Search

Taitema Lake, situated at the terminus of the Tarim River Basin in Northwest China, represents a crucial ecological resource impacted by climate variability and anthropogenic interventions. In this study, we investigate the dynamic changes in Taitema Lake’s area and water quality resulting from the implementation of an ecological water transfer project in 2000. Leveraging Landsat remote sensing data and comprehensive water quality monitoring, we analyzed the relationship between lake area variations and shifts in water quality parameters. Notably, our findings reveal a significant increase in Taitema Lake’s area from 9.4 km2 in 2000 to 320 km2 in 2013. Concurrently, water quality indicators exhibited marked fluctuations, with total salt content ranging from 45,323.6 mg/L in 2000 to 970.4 mg/L in 2010 before increasing to 14,586.3 mg/L by 2014. Furthermore, a linear regression analysis highlights the moderate positive correlation between lake area and mineralization (R2 = 0.506) and sodium levels (R2 = 0.4907). Additionally, chloride (R2 = 0.5681) and sulfate (R2 = 0.6213) concentrations demonstrated a strong negative correlation with the lake area, indicative of a dilution effect. Furthermore, a comparison of water quality indicators between the years of minimum (2008) and maximum (2013) lake area underscores improvements in pH, chemical oxygen demand, and anionic surfactant concentrations as the lake area increased. Our study provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of ecological water management strategies in restoring and maintaining the ecological health of Taitema Lake, thereby informing evidence-based decision-making for the sustainable management of freshwater resources in arid environments.

In arid regions, ecological water replenishment benefits in desert riparian forests are typically evaluated by assessing changes in hydrology (water area and groundwater depth) and vegetation growth before and after it is implemented. While continuous ecological water delivery may enhance ecological benefits, its trajectory remains uncertain. Under the backdrop of ongoing ecological water delivery, this study examines whether ecological benefits continue to improve and identifies strategies for optimal control and efficient utilization of ecological water. Based on an analysis of groundwater level changes and vegetation changes during early, middle, and late stages of ecological water conveyance in the Tarim River, China (2000–2021), ecological water consumption distribution was revealed. A notable observation is that a wide eco-water conveyance did not significantly impact forest growth indicators, such as tree ring density, crown width, and tree ring size, in Populus euphratica trees. Compared to a century ago, there were significant variations in the growth of P. euphratica tree rings over the 20-year ecological water transfer period. The vegetation coverage on riverbanks increased significantly in the early to mid-stages of ecological water conveyance (2000–2015), but then plateaued in the subsequent years (post-2015). There was a significant upward trend in plant diversity on riverbanks and tail lakes during the early stage (2000–2006), but it declined sharply thereafter (post-2006). A recommendation includes constraining the tail lake's water area and using ecological sluice gates and levees to disperse eco-water away from the river to enhance the efficiency of ecological water utilization. As a result of these findings, rational management systems can be developed in similar arid environments.

Objective. Our previous study found that it could significantly increase the expression of IL32 after stimulating the human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (S-HuMSCs). However, its role on the osteogenesis and cranial bone regeneration is still largely unknown. Here, we investigated the possible mechanism of this effect. Material and Methods. A series of experiments, including single-cell sequencing, flow cytometry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting, were carried out to evaluate the characteristic and adipogenic–osteogenic differentiation potential of IL-32 overexpression HuMSCs (IL-32highHuMSCs) through mediating the P38 signaling pathway. Moreover, a rat skull bone defect model was established and treated by directly injecting the IL-32highHuMSCs to conduct its role on the cranial bone regeneration. Results. In total, it found that compared to HuMSCs, IL32 was significantly increased and promoted the osteogenic differentiation (lower expressions of PPARγ, Adiponectin, and C/EBPα, and increased expressions of RUNX2, ALP, BMP2, OPN, SP7, OCN, and DLX5) in the S-HuMSCs (P0.05). Furthermore, these findings were confirmed by the rat skull bone defect model, in which the cranial bone regeneration was more pronounced in the IL-32highHuMSCs treated group compared to those in the HuMSCs group, with higher expressions of RUNX2, ALP, BMP2, and DLX5 (P

Artificial intelligence has undergone rapid development in the last thirty years and has been widely used in the fields of materials, new energy, medicine, and engineering. Similarly, a growing area of research is the use of deep learning (DL) methods in connection with hydrological time series to better comprehend and expose the changing rules in these time series. Consequently, we provide a review of the latest advancements in employing DL techniques for hydrological forecasting. First, we examine the application of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and recurrent neural networks (RNNs) in hydrological forecasting, along with a comparison between them. Second, a comparison is made between the basic and enhanced long short-term memory (LSTM) methods for hydrological forecasting, analyzing their improvements, prediction accuracies, and computational costs. Third, the performance of GRUs, along with other models including generative adversarial networks (GANs), residual networks (ResNets), and graph neural networks (GNNs), is estimated for hydrological forecasting. Finally, this paper discusses the benefits and challenges associated with hydrological forecasting using DL techniques, including CNN, RNN, LSTM, GAN, ResNet, and GNN models. Additionally, it outlines the key issues that need to be addressed in the future.

ABSTRACT: Objectives: Here we report a complete genome sequence of a multidrug-resistant Salmonella Rissen, carrying blaCTX-M-55 and Tn6777, isolated from a Chinese paediatric patient. Methods: Whole genome of S. Rissen S1905 was sequenced using the Oxford Nanopore MinION and Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platforms. Unicycler was used to perform a de novo assembly of Illumina and Nanopore reads. The genome sequence was annotated using the NCBI Prokaryotic Genome Annotation Pipeline. In silico multilocus sequence typing, plasmid replicons, antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence factors were identified from the genome sequence by multiple bioinformatics tools. Core genome multilocus sequence typing analysis between S. Rissen S1905 and all retrieved from the NCBI GenBank database was performed using BacWGSTdb 2.0 server. Results: Six contigs totaling 5 056 896 bp make up the complete genome sequence of S. Rissen S1905, which includes 1 chromosome and 5 plasmids. The blaCTX-M-55 was embedded in the ISEcp1-blaCTX-M-55-wbuC transposition unit located in an 85 991-bp IncI1 plasmid. However, the pco-sil operon and other eight antimicrobial resistance genes were carried by Tn6777 in the chromosome. There are 162 virulence genes in S1905. S. Rissen S1905 belongs to ST469; the closest relative was another isolate originating from a human faecal specimen in Shanghai, China, which differed by 60 core genome multilocus sequence type alleles. Conclusion: These data on the multidrug-resistant S. Rissen carrying blaCTX-M-55 and Tn6777 can provide a foundation for further studies on the molecular epidemiological characteristics, pathogenicity, antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, and dissemination mechanism of Salmonella.

The NAC transcription factor family enhances plant adaptation to environmental challenges by participating in signalling pathways triggered by abiotic stressors and hormonal cues. We identified 69 NAC genes in the Eucommia ulmoides genome and renamed them according to their chromosomal distribution. These EuNAC proteins were clustered into 13 sub-families and distributed on 16 chromosomes and 2 scaffolds. The gene structures suggested that the number of exons varied from two to eight among these EuNACs, with a multitude of them containing three exons. Duplicated events resulted in a large gene family; 12 and four pairs of EuNACs were the result of segmental and tandem duplicates, respectively. The drought-stress response pattern of 12 putative EuNACs was observed under drought treatment, revealing that these EuNACs could play crucial roles in mitigating the effects of drought stress responses and serve as promising candidate genes for genetic engineering aimed at enhancing the drought stress tolerance of E. ulmoides. This study provides insight into the evolution, diversity, and characterisation of NAC genes in E. ulmoides and will be helpful for future characterisation of putative EuNACs associated with water deficit.

The arid region in China with rich mineral resources are belongs to ecological fragile region with inadequate recovering capacity. Hundred years of continues mining of mineral resources for economic purposes, leads to the problem of land degradation caused by the spatial coupling of large-scale mining disturbance and arid fragile ecological environment. The environmental problems created by mining have not been addressed promptly, while at the same time, new problems have emerged. On the basis of our 20 years of practical experience on ecological restoration in mining areas, review and synthesis of selective literature, with interpretation and perspective, the mining situation and its ecological impacts, the factors impeding ecological restoration capability in the arid region in China were examined, the key challenges and promotion strategy were presented. The main findings of this study are as follows: Land degradation is the most prominent problem resulting in mining activities, and mainly reflected by immediate disturbance, long term effects and ecological degradation. The main challenges faced by mining area restoration in arid areas are unclear objectives of ecological restoration, lack of ecological water consumption, unreasonable selection of indigenous plants, serious land degradation and wide restoration area. Our restoration experiments in typical mining areas have proved that the micro-topography reconstruction measures can increase surface roughness, redistribute limited precipitation resources (especially snow), and make soil water and nutrients carried by surface runoff and collected in valleys to regulate soil infiltration and water supply, so as to achieve water-saving and non-irrigated vegetation restoration. The ideal restoration effects are the improvement of vegetation coverage, the increase of available land resources, and the improvement of ecosystem services in mining areas. This study would be helpful to carried out related implementation on ecological restoration and could act as a valuable reference for the researchers involved in the ecological restoration in arid region.

The Taklimakan Desert in northwest China stands as a significant contributor to dust storms, with its fringe oases already designated as ecologically fragile due to the severe impacts of these storms. This study focuses on Moyu County, situated on the southwest edge of the Taklimakan Desert, examining the origin and transport pathways of dust storms from 2004 to 2021. The classification involves utilizing a 36 h backward trajectory model and the k-means clustering technique, resulting in three clusters displaying distinct transport pathways and entry directions. Air pollutant concentrations at the study site corresponding to each cluster are analyzed to elucidate the contribution of dust storms from different directions. The results categorize 1952 dusty days into three categories: NE-SE (cluster 1), N-N (cluster 2), and NW-W (cluster 3). The highest frequency of dust storms, accounting for 64% of the total suspended dust weather, originates from the northeast and southeast direction (NE-SE category), with relatively weak intensity, mainly as suspended dust (71.5%). Strong sand storms predominantly occur from the northwest direction (57.8%). Cluster 1 (the southeast direction) exhibits a higher concentration of SO2, NO2, and CO, mainly associated with its pathway over anthropogenically polluted areas. Conversely, Cluster 3 (northwest direction) shows higher PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations due to increased wind speed and stronger dust storm intensity. The study develops dust storm early warning schemes based on 15-day advance predictions, utilizing an 18-year trajectory model and local monitoring data. This proposed warning scheme serves as a predictive tool for potential dust storm events and air pollution levels, aiding in both scientific research and policy formulation for dust storm mitigation and adaptation. The data obtained also hols relevance for conducting further scientific research in this field.

In recent years, infrared thermographic (IRT) technology has experienced notable advancements and found widespread applications in various fields, such as renewable industry, electronic industry, construction, aviation, and healthcare. IRT technology is used for defect detection due to its non-contact, efficient, and high-resolution methods, which enhance product quality and reliability. This review offers an overview of active IRT principles. It comprehensively examines four categories based on the type of heat sources employed: pulsed thermography (PT), lock-in thermography (LT), ultrasonically stimulated vibration thermography (UVT), and eddy current thermography (ECT). Furthermore, the review explores the application of IRT imaging in the renewable energy sector, with a specific focus on the photovoltaic (PV) industry. The integration of IRT imaging and deep learning techniques presents an efficient and highly accurate solution for detecting defects in PV panels, playing a critical role in monitoring and maintaining PV energy systems. In addition, the application of infrared thermal imaging technology in electronic industry is reviewed. In the development and manufacturing of electronic products, IRT imaging is used to assess the performance and thermal characteristics of circuit boards. It aids in detecting potential material and manufacturing defects, ensuring product quality. Furthermore, the research discusses algorithmic detection for PV panels, the excitation sources used in electronic industry inspections, and infrared wavelengths. Finally, the review analyzes the advantages and challenges of IRT imaging concerning excitation sources, the PV industry, the electronics industry, and artificial intelligence (AI). It provides insights into critical issues requiring attention in future research endeavors.

Summary: Methods of immobilized proteins are challenged by the way how to capture the proteins in their intact functional states. Here we present a two-point, high-specific method for the immobilization of conformationally specific angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) on amino-functionalized polystyrene microspheres. We identified a selective DNA aptamer of AT1R by a column-based SELEX approach with micromolar affinity. Two single-stranded DNA strands were utilized to introduce the AT1R aptamer and angiotensin II 3-8 peptide to the microsphere surface, resulting in the two surface-positioned sites. The two-point immobilized AT1R exhibited enhanced ligand-binding activity and stability in comparison with that prepared by a one-positioned site. Ginsenoside Rg1 and rosmarinic acid were screened from the herbal extract and proved to bind with AT1R through the allosteric and orthosteric sites of the receptor, respectively. These provide a generally applicable approach for functional protein immobilization with enhanced conformation stability, ligand binding activity, and screening efficiency.

To examine the variation in water and vegetation coverage areas, the groundwater level and plant diversity in the terminal lake of the Tarim River, northwest China, both the monitoring data of a field survey consisting of surface samples and remote sensing data for 20 years (2000–2019) were analyzed by using field survey and indoor remote sensing methods. The results showed that (1): from 2000 to 2019, water and vegetation areas increased significantly, especially the trend of vegetation areas becoming more significant, with an average annual increase of 13.9 km2/a; (2): the plant diversity increased first and then decreased; the species richness and Pielou index in the study area were 9.0 and 0.80 in 2005, but only 2.00 and 0.08 in 2000, respectively; species composition tends to be simplified; (3): with the increase in the lake area, the groundwater level showed an up-lifted trend; the correlation between the two was significant, but there was a lag in the response of the groundwater level.

Vegetation productivity, as the basis of the material cycle and energy flow in an ecosystem, directly reflects the information of vegetation change. At the ecosystem level, the gross primary productivity (GPP) refers to the amount of organic carbon fixed by plant bodies. How to accurately estimate the spatiotemporal variation of vegetation productivity of the forest ecosystem in the Altay Mountains in northwest China has become a critical issue to be addressed. The Altay Mountains, with rich forest resources, are located in a semi-arid climate zone and are sensitive to global climate changes, which will inevitably have serious impacts on the function and structure of forest ecosystems in northwest China. In this paper, to reveal the variation trends of vegetation gross primary productivity (GPP) and its response to surface meteorological factors in the Altay Mountains in northwest China, daily temperature and precipitation data from the period of 2000–2017 were collected from seven meteorological stations in Altay prefecture and its surrounding areas; the data were analyzed by using the MODIS GPP model, moving average trend analysis, linear regression analysis and the climate tendency rate method. The results show that: (1) The spatial distribution pattern of GPP in the whole year was almost the same as that in the growing season of vegetation in the Altay Mountains. In the whole mountain range, the proportion of the area which had a GPP value of 400–600 g c/m2 had the highest value; the proportion of the annual and growing season of this area was 41.10% and 40.88%, respectively, which was mainly distributed in the middle and west alpine areas of the Altay Mountains. (2) There was a big gap in the GPP value in the different stages of the vegetation growing season (April to September), which reached the highest value in July, the area with a GPP of 100–150 g c/m2 was the highest, with 36.15%. (3) The GPP of the Altay Mountains showed an overall increasing trend, but the annual fluctuation was relatively large. In 2003, 2008, 2009 and 2014, the GPP showed lower values, which were 385.18 g c/m2, 384.90 g c/m2, 384.49 g c/m2 and 393.10 g c/m2, respectively. In 2007, 2011 and 2016, the GPP showed higher values, which were 428.49 g c/m2, 428.18 g c/m2 and 446.61 g c/m2. (4) In 64.85% of the area of the Altay Mountains, the GPP was positively correlated with annual average temperature, and in 36.56% of the area, the correlation coefficient between temperature and GPP ranged from −0.2 to 0. In 71.61% of the area of the Altay Mountains, the GPP was positively correlated with annual accumulated precipitation, and in 28.39% of the area, the GPP was negatively correlated with annual accumulated precipitation. Under the scenario of global climate change, our study has quantitatively analyzed the long-term dynamics of vegetation GPP and its responses to meteorological factors in the Altay Mountains, which would be helpful for evaluating and estimating the variation trends of forest ecosystems in China, and has important guiding significance for policy formulation to protect forest resources and improve the local ecological environment.

BackgroundAt present, the relationship between thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) in relation to postmenstrual age (PMA) in preterm infants is still unclear, and there is no reliable standard thyroid hormone reference ranges, resulting in different diagnostic criteria for congenital hypothyroidism been used by different newborn screening programs and different countries.ObjectivesTo investigate the relationship between TSH/FT4 and PMA in very preterm infants (VPIs) born with gestational age (GA)

To study the changes of water and vegetation coverage, groundwater level and plant diversity of lakes at the end of Tarim River in Northwest China, the changes of various indicators in more than 20 years (2000–2019) were analyzed through field investigation and indoor remote sensing methods. The results showed that (1): with the initiation of the development of ecological water conveyance project, water and vegetation areas increased significantly, especially the trend of vegetation areas becoming more significant, and area of sandy land decreased significantly. (2): the plant diversity increased in the early stage of ecological water conveyance, however, with the increase of lake area and groundwater level, the species composition tends to be simplified. According to the variation characteristics of species importance value in the overflow area in recent 20 years, it is found that the top communities of plant succession are Phragmites australis and Hexinia polydichotoma. (3): with the increase in the lake area, the groundwater level showed an up-lifted trend, the correlation between the two was significant, but there was a lag in the response of the groundwater level. (4): The intra-annual variations in the lake areas were considerable before and after the ecological water conveyance.

Microglia-mediated neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the pathophysiological process of multiple neurological disorders such as ischemic stroke, yet lacks effective therapeutic agents. Previously, we discovered one novel synthetic compound, tanshinol borneol ester (DBZ), possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic activities, whereas little is known about its effects in CNS. Therefore, the present study aims to explore the effects and potential mechanism of DBZ on neuroinflammation and microglial function. Our studies revealed that DBZ significantly inhibited NF-κB activity, suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory mediators meanwhile promoted M2 mediators expression in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells and mouse primary microglia cells. DBZ also exhibited antioxidant activity by enhancing Nrf2 nuclear accumulation and transcriptional activity, increasing HO-1 and NQO1 expression, and inhibiting LPS-induced ROS generation in BV2 cells. Importantly, the anti-neuroinflammatory and antioxidant effects of DBZ above were reversed by Nrf2 knockdown. Additionally, DBZ ameliorated sickness behaviors of neuroinflammatory mice induced by systemic LPS administration, and significantly reduced infract volume, improved sensorimotor and cognitive function in rats subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO); besides, DBZ restored microglia morphological alterations and shifted the M1/M2 polarization in both murine models. Mechanistically, DBZ-induced Nrf2 nuclear accumulation and antioxidant enzymes expression were accompanied by increased level of p-Akt(Ser473) (activation) and p-GSK3β(Ser9) (inactivation), and decreased nuclear level of Fyn both in vitro and in vivo. Pharmacologically inhibiting PI3K or activating GSK3β markedly increased nuclear density of Fyn in microglia cells, which blocked the promoting effect of DBZ on Nrf2 nuclear accumulation and its antioxidant and anti-neuroinflammatory activities. Collectively, these results indicated the effects of DBZ on microglia-mediated neuroinflammation were strongly associated with the nuclear accumulation and stabilization of Nrf2 via the Akt(Ser473)/GSK3β(Ser9)/Fyn pathway. With anti-neuroinflammatory and antioxidant properties, DBZ could be a promising new drug candidate for prevention and/or treatment of cerebral ischemia and other neuroinflammatory disorders.

The Aral Sea basin is the most active source of salt-dust storms in the central Asian region, while its exposed bottom is acting as a “distributer” of salts and chemicals over the adjoining areas. In this study, the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT-4) is used to identify the trajectories of air parcels from the dried bottom of the Aral Sea region (45.40° N, 61.30° E) that are potentially containing salt-dust and their probability of influencing the downwind area in the period of 2016–2020. The frequency of air parcel trajectory was mapped for six levels: 100, 300, 500, 1000, 2000, and 3000 m agl. The trajectories were categorized by k-means clustering into four clusters that are named by their direction of movement as follows: Cluster 1: E category, Cluster 2: NE category, Cluster 3: W category, and the Cluster 4: S category. The 72 h of forward trajectories showed that salt-dust storms starting from the dried bottom of the Aral Sea had the highest probability of affecting the northeastern region e.g., Siberian Plain, followed by the southern region e.g., Iran Plateau. Total number of trajectories within these two clusters (NE and S) accounts for 90% (or 413 days) of trajectories in examined days. The main area of influence of salt-dust is close to the source area. The potential transport distance of salt-dust particles increases with the height of the starting point. The surface wind, which results from the changes of the Siberian High (SH), has a major role in shaping the surface atmospheric circulation which determines the transport pathway of salt-dust particles over the Aral Sea region. The results of this study could be useful to forecast the potential occurrence of salt-dust storms in downwind affected areas and would also be helpful to understand the possible causes of salt-dust storms which can provide the scientific basis for mitigation of the negative impact of salt-dust storms on the environment and human health. Further research should be conducted by using monitoring data to confirm the deposition of dust and salt particles in those areas mapped by our study.

As the first and key step of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-guided drug development, lead discovery necessitates continuous exploration of new methodology for screening bioactive compounds from TCM. This work intends to establish a strategy for rapidly recognizing β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) target compounds from the fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii (LHG). The method involved immobilization of β2-AR onto amino-microsphere to synthesize the receptor column, the combination of the column to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to screen bioactive compounds of LHG, the identification of the compounds by HPLC coupled with mass spectrometry (MS), and the evaluation of druggability through pharmacokinetic examination by HPLC–MS/MS. Mogroside V was screened and identified as the β2-AR-targeted bioactive compounds in LHG. This compound exhibited desired pharmacokinetic behavior including the time to reach peak plasma concentrations of 45 min, the relatively low elimination of 138.5 min, and the high bioavailability. These parameters indicated that mogroside V has a good druggability for the development of new drugs fighting β2-AR-mediated respiratory ailments like asthma. The combination of the methods in this work is probably becoming a powerful strategy for screening and early evaluating the bioactive compounds specifically binding to G-protein-coupled receptor target from complex matrices including TCM.

Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hUCMSCs) are the most primitive of those isolated from other post-natal tissue source. The hUCMSCs possess the capability of differentiating along multi-lineage. This study aimed to investigate whether hUCMSCs can differentiate into urothelium-like cells. The hUCMSCs were isolated from fresh human umbilical cord postpartum and expanded at least to passage 3 in vitro. Subsequently, they were cultured with conditioned medium from urothelial cells (UC-CM) supplemented with 20 ng/ml exogenous epidermal growth factor (EGF). Urothelial cell specific marker uroplakin II (UPII) and cytokeratins were evaluated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunofluorescence technology. During culture, hUCMSCs started to express UPII and cytokeratins weakly at 7 days and were significantly up-regulated at 2 weeks post-induction. Additionally, morphology of hUCMSCs changed from spindle-shape to a polygonal epithelial-shape similar to that of urothelial cells after 7 days. The study results indicated that hUCMSCs can differentiate into urothelium-like cells in a defined micro-environment in vitro constituted by UC-CM and exogenous EGF.

A new oriented method using a diazonium salt reaction was developed for linking β2-adrenoceptor (β2-AR) on the surface of macroporous silica gel. Stationary phase containing the immobilised receptor was used to investigate the interaction between β2-AR and ephedrine plus pseudoephedrine by zonal elution. The isotherms of the two drugs best fit the Langmuir model. Only one type of binding site was found for ephedrine and pseudoephedrine targeting β2-AR. At 37 °C, the association constants during the binding were (5.94±0.05)×103/M for ephedrine and (3.80±0.02) ×103/M for pseudoephedrine, with the binding sites of (8.92±0.06) ×10-4 M. Thermodynamic studies showed that the binding of the two compounds to β2-AR was a spontaneous reaction with exothermal processes. The ΔGθ, ΔHθ and ΔSθ for the interaction between ephedrine and β2-AR were -(22.33±0.04) kJ/mol, -(6.51±0.69) kJ/mol and 50.94±0.31 J/mol·K, respectively. For the binding of pseudoephedrine to the receptor, these values were -(21.17±0.02) kJ/mol, -(7.48±0.56) kJ/mol and 44.13±0.01 J/mol·K. Electrostatic interaction proved to be the driving force during the binding of the two drugs to β2-AR. The proposed immobilised method will have great potential for attaching protein to solid substrates and realizing the interactions between proteins and drugs.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of Borneol on the pharmacokinetics of notoginsenoside R1 (NGR1) and the ginsenosides Rg1 (GRg1) and Re (GRe) in Panax notoginseng. Reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ion trap mass spectrometry was employed to determine the concentrations of the three compounds in rabbit plasma. In comparison with rabbits administrated Panax notoginseng extract alone, animals simultaneously taking Panax notoginseng extract and Borneol exhibited significant differences in pharmacokinetic parameters of NGR1, GRg1, and GRe, such as increasing their bioavailability. Quantities of NGR1, GRg1, and GRe in rabbit tissues were also increased after combining administration of Borneol. In addition, the apparent permeability coefficients (Papp) of NGR1, GRg1, and GRe were raised by Borneol significantly in Caco-2 cells. However, no significant changes were observed in the efflux ratio (Er) of NGR1, GRg1 and GRe. These data indicate that Borneol has the properties of enhancing the intestinal absorption, increasing the distribution, and inhibiting the metabolism of NGR1, GRg1, and GRe. The underlying mechanism might be attributed to the loosening of the intercellular tight junction.

A sensitive and specific gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring (GC-MS/SIM) method has been developed for simultaneous identification and quantification of α-asarone, β-asarone, and methyl eugenol of Acorus tatarinowii Schott in rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Restek Rxi-5MS capillary column (30 m × 0.32 mm × 0.25 μm), using 1-naphthol as internal standard (IS). MS detection of these compounds and IS was performed at m/z 178, 208, 208, and 144. Intra- and interday precisions of all compounds of interest were less than 10%. The recoveries are situated in the range of 92.4–105.2%. Pharmacokinetics of methyl eugenol confirmed to be one-compartment open model, α-asarone and β-asarone was two-compartment open model, respectively. The method will probably be an alternative to simultaneous determination and pharmacokinetic study of volatile ingredients in Acorus tatarinowii Schott.

Bornyl gallate (BG) is a potential drug candidate synthesized by the reaction of two natural products, gallic acid and borneol. Previous studies have strongly suggested that BG is worthy of further investigation due to antioxidant, antiatherosclerosis activities, and obvious activity of stimulating intersegmental vessel growth in zebrafish. This work was designed to elucidate the metabolic profile of BG through analyzing its metabolites in vitro and in vivo by a chromatographic separation coupled with a mass spectrometry. The metabolites of BG were characterized from the rat liver microsome incubation solution, as well as rat urine and plasma after oral administration. Chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent TC-C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with gradient elution using methanol and water containing 0.2% (V : V) formic acid as the mobile phase. Metabolites identification involved analyzing the retention behaviors, changes of molecular weights and MS/MS fragment patterns of BG and the metabolites. Five compounds were identified as isomers of hydroxylated BG metabolites in vitro. The major metabolites of BG in rat urine and plasma proved to be BG-O-glucuronide and O-methyl BG-O-glucuronide. The proposed method confirmed to be a reliable and sensitive alternative for characterizing metabolic pathways of BG.

During the past 20 years, great landscape changes took place in the northwest of China. Landscape change resulted in soil type transformations. This paper discusses the changes and fractal of soil types in oasis. In order to do it, the soil type maps of Manasi River Basin in 1987 and 2006 were used. 13 types of soil and 2 types of land-use were classified and analyzed in the study area. Results indicated many variations in characteristics. Firstly, all soil types underwent remarkable changes from 1987 to 2006 in the study area: the identified changed area was about 30% or 6506.33 km2. Secondly, in comparison with 1987, in 2006 2/3 of the area's soil types increased, while 1/3 decreased. Rapid expansion of Aquicambids (415.28 km2), and rapid decrease of Petrocambids (797.05 km2) and Aquisalids (415.93 km2) were the noticeable findings. Furthermore, Haplocambids obtained largest gains from other soil types, while Petrocambids lost largest area to other types. Additionally, the fractal relationship objectively existed between the perimeter and area of soil patches. The fractal dimension of Aquisalids, Petrocalcids and Ustifluvents became higher and their shapes became more complex during this period. The stability index was higher in 2006 which indicated that the spatial structure of soil type was more stable than in 1987. These chaotic and occasional changes were largely caused by human activities and natural conditions. Consequently, environmental managers should pay more attention to soil changes in the arid and semiarid region. Santrauka Per pastaruosius 20 metų šiaurės vakarų Kinijoje įvyko didelių kraštovaizdžio pokyčių, lėmusių ir dirvožemio tipų pakitimus. Remiantis 1987–2006 m. Manasi upės baseino dirvožemio žemėlapiais, aptariami dirvožemio tipų pokyčiai ir fraktalai oazėse. Pasirinktoje teritorijoje išskirta ir analizuota 13 dirvožemio tipų ir dvejopa žemėnauda. Nustatyta daug kintamųjų parametrų. Pirma, tirtõs teritorijos visų tipų dirvožemiai nuo 1987 iki 2006 m. žymiai pakito. Nustatytoji pokyčių zona apima apie 30 % teritorijos, arba 6 506,32 km2. Antra, palyginti su 1987 m., 2006 m. 10 dirvožemio tipų teritorija padidėjo, o 5 tipų sumažėjo. Sparčiai padidėjo Aquicambids (415,28 km2), sparčiai sumažėjo Petrocambids (797,05 km2) ir Aquisalids (415,93 km2), pokyčiai buvo žymūs. Iš visų kitų pakitusių dirvožemių tipų Haplocambids plotai padidėjo daugiausia, o labiausiai, palyginti su kitais, sumažėjo Petrocambids plotai. Be to, pastebėta, kad tarp dirvožemio teritorijos plotų ir perimetrų objektyviai egzistuoja fraktalinės sąsajos. Fraktalinės dimensijos Aquisalids, Petrocalcids ir Ustifluvents per minėtą laikotarpį padidėjo, o jų formos tapo sudėtingesnės. Stabilumo indeksas 2006 m. buvo didesnis. Tai rodė, kad erdvinė dirvožemio struktūra mažai pakito, tapo stabilesnė, palyginti nei buvo 1987 m. Šiuos atsitiktinius pokyčius iš esmės lėmė žmogaus veikla ir gamtinės sąlygos. Prieita prie išvados, kad sausojo ar pusiau sauso klimato regionuose kraštotvarkos vykdytojai dirvožemio pokyčiams turėtų skirti daugiau dėmesio. Reikšminiai žodžiai: fraktalinės dimensijos, žmogaus veikla, dirvožemio pokytis, kraštovaizdžio pokytis