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Objective To explore the obstacles in palliative care consultation services and put forward the suggestions for improving the services in grade A tertiary hospitals. Methods A semi-structured interview was conducted with 17 medical workers who had requested palliative care consultation services in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Results The palliative care consultation services were hindered by five obstacle factors including insufficient knowledge of patients and their families about palliative care,unsound understanding of medical workers about palliative care,poor implementation of consultation opinions,limited labor of palliative care team,and poor economic benefits from palliative care.In view of such obstacles,the following suggestions were put forward,which included increasing the acceptance of palliative care by patients and their families,enriching the knowledge of medical staff on palliative care,establishing a new cooperation model between consultation team and medical staff,strengthening the institutional guarantee for the development of palliative care,and establishing and perfecting the laws and policies related to palliative care. Conclusion Although there are many difficulties in the in-hospital palliative care consultation services in grade A tertiary hospitals,the demand and expectation of medical staff for palliative care are still increasing.

Background Duodenal obstruction is a common clinical scenario that can either be mechanical or a pseudo-obstruction. Clinical management of intestinal obstruction starts from localization and proceeds to histological examination of the stenotic intestine. Systemic factors and dysfunction of distant organs might contribute to the development of intestinal obstruction. Here, we report a unique case of idiopathic mechanical duodenal obstruction, which resolved spontaneously after 3 mo of conservative treatment, but was followed by intestinal pseudo-obstruction. Case summary An 84-year-old woman presented with worsened postprandial vomiting accompanied by prolonged pneumonia. Thorough noninvasive investigations revealed complete circumferential stenosis in the descending duodenum without known cause. Exploratory surgery was postponed due to septic shock and possible pulmonary fungal infection. Conservative treatment for 3 mo for ileus and control of pulmonary infection resolved the intestinal obstruction completely. Unfortunately, 2 wk later, she had regurgitation and postprandial vomiting again, complicated by deteriorating wheezing and dyspnea. Computed tomography revealed a dilated stomach and proximal duodenum without new intestinal stricture or pulmonary infiltration. The patient fully recovered after combined treatment with antireflux agents, enema, prokinetics, and bronchodilators. Conclusion This complicated case highlights the inter-relationship of local and systemic contributions to ileus and gut dysfunction, which requires multidisciplinary treatment.

Metabolic cardiomyopathy (MC) is characterized by intracellular lipid accumulation and utilizing fatty acids as a foremost energy source, thereby leading to excess oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. There is no effective therapy available yet. In this study we investigated whether defective mitophagy contributed to MC and whether urolithin A (UA), a naturally occurring microflora-derived metabolite, could protect against MC in experimental obese mice. Mice were fed high fat diet for 20 weeks to establish a diet-induced obese model. We showed that mitochondrial autophagy or mitophagy was significantly downregulated in the heart of experimental obese mice. UA (50 mg·kg

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of arterial wall, and circulating monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells is a crucial step in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Epithelial-stromal interaction 1 (EPSTI1) is a novel gene, which is dramatically induced by epithelial-stromal interaction in human breast cancer. EPSTI1 expression is not only restricted to the breast but also in other normal tissues. In this study we investigated the role of EPSTI1 in monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion and its expression pattern in atherosclerotic plaques. We showed that EPSTI1 was dramatically upregulated in human and mouse atherosclerotic plaques when compared with normal arteries. In addition, the expression of EPSTI1 in endothelial cells of human and mouse atherosclerotic plaques is significantly higher than that of the normal arteries. Furthermore, we demonstrated that EPSTI1 promoted human monocytic THP-1 cell adhesion to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) via upregulating VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 expression in HUVECs. Treatment with LPS (100, 500, 1000 ng/mL) induced EPSTI1 expression in HUVECs at both mRNA and protein levels in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Knockdown of EPSTI1 significantly inhibited LPS-induced monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion via downregulation of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1. Moreover, we revealed that LPS induced EPSTI1 expression through p65 nuclear translocation. Thus, we conclude that EPSTI1 promotes THP-1 cell adhesion to endothelial cells by upregulating VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 expression, implying its potential role in the development of atherosclerosis.

Background Arsenic (As3+) is a carcinogen with considerable environmental and occupational relevancy. Its mechanism of action and methods of prevention remain to be investigated. Previous studies have demonstrated that ROS is responsible for As3+-induced cell transformation, which is considered as the first stage of As3+ carcinogenesis. The NF-E2 p45-related factor-2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway regulates the cellular antioxidant response, and activation of Nrf2 has recently been shown to limit oxidative damage following exposure to As3+ Methods and results In this study, molecular docking was used to virtually screen natural antioxidant chemical databases and identify molecules that interact with the ligand-binding site of Keap1 (PDB code 4L7B). The cell-based assays and molecular docking findings revealed that curcumin has the best inhibitory activity against Keap1-4L7B. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) results indicated that curcumin is a potent Keap1 Kelch domain-dependent Nrf2 activator that stabilizes Nrf2 by hindering its ubiquitination. The increased activation of Nrf2 and its target antioxidant genes by curcumin could significantly decrease As3+-generated ROS. Moreover, curcumin induced autophagy in As3+-treated BEAS-2B via inducing autophagy by the formation of a p62/LC-3 complex and increasing autophagic flux by promoting transcription factor EB (TFEB) and lysosome-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1) expression. Knockdown of Nrf2 abolished curcumin-induced autophagy and downregulated ROS. Further studies showed that inhibition of autophagosome and lysosome fusion with bafilomycin a1 (BafA1) could block curcumin and prevented As3+-induced cell transformation. These results demonstrated that curcumin prevents As3+-induced cell transformation by inducing autophagy via the activation of the Nrf2 signaling pathway in BEAS-2B cells. However, overexpression of Keap-1 showed a constitutively high level of Nrf2 in As3+-transformed BEAS-2B cells (AsT) is Keap1-independent regulation. Overexpression of Nrf2 in AsT demonstrated that curcumin increased ROS levels and induced cell apoptosis via the downregulation of Nrf2. Further studies showed that curcumin decreased the Nrf2 level in AsT by activating GSK-3β to inhibit the activation of PI3K/AKT. Co-IP assay results showed that curcumin promoted the interaction of Nrf2 with the GSK-3β/β-TrCP axis and ubiquitin. Moreover, the inhibition of GSK-3β reversed Nrf2 expression in curcumin-treated AsT, indicating that the decrease in Nrf2 is due to activation of the GSK-3β/β-TrCP ubiquitination pathway. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo results showed that curcumin induced cell apoptosis, and had anti-angiogenesis and anti-tumorigenesis effects as a result of activating the GSK-3β/β-TrCP ubiquitination pathway and subsequent decrease in Nrf2. Conclusions Taken together, in the first stage, curcumin activated Nrf2, decreased ROS, and induced autophagy in normal cells to prevent As3+-induced cell transformation. In the second stage, curcumin promoted ROS and apoptosis and inhibited angiogenesis via inhibition of constitutive expression of Nrf2 in AsT to prevent tumorigenesis. Our results suggest that antioxidant natural compounds such as curcumin can be evaluated as potential candidates for complementary therapies in the treatment of As3+-induced carcinogenesis.

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as regulators of a number of developmental and tumorigenic processes. However, the functions of most lncRNAs in glioma remain unknown and the mechanisms governing the proliferation of tumor cells remain poorly defined. Methods: Both in vitro and in vivo assays were performed to investigate the roles of lncRNAs in the pathophysiology of gliomas. lncRNA arrays were used to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs. Subcutaneous tumor formation and a brain orthotopic tumor model in nude mice were used to investigate the functions of lncRNAs in vivo. The in vitro functions of lncRNAs were analyzed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, colony formation, and western blot analyses. RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunoprecipitation were used to explore the underlying mechanisms. Findings: Here, we describe the newly discovered noncoding RNA RP11-732M18.3, which is highly overexpressed in glioma cells and interacts with 14-3-3β/α to promote glioma growth, acting as an oncogene. Overexpression of lncRNA RP11-732 M18.3 was associated with the proliferation of glioma cells and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Remarkably, lncRNA RP11-732M18.3 promoted cell proliferation and G1/S cell cycle transition. lncRNA RP11-732M18.3 is predominately localized in the cytoplasm. Mechanistically, the interaction of lncRNA RP11-732M18.3 with 14-3-3β/α increases the degradation of the p21 protein. lncRNA RP11-732M18.3 promoted the recruitment of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 E1 to 14-3-3β/α and the binding of 14-3-3β/α with ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 E1 (UBE2E1) promoted the degradation of p21. Interpretation: Overall these data demonstrated that lncRNA RP11-732M18.3 regulates glioma growth through a newly described lncRNA-protein interaction mechanism. The inhibition of lncRNA RP11-732M18.3 could provide a novel therapeutic target for glioma treatment. Keywords: lncRNA RP11-732M18.3, 14-3-3β/α, p21, Tumorigenesis, Glioma

Despite improvements in cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes by cholesterol-lowering statin therapy, the high rate of CVD is still a great concern worldwide. Dehydrocorydaline (DHC) is an alkaloidal compound isolated from the traditional Chinese herb Corydalis yanhusuo. Emerging evidence shows that DHC has anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic benefits, but whether DHC exerts any antiatherosclerotic effects remains unclear. Our study revealed that intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of DHC in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE

Greater Shanghai, one of China’s top megacities, is susceptible to extreme heat events during the summer. This study investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics of land development intensity and its influence on summertime extreme surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect in Greater Shanghai, during 1990 and 2017. Driven by the robust economic development and population growth, the formation of Greater Shanghai has dramatically changed from a traditionally compact city to an explosively urbanizing region in 1990–2017. The results revealed an overall increase in regional LDI of Greater Shanghai in the loss of cropland and water bodies. Simultaneously, the intensified SUHI effect was measured by the increasing relative SUHI intensity (from 1.81℃ in 1990 to 3.16℃ in 2017) and magnitude (from 306.80 km2 in 1990 to 1570.56 km2 in 2017). The urban-rural gradient analysis based on centric buffers and the representative transects further revealed the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of LDI and its linkage with the evolutionary pattern of the SUHI effect. As indicated, the areal extent of downtown Shanghai within the 0–15 km buffer increased by 201.70 km2 in 1990–2017. However, its stably decreasing trends in LDI and associated SUHI effect were observed across the study period. In contrast, the urban periphery and exurban area, which attracted huge investment to develop the infrastructure required for population resettlement and the industrial restructure, experienced a dramatic increase in 1660.57km2 of newly developed land. Concurrently, the remarkably increases in LDI and associated SUHI effect the urban periphery and exurban area were notable. Finally, focusing on the overall alarming situation of the summertime SUHI effect in Greater Shanghai, policy implications, and practical suggestions towards sustainable land development and UHI mitigation were discussed.

White adipose tissue plays an important role in the development of metabolic disturbance, which is a common feature in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The effect of CKD on white adipose tissue remains poorly appreciated. Here, we evaluated the inflammatory potential of visceral white adipose tissue in a rat model of CKD. The results showed that production of proinflammatory cytokines and infiltration of macrophage in the tissue were increased significantly in CKD rats compared with sham rats. Moreover, the primary adipocytes and stromal vascular fraction under the condition of CKD could trigger the inflammatory response in each other. Free fatty acid induced robust inflammatory response in ex vivo peritoneal-derived macrophages from CKD rats, which was associated with reduced activity of silent information regulator T1 (SIRT1). Improvement of SIRT1 activity by an activator could alleviate free fatty acid-induced inflammatory response in the macrophages and inflammation in the white adipose tissue. Moreover, oxidative stress occurred in the tissue and linked with the reduced activity of SIRT1 in macrophages and enhanced release of free fatty acid in the tissue. We thus identified CKD as a risk factor for chronic inflammation in white adipose tissue. These observations might open up new therapeutic strategies for metabolic disturbance in CKD via the modulation of adipose tissue-related pathways.

In this study, 167 land parcels of downtown Shanghai, China, were used to investigate the relationship between parcel-level land use/land cover (LULC) components and associated summertime intra-surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect, and further analyze the potential of mitigating summertime intra-SUHI effect through the optimized LULC components, by integrating a thermal sharpening method combining the Landsat-8 thermal band 10 data and high-resolution Quickbird image, statistical analysis, and nonlinear programming with constraints. The results show the remarkable variations in intra-surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect, which was measured with the mean parcel-level blackbody sensible heat flux in kW per ha (Mean_pc_BBF). Through measuring the relative importance of each specific predictor in terms of their contributions to changing Mean_pc_BBF, the influence of parcel-level LULC components on excess surface flux of heat energy to the atmosphere was estimated using the partial least square regression (PLSR) model. Analysis of the present and optimized parcel-level LULC components and their contribution to the associated Mean_pc_BBF were comparable between land parcels with varying sizes. Furthermore, focusing on the gap between the present and ideally optimized area proportions of parcel-level LULC components towards minimizing the Mean_pc_BBF, the uncertainties arising from the datasets and methods, as well as the implications for sustainable land development and mitigating the UHI effect were discussed.

Diapause is a complex physiological adaptation phenotype, and the transcription factor Forkhead-box O (FoxO) is a prime candidate for activating many of its diverse regulatory signaling pathways. Hormone signaling regulates nymphal diapause in Laodelphax striatellus. Here, the function of the FoxO gene isolated from L. striatellus was investigated. After knocking-down LsFoxO in diapausal nymphs using RNA interference, the titers of juvenile hormone III and some cold-tolerance substances decreased significantly, and the duration of the nymphal developmental period was severely shorted to 25.5 days at 20°C under short day-length (10 L:14 D). To determine how LsFoxO affects nymphal diapause, analyses of RNA-sequencing transcriptome data after treatment with LsFoxO–RNA interference was performed. The differentially expressed genes affected carbohydrate, amino acid and fatty acid metabolism, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway. Thus, LsFoxO acts on L. striatellus nymphal diapause and is, therefore, a potential target gene for pest control. This study may lead to new information on the regulation of nymphal diapause in this important pest.

Co-immobilization of pectinase and glucoamylase onto sodium alginate/graphene oxide beads was achieved by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide as activating agent. The co-immobilized pectinase-glucoamylase (I-PG) prepared under optimal conditions (pH 4.0, 40°C and 35 min) possessed pectinase activity of 1,227.5 ± 36.5U/g and glucoamylase activity of 1,027.2 ± 29.2U/g, with activity recovery of 73.8% and 85.2%, respectively. Both pectinase and glucoamylase in I-PG possessed wider pH tolerance and superior thermal stability to those of their free counterparts. Reusability studies indicated that both enzymes in I-PG retained over 60% of initial activity after six times of reuse. Conditions for the hydrolysis of the pumpkin-hawthorn compound juice by I-PG were optimized using orthogonal experiments. After treatment with I-PG, light transmittance, soluble solids, and reducing sugar content in the resulting juice increased significantly, whereas soluble protein and pectin content decreased appreciably. Therefore, the use of I-PG provided an effective and feasible method for improving quality of the pumpkin-hawthorn juice. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: In order to overcome the drawbacks of using free pectinase and glucoamylase, an effective method for the co-immobilization of these two enzymes onto sodium alginate/graphene oxide beads was developed. The co-immobilized pectinase/glucoamylase developed in this study could be applied in the clarification of juice rich in pectin and starch.

In order to develop a new efficient method for the prolongation of shrimp shelf life, two novel hydroxypyridinone derivatives ((S)-2-amino-N-((S)-1-(((5-hydroxy-4-oxo-1,4-dihydropyridin-2-yl)methyl)amino)-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)-3-phenylpropanamide (2) and (S)-(5-hydroxy-4-oxo-1,4-dihydropyridin-2-yl)methyl 2-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-3- phenylpropanoate (3)) possessing strong tyrosinase inhibitory activity were investigated to explore their potential as shrimp preservatives. Their antimicrobial activities were evaluated by a disk diffusion method. Inhibition zone assays indicated that both 2 and 3 possess a stronger inhibitory effect than kojic acid. The minimum inhibition concentrations (MICs) of compound 3 against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcous aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were determined to be 32, 32, 32, 8, and 16 μg/mL. Both 2 and 3 were also found to possess antioxidant activity. The IC50 values of 2 and 3 for scavenging DPPH radical were measured to be 2.93 and 2.37 mg/mL, respectively. At 4 mg/mL, 2 and 3 were determined to have total antioxidant capacity of 2.43 and 2.72 U/mL, respectively. Compound 3 was further investigated for efficacy in shrimp preservation by sensory evaluation, determination of total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), pH, and total bacterial count. The treatment with 3 was found to extend the shelf life of Penaeus vannamei Boone to 10 days at 4 °C, while the shelf life of shrimp treated with 4-hexylresorcinol, kojic acid, and the control group was 9, 6, and 4 days, respectively. Compound 3 could find application in the food industry, as a shrimp preservative, due to its protective properties.

To investigate sexual satisfaction (SS) and the factors associated with decreased SS among individuals with hearing disability.We conducted an investigation on SS among 439 individuals (268 males and 171 females, aged ≥18 yr) with hearing disability using a general information questionnaire, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Social Support Rating Scale, and a self-report on SS. We identified the factors of decreased SS by multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis.Totally 76 (17.3%) of the hearing-disability individuals investigated were dissatisfied with their sexual life. SS reduction was significantly correlated with the status of being single (OR=1.72), grade-1 or -2 disability (OR=1.78), physical diseases (OR=2.46), depression (OR=6.61), or inadequate subjective social support (OR=3.28).SS of hearing-disability persons is relatively low, which can be improved by treating physical diseases, promoting mental health, and providing psycho-social support.目的: 了解听力残疾者的性满意度（SS）及SS下降的相关因素。 方法： 439例听力残疾者完成一般情况问卷、流调中心用抑郁量表、社会支持评定量表和SS自评。用有序因变量多元Logistic回归筛选SS下降的相关因素。 结果： 76例(17.3%)的听力残疾者不满意自己目前的性生活。SS下降与单身（包括未婚、离异、丧偶）（OR=1.72）、一级和二级残疾（OR=1.78）、患有躯体疾病（OR=2.46）、抑郁症状（OR=6.61）和主观社会支持不足（OR=3.28）显著相关。 结论： 听力残疾者SS低，治疗躯体疾病、改善心理健康和提供社会心理支持可能有助于改善听力残疾者的SS。.

In this paper, we did the analysis of the gyro random migration using Allan variance method, static output data using a three-axis gyroscope of the global first integrated six-axis motion processing components MPU6050. Experimental result shows that the fitting of bias instability and angle random walk smoother, it not only improves the estimation accuracy of random walk coefficient, but also the amount of data required is greatly reduced.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Quyu Qingre granules (QYQRGs) are useful traditional Chinese composite prescription in the treatment of blood stasis syndrome. Comparing differences of pharmacokinetic properties of compounds in QYQRG between normal and blood stasis syndrome rabbits can provide much helpful information. The primary objective of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics of rhein and chrysophanol after orally administering 2.0 g/kg b.w. QYQRG in normal and acute blood stasis model rabbits. Materials and methods The blood samples were collected subsequently at 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 120, 240, 360 and 480 min after orally administrating QYQRG. The concentrations of rhein and chrysophanol in rabbit plasma were determined by HPLC and main pharmacokinetic parameters were obtained. Results The pharmacokinetic parameters AUC0–∞, Tlag, Cmax and K21 of both rhein and chrysophanol were markedly different in the acute blood stasis model rabbits. It was also found that parameters A, β, MRT and T1/2β of rhein and the parameters α and T1/2α of chrysophanol all exhibited significant difference between the normal and acute blood stasis model rabbits. Conclusions The absorption time of rhein and chrysophanol was accelerated and the absorption amount of these two compounds was increased in rabbits with acute blood stasis, suggesting that rhein and chrysophanol would possibly be the two effective compounds in QYQRG.

Cu2ZnSnS4(CZTS) thin film was successfully prepared by pulsed laser deposition using CZTS nanocrystal as a source and the thin film solar cell with the novel structure of FTO/CdS/CZTS/Mo was assembled. At the laser incident energy of 6 J·cm-2, the chemical composition of the CZTS thin film was Cu1.74Zn0.80Sn1.00S4.04,near to stoichiometric ratio. The thin film solar cell with the novel structure of FTO/CdS/CZTS/Mo gave short circuit photocurrent density of 1.01 mA·cm-2, open circuit voltage of 0.39 V, and fill factor of 0.485, corresponding to the photoelectric conversion efficiency of 0.19% at the illumination (Air Mass 1.5, 100 mW·cm-2).

Danggui (Angelica sinensis Radix) in East Asia for its unique pleasant flavor is usually cooked before utilizing to enhance its tonic effect. To evaluate the quality and bioactivity changes, heat treatments were carried out at 250°C for 0–45 min. 5-Hydroxymaltol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, Z-ligustilide, and ferulic acid in aqueous extract of processed danggui (APD) were determined by HPLC while antihypertensive effects were studied after oral administration of APD (50 and 100 mg/kg) for 3 days in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Compared with aqueous extract of danggui (AD), contents of ferulic acid and Z-ligustilide in APD were significantly decreased but 5-hydroxymaltol and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural were increased. APD could lower blood pressures, plasma renin activities, and angiotensin II levels of SHR, but AD failed to do those. APD exhibited hypotensive effects by regulating renin-angiotensin system and may warrant further evaluation as a potential antihypertensive agent.

A major polysaccharide fraction (PMPP) was obtained by purifying the crude polysaccharides extracted from Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata . Preliminary structural characterization was conducted by physicochemical property and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Monosaccharide component analysis indicated that PMPP was composed of rhamnose, arabinose, xylose and glucose in a molar ratio of 1.64:1.00:1.34:6.06. Intraperitoneal administration of PMPP could increase levels of serum IL-2 and hematological parameters (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelet counts), enhance antioxidant profiles, and promote hematopoiesis of splenocytes though up-regulating expressions of EPOR and GATA-1 proteins in cyclophosphamide (Cy) induced anemic mice. These findings indicate that PMPP played an important role in the protection against myelosuppression and immunosuppression in Cy-treated mice and may warrant further evaluation as a potential immunomodulatory agent.

Multi-stage countercurrent extraction (MCE) as a novel extraction technique was used to extract antioxidants from Ginkgo biloba leaves. Orthogonal array design (OAD) was employed to optimize the ratio of 60% ethanol to raw material (8–16 mL/g), extraction time (30–60 min) and extraction temperature (60–80 °C) to obtain a high yield of antioxidants from G. biloba leaves by MCE. The optimum conditions were a ratio of 60% ethanol to raw material of 16 mL/g and extraction time of 30 min at 80 °C. Under these conditions, the yields of flavonoids and total phenolics were 1.74% and 2.42%, respectively, and DPPH radicals scavenging activity of the extract was 89.97%. Compared with heat-reflux extraction, MCE had obvious advantages of less extraction time and lower solvent and energy consumption. It may be used as a promising technique for the extraction of bioactive compounds from plant materials.

CO2Reforming of CH4 to syngas by Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalyst combined with cold plasma jet was investigated. The higher selectivity of H2 and CO, and higher energy efficiency were obtained compared with other kinds of plasmas. Under the experimental conditions of flow rate at CH4=200 NL/h, CO2=300 NL/h, N2=500 NL/h, the input power at 0.77 kW, for the operation of plasma only, the conversions of CH4 and CO2 were 45.68% and 34.03%, the selectivity of CO and H2 were 85.41% and 78.11%, the energy efficiency was 2.94 mmol/kJ, respectively. Keeping the same conditions, the catalysts of 12%Ni/γ-Al2O3 were put following the plasma discharge zone. Without accessorial calefaction to catalysts, the conversions of CH4 and CO2 were increased by 14.38% and 6.32%, the yield of H2 and CO increased by 18.76% and 11.38%, the energy efficiency reached at 3.67 mmol/kJ, respectively. It was strongly verified that the cooperation action of clod plasma jet with catalysts at reforming of CH4/CO2.

The leaves of Perilla frutescens are often used as a new source of additives for the food and pharmaceutical industries due to its unique bioactivities. This study was to evaluate the chemical composition and hyperlipidemic and antioxidant effects of total flavonoids of P. frutescens leaves (TFP) in the hyperlipidemia rats induced by a high-fat diet. By HPLC analysis, TFP mainly consisted of apigenin with a smaller amount of luteolin. At doses of 50–200 mg/kg, oral administration of TFP to hyperlipidemia rats was highly effective in decreasing the levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerols (TG), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), and adipose tissue lipid accumulation, increasing the levels of serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), adjusting metabolic disturbance of lipoprotein, increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and repressing development of atherosclerosis. It suggested that TFP had significant health benefits and could be explored as a potentially promising food additive for the prevention of hyperlipidemia diseases.

In this paper, we did the analysis of the gyro error using Allan variance method, static output data using a three-axis gyroscope of the global first integrated six-axis motion processing components MPU6050. Experimental result shows that it not only improves the estimation accuracy of gyro error, but also the amount of data required is greatly reduced.

Functionalized ionic liquid samples (bmim-PW12) were synthesized by 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bromide (bmimBr) and 12-phosphotungstic heteropolyacid (PW12). The samples were annealed at 100–450°C and were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, thermal gravity-DTG, brunauer emmett teller, and NH3-temperature programmed desorption. The results showed that the bmim-PW12 samples were crystal and maintained intact Keggin structure. The organic parts of those samples were partly decomposed at a temperature more than 350°C. The sample annealed at 400°C exhibited nano-porous structure, strong acidity, and excellent catalytic activity on the esterification of n-butanol with acetic acid. The higher ester yield was obtained when the mass ratio of catalyst over the reactants amount was 5% for bmim-PW12 catalyst annealed at 400°C.

The effects of the removal of the shoot apex of tobacco on the relative transcript levels of potassium channel genes, determined by real-time PCR, and on the relationship between the expression of genes encoding potassium channels and potassium concentration, were studied. The results from the study indicated that comparatively more assimilates of photosynthesis were allocated to the apex in control plants than in both decapitated and IAA-treated decapitated plants. By contrast, dry matter in the upper leaves, roots, and stems in both decapitated and IAA-treated plants was significantly increased relative to control plants. The potassium level in whole plants decreased post-decapitation compared with control plants, and so did the potassium concentration in middle and upper leaves, stem, and roots. Expression of NKT1, NtKC1, NTORK1, and NKT2 was inhibited by decapitation in tobacco leaves with a gradual reduction after decapitation, but was induced in roots. The relative expression of NKT1, NTORK1, and NKT2 in tobacco leaves was higher than that in roots, whereas the expression of NtKC1 was higher in roots. The levels of inhibition and induction of NKT1, NtKC1, NTORK1, and NKT2 in leaves and roots, respectively, associated with decapitation were reduced by the application of IAA on the cut surface of the decapitated stem. Further results showed that the level of endogenous auxin IAA in decapitated plants, which dropped in leaves and increased in roots by 140.7% at 14 d compared with the control plant, might be attributed to the change in the expression of potassium channel genes. The results suggest that there is a reciprocal relationship among endogenous auxin IAA, expression of potassium channel genes and potassium accumulation. They further imply that the endogenous IAA probably plays a role in regulating the expression of potassium channel genes, and that variations in expression of these genes affected the accumulation and distribution of potassium in tobacco.

Disaster weather forecasting is becoming increasingly important. In this paper, the trajectories of Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) were automatically tracked over the Chinese Tibetan Plateau using Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) brightness temperature (Tbb) from June to August 1998, and the MCSs are classified according to their movement direction. Based on these, spatial data mining methods are used to study the relationships between MCSs trajectories and their environmental physical field values. Results indicate that at 400hPa level, the trajectories of MCSs moving across the 105°E boundary are less influenced by water vapor flux divergence, vertical wind velocity, relative humidity and K index. In addition, if the gravity central longitude locations of MCSs are between 104°E and 105°E, then geopotential height and wind divergence are two main factors in movement causation. On the other hand, at 500hPa level, the trajectories of MCSs in a north-east direction are mainly influenced by K index and water vapor flux divergence when their central locations are less than 104°E. However, the MCSs moving in an east and south-east direction are influenced by a few correlation factors at this level.

In this paper, CdTe thin films were deposited on soda-lime glass substrates using CdTe powder as a source by close-spaced sublimation at higher source temperature of 700°C. The influence of the deposition time and the source-substrate distance on the chemical composition, crystal phase, surface morphology and optical band gap of CdTe thin films was systemically investigated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and the ultraviolet-visible-near infrared absorption spectra, respectively. At the deposition time of 60 min and the source-substrate distance of 5 mm, the CdTe thin films had pyramid appearance with the grain size of 15 μm.

This paper presents an unsupervised segmentation method of natural images that uses Statistical Geometrical Features as texture descriptors and a hierarchical segmentation algorithm. We propose an extraction of texture features to obtain good boundary features and uniform texture features by incorporating an anisotropic diffusion preprocess. The proposed unsupervised hierarchical segmentation algorithm is performed in four stages: hierarchical splitting, local agglomerative merging, global agglomerative merging and pixelwise classification. We make some experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique for segmentation of different natural images.

This study aim to reveal the total pharmacokinetics of rhein and chrysophanol after oral administration of Quyu Qingre granules (QUQRG) in normal and acute blood stasis rabbits, to identify the pharmacokinetics differences between two groups of rabbits and to evaluate the applicability of the total statistical moment analysis. Based on the concentrations of rhein and chrysophanol in plasma determined by an established HPLC method, and the calculation of main total pharmacokinetic parameters, this study found that total pharmacokinetic parameters VRT, value of blood stasis group is lager than that of normal group and the difference is significant Compared with normal group, total pharmacokinetic parameters AUC,, MRT,, t1/2t, and Vt value of blood stasis group is lager, while the k, and CL, value is smaller. The findings indicated that the absorbed and released time of rhein and chrysophanol was accelerated and the total absorptive amount of these two compounds was increased in rabbits with acute blood stasis, compared with the normal rabbits. Total quantity statistical moment analysis can combine the pharmacokinetics of rhein and chrysophanol and express the pharmacokinetic behavior of these two compounds in QUQRG. The parameters in this paper can provide reference frames for the follow-up development of QUQRG.

Two major fractions (RLP-1 and RLP-2) were obtained by purifying the crude polysaccharides extracted from a traditional Chinese herb Rosae Laevigatae Fructus. The average molecular weight of RLP-1 and RLP-2 was 21.5 kDa and 16.1 kDa, respectively. Monosaccharide analysis indicated that RLP-1 was composed of xylose, mannose and galactose in the molar ratio of 1:11:8, while RLP-2 was only a glucan. Oral administration of RLP-1 could significantly decrease levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), inhibit hepatic lipid accumulation, increase antioxidant lipids and up-regulate expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in hyperlipidemia rats. These results suggest that RLP-1 improve hyperlipidemia possibly through regulating PPAR-mediated lipid metabolism. Therefore, could be explored as a possible agent for hyperlipidemia.

Jiangpo is an increasingly popular East Asian spice which is made from Mangnolia officinalis bark and ginger juice. Since it induces bioactive compounds decomposition and has influence on final flavor and fragrance, cooking is regarded as the key operation in preparation of Jiangpo. To evaluate the bioactive compounds content changes of Jiangpo during thermal processing, kinetic parameters including reaction order, rate constant, T1/2 and activation energy of bioactive markers namely honokiol, magnolol and curcumin were determined. Cooking was set at temperatures 60, 90 and 120 °C for selected time intervals. Results displayed the thermal kinetic characteristics of the three compounds. Thermal degradation of Honokiol and magnolol both followed first order kinetic model and the loss of curcumin fitted second order. A mathematical model based on the obtained kinetic parameters has also been developed to predict the degradation of honokiol, magnolol and curcumin in non-isothermal state. All the information in this paper could contribute necessary information for optimizing the existing heat processing of Jiangpo.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Mosla dianthera as an aromatic herb is used in folk medicine for the treatment of cough, colds, fever, bronchitis, nasal congestion and headache. Aim of the study To characterize chemical compositions and to evaluate the anti-influenza effects of essential oils of M. dianthera (MDEO) in influenza virus A (IVA) infected mice. Materials and methods MDEO was obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). ICR mice were treated with MDEO for 5 consecutive days at doses of 90–360 mg/kg after post-infected. Levels of Serum IL-4 and IFN-γ were assayed by ELISA. Levels of MOD, SOD, TAOC and GSH-Px in lung tissue were determined by colorimetric method. Results GC–MS analysis revealed the presence of 29 components that account for 97.74% of phenolic sesquiterpenes and aromatic compounds. The major compounds were elemicin (16.51%), thymol (14.77%), β-caryophyllene (14.49%), iso-elemicin (9.22%), asarone (6.09%) and α-caryophyllene (5.26%). It had significant effects on decreasing lung viral titers, inhibiting pneumonia, reducing levels of serum IFN-γ and IL-4, and enhancing antioxidant activity in the lung tissue of IVA infected mice. Conclusions MPE could exhibit therapeutical effects in IVA infected mice as a suppressor of IVA replication and inflammatory mediators and a promoter of antioxidant potentials. Therefore, MDEO could provide a safe and effective therapeutic candidate for treatment of influenza and its subsequent viral pneumonia.

By using PCR-RFLP, this paper studied the 16S rDNA gene diversity and phylogenesis of soil bacteria in primeval forest and degraded ecosystem in Karst region of Northwest Guangxi. More genotypes and higher diversity index were observed in the soil of primeval forest than in that of degraded ecosystem, and only two common genotypes were observed in the two soils. A clone from each genotype was randomly selected as representative for sequencing. The obtained 16S rDNA gene sequences had a similarity of 87%-100% with those in the GenBank (www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov), and more than half of them had a similarity lower than 97%, being of new species. Based on phylogenetic analysis, the bacteria in the two soils were classified into 10 groups, with 5 groups in common. The dominant bacterial groups in the two soils differed obviously. In primeval forest soil, the dominant group was Proteobacteria, which had 39 genotypes, occupying 58.0% of all the clones; while in the soil of degraded ecosystem, the dominant groups were Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria, which had 19 and 15 genotypes, occupying 32.5% and 30.5% of all the clones, respectively. In the soil of degraded ecosystem, Proteobacteria group decreased while Acidobacteria group increased markedly, compared with those in primeval forest soil. Soil physical and chemical properties and environmental factors should be responsible for the difference of soil bacterial community between the two soils.