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Oxidative stress and apoptosis serve an important role in the development of pressure overload-induced cardiac remodelling. Carnosic acid (CA) has been found to exert antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects. The present study investigated the underlying mechanism of CA protection and whether this effect was exerted against pressure overload-induced cardiac remodelling. Aortic banding (AB) surgery was performed to induce cardiac remodelling. Mice were randomly divided into four groups (n=15/group): i) Sham + vehicle; ii) sham + CA; iii) AB + vehicle; and iv) AB + CA. After 2 days of AB, 50 mg kg CA was administered orally for 12 days. Echocardiography, histological analysis and molecular biochemistry techniques were performed to evaluate the roles of CA. CA treatment decreased cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, oxidative stress and apoptosis in mice challenged with pressure overload. CA also decreased the cross-sectional area of cardiomyocytes and the mRNA and protein expression levels of hypertrophic markers. Furthermore, CA treatment decreased collagen deposition, α-smooth muscle actin expression and the mRNA and protein expression of various fibrotic markers. Additionally, CA reversed the AB-mediated increase in NAPDH oxidase (NOX) 2, NOX4 and 4-hydroxynonenal levels. The number of apoptotic cells was decreased following CA treatment following under conditions of pressure overload. CA also suppressed the activation of AKT and glycogen synthase kinase 3 β (GSK3β) in mice challenged with AB. The present results suggested that CA could inhibit pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis by suppressing the AKT/GSK3β/NOX4 signalling pathway. Therefore, CA may be a promising therapy for cardiac remodelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, most of the drugs have little effect on the pathological process of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Analgesia is an important measure in the treatment of RA and is also one of the criteria to determine the therapeutic effects of the disease. Some studies have found that crocin, a kind of Chinese medicine, can effectively alleviate pain sensitization in pain model rats, but the mechanism is not clear. Emerging evidence indicates that crocin may inhibit the metastasis of lung and liver cancer cells from the breast by inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin and the Wnt signaling pathway is closely related to RA. Wnt5a belongs to the Wnt protein family and was previously thought to be involved only in nonclassical Wnt signaling pathways. Recent studies have shown that Wnt5a has both stimulatory and inhibitory effects on the classical Wnt signaling pathway, and so, Wnt5a has attracted increasing attention. This study demonstrated that crocin significantly increased the mechanical thresholds of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats, suggesting that crocin can alleviate neuropathic pain. Crocin significantly decreased the levels of pain-related factors and glial activation. Foxy5, activator of Wnt5a, inhibited the above effects of crocin in AIA rats. In addition, intrathecal injection of a Wnt5a inhibitor significantly decreased hyperalgesia in AIA rats. This research shows that crocin may alleviate neuropathic pain in AIA rats by inhibiting the expression of pain-related molecules through the Wnt5a/β-catenin pathway, elucidating the mechanism by which crocin relieves neuropathic pain and provides a new way of thinking for the treatment of AIA pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polysaccharides are important pharmacologically active substances found in the perennial orchid Dendrobium huoshanense. In the present study, we sought to determine whether antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms were involved in Dendrobium huoshanense polysaccharides (DHPs)-mediated protection from D-galactose-induced intestine injury in an aging rat model. The effects of DHPs on ileal antioxidant capacity, mucosal barrier integrity and the inflammatory response were investigated in D-galactose-treated rats. The results showed that DHP administration largely attenuated the D-galactose-induced malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-4, IL-10, Toll-like receptor four and NF-κBp65 content increases and also markedly renewed the total antioxidant capacity and the claudin and occludin contents of ileal tissues from the D-galactose-treated rats. We also found that DHP more markedly affected the IL-6 and TNF-α levels than it did the IL-4 and IL-10 levels in the ileal tissues from the D-galactose-treated rats. These results suggest that DHPs can protect the rat ileum from D-galactose-induced injury by attenuating lipid peroxidation, improving antioxidant capacity and mucosal barrier integrity, correcting imbalanced inflammatory cytokine networks and suppressing the inflammatory response. The novel insights into the mechanism involved in DHPs protection of ileal health in our D-galactose-induced aging model rat advances current understanding of the aging process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large scale and highly ordered flowerlike ZnO/Si nanostructures are successfully prepared by combining two common techniques, viz. hydrothermally etch fabrication of nanoporous Si pillar array (NSPA) and self-catalytic chemical vapor transport growth of ZnO nanowires. Au nanoparticles are decorated onto the ZnO/Si nanoflowers by the hydrothermal method. The formed Au/ZnO/NSPA array is evaluated as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering SERS-active substrate, which exhibits very high sensitivity and good stability and reproducibility. The excellent SERS enhancement is mainly attributed to the strong local electromagnetic effect which is associated with the unique flowerlike nanostructures of Au/ZnO/NSPA and the formed metal-induced gap states at the Au/ZnO interfaces. The results indicated that Au/ZnO/NSPA might be employed as a promising SERS substrate for the fast detection of low-concentration biomolecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly emissive phenanthrene-fused boron–dipyrromethene (PBDP) dyes have been spectroscopically characterized in a series of solvents. The influence of different substituents (−H, −I, −CN, −DMA or a 15C5-crown ether) in the para -position of a phenyl ring attached to the meso -position of the BODIPY core is discussed. This family of dyes has an intense emission at λ ≥ 630 nm, with fluorescence quantum yields between 0.7 and 1.0 in all solvents studied, except in the case of the dimethylamino-substituted derivative, PBDP-DMA , which undergoes excited-state intramolecular charge transfer (CT), leading to broadband dual fluorescence in highly polar solvents. Introduction of a weaker electron donor such as a benzocrown to the meso -position is not able to trigger a second (charge or electron transfer) process and, interestingly, heavy atom (iodine, PBDP-I derivative) substitution at that moiety does also not have a relevant influence on the photophysics, i.e., enhanced intersystem crossing was not observed. Electrochemical studies of PBDP-DMA complement the data reported and stress the fact that the decrease in fluorescence of PBDP-DMA in highly polar solvents is due to an excited-state CT process rather than to a photoinduced electron transfer (PET). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of stem cell therapy for myocardial infarction (MI) was very low due to the hostile microenvironment and poor blood perfusion. In this study, we designed a new self-assembling peptide through adding angiogenic polypeptide SVVYGLR to the carboxyl terminal of RADA16, and evaluated the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation carried in this designer self-assembling peptide (DSP) on MI. After the model of cell ischemia and hypoxia was established in vitro , cytoprotective effect of DSP on MSC was detected by AO/EB staining. MI was induced by ligating of the left anterior descending artery in female SD rats. MSC from male rats was labled by GFP with adenovirus transfection. MSC with DSP (MSC-DSP) or without DSP (MSC) were transplanted at the border of the infarcted area. The number of survival cell was more and necrotic cell was less in DSP group than that in control group after ischemia and hypoxia treatment in vitro . At 4 weeks after cell transplantation, compared with the MSC group, improvement of cardiac function was better, infarct size was reduced, collagen content and the number of apoptotic cells was decreased, and there were more GFP or SRY positive cells in MSC-DSP group. Moreover, the number of CD31 or α-smooth muscle actin positive blood vessels in MSC-DSP group was significantly higher than that in MSC group. DSP not only provided a microenvironment for the survival of MSC, but also promoted the angiogenesis after transplantation. This study provided novel strategy and experimental evidence for the clinical application of biomaterials in stem cell transplantation for treatment of ischemic heart disease such as MI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An original corrole-containing polyad for S1 energy transfer, in which one zinc(II)-porphyrin donor is linked to two free-base corrole acceptors by a truxene linker, is reported. This polyad exhibits a rapid zinc(II)-porphyrin*→free-base corrole transfer (4.83×1010 s−1; 298 K), even faster than the tautomerization in the excited state processes taking advantage of the good electronic communication provided by the truxene bridge. Importantly, the energy transfer process shows approximately 3-fold selectivity for one corrole N−H tautomer over the other even at low temperature (77 K). This selectivity is due to the difference in the J-integral being effective in both the Förster and Dexter mechanisms. The data are rationalized by DFT computations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wing polyphenism is an evolutionarily successful feature found in a wide range of insects. Long-winged morphs can fly, which allows them to escape adverse habitats and track changing resources, whereas short-winged morphs are flightless, but usually possess higher fecundity than the winged morphs. Studies on aphids, crickets and planthoppers have revealed that alternative wing morphs develop in response to various environmental cues, and that the response to these cues may be mediated by developmental hormones, although research in this area has yielded equivocal and conflicting results about exactly which hormones are involved. As it stands, the molecular mechanism underlying wing morph determination in insects has remained elusive. Here we show that two insulin receptors in the migratory brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens, InR1 and InR2, have opposing roles in controlling long wing versus short wing development by regulating the activity of the forkhead transcription factor Foxo. InR1, acting via the phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase (PI(3)K)-protein kinase B (Akt) signalling cascade, leads to the long-winged morph if active and the short-winged morph if inactive. InR2, by contrast, functions as a negative regulator of the InR1-PI(3)K-Akt pathway: suppression of InR2 results in development of the long-winged morph. The brain-secreted ligand Ilp3 triggers development of long-winged morphs. Our findings provide the first evidence of a molecular basis for the regulation of wing polyphenism in insects, and they are also the first demonstration-to our knowledge-of binary control over alternative developmental outcomes, and thus deepen our understanding of the development and evolution of phenotypic plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quartz has various types of twin law and twinned quartz is more common than untwinned quartz. However, it is difficult to determine the twin laws of quartz by optical or diffraction methods, so the distribution of the different twin laws of quartz in rocks is still unknown. This paper introduces a method to determine quartz twin laws using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Based on this method, the relationships between quartz crystals in the granite of Tiantangzhai pluton, located at the centre of the Dabie Mountain area, China, are analysed. It is found that the Dauphiné twin is very abundant but the other twin laws (Japan, Esterel, Sardinian, Breithaupt and Cornish) are very rare in this granite. Besides twin laws, many kinds of intergrowths among the quartz crystals are also found. In the intergrowths the overlapping faces are {112}, {101}, {102}, {111} and {201}, which are simply the twin planes of the Japan, Esterel, Sardinian, Breithaupt and Cornish twin laws, respectively. It is interesting that quartz crystals like to form intergrowths based on these faces but do not like to form twins with these faces as a twin plane. This research shows that the relationship between quartz crystals in the granite is controlled by the crystallographic orientation, resulting in the twins and intergrowths occurring at frequencies far exceeding random contact. It is also suggested that EBSD is the best method to determine the twin laws and intergrowths of quartz in a rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snowflake-shaped dendrites of β-eucryptite-β-quartz solid solution were artificially crystallized in a matt glaze, and the crystallographic orientation of the dendrites was analysed by the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique. The six branches of a snowflake-shaped dendrite in the plane (0001) are along 〈110〉. From the orientation determination, a twin relationship and a topotactic relationship between dendrites were found. The twin axes are [011], [] and [210], and the twin planes perpendicular to the twin axes are () and (). From the reticular theory of twinning, it was calculated that the twin index n = 2 and the obliquity ω = 3.2877°. The studied dendrite is a twin by reticular pseudomerohedry with low twin index and obliquity. In the topotactic growth, no twin elements have been found, but the three main crystallographic directions 〈001〉, 〈210〉 and 〈110〉 of the two dendritic crystals overlap each other. The degree of lattice coincidence between the two crystals in this topotactic growth is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The novel α-Keggin heteropolyanion supramolecular compound based on organic ammonium and 18-crown-6, [(p-ClANH3)·(18-crown-6)]3·(PMo12O40)·(CH3CN) (1), has been synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR, UV–vis, PXRD and 1H NMR (p-ClANH2 =p-chloroaniline). The rotator–stator assembly, [(p-ClANH3)·(18-crown-6)]+, was formed through dipolar donor–acceptor attractions, in which the guest p-ClANH3 + cation was projected towards the host 18-crown-6 cavity by strong NO18-crown-6 H-bonds. The extensive and effective intermolecular hydrogen bonds, among/between organic rotator–stator assemblies and α-Keggin (PMo12O40)3− anion clusters, connected the structural units into a 3D supramolecular functional architecture. In addition, the thermal analysis (TGA and DSC) and luminescent properties were investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two coordination complexes [Mn(ENA)2(H2O)0.5] n (1) and [Mn(EPDA)] n (2) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV, TGA, DSC, PXRD and single crystal X-ray diffraction (ENA=5-ethylnicotinate acid, EPDA=5-ethylpyridine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid). In initial studies, Pmmi–ENA was selected to construct supramolecular compounds with metal ions (Pmmi=5-isopropyl-2-methoxy-5-methylimidazolidin-4-one group). However, the Pmmi group was unexpectedly removed to result in the formation of a new ligand ENA, which coordinated with Mn(II) ions to form a 3D framework 1. In order to further investigate this interesting reaction, the same experiment was carried out with the homologous Imoi–ENA instead of Pmmi–ENA (Imoi–ENA and Pmmi–ENA are the homologous imazethapyr). Interestingly, the Imoi group was also removed, however, two different ligands ENA and EPDA were generated (Imoi=2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydro)-1H-imidazol-2-yl group). In addition, the photoluminescent properties of the two compounds were investigated in the solid state at room temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The synthesis of a series of novel core-modified and fused-ring-expanded tetraphenylporphyrins is reported. Theoretical calculations and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) and fluorescence spectroscopic measurements were used to analyze the effect of core modification with Group 16 oxygen, sulfur, selenium, and tellurium atoms on the optical properties and electronic structures of the porphyrins. Marked redshifts of the Q and B bands and accelerated intersystem-crossing rates were observed, thus making these compounds potentially suitable for use in a variety of applications. The scope for further fine-tuning of these optical properties based on additional structural modifications, such as the incorporation of fused benzene rings to form ABAB structures by using a thiophene precursor with a fused bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene ring and the introduction of various substituents onto the meso-phenyl rings, is also examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel coordination polymers [Mn3(EPDA)2(H2O)8 ·(ENA) ·(ClO4) ·0.5(HClO4) ·(CH3OH) ·2(H2O)] n ( 1) and[Zn(EPDA)(H2O)] n ( 2) (EPDA = 5-ethylpyridine-2, 3-dicarboxylic acid, ENA = 5-ethylnicotinate acid) were synthesized and characterized by IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy, elemental analysis, PXRD, TGA, photoluminescence, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Organic EPDA2- and ENA- anions, the decomposition products of ENA-Pmmi by removing the -Pmmi group under in situ solvothermal conditions, were obtained by performing the reactions of ENA-Pmmi with MnII or ZnII perchlorate. In complex 1, the MnII ions were bridged by μ4-EPDA2- anions to give a 2D positively charged layer, and the free ENA- anion and solvent molecules are filled into the gap between the layers through hydrogen bonding interactions to form a sandwich structure. In compound 2, the μ3-EPDA2- anions bridge divalent Zn2+ ions to form a 1D chain, and the ENA- anions are not involved in stacking interactions but left in the residual solution. In addition, the ENA-Imoi instead of ENA-Pmmi, was selected to further investigate this reaction (ENA-Pmmi and ENA-Imoi are imazethapyr homologues), and the same experimental results could be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Silicon nanoporous pillar array (Si-NPA) is fabricated by hydrothermally etching single crystal silicon (c-Si) wafers in hydrofluoric acid containing ferric nitrate. Microstructure studies disclosed that it is a typical micron/nanometer structural composite system with clear hierarchical structures. The optical parameters of Si-NPA were calculated by general light-absorption theory and Kramers–Kronig relations based on the experimental data of reflectance and the variations compared with the counterparts of c-Si were analyzed. The features of the electronic band structure deduced from the optical measurements strongly indicate that Si-NPA material is a direct-band-gap semiconductor and possesses separated conduction sub-bands which accords with conduction band splitting caused by silicon nanocrystallites several nanometers in size. All these electronic and optical results are due to the quantum confinement effect of the carriers in silicon nanocrystallites. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A composite thin film with regular pillar array structure was fabricated by applying a coating of barium strontium titanate (Ba0.7Sr0.3TiO3, or BST) to freshly prepared silicon nanoporous pillar array (Si-NPA) substrate. Capacitive humidity sensors were made based on this BST/Si-NPA thin film and the corresponding sensing properties were investigated. Experimental results showed that the sensor exhibited high sensitivity, fast response time and good stability. The capacitance increment was over 4400% of its initial value at relative humidity (RH) increased from 11 to 95% at 100 Hz signal frequency. The response time for both the RH-increasing and decreasing processes was ~42 s. The humidity sensing curves of fresh sensors aged for 9, 57 and 100 days exhibited an ideal coincidence. Both the pillar-like array structure and the thin film composition should play an important role in the improvement of sensing performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) nanoparticles embedded in amorphous silica can be synthesized by using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and metallic nitrates as precursors. A well-established silica matrix network provides nucleation locations for CoFe2O4 nanoparticles, thus confining their growth and aggregation. The structural and magnetic properties show strong dependence on the variation of particle size caused by annealing temperature and CoFe2O4 ratio, resulting in higher crystallization, saturation magnetization M s and remanent magnetization M r as the annealing temperature and CoFe2O4 ratio increase. But the variation of coercivity H c is not in accordance with that of M s and M r, indicating that H c is not determined by the size of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles only. The realization of the adjustable particle sizes and the controllable magnetic properties makes the applicability of CoFe2O4 even more versatile. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) ORF118 (bm118) is homologous to Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) ORF142, one of the core genes existing in all baculovirus genomes sequenced to date, suggesting that Bm118 plays a critical role in viral infection. In this study, the primary role of Bm118 was investigated by using homologous recombination in Escherichia coli to generate a bm118 knockout bacmid containing the BmNPV genome. In addition, the bm118 rescue bacmid was constructed by transposing a bm118 gene cassette into the polh locus of the bm118 knockout bacmid. Transfection assays demonstrated that the bm118 knockout bacmid was incapable of producing budded virion (BV). Nevertheless, this defect could be partially recovered by a rescue bacmid. Electron microscopy analysis revealed that the bm118 knockout produced aberrant capsids characterized by translucent, elongated nucleocapsids present as bundles within the nuclei. This construct also produced polyhedra lacking virions. These results reveal that Bm118 is essential for BV production and nucelocapsid maturation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We present an overview of the state of the art in long-wavelength boron–dipyrromethene (BODIPY) fluorophores, focusing on strategies to shift the absorption and emission bands into the red/near-infrared (NIR) range of the spectrum. This report also discusses chemical modifications of the chromophoric core to obtain analyte-responsive fluorophores, including examples of pH and metal ion indicators. Finally, we present a new series of phenanthrene-fused BODIPY dyes, emitting with high efficiency in the red/NIR region of the spectrum, as well as discussing potential applications thereof as probes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A series of meso-tetraaryl porphyrins with fused phenanthrene rings have been synthesized from boron trifluoride-catalyzed Lindsey condensation of phenanthro[9,10-c]pyrrole with various para-substituted arylaldehydes at low temperature. Their structures were characterized by UV–vis, 1H NMR, and mass spectroscopies. The UV–vis spectra of these compounds showed remarkable bathochromic shift of the Soret band to the wavelength around 577nm and Q-bands into the near-infrared region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A cDNA encoding melittin in Apis cerana cerana was obtained by PCR from the recombinant plasmid and cloned into the GST fusion expression vector pGEX-4T-2 for expression of the protein. The expressed protein of about 29 kDa was detected by Western blot and triple antibody sandwich ELISA, indicating that the recombinant protein is the fusion protein of GST-AccM. The expression conditions of GST-AccM fusion protein for Escherichia coli BL21 transformant were optimized. Thin layer scanning on the SDS–PAGE profiles of GST-AccM showed that the expressed protein accumulated up to about 15.2% of total protein of bacterial cells under the optimized expression condition. Purified and recovered recombinant melittin of A. cerana cerana showed bioactivity in activating rabbit platelets to aggregate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

CdS/Si nanoheterostructure was prepared by growing CdS nanocrystallites (nc-CdS) onto silicon nanoporous pillar array (Si-NPA) via a heterogeneous reaction process. The pillars of CdS/Si-NPA were constructed by an outermost shell of nc-CdS membrane, an innermost core of nanoporous silicon pillar, and an interface with nc-CdS embedded into amorphous SiO2 matrix. Blue, green, and red emissions were observed in CdS/Si-NPA and the origins were attributed to the emission from Si-NPA, the band edge transition, and the surface states of sulphur vacancies of nc-CdS, respectively. The three-primary-color photoluminescence realized in CdS/Si-NPA might be applied in solid state lighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forkhead box O (FoxO) protein is the main transcriptional effector downstream of the insulin/insulin‐like signaling pathway and regulates many developmental and physiological processes. Holometabolous insects with loss‐of‐function mutations in FoxO exhibit phenotypes distinct from those of hemimetabolous insects in which RNA interference was used. Despite the functional importance of FoxO, whether hemimetabolous insects share an evolutionally conserved function of FoxO with holometabolous insects remains to be clarified. We used the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR‐associated 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) genome editing‐system to establish a homozygous FoxO‐null mutant (NlFoxO4E) of the wing‐dimorphic brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens, an economically important insect pest of rice fields. The phenotypes of NlFoxO4E mutants included extended nymphal duration, shortened lifespan, reduced reproduction, and decreased stress resistance. In addition, depletion of NlFoxO promoted cell proliferation in wing buds and led to 100% long‐winged morphs, in stark contrast to short‐winged wild‐type BPHs. These findings indicate that NlFoxO is highly functionally conserved with its counterpart in holometabolous insects, and is required for optimal fitness of N. lugens. The insights from FoxO studies may facilitate the identification of potential target genes for BPH control applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An original corrole‐containing polyad for S1 energy transfer, in which one zinc(II)porphyrin donor is linked to two free base corrole acceptors by a truxene linker, is reported. This polyad exhibits a rapid zinc(II) porphyrin*→free‐base corrole transfer, even faster than the tautomerization in the excited state processes taking advantage of the good electronic communication provided by the truxene bridge. For more details see the Full Paper by C. P. Gros, P. D. Harvey et al. on page 5010 ff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision and accuracy estimation is an important index used to reflect the measurement performance and quality of a measurement system. To reveal the significance and connotations of the precision and accuracy estimation index of a close-range photogrammetry system, several common precision and accuracy estimation methods are proposed. They are explained from a theoretical perspective, and the mechanism of the internal coincidence precision estimation and the external coincidence accuracy estimation are deduced, respectively. Through detailed experimental design and testing, the validity and reliability of the proposed precision and accuracy estimation methods are verified, which provides strong evidence for the quality control, optimization and evaluation of the measurement results from a close-range photogrammetry system. At the same time, it has significance for the further development of precision and accuracy estimation analysis of close-range photogrammetry systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many insects are capable of developing into either long-winged or short-winged (or wingless) morphs, which enables them to rapidly match heterogeneous environments. Thus, the wing polymorphism is an adaptation at the root of their ecological success. Wing polymorphism is orchestrated at various levels, starting with the insect's perception of environmental cues, then signal transduction and signal execution, and ultimately the transmitting of signals into physiological adaption in accordance with the particular morph produced. Juvenile hormone and ecdysteroid pathways have long been proposed to regulate wing polymorphism in insects, but rigorous experimental evidence is lacking. The breakthrough findings of ecdysone receptor regulation on transgenerational wing dimorphism in the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum and of insulin signaling in the planthopper Nilaparvata lugens greatly broaden our understanding of wing polymorphism at the molecular level. Recently, the advent of high-throughput sequencing coupled with functional genomics provides powerful genetic tools for future insights into the molecular bases underlying wing polymorphism in insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rice brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens , can rapidly adapt to new resistant rice varieties within several generations, rendering its management burdensome. However, the molecular mechanism underlying its adaptability remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the potential role of mucin-like protein (NlMul) in N. lugens virulence and adaptation to host resistance. NlMul is an important glycoprotein that constitutes both gelling and watery saliva, and specifically expressed in the salivary glands at all developmental stages except the egg period. Knocking down the expression of NlMul resulted in the secretion of short and single-branched salivary sheaths. NlMul might help BPH deal with plant resistance, and altered gene expression was observed when BPHs were transferred from a susceptible rice variety to a resistant one. The NlMul -deficient BPHs showed disordered developmental duration and a portion of these insects reared on resistant rice exhibited lethal effects. Our results uncover a saliva-mediated interaction between insect and host plant, and provide useful information in rice breeding and planthopper management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The homeotic complex gene Abdominal‐B (Abd‐B) is involved in regulating the development of posterior abdomens and has been extensively studied in holometabolous insects. However, the function of Abd‐B in hemimetabolous insects is not fully understood. Here, we functionally characterize an Abd‐B homologue in the brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens. The full‐length cDNA of the N. lugens Abd‐B homologue (NlAbd‐B) is 2334 nt, with an open reading frame of 1113 bp. NlAbd‐B has the highest expression level at the egg stage relative to the nymphal and adult stages and is mainly expressed in the fourth to the ninth abdominal segment of embryos. RNA interference (RNAi)‐mediated knockdown of NlAbd‐B in nymphs disrupted the development of genitalia both in females and males and caused a genitalia‐to‐leg transformation. Parental RNAi of NlAbd‐B in both female and male adults caused an extra abdominal segment in offspring nymphs, while parental RNAi of the N. lugens abdominal‐A homologue in both female and males adults led to embryos with leg‐like appendages on the second to the eighth abdominal segment. These findings suggest that NlAbd‐B plays a pivotal role in genital development and posterior abdominal patterning and thus highlight the conservational role of Abd‐B in holometabolous and hemimetabolous insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dicyanomethylene-4H-benzopyran derivatives dyes containing D- π -A-type structure have been prepared and fully characterized. The Z configuration of all three structures has been confirmed by SCXRD studies. Dyes 1–6 present a strong absorption in the 450–550 nm region with ε values over 43 000 M−1 cm−1 1–4 showed fluorescence properties while 5 and 6 are very weakly fluorescent. The electronic structure of the first singlet excited state S 1 was investigated to further explain the evolution of fluorescence quantum yields. The two-photon excitation spectra were recorded with a similar behaviour upon two-photon excitation, with two absorption bands, one in the 800–850 nm region with σ 2 of 200–300 GM and another one at about 1000 nm with σ 2 of 300–400 GM. Dyes 3 and 4 have shown interesting properties (both in intensity and FLIM modes) in two-photon excited microscopy. [Display omitted] • Push-pull conjugated chromene-derivatives have been synthesized and characterized. • The trans conformation of all three structures has been confirmed by SCXRD studies. • Two of the compounds show interesting properties in two-photon excited microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Flightin was initially identified in Drosophila melanogaster. Previous work has shown that Drosophila flightin plays a key role in indirect flight muscle (IFM) function and has limited expression in the IFM. In this study, we demonstrated that flightin is conserved across the Pancrustacea species, including winged insects, non-winged insects, non-insect hexapods and several crustaceans. The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), a long-distance migration insect with wing dimorphism, is the most destructive rice pest in Asia. We showed that flightin was one of the most differentially expressed genes in macropterous and brachypterous BPH adults. In female BPHs, flightin was expressed in the IFM of macropterous adults, no expression was detected in brachypterous ones; while in male BPHs, flightin was not only expressed in the IFM of macropterous adults, but also in the dorsal longitudinal muscle (DLM) in the basal two abdominal segments of both macropterous and brachypterous ones. RNAi and transmission electron microscopy results showed that flightin played key roles in maintaining IFM and male DLM structure, which drive wing movements in macropterous adults and the vibration of the male-specific tymbal, respectively. Using Daphnia magna as an example of a crustacean species, we observed that flightin was expressed in juvenile instars and adults, and was localized in the antenna muscles. These results illustrate the functional variations of flightin in insects and other arthropod species and provide clues as to how insects with flight apparatuses evolved from ancient pancrustaceans. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: DSC1 and BSC1 are two founding members of a novel family of invertebrate voltage-gated cation channels with close structural and evolutionary relationships to voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels. In this study, we searched the published genome sequences for DSC1 orthologs. DSC1 orthologs were found in all 48 insect species, and in other invertebrate species belonging to phyla Mollusca, Cnidaria, Hemichordata and Echinodermata. However, DSC1 orthologs were not found in four arachnid species, Ixodes scapularis, Rhipicephalus microplus, Tetranychus urticae and Varroa destructor, two species in Annelida or any vertebrate species. We then cloned and sequenced NlSC1 and BmSC1 full-length cDNAs from the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) and the silkworm (Bombyx mori), respectively. NlSC1 and BmSC1 share about 50% identity with DSC1, and the expression of NlSC1 and BmSC1 transcripts was most abundant in the head and antenna in adults. All DSC1 orthologs contain a unique and conserved DEEA motif, instead of the EEEE or EEDD motif in classical calcium channels or the DEKA motif in sodium channels. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that DSC1 and its orthologs form a separate group distinct from the classical voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels and constitute a unique family of cation channels. The DSC1/BSC1-family channels could be potential targets of new and safe insecticides for pest control. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: A plethora of prognostic biomarkers for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) that have hitherto been reported are challenged with low reproducibility due to high molecular heterogeneity of ESCC. The purpose of this study was to identify the optimal biomarkers for ESCC using machine learning algorithms.Methods: Biomarkers related to clinical survival, recurrence or therapeutic response of patients with ESCC were determined through literature database searching. Forty-eight biomarkers linked to recurrence or prognosis of ESCC were used to construct a molecular interaction network based on NetBox and then to identify the functional modules. Publicably available mRNA transcriptome data of ESCC downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets included GSE53625 and TCGA-ESCC. Five machine learning algorithms, including logical regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), artificial neural network (ANN), random forest (RF) and XGBoost, were used to develop classifiers for prognostic classification for feature selection. The area under ROC curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the performance of the prognostic classifiers. The importances of identified molecules were ranked by their occurrence frequencies in the prognostic classifiers. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank test were performed to determine the statistical significance of overall survival.Results: A total of 48 clinically proven molecules associated with ESCC progression were used to construct a molecular interaction network with 3 functional modules comprising 17 component molecules. The 131,071 prognostic classifiers using these 17 molecules were built for each machine learning algorithm. Using the occurrence frequencies in the prognostic classifiers with AUCs greater than the mean value of all 131,071 AUCs to rank importances of these 17 molecules, stratifin encoded by SFN was identified as the optimal prognostic biomarker for ESCC, whose performance was further validated in another 2 independent cohorts.Conclusion: The occurrence frequencies across various feature selection approaches reflect the degree of clinical importance and stratifin is an optimal prognostic biomarker for ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single insulin receptor (InR) gene has been identified and extensively studied in model species ranging from nematodes to mice. However, most insects possess additional copies of InR, yet the functional significance, if any, of alternate InRs is unknown. Here, we used the wing-dimorphic brown planthopper (BPH) as a model system to query the role of a second InR copy in insects. NlInR2 resembled the BPH InR homologue (NlInR1) in terms of nymph development and reproduction, but revealed distinct regulatory roles in fuel metabolism, lifespan, and starvation tolerance. Unlike a lethal phenotype derived from NlInR1 null, homozygous NlInR2 null mutants were viable and accelerated DNA replication and cell proliferation in wing cells, thus redirecting short-winged–destined BPHs to develop into long-winged morphs. Additionally, the proper expression of NlInR2 was needed to maintain symmetric vein patterning in wings. Our findings provide the first direct evidence for the regulatory complexity of the two InR paralogues in insects, implying the functionally independent evolution of multiple InRs in invertebrates. Author summary: The highly conserved insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in growth, development, and various physiological processes across a wide phylogeny of organisms. Unlike a single InR in the model species such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, most insect lineages have two or even three InR copies. However, the function of the alternative InRs remains elusive. Here, we created a homozygous mutation for a second insulin receptor (InR2) in the wing-dimorphic brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, using the clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated (CRISPR/Cas9) system. Our findings revealed that InR2 possesses functions distinct from the BPH InR homologue (NlInR1), indicating that multiple InR paralogues may have evolved independently and may have functionally diversified in ways more complex than previously expected in invertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens can develop into either long-winged or short-winged adults depending on environmental stimuli received during larval stages. The transcription factor NlFoxO serves as a key regulator determining alternative wing morphs in BPH, but the underlying molecular mechanism is largely unknown. Here, we investigated the transcriptomic profile of forewing and hindwing buds across the 5th-instar stage, the wing-morph decision stage. Our results indicated that NlFoxO modulated the developmental plasticity of wing buds mainly by regulating the expression of cell proliferation-associated genes. The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, can develop into either short-winged (SW) or long-winged (LW) adults according to environmental conditions, and has long served as a model organism for exploring the mechanisms of wing polyphenism in insects. The transcription factor NlFoxO acts as a master regulator that directs the development of either SW or LW morphs, but the underlying molecular mechanism is largely unknown. Here, we microinjected SW-destined morphs with double stranded-RNA (dsRNA) targeting NlFoxO (dsNlFoxO) to change them into LW-winged morphs. In parallel, SW-destined morphs microinjected with dsRNA targeting the gene encoding green fluorescence protein (dsGfp) served as a negative control. The forewing and hindwing buds of 5th-instar nymphs collected at 24, 36, and 48 h after eclosion (hAE) were used for RNA sequencing. We obtained a minimum of 43.4 million clean reads from forewing and hindwing buds at a single developmental time. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in various Gene Ontology (GO) terms, including cellular process, binding, and cell part. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment pathway analysis showed that up-regulated genes in dsNlFoxO-treated forewing and hindwing buds were largely associated with the cell cycle and DNA replication. Furthermore, most up-regulated genes displayed higher expression at 24-, and 36-hAE relative to 48 hAE, indicating that wing cells in LW-destined wings might actively proliferate during the first 36 h in 5th-instar nymphs. Our findings indicated that LW development in BPH was likely dependent on the duration of cell proliferation in the 5th-instar stage, which sheds light on the molecular basis of wing polymorphism in insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wing polymorphism is an evolutionary feature found in a wide variety of insects, which offers a model system for studying the evolutionary significance of dispersal. In the wing-dimorphic planthopper Nilaparvata lugens, the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) pathway acts as a 'master signal' that directs the development of either long-winged (LW) or short-winged (SW) morphs via regulation of the activity of Forkhead transcription factor subgroup O (NlFoxO). However, downstream effectors of the IIS–FoxO signaling cascade that mediate alternative wing morphs are unclear. Here we found that vestigial (Nlvg), a key wing-patterning gene, is selectively and temporally regulated by the IIS–FoxO signaling cascade during the wing-morph decision stage (fifth-instar stage). RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated silencing of Nlfoxo increase Nlvg expression in the fifth-instar stage (the last nymphal stage), thereby inducing LW development. Conversely, silencing of Nlvg can antagonize the effects of IIS activity on LW development, redirecting wing commitment from LW to the morph with intermediate wing size. In vitro and in vivo binding assays indicated that NlFoxO protein may suppress Nlvg expression by directly binding to the first intron region of the Nlvg locus. Our findings provide a first glimpse of the link connecting the IIS pathway to the wing-patterning network on the developmental plasticity of wings in insects, and help us understanding how phenotypic diversity is generated by the modification of a common set of pattern elements. Author summary: Many insects are capable of developing into either long-winged or short-winged adults, but the underlying molecular basis remains largely unknown. Pioneer studies showed that the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway acts as a 'master signal' that directs wing buds to develop into long or short wings in the wing-dimorphic planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens. However, downstream effectors mediating the IIS pathway effects are unknown. Our findings highlight that vestigial, a key wing-patterning gene, is a main downstream effector that mediates the IIS activity on the development of alternative wing morphs during the wing-morph decision stage. The molecular mechanism of wing formation, including the function of vestigial, has been studied in great depth in the model insect Drosophila melanogaster. Our data provide a first glimpse of the link connecting the IIS pathway to the wing-patterning network in regulating developmental plasticity of wings in insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) is an important fermentation process. However, 1,3-PDO could not be distinguished separately and efficiently in fermentations previously because it has a highly similar molecular structure to the feedstock glycerol (GLY) and by-product lactic acid (Lac), which leads to the difficulty of quantification. In this paper, a low-cost and environmentally friendly biosensor based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique was developed. Using it, the concentration of 1,3-PDO and Lac in a fermentation solution can be determined directly from their respective characteristic peaks in Raman spectroscopy. Moreover, by analyzing the respective contributions of 1,3-PDO, Lac, and GLY to the integrated intensities of the 2920 cm−1 Raman peak common to these three substances, the concentration of GLY could also be quantified. SERS study on various 1,3-PDO:GLY and Lac:GLY molar ratios were conducted to establish the proportional relationships of these compounds by analyzing the relationship between the concentration and the Raman peak intensities. The 1,3-PDO:Lac:GLY with serial concentration gradient was carried out to verify the relationship between the concentration and the Raman peak intensities by the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with relative deviations <25%. Concentrations of 1,3-PDO and Lac as low as 1 g/L and concentration of GLY as low as 4 g/L were analyzed to determine the limit of detection. Therefore, this new method allows the rapid quantification of 1,3-PDO, Lac and GLY concentrations on a SERS-based biosensor. Graphical Abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • A low-cost and environmentally friendly biosensor • Rapid quantification of 1,3-PDO, Lac and GLY concentrations • Direct realization of mixed quantitative detection in a fermentation solution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A series consisting of a dyad, a triad and a tetrad containing either two, three and four BODIPY units, respectively, has been synthesized and fully characterized and compared to two mono‐BODIPY analogs (used as references). The one‐ and two‐photon photophysical properties have been measured and the X‐ray structures of four of the BODIPY derivatives have been determined. In the 700–900 nm range, the two‐photon absorption (TPA) cross sections range from 30 GM to 160 GM for these compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a novel fluorescent sensor (quercetin-Pluronic-F127 nano-micelles) was prepared by the facile self-assembly method with natural quercetin (Qc) and Pluronic-F127 (F127). Qc-F127 nano-micelles were characterized by TEM which indicated that Qc have successfully entered into the amphiphilic micelle. The nano micelles with sizes of 25 to 40 nm showed a strong green fluorescence (FL). The sensor exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity towards Cu 2+ with a linear range of 5 × 10 −8 –4 × 10 −6  mol L −1 , the detection limit of 1 × 10 −8  mol L −1 . Moreover, the Qc-F127 nano-micelles can be used to detect Cu 2+ in vitro due to their good biocompatibility. Besides Cu 2+ sensing, when Cysteine (Cys) were added, the FL intensity of Qc-F127-Cu(II) system could be restored due to the chelation interactions between Cu 2+ ions and the sulfydryl and amino groups of Cys. So, Qc-F127-Cu(II) system can used to detect Cys, and the linear range and the limit of detection of the Qc-F127-Cu 2+ system were 3 × 10 −7 –3.5 × 10 −5  mol L −1 and 6 × 10 −8  mol L −1 . Moreover, Qc-F127-Cu(II) has been used for imaging of Cys in cells, which demonstrates its values for potential application in biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five bioactive dehydroabietylamine Schiff-base derivatives ( L 1 -L 5 ) had been synthesized from Dehydroabietylamine ( L 0 ), and the complex Cu(L 1 ) 2 had been obtained from the compound L 1 and copper(II) acetate. Their activities against Hela (cervix), MCF-7 (breast), A549 (lung), HepG2 (liver) and HUVEC (umbilical vein, normal cell) in vitro were investigated. The toxicity of L 1 -L 5 and Cu(L 1 ) 2 was all lower than L 0 . For MCF-7 cell, L 1 , L 3 , L 4 , L 5 and Cu(L 1 ) 2 had higher antitumor activity than L 0 . The smallest IC 50 value was 2.58  μ M of L 5 . For A549 cell, the IC 50 value of the compound L 4 was smaller than L 0 , which indicated that the compound L 4 had higher anti-A549 activity than L 0 . For HepG2 cell, the IC 50 value of L 4 ( 0.24  μ M) and L 5 (0.14  μ M) were much smaller than L 0 , which suggested L 4 and L 5 had higher anti-HepG2 activity. L 5 was 180 times more effective at inhibiting cultured HepG2 cells survival than normal cells, with average IC 50 values of 0.14 and 25.56  μ M. Furthermore, L 0 , L 4 and L 5 contrasting with Doxorubicin had been measured with the ability to induce apoptosis. It turned out that L 4 and L 5 could induce more HepG2 cells apoptosis, which suggested they may be potential antitumor drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report here for the first time long prism/needle-shaped polycrystalline quartz aggregates and square/parallelogram-shaped single-phase quartz inclusions in omphacite and garnet of ultrahigh pressure (UHP) eclogite from the Yinggelisayi area in the South Altyn UHP belt. Based on their morphology and mineral composition, these quartz inclusions in omphacite and garnet are quartz paramorphs after stishovite. The minimum peak pressure of the eclogite is estimated to be >8–9 GPa at 800–1000 °C based on the stability field of stishovite. This new evidence, together with previous discovery of kyanite + spineal exsolutions in former stishovite of the pelitic gneiss from the same region, suggests a ultra-deep subduction and exhumation of the South Altyn continental rocks to/from mantle depths in the stability field of stishovite. Evidence of ultra-deep subduction of continental materials might be more common and diverse than previous thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens is one of the most destructive insect pests in Asia, demonstrating high fertility and causing huge crop losses by sucking sap of rice as well as transmitting viruses. However, functional genomic studies on N. lugens are seriously constrained by lack of genetic tools. Here, we employed two eye pigmentation genes to generate germ-line mutations in N. lugens using the CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated) system. We showed that injection of single guide RNA of the cinnabar gene of N. lugens ( Nl-cn ) into pre-blastoderm eggs induced insertion and deletion (indels) in the founder generation (G 0 ), which were heritably transmitted to the following G 1 generation, leading to bright red compound eyes and ocelli. Mutations of N. lugens white ( Nl-w ) generated a high mutant rate of up to 27.3%, resulting in mosaic eyes consisting of white and lightly pigmented ommatidia in both G 0 and G 1 individuals. The specificity of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis was further bolstered by PCR and RNA interference-based knockdown analysis. These results show that CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing is achievable in a hemipteran insect, offering a valuable tool for the study of functional genomics and pest management in this planthopper species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brown planthopper ( Nilaparvata lugens, BPH), white-backed planthopper ( Sogatella furcifera, WBPH) and small brown planthopper ( Laodelphax striatellus, SBPH) are important rice pests in Asia. These three species differ in thermal tolerance and exhibit quite different migration and overwintering strategies. To understand the underlying mechanisms, we sequenced and compared the transcriptome of the three species under different temperature treatments. We found that metabolism-, exoskeleton- and chemosensory-related genes were modulated. In high temperature (37 °C), heat shock protein ( HSP) genes were the most co-regulated; other genes related with fatty acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism and transportation were also differentially expressed. In low temperature (5 °C), the differences in gene expression of the genes for fatty acid synthesis, transport proteins and cytochrome P450 might explain why SBPH can overwinter in high latitudes, while BPH and WBPH cannot. In addition, other genes related with moulting, and membrane lipid composition might also play roles in resistance to low and high temperatures. Our study illustrates the common responses and different tolerance mechanisms of three rice planthoppers in coping with temperature change, and provides a potential strategy for pest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The target gene of rapamycin ( TOR ) is conserved from invertebrates to vertebrates, and plays critical roles in cell growth, nutrient sensing, lifespan and reproduction. In this paper, we employed RNA interference (RNAi) to study the function of TOR in male brown planthoppers (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens . Here we discovered that no offspring was produced when wildtype females BPH mated with NlTOR RNAi males. To understand the influence of NlTOR on male BPH infertility, we dissected the reproductive system of a NlTOR RNAi male, and found that the testes were normal and the seminal vesicles were full of sperm, while the accessory gland was poorly developed after knocking down NlTOR expression. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy data showed defective structure of epithelial cells of the accessory gland, and the deferent duct was collapsed. Also, behavioral data revealed that wildtype virgin females refused to mate with NlTOR RNAi males, and the acoustic signals of ds NlTOR males differed from controls. Our results indicate that NlTOR plays an essential role in the development of the male BPH reproductive system and regulates mating behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is an important small biological molecule in all living organisms and the level of it is a vital physiological index associated with many diseases. In this study, a convenient, sensitive and precise method is proposed to quantify ATP that combines glucose phosphorylation with the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique. First, a portion of glucose was consumed by ATP in the glucose phosphorylation reaction. Then, the quantitative determination of the residual glucose was realized by utilizing the SERS technique instead of classical spectrophotometry to analyze the charge transfer complex (CTC) of a chromogen. The ATP concentration of a sample can be determined by subtracting the residual glucose from the original amount. We have demonstrate that ATP is detectable and quantifiable from a glucose concentration 1–1000 times that of the ATP. The detection limit of ATP is as low as 4.69 × 10 −7 M, which is sufficient for the quantification of ATP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Haopinggou deposit in the Xiong'ershan district, southern margin of the North China Craton, comprises numerous Au and Ag-Pb-Zn veins hosted in metamorphic rocks of the Late Archean to early Paleoproterozoic Taihua Group. Two stages of mineralization have been recognized: Stage 1 pyrite-quartz veins and Stage 2 Pb-Zn-sulfide veins. Some pyrite-quartz veins are surrounded or cut by Pb-Zn-sulfide veins, others occur as independent veins. Six generations of pyrite have been identified at Haopinggou: Py1 to Py3 in Stage 1 and Py4 to Py6 in Stage 2. Pyrites from Stage 1 are enriched in Au, As, Co, Ni, and Bi, whereas Stage 2 pyrites contain higher Ag, Pb, Zn, Sn, and Sb. Invisible Au mostly occurs as lattice-bound gold in Py2 (up to 92 ppm Au) and Py3 (up to 127 ppm Au) and has a close relationship with As. Native Au grains are also present in Py3 and likely resulted from mobilization and reprecipitation of the invisible Au previously locked in the precursor pyrite. This view is supported by extensive plastic deformation in Stage 1 pyrite as revealed by electron backscatter diffraction analysis. In Stage 2, Ag is mostly present as lattice-bound silver closely associated with Sb in galena (up to 798 ppm Ag). A variety of silver minerals are also present as inclusions within galena or as interstitial grains. These silver minerals were likely formed via Ag-Cu exchange reaction between tetrahedrite and galena or represent exsolution from galena due to a temperature decrease. Pb isotopic compositions differ remarkably between Stage 1 and Stage 2 sulfides, indicating different sources of lead. Pb in Stage 2 Pb-Zn-sulfide veins is consistent with the Haopinggou porphyry close to the veins. The field, textural, compositional, and lead isotopic data led us to conclude that the early gold-bearing pyrite-quartz veins and late silver-bearing Pb-Zn-sulfide veins likely formed from distinct fluid systems related to discrete mineralization events. Our study suggests that Au and Ag-Pb-Zn veins hosted in the same metamorphic terrains may not be genetically related to each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisporphyrin-based flexible nanotweezers with various metals were synthesized and applied to the extraction of single-walled carbon nanotubes. Homo- and hetero-metallic bisporphyrins containing Co2+ were found to afford higher SWNT-extraction ability, while no or a little amount of SWNTs were extracted by bisporphyrins with other metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ATP:ADP molar ratio is an important physiological factor. However, in previous literatures, ATP and ADP could not be distinguished by Raman spectroscopy due to the high similarity of molecular structure. To challenge this problem, also considering that the γ phosphate group may interact with adenine group and cause a different variation of the Raman spectrum than that of ADP, a highly sensitive, low-cost, environment protecting, flexible and super-hydrophobic Au nanoparticles/cicada wing (Au/CW) substrate with three-dimension structure was fabricated and employed as an active surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate to detect the ATP:ADP molar ratios. The concentration as low as 10 −8 M for ATP and ADP was analyzed to determine the limit of detection. This SERS study on various ATP:ADP molar ratios demonstrates that ATP:ADP could be distinguished and the quantitative determination of ATP content was achieved. Moreover, a principle was speculated based on the molecular structures of ATP and ADP of the Raman peaks centered at ~685 and ~731 cm −1 to explain the linear relationship between the area ratio and the molar ratio. A new method has been developed for quantitative determination of ATP:ADP molar ratio based on Au/CW substrate by the SERS method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our study, we introduced a rapid, low-cost and nondestructive ‘surface spray’ method to achieve the quantitative detection of the pesticide residues on fruits skins. Taking advantage of the high enhancement ability of the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) of the optimized Ag nanoparticles colloid, the limit of detection (LOD) of paraquat (PQ) on the peels of pears and apples could reach the order of magnitude of 10 −9 M, much lower than the maximum residue limit of 0.05 mg/kg (∼10 −4 M) in a large number of countries including the USA and China. The quantitative detection of PQ was achieved as well. This opens a new avenue for advancing the applications of SERS technique in the fields of food safety, drug security, and environment monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]