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[Display omitted] • A facile strategy was developed to promote heat dissipation and noise reduction. • Heat-conducting elastic fiber sponges with boron nitride were first constructed. • Sponges exhibit good heat dissipation with thermal conductivity of 0.159 W m−1 K−1. • Elastic PU and crosslinking endow sponges with robust elastic and tensile properties. • Sponges can reduce noise by 28.3 dB with a high noise reduction coefficient of 0.64. Industrial and traffic noise has become increasingly serious with the progress of industrialization. Most existing noise-absorbing materials suffer from poor heat dissipation and insufficient low-frequency (<1000 Hz) noise absorption, which not only reduces working efficiency but also leads to safety risks. Herein, heat-conducting elastic ultrafine fiber sponges with boron nitride (BN) networks were prepared by integrating direct electrospinning and impregnation method. The large acoustic contact area of ultrafine fibers and the vibration effect of BN nanosheets in a three-dimensional direction endow fiber sponges with good noise reduction, which can reduce white noise by 28.3 dB with a high noise reduction coefficient of 0.64. Moreover, thanks to good heat-conducting networks composed of BN nanosheets and porous structures, the obtained sponges exhibit superior heat dissipation with thermal conductivity of 0.159 W m−1 K−1. Besides, the introduction of elastic polyurethane and following crosslinking endow the sponges with good mechanical properties, which have almost no plastic deformation after 1000 compressions, and the tensile strength and strain are as high as 0.28 MPa and 75%. The successful synthesis of heat-conducting elastic ultrafine fiber sponges overcomes poor heat dissipation and low-frequency noise reduction of noise absorbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hunan black tea is well-known for its floral-honey aroma, but the volatile components responsible for the fragrance have not been elucidated yet. In this study, the volatile compounds in Hunan black tea were identified and quantified by the headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). The results showed that 88 compounds were extracted and determined in Hunan black tea, including the dominant components Geraniol, phenethyl alcohol, phenylacetaldehyde, linalool, nonanal and other 5 aromatic compounds. Furthermore, the aroma-active compounds were identified by odor activity value (OAV). It was found that 24 aroma compounds, including geraniol with an OAV≥1 were regarded as the primary active aromatic compounds in Hunan black tea. Finally, partial least squares (PLS) regression analysis was employed and results revealed that Nonanal, trans -nerolidol, benzyl alcohol, and phenylethanol exhibit a positive correlation with the intensity of floral and sweet honey aromas. Overall, this study identified the volatile compounds responsible for the dominant floral-honey aroma in Hunan black tea. • Evaluation, screening, and ranking the floral-honey aroma in Hunan black teas by sensory analysis. • 88 compounds were extracted and determined in Hunan black tea. • Hunan black tea aroma dominated by 10 aromatic compounds. • 24 aroma substances were considered to be the primary active aromatic compounds. • Internal standards coupled with external standards were used to accurately quantify the content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancient Chinese objects dating from the Warring States period (475-221BC) to the Han dynasty (206BC-220AD), including faience beads, wall paintings, polychrome decoration on pottery, stone and bronze objects, were studied using Raman microscopy and polarized light microscopy (PLM). Chinese Blue (BaCuSi 4 O 10 ) and Chinese Purple (BaCuSi 2 O 6 ) were identified, and additionally dark blue particles of a new pigment BaCu 2 Si 2 O 7 were also detected in purple decoration. Based on PLM observation, Chinese Blue, Chinese Purple and BaCu 2 Si 2 O 7 frequently coexist in single polychrome samples and cannot be individually identified using other analytical methods because of the minute amount that these chemicals present: sometimes comprising just one or two particles. The use of Raman spectroscopy can identify such small presences. This paper illustrates the man-made barium copper silicate pigments along the Qin historical development and shows the advantage of PLM combined with Raman spectroscopy to analyses pigments giving us an overall picture of the dates and the places where barium copper silicate pigments were used in ancient China. Their origin, decline and manufacturing techniques are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) causes chronic intermittent hypoxia (IH) to induce cardiovascular disease, which may be related to oxidative damage. Metallothionein (MT) has been extensively proved to be an endogenous and highly inducible antioxidant protein expressed in the heart. Therefore, we tested the hypotheses that oxidative stress plays a critical role in OSA induced cardiac damage and MT protects the heart from OSA-induced cardiomyopathy. To mimic hypoxia/reoxygenation events that occur in adult OSA patients, mice were exposed to IH for 3days to 8weeks. The IH paradigm consisted of alternating cycles of 20.9% O2/8% O2 FIO2 (30 episodes per hour) with 20s at the nadir FIO2 for 12h a day during daylight. IH significantly increased the ratio of heart weight to tibia length at 4weeks with a decrease in cardiac function from 4 to 8weeks. Cardiac oxidative damage and fibrosis were observed after 4 and 8weeks of IH exposures. Endogenous MT expression was up-regulated in response to 3-day IH, but significantly decreased at 4 and 8weeks of IH. In support of MT as a major compensatory component, mice with cardiac overexpression of MT gene and mice with global MT gene deletion were completely resistant, and highly sensitive, respectively, to chronic IH induced cardiac effects. These findings suggest that chronic IH induces cardiomyopathy characterized by oxidative stress-mediated cardiac damage and the antioxidant MT protects the heart from such pathological and functional changes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Four new luminescent complexes, namely, [Eu(aba)2(NO3)(C2H5OH)2] (1), [Eu(aba)3(H2O)2]·0.5 (4, 4′-bpy)·2H2O (2), [Eu2(aba)4(2, 2′-bpy)2(NO3)2]·4H2O (3) and [Tb2(aba)4(phen)2(NO3)2]·2C2H5OH (4) were obtained by treating Ln(NO3)3·6H2O and 4-acetamidobenzoic acid (Haba) with different coligands (4, 4′-bpy=4, 4′–bipyridine, 2, 2′-bpy=2, 2′-bipyridine, and phen=1, 10-phenanthroline). They exhibit 1D chains (1–2) and dimeric structures (3–4), respectively. This structural variation is mainly attributed to the change of coligands and various coordination modes of aba molecules. Moreover, the coordination units are further connected via hydrogen bonds to form 2D even 3D supramolecular networks. These complexes show characteristic emissions in the visible region at room temperature. In addition, thermal behaviors of four complexes have been investigated under air atmosphere. The relationship between the structures and physical properties has been discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Determine the VLE data of the unknown system; molecular dynamics analysis. • In our preliminary experiments, we found that ethyl acetate and triethylamine had the lowest azeotrope and it was difficult to obtain high-purity ethyl acetate from the reactive system. • When the liquid molar fraction of diethylamine is greater than 0.4687, the azeotrope of the ethyl acetate + triethylamine system can be eliminated. • The molecular dynamics method was used to analyze the reason why the azeotropic point disappeared. The results showed that the van der Waals effect and electrostatic effect around ethyl acetate after the addition of diethylamine were the main reasons for the disappearance of the azeotropic point of the ethyl acetate + triethylamine system. Diethylamine, ethyl acetate and triethylamine are usually applied to synthesize an important flame retardant of vinylphosphorus, which has high ability to retard flames, low toxic content, and good washing durability. The isobaric VLE data of (diethylamine + triethylamine, diethylamine + ethyl acetate) and (ethyl acetate + trimethylamine) system were determined at 101.3 kPa for industrial separation. A minimum azeotrope was discovered at x = 0.8217 in the (ethyl acetate + trimethylamine) system. Therefore, a series of experiments were designed to investigate the effect of diethylamine on the (ethyl acetate + trimethylamine) system and the results indicated that the azeotrope can be eliminated when the liquid mole fraction of diethylamine is greater than 0.4687. Furthermore, molecular dynamics analysis through GROMACS software and Multiwfn software was also used to study the interaction of these three materials in this work. The results show that the weak interaction force around ethyl acetate decreases after adding diethylamine, which means that the van der Waals effect and the electrostatic effect of ethyl acetate become smaller. This may be the main reason why the azeotropic point of the (ethyl acetate + trimethylamine) system disappears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Noise has been regarded as an environmental pollutant that greatly affects people's physical and psychiatric health. Fibrous sound absorption materials are widely used to release the annoyance that brought by noise pollution, however, the fibrous materials are limited by poor sound absorption ability in low-frequency, heavyweight, and excessive thickness. Herein, composite nanofiber aerogels are designed with a hierarchical maze-like microstructure, which is fabricated by interweaving the cellulose nanocrystal lamellas with polyacrylonitrile electrospun nanofiber networks through the freeze-casting technique. The designed maze-like structure shows obvious enhancement in the low-frequency sound absorption band compared to the fiber aerogels made by the network structure. Moreover, through carefully regulating the maze structure, composite nanofiber aerogels with excellent sound absorption performance (with an NRC of 0.58) and lightweight property (11.05 mg cm−3) can be fabricated. In addition to the superior sound absorption ability, the hierarchical nature of the maze-like structure also guarantees the nanofiber aerogels with robust mechanical properties, which can be tailored to various shaped objects on a large scale. These favorable characters present that the composite nanofiber aerogels potential choice for sound absorption in the fields of vehicles, buildings, and indoor reverberation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofiber-structured hydrogels with robust mechanical properties are promising candidates for the development of multifunctional materials in advanced fields. However, creating such materials that combine the virtues of high elongation, robust strength, and good elasticity remains an enormous challenge. Here, we demonstrate a nature-inspired methodology to fabricate dermis-mimicking network structured electrospun nanofibrous hydrogels with robust mechanical properties by combining the advantages of sustainable plant-based zein and elastic waterborne polyurethane (WPU). The reversible hydrogen bonding and strong covalent bonding between zein and WPU molecules are constructed in the double-network (DN) structured nanofibrous hydrogels (NFHs) with tunable stretchability and strength. The resulting NFHs exhibit the integrated characteristics of a stretch of 683%, a fracture strength of 6.5 MPa, a toughness of 20.7 MJ m−3, and complete recovery from large deformation. This nature-inspired structural design strategy may pave the way for designing mechanically robust nanofibrous hydrogels in structurally adaptive and scalable form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequent outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) make personal protective filter media in high demand. Electrospun nanofibrous materials are proved to be very effective in resisting virus-containing fine particles owing to their small fiber diameters; however, hindered by the intrinsic close-packing character of fine fibers, electrospun filters suffer from a relatively high air resistance, thereby poor breathing comfort. Here, we report a biomimetic and one-step strategy to create ultrafine and curly wool-like nanofibers, named nano-wool, which exhibit fluffy assembly architecture and powerful electret effect. By achieving the online self-crimp and in-situ charging of nanofibers, the curly electret nano-wool shows a small diameter of ~0.6 μm (two orders of magnitude lower than natural wool: ~20 μm) and an ultrahigh porosity of 98.7% simultaneously, together with an ultrahigh surface potential of 13260 V (one order of magnitude higher than previous filters). The structural advantages and powerful electret effect enable nano-wool to show excellent filtration efficacy (>99.995% for PM 0.3) and low air resistance (55 Pa). Additionally, nano-wool can be easily scaled up, not only holding great industrial prospect in personal protective respirators, but also paving the way for developing next-generation wool in a cost-efficient and multifunctional form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploiting high-added-value textiles equipped with multiple functionalities like ultraviolet (UV) resistance, waterproofness, and thermal-moisture comfort is facing tremendous demand by a more discerning consumer market. However, the major challenge is to realize the equilibrium among the multifunction. Herein, a new attempt of fabricating superhydrophobic electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/polyurethane (PU)/titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanofibrous membranes has been tried, and the membranes exhibited multifunction of UV resistance, waterproofness and breathability by coating modification with 2-hydroxy-4- n -octoxybenzophenone (UV531) and fluorinated acrylic copolymer (FAC). TiO 2 NPs as inorganic blocker and UV531 as organic absorber were utilized to impart the excellent double UV resistant function for the modified nanofibrous membranes. The hydrophobic coating with FAC endowed the pristine membranes with enhanced superhydrophobic wettability and the advancing contact angle was 152.1°. Regulating the addition amount of TiO 2 NPs, the UV531 and FAC concentration, the multiple functionalities of the modified PAN/PU/TiO 2 were systemically optimized: robust tensile strength (14.6 MPa), good ultraviolet protection factor of 1485, modest waterproofness (62 kPa), and moisture breathability (12.9 kg m −2 d −1 ). The equilibrium among the multifunction of the as-prepared membranes indicated their diverse possibilities can be used in various applications, including high-altitude garments, protective clothing, covering materials, self-cleaning materials, and other medical products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible CNNMs with freestanding Cu(OH) 2 nanosheets were designed by in-suit coprecipitation and heat-induced growth. The nanosheets were rooted tightly on the PVB nanofibers. The as-prepared membranes exhibited superior bactericidal efficiency and ultrahigh flux, which can be used to disinfect bacteria-containing water effectively. [Display omitted] Copper hydroxide (Cu(OH) 2) has been elected as a newly-emerging green disinfectant to deal with membrane biofouling in the treatment of bacteria-contaminated water; however, the decoration strategy of it with the granular form on membrane substrates limits the practical application. Here a novel surface-confined methodology was proposed for preparing freestanding Cu(OH) 2 nanosheet-assembled nanofibrous membranes (CNNMs) with the anti-biofouling property via the in-suit coprecipitation and heat-induced growth method. The vertically aligned Cu(OH) 2 nanosheets were in-suit rooted on the surface of the nanofiber scaffold with high binding fastness. The acquired CNNMs possess comprehensive performances of high porosity, prominent mechanical strength, fatigue resistance, and superior bactericidal efficiency of 99.999%, which endowed the CNNMs ultrahigh filtration fluxes (24000 L m−2 h−1) and durability to disinfect bacteria-containing water effectively. This facile strategy may throw light on manufacturing novel inorganic nanosheet-rooted nanofibrous membranes for water disinfection and public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Isobaric (vapor+liquid) equilibrium (VLE) data for the binary system (methanol+dimethyl carbonate) and the ternary system (methanol+dimethyl carbonate+tetramethylammonium bicarbonate) have been measured at p =(34.43, 67.74)kPa using a modified Rose–Williams still. The experimental data for the binary system were well correlated by Wilson, NRTL, and UNIQUAC activity-coefficient models at the two reduced pressures. All the experimental results of the binary system passed the thermodynamic consistency test by the area test of Redlich–Kister and the point test of Van Ness et al. The experimental results of ternary system show that the salt tetramethylammonium bicarbonate has a salting-in effect on methanol. And this effect enhances when the salt concentration increases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] Ultrafine fibrous porous materials obtained by electrospinning technology have broad application prospects in the field of noise reduction. However, the two-dimensional fibrous membranes faced low thickness and dense structure, resulting in a single internal structure and narrow sound absorption band. Here, we report a simple and robust strategy to prepare gradient structured fiber sponges with superelasticity and stretchability by combining humidity-assisted multi-step electrospinning and a unique physical/chemical dual cross-linking method. The prepared gradient structured fibrous sponge has a maximum tensile strength of 169 kPa and can lift a weight 10,000 times its weight without breaking. Besides, the material can still maintain a stable structure after 500 compression cycles at 60% strain. Meantime, the material has lightweight properties (density of 13.8 mg cm−3) and hydrophobicity (water contact angle of 152°). More importantly, the gradient change of porosity and pore diameter in the Z direction endowed the fibrous sponge material with high-efficiency absorption of broadband sound waves (with a noise reduction coefficient up to 0.53). The design of this gradient structured fiber sponge opens a new way for the development of ideal sound-absorbing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A portable electrospinning device was designed and fibrous membranes could be fabricated directly onto human skin by in-situ electrospinning. The resultant fibrous membranes exhibited excellent waterproof and breathable performances contributing to the comfort of skin in practical usage. [Display omitted] Skin-like flexible membrane with excellent water resistance and moisture permeability is an urgent need in the wound dressing field to provide comfort and protection for the wound site. Despite efforts that have been made in the development of waterproof and breathable (W&B) membranes, the in-situ electrospinning of W&B membranes suitable for irregular wound surfaces as wound dressings still faces huge challenges. In the current work, a portable electrospinning device with multi-functions, including adjustable perfusion speed for a large range from 0.05 mL/h to 10 mL/h and high voltage up to 11 kV, was designed. The thymol-loaded ethanol-soluble polyurethane (EPU) skin-like W&B nanofibrous membranes with antibacterial activity were fabricated via the custom-designed device. Ultimately, the resultant nanofibrous membranes composed of EPU, fluorinated polyurethane (FPU), and thymol presented uniform structure, robust waterproofness with the hydrostatic pressure of 17.6 cm H 2 O, excellent breathability of 3.56 kg m−2 d−1, the high tensile stress of 1.83 MPa and tensile strain of 453%, as well as high antibacterial activity. These results demonstrate that the new-type device has potential as a portable electrospinning apparatus for the fabrication of antibacterial membranes directly on the wound surface and puts a new way for the development of portable electrospinning devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract A novel strategy to prepare CuFe 2 O 4 nanostructures functionalized SiO 2 nanofibrous membranes with outstanding softness, favorable magnetic susceptibility, and high catalytic activity for the degradation of organic pollutant. Abstract Fenton or Fenton-like technique, as one of the advanced oxidation processes, plays a significant role in the removal of non-easily degradable organic pollutants; however, most of such catalysts are fragile with poor structural integrity under large deformation, thereby restricting their wide applications. Herein, soft copper ferrite nanostructures functionalized silica nanofibrous membranes (CuFe 2 O 4 @SNM) were fabricated through a novel strategy with the combination of in-situ dopamine polymerization, ion adsorption, and cohesive precipitation method. Benefiting from the high metallic ion adsorption capacity of polydopamine together with the rapid co-precipitation of adsorbed ions on fiber surface in alkaline solution, the membranes possessed homogenously distributed nanostructured CuFe 2 O 4 , large specific surface area, and high pore volume, which are a benefit for the improvement of Fenton-like catalytic activity towards organic pollutants decomposition. The resultant soft CuFe 2 O 4 @SNM provided favorable catalytic performance towards organic pollutants with a relatively high degradation degree of 96% in 20 min, a fast removal rate of 0.148 min−1, and outstanding recyclability. The successful preparation of such fascinating ceramic nanofibrous membranes would provide a reference for further exploitation of new type Fenton or Fenton-like catalysts with outstanding softness towards wastewater purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current software/algorithms for high-throughput sequence data analysis are not user-friendly. We developed MATHT, the Multifaceted Analysis Tool for Human Transcriptome, which is a free web server available at www.biocloudservice.com , to provide more comprehensive and reliable analysis of transcriptome data. The web server provides modules for data preprocessing, differential expression analysis, dataset integration, functional analysis, and network analysis. The sequence and structure analysis module is specially designed for RNA-seq data. MATHT is a user-friendly web server that provides comprehensive analysis of transcriptome data, especially integration analysis using special standardization across different platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction ion-exchange membranes with superb biomolecules adsorption and purification performance plays a greatly important role in the fields of biotechnological and biopharmaceutical industry, yet still remains an extremely challenging. Herein, we in situ synthesized the cis-butenedioic anhydride grafted poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel nanofibrous membranes (CBA- g -PVA HNFM) by combining electrospinning technique with the grafting-copolymerization crosslinking. Taking advantages of the large specific surface area which could provide numerous sites available for functional groups and biomolecules binding, highly tortuous and interconnected porous channel for biomolecules transfer, and enhanced mechanical strength, the resultant CBA- g -PVA HNFM exhibited relatively high binding amount of 170 mg g −1 , rapid equilibrium time of 8 h towards the biomolecule template of lysozyme, and the performance could be tailored by regulating the buffer properties and protein concentrations. Additionally, the resultant functional HNFM also possessed superior acid resistance property, excellent reversibility and regeneration performance. More importantly, the obtained CBA- g -PVA HNFM could directly extract lysozyme from fresh chicken eggs with capacity of 125 mg g −1 , exhibiting excellent practical application properties. The fabrication of proposed CBA- g -PVA HNFM offers a feasible alternative for construction of ion-exchange chromatograph column for bio-separation and purification engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ionic liquid-based microwave-assisted extraction (ILMAE) method was developed to extract 6-, 8-, 10-gingerols and 6-, 8-, and 10-shogaols from ginger ( Zingiber officinale Roscoe). A series of water-miscible ionic liquids (ILs) with different kinds of anions and cations were investigated. Results indicated that among the investigated ILs, the carbon chains of alkyl cations remarkably affected the extraction efficiency of the six compounds and 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([C 10 MIM]Br) was the optimal IL. The selected conditions for ILMAE were as follows: [C 10 MIM]Br concentration, 0.80 M; extraction temperature, 75 °C; irradiation time, 30 min; and irradiation power, 400 W, in the case of solid–liquid ratio of 0.1:10 g/mL. This study showed that compared with the total extraction yield of 0.595 ± 0.031% by methanol marinated extraction and 0.673 ± 0.043% by methanol-based microwave-assisted extraction, ILMAE attained higher yield of 0.716 ± 0.051%; and ILMAE obtained a shorter time of 30 min for extraction of gingerols and shogaols from ginger. This study provides a basis for separating and purifying bioactive components from ginger. Moreover, the use of small amounts of [C 10 MIM]Br as extraction solution in the method was considered environmentally friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) constitute a novel class of non-coding RNAs that take part in occurrence and development of diabetes complication via regulating gene expression. However, litter is known about lncRNAs in the setting of diabetes induced nephropathy. The aim of this study was to examine whether lncRNA-myocardial infarction-associated transcript (MIAT) is involved in diabetes induced renal tubules injury. Methods Adult Wister rats were randomly assigned to receive intraperitoneal STZ (65 mg/kg) to induce diabetes. Rats treated with equal volume of citrate buffer were as control. Renal function was evaluated by analysis of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) every four weeks after STZ administration. Also tubules of all rats were collected for determination of MIAT and Nrf2 level at the corresponding phase. The in vitro high glucose-triggered human renal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2) was used to explore the mechanism underling MIAT regulated high glucose-induced tubular damage. Results In diabetic rats, MIAT showed the lower level and its expression is negatively correlated with serum creatinine and BUN. Consistent with diabetic rat, exposed to high glucose, HK-2 cells expressed lower level of MIAT and Nrf2, and also showed reduction in cell viability. By pcDNA-MIAT plasmid transfection, we observed that MIAT overexpression reversed inhibitory action of Nrf2 expression by high glucose. Moreover, the data of RNA pull-down and RIP showed that MIAT controlled Nrf2 cellular through enhancing Nrf2 stability, which was confirmed by CHX and MG132 administration. Inhibitory effect of cell viability by silencing MIAT was also reversed by Nrf2 overexpression. Conclusion In summary, our data suggested that MIAT/Nrf2 served as an important signaling pathway for high glucose induced renal tubular epithelial injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Six new derivatives (2 – 7) of Sarcodonin A (1) were semi-synthesized. • 6 showed higher anti-neuroinflammatory effects in LPS-activated primary microglia. • 6 showed higher anti-neuroinflammatory effects in LPS-induced microglial cell lines. • 6 reversed LPS-induced microglia M1 polarization through MAPK/NF-κB pathway. Emerging evidence suggests the regulation of microglial phenotype balance between M1 and M2 will be a potential therapeutic strategy for microglia-mediated neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Herein, we evaluated the anti-neuroinflammatory effects and the underlying mechanism of a natural cyathane diterpenoid sarcodonin A (1) derived from the mushroom Sarcodon scabrosus and its six new derivatives (2–7). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated primary microglia and microglia cell lines were used as models. The nitrite test and immunostaining showed that the derivative named 6 was more effective in inhibiting neuroinflammation. qRT-PCR, ELISA, and western blotting revealed that 6 showed more significant suppression on mRNA and protein expression of proinflammatory M1 markers of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, iNOS, and COX-2, while more obvious potentiation on mRNA and protein levels of anti-inflammatory M2 markers of IL-10 and ARG-1. In mechanism, western blotting demonstrated that 6 inhibited LPS-induced activation of MAPK, and prevented LPS-stimulated nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. Molecular docking revealed that 1 and 6 constructed interactions with iNOS. Collectively, the present study indicated that 1 and 6 might support neuroprotection by reversing LPS-induced microglia M1 polarization, implying that sarcodonin A can be a promising candidate for developing new therapeutics against AD by targeting microglia-mediated neuroinflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structure-from-motion and multiview-stereo together offer a computer vision technique for reconstructing detailed 3D models from overlapping images of anything from large landscapes to microscopic features. Because such models can be generated from ordinary photographs taken with standard cameras in ordinary lighting conditions, these techniques are revolutionising digital recording and analysis in archaeology and related subjects such as palaeontology, museum studies and art history. However, most published treatments so far have focused merely on this technique's ability to produce low-cost, high quality representations, with one or two also suggesting new opportunities for citizen science. However, perhaps the major artefact scale advantage comes from significantly enhanced possibilities for 3D morphometric analysis and comparative taxonomy. We wish to stimulate further discussion of this new research domain by considering a case study using a famous and contentious set of archaeological objects: the terracotta warriors of China's first emperor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Five new lanthanide supramolecular complexes, namely, [Sm(oqa)2(H2O)4]2 (ClO4)2 ·(bpy)2 (1), [Ln(oqa)3]·2H2O [Ln=Sm(2), Gd(3)] and [Ln(oqa)2(NO3)(H2O)] [Ln=Pr(4), Eu(5)] (oqa=4-oxo-1(4H)-quinolineacetate, bpy=4,4′-bipyridine), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. These complexes exhibit three typical structure features. Complex 1 possesses a dimeric structure, which is further connected together through hydrogen bonds and π–π attractions, forming a 3D supramolecular framework. Compounds 2–3 are isomorphous and contain 1D ring-like chains, which are further interconnected by the oqa ligands into 2D sheet-like structures. 4 and 5 exhibit eight-connected 3D network of 424·64-bcu topology. The various coordination modes of carboxylate ligands and the selection of the counterions have clearly affected the topological structures. Furthermore, the solid-state luminescent properties of complexes 1, 2 and 5 were investigated at room temperature and they show intense, characteristic emissions in the visible region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Solubility isotherms of the ternary system (LiCl+CaCl2 +H2O) were elaborately determined at T =(283.15 and 323.15)K. Several thermodynamic models were applied to represent the thermodynamic properties of this system. By comparing the predicted and experimental water activities in the ternary system, an empirical modified BET model was selected to represent the thermodynamic properties of this system. The solubility data determined in this work at T =(283.15 and 323.15)K, as well as those from the literature at other temperatures, were used for the model parameterization. A complete phase diagram of the ternary system was predicted over the temperature range from (273.15 to 323.15)K. Subsequently, the Gibbs free energy of formation of the solid phases CaCl2 ·4H2O(s), CaCl2 ·2 H2O(s), LiCl·2H2O(s), and LiCl·CaCl2 ·5H2O(s) was estimated and compared with the literature data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]