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Coagulation process enhanced with floatation was applied to treat dyeing wastewater generated from the production process of textile. The efficiency was mainly evaluated in terms of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of mixed wastewater. Comparing the coagulation experiment with coagulation-floatation experiment on the performance of COD removal for the dyeing wastewater, we can find that floatation promote the effect of coagulation. The results show that: the COD removal of the dyeing wastewater in the coagulation-floatation experiment can reach 68% after floatation with the speed of 1.2 L/min for 4 min and maintaining standstill for 90 min, which is 17% more than the result appeared in coagulation experiment, under the conditions of the dosage of AlCl3and PAM is 100 mg/L and 15 mg/L, respectively.

Hydrogen generation from the hydrolysis of aluminum lithium/sodium borohydride (referred to as AlLi/NaBH 4 ) system activated by Co powder with different particle size and amount was evaluated in this paper. The designed aluminum–lithium–cobalt (referred to as Al–Li–Co/NaBH 4 ) systems including Al-5 wt% Li-50 wt% nano Co, Al-7.5 wt% Li-25 wt% nano Co, Al-5 wt% Li-50 wt% micro Co, and Al-7.5 wt% Li-25 wt% micro Co had 100% hydrogen yield at 323 K. The hydrogen generation rates of these systems were regulated by Co species, Co amount, as well as consecutive runs of NaBH 4 hydrolysis. The underlying activation mechanism, including the formation of Al 0.94 Co 1.06 alloy and highly active and stable Co-based catalyst has been elaborated in this study. Experimental data present an inexpensive and highly efficient hydrogen source for portable fuel cell.

An accurate and sensitive method has been developed for the determination of PCBs in water by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with ionic liquid based headspace single-drop microextraction under ultrasound. The sample injection part of gas chromatographic instrument was modifed to avoid the ionic liquid leaking, selected 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C4MI[PF6]) as extracting agents. Experimental parameters influencing the extraction performance, such as desorption temperature, ultrasound extraction time, extraction temperature, ionic liquid headspace volume and salt effect, were optimized. Calibration curve was linear within the range of 10~300.0 μg/L, and the extraction recoveries with RSD values lower than 9.1% were from 77.6% to 103.3%. The limits of detections (LOD), calculated on the basis of signal-to-noise ratio of 3 (S/N=3), was in the range of 0.005~0.007 μg/L. This method is found to be simple, sensitive, little interferential and good specificity for the determination of trace PCBs in water. Real sea sample was successfully analyzed using this method.

Wilforidine is a potentially efficient medicine to cure autoimmune diseases. In this paper, a sensitive and selective liquid chromatographic method coupled with atmospheric -pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (LC–APCI–MS/MS) has been developed for quantification of wilforidine in human plasma. Samples were deproteinized with acetonitrile and cleaned by solid-phase extraction. The chromatographic separation was performed on an analytical RRHD C18 column (50 × 2.1 mm) using ammonium acetate solution (10.0 mmol L−1)/acetonitrile (30/70, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.7 mL min−1. Detection was carried out by the positive multiple reaction monitoring mode with transitions of m/z 780 → 684 for wilforidine, and 646 → 586 for aconitine (internal standard), respectively. The calibration curve was linear (r = 0.9991) in the concentration range of 0.5–100.0 μg L−1 with a lower limit of quantification of 0.5 μg L−1 in plasma. Intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations were less than 6.8 and 13.1 %, respectively, and the recoveries were between 88.0 and 96.0 %. This accurate and highly specific assay provides a useful method for evaluating the pharmacokinetics of wilforidine in human plasma.

PurposeThis paper attempts to construct a public‐key coding system using grey generation and braid group.Design/methodology/approachThe identification (ID) codes of both sides for communication are public for everyone and considered as public keys. Starting from the ID code of both sides of communication, the temporary secret key of communication can be obtained by the grey 1‐AGO algorithm first. Then the new formal common secret key can be obtained by using the element exchangeability of the braid group during the exchanging process of the temporary secret key between two sides of communication. The paper presents an exchange protocol of secret key based on grey data generation and braid group. It also constructs a cipher communication system by using Hash function based on the exchange protocol of secret key last.FindingsThe exchange protocol of secret key and the system of cipher communication which are proposed in this paper make use of the difficult problem of resolving disper se logarithm from generated code to ID code and the conjugate problem which is not ever resolved in braid group, which can ensure the security of the algorithm theoretically.Practical implicationsThe main steps of the exchange protocol and cipher communication system in this paper can be achieved through a computer program. They can be used in many communication processes on the internet.Originality/valueThe paper succeeds in realising both secret key generation and exchanging protocol of communication by using grey systems theory and braid group properties.

A new facile, rapid, inexpensive, and sensitive method for the analysis of six trace trichlorophenols in seawater samples was developed by magnetic micro-solid-phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Core-shell covalently functionalized ferroferric oxide coated with aminated silicon dioxide and decorated with multiwalled carbon nanotubes was applied as an adsorbent to perform the extraction process. The effect of factors including solution pH, contact time, adsorbent amount, and ionic strength were investigated in detail. The obtained results revealed that the proposed adsorbent was a highly effective and low-cost magnetic micro-solid-phase extraction material for the enrichment of 2,3,4-trichlorophenol, 2,3,5-trichlorophenol, 2,3,6-trichlorophenol, 2,4,5-trichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, and 3,4,5-trichlorophenol from seawater. Under the optimized conditions, the recoveries ranged from 88.0 to 99.5% at the three spiking levels, the limits of detection and the limits of quantification were 0.002 and 0.007 μg/L for the six trichlorophenols, respectively. The intra- and interday relative standard deviations were 2.0-6.7 and 4.5-8.9%, respectively. The calibration curves showed a good linearity in the range of 0.02-5.0 μg/L. The routine run analyses showed that the developed method was fast, simple, accurate, solvent-saving and high resolution, and it was suitable for the determination of trace trichlorophenols in seawater.

Background Recently, an increasing number of human and animal studies have reported that exposure to benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) induces neurological abnormalities and is also associated with adverse effects, such as tumor formation, immunosuppression, teratogenicity, and hormonal disorders. However, the exact mechanisms underlying BaP-induced impairment of neurological function remain unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the regulating mechanisms underlying the impact of chronic BaP exposure on neurobehavioral performance. Methods C57BL mice received either BaP in different doses (1.0, 2.5, 6.25 mg/kg) or olive oil twice a week for 90 days. Memory and emotional behaviors were evaluated using Y-maze and open-field tests, respectively. Furthermore, levels of mRNA expression were measured by using qPCR, and DNA methylation of NMDA receptor 2B subunit (NR2B) was examined using bisulfate pyrosequencing in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Results Compared to controls, mice that received BaP (2.5, 6.25 mg/kg) showed deficits in short-term memory and an anxiety-like behavior. These behavioral alterations were associated with a down-regulation of the NR2B gene and a concomitant increase in the level of DNA methylation in the NR2B promoter in the two brain regions. Conclusions Chronic BaP exposure induces an increase in DNA methylation in the NR2B gene promoter and down-regulates NR2B expression, which may contribute to its neurotoxic effects on behavioral performance. The results suggest that NR2B vulnerability represents a target for environmental toxicants in the brain.

Hydrolysis of Al and NaBH4 for hydrogen generation has obtained considerable attention as a portable hydrogen source system. In this paper, we report a new combined hydrogen generation from Al powder and alkaline NaBH4 solution activated by NiCl2 additive. The system is characterized as the followed features: the interaction of Al/NaBH4 hydrolysis, catalytic effect of Ni2B for Al and NaBH4, Al hydrolysis stimulated by NaOH solution. The effects which affect the hydrogen generation performance of the system were studied. The results showed that a favorable combination of high hydrogen yield and high hydrogen generation rate might be obtained via the optimized composition design. Therefore, the system may be developed as a portable hydrogen source system.

When the image matching method is used for motion estimation, the performance parameters like searching scope, searching speed, accuracy and robustness of the method normally are significant and need enhancement. In this paper, a novel method of block matching containing the wide range image block matching strategy and the strategy of multi-start points and parallel searching are presented. In the wide range matching strategy, the size of template block and searching block are same. And the average value of cumulative results by pixels in calculation is taken to ensure matching parameters can accurately represent the matching degree. In the strategy of multi-start points and parallel searching, the way of choosing starting points evenly is presented based on the characteristic of the block matching search, and the adaptive conditions and adaptive schedule is established based on the searching region. In the processing of iteration, the new strategy can not only adapt to the solution that lead the objective to the correct direction, but also adapt to the solution that have a little offset comparing with the objective. Therefore the multi-start points and parallel searching algorithm can be easy to keep from the trap of local minima effectively. The image processing system based on the DSP chip of TMS320C6415 is used to make the experiment for the video image stabilization. The results of experiment show that, the application of two methods can improve the range of motion estimation and reduce the searching computation.

Background: Increasing evidence indicates that repeated exposure to and withdrawal from alcohol can result in persistent molecular and cellular adaptations. One molecular adaptation that occurs is the regulation of gene expression, which is thought to lead to the functional alterations that characterize addiction: tolerance, dependence, withdrawal, craving, and relapse. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been recently identified as master regulators of gene expression through post-transcriptional regulation. However, the role of miRNAs in the neuroadaptations after alcohol removal has not yet been directly addressed. Methods: We employed a chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) model in primary cortical neuronal cultures to examine the global extent of differential miRNA expression using a TaqMan real-time PCR miRNA array. Results: Sixty-two miRNAs were differentially expressed after 10 days of CIE (CIE10) treatment (n = 42 with false discovery rate [FDR] 2) and 5 days post-CIE (P5) treatment (n = 26) compared with untreated control values. Compared to CIE10, ethanol (EtOH) removal experience in P5 induced a distinct expression pattern, including 20 differentially expressed miRNAs, which did not exhibit a significant change at CIE10. The predicted target molecules of EtOH removal-induced miRNAs function mainly in the regulation of gene transcription, but also function in neuron differentiation, embryonic development, protein phosphorylation, and synaptic plasticity. Interestingly, some of the miRNAs differentially expressed 5 days after CIE treatment were found to cluster on chromosomes near CpG islands, suggesting that they share functional similarity by targeting alcohol-related genes. Conclusions: Taken together, these results suggest a potential role of differentially expressed miRNAs in mediating EtOH removal-related phenotypes.

A novel liquid chromatography-atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-APCI/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of four sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids (wilfortrine, wilfordine, wilforgine and wilforine) in human plasma. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Shim-pack XR-ODS column using an ammonium acetate buffer solution-acetonitrile in a gradient program. The detection was achieved by an ion trap mass spectrometry in the positive selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The method utilized acetonitrile as protein precipitation solvent and followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE). Calibration curves were linear for the four alkaloids over the range of 0.5-100.0 μg/L with the limits of quantification of 0.5 μg/L, while the method exhibited the recovery of 86.5-98.6%, intra- and inter-day RSDs of less than 8.2% and 12.8%, respectively. Methodology was validated in line with the EU requirements (Commission Decision 2002/657/EC). Results of incurred samples demonstrated excellent reproducibility. To our knowledge, this is the first analytical method for simultaneous determination of the four sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids in plasma. The method was applicable to clinical pharmaceutical research of alkaloids in rheumatoid arthritis volunteer patients after oral administrations.

Tubulin, the subunit protein of microtubules, is an α/β heterodimer. Both α- and β-tubulin exist as numerous isotypes, differing in their amino acid sequences and encoded by different genes. The differences are highly conserved in evolution, suggesting that they are functionally significant. Neurons are a potentially very useful system for elucidating this significance, because they are highly differentiated cells and rich in tubulin isotypes. We have examined the distribution of β-tubulin isotypes in mouse primary cultured cortical neurons from embryonic fetus, newborn pups and adults. Neurons from both embryonic and adult mouse brains express the βI, βII, and βIII isotypes, but apparently not βIV or βV. βI, βII, and βIII are found in both cell bodies and neurites. However, the situation is different in newborn mice. Although βI and βIII are present in these neurons in both cell bodies and neurites and βIV is absent, just like in embryonic and adult mice, two striking differences were noted in the neurons from newborn mice. First, βV is apparently present evanescently in the neurons in both cell bodies and neurites. Interestingly, the βV was expressed strongly in newborn neurons after one day of culture; expression became much weaker after 3 days, and almost disappeared after 5 days. Second, the distribution of βII is different from other isotypes. After newborn mouse neurons were cultured for 3 days, βII started to disappear partly from the cell bodies; this was much more pronounced after five days in culture. Our findings suggest that βII's major function may involve the neurites and not the cell body. They also raise the possibility that βV has a unique role in the neurons of newborn mice.

Expression of the NMDA receptor 2B (NR2B) gene is upregulated following chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) treatment and withdrawal, which underlies behavioral alterations in addiction. The goal of this study was to characterize the changes of histone modifications induced by CIE treatment and its subsequent removal associated to the upregulation of NR2B gene transcription. To investigate the involvement of histone acetylation in the effect of ethanol on the NR2B gene, we examined the influence of CIE on histone acetylation in the 5′ regulatory region of NR2B using a qChIP assay. CIE treatment and its subsequent removal produced a remarkable and selected increase in histone H3K9 acetylation. Interestingly, the majority of the increased H3K9 acetylation occurred after ethanol removal, which was coincident with a decrease in H3K9 methylation in the same time duration. Further examination of the mechanisms of ethanol-induced alterations on the histone modifications revealed that CIE-induced acetylation of H3K9 was not due to the changes in global enzyme activities or the expression of histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and deacetylase (HDACs). Instead, we found a significant downregulation in some histone methyltransferases (HMTs) at both the global level and the local chromatin of the NR2B gene following CIE treatment. Moreover, our experiments also indicated a decrease of G9a, Suv39 h1 and HDAC1–3 in the chromatin of the NR2B gene promoter, which may be responsible for the altered H3K9 modifications. Taken together, the findings suggest a mechanism where the changes in H3K9 modifications in the local chromatin of the NR2B gene underlie alcohol-induced neuroadaptation.

Acetaminophen has been used as an analgesic for more than a hundred years, but its mechanism of action has remained elusive. Recently, it has been shown that acetaminophen produces analgesia by the activation of the brain endocannabinoid receptor CB1 through its para-aminophenol (p-aminophenol) metabolite. The objective of this study was to determine whether p-aminophenol could be toxic for in vitro developing mouse cortical neurons as a first step in establishing a link between acetaminophen use and neuronal apoptosis. We exposed developing mouse cortical neurons to various concentrations of drugs for 24 hr in vitro. Acetaminophen itself was not toxic to developing mouse cortical neurons at therapeutic concentrations of 10-250 μg/ml. However, concentrations of p-aminophenol from 1 to 100 μg/ml produced significant (p < 0.05) loss of mouse cortical neuron viability at 24 hr compared to the controls. The naturally occurring endocannabinoid anandamide also caused similar 24-hr loss of cell viability in developing mouse cortical neurons at concentrations from 1 to 100 μg/ml, which indicates the mechanism of cell death could be through the cannabinoid receptors. The results of our experiments have shown a detrimental effect of the acetaminophen metabolite p-aminophenol on in vitro developing cortical neuron viability which could act through CB1 receptors of the endocannabinoid system. These results could be especially important in recommending an analgesic for children or individuals with traumatic brain injury who have developing cortical neurons.

Chlorophacinone (CPN) is an extensively used anticoagulant rodenticide in China. A simple, rapid, and sensitive method is necessary for the determination of CPN in clinical emergency rescue. In this study, a novel fluorimetric method for the determination of CPN in human serum was developed. This proposed method is based on luminescence produced by a formation of a ternary CPN–europium– dl -histidine complex system. The fluorescence intensity was enhanced by adding yttrium and polyvinylpyrrolidone colloid-type suspension at pH 9.0. All of the important methodological achievements, such as working wavelengths, pH for optimal yttrium fluorescence enhancement, and the method recovery, limit of detection, limit of quantification, and relative standard deviation together with its linearity range, are discussed in detail. The developed method was successful in the determination of CPN in actual human serum in both clinical and forensic specimens. In comparison with the liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method, this method is fast, simple, and less expensive.

A systematic investigation of hydrogen production from milled Al–Sn–Zn–X (X: hydride or halide) mixtures in pure water was performed at room temperature. The hydrolysis mechanism of the mixtures was based on the work of micro-galvanic cell between aluminum and tin in water where aluminum reacted with water to generate AlOOH (Boehmite) and hydrogen. It was found that many effects such as milling time, temperature, additives and mass ratio had a significant role in the hydrogen production rate, especially that of the additives (hydride or halide) led to reduction of crystallite size and accumulation of uniform mixing. They also produced a lot of heat and the conductive ions which simulated the work of micro-galvanic cell. The milled Al–Sn–Zn–X (X: hydride or halide) mixtures had high reactivity and Al–Sn–Zn–MgH2 mixture produced 790 mL g−1 hydrogen in 5 min of the hydrolysis reaction with the activation energy of 17.570 kJ mol−1, corresponding to 7.04 wt.% hydrogen excluding water mass. Therefore, a new method of CO2 free and safe hydrogen production for micro-fuel-cell was obtained from the activated aluminum alloys in water.

A new analytical method is proposed for simultaneous determination of twenty organic acids in juices and beverages by eluent generator reagent free ion chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI–MS) in the negative selected ion monitoring mode (SIM). Twenty organic acids showed good linear relationship in the ranges of 0.5 ∼ 20.0 mg/L. The correlation coefficients were more than 0.998, the detection limits were between 0.05 ∼ 0.5 mg/L, and the average recoveries were between 88.0% ∼ 106.0%. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 7.6%. The method has been applied to juice and beverage samples with satisfactory results.

An experiment assessment of hydrogen production from activated aluminum alloy in portable hydrogen generator for fuel cell applications was investigated. The optimum hydrogen capacity of the high–reactive Al–Bi–NaCl alloys (the abbreviation of milled material of aluminum, bismuth and NaCl particles) is about 9–9.4 wt.%, meeting the targets (9 wt.%) of the US Department of Energy in 2015. Hydrogen production rate can be controlled via controlling the water flow rate in the generator, being 1.369–6.198 L hydrogen/min while the water flow rate ranges in 5–20 mL/min. The larger water flow rate often leads to higher temperature and results in unsafety in the generator as the hydrolysis reaction of aluminum alloy and water releases 15 kJ/g heat. However, the heat problem can be successfully eliminated by using effective cooling stytles, which enable the maximum temperature of Al–H2O mixture (the abbreviation of hydrolysis products of aluminum alloy in water) controlled less than 474 K even though the water flow rate is 20 mL/min. Therefore, the experiment results show that the portable hydrogen generator from aluminum alloy could supply the CO2–free, high hydrogen capacity and safe hydrogen for fuel cell applications.

This paper describes a simple method for the simultaneous determination and confirmation of the indandione rodenticides in serum. After samples were extracted with 10% (v/v) methanol in acetonitrile and cleaned by solid-phase extraction, chromatographic separation was performed on an IonPac® AS11 analytical column (250 × 4.0 mm) using gradient KOH eluent with 10% (v/v) methanol as organic modifier. Confirmation was depended on the extensive fragmentation of the indandione molecule under MS/MS conditions which provides sufficient structural information. Quantification was performed by negative electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode. All the method parameters were validated. It was confirmed that this method could be used in clinical diagnosis and forensic toxicology. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pindone is a highly effective anticoagulant rodenticide. In this paper, an improved assay for the analysis and confirmation of pindone in human plasma has been proposed. After the samples protein precipitation with 10% (v/v) methanol in acetonitrile and cleaning with solid-phase extraction, the separation was carried out on an IonPac AS11-HC analytical column (250 mm × 2 mm) using 20 mmol L−1 KOH containing 10% (v/v) methanol as organic modifier by eluent generator reagent free ion chromatography. Quantification was performed by a negative electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry using diphacinone as an internal standard. The transition for quantitative analysis was m/z 229 → 172, and for qualitative analysis were m/z 229 → 145 and m/z 229 → 214 for pindone. The transition for quantitative analysis was m/z 339 → 167 for IS. The limit of detection, the limit of quantification, recovery, linearity, precision, and stability were well validated. The cracking approach of characteristic fragments for pindone and IS were proposed. It was confirmed that this method could be used in clinical diagnosis and forensic toxicology analysis.

Valone has a chronic and toxic anticoagulant rodenticide that has widely used in China and has resulted in some accidental and intentional intoxication in recent years. The literature reported so far lacks sensitive and selective method for the confirmation of valone. The purpose of this study was to establish a novel assay for the identification and quantification of valone in serum by ion chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (IC–MS/MS). After serum sample was extracted with methanol/acetonitrile (10:90, v/v) and cleaned by Oasis ® HLB solid-phase extraction cartridge, chromatographic separation was performed on an Ionpac ® AS11 column with an eluent of methanol/30 mmol/L KOH (10:90, v/v). The overall extraction efficiency was >81.0%, and the limit of quantification was 0.5 ng/mL for valone. Regression analysis of the calibration data revealed good correlation ( r 2 > 0.99) for valone. Intra- and inter-day precisions for quality-control samples were less than 8.0 and 13.7%, respectively. The proposed method enables the identification and quantification of valone in both clinical and forensic specimens.

A fully reconfigurable architecture of a LDPC (low-density parity check) decoder for IEEE 802.11n system is proposed in this paper. This architecture can be operated in 12 kinds of modes specified in IEEE 802.11 system. Under the proposed architecture, memory usage and hardware complexity obviously improved, as compared with the other research works. Furthermore, the proposed decoder also able to support multi-rate and multi-size LDPC codes decoding. The proposed decoder was implemented in UMC 0.18µm CMOS technology. The maximum operating frequency is measured 200MHz and the corresponding power dissipation is 691.23mW and total area is 4.61mm2.

A sensitive method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of triptolide, tripdiolide, and tripterine in human serum using hydrocortisone as an internal standard (IS). After triptolide, tripdiolide, and tripterine in human serum were extracted with ethyl acetate, the extracts were separated on an XDB C(18) column (30 mm x 2.1-mm i.d., 3 microm) using a mobile phase of acetic acid/ammonium acetate (5 mmol/L, pH 4.5)/acetonitrile/methanol in gradient elution. Detection was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization ion trap mass spectrometry in negative multiple reaction monitoring mode. The transition ions m/z 359 --340, m/z 375 --357, m/z 449 --405, and m/z 419 --329 were selected for the quantification of triptolide, tripdiolide, tripterine, and IS, respectively. The linear range was 1.0-100.0 ng/mL, the absolute recoveries were between 78.3 and 89.2%, the relative recoveries were between 88.1 and 94.6%, and the limits of quantification in human serum were 0.5-1.0 ng/mL for the three target compounds. The intra- and interday relative standard deviations were less than 11.9% and 13.0%, respectively. This method was found to effectively and simultaneously determine trace triptolide, tripdiolide, and tripterine in human serum and can be suitable for clinical and toxicological studies.

Analysis of diphacinone is often performed on C18 column by reserved phase liquid chromatographic methods coupled with ultraviolet detection or by ion-pair chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. In this work, a sensitive and selective method using eluent generator reagent free ion chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometric detection for the quantification of diphacinone in animal livers has been developed. Samples were extracted with 10% (v/v) methanol in acetonitrile after spiking with warfarin (internal standard, IS) and cleaned by solid-phase extraction. The analytes were separated on an IonPac AS11 analytical column (250 mm × 4.0 mm) using 30.0 mmol L−1 KOH (achieved by a KOH eluent generator) containing 10% (v/v) methanol as organic modifier at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min−1. Detection was performed by negative electrospray ionization and ion trap tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode with a transition of m/z 339 → 167 for diphacinone, and 307 → 161 for IS, respectively. The calibration curve was linear (r 2 = 0.993) in the concentration range of 1.0–200.0 ng mL−1 with a lower limit of quantification of 0.3 ng g−1 in animal livers. Intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 8.7 and 12.5%, respectively. Recoveries of diphacinone ranged from 81.2 to 89.5%. It was confirmed that this method could be used in clinical diagnosis or forensic toxicology.

A hydrodynamic cavitation mixer (HCM) was introduced in the supercritical fluid assisted atomization (SAA) process to improve mass transfer. SAA-HCM resulted in a more homogenous primary droplet and, as a consequence, narrower particle size distributions. Levofloxacin hydrochloride (LH) being selected as a model drug, the effects of cavitation generator on morphology, size, and distribution of precipitated particles were evaluated. In addition, the influences of several process parameters, such as the feed ratio between CO2 and liquid solution, solute concentration, etc., were investigated in detail. Spherical amorphous micron-sized particles were obtained at different CO2-solution feed ratio and solute concentrations. In all cases, particles with diameters smaller than 2.1 μm were produced. The SAA-HCM is expected to be a promising technique for producing microparticles suitable for pulmonary delivery in drug delivery applications.

A chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure regimen consists of repeated episodes of ethanol intoxication and withdrawal. CIE treatment has been reported to result in a significant enhancement of N -methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated synaptic responses in vivo, and trafficking of NMDA receptors is emerging a key regulatory mechanism that underlies the channel function. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the effects of CIE on NMDA receptor subunit surface expression. Cultured cortical neurons were exposed to 75 mM ethanol for 14 h followed by 10 h of withdrawal, repeated this cycle five times, and followed by 2 or 5 days of withdrawal. Surface-expressed NMDA receptor subunits and their endocytosis were measured by biotinylation and Western blots. CIE significantly increased NMDA receptor (NR) 1 and NR2B but not NR2A subunit surface expression after 5 days of treatment. However, CIE treatment did not reduce the NMDA receptor endocytosis. Quantification of immunocytochemistry confirmed CIE-induced increase in both the total number of NR1 and NR2B subunit clusters and their targeting to synaptic sites. It is noteworthy that this effect persisted even after ethanol withdrawal with a peak expression occurring between 0 and 2 days after withdrawal, and the expression on the plasma membrane was still at high levels after 5 days of withdrawal. In addition, this was accompanied by significant increases in postsynaptic density protein 95 clusters. Protein kinase A inhibitor completely reversed CIE-induced increase in NR1 and partially in NR2B surface level and a long-lasting effect. These changes may contribute to the development of ethanol-induced neurotoxicity and ethanol dependence.

The effect of ultrasound on the leaching process, in which Geniposide is leached from the Gardenia fruit by deionized water at 20 degrees C, was investigated. The phase equilibrium and the dynamics were measured at static, stirring, and ultrasonically assisted conditions, respectively. The experimental results show that the extraction yield of Geniposide with ultrasound at 0.1533 W cm(-2), is increased by 16.5%, in comparison with that without ultrasound when the ratio of the solvent volume to the fruit weight is 40 ml/g. A model for mass transfer, based on the intraparticle diffusion and the external mass transfer, was developed. And the dynamic curves calculated by the model are in a good agreement with the experimental data. The external mass transfer coefficient k(f)/R and intraparticle diffusion coefficient D(e)/R2 were obtained by fitting of the experiment data. The external mass transfer coefficient with ultrasound at 0.1533 W cm(-2) is 1.63 times higher than that in static process, and the intraparticle diffusion coefficient with ultrasound at 0.1533 W cm(-2) is 3.25 times higher than that in static process.

Background Repeated alcohol exposure is known to increase subsequent ethanol consumption in mice. However, the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. One postulated mechanism involves epigenetic modifications, including histone modifications and DNA methylation of relevant genes such as NR2B or BDNF. Methods To investigate the role of epigenetic mechanisms in the development of alcohol drinking behavior, an established chronic intermittent ethanol exposure reinforced ethanol drinking mouse model with vapor inhalation over two 9-day treatment regimens was used. The DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, 5-azacytidine or the histone deacetylase inhibitor, Trichostatin A was administered (intraperitoneally) to C57BL/6 mice 30 min before daily exposure to chronic intermittent ethanol. Changes in ethanol consumption were measured using the 2-bottle choice test. Results The results indicated that systemic administration of Trichostatin A (2.5 µg/g) facilitated chronic intermittent ethanol-induced ethanol drinking, but systemic administration of 5-azacytidine (2 µg/g) did not cause the same effect. However, when 5-azacytidine was administered by intracerebroventricular injection, it facilitated chronic intermittent ethanol-induced ethanol drinking. Furthermore, the increased drinking caused by chronic intermittent ethanol was prevented by injection of a methyl donor, S-adenosyl-L-methionine. To provide evidence that chronic intermittent ethanol- or Trichostatin A-induced DNA demethylation and histone modifications of the NR2B promoter may underlie the altered ethanol consumption, we examined epigenetic modifications and NR2B expression in the prefrontal cortex of these mice. Chronic intermittent ethanol or Trichostatin A decreased DNA methylation and increased histone acetylation in the NR2B gene promoter, as well as mRNA levels of NR2B in these mice. Conclusions Taken together, these results indicate that epigenetic modifications are involved in regulating ethanol drinking behavior, partially through altering NR2B expression.

Neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF) is a transcriptional repressor of multiple neuronal genes. This study addressed the role of NRSF in N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor NR2B promoter activity and the molecular mechanisms of ethanol-induced NR2B up-regulation in fetal cortical neurons. The 5'-flanking region of the NR2B gene contains five NRSE-like elements. Functional analysis of the upstream regions of the NR2B gene by transient transfection of neurons revealed that neuron-restrictive silencer element (NRSE) motifs located between base pair -1407 and -2741 represses transcription of the gene. Analysis by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and reporter gene assay identified NRSE2 and 3 as responsible for repressing NR2B gene transcription. The identity of NRSF as the functional binding factor is suggested by the specific binding of in vitro synthesized NRSF or cell lysate to the labeled probes and the specific antibody-induced supershift. Furthermore, whereas mutations of NRSE2 and 3 motifs increased the promoter activity, overexpression of NRSF reduced it significantly. The pattern of NRSF expression during development was investigated and demonstrated that the highest expression is on embryonic day 14 with moderate expression on postnatal day 0, reflecting a possible role of NRSF as a regulator during development. Treatment of cultured cortical neurons with 100 mM ethanol for 5 days caused a significant decrease in the NRSF mRNA and protein levels, NRSF/NRSE binding activity, and an increase in the promoter activity. Therefore, our studies suggest that NRSF is a negative regulator of NR2B expression and may contribute to the ethanol-induced up-regulation of the NR2B gene in fetal cortical neurons.

Prenatal alcohol exposure produces many developmental defects of the central nervous system (CNS), such as in the corpus callosum (CC). This study was designed to observe the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure during the second trimester equivalent on the development of dendritic arbors of CC projection neurons (CCpn) in rat visual cortex. In addition, the effect of second trimester equivalent prenatal alcohol exposure on brain weight was determined. Pregnant dams received 1.2-6.0 g/kg ethanol (EtOH) during gestational day (G) 11-20. Controls consisted of normal and nutritionally matched pairfed (PF) dams. Pups were sacrificed on the day of birth, G26, G29 and G33. DiI crystals were placed in the midsagittal CC bundle to retrogradely label CCpn. Images of visual cortex were obtained from tissue slices using a confocal laser scanning microscope. The number and length of apical and basilar dendrite branches were determined. The results show that prenatal alcohol exposure restricted to the second trimester equivalent alters the development of the CCpn dendritic arbor and the brain weight in a blood alcohol concentration (BAC)-dependent manner. The alteration in the EtOH CCpn is manifested as an increase in the number and length of CCpn apical and basilar dendrite branches, while brain weight is reduced compared with Controls.

In this work, the decolorization of azo dye Orange G (OG) in aqueous solution by aluminum powder enhanced by ultrasonic irradiation (AlP-UI) was investigated. The effects of various operating operational parameters such as the initial pH, initial OG concentration, AlP dosage, ultrasound power and added hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration were studied. The results showed that the decolorization rate was enhanced when the aqueous OG was irradiated simultaneously by ultrasound in the AlP-acid systems. The decolorization rate decreased with the increase of both initial pH values of 2.0–4.0 and OG initial concentrations of 10–80 mg/L, increased with the ultrasound power enhancing from 500 to 900 W. An optimum value was reached at 2.0 g/L of the AlP dosage in the range of 0.5–2.5 g/L. The decolorization rate enhanced significantly by the addition of hydrogen peroxide in the range of 10–100 mM to AlP-UI system reached an optimum value of 0.1491 min−1. The decolorization of OG appears to involve primarily oxidative steps, the cleavage of N N bond, which were verificated by the intermediate products of OG under the optimal tested degradation system, aniline and 1-amino-2-naphthol-6,8-disulfonate detected by the LC–MS.

A poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-b-poly[2-(N,N-dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) block copolymer was successfully synthesized by a reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer method. The resulting copolymer was used to prepare poly(vinylidene fluoride) blend membranes via a phase-inversion technique. The polymorphism, structure, and properties of the blend membranes were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ζ potential analysis, and filtration. The results indicate that PMMA-b-PDMAEMA could migrate onto the surface of the membrane during the coagulation process, and more of the β-crystal phase appeared with the increase of the block copolymer in the membranes. The surface morphology and cross section of the membranes were also affected by the copolymer, as shown by SEM. The ζ-potential results show that the surface charges of the membrane could be changed from positive to negative at an isoelectric point as the pH increased. The blend membrane also exhibited good pH sensitivity, and its water flux showed a great dependence on pH. The filtration experiment also indicated that the blend membrane had good hydrophilicity and antifouling properties. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40685.

This study investigated the effect of NO on c-Fos expression using immunocytochemical techniques, following training in the one-trial passive avoidance response and Morris water maze tasks. Fos-like immunoreactive (FLI) neurons were examined in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of rats in which intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of Nomega-nitro-L-arginine (NAME) was given 30 min before training in the experimental groups. The results showed that: (1) when compared with untreated rats or rats receiving i.c.v. saline injection, fos-like immunoreactive neurons were significantly increased in both brain regions following training in either task, and (2) preceding i.c.v. injections of NAME blocked both the formation of memory and the increased expression of c-Fos in both brain regions subjected to training on the two models. These results suggest that NO production may be a critical factor for the formation of memory and the enhanced c-Fos expression, and so might contribute to the long-term plasticity of synaptic organization in the two brain regions.

The number and distribution of Fos-like-immunoreactive neurons in different supraspinal brain areas induced by formalin injection into one hindpaw was estimated in rats with transected dorsal half of the spinal cord at the thoracic level in an attempt to avoid most of the descending modulatory actions. The results showed that: (i) after spinal lesion, the peripheral noxious inputs, going up mainly through the ventral spinal cord, elicited a more widespread and densely located Fos-like-immunoreactive neurons in subcortical areas, many of them showed no Fos expression when noxious stimulation was given in rats with intact spinal cord; (ii) at the same time, a small number of subcortical areas, such as the lateral ventroposterior thalamic nucleus and dorsal raphe nucleus, exhibited no significant increase of nociceptive Fos-like immunoreactive neurons after spinal lesion as compared to that with intact spinal cord; and (iii) there appeared a prominent expansion of cortical areas with densely located Fos-like-immunoreactive neurons in spinal-lesioned rats as compared with the limited labelled areas in the control group with intact spinal cord. These results indicate that: (i) in avoiding the spinally descending modulatory mechanisms, more widespread supraspinal and cortical neurons will be recruited and activated in response to the noxious stimulation; and (ii) the descending systems exert differential actions on the spinal targets which project nociceptive signals to different supraspinal regions. The implication of these facts is discussed.

The heat transfer characteristics of passive containment cooling system (PCS) are very important to protect the nuclear reactor from early release in some severe accident scenarios. In this paper, based on the natural convection and the VOF (Volume of Fluid) multiphase model, the two-phase flow and heat transfer characteristics of the water film of PCS at postulated accident was numerically investigated. To economize the calculation resource, a two dimensional axis symmetry cooling system was included in the simulation model owing to the symmetry of the system. The transportation of mass and energy during the phase change at film interface was established by adding source terms to the mass and energy equations with User Defined Function (UDF). Because of the lower heat capacity of the cooling gas, the air flow rate and flow pattern of natural convection were the governing factor of the heat transfer through containment. Generally, the heat transfer rate is very lower because the heat and flow attached layer at air baffle and water film are very thick due to the flat plate air baffle, but stronger vortex produced by air baffle will reduce the heat transfer because of damage of the water film. The dimensions and the shape of the air baffle have important effect on air flow rate and flow pattern of the natural convection, and the optimal option was chosen based on the simulation results.Copyright © 2013 by ASME

Euonine and wilforidine are biologically active Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. alkaloids. In this paper, a rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of trace euonine and wilforidine in human plasma. An Oasis® mixed-mode cation-exchange polymeric sorbent was used for solid-phase extraction. The separation was carried out on a reversed-phase Zorbax Plus C18 column (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.8 μm) by using ammonium acetate (5 mmol/L)/acetonitrile (30/70, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.7 mL/min. The quantification was carried out via ion trap MS in the positive selected ion monitoring mode using aconitine as an internal standard. Calibration curves showed good linearity ranging from 0.5 to 100.0 μg/L with correlation coefficient values >0.9990. The average recoveries of euonine and wilforidine ranged from 85.4 to 101.0% and 92.0 to 97.5%, respectively. The intra- and interday relative standard deviations were

Increasing evidence indicates that repeated exposure to and withdrawal from alcohol can result in persistent molecular and cellular adaptations. One molecular adaptation that occurs is the regulation of gene expression, which is thought to lead to the functional alterations that characterize addiction: tolerance, dependence, withdrawal, craving, and relapse. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been recently identified as master regulators of gene expression through post-transcriptional regulation. However, the role of miRNAs in the neuroadaptations after alcohol removal has not yet been directly addressed.We employed a chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) model in primary cortical neuronal cultures to examine the global extent of differential miRNA expression using a TaqMan real-time PCR miRNA array.Sixty-two miRNAs were differentially expressed after 10 days of CIE (CIE10) treatment (n = 42 with false discovery rate [FDR] 0.05 and fold change2) and 5 days post-CIE (P5) treatment (n = 26) compared with untreated control values. Compared to CIE10, ethanol (EtOH) removal experience in P5 induced a distinct expression pattern, including 20 differentially expressed miRNAs, which did not exhibit a significant change at CIE10. The predicted target molecules of EtOH removal-induced miRNAs function mainly in the regulation of gene transcription, but also function in neuron differentiation, embryonic development, protein phosphorylation, and synaptic plasticity. Interestingly, some of the miRNAs differentially expressed 5 days after CIE treatment were found to cluster on chromosomes near CpG islands, suggesting that they share functional similarity by targeting alcohol-related genes.Taken together, these results suggest a potential role of differentially expressed miRNAs in mediating EtOH removal-related phenotypes.

Acetaminophen has been used as an analgesic for more than a hundred years, but its mechanism of action has remained elusive. Recently, it has been shown that acetaminophen produces analgesia by the activation of the brain endocannabinoid receptor CB1 through its para-aminophenol (p-aminophenol) metabolite. The objective of this study was to determine whether p-aminophenol could be toxic for in vitro developing mouse cortical neurons as a first step in establishing a link between acetaminophen use and neuronal apoptosis. We exposed developing mouse cortical neurons to various concentrations of drugs for 24 hr in vitro. Acetaminophen itself was not toxic to developing mouse cortical neurons at therapeutic concentrations of 10-250 μg/ml. However, concentrations of p-aminophenol from 1 to 100 μg/ml produced significant (p0.05) loss of mouse cortical neuron viability at 24 hr compared to the controls. The naturally occurring endocannabinoid anandamide also caused similar 24-hr loss of cell viability in developing mouse cortical neurons at concentrations from 1 to 100 μg/ml, which indicates the mechanism of cell death could be through the cannabinoid receptors. The results of our experiments have shown a detrimental effect of the acetaminophen metabolite p-aminophenol on in vitro developing cortical neuron viability which could act through CB1 receptors of the endocannabinoid system. These results could be especially important in recommending an analgesic for children or individuals with traumatic brain injury who have developing cortical neurons.