Identification and characterization of heat shock proteins in a parasitic wasp Chouioia cuneae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)

Li‐Na Pan,Feng-ZhuWANG,Xin-Yue ZHANG,Yan-Ni ZHAO,Geng-Ping ZHU,Min LI 한국곤충학회 2018 Entomological Research Vol.48 No.3

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are known to be induced in response to various stress factors. Although HSPs have been studied in a number of insects, not much is known about HSPs in the natural enemies of insects, especially parasitoids. In this study, we identified and characterized five full‐length HSP genes (Cchsp40, Cchsp60, Cchsp70, Cchsp83, and Cchsp90) from an endoparasitic chalcid wasp, Chouioia cunea, which parasitizes the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea pupae, a worldwide pest. The expression of Cchsps in response to temperature, pesticide stresses and UV radiation were also investigated by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR). The results showed that all five Cchsps were induced in response to hot and cold temperatures. Four pesticides induced the abundant expression of Cchsp70, Cchsp83 and Cchsp90 while ultraviolet radiation up‐regulated Cchsp40, Cchsp70, Cchsp83 and Cchsp90. These results indicate the different transcriptional profiles of the five different Cchsps in response to various abiotic stresses. The findings of this study provide insights into the response of C. cunea to abiotic stresses and insight into the use of this parasitoid in biological control strategies.

CO2 Adsorption on the B12N12 Nanocage Encapsulated with Alkali Metals: A Density Functional Study

Haiyan Zhu,Qiyan Zhang,Qinfu Zhao,He Zhao,Yifan Feng,Bingbing Suo,Huixian Han,Qi Song,Yawei Li,Wenli Zou,Haiyan Zhu 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2019 NANO Vol.14 No.3

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been carried out to study the capacity of the B12N12 nanocage encapsulated with alkali metals (Li, Na, K) for the CO2 adsorption and activation. It is found that after encapsulating alkali metals, the alkali metal atoms are closer to one side of clusters instead of exactly lying at the center, and a considerable charge transfers from the inner alkali metal atoms to the B12N12 cage. Besides, the HOMO–LUMO gap (HLG) values of Li@B12N12, Na@B12N12 and K@B12N12 are decreased to about 6 eV, being much smaller than that of the pristine B12N12. Although the geometry structure parameters and the energy differences of M06-2X are slightly different from the ones of ωB97X-D, some identical results of two kinds of functional can be obtained. CO2 can be adsorbed chemically and physically on majority bonds of all the clusters, except for some bonds with large change in bond length and bond indices. The encapsulation of alkali-metal atoms may enhance the physical and chemical adsorption of CO2 on the surface of the clusters, in which Na@B12N12 and K@B12N12 are the most powerful physical and chemical adsorbent for CO2, respectively.

Synchronous immobilization and conversion of polysulfides on a VO₂-VN binary host targeting high sulfur load Li-S batteries

Song, Yingze,Zhao, Wen,Kong, Long,Zhang, Li,Zhu, Xingyu,Shao, Yuanlong,Ding, Feng,Zhang, Qiang,Sun, Jingyu,Liu, Zhongfan The Royal Society of Chemistry 2018 ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Vol.11 No.9

<P>Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are deemed as one of the most promising next-generation energy storage systems. However, their practical application is hindered by existing drawbacks such as poor cycling life and low Coulombic efficiency due to the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). We herein present an <I>in situ</I> constructed VO2-VN binary host which combines the merits of ultrafast anchoring (VO2) with electronic conducting (VN) to accomplish smooth immobilization-diffusion-conversion of LiPSs. Such synchronous advantages have effectively alleviated the polysulfide shuttling, promoted the redox kinetics, and hence improved the electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries. As a result, the sulfur cathode based on the VO2-VN/graphene host exhibited an impressive rate capability with ∼1105 and 935 mA h g<SUP>−1</SUP> at 1C and 2C, respectively, and maintained long-term cyclability with a low capacity decay of 0.06% per cycle within 800 cycles at 2C. More remarkably, favorable cyclic stability can be attained with a high sulfur loading (13.2 mg cm<SUP>−2</SUP>). Even at an elevated temperature (50 °C), the cathodes still delivered superior rate capacity. Our work emphasizes the importance of immobilization-diffusion-conversion of LiPSs toward the rational design of high-load and long-life Li-S batteries.</P>

Vanadium Dioxide-Graphene Composite with Ultrafast Anchoring Behavior of Polysulfides for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Song, Yingze,Zhao, Wen,Zhu, Xingyu,Zhang, Li,Li, Qiucheng,Ding, Feng,Liu, Zhongfan,Sun, Jingyu American Chemical Society 2018 ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES Vol.10 No.18

<P>The lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery has been deemed as one of the most promising energy-storage systems owing to its high energy density, low cost, and environmental benignancy. However, the capacity decay and kinetic sluggishness stemming from polysulfide shuttle effects have by far posed a great challenge to practical performance. We herein demonstrate the employment of low-cost, wet-chemistry-derived VO<SUB>2</SUB> nanobelts as the effective host additives for the graphene-based sulfur cathode. The VO<SUB>2</SUB> nanobelts displayed an ultrafast anchoring behavior of polysulfides, managing to completely decolor the polysulfide solution in 50 s. Such a fast and strong anchoring ability of VO<SUB>2</SUB> was further investigated and verified by experimental and theoretical investigations. Benefitting from the synergistic effect exerted by VO<SUB>2</SUB> in terms of chemical confinement and catalytic conversion of polysulfides, the Li-S batteries incorporating VO<SUB>2</SUB> and graphene manifested excellent cycling and rate performances. Notably, the batteries delivered an initial discharge capacity of 1405 mAh g<SUP>-1</SUP> when cycling at 0.2 C, showed an advanced rate performance of ∼830 mAh g<SUP>-1</SUP> at 2 C, and maintained a stable cycling performance at high current densities of 1, 2, and 5 C over 200 cycles, paving a practical route toward cost-effective and environmentally benign cathode design for high-energy Li-S batteries.</P> [FIG OMISSION]</BR>

Carbon-coated SnO₂@C with hierarchically porous structures and graphite layers inside for a high-performance lithium-ion battery

Li, Yao,Zhu, Shenmin,Liu, Qinglei,Gu, Jiajun,Guo, Zaiping,Chen, Zhixin,Feng, Chuanliang,Zhang, Di,Moon, Won-Jin The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012 Journal of materials chemistry Vol.22 No.6

<P>A high-performance anode material was prepared from a hierarchically structured activated carbon which contains <I>in situ</I> graphene and nano-graphite. The activated carbon was immersed in a solution of SnCl<SUB>2</SUB>·2H<SUB>2</SUB>O and subjected to ultrasound. As a result, nanoparticles of SnO<SUB>2</SUB> were uniformly deposited on the surface of the activated carbon. The composite material was then coated with a thin layer of carbon by soaking it in a sucrose solution, followed by carbonization of the adsorbed sucrose at 500 °C. The resulting composite showed an outstanding high-rate cycling performance that can deliver an initial discharge capacity of 1417 mAh g<SUP>−1</SUP> and maintain a discharge capacity of more than 400 mAh g<SUP>−1</SUP> after 100 cycles at a high current density of 1000 mA g<SUP>−1</SUP>. This outstanding electrochemical performance is likely to be related to a unique combination of the excellent electrical conductivity of the activated carbon with graphite layers formed inside, its hierarchical pore structure which enhances lithium-ion transportation, and the carbon coating which alleviates the effects of volume changes, shortens the distance for Li<SUP>+</SUP> diffusion, facilitates the transmission of electrons, and keeps the structure stable.</P> <P>Graphic Abstract</P><P>Carbon-coated SnO<SUB>2</SUB>@C nanocomposite with hierarchically porous structures and graphite layers inside was prepared by ultrasound and hydrothermal treatment, which showed an outstanding high-rate cycling performance for lithium-ion battery. <IMG SRC='http://pubs.rsc.org/services/images/RSCpubs.ePlatform.Service.FreeContent.ImageService.svc/ImageService/image/GA?id=c1jm14290a'> </P>

Controlled synthesis of Co₂C nanochains using cobalt laurate as precursor: Structure, growth mechanism and magnetic properties

Zhang, Yajing,Zhu, Yuan,Wang, Kangjun,Li, Da,Wang, Dongping,Ding, Fu,Meng, Dan,Wang, Xiaolei,Choi, Chuljin,Zhang, Zhidong Elsevier 2018 Journal of magnetism and magnetic materials Vol.456 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Cobalt carbides (Co<SUB>2</SUB>C and Co<SUB>3</SUB>C) nanocomposites exhibit interesting hard magnetic property, controlled synthesis of individual phase facilitates to clarify the magnetism of each, but it is difficult to obtain the single phase. We present a new approach to address this issue via a polyol refluxing process, using cobalt laurate as the precursor. The single phase Co<SUB>2</SUB>C magnetic nanochains self-assembled by nanoparticles are synthesized. The precursor is the key factor for controlling the growth kinetics of the Co<SUB>2</SUB>C nanochains. Cobalt, instead of cobalt carbides, is produced if cobalt chloride, acetate and acetylacetonate replace cobalt laurate as the precursor, respectively. The evolution of the growth process has been studied. In the formation of Co<SUB>2</SUB>C, first fcc-Co produces, then it transforms into Co<SUB>2</SUB>C by carbon diffusion process, and the produced carbon first exists in disordered state and then a small amount of them transforms into graphite. Saturation magnetization (<I>Ms</I>) of Co<SUB>2</SUB>C nanochains obtained at 300 °C for 20, 60, and 180 min are 27.1, 18.9, and 10.9 emu g<SUP>−1</SUP>, respectively. The decrease of <I>Ms</I> caused by increasing carbon content, and the carbon content are much larger than the stoichiometric ratio value of Co<SUB>2</SUB>C (9.2 wt%). The Co<SUB>2</SUB>C nanochains have mesoporous pore of 3.8 nm and the specific surface area of 48.6 m<SUP>2</SUP> g<SUP>−1</SUP>.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> The Co<SUB>2</SUB>C magnetic nanochains are synthesized using cobalt laurate as the precursor in TEG. </LI> <LI> The precursor of cobalt laurate is the key factor for controlling the growth kinetics of Co<SUB>2</SUB>C nanochains. </LI> <LI> Ms of Co<SUB>2</SUB>C nanochains obtained at 300 °C for 20, 60, and 180 min are 27.1, 18.9, and 10.9 emu g<SUP>−1</SUP>, respectively. </LI> <LI> The decrease of Ms is caused by increasing carbon content with increasing reaction time. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>We present a new approach to obtain single phase Co<SUB>2</SUB>C nanochains by using cobalt laurate as the precursor.</P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Optimized Mixture Kernels Independent Component Analysis and Echo State Network for Flame Image Recognition

Zhang Li,Zhu Yu-Qin,Yan Xin-Xin,Wu Hao,Li Kun 대한전기학회 2022 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.17 No.6

In this paper, an optimized mixture kernels independent component analysis and echo state network fl ame image recognition model is proposed. Firstly, in order to describe the fl ame image feature information in detail, 19 feature vectors of the three types of color, shape and texture feature are comprehensively extracted; a mixture kernels independent component analysis method is proposed to perform nonlinear transformation and reduce the correlation of them. The mixture kernels function among them is a combination of linear kernel function, Matérn kernel function and Gaussian radial basis kernel function. Then, the feature vector after nonlinear transformation isused as the input vector, and the echo state network model is trained as the recognition model. At the same time, a normal cloud-black hole optimization algorithm (NCGBH) combining black hole algorithm with cloud model is proposed, which can optimize several adjustable parameters of the model. Four benchmark functions are fi rstly used for simulation experiments to prove advancement of the proposed NCGBH algorithm; and then, several fl ame images are used to verify performance of the proposed recognition model. From the comparison and analysis, it is verifi ed that the proposed method has good results in recognition performance, generalization ability, and computational time.

Expression of Endogenous Hypoxia Markers in Vulvar Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Li, Yu-Zhu,Li, Shu-Ling,Li, Xia,Wang, Li-Jie,Wang, Jiu-Ling,Xu, Jia-Wen,Wu, Zhi-Hong,Gong, Li,Zhang, Xiao-Dan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.8

Objective: To investigate the expression of endogenous hypoxia-related markers identified as being involved in vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC). Methods: We performed immunohistochemical staining of hypoxia-inducible factor-$1{\alpha}$ (HIF-$1{\alpha}$), glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1), carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA-9) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), on tissue sections of 25 VSCC patients, 10 vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) patients and 12 healthy controls. Results: HIF-$1{\alpha}$ expression was found in all sections, with no significant difference between controls, VIN and VSCC sections (all P<0.05). Glut-1 expression was found in 25% of control, 90% of VIN and 100% of VSCC sections. A significant difference between control and VIN or VSCC was observed (all P<0.05), while no difference was found between VIN and VSCC sections (P>0.05). CA-9 expression was negative in control sections, but it was found in 30% of VIN sections and 52% of VSCC sections with strong staining. Similarly, CA-9 expression also showed obvious differences between controls and VIN or VSCC sections (all P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between VIN and VSCC (P>0.05). There were only 25% of control sections with weak VEGF expression, while strong staining was found in about 60% of VIN sections and 25% of VSCC sections (all P<0.05). In addition, a difference was also found between VIN and VSCC sections (P<0.05). Conclusion: Expression of endogenous hypoxia markers (HIF-$1{\alpha}$, GLUT-1, CA-9 and VEGF) might be involved in the malignant progression of VSCC.

Potential Mechanisms of Benzyl Isothiocyanate Suppression of Invasion and Angiogenesis by the U87MG Human Glioma Cell Line

Zhu, Yu,Zhang, Ling,Zhang, Guo-Dong,Wang, Hong-Ou,Liu, Ming-Yan,Jiang, Yuan,Qi, Li-Sha,Li, Qi,Yang, Ping Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.19

Glioma is one of the most common tumors in China and chemotherapy is critical for its treatment. Recent studies showed that benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) could inhibit the growth of glioma cells, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. This study explored the inhibitory effect of BITC on invasion and angiogenesis of U87MG human glioma cells in vitro and in vivo, as well as potential mechanisms. It was found that BITC could inhibit invasion and angiogenesis of human glioma U87MG cells by inducing cell cycle arrest at phase G2/M. It also was demonstrated that BITC decreased expression of cyclin B1, p21, MMP-2/9, VE-cadherin, CD44, CXCR4 and MTH1, the activity of the telomerase and $PKC{\zeta}$ pathway. Microarray analysis was thus useful to explore the potential target genes related to tumorigenic processes. BITC may play important roles in the inhibition of invasion and angiogenesis of human glioma cells.

Structural Directed Growth of Ultrathin Parallel Birnessite on β-MnO₂ for High-Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitors

Zhu, Shijin,Li, Li,Liu, Jiabin,Wang, Hongtao,Wang, Tian,Zhang, Yuxin,Zhang, Lili,Ruoff, Rodney S.,Dong, Fan American Chemical Society 2018 ACS NANO Vol.12 No.2

<P>Two-dimensional birnessite has attracted attention for electrochemical energy storage because of the presence of redox active Mn<SUP>4+</SUP>/Mn<SUP>3+</SUP> ions and spacious interlayer channels available for ions diffusion. However, current strategies are largely limited to enhancing the electrical conductivity of birnessite. One key limitation affecting the electrochemical properties of birnessite is the poor utilization of the MnO<SUB>6</SUB> unit. Here, we assemble β-MnO<SUB>2</SUB>/birnessite core–shell structure that exploits the exposed crystal face of β-MnO<SUB>2</SUB> as the core and ultrathin birnessite sheets that have the structure advantage to enhance the utilization efficiency of the Mn from the bulk. Our birnessite that has sheets parallel to each other is found to have unusual crystal structure with interlayer spacing, Mn(III)/Mn(IV) ratio and the content of the balancing cations differing from that of the common birnessite. The substrate directed growth mechanism is carefully investigated. The as-prepared core–shell nanostructures enhance the exposed surface area of birnessite and achieve high electrochemical performances (for example, 657 F g<SUP>–1</SUP> in 1 M Na<SUB>2</SUB>SO<SUB>4</SUB> electrolyte based on the weight of parallel birnessite) and excellent rate capability over a potential window of up to 1.2 V. This strategy opens avenues for fundamental studies of birnessite and its properties and suggests the possibility of its use in energy storage and other applications. The potential window of an asymmetric supercapacitor that was assembled with this material can be enlarged to 2.2 V (in aqueous electrolyte) with a good cycling ability.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B> <IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/ancac3/2018/ancac3.2018.12.issue-2/acsnano.7b03431/production/images/medium/nn-2017-03431b_0007.gif'></P><P><A href='http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/nn7b03431'>ACS Electronic Supporting Info</A></P>