Single-crystal silver nanowires: Preparation and Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) property

Ordered Ag nanowire arrays with high aspect ratio and high density self-supporting Ag nanowire patterns were successfully prepared using potentiostatic electrodeposition within the confined nanochannels of a commercial porous anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) template. X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction analysis show that the as-synthesized samples have preferred (220) orientation. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy investigation reveal that large-area and ordered Ag nanowire arrays with smooth surface and uniform diameter were synthesized. Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) spectra show that the Ag nanowire arrays as substrates have high SERS activity.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Solid lipid nanoparticle suspension enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of praziquantel against tapeworm

Hydatid disease caused by tapeworm is an increasing public health and socioeconomic concern. In order to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of praziquantel (PZQ) against tapeworm, PZQ-loaded hydrogenated castor oil solid lipid nanoparticle (PZQ-HCO-SLN) suspension was prepared by a hot homogenization and ultrasonication method. The stability of the suspension at 4°C and room temperature was evaluated by the physicochemical characteristics of the nanoparticles and in-vitro release pattern of the suspension. Pharmacokinetics was studied after subcutaneous administration of the suspension in dogs. The therapeutic effect of the novel formulation was evaluated in dogs naturally infected with Echinococcus granulosus. The results showed that the drug recovery of the suspension was 97.59% ± 7.56%. Nanoparticle diameter, polydispersivity index, and zeta potential were 263.00 ± 11.15 nm, 0.34 ± 0.06, and −11.57 ± 1.12 mV, respectively and showed no significant changes after 4 months of storage at both 4°C and room temperature. The stored suspensions displayed similar in-vitro release patterns as that of the newly prepared one. SLNs increased the bioavailability of PZQ 5.67-fold and extended the mean residence time of the drug from 56.71 to 280.38 hours. Single subcutaneous administration of PZQ-HCO-SLN suspension obtained enhanced therapeutic efficacy against tapeworm in infected dogs. At the dose of 5 mg/kg, the stool-ova reduction and negative conversion rates and tapeworm removal rate of the suspension were 100%, while the native PZQ were 91.55%, 87.5%, and 66.7%. When the dose reduced to 0.5 mg/kg, the native drug showed no effect, but the suspension still got the same therapeutic efficacy as that of the 5 mg/kg native PZQ. These results demonstrate that the PZQ-HCO-SLN suspension is a promising formulation to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of PZQ

MEI Kodierung der frühesten Notation in linienlosen Neumen

Das Optical Neume Recognition Project (ONRP) hat die digitale Kodierung von musikalischen Notationszeichen aus dem Jahr um 1000 zum Ziel – ein ambitioniertes Vorhaben, das die Projektmitglieder veranlasste, verschiedenste methodische Ansätze zu evaluieren. Die Optical Music Recognition-Software soll eine linienlose Notation aus einem der ältesten erhaltenen Quellen mit Notationszeichen, dem Antiphonar Hartker aus der Benediktinerabtei St. Gallen (Schweiz), welches heute in zwei Bänden in der Stiftsbibliothek in St. Gallen aufbewahrt wird, erfassen. Aufgrund der handgeschriebenen, linienlosen Notation stellt dieser Gregorianische Gesang den Forscher vor viele Herausforderungen. Das Werk umfasst über 300 verschiedene Neumenzeichen und ihre Notation, die mit Hilfe der Music Encoding Initiative (MEI) erfasst und beschrieben werden sollen. Der folgende Artikel beschreibt den Prozess der Adaptierung, um die MEI auf die Notation von Neumen ohne Notenlinien anzuwenden. Beschrieben werden Eigenschaften der Neumennotation, um zu verdeutlichen, wo die Herausforderungen dieser Arbeit liegen sowie die Funktionsweise des Classifiers, einer Art digitalen Neumenwörterbuchs

Mechanical Response and Stability Optimization of Shallow-Buried Tunnel Excavation Method Conversion Process Based on Numerical Investigation

Different excavation methods lead to substantial changes in the relaxation zone of the surrounding rock. The stress characteristics of the support structure become more complex during the process of excavation method conversion. It is essential to design a well-considered construction plan to minimize the disruptions caused by excavation method conversion. This work takes a tunnel in Jiangsu Province, China, as the engineering background and establishes a numerical model for the conversion from the double-side-drift method to the three-bench method. Based on a numerical investigation, this study analyzed the deformation of surrounding rock and the stress state of the support structure during the excavation method conversion. The results showed that excavation method conversion can accelerate the deformation rate of the surrounding rock, causing the support structure to bear greater pressure. This leads to a significant increase in the circumferential stress at the junction of two excavation methods. Setting up a reinforced area during the process of excavation method conversion can improve the stress state of the support structure. Finally, an analysis of the parameters of the reinforced area was conducted, and a reasonable construction plan was proposed. This study can provide guidance for subsequent construction projects

Pharmacokinetics of Eprinomectin in Plasma and Milk following Subcutaneous Administration to Lactating Dairy Cattle

Eprinomectin is only available as a topically applied anthelmintic for dairy cattle. To determine whether eprinomectin can be applied as an injectable formulation in dairy cattle, a novel injectable formulation was developed and was subcutaneously delivered to four lactating dairy cattle at a dose rate of 0.2 mg/ kg. Plasma and milk samples were collected. The concentrations of eprinomectin in all samples were determined by HPLC. The peak plasma concentration (Cmax)of 44.0±24.2 ng/ml occurred 39±19.3 h after subcutaneous administration, equivalent to the Cmax (43.76±18.23 ng/ml) previously reported for dairy cattle after a pour-on administration of 0.5 mg/kg eprinomectin. The area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) after subcutaneous administration was 7354±1861 (ng h)/ml, higher than that obtained after pour-on delivery (5737.68±412.80 (ng h)/ml). The mean residence time (MRT) of the drug in plasma was 211±55.2 h. Eprinomectin was detected in the milk at the second sampling time. The concentration of drug in milk was parallel to that in plasma, with a milk to plasma ratio of 0.16±0.01. The highest detected concentration of eprinomectin in milk was 9.0 ng/ml, below the maximum residue limit (MRL) of eprinomectin in milk established by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives in 2000. The amount of eprinomectin recovered in the milk during this trial was 0.39%±0.08% of the total administered dose. This study demonstrates that subcutaneous administration of eprinomectin led to higher bioavailability and a lower dose than a pour-on application, and that an injectable formulation of eprinomectin may be applied in dairy cattle with a zero withdrawal period.Fil: Baoliang, Pan. China Agricultural University. College of Veterinary Medicine; República de ChinaFil: Yuwan, Wang. Beijing China Agricultural University; República de China. Biological Technique Limited Corporation; República de ChinaFil: Zhende, Pan. Biological Technique Limited Corporation; República de China. Beijing China Agricultural University; República de ChinaFil: Lifschitz, Adrian Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comision de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Fisiopatología. Laboratorio de Farmacología; ArgentinaFil: Ming, Wang. China Agricultural University. College of Veterinary Medicine; República de Chin

Characterization of aminopeptidase encoding gene anp-1 and its association with development in Caenorhabditis elegans

Background Aminopeptidases play important roles in various biological processes in nematodes including growth, development and reproduction. Although the aminopeptidases have been shown to regulate reproduction in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), the role of aminopeptidases in development and aging has not been reported. This study focused on the function of aminopeptidase AlaNyl aminopeptidase 1 (ANP-1) on development in C. elegans. Methods In the present study, we reported the identification of ANP-1 in C. elegans along with sequence analysis and its functional expression and characterization. The phenotype changes were observed when anp-1 mutated. Then, differential expression genes (DEGs) between wild type strain (N2) and anp-1 deletion strain (RB804) were identified using transcriptome sequencing method. Finally, DEGs were verified by qRT-PCR assay. Results Our observations suggested that anp-1 mutation induced small body size in the L4/young adult stage of C. elegans, however, there was no difference between N2 and RB804 in adult stage. Moreover, deletion of anp-1 resulted in shortening lifespan and laying fewer eggs. DEGs (184 genes) were observed between N2 groups and RB804 groups by transcriptome sequencing. According to GO annotations and KEGG enrichment analysis, these DEGs play vital roles in development regulation in C. elegans. These data demonstrate ANP-1 participates in development and aging of C. elegans and will considerably contribute to the existing knowledge of aminopeptidase function in C. elegans

Application of the grey theory to dynamic analyses of the Baiquan Spring flow rate in Xinxiang

The Baiquan Spring in Xinxiang has many functions, such as water supply, agricultural irrigation, humanities, tourism and ecology. It is of great significance to study the dynamics of the spring flow rate and establish a dynamic prediction model for the spring water resources evaluation and protection. In order to further study the dynamic characteristics of the Baiquan Spring flow rate in Xinxiang and evaluate karst water resources in the spring area, based on the data of annually measured spring flow rate and annual average precipitation in the spring area from 1964 to 1978, the main influencing factors of the spring flow rate are determined by using the stepwise regression analysis, and a stepwise regression model is established, with remarkable regression effect. On the basis of the stepwise regression analysis, this paper establishes the GM(1, 2) model, NSGM(1, 2) model and GM(0, 2) model for the dynamic prediction of the spring flow rate. The results show that (1) from 1964 to 1978, the Baiquan spring flow rate was mainly controlled by the precipitation in the spring area, and the spring flow rate lagged behind the precipitation for one year, reflecting the dynamic characteristics of the spring water in the natural state. (2) The accuracy levels of the three grey models are the highest (excellent). (3) From 1964 to 1978, the measured discharge of the Baiquan spring ranged from 2.347 to 6.448 m3/s, with an average of 3.904 m3/s. The predicted values of the stepwise regression model range from 1.882 to 6.383 m3/s, with an average of 3.904 m3/s. The predicted value of the GM(1, 2) model varies between 2.327 and 6.448 m3/s, with an average of 3.939 m3/s. The predicted values of the NSGM(1, 2) model range from 2.133 to 6.448 m3/s, with an average of 3.927 m3/s. The predicted values of the GM(0, 2) model range from 1.787 to 6.448 m3/s, with an average of 3.907 m3/s. (4) The average relative errors of the stepwise regression model and the three grey models mentioned above are 7.794%, 7.292%, 7.122% and 7.797% respectively, all of which are less than 10%, indicating that they can be used for dynamic prediction of the spring water. Among them, the NSGM(1, 2) model has a higher accuracy and better fitting to the inflection point of the curve. (5) According to the spring flow rate from 1964 to 2030 predicted by the four models, the exploitation resources of the karst water in the Baiquan spring area should not exceed 1.69 m3/s from the angle of spring protection. The research results can not only provide scientific basis for spring flow dynamic prediction and spring area water resources evaluation, but also provide reference for the study of groundwater dynamics in similar areas

Sustained release ivermectin-loaded solid lipid dispersion for subcutaneous delivery: in vitro and in vivo evaluation

This work aimed to develop a sustained release solid dispersion of ivermectin (IVM-SD) in a lipid matrix (hydrogenated castor oil, HCO) for subcutaneous delivery. Solvent-melting technology was employed to prepare IVM-SDs using HCO. The physicochemical properties of the IVM-SDs were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The release of IVM from IVM-SDs was evaluated with HPLC in vitro. Pharmacokinetics of IVM was studied in rabbits following a single subcutaneous administration of IVM-SD formulations. The efficacy of IVM-SD against the ear mange mite was evaluated in rabbits. IVM was completely dispersed in HCO in an amorphous state at a drug:carrier ratio lower than 1:3. No chemical interactions between drug and carrier were found besides hydrogen bonding for the amorphous IVM-SDs. The amorphous IVM-SDs formulations exhibited a sustained release of IVM versus physical mixtures (PMs) of IVM and HCO. The drug release decreased as the drug:carrier ratios decreased, and the release kinetics of IVM were controlled via diffusion. Cytotoxicity of IVM-SD to MDCK cells was lower than native IVM. The IVM plasma concentration of SD1:3 remained above 1 ng/mL for 49 d. Higher AUC, MRT, and Tmax values were obtained at a SD1:3 relative to the IVM group. The IVM-SD improved almost 1.1-fold bioavailability of drug compared with IVM in rabbits. IVM-SD could provide longer persistence against rabbit’s ear mites than a commercial IVM injection. This study shows that these solid lipid dispersions are a promising approach for the development of subcutaneous IVM formulations