Electrical Control of Magnetization in Charge-ordered Multiferroic LuFe2O4

LuFe2O4 exhibits multiferroicity due to charge order on a frustrated triangular lattice. We find that the magnetization of LuFe2O4 in the multiferroic state can be electrically controlled by applying voltage pulses. Depending on with or without magnetic fields, the magnetization can be electrically switched up or down. We have excluded thermal heating effect and attributed this electrical control of magnetization to an intrinsic magnetoelectric coupling in response to the electrical breakdown of charge ordering. Our findings open up a new route toward electrical control of magnetization.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure

Hydrogen sulfide inhibits the renal fibrosis of obstructive nephropathy

Hydrogen sulfide has recently been found decreased in chronic kidney disease. Here we determined the effect and underlying mechanisms of hydrogen sulfide on a rat model of unilateral ureteral obstruction. Compared with normal rats, obstructive injury decreased the plasma hydrogen sulfide level. Cystathionine-β-synthase, a hydrogen sulfide-producing enzyme, was dramatically reduced in the ureteral obstructed kidney, but another enzyme cystathionine-γ-lyase was increased. A hydrogen sulfide donor (sodium hydrogen sulfide) inhibited renal fibrosis by attenuating the production of collagen, extracellular matrix, and the expression of α-smooth muscle actin. Meanwhile, the infiltration of macrophages and the expression of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in the kidney were also decreased. In cultured kidney fibroblasts, a hydrogen sulfide donor inhibited the cell proliferation by reducing DNA synthesis and downregulating the expressions of proliferation-related proteins including proliferating cell nuclear antigen and c-Myc. Further, the hydrogen sulfide donor blocked the differentiation of quiescent renal fibroblasts to myofibroblasts by inhibiting the transforming growth factor-β1-Smad and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Thus, low doses of hydrogen sulfide or its releasing compounds may have therapeutic potentials in treating chronic kidney disease

Rational design of dibenzo[a,c]phenazine-derived isomeric thermally activated delayed fluorescence luminophores for efficient orange-red organic light-emitting diodes

It is an immense challenge to develop efficient long-wavelength (orange-to-red) thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials due to the increasing nonradiative decay rates following the energy-gap law. Herein, two pairs of asymmetric isomers; DPyPzTPA and TPAPzDPy, and PyPzDTPA and DTPAPzPy based on electron-deficient moieties dibenzo[a,c]phenazine (Pz) and pyridine (Py) combined with electron-donor units of triphenylamine (TPA) were designed and synthesized. Their photophysical properties could be finely modulated by changing the position and number of Py groups as well as TPA fragments onto Pz cores. DPyPzTPA and DTPAPzPy possess much more rigidity and thus less geometry relaxation and non-radiative decay between ground states and excited states than those of PyPzDTPA and TPAPzDPy. Intriguingly, DPyPzTPA exhibits the highest relative photoluminescence quantum yield (ΦPL) and the fastest reverse intersystem crossing (rISC) rate among them owing to relatively stronger rigidity and spin-orbit coupling (SOC) interactions between the lowest singlet (S1) and energetically close-lying excited triplet state and therefore, the device showed the highest maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of 16.6% (60.9 lm/W, 53.3 cd/A) with Commission Internationale de I'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.43, 0.55), peak wavelength 556 nm. In stark contrast, due to its lower rigidity and extremely weak delayed fluorescence (DF) characteristic and thus the much lower ΦPL, TPAPzDPy-based devices are only half as efficient (30.8 lm/W, 27.5 cd/A, 8.3% EQE) despite the isomers possessing equal singlet-triplet energy gaps (ΔEST) of 0.43 eV. On the other hand, the device based on DTPAPzPy also demonstrated a strongly enhanced performance (59.1 lm/W, 52.7 cd/A, 16.1% EQE) than its isomer PyPzDTPA-based device (39.5 lm/W, 35.2 cd/A, 10.3% EQE). This work explicitly implicates that the asymmetric and isomeric molecular design is a potential strategy for promoting the development of highly efficient long-wavelength TADF materials

得气客观化研究的思路和展望

The distinctions and relations between Deqi and acupuncture sensation should be distinguished in the objective researches of Deqi. In order to fully explore the relationship among the acupuncture sensation, Deqi and acupuncture curative effect, it is necessary to contrast the curative effect and body response induced by Deqi, unique sensations experienced by the acupunturist, unique sensations experienced by the patient, and stimulation without acupuncture sensation. Strategies and prospects about Deqi research are proposed as follows: (1) Researches of Deqi, such as how to induce Deqi, the influence factors of Deqi, the biological mechanism of Deqi, and so on, should be aimed at good stability of acupuncture curative effect, thus providing scientific evidence for clinical practice. (2) It is essential to introduce objective unified standards to evaluate the curative effect of acupuncture. However, the objective indicator selected in the researches should reflect the correlation between acupuncture curative effect and itself. (3)The acupuncturist manipulation, the physiological and psychological state of the patient, and the environmental factors are all the important factors that affect acupuncture, should be identified in the scientific and clinical research about the scientific research results, the clinical curative effect. should be identified in the scientific and clinical research about the scientific research results, the clinical curative effect,should be identified in scientific research result and the clinical curative effect (4) Some characteristics of the acupuncture treatment in traditional Chinese medicine theory can be used as the emphasis in the objective research of Deqi in the future. Characteristics of acupuncture, such as governing and regulating the spirit, acupuncture points, meridian specificity, distal function, bi-direction regulation function and so on, can be used as the entry point in the objective research of Deqi in the future.得气的客观化研究中应明确得气与针感的区别及联系，有必要将得气针刺（医者、患者针感均出现）、仅出现医者针感的针刺、仅出现患者针感的针刺、无针感刺激下的疗效及机体反应进行对比，以期全面探讨针感、得气及针刺疗效之间的关系。提出得气研究的策略和前景如下：（1）关于得气的研究，例如如何促使得气，有哪些因素影响得气，以及揭示得气的生物学机制等，应以良好稳定的针刺疗效为目的，从而为临床提供证据和科学依据。（2）需对针刺疗效进行评价，并引入相对客观统一的针刺疗效评价标准，研究所选取的反应得气的客观指标应当体现出其与针刺疗效之间的相关性。（3）医者针刺手法、患者生理及心理状态、环境因素是影响针刺得气的重要因素，科研及临床中应辨明这些因素对于科研结果、临床疗效的影响。（4）传统中医理论中针刺治疗的一些特性可作为今后得气客观化研究的重点，治神调神，腧穴、经络特异性，远治作用，双向良性调整作用等针刺疗法的特点可作为今后得气研究的切入点

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE TAIWAN CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION INDEX

In this study, we use Smith-Sebasto & Fortner’s (1994) Environmental Action Internal Control Index (EAICI) as a framework to develop, and validate a useful instrument for assessing environmental attitudes and behavior among elementary and middle school children within the Taiwanese context. We dub the new instrument the Taiwan Children’s Environmental Action Index (TCEAI). Our findings suggest that the TCEAI displays substantial internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=.92), moderately positive correlations with self-report measures of environmentally responsible behavior (R = .35 to .46, p < .01), and few threats to validity by age or gender. The results suggest that the TCEAI may be used to elicit important dimensions of environmental attitudes and to predict environmentally responsible behavior for elementary and middle school children in Taiwan. Practical implications are discussed

Protective effect of the daming capsule on impaired baroreflexes in STZ-induced diabetic rats with hyperlipoidemia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Daming capsule (DMC) is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat hyperlipoidemia. Both clinic trials and studies on animal models have demonstrated that DMC is beneficial against diabetic symptoms. Impairment of the baroreflex can cause life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). This study was designed to elucidate the effects of DMC on baroreflexes in streptozocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats with hyperlipoidemia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: untreated controls, rats pretreated STZ and high lipids (a diabetes model or DM rats), and DM rats treated with DMC. The baroreflex sensitivity was examined during intravenous injection of phenylephrine (PE) or sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and quantified by the change in heart rate over the change in mean arterial blood pressure (ΔHR/ΔMABP). Morphological remodeling of baroreceptors was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mRNA levels and expression of GluR2 and a GABA_Areceptor subunit were measured by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared to untreated DM rats, DMC significantly elevated the ratio of ΔHR/ΔMABP by enhancing the compensatory reduction in HR (-ΔHR) in response to PE-induced hypertension (+ΔMABP) (<it>P </it>< 0.05). In the presence of SNP, DMC increased the ΔMABP (<it>P </it>< 0.05). In addition, DMC markedly shortened the duration of blood pressure changes elicited by PE or SNP in DM rats compared to the untreated DM group (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Electron microscopy revealed disrupted myelin sheaths, swollen ER, and lysed mitochondria in the nucleus ambiguous (NAm) DM rats. These signs of neuropathology were largely prevented by treatment with DMC for 30 days. Treatment with DMC elevated both mRNA and protein level of GluR2 in the NAm of DM rats, but had no effect on GABA_Areceptor expression.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Daming capsule partially reversed the parasympathetic baroreflex impairment observed in STZ-induced diabetic rats with hyperlipoidemia. Treatment with DMC also prevented the degeneration of neurons and myelinated axons in the brain stem NAm and reversed the down-regulation of GluR2 mRNA. Rescue of NAm function may contribute to the medicinal properties of DMC in diabetic rats.</p