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In yam (Dioscorea spp) species, bulbils at leaf axils are the most striking species-specific axillary structure and exhibit important ecological niches. Genetic regulation underlying bulbil growth remains largely unclear so far. Here, we characterize yam (Dioscorea alata L.) bulbil development using histological analysis, and perform full transcriptional profiling on key developmental stages together with phytohormone analyses. Using the stage-specific scoring algorithm, we have identified 3451 stage-specifically expressed genes that exhibit a tight link between major transcriptional changes and stages. Co-expressed gene clusters revealed an obvious over-representation of genes associated with cell division and expansion at the initiation stage of bulbils (T1). Transcriptional changes of hormone-related genes highly coincided with hormone levels, indicating that bulbil initiation and growth are coordinately controlled by multiple phytohormones. In particular, localized auxin is transiently required to trigger bulbil initiation, and be further depleted or exported from bulbils to promote growth by up-regulation of genes involved in auxinconjugation and efflux. The sharp increase in supply of sucrose and an enhanced trehalose-6-phophate pathway at T1 were observed, suggesting that sucrose probably functions as a key signal and promotes bulbil initiation. Analysis of the expression of transcription factors (TFs) predicated 149 TFs as stage-specifically expressed; several T1-specific TFs (from Aux/IAA, E2F, MYB, and bHLH families) have been shown to play key roles in triggering bulbil formation. Together, our work provides a crucial angle for in-depth understanding of the molecular programs underlying yam's unique bulbil development processes. Stage-specific gene sets can be queried to obtain key candidates regulating bulbil growth, serving as valuable resources for further functional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Different polymorph and morphology of CaCO3 powder are prepared by spontaneous precipitation method in the presence of sodium citrate and NaOH at ambient temperature. The influence of spontaneous precipitation reaction parameters such as aging time, pH value, the concentration of complexing agent sodium citrate on the crystal phase, particle size and morphology of the precipitated calcium carbonate is studied in this paper. The prepared samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the aging time, the pH of the solution and the concentration of sodium citrate turned out to be important for the morphologies and crystal phase of CaCO3. Increasing the aging time, the content of vaterite decreases slightly, whereas the opposite effect is observed for increasing pH. When pH value is 13, pure calcite irregular nanoparticles can be prepared. In the presence of sodium citrate, the content of vaterite increases as the increasing of sodium citrate. When the concentration of sodium citrate is increased to 0.1 m, uniform vaterite microsphere with 5 µm size can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium (Ti) based spinal fusion cages are frequently used in the clinics for the treatment of spinal degeneration and related diseases, however, their further clinical application is generally harassed by several drawbacks such as stress shielding, non-biodegradability and additional bone grafting procedure. Our earlier work has demonstrated the efficacy of a biodegradable macro-porous polycaprolactone-tricalcium phosphate (PCL-TCP) composite scaffold in promoting bony tissue ingrowth as well as its ability to sustain mechanical loads upon implantation into an orthotopic defect site. In this study, we investigated the use of PCL-TCP scaffold as an autograft-free spinal fusion cage in a preclinical sheep model over 12 months, and compared the fusion efficacy against Ti cages incorporated with autografts. Results showed that despite PCL-TCP scaffold as an autograft-free cage attaining a slower fusion rate at early stage (6 month), it achieved similar degree of spinal fusion efficacy as Ti cages aided with autograft at 12 month post-operation as evidenced by the radiographic and histological evaluation. PCL-TCP cages alone demonstrated better bone ingrowth with 2.6 fold higher bone/interspace ratio (B/I) and more homogeneous bone tissue distribution compared with that of the Ti cages (88.10 ± 3.63% vs. 33.74 ± 2.78%, p < 0.05) as seen from the histological and micro-CT analysis. Moreover, besides the bone tissue ingrowth, a quantitative approach was illustrated to accurately evaluate the osteointegration of fusion cage with surrounding bone tissue, and showed a 1.36 fold higher degree of osteointegration occurred in PCL-TCP cage group than Ti cage group (CS/PC: 79.31 ± 3.15% vs 58.44 ± 2.43%, p < 0.05). Furthermore, biomechanical analysis showed comparable mechanical strength of fused segments in both groups in terms of the range of motion and stiffness at 12 month (p > 0.05). The degradation profile of the PCL-TCP cages was noted to increase in tandem with new bone ingrowth into the pores, while maintaining good structural integrity necessary for supporting the spinal interbody segments. Therefore, with the better osteointegration, more bone tissue ingrowth as well as its favorable biodegradable and radiolucent properties, PCL-TCP cage has been demonstrated to be a promising candidate as an autograft-free fusion cage for clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maghemite (γ-FeO) nanoparticles were synthesized via a low-temperature solution-based method using ferric chloride hexahydrate and ferrous chloride tetrahydrate as precursors in the mixed solvent of ethanol and water. X-ray diffraction, energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the obtained product was pure γ-FeO. Transmission electron microscopy showed the morphology of the nanoparticles to be approximately spherical in shape with an average diameter of 11 nm. Magnetization measurements indicated the dry powders exhibit ferromagnetic behavior with a maximum saturation magnetization of 41.1 emu/g at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Eleven compounds were isolated from potato peels and identified. Their structures were determined by interpretation of UV, MS, 1D, and 2D NMR spectral data and by comparison with reported data. The main components of the potato peels were found to be chlorogenic acid and other phenolic compounds, accompanied by 2 glycoalkaloids, 3 low-molecular-weight amide compounds, and 2 unsaturated fatty acids, including an omega-3 fatty acid. The potato peels showed more potent radical scavenging activity than the flesh. The quantification of the 11 components indicated that the potato peels contained a higher amount of phenolic compounds than the flesh. These results suggest that peel waste from the industry of potato chips and fries may be a source of useful compounds for human health. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Two iterated schemes for dynamic condensation of finite element models with general viscous damping in the displacement space are presented in this paper. The conventional techniques are often defined in the state space to reckon-in the effect of damping on the transformation matrix. However, much more computational resources are required to accomplish the model reduction while the size of system matrices is doubled from displacement space to state space, especially for large-scale models. This problem can be overcome by the new reduction schemes defined in the displacement space. In addition to the remarkable improvement of computational efficiency, the explicit forms of reduced mass, damping and stiffness matrices can also be directly obtained by the newly developed method, which fully takes into account the damping in the transformation matrix. Two numerical examples are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed dynamic condensation schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Combining Fourier series expansion with recursive matrix formulas, new reliable algorithms to compute the periodic, non-negative, definite stabilizing solutions of the periodic Riccati and Lyapunov matrix differential equations are proposed in this paper. First, periodic coefficients are expanded in terms of Fourier series to solve the time-varying periodic Riccati differential equation, and the state transition matrix of the associated Hamiltonian system is evaluated precisely with sine and cosine series. By introducing the Riccati transformation method, recursive matrix formulas are derived to solve the periodic Riccati differential equation, which is composed of four blocks of the state transition matrix. Second, two numerical sub-methods for solving Lyapunov differential equations with time-varying periodic coefficients are proposed, both based on Fourier series expansion and the recursive matrix formulas. The former algorithm is a dimension expanding method, and the latter one uses the solutions of the homogeneous periodic Riccati differential equations. Finally, the efficiency and reliability of the proposed algorithms are demonstrated by four numerical examples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A pure metallic nickel nanoparticle, spherical in shape, has been successfully synthesized by the chemical reduction of nickel chloride with hydrazine at room temperature without any protective agent and inert gas protection. The effect of nickel salt concentration and the molar ratio of hydrazine to Ni2+ on the properties of the resultant products were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Also, the reaction mechanism is discussed in this paper. This synthetic method is proven to be simple and very facile. In addition, it is very interesting to note that the obtained nickel nanoparticle can be isolated in the solid state and stabilized for several months in the atmosphere. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Dendrobium officinale is an important traditional Chinese medicinal herb, and the stem tissue is the main medicinal that is harvested from D. officinale. Recently, the first viroid was identified from D. officinale in China, and it has been named Dendrobium viroid (DVd). Whether DVd interferes with metabolic pathways in dendrobium plants and affects the medicinal value of the host is unknown. In this study, metabolomics data from stem tissues supported by transcriptome studies were used to investigate how metabolism modulate of D. officinale is altered by DVd infection. Our results show that metabolism of D. officinale is reprogrammed in many ways during DVd infection, and this is reflected by significant changes in the levels of flavonoids, alkaloids, and phenolic acids. Furthermore, we found that DVd infection significantly decreased the accumulation of flavonoids and alkaloid metabolites in infected stems, and the decreases in these metabolites appears to affect the medicinal components of the infected plants, weakening the host antiviral immune response as well. Conversely, phenolic acids occupy a larger proportion of the up-regulated metabolites from DVd infection in comparison with the mock-inoculated control, and the increase in the total phenolic acids may reflect the activation of the pathogen defense response in D. officinale. Taken together, our results provide an interesting overview and give a better understanding of the relationship between metabolism and DVd infection in the orchid D. officinale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of mesoporous SiO2&z.sbnd;ZrO2 aerogels with various zirconia content (10–90 wt%) were prepared by the sol–gel method followed by supercritical drying. The characterization of aerogels is performed by XRD, FT-IR, 29Si liquid-state NMR, and BET-N2 adsorption. The results showed that (i) the aerogels have type VI (BDDT) profile which is the typical of mesopores in the interval between 2 nm; (ii) the specific surface areas varied from 340 to 730 m2/g with (SBET)MAX=735.5 m2/g for the aerogel with 10 wt% zirconia and the surface areas decreased with the increase of zirconia; (iii) all the aerogels with different zirconia content remained amorphous or poorly crystallized after calcination in air at 500 °C; (iv) a large number of Si&z.sbnd;O&z.sbnd;Zr bands existed in the aerogels indicating a homogeneous distribution of the components on the atomic scale. In addition, using inorganic salt as zirconium source instead of the expensive and toxic zirconium alkoxide is very economic. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Using zirconyl nitrate dihydrate as starting material, zirconia aerogel with high specific surface area was prepared by heating zirconyl nitrate dihydrate solution with an alcohol–aqueous mixture and supercritical drying method (SCFD). It was characterized by XRD, TEM and BET methods. The specific area of primary ZrO2 aerogel could reach 675.6 m2/g which was much higher than that of documents so far. While both the specific surface area and pore volume decreased markedly on increasing the calciniation temperature. Contrast with the powder synthesized by ordinary trend, the content of t-ZrO2 in the aerogel increased when the calcination temperature improved from 500 to 700 °C, the percentage of tetragonal phase was 86% at 700 °C. And it was very interesting that the particle size of the aerogel was bigger than 30 nm after being roasted in 1000 °C, the tetragonal phase still existed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Plant JASMONATE ZIM‐DOMAIN (JAZ) genes play crucial roles in regulating the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites and stressful responses. However, understanding of JAZs controlling these biological processes lags due to numerous JAZ copies. Here, we found that two leaf‐specific CwJAZ4/9 genes from Curcuma wenyujin are strongly induced by methyl‐jasmonate (MeJA) and negatively correlated with terpenoid biosynthesis. Yeast two‐hybrid, luciferase complementation imaging and in vitro pull‐down assays confirmed that CwJAZ4/9 proteins interact with CwMYC2 to form the CwJAZ4/9‐CwMYC2 regulatory cascade. Furthermore, transgenic hairy roots showed that CwJAZ4/9 acts as repressors of MeJA‐induced terpenoid biosynthesis by inhibiting the terpenoid pathway and jasmonate response, thus reducing terpenoid accumulation. In addition, we revealed that CwJAZ4/9 decreases salt sensitivity and sustains the growth of hairy roots under salt stress by suppressing the salt‐mediated jasmonate responses. Transcriptome analysis for MeJA‐mediated transgenic hairy root lines further confirmed that CwJAZ4/9 negatively regulates the terpenoid pathway genes and massively alters the expression of genes related to salt stress signaling and responses, and crosstalks of multiple phytohormones. Altogether, our results establish a genetic framework to understand how CwJAZ4/9 inhibits terpenoid biosynthesis and confers salt tolerance, which provides a potential strategy for producing high‐value pharmaceutical terpenoids and improving resistant C. wenyujin varieties by a genetic approach. Summary statement: CwJAZ4/9 interacts with CwMYC2 and negatively regulates MeJA‐induced terpenoid biosynthesis by inhibiting jasmonate response in Curcuma wenyujin. Meanwhile, CwJAZ4/9 can confer salt tolerance and sustain hairy root growth by weakening the salt‐mediated JA response and upregulating the expression of stress‐responsive genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Anatase TiO 2 QDs are prepared by using Ti mixed precursors and hydrothermal method. • The process is proved to be a simple and eco-friendly method to prepare TiO 2 QDs. • The synthesized TiO 2 QDs present enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability. Anatase titanium dioxide quantum dots (QDs) are synthesized by using a mixture of two kinds of titanium precursors and simple hydrothermal method in aqueous solution without any template and organic solvent. The obtained product is assessed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electrondiffraction (SAED), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance analysis (UV-DRS). The results of XRD, SAED and Raman spectrum demonstrate that pure anatase TiO 2 is produced. The TEM images reveal that TiO 2 anatase QDs are almost sphere in shape and with a mean particle diameter of ~4 nm. The energy band gap value (Eg) is calculated to be ~3.79 eV. The synthesized TiO 2 QDs present enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability for the photodegradation of organic dyes under UV light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is closely related to abnormal glucose metabolism in the central nervous system. Progesterone has been shown to have obvious neuroprotective effects in the pathogenesis of AD, but the specific mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of progesterone on the glucose metabolism of neurons in amyloid precursor protein (APP)/presenilin 1 (PS1) mice and Aβ-induced AD cell model. :APP/PS1 mice were treated with 40 mg/kg progesterone for 40 days and primary cultured cortical neurons were treated with 1 μM progesterone for 48 h.Then behavior tests,2-NBDG glucose uptake tests and the protein levels of glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3), GLUT4, cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) and proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) were examined. :Progesterone increased the expression levels of GLUT3 and GLUT4 in the cortex of APP/PS1 mice, accompanied by an improvement in learning and memory. Progesterone increased the levels of CREB and PPARγ in the cerebral cortex of APP/PS1 mice. In vitro, progesterone increased glucose uptake in primary cultured cortical neurons, this effect was blocked by the progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1)-specific blocker AG205 but not by the progesterone receptor (PR)-specific blocker RU486. Meanwhile, progesterone increased the expression of GLUT3, GLUT4, CREB and PPARγ, and AG205 blocked this effect. These results confirm that progesterone significantly improves the glucose metabolism of neurons.One of the mechanisms of this effect is that progesterone upregulates protein expression of GLUT3 and GLUT4 through pathways PGRMC1/CREB/GLUT3 and PGRMC1/PPARγ/GLUT4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The single crystalline palladium nano-squares with an average side length of ~10 nm were successfully prepared by using a one-step, one-pot polyol-hydrothermal process, in an aqueous mixture of PdCl 2 , ethylene glycol (EG), poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) and KBr. From the results of powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction analyses, we confirm that the synthesized nano-squares are highly uniform in both size and shape containing (100) planes. The roles of PVP, KBr and EG in forming of palladium nano-squares were also studied. Compared with previous methods, the newly developed way is convenient, environment friendly and low-cost. Single crystalline palladium nano-squares with an average side length of ~10 nm were successfully prepared by using a one-step, one-pot polyol-hydrothermal process。. Unlabelled Image • A simple and convenient polyol-hydrothermal process has been developed to synthesize single crystal Pd nano-squares. • The produced Pd nano-squares have uniform size and shape and with an average side length of ～10nm. • The synthesized method is proved a simple and reliable route for the synthesis of Pd nano-squares. • The prepared Pd nano-squares may find potential applications in catalytic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various studies have demonstrated that the long-term flow regime plays an important role in stimulating fish spawning. The flow regime is altered by the construction and operation of reservoirs. In this study, a flow-regime identification method is proposed, which extracts the rising hydrograph processes with a certain amplitude and duration through multiple passes of denoising and filtering algorithms to filter out random fluctuations with different amplitudes. The identified rising hydrograph processes were then quantitatively characterized using three parameters. A multiobjective optimization model was constructed to mimic the natural flow process in reservoir discharge and to maximize the output value of the power plant using the Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II). Finally, the proposed model was applied to the planning of a large-scale reservoir on the upper reaches of the Yellow River in China. The derived Pareto front in different hydrological years was analyzed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method, and various operational schemes were evaluated on this basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determination of the factors influencing solar irradiation plays an important role in the performance of a prediction model based on machine learning techniques. This study compared the results obtained using a linear correlation analysis and stepwise regression method to identify the key meteorological, weather, and radiation factors that significantly affect the solar irradiation on the following day, as well as the difference between the quantities of solar irradiation on the current day and following day. These factors were used to establish prediction models for the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, which has a complex topography and weather caprices. The results indicated that the stepwise regression method was capable of screening more effective influencing factors and the corresponding predictive accuracy was acceptable even under the weather conditions of the plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the enzyme-assisted extraction of polysaccharides from Lentinus edodes (LEPs) was optimized by response surface methodology, and a preliminary characterization of the extracted LEPs and their anti-proliferative activities were investigated. An orthogonal assay was constructed to determine the optimal amounts of cellulase, papain and pectinase, which were 15, 20 and 15 g/kg, respectively. Then effects of extraction conditions were evaluated and optimized using a Box-Behnken design. The results showed that the highest polysaccharides yield of 15.65% was achieved with an extraction temperature of 54 °C, pH 5.0, enzymatic treatment time of 93 min and a liquid/material ratio of 29:1 mL/g, which correlated well with the predicted yield of 15.58%. Subsequently, the crude LEPs were further purified by DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex-100 chromatography to obtain two fractions, which were designated as LEP-1 and LEP-2 and their monosaccharide compositions were characterized by GC. Fourier-transform infrared spectra demonstrated that LEP-1 and LEP-2 were distinct from each other regarding their chemical structures. In addition, the LEPs exhibited inhibition of cell proliferation on HCT-116 and HeLa cells in vitro . In summary, this study provides an efficient enzyme-assisted extraction for LEPs, which can be used as natural antitumor agents in the pharmaceutical and functional food industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant-derived monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) from Uncaria rhynchophylla (UR) have huge medicinal properties in treating Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and depression. Although many bioactive UR-MIA products have been isolated as drugs, their biosynthetic pathway remains largely unexplored. In this study, untargeted metabolome identified 79 MIA features in UR tissues (leaf, branch stem, hook stem, and stem), of which 30 MIAs were differentially accumulated among different tissues. Short time series expression analysis captured 58 pathway genes and 12 hub regulators responsible for UR-MIA biosynthesis and regulation, which were strong links with main UR-MIA features. Coexpression networks further pointed to two strictosidine synthases (UrSTR1/5) that were coregulated with multiple MIA-related genes and highly correlated with UR-MIA features (r > 0.7, P < 0.005). Both UrSTR1/5 catalyzed the formation of strictosidine with tryptamine and secologanin as substrates, highlighting the importance of key residues (UrSTR1 : Glu309, Tyr155; UrSTR5 : Glu295, Tyr141). Further, overexpression of UrSTR1/5 in UR hairy roots constitutively increased the biosynthesis of bioactive UR-MIAs (rhynchophylline, isorhynchophylline, corynoxeine, etc), whereas RNAi of UrSTR1/5 significantly decreased UR-MIA biosynthesis. Collectively, our work not only provides candidates for reconstituting the biosynthesis of bioactive UR-MIAs in heterologous hosts but also highlights a powerful strategy for mining natural product biosynthesis in medicinal plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research on hydrogen generation and application has attracted widespread attention around the world. This paper is to demonstrate that sodium aluminum hydride can be synthesized under simple and mild reaction condition. Being activated through organics, aluminum powder reacts with hydrogen and sodium hydride to produce sodium aluminum hydride under atmospheric pressure. The properties and composition of the sample were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, and so forth. The results showed that the product through this synthesis method is sodium aluminum hydride, and it has higher purity, perfect crystal character, better stability, and good hydrogen storage property. The reaction mechanism is also discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generalized thermo-elastic theory, which is based on the non-Fourier theory, indicates that there is a time delay between the heat flux vector and the temperature gradient. At present, the traditional numerical method for solving the thermo-elastic problem subjected to high-frequency heat source generally fails to properly capture discontinuities of impulsive waves in space and produces spurious numerical oscillations in the simulation of high modes and sharp gradients. In the paper, a time discontinuous Galerkin finite element method (DGFEM) for the solution of generalized thermo-elastic coupled problems is presented on the basis of well-known Lord-Shulman theory. The essential feature of the DGFEM is that the general temperature-displacement vector and its temporal gradient are assumed to be discontinuous and interpolated individually at each time level in time domain, respectively. In order to filter out the spurious wave-front oscillations, an artificial damping scheme is implemented in the final finite element formula. Numerical results show that the present DGFEM shows good abilities and provides much more accurate solutions for generalized thermo-elastic coupled behavior. It can capture the discontinuities effectively at the wave front and filter out the effects of spurious numerical oscillation induced by a high-frequency thermal shock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By converting an optimal control problem for nonlinear systems to a Hamiltonian system, a symplecitc-preserving method is proposed. The state and costate variables are approximated by the Lagrange polynomial. The state variables at two ends of the time interval are taken as independent variables. Based on the dual variable principle, nonlinear optimal control problems are replaced with nonlinear equations. Furthermore, in the implementation of the symplectic algorithm, based on the 2 algorithm, a multilevel method is proposed. When the time grid is refined from low level to high level, the initial state and costate variables of the nonlinear equations can be obtained from the Lagrange interpolation at the low level grid to improve efficiency. Numerical simulations show the precision and the efficiency of the proposed algorithm in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioactive terpenoids from Curcuma wenyujin (CW), as specialized metabolites, have huge medicinal properties. Accumulating evidence suggested that Jasmonates (JAs) and abscisic acid (ABA) shake hands and coordinately control a wide range of plant growth and defense activities, including the production of specialized metabolites. However, knowledge of how JA and ABA signalings interact to regulate terpenoid biosynthesis (TBS) is limited. In this study, integrative transcriptome and metabolome analyses revealed that exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and ABA activate the biosynthesis of terpenoids by upregulating the expressions of genes related to the TBS pathway, JA and ABA responses. Most of the differentially changed terpenoids and transcripts were commonly induced by MeJA and ABA. Interactive networks of "gene-gene/metabolite" indicated that CwbHLH2 , a MeJA and ABA dual-responsive regulator, is tightly related to terpenoid production. Furthermore, transgenic experiments revealed that overexpression and RNA interference of CwbHLH2 upregulated and downregulated the contents of representative terpenoids in the MeJA- and ABA-treated transgenic hairy roots, respectively, with 1.52–3.06-fold increases and 29.6–68.7% reduction. Importantly, the genetic transformation of CwbHLH2 enhanced the expressions of multiple TBS pathway genes and bidirectionally enlarged the JA and ABA signalings caused by MeJA or ABA, demonstrating that CwbHLH2 plays a critical interrelational role in integrating MeJA- and ABA-induced TBS regulation. Altogether, our results not only advance a new view of the crosstalk between JA and ABA in modulating TBS but also provide a powerful strategy for improving the yield of bioactive terpenoids in CW. [Display omitted] • MeJA and ABA significantly activate the accumulation of terpenoids in C. wenyujin leaves. • MeJA and ABA coregulate wide transcriptional changes to steer terpenoid formation. • CwbHLH2 plays a critical interrelational role in integrating JA and ABA signalings. • CwbHLH2 promotes MeJA- and ABA-inducible defense responses. • CwbHLH2 provides a powerful tool for improving the yield of terpenoids in Curcuma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the versatility of load bearing and heat insulation, foam-filled composite corrugated sandwich plates have a broad application in aerospace industry as thermal insulation structures for hypersonic vehicles. In this paper, a C 0 higher-order layerwise finite element model is presented for aeroelastic analysis of foam-filled composite corrugated sandwich plates in supersonic flow with equivalent properties. The homogenization method for the foam-filled corrugated core is formulated by force and energy equivalence under different assumptions of force or moment distributions. In the proposed layerwise model, the composite sandwich plate is divided into three sections through thickness, while a higher-order displacement field is assumed for the single-layer orthotropic core section and a first-order displacement field for the two face-sheet sections made of multi-layer laminates. The effect of transverse normal strain is also taken into consideration. The unsteady aerodynamic pressure is evaluated by the first-order Piston theory. An eight-noded isoparametric element with 16 degrees of freedom per node is used for finite element method. The accuracy of the present model is verified with existing results in the literature. The influence of geometric parameters and material properties on critical dynamic pressure are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are presently the most promising treatment against Ebola virus disease (EVD), and cocktail of two or more antibodies likely confers protection through complementary mechanisms. Zaire Ebolavirus (EBOV) glycoprotein (GP) and viral protein 40 (VP40) are targets for designing neutralizing antibodies. Currently, the antiviral therapeutics of mAb-cocktails are still limited solely to anti-GP antibodies，there is no Abs cocktail against Zaire EBOV GP and VP40, which both have important interactions with host cellular membrane. Methods: We used hybridoma technology to produce anti-Zaire EBOV GP mAb against GP receptor binding domain, and anti-Zaire EBOV VP40 mAbs against the N-terminal domain, the C-terminal domain, respectively; synthesized Zaire EBOV transcription and replication competent virus like particles (trVLPs), which model even all aspects of the EBOV life cycles in order to evaluate the anti-viral effect of mAbs. Then, we characterized the anti- Zaire EBOV trVLPs effect of anti-GP and VP40 mAbs in vitro by real time-PCR, immunofluorescence assay and western blot analysis. Results: Our results demonstrate that anti-GP or anti-VP40 mAbs effectively inhibit trVLPs replication. The cocktails of anti-GP and anti-VP40 mAbs, or between anti-VP40 mAbs, had synergistic anti-trVLPs effect. Meanwhile, the detailed DNA and amino acid sequences of the mAbs were checked. Conclusion: The study verifies neutralizing efficacy of anti-GP or anti-VP40 mAb, report promising cocktail of anti-GP and anti-VP40 mAb, or cocktail of two anti-VP40 mAbs. To our knowledge, this is the first account to report the important anti-viral effect of cocktails of anti-GP and anti-VP40 mAbs in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new reliable algorithm for computing the H2-norm of linear time-varying periodic (LTP) systems via the periodic Lyapunov differential equation (PLDE) is proposed. By taking full advantage of the periodicity, the transition matrix of the underlying LTP system associated with the PLDE is effectively computed by developing a novel extended precise integration method based on Fourier series expansion, where the time-consuming work for the computation of the matrix exponential and its related integrals in every sub-interval is avoided. Then, a highly accurate and efficient algorithm for the PLDE is derived using the block form of the transition matrix. Thus, the H2-norm is evaluated by solving a simple first-order ordinary differential equation. Finally, two numerical examples are presented and compared with other algorithms to verify the numerical accuracy and efficiency of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A parametric variational principle and the corresponding numerical algorithm are proposed to solve a linear-quadratic (LQ) optimal control problem with control inequality constraints. Based on the parametric variational principle, this control problem is transformed into a set of Hamiltonian canonical equations coupled with the linear complementarity equations, which are solved by a linear complementarity solver in the discrete-time domain. The costate variable information is also evaluated by the proposed method. The parametric variational algorithm proposed in this paper is suitable for both time-invariant and time-varying systems. Two numerical examples are used to test the validity of the proposed method. The proposed algorithm is used to astrodynamics to solve a practical optimal control problem for rendezvousing spacecrafts with a finite low thrust. The numerical simulations show that the parametric variational algorithm is effective for LQ optimal control problems with control inequality constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anchorage performances and affecting factors of resin holts were studied by the combination method of theoretical analysis, laboratory tests, numerical modeling and field measurement. The stress distribution along bolts in pullout and fully anchored states was theoretically analyzed; the pullout tests of holts with different profiles and anchored in boreholes with various diameter were carried out in laboratory, and the affecting degree of bolt profiles and diameter difference between holts and boreholes to the bolt pullout force was obtained; the pullout force of bolts anchored in simulated boreholes with different temperature and water dripping content was measured, and the relations between pullout force and temperature, water dripping content were got. By means of FLAC3D,the shear stresses in resin and surrounding rock along bolts with different profiles, resin annulus thickness, egocentricity, and anchored in rocks of different strength were calculated, the affecting of these factors to shear stress distribution was analyzed, and stress distribution features were obtained. The soft rock anchorage test was carried out in underground, in the Fengshui-gou Coal Mine, the Pingzhuang coal mining district, and the pullout loads of bolts and cables in soft rock with different water content were measured. Finally, the suggestions for improving resin abchorage performances and enhancing anchorage force were put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apple-shaped pear, the fruit of the Pyrus pyrifolia cv. pingguoli (Rosaceae) tree, is one of the most popular fruits in the northern part of China. The current study is the 1st report of its bioactive components. We identified 10 metabolites from the peels (exocarp) of apple-shaped pear and assessed their toxicity. We then compared the anti-oxidant activity, amount of total phenolic compounds, and total condensed tannin content of the peels and flesh (mesocarp) of apple-shaped pear. The 6 major components in the peels and flesh of this fruit were quantified with Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry. Results revealed that the peels possessed stronger anti-oxidant activity and contained larger amounts of phenolic compounds than the flesh. These results provide insights into the potential health benefits of this fruit and support the use of the fruit peels and products containing peels or peel components. Practical Application: The present research provided evidences that the pulp and peel waste from the juice industry of apple-shaped pear may be a source of useful compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: 1,1-Dichloro-2,2 bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethylene (p,p′-DDE), the major metabolite of 2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (DDT), is a known persistent organic pollutant and male reproductive toxicant. It has antiandrogenic effect. However, the mechanism by which p,p′-DDE exposure causes male reproductive toxicity remains unknown. To elucidate the mechanism underpinning the testicular effects of p,p′-DDE, we sought to investigate Fas/FasL apoptotic pathway in the testis of prepubertal rats, including Fas, FasL, caspase-8, -3, and NF-κB. Animals were administered with different doses of p,p′-DDE (0, 20, 60, 100mg/kg b.wt) every other day by intraperitoneal injection for 10 days. The results indicated that p,p′-DDE exposure at over 20mg/kg b.wt showed the induction of apoptotic cell death. p,p′-DDE could induce increase in the MDA level, and decrease in SOD and GSH-Px activity. Significant elevations in the mRNA levels of Fas along with an increase in FasL, caspase-3, -8 were observed in 100mg/kg b.wt group. In protein level, p,p′-DDE could induce increase of FasL and reduction of procaspase-8. NF-κB p65 was activated by p,p′-DDE treatment in rat testis. In addition, the activities of caspase-3, -8 were increased in 100mg/kg b.wt group. Taken together, these results lead us to speculate that in vivo exposure to p,p′-DDE might induce testicular apoptosis in prepubertal rats through the Fas/FasL pathway. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A novel viroid-like RNA (324 nt) was discovered in Dendrobium TSA. • Its infectivity and circularity were proven in D. officinal. • Tentatively designated as Dendrobium viroid (DVd). • DVd has a predicted rod-like secondary structure containing a CCR and a TCR. • DVd groups in the genus Apscaviroid and shares 56% nucleotide identity with CVd V. • DVd had a low incidence (0.96%) in Dendrobium species under natural conditions. Viroids are small circular RNA molecules which have been found to infect many dicot species. Only coconut cadang-cadang viroid and coconut tinangaja viroid have been reported so far to infect a monocot (coconut). Data mining in silico has proven an efficient approach to identify new viruses/viroids, and a systematic screen of public transcriptomic data revealed a 648 nucleotides (nt) sequence potentially representing a novel viroid-like RNA in a transcriptome shotgun assembly from Dendrobium officinale. This sequence contained two central conserved regions (CCRs) characteristic of members of the genus Apscaviroid , indicating that the viroid-like RNA is 324 nt in length. The infectivity of dimeric RNA transcripts generated by in vitro transcription of a synthetic cDNA, was demonstrated by directly injecting into the stems of young Dendrobium officinale plants. The presence of this novel viroid, tentatively designated as Dendrobium viroid (DVd), in the inoculated plants was confirmed by 2D-PAGE together with northern hybridization. DVd is predicted to have a rod-like secondary structure containing a CCR and a terminal conserved region (TCR), and phylogenetic analysis shows that it groups with the known members of the genus Apscaviroid. It is most closely related to citrus viroid V (56% nt identity). A field survey revealed a low DVd incidence (0.96%) in Dendrobium species in China. To our best knowledge, DVd is the only viroid known to infect orchids and the third one from monocotyledonous plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting the RON receptor, a tumorigenic factor contributing to cancer malignancy, has been considered as a novel strategy for cancer therapy. Here we describe a humanized antibody recognizing the RON plexin-semaphorin-integrin (PSI) domain with increased drug delivery capability for potential clinical application. Method: Monoclonal antibody PCM5B14 specific to the human and monkey RON PSI domain was generated and characterized by various immunological methods. Humanized antibody H5B14 was created by grafting PCM5B14 complementarity-determining regions into human IgG1/κ acceptor frameworks and conjugated with monomethyl auristatin E and duocarmycin to form two H5B14-based ADCs. Stability of H5B14-based ADCs in human plasma was measured using hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Various biochemical and biological assays were used to determine ADC- regulated RON internalization, cell viability, spheroid formation, and death of cancer stem-like cells. Efficacies of H5B14-based ADCs in vivo were validated using tumor xenograft models. Maximal tolerated doses of H5B14-based ADCs were established in mice. Results: H5B14 was highly specific to the human RON PSI domain and superior over other anti-RON ADCs in induction of RON internalization in various cancer cell lines tested. H5B14-based ADCS had a drug to antibody ratio of ~ 3.70:1 and were stable in human plasma with a minimal dissociation within a 10-day period. Functionally, H5B14-mediated drug delivery decreased cell viability at early stages with an average IC50 at ~ 20 nM in multiple cancer cell lines examined. H5B14-based ADCs also inhibited spheroid formation and caused death of cancer stem-like cells with RON+/CD44+/ESA+ phenotypes. In vivo, H5B14-based ADCs in a single injection inhibited tumor xenograft growth mediated by multiple cancer cell lines. Tumoristatic concentrations calculated from xenograft tumor models were in the range of 0.63 to 2.0 mg/kg bodyweight. Significantly, H5B14-based ADCs were capable of eradicating tumors at variable levels across multiple xenograft models regardless their malignant statuses. Toxicologically, H5B14-based ADCs were well tolerated in mice up to 60 mg/kg. Conclusion: H5B14-based ADCs targeting the RON PSI domain are superior in inducing RON internalization, leading to robust drug delivery and overall inhibition and eradication of tumors in multiple xenograft models. These findings warrant H5B14-based ADCs for clinical trials in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following publication of the original article [1], the author reported two errors in the authors affiliations: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aberrant expression of the RON receptor tyrosine kinase is a pathogenic feature and a validated drug target in various types of cancers. Currently, therapeutic antibodies targeting RON for cancer therapy are under intensive evaluation. Here we report the development and validation of a novel humanized anti-RON antibody-drug conjugate for cancer therapy. Methods: Antibody humanization was achieved by grafting sequences of complementarity-determining regions from mouse monoclonal antibody Zt/g4 into human IgG1/κ acceptor frameworks. The selected humanized Zt/g4 subclone H1L3 was conjugated with monomethyl auristatin E using a dipeptide linker to form H-Zt/g4-MMAE. Pharmacokinetic analysis of H-Zt/g4-MMAE was determined using hydrophobic interaction chromatography and a MMAE ADC ELISA kit. Biochemical and biological assays were used for measuring RON expression, internalization, cell viability and death. Therapeutic efficacies of H-Zt/g4-MMAE were validated in vivo using three pancreatic cancer xenograft models. Toxicological activities of H-Zt/g4-MMAE were determined in mouse and cynomolgus monkey. Results: H-Zt/g4-MMAE had a drug to antibody ratio of 3.77:1 and was highly stable in human plasma with a dissociation rate less than 5% within a 20 day period. H-Zt/g4-MMAE displayed a favorable pharmacokinetic profile in both mouse and cynomolgus monkey. In vitro, H-Zt/g4-MMAE induced RON internalization, which results in killing of pancreatic cancer cells with IC50 values at 10–20 nM. In vivo, H-Zt/g4-MMAE inhibited pancreatic cancer xenograft growth with tumoristatic concentrations at 1~3 mg/kg bodyweight. Significantly, H-Zt/g4-MMAE eradicated tumors across multiple xenograft models regardless their chemoresistant and metastatic statuses. Moreover, H-Zt/g4-MMAE inhibited and eradicated xenografts mediated by pancreatic cancer stem-like cells and by primary cells from patient-derived tumors. Toxicologically, H-Zt/g4-MMAE is well tolerated in mice up to 60 mg/kg. In cynomolgus monkey, H-Zt/g4-MMAE up to 30 mg/kg had a manageable and reversible toxicity profile. Conclusions: H-Zt/g4-MMAE is superior in eradication of pancreatic cancer xenografts with favorable pharmacokinetic profiles and manageable toxicological activities. These findings warrant the transition of H-Zt/g4-MMAE into clinical trials in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) in China as of March 2016. Topics include the critical impact of medical decisions on the treatment strategies for AIS on the welfare patients with AIS and their families, the treatment options for AIS including observation, surgery and bracing, and the adverse long-term effects of general anesthesia on the behavior and cognition of adolescents.