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Allochthonius xuae sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: C70C86D8-8E61-4684-AEE2-DA6EBE7D5171 Figs 2, 4C–D Diagnosis Differs from the other members of the genus Allochthonius by the following combination of characters: cheliceral hand with 7 setae, fixed cheliceral finger with large subapical tooth, rallum with 11 blades (each with fine barbules, the basal-most blade shorter than the others); coxae I with 8 tridentate blades, each blade with a central spine terminally distinctly expanded as fan-shaped, all situated on a common tubercle. Pedipalpal femur (♂) 5.21 ×, (♀) 5.59–5.61 × as long as broad, length (♂) 0.99 mm, (♀) 1.23– 1.24 mm; chela (♂) 4.81 ×, (♀) 4.20–4.24 × as long as broad, length (♂) 1.49 mm, (♀) 1.72–1.78 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♂) 1.63 ×, (♀) 1.63–1.65 ×. Etymology The specific epithet was given in honour of Mrs Juan Xu, the wife of the author. Type material Holotype CHINA • ♂; Guizhou Province, Dafang County, Wenge Town, Sanhe Village, Yelaoda Cave; 27º10.900′ N, 105º28.278′ E; 1438 m a.s.l.; 23 Apr. 2019; Yun-Chun Li leg.; MCWNU (Ar-Ps-GZ-0056). Paratypes CHINA • 5 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; MCWNU (Ar-Ps-GZ-0012). Description Adult male COLOURS. Chelicerae and pedipalps reddish brown, remaining parts brown; carapace, chelicerae and abdomen with dense round white spots. CARAPACE (Fig. 2A). 0.87 × as long as broad, scarcely constricted posteriorly, with 4 well-developed eyes; epistome absent, space between median setae slightly recurved. Carapace surface with 5 lyrifissures, near anterior and posterior margins. With 26 setae arranged 10: 4: 6: 2: 4. CHELICERA. Relatively broad. Cuticle of hand gently granulate to squamate. Hand with 7 setae and 3 lyrifissures, all setae acuminate, movable finger with 1 seta in medial position, galea absent. Fixed finger with 4 conspicuous teeth, including 1 large subapical tooth, distinctly larger than others; movable finger with 21–23 teeth (Fig. 2B). Serrula exterior with 23–24 lamellae; serrula interior with 19–20 lamellae. Rallum composed of 11 blades with fine barbules, the apical-most one with 3 small branches at bend and basal-most 1 distinctly shorter than others (Fig. 2D). PEDIPALP (Fig. 2E–G). All setae acuminate. Trochanter 1.47 ×, femur 5.21 ×, patella 2.47 × as long as broad, femur 2.36 × as long as patella. Chela 4.81 ×, hand 1.81 × as long as broad; movable chelal finger 1.63 × as long as hand. Fixed finger with 20 acute teeth, which middle ones larger than that in both ends; movable finger with 16 teeth, tubercle between 8 and 9. Fixed chelal finger with 8 trichobothria and movable finger with 4, eb, esb, ib, isb, and ist located basally of fixed finger and 2 special sensory hairs (xs) near the fingertip; on movable finger, st subproximal and in medial position on finger, triplet sb, b, and t distomedial to distal, distance between sb and b distinctly longer than distance between b and t. ABDOMEN. Tergal chaetotaxy (I–XII): 4: 5: 7: 7: 8: 11: 11: 12: 10: 8: 2: 0; sternal chaetotaxy (IV–XII): 17: 16: 15: 16: 16: 12: 12: 0: 2. Manducatory process with 2 setae. Pedipalpal coxa with 3 setae, coxa I 5–6, II 5, III 7, IV 7 setae; intercoxal tubercle present with 2 setae. Coxal blades only present on coxa I, with spray of 8 clavate blades (Fig. 2C). Anterior genital operculum with 8 setae, without lyrifissures; genital opening with 14 setae on the right side, and 12 on the left (Fig. 2H). LEGS. Leg I: trochanter 1.16 × as long as deep, femur 5.09 × as long as deep and 1.60 × as long as patella, patella 3.50 × as long as deep, tibia 4.57 × as long as deep, tarsus 9.43 × as long as deep. Leg IV: trochanter 0.90 × as long as deep, femur+patella 3.28 × as long as deep, femur shorter than patella, tibia 4.86 × as long as deep, metatarsus 3.67 × as long as deep, tarsus 11.33 × as long as deep. Metatarsus with 1 tactile seta (sub-basal, TS = 0.28), tarsus with 2 tactile setae (sub-basal, TS = 0.29; subterminal, TS = 0.20). Arolia shorter than claws, latter slender and smooth. Adult female Mostly the same as the holotype. CARAPACE. 0.83–0.87 × as long as broad. PEDIPALP. Trochanter 1.43–1.44 × as long as broad, femur 5.59–5.61 × as long as broad, patella 2.23– 2.25 × as long as broad, femur 2.51–2.54 × as long as patella. Chela 4.20–4.24 × as long as broad, hand 1.59–1.62 × as long as broad; movable finger 1.63–1.65 × as long as hand. ABDOMEN. Tergal chaetotaxy (I–XII): 4: 5: 7: 9: 11: 11: 10: 14: 11: 10: 2: 0; sternal chaetotaxy (IV–XII): 18: 18: 16: 15: 16: 14: 12: 0: 2. Genital opening slit-like, anterior genital operculum with 17 setae, with 2 lyrifissures (Fig. 2I). DIMENSIONS (length/width or, in the case of the legs, length/depth in mm). Male (females in parentheses): body length 2.92 (3.70–3.77). Carapace 0.52/0.60 (0.58–0.61/0.70–0.72). Pedipalp: trochanter 0.22/0.15 (0.30–0.32/0.21–0.23), femur 0.99/0.19 (1.23–1.24/0.22–0.23), patella 0.42/0.17 (0.49–0.51/0.22–0.23), hand 0.56/0.31 (0.65–0.67/0.41–0.44), length of movable chelal finger 0.91 (1.06–1.10), chela 1.49/0.31 (1.72–1.78/0.41–0.44). Leg I: trochanter 0.22/0.19 (0.20–0.22/0.16–0.18), femur 0.56/0.11 (0.64– 0.67/0.13–0.14), patella 0.35/0.10 (0.41–0.44/0.12–0.13), tibia 0.32/0.07 (0.39–0.41/0.09–0.10), tarsus 0.66/0.07 (0.73–0.75/0.08–0.09). Leg IV: trochanter 0.19/0.21 (0.32–0.34/0.25–0.26), femur+patella 0.82/0.25 (0.91–0.95/0.31–0.33), tibia 0.68/0.14 (0.76–0.79/0.17–0.19), metatarsus 0.33/0.09 (0.37– 0.39/0.11–0.12), tarsus 0.68/0.06 (0. 69–0.70/0.08–0.09). Distribution China (Guizhou). Habitat The cave was about 20–200 m high, the length was unknown, and the width was about 50– 200 m. The new species were collected from under wet, dimly lit rubble about 100 m from the cave entrance. The surrounding herbs were abundant, and some spiders, millipedes and Carabidae were also collected., Published as part of Yun-Chun LI, 2023, Three new species of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae) from caves in Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces, China, pp. 48-64 in European Journal of Taxonomy 861 on pages 53-56, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.861.2065, http://zenodo.org/record/7729666

Spelaeochthonius yinae sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 022ECCAC-A3CD-4BD4-876D-3167FD2CF413 Figs 3, 5A–B Diagnosis Differs from the other members of the genus Spelaeochthonius by the following combination of characters: carapace without eyes or eyespots, anterior margin with 6 setae, posterior margin with 2 setae (male 15 setae, female 16 setae); epistome present, composed of 6 teeth, heavily sclerotised; cheliceral hand with 5 lyrifissures, fixed cheliceral finger with large subapical tooth, rallum with 11 blades; and male coxae I with 7 coxal blades, female with 8 coxal blades, each terminally trifurcate blades; fixed chelal finger with 23 acute teeth, movable chelal finger with 14 teeth. Tergite I–II each with 2 setae. Pedipalpal femur (♂) 7.65 ×, (♀) 7.26 × as long as broad, length (♂) 1.30 mm, (♀) 1.38 mm; chela (♂) 5.93 ×, (♀) 6.30 × as long as broad, length (♂) 1.72 mm, (♀) 1.89 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♂) 1.36 ×, (♀) 1.40 ×. Etymology The specific epithet was given in honour of Mrs Hao-Min Yin due to the assistance provided during fieldwork. Type material Holotype CHINA • ♂; Yunnan Province, Zhaotong City, Doushaguan Town, Xiao Cave; 28°02.405′ N, 104°06.845′ E; 708 m a.s.l.; 11 Apr. 2017; Yun-Chun Li leg.; MCWNU (Ar-Ps-YN-0081). Paratype CHINA • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; MCWNU (Ar-Ps-YN-0008). Description Adult male COLOURS. Chelicerae, pedipalps, and legs reddish brown, remaining parts yellow brown. CARAPACE (Fig. 3A–B). Subquadrate, 0.90 × as long as broad, without furrows; lateral margins constricted posteriorly, eyes absent but eye region bulging and convex in dorsal view; epistome present, composed of 6 teeth, heavily sclerotised. With 15 setae arranged 6: 2: 3: 2: 2. CHELICERA. Relatively broad. Cuticle of hand gently granulate to squamate. Hand with 6 setae and 5 lyrifissures, all setae acuminate, movable finger with 1 seta in medial position, galea present as a very low mound. Fixed finger with 1 medium-sized distal tooth and 11 progressively smaller proximal teeth; movable finger with 12 teeth (Fig. 3C). Serrula exterior with 22 lamellae; serrula interior with 18 lamellae. Rallum composed of 11 blades with fine barbules, basal-most 1 distinctly shorter than others (Fig. 3E). PEDIPALP (Fig. 3H–J). All setae acuminate. Hand of chela narrowed at base of fingers. Trochanter 1.56 ×, femur 7.65 ×, patella 2.33 × as long as broad, femur 3.10 × as long as patella. Chela 5.93 ×, hand 2.48 × as long as broad; movable chelal finger 1.36 × as long as hand. Fixed finger with 23 acute teeth, with middle ones larger than that in both ends; movable finger with 14 teeth. Fixed chelal finger with 8 trichobothria and movable finger with 4, eb, esb, ib, isb, and ist located basally of the fixed finger, it and est distomedial and forming a pair, it slightly more distal than est; et subdistal and duplex xs distal; on movable finger, st subproximal and in medial position on finger, triplet sb, b, and t distomedial to distal, distance between sb and b almost equal to distance between b and t. ABDOMEN. Tergal chaetotaxy (I–XII): 2: 2: 4: 4: 4: 6: 7: 7: 6: 6: 4: 0; sternal chaetotaxy (IV–XII): 13: 11: 10: 11: 10: 12: 10: 0: 2. Manducatory process with 2 setae. Pedipalpal coxa with 3 setae, coxa I 6, II 6, III 5, IV 4–5 setae; intercoxal tubercle present with 2 setae. Coxae I with 7 coxal blades, each terminally trifurcate blades (Fig. 3D). Anterior genital operculum with 9 setae, without lyrifissures; genital opening with 8 setae on the right side and 7 on the left (Fig. 3L). LEGS (Fig. 3F–G). Leg I: trochanter 1.34 × as long as deep, femur 7.40 × as long as deep and 2.00 × as long as patella, patella 4.11 × as long as deep, tibia 4.57 × as long as deep, tarsus 13.00 × as long as deep. Leg IV: trochanter 1.56 × as long as deep, femur+ patella 4.62 × as long as deep, femur shorter than patella, tibia 6.55 × as long as deep, metatarsus 3.78 × as long as deep, tarsus 15.00 × as long as deep. Metatarsus with 1 tactile seta (sub-basal, TS = 0.20), tarsus with 1 tactile seta (sub-basal, TS = 0.18). Subterminal tarsal setae not distally serrate, arolium slightly shorter than claws and not divided; all claws simple. Adult female Mostly the same as the holotype. CARAPACE. 0.97 × as long as broad. With a total of 16 setae, including 6 on the anterior margin and 4 on the posterior margin. PEDIPALP. Trochanter 1.58 × as long as broad, femur 7.26 × as long as broad, patella 2.47 × as long as broad, femur 2.94 × as long as patella. Chela 6.30 × as long as broad, hand 2.5 × as long as broad; movable finger 1.40 × as long as hand. ABDOMEN. Tergal chaetotaxy (I–XII): 2: 2: 4: 4: 4: 5: 6: 7: 5: 5: 2: 0; sternal chaetotaxy (IV–XII): 11: 11: 10: 10: 11: 11: 7: 0: 2. Coxae I with 8 coxal blades, each terminally trifurcate blades. Genital opening slit-like, anterior genital operculum with 6 setae, with 2 lyrifissures (Fig. 3M). DIMENSIONS (length/width or, in the case of the legs, length/depth in mm). Male (female in parentheses): body length 2.64 (3.06). Carapace 0.53/0.59 (0.61/0.63). Pedipalp: trochanter 0.28/0.18 (0.30/0.19), femur 1.30/0.17 (1.38/0.19), patella 0.42/0.18 (0.47/0.19), hand 0.72/0.29 (0.75/0.30), length of movable chelal finger 0.98 (1.05), chela 1.72/0.29 (1.89/0.30). Leg I: trochanter 0.22/0.16 (0.24/0.18), femur 0.74/0.10 (0.80/0.11), patella 0.37/0.09 (0.42/0.10), tibia 0.32/0.07 (0.35/0.08), tarsus 0.78/0.06 (0.82/0.07). Leg IV: trochanter 0.25/0.16 (0.32/0.17), femur+patella 0.97/0.21 (1.04/0.22), tibia 0.72/0.11 (0.78/0.12), metatarsus 0.34/0.09 (0.38/0.08), tarsus 0.90/0.06 (0.95/0.08). Distribution China (Yunnan). Habitat The cave was about 5–20 m high, 15–80 m wide, and its length was unknown. The new species were collected from under damp, shaded gravel about 80 m from the cave entrance. At the same time, some species of spiders, millipedes and neobisiid pseudoscorpions were also collected., Published as part of Yun-Chun LI, 2023, Three new species of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae) from caves in Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces, China, pp. 48-64 in European Journal of Taxonomy 861 on pages 56-60, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.861.2065, http://zenodo.org/record/7729666

Allochthonius lini sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: A63F930C-B176-411F-8254-6B843FF240F7 Figs 1, 4A–B Diagnosis Differs from the other members of the genus Allochthonius by the following combination of characters: cheliceral hand with 7 setae, fixed cheliceral finger with large basal and subapical tooth, rallum with 11 blades (each with fine barbules, the basal-most blade shorter than the others); and coxae I with 8 tridentate blades, each blade with a central spine terminally distinctly expanded as fan-shaped, all situated on a common tubercle. Pedipalpal femur (♂) 5.56–5.59 ×, (♀) 4.95–4.98 × as long as broad, length (♂) 0.89–0.92 mm, (♀) 0.99–1.01 mm; chela (♂) 4.78–4.81 ×, (♀) 4.44–4.50 × as long as broad, length (♂) 1.29–1.31 mm, (♀) 1.51–1.54 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♂) 1.78–1.82 ×, (♀) 0.97–0.99 ×. Etymology The specific epithet was given in honour of Dr Yu-Chen Lin (College of Life Science, Sichuan University, China), not only due to the assistance provided during fieldwork, but also for his great contribution to the knowledge of arthropods, especially Mysmenidae. Type material Holotype CHINA • ♂; Yunnan Province, Zhaotong City, Zhenxiong County, Wude Town, Xinzhai Village, Xiaoguoquan Cave; 25.586027° N, 104.762101° E; 1220 m a.s.l.; 9 Apr. 2017; Yun-Chun Li leg.; MCWNU (Ar-Ps-YN-0082). Paratypes CHINA • 9 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; MCWNU (Ar-Ps-YN-0027) • 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 30 Aug. 2020; Yun-Chun Li, Yu-Chen Lin, Ya Li and Yun-Fei Shu leg.; MCWNU (Ar-Ps-YN-0019). Description Adult male COLOUR. Chelicerae and pedipalps reddish brown, remaining parts brown; carapace, chelicerae and abdomen with dense round white spots. CARAPACE (Fig. 1A). 0.81–0.85 × as long as broad, scarcely constricted posteriorly, with 4 welldeveloped eyes; epistome absent, space between median setae slightly recurved. Carapace surface with 4 lyrifissures, near anterior and posterior margins. With 26 setae arranged 10: 4: 6: 2: 4. CHELICERA. Relatively broad. Cuticle of hand gently granulate to squamate. Hand with 7 setae, all setae acuminate, movable finger with 1 seta in medial position, with 1 small lyrifissure in most dorsal row of setae on hand, galea absent. Fixed finger with 5 conspicuous teeth, including 1 large basal tooth and 1 subapical tooth; movable finger with 17–19 teeth (Fig. 1B). Serrula exterior with 21–24 lamellae; serrula interior with 16–18 lamellae. Rallum composed of 11 blades with fine barbules, basal-most 1 distinctly shorter than others (Fig. 1D). PEDIPALP (Fig. 1G–I). All setae acuminate. Trochanter 1.47–1.51 ×, femur 5.56–5.59 ×, patella 2.19– 2.24 × as long as broad, femur 2.54–2.60 × as long as patella. Chela 4.78–4.81 × and hand 1.70–1.77 × as long as broad; movable chelal finger 1.78–1.82 × as long as hand. Fixed finger with 17 acute teeth, including 1 large basal tooth, almost close to junction; movable finger with 16 teeth, tubercle between 9 and 10. Fixed chelal finger with 8 trichobothria and movable finger with 4, eb, esb, ib, isb, and ist located basally of fixed finger and 2 special sensory hairs (xs) near fingertip; on movable finger, st subproximal and in medial position on finger, triplet sb, b, and t distomedial to distal, distance between sb and b sligthly longer than distance between b and t. ABDOMEN. Tergal chaetotaxy (I–XII): 4: 6: 8: 9: 11: 12: 12: 13: 10: 6: 2: 0; sternal chaetotaxy (IV–XII): 18: 18: 16: 18: 16: 13: 7: 0: 2. Manducatory process with 2 setae. Pedipalpal coxa with 3 setae, coxa I 4, II 5, III 5–6, IV 6–7 setae; intercoxal tubercle present with 2 setae (Fig. 1J). Coxal blades only present on coxa I, with spray of 8 clavate blades (Fig. 1C). Anterior genital operculum with 8 setae and 2 lyrifissures; genital opening with 15 setae on the right side, and 12 on the left (Fig. 1K). LEGS (Fig. 1E–F). Leg I: trochanter 1.20–1.21 × as long as deep, femur 4.17–4.22 × as long as deep and 1.72–1.75 × as long as patella, patella 2.90–2.93 × as long as deep, tibia 3.63–3.65 × as long as deep, tarsus 9.33–9.40 × as long as deep. Leg IV: trochanter 1.56–1.58 × as long as deep, femur +patella 3.14–3.20 × as long as deep, femur shorter than patella, tibia 5.18–5.23 × as long as deep, metatarsus 3.25–3.29 × as long as deep, tarsus 9.67–9.70 × as long as deep. Metatarsus with 1 tactile seta (subbasal, TS = 0.21), tarsus with 2 tactile setae (sub-basal, TS = 0.19; subterminal, TS = 0.17). Arolia shorter than claws, latter slender and smooth. Adult female Mostly the same as the holotype. CARAPACE. 0.80–0.85 × as long as broad. PEDIPALP. Trochanter 1.20–1.24 × as long as broad, femur 4.95–4.98 × as long as broad, patella 2.00– 2.07 × as long as broad, femur 2.48–2.51 × as long as patella. Chela 4.44–4.50 × as long as broad, hand 1.62–1.65 × as long as broad; movable finger 1.76–1.81 × as long as hand. ABDOMEN. Tergal chaetotaxy (I–XII): 4: 6: 7: 11: 11: 11: 12: 14: 9: 6: 2: 0; sternal chaetotaxy (IV– XII): 18: 17: 16: 16: 14: 12: 8: 0: 2. Genital opening slit-like, anterior genital operculum with 10 setae, without lyrifissures (Fig. 1L). DIMENSIONS (length/width or, in the case of the legs, length/depth in mm). Males (females in parentheses). Body length 2.72–2.81 (2.81–2.93). Carapace 0.48–0.51/0.59–0.61 (0.53–0.58/0.66– 0.70). Pedipalp: trochanter 0.25–0.26/0.17–0.18 (0.24–0.26/0.20–0.22), femur 0.89–0.92/0.16–0.19 (0.99–1.01/0.20–0.21), patella 0.35–0.37/0.16–0.18 (0.40–0.44/0.20–0.21), hand 0.46–0.48/0.27–0.28 (0.55–0.59/0.34–0.36), length of movable chelal finger 0.82–0.84 (0.97–0.99), chela 1.29–1.31/0.27– 0.28 (1.51–1.54/0.34–0.36). Leg I: trochanter 0.18–0.19/0.15–0.17 (0.22–0.24/0.19–0.20), femur 0.50–0.54/0.12–0.13 (0.55–0.57/0.11–0.12), patella 0.29–0.31/0.10–0.11 (0.34–0.37/0.10–0.11), tibia 0.29–0.31/0.08–0.10 (0.32–0.34/0.08–0.09), tarsus 0.56–0.58/0.06–0.07 (0.62–0.65/0.07–0.08). Leg IV: trochanter 0.25–0.28/0.16–0.18 (0.20–0.22/0.18–0.19), femur +patella 0.69–0.72/0.22–0.23 (0.78–0.82/0.24–0.26), tibia 0.57–0.59/0.11–0.12 (0.66–0.69/0.12–0.13), metatarsus 0.26–0.28/0.08– 0.09 (0.29–0.31/0.10–0.11), tarsus 0.58–0.61/0.06–0.07 (0.67–0.69/0.07–0.08). Distribution China (Yunnan). Habitat The cave was 10–80 m high, 300 m long and 50–200 m wide. The new species were collected from under the wet and dimly lit gravel 10–50 m away from the cave entrance. In addition, some spiders and Carabidae were also collected in the area., Published as part of Yun-Chun LI, 2023, Three new species of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae) from caves in Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces, China, pp. 48-64 in European Journal of Taxonomy 861 on pages 50-53, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.861.2065, http://zenodo.org/record/7729666

A new pseudoscorpion species, Bisetocreagris xiaoensis Li & Liu, sp. n., is described and illustrated from specimens collected in caves in Yanjin County, Yunnan Province, China. An identification key is provided to all known cavedwelling representatives of the genus Bisetocreagris in the world.

A new species of darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae) belonging to the genus Agnaptoria Reitter, 1887, A. jinchengi sp. nov. is described from the Dhaulagiri Zone in Nepal. A new key for all known Agnap...

Luminescent complexes illustrate high interest as luminescent materials in the fields of optical communications, lighting, sensors and biomedical devices. This review gives the structural and luminescent studies on isonicotinic acid based complexes, and probably provides the structure-property relationship. These complexes display various luminescent properties, such as luminescent probe, different luminescence when immersed in different organic solvents. This review is divided into three sections to discuss, including transition-metal, lanthanide, lanthanide-transition heterometal. The approach will help design and synthesis of luminescent complexes as promising materials.

As a group of heterocyclic macrocycle organic natural compounds occurring universally in animal tissues and plants, porphyrins are composed of four modified pyrrole subunits. Porphyrin analogues/ derivatives possess multiple biochemical properties because of their unique structures and have been extensively investigated in cancer treatment. Studies have shown that porphyrins and their derivatives have the ability to locate tumor cells in a variety of human cancers, and these compounds not only exhibit potent therapeutic effects as photodynamic agents but also show promising properties in medicinal imaging, such as MRI, photoacoustic imaging, fluorescence imaging, and PET/SPECT imaging. This paper reviews the recent reports of porphyrin derivatives as therapeutic agents used in tumor therapies, such as sonodynamic therapy, photodynamic therapy and radiotherapy, as well as the imaging agents for multimodality tumor imaging. The limitations of porphyrin-based compounds in tumor treatments and future prospects are also summarized.

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-associated mortality in females worldwide and evidence suggests that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection may be implicated in the progress of breast cancer. HCMV glycoprotein B (gB) is the most abundant envelope protein and serves an important role in host cell entry. The present study aimed to clarify the role of HCMV gB in breast cancer cells. A HCMV gB construct (UL55) was generated and stable vUL55 gene lentivirus-transfected MDA-MB-231 cells were established. Subsequently, the effect of HCMV gB on the apoptosis and proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells was measured by flow cytometry and Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Furthermore, whether HCMV gB may modulate MDA-MB-231 cell migration was examined using Transwell and cell scratch assays. In addition, alterations in HCMV gB-modulated protein levels of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and Mothers against decapentaplegic homologs 2/3 (Smad2/3) were detected using western blot analysis. The results indicated that UL55 cDNA was stably transfected into MDA-MB-231 cells, and that HCMV gB protein was stably expressed. No significant differences in cell apoptosis and proliferation between transfected (231-GB-OE) and negative control (231-NC) cells were observed, while the rate of cell migration was significantly decreased in the 231-GB-OE cells compared with the 231-NC cells. Additionally, the expression level of TGF-β and phosphorylation level of Smad2/3 were also decreased in 231-GB-OE cells compared with the 231-NC cells. Although certain previous studies indicated that HCMV infection was associated with breast carcinogenesis, the results of the present study indicate that the envelope protein HCMV gB exhibits no effect on cell apoptosis and proliferation, but inhibits breast cancer cell migration. This may be due to downregulated TGF-β/Smad signaling. Taken together, these studies may assist in developing anti-TGF-β agents that contribute to tumor suppression.

Two 3d-4f hetero-metal pentanuclear complexes with the formula {[CrIII2LnIII3L10(OH)6(H2O)2]Et3NH} [Ln=Tb (1), Dy (2); HL=pivalic acid, Et3N=triethylamine] have been produced. The metal core of each cluster is made up of a trigonal bipyramid with three LnIII ions (plane) and two CrIII ions (above and below) held together by six μ3-OH bridges. Also reported with this series is the diamagnetic CrIII-YIII analogue (3). Fortunately, we successfully prepared AlIII-LnIII analogues with the formula {[AlIII2LnIII3L10(OH)6(H2O)2]Et3NH⋅H2O} [Ln=Tb (4), Dy (5)], containing diamagnetic AlIII ions, which can be used to evaluate the CrIII-LnIII magnetic nature through a diamagnetic substitution method. Subsequently, static (dc) magnetic susceptibility studies reveal dominant ferromagnetic interactions between CrIII and LnIII ions. Dynamic (ac) magnetic susceptibility studies show frequency-dependent out-of-phase (χ'') signals for [CrIII2TbIII3] (1), [CrIII2DyIII3] (2), and [AlIII2DyIII3] (5), which are derived from the single-ion behavior of LnIII ions and/or the CrIII-LnIII ferromagnetic interactions.

The rate of visibility deterioration in Ya’an city in the Sichuan Basin has been accelerating since the 2000s. Issues related to the air quality as well as meteorological conditions are reported in this study. Fine particulate matters (PM2.5) were collected in Ya’an from June 2013 till June 2014. The chemical compositions of the samples were determined. The annual average visual range (VR), PM2.5 concentrations, and ambient light extinction coefficient (bext) were 11.9 ± 9.2 km, 64.1 ± 41.6 µg m–3, and 452 ± 314 Mm–1, respectively. The highest concentration of PM2.5, the highest bext, and the lowest VR were all seen in winter, followed by spring, autumn, and summer. Organic matter (OM), ammonium sulfate [(NH4)2SO4], and ammonium nitrate [NH4NO3] were the major constituents, accounting for 32.8%, 28.3%, and 12.1%, respectively, of the total PM2.5 mass. The revised Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) equation was applied to estimate ambient bext. On an annual basis, (NH4)2SO4 was the most significant contributor (43.1%), followed by OM (27.1%) and NH4NO3 (22.4%), which, in total, accounted for 92.6% of the ambient bext. Rayleigh, elemental carbon, fine soil, nitrogen dioxide, and chloride salt accounted for a minor fraction (7.4%). Up to ~40.8% of the ambient bext was ascribed to relative humidity (RH), of which 26.4% and 14.0% were attributed to the hygroscopic growth of (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3, respectively. More efforts are needed to reduce the average daily PM2.5 concentration of < 59 µg m–3 to avoid the occurrence of haze under a high average RH of 78.3 ± 10%, which significantly impacts visibility through various physico-chemical processes. Emissions of precursor gases, such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ammonia, and volatile organic compounds, should be reduced to improve the air quality and visibility in Ya’an.

A novel hexanuclear CoII complex with the formula of {[Co6(μ3-OH)(Hdhbp)4(dhbp)2(piv)3]·5CH3CN} (1, H2dhbp = 6,6′-dihydroxy-2,2′bipyridine, Hpiv = pivalic acid) was obtained and characterized. Single-crystal X-ray analysis shows that complex 1 contains six crystallographic independent CoII ions, which are gathered in the shell to form a [Co6] cluster. The six CoII ions embrace two coordination environments: the distorted octahedron and the vacant octahedron. Magnetic susceptibility of complex 1 was measured and studied.

Two novel heterometallic complexes with formula of {[Co 2 (HTRI) 3 (H 2 O) 6 ][Dy 2 Co(HCAM) 6 (H 2 O) 4 ]·22H 2 O} ( 1 , H 3 CAM = 4-hydroxyl-2,6-pyridicarboxylic acid; HTRI = 1,2,4-triazole) and {[Dy 2 Co 3 (HTRI) 2 (HCAM) 6 (H 2 O) 10 ]·2CH 3 OH·13H 2 O} n ( 2 ) have been obtained. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that complexes 1 and 2 show similar molecular elements, but display different structural features: a discrete ionic-pair for complex 1 and an infinite 1D chain for complex 2 , which is probably due to the different coordination modes of HTRI. Luminescent properties have been studied for complexes 1 and 2 , and show the characteristic fluorescence of Dy(III) ions.

Abstrac t The rapidly growing number of luminescent compounds based on lanthanide ions illustrates high interest due to the numerous applications on lighting, optical communications, sensors, photonics and biomedical devices. In this review, we choose luminescent compounds based on pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid to discuss the synthetic strategy of functional luminescent compounds, various types of emitting, tunable emission colors, and the mechanism of enhancing and quenching fluorescence. The unique luminescence features them as promising materials. We focus on recent significant advances of this field and provide a comprehensive review on multifunctional lanthanide compounds.

Four 3d–4f heterometallic complexes with the formula, {[Ln2Co6(OH)4(L1)6(L2)8(CH3CN)2]·nCH2Cl2} (Ln = Dy (1), n = 0.5; Ho (2), n = 1; Gd (3), n = 1; Y (4), n = 1; HL1 = 6-chloro-2-pyridinol, HL2 = pivalic acid), were synthesized. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that complexes 1–4 consisted of a [Ln2Co6] core, featuring a Ln–Ln edge-sharing double-trigonal-bipyramid configuration. The magnetic susceptibilities revealed ferromagnetic coupling within complexes 1 and 2, and complex 1 displayed slow relaxation of magnetization.

A new pseudoscorpion, Lagynochthonius bailongtanensis sp. nov., is described and illustrated from specimens collected in a cave in Luoping County, Yunnan Province, China. This species is notable in being strongly troglomorphic. A new identification key is provided to all known Chinese representatives of the genus Lagynochthonius.

Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) have attracted attention due to their potential applications in quantum computation and information storage, and many SMMs have been reported in the past two decades. In this review, we summarize the structures and the magnetic exchange interactions of pyridine alcohol-based SMMs to give a possible relationship between structure and magnetic property, providing information to generate new molecule-based magnetic materials. According to the correlated metal centers, these SMMs are separated into three segments to discuss.

PM2.5 samples were collected from five different cooking activities, namely, meat roasting, cafeteria frying, fish roasting, snack-street boiling, and cafeteria boiling in Ya’an, China. Their chemical compositions were investigated. The PM2.5 concentrations in the cooking samples were 2.5–9.6 times higher than those in the corresponding backgrounds. Meat roasting produced the highest amount of PM2.5. In general, charbroilings emitted more PM2.5 than the other cooking activities because of the characteristics of cooking method and fuel type. High organic carbon (OC) contents (> 53% of PM2.5) and OC/EC ratios (> 54) in meat roasting and cafeteria frying samples suggest that oils and high-fat raw materials significantly affect the PM2.5 and OC emissions. However, the cooking activity was proved to be a minor source for elemental carbon (EC) with its low contents in all of the samples. High ion compositions in PM2.5 and WSOC/OC ratios in the snack-street boiling and cafeteria boiling samples represent that water-based cooking emitted more water-soluble species. Considering that high OC/EC ratios were measured in the oil-based cooking samples and most secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) are water soluble, it is more reasonable to estimate SOA with WSOC/OC ratio in populated urban areas. We found that the formation of SOA is significant when the WSOC/OC ratio is larger than 0.40. Principal component analysis (PCA) with the quantified metals identified four contributors to the samples, including coal combustion and non-licensed business activities, soil dust, charcoal burning, and stainless steel utensils, and explained 73% of the total variance. The high emissions of PM2.5 and toxic components from the cooking activities suggest that food safety control and environmental standard establishment should be strengthened in small and medium-sized cities in China.

Two new polynuclear d-metal clusters based on pentaerythritol (H4L), [Mn12] (1) and [Mn10Cd2] (2) for short, were obtained from the reaction of H4L, transition-metal salt and pivalic acid (Hpiv) in the mixed solvent under ambient conditions. Compound 1 crystallizes in the triclinic space group P 1 ¯ , and consists of a dodecanuclear mixed-valent [MnIII4MnII8] cluster. When Cd(NO3)2·4H2O was introduced into the reaction, compound 2 was resulted in, which displays the similar structural feature as compound 1, fabricating a dodecanuclear heterometallic [MnIII4MnII6CdII2] cluster, but crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c. Interestingly, there are two μ5-O bridges present in this structure, and it is rare. Magnetic susceptibilities of compounds 1 and 2 were measured, and antiferromagnetic interactions between metal centers were observed.

A series of lanthanide coordination polymers (Ln-CPs), with the formula of {[Ln(L)3(CH3OH)(H2O)]n} (Ln = Sm (1), Eu (2), HL = 2-chloroisonicotinic acid) and {[Ln(L)3(H2O)2]n} (Ln = Dy (3), Tb (4)), were synthesized under solvothermal condition. This series display two different 1D chains due to the lanthanide contraction: complexes 1 and 2, based on light Sm and Eu, respectively, consist of paddle-wheel [Ln2(COO)4] dimmers through double μ2-COO bridges, and complexes 3 and 4 with heavy Dy and Tb, respectively, show 1D [Ln(COO)2]n chains. The luminescent measurements indicate the typical emissions of corresponding Ln3+ ions in complexes 1–4. Furthermore, complexes 2 and 4 display significant luminescent response for Fe3+ ions with high quenching constant. The result indicates that complexes 2 and 4 can act as luminescent probes for Fe3+ ions with relatively high sensitivity and selectivity.

A pentanuclear {Cr2Gd3} cluster (1) and its diamagnetic substituent-{Al2Gd3} (2) based on pivalic acid (Hpiv) were obtained with the formulas of {Et3NH[M2Gd3(OH)6(piv)10(H2O)2]} (M = CrIII, 1; AlIII, 2). The metallic core shows a triangle bipyramid-{Cr2Gd3} held together by six µ3-OH groups, and the piv- ligands located at the periphery. Magnetic studies for complex 1 exhibit dominant ferromagnetic interactions between CrIII and GdIII ions. Furthermore, ferromagnetic {Cr2Gd3} cluster (1) displays a considerable large magnetic entropy value (−ΔSm = 27.0 J kg−1 K−1) at high temperature among low-nuclearity 3d-4f clusters.

Three Cd(II) coordination complexes based on two different pyridine dicarboxylic acids (pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (H2PDA) and its derivative 4-hydroxypyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (chelidamic acid, H3CAM)), [Cd2(PDA)2(H2O)3]n (1), {[Cd2(HCAM)2(H2O)4]·3H2O}n (2), and [Cd4(HCAM)4(H2O)8] (3) have been isolated under hydrothermal conditions. Compound 1, with H2PDA and Cd(NO3)2·4H2O, exhibits a 1-D chain structure. Compound 2, obtained by using H3CAM instead of H2PDA, contains a different 1-D chain from that of 1. When using CdCl2·2.5H2O and H3CAM, a discrete tetranuclear Cd4 compound (3) was obtained, and the isolated molecules are expanded to a eight-connected CsCl-like topology with point symbol (424·64) through hydrogen bonding interactions. Furthermore, the photoluminescent properties of 1–3 were investigated.

A removal mechanism of chromate (Cr) by synthesized kaolin supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (K-nZVI) from aqueous solution is demonstrated. Parameters which potentially influenced the functioning of K-nZVI have been investigated as well. Based on the scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopes, X-ray crystal powder diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy identifications, we confirm that amorphous Fe0 core/FexOy shell nZVI can be successfully loaded into the pores and cracks, and onto the surface of kaolin. Removal efficiency of Cr by K-nZVI decreased with increasing initial pH and Cr(VI) concentration, but increased while K-nZVI dosage increased. Humic acid and phosphate had similar dual impacts on chromium removal by K-nZVI, and the inhibitory effect was obvious at high concentrations in spite of their different reaction mechanisms. In contrast, high concentrations of sulfate and nitrate could advance the chromium removal. Adsorption isotherms indicate that...

Cooperating with the Intel® Many Integrated Core Architecture which was announced in 2010 as a massively parallel coprocessor, heterogeneous node has been broadly applied in petascale supercomputers, such as TianHe-II. The performance analysis for massive parallel applications under the heterogeneous architecture is playing an important role for next generation exascale supercomputers. In this paper, we proposed a method to analyze and optimize parallel programs running on CPU/MIC heterogeneous computing node with offload programming mode. To monitor runtime behaviors in offload process, we used TAU to instrument the offload code region to collect performance events. Then we compared the performance of different programming modes with NAS Parallel Benchmarks. The results indicated that asynchronous offload mode performs better than synchronous offload mode.

Nineteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in PM

Four 3d-4f heterometallic complexes with the formula, {[Ln

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite fabricated by a novel one-pot chemical blasting method was used for electrochemical detection of dopamine (DA). Characterization data reveal that MWCNT/GO nanocomposite possesses well-developed three-dimensional bamboo-like structure and large specific surface area as well as good electrical conductivity. Electrochemical analysis suggests that the nanocomposite displays superior electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of DA, and the peak currents present a good linear relationship to the concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 400.0 μM with a detection limit of 60 nM (S/N = 3). The prepared electrochemical sensor was applied to determine DA in pharmaceutical dopamine hydrochloride injection with satisfactory results.

To investigate if immunological factors associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affect the result of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).100 RA cases were enrolled from January 2012 to February 2013 into this study. HIV screening was conducted with ECLIA detecting both HIV-1 p24 antigen, HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies, with ELISA and colloidal gold method detecting HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies. The samples producing positive results were submitted to the Center for Disease Control for confirmation using Western blotting method. The antibody titers of rheumatoid factors (RF) including RF-IgG, RF-IgM, RF-IgA, and CCP-IgG were analyzed by ELISA.The HIV positive-rate determined by ECLIA was significantly higher than that by ELISA and colloidal gold method (P0.01). The false-positive rate of HIV screening was associated with antibody titers of RF-IgG, RF-IgM, RF-IgA, and CCP-IgG in RA (P0.01).Immunological factors, including RF and anti-CCP antibody, may influence the screening of HIV by ECLIA, producing false-positive result.

Volker Mahnert, Yun-chun Li (2016): Cave-inhabiting Neobisiidae (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) from China, with description of four new species of Bisetocreagris Ćurčić. Revue suisse de Zoologie 123: 259-268, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.155299

Bisetocreagris juanxuae n. sp. Figs 17-23 Holotype: MSWU; &female;; China, Sichuan Province, Xing Wen, Shi Hai Town, Dao Cave, alt. 840 m, 28��18900���N 105��12118���E; 17 October 2015; coll. Yun-chun Li. This big cave is about 1000 m long and 50 m high; the pseudoscorpions were collected by hand under rocks, together with some spiders. Paratype: 1&male; (in MHNG); same data as for holotype. Diagnosis: Troglobiomorphic habitus; carapace with 2 indistinct anterior eyes possessing indistinct lenses, about 2 diameters from the anterior margin, with 10-12 setae on posterior margin; tergite I with 12-13 marginal setae, the following ones with 7-8 setae. Chelicera: teeth of movable finger on thickened lamella; rallum with 9-11 pinnate setae, anterior seta without or with an only slightly expanded base, two basal setae distinctly shorter. Pedipalp smooth, very slender, femur 8.6 times longer than broad (length 4.65), patella 9.1 times (length 4.99), club 3.1 times longer than pedicel, hand with pedicel 4.3 times, chela with pedicel 10.0 times longer than broad, finger 1.3 times longer than hand with pedicel. Etymology: This species is dedicated to Mrs Juan Xu, the wife of the junior author. Description of &male; and &female;: Carapace and pedipalp reddish brown, chelicera darker, abdominal segments and legs yellowish. Carapace 1.1-1.2 times longer than broad, anterior margin with a small irregularly rounded median knob, two indistinct small eyes with indistinct lenses situated about two diameters from anterior margin, with 31 (&male;: 7/ 7/7/10) and 35 (&female;: 6/ 6/11/12) setae; tergite I with 12 (&male;) or 13 (&female;) setae, the following tergites with 7-8, the last ones with 9-10 setae, tergite XI with 2 tactile setae. Manducatory process rounded, with 5 marginal setae; pedipalpal coxa with 5-8 setae and two round lyrifissures (mediodistally and laterobasally), coxa I 9-11, II 8-9, III 5-6 (in apical third), IV 19 setae; genital operculum of &male; with about 80 short and thickened setae, genital opening with 4 (or 5) simple setae on each side of entrance, median genital sac short and wrinkled, lateral sacs short, apically inflated; genital operculum of &female; with 6/6 medial marginal setae, genitalia not studied; sternite III of &male; with an anteromedian groove, flanked by one tiny seta on each side and with 19 marginal and 18 medial discal setae and 6/6 suprastigmal setae (&female;: 18+ 2x 5); IV 16 + 2x 5 (&female;: 19+ 2x 3); V-X (&male; &female;) with about 18-20 setae, without distinct submarginal setae; XI 4 (2 tactile setae). Anal cone with 2+2 simple setae. Pleural membrane granular. Chelicera (Fig. 17): 6-7 long, fine setae on hand; fixed finger with 12-17 uniform, triangular teeth, movable finger with 14-17 small, triangular teeth, medial ones on thickened lamella, subgaleal seta not reaching fingertip; galea of holotype (Fig. 18) a short slender transparent rod on right chelicera, on left chelicera a low transparent tubercle; right chelicera of &male; with a short galea, its single branch forked apically and carrying a short subapical branchlet; left chelicera with distal part of galea apparently broken; serrula exterior with about 42- 47 blades, serrula interior not counted. Rallum (Fig. 19) with 9-11 pinnate setae, the distal one without expanded base in &female; (&male;: base slightly expanded). Pedipalp of holotype (Figs 20-21) (of &male; paratype in parentheses): All segments smooth, trochanter with 3 tiny ventral tubercles (= bases of broken setae?), 2.9 times (3.2 times) longer than broad, femur distally enlarged, 8.6 (9.0) times, patella 9.1 (9.6) times longer than broad, club much longer than pedicel (3.05, &male; 3.01 times), hand with pedicel 4.3 (4.8) times, chela with pedicel 10.0 (10.8) times, without pedicel 9.6 (10.3) longer than broad, finger 1.34 (1.25) times longer than hand with pedicel; fixed finger with 146-148 small cusped teeth, movable finger with 152 teeth, rounded in basal third of finger; a very short venom duct present in fixed finger. Twelve trichobothria (8+4), et-it at same level near finger tip, est indistinctly nearer to ist than to et, eb-esb on distal lateral side of hand, sb on movable finger distinctly nearer to b than to st. Leg I of holotype (paratype &male;): Femur 6.7 (7.4) times, patella 5.0 (4.9) times, tibia 10.3 (12.6) times, basitarsus 5.2 (5.5) times, telotarsus 7.8 (7.7) times longer than deep, femur 1.65 (1.74) times longer than patella, telotarsus 1.29 (1.27) times longer than basitarsus. Leg IV (Figs 22-23): Femur+patella 10.8 (10.6) times longer than deep, femur shorter than patella, tibia 14.4 (15.1) times, basitarsus 5.6 (5.3) times, telotarsus 6.9 (7.6) times longer than deep, tactile setae probably present (most setae lacking) on basitarsus (near middle of segment) and on telotarsus (TS 0.63/0.59); subterminal setae forked and dentate in distal half, claws smooth and slender, longer than arolia. Measurements of holotype &female; (&male; paratype in parentheses): Body length 5.3 (5.0); carapace 1.90/1.64 (1.68/1.52). Pedipalp: trochanter 1.65/0.57 (1.63/0.51), femur 4.65/0.54 (4.19/0.47), patella 4.99/0.55 (4.71/0.49), length of pedicel 1.23 (1.18), hand with pedicel 3.13/0.73 (3.03/0.64), length of pedicel 0.33 (0.30), of finger 4.21 (3.81), of chela with pedicel 7.31 (6.86). Leg I: femur 2.38/0.35 (2.28/0.31), patella 1.44/0.29 (1.31/0.27), tibia 2.35/0.23 (2.49/0.20), basitarsus 0.99/0.19 (0.94/0.17), telotarsus 1.28/0.17 (1.20/0.16). Leg IV: femur+patella 4.18/0.39 (3.88/0.37), length of femur 1.86 (1.75), tibia 4.09/0.28 (3.95/0.26), basitarsus 1.22/0.22 (1.16/0.22), telotarsus 1.53/0.22 (1.41/0.19). Remarks: This particular species belongs to a group of species that is characterized by the very short pedicel of the pedipalpal patella (about one fourth of total patella length), by the chelal finger distinctly longer than the hand with pedicel, by very slender pedipalp with a considerable length (about 17-18 mm). The new species shares with B. titanium n. comb. a similar size and a similar slenderness of its pedipalp, but both species can be easily distinguished by the short chelal fingers of B. titanium n. comb., which are much shorter than the hand. Bisetocreagris junaxuae n. sp. might be related to B. scaurum n. comb., known only from one tritonymphe from the Da Hei Dhong Cave (Yunnan Province)., Published as part of Volker Mahnert & Yun-chun Li, 2016, Cave-inhabiting Neobisiidae (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) from China, with description of four new species of Bisetocreagris ��ur��i��, pp. 259-268 in Revue suisse de Zoologie 123 on pages 265-267, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.155299

Bisetocreagris cavernarum n. sp. Figs 6-10 Holotype: MSWU; &male;; China, Chongqing, Bei Bei, Jin Dao Xia Town, Ert Long Cave, alt. 776 m, 30°05539’N 106°62385’E; 8 October 2015; coll. Yun-chun Li. The cave is about 1200 m long, 7 m high, with an underground river. Pseudoscorpions were collected by hand under rocks, together with some spiders. Paratype: MHNG; 1&female;; same data as for holotype. Diagnosis: Troglobiomorphic habitus; carapace with 2 tiny plus 2 indistinct eyes; epistome absent; carapace with 6 setae on posterior margin, tergite I with 8-9 setae; teeth on movable cheliceral finger on thickened lamella, galea with several branches; pedipalp slender, smooth, excepted for fine granulation in distal half of hand; femur 5.8 times (length 1.92-2.1), patella 4.3- 4.7 times (length 1.78-2.01) longer than broad, pedicel (length 0.95-1.00) about half of total length of patella and as long as club, hand with pedicel 2.3 times (length 1.37-1.48), chela with pedicel 5.3-5.4 (length 3.27-3.51) times longer than broad, finger 1.4 (length 1.93-2.05) times longer than hand with pedicel. Trichobothrium est nearer to et than to isb, sb halfway between b and st. Etymology: From the Latin word caverna (= cave), genitive plural (meaning coming from caves). Description of holotype (paratype in parentheses): Pedipalps, chelicerae and anterior half of carapace yellowish red, carapace in basal half and tergites yellowish. Carapace smooth, 1.1 times longer than broad, anterior margin with a small rounded median knob, with 4 small eyes, 2 anterior eyes with indistinct lens, 1.5 diameters from anterior carapace margin, 2 posterior eyes indistinct and difficult to observe; with 27 (7-8-6- 6) (holotype) to 32 (8-11-7-6) (paratype) setae; tergites undivided, chaetotaxy: 8/9/ 10/10/11 / 13/13/12 / 13/11/8 (4 tactile setae) (9/8/9/9/ 11/12/12 / 13/10/12 /8). Manducatory process with 5 marginal setae, pedipalpal coxa with 7 (&female; 9-11) setae and 2 round lyrifissures (anteromedially, laterobasally), coxa I 7 (11) setae, lateral corner short and rounded, medial corner rectangular, II 9, III 5 /6 (6), IV 11 (12/13). Genital operculum with about 75 long acute setae, genital opening with 4/4 short acute interior setae, median genital sac undivided and short (reaching anterior half of sternite IV), wrinkled and with enlarged apex, lateral sacs wrinkled, dilated apically and bent anteriorly; sternite III with a small anteromedian groove (with 1/2 short setae at its margins) and with 22 setae (5 medial discal setae, not counting the tiny groove setae) (&female;: 14) + 7/8 suprastigmal setae, IV 12 (11) + 2x 5, 16 (18)-17- 18 (16)-19 (17)-15 (16)-17(15)-6 (2 submedial tactile setae), submedial setae submarginally placed on VII-X. Pleural membrane granular. Chelicera (Fig. 6): Hand with 7 long, acute setae; fixed finger with about 16 small, acute, uniform teeth; movable finger with about 14 pointed teeth, the median ones on enlarged lamella, subgaleal seta reaching tip of galea. Galea (Fig. 7 a, b) divided in 2 main branches (&male;: left galea with one main branch broken), each one forked apically; serrula exterior with about 44-48 blades, serrula interior with about 34, distal blade not forked. Rallum (Fig. 8) with 9 (8) pinnate setae, the first one with expanded base and separated from second one, proximal one shortest. Pedipalp (Figs 9-10): Femur and patella smooth, distal part of hand dorsally and medially finely granular; trochanter 2.5 (2.7) times, with a distinct small ventral hump, femur 5.8 (5.8) times, patella 4.3 (4.7) times, club 2.0 (2-4) times longer than broad, pedicel as long as or longer than club, hand with pedicel 2.3 (2.3) times, chela with pedicel 5.4 (5.3) times, without pedicel 5.0 (4.9) times longer than broad, finger 1.4 (1.4) times longer than hand with pedicel. Fixed finger with 121 (122) small conical uniform teeth, tooth row as long as on movable finger, movable finger with 119 (122) small teeth, in distal row part with small cusps, others rounded; a very short venom duct present in fixed finger. Trichobothria: eb-esb on lateral side of hand, ib-isb-ist grouped at level of b (movable finger), est nearer to et/it and proximal of st, sb on movable finger halfway between b and st. Leg I: Femur 4.9 (5.5) times longer than deep and 1.5-1.6 times longer than patella; patella 4.1 (4.1) times, tibia 6.8 (6.3) times, basitarsus 3.9 (3.2) times, telotarsus 6.1 (4.7) times longer than deep and 1.6 (1.5) times longer than basitarsus. Leg IV: Femur+patella 6.5 (6.5) times longer than deep, femur distinctly shorter than patella, tibia 9.4 (9.2) times, with one or two longer setae in distal half, basitarsus with a basal tactile seta, 4.0 (3.9) times, telotarsus with a tactile seta near middle of segment, 6.8 (5.6) times longer than deep and 1.5 times longer than basitarsus; claws long and slender, smooth, subterminal seta forked and dentate, arolia shorter than claws. Measurements of holotype &male; (paratype &female; in parentheses): Body length 4.40 (5.03); carapace 1.17/10.05 (1.31/1.22). Pedipalp: trochanter 0.88/0.35 (1.01/0.38), femur 1.92/0.33 (2.10/0.36), patella 1.78/1.41 (2.01/0.43), pedicel length 0.95 (1.00); hand with pedicel 1.37/0.60 (1.48/0.66), length of pedicel 0.24 (0.27), finger length 1.93 (2.05), chela length with pedicel 3.27 (5.32), without pedicel 3.03 (3.24). Leg I: femur 1.11/0.23 (1.23/0.22), patella 0.75/0.18 (0.78/0.19), tibia 0.98/0.14 (1.03/0.16), basitarsus 0.47/0.12 (0.46/0.15), telotarsus 0.75/0.12 (0.71/0.15). Leg IV: femur+patella 1.87/0.29 (1.98/0.30), femur length 0.82 (0.88), tibia 1.74/0.18 (1.85/0.20), basitarsus 0.60/0.15 (0.61/0.16), telotarsus 0.90/0.14 (0.89/0.16). Remarks: The new species, B. cavernarum, is most similar to B. chinacavernicola, sharing with this species a similar size, elongate pedipalps, a long patellar pedicel (about half of the total length of patella), 6 or 7 setae on posterior margin of carapace, and 8 or 9 setae on anterior tergites. Bisetocreagris cavernarum n. sp. differs from B. chinacavernicola, recorded from the caves Dei (=Xian Nin) and Chao-Tian (both near Huaying), by the presence of indistinct lenses on the 2 anterior eyes and the presence of 2 indistinct posterior eye-spots, by the fine granulation of the palpal hand, a more slender chela (without pedicel 4.9-5.0 vs 4.4-4.86 times longer than broad), the position of trichobothrium st which is distinctly nearer to t than to sb (halfway between sb and t in chinacavernicola) and perhaps by shorter legs (e.g. femur+patella IV 1.87-1.98 vs 2.18).

Bisetocreagris sp. Material examined: 1&female; (in MSWU), 1&male; (in MHNG); China, Henan Province, Nei Xiang, Ban Chang Town, Tian Xian Cave, alt. 683 m, 33º26.732’N 111º38.795’E; 24 May 2014; coll. Yun-chun Li and Yu-Cheng Lin. Description (based mainly on &female;): Carapace nearly as long as broad, smooth, with anterior margin slightly protruding medially, 4 big eyes with distinct lenses present, anterior ones about their diameter away from anterior carapace margin, chaetotaxy: 6/4/6/7-8; tergites mostly with 11-13 marginal setae. Manducatory process with 3-4 setae, pedipalpal coxa 8, coxa I 8-9, II 6, III 4-5, IV 10; genital operculum with 10 (5/5) medial marginal and discal setae; sternite III with anteromedian groove; III and IV with 6 and 4-5 suprastigmal setae, respectively, the following sternites with 18-20 marginal setae, on VI-X 2 submedial setae placed submarginally. Pleural membrane granular. Chelicera: 7 setae on hand, fixed finger with 10 triangular teeth, movable finger with 14 teeth without thickened lamella; galea: a short broad stump on left chelicera (clearly broken), on right chelicera a transparent broad hump; serrula exterior with 36 blades. Rallum with 8 pinnate setae, the distal one with an expanded base. Pedipalp: Femur and club of patella on medial face finely granular (in part indistinctly), hand on medial face indistinctly granular; trochanter with a small ventral hump, 2.2 times, femur 4.4 (&male; 4.2) times, patella 3.0 (&male; 2.8) times, club distinctly (2.51/ &male; 2.25 times) longer than pedicel, hand with pedicel 1.8 (&male; 2.0) times, chela with pedicel 3.6 (&male; 4.5) times, without pedicel 3.45 times longer than broad; finger 1.08 (&male; 1.27) times longer than hand with pedicel. Fixed finger with 74 teeth (cusped in distal third of tooth row), movable finger with 78 teeth (only the distal 18 cusped). Trichobothria (8+4): on fixed finger it indistinctly proximal et, est in middle of finger slightly nearer to et than to ist; five trichobothria at finger base and on hand; movable finger: st distinctly nearer to t than to sb, sb nearer to b than to st. Measurements of pedipalp of &female; (&male; in parentheses): Femur 1.10/0.25 (1.01/0.24), patella 0.93/0.36 (0.85/0.31), length of pedicel 0.27 (0.26), hand with pedicel 0.95/0.54 (0.81/0.40), length of pedicel 0.13 (0.09), length of finger 1.03 (1.03), of chela with pedicel 1.96 (1.83). Remarks: This seems to be an edaphic species occasionally occurring in caves. It is similar to Bisetocreagris orientalis (Chamberlin), as defined by Harvey (1999), but differs by the somewhat more slender pedipalpal segments. Variability of those characters being unknown and knowledge of the neobisiid genera and species (particularly of Bisetocreagris) from this region being fragmentary, we refrain from attributing these specimens to a described species.

Bisetocreagris baozinensis n.sp. Figs 11-16 Holotype: MSWU; &female;; China, Sichuan Province, Gu Lin, Yu Hua Town, Bao Zi Cave, alt. 954 m, 28°01458’N 106°05209’E; 22 April 2014; coll. Yunchun Li and Yu-Cheng Lin. Paratypes: 1&male; (in MSWU), 1&male;, 1&female; (in MHNG); same data as for holotype. Diagnosis: Troglobiomorphic habitus; carapace without eyes or eye-spots, with 6-8 setae on posterior margin; anterior tergites with 6-8 marginal setae; teeth on movable cheliceral finger on thickened lamella; galea present, divided into two main branches, each with forked apex; 6-7 setae on hand; rallum with 9-11 pinnate setae, distal one with an expanded base. Pedipalp: femur 7.0-7.7 times (length 2.17-2.33), patella 6.0-7.0 (length 2.05-2.29) longer than broad, club slightly longer (1.10-1.18 times) than pedicel, hand with pedicel 3.0-3.3 times (length 1.54-1.71), chela with pedicel 7.2-8.2 times (length 3.81-4.08) longer than broad, finger 1.34-1.47 times longer than hand with pedicel (length 2.22-2.42). Trichobothria: et-it at same level near fingertip, est slightly nearer to et than to ist, 5 trichobothria at finger base and on hand, sb on movable finger indistinctly nearer to b than to st. Etymology: Latinized adjective derived from the name of the cave Bao Zi. Description of females (males in parentheses, if different): Carapace, chelicerae and pedipalps yellowish brown, legs and abdominal segments yellowish. Carapace nearly as long as broad to 1.2 times longer than broad, smooth, anterior margin without epistome but with a small rounded knob; eyes or eye-spots absent; with 23-25 setae (6/7/3-5/7). Tergites with 7-9 (exceptionally 6 or 10) marginal setae, tergite XI 7 (with at least 2 tactile setae, most setae broken off). Manducatory process rounded, with 5 (1&female; with 4 on left side) marginal setae, pedipalpal coxa with 6-8 setae, coxa I with rounded medial corner, 6-8, II 5-8, III 4-5, IV 8-10. Genital operculum of &female; with 18-19 medial setae (2 groups: 8-9/ 10 in marginal and discal position), sternite III with 18-21 marginal setae (a few medial ones in submarginal position)+ 2x 4-5; IV 12 + 2x 4 suprastigmal setae, followed by mainly 13-15 (&male; 15-16) uniseriate setae, XI 4-6 setae; genital operculum of &male; with about 46-48 setae, genital opening with 6-7 short internal setae on each side; median genital sac short (reaching anterior half of sternite IV), wrinkled and widened distally, lateral sacs short, caudally bent; sternite III with anteromedian groove flanked on each side with 1 stout tiny seta; III with 26-29 setae (9-11 in discal position)+ 2x 5, IV 12-13 + 2x 3-4 suprastigmal setae. Anal cone with 2/2 setae. Pleural membrane granular. Chelicera (Fig. 11): With 6-7 long, slender setae on hand, fixed finger with 11-14 triangular uniform teeth, movable finger with 14-16 teeth, the medial ones on elevated lamella; galea (Fig. 12) divided in 2 main branches, each one apically forked (only one of the 8 galeae examined undamaged), subgaleal seta not reaching fingertip; serrula exterior with 36-42, serrula interior with 28-32 blades. Rallum (Fig. 13) with 9-11 pinnate setae, base of first seta slightly enlarged. Pedipalp (&male; &female;) (Figs 14-15): All segments smooth, setae long and smooth; trochanter 2.9-3.1 times longer than broad, with a tiny ventral hump distal of middle, femur distally slightly thickened, 7.0-7.7 times, patella 6.0-6.1 (&male;: 6.4-7.0) times longer than broad, pedicel about half of patella length, club 1.1-1.2 times longer than pedicel, hand with pedicel 3.0-3.3 times, chela with pedicel 7.2- 8.2 times, without pedicel 6.5-7.6 times longer than broad, finger 1.3-1.5 times longer than hand with pedicel; fixed finger with 171-184 small cusped teeth (row about 10 teeth shorter than on movable finger), movable finger with 172-192 small teeth, cusped only in distal fourth of finger; very short venom duct in fixed finger. Five trichobothria grouped at base of fixed finger and on hand, est slightly distal of finger middle, et-it on same level near fingertip, on movable finger st nearer to t than to sb, the latter slightly nearer to b than to st (Fig. 15). Leg I: Femur 5.3-5.9 times, patella 4.0-4.7 times, tibia 7.4-9.0 times, basitarsus 3.8-4.3 times, telotarsus 4.9- 5.6 times longer than deep, femur 1.5 times longer than patella, telotarsus 1.3-1.4 times longer than basitarsus. Leg IV (Fig. 16): Femur+patella 6.3-7.4 times longer than deep, femur shorter than patella, tibia 10.1-10.6 times, basitarsus 3.8-4.6 times, telotarsus 5.3-5.8 times longer than deep, telotarsus 1.2-1.3 times longer than basitarsus; subterminal seta (Fig. 16 a) forked in distal half; both branches dentate, claws slender and smooth; arolia shorter than claws; tactile setae probably present on tibia (TS=0.43-0.46), on basitarsus (TS=0.13), and on telotarsus (TS= about 0.50), but all setae fallen off. Measurements of &female; (&male; in parentheses): Body length 4.48-4.59 (3.97-4.48); carapace 1.14-1.29/1.00-1.16 (1.17-1.24/1.00-1.10). Pedipalp: trochanter 1.07- 1.08/0.34-0.37 (0.98-1.07/0.32-0.34), femur 2.25- 2.27/0.32-0.33 (2.17-2.33/0.30), patella 2.12-2.13/0.35 (2.05-2.29/0.32-0.33), length of pedicel 0.97-0.99 (0.97- 1.08), hand with pedicel 1.66-1.71/0.53-0.55 (1.54- 1.65/0.47-0.53), length of pedicel 0.31-0.32 (0.27-0.34), length of finger 2.40-2.42 (2.22-2.27), length of chela with pedicel 4.04-4.08 (3.81-3.84), without pedicel 3.72-3.77 (3.49-3.55). Leg I: femur 1.22-1.23/0.22- 0.23 (1.21-1.31/0.21-0.22), patella 0.81-0.82/0.20- 0.21 (0.80-0.86/0.18-0.19), tibia 1.17-1.31/0.15-0.16 1.15-1.21/0.13-0.14), basitarsus 0.54-0.55/0.14 (0.54- 0.56/0.13-0.14), telotarsus 0.76-0.77/0.14-0.15 (0.72- 0.76/0.15-0.16). Leg IV: femur+patella 2.07-2.08/0.28- 0.32 (1.96-2.14/0.29-0.31), length of femur 0.93-0.95 (0.90-0.93), tibia 1.97-2.02/0.19-0.20 (1.95-2.14/0.19- 0.20), basitarsus 0.70/0.16-0.18 (0.64-0.73/0.15), telotarsus 0.87-0.88/0.16-0.17 (0.84-0.85/0.14-0.15). Remarks: Bisetocreagris baozinensis n. sp. belongs to a group of species (B. chinacavernicola n. comb., B. cavernarum n. sp., B. martii n. comb., B. chuanensis n. sp.) possessing a long patellar pedicel which is about half of the total patella length. The new species clearly differs from B. martii n. comb. by the absence of eyes and by much more slender and longer pedipalps (e.g. femur 7.0-7.7 times, length 2.17-2.33 vs 4.25 times, length 1.58). Bisetocregaris cavernarum n. sp. and B. chuanensis n. sp. possess two or four indistinct eyes (vs absence of eye-spots in B. baozinensis n. sp.) and have stouter and shorter pedipalps (e.g. femur max. 5.8 times longer than broad, length max. 2.10 vs min. 7.0 times, length min. 2.17 in B. baozinensis).

Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) have attracted attention due to their potential applications in quantum computation and information storage, and many SMMs have been reported in the past two decades. In this review, we summarize the structures and the magnetic exchange interactions of pyridine alcohol-based SMMs to give a possible relationship between structure and magnetic property, providing information to generate new molecule-based magnetic materials. According to the correlated metal centers, these SMMs are separated into three segments to discuss.

A novel adsorbent, ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride (EDTAD)-modified magnetic chitosan (EMC) complex, was fabricated using glutaraldehyde as a cross-link agent. The obtained EMC was characterized by SEM, XRD, potentiometric titration, and FTIR. The results showed that nano-Fe3O4 with granular morphology were steadily integrated with chitosan and EDTAD was successfully modified on the surface of chitosan. The adsorption properties of EMC for methylene blue (MB) were then evaluated. Factors affecting the uptake behavior such as pH, contact time, initial concentration of MB, and temperature were investigated. The optimal adsorption conditions were determined as pH 6.0, MB concentration 300 mg L−1, contact time 30 min, and temperature 35°C. The adsorption capacity in the optimal condition was 113.257 mg g−1. The adsorption process followed the Sips isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Desorption and regeneration experiments were conducted and the adsorption/desorption cycles...

One Co(II) coordination polymer with 4-hydroxypyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (H3L)-[Co1.5L(H2O)4]n (1) has been fabricated under hydrothermal condition through reaction of Co(OH)2 and H3L with mole ratio of 1 : 1. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that 1 crystallizes in triclinic space group Pī with a 1-D stair-like structure and rich hydrogen bonding interactions expand the 1-D structure to a CsCl-like 8-connected topology. Magnetic properties of 1 have been studied showing antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between Co(II) ions.

PM2.5 samples were collected at six general stations and one roadside station in Hong Kong in two periods of high particulate matter (PM) in 2003 (27 October–4 November and 30 November–13 December). The highest PM2.5 reached 216 μg m− 3 during the first high PM period and 113 μg m− 3 during the second high PM period. Analysis of synoptic weather conditions identified individual sampling days under dominant influence of one of three types of air masses, that is, local, regional and long‐range transported (LRT) air masses. Roadside samples were discussed separately due to heavy influences from vehicular emissions. This research examines source apportionment of fine organic carbon (OC) and contribution of secondary organic aerosol on high PM days under different synoptic conditions. Six primary OC (POC) sources (vehicle exhaust, biomass burning, cooking, cigarette smoke, vegetative detritus, and coal combustion) were identified on the basis of characteristic organic tracers. Individual POC source contributions were estimated using chemical mass balance model. In the roadside and the local samples, OC was dominated by the primary sources, accounting for more than 74% of OC. In the samples influenced by regional and LRT air masses, secondary OC (SOC), which was approximated to be the difference between the total measured OC and the apportioned POC, contributed more than 54% of fine OC. SOC was highly correlated with water‐soluble organic carbon and sulfate, consistent with its secondary nature.

In this study, we investigate the influence of long-range transport (LRT) episodes brought in by cold front on the concentration levels of PM 2.5 , major aerosol constituents, organic tracers, and PM 2.5 source characteristics in Hong Kong, China. PM 2.5 samples were collected during January–March 2004 and January–March 2005 and analyzed for major constituents and organic tracer species. Synoptic weather conditions and characteristics of common air pollutants were used to categorize the sampling days to three groups, i.e., groups mainly affected by local emissions or regional transport (RT) or cold front LRT. Concentrations of PM 2.5 mass and its major constituents during cold-front days were lower than those during RT-dominated periods but higher than those during local emissions-dominated periods. Source apportionment using chemical mass balance (CMB) indicates that vehicular exhaust was a significant primary OC source of mainly local emissions, making average contributions of 1.82, 1.50, and 2.39 μg C m − 3 to OC in the local, LRT, and RT sample groups, respectively. During cold front periods, primary OC concentrations attributable to biomass burning and coal combustion were approximately triple and double, respectively, those during periods dominated by local emissions. Suspended dust, a minor primary OC source (0.24–0.40 μg C m − 3 ), also showed increased contribution during cold fronts. The unexplained OC by CMB (i.e., total OC minus apportioned primary OC), an approximate indicator for secondary OC, was a significant fraction of OC (> 48%) and its mass concentration was much higher in the cold front LRT and RT sample groups (6.37 and 9.48 μg C m − 3 ) than in the local sample group (3.8 μg C m − 3 ). Source analysis as well as tracer concentration variation shows that biomass burning OC and water soluble organic carbon (WSOC) were correlated, suggesting biomass burning as a significant contributor to WSOC.

Three new species of darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) belonging to the subgenus Leipopleura of the genus Bioramix Bates, 1879, Bioramix (Leipopleura) baqenensis Li & Egorov, sp. n., Bioramix (Leipopleura) nyainrongensis Li & Egorov, sp. n., and Bioramix (Leipopleura) banbarensis Li & Egorov, sp. n. are described from the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. Additionally, a new identification key is provided to all known Chinese representatives of the subgenus Leipopleura.

Two new species of darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae: Platyscelidini) belonging to the subgenus Cardiobioramix of the genus Bioramix are described. The first one, B. (C.) jinchuanensis sp. nov. known from the Chinese Province Sichuan Jinchuan, is characterized by the elongated parameres which are uniquely curved near the apex. The second one, B. (C.) maoxianensis sp. nov. described from Sichuan Maoxian and can be distinguished from the closely related B. (C.) szetschuana, B. (C.) kulzeri and B. (C.) subaenescens by the basally parallel parameres. A new identification key is provided to all known Chinese representatives of the subgenus Cardiobioramix.

The flow stress behavior of Al-3.5Cu-1.5Li-0.25(Sc+Zr) alloy during hot compression deformation was studied by isothermal compression test using Gleeble-1500 thermal-mechanical simulator. Compression tests were preformed in the temperature range of 653–773 K and in the strain rate range of 0.001–10 s−1 up to a true plastic strain of 0.7. The results indicate that the flow stress of the alloy increases with increasing strain rate at a given temperature, and decreases with increasing temperature at a given imposed strain rate. The relationship between the flow stress and the strain rate and the temperature was derived by analyzing the experimental data. The flow stress is in a hyperbolic sine relationship with the strain rate, and in an Arrhenius relationship with the temperature, which imply that the process of plastic deformation at an elevated temperature for this material is thermally activated. The flow stress of the alloy during the elevated temperature deformation can be represented by a Zener-Hollomon parameter with the inclusion of the Arrhenius term. The values of n, α and A in the analytical expressions of flow stress σ are fitted to be 5.62, 0.019 MPa−1 and 1.51×1016 s−1, respectively. The hot deformation activation energy is 240.85 kJ/mol.

PEG-PEI/Fe3O4 nano-magnetic fluids with different mass fractions of reactant were prepared by co-precipitation method. Besides particle size analyzer, the methods of XRD, IR, VSM and AFM were adopted to characterize the synthesized samples. Covalent bonding of PEG, PEI and Fe3O4 exhibits superparamagnetism. The TEM photograph shows that the particles are of stable dispersion and little aggregation, with smooth surface, spherical shape and a diameter of about 80 nm, which meets the requirements of nano-materials. When the mass fraction of PEI in reactant is 25%, the particle size, Zeta-potential and pEGFP-C1 DNA loading efficiency are all satisfactory. In this case, PEG-PEI/Fe3O4 nano-magnetic fluids can be used as gene vectors or targeted drug carriers.

To study the objective diagnostic mechanisms on Chinese medical (CM) syndrome patterns of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to research different titers of rheumatoid factor (RF)/citrullinated protein antibody (CCP) in CM syndrome patterns of RA.Totally 230 early RA patients were assigned to five CM syndrome pattern groups, i.e., the dampness-heat blockage group (50 cases), the cold-dampness blockage group (50 cases), the Shen-qi deficiency-cold group (50 cases), the Gan-Shen yin deficiency group (40 cases), and the blood stasis blockage group (40 cases). Another 100 healthy subjects were recruited as the healthy control group. RF-IGM, RF-IGA, RF-IGG, and anti-CCP antibody were detected and compared.The titers of RF-IGM, RF-IGA, RF-IGG, and anti-CCP antibody were higher in all groups than in the healthy control groups (P0.01). As for the 5 groups, RF-IGM, RF-IGA,RF-IGG, and anti-CCP antibody were higher in the RA active stage than in the nonactive stage. They were higher in the dampness-heat blockage group in the RA active stage than in the Shen-qi deficiency-cold group, the Gan-shen yin deficiency group, and the blood stasis blockage group.Titers of RF-IGM, RF-IGA, RF-IGG, and anti-CCP antibody could be taken as judging indicators for differentiating objective lab indices of CM syndromes and assessing the active stage of RA.

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride (EDTAD)-modified magnetic-Fe3O4 chitosan (EMC), prepared using the cross-link agent glutaraldehyde and chemicals Fe3O4, chitosan, and EDTAD, was used to compare the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) with magnetic chitosan (MC). The composite structure was confirmed by multiple characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and potentiometric titration methods. The characterization results suggest that Fe3O4 particles successfully bound on the surface of chitosan, and the EDTAD thoroughly modified the MC. Furthermore, EMC had more amino, carboxyl, and hydroxy groups than typical MC. Adsorption conditions, such as pH values, initial concentrations of MB, reaction temperature, and contact time were systematically examined. In comparison, the maximum adsorption capacity of EMC was approximately twice as much as that of MC. The recovery efficiency for EMC was >80% using 0.1 M HCl as an eluent solution. Therefore, the results reported herein indicate that EMC is very attractive and imply a practical application for dye wastewater treatment.

To test the effect of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-alpha (rhTNF-alpha) labeled with 131I on tumor growth in the nude mice bearing human hepatoma.The biological activity of 131I-rhTNF-alpha was tested through in vitro combination of the radioactive drug and SMMC-7721 cells. The BALB/c-nu/ nu mice model bearing human hepatoma were established by injecting single cell suspension of SMMC-7721 cells. When the tumor was 1 cm in diameter, the therapeutic experiment was carried out. Twenty-four nude mice bearing human hepatoma were divided into six groups according the area of tumor, weight and sex of the nude mice. After i. v administration of 131I-rhTNF-alpha, the body biodistribution of 131I-rhTNF-alpha was assessed during a short-term (30 min, 1 h, 6 h) and a long-term (12 h, 24 h, 48 h) period. The biological activity and tumor accumulation of 131I-rhTNF-alpha were investigated. In the end of the experiment, histopathologic examinations of tumor samples were undertaken.The combination of 131I-rhTNF-alpha with the human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells existed dose dependence and saturability. The 131I-rhTNF-alpha had satisfactory immunoreactivity. The 131I-rhTNF-alpha accumulated in tumor tissues well and kept stable for several days. The tumor tissues accumulated the highest radioactivity at 6 h, and still maintained 67.5% of that radioactivity at 48 h. The 131I-rhTNF-alpha administrated either intravenously or intratumorally could inhibit tumor growth. The 131I-rhTNF-alpha had similar radioactivity as the positive control (P0.05), but greater radioactivity than the control groups including 131I, rhTNF-alpha and the negative groups (P0.05).The radioactive compound of 131I-rhTNF-alpha can inhibit and kill tumor cells, which demonstrates its potential for treating hepatocarcinoma.