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In this work, novel Cu2O–DMB nanospheres are developed for NIR-enhanced enzymatic synergistic antibacterial therapy. The bactericidal rate is calculated to be as high as 99.4% against MRSA and 99.8% against AREC, with a high wound healing efficiency.

BACKGROUND: Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy (IgAN) is one of an important cause of progressive kidney disease and occurs when IgA settles in the kidney resulted in disrupts kidney’s ability to filter waste and excess water. Hydrogels are promising material for medical applications owing to their excellent adaptability and filling ability. Herein, we proposed a hyaluronic acid/gelatin (CHO-HA/Gel-NH(2)) bioactive hydrogel as a cell carrier for therapeutic kidney regeneration in IgAN. METHODS: CHO-HA/Gel-NH(2) hydrogel was fabricated by Schiff-base reaction without any additional crosslinking agents. The hydrogel concentrations and ratios were evaluated to enhance adequate mechanical properties and biocompatibility for further in vivo study. High serum IgA ddY mice kidneys were treated with human urine-derived renal progenitor cells encapsulated in the hydrogel to investigate the improvement of IgA nephropathy and kidney regeneration. RESULTS: The stiffness of the hydrogel was significantly enhanced and could be modulated by altering the concentrations and ratios of hydrogel. CHO-HA/Gel-NH(2) at a ratio of 3/7 provided a promising milieu for cells viability and cells proliferation. From week four onwards, there was a significant reduction in blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine level in Cell/Gel group, as well as well-organized glomeruli and tubules. Moreover, the expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic molecules significantly decreased in the Gel/Cell group, whereas anti-inflammatory gene expression was elevated compared to the Cell group. CONCLUSION: Based on in vivo studies, the renal regenerative ability of the progenitor cells could be further increased by this hydrogel system. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13770-022-00442-8.

Seventy peanut cultivars were planted at two locations to study peanut kernel Cd accumulation. Six entries (8.57%) had a maximum kernel Cd concentration exceeding the European Union allowable upper limit of 0.20 mg/kg. Ten low Cd peanut entries with a maximum kernel Cd concentration below 0.10 mg/kg were tentatively obtained. Location, genotype and their interaction significantly affected peanut kernel Cd accumulation, with location contributing most of the variability (96.67%) and cultivar alone only accounting for 1.69%. Significant positive correlation was detected between kernel protein content and kernel Cd concentration. Negative and positive Spearman rank correlation was also found for SPAD readings and leaf spot ratings with kernel Cd concentration, respectively. The output of this study provides a basis for exploring the mechanisms underlying low Cd accumulation in peanut kernels and for mining relevant genes/QTLs through association analysis.

Appropriate light intensity is favorable for the photosynthesis, biomass accumulation, key enzyme activity, and secondary metabolite synthesis of medicinal plants. This study aims to explore the influence of light intensity on growth and quality of Panax quinquefolius. To be specific, sand culture experiment was carried out in a greenhouse under the light intensity of 40, 80, 120, and 160 μmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1), respectively. The growth indexes, photosynthetic characteristics, content of 6 ginsenosides of the 3-year-old P. quinquefolius were determined, and the expression of ginsenoside synthesis-related enzyme genes in leaves, main roots, and fibrous roots was determined. The results showed that the P. quinquefolius growing at 80 μmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1) light intensity had the most biomass and the highest net photosynthetic rate. The total biomass of P. quinquefolius treated with 120 μmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1) light intensity was slightly lower than that with 80 μmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1). The root-to-shoot ratio in the treatment with 120 μmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1) light intensity was up to 6.86, higher than those in other treatments(Plt;0.05),and the ginsenoside content in both aboveground and underground parts of P. quinquefolius in this treatment was the highest, which was possibly associated with the high expression of farnesylpyrophosphate synthase(FPS), squalene synthase(SQS), squalene epoxidase(SQE), oxidosqualene cyclase(OSC), dammarenediol-Ⅱ synthase(DS), and P450 genes in leaves and SQE and DS genes in main roots. In addition, light intensities of 120 and 160 μmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1) could promote PPD-type ginsenoside synthesis in leaves by triggering up-regulation of the expression of upstream ginsenoside synthesis genes. The decrease in underground biomass accumulation of the P. quinquefolius grown under weak light(40 μmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1)) and strong light(160 μmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1)) was possibly attributed to the low net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate in leaves. In the meantime, the low expression of SQS, SQE, OSC, and DS genes in the main roots might led to the decrease in ginsenoside content. However, there was no significant correlation between the ginsenoside content and the expression of synthesis-related genes in the fibrous roots of P. quinquefolius. Therefore, the light intensity of 80 and 120 μmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1) is beneficial to improving yield and quality of P. quinquefolius. The above findings contributed to a theoretical basis for reasonable shading in P. quinquefolius cultivation, which is of great significance for improving the yield and quality of P. quinquefolius through light regulation.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is increasingly recognized as a global public health issue. Diabetic nephropathy (DN), also known as diabetic kidney disease, is a leading cause of CKD. Regenerative medicine strategy employing nephron progenitor cells (NPCs) is worthy of consideration as an alternative to shortage of donor organs for kidney transplantation. In previous study, we successfully generated induced NPCs (iNPCs) from human urine-derived cells that resembled human embryonic stem cell-derived NPCs. Here, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of iNPCs in DN animal model. The results revealed the therapeutic effect of iNPCs as follows: (1) diminished glomerular hypertrophy, (2) reduced tubulointerstitial fibrosis, (3) low blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine and albuminuria value, (4) decreased inflammation/fibrosis, (5) enhanced renal regeneration and (6) confirmed safety. This study demonstrates that human iNPCs have a therapeutic potential as a cell source for transplantation in patients with kidney diseases.

The heterointeraction between liquid drops and air bubbles dispersed in another immiscible liquid is studied with the application of the atomic force microscopy (AFM) probe techniques. The tetradecane drops and air bubbles readily coalescence to form a lens-like structure in 100 mM sodium chloride aqueous solution, demonstrating strong hydrophobic (HB) attraction. The interaction range and strength of this hydrophobic attraction between oil drops and air bubbles is investigated by fine control of electrical double layer thicknesses related to specific electrolyte concentrations, and a midrange term in combination with a short-range term is found to present a proper characterization of this hydrophobic attraction. A further step is taken by introducing a triblock copolymer (Pluronic F68) into the aqueous solution, with results indicating that a relatively long-range steric hindrance (SH) furnished by a polymer "brush" surmounts the hydrophobic attraction. Finally, the interaction between a water drop and an air bubble in tetradecane is also measured as a comparison. The repelling action between a hydrophobic body (air bubble) and water drop indicates a strong repulsion. The present results show an interesting understanding of hydrophobic interactions between drops and bubbles, which is of potential application in controlling dispersion stability.

Tuberculosis is a serious public health challenge facing mankind and one of the top ten causes of death. Diagnostic imaging plays an important role, particularly for the diagnosis and treatment planning of tuberculosis patients with negative microbiology results. This article illustrates a number of atypical computed tomography (CT) appearances of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), including (I) clustered micronodules (CMNs) sign; (II) reversed halo sign (RHS); (III) tuberculous pneumatocele; (IV) hematogenously disseminated PTB with predominantly diffuse ground glass opacity manifestation; (V) hematogenously disseminated PTB with randomly distributed non-miliary nodules; (VI) PTB changes occur on the background of emphysema or honeycomb changes of interstitial pneumonia; and (VII) PTB manifesting as organizing pneumonia. While the overall incidence of PTB is decreasing globally, the incidence of atypical manifestations of tuberculosis is increasing. A good understanding of the atypical CT imaging changes of active PTB shall help the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of PTB in clinical practice.

Constructing a new antibacterial structural framework is an effective strategy to combat drug resistance. This work discovered a class of naphthalimidopropanediols (NIOLs) as a novel structural type of potential broad-spectrum antibacterial agents. Especially, NIOLs 9u, 12i, 15 against Staphylococcus aureus and NIOLs 9l, 13a against Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed excellent inhibitory activities, and they displayed high membrane selectivity from an electrostatic distinction on the membranes between bacteria and mammalian cells. These highly active NIOLs could effectually inhibit the bacterial growths, and relieve the resistance developments. Moreover, the facts of membrane depolarization, outer/inner membrane permeabilization and leakage of intracellular materials, demonstrated that these NIOLs could target and destroy the S. aureus or P. aeruginosa membranes. In particular, they could disrupt the antioxidant defense systems of S. aureus or P. aeruginosa through up-regulation of reactive oxygen species. Simultaneously, they could render the metabolic inactivation of the tested strains, and eradicate the formed biofilms and efficiently kill the strains within the biofilms. The in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity assay indicated that these compounds possessed low toxicity. These findings of novel NIOLs as potential broad-spectrum antibacterial members provided a bright hope for conquering drug resistance.

Pathogenic bacteria infections have posed a threat to human health worldwide. Nanomaterials with natural enzymatic activity provide an opportunity for the development of new antibacterial pathways. We successfully constructed iron phosphate nanozyme-hydrogel (FePO

In the present work, the interaction mechanism of specific polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs), fabricated by layer-by-layer deposition of polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA) and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), is studied using atomic force microscopy. The underwater oil-repellency of PSS-capped PEMs was further explored by measuring the interaction forces between tetradecane droplets and PEMs-coated silica substrates under various salinities. The force curves were analyzed following the Stokes–Reynolds–Young–Laplace theoretical model. Desirable consistency was achieved between the experimental and theoretical calculations at low NaCl concentrations (0.1 mM and 1 mM); however, underestimation of the attractive force was found as the NaCl concentration increases to moderate (10 mM) and high (100 mM) levels. Discrepancy analyses and incorporated features toward a reduced surface charge density were considered based on the previous findings of the orientation of anionic benzenesulfonate moieties (Liu et al. in Angew Chem Int Ed 54(16):4851–4856, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201411992). Short-range steric hindrance interactions were further introduced to simulate “brush” effect stemming from nanoscale surface roughness. It is demonstrated in our work that the PSS-capped PEMs remains a stable underwater lipophobicity against high salinity, which renders it potential application in surface wetting modification and anti-fouling.

A new functionalized graphenylene-based structure was designed by adsorbing of alkali metals M

Background. There is much evidence that confirms the inextricable link between inflammation and malignancy. Inflammation-related regulators were involved in the progression of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC). However, the predictive role of single gene biomarkers is inadequate, and more accurate prognostic models are necessary. We undertook the current research to construct a robust inflammation-related gene signature that could stratify patients with KIRC. Methods. The transcriptome sequencing data along with clinicopathologic information of KIRC were obtained from TCGA. A list of inflammation-related genes was acquired from the Molecular Signatures Database. Using the RNA-seq and survival time data from the TCGA training cohort, an inflammation-related gene signature was built using bioinformatic methods, and its performance in predicting patient prognosis was assessed by Kaplan–Meier and ROC curve analyses. Furthermore, we explored the association of risk score with immune score, stromal score, tumor immune-infiltrating cells (TIICs), immunosuppressive molecules, m6A regulators, and autophagy-related biomarkers. Results. Herein, nine inflammation-related hub genes (ROS1, PLAUR, ACVR2A, KLF6, GABBR1, APLNR, SPHK1, PDPN, and ADORA2B) were determined and used to build a predictive model. All sets, including training set, four testing sets, and the entire TCGA group, were divided into two groups (low and high risk), and Kaplan–Meier curves all showed an adverse prognosis for patients in the high-risk group. ESTIMATE algorithm revealed a higher immune score in the high-risk subgroup. CIBERSORT algorithm illustrated that the high-risk group showed higher-level immune infiltrates. Furthermore, LAG3, TIGIT, and CTLA4 were overexpressed in the high-risk subgroup and positively associated with risk scores. Moreover, except for METTL3 and ALKBH5, the other m6A regulators decreased in the high-risk subgroup. Conclusions. In conclusion, a novel inflammation-related gene signature comprehensively constructed in the current study may help stratify patients with KIRC.

Background: Regenerative medicine strategies employing nephron progenitor cells (NPCs) are a viable approach that is worthy of substantial consideration as a promising cell source for kidney diseases. However, the generation of induced nephron progenitor-like cells (iNPCs) from human somatic cells remains a major challenge. Here, we describe a novel method for generating NPCs from human urine-derived cells (UCs) that can undergo long-term expansion in a serum-free condition. Results: Here, we generated iNPCs from human urine-derived cells by forced expression of the transcription factors OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, c-MYC, and SLUG, followed by exposure to a cocktail of defined small molecules. These iNPCs resembled human embryonic stem cell-derived NPCs in terms of their morphology, biological characteristics, differentiation potential, and global gene expression and underwent a long-term expansion in serum-free conditions. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that human iNPCs can be readily generated and expanded, which will facilitate their broad applicability in a rapid, efficient, and patient-specific manner, particularly holding the potential as a transplantable cell source for patients with kidney disease.

Bacterial infections have become major threats to public health all over the world. With the emergence of antibiotic resistance, it is urgent to develop novel antimicrobial materials to efficiently overcome drug resistance with high bactericidal activity. In this work, UiO-66-NH-CO-MoS

Employee voice behavior has been recognized as beneficial to organization. Moreover, in the ever-changing competitive business environment, the willingness of employees to offer useful information and ideas plays a critical role to business innovation and process improvement. However, employee voice is likely to involve a conflicting decision-making process since speaking up may put individual at risk while beneficial for organizational improvement. Therefore, voice research has attended much to the issue of how to facilitate employees to engage in workplace voice. Recently, contextual and cultural factors are found to affect significantly an employee’s beliefs about whether speaking up will be safe. From the social and cognitive perspective, these negative beliefs on voice are not easily eliminated due to the long-term experiences and socialization. Considering the tremendous influence of cultural and social factors on management, the voice phenomenon also need to reflect the differences between employees from various cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, the research domain of organizational studies is becoming more international and the country like China has been still undergoing profound transitions in institutional rules, values, and social norms. Even though achieving significant economic development, Chinese traditional value system as well as the socialist legacy present an institutional environment that is much different from what a typical Western organization would encounter. It is, therefore, unclear whether voice behavior researches done in the West have the similar effect on the organization in China Corporate culture grows out of the values held by organizational members which are shaped by national culture and societal ideology. Since the traditional Chinese culture stemming from Confucianism has been emphasizing hierarchical or status differences as well as harmonious interpersonal relationships, voice behavior is likely to be perceived as inappropriate and insecure. In countries like China with strong self-protective motives and a hierarchical culture along with the communist-influenced ideology, people tend to refrain from their voice behavior because of various concerns and fears related to psychological safety, such as not wanting to be viewed as challenging authority or avoiding embarrassing others. The main interest of this study is to investigate how Chinese traditional cultural values are related to employees’ concerns about voice behavior. As culturally dictated thinking style rooted in Confucian philosophy, Zhong-Yong, or ‘middle-way’ thinking emphasizes “equilibrium” and “harmony” as the rule of thumb to deal with and get along with other people. Power distance is also an important theoretical factor in terms of cultural values. As many Asian countries have been found to show high power distance culture, Chinese people especially influenced by Confucianism, greatly value the importance of the group and hierarchical relationships within an organization. Along with this reason, this study hypothesized the possible inhibiting effects of Chinese traditional cultural values, Zhong-Yong thinking and power distance orientation, on voice behavior. Since one of central issues in voice behavior research is how to facilitate an employee to engage in workplace voice, we also postulate LMX quality as a moderator in expectation of improving employees’ concerns about voicing. Employees may calculate the cost of speaking up by assessing favorability of social context such as supportive relationships with their supervisors. Leadership behavior such as LMX might have a positive impact on voice behavior in China where relationship orientation is highly advocated as compared with other countries. The potential benefits of the close relationship with the supervisor may give employees a reciprocal sense of obligation such as the active voice behavior for their organization. Therefore, LMX is expected to mitigate the negative impacts of the Chinese core values such as Zhong-Yong thinking and power distance orientation, on employees’ voice behaviors. In addition, recent literature of voice has stressed that there are different types of voice behavior, suggesting the definition of voice including speaking up with constructive ideas as well as concerns. Specifically, our study employed the two forms of voice. Promotive voice is defined as the voice behavior whose intended aim is to propose ways of changing the status quo while prohibitive voice represents the voice behavior whose intended aim is to express concerns that help stop or prevent problems. To test the hypotheses, the survey questionnaires were sent to 337 subordinate-supervisor dyadic samples employed in 14 companies of various sectors in China and 306 valid questionnaires remained for further analyses after screening out the incomplete responses. The results revealed that Zhong-Yong thinking and power distance orientation had significant negative effects on employees’ two forms of voice, promotive and prohibitive voice. Also, LMX quality was found to mitigate the negative effect of Zhong-Yong thinking and power distance orientation on both promotive and prohibitive voice. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Background: Pleurisy tuberculoma (PTM) is a benign proliferative disease that occurs most commonly after effective treatment of tuberculous pleurisy. In this study, we investigated the risk factors for PTM. Methods: The data of 56 consecutive tuberculoma patients treated at the Nanjing Thoracic Hospital and the Second Hospital between March 2013, and April 2020, were extracted from the hospital database and reviewed retrospectively. Sixty patients treated effectively for tuberculous pleurisy without PTM were included as the control group as most cases of PTM have a history of tuberculous pleurisy. We analyzed the clinical characteristics, laboratory examination results, and imaging features to identify potential risk factors for PTM.Results: The mean age of the PTM patients was 29.04 ± 6.95 years, with no difference between males and females. The onset of PTM was 4.29 ± 2.34 months from the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy. The PTM lesions were more commonly located in the lower lobes with no difference in the left and right lung distribution. There were no significant differences in the presenting symptoms and underlying disease of the patients in the PTM and control groups. Pleural thickening was more common in the PTM group (44.64% vs. 23.33% respectively, P = 0.015) and ADA activity was higher (48.32± 19.19 vs. 44.79± 24.57) compared with the control group. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of the absolute numbers of CD4 + and CD8+ T lymphocyte cells or the CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio (P > 0.05 ). Expression of the activation marker Ki-67 on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was significantly increased in the PTM group compared with the control group (P < 0.05).Conclusions: Our results indicate that dysregulation of T lymphocytes may be a potential risk factor for PTM.

Soil sterilization integrated with agronomic measures is an effective method to reduce soilborne replant diseases. However, the effect of vermicompost or biochar application after soil sterilization on soilborne diseases is poorly understood. A pot experiment was conducted in American ginseng to investigate the effects of vermicompost (VF), biochar (BF), and a combination of vermicompost and biochar (VBF) applied after soil sterilization on the incidence of Fusarium root rot using natural recovery (F) as control. After one growing season, the disease index of root rot, the phenolic acids, and the microbial communities of American ginseng rhizosphere soil were analyzed. The disease index of VF, BF, and VBF decreased by 33.32%, 19.03%, and 80.96%, respectively, compared with F. The highest bacterial richness and diversity were observed in the rhizosphere soil of VBF. Besides, VF and VBF significantly increased the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria (Pseudomonas, Lysobacter, and Chryseolinea) in the rhizosphere soil. Higher concentrations of vanillin, one of the phenolic acids in the roots exudates, were recorded in the rhizosphere soils of BF and VBF. The vanillin concentration showed a significant negative correlation with the disease index. To conclude, vermicompost improved the beneficial bacteria of the rhizosphere soil, while biochar regulated the allelopathic effect of the phenolic acids. The study proposes a combined application of biochar and vermicompost to the rhizosphere soil to control Fusarium root rot of replanted American ginseng effectively. KEY POINTS: Vermicompost improves the relative abundance of rhizosphere beneficial bacteria. Biochar inhibits the degradation of phenolic acids by adsorption. The combination of vermicompost and biochar enhances the disease control effect.

Mineral nutrient elements are the key factors to maintain the growth and quality of American ginseng. In order to understand the comprehensive effect of different nutrient elements deficiency on American ginseng, 2-year-old American ginsengs were cultivated by Hoagland solution(CK) or 10 different nutrients deficiency solution in sand culture. During the cultivation, the deficient symptom was observed. The plant height, leaf area, biomass, photosynthetic index, root activity, ginsenoside content were measured. The results showed that N, K or Fe deficiency could lead to leaves of American ginseng yellowing. Deficiency N, K, Ca, Mg and B were the main factors that decrease plant height and leaf area. The biomass of plant decreased significantly in all the nutrient deficient treatments(P0.05)compared with control group, and N, K, Ca or Fe deficiency groups descended over 50%. In the absence of N, K and Fe elements, the P_n, G_s, C_i, T_r and chlorophyll of leaves were decreased mostly. The first three factors decreasing root activity were N, K and Ca deficiency. The effects of nutrient deficiency on saponins of American ginseng were different.Generally, N, P, B, Zn and Cu deficiency resulted the synthesis of saponins decreased significantly(P0.05). This study contributed to clarify the demand characteristics of American ginseng for different nutrient elements,which is of great significance for the diagnose of nutrient deficiency, the rational fertilizer and the improvement of yield and quality of American ginseng.

A new halogen-free and formaldehyde-free ammonium salt of melamine hexa(methylphosphonic acid) (AMHMPA) was facilely synthesized as flame retardant (FR) material under water-solvent and low temperature condition to counter inflammable cotton fabric fire hazard. The reactive P O(NH4)2 and PO(OH)2 groups from AMHMPA reacted with cotton reactive OH groups to form P O C bonds. A layer of AMHMPA was coated onto the treated-cotton surface, and a carbon skeleton was formed after combustion. The char residue percentages of the treated-cotton fabrics and untreated fabric were 38.5 and 3.6% at 600 °C, respectively. The phosphorus contents for the control, treated-cotton and burned-cotton were 0, 37.499 and 24.896%, respectively. The LOIs of cotton treated with 30–90 g/L AMHMPA reached 32.0–43.0%. After 50 laundering cycles (LCs), the LOIs still maintained 26.0–33.4%. AMHMPA-treated cotton had no cytotoxicity towards the environment and humans. These results demonstrated that AMHMPA-treated cotton exhibited eco-friendly, outstanding durability and excellent flame retardancy. TG-IR and cone calorimeter results confirmed AMHMPA condensation phase flame retardant mechanism.

A series of natural berberine-derived nitroimidazoles as novel antibacterial agents were designed, synthesized and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared spectra (IR), and high resolution mass spectra (HRMS) spectra. The antimicrobial evaluation showed that some target molecules exhibited moderate to good inhibitory activities against the tested bacteria and fungi including clinical drug-resistant strains isolated from infected patients. Especially, 2-fluorobenzyl derivative 8f not only gave strong activity against drug-resistant E. coli with the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 0.003 mM, 33-fold more active than norfloxacin, but also exhibited low toxicity toward RAW 264.7 cells and less propensity to trigger resistance. The aqueous solubility and Clog P values of target compounds were investigated to elucidate the structure-activity relationships. Molecular docking and quantum chemical studies for compound 8f rationally explained its antibacterial effect. The further exploration of antibacterial mechanism revealed that the highly active compound 8f could effectively permeabilize E. coli cell membrane and intercalate into DNA isolated from resistant E. coli to form 8f -DNA complex that might block DNA replication to exert the powerful bioactivities. Compound 8f could also selectively address resistant E. coli from a mixture of various strains.

A series of nitroimidazole enols as new bacterial DNA-targeting agents were for the first time designed, synthesized and characterized by NMR, IR and HRMS spectra. The antimicrobial screening revealed that 2-methoxyphenyl nitroimidazole enol 3i possessed stronger anti-P. aeruginosa efficacy (MIC = 0.10 μmol/mL) than reference drugs Norfloxacin and Metronidazole. Time-kill kinetic assay manifested that the active molecule 3i could rapidly kill the tested strains. Molecular docking indicated that the interactions between compound 3i and topoisomerase II were driven by hydrogen bonds. Quantum chemical study was also performed on 3i to understand the structural features essential for activity. Further research found that compound 3i was not able to effectively intercalate into bacterial DNA but could cleave DNA isolated from the standard P. aeruginosa strain, which might block DNA replication to exert the efficient bioactivities, and this active molecule was also able to be stored and carried by human serum albumin via hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds.

A series of novel potentially antifungal hybrids of 5-flucytosine and fluconazole were designed, synthesized and characterized by 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, IR and HRMS spectra. Bioactive assay manifested that some prepared compounds showed moderate to good antifungal activities in comparison with fluconazole and 5-flucytosine. Remarkably, the 3,4-dichlorobenzyl hybrid 7h could inhibit the growth of C. albicans ATCC 90023 and clinical resistant strain C. albicans with MIC values of 0.008 and 0.02 mM, respectively. The active molecule 7h could not only rapidly kill C. albicans but also efficiently permeate membrane of C. albicans . Molecular docking study revealed that compound 7h could interact with the active site of CACYP51 through hydrogen bond. Quantum chemical studies were also performed to explain the high antifungal activity. Further preliminary mechanism research suggested that molecule 7h could intercalate into calf thymus DNA to form a steady supramolecular complex, which might block DNA replication to exert the powerful bioactivities.

A series of novel naphthalimide-derived metronidazoles as new type of antimicrobial agents were for the first time designed, synthesized and characterized by NMR, IR and HRMS spectra. Experimental results revealed that most of them displayed moderate to good antibacterial activity towards Gram-positive and negative bacteria. Especially, compound 7b was able to not only exhibit effective inhibition towards the growth of P. vulgaris (MIC = 0.002 μmol/mL) and S. dysenteriae (MIC = 0.01 μmol/mL), but also have rapidly killing effect and prevent the development of bacterial resistance. Further research revealed that the highly active molecule 7b could not only intercalate into calf thymus DNA to form a steady supramolecular complex and thus might block DNA replication to exert the powerful bioactivities, but also be effectively transported by human serum albumin (HSA) via the formation of the 1:1 supramolecular complex, in which hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic effect played important roles in the association of compound 7b with HSA. Molecular docking indicated that the supramolecular interactions between 7b and topoisomerase II were driven by hydrogen bonds.

A series of amino organophosphorus imidazoles were designed and synthesized as a novel structural type of antimicrobial agents. Bioactive evaluation in vitro showed that compound 3f exhibited equipotent or superior anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (anti-MRSA) and anti- S. cerevisiae efficiencies (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC)=2 μg/mL) to clinical drugs, and the combinations with antibacterial or antifungal drugs enhanced the antimicrobial efficiency. Highly active molecule 3f showed low propensity for bacteria to develop resistance, and the preliminary action mechanism studies demonstrated that 3f was membrane-active, but had no significant intercalation towards MRSA DNA. The computational study on 3f reasonably explained its high antimicrobial activity. Experimental data revealed that ground-state 3f -HSA complexes were formed mainly through hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds with a spontaneous process, and the non-radioactive energy transfer from HSA to 3f occurred beyond Forster resonance energy transfer theory. The participation of metal ions in 3f -HSA supramolucular system could increase the concentration of free compound 3f , and shorten its storage time and half-life in the blood to improve the maximum antimicrobial efficacy.

In this paper we design a simultaneous three bunch length operating mode at the HLS-II (Hefei Light Source II) storage ring by installing two harmonic cavities and minimizing the momentum compaction factor. The short bunches (2.6 mm) presented in this work will meet the requirement of coherent millimeter-wave and sub-THz radiation experiments, while the long bunches (20 mm) will efficiently increase the total beam current. Therefore, this multiple-bunch-length operating mode allows present synchrotron users and coherent millimeter-wave users (or sub THz users) to carry out their experiments simultaneously. Since the relatively low energy characteristic of HLS-II we achieve the multiple-bunch-length operating mode without multicell superconducting RF cavities, which is technically feasible.

In order to realize real-time and accurate population statistics of pedestrians in video, a counting method based on deep learning is proposed. Firstly, the anchor boxes of the detection model is optimized by k-means clustering method. Secondly, the deep learning model YOLO-v3 is trained by pedestrian images obtained in real scenes. Then Deep sort online multi-object tracking algorithm is used to track multiple pedestrians and obtain their trajectories respectively. Finally, the number of pedestrians is determined by the counting line. The counting accuracy of this method is up to 89.2%, and the detection time of each frame is up to 65ms. In addition, it has strong scene adaptability and good robustness, which can meet the requirements of real-time pedestrian counting.

Ziziphi Spinosae Semen is one of the Chinese herbal medicine being susceptible to aflatoxins contamination. To investigate the sources of aflatoxins contamination and toxigenic fungi species on Ziziphi Spinosae Semen,32 samples were collected from multiple steps during the post-harvest processing in this study. Aflatoxins in these samples were determined by immunoaffinity column and HPLC coupled with post-column photochemical derivatization. The dilution-plate method was applied to the fungi isolation. The isolated fungi strains were identified by morphological characterization and molecular approaches. The results showed that aflatoxins were detected in 28 samples from every step during the processing of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen. Three samples were detected with aflatoxin B_1 and 2 samples with both aflatoxin B_1 and total aflatoxin exceeding the limit of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Especially the samples from the washing step,with the highest detected amounts of AFB_1 and AFs were reached 94. 79,121. 43 μg·kg~(-1),respectively. All 32 samples were contaminated by fungi. The fungal counts on the newly harvested samples were 2. 20 × 10~2 CFU·g~(-1). Moreover,it increased as tphreocessing progresses,and achieved 1. 16×10~6 CFU·g~(-1) after washing. A total of 321 isolates were identified to 17 genera. Aspergillus flavus was the main source of aflatoxins during the processing and storage of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen. One isolate of A. flavus was confirmed producing AFB_1 and AFB_2. The fungal count was significantly increased by composting,and Aspergillus was the predominant genus after shell breaking. The contamination level of aflatoxins was increased by composting and washing.

A series of new potentially multi-targeting antimicrobial 2-aminothiazolyl quinolones were designed, synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR, MS and HRMS spectra. Bioactive assay manifested that some of the prepared compounds showed moderate to good antibacterial and antifungal activities. Noticeably, compound 10f could effectively inhibit the growth of B. typhi and MRSA with MIC values of 1 and 8 μg/mL, respectively. Experimental results revealed that compound 10f was membrane-active and had the ability to rapidly kill the tested strains and effectively prevent the development of bacterial resistance. Moreover, this compound also exhibited low toxicity against L929 cells. Molecular docking indicated that compound 10f could bind with topoisomerase IV–DNA complexes through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. Quantum chemical studies were also performed on 10f to understand the structural features essential for activity. The preliminary mechanism research suggested that compound 10f could intercalate into calf thymus DNA to form a steady supramolecular complex which might block DNA replication to exert the powerful bioactivities.

A series of novel carbazole aminothiazoles as a new type of antimicrobial agents were designed, synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR, MS and HRMS spectra. Some of the carbazole aminothiazoles exhibited good antimicrobial activities; particularly, heptyl-derived carbazole aminothiazole 4f could effectively inhibit the growth of MRSA with an MIC value of 4 μg mL−1, which was superior to the reference drugs Chloromycin and Norfloxacin. Moreover, cytotoxicity investigation indicated that bioactive compound 4f did not exhibit cytotoxicity to Hep-2 cells within its MIC against MRSA. Preliminary interactive investigation revealed that compound 4f could effectively intercalate into calf thymus DNA to form 4f–DNA complexes which might block DNA replication and thus exert antimicrobial activities. In addition, the binding behavior of compound 4f to DNA revealed that compound 4f could interact with DNA by hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interactions.