β_2-Adrenoceptor affinity chromatography and its application in the screening of the active compounds from Semen Armeniacae Amarum

β2-Adrenoceptor (β2-AR) was purified from the rabbit lung tissue by sepharose-salbutamol affinity chromatographic column. To prepare the β2-AR stationary phase, β2-AR was evenly immobilized on the surface of macro-pore silica with a mild chemical coupling method through covalent bond. The reten- tion properties of β2-AR stationary phase were characterized by four ligands, salbutamol sulfate, noradrenaline bitartrate, adrenaline hydrochloride and propranolol hydrochloride, to establish the β2-AR affinity chromatography. Then, the method was used to screen the active compounds from the total extracts of Semen Armeniacae Amarum. The results showed that β2-AR on the surface of the sta- tionary phase could keep its original bioactivity and selectivity. Amygdalin retained in the chroma- tographic column was proved to be the active compound of the total extracts of Semen Armeniacae Amarum. Compared with the existing chromatographic screening approaches, this method showed a good stability and high selectivity. The active compounds which could interact with β2-AR in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) could be screened efficiently by this method, providing a new way to screen the active compounds in complicated samples such as TCM.     

CeO2: an active and selective catalyst for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane with CO2

It was assumed that the homogeneous dehydrogenation of CiHg occurred in the gas phase was independent of the presence of catalysts and this is applicable to the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane with CO2 over CeO2 . On the basis of this assumption, a method was developed to analyze the contribution of C2rtj formation from heterogeneous catalysis. In this study, ceria was found to be active and selective for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane with CO2 and the selectivity to C, H4 was above 60 % and the actual contribution for C, H4 formation from heterogeneous catalysis was about 55%— 75% in the range of 953—993 K.     

Establishment of the model of vascular endothelial cell membrane chromatography and its preliminary application

A model of vascular endothelial cell membrane chromatography was established by using an ECV304 cell membrane stationary phase (ECV304 CMSP) prepared by immobilizing the ECV304 cell membrane onto the surface of silica carrier. The surface and chromatographic characteristics of ECV304 CMSP were studied. The active component from Caulophyllum robustum was screened by using the model of vascular endothelial cell membrane chromatography. The interaction between the active component and membrane receptor was determined by using a replace experiments. The effect of the active component was tested by using tube formation of ECV304 cell. The results indicated that the model of ECV304 cell membrane chromatograph (ECV304 CMC) can stimulate the interaction between drug and receptor in vitro and the retention characteristics of taspine as active component was similar to that of model molecule in the model of ECV304 CMC. And therefore, taspine acted on VEGFR2 and inhibited the tube formation of ECV304 cell induced by VEGF. This model can be used to screen definite active component as a screening model.     

Affinity ultrafiltration of DNA topoisomerases-targeted compounds determined with HPLC／ESI-MS for drug candidate screening

A method of screening assay is demonstrated. The approach is based on the affinity of antitumor candidates for topoisomerases. In this method, antitumor candidates are fished out using topoisomerases as targets. Traditional analysis of complex compounds typically encounters signal suppression due to the relatively low concentrations, but enzyme-affinity screening for the active compounds can effectively concentrate the desired analysts into a small volume of high concen-tration. Active compounds are separated from non-affinity compounds by ultrafiltration. The molecules-enzymes complexes that are retained on the filter are subsequently separated by acidification to obtain the topoisomerases-affinity compounds for analysis on High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detec-tion (ESI-MS). This enzyme-affinity based screening assay provides a highly specific and efficient method that can directly screen, identify, and acquire drug candidates thus improving the accuracy and speed of high-throughput screening activities.     

β-Adrenergic activation enhances NMDA-induced current in pyramidal cells of the basolateral nucleus of amygdala

NMDA receptor （NMDA-R） in the amygdala complex is critical for both long-term potentiation （LTP） and formation of conditioned fear memory. It is reported that activation of β-adrenoceptors （β-AR） in the amygdala facilitates LTP and enhances memory consolidation. The present study examined the regulatory effect of β-AR activation on NMDA-R mediated current in pyramidal cells of the basolateral nucleus of amygdala （BLA）, using whole-cell recording technique. Bath application of the β-AR agonist isoproterenol enhanced NMDA-induced current, and this facilitatory effect was blocked by co-administered propranolol, a β-AR antagonist. The facilitatory effect of isoproterenol on NMDA-induced current could not be induced when the protein kinase A （PKA） inhibitor Rp-cAMPs was added in electrode internal solution.The present results suggest that β-AR activation in the BLA could modulate NMDA-R activity directly and positively, probably via PKA.     

Numerical simulation for volatile organic compound removal in rotating drum biofilter

Rotating drum biofilters (RDBs) could effectively remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from waste gas streams. A mathematical model was developed on the basis of mass transport and mass balance equations in an RDB,the two-film theory,and the Monod kinetics. This model took account of mass transfer and biodegradation of VOC in the gas-water-biofilm three-phase system in the biofilter,and could simulate variations of VOC removal efficiency with a changing specific surface area and porosity of the media due to the increasing of biofilm thickness in the biofilter. Toluene was used as a model VOC. This model was further simplified by introducing a coefficient of the gas velocity and ne-glecting the water phase due to the complexity of operating conditions. The equations for the biofilm phase,gas phase,and biofilm accumulation in this model were solved using collocation method,ana-lytic method,and the Runge-Kutta method separately. A computer program was written down as MATLAB to solve this model. Results of numerical solutions showed that toluene removal efficiency in the RDB increased and reached the maximum values of 97% on day 4 after the startup,and then de-creased and remained at 90% after 5 more days of operation. Toluene concentration was high at the outermost layer where more than 70% toluene was removed,and was low at the innermost layer where less than 10% toluene was removed. The dynamic removal efficiencies from this model correlated reasonably well with experimental results for toluene removal in a multi-layered RDB.     

Development of the model of pancreatic β-cell membrane chromatography and its chromatographic characteristics

A new model of pancreatic β-cell membrane chromatography has been established by using a β-cell membrane stationary phase （β-CMSP） prepared by immobilizing the β-cell membrane onto the surface of silica carrier. The protein level and K^＋, Na^＋-ATP enzymatic activity of the β-CMSP were detected respectively. The surface characteristics of the β-CMSP were tested by using the scanning electron microscope and surface energy spectrometer. In this model, the column （10 mm × 2 mm, I.D.） packed with β-CMSP, 25 mmol/ammonium sulfate buffer solution （pH 7.4） as mobile phase with the flow rate of 0.2 mL/min at 37 ± 0.5℃ were used in the following studies. The retention characteristics of the sulfonylureas （gliquidone, glibenclamide, gliclazide and glipizide） were investigated under the chromatographic conditions above. The affinities of the sulfonylureas on β-cell membrane and receptor will be expressed by using the logk＇ values （the logarithm of capacity factor of a solute） in the model. The correlation of the affinity with the pharmacological effect of the sulfonylureas was analyzed also.     

Study on metabolites of bioactive compounds assisted by LC-SPE-NMR

Aim To study the metabolites of active compound dicentrine in miniature pig.Method Solvent extraction and column chromatographic methods were used to give the metabolites containing fractions of pig urine.UV absorption,mass spectrometry and HPLC-SPE-NMR were used to identify the metabolites of dicentrine.Results Twenty-four in total,including nine phase I metabolites(MI-1～9) and 15 phase II metabolites(MII-1～15),were characterized.Conclusion Dicentrine easily metabolizes into all kinds of compounds structurally related to pig body.     

The effect of laser surface texturing on the tribological performance of different Sialon ceramic phases

A tribological performance was carried out on different types of hot press Sialon ceramics regarding the phases, i.e., the α-Sialon phase, the β-Sialon phase, and the α/β-Sialon composite phase. The different phases of Sialon ceramics were analyzed by XRD patterns. For the tribological performance, the Sialon ceramics were laser textured and the starved lubrication method was applied with different dimple pitches under a load of 10 N at room temperature. The material having a dimple pitch of 200 mm shows the lowest coefficient of friction. The α/β-Sialon composite phase shows the least coefficient of friction i.e. 0.04 and 0.1 for the textured and polished(without being textured) samples, respectively. The Sialon ceramics show mild wear and therefore, the wear rate of the steel ball(mating partner) was taken into account for the wear analysis. The α-Sialon phase having a higher hardness shows the least wear in comparison to the α/β-Sialon composite phase and the β-Sialon phase.     

Determination of Polysaccharide in Radix pseudostellariae Extract by Size-Exclusion High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A simple size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for rapid molecular mass screening to determine the average molecular mass, polydispersity, and quantity of Taizishen polysaccharides extract. The screening used a TOSOH TSK-GEL G3000SW high-performance liquid chromatographic column with 0.1 mol/L NaNO3 buffer as the mobile phase and refractive index detec- tor. The molecular mass calibration curve was linear for polysaccharide standards from 10 to 100 kDa with a correlation coefficient of 0.9991. The method can be used to analyze the quantity, average molecular mass, and polydispersity of polysaccharides. In addition, the screening method is suitable for quality control of polysaccharide preparations in Chinese medicines and pharmaceutical products.     

New approach for screening anti—tumor compounds

A new screening approach for anticancer active compounds is presented.In this method,a target enzyme is incubated with a mixture of compounds,and then the com-plex formed by the target and small molecules is separated from the rest of the mixture by ultra-filtration.The complex that is retained on the membrane is subsequently washed with acid and small molecules that are specifically bound to the target are released and collected,then analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatograph combined with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS) analysis.We have successfully applied this method to screen anti-cancer compounds.DNA topoisomerase Ⅱ is used as a target to capture anti-tumor candidates from a mixture of combinatorial compounds,such as doxorubicin,daunorubi-cin and pravastain.     

Investigation on the synthesis mechanism of β-FeSi2 prepared by pulsed laser deposition

The FeSi2 target alloy was fabricated by conventional powder metallurgy technology, and then, β-FeSi2 thin films was successfully prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were used to characterize the structure, composition, and their changes in the process of β-FeSi2 preparation. In addition, a laser sintering process was also employed to prepare FeSi2 alloy. The analysis of radiation heat transfers in different-sized FeSi2 melt indicates that the cooling rate of the melt depends on the size, i.e., the cooling rate of the micron sized melt is 103 times greater than that of the millimeter-sized melt. The product α-FeSi2 by laser sintering and β-FeSi2 by PLD reveals the different phase transition process in crystallization of milli-meter-sized and micron-sized (or submicron-sized) FeSi2 melt. The results of PLD preparation process shows that β-FeSi2 could be pre-pared through a liquid-phase sintering, followed by a rapid cooling.     

A pore-scale smoothed particle hydrodynamics model for lithium-ion batteries

A mesoscopic pore-scale model of multi-disciplinary processes coupled with electrochemical reactions in lithium-ion batteries is established via a relatively novel numerical method—smoothed particle hydrodynamics(SPH)method.This model is based on mesoscopic treatment to the electrode(including separator)micro-pore structures and solves a group of inter-coupled SPH equations,including charge(ion in electrolyte phase and electron in solid phase),species(Li?in electrolyte phase and lithium in solid active materials),and energy conservation equations.Model parameters,e.g.the physicochemical properties are location-dependent,directly associated with the local component of the medium.The electrochemical reactions are prescribed to occur exactly at the interface of solid active materials and electrolyte.Simulations to isothermal discharge processes of a battery of 2-dimensional idealized micro-pore structure in electrodes and separator preliminarily corroborate the reasonability and capability of the developed SPH model.     

Effects of calcium compounds on the carbothermic reduction of vanadium titanomagnetite concentrate

Effects of calcium compounds on the carbothermic reduction of vanadium titanomagnetite concentrate(VTC) were investigated. It was found that calcium compounds had great effects on the metallization rate of the reduction product, the order of the metallization rate of reduction product being CaCO_3 no additive CaSO_4 CaCl_2, which indicated that the addition of CaCO_3 was more conducive to promoting the reduction of iron than other calcium compounds. Gas analysis showed that there were mainly two processes in the carbothermic reduction of VTC, a solid–solid and a solid–gas reaction. The concentrations of CO and CO_2 were highest when CaCO_3 was added, while that in a roasting system decreased the most when CaCl_2 was added. X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis showed that calcium compounds could change the reduction process of ilmenite in VTC. The phase compositions of the reduction products were changed from metallic iron(Fe) and anosovite(FeTi_2O_5) to metallic iron(Fe) and perovekite(CaTiO_3) when calcium compounds were added. Additionally, CaSO_4 and CaCl_2 could significantly promote the growth of metallic iron particles, though the existence of Fe-bearing Mg_2TiO_4 in reduction products was not conducive to the reduction of iron. The formation of FeS would further hinder the reduction of iron after adding CaSO_4.     

The Development of Materials for the Production of Hydrogen from Bio-ethanol

1 Results There is an increased interest in the hydrogen production from renewable sources. In this context, recently, numerous studies which use ethanol for hydrogen production have appeared. Ethanol is easily handled, non-toxic, and it can be obtained from biomass. The steam-reforming of bioethanol has been shown to beeffective for hydrogen production:C2H5OH 3 H2O  6 H2 2 CO2. Six moles of hydrogen can be yielded for each mole of ethanol reacted. However, depending on the catalyst used, other undesirable reactions could take place.Taking into account the complexity of the process, the development of materials which could be used as catalysts with high performance from the point of view of selectivity and activity is a research area of current interest. Several metallic phases have been shown to be active for the process, being cobalt-based catalysts promising catalysts which are active at temperatures relatively low and have been shown high selectivity values under total conversion of ethanol.     

Biosynthesis of selenosubtilisin: A novel way to target selenium into the active site of subtilisin

Glutathione peroxidase （GPx, EC1.11.1.9）, an important anti-oxidative selenoenzyme, can catalyze the reduction of harmful hydroperoxides with concomitant glutathione, thereby protecting cells and other biological issues against oxidative damage. It captures considerable interest in redesign of its function for either the mechanism study or the pharmacological development as an antioxidant. In order to develop a general strategy for specifically targeting and operating selenium in active sites of enzymes, the catalytically essential residue selenocysteine （Sec） was first successfully bioincorporated into the catalytic center of subtilisin by using an auxotrophic expression system. The studies of the catalytic activity and the steady-state kinetics demonstrated that selenosubtilisin is an excellent GPx-like biocatalyst. In comparison with the chemically modified method, biosynthesis exhibits obvious advantages： Sec could be site-directly incorporated into active sites of enzymes to overcome the non-specificity generated by chemical modification. This study provides an important strategy for specifically targeting and operating selenium in the active site of an enzyme.     

Separation of C6-Olefin Isomers in Reactive Extractants

Chemical complexation, in which certain metal ions （especially Ag^＋ and Cu^＋） reversibly and selectively complex olefin isomers, was used to separate 1-hexene from a mixture of internal hexenes as an attractive alternative to traditional distillation. Several potential reactive extractants were investigated for their selectivity of both 1-hexene to 2-hexene and 1-hexene to 3-hexene. With 3 mol/L AgNO3-N-methyl-pyrrolidone （NMP） solution as extractant, the selectivity of 1-hexene to 3-hexane was increased to about 2.0 and the selectivity of 1-hexene to 2-hexene reached 1.5. Both the raffinate phase and the extracted phase were analyzed using a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector and a 50-m capillary column. The experimental results show that the silver nitrate NMP solution has the better selectivity than other reactive extractions.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In situ</Emphasis> synthesis of TiC reinforced Cu<Subscript>47</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>34</Subscript>Zr<Subscript>11</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>8</Subscript> bulk metallic glass composites

In situ synthesized TiC particles and β-Ti dendrites reinforced Cu47Ti34Zr11Ni8 bulk metallic glass (BMG) composite ingots were prepared by the suction casting method.The ingots with diameters from 1 up to 4mm were successfully obtained. It was shown that introducing TiC micro-sized particles into the amorphous matrix did not disturb the glass forming ability (GFA) of the matrix,while the yield strength and ductility could be well improved.The phase constitution, microstructure and elements distribution in the composites were studied by OM, XRD, SEM and EDS.It was shown that the in situ synthesized TiC particles acting as heterogeneous nucleation sites promoted the precipitation of β-Ti dendrites, resulting in the formation of the TiC particles and β-Ti dendrites co-reinforced BMG composites. The compressive tests were employed to probe the yield strength and ductility of BMG composites.     

Study on the electronic structure of nickel hydroxide by quantum chemical DV-Xα calculation

The electronic structures of atom clusters NiTO12H12^2＋ and NiTO12H9^- of β-Ni（OH）2 were calculated by quantum chemical DV-Xα method. By analyzing the state densities, orbital populations, net charges and electric charge density differences of the selected clusters, it was indicated that β-Ni（OH）2was not typical ionic crystal, and the bonds between Ni and O atoms had obvious covalent characteristics. The bonds between H atom and other atoms in the crystal structure were weaker, which ensured that H atoms can easily deintercalate and intercalate into β-Ni（OH）2. The structure of β-Ni（OH）2 was not changed by moderate de-intercalation of H atoms. However, with the excessive de-intercalation of H atoms, the structure of β-Ni（OH）2 changed and the electrochemical active properties were reduced.