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Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic lifetime disorder with a high incidence worldwide. A functional food-based method to prevent UC would be a good option for disease control. G. lemaneiformis oligosaccharides (GLOs) should have potent benefits for the gastrointestinal tract, based on in vitro fermentation assessed in our previous study. This study evaluated the therapeutic potential of GLOs in UC, as well as their possible mechanisms of action. The administration of GLOs was able to reduce the severity of dextran sulphate sodium-induced colitis by protecting mice from weight loss, reductions in colon length, inflammatory infiltration, and colon damage. Gut microbiota composition analysis showed that at the phylum level, GLOs could restore the composition of Bacteroidetes and decrease the level of Firmicutes. Consistently, it increased the contents of beneficial microbial metabolites and short-chain fatty acids in the mouse colitis model. In conclusion, GLOs could comprise a promising functional food strategy to alleviate UC symptoms.

A 2-year field study was conducted to compare the effect of wheat straw, its biochar, and wheat straw plus biochar addition on soil fluxes of CO2, CH4, and N2O during the growing season, and soil properties and crop yield in a Black Chernozemic soil planted to barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in central Alberta, Canada. The objective was to assess the benefit of applying biochar instead of its feedstock, wheat straw, in improving environmental sustainability. Biochar addition did not affect soil CH4 oxidation, but decreased CO2 and N2O emissions as compared with both wheat straw applied alone and wheat straw and biochar applied together in 2010 and 2011 (p < 0.001), and resulted in a lower global warming potential, indicating that the biochar was effective in mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from the agricultural soil, as a result of biochar suppressing soil microbial activity and reducing soil N availability. Biochar application reduced N2O emission over 2 years, indicating its longer-term impact. Biochar application alone increased barley yield by 9.9 to 20.4% as compared to the other three treatments, thus reducing yield-scaled greenhouse gas emission intensity by 27.2 to 50.9% (p = 0.013 for the control and p < 0.001 for both wheat straw–amended treatments), with an average reduction of 3.43 t CO2-eq t−1 grain. The application of both wheat straw and its biochar reduced the temperature sensitivity of soil CO2 emission (Q10, p < 0.001), but the application of wheat straw or its biochar alone did not affect Q10, indicating that biochar application reduces the sensitivity to temperature changes of the decomposition of the new organic matter added to the soil. We conclude that (1) the application of wheat straw–derived biochar was preferred to raw wheat straw in mitigating GHG emission and (2) biochar can be an effective management strategy for properly handling crop residues in sustainable agriculture.

Soil-dissolved organic matter (DOM) drives the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles in agroecosystems. Despite many studies on DOM dynamics, hardly any attention has been directed toward DOM quality, particularly DOM composition. The aim of this study was to elucidate how C and N management practices alter soil water-extractable organic matter (WEOM) in a loess soil agroecosystem. Field experiments were conducted with a winter wheat monoculture. Three N fertilization rates (0, 120, and 240 kg ha−1 year−1) were applied for 17 years (2002–2019), combined with five C practices (zero, low, and high rates of sheep manure or wheat straw) for three years (2016–2019). The results reveal that soil organic carbon (SOC) and water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC) concentrations in the topsoil (0–20 cm) were increased by organic amendments considerably but were not affected by N fertilization. The fluorescence excitation–emission matrix spectra (EEM) of WEOM were resolved to two humic-like components (C1 and C2) and two soluble microbial byproduct-like components (C3 and C4). The proportions of C1 and C2 were increased, while the proportion of C3 was decreased by both C and N management practices. In conclusion, organic amendments increased both WEOM quality and its proportion of humic-like components, whereas N fertilization increased the proportion of humic-like components without variations of WEOM quality in the topsoil of loess soil.

The External Target Facility (ETF) has been constructed for reaction studies with high-energy secondary beams of several hundred MeV/u. The charged fragment detector system of ETF consists of a dipole magnet, tracking drift chambers, ionization chambers and plastic scintillators for particle identification (PID) via B ρ - Δ E-TOF method. The system is now ready for physics experiments. Before physics runs, it has been tested using 280 MeV/u 18O primary beam as well as the secondary beams produced by projectile fragmentation. The system used as a magnetic spectrometer has exhibited satisfying PID capability in identifying fragments ranging from nitrogen to beryllium.

The compact spectrometer for heavy ion experiment (CSHINE) is under construction for the study of isospin chronology via the Hanbury Brown–Twiss (HBT) particle correlation function and the nuclear equation of state of asymmetrical nuclear matter. The CSHINE consists of silicon strip detector (SSD) telescopes and large-area parallel-plate avalanche counters, which measure the light charged particles and fission fragments, respectively. In phase I, two SSD telescopes were used to observe 30 MeV/u $$^{40}$$ Ar + $$^{197}$$ Au reactions. The results presented here demonstrate that hydrogen and helium were observed with high isotopic resolution, and the HBT correlation functions of light charged particles could be constructed from the obtained data.

A Compact Spectrometer for Heavy IoN Experiments (CSHINE) has been recently built for the studies of heavy ion reactions at intermediate energies. CSHINE consists of a Si-Si-CsI telescope array and a parallel plate avalanche counter (PPAC) array. Each telescope consists of a thin single-sided silicon strip detector and a thick double-sided silicon strip detector backed by a 3 × 3 CsI(Tl) crystal hodoscope . The thicknesses of the silicon detectors are optimized in order to identify various types of light charged particles in a wide energy range. PPAC is a large-area two-dimensional position-sensitive gas detector, which records fission fragments with the intrinsic efficiency of approximately 100% but filters out light charged particles at properly selected working conditions. In the phase-II run, four Si-Si-CsI telescopes and three PPACs have been installed and operated in the beam experiment with 25 MeV/u Kr+Pb reactions. Particle identification for isotopes from Hydrogen to Boron has been achieved with the Si-Si-CsI telescopes, while excellent timing and position resolution have been achieved with the PPACs.

We investigated relationships between phosphorus (P) availability and fractionation and growth of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Watson) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) in the Athabasca oil sands region. The study sites had peat – mineral soil mix (PMM) as cover soil over a tailings sand substrate planted to pine or an overburden substrate planted to spruce. Available P was determined using a modified Kelowna extraction and sequentially extracted to obtain exchangeable, Fe- and Al-bound, Ca- and Mg-bound, organic, and residual P. The organic P content in PMM explained 83% and 65% of the variations in available P in the pine and spruce sites, respectively. Phosphorus bound to Fe and Al in PMM was also positively related to available P on pine sites (p < 0.001) but not on spruce sites. Available P in PMM was correlated with aboveground biomass increment of spruce (p < 0.05) and explained 78% of the variation in foliar P. Foliar P in both pine and spruce was lower than the adequate level for tree growth. Low foliar P and available P in PMM affect the successful establishment of pine and spruce trees on the reclaimed sites, and proper P nutrition management is important to overcome P limitation in reclaimed soils.

Triptolide (TP) from Tripterygium wilfordii has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and anticancer activities. TP is specially used for the treatment of awkward rheumatoid arthritis, but its clinical application is confined by intense side effects. It is reported that licorice can obviously reduce the toxicity of TP, but the detailed mechanisms involved have not been comprehensively investigated. The current study aimed to explore metabolomics characteristics of the toxic reaction induced by TP and the intervention effect of licorice water extraction (LWE) against such toxicity. Obtained urine samples from control, TP and TP + LWE treated rats were analyzed by UPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS. The metabolic profiles of the control and the TP group were well differentiated by the principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis. The toxicity of TP was demonstrated to be evolving along with the exposure time of TP. Eight potential biomarkers related to TP toxicity were successfully identified in urine samples. Furthermore, LWE treatment could attenuate the change in six of the eight identified biomarkers. Functional pathway analysis revealed that the alterations in these metabolites were associated with tryptophan, pantothenic acid, and porphyrin metabolism. Therefore, it was concluded that LWE demonstrated interventional effects on TP toxicity through regulation of tryptophan, pantothenic acid, and porphyrin metabolism pathways, which provided novel insights into the possible mechanisms of TP toxicity as well as the potential therapeutic effects of LWE against such toxicity.

In this work, effect of the Yb2O3 doping on the structure and spectroscopic properties of zinc aluminate nanocrystals formed in the glasses were investigated. Zinc aluminate nanocrystals were precipitated in the glasses through heat-treatment. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and absorption spectroscopy were utilized to characterize the structural and spectroscopic properties. It was found that pure ZnAl2O4 spinel nanocrystals were formed in the glasses without Yb2O3 doping. As the doping concentration of Yb2O3 increased, Yb3 + ions were incorporated into the zinc aluminate nanocrystals and gradually changed the structure of space group of zinc aluminate from Fd 3 − m to F432. Both elemental mapping and absorption spectroscopy confirmed the incorporation of Yb3 + ions into the nanocrystals formed in the glasses.

It is well-recognized that multiple components, the majority of which are secondary metabolites and carbohydrates, collectively contribute to the therapeutic effects of herbal medicines. The chemical characterization of herbal medicines has focused extensively on secondary metabolites but has largely overlooked carbohydrates. Here, we proposed an integrated chromatographic technique based targeted glycomics and untargeted metabolomics strategy simultaneously determining carbohydrates and secondary metabolites for the overall chemical profiling of herbal medicines; this strategy was successfully exemplified in an investigation of processing chemistry of Rehmanniae Radix (RR), a Chinese medicinal herb. It was demonstrated that the integrated strategy holistically illuminated the variations in the glycome and metabolome of RR samples processed by the traditionally-adopted nine cycles of steaming and drying, and further elucidated the processing-induced chemical transformation mechanisms of carbohydrates and secondary metabolites, and thereby revealed the inherent chemical connections between carbohydrates and secondary metabolites. The result suggested that the proposed strategy meets the technical demands for the overall chemical characterization of herbal medicines, and therefore could serve as a powerful tool for deciphering the scientific basis of herbal medicines.

A new short-lived neutron-deficient isotope Np-220 was synthesized in the fusion-evaporation reaction Re-185(Ar-40, 5n)Np-220 at the gas-filled recoil separator SHANS. Based on the measurement of the correlated alpha-decay chains, the decay properties of Np-220 with E-alpha = 10040(18) keV and T-1/2 = 25(-7)(+14 )mu s were determined, which are in good agreement with theoretical predictions. From the new experimental results coupled with the recently reported alpha-decay data of Np-219,Np-223, the alpha-decay systematics for Np isotopes around N = 126 was established, which allows us for the first time to test the robustness of the N = 126 shell closure in Z = 93 Np isotopes. The results also indicate that, in the region of nuclei with Z >= 83, the proton drip line has been reached for all odd-Z isotopes up to Np.

Background The nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) of plants are posited to be crucial traits for the resistance and resilience of plants to climate change-induced drought and flooding. However, the potential effects of persistent drought and waterlogging on the dynamics of the NSCs and the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. Methods We measured the NSCs concentrations and pool size, photosynthetic rate and biomass of Robinia pseudoacacia L. seedlings for both 2015 and 2016 under five soil water treatments: 3%, 8%, 17%, 24% and 34% soil water content, representing extreme drought (ED), moderate drought (MD), the control group (CG), field capacity (FC) and waterlogging (WL) stresses, respectively. We observed the relationship between the pool size of NSCs and the survival of seedlings under water stress (drought and waterlogging) for 30 days in greenhouse. Results Compared with CG, the net photosynthetic rate decreased 91%, 67%, 34% and 71%, and the biomass decreased by 37%, 15%, 16% and 33% under ED, MD, FC and WL, respectively. The total NSC (TNSC) concentration was significantly increased by 154% under ED after 10 days and sharply decreased by 50% under ED after 30 days. The concentrations of soluble sugars (SS) were significantly increased by 100% under MD after 10 days and sharply decreased by 60% under ED after 30 days. Compared with GC, the response of NSCs, photosynthetic rate and biomass under ED were more dramatic than that under WL. The pool sizes of fructose and sucrose were larger under ED and WL, but the maximum pool size of starch occurred under the CG. The depletion of NSCs was not observed under ED at the end of the experiments in both 2015 and 2016. Conclusions Our results indicate that the dynamics of NSCs is an important physiological feature of plant adaptation and resistance to drought and waterlogging. In addition, high sugars concentrations are beneficial for the plants during the short-term extreme drought and the longer term mild drought or waterlogging.

Using progesterone as the starting material, we synthesized a series of steroidal derivatives possessing a D-ring substituted benzamidothiazole. All of the final structures were reported and identified by NMR and HRMS spectrometry for the first time. The antiproliferative activity of the synthesized compounds against PC-3 (human prostate cancer cell line) and SKOV-3 (ovarian cancer cells) were investigated. The preliminary results showed that compounds 8b, 8d and 8g possessed moderate antiproliferative activities.

The residual content of sulfur dioxide is frequently regarded as the exclusive indicator in the safety evaluation of sulfur-fumigated edible herbs. To examine the feasibility of such assessment criteria, here the variations in residual sulfur dioxide content during sulfur-fumigation and the potential mechanisms involved were investigated, using Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR) as a model herb. The residual sulfur dioxide content and ten major bioactive components in sulfur-fumigated ASR samples were dynamically examined at 13 successive time points within 72 h sulfur-fumigation. The relationship between the content variation tendency of sulfur dioxide and the ten chemicals was discussed. The results suggested that sulfur dioxide-involved chemical transformation of the original components in ASR might cause large consumption of residual sulfur dioxide during sulfur-fumigation. It implies that without considering the induced chemical transformation of bioactive components, the residual sulfur dioxide content alone might be inadequate to comprehensively evaluate the safety of sulfur-fumigated herbs.

In this study two methods including coating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) layers on the electrode surface and adding CNTs-suspension during electrochemically active biofilms (EABs) growth were used, respectively, to develop CNTs hybrid EABs for enhancing electricity generation capability of EABs. EABs growth on the CNTs with functional groups of hydroxyl (CNTs-OH) or carboxyl (CNTs-COOH) and pristine CNTs without functionalization (P-CNTs) modified electrode was investigated. The maximum current densities of EABs growth on the P-CNTs, CNTs-OH and CNTs-COOH coated electrode were respective 1300 ± 117, 1082 ± 54 and 1124 ± 78 μA cm−2, which were much higher than unmodified electrode (663 μA cm−2). Meanwhile, EABs growth in doping CNTs-COOH or CNTs-OH suspensions system also produced twice higher current density than that on unmodified electrode. These results indicated that the current production of EABs can be significantly enhanced by coating P-CNTs, CNTs-OH, CNTs-COOH layers on the electrode surface or doping CNTs-OH and CNTs-COOH suspension into EABs. Furthermore, morphology analysis of as-obtained EABs had also been studied. It was found that there was no significant difference of the morphological characteristic for EABs growth on different types CNTs coated electrode surface. By comparison, a nano-hybrid porous structure of CNTs and EABs was observed when CNTs-COOH or CNTs-OH suspension was added into the medium during EABs growth, which will be responsible for high current generation.

The banned addition of psychiatric drugs such as phenothiazines to animal feed and foodstuffs increases the risk of human organ lesion. Phenothiazines usually exhibit weak native fluorescence and can be oxidized to strongly fluorescent compounds. In this study, a novel, sensitive and convenient method of HPLC-fluorescence detection based on post-column on-line oxidizing with lead dioxide solid-phase reactor has been developed for simultaneous determination of three banned psychotropic drugs, promethazine, chlorpromazine and thioridazine. Three compounds were successfully separated on an Agilent TC-C18 column with mobile phase of acetonitrile (A) and water (B), both containing 0.5% (v/v) formic acid. A gradient elution was programmed and fluorimetric detection was performed at λex/λem of 332/373 nm for promethazine, 340/380 nm for chlorpromazine and 352/432 nm for thioridazine. The calibration graphs gave good linearity over the concentration ranges of 30.0–4976.4 µg/L for promethazine, 2.0–2153.2 µg/L for chlorpromazine, and 15.0–3088.0 µg/L for thioridazine, and correlation coefficients (r) were ≥0.995. The method was applied to the determination of phenothiazines in pig feed and pig tissue, and the average spiked recoveries were in the range 69.1–115.4%. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Radix Paeoniae Alba (Baishao, BS), one of the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, has many pharmacological effects including analgesic activity. Previous studies found that sulfur-fumigation, a post-harvest handling process developed to prevent mold contamination of medicinal herbs, altered the quality of BS. However, whether sulfur-fumigation affects the pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy of BS warrants further investigation. Aim of the study To evaluate the feasibility of sulfur-fumigation as a post-harvest handling process of BS from the viewpoints of pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy. Materials and methods The pharmacokinetic behaviors of four active components of BS and one characteristic component of sulfur-fumigated BS (S-BS) were evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-TQ-MS/MS). The safety was investigated using ultra high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) based metabolomics approach after intragastric (i.g.) administration of non-fumigated BS (N-BS) and S-BS in rats. The analgesic efficacy was compared using hot-plate test in mice, after i.g. administration of N-BS and S-BS, at both high and low dosages. Results Systemic exposures of paeoniflorin and oxypaeoniflorin, two analgesic components of BS, were significantly decreased in the S-BS treated group compared to the N-BS treated group, while paeoniflorin sulfonate, one of the sulfur-containing derivatives of S-BS, was detected in all time-points of S-BS treated group with the area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC0−t) and the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) as high as 7077.06 ± 2232.97 ng/mL*h and 1641.42 ± 634.79 ng/mL respectively, which indicated that sulfur-fumigation altered the pharmacokinetic behaviors of BS. Besides, paeoniflorin sulfonate and its four metabolites with ambiguous toxicities, as well as one endogenous metabolite p-cresol glucuronide, the biomarker of disordered homeostasis of intestinal bacteria and bile acid, were identified as the characteristic metabolites in S-BS administered rats, suggesting that sulfur-fumigation reduced the safety of BS. Furthermore, the analgesic effects at both low and high dosages were decreased in different extent when compared to N-BS administered groups, indicating that sulfur-fumigation weakened the efficacy of BS. Conclusion Sulfur-fumigation altered the pharmacokinetics, as well as reduced the safety and efficacy of BS, suggesting that sulfur-fumigation is not recommended for post-harvest handling of BS.

In order to directly indicate the change of the quality of temperature sensitive products, such as food and medicine, during transportation and storage, the time-temperature indicator (TTI) was researched. It has cumulative effect on the time and temperature in the transport process and also can be used to monitor the environmental temperature changes. Based on the novel glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase double enzyme reaction system, a new time-temperature indicator was developed. The suitable storage conditions and the composition of double enzyme asof the TTI reaction system were studied. In conclusion, the time-temperature indicator with obvious color change is applied to the packaging of cold products during the transportation and storage process.

Poly(acrylate-styrene)/poly(acrylate-styrene) core/shell latex particles were synthesized via seeded semi-continuous emulsion polymerization. Both core polymer (CP) and shell polymer (SP) were copolymerized by using three identical monomers of methyl methacrylate (MMA), butyl acrylate (BA) and styrene (St) with different composition ratios. The synthesized core/shell latex particle presents a phase separated state with the interfacial layer between CP and SP. In this study, the weight fractions and the corresponding thickness of this interfacial layer, CP and SP phase in the core/shell latex particle has be successfully calculated by using multi-frequency temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TOPEM-DSC). The results indicate that the interfacial layer thickness of the core/shell latex particle is determined by the core/shell structure, such as hard core/soft shell (defined as HC/SS) and soft core/hard shell (defined as SC/HS), the glass transition temperature ( T g ) of the “hard” phase (correspondingly core or shell for HC/SS or SC/HS structure, respectively), and the existence of hydrophilic monomer during the copolymerization process such as acrylic acid. Meanwhile, the influence of film-formation-temperature on the microstructure of the latex films was systematically explored in this work.

Oral decoctions of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) serve for therapeutic and prophylactic management of diseases for centuries. Small molecules and polysaccharides are the dominant chemicals co-occurred in the TCM decoction. Small molecules are well-studied by multidisciplinary elaborations, whereas the role of polysaccharides remains largely elusive. Here we explore a gut microbiota-involved mechanism by which TCM polysaccharides restore the homeostasis of gut microbiota and consequently promote the systemic exposure of concomitant small molecules in the decoction. As a case study, ginseng polysaccharides and ginsenosides in Du-Shen-Tang, the decoction of ginseng, were investigated on an over-fatigue and acute cold stress model. The results indicated that ginseng polysaccharides improved intestinal metabolism and absorption of certain ginsenosides, meanwhile reinstated the perturbed holistic gut microbiota, and particularly enhanced the growth of Lactobacillus spp. and Bacteroides spp., two major metabolic bacteria of ginsenosides. By exploring the synergistic actions of polysaccharides with small molecules, these findings shed new light on scientization and rationalization of the classic TCM decoctions in human health care.

Core–shell polysilsesquioxane-poly(styrene-butyl acrylate-fluorinated acrylate) [PSQ–P(St-BA-FA)] hybrid latex particles were successfully prepared by seeded emulsion polymerization with polymethacryloxypropylsilsesquioxane (PSQ) synthesized by the hydrolysis and polycondensation of (3-methacryloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (MAPTS) in the presence of emulsifiers as seeds. The chemical composition and core–shell morphology of the resultant hybrid particles were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. TEM and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis indicated that the core–shell hybrid particles were uniform and possessed narrow size distributions. The surface properties of the latex films produced from the core–shell hybrid particles were also investigated by contact angle (CA) analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The results proved the enrichment of fluorine on the film surface, and the latex films had high contact angles and low surface free energies. Optical measurements indicated that the incorporation of fluorinated acrylate onto PSQ particles can effectively reduce light reflectivity of the obtained transparent hybrid latex film. Atom force microscopy (AFM) characterization showed that the obtained hybrid latex film had a smooth surface. Additionally, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated that the PSQ–P(St-BA-FA) hybrid latex film had better thermal stability than the poly(styrene-butyl acrylate) [P(St-BA)] latex film.

Dan-Shen-Yin (DSY) is a well-known traditional Chinese formula which is widely used in clinical practice for the treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD) and has produced a favorable effect in China. The present study was designed to examine whether or not acute oral DSY can protect the heart against myocardial infarction in acute myocardial ischemic rats. If so, we would then investigate the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant mechanisms involved. The left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded to induce myocardial ischemia in the hearts of Sprague-Dawley rats. At the end of the 3-h ischemic period (or 24 h for infarction size), we measured the myocardial infarction size, inflammatory factors and the activities of anti-oxidative enzymes. DSY reduced the infarction size and the serum levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor-α and malondialdehyde and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase and the serum levels of glutathione. The results show that DSY exerts significant cardioprotective effects against acute ischemic myocardial injury in rats, possibly through its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, and may thus be used as a potential therapeutic reagent for the treatment of CHD.

Chinese herbs Desmodium styracifolium (Ds) and Pyrrosiae petiolosa (Pp) have been widely used to treat urolithiasis with few side effects in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In vitro crystallization study has confirmed their prophylaxis of Calcium oxalate (CaO( x )) stones formation. However, little is known on their possible mechanisms in vivo. In the present study, we proposed to systematically evaluate their antilithic effects and clarify the underlying mechanism of Ds and Pp using a rat nephrolithiasis model and administering the aqueous extracts. Adult male Wistar rats were fed with 5% ammonium oxalate (AmO( x )) forage to induce nephrolithiasis. After 1 week, the rats were randomly divided into eight groups, and given low, medium, and high dose of each herb treatments (275, 550 and 1,100 mg/kg for Ds and 150, 300 and 600 mg/kg for Pp) by gavage for 3 weeks. In contrast to urolithic rats, urinary oxalate significantly reduced, and urinary calcium increased in medium and high dose Ds groups. Few depositions were observed in kidney with slight dilation of tubules and inflammatory infiltration. Osteopontin (OPN), nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels significantly decreased, but Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were enhanced in kidneys. In high dose Pp group, crystals were found in the dilation of tubules with slight inflammatory infiltration. Partial serum and urinary variables returned to the normal range. In conclusion, medium and high dose Ds has beneficial effect in preventing CaO( x ) stone formation by rising urinary Citrate excretion, decreasing urinary calcium, diuresis, and antioxidative effects. Although high dose Pp has relatively weak prophylaxis, it indicates significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

In order to make the material removal distribution on polishing silicon surface more non-uniform during the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), a kind of the bionic polishing pad with phyllotactic pattern has been designed based on phyllotaxis theory, and by polishing experiment, the effects of the phyllotaxis parameters on material removal distributions on silicon wafer surfaces are investigated. The research results show that the material removal distribution of polishing silicon surface more uniform and the edge rounding of polishing wafer can be decreased when the phyllotaxis parameters of the polishing pad are reasonably selected.

In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the structure and function of telomeres are maintained by binding proteins, such as Cdc13-Stn1-Ten1 (CST), Yku, and the telomerase complex. Like CST and Yku, telomerase also plays a role in telomere protection or capping. Unlike CST and Yku, however, the underlying molecular mechanism of telomerase-mediated telomere protection remains unclear. In this study, we employed both the CDC13-EST1 fusion gene and the separation-of-function allele est1-D514A to elucidate that Est1 provided a telomere protection pathway that was independent of both the CST and Yku pathways. Est1's ability to convert single-stranded telomeric DNA into a G quadruplex was required for telomerase-mediated telomere protection function. Additionally, Est1 maintained the integrity of telomeres by suppressing the recombination of subtelomeric Y' elements. Our results demonstrate that one major functional role that Est1 brings to the telomerase complex is the capping or protection of telomeres.

A novel solution nano-coating technique, by coating ZnO powder with a mixed solution of dopants, has been developed to produce high performance low-voltage ZnO varistors. The sintering temperature in the present route is about 50 °C lower than that in the conventional oxide mixing route. The microstructure and electrical characteristics were examined by XRD, SEM and dc power supply and the results showed that the specimens prepared by the solution-coating route have bigger grain sizes, more evenly distributed intergranular phases, higher densities and nonlinearity coefficients, lower breakdown fields and leakage currents than those from the conventional oxide mixing route. The improved current–voltage properties are attributed to the excellent performance of the nano-composite ZnO powder and the advantages of the solution nano-coating technique.

A series of novel 2-(4-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-4-(4-phenyl)thiazole derivatives, 6(a-o) were designed, synthesized and evaluated for inhibitory activity against human PDE3A and PDE3B. In PDE3 assay, entire set of targeted analogs showed considerable inhibition of PDE3A (IC50=0.24 ± 0.06-16.42 ± 0.14 μM) over PDE3B (IC50=2.34 ± 0.13-28.02 ± 0.03 μM). Among the synthesized derivatives, compound 6d exhibited most potent inhibition of PDE3A with IC50=0.24 ± 0.06 μM than PDE3B (IC50=2.34 ± 0.13 μM). This compound was further subjected for evaluation of cardiotonic activity (contractile and chronotropic effects) in comparison with Vesnarinone. Results showed that, it selectively modulates the force of contraction (63%± 5) rather than frequency rate (23% ± 2) at 100 μM. Docking study of above compound was also carried out in the active site of PDE3 protein model to give proof to the mechanism of action of designed inhibitor. Further, in sub-acute toxicity experiment in Swiss-albino mice, it was found to be non-toxic up to 100mg/kg dose for 28days.

Homeodomain-leucine zipper type I (HD-Zip I) proteins are involved in the regulation of plant development and response to environmental stresses. In this study,OsSLI1(Oryza sativa stress largely induced 1), encoding a member of the HD-Zip I subfamily, was isolated from rice. The expression ofOsSLI1was dramatically induced by multiple abiotic stresses and exogenous abscisic acid (ABA).In silicosequence analysis discovered severalcis-acting elements including multiple ABREs (ABA-responsive element binding factors) in the upstream promoter region ofOsSLI1. The OsSLI1-GFP fusion protein was localized in the nucleus of rice protoplast cells and the transcriptional activity of OsSLI1 was confirmed by the yeast hybrid system. Further, it was found thatOsSLI1expression was enhanced in anABI5-Like1(ABL1) deficiency rice mutantabl1under stress conditions, suggesting that ABL1 probably negatively regulatesOsSLI1gene expression. Moreover, it was found thatOsSLI1was regulated in panicle development. Taken together,OsSLI1may be a transcriptional activator regulating stress-responsive gene expression and panicle development in rice.

A sulfate-selective PVC membrane electrode has been developed using a derivative of imidazole as a neutral carrier. The behavior of the electrode is closely related to the pH values in sample solutions. The electrode shows a linear response towards sulfate in the range 3.16×10−5–0.5 mol/l in a KH2PO4–H3PO4 buffer at pH 3.06±0.01 with a slope of −28.5 mV/dec., the response mechanism of the electrode was investigated by the use of a.c. impedance and the influence on the electrode performances by lipophilic charged additives. The electrode was applied to the determination of sulfate in pharmaceutical samples and the titration of barium acetate with satisfactory results.

A BGO hodoscope was developed to detect intermediate mass fragments (IMF) emitted from the intermediate energy heavy ion collisions. It consists of 13 Δ E – E telescopes (Si–BGO). The responses of the BGO detector for charged particles and IMF were tested. The results indicate that charge resolution for helium, IMF and isotope resolution for hydrogen are achieved for this hodoscope. Some applications of this hodoscope are also described.

Previous studies have indicated that the separation and quantification of different species of reduced sulphur in sediments have suffered from uncertainty in selectivity and recovery of the acid volatile sulphur pool and pyrite sulphur pool. This has probably resulted in either overestimation or underestimation of the sedimentary sulphur pools. This could be caused by differences in reagents and conditions of the analysis and by improper in situ sample pre-treatment, but the major problem is caused by the diversity of standard materials which were used and the discrepancy with real samples in natural systems. The effects of SnCl2, ZnAc and heat on digestion recovery have been investigated using anaerobic sediments and sulphide-rich concretions from a modern salt marsh environment in north Norfolk, UK. Acid volatile sulphur (AVS) and more refractory sulphide phases, termed pyrite sulphur (PS) here, are the major forms of reduced sulphur, but elemental sulphur (ES) is also significant. We found that AVS would be mostly transferred to the ES pool as a result of oxidation without in situ ZnAc treatment, and ES would be recovered in a hot Cr distillation step if not extracted before AVS and Cr extractions. A three-step sequential digestion procedure, after prior elemental S extraction, on ZnAc-treated samples was used to distinguish these different reduced species. Modifications have also been made to the process of distillation and collection of released H2S in order to retrieve enough precipitated S for later isotopic analysis. Pyrite sulphur, as defined by this extraction scheme, is divided into a less mature fraction, as distilled by cold Cr reduction, and a mature fraction, by hot Cr reduction. This method could be used as an index of the degree of the maturity of iron sulphide phases in recent sedimentary environments.

Two-particle correlation functions were measured for the emission of protons, deuterons, tritons, α, and lithium fragment at small relative momenta in 40 Ar-induced reactions on 197 Au at 25 MeV/nucleon. Based on three-body trajectory calculations the emission time scales for the particles were extracted from p-d, d-d, t-t, and lithium-lithium correlation functions. The mean emission time was found to decrease with increasing sum of the kinetic energies of the particle in a correlated pairs, indicating the emission of more energetic particles at earlier stages of the reaction than at later stages. The time scale for the emission of lithium fragments emission suggests that sequential binary disassembly occurs in 40 Ar+ 197 Au reaction at MeV/nucleon. Mean emission temperature of 3.5 −0.8 +1.3 and 3.6±0.4 MeV were also extracted from the relative populations of the excited and ground states of the respective emitted nuclides 8 Be and 4 He.

On the basis of the inhibition of double strand DNA (dsDNA)-templated fluorescent copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) by pyrophosphate (PPi), a novel label-free turn-on fluorescent strategy to detect alkaline phosphatase (ALP) under physiological conditions has been developed. This method relies on the strong interaction between PPi and Cu(2+), which would hamper the effective formation of fluorescent CuNPs, leading to low fluorescence intensity. The ALP-catalyzed PPi hydrolysis would disable the complexation between Cu(2+) and PPi, facilitating the formation of fluorescent CuNPs through the reduction by ascorbate in the presence of dsDNA templates. Thus, the fluorescence intensity was recovered, and the fluorescence enhancement was related to the concentration of ALP. This method is cost-effective and convenient without any labels or complicated operations. The present strategy exhibits a high sensitivity and the turn-on mode provides a high selectivity for the ALP assay. Additionally, the inhibition effect of phosphate on the ALP activity was also studied. The proposed method using a PPi substrate may hold a potential application in diagnosis of ALP-related diseases or evaluation of ALP functions in biological systems.

In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, telomeric DNA includes TG1–3/C1–3A double-stranded DNA and a protruding G-rich overhang. Our previous studies revealed that the telomerase regulatory subunit Est1 promotes telomeric single-stranded DNA to form intermolecular G-quadruplex in vitro, and this activity is required for telomere replication and protection in vivo. In this study, we further characterized the G-quadruplex promoting activity of Est1. Here we report that Est1 is able to promote the single-stranded oligonucleotide of (TGTGTGGG)4, which mimics the natural telomeric DNA, to form intramolecular G-quadruplex. Therefore, it remains possible that the intramolecular G-quadruplex promoting activity of Est1 is biologically relevant in telomere replication in vivo.

A series of superconducting samples with nominal composition Tl2Ba2Can-1CunO2n+4 (1≤n≤11) have been prepared by a two-step method using barium nitrate (instead of barium oxides or barium carbonate). The phase analysis and structural analysis were performed by X-ray diffraction and an electron microprobe. The four-probe resistance and AC susceptibility measurements show that all the samples are superconducting with Tc above 105 K except the n=1 sample, which has a Tc of 88 K. The highest Tc (Tc(M)=124 K) in this series is obtained in the n=5 sample. It is found that there is a correlation between Tc and lattice parameter a of the 2223 phase. Tc increases when lattice parameter a decreases. Several new phases are found by the microprobe analysis. The reaction route and the stability of the samples are also discussed.

Correlation measurements of neutrons and fragments have been performed in a reaction of 33.4 MeV/u 17N on a 9Be target. Energy spectra of n and nitrogen fragments were obtained at different angles. Based on the nuclear diffraction dissociation model, the measured energy spectra and the neutron angular distributions were reproduced quite well assuming that 17N was composed of 16N and n or 15N and 2n interacting with the nonlocal separable potential. The satisfactory agreement between the theoretical calculations and the experimental data shows that the contribution of Coulomb dissociation is negligible in the reaction concerned.

The {beta}-decay of {sup 18}N has been studied using {beta}-n and {beta}-{gamma} coincidence methods. The {sup 18}N ions were produced by the fragmentation of the E/A=68.8 MeV {sup 22}Ne beam on a thick beryllium target. A newly constructed neutron detector system with wide energy detection range and low-energy detection threshold was used. The 619 {+-} 2 ms half-life of the {sup 18}N {beta}-decay was found to be in very good agreement with the previous measurements. Transitions to 11 {beta}-delayed neutron emitting states in {sup 18}O have been observed with a total branching ratio of 6.98 {+-} 1.46%. The Gamow-Teller {beta}-decay strengths of {sup 18}N to these levels were deduced and compared with the shell model calculations. The intensities of the strong {gamma}-ray transitions in {sup 18}O were found to be consistent with recent work.

We compared the urothelial injury to the bladder caused by four agents capable of dissolving calcium salts. The solutions were administrated in an antegrade way through left ureterostomies in 54 rabbits for periods of 24, 48 and 72 h. The bladders were then removed and three routine histological sections were made for each. The following six solutions were used: physiological sodium chloride solution (Phys), artificial urine (Art), 0.03 M disodium EDTA buffered to pH 8.5 with triethanolamine (EDTA), 10% Renacidin (R), test solution 2 (S2, using D-gluconic acid-lactone and other compounds that differ from R in terms of ingredients or quantity), and test solution 1 (S1, using D-gluconic-acid instead of D-gluconic acid-lactone in S2 but keeping the other ingredients the same) for irrigation. At 24 h there was no observable urothelial damage caused by perfusion with Phys or Art; solutions R, S1 and S2 caused approximately the same level of injury to the rabbit bladder mucosa; however, irrigation with disodium-EDTA caused more serious urothelial injury than R, S1 and S2 (P0.05, chi2-test) and may be unacceptable. The damage to bladder tissues treated with S1 and S2 was less than that caused by R, but this was not significant (P0.05, chi2-test). Following a prolonged irrigation time, all of these solutions cause further urothelial damage, but EDTA caused the most, followed by R, S1, S2, Phys or Art, respectively, at 48 and 72 h. In view of the better solubility effect of solutions S1 and S2 compared with R, it might be justified in accepting the more pronounced urothelial irritation caused these solutions, but in order to enhance their effectiveness and reduce urothelial injury further study will be needed.

We report on the utilization of densely packed (~10 SWCNTs µm−1), well-aligned arrays of single-chirality single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as an effective thin-film for integration into a gas sensor with a microtripolar electrode, based on field ionization by dielectrophoretic assembly from a monodisperse SWCNTs solution obtained by polymer-mediated sorting. The sensor is characterized as a field ionization electrode with sorted SWCNTs acting as both the sensing material and transducer gas concentrated directly into an electrical signal, an extractor serving to improve electric field uniformity and a collector electrode completing the current path. The gas sensing properties toward flammable and noxious gases, such as CO and H2, were investigated at room temperature. Besides the high sensitivity, the as-fabricated sensor exhibited attractive behaviors in terms of both the detection limit and a fast response, suggesting that our sensor could be used to partly circumvent the low sensing selectivity, long recovery time or irreversibility and allow for a preferential identification of the selected flammable and noxious analytes. Interestingly, the excellent sensing behaviors of the sensors based on the field ionization effect derive directly from the combined effects of the high-quality, low defect SWCNTs arrays, which leads to a small device-to-device variation in the properties and the optimization of electrode fabrication, highlighting the sensor as an appealing candidate in view of nanotube electronics.

A novel silver nanocluster is synthesized using a DNA template with short guanine at the 3′-end of a DNA scaffold to enhance the fluorescence intensity. The obtained DNA-stabilized silver nanoclusters (G-DNA-Ag NCs) are found to exhibit a strong red fluorescence at 605 nm and its fluorescence can be sensitively quenched by H2O2. This allows us to develop a new enzymatic method for fluorescent detection of cholesterol through oxidation by cholesterol oxidase which can generate H2O2. The present method is convenient without the need for complicated operations, and demonstrates desirable selectivity with no interferences from species such as ascorbic acid, glucose and urea. It shows a linear detection range for cholesterol from 0.2 to 200 μM with a detection limit of 0.15 μM.

This paper examines the viability of the ``Efetov-Larkin'' state (s wave, spin triplet, odd between layers) as an identification of the pairing state of those cuprate superconductors that contain double ${\mathrm{CuO}}_{2}$ planes. It is concluded that most of the NMR and other data are consistent with this assignment but there are one or two obvious diffuculties.

The crystals of BEDT-TTF complexes have various structural modifications. Thus, we consider that BEDT-TTF complexes with polyhalide anions are particularly suited to study and reveal the relationship between their crystal structures and physical properties. We have obtained several new forms of (BEDT-TTF)2IX. The crystal growth was carried out by diffusion of BEDT-TTF and TBA I5 in suitable organic solvent (e.g. THF. CH2Cl2). The structures and physical properties of the new crystal forms of (BEDT-TTF)2I3 will be reported.

A peculiar resistivity anomaly has been observed in a new phase of (BEDT-TTF) 2 I 3 first synthesized recently by Zhu et al. using a diffusion method. The structure of the new phase is similar to that of its isomer β-(BEDT-TTF) 2 I 3 , with a slightly different arrangement of iodine atoms and lattice constants. But, in contrast to the β-phase, which remains metallic when the temperature decreases and finally becomes a superconductor, the new phase undergoes a metal-semiconductor transition at about 140 K. Then, after a rapid rise, the resistivity peaks at ≈ 60 K. However, the thermopower measurement shows only a small anomaly at the phase transition. A model with two energy bands is assumed to explain these phenomena. The quite different behaviour of the new phase seems to imply that the iodine anion plays a subtle role in the determination of the properties of the material.