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This work presents a rapid and highly sensitive colorimetric assay using bifunctional DNA probe decorated agarose microbeads (MBs) coupled with a cascade signal amplification system, including rolling circle amplification (RCA) and the hemin/G-quadruplex-catalyzed colorimetric reaction, for visualized detection of uranyl ions. The DNA probe integrates the UO

The direct detection method possesses the ability of both content detection of uranyl ions and structural analysis of uranyl compounds in nmol level, while the indirect detection method can detect the uranyl ions as low as fmol level.

Background Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common joint disease worldwide, and the main cause of pain and disability in the elderly. Due to increased aging and rates of obesity of the global population, the number of patients with KOA is expected to increase. To reduce the burden of KOA, effective and safe interventions should be developed to reduce pain and improve range of motion, functionality, and quality of life. The aim of the proposed randomized controlled study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) rehabilitation therapy in the treatment of KOA. Methods This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled trial will include a total of 200 patients with KOA. The enrolled patients will be randomly divided into the experimental group (n=100) and control group (n=100). The experimental group will receive basic treatment plus TCM rehabilitation therapy, while the control group will receive basic treatment plus physiotherapy regimen. Primary endpoints will include clinical efficacy outcomes, visual analog scale, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index score, and Knee Outcome Survey Activities of Daily Living Scale score. The data will help determine whether TCM rehabilitation therapy is beneficial for the treatment of KOA. Discussion The results will provide high-quality guidance for the current clinical treatment of KOA, and provide patients with more options for symptom relief. The findings from this study may provide updated evidence concerning the efficacy and safety of TCM for patients with KOA.

Charge-transfer (CT) is an important enhancement mechanism in the field of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) that typically increases the Raman intensity of molecules by as much as 10-100 times. Herein, a low-cost Ag2O aggregates substrate was prepared via a facile chemical precipitation method, and the calculated CT-based enhancement factor of the uranyl ions adsorbed on it reached as high as 105, a metal-comparable value. The efficient photoinduced CT process from the valence band of Ag2O to the LUMO of uranyl ions under appropriate excitation sources resulted in the repulsion of the axial oxygen atoms of the O U O bond, which enhanced its polarizability, creating a more intense Raman mode. To the best of our knowledge, this study firstly reports such a strong photoinduced CT enhancement of uranyl ions, with concentrations of 10−8 mol L−1 or lower being detected using this Ag2O substrate. Most importantly, this research has shown that the photoinduced CT enhancement also contributes to the SERS of uranyl ions on pure Ag substrates which have often been ascribed to the electromagnetic enhancement in previous studies. In addition, Ag2O can be used to selectively detect uranyl ions without interference from many other molecules or ions because of the energy matching rule of the photoinduced CT process, which was readily available for uranyl detection in the environmental aqueous solution.

Objective The purpose of this study was to review the effects of robot-assisted therapy (RT) for improving poststroke upper extremity motor impairment. Methods The PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to April 8, 2020. Randomized controlled trials that were conducted to evaluate the effects of RT on upper extremity motor impairment poststroke and that used Fugl-Meyer assessment for upper extremity scores as an outcome were included. Two authors independently screened articles, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to pool the effect sizes across the studies. Results Forty-one randomized controlled trials with 1916 stroke patients were included. Compared with dose-matched conventional rehabilitation, RT significantly improved the Fugl-Meyer assessment for upper extremity scores of the patients with stroke, with a small effect size (Hedges g = 0.25; 95% CI, 0.11-0.38; I2 = 45.9%). The subgroup analysis revealed that the effects of unilateral RT, but not that of bilateral RT, were superior to conventional rehabilitation (Hedges g = 0.32; 95% CI, 0.15-0.50; I2 = 55.9%). Regarding the type of robot devices, the effects of the end effector device (Hedges g = 0.22; 95% CI, 0.09–0.36; I2 = 35.4%), but not the exoskeleton device, were superior to conventional rehabilitation. Regarding the stroke stage, the between-group difference (ie, RT vs convention rehabilitation) was significant only for people with late subacute or chronic stroke (Hedges g = 0.33; 95% CI, 0.16-0.50; I2 = 34.2%). Conclusion RT might be superior to conventional rehabilitation in improving upper extremity motor impairment in people after stroke with notable upper extremity hemiplegia and limited potential for spontaneous recovery.

In this article, a novel method to synthesize graphene quantum dots was developed via thermal treatment of crude graphite oxide (GO) in a dry and alkaline condition to cut the crude GO sheets into small graphene quantum dots (named as aGQDs). The aGQDs are nano-scale reduced graphene oxide pieces with the sizes around 5–10 nm. The aGQDs could disperse in water for their richment of oxygen-containing groups. The fluorescence properties were carefully investigated. The aGQDS aqueous solution shows a bright yellow-green fluorescence under the UV illumination. Besides, the uranyl ions show a strong fluorescence quenching effect on the a aGQD aqueous solution even at a low concentration (~10−7 M) compared with other common ions in natural water-body, which makes that these aGQDs could be applied as a chemosensor for detection of uranyl ions with good sensitivity and selectivity., Analytical chemistry; Environmental science; Materials science; Graphene dots; Uranyl; Detection; Fluorescence quenching

In this study, a novel signal-increase electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor has been developed for the detection of glucose based on graphene quantum dot/glucose oxidase (GQD/GO x ) on Ti foil. The proposed GQD with excellent ECL ability is synthesized through a green one-step strategy by the electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide quantum dot. Upon the addition of glucose, GO x can catalytically oxidize glucose and the direct electron transfer between the redox centre of GO x and the modified electrode also has been realized, which results in the bio-generated H 2 O 2 for ECL signal increase in GQD and realizes the direct ECL detection of glucose. The signal-increase ECL biosensor enables glucose detection with high sensitivity reaching 5 × 10 −6 mol l −1 in a wide linear range from 5 × 10 −6 to 1.5 × 10 −3 mol l −1 . Additionally, the fabrication process of such GQD-based ECL biosensor is also suitable to other biologically produced H 2 O 2 system, suggesting the possible applications in the sensitive detection of other biologically important targets (e.g. small molecules, protein, DNA and so on).

Figure S1 A) CVs of the electrolysis of 1.0 mg mL−1 GOQD at a scan rate of 50 mV s−1; B) CVs of Ti foil after GOQD electrolysis in 0.067 M pH~7 PBS.;Figure S2 FTIR spectra of GQD and GOQD.;Figure S3 Raman spectra of GQD and GOQD.;Figure S4 XPS spectra of (A) GOQD and (B) GQD.;Figure S5 Photoluminescence spectra of GOQD/Ti foil, GQD/Ti foil and the supernatant after centrifugation of the GQD/Ti foil.

SERS has been used for rapid and trace analysis of uranyl compounds due to its fast response and high sensitivity. However, the difficulties in preparing stable and reusable SERS substrate as well as quantitative detection severely restrict its practical application prospects. Herein, HfO2-wrapped slanted Ag nanorods array was used as SERS substrate for sensitive analysis of trace uranyl compounds for the first time. The proposed substrate with uniform surface roughness and well-distributed Ag nanorods showed excellent spectral reproducibility, while the ultrathin HfO2 film fully covering Ag nanorods effectively improved the substrate stability and contributed to its cyclic utilization. Besides, quantitative detection of trace uranyl ions was achieved by using this substrate with an ultra-low detection limit of 8.33 ppb. Most importantly, SERS spectra of varied uranyl hydroxides at different pH values together with in situ SERS spectrum of U O 2 ( C O 3 ) 3 4 − were recorded on this substrate, building the correspondence between SERS band position of O U O(ν1) and uranyl species. Thus, SERS technique based on this substrate could be a promising method for both concentration detection of uranyl ions and structure identification of some uranyl compounds in trace level, indicating high potential application prospects in the environmental monitoring.

The solid reaction of lithium hydride and lithium hydroxide in lithium hydride pellet is first directly observed at normal ambient condition after 4 years storage. Layer-by-layer XPS results show that LiOH hydrolysis layer quickly forms on the LiH surface, LiOH reacts with bulk LiH to form Li2O and H2. Due to the great H2 outgassing after long time conservation, bubbling problem actually exists during the practical long-time preserving period. Using CO2 as pre-treatment gas during the LiH sample preparation process is a feasible way to prevent LiH sample from bubbling after long storage period. Moreover, Li2CO3 shows possible delay effect on the solid reaction of LiOH with LiH in this work, thus preserving LiH sample in CO2 containing atmosphere might also be an prospective way to protect the sample from further corrosion.

Understanding the spatial distribution patterns (SDPs) of natural disasters plays an essential role in reducing and minimizing natural disaster risks. An integrated discussion on the SDPs of multiple global disasters is still lacking. In addition, due to their high quantity and complexity, natural disasters constitute high-dimensional data that represent a challenge for an analysis of SDPs. This paper analyzed the SDPs of global disasters from 1980 to 2016 through biclustering. The results indicate that the SDPs of fatality rates are more uneven than those of occurrence rates. Based on the occurrence rates, the selected countries were clustered into four classes. (1) The major disasters along the northern Pacific and in the Caribbean Sea and Madagascar are storms, followed by floods. (2) Most of Africa is mainly affected by floods, epidemics, and droughts. (3) The primary disaster types in the Alpine-Himalayan belt and the western Andes are floods and earthquakes. (4) Europe, America, Oceania, and South and Southeast Asia are predominantly influenced by floods. In addition, according to the fatality rates, the selected countries were clustered into eight classes. (1) Extreme high temperatures mostly result in high fatality rates (HFRs) in developed countries. (2) Epidemics lead to HFRs in parts of Africa. (3) Droughts produce HFRs in East Africa. (4) Earthquakes result in HFRs along the eastern Pacific coastline and the Alpine-Himalayan belt. (5) Tsunamis mainly cause HFRs in Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan. (6) Storms result in scattered but distinct HFRs along the coastal regions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. (7) Floods cause concentrated HFRs in South Asia and northeastern South America. (8) Finally, volcanoes cause HFRs in Colombia, while extreme low temperatures cause HFRs in Ukraine and Poland.

Uranium alloys containing a low concentration of titanium have received wide attention due to their greatly enhanced corrosion resistance and outstanding mechanical performances. Herein, we investigated the effect of macroscopic defects on the corrosion behavior of U-0.79 wt%Ti (denoted as U-Ti) alloy in 0.01 M NaCl solution using traditional electrochemical testing technologies and a novel scanning electrochemical composite probe (SECP). The results demonstrate that pitting corrosion occurs rapidly on the alloy surface due to macroscopic defects. Moreover, macroscopic defects led to a decrease in corrosion potential and polarization resistance, and an increase in corrosion current density. Furthermore, the potential and pH value distributions were detected in the same region using the composite probe. The results show that the region around the macroscopic defects become corrosion-active positions and the potential difference (vs. the average potential of the alloy surface) in this area is significantly higher than that at positions without macroscopic defects, while the opposite was observed for the pH value distribution. In addition, the distribution of the vertical direction (Z) potential at the active point was clearly different from that at the inactive point. A possible reason for this could lie in the difference in the electric field distribution and electrode reaction type between the active point and inactive point on the alloy surface.

A previous study by our group found that electro-acupuncture (EA) at the Shenting (DU24) and Baihui (DU20) acupoints ameliorates cognitive impairment in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the precise mechanism of action has remained largely unknown. The present study investigated whether brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) mediates hippocampal synaptic plasticity as the underlying mechanism. Rats were randomly divided into three groups: The sham operation control (Sham) group, the focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) group, and the I/R with EA treatment (I/R+EA) group. The I/R+EA group received EA treatment at the Shenting (DU24) and Baihui (DU20) acupoints after the operation. EA treatment was found to ameliorate neurological deficits (P

Post-stroke memory dysfunction (PMD) is one of the most common forms of cognitive impairment among stroke survivors. However, only a limited number of studies have directly investigated the neural mechanisms associated with memory decline. The aim of the present study was to identify dynamic changes in the functional organization of the default mode network (DMN) and the dorsal attention network of patients with PMD. A total of 27 patients with PMD who experienced a stroke in the right hemisphere were enrolled in the current study, along with 27 healthy control subjects matched by age, sex, and educational level. A behavioral examination and functional magnetic resonance imaging scan were performed. The data were analyzed using an independent component analysis method. The results revealed a significantly increased functional connectivity between the DMN and prefrontal cortex (left middle/inferior frontal and left precentral gyri), temporal regions (left superior temporal gyrus), and bilateral and posterior cingulate gyri/precuneus (P

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to identify the clinical efficacy of acupuncture in combination with RehaCom cognitive training in poststroke patients with cognitive dysfunction.Methods/DesignThis study was a 2 × 2 factorial design randomized controlled trial comparing acupuncture, computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation, and the usual treatment by per-protocol analysis. The trial was completed by 204 stroke patients, including 49 patients in a control group, 52 patients in an acupuncture treatment group, 51 patients in a RehaCom training group, and 52 patients in an acupuncture combined with RehaCom group. All of the patients accepted basic treatment and health education. The interventions continued for 12 weeks (30 minutes per day, 5 days per week). The relative cognitive and functional outcomes were measured at baseline and 12 weeks (at the end of intervention) using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scales.ResultsAfter 12 weeks of treatment, the functional statuses of the patients in each of the 4 groups showed varying degrees of improvement. Multiple comparisons of the changes in the MMSE, MoCA, and FIM scores indicated that acupuncture combined with RehaCom cognitive training (ACR) had enhanced therapeutic effects on the functional statuses of the stroke patients (P

The collision accident of ship is the most numerous and most influential type of traffic accident on water. At present, maritime traffic safety management and research focus on emergency response and lack of in-depth exploration of accident occurrence law. Based on the data of traffic accidents on the Yangtze River main line between 2006 and 2014 from the Yangtze River maritime bureau and Jiangsu maritime bureau, the basic characteristics and laws of accident occurrence are studied. The hidden factors, development trend, and possible consequences are analyzed. In addition, it gives some suggestions for the prevention and improvement of the safe navigation. This result can provide technical support for safety supervision of maritime traffic and navigation decision-making of vessels.

Efficient and sustainable remediation technologies for uranium have recently been gaining more and more interest. Adsorption techniques are facile, effective and universal for kinds of heavy metal ions. In this paper, sandwich-like Mn3O4@reduced graphene oxide (Mn3O4@G) nano-composites were prepared facilely and greenly by adding NaOH solution into crude graphite oxide suspension prepared via the Hummers' method to modify the pH. The Mn3O4@G nanocomposites possess a reasonable maximum equilibrium adsorption quantity 195.6 mg [U] g−1. Moreover, the magnetism of Mn3O4@G makes it easy to remove Mn3O4@G from water by strong magnet field.

In this paper, g-C3N4/GR hybrid has been prepared by a novel one-step electrochemical reduction technology for the first time. GR not only serves as immobilization platform for g-C3N4, but also significantly enhances the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) signal of g-C3N4 (∼4.7 times); additionally, the ECL signal can be further enhanced in the presence of the self-produced coreactant from oxygen reduction. Moreover, due to the quenching effect of pentachlorophenol (PCP) on the ECL signal of g-C3N4/GR, an advanced ECL sensor based on g-C3N4/GR has been fabricated for the ultrasensitive and rapid detection of PCP with unprecedented sensitivity reaching 1.0 × 10−11 mol L−1 in a wide linear range from 1.0 × 10−11 to 1.0 × 10−7 mol L−1, and the possible ECL detection mechanism has been proposed in detail. The practicability of the sensing platform in real water sample shows ideal recovery rates. Moreover, we also find that the one-step electrodeposition technology might be a good and viable way to make the bulk g-C3N4 thinner. Our experiments display the powerful utility of GR to g-C3N4 ECL studies and will emerge eximious applications in analytical communities and environmental monitoring.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the cyclic adenosine 3',5'‑monophosphate (cAMP)/protein kinase A(PKA)/cAMP‑responsive element binding protein (CREB) signal transduction pathway triggered by γ‑aminobutyric acid class B (GABA(B)) receptor activation is involved in neuroprotection against ischemia and behavioral recovery induced by opposing needling (ON). A total of 80 rats were randomly divided into four groups: A sham operation group, an ischemia group, an ON group and an ON group effectively inhibited by the GABA(B) receptor antagonist, CGP35384 (n=20/group). The behavior of the rats was assessed by their neurological deficit score, whereas the impairment of gait was examined using the CatWalk system. The volume of cerebral infarction was examined upon treatment with 2,3,5‑triphenyltetrazolium chloride. The expression levels of CREB, GABA(B1) and GABA(B2) were examined by western blotting and reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and the activity of adenylyl cyclase (AC), cAMP and PKA in the serum was detected using an enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay. In the present study, in comparison with other groups, the ON group exhibited a reduced score for the neurological deficit, the stride length and swing speed were improved, and the volume of infarction was reduced. However, these effects were reversed upon administration of CGP35384. Additionally, the expression levels of CREB, GABA(B1) and GABA(B2) were increased in the ON group. The levels of AC, cAMP and PKA in the serum were also increased in the ON group, whereas the addition of CGP35384 reversed these effects. The results of the present study demonstrated that ON markedly protected the brain against transient cerebral ischemic injury, and this effect was possibly mediated by the activation of the GABAB/cAMP/PKA/CREB signal transduction pathway. These findings implied that ON may be a potential therapeutic method for treating stroke.

Reactive astrogliosis is a common phenomenon in central nervous system (CNS) injuries such as ischemic stroke. The present study aimed to deeply investigate the relationships between the neuroprotective effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) and reactive astrocytes following cerebral ischemia. EA treatment at the Quchi (LI11) and Zusanli (ST36) acupoints at Day 3 attenuated neurological deficits and cerebral infarct volume in ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injured rats. Animal behavior assessments found that the speed of Catwalk gait, equilibrium and coordination of Rotarod test were improved. Furthermore, EA treatment exerted neuroprotective effects via activation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin and nestin positive cells. Simultaneously, an obvious increase in GFAP/vimentin, GFAP/nestin and GFAP/BrdU co-labeling appeared in the peri-infract cortex and striatum, suggesting EA can promote the proliferation of GFAP/vimentin/nestin-positive reactive astrocytes. The expression of cell cycle-associated proteins Cyclin Dl, CDK4 and phospho-Rb were increased in the peri-infract cortex and striatum, indicating proliferated reactive astrocytes-mediated CyclinDl/CDK4 regulation of the transition of the G1-to-S cell cycle phases. In addition, EA enhanced the localized expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the peri-infract cortex and striatum. These results demonstrated that EA treatment at the LI11 and ST36 acupoints on Day 3 exerted neuroprotection via proliferation of GFAP/vimentin/nestin-positive reactive astrocytes and, potentially, secretion of reactive astrocytes-derived BDNF in I/R injured rats.

In a previous study by our group, we demonstrated that electroacupuncture (EA) activates the class I phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway. There is considerable evidence that the downstream mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) plays an important role in autophagy following ischemic stroke. The aim of the present study was to determine whether EA exerts a neuroprotective effect through mTORC1-mediated autophagy following ischemia/reperfusion injury. Our results revealed that EA at the LI11 and ST36 acupoints attenuated motor dysfunction, improved neurological deficit outcomes and decreased the infarct volumes. The number of autophagosomes, autolysosomes and lysosomes was decreased following treatment with EA. Simultaneously, the levels of the autophagosome membrane maker, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta (LC3B)II/I, Unc-51-like kinase 1 (ULK1), autophagy related gene 13 Atg13) and Beclin1 (ser14) were decreased, whereas mTORC1 expression was increased in the peri-infarct cortex. These results suggest that EA protects against ischemic stroke through the inhibition of autophagosome formation and autophagy, which is mediated through the mTORC1-ULK complex-Beclin1 pathway.

BACKGROUND Previous studies suggested that inhibition of apoptosis prevents the dysfunction of ischemia-reperfusion injury. In the pathogenesis of ischemia-reperfusion injury, JNK/ERK1/2 and p38 play an essential role in regulation of cell apoptosis. Electroacupuncture (EA), a form of acupuncture, has demonstrated superiority in preventing ischemia-reperfusion injury, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. In the present study, we explored the effects of electroacupuncture at Shenting (GV24) and Baihui (GV20) acupoints on focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (MCAO) rats, and explored whether JNK/ERK1/2- and p38-mediated cell apoptosis are involved. MATERIAL AND METHODS The rats were divided into a sham operation control group, an ischemia group, and an electroacupuncture group with acupuncture applied for 10 days (30 min per day). TTC staining was used to calculate the ischemic brain volume. TUNEL staining and transmission electron microscopy were used to detect cell apoptosis. Western blot analysis and Bio-Plex were used to detect JNK, p38, ERK1/2, Bcl-2, and Bax protein expression. RESULTS We found that electroacupuncture at day 10 significantly reduced cerebral infarction. In addition, electroacupuncture suppressed activation of JNK and p38, while enhancing the activation of ERK1/2 in the peri-ischemic regions. Consequently, the effect of electroacupuncture on these pathways resulted in the inhibition of apoptosis, which was demonstrated by TUNEL and transmission electron microscopy. We found that electroacupuncture upregulated the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2/Bax ratio in peri-ischemic regions. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that inhibition of cell apoptosis via regulating multiple signaling pathways might be a mechanism whereby electroacupuncture has a positive therapeutic effect on post-stroke impairment.

Background Upper limb dysfunction is common after stroke, posing an important challenge for post-stroke rehabilitation. The clinical efficacy of acupuncture for the recovery of post-stroke upper limb function has been previously demonstrated. Mirror therapy (MT) has also been found to be effective. However, the effects of acupuncture and MT have not been systematically compared. This trial aims to elucidate the synergistic effects of acupuncture and MT on upper limb dysfunction after stroke. Methods A 2 × 2 factorial randomized controlled trial will be conducted at the rehabilitation hospitals affiliated with Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A total of 136 eligible subjects will be randomly divided into acupuncture treatment (AT), MT, combined treatment, and control groups in a 1:1:1:1 ratio. All subjects will receive conventional treatment. The interventions will be performed 5 days per week for 4 weeks. AT, MT, and combined treatment will be performed for 30 min per day (combined treatment: AT 15 min + MT 15 min). The primary outcomes in this study will be the mean change in scores on both the FMA and WMFT from baseline to 4 weeks intervention and at 12 weeks follow-up between the two groups and within groups. The secondary outcomes are the mean change in the scores on the Visual Analogue Scale, Stroke Impact Scale, and modified Barthel index. Medical abstraction of adverse events will be assessed at each visit. Discussion The results of this trial will demonstrate the synergistic effect of acupuncture and MT on upper limb motor dysfunction after stroke. In addition, whether AT and MT, either combined or alone, are more effective than the conventional treatment in the management of post-stroke upper limb dysfunction will also be determined. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR-IOR-17011118. Registered on April 11, 2017. Version number: 01.2016.09.1. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13063-018-2585-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are key pollutants due to their persistence, refractory biodegradation, high toxicity and bioaccumulation in the food chain. This review (with 93 refs.) covers the progress made in the past decades in the application of carbonaceous materials for electrochemical detection of POPs as listed in the Stockholm Convention. Following an introduction into the field, typical carbonaceous materials for use in electrodes are discussed, with subsection on carbon nanotubes, graphene, reduced graphene oxide, graphitic carbon nitride and carbon dots. This is followed by a section on application of carbonaceous materials in electrochemical detection, with subsections on the use of carbon nanotubes, of (doped-) graphene, of reduced graphene oxide, of graphitic carbon nitride, and of carbon dots. The review concludes with conclusions and future perspectives. The detection mechanisms of POPs are also discussed. Graphical abstract Advanced carbonaceous materials for the electrochemical determination of persistent organic pollutants.

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Here for the first time, we present a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on graphitic carbon nitride/graphene oxide (g-C3N4/GO) hybrid for the ultrasensitive detection of Cu(2+), which is a common pollutant in environmental system. The g-C3N4/GO shows stable ECL signal in the presence of the self-produced coreactant from oxygen reduction, and the ECL signal could be effectively quenched by Cu(2+), the possible ECL detection mechanism has been proposed in detail. GO can not only significantly enhance the cathodic ECL signal of g-C3N4 (∼3.8 times), but also serve as immobilization platform for g-C3N4. After optimization of experimental conditions, the proposed protocol can offer an ultrasensitive, highly selective and recyclable method for the detection of Cu(2+) with a low detection limit of 1.0 × 10(-11) M and a wide linear range from 1.0 × 10(-11) to 1.0 × 10(-7) M. Moreover, the practicability of the ECL sensor in real wastewater samples is also tested, showing that the proposed ECL sensor could be a promising alternative method for the emergency and routine monitoring of Cu(2+) in real sample.

Spatial selectivity estimation is crucial to choose the cheapest execution plan for a given query in a query optimizer. This article proposes an accurate spatial selectivity estimation method based...

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine there is an optimum time to administer acupuncture at a particular acupoint. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the timing effects of acupuncture at the Zusanli (ST36) acupoint. A total of 10 healthy volunteers and 10 post-stroke patients were recruited. The subjects received acupuncture stimulation at ST36 during two time periods: between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. (the AM condition) and between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. (the PM condition), seven days later. Blood oxygenation level-dependent signals were captured while the patient was receiving the acupuncture stimulation. The results showed a stronger activation in the AM condition than in the PM condition in both healthy and stroke subjects. The significant regions in the healthy subjects included the prefrontal cortex, cingulum, thalamus and cerebellum; for the stroke patients, the significant regions were the cuneus, supplementary motor area and inferior parietal gyrus. Timing can therefore modulate brain activation patterns during acupuncture in healthy subjects and stroke patients; however, the modulation effect appears to differ between the two subject groups. Further studies are required to explore the timing effects of acupuncture at different acupoints in different populations.

Background The Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (Neuro-QoL) item banks evaluate and monitor the physical, mental, and social health of individuals with neurological conditions. Neuro-QoL items can be administered via short form or computerized adaptive testing. This paper describes the English-to-Simplified Chinese translation of 299 items from 13 adult item banks, which are publicly available. Methods Items were translated according to the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) method, including forward and backward translation, reconciliation, expert reviews, and cognitive debriefing with both general and clinical populations in China. Results Most of the 299 Simplified Chinese items were well understood by the respondents. Revisions were made on a small number of items after cognitive debriefing. Although some difficulties were encountered in the translation process, all 13 item banks were linguistically validated with acceptable translations. Conclusion All Chinese adult Neuro-QoL measures are linguistically equivalent to their English sources. Future work includes psychometric validation of these measures in order to create a final version of the item banks. The translation methodology used in this study can serve as a blueprint for researchers in other countries interested in translating the Neuro-QoL.

Big Data Analysis (BDA) has attracted considerable interest and curiosity from scientists of various fields recently. As big size and complexity of big data, it is pivotal to uncover hidden patterns, bursts of activity, correlations and laws of it. Complex network analysis could be effective method for this purpose, because of its powerful data organization and visualization ability. Besides the general complex software (Gephi), some bibliometrics software (Citespace and SCI2) could also be used for this analysis, due to their powerful data process and visualization functions. This paper presents a comparison of Citespace, SCI2 and Gephi from the following three aspects: (1) Data preprocessing. Citespace is time-consuming and laborious on merging synonyms. SCI2 is efficient and suitable for massive data. Both of them could remove duplicate records. However, Gephi lacks these. (2) Network extraction. Citespace pays more attention on temporal analysis, but SCI2 and Gephi pay less attention on it. Besides, Citespace and SCI2 could provide pruning algorithms highlight the main structure of social network, but Gephi lacks this. (3) Visualization. In Citespace, co-occurrence network could present time, frequency and betweenness centrality simultaneously; cluster view could label the clusters with phrases. However, SCI2 and Gephi provide more various layout algorithms to present network. Besides, they have a better edit-ability than Citespace on generated network.

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is an environmental pollutant of serious concern due to its high toxicity and long persistence property. Fast and sensitive detection of PCP is therefore of great interest. Here, for the first time, a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on Au nanoclusters/graphene (Au NCs/GR) hybrid has been constructed for the detection of PCP, with S 2 O 8 2− as coreactant. GR facilitates both Au − and SO 4 − production, and a high yield of the excited Au NCs (Au *+ ) produces due to the presence of Au – and SO 4 − . The interaction between PCP and the Au *+ results in a sensitive change in the ECL intensity, with an unprecedented sensitivity reaching 1.0 × 10 −14 M concentration in a wide linear range from 1.0 × 10 −14 M to 1.0 × 10 −10 M. Other compounds which cannot be oxidized by the Au *+ show little interference on the detection of PCP. The obtained ECL sensor is low toxicity and regenerable, furthermore, the practicability of the ECL sensor in real water sample is also tested, which shows satisfactory results.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on cell proliferation and its molecular mechanisms. Sixty rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: sham operation control (SC), ischemia control (IC), EA, EA and DMSO injection (ED), EA and U0126 injection (EU). All the groups, with the exception of SC, underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), and DMSO or U0126 was injected into the rat in the ED or EU group 30 min prior to MCAO. Cell proliferation was evaluated by proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunostaining. The changes of cell cycle proteins (cyclin D1, CDK4, cyclin E, CDK2, p21 and p27) and the ERK1/2 pathway activation were examined by RT-PCR and western blot analysis. The results showed that the positive cell numbers of PCNA immunostaining in the EA and ED groups were more than those in the IC group (P

How to process massive historic natural disasters events is a great challenge to recognize patterns. And more and more scientific research data provides a new source of nature disasters. In this study, the biclustering method is used to categorize the scientists concerned natural disasters and historic events. Cartograms, one kind of transformed maps, are created to highlight numbers of publications and events in a country. Reaction index (RI) is introduced to evaluate the difference between scientists concerned nature disasters and historic events. The results show that biclustering is a useful method to categorize data with high volumes and dimensions. Cartograms could represent conceptual patterns that are difficult to be displayed in regular maps. Analysis indicates that earthquakes and landslides attract relatively more concerns from scientists in the north hemisphere; floods are more focused by scientists in the south hemisphere. Although droughts are not significant in the cartogram of historic events, they obtain attentions from scientists of inland as well. The distribution of RIs shows that more scientists need to put more efforts in dealing with natural disasters, especially in Indonesia and Philippines.

We report on a highly sensitive and selective electrochemiluminescence (ECL) based method for the determination of pentachlorophenol (PCP). It is based on a new hybrid material composed of CdS quantum dots (QDs), graphene, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and uses peroxodisulfate as the coreactant. The use of this system results in a nearly 18-fold increase in ECL intensity. On interaction between PCP and the QDs, a decrease in ECL intensity is observed at PCP in a concentration as low as 1.0 pM and over a wide linear range (from 1.0 pM to 1.0 nM). The method is hardly affected by other chlorophenols and nitrophenols, and the electrode can be recycled.

The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, a critical mediator of cell proliferation, is activated in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and is therefore a key target in the treatment of ischemic stroke. Acupuncture has long been used in China to clinically treat stroke. However, the precise mechanism of its neuroprotective activities remains largely unknown. In the present study, a focal cerebral I/R-injured rat model was used to evaluate the in vivo therapeutic efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) and investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. EA significantly ameliorated neurological deficits and cerebral infarction in cerebral I/R-injured rats. Moreover, EA significantly increased the phosphorylation levels of ERK, as well as the protein expression levels of Ras, cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4. Consequently, EA-mediated activation of the ERK pathway resulted in the stimulation of cerebral cell proliferation. The present data suggest that EA at the Quchi and Zusanli acupoints exerts a neuroprotective effect in ischemic stroke via the activation of ERK signaling.

We have modified a glassy carbon electrode by single-step electrodeposition of graphene (GR), gold nanoparticles (AgNPs), and chitosan (CS) directly from a solution containing graphene oxide, tetrachloroauric acid, and chitosan. The surface and electrochemical properties of the film-modified electrode were investigated by SEM and TEM images. The AuNPs have a diameter of about 20 nm and are uniformly dispersed in the matrix. Combining the advantages of GR (i.e., high surface area and conductivity), of AuNPs (excellent electrical conductivity) and CS (excellent film-forming ability and good water permeability), the hybrid film effectively enhances electron-transfer and promotes the response to lead(II) ion. Under the optimum conditions, a linear relationship exists between electrical current and the concentration of lead (II) ion in the range between 0.5 to 100 μg L-1, with a detection limit of 1 ng L-1 (at an SNR of 3). The electrode was successfully applied to the detection of lead(II) in spiked samples of river water.

We have electrodeposited a composite film consisting of graphene oxide, chitosan and glucose oxidase directly on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) through electrochemical reduction of a solution of the 3 components under controlled direct electrical potential. The procedure takes only several minutes, and the thickness of the resulting film is uniform and controllable. The GOx has uncompromised bioactivity and exhibits reversible 2-proton and 2-electron transfer in presence of glucose. It therefore can be used amperometric sensing of glucose. The biosensor has a fast response (