High pO2 Floating Zone Crystal Growth of the Perovskite Nickelate PrNiO3

Single crystals of PrNiO3 were grown under an oxygen pressure of 295 bar using a unique high-pressure optical-image floating zone furnace. The crystals, with volume in excess of 1 mm3, were characterized structurally using single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. Resistivity, specific heat, and magnetic susceptibility were measured, all of which evidenced an abrupt, first order metal-insulator transition (MIT) at ~130 K, in agreement with previous literature reports on polycrystalline specimens. Temperature-dependent single crystal diffraction was performed to investigate changes through the MIT. Our study demonstrates the opportunity space for high fugacity, reactive environments for single crystal growth specifically of perovskite nickelates but more generally to correlated electron oxides.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures, Supporting Information include

Impact of Shared Bus on Campus Travel and Space Optimization Based on Activity Travel Behavior

Based on the travel analysis of students in the Jiulonghu campus, this paper constructs a small-scale shared bus in the campus, explores the impact of shared traffic on campus travel, promotes the optimization design of campus space environment, and creates a more comfortable and convenient travel space. In order to overcome the shortcomings of the traditional trip-based research, this paper analyzes travel behavior from the perspective of activity-based travel concept framework, considering more activities and travel information. At the same time, in order to improve the richness of information, the explicit preference survey (RP) and the declarative preference survey (SP), which are added to the bus sharing customized travel platform, are used to collect data of personal attributes and travel diary. Firstly, based on the ArcGIS platform, this paper constructs the activity travel path generation tool, dynamic activity density distribution tool, and spatiotemporal path clustering tool and comprehensively analyzes the activity travel mode from the aspects of time distribution, spatial distribution, and category characteristics. Secondly, based on the travel activities, the location selection model (S-MNL) considering the heterogeneity of SP and RP data sources and the activity duration planning model (Cox regression), considering the nonnormal distribution of activity duration are established to analyze the impact of shared bus on students’ travel distance, travel time, and travel frequency. Finally, according to the analysis of modeling results, the impact of shared traffic on campus travel is analyzed, and the optimal design scheme of campus space is given. This paper uses the survey method based on declarative preference SP and the survey method based on explicit preference (RP) to get the actual and hypothetical travel response of travelers, which improves the data richness

Quorum Sensing Inhibitors from Marine Microorganisms and Their Synthetic Derivatives

Quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs) present a promising alternative or potent adjuvants of conventional antibiotics for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, since they could disrupt bacterial pathogenicity without imposing selective pressure involved in antibacterial treatments. This review covers a series of molecules showing quorum sensing (QS) inhibitory activity that are isolated from marine microorganisms, including bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi, and chemically synthesized based on QSIs derived from marine microorganisms. This is the first comprehensive overview of QSIs derived from marine microorganisms and their synthetic analogues with QS inhibitory activity

The Role of Dectin-1-Mediated M1 Macrophage Polarization in Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Introduction. The advances in cerebral ischemia treatment have resulted in a larger proportion of patients get the benefits of rebuilding blood flow to the brain. Then, ischemia-reperfusion injury has emerged as a new essential problem. Dectin-1 plays an important role in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by regulating the function of immune cells. Methods. C57BL/6 was blindly divided into four groups including the sham-operated group and the three different kinds of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) groups (after 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours after plug removal). The protein expression levels of dectin-1, proapoptosis molecule, and antiapoptosis molecule were measured by using western blot analysis. The brain tissue was analyzed by flow cytometry to detect the M1 macrophage levels. Results. The correlation analysis of dectin-1 and infarct areas showed that there was an obviously positive correlation in between them (R = 0.9603). Dectin-1, cleaved caspase-3, and Bax increased, while antiapoptosis molecule, Bcl-2, decreased at three appropriate time points (after 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours). The level of M1 macrophages in the experimental group increased after ischemia-reperfusion injury compared to the control group. Conclusions. The high expression level of dectin-1 may affect M1 macrophage polarization and brain cell apoptosis in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury

Metabolic Syndrome without Diabetes or Hypertension Still Necessitates Early Screening for Chronic Kidney Disease: Information from a Chinese National Cross-Sectional Study

<div><p>Metabolic syndrome (MS) is prevalent, with an increasing contribution to the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The study of the relationship between them is important. The CKD survey, a national cross-sectional study, provided a large database to accomplish this study. The study population were 41 131 adults from this survey between 2008 and 2009. CKD was defined as estimate glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m² or the presence of albuminuria. MS was diagnosed by National Cholesterol Education Program—Adult Treatment Panel III (ATPIII), ATPIII-modified or International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Logistic regression model was applied to study the impact of MS or its components on CKD or its components. The age and sex standardized prevalence of MS by ATPIII, ATPIII-modified and IDF criteria was 11.77% (11.13%–12.40%), 21.51% (20.69%–22.34%) and 16.67% (15.92–17.42)% respectively. Multivariate logistic regression models showed that MS and its components were associated with higher CKD prevalence. The risk for CKD and its components increased with the number of MS components. After adjusting for hypertension and diabetes, the odds ratios of MS for CKD decreased, but remained significantly more than 1 between 1.16(95%CI 1.07–1.26) and 1.37 (95% CI 1.25–1.50) across the different models. Similar results were found with albuminuria, while for decreased eGFR, after adjusting for hypertension and diabetes, the odds ratios of MS and MS components (except elevated TG) became insignificant. In conclusion, MS is prevalent and associated with a higher prevalence of CKD. Different MS components are associated with different risks for CKD, even after adjusting for hypertension and diabetes, which may mainly be contributed more by the increased risk for albuminuria than that for decreased eGFR. More attention must be paid to the population with MS, including those with elevated blood pressure and serum glucose.</p></div

Albisporachelin, a New Hydroxamate Type Siderophore from the Deep Ocean Sediment-Derived Actinomycete Amycolatopsis albispora WP1T

Marine actinobacteria continue to be a rich source for the discovery of structurally diverse secondary metabolites. Here we present a new hydroxymate siderophore produced by Amycolatopsis albispora, a recently described species of this less explored actinomycete genus. Strain WP1T was isolated from sediments collected at &minus;2945 m in the Indian Ocean. The new siderophore, designated albisporachelin, was isolated from iron depleted culture broths and the structure was established by 1D and 2D NMR and MS/MS experiments, and application of a modified Marfey&rsquo;s method. Albisporachelin is composed of one N-methylated-formylated/hydroxylated l-ornithine (N-Me-fh-l-Orn), one l-serine (l-Ser), one formylated/hydroxylated l-ornithine (fh-l-Orn) and a cyclo-N-methylated-hydroxylated l-ornithine (cyclo-N-Me-h-l-Orn)

Association between metabolic syndrome and albuminuria.

<p><i>Note</i>: OR1: adjustment for age, sex, hypertension and diabetes. OR2: OR1 plus adjustment for cardiovascular disease; OR3: OR2 plus adjustment for former kidney disease and nephrotoxic drugs. OR4: OR3 plus adjustment for hyperuricaemia. OR5: OR4 plus adjustment for smoking, alcohol, regular exercise, and income.</p><p>Central OB1: obesity according to WC by ATP-III; Central OB2: obesity according to WC by ATP-III modified or IDF; Obesity (BMI): > = 25Kg/m², only obesity by IDF or ATP-III modified criteria was used to calculate MS components.</p><p>Association between metabolic syndrome and albuminuria.</p