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• Tylosin was efficiently mitigated by SO 3 H-abundant polymer-based solid acids. • Co-existence of COD and HA did not obviously affect the hydrolytic efficiency. • Polymer-based solid acids presented reliable regeneration and reuse ability. • Pharmacophores in tylosin were hydrolytically removed through desugarization. • The cytotoxicity and ecotoxicity of the transformation products decreased. Antibiotic production wastewater usually contains high concentrations of antibiotic residues, which can cause instability and deterioration of biological wastewater treatment units and also domestication and proliferation of antibiotic-resistance bacteria. An effective pretreatment on antibiotics production wastewater is expected to selectively reduce the concentration of antibiotics and decrease the toxicity, rather than mitigate organic and other contaminants before further treatments. In this work, two polymer-based solid acids, PS-S and CPS-S bearing high concentrations of -SOH 3 groups (up to 4.57 mmol/g), were prepared and successfully used for hydrolytic mitigation of 100 mg/L tylosin within 20 min. The co-existence of high concentrations of COD and humic substances did not affect the mitigation of tylosin obviously, while more than 500 mg/L of nitrogenous compounds suppressed the hydrolytic efficiency. Recycle and reuse experiments showed that the solid acids performed well in five cycles after regeneration. Three transformation products (P1, P2 and P3) were identified using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. Sugar moieties including mycarse, mycaminose, and mycinose detached and released simultaneously or in order from the 16-member lactone ring through desugarization, which led to a dramatic decrease in antibacterial activity as revealed by cytotoxicity evaluations using S. aureus. Ecotoxicity estimation indicated the acute toxicities of the hydrolyzed products to model species (e.g., fish, daphnid and green algae) were classified as "not harmful". This work suggested an effective and selective method to pretreat tylosin-contained production wastewater by using polymer-based solid acids. These results will shed light on effective elimination of antibiotics pollution from pharmaceutical industries through strengthening the pretreatments. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

g/C3N4-ZnO composite catalysts were synthesized through surface hybridization of the delocalized conjugated-π structure of g/C3N4 with the closely contacted surface of ZnO via a successive and simultaneous calcination procedure, and two kinds of photocatalysts, g/C3N4-ZnO1 and g/C3N4-ZnO2, were obtained. Heterojunctions were formed between the two components, which promote the separation of photogenerated carriers efficiently, and then enhanced the degradation of 100 mg/L of AMX The degradation rate of g/C3N4-ZnO1 was 1.54, 11.33, and 2.52-fold that of g/C3N4-ZnO2, g/C3N4 and ZnO, respectively, at a 3.5-h reaction period, with the dosage of 0.3 g/L, and solution pH at 7.0±0.2. The recycle and reuse ability was excellent and 90.5% of AMX mitigation was achieved in the fifth cycle. For g/C3N4-ZnO1, electrons migrated from the conduction band of g/C3N4 to that of ZnO via the heterojunction. ·OH and h+ were the main active species for AMX degradation, compared to ·O2− dominated for g/C3N4. Twelve intermediate products were identified, and two degradation pathways were inferred for g/C3N4-ZnO1 and g/C3N4-ZnO2, respectively. Finally, transformation products without lactam rings were achieved, which lost most of the antibacterial potencies, and the ecotoxicity was also dramatically decreased as indicated by the ECOSAR program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular retinopathy is a pathological change in the retina caused by ocular or systemic vascular diseases that can lead to blurred vision and the risk of blindness. Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs) are extracted from the fruit of traditional Chinese medicine, L. barbarum. They have strong biological activities, including immune regulation, antioxidation, and neuroprotection, and have been shown to improve vision in numerous studies. At present, there is no systematic literature review of LBPs on vascular retinal prevention and treatment. We review the structural characterization and extraction methods of LBPs, focus on the mechanism and pharmacokinetics of LBPs in improving vascular retinopathy, and discuss the future clinical application and lack of work. LBPs are involved in the regulation of VEGF, Rho/ROCK, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, Nrf2/HO-1, AGEs/RAGE signaling pathways, which can alleviate the occurrence and development of vascular retinal diseases in an inflammatory response, oxidative stress, apoptosis, autophagy, and neuroprotection. LBPs are mainly absorbed by the small intestine and stomach and excreted through urine and feces. Their low bioavailability in vivo has led to the development of novel dosage forms, including multicompartment delivery systems and scaffolds. Data from the literature confirm the medicinal potential of LBPs as a new direction for the prevention and complementary treatment of vascular retinopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) is a new biogeotechnical ground improvement technique that uses calcium carbonate (CaCO3) formed by biochemical processes to increase soil strength and stiffness. In this paper, crude urease extracted from soybeans was employed to catalyze the precipitation of CaCO3 in sand. To optimize the urease extraction efficiency, factors affecting the soybean crude urease extraction, including the powdered soybean particle size, concentration, soaking time, and soaking temperature, were addressed. This paper also provided further insight regarding the impact of the urease activity of soybean crude extract on the chemical conversion efficiency and the biocementation performance in EICP. The findings revealed that the powdered soybean concentration and the particle size were the two most important factors affecting the urease activity of the soybean crude extract. The enzyme activity utilized in the EICP process might further lead to different reactant efficiencies of urea-CaCl2 solution, and consequently, the improvement in the physical and mechanical properties of biocemented sand. Considering the chemical conversion efficiency and the biocementation performance, 60 g/L of powdered soybean was concluded as the preferred quantity for extracting the crude urease, with an enzyme activity of 6.62 mM urea min−1. Under this condition, a chemical conversion efficiency of approximately 95% for 0.5 M urea-0.5 M CaCl2 could be obtained in merely 12 h, and the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the EICP-treated sand exceeded 4 MPa with a CaCO3 content of ~8%. As a high-efficient cost-effective alternative to the purified enzyme for carbonate precipitation, the soybean crude urease showed great potential for ground improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a zero-sum game Nash equilibrium computation problem with event-triggered communication is investigated under an undirected weight-balanced multi-agent network. A novel distributed event-triggered projection subgradient algorithm is developed to reduce the communication burden within the subnetworks. In the proposed algorithm, when the difference between the current state of the agent and the state of the last trigger time exceeds a given threshold, the agent will be triggered to communicate with its neighbours. Moreover, we prove that all agents converge to Nash equilibrium by the proposed algorithm. Finally, two simulation examples verify that our algorithm not only reduces the communication burden but also ensures that the convergence speed and accuracy are close to that of the time-triggered method under the appropriate threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important part of the traditional Chinese medicine system, Tibetan medicine has its unique treatment methods for diabetes mellitus and its complications. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most serious diabetic microvascular diseases. Tibetan medicine believes that the occurrence of DN is closely related to renal function changes, and it can be effectively prevented and treated by improving renal lesions. In this paper, we consult ancient books of Tibetan medicine and summarize the medicines that treat kidney disease in the Tibetan medicine system. The Chinese name, English name, and Latin name of these drugs were searched as keywords in the online database. Thirty-four drugs were found for the treatment of DN. The most commonly used were Amomum kravanh, Terminalia chebula, and Tribulus terrestris, and we introduced the traditional uses and modern pharmacological activities of these drugs. The results indicate that Tibetan medicines for kidney disease could be used as potential candidate drugs for DN; they would expand the range of medications for DN and provide a new idea for the treatment of DN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates a resource allocation problem of second‐order nonlinear multiagent systems. The resource allocation problem arises from many fields such as economic dispatch, network utility maximization, and demand response. Due to the dynamics of agents, we cannot solve this problem by using existing resource allocation algorithms. In order to achieve the optimal allocation, we propose a distributed protocol for agents based on gradient descent. Besides, we analyze the global convergence of the algorithm by constructing a suitable Lyapunov function. Finally, we provide examples to illustrate our result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most prevalent chronic paediatric lung disease and is linked to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. MicroRNA-based regulation of type II alveolar epithelial cell (T2AEC) proliferation and apoptosis is an important factor in the pathogenesis of BPD and warrants further investigation.Experimental Approach: Two murine models of hyperoxic lung injury (with or without miR-342-5p or Sprouty-related, EVH1 domain-containing protein 3 [Spred3] modulation) were employed: a hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury model (100% O2 on postnatal days 1-7) and the BPD model (100% O2 on postnatal days 1-4, followed by room air for 10 days). Tracheal aspirate pellets from healthy control and moderate/severe BPD neonates were randomly selected for clinical miR-342-5p analysis.Key Results: Hyperoxia decreased miR-342-5p levels in primary T2AECs, MLE12 cells and neonatal mouse lungs. Transgenic miR-342 overexpression in neonatal mice ameliorated survival rates and improved the BPD phenotype and BPD-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). T2AEC-specific miR-342 transgenic overexpression, as well as miR-342-5p mimic therapy, also ameliorated the BPD phenotype and associated PAH. miR-342-5p targets the 3'UTR of the Raf1 regulator Spred3, inhibiting Spred3 expression. Treatment with recombinant Spred3 exacerbated the BPD phenotype and associated PAH. Notably, miR-342-5p inhibition under room air conditions did not mimic the BPD phenotype. Moderate/severe BPD tracheal aspirate pellets exhibited decreased miR-342-5p levels relative to healthy control pellets.Conclusion and Implications: These findings suggest that miR-342-5p mimic therapy may show promise in the treatment or prevention of BPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this paper, we study the resource allocation problem of second‐order multiagent systems with exogenous disturbances, and the communication networks are weight‐balanced digraphs. Different from the well‐studied resource allocation problems, our problem involves the disturbed second‐order dynamics of agents. In order to achieve the optimal allocation, we propose a distributed algorithm based on gradient descent and internal model approach. Furthermore, we analyze the convergence of the algorithm by constructing a suitable Lyapunov function. Moreover, we prove that the agents in the network can achieve the exact optimal allocation even in the presence of external disturbances. Finally, we provide two examples to illustrate our result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3.0 MeV Ni2+ in the beam doses from 1 X 10(Super 13) to 9 X 10(Super 14) ions/cm2 is implanted into LiNbO3 single crystals at room temperature. The findings show that waveguides from both raised extraordinary index layer and barrier-confined are formed by low and high beam doses implantation, respectively.

Aconitine is a diterpenoid alkaloid, which mainly exists in the plants of Aconitum. In the last decade, a plethora of studies on the pharmacological activities of aconitine has been conducted and demonstrated that aconitine possessed an extensive range of pharmacological activities such as anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, local anesthesia, and immunomodulatory effects. Pharmacokinetic studies indicated that aconitine may have the characteristics of poor bioavailability, wide distribution, and slow elimination. However, studies have also found that aconitine has toxic effects on the heart, nerves, embryos, etc. Therefore, we believe that aconitine may not be suitable for heart patients and pregnant women to treat related diseases. It is important to note that all of these pharmacological effects require further high-quality studies to determine the clinical efficacy of aconitine. This review aims to summarize the advances in pharmacological, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and detoxification of aconitine in the last decade with an emphasis on its anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory activities, to provide researchers with the latest information and point out the limitations of relevant research at the current stage and the aspects that should be strengthened in future research. [Display omitted] • Delineated pharmacokinetics, pharmacology and toxicity of aconitine. • Summarized the advances in anti-tumor mechanism of aconitine. • Discussed detoxification and some promising direction for further research on aconitine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Er-doped materials are of great importance for application in optical communication. SiO2 crystal and silica glass have been implanted with 500keV Er ions at a fluence of 3×1015 ions/cm2, with the aim of incorporating the rare-earth dopant on an optically active site. Erbium concentration profiles were analyzed by Rutherford backscattering technology. Photoluminescence (PL) spectrometry studies were performed at room temperature and at 12K. The characteristic photoluminescence of Er3+ around 1.54μm is observed at room temperature in as-implanted SiO2 crystal and SiO2 glass. And the influence of annealing on the PL intensity is studied. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The formation of optical planar waveguides in LiNbO3 and stoichiometric LiNbO3 crystals by proton exchange was reported. The prism-coupling method was used to characterize the dark-line spectroscopy at the wavelength of 633 and 1539 nm, respectively. The mode optical near-field outputs from proton-exchanged LiNbO3 and SLN waveguides at 633 nm were presented. The mode field from stoichiometric LiNbO3 (SLN) waveguide is lighter and more uniform than that from LiNbO3 waveguide, which means the quality of the waveguide in SLN crystal is better than that of the LiNbO3 waveguide. For proton-exchanged LiNbO3 waveguides, the evolution of the refractive index profile with annealing was presented. The disorder profiles of Nb atoms in proton-exchanged LiNbO3 waveguides were obtained by Rutherford backscattering/channeling technique. It is shown that the longer the exchange time, the larger the displacement of Nb atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Single mode waveguide in Nd3+-doped silicate glass substrate was fabricated by ion implantation technique. Nd3+-doped silicate glass is irradiated with 3MeV Ni ions at a fluence of 5×1014 ions/cm2. The prism-coupling method is used to measure the effective refractive indices of the waveguide dark modes. Only one mode is found, in which its effective index (n eff =1.5207) is higher than the substrate index (n sub =1.5202). The refractive index distribution of the waveguide was reconstructed; and the near-field intensity distribution is in a good agreement with simulated modal profiles. Propagation losses of the light in the waveguides were measured by the back-reflection method. It is found that after annealing the propagation loss of waveguide is effectively reduced. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: KTiOPO4 (KTP) and RbTiOPO4 (RTP) crystals have been implanted with 500keV Er ions at a dose of 3×1015 ions/cm2 with the aim of optically doping the material in the near surface region. The sample was annealed at 500°C for 90min in oxygen atmosphere after implantation. Photoluminescence (PL) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry studies were performed on the as-implanted samples before and after annealing. 1.54μm photoluminescence emission was observed at both room-temperature and low-temperature in KTP without any annealing. After annealing luminescence intensity is improved at 12K and photoluminescence quenching were found at room temperature for both samples. The reasons are discussed in the paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: High quality Nd-doped lutecium vanadate thin films on silica glass substrates were fabricated successfully by using a pulsed laser deposition technique. The properties of the samples were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and prism-coupling measurements. The RBS shows that the ratio of Lu/V in the film is 0.991, which is in good agreement with the target composition. X-ray diffraction results show that the degree of crystal orientation along (200) increases with increasing oxygen pressure up to 20Pa. The refractive indices of the films determined with dark-mode prism coupling measurements are slight, smaller than that of the bulk crystal. An optimum 20Pa oxygen pressure, at which the oxygen was leaked into the chamber as the reactive ambient, was determined. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nd-doped gadolinium vanadate (Nd:GdVO4) films have been grown on La3Ga5SiO14 (LGS) and sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition for the purpose of fabricating diode-pumped waveguide lasers. Films were grown over a range of temperatures from 600 to 700°C in the presence of an oxygen pressure between 2 and 20Pa. Films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and prism coupling method. Nd:GdVO4 films on different substrates show preferential growth along (200) with smooth surface. However, films fabricated on sapphire substrates have better crystallization quality compared with that on La3Ga5SiO14 (LGS) substrates according to the X-ray analysis. Films with sharper dips were observed on sapphire substrates in comparison with that on LGS substrates, which means a good confinement of the light in the corresponding mode. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: High-quality Nd-doped gadolinium vanadate thin films on silica glass substrates were fabricated successfully by using a pulsed laser deposition technique. The properties of the samples were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and prism-coupling measurements. The RBS shows no obvious evidence for interdiffusion between the film and the substrate. The ratio of Gd/V in the film is 0.995. X-ray diffraction results show that the as-deposited Nd:GdVO4 film is basically oriented polycrystalline, and strong (200) peak was revealed. The refractive indices of the films determined with dark-mode prism coupling measurements are slightly smaller than that of the bulk crystal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: High-quality Nd-doped lutecium vanadate thin films on sapphire substrates have been deposited by pulsed laser deposition (KrF excimer laser). The substrate temperature during the deposition was in the range 600–700°C under different oxygen pressure between 2 and 20Pa. The quality of films and crystallographic relationships were assessed by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and prism-coupling measurements. The refractive indices of the films have been inferred from dark-mode prism coupling measurements and are slightly smaller than that of the bulk crystal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]