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Objective To investigate the effects of Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) and Retrolaminar Block (RLB) on intra- and postoperative analgesia in patients with Multiple Rib Fractures (MRFs). Methods A total of 80 MRFs patients were randomly divided into the ESPB (Group E) and RLB (Group R) groups. After general anesthesia, ESPB and RLB were performed under ultrasound guidance, respectively, together with 20 mL of 0.5% ropivacaine and Patient-Controlled Intravenous Analgesia (PCIA). Results Thirty-four cases in Group E and 33,cases in Group R showed unclear paravertebral spaces. The intraoperative dosage of remifentanil (mean ± SD) (392.8 ± 118.7 vs. 501.7 ± 190.0 μg) and postoperative morphine PCIA dosage, (7.35 ± 1.55 vs. 14.73 ± 2.18 mg) in Group R were significantly less than those in Group E; the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores in Group R at 2 (2.7 ± 1.2 vs. 3.4 ± 1.4), 4 (2.2 ± 1.1 vs. 2.8 ± 0.9), 12 (2.5 ± 0.9 vs. 3.0 ± 0.8), and 24 hours (2.6 ± 1.0 vs. 3.1 ± 0.9) after surgery were significantly lower than those in Group E. Finally, the normal respiratory diaphragm activity (2.17 ± 0.22 vs. 2.05 ± 0.19), pH (median [IQR] (7.38 [7.31–7.45] vs. 7.36 [7.30–7.42]), and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) (44 [35–49] vs. 42.5 [30–46]) after the operation in Group R were significantly better than those in Group E (p Conclusions RLB was a more effective analgesic method than ESPB in the treatment of MRF.

This study aimed to analyze the risk factors for stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) and assess the predictive effect of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on acute SAP.The study included acute stroke patients from April 2018 to June 2019. These patients were divided into the SAP and Non-SAP groups. The patients' history of chronic diseases was assessed, including history of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, chronic lung disease, and current smoking status. The clinical characteristics of all studied cases were recorded, including the initial stroke type (cerebral infarction or cerebral hemorrhage), National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, indwelling nasogastric tubes, stroke-associated pneumonia within 7 days of hospitalization, and length of hospitalization. The study also recorded the laboratory testing data, including fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) as well as white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts. SPSS 19.0 was used for statistical analysis.A total of 328 eligible acute stroke patients were included. Among all participants, SAP occurred in 64 (19.5%) patients. In the SAP group, the patients were older, the proportion of cerebral hemorrhage was higher, the NIHSS score was higher, and more patients had nasogastric tubes (P 0.05). Concomitantly, the blood glucose, hsCRP, WBC count, neutrophil count, and NLR of the SAP group were significantly higher than those of the Non-SAP group, whereas the lymphocyte count was significantly lower than that of the Non-SAP group (P 0.05). Multivariable analysis of Binary Logistic regression revealed that stroke type (cerebral hemorrhage), indwelling gastric tube, and NLR were independent risk factors for SAP. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that the area under the curve for the NLR's ability to predict SAP was 0.861. The optimal cutoff threshold, sensitivity, and specificity were 3.745, 0.891, and 0.727, respectively.The risk factors for SAP were multifaceted. Cerebral hemorrhage, indwelling nasogastric tube, and high NLR were independent risk factors. An early NLR had a predictive effect on the occurrence of SAP in patients with acute stroke.

The two-step decoration of the Ag nanoparticles supported on carbon black (Ag/C) with Au and Pt, the electrooxidation of glycerol on the Pt/Au/Ag/C catalysts in alkaline solution, and the effect of the amounts of Au and Pt on the catalytic activity of Pt/Au/Ag/C are investigated. The decoration of Ag/C is performed by electrochemically depositing a small amount of Au and then Pt on Ag/C, and the Ptx/Auy/Ag100/C catalysts with different x:y:100 ratios (0.15 ≤ x ≤ 1.9 and 0.2 ≤ y ≤ 1.5) are obtained. Physical and electrochemical characterizations reveal that small parts of the Ag surfaces are covered by the deposited Au and Pt. Ptx/Auy/Ag100/C mainly shows Pt-relevant behaviors in glycerol oxidation, and Pt1.3/Auy/Ag100/C exhibits high catalytic activities. The results reveal that the surface decoration is a useful method of fabricating efficient ternary catalysts at low cost.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most prevalent microvascular complications caused by diabetes mellitus. Previous studies demonstrate that microvascular endothelial inflammation caused by chronic hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia plays a key role in the pathogenesis of DR. However, the detailed mechanisms on how endothelial inflammation contributes to DR are not fully understood. The STING pathway is an important innate immune signaling pathway. Although STING has been implicated in multiple autoimmune and metabolic diseases, it is not clear whether STING is involved in the pathogenesis of DR. Thus, re-analysis of the public single cell RNA sequencing (sc-RNAseq) data demonstrated that STING was highly expressed in mouse retinal vessels. Moreover, our results demonstrated that STING and p-TBK1 protein levels in retinal endothelial cells are significantly increased in mice fed with high fat diet compared with chow diet. In vitro, palmitic acid treatment on HRVECs induced mitochondrial DNA leakage into the cytosol, and augmented p-TBK1 protein and IFN-β mRNA levels. As STING is localized to the ER, we analyzed the relation between STING activation and ER stress. In HRVECs, STING pathway was shown to be activated under chemical-induced ER stress, but attenuated when IRE1α was abolished by genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition. Taken together, our findings revealed that STING signaling plays an important role in mediating lipotoxicity-induced endothelial inflammatory and injury, and IRE1α-XBP1 signaling potentiated STING signaling. Thus, targeting the IRE1α or STING pathways to alleviate endothelial inflammation provides candidate therapeutic target for treating DR as well as other microvascular complications.

Disturbed endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response driven by the excessive lipid accumulation in the liver is a characteristic feature in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Restoring metabolic homeostasis by targeting ER stress is a potentially therapeutic strategy for NAFLD. Here we aim to identify novel proteins or pathways involved in regulating ER stress response and therapeutic targets for alleviating NAFLD. Proteomic and transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that major urinary proteins (MUPs) were significantly reduced in the livers from NAFLD mouse models. Then we confirmed that MUP1, the major secreted form of MUPs, was reduced at mRNA and protein expression levels in hepatocytes both in vivo and in vitro under ER stress. We further illustrated that MUP1 protein levels in the urine were reduced in mice with NAFLD, which was reversed by GLP-1 receptor agonist treatment. To study the relationship between ER stress and MUP1 biology, our analysis demonstrated that MUP1 was misfolded and trapped in the ER under ER stress in vivo. Interestingly, we discovered that recombinant MUP1 treatment in hepatocytes increased calcium efflux from the ER, which resulted in transient ER stress response, including reduced protein synthesis. These responses facilitated the alleviation of chemical induced ER stress in hepatocytes, which was suggested as "pre-adaptive ER stress". Besides, recombinant MUP1 pretreatment also improved ER stress-induced insulin resistance in hepatocytes. Our findings revealed a novel and critical role of MUP1, and recombinant MUP1 or its potential derivates may serve as a promising therapeutic target for alleviating NAFLD.

Impaired alveolar macrophages phagocytosis can contribute to pathogenesis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and negatively impacts clinical outcomes. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound with potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant bioactivities. Studies have shown that CGA plays a protective role in ARDS, however, the precise protective mechanism of CGA against ARDS, is still unclear.The aim of this study was to investigate whether CGA enhances alveolar macrophages phagocytosis to attenuate lung injury during ARDS.RAW264.7 cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharides (100 μg/ml for 24 h) and treated with CGA (100, 200, and 400 μM CGA for 1 h) to measure pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, GPR37 expression and macrophages phagocytosis. Mouse models of ARDS induced by cecal ligation and perforation (CLP) surgery were treated with CGA (100 or 200 mg/kg) to investigate lung inflammatory injury and alveolar macrophages phagocytosis. Computational modeling was performed to examine potential binding sites of G protein-coupled receptor 37 (GPR37) with CGA, and the results were validated by interfering with the binding sites.In vitro, CGA notably ameliorated inflammatory response and increased phagocytosis in lipopolysaccharides-induced RAW264.7 cells. In vivo, CGA administration significantly alleviated lung inflammatory injury, decreased the bacteria load in the lung, promoted alveolar macrophages phagocytosis and improved the survival rate in mice with CLP-induced ARDS. Moreover, CGA markedly upregulated the expression of GPR37 in vivo and in vitro. However, the protective effect of CGA against ARDS were reversed after silencing the expression of GPR37.CGA has a protective effect against ARDS and may enhance alveolar macrophages phagocytosis and attenuate lung inflammatory injury by upregulating GPR37 expression.

The impact of ZSM-5 zeolite as a support material on the electrocatalytic activity of Pd nanoparticles for the oxidation of propan-1-ol and propan-2-ol has been investigated. ZSM-5‒carbon black composites with different ZSM-5/C mass ratios, carbon black, and ZSM-5 are used as supports for the Pd nanoparticles. The structures of catalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analyses. The ZSM-5‒C composites significantly improve the catalytic activity of the Pd nanoparticles for the oxidation of propan-1-ol. In a wide range of ZSM-5/C mass ratios, the Pd/ZSM-5‒C catalysts exhibit considerably higher activities than Pd/C and Pd/ZSM-5, indicating that the ZSM-5‒C composites are superior to carbon black and ZSM-5 as supports for the Pd nanoparticles. The result reveals that efficient electrocatalysts could be fabricated using zeolites as support materials. In contrast, Pd/ZSM-5‒C shows no advantages over Pd/C in the oxidation of propan-2-ol in catalytic activity, suggesting the importance of matching catalyst with reaction to obtain good results.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure could cause many acute and chronic respiratory diseases. In this study the protective effects of polysaccharide from Morchella esculenta (FMP-1) and its derivatives against PM2.5-induced inflammation were evaluated. By flow cytometry and ELISA analysis, sulfated polysaccharide SFMP-1 showed the best protective effect in reducing PM2.5-induced cell death, cell apoptosis and production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), which was accompanied by a diminished level in reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation caused by PM2.5 in rat alveolar macrophage NR8383 cells. Furthermore, the mechanism was studied by immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR and western blotting. SFMP-1 could down-regulate the expression of inducible NO synthesis (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) at both mRNA and protein levels in PM2.5-treated cells. The PM2.5-induced phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) was also reduced through suppressing nuclear translation of the NF-κB and inhibiting the degradation and phosphorylation of IκBα. These results indicated that SFMP-1 could protect NR8383 cells from PM2.5-induced inflammation by inhibiting NF-κB activation.

An n-type Si nanowire (SiNW) solar cell based on transition metal oxides V2O5 and TiO2 has been fabricated. The cell is demonstrated in the ITO/V2O5/n-SiNWs/TiO2/Al heterojunction structure, in which the V2O5 and TiO2 work as the hole- and the electron-selective layers, respectively. Parameters of cells with different lengths of nanowires have been investigated. Owing to the excellent light trapping effect of nanowire arrays and superior carrier transporting properties of thin V2O5 and TiO2 layers, an improved power conversion efficiency of 12.7% has been achieved in a cell with 1.45-μm-long nanowires. Due to the large work function difference between V2O5 and n-Si, a build-in potential of 0.75 V was obtained from the capacitance-voltage measurement, which implies the possibility of achieving a large open circuit voltage for these nanowire solar cells. The efficiency loss is mainly caused by the recombination via the defects on the unpassivated surface of SiNWs. By solving this problem, the cell efficiency may be improved further and realize the application in PV industries.

Alginate is an unbranched polymer composed of polymannuronate (PM) and polyguluronate and widely used as a colloid in food industries. Seleno-polymannuronate (Se-PM), a kind of seleno-polysaccharide, was synthesized through selenylation replacement reaction of PM. And its neuroimmunoregulatory activity in LPS-induced BV2 cells and in vivo septic shock model was conducted. Se-PM could significantly attenuate the NO and PGE2 secretion, as well as the iNOS and COX-2 expression, and the release of TNF-α and IL-1β, 6 and 12 in LPS-activated microglia. Meanwhile, the changes in cellular morphology and migration were recovered by pretreating the LPS-activated microglia with Se-PM. Moreover, the overactivation of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways stimulated by LPS in BV2 microglia was prominently alleviated by Se-PM. In the septic shock mouse model, Se-PM could remarkably decrease the TNF-α and IL-6 production in the serum and brain. These results indicate that alginate-derived Se-PM is a good candidate to be used in alternative/supplementary medication or functional foods for treating/managing neurodegenerative disorder.

The electrochemical deposition of small amounts of Au and Pt on the surface of Ni nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide and the electrooxidation of ethylene glycol on the AuPt-decorated Ni/reduced graphene oxide catalysts in alkaline solution are investigated. By selecting a short deposition time, a low concentration of metal precursors, and a positive applied potential, AuPt loadings of less than 1.0 μg cm−2 are obtained. Physical and electrochemical characterizations of AuPt/Ni/reduced graphene oxide reveal a much lower content of Pt relative to Au. However, AuPt/Ni/reduced graphene oxide behaves similar to monometallic Pt/reduced graphene oxide rather than to Au/reduced graphene oxide in ethylene glycol oxidation, while Ni/reduced graphene oxide and Pt-decorated Ni/reduced graphene oxide show no activity. Compared to Pt/reduced graphene oxide or Au/reduced graphene oxide, the peak intensities of AuPt/Ni/reduced graphene oxide are somewhat higher in terms of the glassy carbon substrate, but are significantly higher in terms of the AuPt mass loading. Another attractive feature of AuPt/Ni/reduced graphene oxide is low cost resulted from the low AuPt loading. The result of this study indicates that decorating the surface of non-noble metal with a small amount of two noble metals is an efficient method to fabricate highly active catalysts.

With the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the water pollution caused by extensive production and application of COVID-19 related drugs has aroused growing attention. Herein, a novel biochar-supported red mud catalyst (RM-BC) containing abundant free hydroxyl groups was synthesized. The RM-BC activated persulfate process was firstly put forward to degrade COVID-19 related drugs, including arbidol (ARB), chloroquine phosphate, hydroxychloroquine sulfate, and acyclovir. Highly effective removal of these pharmaceuticals was achieved and even 100% of ARB was removed within 12 min at optimum conditions. Mechanism study indicated that SO

The decoration of Pt1Ni3 nanoparticles supported on carbon black with Au adatoms and the electrocatalytic activity of the Au-decorated Pt1Ni3/C (Au/Pt1Ni3/C) for the oxidation of ethylene glycol (EG) in alkaline solution have been investigated. The decoration of Pt1Ni3/C with Au is performed by potentiostatically depositing a small amount of Au on Pt1Ni3/C, and the Au/Pt1Ni3/C catalysts with Au/Pt atomic ratios of ca. 0.02:1 and 0.08:1 are obtained. Physical and electrochemical characterizations reveal that a small part of the surface of Pt1Ni3 nanoparticles is covered by Au adatoms. In EG oxidation, the performances of Pt1Ni3/C before and after the Au decoration are quite different. Au/Pt1Ni3/C shows remarkably high peak intensity compared to Pt1Ni3/C, in spite of a decrease in the surface of Pt by Au adatoms. The low Pt content of Pt1Ni3 nanoparticles and the small Au loading also suggest advantages of the Au/Pt1Ni3/C catalysts in cost. The result of this study reveals a significant enhancing effect of Au adatoms on the activity of Pt1Ni3/C for EG oxidation.

To better understand the performance of constructed wetlands (CWs) to remove acidic pharmaceuticals (APs) in wastewaters in subtropical areas and to optimize CW design criteria, six small-scale CWs under different design configurations were operated. The factors (environmental parameters, water quality, and seasonality) influencing the APs removal were also analyzed to illustrate the removal mechanisms. The results indicated that the best performances of CWs were up to 80–90%. Subsurface flow (SSF) CWs showed high removal efficiency for ibuprofen, gemfibrozil and naproxen, but surface flow (SF) CWs performed better for ketoprofen and diclofenac. The positive relationship between the removal efficiencies of ibuprofen, gemfibrozil, and naproxen with dissolved oxygen and ammonia nitrogen reveals that SSF CWs under aerobic conditions benefit the biodegradation, while the favorable conditions created by SF CWs for receiving solar radiation promote the effective photolysis of ketoprofen and diclofenac. Planted SSF CWs had significantly higher removal efficiencies of ibuprofen and gemfibrozil than the unplanted controls had in all seasons. The removal of all APs was higher in summer and autumn than those in winter. Furthermore, an inverse relationship between removal efficiency and the distribution coefficient (logDow) was observed in SF CWs. Overall, CWs that provide aerobic degradation and photolysis would benefit APs removal in subtropical areas in the south of China.

Less seasonal temperature variation in humid tropical and subtropical climate makes unique wastewater and removal performance of constructed wetlands (CWs) in South China. Nine single-stage CWs consisting of surface flow (SF), horizontal subsurface flow (HF) and vertical flow (VF) units vegetated with Canna indica or Thalia dealbata, as well as unvegetated filters were operated over 33 months (September 2013 to May 2016) to assess their removal capacity for domestic sewage and to evaluate the key influencing factors (i.e. vegetation, flow type, and temperature) in South China. The evaluation of the results indicated that these systems had great removal capacity of nutrient and organic matter. The average influent concentration of TN, NH4-N, TP and COD was 29.3, 23.3, 2.6 and 142.1 mg L−1, respectively. Removed load of TP, NH4-N, and COD were higher in VF CWs. Removed load of TN was higher in HF CWs. Influent loads positively influenced the removed loads of pollutants. Flow type had the greatest impact on removed load, followed by the temperature, and vegetation had minimal impact. VF (unvegetated) – HF (vegetated) could be the model of purification of domestic sewage by CWs in South China.

To inform rational therapeutics to alleviate many senescence-related diseases in terms of the pathogenic pathways, we investigated the protective mechanisms of TLH-3 against premature senescence in tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP)-induced human embryonic lung fibroblast (HELF) cells model and d -galactose-induced premature aging mice model. We demonstrate that TLH-3 ameliorated t-BHP-induced premature senescence, which is characterized by decreased senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) positive cells containing decreased senescence effector p53 level, via up-regulating bcl-2 and down-regulated bax and caspase-3 protein expression to block t-BHP-induced inappropriate apoptosis. Furthermore, d -galactose-induced mice exhibit senescence hallmark features such as increased senescence-associated secretory phenotype characterized by increased interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion. TLH-3 diminished age-dependent increase in circulating IL-6, lipofuscin pigment (LPF) and advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) accumulation, the monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and the intensity of nuclear p53 staining, which was up-regulated by d -galactose stimulation in premature aging mice. Meanwhile, TLH-3 attenuated d -galactose-induced histopathological lesions in premature aging mice.

In this study, metal-polyphenol networks (MPNs) coating was formed on the surface of polyethersulfone (PES) membrane prepared by reverse thermally induced phase separation (RTIPS) method through layer-by-layer assembly (LBL) method to endow membrane with excellent structure and permeability. MPNs coating was generated by coordination reaction between Fe3+ and tannic acid (TA), which was influenced by Fe3+ concentration and reaction time. The modified membrane was characterized in various aspects. SEM images showed that PES membrane possessed better microstructure with porous surface and spongy section prepared by RTIPS method. The analysis of Raman and XRD both confirmed the existence of MPNs coating on the membrane surface because of the coordination bonds. Moreover, the decrease of water contact angle and AFM indicated that MPNs coating endowed PES membrane with better hydrophilicity. Compared with bare PES membrane, the flux of the modified membrane was improved obviously with the maximum value of 878.29 L/m2 h. During membrane resistance process, the modified membrane showed better anti-fouling performance with the total resistance decreased by 53% and the FRR reached 80.95%. Thus, a hydrophilic and antifouling PES membrane with excellent structural properties and permeability was prepared by combining the modification method of MPNs coating with RTIPS method.

Alginate is a naturally acidic polysaccharide consisting alternately of β-d-mannuronic acid and α-l-guluronic acid with 1, 4-glycosidic linkages and is derived from brown seaweeds. Herein, the effect of alginate on the promotion of macrophage phagocytosis and the corresponding molecular mechanisms were investigated in murine RAW264.7 cells. Alginate could enhance the intracellular phagocytosis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), fluorescent microspheres and immunoglobulin G (IgG)-opsonized Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Moreover, alginate increased Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression and activated the Akt/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathways. Alginate-promoted phagocytosis was suppressed by the addition of inhibitors of TLR4, NF-κB and p38 MAPK and by TLR4 gene knockdown, indicating the involvement of these key components. This work is the first to propose that alginate promotes phagocytosis via upregulating TLR4 expression and stimulating the Akt/NF-κB and p38 MAPK signalling pathways, which may contribute to the capacity of alginate to activate macrophages.

Concentrations of 16 US EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in 15 marine wild organism species from South China Sea. The concentration (dry weight) of 16 PAHs ranged from 94.88 to 557.87ng/g, with a mean of 289.86ng/g. The concentrations of BaP in marine species were no detectable. The composition of PAHs was characterized by the 2- and 3-ring PAHs in marine species, and NA, PHE and FA were the dominant constituents. PAHs isomeric ratios indicated PAHs mainly originated from grass, wood and coal combustion, and petroleum. The human health risk assessment based on the excess cancer risk (ECR) suggested the probability of PAHs posing carcinogenic risk to human beings with consumption of marine organisms were negligible (probability

Current study used high pressure microfludizer to encapsulate eugenol (EUG), carvacrol (CAR) and cinnamaldehyde (CA) in oil-in water nanoemulsion. The prime objective of this study was to explore the antifungal effect of these prepared nanoemulsion against Penicillium digitatum, and nanoemulsion coating effects on the shelf life of postharvest citrus fruits. The results showed that nanoemulsion has uniform particle size along with good centrifugal stability that has significant antifungal effect with MIC (0.125 mg/mL) and MFC (0.25 mg/mL) values. P. digitatum spore germination was significantly inhibited, and mycelial morphology was changed in a dose dependent manner and membrane permeability changed following nanoemulsion treatment. Furthermore, nanoemulsion coating could potentially reduce the citrus fruit decay rate, weight loss rate and respiratory rate. The soluble solids, vitamin C, and titratable acid contents degradation was delayed, while antioxidant enzyme activities were also significantly increased and maintained during postharvest storage. This study revealed that the nanoemulsion had better antifungal effect and great potential in prolonging the storage period of citrus fruits.

Trichinellosis is a serious foodborne zoonotic disease. It is an important threat to public health in both developing and developed countries. Human infections are strongly associated with consuming undercooked meat containing infective Trichinella larvae. The development of serological tools has enabled seroepidemiological studies and contributed to our knowledge on the importance of this parasite. Serological tests can also help the diagnosis of parasite infections in humans and the surveillance of animals. Generally speaking, serological techniques include detection methods for specific antibodies and for circulating parasite antigens in the serum or tissue fluids. Here, we present a comprehensive review of various methods used in the detection of antibodies against Trichinella and circulating parasite antigens in animals and humans., Highlights • Trichinellosis is considered as a public health problem in several countries around the world. • The development of immunodiagnostic techniques has promoted the conduct of seroepidemiological studies. • This review provides insight into the evolution of these techniques.

Graphene materials represent a new carbonaceous sorbent for the removal of organic micropollutants from water, and most applications of graphene utilize an oxidized, negatively-charged surface to improve dispersibility. However, classes of anionic micropollutants may undergo less sorption than cationic or neutral compounds on graphene oxide due to electrostatic repulsion forces. This work seeks to improve the sorptive capability of graphene for anionic micropollutants through amending surfaces with positive charges. Graphene oxide was functionalized with ethylenediamine (ED-G) through an acyl chlorination and amidation process that allows a net positive surface charge at pH

Sea cucumbers are valuable marine foods as well as a source of traditional medicines with various bioactivities. Macrophage activation by small-molecule oligopeptides obtained from the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (SCOP) were investigated. After SCOP were proven nontoxic by oral administration and CCK-8 assays, we measured immune-stimulatory mRNA, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and NO production levels and determined the molecular mechanism of macrophage stimulation. Our results demonstrated that SCOP upregulated both the mRNA levels and the secretion of NO, TNF-α, and IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner. More importantly, SCOP contributed to the stimulation of macrophages through the upregulation of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. Taken together, these results indicated that SCOP exerted macrophage activation effects on RAW264.7 cells and that they could potentially be used as a functional food supplement in treating immune suppression.

Nanosized graphene materials are being considered as a class of new, high surface area sorbents suitable for water treatment applications. This study explored commercially available graphene powders of differing sizes, surface areas, and surface compositions for their ability to sorb dissolved natural organic matter (NOM) from water under varying solution conditions within batch reactors. The sorption kinetics of NOM on graphene powders were rapid and reached equilibrium within hours. Sorption isotherms for all graphenes and all NOM types were all best described with the Freundlich model. Sorption affinity improved with increasing graphene specific surface area, more graphene carbon content, greater NOM aromatic content, and lower solution pH. Graphene sorption behavior is compared to carbon nanotubes and granular activated carbon, and high surface area graphene may possess superior sorption rates and capacities, whereas low surface area graphene may be entirely ineffective. The high surface area graphene examined here also showed selectivity for the aromatic and high molecular weight NOM fractions within measurements of specific UV absorbance and size exclusion chromatography. The results suggest that aromatic interactions significantly participate in NOM binding, but that electrostatic interactions may also influence sorption capacity depending on solution pH and graphene surface charge.

Presently there are several shortcomings in Global Positioning System/Strapdown Inertial Navigation System (GPS/SINS) ultra-tight integrated navigation system, for example, presences of modeling errors, heavy computation load and residual time errors, etc. To address these problems, this paper proposes a time–space difference based ultra-tight integrated navigation method. This system carries out difference in time and space which eliminates the troposphere delay, ionosphere delay, satellite and receiver clock error, reduces the system complexity and decreases the adverse impact (frequently changing weather and the low accuracy clocks of receiver and satellites) on the system. In this way the system improves the estimation accuracy and anti-jamming ability. Finally, theoretical analysis and simulation results substantiate that the proposed system has the practicability and superiority over the contemporary ultra-tight integration schemes.

Hypothesis Graphene nanosheet materials represent a potentially new high surface area sorbent for the treatment of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in water. However, sorption behavior has been reported only for laboratory graphene prepared by a laborious and hazardous graphite exfoliation process. A careful examination of commercially available, clean, high-volume produced graphene materials should reveal whether they are appropriate for sorbent technologies and which physicochemical properties most influence sorption performance. Experiments In this study, three commercially available graphene oxide powders of various particle sizes, specific surface areas, and surface chemistries were evaluated for their sorption performance using carbamazepine and nine other EDCs and were compared to that of conventional granular activated carbon (GAC) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Findings Sorption kinetics of carbamazepine on graphene oxide powders was rapid and reversible with alcohol washing, consistent with π–π interactions. The various sorption extents as described by Freundlich isotherms were best explained by available surface area, and only the highest surface area graphene oxide (771 m2/g) out-performed GAC and MWCNTs. Increasing pH caused more negative surface charge, a twofold decrease in sorption of anionic ibuprofen, a onefold increase in sorption of cationic atenolol, and no change for neutral carbamazepine, highlighting the role of electrostatic interactions.

For autonomous satellite navigation, the method based on stellar refraction is studied in this paper. In the previous studies, two star sensors have been used for navigation. Actually, only one star sensor is sufficient for navigation. The additional sensor will result in an extra burden for the initial alignment process and design cost. In this paper, an autonomous satellite navigation scheme based on stellar refraction with a single star sensor is presented. The installed angle of star sensor is closely related with the navigation precision of satellite, and the refraction star identification is crucial in stellar refraction method. Hence the determination of installed angle and refraction star identification are also considered. Finally, to verify the feasibility of the proposed scheme, a simulation for low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite is carried out and its result indicates that the proposed method is practical with high-precision.