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Oxyntic gland neoplasm (OGN) is a rare subtype of gastric cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence, clinicopathological features, effectiveness and safety of endoscopic treatment, as well as the prognosis of OGN. We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients pathologically diagnosed with OGN at our hospital from November 1, 2019 to May 1, 2023. A total of 36 patients with 45 lesions were identified, resulting in a disease frequency of 0.047% (36/76,832). The mean age was 55.0 ± 7.5 years, with a male-to-female ratio of about 1:1.12. Most lesions were ≤10 mm in size (84.4%), located in the upper third of the stomach (73.3%), exhibited slight elevation (75.5%), appeared whitish (55%), had dilated blood vessels on the surface (75.5%). 16 and 21 lesions were treated by precutting endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR-P) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), respectively. No significant differences were found between EMR-P and ESD in terms of en bloc resection rate (100% vs 100%, p = 1.000), complete resection rate (100% vs 90.5%, p = 0.495), and curative resection rate (93.8% vs 90.5%, p = 1.000). No complications such as bleeding and perforation were observed. No recurrence or metastasis was observed during the follow-up period. OGN is a rare tumor with unique clinical, endoscopic, and pathological characteristics. EMR-P and ESD are deemed safe and effective for treating OGNs. The relatively faster and easier EMR-P seems at least non-inferior to ESD, especially for removal of smaller OGNs. The overall prognosis is favorable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their advantages in structural stability and versatility, cysteine-rich peptides, which are secreted from the venom glands of venomous animals, constitute a naturally occurring pharmaceutical arsenal. However, the correct folding of disulfide bonds is a challenging task in the prokaryotic expression system like Escherichia coli due to the reducing environment. Here, a secretory expression plasmid pSE-G1M5-SUMO-HWTX-I for the spider neurotoxin huwentoxin-I (HWTX-I) with three disulfides as a model of cysteine-rich peptides was constructed. By utilizing the signal peptide G1M5, the fusion protein 6 × His-SUMO-HWTX-I was successfully secreted into extracellular medium of BL21(DE3). After enrichment using cation-exchange chromatography and purification utilizing the Ni-NTA column, 6 × His-SUMO-HWTX-I was digested via Ulp1 kinase to release recombinant HWTX-I (rHWTX-I), which was further purified utilizing RP-HPLC. Finally, both impurities with low and high molecular weights were completely removed. The molecular mass of rHWTX-I was identified as being 3750.8 Da, which was identical to natural HWTX-I with three disulfide bridges. Furthermore, by utilizing whole-cell patch clamp, the sodium currents of hNav1.7 could be inhibited by rHWTX-I and the IC50 value was 419 nmol/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the effect of nitrification inhibitor combined with urease inhibitor on soil N2O emission under different nitrogen application depths. We carried out a soil column simulation test under 25°C. The combination of 1% N-butyl Phosphorothioate Triamine (NBPT) and 5% Dicyandiamide (DCD) was added to the soil. Anaerobically digested pig slurry (ADPS) was used as a nitrogen source and applied to four soil depths (soil surface (0 cm), 5 cm, 10 cm, and 15 cm, respectively). It was found that the inhibitory effects of NBPT and DCD on the soil N2O emission were significantly affected by different nitrogen application depths. When the ADPS was applied at 15 cm, 10 cm, and on the soil surface, the combination of 1% NBPT and 5% DCD could inhibit soil N2O emission by 46.1%, 21.7%, and 34.6%, respectively. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the addition of inhibitors changed the microbial paths of soil N2O production. The dominant microbial path of soil N2O production after adding inhibitors was from ammonia oxidation dominated by AOB-amoA to denitrification dominated by nirS and nirK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flow and work engagement are related concepts, and both are commonly applied and studied in the workplace. This review makes an attempt to define the potential differences and relationships between flow and engagement in the workplace. Based on a systematic review of the extant positive interventions designed to enhance flow and work engagement, meaningful differences between flow and work engagement interventions were found in terms of the mechanisms of the interventions, the types of interventions, and the intervention approach (i.e. personal vs. contextual and deficit-fixing vs. strengths-building). The review concludes that flow interventions can make important contributions above and beyond work engagement interventions. The findings illuminate the conceptual and empirical differences between flow and work engagement interventions, and suggest new directions for flow and engagement intervention research in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fangcang hospitals, as tentative hospitals built to treat a huge turnover of patients with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, have played a pivotal role to slow down the pandemic spread in China in 2020. However, anxiety and sleep disorders remain tough to address during the treatments. In this study, group psychological intervention in combination with pulmonary rehabilitation exercises were conducted in the trial group for the patients with mild COVID-19 infections in a Fangcang Hospital to mitigate the patients' anxiety and sleep disorders, while conventional nursing methods were done in the control group, with 70 randomly picked patients in each group. Effects were assessed through questionnaire method using state anxiety questionnaire (SAI) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index scale (PQSI) rating investigation. Results showed that both SAI and PSQI scores of the trial group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The SAI scores of the trial group and the control group were 38.5 ± 13.2 and 45.8 ± 10.4 points (t = 3.600, P < 0.001), respectively, and the PSQI scores were 5.6 ± 3.0 and 7.1 ± 3.0 points (t = 2.982, P < 0.01), respectively. Our methods have significant advantages over conventional nursing methods to mitigate anxiety and sleep disorders for the patients with mild COVID-19 infections in the Fangcang Hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to perform free vibration and buckling analyses of circular cylindrical shells made of three-dimensional (3D) graphene foam. Three kinds of porosity distribution are considered including two kinds of symmetrical distribution and uniform distribution. The Kirchhoff-Love shell theory is utilized to establish the mathematical model of 3D graphene foam (3D-GF) shells. Natural frequencies and buckling loads of the shells under various boundary conditions are obtained via the Rayleigh-Ritz method in conjunction with Chebyshev polynomials. Results show that the mechanical characteristics of the 3D-GF shells are significantly affected by the porosity coefficient and porosity distribution. Moreover, the effect of porosity coefficient is closely related to boundary conditions of the shells. It is also shown that as the porosity coefficient increases, the porosity distribution effect on the mechanical characteristics of 3D-GF shells becomes increasingly significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new 3-position substituted imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine ligand, 4-(2-chloroimidazo[1,2-a] pyridine-3-carboxamido)phthalic acid (H2L), was conveniently synthesized and acts as a three-connecting T-shaped building block. Based on this ligand, two isostructural coordination polymers, [ML(H2O)]n (M = Zn (1) and Co (2)) with a rare one-dimensional (1D) ladder-like chain structure, were solvothermally synthesized and structurally characterized. There exist hydrogen bond and lone-pair–π interactions between two adjacent ladder chains. Compared to the H2L ligand, coordination polymer 1 reveals a blue-shifted emission stemming from ligand-to-metal charge transfer, meanwhile, coordination polymer 2 presents a dominant antiferromagnetism. Interestingly, the carboxylate anion (COO−) in coordination polymers 1 and 2 could be protonated into carboxylic acid (–COOH), upon exposure to HCl vapor. As a result, coordination polymers 1 and 2 display reversible luminescent switching in the response to acid-base vapor stimuli, which mainly originates from the conversion between lone-pair–π and cation–π interactions mediated by the protonation-deprotonation processes. Such stimulus-responsive conversion between lone-pair–π and cation–π interactions is first reported in coordination polymers, and provides a promising approach to design and construct smart coordination polymer materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the thermo-hygro-mechanical bending and vibration of functionally graded material (FGM) microbeams with microporosity defect are investigated. The mathematical model of the system is developed by using the sinusoidal beam theory and the modified couple stress theory. Based on Hamilton's principle, the governing equations and boundary conditions of imperfect FGM microbeams are derived. Then, Navier's method is utilized to calculate the deflections and natural frequencies of the system. Analytical results are presented to illustrate the effects of the microporosity volume fraction, the microporosity distribution type, the power-law index, the temperature and the moisture on the static bending and free vibration of imperfect FGM microbeams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is an introductory review of the physics of topological quantum matter with cold atoms. Topological quantum phases, originally discovered and investigated in condensed matter physics, have recently been explored in a range of different systems, which produced both fascinating physics findings and exciting opportunities for applications. Among the physical systems that have been considered to realize and probe these intriguing phases, ultracold atoms become promising platforms due to their high flexibility and controllability. Quantum simulation of topological phases with cold atomic gases is a rapidly evolving field, and recent theoretical and experimental developments reveal that some toy models originally proposed in condensed matter physics have been realized with this artificial quantum system. The purpose of this article is to introduce these developments. The article begins with a tutorial review of topological invariants and the methods to control parameters in the Hamiltonians of neutral atoms. Next, topological quantum phases in optical lattices are introduced in some detail, especially several celebrated models, such as the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, the Hofstadter-Harper model, the Haldane model and the Kane-Mele model. The theoretical proposals and experimental implementations of these models are discussed. Notably, many of these models cannot be directly realized in conventional solid-state experiments. The newly developed methods for probing the intrinsic properties of the topological phases in cold-atom systems are also reviewed. Finally, some topological phases with cold atoms in the continuum and in the presence of interactions are discussed, and an outlook on future work is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonization of magnetic polymer microspheres is one of the methods for the preparation of magnetic carbon materials. Fe3O4magnetic particle characteristics considerably influence the magnetic content and size distribution of magnetic polymer microspheres. The characteristics of Fe3O4nanoparticles modified by oleic acid (OA) and undecylenic acid (UA) were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic laser light scattering, thermogravimetry/differential thermogravimetry, vibrating sample magnetometer, and water contact angle. Fe3O4nanoparticles modified by OA and UA are nearly spherical and exhibit superparamagnetism. Fe3O4particle size and saturation magnetization are slightly influenced by the OA and UA composition. OA and UA both are chemically adsorbed onto Fe3O4as bidentate chelates. OA shows easier adsorption onto Fe3O4than UA. OA groups have an expanded arrangement on OA@Fe3O4, whereas UA groups have a condensed arrangement on UA@Fe3O4. Particle lipophilicity decreases and particle clustering increases with decreasing OA content and increasing UA content on OA-UA@Fe3O4nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the fantastic properties and diverse applications of specific beams, optical beam shaping has attracted intensive attentions recently. Generally, these beams can be converted from Gaussian beams via particular spatial amplitude or phase control. In this work, we present a liquid crystal photopatterning technique based on dynamic microlithography with a polarisation-sensitive photoalignment agent. This technique enables the accurate, arbitrary and reconfigurable azimuthal angle control of liquid crystals, thus providing a powerful approach for the manipulation of light. By this means, the tailoring of arbitrary fine microstructures with binary or continuously space-variant liquid crystal azimuthal orientations are demonstrated. We briefly review our recent work on some specially designed patterns and corresponding specific optical fields. High-quality vortex beams, vector beams and Airy beams are generated with unprecedented flexibility in the design and control of light wavefront. Besides high efficiency, good electrical switchability and broad wavelength tolerance, the proposed devices also exhibit merits of compact size, low cost, dynamic mode conversion and polarisation controllable energy distribution, and are available for short pulse and intense light modulation. This work may pave a bright way towards beam shaping and bring new possibilities for the design of novel advanced liquid crystal photonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Pseudanoplocephala crawfordiis one of the important zoonotic cestodes causing economic significance and public health concern. In the present study, the phylogenetic position ofP. crawfordiisolated from pigs was re-inferred using molecular markers of internal transcribed spacer ribosomal DNA (ITS rDNA) and partial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (pnad1) mitochondrial DNA. The lengths of ITS1, ITS2 rDNA and pnad1 were 757 bp, 628 bp and 458 bp, respectively. Sequence differences in the ITS1, ITS2 rDNA and pnad1 betweenP. crawfordiandHymenolepisspecies were smaller than that between cestodes within genusHymenolepis. Phylogenetic analyses based on three gene fragments showed thatP. crawfordiwas grouped into cluster ofHymenolepisspecies. These results suggested thatP. crawfordiwould be one member of genusHymenolepisbut not in a new genusPseudanoplocephala. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The carbon fibres were used to enhance the materials by selected laser sintering. Gas phase oxidation, dense nitric acid and the coupling reagent processing together with dense nitric acid were adopted to modify carbon fibres, the microstructure of carbon fibres surface after treatment were analysed by SEM, and the strength of the composites was tested. The results demonstrate that the carbon fibre modified by 65-68% KHNO3 + 1% KH550 is considered as the optimal method. With the increase of carbon fibres content, the strength of the composite increases first and then decreases within a certain range. When the carbon fibres content at 3 wt-%, the green strength and the post-curing strength reached 0·87 and 9·614 MPa respectively, and the rate increased by 55·21 and 32·17% compared to the unreinforced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon fibres were used to enhance the materials by selected laser sintering. Gas phase oxidation, dense nitric acid and the coupling reagent processing together with dense nitric acid were adopted to modify carbon fibres, the microstructure of carbon fibres surface after treatment were analysed by SEM, and the strength of the composites was tested. The results demonstrate that the carbon fibre modified by 65-68% KHNO3 + 1% KH550 is considered as the optimal method. With the increase of carbon fibres content, the strength of the composite increases first and then decreases within a certain range. When the carbon fibres content at 3 wt-%, the green strength and the post-curing strength reached 0·87 and 9·614 MPa respectively, and the rate increased by 55·21 and 32·17% compared to the unreinforced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An orthogonal experiment L9(33) for evaluation of the extraction of flavonoids from onion by hot water extraction method, ethanol extraction method, and ultrasonic extraction method and their determination by means of ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy was carried out. The main orders for the affecting factors in three methods were as following during the extraction process: (a) hot water extraction method: the extraction time > the proportion of liquid and materials > the extraction temperature; (b) ethanol extraction method: the extraction temperature > the extraction time > the proportion of liquid and materials; and (c) ultrasonic extraction method: the extraction time > solvent volume fraction > the proportion of liquid and materials. The results showed that the ethanol extraction method was determined the best extraction method, and the best extraction results were obtained when the samples were determined by a reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic method with a diode array detector (RP-HPLC–DAD) for each method. A reversed phase EclipseXDB-C18 column and isocratic elution were used during the analysis, and the detection wavelength was set at 270 nm. In addition, the method was thoroughly validated; its precision (as RSD) ranged from 0.22% to 0.31%, and satisfactory recoveries varied between 98.67% and 99.66%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GaN luminescence, induced by ultraviolet light under/after inductively coupled plasma exposure, has been measuredin situandex situ. After the plasma exposure, both near-band edge (NBE) and yellow luminescence (YL) intensities decrease. The decay times of NBE and YL in thein situmeasurement are shorter than those of theex situmeasurement on account of the temperature rise induced by the plasma. On the other hand, with increasing plasma power, the decay times decrease. It is considered that this decrease is strongly related to non-radiative defects introduced by the Ar plasma. The results suggest thatin situphotoluminescence monitoring can be used to reveal plasma-induced damage at GaN surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This work focuses on an improved method that enables us to measurein situGaN film photoluminescence (PL) under Ar or N2plasma etching. Although the background signal is large and increases with bias voltage, the GaN PL can be obtained after subtraction of this background from the total luminescence. Moreover, after plasma etching, the intensities of the near-band-edge and the yellow luminescence decrease significantly. It is suggested that this behaviour is strongly related to the heavy plasma-induced damage, which includes non-radiative defects and deep-level defects, such as Ga vacancies and/or C impurities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined sequence variations in three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) regions, namely, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 ( nad5), adenosine triphosphate subunit 6 ( atp6) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 3 ( cox3), among Oesophagostomum asperum isolates from different regions in Shaanxi and Hunan provinces, China. The lengths for partial sequences of nad5 (p nad5), atp6 (p atp6) and cox3 (p cox3) were 427 bp, 381 bp and 337 bp, respectively. The intra-specific sequence variations among all O. asperum samples were 0-2.11%, 0-1.84% and 0-1.48% for p nad5, p atp6 and p cox3, respectively, while the inter-specific sequence differences among Oesophagostomum species in pig and small ruminants were 18-21.3% for p nad5, 18.3-24.5% for p atp6 and 10.6-13.7% for p cox3. A phylogenetic analysis based on combined sequences of three mtDNA fragments indicated that all O. asperum isolates were grouped in one solid clade, and the Oesophagostomum spp. from pig were located in another clade. However, these mtDNA fragments could not reveal genetic relationships of geographical isolates of O. asperum in China. These results provided valuable information for studying population genetics of Oesophagostomum spp., and for controlling Oesophagostomum infection in animals as well as humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an investigation on vibration characteristics of graphene nanoplatelet (GPL) reinforced disk-shaft rotor with eccentric mass resting on elastic supports. The shaft is made of common metal material while the disk is made of graphene nanoplatelet reinforced material. The weight fraction of graphene nanoplatelets (GPLs) is assumed to vary smoothly and continuously along the thickness direction of the disk, which leads to a functionally gradient (FG) structure. The effective properties of the disk are determined via the Halpin-Tsai micromechanics model and the rule of mixture. In accordance with the Timoshenko beam theory and Kirchhoff plate theory, the governing equations which take into account gyroscopic effect due to rotation are derived by using the Lagrange equation. The substructure modal synthesis method and the assumed modes method are utilized to obtain the natural frequencies, and the Runge-Kutta method is adopted to solve the forced vibration response of the rotor system, where the centrifugal force and gravity of an eccentric mass in the shaft are considered as generalized forces. The present analysis is validated through comparison with both experiment and finite element (FE) results. A detailed parametric study is conducted to examine the effects of the rotating speed, GPL weight fraction, GPL distribution pattern, length-to-thickness ratio and length-to-width ratio of GPLs, disk position, disk dimension, and support stiffness on vibration behaviors of the nanocomposite disk-shaft rotor system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small-size gas-tight optical measuring system for detection of ammonia nitrogen in water was prepared based on gas-phase ammonia induced color change of the sensing element that was made by loading bromothymol blue (BTB) in a transparent porous glass fiber membrane. The gas-tight optical measuring system consists of a gas-testing and a liquid-sample chamber connected with each other by means of tubes and a mini-pump that cycles the gas between the two chambers. A 625-nm light emitting diode (LED), a photodetector and a sensing element were mounted in the gas-testing chamber for optical response to ammonia gas released from the water in the liquid-sample chamber. Release of ammonia gas was realized by alkalinizing the water sample with NaOH. Owing to the amount accumulation of ammonia gas in the sealing system, the ammonia nitrogen detection limit of the device can be very low. A small concentration of ammonia nitrogen, as low as 0.05 mg/L, was detected. The two linear-response ranges from 0.05 mg/L to 0.26 mg/L and from 0.26 mg/L to 2.62 mg/L were obtained. A relative standard deviation of ≤1% was determined by multiple measurements of the same sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new supramolecular compounds, [(H4aobtc)0.5(H2O)0.5] (1) and [(H3aobtc)(H2bipy)0.5] (2) (H4aobtc = azoxybenzene-3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxylic acid), were synthesized and characterized. Compound 1 has a complicated three-dimensional hydrogen bonding network with 4-connected {33.62.7} topology. Compound 2 also shows a three-dimensional supramolecular motif with hexagonal topology. The result indicated that hydrogen bonding interactions from different molecular synthons take important roles in the formation of supramolecular architectures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A polyoxoniobate, [Cu(en)2]4{[Nb6O19H2]K(H2O)5}2 ⋅ (H2en) ⋅ 17H2O (en = ethylenediamine) (1), has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, XPS, TGA, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group P1, with a = 12.3533(16) Å, b = 12.7188(16) Å, c = 29.626(4) Å, α = 93.235(2)°, β = 96.094(1)°, γ = 106.098(2)°, V = 4429.0(10) Å3, Z = 2. The polyoxoanion is composed of a Lindqvist-type [Nb6O19H2]6- dimer bi-bridged via two K+. K+ is 10-coordinate with 10 oxygens, three from one [Nb6O19H2]6-, one from a terminal oxygen of another [Nb6O19H2]6- moiety, and the other six from water molecule. Adjacent dimeric polyoxoanions are linked to form an infinite 1-D chain via O-H ··· O hydrogen-bonding interactions which exist between the two water trimers and the dimeric polyoxoanions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tibet Class and the Xinjiang Class in the interior regions are typical models of cross-cultural education. Studies targeted at the difficulties encountered by ethnic minority students during their interior-region (neidi) cross-cultural studies and the implementation of effective countermeasures to overcome such difficulties are urgently required to bring greater efficiency to the special ethnic minority education policy of managing schools in the interior regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of thiosemicarbazone derivatives of benzo-15-crown-5 were synthesized efficiently at room temperature using hydrogenchloride acid (HCl) as catalyst. Their anion recognition properties of a, b and c were studied, the result show they exhibit highly selective binding and sensing of F-, MeCO2- and n-C3H7CO2- in CH3CN (F- > n-C3H7CO2- > MeCO2- > > Cl-, Br- and I-). Especially receptor c shows different UV-Vis spectrum of F- from MeCO2-and C3H7CO2-, in addition to the color of the solution change from colorless to yellow upon the addition of F-, these two points make it suitable to be used as colorimetric anion sensor to identify fluoride anion from other halide anions and carboxylate anions by naked-eye. The connection between receptor and anion is by hydrogen bonding interactions, the binding ratio is 1:1, which have been confirmed by UV-vis inspection spectra in CH3CN and 1HMR in DMSO-d6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel chiral fluorescence calix[4]arenes functionalized at the lower rim with diphenylethylenediamine and thiourea units were synthesized and examined for their enantioselective recognition abilities by the fluorescence and 1H NMR spectra in DMSO. The results indicate that 1 and 2 both formed a 1:1 complex with amino alcohol and exhibit good enantioselective fluorescent responses for phenylglycinol (receptor 1 KL/KD = 4.85, ΔΔG0 = - 3.90 kJ mol- 1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of 1,3-bis(pyridyl-4-ylthio)propan-2-one with Cu(ClO4)2 · 6H2O gave a new complex {[Cu2(4PDS)2(ox)(H2O)4](ClO4)2}n (4PDS = 4,4'-dipyridyldisulfide, ox = oxalate), with 4PDS and ox being created by the Cu(II)-assisted oxidation of 1,3-bis(pyridyl-4-ylthio)propan-2-one. The complex determined by X-ray crystallography is a 1D polymer, in which metallacycles formed by two 4PDS and two Cu(II) ions are further bridged through ox anions. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, space group Fddd, with lattice parameters a = 15.106(2), b = 23.667(4), c = 27.637(3) Å and Z = 8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase behavior of aqueous mixed surfactants, 1,3‐propanediyl bis(dodecyl dimethylammonium bromide) and sodium dodecyl sulfonate, has been studied at 318.15 K. The influence of added sodium halides (NaF, NaCl, and NaBr) has been investigated. For those systems studied, only one aqueous two‐phase region is formed in which cationic gemini surfactant is in excess. Different salt effects on the densities of the concentrated phases in aqueous two‐phase systems were observed for the three sodium halides. Density experiments indicate that contributions of various ions and water to the density of the solutions are near additive. Whether the concentrated phases in aqueous two‐phase systems are the bottom phases with higher densities or not are dependent on the different counterion binding ability and on the different contribution to the density of the three halides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

9a-(3-Azabicyclo[3,3,1]nonanyl)-2'-cyclopentyl-2'-hydroxy-2'-phenylacetate (1) was synthesized and its enantiomers were obtained by the optical resolution of racemates with the chiral host N- p -toluenesulfonylglutamic acid. Optical pure 1 was also effective diastereoselective synthesized using benzaldehye as steric hindrance agent from the chiral starting material, ( S ) or ( R )-mandelic acid. The structure of the title compound was first elucidated by X-ray analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are produced by plants responding to biotic and abiotic stresses. According to their biosynthetic sources, induced VOCs are divided into three major classes: terpenoids, phenylpropanoid/benzenoid, and fatty acid derivatives. These compounds with specific aroma characteristics importantly contribute to the aroma quality of oolong tea. Shaking and rocking is the crucial procedure for the aroma formation of oolong tea by exerting mechanical damage to fresh tea leaves. Abundant studies have been carried out to investigate the formation mechanisms of VOCs during oolong tea processing in recent years. This review systematically introduces the biosynthesis of VOCs in plants, and the volatile changes due to biotic and abiotic stresses are summarized and expatiated, using oolong tea as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to determine whether beryllium toxicity was associated with mitochondria apoptosis pathway in SD rats. Methods: Thirty-two SD rats were given an intratracheal instillation dose of 10 g/l beryllium oxide (0.5 ml per rat). Additional 32 rats were given an intratracheal instillation dose of 0.9% normal saline (0.5 ml per rat). The percentage of apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential, the expression level of apoptosis related genes and proteins, including bcl2, Bax and Caspase-3 were detected. Results: The average of percentage of apoptosis, the expression of caspase-3, bax, and cytochrome c were decreased significantly in lung tissues from rats exposed to beryllium oxide compared to normal controls. The expression of bcl2 and ADP were increased significantly at 80 d after exposure. Conclusions: We conclude that inhibition of apoptosis by beryllium oxide involves mitochondrial apoptosis pathway in rat model of beryllium oxide-induced pulmonary disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, theoretical modeling and vibration characteristics of a spinning double-blade beam assembly restricted by elastic supports are studied. Graphene nanoplatelet (GPL) reinforcement and porous foamed metal matrix are adopted to make up the assembly structure. Due to the nonuniformity of the porosity and graphene nanofillers, the material properties of the attached blades and beam are considered to change along the blade thickness and beam radius, respectively. They are obtained via the rule of mixture, the open-cell scheme and the Halpin-Tsai micromechanics model. These attached blades and beam are modeled in accordance with the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and the Rayleigh beam theory, respectively. Via employing the Lagrange's equation, the equations of motion of the double-blade beam are derived. Then, the natural frequencies of the spinning nanocomposite double-blade beam are calculated by the substructure modal synthesis method and the assumed modes method. A detailed parameter analysis is performed to study the influences of dimension, distribution pattern and weight fraction of GPLs, distribution and coefficient of porosity, length and location of the blades, stiffness and location of supports, and spinning speed on the mechanical behaviors of the double-blade beam assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five new oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins, oleiferasaponins D1-D5 (1-5), were isolated from the defatted seeds of Camellia oleifera Abel. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical methods. The cytotoxic activities of compounds 1-5 were evaluated against five human tumor cell lines (HCT-116, HepG2, BGC-823, NCI-H1650, and A2780). Compounds 1-2 exhibited cytotoxic activity against five human cancer cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 3.31 to 10.23 μM. Compounds 3-5 showed moderate cytotoxic activities toward the tested cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of a delivery system which can effectively carry hydrophobic drugs and have pH response is becoming necessary. Here we demonstrate that through preparation of β-cyclodextrin polymer (β-CDP), a hydrophobic drug molecule of ibuprofen (IBU) was incorporated into our prepared β-CDP inner cavities, aiming to improve the poor water solubility of IBU. A core-shell capsule structure has been designed for achieving the drug pH targeted and sustained release. This delivery system was built with polysaccharide polymer of Sodium alginate (SA), sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) by physical cross-linking. The drug pH-response control release is this hydrogel system’s chief merit, which has potential value for synthesizing enteric capsule. Besides, due to our simple preparing strategy, optimal conditions can be readily determined and the synthesis process can be accurately controlled, leading to consistent and reproducible hydrogel capsules. In addition, phase-solubility method was used to investigate the solubilization effect of IBU by β-CDP. SEM was used to prove the forming of core and shell structure. FT-IR and1H-NMR were also used to perform structural characteristics. By the technique of UV determination, the pH targeted and sustained release study were also performed. The results have proved that our prepared polysaccharide hydrogel capsule delivery system has potential applications as oral drugs delivery in the field of biomedical materials. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives To describe the ultrasonographic appearance of congenital anaplastic astrocytoma, so as to provide diagnostic clues for it. An updated review of the literature was also carried out. Results There was a case of fetal anaplastic astrocytoma detected by ultrasound at 37 + 1 weeks of gestation. It showed that a hypoechoic mass was located in the left hemisphere with a relatively clear margin and subtle color flows. Prenatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which was taken subsequently confirmed the result of ultrasound. Intratumoral hemorrhage was observed in later follow-up and further confirmed by histological examination. The fetus was delivered vaginally at 39 + 6 weeks. The infant died 2 h after delivery due to respiration failure. The histological examination confirmed an anaplastic astrocytoma. Conclusions Congenital anaplastic astrocytoma commonly detected by ultrasound has a relatively better perinatal prognosis, especially compared with glioblastoma. Prenatal ultrasonography diagnosis accurately is of critical importance. The anaplastic astrocytoma should be considered in cases in which fetal images reveal a heterogeneous echogenic mass in the brain, especially in the presence of intratumoral hemorrhage, subtle color flow, and relatively clear margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The aurantio-obtusin's glucuronide was detected when aurantio-obtusin was incubated with human liver microsomes (HLMs). Recombinant UGT isoforms screening experiment showed that UGT1A8 was the major isoform contributed to the glucuronidation. 2. The metabolic profiles for aurantio-obtusin in liver microsomes from different species were similar, however, the intrinsic clearance values ( Vmax/ Km) among the species were: Monkey > Human > Rat > Rabbit > Dog > Pig > Mouse > Guinea pig. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate role and clinical significance of CDK13 in breast cancer patients. A total of 189 cases of breast cancer were enrolled during March 2013 to March 2015. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used for measurement of CDK13, HIF-1α and beclin1. Clinical characteristics of age, BMI, TNM stage, pathological types, and tumor diameter, were recorded. Patients' 5-year overall survival and recurrence were followed up. All patients were followed up for 5 years or to the last follow-up. The expression levels of CDK13 and HIF-1αin breast cancer tissues were up-regulated and beclin1 was down-regulated than in the paracancerous non-tumor tissues. CDK13 was positively correlated with HIF-1α and negatively correlated with beclin1 in breast cancer tissues. The patients with higher expression of CDK13 showed significantly higher rates of TNM III–IV, higher rates of lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and larger tumor size. The mortality and recurrence rates were higher in high expression CDK13 patients than in low CDK13 expression patients, however with no significant difference. K–M curve showed patients with higher CDK13 showed lower 5-year overall survival and lower disease-free survival time, however with no significant difference. CDK13 was overexpressed in breast cancer tissues, and patients with higher CDK13 had poorer clinical outcomes. Further studies are still needed to reveal the clinical significance of CDK13 in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs16754 of the WT1 gene has been described as a possible prognostic marker in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the results in this field are not reproducible in different cohorts. In this study, we investigated WT1 mutations, expression levels and SNP rs16754 in a cohort of 122 adult patients with AML. As the major allele (65.6%) in a Chinese population, WT1GG was associated with younger age (≤ 60) and lower percentage of blasts than WT1GA/AA. Meanwhile, improved overall survival (OS, p = 0.035) and disease-free survival (DFS, p = 0.021) were observed in WT1GG compared with WT1GA/AA. We then found that WT1 mutation, occurring in 8% of patients with AML, did not predict clinical outcome. Finally, WT1 levels were higher in patients with WT1GG than in those with WT1GA/AA. However, high levels of WT1 (> median) predicted worse OS ( p = 0.015) and DFS ( p = 0.034) than low levels of WT1 (≤ median). However, further studies are required to elucidate the mechanism of why WT1GG, which was associated with higher median expression of WT1 that predicts worse OS and DFS compared to low expression of WT1, predicted better OS and DFS compared with WT1GA/AA. In summary, WT1 rs16754 and WT1 expression have a significant impact on clinical outcome in patients with AML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study was to investigate whether long-term amlodipine-based combination therapy attenuates seasonal variation of office blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive patients. Methods: The data of 206 patients recruited in the Nanchang site of CHIEF trial were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received an amlodipine-based therapy for three years after reaching target BP with a 12-week titration treatment. Among them, 106 patients received amlodipine plus amiloride/hydrochlorothiazide (AA group) and 100 received amlodipine plus telmisartan (AT group) therapies. These patients were followed up every three months. The difference between the highest and lowest values of outdoor temperature in each three months was calculated as the seasonal temperature difference (T-d) and seasonal BP difference was calculated in the similar way. BP control rates in each season were calculated. Results: In the three years, the highest SBP and DBP values occurred in winter and the lowest values in summer. As a result, the BP control rate in summer was the highest and that in winter was the lowest, especially for SBP. Although T-d levels were similar during three following-up years, the seasonal SBP/DBP differences in 2011 were significantly lower than 2009 (10.03 ± 5.74/6.96 ± 3.72 vs 14.36 ± 8.19/9.78 ± 5.21 mmHg, P <.05), suggesting seasonal variation in BP was obviously reduced. Meanwhile, similar change was observed in AA and AT groups. Conclusions: Besides lower BP effectively, long-term amlodipine-based combination therapy could alleviate the seasonal BP variation in high-risk hypertensive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polyoxomolybdate, [Cu2(pz)(Mo3O10)] n (pz = pyrazine) (1), has been synthesized hydrothermally and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, X-ray photoelectron spectra, and thermogravimetric analysis. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction demonstrates that 1 has a 3-D architecture constructed by combination of {Mo3O10} units and [Cu2(pz)]2+. All the terminal oxygen atoms of the polyoxomolybdate are coordinated by univalent copper. Pyrazine came from in situ decarboxylation of 2-pyrazinecarboxylic acid and Cu+ from the in situ reduction of Cu2+ during the hydrothermal synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: The current prospective randomized study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of combined intrapleural cisplatin and OK-432 (picibanil) plus hyperthermotherapy in patients with malignant pleural effusion (MPE). Methods: A total of 358 patients with MPE due to end-stage malignancies were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups, A and B: the intrapleural combination of cisplatin and OK-432 with hyperthermotherapy (n == 179) or without hyperthermotherapy (n == 179), respectively. Mild toxicities such as nausea, vomiting or anorexia, bone marrow depression, and pyrexia were similar in both groups. Result: Patients in Group A (with hyperthermotherapy) showed a significantly higher overall response (93.4%%) compared to those in Group B (79.8%%, χ2 == 43.11, p < .05). The median survival time for patients in Group A and Group B were 8.9 and 6.2 months, respectively ( p > .05). After treatment, the quality of life scores were significantly increased in both groups as compared to prior treatment ( p < .05). Conclusion: In conclusion, our study suggests that combined intrapleural cisplatin and OK-432 followed by hyperthermotherapy are more effective in the control of MPE and improve patients' quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new xanthones, angustins A and B (1 and 2), were isolated from the aerial parts of Swertia angustifolia together with six known compounds (3–8). The structures of these two xanthones were elucidated by extensive analysis of the spectroscopic data. In addition, compounds 3 and 6–8 were isolated from this plant for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this study, the effect of suppression on phosphate liberation from eutrophic lake sediment by using fly ash and ordinary Portland cement (OPC) was investigated by small scale experiment. A system including sediment, lake water, and several kinds of capping materials was designed to clarify the suppression of phosphate liberation from sediment under the anaerobic condition. The suppression efficiencies of fly ash, OPC and glass bead used as control material were also determined, and these effects were discussed. The suppression efficiency of glass bead was 44.4%, and those of fly ash and OPC were 84.4%, 94.9%, respectively. The suppression by fly ash and OPC was mainly carried out by the adsorption effect, in addition to the covering effect. The suppression efficiency depended on the amounts of the material used, and about 90% of liberated phosphate was suppressed by fly ash of 10.0 Kg m -2 , and OPC of 6.0 Kg m -2 . The concentrations of heavy metals, such as mercury, cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, chromium, silver, arsenic and nickel, in fly ash and OPC were lower than those in the environmental materials. And it was considered that the concentrations of heavy metals in fly ash and OPC were too low to influence the ecosystem in natural water region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of boundary feedback stabilization of rotating Timoshenko beam, arising from control of flexible robot arms, is studied in this paper. First, under gain adaptive direct strain feedback controls, a counterexample is given to show that the corresponding closed loop system is not asymptotically stable, which is contrary to traditional conjecture. The counterexample given in this paper also exemplifies an interesting result: certain two two-order linear partial differential equations with five homogeneous boundary conditions have non-trivial solutions. Then, with an additional boundary feedback control, the related energy of the closed loop system is proved to be strongly stable, or more precisely, the configuration of the beam can be exponentially stabilized with some suitable non-linear boundary feedback controls with adaptive gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One luminescent Cd2+ coordination polymer, {[Cd(tbca)(H2O)]}n (1) (Htbca = 4'-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-biphenyl-4-carboxylic acid), has been synthesized and characterized by infrared spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. Structural analysis revealed that 1 was a 3D framework with a 3,6-connected rtl topology. Fluorescence titration experiments demonstrated that 1 was an excellent multi-functional probe for metal ions and amino acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

XingNaoJing injection (XNJ), extracted from a traditional compound Chinese medicine Angong niuhuang pill, is well known for treating stroke in the clinic, but the specific effects and mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated the mechanistic basis for the protective effect of XNJ on cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Five groups of 10 SD rats underwent 2 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 24 h reperfusion. XNJ at 10 and 15 mL/kg was intraperitoneally administered 24 h before ischaemia and at the onset of reperfusion respectively. The silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) inhibitor EX527 was intracerebroventricularly injected 0.5 h before reperfusion. Cerebral infarction size, neurological scores, morphological changes, and expression levels of inflammatory mediators and SIRT1 were measured. Furthermore, human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) were subjected to 3 h oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) followed by 24 h reoxygenation to mimic cerebral I/R in vitro. EX527 pre-treatment occurred 1 h before OGD. SIRT1 and inflammatory mediator levels were analyzed. Both XNJ doses significantly decreased cerebral infarct area (40.11% vs. 19.66% and 9.87%) and improved neurological scores and morphological changes. Inflammatory mediator levels were remarkably decreased in both model systems after XNJ treatment. XNJ also enhanced SIRT1 expression. Notably, the SIRT1 inhibitor EX527 attenuated the XNJ-mediated decrease in inflammation in vivo and in vitro. XNJ improved cerebral I/R injury through inhibiting the inflammatory response via the SIRT1 pathway, which may be a useful target in treating cerebral I/R injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volume resuscitation is an important early treatment for haemorrhagic shock. Haemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (HBOC) can expand the volume and provide oxygen for tissues. Vascular leakage is common complication in the process of haemorrhagic shock and resuscitation. The aim of this study was to observe the effects of HBOC (a bovine-derived, cross-linked tetramer haemoglobin oxygen-carrying solution, 0.5 g/L) on vascular leakage in rats after haemorrhagic shock. A haemorrhagic shock rat model and hypoxic vascular endothelial cells (VECs) were used. The role of intercellular junctions and endothelial glycocalyx in the protective effects of HBOC and the relationship with mitochondrial function were analysed. After haemorrhagic shock, the pulmonary vascular permeability to FITC-BSA, Evans Blue was increased, endothelial glycocalyx was destroyed and the expression of intercellular junction proteins was decreased. After haemorrhagic shock, a small volume of HBOC solution (6 ml/kg) protected pulmonary vascular permeability, increased structural thickness of endothelial glycocalyx, the levels of its components and increased expression levels of the intercellular junction proteins ZO-1, VE-cadherin and occludin. Moreover, HBOC significantly increased oxygen delivery and consumption in rats, improved VEC mitochondrial function and structure. In conclusion, HBOC mitigates endothelial leakage by protecting endothelial glycocalyx and intercellular junctions through improving mitochondrial function and tissue oxygen delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stemonae Radix, a medicinal and edible herb, has been reported to possess various pharmacological effects. In the present study, Stemonae Radix was fermented by fungi to improve the antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase activities. The results showed that Stemonae Radix fermented by Mucor circinelloides T2-12 exhibited two-folds more antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase activities than non-fermented material. The increased activity might be ascribed to the improvement of total phenolic content, hydrolyzation of glucosides and esters of phenolics and metabolism of saccharides according to ultraviolet and nuclear paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. This paper suggested that fermenting Stemonae Radix with M. circinelloides T2-12 is effective to increase antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase effects and Stemonae Radix fermented by M. circinelloides T2-12 might be newly alternative of natural antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitor. The present study is the first to report that pure strain fermentation processing is effective in improving the antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase activities of Stemonae Radix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of its high stability, good wear resistance, and high mechanical hardness, SiC is widely used in various mechanical parts as a protective film. However, there have been few reports published on the preparation of SiC films by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering. In this work, SiC films were deposited onto glass and ceramic substrates from a sintered SiC target through pulsed DC magnetron sputtering. The influence of the variation of the power pulse frequency (0 kHz, 50 kHz, 150 kHz, 250 kHz, and 300 kHz) on the film's performance was studied. The surface morphology, structural characteristics, hardness, and adhesion strength of the deposited SiC films were investigated here. The results show that all the deposited films adhered well to the substrate. They were smooth, compact, and presented an amorphous structure. The film hardness was found to increase as the pulse frequency was increased. When the pulse frequency was 250 kHz, the resulting SiC film possessed optimal mechanical properties with a hardness of 25.74 GPa (measured using a nanometer indentation instrument) and an adhesion strength of about 36 N (measured by scratch tester). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to find the relationship between dietary nitrite and risk of esophageal cancer, and determine the amount of nitrite intake to establish the oral highest daily intake to prevent the occurrence of esophageal cancer. Duplicate portions of three-consecutive-day diets were collected from 100 patients with esophageal precancerous lesions and 100 controls. The average nitrite daily intakes for esophageal precancerous lesions and normal people were 15.72 mg/d and 11.11 mg/d. The median nitrite daily intakes for cases and controls were 8.76 mg/d and 5.33 mg/d. Positive association was observed between the risk of esophageal precancerous lesions and dietary nitrite intake (p = 0.035). An increased risk of esophageal precancerous lesions was observed for cases or controls in the highest intake quartile of nitrite (highest vs. lowest quartile odds ratio (OR) = 2.256, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.012-5.026). These results suggest that dietary nitrite intake may influence the risk of esophageal cancer; populations with high incidence of esophageal cancer should take control of nitrite intake as one of the measures to prevent esophageal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]