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Roles of bulk and rhizosphere denitrifying bacteria in paddy soil denitrification under straw return conditions are rarely discriminated, limiting our understanding on nitrogen biogeochemistry in soils amended with straw. The objective of this study was to explore the microbial mechanisms accounting for the altered rhizosphere and bulk soil denitrification with straw amendment. In this study, straw was added into two representative paddy soils (0.5% w/w) from Yixing (YX) and Taizhou (TZ) in Jiangsu city, China, for rice growth over a 37-day period. Denitrification potentials (net N2O emission, total denitrification, and N2O reduction rates) of rhizosphere and bulk soils at the end of rice growth were measured using an acetylene inhibition technique. In addition, denitrifying bacterial community compositions and functional gene abundances were analyzed using Illumina sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR. For control treatment without straw addition, total denitrification and N2O reduction rates were significantly higher in the rhizosphere than that in bulk soils; however, net N2O emission potentials were similar between rhizosphere and bulk for TZ (22.6–53.3 vs. 9.44–46.6 mg N kg−1) and YX (946 ± 126 vs. 699 ± 350 mg N kg−1). Under straw return condition, N2O emission potentials from the bulk of both soils were significantly elevated, corresponding to the increase in the relative abundance of some taxa of denitrifying bacteria (unnamed environmental samples and unclassified proteobacteria) and increase in nirK, nirS, and nosZ genes. This indicates a positive response of bulk soil denitrifying bacteria to straw addition. In contrast, straw addition produced inhibitive effects on the growth of denitrifying bacteria with decreased nirK, nirS, and nosZ gene abundances in the rhizosphere. This led to decreased N2O emission potentials at the end of incubation for rhizosphere soils, which were 98.2% and 25.2% lower for TZ and YX compared to those of bulk soils. These results suggested that the roles of bulk and rhizosphere denitrifying bacteria in paddy soil denitrification shifted with straw addition, which might inspire further studies to target the denitrification hotspots to effectively mitigate greenhouse emissions at the early period of rice growth.

Background Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone tumor in children and adolescents. However, some patients with osteosarcoma develop resistance to chemotherapy, leading to a poor clinical prognosis. Hence, effective therapeutic agents that can improve the response to chemotherapy drugs to improve the prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma are urgently needed. Cordycepin has recently emerged as a promising antitumor drug candidate. This study aims to explore the effect of cordycepin in suppressing osteosarcoma in vivo and in vitro and the synergistic effect of cordycepin combined with cisplatin and to demonstrate the underlying molecular mechanism. Methods CCK-8 assay was performed to investigate the inhibition effect of cordycepin combined with cisplatin in osteosarcoma cell lines. The colony formation and invasion abilities were measured by colony formation assay and Transwell assay. Osteosarcoma cells apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Western blot analysis were used to detect the expression of cell apoptosis-related proteins and AMPK and AKT/mTOR signaling pathway-related proteins. Finally, we performed the in vivo animal model to further explore whether cordycepin and cisplatin exert synergistic antitumor effects. Results Notably, we found that treatment with cordycepin inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, and induced apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the combination of cordycepin and cisplatin led to marked inhibition of osteosarcoma cell proliferation and invasion and promoted osteosarcoma cell apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that cordycepin enhanced the sensitivity of osteosarcoma cells to cisplatin by activating AMPK and inhibiting the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Conclusions In brief, this study provides comprehensive evidence that cordycepin inhibits osteosarcoma cell growth and invasion and induces osteosarcoma cell apoptosis by activating AMPK and inhibiting the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and enhances the sensitivity of osteosarcoma cells to cisplatin, suggesting that cordycepin is a promising treatment for osteosarcoma.

In this paper we investigate the model of the anti-de Sitter gravity coupled to a Maxwell field and a free, complex scalar field, and construct a fully back-reacted holographic model of superconductor with excited states. With the fixed charge $q$, there exist a series of excited states of holographic superconductor with the corresponding critical chemical potentials. The condensates as functions of the temperature for the two operators $\mathcal{O}_1$ and $\mathcal{O}_2$ of excited states are also studied. For the optical conductivity in the excited states, we find that there exist the additional peaks in the imaginary and real parts of the conductivity. Moreover, the number of peaks corresponding to $n$-th excited state is equal to $n$., Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1910.07734

In this paper, we consider rotating multistate boson stars with quartic self-interactions. In contrast to the nodeless quartic-boson stars in \cite{Herdeiro:2015tia}, the self-interacting multistate boson stars (SIMBSs) have two types of nodes, including the $^1S^2S$ and $^1S^2P$ states. We show the mass $M$ of SIMBSs as a function of the synchronized frequency $\omega$, and the nonsynchronized frequency $\omega_2$ for three different cases. Moreover, for the case of two coexisting states with self-interacting potential, we study the mass $M$ of SIMBSs versus the angular momentum $J$ for the synchronized frequency $\omega$ and the nonsynchronized frequency $\omega_2$. Furthermore, for three different cases, we analyze the coexisting phase with both the ground and first excited states for SIMBSs. We also calculate the maximum value of coupling parameter $\Lambda$, and find the coupling parameter $\Lambda$ exists the finite range., Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1906.00420

Background Large segmental bone defects can be repaired using the Masquelet technique in conjunction with autologous cancellous bone (ACB). However, ACB harvesting is severely restricted. α-calcium sulfate hemihydrate (α-CSH) is an outstanding bone substitute due to its easy availability, excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and osteoconductivity. However, the resorption rate of α-CSH is too fast to match the rate of new bone formation. The objective of this study was to investigate the bone repair capacity of the Masquelet technique in conjunction with isolated α-CSH or an α-CSH/ACB mix in a rabbit critical-sized defect model. Methods The rabbits (n = 28) were randomized into four groups: sham, isolated α-CSH, α-CSH/ACB mix, and isolated ACB group. A 15-mm critical-sized defect was established in the left radius, followed by filling with polymethyl methacrylate spacer. Six weeks after the first operation, the spacers were removed and the membranous tubes were grafted with isolated α-CSH, isolated ACB, α-CSH/ACB mix, or none. Twelve weeks later, the outcomes were evaluated by manual assessment, radiography, and spiral-CT. The histopathological and morphological changes were examined by H&E staining. The levels of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining. Results Our results suggest that the bone repair capacity of the α-CSH/ACB mix group was similar to the isolated ACB group, while the isolated α-CSH group was significantly decreased compared to the isolated ACB group. Conclusion These results highlighted a promising strategy in the healing of large segmental bone defect with the Masquelet technique in conjunction with an α-CSH/ACB mix (1:1, w/w) as they possessed the combined effects of sufficient supply and low resorption.

Fully bio-based polyamide 1010 (PA1010) was successfully melt-blended with poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA03, PVA05, PVA08 and PVA14) to prepare PA1010xPVAzy blends. The PA1010xPVA03y, PA1010xPVA05y, PA1010xPVA08y and PA1010xPVA14y films demonstrated the lowest oxygen transmission rates (OTR), free volume fraction (Fv), mean volume of the free volume holes (Vf) and mean number of free volume holes per unit volume (I3) values, when the PVA concentration in each PA1010xPVAzy series reached a corresponding critical value of 22.5, 20, 17.5 and 12.5 wt%, respectively. OTR, Fv, Vf and I3 values obtained for the best PA101087.5PVA1412.5, PA101082.5PVA0817.5, PA101080PVA0520 and PA101077.5PVA032.25 films reduced gradually as the degree of polymerization of PVA reduced. The results of dynamical mechanical and other experimental characterizations demonstrated that PA1010 and PVA are compatible to some extent, when the PVA are ≤ the corresponding critical concentration. The significantly enhanced oxygen permeation resistance and free volume characteristics for optimal PA1010xPVAzy films is at least partly due to the improved hydrogen-bonded molecular interactions between PA1010 C=O groups and PVA O-H groups.

Oxygen transmission rates and free volume properties (i.e. average volumes of free-volume-cavities (Vf), mean number of the free volume cavities per unit volume (I3) and fractional free volume (Fv)) values of bio-based polyamide 612 (PA612)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) (i.e. PA612xPVA03y, PA612xPVA05y, PA612xPVA08y and PA612xPVA14y) blend films were reduced to a minimum value, when their PVA content reached corresponding optimal values of 25, 20, 15 and 10 wt%, respectively. The minimum oxygen transmission rate, Vf, I3 and Fv value obtained for the best PA61290PVA1410, PA61285PVA0815, PA61280PVA0520 and PA61275PVA0325 bio-based blown films reduced considerably with decreasing PVA degrees of polymerization. As evidenced by the results of dynamical mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, wide angle X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic experiments, PA612 and PVA are miscible to some extent at the molecular level when their PVA contents are ≤ the corresponding optimal values. The significantly improved oxygen barrier and free volume properties for the PA612xPVAzy blend films with optimized compositions is at least in part to the enhanced intermolecular interactions between PA612 carbonyl groups and PVA hydroxyl groups.

Anode electrogenic bacteria (AEB) widely exist in paddy soils and play an important role in element biogeochemical cycling. However, little information is available on the role of soil characteristics in shaping AEB community. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the role of soil properties in driving the evolution of anode bacterial communities. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were constructed for five paddy soils with different chemical properties. The bacterial communities at anodes of closed (MFC running) and open (control) circuit MFCs were characterized using 16S rRNA gene-based Illumina sequencing. Paddy soils with higher dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and ammonium (NH4 +) concentrations in porewater showed higher MFC performance. Without MFC running, the dominant bacterial community composition was similar among the used five soils with Clostridia as the dominant bacteria at class level. Compared to control treatments, MFC running significantly decreased bacterial diversity and altered the bacterial community composition at anodes. However, the shift of bacterial communities varied with different types of soils. Betaproteobacteria was enriched by 4–30 times after MFC running for low MFC performance soils, while Deltaproteobacteria enriched (4–20 times) for high MFC performance soils. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that DOC, NH4 +, and dissolved ferrous (Fe2+) significantly shift anode bacterial communities for the five soils with MFC running. We found that high-performing MFCs constructed from paddy soils with high DOC and NH4 + concentrations in porewater selected for an active, highly electrogenic bacterial community (dominated by Deltaproteobacteria) at anodes, while the dominant bacterial community for the low-performing MFCs from soils with low DOC and NH4 + was Betaproteobacteria. These findings imply that soil properties shape the AEB composition, therefore influencing MFC performance. This study provides new insights into the microbial-mediated carbon and nitrogen cycling in paddy soils.

In International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants member countries, assessment of wheat variety stability is a statutory requirement before new varieties are registered and plant breeders’ rights are granted. However, it is impossible to test the stability of varieties accurately and quickly, or to assess the stability of a large number of varieties in a short time based on the morphological traits defined by the national standard. The objective of this study was to establish method and procedure of wheat variety stability assessment using SSR markers as a replacement for morphological observations. In preliminary study, the methods to identify non-homozygous SSR loci and calculate the homozygous SSR loci ratio (SSR–HLR) of wheat varieties were established. On this basis, the genotypes at 347 molecular markers loci of 20 advanced lines demonstrated that SSR–HLRs were 84.7–94.8 % in the F4 lines, 96.1–99.4 % in the F5 lines, and ≥98 % in the F6 lines, respectively. Eighty of 347 markers with good polymorphism, stable PCR amplification, and high resolving power of genotyping were recommended to detect SSR–HLR for 633 wheat regional trial varieties. Comparing morphological observation, the varieties with SSR–HLR >95 % were deemed stable; the varieties with SSR–HLR

Many large shippers procure truckload (TL) service from carriers via a combinatorial auction. In order to determine the winners of the auction, they need to solve a combinatorial optimization problem known as winner determination problem (WDP). In practice, shippers must resolve the WDP under shipment volume uncertainty due to limited information of future demands. In this paper, we propose a sampling-based two-stage stochastic programming approach to solve WDP under shipment volume uncertainty. We propose a refined formulation of deterministic WDPs in which shortage in shipments and the associated penalty cost are explicitly modeled. We demonstrate that the refined model is more general and more feasible under uncertainty than the benchmarks. Theoretical results pertaining to problem feasibility are derived and their insights to TL service procurement are provided. We propose a sampling-based solution approach called Monte Carlo Approximation (MCA) and use numerical tests to show that MCA is numerically tractable for solving moderately sized instances of TL service procurement. Finally, we verify via Monte Carlo simulation that the solution to our proposed stochastic WDP yields lower procurement cost than the solution to the deterministic WDP.

Pharmaceutical compounds were increasingly detected in environmental matrices but little is known whether these compounds would transport to coastal zones via watersheds. Three typical tidal rivers in southeastern China were selected and 15 surface sediment samples (0-10 cm) were collected along a 50-km tidal section of each river. Surface sediment samples were frozen-drying and then extracted for pharmaceutical compounds by an accelerated solvent extraction system. The pharmaceutical compounds in extracts were scanned using a high-performance liquid chromatography/tandern mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Three hundred and thirty compounds from nine pharmaceutical groups were detected with signal-to-noise above three (detectable level) in the surface sediments, of which 186 compounds were with a signal-to-noise above ten (measurable level). Of all, 291 and 80 compounds were detectable and measurable in all the three rivers, respectively. The Jiulong River showed a high load of pharmaceutical compounds in surface sediment than other two rivers. Of the nine pharmaceutical groups, the antihistamines and detoxification group and anti-infective drug group contributed five dominant compounds in the surface sediments in all the three rivers. Natures of pharmaceutical compounds rather than the sediment properties (pH, EC, and total carbon content) might influence their residues. The incredible number and intensity of pharmaceutical residues were detected in tidal surface sediments of the three rivers indicating that the pharmaceutical contamination should be strongly considered in China. Source identification and eco-toxicity assessment should be taken into account in the future study. Therapeutic medicine managements need to be strictly improved at a watershed scale to reduce loads of pharmaceuticals into aquatic ecosystems.

Fine zirconium diboride (ZrB2) powders with high purity were successfully prepared by combustion synthesis through magnesiothermic reduction process in Mg–B2O3–ZrO2 system. The reaction mechanism was investigated by differential thermal analysis and quenching experiment. The results show that the whole magnesiothermic reduction process includes three stages: first, molten B2O3 and Mg formed above the temperature of 650 °C, and glassy B2O3 and solid ZrO2 particles were coated on the surface of the molten Mg; thus, the hollow balls can be formed when the molten Mg was exuded under capillary function. Second, ZrO2 particles reacted with molten Mg to form Zr and MgO with dissolution–precipitation mechanism, which released a large amount of heat to induce the diffusion reaction between B2O3 and Mg to form B and MgO. Last, Zr reacted with B to form ZrB2 grains. The preparation of ZrB2 by self-propagating synthesis in Mg–B2O3–ZrO2 system is a solid–liquid-liquid reaction.

Hard PZT (PZT4)-based composites embedded by ZnO nanoneedles (denoted as PZT/ZnOn) were fabricated by a solid state sintering technique. The characteristic diffraction peaks of the perovskite PZT and ZnO phases were identified from the studied composites, indicating the retention of ZnOn. With increasing ZnOn content, the grain size of the composites was reduced gradually. In contrast with the pure PZT, the PZT/ZnOn composites possessed more excellent mechanical properties, while the piezoelectric properties were reduced by a certain extent. The best mechanical properties of PZT/ZnOn composites were obtained by sintering at 1,150 °C with 1.5 wt% ZnO nanoneedles addition: fracture toughness K IC ~ 2.04 MPa m1/2, flexural strength σ f ~ 105.44 MPa, compressive strength σ c ~ 543.89 MPa. The piezoelectric properties of the PZT/ZnOn composites were found to be lower than that of the pure PZT with dielectric permittivity e r of 768–893, piezoelectric coefficient d 33 of 240–260pC/N, mechanical quality factor Q m of 340–650 and planar electromechanical coupling k p of 0.5–0.55.

To assess the role of time-intensity curves (TICs) of the normal peripheral zone (PZ) in the identification of biopsy-proven prostate nodules using contrast-enhanced transrectal ultrasound (CETRUS). This study included 132 patients with 134 prostate PZ nodules. Arrival time (AT), peak intensity (PI), mean transit time (MTT), area under the curve (AUC), time from peak to one half (TPH), wash in slope (WIS) and time to peak (TTP) were analyzed using multivariate linear logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to assess whether combining nodule TICs with normal PZ TICs improved the prediction of prostate cancer (PCa) aggressiveness. The PI, AUC (p p = 0.011 and 0.040 respectively) values of the malignant nodules were significantly higher than those of the benign nodules. Incorporating the PI and AUC values (both, p p = 0.076 and 0.159 respectively), significantly improved the AUC for prediction of malignancy (PI: 0.784–0.923; AUC: 0.758–0.891) and assessment of cancer aggressiveness (p

Lead is a cumulative toxicant, which can induce severe health issues, especially in children’s case due to their immature nervous system. While realizing large-scale monitoring of children blood lead remains challenging by utilizing traditional methods, it is highly desirable to search for alternative techniques or novel sensing materials. Here we report a label-free and portable aptasensor based on graphene field effect transistor (FET) for effective children blood lead detection. With standard solutions of different Pb2+ concentrations, we obtained a dose-response curve and a detection limitation below 37.5 ng/L, which is three orders lower than the safe blood lead level (100 μg/L). The devices also showed excellent selectivity over other metal cations such as, Na+, K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+, suggesting the capability of working in a complex sample matrix. We further successfully demonstrated the detection of Pb2+ ions in real blood samples from children by using our aptasensors and explored their potential applications for quantification. Our results underscore such graphene FET aptasensors for future applications on fast detection of heavy metal ions for health monitoring and disease diagnostics.

Background To investigate the physical properties and the hydration behaviour of the fast-setting bioceramic iRoot FS Fast Set Root Repair Material (iRoot FS) and three other endodontic cements. Methods iRoot FS, Endosequence Root Repair Material Putty (ERRM Putty), gray and white mineral trioxide aggregate (G-MTA & W-MTA), and intermediate restorative material (IRM) were evaluated. The setting time was measured using ANSI/ADA standards. Microhardness was evaluated using the Vickers indentation test. Compressive strength and porosity were investigated at 7 and 28 days. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was employed for the hydration test. Results iRoot FS had the shortest setting time of the four bioceramic cements (p

Nb2O5-modified PZT/ZnO nanowhisker (denoted as PZT/ZnOw–Nb2O5) piezoelectric composites were prepared by a solid state sintering technique. Effects of Nb2O5 addition on the microstructure, electrical, and mechanical properties of the PZT/ZnOw composites were investigated. With increasing Nb2O5 content, the grain size of the composites was reduced and the fracture mode changed from intergranular to intragranular gradually. Compared with the PZT/ZnOw composites, the dielectric, piezoelectric, and ferroelectric properties of the PZT/ZnOw–Nb2O5 composites were improved significantly, while mechanical properties were enhanced slightly. The optimum electrical and mechanical properties were achieved for the PZT/ZnOw composites modified with 0.75 wt% Nb2O5 sintered at 1150 °C, with dielectric permittivity er, piezoelectric coefficient d 33, planar electromechanical coupling k p, remnant polarization P r, fracture toughness K IC, and flexural strength σf being on the order of 4930, 600 pC/N, 0.63, 29.2 μC/cm2, 1.56 MPa m1/2 and 130 MPa, respectively. The Nb2O5-modified PZT/ZnOw piezoelectric composites, with comparable electrical properties and improved mechanical properties than those of commercial PZT-5H ceramics, are promising candidates for further applications.

Bamboo is a typical natural fiber-reinforced composite material with superior mechanical properties. As the reinforce phase in bamboo composite, the vascular bundles were extracted from different height locations of a Moso bamboo with an alkali treatment method, and the mechanical properties were investigated via the tensile test. It is found that both the longitudinal Young’s modulus and strength of the vascular bundles are linearly increased from the inner to outer side. To study the variation of mechanical properties of bamboo culm along the radial direction, thin bamboo slices were also tested. Using a modified rule of mixtures, the longitudinal Young’s modulus of bamboo slices are analyzed and excellent agreement can be found between experimental and theoretical results, which indicates that the longitudinal Young’s modulus of bamboo culm is cubically increased in the radial direction.

New lead zirconate titanate/zinc oxide nanowhisker (PZT/ZnOw) ceramics were fabricated by a conventional solid state processing and their structures, piezoelectric, ferroelectric and mechanical properties were studied. Both the PZT perovskite and ZnO phases can be observed from the X-ray diffraction patterns. The grain size of ceramics is reduced due to the ZnOw addition. The incorporation of ZnOw into the PZT ceramics improves the strength and toughness, while deteriorates the piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties. For the PZT/ZnOw ceramics with 1–2 wt% ZnOw, the mechanical properties become optimum, meanwhile maintain good piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties: σc = 376–484 MPa, σf = 115–121 MPa, KIC = 1.41–1.54 MPa m1/2, d33 = 442–490 pC/N, kp = 0.54–0.55, er = 3,322–3,980, Qm = 99–101, tanδ = 1.6%–1.7%, Pr = 21.5–26.9 μC/cm2 and Ec = 8.1–8.6 kV/cm.

The objective of this study is to detect the infection of human papillomavirus (HPV) and the expression of p16INK4a in cervical lesions and to investigate the interaction between hrHPV and p16INK4a for cervical lesions and its diagnostic efficiency. hrHPV-DNA was detected by the hybrid capture II (HC-II) system. Immunochemical method was used to detect the expression of p16INK4a, and histopathologic test was performed to identify cervical lesions. χ 2 test and Spearman’s rank correlation were used for statistical analysis. Additive effects model was used to analyze the interaction. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, negative predictive values, accuracy, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated with SPSS 13.0. hrHPV and p16INK4a positive rate increased (P

In view of the difficulty in supporting the surrounding rocks of roadway 3–411 of Fucun Coal Mine of Zaozhuang Mining Group, a deformation forecasting model was put forward based on particle swarm optimization. The kernel function and model parameters were optimized using particle swarm optimization. It is shown that the forecast result is very close to the real monitoring data. Furthermore, the PSO-SVM (Particle Swarm Optimization-Support Vector Machine) model is compared with the GM(1,1) model and L-M BP network model. The results show that PSO-SVM method is better in the aspect of prediction accuracy and the PSO-SVM roadway deformation pre-diction model is feasible for the large deformation prediction of coal mine roadway.

A novel kind of denture base nanocomposite was prepared by polymethyl methyacrylate(PMMA) and cethyltrimethylammonium bromide modified organic montmorillonite (OMMT). The dispersion of montmorillonite in the polymer matrix was characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and transimission electron microscope (TEM).The content of residual MMA in nanocomposites and the amount of MMA released to water from nanocomposites were determined by gas chromatography (GC). The analysis of TEM and XRD showed that exfoliated-intercalated and intercalated nanocomposites were formed when the content of OMMT was 3% and 5% in the PMMA powder respectively. The results of GC showed that the residual MMA increased with the increase of OMMT content in the polymer matrix. After 7 days in water, the amount of MMA released into water from the nanocomposites tended to be stable. The results of one-way ANOVA and t-test showed that OMMT gave a significant increase of residual MMA concentration (p

Cobalt (II) hydroxamates with the benzo-15-crown-5 (B15C5) pendant have been synthesized and characterized. These complexes were successfully employed to the oxidation of p-xylene to p-toluic acid with air at 110°C under normal atmospheric pressure. The effects of the B15C5 pendant, the length of chain bonding of B15C5 in these complexes and the addition of alkali metal ions on the oxidation for p-xylene are also investigated by the comparison with the crown-free analogue.

A series of novel hydroxamic acid complexes (ML 2 1 ~ ML 2 3 , M=CoII, MnIIICl) containing benzo-15-crown-5 and their analogues, ML 2 4 were successfully synthesized starting from benzo-15-crown-5 (B15C5) or 1,2-dimethoxybenzene. Their structures were characterized by 1H-NMR, IR, and MS as well as by elemental analysis. Moreover, the saturated oxygen uptake of their cobalt(II) complexes,Col 2 1 −Col 2 4 , in diethyleneglycol dimethyl ether was determined over the −5 to +20 °C range. The oxygenation constants (Ko2) and thermodynamic parameters (ΔH0 and ΔS0) were calculated. Meanwhile, the corresponding Mn(III) hydroxamates were employed as models of monooxygenase to catalyze PhCH=CH2 epoxidation at ambient temperature and pressures. The effects of pendant B15C5 and adding sodium cation on the O2-binding capabilities, and the catalytic oxidation performance of the complexes (ML 2 1 ~ ML 2 3 ), were investigated and compared with the uncrowned analogue ML 2 4 . The results indicated that the B15C5-functionalized Co(II) complexes (CoL 2 1 ~ CoL 2 3 ) showed high ) showed high activity in the dioxygen affinities, and the Mn 2 1 Cl exhibited the best catalytic activity: th e conversion of PhCH=CH2 and epoxidation selectivity were up to 27.14%, 100% respectively.