Selective hydrogenation of nitroaromatics by ceria nanorods.

Ceria (CeO2) nanorods with well-defined surface planes can be synthesized and utilized for the hydrogenation of nitroaromatics. The CeO2 nanorods containing a {110} plane can efficiently and selectively catalyse the hydrogenation of nitroaromatics with N2H4 as a reducing agent, while nano-ceria with a {100} or {111} plane shows poor performance for the reaction.

Intrinsic Peroxidase Catalytic Activity of Fe7 S8 Nanowires Templated from [Fe16 S20 ]/Diethylenetriamine Hybrid Nanowires.

Iron sulfide compounds are emerging as an important family of functional materials owing to their important properties and their applications in different technical fields. Well-defined Fe7 S8 nanowires templated by thermal decomposition of [Fe16 S20 ]/diethylenetriamine hybrid nanowires under an argon atmosphere are reported. As-prepared Fe7 S8 nanowires show typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics and good affinity to both H2 O2 and 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine. At pH 7.0, the constructed UV/Vis sensor showed a linear range for the detection of H2 O2 from 0.5 to 150 µM with a correlation coefficient of 0.9998. The H2 O2 sensor based on the Fe7 S8 nanowires shows a highly sensitive response and has better stability than horseradish peroxidase when exposed to solutions with different pH values and temperatures. These excellent properties make the as-prepared Fe7 S8 nanowires powerful tools for potential applications as an "artificial peroxidase" in biosensors and biotechnology.

Carbonaceous nanofiber membrane functionalized by beta-cyclodextrins for molecular filtration.

In this paper, we report the fabrication of carbonaceous nanofiber (CNF) membranes functionalized by beta-cyclodextrins (CNF-ß-CD membrane) and their application for molecular filtration. The chemically synthesized carbonaceous nanofibers were first functionalized by ß-CD, and the free-standing CNF membrane can be prepared by a simple filtration process. The membrane shows a remarkable capability to function as an ideal molecular filter through complexation of phenolphthalein molecules with the cyclodextrin molecules grafted on the CNFs. As a typical dye pollutant, fuchsin acid can also be effectively removed from the solution through such a membrane. Engineering the surface of this carbonaceous nanofiber membrane may allow it to be used for other applications such as chiral separation and drug delivery.

Selective chromogenic detection of thiol-containing biomolecules using carbonaceous nanospheres loaded with silver nanoparticles as carrier.

Thiol-containing biomolecules show strong affinity with noble metal nanostructures and could not only stably protect them but also control the self-assembly process of these special nanostructures. A highly selective and sensitive chromogenic detection method has been designed for the low and high molecular weight thiol-containing biomolecules, including cysteine, glutathione, dithiothreitol, and bovine serum albumin, using a new type of carbonaceous nanospheres loaded with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) as carrier. This strategy relies upon the place-exchange process between the reporter dyes on the surface of Ag NPs and the thiol groups of thiol-containing biomolecules. The concentration of biomolecules can be determined by monitoring with the fluorescence intensity of reporter dyes dispersed in solution. This new chromogenic assay method could selectively detect these biomolecules in the presence of various other amino acids and monosaccharides and even sensitively detect the thiol-containing biomolecules with different molecular weight, even including proteins.

[Effects of behind legs vibrations on erectile function in male rabbits].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of behind legs vibrations on erectile function in male rabbits through the concentration of plasma reproductive hormone and the expression of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), endothelin-1 (ET-1) mRNA in vibrated male rabbits. METHODS: 30 male adult rabbits were assigned randomly to A group (vibration power: 3.02 m/s(2)), B group (vibration power: 6.13 m/s(2)), C group (vibration power: 12.26 m/s(2)) and control group. The concentration of expression of eNOS, ET-1 mRNA were measured with RT-PCR after rated for 30 days. RESULTS: (1) Compared with 0 days vibration, after exposure to vibration for 10, 20, 30 days, the A, B, C group concentration of plasma T, LH are much lower (P < 0.05), the concentration of plasma E2 is much higher. (2) Compared with control group after exposed for 30 days, the expression of ET-1 mRNA [B group:(17.39 +/- 4.59) x 104; C group: (36.21 +/- 13.13) x 104 ] were much higher and expression of eNOS mRNA [A group: (19.11 +/- 6.83) x 104; B group: (11.86 +/- 3.15) x 104; C group: (4.68 +/- 3.26) x 104] was much lower, there were significant differences (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The vibration of behind legs in rabbits resulted the concentration of plasma T, LH are much lower, the concentration of plasma E2 is much higher, increased the expression of eNOS mRNA, decreased the expression of eNOS mRNA, then vary the erectile function.

[Exploration for building PACS and RIS].

This article elaborates key points of the PACS and RIS project: its overall planning, implementation step by step, integration of PACS and HIS based on IHE, and the prudent selection of partners and so on.