Search

The recrystallization and texture evolution of cold-rolled FeCrAl−0.65Nb and FeCrAl−1.2Nb alloys thin-wall tubes annealed at 600–900 °C for 1–600 min were investigated. The microstructures were characterized by electron back scattering diffraction, electron probe micro-analyzer and transmission electron microscopy. The Vickers hardness and room temperature tensile properties were tested. The results showed that the hardness of fully recrystallized FeCrAl−1.2Nb alloy was higher and more likely to recrystallize than FeCrAl−0.65Nb alloy. The weak texture strength of annealing sample was obtained and the proportion of //ND texture increased. The fine Laves phase distributed uniformly in FeCrAl−0.65Nb alloy had good pinning effect and inhibited recrystallization. Higher Nb content had little effects on tensile properties of thin-wall tube, and induced the formation of larger Laves phase. There was less fine Laves phase pinning in the large area adjacent to the blocky Laves phase, which resulted in easy recrystallization in FeCrAl−1.2Nb alloy.

The development of multifunctional nano-drug carriers has become one of the most effective and prevailing approaches to overcome the non-selectivity and low cell uptake efficiency of drugs, as well as various side effects of traditional chemotherapy drugs. Herein, we reported novel hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) coated with polydopamine (PDA) and poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) (PPEGMA) (HMSNs@PDA-s-s-PPEGMA) for the treatment of cancer. The HMSNs mainly served as a warehouse loading anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX); the covering of PDA acted as pH-sensitive gatekeepers to control the diffusion and/or release of DOX from HMSNs in different pH stimuli environments, whilst the grafting of PPEGMA on the surface of HMSNs@PDA by disulfide bonds and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) increased the stability under physiological conditions and showed reductant sensitive responsiveness. The HMSNs@PDA-s-s-PPEGMA had a high loading capacity and entrapment efficiency of drugs through loading twice but low cytotoxicity. The in vitro release results indicated that the HMSNs@PDA-s-s-PPEGMA exhibited a high sensitivity to pH and glutathione (GSH) due to the PDA coating and disulfide bonds, which could control DOX release as intelligent "switches". The drug-loaded formulations could better be taken up by the cells, formed a higher concentration of DOX in the cells, and produced more remarkable apoptosis, thus achieving better treatment of tumors with high therapy efficacy. Therefore, the developed multifunctional materials could be used as a promising nano-drug carrier for cancer treatment.

To overcome premature drug leakage and instability in drug delivery systems, we designed tri-stimuli responsive multiwalled carbon nanotubes covered by mesoporous silica graft poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-block-poly(2-(4-formylbenzoyloxy) ethyl methacrylate) multifunctional materials via disulfide linkages (MWCNTs@MSN-s-s-g-PNIPAM-b-PFBEMA). The multifunctional materials could covalently bind and physically load anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX), and exhibited pH-, temperature- and reductant-induced multi-stimuli responsiveness, significantly enhancing drug loading capacity and improving the release dynamics of drug. The DOX-loaded multifunctional materials exhibited the optimal release behavior in cancer environments compared with in normal cells upon simultaneously triggered by these stimuli. It meant that the MWCNTs@MSN-s-s-g-PNIPAM-b-PFBEMA could serve as efficient gatekeepers to control the mesopore on–off and thus to modulate drug release. The multifunctional materials were proved to be low toxic, whereas the DOX-loaded counterparts had almost the same toxicity as free DOX to cancer cells. Therefore, the developed multifunctional materials can be used as promising drug controlled delivery platforms for cancer therapy.

Coating technology to modify the property of zirconium (Zr) alloy is a potential method for accident-tolerant fuel claddings. In this work, Cr-coated and CrN-coated are prepared on the surface of Zr alloy by using multi-arc ion plating technology. The effect of coatings on the high-temperature oxidation performance at 800, 1000, and 1200 °C has been investigated. The oxidation behavior, microstructure, and phase composition of the samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscope and x-ray diffraction analysis. The mechanical properties of the coatings before and after oxidation were examined by ring compressive and hardness tests. It is shown that all the Cr and CrN coating can effectively protect the substrate from oxidation corrosion in air due to the formation of Cr2O3, which can effectively reduce the penetration of oxygen. The thickness of the oxide layer from the side of the coating doesn’t exceed to 5 μm at 1000 °C, and from the uncoated side reaches to 70 μm with pores and rough structure. Bubbles appeared on the surface of the coated samples after oxidizing at 1200°C. These bubbles are located at the Cr and Cr2O3 layers. The high-temperature oxidation resistance of Cr coating at 1200 °C is better than that of CrN, the latter appears to crack and spall on the oxide layer. Due to the higher fracture toughness, ductility of the Cr coating and more suitable deformation compatibility, the Cr coating possesses better crack resistance than the CrN coating under mechanical loading.

The mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA), a naturally occurring food contaminant, has a toxic effect on the growth and development of follicles in pigs. However, little is known regarding the specific toxic effects of OTA exposure on oocytes and granulosa cells (GCs). In this study, we cultured porcine ovarian GCs and exposed them to OTA in vitro in order to explore the mechanism causing the negative effects. Initially, it was found that OTA exposure inhibited cell viability in a time and dose dependent manner. We also showed that OTA exposure increased oxidative stress, decreased proliferation ratio, and increased apoptosis ratio in GCs. We revealed an important role for the PI3K/AKT signal pathway in GC proliferation and apoptosis by RNA-seq analysis. The results not only showed that OTA treatment significantly affected the expression of genes within the PI3K/AKT pathway but also demonstrated a concrete relationship between the PI3K/AKT pathway and GC cell proliferation and apoptosis. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that OTA exposure impaired porcine GC growth via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

From the previous research, it has been supported that activin A (ActA) is conducive to ovarian development in vitro. In the present paper, with the aim to identify the molecular pathways through which ActA can influence processes of the fetal and early postnatal oogenesis, we analyzed the transcriptome of embryonic ovaries (12.5 days postcoitum) in vitro cultured with or without ActA for 6 days, as well as the produced oocytes for 28 days, and further compared the gene expression profile with their in vivo counterparts. With the confirmation of designed test, we found that the addition of ActA to the ovary culture tended, generally, to align oocyte gene expression to the in vivo condition, in particular of a number of genes involved in meiosis and epigenetic modifications of histones. In particular, we identified DNA recombination during the oocyte meiotic prophase I and lysine trimethylation of the histone H3K27 during the oocyte growth phase as molecular pathways modulated by ActA.

Novel nanocomposites consisting of polystyrene-block-polybutadienyl polyhexamethylene dicarbamate-block-polystyrene (PS-b-HTPB5-b-PS) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were designed and prepared via noncovalent interactions. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations showed that segregated networks of MWCNTs were formed due to the cladding of PS-b-HTPB5-b-PS, presenting a parallel-arranged topology of the MWCNTs in a continuous PS-b-HTPB5-b-PS phase, which improved the dispersibility of the MWCNTs. The nanocomposites were fabricated into vapor sensing elements to detect CH2Cl2 vapor in the environment, exhibiting excellent responsive sensitivity, reproducibility and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 1 ppm when exposed to CH2Cl2 vapor. The chain extension of HTPB overcame the fragility and improved the tenacity of the thin films, and the responsivity was optimized by adjusting the content of the MWCNTs and the length of the PS chains. The newly developed conductive composites can be applied as a promising vapor sensor to accurately monitor CH2Cl2 vapor in the environment.

With the increasing development of science and technology, food analysis and detection techniques are continouosly being updated, consummated, and are booming. To meet the demands for high efficiency, speediness, and accuracy in food detection, new rapid detection technology needs to be developed for ensuring food safety and human heath. For this purpose, multi-walled carbon nanotubes decorated with gold nanoparticles-grafted poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl ferrocenecarboxylate) (MWCNTs@Au-g-PMAEFc) nanohybrids were prepared through ATRP of MAEFc, with the MWCNTs@Au nanocomposites prepared via an in situ reduction route. The chemical structure and composition of the nanohybrids were characterized by 1H NMR, FTIR, Raman, XRD, TGA, UV-vis, and XPS techniques. The dispersion behavior and morphologies were investigated by UV-vis, TEM, and SEM observations. The electrochemical properties were studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The experimental results indicated that the nanohybrid-modified electrodes possessed clearly improved electrochemical properties and good reversibility of the redox process, which could be tuned by altering the composition proportions, including the mass ratios of MWCNTs to Au NPs, and the graft percentage of PMAEFc chain segments. The resultant modified electrode sensors could efficiently detect trace poisonous and harmful pesticide residues, and presented a good linear relationship between the concentration and the peak currents, giving a low limit of detection of about 2.7 × 10−8 mol L−1. The developed nanohybrids could therefore be fabricated into electrochemical sensors to detect trace pesticide for ensuring food safety.

Based on the theory of Q-marker, the hairy root of Salvia miltiorrhiza and S. miltiorrhiza in many provinces were studied. The relative expressions of SmCPS, SmKSL and CYP76AH1 genes in hairy roots were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and the contents of tanshinoneⅡ_A, cryptotanshinone, tanshinoneⅠ, 1,2-dihydrotanshinone, ferruginol and miltiradiene were detected by UPLC and GC-MS, respectively. Statistical analysis shows as fllows: in the hairy root of S. miltiorrhiza, the content of miltiradiene and ferruginol is positively correlated with the content of tanshinone compounds in the downstream, and the relative expression of important genes in the biosynthetic pathway of tanshinone can reflect the content of tanshinone compounds to a certain extent; in many provinces of S. miltiorrhiza, the content of ferruginol and tanshinone compounds can also be found that there is a positive correlation between the contents. Based on the biosynthetic pathway of tanshinone compounds, which is a special index component in S. miltiorrhiza, this study focused on the important relationship between the upstream gene, the middle intermediate compound and the downstream tanshinone compound content of the biosynthetic pathway, and explored the possible research ideas of improving the quality marker system of S. miltiorrhiza, and then provided the possible research ideas for understanding and studying the quality marker of traditional Chinese medicine from the biosynthetic pathway.

Litter size (LS), an important economic trait in livestock, is so complicate that involves many aspects of reproduction, the underlying mechanism of which particularly in goat has always been scanty. To uncover the genetic basis of LS, the genomic sequence of Jining Gray goat groups (one famous breed for high prolificacy in China) with LS 1, 2, and 3 for firstborn was analyzed, obtaining 563.67 Gb sequence data and a total of 31,864,651 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms loci were identified. Particularly, the increased heterozygosity in higher LS groups, and large continuous homozygous segments associated with lower LS group had been uncovered. Through an integrated analysis of three popular methods for detecting selective sweeps (Fst, nucleotide diversity, and Tajima's D statistic), 111 selected regions and 42 genes associated with LS were scanned genome wide. The candidate genes with highest selective signatures included KIT, KCNH7, and KMT2E in LS2 and PAK1, PRKAA1, and SMAD9 in LS3 group, respectively. Meanwhile, functional terms of programmed cell death involved in cell development and regulation of insulin receptor signaling pathway were mostly enriched with 42 candidate genes, which also included reproduction related terms of steroid metabolic process and cellular response to hormone stimulus. In conclusion, our study identified novel candidate genes involving in regulation of LS in goat, which expand our understanding of genetic fundament of reproductive ability, and the novel insights regarding to LS would be potentially applied to improve reproductive performance.

Iron–chromium–aluminum (Fe–Cr–Al) alloys have great potential application as an accident-tolerant fuel cladding material in light-water reactors. It has excellent processing ability, resistance to steam oxidation at high temperatures (HTs), and irradiation swelling-resistance. It is necessary to improve the room- and high-temperature mechanical properties and reveal the strengthening mechanism. In this study, we analyzed the effect of Zr on the microstructure and room- and high-temperature tensile properties of hot- and warm-rolled FeCrAl alloys. The results show that the Laves phase could be effectively stabilized by Zr addition, and the proportion of low-angle grain boundaries increased. Moreover, the yield strength at room and high temperatures of the samples after Zr addition were improved, owing to the precipitation and sub-grain boundary strengthening by Zr. In addition, Zr changed the grain orientation, but had no relevance to the number of easier activated slip systems. The movable dislocation cannot slip during high-temperature tensile tests because of the pinning effect of the dynamic precipitated Laves phase, which could be the reason for the decrease in elongation at high temperatures.

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a well-known exogenous endocrine disruptor and can lead to severe negative effects on the human and animal reproductive process. Using a follicle culture model, we have previously shown that ZEA exposure significantly affected the follicular development and antrum formation but the underlying mechanisms are not well known. Therefore, in this study, we explored the metabolomic changes of granulosa cell (GC) culture media with or without ZEA exposure. The results showed that ZEA significantly increased phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidyl ethanolamine adducts in culture medium. A comprehensive analysis with the metabolome data from follicular fluid of small and large antral follicles showed that lyso phosphatidylcholine (LPC) was accumulated during follicle growth, but was depleted by ZEA exposure. Exogenous supplement with LPC to the follicle growth media or oocyte maturation media can partly protect the defect of ZEA exposure on follicular antrum formation and oocyte maturation. Taken together, our results demonstrate that ZEA exposure hinders the follicular growth and exogenous LPC can practically protect the defect of ZEA on follicular development and oocyte maturation.

Zearalenone (ZEA) is one of mycotoxins which are from corn, sorghum and wheat. As an estrogenic compound, ZEA mainly affects animal growth and reproduction with causing abnormal reproduction capability. Previous studies have shown that ZEA poses adverse effects on follicular development, but the mechanism of genetic toxicity of ZEA is not understood. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of ZEA exposure on granulosa cells which play vital roles during follicular development. Mouse granulosa cells were exposed to 10 μM or 30 μM ZEA for 72 h in vitro, and the differences in gene expression patterns between control and ZEA exposures were analyzed by RNA-seq. The data demonstrated that 30 μM ZEA had a significant effect on the gene expression, especially ZEA exposure increased the expression of many genes related to different kinds of cancers and cancer related pathways like Hippo signaling pathway and the related genes, such as Ccnd1, Smad3, Tead3, Yap1 and Wwtr1. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry confirmed the increase in the protein levels of YAP1, WWTR1 and CCND1 in 30 μM ZEA exposure group. Collectively, this investigation indicated that ZEA exposure promoted the expression of tumorigenesis genes in mouse granulosa cells to.

Zearalenone (ZEA), a natural contaminant found in feed, has been shown to have a negative impact on domestic animal reproduction, particularly in pigs. There are species-specific differences in the ZEA-induced toxicity pattern. Here, we investigated the different biological effects of ZEA exposure on porcine and mouse granulosa cells, using RNA-seq analysis. We treated murine and porcine granulosa cells with 10 μM and 30 μM ZEA during 72 h of culturing, in vitro. The results showed that 10 μM ZEA exposure significantly altered mitosis associated genes in porcine granulosa cells, while the same treatment significantly altered the steroidogenesis associated genes in mouse granulosa cells. Exposure to 30 μM ZEA resulted in significantly up-regulated expression of inflammatory related genes in porcine granulosa cells as well as the cancer related genes in mouse granulosa cells. Similarly, 30 μM ZEA exposure significantly decreased the expression of tumor suppressor factors in the mouse granulosa cells. Furthermore, immunofluorescence, RT-qPCR as well as western-blot analysis verified the different expression of related genes in ZEA exposed porcine and mouse granulosa cells. Collectively, these results illustrate the presence of species differences with regards to ZEA effects between porcine and mouse ovarian granulosa cells, in vitro.

Genome flanking regions surrounding transcription start sites (TSSs) are critical for the regulation of gene expression, containing many translational regulatory elements. To investigate whether critical single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) exist around TSSs in the dairy goat genome, we performed high throughput DNA sequencing to compare two dairy goat groups with discrepant litter sizes. After genome mapping, SNP calling, and annotation, we screened the SNPs within 2kb scales surrounding annotated TSSs in high fecundity (HF) and low fecundity (LF) groups, respectively. We attempted to identify distinct SNPs and motifs near the TSSs in both groups. The SNPs near the TSSs most were consistent; 318 new SNPs were uncovered in the HF group, of which 305 were heterozygote SNPs, 13 were homozygote SNPs, and majority of which were distributed on chromosome 2 and 29. After validation by Sanger sequencing we found that a SNP in CHI16: 27612330 C>A in the PSEN2 gene presented an A/A genotype in the HF group and an A/A or A/C genotype in the LF group. In conclusion, our study provides insightful information into the dairy goat genomic variations surrounding TSSs, which may contribute to enhanced litter size. Based on comparison studies of SNPs exist around transcription start sites between high fecundity group and low fecundity group. Our finding provides insights concerning the goat litter size phenotypic and will promote future goat breeding.

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a natural contaminant of various food and feed products representing a significant problem worldwide. Since the occurrence of ZEA in grains and feeds is frequent, the present study was carried out to evaluate the possible effects of ZEA on steroid production and gene expression of porcine granulosa cells, using RNA-seq analysis. Porcine granulosa cells were administered 10 μM and 30 μM ZEA during 72 h of culture in vitro. Following ZEA treatment the gene expression profile of control and exposed granulosa cells was compared using RNA-seq analysis. The results showed that in the exposed granulosa cells ZEA significantly altered the transcript levels, particularly steroidogenesis associated genes. Compared with the control group, 10 μM and 30 μM ZEA treatment significantly increased the mRNA expression of EDN1, IER3, TGFβ and BDNF genes and significantly reduced the mRNA expression of IGF-1 and SFRP2 genes. In particular, ZEA significantly decreased the expression of genes essential for estrogen synthesis including FSHR, CYP19A1 and HSD17β in granulosa cells. Furthermore, Q-PCR and Western-blot analysis also confirmed reduced expression of these genes in ZEA exposed granulosa cells. These effects were associated with a significant reduction of 17β-estradiol concentrations in the culture medium of granulosa cells. Collectively, these results demonstrated a concretely deleterious effect of ZEA exposure on the mRNA expression of steroidogenesis related genes and the production of steroid hormones in porcine ovarian granulosa cells in vitro.

Germ cell meiosis is one of the most finely orchestrated events during gametogenesis with distinct developmental patterns in males and females. However, in mammals, the molecular mechanisms involved in this process remain not well known. Here, we report detailed transcriptome analyses of cell populations present in the mouse female gonadal ridges (E11.5) and the embryonic ovaries from E12.5 to E14.5 using single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA seq). These periods correspond with the initiation and progression of meiosis throughout the first stage of prophase I. We identified 13 transcriptionally distinct cell populations and 7 transcriptionally distinct germ cell subclusters that correspond to mitotic (3 clusters) and meiotic (4 clusters) germ cells. By comparing the signature gene expression pattern of 4 meiotic germ cell clusters, we found that the 4 cell clusters correspond to different cell status en route to meiosis progression, and therefore, our research here characterized detailed transcriptome dynamics during meiotic prophase I. Reconstructing the progression of meiosis along pseudotime, we identified several new genes and molecular pathways with potential critical roles in the mitosis/meiosis transition and early meiotic progression. Last, the heterogeneity within somatic cell populations was also discussed and different cellular states were identified. Our scRNA seq analysis here represents a new important resource for deciphering the molecular pathways driving meiosis initiation and progression in female germ cells and ovarian somatic cells.

Novel nanocomposites consisting of polystyrene-block-polybutadienyl polyhexamethylene dicarbamate-block-polystyrene (PS-b-HTPB5-b-PS) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were designed and prepared via noncovalent interactions. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations showed that segregated networks of MWCNTs were formed due to the cladding of PS-b-HTPB5-b-PS, presenting a parallel-arranged topology of the MWCNTs in a continuous PS-b-HTPB5-b-PS phase, which improved the dispersibility of the MWCNTs. The nanocomposites were fabricated into vapor sensing elements to detect CH2Cl2 vapor in the environment, exhibiting excellent responsive sensitivity, reproducibility and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 1 ppm when exposed to CH2Cl2 vapor. The chain extension of HTPB overcame the fragility and improved the tenacity of the thin films, and the responsivity was optimized by adjusting the content of the MWCNTs and the length of the PS chains. The newly developed conductive composites can be applied as a promising vapor sensor to accurately monitor CH2Cl2 vapor in the environment.

As one of the most prevalent contaminants in animal and human food, the deleterious effects of trichothecene mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) warrant extensive investigation. Here, to assess the effects of DON exposure to the populations of gut microbiota, four-weeks-old mice were exposed to different doses (1.0 and 5.0 mg/kg) of DON every two days for 14 days. The contents of the cecum were then collected for DNA extraction and metagenomic shotgun sequencing, in order to detect alterations of the gut microbiota. We found that the average body weight and daily gain in the high dose DON treated group decreased. Metagenomic analysis demonstrated that the relative abundance of Firmicutes in the low and Bacteroidetes in the high dose groups increased compared to that in the untreated control group. Moreover, using gene calling and functional annotation, we found that large numbers of biosynthesis and degradation dependent populations were altered. As a result, metabolism pathways including sphingolipid, protein digestion/absorption, and lipoic acid pathways in the high dose DON exposed group dramatically fluctuated in comparison to the control and low dose groups. In addition, metagenomic binning identified ten microbiota genome drafts, with high levels of completeness, that further explain the DON-induced intestinal toxicity. Our findings suggested that DON exposure significantly impacted the microbiota community in the mouse, causing biosynthesis and degradation damage and metabolism pathway disorders.

Copy number variation (CNV), as an important component of genomic structural variation (SV), plays essential roles in phenotypic variability, disease susceptibility and species evolution. To investigate whether critical CNVs exist in dairy goats with differing fecundity, we performed genome-wide sequencing of two populations of Laoshan dairy goats with large differences in litter size. After reference genome aligning, CNV calling, and annotation, we screened identified CNVs in the high-fecundity (HF) and low-fecundity (LF) groups to identify discrepant CNVs and their distribution within the genome. Prolactin-related protein 1 and 6 (PRP1 and PRP6), important factors regulating reproductive processes, were demonstrated to be duplicated in the HF group. In summary, based on the differences in CNVs between goats with differing litter sizes, it suggests CNVs may contribute to litter size in Laoshan dairy goats.

Zircaloys, rooted in their inherent passivity, are widely used as the cladding materials for light water reactors (LWRs) due to their desirable corrosion resistance against high temperature and high pressure water. The hydrogen permeation behavior on zircaloy with passive film, however, is rarely understood so far. In this work, the gaseous hydrogen permeation characteristic mainly on the defect evolution of nanoscale passive films of nanoscale passive films formed hydrothermally on different types of zirconium alloys (Zirconium, Zircaloy-4, N18 and M5) was explored and compared. Surface analytical techniques were implemented to evaluate the hydrogen permeation characteristic. The AES depth profiles showed that the as-prepared oxides were hundreds of nanometers in thickness and inward diffusion occurred upon hydrogen exposure. Electrochemical measurements suggested that the oxides formed on different types of zircaloys were of similar phase structures of monoclinic zirconia but with different oxygen vacancy concentrations. XPS results comparison confirmed that niobium enhances the hydrogen resistance of the oxides, yet tin causes degradation of the oxides in the reductive environment. In view of these analyses, the involving mechanism was first proposed and discussed on the basis of point defect reactions.

Zearalenone (ZEA), a metabolite of Fusarium fungi, is commonly found on moldy grains. Because it can competitively combine to estrogen receptor to disrupt estrogenic signaling, it has been reported to have serious adverse effects on animal reproduction systems. In order to explore the genotoxic effects of ZEA exposure on ovarian somatic cells, porcine granulosa cells were exposed to 10 μM and 30 μM ZEA for 24 or 72 h in vitro. The results showed that ZEA exposure for 24 h remarkably reduced the proliferation of porcine granulosa cells in a dose-dependent manner as determined by MTT analysis and flow cytometry. Furthermore, exposure to ZEA for 72 h induced apoptosis, and RNA sequence analysis also revealed that the expression of apoptosis related genes were altered. RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence and western blot analysis further confirmed the expression of DNA damage and repair related genes (γ-H2AX, BRCA1, RAD51 and PRKDC) were increased in ZEA exposed granulosa cells. When the estrogen antagonist, tamoxifen, was added with ZEA in the culture medium, the DNA damage and repairment by ZEA returned to normal level. Collectively, these results illustrate that ZEA disrupts genome stability and inhibits growth of porcine granulosa cells via the estrogen receptors which may promote granulosa cell apoptosis when the DNA repair system is not enough to rescue this serious damage.

Sensitive conductive polymer nanocomposites based on noncovalent interactions were prepared via combination of an in situ oxidative and stepwise polymerization, which consisted of multiwalled carbon nanotubes coated with polypyrrole and hydroxyl-terminated poly (butadiene-co-acrylonitile) polyurethane (MWCNTs@PPY/HTBN PU). The nanocomposites were fabricated into thin film sensors to detect CHCl3 vapor in environments. The experimental results indicated that the covering of PPY contributed to the improvement of the compatibility and conductivity of the composite systems, whereas the incorporation of the HTBN PU made for improving the dispersion behavior, the structural stability, the film-forming properties and vapor responsivity mainly triggered by the swelling of PU cross-linking networks. The vapor sensors could detect CHCl3 vapor as low as 50 ppm, and offered a wide vapor concentration range, good restorability and high vapor sensitivity of 0.055 at the CHCl3 concentration of 500 ppm. The cyclic sensing measurements showed good repeatability, stability and thus a great practical application prospect in detection of environmental gaseous pollutants.

Dairy goats are one of the most utilized domesticated animals in China. Here, we selected extreme populations based on differential fecundity in two Laoshan dairy goat populations. Utilizing deep sequencing we have generated 68.7 and 57.8 giga base of sequencing data, and identified 12,458,711 and 12,423,128 SNPs in the low fecundity and high fecundity groups, respectively. Following selective sweep analyses, a number of loci and candidate genes in the two populations were scanned independently. The reproduction related genes CCNB2, AR, ADCY1, DNMT3B, SMAD2, AMHR2, ERBB2, FGFR1, MAP3K12 and THEM4 were specifically selected in the high fecundity group whereas KDM6A, TENM1, SWI5 and CYM were specifically selected in the low fecundity group. A sub-set of genes including SYCP2, SOX5 and POU3F4 were localized both in the high and low fecundity selection windows, suggesting that these particular genes experienced strong selection with lower genetic diversity. From the genome data, the rare nonsense mutations may not contribute to fecundity, whereas nonsynonymous SNPs likely play a predominant role. The nonsynonymous exonic SNPs in SETDB2 and CDH26 which were co-localized in the selected region may take part in fecundity traits. These observations bring us a new insights into the genetic variation influencing fecundity traits within dairy goats.

The compatibility of the austenitic AISI 304 steel with Pb-Bi-Sn alloy was analyzed. The AISI 304 steels were immersed in stagnant molten Pb-33. 3Bi-33. 3Sn alloy at 400, 500 and 600 °C for different exposure times (100–2000 h) respectively. X-Ray diffraction spectrum (XRD) with a Y-4Q system (CuKα, λ = 0. 154 78 nm) was used to identify the phases on the surface of specimens after exposing to Pb-Bi-Sn liquid metal (LM). The surface and cross section of the specimens were analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The result showed that a FeSn alloy layer on the surface of all specimens was formed, and it prevented AISI 304 steel matrix from penetration attack and loss of alloy elements at 400 and 500 °C.

Titanium carbide coatings are widely used as various wear-resistant material. The hydrogen erosion resistance of TiC-C films and the effect of hydrogen participation on TiC-C films were studied. Seventy-five percent TiC-C films are prepared on stainless steel surface by using ion mixing, where TiC-C films are deposited by rf magnetron sputtering followed by argon ion bombardment. The samples are then submitted to hydrogen ion implantation at 1.2 × 10−3 Pa. Characterization for the 75% TiC-C films was done with SIMS, XRD, AES, and XPS. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) was used to analyze hydrogen concentration variation with depth, X-Ray diffraction (XRD) was used to identify the phases, and Auger electron spectra (AES) as well as X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) were used to check the effects of hydrogen on shifts of chemical bonding states of C and Ti in the TiC-C films. It is found that TiC-C films on stainless steel surface can prevent hydrogen from entering stainless steel.

In this paper, a new type of floating ring gas bearing in which a “floating ring” is combined with an “orifice-annular and shallow-pocket” gas bearing is introduced. The stability of this new type of floating ring gas journal bearing is theoretically analyzed by use of the modified 8-stiffness and damping coefficients method. The variation of the dimensionless critical mass of the rotor with a clearance ratio C2/C1, mass ratio m2/m1, given ring speed ratio ω2/ω1, supply pressure Ps, eccentricity ratio of inner film e1 and width ratio of the shallow-pocket (l/L)u is presented. The variations of the dimensionless load capacity of this type of gas bearing with the above-mentioned parameters are also given.

The orifice annular and shallow pocket restricted hybrid gas journal bearing is a new type of gas bearing which has good high-speed stability performance. In this paper, the stability of this bearing with three shallow pockets is studied theoretically, and the optimization for its maximum stability is carried out by use of the Complex Method. Some useful conclusions are obtained. Presented as a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers paper at the ASME/STLE Tribology Conference in Lahaina, Hawaii, October 16–20, 1994

In this work, hydrogen absorption and the permeation behavior of the passive layer formed on zircaloy-4 are investigated. Potentiodynamic polarization, Mott—Schottky analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and Raman scattering spectroscopy are employed to characterize the passive defects before and after hydrogen permeation. It is found that the nanoscale passive ZrO2 films play an important role in the resistance against corrosion; hydrogen impingement, however, reduces the passive impedance towards hydrothermal oxidation. The increase of defects (vacancies) in passive film is probably attributed to the degradation. We believe that this finding will provide valuable insight into the understanding of the corrosion mechanism of zircaloys used in light water reactors.

Creatures adapted to environmental conditions in a variety of ways, on the macroscopic as well as the microscopic scale. The evolved structures always give a hint about the design of functional materials. Recently, inspired by the trichomes on the surface of silver ragwort, we fabricated a surface with superhydrophobicity and light-shielding simultaneously by simply transforming polystyrene to the trichomeslike structure.