Influence of High Voltage Electrostatic Field (HVEF) on Vigour of Aged Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Seeds

The vigour restoration of aged rice seeds is of great significance in agriculture. This paper studied the biological effects of high voltage electrostatic field (HVEF) on aged rice seeds, including dry seeds and wet seeds soaked in sterile deionized water for 24 hours. The results showed that HVEF slightly affected the vigour of the aged dry rice seeds while the seed vigour and seedling growth of the aged wet rice seeds were significantly improved. The germination rate and germination potentiality also showed moderate improvement after exposure to HVEF with electric intensity less than t 450 kV•m-1. Compared to control, the vigour index of aged wet rice seeds was increased 31.96%. No significant effects of HVEF on dry aged rice seeds were found

catena-Poly[[nickel(II)-μ3-1,1-dicyano­ethene-2,2-dithiol­ato-κ4 S,S′:N:N′-bis­[(15-crown-5)magnesium(II)]-μ3-1,1-dicyano­ethene-2,2-dithiol­ato-κ4 N:N′:S,S′] dichloride]

The reaction of MgCl2, NiCl2, and Na2(i-mnt) (i-mnt is 1,1-dicyano­thene-2,2-dithiol­ate) with 15-crown-5 (15-C-5) leads to an infinite chain polymer, {[NiMg2(C4N2S2)2(C10H20O5)2]Cl2}n or {[Mg(15-C-5)]2[Ni(i-mnt)2]Cl2}n, which consists of two [Mg(15-C-5)]2+ complex cations, one [Ni(i-mnt)2]2− complex anion and two Cl− ions per formula unit. In the [Ni(i-mnt)2]2− complex anion, Ni2+ is located on a crystallographic mirror plane with a slightly distorted square-planar coordination by four S atoms. In the [Mg(15-C-5)]2+ complex cations, the Mg and one O atom of the crown lie on mirror planes and the Mg atoms are in sevenfold coordination environments of five O atoms from the crown and two N atoms from two i-mnt anions. The bridging of the two complexes via the Mg—N bonds leads to the formation of one-dimensional chains along the a axis

A Coherence Preservation Control Strategy in Cavity QED Based on Classical Quantum Feedback

For eliminating the unexpected decoherence effect in cavity quantum electrodynamics (cavity QED), the transfer function of Rabi oscillation is derived theoretically using optical Bloch equations. In particular, the decoherence in cavity QED from the atomic spontaneous emission is especially considered. A feedback control strategy is proposed to preserve the coherence through Rabi oscillation stabilization. In the scheme, a classical quantum feedback channel for the quantum information acquisition is constructed via the quantum tomography technology, and a compensation system based on the root locus theory is put forward to suppress the atomic spontaneous emission and the associated decoherence. The simulation results have proved its effectiveness and superiority for the coherence preservation

Di-μ-benzoato-κ3 O,O′:O;κ3 O:O,O′-bis­[(acetato-κO)(1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)lead(II)] dihydrate

The title compound, [Pb2(CH3COO)2(C7H5O2)2(C12H8N2)2]·2H2O, consists of dimeric units built up around a crystallographic centre of symmetry and two non-coordinating water mol­ecules. Each PbII unit is six-coordinated by a bidentate 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) ligand, a monodentate acetate anion and a bidentate benzoate anion, which also acts as a bridge linking the two PbII atoms. The crystal packing is stabilized by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and by π–π inter­actions between the phen rings of neighboring mol­ecules, with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.577 (3) Å

Liposomes for systematic delivery of vancomycin hydrochloride to decrease nephrotoxicity: Characterization and evaluation

AbstractVancomycin hydrochloride （VANH）, the first glycopeptide antibiotic, is a water-soluble drug for the treatment of acute osteomyelitis. Liposomal formulations of VANH have already been manipulated and characterized, which was a mean of increasing their therapeutic index, reducing their toxicity and altering drug biodistribution. One of the challenges for preparing VANH-Lips is their low encapsulation efficiency (EE). In the present study, we aim to improve the liposomal formulation of VANH for higher EE, longer systemic circulation, reduced nephrotoxicity and enhanced antimicrobial activities. Vancomycin hydrochloride-loaded liposomes (VANH-Lips) were formulated by the method of modified reverse phase evaporation. Based on the optimization of formulation with orthogonal experimental design, the average drug encapsulation efficiency and the mean particle size of VANH-Lips were found to be 40.78 ± 2.56% and 188.4 ± 2.77 nm. In vitro drug release of VANH-Lips possessed a sustained release characteristic and their release behavior was in accordance with the Weibull equation. After intravenous injection to mice, the mean residence time (MRT) of VANH-Lips group was significantly prolonged in vivo and the AUC value was improved as well compared with the vancomycin hydrochloride solution (VANH-Sol) group. Furthermore, the biodistribution results in mice showed that VANH-Lips decreased the accumulation of VANH in kidney after intravenous injection. In conclusion, VANH-Lips may be a potential delivery system for VANH to decrease nephrotoxicity in the treatment of osteomyelitis

Urban Expansion Assessment in Huaihe River Basin, China, from 1998 to 2013 Using Remote Sensing Data

Urbanization reflects the overall behavior of human society; thus, characterization of its associated spatial and temporal trends has been extensively researched. This study examines the process of urban expansion in the Huaihe River Basin (HRB) which is a key transition region within China’s urban system. In order to grasp the urban expansion process in different temporal sequences objectively, rapidly, and accurately, we used remote sensing data to assess the urban expansion in time and space. Urban expansion rules were defined for the urban area, urbanization intensification, extended dynamic degree, and spatial pattern. The research findings show that the urban area expansion speed was at medium level throughout the entire HRB and within each province. Presently, the formation of a whole urban agglomeration or urban system is not complete in the HRB; urban expansion in the HRB displayed space-time disequilibrium tendencies during 1998–2013

Validation of the plasma-wall self-organization model for density limit in ECRH-assisted start-up of Ohmic discharges on J-TEXT

A recently developed plasma-wall self-organization (PWSO) model predicts a significantly enhanced density limit, which may be attainable in tokamaks with ECRH-assisted ohmic startup and sufficiently high initial neutral density. Experiments have been conducted on J-TEXT to validate such a density limit scenario based on this model. Experimental results demonstrate that increasing the pre-filled gas pressure or ECRH power during the startup phase can effectively enhance plasma purity and raise the density limit at the flat-top. Despite the dominant carbon fraction in the wall material, some discharges approach the edge of the density-free regime of the 1D model of PWSO.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure

Preparation and Characterization of Baicalein-Loaded Nanoliposomes for Antitumor Therapy

Baicalein (BAI) is a major constituent of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. Previous studies showed that BAI had obvious effects on U14 cervical tumor-bearing mice model and HeLa cells. However, the use of BAI is inconvenient and troublesome, due to its low oral bioavailability. The aim of this study was to develop baicalein-loaded nanoliposomes (BAI-LP) to improve its bioavailability. In this study, BAI-LP was prepared by thin film hydration method. The average size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential and encapsulation efficiency (EE) of the BAI-LP were 194.6±2.08 nm, 0.17±0.025, -30.73±0.41 mV, and 44.3±2.98%, respectively. Drug storage stability study showed no significant changes in these values after 4 weeks of storing at 4°C. Additionally, Sulforhodamine B (SRB) experimental results indicated that the BAI-LP could achieve better anti-tumor effects than free BAI. The results of the experiment demonstrated that BAI-LP had a better antitumor effect with a higher inhibition rate of 66.34±15.33% than free BAI with a inhibition rate of 41.89±10.50% by using U14 cervical tumor-bearing mice model. In conclusion, the study suggested that BAI-LP would serve as a potent delivery vehicle for BAI in future cancer therapy

The Effects of ATIR Blocker on the Severity of COVID-19 in Hypertensive Inpatients and Virulence of SARS-CoV-2 in Hypertensive hACE2 Transgenic Mice.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is required for the cellular entry of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. ACE2, via the Ang-(1-7)-Mas-R axis, is part of the antihypertensive and cardioprotective effects of the renin-angiotensin system. We studied hospitalized COVID-19 patients with hypertension and hypertensive human(h) ACE2 transgenic mice to determine the outcome of COVID-19 with or without AT1 receptor (AT1R) blocker treatment. The severity of the illness and the levels of serum cardiac biomarkers (CK, CK-BM, cTnI), as well as the inflammation markers (IL-1, IL-6, CRP), were lesser in hypertensive COVID-19 patients treated with AT1R blockers than those treated with other antihypertensive drugs. Hypertensive hACE2 transgenic mice, pretreated with AT1R blocker, had increased ACE2 expression and SARS-CoV-2 in the kidney and heart, 1 day post-infection. We conclude that those hypertensive patients treated with AT1R blocker may be at higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, AT1R blockers had no effect on the severity of the illness but instead may have protected COVID-19 patients from heart injury, via the ACE2-angiotensin1-7-Mas receptor axis. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12265-021-10147-3

Effects of broth composition and light condition on antimicrobial susceptibility testing of ionic silver

In this study, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of AgNO3 against bacteria were investigated in a variety of microorganism culture broths. Broth- and light-dependent MIC values were observed and correlated negatively with nano-Ag speciation development. We advocate here the importance of broth and light standardization in Ag antimicrobial test