A preparation and performance study of glass-ceramic glazes derived from blast furnace slag and fly ash

Hong-xia Lu,Man He,Yuan-yuan Liu,Jing-fei Guo,Li-wei Zhang,Deliang Chen,Hai-long Wang,Hong-liang Xu,Rui Zhang 한양대학교 세라믹연구소 2011 Journal of Ceramic Processing Research Vol.12 No.5

Glass-ceramic glazes have been prepared successfully via crystallization from blast-furnace slag (BFS), fly ash (FA) fluxed with potash feldspar and borax. The crystalline behavior of glass-ceramic glazes was investigated using differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (DTA/TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results revealed that the major crystalline phases are anorthite (CaAl2Si2O8) and akermanite (Ca2MgSi2O7) and crystalline phases disperse well in glassy phases with a uniform size of 1 μm. Glass-ceramic glazes possess low density, low water absorption,perfect stain resistance, acid resistance and alkali resistance. The thermal expansion coefficient of glass-ceramic glazes is steady up to 800 oC with an average value of 7.2 × 10−6 /K. Final results suggest that BFS and FA have potential to be vitrified into economically and environmentally low-cost glass-ceramic glaze materials.

Laser Ablation Synthesis, Structure, and Exchange Bias of Mn4C/MnO Powders

Yao, Lu-Lu,Si, Ping-Zhan,Ge, Hong-Liang,Qian, Hui-Dong,Choi, Chul-Jin Springer-Verlag 2019 Journal of electronic materials Vol.48 No.3

Melatonin prevents lung injury by regulating apelin 13 to improve mitochondrial dysfunction

Lu Zhang,Fangli Liu,Xiaomin Su,Yue Li,Yining Wang,Ruonan Fang,Yingying Guo,Tongzhu Jin,Huitong Shan,Xiaoguang Zhao,Rui Yang,Hongli Shan,Haihai Liang 생화학분자생물학회 2019 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.51 No.-

Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive disease characterized by epithelial cell damage, fibroblast proliferation, excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, and lung tissue scarring. Melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland, plays an important role in multiple physiological and pathological responses in organisms. However, the function of melatonin in the development of bleomycin-induced pulmonary injury is poorly understood. In the present study, we found that melatonin significantly decreased mortality and restored the function of the alveolar epithelium in bleomycin-treated mice. However, pulmonary function mainly depends on type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECIIs) and is linked to mitochondrial integrity. We also found that melatonin reduced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and prevented apoptosis and senescence in AECIIs. Luzindole, a nonselective melatonin receptor antagonist, blocked the protective action of melatonin. Interestingly, we found that the expression of apelin 13 was significantly downregulated in vitro and in vivo and that this downregulation was reversed by melatonin. Furthermore, ML221, an apelin inhibitor, disrupted the beneficial effects of melatonin on alveolar epithelial cells. Taken together, these results suggest that melatonin alleviates lung injury through regulating apelin 13 to improve mitochondrial dysfunction in the process of bleomycin-induced pulmonary injury.

A NEW CORE – SHELL HYBRID NANOSTRUCTURES OF GOLD NANOROD FOR ENHANCING FLUORESCENCE AND APPLICATION IN DUAL-COLOR IMAGING

LU ZHANG,Peihui Yang,YAN-JIE GUO,JIAN-JUN LUO,GUI-MIN SUN,ZHI-HONG LIANG,YAN-JUAN TANG 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2014 NANO Vol.9 No.3

A novel core – shell hybrid nanostructure was constructed by employing gold nanorod (AuNR)combined with rhodamine B (RB) as a core and silica as a shell. The poly(sodium 4-styr-enesulfonate) (PSS), a negatively charged polyelectrolyte, played the role of linker to electro-statically trap RB on AuNRs. Due to the °uorescence spectral overlap between RB and AuNRs at560 nm, the red °uorescence and enhanced green °uorescence of the hybrid nanostructures wereobserved obviously, which is capable for dual-color labeling. To reduce toxic side e®ects ofAuNRs, silica was coated on AuNRs as a shell to fabricate the novel core – shell hybrid nano-structure function as a dual-color labeling for cancer-cell imaging. The fabricated compositestructures were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), absorption spectrum,°uorescence spectrum, zeta potential measurements and laser scanning confocal microscope(LSCM). The experiment results con¯rmed that the obtained hybrid nanostructures providedexcellent photostability, biocompatibility and active surface for further biological functionali-zation. The novel composite structures may have great potential application in cell multicolorlabeling and imaging instead of traditional °uorescent dyes.

Experimental Study and Confi nement Analysis on RC Stub Columns Strengthened with Circular CFST Under Axial Load

Hong-Jun Liang,Yi-Yan Lu,Jiyue Hu,Jifeng Xue 한국강구조학회 2018 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.18 No.5

As the excellent mechanical performance and easy construction of concrete fi lled steel tubes (CFST) composite structure, it has the potential to be used to strengthen RC pier columns. Therefore, tests were conducted on 2 reinforcement concrete (RC) stub columns and 9 RC columns strengthened with circular CFST under axial loading. The test results show that the circular CFST strengthening method is eff ective since the mean bearing capacity of the RC columns is increased at least 3.69 times and the ductility index is signifi cantly improved more than 30%. One of the reasons for enhancement is obvious confi nement provided by steel tube besides the additional bearing capacity supplied by the strengthening materials. From the analysis of the enhancement ratio, the strengthening structure has at least an extra 20% amplifi cation except for taking full advantage of the strength of the strengthening material. Through the analysis of confi ning stress provided by steel tube and the stress–strain relationship of confi ned concrete, it is found that the strength of the core concrete can be increased by 21–33% and the ultimate strain can be enhanced to beyond 15,000 με .

Functional mechanisms for diabetic nephropathy-associated genetic variants

Hong Xu,Chengxin Gong,Yonghu Xu,Yongfang Fan,Xingzi Liu,Chaopeng Xiong,Luling He,Changle Liu,Shenqiang Rao,Wen Xiao,Lu Ding,Lan Tang,Fangfang Hu,Mengqi Xiong,Mei Yang,Shangdong Liang 한국유전학회 2016 Genes & Genomics Vol.38 No.7

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the major complications of diabetes. A tremendous amount of genetic variations have been identified to be associated with DN. However, most of them only generate from statistical associations at the DNA level, generally without direct functional evidence regarding their association mechanisms underlying DN. Based on the publicly available datasets and resources, this study performed integrative analyses (expression quantitative trait loci analysis, differential gene expression analysis and functional prediction analysis) to detect the molecular functional mechanisms underlying the associations for DN. Among 150 selected (P\E-4) genetic associations that were archived in the public databases, two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs3135377 and rs9469220) have been found to act as cis-effect regulators of the ‘‘identified’’ gene (HLADRA and HLA-DRB1). These eQTL genes have differential expression signals in the DN-associated cell groups. These SNPs were predicted as regulatory sites by utilizing online prediction tools. Our data suggest potential mechanistic links underlying the association between DN and two identified SNPs. These results could help us to have a deeper understanding of the functional relevance of genetic variants with susceptibility to DN, which is useful for pursuit of in-depth validation studies to dissect their involvements and molecular functional mechanisms in DN.

Expression and regulation of Angiopoietins and their receptor Tie-2 in sika deer antler

Hong-Liang Zhang,Bin Guo,Zhan-Peng Yue,Lu Zhang,Zhan-Qing Yang,Shuang Geng,Kai Wang,Hai-Fan Yu 한국통합생물학회 2017 Animal cells and systems Vol.21 No.3

The cartilage vascularization and chondrocyte survival are essential for endochondral ossification which occurs in the process of antler growth. Angiopoietins (Ang) is a family of major angiogenic growth factors and involved in regulating the vascularization. However, the expression and regulation of Angs in the antler are still unknown. The aim of this study is to localize the expression of Ang-1, Ang-2 and their receptor Tie-2 in sika deer antler using in situ hybridization and focused on analyzing the regulation of testosterone, estrogen, all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and 9cRA on their expression in antler chondrocytes. The results showed that Ang-1, Ang-2 and Tie-2 were highly expressed in antler chondrocytes. Administration of testosterone to antler chondrocytes led to a notable increase in the expression of Ang-1 and Tie-2, and a reduction in the expression of Ang-2. The similar result was also observed after estrogen treatment. In contrast, ATRA and 9cRA could inhibit the expression of Ang-1 in antler chondrocytes and heighten the expression of Ang-2. Simultaneously, ATRA could downregulate the expression of Tie-2 in antler chondrocytes at 12 and 24 h, while 9cRA upregulate the expression of Tie-2 at 3 and 6 h. Collectively, Ang-1, Ang-2 and Tie-2 are expressed in antler chondrocytes and their expression can be affected by testosterone, estrogen, ATRA and 9cRA.

Computed Tomography Manifestations of Histologic Subtypes of Retroperitoneal Liposarcoma

Lu, Jing,Qin, Qin,Zhan, Liang-Liang,Yang, Xi,Xu, Qing,Yu, Jing,Dou, Li-Na,Zhang, Hao,Yang, Yan,Chen, Xiao-Chen,Yang, Yue-Hua,Cheng, Hong-Yan,Sun, Xin-Chen Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.15

Objective: Liposarcoma (LPS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma and accounts for approximately 20% of all mesenchymal malignancies, often occurring in deep soft tissue of retroperitoneal space. Accurate preoperative diagnosis is therefore necessary. We explored whether computed tomography (CT) could be used to differentiate between the various types of retroperitoneal liposarcoma (RPLS). Method: Forty-seven cases of RPLS, diagnosed surgically and histologically, were analyzed retrospectively. CT features were correlated with postoperative pathological appearance. Results: The study radiologist identified 29, 11, 2, 2 and 3 RPLS as atypical lipomatous tumor/well-differentiated liposarcoma (ALT/WDL), dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDL), myxoid/round cell liposarcoma (ML/RCL), pleomorphic liposarcoma (PL) and mixed-type liposarcoma. Analysis of CT scans revealed the following typical findings of the different subtypes of RPLS: ALT/WDL was mainly visible as a well-delineated fatty hypodense tumor with uniform density and integrity margin; DDL was marked by the combination of focal nodular density and hypervascularity. ML/RCL, PL and mixed liposarcoma showed malignant biological behaviour and CT findings need further studies. Conclusions: CT scanning can reveal important details including internal components, margins and surrounding tissues. Based on CT findings, tumor type can be roughly evaluated and biopsy location and therapeutic scheme guided.

EST-SSRs characterization and in-silico alignments with linkage map SSR loci in Grape (Vitis L.) genome

Hong Huang,Xia Xu,Xiaoqin Yang,Shuang Liang,Jiao Wu,Jiang Lu 한국유전학회 2012 Genes & Genomics Vol.34 No.1

11,581 grape (Vitis L.) EST-SSRs were produced and characterized from a total of 381,609 grape ESTs. Among the EST-SSRs, the tri repeat (5,560, 45.4%) represented the most abundant class of microsatellites in grape EST. Most of grape EST-SSR motifs fall within 18-24 bps in length. The EST-SSRs tri- repeats occurred a higher percentage in 5'-end (59.3%) than in 3'-end (48.3%). And EST-SSR tri- repeats had abundant codon repeats for putative amino acid runs as Proline, Arginine in grape ESTs. To better utilizing these markers, 142 of newly developed and validated EST SSR loci as well as 223 linkage map SSR loci were in silico aligned and mapped in grape genome. The orders of these SSR loci in the chromosomal physical locations and in the linkage groups were compared, and about twenty linkage map loci positions were switched or rearranged in grape genome. The EST-SSR markers extended the linkage map in grape genome. The method of in silico mapping reported in this study provided an initial collection for grape mapping resources. This approach offers great opportunities to understand the genetic variations in nucleotide sequences differences in physical map,and genetic recombination in linkage maps, as well as benefits for markers enrichment in a specific grape genome region for fine mapping or QTL mapping.

Evaluation and validation of reference genes for SYBR Green qRT-PCR normalization in Sesamia inferens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Yanhui Lu,Xu-Song Zheng,Qi Liang,Hong-Xing Xu,Yajun Yang,Junce Tian,Xiaochan He,Zhong-Xian Lu 한국응용곤충학회 2015 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.18 No.4

The pink stemborer, Sesamia inferens (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), has gradually become amajor threat to rice production in Asian rice growth area. Using reverse-transcription quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to investigate gene expression of S. inferens under different conditions is a popular technique. However, numerous studies demonstrate that the experimental conditions affect the stability of reference genes. Thus, it is necessary to normalize qRT-PCR data under a specific condition using a stable reference gene as an internal control. In the present study, five algorithms (Delta Ctmethod, Bestkeeper, geNorm,Normfinder, and RefFinder) and seven candidate reference genes were evaluated to find out the most suitable reference genes under different biotic and abiotic conditions including different tissues and developmental stages, exposure to insecticides, different rice varieties, and different diets. Our results showed that the more stable series of reference genes were as follows: GAPDH, RPL10, and RPS3 for different tissues;GAPDH and RPS3 for developmental stages; RPS3 and EF1 for larval insecticide exposure; RPS3 and RPL10 for larvae reared on different rice varieties; RPS3 and ACTB for larvae fed on different diets. Hence, a combination of the best sets of reference genes for normalization of expression analysis will increase the accuracy and reliability of qRT-PCR data in S. inferens. In addition, these results establish the basis for selection of reference genes in other lepidopterous insect species.