Highly selective fluorescent chemosensor for Zn2+ derived from inorganic-organic hybrid magnetic core/shell Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles

Magnetic nanoparticles with attractive optical properties have been proposed for applications in such areas as separation and magnetic resonance imaging. In this paper, a simple and novel fluorescent sensor of Zn2+ was designed with 3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde [DTH] covalently grafted onto the surface of magnetic core/shell Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles [NPs] (DTH-Fe3O4@SiO2 NPs) using the silanol hydrolysis approach. The DTH-Fe3O4@SiO2 inorganic-organic hybrid material was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, X-ray power diffraction, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform, UV-visible absorption and emission spectrometry. The compound DTH exhibited fluorescence response towards Zn2+ and Mg2+ ions, but the DTH-Fe3O4@SiO2 NPs only effectively recognized Zn2+ ion by significant fluorescent enhancement in the presence of various ions, which is due to the restriction of the N-C rotation of DTH-Fe3O4@SiO2 NPs and the formation of the rigid plane with conjugation when the DTH-Fe3O4@SiO2 is coordinated with Zn2+. Moreover, this DTH-Fe3O4@SiO2 fluorescent chemosensor also displayed superparamagnetic properties, and thus, it can be recycled by magnetic attraction

Study on evaluation of regional cultivated land quality based on resource-asset-capital attributes and its spatial mechanism

In the context of rapid urbanization, changes in human demand and agricultural technology progress have deeply expanded the cultivated land attribute dimensions. Thus, evaluating the regional cultivated land quality with different attributes and studying its spatial mechanism is of great theoretical and practical significance. Based on the analytical framework of resource-asset-capital attributes of cultivated land quality, multi-source data were used to evaluate the quality indexes of 5332 cultivated land plots with different attributes in Quzhou county. Then, some spatial analysis models were applied to explore the spatial distribution features of these three quality attributes. The results showed that 1) in the analytical framework of resource-asset-capital attributes of regional cultivated land quality, the resource quality meant the natural production capacity of cultivated land. However, asset quality and capital quality indicate the ability of cultivated land to bring wealth, rights and surplus profits to humans. 2) Considerable gaps existed in the evaluation results of different quality attributes in Quzhou. The proportions of good, medium, and lower quality cultivated land in the total cultivated land area of resource quality was 40.35%, 23.78% and 35.87%, the proportions were 40.35%, 23.78% and 35.87% in the asset quality area and 30.87%, 28.48% and 40.65% in the capital quality area, respectively. 3) The spatial patterns of the three quality attributes all showed obvious positive autocorrelation, with numerical values of 0.705 3, 0.846 4 and. 0.969 0 in resource, asset and capital quality, respectively. The cultivated land quality in southwest Quzhou was relatively high, while that in central Quzhou was poor. 4) The distribution of cultivated land resource quality was more even than that of asset and capital quality, while the spatial structures of asset and capital quality have better stability and continuity than that of resource quality. According to the different quality attribute characteristics, various suggestions were provided to improve the efficiency of cultivated land quality construction and to promote sustainable development in Quzhou county

Molecular Mechanism of MiR-136-5p Targeting NF-κB/A20 in the IL-17-Mediated Inflammatory Response after Spinal Cord Injury

Background/Aims: The pathophysiology of spinal cord injury (SCI) results in serious damage to the human body via an increase in the secondary biological processes imposed by activated astrocytes. Abnormal expression of microRNAs after SCI has become a potential research focus. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Methods: SCI models were established in rats using Allen’s method, and the BBB scoring method was employed to assess locomotor function. Lentivirus was used to infect rat astrocytes and SCI rats. Real-time PCR and antibody chip were used to measure gene expression and cytokine secretion. Western blot analysis was employed to detect protein expression. HE staining was used to assess the histological changes in SCI. The immunohistochemical staining of A20 and p-NF-κB in SCI was also analyzed. Results: The in vitro experiment showed that miR-136-5p up-regulated the expression of p-NF-κB by down-regulating the expression of A20 so that astrocytes produced inflammatory factors and chemokines. The in vivo experiment indicated that overexpressed miR-136-5p promoted the production of inflammatory factors, chemokines and p-NF-κB in SCI rats, whereas it inhibited the expression of A20 protein and increased inflammatory cell infiltration and injuries in the spinal cord. Conclusion: The current findings indicate that silencing miR-136-5p effectively decreased inflammatory factors and chemokines and protected the spinal cord via NF-κB/A20 signaling in vivo and in vitro. In contrast, overexpression of miR-136-5p had the opposite effect

Spatiotemporal Decoupling of Population, Economy and Construction Land Changes in Hebei Province

Under the context of rapid urbanization, how to use construction land resources under the dual pressure of socioeconomic growth and cultivated land protection is critical to resource utilization and sustainable development. Thus, it is of great theoretical and practical significance to study the relationship between socioeconomic change and construction land expansion. Based on decoupling theory, this study constructed a two-dimensional model to analyze the population-construction land and economy (non-agricultural GDP)-construction land decoupling status and characteristics in Hebei Province at the county level. Then, a decoupling-based construction land-use zoning model was built to explore construction land saving and intensive utilization strategies in different construction land-use zones. The results show that (1) the construction land area, population and non-agricultural GDP in Hebei Province increased in the study period, but there were spatial differences in the hot areas of growth. (2) In the population-construction land dimension, the growth of the population and construction land in Hebei Province was generally in an uncoordinated state. According to the results of the calculation, the samples of counties whose relationships between population and construction land were uncoordinated accounted for 75.76% of all counties, and 68.94% of all counties demonstrated weak decoupling. (3) In the economy-construction land dimension, 89.39% of all counties in Hebei Province had coordinated relationships between economy and construction land change. The expansion negative decoupling was the main decoupling state in Hebei Province in this dimension. (4) On the basis of two-dimensional decoupling type results, the construction land-use in Hebei was divided into four zones: “Population–economy dual coordinated”, “population unilateral coordinated”, “economy unilateral coordinated” and “population–economy dual uncoordinated”. The results showed that the “economy unilateral coordinated” zone included 68.18% of all counties. According to the characteristics of different construction land-use zones, this study provided various regulatory and control countermeasures and suggestions to improve the efficiency of construction land-use and to promote sustainable development in Hebei Province

Unsymmetrical donorâacceptorâdonorâacceptor type indoline based organic semiconductors with benzothiadiazole cores for solution-processed bulk heterojunction solar cells

Bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells based on small molecules have attracted potential attention due to their promise of conveniently defined structures, high absorption coefficients, solution process-ability and easy fabrication. Three DâAâDâA type organic semiconductors (WS-31, WS-32 and WS-52) are synthesized, based on the indoline donor and benzotriazole auxiliary acceptor core, along with either bare thiophene or rigid cyclopentadithiophene as Ï bridge, rhodanine or carbonocyanidate as end-group. Their HOMO orbitals are delocalized throughout the whole molecules. Whereas the LUMOs are mainly localized on the acceptor part of structure, which reach up to benzothiadiazole, but no distribution on indoline donor. The first excitations for WS-31 and WS-32 are mainly originated by electron transition from HOMO to LUMO level, while for WS-52, partly related to transition between HOMO and LUMO+1 level. The small organic molecules are applied as donor components in bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells, using PC61BM as acceptor material to check their photovoltaic performances. The BHJ solar cells based on blended layer of WS-31:PC61BM and WS-32:PC61BM processed with chloroform show overall photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.56% and 1.02%, respectively. WS-32 based BHJ solar cells show a higher current density originated by its relatively larger driving force of photo-induced carrier in photo-active layer to LUMO of PC61BM. Keywords: Indoline donor, Unsymmetrical organic semiconductors, BHJ solar cells, Photovoltaic performance

A Study of Agricultural Zoning of Huang-Huai-Hai Plain Based on GIS

International audienceMany scholars in China have done a lot of research on regionalization of agricultural resources in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, but there is no quantitative research on agriculture of the whole plain. By using qualitative and quantitative analysis based on the basic data collected over 300 counties in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, considering such indicators as the natural resources of the plains and the yields of major crops and agricultural GDP,this paper designed the agricultural zoning of the plains. The Plain was classified into high-yield areas and low-producing areas. High-yield areas were divided into advantageous regions of foodstuff, advantageous regions of cotton, advantageous regions of oil, advantageous regions of foodstuff and cotton, advantageous regions of foodstuff and oil, advantageous regions of cotton and oil, and advantageous regions of foodstuff, oil and cotton. And these areas have been divided specifically. The research is of referential values for agricultural development of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, both practically and theoretically

Three-dimensional comprehensive model and deep prediction of the Jinqingding gold deposit, Muping-Rushan metallogenic belt, Shandong, China

The study of the three-dimensional(3D) distribution characteristics of ore-forming element geochemical field in Jinqingding gold deposit, Mouping-Rushan metallogenic belt, Shandong Province, summarizes the metallogenic law and establishes a 3D comprehensive prospecting model. It provides richer information for deep prediction and guides the direction of mine production and development. In this study, 3D modelling of the deposit and its geochemical field was carried out. Guided by the prospecting model of this deposit, the 3D geological bodies and 3D geochemical model of ore bodies were built up in this study based on comprehensive analysis upon the geological and geochemical data in this deposit, by using 3D modelling visualization technology and geostatistics. These models reveal the ore bodies features and geochemical characterization of this deposit. In order to reduce the uncertainty of the deep prospecting information, the 3D modelling of the Jinqingding gold deposit was carried out by the comprehensive information analysis and prediction of geology and geochemistry in the study area. The 3D model of the ore body shows that the ore body is wide in the middle and narrow at ends, and tends to narrow and disappear to the deep. The distribution characteristics of the geochemical field show that the elements and combination factors of Au, As, Sb, Hg, Cu, W, Sn, Co, Ni are distributed in the shallow part of the ore bodies, showing a decreasing trend of element-field strength to the deep. The characteristics of Mo and Bi are distributed deep in the ore bodies. The characteristics of Ag, Pb, and Zn are more scattered and there are multiple metallogenic centers. The 3D model of the combination geochemical field shows that the metallogenesis of gold occurred in the shallow area of the ore bodies, while it weakened in the deep. The results show that guided by the comprehensive prospecting model, the display, extraction and comprehensive analysis of 3D geological and geochemical anomaly information based on the 3D geochemical field model effectively evaluate the potential of deep prospecting and provide the evidences for deep prospecting prediction. The comprehensive analysis results show that the prospecting potential of the No.2 orebody of the Jinqingding gold deposit below -1 200 m is low-expected, and it is inappropriate to continue deep exploration massively