Model-guided evaluation of consumer products

An evaluation of a consumer product is presented as an example of how ergonomics models can guide data collection and interpretation by non-ergonomists. The product, a new cooking pan, was compared with its earlier counterpart on performance and safety tests for specific features. Model-guided evaluations produced data which could be well-fitted by linear relationships, and measures derived from the data could be interpreted in physical terms by engineers. This is now the standard methodology for pan evaluation in the client company.     

The Role of Chronic Inflammation in Various Diseases and Anti-inflammatory Therapies Containing Natural Products

Chronic inflammation represents a long-term reaction of the body's immune system to noxious stimuli. Such a sustained inflammatory response sometimes results in lasting damage to healthy tissues and organs. In fact, chronic inflammation is implicated in the development and progression of various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and even cancers. Targeting nonresolving inflammation thus provides new opportunities for treating relevant diseases. In this review, we will go over several chronic inflammation-associated diseases first with emphasis on the role of inflammation in their pathogenesis. Then, we will summarize a number of natural products that exhibit therapeutic effects against those diseases by acting on different markers in the inflammatory response. We envision that natural products will remain a rich resource for the discovery of new drugs treating diseases associated with chronic inflammation.     

Screening of Inhibitors Targeting Heat Shock Protein 47 Involved in the Development of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Heat shock protein 47 (HSP47), a collagen-specific molecular chaperone, is causally related to fibrotic diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The identification of Compounds that interfere with the HSP47-collagen interaction is essential for the development of relevant therapeutics. Herein, we prepared human HSP47 as a soluble fusion protein expressed in E. coli and established an assay system for HSP47 inhibitor screening. We screened a natural and synthetic Compound library established at Nagasaki University. Among 1023 Compounds, 13 exhibited inhibitory activity against human HSP47, of which three inhibited its function in a dose-dependent manner. Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, one of these three Compounds, is a typical polyphenol Compound derived from tea leaves. Structurally related Compounds were synthesized and examined for their activity, revealing a hydroxyl group at A-ring position 5 as important for its activity. The present findings provide valuable insight for the development of natural product-derived therapeutics for fibrotic diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.     

变流场情景下基于鱼类游泳特性的上溯通道分析

水电开发对洄游性鱼类的生境造成了影响,预测目标鱼类洄游期的上溯通道可为修建过鱼设施提供依据,从而减缓其负面效应。本文选取虎渡溪航电工程的下游河段作为研究区域,将长薄鳅、白甲鱼、异鳔鳅鮀作为目标鱼类,针对几种目标鱼类的游泳能力对不同流速进行分区后,得出了适用于多种过鱼目标的流速适宜度曲线,然后对研究区域过鱼期的典型流量进行了数值模拟。根据流速适宜度曲线对研究区域的多种过鱼目标进行了流速适宜度评价,并由评价结果预测了满足多目标过鱼要求的上溯通道。结果表明：流速适宜度评价最优区域出现的位置随流量变化而有所不同,低流量运行条件下出现在主流区域,而高流量运行条件下出现在主流区域两侧;上溯的通道面积占总面积的比例也随流量变化而有所不同,低流量运行条件下的占比约为高流量运行条件下的3 ~ 4倍。根据预测通道特征,对鱼道的进口布置及电站运行调度提供了建议。该结果可为相关鱼类的保护工作提供依据。     

Nephrotoxicity of Herbal Products in Europe—A Review of an Underestimated Problem

Currently in Europe, despite the many advances in production technology of synthetic drugs, the interest in natural herbal medicines continues to increase. One of the reasons for their popular use is the assumption that natural equals safe. However, herbal medicines contain pharmacologically active ingredients, some of which have been associated with adverse effects. Kidneys are particularly susceptible to injury induced by toxins, including poisonous constituents from medicinal plants. The most recognized herb-induced kidney injury is aristolochic acid nephropathy connected with misuse of certain Traditional Chinese herbal medicines. Data concerning nephrotoxicity of plant species of European origin are scarce. Here, we critically review significant data of the nephrotoxicity of several plants used in European phytotherapy, including Artemisia herba-alba, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Euphorbia paralias, and Aloe). Causative mechanisms and factors predisposing to intoxications from the use of herbs are discussed. The basic intention of this review is to improve pharmacovigilance of herbal medicine, especially in patients with chronic kidney diseases.     

Identification of the Catalytic Residues in the Cyclase Domain of the Class IV Lanthipeptide Synthetase SgbL

Lanthipeptides belong to the family of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) and are subdivided into different classes based on their processing enzymes. The three-domain class IV lanthipeptide synthetases (LanL enzymes) consist of N-terminal lyase, central kinase, and C-terminal cyclase domains. While the catalytic residues of the kinase domains (mediating ATP-dependent Ser/Thr phosphorylations) and the lyase domains (carrying out subsequent phosphoserine/phosphothreonine (pSer/pThr) eliminations to yield dehydroalanine/dehydrobutyrine (Dha/Dhb) residues) have been characterized previously, such studies are missing for LanL cyclase domains. To close this gap of knowledge, this study reports on the identification and validation of the catalytic residues in the cyclase domain of the class IV lanthipeptide synthetase SgbL, which facilitate the nucleophilic attacks by Cys thiols on Dha/Dhb residues for the formation of β-thioether crosslinks.     

研究性学习:现代大学德育的一种新模式

研究性学习是一种教育理念与学习模式。为完成大学德育任务，增强德育有效性，在现代大学德育中开展研究性学习是一种新思路，新模式。本文从回归德育出发点，优化“德育生态环境”和落实德育创新教育理念等方面，对大学德育中的研究性学习进行了论述。     

宝钢高速线材轧机的产品现状及展望

介绍了具有当前国际线材生产先进水平的宝钢高速线材轧机的产品特点，及该轧机自投产至今的产品开发情况，并对今后新产品开发工作进行了展望。     

牙科钛及钛合金表面烤瓷研究进展

介绍了中国钛工业发展的历史，钛的资源和钛的应用情况以及钛合金发展所取得的进展，中国钛工业经历了４０余年的研究和发展，目前产能已达到年产３６５０ｔ海绵钛和２８００ｔ钛加工材的生产能力，并建立了一个从海绵钛生产到钛锭熔炼，铸造，加工及钛设备制造的完整的钛工业体系，钛材已被广泛用於化学，宇航，航空等各个工业部门。中国已成长为世界上一个重要的钛工业国，同时还总结了中国钛工业发展的经验和教训；展望了中国钛工     

建筑供排水用聚丙烯管道(PP-R)特性简析

PP -R管道具有质轻、连接方便、良好耐热性和较小导热系数、耐腐蚀且管道阻力小等优点 ,属绿色产品 ,本文对施工过程中就PP -R管与混凝土的粘结不密、抗紫外性能差等问题提出了相应的处理措施