Perfluorinated compounds in surface waters of Shanghai, China: Source analysis and risk assessment.

17 perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) were systematically investigated in the surface water from principal watersheds of Shanghai, China. 10 PFCs were above the detection limit (0.08-0.

One-step synthesis of SnCo nanoconfined in hierarchical carbon nanostructures for lithium ion battery anode.

A new strategy for the one-step synthesis of a 0D SnCo nanoparticles-1D carbon nanotubes-3D hollow carbon submicrocube cluster (denoted as SnCo@CNT-3DC) hierarchical nanostructured material was developed via a simple chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process with the assistance of a water-soluble salt (NaCl). The adopted NaCl not only acted as a cubic template for inducing the formation of the 3D hollow carbon submicrocube cluster but also provides a substrate for the SnCo catalysts impregnation and CNT growth, ultimately leading to the successful construction of the unique 0D-1D-3D structured SnCo@CNT-3DC during the CVD of CH. When utilized as a lithium-ion battery anode, the SnCo@CNT-3DC composite electrode demonstrated an excellent rate performance and cycling stability for Li-ion storage.

Subsurface low dissolved oxygen occurred at fresh- and saline-water intersection of the Pearl River estuary during the summer period.

Estuarine oxygen depletion is one of the worldwide problems, which is caused by the freshwater-input-derived severe stratification and high nutrients loading. In this study we presented the horizontal and vertical distributions of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the Pearl River estuary, together with temperature, salinity, chlorophyll a concentration and heterotrophic bacteria abundance obtained from two cruises during the summer (wet) and winter (dry) periods of 2015. In surface water, the DO level in the summer period was lower and varied greater, as compared to the winter period.

Structure Identification and In Vitro Anticancer Activity of Lathyrol-3-phenylacetate-5,15-diacetate.

Natural products from the genus show attention-attracting activities, such as anticancer activity. In this article, classical isolation and structure identification were used in a study on Caper Euphorbia Seed. Subsequently, MTT and wound healing assays, flow cytometry, western blotting, Hoechst 33258 staining and fluorescence microscopy examination were applied to investigate the anticancer activity of the obtained compounds.

N-Doped Porous Carbon Nanofibers/Porous Silver Network Hybrid for High-Rate Supercapacitor Electrode.

A three-dimensional cross-linked porous silver network (PSN) is fabricated by silver mirror reaction using polymer foam as the template. The N-doped porous carbon nanofibers (N-PCNFs) are further prepared on PSN by chemical vapor deposition and treated by ammonia gas subsequently. The PSN substrate serving as the inner current collector will improve the electron transport efficiency significantly.

Spatial and seasonal distributions of bacterioplankton in the Pearl River Estuary: The combined effects of riverine inputs, temperature, and phytoplankton.

In this study, we used flow cytometry and 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing to investigate bacterioplankton (heterotrophic bacteria and picocyanobacteria) abundance and community structure in surface waters along the Pearl River Estuary. The results showed significant differences in bacterioplankton dynamics between fresh- and saltwater sites and between wet and dry season. Synechococcus constituted the majority of picocyanobacteria in both seasons.

The functional domains for Bax∆2 aggregate-mediated caspase 8-dependent cell death.

Bax∆2 is a functional pro-apoptotic Bax isoform having alterations in its N-terminus, but sharing the rest of its sequence with Baxα. Bax∆2 is unable to target mitochondria due to the loss of helix α1. Instead, it forms cytosolic aggregates and activates caspase 8.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 7-hydroxy-4-phenylchromen-2-one-linked to triazole moieties as potent cytotoxic agents.

A new series of novel 7-hydroxy-4-phenylchromen-2-one (1a)-linked 1,2,4-triazoles were synthesised using a click chemistry approach. All derivatives were subjected to 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-yl)-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) cytotoxicity screening against a panel of six different human cancer cell lines (AGS, MGC-803, HCT-116, A-549, HepG2, and HeLa) to assess their cytotoxic potential. Among the tested molecules, some of the analogues showed better cytotoxic activity than that shown by the 7-hydroxy-4-phenylchromen-2-one (1a).

Achieving high strength and high ductility in metal matrix composites reinforced with a discontinuous three-dimensional graphene-like network.

Graphene or graphene-like nanosheets have been emerging as an attractive reinforcement for composites due to their unique mechanical and electrical properties as well as their fascinating two-dimensional structure. It is a great challenge to efficiently and homogeneously disperse them within a metal matrix for achieving metal matrix composites with excellent mechanical and physical performance. In this work, we have developed an innovative in situ processing strategy for the fabrication of metal matrix composites reinforced with a discontinuous 3D graphene-like network (3D GN).

Design, Synthesis, and Structure-Activity Relationship of Tetrahydropyrido[4,3-d]pyrimidine Derivatives as Potent Smoothened Antagonists with in Vivo Activity.

Medulloblastoma is one of the most prevalent brain tumors in children. Aberrant hedgehog (Hh) pathway signaling is thought to be involved in the initiation and development of medulloblastoma. Vismodegib, the first FDA-approved cancer therapy based on inhibition of aberrant hedgehog signaling, targets smoothened (Smo), a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) central to the Hh pathway.

Abcb1a but not Abcg2 played a predominant role in limiting the brain distribution of Huperzine A in mice.

Huperzine A has been used for improving symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Its cholinergic side effect is thought to be an exaggerated pharmacological outcome linked to its high brain or CNS concentrations. Although Huperzine A is brain penetrable, its interaction with efflux transporters (ABCB1 and ABCG2) has not been fully investigated.

Real-time visualization of clustering and intracellular transport of gold nanoparticles by correlative imaging.

Mechanistic understanding of the endocytosis and intracellular trafficking of nanoparticles is essential for designing smart theranostic carriers. Physico-chemical properties, including size, clustering and surface chemistry of nanoparticles regulate their cellular uptake and transport. Significantly, even single nanoparticles could cluster intracellularly, yet their clustering state and subsequent trafficking are not well understood.

Ball-in-cage nanocomposites of metal-organic frameworks and three-dimensional carbon networks: synthesis and capacitive performance.

In order to improve the electrical conductivity of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) which have drawn remarkable attention owing to their potential application in the energy storage field, a Co-based zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) polyhedron was in situ integrated into a three-dimensional carbon network (3DCN) to construct a Ball-in-Cage (BIC) nanostructure. The introduced 3DCN acting as the electronic pathway can provide nucleation sites for MOF particles; consequently, further growth of the MOF particles is limited by the size effect of 3DCN. The BIC frame not only controls the MOF particle size, but also ensures a high electron conductivity of the entire structure.

Microscopic Theory of Resistive Switching in Ordered Insulators: Electronic versus Thermal Mechanisms.

We investigate the dramatic switch of resistance in ordered correlated insulators when they are driven out of equilibrium by a strong voltage bias. Microscopic calculations on a driven-dissipative lattice of interacting electrons explain the main experimental features of resistive switching (RS), such as the hysteretic I-V curves and the formation of hot conductive filaments. The energy-resolved electron distribution at the RS reveals the underlying nonequilibrium electronic mechanism, namely Landau-Zener tunneling, and also justifies a thermal description in which the hot-electron temperature, estimated from the first moment of the distribution, matches the equilibrium-phase transition temperature.

Distribution of picoplankton in the northeastern South China Sea with special reference to the effects of the Kuroshio intrusion and the associated mesoscale eddies.

We investigated picoplankton distribution patterns and environmental variables along an east-to-west transect in the northeastern South China Sea (SCS) during late winter 2016, giving us the opportunity to examine the impacts of the Kuroshio intrusion and the associated eddies. The results indicated that the subsurface (50-75m) phytoplankton biomass chlorophyll (Chl a) maximum (SCM) disappeared and was replaced by higher Chl a in the middle part of the transect due to the impacts of the Kuroshio intrusion and mesoscale eddies. Both flow cytometry and pyrosequencing data revealed that picoplankton abundance and community structure were significantly influenced by perturbations in complex physical processes.

Characteristics of picoplankton abundances during a Thalassiosira diporocyclus bloom in the Taiwan Bank in late winter.

To understand the variations of picoplankton (Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, picoeukaryotes, and heterotrophic bacteria) abundances during diatom bloom, the distribution of picoplankton in the Taiwan Bank, South China Sea was investigated using flow cytometry during a Thalassiosira diporocyclus bloom in March 2016. The results indicated an abrupt abundance decrease for Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, and picoeukaryotes within the bloom area while the abundance of heterotrophic bacteria showed no significant difference between the bloom and non-bloom areas. We found two sub-groups of heterotrophic bacteria: high- and low-nucleic acid content (HNA and LNA) bacteria with HNA dominated in the bloom area whereas LNA dominated in the non-bloom area.

Synthesis and bioactivity evaluation of 2,3-diaryl acrylonitrile derivatives as potential anticancer agents.

Thirty novel derivatives of 2,3-diaryl acrylonitrile were synthesized and evaluated for biological activity. Preliminary investigations of antitumor activity in vitro showed that most of the synthesized compounds have significant antiproliferative effects on human cancer cell lines, such as BEL-7402, HeLa, and HCT116 with IC values in the range of 0.13-60.

Gesture recognition by instantaneous surface EMG images.

Gesture recognition in non-intrusive muscle-computer interfaces is usually based on windowed descriptive and discriminatory surface electromyography (sEMG) features because the recorded amplitude of a myoelectric signal may rapidly fluctuate between voltages above and below zero. Here, we present that the patterns inside the instantaneous values of high-density sEMG enables gesture recognition to be performed merely with sEMG signals at a specific instant. We introduce the concept of an sEMG image spatially composed from high-density sEMG and verify our findings from a computational perspective with experiments on gesture recognition based on sEMG images with a classification scheme of a deep convolutional network.

Comparison of classical diagnostic criteria and Chinese revised diagnostic criteria for fever of unknown origin in Chinese patients.

Background: Fever of unknown origin (FUO) has always been a challenging problem for physicians since it was first reported half a century ago. This study aimed to investigate the clinical features of FUO and to compare the clinical significance of the classical diagnostic criteria and the Chinese revised diagnostic criteria of FUO.

Methods: We retrospectively collected a series of 140 patients admitted to our hospital between September 2011 and June 2013 because of prolonged febrile illnesses (lasting at least 2 weeks, temperature ≥38.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel porcupine inhibitors featuring a fused 3-ring system based on the 'reversed' amide scaffold.

The Wnt signaling pathway is an essential signal transduction pathway which leads to the regulation of cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation and migration. Aberrant Wnt signaling is known to have an association with multiple cancers. Porcupine is an enzyme that catalyses the addition of palmitoleate to a serine residue in Wnt proteins, a process which is required for the secretion of Wnt proteins.

A Chemical-Adsorption Strategy to Enhance the Reaction Kinetics of Lithium-Rich Layered Cathodes via Double-Shell Surface Modification.

Sluggish surface reaction kinetics hinders the power density of Li-ion battery. Thus, various surface modification techniques have been applied to enhance the electronic/ionic transfer kinetics. However, it is challenging to obtain a continuous and uniform surface modification layer on the prime particles with structure integration at the interface.

Identification of a New Series of Potent Adenosine A Receptor Antagonists Based on 4-Amino-5-carbonitrile Pyrimidine Template for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease.

Adenosine receptor A antagonists have emerged as potential treatment for Parkinson's disease in the past decade. We have recently reported a series of adenosine receptor antagonists using heterocycles as bioisosteres for a potentially unstable acetamide. These compounds, while showing excellent potency and ligand efficiency, suffered from moderate cytochrome P450 inhibition and high clearance.

CYP2C8-mediated interaction between repaglinide and steviol acyl glucuronide: In vitro investigations using rat and human matrices and in vivo pharmacokinetic evaluation in rats.

CYP2C8 is involved in the metabolic clearance of several important drugs and recent reports have shown that acyl glucuronides of gemfibrozil and clopidogrel are potent time-dependent inhibitors of CYP2C8 activity. In the present study, the inhibitory effect of steviol acyl glucuronide (SVAG), a circulating metabolite formed after the ingestion of rebaudioside A, was investigated using in vitro and in vivo systems. Results indicated that SVAG was a reversible but not a time-dependent inhibitor of CYP2C8-mediated paclitaxel 6α-hydroxylation.

Three-Dimensional Network of N-Doped Carbon Ultrathin Nanosheets with Closely Packed Mesopores: Controllable Synthesis and Application in Electrochemical Energy Storage.

A flexible one-pot strategy for fabricating a 3D network of nitrogen-doped (N-doped) carbon ultrathin nanosheets with closely packed mesopores (N-MCN) via an in situ template method is reported in this research. The self-assembly soluble salts (NaCl and Na2SiO3) serve as hierarchical templates and support the formation of a 3D glucose-urea complex. The organic complex is heat-treated to obtain a 3D N-doped carbon network constructed by mesoporous nanosheets.

Enhanced Antitumor Activity of Monophosphate Ester Prodrugs of Gemcitabine: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation.

The prodrug strategy has been explored frequently for a number of marked drugs to obtain better pharmaceutical properties and efficacy and safety profiles. For gemcitabine, a nucleoside analog that has been used widely as a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of a variety of cancers, the protection of the amino group from extensive deamination and increase of permeability have been used for oral prodrug development. In the present study, several novel and proprietary monophosphate ester prodrugs of gemcitabine representing different "tail" structures were evaluated for their antiproliferation activities in various tumor cell lines.