Remarkable Antibacterial Activity of Reduced Graphene Oxide Functionalized by Copper Ions

Despite long-term efforts for exploring antibacterial agents or drugs, potentiating antibacterial activity and meanwhile minimizing toxicity to the environment remains a challenge. Here, it is experimentally shown that the functionality of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) through copper ions displays selective antibacterial activity that is significantly stronger than that of rGO itself and no toxicity to mammalian cells. Remarkably, this antibacterial activity is two-orders-of-magnitude greater than the activity of its surrounding copper ions. It is demonstrated that rGO is functionalized through the cation–π interaction to massively adsorb copper ions to form a rGO–copper composite and result in an extremely low concentration level of surrounding copper ions (less than ≈0.5 µm ). These copper ions on rGO are positively charged and strongly interact with negatively charged bacterial cells to selectively achieve antibacterial activity, while rGO exhibits the functionality to not only actuate rapid delivery of copper ions and massive assembly onto bacterial cells but also result in the valence shift in the copper ions from Cu²⁺ into Cu⁺, which greatly enhances the antibacterial activity. Notably, this rGO functionality through cation–π interaction with copper ions can similarly achieve algaecidal activity but does not exert cytotoxicity against neutrally charged mammalian cells.     

生物毒素的脱毒技术及药物研究进展

作为一种特殊的生物源化学物质,生物毒素对农产品、人畜、环境等有不可忽视的健康隐患,但由于其结构与功能作用的多样性,其对于生物化学、医药学、环境生态学等又具有重要意义。本研究就生物毒素的来源分类、危害、脱毒技术及生物毒素的应用进行综述,以期为进一步生物毒素的监管与开发利用提供理论参考。     

A new MM algorithm for constrained estimation in the proportional hazards model

The constrained estimation in Cox’s model for the right-censored survival data is studied and the asymptotic properties of the constrained estimators are derived by using the Lagrangian method based on Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions. A novel minorization–maximization (MM) algorithm is developed for calculating the maximum likelihood estimates of the regression coefficients subject to box or linear inequality restrictions in the proportional hazards model. The first M-step of the proposed MM algorithm is to construct a surrogate function with a diagonal Hessian matrix, which can be reached by utilizing the convexity of the exponential function and the negative logarithm function. The second M-step is to maximize the surrogate function with a diagonal Hessian matrix subject to box constraints, which is equivalent to separately maximizing several one-dimensional concave functions with a lower bound and an upper bound constraint, resulting in an explicit solution via a median function. The ascent property of the proposed MM algorithm under constraints is theoretically justified. Standard error estimation is also presented via a non-parametric bootstrap approach. Simulation studies are performed to compare the estimations with and without constraints. Two real data sets are used to illustrate the proposed methods.     

Dietary advanced glycation end‐products: Perspectives linking food processing with health implications

Dietary advanced glycation end products (dAGEs) are complex and heterogeneous compounds derived from nonenzymatic glycation reactions during industrial processing and home cooking. There is mounting evidence showing that dAGEs are closely associated with various chronic diseases, where the absorbed dAGEs fuel the biological AGEs pool to exhibit noxious effects on human health. Currently, due to the uncertain bioavailability and rapid renal clearance of dAGEs, the relationship between dAGEs and biological AGEs remains debatable. In this review, we provide the most updated information on dAGEs including their generation in processed foods, analytical and characterization techniques, metabolic fates, interaction with AGE receptors, implications on human health and reducing strategies. Available evidence demonstrating a relevance between dAGEs and food allergy is also included. AGEs are ubiquitous in foods and their contents largely depend on the reactivity of carbonyl and amino groups, along with surrounding condition mainly pH and heating procedures. Once being digested and absorbed into the circulation, two separate pathways can be involved in the deleterious effects of dAGEs: an AGE receptor‐dependent way to stimulate cell signals, and an AGE receptor‐independent way to dysregulate proteins via forming complexes. Inhibition of AGEs formation during food processing and reduction in the diet are two potent approaches to restrict health‐hazardous dAGEs. To elucidate the biological role of dAGEs toward human health, the following significant perspectives are raised: molecular size and complexity of dAGEs; interactions between unabsorbed dAGEs and gut microbiota; and roles played by concomitant compounds in the heat‐processed foods.     

Impact sensitivities of energetic materials: Exploring the limitations of a model based only on structural formulas

Using a comprehensive set of drop weight impact test data (h₅₀) newly compiled from literature for 308 materials, a recent approach to predict impact sensitivities of nitro compounds is generalized to most explosive substances of interest. Compared to previous ones, this procedure is more thoroughly validated and exhibits a good predictive value. Furthermore, it yields new insight into the physical mechanisms involved, explaining for instance the unexpected desensitization of some oxygen-deficient triazoles upon nitration.     

关于新疆热电厂职业危害分析与讨论

对比不同热电厂企业工人接触职业危害因素情况,分析原因,为在建或已建热电厂提供职业危害因素预防措施,降低企业由于设计、施工或管理方面原因造成后期运行过程中职业危害接触超标情况的发生。根据我室历年对新疆地区热电厂职业危害因素检测结果与评价报告的比较,找出不同热电厂职业病危害因素的共性及异性,分析不同设备、工艺及管理方式不同所造成职业危害因素检测结果的差异及原因。建议优化厂区工艺及土建设计;优化设备选型及原料选择运用现代化的管理手段,加强职业卫生管理体系宣贯的有效运作。     

Biological Meat Safety: Challenges Today and the Day After Tomorrow

The paper overviews the present status and challenges, as well as new and emerging longer-term issues, in the area of biological meat safety. It includes outlines of both prioritization process for biological meatborne hazards and global strategies for control of the priority hazards. It is concluded that modern meat safety assurance is meat chain- and risk-based, whilst the monitoring system should enable warning about any new and emerging meat safety issues.     

A new estimating equation approach for marginal hazard ratio estimation

Clustered failure time data often arise in biomedical studies and a marginal regression modeling approach is often preferred to avoid assumption on the dependence structure within clusters. A novel estimating equation approach is proposed based on a semiparametric marginal proportional hazards model to take the correlation within clusters into account. Different from the traditional marginal method for clustered failure time data, our method explicitly models the correlation structure within clusters by using a pre-specified working correlation matrix. The estimates from the proposed method are proved to be consistent and asymptotically normal. Simulation studies show that the proposed method is more efficient than the existing marginal methods. Finally, the model and the proposed method are applied to a kidney infections study.     

Gender differences in the meanings associated with food hazards: A means-end chain analysis

It is a common finding that men compared to women are less concerned about food hazards and technologies. While previous literature analyzed determinants such as trust in public actors in order to explain gender differences in food risk perception, a systematic analysis of women’s and men’s cognitions (associations) and emotions (feelings) is lacking. This study focuses on the very first associations and the deeper motives and values that women and men link to three potential food hazards: mycotoxins, pesticides and irradiation. Means-end chain theory was applied and in-depth laddering interviews were conducted with 34 women and 35 men in Munich, Germany. The results reveal that food hazards threaten self-centered and socio-altruistic values of men and women alike and that ‘care for others’ is not only a motive for women.     

化工园区企业安全设计诊断

介绍了以精细化工产业为主的化工园区企业的安全设计诊断,为化工企业的安全设计诊断以及主要安全隐患的排查及整改提供了一定参考。