Adjustable hollow-cone output x-ray beam from an ellipsoidal monocapillary with a pinhole and a beam stop.

A combined shading system (CSS) consisting of a beam stop and a pinhole is proposed to be used between an ellipsoidal monocapillary (EM) and a conventional laboratory x-ray source to obtain an adjustable hollow-cone output beam for different experiments with no need for changing the EM. The CSS can change the incident x-ray beam on the EM by adjusting the position of the beam stop and the pinhole, with the corresponding change of the output beam of the EM. In this study, the adjustable hollow-cone output x-ray beam of an 80-mm-long EM with a CSS was studied in detail with a laboratory Cu x-ray generator with a focal spot diameter of 50 μm.

Improvement of a gene targeting system for genetic manipulation in Penicillium digitatum.

Penicillium digitatum is the most important pathogen of postharvest citrus. Gene targeting can be done in P. digitatum using homologous recombination via Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation (ATMT), but the frequencies are often very low.

[Volatile oil of Magnolia biondii inhibits expressions of P-selectin protein in serum and renal tissue of rats with diabetic nephropathy].

Objective: To investigate the protection mechanism of volatile oil of Magnolia biondii Pamp. (VOMBP) against diabetic nephropathy in rats by observing its effects on level of soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin) in serum and expression of P-selectin in renal tissue.

Methods: Fifty SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group, untreated group, and low-, medium- and high-dose VOMBP-treated group.