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Background Methylxanthines including caffeine, theobromine and theophylline are natural and synthetic compounds in tea. Theobromine and other methylxanthine could be metabolized by certain kinds of bacteria and fungi. Previous studies confirmed that several isolates from Pu-erh tea could degrade and convert caffeine and theophylline through N-demethylation and related oxidation, respectively. In this study, seven tea-derived fungi were inoculated into various theobromine agar mediums and liquid mediums to assess their capacity in theobromine utilization. Related metabolites with theobromine degradation were detected by using HPLC in the liquid culture inoculated by candidate isolates to investigate potential application in the production of 3-methylxanthine. Results Based on the extent of theobromine utilization, four isolates including Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus sydowii, Aspergillus ustus and Aspergillus tamarii have demonstrated the potential for theobromine biodegradation. Particularly, A. sydowii and A. tamarii could degrade theobromine significantly (p < 0.05) in all given theobromine liquid mediums. 3,7-Dimethyluric acid, 3-methylxanthine, 7-methylxanthine, 3-methyluric acid, xanthine, and uric acid were detected in A. sydowii and A. tamarii culture, respectively, confirming the existence of N-demethylation and oxidation in theobromine catabolism. 3-Methylxanthine was common and main demethylated metabolite of theobromine in A. sydowii and A. tamarii culture. 3-Methylxanthine in A. sydowii culture showed a linear relation with the initial theobromine concentrations that 177.12 ± 14.06 mg/L of 3-methylxanthine was accumulated in TLM-S with 300 mg/L of theobromine. Additionally, pH at 5 and metal ion of Fe 2+ promoted 3-methylxanthine production significantly (p < 0.05). Conclusions This study is the first to confirm that A. sydowii and A. tamarii degrade theobromine through N-demethylation and oxidation, respectively. A. sydowii showed the potential application in 3-methylxanthine production with theobromine as feedstock through the N-demethylation at position N-7.

Objective We developed and validated a sensitive and reliable UPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of dezocine (DEZ), midazolam (MDZ) and its metabolite 1-hydroxymidazolam (1-OH-MDZ) in beagle plasma and investigated the effect of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on the pharmacokinetics of DEZ, MDZ and 1-OH-MDZ in beagles. Materials and Methods Diazepam was used as the internal standard (IS); the three analytes and IS were extracted by acetonitrile precipitation and separated on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column using acetonitrile-0.1% formic acid as mobile phase in gradient mode. In positive ion mode, the three analytes and IS were monitored by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). Six beagles were designed as a double cycle self-control experiment with 0.15 mg/kg in the first cycle (Group A). After a 1-week washout period, the same six beagles were slowly injected intravenously with 2 µg/kg DEX in the second cycle (Group B), with continuous injection for 7 days. On the seventh day, 0.5 hr after intravenous injection of 2 µg/kg DEX, the six beagles were intramuscularly given with DEZ 0.33 mg/kg and MDZ 0.15 mg/kg. Results Under the conditions of this experiment, this method exhibited a good linearity for each analyte. The accuracy and precision were all within the acceptable limits in the bioanalytical method, and the results of recovery, matrix effect and stability have also met the requirements. Conclusion The developed UPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of DEZ, MDZ and 1-OH-MDZ in beagles plasma was accurate, reproducible, specific, and suitable. DEX could inhibit the metabolism of DEZ and MDZ and increase the exposure of DEZ and MDZ in beagles. Therefore, the change of therapeutic effect and the occurrence of adverse reactions caused by drug–drug interaction should be paid attention to when the drugs were used in combination.

Background: At present, serum Aspergillus IgG and IgM antibody detection is mainly used in the diagnosis of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), but its value in the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in non-agranulocytic patients is still unclear. IgG is a marker of long-term infection and is used to assist in the diagnosis of pre-existing or chronic infection-related diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the value of serum Aspergillus IgG and IgM antibody detection in the diagnosis of IPA and CPA in non-agranulocytic patients. Methods: Fifty-eight cases of pulmonary aspergillosis (37 IPA and 21 CPA cases), 15 cases of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia and 50 cases in the healthy control group were collected. The serum (1,3)-β-D-glucan test (G test) was performed with a chromogenic method, and the galactomannan test (GM test) and Aspergillus IgG and IgM antibody detection were performed by commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in all patients. The sensitivity and specificity, cut-off value and area under the curve (AUC) of Aspergillus IgG and IgM antibodies were further obtained by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: The positive rate of the G test, Aspergillus IgG antibody detection and the GM test also showed notable differences among the IPA, CPA, community-acquired bacterial pneumonia and healthy groups ( P = 0.006, P < 0.001 and P = 0.217, respectively). Only the positive rate of the GM test showed a significant difference between the IPA and CPA groups ( P = 0.04). ROC curves indicated that Aspergillus IgG antibody detection had a higher specificity in the IPA group than in the CPA group (0.952). The detection of Aspergillus IgG antibody can preferably distinguish IPA from community-acquired bacterial pneumonia and healthy controls (sensitivity = 0.923, specificity = 0.459, cut-off value = 134.46, AUC = 0.727). It can also distinguish CPA from community-acquired bacterial pneumonia and healthy controls (sensitivity = 0.952, specificity = 0.692, cut-off value = 75.46, AUC = 0.873). Conclusions: Serum Aspergillus IgG antibody detection may have certain clinical value in the diagnosis of IPA and CPA in non-agranulocytic patients.

AirBnB, Amazon, Facebook, Uber... Startups solve our problems, improve our lives, and even transform our societies. Founders of successful startups like Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk have become household names. Have you ever wondered how to build a successful startup yourself? Do you know why some startups succeed and why others fail? This analysis is designed to extract valuable insights from a startup dataset by using various data mining tactics. The goal of this analysis is to help us understand (1) the status of the startups; (2) the sartup ecosystems around the world; (3) the economic environment from 1997 to 2013; (4) who were the founders and co-founders of the startups (e.g., major in college, higherst degree, skills); (5) what factors impacted the amount of funding received by startups; (6) what factors affected their status of success or failure. I also conducted a principle component analysis of the skills of the founders & co-founders and generated a multiple linear regression model to test the relaionship between a number of characteristics of the founders & co-founders and the amount of investment they attracted. Finally, I trained a logistic regression model to help us predict startup success based on the skill sets of their founders and co-founders.

Pd nanoparticles (NPs) supported on amine-functionalized layered double hydroxides (LDHs) (Pd/NH2-LDH-NS) were successfully obtained by implanting aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) on MgAl LDH nanosheets (LDH-NS), followed by impregnating [Pd(NH3)4]Cl2 and reduction with NaBH4. The physicochemical characteristics of the obtained Pd/NH2-LDH-NS were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR),, N2 adsorption&ndash, desorption, inductive coupled plasma (ICP), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), and their catalytic performance was tested in the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol with molecular oxygen under solvent-free and base-free conditions. The results showed that the implanted &ndash, NH2 groups can promote the dispersion of the supported Pd NPs via complexation of the implanted &ndash, NH2 groups to Pd NPs, and they can increase the surface basicity of the catalysts, thus enhancing the catalytic activity and selectivity to benzylaldehyde. Pd/NH2-LDH-NS exhibited enhanced catalytic activity (31.6%) and selectivity (&gt, 98%) compared to the corresponding Pd/LDH-NS, Pd/LDH, Pd/SiO2, and Pd/Al2O3. Moreover, Pd/NH2-LDH-NS was remarkably stable and could be reused at least four times without a significant loss in activity and selectivity.

Background: Caffeine, theobromine and theophylline are main purine alkaloid in tea. Theophylline is the downstream metabolite and stays a very low level in Camellia sinensis. In our previous study, Aspergillus sydowii could convert caffeine into theophylline in solid-state fermentation of tea through N-demethylation. In this study, tea-derived fungi caused theophylline degradation in the solid-state fermentation. The aim of this study was isolate theophylline-degrading fungi and to investigate their application in production of methylxanthines with theophylline as feedstock through microbial conversion. Results: Of seven tea-derived fungi collected and identified by ITS, β-tubulin and calmodulin gene sequences, Aspergillus ustus, Aspergillus tamarii, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus sydowii associated with solid-state fermentation of pu-erh tea have shown ability to degrade theophylline. A. ustus and A. tamarii could degrade theophylline highly significantly (p < 0.01) in liquid culture. 1,3-Dimethyluric acid, 3-methylxanthine, 3-methyluric acid, xanthine and uric acid were detected consecutively by HPLC in A. ustus and A. tamarii respectively. The data from absolute quantification analysis suggest that 3-methylxanthine and xanthine were main degraded metabolites in A. ustus and A. tamarii respectively. 129.48 ± 5.81 mg/L of 3-methylxanthine and 159.11 ± 10.8 mg/L of xanthine were produced by A. ustus and A. tamarii respectively in 300 mg/L of theophylline liquid medium. Conclusions: For the first time, we confirmed that isolated Aspergillus ustus, Aspergillus tamarii degrade theophylline through N-demethylation and oxidation. We were able to biologically produce 3-methylxanthine and xanthine efficiently from theophylline through a new microbial synthesis platform with A. ustus and A. tamarii as appropriate starter strains.

A sandwich quenching electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor was constructed for insulin detection. In this work, the SnO2/reduced graphene oxide/gold nanoparticles (SnO2/rGO/Au NPs) nanocomposites combined with luminol (Lu) were utilized to construct the base of the immunosensor, and the SiO2@Polydopamine (SiO2@PDA) nanomaterials acted as efficient ECL signal quencher. SiO2@PDA was firmly anchored secondary antibody (Ab2) by covalent bonding due to the reactive quinones at the surface of PDA film. Au NPs which functionalized SnO2/rGO were acted as the bridge to incubate with primary antibody (Ab1) by Au-N bond and simultaneously enhanced the sensitivity of immunosensor. In addition, we used the luminol-O2 system to obtain more stable ECL signal. Under the optimal experimental conditions, a reliable determination of insulin was realized within a linear range of 0.0001–50 ng/mL and with a detection limit of 26 fg/mL (S/N = 3). Therefore, the ECL immunosensor exhibited good sensitivity, acceptable selectivity and high repeatability. Meanwhile, the proposed sandwich quenching ECL immunosensor was also evaluated by detecting insulin in real samples, this immunosensor has potential application value in insulin detection.

Purpose Details of patients hospitalized for asthma exacerbation in mainland China are lacking. To improve disease control and reduce economic burden, a large sample survey among this patient population is indispensable. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of such patients. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on patients hospitalized for asthma exacerbation in 29 hospitals of 29 regions in mainland China during the period 2013 to 2014. Demographic features, pre-admission conditions, exacerbation details, and outcomes were summarized. Risk factors for exacerbation severity were analyzed. Results There were 3,240 asthmatic patients included in this study (57.7% females, 42.3% males). Only 28.0% used daily controller medications; 1,287 (39.7%) patients were not currently on inhaled corticosteroids. Acute upper airway infection was the most common trigger of exacerbation (42.3%). Patients with severe to life-threatening exacerbation tended to have a longer disease course, a smoking history, and had comorbidities such as hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and food allergy. The multivariate analysis showed that smoking history, comorbidities of hypertension, COPD, and food allergy were independent risk factors for more severe exacerbation. The number of patients hospitalized for asthma exacerbation varied with seasons, peaking in March and September. Eight patients died during the study period (mortality 0.25%). Conclusions Despite enhanced education on asthma self-management in China during recent years, few patients were using daily controller medications before the onset of their exacerbation, indicating that more educational efforts and considerations are needed. The findings of this study may improve our understanding of hospital admission for asthma exacerbation in mainland China and provide evidence for decision-making.

To sensitively detect cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor was constructed on the basis of the core-shell Mo

The WRKY transcription factors family, which participates in many physiological processes in plants, constitutes one of the largest transcription factor families. The Asterales and the Apiales are two orders of flowering plants in the superorder Asteranae. Among the members of the Asterales, globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus L.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) are important economic crops worldwide. Within the Apiales, ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) and Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chen are important medicinal plants, while carrot (Daucus carota subsp. carota L.) has significant economic value. Research involving genome-wide identification of WRKY transcription factors in the Asterales and the Apiales has been limited. In this study, 490 WRKY genes, 244 from three species of the Apiales and 246 from three species of the Asterales, were identified and categorized into three groups. Within each group, WRKY motif characteristics and gene structures were similar. WRKY gene promoter sequences contained light responsive elements, core regulatory elements, and 12 abiotic stress cis-acting elements. WRKY genes were evenly distributed on each chromosome. Evidence of segmental and tandem duplication events was found in all six species in the Asterales and the Apiales, with segmental duplication inferred to play a major role in WRKY gene evolution. Among the six species, we uncovered 54 syntenic gene pairs between globe artichoke and lettuce. The six species are thus relatively closely related, consistent with their traditional taxonomic placement in the Asterales. This study, based on traditional species classifications, was the first to identify WRKY transcription factors in six species from the Asteranae. Our results lay a foundation for further understanding of the role of WRKY transcription factors in species evolution and functional differentiation.

Apoptosis is recognized as the main mechanism of oligodendrocyte loss in Multiple Sclerosis caused either by immune mediated injury (Barnett & Prineas, ) or a direct degenerative process (oligodendrogliapathy; Lucchinetti et al., ). Cuprizone induced demyelination is the result of non-immune mediated apoptosis of oligodendrocytes (OL) and represents a model of oligodendrogliapathy (Simmons, Pierson, Lee, & Goverman, ). Glycogen Synthase Kinase (GSK) 3b has been shown to be pro-apoptotic for cells other than OL. Here, we sought to investigate whether GSK3b plays a role in cuprizone-induced apoptosis of OL by using a novel inducible conditional knockout (cKO) of GSK3b in mature OL. While depletion of GSK3b has no effect on survival of uninjured OL, it increases survival of mature OL exposed to cuprizone. We show that GSK3b-deficient OLs are protected against caspase-dependent, but not against caspase-independent apoptosis. Active GSK3b is present in the nuclei of OL at peak of caspase-dependent apoptosis. Significant preservation of myelinated axons is associated with GSK3b depletion and glial cell activation is markedly reduced. Collectively, the data show that GSK3b is pro-apoptotic for caspase-dependent cell death, likely through activation of nuclear GSK3b and its depletion promotes survival of oligodendrocytes and attenuates myelin loss.

A novel photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptasensor based on cerium (Ce) doped CdS modified graphene (G)/BiYWO6 was designed, which exhibits enhanced PEC intensity compared with pure BiYWO6, G/BiYWO3 and BiYWO6/Ce:CdS. In this scenario, ascorbic acid (AA) was exploited as an efficient and non-poisonous electron donor for scavenging photogenerated holes. The doping of Ce in CdS promoted its visible light absorption range and facilitated the charge transfer rate as well as hindered the h+/e- recombination. Moreover, the combination of G further promoted the electron carrier separation and transfer process due to its excellent electron collection and shuttling characteristic. Thus, the G/BiYWO6/Ce:CdS heterostructure was successfully served as a matrix for the PEC detection of tetracycline (Tc) at 0 V (vs Hg/Hg2Cl2). Under optimal conditions, the PEC aptasensor could offer a sensitive and specific detection limit (3 S/N) of Tc down to 0.01 ng/mL, as well as acceptable reproducibility, selectivity and storage stability, which opened up a promising pathway for the development of PEC biosensors.

In this work, a label-free photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunosensor for the detection of carcino embryonic antigen (CEA) was developed based on CdS nanowires (NWs) sensitized WO3@BiOI heterostructure. The construction procedure of ITO/WO3@BiOI@CdS electrode was done by dipping the WO3@BiOI modified indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode interchangeably into [Cd(NH3)4]2+ and S2- solution for several times. Then the ITO/WO3@BiOI@CdS electrode was used as a matrix for the subsequent immobilization of CEA antibody (Ab). The obtained label-free PEC immunosensor showed an excellent PEC performance toward CEA detection. Under optimal conditions, the PEC immunosensor have a sensitive response to CEA in a liner range of 0.01ng/mL to 50ng/mL with a detection limit of 3.2pg/mL. The proposed PEC immunosensor exhibited good stability, high sensitivity as well as reproducibility and storage stability. Moreover, the obtained PEC immunosensor also showed a satisfied result in human serum sample analysis.

Global warming and eutrophication are two important environmental issues facing freshwater ecosystems. Especially in winter and spring, freshwater ecosystems lacking large submerged plants are the most vulnerable. However, there is a paucity of research on the combined effects of global warming and eutrophication on the water quality of freshwater ecosystems and the growth characteristics of submerged plants in winter and spring. We therefore performed a mesocosm experiment examining the combined effects of nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) enrichment and warming (2.65 ± 0.07℃) on the submerged plant Potamogeton crispus. We found that warming affected the morphological characteristics of P. crispus, promoted plant height, accumulated more biomass, augmented the proportion of above-ground biomass and decreased the nitrogen content of the above-ground organs. Meanwhile, warming increased more resources for asexual reproduction (turions) and reduced the number of flowers. The addition of nitrogen or phosphorus alone could significantly augment the content of nitrogen or phosphorus in vegetative organs, respectively. In addition, the effects of different nutrient enrichment on the reproduction strategy of P. crispus were different. The addition of nitrogen reduced the number of flowers, while the addition of phosphorus augmented the number of flowers and turions. In contrast, the warming and co-addition of nitrogen and phosphorus treatments had a more negative effect on P. crispus, reducing biomass, maximum fluorescence and the number of ramets, flowers and turions. Although the leaf biomass allocation increased, the turion biomass allocation decreased. This may be due to the increase in algae, turbidity and total suspended solids caused by warming and the co-addition of nitrogen and phosphorus, which stressed the growth of P. crispus. Our results suggest that global warming and eutrophication can affect the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems by inhibiting the growth of submerged plants, which may lead to further fragile stability of freshwater ecosystems in winter and spring.

This study was conducted to investigate the mechanism of action and extent of selective dopaminergic neurodegeneration caused by exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) leading to the endogenous formation of the neurotoxin 1-trichloromethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline (TaClo) in rodents. Beginning at 3 months of age, male C57BL/6 mice received oral TCE dissolved in vehicle for 8 months. Dopaminergic neuronal loss was assessed by nigral tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity. Selective dopaminergic neurodegeneration was determined based on histological analysis of non-dopaminergic neurons in the brain. Behavioral assays were evaluated using open field activity and rotarod tests. Mitochondrial complex I activity, oxidative stress markers, and microglial activation were also examined in the substantia nigra. The level of TaClo was detected using HPLC-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Dopaminergic neurotoxicity of TaClo was determined in midbrain organotypic cultures from rat pups. Following 8 months of TCE treatment, there was a progressive and selective loss of 50% of the dopaminergic neurons in mouse substantia nigra (SN) and about 50% loss of dopamine and 72% loss of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid in the striatum, respectively. In addition, motor deficits, mitochondrial impairment, oxidative stress, and inflammation were measured. TaClo content was quantified in the brain after TCE treatment. In organotypic cultures, TaClo rather than TCE induced dopaminergic neuronal loss, similar to MPP+. TCE exposure may stimulate the endogenous formation of TaClo, which is responsible for dopaminergic neurodegeneration. However, even prolonged administration of TCE was insufficient for producing a greater than 50% loss of nigral dopamine neurons, indicating that additional co-morbid factors would be needed for mimicking the profound loss of dopamine neurons seen in Parkinson’s disease.

Vibrational spectroscopy is an effective non-destructive technique, and it has been successfully applied in characteristics identification for agro-food samples. However, owing to the high dimensionality of spectral dataset, it is difficult to distinguish samples of different characteristics from observing the raw spectral. In this study, t-Distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (t-SNE), an state-of-art method, was applied for visulization on the five vibrational spectroscopy data sets. The performances of t-SNE and the other reference methods (PCA and Isomap) were illustrated both from the differentiation ability in the 2-dimensional space and the accuracy of sequential classification model. For the former, t-SNE showed more satisfied visual discrimination results in 2-dimensional space and obtained better scores of clustering metrics, Silhouette Coefficient (0.59 average score compared to 0.24 achieved by PCA and 0.59 by Isomap) and Davies-Bouldin Index (1.51 average score compared to 2.58 achieved by PCA and 1.52 by Isomap). For the latter, two supervised classification models, k-nearest neighbor (KNN) and support vector machine (SVM), were constructed based on the new representations in 2-dimensional space, in both cases, the representations given by t-SNE outperformed the other methods in terms of accuracy (for KNN, 96% average accuracy compared to the 85% achieved by PCA and 92% by Isomap; for SVM, 96% average accuracy compared to the 86% achieved by PCA and 92% by Isomap). The results showed great potential of t-SNE for recognizing minute spectral differences between classes, and proved that t-SNE is an effective dimensionality reduction and visualization method, especially when complex and highly overlapping vibrational spectra are used for analysis.

In this paper, gradient cemented carbides with the cubic-phase free in the surface layer were prepared, and the compositional gradient formation was explored. The relations between the properties of the gradient cemented carbide and the TaC addition were investigated. The results showed that the inward Ta migration during the gradient-structure formation of the cemented carbide WC-Co-(W,Ti)C-Ti(C,N)-TaC-W was mainly driven by the thermodynamic coupling between Ta and Ti. The thickness of the cubic-phase free layer decreased as the total Ta/C ratio is enlarged in the gradient cemented carbide. With TaC added in the gradient cemented carbide, the undissolved Ti(C,N) cores was rarely observed in the bulk owing to the solid solution of Ta. The average sizes of WC phases and (W,Ti)C phases could be reduced by the TaC addition, but hardly refined further when TaC exceeds its solubility in the binder. All of the transverse rupture strength, the hardness and the fracture toughness increased with the low TaC content but decreased with the high TaC content. The coercive force was elevated with TaC added in the gradient cemented carbide, and the magnetic saturation increased when increasing TaC contents. Additionally, the coercive force was raised while the magnetic saturation fell down after the cubic-phase free layer was removed.

WC-6%Co cemented carbides tools with improved performances were successfully prepared using Micro-FAST method in less than 5 min with a Gleeble-1500D thermal simulation machine. Effects of the sintering temperature and heating rate on the densification, microstructure, mechanical properties were investigated and cutting performance of sintered samples were evaluated. It was found that densification of the samples was enhanced with the increase of the sintering temperature from 900 to 1200 °C while the consolidation process is facilitated with the initial increase of the heating rate to 50 °C/s and retarded with its further increase to 100 °C/s. A relative density of as high as 97.71% and a hardness of 21.7GPa were reached when a sintering temperature of 1200 °C, a heating rate of 50 °C/s and a holding time of 12 min were used. A higher sintering temperature along with a reasonably higher heat rate can produce a denser microstructure while pores remain in the sample when a heating rate higher than 50 °C/s is adopted. The tool prepared by the Micro-FAST exhibits the improved cutting performance than that by the traditional approach. The presented study shows that Micro-FAST can be a potentially very effective way to produce the cutting tools to meet the engineering application.

Quick response (QR) codes are two-dimensional (2D) barcodes that are widely used in food packaging. Moreover, scanning QR codes with mobile phones has become a convenient method to ensure product traceability. However, attaching QR codes to curved agro-food products to improve traceability effects and increase customer satisfaction presents a significant challenge. This paper reports an optimization method developed for curved surfaces that uses response surface methodology (RSM) analysis. The value ranges of the following four factors affecting QR readability were selected and analyzed: reading distance, ball diameter, code size, and coded characters. A central composite inscribed experiment using four factors with five levels was designed using RSM to obtain the optimal reading parameters, and experimental equipment was designed in-house. The results indicate the primary factors that significantly affect QR code readability are reading distance, ball diameter, the interactions between reading distance and code size, and the interactions between ball diameter and code size. Optimal parameters were obtained with the established model by using apples and melons. For actual experimental testing, two solutions for apples and one solution for melon were selected to determine the requisite average values for the parameters. Tests were performed using different mobile phones, including both iOS and Android platforms. An analysis of the results reveals only slight differences between simulated readability and actual readability for different fruits and mobile phone platforms.

An HIV candidate vaccine for the Chinese population was designed by constructing a recombinant fowlpox virus expressing HIV-1 gag and HIV gp145 proteins via homologous recombination and plaque screening using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) as the reporter gene. EGFP in the recombinant was then knocked out with the Cre/Loxp system yielding rFPVHg-Hp, which was identified at the genomic, transcriptional and translational levels. The immunogenicity of rFPVHg-Hp was analyzed by measuring levels of HIV-specific antibodies and IFN-γ-secreting splenocytes by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and IFN enzyme-linked immune spot test in the BALB/c mouse model. Results showed that rFPV could not stimulate HIV-1 specific antibodies or IFN-γ-secreting cells by a single immunization. Meanwhile, in the prime-boost strategy, HIV-p24 antibodies (P

campaigns in Taiwan. We first introduce two types of spectroimagers, the slit and slitless types, and discuss their advantages and shortcomings. Next we explore the instrument development and procedures undertaken for this study. In 2006, a slit spectroimager was installed for a sprite campaign and on 15 August of that year, two sprite spectra were recorded using the slit spectroimager along with seven sprites, one halo, one ELVES emission and two jets. By the end of 2015, a slitless spectroimager had been successfully constructed and was ready to conduct additional investigations. On 7 May 2016, a sprite spectrum was recorded using the slitless spectroimager. Following an examination of the calibrations (comprising detection region field of view, wavelength calibration, and response curve), data analysis, and additional calibrations (comprising elevation and azimuthal angles, atmospheric transmittance, and theoretical wavelength calculations) performed in this study, we present the results from our observed sprite spectra using the slit and slitless spectroimagers.

Systematic periodic density functional theory computations including dispersion correction (GGA-PBE-D3) have been carried out to characterize the location, distribution and acidity of Al substitution in ZSM-5 with different Si/Al ratios (up to 8 Al atoms). The model system is the orthorhombic phase, which has a unit cell containing 96 T sites. For one Al substitution, there are two energetically equal sites (T3 and T7) as the most stable substitution configurations. On the basis of the computed relative stability of the NH3 adsorbed states, there are three and two energetically close states at the T7 and T3 sites, respectively, indicating the equilibrium and mobility of the chemisorbed NH3 (or NH4+) among these states. For 2Al substitution, the most stable substitution configuration has Al atoms at the T3 and T11 sites, and the two most stable acidic O–H groups have the same NH3 adsorption energies. For 3Al and 4Al substitutions, not all generated O–H acidic sites are available for NH3 adsorption due to the confinement effect, and higher Al substitutions might not have advantages over lower Al substitutions for ZSM-5. Among the most stable substitution configurations for 1–4 Al substitutions, the T3 site appears most frequently and should represent the active site for adsorption and reaction.

Background: At present, serum Aspergillus IgG and IgM antibodies are mainly used in the diagnosis of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), but the diagnostic value in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in non-agranulocytic patients is still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of serum Aspergillus IgG and IgM antibody detection for pulmonary aspergillosis in non-agranulocytic patients.. Methods: 58 cases of pulmonary aspergillosis (37 IPA and 21 CPA cases), 15 cases of bacterial pneumonia and 50 cases of healthy control group were collected. Serum G test and GM test were performed, and Aspergillus IgG and IgM antibody were detected in all patients. The sensitivity and specificity, cut off value and AUC of Aspergillus IgG and IgM antibodies were further obtained by the ROC curves. Results: The positive rates of G test and Aspergillus IgG antibody in pulmonary aspergillosis group were significantly higher compared with bacterial pneumonia group or healthy group (P = 0.015 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Aspergillus IgG antibody can preferably distinguish CPA from bacterial pneumonia and healthy controls (sensitivity = 0.952, specificity = 0.692, cut off value = 75.46, AUC = 0.873). However, the performance of it was poor in distinguishing IPA from CPA, healthy group and pneumonia group (AUC < 0.7). Conclusions: Serum Aspergillus IgG has certain clinical value in the diagnosis of pulmonary aspergillosis in non-agranulocytic patients.

A sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor was constructed for detection of insulin. It is based on the quenching effect of octahedral cuprous oxide decorated with gold nanoparticles (Cu2O@Au NPs). A composite constructed from multiwalled carbon nanotubes/reduced graphene oxide nanoribbons provides a large specific surface that promotes electron transfer on the surface of electrodes. In parallel, CdS nanoclusters were loaded with europium(III) to get CdS:Eu NCs. The Eu(III) ions exert a large enhancement in ECL intensity of the CdS NCs. Cu2O is biocompatible and has a large specific surface. It was used as a quencher for the ECL immunosensor. If Au NPs are loaded onto Cu2O, the green fluorescence of the CdS NCs (with emission peaks at 525 nm) is quenched. The Cu2O@Au NPs also can be employed as a label for the secondary antibodies (Ab2) to improve the sensitivity of the ECL immunosensor. The assay works in the 0.5 pg·mL−1 to 50 ng·mL−1 insulin concentration range and has a detection limit of 40 fg·mL−1.

A sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor was constructed for detection of insulin. It is based on the quenching effect of octahedral cuprous oxide decorated with gold nanoparticles (Cu

As a newly emerged photoactive material, Cu

Counterfeiting products and abusing labels lead to less credibility for traceability system in China recently. Authentication and supervision agencies driven by government departments play an important role for ensuring the quality safety in the case of lacking the willingness and credit of enterprises. A complete authentication and supervision flow framework was constructed based on an identification code (IdC) for authenticated origin base, which linked two actors of the agencies and the enterprises, and three subsystems of On-line Authentication Subsystem (OAS), Safety Production Management Client (SMC) and Mobile Supervision Application (MSA). IdC consisted of longitude and latitude of origin base as position code, production code and authentication type code. With a relative position partition method on 6 zones every 27° for China map and a coordination transformation algorithm, an absolute longitude and latitude value was converted into a relative position value and a zone mark value. IdC and packaging date code formed initial traceability code (TC). 8 digits packaging date code was reconstructed into 3 digits relative time value and 1 digit period mark according to a relative time period partition method with a period of 999d as time intervals and four periods form a cycle. Validation code was generated integrating the zone mark value, period mark value and authentication type code. Therefore, transformed 20 digits TC with the characters of shorter code length and stronger encryption was formed with IdC, relative time value and validation code. Three subsystems for different actors which provide the main function such as origin base registration, agency authentication, QR code generation, data uploading and product verification, were developed. The system has been used in Tianjin city from 2012. 213 enterprises were audited through OAS and used SMC. Through investigating 8 supervision agency staffs, 30 origin base owners, and 50 customers, it is shown that the positive effects are approved by most of the investigators and two negative effects for enhancing the costs and doubting the authentication reliability are laid by 17 enterprises and 12 customers. Furthermore, 4 typical cases for counterfeiting and abusing the labels were exampled and can be solved to a certain extent with the system. However, except for the technology itself, a management measures fitting the supervision flow and system need to draft in order to improve the system application well in the future.

The SBA-16 obtained by different routes of elimination of organic templates were used as the hosts for encapsulation of chiral Ru complex (1S,2S)-DPEN-RuCl2(TPP)2 (1) (DPEN = 1,2-diphenylethylene-diamine, TPP = triphenyl phosphine). The methods for removing templates had distinct effects on the amount of residual template in SBA-16, which made the SBA-16 with different surface and structure properties. 1 encapsulated in SBA-16 extracted with the mixture of pyridine and ethanol showed higher activity and enantioselectivity for acetophenone asymmetric hydrogenation.

Heart failure is one of the common disabling states and serious illness among medical disorders that may lead to death. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been recognized as a new biomarker of outstanding prognosis-predictive capability for heart failure. In this work, modified carbon nitride nanosheets (m-CNNS) were used as the part of this sensing platform could generate stronger ECL emission and the CeO2@Polydopamine (CeO2@PDA) composites firstly worked as effective ECL signal quencher. Moreover, there was a suitable overlap between the absorption spectra of CeO2@PDA and ECL spectra of m-CNNS, causing the remarkable decline in ECL signal. In particular, a novel ECL-RET (electrochemiluminescence resonance energy transfer) system between m-CNNS as ECL donor while CeO2@PDA as ECL acceptor was established. CeO2@PDA composites were tightly linked to the secondary antibody (Ab2) via covalent bonding owing to the reactive quinones on the surface of the PDA film. The primary antibody (Ab1) and m-CNNS are connected via carboxylic groups of 1-pyrene butyric acid (Py-COOH, sodium salt) easily employing EDC/NHS activation, a common crosslinking approach. By employing K2S2O8 as a coreactant, ECL behaviour of m-CNNS was observed. Under optimal conditions, BNP concentration was detected in the range of 0.5 pg/mL–100 ng/mL with the detection limit of 0.01 pg/mL (S/N = 3). Featuring high sensitivity, wider linear range, excellent repeatability and selectivity, this ECL-RET immunosensor opened a novel path to realize a reliable sensitive detection of BNP, which may also be applied to determine other biomarkers. It was noteworthy that the proposed method was applied to real serum samples accompanied by good recovery range of 102.8–103.2%, indicating that the recommended method was of good accuracy for BNP detection.

To sensitively detect cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor was constructed on the basis of the core-shell Mo2C combined with carbon material (Mo2C@C) nanosphere as an ECL super-enhancer and a label of secondary antibody (Ab2). Mo2C@C nanosphere with excellent conductivity and high chemical stability could increase the ECL intensity of the tris-(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium (Ru(bpy)32+). Mo2C@C/polyethylenimine (Mo2C@C/PEI) firmly anchored Ab2 by covalent bonding. Otherwise, amino-modified multiwall carbon nanotubes@nafion (MWCNTs-NH2@N) composite film, as substrate material, could connect with the Ru(bpy)32+ by ion exchange and immobilize primary antibodies (Ab1) by amide bond. In addition, the boron nitride quantum dots (BNQDs) were utilized as the co-reactant, which were synthesized by using low-cost material melamine as a nitrogen source. Under optimal experimental conditions, the proposed ECL immunosensor possessed a low detection limit of 0.03 pg/mL (S/N = 3) and a wide linear range from 0.1 pg/mL to 50 ng/mL. The ultrasensitive ECL immunosensor had excellent stability, outstanding specificity and great reproducibility. It was also used to detect cTnI in human serum with satisfactory results.

Systematic periodic density functional theory computations including dispersion correction (DFT-D) were carried out to determine the preferred location site of Zr atoms in sodalite (SOD) and CHA-type topology frameworks, including alumino-phosphate-34 (AlPO-34) and silico-alumino-phosphate-34 (SAPO-34), and to determine the relative stability and Br&ouml, nsted acidity of Zr-substituted forms of SOD, AlPO-34, and SAPO-34. Mono and multiple Zr atom substitutions were considered. The Zr substitution causes obvious structural distortion because of the larger atomic radius of Zr than that of Si, however, Zr-substituted forms of zeolites are found to be more stable than pristine zeolites. Our results demonstrate that in the most stable configurations, the preferred favorable substitutions of Zr in substituted SOD have Zr located at the neighboring sites of the Al-substituted site. However, in the AlPO-34 and SAPO-34 frameworks, the Zr atoms are more easily distributed in a dispersed form, rather than being centralized. Br&ouml, nsted acidity of substituted zeolites strongly depends on Zr content. For SOD, substitution of Zr atoms reduces Br&ouml, nsted acidity. However, for Zr-substituted forms of AlPO-34 and SAPO-34, Br&ouml, nsted acidity of the Zr-O(H)-Al acid sites are, at first, reduced and, then, the presence of Zr atoms substantially increased Br&ouml, nsted acidity of the Zr-O(H)-Al acid site. The results in the SAPO-34-Zr indicate that more Zr atoms substantially increase Br&ouml, nsted acidity of the Si-O(H)-Al acid site. It is suggested that substituted heteroatoms play an important role in regulating and controlling structural stability and Br&ouml, nsted acidity of zeolites.

Apple yield estimation using a smartphone with image processing technology offers advantages such as low cost, quick access and simple operation. This article proposes distribution framework consisting of the acquisition of fruit tree images, yield prediction in smarphone client, data processing and model calculation in server client for estimating the potential fruit yield. An image processing method was designed including the core steps of image segmentation with R/B value combined with V value and circle-fitting using curvature analysis. This method enabled four parameters to be obtained, namely, total identified pixel area (TP), fitting circle amount (FC), average radius of the fitting circle (RC) and small polygon pixel area (SP). A individual tree yield estimation model on an ANN (Artificial Neural Network) was developed with three layers, four input parameters, 14 hidden neurons, and one output parameter. The system was used on an experimental Fuji apple (Malus domestica Borkh. cv. Red Fuji) orchard. Twenty-six tree samples were selected from a total of 80 trees according to the multiples of the number three for the establishment model, whereby 21 groups of data were trained and 5 groups o data were validated. The R2 value for the training datasets was 0.996 and the relative root mean squared error (RRMSE) value 0.063. The RRMSE value for the validation dataset was 0.284 Furthermore, a yield map with 80 apple trees was generated, and the space distribution o the yield was identified. It provided appreciable decision support for site-specific management.

High-efficiency, biodegradable and easy-desized cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) modified soy protein sizing agents were prepared by incorporating CNC as protein molecular extenders, crosslinkers and reinforcements in soy protein sizes system for multifunctional yarn coating against film thermal-embrittlement and yarn abrasion during slashing. In this research, we found CNC could endow soy protein with unfolded and trimly arranged molecular structure as well as enhanced intermolecular slippage, especially under high temperature conditions. Thermal-tenacity (work of fracture) and tensile strength at constant temperature of the soy films were improved 731% and 93.9%, respectively, after being modified by CNC. Compared with poor biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sizes films, thermal tensile strength of 10CNC modified soy films was 118% higher. Regarding sizing performance, CNC reinforced soy sizes had 51.4% and 5.09% higher adhesion properties and 43.1% and 38.3% lower friction coefficient to both cotton yarn and viscose/polyester (65/35) yarns compared to the soy sizes. In addition, the CNC-soy sizes agents possessed excellent desizing performance and biodegradability, indicating the great potential as a substitute of petro-based PVA sizes. Successful utilization of CNC-soy sizes will lead to large-quantity applications of soy byproducts, impelling high value addition to agricultural byproducts and sustainability in textile industry.

As an endogenous neuromodulator, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exerts multiple biological effects in the brain. Previous studies have shown that H2S is involved in the regulation of neural synaptic plasticity and cognition in healthy rodents. It is well known that there is a progressive decline of cognitive function that occurs with increased age. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of H2S in aging-associated amygdalar synaptic plasticity and cued fear memory deficits as well as to explore the underlying mechanisms. We found that H2S levels in the amygdala were significantly lower in aged rats when compared with healthy adult rates, which displayed significant deficits in long-term potentiation (LTP) in the thalamo-lateral amygdala (LA) pathway and amygdala-dependent cued fear memory. Bath application of an H2S donor, sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaHS), significantly reversed the impaired LTP in brain slices from aged rats, and intra-LA infusion of NaHS restored the cued fear memory in aged rats. Mechanismly, we found that H2S treatment significantly enhanced NMDAR-mediated synaptic responses in the thalamo-LA pathway of aged rats. Notably, GluN2B-containing NMDARs, but not GluN2A-containing NMDARs, contributed to the effects of H2S on aging-associated impairments of amygdalar LTP and fear memory, because applying GluN2B antagonist could abolish the beneficial effects of NaHS treatment on amygdalar LTP and cognitive performance in aged rats. Collectively, these results show that H2S can reverse aging-associated amygdalar synaptic plasticity and fear memory deficits by restoring the function of GluN2B-containing NMDARs, suggesting that supplement of H2S might be a therapeutic approach for aging-related cognitive disorders.