Mechanical Characterizations of Oxidizing Steel Slag Soil and Application

In this paper, the mechanical properties and engineering applicationof electric furnace (EAF) slag mixed soil are investigated.The samples of steel slag are taken from a steel manufacturingcompany in Huangshi, a city of China. The mixed soilwas firstly prepared by mixing the steel slag and clay mixturein different proportions. The optimal moisture content for mixingthe soil is investigated from the experiment through directshear test. Based on three axial compression tests, the optimumsteel slag ratio is determined. Finally, the mechanical propertiesof steel slag mixed soil are tested in a practical engineeringproblem through a numerical simulation. The steel slag mixedsoil is used to replace the original soil of the embankment andcompared with that of the original one. The comparison studyshows that the method proposed in this paper is simple andeffective. Moreover, from the practical problem analysis, theoptimal utilization of electric furnace slag can be achieved

N-[(S)-1-(3,5-Dimethyl-2-hydroxy­phenyl)­ethyl]-N-[(R)-2-hydr­oxy-1-phenyl­ethyl]ammonium chloride

In the title compound, C18H24NO2 +·Cl−, the absolute configuration of the new stereogenic centre (the C atom with a CH2OH substituent) was unambiguously determined to have an R configuration. The dihedral angle between the two aromatic rings is 30.82 (2)°. Inter­molecular N—H⋯Cl and O—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds and intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds stabilize the crystal structure

Growth patterns and environmental adaptions of the tree species planted for ecological remediation in typhoon-disturbed areas—A case study in Zhuhai, China

Typhoon frequently results in various mechanical damages to urban forest ecosystems. Imperative forest remediation projects were launched to restore the environmental conditions in cities, in which massive trees were newly planted. However, it was rarely answered whether the newly planted trees could acclimate to typhoon circumstances and enhance the wind resistance of the local ecosystem. Therefore, it was necessary to achieve information on the physical growth and windy environmental adaption of newly planted trees, which could promote a profound understanding of the efficiency of post-typhoon ecological remediation. In this study, we selected Zhuhai's urban-forest remediation district as our research area that suffered severely from Typhoon Hato (2017). The six newly-planted tree species for the ecological remediation were measured for their above- and below-ground processes from June 2018 to December 2019, including their development of tree height, ground diameter, crown size, and fine root biomass. Additionally, the variations of the soil's physical and chemical properties were also measured to assess the impact of plantation on soil conditions. Our results showed that the six surveyed tree species had different above- and below-ground growth patterns. With robust root development at horizontal and vertical levels combined with relatively short and thick above-ground profiles, Sterculia lanceolata Cav. and Cinnamomum camphora (Linn) were likely to cope well with typhoon disturbances. Ilex rotunda Thunb. and Schima superba Gardn. et Champ. exhibited moderate acclimation to windy environment, while Elaeocarpus sylvestris (Lour.) Poir. and Elaeocarpus apiculatus Mast. were not recommended to be planted in typhoon-disturbed areas concerning their unstable root development. In addition, the ecological remediation did improve the soil properties, specifically for the chemical characteristics including available nitrogen, available potassium, and soil organic matter. To improve the effectiveness of forest remediation in the future, it was better to choose those tree species with vigorous root development and steady values of root:shoot ratios, which might be advantageous for coping with typhoon disturbances. The tree species with prosperous above-ground growth were not suitable for areas facing strong winds directly but could be planted in leeward regions to amplify their landscape functions

Effects of a novel pH-sensitive liposome with cleavable esterase-catalyzed and pH-responsive double smart mPEG lipid derivative on ABC phenomenon

Daquan Chen1,2, Wanhui Liu1,2, Yan Shen3, Hongjie Mu1,2, Yanchun Zhang4 , Rongcai Liang1,2, Aiping Wang1,2, Kaoxiang Sun1,2, Fenghua Fu1,2 1School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, People’s Republic of China; 2State Key Laboratory of Long-acting and Targeting Drug Delivery System, Yantai, People’s Republic of China; 3College of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 4College of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hefei, People’s Republic of China Background: The ABC phenomenon is described as a syndrome of accelerated clearance of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified liposomes from the bloodstream when repeatedly injected, with their increased accumulation in the liver and spleen. Methods: To clarify this immune response phenomenon, we evaluated a novel modified pH-sensitive liposome with a cleavable double smart PEG-lipid derivative (mPEG-Hz-CHEMS). Results: The ABC phenomenon in mice was brought about by repeated injection of conventional PEG-PE liposomes and was accompanied by a greatly increased uptake in the liver. However, a slight ABC phenomenon was brought about by repeated injection of mPEG-CHEMS liposomes and was accompanied by only a slightly increased uptake in the liver, and repeated injection of mPEG-Hz-CHEMS liposomes did not induce the ABC phenomenon and there was no increase in liver accumulation. This finding indicates that the cleavable mPEG-Hz-CHEMS derivative could lessen or eliminate the ABC phenomenon induced by repeated injection of PEGylated liposomes. Conclusion: This research has shed some light on a solution to the ABC phenomenon using a cleavable PEG-Hz-CHEMS derivative encapsulated in nanoparticles. Keywords: accelerated blood clearance, double smart, cleavable, mPEG-lipid derivates, pH-sensitive liposom

A nomogram to predict the treatment benefit of perampanel in drug-resistant epilepsy patients

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to identify the factors that affect the efficacy of added perampanel for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), and to develop a reliable nomogram to predict the benefit of this addition.MethodsA retrospective clinical analysis was conducted on DRE patients who received perampanel treatment and who were followed up for at least 6 months from January 2020 and September 2023 at the Epilepsy Center of Fujian Medical University Union Hospital. Data from January 2020 to December 2021 were used as development dataset to build model, while the data from January 2022 to September 2023 were used as validation dataset for internal validation. The predictive factors that affected the efficacy of perampanel as DRE treatment were included in the final multivariate logistic regression model, and a derived nomogram was established.ResultsA total of 119 DRE patients who received perampanel treatment were included in this study (development datasets: n = 76; validation data: n = 43). Among them, 72.3% (n = 86) showed a 50% or greater reduction in seizure frequency after perampanel treatment. Of all the parameters of interest, sex, age, history of generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and the number of antiseizure medications were identified as significant predictors for estimating the benefit of adding perampanel for the treatment of DRE. A model incorporating these four variables was developed, and a nomogram was constructed to calculate the probability of benefit of adding perampanel using the model coefficients. The C-index of the predictive model was 0.838, and the validation C-index was 0.756. The goodness-of-fit test showed good calibration of the model (p = 0.920, 0.752 respectively).ConclusionThe proposed nomogram has significant clinical potential for predicting the probability of benefit of perampanel as DRE treatment. This nomogram can be used to identify DRE patients who could benefit from the early addition of perampanel to their treatment regimen

ADCY3: the pivotal gene in classical ketogenic diet for the treatment of epilepsy

ObjectiveEpilepsy is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent epilepsy episodes. As a non-pharmacological treatment, the ketogenic diet has been widely applied in treating epilepsy. However, the exact therapeutic mechanism of the ketogenic diet for epilepsy remains unclear. This study investigates the molecular mechanisms of the ketogenic diet in regulating fatty acid metabolism and activating the ADCY3-initiated cAMP signaling pathway to enhance neuronal inhibition and thereby treat epilepsy.Methods and resultsMeta-analysis reveals that the ketogenic diet is superior to the conventional diet in treating epilepsy. Animal experiments demonstrate that the ketogenic diet is more effective than the conventional diet in treating epilepsy, with the best results achieved using the classic ketogenic diet. Transcriptome sequencing analysis identifies six essential genes, among which ADCY3 shows increased expression in the ketogenic diet. In vivo experiments confirm that the activation of the cAMP-PKA signaling pathway by ADCY3 enhances neuronal inhibition and improves epilepsy control.ConclusionClinical observations indicate that the ketogenic diet improves patient epilepsy episodes by regulating the ADCY3-initiated cAMP signaling pathway

Different origins and processing methods affect the intrinsic quality of ginger: a novel approach to evaluating ginger quality

Introduction: Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roce.) is a widely consumed food item and a prominent traditional Chinese medicinal herb. The intrinsic quality of ginger may differ due to variations in its origin and processing techniques. To evaluate the quality of ginger, a straightforward and efficient discriminatory approach has been devised, utilizing 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, and 10-gingerol as benchmarks.Methods: In order to categorize ginger samples according to their cultivated origins with different longitude and latitude (Shandong, Anhui, and Yunnan provinces in China) and processing methods (liquid nitrogen pulverization, ultra-micro grinding, and mortar grinding), similarity analysis (SA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and principal component analysis (PCA) were employed. Furthermore, there was a quantitative determination of the significant marker compounds gingerols, which has considerable impact on maintaining quality control and distinguishing ginger products accurately. Moreover, discrimination analysis (DA) was utilized to further distinguish and classify samples with unknown membership degrees based on the eigenvalues, with the aim of achieving optimal discrimination between groups.Results: The findings obtained from the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) data revealed that the levels of various gingerols present in all samples exhibited significant variations. The study confirmed that the quality of ginger was primarily influenced by its origin and processing method, with the former being the dominant factor. Notably, the sample obtained from Anhui province and subjected to liquid nitrogen pulverization demonstrated the highest content of gingerols.Conclusion: The results obtained from the analysis of SA, HCA, PCA, and DA were consistent and could be employed to evaluate the quality of ginger. As such, the combination of HPLC fingerprints and chemo metric techniques provided a dependable approach for comprehensively assessing the quality and processing of ginger

Genetic framework for flowering-time regulation by ambient temperature-responsive miRNAs in Arabidopsis

Flowering is the primary trait affected by ambient temperature changes. Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs playing an important regulatory role in plant development. In this study, to elucidate the mechanism of flowering-time regulation by small RNAs, we identified six ambient temperature-responsive miRNAs (miR156, miR163, miR169, miR172, miR398 and miR399) in Arabidopsis via miRNA microarray and northern hybridization analyses. We also determined the expression profile of 120 unique miRNA loci in response to ambient temperature changes by miRNA northern hybridization analysis. The expression of the ambient temperature-responsive miRNAs and their target genes was largely anticorrelated at two different temperatures (16 and 23°C). Interestingly, a lesion in short vegetative phase (SVP), a key regulator within the thermosensory pathway, caused alteration in the expression of miR172 and a subset of its target genes, providing a link between a thermosensory pathway gene and miR172. The miR172-overexpressing plants showed a temperature-independent early flowering phenotype, suggesting that modulation of miR172 expression leads to temperature insensitivity. Taken together, our results suggest a genetic framework for flowering-time regulation by ambient temperature-responsive miRNAs under non-stress temperature conditions