Study of malondialdehyde (MDA) content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in chickens infected with avian infectious bronchitis virus

This study was carried out to investigate the changes of serum oxidative index in chickens infected with avian infectious bronchitis virus. Eighty (80) 15-day-old chickens were divided into two groups randomly: the control group and the experimental group. Birds in the experimental group were inoculated with infectious bronchitis virus, then the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in the serum were detected in each group at days 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 post infection, respectively. Results showed that SOD and GSH-Px activities in the serum of the experiment group decreased after infection (P<0.05 or P<0.01). MDA contents of the experiment group increased after infection, and was significantly higher than those of the control group at days 6 and 9 post infection (P<0.01). The results implied that oxidative damage may regulate the occurrence and development of avian infectious bronchitis.Key words: Avian infectious bronchitis, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), malondialdehyde (MDA)

PIV characterisation of flocculation dynamics and floc structure in water treatment

Particle flocculation with chemical flocculant addition is an essential step in water treatment. The performance of flocculation and the property of the flocs formed affect the overall results of the treatment process. In addition to particulate impurities, the presence of organic matter in water, such as natural organic materials (NOM), also influence the effectiveness of chemical flocculation. In this paper, the PIV system was employed to investigate the flocculation dynamics for different flocculants in different model waters. With the PIV and image analysis, the change in particle size distribution could be well recorded. Using the sequence of flocculation, shear breakage and re-flocculation on a jar-test device together with the PIV system, the rate of floc formation, the strength of the flocs, the recovery of broken flocs, and the morphological and structural features of the flocs were characterized. The results indicated that the adsorption of HA on the particle will stabilized the particles, hence hindered the flocculation process. Sweep flocculation using a higher chemical coagulant dosage was an effective means of process enhancement for the removal of particulates and associated organic matter. The dynamics of A-B-R process was characterized by particle size distribution (PSD) measurement with PIV setup. The particle strength and reversibility capability were examined. Strength index showed the HA flocs have comparable strength, while recovery index indicated a less recovery capability with the increasing of HA concentration after exposure to a higher shear, especially for ferric HA flocs. It appears that the bonds holding HA flocs together are not purely physical bonds given the limited regrowth seen. Finally, evolution of floc structure during A-B-R process was analysed by investigated the fractal dimension Db. The results were generally consistent with previous PSD measurements. It suggested that the structure of flocs in breakage became more compact with little permeability. An increase in floc compaction provides a further explanation for the limited regrowth for most of flocs. According to the performances of alum and ferric, it can be noticed that HA flocs have different properties dependent on which chemical coagulant is used. Alum produced larger HA flocs which endured a higher recovery capability after exploring higher shear, hence, compared to ferric, it could be preferred to using in the practical enhanced coagulation unit.postprin

Slow cooling and efficient extraction of C-exciton hot carriers in MoS2 monolayer

In emerging optoelectronic applications, such as water photolysis, exciton fission and novel photovoltaics involving low-dimensional nanomaterials, hot-carrier relaxation and extraction mechanisms play an indispensable and intriguing role in their photo-electron conversion processes. Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted much attention in above fields recently; however, insight into the relaxation mechanism of hot electron-hole pairs in the band nesting region denoted as C-excitons, remains elusive. Using MoS2 monolayers as a model two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide system, here we report a slower hot-carrier cooling for C-excitons, in comparison with band-edge excitons. We deduce that this effect arises from the favourable band alignment and transient excited-state Coulomb environment, rather than solely on quantum confinement in two-dimension systems. We identify the screening-sensitive bandgap renormalization for MoS2 monolayer/graphene heterostructures, and confirm the initial hot-carrier extraction for the C-exciton state with an unprecedented efficiency of 80%, accompanied by a twofold reduction in the exciton binding energy

Effect of ZnCdTe-Alloyed Nanocrystals on Polymer–Fullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

The photovoltaic properties of solar cell based on the blends of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexoxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV), fullerene (C60), and ZnCdTe-alloyed nanocrystals were investigated. Comparing the spectral response of photocurrent of the MEH-PPV:C60(+ZnCdTe) nanocomposite device with that of the devices based on MEH-PPV:C60and pristine MEH-PPV, one can find that the nanocomposite device exhibits an enhanced photocurrent. In comparing the composite devices with different ZnCdTe:[MEH-PPV + C60] weight ratios of 10 wt% (D1–1), 20 wt% (D1–2), 40 wt% (D1–3), and 70 wt% (D1–4), it was found that the device D1–3exhibits the best performance. The power conversion efficiency (η) is improved doubly compared with that of the MEH-PPV:C60device

Beclin-1 Expression is a Predictor of Clinical Outcome in Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Correlated to Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF)-1α Expression

In the present study, we examined the relationship between Beclin-1 expression and HIF-1α expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC). There was a loss of Beclin-1 protein expression in 33% of ESCCs. Beclin-1 expression significantly correlated with depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis and clinical stage. Among the 54 patients, The survival rate of the Beclin-1-positive group was better than that of the Beclin-1-negative group. Twenty-five of the 54 (46%) tumor specimens showed high levels of HIF-1α immunoreactivity. Beclin-1 expression was associated with HIF-1α expression. The survival rate of patients with Beclin-1-positive and HIF-1α-low tumors was significantly higher than that of the other groups. These results suggest that Beclin-1 and HIF-1α expression are important determinants of survival in ESCCs

Imperfect interface of Beclin1 coiled-coil domain regulates homodimer and heterodimer formation with Atg14L and UVRAG

Beclin 1 is a core component of the Class III Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase VPS34 complex. The coiled coil domain of Beclin 1 serves as an interaction platform for assembly of distinct Atg14L- and UVRAG-containing complexes to modulate VPS34 activity. Here we report the crystal structure of the coiled coil domain that forms an antiparallel dimer and is rendered metastable by a series of 'imperfect' a-d' pairings at its coiled coil interface. Atg14L and UVRAG promote the transition of metastable homodimeric Beclin 1 to heterodimeric Beclin1-Atg14L/UVRAG assembly. Beclin 1 mutants with their 'imperfect' a-d' pairings modified to enhance self-interaction, show distinctively altered interactions with Atg14L or UVRAG. These results suggest that specific utilization of the dimer interface and modulation of the homodimer–heterodimer transition by Beclin 1-interacting partners may underlie the molecular mechanism that controls the formation of various Beclin1–VPS34 subcomplexes to exert their effect on an array of VPS34-related activities, including autophagy

Tools to Support Policy Decisions Related to Treatment Strategies and Surveillance of Schistosomiasis Japonica towards Elimination

Immunodiagnostic assays are widely applied in the field to control schistosomiasis in P.R. China as the prevalence and infection intensity of schistosome infections decrease. Field evaluations are urgently needed before they can be adopted to support policy decisions of the national programme for the control and elimination of schistosomiasis in P.R. China. We carried out a large scale cross-sectional survey in field settings with different transmission situations to validate immunodiagnostic tools that can be used to formulate new schistosomiasis elimination strategy in P.R. China. Regarding stool examination as gold reference, the validity and screening efficacy of each immunodiagnostic kit were calculated and compared with each other. The association of the prevalence of schistosomiasis and antibody positive rates determined by immunoassays were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient values. The study indicates that which test to use with the elimination strategy is dependent on the purpose of testing, the endemic status of community and the resources available. And more sensitive methods need to be explored and used to target infected individuals for treatment or to eliminate schistosomiasis

Observation of a ppb mass threshoud enhancement in \psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p}) decay

The decay channel $\psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p})$ is studied using a sample of $1.06\times 10^8$ $\psi^\prime$ events collected by the BESIII experiment at BEPCII. A strong enhancement at threshold is observed in the $p\bar{p}$ invariant mass spectrum. The enhancement can be fit with an $S$-wave Breit-Wigner resonance function with a resulting peak mass of $M=1861^{+6}_{-13} {\rm (stat)}^{+7}_{-26} {\rm (syst)} {\rm MeV/}c^2$ and a narrow width that is $\Gamma<38 {\rm MeV/}c^2$ at the 90% confidence level. These results are consistent with published BESII results. These mass and width values do not match with those of any known meson resonance.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Chinese Physics