Discovery of Natural Sesquiterpene Lactone 1--Acetylbritannilactone Analogues Bearing Oxadiazole, Triazole, or Imidazole Scaffolds for the Development of New Fungicidal Candidates.

In recent decades, natural products have been considered important resources for developing of new agrochemicals because of their novel architectures and multibioactivities. Consequently, herein, 1--acetylbritannilactone (ABL), a natural sesquiterpene lactone from L., was used as a lead for further modification to discover fungicidal candidates.

To Explore the Mechanism and Equivalent Molecular Group of Radix Astragali and Semen Lepidii in Treating Heart Failure Based on Network Pharmacology.

Radix Astragali and Semen Lepidii (HQ-TLZ) is a commonly used herbal medicine combination for treatment of heart failure, which has a good clinical effect. However, its active components and mechanism of action are not clear, which limits its clinical application and development. In this study, we explored the mechanism of action of HQ-TLZ in the treatment of heart failure based on network pharmacology.

Identifying potential biomarkers of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease via genome-wide analysis of copy number variation.

Background: The prevalence of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing and emerging as a global health burden. In addition to environmental factors, numerous studies have shown that genetic factors play an important role in the development of NAFLD. Copy number variation (CNV) as a genetic variation plays an important role in the evaluation of disease susceptibility and genetic differences.

To Explore the Mechanism and Equivalent Molecular Group of Fuxin Mixture in Treating Heart Failure Based on Network Pharmacology.

Fuxin mixture (FXHJ) is a prescription for the treatment of heart failure. It has been shown to be effective in clinical trials, but its active ingredients and mechanism of action are not completely clear, which limits its clinical application and international promotion. In this study, we used network pharmacology to find, conclude, and summarize the mechanism of FXHJ in the treatment of heart failure.

Dose-response association between physical activity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a case-control study in a Chinese population.

Aim: Physical activity plays an important role in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).However, the optimal intensity and dose of physical activity for the treatment of NAFLD have yet to be found. In the present study, we aimed to provide a dose-response association between physical activity and NAFLD in a Chinese population.

A Dilute-and-Shoot Based UPLC-MS/MS Method for Multimycotoxins Analysis in .

is prone to be contaminated by various mycotoxins, leading to unpredictable threats on the quality and safety of and the health of the consumers. Therefore, the determination of multimycotoxins is imperative. To develop an efficient, sensitive, fast, and multianalyte method for detecting multimycotoxins in A selective dilute-and-shoot pretreatment procedure based ultra-performance LC-tandem MS (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for sensitive determination of multimycotoxins in , including aflatoxin (AF) B, B₂, G, G₂, and ochratoxin A.

Maximizing wave attenuation in viscoelastic phononic crystals by topology optimization.

The viscoelasticity of constituent materials has a significant effect on the dispersion relation of waves in viscoelastic phononic crystals (PCs). This paper extends the bi-directional evolutionary structure optimization (BESO) method to the design of viscoelastic PCs with the maximum attenuation and stiffness. The attenuation factor is calculated by the k(ω)-method, and the effective elasticity matrix of composite PCs is extracted by the homogenization theory.

Broadband All-angle Negative Refraction by Optimized Phononic Crystals.

All-angle negative refraction (AANR) of phononic crystals and its frequency range are dependent on mechanical properties of constituent materials and their spatial distribution. So far, it is impossible to achieve the maximum operation frequency range of AANR theoretically. In this paper, we will present a numerical approach for designing a two-dimensional phononic crystal with broadband AANR without negative index.

A finite-element approach to evaluating the size effects of complex nanostructures.

The size effects that reveal the dramatic changes of mechanical behaviour at nanoscales have traditionally been analysed for regular beam systems. Here, the method of using finite-element analysis is explored with the intention of evaluating the size effects for complex nanostructures. The surface elasticity theory and generalized Young-Laplace equation are integrated into a beam element to account for the size effects in classical Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko beam theories.

Topological Design of Cellular Phononic Band Gap Crystals.

This paper systematically investigated the topological design of cellular phononic crystals with a maximized gap size between two adjacent bands. Considering that the obtained structures may sustain a certain amount of static loadings, it is desirable to ensure the optimized designs to have a relatively high stiffness. To tackle this issue, we conducted a multiple objective optimization to maximize band gap size and bulk or shear modulus simultaneously with a prescribed volume fraction of solid material so that the resulting structures can be lightweight, as well.

Detection prevalence of H5N1 avian influenza virus among stray cats in eastern China.

Since 1997, more and more cases of the infectious H5N1 avian influenza virus (AIV) in humans have been reported all over the world but the transmission of H5N1 avian influenza virus to stray cats has been little demonstrated. The objective of this pilot investigation was to determine the prevalence of H5N1 AIV antibodies in stray cats in eastern China where is the dominant enzootic H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HP AIV). A total of 1,020 nasal swab and 1,020 serum samples were collected and tested.

[Relationship between landscape pattern and river water quality in Wujingang region, Taihu Lake watershed].

Wujingang region was taken as the study area to explore the relationship between landscape pattern and river water quality. Remote sensing image was interpreted and buffer zones were constructed, and then landscape patterns characterized by land-use patterns and five selected landscape metrics including Number of patches (NP), Area-weighted mean patch fractal dimension (FRAC _AM), Shannon's diversity index (SHDI), Shannon' s evenness index (SHEI), Contagion index (CONTAG) in each buffer zone were obtained. By employing the correlation analysis between the landscape pattern and river water quality, the results indicated that the river water quality was influenced by landscape pattern.

[A new type water supplement mode of urban wetland park and its effects in purification and ecology].

With the Rosebush Wetland Park in Changzhou as a case, a new type water supplement mode for urban wetland park, i.e., "vertical-flow plus horizontal-flow", was constructed, and its effects in water purification, ecology, and economic advantages were evaluated.

[Application of catastrophe progression method in assessing urban ecological security of Xiamen City, China].

Aiming at the potential catastrophic characteristics of coastal city under rapid urbanization, and based on the P-S-R (pressure-state-response) framework and catastrophe progression method (CPM), this paper developed a catastrophe model for the assessment of urban eco-security, and assessed the ecological security status (ESS) of Xiamen City from 1996 to 2006. The results showed that from 1996 to 1998, the ESS had an improving trend, revealing that the rapid urbanization in this period had less effect on the regional eco-security. From 1998 to 2001, owing to the large-scale and profound ecological disturbances from sea reclamation and rapid population increase that far overstepped the ecological remediation ability of Xiamen City's ecosystem itself, the ESS declined rapidly.

[Analysis on literature about syndrome differentiation and treatment of meridians in clinical acupuncture and moxibustion in recent 3 years].

Objective: To understand clinical application of syndrome differentiation and treatment of meridians in acupuncture and moxibustion.

Methods: Collect and collate the literature about syndrome differentiation and treatment of meridians in Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion, Acupuncture Research, Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture & Moxibustion (Clinic edition B in 2003) and Clinical Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion from 2001 to 2003.

Results: Less literature about syndrome differentiation and treatment of meridians are involved, only accounting for 5.