TEM, XRD, and Thermal Stability of Adsorbed Paranitrophenol on DDOAB Organoclay

Water purification is of extreme importance to modern society. Organoclays through adsorption of recalcitrant organics provides one mechanism for the removal of these molecules. The organoclay was synthesised through ion exchange with dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide labeled as DDOAB of formula (CH3(CH2)17)2NBr(CH3)2. Paranitrophenol was adsorbed on the organoclay at a range of concentrations according to the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the host montmorillonite. The paranitrophenol in solution was analysed by a UV-260 spectrophotometer at 317nm, with detection limits being 0.05mg/L. The expansion of the montmorillonite was studied by a combination of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Upon adsorption of the paranitrophenol the basal spacing decreased. The thermal stability of the organoclay was determined by a combination of thermogravimetry and infrared emission spectroscopy. The surfactant molecule DDOAB combusts at 166, 244 and 304 degrees Celsius and upon intercalation into Na-montmorillonite is retained up to 389 degrees Celsius thus showing the organoclay is stable to significantly high temperatures well above the combustion/decomposition temperature of the organoclay

EFFECT OF SKILL LEVEL ON KNEE FLEXOR AND EXTENSOR STRENGTH IN MALE JUDO

Judo has a high requirement of the physical strength of lower limb. In this paper, the centripetal knee force of national master athletes and first-grade athletes of male Judoka was measured using the ISOMED2000 Isokinetic system. Try to discuss the differences between different grades of judoka in the area of the physical strength of lower limb. Judo-related specific knee strength indices, such as peak torque in relation to body weight, flexor torque in relation to the extensor torque and average power of knee, were compared between the two groups by statistic analysis. The results showed that the first-grade athletes did not significantly differ from the national master athletes in terms of relative power of the knee flexors, but significant difference existed in the absolute power and explosive strength of the knee extensors between the two levels of athletes

Solution structure of a Plasmodium falciparum AMA-1/MSP 1 chimeric protein vaccine candidate (PfCP-2.9) for malaria

Background: The Plasmodium falciparum chimeric protein PfCP-2.9 is a promising asexual-stage malaria vaccine evaluated in clinical trials. This chimeric protein consists of two cysteine-rich domains: domain III of the apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1 [III]) and the C-terminal region of the merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1-19). It has been reported that the fusion of these two antigens enhanced their immunogenicity and antibody-mediated inhibition of parasite growth in vitro. Methods: The N-15-labeled and C-13/N-15-labeled PfCP-2.9 was produced in Pichia pastoris for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structure analysis. The chemical shift assignments of PfCP-2.9 were compared with those previously reported for the individual domains (i.e., PfAMA-1(III) or PfMSP 1-19). The two-dimensional spectra and transverse relaxation rates (R-2) of the PfMSP1-19 alone were compared with that of the PfCP-2.9. Results: Confident backbone assignments were obtained for 122 out of 241 residues of PfCP-2.9. The assigned residues in PfCP-2.9 were very similar to those previously reported for the individual domains. The conformation of the PfMSP1-19 in different constructs is essentially the same. Comparison of transverse relaxation rates (R-2) strongly suggests no weak interaction between the domains. Conclusions: These data indicate that the fusion of AMA-1(III) and MSP1-19 as chimeric protein did not change their structures, supporting the use of the chimeric protein as a potential malaria vaccine.Infectious DiseasesParasitologyTropical MedicineSCI(E)5ARTICLEnull

A robust modulation classification method using convolutional neural networks

Automatic modulation classification (AMC) is a core technique in noncooperative communication systems. In particular, feature-based (FB) AMC algorithms have been widely studied. Current FB AMC methods are commonly designed for a limited set of modulation and lack of generalization ability; to tackle this challenge, a robust AMC method using convolutional neural networks (CNN) is proposed in this paper. In total, 15 different modulation types are considered. The proposed method can classify the received signal directly without feature extracion, and it can automatically learn features from the received signals. The features learned by the CNN are presented and analyzed. The robust features of the received signals in a specific SNR range are studied. The accuracy of classification using CNN is shown to be remarkable, particularly for low SNRs. The generalization ability of robust features is also proven to be excellent using the support vector machine (SVM). Finally, to help us better understand the process of feature learning, some outputs of intermediate layers of the CNN are visualized

Radiation Induced Non-Targeted Response: Mechanism and Potential Clinical Implications

Generations of students in radiation biology have been taught that heritable biological effects require direct damage to DNA. Radiation-induced non-targeted/bystander effects represent a paradigm shift in our understanding of the radiobiological effects of ionizing radiation in that extranuclear and extracellular effects may also contribute to the biological consequences of exposure to low doses of radiation. Although radiation induced bystander effects have been well documented in a variety of biological systems, including 3D human tissue samples and whole organisms, the mechanism is not known. There is recent evidence that the NF-κB-dependent gene expression of interleukin 8, interleukin 6, cyclooxygenase- 2, tumor necrosis factor and interleukin 33 in directly irradiated cells produced the cytokines and prostaglandin E2 with autocrine/paracrine functions, which further activated signaling pathways and induced NF-κB-dependent gene expression in bystander cells. The observations that heritable DNA alterations can be propagated to cells many generations after radiation exposure and that bystander cells exhibit genomic instability in ways similar to directly hit cells indicate that the low dose radiation response is a complex interplay of various modulating factors. The potential implication of the non-targeted response in radiation induced secondary cancer is discussed. A better understanding of the mechanism of the non-targeted effects will be invaluable to assess its clinical relevance and ways in which the bystander phenomenon can be manipulated to increase therapeutic gain in radiotherapy