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Eight rice varieties suitable for local cultivation were selected and field tests were carried out to compare the accumulation, absorption, and transport characteristics of Cd. The rice varieties with low Cd accumulation were screened, and the factors affecting the accumulation degree and stability of rice were analyzed. The results showed that:①According to the comprehensive accumulation index(

Cardiac hypertrophy is a common myocardial structural abnormality which may cause heart failure. Many studies have shown that cardiac hypertrophy can be induced by hyperthyroidism. Ligand-gated potassium channels have been reported to be involved in various biological processes in the cardiovascular system, such as GPCR coupled K(ACh) and metabolism sensor K(ATP) channel. It is unclear whether the gene expression of K(ACh) and K(ATP) was altered in hyperthyroid rabbit atria. We aimed to investigate the expression of K(ACh) and K(ATP) genes in rabbit atria in our experimental model. We established an effective hyperthyroidism-induced cardiac hypertrophy animal model through an injection of T4. H&E staining and RT-PCR were used to observe the histomorphological damages and alteration of gene expression. The results showed that the heart weight, heart rate significantly increased in T4-treated rabbits. The systolic pressure increased from 115.60 mmHg to 152.6 mmHg in T4-treated rabbits. The expression of K(ACh) and K(ATP) genes was decreased in the atria of hyperthyroidism-induced cardiac hypertrophied rabbits. These findings indicated that the decreased gene expression of K(ACh) and K(ATP) may be related to hyperthyroidism-induced cardiac hypertrophy and atrial fibrillation.

Phytochelatins (PCs) can chelate heavy metal ions due to their large number of thiols and play an important role in heavy metal accumulation and detoxification.

Unprecedented phosphine-catalyzed [4+1] cycloadditions of allenyl imides have been discovered using various N-based substrates including methyl ketimines, enamines, and a primary amine. These transformations provide a one-pot access to cyclopentenoyl enamines and imines, or (chiral) γ-lactams via two geminal C-C bond or two C-N bond formations, respectively. Several P-based key intermediates including a 1,4-(bis)electrophilic α,β-unsaturated ketenyl phosphonium species have been detected by 31P NMR and HRMS analyses, which shed light on the postulated catalytic cycle. The synthetic utility of this new chemistry has been demonstrated through a gram-scaling up of the catalytic reaction as well as regioselective hydrogenation and double condensation to form cyclopentanoyl enamines and fused pyrazole building blocks, respectively.

Wind and sand control are important factors in combating desertification and protecting oases. An oasis protective system can provide these benefits, but quantitative research on protection effects has been lacking to date. This research describes an oasis protective system in the southeastern border of the Tengger Desert. The system consists of a sand barrier belt, a shrub and herbaceous plant belt, and a farmland shelter belt. The system was compared to a bare dunes area as the control zone. The study investigated wind proof effect, sediment transport, and erosion through field observations. Results showed that the roughness of the shrub and herbaceous plant belt, farmland shelter belt, and sand barrier belt were increased compared with bare dunes. The shrub and herbaceous plant belt provided the highest wind proof effect values for the same wind velocity measurement height, and the wind proof effect values for different protective belts were as follows: shrub and herbaceous plant belt > farmland shelter belt > sand barrier belt. The sand barrier belt provided effective wind and sand control at heights from 0 to 50 cm above the ground. The total sediment transport for each protective belt is as follows: bare dunes > sand barrier belt > shrub and herbaceous plant belt > farmland shelter belt. The sediment transport decreased exponentially as the height increased. In the bare dunes and protective systems, the sediment transport is mainly within 30 cm of the ground surface. The wind erosion intensity for this protective system was as follows: bare dunes > sand barrier belt > shrub and herbaceous plant belt > farmland shelter belt. This research offers quantitative evidence for how oasis protective systems can effectively intercept sand and prevent erosion in oases. The results of this study can be applied in similar regions.

This work concerns the microstructure-mechanical properties relationship in Al2O3/SmAlO3 composites prepared by hot pressing at temperatures from 1450 °C to 1650 °C. Dense samples have been prepared using co-precipitated trigonal α-Al2O3 and orthorhombic SmAlO3 at the pseudo-binary eutectic composition. The overall microstructure coarsens with increasing processing temperature, but the nanoscale precipitates within α-Al2O3 and SmAlO3 grains contribute to coherency strains and distortions in Al2O3/SmAlO3 prepared at 1650 °C. The intragranular SmAlO3 precipitates in Al2O3 grains exhibit semi-coherent interface and an orientation relationship of the intragranular phase SmAlO3 and alumina matrix close to two different zone axes, namely [ 2 3 ¯ 1 ] SmAlO 3 and [ 4 ¯ 401 ] Al 2 O 3 . Consequently, significant strengthening effect is found from the measured hardness values on the sample sintered at 1650 °C. The measured flexural strength and single edged notched beam fracture toughness of the Al2O3/SmAlO3 ceramic are comparable to traditional secondary phases reinforced alumina composites. The sample sintered at 1500 °C exhibits a flexural strength of 558 MPa and a fracture toughness of 5.59 MPa⋅m1/2.

Exploring the state-of-the-art heterogeneous catalysts has been a general concern for sustainable and clean energy. Here, Pt-embedded CuOx–CeO2 multicore–shell (Pt/CuOx–CeO2 MS) composites are fabricated at room temperature via a one-pot and template-free procedure for catalyzing CO oxidation, a classical probe reaction, showing a volcano-shaped relationship between the composition and catalytic activity. We experimentally unravel that the Pt/CuOx–CeO2 MS composites are derived from an interfacial autoredox process, where Pt nanoparticles (NPs) are in situ encapsulated by self-assembled ceria nanospheres with CuOx clusters adhered through deposition/precipitation–calcination process. Only Cu–O and Pt–Pt coordination structures are determined for CuOx clusters and Pt NPs in Pt/CuOx–CeO2 MS, respectively. Importantly, the close vicinity between Pt and CeO2 benefits to more oxygen vacancies in CeO2 counterparts and results in thin oxide layers on Pt NPs. Meanwhile, the introduction of CuOx clusters is crucia...

The catalytic performance of metal nanoparticles is often affected by surface oxidation levels. Instead of post-synthesis oxidation/reduction, we propose an efficient method to modulate the oxidation levels by tuning the composition of bimetallic nanoparticles. Here we report a series of Pt–Re bimetallic nanoparticles synthesized via a facile thermal co-reduction process, with a uniform size of approximately 3 nm. The investigation of the growth of the Pt–Re nanoparticles suggests that the Re atoms were enriched on the surface, as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Furthermore, X-ray absorption spectroscopy showed that metallic Re was decreased and high-valency ReOx species were increased in particles with higher Re/Pt ratios. In the etherification of allylic alcohols catalyzed by Pt–Re nanoparticles of different compositions under ambient conditions, particles with higher Re/Pt ratios exhibited significantly better performances. The highest mass activity of Pt–Re bimetallic nanoparticles (127 μmol·g−1·s−1) was more than forty times that of the industrial catalyst CH3ReO3 (3 μmol·g−1·s−1). The catalytically active sites were associated with ReOx and could be tuned by adjusting the Pt ratio.

A transition-metal-free approach for the preparation of N-arylketimines has been developed from the direct reaction of aryldiazonium salts, arenes, and nitriles in a one-pot fashion with the consecutive formation of N-C and C-C bonds. This approach proceeds via an in situ generation of N-arylnitrilium intermediate, which then undergoes intermolecular arylation. This three-component strategy offers a step- and atom-efficient way to N-arylketimines from easily accessible reagents under mild reaction conditions. The characterization of stereochemistry of ketimine was achieved by X-ray crystallographic structure and theoretical calculation. Operational simplicity, shorter reaction time, excellent functional group compatibility, and scalability are the key features of this report.

The synthesis of ultrathin metal nanosheets (NSs) attracts broad scientific and technological interest, and it still remains a challenge for non-noble metals like nickel due to their intrinsic cubic symmetry and high surface energy. Herein, we report a NiO intermediated solvothermal method towards the synthesis of ultrathin Ni NSs (thickness < 3 nm) using N,N-dimethylformamide as the solvent and n-butylamine as the shape controlling reagent. The growth of the ultrathin Ni NSs follows an intermediate mechanism which was proved by the results obtained by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Under solvothermal conditions, the nickel acetylacetonate precursor was first reduced to a NiO NS intermediate, then reduction occurred and NiO NSs were reduced to Ni NSs. The synthesized ultrathin Ni NSs predominately in a metallic state showed high selectivity (88.0-92.0%) towards styrene (ST) in the phenylacetylene (PA) semihydrogenation reaction under mild conditions (323 K, 1 atm of hydrogen) in a broad PA conversion range (2.0-98.0%). The low coverage of oxygen atoms on the Ni NS surface is proposed to account for the high ST selectivity, as indicated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Background: With a global rising trend in prevalence of allergic diseases, more attention has been paid to investigation of environmental risk factors. Many risk factors have so far been identified. However, novel risk factors specific to Taiwanese environment and lifestyle were still relatively unknown. Objective: To investigate the potential effects of a number of little-known indoor risk factors on the frequency of doctor's visit for respiratory problems in context of Taiwanese environment and lifestyle. Methods: A cross-sectional, population-based study was performed on a 861 participants around Kaohsiung area, Taiwan. Survey investigation was employed to assess the household environment and the frequency of doctor's visit for respiratory problems. Results: Participants who performed “daily cleaning” was shown to have a significantly (p=0.007) higher mean number of doctor's visits in comparison to those who did not. Similar observation was made for participants who periodically took out beddings (p=0.042). Age had a significant positive correlation (linear regression β 0.089) with frequency of respiratory problems. Conclusion: The habit of daily cleaning was implicated as a potential indoor risk factor due to the unique nature of Taiwanese cleaning habit and close contact with cleaning supplies, which could serve as chemical irritants. Bedding takeout was predicted to be an indicator of chronic allergies rather than an actual risk factor. However, both were controversial in their role as potential indoor risk factor, and required further examination.

Fe-based/B4C composite coatings without and with 1–5 wt% Ni (Ni-free and Ni-added, respectively) were fabricated on the surface of ASTM 1045 steel via vacuum cladding. The effects of Ni addition on the microstructure, hardness and reciprocating wear of Fe-based/B4C composite coatings were investigated by optical microscopy (OM), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), hardness tester and reciprocating wear tester. The results showed that all coating composed of α-Fe, γ-Fe, (Fe, Ni) solid solution, M23(C, B)6, and M2B phases, which indicated that Ni addition into the coating had little impact on the composition of the M2B-type borides and M23(C, B)6-type carboborides in the coating. However, with the increase of Ni addition, the hardenability of the coating matrix was improved, and toughness phase of martensite was formed. Meanwhile, the morphology of strengthening phases gradually changed from chrysanthemum-like to intermittent net-like. When Ni addition was 3 wt%, the irregular block and net-like strengthening phases were uniformly distributed in the coating matrix of martensite, which made the microhardness of the coating relatively stable and the average hardness was 920 HV. Under different applied loads, non-significant variations in the coefficient of friction were observed. The wear volume of the coating with 3 wt% Ni addition was the minimum, which was only 2 × 10−3 mm3 under the applied load of 30 N, showing the best sliding wear performance. The wear morphology and elements distribution analysis suggested that the main wear mechanism of dry sliding wear of the coatings with different Ni addition were oxidative, adhesive and abrasive wear.

In order to realize underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) under long-distance, single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) is used as the receiver. Since the SPAD outputs discrete single photon pulse signals, the key issue is how to recover data from the discrete single photon pulses. Traditional photon-counting UOWC uses SPAD array with high gain to recover data directly. The disadvantage of this method is that the number of photons required to transmit 1 bit data is large, and the transmission distance is also limited. In order to reduce the number of photons required to transmit 1 bit data, we proposed a method of extracting the time slot synchronization clock (TSSC) from the received discrete photon-counting pulses and recovering the data. Based on the random Poisson process of the receiver and the attenuation process of the underwater channel, a photon-counting UOWC model was established. Meanwhile, to verify the method proposed, an underwater light emitting diode (LED) communication system based on SPAD was built. The experimental results show that without considering the background light noise, the photon-counting UOWC system can achieve a satisfactory performance of 0.875 photons/bit with a symbol error rate (SER) of 1.8 × 10−3 by using 256-pulse-position modulation (PPM) and the TSSC extraction method we proposed.

A series of Cu–ZrO2 (CZ) catalysts with different surface area, copper surface area (SCu), oxygen vacancy concentration, and interaction between Cu and ZrO2 features were synthesized. The factors that could affect catalytic activity of CO2 hydrogenation to methanol were investigated. The interaction between Cu and ZrO2 is crucial for determining the catalytic activity. The catalyst possessing the strongest interaction between Cu and ZrO2, exhibited the optimum catalytic activity. The evolution of carbonaceous species and pyridine adsorption over CZ catalysts were investigated using in situ DRIFT spectroscopy. It is found that the hydrogenation of formate species is a rate-limiting step and H spillover plays an important role. The hydrogenation of formate species and H spillover are strongly dependent on the interaction. These results provide a new way of understanding the activity dependence and reaction mechanism of CO2 hydrogenation to methanol over CZ catalysts.

Nerve injury is a critical problem in the clinic. Nerve injury causes serious clinic issues including pain and dysfunctions for patients. The disconnection between damaged neural fibers and muscles will result in muscle atrophy in a few weeks if no treatment is applied. Moreover, scientists have discovered that nerve injury can affect the osteogenic differentiation of skeletal stem cells (SSCs) and the fracture repairing. In plastic surgery, muscle atrophy and bone fracture after nerve injury have plagued clinicians for many years. How to promote neural regeneration is the core issue of research in the recent years. Without obvious effects of traditional neurosurgical treatments, research on stem cells in the past 10 years has provided a new therapeutic strategy for us to address this problem. Adipose stem cells (ASCs) are a kind of mesenchymal stem cells that have differentiation potential in adipose tissue. In the recent years, ASCs have become the focus of regenerative medicine. They play a pivotal role in tissue regeneration engineering. As a type of stem cell, ASCs are becoming popular for neuroregenerative medicine due to their advantages and characteristics. In the various diseases of the nervous system, ASCs are gradually applied to treat the related diseases. This review article focuses on the mechanism and clinical application of ASCs in nerve regeneration as well as the related research on ASCs over the past decades.

The transition from homogeneous to heterogeneous synthetic chemistry enabled by nanocatalysts necessitates investigations of the reaction mechanism and structure-activity relationships for inorganic nanoparticles and organic substrates. Herein, we report that hydrothermally synthesized ruthenium nanoparticles performed differently in the Se–Se bond activation and selenylation of heterocycles, exhibiting a volcano-shaped relationship between catalytic activity and composition. A synergistic effect was observed for Ru-RuO x nanocatalysts, with numerous characterizations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggesting that a PhSeSePh molecule can initially be adsorbed on the metallic Ru sites and cleaved into two PhSe* species, which subsequently migrate to RuO x sites and react with the nucleophile to achieve the selenylation of heterocycles.

The knee joint is extremely susceptible to injury, which is usually identified by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In the present study, MRI was applied to quantitatively detect the association between anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture and anatomic morphologic changes of the intercondylar notch. Forty patients with unilateral ACL rupture who were treated between July, 2013 and October, 2014 were enrolled in the present study. The patients were divided into the observation (affected side) and control (healthy side) groups. MRI measurements were undertaken based on parameters associated with intercondylar notch of double knee joints. The results showed that intercondylar notch width (ICW) in the observation group was significantly smaller than that in the control group, and differences were statistically significant (P0.05). Notch width index (NWI) and notch shape index (NSI) in the observation group were significantly less than those in the control group and differences were statistically significant (P0.05). The differential value of ICW in the observation group was 2.6±1.3 mm and the ACL rupture time of the affected knee was 20.4±1.3 months on average. The correlation was statistically significant (P0.05). In conclusion, after ACL rupture, ICW on the affected knee had significant stenosis, NSI and NWI were significantly reduced and the stenosis degree was aggravated with the prolongation of course. By contrast, Lysholm and Tegner scoring of patients with different degrees of stenosis had no correlation.

The fabrication of atom-layered two dimensional (2D) noble metal nanosheets (NSs) in a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure is of broad scientific and technological importance, yet this remains a challenge due to the intrinsic cubic symmetry and high surface energy of fcc noble metals. Herein, we report a solid-liquid interface mediated 2D growth method towards the synthesis of hierarchically-coiled ultrathin Ir NSs (thickness

Perovskite-structured Sn- or Ta-doped Li0.24–(q–4)xLa0.587Ti1–xMxO3 (LLTMxO, M = Sn or Ta, q is equal to the valence of M, x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08) solid electrolytes are prepared by the pressureless sintering method for Li ion batteries. The phase composition, microstructure and electrical performance as a function of the type of doping elements and the amounts corresponding are studied by XRD, Raman spectrometer, SEM and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The LLTMxO pellets sintered at 1350 °C for 12 h have high relative densities (96.2%–97.9%) and high conductivities, where the total conductivity of LLTTa0.04O and LLTSn0.02O reach 4.09 × 10−4 S cm−1 and 2.98 × 10−4 S cm−1 at room temperature (RT) respectively. Compared with the pure specimen (1.52 × 10−4 S cm−1), the total conductivities of the doped specimens are more than doubled. In addition, Sn or Ta doping can significantly reduce the activation energy, with LLTTa0.04O exhibiting the low activation energy of 0.31 eV. The improvement in the total conductivity is attributed to the expansion of the Li ion transmission channels, the improvement of the relative density and the rise in the Li ion vacancy concentration, which are all resulted from the effect of dopant.

Exploring the state-of-the-art heterogeneous catalysts has been a general concern for sustainable and clean energy. Here, Pt-embedded CuO

Sand encroachment is a serious problem in arid regions. Checkerboard barriers are commonly used as wind buffers and to stabilize soils at risk of desertification. These interventions can also improve soil nutrients. Checkboard sand barriers are widely used in arid regions, but different barrier types are seldom optimized for specific areas or land management objectives. This research studied how checkerboard barriers made of different types of materials influenced soil properties (soil organic carbon, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, pH and soil moisture). These parameters were measured at various soil depths within test plots protected by eleven different types of checkerboard barrier material. Data were then analyzed by constructing a soil quality index (SQI) model based on coefficients identified by principal component analysis of soils at depths of 0–20, 20–40, 40–60 cm and for the complete 0–60 cm profile. The results generally found that barriers improve soil quality. They also showed significant variation in soil properties at different depths for different types of barrier material. For the 0–60 cm soil profile, barriers increased soil available nitrogen, available potassium, soil organic carbon and soil moisture but decreased soil available phosphorus and pH. The SQI values indicated that rice straw barriers optimized soil nutrients at soil depths of 0–20 cm, low vertical corn straw checkerboard barriers at soil depth of 20–40 cm, while 30 cm wide gravel checkerboard barriers optimized nutrients at 40–60 cm soil depth. Plots protected by low vertical branch barriers showed the greatest overall soil quality improvement for the complete 0–60 cm profile. This study found that corn straw, clay, 30 cm wide gravel and low vertical branch barriers can significantly protect and restore soils on the eastern edge of the Tengger Desert.

We describe a Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (FTS) system for on-line analysis of the raw materials of cement to determine five key oxides in the cement samples.

Nerve injury is a large problem that produces much pain in patients. Injury to the nervous system causes serious consequences and affects a person's quality of life. The development of tissue engineering has created a brighter future for nerve regeneration, and research has not stopped since the discovery of stem cells. Stem cells are a type of pluripotent cell that exhibits the capacity of selfdifferentiation and proliferation. Many studies have demonstrated the ability of stem cells to differentiate into other types of cells, including neurons, after induction with trophic factors in vivo and in vitro. Scientists have isolated a variety of stem cells from different organs and tissues in the human body and demonstrated that these cells were efficacious in regenerative medicine. The use of these cells provides a non-surgical method for the treatment of neurological diseases, such as nerve defects. However, many problems must be resolved before using these cells in the clinical field. The microenvironment and delivery methods of cells also affect the regeneration process. The present article comprehensively summarizes the progress of stem cells in the field of nerve regeneration in the recent decades.

Cardiovascular complications represent a leading cause of mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). During such complicated progression, subtle variations in the cardiovascular risk (CVR)-related biomarkers have been used to identify cardiovascular disease at the incipient stage. In this study we attempt to integrally characterize the progression of cardiovascular complications and to assess the beneficial effects of metformin combined with salvianolic acid A (Sal A), in Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats with spontaneous T2DM. The rats were treated with metformin (200 mg·kg -1 ·d -1 , ig) alone or in combination with Sal A (1 mg·kg -1 ·d -1 , ip) at ages from 8 to 22 weeks. During the treatment, the levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine, L-arginine, superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, glucose, high density lipoprotein and low density lipoprotein were assessed. Based on alterations in these biomarkers, a mini-network balance model was established using matrixes and vectors. Radar charts were created to visually depict the disruption of CVR-related modules (endothelial function, oxidative stress, glycation and lipid profiles). The description for the progression of cardiovascular disorder was quantitatively represented by u, the dynamic parameter of the model. The modeling results suggested that untreated GK rats tended to have more severe cardiovascular complications than the treatment groups. Metformin monotherapy retarded disease deterioration, whereas the combination treatment ameliorated the disease progression via restoring the balance. The current study, which focused on the balance of the mini-network and interactions among CVR-related modules, proposes a novel method for evaluating the progression of cardiovascular complications in T2DM as well as a more beneficial intervention strategy.

The Ti22Al25Nb alloy was prepared by reactive sintering with element powders. The reactive sintering process was conducted by step reactive sintering in order to prevent loss of Al; thus, the process was performed at 903 K, holding 60 min and 20 MPa, and then increased to 1523 K for 120 min and 30 MPa, followed by furnace cooling. The O (orthorhombic Ti 2 AlNb) phase and B2 phase were obtained in the sintered Ti22Al25Nb alloy, and a few Ti 3 Al phases. Subsequently, the microstructures and phases of the sintered alloy were analyzed at two sintering stages. Moreover, the forming mechanism of O (orthorhombic Ti 2 AlNb) phase and reactive mechanism were analyzed. In view of examining the tensile property, the tensile tests were carried out from 1233 K to1313 K at an interval of 20 K. The tensile datum indicated that the elongations increased with the increasing temperature and decreasing strain rate; the tensile strength decreased with increasing temperature and decreasing strain rate. From the experimental results, the maximum elongation of the sintered alloys was up to 146% at 1313 K at1.04×10 −4 s −1 , and tensile strength was above 85 MPa.

A series of CuO–ZnO–ZrO2(CZZ) catalysts with different Zn/Zr ratios were successfully prepared by the co-precipitation method and characterized by the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2adsorption, reactive N2O adsorption, H2temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR). The catalytic activities of the catalysts were tested for methanol synthesis from CO2hydrogenation. It was found that the increasing of the Zn/Zr ratio could lead to the increase of the crystallite size of metallic oxide. When the amount of ZnO ranged from 20% to 80%, the CZZ catalysts exhibited a better activity. It revealed that both Zn and Zr were important parameter for Cu-based catalysts, which were interacted with each other.

Various CuO-ZnO-ZrO2(CZZ) catalysts for methanol synthesis from CO2 hydrogenation were prepared by co-precipitation method. Small amount of silica was incorporated into CZZ catalyst to produce these modified ternary CZZ catalysts. The effects of silica on physicochemical and catalytic properties were studied by TG-DTG,XRD,BET,N2O chemisorption,H2-TPR,NH3-TPD and CO2-TPD techniques. The results show that the properties of catalysts were strongly influenced by the content of SiO2 used as promoter. The catalytic performance for methanol synthesis from CO2 hydrogenation was evaluated. The test results show that the CZZ catalyst modified with 4 wt.% SiO2 exhibits an optimum catalytic activity. The silica improves the dispersion of CuO and its modified CZZ catalysts exhibits higher specific surface area, which were confirmed to be responsible for excellent performance of the catalysts for methanol synthesis from CO2 hydrogenation.

Nerous system diseases, both central and peripheral, bring an incredible burden onto patients and enormously reduce their quality of life. Currently, there are still no effective treatments to repair nerve lesions that do not have side effects. Stem cell–based therapies, especially those using dental stem cells, bring new hope to neural diseases. Dental stem cells, derived from the neural crest, have many characteristics that are similar to neural cells, indicating that they can be an ideal source of cells for neural regeneration and repair. This review summarizes the neural traits of all the dental cell types, including DPSCs, PDLCs, DFCs, APSCs and their potential applications in nervous system diseases. We have summed up the advantages of dental stem cells in neural repair, such as their neurotrophic and neuroprotective traits, easy harvest and low rejective reaction rate, among others. Taken together, dental stem cells are an ideal cell source for neural tissue regeneration and repair.

The correlation techniques of nodes cooperative transmission strategy in wireless sensor networks with virtual MIMO are presented. A communication model between clusters is proposed. From it, we can see the correlation techniques include coding, forwarding, combining and decoding. The coding is generally divided into three categories: Layered Space-Time Coding, Space-Time Trellis Coding and Space-Time Block Coding. Forwarding can be broken down into Amplifying Forwarding, Decode Forwarding, and Selecting Dynamic Relay. Select combining, equal gain combining and maximum ratio combining are the common combine methods. The decode method is maximum likelihood algorithm.

To isolate and identify lead-resistant Lactobacillus casei strains with lead adsorption ability from the stool of healthy newborns as a new source of bacteria for developing lead-eliminating food products.MRS was used to isolate lead-resistant bacteria from the feces of 30 healthy and full-term neonates. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the morphological characteristics and 16S rRNA sequences of the isolated bacteria. Physiological and biochemical characterizations of the bacteria were performed according to the Berger's Systematic Bacteriology Handbook, followed by antimicrobial susceptibility test and acid-tolerant bile salt test. The adsorption capacity of PbThree strains of Lactobacillus casei were isolated, which were resistant to penicillin and ceftriaxone and could tolerate the exposure to 500 mg/L PbThree Lactobacillus casei strains lead adsorption ability were isolated from the feces of newborns. These bacterial strains provide a new solution to alleviate lead poisoning by probiotic dietary.

Objective To discuss the effect of lesser-known potential risk factors, such as bedroom showers, on the prevalence of allergic rhinitis. Method A cross-sectional, population-based study was performed using both survey and fungal culturing in southern Taiwan. There were 998 participants enrolled in the survey, and 513 sets of fungal culture obtained. With score for allergic rhinitis (SFAR) more than 7, the patient was defined to have allergic rhinitis. Risks of allergic rhinitis were calculated as odds ratios for various predicted risk factors by logistic regression. Correlation between predicted risk factors and fungal level were examined with linear regression. Results The adjusted odds ratio of frequently using bedroom shower to having allergic rhinitis was 1.572 (95% confidence interval: 1.090–2.265), and 0.962 for people with older age to have AR (95% confidence interval: 0.949–0.976). As to the 24-hour fungal level, the standardized coefficient was 0.254 for frequent use of bedroom shower, and 0.106 for window open hours. Conclusions Use of bedroom shower is a potential risk factor for allergic rhinitis development.

The scalable reaction is successfully performed using aryl and alkyl amidines as well as foramidine.

We demonstrate a single photon compressive imaging system with the image plane up to the entire digital micro-mirror device (DMD) work area. A parallel light source is designed to reduce the influence of light scattering on imaging resolution and a photon counting photomultiplier tube (PMT) with a large photosensitive area is used to effectively collect light reflected from the full screen of DMD. A control and counting circuit, based on Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), is developed to load binary random matrix into the DMD controller for each measurement, and to count single-photon pulse output from PMT simultaneously. To reduce imaging time and huge memory occupation for image reconstruction, a multiple micro-mirrors combination imaging method is proposed. The signal-to-noise ratio and detection limit of the imaging system is theoretically deduced. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that micro-mirrors combination imaging method is more suitable for faster imaging in a weaker-light-level environment. In order to achieve high imaging quality, the size of the combined pixels and the average time of each measurement should be moderate, so that the impact of Poisson shot noise is minimized.

Adipose tissues play a critical role in the regulation of energy metabolism and homeostasis, and is also an important endocrine organ. Adipocyte differentiation is a complicated physiological process during which mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into adipocytes. This process is synergistically regulated by a large number of transcription factors, hormones and signaling pathway molecules. As a class of endogenous non-coding RNA (ncRNA), microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression mainly through post-transcriptional translational repression. In recent years, numerous studies have demonstrated that miRNA could have an impact on adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis by modulating the expression levels of several adipogenic transcription factors and key signaling molecules. In this review, we summarize the mechanism of miRNA in regulating the differentiation of white/brown/beige adipocytes and the relevant signaling pathways and key factors, in the hope of providing theoretical guidance and new thoughts for treating obesity and other metabolic diseases.

One-pot sequential reactions of aryldiazonium salts with amidines followed by the treatment of I2/KI under basic conditions provide 2,5-disubstituted tetrazoles in moderate to excellent yields. This one-pot synthesis has several advantages such as mild reaction conditions, short reaction time, convenient workup, and high yields, making this methodology practical.

In situ resistance measurement of MgB2 sample was performed in flowing argon atmosphere. This set of measuring curve was compared with the in situ resistance measurement result of MgB2 sample performed in vacuum. This measurement result presents a resistance decreasing taken as a whole as increasing temperature from room temperature to 800 °C, and it indicated that the Mg powder began to melt at about 530 °C. At this temperature the resistance values of MgB2 sample presented a sharp down, and it is lower than MgB2 sample prepared in vacuum conditions that appeared at 638 °C. This indicated that the phase formation of MgB2 in argon atmosphere was at lower temperature than in vacuum.

In this paper, constructive neural network for landmine classification using ultra wideband (UWB) ground penetrating radar (GPR) is presented. GPR echo signal is composed of three parts: ground bounce, clutter and target echo signal, the target echo signal is deteriorated by the clutter. Firstly WP-based preprocessing algorithm is used to ground bounce removal and clutter reduction and feature extraction of GPR echo signal. Then wrapper based approach is adopted to feature subset selection of GPR echo signal using genetic algorithm(GA) in conjunction with constructive neural network learning algorithm, and at the meanwhile, the result of classification of landmine is obtained. Experiment result based on GPR measured data shows that the feasibility and advantage of the presented algorithm.

The MgB2 superconductor synthesized in a flowing argon atmosphere using nanometer magnesium powder as the raw materials, denoted as Nano-MgB2, has been studied by the technique of in-situ high temperature resistance measurement (HT-RT measurement). The MgB2 phase is identified to form within the temperature range of 430 to 490 C, which is much lower than that with the MgB2 sample fabricated in the same gas environment using the micron-sized magnesium powder, denoted as Micro-MgB2, reported previously. The sample density of the Nano-MgB2 reaches 1.7 g/cm3 with a crystal porosity structure less than a micrometer, as determined by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, while the Micro-MgB2 has a much more porous structure with corresponding density of 1.0 g/cm3. This indicates that the Mg raw particle size, besides the sintering temperature, is a crucial factor for the formation of high density MgB2 sample, even at the temperature much lower than that of the Mg melting, 650 C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows a good MgB2 phase with small amount of MgO and Mg and the transition temperature, TC, of the Nano-MgB2 was determined as 39 K by the temperature dependent magnetization measurement (M-T), indicating the existence of a good superconducting property., 10 pages, 4 figure, Solid State Communication