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Graphitic N-doped carbon shell encapsulated Ni nanoparticles after strong acid leaching exhibited high activity and selectivity to aromatics in the conversion of lignin β-O-4 model compounds. The Cα–OH group was essential for product distributions.

A new 3D Ag(I)-based HE-MOFs, [Ag2(TABT)(NO3)2]n, where TABT represents 4,4′,5,5′-tetraamine-3,3′-bis-1,2,4-triazole, was synthesized and fully characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, IR, 1H-NMR and elemental analyses. Its thermal behaviors were investigated by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) techniques while the thermo-kinetic parameters of exothermic process were calculated by Kissinger and Ozawa methods. The results indicate that the compound possesses an excellent thermal stability with a high decomposition temperature up to 301.2 °C. In addition, its detonation properties and sensitivity suggest that the title Ag-based salt can be used as a potential explosive.

Dynamic trimethylation of histone H3 at Lys27 (H3K27me3) affects gene expression and controls plant development and environmental responses. In

Dynamic trimethylation of histone H3 at Lys27 (H3K27me3) affects gene expression and controls plant development and environmental responses. In Arabidopsis thaliana, RELATIVE OF EARLY FLOWERING 6 (REF6)/JUMONJI DOMAIN-CONTAINING PROTEIN 12 demethylates H3K27me3 by recognizing a specific DNA motif. However, little is known about how REF6 activates target gene expression after recognition, especially in environmental responses. In response to warm ambient temperature, plants undergo thermomorphogenesis, which involves accelerated growth, early flowering and changes in morphology. Here we show that REF6 regulates thermomorphogenesis and cooperates with the transcription factor PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4 to synergistically activate thermoresponsive genes under warm ambient temperature. The ref6 loss-of-function mutants exhibited attenuated hypocotyl elongation at warm temperature, partially due to downregulation of GIBBERELLIN 20-OXIDASE 2 and BASIC HELIX-LOOP-HELIX 87. REF6 enzymatic activity is necessary for warm ambient temperature responses. Together, our results provide direct evidence of an epigenetic modifier and a transcription factor working together to respond to the environment.

Carbon-coated VBO3 on graphene sheets (VBO3/C@G) composite synthesized by freeze-drying method is presented as anode material for lithium-ion batteries. In the final material, VBO3 nanoparticles, which are uniformly coated by amorphous carbon, are either adhered to the surface of graphene sheets or covered by graphene sheets. The amorphous carbon and graphene not only prevent the growth of VBO3 nanoparticles but also provide an excellent conductive 3D network, which is beneficial for the battery performance. The material delivers an initial charge capacity of 787 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C and maintains 697 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 C. It also exhibits an excellent rate performance with a charge capacity of 609 mAh g−1 at 10 C.

The porcine circovirus-like virus P1, a member of the circovirus family, causes post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in weaned piglets with progressive wasting as the main clinical symptom. The pancreatic secretion pathway induces pancreatic acinar cells to secrete various digestive enzymes and as such is an important signaling pathway for the digestive system and somatic growth. This study examined the effects and mechanism of P1 virus infection on the pancreatic secretion pathway. The experiment was conducted by transfecting double-copy plasmid P1 into PK-15 and 3D4 cells and by infecting cells with the P1 virus. Samples were collected at various times after transfection or infection. The pathway's transcription and translation levels of CHRM3, Gq, PLC-β2, PRKCA, Rab3D, RhoA, Rac1, and amyA proteins were detected by real-time PCR and Western blots; these analyses confirmed that the P1 virus infection could upregulate the expression level of key pancreatic secretion signaling molecules. Then, we confirmed that the VP1 protein of the P1 virus could interact with the pathway initiation protein CHRM3 using Co-IP, pull-downs, and confocal fluorescence microscopy. Finally, we demonstrated that the VP1 protein activates the pancreatic secretory pathway through the CHRM3 protein. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the P1 virus can interact with the CHRM3 receptor protein to activate the pancreatic secretion pathway and promote the secretion of various digestive enzymes downstream of the pathway, thereby providing a basis for P1 virus pathogenesis.

Background Porcine circovirus-like virus P1 is a relatively new kind of virus that is closely related to the post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome, congenital tremors, and abortions in swine. The molecular mechanisms of P1 virus infection and pathogenesis are fully unknown. To analyze P1 and its host interactions, we used a yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assay to identify cellular proteins interacting with the Cap of the P1 virus. In this study, the Cap of the P1 virus exhibited no self-activation and toxicity to yeast cells and was used as bait to screen the Y2H library prepared from the pancreas tissue. Results Five cellular proteins (EEP, Ral GDS, Bcl-2-L-12, CPS1, and one not identified) were found to interact with P1 Cap. The interaction between Cap and Ral GDS was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation. Conclusions Our data are likely to support the future investigation of the underlying mechanism of P1 infection and pathogenesis.

Background: There is increasing awareness of the significance of the gut microbiome to host health, and a clear relationship has been established between the perturbed gut microbiome and multiple diseases. Cis-bifenthrin, a widely used agricultural pyrethroid insecticide, has been implicated as a cause of hepatotoxicity due to the oxidative stress produced during its metabolism by the liver. Studies have demonstrated the role of gut microbiota in gut-liver axis, it is possible that the perturbation of gut microbiota may also contribute to the toxicity of cis-bifenthrin on the liver.Results: 16S rRNA gene sequencing suggested that cis-bifenthrin exposure significantly perturbed the gut microbiota composition, and metabolomics analysis showed signature metabolic shifts arising from exposure. Moreover, we also found altered functional regulation of lipids in the liver after cis-bifenthrin exposure, and the accumulation of lipid droplets in hepatocytes was observed.Conclusions: Our results suggested cis-bifenthrin exposure disturbed the gut microbiota community and metabolite profile in frogs. Specifically, changes in bile acid metabolites altered bile acid hepatoenteral circulation, which affected lipid metabolism in the liver and ultimately caused the development of fatty liver disease. Our findings reveal novel insights into gut microbiota-host axis in frogs, and the perturbed microbial function provides novel mechanism contributing to cis-bifenthrin-induced toxicity.

Nitrogen doped carbon spheres with wrinkled cages (NCSWCs), which were used for the first time as metal-free catalysts, exhibited high catalytic activity and selectivity in the oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 5-formyl-2-furancarboxylic acid (FFCA) under base-free conditions using tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as the oxidant. The mechanistic studies found that this reaction was catalyzed by the synergy between NCSWCs and TBHP. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations further suggested that the hydroperoxyl radicals from TBHP adsorbed on the carbon atoms adjacent to the graphitic N atoms are the active sites.

Simultaneous exposure to multiple pollutants has received great concerns considering that the interactions between pollutants can alter the environment fate and bioavailability of pollutants with potentially deleterious effects. Graphene oxide (GO) has been widely used in many areas including environmental remediation, biology and agriculture. However, researchers have largely ignored the combined toxicity of GO with coexisting toxicants. Cis-bifenthrin (cis-BF), a typical synthetic pyrethroid insecticide, was frequently detected in the environment, which raised the possibility of interaction between cis-BF and GO. Our study investigated the toxic effects of cis-BF alone or combined with GO on the lipid homeostasis in Xenopus laevis. Tadpoles at 51 stage were exposed to cis-BF (0, 12, 60 and 300 ng/L) or in their combination with GO (0.1 mg/L) for 21 days. Coexposure to cis-BF and GO deteriorated the lipid homeostasis disruption in tadpoles. The up- or down-regulation of lipogenesis genes expression and enzymes activity were amplified in the coexposure groups. Furthermore, the presence of GO enhanced the deleterious impacts of cis-BF on the hepatic function in tadpoles. This study uniquely shows that GO promotes the lipotoxicity and hepatic function deficit caused by cis-BF exposure in frog.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the roles and potential mechanisms of long non-coding RNA HLA complex group 11 (HCG11) in colorectal carcinoma. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was used to detect HCG11 expression in clinical tissues and survival analysis was performed to identify its prognostic value. In order to investigate its specific biological functions in colorectal carcinoma, the transfection technique was used for the knockdown and overexpression of HCG11. Dual-luciferase reporter gene and RNA pull-down assays were used to identify the binding association between HCG11 and microRNA (miR)-214-5p. Western blot analysis was used to detect the mechanism of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulation in tumor cells in the pathway downstream of HCG11. HCG11 level was high in colorectal carcinoma tissues, which was associated with poor patient prognosis; however, chemotherapy may prevent the upregulation of HCG11 in colorectal carcinoma. HCG11-knockdown suppressed the proliferation, migration and chemotherapeutic sensitivity of colorectal carcinoma cells, whereas HCG11-overexpression enhanced chemotherapeutic sensitivity. miR-214-5p was revealed to be a target gene, and upon direct interaction, a negative regulator of HCG11 in colorectal carcinoma cells. Inhibition of miR-214-5p reversed the restriction of HCG11 on the malignant activity of colorectal carcinoma cells, while miR-214-5p mediated the chemotherapy-related intracellular EMT pathway. In conclusion, HCG11 is a vital oncogene of colorectal carcinoma involved in mediating the chemotherapeutic resistance of tumors.

Cocrystal of FOX–7 (1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethene) and Phen (1,10-Phenanthroline) has been synthesized and characterized by X–ray crystallography. The single crystal results show that FOX–7 and its cocrystal were crystallized in the monoclinic space groups P21/n and P21/c, respectively. Thermal stability of FOX–7 and FOX–7·Phen were studied by DSC, the first exothermic peak temperatures (TP) of FOX–7 and FOX–7·Phen occurs at 223.2 and 232.7 °C, respectively; indicating that FOX–7·Phen is more stable than FOX–7. Thermokinetic parameters such as the activation energy Ea and pre-exponential factor A were 321.4 kJ mol−1 and 1.166 × 1033 s−1, respectively. DFT studies including geometry optimization, HOMO-LUMO analysis, Mulliken charge and UV–visible spectral data were also calculated by DFT-B3LYP/6-31 + G** level.

A novel adamantane-based polyurethane (AdPU) was synthesized via efficient ring-opening polymerization of 1,3,5,7-tetrahydroxyadamantane with e-caprolactone followed by one-step polymerization of poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL2000) with 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). The incorporation of 1,3,5,7-tetrahydroxyadamantane enhanced the thermal stability of AdPU. It was found that AdPU was composed of a crystalline soft phase and an amorphous hard phase; and the aggregation of segments could form nano-sized crystal fibers by controlling the drying conditions. Finally, shape memory effect tests showed that AdPU has thermal-induced shape memory effect with good shape fixation and 85% shape recovery. This work opens a new avenue to design polyurethane frameworks with cubic geometry structure for shape memory applications.

As a new type of smart polymers, the shape memory polyurethanes attract increasing attention because of their wide use in various applications. Herein, a serials of novel thermo-responsive shape memory polyurethane networks were developed by chemical cross-linking of polycaprolactone with 1,3,5,7-tetrahydroxyadamantane. The polyurethane networks were characterized in relation to their microstructure, cross-linking density, surface appearance, thermal properties, static and dynamic mechanical properties, and shape memory behavior. It was found that the prepared polyurethane networks can exhibit excellent thermo-responsive shape memory properties at body temperature by controlling the molar ratio of 1,3,5,7-tetrahydroxyadamantane and polycaprolactone. Moreover, the incorporation of 1,3,5,7-tetrahydroxyadamantane substantially improved the mechanical properties of the final polyurethane networks. The versatility of the synthesized polyurethane networks is reflected by its dual- and triple-shape memory performance. It can be anticipated that the synthesized polyurethane networks could be used as smart materials for applications involving shape memory polymers.

A new energetic Ca(H2O)6·(HZTO·2H2O)2 was crystallized in the monoclinic space group C2/c, and its thermal characteristics and kinetics were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC). DSC measurements showed one endothermic peak and one exothermic peak with decomposition occurring at 286.8, 290.5, 296.5, and 303.2 °C at different heating rates (2.5, 5, 10, and 20 °C min−1). The critical temperature of thermal explosion (Tb) and kinetics parameters were calculated; the results show that Ca(HZTO·2H2O)2·6H2O is stable below 273.1 °C. The thermal behavior of Ca(H2O)6·(HZTO·2H2O)2 under adiabatic condition was studied by ARC: The onset temperature was 185.7 °C, and the thermal decomposition ended at 228.2 °C within the time span of 458.1 min. In addition, thermokinetic parameters such as the activation energy Ea and pre-exponential factor A under adiabatic condition were also obtained.

Artificial reefs are effective measures to improve the marine ecological environment and increase fishery production. However, there are several geometries being investigated nowadays and their setup, including the spacing between groups of them, can provide dissimilar effects on hydrodynamics. To enhance the understanding of this topic, in this paper, the focus is mainly on M-Type artificial reefs that will be adopted in Juehua Island, Liaodong Bay, China. An experimental campaign was carried out in order to simulate the influence that M-Type unit reef groups may have on the local flow field and the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique has been implemented to provide velocity maps. The results showed that with the increase of velocity’s current approaching the artificial reef, the height, length and area of the upwelling and the back vortex rise with the increase of spacing between the artificial reefs. Furthermore, when comparing different geometrical configurations with similar currents approaching the artificial reef, the maximum values of both upwelling and back vortex were obtained when the spacing between unit reefs was 1.25 L. Finally, the entropy method was used to evaluate the effects on the flow field under four kinds of spacing based on the hydrodynamic characteristics and the economic cost. The comprehensive score obtained for all the configurations followed the order 1.25 L &gt, 1.50 L &gt, 0.75 L &gt, 1.00 L. Therefore, it is suggested that the original design spacing should be increased by 25% when the M-type unit reef is put into practice. Additionally, after having completed a comparative analysis, it is recommended to further change the reef group into four reef monocases. By executing this adjustment, the unit reef cost was reduced by 10%, and the influence range on the flow field increased by 10%, and this result can consequently achieve greater ecological benefits with less economic input. The results of this study provide a preliminary reference for the construction of artificial reefs M-Type from the perspective of theory and practice.

The thermal decomposition behaviors of 4,4′-azo-bis(1,2,4-triazolone) (ZTO) and its salts were investigated for the first time by using accelerating rate calorimetry. Based on the experimental results, the kinetic parameters of exothermic reaction of ZTO and its salts were calculated. The thermal decomposition parameters, including the initial decomposition temperature, the adiabatic temperature rise rate, were obtained from the thermal inertia factor. The adiabatic experiment revealed that ZTO and KZTO·H2O both had a relatively high initial exothermic decomposition temperature at 230.6 and 235.6 °C, respectively. The maximum self-heating rate of exothermic process of ZTO was 105.9 °C min−1 (at 248.7 °C), which meant that ZTO decomposed very fast. In addition, the reaction order, apparent activated energy (E a), and pre-exponential factor (A) were also calculated.

In the present work, two acetyl triazolone derviatives as N-(1-acetyl-5-oxo-1H-1,2,4-triazol-4(5H)-yl)acetamide (DAcATO) and (E)-4,4'-(diazene-1,2-diyl)bis(1-acetyl-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5(4H)-one) (DAcZTO) have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction, FT-IR and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Geometry optimization, HOMO–LUMO energies, Mulliken charges and electrostatic potential (MEP) of title compounds are conducted by density functional theory DFT/B3LYP calculation method with 6-311 + G** basis set. Thermal behaviors of title compounds were also studied by TG-DTA method.

4,4′,5,5′-tetraacetamine-3,3′-bi(1,2,4-triazole) (TAcABTz) has been synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction, FT-IR and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. TAcABTz Ethanol crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/n, and x-ray result shows that two triazole rings are almost coplanar except the methyl group. Thermal behaviors were also studied under the non-isothermal conditions by TG-DTA method, showing that two sharp exothermic peaks during thermal decomposition, and the kinetic parameters including activation energy (Ea) and pre–exponential factor (A) are 144.3 kJ mol−1 and 3.603 × 1012 s−1, respectively. In addition, geometry optimization, binding energy and HOMO–LUMO analysis of TAcABTz and TAcABTz Ethanol are conducted by density functional theory DFT/B3LYP calculation method with 6-311 + G** basis set. DFT calculations results show that the conformer A of TAcABTz Ethanol is more stable than conformer B.

Graphene oxide (GO) has become a topic of increasing concern for its environmental and health risks. However, the potential toxic effects of GO on wildlife remain limited. The present study chose the Xenopus laevis tadpole as a model to assess the thyroid endocrine disruption as well as the lipid metabolic disturbance of GO. Tadpoles at the 51 stage were exposed to GO (0, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/L) for 21 days, when tadpoles were undergoing an extremely complicated phase of morphological changes and growth. GO treatment showed obvious developmental toxicity, such as shortened snout-to-vent length (SVL) and hind limb length (HLL), decreased body weight, and delayed developmental stage. Exposure to GO also induced obvious decreases in whole-body triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxin (T4) concentrations. The mRNA expression of genes related to the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis also changed significantly. Furthermore, we observed significant decline in the fatty acids and triglycerides (TGs) concomitantly with changes in the expression of genes involved in the synthesis and metabolism of lipids in GO exposure groups. In contrast, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and total bile acid levels increased remarkably, but cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDH) levels showed no obvious changes. Taken together, the results revealed for the first time that GO could induce thyroid endocrine disruption and produce obvious disturbance effect on lipid synthesis and metabolism.

A Schiff-based chemosensor DSS was designed for selective and simultaneous detection and/or determination of F(-) and CN(-) by distinguishable changes in both solution color and spectroscopic responses within same sample due to the strong emission enhancement at distinct emission bands without any mask. In addition, the sensing mechanism was evaluated by NMR titration and DFT calculations.

N,N′-Dinitro-4,4′-azo-bis(1,2,4-triazolone) (DNZTO) is synthesized by the reaction of 4,4′-azo-bistriazolone (ZTO) with a mixture of nitric acid and acetic anhydride. The product was fully characterized by IR, NMR, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization with time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray analysis. The explosive performance including detonation pressures (P), velocities (D) of DNZTO, and heats of formation were predicted usinggaussian 09at B3LYP/6-311+G**.

4,4'-Azo-bis(1,2,4-triazolone) (ZTO) based salts from alkaline (Li(+), K(+), Na(+), and Cs(+)), alkaline earth metal salts (Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Sr(2+), and Ba(2+)) and hydrazinium salt were synthesized in a simple, straightforward manner and were characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction of seven salts (Na(+), K(+), Cs(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Sr(2+), Ba(2+), and N2H5(+)) are also reported. The X-ray structures show that in the title compounds, the metal atoms are bonded to the nitrogen and oxygen atoms in the bistetrazole ring to form a sandwich structure. In addition, the thermal stabilities of all the title compounds were determined using thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). All these new materials exhibit excellent thermal stability, high density, acceptable detonation properties, and excellent insensitivity to impact (h5060 cm). In particular, the barium, caesium and strontium salts are of great interest as potential high-density insensitive materials.

Molecular dynamics has been carried out to simulate the well-known new explosive compound 5,5′-bistetrazole-1,1′-diolate (TKX-50) and TKX-50 based polymer bonded explosives (PBXs) with four kinds of polymer binders, such as, fluorine (F2311), fluorine resin (F2641), polyethylene glycol (PEG) and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA). The isotropic mechanical properties (tensile modulus, bulk modulus, shear modulus and Poisson’s ratio), moldability, and bonding energy are reported for first time for TKX-50 crystal and TKX-50 based PBXs. The mechanical properties of the explosive can be effectively raised by adding polymer binders in small amounts and the ability of different polymer binders improving the plasticity of TKX-50 in the increasing order PEG > EVA > F2641 = F2311. The moldability of TKX-50 based PBXs is better than that of pure TKX-50, and the increasing order is PEG > EVA > F2311 > F2641. The interaction between each of the crystalline surfaces and each of the polymers is different, the order of the abilities of different binders to combine TKX-50 crystal decreases as follows: F2311 > PEG ≈ F2641 > EVA. The calculated detonation performances for pure TKX-50 and TKX-50 based PBXs show that both of them are comparable with those of HMX. Ultimately, as for the four polymer binders, PEG is considered the best one for explosive TKX-50.

Thermogravimetric–differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA) and accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC) were performed to understand thermal characteristics and kinetics of energetic N,N′-dinitro-4,4′-azo-Bis(1,2,4-triazolone) (DNZTO). A single sharp and narrow exothermic decomposition occurred at 143.3, 150.3, 156.4, 157.4, 159.8 and 160.3 °C at different heating rates (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 °C min −1 ) suggesting that DNZTO composition was vulnerable to thermal hazard. The FTIR–TGA–MS results revealed that the decomposition product was made up of H 2 O, NO 2 , NO, CO 2 , CO, HCN, and N 2 O. ARC studies depicted onset temperature at 116.6 °C with temperature step of 5 °C and phi factor of 41.46, and a sharp rise in exothermic reaction at 127.69 °C within the time span of 49.04 min with the maximum heat release rate of 0.47 °C min −1 . The exothermic activity resulted in adiabatic pressure rise of the sample up to 300 kPa by the sample pyrolysis into gas. In addition, the kinetic parameters of DNZTO were estimated for the thermal process by TG–DTA and ARC.

In this work, N-doped porous carbon stabilized CuxO (Cu-NPCs) were synthesized by a one-pot method using copper nitrate as copper precursor with the aid of Pluronic F127 under acidic condition. The characterization results confirmed that CuxO species (CuO and Cu2O) existed in NPC in a highly dispersed state due to the strong interaction between CuxO and the doped N atoms. The obtained Cu-NPCs were used as supports to prepare Au catalysts for glycerol (GLY) oxidation to dihydroxyacetone (DHA) under base-free conditions. During the reaction, GLY preferentially adsorbed onto Au nanoparticles via the secondary OH groups due to the porous characteristics of the supports, the enhanced surface basicity from the N functionalities accelerates the alkoxide formation by abstracting proton from GLY, and the surface Cu+ sites instead of Au nanoparticles activate O2 molecules to produce active oxygen species, as a result, Au/Cu-NPC-15 %-H, which is the best catalyst in Au/Cu-NPCs, exhibited much higher catalytic activity and selectivity than those of Au/CuO. Moreover, due to the stabilization of CuxO species by NPC, relatively stable surface Cu+ content, and the strong interaction between Au nanoparticles and the supports, Au/Cu-NPC-15 %-H also possessed much better catalytic stability than that of Au/CuO during four consecutive catalytic runs.

Despite the great concerns associated with the combined biological effects of nanoparticles and insecticides, the current understanding of the corresponding ecological risks remains limited. Xenopus laevis (X. laevis) tadpoles were exposed to various concentrations of typical pyrethroid (cis-bifenthrin; cis-BF), either alone or in combination with graphene oxide (GO), for 21 days. The presence of GO resulted in increased bioconcentration of cis-BF and a higher 1S-enantiomer fraction. Exposure to cis-BF and GO caused further reduction in pre-metamorphic developmental rates and activated dopaminergic, noradrenergic, and serotonergic neurotransmitter systems. Reduced tadpole activity and levels of genomic DNA methylation at cytosine nucleotides (5hmC) were observed in the coexposure groups. These results indicate that GO enhance the bioconcentration of cis-BF and promote the conversion of its 1R-enantiomer to the 1S form, which lead to disruption of neurotransmitter systems as well as interference in metamorphic development.

Antibacterial peptides (AMPs) constitute an important part of the body's innate immune system and are responsible for a wide range of inhibitory effects against pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. In this study, multi-step high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), combined with Mass Spectrometry (MS), was used to isolate and identify proteins with antibacterial activity from the serum of Pinctada fucata martensii (P.f. Martensii) and obtain a component named P.f. Martensii antimicrobial peptide-1 (PmAMP-1). PmAMP-1 cDNA was cloned and sequenced by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and mRNA expression of was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). From the results of this study, full-length PmAMP-1 cDNA was shown to be 700 base pairs (bp) long with an open reading frame (ORF) of 294 bp, encoding 97 amino acids with a predicted structure that is mostly α-helices. PmAMP-1 mRNA was constitutively expressed in all tested tissues including the adductor muscle, mantle, hepatopancreas, gill, gonads and hemocytes. The highest level of PmAMP-1 transcription was observed at 8 h and 2 h after bacterial challenge in hemocytes and adductor muscle (p

4,4-azo-bis(1,2,4-triazol-5-one) (ZTO) and its solvent adducts have been reported, and the single crystal X-ray measurements indicated that the ZTO crystals appeared as a monoclinic system with space group P2(1)/c, while ZTO·2H2O and ZTO·2DMF displayed as monoclinic with space group P2(1)/n and triclinic with space group Pī, respectively. In addition, the thermal decomposition process of the three crystals was studied by thermogravimetric differential analysis (TG-DTA), and the result showed that only one exothermic peak was found in each case of ZTO, ZTO·2H2O, and ZTO·2DMF, and the peak temperature (T p) are observed at 292.36, 291.82, and 272.73 °C, respectively.

We report that ultra-violet (UV) emission of ZnO can be made much more intense by incorporating Ce in the ZnO films. After annealing at 1100 °C in N2 gas, the UV peak (≈3.34 eV, width 133 meV) – intensity for the film doped with Ce is two order of magnitude stronger than that of un-doped ZnO films. The large enhancement is correlated with improved crystallinity and appears due to fewer non-radiative recombination pathways. The improved crystallinity can be related to Ce affecting the self-texturing of ZnO during sputter deposition and annealing.

It is well known that mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints (MPEC) violate the standard constraint qualifications such as Mangasarian–Fromovitz constraint qualification (MFCQ) and hence the usual Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions cannot be used as stationary conditions unless relatively strong assumptions are satisfied. This observation has led to a number of weaker stationary conditions, with Mordukhovich stationary (M-stationary) condition being the strongest among the weaker conditions. In nonlinear programming, it is known that MFCQ leads to an exact penalization. In this paper we show that MPEC GMFCQ, an MPEC variant of MFCQ, leads to a partial exact penalty where all the constraints except a simple linear complementarity constraint are moved to the objective function. The partial exact penalty function, however, is nonsmooth. By smoothing the partial exact penalty function, we design an algorithm which is shown to be globally convergent to an M-stationary point under an extended version of the MPEC GMFCQ.

A derivative of squaramide (cyclobuta[b]quinoxaline-1, 2(3H, 8H)-dione) has been synthesized for the ratiometric and colorimetric sensing of F(-) in aqueous solution in competitive fashion. With F(-), probe 1 showed a highly selective naked-eye detectable color change along with a characteristic UV-Vis absorbance over other tested ions, which probably originates from the deprotonation occurred between 1 and F(-), as proved by the (1)H NMR titration experiments and DFT calculations.

C6H5N11O6, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 13.463(5) Å, b = 6.526(2) Å, c = 14.068(5) Å, β = 95.961(5)°, V = 1229.3(7) Å3, Z = 4, R gt (F) = 0.0417, wR ref (F 2 ) = 0.1067, T = 153 K.