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ABSTRACT: The effects of esterified lactoferrin (ELF) and lactoferrin (LF) on blue mold caused by Penicillium expansum in apple fruit stored at 25 °C were investigated. Both ELF and LF provided an effective control and strongly inhibited spore germination and germ tube elongation of P. expansum in vitro. Assessment by propidium iodide staining combined with fluorescent microscopy revealed that the plasma membrane of P. expansum spores was damaged more seriously by ELF than by LF treatment, and the leakage of protein and sugar was higher from ELF-treated mycelia. Interestingly, ELF treatment induced a significant increase in the activities of chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase, and peroxidase in apple fruit, whereas both LF treatment and the control showed no obvious difference. These findings indicated that the effects of ELF on blue mold in apple fruit might be associated with the direct fungitoxic property against the pathogens and the elicitation of defense-related enzymes in fruit.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 06/2012; 60(25):6432-8. · 2.82 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: In order to quantify and predict the water resistance of membrane, a multi-scales association model was built up based on
the Fick’s second law. Two water resistance indexes, balance time and seepage velocity, were put forward and calculated by
the model for measuring the property of membrane water resistance. The association model linked macro-scale factors and micro-scale
parameters together. The influence of macro-scale factors, environmental temperature and membrane thickness, and micro-scale
parameters, water molecules diffusivity, membrane saturated water absorption rate and water escape concentration, were discussed.
The properties of water resistances for two groups including 10 waterborne acrylate membranes samples were measured for validating
the indexes calculated by the model. The well consistency between the results of calculations and experiments proved that
the method of multi-scales association modeling for quantifying and predicting the membrane water resistance was feasible.
KeywordsMulti-scale modeling-Membrane-Water resistance
Journal of Mathematical Chemistry 04/2012; 48(3):720-732. · 1.30 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) mediates NO signaling for a wide range of physiological effects in the cardiovascular system and the central nervous system. The α1β1 isoform is ubiquitously distributed in cytosolic fractions of tissues, whereas α2β1 is mainly found in the brain. The major occurrence and the unique characteristic of human sGC α2β1 indicate a special role in the mediation of neuronal communication. We have efficiently purified and characterized the recombinant heme-binding domain of the human sGC α2 subunit (hsGC α2(H)) and heterodimeric α2β1 (hsGC β1(H)-α2(H)) by UV-vis spectroscopy, circular dichrosim spectroscopy, EPR spectroscopy, and homology modeling. The heme dissociation and related NO/CO binding/dissociation of both hsGC α2(H) and hsGC β1(H)-α2(H) were investigated. The two truncated proteins interact with heme noncovalently. The CO binding affinity of hsGC α2(H) is threefold greater than that of human sGC α1(H), whereas the dissociation constant k (1) for dissociation of NO from hsGC α2(H) is sevenfold larger than that for dissociation of NO from hsGC α1(H), although k (2) is almost identical. The results indicate that in comparison with the α1β1 isoform, the brain α2β1 isoform exhibits a distinctly different CO/NO affinity and binding rate in favor of NO signaling, and this is consistent with its physiological role in the activation and desensitization. Molecular modeling and sequence alignments are consistent with the hypothesis that His105 contributes to the different CO/NO binding properties of different isoforms. This valuable information is helpful to understand the molecular mechanism by which human sGC α2β1 mediates NO/CO signaling.
European Journal of Biochemistry 03/2012; 17(5):719-30. · 3.42 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Tomato growers in Shandong Province, China, commonly face heavy root-knot nematode infestations. Current methods of control include cadusafos and methyl bromide (MeBr), but alternative methods are required because of the high toxicity of these pesticides and the ecological risk of their use. Therefore, abamectin soil applications were evaluated for their potential to control soil nematodes in a series of laboratory tests, greenhouse pot experiments and field trials.
Laboratory tests showed that abamectin exhibited rapid knockdown of Meloidogyne incognita, with LC(50) and LC(90) values that were superior to those of cadusafos and averaged 7.06 and 21.81 mg L(-1). In the greenhouse pot experiment, soil applications of abamectin provided significant M. incognita control similar to that provided by cadusafos while maintaining excellent plant height and vigour. In the field trials, abamectin exhibited excellent control effects to nematodes while giving a higher tomato yield. There was a 19.3-39.0% yield increase from the various treatments compared with the control, and the best results were obtained from the highest dose of abamectin.
The results of this study demonstrated that abamectin has the potential to be used as an effective alternative to MeBr and cadusafos for nematode control in tomato production in Shandong Province.
Pest Management Science 03/2012; 68(6):853-7. · 2.25 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Balancing self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells is an important issue in stem cell and cancer biology. Recently, the Drosophila neuroblast (NB), neural stem cell has emerged as an excellent model for stem cell self-renewal and tumorigenesis. It is of great interest to understand how defects in the asymmetric division of neural stem cells lead to tumor formation. Here, we review recent advances in asymmetric division and the self-renewal control of Drosophila NBs. We summarize molecular mechanisms of asymmetric cell division and discuss how the defects in asymmetric division lead to tumor formation. Gain-of-function or loss-of-function of various proteins in the asymmetric machinery can drive NB overgrowth and tumor formation. These proteins control either the asymmetric protein localization or mitotic spindle orientation of NBs. We also discuss other mechanisms of brain tumor suppression that are beyond the control of asymmetric division.
BioEssays 01/2012; 34(4):301-10. · 4.95 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The contribution of fiber alignment of scaffold on cellular mechanisms was evaluated by a comparative study of two different cells sourced from cornea. Electrospun scaf-folds with similar composition and comparable fiber size were fabricated into randomly oriented and aligned scaffolds, which bear paralleled degradation of gelatin. Tensile test of wet scaffolds indicated that fiber alignment could influence its mechanical properties. Due to the unidirectional fiber orientation, aligned scaffold exhibited higher tensile modulus, higher break strength, and lower elongation at break than randomly oriented scaffold. The effect of fiber alignment on cells behavior was evaluated by cell morphology, specific protein expression, adhesion, and proliferation. Different corneal cells responded uniquely to fiber alignment of scaffold, keratocytes interacting more favorably on alignment scaffold and corneal epithelial cells more favorably on randomly oriented scaffold. These results confirmed that fiber alignment of scaffold would be benefit for cell proliferation if its contact guidance coincided with the cell shape and cytoskeletal tension. This finding is important to envisage an advanced composite scaffold that incorporates randomly oriented and aligned fibers for the growth and control of different cell types required for the successful development of corneal grafts by tissue engineering. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A:, 2011.
Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A 12/2011; · 2.63 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: In this paper, we present a novel method for the preparation of raspberry-like monodisperse magnetic hollow hybrid nanospheres with γ-Fe(2)O(3)@SiO(2) particles as the outer shell. PS@Fe(3)O(4)@SiO(2) composite nanoparticles were successfully prepared on the principle of the electrostatic interaction between negatively charged silica and positively charged polystyrene, and then raspberry-like magnetic hollow hybrid nanospheres with large cavities were achieved by means of calcinations, simultaneously, the magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) was transformed into maghemite (γ-Fe(2)O(3)). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated that the obtained magnetic hollow silica nanospheres with the perfect spherical profile were well monodisperse and uniform with the mean size of 253nm. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) provided the sufficient evidences for the presence of Fe(3)O(4) in the silica shell. Moreover, the magnetic hollow silica nanospheres possessed a characteristic of superparamagnetic with saturation magnetization value of about 7.84emu/g by the magnetization curve measurement. In addition, the nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurement exhibited that the pore size, BET surface area, pore volume of magnetic hollow silica nanospheres were 3.5-5.5nm, 307m(2)g(-1) and 1.33cm(3)g(-1), respectively. Therefore, the magnetic hollow nanospheres possess a promising future in controlled drug delivery and targeted drug applications.
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 10/2010; 354(1):94-9. · 3.07 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A new method for evaluating the adhesion and rust-resistant properties of coating film is proposed and validated by Photoshop software. A color scanner and Photoshop processing software are used to scan coatings film and analyze images by this method. The percentage of film area removed calculated by pixels is used to classify adhesion of the cross-cut test ASTM D3359. The area removed is measured by using the functions of area selection and histogram in Photoshop software. The adhesion of 14 samples about standard classification pictures of crosscut adhesion test of ASTM D3359-02 and self-made samples, are classified. The percent area removed given by ASTM standard and the percent pixels removed measured by Photoshop is correlated, with the correlation coefficient being 0.997. On the other hand, the rusty areas of regular and irregular graphics are quantitatively determined using to estimate the rust resistant properties. The determining error of rusty areas compared with the vernier caliper is under 3.0%. Quantitative evaluation for extent of corrosion of the coating is realized. The method is more scientific and specific than the present method of that evaluated by the human mind. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Surface and Interface Analysis 07/2010; 43(5):913 - 917. · 1.18 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-polyacrylate core–shell nanoparticles were produced by using PTFE micropowder and acrylate via seeded emulsion polymerization in the presence of fluorosurfactant. The properties of emulsion under various polymerization conditions were investigated and optimized. The chemical composition of the PTFE-polyacrylate nanoparticles was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). The particle size and core–shell structure of the resulting PTFE-polyacrylate nanoparticles were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Wettability of the PTFE-polyacrylate core–shell particles was higher than the pristine PTFE. The formation of this kind of PTFE-polyacrylate core–shell nanoparticles could improve the compatibility of PTFE with other materials because PTFE is covered by polyacrylate shell, which make them promising in various fields. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Polymers for Advanced Technologies 05/2007; 18(7):544 - 548. · 2.01 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Role of fluorocarbon surfactant in the preparation of polytetrafluoroethylene-modified polyacrylate emulsion is investigated. The fluorocarbon surfactant has an efficient preemulsification to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) powder. It enables PTFE powder to be introduced into the copolymer of n-butyl acrylate, n-methyl methacrylate, n-styrene, and α-methacrylic acid. Thereby, stable PTFE-modified polyacrylate emulsion can be formed. The effects of fluorocarbon surfactant on the surface tension, particle size and particle size distribution of the emulsion, as well as the relation between fluorocarbon surfactant and the amount of PTFE powder are fully investigated. The particle size and the surface tension of emulsion strongly depend on the fluorocarbon surfactant concentration in the reaction system. The particle size distribution becomes narrower and the stability of the emulsion is improved with the increasing of the fluorocarbon surfactant concentration. According to the experiments, a possible mechanism of fluorocarbon surfactant in polymerization is proposed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007
Journal of Applied Polymer Science 04/2007; 105(4):2138 - 2145. · 1.29 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A fast, accurate and convenient method for the simultaneous determination of multi-component in the Chinese herbal medicine was proposed by using ultraviolet absorption spectrum. In this method, dummy components were added to training sample, and a double artificial neural network (DANN) that has the function of high self-revision and self-simulation was used. Effect of other interference components could be eliminated by adjusting concentration of dummy components. Therefore, the accuracy of concentration prediction for multi-component in the complicated Chinese herbal medicine was improved. It has been realized that two effective components of Cortex Fraxini, aesculin and aesculetin, were simultaneously determined, without any separation. The predicted accuracy was 92% within the permitted relative errors. The measurement precisions of the aesculin and aesculetin were 0.37% and 1.5%, respectively.
Spectrochimica Acta Part A Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 12/2006; 65(3-4):863-8. · 2.10 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A novel method to produce fluorine-containing polyacrylate emulsion is presented. It is prepared by the copolymerization of n-methyl methacrylate, n-styrene, n-butyl acrylate, and α-methacrylic acid in the presence of swollen particles of PTFE. The structure and properties of the polymers are characterized by GPC, PSD, SEM, and XPS. The number-average molar mass (Mn) 51,332, and the polydispersity 5.8688 are obtained. The mean diameter of latex particles is 300nm. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that particles of the emulsion are well dispersed. Meanwhile, the F1S content of the surface on the latex membrane is 8.99%. It is shown that the method of mixing micron and nanometer-sized particles should be made the next step of research. It is also proved that inertia polymers can be used in emulsion property modification. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 558–562, 2006
Journal of Applied Polymer Science 10/2005; 99(2):558 - 562. · 1.29 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A fast and highly efficient Kalman Filter analysis-flow injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) method was developed to simultaneously determine trace amounts of niobium and tantalum in geological samples. The method, without the boring process of separation and dear instruments, is suitable for field scene analysis. The mixed chemiluminescence kinetic curve was analyzed by a Kalman Filter (KF) in this method to realize the simultaneous determination of niobium and tantalum. Possible interference elements in the determination were investigated. Under the selected conditions, the detection limits (3sigma, n = 11) of niobium(V) and tantalum(V) were 2.1 x 10(-3) microg g(-1) and 4.0 x 10(-3) microg g(-1), respectively, and the relative standard deviations were 4.9% and 3.3% (n = 9). The method was applied to the determination of niobium and tantalum in geological samples with satisfactory results.
Analytical Sciences 10/2005; 21(9):1051-5. · 1.25 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Magnetic hollow polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) nanospheres were successfully obtained by etching the template of CaCO3 in the core–shell Fe3O4@CaCO3@PMMA nanospheres, which were synthesized via in situ emulsion polymerization in the presence of oleic acid-modified Fe3O4@CaCO3 composite nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements demonstrated that the core–shell Fe3O4@CaCO3@PMMA nanospheres were uniform and possessed narrow size distributions. And a perfect spherical profile of magnetic hollow PMMA nanospheres could be also observed by TEM. Both the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, high resolution TEM (HRTEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) provided the sufficient evidences for the presence of Fe3O4 in the magnetic hollow PMMA nanospheres. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) investigated the composition of the resulting composite nanospheres. Moreover, the magnetic testing experiment could give us a direct proof of the presence of Fe3O4 in magnetic hollow PMMA nanospheres. And the magnetic hollow PMMA nanospheres had a promising future in controlled drug delivery and targeted drug applications.
Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects.
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ABSTRACT: The antistatic expandable polystyrene/polyaniline (EPS/PANI) composite beads with a core/shell structure were successfully synthesized via a novel method of swelling-based and in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline. And the achieved antistatic composite beads could effectively avoid the fire disaster that resulted from the electrostatic phenomenon during the pre-expansion process of EPS in the industrial manufacture. The novelty of this method lied in anchoring the nanostructured PANI on the surface of swollen EPS beads during the in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline. The resultant EPS/PANI composite beads not only possessed a low surface resistance that could fully meet the demand for avoiding the electrostatic phenomenon, but also kept a perfect spherical profile of EPS beads without destroying the expansion system. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images demonstrated that a conductive PANI path was effectively constructed on the surface of swollen EPS beads. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) exhibited that the resultant EPS/PANI composite beads possessed a better thermal stability than that of bare EPS. Moreover, the conductive EPS/PANI composite beads had a low surface resistance of about 4.5 × 103 Ω, which corresponded to a very low PANI content of approximately 0.21 wt.%.Highlights► A novel method of swelling-based and in situ polymerization of aniline was reported. ► The antistatic expandable polystyrene/polyaniline beads were firstly synthesized. ► The EPS/PANI beads possessed a low surface resistance and PANI content. ► The EPS/PANI beads also possessed a good expansion system as EPS beads. ► The novel method could be easily scaled up in industrial manufacture.
Chemical Engineering Journal. 172(1):564-571.
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ABSTRACT: A preparation method of waterborne crackle decorative coatings was reported in this paper and the factors that influence crack patterns were investigated. The crackle coating consisted of a waterborne basecoat and a waterborne topcoat. The basecoat was made from two-component epoxy emulsion and the topcoat was made from fluorine-containing acrylic emulsion, silicone-acrylic emulsion or styrene-acrylic emulsion. Three junction types of crack patterns were prepared by the three top coatings, which were T-junction, Y-junction and mixed junction. T-junction type with long and straight cracks was prepared from styrene-acrylic emulsion 296DS. Y-junction type with curve and short cracks was prepared from fluorine-containing acrylic emulsion A603C and mixed junctions type was made from silicone-acrylic emulsion. Crack patterns with different spacing were prepared by controlling the thickness of topcoat, dryness of basecoat or conditions of film forming. The characterize methods of type and spacing for crack pattern were developed and properties of coating film including adhesion, water resistance, scrub resistance and so on were tested. The results showed that the crackle coatings possessed satisfactory properties for practical application.Research highlights▶ Three junction types of crack patterns were prepared in our study, which were T-junctions, Y-junctions and mixed type. ▶ Crack patterns with different spacing were prepared. ▶ Ventilation makes the cracks spacing small.
Applied Surface Science 257(9):4377-4383. · 2.10 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Core–shell fluorine-containing polyacrylate latex particles with fluorine-containing polymer rich in shell were successfully prepared by emulsifier-free seeded emulsion polymerization of fluorine-containing acrylate and fluorine-free acrylate monomers in water with PMMA particles as seeds. The chemical composition and core–shell structure were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. TEM, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis indicated that the core–shell particles were uniform and possessed narrow size distributions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis revealed that a gradient concentration of fluorine excited in the structure of the core–shell fluorine-containing latex film from the film–air interface to the film–glass interface. In addition, compared with the latex film of core–shell fluorine-free polyacrylate prepared under the similar polymerization condition, the core–shell fluorine-containing latex film showed higher contact angle and thermal stability.
Colloids and Surfaces A Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 303(3):173-178. · 2.24 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: In this paper dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) has been used to predict the phase behavior and microstructure of Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/octane/1-butanol/water system. The dynamics process for the formation of water/oil (w/o) microstructure can be well reproduced by the method. The effect of octane on the microstructure has been studied by varying octane concentration. By the analysis of the simulated interface tension and microstructure, their phase diagram has been fabricated, which is consistent with experimental result. The mesoscopic properties of microemulsion, such as micelle shape, density distribution of water in the micelle, interfacial tension, can inform us the relation between micelle bulks and component ratio. By adjusting the bulk and figure of the micelles, the expected nanometer structure material can be synthesized with controlled structure according to the phase diagram.
Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects.
