UPLC Q-TOF/MS-Based Metabolic Profiling of Urine Reveals the Novel Antipyretic Mechanisms of Qingkailing Injection in a Rat Model of Yeast-Induced Pyrexia

Fever is one of the most common clinical symptoms of many diseases. Qingkailing (QKL) injection is widely used in China as a clinical emergency medicine due to its good antipyretic effects. It is a herbal formula which is composed by eight kinds of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). As a kind of typical multiple constituents and multiple actions of TCM, it is very difficult to elaborate the antipyretic mechanism by conventional pharmacological method. Metabonomics technique provides beneficial tool for this challenge. In this study, an ultra performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC Q-TOF/MS) metabonomics method was developed to explore the changing process of biochemical substances in rats of yeast-induced pyrexia. Partial least squares discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) was used to distinguish the normal control group, the pyrexia model group, and the pyrexia model group treated by QKL injection. The potential biomarkers related to pyrexia were confirmed and identified. MetPA was used to find the possible metabolic pathways. The results indicated that the antipyretic effect of QKL injection on yeast-induced pyrexia rats was performed by repairing the perturbed metabolism of amino acids

Production Patterns of Eagle Ford Shale Gas : Decline Curve Analysis Using 1084 Wells

This paper analyzes and quantifies characteristic production behavior using historical data from 1084 shale gas wells in the Eagle Ford shale play from 2010 to 2014. Decline curve analysis, using Hyperbolic and Stretched Exponential models, are used to derive average decline rates and other characteristic parameters for shale gas wells. Both Hyperbolic and Stretched Exponential models fit well to aggregated and individual well production data. The hyperbolic model is found to perform slightly better than the Stretched Exponential model in this study. In the Eagle Ford shale play, about 77% of wells reach the peak production of 1644-4932 mil cubic feet per day; the production decline rate of the first year is around 70%, and over the first two years it is around 80%; shale gas wells were estimated to yield estimated ultimate recoverable total resources of 1.41-2.03 billion cubic feet ( 20 years as life span), which is in line with other studies

Nanomechanical Characterization of High-Velocity Oxygen-Fuel NiCoCrAlYCe Coating

MCrAlY (M = Ni or/and Co) coatings have played an indispensable role in the high-temperature protection system for key components of aero-engines due to their excellent high-temperature oxidation and hot corrosion resistance. Nanoindentation is a useful and highly efficient method for characterizing the nanomechanical properties of materials. The rich information reflecting materials can be gained by load-displacement curves. In addition to common parameters such as elastic modulus and nanohardness, the indentation work and creep property at room temperature can also be extracted. Herein, nanomechanical properties of NiCoCrAlYCe coatings using high-velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) spraying were investigated systematically by nanoindentation. The microstructure of as-sprayed NiCoCrAlYCe coatings present mono-modal distribution. Results of nanoindentation reveal that the elastic modulus and nanohardness of NiCoCrAlYCe coatings are 121.08 ± 10.04 GPa and 6.09 ± 0.86 Gpa, respectively. Furthermore, the indentation work of coatings was also characterized. The elastic indentation work is 10.322 ± 0.721 nJ, and the plastic indentation work is 22.665 ± 1.702 nJ. The ratio of the plastic work to the total work of deformation during indentation is 0.687 ± 0.024, which can predict excellent wear resistance for NiCoCrAlYCe coatings. Meanwhile, the strain rate sensitivity determined by nanoindentation is 0.007 ± 0.001 at room temperature. These results can provide prediction of erosion resistance for MCrAlY coatings

Identification and phylogenetic analysis of the genus Syringa based on chloroplast genomic DNA barcoding

DNA barcoding is a supplementary tool in plant systematics that is extensively used to resolve species-level controversies. This study assesses the significance of using two DNA barcoding loci (e.g., psbA-trnH and trnC-petN) in distinguishing 33 plant samples of the genus Syringa. Results showed that the average genetic distance K2P of psbA-trnH DNA marker was 0.0521, which is much higher than that of trnC-petN, which is 0.0171. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree based on psbA-trnH and trnC-petN indicated that the identification rate of psbA-trnH and trnC-petN alone were 75% and 62.5%, respectively. The barcode combination of psbA-trnH+trnC-petN could identify 33 samples of the genus Syringa accurately and effectively with an identification rate of 87.5%. The 33 Syringa samples were divided into four groups: Group I is series Syringa represented by Syringa oblata; Group II is series Villosae represented by Syringa villosa; Group III is series Pubescentes represented by Syringa meyeri; and Group IV is section Ligustrina represented by Syringa reticulata subsp. pekinensis. These research results provided strong evidence that the combinatorial barcode of psbA-trnH+trnC-petN had high-efficiency identification ability and application prospects in species of the genus Syringa

Holocene millennial-scale climate variations from the record of primary chemical elements in Badain Jaran Desert, China

The CGS1 segment of the Chagelebulu section in the southeast of the Badain Jaran Desert, records sedimentary cycles consisting of alternations between dune sands and overlying paleosol or loess during the Holocene. Based on the analysis of primary chemical elements (78 samples) [SiO2, Al2O3, and Fe2O3 + FeO (TOFE)], we found that the variation of the primary chemical element content shows eleven chemical element cycles, of these, seven cycles are approximately consistent with the sedimentary cycles. This study suggests that the peaks of SiO2 contents and the valleys of Al2O3, TOFE, Al2O3/SiO2, TOFE/SiO2, and (TOFE + Al2O3)/SiO2 contents in the dune sands represent the dominant periods of East Asian winter monsoon, the valleys of SiO2 contents and the peaks of Al2O3, TOFE, Al2O3/SiO2, TOFE/SiO2, and (TOFE + Al2O3)/SiO2 contents in the paleosol and loess reflect the dominant periods of East Asian summer monsoon. The cold periods C1, C2, C3, C4, C7, C9, C10, and C11 revealed by primary chemical element contents in the CGS1 correspond well to the cold events in the North Atlantic. We attributed the climate fluctuations to the combination impact of oceans and atmosphere triggered by the weakened AMOC. Furthermore, we found more cold periods such as C5, C6, and C8 in the CGS1 than those in the North Atlantic, which were also discovered in some other places of China. They serve as new evidence in China's deserts to support global climate variations during the Holocene

High Performance Gas Separation Mixed Matrix Membrane Fabricated by Incorporation of Functionalized Submicrometer-Sized Metal-Organic Framework

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) attract great attention due to their outstanding gas separation performance. The compatibility between the fillers and the polymer matrix is one of the key points for the preparation of high-performance MMMs. In this work, MMMs consisting of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) of amine-modified Cu-BTC (NH2-Cu-BTC; BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid) and submicrometer-sized amine-modified Cu-BTC (sub-NH2-Cu-BTC) incorporated into a Pebax-1657 polymer were fabricated for the gas separation. The SEM image and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra showed an increase in the surface roughness of MOFs and the presence of amino groups on the surface of Cu-BTC after the amination modification, and a decrease in the size of MOFs crystals after the submicrometer-sized aminated modification. Gas adsorption analysis indicated that NH2-Cu-BTC and sub-NH2-Cu-BTC had a higher gas adsorption capacity for CO2 compared to the unmodified Cu-BTC. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image showed that NH2-Cu-BTC and sub-NH2-Cu-BTC, especially sub-NH2-Cu-BTC, had a better compatibility with a polyether-block-amide (Pebax) matrix in the MMMs. The gas separation performance indicated that the Pebax/sub-NH2-Cu-BTC MMMs evidently improved the CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 selectivity at the expense of a slight CO2 permeability. The results reveal that modified MOF-filled MMMs possess great potential for applications in the CO2 separation field

Development of Plastid Genomic Resources for Discrimination and Classification of Epimedium wushanense (Berberidaceae)

Epimedium wushanense (Berberidaceae) is recorded as the source plant of Epimedii Wushanensis Folium in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. However, controversies exist on the classification of E. wushanense and its closely related species, namely, E. pseudowushanense, E. chlorandrum, E. mikinorii, E. ilicifolium, and E. borealiguizhouense. These species are often confused with one another because of their highly similar morphological characteristics. This confusion leads to misuse in the medicinal market threatening efficiency and safety. Here, we studied the plastid genomes of these Epimedium species. Results show that the plastid genomes of E. wushanense and its relative species are typical circular tetramerous structure, with lengths of 156,855–158,251 bp. A total of 112 genes were identified from the Epimedium plastid genomes, including 78 protein-coding, 30 tRNA, and 4 rRNA genes. A loss of rpl32 gene in E. chlorandrum was found for the first time in this study. The phylogenetic trees constructed indicated that E. wushanense can be distinguished from its closely related species. E. wushanense shows a closer relationship to species in ser. Dolichocerae. In conclusion, the use of plastid genomes contributes useful genetic information for identifying medicinally important species E. wushanense and provides new evidence for understanding phylogenetic relationships within the Epimedium genus

Resistance monitoring and cross-resistance role of CYP6CW1 between buprofezin and pymetrozine in field populations of Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén)

Abstract Monitoring resistance and investigating insecticide resistance mechanisms are necessary for controlling the small brown planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus. The susceptibility to four common insecticides of L. striatellus collected from Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang and Jilin provinces of China in 2015 was monitored. The results showed that all field populations remained susceptible to chlorpyrifos and thiamethoxam with resistance ratios (RRs) of 2.3- to 9.5 and 1.6- to 3.3, respectively, while the insects had developed moderate pymetrozine resistance with RRs of 18.7 to 34.5. Resistance against buprofezin had developed to an alarmingly high level in three southeastern provinces of China with RRs of 108.8 to 156.1, but in Jilin it had an RR of only 26.6. Moreover, in line with both the buprofezin and pymetrozine resistance levels, we found LsCYP6CW1 to be over-expressed in all field L. striatellus populations, which indicated that it might be important for cross-resistance between buprofezin and pymetrozine. RNA interference (RNAi) ingestion resulted in the effective suppression of LsCYP6CW1 expression, and significantly increased susceptibility to both buprofezin and pymetrozine compared with the control, which further confirmed that overexpression of LsCYP6CW1 was involved in the cross-resistance to buprofezin and pymetrozine in field L. Striatellus populations