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In order to improve the dynamic response rapidity and positioning precision for pneumatic 6-DOF parallel robot from the structural design aspect, a mathematical model of natural frequency for the parallel robot is developed based on dynamic equation by using vibration theory. The influences of structural parameters on minimal natural frequency are analyzed by simulation and an optimization rule of structural parameters based on minimal natural frequency is proposed. The optimization rule has advantages of simplification and efficiency, which provides a new theoretical gist for optimization of structural parameters as well as for checking the results of the actual natural frequency for pneumatic 6-DOF parallel robot. And this new rule is also valuable for structural optimization design of other similar parallel robot.

Lubricant viscosity is one of the key parameters in hydrostatic bearing research. In order to solve the load capacity of hydrostatic bearing in the heavy equipment, viscosity-temperature equation of lubricant film is established, and the viscosity-temperature curve is fitted by B-Spline curve. Finite volume method is used on numerical simulation of pressure field of heavy hydrostatic bearing in constant and variable viscosity respectively and in different rotational velocity, whereafter, viscosity influence on load capacity of heavy hydrostatic bearing is discussed. The results show that, viscosity impose a minor influence on cavity pressure of hydrostatic bearing when rational velocity is low; whereas, when rational velocity is high, especially to the heavy hydrostatic bearing which with high liner velocity influence of viscosity changing must be taken into account in calculation. Numerical simulation results reflect the pressure distributing state of bearing veritably; furthermore, these provide theoretical basis for hydrostatic bearing design and lectotype in practical application.

In order to solve lubricating problem of circular tilting pad thrust bearing in the heavy equipment, lubricating characteristics mathematical model is established based on the Computational Fluid Dynamics and lubricating theory, the Finite Element Method is used to compute the lubricating characteristics of a circular tilting pad thrust bearing, and figure out thickness distribution of oil film, pressure distribution of oil film, temperature distribution of oil film, power loss and fluid flow, etc. lubricating characteristics parameters by self-compiling software program. Experiments testify the validity of the lubricating characteristics mathematical model. Through this method, the safety of a circular tilting pad thrust bearing can be forecasted, and the optimal design of such products can be achieved, and provides reasonable data for actual design and experiment, and decreases economy loss.

This article demonstrates a novel method for multi-parameter detection of diabetes mellitus. We propose an approach for fabrication of a 3-D metal films array with gold and copper using electroless deposition technique on PDMS substrate. The obtained PDMS slices containing metal films are superimposed layer by layer as a sandwich structure to form 3-D metal films array. The cross-sections of the array could be used as nanoband array electrochemical detectors, which are further integrated with a multichannel microchip for simultaneously detecting multi-parameter of diabetes mellitus, including glucose and metabonomics of diabetes containing aldehyde compounds (glyoxal and methylglyoxal) and short organic acids (lactate, urate and 2-hydroxybutyrate). Under optimized separation and detection conditions, glucose, aldehyde compounds and short organic acids respond linearly in the concentration range of 10-2000, 1-500 and 5-600 μM, with the LODs of 4, 0.5 and 3 μM for glucose, aldehyde compounds and short organic acids, respectively. This system is successfully employed to detect these compounds in serums. This study reveals that the electrochemical array detectors with different materials integrated with multichannel microchip provide a flexible and inexpensive approach for routine, simultaneous and direct detection of some metabolites in metabonomics.

Lubricating characteristics of sector cavity multi-pad hydrostatic thrust bearing are affected significantly by velocity, poor design can cause lubricant film rupture and dry friction, even leading to failure of hydrostatic bearing tribology. For this problem, the Computational Fluid Dynamics and the lubrication theory have been used to analyze velocity characteristics of the parameters such as cavity pressure of oil, oil cavity flow and film thickness, to gain relationship between velocity and lubricating properties of sector cavity multi-pad hydrostatic thrust bearing, avoiding the occurrence of hydrostatic bearing tribological failure. It is shown that along with the speed of the worktable increasing, the flow of lubricant oil caused by inertia and centrifugal force become larger, the flow of efflux from the oil cavity also become larger, causing the pressure drop of the oil cavity, the thinning of the film thickness, the occurrence of film rupture and dry friction and failure of hydrostatic bearing tribology. The study provides the basic data for the hydrostatic thrust bearing design, the lubrication and the experiment, implements of the prediction of the hydrostatic thrust bearing lubrication velocity characteristics, and reaches the purpose of reducing economic loss.

Microfluidic enzyme-based reactor could be used to detect biomolecules with high sensitivity and selectivity. Based on the electrophoretic-mediated microanalysis (EMMA) method, a novel free enzyme-based microchip was developed to detect glucose. Online catalysis reaction of glucose by glucose oxidase was carried out on the chip. The product H 2 O 2 was detected using amperometric method. The working electrode, single carbon fibre cylindrical electrode, was held at a constant potential of +1.4 V versus Ag/AgCl electrode. The results indicated that the peak current had a good linear relationship with glucose concentration in the range of 0.1–20 mM ( R = 0.997) with good reproducibility (RSD = 2.02%, n = 10). The detection limit of glucose was 19.8 μM ( S/N = 3). This free enzyme-based reactor was easy to fabricate and operate, which showed great potential application in bioanalysis.

In this paper, liquid droplet master was for the first time used to fabricate thin membranes integrated polymeric microfluidic devices. As demonstration, water liquid droplet master was used to make a thin membrane in PDMS microfluidic devices which were prepared by using printed master. The PDMS membrane can be controlled down to approximately 10 μm thick with considerable vapour permeation which was adjusted by environmental humidity. An array of the microfluidic devices with thin PDMS membranes was also used for monitoring the crystallization of NaCl.

This paper studied edge effects resulting from logging to reforestation on the distribution of ground-dwelling beetles (Coleoptera) across ecotones between natural oak forests and mature pine plantations established after harvesting of natural forests. Using pitfall traps, ground-dwelling beetles were investigated at three replicated plots (ecotones) with three sampling positions of slope (lower, middle and upper) for each plot. Rarefaction estimates of species richness indicated that traps on natural forests and transition zones had more species than mature plantations did, and traps on the middle slope had more species than on the lower and upper slopes did. Results of an ANOVA analysis, which used forest type and slope position as factors and number of species and individuals as the response variables, showed a significant effect of forest type and slope position, and a significant interaction between forest type and slope position. Multivariate analyses (DCA and CCA) showed that beetles of transition zones were more similar to those of natural forests than to those of mature plantations, and that some environmental characteristics, i.e., proportion of broad-leaved trees, canopy cover and elevation (slope position), significantly affected species abundances. We conclude that the logging of natural oak forests and the reforestation of pine plantations can result in subtle variation in the composition and distribution of beetle assemblages at a local scale and such variation should be taken into account when conservation issues are involved.

Carbon foam with relatively high compressive strength and high porosity was prepared from a mixture of mesophase pitch and Si particles by foaming and carbonization. The influence of Si content on the microstructures and properties of the carbon foam was studied. Results show that the pore number decreases and the strut thickness increases with an increasing of Si content. In addition, bulk density also increases with increasing Si content but the porosity decreases. Si addition to the mesophase pitch reduces the number of microcracks on the cell wall of the carbon foam remarkably which results in an increase of compressive strength for the carbon foams. Compressive strengths improve by 46%, 176% and 339% at Si additions of 30%, 40% and 50% (wt %), respectively. Carbon foam with a relatively high compressive strength of 24.6 MPa and a porosity of 61% are obtained when 50 wt% Si is added.

In order to solve the thermal deformation of the hydrostatic thrust bearing in the heavy equipment, a simulation research concerning temperature field of multi-pad hydrostatic thrust bearing having circular cavities was described. The Finite Volume Method of Fluent has been used to compute three-dimensional temperature field of gap fluid between the rotation worktable and base. This study theoretically analyzes the influence of cavity radius and cavity depth on the bearing temperature performance according to computational fluid dynamics and lubricating theory. It has revealed its temperature distribution law. The simulation results indicate that an improved characteristic can be gotten from a circular cavity hydrostatic thrust bearing, oil cavity temperature decreases by gradually with cavity radius enhancing, oil cavity temperature decreases by gradually with cavity depth. Through this method, the safety of a hydrostatic thrust bearing having circular cavities multi-pad can be forecasted, and the optimal design of such products can be achieved, so it can provide reasonable data for design and lubrication and experience and thermal deformation computation for hydrostatic thrust bearing in the heavy equipment.

Edge effects resulting from logging on the distribution of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were studied across ecotones between regenerating and mature forests established after harvesting of old-growth forests 20 yr prior to this study in southwestern China. Using pitfall traps, beetles were collected along five ecotone transects using nine samples with a distance interval of 25 m each. Although no significant differences were found in species richness and abundance of carabids among all three habitats, i.e., mature forest, young regenerating stand, and edge habitat, rarefaction estimates of species richness indicated that traps in young regenerating stands accumulated species faster than those on mature forest interiors and forest edges. Carabid species composition of the forest edges was more similar to those of the mature forest interiors than to those of the young regenerating stands. Variability in species composition was significantly reduced in young stands, suggesting that the carabid community from young stands is more homogeneous than the one from mature forests. Although most species occurred in all habitats, some species were significantly more abundant in mature forests and/or edges than in young stands. Results indicated that edge effects on forest carabids may persist for at least 20 yr after disturbance.

In this paper, the electrochemical behavior of Hb assembled on glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with nanostructured gold colloid-silk fibroin (NGC-SF) was investigated. Electrochemical results show that direct electron transfer of the immobilized Hb occurs as indicated by a couple of quasi-reversible redox peaks with a formal potential of −0.38 V (vs. SCE) in 0.10 M pH 7.0 phosphate buffer. This direct electron transfer process is accompanied by proton exchange and thus the formal potential of Hb changes linearly with solution pH in the range from pH 6.0 to 8.0 with a slope value of −45.2 mV/pH. In addition, the immobilized Hb retains its native catalytic activity to H 2 O 2 without the aid of any electron mediator. This indicates that the presence of NGC-SF can provide a suitable microenvironment for Hb and enhance the direct electron transfer between the hemoglobin (Hb) and electrodes.

Dead wood is a habitat for many insects and other small animals, some of which may be rare or endangered and in need of effective protection. In this paper, saproxylic beetle assemblages associated with different host trees in the subtropical forests in southwestern China were investigated. A total of 277 species (1 439 specimens) in 36 beetle families were collected from 117 dead wood samples, of which 101 samples were identified and respectively belonged to 12 tree genera. The number of saproxylic beetle species varied greatly among logs of different tree genera, with the highest diversity on logs of Juglans. Generally, broad-leaved trees had a higher richness and abundance of saproxylic species than coniferous trees. Cluster analysis revealed that assemblages from broad-leaved tree genera were generally similar (except for Betula) and assemblages from coniferous trees formed another distinct cluster. The subsequent indicator analysis proposed that there are different characteristic species for different cluster groups of host tree genera. In our study, log diameter has no positive influence on beetle species density. Conversely, comparisons of individual-based rarefaction curves suggested that beetle species richness was highest in the small diameter class both in coniferous and broad-leaved tree genera. With increased wood decay, proportion of habitat specialists (saproxylic beetles living on one tree genus) decreased, whereas proportion of habitat generalists (living on more than three tree genera) increased. The beetle species density was found to be higher in early stages, and decreased in later stages as well. A negative influence of altitude on saproxylic beetle species richness and abundance was detected. It was indicated that different tree genera and altitudes possibly display cross effects in modulating the altitudinal distribution and host preference of the beetles.

Effects of reforestation by native tree species on species assemblages of carabid beetles were studied between 40-year-old regenerating plantations and 100-year naturally regenerated forests in Southwestern China. Two old naturally regenerated forest types (ca.100 years old) were chosen: hemlock-spruce forests (Tsuga chinensis and Picea brachytyla) and birch forests (Betula albo-sinensis). Three young regenerating forest types (ca. 40 years old), including spruce plantations (P. brachytyla), larch plantations (Larix kaempferi and Larix mastersian), and natural broad-leaved forests, were established after the logging of the old naturally regenerated forests. Using pitfall traps, we compared the distribution of carabid beetles in the five forest types. Three replicated plots for each forest type were chosen, and each plot was investigated with four trap sites twice each month during the growing season (May to October) in 2004. Our results showed that species richness and abundance were significantly higher in the young regenerating forests than in the old naturally regenerated forests. Analysis of complementarity in carabid species lists across the forest ages and types showed that the old naturally regenerated birch forests had the lowest similarity with the young regenerating larch plantations, and the highest similarity was shown between the two young regenerating plantations. Although PCoA ordination grouped the carabid assemblages according to forest type and forest age, the overall similarity among all forest types was high. Moreover, quantitative character species analysis did not detect significant species associated with forest types and ages. Based on the specificity and fidelity, most carabid species were abundant in all habitats, and only a few species were restricted in one or two forest types. Multiple linear regression between the species richness, abundance and Shannon diversity of carabids and of five environmental variables showed that the cover of canopy and herbaceous layer, and the depth of leaf litter had significant effects in determining richness, abundance and diversity of carabid beetles. Thus, the young regenerating forests at the mature stage could provide an appropriate habitat for most forest species of carabids survived in adjacent old naturally regenerated forests and might replace the role in part of the old-growth forests in sustaining the diversity of carabid assemblages. But some species are still restricted in old naturally regenerated forests, so in order to protect the diversity of carabid assemblages, it is necessary to sustain the intact old naturally regenerated forests when reforesting with some native tree species following natural succession.

A silicone/quartz capillary microchip (SQCM) coupled with an ultranarrow sampling fracture was for the first time constructed without any micromachining. The SQCM could be used for direct determination of carbohydrates at a detection potential of +0.8 V (vs Ag/AgCl) with a copper microdisk electrode. The ultranarrow sampling fracture could be conveniently formed on a quartz capillary, which was fixed by a frame of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). The designed fracture sampling suppressed the leakage of sample, thus simplifying the power supply. Furthermore, it thinned the sample plug for enhancing the resolution. The quartz capillary reduced the adsorption of analytes on the separation channel wall compared with a general PDMS microchip, thus enhanced the separation efficiency up to 239 000 plates/m for carbohydrates. This proposed system could satisfactorily separate eight carbohydrates within 180 s with good reproducibility and sensitively detect them in the linear ranges from 1 microM to 0.5 mM for trehalose and sucrose, 2.5 microM to 0.5 mM for lactose, galactose, glucose, and mannose, and 2.5 microM to 1.5 mM for fructose and xylose with the detection limit down to 90 amol. The designed microchip was successfully applied to detect carbohydrates in a practical acacia honey sample.

This paper proposed a method with capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) for analysis of eight heterocyclic amines in a commercial meat matrix. The influence of composition, pH and concentration of buffer, and applied voltage were investigated. A 5 mmol/L formic acid–ammonium formate solution at pH 2.20 was chosen as the running electrolyte. Also several solid-phase extraction actions were performed for the clean-up of the samples. With 3 s hydrodynamic injection, detection limits ranging from 0.554 to 1.783 μg/g was obtained. To improve sensitivity, field-amplified sample injection (FASI) was used with the conditions of 3 s hydrodynamic injection of a water plug and 25 s electrokinetic injection of the sample. And methanol–water (1:1 in volume) was applied as the sample solvent. Under above conditions, detection limits ranged from 1.329 to 19.39 ng/g, which were at least 50 times lower than those with hydrodynamic injection.

The separation of three kinds of aminophenol isomers were achieved within 1 min in polyelectrolytes multilayers modified PDMS microchips by layer-by-layer assembly with electrochemical detection (EC). Two polyelectrolytes, poly(dially dimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA) and poly(sodium-4-styrene-sulfonate) (PSS) were used to form polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs). The surface characteristic of the modified microchip was studied by XPS. The electroosmotic flow (EOF) on PEMs modified PDMS microchips was more stable than that of the native PDMS microchips and the adsorption of samples was greatly reduced on PEMs modified PDMS microchips during the electrophoretic process. The column efficiencies on PEMs modified microchip were increased by 100 times and the signals enhanced by 2 times compared with those of native microchips. The separation conditions such as running buffer pH, running buffer concentration and separation voltage were also optimized.

This paper studied the occurrence of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in the forest edge, the adjacent forest interior, and the surrounding grassland in southwestern China. Beetles were collected with pitfall traps along five replicated transects. Forest species rarely penetrated into the grassland from the forest interior, and the grassland specialists were not found in the forest interior. The forest edge hosted additional species from the adjacent grassland that increased its overall species richness. Nearly all forest species (23 of 24 species) and grassland species (13 of 15 species) can be found in the forest edge. Carabids of the forest edge were more similar to those of the forest interior than to those of the grassland by ordination and cluster analysis. Based on the specificity and fidelity, carabids can be distinguished into five species groups: habitat generalists, grassland-associated species, forest generalists, forest specialists, and edge-associated species. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that canopy cover and/or shrub cover were the most important factors in determining the richness, abundance, and diversity of carabids. The forest edge may serve as a transition zone for dispersal and re-colonization of carabid beetles from adjacent habitats and therefore is important for natural conservation.

A mixture of five amino acids including arginine, histidine, phenylalanine, serine and glutamic acid was successfully separated in microchip capillary electrophoresis and detected with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detector. These amino acids were labeled with 5-(4, 6-dichloro-s-triazin-2-ylamino) fluorescein (DTAF). The analyses were performed on two kinds of modified poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchips. One kind of chip was simply treated with oxygen plasma (OP-chip), and the other was further modified by coating double layers of non-ionic polymer poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) after plasma oxidization (PVA-chip). The derivatization condition of amino acids by DTAF was optimized. The properties of the two modified PDMS microchips were studied and separation conditions, such as the buffer pH, buffer concentration and separation voltage, were also optimized. The column efficiencies of the two microchips were in the range of 193,000-1,370,000 plates/m. The DTAF-labeled amino acids were sufficiently separated within 50s and 90s in 2.5cm channels on OP-chip and PVA-chip, respectively.

Selective logging with natural regeneration is advocated as a near-to-nature strategy and has been implemented in many forested systems during the last decades. However, the efficiency of such practices for the maintenance of forest species are poorly understood. We compared the species richness, abundance and composition of ground-dwelling beetles between selectively logged and unlogged forests to evaluate the possible effects of selective logging in a subtropical broad-leafed forest in southeastern China. Using pitfall traps, beetles were sampled in two naturally regenerating stands after clearcuts (ca. 50 years old, stem-exclusion stage: selectively logged 20 years ago) and two mature stands (80 years old, understory re-initiation stage: selectively logged 50 years ago) during 2009 and 2010. Overall, selective logging had no significant effects on total beetle richness and abundance, but saproxylic species group and some abundant forest species significantly decreased in abundance in selectively logged plots compared with unlogged plots in mature stands. Beetle assemblages showed significant differences between selectively logged and unlogged plots in mature stands. Some environmental characteristics associated with selective logging (e.g., logging strategy, stand age, and cover of shrub and moss layers) were the most important variables explaining beetle assemblage structure. Our results conclude that selective logging has no significant impacts on overall richness and abundance of ground-dwelling beetles. However, the negative effects of selective logging on saproxylic species group and some unlogged forest specialists highlight the need for large intact forested areas for sustaining the existence of forest specialist beetles.

Periodic natural disturbances shape the mosaic character of many landscapes and influence the distribution and abundance of organisms. In this study, we tested the effect of ice storm-induced treefall gaps on ground-dwelling beetle assemblages in different-aged successional stands of subtropical broad-leaved forest in southeastern China. We evaluated the relative importance of gap-phase microhabitat type (within gap, gap edge, and interior shaded) within different stand ages (regenerating stands and mature stands) as determinants of changes in beetle diversity and community structure. At 18 replicate sites sampled during 2009-2010, no significant differences were found in species richness and the abundances of the most common beetle species captured in pitfall traps among the three gap-phase microhabitat types, but the abundances of total beetles, as well as fungivorous and phytophagous species groups, were significantly lower in gap microhabitats than in interior shaded microhabitats in mature stands. Beetle assemblage composition showed no significant differences among the three microhabitat types, and only the fauna of gap plots slightly diverged from those of edge and shaded plots in mature stands. Cover of shrubs and stand age significantly affected beetle assemblage structure. Our results suggest that beetle responses to gap-phase dynamics in early successional forests are generally weak, and that effects are more discernible in the mature stands, perhaps due to the abundance responses of forest-specialist species.

In the Morris Water Maze test, high-peak-power pulsed microwave (MW)-exposed rats displayed some learning and memory behavior dysfunctions, and their escape time and swimming distance to the submerged platform were longer than those of the sham-exposed rats. To understand the molecular mechanism involved, the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the Western-blotting technique were used for investigating the mRNA and protein expression patterns of the histamine H3 receptor (H3R) in rat hippocampus. High-peak-power pulsed microwave-exposure did not remarkably lead to the change in expression of H3R mRNA in rat hippocampi; however, it promoted the up-regulatory expression of the H3R protein, which was possibly triggered through the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Therefore, further investigation of the molecular mechanism of the MW effects on the learning and memory behaviors is required.

The influence of edge effect on ground-dwelling beetles (Coleoptera) across a forest-clearcut ecotone was studied in Wolong Natural Reserve, southwestern China. During the field research, a total of 30 739 beetles were collected with pitfall traps along transects, which extending 100 m from the edge into the forest interior and 100 m into the clearcut. Of the collection, Carabidae comprised 92%, Staphylinidae 3%, Curculionidae 2%, and Tenebrionidae 2%, and these four families can be considered as abundant groups. Family richness, Shannon diversity and equitability display a significant decrease from forest interior, edge to clearcut. Based on the family composition and abundance, ground-dwelling beetles of the forest interior can be separated from those in the clearcut by Principal coordinate analysis ordination, and beetle assemblages in the forest edge were more similar to forest assemblages than to those found in the clearcut by cluster analysis. Seasonal dynamics of family richness showed a monotone peak in the middle season, with a highest value in the forest interior and a lowest value in the clearcut. Family abundance showed two peaks in the middle season, always with more individuals in the clearcut than in the forest interior or in the edge. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that the cover of shrub and litter were the two most important factors in determining family richness, Shannon diversity, equitability and abundance. Our results show that the forest edge and clearcut have obviously different composition and diversity of ground-dwelling beetles from forest interior at the family level. However, more edges have been formed due to increasing forest fragmentation (clearcutting or logging), so it is necessary to preserve large and intact forest to protect the diversity of ground-dwelling beetles in Wolong Natural Reserve.

A simple, rapid, and accurate method is presented for determination of the binding constants of eight basic drugs with serum albumin by affinity capillary electrophoresis with the partial filling technique. Molecular modeling and multivariate regression analysis were used to investigate the relationship between the binding constants and the physicochemical properties of the drugs. The results show that hydrophobic attraction is responsible for interaction of most of the drugs with HAS, although interaction between sulfamethoxazole and HSA is because of electrostatic attraction.

The subfamily Necrophilinae Newton is recorded for the first time from China. This subfamily belongs to the Agyrtinae Thomson, a group of beetles which were once included in the Silphidae but are now recognized as an independent family more closely related to the Leiodidae than the Silphidae. Based on 619 specimens collected by pitfall traps from Sichuan province of western China, Necrophilus chinensis Zhou, new species, is described. The endophallus of the aedeagus was studied and is illustrated for the first time for this subfamily. This study fills a distribution gap of Necrophilus Latreille between Japan and Nepal-Bhutan and contributes important data to zoogeographical studies of this group.

The conformational change of human serum albumin (HSA) was studied through its binding with basic drug-mexiletine by chiral capillary electrophoresis. The effects of the conformational change of HSA resulted from pH, thermal, acute vibration, and alcohol on its chiral selectivity to mexiletine were investigated in detail. This study offers a simple and complementary method to investigate the binding of proteins with drugs and the characteristic of conformational change of protein. The method is easy to perform, high speed, low reagent consumption, and no modification is required to the commercially available CE instrument.

A reliable method is presented for the chiral separation of three basic drugs (mexiletine, chlorpheniramine and propranolol) with serum albumins (human and porcine, HSA and PSA) as chiral selectors by capillary electrophoresis in combination with the partial filling technique. Based on the systematic optimization of operation variables, the chiral separation of mexiletine, chlorpheniramine and propranolol was achieved in the pH 7.4 phosphate buffer by using HSA, PSA and PSA as selectors, respectively. The chiral recognition ability of HSA and PSA was compared. HSA and PSA show a different chiral recognition ability for each of the three drugs. In addition, the association constants between enantiomeric drugs and proteins were determined to be 2.00 and 3.80 × 10 2 M - 1 for mexiletine and HSA, 0.59 and 1.12 × 10 3 M-' for chlorpheniramine and PSA, and 0.87 and 1.42 × 10 3 M - 1 for propranolol and PSA. The method for the chiral separation and determination of association constants possesses the advantages of simple performance, effective avoiding of the interference of the UV detection from protein, and lowering of the reagent consumption.

Previous studies have documented that ubiquitin-related proteins are present in human, baboon, rhesus monkey, cow, sheep, and mouse pregnant uteri, indicating that the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) may be involved in the extensive uterine remodeling during mammalian early pregnancy, but there is still no direct evidence. A mouse intrauterine injection model was employed to study the direct effect of the UPP on mouse embryo implantation and its possible mechanisms. On Day 3 of pregnancy in each mouse, one of the uterine horns in each mouse was injected with different concentrations of lactacystin, a specific proteasome inhibitor, or anti-ubiquitin antibody, and the other side was used as a control. On Days 5, 6, and 7, the number of implanted embryos was counted and the expression and gelatinolytic activities of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 were studied. Results presented here illustrate that injection of lactacystin and anti-ubiquitin antibody significantly inhibited mouse embryo implantation. Further investigations by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and gelatin zymography showed that MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA expression, as well as the gelatinolytic activity of MMP-9 in the lactacystin-treated uterine horn, significantly decreased, whereas the activity of MMP-2 was not significantly affected. The results obtained from this study, together with previous reports, suggest that the UPP is involved in mouse embryo implantation, and UPP's effect on embryo implantation is achieved at least in part by regulating MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA expression and the gelatinolytic activity of MMP-9.

Over hundred years have passed since Syntelia davidis Fairmaire, 1889, was reported from China (Moupin, now called Baoxing), but it was neglected and not included in any subsequent works treating the beetle fauna of China. This paper reports the rediscovery of the family Synteliidae in China and describes two species, Syntelia sinica Zhou, new species, and S. mazuri Zhou, new species, based on specimens collected in Sichuan province. Taxonomic history and current status of this beetle family are briefly reviewed, and a key to Asian species is given. Type specimens are deposited in Institute of Zoology, Academia Sinica.

Three plots with different aspects and slope characteristics were surveyed in 1999 and 2000 to clarify the spatial and temporal variations in insect-infested acorn fall patterns in a Quercus liaotungensis Koidz. forest in the Dongling Mountain region, North China. There was a significant difference in the proportion of infested acorns in the three plots in a low crop year, but not in a mast year. Within oakwoods on the southeast-facing slope, the insect infestation rate on the upper slope was significantly higher than on the lower slope, but not in the northwest-facing plot. Infestation rate in the low crop year in all three plots was significantly higher than infestation in the mast year. Most of the early fallen acorns had a higher proportion of insect infestation, and in the mast year it was much more obvious than in the low crop year. The proportion of infested acorns in seed bank along the topographic gradient showed a similar decreasing trend with acorn fall time, but the proportion on the upper slope was the highest and the proportion on the lower slope was the lowest. Larval emergence from acorns commenced just after acorns fell from the trees and lasted for 40–50 days, with peak emergence occurring from 24 to 32 days after acorn rain began. We conclude that insect-infested acorn distribution in Q. liaotungensis shows spatial and temporal heterogeneity, and an early drop of infested acorns can be a short-term defensive strategy against insect infestation.

Adiabatic quantum computation, based on the adiabatic theorem, is a promising alternative to conventional quantum computation. The validity of an adiabatic algorithm depends on the existence of a nonzero energy gap between the ground and excited states. However, it is difficult to ascertain the exact value of the energy gap. In this paper, we put forward a theorem on the existence of nonzero energy gap for the Hamiltonians used in adiabatic quantum computation. It can help to effectively identify a large class of the Hamiltonians without energy-level crossing between the ground and excited states., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures

In this work, a sensitive and selective detection method based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) was developed for analyzing thiol compounds by using a novel fluorescent probe. The new fluorescent probe contains a disulfide bond which selectively reacts with nucleophilic thiolate through the thiol-disulfide exchange reaction. An obvious fluorescence recovery can be observed upon addition of the thiol compound in the fluorescent probe solution due to the thiol-disulfide exchange reaction and the destruction of FRET. This novel probe was successfully used to determine dithiothreitol (DTT), glutathione (GSH) and cysteine (Cys). The limits of detection (LOD) were 2.0 μM for DTT, 0.6 μM for GSH, and 0.8 μM for Cys. This new detection method was further investigated in the analysis of compound amino acid injection.

Two types of inequalities, Kochen-Specker inequalities and noncontextuality inequalities, are both used to demonstrate the incompatibility between the noncontextual hidden variable model and quantum mechanics. It has been thought that noncontextuality inequalities are much more potent than Kochen-Specker inequalities, since the latter are constrained by the Kochen-Specker rules, which are regarded as an extra constraint imposed on the noncontextual hidden variable model. However, we find that a noncontextuality inequality exists in a ray set if and only if a Kochen-Specker inequality exists in the same ray set. This provides an effect approach both for constructing noncontextuality inequalities in a Kochen-Specker set and for converting a Kochen-Specker inequality to a noncontextuality inequality in any ray set., 5 pages

The plant-specific NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC) transcription factors have diverse roles in plant development and stress responses. In this study, a stress-responsive NAC gene, SlNAC2, was isolated and characterized from high-throughput Solexa sequencing of Suaeda liaotungensis. SlNAC2 showed high similarity to other NACs, especially ATAF subgroup members. Transcripts of SlNAC2 appeared in many Suaeda tissues including leaves, stems and roots. In particular, SlNAC2 was strongly expressed in leaves. Expression analysis showed that SlNAC2 was highly induced during salt and low temperature stress in leaves. Subcellular localization showed that the SlNAC2 protein localized to the nucleus. A transactivation assay in yeast demonstrated that SlNAC2 activated the expression of a reporter gene. To test its function, SlNAC2 was transformed into Arabidopsis under the control of the CaMV-35S promoter. Functional analysis showed that its overexpression resulted in enhanced tolerance to salinity stress. Therefore, SlNAC2 is a multifunctional regulatory factor in plants, and might be a good candidate gene for genetic improvement to produce stress tolerant plants.

A mathematical model concerning the separation selectivity of basic analytes in chiral capillary electrophoresis (CE) modified with negatively charged cyclodextrins (CDs) has been presented to describe the dependence of chiral selectivity on the buffer pH and the chiral selector concentration. The electrophoretic method to determine the parameters of the model has also been developed. The model has been tested with racemic epinephrine and isoproterenol as target analytes and sulfonated P-CD as chiral selector. The agreements have been found between the calculated and the measured values. Some significant conclusions to optimize chiral CE separation have been derived from the model and proven by the experiments. Electrochemical detection was used to meet the requirement of the low introduced concentration of analytes.

The LED with DBR and enhancing transmission film was grown by MOCVD. At 20 mA DC injection current, the LED peak wavelength was 623 nm, the light intensity was 200 mcd, and the output light power was 2.14 mW. The light intensity and output light power have been improved than traditional LED.

The coupled DBR LED with one DBR for reflecting normal incidence light and the other for reflecting inclined incidence light has been grown by MOCVD. For improving the conventional DBR which was used to increase light extraction efficiency in AlGaInP red light LED is analyzed. At 20 mA Dc injection current, the LED peak wave length is 630 nm, and the light intensity of on axis is 137 mcd. The output light power is 2.32 mW. The light intensity and output light power have been improved compared with the conventional LEDs.

In the present study, the antibacterial tests of herba pogostemonis oil were studied by using molecular- docking technology and antibacterial test in vitro. The 3 three-dimensional (3D) structures of the 5 compared compositions and 26 compositions from herba pogostemonis oil were established by using surflex-dock software (8.1). Molecular-docking was carried out between the 31 chemical compositions (ligands) and the 5 enzymes (receptors) by using surflex-dock function. By comparing the scoring result of 26 compositions in herba pogostemonis oil with 5 compared components, we can infer antibacterial activity about 26 compositions in herba pogostemonis oil. On the other hand, six frequently-used pathogenic bacteria were selected for antimicrobial test in vitro, herba pogostemonis oil and its two major compositions: (-)-herba pogostemonis alcohol and pogostone, which their contents exceeded 60% in herba pogostemonis oil samples, were selected antibacterial agents. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were also determined. Molecular-docking technology and antimicrobial test in vitro all were proved that herba pogostemonis oil had strong antibacterial effects. Particularly, pogostone and (-)-herba pogostemonis alcohol have potent antimicrobial activity.

In this work, a rapid, sensitive and low-cost colorimetric method for detection of quaternary ammonium surfactants using citrate-capped silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) was developed. The quaternary ammonium surfactants induce the aggregation of Ag NPs through the hydrophobic effect, which is a novel aggregation mechanism of Ag NPs. The addition of cationic surfactant results in color change of Ag NPs solution from yellow to red and finally to colorless, which is due to the broadening of the surface plasmon band. The color change was monitored using a UV-vis spectrophotometer. The LOD of different cationic surfactants was in the range of 0.5-5 µM. More importantly, this detection method was successfully utilized to the disinfectant residual sample.

We report on the species richness patterns of epigaeic beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae and Staphylinidae) along a subtropical elevational gradient of Balang Mountain, southwestern China. We tested the roles of environmental factors (e.g. temperature, area and litter cover) and direct biotic interactions (e.g. foods and antagonists) that shape elevational diversity gradients. Beetles were sampled at 19 sites using pitfall traps along the studied elevational gradient ranging from 1500 m-4000 m during the 2004 growing season. A total of 74416 specimens representing 260 species were recorded. Species richness of epigaeic beetles and two families showed unimodal patterns along the elevational gradient, peaking at mid-elevations (c. 2535 m), and the ranges of most beetle species were narrow along the gradient. The potential correlates of both species richness and environmental variables were examined using linear and second order polynomial regressions. The results showed that temperature, area and litter cover had strong explanatory power of beetle species richness for nearly all richness patterns, of beetles as a whole and of Carabidae and Staphylinidae, but the density of antagonists was associated with species richness of Carabidae only. Multiple regression analyses suggested that the three environmental factors combined contributed most to richness patterns for most taxa. The results suggest that environmental factors associated with temperature, area and habitat heterogeneity could account for most variation in richness pattern of epigaeic beetles. Additionally, the mid-elevation peaks and the small range size of most species indicate that conservation efforts should give attention to the entire gradient rather than just mid-elevations.

A novel microfluidic immunoassay system for specific detection of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was developed based on a three-component shell/shell/core structured magnetic nanocomposite Au/chitosan/Fe(3)O(4), which was synthesized with easy handling feature of Fe(3)O(4) by magnet, high affinity for gold nanoparticles of chitosan and good immobilization ability for anti-human hemoglobin-A1c antibody (HbA1c mAb) of assembled colloidal gold nanoparticles. The resulting HbA1c mAb/Au/chitosan/Fe(3)O(4) magnetic nanoparticles were then introduced into microfluidic devices coupled with a gold nanoband microelectrode as electrochemical detector. After that, three-step rapid immunoreactions were carried out in the sequence of HbA1c, anti-human hemoglobin antibodies (Hb mAb) and the secondary alkaline phosphatase (AP)-conjugated antibody within 20 min. The current response of 1-naphtol obtained from the reaction between the secondary AP-conjugated antibody and 1-naphthyl phosphate (1-NP) increased proportionally to the HbA1c concentration. Under optimized electrophoresis and detection conditions, HbA1c responded linearly in the concentration of 0.05-1.5 μg mL(-1), with the detection limit of 0.025 μg mL(-1). This system was successfully employed for detection of HbA1c in blood with good accuracy and renewable ability. The proposed method proved its potential use in clinical immunoassay of HbA1c.

In this paper an enzyme-carrier-based microfluidic chip coupled with a gold nanoband microelectrode as electrochemical detector for Triglyceride (TG) determination was developed by co-immobilized lipase, Glycerokinase (GK) and glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase (GPOx) on chitosan/Fe(3)O(4) composite nanoparticles with a shell-core structure, which combined the advantageous features of microfluidic chips technology with magnetic beads. This procedure enabled the easy renewal of the microchip enzyme carrier after each determination in a highly reproducible manner. Several operational parameters such as working potential, buffer pH, adenosine triphosphate concentrations (ATP, mM), separation voltage and temperature were evaluated and optimized. The performance of enzyme-carrier-based microfluidic chip for TG determination was modulated by changing the length of enzyme carrier from 1.0 to 3.0 cm, and the linear ranges were changed from 0-4.0 mM to 0-10.0 mM with the detection limits from 15 μM to 6.0 μM. The enzyme carrier remained its 70% activity after 40 days storage. This system was successfully employed for on-line detection of TG in serums. The experimental results demonstrated that this enzyme carrier using magnetic beads based microfluidic chip provided a relatively simple, sensitive, miniature, and replaceable means for the accurate determination of TG in serum.

1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition of trifluoromethyloxazolone to C 60 affords 3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-3,4-dihydropyrrolo[60]fullerene. The novel compound was characterized by 13 C and 1 H NMR as well as FD-MS, FT-IR and UV-Vis spectroscopies.

We proposed herein a novel approach for fabricating nanoband microelectrodes for electrochemical detection on an electrophoresis microchip. The metal films were first obtained via region-selective electroless deposition of gold or copper films on PDMS substrates by selective region plasma oxidation through shadow masking. Both metal films show uniform surfaces with the thickness at the level of 100 nm. By casting another PDMS layer on the metal films, the cross section of the sandwich structures can be used as nanoband microelectrodes, which can be renewed just by cutting. These nanoband microelectrodes are successfully used as electrochemical detectors in microchip electrophoresis for the detection of amino acids, proteins and neurotransmitter molecules. Moreover, integrating an Au-Cu double-metal detector with a double-channel electrophoresis system, we can easily distinguish electroactive amino acids from that of non-electroactive amino acids.