Equipments for Crop Protection:Standardization Development in China

 The history of standardization for crop protection equipments was reviewed to analyze the trends of standards preparation in this paper. The currently active standards were firstly reviewed by their attributes to present the general state of art. The trends of standard preparation, through which the overall development of crop protection equipments are reflected, were interpreted by descriptive items. Finally the future development was predicted as suggestions for decision-making in policy constitution

Revealing the superior corrosion protection of the passive film on selective laser melted 316L SS in a phosphate-buffered saline solution

This study investigated the passivation behaviour of wrought 316L stainless steel (SS) and 316L manufactured by the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). The 3D printing laser power influenced microstructure, passive film and corrosion resistance of SLM 316L SS were studied, and compared with the results of wrought 316L SS. The results indicated that a smaller corrosion current density and improved breakdown potential (Eb) of SLM 316L SS was associated with a higher proportion of Cr2O3 in the passive film at OCP conditions. The Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) proved that the passive film on SLM 316L SS was continuous and compact at 600 mV vs. Ag/AgCl applied potential. The increase in the applied potential resulted in a high content of hydroxide being recorded in the passive film. The results also suggest preferential facets of (1 1 0) and abundant grain/sub-grain boundaries for SLM 316L SS, as well as the increased work of separation and growth rate of the passive film from the substrate. Wrought 316L SS demonstrated preferred facets of (1 1 1)-γ and larger grains. There are confirmed via X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) and the first-principle calculation

Evaluation of dermal irritation and skin sensitization due to vitacoxib

The prediction of side-effects is a key issue in the REACH initiative on chemicals in the preclinical testing of drugs. The dermal irritation and skin sensitization toxicity potential of a new molecule, vitacoxib, were invested in rabbits and guinea pigs in compliance with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development guideline. To assess dermal irritation, rabbits were dermally attached to vitacoxib for 72 h or repeated application. The results showed that no adverse reactions such as erythema and edema were observed throughout the test. In skin sensitization test, guinea pigs were sensitized to vitaoxib, positive and negative article for 24 h. No sensitization reaction was shown in the vitacoxib and negative group whereas severe sensitization was observed in the positive group. Based on these findings, vitacoxib does not cause dermal irritation and skin sensitization toxicity, and seems to be safe for animal use. Keywords: Vitacoxib, Dermal irritation, Skin sensitizatio

Neuroanatomical Alterations in Patients with Early Stage of Unilateral Pulsatile Tinnitus: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study

During the past several years, the rapid development of neuroimaging techniques has contributed greatly in the noninvasive imaging studies of tinnitus. The aim of the present study was to explore the brain anatomical alterations in patients with right-sided unilateral pulsatile tinnitus (PT) in the early stage of PT symptom using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis. Twenty-four patients with right-sided pulsatile tinnitus and 24 age- and gender-matched normal controls were recruited to this study. Structural image data preprocessing was performed using VBM8 toolbox. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score was acquired in the tinnitus group to assess the severity of tinnitus and tinnitus-related distress. Two-sample t-test and Pearson’s correlation analysis were used in statistical analysis. Patients with unilateral pulsatile tinnitus had significantly increased gray matter (GM) volume in bilateral superior temporal gyrus compared with the normal controls. However, the left cerebellum posterior lobe, left frontal superior orbital lobe (gyrus rectus), right middle occipital gyrus (MOG), and bilateral putamen showed significantly decreased brain volumes. This was the first study which demonstrated the features of neuroanatomical changes in patients with unilateral PT during their early stages of the symptom

Effects of Mechanical Activation on the Bioleaching of Sphalerite and Marmatite for Zn Extraction

Even though mechanical activation is a significant pretreatment technology for the efficient extraction of metals from mineral resources, its effects on the bioleaching of sphalerite and marmatite are rarely discussed. In this study, mechanical activation pretreatment using various grinding media and grinding times was conducted, and particle size distribution, morphology, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) analyses, as well as batch bioleaching experiments, were carried out. The results suggest that #C conditions (corundum jar with zirconia balls) were more efficient than #S conditions (stainless steel jar with stainless steel balls) for the grinding of both sphalerite and marmatite. Mechanical activation significantly improved the bioleaching of sphalerite; however, it inhibited that of marmatite, possibly due to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The optimum grinding conditions for the bioleaching of sphalerite and marmatite are proposed

A Novel Human Antibody, HF, against HER2/erb-B2 Obtained by a Computer-Aided Antibody Design Method

Fully human antibodies have minimal immunogenicity and safety profiles. At present, most potential antibody drugs in clinical trials are humanized or fully human. Human antibodies are mostly generated using the phage display method (in vitro) or by transgenic mice (in vivo); other methods include B lymphocyte immortalization, human-human hybridoma, and single-cell polymerase chain reaction. Here, we describe a structure-based computer-aided de novo design technology for human antibody generation. Based on the complex structure of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)/Herceptin, we first designed six short peptides targeting the potential epitope of HER2 recognized by Herceptin. Next, these peptides were set as complementarity determining regions in a suitable immunoglobulin frame, giving birth to a novel anti-HER2 antibody named "HF," which possessed higher affinity and more effective anti-tumor activity than Herceptin. Our work offers a useful tool for the quick design and selection of novel human antibodies for basic mechanical research as well as for imaging and clinical applications in immune-related diseases, such as cancer and infectious diseases. (C) 2021 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier LTD on behalf of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Higher Education Press Limited Company

Clinical features of severe wasp sting patients with dominantly toxic reaction: analysis of 1091 cases.

BACKGROUND: Massive wasp stings have been greatly underestimated and have not been systematically studied. The aim of this study was to identify the clinical features and treatment strategies of severe wasp stings. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A multicenter retrospective study was undertaken in 35 hospitals and medical centers including 12 tertiary care hospitals and 23 secondary care hospitals in the Hubei Province, China. The detailed clinical data of 1091 hospitalized wasp sting patients were investigated. Over three-fourths (76.9%) of the cases had 10 or more stings and the in-hospital mortality of patients was 5.1%. Forty-eight patients died of organ injury following toxic reactions to the stings, whereas six died from anaphylactic shock. The in-hospital mortality in patients with >10 stings was higher than that of ≤10 stings (5.2% vs. 1.0%, p = 0.02). Acute kidney injury (AKI) was seen in 21.0% patients and most patients required blood purification therapy. Rhabdomyolysis was seen in 24.1% patients, hemolysis in 19.2% patients, liver injury in 30.1% patients, and coagulopathy in 22.5% patients. Regression analysis revealed that high creatinine level, shock, oliguria, and anemia were risk factors for death. Blood purification therapy was beneficial for patients with ≥20 stings and delayed hospital admission of patients (≥4 hours after sting). CONCLUSIONS: In China, most patients with multiple wasp stings presented with toxic reactions and multiple organ dysfunction caused by the venom rather than an anaphylactic reaction. AKI is the prominent clinical manifestation of wasp stings with toxic reaction. High creatinine levels, shock, oliguria, and anemia were risk factors for death

Frequency-Dependent Neural Activity in Patients with Unilateral Vascular Pulsatile Tinnitus

Previous resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies have shown that neurological changes are important findings in vascular pulsatile tinnitus (PT) patients. Here, we utilized rs-fMRI to measure the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in forty patients with unilateral PT and forty age-, gender-, and education-matched normal control subjects. Two different frequency bands (slow-4, 0.027–0.073 Hz, and slow-5, 0.010–0.027 Hz, which are more sensitive to subcortical and cortical neurological signal changes, resp.) were analyzed to examine the intrinsic brain activity in detail. Compared to controls, PT patients had increased ALFF values mainly in the PCu, bilateral IPL (inferior parietal lobule), left IFG (inferior frontal gyrus), and right IFG/anterior insula and decreased ALFF values in the multiple occipital areas including bilateral middle-inferior occipital lobe. For the differences of the two frequency bands, widespread ALFF differences were observed. The ALFF abnormalities in aMPFC/ACC, PCu, right IPL, and some regions of occipital and parietal cortices were greater in the slow-5 band compared to the slow-4 band. Additionally, the THI score of PT patients was positively correlated with changes in slow-5 and slow-4 band in PCu. Pulsatile tinnitus is a disease affecting the neurological activities of multiple brain regions. Slow-5 band is more sensitive in detecting the alternations. Our results also indicated the importance of pathophysiological investigations in patients with pulsatile tinnitus in the future