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Salt bridges are very common in proteins. But what drives the formation of protein salt bridges is not clear. In this work, we determined the strength of four salt bridges in the protein GB3 by measuring the Δp Ka values of the basic residues that constitute the salt bridges with a highly accurate NMR titration method at different temperatures. The results show that the Δp Ka values increase with temperature, thus indicating that the salt bridges are stronger at higher temperatures. Fitting of Δp Ka values to the van't Hoff equation yields positive Δ H and Δ S values, thus indicating that entropy drives salt-bridge formation. Molecular dynamics simulations show that the protein and solvent make opposite contributions to Δ H and Δ S. Specifically, the enthalpic gain contributed from the protein is more than offset by the enthalpic loss contributed from the solvent, whereas the entropic gain originates from the desolvation effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt bridges are very common in proteins. But what drives the formation of protein salt bridges is not clear. In this work, we determined the strength of four salt bridges in the protein GB3 by measuring the Δp Ka values of the basic residues that constitute the salt bridges with a highly accurate NMR titration method at different temperatures. The results show that the Δp Ka values increase with temperature, thus indicating that the salt bridges are stronger at higher temperatures. Fitting of Δp Ka values to the van't Hoff equation yields positive Δ H and Δ S values, thus indicating that entropy drives salt-bridge formation. Molecular dynamics simulations show that the protein and solvent make opposite contributions to Δ H and Δ S. Specifically, the enthalpic gain contributed from the protein is more than offset by the enthalpic loss contributed from the solvent, whereas the entropic gain originates from the desolvation effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

34 Xanthones were synthesized by microwave assisted technique. Their in vitro inhibition activities against five cell lines growth were evaluated. The SAR has been thoroughly discussed. 7-Bromo-1,3-dihydroxy-9 H -xanthen-9-one ( 3-1 ) was confirmed as the most active agent against MDA-MB-231 cell line growth with an IC 50 of 0.46 ± 0.03 μM. Combination of 3-1 and 5,6-dimethylxanthone-4-acetic acid ( DMXAA ) showed the best synergistic effect. Apoptosis analysis indicated different contributions of early/late apoptosis and necrosis to cell death for both monomers and the combination. Western Blot implied that t he combination regulated p53/MDM2 to a better healthy state. Furthermore, 3-1 and DMXAA arrested more cells on G2/M phase; while the combination arrested more cells on S phase. All the evidences support that the 3-1 / DMXAA combination is a better anti-cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malignant melanoma (MM) is one of the high degree of malignancy and early prone to blood and lymph node metastasis. There is not cured for MM. Tan II A has been reported to reduce cancer cell proliferation. But the mechanism by which Tan II A inhibited melanoma growth are not well characterized. We sought to explore the possible mechanism by which Tan II A regulated cell proliferation through autophagy signaling pathway in A375 cells.Methods: We tested the effects of Tan II A on melanoma A375, MV3, M14, and other human cell lines including Hacat and HUVEC cells in cell culture model. Cell proliferation was assessed by using methyl thiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Cell migration ability melanoma A375 was monitored by using cell scratch assay. Transwell chamber experimental was performed to assess the effect of Tan II A on A375 melanoma cell invasion ability. The autophagy body was examined by using flow cytometry. The expression of autophagy-associated protein beclin-1 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3)-II, as well as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)、protein kinase B (Akt)、mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)、p70S6K1 signaling pathways were detected by using Western blotting. The effects of Tan II A on tumor progression was also examined in melanoma A375 induced tumor in mouse model.Results: We found that Tan IIA inhibited melanoma A375, MV3, and M14 cell proliferation in dose and time dependent manner. Tan II A reduced CXCL12-induced A375 cell invasive ability and migration in a dose dependent manner. Tan IIA promoted autophagic body production and increased autophagy-associated protein beclin-1 and LC3-II expression in A375 cells. However, Tan IIA reduced the phosphorylation of PI3K, P-AKT, P-mTOR, and P-p7036k1. We also confirmed that Tan II A reduced melanoma A375 induced tumor volume and weight in mouse model.Conclusions: We concluded that Tan II A reduced A375 cells proliferation by activation of autophagy production, blocked PI3K- Akt - mTOR - p70S6K1 signaling pathway, increased autophagic related gene beclin-1, LC3-II protein expressions and induced autophagocytosis. Tan II A inhibited melanoma A375 induced tumor development in mouse model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor markers are beneficial for the diagnosis and therapy monitoring of lung cancer. However, the value of tumor markers in lung cancer histological diagnosis is unknown. In this study, we analyzed the serum levels of six tumor markers (CEA, CYFRA21-1, SCC, NSE, ProGRP, and CA125) in 2097 suspected patients with lung cancer and determined whether the combination of the tumor markers was useful for histological diagnosis of lung cancer. We found that CYFRA21-1 was the most sensitive marker in NSCLC. ProGRP showed a better clinical performance than that of NSE in discriminating between SCLC and NSCLC. The serum level of CYFRA21-1 or SCC was significantly higher in squamous carcinoma (p<0.05), and the levels of ProGRP and NSE were significantly higher in SCLC (p<0.05). According to the criteria established, SCLC and NSCLC were discriminated with sensitivity of 87.12 and 62.63% and specificity of 64.61 and 99.5%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity in the differentiation of adenocarcinoma and squamous carcinoma were 68.1 and 81.63% and 70.73 and 65.93%, with NPV of 46.03 and 68.97% and PPV of 85.82 and 79.47%, respectively. Our results suggested the combination of six tumor markers could discriminate the histological types of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses a finite-time H ∞ fuzzy control problem for a class of nonlinear Markovian jump delayed systems with partly uncertain transition descriptions, which is represented as a Takagi–Sugeno (T–S) fuzzy model. A new homogeneous polynomial of partly uncertain transition rates is chosen. Free-matrix-based and double integral forms of the Wirtinger-based integral inequalities are employed to make the proposed approach less conservative. Then sufficient conditions are derived such that the fuzzy nonlinear Makovian jump delayed system exhibits stochastic finite-time boundedness. Finally, two numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intramolecular electric field (e-field) generated by protein GB3 side-chain charges K/E10, K/E19, and D/K40 was measured in the absence or presence of macromolecular crowding. The e-field responds differently to different crowding agentsdextran, Ficoll, BSA, and E. coli cell lysate. Dextran and Ficoll have no effect on the e-field. The lysate generally weakens the e-field but the amplitude of weakening varies greatly. For example, the e-field by K19 is reduced by 67% in the presence of 90 g/L lysate, corresponding to a charge change from 0.9 to 0.3 e for K19, whereas the e-fields by D/K40 are weakened only by ∼7% under the same lysate concentration. The extent of the e-field weakening by BSA is in between that by Ficoll (dextran) and lysate. Further investigations suggest that the e-field weakening mechanism by lysate is similar to that by NaCl. That is, the e-field generated by a protein surface charge affects the distribution of lysate which creates a reaction field and weakens the protein e-field. Our study indicates that the protein electrostatic property can be changed significantly due to quinary interaction with the cell environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grinding plays an important role in achieving scrap tires recycling. The batch grinding kinetics of scrap tire rubber particles in a fluidized-bed jet mill was studied based on population balance modeling. The selection and breakage functions were obtained according to the first Kapur function. It is found that these two functions were affected by the operating parameters such as the inlet gas pressure, feed load and grinding temperature. The breakage behaviors of scrap tire rubber particles under different operating conditions in the jet mill were discussed. Furthermore, a cubic function was proposed to predict the relation between the Kapur function and the particle size. The model prediction agrees well with the experimental data obtained under various operational conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reviewed the prognostic effect of tumor-infiltrating B lymphocytes (TIBLs) on solid malignancies, to determine the potential role of TIBLs in predicting cancer patient's prognosis and their response to immunotherapy. A total of 45 original papers involving 11,099 individual patients were included in this meta-analysis covering 7 kinds of cancer. The pooled results suggested that high levels of TIBLs were correlated with favorable OS in lung, esophageal, gastric, colorectal, liver, and breast cancer; improved RFS in lung cancer; and improved DFS in gastrointestinal neoplasms. Additionally, TIBLs were significantly correlated with negative lymphatic invasion in gastric cancer, small tumor size in hepatocellular carcinoma, and negative distant metastasis in colorectal cancer. Additionally, TIBLs were reported as a discriminative feature of patients treated with immunotherapy with improved survival. We concluded that TIBLs play a favorable prognostic role among the common solid malignancie, providing theoretical evidence for further prognosis prediction for solid tumors. • Analyze and review the prognostic value of B cells in solid tumors from different systems. • Assess the relationship between tumor-infiltrating B cells and other clinicopathological parameters. • Evaluate the potential role of B cells in cancer immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the dependence of NIR absorption of hyper-doped silicon on different sulfur and nitrogen doping ratio. With different molecular proportion of N2 and SF6 background gas, femtosecond laser irradiation was used to implant co-doping of sulfur and nitrogen into silicon. The hyper-doped silicon presents high absorption properties in NIR and visible range. The results of first-principles calculations demonstrate the high absorption in NIR is ascribed to the induced impurity energy levels in hyper-doped silicon. The nitrogen doping process improves the crystallinity in the doped layer because the doped nitrogen repairs defects in silicon lattices. Given the thermal stability of nitrogen, the co-doping dopants limit the diffusion of sulfur during the annealing process. The co-doping process proposed in this paper provides a method to fabricate high performance NIR silicon optoelectronic device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glutamine binding protein (GlnBP) binds l-glutamine and cooperates with its cognate transporters during glutamine uptake. Crystal structure analysis has revealed an open and a closed conformation for apo- and holo-GlnBP, respectively. However, the detailed conformational dynamics have remained unclear. Herein, we combined NMR spectroscopy, MD simulations, and single-molecule FRET techniques to decipher the conformational dynamics of apo-GlnBP. The NMR residual dipolar couplings of apo-GlnBP were in good agreement with a MD-derived structure ensemble consisting of four metastable states. The open and closed conformations are the two major states. This four-state model was further validated by smFRET experiments and suggests the conformational selection mechanism in ligand recognition of GlnBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glutamine binding protein (GlnBP) binds l-glutamine and cooperates with its cognate transporters during glutamine uptake. Crystal structure analysis has revealed an open and a closed conformation for apo- and holo-GlnBP, respectively. However, the detailed conformational dynamics have remained unclear. Herein, we combined NMR spectroscopy, MD simulations, and single-molecule FRET techniques to decipher the conformational dynamics of apo-GlnBP. The NMR residual dipolar couplings of apo-GlnBP were in good agreement with a MD-derived structure ensemble consisting of four metastable states. The open and closed conformations are the two major states. This four-state model was further validated by smFRET experiments and suggests the conformational selection mechanism in ligand recognition of GlnBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the dynamic behaviors of a competition model in the turbidostat with discrete delay are investigated. The stability of the positive equilibrium and the existence of a Hopf bifurcation are discussed by choosing the delay of digestion as a bifurcation parameter. Furthermore, we determine the direction and stability of the bifurcating periodic solutions by the normal form and the center manifold theorem. Moreover, some examples are given to illustrate our main results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) family methyltransferases methylate histone H3 lysine 4 to different methylation states (me1/me2/me3) with distinct functional outputs, but the mechanism underlying the different product specificities of MLL proteins remains unclear. Here, we develop methodologies to quantitatively measure the methylation rate difference between mono-, di-, and tri-methylation steps and demonstrate that MLL proteins possess distinct product specificities in the context of the minimum MLL-RBBP5-ASH2L complex. Comparative structural analyses of MLL complexes by X-ray crystal structures, fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance, and molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the dynamics of two conserved tyrosine residues at the "F/Y (phenylalanine/tyrosine) switch" positions fine-tune the product specificity. The variation in the intramolecular interaction between SET-N and SET-C affects the F/Y switch dynamics, thus determining the product specificities of MLL proteins. These results indicate a modified F/Y switch rule applicable for most SET domain methyltransferases and implicate the functional divergence of MLL proteins. [Display omitted] • MLL family methyltransferases possess distinct product specificities • Dynamics of the "F/Y switch" residues fine-tune the product specificity • Sequence variation in SET-N and SET-C interface affects the "F/Y switch" dynamics • The modified "F/Y switch" rule is applicable for most SET domain methyltransferases Li et al. establish a general criterion to define product specificity by comparing methylation rates of each step, enabling decoding the multifaceted product specificity of MLL family methyltransferases. They propose a modified "F/Y switch" rule applicable for most SET domain methyltransferases and provide a deeper understanding of dynamic histone methylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are used to remove nitrogen-containing organic pollutants based on the roles of plant and microbial communities. However, the rhizosphere nitrogen removal process and microbial response to cold stress in CWs in winter remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the potential denitrification rate and microbial mechanisms of two CWs with different water levels in response to decreasing temperatures in winter. Our study sites were located at Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, the low surface water level site (LCW, 0–10 cm) and Cuihu Wetland Park, the high surface water level site (HCW, 40–50 cm). Denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA) and functional microbial diversity were significantly reduced at LCW, but at HCW, the decreases were not as significant as that in LCW due to the insulating effect of ice. There was no significant difference in the composition of functional microbial communities in the rhizosphere of plants from these sites. We observed changes further in the co-occurrence networks of denitrifiers with decreasing temperature. With increasing cold stress, the co-presence links between the same nir gene (nirS - nirS or nirK - nirK) and the mutual exclusion nirS - nirK links gradually increased, indicating that similar denitrifiers tend to accumulate in response to cold stress. In addition, Bradyrhizobium (nirS / nirK), Azoarcus (nirS), Azospira (nirS), Pseudomonads (nirS) and Rhizobium (nirK) as the keystone species are the primary contributors to the denitrification process in winter. Overall, denitrification was stronger in CWs with high water levels (HCW, 40–50 cm) during the freezing period in winter, and the more similar nirK - or nirS - denitrifiers collaborated to maintain denitrification under cold stress. [Display omitted] • The denitrifier community composition was inhibited by temperature in winter. • The denitrifying enzyme activity was much higher in high water level CWs in winter. • The same nir-type denitrifiers closely interacted with each other under cold stress. • Five species of denitrifiers were considered as keystone taxa in winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed to examine the membrane damage mechanism of gallic acid (GA) on Yersinia enterocolitica BNCC 108930, and to explore whether GA can prolong the shelf life of pork. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of GA against Y. enterocolitica was determined by adopting the broth microdilution method. Second, an investigation was conducted on the morphological and physiological variations of Y. enterocolitica after the GA treatment. Finally, a response surface approach was used to establish the growth inhibition model of GA against Y. enterocolitica in pork. The MIC of GA against Yersinia enterocolitica BNCC 108930 was 2.5 mg/mL. GA affects the membrane integrity of Y. enterocolitica , as demonstrated by a significant decrease in intracellular ATP and pH. The results showed that the number of Y. enterocolitica in pork meat containing 5 mg/g of GA decreased by 2 logarithmic cycles during storage at 4 °C for 3 days. According to the obtained findings, GA could be used as a food preservative to prolong the shelf life of pork. • Gallic acid showed certain antibacterial activity against Yersinia enterocolitica. • Gallic acid destroyed the cell membrane structure of Yersinia enterocolitica. • Gallic acid can be used as food preservative in pork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is concerned with the issue of delay-derivative-dependent state-feedback control for a class of continuous-time system with time-varying delays. By introducing an improved reciprocally convex combination method, utilizing the Wirtinger-based integral inequality and an augment Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional with quadruple integral terms, some novel stability criteria are presented and H ∞ state feedback control law is given. At last, two numerical examples are also presented including liquid monopropellant rocket motor system to illustrate the effectiveness and the advantage of obtained results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most lithium-ion battery electrodes undergo large volume changes caused by lithium-ion diffusion within the host particles during insertion. The electrode failure can occur as a result of diffusion-induced stress (DIS). In this work, we will develop a new model to analyze DIS with the influence of dislocation in a spherical electrode. As simple one-dimension models, solid and hollow spherical electrode particles are investigated. The results show that the effect of dislocation can relieve the DIS and even make tensile stress to become compressive stress, which differs from the classical solutions. We also compare the stress of dislocation generation in hollow sphere and solid sphere. It is shown that dislocation-induced stress in hollow spherical electrode is larger than in solid spherical electrode. In addition, based on the analytic solutions, the effect of the wall thickness of hollow sphere on DIS and dislocation-induced stress will be discussed in the hollow spherical electrode during insertion. As the wall thickness of hollow spherical electrode decreases, dislocation-induced stress increases and DIS decreases. So, dislocation-induced stress and the wall thickness will be important factors for hollow spherical electrode. These factors may help guide the development of new materials for lithium-ion battery with enhanced mechanical durability and identify battery operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the remarkable improvements in ultrasound equipment, transabdominal ultrasound after oral administration of an echoic cellulose-based gastric ultrasound contrast agent (TUS-OCCA) has recently been suggested to be effective in initial screening of gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of TUS-OCCA for gastric cancer.Methods: Consecutive patients with gastric cancers who underwent resection in our hospital were enrolled. Before the lesion was resected, TUS-OCCA examination was performed by a skilled examiner who was blinded to the site, size, and endoscopy diagnosis of the lesion. TUS-OCCA findings were compared with those of endoscopy and pathological diagnoses as the gold standard.Results: There were a total of 288 consecutive patients enrolled in the study, including 228 with advanced gastric cancers (T2-T4 stage), 50 with early gastric cancer (26 with stage T1b and 24 with stage T1a), and 10 with high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia. TUS-OCCA had a detection rate of 100% (228/228) for advanced gastric cancers, 77% (20/26) for stage T1b, 67% (16/24) for stage T1a, and 60% (6/10) for high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia. The majority of patients with undetectable neoplasms using TUS-OCCA were obese (body mass index, 28.7-31.8 kg/m(2)). The overall accuracy of TUS-OCCA in determining the T stage of gastric cancer was 77.3% (62.5% for T1a, 70% for T1b, 71.1% for T2, 85.2% for T3, and 73.3% for T4).Conclusions: These findings indicate that TUS-OCCA achieved a high detection rate for gastric cancers and was useful in assessing the degree of gastric cancer invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been suggested to play critical roles in skeletal muscle in response to exercise. Previous study has shown that miR-761 was involved in a novel model regulating the mitochondrial network. However, its role in mitochondrial biogenesis remains poorly understood. Therefore, the current study was aimed to examine the effect of miR-761 on mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis demonstrated that aberrantly expressed miR-761 is involved in exercise activity and miR-761 is decreased by exercise training compared with the sedentary control mice. miR-761 suppresses mitochondrial biogenesis of C 2 C 12 myocytes by targeting the 3′-UTR of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) coactivator-1 (PGC-1α). Overexpression of miR-761 was capable of inhibiting the protein expression levels of PGC-1α. Moreover, miR-761 overexpression suppressed the p38 MAPK signaling pathway and down-regulated the expression of phosphorylated MAPK-activated protein kinase-2 (P-MK2), a downstream kinase of p38 MAPK. The phosphorylation of activating transcription factors 2 (ATF2) that plays a functional role in linking the activation of the p38 MAPK pathway to enhanced transcription of the PGC-1α was also inhibited by the overexpression of miR-761. These findings revealed a novel regulation mechanism for miR-761 in skeletal myocytes, and contributed to a better understanding of the modulation of skeletal muscle in response to exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the real world, the population systems are often subject to white noises and a system with such stochastic perturbations tends to be suitably modeled by stochastic differential equations. This paper is concerned with the dynamic behaviors of a delay stochastic competitive system. We first obtain the global existence of a unique positive solution of system. Later, we show that the solution of system will be stochastically ultimate boundedness. However, large noises may make the system extinct exponentially with probability one. Also, sufficient conditions for the global attractivity of system are established. Finally, illustrated examples are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with a nonautonomous single-species model, in which the population dynamics is affected by impulsive perturbations and environmental noise. Sufficient conditions for the extinction, stochastic permanence, and global attractivity of system are obtained, respectively. The above results reveal that the white noise plays a very important role in the dynamic behaviors. However, it is found that the bounded impulse does not affect the above properties. Some numerical simulation results are presented to support the analytical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A competitive system subject to environmental noise is established. By using the theory of stochastic differential equations and Lyapunov function, sufficient conditions for the existence, uniqueness, stochastic boundedness, and global attraction of the positive solution of the above system are established, respectively. An example together with its corresponding numerical simulations is presented to confirm our analytical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) infection on the phosphorylation of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and the expression of interferon-β (IFN-β), as well as to clarify the functions of toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in mouse neural stem cells (NSCs) infected with HSV-1. In HSV-1-infected cultured NSCs, immunofluorescence, reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and ELISA were performed to reveal the expression patterns of TLR3, IRF3, and IFN-β. Then, lentivirus-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) was used to block the expression of TLR3, and its effect on host resistance to HSV-1 infection was investigated. Under uninfected conditions, NSCs expressed TLR3 and phosphorylated IRF3, but after infection, the expression level of TLR3 was upregulated and the phosphorylation level of IRF3 in the nucleus was significantly enhanced, while IFN-β was also expressed. After TLR3 expression was blocked by lentivirus-mediated RNAi, IRF3 phosphorylation and IFN-β expression were downregulated. Therefore, HSV-1 upregulated the expression of TLR3 in NSCs and promoted nuclear translocation after IRF3 was phosphorylated to induce IFN-β expression. TLR3 exhibited an anti-HSV-1 infection capacity via innate immune functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To analyze the biomechanical effect of the volume and distribution of bone cement on the adjacent vertebrae using 3D finite analysis. Methods Using Mimics 10.0, Geomagic studio 11.0, HyperMesh 11.0, and Abaqus 6.9 softwares, a geometric reconstruction of the vertebral body was developed using the CT 3D reconstruction data. The finite model was established according to the volume and distribution of bone cement. The loading was performed to investigate the force distribution of the adjacent vertebrae. Results Under the vertical loading, the von Mises stress on the cortical bone of T12 was 29. 49 MPa in the unilateral 2 ml bone cement perfusion. The von Mises stress on the lower endplate was higher to 3. 93 MPa in the unilateral across the midline 2 ml bone cement perfusion. The von Mises stress on cortical bone of L2 was 15. 29 MPa in the unilateral bone cement perfusion. The von Mises stress on the upper endplate was 4. 53 MPa in the unilateral across the midline 2 ml bone cement perfusion. Under the lateral bending load, the von Mises stress on cortical bone of T12 was 114. 83 MPa in the unilateral across the midline 4 ml bone cement perfusion. The von Mises stress on the lower endplate was 8. 62 MPa in the bipedicular 4 ml bone cement perfusion. The von Mises stress on cortical bone of L2 was 96. 41 MPa in the unilateral across the midline 4 ml bone cement perfusion. The von Mises stress on the upper endplate was 9. 80 MPa in the unilateral across the midline 4 ml bone cement perfusion. Under the rotating load, the von Mises stress on cortical bone of T12 was 119. 42 MPa in the unilateral 2 ml bone cement perfusion. The von Mises stress on the lower endplate was 8. 77 MPa in the unilateral 2ml bone cement perfusion. The von Mises stress on cortical bone of L2 was 146. 31MPa MPa in the unilateral 2 ml bone cement perfusion. The von Mises stress on the upper endplate was 7. 84 MPa in the unilateral 2 ml bone cement perfusion. Conclusion The volume and distribution of bone cement are the most important determinant in adjacent vertebrae fractures. The direction of the mechanical loading is also closely related. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Pickering emulsion-based method is proposed to fabricate conductive polymer composites based on poly(p-phenylene oxide) with superior electrical performance and thermal stability. To overcome the incapability of separating high-boiling-point solvent toluene from the emulsion by traditional solvent evaporation method, supercritical CO 2 was utilized as an anti-solvent and extraction solvent. Results showed that hollow microparticles coated by carbon black were formed with an average particle size of 24.88 µm. After hot-pressing at 260 °C, segregated networks were established and the composites showed a percolation threshold of 1.85 wt%. The specimen with a carbon black loading of 9.1 wt% showed a conductivity of 78.44 ± 3.96 S/m and a tensile strength of 30.8 ± 2.8 MPa, with superior thermomechanical performance (Young's Modulus of 2203.9 at 200 °C) and insignificant positive temperature coefficient effect (an increase in resistivity by 57.9% up to 300 °C). [Display omitted] • Thermoplastic PPO based segregated conductive polymer composites were prepared. • Supercritical CO 2 extracted high boiling point toluene from o/w Pickering emulsion. • CB was used to prepare stable Pickering emulsions and conductive microspheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solubility of a drug in supercriticalcarbon dioxide (ScCO2) is an important parameter for preparingthe controlled releasedrug by supercritical fluid technology. In this work, a test techniqueof the flowing solubility is developed, and the test apparatus isset up based on an improved dynamic method. The solubility of 5-fluorouracil(5-Fu) in ScCO2with or without the cosolvent of ethanolis measured. The effects of the operating parameters including thepressure, the temperature, and the concentration of cosolvent on thesolubility of 5-Fu in ScCO2are investigated experimentally.The obtained solubility data are correlated by Chrastil and Mendez-Santiagoand Teja models. The average absolute relative deviation (AARD) ofthe calculated value with the experimental ones is 3.52 % by the Chrastilmodel without cosolvent, and it is 14.6 % by the Mendez-Santiago andTeja model with cosolvent of ethanol. The results show that the additionof the ethanol as a cosolvent could significantly increase the solubilityof 5-Fu in ScCO2. In addition, the partition coefficients Kof 5-Fu between ScCO2and poly(l-lacticacid) (PLLA) are determined experimentally and correlated by Banchero’sempirical equation. The results show that the partition coefficientdecreases with the increase of the pressure and increases with theincrease of temperature. The calculated value of the partition coefficient Kis well consonant with the experimental data, and theAARD is 14.7 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network is a biomolecule relationship network that plays an important role in biological activities. Studies of functional modules in a PPI network contribute greatly to the understanding of biological mechanism. With the development of life science and computing science, a great amount of PPI data has been acquired by various experimental and computational approaches, which presents a significant challenge of detecting functional modules in a PPI network. To address this challenge, many functional module detecting methods have been developed. In this survey, we first analyze the existing problems in detecting functional modules and discuss the countermeasures in the data preprocess and postprocess. Second, we introduce some special metrics for distance or graph developed in clustering process of proteins. Third, we give a classification system of functional module detecting methods and describe some existing detection methods in each category. Fourth, we list databases in common use and conduct performance comparisons of several typical algorithms by popular measurements. Finally, we present the prospects and references for researchers engaged in analyzing PPI networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composition and the bioactivity of the essential oil of Artemisia anomala, a traditional medicinal herb in China, were investigated. The composition of the essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectometry (GC–MS), and a total of 39 components representing 98.1% in this plant were identified. The main constituents were camphor (18.3%), 1, 8-cineole (17.3%), β-caryophyllene oxide (12.7%), and borneol (9.5%). The antimicrobial activities of the oil were separately evaluated against six micro-organisms, Bacillus cereus (CMCCB 63301), Micrococcus flavus (ATCC 14698), Escherichia coli (ATCC 11775), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 10145), Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 12228), and a clinical-isolated strain Staphylococcus aureus. The results showed that the oil possessed inhibitory activity against B. cereus, M. flavus, E. coli, S. epidermidis, and S. aureus, among which the best inhibition was observed against B. cereus with a MIC of 0.313 μL/mL. The antiproliferative activities of the oil were assessed against four human tumor cell lines, A459 (human lung adenocarcinoma), BRO (human melanoma), MCF7 (human breast cancer), and PC3 (human prostate). The oil showed the ability to inhibit proliferation of human cancer cells. And the MCF7 cell line was the most sensitive to the oil with an IC50 of 0.09. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gliomas are characterized by high invasiveness and poor prognosis. Better understanding of the mechanism of invasion in glioma cells is essential to the design of effective therapy. Recently Grb2-associated binder 2 (Gab2), a member of the DOS/Gab family of scaffolding adapters, has been reported to play important roles in the development and progression of human cancers. However, it is not known whether Gab2 has any role in the migration and invasion of gliomas. This study attempts to investigate the association between Gab2 expression and progression of gliomas and the molecular mechanism of Gab2 in the glioma cell invasion. Methods. The expression of Gab2 in pairs of matched glioma tissues and their normal brain tissues was detected by Western blot. Immunohistochemistry was applied to evaluate the expression of Gab2 in 163 cases of histologically diagnosed gliomas. The invasive character of Gab2 decreased glioma cells and control glioma cells were investigated in vitro and in vivo in SCID mice brain. Results. Gab2 is found to be high expressed in gliomas and a subset of cancer cell lines. Statistical analysis suggested that the up-regulation of Gab2 correlated with the WHO grade of gliomas (p < 0.01) and that patients with high Gab2 expression levels exhibited shorter survival time (p < 0.01). In an animal experiment, knockdown of Gab2 through siRNA inhibited invasive ability of glioma cells into the brain of SCID mice. In cell research, reduction of Gab2 by siRNA inhibits the migration and invasion of glioma cells by mediating cytoskeleton rearrangement and MMPs expression. Additionally, IGF-1-induced pAkt and pmTOR phosphorylation was suppressed by the knockdown of Gab2. Conclusion. Gab2 may be a useful prognostic marker for gliomas and a novel therapeutic target for glioma invasion intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dispersion polymerization of poly (L-lactide)(PLLA) in supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO) with stannous octoate (Sn(Oct)) as a catalyst and n-butanol as an initiator was studied. An amphiphilic triblock copolymer was synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization ofε-caprolactone (ε-CL) with the hydroxylpropyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (HTPDMS) as the macromolecule initiator and then chosen as the stabilizer in the synthesis of PLLA. With the concentrations of 3 wt % (stabilizer/monomer), fine powder formed PLLAs were obtained. The effects of operating parameters such as pressure, temperature and stirring rate on the properties of the synthesized PLLAs were investigated. The results showed that the temperature had the greatest effect on the conversion and the stirring rate was the most important factor which determined the morphology of the products. An obvious increase of conversion was observed when the temperature increased from 80 °C to 100 °C. The influence of stirring rate on the morphology was achieved through the anchoring of the stabilizer with the growing polymer chains. The stirring rate of 300 rpm was turned out to be necessary and adequate. When the stirring rate increased or decreased out of the range of (300 ± 100)rpm, only agglomerates were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in the cortex, brainstem, and spinal cord. The etiology and mechanisms of selective motor neuron loss in ALS remain unknown. Wnt signaling is involved in neurodegenerative processes but little is known about the kinetic changes in Wnt signaling during ALS progression. In this study we used transcriptional microarray analysis to examine the expression of Wnt signaling components in the spinal cords of ALS transgenic SOD1 mice at different stages. We found that ALS onset led to the upregulation of Wnt signaling components and target genes involved in growth regulation and proliferation. We also determined the expression of Wnt inhibitory factor-1 (Wif1) and Wnt4 in the spinal cord of ALS transgenic mice at different stages by Western blot and immunofluorescence analysis. The protein levels of Wif1 and Wnt4 in the spinal cords of ALS transgenic mice were upregulated compared to those in wild-type mice. Moreover, the expression of Wif1 and Wnt4 in mature GFAP+ astrocytes was increased at the end stage of ALS. Our findings demonstrate that Wnt signaling is altered by spinal cord neuronal dysfunction in adult ALS transgenic mice, which provides new insight into ALS pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio determination satellite service (RDSS) is one of the characteristic services of Beidou navigation satellite system (BDS), and also distinguishes with other GNSS systems. BDS-3 RDSS adopts new signals, which is compatible with BDS-2 RDSS signals in order to guarantee the services of old users. Moreover, the new signals also separate civil signals and military signals which are modulated on different carriers to improve their isolation and RDSS service performance. Timing is an important part of RDSS service, which has been widely used in the field of the power, transportation, marine and others. Therefore, the timing accuracy, availability and continuity is an important guarantee for RDSS service. This paper summarizes the principle of one-way and two-way timing, and provides the evaluation method of RDSS timing accuracy, availability and continuity. Based on BDS-3 RDSS signal measurements of system, the performance of one-way timing and two-way timing is analyzed and evaluated for the first time. The results show that: (1) the accuracy of one-way timing and two-way timing is better than 30 ns and 8 ns respectively, which are better than the official claimed accuracy; (2) the RMS of one-way timing accuracy is 5.45 ns, which is 20% smaller than BDS-2, and the availability and continuity are 100%; (3) the RMS of two-way timing accuracy is 3.59 ns, which is 34% smaller than one-way timing, and both of the availability and continuity are 100%; (4) the orbit maneuver of GEO satellite make the one-way timing has 7.68 h recovery, but has no affection on the two-way timing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nb, V, and Ti are alloying elements that are often added to Marine steel to improve the mechanical properties. In this paper, the microstructure characteristics and impact fracture mechanisms of Nb and V–Ti micro-alloyed offshore platform steels were investigated. The results show that Nb plays a better role in prior austenite grain refinement and precipitation behavior, while V/Ti is better in bainite/martensite laths refinement and stabilizing retained austenite. In terms of mechanical properties, Nb steel exhibits better yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and Vickers hardness, while V–Ti steel performs better in total elongation and low-temperature impact toughness. The fracture surface of V–Ti steel exhibited a mixed fracture mode with the ductile and cleavage region while that of Nb steel reveal a cleavage failure without any ductile features. The ductile fractures were deduced from retained austenite deformation and the cleavage fracture areas were mainly correlated with martensite and bainite deformation. When the impact load was applied, the cracks first nucleated between lathy martensite and lathy bainite and then propagated along with the interface. Some cracks terminated after encountering M/A constituents and produced the secondary cracks, and some would encounter grain boundaries and formed microcracks. • Nb micro-alloy element could retard austenite grain-growing more effectively than V–Ti during TMCP. • Nb steel exhibits better strength and hardness while V–Ti steel performed better in total elongation and impact toughness. • Cracks first nucleated between lathy martensite and lathy bainite and expanded along with the interface, terminated at M/A or grain boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Isolation of a monoclonal antibody (M3-8) that recognizes 2C protein of multiple EV-A subtypes. • This antibody is suitable for western blot, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and ELISA. • Recombinant M3-8 clone may ensure stable quality and ongoing production of the antibody. Enterovirus A (EV-A) species are the main agents responsible for hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), a serious public health concern. Lack of appropriate reagents prevents the mechanistic study of these virus infections. 2C protein, a non-structural protein of Enterovirus, is crucial for viral replication and antiviral immunity. Here, preparation and testing of a monoclonal antibody by immunizing mice with Coxsackievirus A10 protein 2C (CVA10-2C) was reported. This antibody could identify most EV-A types, both conventional and unconventional groups. We also mapped the antibody epitope SLATGIIARA, which is highly conserved in EV-A species and located in the ATPase domain. Some key amino acids include G140, I141, I142, and R144. In conclusion, we generated a recombinant monoclonal antibody against multiple EVA types and confirmed its performance, which may facilitate the future study of Enterovirus A infection and many potential applications, such as the diagnosis of pathogen or the development of antiviral therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ligation-assisted endoscopic enucleation (EE-L) was developed for the pathological diagnosis and resection of small gastrointestinal tumors originating from the muscularis propria. The technique combines endoscopic band ligation and endoscopic enucleation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of EE-L in the diagnosis and resection of gastrointestinal tumors originating from the muscularis propria.Methods: A total of 43 patients were eligible for inclusion in this study from June 2009 to June 2011. Endoscopic ligation was first performed to force the tumor to assume a polypoid form with a pseudostalk. EE-L was then performed until the tumor was completely enucleated from the muscularis propria. Wound closure was performed using clips and adhesive tissue.Results: All 43 tumors were completely enucleated. The mean enucleation time was 7.2 minutes (range, 5-11 minutes). No perforation, massive hemorrhage, or peritonitis requiring further endoscopic or surgical intervention occurred. Histopathology, 19 lesions were identified as gastrointestinal stromal tumors and 24 lesions were identified as leiomyomas. The mean follow-up time was 20.4 months (range, 14-38 months). No recurrence has occurred during the follow-up period.Conclusions: EE-L appears to be a safe, effective, and relatively simple method for the histologic diagnosis and removal of small gastrointestinal tumors originating from the muscularis propria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method is extended to deal with three-dimensional (3D) non-Newtonian flows with complex free surfaces, in which the viscosity is modeled using the Cross model. In order to alleviate the so-called tensile instability which leads to particle clustering and unphysical fracture in fluid stretching, an artificial stress term is particularly incorporated into the momentum equation. For convenience in implementation of wall boundary condition in 3D, an enhanced treatment of solid boundaries is proposed to improve the computational performance. Parallelization is also developed to ensure affordable computational time of simulations involving millions of particles. The proposed SPH algorithm is validated by solving the Hagen–Poiseuille flow and comparing the SPH results with the available analytical solutions. To demonstrate the ability of the numerical method in simulating 3D non-Newtonian flows with free surfaces, three challenging engineering applications, including the impacting droplet, molding injection of a thin plate mold and a Z-shaped mold, and jet buckling, are investigated. It is found that the shear-thinning behavior can be well displayed in all cases, and the proposed SPH algorithm is stable and fairly accurate and agrees well with the available data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this work, 5-Fu-loaded PLLA microparticles were preparedbya two-step method combining supercritical antisolvent (SAS) processand supercritical solvent impregnation (SSI) process. The PLLA microparticleswith mean particle size of 0.68 μm were prepared by SAS process,then the drug of 5-Fu were impregnated in PLLA microparticles by SSIprocess. The effects of cosolvent concentration, pressure, and temperatureon the morphology of microparticles and the drug impregnation amountwere investigated. The morphology of microparticles was studied byscanning electron microscope (SEM), and the impregnation amount ofdrug was evaluated by drug release method. The results showed thatthe morphology of drug-loaded polymer microparticles was determinedby SAS process and had nothing to do with SSI process in the two-stepmethod. The impregnation amount of drug was higher in the case withcosolvent than that without cosolvent under the same conditions. Withthe increase of the cosolvent concentration, the impregnation amountof drug in the PLLA microparticles increased first and then decreased,while it increased with the decrease of pressure and the increaseof temperature. By the two-step method with cosolvent, 5-Fu-loadedPLLA microparticles could be successfully prepared and the impregnationamount of drug could increase effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hydrogen conversion of CO by a pure culture of Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans was investigated and optimized in a lab-scale hollow fiber membrane bioreactor (HFMBR). The reactor was operated under strict anaerobic, extremely thermophilic (70 °C) conditions with a continuous supply of gas, for four months. Reactor performance was evaluated under various operational conditions, such as liquid velocity (v liq) (13, 65 and 130 m h−1), temperature (70, 65, and 60 °C), CO pressure (from 1 to 2.5 atm) and CO loading rate (from 1.3 to ). Overall, results indicated a relatively constant H2 yield of 92 ± 4% (mol mol−1) regardless of the operational condition tested. Permeation across the colonized membrane was improved by three orders of magnitude as compared to the abiotic membrane, because of dissolved CO concentration was constantly maintained low in the liquid on the shell side of the membrane as continually depleted by the microorganisms. Once the biofilm was sufficiently developed, a maximum CO conversion activity of 0.44 mol CO g−1 volatile suspended solid (VSS) d−1 was achieved at a p CO of 2 atm or above and a v liq of 65 m h−1. However, this highest activity represented only 15% of the maximal activity potential of the strain under non-limiting conditions, attributed to the low concentration of dissolved CO (0.01–0.07 mM) present in the HFMBR liquid. Higher v liq (130 m h−1) produced shearing stress, which detached a significant portion of the biofilm from the membrane, and/or prevented less sessile growth (57% total biomass as biofilm, as opposed to 84–86% at lower v liq). One may deduce from this work that the volumetric CO conversion performance of such a membrane bioreactor would be at the most in the range of . Overall, the CO conversion performance in the HFMBR was biokinetically limited, when not limited by gas–liquid mass transfer. Additionally, over time, membrane fouling and aging decreased membrane permeability such that the CO transfer rate would be the most limiting factor in the long run. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Poor prognosis of malignant gliomas is primarily attributed to their highly invasive nature. Despite the identification of new biomarkers and molecular targets for the improvement of the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of glioma, the overall prognosis of the disease remains poor. This study is the first to show the significant upregulation of ARK5 paraffin-embedded archival glioma biopsies compared with those in adjacent non-cancerous brain tissues. Statistical analysis suggests that the upregulation of ARK5 correlates with the World Health Organization grade of glioma (P <0.001) and that patients with a high ARK5 level exhibit shorter survival time (P <0.01). In addition, ARK5 can promote glioma cell invasion by regulating cytoskeleton rearrangement and matrix metalloproteinase activation. ARK5 knockdown was found to reduce brain invasion in a glioma xenograft mouse model. Our results strongly suggest that ARK5 represents a novel and valuable biomarker to aid in the prediction of patient prognosis and is a potential therapeutic target against glioma. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Understanding relationships between vegetation and environmental variables is very important for ecosystem restoration and management efforts in middle Taihang Mountain of North China, However, information on how environment factors influence the long-term natural restoration process is lacking. The objective of this research is to identity controlling environmental variables over natural restoration process in middle Taihang Mountain of North China using multivariate techniques of detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA). Vegetation and soil surveys were performed in 144 permanent sampling plots in Niujiazhuang Catchment in 1986 and 2008. Vegetation variables include shrub height, shrub coverage, shrub biomass, herb height, herb coverage, herb biomass, species richness (S), Shannon–Wiener''s (H), Simpson''s predominance index (D), and evenness index (J sw). Topographic variables include elevation, slope, slope position, and slope aspect. Soil variables include soil thickness, humus thickness, rock content, soil organic matter, and total N, P, and K. Results indicate that the most important factors that influence the composition of vegetation assemblages (diversity, distribution and above-ground biomass) were total K in 1986 and total P in 2008. Also, the results suggest significant correlations among vegetation variables, soil nutrient contents, and topographic variables. For example, total N, P, and K were positively correlated with soil organic matter significantly. Relationships between vegetation and environmental variables over long-term natural restoration provide some valuable implications for regional ecological restoration and land management. To restore the degraded ecosystems, maintain the diversity and structure of ecosystems in middle Taihang Mountain, we should consider the co-evolution of both vegetation and soil, and also natural succession sequence. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Etoposide (ETO), a widely used anti-cancer drug, is constrained by its low aqueous solubility and by side effects from both the drug and its solubilizing excipients. In this study, a recently discovered natural solubilizer rubusoside (RUB) was used to achieve the solubilization of ETO. Dynamic light scattering and freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy studies showed that ETO and RUB formed ETO–RUB nanoparticles (∼6nm in diameter). The powder of ETO–RUB nanoparticles was completely reconstitutable in water and remained stable in this solution at 25 and 37°C for at least 24h. Under other physiologic conditions, ETO solution was clear and free of precipitation at 25°C, but underwent various structural transformations. In PBS and simulated intestinal fluid, RUB-solubilized ETO underwent epimerization and equilibrated to cis-ETO. In simulated gastric fluid, RUB-solubilized ETO degraded to 4′-demethylepipodophyllotoxin-beta-d-glucoside and 4′-demethylepipodophyllotoxin. Higher temperatures favored epimerization or degradation. Furthermore, a side-by-side comparison with DMSO-solubilized ETO confirmed that the RUB-solubilized ETO showed no significant differences in cytotoxicity in colon, breast and prostate cancer cell lines. RUB effectively solubilized and stabilized etoposide, which sets the stage for further toxicology, bioavailability, and efficacy investigations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In earlier studies of the Iddm14 diabetes susceptibility locus in the rat, we identified an allele of the T-cell receptor (TCR) β-chain, Tcrb-V13S1A1, as a candidate gene. To establish its importance, we treated susceptible rats with a depleting anti-rat Vβ13 monoclonal antibody and then exposed them to either polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid or a diabetogenic virus to induce diabetes. The overall frequency of diabetes in the controls was 74% (n = 50), compared with 17% (n = 30) in the anti-Vβ13-treated animals, with minimal islet pathology in nondiabetic treated animals. T cells isolated from islets on day 5 after starting induction showed a greater proportion of Vβ13(+) T cells than did peripheral lymph node T cells. Vβ13 transcripts recovered from day 5 islets revealed focused Jβ usage and less CDR3 diversity than did transcripts from peripheral Vβ13(+) T cells. CDR3 usage was not skewed in control Vβ16 CDR3 transcripts. Anti-rat Vβ13 antibody also prevented spontaneous diabetes in BBDP rats. The Iddm14 gene is likely to be Tcrb-V13, indicating that TCR β-chain usage is a determinant of susceptibility to autoimmune diabetes in rats. It may be possible to prevent autoimmune diabetes by targeting a limited element of the T-cell repertoire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Membrane fouling can be greatly reduced by increasing the turbulence near membrane surfaces via enhancing aeration intensity or using helical baffles. A newly designed helical membrane served that purpose and achieved flux enhancement without increasing the aeration intensity or energy consumption. In this paper, the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique was used to demonstrate the difference in intensity and distribution of flow field/velocity vectors between the helical and the flat sheet membrane modules. The results showed that the helical membrane produced rotational flows near the membrane surface and enhanced the shearing rate/flow velocity. To further optimize the membrane geometries (dimensions and angles) and investigate the influence of membrane spacing and membrane piece numbers in a helical membrane module on its performance in filtering sludge suspensions in membrane bioreactor (MBR), various membrane modules were studied. To the single piece membrane module of different dimensions, the average flux of a helical membrane was 17–37.5% higher than that of a flat membrane. The more slender membranes had better fouling reduction and higher flux enhancement. For multi-piece membrane module, 8 piece helical module enjoyed more favorable flow dynamics, great fouling reductions and an enhancement of the average flux over 50% than the 8 piece flat module. An appropriate spacing and a lower trans-membrane pressure (TMP) was important for achieving higher permeate flux, and the use of flocculants significantly increased the sludge permeability and the permeate flux using the helical membrane in MBR. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Curcumin (CUR) is an active food compound, but its insolubility and instability in water contributes to low bioavailability. In this study, the solubility of CUR was enhanced by utilizing the solubilizing properties of rubusoside (RUB). The solubility of CUR in water increased linearly from 61 μg/mL to 2.318 mg/mL in the presence of RUB ranging from 1% to 10% (w/v). Dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy studies found that CUR and RUB formed CUR-RUB nanoparticle (∼8 nm) complexes. The RUB-solubilized CUR was stable in physiological conditions and did not precipitate when diluted or degrade when spray-dried to a completely reconstitutable powder. Furthermore, cell viability assays demonstrated the efficacy of RUB-solubilized CUR against human colon, breast, and pancreatic cancer cell lines. The development of this new solubilized, stable, and biologically active CUR formulation lays the foundation for future bioavailability improvement. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 100:2778-2789, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel complex fluorescent probe based on quantum dots and organic dye (QDs-TO) was designed and prepared by incorporating a benzothiazole derivative into QDs-1-(3-amidepropyl)-4-methylquinoline. The complex probe was characterized by FT-IR and TG/DTA. The emission wavelength of QDs-1-(3-amidepropyl)-4-methylquinoline was found at 475nm and a new peak corresponding to QDs-TO appeared at 550nm, indicating that benzothiazole derivative can react with QDs-1-(3-amidepropyl)-4-methylquinoline to afford QDs-TO. Furthermore, the emission wavelength of QDs shifted blue while the characteristic peak of TO shifted red during the reaction. This suggests that the probe may be useful for biological labeling in offering an efficient method to study the interrelation between quantum dots and organic dyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code, a numerical estuarine and coastal ocean circulation hydrodynamic and eutrophication model, was used to simulate the distributions of dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, water temperature, and nutrients in the Caloosahatchee River Estuary. Modeled DO, salinity, and water temperature were in good agreement with field observational data from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and South Florida Water Management District. Sensitivity analyses identified the effects of river discharge, atmospheric winds, and tidal forcing on the spatial and temporal distributions of DO. Simulation results indicated that vertical mixing due to wind forcing increased the bottom DO concentration. River discharge enhanced stratification in deep locations but propagated vertical mixing in the shallow upper estuary. Finally, tidal forcing heavily influenced bottom layer DO concentrations throughout the whole river estuary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Dynamics and oxygen transfer of a novel vertical tubular biological reactor (VTBR) for wastewater treatment were investigated in this paper. It was showed that the dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) in VTBR is higher than that in the conventional bubble column. When the ratio of gas and liquid flow rates was greater than 6.44, there were no phenomena of deficiency oxygen in all reactors. The volume oxygen transfer coefficient (k L a) was between 0.005 and 0.0251/s. The multi-stage series CSTR and PFR model were developed to describe the dynamics of VTBR. It was revealed that the PFR model was proper to describe the dynamics of VTBR of which maximum error was only 25%. The industrial effluents from Dalian Bangchui Island Beer Company were utilized to verify the two models. It was suggested that when the ratio of gas–liquid was greater than 6.44, the removal efficiency of COD could be obtained more than 80%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]