Aerophobic P-MoS2 on MOF-Derived Co,N-Codoped Carbon Nanosheets with Accelerated H2 Bubble Release Dynamics for Efficient Alkaline Water Splitting at 1000 mA cm-2.

Rapid bubble release at high current densities results in the detachment of catalysts and performance degradation, posing a persistent challenge in actual alkaline water electrolysis (AWE). Here, hierarchical nanosheet structures (CoNC@P-MoS2) are constructed, with P-doped MoS2 on the surface of Co,N-codoped carbon. It exhibits low hydrogen evolution reaction overpotentials of 30 and 354 mV at 10 and 1000 mA cm-2 in 1 M KOH, respectively, with a small Tafel slope of 36 mV dec-1. The constructed CoNC@P-MoS2||NiFe-DLH cell requires only 1.44 and 1.92 V to achieve overall water splitting at 10 and 1000 mA cm-2, which outperforms the traditional catalysts like Pt/C||IrO2. The introduction of P stabilizes surface hydroxyl (OH*) and increases the proton penetration depth, thereby greatly enhancing its intrinsic activity. It also makes the surface aerophobic by introducing more microfeatures, which greatly improves the geometric activity by increasing the bubble release rate (∼5.8 times). Low energy consumption of 3.92 kW h Nm-3 was achieved with an energy efficiency close to 80%. Bubble growth kinetics analysis reveals that the time and growth factors for CoNC@P-MoS2 are increased to 0.54 and 11.79 from 0.45 and 6.09 for CoNC, respectively, which highlights its fast bubble reaction dynamics. The results suggest the feasibility of CoNC@P-MoS2 as a potential high-performance catalyst in commercial AWE.

Multiple-Strategy Design of MOF-Derived N, P Co-Doped MoS2 Electrocatalysts Toward Efficient Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution and Overall Water Splitting.

The multiple strategy design is crucial for enhancing the efficiency of nonprecious electrocatalysts in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this work, we successfully synthesized N, P-codoped MoS2 nanosheets as highly efficient catalysts by integrating doping effects and phase engineering using a porous metal-organic framework (MOF) template. The electrocatalysts exhibit excellent bifunctional activity and stability in alkaline media. The N, P codoping induces electron redistribution to enhance conductivity and promote the intrinsic activity of the electrocatalysts. It optimizes the H* adsorption free energy and the dissociative adsorption energy, resulting in significant enhancement of HER activity. Moreover, the porous MOF structure exposes a large number of electrochemically active sites and facilitates the diffusion of ions and gases, which improve charge transfer efficiency and structural stability. Specifically, at a current density of 10 mA cm-2, the overpotential of the HER is only 32 mV, with a Tafel slope of 47 mV dec-1 and Faradaic efficiency as high as 98.51% (at 100 mA cm-2). Only a 338 mV overpotential is required to achieve a current density of 50 mA cm-2 for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and a potential of 1.49 V (at 10 mA cm-2) is sufficient to drive overall water splitting. Further experimental measurements and first-principles calculations evidence that the exceptional performance is primarily attributed to the dual functionality of N and P dopants, which not only activate additional S sites but also initialize the phase transition of 2H to 1T-MoS2 to facilitate the rapid charge transfer. Through in-depth exploration of the combined design of multiple strategies for efficient catalysts, our work paves a new way for the development of future efficient nonprecious metal catalysts.

Electrochemical activated molybdenum oxides based multiphase heterostructures with high hydrogen evolution activity in alkaline condition.

Electrochemical activation is an effective method for synthesizing economically feasible heterogeneous hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts. Herein, we first synthesized MoO2-Co2Mo3O8precatalyst, which was electrochemically activated to produce K2Mo3O10within the original phase to form the heterogeneous structure. The electrochemically activated samples demonstrate exceptional HER activity in alkaline medium, which exhibit a low overpotential of 31 mV at current density of 10 mA cm-2(135 mV at 100 mA cm-2), as well as a small Tafel slope of 34 mV dec-1. This is due to the creation of multiphase heterostructures that prompt interfacial interactions and accelerate charge transfer. Simultaneously, the creation of additional active sites increases their intrinsic activities. The combined effects collectively enhance the HER performance. The application of this method in the preparation of HER catalysts is still relatively unexplored, thus rendering our work a pioneering contribution to the field.

Interface prompted highly efficient hydrogen evolution of MoS2/CoS2 heterostructures in a wide pH range.

Interfacial electronic characteristics are crucial for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), especially in nanoscale heterogeneous catalysts. In this work, we found that the synergistic activation of CoS2 and MoS2 (2H-MoS2 and 1T-MoS2) greatly enhances the HER activity in a wide pH range compared to those of each component. The Gibbs free energies for hydrogen adsorption at interfacial Co sites are as low as -0.08 (-0.25) eV and -0.20 (0.01) eV for 2H-MoS2/CoS2 and 1T-MoS2/CoS2 heterostructures in acidic (alkaline) media, respectively, which are even superior to that of Pt(111) (-0.09 eV). Moreover, the theoretical exchange current density of MoS2/CoS2 can reach ∼1.98 × 10-18 A site-1 (∼8.43 A mg-1). Experimentally, MoS2/CoS2 exhibits a greatly reduced overpotential of 54 (46) mV and a Tafel slope of 42 (50) mV dec-1 under acidic (alkaline) conditions. The improved performance mainly originates from the synergistically activated interfacial Co atoms with better electron localization and local bonding. The interfacial effect enhances the electron conductivity and improves the H adsorption characteristics, making MoS2/CoS2 highly valuable as efficient HER electrocatalysts.

Particulate Cell Wall Materials of Lactobacillus acidophilus as Vaccine Adjuvant.

We evaluated Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA) for adjuvant application in animal vaccines. LA particles (LAPs) are made by treating LA with purification processes and high-pressure homogenization (HPH). We found that LAPs treated with HPH with trehalose and emulsifiers had an average particle size of 179 nm, considerably smaller than LAPs without additives. First, we evaluated the adjuvanticity of LAPs using a murine model with ovalbumin antigens, revealing that LAPs, especially in a five-fold concentration, could induce a considerable antibody response compared with other current adjuvants. In poultry vaccination tests using inactivated Newcastle disease virus, LAPs alone could induce a similar antibody response compared to commercial water-in-oil (W/O) adjuvant ISA70, a commercial adjuvant, at weeks 4 and 6; however, they declined faster than ISA70 at weeks 8 and 10. LAPs added to conventional adjuvant materials, such as mineral oil-based O/W emulsions, showed similar adjuvanticity to ISA70. LA-H5-C, composed of carbomer, emulsifiers and trehalose showed no significant body weight change in acute toxicity compared to other adjuvants including ISA70, making formulated LAPs a potential candidate for use as a veterinary vaccine adjuvant.

Functioning tailor-made 3D-printed vascular graft for hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: The two ends of arteriovenous graft (AVG) are anastomosed to the upper limb vessels by surgery for hemodialysis therapy. However, the size of upper limb vessels varies to a large extent among different individuals. METHODS: According to the shape and size of neck vessels quantified from the preoperative computed tomography angiographic scan, the ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA)-based AVG was produced in H-shape by the three-dimensional (3D) printer and then sterilized. This study investigated the function of this novel 3D-printed AVG in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: This 3D-printed AVG can be implanted in the rabbit's common carotid artery and common jugular vein with ease and functions in vivo. The surgical procedure was quick, and no suture was required. The blood loss was minimal, and no hematoma was noted at least 1 week after the surgery. The blood flow velocity within the implanted AVG was 14.9 ± 3.7 cm/s. Additionally, the in vitro characterization experiments demonstrated that this EVA-based biomaterial is biocompatible and possesses a superior recovery property than ePTFE after hemodialysis needle cannulation. CONCLUSIONS: Through the 3D printing technology, the EVA-based AVG can be tailor-made to fit the specific vessel size. This kind of 3D-printed AVG is functioning in vivo, and our results realize personalized vascular implants. Further large-animal studies are warranted to examine the long-term patency.

A Soil-Isolated Streptomyces spororaveus Species Produces a High-Molecular-Weight Antibiotic AF1 against Fungi and Gram-Positive Bacteria.

The overuse of antibiotics has resulted in the emergence of antibiotic resistance, not only in bacteria but also in fungi. Streptomyces are known to produce numerous secondary metabolites including clinically useful antibiotics. In this study, we screened for antibiotic-producing actinobacteria from soils in Taipei and discovered a Streptomyces strain SC26 that displayed antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi, but the compounds are heat-labile. Upon UV mutagenesis, a late-sporulation mutant SC263 was isolated with the same antibiotic spectrum but increased in thermostability. The nature of the antibiotic is not clear, but its activity was resistant to proteolytic, nucleolytic and pancreatic digestions, and was retained by the 100 kDa membrane during filtration. To gather more information on SC263, the genome was sequenced, which produced three contigs with a total of 8.2 Mb and was assigned to the species of Streptomyces spororaveus based on the average nucleotide identity to the reference species S. spororaveus NBRC 15456.

Evaluating Different Strategies on the Blood Collection Counter Settings to Improve Patient Waiting Time in Outpatient Units.

Long patient waiting time is one of the major problems in the healthcare system and it would decrease patient satisfaction. Previous studies usually investigated how to improve the treatment flow in order to reduce patient waiting time or length of stay. The studies on blood collection counters have received less attention. Therefore, the objective of this study is to reduce the patient waiting time at outpatient clinics for metabolism and nephrology outpatients. A discrete-event simulation is used to analyze the four different strategies for blood collection counter resource allocation. Through analyzing four different strategic settings, the experimental results revealed that the maximum number of patients waiting before the outpatient clinics was reduced from 41 to 33 (20%); the maximum patient waiti-ng time at the outpatient clinics was decreased from 201.6 minutes to 83 minutes (59%). In this study, we found that adjusting the settings of blood collection counters would be beneficial. Assigning one exclusive blood collection counter from 8 to 10 am is the most suitable option with the least impact on the operational process for hospital staff. The results provide managerial insight regarding the cost-effective strategy selection for the hospital operational strategy.

Mechanical and chemical cues synergistically promote human venous smooth muscle cell osteogenesis through integrin ß1-ERK1/2 signaling: A cell model of hemodialysis fistula calcification.

Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the vascular access of choice for renal replacement therapy. However, AVF is susceptible to calcification with a high prevalence of 40%-65% in chronic hemodialysis patients. Repeated needle puncture for hemodialysis cannulation results in intimal denudation of AVF. We hypothesized that exposure to blood shear stress in the medial layer promotes venous smooth muscle cell (SMC) osteogenesis. While previous studies of shear stress focused on arterial-type SMCs, SMCs isolated from the vein had not been investigated. This study established a venous cell model of AVF using the fluid shear device, combined with a high phosphate medium to mimic the uremic milieu. Osteogenic gene expression of venous SMCs upon mechanical and chemical cues was analyzed in addition to the activated cell signaling pathways. Our findings indicated that upon shear stress and high phosphate environment, mechanical stimulation (shear stress) had an additive effect in up-regulation of an early osteogenic marker, Runx2. We further identified that the integrin ß1-ERK1/2 signaling pathway was responsible for the molecular basis of venous SMC osteogenesis upon shear stress exposure. Mitochondrial biogenesis also took part in the early stage of this venopathy pathogenesis, evident by the up-regulated mitochondrial transcription factor A and mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ in venous SMCs. In conclusion, synergistic effects of fluid shear stress and high phosphate induce venous SMC osteogenesis via the ERK1/2 pathway through activating the mechanosensing integrin ß1 signaling. The present study identified a promising druggable target for reducing AVF calcification, which deserves further in vivo investigations.

Nano-dendrite structured cobalt phosphide based hybrid supercapacitor with high energy storage and cycling stability.

The supercapacitors possessing high energy storage and long serving period have strategic significance to solve the energy crisis issues. Herein, fluffy nano-dendrite structured cobalt phosphide (CoP) is grown on carbon cloth through simple hydrothermal and electrodeposition treatments (CoP/C-HE). Benefit from its excellent electrical conductivity and special structure, CoP/C-HE manifests a high specific capacity of 461.4 C g-1at 1 A g-1. Meanwhile, the capacity retention remains 92.8% over 10 000 cycles at 5 A g-1, proving the superior cycling stability. The phase conversion of Co2P during the activation process also contributes to the improved performance. The assembled two-electrode asymmetric supercapacitor demonstrates excellent performance in terms of energy density (42.4 W h kg-1at a power density of 800.0 W kg-1) and cycling stability (86.3% retention over 5000 cycles at 5 A g-1), which is superior to many reported cobalt-based supercapacitors. Our work promotes the potential of transition metal phosphides for the applications in supercapacitors.

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells attenuate dialysis-induced peritoneal fibrosis by modulating macrophage polarization via interleukin-6.

BACKGROUND: Life-long peritoneal dialysis (PD) as a renal replacement therapy is limited by peritoneal fibrosis. Previous studies showed immunomodulatory and antifibrotic effects of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) on peritoneal fibrosis. However, the role of the peritoneal macrophage in this process remains uninvestigated. METHODS: We examined the therapeutic effects of ADSC and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) in the rat model of dialysis-induced peritoneal fibrosis using methylglyoxal. In addition, treatment of macrophages with the conditioned medium of ADSC and BM-MSC was performed individually to identify the beneficial component of the stem cell secretome. RESULTS: In the in vivo experiments, we found dialysis-induced rat peritoneal fibrosis was attenuated by both ADSC and BM-MSC. Interestingly, ADSC possessed a more prominent therapeutic effect than BM-MSC in ameliorating peritoneal membrane thickening while also upregulating epithelial cell markers in rat peritoneal tissues. The therapeutic effects of ADSC were positively associated with M2 macrophage polarization. In the in vitro experiments, we confirmed that interleukin-6 (IL-6) secreted by MSCs upon transforming growth factor-ß1 stimulation promotes M2 macrophage polarization. CONCLUSIONS: In dialysis-induced peritoneal fibrosis, MSCs are situated in an inflammatory environment of TGF-ß1 and secrete IL-6 to polarize macrophages into the M2 phenotype. Our findings reveal a previously unidentified role of tissue macrophage in this antifibrotic process. ADSC has the advantage of abundance and accessibility, making the application values extremely promising. In dialysis-induced peritoneal fibrosis, peritoneal mesothelial cells secrete transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) when exposed to methylglyoxal (MGO)-containing peritoneal dialysate. When situated in TGF-ß1, the inflammatory environment induces mesenchymal stem cells to secrete interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-6 polarizes macrophages into the M2 phenotype. The dominant peritoneal tissue M2 macrophages, marked by upregulated Arg-1 expression, account for the attenuation of MGO-induced dedifferentiation of peritoneal mesothelial cells to maintain epithelial integrity.

[ClinicaAnalysis of osteosclerotic protein expression and bacterial distribution in periodontitis patients at different stages].

PURPOSE: To investigate the osteosclerin level and bacterial distribution in periodontitis patients at different stages, and to analyze the correlation between osteosclerin and the parameters of conventional periodontal examination. METHODS: Patients with periodontitis admitted to Guangzhou Huadu Maternal and Child Health Hospital from March 2017 to June 2019 were selected and divided into stage Ⅱ group (n=27), stage Ⅲ group (n=42) and stage Ⅳ group (n=22) according to the severity of periodontitis; meanwhile, 30 healthy individuals underwent physical examination in our hospital during the same period were selected as control group. Gingival crevicular fluid and plaque at buccal and lingual sites were collected for bacterial culture. The expression of osteosclerotin in gingival crevicular fluid was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The data were processed by SPSS 23.0 software package. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between BI grade and osteosclerin, and correlation between PD, CAL and osteosclerin was determined by Pearson analysis. RESULTS: The mean PD and mean CAL of patients in stage Ⅱ group before and after treatment were significantly smaller than those in stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ group (P<0.05). The mean CAL of stage Ⅳ group before treatment was significantly greater than that of stage Ⅲ group (P<0.05). After treatment, the mean PD and mean CAL of three groups were all significantly smaller than those before treatment (P<0.05). The mean PD in stage Ⅲ group was significantly lower than that in stage Ⅳ group after treatment (P<0.05). Before treatment, the proportion of BI grade 2 in stage Ⅱ group was significantly higher than that in stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ group (85.19%, 19.05%, 18.18%, P<0.05). Before treatment, the proportion of BI grade 3 in stage Ⅲ group was significantly higher than that in stage Ⅱ group (64.29%, 14.81%, P<0.05). Before the treatment, the expression of osteosclerosis protein in stage Ⅱ group was significantly lower than that in stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ group (P<0.05). The levels of osteosclerin expression of three groups after treatment were all significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05). The expression of osteosclerosis protein in stage Ⅱ group was significantly lower than that in stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ group after treatment (P<0.05). PD, CAL and BI of patients with different stages of periodontitis were positively correlated with osclerosin in gingival crevicular fluid before and after treatment (P<0.05). The number of bacteria detected in stage Ⅳ group was significantly higher than that in stage Ⅲ group and stage Ⅱ group. The main bacteria in each group were anaerobic bacteria. The dominant bacteria were Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Actinobacillus actinomycetes, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Prevotella melaninogenicus. CONCLUSIONS: The expression level of osteosclerosin is closely related to PD, CAL and BI grades in patients with periodontitis, and bacterial colonization levels in gingival crevicular fluid and dental plaque in patients with periodontitis at different stages are different. Detection of osclerosin level and identification of periodontal microorganism culture have high clinical value in clinical diagnosis of periodontitis severity and can provide reference for selection of subsequent treatment plan.

Boosting the performance of quantum Otto heat engines.

To optimize the performance of a heat engine in a finite-time cycle, it is important to understand the finite-time effect of thermodynamic processes. Previously, we have shown that extra work is needed to complete a quantum adiabatic process in finite time, and proved that the extra work follows a C/τ^{2} scaling for long control time τ. There the oscillating part of the extra work is neglected due to the complex energy-level structure of the particular quantum system. However, such oscillation of the extra work cannot be neglected in some quantum systems with simple energy-level structure, e.g., the two-level system or the quantum harmonic oscillator. In this paper, we build the finite-time quantum Otto engine on these simple systems, and find that the oscillating extra work leads to a jagged edge in the constraint relation between the output power and the efficiency. By optimizing the control time of the adiabatic processes, the oscillation in the extra work is utilized to enhance the maximum power and the efficiency. We further design special control schemes with the zero extra work at the specific control time. Compared to the linear control scheme, these special control schemes of the finite-time adiabatic process improve the maximum power and the efficiency of the finite-time Otto engine.

Achieve higher efficiency at maximum power with finite-time quantum Otto cycle.

The optimization of heat engines was intensively explored to achieve higher efficiency while maintaining the output power. However, most investigations were limited to a few finite-time cycles, e.g., the Carnot-like cycle, due to the complexity of the finite-time thermodynamics. In this paper, we propose a class of finite-time engine with quantum Otto cycle, and demonstrate a higher achievable efficiency at maximum power. The current model can be widely utilized, benefitting from the general C/τ^{2} scaling of extra work for a finite-time adiabatic process with long control time τ. We apply the adiabatic perturbation method to the quantum piston model and calculate the efficiency at maximum power, which is validated with an exact solution.

Selective admission policy of medical undergraduates in western China: applicants' real attitudes to the choice of a rural medical career.

INTRODUCTION: Since 2010, the Chinese government has been introducing selective admission policy to recruit rural students for 5-year western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine undergraduate education in order to improve rural townships' medical services system in western China. This study aimed to analyse the selective admission policy in western China from the perspective of medical students' attitudes towards rural career choice. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted and an anonymous questionnaire was used to investigate a sample of medical undergraduates chosen under the selective admission policy. RESULTS: The results indicate that medical undergraduates' enthusiasm to work in rural areas was very limited in Gansu province, western China. Extrinsic motivation played a more important role in rural career choice than intrinsic motivation. The students' attitudes were affected by socioeconomic and cultural conditions, which determined their personal and professional environment. Course major and family economic conditions were associated with their self-decisions. CONCLUSION: Further educational intervention should emphasise the students' humanistic inner qualities and recognition of professional value. Further policy adjustment should considered, for example improving social policy-based regional character and national development strategies.

Electrochemical Molecular Switch for the Selective Profiling of Cysteine in Live Cells and Whole Blood and for the Quantification of Aminoacylase-1.

A first-of-a-kind latent electrochemical redox probe, ferrocene carbamate phenyl acrylate (FCPA), was developed for the selective detection of cysteine (Cys) and aminoacylase (ACY-1). The electrochemical signal generated by this probe was shown to be highly specific to Cys and insensitive to other amino acids and biological redox reactants. The FCPA-incorporated electrochemical sensor exhibited a broad dynamic range of 0.25-100 µM toward Cys. This probe also proficiently monitored the ACY-1-catalyzed biochemical transformation of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) into Cys, and this proficiency was used to develop an electrochemical assay for quantifying active ACY-1, which it did so in a dynamic range of 10-200 pM (0.1-2 mU/cm3) with a detection limit of 1 pM (0.01 mU/cm3). Furthermore, the probe was utilized in real-time tracking and quantification of cellular Cys production, specifically in Escherichia coli W3110, along with a whole blood assay to determine levels of Cys and spiked ACY-1 in blood with a reliable analytical performance.

Optimal operating protocol to achieve efficiency at maximum power of heat engines.

Efficiency at maximum power has been investigated extensively, yet the practical control scheme to achieve it remains elusive. We fill this gap with a stepwise Carnot-like cycle, which consists of the discrete isothermal process (DIP) and adiabatic process. With DIP, we validate the widely adopted assumption of the C/t relation of the irreversible entropy generation S^{(ir)} and show the explicit dependence of the coefficient C on the fluctuation of the speed of tuning energy levels as well as the microscopic coupling constants to the heat baths. Such a dependence allows us to control the irreversible entropy generation by choosing specific control schemes. We further demonstrate the achievable efficiency at maximum power and the corresponding control scheme with the simple two-level system. Our current work opens new avenues for an experimental test, which was not feasible due to the lack the of the practical control scheme in the previous low-dissipation model or its equivalents.

Effects of CNTF Antibody Block to the Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transplantated by Abdominal Aortic on the Downstream Signaling Pathways STAT3/Caspase-9 in Spinal Cord Ischemic Reperfusion Injuried Rats / 昆明医科大学学报

Objective To investigate the functional recovery and the effect of CNTF antibody block to the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) transplantated by Abdominal aortic on the downstream signaling pathways STAT3/Caspase-9 in spinal cord ischemic reperfusion injury in rats.Methods Adult female SD ratswere assigned randomly to 4 groups. The neurological functional status of the animals was assessed with BBB scores, the Motor evoked potentials (MEP) and Cortical somatosensory evoked potentials (CSEP).The IHC were used to detect the the expressional changes of CNTF, then Western blot and RT-PCR were used to detect the expressional changes of STAT3、p-STAT3、CNTF and Caspase-9 in the ischemic segments of spinal cord.Results Compared with the sham group, in the SCIRI rats, the BBB scores were markedly decreased at all time points (P＜0.01), the latency and the amplitude of MEP and CSEP was longer and lower at 14 d post operation (P＜0.01), and this change was the most significant in the control group the second in the CNTF block group, and the last in the transplantation group, Resutts between each two groups were statistically significant (P＜0.05). At 7 d post operation, compared with the sham group, the immunoreactive products of CNTF were decreased in the CNTF block group (P＜0.05), but were increased (P＜0.05) in the control group and the transplantation group (P＜0.05), and results in the transplantation group were higher than in the control group (P＜0.05). At 7 d post operation, compared with the sham group, the m RNA and protein level of CNTF、STAT3、 p-STAT3 were decreased obviously in CNTF block group (P＜0.05), the levels were increased in the control group and the transplantation group (P＜0.05), and the levels in the transplantation group were higher than that in the control group (P＜0.05); but the m RNA and protein level of Caspase-9 were only decreased in the transplantation group (P＜0.05), the level was increased in the CNTF block group and the control groups (P＜0.05), and the level in the CNTF block group was more significantly increased than that in the control group (P＜0.05). At 14 d post operation, in CNTF block group, the m RNA and protein level of CNTF、STAT3、p-STAT3 were significantly higher than that in the sham group and the control group (P＜0.05), and the m RNA and protein level of caspase-9 was higher than that in the sham group (P＜0.05), but lower than that in the control group (P＜0.05), there were not statistically different in the level of each factor compared with transplantation group (P＞0.05). Conclusions BMSCs, transplanted by the abdominal aorta, can promote the expression of CNTF in the injuried spinal cord and significantly improve the hind limb function recovery by CNTF-mediated signaling pathway downstream of STAT3/Caspase-9 SCIRI in rats, but the role of BMSCs can be weakening by CNTF block that inhibited STAT3/Caspase-9 signaling pathway.

Synthesis of robust electrochemical substrate and fabrication of immobilization free biosensors for rapid sensing of salicylate and ß-hydroxybutyrate in whole blood.

An electrochemical latent redox probe, SAF 5 was designed, synthesized and characterized. A rapid and sensitive solution-based assay was demonstrated for salicylate hydroxylase (SHL). In presence of NADH at aerobic conditions, SHL catalyzed the decarboxylative hydroxylation of SAF and released a redox reporter amino ferrocene (AF 6). The release of AF 6 was monitored at interference free potential region (-50 mV vs. Ag|AgCl) using differential pulse voltammetry as signal read-out. The current signal generated by this process is highly specific, and insensitive to other biological interfering compounds. Next, the SAF incorporated SHL assay was extended to fabricate immobilization-free biosensors for rapid sensing of salicylic acid (SA) and ß-hydroxybutyrate (ß-HB) in whole blood. The described method rapidly detects SA in a linear range of 35-560 µM with detection limit of 5.0 µM. For ß-HB determination, the linear range was 10-600 µM and detection limit was 2.0 µM. Besides, the assay protocols are simple, fast, reliable, selective, sensitive and advantageous over existing methods. The whole blood assay did not required cumbersome steps such as, enzyme immobilization, pre-treatments and holds great practical potential in clinical diagnosis.

Quantum thermodynamic cycle with quantum phase transition.

With the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick (LMG) model as an illustration, we construct a thermodynamic cycle composed of two isothermal processes and two isomagnetic field processes, and we study the thermodynamic performance of this cycle accompanied by the quantum phase transition (QPT). We find that for a finite particle system working below the critical temperature, the efficiency of the cycle is capable of approaching the Carnot limit when the external magnetic field λ_{1} corresponding to one of the isomagnetic processes reaches the cross point of the ground states' energy level, which can become the critical point of the QPT in the large-N limit. Our analysis proves that the system's energy level crossings at low-temperature limits can lead to a significant improvement in the efficiency of the quantum heat engine. In the case of the thermodynamics limit (N→∞), the analytical partition function is obtained to study the efficiency of the cycle at high- and low-temperature limits. At low temperatures, when the magnetic fields of the isothermal processes are located on both sides of the critical point of the QPT, the cycle reaches maximum efficiency, and the Carnot efficiency can be achieved. This observation demonstrates that the QPT of the LMG model below critical temperature is beneficial to the thermodynamic cycle's operation.