μ-Cyanido-1:2κ2 N:C-tricyanido-2κ3 C-(rac-5,5,7,12,12,14-hexa­methyl-1,4,8,11-tetra­aza­cyclo­tetra­decane-1κ4 N,N′,N′′,N′′′)dinickel(II) N,N-di­methyl­formamide monosolvate hemi­hydrate

The two NiII atoms in the title complex, [Ni2(CN)4(C16H36N4)]·C3H7NO·0.5H2O, are bridged by a cyanide ion. The macrocycle folds around one NiII atom, which is five-coordinated in an NiN5 square-pyramidal geometry. The other NiII atom is surrounded by the cyanide ions in an NiN4 square-planar geometry. The dimethyl­formamide solvent mol­ecule is disordered over two positions in a 0.62 (1):0.38 (1) ratio and the water mol­ecule is disordered about a center of inversion. The dinuclear mol­ecule and solvent mol­ecules are linked by N—H⋯O, N–H⋯N and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional network

Effect of Bushen yixue decoction on follicular development in experimental androgen-sterilized anovulatory rats and its possible mechanism of action

Purpose: To explore the activities of Bushen yixue decoction (BSY) against follicular development in anovulatory rats.Methods: Rats were divided into normal, normal control, clomifene citrate (positive control, orally, 5 mg/kg), and BSY (orally, 50, 100, 200 mg/kg) groups. Anovulatory rats were prepared by testosterone propionate injection (1.5 mg/rat). After 70 days, daily vaginal smears were performed for 10 days until no obvious sexual cycle was observed, indicating that androgen-sterilized anovulatory rats were successfully established. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyse BSY chemical composition. Levels of follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), oestradiol (E2), progesterone (P), prolactin (PRL), inhibin (INH), activin (ACT) and follistatin (FS) were determined by radioimmunoassay or enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Western blotting was used to determine Bcl-2, cleaved-caspase-3, Bax, MMP-9 and VEGF in ovarian tissues.Results: BSY increased (p < 0.05) the levels of FSH, LH, E2 (p < 0.05) and ACT, but decreased (p < 0.05) the levels of PRL, INH and FS, relative to control rats. Expressions of VEGF (p < 0.01), MMP-9 (p < 0.05) and Bcl-2 (p < 0.01) were up-regulated by BSY, whereas Bax (p < 0.01) and C-caspase-3 (p < 0.01) were down-regulated.Conclusion: BSY promotes follicular development of anovulatory rats via regulating INH-ACT-FS hormones, VEGF, MMP-9, Caspase-3, Bax, and Bcl-2. Thus, BSY may have the potential to be developed for clinical management of infertility.Keywords: Bushen yixue decoction, Follicular development, Inhibin-Activin-Follistatin (INH-ACT-FS) system, Androgen-sterilized anovulatory rat

Improving mobility of silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor devices for quantum dots by high vacuum activation annealing

To improve mobility of fabricated silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) quantum devices, forming gas annealing is a common method used to mitigate the effects of disorder at the Si/SiO2 interface. However, the importance of activation annealing is usually ignored. Here, we show that a high vacuum environment for implantation activation is beneficial for improving mobility compared to nitrogen atmosphere. Low-temperature transport measurements of Hall bars show that peak mobility can be improved by a factor of two, reaching 1.5 m^2/(Vs) using high vacuum annealing during implantation activation. Moreover, the charge stability diagram of a single quantum dot is mapped, with no visible disturbance caused by disorder, suggesting possibility of fabricating high-quality quantum dots on commercial wafers. Our results may provide valuable insights into device optimization in silicon-based quantum computing.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure