ALBERT

Description: Abstract In this report, a mixed‐metal cation‐based halide perovskite (HP) CsPb1−xTixBr3 quantum dots (QDs) were first embedded in the B–Si–Zn glasses using a traditional approach of melt quenching and heat treating. A battery of test results such as photoluminescence, X‐ray diffraction, and time‐resolved attenuation prove that Ti ions do not destroy the properties of CsPbBr3, and they are successfully doped into CsPbBr3. At the same time, the doping of Ti ions also reduces the toxicity of lead. By altering the ratio of Pb/Ti, we determined the optimum ratio of CsPb0.7Ti0.3Br3 QDs through experimental data. Due to the excellent optical properties and stability of CsPb0.7Ti0.3Br3 QDs glass, it was designed to construct the white‐light emitting diode device with tunable color coordinate, color rendering index, correlated color temperature, and a high luminous efficiency compared with CsPbBr3 QDs glass, which may be a promising candidate for the field of lighting and displays.

Description: Thermodynamic driving forces of eight possible elementary steps for Hantzsch ester and six possible elementary steps for H 2 to release two hydrogen atoms (2H • ) or ions (H − and H + ) in acetonitrile were examined using experimental method or the available related thermodynamic data for the first time, which can facilitate chemists to choose a suitable reducing agent between Hantzsch ester and H 2 to reduce a given organic unsaturated compound in acetonitrile and make a rational diagnosis on the detailed reaction mechanisms. The focus of this paper is to compare the differences between Hantzsch ester and H 2 to release two hydrogen atoms (or ions) on the thermodynamics of elementary steps in acetonitrile. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The focus of this paper is to compare differences between Hantzsch ester (HEH 2 ) and H 2 to release two hydrogen atoms (2H • ) or ions (H − and H + ) on thermodynamics of each elementary step in acetonitrile, which can make chemists to choose suitable reducer between HEH 2 and H 2 as well as diagnose reduction mechanism.

Description: Background: Haemophilus influenzae is one of the main pathogens that cause community-acquired respiratory infections in children. Our previous study showed that H. influenzae is the second most common pathogen causing pneumonia and accounts for 30?50% of bacterial meningitis among Chinese children. H. influenzae carriage in children and its resistance to commonly used antimicrobials varies widely both geographically and over time. Results: Surveys of the nasopharyngeal carriage of H. influenzae in children younger than 5 years of age with acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) were conducted in Beijing Children?s Hospital, China in 2000, 2002, 2010, and 2012. The overall annual carriage rates of H. influenzae among children younger than 5 years of age with ARI were 35.5%, 20.6%, 14.4%, and 18.7%, and the percentages of H. influenzae isolates producing ?-lactamase were 4%, 13%, 27.1%, and 31%, respectively. The percentages of susceptibility to ampicillin progressively decreased from 96% (2000) to 87% (2002) to 63% (2010) to 61% (2012). All of the ampicillin-resistant isolates were found to be beta-lactamase producers. The susceptibility to tetracycline increased from 54% (2000) to 60% (2002) to 91.5% (2010) to 94.5% (2012). No statistically significant differences were observed in the susceptibility to cefaclor, cefuroxime, sulfamethoxazole, and chloramphenicol. Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and ceftriaxone were the most effective antimicrobials for the isolates of H. influenzae across the 10-year period. Conclusions: This report on the H. influenzae carriage rates in children and the susceptibility of these bacteria to commonly used antibiotics showed that H. influenzae carriage decreased from 2000 to 2012. Additionally, the percentage of ?-lactamase-producing isolates increased while their susceptibility to ampicillin progressively decreased during this time. These results indicate that the appropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy should be changed for pediatric patients in China.

Description: Background: Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) of the arterial wall play a critical role in the development of occlusive vascular diseases. Cysteine-rich protein 2 (CRP2) is a VSMC-expressed LIM-only protein, which functionally limits VSMC migration and protects against pathological vascular remodeling. The multifunctional cytokine TGFbeta has been implicated to play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis through numerous downstream signaling pathways. We showed previously that TGFbeta upregulates CRP2 expression; however, the detailed signaling mechanisms remain unclear. Results: TGFbeta treatment of VSMCs activated both Smad2/3 and ATF2 phosphorylation. Individually knocking down Smad2/3 or ATF2 pathways with siRNA impaired the TGFbeta induction of CRP2, indicating that both contribute to CRP2 expression. Inhibiting TbetaRI kinase activity by SB431542 or TbetaRI knockdown abolished Smad2/3 phosphorylation but did not alter ATF2 phosphorylation, indicating while Smad2/3 phosphorylation was TbetaRI-dependent ATF2 phosphorylation was independent of TbetaRI. Inhibiting Src kinase activity by SU6656 suppressed TGFbeta-induced RhoA and ATF2 activation but not Smad2 phosphorylation. Blocking ROCK activity, the major downstream target of RhoA, abolished ATF2 phosphorylation and CRP2 induction but not Smad2 phosphorylation. Furthermore, JNK inhibition with SP600125 reduced TGFbeta-induced ATF2 (but not Smad2) phosphorylation and CRP2 protein expression while ROCK inhibition blocked JNK activation. These results indicate that downstream of TbetaRII, Src family kinase-RhoA-ROCK-JNK signaling pathway mediates TbetaRI-independent ATF2 activation. Promoter analysis revealed that the TGFbeta induction of CRP2 was mediated through the CRE and SBE promoter elements that were located in close proximity. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that two signaling pathways downstream of TGFbeta converge on the CRE and SBE sites of the Csrp2 promoter to cooperatively control CRP2 induction in VSMCs, which represents a previously unrecognized mechanism of VSMC gene induction by TGFbeta.

Description: In this work, the ligand methyl(2-pyrazinyl)ketone oxime with a pyrazinyl ring and an oxime moiety was synthesized. The two complexes [Cu 3 (μ 3 -OH)(μ-OPz) 3 (NO 3 ) 2 ] · 2H 2 O · CH 3 OH ( 1 ) and [Ag 3 (HOPz) 2 (NO 3 ) 2 ](NO 3 ) ( 2 ) [HOPz = methyl(2-pyrazinyl)ketone oxime] could be isolated and structurally characterized. Complex 1 exhibits a fundamental structural unit of trinuclear Cu 3 (μ 3 -OH) clusters, whereas complex 2 has a three-core linear-shaped silver(I) structure. For complexes 1 and 2 , the pyrazinyl ring of the HOPz ligand acts as an electron-deficient heterocycle and the nitrate anion is the electron-rich unit. The structure of complex 1 is arranged by O(W) ··· O(MeOH) ··· O(NO 3 – ) hydrogen bonds into a 1D chain, which is furthermore assembled into a 2D structure by C–H ··· π i (C Pz ) interactions between pyridyl rings and methyl groups. Complex 2 has a three-core linear-shaped structure, the nitrate oxygen atoms are involved in weak Ag ··· O interactions, which are linked into 1D chains by oxime ··· O(NO 3 – ) hydrogen bonded R 2 2 (12) dimers. The O(NO 3 – ) ··· π ii (C Pz ) interactions further connect the adjacent moieties into a 3D supramolecular network. Complexes 1 and 2 present intriguing self-complementary supra-molecular architectures through combination of coordination, hydrogen bonding, C–H ··· π as well as O(NO 3 – ) ··· π weak interactions. The results also provide a prototype for the development of frameworks with anions and multiple guest-binding sites using general principles of crystal design.

Description: Abstract A novel red emitting phosphor Ca5Ga6O14:Eu3+ has been synthesized using solid state method. The excitation and emission spectra show that the phosphor can emit the red light with the main peak at 611nm under excitation of the 280nm and 393nm UV chip and the optimal Eu3+ concentration is determined to be x=0.07. Analysis of emission spectrum shows that Eu3+ occupy the center of non‐inversion symmetry. With the increase of Eu3+ doping concentration, the decay time is prolonged due to deeper energy trap arising from non‐equivalent substitution. Additionally, the measured thermal stability with 0.539eV activation energy and calculated 90.5% color purity of optimal phosphor indicate that the phosphor has an enormous application potential in w‐LEDs industry. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: In this work, 1,5-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxy-2-pyrrolone derivatives (XH 2 ) and their anions (XH − ) were designed and synthesized as the synthetic vitamin C analogs. The thermodynamic driving forces of the 8 possible elementary steps for XH 2 to release 2 hydrogen atoms to become X in acetonitrile were determined using experimental methods. The mechanisms and the possible reaction intermediates of XH 2 and XH − reacted by DPPH • in acetonitrile were examined or predicted using the determined thermodynamic analysis combining the kinetics. 1,5-Dihydro-3,4-dihydroxy-2-pyrrolone derivatives (XH 2 ) and their anions (XH − ) were designed and synthesized as the synthetic vitamin C analogues. The thermodynamic driving forces of the 8 possible elementary steps for XH 2 to release 2 hydrogen atoms to become X in acetonitrile were determined using experimental methods. The mechanisms and the possible reaction intermediates of XH 2 and XH − reacted by DPPH • in acetonitrile were examined or predicted using the determined thermodynamic analysis combining the kinetics.

Description: Background: Metastasis is the primary cause of death for cancer patients. TWIST1, an evolutionarily conserved basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor, is a strong promoter of metastatic spread and its expression is elevated in many advanced human carcinomas. However, the molecular events triggered by TWIST1 to motivate dissemination of cancer cells are largely unknown. Results: Here we show that TWIST1 induces the production of interleukin 8 (IL8), which activates matrix metalloproteinases and promotes invasion of breast epithelial and cancer cells. In this novel mechanism, TWIST1-mediated IL8 transcription is induced through the TWIST1 carboxy-terminal WR (Trp-Arg) domain instead of the classic DNA binding bHLH domain. Co-immunoprecipitation analyses revealed that the WR domain mediates the formation of a protein complex comprised of TWIST1 and the nuclear factor- kappaB (NF-kappaB) subunit RELA (p65/NF-kappaB3), which synergistically activates the transcriptional activity of NF-kappaB. This activation leads to increased DNA binding affinity of RELA to the IL8 promoter and thus induces the expression of the cytokine. Blockage of IL8 signaling by IL8 neutralizing antibodies or receptor inhibition reduced the invasiveness of both breast epithelial and cancer cells, indicating that TWIST1 induces autonomous cell invasion by establishing an IL8 antocrine loop. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that the TWIST1 WR domain plays a critical role in TWIST1-induced IL8 expression through interactions with and activation of NF-kappaB. The produced IL8 signals through an autocrine loop and promotes extracellular matrix degradation to enable cell invasion across the basement membrane.

Description: Background: The evolutionary history and relationships of the mud shrimps (Crustacea: Decapoda: Gebiidea and Axiidea) are contentious, with previous attempts revealing mixed results. The mud shrimps were once classified in the infraorder Thalassinidea. Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses, however, suggest separation of the group into two individual infraorders, Gebiidea and Axiidea. Mitochondrial (mt) genome sequence and structure can be especially powerful in resolving higher systematic relationships that may offer new insights into the phylogeny of the mud shrimps and the other decapod infraorders, and test the hypothesis of dividing the mud shrimps into two infraorders. Results: We present the complete mitochondrial genome sequences of five mud shrimps, Austinogebia edulis, Upogebia major, Thalassina kelanang (Gebiidea), Nihonotrypaea thermophilus and Neaxius glyptocercus (Axiidea). All five genomes encode a standard set of 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and a putative control region. Except for T. kelanang, mud shrimp mitochondrial genomes exhibited rearrangements and novel patterns compared to the pancrustacean ground pattern. Each of the two Gebiidea species (A. edulis and U. major) and two Axiidea species (N. glyptocercus and N. thermophiles) share unique gene order specific to their infraorders and analyses further suggest these two derived gene orders have evolved independently. Phylogenetic analyses based on the concatenated nucleotide and amino acid sequences of 13 protein-coding genes indicate the possible polyphyly of mud shrimps, supporting the division of the group into two infraorders. However, the infraordinal relationships among the Gebiidea and Axiidea, and other reptants are poorly resolved. The inclusion of mt genome from more taxa, in particular the reptant infraorders Polychelida and Glypheidea is required in further analysis. Conclusions: Phylogenetic analyses on the mt genome sequences and the distinct gene orders provide further evidences for the divergence between the two mud shrimp infraorders, Gebiidea and Axiidea, corroborating previous molecular phylogeny and justifying their infraordinal status. Mitochondrial genome sequences appear to be promising markers for resolving phylogenetic issues concerning decapod crustaceans that warrant further investigations and our present study has also provided further information concerning the mt genome evolution of the Decapoda.

Description: Background: New genes that originate from non-coding DNA rather than being duplicated from parent genes are called de novo genes. Their short evolution time and lack of parent genes provide a chance to study the evolution of cis-regulatory elements in the initial stage of gene emergence. Although a few reports have discussed cis-regulatory elements in new genes, knowledge of the characteristics of these elements in de novo genes is lacking. Here, we conducted a comprehensive investigation to depict the emergence and establishment of cis-regulatory elements in de novo yeast genes. Results: In a genome-wide investigation, we found that the number of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) in de novo genes of S. cerevisiae increased rapidly and quickly became comparable to the number of TFBSs in established genes. This phenomenon might have resulted from certain characteristics of de novo genes; namely, a relatively frequent gain of TFBSs, an unexpectedly high number of preexisting TFBSs, or lower selection pressure in the promoter regions of the de novo genes. Furthermore, we identified differences in the promoter architecture between de novo genes and duplicated new genes, suggesting that distinct regulatory strategies might be employed by genes of different origin. Finally, our functional analyses of the yeast de novo genes revealed that they might be related to reproduction. Conclusions: Our observations showed that de novo genes and duplicated new genes possess mutually distinct regulatory characteristics, implying that these two types of genes might have different roles in evolution.