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Circadian rhythm disruption (CRD) is regarded as a risk factor for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and it was reported to suppress the level of melatonin, which execute anti-inflammatory effects. High mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) is a member of the damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) family and has been verified as an IBD-associated inflammatory cytokine that mediates the TLR4-NF-κB pathway. However, no exact mechanism has been illustrated among melatonin, disrupted circadian rhythm and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as regarding the effect of melatonin on HMGB1. In the present study, we aimed to explore the role of relationship with HMGB1. CRD aggravated DSS-induced colitis by worsening colonic inflammation and tissue injury, as well as by enhancing HMGB1 translocation, which could be reversed by ethyl pyruvate, an HMGB1 antagonist. Moreover, melatonin treatment attenuated these disorders and the shuttling of HMGB1 in the intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), the effect of which could be partly reversed by the melatonin antagonist luzindole. The protective role of melatonin may be tightly related to the translocation of HMGB1 in IECs. Accordingly, these results suggested that melatonin may be a new therapeutic beneficial option in IBD patients, especially for those with circadian rhythm disruption.

This study presents new secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) rutile and laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) zircon U-Pb geochronological and whole-rock geochemical data for amphibolites of the Heilongjiang Complex, located within the Yilan area of NE China, to constrain the tectonic evolution of the Mudanjiang Ocean between the Songnen–Zhangguangcai Range and Jiamusi massifs. Magmatic zircon from amphibolites collected from the Yilan Marble Quarry yields a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 274 ± 2 Ma, which is interpreted as the protolithic age. Amphibolites from the Longlangang and Tuanshanzi areas yield rutile U-Pb ages of 177 ± 11 Ma and 172 ± 5 Ma, respectively, which are interpreted to reflect the cooling of these rocks below the closure temperature of Pb diffusion in rutile. Amphibolites from the Yilan Marble Quarry are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and depleted in high field strength elements (HFSEs; e.g., Nb, Ta and P) relative to large ion lithophile elements (LILEs). Amphibolites from the Longlangang and Tuanshanzi areas have relatively flat chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns, and remarkable negative Nb and Ta anomalies. Moreover, all of the amphibolites from the Heilongjiang Complex in the Yilan area have tholeiitic and arc-type geochemical affinities. These amphibolites formed by similar petrogenetic processes, but from distinct mantle sources. The magmas that formed these units were generated by the partial melting of mantle sources metasomatized by subducted slab fluids, and the magma that formed the amphibolites within the Yilan Marble Quarry may have also incorporated sedimentary material. Mantle peridotite from the garnet-spinel transition zone is a possible source for the protolith of amphibolites in the Yilan Marble Quarry, and spinel-peridotites may have been the magma sources for the protoliths of amphibolites in the Longlangang and Tuanshanzi areas. Combining our data for amphibolites from the Heilongjiang Complex in the Yilan area with the results of previous research on Late Paleozoic–Early Mesozoic arc magmatism and metamorphism, we infer that the Late Paleozoic–Early Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the Mudanjiang Ocean was characterized by double-sided subduction. These data indicate that the Mudanjiang Ocean closed during the Jurassic (180–160 Ma).

The nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction properties of water soluble ZnS semiconductor quantum dots are studied by using Z-scan technique with the action of 400 nm and 532 nm femtosecond laser pulses. The experimental results show that the three order nonlinear effect of ZnS semiconductor quantum dot is stronger in 400 nm laser pulse, and it is weaker in 532 nm laser pulse. The three order nonlinear polarization coefficient of ZnS semiconductor quantum dot is 4.58×10-13 esu with the action of 400 nm laser pulse, it is 9.22×10-14 esu with the action of 532nm laser pulse. The ZnS semiconductor quantum dot has a relatively good three order optical nonlinear effect with the action of 400nm wavelength laser pulse.

This letter investigates an abnormal recovery phenomenon induced by hole injection during hot carrier degradation in silicon-on-insulator n-type metal–oxide–semiconductor transistors. The method by which the hole injection induces the abnormal recovery behavior can be clarified by different hot carrier degradation (HCD) measurement sequences. According to this HCD result, the channel surface energy band is drawn down and the interface defect will be temporarily shielded, an effect caused by the trapped hole. Furthermore, results of different stress voltage experiments indicate that the amount of hole injection is determined by the electric field between the gate and drain.

This letter investigates the role of the TiN gate’s nitrogen concentration on bulk traps in the HfO2 layer in p-MOSFETs using fast ${I}$ – ${V}$ measurement. During negative bias temperature instability, the holes trapped in the HfO2 layer will induce ${V}$ th degradation. The fast ${I}$ – ${V}$ double sweep confirms the holes are trapped in process-related pre-existing defects. These defects are interstitial-type, influenced by the nitrogen in the TiN gate diffusing to the HfO2 layer when the device undergoes thermal annealing. Moreover, these nitrogen interstitials increase with increasing TiN gate nitrogen concentration, which induces more holes being trapped in the HfO2 layer.

We present new in situ zircon U–Pb and Hf isotope, whole-rock geochemical, and Sr–Nd isotopic data for volcanic rocks from the Jiejinkou and Baoqing areas in the eastern Jiamusi Massif. These volcanic rocks are bimodal and consist of basalts, basaltic andesites, rhyolites, and rhyolitic tuffs that can be subdivided into mafic and silicic groups. Zircon U–Pb dating by LA-ICP-MS indicates that these volcanic rocks were erupted between the Early and Middle Permian (290–267 Ma). The mafic rocks in this area have positive e Nd (t) (+0.07 to +6.43) values, and are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and depleted in heavy REE, Nb, and Ta. From these rocks, the meta-basalt of Jinlu and basaltic andesite of Taipinggou and Haojiatun were derived from parental magmas generated by the partial melting of depleted mantle wedge material that was metasomatized by subduction-related melts. These magmas then underwent variable degrees of fractional crystallization and assimilated insignificant amounts of crustal material. The meta-basalt of Liming likely originated from the metasomatized mantle-derived melts hybridized by the convective asthenosphere during the evolution of the magmas. In comparison, the silicic rocks have negative e Nd (t) and variable zircon e Hf (t) values, are enriched in the large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and LREE, and are depleted in high-field-strength elements (e.g., Nb, Ta, and Ti), yielding arc-like geochemical signatures. The geochemical and zircon e Hf (t) characteristics of Jiangfeng and Longtouqiao rhyolites are indicative of formation from magmas generated by the partial melting of mafic lower crustal material, whereas the Liming meta-rhyolite was probably produced from a source involving some depleted mantle components. The bimodal volcanic rocks provide convincing evidence that the Early–Middle Permian volcanism in the Jiamusi Massif occurred in an extensional environment probably associated with slab break-off during the westward subduction of the Paleo-Pacific oceanic plate.

This study investigates how different metal gate fabrication methods induce variations in the defects which result from nitrogen diffusing into the hafnium oxide layer in metal–oxide–semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). By using the different fabrication methods of pre-TaN, post-TaN and post-TiN annealing, the work-function difference between the gate material and the semiconductor can be adjusted, leading to apparent differences in threshold voltage (V th ). In addition, the results of slow and fast I–V NBTI measurements show that the amount of the bulk trapping in the post-TiN device is the highest, followed by the post-TaN device and then the pre-TaN device. In addition, a nitrogen interstitial defect phenomenon, resulting in a temporary shift of threshold voltage (V th ) which is highest in the post-TiN the lowest in the pre-TaN device, is determined by double sweep fast I–V measurements.

Based on Z-scan technique, the nonlinear absorption and refraction characteristics of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) in chloroform , deionized water and isopropyl alcohol have been studied under the picosecond (ps) laser pulses, respectively. The experimental results show that the nonlinear absorption characteristics of the MWNT in chloroform, deionized water and isopropyl alcohol are all saturable absorption, and their nonlinear absorption coefficients are 1.83×10-11 m/W, 1.97×10-11 m/W, 2.31×10-11 m/W, respectively. The nonlinear refraction characteristics of the three solutions are all self-focusing, and the nonlinear refractive coefficients are 4.37×10-12 esu, 1.68×10-12 esu, 8.34×10-13 esu, respectively. The third-order nonlinear susceptibilities of the three solutions are 6.32×10-13 esu, 5.62×10-13 esu, 7.11×10-12 esu, respectively. The experimental results indicate that the nonlinear optical property of the MWNT isopropyl alcohol solution is the strongest, and the MWNT deionized water solutions is the weakest. The solvents have a big effects on the nonlinear optical properties of MWNT solutions.

This letter investigates the oxide trap properties in n-channel metal-oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors with HfO2 and Hf 1-x Zr x O2/metal gate-stacks by an analysis of random telegraph signals. According to the multiphonon emission theory, the extracted relaxation energies show gate voltage dependence in devices with HfO2-based stacks. This dependence results from the different strengths of vibrations of the nearest neighbor Hf atoms of the oxygen vacancy in the immediate vicinity of the oxide trap. Furthermore, this dependence also induces an abnormal gate voltage dependence in terms of the activation energy required for electron capture. These results are confirmed by comparisons between two HfO2-based devices (HfO2 and Hf1-xZrxO2).

We report zircon U–Pb age data, Hf isotopes, and bulk-rock geochemical data for the Middle to Late Triassic granitoids in the Taerqi-Chabaqi-Kutihe region within the Xing’an Block of the central Great Xing’an Range, northeast China. Euhedral to subhedral zircon grains were extracted from the nine representative granitoids. These zircons exhibit oscillatory zoning typical of a magmatic origin. The zircon U–Pb determinations on the monzogranite, syenogranite and quartz diorite samples yielded ages between 244 Ma and 206 Ma, which essentially suggests that the magmatism in the Xing’an Block occurred during the Middle to Late Triassic period. Geochemically, these granitoids have SiO2 = 62.97–76.31 wt%, A/CNK = 1.03–1.51, and K2O/Na2O = 0.40–2.39, we infer that they belong to high-K calc-alkaline series and are peraluminous I-type granites in nature. The major and trace element systematics indicate that these granitoids have different origins. Among them, the 244 Ma syenogranite of Taerqi and the 230–206 Ma monzogranite and syenogranite of Kutihe were probably generated from partial melting of pre-existing juvenile arc-type rocks in a relatively shallow crustal level. The 210 Ma quartz diorite of Chabaqi likely originated from the hybridization between a depleted mantle component and the juvenile subducted oceanic crustal materials that were buried to depths of the middle to lower continental crust. The 212 Ma monzogranite and syenogranite of Kutihe were probably generated from the partial melting of miscellaneous lower crustal materials at high pressure conditions. By combining these new data with regional geological data, we conclude that the early Mesozoic evolution of the central Great Xing’an Range was governed by two superimposed tectonic regimes, i.e., (1) post-orogenic extension due to slab break-off after the closure of the Paleo-Asian oceanic basin along the Hegenshan-Heihe suture belt, and (2) back-arc extension associated with the southward subduction of Mongol-Okhotsk oceanic plate.

Zircon U–Pb dating, whole-rock geochemistry, Hf isotopic compositions, and regional geological observations of Jurassic intermediate-acidic intrusions in the Xing’an Block, northeastern China, are presented to constrain their petrogenesis and the tectonic evolution of the Paleo-Pacific Ocean. Zircon U–Pb age dating indicates that the intrusions were emplaced in three stages: during the Early Jurassic (180–177 Ma), Middle Jurassic (171–170 Ma), and Late Jurassic (∼151 Ma). Despite the wide range in ages of the intrusions, the magmas of Jurassic acidic intrusions were likely derived from a similar or common source and experienced different degrees of magmatic differentiation, as inferred from their geochemical and Hf isotopic characteristics. The Jurassic acidic intrusions are characterized by high SiO2 and total Na2O + K2O, low MgO, and I-type affinities, suggesting that the primary magmas were derived from partial melting of lower crustal material. These findings, combined with their eHf(t) values and two-stage model ages, indicate the primary magmas originated from partial melting of juvenile crustal material accreted during the Neoproterozoic to Phanerozoic. The Middle Jurassic intermediate-acidic rocks (diorites and granodiorites of the TJ pluton) have SiO2 contents of 57.96–69.10 wt.%, MgO contents of 4.48–1.81 wt.%, and high Mg numbers (45–54). They are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (e.g., Rb, Ba, Th, U, and K) and light rare earth elements, depleted in high field strength elements (e.g., Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, and Ti) and heavy rare earth elements, and have eHf(t) values of +6.5 to +9.1. These data suggest that the magma was derived from partial melting of a depleted mantle wedge that had been metasomatized by subduction-related fluids. According to these findings and previous studies that focused on contemporaneous magmatic–tectonic activity in northeastern China, we conclude that the generation of Jurassic intermediate-acidic intrusions in the Xing’an Block was related to subduction of the Paleo-Pacific oceanic plate.

To determine the petrogenesis and tectonic setting of the Late Paleozoic Xing’an complex in the northern Great Xing’an Range (GXR), northeastern China, we undertook zircon U–Pb dating and geochemical analyses (major and trace elements, and Hf isotopic compositions) on samples obtained from the complex. The Xing’an complex is composed mainly of the Xinshali (XSL), Ershihao (ESH), Xinnangou (XNG) and Xing’an Station (XAS) plutons. The U–Pb zircon ages measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) indicate that the Xing’an complex was emplaced in three stages, represented by the ∼358 Ma XSL, ∼308 Ma XNG/XAS, and ∼294 Ma ESH plutons. The XSL pluton is composed mainly of gabbro diorites (SiO 2 = 53.49–56.81 wt.%; MgO = 4.60–5.52 wt.%) of the mid-K calc-alkaline series. These rocks are weakly enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and light rare earth elements (HREEs), and depleted in high field strength elements (HFSEs, e.g., Nb, Ta, and Ti) and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), with e Hf(t) values of +4.07 to +7.59. Based on these geochemical and isotopic features, we propose that the magma of the XSL pluton was derived from partial melting of depleted lithospheric mantle that was metasomatized by subducted slab-derived fluids. The ESH and XSL plutons have similar geochemical compositions and zircon Hf isotopic values, thereby indicating a common petrogenesis. In contrast, the XNG and XAS plutons comprise syenogranites and monzogranites that are geochemically similar to I-type granites based on their high SiO 2 (67.93–74.98 wt.%) and Na 2 O + K 2 O (7.12–9.20 wt.%) contents, low MgO (0.33–1.14 wt.%) content, enrichment in LILEs (e.g., Rb, Th, U, K) and LREEs, and depletion in Nb, Ta, Ti and P. The positive e Hf(t) values (+6.34 to +12.72) of the XNG and XAS plutons and their corresponding Hf two-stage model ages of 1149 Ma to 484 Ma indicate that the parental magma was derived from partial melting of juvenile crustal material. According to the geochemical data and regional geological observations, we propose that the formation of the Late Paleozoic Xing’an complex in the northern GXR was related to the subduction of the Paleo-Asian oceanic plate beneath the Xing’an terrane. Hence, we suggest that the Xing’an and Songnen terranes were not amalgamated before the Early Permian.

The ANSYS finite element analysis model for circular piezoelectric resonator is built in this paper, and experiments are carried out for verifying the validity of the finite element model. The influence of the piezoelectric resonator's fixation ways on the natural frequencies and vibration displacement is discussed, lower natural frequencies and higher efficiency of converting electric energy to kinetic energy will be gotten in the box fixation way. The researches on this paper provide a theoretical basis and effective ways for piezoelectric resonator design and optimization.

The analysis model of ANSYS finite element for annular piezoelectric resonator is built in this paper, and experiments are carried out for verifying the validity of the finite element model. The influence of the piezoelectric resonator's sizes on the natural frequencies is discussed; and the optimization for the piezoelectric resonator's sizes by using ANSYS is carried out, in the optimization procedure, the piezoelectric ceramic volume is made minimal while its first order natural frequency is kept in a range. These researches provide a theoretical basis and effective way for piezoelectric resonator design and optimization.

The development to seawater desalination technology of new energy is the valid way of solving the energy shortage and environmental pollution in coastal and islands areas. It is introduced in this paper with the components, design methods and operation analysis to the pluripotent coupling reverse osmosis (RO) seawater desalination devices focusing on the wind-solar complementary power generation. The operation results are shown that, the power generation system in the combination of wind, solar energy, diesel generator and battery could provide stable electric energy to the seawater desalination device, the water quality generated is superior to the standard of drinking water, which could guarantee the water and electric power in remote island area. The container is used in such devices as the carrier to be moved rapidly with supplying water in emergence. The significant practical significance is realized to the water supply and demand on islands, offshore platform and ships and other special areas.

The paper currency image recognition method based on Gabor filter set is discussed in this paper. According to the paper currency image features, the suitable parameters of Gabor filter set are selected for the extraction of paper currency characteristics, the multi-scale and multi-directional texture characteristics of paper currency image are gotten; then the texture images are meshed, and the row and column projection sum of grid pixels' average grey are calculated, finally, the template match method based on grid projection characteristics is used for paper currency recognition. Experiments show that, this method has strong anti-interference ability, it can raise the recognition rate of old or dirty paper currency greatly, and it costs little time.

According to the features of paper currency CIS image, the fuzzy set theory is initial used to improve the contrast of banknote target and background, paper money’s edge pixels are obtained by scanning, and then the sub-pixel edges are fitted by least square method; in the fitting process, the error threshold method is applied for eliminating noisy edge points, then slope correction of paper money is carried out according to the angle of sub-pixel edge line and the note area is extracted, finally, fuzzy enhancement is used for the extracted image again. Experiments show that, this method has good versatility, high accuracy and strong anti-interference ability, it can even extract the paper currency area effectively in the edge deterioration and unfilled corner condition, and the enhanced image is in favor of subsequent paper currency recognition.

Some N-acyl dopamines have been reported to show anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities. In this respect, we examined the immunosuppressive effect of N-acyl dopamines on splenocytes of BALB/c mice. First, when the effect of each endocannabinoid or its derivative on Con A-induced proliferation of splenocytes, N-arachidonoyl dopamine (NADA), N-oleoyl dopamine (OLDA) and N-palmitoyl dopamine (PALDA) potently suppressed Con A-mediated splenocyte proliferation with IC50 value of 1.84, 2.45, and 8.54 µM, respectively, indicating that NADA and OLDA were more immunosuppressive than PALDA. In related study, the immunosuppressive effect of NADA or PALDA was antagonized partially by CB1 antagonist, SR141716, and TRPV1 antagonist, 5′-iodoresiniferatoxin (5′-IRTX), but not CB2 antagonist, AM630. Meanwhile, the effect of OLDA was suppressed partially by 5′-IRTX, but not other antagonists. In further study to support the immunosuppressive activity of N-acyl dopamines, the effect of N-acyl dopamaines on the release of cytokines was investigated. Noteworthy, NADA (IC50, 0.53 µM), OLDA (IC50, 0.78 µM) and PALDA (IC50, 2.45 µM) inhibited the secretion of interferon-γ from Con A-stimulated splenocytes concentration-dependently. A similar suppression of the release of tumor necrosis factor alpha-α and interleukin-2 was also expressed by N-acyl dopamines. Additionally, the suppressive effect of NADA or PALDA on cytokine release was antagonized partly by SR141716 or 5′-IRTX, and that of OLDA was antagonized partly by 5′-IRTX. Separately, NADA and OLDA enhanced the level of 12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid an endogenous TRPV1 agonist. These findings suggest that N-acyl dopamines may express immuno-modulatory action through pathways involving CB1 and TRPV1 receptors in splenocytes.

Gaussian filtering algorithm has the defect that it will cause a blur at the image edges, therefore, an optional Gauss filter denoising method based on difference image fast fuzzy clustering is proposed. In this method, Gauss filtered image is firstly calculated, the difference image between the original image and the Gauss filtered image is acquired hereafter; and then fast FCM clustering of the Gauss filter image is carried out, the image histogram frequencies are taken as weighting coefficients of objective function when clustering, therefore the noise points of the original image are gotten; finally, optional Gauss filtering algorithm is applied to these noise points of the original image. Experiment results show that this method is fast and effective, its anti-disturbance performance is well, and it can effectively prevent edges from being blurred.

According to the shortcomings of the traditional fuzzy enhancement algorithms, several improvements are proposed. In this improved algorithm, the membership grade functions and fuzzy enhancement operator are made up of piecewise and continuous functions, the image is divided into two regions by OTSU method, one is high grey region, the other is low grey region, pixels in the high grey region are enhanced, and pixels in the low grey region are reduced. Simulation results show that this algorithm has good ability to enhance blur and little edges, and it is an effective and efficient way to increase image’s contrast.

In this paper, 34 soil samples was collected in Beihu Lake area in Wuhan, Hubei province for determination of 16 types of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in order to study the residues of persistent organic pollutants in soil of Beihu area, GC-MS, as well as a detection method called EPA8080A, was used to detect these PAHs, including Naphthalene, Acenaphthylene, Acenaphthene, Fluorene, Phenanthrene, Anthracene, Fluoranthene, Pyrene, Benzo(a)anthracene, Chrysene, Benzo(b)fluoranthene, Benzo(k)fluoranthene, Benzo(a)pyrene, Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene and Benzo(g,hi)perylene. The result showed that PAHs could be found in all the samples, and the average residue of PAHs was 4114.2 ng/g. The coefficient of variation was 0.98, which indicated a greater dispersion. The pollution was more serious in the specified district than other domestic and foreign area. The ratio of specific PAHs demonstrated that they mainly came from combustion process and then fall to the surface by means of atmospheric deposition, thus, the departments concerned should strengthen or improve the use of fuel.

This study investigates the elimination of oxygen vacancy and nitrogen gap in hafnium oxide films induced by different nitridation process. Based on previous studies, the oxygen vacancy in hafnium oxide could be passivated by the diffusion nitrogen, thus, enhancing the performance and reliability of n-MOSFET. On the other hand, as for p-MOSFET device, the nitrogen diffuses into the channel interface to generate interface defects, causing S.S. degradation to the device. However, in the HfO2 thin film, the nitrogen interstitial defect will be generated when the concentration of nitrogen is higher. These interstitial defects are located in HfO2 with the energy level below the mid-gap. Therefore, the holes can be trapped into the nitrogen interstitial defects while they transport from the channel to the gate. This work investigates the reduction of nitridation time and annealing time to device to further verify the hafnium oxide layer of nitrogen and oxygen vacancies bonding to reduce nitrogen interface defects. The influence of different nitrogen concentration and annealing time to device performance and reliability are also investigated.

Lysophospholipase D (lysoPLD) is known to convert lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). In this study, we examined the inhibitory effect of fish egg extracts, containing lipids, on bovine lysoPLD activity. Fish eggs extracts were tested for the inhibition of lysoPLD activity, and the inhibitory action was expressed as 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50). Among fish egg extracts of 20 fish species, the most potent inhibition was expressed by Hairtail egg extract (IC50, 0.07 ± 0.01 mg egg weight/mL), followed by extract of Spanish mackerel egg extract (0.11 ± 0.02 mg egg weight/mL) and extract of Pacific saury egg (0.48 ± 0.03 mg egg weight/mL). In ESI/MS analysis, major lysoPLD-inhibitory lipid components in egg extracts were identified to be species of LPC, LPA and fatty acid. From these results, it is suggested that the strong inhibition of lysoPLD activity by fish egg extracts might be ascribed to the presence of lysophospholipids. In a separate study, enzymatic oxidation using lipoxygenase or non-enzymatic oxidations such as HOCl oxidation or Cu2+-catalyzed oxidation enhanced the inhibitory activity to some extent, suggesting that the oxidation of polyunsaturated lysophospholipids might contribute to the increase of lysoPLD-inhibitory action. Taken together, it is suggested that fish eggs may contain potent lipid inhibitors of lysoPLD, and that the inhibitory action of lipid inhibitors was enhanced by oxidative process.

Lysophospholipase D (lysoPLD), generating lipid mediator lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) from lysophosphatidyclcholine (LPC), is known to be inhibited by lysophosphatidic acids. Meanwhile, some plant lipids are known to contain lysophospholipids as minor components. Therefore, it is interesting to test whether edible seed samples, rich in phospholipids, may contain lysophospholipids, which express a strong inhibition of lysoPLD activity. First, the structural importance of fatty acyl group in LPAs was examined by determining the inhibitory effect of various LPAs on bovine lysoPLD activity. The most potent in the inhibition of lysoPLD activity was linoleoyl-LPA ( K i, 0.21 microM), followed by arachidonoyl-LPA ( K i, 0.55 microM), oleoyl-LPA ( K i, 1.2 microM), and palmitoyl-LPA ( K i, 1.4 microM), based on the fluoresecent assay. The same order of inhibitory potency among LPA analogs with different acyl chains was also found in the spectrophotometric assay. Subsequently, the extracts of 12 edible seeds were screened for the inhibition of lysoPLD activity using both spectrophotometric and fluorescent assays. Among seed extracts tested, the extract from soybean seed, sesame seed, or sunflower seed (30 mg seed weight/mL) was found to exhibit a potent inhibition (80%) of lysoPLD activity. In further study employing ESI-MS/MS analysis, major LPA components in seed extracts were identified to be 1-linoleoyl LPA, 1-oleoyl LPA, and 1-palmitoyl LPA with 1-linoleoyl LPA being more predominant. Thus, the potent inhibition of lysoPLD activity by seed extracts might be ascribed to the presence of LPA with linoleoyl group rather than other acyl chains.

The protein profiles among Korean rice cultivars were assessed by total protein determination, solubility fractionation, SDS-PAGE analysis and scanning densitometry. In the extraction of protein, the SDS/urea system at a neutral pH was more efficient than that at alkaline pH. The determination of total protein showed that the protein content was similar among cultivars, ranging from 87.9 to 92.7 ㎎/g dry weight. Additionally, the water/NaCl-soluble protein fraction, containing 14～16 kDa albumin and 22 kDa globulin α-globulin, was also similar among cultivars, with a range of 9.94 to 11.98 ㎎/g dry weight. The SDS-PAGE/densitometry of total protein showed that there was no discernable difference in proteins of higher molecular weights among various cultivars, whereas the amount of lower molecular weight proteins (14～16 kDa) is somewhat variable among cultivars. Furthermore, SDS-PAGE analysis of water/NaCl-soluble and propanol-soluble fractions indicates that there is a discernible change in the content of albumin, globulin or prolamin among cultivars. Thus, the PAGE/densitometry method, preceded by solubility fractionation, is useful for examining differences in protein profiles of rice cultivars.

Chromium (VI) contaminated soil samples were collected from a chemical plant in Suzhou. Firstly, the reduced soil was prepared by adding reagent (Stone-sulfure reagent) into polluted soil to transfer most chromium (VI) into chromium (III), then a nutrient solution was introduced into the reduced soil, and the stabilized soil was obtained after 60 days culturing. The chromium (VI) content of the three kinds of soil was analyzed. The results showed that the chromium (VI) content in toxicity characteristic leaching liquid (TCLL) dropped by 96. 8% (from 8.26 mg · L(-1) to 0.26 mg · L(-1)), and the total chromium content dropped by 95.7% (from 14.66 mg · L(-1) to 0.63 mg · L(-1)) after bioremediation in 5% nutrient solution. Additionally, the durability of chromium stabilization was tested by potassium permanganate oxidation and sterilization of microbe-treated soil. After oxidation, the chromium (VI) content in TCLL of the reduced soil was increased from 8.26 mg · L(-1) to 14.68 mg · L(-1). However, the content after bioremediation was decreased to 2.68 mg · L(-1). The results of sterilization demonstrated that the death of microbe had no significant effect on the stabilization of chromium. Consequently, the research in this paper demonstrated the feasibility of bioremediation of chromium (VI) polluted soil through reduction followed by stabilization/soilidification, and provided a technique with low cost but high efficiency.

The nascent thyroglobulin (Tg) multimer molecule, which is generated during the initial fate of Tg in ER, undergoes the rapid reductive depolymerization. In an attempt to determine the depolymerization process, various types of Tg multimers, which were generated from deoxycholate-treated/reduced Tg, partially unfolded Tg or partially unfolded/reduced Tg, were subjected to various GSH (reduced glutathione) reducing systems using protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), glutathione reductase (GR), glutaredoxin or thioredoxin reductase. The Tg multimers generated from deoxycholate-treated/reduced Tg were depolymerized readily by the PDI/GSH system, which is consistent with the reductase activity of PDI. The PDI/GSH-induced depolymerization of the Tg multimers, which were generated from either partially unfolded Tg or partially unfolded/reduced Tg, required the simultaneous inclusion of glutathione reductase, which is capable of reducing glutathionylated mixed disulfide (PSSG). This suggests that PSSG was generated during the Tg multimerization stage or its depolymerization stage. In particular, the thioredoxin/thioredoxin reductase system or glutaredoxin system was also effective in depolymerizing the Tg multimers generated from the unfolded Tg. Overall, under the net GSH condition, the depolymerization of Tg multimers might be mediated by PDI, which is assisted by other reductive enzymes, and the mechanism for depolymerizing the Tg multimers differs according to the type of Tg multimer containing different degrees and types of disulfide linkages.

Fate of the nascent thyrolglobulin (Tg) molecule is characterized by multimerization. To establish the formation of Tg multimers, the partially unfolded/reduced Tg or deoxycholate-treated/ reduced Tg was subjected to protein disulfide isomerase (PDI)-mediated multimerization. Oxidized glutathione/PDI-mediated formation of multimeric Tg forms, requiring at least an equivalent molar ratio of PDI/Tg monomer, decreased with increasing concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH), suggesting the oxidizing role of PDI. Additional support was obtained when PDI alone, at a PDI/Tg molar ratio of 0.3, expressed a rapid multimerization. Independently, the exposure of partially unfolded Tg to GSH resulted in Tg multimerization, enhanced by PDI, according to thiol-disulfide exchange. Though to a lower extent, a similar result was observed with the dimerization of deoxycholate-pretreated Tg monomer. Consequently, it is implied that intermolecular disulfide linkage may be facilitated at a limited region of unfolded Tg. In an attempt to examine the multimerization site, the cysteine residue-rich fragments of the Tg were subjected to GSH-induced multimerization; a 50 kDa fragment, containing three vicinal dithiols, was multimerized, while an N-terminal domain was not. Present results suggest that the oxidase as well as isomerase function of PDI may be involved in the multimerization of partially unfolded Tg or deoxycholate-treated Tg.

Molecular chaperones have a crucial role in the folding of nascent polypeptides in endoplasmic reticulum. Some of them are known to be sensitive to the modification by electrophilic metabolites of organic pro-toxicants. In order to identify chaperone proteins sensitive to alkyators, ER extract was subjected to alkylation by 4-acetamido-4'-maleimidyl-stilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (AMS), and subsequent SDS-PAGE analyses. Protein spots, with molecular mass of 160, 100, 57 and 36 kDa, were found to be sensitive to AMS alkylation, and one abundant chaperon protein was identified to be protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) in comparison with the purified PDI. To see the reactivity of PDI with cysteine alkylators, the reduced form (PDIred) of PDI was incubated with various alkylators containing Michael acceptor structure for 30 min at 38 degrees C at pH 6.3, and the remaining activity was determined by the insulin reduction assay. Iodoacetamide or N-ethylmaleimide at 0.1 mM remarkably inactivated PDIred with N-ethylmaleimide being more potent than iodoacetamide. A partial inactivation of PDIoxid was expressed by iodoacetamide, but not N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) at pH 6.3. Of Michael acceptor compounds tested, 1,4-benzoquinone (IC50, 15 microM) was the most potent, followed by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal and 1,4-naphthoquinone. In contrast, 1,2-naphthoquinone, devoid of a remarkable inactivation action, was effective to cause the oxidative conversion of PDIred to PDIoxid. Thus, the action of Michael acceptor compounds differed greatly depending on their structure. Based on these, it is proposed that PDI, one of chaperone proteins in ER, could be susceptible to endogenous or xenobiotic Michael acceptor compounds in vivo system.

Objective We evaluated a variety of non-invasive physiological technologies and a series of test approaches for examination of aviator performances under conditions of mental workload in order to provide a standard real-time test for physiological and psychological pilot fatigue assessments. Methods Twenty-one male aviators were selected for a simulated flight in a hypobaric cabin with artificial altitude conditions of 2400 meter above sea level. The simulated flight lasted for 1.5 h, and was repeated for two times with an intervening 0.5 h rest period outside the hypobaric cabin. Subjective criteria (a fatigue assessment instrument [FAI]) and objective criteria (a standing-position balance test as well as a critical flicker fusion frequency (CFF) test) were used for fatigue evaluations. Results No significant change was observed in the FAI scores before and after the simulated flight, indicating that there was no subjective fatigue feeling among the participants. However, significant differences were observed in the standing-position balance and CFF tests among the subjects, suggesting that psychophysiological indexes can reflect mental changes caused by workload to a certain extent. The CFF test was the simplest and clearly indicated the occurrence of workload influences on pilot performances after a simulated flight. Conclusions Results showed that the CFF test was the easiest way to detect workload caused mental changes after a simulated flight in a hypobaric cabin and reflected the psychophysiological state of aviators. We suggest that this test might be used as an effective routine method for evaluating the workload influences on mental conditions of aviators.

5'-Nucleotidase, responsible for the conversion of adenosine-5'-monophosphate into adenosine, was purified from bovine brain membranes, and subjected to oxidative inactivation. The 5'-nucleotidase activity decreased slightly after the exposure to either glutathione or Fe2+. The glutathione-mediated inactivation of 5'-nucleotidase was potentiated remarkably by Fe2+, but not Cu2+, in a concentration-dependent manner. Similarly, glutathione exhibited a concentration-dependent enhancement of the Fe2+-mediated inactivation. In comparison, the glutathione/Fe2+ system was much more effective than the ascorbate/Fe2+ system in inactivating the enzyme. In support of an intermediary role of superoxide ions or H2O2 in the action of glutathione/Fe2+ system, superoxide dismutase and catalase expressed a substantial protection against the inactivation by the glutathione/Fe2+ system. Meanwhile, hydroxyl radical scavengers such as mannitol, benzoate or ethanol were incapable of preventing the inactivation, excluding the participation of extraneous hydroxyl radicals. Whereas adenosine 5'-monophosphate as substrate exhibited a modest protection against the glutathione/Fe2+ action, a remarkable protection was expressed by divalent metal ions such as Zn2+ or Mn2+. Structure-activity study with a variety of thiols indicates that the inactivating action of thiols in combination with Fe2+ resides in the free sulfhydryl group and amino group of thiols. Overall, thiols, expressing more inhibitory effect on the activity of 5'-nucleotidase, were found to be more effective in potentiating the Fe2+-mediated inactivation. Further, kinetic analyses indicate that Fe2+ and thiols inhibit the 5'-nucleotidase in a competitive or uncompetitive manner, respectively. These results suggest that ecto-5'-nucleotidase from brain membrane is one of proteins susceptible to thiols/Fe2+-catalyzed oxidation, and the oxidative inactivation may be related to the selective association of Fe2+ and thiols to the enzyme molecule.

Regulation of phosphocholine-hydrolyzing phosphatase (phosphocholine-phosphatase) activity, purified from bovine brain, was examined under physiological conditions. Various endogenous phosphomonoesters, which were utilized as substrate, inhibited the phosphocholine-phosphatase activity competitively (Ki, 5.5-82.0 microM); among phosphomonoesters tested, there was a similar order of capability between the binding affinity of substrate and the inhibitory potency. In addition, phosphate ions also inhibited the phosphatase activity competitively with a Ki value of approximately 167 microM. Although leucine or theophylline inhibited the phosphatase activity at pH 9.0, their inhibitory action decreased greatly at pH 7.4. The pH-Km and pH-Vm profiles indicate that ionizable amino acids are involved in substrate binding as well as catalysis, alluding that the phosphatase activity may be highly dependent on the intracellular pH. Amino acid modification study supports the existence of tyrosine, arginine or lysine residue in the active site, and the participation of tyrosine residue in the catalytic action may be suggested positively from the susceptibiliy to the action of tetranitromethane or HOI-generator. Separately, the oxidative inactivation of phosphocholine-phosphatase activity was investigated. Of oxidants tested, HOONO, HOCl, HOI and ascorbate/Cu2+ system were effective to inactivate the phosphatase activity. Noteworthy, a remarkable inactivation was accomplished by 30 microM HOCl in combination with 1 mM KI. In addition, Cu2+ (3 microM) in combination with ascorbate at concentrations as low as 0.1-0.3 mM reduced the phosphatase activity to a great extent. From these results, it is proposed that the phosphocholine-phosphatase activity may be regulated endogenously and susceptible to the various oxidant systems in vivo.

In this paper, we proposed a method for microvessel density estimation based on color region annotation. First, the pericytes and endothelial cells of the microvessel are modeled in the RGB color space by minimum error thresholding. Second, the connected component labeling method is used to extract microvessels in the neighboring red and brown color regions. Third, the microvessel density is estimated by the number of detected endothelial pixels in the image. Finally, the discrimination ability of the number of endothelial cells and the color contrast of microvessel is validated on the classification of both positive and negative images. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is quite promising.

Grain drying process is a complicatedly hysteretic system with multivariate, nonlinearity, time-varying. Traditional control method is difficult to get ideal control effect since there’s coupled relation between temperature and humidity, and it’s difficult to build accurate mathematical models. Therefore, this thesis inducts decoupling ideas as well as fuzzy control method, realizing decoupling control of temperature and humidity of the system, and uses MATLAB to the corresponding simulation analysis, by comparing with the simulation results of PID control algorithm, it indicates that the system with more superior control effect and greatly improve control precision.

The structural importance of the acyl group in lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) as substrate of purified bovine lysophospholipase D (lysoPLD) was investigated. Among LPCs with saturated acyl chains, the K m value decreased according to the length of the acyl chain (C12–C16) up to the palmitoyl group, while the V m value showed no remarkable change. But, the extension of the acyl size to C18, as observed with 1-stearoyl LPC (K m, 8.5 mM), rather resulted in a remarkable increase in the K m value. Meanwhile, the introduction of one double bond in the C18 saturated acyl chain led to a remarkable reduction in the K m value, as observed with 1-oleoyl LPC (K m, 0.48 mM). Furthermore, 1-linoleoyl LPC (K m, 56 μM) with two double bonds exhibited a smaller K m value than 1-oleoyl LPC, suggesting that the unsaturation degree might be important in augmenting the binding affinity of LPCs. A similar phenomenon was also observed with 1-arachidonoly LPC (K m, 79 μM) or 1-docosahexaenoyl LPC (K m, 36 μM). Overall, the order of catalytic efficiency (V m/K m value) of those LPCs seemed to be affected by the K m value rather than the V m value, which differed by at most threefold among LPC derivatives. Next, the introduction of a hydroperoxide group into 1-linoleoyl-LPC or 1-arachidonoyl LPC led to a further reduction in K m values (1-hydroperoxylinoleoyl LPC, 26 μM; 1-hydroperoxyarachidonoyl LPC, 33 μM), accompanied by a further increase in the V m/K m values. Additionally, phosphatidylcholines (PCs) with an oxidized acyl chain at sn-2 position were found to be efficient as 1-palmitoyl LPC as substrates of lysoPLD. Taken together, the catalytic efficiency of LPCs or oxidized PCs as substrates of lysoPLD seems to be determined by the property of the acyl chain, length of the acyl chain, unsaturation degree and oxidation status.

This letter investigates the mechanism of abnormal body current at the linear region in n-channel high-k/metal gate stack fin field effect transistors. Unlike body current, which is generated by impact ionization at high drain voltages, abnormal body current was found to increase with decreasing drain voltages. Notably, the unusual body leakage only occurs in three-dimensional structure devices. Based on measurements under different operation conditions, the abnormal body current can be attributed to fin surface defect-induced leakage current, and the mechanism is electron tunneling to the fin via the defects, resulting in holes left at the body terminal.

Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is known to contain the thioredoxin box motif with a low pKa cysteine residue. To investigate the reactivity of PDI with thiol modifiers at low physiological pHs, either the reduced (PDI[red]) or oxidized form (PDI[oxid]) of PDI was exposed to various alkylating ragents. When PDI was incubated with iodoacetamide at pH 6.3 for 30 min at 38C, a remarkable inactivation (>90%) of PDI[red] was caused by iodoacetamide (IC[50]=8 M). However, PDI[oxid] was only slightly inactivated (approximately 18%) by iodoacetamide. Similarly, PDI[red] was significantly inactivated by Nethylmaleimide (NEM), but PDI[oxid] was not. When the inactivation by these alkylators was analyzed by pseudofirst order kinetics, NEM (k[3]=1.7510[-2] s[-1]; K[i]=124 M) was observed to be more potent than iodoacetamide (k[3]=9.110[-3] s[-1]; K=311 M). Interestingly, the inactivation of PDI[red] by iodoacetamide was greater at pH 6.3 than pH 7.0, in contrast to a similar inactivation potency of NEM at both pHs. Moreover, the maximal inactivation of PDI[red] or PDI[oxid] by iodoacetamide was mainly observed around pH 6.0. In addition, PDI[red] was found to be inactivated by acrolein (IC[50]=10 M) at pH 6.3, and this inactivation was also greater at pH 6.3 than at pH 7. Based on these results, we suggest that PDI[red] is susceptible to inactivation by alkylators including endogenous α,β-unsaturated aldehydes at low physiological pHs.

The effect of CLA on paraoxonase 1 (PON1), one of the antioxidant proteins associated with HDL, was investigated for its protective action against oxidative inactivation as well as its stabilization activity. When cis-9 (c9),trans-11 (t11)-CLA and t10,c12-CLA were examined for their protective activity against ascorbate/Cu(2+)-induced inactivation of PON1 in the presence of Ca2+, two CLA isomers exhibited a remarkable protection (Emax, 71-74%) in a concentration-dependent manner (50% effective concentration, 3-4 microM), characterized by a saturation pattern. Such a protective action was also reproduced with oleic acid, but not linoleic acid. Rather, linoleic acid antagonized the protective action of CLA isomers in a noncompetitive fashion. Additionally, the two CLA isomers also protected PON1 from oxidative inactivation by H2O2 or cumene hydroperoxide. The concentration-dependent protective action of CLA against various oxidative inactivation systems suggests that the protective action of CLA isomers may be mediated through their selective binding to a specific binding site in a PON1 molecule. Separately, the inactivation of PON1 by p-hydroxymercuribenzoate (PHMB), a modifier of the cysteine residue, was also prevented by CLA isomers, suggesting the possible existence of the cysteine residue in the binding site of CLA. The c9,t11-CLA isomer seems to be somewhat more effective than t10,c12-CLA in protecting against the inactivation of PON1 by either peroxides or PHMB, in contrast to the similar efficacy of these two CLA isomers in preventing ascorbate/Cu(2+)-induced inactivation of PON1. Separately, CLA isomers successfully stabilized PON1, but not linoleic acid. These data suggest that the two CLA isomers may play a beneficial role in protecting PON1 from oxidative inactivation as well as in its stabilization.

The molecular fate of thyroglobulin (Tg) is controlled by oligomerization, a means of storing Tg at high concentrations, and deoligomerization. The oligomerization of bovine Tg are intermolecular reactions that occur through oxidative processes, such as disulfide and dityrosine formation, as well as isopeptide formation; disulfide formation is primarily responsible for Tg oligomerization. Here, the protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and/or peroxidase-induced oligomerization of unfolded thyroglobulins, which were prepared by treating bovine Tg with heat, urea or thiol/urea, was investigated using SDS-PAGE analyses. In addition, the enzymatic oligomerization was compared with non-enzymatic oligomerization. The thermally-induced oligomerization of Tg, dependent on glutathione redox state, was affected by the ionic strength or the presence of a surfactant. Meanwhile, PDI-catalyzed oligomerization, time and pH-dependent, was the most remarkable with unfolded/reduced Tg, which was prepared from a treatment with urea/DTT, while the thermally-unfolded Tg was less sensitive. Similarly, the oligomerization of unfolded/reduced Tg was also mediated by peroxidase. However, PDI showed no remarkable effect on the peroxidase-mediated oligomerization of either the unfolded or unfolded/reduced Tg. Additionally, the reductive deoligomerization of oligomeric Tg was exerted by PDI in an excessively reducing state. Based on these results, it is proposed that PDI catalyzes the oligomerization of Tg through the disulfide linkage and its deoligomerization in the molecular fate, and this process may require a specific molecular form of Tg, optimally unfolded/reduced, in a proper redox state.

This work investigates electron-electron scattering (EES)-induced channel hot electron (CHE) injection in nanoscale n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (n-MOSFETs) with high-k/metal gate stacks. Many groups have proposed new models (i.e., single-particle and multiple-particle process) to well explain the hot carrier degradation in nanoscale devices and all mechanisms focused on Si-H bond dissociation at the Si/SiO2 interface. However, for high-k dielectric devices, experiment results show that the channel hot carrier trapping in the pre-existing high-k bulk defects is the main degradation mechanism. Therefore, we propose a model of EES-induced CHE injection to illustrate the trapping-dominant mechanism in nanoscale n-MOSFETs with high-k/metal gate stacks.