The manipulation of rectifying contact of Co and nitrogen-doped carbon hierarchical superstructures toward high-performance oxygen reduction reaction

Rational design and construction of oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)electrocatalysts with high activity,good stability,and low price are essential for the practical applications of renewable energy conversion devices,such as metal-air batteries.Electronic modification through constructing metal/semiconductor Schottky heterointerface represents a powerful strategy to enhance the electrochemical performance.Herein,we demonstrate a concept of Schottky electrocatalyst composed of uniform Co nanoparticles in situ anchored on the carbon nanotubes aligned on the carbon nanosheets(denoted as Co@N-CNTs/NSs hereafter)toward ORR.Both experimental findings and theoretical simulation testify that the rectifying contact could impel the voluntary electron flow from Co to N-CNTs/NSs and create an internal electric field,thereby boosting the electron transfer rate and improving the intrinsic activity.As a consequence,the Co@N-CNTs/NSs deliver outstanding ORR activity,impressive long-term durability,excellent methanol tolerance,and good performance as the air-cathode in the Zn-air batteries.The design concept of Schottky contact may provide the innovational inspirations for the synthesis of advanced catalysts in sustainable energy conversion fields.

One-time application of controlled-release bulk blending fertilizer enhances yield,quality and photosynthetic efficiency in late japonica rice

Controlled-release urea(CRU)releases nitrogen(N)at the same pace that rice takes it up,which can effectively improve N use efficiency,increase rice yield and improve rice quality.However,few studies have described the effects of CRU application on the photosynthetic rate and endogenous enzyme activities of rice.Accordingly,a twoyear field trial was conducted with a total of seven treatments:CK,no N fertilizer;BBF,regular blended fertilizer;RBBF,20%N-reduced regular blended fertilizer;CRF1,70%CRU+30%regular urea one-time base application;CRF2,60%CRU+40%regular urea one-time base application;RCRF1,CRF1 treatment with 20%N reduction;and RCRF2,CRF2 treatment with 20%N reduction.Each treatment was conducted in triplicate.The results showed that the N recovery efficiency(NRE)of the controlled-release bulk blending fertilizer(CRBBF)treatments was significantly greater over the two years.There were significant yield increases of 4.1–5.9%under the CRF1treatment and 5.6–7.6%under the CRF2 treatment compared to the BBF treatment,but the differences between the reduced-N treatments RBBF and RCRF2 were not significant.Photosynthetic rates under the CRF1 and CRF2treatments were significantly higher than under the other treatments,and they had significantly greater RuBPCase,RuBisCO,glutamate synthase(GOGAT)and glutamine synthetase(GS)enzyme activities.Additionally,the soil NH_(4)^(+)-N and NO_(3)^(–)-N contents under the CRBBF treatments were significantly higher at the late growth stage of rice,which was more in-line with the fertilizer requirements of rice throughout the reproductive period.CRBBF also led to some improvement in rice quality.Compared with the BBF and RBBF treatments,the protein contents under the CRBBF treatments were reduced but the milling,appearance,eating and cooking qualities of the rice were improved.These results showed that the application of CRBBF can improve the NRE,photosynthetic rate and endogenous enzyme activities of rice,ensuring sufficient N nutrition and photosynthetic material production during rice growth and thereby achieving improved rice yield and quality.

Fabrication of Core-Shell Hydrogel Bead Based on Sodium Alginate and Chitosan for Methylene Blue Adsorption

A novel core-shell hydrogel bead was fabricated for effective removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous solutions.The core,made of sodium alginate-g-polyacrylamide and attapulgite nanofibers,was cross-linked by Calcium ions(Ca^(2+)).The shell,composed of a chitosan/activated carbon mixture,was then coated onto the core.Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the grafting polymerization of acrylamide onto sodium alginate.Scanning electron microscopy images showed the core-shell structure.The core exhibited a high water uptake ratio,facilitating the diffusion of methylene blue into the core.During the diffusion process,the methylene blue was first adsorbed by the shell and then further adsorbed by the core.Adsorption tests showed that the coreshell structure had a larger adsorption capacity than the core alone.The shell effectively enhanced the adsorption capacity to methylene blue compared to the single core.Methylene blue was adsorbed by activated carbon and chitosan in the shell,and the residual methylene blue diffused into the core and was further adsorbed.

Abnormal Traffic Detection for Internet of Things Based on an Improved Residual Network

Along with the progression of Internet of Things(IoT)technology,network terminals are becoming continuously more intelligent.IoT has been widely applied in various scenarios,including urban infrastructure,transportation,industry,personal life,and other socio-economic fields.The introduction of deep learning has brought new security challenges,like an increment in abnormal traffic,which threatens network security.Insufficient feature extraction leads to less accurate classification results.In abnormal traffic detection,the data of network traffic is high-dimensional and complex.This data not only increases the computational burden of model training but also makes information extraction more difficult.To address these issues,this paper proposes an MD-MRD-ResNeXt model for abnormal network traffic detection.To fully utilize the multi-scale information in network traffic,a Multi-scale Dilated feature extraction(MD)block is introduced.This module can effectively understand and process information at various scales and uses dilated convolution technology to significantly broaden the model’s receptive field.The proposed Max-feature-map Residual with Dual-channel pooling(MRD)block integrates the maximum feature map with the residual block.This module ensures the model focuses on key information,thereby optimizing computational efficiency and reducing unnecessary information redundancy.Experimental results show that compared to the latest methods,the proposed abnormal traffic detection model improves accuracy by about 2%.

An Analysis of The Road from the Perspective of Community Theory

As one of the representatives of Anthropocene fiction, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road focuses on the protagonists’ looking for hope for living. It can be inferred when analyzed with Tönnies’ theory that a community is constructed within the relationship between father and son, together with other characters that are involved in the narration. Accordingly, the changing process of community is demonstrated in a progressive sequence of blood-geopolitics-spirit, revealing a sense of progression in an Anthropocene context. This paper analyzes and explores the process of evolution in three dimensions reflected in the novel: construction, crisis, and the reconstruction of community. It is considered that The Road conveys powerful calls of the yearn for the survival of the individual, which can be regarded as a reflection of the human condition in reality. Meanwhile, its distinct and full-scale evolution of community process expressed in the novel also presents a referentiality to the age of Anthropocene.

Comparative Analysis of Differences among Northern,Jiangnan,and Lingnan Classical Private Gardens Using Principal Component Cluster Method

This paper investigates the design essence of Chinese classical private gardens,integrating their design elements and fundamental principles.It systematically analyzes the unique characteristics and differences among classical private gardens in the Northern,Jiangnan,and Lingnan regions.The study examines nine classical private gardens from Northern China,Jiangnan,and Lingnan by utilizing the advanced tool of principal component cluster analysis.Based on literature analysis and field research,273 variables were selected for principal component analysis,from which four components with higher contribution rates were chosen for further study.Subsequently,we employed clustering analysis techniques to compare the differences among the three types of gardens.The results reveal that the first principal component effectively highlights the differences between Jiangnan and Lingnan private gardens.The second principal component serves as the key to defining the types of Northern private gardens and distinguishing them from the other two types,and the third principal component indicates that Lingnan private gardens can be categorized into two distinct types as well.

Microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of CaO-B_2O_3-SiO_2 glass ceramics with various B_2O_3 contents

The effects of B2O3 addition on both the sintering behavior and microwave dielectric properties of CaO-B2O3-SiO2 （CBS） glass ceramics were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）, X-ray diffractometry （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results show that the increasing amount of B203 causes the increase of the contents of [BO3], [BO4] and [SiO4], which deduces the increase of CaB204 and a-SiO2 and the decrease of CaSiO3 correspondingly. No new phase is observed throughout the entire experiments. A bulk density of 2.54 g/cm3, a thermal expansion coefficient value of 11.95× 10-6 ℃-1 （20-500℃）, a dielectric constant er value of 6.42 and a dielectric loss tanδ value of 0.000 9 （measured at 9.7 GHz） are obtained for CBS glass ceramics containing 35%-B203 （mass fraction） sintered at 850 ℃ for 15 min.

Energy Requirements for Maintenance and Growth of German Mutton Merino Crossbred Lambs

A comparative slaughter trial and a metabolism trial were conducted to determine the requirement of net energy （NE） and metabolizable energy （ME） by the crossbreed of German Mutton Merino×Inner Mongolia Merino for fattening from 35 to 50 kg of body weight （BW）. 49 crossbred female lambs （（33.9＋2.3） （SD） kg BW） of German Mutton Merino×lnner Mongolia Merino were used. 34 lambs were randomly chosen for comparative slaughter, which were offered an identical mixture diet （concentrate：roughage=55：45） at 100, 75 or 55% of ad libitum intake, whereas the remainders were used in the metabolism trial to evaluate the ME of the diet after methane production was measured by open-circuit respirometry. As feed intake decreased from 100 to 75 and 55% of ad libitum intake, the apparent digestibility of dry matter （DM） linearly increased （P=-0.010） from 60.8 to 63.6 and 66.9%, respectively, and methane production decreased from 52.1 to 44.3 and 39.9 L d-l, respectively, but the ratio of methane energy to gross energy intake increased linearly （P=0.010） from 8.20 to 8.96 and 10.97%, respectively. Consequently, the ME values of the diet increased from 9.35 to 9.64 and 9.85 MJ kg-~ DM, respectively. The NE requirement for maintenance （NEro） was 255 kJ kg-1 BW0.75, and the ME requirement for maintenance （MEre） was 352 kJ kg-I BW~.75, with a partial energy efficiency for maintenance （km） of 0.72. The NE requirement for growth （NEg） ranged from 1.26 to 4.66 MJ d-1as average daily gains increased from 100 to 300 g d-1, with a partial energy efficiency for growth （ks） of 0.45. These results indicated that the NEg required by crossbred female lambs of German Mutton Merinoxlnner Mongolia Merino was lower than the recommendation of the American or British nutritional system.

Microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of lead borosilicate glass ceramics with Al_2O_3

The effects of Al2O3 addition on both the sintering behavior and microwave dielectric properties of PbO-B203-SiO2 glass ceramics were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscope （FTIR）, differential thermal analysis （DTA）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results show that with the increase of Al2O3 content the bands assigned to [SiO4] nearly disappear. Aluminum replaces silicon in the glass network, which is helpful for the formation of boron-oxygen rings. The increase of the transition temperature Tg and softening temperature Tf of PbO-B2O3-SiO2 glass ceramics leads to the increase of liquid phase precipitation temperature and promotes the structure stability in the glasses, and consequently contributes to the decreasing trend of crystallization. Densification and dielectric constants increase with the increase of Al2O3 content, but the dielectric loss is worsened. By contrast, the 3% （mass fraction） Al2O3-doped glass ceramics sintered at 725℃ have better properties of density p=2.72 g/cm3, dielectric constant Er=6.78, dielectric loss tan8=2.6×10^-3 （measured at 9.8 GHz）, which suggest that the glass ceramics can be applied in multilayer microwave devices requiring low sintering temperatures.

Experimental Investigation on the Hydrodynamic Performance of A Wave Energy Converter

Wave energy is an important type of marine renewable energy. A wave energy converter （WEC） moored with two floating bodies was developed in the present study. To analyze the dynamic performance of the WEC, an experimental device was designed and tested in a tank. The experiment focused on the factors which impact the motion and energy conversion performance of the WEC. Dynamic performance was evaluated by the relative displacements and velocities of the oscillator and carrier which served as the floating bodies of WEC. Four factors were tested, i.e. wave height, wave period, power take-off （PTO） damping, and mass ratio （RM） of the oscillator and carrier. Experimental results show that these factors greatly affect the energy conversion performance, especially when the wave period matches RM and PTO damping. According to the results, we conclude that： （a） the maximization of the relative displacements and velocities leads to the maximization of the energy conversion efficiency; （b） the larger the wave height, the higher the energy conversion efficiency will be; （c） the relationships of energy conversion efficiency with wave period, PTO damping, and RM are nonlinear, but the maximum efficiency is obtained when these three factors are optimally matched. Experimental results demonstrated that the energy conversion efficiency reached the peak at 28.62% when the wave height was 120 mm, wave period was 1.0 s, RM was 0.21, and the PTO damping was corresponding to the resistance of 100 Ω.

SCHWARZ-PICK ESTIMATES FOR PARTIAL DERIVATIVES OF ARBITARY ORDER OF BOUNDED HOLOMORPHIC FUNCTIONS IN THE UNIT BALL OF C^n

This paper gives a Schwarz-Pick estimate for bounded holomorphic functions in the unit ball of C n .

A NOTE ON SCHWARZ LEMMA FOR THE MODULUS OF HOLOMORPHIC MAPPINGS ON D

In this note, we consider a holomorphic mapping f from the unit disk C in C to p-ball B^p = {z∈C^n;i=1∑n｜zi｜p〈1,1〈p〈＋∞. It is proved that for such f,｜ ｜ ｜f｜｜（z）｜≤1-｜｜f（z）｜｜^2/1-｜z｜^2,z∈D. The extremal problem is also discussed when p is an even number. This result extends some related results on Schwarz lemma.

Protein requirements of early-weaned Dorper crossbred female lambs

The net protein （NP） and metabolizable protein （MP） requirements of Dorper crossbred female lambs from 20 to 35 kg body weight （BW） were assessed in a comparative slaughter trial. Thirty-five Dorper×thin-tailed Hart crossbred lambs weaned at approximately 50 d of age （（19.1±2.37） kg of BW） were used. Seven randomly selected lambs were slaughtered at the beginning of the trial as baseline group （BL）. An intermediate group of seven randomly selected lambs fed ad libitum （AL） intake was slaughtered when the lambs reached an average BW of 28.6 kg. The remaining 21 lambs were allotted randomly to three levels of dry matter intake： AL or restricted to 70 or 40% of the AL intake. All lambs were slaughtered when the sheep fed AL intake reached 35 kg of BW. Total body N and N retention were determined. The results showed that the maintenance requirements for NP and MP were 1.75 and 3,37 g kg^-1 metabolic shrunk body weight （SBW^0.75）, respectively. The partial efficiency of protein use for maintenance was 0.52. The NP requirements for growth ranged from 10.9 to 42.4 g d^-1 for the lambs gaining 100 to 350 g d^-1 from 20 to 35 kg BW. The partial efficiency of MP for growth was 0.52. In conclusion, the NP and MP requirements for the maintenance and growth of Dorper crossbred female lambs were lower than those reported by AFRC （1993） and NRC （2007） recommendations.

The Effect of Administration of Rutin on Plasma Levels of Estrogen, Prolactin, Growth Hormone and Gene Expression of Their Receptors in Mammary Glands in Ovariectomized Rats

The development of mammary glands, endocrine hormone concentrations and the gene expression of related receptors were measured in ovariectomized virgin rats after adminstration of an estrogen-like plant extract, rutin. Thirty-two ovariectomized virgin Wistar rats were randomly assigned to 4 treatments with 8 animals each： gastric infusion of 2 mL normal saline per unovariectomized rat per day （Sham）, gastric infusion of 2 mL normal saline per ovariectomized rat per day （Ova）, gastric infusion of 60 mg rutin kg-1 body weight （BW） per ovariectomized rat per day （Ova＋Rut）, or intramuscular injection of 60 ug estradiol kg-1 BW per ovariectomized rat weekly （Ova＋Est）. Samples of blood and mammary glands were harvested to determine the levels of estrogen （E2）, prolactin （PRL） and growth hormone （GH）, and the gene expression of estrogen receptors （ER）, prolactin receptors （PRLR） and growth hormone receptors （GHR） with radioimmunoassy （RIA） and RT-PCR technology, respectively. The E2 concentration in plasma and gland tissues from the rats of Ovx＋Rut or Ovx＋Est was higher than that of Ovx （P〈0.05）, but the plasma E2 concentration from the rats of Ovx＋Rut was lower than that of Sham （P〈0.05）. The order of the PRL concentration in plasma and gland tissues was Ovx〈Ovx＋Rut〈Ovx＋Est 〈Sham, and the difference in each treatment （P〈0.05）. The plasma GH concentration was lower in Ovx than in Ovx＋Rut or Ovx＋Est, and lower in Ovx＋Rut than in Sham （P〈0.05）. The GH concentration in gland tissues was lower in Ovx than in Ovx＋Rut or Ovx＋Est （P〈0.05）, and lower in Ovx＋Rut than in Sham （P〈0.05）. The gene expression of ER in gland tissues was increased in an order as Ovx〈Ovx＋Rut〈Ovx＋Est〈Sham （P〈0.05）, and PRLR, GHR showed the same trend. In conclusion, adminstration of rutin increased the E2 concentration in plasma and mammary glands, promoted pituitary PRL and GH release, up-regulated the gene expression of ER, PRLR and GHR, and stimulated mammary development in ovariectomized virgin rats.

Acute and subchronic toxicity as well as evaluation of safety pharmacology of modified pulsatilla granules

The present study investigated acute and subchronic toxicity and safety pharmacology of modified pulsatilla granules（MPG）to provide a basis for a comprehensive understanding of MPG toxicity.The results of acute toxicity testing showed that the median lethal dose of MPG was more than 5 000 mg kg^-1,suggesting that MPG was considered as practically non-toxic.The subchronic toxicity study for 30 days was conducted by daily oral administration at doses of 375,750 and 1 500 mg kg^-1 in Sprague-Dawley rats.The results of subchronic toxicity study showed that the body weight and relative organ weight were not significantly changed by administration of MPG.The clinical chemistry study showed that MPG could induce kidney and liver damages.In histopathological,mild lesions in liver and kidney were also observed,suggesting that the liver and kidney might be potential target organs of MPG.In the safety pharmacology study,MPG did not exhibited any side effects to rats in cardiovascular system,respiratory system and central nervous system.These results suggested that MPG could be considered safe for veterinary use.

Preparation and Characterization of Superparamagnetic Fe_3O_4/CNTs Nanocomposites Dual-drug Carrier

Fe3O4/carbon nanotubes（Fe3O4/CNTs） nanocomposites were prepared by polylol hightemperature decomposition of the precursor ferric chloride and CNTs in liquid triethylene glycol.After surface modification with hexanediamine,folate was covalently linked to the amine group of magnetic Fe3O4/CNTs nanocomposites.The products were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy,and vibrating sample magnetometry.Then Fe3O4/CNTs were used as a dual-drug carrier to co-delivery of the hydrophilic drug epirubicin hydrochloride and hydrophobic drug paclitaxel.The results indicated that the Fe3O4/CNTs had a favorable release property for epirubicin and paclitaxel,and thus had potential application in tumor-targeted combination chemotherapy.

Extraction and Purification Process Optimization and Antioxidant Activity in vitro of Flavonoids in Amaranthus caudatus L.

[Objectives]To explore the optimal extraction and purification process of the flavonoids in Amaranthus caudatus L.and to study the antioxidant activity in vitro of the flavonoids in A.caudatus.[Methods]Taking A.caudatus as the raw material,flavonoids were extracted by alcohol extraction method,and AB-8 macroporous adsorption resin was selected for purification.The hydroxyl radical scavenging ability,DPPH radical scavenging ability,and O^2-radical scavenging ability were used as evaluation indicators,to explore the antioxidant activity in vitro of the flavonoids in A.caudatus.[Results]The optimal extraction process conditions of flavonoids in A.caudatus are:liquid-to-material ratio 40:1,extraction temperature 60℃,ethanol concentration 60%,ultrasonic power 320 W,extraction time 50 min.Under these conditions,the extraction yield of flavonoids in A.caudatus is(1.35±0.01)%.The optimal purification process conditions of flavonoids in A.caudatus are 2.5 g AB-8 macroporous adsorption resin,sample volume 5 mL,mass concentration of adsorption solution 1.60 mg/mL,pH value of adsorption solution 3.0,sample flow rate 3 BV/h,ethanol concentration in desorption process is 70%and the desorption flow rate is 3 BV/h.Under these conditions,the recovery rate reaches 88.35%±0.68%.[Conclusions]A.caudatus has a high content of flavonoids and has excellent free radical scavenging ability in vitro.This study is intended to provide important technical support for the research of flavonoid activity of A.caudatus and the development of functional products.

Effect of supplementation of allicin on methanogenesis and ruminal microbial flora in Dorper crossbred ewes

Background： Garlic extracts have been reported to be effective in reducing methanogenesis. Related mechanisms are not well illustrated, however, and most studies have been conducted in vitro. This study investigates the effects of supplementary allicin（AL） in sheep diet on in vivo digestibility, rumen fermentation, and shifts of microbial flora.Methods： Two experiments were conducted using Dorper × thin-tailed Han crossbred ewes. In experiment 1,eighteen ewes（60.0 ± 1.73 kg BW） were randomly assigned for 29 days to either of two dietary treatments： a basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with 2.0 g AL/head？day to investigate supplementary AL on nutrient digestibility and methane emissions. In experiment 2, six ewes（65.2 ± 2.0 kg BW） with ruminal canulas were assigned to the same two dietary treatments as in experiment 1 for 42 days to investigate supplementary AL on ruminal fermentation and microbial flora. The methane emissions were determined using an open-circuit respirometry system and microbial assessment was done by q PCR of 16 S r RNA genes.Results： Supplementary AL increased the apparent digestibility of organic matter（P 〈 0.001）, nitrogen（P = 0.006）,neutral detergent fiber（P 〈 0.001）, and acid detergent fiber（P = 0.002）. Fecal nitrogen output was reduced（P = 0.001）but urinary nitrogen output was unaffected（P = 0.691）, while nitrogen retention（P = 0.077） and nitrogen retention/nitrogen intake（P = 0.077） tended to increase. Supplementary AL decreased methane emissions scaled to metabolic bodyweight by 5.95 %（P = 0.007） and to digestible organic matter intake by 8.36 %（P = 0.009）. Ruminal p H was unaffected（P = 0.601） while ammonia decreased（P = 0.024） and total volatile fatty acids increased（P = 0.024） in response to supplementary AL. Supplementary AL decreased the population of methanogens（P = 0.001） and tended to decrease that of protozoans（P = 0.097）, but increased the populations of F. succinogenes（P 〈 0.001）, R. flavefaciens（P = 0.001）, and B. fibrisolvens（P = 0.001）.Conclusions： Supplementation of AL at 2.0 g/head？day effectively enhanced OM, N, NDF, and ADF digestibility and reduced daily methane emissions（L/kg BW0.75） in ewes, probably by decreasing the population of ruminal protozoans and methanogens.

Efficient production of transgenic chickens using self-inactive HIV-based lentiviral vectors

We demonstrated the simple and effective production of transgenic chickens, in which the enhanced green fluorescence protein （EGFP） was expressed by using third-generation self-inactive HIV-based lentiviral vectors. In our experiments, lentiviruses were injected into 204 fertilized eggs, from which 30 （15%） chickens were hatched. The exogenous gene was detected in the genomes of 16 out of 30 （53%） chickens. The green fluorescence signal was observed directly in various body parts, and was particularly significant in the testes. The transgenes were also found in the offspring of these chickens. The results indicate that HIV-based lentiviral vectors can be used to generate transgenic birds economically and effectively [ Current Zoology 55 （5）： 383 - 387,2009].

Alleviating effects and mechanisms of action of large-leaf yellow tea drinking on diabetes and diabetic nephropathy in mice

Our previous study found that large-leaf yellow tea(LYT)had interesting hypoglycemic activity in high-fat diet-induced obese mice and highly safety in healthy mice. To study the anti-diabetic potential of LYT, the present study further investigated the preventive effects and mechanisms of action of LYT administration on diabetes and diabetic nephropathy in high-fat diet plus streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Results showed that LYT infusions(1/100 and 1/50, m/V)as drinking fluid for 4 weeks reduced diabetic polydipsia and polyuria, enhanced glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, and lowered fasting blood glucose level. The underlying mechanisms involve downregulation of gluconeogenesis(lower protein levels of TXNIP and FBP and enzyme activity of FBP), upregulation of lipid catabolism(higher protein levels of CPT-1α and PPARα), downregulation of lipogenesis(lower protein level of SREBP-1), and modification of the structure and abundance of gut microbiota to modulate metabolic homeostasis. Moreover, LYT administration prevented diabetic nephropathy, possibly due to reduced glucose-caused osmotic diuresis and lowered levels of renal PKC-β2, NLRP3 as well as membrane PKC-α, AQP2 and glycosylated AQP2 proteins. Taken together, LYT exhibits the activities in alleviating diabetic symptoms, ameliorating glucose and lipid dysmetabolism and fatty liver, and preventing diabetic nephropathy in diabetic mice. These activities may be explored for the prevention and treatment of diabetes in humans.