Paecilomyces variotii extract increases lifespan and protects against oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans through SKN-1, but not DAF-16

A natural extract from Paecilomyces variotii (P. variotii extract, PVE), an endophytic fungus, has been used widely to improve agricultural crop performance and control multiple plant pathogens. Most recent studies focused on its application as a plant growth promoter, while relatively few studies have been reported on the antioxidant potential in vivo and the underlying mechanism. The present study was designed to determine the antioxidant activities of PVE and its mechanisms using Caenorhabditis elegans. Results showed that, compared to the solvent control, PVE at 1.0, 10 and 100 ng/mL significantly extended the lifespan of C. elegans by 36.60%, 59.80% and 53.30%, respectively. PVE at 10 ng/mL consistently promoted nematodes growth, but all treatments did not influence nematode fecundity, locomotion behavior, and pharyngeal pumping. Furthermore, PVE at the three tested concentrations significantly reduced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipofuscin, lipid and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, meanwhile significantly promoted activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in the nematodes. Compared with the solvent control, PVE up-regulated gene expression of skn-1, mev-1, sod-3, and daf-2, but significantly down-regulated the expression of nhr-49 and daf-16. Further evidence revealed that PVE at the three concentrations significantly promoted nuclear localization of SKN-1, but not affected that of DAF-16, indicating the complex roles of DAF-16 and SKN-1 in stress resistance and longevity regulation. Overall, our results demonstrated that SKN-1 played a critical role in increasing lifespan of C. elegans and protecting the nematodes from oxidative stress, independent of DAF-16.     

Synthesis of linseed oil based biodegradable homo and copolymers: role as multifunctional greener additives in lube oil

Abstract

Homopolymer of linseed oil and its four copolymers with styrene, 1-decene, isodecyl acrylate and octyl acrylate, respectively, have been synthesized in this present context. The prepared polymers are characterized by NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The molecular weights have been measured by gel permeation chromatography. Their effectiveness as pour point depressant (PPD), viscosity index improver (VII) and their shear stability in terms of permanent shear stability index have been evaluated in lube oil. The copolymers acted as better PPDs than the homopolymer whereas the homopolymer of linseed oil excelled as VII. Further it was observed that all the prepared polymers were stable enough under severe mechanical shear.     

注塑制品残余应力的研究进展

由于实际工艺条件往往与理想值存在一定偏差,制品在成形后通常会存在一些难以避免的缺陷,而残余应力正是最为常见的一种。注塑制品的残余应力是在注塑成形过程中,外界约束去除后,仍存在于塑件内部的应力,在后期使用过程中容易引起塑件的翘曲、变形、乃至断裂破损,多数情况下对制品不利。因此,在塑料制品设计时应充分考虑到残余应力的影响。本文较为全面地介绍了注塑制品残余应力的产生、检测、减小残余应力的措施及残余应力的计算机模拟等内容。     

Dynamic Docking and Undocking Processes Addressing Selectively the Outside and Inside of Polymersomes

Increasing complexity and diversity of polymersomes and their compartments is a key issue for mimicking cellular functions and protocells. Thus, new challenges arise in terms of achieving tunable membrane permeability and combining it with control over the membrane diffusion process, and thus enabling a localized and dynamic control of functionality and docking possibilities within or on the surface of polymeric compartments. This study reports the concept of polymersomes with pH‐tunable membrane permeability for controlling sequential docking and undocking processes of small molecules and nanometer‐sized protein mimics selectively on the inside and outside of the polymersome membrane as a further step toward the design of intelligent multifunctional compartments for use in synthetic biology and as protocells. Host–guest interactions between adamantane and β‐cyclodextrin as well as noncovalent interactions between poly(ethylene glycol) tails and β‐cyclodextrin are used to achieve selective and dynamic functionalization of the inner and outer spheres of the polymersome membrane.     

高残炭硼酚醛树脂的制备

酚醛树脂(PF)因其具有良好的耐热性能和机械性能而被广泛应用。但其耐热性能已经满足不了现代航空航天技术的需求,研究发现,采用硼酸对酚醛树脂进行改性,可以制得具有优良耐高温性能的硼酚醛树脂(BPF)。采用硼酸酯法合成硼酚醛树脂,n(苯酚)∶n(甲醛)=1∶1.5时耐热性最佳。热分析结果表明,合成的BPF在1000℃条件下的残炭率为78%,其耐热性能明显优于传统的酚醛树脂。同时讨论了不同硼酸含量对BPF耐热性能的影响,当n(硼酸)∶n(苯酚)0.33∶1时,残炭率趋于稳定。此外,利用差示扫描量热仪(DSC)方法确定BPF预固化温度为160℃,后固化温度为220℃。     

Resolvent estimates and smoothing for homogeneous partial differential operators on graded Lie groups

By using commutator methods, we show uniform resolvent estimates and obtain globally smooth operators for self-adjoint injective homogeneous operators H on graded groups, including Rockland operators, sublaplacians, and many others. Left or right invariance is not required. Typically the globally smooth operator has the form T = V|H|^1∕2, where V only depends on the homogeneous structure of the group through Sobolev spaces, the homogeneous dimension and the minimal and maximal dilation weights. For stratified groups improvements are obtained, by using a Hardy-type inequality. Some of the results involve refined estimates in terms of real interpolation spaces and are valid in an abstract setting. Even for the commutative group ?^N some new classes of partial differential operators are treated.     

一维六方准晶压电材料中幂函数型曲线裂纹的反平面问题

依据一维六方准晶压电材料反平面问题的基本方程,利用复变函数方法,通过引入适当的保角映射,研究了一维六方准晶压电材料中幂函数型曲线裂纹的反平面问题,并利用Cauchy积分理论,得到电不可通和电可通边界条件下的应力场和位移场的复表示以及裂纹尖端场强度因子的解析表达式.     

Influence of hybridization on in-plane shear properties of 2D & 3D thermoplastic composites reinforced with Kevlar/basalt fabrics

This paper investigates the characterization of in-plane shear properties of thermoplastic composites reinforced with Kevlar/basalt fabrics. Different fabrics had architectures of two dimensional plain woven (2D-P) and three dimensional angle-interlock (3D-A). Intralayer hybridization was performed during the weaving of the fabrics with the combination of Kevlar and basalt yarns. Five 2D-P and three 3D-A composite laminates were manufactured with polypropylene (PP) as a matrix, using compression molding. Iosipescu shear tests were carried out to evaluate the in-plane shear properties. The experimental results revealed that the shear properties including shear modulus, shear strength and shear failure strain of homogeneous composites were improved by 6.5–14.9%, 4.3–19.7%, and 3.2–46.7%, respectively. Similarly, change in the fabric architecture from 2D-P to 3D-A also enhanced the shear strength and shear failure strain by 32.0–41.6% and 7.2–22.5%, respectively. Intralayer hybrid composites had better in-plane shear properties than the interlayer hybrid composites. The fracture morphologies of the specimens were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).     

Nanotechnology for Electroanalytical Biosensors of Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species

Over the past several decades, nanotechnology has contributed to the progress of biomedicine, biomarker discovery, and the development of highly sensitive electroanalytical / electrochemical biosensors for in vitro and in vivo monitoring, and quantification of oxidative and nitrosative stress markers like reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). A major source of ROS and RNS is oxidative stress in cells, which can cause many human diseases, including cancer. Therefore, the detection of local concentrations of ROS (e. g. superoxide anion radical; O₂^•−) and RNS (e. g. nitric oxide radical; NO^• and its metabolites) released from biological systems is increasingly important and needs a sophisticated detection strategy to monitor ROS and RNS in vitro and in vivo. In this review, we discuss the nanomaterials‐based ROS and RNS biosensors utilizing electrochemical techniques with emphasis on their biomedical applications.