Polypyrrole Shell@3D‐Ni Metal Core Structured Electrodes for High‐Performance Supercapacitors

Three‐dimensional (3D) nanometal films serving as current collectors have attracted much interest recently owing to their promising application in high‐performance supercapacitors. In the process of the electrochemical reaction, the 3D structure can provide a short diffusion path for fast ion transport, and the highly conductive nanometal may serve as a backbone for facile electron transfer. In this work, a novel polypyrrole (PPy) shell@3D‐Ni‐core composite is developed to enhance the electrochemical performance of conventional PPy. With the introduction of a Ni metal core, the as‐prepared material exhibits a high specific capacitance (726 F g^?1 at a charge/discharge rate of 1 A g^?1), good rate capability (a decay of 33 % in C_sp with charge/discharge rates increasing from 1 to 20 A g^?1), and high cycle stability (only a small decrease of 4.2 % in C_sp after 1000 cycles at a scan rate of 100 mV s^?1). Furthermore, an aqueous symmetric supercapacitor device is fabricated by using the as‐prepared composite as electrodes; the device demonstrates a high energy density (≈21.2 Wh kg^?1) and superior long‐term cycle ability (only 4.4 % and 18.6 % loss in C_sp after 2000 and 5000 cycles, respectively).     

Hierarchical structure observation and nanoindentation size effect characterization for a limnetic shell

In the present research, hierarchical structure observation and mechanical property characterization for a type of biomaterial are carried out. The investigated biomaterial is Hyriopsis cumingii, a typical limnetic shell, which consists of two different structural layers, a prismatic "pillar"structure and a nacreous "brick and mortar" structure. The prismatic layer looks like a "pillar forest" with variationsection pillars sized on the order of several tens of microns.The nacreous material looks like a "brick wall" with bricks sized on the order of several microns. Both pillars and bricks are composed of nanoparticles. The mechanical properties of the hierarchical biomaterial are measured by using the nanoindentation test. Hardness and modulus are measured for both the nacre layer and the prismatic layer, respectively.The nanoindentation size effects for the hierarchical structural materials are investigated experimentally. The results show that the prismatic nanostructured material has a higher stiffness and hardness than the nacre nanostructured material.In addition, the nanoindentation size effects for the hierarchical structural materials are described theoretically, by using the trans-scale mechanics theory considering both strain gradient effect and the surface/interface effect. The modeling results are consistent with experimental ones.     

Studies on metabolites and metabolic pathways of bulleyaconitine A in rat liver microsomes using LC‐MSn combined with specific inhibitors

Bulleyaconitine A (BLA) from Aconitum bulleyanum plants is usually used as anti‐inflammatory drug in some Asian countries. It has a variety of bioactivities, and at the same time some toxicities. Since the bioactivities and toxicities of BLA are closely related to its metabolism, the metabolites and the metabolic pathways of BLA in rat liver microsomes were investigated by HPLC–MSⁿ. In this research, the 12 metabolites of BLA were identified according to the results of HPLC‐MSⁿ data and the relevant literature. The results showed that there are multiple metabolites of BLA in rat liver microsomes, including demethylation, deacetylation, dehydrogenation deacetylation and hydroxylation. The major metabolic pathways of BLA in rat liver microsomes were clarified by HPLC‐MS combined with specific inhibitors of CYP450 isoforms. As a result, CYP3A and 2C were found to be the principal CYP isoforms contributing to the metabolism of BLA. Moreover, CYP2D6 and 2E1 are also more important CYP isoforms for the metabolism of BLA. While CYP1A2 only affected the formation rate of M11, its effect on the metabolism of BLA is very small. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Asymptotic Behavior of Least Energy Solutions for a Fractional Laplacian Eigenvalue Problem on ℝN

Acta Mathematica Sinica, English Series - We are interested in the existence and asymptotic behavior for the least energy solutions of the following fractional eigenvalue problem $$\left({\rm{P}}...     

蛋白质-多糖复合体系在活性物质传递中的应用

蛋白质-多糖复合体系作为生物活性物质传递系统的壁材,有着人工合成聚合物或无机物等其他材料不可比拟的多重优势。本文就蛋白质和多糖之间的连接方式及蛋白质-多糖复合体系形成传递系统的多种形式进行了综述,以及对此领域的发展趋势进行了展望。结合蛋白质和多糖的结构特点,二者之间的链接方式分为非共价结合的物理共聚,和共价结合的美拉德偶联、化学交联、酶催化交联等方式,文中分别对各种连接方式的原理和机理,以及其影响因素做了深入阐述。以蛋白质-多糖复合体系为壁材对活性物质的传递形式大体上分成乳化系统、胶束、纳米凝胶、分子复合物以及壳核结构等系统。不同的活性物质的特征和传递需求,可针对性地选择合适结构的蛋白质和多糖种类以及二者的连接方式和传递系统的形式。并且,随着研究的逐步发展和推进,此领域的发展趋势朝着智能化和靶向性的方向进行。目前活性物质的蛋白质-多糖复合体系的传递系统,还依然面临着系统设计、评价和应用等多方面的挑战,这就要求我们在更全面更深入了解认识其对活性物质影响和功效的基础上,安全合理地设计和深入细致地评价活性成分的传递系统。     

Metabolic profiles of dioscin in rats revealed by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Dioscin (DIS), one of the most abundant bioactive steroidal saponins in Dioscorea sp., is used as a complementary medicine to treat coronary disease and angina pectoris in China. Although the pharmacological activities and pharmacokinetics of DIS have been well demonstrated, information regarding the final metabolic fates is very limited. This study investigated the in vivo metabolic profiles of DIS after oral administration by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry method. The structures of the metabolites were identified and tentatively characterized by means of comparing the molecular mass, retention time and fragmentation pattern of the analytes with those of the parent compound. A total of eight metabolites, including seven phase I and one phase II metabolites, were detected and tentatively identified for the first time. Oxidation, deglycosylation and glucuronidation were found to be the major metabolic processes of the compound in rats. In addition, a possible metabolic pathway on the biotransformation of DIS in vivo was proposed. This study provides valuable and new information on the metabolism of DIS, which will be helpful for further understanding its mechanism of action. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Physicochemical properties and bio-interfacial interactions of surface modified PDLLA-PAMAM linear dendritic block copolymers

Here, we demonstrate the applicability of self-assembling linear-dendritic block copolymers (LDBCs) and their nanoaggregates possessing varied surfaces as therapeutic nanocarriers. These LDBCs are comprised of a hydrophobic, linear polyester chemically coupled to a hydrophilic dendron polyamidoamine (PAMAM)—the latter of which acts as the surface of the self-assembled nanoaggregate in aqueous media. To better understand how surface charge density affects the overall operability of these nanomaterials, we modified the nanoaggregate surface to yield cationic (NH₃⁺), neutral (OH), and anionic (COO⁻) surfaces. The effect of these modifications on the physicochemical properties (i.e., size, morphology, and surface charge density), colloidal stability, and cellular uptake mechanism of the polymeric nanocarrier were investigated. This comparative study demonstrates the viability of nanoaggregates formed from PDLLA-PAMAM LDBCs to serve as nanocarriers for applications in drug delivery.