Ludong University

A simple one-step calcination route was used to prepare Ti(3+) self-doped TiO2/g-C3N4 heterojunctions by mixture of H2Ti3O7 and melamine. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) technologies were used to characterize the structure, crystallinity, morphology, and chemical state of the as-prepared samples. The absorption of the prepared Ti(3+) self-doped TiO2/g-C3N4 heterojunctions shifted to a longer wavelength region in comparison with pristine TiO2 and g-C3N4. The photocatalytic activities of the heterojunctions were studied by degrading methylene blue under a 30 W visible-light-emitting diode irradiation source. The visible-light photocatalytic activities enhanced by the prepared Ti(3+) self-doped TiO2/g-C3N4 heterojunctions were observed and proved to be better than that of pure TiO2 and g-C3N4. The photocatalysis mechanism was investigated and discussed. The intensive separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole in the prepared heterojunction was confirmed by photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The removal rate constant reached 0.038 min(-1) for the 22.3 wt % Ti(3+) self-doped TiO2/g-C3N4 heterojunction, which was 26.76 and 7.6 times higher than that of pure TiO2 and g-C3N4, respectively. The established heterojunction between the interfaces of TiO2 nanoparticles and g-C3N4 nanosheets as well as introduced Ti(3+) led to the rapid electron transfer rate and improved photoinduced electron-hole pair's separation efficiency, resulting in the improved photocatalytic performance of the Ti(3+) self-doped TiO2/g-C3N4 heterojunctions.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a deadly immunological disorder and its pathophysiology is still poorly understood. We aimed to determine if specific pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines can be used as diagnostic and therapeutic targets for sepsis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Recent publications in the MEDLINE database were searched for articles regarding the clinical significance of inflammatory cytokines in sepsis. RESULTS: In response to pathogen infection, pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-18 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)] and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) increased in patients with sepsis. Importantly, a decrease in IL-6 was associated with a better prognosis and overproduction of IL-10 was found to be the main predictor of severity and fatal outcome. CONCLUSION: Both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines constitute a double-edged sword in sepsis; on one hand they are critical to eliminate the infection while on the other, excessive production can cause tissue and organ damage. Increase in cytokines such as IL-6, Il-8, IL-10, IL-18 and TNF-α may have implications in diagnosis and treatment of sepsis.

Plastics have been accumulated offshore and in the deep oceans at an unprecedented scale. Microbial communities have colonized the plastisphere, which has become a reservoir for both antibiotic and metal resistance genes (ARGs and MRGs). This is the first analysis of the diversity, abundance, and co-occurrence of ARGs and MRGs, and their relationships within the microbial community, using metagenomic data of plastic particles observed in the North Pacific Gyre obtained from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information Sequence Read Archive database. The abundance of ARGs and MRGs in microbial communities on the plastics were in the ranges 7.07 × 10 −4 –1.21 × 10 −2 and 5.51 × 10 −3 –4.82 × 10 −2 copies per 16S rRNA, respectively. Both the Shannon-Wiener indices and richness of ARGs and MRGs in plastics microbiota were significantly greater than those of ARGs and MRGs in seawater microbiota in the North Pacific Gyre via one-way analysis of variance. Multidrug resistance genes and multi-metal resistance genes were the main classes of genes detected in plastic microbiota. There were no significant differences in the abundance or diversity of ARGs and MRGs between macroplastics biota and microplastics biota, indicating that particle size had no effect on resistance genes. Procrustes analysis suggested that microbial community composition was the determining factor of the ARG profile but not for MRG. Some ARGs and MRGs had a higher incidence of non-random co-occurrence, suggesting that the co-effects of selection for antibiotic or metal resistance are important factors influencing the resistome of the microbiota on the plastic particles. • Plastic size does not influence the abundance and diversity of resistance genes. • Metal resistance genes had higher abundances than antibiotic resistance genes. • Plastics are a reservoir for metal resistance genes and antibiotic resistance genes. • Bacterial community driving ARG composition but not for MRG profile • Flavobacteriaceae family bacteria are potential host for ARGs and MRGs.

The modification of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition by plant carbon (C) input (priming effect) represents a critical biogeochemical process that controls soil C dynamics. However, the patterns and drivers of the priming effect remain hidden, especially over broad geographic scales under various climate and soil conditions. By combining systematic field and laboratory analyses based on multiple analytical and statistical approaches, we explore the determinants of priming intensity along a 2200 km grassland transect on the Tibetan Plateau. Our results show that SOM stability characterized by chemical recalcitrance and physico-chemical protection explains more variance in the priming effect than plant, soil and microbial properties. High priming intensity (up to 137% of basal respiration) is associated with complex SOM chemical structures and low mineral-organic associations. The dependence of priming effect on SOM stabilization mechanisms should be considered in Earth System Models to accurately predict soil C dynamics under changing environments.

The SiO2 shell was coated on Fe3O4 nanoparticle by hydrolyzation of Na2SiO3, and then thiol groups were modified on the Fe3O4@SiO2 through silanization reaction to form Fe3O4@SiO2–SH sorbents. Characterization with transmission electron microscope (TEM), Energy-dispersive spectroscope (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) proved that SiO2 and thiol groups were successfully covered on the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticle. The Fe3O4 core possessed superparamagnetism for magnetic separation, and the SiO2 shell could protect the Fe3O4 core from being oxidized or dissolved under acid solution and provide good modificability. Due to the strong interaction between mercury and thiol groups, the synthesized sorbents exhibited high adsorption capacity and good anti-interference ability during mercury adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacity calculated from Langmuir fitting was 148.8 mg/g at pH 6.5, and the sorbents still maintained good adsorption ability at low solution pH and high concentration of coexisting cations. Mercury loaded on the sorbents could be easily desorbed with 1 mol/L HCl containing 3 wt.% of thiourea, and the sorbents showed good reusability. The adsorption capacities were still kept over 110 mg/g in tested natural water samples, showing practical significance in remediation of mercury contaminated actual water.

Abstract A novel type of control scheme combining the disturbance‐observer‐based control (DOBC) with H ∞ control is proposed for a class of complex continuous models with disturbances. The disturbances are supposed to include two parts. One part in the input channel is generated by an exogenous system with uncertainty, which can represent the harmonic signals with modeling perturbations. The other part is supposed to have the bounded H 2 ‐norm. Parametric uncertainties exist both in concerned plant and in exogenous subsystem. The disturbance observers based on regional pole placement and D‐stability theory are designed and integrated with conventional H ∞ control laws. The new composite DOBC and H ∞ control scheme is applied to complex continuous models for the case with known and unknown nonlinearity, respectively. Then the first type of disturbances can be estimated and rejected, and the second type can be attenuated; simultaneously, the desired dynamic performances can be guaranteed. Simulations for a flight control system are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the results and compare the proposed results with the previous schemes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract The time that water takes to travel through the terrestrial hydrological cycle and the critical zone is of great interest in Earth system sciences with broad implications for water quality and quantity. Most water age studies to date have focused on individual compartments (or subdisciplines) of the hydrological cycle such as the unsaturated or saturated zone, vegetation, atmosphere, or rivers. However, recent studies have shown that processes at the interfaces between the hydrological compartments (e.g., soil‐atmosphere or soil‐groundwater) govern the age distribution of the water fluxes between these compartments and thus can greatly affect water travel times. The broad variation from complete to nearly absent mixing of water at these interfaces affects the water ages in the compartments. This is especially the case for the highly heterogeneous critical zone between the top of the vegetation and the bottom of the groundwater storage. Here, we review a wide variety of studies about water ages in the critical zone and provide (1) an overview of new prospects and challenges in the use of hydrological tracers to study water ages, (2) a discussion of the limiting assumptions linked to our lack of process understanding and methodological transfer of water age estimations to individual disciplines or compartments, and (3) a vision for how to improve future interdisciplinary efforts to better understand the feedbacks between the atmosphere, vegetation, soil, groundwater, and surface water that control water ages in the critical zone.

Low-dimensional nanoparticles have a strong ability to induce the crystallization of polymer matrices. One-dimensional carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and two-dimensional graphene nanosheets (GNSs), both of which are both carbon-based nanoparticles, provide a good opportunity to investigate the effects of differently dimensional nanoparticles on the crystallization behavior of a polymer. For this purpose, respective nanocomposites of CNTs and GNSs with poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) as matrix were prepared by solution coagulation. Time-resolved Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and synchrotron wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) were performed to probe chain conformational changes and to determine the crystallization kinetics during the isothermal crystallization of the PLLA nanocomposites and neat PLLA, especially in the early stages. Both CNTs and GNSs could serve as nucleating agents in accelerating the crystallization kinetics of PLLA; however, the ability of CNTs to induce crystallization was stronger than that of GNSs. On increasing the content of CNTs from 0.05 to 0.1 wt %, the induction period was shortened and the crystallization rate was enhanced, but the reverse situation was found for GNSs nanocomposites. In the case of neat PLLA, −CH3 interchain interactions preceded −(COC + CH3) interchain interactions during the crystallization. Conversely, in the CNTs and GNSs nanocomposites, the conformational ordering began with −(COC + CH3) interchain interactions, which resulted directly in a reduced induction period. Interchain interactions of this type could be explained in terms of surface-induced conformational order (SICO). Finally, the effect of the dimensionality of the nanoparticles on the crystallization behavior of PLLA is discussed.

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Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique with naturally born analyte identification capability can achieve ultrahigh sensitivity. However, the sensitivity and quantification capability of SERS are assumed to be mutually exclusive. Here, we prohibit the formation of the ultrasensitive SERS sites to achieve a high quantification capability through separating the gold (Au) nanorods from approaching each other with thick metal organic framework (MOF) shells. The sensitivity decrease caused by the absence of the ultrasensitive SERS sites is compensated by the analyte enrichment function of a slippery surface. The porous MOF shell around the Au nanorod only allows analytes smaller than the pore size to approach the Au nanorods and contribute to the SERS spectrum within the complex sample, greatly enhancing the analyte identification capability. Overall, we have demonstrated an integrated SERS platform with analyte enrichment and analyte filtration function, realizing sensitive, quantitative, and size selective analyte identification in complex environments.

In crop plants, a high-density genetic linkage map is essential for both genetic and genomic researches. The complexity and the large size of wheat genome have hampered the acquisition of a high-resolution genetic map. In this study, we report a high-density genetic map based on an individual mapping population using the Affymetrix Wheat660K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array as a probe in hexaploid wheat. The resultant genetic map consisted of 119 566 loci spanning 4424.4 cM, and 119 001 of those loci were SNP markers. This genetic map showed good collinearity with the 90 K and 820 K consensus genetic maps and was also in accordance with the recently released wheat whole genome assembly. The high-density wheat genetic map will provide a major resource for future genetic and genomic research in wheat. Moreover, a comparative genomics analysis among gramineous plant genomes was conducted based on the high-density wheat genetic map, providing an overview of the structural relationships among theses gramineous plant genomes. A major stable quantitative trait locus (QTL) for kernel number per spike was characterized, providing a solid foundation for the future high-resolution mapping and map-based cloning of the targeted QTL.

Seahorses have a specialized morphology that includes a toothless tubular mouth, a body covered with bony plates, a male brood pouch, and the absence of caudal and pelvic fins. Here we report the sequencing and de novo assembly of the genome of the tiger tail seahorse, Hippocampus comes. Comparative genomic analysis identifies higher protein and nucleotide evolutionary rates in H. comes compared with other teleost fish genomes. We identified an astacin metalloprotease gene family that has undergone expansion and is highly expressed in the male brood pouch. We also find that the H. comes genome lacks enamel matrix protein-coding proline/glutamine-rich secretory calcium-binding phosphoprotein genes, which might have led to the loss of mineralized teeth. tbx4, a regulator of hindlimb development, is also not found in H. comes genome. Knockout of tbx4 in zebrafish showed a 'pelvic fin-loss' phenotype similar to that of seahorses.

We present prescribed-time output-feedback-stabilizing designs for stochastic nonlinear strict-feedback systems. We first propose a new nonscaling output-feedback control scheme to solve the prescribed-time mean-square stabilization problem for stochastic nonlinear systems without sensor uncertainty. In this case, compared with the existing results on stochastic nonlinear prescribed-time stabilization, an appealing feature in our design is that the order of the scaling function in the controller is dramatically reduced, which yields a simpler controller and with the control effort reduced. We then consider prescribed-time output-feedback control for stochastic nonlinear systems with sensor uncertainty. In this case, the new design ingredient is that a time-varying controller is designed to guarantee prescribed-time mean-square stabilization, different from the existing results where an adaptive controller is designed to ensure almost sure regulation (as time goes to infinity). Finally, two simulation examples are given to illustrate the stochastic nonlinear prescribed-time output-feedback designs.

Rice-shaped Ti(3+) self-doped TiO(2-x) nanoparticles were synthesized by mild hydrothermal treatment of TiH(2) in H(2)O(2) aqueous solution. The structure, crystallinity, morphology, and other properties of the as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microcopy and X-ray photoelectron spectra. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra confirm the presence of high concentration of paramagnetic Ti(3+) in the bulk and surface of the as-prepared samples. The particles showed a strong absorption across the UV to the visible light region and retained their light-blue color upon storage in ambient atmosphere or water for one month at 40 °C. The formation mechanism of Ti(3+) self-doped TiO(2-x) nanoparticles was discussed. Under visible light irradiation, the samples exhibit higher photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution and photooxidation of methylene blue than that of the commercial P25 TiO(2) nanoparticles. The sample obtained at 160 °C for 27 h showed a 9-fold enhancement for the visible light decomposition of methylene blue and 12.5 times higher for H(2) production in comparison to P25 TiO(2). The samples also showed an excellent cycling stability of the photocatalytic activity.

A novel type of control scheme combining the disturbance-observer-based control (DOBC) with terminal sliding mode (TSM) control is proposed for a class of multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) continuous non-linear systems subject to disturbances. The disturbances are supposed to include two parts. One in the input channel is generated by an exogenous system with uncertainty, which can represent the harmonic signals with modelling perturbations. The other is supposed to have the bounded H 2 norm. The disturbance observers based on regional pole placement and D-stability theory are presented, which can be constructed separately from the controller design. By integrating DOBC with TSM control laws, the disturbances can be rejected and attenuated, simultaneously, and the desired dynamic performances can be guaranteed for non-linear systems in finite time with known and unknown non-linear dynamics, respectively. Two simulation examples for a flight control system and a hard disk drive actuator are given respectively to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control schemes compared with the previous schemes.

We solve the prescribed-time mean-square stabilization and inverse optimality control problems for stochastic strict-feedback nonlinear systems by developing a new nonscaling backstepping design scheme. A key novel design ingredient is that the time-varying function is not used to scale the coordinate transformations and is only suitably introduced into the virtual controllers. The advantage of this approach is that a simpler controller results and the control effort is reduced. By using this method, we design a new controller to guarantee that the equilibrium at the origin of the closed-loop system is prescribed-time mean-square stable. Then, we redesign the controller and solve the prescribed-time inverse optimal mean-square stabilization problem, with an infinite gain margin. Specifically, the designed controller is not only optimal with respect to a meaningful cost functional but also globally stabilizes the closed-loop system in the prescribed-time. Finally, two simulation examples are given to illustrate the stochastic nonlinear prescribed-time control design.

This review summarizes the adhesion mechanism and design strategies of underwater adhesion hydrogels, and generalizes their underwater application fields (adhesives, motion monitoring, marine environmental exploration and coatings).

Mucus is a viscoelastic biological hydrogel that protects the epithelial surface from penetration by most nanoparticles, which limits the efficiency of oral drug delivery. Pursuing highly efficient, biocompatible, and biodegradable oral drug vehicles is of central importance to the development of promising nanomedicine. Here, we prepared five peptosomes (PSs) with various sizes, shapes, and rigidities based on self-assembly of amphiphilic α-lactalbumin (α-lac) peptides from partial enzymolysis and cross-linking. The mucus permeation of α-lac PSs and release of curcumin (Cur) encapsulated in these PSs were evaluated. Compared with a long nanotube, big nanosphere, small nanosphere, and cross-linked short nanotube, we demonstrated that a short nanotube (SNT) exhibits excellent permeability in mucus, which enables it to arrive at epithelial cells quickly. Besides, SNT exhibits the highest cellular uptake and transmembrane permeability on Caco-2/HT29-MTX (E12) 3D coculture model. In vivo pharmacokinetic evaluation revealed that SNT formulation shows the highest curcumin bioavailability, which is 6.85-folds higher than free Cur. Most importantly, Cur loaded in SNT exhibits the optimum therapeutic efficacy for in vivo treatment of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis. In the end, the mechanism of the high permeability of SNTs through mucus was explained by coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations, which indicated that short time scale jiggling and flying across pores of mucus network played key roles. These findings revealed the tubular α-lac PSs could be a promising oral drug delivery system targeted to mucosal for improving absorption and bioavailability of hydrophobic bioactive ingredients.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded 19-25 nucleotide-long RNAs and have an important role in post-transcriptional gene silencing. It has been demonstrated that miRNAs are dysregulated in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). For instance, miR-21, miR-142-3p, miR-146a, miR-146b, miR-155 and miR-326 were up-regulated in both peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and brain white matter lesions from MS patients and mouse model as well. These up-regulated miRNAs may be used as a signature for MS and play critical roles in MS pathogenesis. Moreover, miR-15a, miR-19a, miR-22, miR-210 and miR-223 were up-regulated in both regulatory T cells (Tregs) and other samples such as plasma, blood cells, PBMCs and brain white matter tissues from MS patients, suggesting that these up-regulated miRNAs and Tregs may also play a role in MS pathogenesis. Contrarily, other miRNAs such as miR-15a, miR-15b, miR-181c and miR-328 were down-regulated in MS. Drugs such as interferon-β and glatiramer acetate for MS treatment may regulate miRNA expression and thus have benefits for MS patients. The dysregulated miRNAs such as miR-155 and miR-326 may be used as diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for MS.

Here we selected eight types of feedstocks to assess the effects of pyrolysis temperature (300°C, 400°C, 500°C and 600°C) and residence time (0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 h), respectively, on the physicochemical properties. The fixed-carbon content, pH value and amount of basic functional groups in biochars increased as the pyrolysis temperature increased from 300°C to 600°C; the opposite trend was found in the biochar yield, adsorption capacity and amount of acidic functional groups. Increasing the residence time at low pyrolysis temperature (300°C) resulted in a gradual reduction in the biochar yield and progressive increase in the pH and iodine adsorption number of biochars. However, increasing the residence time at high pyrolysis temperature (600°C) had little effect on the biochar yield or pH, while it decreased the iodine adsorption number of biochars. Given the effects of pyrolysis conditions on the pH and iodine adsorption number of biochars, low-ash agricultural wastes (e.g. wheat straw) can be pyrolysed at 300°C, 2 h to produce biochar for improving alkaline soils; high-ash agricultural wastes (e.g. sweet potato vine) and forest litter (e.g. fresh leaves of apricot tree) are preferably pyrolysed at 300°C, 4 h to produce biochar for use in acidic soils.