Neoagarooligosaccharide Protects against Hepatic Fibrosis via Inhibition of TGF-β/Smad Signaling Pathway

Hepatic fibrosis occurs when liver tissue becomes scarred from repetitive liver injury and inflammatory responses; it can progress to cirrhosis and eventually to hepatocellular carcinoma. Previously, we reported that neoagarooligosaccharides (NAOs), produced by the hydrolysis of agar by β-agarases, have hepatoprotective effects against acetaminophen overdose-induced acute liver injury. However, the effect of NAOs on chronic liver injury, including hepatic fibrosis, has not yet been elucidated. Therefore, we examined whether NAOs protect against fibrogenesis in vitro and in vivo. NAOs ameliorated PAI-1, α-SMA, CTGF and fibronectin protein expression and decreased mRNA levels of fibrogenic genes in TGF-β-treated LX-2 cells. Furthermore, downstream of TGF-β, the Smad signaling pathway was inhibited by NAOs in LX-2 cells. Treatment with NAOs diminished the severity of hepatic injury, as evidenced by reduction in serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels, in carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced liver fibrosis mouse models. Moreover, NAOs markedly blocked histopathological changes and collagen accumulation, as shown by H&E and Sirius red staining, respectively. Finally, NAOs antagonized the CCl₄-induced upregulation of the protein and mRNA levels of fibrogenic genes in the liver. In conclusion, our findings suggest that NAOs may be a promising candidate for the prevention and treatment of chronic liver injury via inhibition of the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway.     

Changes in the content and antioxidative activity of β-carotene and its metabolite vitamin A during gastrointestinal digestion and absorption and optimisation of HPLC-based detection

The β-Carotene (BC), an important precursor of vitamin A (VA), possesses antioxidant activity but is fat-soluble and has low bioavailability. In previous in-vitro assays evaluating antioxidant and 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) free radical scavenging, both BC and VA showed a strong ability to scavenge radicals and protected cells from oxidative stress. Here, we used artificially simulated gastrointestinal digestion and Caco-2 cell absorption models to evaluate the bioavailability of the BC during gastrointestinal digestion and absorption using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. We observed high absorptive and transfer rates of BC and detected retinol metabolites (Vitamin A). Therefore, BC can be detected in the acidic gastrointestinal environment using HPLC. Optimised method provided better separation of BC and VA in the column, improving the accuracy of the test results.     

三氯乙酸终止液对木瓜蛋白酶酶活测定的影响研究

本实验研究了不同的三氯乙酸终止液,对木瓜蛋白酶酶活的影响。通过使用两种检测方法,不同配方的三氯乙酸终止液进行实验。结果表明,使用两种不同配方的三氯乙酸终止液所得的结果相差2倍多。用不同稀释浓度的三氯乙酸终止液,在高浓度时,不同浓度的三氯乙酸终止液得到的结果差别很大,随着三氯乙酸浓度的降低,所测得的酶活不断升高;但是在低浓度时,不同浓度的三氯乙酸终止液得到的结果差别不大。     

高精度薄壁钢套类零件制造工艺

薄壁钢套类零件是机械制造中常碰到的一类难加工零件,由于其不同的功能用途和典型结构特点,其制造有一定难度,在实际生产过程中,经常出现加工制造后的零件尺寸精度、形状精度、形位精度达不到使用及设计要求。本文较系统地阐述了薄壁钢套类零件的典型制造工艺方法以及在制造过程中的变形分析和应对措施。     

黑龙江省节水增粮行动(2012—2015年)实施方案

文章通过对黑龙江省高效节水现状,存在问题的分析,结合黑龙江省高效节水发展的支撑能力,阐述黑龙江省节水增粮目标、任务及总体布局,为黑龙江省2012—2015年节水增粮实施提供依据。     

In situ characterization of LiY(WO4)2 nanotubes for electrochemical energy storage

Here, LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes are prepared via a feasible electrospinning technique. This new anode material shows excellent electrochemical properties. The capacity loss of LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes is as low as 6.9% after 156 cycles, while bulk LiY(WO₄)₂ presents the capacity loss higher than 55.0%. Even after 600 long-life cycles, the capacity loss of the nanotubes is only 9%. It can be seen that the hollow structure with a rough surface and a porous morphology contributes to the improvement of electrochemical performance. Furthermore, online X-ray diffraction (XRD) method is firstly applied to understand the lithium ions insertion/extraction mechanism of LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes. It can be concluded that it is an asymmetrical two-phase reaction. A phase transformation from LiY(WO₄)₂ to Li₃Y(WO₄)₂ can be obviously seen from the in situ XRD during discharge process. While Li₂Y(WO₄)₂ appears as an intermediate phase with a reverse charge reaction. In addition, in situ XRD also demonstrates that LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes have surprised electrochemical reversibility. All the above results indicate that LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes can be expected to be anode candidate for rechargeable lithium ion batteries (LIBs).     

超支化镍系催化剂构效关系及催化乙烯齐聚机理

采用1.0G超支化大分子（1.0G）、3-取代水杨醛和NiCl₂·6H₂O为原料，依次经席夫碱反应和络合反应合成了3种新型具有不同取代基位阻的超支化水杨醛亚胺配体及其镍系催化剂，利用红外光谱（FTIR）、核磁共振氢谱（¹H NMR）、紫外光谱（UV-vis）、电喷雾质谱（ESI-MS）及电感耦合等离子体质谱（ICP-MS）等方法对合成出产物的结构进行表征。考察了配体空间位阻、溶剂种类、助催化剂种类及反应条件对催化乙烯齐聚性能的影响。研究结果表明，配体空间位阻对催化乙烯齐聚性能有较大的影响，当以甲苯为溶剂、甲基铝氧烷（MAO）为助催化剂，在最佳反应条件下，超支化邻苯基水杨醛亚胺镍系催化剂催化乙烯齐聚的活性为2.81×10⁵g/(mol Ni·h)，对高碳烯烃（C₁₀₊）的选择性为34.28%。此外，在超支化水杨醛亚胺镍系催化剂催化性能评价的基础上，对其催化乙烯齐聚的机理进行研究。     

Software assurance practices for mobile applications

Mobile software applications have to cope with a particular environment that involves small size, limited resources, high autonomy requirements, competitive business models and many other challenges. To provide development guidelines that respond to these needs, several practices have been introduced; however, it is not clear how these guidelines may contribute to solve the issues present in the mobile domain. Furthermore, the rapid evolution of the mobile ecosystem challenges many of the premises upon which the proposed practices were designed. In this paper, we present a survey of the literature on software assurance practices for mobile applications, with the objective of describing them and assessing their contribution and success. We identified, organized and reviewed a body of research that spans in three levels: software development processes, software product assurance practices, and software implementation practices. By carrying out this literature survey, we reviewed the different approaches that researchers on Software Engineering have provided to address the needs that raise in the mobile software development arena. Moreover, we review the evolution of these practices, identifying how the constant changes and modernization of the mobile execution environment has impacted the methods proposed in the literature. Finally, we introduced discussion on the application of these practices in a real productive setting, opening an area for further research that may determine if practitioners have followed the proposed assurance paradigms.     

Intrinsic CFRP-metal-hybrids with rubber interface for the improvement of the damping behaviour

This paper presents an integrated passive damping approach in hybrid metal-CFRP parts for structural applications. In this concept a viscoelastic material is embedded in the joint zone of the hybrid component. To examine the connection strength single-lap-joint specimens were produced and tested and the influence of the used material combinations, different surface structures, and different process parameters i.e. the moment of cross-linking were evaluated. Afterwards, the metal-CFRP hybrids were tested in quasi-static tests to assess their connection strength and failure behaviour. Dynamic cyclic tensile tests with step-wise increased loading conditions were performed to determine the specimens damping behaviour and to estimate their fatigue performance. Finally, these results are compared to a state of the art metal-CFRP hybrid with rivets connecting both materials.