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.     

遥感卫星随遇接入互联网星座和在轨智能处理

低轨互联网星座是当前全球研究和发展的热点,互联网星座支持随遇接入遥感卫星和信息在轨直接处理的应用前景备受期待,但由于轨道高度不同会产生双向高动态异构星座的接入互联问题。首先,通过设定低轨卫星互联网星座在不同轨道特性、不同卫星数量情况下的随遇接入仿真场景,重点探讨了时空非连续可视性和多普勒频移问题对遥感卫星接入性能的影响;其次,基于遥感卫星随遇接入互联网星座场景的特点,分析了不同时延性在轨处理任务的流程及其星地功能分配;最后,对当前在轨智能处理算法存在的问题和未来研究重点进行阐述,为未来低轨互联网星座及遥感卫星的发展和联合组网应用提供可靠的理论支撑。     

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。     

基于信号增强的缓慢泄漏检测方法

目前管道泄漏检测方法可有效检测突发泄漏，对于缓慢泄漏则存在检测灵敏度低、定位不准确等问题。基于此，提出了一种基于信号增强的缓慢泄漏检测方法。通过信号压缩（抽取及移位）克服缓慢泄漏压力信号下降平缓的缺点；根据声波信号具有波形尖锐突出、对突发泄漏敏感的优点，通过建立以压力为输入、虚拟声波为输出的声波信号变送器模型，将压力信号转换为声波信号，克服了泄漏压力信号容易被淹没在管道压力波动及背景噪声中的缺点，实现了缓慢泄漏信号的增强；利用临近插值方法重构虚拟声波信号，基于延时互相关分析实现了缓慢泄漏的准确定位。实验结果表明，该方法具有显著的信号增强效果和定位精度，实现了缓慢泄漏的准确检测。     

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).     

基于RFID标签阵列的睡眠期间呼吸量连续监测系统

睡眠期间连续且准确的呼吸量监测有助于推断用户的睡眠阶段以及提供一些慢性疾病的线索。现有工作主要针对呼吸频率进行感知和监测,缺乏对呼吸量进行连续监测的手段。针对上述问题提出了一种基于商用无线射频识别(RFID)标签的无线感知用户睡眠期间呼吸量的系统——RF-SLEEP。RF-SLEEP通过阅读器连续收集附着在胸部表面的标签阵列返回的相位值及时间戳数据,计算出呼吸引起的胸部不同点的位移量,基于广义回归神经网络(GRNN)构建胸部不同点的位移量与呼吸量之间的关系模型,从而实现对用户睡眠期间呼吸量的评估。RF-SLEEP通过在用户肩膀处附着双参考标签,消除用户睡眠期间翻转身体对胸部位移计算造成的误差。实验结果表明,RFSLEEP对不同用户睡眠期间的呼吸量连续监测的平均精确度为92.49%。