Positive effects of porcine IL-2 and IL-4 on virus-specific immune responses induced by the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) ORF5 DNA vaccine in swine

Deyuan Tang,Jian Liu,Chunyan Li,Hua Zhang,Ping Ma,Xianfeng Luo,Zhiyong Zeng,Nining Hong,Xia Liu,Bin Wang,Feng Wang,Zhenlei Gan,Fei Hao 대한수의학회 2014 JOURNAL OF VETERINARY SCIENCE Vol.15 No.1

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects ofporcine interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-4 genes on enhancing theimmunogenicity of a porcine reproductive and respiratorysyndrome virus ORF5 DNA vaccine in piglets. Eukaryoticexpression plasmids pcDNA-ORF5, pcDNA-IL-2, andpcDNA-IL-4 were constructed and then expressed in Marc-145cells. The effects of these genes were detected using an indirectimmunofluorescent assay and reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Characteristicfluorescence was observed at different times after pcDNAORF5was expressed in the Marc-145 cells, and PCR productscorresponding to ORF5, IL-2, and IL-4 genes were detected at48 h. Based on these data, healthy piglets were injectedintramuscularly with different combinations of the purifiedplasmids: pcDNA-ORF5 alone, pcDNA-ORF5 + pcDNA-IL-2,pcDNA-ORF5 + pcDNA-IL-4, and pcDNA-ORF5 + pcDNAIL-4 + pcDNA-IL-2. The ensuing humoral immune responses,percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, proliferationindices, and interferon-γ expression were analyzed. Resultsrevealed that the piglets co-immunized with pcDNA-ORF5 +pcDNA-IL-4 + pcDNA-IL-2 plasmids developed significantlyhigher antibody titers and neutralizing antibody levels, hadsignificantly increased levels of specific T lymphocyteproliferation, elevated percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ Tlymphocytes, and significantly higher IFN-γ production thanthe other inoculated pigs (p < 0.05).

Variable Impedance Control for a Single Leg of a Quadruped Robot Based on Contact Force Estimation

Yanan Fan,Zhongcai Pei,Zhiyong Tang 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2024 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.22 No.4

A quadruped robot interacts with the ground during the stance phase. This interaction will have a great impact on the feet, torso and joints of the robot, thus affecting the stability of its movement and reducing its adaptability in complex environments with features such as uneven terrain. The contact between each foot of the quadruped robot and the ground should not only control the movement trajectory of the leg but also control the force between the leg and the ground to comply with the environmental constraints. In general, the environment is constantly changing, whereas the traditional impedance control parameters are fixed and thus impose fixed-point constraints. To improve the compliance of the feet of a robot and achieve flexible interactions with the ground in various complex environments, such as pipelines, ruins and forests, variable impedance control is proposed. Based on variable inertia, damping and stiffness parameters, a new Lyapunov function is selected to analyse the stability of the closed-loop system. Furthermore, a force estimator is applied to estimate the contact forces, thereby reducing the burden of structural design and the cost of the robot. The effectiveness of the proposed variable impedance control scheme and contact force estimator is verified through numerical simulations in MATLAB.

Synthesis of metal organic framework (MOF-5) with high selectivity for CO2/N2 separation in flue gas by maximum water concentration approach

Gong-Ying Wang,Zhiyong Deng,Ning Jiang,Shaoying Liu,Cong-Ming Tang 한국화학공학회 2016 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.33 No.9

Water plays a crucial role in the synthesis mechanism of metal organic framework-5 (MOF-5). Synthesized MOF-5 with good phase structure and large specific surface area is largely determined by an important synthesis factor: the total water concentration of the initial synthesis solution (Ctw). An understanding of the effects of different and high Ctw on the synthesis of MOF-5 and the investigation of the maximum Ctw suitable for the synthesis of MOF-5 are important to guide the synthesis of MOF-5. Through the research of the maximum Ctw, a favorable synthetic approach was established which could realize the synthesis of MOF-5 with fine performance on CO2 adsorption and separation. The research results show that the maximum Ctw could be as high as 1,440mmol/L, and synthesized MOF- 5 still has a good phase structure and a large specific surface area of 2,136m2/g (BET). Synthesized MOF-5 by the maximum Ctw exhibits a high CO2 adsorption capacity of 2.5mmol/g and a low N2 adsorption capacity of 0.2mmol/g at 298 K and 100 kPa. More importantly, synthesized MOF-5 by the maximum Ctw exhibits a high selectivity for CO2/N2 of 18-22 at 298 K and 20-130 kPa in simulated flue gas.

Identification and Characterization of a New Alkaline Thermolysin-Like Protease, BtsTLP1, from Bacillus thuringiensis Serovar Sichuansis Strain MC28

( Zhenghong Zhang ),( Helong Hao ),( Zhongmei Tang ),( Zhengzheng Zou ),( Keya Zhang ),( Zhiyong Xie ),( Lilia Babe,),Frits Goedegebuur,Xiaogang Gu 한국미생물생명공학회(구 한국산업미생물학회) 2015 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.25 No.8

Thermolysin and its homologs are a group of metalloproteases that have been widely used in both therapeutic and biotechnological applications. We here report the identification and characterization of a novel thermolysin-like protease, BtsTLP1, from insect pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis serovar Sichuansis strain MC28. BtsTLP1 is extracellularly produced in Bacillus subtilis, and the active protein was purified via successive chromatographic steps. The mature form of BtsTLP1 has a molecule mass of 35.6 kDa as determined by mass spectrometry analyses. The biochemical characterization indicates that BtsTLP1 has an apparent Km value of 1.57 mg/ml for azocasein and is active between 20oC and 80oC. Unlike other reported neutral gram-positive thermolysin homologs with optimal pH around 7, BtsTLP1 exhibits an alkaline pH optimum around 10. The activity of BtsTLP1 is strongly inhibited by EDTA and a group of specific divalent ions, with Zn2+ and Cu2+ showing particular effects in promoting the enzyme autolysis. Furthermore, our data also indicate that BtsTLP1 has potential in cleaning applications.

Optimum synthesis of esomeprazole catalyzed by Rhodococcus rhodochrous ATCC 4276 through response surface methodology

Yuanyuan Zhang,Qiuxiang Zhao,Hui Tang,Huiling Li,Depeng Li,Zhiyong Wang,Xin Gao,Fanye Wang 한국화학공학회 2021 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.38 No.5

Enantiopure esomeprazole is an important drug in the treatment of gastric ulcer. The asymmetric sulfoxidation of omeprazole thioether was catalyzed by immobilized cells of a mutant of Rhodococcus rhodocrous ATCC 4276 to synthesize esomeprazole. The bioreaction was carried out in a biphasic system (chloroform-water), at a high substrate concentration (200mM), and optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal yield of esomeprazole obtained was 94.8% with e.e. (>99%) without the formation of the sulfone form as a byproduct, under the optimal conditions: the concentration of immobilized cells, 283.5 g/L, the incubation temperature, 37.05 oC, and pH of phosphate buffer, 7.35, respectively. A quadratic polynomial model was developed with R2 of 0.9998, which indicates that the model predicts the observed data with very high accuracy. The mutant exhibited a high enantioselective activity and substrate and product tolerance. The small size of immobilized cell beads (0.5-1 mm) creates a large reaction interface. The aerated flask provides enough oxygen for a high concentration of cells. The significant improvement of substrate tolerance may mainly be attributed to employing the chloroform-water biphasic system because organic substrates may be partitioned in the organic phase, eliminating potential damage and inhibition to cells. Based on the above, the asymmetric sulfoxidation catalyzed by immobilized bacterial cells is therefore more promising for efficient synthesis of chiral sulfoxides.

Mesocarbon microbead densified matrix graphite A3-3 for fuel elements in molten salt reactors

Wang, Haoran,Xu, Liujun,Zhong, Yajuan,Li, Xiaoyun,Tang, Hui,Zhang, Feng,Yang, Xu,Lin, Jun,Zhu, Zhiyong,You, Yan,Lu, Junqiang,Zhu, Libing Korean Nuclear Society 2021 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.53 No.5

This study aims to provide microstructural characterization for the matrix graphite which molten salt reactors (MSRs) use, and improve resistance to molten salt infiltration of the matrix graphite for fuel elements. Mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB) densified matrix graphite A3-3 (MDG) was prepared by a quasi-isostatic pressure process. After densification by MCMBs with average particle sizes of 2, 10, and 16 ㎛, the pore diameter of A3-3 decreased from 924 nm to 484 nm, 532 nm, and 778 nm, respectively. Through scanning electron microscopy, the cross-section energy spectrum and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, resistance levels of the matrix graphite to molten salt infiltration were analyzed. The results demonstrate that adding a certain proportion of MCMB powders can improve the anti-infiltration ability of A3-3. Meanwhile, the closer the particle size of MCMB is to the pore diameter of A3-3, the smaller the average pore diameter of MDG and the greater the densification. As a matrix graphite of fuel elements in MSR was involved, the thermal and mechanical properties of matrix graphite MDG were also studied. When densified by the MCMB matrix graphite, MDGs can meet the molten salt anti-infiltration requirements for MSR operation.

Synthesis and Exploitation in Solar Cells of Hydrothermally Grown ZnO Nanorods Covered by ZnS Quantum Dots

Masood Mehrabian,Hossein Afarideh,Kavoos Mirabbaszadeh,Li Lianshan,Tang Zhiyong 한국광학회 2014 Current Optics and Photonics Vol.18 No.4

Improved power conversion efficiency of hybrid solar cells with ITO/ZnO seed layer/ZnO NRs/ZnS QDs/P3HT/PCBM/Ag structure was obtained by optimizing the growth period of ZnO nanorods (NRs). ZnO NRs were grown using a hydrothermal method on ZnO seed layers, while ZnS quantum dots (QDs) (average thickness about 24 nm) were fabricated on the ZnO NRs by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique. Morphology, crystalline structure and optical absorption of layers were analyzed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-Visible absorption spectra, respectively. The XRD results implied that ZnS QDs were in the cubic phase (sphalerite). Other experimental results showed that the maximum power conversion efficiency of 4.09% was obtained for a device based on ZnO NR10 under an illumination of one Sun (AM 1.5G, 100 mW/cm2).

Synthesis and Characterization of pH and Temperature Sensitive Hydrogel Based on Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), Poly(ε-caprolactone), Methylacrylic Acid, and Methoxyl Poly(ethylene glycol)

Xu Xu,Jia Song,Ke Wang,YingChun Gu,Feng Luo,XiaoHai Tang,Ping Xie,ZhiYong Qian 한국고분자학회 2013 Macromolecular Research Vol.21 No.8

In this paper, a novel biodegradable and pH/thermo-sensitive hydrogel based on poly(ε-caprolactone),methoxyl poly(ethylene glycol), methylacrylic acid and N-isopropylacrylamide was prepared by UV-initiated free radical polymerization. The hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transforms infrared ray. The thermal responsibility was investigated with the help of differential scanning calorimetry. Swelling behavior in aqueous medium with different pH value was studied in detail. When the pH value of the aqueous medium was increased from 1.2 to 7.2,the swelling ratio of the hydrogels increased accordingly. The morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy, and the hydrolytic degradation behavior in different aqueous media (pH 1.2 and pH 7.2) was also investigated in detail. The prepared biodegradable pH/thermo-sensitive hydrogel based on poly(ε-caprolactone), methoxyl poly(ethylene glycol), methylacrylic acid and N-isopropylacrylamide hold great promise in the development of a smart drug delivery system.

Enhancing Electrocatalytic Production of H2O2 by Modulating Coordination Environment of Cobalt Center

Guoling Wu,Zhongjie Yang,Tianlin Zhang,Yali Sun,Chang Long,Yaru Song,Shengbin Lei,Zhiyong Tang 대한화학회 2021 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.42 No.8

As an environmentally friendly oxidant, H2O2 is widely utilized in various fields; however, its production methods remain limited to the chemical anthraquinone process. Alternatively, electrocatalytic oxygen reduction possesses numerous notable advantages (e.g., cost-effectiveness, small-scale, and distributed nature). As electrocatalytic oxygen reduction has been widely investigated in the fields of fuel cells and metal-air batteries, the mechanism of the 2e?-ORR pathway for producing H2O2 is not sufficiently clear. Herein, we explore the effect of the cobalt (Co) coordination environment on the electrochemical production of H2O2. The detailed investigation on N-, P-, and S-coordinated Co catalysts (Co1N1N3, Co1P1N3, and Co1S1N3) demonstrates that changing the coordination environment evidently affects the H2O2 selectivity, and the S-coordinated Co exhibits the best catalytic performance. This finding would lead to the design and selection of catalysts at atomic level for producing H2O2 via electrocatalytic oxygen reduction.

Self-reorganization of CdTe nanoparticles into two-dimensional Bi₂Te₃/CdTe nanosheets and their thermoelectrical properties

Yang, Jie,Gao, Yan,Kim, Jeoung Woo,He, Yujian,Song, Rui,Ahn, Chi Won,Tang, Zhiyong Royal Society of Chemistry 2010 Physical chemistry chemical physics Vol.12 No.38

<P>A partial cation exchange reaction between CdTe nanoparticles and Bi<SUP>3+</SUP> ions gives rise to spontaneous formation of two-dimensional Bi<SUB>2</SUB>Te<SUB>3</SUB>/CdTe nanosheets. The average size and thickness of the nanosheets are around 200 and 6.9 nm, respectively. Both CdTe and Bi<SUB>2</SUB>Te<SUB>3</SUB>, which are there as the form of nanoparticles with average sizes of 3.4 nm, are found to be homogenously distributed in the nanosheets. The Bi<SUB>2</SUB>Te<SUB>3</SUB>/CdTe nanosheets are further integrated into a pellet by using spark plasma sintering for optimizing thermoelectric performance. Compared with the bulk n-type Bi<SUB>2</SUB>Te<SUB>3</SUB>, the pellets composed of Bi<SUB>2</SUB>Te<SUB>3</SUB>/CdTe nanosheets exhibit a considerably low thermal conductivity, 0.63 W m<SUP>−1</SUP> K<SUP>−1</SUP>, and a slightly high Seebeck coefficient, −182.2 μV K<SUP>−1</SUP>, at room temperature.</P> <P>Graphic Abstract</P><P>Two-dimensional Bi<SUB>2</SUB>Te<SUB>3</SUB>/CdTe nanosheets are prepared through a self-reorganization strategy, and they show a rather high thermoelectrical performance. <IMG SRC='http://pubs.rsc.org/services/images/RSCpubs.ePlatform.Service.FreeContent.ImageService.svc/ImageService/image/GA?id=c0cp00079e'> </P>