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The electrochemical selective oxidative transformation of lignin feedstocks into valuable oxygenated aromatics is essential to establish a sustainable biorefinery. In this study, we used a rhombohedral ZnIn2S4 (R-ZIS) electrocatalyst to realise the efficient anodic cleavage of C-O bonds in benzyl phenyl ether (BPE), an a-O-4 lignin model compound, to a series of industrially relevant oxygenated mono-aromatics. The reaction occurred at +2 VAg/AgCl, 65 °C, and atmospheric pressure. In optimised conditions, the reaction achieved over 99% conversion rate with a Faraday efficiency of 51.6% at 91.3% conversion of BPE, that is greater than most known electrocatalytic oxidative cleavage examples. The ZnIn2S4 electrocatalyst was deposited on a carbon cloth support, and its structural properties and surface morphology were extensively investigated. Systematic potential controlled electrolysis coupled with 18O isotopic labelling confirmed that C-O scission occurred exclusively between the benzylic carbon and phenolic oxygen. Furthermore, substrate competition studies were conducted to compare the electrocatalytic performance of the R-ZIS catalyst with that of its structural analogue, hexagonal ZnIn2S4, in terms of BPE and monoaromatics conversion. The experimental results were supported by density functional theory calculations. The substrate scoping study revealed the suitability of the R-ZIS induced electrocatalytic system for a variety of substituted a-O-4/ß-O-4 model dimers. Overall, this work demonstrates an efficient anodic process that can enable the atom-efficient valorisation of lignin to produce oxygenated aromatics. The proposed approach can complement the numerous existing reductive lignin cleavage methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grain boundaries (GBs) serve not only as strong barriers to dislocation motion, but also as important carriers to accommodate plastic deformation in crystalline solids. During deformation, the inherent excess volume associated with loose atomic packing in GBs brings about a microscopic degree of freedom that can initiate GB plasticity, which is beyond the classic geometric description of GBs. However, identification of this atomistic process has long remained elusive due to its transient nature. Here, we use Au polycrystals to unveil a general and inherent route to initiating GB plasticity via a transient topological transition process triggered by the excess volume. This route underscores the general impact of a microscopic degree of freedom which is governed by a stress-triaxiality-based criterion. Our findings provide a missing perspective for developing a more comprehensive understanding of the role of GBs in plastic deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of computer interactive teaching system greatly facilitates the needs of students to learn anytime and anywhere at this stage. At the same time, the increase in online course video, voice, files and other teaching resources also puts forward higher requirements for the operation of the teaching system. This article addresses the practical needs of online teaching and proposes a scalable computer interactive teaching system designed with the aid of large-scale multimedia data analysis algorithms. The system utilizes a principal component analysis linear data feature extraction algorithm to extract data features and implements data prediction through linear transformation methods for data reconstruction. This approach enables the system to effectively extract and analyze data, while also facilitating efficient data prediction for improved teaching outcomes. With its scalability and advanced data analysis capabilities, this system represents a promising solution for enhancing the effectiveness of online teaching and improving the overall learning experience for students. Most online course resources are displayed in the form of multimedia. Therefore, this paper uses robust component analysis to process multimedia data, especially for some problems such as data missing and multimedia data interference. This paper uses RC ranking-related evaluation method and R-value evaluation method to evaluate the prediction data, which proves that parameter selection plays an important role in controlling sparse regression. The algorithm proposed in this paper was tested using actual video and picture data related to the teaching system resources. The results indicated that the algorithm achieved the best data recognition performance when the number of theme models was set to 100. This finding provides an important reference for the system design. Finally, this paper designs a computer interactive teaching system which includes three modules: administrator, student and teacher, and tests the system, which proves the practical operation possibility and application value of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrate reservoirs are different from the host reservoirs of all other fossil energy sources because the characteristics of hydrate reservoirs are generally controlled by deep-sea fine-grained sedimentation. In such reservoirs, the reliability of the classical logging evaluation models established for diagenetic reservoirs is questionable. This study used well W8 in the Qiongdongnan Basin to explore the clay content, porosity, saturation, and hydrate-enriched layer identification of a logging-based hydrate reservoir, and it was found that considering the effect of the clay content on the log response is necessary in the logging evaluation of hydrate reservoirs. In the evaluation of clay content, a method based on the optimization inversion method can obtain a more reliable clay content than other methods. Fine-grained sediment reservoirs have a high clay content, and the effect of clay on log responses must be considered when calculating porosity. In addition, combining density logging and neutron porosity logging data can obtain the best porosity calculation results, and the porosity calculation method based on sonic logging predicted that the porosity of the studied reservoir was low. It was very effective to identify hydrate layers based on resistivity, but the clay distribution and pore structure will also affect the relationship between resistivity, porosity and saturation, and it was suggested that the factors effecting the resistivity of different layers should be considered in the saturation evaluation and that a suitable model should be selected. This study also considered the lack of clarity of the relationships among the lithology, physical properties, hydrate-bearing occurrence properties, and log response properties of hydrate reservoirs and the lack of specialized petrophysical models. This research can directly help to improve hydrate logging evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the correlation between the expression of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and enhancer of zeste two polycomb repressive complex two subunit (EZH2) and peritoneal function in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) and peritoneal dialysis. Methods: One hundred forty patients with DN underwent peritoneal dialysis in Hanchuan People’s Hospital from April 2016 to January 2019 were divided into four groups according to the duration of peritoneal dialysis. The levels of SIRT1 and EZH2 in serum were measured. The ratio of dialysate to plasma creatinine (D/Pcr) and the concentration of cancer antigen 125 (CA125) in peritoneal dialysate were determined. The ratio of urea clearance to urea distribution volume (Kt/V) of dialyzer was calculated. The correlations between SIRT1 and EZH2 expressions and peritoneal function were analyzed. Results: With the prolongation of peritoneal dialysis, serum SIRT1 expression, Kt/V, Ccr and CA125 decreased, while EZH2 expression and D/Pcr increased in patients with DN undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that SIRT1 expression was negatively correlated with D/Pcr while positively correlated with Kt/V and CA125, and serum EZH2 expression was negatively correlated with Kt/V and CA125 while positively correlated with D/Pcr. ROC analysis demonstrated that SIRT1 and EZH2 expressions had certain diagnostic value for the poor prognosis of patients with DN undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Conclusion: Serum SIRT1 and EZH2 expressions in patients with DN undergoing peritoneal dialysis are closely related to their peritoneal function. They have certain diagnostic value for the poor prognosis of patients with DN undergoing peritoneal dialysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ratio fluorescent probe (RF-probe) has the characteristics of self-calibration and eliminating the influence of experimental factors (such as probe concentration, excitation intensity stability, and solution environment) in quantitative assays based on the linear relationship between the intensity ratio of two emission peaks and the concentration of analyte, especially in a complex biological matrix. Objective: High-luminescent Ag nanoclusters (AgNCs) were prepared at room temperature due to aggregation-induced emission (AIE) through the incorporation of trithiocyanuric acid (TA). Subsequently, a new RF-probe based on mixing of AgNCs-TA with nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon quantum dots (N, S-CQDs) was prepared for sensitively and selectively assaying sodium 2, 3-dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonate (DMPS). Methods: The fluorescence of N, S-CQDs was quenched in the presence of the AgNCs-TA mainly deriving from the inner filter effect (IFE), and its fluorescence intensities at 440 and 650nm could recover and drop upon the addition of DMPS (λex=370 nm). Results: The RF-probe enables DMPS to be detected by fluorometry with a linear response in the 0.67-30.0 μmol/L concentration range and a 54.7 nmol/L detection limit (at 3r/slope). At the same time, we also used the labeled recovery method to confirm the reliability of the method. The recoveries were 97.93-106.33%, and the corresponding standard deviations (RSD) were less than 1.87%. Conclusion: The N, S-CQDs/AgNCs-TA RF-probe can also semi-quantitatively monitor DMPS by naked eyes. Highlights: The mechanism of fluorescence enhancement of the AgNCs by TA also were investigated by the N, S-CQDs/AgNCs-TA-DMPS system. What's more, the RF-probe of N, S-CQDs/AgNCs-TA was successfully utilized to monitor DMPS in real samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) methylates a variety of histone and nonhistone protein substrates to regulate multiple cellular functions such as transcription, DNA damage response, and signal transduction. It has been reported as an emerging regulator of various metabolic pathways including glucose metabolism in the liver, atrophy in the skeletal muscle, and lipid catabolism in the adipose tissue. However, the underlying mechanisms governing how PRMT1 regulates adipogenesis remain elusive. Here, we delineate the roles of PRMT1 in mitotic clonal expansion and adipocyte differentiation. Gain and loss of functions demonstrate that PRMT1 is essential for adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 and C3H10T1/2 cells. Mechanistically, we show PRMT1 promotes the expression of transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) by catalyzing histone modification H4R3me2a and impedes the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by increasing the level of Axin to accelerate adipogenic differentiation. In addition, we demonstrate mitotic clonal expansion is suppressed by PRMT1 deficiency. PRMT1 interacts with transcription factor CCATT enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ), and the absence of PRMT1 leads to the depressed phosphorylation of C/EBPβ. Interestingly, we discover PRMT1 acts as a positive regulator of C/EBPβ protein stability through decreasing the level of E3 ubiquitin ligase Smurf2, which promotes the ubiquitination and degradation of C/EBPβ, thus facilitating adipogenesis. Collectively, these discoveries highlight a critical role of PRMT1 in adipogenesis and provide potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Luciolinae genus Emeia Fu, Ballantyne & Lambkin, 2012 is reviewed. Phylogenetic relationships based on cox1 DNA barcoding sequences from 42 fireflies and 2 outgroup species are reconstructed. The dataset included three main Lampyridae subfamilies: Luciolinae, Photurinae and Lampyrinae, and Emeia was recovered within Luciolinae. A new species, Emeia pulchra Zhu & Zhen sp. nov., is described from the wetland of Lishui, Zhejiang, China. Emeia pulchra is sister species to E. pseudosauteri from Sichuan, which is supported by morphological characters and a phylogeny based on DNA barcoding sequences. The two species are separated geographically as shown on the distribution map. A key to species of Emeia using males is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By strong oxygen plasma treatment with 100 W on monolayer MoS2, we observe the disappearance of the Raman modes of MoS2. The phenomena of no MoO3 formation shown by Raman spectra and the appearance of the Mo6+ peak and decreased O concentration shown by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy are attributed to that the state of MoS2 translates from crystal to amorphous after strong oxygen plasma treatment. The amorphization of monolayer MoS2 is further confirmed by the quenching of photoluminescence (PL) and the disappearance of two absorption peaks related to A, B exciton which demonstrates the disordered bandgap. Finally, we found that the amorphous MoS2 can improve the absorption fraction at the visible light (500 ~ 750 nm) which is potential for future visible light photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to examine the suppressive impact of astragaloside on the invasion and spread of non-small cell lung cancer by obstructing the transforming growth factor-beta/focal adhesion kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway. Sixty mice were categorized into three groups; the normal control group (n=20) (group A), the model control group (n=20) (group B), and the astragaloside IV intervention group (n=20) (group C). To establish the non-small cell lung cancer mouse model for group B and group C, the modulated PC9/ER cell suspension was injected into the left axilla of nude mice, whereas group A received an equivalent amount of normal saline instead. After successful modeling, mice in group C were given astragaloside 30 mg/kg by intragastric administration. The expression levels of transforming growth factor-beta, focal adhesion kinase, and protein kinase B messenger ribonucleic acid were higher in group B compared to group A, whereas the expression levels of transforming growth factor-beta, focal adhesion kinase, and protein kinase B messenger ribonucleic acid were lower in group C compared to group B. The levels of protein expression for transforming growth factor-beta, focal adhesion kinase, and protein kinase B were higher in group B compared to group A, whereas the levels of protein expression for transforming growth factor-beta, focal adhesion kinase, and protein kinase B were lower in group C compared to group B. The non-small cell lung cancer is influenced by astragaloside A, transforming growth factor-beta, focal adhesion kinase, and protein kinase B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cluster analysis plays an important role in identifying the natural structure of the target dataset. It has been widely used in many fields, such as pattern recognition, machine learning, image segmentation, document clustering and so on. There are many different methods to conduct cluster analysis. Namely, most real datasets are non-spherical and have complex shapes. Although these methods are widely used to deal with clustering tasks, they are susceptible to noise and arbitrary shapes. Thus, we propose a novel clustering algorithm (called RNN-NSDC) in this paper, which is based on the natural reverse nearest neighbor structure. Firstly, we apply the reverse nearest neighbors in the algorithm to extract core objects. Secondly, our algorithm uses the neighbor structure information of core objects to cluster. And excluding noise effects, core sets can well represent the structure of clusters. Therefore, the RNN-NSDC can obtain the optimal cluster numbers for the datasets which contain clusters of outliers and arbitrary shapes. To verify the efficiency and accuracy of the RNN-NSDC, synthetic datasets and real datasets are used for experiments. The results indicate the superiority of the RNN-NSDC compared with K-means, DBSCAN, DPC, SNNDPC, DCore and NaNLORE. • The criterion of extracting the core objects is simple and efficient. • There is no need to set parameters in RNN-NSDC. • RNN-NSDC can be applied to complex patterns with extremely large variations in density. • RNN-NSDC is robust to outliers and noises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The macaque dorsal occipital cortex is generally thought to contain an elongated third visual area, V3d, extending along most of the rostral border of area V2. In contrast, our submillimeter retinotopic fMRI maps (0.6-mm isotropic voxels, achieved by implanted phasedarray receive coils) consistently show three sectors anterior to V2d. The dorsal (mirror image) sector complies with the traditional V3d definition, and the middle (nonmirror image) sector with V3A. The ventral (mirror image) sector bends away from V2d, as does the ventrolateral posterior area (VLP) in marmosets and the dorsolateral posterior area (DLP) in owl monkeys, and represents the entire contralateral hemifield as V3A does. Its population-receptive field size, however, suggests that this ventral sector is another area at the same hierarchical level as V4d. Hence, contrary to prevailing views, the retinotopic organization of cortex rostral to V2d differs substantially from widely accepted models. Instead, it is evolutionarily largely conserved in Old and New World monkeys given its surprisingly similar overall visuotopic organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gut microbiota dysbiosis has been considered to be an important risk factor that contributes to coronary artery disease (CAD), but limited evidence exists about the involvement of gut microbiota in the disease. Our study aimed to characterize the dysbiosis signatures of gut microbiota in coronary artery disease. The gut microbiota represented in stool samples were collected from 70 patients with coronary artery disease and 98 healthy controls. 16S rRNA sequencing was applied, and bioinformatics methods were used to decipher taxon signatures and function alteration, as well as the microbial network and diagnostic model of gut microbiota in coronary artery disease. Gut microbiota showed decreased diversity and richness in patients with coronary artery disease. The composition of the microbial community changed; Escherichia-Shigella [false discovery rate (FDR = 7.5*10-5] and Enterococcus (FDR = 2.08*10-7) were significant enriched, while Faecalibacterium (FDR = 6.19*10-10), Subdoligranulum (FDR = 1.63*10-6), Roseburia (FDR = 1.95*10-9), and Eubacterium rectale (FDR = 2.35*10-4) were significant depleted in the CAD group. Consistent with the taxon changes, functions such as amino acid metabolism, phosphotransferase system, propanoate metabolism, lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, and protein and tryptophan metabolism were found to be enhanced in CAD patients. The microbial network revealed that Faecalibacterium and Escherichia-Shigella were the microbiotas that dominated in the healthy control and CAD groups, respectively. The microbial diagnostic model based on random forest also showed probability in identifying those who suffered from CAD. Our study successfully identifies the dysbiosis signature, dysfunctions, and comprehensive networks of gut microbiota in CAD patients. Thus, modulation targeting the gut microbiota may be a novel strategy for CAD treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Brønsted acid catalyzed dehydrative arylation of 4-indolylmethanols with indoles has been established, leading to a series of indolyl- substituted triarylmethanes in good to excellent yields (up to 97% yield). In addition, in this Brønsted acid catalyzed dehydration process, the only byproduct was water. Accordingly, this approach can be considered to have high atom economy and to be environmentally friendly. This approach not only provides a useful strategy for the synthesis of structurally diversified indolyl-substituted triarylmethanes, but also represents the first example of a 4-indolylmethanol-involved reaction, which will advance the chemistry of indolylmethanols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) promotes the development of obesity, a disease resulting from an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has thermogenic capacity that burns calories to produce heat, and it is a potential target for the treatment and prevention of obesity. There is limited information regarding the impact of HFD on the BAT transcriptome. We hypothesized that HFD-induced obesity would lead to transcriptional regulation of BAT genes. RNA sequencing was used to generate global transcriptome profiles from BAT of lean mice fed with a low-fat diet (LFD) and obese mice fed with a HFD. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis identified increased expression of genes involved in biological processes (BP) related to immune responses, which enhanced molecular function (MF) in chemokine activity; decreased expression of genes involved in BP related to ion transport and muscle structure development, which reduced MF in channel and transporter activity and structural binding. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional pathway analysis indicated that pathways associated with innate immunity were enhanced by HFD, while pathways associated with muscle contraction and calcium signaling were suppressed by HFD. Collectively, these results suggest that diet-induced obesity changes transcriptomic signatures of BAT, leading to dysfunction involving inflammation, calcium signaling, ion transport, and cell structural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first catalytic asymmetric dearomative [3 + 2] cycloaddition of 3-nitroindoles with vinylcyclopropanes has been established, which constructed chiral cyclopenta[b]indoline scaffolds in generally high enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee). This reaction also represents the first application of all-carbon 1,3-dipoles in catalytic asymmetric dearomative [3 + 2] cycloadditions of 3-nitroindoles. This approach will not only advance the catalytic asymmetric dearomatization reactions of electron-deficient indoles but also provide an efficient method for constructing chiral cyclopenta[b]indoline scaffolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel dual-band circularly polarised (CP) antenna is presented in this study. The proposed antenna is composed of a U-slot patch and four sequentially rotated shorted monopoles. Different from conventional omnidirectional CP antennas with shorted monopolar patches, a novel capacitively coupled technique is proposed to achieve good impedance matching, which makes it possible to generate unidirectional CP patterns simultaneously. This antenna can generate omnidirectional CP radiation patterns in the global positioning system L1 band (1575 ± 5 MHz) for navigation application and unidirectional CP radiation patterns in the 2.4-GHz industrial, scientific, and medical band (2.40-2.48 GHz) for municipal wireless networks. The dual-band performance can be tuned separately. Experimental results confirm the good performances of a compact antenna with the size of 0.26 λ0 x 0.26 λ0 x 0.026 λ0. The obtained 10-dB impedance bandwidths can cover the two required bands. The 3-dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidths cover the lower band and the upper band from 2.425 to 2.46 GHz. In addition, a wide 3-dB AR beamwidth of 200° is obtained at 2.45 GHz. The simple structure and good performances make this antenna a good candidate for handheld devices and vehicular applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) promotes microangiogenesis and revascularization after ischemia. Neovascularization starts with the destruction of intercellular junctions and is accompanied by various endothelial cell angiogenic behaviors. Follistatin-like 1 (FSTL1) is a cardiovascular-protective myokine that works against ischemic injury. The present study examined whether FSTL1 was involved in H2S-induced angiogenesis and explored the underlying molecular mechanism. We observed that H2S accelerated blood perfusion after ischemia in the mouse hindlimb ischemia model. Western blot analysis showed that H2S stabilized FSTL1 transcript and increased FSTL1 and Human antigen R (HuR) levels in skeletal muscle. RNA-interference HuR significantly inhibited the H2S-promoted increase in FSTL1 levels. Exogenous FSTL1 promoted the wound-healing migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and increased monolayer endothelial barrier permeability. Immunostaining showed that FSTL1 increased interendothelial gap formation and decreased VE-Cadherin, Occludin, Connexin-43, and Claudin-5 expression. In addition, FSTL1 significantly increased the phosphorylation of Src and VEGFR2. However, the Src inhibitor, not the VEGFR2 inhibitor, could block FSTL1-induced effects in angiogenesis. In conclusion, we demonstrated that H2S could upregulate the expression of FSTL1 by increasing the HuR levels in skeletal muscle, and paracrine FSTL1 could initiate angiogenesis by opening intercellular junctions via the Src signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient method for the synthesis of C3-alkylated indoles has been established via Brønsted acid catalyzed alkylation of 2-indolylmethanols with azlactones. The reaction exhibits broad substrate scope and delivers high yields (22 examples, up to 99% yield). This approach not only provides a new strategy for the direct synthesis of C3-alkylated indoles, but also represents a rarely reported alkylation between indole motifs and electron-rich synthons at the C3 position. This protocol serves as a good example of the application of the umpolung strategy in the synthesis of C3-alkylated indoles from 2-indolylmethanols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An anticancer compound, triterpene glycoside, was isolated from Holothuria nobilis Selenka. Its chemical structure and configuration were determined by two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The novel active compound was identified as nobiliside D, with the molecular formula C40H61O17SNa and chemical name 3-O-[-β-D-pyranosyl (1-2)-4'-O-sulfon-ate-β-D-xylopyranosyl]-alkoxy-9-ene-3ß, 12α, 17α, 25β-4 alcohol. An antitumor test was performed using xCELLigence Real-Time Cell Analysis. Nobiliside D exhibited inhibitory effects on human leukemic cell line K562, human leukemia cell line U937, human lung cancer cell line A-549, human cervix carcinoma cell line HeLa, human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 and human liver carcinoma cell line HepG2. Nobiliside exhibited the greatest inhibitory effect on K562 and MCF-7 cells with an IC50 of 0.83±0.14 and 0.82±0.11 µg/ml, respectively. When human tumor cell lines K562 and MCF-7 were treated by nobiliside D (0.5 µg/ml) for 24 h, 45.8% of K562 cells and 58.7% of MCF-7 cells were apoptotic, whereas only 0.5% of un-treated control cells were apoptotic. These data indicate the compound should offer potential as a novel drug for the treatment of a range of cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an enhanced predictive control strategy to reduce the calculation effort for direct matrix converters. The main idea is to preselect the switching states to decrease the calculation effort during each sample period. The proposed preselection algorithm enables a predefined cost function to consider only the preselected switching states to perform the expected control. On the basis of the preselection of switching states at each sample period, the proposed method can effectively reduce the calculation effort as well as show a good performance. The proposed predictive control scheme uses only preselected switching states to generate the desired source/load current waveforms and control the input power factor. The feasibility of the proposed method is experimentally verified and results are presented in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. Recent evidence indicated the epigenetic changes may contribute to the pathogenesis of RA. Method: To understand the extent and nature of dysregulated DNA methylation in RA CD4T cells, we performed a genome-wide DNA methylation study in CD4 + T cells in 12 RA patients compared to 12 matched normal healthy controls. Cytosine methylation status was quantified with Illumina methylation 450K microarray. Result: The DNA methylation profiling showed 383 hyper- and 785 hypo-methylated genes in the CD4 + T cells of the RA patients (p53.417). Gene ontology analysis indicated transcript alternative splicing and protein modification mediated by DNA methylation might play an important role in the pathogenesis of RA. In addition, the result showed that human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region including HLA-DRB6, HLA-DQA1 and HLA-E was frequently hypomethylated, but HLA-DQB1 hypermethylated in CpG island region and hypomethylated in CpG shelf region in RA patients. Outside the MHC region, HDAC4, NXN, TBCD and TMEM61 were the most hypermethylated genes, while ITIH3, TCN2, PRDM16, SLC1A5 and GALNT9 are the most hypomethylated genes. Conclusion: Genome-wide DNA methylation profile revealed significant DNA methylation change in CD4 + T cells from patients with RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac microvascular obstruction (MVO) after ischemia- reperfusion (I/R) has been well studied, but microvascular leakage (MVL) remains largely unexplored. We characterized MVL in the mouse I/R model by histology, biochemistry, and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. I/R was induced surgically in mice. MVL was determined by administrating the microvascular permeability tracer Evans blue (EB) and/or gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid contrast. The size of MVL, infarction, and MVO in the heart was quantified histologically. Myocardial EB was extracted and quantified chromatographically. Serial CMR images were acquired from euthanized mice to determine late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) for comparison with MVL quantified by histology. I/R resulted in MVL with its severity dependent on the ischemic duration and reaching its maximum at 24-48 h after reperfusion. The size of MVL correlated with the degree of left ventricular dilatation and reduction in ejection fraction. Within the risk zone, the area of MVL (75 ± 2%) was greater than that of infarct (47 ± 4%, P < 0.01) or MVO (36 ± 4%, P < 0.01). Contour analysis of paired CMR-LGE by CMR and histological MVL images revealed a high degree of spatial colocalization (r = 0.959, P < 0.0001). These data indicate that microvascular barrier function is damaged after I/R leading to MVL. Histological and biochemical means are able to characterize MVL by size and severity while CMR-LGE is a potential diagnostic tool for MVL. The size of ischemic myocardium exhibiting MVL was greater than that of infarction and MVO, implying a role of MVL in postinfarct pathophysiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Choroidal melanoma is the most common primary intraocular tumor in adults. Cepharanthine (CEP), a natural alkaloid extracted from the roots of Stephania cepharantha Hayata, has been demonstrated to inhibit the proliferation of various cancer cells. However, its potential anticancer effect in choroidal melanoma has not been clarified yet. In the present study, it was identified that CEP may potently inhibit the proliferation of human choroidal melanoma cells, induce cell death and cell cycle arrest, and activate cellular apoptotic proteins, including Bcl-2-associated X protein, caspase and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Results also revealed that CEP induced the cellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and led to cytochrome c release, whereas concurrent treatment with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (a ROS scavenger) attenuated the situation. In addition, CEP was also revealed to activate c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) 1 and 2, whereas inhibition of JNK1/2 partially abrogated the proliferation inhibitory effect of CEP, indicating that JNK1 and JNK2 were involved in CEP-triggered cellular apoptosis. In addition, the anticancer effects of CEP were also observed in a choroidal melanoma xenograft model. In summary, the results of the present study demonstrated that CEP is effective in suppressing human choroidal melanoma cell and tumor cell proliferation, and that CEP may therefore represent a potentially novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of choroidal melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first catalytic asymmetric α-arylation of pyrazol-5-ones has been established by using 2-indolylmethanols as direct electrophilic arylation reagents under the cooperative catalysis of Pd(0) and a chiral phosphoric acid, which afforded the α-arylation products of pyrazol-5-ones in generally high yields and good enantioselectivities (up to 99% yield, >99% ee). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing permeability evaluation models with nuclear magnetic resonance log always have low accuracy for permeability prediction of tight sandstone reservoirs. In this paper, the relationship between nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) T2 spectrum and permeability was derived based on the transverse relaxation theory and Kozeny–Carman equation. A hybrid intelligent algorithm that combines Adaboost algorithm, adaptive rain forest optimization algorithm and improved back propagation neural network was proposed based on the theoretical analysis. Permeability experiments were conducted on 196 rock specimens in the tight sandstone reservoirs, and the corresponding T2 spectrum data of the NMR logging were extracted for modeling. The permeability evaluation results by this model showed that the proposed algorithm was superior to other algorithms in optimizing the initial neural network. Through the combination of hybrid intelligent algorithm with NMR logging data, the proposed permeability prediction model has higher accuracy than the existing ones, and its evaluation accuracy can be further improved with the development of artificial intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of face recognition, conventional dictionary learning algorithms mainly focus on reconstructing the training samples and cannot directly associate the learning procedure with the test samples. Thus, they may not well represent the test samples and obtain unsatisfactory classification performance. In addition, though different training samples have various contributions to learn a dictionary, conventional dictionary learning algorithms cannot well exploit these contributions. In order to address these problems, we present a test sample oriented two-phase dictionary learning (TSOTP-DL) algorithm for face recognition. In the first phase of the TSOTP-DL algorithm, we use all training samples to provide a linear representation of the test sample, and select K "important" training samples by using the variety of contributions. In the second phase of the TSOTPDL algorithm, a dictionary is learned for the test sample by using the selected K "important" training samples. The TSOTP-DL algorithm utilizes the testing sample to select a subset of the training samples for learning a dictionary, which can reduce the influence of noise. Thus, the training samples are refined according to their contributions to the test sample in our algorithm, and it can improve the discriminative ability of the learned dictionary. In order to further improve the discriminative ability of the learned dictionary, a label embedding of atoms is constructed to encourage the same class training samples to have more similar coding coefficients than different classes. Experiment results demonstrate that our proposed algorithm achieves better classification results than some state-of-the-art dictionary learning and sparse coding algorithms on four public face databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beach calcarenite is a sedimentary rock deposited on tidal beaches of coral reefs in the South China Sea. This study investigated beach calcarenite samples collected from different locations in the South China Sea and coastal areas by using both micro- and macro-structure study techniques. The objective of this study was to establish the major parameters that control the strength. The results indicated that the beach calcarenite is characterized by low unit weight, high porosity, and large permeability. The degree of cementation of the beach calcarenites was between weak and medium. The saturation of the samples reduced their uniaxial compressive strengths. The correlation analyses of parameters indicated that the unit weight and the cementation are major parameters affecting the compressive strength of beach calcarenite samples. Both porosity and grain size are secondary parameters with an insignificant effect on the compressive strength of the beach calcarenite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive studies have demonstrated that face recognition performance does not reach adult levels until adolescence. However, there is no consensus on whether such prolonged improvement stems from development of general cognitive factors or face-specific mechanisms. Here, we used behavioral experiments and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate these two hypotheses. With a large cohort of children (n =379), we found that the ability of face-specific recognition in humans increased with age throughout childhood and into late adolescence in both face memory and face perception. Neurally, to circumvent the potential problem of age differences in task performance, attention, or cognitive strategies in task-state fMRI studies, we measured the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the occipital face area (OFA) and fusiform face area (FFA) inhumanbrain and found that the OFA-FFARSFC increased until 11-13 years of age. Moreover, the OFA-FFA RSFC was selectively impaired in adults with developmental prosopagnosia (DP). In contrast, no age-related changes or differences between DP and normal adults were observed for RSFCs in the object system. Finally, the OFA-FFA RSFC matured earlier than face selectivity in either the OFA or FFA. These results suggest the critical role of the OFA-FFA RSFC in the development of face recognition. Together, our findings support the hypothesis that prolonged development of face recognition is face specific, not domain general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43) on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) differentiation in a rat model of traumatic optic neuropathy (TON). GAP-43 and short hairpin (sh)RNA-GAP-43 were inserted into pGLV5 and pGLV3 lentiviral vectors, respectively. The stable control, GAP-43-overexpression and GAP-43-knockdown cell lines (GFP/BMSCs, GAP-43/BMSCs and shGAP-43/BMSCs, respectively) were established. The expression of GAP-43, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), nestin, neurofilament (NF), neuron-specific nuclear-binding protein (NeuN) and βIII-tubulin were detected in the GAP-43/BMSCs and shGAP-43/BMSCs with retinal cell-conditioned differentiation medium using semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), western blotting and cell immunofluorescence. In addition, the BMSCs were observed under fluorescence microscopy. The Sprague-Dawley rat models of TON were established and identified by retrograde labeling of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) with fluoroGold (FG). The lentiviral-mediated GAP-43-modified BMSCs were then transplanted into the rat model of TON. The expression of GAP-43 was detected in the retinal tissues using qPCR and western blotting. The histopathology of the retinal tissues was observed using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The GAP-43/BMSCs exhibited positive expression of NSE, NF, nestin and βIII-tubulin, and exhibited a neuronal phenotype. The shGAP-43/BMSCs markedly inhibited expression of NeuN, NSE, NF, nestin and βIII-tubulin induced by retinal cell-conditioned differentiation medium. The FG staining revealed that the number of labeled RGCs were significantly decreased in the TON model rats, compared with normal rats (P<0.05). The H&E staining revealed that the degree of pathological changes was improved in the GAP-43/BMSC group, compared with the GFP/BMSC and shGAP-43/BMSC groups. In conclusion, GAP-43 promoted BMSC differentiation into neuron-like cells, and intravitreally injected GAP-43/BMSCs promoted the process of nerve repair in a rat model of TON. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium houttuyfonate (SH) has traditionally been used for the therapy of inflammatory diseases. In this research, we tried to assess the anti-inflammatory effects of SH on LPS-induced bovine endometrial epithelial cell (bEEC) inflammation. SH cell toxicity was measured using the MTT and LDH assays, and inflammatory cytokine expression was assessed by ELISA, qRT-PCR and Western blotting. We demonstrated that SHwas not cytotoxic to bEECs, and that it significantly decreased the LPS-induced mRNA and protein expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and IL-8. Furthermore, in LPS-induced bEECs, SH inhibited IκBα degradation and NF-κB p65 phosphorylation, and suppressed the phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). In conclusion, we found that SH could effectively block the NF-κB-mediated signaling pathway and reduce the inflammatory process, thereby exerting a protective effect on bEECs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A straightforwardmultitemplate carbonization method for producingnanoporous carbons has been implemented using magnesium citrate asthe carbon source and magnesium powder as the template. Notably, thecrystallinities of the carbon materials were greatly enhanced withincreasing carbonization temperatures. Sample C-4:1–900 obtainedby carbonizing the mixture of magnesium citrate and Mg powder (ina mass ratio of 4:1) at 900 °C exhibited a large BET surfacearea of 1972.1 m2g–1and a high porevolume of 4.78 cm3g–1, thereby resultingin the best electrochemical behaviors. It delivered a large specificcapacitance of 236.5 F g–1at 1 A g–1when measured in a three-electrode system. Additionally, in a two-electrodesystem, the energy density was 15 Wh kg–1for apower density of 0.5 W kg–1, when measured at anoperating temperature of 80 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to characterize antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial resistance genetic determinants of an Escherichia coli clinical isolate HD0149 from China in 2012. This strain displayed high-level resistance to cephalosporins, carbapenems, fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides and fosfomycin. A range of antimicrobial resistance genes was detected responsible for its multiple antimicrobial resistances, involving the blaCMY-2, blaCTX-M-65, blaNDM-1, blaSFO-1, blaTEM-1, fosA3, rmtB, sul1 and sul2 genes. Four amino acid substitutions were detected in the quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of GyrA (S83L and D87N), ParC (S80I) and ParE (S458A). Conjugation experiments revealed two multiresistance plasmids present in E. coli HD0149. The blaSFO-1 gene associated with blaNDM-1 gene was located in a 190 kb IncA/C plasmid and the blaCTX-M-65, fosA3 and rmtB genes were located in a 110 kb IncF plasmid. This is the first identification of the blaSFO-1 gene in an E. coli isolate and on a conjugative IncA/C plasmid. This may dramatically enhance the international prevalence and dissemination of blaSFO-1 among Enterobacteriaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foam buffer package materials composed of plant fibers have been a focus of research in recent years because of their environmentally beneficial ability to become fully disintegrated. In this study, bleached bagasse pulp was micronized using a PFI mill, and foam buffer materials were prepared using the micronized fiber. The effects of the beating degree of micronized fibers on the dimensional stability, moisture absorption, static compression, and dynamic compression characteristics were discussed. Results showed that, in both the static and the dynamic compression experiments, the buffer properties improved with an increasing beating degree. The buffer materials made of highly micronized fiber were stronger under pressure and impact. Specifically, the highly micronized fiber's ability to absorb energy curing impact was improved, demonstrating that it can support a higher compression and impacting load in a certain deformation scope. However, during the drying process, the dimensional stability of the samples also declined with an increasing beating degree. The moisture absorption of the samples improved when the beating degree was increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Face perception is crucial to survival among social primates. It has been suggested that a group of extrastriate cortical regions responding more strongly to faces than to nonface objects is critical for face processing in primates. It is generally assumed that these regions are not retinotopically organized, as with human face-processing areas, showing foveal bias but lacking any organization with respect to polar angle. Despite many electrophysiological studies targeting monkey face patches, the retinotopic organization of these patches remains largely unclear. We have examined the relationship between cortical face patches and the topographic organization of extrastriate cortex using biologically relevant, phase-encoded retinotopic mapping stimuli in macaques. Single-subject fMRI results indicated a gradual shift from highly retinotopic to no topographic organization from posterior to anterior face patches in inferotemporal cortex. We also constructed a probabilistic retinotopic atlas of occipital and ventral extrastriate visual cortex. By comparing this probabilistic map to the locations of face patches at the group level, we showed that a previously identified posterior lateral temporal face patch (PL) is located within the posterior inferotemporal dorsal (PITd) retinotopic area. Furthermore, we identified a novel face patch posterior PL, which is located in retinotopically organized transitional area V4 (V4t). Previously published coordinates of human PITd coincide with the group-level occipital face area (OFA), according to a probabilistic map derived from a large population, implying a potential correspondence between monkey PL/PITd and human OFA/PITd. Furthermore, the monkey middle lateral temporal face patch (ML) shows consistent foveal biases but no obvious polar-angle structure. In contrast, middle fundus temporal (MF), anterior temporal and prefrontal monkey face patches lacked topographic organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Obesity increases the risk for insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in both adults and children. SAA is a member of apolipoprotein and plays an important role in maintaining glucose and lipid homeostasis. The purpose of this study was to assess SAA1 allelic variants with obesity in young school-age children. Methods A total of 520 consecutive children ages 5-15 years were recruited. Children were divided based on BMI z score into Obese (OB; BMI z score ⩾1.65; n = 253) and non-obese (NOB; n = 267). Four SNPs of the human SAA1 gene (rs12218, rs4638289, rs7131332 and rs11603089) were genotyped by use of polymerase chain reaction - restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Results Compared to NOB, circulating SAA levels were increased in OB, as were LDL-C, TG and TC concentration. Obese children showed increased frequency of rs12218 and rs4638289 polymorphism compared to control children. There were no differences between OB and NOB for the other 2 polymorphisms. Only the rs4638289 polymorphism showed significant contributions to higher SAA plasma levels. Conclusions SAA1 genetic polymorphism was associated with obesity in Chinese children [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prospective observation of hemodynamic changes before and after formation of brain aneurysms is often difficult. We used a vessel surface repair method to carry out a retrospective hemodynamic study before and after aneurysm formation in a ruptured aneurysm of the posterior communicating artery (RPcomAA) and an unruptured aneurysm of the posterior communicating artery (URPcomAA). Methods: Arterial geometries obtained from three-dimensional digital subtraction angiography of cerebral angiograms were used for flow simulation by employing finite-volume modeling. Hemodynamic parameters such as wall shear stress (WSS), blood-flow velocity, streamlines, pressure, and wall shear stress gradient (WSSG) in the aneurysm sac and at the site of aneurysm formation were analyzed in each model. Results: At “aneurysm” status, hemodynamic analyses at the neck, body, and dome of the aneurysm revealed the distal aneurysm neck to be subjected to the highest WSS and blood-flow velocity, whereas the aneurysm dome presented the lowest WSS and blood-flow velocity in both model types. More apparent changes in WSSG at the aneurysm dome with an inflow jet and narrowed impaction zone were revealed only in the RPcomAA. At “pre-aneurysm” status, hemodynamic analyses in both models showed that the region of aneurysm formation was subjected to extremely elevated WSS, WSSG, and blood-flow velocity. Conclusions: These data suggest that hemodynamic analyses in patients with ruptured or unruptured aneurysms using the vessel surface repair method are feasible, economical, and simple. Our preliminary results indicated that the arterial wall was subjected to elevated WSS, WSSG and blood-flow velocity before aneurysm generation. However, more complicated flow patterns (often with an inflow jet or narrowed impaction zone) were more likely to be observed in ruptured aneurysm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Presents dynamic entropy-based model for the detection of DoS attacks based on the theory of alive communication. [•] We construct dynamic entropy model of communication system. [•] Introduce entropy changing rate and find that dynamic entropy-based method is more sensitive in detecting anomalies. [•] ROC curves further verifies the effectiveness of dynamic entropy-based model. [•] Dynamic entropy-based model can effectively detect DoS variant attacks and can be applied to large scale network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new collaborative neighbor representation algorithm for face recognition based on a revised regularized reconstruction error (RRRE), called the two-phase collaborative neighbor representation algorithm (TCNR). Specifically, the RRRE is the division of I2-norm of reconstruction error of each class into a linear combination of I2-norm of reconstruction coefficients of each class, which can be used to increase the discrimination information for classification. The algorithmis as follows: in the first phase, the test sample is represented as a linear combination of all the training samples by incorporating the neighbor information into the objective function. In the second phase, we use the classes to represent the test sample and calculate the collaborative neighbor representation coefficients. TCNR not only can preserve locality and similarity information of sparse coding but also can eliminate the side effect on the classification decision of the class that is far from the test sample. Moreover, the rationale and alternative scheme of TCNRare given. The experimental results showthat TCNRalgorithm achieves better performance than seven previous algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective induction of p21WAF1/CIP1/Cdkn1a (p21) expression in p53-negative cancer cells is an important avenue in cancer management. We investigated the ability of various common chemotherapeutic drugs to induce p21 expression in p53-negative cancer cells and showed that the induction of p21 expression by oxaliplatin is caused by the derepression of a previously unrecognized negative regulatory element with a Sp1/Sp3 palindrome sequence core at -216 to -236 of the p21 proximal promoter. Electrophoretic mobility shift and antibody super-shift assays confirmed the specific binding of Sp1/Sp3, and showed that the oxaliplatin-mediated derepression of p21 transcription was associated with an increased Sp1/Sp3 phosphorylation and binding affinity to the oxaliplatin-responsive element. A search of the ENCODE database for vertebrate-conserved genomic elements identified the Sp1/Sp3 palindrome element as the only vertebrate-conserved element within the 500-bp proximal p21 promoter region, indicating its fundamental importance. In in vivo competition assays, transfected synthetic Sp1/Sp3 palindrome elements derepressed the cotransfected or endogenous p21 promoter in a dosage-dependent manner. This derepression was not seen in oxaliplatin-treated cells, suggesting that the exogenous Sp1/Sp3 palindrome and oxaliplatin had the same downstream signaling target. Taken together, our results revealed, for the first time, this evolutionarily conserved Sp1/Sp3 palindrome element in the proximal p21 promoter that serves as a regulatory repressor to maintain p21 basal level expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurobiological and neuroimaging studies have emphasized the structural and functional alterations in the striatum of cirrhotic patients, but alterations in the functional connections between the striatum and other brain regions have not yet been explored. Of note, manganese accumulation in the nervous system, frequently reflected by hyperintensity at the bilateral globus pallidus (GP) on T1-weighted imaging, has been considered a factor affecting the striatal and cortical functions in hepatic decompensation. We employed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to analyze the temporal correlation between the striatum and the remaining brain regions using seed-based correlation analyses. The twosample t-test was conducted to detect the differences in corticostriatal connectivity between 44 cirrhotic patients with hyperintensity at the bilateral GP and 20 healthy controls. Decreased connectivity of the caudate was detected in the anterior/middle cingulate gyrus, and increased connectivity of the caudate was found in the left motor cortex. A reduction in functional connectivity was found between the putamen and several regions, including the anterior cingulate gyrus, right insular lobe, inferior frontal gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus, and anterior lobe of the right cerebellum; increased connectivity was detected between the putamen and right middle temporal gyrus. There were significant correlations between the corticostriatal connectivity and neuropsychological performances in the patient group, but not between the striatal connectivity and GP signal intensity. These alterations in the corticostriatal functional connectivity suggested the abnormalities in the intrinsic brain functional organiztion among the cirrhotic patients with manganese deposition, and may be associated with development of metabolic encephalopathy. The manganese deposition in nervous system, however, can not be an independent factor predicting the resting-state brain dysfunction in real time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of pest-resistant transgenic plants to reduce yield loss and pesticide utilization has been successful in the past three decades. Recently, transgenic plant expressing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) targeting pest genes emerges as a promising strategy for improving pest resistance in crops. The steroid hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), predominately controls insect molting via its nuclear receptor complex, EcR-USP. Here we report that pest resistance is improved in transgenic tobacco plants expressing dsRNA of EcR from the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, a serious lepidopteran pest for a variety of crops. When H. armigera larvae were fed with the whole transgenic tobacco plants expressing EcR dsRNA, resistance to H. armigera was significantly improved in transgenic plants. Meanwhile, when H. armigera larvae were fed with leaves of transgenic tobacco plants expressing EcR dsRNA, its EcR mRNA level was dramatically decreased causing molting defects and larval lethality. In addition, the transgenic tobacco plants expressing H. armigera EcR dsRNA were also resistant to another lepidopteran pest, the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, due to the high similarity in the nucleotide sequences of their EcR genes. This study provides additional evidence that transgenic plant expressing dsRNA targeting insect-associated genes is able to improve pest resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H functionalizations of benzamide derivatives with olefin were studied by DFT calculations to elucidate the divergent pathways controlled by the N-OR internal oxidants. For substances of N-OMe and N-OPiv internal oxidants, the energy profiles for consecutive N-H deprotonation/C-H activation/olefin insertion sequences were similar, and different properties and reactivities of the generated 7-membered rhodacycles were predicted. When N-OMe is involved, this intermediate is generally unstable, and the olefination occurs easily via a β-H elimination/reductive elimination (RE) sequence to generate the Rh(I) intermediate, which is then oxidized to the active Rh(III) via MeOH elimination from the N-OMe reduction in the presence of a HOAc. However, for 7-membered rhodacycle containing a N-OPiv moiety, the coordination of the acyloxy carbonyl oxygen stabilizes the intermediate and increases the barrier of the olefination pathway. Instead, the migration of the acyloxy from N to Rh(III) via a 5-membered ring TS to form a cyclic Rh(V) nitrene intermediate is more kinetically favorable, then the facile RE of this Rh(V) species forms the heterocycle product and regenerates Rh(III). Notably, for both reaction, the direct C-N formation from intermediates containing a C(sp³)-Rh(III)-N(sp³) unit would be very difficult with barriers over 40 kcal/mol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) has been widely used in studies of major depressive disorder (MDD) and has provided cumulative evidence of gray matter abnormalities in patients relative to controls. Thus we performed a meta-analysis to integrate the reported studies to determine the consistent gray matter alterations in MDD. Methods: A systematic search was conducted to identify VBM studies which contrasted MDD patients against a comparison group. The coordinates of gray matter change across studies were meta-analyzed using the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) method hybridized with the rank-based Genome Scan Meta-Analysis (GSMA) to quantitatively estimate regional gray matter reductions in MDD. Results: A total of 20 VBM studies comparing 543 major depressive patients with 750 healthy control subjects were included. Consistent gray matter reductions in all MDD patients relative to healthy controls were identified in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), right middle and inferior frontal gyrus, right hippocampus and left thalamus. Conclusions: Meta-analysis of all primary VBM studies indicates that significant gray matter reductions in MDD are localized in a distributed neural network which includes frontal, limbic and thalamic regions. Future studies will benefit from the use of a longitudinal approach to examine anatomical and functional abnormalities within this network and their relationship to clinical profile, particularly in first-episode and drug-naive MDD patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Abnormal baseline brain functional connectivity in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been revealed in a number of studies by using resting-state functional MRI (rfMRI). The aim of this study was to investigate the spontaneous frontal activities in medication-naïve ADHD boys using the rfMRI derived index, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF). In total 17 ADHD boys and 17 matched controls were recruited to undergo rfMRI scan on a 3.0T MRI system. For each subject, six oblique slices covering the frontal areas were acquired with a rapid sampling rate (TR=400ms). Functional images were processed in AFNI for calculation of ALFF and then group comparison was performed using voxel-based t-test. With a corrected threshold of p <0.05 determined by AlphaSim, we found that in comparison with controls, ADHD patients demonstrated higher ALFF values in the left superior frontal gyrus and sensorimotor cortex (SMC), and lower ALFF values in the bilateral anterior, middle cingulate and the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG). Significant correlations were found between patients’ WSCT measures and the peak ALFF located in the right MFG (r =0.69, p =0.02), and the left SMC (r =0.65, p =0.03). Our results revealed abnormal frontal activities at resting state associated with underlying physiopathology of ADHD, and suggested the ALFF analysis to be a potential approach in further exploration of this disorder. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Interest has increased recently in correlations across brain regions in the resting-state fMRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response, but little is known about the functional significance of these correlations. Here we directly test the behavioral relevance of the resting-state correlation between two face-selective regions in human brain, the occipital face area (OFA) and the fusiform face area (FFA). We found that the magnitude of the resting-state correlation, henceforth called functional connectivity (FC), between OFA and FFA correlates with an individual's performance on a number of face-processing tasks, not non-face tasks. Further, we found that the behavioral significance of the OFA/FFA FC is independent of the functional activation and the anatomical size of either the OFA or FFA, suggesting that face processing depends not only on the functionality of individual face-selective regions, but also on the synchronized spontaneous neural activity between them. Together, these findings provide strong evidence that the functional correlations in the BOLD response observed at rest reveal functionally significant properties of cortical processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expansin proteins play a role in regulating cell growth and plant adaptation to various environ- mental stresses. The objectives of this study were to clone and characterize the expression and promoter activity of a gene in creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) encoding an expansin protein, AsEXP1, in response to heat stress and plant hormones. The AsEXP1 cloned from the genome of heat-tolerant genotype `Penn A-4' spans a 2659 bp DNA sequence and consists of three coding sequences, two introns, a 962 bp 5-noncoding region, and a 483 bp 3-noncoding region. Several putative abscisic acid (ABA) response cis elements and gibberellic acid (GA)-response cis-elements were found nearby TATA box in the promoter region through the search of PIantCARE data- base and PLACE database search. AsEXP1 transcripts were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) in Penn A-4 leaves treated with ABA and GA while no transcripts were detected in untreated plants. The AsEXP1 promoter was cloned into a binary vector fused to a β-glucuronidase (GUS) marker gene (pAsEXP1-GUS) and introduced into rice (Oryza sativa L.) callus (`Kassalatha'). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction confirmed that the expression of pAsEXP1 in A. stolonifera was inducible by heat stress and exogenous applications of GA and ABA. Our results demonstrate that the AsEXP1 gene may be involved in the signal pathway of hormone regulation of plant responses to heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]