The Role of Al/Ti in Precipitate-Strengthened and Austenite-Toughened Co-Free Maraging Stainless Steel.

The strength of ultra-low carbon maraging stainless steels can be significantly enhanced by precipitating nanoscale intermetallic secondary phases. Retained or reversed austenite in the steel can improve its toughness, which is key to achieving an ideal combination of strength and toughness. Ti and Al are often used as cost-effective strengthening elements in maraging stainless steels but the synergistic toughening and strengthening mechanisms of Ti and Al have not been studied.

Organophosphate esters in seawater and sediments from the low-latitude tropical sea.

Little is known about the distribution, transport and fate of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in the low-latitude tropic sea. Fourteen OPEs were measured in seawater and sediments from the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and South China Sea (SCS). The concentrations of OPEs in seawater and sediments ranged from 7.

Nanobody-based magnetic chemiluminescence immunoassay for one-pot detection of ochratoxin A.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination seriously threatens food safety and human health and requires sensitive and rapid tools for monitoring. In this study, a convenient enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on Avi-labeled nanobody Nb-2G/streptavidin-alkaline phosphatase and magnetic beads (MBS-ELISA) was established for the sensitive detection of OTA, which could be used for one-pot detection without immobilization. After optimization, the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) and the lowest limit of detection value of the MBS-ELISA was 1.

Bioaccumulation and translocation of organophosphate esters in a Mangrove Nature Reserve from the Pearl River Estuary, South China.

Little is known about the distribution and bioaccumulation of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in mangrove ecosystems. In this study, water, sediments, plants and animals were collected from Qi'ao Island Mangrove Nature Reserve to investigate the levels, bioaccumulation and biomagnification of OPEs. Concentrations of ΣOPEs in the mangrove plant Sonneratia apetala (an exotic species) were greater than those in Kandelia obovata (a native species).

Halogenated flame retardants in surface sediments from fourteen estuaries, South China.

A total of seventy surface sediments were collected from fourteen estuaries of South China to investigate the distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), 1,2-bis (2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE) and dechlorane plus (DP). The concentrations of ΣPBDEs, DBDPE, BTBPE and DP in estuarine sediments ranged from 0.39 to 81.

Pectin and inulin stimulated the mucus formation at a similar level: An omics-based comparative analysis.

Mucin 2 (MUC2) is the skeleton of colonic mucus that comprises the physical intestinal barrier. Different dietary polysaccharides may affect colonic mucus at different extents. The effect of pectin on MUC2 production is contradictory.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and alternative halogenated flame retardants in mangrove plants from Futian National Nature Reserve of Shenzhen City, South China.

Halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) are ubiquitous in the environment, but little information is available about the bioaccumulation of HFRs in mangrove plants. In this study, three mangrove plant species were collected from Futian National Nature Reserve of Shenzhen City, South China to investigate the bioaccumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and several alternative halogenated flame retardants (AHFRs), including decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), hexabromobenzene (HBB), pentabromotoluene (PBT), tetrabromop-xylene (pTBX), pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB) and dechlorane plus (DP). The mean concentrations of PBDEs, DBDPE, BTBPE, pTBX, PBT, PBEB, HBB and DP in mangrove plant species were 2010, 1870, 36.

Guar gum different from Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide in alleviating colorectal cancer based on omics analysis.

It is unclear if guar gum can alleviate colorectal cancer (CRC). We evaluated the effect of guar gum (unmodified) on the mortality, colon status, serous tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) concentration, and gut microbial and colonic epithelial cell gene expression profiles in CRC mice and performed omics analyses to compare these with those of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide (GLP), whose main component is β-glucan (>90%). We found that guar gum had a CRC alleviating effect.

Bioaccumulation and translocation of tetrabromobisphenol A and hexabromocyclododecanes in mangrove plants from a national nature reserve of Shenzhen City, South China.

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) such as tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) are of ecological concern due to their ubiquitous presence and adverse effects. There is a paucity of data on environmental fate of such compounds in mangrove wetlands, which are unique ecosystems in coastal intertidal areas and act as natural sinks for many pollutants. In this study, mangrove plants and sediments were collected from an urban nature reserve in South China to investigate bioaccumulation and translocation of TBBPA and HBCDs.

polysaccharide improves rat DSS-induced colitis by altering cecal microbiota and gene expression of colonic epithelial cells.

Background: The effects of β-glucan on colitis mice are contradictory in previous reports. As a result, it is still unclear whether there is an anti-colitis effect in polysaccharide (GLP), which is mainly composed of β-glucan. Moreover, the association between GLP function and gut microbiota remains to be elucidated.

The Alternate Consumption of Quercetin and Alliin in the Traditional Asian Diet Reshaped Microbiota and Altered Gene Expression of Colonic Epithelial Cells in Rats.

The diet of traditional Asian is similar to the Mediterranean that was considered as a healthy dietary pattern. The report was scarce on whether different plant-derived components with similar anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory function such as quercetin and alliin in traditional Asian diet consumed in an alternate style cooperatively affect health including the growth of host and the status of the gut microbiota and colonic epithelial immunity. In the present study, the effects of alternate consumption of quercetin and alliin on host health judging by the profile of gut microbiota and gene expression of colonic epithelial cells were investigated with the Illumina MiSeq sequencing (16S rRNA genes) and Illumina HiSeq (RNA-seq) technique, respectively.

The primary biological network of Bifidobacterium in the gut.

Bacterial interactions in the biological network affect the growth of Bifidobacterium. In the present study, five habitats were constructed by changing animals, their health statuses and their diets. In each of these habitats, different networks of Bifidobacterium were outlined through correlation analysis of the 50 most dominant microbes.

Acclimation of Culturable Bacterial Communities under the Stresses of Different Organic Compounds.

The phylogenetic diversity of bacterial communities in response to environmental disturbances such as organic pollution has been well studied, but little is known about the way in which organic contaminants influence the acclimation of functional bacteria. In the present study, tolerance assays for bacterial communities from the sediment in the Pearl River Estuary were conducted with the isolation of functional bacteria using pyrene and different estrogens as environmental stressors. Molecular ecological networks and phylogenetic trees were constructed using both 16S rRNA gene sequences of cultured bacterial strains and 16S rRNA gene-based pyrosequencing data to illustrate the successions of bacterial communities and their acclimations to the different organic compounds.

Defluviimonas pyrenivorans sp. nov., a novel bacterium capable of degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

An aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile bacterium capable of degrading the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pyrene was isolated from sediment of Pearl River and designated PrR001. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that this strain was affiliated within the genus Defluviimonas in the family Rhodobacteraceae of the class Alphaproteobacteria and showed great similarity with the type strain Defluviimonas indica 20V17 (96.3 % similarity).

Plant polyphenols alter a pathway of energy metabolism by inhibiting fecal Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in vitro.

The function of plant polyphenols in controlling body weight has been in focus for a long time. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of plant polyphenols on fecal microbiota utilizing oligosaccharides. Three plant polyphenols, quercetin, catechin and puerarin, were added into liquid media for fermenting for 24 h.

Effect of inhibitory feedback on correlated firing of spiking neural network.

Understanding the properties and mechanisms that generate different forms of correlation is critical for determining their role in cortical processing. Researches on retina, visual cortex, sensory cortex, and computational model have suggested that fast correlation with high temporal precision appears consistent with common input, and correlation on a slow time scale likely involves feedback. Based on feedback spiking neural network model, we investigate the role of inhibitory feedback in shaping correlations on a time scale of 100 ms.

A mathematical model of P53 gene regulatory networks under radiotherapy.

P53, a vital anticancer gene, controls the transcription and translation of a series of genes, and implement the cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis by regulating their complicated signal pathways. Under radiotherapy, cell can trigger internal self-defense mechanisms in fighting against genome stresses induced by acute ion radiation (IR). To simulate the investigating of cellular responding acute IR at single cell level further, we propose a model of P53 gene regulatory networks under radiotherapy.

Structural, morphological, and magnetic study of nanocrystalline cobalt-nickel-copper particles.

Nanocrystalline Co(x)Ni(y)Cu(100-x-y) particles were synthesized by the reduction of metal acetates in a mixture of polyol and Tween 80. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis revealed that the actual wt% of Co, Ni, and Cu in these nanoparticles was nearly the same as in the starting solutions. The structures of the particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM).

Preparation and electrochemistry of azobenzene self-assembled monolayers on gold--long range tunneling and end-group hydrogen bonding effect.

A series of thiol-functionalied azobenzene derivatives (RAzoCnSH: R=H for n=3-6, abbreviated as AzoCnSH; R=CH(3)CONH for n=4, abbreviated as aaAzoC4SH) on gold electrodes were prepared and their self-assembly and electrochemical properties were studied by cyclic voltammetry. They all formed uniform and reproducible self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold and showed well-behaved voltammetric responses in aqueous solution. Both the length of the alkyl chain spacer and the H-bonding of the end acetamino group had effects on the stability and the electrochemical kinetics of the SAMs, and the effect of the H-bonding was dominant.