Room temperature H2S micro-sensors with anti-humidity properties fabricated from NiO-In2O3 composite nanofibers

NiO-In2O3 composite nanofibers are synthesized via electrospinning and calcining techniques.Micro-sensors are fabricated by sputtering Pt electrodes on Si chips to form sensor substrates,and then spinning the NiO-In2O3 composite nanofibers onto the sensor substrate surface.The as-fabricated micro-sensors exhibit excellent H2S sensing properties at room temperature.The sensitivity of the micro-sensors is up to 6 when the sensors are exposed to 3μL/LH2S,and the corresponding response and recovery times are 14 and 22 s,respectively.The micro-sensors also exhibit high selectivity and good stability.Especially,the micro-sensors can operate at various humidity conditions.The sensitivity of the micro-sensors is 3.8 to 3μL/LH2S at 75% relative humidity.These characteristics make the micro-sensors good candidates for practical H2S sensors with high performance.     

Patterning the neuronal cells via inkjet printing of self-assembled peptides on silk scaffolds

The patterning of neuronal cells and guiding neurite growth are important for neuron tissue engineering and cell-based biosensors. In this paper, inkjet printing has been employed to pattern self-assembled I₃QGK peptide nanofibers on silk substrates for guiding the growth of neuron-like PC12 cells. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) confirmed the dynamic self-assembly of I₃QGK into nanofiber structures. The printed self-assembled peptide strongly adheres to regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) substrates through charge-charge interactions. It was observed that in the absence of I₃QGK, PC12 cells exhibited poor attachment to RSF films, while for RSF surfaces coated or printed with peptide nanofibers, cellular attachment was significantly improved in terms of both cell density and morphology. AFM results revealed that peptide nanofibers can promote the generation of axons and terminal buttons of PC12 cells, indicating that I₃QGK nanofibers not only promote cellular attachment but also facilitate differentiation into neuronal phenotypes. Inkjet printing allows complex patterning of peptide nanofibers onto RSF substrates, which enabled us to engineer cell alignment and provide an opportunity to direct axonal development in vitro. The live/dead assay showed that printed I₃QGK patterns exhibit no cytotoxicity to PC12 cells demonstrating potential for future nerve tissue engineering applications.     

Protective effects of nitric oxide on salt stress-induced oxidative damage to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves

The changes of chlorophyll and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, plasma membrane permeability confirmed that 0.1 and 1 mmol/L sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a donor of nitric oxide (NO) in vivo, could markedly alleviate the oxidative damage to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves induced by 150 and 300 mmol/L NaCl treatments, respectively. Further results proved that NO significantly enhanced the activities of Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), both of which separately contributed to the delay of O ₂ ⁻ and H₂O₂ accumulation in wheat leaves under salt stress. Meanwhile, the accumulation of proline was apparently accelerated. Therefore, these results suggested that NO could strongly protect wheat leaves from oxidative damage caused by salt stress.     

三峡水库不同运行工况下中段干流碳源气体释放通量研究

来自陆地大量有机碳源的输入,以及三峡库区调度运行和筑坝蓄水导致CO_2、CH_4等碳源气体的排放成为近来关注的热点。以三峡库区干流中段为研究对象,于2017年8月—2018年11月对忠县(ZX),万州(WZ),涪陵(FL)进行每月采样分析,探求水-气界面CO_2、CH_4通量在水库不同运行工况下的变化特征。研究发现,在观测期间内,ZX采样点CO_2浓度在0.008 6～0.115 3 mmol/L波动,WZ采样点CO_2浓度在0.003 5～0.116 8 mmol/L波动,FL采样点0.006 3～0.098 6 mmol/L,整体上3个采样点的CO_2浓度变化趋于一致,都在库区泄水期运行4—5月CO_2浓度达到峰值,在低水位运行期的6—9月降到最低值。CH_4通量在水库低水位运行期表现为"汇",FL点位在泄水期达到"源"的最大值;3个采样点的CO_2通量在泄水期均表现为"源"的特征,低水位运行期的CO_2通量表现为"源"与"汇"的转换。通过与国外已有水库监测数据比较分析,CO_2扩散通量在全球水库序列中处于中等水平,CH_4扩散通量在全球水库序列中处于中等偏下水平。     

Improved and excellent CO sensing properties of Cu-doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanofibers

Cu-doped TiO2 nanofibers with an average diameter of about 80 nm are synthesized through an electrospinning method. Both anatase and rutile crystallographic structures are found in the fibers based on XRD results. Compared with pure TiO2 nanofibers, the Cu-doped TiO2 nanofibers exhibit improved CO sensing properties at 300°C. The sensitivity of Cu-doped TiO2 nanofibers is up to 3 when the sensor is exposed to 5 ppm CO, and the response and recovery times are about 4 and 8 s, respectively. Good selectivity i...     

Kaolin-based geopolymers with various NaOH concentrations

Kaolin geopolymers were produced by the alkali-activation of kaolin with an activator solution (a mixture of NaOH and sodium silicate solutions). The NaOH solution was prepared at a concentration of 6–14 mol/L and was mixed with the sodium silicate solution at a Na₂SiO₃/NaOH mass ratio of 0.24 to prepare an activator solution. The kaolin-to-activator solution mass ratio used was 0.80. This paper aimed to analyze the effect of NaOH concentration on the compressive strength of kaolin geopolymers at 80℃ for 1, 2, and 3 d. Kaolin geopolymers were stable in water, and strength results showed that the kaolin binder had adequate compressive strength with 12 mol/L of NaOH concentration. When the NaOH concentration increased, the SiO₂/Na₂O decreased. The increased Na₂O content enhanced the dissolution of kaolin as shown in X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. However, excess in this content was not beneficial for the strength development of kaolin geopolymers. In addition, there was the formation of more geopolymeric gel in 12 mol/L samples. The XRD pattern of the samples showed a higher amorphous content and a more geopolymer bonding existed as proved by FTIR analysis.     

Novel enzymatically crosslinked chitosan hydrogels with free-radical-scavenging property and promoted cellular behaviors under hyperglycemia

The impairment of regenerative processes induced by high blood-glucose level (hyperglycemia) and excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) contributes to the diabetic complication progression and development. In this study, an injectable, in situ crosslinkable chitosan hydrogel with ROS-scavenging capability was developed by conjugating gallic acid onto the chitosan backbone (CGA). We hypothesized that gallic acid serves as both antioxidant and crosslinking moieties to form hydrogel in situ by means of enzymatic crosslinking with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The rapid gelation (from 30 s) was observed by vial tilting. The mechanical properties and microstructures of CGA hydrogels can be well controlled by varying the concentrations of H₂O₂. The ROS-scavenging ability of these CGA hydrogels was demonstrated against DPPH radical, hydroxyl radical, and total reducing power. Notably, in an in vitro hyperglycemia environment, CGA hydrogels significantly improved the proliferation and migration of human dermal fibroblast cells, which are closely related to diabetic wound healing. These results suggest that CGA hydrogels have potential as advanced materials for the treatment of diabetes-related diseases via attenuating the excessive ROS production and improving cellular behaviors.     

Research at channel level on the effect of LaCl3 on Radish (Raphanus satirus L.) vacuolar membrane

We recorded slow vacuolar (SV-type) channel currents of Radish vacuoles successfully for the first time by using the whole-vacuolar patch-clamp recording mode. SV- type currents would increase and threshold potentials of activation would shift towards more negative values with the increase of concentrations of cytosolic Ca²⁺. When 2.5 mmol/ L LaCl₃ and 4 mmol/L EGTA were added to bath solutions, SV-type currents were suppressed remarkably. Then adding LaCl₃ with different concentrations to pipette solutions, we found that LaCl₃ with higher concentrations (＞4 ´ 10^-7 mol/L) had a strong inhibitory effect on SV-type currents, while LaCl₃ with lower concentrations (≤4 ´ 10^-7 mol/L) promoted channel currents. This promoting effect provides an important basis at channel level for researching further the effects of rare earth on physiological activities of plants and the production-increase effects of rare earth fertilizers on crops.     

Separation and analysis of the soluble trimer of Aβ1-40 and its effects on the rise in intracellular calcium

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the progressive neurodegenerative diseases associated with protein conformational transition, generally known as protein conformational disorders[1]. The general characteriza- tions of AD are the intracellular fibrillar…     

Ca2+ signals induced from calcium stores in pancreatic islet β cells

In single rat pancreatic β cells, using fura-2 microfluorometry to measure [Ca²⁺]i response upon different stimuli, the ways of calcium regulation have been studied. When the extracellular calcium concentration was 2.5 mmol/L, either 60 mmol/L KCl, 20 mmol/L D-glucose or 0.1 mmol/L tolbutamide induced increase in [Ca²⁺]i. Such increase in [Ca²⁺]i was absent when the same stimuli were applied under zero extracellular calcium. These results indicate that the increase of [Ca²⁺]i is induced by the activation of voltage-dependent calcium channels in β cells. The manifold forms of [Ca²⁺]i change induced by glucose imply that the effects of glucose are complex. 5 mmol/L caffeine or 5 mmol/L MCh increase the [Ca²⁺]i, which is independent of the external calcium, suggesting that [Ca²⁺]i can be regulated by Ca²⁺ release from not only the IP₃-sensitive but also the ryanodine sensitive calcium stores in β cells. The latency of Ca responses for IP₃ pathway (5 s) is faster than that for ryanodine pathway (30 s). It is concluded that there are multiple calcium stores in rat pancreatic β cells.     

Effect of Cl- on photosynthetic bicarbonate uptake in two cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa and Synechocystis PCC6803

Photosynthetic inorganic carbon utilization was investigated in two cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa and Synechocystis PCC6803 grown in standing culture. Photosynthetic rates for the two algae reached about 10 times the theoretical CO₂ supply rate at low dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of 100 μmol/L, and the rates were unaffected by the addition of 20 mmol/L Na⁺, indicating that the two algae possessed Na+-independent HCO^-₃ utilization for photosynthesis under low DIC. Their photo- synthetic rates at low DIC were inhibited by higher Cl^- and the degrees of inhibition were increased with the rise of CI^- concentration, and in the presence of Diphenylamine-2-carboxylate (DPC), a reported Cl^- channel inhibitor, the rates decreased by 74%－82%, implying that putative DPC-sensitive Cl^- channels participate in Na+-independent HCO₃^- uptake for photosynthesis. The experiment of intracellular 14C-DIC accumulation for photosynthesis showed that internal DIC pools decreased by about 80% with 200 μmol/L DPC and by 64%－70% with 100 mmol/L Cl^-. The experiment of chlorophyll a fluorescence quenching showed that initial rates and extents of fluorescence quenching obviously decreased with 200 μmol/L DPC or 100 mmol/L Cl^-. The two experiments gave further evidence that putative DPC-sen- sitive Cl^- channels participate in Na+-independent HCO^-₃ uptake for photosynthesis in the two algae grown in standing culture.     

Influence of sulfides on the tribological properties of composites produced by pulse electric current sintering

Self-lubricating Al₂O₃-15wt% ZrO₂ composites with sulfides, such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) and tungsten disulfide (WS₂) serving as solid lubricants, were fabricated by using the pulse electric current sintering (PECS) technique. The coefficient of friction (COF) of the Al₂O₃-15wt% ZrO₂ composite without/with sulfides was in the range of 0.37–0.48 and 0.27–0.49, respectively. As the amount of sulfides increased, the COF and the wear rate decreased. The reduction in COF and wear rate of the sulfide-containing composite is caused by a reduction in shear stresses between the specimen and the tribological medium due to the formation of a lubricating film resulting from the lamellar structure of sulfides located on the worn surface.     

Synthesis and magnetic properties of Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/helical carbon nanofiber nanocomposites from the catalytic pyrolysis of ferrocene

High purity Fe3O4 /helical carbon nanofiber composites were obtained on a large scale by the catalytic pyrolysis of ferrocene in the presence of tin powder at 500°C over 12 h. The sizes of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles are 35–65 nm in size, and the diameters of the helical carbon nanofibers range from 40–70 nm. The shapes and compositions of the nanocomposites are simply controlled by adjusting the reaction temperatures. On the basis of the obtained experimental results the formation of the helical Fe3O4/carbon nanofiber composites was investigated and discussed. The magnetic hysteresis loop of the products shows ferromagnetic behavior with saturation magnetization (M s ), remanent magnetization (M r ) and coercivity (H c ) values of ca. 29.8 emu/g, 9.6 emu/g and 306.6 Oe, respectively.     

Effect of Nano red elemental selenium on GPx activity of broiler chick kidney cells<Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>

A new selenium source, Nano red elemental selenium (Nano-Se) was used to study the effect on the GPx activity of broiler chick kidney cells (BCKC)in vitro, Sodium selenite (Na₂SeO₃) and seleno-1-methionine (Se-Met) were used as the controls. The results showed that the effects of three kinds of Se forms on the GPx activity of BCKC were accordant (p>0.05) compared with each other at 0.01. 0.05 and 0.10 μmol/L Se concentrations treatments. In the range of 0.00–0.10 μmol/L Se concentrations, the GPx activity increased with elevation of Se concentrations in medium. For the three kinds of Se forms, the GPx activity reached the climax at 0.10 μmol/L Se concentration. At 0.20 and 0.30 μmol/L Se concentrations, the influnces of three kinds of Se forms were not accordant with one another. For Nano-Se, the GPx activity at 0.20 and 0.30 μmoi/L Se concentrations remained the same as that at 0.10 μmol/L Se concentration treatment. For Se-Met, the GPx activity at 0.20 μmol/L Se concentration treatment remained the same with 0.10 μmol/L treatment; the GPx activity at 0.30 μmol/L Se concentration treatment was declined significantly (p<0.05) compared with 0.10 or 0.20 μmol/L treatment. For Na₂SeO₃, the GPx activity falled gradually with Se concentration increasing from 0.10 μmol/L to 0.30 μmol/L, and at 0.30 μmol/L Se concentration treatment, the GPx activity was less than the original of BCKC. The results implicated, on the GPx activity of BCKCin vitro, the ranking of width range of the most suitable Se concentration for nutrition curve of the three Se formes is Nano-Se>Se-Met>Na₂SeO₃. Foundation item: Supported by the Key Item of the Science and Technology Bureau of Zhejiang Province (021122680) Biography: Xu Bao-hua (1966-), male, Associate professor, Ph. D. research direction: nanobiology and animal nutrition.     

The first determination of atmospheric phosphine in Antarctica

It is generally thought that phosphine (PH3) concentrations exist at the low ng/m3 level during the night and at the pg/m3 level during daylight in the remote atmosphere of the lower troposphere. The first de- termination of gaseous PH3 on the Antarctic Millor Peninsula is reported in this paper. No PH3 was de- tected in the air samples around 10:00 when it was sunny. However, PH3 was found in all the 10:00 air samples when it was cloudy or light snow with the average of 75.3±28.8 ng/m3 (n=5). It was also found in nearly all the samples around 22:00 with the average of 87.2±70.9 ng/m3 (n=11). Atmospheric PH3 concentrations around 22:00 were generally higher than those around 10:00 in January and they were almost the same in February. In addition, PH3 concentrations around 22:00 showed a downtrend with the decreasing air temperature, suggesting that light intensity and air temperature had an important effect on atmospheric PH3 concentration. It is very surprising to have found that high concentrations of PH3 exist in the Antarctic atmosphere under the influence of strong UV-radiation and light intensity. The tentative analyses show that dry, cold and very clean atmosphere may be very suitable for the PH3 sur- vival and cause the concentration to increase and accumulate in the local atmosphere. New ap- proaches for the PH3 formation and the process of atmospheric chemistry may exist under such an extreme environment. Atmospheric PH3 may also be from the emissions of local sources.     

Effect of CO2 enrichment on the glucosinolate contents under different nitrogen levels in bolting stem of Chinese kale (Brassica alboglabra L.)

The effects of CO₂ enrichment on the growth and glucosinolate (GS) concentrations in the bolting stem of Chinese kale (Brassica alboglabra L.) treated with three nitrogen (N) concentrations (5, 10, and 20 mmol/L) were investigated. Height, stem thickness, and dry weights of the total aerial parts, bolting stems, and roots, as well as the root to shoot ratio, significantly increased as CO₂ concentration was elevated from 350 to 800 μl/L at each N concentration. In the edible part of the bolting stem, 11 individual GSs were identified, including 7 aliphatic and 4 indolyl GSs. GS concentration was affected by the elevated CO₂ concentration, N concentration, and CO₂×N interaction. At 5 and 10 mmol N/L, the concentrations of aliphatic GSs and total GSs significantly increased, whereas those of indolyl GSs were not affected, by elevated atmospheric CO₂. However, at 20 mmol N/L, elevated CO₂ had no significant effects on the concentrations of total GSs and total indolyl GSs, but the concentrations of total aliphatic GSs significantly increased. Moreover, the bolting stem carbon (C) content increased, whereas the N and sulfur (S) contents decreased under elevated CO₂ concentration in the three N treatments, resulting in changes in the C/N and N/S ratios. Also the C/N ratio is not a reliable predictor of change of GS concentration, while the changes in N and S contents and the N/S ratio at the elevated CO₂ concentration may influence the GS concentration in Chinese kale bolting stems. The results demonstrate that high nitrogen supply is beneficial for the growth of Chinese kale, but not for the GS concentration in bolting stems, under elevated CO₂ condition.     

Preparation of metal oxide doped ACNFs and their adsorption performance for low concentration SO2

Metal oxide （TiO2 or Co304） doped activated carbon nanofibers （ACNFs） were prepared by electrospinning. These nanofibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and Brunner- Emmett-Teller method （BET）. The results show that the average diameters of ACNFs were within the range of 200-500 nm, and the lengths were several tens of micrometers. The specific surface areas were 1146.7 m2/g for TiO2-doped ACNFs and 1238.5 m2/g for Co304-doped ACNFs, respectively. The electrospun nanofibers were used for adsorption of low concentration sulfur dioxide （SO2）. The results showed that the adsorption rates of these ACNFs increased with an increase in SO2concentration. When the SO2 concentration was 1.0 μg/mL, the adsorption rates of TiO2-doped ACNFs and Co3Oa-doped ACNFs were 66.2% and 67.1%, respectively. The adsorption rate also increased as the adsorption time increased. When the adsorption time was 40 min, the adsorption rates were 67.6% and 69.0% for TiO2-doped ACNFs and Co304-doped ACNFs, respectively. The adsorption rate decreased as the adsorption temperature increased below 60℃, while it increased as the adsorption temperature increased to more than 60℃.     

水厂污泥制备可吸附污染物的生态透水砖

污泥制砖是现阶段污泥资源化、稳定无害化、产业化途径之一。采用黏土作为黏结材料添加到给水厂污泥中烧结透水砖;并对制备的烧结砖吸附水体中污染物的性能进行了试验。用黏土作为添加剂加入到水厂污泥中制备透水砖的最佳条件是给水厂污泥、黏土和石英砂的比例分别为40%、30%、30%,在30 MPa的压力下压制成砖坯,烧成温度为1 100℃,保温时间为3 h,制成品抗压强度达到32. 7 MPa,透水系数为1. 06×10~(-2)cm/s,满足透水砖标准的要求。在实际生产中,为了尽量多地利用给水厂污泥,可将污泥的比例控制在45%左右,粗骨料标准砂的粒径控制在0. 8～1. 2 mm之间,水厂污泥筛分至0. 3 mm左右,黏土筛分至0. 125 mm左右。烧结砖吸附水中污染物试验表明,震荡吸附60 h后,其对初始浓度分别为158 mg/L、6. 17 mg/L和10. 86 mg/L的COD、NH_4~+-N和TP的去除率分别为25%、30%和57%。     

油菜籽焦磷酸:果糖-6-磷酸1-磷酸转移酶的动力学研究

采用DEAE-Sephadex A-50及磷酸纤维素柱层析,用底物亲和洗脱法从萌发油菜(Brassica napus)种子中分离纯化了焦磷酸:果糖-6-磷酸1-磷酸转移酶(PFP).纯化倍数679.7倍,比活力为21.75 单位/毫克.蛋白,活力回收率22.9%.酶的最适pH值为7.5,Mg2+和M2+n对酶有激活作用.进行酶的初级动力学及稳态动力学研究,对果糖-6-磷酸(F6P)表现为典型的米氏规律,Km值为3.33 mmol/L;对焦磷酸(PPi)的活力变化,在PPi浓度小于1.0 mmol/L时具有部分米氏酶特点(Km＝1.0 mmol/L),大于1.0 mmol/L时,PPi对酶有抑制作用.从两底物F6P和PPi的相互作用以及产物磷酸(Pi)与底物(F6P和PPi)的相互关系分析,初步推断油菜籽PFP的催化反应为双底物双产物的有序机制.     

HPLC determination of ascorbic acid using luminol-Cu (II) chemiluminescence-application to the analysis of Juice beverage

The chemiluminescence (CL) of luminol-Cu (II) was applied to HPLC determination of ascorbic acid, which was separated by a C₁₈ reverse-phase column with a mobile phase of 0.25 mol/L HAc. The eluted ascorbic acid was mixed with 0.3 mmol/L luminol and 0.05 mol/L CuSO₄. The light emission from the reaction of Cu(II) oxidized ascorbic acid and luminol was detected by a modified luminometer. The detection limit was 3.6×10⁻⁶ mol/L for ascorbic acid at aS/N ratio of 3, and the linear calibration range was 2×10⁻⁴–2×10⁻³ mol/L. The relative standard deviation for 5 replicate injections of 1×10⁻³ mol/L ascorbic acid was calculated as 4.3%. The method was successfully applied to determination of ascorbic acid in juice beverage. Foundation item: National Natural Science Foundation of China (29605001) Biography: Wu Feng-wu(1963-), male, research direction: analytical chemistry.