Thermal Stability and Rheological Properties of Polyethylene (PE)/Polyvinylchloride (PVC)/Wood Composites

This paper investigated the thermorheological properties, thermal properties and flame retardant properties of wood-plastic composites (WPCs). With the addition of wood flour (WF), the rheological behavior became complexity. The critical frequency of shear-thinning phenomenon of the melt viscosity was shifted toward lower value. The temperature dependence of elastic modulus, loss modulus became more serious with the addition of WF. The Cole-Cole plot indicated the existence of complex multi-phase structure in the WPC melt. The CONE calorimetry results showed that ammonium polyphosphate (APP) had good flame retardancy through promoting the formation of the intumescent carbon layer. The present study will supply good insight into the optimization of WPC formulation

Diagnosis of Superficial Gastric Lesions Together with Six Gastric Lymphoma Cases via Probe-Based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy: A Retrospective Observational Study

Objective. To evaluate the performance of probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) in diagnosis of gastric lesions. Methods. An outpatient department- (OPD-) based retrospective study was conducted for patients with suspected upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract lesions who underwent pCLE between 2014 and 2016 at a tertiary hospital in China. Final diagnosis was based on the histopathological reports. CLE reports were compared to histopathological reports to evaluate the diagnostic ability, including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic accuracy. Results. 322 of 380 patients were diagnosed with gastric lesions via pCLE, including inflammation and benign ulcers (n=110), atrophy and intestinal metaplasia (n=152), intraepithelial neoplasia (n=27), adenocarcinoma (n=27), and lymphoma (n=6). In total, the diagnostic ability of CLE in evaluation of gastric lesions showed sensitivity 72.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 67.1–77.2%); specificity 93.1% (95% CI: 5.6–8.4%); PPV 72.4% (95% CI: 67.1–77.2%); NPV 93.1% (95% CI: 5.6–8.4%); and accuracy 88.9% (95% CI: 87.3–90.4%), respectively. We further observed the capability of pCLE in diagnosing six gastric lymphoma showing those affected mucosa densely infiltrated with identical and round-shaped abnormal cells. Immunohistochemistry analysis confirmed one patient with diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (DLBCL) and five with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Conclusion. pCLE is an accurate tool for the detection of gastric lesions and shows optimal values of sensitivity and negative predictivity. Moreover, combining pCLE with white light endoscopy (WLE) may be a promising adjunct to conventional biopsy sampling in evaluating GI tract with suspected lymphoma

The Use of an In-Situ Measurement to Probe the Solidification Kinetics of Injection-Molded HDPE/PP Blends

Abstract: The largest portion of an injection molding (IM) cycle is actually occupied by the melt cooling stage, which also significantly dictates many end-use properties of the final parts, especially for crystalline polymers which undergo both solidification and crystallization processes simultaneously. The solidification kinetics of HDPE/PP blends were investigated under injection molding conditions with the aid of an in-situ measurement of in-cavity temperature profiles throughout the IM process. The obtained experimental results were in good agreement with our previous theoretical predictions. The present study will be instructive to the optimization of processing variables, and supplies good insight into the formation of various crystalline structures in injection-molded articles

Toxicity and horizontal transfer of bifenthrin and dimefluthrin against the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and the efficacy of their dust applications in the field

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, poses a significant threat to biodiversity, agriculture, and public health in its introduced ranges. While chemicals such as toxic baits and dust are the main methods for S. invicta control, toxic baits are slow, requiring approximately one or two weeks, but dust can eliminate the colony of fire ants rapidly in just three to five days. To explore more active ingredients for fire ant control using dusts, the toxicity of bifenthrin and dimefluthrin, the horizontal transfer of bifenthrin and dimefluthrin dust and their efficacy in the field were tested. The results showed that the LD50 (lethal dose) values of bifenthrin and dimefluthrin were 3.40 and 1.57 ng/ant, respectively. The KT50 (median knockdown time) and KT95 (95% knockdown time) values of a 20 μg mL–1 bifenthrin dose were 7.179 and 16.611 min, respectively. The KT50 and KT95 of a 5 μg mL–1 dimefluthrin dose were 1.538 and 2.825 min, respectively. The horizontal transfers of bifenthrin and dimefluthrin among workers were effective. The mortality of recipients (secondary mortality) and secondary recipients (tertiary mortality) were both over 80% at 48 h after 0.25, 0.50 and 1.00% bifenthrin dust treatments. The secondary mortality of recipients was over 99% at 48 h after 0.25, 0.50 and 1.00% dimefluthrin dust treatments, but the tertiary mortality was below 20%. The field trial results showed that both bifenthrin and dimefluthrin exhibited excellent fire ant control effects, and the comprehensive control effects of 1.00% bifenthrin and dimefluthrin dusts at 14 d post-treatment were 95.87 and 85.70%, respectively

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE & BIOLOGY Full Length Article Assessment of Genetic Relationship and Diversity among Chinese Sugarcane Parental Clones using SCoT and ISSR Markers

Abstract Sugarcane is an allopolyploid crop with ≥120 or more chromosomes, of which~5.0-10% are Saccharum spontaneum and 90-95% are S. officinarum. The genetic characteristics of sugarcane provides a complex genetic background. The objective of this study was to use two molecular marker systems, start codon targeted (SCoT) and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR), to assess the genetic relationship and diversity of 75 sugarcane parental clones from Chinese sugarcane breeding program. Twenty-four SCoT primers produced 227 loci, of which 200 (88.11%) were polymorphic, whereas 15 ISSR primers resulted in a total of 146 loci, with 123 (84.25%) being polymorphic. Mean polymorphism information content values of 0.8152 and 0.8361 were detected using SCoT and ISSR primers, respectively. The genetic similarity coefficients ranged from 0.542 between ROC22 and HoCP95-988 to 0.831 between ROC25 and ROC20, with a mean value of 0.687 based on SCoT+ISSR data set. The unweighted pair group method of arithmetic averages (UPGMA) clusters and principal coordinate analysis (PCA) gave similar results. The 75 Chinese sugarcane parental clones were clustered into two main groups (A and B). Group A was primarily comprised of 42 clones from all Q-series, all CP-, HoCP-, or LCP-series, all YT-series and three Erianthus arundinaceus F4 innovative parental clones, etc., while 33 parental clones of Group B contained all TT-series, all GT-series, three Saccharum officinarum species, etc. The genetic similarity was high among the Q-series, CP-series, HoCP-series and YT-series. The genetic relationship was close among TT-series, GT-series and three S. officinarum species, while the genetic similarity between YT-series and TT-series or GT-series was low. There was an abundant genetic diversity among these sugarcane parental clones however the parental clones bred by the same breeding organization have a narrow genetic basis. This information was useful for selecting crossing parents and combinations. Correlation detection between SCoT and ISSR was not significant, but highly complementary, indicating that the combination of the two marker systems could avoid biases based on a single marker

Hepatitis B virus genotype is an independent prognostic factor of telbivudine and tenofovir treatment in hepatitis B surface antigen-positive pregnant women

To investigate whether HBV genotype influences the effect of tenofovir and telbivudine on HBV DNA and RNA levels in HBsAg-positive pregnant women. This was a retrospective study of 74 HBsAg-positive pregnant women in Guizhou of China. All patients were treated with telbivudine or tenofovir from 12 weeks of pregnancy and HBV infection to the date of delivery. Blood samples were collected at 12–24, 28–32, and 36–40 weeks of pregnancy for the measurement of genotype, HBsAg, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), HBV DNA, HBV RNA, and liver function, including alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, total bilirubin, total bile acids, cholinesterase, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transferase. All women with HBsAg were followed up. The HBV genotype was B in 64.9% and C in 35.1%. There were 37 patients of telbivudine and tenofovir group respectively. The telbivudine and tenofovir groups showed no differences in demographic and clinical characteristics, including liver function tests, HBsAg, HBeAg, log10(HBV DNA), and log10(HBV RNA). Compared with baseline (12–24 weeks), telbivudine group showed a significant increase in ALP and significant reductions in HBsAg, HBeAg, log10(HBV DNA), and log10(HBV RNA) at 36–40 weeks (p < .05). Tenofovir group exhibited a significant increase in ALP and significant reductions in HBeAg, log10(HBV DNA), and log10(HBV RNA) at 36–40 weeks, compared with baseline (p < .05). HBV genotype (B vs. C) was independently associated with HBV DNA change after therapy (p = .005). In telbivudine group, log10 (HBV DNA) increased from 3.38 (2.00–7.30) to 7.43 (4.68–8.70). In tenofovir group, log10 (HBV DNA) decreased from 7.52 (3.32–8.70) to 2.98 (2.00–5.01). HBV genotype was independently associated with HBV DNA change response to telbivudine or tenofovir in pregnant women with hepatitis B. These findings might be helpful for risk assessment regarding vertical transmission of HBV in HBeAg-positive mothers treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues

钙离子对亚麻籽胶-紫苏分离蛋白负载DHA藻油 乳液储藏特性与递送虾青素效果的影响Effect of calcium ions on storage properties and astaxanthin delivery efficiency of DHA algae oil-loaded emulsion using flaxseed gum-perilla protein isolate

DHA藻油是补充ω-3多不饱和脂肪酸的重要非动物来源，但因其自身水溶性差、易氧化产生不良风味等特点，极大约束了其摄入途径。据此，采用高压微射流技术与逐层沉积技术（LBL）制备负载DHA的亚麻籽胶（FG，质量分数为0.4%）-紫苏分离蛋白（PPI，质量分数为0.225%）双层乳液，研究Ca2+添加量（0%～0.5%）对上述双层乳液体系稳定性的影响；同时，采用INFOGEST体外模拟消化模型，探究PPI-DHA藻油单层乳液、FG-PPI-DHA藻油双层乳液、Ca2+-FG-PPI-DHA藻油双层乳液中DHA的消化特性，以及上述3种体系递送虾青素的效率，并通过监测其在消化过程中粒径分布、电荷特性及微观状态变化等解释其内在机理。结果表明：DHA藻油双层乳液储藏20 d后，未添加Ca2+的双层乳液的粒径从10.4 μm降低至4.3 μm，Zeta-电位从-23 mV降低至-33 mV，Ca2+添加量为0.4%的双层乳液的粒径和电位未发生显著变化，乳液液滴分布均匀，无分层、絮凝、沉淀现象；DHA藻油双层乳液储藏20 d后，添加Ca2+的双层乳液的Turbiscan抗重力稳定性指数（TSI）较未添加Ca2+的双层乳液有明显改善；3种乳液体系模拟消化过程中，游离脂肪酸释放量分别为68.88%、50.84%、52.32%，虾青素生物可及性分别为47.42%、12.54%、966%。说明添加Ca2+有利于DHA藻油双层乳液的稳定储藏，但对消化过程中脂肪酸与虾青素的释放具有一定迟缓效果，研究结果可为设计靶向递送体系提供重要理论依据。DHA algae oil is an important non-animal source for supplementing omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA), but due to its poor water solubility and easy oxidation to produce bad flavor, its intake route is greatly restricted. Accordingly, high-pressure micro-jet technology and layer by layer (LBL) were used to prepare DHA-loaded flaxseed gum (FG, mass fraction 0.4%)-perilla protein isolate (PPI, mass fraction 0.225%) double-layer emulsion, focusing on the effect of calcium ion addition (0%-0.5%) on the stability of the above-mentioned double-layer emulsion system. At the same time, the INFOGEST in vitro simulated digestion model was used to explore the digestion characteristics of DHA in PPI -DHA algae oil single-layer emulsion, FG-PPI -DHA algae oil double-layer emulsion, and Ca2+-FG-PPI -DHA algae oil double-layer emulsion, as well as the efficiency of astaxanthin delivery by the above three systems, and its internal mechanism was explained by monitoring its particle size distribution, charge characteristics and microscopic state changes during the digestion process. The results showed that after 20 d storage of the DHA algae oil double-layer emulsion, the particle size and Zeta-potential of the double-layer emulsion without Ca2+ decreased from 10.4 μm to 4.3 μm, from -23 mV to -33 mV, respectively, but for the double-layer emulsion with 0.4% Ca2+ addition，the particle size and Zeta-potential did not change significantly, the emulsion droplets were evenly distributed, and there was no delamination, flocculation, or sedimentation.After 20 d storage of the DHA algae oil double-layer emulsion, the Turbiscan anti-gravity stability index (TSI) of the Ca2+-added double-layer emulsion was significantly improved compared with the non-Ca2+-added double-layer emulsion. During the simulated digestion process of the three emulsion systems, the release of free fatty acids in the three systems was 68.88%, 50.84% and 52.32% respectively, and the bioavailability of astaxanthin in the simulated digestion process was 47.42%, 1254% and 9.66%, respectively. It shows that the addition of Ca2+ is beneficial to the stable storage of the DHA algae oil double-layer emulsion, but has a certain retarding effect on the release of fatty acids and astaxanthin during the digestion. The research results provide an important theoretical basis for designing a targeted delivery system

Identification and Cloning of Tillering-Related Genes OsMAX1 in Rice

Tillering is an important agronomic trait which has a direct impact on plant type and grain yield. Strigolactones are a class of important phytohormones regulating rice tillering. ATMAX1 is an important gene involved in strigolactone biosynthesis through encoding the protein P450 in Arabidopsis. Based on sequence BLASTp, we identified five homologous genes of ATMAX1 in rice, i.e., OsMAX1a, OsMAX1b, OsMAX1c, OsMAX1d and OsMAX1e. Among them, OsMAX1a and OsMAX1e showed stable and high expression in rice tissues. In addition, we observed that OsMAX1a and OsMAX1e can rescue the branched phenotype and the influences caused by MAX1 mutation in Arabidopsis. Moreover, the expression of OsMAX1a and OsMAX1e can respond to phosphate deficiency and different phytohormones, especially GR24, a strigolactone analogue. Therefore, it is concluded that OsMAX1a and OsMAX1e are involved in the biosynthesis of strigolactones and regulated rice tillering