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Summary Cotton is widely cultivated globally because it provides natural fibre for the textile industry and human use. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs)/genes associated with fibre quality and yield, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population was developed in upland cotton. A consensus map covering the whole genome was constructed with three types of markers (8295 markers, 5197.17 centimorgans (cM)). Six fibre yield and quality traits were evaluated in 17 environments, and 983 QTLs were identified, 198 of which were stable and mainly distributed on chromosomes 4, 6, 7, 13, 21 and 25. Thirty‐seven QTL clusters were identified, in which 92.8% of paired traits with significant medium or high positive correlations had the same QTL additive effect directions, and all of the paired traits with significant medium or high negative correlations had opposite additive effect directions. In total, 1297 genes were discovered in the QTL clusters, 414 of which were expressed in two RNA‐Seq data sets. Many genes were discovered, 23 of which were promising candidates. Six important QTL clusters that included both fibre quality and yield traits were identified with opposite additive effect directions, and those on chromosome 13 (qClu‐chr13‐2) could increase fibre quality but reduce yield; this result was validated in a natural population using three markers. These data could provide information about the genetic basis of cotton fibre quality and yield and help cotton breeders to improve fibre quality and yield simultaneously.

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging is a noninvasive technique that provides numerous advantages for the real-time in vivo monitoring of biological information in living subjects without the use of ionizing radiation. Near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) dyes are widely used as fluorescent imaging probes. These fluorescent dyes remarkably decrease the interference caused by the self-absorption of substances and autofluorescence, increase detection selectivity and sensitivity, and reduce damage to the human body. Thus, they are beneficial for bioassays. Indole heptamethine cyanine dyes are widely investigated in the field of near-infrared fluorescence imaging. They are mainly composed of indole heterocyclics, heptamethine chains, and N-substituent side chains. With indole heptamethine cyanine dyes as the parent, introducing reactive groups to the parent compounds or changing their structures can make fluorescent probes have different functions like labeling protein and tumor, detecting intracellular metal cations, which has become the hotspot in the field of fluorescence imaging of biological research. Therefore, this study reviewed the applications of indole heptamethine cyanine fluorescent probes to metal cation detection, pH, molecules, tumor imaging, and protein in vivo. The distribution, imaging results, and metabolism of the probes in vivo and in vitro were described. The biological application trends and existing problems of fluorescent probes were discussed.

The soot combustion on Pd-doped La2Sn2O7 pyrochlore oxides was studied. Palladium promoter was doped into the pyrochlore system via two ways: bulk substitution (La2Sn1.9Pd0.1O7) and surface impregnation (Pd/La2Sn2O7). The catalysts were characterized by XRD, BET, SEM, HRTEM, PL, XPS and H2-TPR measurements. Pd modifications increased the concentration of surface oxygen vacancy, especially Pd/La2Sn2O7. The different morphologies of palladium promoters were revealed in the two palladium-doped catalysts. Palladium was present primarily in the form of a lattice Pd2+ in the bulk-doping sample, with trace of metal palladium deposited on the surface. As for the surface-doping sample, PdO was the predominant form, accompanied with some of highly dispersed metallic palladium. Due to the adhesion of massive surface palladium species on Pd/La2Sn2O7, a strong metal oxide interaction occurred in the interface between Pd species and La2Sn2O7. The activity evaluation results show that Pd/La2Sn2O7 possesses the highest performance, exhibiting the lowest activation energy (98.83 kJ/mol) for soot combustion. Surface Pd/PdO redox couples as well as Pd–O–Sn interface species were identified to be the active phases for the superior catalytic behavior of Pd/La2Sn2O7. A possible oxidation mechanism for the reactions has been speculated.

In this paper, a novel nanocomposite fluorescence detector that was synthesized from gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) and a ten-amino acid peptide CCYRGHDHCY was successfully generated for the determination of Allura red (AR) for the first time. Allura red can quench the fluorescence of AuNCs via the Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism. Upon addition of Allura red, the red fluorescence intensity of peptide–AuNCs was dramatically quenched and had a linear relationship over the range of 2–90 μM of Allura red with high sensitivity. The results show that the detection limit is 0.667 μmol L−1 (S/N = 3), and the correlation coefficient of the standard curve is 0.998. Compared to the cumbersome and difficult operation of paper chromatography for the detection of Allura red, this method is simple to use and has a high recovery rate and good stability. Moreover, this proposed peptide–AuNCs fluorescence detector has the potential to be used for detecting Allura red in real samples with accurate results.

Superoxide anions (O2˙−) and hydrogen ions (H+) have attracted considerable attention in studies on cellular dysfunction. A newly synthesized reaction-based near-infrared imaging probe (IR-747-SAPH), which is composed of a superoxide anion responsive group and a H+ responsive group, exhibits high selectivity to O2˙− and H+ fluxes in vivo. The fluorescence intensity of IR-747-SAPH changes as O2˙− and H+ concentrations vary. IR-747-SAPH is characterized by sensitivity to changes in H+, high photostability, and strong near-infrared properties, including high temporal resolution, deep penetration, and low background interference. The probe also provides reliable near-infrared fluorescence signals that alter O2˙−and H+ levels in vivo. Therefore, IR-747-SAPH fluorescence imaging is a promising detection method for monitoring the changes in O2˙− and H+ in various biological environments.

At present, the early diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC has become an international research hotspot. However, how to realize the organic combination of highly sensitive and high-resolution tumor imaging diagnosis and effective treatment, and to provide effective information for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer is still a major problem in the integration of cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this study, based on the Crizotinib has a good targeted inhibitory effect on ALK positive tumor cells, the near-infrared targeted fluorescent dye IR-780 was covalently bound with the drug molecule Crizotinib, thus the near-infrared fluorescent probe IR-780-Crizotinib targeting ALK positive tumor cells was synthesized. The probe structure is confirmed by NMR and MS. The optical properties of the fluorescent probe and the imaging process in ALK positive tumor-bearing mice were analyzed using ultraviolet spectrophotometer, near-infrared fluorescence spectrometer, and near-infrared fluorescence imaging system. The results show that the probe had better photoactivity. In vivo imaging shows that the probe maintained the biological activity of Crizotinib, effectively targeting the tumor site involved with clear imaging, and ultimately excreted from the body. It was confirmed that the probe could be used for the tracking, positioning and targeted therapy of nude mice with ALK positive tumors in vivo, thus exploring a new approach for the clinical application of near-infrared fluorescent probe to detect ALK positive tumors in the future.

The present work focuses on the in-plane shear respond and failure mode of large size honeycomb sandwich composites which consist of plain weave carbon fabric laminate skins and aramid paper core. A special size specimen based on a typical element of aircraft fuselage was designed and manufactured. A modified in-plane shear test method and the corresponding fixture was developed. Three large size specimens were tested. The distributed strain gauges were used to monitor the mechanical response and ultimate bearing capacity. The results show that a linear respond of displacement and strain appears with the increase of the load. The average shear failure load reaches 205.68 kN with the shear failure occurring on the face sheet, and the maximum shear strain monitored on the composite plate is up to 16,115 &mu, &epsilon, A combination of theoretical analysis and finite element method (FEM) was conducted to predict the shear field distribution and the overall buckling load. The out-of-plane displacement field distribution and in-plane shear strain field distribution under the pure shear loading were revealed. The theoretical analysis method was deduced to obtain the variation rule of the shear buckling load. A good agreement was achieved among the experiment, theoretical analysis, and FEM results. It can be concluded that the theoretical analysis method is relatively conservative, and the FEM is more accurate in case of deformation and strain. The results predicted by h element and p element methods are very close. The results of the study could provide data support for the comprehensive promotion of the design and application of honeycomb sandwich composites.

A series of highly active amorphous manganese oxide catalysts for soot combustion were synthesized using colloidal solution combustion synthesis (CSCS) method. The surface morphological and structural properties were systematically tested via various techniques: X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption, temperature-programmed reduction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Manganese precursors and calcination temperatures affect the crystal structure, redox properties, and surface properties of MnOx. With the calcination temperature increasing from 550 to 850 °C, the crystalline structure of manganese oxides changed from amorphous phase to crystal phase. In general, the amorphous MnOx with a hierarchical porous structure showed better catalytic activity for soot oxidation than the crystal ones (T10 as indicator), which can be ascribed to the improved low-temperature reducibility, more surface active oxygen species, and abundant surface Mn4+ ions. The presence of NO in O2 also promoted soot oxidation which follows the NO2-assisted mechanism. Our work may provide a rational comparison between high-efficient amorphous and crystal MnOx catalysts for soot oxidation.

In this work, a series of Cu-based samples have been obtained via a controllable surface restructuring method, including cubic Cu2O (S1), CuO-Cu2O (S2) and irregular CuO nanosheets (S3). Notably, S2 samples possess more superior catalytic activities towards CO oxidation than S1 and S3, even better than that of Cu2O cubes with in-situ CuO films during CO oxidation. This observation can be mainly attributed to the interplay between Cu2O and CuO in S2. The lattice oxygens provided by CuO are the preferred adsorption sites for CO molecules, then the generated oxygen vacancies could be refilled by O adatoms dissociated from Cu2O.

In the work, mucor miehei lipase (MML) was covalently immobilized on the 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine (TCT)-modified magnetite nanoparticles. Then, the immobilized MML was utilized in the synthesis of functionalized 4H-Chromenes via a multicomponent reaction firstly. Under the optimized reaction conditions, immobilized MML displayed high catalytic performance (Yield: 81–96%) and excellent reusability, indicating a high potential for practical operation.

By using a laccase-secretion indicator for screening laccase-producing microorganisms, a novel laccase-producing strain was isolated and identified as Paraphoma sp. strain GZS18, it produced increased laccase and mycelia at 34 °C. Further investigations showed that the production of laccase by Paraphoma sp. GZS18 was greatly enhanced by less toxic inducers copper sulphate and methyl orange. Copper sulphate and methyl orange were added into the cultivation medium at 12 and 60 h, respectively, and the maximum laccase production was obtained. Through Plackett–Burman design and response surface methodology, we obtained the optimum production conditions as follows: methyl orange, 39.90 μM; addition time of copper sulphate, 11.95 h; addition time of methyl orange, 51.40 h. Under the above conditions, the experimental value of laccase production was 12,250.76 U/L. The extracellular laccase from Paraphoma sp. GZS18 was purified to homogeneity, which showed a molecular mass of 75 kDa. N-terminal amino acid sequences was AXaVSVASREMT.

Redox homeostasis is important for maintenance of normal physiological functions within cells. Redox state of cells is primarily a consequence of precise balance between levels of reducing equivalents and reactive oxygen species. Redox homeostasis between peroxynitrite (ONOO-) and glutathione (GSH) is closely associated with physiological and pathological processes, such as prolonged relaxation in vascular tissues and smooth muscle preparations, attenuation of hepatic necrosis, and activation of matrix metalloproteinase-2. We report a two-photon fluorescent probe (TP-Se) based on water-soluble carbazole-based compound, which integrates with organic selenium, to monitor changes in ONOO-/GSH levels in cells. This probe can reversibly respond to ONOO- and GSH and exhibits high selectivity, sensitivity, and mitochondrial targeting. The probe was successfully applied to visualize changes in redox cycles during ONOO- outbreak and antioxidant GSH repair in cells. The probe will lead to significant development on redox events involved in cellular redox regulation.

A new type of thermostable laccase was isolated from Paraphoma sp. GZS18, and its partial enzymatic properties were determined. A strain GZS18 of laccase with high yield was screened from forest soil and identified as Paraphoma sp. GZS18 through morphological characteristics and ITS sequence analysis. The laccase of Paraphoma sp. GZS18 (Lac-P) was obtained through cation–anion exchange chromatography, gel filtration chromatography, and other purification processes. The testing result shows that Lac-P is a single protein of 75 kDa, and the 11 amino acid sequences in the N-terminal are AX(a)VSVASREMT (X(a) was the non-standard protein). The optimum temperature and optimum pH of lac-P activity are substrate-independent. The temperature is in the range of 50–70 °C, and pH has high catalytic efficiency in the acidic range. Lac-P has good stability in the temperature and pH. The half time at 70–60 °C is 1.5 and 4 h, respectively. At pH 6–9 and room temperature, there is more than 80% activity 24 h later. Lac-P is tolerant of most metal ions and low concentrations of inhibitors but is inhibited by Hg(2+), Fe(2+) and NaN(3). The laccase from Paraphoma sp. GZS18 at high temperature and pH 6–9, with strong stability, has better industrial application characteristics.

Malignant neoplasms exhibit an elevated rate of glycolysis and a high demand for glucose over normal cells. This characteristic can be exploited for in vivo imaging and tumor targeting examined. In this manuscript, we describe the synthesis of near-infrared (NIR) fluorochrome IR-822-labeled 2-amino-2-deoxy-d-glucose (DG) for optical imaging of tumors in mice. NIR fluorescent dye IR-820 was subsequently conjugated with 3-Mercaptopropionic acid and 2-amino-2-deoxy-d-glucose to form IR-822-DG. The cell experiments and acute toxicity studies demonstrated the low toxicity of IR-822-DG to normal cells/tissues. The dynamic behavior and targeting ability of IR-822-DG in normal mice was investigated with a NIR fluorescence imaging system. The in vitro and in vivo tumor targeting capabilities of IR-822-DG were evaluated in tumor cells and tumor bearing mice, respectively. Results demonstrated that IR-822-DG actively and efficiently accumulated at the site of the tumor. The probe also exhibited good photostability and excellent cell membrane permeability. The study indicates the broad applicability of IR-822-DG for tumors diagnosis, especially in the glucose-related pathologies.

Two kinds of new immunogens and coating antigens had been designed and synthesised by methods of lively ester (DCC) and carbodiimide (EDC), respectively. Preliminary immunosorbent assays indicated that the two target conjugates presented good inhibition ratio against the haptens of cypermethrin in vivo. The results showed that the best efficient titres of anti-cypermethrin rabbit serum in methods of DCC and EDC were 1:32000 and 1:64000, the IC50 of them were 18.907µg/L and 16.877µg/L against the haptens of cypermethrin, respectively. The data indicated that the anti-cypermethrin antibodies in method of EDC had higher sensitivity and higher selectivity than the anti-cypermethrin antibodies in method of DCC. Thus, we can synthesise antigens and anti-bodies with method of EDC. The antibodies of high quality can be effectively used in the field of the rapid detection of pyrethroid pesticide residues in the research of the reagent strips.

Methionine is a valid target for the treatment of cancer and to achieve in vivo imaging and early diagnosis of tumors, we have synthesized near-infrared (NIR) fluorochrome IR-822-labeled methionine (IR-822-Met). NIR fluorescent dye IR-822 was conjugated with methionine through its amide bond. It had low toxicity to normal cell/tissues. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated its high targeting capability to tumors. The results support the potential of using ligand-modified methionine probe for tumor diagnosis and targeted therapy. The probe also exhibited good photostability, and excellent cell membrane permeability. IR-822-Met is a promising imaging agent for tumor diagnosis, especially in their early stage.

In this study, we report the establishment and characterization of a new epithelial cell line, goose embryonated epithelial cell line (GEE), derived from embryonic goose tissue. The purified GEE cell line can efficiently grow over 65 passages in the M199 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum at 37°C. Immunofluorescence assay was used to identify purified GEE cells as epithelial cell line by detecting expression of the Keratin-18 and -19. Further characterizations demonstrated that the GEE cell line can be continuously subcultured with (i) a high capacity to replicate for over 65 passages, (ii) a spontaneous epithelial-like morphology, (iii) constant chromosomal features and (iv) without an evidence of converting to tumorigenic cells either in vitro or in vivo study. Moreover, the GEE cell line can be effectively transfected with plasmids expressing reporter genes of different avian viruses, such as VP3, VP1 and F of goose parvo virus (GPV), duck hepatitis virus (DHV), and Newcastle disease virus (NDV), respectively. Finally, the established GEE cell line was evaluated for avian viruses infection susceptibility. Our results showed that the tested GPV, DHAV and NDV were capable to replicate in the new cell line with titers a comparatively higher to the ones detected in the traditional culture system. Accordingly, our established GEE cell line is apparently a suitable in vitro model for transgenic, and infection manipulation studies.

To investigate the effect of Qibaipingfei Capsule (QPC) on the expressions of calcineurin (CaN) and nuclear factor of activated T-cells isoform c3 (NFATc3) of rat models with phlegm and blood stasis syndrome of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to explore the possible mechanism underlying the intervention of QPC in pulmonary vascular remodeling of COPD.Sixty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a positive group of nifedipine, a high dose group, a middle dose group and a low dose group of QPC. The rat models with phlegm and blood stasis syndrome of COPD were established by compound methods of forced swimming, smoking and hypoxia. Then the pulmonary function and the pathological alterations of pulmonary vessels were observed. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein levels of CaN and NFATc3 in the lung tissues were determined by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis.Compared with the normal group, the forced expiratory volume at 0.3 second (FEV0.3), the forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV0.3/FVC in the model group were significantly reduced, but compared with the model group, the values mentioned above were restored to different extents in the groups of nifedipine and QPC. The lung tissues of the model group showed the thickening of pulmonary vascular wall and the formation of compensating emphysema. The above pathological changes were relieved in all the treatment groups. Compared with the normal group, the expressions of CaN and NFATc3 in the model group were significantly up-regulated in transcription and translation levels. Compared with the model group, these expressions were down-regulated to various degrees in all the treatment groups.QPC can decrease the levels of CaN and NFATc3 in the lung tissues of COPD.

Although the decision support systems (DSS) theory and application has already taken significant progress, the development of DSS is strongly challenged for the bottleneck of existing serial characters store and process mechanism. The neural network is an ultra large-scale, time dynamic system with highly nonlinear. Its most important features are paralleled distributive treatment with large scale, high robust and learning and memory function. The research of intelligent decision support system combining neural networks have a highly theoretical and practical value, and becomes one of decision support system's research fronts. The paper discusses the problems in DSS, illustrates the mechanism of parallel process using neural networks, proposes the research frame of intelligent decision support system combined with neural networks, concretely describes the implementation thoughts and methods of key problems, and analyses the basic assignment and method of all levels.

Both fission-neutron and -y radiation are usually involved in accidental whole-body exposure of humans to high-LET radiation. Because the conditions of exposure are different, the n/7y ratios (neutron to y-radiation kerma ratios) in the mixed radiation are often different and thus the biological consequences may vary considerably. Information about the effects of mixed radiations with different nly ratios is important in the management of nuclear accidents. The dose-effect relationship after 60Co 7 or mixed neutron-y irradiation with different percentages of neutrons has been studied in some detail, and the RBE values of mixed neutron-y irradiation based on different end points have been determined in our laboratory (1-3). This paper focuses on the influence of the n/7y ratio in mixed radiation on acute radiation injury in dogs. It is expected that the present work will contribute to a better understanding of similar effects in humans.