The effects of chemical composition and distribution on the preservation of phytolith morphology

Different types of phytolith even when coming from the same plant react to high temperatures in different ways. To understand the behavior of phytoliths upon heating, we examined composition and distribution of some elements within different phytolith types using SEM-EDS and synchrotron radiation μ-X-ray fluorescence. By analyzing phytoliths from rice husk, rice leaf and Than tree leaf, we find that the compositions and distributions of metal oxides within different phytolith types are quite different. It is well known that metal oxides have been used as fluxing agent to reduce the melting temperature of SiO₂ in the production of glass, and different metal oxides can be used to produce a variety of glass with diverse features. Similarly, metal elements including potassium, magnesium and calcium in phytoliths should also act as a fluxing agent under high temperature, and the differential compositions and distributions of these metal elements within the phytoliths resulted in the variable reaction to heating. In sum, there is a negative relationship between the flux elements composition in phytoliths, and the temperatures at which phytoliths deform; furthermore, potassium and calcium in the rice leaf phytolith are almost evenly distributed in all parts, which may cause the phytolith’s shape to deform evenly. In comparison, Than tree leaf phytolith is found to have a high percentage of potassium and calcium located exclusively on the outside, which may explain why the deformation of Than tree leaf phytolith occurs firstly at the outside.     

Hierarchical FeCo2S4@FeNi2S4 Core/Shell Nanostructures on Ni Foam for High-Performance Supercapacitors

The design of electrode materials with rational core/shell structures is promising for improving the electrochemical properties of supercapacitors. Hence, hierarchical FeCo₂S₄@FeNi₂S₄ core/shell nanostructures on Ni foam were fabricated by a simple hydrothermal method. Owing to their structure and synergistic effect, they deliver an excellent specific capacitance of 2393 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ and long cycle lifespan as positive electrode materials. An asymmetric supercapacitor device with FeCo₂S₄@FeNi₂S₄ as positive electrode and graphene as negative electrode exhibited a specific capacitance of 133.2 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ and a high energy density of 47.37 W h kg⁻¹ at a power density of 800 W kg⁻¹. Moreover, the device showed remarkable cycling stability with 87.0 % specific-capacitance retention after 5000 cycles at 2 A g⁻¹. These results demonstrate that the hierarchical FeCo₂S₄@FeNi₂S₄ core/shell structures have great potential in the field of electrochemical energy storage.     

Fe2O3-catalyzed Pummerer rearrangement of acyl chlorides and sulfoxides: Facile synthesis of alkylthiomethyl ester

A simple, effective approach for the Pummerer rearrangement of acyl chlorides with sulfoxides by using a low-cost and more abundant Fe catalyst has been described. The alkylthiomethyl ester products were prepared in good to excellent yields for a range of different substrates including asymmetrical sulfoxides and acyl chlorides with a variety of functional groups under mild reaction conditions. The reaction features short reaction time, simple manipulation, cheap reagents and a broad substrate scope. Single crystal X-ray analysis of a representative methylthiomethyl (MTM) group containing product was also reported.     

Synthesis and characterization of A2 + B3 type hyperbranched aromatic-aliphatic polyester with carboxyl end groups

New types of carboxyl-terminated hyperbranched polyesters (HBPEs) with aromatic-aliphatic structure were synthesized by single step-melt polycondensation of adipic acid (as A2 monomer) and phloroglucinol (as B3 monomer) as a core via A₂ + B₃ approach, at three different monomer mole ratios (A₂/B₃ = 1: 1, 1.5: 1, 2: 1, respectively). FTIR spectroscopy indicated that the polymers contained hydroxyl groups, ester bonds, benzene ring, methyl and methylene groups, which were in agreement with the expected HBPEs. The HBPEs have inherent viscosities about 0.24 to 0.27 dL/g. The degree of branching of the HBPEs was estimated to be 0.45–0.49% by ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR measurements. The melting temperature of HBPE-1, HBPE-2 and HBPE-3 were 154, 155 and 160°C respectively measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The synthesized polymers were thermally stable; the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurement revealed that HBPEs had 10% weight loss at 310°C in nitrogen.     

Rutin and Quercetin Decrease Cholesterol in HepG2 Cells but Not Plasma Cholesterol in Hamsters by Oral Administration

Rutin (R) and quercetin (Q) are two widespread dietary flavonoids. Previous studies regarding the plasma cholesterol-lowering activity of R and Q generated inconsistent results. The present study was therefore carried out to investigate the effects of R and Q on cholesterol metabolism in both HepG2 cells and hypercholesterolemia hamsters. Results from HepG2 cell experiments demonstrate that both R and Q decreased cholesterol at doses of 5 and 10 µM. R and Q up-regulated both the mRNA and protein expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 (SREBP2), low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), and liver X receptor alpha (LXRα). The immunofluorescence study revealed that R and Q increased the LDLR expression, while only Q improved LDL-C uptake in HepG2 cells. Results from hypercholesterolemia hamsters fed diets containing R (5.5 g/kg diet) and Q (2.5 g/kg diet) for 8 weeks demonstrate that both R and Q had no effect on plasma total cholesterol. In the liver, only Q reduced cholesterol significantly. The discrepancy between the in vitro and in vivo studies was probably due to a poor bioavailability of flavonoids in the intestine. It was therefore concluded that R and Q were effective in reducing cholesterol in HepG2 cells in vitro, whereas in vivo, the oral administration of the two flavonoids had little effect on plasma cholesterol in hamsters.     

Inhibitor Development against p7 Channel in Hepatitis C Virus

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is the key cause of chronic and severe liver diseases. The recent direct-acting antiviral agents have shown the clinical success on HCV-related diseases, but the rapid HCV mutations of the virus highlight the sustaining necessity to develop new drugs. p7, the viroporin protein from HCV, has been sought after as a potential anti-HCV drug target. Several classes of compounds, such as amantadine and rimantadine have been testified for p7 inhibition. However, the efficacies of these compounds are not high. Here, we screened some novel p7 inhibitors with amantadine scaffold for the inhibitor development. The dissociation constant (Kd) of 42 ARD-series compounds were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) titrations. The efficacies of the two best inhibitors, ARD87 and ARD112, were further confirmed using viral production assay. The binding mode analysis and binding stability for the strongest inhibitor were deciphered by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. These ARD-series compounds together with 49 previously published compounds were further analyzed by molecular docking. Key pharmacophores were identified among the structure-similar compounds. Our studies suggest that different functional groups are highly correlated with the efficacy for inhibiting p7 of HCV, in which hydrophobic interactions are the dominant forces for the inhibition potency. Our findings provide guiding principles for designing higher affinity inhibitors of p7 as potential anti-HCV drug candidates.     

塔里木河流域中下游典型地物光谱变化规律

由于塔里木河流域中下游距离河道在垂直向的差别,以及气候与人为因素的影响,使植被的空间分布具有异构性.典型地物光谱变化的研究为中下游生态环境的遥感监测提供了基础,实验研究表明:绿色全荣植物中,棉花由于其具有明显绿峰、水分吸收谷和近红外的高反射峰而更加容易识别,其他植物主要差别则集中在550,680,1420 nm附近的反射峰、吸收谷和1920～2500 nm之间的反射率;与绿色植被相比,枯枝的光谱在可见光部分的绿峰和红光吸收谷不明显,但在可见光部分波形有所差别,而与流沙土壤光谱相比,各波段反射率变化较大;对比不同荣枯比例的植物光谱发现,同一种植物随着荣枯配比的变化,除可见光绿峰、近红外反射峰和各水分吸收谷变化外,最明显的是在近红外1420～1820 nm之间和短波红外1920～2500 nm之间反射率随着枯枝的比例增加而明显升高;关于土壤光谱,中下游各断面占主要类型的流沙土光谱相差不大,但是盐碱土和含有一定水分的盐碱土则变化较大,而且反射率基本低于流沙土,结壳土则除在近红外和短波红外部分变化更加平缓而有所差别外,其余波段接近流沙土;同样的土壤背景下,近红外和短波红外部分反射率的差别能够在一定程度上反映覆盖度的变化.     

论食品安全学的理论基础与技术体系

食品安全学（foodsafetiology）是研究食物对人体健康危害的风险和保障食物无危害风险的学问,是食 品科学的一个分支,也是近３０年来发展起来的一门新兴学科。讨论、交流和理解食品安全学的理论基础与技术 体系将有助于促进食品安全学的科学研究、学科建设和人才培养,有助于加强国家食品安全管理和监管能力建 设。在研究大量有关国际组织文件、学术报告、会议文集,以及作者亲自考察、学术研究、自身理解的基础上, 提出了食品安全学的概念,归纳了食品安全学的理论基础和技术体系,探讨了食品安全学的学科构架。     

基于Matlab的势垒贯穿透射系数研究

粒子在经过一个势垒时,无论粒子能量和势垒高度存在怎样的关系,理论上都有一定的透射.本文用Matlab软件探讨了粒子对于宽度为n*a的势垒和n重宽度为a的势垒进行贯穿时的透射系数.研究结果说明:在E/U1情况下,宽度为na的势垒的贯穿透射系数较n重宽度为a的势垒的贯穿系数大;当E/U1时,情况则相反.