No abstract

Earthy odor is one of the most frequent and serious causes for the aroma deterioration in Chinese liquor, which causes a dirty and dusty impression. The odor in Chinese liquor is similar to that of rice husk, one kind of auxiliary material widely used as a filler in the distillation process. So it is experientially hypothesized that such odor may derive from rice husk. In this paper, the gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) technique and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to discover and identify the characteristic odoriferous zone of Chinese liquor marked by earthy odor. Geosmin was found to be responsible for this odor. The levels of the compound in ten bottled liquors and thirty liquors aging for different years belonging to four different aroma types were determined by the optimized headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) method. Quantitative analysis of bottled liquor revealed the presence of geosmin in all aroma type liquors with concentrations ranging from 1.10 μg/L to 9.90 μg/L, except for strong-aroma type liquor. Meanwhile in the aged liquors belonging to the same aroma type, geosmin was detected with significant concentrations and high odor activity values (OAVs) during different years of aging. However, geosmin was not detected in steamed rice husk nor in nonsteamed rice husk, which suggests that rice husk is not the origin of earthy odor in Chinese liquor, and there may be another origin of it during the brewing process.

Ischemic spinal cord injury (ISCI) results in the motor sensory dysfunction of the limbs below the injury site. In response to the injury, astrocytes develop into neuroprotective astrocytes [(neurotrophic reactive astrocytes (A2s)] to mitigate the damage. MicroRNA (miR)‐21 can promote the development of neuroinflammation in previous studies. Our aim was to investigate the effect of miR‐21 on its polarization. We used the abdominal aortic occlusion model in vivo. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the distribution of A2s in the spinal cord. We used an oxygen glucose deprivation method to model astrocytes ischemia in vitro and tested proliferation, migration, and excitability of A2s using an 5‐ethynyl ‐2′‐deoxyuridine kit, wound scratch assay, and calcium‐ion probe. After adjustment, we detected the model and target genes of A2s using PCR Western blot, immunofluorescence, and chromatin immunoprecipitation. We demonstrated in vivo that naive astrocytes were transformed into A2s by ischemia. And in vitro miR‐21, which can regulate the signal transducer and activator of transcription‐3 pathway, can transform neurotoxic reactive astrocyte into A2. Moreover, we also verified the mechanism of A2s promoting synaptic formation and nerve growth. miR‐21 is a switch to regulate the polarization of reactive astrocyte, and it promoted synapsis formation and nerites growth after acute ISCI.—Su, Y., Chen, Z., Du, H., Liu, R., Wang, W., Li, H., Ning, B. Silencing miR‐21 induces polarization of astrocytes to the A2 phenotype and improves the formation of synapses by targeting glypican 6 via the signal transducer and activator of transcription‐3 pathway after acute ischemic spinal cord injury. FASEB J. 33, 10859–10871 (2019). http://www.fasebj.org

Coexistence of antibiotics and heavy metals is typically detected in water containing both organic and inorganic contaminants. In this work, a flocculation method using a reusable thermoresponsive chitosan-based flocculant (CS-g-PNNPAM) was applied for separation and sequential recovery of tetracycline (TC) and Cu(II) from water. High synergistic removal rates of both TC and Cu(II) from water (>90%) were reached. Interactive effects among targeted water temperature (T), stock solution temperature (T), and flocculant dosage on flocculation performance were assessed using response surface methodology. To optimize flocculation, operation strategies of adjusting T and dosage according to T based on the interactive effects were given through mathematical analyses. The flocculation mechanism as well as interfacial interactions among CS-g-PNNPAM, TC, and Cu(II) were studied through experimental investigations (floc size monitoring, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV spectra) and theoretical calculations (density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations). Coordination of Cu(II) with TC and the flocculant promoted flocculation; switchable interactions (H bonds and hydrophobic association) of the TC-flocculant at different temperatures were key factors affecting operation strategies. When these interactions were weakened step by step, TC and Cu(II) were sequentially recovered from flocs using certain solutions. Meanwhile, the flocculant in flocs was regenerated and found reusable with high flocculation efficiency.

A gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric sensor for the determination of creatinine was developed as an important index for early diagnosis of kidney function and corresponding renal diseases. Because of the unique synergistic coordination capability of adenosine and creatinine with Ag+ on a particle surface, our system exhibits an excellent selectivity to creatinine among various ions and biomolecules. There are good linear relationships of absorption changes (A 630 nm/520 nm) over creatinine concentrations, so both colorimetric qualitative detection by the naked eye and quantitative determination by UV–vis spectrometer could be realized with an excellent limit of detection compared with that of other methods. Finally, by testing creatinine in practical samples, such as urine mimic and bovine serum, good recoveries were obtained with proper relative standard deviations.

This study investigated the efficacy of a combination gene therapy to repress IL-1 and RANKL for the treatment of particulate debris-induced aseptic loosening, and tried to explore the molecular mechanism the exogenous gene modifications on osteoclastogenesis. RAW cells activated by titanium particles were transduced with DFG-IL-1Ra and AAV-OPG individually or in combination for 4 weeks. Pro-inflammatory cytokines in culture media were determined by ELISA, and gene expressions of RANK, IL-1β, c-Fos, TRAF6, JNK1, and CPK were examined using real-time PCR. An established knee-implant-failure mouse model was employed to evaluate the efficacy of the in vivo double-gene therapy. The surgical implantation of a titanium alloy pin into the proximal tibia was followed by monthly challenge with titanium debris. Peri-implant gene transfers of IL-1Ra and OPG (respectively or in combination) were given three weeks after surgery. The combination of OPG and IL-1Ra gene transfer exhibited strong synergetic effects in blockage of inflammation and osteoclastogenesis at 8-weeks after gene modification. The combination therapy reversed peri-implant bone resorption and restored implant stability when compared with either single gene transduction. Real-time PCR data indicated that the action of IL-1Ra gene therapy may be mediated via the JNK1 pathway, while the reduction of osteoclastogenesis by OPG gene modification may be regulated by c-Fos expression. In addition, both gene modifications resulted in significantly diminishment of TRAF6 expression.

RF/microwave soft magnetic films (SMFs) are key materials for miniaturization and multifunctionalization of monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) and their components, which demand that the SMFs should have higher self-bias ferromagnetic resonance frequency fFMR, and can be fabricated in an IC compatible process. However, self-biased metallic SMFs working at X-band or higher frequency were rarely reported, even though there are urgent demands. In this paper, we report an IC compatible process with two-step superposition to prepare SMFs, where the FeCoB SMFs were deposited on (011) lead zinc niobate–lead titanate substrates using a composition gradient sputtering method. As a result, a giant magnetic anisotropy field of 1498 Oe, 1–2 orders of magnitude larger than that by conventional magnetic annealing method, and an ultrahigh fFMR of up to 12.96 GHz reaching Ku-band, were obtained at zero magnetic bias field in the as-deposited films. These ultrahigh microwave performances can be attributed to the superposition of two effects: uniaxial stress induced by composition gradient and magnetoelectric coupling. This two-step superposition method paves a way for SMFs to surpass X-band by two-step or multi-step, where a variety of magnetic anisotropy field enhancing methods can be cumulated together to get higher ferromagnetic resonance frequency.

Strong converse magnetoelectric coupling was observed in a multiferroic heterostructure of Fe59.3Co28.0Hf12.7 film on (011) cut lead zinc niobate-lead titanate (PZN-PT) slab, which exhibited a large electric field (E-field) tunability of microwave magnetic properties. With the increase of E-field from 0 to 6 kV/cm on PZN-PT, the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) field Hr shifts downwards by 430.7 Oe along [011¯] direction and upwards by 492.9 Oe along [100] direction of the PZN-PT. Accordingly, the strong magnetoelectric coupling led to a significantly enhanced self-biased FMR frequency from 4.2 to 7.9 GHz under zero bias magnetic field, and the magnetic damping constant α was decreased from 0.0260 to 0.0185 at the same time. These features demonstrate that this multiferroic laminate is promising in fabrication of E-field tunable microwave components.