HSPs. KEGG pathway analyses identified four significant enrichment pathways. Moreover, three HSPs (DNAJC5B, HSPA1B, and HSPH1) could serve as promising targets for prognostic prediction in ESCC, suggesting these HSPs might play a significant role in the development of ESCC. These multiple bioinformatics analyses have provided a comprehensive view of the roles of heat-shock proteins in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective To summarize the clinical data and pathological features of 10 cases of cerebral lobar hemorrhage related with cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) diagnosed pathologically, thereby to improve the knowledge and diagnosis of the disease. Methods The clinical data of 10 cases of cerebral lobar hemorrhage related with CAA, collected in the General Hospital of Shenyang Command from 1983 up to now, were retrospectively analyzed, and the clinical and neuropathological features of these cases were summarized. Results Of the 10 patients, 2 suffered from single lobar hemorrhage and 8 multiple lobar hemorrhage, all of them were confirmed pathologically to have ruptured into the subarachnoid space. Pathological examination revealed microaneurysm in 2 cases, "double barrel" change in 4 cases, multiple arteriolar clusters in 5 cases, obliterative onion-liked intima change in 4 cases, and fibrinoid necrosis of vessel wall in 7 cases. In addition, neurofibrillary tangles were found in 8 cases, and senile plaque was observed in 5 cases. Conclusions Cerebral lobar hemorrhage related with CAA is mainly located in the parietal, temporal and occipital lobes, readily breaking into the subarachnoid space, and it is often multiple and recurrent. The CAA associated microvasculopathy was found frequently in the autopsy sample of CAA related cerebral lobar hemorrhage, and it may contribute to the pathogenesis of cerebral hemorrhage. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2015.07.04

Chromium nitride (CrN) nanopowders were successfully synthesized in high pressure gas-solid reaction bed with chromium hydroxide as a precursor. A special liquid-phase precipitation method was used to prepare the powders of chromium hydroxide.The aminolysis of chromium hydroxide was carried out for 2-4 hours at temperatures from 650°C to 850°C and at pressures up to 0.8MPa. The effect of the reaction pressure on the grain size and crystalline morphology of CrN powders were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results indicate that high purity CrN powders with grain size of 40-60 nm can be obtained through the aminolysis at temperature of 650°C and pressure of 0.6MPa for 2 hours.

In this study， quantitative analysis of multi-components with single marker(QAMS) was established and validated to simultaneously determine four sesquiterpenoids(β-eudesmol， atractylon， atractylolideⅠ， atractylolide Ⅱ) in Atractylodis Rhizome based on the gas chromatographic method(GC). Using β-eudesmol as the contrast， the relative correctionfactors(RCF) of the other three sesquiterpenoids were determined by GC. Within the line arranges，the values of RCF of β-eudesmol to atractylon， atractylolideⅠand atractylolide Ⅱ were 0.823， 0.690 and 0.766， respectively. The RCF had a good reproducibility in various instruments， chromatographic columns. According to their RCF， we simultaneously determined four sesquiterpenoids in Atractylodis Rhizome only using one marker. The results of QAMS method were validated by comparing with that of internal standard method， and no obvious significant difference was found.

In this paper, the losses of energy and exergy of 5WM Rankine space nuclear power system were analyzed and compared through thermodynamic analysis. The power system includes a liquid metal Rankine power conversion system coupled with a lithium cooled fast reactor. Meanwhile, a reheat process is contained to enhance the efficiency of the system. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the sites with largest losses of energy and exergy upon the thermodynamic analysis of the system. Hence, this study focus on the positions and loss types of the efficient energy in such a liquid metal Rankine space nuclear power system. In addition, the effects of varied space environment state on this analysis was presented through investigating the influences of ambient temperature on the energy losses and efficiencies in every parts. At last, the characteristics of four Rankine space nuclear power systems with different liquid metals were studied.

Porphyrin derivatives have been widely applied in MR imaging and photodynamic cancer therapy. We here report a novel Gd/Pt bifunctionalized porphyrin derivative (Gd/Pt-P1) for MRI-guided chemo-photodynamic cancer therapy. Gd/Pt-P1 was prepared from tetra(4-pyridyl) porphyrin (P1) via step by step coordination to cisplatin and gadolinium (Gd(iii)). Gd/Pt-P1 showed a particularly high synergetic chemo-photodynamic antitumor effect in vivo with a tumor inhibition rate (TIR) of 96.6% and excellent MR imaging performance.

Plant camouflage is one of the camouflage methods, which is conducted by using of planting and collecting plant and changing color of plant to conceal targets. It can be used to camouflage relatively big permanent fixed targets in peace time and also to camouflage relatively big permanent fixed targets in peace time and also to camouflage relatively small fixed or moving targets. However, in recent years, with the natural disasters occurring alternately, plant camouflage can be destroyed easily, and it is difficult to rebuild in a short time. To improve the effect of plant camouflage, more fertilizers are required, which may become an environmental hazard, unless adequate technical and socioeconomic impacts are addressed. A multifunctional slow-release nitrogen fertilizer has been developed to improve fertilizer use efficiency and reduce environmental pollution. In this paper, a series of slow-release formulations of nitrogen fertilizer were developed on the basis of natural attapulgite clay, ethylcellulose film, and sodium carboxymethylcellulose/hydroxylethylcellulose hydrogel. The structural of the product were examined. The slow-release profiles of ammonium chloride, ammonium sulfate, and urea as nitrogen fertilizer substrates were determined in soil.

A series of semi-interpenetrating polymer materials of poly (vinyl alcohol)/poly (N, N-diethylacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid)(PVA/PDM) were synthesized by free radical copolymerization techniques and semi-interpenetrating polymer network techniques at room temperature with ammonium persulfate and N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylene diamide as initiators and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinker. The interior morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that PVA introduced PDM materials have interconnected porous network structures. The release behaviors of the model drug, aminophylline, are found dependent on material composition and environmental temperature, which suggests that these materials have potential application as intelligent release carriers.

Toxoplasma gondii pathogen is a threat to human health that results in economic burden. Unfortunately, there are very few high-efficiency and low-toxicity drugs for toxoplasmosis in the clinic. (+)-Usnic acid derived from lichen species has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-parasitology, and even anti-cancer activities. Herein, the systematic effect of (+)-usnic acid and (+)-usnic acid-liposome on toxoplasma were studied in vitro and in vivo. The viability of toxoplasma tachyzoite was assayed with trypan blue and Giemsa staining; while the invasive capability of tachyzoite to cardiofibroblasts was detected using Giemsa staining. The survival time of mice and the changes in tachyzoite ultrastructure were studied in vivo. The results showed that (+)-usnic acid inhibited the viability of tachyzoite; pretreatment with (+)-usnic acid significantly decreased the invasion of tachyzoite to cardiofibroblasts in vitro; (+)-usnic acid and (+)-usnic acid-liposome extensively prolonged the survival time of mice about 90.9% and 117%, respectively; and improved the ultrastructural changes of tachyzoite, especially in dense granules, rhoptries, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and other membrane organelles. In summary, these results demonstrate that (+)-usnic acid and (+)-usnic acid-liposome with low toxicity have an inhibitory effect on the viability of toxoplasma tachyzoite, and mainly destructed membrane organelles which are connected with the virulence of toxoplasma. These findings provide the basis for further study and development of usnic acid as a potential agent for treating toxoplasmosis.

This paper analyzes nonlinear and uncertainties factors caused by the friction and clearance of ac servo system. a Fuzzy-PID controller based on Genetic Algorithm was designed. Adjust the three parameters of PID controller based on the error and error change rate ; Adjust the various parameters of the fuzzy-PID controller using genetic algorithm optimization; This method has better control effect on the AC of Meter systems than traditional PID controller. And both dynamic and steady performances were improved evidently

Poly(N,N-diethylacrylamide) (PDEA) hydrogels possess a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at around 31oC. When the external temperature is raised above the LCST, the hydrogels experience abrupt and drastic shrinkage. This unique property makes them very useful for biomedical applications such as on-off switches for modulated drug delivery and tissue engineering. In this study, itaconic acid (IA) was co-polymerized with N, N-diethylacrylamide (DEA) monomer to improve the LCST to the physiologic temperature about 37oC. These copolymer hydrogels were prepared by changing the initial DEA/IA molar ratio and total monomer concentration. The interior morphologies of hydrogels were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In comparison with the PDEA hydrogel, the equilibrium swelling ratio (ESR) and LCST of the hydrogels increase with the increase of IA content in the feed. The deswelling dynamics behaviors of the different composition ratios of the P(DEA-co-IA) hydrogels on the different temperatures was investigated in detail.

In this study, poly(N,N-diethylacrylamide-co-itaconic acid) (P(DEA-co-IA)) copolymer hydrogels were synthesized by changing the initial DEA/IA molar ratio, N,N-methylenebisacrylamide and total monomer concentration. The thermo-sensitive and mechanical performances were optimized by altering the above parameters. In comparison with the PDEA hydrogel, the equilibrium swelling ratio (ESR) and lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the hydrogels changed with the alternation of the above parameters. The swelling and deswelling kinetics was also studied in dital. The release behaviors of the model drug, aminophylline, are found dependent on hydrogel composition and environmental temperature, which suggests that these materials have potential application as intelligent drug carriers.

Analyzing mechanism and conditions that cause seepage failure during deep foundation pit dewatering, some measures of controlling seepage failure are put forward in design and construction of foundation pit. Good results have gotten with these measures in a foundation pit. This paper provides references for foundation pit dewatering and relative study.

Caulophine is a novel fluorenone alkaloid isolated from the radix of Caulophyllum robustum Maxim. Caulophine showed high affinity for the rat myocardial cell membrane as assessed by cell membrane chromatography, suggesting that the compound may exert bioactivity in the heart. It is known that calcium plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ischaemic heart disease, and caffeine can cause calcium overload in cardiomyocytes by inducing calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Therefore, the present study evaluated the effects of caulophine on caffeine-induced injury and calcium homeostasis in cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocytes were pre-treated with caulophine before exposure to caffeine or potassium chloride (KCl). Cell viability was assayed using the MTT method, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured spectrophotometrically. Caulophine-pre-treated cardiomyocytes were incubated with Fluo-3/AM, and then caffeine or KCl was used to induce Ca2+ overload. The total intracellular Ca2+ concentration was measured by flow cytometry. Fluorescence densities of single cardiomyocytes were detected using a confocal microscope. Caulophine increased the viability of caffeine-injured cardiomyocytes and decreased LDH activity and MDA level in cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, caulophine significantly decreased the total intracellular free Ca2+ concentration and intracellular calcium release in cardiomyocytes in response to caffeine. However, the same concentrations of caulophine did not affect KCl-induced calcium influx. Our results suggest that caulophine protects cardiomyocytes from caffeine-induced injury as a result of calcium antagonism. This finding provides a basis for further study and development of caulophine as a new calcium antagonist for treating ischaemic cardiovascular diseases.