Preparation of pH-responsive ceramic composite membranes by grafting acrylic acid onto α-alumina membranes

A pH-responsive ceramic composite membrane was prepared by chemical graft polymerization of acrylic acid （AA） onto the KH-570 modified （x-alumina membrane. The influence of monomer concentration on the gating characteristics of the pH-responsive membrane was investigated. The FT-IR spectrum, contact angle and water filtration rate of the membrane were measured. The monomer concentration was found to have a remarkable effect on the pH-response coefficient and the water filtration rate. In addition, the grafted membrane exhibited fast and reversible response to the pH change in the external solution.     

Molecular mechanism of abnormal aggresation of α-synuclein

The abnormal aggregation of α-synuclein （α-Syn） is thought to be closely associated with Parkinson＇s disease, but the pathogenesis is still unclear. In this review, we survey the latest development in the molecular mechanism of abnormal α-Syn aggregation, especially in the aspects of the core sequences, aggregation inhibitors, structural transformation and filament morphologies. By exploring the mechanism of α-Syn aggregation, we will have a better understanding of the disease pathogenesis, and develop strategies for preventing and treating this severe disease.     

Stability study of saturated red polymer light-emitting diodes

Saturated red polymer light-emitting diodes have been fabricated with a single emitting polymer blend layer of poly[2-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-5-methoxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) and poly[9,9-dioc- tylfluorene-co-4,7-di-2-thienyl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole] (PFO-DBT15). Saturated red emission with the Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.67, 0.33) was obtained. The device stability was investigated. The results showed that energy transfer occurred from MEH-PPV to PFO-DBT15, and MEH-PPV improved the hole injection and transportation.     

Protein adsorption on materials surfaces with nano-topography

Protein adsorption behavior on the surfaces of biomedical materials is highly related to the biocom- patibility of the materials. In the past, numerous research reports were mainly focused on the effect of chemical components of a material’s surface on protein adsorption. The effect of surface topography on protein adsorption, the topic of this review, has recently received keen interest. The influence of surface nano-topographic factors, including roughness, curvature and geometry, on protein adsorption as well as the protein adsorption behavior, such as the amount of protein adsorbed, the activity and morphology of adsorbed protein, is introduced.     

Study on peptide-peptide interaction using high-performance affinity chromatography and quartz crystal microbalance biosensor

The specific interaction between sense and antisense peptides was studied by high-performance affinity chromatography （HPAC） and quartz crystal microbalance （QCM） biosensor. Fragment 1-14 of human interferon-β （hlFN-βwas chosen as sense peptide and its three antisense peptides （AS-IFN 1, AS-IFN 2, and AS-IFN 3） were designed according to the degeneracy of genetic codes. The affinity column was prepared with sense peptide as ligand and the affinity chromatographic behavior was evaluated. Glu-substituted antisense peptide （AS-IFN 3） showed the strongest binding to immobilized sense peptide at pH 7.5. A quartz crystal microbalance-flow injection analysis （QCM-FIA） system was introduced to investigate the recognition process in real-time. The equilibrium dissociation constants between sense peptide and AS-IFN 1, AS-IFN 2 and AS-IFN 3 measured 2.08×10^-4, 1.31×10^-4 and 2.22×10^-5 mol/L, respectively. The mechanism study indicated that the specific recognition between sense peptide and AS-IFN 3 was due to sequence-dependent and multi-modal affinity interaction.     

The U/Θ effect of electricity parameters of the lotus root silk in the liquor with different pH values

The silk of lotus root is a kind of natural biomaterial with the advantages of easy absorbing and dissolving and poisonless. It may become a new engineering material for clinic and tissue engineering. However, the relationship between its electricity parameters and the pH values of the liquor that the silk is dipped in is unknown presently. The electricity parameters of inductance, capacitance and impedance of the silk were measured in the environment with the temperature ranging from 23℃ to 25℃ and the humidity ranging from 45% to 55% when it was dipped in the liquor with different pH values for 24 h. The results show that the inductance and impedance vary in U shape curves with the liquor pH value, and the capacitance varies in Ω shape curve. The minimal value of the U curves and the maximal value of the Ω curve appear at the point where the pH value equals to 7. The phenomena are called the U/Ω effect. It means that the silk has perfect biocompatibility with human tissues. The study results may imply that the silk have broader potential applications in biomedicine, tissue engineering and bioelectronics.     

Influence of O2/Ar ratio on the properties of transparent conductive niobium-doped ZnO films

Niobium-doped ZnO transparent conductive films are deposited on glass substrates by radio frequency sputtering at 300℃. The influence of O2/Ar ratio on the structural, electrical and optical properties of the as-deposited films is investigated by X-ray diffraction, Hall measurement and optical transmission spectroscopy. The lowest resistivity of 4.0×10^-4Ω· cm is obtained from the film deposited at the O2/Ar ratio of 1/12. The average optical transmittance of the films is over 90%.     

Crystallization dynamics of supersaturated NaClO4 aerosols studied by high-speed photography

Single supersaturated NaClO4 aerosol droplets on a quartz substrate were observed by a high-speed video camera for their morphologic changes with decreasing relative humidity （RH）. The supersaturated droplets were found to form anhydrous NaClO4 at -10% RH. Three stages were roughly observed in this process, i.e., the main stem appearance, primary and secondary branches growth, and the deep dehydration. The main stem grew steadily and finished in 120 ms. Affected by both crystal precipitation and water evaporation, primary branches grew for 1200 ms, accompanied by a slower growth of secondary branches. The deep dehydration was more complicated, and lasted for a longer time.     

Integrated research of parallel computing: Status and future

In the past twenty years, the research group in University of Science and Technology of China has developed an integrated research method for parallel computing, which is a combination of ＂Architecture- Algorithm-Programming-Application＂. This method is also called the ecological environment of parallel computing research. In this paper, we survey the current status of integrated research method for parallel computing and by combining the impact of multi-core systems, cloud computing and personal high performance computer, we present our outlook on the future development of parallel computing.     

Investigation on the key factors in the hydrothermal synthesis of BN： The way of introducing sodium azide

The way of introducing sodium azide (NaN_3) into the reaction solution played an important role in the preparation of cBN by hydrothermal synthesis method. The results showed that both cBN content and crystalline perfection of the samples improved with increasing R_N value, and pure cBN could be obtained at 300℃ and 10 MPa when R_N increased to 3:1. Here R_N is defined as R_N =NaN_3(I)/NaN_3(II), wherNaN_3(I) denotes the amount of NaN_3 (in molar) that is added into the autoclave at the beginning of threaction process, and NaN_3(II) is the amount of NaN_3 (also in molar) introduced into the autoclave ahigh temperature and high pressure (i.e. 300℃ and 10 MPa). In order to explain the experimental results, a preliminary model was proposed in this paper.     

Preparation of monolayer-assembled fluorescent film and its sensing performances to hidden nitroaromatic explosives

Pyrene was chemically assembled on a glass plate surface in a monolayer manner via spacers containing triethylenetetramine （TETA） subunits. It has been demonstrated that the fluorescence emission of the film is sensitive to the presence of trace amount of nitroaromatic compound （NAC） vapors. As discovered in the present work, the response selectivity of the pyrene-functionalized film depends on the length of the spacer, the vapor pressure of a given NAC, and the quencher size. The film shows faster response to those quenchers which have higher vapor pressure and smaller size. Compared to the film with shorter spacers, the present film with longer flexible spacers shows a slower response to the NACs, but higher selectivity to the quencher size. Additionally, the detection limits to common ex- plosives in vapor phase, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene （TNT） and 2,4-dinitrotoluene （DNT）, are 7.14×10^-12 and 5.49×10^-11 g·mL^-1, respectively. Further examinations indicated that the sensing process is fully reversible, and the vapors of those common interference such as benzene, toluene, ethanol, and perfume have little effect upon the sensing performances of the film.     

IL-8-induced L-selectin shedding regulates its binding kinetics to PSGL-1

L-selectin plays a crucial role in inflammation cascade by initiating the tethering and rolling of leukocytes on endothelium wall. While many L-selectin molecules are rapidly shed from the cell surface upon activation, the remaining membrane-anchored L-selectin may still play an important role in regulating leukocyte rolling and adhesion with different binding kinetics. Here we developed an in vitro model to activate Jurkat cells via interlukin-8 （IL-8） and quantified the two-dimensional （2D） binding kinetics, using a micropipette aspiration assay, of membrane-anchored L-selectin to P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 （PSGL-1） ligand coupled onto human red blood cells （RBCs）. The data indicated that L-selectin shedding reduced the amount of membrane-anchored L-selectin and lowered both its reverse and forward rates. These results suggested that the rolling dynamics of activated leukocytes was determined by two opposite impacts： reducing the surface presentation would enhance the rolling but lowering the kinetic rates would decrease the rolling. This finding provides a new insight into understanding how L-selectin shedding regulates leukocyte rolling and adhesion.     

Using 137Cs tracing technique to estimate wind erosion rates in the typical steppe region,northern Mongolian Plateau

Wind erosion is one of the major factors of land degradation in the typical steppe region, northern Mongolian Plateau. Using ^137Cs tracing technique, we estimated the wind erosion rates of different pastures and abandoned farmland at Bayannur and Karakorum in Mongolia. The pastures and cutting grassland at Bayannur were slightly eroded by wind, with the rates of 64.58-169.07 t·km^-2.a^-1. The abandoned farmland in Karakorum, however, was strongly eroded by wind, with annual surface soil loss of 4.05 mm. a^-1, and wind erosion rates up to 6723.06 t· km^-2. a^-1. The total loss of surface soil due to wind erosion has been 17.4 cm since the cultivation of the steppe land in the 1960s. The wind ero- sion rate at the abandoned farmland was much higher than that at the typical steppe sites, showing that the cultivation led to serious wind erosion in the typical steppe region, northern Mongolian Plateau. By contrast, traditional livestock grazing resulted in less disturbance to the surface soil, and did not induce to devastating wind erosion, which plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the steppe ecosystem in the northern Mongolian Plateau.     

Synthesis and micellization behavior of stimuli-responsive polypeptide hybrid triblock copolymer

Polypeptide hybrid triblock copolymer, poly（L-glutamic acid）-b-poly（propylene oxide）-b-poly （L-glutamic acid） （PLGA-b-PPO-b-PLGA）, was synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization of benzyI-L- glutamic N-carboxyanhydride （BLG-NCA） using poly（propylene glycol） bis（2-aminopropyl ether） as initiator, followed by the subsequent deprotection step. The obtained double hydrophilic triblock co- polymer exhibits ＂schizophrenic＂ micellization behavior in aqueous solution upon dually playing with solution pH and temperature. The multi-responsive micellization behavior of this polypeptide hybrid triblock copolymer has been thoroughly investigated by 1H NMR, laser light scattering （LLS）, tempera- ture-dependent optical transmittance, and circular dichroism spectroscopy （CD）.     

Application of ring-opening metathesis polymerization in study of polymer molecular weight-mediated catalytic properties of immobilized lipase

Recently, significant efforts have been devoted into the study of the effect of hydrophobic supports on the catalytic properties of immobilized lipases. It seems that immobilization lipases on hydrophobic supports is a simple and efficient method to improve the catalytic activity of lipases. In this study, the hydrophobic poly(N-propyl-norbornene-exo-2,3-dicarboximide)s with well-controlled molecular weight were synthesized by the living ring-opening metathesis polymerization, and the lipases from Pseudomonas sp. were then immobilized on these hydrophobic polymer supports through the physical adsorption. The immobilized lipases exhibited higher activity and enantioselectivity for the transesterification of 2-octanol than those of free lipases. Furthermore, we investigated the polymer molecular weight-mediated catalytic properties of immobilized lipases. It was found that the catalytic activity and E value of the immobilized lipases increased with the increase of the polymer molecular weight. At the polymeric molecular weight of about 40kDa, the highest E value (58 at 54.2% of conversion, enantiomeric excess = 99%) was reached. After the molecular weight of polymers getting higher than 40 kDa, catalytic activity and E value of the immobilized lipase decreased. Supported by the Stake Key Development Program of Basic Research of China (Grant No.2007CB808000) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 50773028, and 20803028).     

One-step and high-density protein immobilization on epoxysilane-modified silica nanoparticles

Silica nanoparticles are most commonly modified with amino-silanes, followed by post-modification activation for protein immobilization. In this work, epoxy-functionalized silica nanoparticles were prepared by modification with glycidyloxypropyl trimethoxysilane （GPTMS） for direct protein immobilization. Silica nanoparticles possessed an average size of 46 nm, but increased to 63 nm after GPTMS modification. Reaction time, reaction temperature and GPTMS content had no significant effect on par- ticle size. Zeta potential of SiO2 changed from -26mV to ＋38mV after modification. Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy revealed alkyl C--H bending and stretching bands at 2944 cm-1, 1343 cm-1 and 1465 cm-1, respectively, for the modified nanoparticles. Fluorescein cadaverine was found to bind to GPTMS-modified SiO2, but not to bare SiO2, indicating the chemical reactivity of epoxy groups on the modified nanoparticle with amines. Finally, fluorescenUy labeled bovine serum albumin （BSA） was used as a model protein to investigate the capacity of epoxy-SiO2 nanoparticles for protein immobilization. The results showed that more proteins were immobilized on the particle with longer reaction time, higher NaCI concentration, lower pH, and less GPTMS content. More importantly, proteins bound to epoxy-SiO2 nanoparticle were highly stable. Under optimized reaction conditions, as much as 25 mg BSA/g nanoparticle was covalentiy attached to the nanoparticle. The epoxy silane modification of silica nanoparticles offers a reactive surface for one-step and high-density protein immobilization.     

Estimating divergence times among subfamilies in Nymphalidae

The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit Ⅰ （COⅠ） gene and the nuclear elongation factor 1α （EF-1α） gene were sequenced from 13 species of Nymphalidae. Phylogenetic trees of Nymphalidae, which is the largest family in butterflies, were constructed based on the sequences determined from 13 species sequenced in our laboratory and an additional 43 species obtained from GenBank using the maximum likelihood （ML） and Bayesian methods. Relative-rate tests between lineages in these phylogenetic trees were performed. On the basis of the results of the relative-rate tests and fossil information of Satyrinae, Nymphalinae and Biblidinae, the average divergence times among the subfamilies are estimated as 44.2-87.1 million years ago （Ma）. These results will be helpful for better understanding of the origin and evolution of this family, as well as the divergence time of butterflies and other complex taxa.     

An exceptionally well-preserved fossil Kalligrammatid from the Jehol Biota

A new species of Neuroptera, Sophogramma lii sp. nov. is described and illustrated in this paper. This new species is assigned to Sophogramma Ren of Kalligrammatidae, mainly based on its humeral recurrent veins, the basal cell present between posterior branch of media at base of wing, etc. The new species is distinguished from all other Sophogramma species on the difference of wing venation. This exceptionally well-preserved specimen is recovered from the Yixian Formation, Huangbanjigou, located near Beipiao City, in western Liaoning Province. The genus diagnosis has been emended based on new characters shown in this new species. Based on a summary of localities, distribution and geological ages of all genera and species of the Kalligrammatidae, we suggest that Kalligrammatids might have originated in Eastern Asia, especially in China. Function of the wing pigmentation is discussed briefly. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 30430100 and 40872022), Beijing Natural Science Foundation Program (Grant No. 5082002), Scientific Research Key Program (Grant No. KZ200910028005) and PHR Project of of Beijing Municipal Commission of Education, Science-Technology Basic Condition Platform from the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (Grant No. 2005DKA21402)     

A heat-driven thermoacoustic cryocooler capable of reaching below liquid hydrogen temperature

A "double-gas acoustic amplifier" is introduced to couple a thermoacoustic heat engine and a two-stage pulse tube cooler in this paper. Compared with previous acoustic amplifiers, this new acoustic amplifier maintains the function of amplification for pressure amplitude. In particular, the novel acoustic amplifier with a reservoir makes it possible to install an acoustic transparent but gas blocking elastic membrane between the engine and the cooler. Thus, the engine can use nitrogen as the working gas to work at low frequency; and meanwhile, the cooler can still use helium as the working gas to maintain its high performance. With this new amplifier, the cooling temperature of a two-stage pulse tube cooler driven by an energy-focused thermoacoustic engine reached 18.7 K.     

Cellulose-hydrogen production from corn stalk biomass by anaerobic fermentation

Cellulose-hydrogen production from corn stalk by lesser panda manure was carried out in batch tests and a 5 L scale-up continuously stirred anaerobic bioreactor(CSABR),respectively.The bio-pretreatment of corn stalk was found most effective at 25℃ using microbe additive of 7.5 g/kg,in which the yields of soluble saccharides(SS) and lactic acid were 212 mg/g-TS and 21 mg/g-TS,respectively.The maximum cumulative H2 yield(176 ml/g-TS) and H2 production rate(14.5 ml/g-TS h-1) were obtained at pH 5.5,36℃ by trea...