Novosphingobium oryzae sp. nov., a potential plant-promoting endophytic bacterium isolated from rice roots

Jiang, Ju-Quan,Gao, Ju-Sheng,Zhang, Xiao-Xia,Zhang, Lei,Zhang, Jun,Zhang, Cai-Wen,Kim, Song-Gun,Ma, Xiao-Tong Microbiology Society 2016 International journal of systematic and evolutiona Vol.66 No.-

Stock Pledge by Controlling Shareholder and Corporate Social Responsibility

Tong Lijing,Wen Wen,Xie Lu,Zhang Siting 한국증권학회 2023 Asia-Pacific Journal of Financial Studies Vol.52 No.5

We examine the influence of stock pledge by controlling shareholders on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Results show that firms exhibit poorer CSR performance when the controlling shareholders have more shares under pledge to financial institutions. Further analyses suggest that the negative relation between stock pledge and CSR only exists in financially constrained firms and non‐state‐owned firms, in which the pledging controlling shareholders have greater incentive to increase stock price and maintain their control rights. Our findings support a margin call hypothesis that firms tend to cut off CSR spending to improve short‐term financial performance and reduce the risk of losing control rights.

Large-scale production of (2,4-DHB)nM micro-nano spheres by spray drying and their application as catalysts for ammonium perchlorate

Wen-yuan Zhao,Tong-lai Zhang,Li-nong Zhang,Li Yang,Zun-ning Zhou 한국공업화학회 2016 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.38 No.-

A series of 2,4-dihydroxybenzoates {(2,4-DHB)nMs, M = Pb(II), Cu(II), Fe(III), Ni(II) and Co(II), n = 2 or 3}micro-nano spheres with controllable size and morphology were successfully prepared by spray dryingmethod with water or acetone as a solvent. TEM and SEM illustrated that the (2,4-DHB)nMs micro-nanospheres had core–shell or solid structure. The formation of the core–shell structure of the samples wasinterpreted in terms of the mechanism of spray drying. The results of laser particle analyzer revealed thatprecursor concentration (PC) and particle size distribution (PSD) of the samples were well fitted withpower function. The thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) in the presence of the (2,4-DHB)nMs micro-nano spheres, investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), showed theyeffectively lowered the decomposition temperature of AP and exhibited various catalytic performancefor AP decomposition.

Synchrotron refractive-index microradiography of human liver cancer tissue

Tong, Yongpeng,Zhang, Guilin,Li, Yan,Hwu, Yeukuang,Tsai, Wenli,Je, Jung Ho,Margaritondo, G.,Yuan, Dong Springer-Verlag 2005 Chinese science bulletin Vol.50 No.22

Epsilon-Fe₂O₃ is a novel intermediate for magnetite biosynthesis in magnetotactic bacteria

Tong Wen,Yunpeng Zhang,Yuanyuan Geng,Junquan Liu,Abdul Basit,Jiesheng Tian,Ying Li,Ji-Lun Li,Jing Ju,Wei Jiang 한국생체재료학회 2019 생체재료학회지 Vol.23 No.3

Background: Natural biological magnetite nanoparticles are widely distributed from microorganisms to humans. It is found to be very important in organisms, especially in navigation. Moreover, purified magnetite nanoparticles also have potential applications in bioengineering and biomedicine. Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) is considered one of the most abundant species around the world which can form intracellular membrane enveloped magnetic nanoparticles, referred to as magnetosomes. To our knowledge, the biomineralization of magnetosome in MTB involves a serious of genes located on a large unstable genomic region named magnetosome island, which specially exists in MTB. The magnetite core of magnetosome formed via a Fe (III) ion intermediates, for instance, α-Fe2O3 and ferrihydrite. Though the biosynthesis of magnetosome represents a general biomineralization mechanism of biogenic magnetite, knowledge of magnetosome biosynthesis and biomineralization remains very limited. Method: Cells used in this study were cultured in a 7.5-L bioreactor, samples for intermediate capture were taken each certain time interval after the generation of magnetosome biosynthesis condition. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy were used to analyze the detailed structure of magnetosomes. The parameters of the crystal structures were obtained by Fast Fourier Transform analyses. Results: In this study, we identified a novel intermediate phase, ε-Fe2O3, during the magnetite maturation process in MTB via kinetic analysis. Unlike α-Fe2O3, which has been reported as a precursor during magnetosome biosynthesis in MTB before, ε-Fe2O3, due to its thermal instability, is a rare phase with scarce natural abundance. This finding confirmed that ε-Fe2O3 is an important novel intermediate during the biomineralization of magnetosome in MTB, and shed new light on the magnetosome biosynthesis pathway.

Standardizing and optimizing acupuncture treatment for irritable bowel syndrome: A Delphi expert consensus study

Xin-Tong Su,Wang Li-Qiong,Zhang Na,Li Jin-Ling,Qi Ling-Yu,Wang Yu,Jing-Wen Yang,Guang-Xia Shi,Cun-Zhi Liu 한국한의학연구원 2021 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.10 No.3

Background: Acupuncture has been widely utilized for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, heterogeneity is large among therapeutic strategies and protocols. The aim of this study was to propose some down-to-earth recommendations and establish an optimized protocol for acupuncture practice in IBS. Methods: A panel of 74 traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) acupuncturists participated in clinical issue investigation. Subsequently, systematic reviews concerning acupuncture for IBS were screened within 3 databases. An initial consensus questionnaire was formed from the results of clinical issue investigation and literature review. Ultimately, a Delphi vote was carried out to determine these issues. 30 authoritative experts with extensive experience were requested to respond with agreement, neutrality, or disagreement for the items. Consensus achievement on a given item was defined as greater than 80% agreement. Results: Following a 2-round Delphi survey, there were 19 items reaching consensus; of which 5 items (26.32%) achieved thorough consensus, and significant agreement was reached for the other 14 items. These items can be classified into the 3 major domains: 1) clinical outcomes that acupuncture can bring for favorable intervention population (5 items), 2) suitable therapeutic principles and parameters of acupuncture (13 items), 3) possible adverse events in the treatment (1 item). Conclusion: Without any ready-made guidelines and lacking of homogeneity in the published literatures, such expert consensus could be valuable for TCM acupuncturists in daily practice and patients with IBS to obtain appropriate and standardized acupuncture treatment. In addition, it also points out the clinical focus which need to be further explored in future trials.

Associations of racial and ethnic discrimination with adverse changes in exercise and screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Xia Tong,Gee Gilbert C.,Jian Li,Liu Xinyue,Dai Jin,Shi Lu,Zhang Donglan,Chen Zhuo,Han Xuesong,Li Yan,Li Hongmei,Wen Ming,Su Dejun,Chen Liwei 한국역학회 2023 Epidemiology and Health Vol.45 No.-

Objectives: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a growing prevalence of racial and ethnic discrimination occurred when many Americans struggled to maintain healthy lifestyles. This study investigated the associations of racial and ethnic discrimination with changes in exercise and screen time during the pandemic in the United States (US). Methods: We included 2,613 adults who self-identified as non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Asian, or Hispanic from the Health, Ethnicity, and Pandemic (HEAP) study, a cross-sectional survey conducted among a nationally representative sample of US adults between October and November 2020. We assessed self-reported racial and ethnic discrimination by measuring COVID-19-related racial and ethnic bias and examined its associations with changes in exercise and screen time using multivariable logistic regression models. We analyzed data between September 2021 and March 2022.Results: COVID-19-related racial and ethnic bias was associated with decreased exercise time among non-Hispanic Asian (odds ratio [OR]=1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13–1.89) and Hispanic people (OR=1.91; 95% CI, 1.32–2.77), and with increased screen time among non-Hispanic Black people (OR=1.94; 95% CI, 1.33–2.85), adjusting for age, gender, education, marital status, annual household income, insurance, and employment status. Conclusions: Racial and ethnic discrimination may have adversely influenced exercise and screen time changes among racial and ethnic minorities during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms through which racial and ethnic discrimination can impact lifestyles and to develop potential strategies to address racial and ethnic discrimination as a barrier to healthy lifestyles.

Deformation Feature of Sheet Metals During Inclined Hole-Flanging by Two-Point Incremental Forming

Xia Chen,Tong Wen,Jian Qin,Jin Hu,Meng Zhang,Zhi-sun Zhang 한국정밀공학회 2020 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.21 No.2

Incremental hole-flanging is an applicable extension of incremental sheet forming (ISF), but the knowledge on the deformation of metallic sheets during the course is lack, especially when the axes of the flanged necks are not perpendicular to the sheet plane. The current study used Al 6061 and SUS 304 stainless steel sheets with the thickness of 1 mm and 0.3 mm to examine the inclined hole-flanging processes on the flat plates by two-point ISF processes. It was found that, although as a whole the thickness variation is thinning, the decreasing degrees within upper and lower domain are not equal, and the difference increases with the inclination angle. Crack, buckling and local deformity are typical defects found in the experiments. The maximum springback increases with tool diameter, inclination angle and feeding pitch. Due to the material properties and a thinner thickness, local deformity is easier to take place on SUS 304 sheets during forming. Utilizing the tool feeding path along the oblique plane can obtain even force and consequently, more uniform deformation. Moreover, the equations for preliminarily determining the dimension of precut holes were derived according to the radial developed length of the flanged neck.

Analysis of shear stress wrinkling of asymmetric sheet specimen under offset loading

Haoxing Tang,Tong Wen,Jiewei Hong,Yin Zhou,Longzhu Zhang 대한기계학회 2022 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.36 No.3

The commonly used wrinkling evaluation methods such as cup forming and the Yoshida buckling test (YBT) only consider the symmetric sheet specimen and loading, therefore a deviation from the reality is inevitable. A method using the asymmetric specimen (AS) under offset loading is proposed and investigated with two materials SUS304 and DC04. Results show that the unbalanced external force in AS induces special stress state that is not included in YBT at wrinkling onset, where the shear stresses are dominant. The length and height evolution of the wrinkle is controlled by the principal stresses, and the direction gradually approaches the tensile axis during deformation. The shear stress decreases with the length/width ratio increases, but it rises at first and then falls when the clamping width increases. The error between the simulation and experiment is 2.9 %. This method can be used to examine the shear wrinkling properties of sheet metal.

American ginseng attenuates azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate-induced colon carcinogenesis in mice

Yu, Chunhao,Wen, Xiao-Dong,Zhang, Zhiyu,Zhang, Chun-Feng,Wu, Xiao-Hui,Martin, Adiba,Du, Wei,He, Tong-Chuan,Wang, Chong-Zhi,Yuan, Chun-Su The Korean Society of Ginseng 2015 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.39 No.1

Background: Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death, and inflammatory bowel disease is a risk factor for this malignancy. We previously reported colon cancer chemoprevention potential using American ginseng (AG) in a xenograft mice model. However, the nude mouse model is not a gut-specific colon carcinogenesis animal model. Methods: In this study, an experimental colitis and colitis-associated colorectal carcinogenesis mouse model, chemically induced by azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) was established and the effects of oral AG were evaluated. The contents of representative ginseng saponins in the extract were determined. Results: AG significantly reduced experimental colitis measured by the disease activity index scores. This suppression of the experimental colitis was not only evident during DSS treatment, but also very obvious after the cessation of DSS, suggesting that the ginseng significantly promoted recovery from the colitis. Consistent with the anti-inflammation data, we showed that ginseng very significantly attenuated azoxymethane/DSS-induced colon carcinogenesis by reducing the colon tumor number and tumor load. The ginseng also effectively suppressed DSS-induced proinflammatory cytokines activation using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay array, in which 12 proinflammatory cytokine levels were assessed, and this effect was supported subsequently by real-time polymerase chain reaction data. Conclusion: AG, as a candidate of botanical-based colon cancer chemoprevention, should be further investigated for its potential clinical utility.