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A simple and sensitive method for the simultaneous voltammetric detection of two trace phytohormones both indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and salicylic acid (SA) was successfully realized using composite film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with enhanced sensing performance. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), a water-soluble biopolymer with good film-forming ability and adhesive property was selected as the disperser, stabilizer, and binder for improving the water-dispersibility of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) with excellent electrocatalytic ability and montmorillonite (MMT) with high effective surface area and surface adsorption capacity, and enhancing the water stability and adhesion between the coating and substrate electrode. CMC-SWCNT-MMT/GCE displayed enhanced electrode stability in water, effective surface area, adhesive property and adsorption capacity, and good electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of both IAA and SA, which could simultaneously detected two trace phytohormones with high sensitivity, low detection limit, and good sensing stability. Satisfactory results indicated the water-dispersed CMC-SWCNT-MMT with enhanced sensing performance provided a promising platform for the electrochemical application of high-performance composite film-modified electrode.

Background— Accelerated idioventricular rhythm (AIVR) or ventricular tachycardia (VT) originating from the right bundle branch (RBB) is rare and published clinical data on such arrhythmia are scarce. In this study, we will describe the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and management of a cohort of patients with this novel arrhythmia. Methods and Results— Eight patients (5 men; median age, 25 years) with RBB-AIVR/VT were consecutively enrolled in the study. Pharmacological testing, exercise treadmill testing, electrophysiological study, and catheter ablation were performed in the study patients, and ECG features were characterized. All RBB-AIVR/VTs were of typical left bundle-branch block morphology with atrioventricular dissociation. The arrhythmias, which demonstrated chronotropic variability, were often isorhythmic with sinus rhythm and were accelerated by physical exercise, stress, and intravenous isoprenaline infusion. The rate of RBB-AIVR/VT varied from 45 to 200 beats per minute. Two patients experienced syncope, and 3 had impaired left ventricular function. Metoprolol was proven to be the most effective drug to decelerate the arrhythmia rate and relieve symptoms. Electrophysiology study was performed in 5 patients and the earliest activation with a sharp RBB potential was localized in the mid or distal RBB area. Catheter ablation terminated the arrhythmia with subsequent RBB block morphology during sinus rhythm. During follow-up, patients’ symptoms were controlled with normalization of left ventricular function either on metoprolol or by catheter ablation. Conclusions— RBB-AIVR/VT is an unusual type of ventricular arrhythmia. It can result in significant symptoms and depressed ventricular function and can be successfully treated with catheter ablation.

Late cure after a previously failed ablation of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) is a relatively common phenomenon. The present study sought to delineate the incidence and electrophysiological characteristics of late cure in idiopathic VA patients.Totally, 45 idiopathic VA cases (mean age 44 ± 18 years, 27 males) either failed acutely or recurred within 12 h were enrolled in this study. Based on intensive clinical observations in the acute period, 19 (42%) patients demonstrated late cure in the first week after the procedure.The late cure patients had significantly better acute and cumulative ablation effects during the procedure than did those without a late cure. Additionally, they had a prediction that originated from the right ventricular outflow tract, aortic-mitral continuum, and left summit area relative to other sites (13/18 vs 6/27, p 0.01). In a median follow-up of 24 [14, 46] months, 7/19 (37%) patients had their VAs recurred. The late cure group had significantly more patients cured at long-term follow-up than those without (12/19 vs 0/26, p 0.01). A cutoff value of the "time to eliminate VAs" 7.0 s was able to predict a long-term recurrence of the VAs with 62.5% sensitivity and 85.7% specificity.The late cure of VAs occurs in more than one third of patients who have a seemingly unsuccessful ablation session, which is clustered in the first week after the procedure. However, long-term recurrence of VAs occurred in 37% of the late cure patients, emphasizing the importance of long-term follow-up.

Gastrodia elata tuber (GET) has been widely used in China as a famous herbal medicine. However, the quality control markers (QCMs) for GET still need further investigation.To develop a rational strategy based on fingerprint-efficacy relationship modelling to discover the efficacy-related QCMs, using GET as a case study.The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprints of 13 batches of GET extracts were established and 10 common peaks were structurally characterised by HPLC coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS). The neuroprotective effects of GET samples were evaluated using the in vitro model of β-amyloid peptide (AβThe chemical combination of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (5-HMF), parishin B (PB) and parishin C (PC) was discovered and confirmed as QCMs of GET by the OPLS-DA method. The selected QCMs allowed to evaluate the relative quality of GET samples.This study has demonstrated that the rational strategy based on fingerprint-efficacy relationship modelling might be generally applicable for the quality control of herbal medicines. Copyright © 2017 John WileySons, Ltd.

Objective: Discussing whether occurs reperfusion malignant ventricular arrhythmia by intravenous injecting metoprolol before the intervention treatment of Left Anterior Descending (LAD) of Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) and observing the change of heart rate.

This study investigates how to alleviate the class imbalance problems for constructing unbiased classifiers when instances in one class are more than that in another. Since keeping the data distribution unchanged and expanding class boundaries after synthetic samples have been added influence the classification performance greatly, we take into account the above two factors, and propose a Random Walk Over-Sampling approach (RWO-Sampling) to balancing different class samples by creating synthetic samples through randomly walking from the real data. When some conditions are satisfied, it can be proved that, both the expected average and the standard deviation of the generated samples equal to that of the original minority class data. RWO-Sampling also expands the minority class boundary after synthetic samples have been generated. In this work, we perform a broad experimental evaluation, and experimental results show that, RWO-Sampling statistically does much better than alternative methods on imbalanced data sets when implementing common baseline algorithms.

Background— Atrial tachycardias (ATs) after extensive ablation are increasingly common and challenging arrhythmias. The prolonged intra-atrial conduction time (IACT) during ATs in the milieu may complicate the mapping of focal ATs. In this present study, we aim to characterize the electrophysiological features of ATs in this unique setting and to delineate an effective mapping strategy further. Methods and Results— In total, 13 patients (average age, 59±7 years) in a cohort of 80 patients referred for AT ablation were selected for the study. The patients all demonstrated an undistinguishable map not ready to be interpreted the 3-dimensional mapping. A total of 13 ATs were mapped with mean tachycardia cycle length of 296±70 ms. Two activation patterns were identified, which were referred to as pseudo-macroreentry and chaotic activation. The former was a focal AT originating from the vicinity of an area of conduction block with the IACT less than the window of interest duration (4 cases; IACT/window of interest ratio range, 0.93–0.98). The latter refers to a focal AT exhibiting a disorderly color mapping display with IACT exceeding the window of interest duration (9 cases; IACT/window of interest ratio range, 1.02–1.29). The IACT was determined after resetting the annotation. All ATs were successfully eliminated at the originating site. Conclusions— We delineated a series of focal ATs in the setting of a significantly prolonged IACT encountered in patients after previous extensive ablation. Two activation patterns were identified, which may help facilitate the mapping of focal ATs in this setting.

AT-Induced Cardiomyopathy Objective Focal atrial tachycardias (ATs) are known to have the potential to develop tachycardiomyopathy (TCM). The aim of the study was to investigate the incidence, risk factors, and long-term outcome of TCM patients complicated by focal ATs. Methods and Results A total of 237 patients undergoing electrophysiological studies were enrolled, among which 216 patients were diagnosed as focal ATs. In total, 18 patients (8.3%, 13 males) were identified to have TCM. The TCM patients were younger (29.8 ± 20.1 vs. 45.9 ± 17.3; P < 0.000) and were more frequently males (13/18 vs. 80/198; P = 0.014). The ATs were more likely to be persistent (11/18 vs. 32/198; P < 0.001). There was no difference between the 2 groups in terms of the tachycardia cycle length (392 milliseconds vs. 380 milliseconds; P = 0.56) and heart rate (144 bpm vs. 156 bpm; P = 0.15). The persistence and incidence of symptoms and prevalence of structural heart disease were comparable between the groups. In a multivariable analysis, the younger age and persistent nature were independently associated with TCM. In a 56 ± 21-month follow-up, all TCM patients had improved left ventricle ejection fraction after successful catheter ablation or medical therapy (43.9 ± 5.8% vs. 61.1 ± 3.5%; P ＜ 0.05). However, 1 patient suffered sudden cardiac death due to unauthorized withdrawal of the drug and progressive heart failure. Conclusions The incidence of TCM in focal ATs patients was 8.3%. Younger age and persistent nature were the independent risk factors of TCM. Most TCM patients had a benign outcome; however, long-term risk of sudden death does exist.

Highly ordered mesoporous copper ferrite (meso-CuFe2O4) with high surface area and large pore size was successfully fabricated and firstly proposed as a heterogeneous Fenton catalyst. It was synthesized through the nanocasting strategy by using KIT-6 as hard template. The morphology and physicochemical properties of meso-CuFe2O4 were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, FT-IR, Raman spectra, etc. The obtained results showed that the surface area and the pore size of meso-CuFe2O4 were 122 m2 g−1 and 9.2 nm, respectively. The meso-CuFe2O4 presented excellent catalytic activity for the degradation of imidacloprid, achieving almost complete removal of 10 mg L−1 imidacloprid after 5 h at the reaction conditions of 0.3 g L−1 catalyst and 40 mM H2O2. Kinetic analysis showed that the degradation of imidacloprid follows the pseudo-first order. The apparent rate constant for meso-CuFe2O4 was 1.0445 h−1, which was 1.5, 2 and 2.5 times than those of meso-CoFe2O4, con-CuFe2O4 and nano-Fe3O4, respectively. The amount of hydroxyl radical (OH) generated was directly proportional to the degradation efficiency of imidacloprid, suggesting the involvement of OH in oxidizing imidacloprid. The obtained results indicated that meso-CuFe2O4 presented the highest activity, which was not only due to its ordered mesoporous structure with high surface area and large pore size, but also assigned to the redox recycle of Fe2+/Fe3+ and Cu+/Cu2+ in meso-CuFe2O4. The special effect of Cu was discussed in terms of the thermodynamically favorable Fe3+ reduction by Cu+, regenerating the active species Fe2+. The meso-CuFe2O4 presented very low iron leaching (

A 58-year-old man presented with incessant atrial flutter (AFL) ([Figure 1A][1]); he had twice undergone unsuccessful attempts at ablation of the cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) and was referred for ablation. Counterclockwise CTI-dependent AFL was verified by activation mapping ([Figures 1B and 1C][1

The purpose of this study is to explore the left atrium (LA) electrophysiologic abnormalities in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients detected during sinus rhythm and to determine the relationship between the type of AF and the electrophysiologic substrate in the LA. Eighty patients with AF (30 paroxysmal AF, 22 persistent AF, and 28 long-standing AF) and 20 age- and sex-matched patients with left-sided accessory pathway were prospectively studied. High-density three-dimensional electroanatomic mapping was performed during sinus rhythm in LA, which was divided into six segments for regional analysis. Mean bipolar voltage, low voltage zone (LVZ) distribution, LA activation time, and electrogram complexity were assessed. The LA mean voltage was 3.67 ± 0.68 mV in no AF group, 2.16 ± 0.63 mV in the paroxysmal, 1.81 ± 0.36 mV in the persistent, and 1.48 ± 0.34 mV in the long-standing AF patients (P

Background Catheter ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) has been performed with varying results using a combination of different techniques. We sought to evaluate the efficacy of additional linear lesion and defragmentation of left atrium (LA). Methods A cohort of 169 patients with persistent AF was studied. Ablation was performed following a sequential strategy consisted of circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI), LA roof linear ablation, posterior mitral area, coronary sinus and cavotricuspid isthmus, and complex fractionated electrograms ablation. Results During a mean follow-up of 15±8months after a single procedure, 84 (50%) patients were in sinus rhythm, 34 (20%) had an AF recurrence and 51(30%) developed atrial tachycardias (ATs). Repeat procedures were performed in 24 recurrent AF and 46 AT patients. A total of 81 different ATs were mapped and ablated in 46 AT patients, characterized as focal for 45 and macroreentry for 36 ATs. Most of the ATs were likely to be attributed to the previous lesions by an analysis of substrate and activation mapping in the redo procedure and a review of the lesions placed in the initial procedure. Overall, 75 (93%) ATs were ablated successfully. Procedural complications occurred in 11 of the 239 procedures. After a mean follow-up of 20±9months, 128 (76%) patients were free of arrhythmias after the final procedure. Conclusions CPVI supplemented by linear ablation and defragmentation does not seem to improve the overall success rate of persistent AF. The efficacy of linear ablation and defragmentation might be diluted by their proarrhythmic effects.

Background Atrial tachycardia (AT) is a frequent late sequel of surgical valve replacement procedures in patients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute and long-term outcome of catheter ablation in such patients. Methods and Results A total of 21 consecutive RHD patients with AT after a valve replacement were enrolled in this study. The mean interval between the occurrence of symptomatic AT and the surgical intervention was 38.2 ± 48.7 months. The initial procedure was performed 8.4 ± 8.9 months after first onset of AT. During the first procedure, an electroanatomic mapping was completed for 25 ATs, 18 of which were cavotricuspid isthmus-dependent atrial flutter, five that were right atrial free wall AT, and two that were left AT. Acute success was obtained in 95% (20/21) patients. Nine patients with recurrent AT had repeat radiofrequency catheter ablation, and newly developed left AT was identified in five patients after the first right AT ablation. After a mean follow-up of 42.7 ± 17.3 months, only 33% of the patients remained free of ATs, while 14% and 53% of the patients had AT recurrence and the development of atrial fibrillation (AF), respectively. Conclusion Right but not left macroreentry is the most common AT postmitral valve replacement in patients with RHD. The incidence of AF is very high after AT ablation in such patients during the long-term follow-up.

Autophagy and up-regulation of autophagy-associated proteins microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) and Beclin-1 have been shown to occur in spinal cord injury (SCI). Bcl-2/E1B-19 K-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) and Nip-like protein X (NIX, also known as BNIP3L) are mitochondrial BH3-only proteins that are implicated in mitophagy. In this study, we show that mitophagy is activated in the injured neurons, and hypoxia-inducible proteins BNIP3, NIX, and p53 are upregulated after SCI. Numerous autophagosomes containing damaged mitochondria (mitophagosomes) were found in the injured neurons 24 h after SCI in rats by transmission electron microscopy; mitophagy, therefore, had occurred. Hypoxia-inducible proteins BNIP3, NIX, and p53 were upregulated in spinal cord neurons in both a rat model of SCI and cultured primary spinal neurons exposed to hypoxia. BNIP3 and NIX were transcriptionally regulated mainly by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α as well as p53 in cultured spinal cord neurons. This study provides direct morphological and biochemical evidence for mitophagy in the damaged neural tissue after SCI.

TiO2 nanorod-clusters/carbon aerogel electrode with excellent electrosorptive and photocatalytic properties is obtained through loading TiO2 nanorod-clusters (TiO2NRC) on carbon aerogel (CA) by hydrothermal approach. The resulting TiO2NRC/CA electrode presents high surface area (685 m2 g−1) and low electrochemical impedance (19 Ω). The visible light photocatalytic activity of TiO2NRC/CA cathode is proved by UV–vis spectrum, photoelectric experiments, H2O2 and OH tests. It indicates that the TiO2NRC/CA electrode possesses photocatalytic activity of TiO2 and electrosorptive properties of CA. Under air aeration and visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic degradation of high-concentrated p-nitroaniline (PNA) on TiO2NRC/CA and TiO2NRC/graphite cathode is compared. The removal of PNA is 98.2% in 180 min on TiO2NRC/CA. The intermediates generated during the degradation process are analyzed. The possible mechanism of visible light PNA degradation on TiO2NRC/CA electrode is proposed.

Thin film rotating disk electrode (TFRDE) method is commonly used for studying the kinetics of gases reactants at electrodes composed of metal nanoparticles, whose solubility in the aqueous solutions are rather low (

Background Right atrial tachycardia (AT) is a common arrhythmia postsurgical valve replacement in patients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD). However, the substrate and the mechanism of left AT in such patients and the ablation efficacy is less known. Methods and results Twenty-seven RHD patients with AT were enrolled in this study; nine of them (33%) had left AT. Five and four patients had left AT during the first and second procedure, respectively. A spontaneous scar in the left posterior wall was identified in all patients, and obvious anterior scar in three patients. Dual-roof-dependent AT was found in three patients and macroreentry AT surrounding right pulmonary vein was identified in one patient, two of whom had left anterior scar. Three patients had AT circuit going around the mitral annulus, one of whom had left anterior scar. Entrainment pacing at different sites confirmed the mechanism of these macroreentries. Two patients had a focal origin, one was localized in posterior wall at the edge of the scar and the other one was originated from the left septum with normal voltage. After a mean follow-up of 27.4 ± 7.9 months, the left AT group had a similar recurrence rate compared with the right AT group alone (67% vs 56%, P = 0.58). In the left AT group, 11% of patients had AT recurrence and 56% of patients developed atrial fibrillation. Conclusion Left atrial AT can occur in RHD patients postmitral valve replacement. Catheter ablation is feasible with high acute success rate. The incidence of late development atrial fibrillation is considerable after successful ablation.

Background— The high incidence of postprocedural atrial tachycardia reduces the absolute arrhythmia-free success rate of extensive ablation strategies to treat nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation (NPAF). We hypothesized that a strategy of targeting low-voltage zones and sites with abnormal electrograms during sinus rhythm (SR-AEs) in the left atrium after circumferential pulmonary vein isolation and cavotricuspid isthmus ablation in patients with NPAF is superior. Methods and Results— A total of 86 consecutive patients with NPAF were enrolled in study group. After circumferential pulmonary vein isolation, cavotricuspid isthmus ablation and cardioversion to SR, high-density mapping of left atrium was performed. Areas with low-voltage zone and SR-AE were targeted for further homogenization and elimination, respectively; 78 consecutive sex- and age-matched patients with NPAF who were treated with the stepwise approach served as the historical control group. In the study group, 92% (79/86) were successfully cardioverted after circumferential pulmonary vein isolation and cavotricuspid isthmus ablation. Among the patients converted to SR, 70% (55/79) had low-voltage zone and SR-AE and received additional ablation, whereas in 30% (24/79) without SR-AE or low-voltage zone, no further ablation was performed. During a follow-up period of >30 months, the Kaplan–Meier estimated probability to maintain SR at 24 months was 69.8% versus 51.3%. And after a single procedure, 3.5% (3/86) developed postprocedural atrial tachycardia in study group, compared with 30% (24/78) in control group ( P =0.0003). Conclusions— A strategy of selective electrophysiologically guided atrial substrate modification in SR after circumferential pulmonary vein isolation and cavotricuspid isthmus ablation is clinically more effective than the stepwise approach for NPAF ablation. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT01716143.

Depression is one of the major side effects of interferon alpha (IFN-α) treatment, but the molecular mechanism underlying IFN-α-induced depression remains unclear. Several studies have shown that the serotonin receptors 5-HTR1b and 5-HTR4 play key roles in the anti-depression effects associated with p11 (S100A10). We investigated the effects of IFN-α on the regulation of p11, 5-HTR1b and 5-HTR4 in mice and human neuroblastoma cells (SH-sy5y). We found that intraperitoneal injection with IFN-α in Balb/c mice resulted in an increased immobility in FST and TST and potently lowered the protein levels of p11, 5-HTR1b and 5-HTR4 in the hippocampus or cingulate gyrus. IFN-α significantly down-regulated the protein levels of p11, 5-HTR1b and 5-HTR4 in SH-sy5y cells, in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Our study revealed that over-expression of p11 could prevent the IFN-α-induced down-regulation of 5-HTR1b and 5-HTR4. The results indicated that IFN-α treatment resulted in p11 down-regulation, which subsequently decreased 5-HTR1b and 5-HTR4 in vitro or in vivo. Our findings suggested that p11 might be a potential regulator on 5-HTR1b and 5-HTR4 as well as a predictor of or a therapeutic target for IFN-α-induced depression.

With in situ molecular imprinting technique, a novel nanoelectrode (MI, n-P)-TiO(2) with n-P heterojunction and molecular recognition ability was fabricated by liquid phase deposition at low temperature. Using bisphenol A (BPA) as template, the spindle-like TiO(2) particles 40-80 nm in size compactly grew on the boron-doped diamond (BDD) substrate. Several spectroscopy measurements demonstrate that the BPA molecules were successfully imprinted on the TiO(2) matrix and numerous specific recognition sites to template were formed after calcination. The transient photocurrent response experiments have confirmed that the (MI, n-P)-TiO(2) nanoelectrode displays outstanding photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) activity and selectivity. The (MI, n-P)-TiO(2) is further employed in degrading the mixture containing BPA and interference 2-naphthol (2-NP). After 2 h, BPA removal reaches 97%, and corresponding kinetic constant is 1.76 h(-1), which is 4.6 times that of 2-NP removal even if 2-NP is much more concentrated. On the electrode without molecular imprint, the removal rate constants of BPA and 2-NP approximately equal, only about 0.5 h(-1). The results indicate that selective PEC oxidation can be realized readily on the (MI, n-P)-TiO(2) nanoelectrode due to the synergetic effects including strong recognition adsorption, formation of n-P heteojunction, and external electrostatic field. The effect of formation of n-P heterojunction on the enhanced PEC performances is also discussed.

Background The potential clinical application of bone marrow or peripheral blood-derived progenitor cells for cardiovascular regeneration in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) is limited by their functional impairment. We sought to determine the mechanisms of impaired therapeutic efficacy of peripheral blood-derived progenitor cells in type 2 DM patients and evaluated the use of cell-free conditioned medium obtained from human embryonic stem cell-derived endothelial-like cells (ESC-ECs) to reverse their functional impairment. Methods The angiogenic potential of late outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs) and cytokine profile of the conditional medium of proangiogenic cells (PACs) derived from peripheral blood-mononuclear cells of healthy control and DM patients and ESC-ECs was compared by in vitro tube formation assay and a multiplex bead-based immunoassay kit, respectively. The in vivo angiogenic potential of ESC-ECs derived conditioned medium in rescuing the functional impairment of PB-PACs in DM patients was investigated using a hindlimb ischemia model. Results Human ESC-ECs had similar functional and phenotypic characteristics as OECs in healthy controls. Cytokine profiling showed that vascular endothelial growth factor, stromal cell-derived factor 1 and placental growth factor were down-regulated in PACs from DM patients. Tube formation assay that revealed functional impairment of OECs from DM patients could be rescued by ESC-ECs conditioned medium. Administration of ESC-ECs conditioned medium restored the therapeutic efficacy of PB-PACs from DM patients in a mouse model of hindlimb ischemia. Conclusions Our results showed that peripheral blood-derived progenitor cells from DM patients have impaired function because of defective secretion of angiogenic cytokines, which could be restored by supplementation of ESC-ECs conditioned medium. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Background: Ablation in the noncoronary aortic cusp (NCC) potentially has a role in the treatment of perinodal atrial tachycardias (ATs). The objective of the study was to characterize clinical and electrophysiological properties of perinodal ATs between two groups of requiring and not requiring NCC ablation. Methods: A total of 113 patients with focal ATs who underwent electrophysiologic study and radiofrequency catheter ablation were enrolled in the study. The clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of ATs that need and not need NCC ablation were compared. Results: Totally 20 cases were revealed to have the focal ATs located in the perinodal area. Among them, only five cases (25%) warrant ablation in the NCC, whereas the remainder could be successfully eliminated by ablation from the endocardial right atrium at the perinodal region. There were no clinical and electrophysiological clues observed to have the potential to predict the true original site, including the activation mode, the three-dimensional mapping characteristics of earliest activation site in the right atrium, as well as the time of termination during the ablation in the perinodal area. Conclusions: Approximately, one-fourth of the perinodal ATs warrant ablation in the NCC. However, no clinical and electrophysiological clues could predict the potential site of the perinodal ATs. (PACE 2012; XX:1–8)

In this study, a metal-complexing imprinted polymer has been prepared using the complex of Quercetin and Co(II) (Qu-Co(II)) as template (Quercetin is a kind of flavonoid, which is a class of important active ingredients of Chinese herbs.). The polymers were synthesized in the mixed solution of methanol and tetrahydrofuran by photo- and thermal-initiated polymerization, respectively. The complex ratio between Qu and Co(II), as well as the ternary complexation of Qu, Co(II), and acrylamide, was assessed in differential UV absorption spectrometry. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) were useful to verify whether the polymers prepared in two ways had the same molecular structure. The effect of initiation mode was studied by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and equilibrium binding experiments. Isothermal adsorption and selectivity experiments showed that molecularly imprinted polymers exhibited high affinity and specific recognition for Qu by introducing cobalt ion. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

A green hydrothermally enhanced electrochemical oxidation (HTEO) technique is developed to treat the high concentration refractory perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) wastewater on boron-doped diamond (BDD) film electrode. Results show that HTEO can demonstrate higher degradation efficiency for PFOA than the normal electrochemical oxidation (EO) process, with the removal of PFOA, total organic carbon (TOC), and organic fluorine in the HTEO process increasing by 1.1, 1.8, and 2.1 times, respectively. The kinetics study indicates that the degradation of PFOA follows a first-order reaction in the HTEO process with the apparent reaction rate constant 3.1 times higher than that in the EO process. The higher degradation efficiency of PFOA is due to the hydrothermal enhancement in electrochemical properties of the electrode and solution. Compared with EO, during the HTEO process, the conductivity and ionic migration rate of the solution is improved by 540% and 60%, respectively. In addition, the Tafel slope is increased to 343 from 279 mV dec(-1), indicating an inhibition effect of oxygen evolution reaction and a more effective oxidation of PFOA. In particular, the hydrothermal condition promotes a high formation rate of hydroxyl radical with the concentration almost 2 times of that in EO, which is considered the inner factor leading to the higher degradation efficiency. The density functional theory simulations demonstrate that the nonterminal C-C bonds in the main carbon chain can be easily destructed in the hydrothermal condition, as confirmed by the experimental detection of intermediates of C(5)F(11)COOH, C(4)F(9)COOH, C(3)F(7)COOH, C(2)F(5)COOH, CF(3)COOH, and some dicarboxylic acids. As a result, a reaction pathway is tentatively proposed.

Pd–TiO2 nanotube arrays (Pd–TNTs) which are highly ordered and vertically grown on Ti–0.2Pd alloy were fabricated by electrochemical anodization for the first time. The obtained Pd–TNTs were utilized as a “super vessel” for assembly of myoglobin (Mb) and biosensing applications. Experimental results demonstrate that the resulting Pd–TNTs display an enhanced capability for the immobilization of myoglobin. The direct electrochemistry of the immobilized Mb is dramatically facilitated, indicated by a couple of well-defined redox peaks and a very large electron transfer rate constant (ks) of 20.7 s−1. Furthermore, Mb/Pd–TNTs present excellent electrocatalytic activity for the detection of trichloroacetic acid with a wide linear range from 0.5 to 96 μM and a low detection limit of 94 nM (3 N/S). Pd–TNTs with highly ordered nanotubular structure open a facile way to obtain ideal materials for biomolecular assembly and construct electrochemical biosensors. Keywords: Pd–TNTs, Myoglobin, Trichloroacetic acid, Biosensor, High sensitivity

Purpose – Strategic change is critical for firms suffering greater environmental uncertainty, but how can firms change their strategies quickly? The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on the speed of strategic change (SSC) together with the moderating effect of strategic flexibility (composed of resource flexibility (RF) and coordination flexibility (CF)).Design/methodology/approach – A survey instrument of 351 Chinese firms obtained through the face‐to‐face interview method is used to empirically test the hypotheses.Findings – This study finds that EO has a positive impact on the SSC. In addition, the moderating effect of RF on the relationship between EO and the SSC is inverse U‐shaped, while that of CF is positive. The findings indicate that both EO and strategic flexibility are important antecedents of the SSC.Originality/value – This study adds an in‐depth understanding on the roles of EO and strategic flexibility as the antecedents of the SSC.

This study presents a stable, efficient visible-light photoelectrocatalytic method induced by molecular-oxygen assistance on a carbon aerogel-supported TiO2 (TiO2/CA) electrode, which combines the in situ surface synthesis of H2O2 and Ti-peroxide photocatalysis under visible light. Results reveal that the optical absorption edge for TiO2/CA, which is cathodic polarized under aerobic conditions, is red-shifted to 530 nm. Under visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation, the increment from dark current to photocurrent density obtained on TiO2/CA is 315 times that on TiO2/ITO. The mechanism of the molecular-oxygen-induced visible light photoeletrocatalytic activity is proposed and further verified through investigating the hydroxyl radical evolution and monitoring the surface changes of photocatalyst by Raman spectra and diffuse reflection spectra (DRS). This method is further applied in the degradation of the Rhodamine 6G (Rh-6G) wastewater. The result shows that Rh-6G molecules are almost totally decomposed wi...

TiO 2 /carbon aerogel (TiO 2 /CA) electrode was prepared by ambient drying and sol–gel method. Its morphology and surface chemical composition were characterized with SEM, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Raman spectra. The electrosorption characteristics were investigated with N 2 adsorption, electrochemical impedance spectrum (EIS) and physical resistance. The photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 /CA was evaluated by measuring the photocurrent response. The electrode was used in photocatalysis-enhanced electrosorption (PES) treatment of high-concentration (400 mg L −1 ) alizarin red (AR) wastewater. Results revealed that the efficiency in the PES process with TiO 2 /CA electrode was much better than that in traditional electrosorption with CA. In 240 min, AR removal by PES is 97.3%, 3.1 times that of electrosorption. It was found that the in situ photocatalytic regeneration of the adsorbent enhanced the removal capability and stability in treatment of high-concentration wastewater. The degradation intermediates and reaction pathway were also investigated. The AR molecules and intermediates were degraded effectively and mineralized in the PES process. The TOC removal in 240 min was 90.2%.

A novel TiO(2) nanotube array/CdS nanoparticle/ZnO nanorod (TiO(2) NT/CdS/ZnO NR) photocatalyst was constructed which exhibited a wide-absorption (200-535 nm) response in the UV/Vis region and was applied for the photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) degradation of dye wastewater. This was achieved by chemically assembling CdS into the TiO(2) NTs and then constructing a ZnO NR layer on the TiO(2) NT/CdS surface. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that a new structure had been obtained. The TiO(2) NTs looked like many "empty bottles" and the ZnO NR layer served as a big lid. Meanwhile the CdS NPs were encapsulated between them with good protection. After being sensitized by the CdS NPs, the absorption-band edge of the obtained photocatalyst was obviously red-shifted to the visible region, and the band gap was reduced from its original 3.20 eV to 2.32 eV. Photoelectric-property tests indicated that the TiO(2) NT/CdS/ZnO NR material maintained a very high PEC activity in both the ultraviolet (UV) and the visible region. The maximum photoelectric conversion efficiencies of TiO(2) NT/CdS/ZnO NR were 31.8 and 5.98% under UV light (365 nm) and visible light (420-800 nm), respectively. In the PEC oxidation, TiO(2) NT/CdS/ZnO NR exhibited a higher removal ability for methyl orange (MO) and a high stability. The kinetic constants were 1.77×10(-4) s(-1) under UV light, which was almost 5.9 and 2.6 times of those on pure TiO(2) NTs and TiO(2) NT/ZnO NR, and 2.5×10(-4) s(-1) under visible light, 2.4 times those on TiO(2) NT/CdS.

This paper explores the nature of the influence that business groups exert in shaping performance outcomes in emerging economies. Set in India, this study used a longitudinal research design to assess the independent and collective performance impact of group affiliation and diversification both before and after economic reforms were introduced in the country. Consistent with the institutional theory perspective, results show that in the pre-reform period the group structure exerted an important positive moderating effect on the diversification-performance relationship. However, these group benefits appear to persist even after many of the sources of market failure had started to decline rapidly. This persistence of group effect may be indicative of the continued relevance of non-diversification benefits of the group structure in emerging economies. It may also be indicative of the fairly slow process of building institutional infrastructure in emerging economies where reforms are seldom introduced en masse but more a series of continuing measures as was the case in India.

A modified boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode was prepared by evenly assembling Sb-doped SnO2 nanoparticles on the BDD surface, which possesses excellent electrocatalytic performance and is more suitable to degrade the pollutants. The growth of Sb-doped SnO2−NPs was controlled using micelles of the block copolymer surfactant and homogeneous precipitation approaches. SEM and HRTEM confirmed that BDD still can be fully exposed after modification of Sb-doped SnO2−NPs. The prepared Sb-doped SnO2−NPs/BDD electrode maintained high oxygen evolution potential (2.3 V vs SCE); meanwhile, its conductivity is greatly improved when the resistance decreases to 1.2 from 60.8 kΩ and the reaction activation energy also reduces from 8.02 to 4.93 kJ mol−1, owing to the excellent electrocatalytic performance. Moreover, Sb-doped SnO2−NPs/BDD has higher oxidation ability. The reaction rate constant of 2,4-D on the Sb-doped SnO2−NPs/BDD is 2 times and mineralization current efficiency at 30 min on the Sb-doped SnO2−NPs/BDD is ...

A novel electrosorption-photocatalysis synergistic electrode of TiO(2)/carbon aerogel (TiO(2)/CA) is prepared. The thermal stability and dispersion of the anatase TiO(2) particles are well facilitated by the porous and discontinuous microstructure of CA. The degradation experiments show that the TiO(2)/CA material is not only a good photocatalyst but also an excellent electrosorptive electrode. The TiO(2)/CA is easily molded to an agglomerate electrode. The opaque wastewater with dyestuff is degraded effectively by the electrosorption-promoted photocatalytic process on this electrode. For the simulated methylene blue (MB) wastewater (150 mg L(-1)), the rate constant of MB degradation in the electro-assisted photocatalytic process with the conventional ITO-supported TiO(2) (TiO(2)/ITO) is 0.55 x 10(-3) min(-1) and that the electrosorption-promoted photocatalysis with TiO(2)/CA is 10.27 x 10(-3) min(-1), which is 18 times the former. In the electrosorption-promoted photocatalytic process with TiO(2)/CA, the energy consumption removing per unit TOC is only 15% of that in the electro-assisted photocatalysis with TiO(2)/ITO, because the electrosorption is a nonfaradic process irrelative to any electron transfer and requires very low consumption. This study provides a new method for exploring highly efficient electrosorption-promoted photocatalytics technology in the treatment of opaque wastewater.

Setting in China's emerging economy, this study examines the underlying working mechanisms through which acquisitive learning and experimental learning produce positive impacts on indigenous innovation. We theorize that behavior control and output control will have different moderating effects on the learning and indigenous innovation relationships. Empirical analyses of a survey dataset of 607 Chinese firms provide supporting evidence to the theoretical model advanced in this study. Experimental learning mediates the relationship between acquisitive learning and indigenous innovation. Behavior control negatively moderates the relationship between acquisitive learning and indigenous innovation, while positively moderates the relationship between experimental learning and indigenous innovation. The moderating effects of output control on the relationships between both types of learning and indigenous innovation are significant and inverse-U-shaped. The paper concludes with a discussion of the relevant theoretical contributions and practical implications stemming from these findings, study limitations, and potential future research directions.

We examined the use of lipid lowering medications and control of dyslipidemia among US adults in 1999-2006.Data were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2006.The mean low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) level significantly decreased from 3.25+/-0.03 mmol/L in 1999-2002 to 3.02+/-0.02 mmol/L in 2003-2006 in men, and from 3.11+/-0.03 to 2.98+/-0.03 mmol/L in women (p0.001). Statins and fibrates were the most commonly used medications. Among those diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia, the proportion on treatment increased from 32.4% to 38.9% (p=0.001) in the 8-year period. The proportion of participants with a history of diabetes treated with a statin increased from 20.9+/-2.2% in 1999-2002 to 37.6+/-2.5% in 2003-2006 (p0.001). However, only 39.9% of people with diabetes and 45.4% of people with ischemic heart disease (IHD) achieved LDL-C target levels.Between 1999 and 2006, LDL-C level decreased in US adults and use of lipid lowering medications increased. More effort is still needed to detect and treat dyslipidemia in the community, particularly in people at high cardiovascular risk.

Obesity is associated with increased risk of conditions such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, and obstructive sleep apnoea. Pharmacotherapy for obesity should be considered in combination with lifestyle changes in obese patients, or overweight patients with other conditions that put them at risk of developing heart disease. Sibutramine and orlistat are the only two anti-obesity medications approved for long-term use. Sibutramine is a serotonergic and adrenergic drug that reduces food intake. Orlistat is a gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor that interferes with fat absorption. However, it commonly causes flatulence and diarrhoea. Rimonabant is the first of a series of endocannabinoid receptor antagonists. It was approved by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) as an adjunct to diet and exercise in treating obesity in 2006. However, despite the extensive clinical trial data, EMEA announced in 2008 that it has recommended suspension of rimonabant because of its psychiatric side effects. Studies evaluating the long-term safety and efficacy of anti-obesity agents are needed. © 2009 The British Pharmacological Society., link_to_OA_fulltext

Drawing on the complementary asset theory, this paper develops a conceptual model to explain the relationships among intrafirm knowledge sharing, knowledge application, and innovation as well as the moderating effect of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on the intrafirm knowledge sharing and knowledge application. Using a sample of 607 Chinese firms, this paper empirically examines this model. The results show that, under China’s transition economy, the positive relationship between intrafirm knowledge sharing and a firm’s innovation is mediated by knowledge application. Furthermore, intrafirm knowledge sharing facilitates knowledge application, and EO positively moderates this relationship. Copyright # 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The flower-like gold nanoparticles together with spherical and convex polyhedron gold nanoparticles were fabricated on boron-doped diamond (BDD) surface by one-step and simple electrochemical method through easily controlling the applied potential and the concentration of HAuCl 4 . The recorded X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed that these three shapes of gold nanoparticles were dominated by different crystal facets. The cyclic voltammetric results indicated that the morphology of gold nanoparticles plays big role in their electrochemical behaviors. The direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin (Hb) was realized on all the three different shapes of nanogold-attached BDD surface without the aid of any electron mediator. In pH 4.5 acetate buffer solutions (ABS), Hb showed a pair of well defined and quasi-reversible redox peaks. However, the results obtained demonstrated that the redox peak potential, the average surface concentration of electroactive heme, and the electron transfer rates of Hb are greatly dependent upon the surface morphology of gold nanoparticles. The electron transfer rate constant of hemoglobin over flower-like nanogold/BDD electrode was more than two times higher than that over spherical and convex polyhedron nanogold. The observed differences may be ascribed to the difference in gold particle characteristics including surface roughness, exposed surface area, and crystal structure.

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was covalently attached to glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface by the electrochemical method. An enhancement for the redox of hydroquinone (HQ) on BSA/GCE was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement. The electron transfer rate constant (k s) on the BSA/GCE electrode is almost three orders of magnitude higher than that on bare GCE. The enhancing effect can be attributed to the electrostatic force between the positively charged HQ and negatively charged BSA. It is found that the enhanced redox process of HQ can be used to determine HQ sensitively. The oxidation current can reach 95% of its steady-state value within 30 s. The linear range for HQ determination is from 2.5 × 10−8 M to 1.325 × 10−6 M with a detection limit of 8.6 × 10−9 M at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The study may provide a simple, rapid and sensitive method for determination of HQ which is present in the natural environment and in chemical industry effluent.

A novel sandwich structured SiO(2) gel/cytochrome c (Cyt c)/SiO(2) gel was designed and constructed on conductive boron-doped diamond (BDD) film substrate. A SiO(2) gel membrane was first in situ deposited on the pretreated positive charged H-terminated BDD electrode with a simple and artful surface vapor sol-gel method. Cyt c was subsequently immobilized onto the SiO(2) membranes by electrostatic attraction, followed by another SiO(2) gel layer in situ depositing on it. The SiO(2) interlayer was conceived to play an important role in the resultant sandwich structured SiO(2)/Cyt c/SiO(2)/BDD electrode as a selective "semi-open" medium, which guaranteed the immobilized Cyt c to maintain high stability and perform good electrochemistry and biocatalysis responses. The bioactivity of Cyt c was well protected and the immobilized biomolecule even didn't denature at extremely high or low pH condition. More attractively, Cyt c in the sandwich structured electrode could be further oxidized into highly reactive Cyt c pi-cation by two-step electrochemical oxidation, which could oxidize NO(2)(-) into NO(3)(-) in the solution. A sensitive determination approach of nitrite was accordingly built up based on this biocatalytic oxidative interaction for the first time and a possible mechanism of the interaction was herein proposed.

Scholars view entrepreneurial orientation as an essential element of high-performing firms. The extant research has focused extensively on the construct development related to and performance implications of entrepreneurial orientation. Prior research has also identified the significant positive impact of entrepreneurial orientation on technology commercialization. The research community has, however, yet to examine critical antecedents of entrepreneurial orientation and to investigate relevant antecedents and consequences of entrepreneurial orientation in transitional settings such as that of China. Most Chinese firms are embracing significant changes in governance incentive mechanisms as China deepens the economic reform. The extant literature provides limited insight as to how incentive mechanisms such as chief executive officer (CEO) ownership and turnover may affect firm entrepreneurial orientation in China's transitional setting. Furthermore, given the significant changes and uncertainty in the market place, China provides an ideal laboratory to examine the influence of technological turbulence on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and technology commercialization. Aimed at filling in these glaring gaps, this study develops a conceptual model, with institutional theory as its underpinning, to examine the relationships among governance incentive mechanisms, entrepreneurial orientation, technological turbulence, and technology commercialization. The empirical results from a sample of 607 Chinese firms reveal several important findings. The CEO ownership has a significant positive effect on entrepreneurial orientation, and CEO turnover frequency has an inverse U curvilinear impact on entrepreneurial orientation. Furthermore, entrepreneurial orientation positively affects technology commercialization, with technological turbulence positively moderating this relationship. This study makes several important contributions. First, the present article brings into sharper focus the differing impacts of CEO ownership and CEO turnover on entrepreneurial orientation. The theoretical deliberation and empirical testing offer useful insights into the formation process of entrepreneurial orientation. Second, the examination of the moderating effect of technological turbulence provides additional richness to the extant literature. In addition, different from prior studies, this study was conducted under China's transitional economy context. By integrating unique institutional arrangements and the turbulent technological environment, two key characteristics of China's transitional economy setting, the study broadened and deepened understanding of key antecedents and consequences of entrepreneurial orientation. The article also discusses managerial implications of the findings and suggests directions for future research.

Adopting a transformational offshore outsourcing perspective, we examine empirically the relationship among the motive to acquire tacit knowledge from outsourcing partners, formal and social control mechanisms, and innovation outcomes among Sino-foreign as well as local alliances. We constructed our theoretical model incorporating knowledge management, social exchange, and alliance risk perspectives, and hypothesized that motives to acquire partners’ tacit knowledge through offshore outsourcing will affect firm innovation via two forms of control, namely social control and formal control. Our empirical testing, utilizing two sub-samples composed of Sino-foreign offshore outsourcing alliances and local outsourcing alliances, respectively, reveals that the motive to acquire outsourcing partner's tacit knowledge and different control mechanisms are significant predictors of incremental and radical innovation outcomes, and that there are some intriguing differences between the Sino-foreign alliances and local alliances.

Introduction Myocardium fibrosis is a hallmark of cardiomyopathy and a proposed substrate for cardiac arrhythmias. Nevertheless, fibrosis of atrial myocardium and fibrotic atrial cardiomyopathy has not been systemically addressed. Hypothesis We hypothesized that idiopathic, isolated, fibrotic atrial cardiomyopathy (IIF-ACM) is a specific cardiomyopathy, which is characterized by atrial fibrosis and related arrhythmias. Methods In the past 8 years, 34 patients (male 13, mean age 46.5±13.3 yrs) were diagnosed with IIF-ACM based on: 1) clinical evaluation; 2) cardiac image examination; and 3) electro-anatomic mapping detected atrial scarring. Serum biomarkers of collagen metabolism and cardiomyopathy-related genetic screening were performed. Tissue pathology and virus detections were done for two patients. Results During clinical evaluation, electric silent areas were detected in all patients by intra-cardiac electro-anatomical mapping. Among 34 patients, 26 presented with atrial tachycardia (AT), 5 with sick sinus syndrome (SSS) and 3 with atrial standstill. 5 AT patients further developed SSS during the correction of AT by radiofrequency ablation. Late gadolinium-enhancement cardiovascular magnet resonance showed mild to severely dilated atria, without bilateral ventricular scarring or functional impairment. Serum biomarkers of collagen screening demonstrated significant increased collagen synthesis than collagen degradation in IIF-ACM patients. Cardiomyopathy-related genetic screening depicted no clinically relevant mutation. Histological studies showed global fibrosis of atria (Fig. 1). Conclusions We systemically reported 34 patients with IIF-ACM, which is characterized by atrial scarring and relevant arrhythmias. Ventricular functions of note were preserved in all patients. However, the underlying etiology of IIF-ACM remains to be investigated.

To investigate how the intra-cardiac activation was translates into the characterized flutter wave in patients with cavatricuspid isthmus-dependent counter-clockwise atrial flutter (CTI-AFL).A total of 15 hospitalized CTI-AFL patients (mean age: (60 ± 14) years old, 1 female) from October 2012 to February 2014 were enrolled in the study. The activation map was re-constructed during AFL rhythm for left atrium and right atrium using 3-dimensional mapping system. The flutter wave in surface electrocardiogram was analyzed in combination with the intra-cardiac activation.The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was (60.8 ± 6.6)%, and the left atrial diameter was (39.0 ± 3.4) mm. The mean tachycardia cycle length was (220 ± 24) ms. The activation map was completed in all cases. In inferior leads, the flutter wave was divided into three parts: slowly downward part, sharp downward part and the terminal positive part. The three parts corresponded to the fixed activation part of the macro-reentry.The distinctive flutter wave of CTI-AFL was determined by the unique macro-reentry activation in the right atrium. The activation of left atrium contributes to the downward part of the wave.

The influence of channel structure on the price decision and performance of dual-channel supply chain has been investigated. Two Stackelberg models and one Bertrand model have been developed to determine the price strategy for the dual-channel supply chain with one manufacturer and one retailer. The results demonstrate that the leadership position in Stackelberg structure has little effect on the system performance and decision. It just influences the profit allocation between the member enterprises. While compared with Stackelberg structure, the price decision and whole profit is better off in Bertrand structure. However, the Bertrand structure is unstable. Both manufacturer and retailer’s profit under Bertrand structure has been deteriorated comparing with Stackelberg structure of its leadership.