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A MIL-100(Fe) supported Pd–Ni BMNP catalyst has been fabricated, and the catalyst exhibits superior catalytic performance toward the intramolecular transfer hydrogenolysis of lignin model compounds and organosolv lignin. Alcoholic groups (CαH-OH) of lignin were exploited as the hydrogen source, and selective cleavage of β-O-4 linkages in lignin was realized without an extra hydrogen donor. This protocol was suitable for organosolv lignin as well as model compounds; several phenols and functionalized acetophenones were detected when extracted lignin was treated in our system. The catalyst exhibits outstanding catalytic stability during the reaction process, which can be ascribed to the porous structure and the strong water stability of MIL-100(Fe). The excellent catalytic performance of Pd1Ni4/MIL-100(Fe) highlights the “synergistic effect” between the BMNPs and the functional synergy between MNPs and MOFs, and our work shows the bright future of BMNPs and MOFs in the development of catalysts for sustainable chemistry.

This paper discusses the fixed-hub single allocation problem (FHSAP). In this problem, a network consists of hub nodes and terminal nodes. Hubs are fixed and fully connected; each terminal node is assigned to a single hub which routes all its traffic. The goal is to minimize the cost of routing the traffic in the network. In this paper, we propose a new linear programming (LP) relaxation for this problem by incorporating a set of validity constraints into the classical formulations by Ernst and Krishnamoorthy (Locat Sci 4:139–154, Ann Op Res 86:141–159). A geometric rounding algorithm is then used to obtain an integral solution from the fractional solution. We show that by incorporating the validity constraints, the strengthened LP often provides much tighter upper bounds than the previous methods with a little more computational effort and the solution obtained often has a much smaller gap with the optimal solution. We also formulate a robust version of the FHSAP and show that it can guard against data uncertainty with little costs.

Chloramphenicol (CAP), as a broad-spectrum antibiotic, has been worldwide banned for using in the food producing animals due to its overuse may cause severe threats to public health. It is therefore highly desirable to develop facile, selective and sensitive biosensor for CAP detection and monitoring in drug and foodstuff samples. In this work, three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (3DRGO) architectures were prepared through a green and template-free approach and used as active electrode materials to develop a highly selective electrochemical sensor for CAP detection. The spontaneous reduction and assembly of graphene oxide via zinc foil was completed at room temperature, followed by washing with diluted hydrogen chloride solution, to produce 3DRGO. The as-prepared 3DRGO were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. An electrochemical biosensor for CAP was constructed based on 3DRGO-modified glass carbon electrode (3DRGO/GCE). It was revealed that the present 3DRGO/GCE sensor exhibited a remarkable performance with a detection range of 1-113μmolL‒1 and a detection limit of 0.15μmolL‒1 at physiological pH 7.4. Moreover, the sensor showed an excellent selectivity, stability, reproducibility, and satisfying recovery result for CAP detection in real samples.

By taking advantage of the redox cycle between the reductive N-oxyl radical and its oxidative oxoammonium counterpart, the N-oxyl-radical-catalyzed intermolecular aminohydroxylation of styrenes with N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide was developed. Various vinyl arenes were aminohydroxylated in moderate to excellent yields with high regio- and diastereoselectivities by using environmentally benign H2O as the oxygen source. In addition, the sequential inter/intramolecular aminoalkoxylation of homoallylic alcohols was also achieved under anhydrous conditions, which allowed the exclusive synthesis of pharmaceutically useful 2-aryl-3-amino-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans.

In an effort to provide a measure of time perspective that can be used across the life-span, we examined the psychometric properties of the Adolescent Time Inventory-Time Attitude Scale (ATI-TA; Mello & Worrell, 2007) in three independent samples of young ( N = 388), middle ( N = 201), and older adults ( N = 189). Results provided strong psychometric evidence that the ATI-TA can be used appropriately with individuals across adolescence and adulthood. Specifically, internal consistency estimates indicated that scores on the six subscales (Past Positive, Past Negative, Present Positive, Present Negative, Future Positive, & Future Negative) were reliable across the three samples. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the theorized six-factor structure had acceptable fit and fit the data better than alternate models. Subsequent analyses provided support for invariance across young, middle, and older adults. Overall, these results show that the ATI-TA yields reliable scores and a valid structure across adulthood and can be used to measure time perspective throughout the life-span.

Ternary NiCoPd nanocatalyst dispersed on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs), NiCoPd/CNTs, was synthesized using a simple and green sonochemical method. The as-prepared NiCoPd/CNT hybrids were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The electrochemical measurements revealed that the ternary NiCoPd/CNTs exhibited an enhanced electrocatalytic activity for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR), much superior to those of the binary NiPd/CNT and CoPd/CNT, as well as monometallic Pd/CNT counterparts, which likely resulted from the synergistic function of the dopant metals of Ni and Co.

Highly dispread Ni-Co bimetallic nanoparticles (Ni-Co BMNPs) are synthesized and applied as an efficient catalyst in the chemoselective transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes (CTH) using hydrazine hydrate as the hydrogen donor. The BMNPs can efficiently catalyze the reduction reaction without any additives under mild conditions with high TOF. Significantly higher activity is achieved when compared with corresponding single-component catalysts, optimal composition of the Ni-Co BMNPs was screened which was proved to be crucial in both the selectivity and yields. Excellent performance of Ni-Co BMNPs can be ascribed to the improved dispersion of active sites on the BMNPs surface (compared with Ni NPs) and the electron transfer from cobalt to nickel.

This paper presents a method of tool posture global collision-free area generation for 5-axis machining point clouds. For obtaining precise collision-free area efficiently, discrete inclination angles and their collision-free rotation angle ranges are calculated to construct the area in two-dimensional configuration space (C-space), which avoids mapping obstacles to C-space or searching boundaries. An equation is derived to calculate the maximum available angle tolerance between an inclination angle and its neighboring angle. For collision-free rotation angle ranges, possible colliding cells containing data points are obtained to calculate the approximations of ranges quickly. An efficient iterative algorithm based on distances is presented to search critical colliding points to calculate theoretical ranges, which effectively avoids unnecessary additional computation. Finally, the collision-free area in C-space is constructed by the calculated collision-free rotation angle ranges of all inclination angles. Two typical point clouds are tested by the presented method, and the calculation results illustrate the feasibility to be implemented.

The boron doped diamond (BDD) electrodes were effective biosensors for the trace detection of organic pollutants in aqueous solution. BDD electrodes with different boron doped levels will display distinct binding energy and carrier density from the perspective of semiconductor, thus significantly impact the current and oxidation peak potential, and further influence detection performance of hazardous substances. In this study, BDDs with different boron doped levels were prepared by hot filament chemical vapor deposition method, followed by characterization of morphology and electrochemical behavior through various methods. Carrier concentrations, which were highly relevant to the charge transfer in diamond lattice, and flat-band potentials that can reflect the oxidation peak potential, were calculated through Mott-Schottky plots. Uric acid was chosen as typical matter for trace detection. As results, the continuous films without cracks were formed for all BDDs by SEM detection, and the size of diamond grain decreased with the increase of boron doped level. Moreover, the carrier concentration enhanced with the increasing boron doped level, thus resulted in the augment of current density. While the Fermi levels calculated from flat band potentials, decreased with the increase of boron doped level, suggesting the decrease of oxidation peak potential. These were in accordance with the results from cyclic voltammetry. Differential pulse voltammetry proved that BDD with higher boron concentration presented higher sensibility to uric acid, lower detection limit and wider linear range, which can be attributed to stronger current response.

Burst-tone focused ultrasound exposure in the presence of microbubbles has been demonstrated to be effective at inducing temporal and local opening of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which promises significant clinical potential to deliver therapeutic molecules into the central nervous system (CNS). Traditional contrast-enhanced imaging confirmation after focused ultrasound (FUS) exposure serves as a post-operative indicator of the effectiveness of FUS-BBB opening, however, an indicator that can concurrently report the BBB status and BBB-opening effectiveness is required to provide effective feedback to implement this treatment clinically. In this study, we demonstrate the use of subharmonic acoustic emission detection with implementation on a confocal dual-frequency piezoelectric ceramic structure to perform real-time monitoring of FUS-BBB opening. A confocal dual-frequency (0.55 MHz/1.1 MHz) focused ultrasound transducer was designed. The 1.1 MHz spherically-curved ceramic was employed to deliver FUS exposure to induce BBB-opening, whereas the outer-ring 0.55 MHz ceramic was employed to detect the subharmonic acoustic emissions originating from the target position. In stage-1 experiments, we employed spectral analysis and performed an energy spectrum density (ESD) calculation. An optimized 0.55 MHz ESD level change was shown to effectively discriminate the occurrence of BBB-opening. Wideband acoustic emissions received from 0.55 MHz ceramics were also analyzed to evaluate its correlations with erythrocyte extravasations. In stage-2 real-time monitoring experiments, we applied the predetermined ESD change as a detection threshold in PC-controlled algorithm to predict the FUS exposure intra-operatively. In stage-1 experiment, we showed that subharmonic ESD presents distinguishable dynamics between intact BBB and opened BBB, and therefore a threshold ESD change level (5.5 dB) can be identified for BBB-opening prediction. Using this ESD change threshold detection as a surrogate to on/off control the FUS exposure in stage-2 experiments, we demonstrated both excellent sensitivity (92%) and specificity (92.3%) in discriminating BBB-opening occurrence can be obtained in animal treatments, while concurrently achieving a high positive predicted value (95.8%). Wideband ESD was also highly correlated with the occurrence and level of erythrocyte extravasations (r (2) = 0.81). The proposed system configuration and corresponding analysis based on subharmonic acoustic emissions has the potential to be implemented as a real-time feedback control structure for reliable indication of intact FUS-BBB opening for CNS brain drug delivery.

Camel milk is rich in proteins that are beneficial to diseases. While commercial heat treatment is conducive to the storage, transportation and distribution of camel milk, such treatment could devalue the nourishment and destroy certain properties of camel milk proteins. In our study, Tandem mass tag (TMT) labeled camel milk samples, including raw camel milk (RCM), high-temperature processed liquid camel milk (PLCM) and camel milk powder (CMP), were examined by Liquid Chromatography combined with Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to identify and quantify proteins undergoing significant changes. A total of 807 proteins were identified, with 246 and 170 proteins undergoing significant changes in PLCM and CMP, respectively. Those proteins are mainly involved in biological processes like metabolic process and cellular process and were mostly related to signaling pathways including RNA transport, PPAR signaling pathway and ribosome. Our results provide new insights into the effects of thermal treatment on changes of protein profile.

In this work, efficient, sensitive bifunctional-monomer chitosan magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (BCMMIPs) were fabricated and successfully applied to concentrate the metabolites of Epimedium flavonoids in rat testis and bone that were later analyzed using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Using chitosan and methacrylic acid as co-functional monomers, BCMMIPs exhibited a large adsorption capacity (7.60 mg/g), fast kinetics (60 min), and good selectivity. Chitosan is bio-compatible and non-toxic, and methacrylic acid provides multiple hydrogen bond donors. The BCMMIPs were injected into rat testis to specifically enrich the total flavonoid metabolites in vivo and were used to extract metabolites from bone in vitro. The results showed that the BCMMIPs coupled with UPLC-Q-TOF-MS successfully identified 28 compounds from testis and 18 compounds from bone, including 19 new compounds. This study provided a reliable protocol for the concentration of metabolites from complex biological samples, and several new metabolites of Epimedium flavonoids were found in vivo and in vitro.

In this report, a non-toxic Dual Template Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (DMIPs) was synthesized with quercetin and schisandrin b as template molecules, using deep-eutectic solvents as functional monomers for the first time. The DMIPs were used to efficiently and simultaneously enrich quercetin and schisandrin b from the mixed crude extracts of penthorum and schisandra. The results indicated that the DMIPs exhibited rapid adsorption kinetics (80 min for adsorption equilibrium) and high selectivity. The largest adsorbing capacities to quercetin and schisandrin b were 23.58 mg/g and 41.64 mg/g, respectively. After presaturation with quercetin and schisandrin b, the nontoxic saturated DMIPs were fed to the mice. Blood samples of the mice were taken and both quercetin and schisandrin b were successfully detected. The pharmacokinetics of quercetin and schisandrin b were similar to reports in the literature where mice were directly fed with botanicals. Our study provides a reliable protocol such that DMIPs can be used to separate and enrich several target molecules simultaneously from complex biological systems. Our findings suggested that the DMIPs have potential application as a drug delivery system of compound herbal formulas.

Biocompatible magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (BMMIPs) were prepared with Zein for the first time, and were used to enrich tetracycline compounds selectively. Innovative combination of BMMIPs and electrochemistry to obtain lower detection line to satisfy industrial detection demands. Using Zein as the crosslinking agent, the polymers were synthesized on the surface of Fe3O4 particles. The scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction technologies were used to characterize BMMIPs. Through optimization, BMMIPs attained large adsorption capacity (236.40 mg/g) with fast kinetics (40 min) and followed the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. BMMIPs had good recognition ability, the selective factors of oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, doxycycline were 4.78, 4.23, and 3.39, respectively. Excellent linearity was attained in the range of 0.025–500 μg/mL, with low detection limits and low quantitation limits of 0.025 and 0.083 μg/mL. According to our exploring, BMMIPs was ideal materials for enrichment of tetracycline in complex biological samples.

Because of excellent mechanical properties, thermal insulation and ideal radiation resistance, polyimide (PI) is one of the best choices as a flexible solar backsheet in photovoltaic systems. In this study, accumulation characteristics of surface charge of PI backsheet under temperature-controlled corona polarization were investigated both theoretically and experimentally. In order to investigate the surface charge accumulation of PI backsheet under the effect of different temperatures, finite element method (FEM) was used. The mechanisms by which the temperature influenced accumulation and decay processes of the surface charge of the PI backsheet were investigated. The results show that the carrier mobility of PI backsheet increased in the stages of charge accumulation and charge decay, which then has an indirect effect on the dynamic characteristics of the surface charge. Charge accumulation decreases with the increase of temperature, and both accumulation process and decay process occurred simultaneously. The results of this study provide theoretical support for the modification of PI backsheet. At the same time, a practical theoretical method for modeling and simulating the charge diffusion of insulating PI backsheet under the influence of temperature was explored.

The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is considered to be the natural way to realize decision making with pairwise comparisons of alternatives. Within the framework of the AHP model, the full process of forming comparison matrices is considered as an indivisible whole; and the irrational and uncertain behavior of decision makers has been identified and highlighted. In practice, the process of comparing alternatives is complex, especially when the number of alternatives is large. In this study, we propose a sequential modeling of wise comparison process for alternatives, which subsumes the typical AHP model as a special case. A new mathematical framework based on the leading principal submatrices is formed. The process of quantifying priorities of alternatives and the inconsistency-degree process of judgements are proposed to capture the irrationality and uncertainty experienced by decision makers in pairwise comparisons. It is found that the rank preservation is natural according to the comparison process. The acceptable consistency of multiplicative reciprocal matrices is redefined under the principle of weak rationality. A feedback mechanism is proposed to help decision makers avoid irrational behavior and to produce a better outcome of the decision procedure. Some comparisons with the AHP model demonstrate that the proposed model offers a clear way to capture the irrational and uncertain behavior of decision makers when evaluating the importance of alternatives.

Awe is a complex emotion composed of an appraisal of vastness and a need for accommodation. The purpose of this study was to develop a robust state measure of awe, the Awe Experience Scale (AWE-S),...

Aldosterone (Aldo), a pivotal hormone that is ubiquitously expressed in systemic tissues of mammals, is a crucial factor in the pathogenesis of cardiac disease. Accumulating evidence suggests that disturbances in cell energy metabolism are involved in increasing aldosterone levels. However, the precise mechanism underlying the impact of cardiac metabolic remodeling underlying aldosterone stimulation remains limited. In this work, we evaluated the underlying effect of aldosterone on regulating cardiac metabolism remodeling in a canine model. Fifteen beagle dogs were divided into a control group (n = 5), Aldo group (n = 5), and a group treated with spironolactone (SP), a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (n = 5), for 4 weeks. Blood pressure, electrocardiogram and respiratory parameters, HE, Masson staining, ultrastructural changes, the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and free fatty acid (FFA) levels of ventricular tissues, the level of mRNA, and the protein expression of key metabolic factors and regulators were assessed. The Sirt1/AMPK signaling pathway was significantly inhibited in the canine model of aldosterone stimulation, resulting in a reduction of the key downstream metabolic factors involved in glucose and fatty acid oxidation. The dysregulation of expression of key factors in glycogen metabolism led to glycogen deposition, an increase in FFA levels, a reduction in ATP levels, apoptosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, and mitochondrial damage in the ventricular myocardium. These effects were significantly restored by spironolactone. Aldosterone stimulation induced cardiac metabolic remodeling in ventricular cardiomyocytes possibly through the Sirt1/AMPK signaling pathway, implying that this pathway may provide a novel therapeutic target for cardiac metabolic remodeling.

In this study, a novel amino-terminated supramolecular cucurbit [6] uril (CB [6]) pseudorotaxane motif coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was successfully fabricated through cucurbit [6] uril promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition. The physicochemical properties of the obtained functional MNPs were investigated by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer, vibrating sample magnetometer, thermal gravimetric-derivative thermogravimetric analysis, and Zeta potential analyzer. Due to the abundant carboxyl groups in the structure of CB [6] and amino residue on the surface of the pseudorotaxane motif MNPs, the prepared materials were employed to extract salvianolic acids (SAs) for the first time. A series of significant parameters in the extraction and elution process, including sample pH, acetonitrile percentage, ionic strength and extraction temperature, as well as eluent type and desorption time, were examined systematically. Based on the results, the electrostatic interaction, van der Waals interaction, hydrophilic interaction and hydrogen bonding formation between the analytes and sorbent were speculated. The equilibrium state of static adsorption study indicated the outstanding adsorption capacity of pseudorotaxane motif MNPs toward six SAs to be 15–80 mg/g, providing much better adsorption affinity for SAs compared with MNPs only modified with amino, and their adsorption behaviors were all fitted with Freundlich adsorption isotherm model. In addition, the developed pseudorotaxane motif MNPs offered good recyclability and stability. Taking advantage of these merits, four SAs from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge were successfully extracted using the prepared pseudorotaxane motif MNPs with relative recovery in the range from 95.1% to 106.5% and RSDs below 9.7%. These results demonstrated that the synthesized pseudorotaxane motif MNPs showed potential as a candidate in the extraction of SAs.

Electrochemical oxidation by boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode is an effective method of degrading refractory organics. Compared with TOC detection, the amount of gas escape can more effectively and intuitively reflect the mineralization and the removal extent. In this study, indole is chosen as a typical pollutant and the detection of its removal rate was compared at current densities of 10, 20, and 30 mA·cm

Ahstract-A decision making model is proposed within the framework of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), when the opinions of decision makers are expressed as incomplete interval additive reciprocal preference relations due to the complexity and uncertainty of real-world environments. Based on the new concept of additive approximation-consistency, a goal programming model is constructed to estimate the missing information in incomplete interval additive reciprocal comparison matrices. It is found that when the permutation of alternatives is different, the estimated preference information may be different. Then the average values of the obtained preference information are used to complement incomplete interval additive reciprocal comparison matrices. A new algorithm is proposed to address the decision making problem with incomplete interval additive reciprocal preference relations. The proposed method and algorithm are illustrated by carrying out numerical results.

To improve the detective ability of complex event processing (CEP), we combine interval temporal logic (ITL) and regular expression in pattern description of event streams constraint. We propose different timed automata to support varied ITL. The pattern described by regular expression improves the simplicity of the pattern description. Meanwhile, we have implemented above technique in a CEP system to test performance. The experimental evaluation shows that the pattern can be efficiently and accurately matched.

In the production of the Higgs through a bottom-quark loop, the transverse momentum distribution of the Higgs at large $P_T$ is complicated by its dependence on two other important scales: the bottom quark mass $m_b$ and the Higgs mass $m_H$. A strategy for simplifying the calculation of the cross section at large $P_T$ is to calculate only the leading terms in its expansion in $m_b^2/P_T^2$. In this paper, we consider the bottom-quark-loop contribution to the parton process $q\bar{q}\to H+g$ at leading order in $\alpha_s$. We show that the leading power of $1/P_T^2$ can be expressed in the form of a factorization formula that separates the large scale $P_T$ from the scale of the masses. All the dependence on $m_b$ and $m_H$ can be factorized into a distribution amplitude for $b \bar b$ in the Higgs, a distribution amplitude for $b \bar b$ in a real gluon, and an endpoint contribution. The factorization formula can be used to organize the calculation of the leading terms in the expansion in $m_b^2/P_T^2$ so that every calculation involves at most two scales., Comment: 29 pages, 7 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1704.06620

In this paper, the radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting and transfer system is proposed for low-power electronic devices. The RF energy harvesting system is designed for receiving 2.4GHz Wi-Fi signals, which is composed of four CPW fed hexagonal slot antennas and each one offers the bandwidth of 69.8% (1.4-2.9GHz) with a gain of 3.8dBi at 2.4GHz, a power divider, a 2.4GHz rectifying circuit without additional matching network and an super-capacitor. Through the measurement, the output voltage of the designed system can reach up to 1V. Subsequently, the RF energy transfer system is proposed and designed for transferring 433MHz RF signals. In this system, a helical antenna with the frequency from 426MHz to 447MHz is designed as the receiving antenna, and the T shape matching network is adopted to match the 433MHz rectifying circuit. Finally, the measured results demonstrate that the designed RF energy transfer system can drive a ZigBee sensor, a temperature and humidity instrument and an electronic clock, simultaneously, with a maximum diastance of 0.5 meter between the receiver and the transmitting antenna.

Background: Fucoidan is a fucose-enriched, sulfated polysaccharide found in brown algae; in recent years, this polysaccharide has been found to exert several biological effects, including antitumor effects, such as antiproliferation, activating apoptosis, and anti-angiogenesis of cancer cells. However, the antimetastatic effect of fucoidan and the related targeting receptors remain unknown. In the present study, we examined the inhibition of invadopodia formation and underlying mechanism of fucoidan on human liver cancer cells. Methods: We used 98% purified fucoidan from Sargassum species to treat the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells SMMC-7721, Huh7 and HCCLM3 in vitro and the HCCLM3 cell line in vivo. The HCC cells were cultured with various concentrations of Fucoidan-Sargassum (0-30 mg/mL). Migration, invasion and wound healing assays were performed to determine the antimetastatic effect of fucoidan on the HCC cells. Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence staining were conducted to determine the expression levels of invadopodia formation-regulating proteins and the targeting membrane receptor proteins. Results: Fucoidan-Sargassum inhibited the migration and invasion of HCC SMMC-7721, Huh7 and HCCLM3 cells in a dose-dependent manner. In the HCCLM3 cells, Fucoidan-Sargassum also decreased the expression levels of invadopodia-related proteins including Src, Cortactin, N-WASP, ARP3, CDC42, MMP2, MT1-MMP, and the targeting receptors integrin αV and β3 in a dose-dependent manner. Fucoidan-Sargassum also increased the levels of endoplasmic reticulum-related proteins, including GRP78, IRE1, SPARC, and the type IV collagen receptor proteins integrin α1 and β1. In vivo, Fucoidan-Sargassum reduced the size of liver tumors and decreased the number of lung metastatic foci in nude mice with hepatocellular carcinoma xenografts. Conclusion: These findings indicate that Fucoidan-Sargassum has an antimetastatic effect on SMMC-7721, Huh7 and HCCLM3 liver cancer cells, and the underlying mechanism involves targeting ITGαVβ3 and mediating the ITGαVβ3/SRC/E2F1 signaling pathway. These results suggest that Fucoidan-Sargassum may be a promising therapeutic antimetastatic compound in the development of a metastasis-preventive drug for treating liver cancer.

Advances in big data applications will help to create new business models, this paper takes Walmart's application as a starting point in big data, this paper studies the emerging industrial chain in big data mode, this has some implications for the application of big data in retail. This paper summarizes the research status of big data application in recent years, the big data of Walmart is analyzed in detail, these include the history and actuality of the big data application of Walmart, and a SWOT analysis of Walmart's big data applications. SO is last display selection strategy, seizing the opportunity to scale up the enterprise.

This paper presents a method of tool posture local collision-free area generation for 5-axis machining point clouds. Considering it is time-consuming and complicated to calculate the entire precise area, in this paper, discrete inclination angles are obtained in its available range, and the precise collision-free rotation angle ranges of each inclination angle are calculated to construct the collision-free area in 2-dimensional configuration space (C-space). In local gouging avoidance, an algorithm is presented to calculate the maximum equivalent tool radius with the local contour line of the point cloud near the cutter contact (CC) point, which defines the local gouging-free ranges of rotation angles and discrete inclination angles. In rear gouging avoidance, if the tool rotates by some specific angles, a rear gouging point will be outside the tool and the gouging is avoided. Based on the way, an algorithm is presented to calculate the gouging-free ranges for discrete inclination angles. Finally, the intersections of local and rear gouging-free rotation angle ranges define the collision-free area. This presented method applies to flat-end milling cutter and torus milling cutter, and two examples are given to illustrate the feasibility.

The β-O-4 linkage in lignin can be selectively cleaved by Pd–Ni bimetallic nanoparticles supported on ZrO2 using hydrogen gas as the hydrogen donor under ambient pressure and neutral conditions. Conspicuous enhancement in activity is observed compared with single nickel and palladium catalysts based on the results of experiments and characterization. Moreover, hydrogenation of the produced phenols is tuned by adjusting the amount of NaBH4. The catalyst can be reused over ten times in the model reaction and over five times in the hydrogenolysis of lignin without an obvious change in activity and selectivity.

Purpose To investigate the feasibility of half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) for real-time monitoring of signal changes because of water flow induced by inertial cavitation (IC) during microbubbles (MBs)-present focused ultrasound (FUS) exposure. Theory and Methods Strong turbulence produced in MB solution at the onset of IC results in the difficulty to refocus signal echoes and thus the decrease in signal intensity (SI). Fundamental investigations were conducted using an agar phantom containing MB dilutions exposed to 1.85-MHz FUS. The effects of various experimental conditions including MB concentrations, imaging slice thicknesses, chamber diameters, acoustic pressures, duty cycles, and pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) were discussed. Results Continuous 2.8 MPa FUS exposure resulted in SI changed from 11% to 55% when MBs concentrations increased from 0.025% to 0.1%. When slice thickness increased from 3 mm to 6 or 8 mm, smaller SI changes were observed (84%, 59%, and 46%). Images acquired with chamber diameter of 6 and 3 mm showed SI changes of 84% and 35%, respectively. In burst modes, higher duty cycles exhibited higher SI changes, and lower PRFs exhibited smaller and longer SI decrease. Conclusion Under various conditions, substantial signal changes were observable, suggesting the feasibility of applying HASTE to real-time monitor IC effect under FUS exposure. Magn Reson Med, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hollow CoNiPt ternary alloy nanostructures loaded on carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (c-MWCNTs) are facilely synthesized under a sonochemical condition. The as-prepared CoNiPt/c-MWCNTs hybrid exhibits enhanced electrocatalytic activity and improved stability for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR), much superior to the corresponding pure Pt, binary CoPt and NiPt counterparts. The green sonochemical synthesis of CoNiPt/c-MWCNTs composite provides a promising strategy for developing of high-performance Pt-based catalysts for the MOR in fuel cells.

The effect of cladding mode frustrated total internal reflection (CMFTIR) in macrobend polymer optical fiber is first used to achieve continuous liquid-level dynamic sensing. However, the difficulty is that the CMFTIR sensing signal is so weak as to be drowned into background noises. To solve this problem, the sensors with the parallel (twisted) helical macrobend coupling structure (PHMBCS and THMBCS) are designed to obtain dark-filed coupling signal which is found to be excellent on signal-to-noise ratio. The experiment shows that the sensor can dynamically measure the continuous change of water level, and the curve tracks are related to the speed of water flow. The result offers the possibility to calculate the real-time speeds of the level change. The measurement range of PHMBCS is 70 mm, and THMBCS reaches 350 mm. Better linearity is realized using THMBCS. The average level resolutions of the sensors with two structures are both less than 0.3 mm, and the measurement results show a very good consistency. The sensor, which has a good prospect of application, meets the needs of dynamic measurement of liquid level, especially under complicated electromagnetic and flammable environment.

Background: Pancreatic cancer risk is increased in patients with type 2 diabetes, while being reduced by metformin treatment. However, it is unclear whether metformin could be associated with clinical outcomes of patients with pancreatic cancer and concurrent type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: A pooled analysis of 4 publications including 1,429 patients was performed to investigate the association of metformin and overall survival(OS) in patients with pancreatic cancer and concurrent type 2 diabetes. Results: A borderline significant relative survival benefit was found in metformin treated patients compared with non-metformin treated patients (hazard ratio 0.80; 95% CI: 0.62-1.03). Conclusions: These results suggest that further investigation is warranted of whether metformin may benefit the survival of patients with pancreatic cancer and concurrent type 2 diabetes.

In recent years, with the development of modern technologies and safety science, catastrophic accidents tend to be avoided successfully. However, general accidents which cause minor loss or casualties still occur occasionally and hence become main part of all accidents. Therefore, to make effective control of general accidents, fault trees are established based on the analysis of historical general accidents. The influencing factors are roughly divided into human factors and equipment system factors. This paper focuses on human factors and the relationships between the factors and general accidents are analyzed using the improved analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and methods of risk identification. The importance of the factors is thus evaluated. Results of the evaluation are helpful to management.

Ternary CuFePd nanocatalysts were anchored on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) by a simple one-pot chemical reduction with NaBH4 at room temperature, and used as a novel CuFePd/rGO electrocatalyst toward the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The CuFePd/rGO nanocatalysts were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The electrocatalytic performance for MOR was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry. The as-prepared ternary CuFePd/rGO exhibited improved activity and stability in comparison with Pd/rGO, binary CuPd/rGO, and FePd/rGO. Furthermore, the effects of the Cu to Fe composition ratio on the electrocatalytic performance are also discussed.

In this work, a modified pretreatment method using magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) was successfully applied to study the metabolites of an important botanical with ultraperformance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The MMIPs for glucoside-specific adsorption was used to identify metabolites of Pulsatilla chinensis in rat feces. Polymers were prepared by using Fe3O4 nanoparticles as the supporting matrix, d-glucose as fragment template, and dopamine as the functional monomer and cross-linker. Results showed that MMIPs exhibited excellent extraction performance, large adsorption capacity (5.65 mg/g), fast kinetics (60 min), and magnetic separation. Furthermore, the MMIPs coupled with UPLC-Q-TOF-MS were successfully utilized for the identification of 17 compounds including 15 metabolites from the Pulsatilla saponin metabolic pool. This study provides a reliable protocol for the separation and identification of saponin metabolites in a complex biological sample, including those from herbal medicines.

Previous studies have suggested that metformin may improve the survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer (PC) by regulating the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. Rapamycin specifically targets mTOR. In the present study, the efficacy of metformin and rapamycin in isolation and combination were investigated for the treatment of PC. The efficacy of metformin and rapamycin in reducing the proliferation of PC cell line SW1990 in vitro and in vivo was evaluated. It was revealed that metformin (10 mmol/l) + rapamycin (2 ng/ml), metformin (15 mmol/l) + rapamycin (20 ng/ml) and metformin (20 mmol/l) + rapamycin (200 ng/ml) significantly inhibited the viability of PC cells compared with untreated cells. Additionally, metformin (20 mmol/l) + rapamycin (200 ng/ml) significantly suppressed the expression of phosphorylated mTOR compared with metformin or rapamycin alone. Using a xenograft tumor model, it was revealed that combination treatment significantly inhibited the growth of PC cells compared with monotherapy. The present study revealed that a combination of metformin and rapamycin synergistically inhibited the growth of PC in vitro and in vivo and may be a potential treatment option for patients with PC.

In order to solve the rotational torque curve fitting problem of three-phase asynchronous motor, an on-line fitting algorithm based on particle swarm optimization is designed. Firstly, the rotational torque model of three-phase asynchronous motor is established by using the Taylor-polynomial model. Secondly, through the particle swarm optimization algorithm and the polynomial evaluation function, the order of optimal fitting is solved and the online fitting is realized. Finally, the algorithm is applied actually in motor industry through Visual Studio platform, and shows that it is effective.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene ApaⅠ polymorphism and the susceptibility to bone and joint tuberculosis in Chinese Han population. METHODS: Between May, 2015 and June, 2016, 100 patients with bone and joint tuberculosis and 100 healthy volunteers were recruited concomitantly in Heyuan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Vitamin D receptor gene ApaⅠ polymorphisms in these subjects were analyzed using SNaPshot. RESULT: The genotype frequencies of ApaⅠ-AA, ApaⅠ-Aa and ApaⅠ-aa were 51%, 41%, and 8% in the case group and 33%, 55%, and 12% in the control group, respectively, showing significant differences between the two groups (P < 0.05). The genotype of ApaⅠ-AA was significantly higher in the case group with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.073 (95% CI: 1.142-3.763). CONCLUSION: The ApaⅠ polymorphisms of the VDR gene are associated with the susceptibility to bone and joint tuberculosis in Chinese Han population, and individuals with a ApaⅠ-AA genotype are at greater risks to develop bone and joint tuberculosis.

This paper introduces the four patterns of current village-level financial management and makes a simple comparison on their advantages and disadvantages. Simultaneously, taking Lou Feng subdistrict in Suzhou as the main example, this paper discusses and puts forwards some explorations on the optimization of the existing problems in the current village-level financial management based on the understanding and researches on its village-level financial management mode.

In this study, we propose to use gas-filled microbubbles (MBs) simultaneously actuated by the acoustic wave to enhance the imaging contrast of optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based angiography. In the phantom experiments, MBs can result in stronger backscattered intensity, enabling to enhance the contrast of OCT intensity image. Moreover, simultaneous application of low-intensity acoustic wave enables to temporally induce local vibration of particles and MBs in the vessels, resulting in time-variant OCT intensity which can be used for enhancing the contrast of OCT intensitybased angiography. Additionally, different acoustic modes and different acoustic powers to actuate MBs are performed and compared to investigate the feasibility of contrast enhancement. Finally, animal experiments are performed. The findings suggest that acoustic-actuated MBs can effectively enhance the imaging contrast of OCT-based angiography and the imaging depth of OCT angiography is also extended.

Boron (B) deficiency stress is frequently observed in citrus orchards and causes considerable loss of productivity and fruit quality. Carrizo citrange (Cc) has been reported as a rootstock more tolerant to B deficiency than Trifoliate orange (To). The ‘Newhall’ navel orange (Ns) performed better when grafted onto Cc (Ns/Cc) than when grafted onto To (Ns/To) under long-term B deficiency. The present study confirmed that Ns/Cc had higher boron content, leaf fresh weight, lower leaf chlorosis and stronger photosynthesis ability than Ns/To. Moreover, B-deficiency significantly reduced the chlorophyll and carotenoid content in Ns/To. The content of total soluble sugar and lignin were dramatically increased and the expression levels of photosynthesis-related genes were substantially down-regulated in Ns/To by B-deficient treatment. B-deficiency also strongly induced expression levels of chlorophyll decomposition-related genes, glucose synthesis-related genes and lignin synthesis-related genes, and significantly inhibited the expression of carotenoid synthesis-related genes in Ns/To. Overall, these findings suggested that the influence of To on the scion of Ns was worse than that of Cc due to differently regulating these metabolic pathways under the long term of B-deficiency. The transcriptome analysis provided further information for understanding the mechanism of the different responses of scion-rootstock combinations to B-deficiency stress.

Past studies demonstrated that grateful people report higher well-being. Research has rarely examined the mechanisms that explains this relation. In three studies (N = 787), we proposed that time perspectives may be one reasons why grateful people report higher well-being. Studies 1 and 2 used a cross-sectional design with adults and students that demonstrated a unique association between trait gratitude and well-being, which is largely explained by the past positive time perspective. Study 3 used a brief longitudinal design in a more ethnically diverse student sample and found that trait gratitude predicted life satisfaction one-month later, in part, because the grateful people reported more past positive time perspective. In short, these findings were consistent across diverse samples and remained even after controlling for the Big Five personality traits. The discussion focuses on the implications that these results have for the gratitude and time perspective literature.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) appear in universal stress pathways and damage cell components. In this study, 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl (TEMPOL), a redox-cycling nitroxide and membrane-permeable antioxidant, was investigated for its ability to clear out intracellular ROS induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) shock in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cell growth was improved by TEMPOL addition. The mechanism of ROS removal was elucidated by investigating activities of related genes, enzyme, and cofactors. TEMPOL increased the expression of genes involved in oxidative stress response, and enhanced the activities of the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) antioxidative proteins. TEMPOL also increased intracellular glutathione (GSH) to remove ROS by supplying more NADPH in cells. Finally, TEMPOL might catalyze the reaction of NADH and ROS due to its dual redox states. Interestingly, the early addition of TEMPOL resulted in a better H2O2 tolerance, because TEMPOL required time to expand its benefits in different metabolic levels for constructing an enzymatic antioxidant defense system and accumulating non-enzymatic reducing power in advance, akin to a “preventive stimulator”.

In order to investigate the surface potential decay tendency of the insulator polymers such as Polypropylene (PP) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), the high voltage corona triode was applied to inject the charge into the surface and volume of the samples. Due to that the surface potential decay tendency is of utmost important to the investigation of space charge storage mechanism in those polymers, the decay tendency of each sample was tested and observed. The results show that the polypropylene with cellular structure can stored larger amount of the surface charges than the polyvinyl chloride. The results could be put into industrial application of insulation materials in the related fields of electrical insulation engineering.

One kind of like-Magnetoelectric (ME) effect has been observed in the suspended piezoelectric beam when it was subjected the magnetic fields with suitable directions, frequency and amplitude. Its magnetoelectric phenomena were induced by the torsion moment. The moment appeared in the sample surface is sufficient to apply the Lorentz torque force, and thus the mangetoelectric voltage has been generated. Such results could be expected to put into widespread application in the field of self-powered magnetic sensor or transducer, because of strengths of the specimen such as low cost, linear feedback and easy fabrication etc..

This paper reports on a prototype of magnetic actuator which is based on generalized magnetoelectric (ME) phenomena. The tested sample was made up of a vertical piezoelectric bender coated with a silver plate and electric wire. Due to the coupling of the piezoelectric layer and Lorentz force in the metal part of the sample, piezoelectric bender’s torsion deformation can be induced by Lorentz force, and thus piezoelectric voltage appeared on the sample. Then, generalized magnetoelectric effect appeared when ac magnetic flux was across the thickness of the beam. Finally, without applying a power source on the specimen, a room temperature magnetic field actuator can be developed by using this piezoelectric beam, from which magnetoelectric voltage coefficient as high as 81.8 mV/cm-Oe can be obtained. In the experiments, the magnetoelectric voltage of piezoelectric beam can be controlled by adjusting ac current, so it is promising to be put into the application of magnetic field sensing and actuating technology.

Prior research has demonstrated that people who are more connected with nature report more subjective well-being. However, guided by the sensitization model of well-being, we expected that the positive relation between connectedness with nature and psychological well-being would only be significant for those who tend to engage in nature's beauty (i.e., experience positive emotional responses when witnessing nature's beauty). In Study 1, we found the positive relation between connectedness with nature and life satisfaction was only significant for individuals higher, and not those lower, on engagement with natural beauty. Study 2 conceptually replicated this finding using self-esteem as an outcome. Moreover, the results were not affected by age, gender, Big Five personality traits (Study 1) or social desirability (Study 2). Thus, the current research extends past literature and demonstrates that connectedness with nature only predicts well-being when individuals are also emotionally attuned to nature's beauty.