Influence of residual chirality on the conformation and enzymatic degradation of glycopolypeptide based biomaterials

Science China Technological Sciences - Glycopolypeptides as analogs of glycoproteins or glycosaminoglycans represent attractive building blocks for the construction of biomimetic biomaterials....     

Improved optical photoluminescence by charge compensation in the phosphor system CaMoO4:Eu

It has been found that charge compensated CaMoO₄:Eu³⁺ phosphors show greatly enhanced red emission under 393 and 467 nm-excitation, compared with CaMoO₄:Eu³⁺ without charge compensation. Two approaches to charge compensation, (a) 2Ca²⁺ → Eu³⁺ + M⁺, where M⁺ is a monovalent cation like Li⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺ acting as a charge compensator; (b) 3Ca²⁺ → 2Eu³⁺ + vacancy, are investigated. The influence of sintering temperature and Eu³⁺ concentration on the luminescent property of phosphor samples is also discussed.     

汪家寨煤矿软岩巷道注浆加固技术的应用

根据汪家寨煤矿高应力软岩特性,分析了巷道破坏机理,提出了注水泥浆加固技术,对已破坏的巷道修复加固,不仅保持了巷道的稳定性,而且取得了较好的经济效益。     

In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis of deformation behavior of a Nb/NiTi composite for biomedical applications

The deformation behavior involved in Nb/NiTi composite for biomedical applications within a large macroscopic strain range was investigated by tensile loading-unloading test and in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction(SXRD).Experimental results show that during loading,the Nb/NiTi composite experiences the elastic elongation of B2-NiTi austenitic,B19'-NiTi martensitic and β-Nb phases,B2→ B19' stress-induced martensitic(SIM) transformation and tensile plastic deformation of β-Nb phase.During unloading,the deformation behavior involved in Nb/NiTi composite includes the elastic recovery of B2-NiTi austenitic,B19'-NiTi martensitic and β-Nb phases,reverse phase transformation B19'→B2 and compressive deformation of p-Nb phase.The martensitic transformation in this composite is almost reversible and occurs in a localized manner.These results might contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the deformation mechanism involved in Nb/NiTi composite and shed some light on design and development of novel composites with a combination of good biocompatibility and excellent superelasticity for biomedical applications.     

Strength,strain capacity and toughness of five dual-phase pipeline steels

The effect of microstructures on strength, strain capacity and low temperature toughness of a micro-alloyed pipeline steel was elucidated. Five various dual-pha...     

110 kV电网主变中性点接地方式的选择

介绍了电网主变中性点接地方式的选择方法,提出了应注意的问题,可为如何选择电网的主变中性点提供借鉴。     

Effects of Tearing Conditions on the Crack Propagation in a Monolayer Graphene Sheet

The path of crack propagation in a graphene sheet is significant for graphene patterning via the tearing approach. In this study, we evaluate the fracture properties of pre-cracked graphene during the tearing process, with consideration of the effects of the aspect ratio, loading speed, loading direction, and ambient temperatures on the crack propagation in the monolayer sheet. Some remarkable conclusions are drawn based on the molecular dynamic simulation results, i.e., a higher loading speed may result in a complicated path of crack propagation, and the propagation of an armchair crack may be accompanied by sp carbon links at high temperatures. The reason for this is that the stronger thermal vibration reduces the load stress difference near the crack tip and, therefore, the crack tip can pass through the sp link. A crack propagates more easily along the zigzag direction than along the armchair direction. The out-of-plane tearing is more suitable than the in-plane tearing for graphene patterning. The path of crack propagation can be adjusted by changing the loading direction, e.g., a rectangular graphene ribbon can be produced by oblique tearing. This new understanding will benefit the application of graphene patterning via the tearing approach.     

Possible Role of GnIH as a Novel Link between Hyperphagia-Induced Obesity-Related Metabolic Derangements and Hypogonadism in Male Mice

Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) is a reproductive inhibitor and an endogenous orexigenic neuropeptide that may be involved in energy homeostasis and reproduction. However, whether GnIH is a molecular signal link of metabolism and the reproductive system, and thus, regulates reproductive activity as a function of the energy state, is still unknown. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of GnIH in glycolipid metabolism and reproduction in vivo, and in the coupling between these two processes in the testis level. Our results showed that chronic intraperitoneal injection of GnIH into male mice not only increased food intake and altered meal microstructure but also significantly elevated body mass due to the increased mass of liver and epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT), despite the loss of testicular weight. Furthermore, chronic intraperitoneal administration of GnIH to male mice resulted in obesity-related glycolipid metabolic derangements, showing hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance through changes in the expression of glucose and lipid metabolism-related genes in the pancreas and eWAT, respectively. Interestingly, the expression of GnIH and GPR147 was markedly increased in the testis of mice under conditions of energy imbalance, such as fasting, acute hypoglycemia, and hyperglycemia. In addition, chronic GnIH injection markedly inhibited glucose and lipid metabolism of mice testis while significantly decreasing testosterone synthesis and sperm quality, inducing hypogonadism. These observations indicated that orexigenic GnIH triggers hyperphagia-induced obesity-related metabolic derangements and hypogonadism in male mice, suggesting that GnIH is an emerging candidate for coupling metabolism and fertility by involvement in obesity and metabolic disorder-induced reproductive dysfunction of the testes.     

Tetrandrine Inhibits Skeletal Muscle Differentiation by Blocking Autophagic Flux

Tetrandrine is well known to act as a calcium channel blocker. It is a potential candidate for a tumor chemotherapy drug without toxicity. Tetrandrine inhibits cancer cell proliferation and induces cell death through apoptosis and autophagy. As cancer patients usually experience complications with sarcopenia or muscle injury, we thus assessed the effects of tetrandrine on skeletal muscle cells. We report in this study that a low dose of tetrandrine (less than 5 μM) does not affect the proliferation of C2C12 myoblasts, but significantly inhibits myogenic differentiation. Consistently, tetrandrine inhibited muscle regeneration after BaCl₂-induced injury. Mechanistic experiments showed that tetrandrine decreased the p-mTOR level and increased the levels of LC3 and SQSTM1/p62 during differentiation. Ad-mRFP-GFP-LC3B transfection experiments revealed that the lysosomal quenching of GFP signals was suppressed by tetrandrine. Furthermore, the levels of DNM1L/Drp1, PPARGA1 and cytochrome C (Cyto C), as well as caspase 3 activation and ROS production, were decreased following tetrandrine administration, indicating that the mitochondrial network signaling was inhibited. Our results indicate that tetrandrine has dual effects on autophagic flux in myoblasts during differentiation, activation in the early stage and blockade in the late stage. The ultimate blocking of autophagic flux by tetrandrine led to the disruption of mitochondria remodeling and inhibition of myogenic differentiation. The inhibitory effects of tetrandrine on skeletal muscle differentiation may limit its application in advanced cancer patients. Thus, great attention should be paid to the clinical use of tetrandrine for cancer therapy.