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Marine natural products play critical roles in the chemical defense of many marine organisms and are essential, reputable sources of successful drug leads. Sixty-seven 14-membered resorcylic acid lactone derivatives 3–27 and 30–71 of the natural product zeaenol (1) isolated from the marine-derived fungus Cochliobolus lunatus were semisynthesized by chlorination, acylation, esterification, and acetalization in one to three steps. The structures of these new derivatives were established by HRESIMS and NMR techniques. All the compounds (1–71) were evaluated for their antialgal and antiplasmodial activities. Among them, 14 compounds displayed antifouling activities against adhesion of the fouling diatoms. In particular, 9 and 34 exhibited strong and selective inhibitory effects against the diatoms Navicula laevissima and Navicula exigua (EC50 = 6.67 and 8.55 μmol/L), respectively, which were similar in efficacy to those of the positive control SeaNine 211 (EC50 = 2.90 and 9.74 μmol/L). More importantly, 38, 39, and 69–71 showed potent antiplasmodial activities against Plasmodium falciparum with IC50 values ranging from 3.54 to 9.72 μmol/L. Very interestingly, the five antiplasmodial derivatives displayed non-toxicity in the cytotoxicity assays and the zebrafish embryos model, thus, representing potential promising antiplasmodial drug agents. The preliminary structure–activity relationships indicated that biphenyl substituent at C-2, acetonide at positions C-5′ and C-6′, and tri- or tetra-substituted of acyl groups increased the antiplasmodial activity. Therefore, combining evaluation of chemical ecology with pharmacological models will be implemented as a systematic strategy, not only for environmentally friendly antifoulants but also for structurally novel drugs.

Background Low back pain (LBP) is a very common condition and leads to serious pain, disability, and price tag all over the world. Intervertebral disk degeneration (IDD) is one of the major reasons that contributed to LBP. The levels of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) increase significantly in degenerative disks. IL-1β also accelerates IDD. Sinapic acid (SA) has the effect of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial. However, the effect of SA on IDD has never been studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to figure out whether SA has protective effect on nucleus pulposus (NP) cells and further explore the possible underlying mechanism. Methods The nucleus pulposus (NP) tissues of rats were collected and cultured into NP cells. The NP cells were stimulated by IL-1β and treated with SA. In vitro treatment effects were evaluated by ELISA, Western blot assay, immunofluorescence, TUNEL method and real-time PCR. We conducted percutaneous needle puncture in the rat tail to build intervertebral disk degeneration model and treated rats with SA. In vivo treatment effects were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and safranin O (SO) staining and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method. Results Our results showed that SA not only inhibited apoptosis but also suppressed inflammatory mediators including nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in IL-1β-stimulated NP cells. As to extracellular matrix (ECM), SA could increase collagen II and aggrecan levels and reduce the expression of MMP13 and ADAMTS5 during the stimulation of IL-1β. Furthermore, SA could activate nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) to inhibit nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) induced by IL-1β. Nrf2 knockdown partly reduced the protective effect of SA on NP cells. Correspondingly, SA ameliorated IDD by promoting Nrf2 expression. In vivo results also showed that SA could delay the progression of IDD. Conclusion In conclusion, we demonstrated that SA could protect the degeneration of NP cells and revealed the underlying mechanism of SA on Nrf2 activation in NP cells.

Most of the biomedical materials printed using 3D bioprinting are static and are unable to alter/transform with dynamic changes in the internal environment of the body. The emergence of four-dimensional (4D) printing addresses this problem. By preprogramming dynamic polymer materials and their nanocomposites, 4D printing is able to produce the desired shapes or transform functions under specific conditions or stimuli to better adapt to the surrounding environment. In this review, the current and potential applications of 4D-printed materials are introduced in different aspects of the biomedical field, e.g., tissue engineering, drug delivery, and sensors. In addition, the existing limitations and possible solutions are discussed. Finally, the current limitations of 4D-printed materials along with their future perspective are presented to provide a basis for future research.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a major cause of low back pain (LBP), and effective therapies are still lacking. Previous studies reported that mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to apoptosis, and urolithin A (UA) specifically induces mitophagy. Herein, we aimed to investigate the protective effect of UA-induced mitophagy on tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP)-induced apoptosis in nucleus pulposus (NP) cells in vitro and a rat model of IDD in vivo. Mitochondrial function, apoptosis, and mitophagy were measured in UA-treated NP cells by western blotting and immunofluorescence; the therapeutic effects of UA on IDD were assessed in rats with puncture-induced IDD. The results showed that UA could activate mitophagy in primary NP cells, and UA treatment inhibited TBHP-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Mechanistically, we revealed that UA promoted mitophagy by activating AMPK signaling in TBHP-induced NP cells. In vivo, UA was shown to effectively alleviate the progression of puncture-induced IDD in rats. Taken together, our results suggest that UA could be a novel and effective therapeutic strategy for IDD.

Cerebral infarction (CI) is the mayor reason of death in China. Reperfusion is the only immediate treatment for acute cerebral infarction. However, blood reperfusion recovery may cause ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injuries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Tetrandrine (TTD) and 3-n-Butylphthalide (NBP) on cerebral I/R injury.I/R was used to establish CI modelWe found that NBP + TTD treatment significantly reduced cerebral infarction volume and inhibited the death of neuronsTaken together, TTD combined with NBP protected against cerebral infarction by inhibiting the inflammatory response and neuronal cell apoptosis

A novel kind of Cu-based catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) has been developed for the efficient reduction of p-nitrophenol (p-NP) to p-aminophenol (p-AP) in a continuous flow-through system. The CMR is prepared by the composite of MOF-derived nanoporous Cu/Cu2O networks and a porous matrix of nylon film. In this process, the pre-synthesized Cu-MOF-nanosheets are deposited onto a porous nylon film via filtration, and then the composite membrane is in-situ reduced by NaBH4 in the liquid phase, producing nanoporous Cu/Cu2O networks/nylon composite membrane. Remarkably, the nanoporous Cu/Cu2O networks exhibit fluffy structure with multidimensional porosity, which shows relatively high mass transportation ability and excellent catalytic activity. Therefore, the nanoporous Cu/Cu2O networks/nylon composite membrane can work as highly efficient and stable CMR, which can continuously convert over 95% of p-NP to p-AP in an 8 h test (8 mL/min) without obvious structure change and deactivation. This new type two-dimensional MOF-derived CMR offers an effective and convenient continuous catalytic process from p-NP to p-AP, which would have a potential application in this industrial reduction reaction.

Background This study aimed to confirm the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound (US) on gout and explore the potential risk factors for double-contour sign and tophi formation in gout patients. Methods The US analyses were performed on all knee, ankle, and first metatarsophalangeal (MTP 1) joints to reveal the type and location of lesions. While a questionnaire and blood biochemical index were used to explore the potential risk factors for double-contour sign and tophi in gout, the SPSS17.0 software was used for statistical analysis in the present study. Results Totally, 117 gout patients with 702 joints (38 lesions in knee joint, 93 lesions in ankle joint, and 112 lesions in MTP 1 joint) were enrolled in current analyses. Double-contour sign and joint effusion were the two most outstanding lesion manifestations in knee joints and ankle joints. Tophi and double-contour sign were the two most outstanding lesion manifestations in TMP 1 joints. Moreover, factors including uric acid (UA) level and the highest blood UA were potential risk factors of the double-contour sign, while age and history of US were potential risk factors for tophi. Conclusion US was effective on the joints of gout patients. There was US sensitivity for tophi and double-contour sign in MTP 1 joints. The double-contour sign was a potential specific manifestation in knee joints and ankle joints. Furthermore, UA and highest blood UA level were potential risk factors for double-contour sign, while age and US history were potential risk factors for tophi.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of iguratimod in patients with early primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).Twenty-seven disease-modifying antirheumatic drug-naive female patients met the revised American-European Consensus Group criteria for pSS were enrolled in this open-label pilot study. Patients were treated with iguratimod 25 mg twice a day for 24 weeks. The disease activity was assessed with European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Sjögren's Syndrome Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) and EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI) at 12 and 24 weeks. Salivary and lacrimal gland function, laboratory, and subjective variables were also assessed. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze parameters over time.ESSDAI (median, 5 versus 2 versus 2,In this study, iguratimod treatment is safe and effective for improving disease activity and laboratory parameters in early pSS patients.

Summary Objective To elucidate the role of LRRK2 in intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) as well as its mitophagy regulation mechanism. Methods The expression of LRRK2 in human degenerative nucleus pulposus tissues as well as in oxidative stress-induced rat nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) was detected by western blot. LRRK2 was knocked down in NPCs by lentivirus (LV)-shLRRK2 transfection; apoptosis and mitophagy were assessed by western blot, TUNEL assay, immunofluorescence staining and mitophagy detection assay in LRRK2-deficient NPCs under oxidative stress. After knockdown of Parkin in NPCs with siRNA transfection, apoptosis and mitophagy were further assessed. In puncture-induced rat IDD model, X-ray, MRI, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Safranin O-Fast green (SO) staining were performed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of LV-shLRRK2 on IDD. Results We found that the expression of LRRK2 was increased in degenerative NPCs both in vivo and in vitro. LRRK2 deficiency significantly suppressed oxidative stress-induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in NPCs; meanwhile, mitophagy was promoted. However, these effects were abolished by the mitophagy inhibitor, suggesting the effect of LRRK2 on apoptosis in NPCs is mitophagy-dependent. Furthermore, Parkin knockdown study showed that LRRK2 deficiency activated mitophagy by recruiting Parkin. In vivo study demonstrated that LRRK2 inhibition ameliorated IDD in rats. Conclusions The results revealed that LRRK2 is involved in the pathogenesis of IDD, while knockdown of LRRK2 inhibits oxidative stress-induced apoptosis through mitophagy. Thus, inhibition of LRRK2 may be a promising therapeutic strategy for IDD.

The NiCo-MOF microflowers are fabricated by a rapid spray method, which are assembled by 2D NiCo-MOF nanosheets with uniform crystal morphology and homogeneous dispersion of Ni and Co. Because of t...

We report a facile method to fabricate a compact Au nanoparticle film with the assistance of surfactants. First, the dodecanethiol-coated Au nanoparticles were floated on the surface of the toluene/acetonitrile solvent mixture and adjusted to an expanded dispersion by changing the mixture ratio. Silicone oil was then added as a surfactant to compress the floating nanoparticles from the original loose status to a closely packed arrangement that produced a compact nanoparticle film. The relationship of the compressed film area to the silicone oil concentration was plotted and compared to the surface tension curve of silicone oil. The results were quite consistent, suggesting that the surface location of the surfactant induced the nanoparticles' compression. The resulting nanoparticle film was uniform and sufficiently robust to be transferred to the solid substrate. Moreover, it could be applied to catalyze the reduction of 4-nitrophenol. Our study indicated that the utilization of surfactants to compress the well-dispersed nanoparticles on the liquid surface is a simple, fast, and adaptable method of fabricateing compact nanoparticle films with great promise for future applications.

We have developed a rapid and convenient method for fabricating metal-organic framework (MOF) and infinite coordination polymer (ICP) nanosheets by spraying the atomized solution of metal ions onto the organic ligand solution. Nanosheet formation could be attributed to the anisotropic diffusion of metal ions in the ligand solution, which may give rise to a lateral interface of metal ions and organic ligands, where the crystals tend to grow laterally in the form of nanosheets. Three kinds of Zn- and Cu-based MOF nanosheets and two kinds of Co-based ICP nanosheets have been successfully obtained by spraying under mild conditions. The two-dimensional structures of nanosheets with a nanometer thickness and a homogeneous size can be evidenced by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements. Furthermore, the fabricated ICP nanosheets have exhibited efficient catalytic performance for the conversion of CO2 to high-value-added chemicals. This spray technique simplifies the nanosheet production process by industrialized means and enhances its controllability by the fast liquid-liquid interfacial fabrication, thus allowing access to the industrialized fabrication of MOF and ICP nanosheets.

Three new diketopiperazine alkaloids, including two oxepine‐containing diketopiperazines, chrysopiperazines A and B (1 and 2), and one quinazoline‐containing diketopiperazine, chrysopiperazine C (5), together with three known analogues (3, 4, and 6), were isolated from the gorgonian-derived Penicillium chrysogenum fungus. The relative and absolute configurations of C-3 and C-15 in 1 and 2, C-3 and C-14 in 5 were established by NOE modified Marfey&rsquo, s analysis and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Particularly, the absolute configurations of C-19 in 1 and 3, which was very challenging to be identified due to the flexible conformation in a short aliphatic chain, were successfully determined by the vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) method, supplying with a reliable and optional method to define the absolute configurations. Additionally, this is the first report on oxepine-containing diketopiperazines from the genus Penicillium.

Cochliomycin G (1), a new 14-membered resorcylic acid lactone, together with six known analogues (2−7), was isolated from the culture broth of a marine-derived fungus Cochliobolus lunatus. The planar structure of 1 was established by extensive NMR spectroscopy, and the absolute configuration was elucidated by the combination of empirical rules, CD data, and 13C chemical shift calculations. Compound 1 exhibited potent antifouling activity against Chlorella vulgaris, Chaetoceros socialis, and Navicula exigua, with EC50 values of 1.09, 0.92, and 0.61 μg/mL, respectively.

The nitrogen (N) cycle has the potential to regulate climate change through its influence on carbon (C) sequestration. Although extensive research has explored whether or not progressive N limitation (PNL) occurs under CO2 enrichment, a comprehensive assessment of the processes that regulate PNL is still lacking. Here, we quantitatively synthesized the responses of all major processes and pools in the terrestrial N cycle with meta-analysis of CO2 experimental data available in the literature. The results showed that CO2 enrichment significantly increased N sequestration in the plant and litter pools but not in the soil pool, partially supporting one of the basic assumptions in the PNL hypothesis that elevated CO2 results in more N sequestered in organic pools. However, CO2 enrichment significantly increased the N influx via biological N fixation and the loss via N2O emission, but decreased the N efflux via leaching. In addition, no general diminished CO2 fertilization effect on plant growth was observed over time up to the longest experiment of 13 years. Overall, our analyses suggest that the extra N supply by the increased biological N fixation and decreased leaching may potentially alleviate PNL under elevated CO2 conditions in spite of the increases in plant N sequestration and N2O emission. Moreover, our syntheses indicate that CO2 enrichment increases soil ammonium (NH4+) to nitrate (NO3−) ratio. The changed NH4+/NO3− ratio and subsequent biological processes may result in changes in soil microenvironments, above-belowground community structures and associated interactions, which could potentially affect the terrestrial biogeochemical cycles. In addition, our data synthesis suggests that more long-term studies, especially in regions other than temperate ones, are needed for comprehensive assessments of the PNL hypothesis.

The tin–bismuth eutectic alloy possesses anomalous physicochemical properties that are dependent on temperature. This paper reports the interfacial reaction and growth behavior of the intermetallic compound (IMC) layer during the dissolution of solid copper in liquid eutectic tin–bismuth at 673–823 K under the influence of the structural transition of liquid eutectic tin–bismuth. The structural transition markedly affected the dissolution rate constant of solid copper and the growth rate of the IMCs. Correspondingly, the application of the liquid structural transition significantly decreased the activation energy of dissolution and increased the apparent activation energy for IMC growth. Moreover, two major roles of elemental Bi on the formation and growth of the IMCs were suggested.

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a common and severe complication of systemic lupus erythematosus. Without intervention, LN may cause acute kidney injury and end-stage renal disease. This study aims to determine whether microRNA-485 (miR-485) affects renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) in LN mice via the TGF-β-MAPK signaling pathway by targeting RhoA. Renal tissue samples were initially extracted from 15 LN and 15 normal mice. RTECs were cultivated in vitro and grouped after transfection of different mimics, inhibitors, or siRNA- RhoA. The target gene of miR-485 was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Flow cytometry and MTT assay were applied to detect cell viability and apoptosis. It was determined that RhoA was a target gene of miR-485. We found that urine protein, creatinine, RhoA, interleukin 6 (IL-6), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38MAPK) were highly expressed in renal tissues of LN mice, while poor levels of miR-485 were recorded. The overexpression of miR-485 or siRNA- RhoA or the combination of miR-485 and siRNA- RhoA was demonstrated to lead to a reduction of levels of RhoA, IL-6, TGF-β, and p38MAPK, as well as a promotion of RTECs proliferation and inhibition of RTECs apoptosis. Taken together, these findings indicated that overexpressed miR-485 downregulates RhoA which could promote cell viability and inhibit apoptosis of RTECs by regulating the RhoA-mediated TGF-β-MAPK signaling pathway in LN mice.

A highly selective colorimetric detection method for putrescine on the basis of an optimized derivatization reaction was established. With the aids of o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) and thioglycolic acid (TGA), putrescine was derived to become red derivatives (PUT-RD), the form that can be detected qualitatively and quantitatively by visual inspection and UV-vis spectrophotometer at λmax of 490 nm, respectively. Key parameters affecting the experiment were investigated by one-factor-at-a-time and response surface analysis. At the optimal condition, this colorimetric method achieved good linearity at putrescine concentrations ranging from 0.8 to 200 μM with detection limit of 0.44 µM. The method also has good selectivity when common amino acids and inorganic ions, as well as ethylenediamine, 1,3-propanediamine, 1,5-pentanediamine, and 1,6-hexanediamine were used as interferences. The established colorimetric method was successfully employed for the detection of putrescine in 10 commercial fish products.

The compensation effect of expansive agent on shrinkage of self-compacting concrete (SCC) are studied. The deformation of Concrete was tested by concrete comparator, and the qualitative and quantitative analysis of hydration products were done by X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The results show that the dosages of mineral admixture and curing conditions affect the application results of expansive agents markedly. SCC samples containing expansive agent cured in the water are expanding within the test time. In the case of watering condition and natural curing condition, the samples are always shrinkage within test time, but mineral admixtures have a good effect to resist the shrinkage of SCC. Microstructure analysis show that ettringite content is reduced slightly due to the reduction of the alkalinity of SCC resulted by more mineral admixture. However, when at water curing condition, humidity inside SCC is much higher, which makes ettringite content larger even though with more mineral admixture. So, curing is the most important factors for the micro-expansion of SCC containing expansive agent.

The Cu-based metal–organic framework (MOF) analogues, copper 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate (CuBDC), copper 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate (Cu(2,6-NDC)), and copper 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylate (Cu(1,4-NDC)) MOF nanosheets, are prepared as biosensor nanoplatforms for DNA detection by a spray method. With the ultrathin 2D structure, the fabricated MOF nanosheets exhibited better detection of target DNA, in particular when compared with the corresponding 3D MOF bulky crystals, when used as a DNA biosensor platform. The Cu(1,4-NDC) nanosheets display a distinct sensitivity with a detection limit of 0.3nM and linear range of 0–20nM, and selectivity for the target DNA or target DNA mixture. The feasible biosensor nanoplatform composed of 2D MOF nanosheets broadens the application scope of MOF nanosheets.

Recently, coamorphous systems composed of two drugs or a drug and a small molecule excipient, gained interests due to their ability in overcoming limitations associated with solid dispersions. In this study, coamorphous form of repaglinide (REP), a BCS class II anti-diabetic drug with low aqueous solubility and high permeability was achieved with saccharin (SAC) by solution crystallization and characterized. An accurate and precise HPLC method was established for the simultaneous determination of REP and SAC. Coamorphous REP-SAC with 1:1 stoichiometry had unique thermal behavior, obvious FTIR shifts and the absence of sharp diffraction peak, suggesting the formation of a coamorphous material and interaction of REP with SAC through hydrogen bonds formed between REP's secondary amine and SAC's carbonyl group. Coamorphous REP-SAC showed great improvement in solubility and dissolution under sink conditions in various media. In addition, it was conformed in supersaturated dissolution of coamorphous REP-SAC in distilled water that the coamorphous material had remarkably longer time length for REP to be remained at a supersaturated concentration and had better metastable solubility. This coamorphous system provides a feasible way to process drugs with low solubility into substances with enhanced dissolution and stabilized amorphous state that could be conducive to greater bioavailability than the crystalline drug.

The conventional TZM alloy plates have limited manufacture and application due to the lacking of enough mechanical property. To resolve this question, La doped TZM alloy plate was made by the powder metallurgy. With solid-solid rare La2O3 doping, sintering, hot rolling, warm rolling and cold rolling, the molybdenum alloy La-TZM plates were got. This kind of TZM alloy has better properties in both strength and elongation. The tensile strength of La-TZM alloy is 1038 MPa, and the elongation is 10.4%. Metallography test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are used to examine the microstructure of the La-TZM alloy plate specimen.

Based on the profound application, the Co3O4 was chosen to be research object; the optimized dispersing condition was studied and determined as: dosage of Co3O4 nano particle varied from 0.01 to 0.02mg/ml, sodium citrate was determined to be dispersing adjuvant with a dosage of 0.0005g/ml, ultrasonic time: 10min, and pH value was 7 to 8 when the Zeta potential was –57.1mv. After a detailed discussion of size distribution and dispersing condition, the size distribution of Co3O4 nano particle was measured with Malvern Nano Zetasizer to be 217nm.

5-Phenyl-1-H tetrazole was synthesized by catalytic [3+2] cycloaddition with benzonitrile and sodium azide. Indium trichloride was used as an efficient catalyst.

Two applied synthesis techniques of bentazone were introduced including the disadvantages. Innovative adjustments were developed to eliminate the produce of waste water in isatoic anhydride route, and determined as: DMF as the solvent of o-amino-benzoyl isopropylamine preparation, based on certain treatments bentazone sodium salt solution as the product, soda lime as hydrolysis reagent to eliminate phosphorus oxychloride. With 95% recycling rate of 2-methyl pyridine, in the sodium salt aqueous solution, bentazone was prepared from isatoic anhydride with the yield of 85.5% and purity of 98%.

This paper focuses on obtaining an asymptotic solution for coupled heat and mass transfer problem during the solidification of high water content materials. It is found that a complicated function involved in governing equations can be approached by Taylor polynomials unlimitedly, which leads to the simplification of governing equations. The unknown functions involved in governing equations can then be approximated by Chebyshev polynomials. The coefficients of Chebyshev polynomials are determined and an asymptotic solution is obtained. With the asymptotic solution, the dehydration and freezing fronts of materials are evaluated easily, and are consistent with numerical results obtained by using an explicit finite difference method.

The paper presents a new complex chiral selector of di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and O,O′-dibenzoyl-(2R,3R)-tartaric acid ((−)-DBTA) and its enantioselectivity on d,l -tryptophan (Trp). The influence of the initial concentration of d,l -Trp, (−)-DBTA, D2EHPA were studied. Both the distribution ratio and enantioselectivity of d,l -Trp are greatly improved with the complex extractant instead of (−)-DBTA individually. It was also found that the enantioselectivity of the complex extractant was changed by the D2EHPA content, although pure D2EHPA has no chiral separation ability. By adjusting the equilibrium pH in the aqueous phase, a high chiral separation efficiency with a maximum enantioselectivity of 5.3 and an enantiomeric excess (e.e.) of up to 57% in aqueous phase were reached at PI point. Finally, the most reasonable extraction mechanisms of the complex to Trp enantiomers have been suggested.

The magneto-shape memory behavior of a Co-32 wt.% Ni single crystal is investigated by vibrating sample magnetometry and magnetodilatometry measurements. It is found that the single crystal with [001] orientation exhibits a high-saturation magnetization of 133 Am 2 /kg and a high Zeeman energy in martensitic state. The maximum of 4.2% reversible strain was induced by applying 12 kOe magnetic field at room temperature. Both magnetization and magnetic field-induced-strain saturated at an applied magnetic field of 12 kOe.

The effects of cobalt content on the stacking fault probability (P sf ) determined by means of X-ray diffraction profile analysis and associated with the starting temperature of Y → e transformation (M S ) and the strain-hardening exponent (n) etc, have been investigated in Fe-Mn-Si-Cr-Ni based alloys with four different contents of Co from 0.39% to 3.93%(wt). The results show that M S and n increase with increasing Co content which is related to the increase of the stacking fault probability owing to the addition of cobalt. Addition of proper content of cobalt in Fe-Mn-Si-Cr-Ni alloy can improve its SME.

As micro-actuator materials, TiNi shape memory alloy thin films with substrate are used more and more in MEMS field. The residual stress in Ti-rich TiNi thin films with silicon substrate prepared by the magnetron-sputtering technique is measured by both X-ray glancing and contour method. The influence of crystallization annealing temperature and film thickness on the residual stress is tested. It is shown that the tensile residual stress decreases from 106 to 37 MPa with increasing annealing temperature from 723 to 923 K. However, it increases again above 1023 K. While increasing the film thickness from 2.4 to 6.5 \\micron, the residual stress reduces from 323 to 80 MPa. A lot of beautiful sunflower-like structures in crystal grains are observed by OM and TEM. The origin of the residual stress and its affecting factors are discussed. The thermal stress during cooling after annealing is the main factor resulting in tensile stress and the formation of martensite phase will release a part of tensile stress.

Adding a small amount of nitrogen in a Fe-30Mn-6Si alloy increases the degree of shape recovery slightly, this is attributed to the strengthening of the matrix by nitrogen atoms. The critical stress for the formation of {var_epsilon}-martensite for the alloy containing nitrogen is slightly higher than that of the alloy without nitrogen. Both the strain-hardening exponent and the probability of stacking fault of the former are smaller than that of the latter. The degrees of shape recovery in both alloys are improved remarkably by the thermo-mechanical training which may be due to the increase of stacking faults during the training cycle resulting in matrix hardening.

Single-crystalline CaCO(3) nanotablets are synthesized in large quantities through oriented attachment of pristine nanoparticles. The prepared nanotablets can serve as genuine building blocks for the construction of nacreous inorganic-organic hybrids, through which freestanding films and monoliths with tunable composition and mechanical properties are fabricated. These newly available CaCO(3) crystal tablets may also serve as a starting platform for future CaCO(3) research.

Calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) is one of the most abundant and important biominerals in nature. Due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability and nontoxicity, CaCO(3) has been investigated extensively in recent years for various fundamental properties and technological applications. Inspired by basic wall structures of cells, we report a protein-assisted approach to synthesize CaCO(3) into a double-shelled structural configuration. Due to varying reactivities of outer and inner shells, the CaCO(3) microcapsules exhibit different sorption capacities and various resultant structures toward different kinds of heavy metal ions, analogical to biologically controlled mineralization (BCM) processes. Surprisingly, three mineralization modes resembling those found in BCM were found with these bacterium-like "CaCO(3) cells". Our investigation of the cytotoxicity (MTT assay protocol) also indicates that the CaCO(3) microcapsules have almost no cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells, and they might be useful for future application of detoxifying heavy metal ions after further study.

Polymers that contain conjugated molecules can change their index of refraction upon bonding with high explosive molecules. These polymers can be incorporated into micro-ring resonators as trace explosive sensor. Since the resonator cavity itself is made of sensing material, the detection is intrinsic, which may lead to higher sensitivity and faster response than other fiber optic chemical sensors. Photobleaching was used for the fabrication of the microrings resonators. The sensor has shown ppb level of sensitivity to the vapor of an explosive stimulant 2,4- dinitrotoluene and is insensitive to common chemical pollutants including nitrates, sulfates and phosphates.

We report the first study of gas phase silicon micromachining using pure bromine trifluoride (BrF/sub 3/) gas at room temperature. This work includes both the design of a new apparatus and etching characterization. Consistent etching results and high molecular etching efficiency (80%) have been achieved by performing the etching in a controlled pulse mode. This pure gaseous BrF/sub 3/ etching process is isotropic and has a high etch rate with superb selectivity over silicon dioxide (3000:1), silicon nitride (400-800:1) and photoresist (1000:1). Moreover, gaseous BrF/sub 3/ etching has also been demonstrated in surface micromachining process, where silicon nitride channels and membranes using polysilicon as the sacrificial layer have been successfully fabricated.

Physicochemical properties of liquid metals have great impact on many technological processes. Anomalies in liquid structure of metals are affected by temperature at constant pressure. This study investigated the dissolution kinetics of solid Cu in liquid Sn under the influence of structural transition of liquid Sn at temperatures varying from 673 K to 823 K. Structural transition significantly affected the dissolution rate constant of solid Cu. Correspondingly, application of liquid structural transition significantly decreased the activation energy of dissolution and the apparent activation energy of diffusion.

We report here a surface micromachined leakage proof Parylene MEMS check valve that has nearly ideal performance. This new check valve has a unique design that its valve membrane has a sealing ring directly deposited on, and hence in direct contact with, the gold-coated valve seat. The adhesion between Parylene and gold is studied along with the reduction of adhesion of the sealing ring to the valve seat when self-assembled monolayer (SAM) coatings are used on gold. Testing results clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of SAM coating. Experiments show that the valves have no observable leakage in the reverse flow direction up to 30 psi and a cracking pressure less than 1 psi in the forward flow direction. Integration of this valve with microchannels in a microfluidic system is also demonstrated. Testing shows the in-channel check valve also has nearly ideal performance under both forward and reverse flow.