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The present work investigates the validity of electrospun borneol-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanocomposites in enhancing drug dissolution rates and improving drug physical stability. Based on hydrogen bonding interactions and via an electrospinning process, borneol and PVP can form stable nanofiber-based composites. FESEM observations demonstrate that composite nanofibers with uniformstructure could be generated with a high content of borneol up to 33.3% (w/w). Borneol is well distributed in the PVP matrix molecularly to form the amorphous composites, as verified by DSC and XRD results. The composites can both enhance the dissolution profiles of borneol and increase its physical stability against sublimation for long-time storage by immobilization of borneol molecules with PVP. The incorporation of borneol in the PVP matrix weakens the tensile properties of nanofibers, and the mechanism is discussed. Electrospun nanocomposites can be alternative candidates for developing novel nano-drug delivery systems with high performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CeO2 caped La2Zr2O7(LZO) buffer layers on cube-textured Ni5W substrates were fabricated by the method of chemical solution deposition(CSD). The orientation of both LZO film and CeO2 /LZO buffer layer was investigated using conventional XRD and X-ray four circle diffractometers, respectively. The results reveal that both the LZO film on Ni5W substrates and CeO2 film on LZO buffer layer are grown epitaxially. The value of Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) of (111) Phi scan of CeO2/LZO buffer layer is around 8°, and the FWHM of (200) w-scan of CeO2/La2Zr2O7 buffer layer is 6.5°, indicating a good in-plan orientation of the as obtained buffer layers. It was observed by the high resolution SEM that the surface of LZO buffer layer is crack-free and very dense. The surface result observed by AFM indicates a very smooth CeO2 surface with 5.9 nm of the root mean square roughness measured in an areas of 30 x 30 μm2. AES depth profile results of CeO2/LZO buffer layers shows that the deposited LZO film could effectively prevent the diffusion of Ni into the buffer layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Purpose/Significance] The spirit of Yuhuatai martyrs is one of the important components of the new democratic revolutionary spirit of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The primary documents about Yuhuatai martyrs is the significant source to record their spirit. Using text processing technologies, such as content annotation and feature construction to deeply excavate the content of the documents, which is not only conducive to carrying forward revolutionary culture and continuing the red spirit, but also beneficial to expanding the application objects of technology and promoting the improvement of text mining technology. [Method/Process] In this paper, the original documents related to Yuhuatai martyrs were used as the data source, which include 12,329 original records in 8 types of documents, including biographies of martyrs, letters, diaries, interrogation materials of the enemy and puppet governments, trial records, and oral history. Then the lightweight ontology of Yuhuatai martyrs was built, which was used as the feature description framework of Yuhuatai martyrs. Based on the domain ontology and trigger word features, relevant instances in the ontology were extracted from the documents of Yuhuatai martyrs, and the formal features of the multi-dimensional attributes of Yuhuatai martyrs were constructed and described. The categories and attributes of lightweight ontology described the Yuhuatai martyrs' group feature framework. Through the data analysis of the extracted ontology instance, the data analysis of Yuhuatai martyr group feature can be realized. [Results/Conclusions] Through the statistical analysis of the basic information, revolutionary activities and the relevant text content of the struggle in prison of Yuhuatai martyrs, this paper further revealed the group characteristics from the perspective of data, including: high education level, sacrifice at a young age, long-term struggle in the ruling center of the Kuomintang, adherence to faith, loyalty to CPC, full of family and country feelings of peace and order, and conscious practice of noble moral pursuit. By the application of lightweight ontology and other quantitative analysis methods in this paper, it is helpful to visualize the lofty ideals and beliefs of Yuhuatai martyrs, noble moral sentiments and the dauntless spirit of sacrifice for the people. This paper has a certain reference value for the presentation and dissemination of innovative Yuhuatai martyrs' spirit.

Mechanically strengthened, highly cube textured Ni-7 at.%W/Ni-12 at.%W multi-layer substrates developed for coated conductors have been prepared by the advanced spark plasma sintering technique. The key innovation for developing this weakly magnetic and reinforced substrate was to use a new powder metallurgy and sintering route to bond multi-layers of Ni7W/Ni12W/Ni7W together in order to get an initial ingot, followed by the optimized cold working and annealing. Particular efforts were made in view of the optimization of the design, pressing as well as the heat treatment processes of the starting ingots to obtain a chemically gradient composite bulk, thus ensuring the subsequent cold deformation. The produced composite substrates have a strong \langle 001\rangle {100} texture on Ni7W outer layers. The percentage of the biaxially orientated grains within a misorientation angle of 10° is as high as 97.5%, while the length percentage of low-angle grain boundaries ranging from 2° to 10° in the composite substrate reaches 87.2%. Moreover, the yield strength s0.2 of the tape approaches 333 MPa, and the saturation magnetization is substantially reduced by 81.6% at 77 K when compared to that of a commercial used Ni5W substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the development of mechanically strengthened, highly textured Ni-5 at.%W/Ni-12 at.%W composite materials prepared by a powder metallurgical approach as promising weakly magnetic substrates for coated superconductors. The key configuration of this composite substrate consists of a thin, sharp cubic textured Ni-5 at.%W layer on a Ni-12 at.%W alloy core, thus providing a mechanical reinforcement while decreasing the saturation magnetization of the whole substrate. The composite substrates have a sharp cubic texture at the top Ni-5 at.%W outer layer and their yield strength reaches 272 MPa, exceeding that of the commercially used Ni5W substrates by a factor of 1.6. The saturation magnetization of the composite substrate Ni5W/Ni12W/Ni5W is substantially reduced when compared to that of pure Ni and Ni-5 at.%W substrates, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Exosomes are bilayer membrane vesicles with cargos that contain a variety of surface proteins, markers, lipids, nucleic acids, and noncoding RNAs. Exosomes from different cardiac cells participate in the processes of cell migration, proliferation, apoptosis, hypertrophy, and regeneration, as well as angiogenesis and enhanced cardiac function, which accelerate cardiac repair. In this article, we mainly focused on the exosomes from six main types of cardiac cells, i.e., fibroblasts, cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, cardiac progenitor cells, adipocytes, and cardiac telocytes. This may be the first article to describe the commonalities and differences in regard to the function and underlying mechanisms of exosomes among six cardiac cell types in cardiovascular disease.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells (APC) that facilitate the development and progression of atherosclerosis. However, DCs also function as novel “switches” between immune activation and immune tolerance and represent a heterogeneous hematopoietic lineage, with cell subsets in different tissues that show a differential morphology, phenotype, and function. Regulatory DCs, depending on their immature state, can be induced by immunosuppressive modulation, which plays an important part in the maintenance of immunologic tolerance via suppression of the immune response. In this review, we describe the current understanding of the generation of regulatory DCs. The novel role of selectins in the modification of DCs in atherosclerosis is also discussed. Keywords: Dendritic cells, Selectins, Atherosclerosis, Immune tolerance

Aims: This study aims to evaluate and validate a simple quantitative ultrasound (US) method for determining the hepatic fat content (HFC) based on the combination of quantitative US hepatic/renal ratio (US-HRR) and quantitative US hepatic echo-intensity attenuation rate (US-HAR) as compared with [1H]-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS).Material and Methods: There were a total of 242 subjects recruited in the present study. All subjects were examined for HFC by quantitative US and 1H-MRS methods. The QUS-HRR and QUS-HAR were calculated from ordinary ultrasound images of liver and kidney with a triple modality 3D abdominal phantom using the Image J software.Results: The results found that US-HRR and US-HAR correlated with 1H-MRS HFC (US-HRR: r=0.946, p<0.001; US-HAR: r=0.936, p<0.001). The equation for HFC prediction by using quantitative US was: HFC (%) = 28.965 × US-HRR + 218.045 × US-HAR - 8.892. Subgroup analysis in study subjects with body mass index (BMI) ≥28 showed that quantitative US HFC was associated with 1H-MRS HFC (R2=0.953, p<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis observed that the cut-off value of fatty liver diagnosis was 6.71% in using the quantitative US model; the sensitivity and specificity for fatty liver diagnosis were 94.15% and 96.30%, respectively. Variability analysis indicated that there was a relative high degree of consistency in the measurement of HFC with different operators or ultrasonic apparatus.Conclusions: Quantitative US measurement could be regarded as a simple, sensitive tool to accurately assess HFC. It provides a valid alternative to 1H-MRS as an easy, non-invasive option for the precise estimation of HFC in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In heterologous expression systems, KCNE2 has been demonstrated to interact with multiple α-subunits of voltage-dependent cation channels and modulate their functions. However, the physiological and pathological roles of KCNE2 in cardiomyocytes are poorly understood. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of bidirectional modulation of KCNE2 expression on action potential (AP) duration (APD) and voltage-dependent K(+) channels in cardiomyocytes. Adenoviral gene delivery and RNA interference were used to either increase or decrease KCNE2 expression in cultured neonatal and adult rat or neonatal mouse ventricular myocytes. Knockdown of KCNE2 prolonged APD in both neonatal and adult myocytes, whereas overexpression of KCNE2 shortened APD in neonatal but not adult myocytes. Consistent with the alterations in APD, KCNE2 knockdown decreased transient outward K(+) current (Ito) densities in neonatal and adult myocytes, whereas KCNE2 overexpression increased Ito densities in neonatal but not adult myocytes. Furthermore, KCNE2 knockdown accelerated the rates of Ito activation and inactivation, whereas KCNE2 overexpression slowed Ito gating kinetics in neonatal but not adult myocytes. Delayed rectifier K(+) current densities were remarkably affected by manipulation of KCNE2 expression in mouse but not rat cardiomyocytes. Simulation of the AP of a rat ventricular myocyte with a mathematical model showed that alterations in Ito densities and gating properties can result in similar APD alterations in KCNE2 overexpression and knockdown cells. In conclusion, endogenous KCNE2 in cardiomyocytes is important in maintaining cardiac electrical stability mainly by regulating Ito and APD. Perturbation of KCNE2 expression may predispose the heart to ventricular arrhythmia by prolonging APD., (Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.)