Milk from cows fed a diet with a high forage:concentrate ratio improves inflammatory state,oxidative stress,and mitochondrial function in rats

Excessive energy intake may evoke complex biochemical processes characterized by inflammation, oxidative stress, and impairment of mitochondrial function that represent the main factors underlying noncommunicable diseases. Because cow milk is widely used for human nutrition and in food industry processing, the nutritional quality of milk is of special interest with respect to human health. In our study, we analyzed milk produced by dairy cows fed a diet characterized by a high forage:concentrate ratio (high forage milk, HFM). In view of the low n-6:n-3 ratio and high content of conjugated linoleic acid of HFM, we studied the effects of this milk on lipid metabolism, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress in a rat model. To this end, we supplemented for 4 wk the diet of male Wistar rats with HFM and with an isocaloric amount (82 kJ, 22 mL/d) of milk obtained from cows fed a diet with low forage:concentrate ratio, and analyzed the metabolic parameters of the animals. Our results indicate that HFM may positively affect lipid metabolism, leptin:adiponectin ratio, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress, providing the first evidence of the beneficial effects of HFM on rat metabolism.     

Combination of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and nonlinear methods to analyze the copolymerization of phosphonic acid derivatives

We demonstrate in this study that the combination of modern inline monitoring methods [here: inline nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)] with simulations gains more exact and profound kinetic results than previously used methods like linearization without that combination. The ¹H-NMR spectroscopic data (more than 100 data points) are used to construct the copolymerization diagram. The reactivity ratios are obtained applying the van Herks nonlinear least square method. The examination of the radical copolymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) with (2-{[2-(ethoxycarbonyl)prop-2-en-1-yl]oxy}ethyl) phosphonic acid (ECPPA) as important adhesive monomer used in dentistry yields reactivity ratios of r_HEMA = 1.83; r_ECPPA = 0.42. The copolymerization diagram reflects nonideal, non-azeotropic copolymerization. The sequence distribution of the obtained by Monte Carlo simulation indicates the generation of statistical copolymers. As an important finding, it is demonstrated that the repeating units responsible for etching and adhesion are arranged over the whole polymer chain, which is necessary to achieve proper functionality. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48256.     

A probabilistic load shedding concept considering highly volatile local generation

Automatic load shedding is the ultimate countermeasure against imbalance in a power system and can effectively help preventing large blackouts. Taking into account a high penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) in the distribution grid, a clear distinction between load and generation at the PCC becomes increasingly more difficult. For that reason an adaptation of frequency relay parameters and their locations of installation are necessary. In Europe this is rest on a multi-step plan based on values such as the yearly peak load. In this paper a novel probabilistic method for automatic load shedding is presented that uses the average values instead of peak values for load shedding. Its applicability is verified by a dynamic power system model that was developed to compare the classical and novel probabilistic load shedding principle. The method is verified using data from a German TSO.     

胸腺五肽辅助治疗肺癌对免疫功能影响及其疗效的系统评价

为了系统地评价胸腺五肽作为辅助药物治疗各种肺癌的疗效及其对机体免疫功能的影响，利用电子检索收集有关胸腺五肽联合放疗或化疗方案治疗肺癌的临床随机对照试验文献，对符合纳入标准的文献，采用RevMan5.3 软件进行系统评价。最终共纳入文献 9 篇，总样本量 784 例。Meta 分析结果表明，胸腺五肽作为辅助药物治疗各种肺癌提高总有效率的差异无统计学意义[OR ＝ 1.44, 95%CI(0.99, 2.10), P ＝0.06 ＞ 0.05]。在对免疫功能的影响方面，胸腺五肽的使用显著增高外周血中的 CD3+ 细胞水平[OR ＝ 5.88, 95% CI(2.34, 9.42), P ＝0.001]，CD4+ 细胞水平也显著上升[OR ＝8.32, 95%CI(5.22, 11.42), P ＜ 0.00001] , CD4＋ /CD8＋比值也有明显的提高[OR ＝ 0.38, 95% CI(0.18, 0.59), P＝0.0002]，但 CD8+ 细胞水平的差异无统计学意义[OR ＝－3.12, 95% CI ( －9.02, 2.79), P ＞0.05]。总的来说，本研究在一定程度上反映了在辅助治疗肺癌方面，胸腺五肽能显著提高外周血中的 CD3+ 细胞水平、CD4+ 细胞水平、CD4+/CD8+ 比值。而对于治疗的有效率、CD8+ 细胞水平，差异无统计学意义。     

In vitro evaluation and in vivo performance of lyophilized gliclazide

Enhancement of the dissolution rate of the poorly water-soluble hypoglycemic agent, gliclazide, by the aid of lyophilization was investigated. Mannitol, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP-k-30) were employed in different weight ratios (43%, 56% and 64% w/w, respectively) as water-soluble excipients in the formulation. Lyophilized systems were found to exhibit extremely higher in vitro dissolution rate compared to the unprocessed drug powder. Solid state characterization of the lyophilized systems using X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry techniques revealed that dissolution enhancement was attributable to transformation of gliclazide from the crystalline to an amorphous state in the solid dispersion formed during the lyophilization process. The gastrointestinal absorption and hypoglycemic effect of the lyophilized gliclazide/SLS system were investigated following oral administration to Albino rabbits. C_max and area under the plasma concentration–time curve of gliclazide (AUC_0–12) after administration of the lyophilized formulations were significantly higher than those obtained after administration of the unprocessed gliclazide.     

Porous sunflower plate-like NiFe2O4/CoNi–S heterostructure as efficient electrocatalyst for overall water splitting

Constructing high-efficient and nonprecious electrocatalysts is of primary importance for improving the efficiency of water splitting. Herein, a novel sunflower plate-like NiFe₂O₄/CoNi–S nanosheet heterostructure was fabricated via facile hydrothermal and electrodeposition methods. The as-fabricated NiFe₂O₄/CoNi–S heterostructure array exhibits remarkable bifunctional catalytic activity and stability toward oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media. It presents a small overpotential of 219 mV and 149 mV for OER and HER, respectively, to produce a current density of 10 mA cm^?2. More significantly, when the obtained electrodes are used as both the cathode and anode in an electrolyzer, a voltage of 1.57 V is gained at 10 mA cm^?2, with superior stability for 72 h. Such outstanding properties are ascribed to: the 3D porous network structure, which exposes more active sites and accelerates mass transfer and gas bubble emission; the high conductivity of CoNi–S, which provides faster charge transport and thus promotes the electrocatalytic reaction of the composites; and the effective interface engineering between NiFe₂O₄ (excellent performance for OER) and CoNi–S (high activity for HER), which leads to a shorter transport pathway and thus expedites electron transfer. This work provides a new strategy for designing efficient and inexpensive electrocatalysts for water splitting.     

影响煤层气开发效果的地质因素再认识

地质特征认识对煤层气开发效果起着重要作用。在资源特征相差不大的情况下,发现煤层气相邻井的产量差异仍较大。排除工程因素后,通过选取8类地质参数,细致比对了保德区块低产井与邻井的参数特征,筛查出其关键因素为煤层微幅构造与顶板封盖条件,其中以微幅构造为主。据此,重新认识并划分出区块新的次生褶皱背斜单元、向斜单元和斜坡单元,获得了不同次生褶皱构造单元的开发特征。结果表明,高、低产井分布与次生褶皱背斜、向斜相关性高达92%。其中:高产井主要分布在次生褶皱背斜变化较缓、呈隆起状的“平台”,且煤层顶板以泥岩、碳质泥岩为主,封盖性较好;低产井主要分布在次生褶皱向斜,同一井台各井开发效果差异表现为从向斜条带轴部—向斜条带内—向斜条带外的煤层气井平均单井产量不断增加,到向斜轴部的距离大于向斜曲率半径73.5%的范围为主力产气区,小于向斜曲率半径40.0%范围为产水主力区。这对煤层气新井部署、生产管理、开发调整等,具有一定的指导意义。     

Antitumor Effects of Vitamin D Analogs on Hamster and Mouse Melanoma Cell Lines in Relation to Melanin Pigmentation

Deregulated melanogenesis is involved in melanomagenesis and melanoma progression and resistance to therapy. Vitamin D analogs have anti-melanoma activity. While the hypercalcaemic effect of the active form of Vitamin D (1,25(OH)₂D₃) limits its therapeutic use, novel Vitamin D analogs with a modified side chain demonstrate low calcaemic activity. We therefore examined the effect of secosteroidal analogs, both classic (1,25(OH)₂D₃ and 25(OH)D₃), and novel relatively non-calcemic ones (20(OH)D₃, calcipotriol, 21(OH)pD, pD and 20(OH)pL), on proliferation, colony formation in monolayer and soft-agar, and mRNA and protein expression by melanoma cells. Murine B16-F10 and hamster Bomirski Ab cell lines were shown to be effective models to study how melanogenesis affects anti-melanoma treatment. Novel Vitamin D analogs with a short side-chain and lumisterol-like 20(OH)pL efficiently inhibited rodent melanoma growth. Moderate pigmentation sensitized rodent melanoma cells towards Vitamin D analogs, and altered expression of key genes involved in Vitamin D signaling, which was opposite to the effect on heavily pigmented cells. Interestingly, melanogenesis inhibited ligand-induced Vitamin D receptor translocation and ligand-induced expression of VDR and CYP24A1 genes. These findings indicate that melanogenesis can affect the anti-melanoma activity of Vitamin D analogs in a complex manner.     

A facile method for preparation of PGS@ZB‐N and gas‐sol alternating synergistic effect for fire resistance of EVA

Through the simple precipitation of palygorskite (PGS) by zinc borate (ZB) (to make PGS@ZB) and the decoration of PGS@ZB by dodecylamine (N), a novel organic‐inorganic@inorganic hybrid flame retardant of PGS@ZB‐N was prepared and was incorporated with ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) to improve its flame retardance. The structure and morphology of PGS@ZB‐N were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and it was confirmed that the PGS@ZB‐N hybrid had been successfully prepared. The flame retardancy and burning behavior of EVA/PGS@ZB‐N/EG (EG = expandable graphite) composite were studied through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL‐94 (by the vertical burning test), and cone calorimeter test (CCT) characterizations. The prepared EVA/PGS@ZB‐N/EG composite obtained an LOI value of 41.2% with the addition of 30 wt% PGS@ZB‐N/EG. It was found that EVA/PGS@ZB‐N/EG was protected through a gas phase and condensed phase alternating synergistic effect mechanism.     

基于热负荷自动调节的延迟焦化加热炉三点注汽量智能优化

针对国内某炼油厂延迟焦化加热炉三点注汽问题，采用热负荷自动调节的算法进行了研究。运用该模型方法，分析了三点注汽量对加热炉热负荷和炉管结焦系数的影响，发现三点注汽量的改变均会对热负荷和炉管结焦系数产生影响，主要表现为提高注汽量将会提高热负荷，同时降低结焦系数；第1点注汽量和第2点注汽量对热负荷和结焦系数的影响较强，第3点注汽量对热负荷和结焦系数的影响较弱。在实际操作中，加热炉中的结焦程度既不能太强也不能太弱，合适的结焦系数能够保证正常开工周期里炉管不结焦，也能保证瓦斯、注汽量等参数的合理分配。通过对热负荷、注汽量的智能分配，可得到不同原料油加工负荷条件下更加合理的装置运行方案。