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This paper delineates the rise, fall and re-emergence of tongshi education in Chinese higher education history, and in doing so hopes to reveal the underlying forces behind the two waves of tongshi education and capture their important ‘Chinese’ characteristics. Based on a comparative-historical examination of the Chinese knowledge traditions and their modern developments across different time periods, this paper argues that despite deliberate efforts to borrow from the American general education model, tongshi education in China stands out as an evolving, localized educational ideal embedded within the changing socio-cultural, political and institutional environments that Chinese universities are situated in. Three salient ‘Chinese’ features are put forward, i.e. a dual focus on reviving the Chinese learning and opening to the world, an underlying rationale to foster a collectivistic, political consciousness, and finally an economic-driven, utilitarian orientation to produce innovative talents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dramatic alterations in epigenetic landscapes are known to impact genome accessibility and transcription. Extensive evidence demonstrates that senescent cells undergo significant changes in chromatin structure; however, the mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between epigenetic parameters and gene expression profiles have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we delineate the genome-wide redistribution of accessible chromatin regions that lead to broad transcriptome effects during senescence. We report that distinct senescence-activated accessibility regions (SAAs) are always distributed in H3K27ac-occupied enhancer regions, where they are responsible for elevated flanking senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) expression and aberrant cellular signaling relevant to SASP secretion. Mechanistically, a single transcription factor, TEAD4, moves away from H3K27ac-labled SAAs to allow for prominent chromatin accessibility reconstruction during senescence. The enhanced SAAs signal driven by TEAD4 suppression subsequently induces a robust increase in the expression of adjacent SASP genes and the secretion of downstream factors, which contribute to the progression of senescence. Our findings illustrate a dynamic landscape of chromatin accessibility following senescence entry, and further reveal an insightful function for TEAD4 in regulating the broad chromatin state that modulates the overall transcriptional program of SASP genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xiong'an New Area is defined as the future city of China, and the regulation of water resources is an important part of the scientific development of the city. Baiyang Lake, the main supplying water for the city, is selected as the study area, and the water quality extraction of four typical river sections is taken as the research objective. The GaiaSky-mini2-VN hyperspectral imaging system was executed on the UAV to obtain the river hyperspectral data for four winter periods. Synchronously, water samples of COD, PI, AN, TP, and TN were collected on the ground, and the in situ data under the same coordinate were obtained. A total of 2 algorithms of band difference and band ratio are established, and the relatively optimal model is obtained based on 18 spectral transformations. The conclusion of the strength of water quality parameters' content along the four regions is obtained. This study revealed four types of river self-purification, namely, uniform type, enhanced type, jitter type, and weakened type, which provided the scientific basis for water source traceability evaluation, water pollution source area analysis, and water environment comprehensive treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure, cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, and myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R) are the most common heart diseases, yet there is currently no effective therapy due to their complex pathogenesis. Cardiomyocytes (CMs), fibroblasts (FBs), endothelial cells (ECs), and immune cells are the primary cell types involved in heart disorders, and, thus, targeting a specific cell type for the treatment of heart disease may be more effective. The same interleukin may have various effects on different kinds of cell types in heart disease, yet the exact role of interleukins and their pathophysiological pathways on primary cell types remain largely unexplored. This review will focus on the pathophysiological effects of various interleukins including the IL-1 family (IL-1, IL-18, IL-33, IL-37), IL-2, IL-4, the IL-6 family (IL-6 and IL-11), IL-8, IL-10, IL-17 on primary cell types in common heart disease, which may contribute to the more precise and effective treatment of heart disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining the balance between power station operation and environmental carrying capacity in the process of cooling water discharge into coastal waters is an essential issue to be considered. Earth observations with airborne and sea surface sensors can efficiently estimate distribution characteristics of extensive sea surface temperature compared with traditional numerical and physical simulations. Data acquisition timing windows for those sensors are designed according to tidal data. The airborne thermal infrared data (Thermal Airborne Spectrographic Imager, TASI) is preprocessed by algorithms of atmospheric correction, geometric correction, strip brightness gradient removal, and noise reduction, and then the seawater temperature is inversed in association with sea surface synchronous temperature measurement data (Sea-Bird Electronics, SBE). Verification analyses suggested a satisfied accuracy of less than about 0.2 °C error between the predicted and the measured values in general. Multiple factors influence seawater temperature, i.e., meteorology, ocean current, runoff, water depth, seawater convection, and eddy current; tidal activity is not the only one. Environmental background temperature in different seasons is the governing factor affecting the diffusion effect of seawater temperature drainage according to analyses of the covariances and correlation coefficients of eight tidal states. The present study presents an efficient and quick seawater temperature monitoring technique owing to industrial warm drainage to sea by means of a complete set of seawater temperature inversion algorithms with multi-source thermal infrared hyperspectral data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pulmonary infections are frequent in immunocompromised hosts (ICH), and microbial detection is difficult. As a new method, next‐generation sequencing (NGS) may offer a solution. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the impact of NGS‐assisted pathogenic detection on the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of ICH complicated by pulmonary infection and radiographic evidence of bilateral diffuse lesions. Methods: This study enrolled 356 patients with ICH complicated by pulmonary infection that were admitted to Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, from November 17, 2017, to November 23, 2018, including 102 and 254 in the NGS and non‐NGS groups, respectively. Clinical characteristics, detection time, rough positive rate, effective positive rate, impact on anti‐infective treatment plan, 30‐day/60‐day mortality, and in‐hospital mortality were compared. Results: NGS‐assisted pathogenic detection reduced detection time (28.2 h [interquartile range (IQR) 25.9–29.83 h] vs. 50.50 h [IQR 47.90–90.91 h], P < 0.001), increased positive rate, rate of mixed infection detected, effective positive rate, and proportion of antibiotic treatment modification (45.28% vs. 89.22%, 4.72% vs. 51.96%, 21.65% vs. 64.71%, 16.54% vs. 46.08%, P < 0.001). The NGS group had a significantly lower 60‐day mortality rate (18.63% vs. 33.07%, P = 0.007). The difference in the Kaplan–Meier survival curve was significant (P = 0.029). After multivariate logistic regression, NGS‐assisted pathogenic detection remained a significant predictor of survival (OR 0.189, confidence interval [CI], 0.068–0.526). Conclusion: NGS‐assisted pathogenic detection may improve detection efficiency and is associated with better clinical outcomes in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5)-induced metabolic disorders have attracted increasing attention, however, the underlying molecular mechanism of PM2.5-induced hepatic bile acid disorder remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of PM 2.5 components on the disruption of bile acid in hepatocytes through farnesoid X receptor (FXR) pathway. The receptor binding assays showed that PM 2.5 extracts bound to FXR directly, with half inhibitory concentration (IC 50) value of 21.7 μg/mL. PM 2.5 extracts significantly promoted FXR-mediated transcriptional activity at 12.5 μg/mL. In mouse primary hepatocytes, we found PM 2.5 extracts (100 μg/mL) significantly decreased the total bile acid levels, inhibited the expression of bile acid synthesis gene (Cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, Cyp7a1), and increased the expression of bile acid transport genes (Multidrug resistance associated protein 2, Abcc2; and Bile salt export pump, Abcb11). Moreover, these alterations were significantly attenuated by knocking down FXR in hepatocytes. We further divided the organic components and water-soluble components from PM 2.5 , and found that two components bound to and activated FXR, and decreased the bile acid levels in hepatocytes. In addition, benzo[ a ]pyrene (B[ a ]P) and cadmium (Cd) were identified as two bioactive components in PM 2.5 -induced bile acid disorders through FXR signaling pathway. Overall, we found PM 2.5 components could bind to and activate FXR, thereby disrupting bile acid synthesis and transport in hepatocytes. These new findings also provide new insights into PM 2.5 -induced toxicity through nuclear receptor pathways. [Display omitted] • PM 2.5 components could bind to and activate farnesoid X receptor. • PM 2.5 components disrupt bile acid synthesis and transport in hepatocytes. • B[a]P and Cd might be two bioactive components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the successful holding of the Winter Olympics, China's enthusiasm for ice and snow sports has soared, and its enthusiasm for ice and snow tourism has also been further stimulated. At present, most of China's ice and snow tourism (IST) attractions are concentrated in the three eastern provinces. At the same time, due to the increasingly harsh environment, the natural landscape of IST is also shrinking. Therefore, this paper aims at studying the strategies of IST to optimize the ecological environment and economic growth from the perspective of sustainable development. First of all, this paper makes a certain introduction to the current situation of IST. After that, the current IST resources in China were analyzed, and the three northeastern provinces were taken as the research objects, and the distribution location, traffic conditions, and development trends of IST resources were studied in detail. Then, the autoregressive model is used to fit the tourism resources and tourist growth with the economic growth, and combined with the trend shown by the economic growth model, a strategy for the sustainable development of IST is proposed. The experimental results of this paper prove that the regional system attribute of IST resources and economic growth model is between 3 and 5, and the average is about 3.6, which shows that the growth of tourism resources has a positive correlation with economic growth. Therefore, from the perspective of sustainable development, the economic growth of the IST industry should also focus on the protection and humidity development of natural ice and snow landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring the lake waterbody area in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) is significant in dealing with global climate change. The latest released Landsat-9 data, which has higher radiation resolution and can be complemented with other Landsat data to improve imaging temporal resolution, have great potential for applications in lake area extraction. However, no study is published on identifying waterbodies and lakes in large-scale plateau scenes based on Landsat-9 data. Therefore, we relied on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform and selected ten waterbody extraction algorithms to evaluate the quantitative evaluation of waterbody and lake area extraction results on the QTP and explore the usability of Landsat-9 images in the relationship between the extraction accuracy and the algorithm. The results show that the random forest (RF) algorithm performs best in all models. The overall accuracy of waterbody extraction is 95.84%, and the average lake waterbody area extraction error is 1.505%. Among the traditional threshold segmentation waterbody extraction algorithms, the overall accuracy of the NDWI waterbody extraction method is 89.89%, and the average error of lake waterbody area extraction is 3.501%, which is the highest performance model in this kind of algorithm. The linear regression coefficients of NDVI and reflectance of Landsat-8 and Landsat-9 data are close to 1, and R2 is more significant than 0.91. At the same time, the overall accuracy difference of water extraction between the two data is not better than 1.1%. This study proves that Landsat-9 and Landsat-8 data have great consistency, which can be used for collaborative analysis to identify plateau waterbodies more efficiently. With the development of cloud computing technologies, such as Gee, more complex models, such as RF, can be selected to improve the extraction accuracy of the waterbody and lake area in large-scale research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective integration of aerial remote sensing data and ground multi-source data has always been one of the difficulties of quantitative remote sensing. A new monitoring mode is designed, which installs the hyperspectral imager on the UAV and places a buoy spectrometer on the river. Water samples are collected simultaneously to obtain in situ assay data of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, COD, turbidity, and chlorophyll during data collection. The cross-correlogram spectral matching (CCSM) algorithm is used to match the data of the buoy spectrometer with the UAV spectral data to significantly reduce the UAV data noise. An absorption characteristics recognition algorithm (ACR) is designed to realize a new method for comparing UAV data with laboratory data. This method takes into account the spectral characteristics and the correlation characteristics of test data synchronously. It is concluded that the most accurate water quality parameters can be calculated by using the regression method under five scales after the regression tests of the multiple linear regression method (MLR), support vector machine method (SVM), and neural network (NN) method. This new working mode of integrating spectral imager data with point spectrometer data will become a trend in water quality monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potent and selective antifungal agents are urgently needed due to the quick increase of serious invasive fungal infections and the limited antifungal drugs available. Microbial metabolites have been a rich source of antimicrobial agents and have inspired the authors to design and obtain potent and selective antifungal agents, poly(DL-diaminopropionic acid) (PDAP) from the ring-opening polymerization of β-amino acid N-thiocarboxyanhydrides, by mimicking β-poly-lysine. PDAP kills fungal cells by penetrating the fungal cytoplasm, generating reactive oxygen, and inducing fungal apoptosis. The optimal PDAP displays potent antifungal activity with minimum inhibitory concentration as low as 0.4 µg mL-1 against Candida albicans, negligible hemolysis and cytotoxicity, and no susceptibility to antifungal resistance. In addition, PDAP effectively inhibits the formation of fungal biofilms and eradicates the mature biofilms. In vivo studies show that PDAP is safe and effective in treating fungal keratitis, which suggests PDAPs as promising new antifungal agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ir- and Rh-PDY can serve as outstanding bifunctional electrocatalysts for OER and ORR with ultralow overpotentials (0.45/0.37 and 0.34/0.47 V). • The excellent catalytic behaviors are derived from the moderate adsorption interaction of oxygenated species as revealed by the scaling relationships and volcano curves. • The adsorption free energies of intermediates are highly related to the electronic structures of TM-PDYs, characterized by the d-band center (ε d), the integrating crystal orbital Hamilton populations (ICOHP), and the universal descriptor φ. Metalloporphyrin-based covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with controllable metal sites and charge densities have become a front research field in catalysis. Herein, through the comprehensive density functional theory (DFT) computations, we explored the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalytic activities on a series of two-dimensional (2D) metalloporphyrin-based graphdiyne analogs (TM-PDY, TM = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt), which are constructed by connecting metal coordinated 5,10,15,20-tetra-(4-phenyl)porphyrin rings and butadiyne. The computations show that Ir- and Rh-PDY can serve as outstanding bifunctional electrocatalysts for OER and ORR with ultralow overpotentials (0.45/0.37 and 0.34/0.47 V). The excellent catalytic behaviors are derived from the moderate adsorption interaction of oxygenated species as revealed by the scaling relationships and volcano curves. Remarkably, the adsorption free energies of intermediates are highly related to the electronic structures of TM-PDYs, characterized by the d-band center (ε d), the integrating crystal orbital Hamilton populations (ICOHP), and the universal descriptor φ. Our work not only reveals the OER and ORR catalytic performance of TM-PDYs but also provides an instructive strategy to design catalysts for the energy conversation and storage devices. [Display omitted] Two-dimensional Ir and Rh-PDYs exhibit excellent OER and ORR catalytic activities with low η OER and η ORR (0.45/0.37 and 0.34/0.47 V) and can serve as bifunctional electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UBA5, a ubiquitin-like activated enzyme involved in ufmylation and sumoylation, presents a viable target for pancreatic and breast cancer treatments, yet its role in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains underexplored. This study reveals UBA5's tumor-promoting effect in LUAD, as evidenced by its upregulation in patients and positive correlation with TNM stages. Elevated UBA5 levels predict poor outcomes for these patients. Pharmacological inhibition of UBA5 using DKM 2–93 significantly curtails the growth of A549, H1299, and cisplatin-resistant A549 (A549/DDP) LUAD cells in vitro. Additionally, UBA5 knockdown via shRNA lentivirus suppresses tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo. High UBA5 expression adversely alters the tumor immune microenvironment, affecting immunostimulators, MHC molecules, chemokines, receptors, and immune cell infiltration. Notably, UBA5 expression correlates positively with M2 macrophage infiltration, the predominant immune cells in LUAD. Co-culture experiments further demonstrate that UBA5 knockdown directly inhibits M2 macrophage polarization and lactate production in LUAD. Moreover, in vivo studies show reduced M2 macrophage infiltration following UBA5 knockdown. UBA5 expression is also associated with increased tumor heterogeneity, including tumor mutational burden, microsatellite instability, neoantigen presence, and homologous recombination deficiency. Experiments indicate that UBA5 overexpression promotes cisplatin resistance in vitro , whereas UBA5 inhibition enhances cisplatin sensitivity in both in vitro and in vivo settings. Overall, these findings suggest that targeting UBA5 inhibits LUAD by impeding cancer cell proliferation, M2 macrophage polarization, and cisplatin resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In biomaterials and drug delivery, the development of polymeric therapies capable of the synchronized release of several therapeutic agents remains an important challenge. In this article, we describe the development of polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) with precise molar ratios of Curcumin (CUR) and Methotrexate (MEX). The highly symmetric synthetic approach allows for the development of novel NPs-based combination therapeutic strategies for colorectal cancer. The fabricated CUR/MEX@PNPs were confirmed by transmission microscopy (TEM) and the size and polydispersity index were assessed through the dynamic light scattering (DLS). CUR and MEX were released slowly from the drug delivery without any burst impact. Furthermore, CUR/MEX@PNPs exhibited dose-responsive cytotoxic effects in CL40 and SW1417 cells, with a greater cell death ratio than that of free drugs. The drugs-loaded polymeric nanomaterials were more easily taken up by cancer cells in vitro, according to the cellular uptake analysis. The apoptotic features were confirmed by various fluorescence staining assay. The results of the fluorescent assay reveal that the nanomaterials remarkably induce apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. Further, the apoptosis cell death mechanism was displayed that these nanomaterials significantly induce apoptosis in the targeted cancer cells. Overall, the current investigation confirmed that CUR/MEX@PNPs could be used to successfully combat colorectal cancers in the immediate future. We have developed the Curcumin (CUR) and Methotrexate (MEX) encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles (CUR/MEX@PNPs). CUR/MEX@PNPs confirmed by the various analytical methods. CUR/MEX@PNPs enhanced the in vitro proliferation against the colorectal cancer cells. Biochemical analysis results reveals that CUR/MEX@PNPs induce apoptosis. The apoptosis was confirmed by Annexin-V-FITC and PI for flow cytometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of the internet, the 5G cloud computing environment is gradually replacing the traditional computing environment. The social adaptation level of college students in this environment is an important indicator of whether college students can effectively integrate into the society. This article aims to study the design and reform of ice and snow sports education in the 5G cloud computing environment to enhance the social adaptability of college students. On this basis, in order to improve the social adaptability of southern university students, research on ice and snow sports education is proposed. This paper uses the literature method to study the characteristics of ice and snow sports education and the training model of social adaptability, constructs an experimental study on improving the social adaptability of southern college students, analyzes the overall impact of college students' participation in ice and snow sports education on social adaptability, and compares the situation with college students' participation in different sports to improve social adaptability. The social adaptability of college students from the lower grades to the upper grades is gradually enhanced, and the social adaptability score of boys is 35.8, the score of girls' social adaptability is 33.7, and the scores of boys are higher than those of girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foreign‐body response caused by implanted biomaterials seriously impedes the function of implants and is a major obstacle to the development of implantable biomaterials and medical devices. Recent advances in implantable biomaterials and medical devices have provided strategies to resist the foreign‐body response. In this review, the mechanism of the foreign‐body response and conventional strategies to mitigate foreign‐body response is briefly introduced. Then, three types of promising foreign‐body response resisting materials are focused and the advantages, characteristics, and applications of each material are discussed. Finally, prospects are put forward for future development of foreign‐body response resisting materials and current challenges that require in‐depth study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a tandem tethered balloon scheme as a solution for increasing the operating altitudes of balloons to near-space altitudes of more than 20 km. By adding a middle balloon with a smaller volume than that of the top balloon in the middle weak wind zone, this scheme partially offsets the weight of the tether above the middle balloon, thereby greatly increasing the operating altitude of the tethered balloon. Another significant advantage of this scheme is that, when the working altitude exceeds 20 km, the opposite directions of the winds at high and low altitudes can be exploited to reduce the horizontal displacement of the top balloon, raising the safety factor and the wind-resistant capabilities of the tether. In this paper, a three-dimensional static model is established for the tandem ultra-high-altitude tethered balloon, and a static equilibrium governing equation of the tandem ultra-high-altitude tethered balloon is derived. In addition, a design method based on the principle of the tether safety factor has been proposed for the tandem tethered balloon. For the first time, a sensitivity analysis was conducted for the tether resistance coefficient, balloon resistance coefficient, and balloon lift coefficient for the design optimization and flight test stages. Finally, we analyzed the three-dimensional cross-sectional profile of the tether, the maximum tension of the tether, the length of the tether, and the variation of the angle between the ground end of the tether and the horizontal plane for a tandem tethered balloon system that remained airborne continuously for one month. This work confirms that the model is viable in complex and variable wind field environments and capable of long-duration flights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functions of implants like medical devices are often compromised by the host's foreign‐body response (FBR). Herein, we report the development of low‐FBR materials inspired by serine‐rich sericin from silk. Poly‐β‐homoserine (β‐HS) materials consist of the hydrophilic unnatural amino acid β‐homoserine. Self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) of β‐HS resist adsorption by diverse proteins, as well as adhesion by cells, platelets, and diverse microbes. Experiments lasting up to 3 months revealed that, while implantation with control PEG hydrogels induced obvious inflammatory responses, collagen encapsulation, and macrophage accumulation, these responses were minimal with β‐HS hydrogels. Strikingly, the β‐HS hydrogels induce angiogenesis in implant‐adjacent tissues. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that the low FBR performance of β‐HS results from what we term "dual hydrogen bonding hydration", wherein both the backbone amide groups and the sidechain hydroxyl groups of β‐HS undergo hydration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functions of implants like medical devices are often compromised by the host's foreign‐body response (FBR). Herein, we report the development of low‐FBR materials inspired by serine‐rich sericin from silk. Poly‐β‐homoserine (β‐HS) materials consist of the hydrophilic unnatural amino acid β‐homoserine. Self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) of β‐HS resist adsorption by diverse proteins, as well as adhesion by cells, platelets, and diverse microbes. Experiments lasting up to 3 months revealed that, while implantation with control PEG hydrogels induced obvious inflammatory responses, collagen encapsulation, and macrophage accumulation, these responses were minimal with β‐HS hydrogels. Strikingly, the β‐HS hydrogels induce angiogenesis in implant‐adjacent tissues. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that the low FBR performance of β‐HS results from what we term "dual hydrogen bonding hydration", wherein both the backbone amide groups and the sidechain hydroxyl groups of β‐HS undergo hydration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wolbachia has been reported to suppress a variety of pathogen infections in mosquitoes, but the mechanism is undefined. Two possibilities have been proposed. One is that Wolbachia activates host immune responses, and the other one is that Wolbachia competes with pathogens for limited nutrients. Methodology/Principal findings: In this study, we compared host immune responses and the densities of two different strains of Wolbachia in naturally occurring parental and artificially created hybrid host genetic backgrounds. No significant difference in Wolbachia density was found between these hosts. We found that Wolbachia could activate host innate immune responses when the host genetic profile was different from that of its natural host. When these hosts were challenged with pathogenic bacteria, mosquitoes in new host-Wolbachia symbioses had a higher survival rate than in old host-Wolbachia symbioses. Conclusions/Significance: The presence of Wolbachia per se does not necessarily affect pathogen infections, suggesting that a competition for limited nutrients is not the main reason for Wolbachia-mediated pathogen suppression. Instead, host immune responses are responsible for it. The elucidation of an immunity nature of PI is important to guide future practice: Wolbachia may be genetically engineered to be more immunogenic, it is desired to search and isolate more strains of Wolbachia, and test more host-Wolbachia symbioses for future applications. Our results also suggest Wolbachia-based PI may be applied to naturally Wolbachia-infected mosquito populations, and extend to the control of a broader range of mosquito-borne diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmanyl and plasmenyl glycerophosphocholine are ether lipids featuring the 1-O-alkyl or 1-O-alk-1′-enyl ether linkage at the sn-1 position of the glycerol backbone, respectively. Aberrant levels of ether glycerophosphocholines (ether PCs) have been correlated with cellular dysfunctions and various human diseases. Profiling ether PCs with accurate structural information is challenging because of the common presence of isomeric and isobaric species in a lipidome. The Paternò–Büchi (PB) reaction, a double bond (C＝C) specific derivatization method, is capable of pinpointing C＝C locations in unsaturated lipids, when coupled with subsequent tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). In this study, we have tailored the acetone PB reaction for the analysis of ether PCs. PB-MS/MS via low energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) provides diagnostic ions specific to the alkenyl ether C＝C bond, which are different from those derived from the isolated C＝C bond in the alkyl or acyl chain, thereby facilitating the distinction of isomeric plasmenyl from plasmanyl PCs. PB-MS/MS coupled with high resolution MS and multi-stage MS/MS further enable confident identification of isomeric ether PCs and isobaric diacyl PCs from mixtures. A total of 45 ether PCs in human plasma have been identified for ether linkage type and chain composition, while 28 ether PCs have structures being fully characterized down to C＝C locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a toxic Volatile Organic Pollutant (TVOC), formaldehyde has a toxic effect on microorganisms, consequently inhibiting the biochemical process of formaldehyde wastewater treatment. Therefore, the selective degradation of formaldehyde is of great significance in achieving high-efficiency and low-cost formaldehyde wastewater treatment. This study constructed a heterogeneous Fe-ZSM-5/H2O2 Fenton system f or the selective degradation of target compounds. By immobilizing Fe3+ onto the surface of a ZSM-5 molecular sieve, Fe-ZSM-5 was prepared successfully. XRD, BET and FT-IR spectral studies showed that Fe-ZSM-5 was mainly composed of micropores. The influences of different variables on formaldehyde-selective heterogeneous Fenton degradation performance were studied. The 93.7% formaldehyde degradation and 98.2% selectivity of formaldehyde compared with glucose were demonstrated in the optimized Fenton system after 360 min. Notably, the resultant selective Fenton oxidation system had a wide range of pH suitability, from 3.0 to 10.0. Also, the Fe-ZSM-5 was used in five consecutive cycles without a significant drop in formaldehyde degradation efficiency. The use of reactive oxygen species scavengers indicated that the hydroxyl radical was the primary active species responsible for degrading formaldehyde. Furthermore, great degradation performance was acquired with high concentrations of formaldehyde for this system, and the degradation efficiency was more than 95.0%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the recognition mechanism of dextranase (PC-Edex) produced by Penicillium cyclopium CICC-4022 on dextran. Whole genome information of P. cyclopium CICC-4022 was obtained through genome sequencing technology. The coding information of PC-Edex was determined based on the annotation of the protein-coding genes using protein databases. The three-dimensional structure of PC-Edex was obtained via homology modelling. The active site and binding free energy between PC-Edex and dextran were calculated by molecular docking and molecular dynamics techniques. The results showed that the total sequence length and GC content of P. cyclopium CICC-4022 were 29,710,801 bp and 47.02 %, respectively. The annotation of protein-encoding genes showed that P. cyclopium CICC-4022 is highly active and has many carbohydrate transport and metabolic functions, and most of its proteases are glycolytic anhydrases. Furthermore, the gene encoding PC-Edex was successfully annotated. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that van der Waals interaction was the main driving force of interaction. Residues Ile114, Asp115, Tyr332, Lys344, and Gln403 significantly promoted the binding between dextran and PC-Edex. In summary, this study explored the active site catalyzed by PC-Edex based on the binding pattern of PC-Edex and dextran. Therefore, this study provides genomic information on dextranase and data supporting the rational modification and enhancement of PC-Edex. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the recognition mechanism of dextranase (PC-Edex) produced by Penicillium cyclopium CICC-4022 on dextran. Whole genome information of P. cyclopium CICC-4022 was obtained through genome sequencing technology. The coding information of PC-Edex was determined based on the annotation of the protein-coding genes using protein databases. The three-dimensional structure of PC-Edex was obtained via homology modelling. The active site and binding free energy between PC-Edex and dextran were calculated by molecular docking and molecular dynamics techniques. The results showed that the total sequence length and GC content of P. cyclopium CICC-4022 were 29,710,801 bp and 47.02 %, respectively. The annotation of protein-encoding genes showed that P. cyclopium CICC-4022 is highly active and has many carbohydrate transport and metabolic functions, and most of its proteases are glycolytic anhydrases. Furthermore, the gene encoding PC-Edex was successfully annotated. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that van der Waals interaction was the main driving force of interaction. Residues Ile114, Asp115, Tyr332, Lys344, and Gln403 significantly promoted the binding between dextran and PC-Edex. In summary, this study explored the active site catalyzed by PC-Edex based on the binding pattern of PC-Edex and dextran. Therefore, this study provides genomic information on dextranase and data supporting the rational modification and enhancement of PC-Edex. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Femtosecond broadband stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS) is a new technique that produces high-resolution (time-resolved) vibrational spectra from either the ground or excited electronic states of molecules, free from background fluorescence. FSRS uses simultaneously a narrow bandwidth ∼1–3 ps Raman pump pulse with a continuum ∼30–50 fs Stokes probe pulse to produce sharp Raman gains, at positions corresponding to vibrational transitions in the sample, riding on top of the continuum Stokes probe spectrum. When FSRS is preceded by a femtosecond actinic pump pulse that initiates the photochemistry of interest, time-resolved Raman spectroscopy can be carried out. We present two theoretical approaches to FSRS: one is based on a coupling of Raman pump and probe light waves with the vibrations in the medium, and another is a quantum-mechanical description. The latter approach is used to discuss the conditions of applicability and limitations of the coupled-wave description. Extension of the quantum-mechanical description to the case where the Raman pump beam is on resonance with an excited electronic state, as well as when FSRS is used to probe a nonstationary vibrational wave packet prepared by an actinic pump pulse, is also discussed. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Modeling of human arrhythmias with induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes has focused on single-cell phenotypes. However, arrhythmias are the emergent properties of cells assembled into tissues, and the impact of inherited arrhythmia mutations on tissue-level properties of human heart tissue has not been reported.Methods: Here, we report an optogenetically based, human engineered tissue model of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), an inherited arrhythmia caused by mutation of the cardiac ryanodine channel and triggered by exercise. We developed a human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte-based platform to study the tissue-level properties of engineered human myocardium. We investigated pathogenic mechanisms in CPVT by combining this novel platform with genome editing.Results: In our model, CPVT tissues were vulnerable to developing reentrant rhythms when stimulated by rapid pacing and catecholamine, recapitulating hallmark features of the disease. These conditions elevated diastolic Ca2+ levels and increased temporal and spatial dispersion of Ca2+ wave speed, creating a vulnerable arrhythmia substrate. Using Cas9 genome editing, we pinpointed a single catecholamine-driven phosphorylation event, ryanodine receptor-serine 2814 phosphorylation by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, that is required to unmask the arrhythmic potential of CPVT tissues.Conclusions: Our study illuminates the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of CPVT and reveals a critical role of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II-dependent reentry in the tissue-scale mechanism of this disease. We anticipate that this approach will be useful for modeling other inherited and acquired cardiac arrhythmias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convective heat transfer process between fractal tube bank and coolant water was simulated by using the finite element method. Both rectangular and circular tube banks were investigated in detail. For the relationship between Nusselt number and Reynolds number, the fractal circular tube bank shows the same trend as the rectangular tube one. Based on simulation results, the empirical heat transfer correlations for different stage fractals were regressed. The exponents of correlations increase with the fractal stage. Almost linear correlations between Nu and Re for fourth stage fractal were obtained, indicating a good heat transfer enhancement with the increase in fractal stages. Compared to the uniform tube bank, the fractal tube banks show better overall performance in enhanced heat transfer effect. This research would be helpful to understand the heat exchange mechanism of the multi-scale structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compelling evidence has suggested the relevance of miRNAs in resistance to chemotherapeutic agents in HCC. miR-505 was reported to be downregulated and function as a tumor suppressor in HCC cells by binding to high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1). Whether miR-505/HMGB1 axis was involved in ADM cytotoxicity in HCC remains to be addressed. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of miR-505/HMGB1 axis on ADM cytotoxicity in HCC cells. MTT, flow cytometry analysis, and caspase-3 activity assays were conducted to assess ADM-induced cytotoxicity. The protein level of phosphorylation of histone H2 AX at Ser139 (γH2AX) was detected to evaluate DNA damage. The effects of miR-505 and HMGB1 on the protein kinase B (Akt) pathway were determined by examining the protein levels of phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt), Akt, phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase-3β (p-GSK-3β), and GSK-3β. We found that HMGB1 knockdown and miR-505 overexpression exacerbated ADM-induced cell viability inhibition, enhanced ADM-induced apoptosis, and increased caspase-3 activity in ADM-treated HCC cells. However, HMGB1 overexpression reversed the effects of miR-505 on ADM-induced cytotoxicity in HCC cells. HMGB1 knockdown and miR-505 overexpression promoted ADM-induced DNA damage in HCC cells, which was abated by HMGB1 overexpression. On a molecular mechanism level, HMGB1 silencing and miR-505 overexpression inactivated the Akt pathway in HCC cells, while exogenous HMGB1 resisted miR-505-induced Akt pathway inactivation. In conclusion, miR-505 overexpression enhanced ADM-induced cytotoxicity in HCC cells, at least partly by targeting HMGB1 and inactivating the Akt pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article derives the asymptotic properties of rank-based tests for the covariate effects in rank repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models (Fan and Zhang 2017) employing generalized estimating equation (GEE) techniques. One interested application of the proposed tests is to check the validity of the assumption of homogeneous covariate effects in different levels of the factors. Performance of the proposed tests has been confirmed by simulation studies and illustrated using the famous seizure count data. While the article mainly focuses on interaction tests, the scope of the proposed tests includes testing any contrast of the covariate effect such as the null of no overall covariate effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through ethnographic fieldwork conducted at a Beijing public school, this study aims to investigate how rural migrant children in China negotiate and construct their identity vis-à-vis the school’s local children. Building on social identity theory, this study reveals that rural migrant children develop a strong non-local group identity as a response to the Hukou-based social policy and the occupation-based social hierarchies in contemporary China. Such an identity helps migrant children combat a sense of inferiority that is reinforced by their daily interactions with the socially and economically more advantaged urban peers. However, this group-based identity forestalls intergroup contact and prevents the migrant children from successfully integrating into Chinese urban society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amorphous Al-Ni coating with the Al and Ni mass ratios of 3:2, 3:1 and 4:1 was sprayed on S355 steel of offshore platforms using a laser thermal spraying (LTS). The surface-interface morphologies, chemical element distribution, phase compositions and crystallization temperature of the obtained amorphous Al coatings were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. The immersion corrosion behaviors of the Al-Ni coatings in 3.5% NaCl solution for 720 h were investigated. The results shows that the Al-Ni coating is composed of Al-Fe alloy, AlCrFe 2 , Ni 2 MnAl and amorphous Ni-Mn-Al alloy, the metallurgical bonding is formed at the Al-Ni coating interface due to the diffusions of Al, Ni and Fe elements, and the tensile residual stress induced by LTS accelerated the crack expansion. The amorphous Al-Ni coatings have a certain amount of amorphous component at the crystallization temperature of ∼510 °C. The laser thermal sprayed Al-Ni coating generates the dense oxide film immersed in NaCl solution, hindering the anion from entering, which improving the corrosion resistance of Al-Ni coatings. The electrochemical corrosion resistance of Al-Ni coatings with the Al and Ni mass ratios of 3:2 and 4:1 is better than that with the Al and Ni mass ratio of 3:1, effectively improving the corrosion resistance of S355 steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) level is known to be a prognostic factor in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, the correlation between SUA level and coronary plaque instability has not been fully evaluated. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between SUA level and plaque instability of nonculprit lesions in patients with ACS using optical coherence tomography. A total of 150 patients with ACS who underwent 3-vessel optical coherence tomography were selected. Patients were classified into 3 groups according to tertiles of SUA level. There was a trend towards a thinner fibrous cap (0.15 ± 0.06 versus 0.07 ± 0.01 versus 0.04 ± 0.01 mm2, p<0.001) and a wider mean lipid arc (169.41 ± 33.16 versus 177.22 ± 37.76 versus 222.43 ± 47.65°, p<0.001) with increasing SUA tertile. The plaques of the high and intermediate tertile groups had a smaller minimum lumen area than the low tertile group (6.02 ± 1.11 versus 5.38 ± 1.28 mm2, p<0.001). In addition, thin-cap fibroatheromas, microvessels, macrophages, and cholesterol crystals were more frequent in the high tertile group than the low and intermediate groups. Multivariate analysis showed SUA level to be a predictor of plaque instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An arc sprayed aluminum (Al) coating on S355 steel was processed using a laser remelting (LR). The microstructures, chemical element composition, and phases of the obtained Al coating were analyzed using a field mission scanning electronic microscope (FESEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and X-ray diffractometer (XRD), respectively, and the residual stresses were measured using an X-ray diffraction stress tester. The immersion corrosion tests and potentiodynamic polarization of Al coating in 3.5% NaCl solution were performed to investigate the effects of LR on its immersion corrosion behaviors, and the corrosion mechanism of Al coating was also discussed. The results show that the arc sprayed Al coating is composed of Al phase, while that by LR is composed of Al-Fe and AlO 4 FeO 6 phases, and the porosities and cracks in the arc sprayed Al coating are eliminated by LR, The residual stress of arc sprayed Al coating is −5.6 ± 18 MPa, while that after LR is 137.9 ± 12 MPa, which deduces the immersion corrosion resistance of Al coating. The corrosion mechanism of arc sprayed Al coating is pitting corrosion and crevice corrosion, while that by LR is uniform corrosion and pitting corrosion. The corrosion potential of arc sprayed Al coating by LR shifts positively, which improves its immersion corrosion resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing wall stress as is elicited by arterial hypertension promotes their reorganization in the vessel wall which may lead to arterial stiffening and contractile dysfunction. The nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (NFAT5) pathway plays a role in regulating growth and differentiation in various cell types. We investigated whether the NFAT5 pathway was involved in the regulation of biomechanical stretch-induced human arterial smooth muscle cell (HUASMC) proliferation, inflammation, and migration. Herein, we showed that stretch promoted the expression of NFAT5 in human arterial smooth muscle cells and regulated through activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase under these conditions. This may contribute to an improved activity of HUASMCs and thus promote reorganization in vascular remodeling processes such as hypertension-induced arterial stiffening and contractile dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface cracks are commonly observed in coatings and films. When structures with coatings are subject to stretching, opening mode cracks are likely to form on the surface, which may further lead to other forms of damage, such as interfacial delamination and substrate damage. Possible crack forms include cracks extending towards the interface and channeling across the film. In this paper, a two-dimensional numerical model is proposed to obtain the structural strain energy at arbitrary crack lengths for bilayer structures under uniaxial tension. The energy release rate and structural stress intensity factors can be obtained accordingly, and the effects of geometry and material features on fracture characteristics are investigated, with most crack patterns being confirmed as unstable. The proposed model can also facilitate the analysis of the stress distribution in periodic crack patterns of films. The results from the numerical model are compared with those obtained by the finite element method (FEM), and the accuracy of the theoretical results is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past several decades, major advances and improvements now promote better treatment options for cardiovascular diseases. However, these diseases still remain the single leading cause of death worldwide. The rapid development of cardiac tissue engineering has provided the opportunity to potentially restore the contractile function and retain the pumping feature of injured hearts. This conception of cardiac tissue engineering can enable researchers to produce autologous and functional biomaterials which represents a promising technique to benefit patients with cardiovascular diseases. Such an approach will ultimately reshape existing heart transplantation protocols. Notable efforts are accelerating the development of cardiac tissue engineering, particularly to create larger tissue with enhanced functionality. Decellularized scaffolds, polymer synthetics fibrous matrix, and natural materials are used to build robust cardiac tissue scaffolds to imitate the morphological and physiological patterns of natural tissue. This ultimately helps cells to implant properly to obtain endogenous biological capacity. However, newer designs such as the hydrogel scaffold-free matrix can increase the applicability of artificial tissue to engineering strategies. In this review, we summarize all the methods to produce artificial cardiac tissue using scaffold and scaffold-free technology, their advantages and disadvantages, and their relevance to clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When using nonparametric methods to analyze factorial designs with repeated measures, the ANOVA-type rank test has gained popularity due to its robustness and appropriate type I error control. This article proposes power and sample size calculation formulas under two scenarios where the nonparametric regression coefficients are known or they are unknown but a pilot study is available. When a pilot study is available, the formulas do not need any assumption on the underlying population distributions. Simulation results confirm the accuracy of the proposed methods. An STZ rat excisional wound study is used to demonstrate the application of the methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When analyzing a response variable at the presence of both factors and covariates, with potentially correlated responses and violated assumptions of the normal residual or the linear relationship between the response and the covariates, rank-based tests can be an option for inferential procedures instead of the parametric repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models. This article derives a rank-based method for multi-way ANCOVA models with correlated responses. The generalized estimating equations (GEE) technique is employed to construct the proposed rank tests. Asymptotic properties of the proposed tests are derived. Simulation studies confirmed the performance of the proposed tests. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the existing memory event-triggered control (METC) algorithms, the threshold parameters and memory weights are fixed, reducing the system’s adaptability. In this paper, a new intelligent dynamic METC algorithm is proposed to reduce the amount of transmission data and decrease the communication burden in networked control systems. The proposed dynamic METC mechanism applies the gradient-sharing asynchronous advantage actor-critic (A3C-GS) learning algorithm to optimized memory event-triggered function of memory weights and threshold parameters. A time-varying delay system model for dynamic METC is developed by incorporating the A3C-GS for the networked control system with communication delays. Then, by solving two linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), the controller gain parameters of the networked control systems are derived. Finally, the performance of the proposed new METC algorithm is compared with the current three event-triggered control methods. Simulation results show that the proposed intelligent event-triggered algorithm reduces the number of triggers by about 40% compared with the traditional event-triggered algorithm under the pregiven simulation time. Thus, the effectiveness of the main results is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) hyper-activity in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often associated with patients’ poor prognosis. Our previous study has shown that resminostat, a novel HDAC inhibitor (HDACi), activated mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP)-dependent apoptosis pathway in HCC cells. Here we explored the potential resminostat resistance factor by focusing on mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). We showed that AZD-2014, a novel mTOR kinase inhibitor, potentiated resminostat-induced cytotoxicity and proliferation inhibition in HCC cells. Molecularly, AZD-2014 enhanced resminostat-induced mPTP apoptosis pathway activation in HCC cells. Inhibition of this apoptosis pathway, by the caspase-9 specific inhibitor Ac-LEHD-CHO, the mPTP blockers (sanglifehrin A/cyclosporine A), or by shRNA-mediated knockdown of mPTP component cyclophilin-D (Cyp-D), significantly attenuated resminostat plus AZD-2014-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in HCC cells. Significantly, mTOR shRNA knockdown or kinase-dead mutation (Asp-2338-Ala) also sensitized HCC cells to resminostat, causing profound cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction. Together, these results suggest that mTOR could be a primary resistance factor of resminostat. Targeted inhibition of mTOR may thus significantly sensitize HCC cells to resminostat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2001, the Chinese government had passed a series of policies known as ‘the two primary responsibilities’ to allow the rural migrant children to attend urban public schools. However, what the migrant children actually experienced in and after negotiating access to these schools deserves serious attention from educators, scholars and policymakers. Based on prolonged ethnographic fieldwork in a Beijing public school, this study demonstrated three key aspects of exclusions in migrant children’s schooling experiences, namely, (1) access to school, (2) in-class participations and (3) peer interactions, and examined the ‘hidden curriculum’ in the existing school practices that prevented migrant children from integrating successfully in the urban school settings. We found that academic performance lay at the root of social exclusions, but the local educators’ perceptions of migrant children as outsiders, the urban-oriented school curricular and urban children’s involvement (vis-à-vis migrant children’s little involvement) in the extracurricular activities at school as well as the paid supplementary trainings outside school together formed the ‘hidden curriculum’ that led to the marginalization of migrant students in the urban school system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In randomized clinical trials, when the endpoint is the change from baseline at the last scheduled visit, various parametric, semiparametric, and nonparametric methods have been developed to handle the possible missing data due to dropouts. Although the last observation carried forward (LOCF) and the mixed-effects model for repeated measures (MMRM) have been extensively compared and widely used, they may lead to biased results when the required distributional or missing mechanism assumptions are not satisfied. Nonparametric missing data handling methods including the last rank carried forward (LRCF) and mean rank imputation (MRI) relax the underlying distributional assumptions; however, conditions for them to be valid have been investigated to a very limited extent. This article rigorously derives asymptotic properties of the MRI method and proves its validity to test the primary endpoint under certain mild distributional and missing mechanism assumptions. The test-based estimator for the location difference between the treatment and the control groups is also derived when the randomized clinical trial has two arms under a location shift assumption. The investigated methods are applied to an illustrative phase III clinical trial. Simulation studies based on the empirical distributions from the illustrative clinical trial and additional intensive simulation studies, based on various prespecified distributions and missing mechanisms, were conducted to compare the MRI method with selected traditional methods including LOCF, MMRM, and LRCF and they confirmed the better performance of the MRI method in terms of the Type I error rate control and the power under certain mild conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead-free (1-x) Bi0.9La0.1FeO3-xBa0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3(BLF-BCZT,x= 15.0, 20.0, 22.5, 25.0, 27.5, 30.0, 32.5, 35.0 mol%) multiferroic ceramics were prepared via a solid-state reaction method. Influence of the introduction of Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3on the structural, electrical and magnetic properties has been studied. A pure rhombohedral phase is formed in all BLF-BCZT ceramics. BLF-BCZT ceramics with 20.0 mol% possess highest ϵmaxandTC: ϵmax= 9931.5,TC= 655.6 °C. Ferroelectric properties reached a maximum atx= 35.0 mol%:Pr= 8.3 μC/cm2,Ec= 2.58 kV/mm. OptimizedMr= 0.66 emu/g was obtained in BLF-BCZT ceramics with 25.0 mol% BCZT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead-free 0.725Bi1-xLaxFeO3-0.275Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3(BLF-BCZT,x= 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 mol%) multiferroic ceramics were fabricated via a conventional solid-state reaction method. Effect of La3+substitution on the structural, electrical and magnetic properties has been studied. XRD patterns show a pure perovskite structure. The SEM images show that the ceramics are dense and pore-free, and the average grain size decreases slightly as La3+content increases. The Neel temperature decreases with the increasing La content from 428.0°C to 404.0°C, whereas the Curie temperature increases from 610.2°C to 620.4°C for BLF-BCZT ceramics with 5.0 mol% La. Ferroelectric properties are improved and optimized atx= 2.5 mol%:Pr= 1.48 μC/cm2,Pmax= 4.56 μC/cm2,Ec= 1120V/mm. Maximum ofMris obtained for 7.5 mol% La doped samples, which is 0.50 emu/g, showing a ferromagnetic nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the remodeling pathway for the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC), acyl-CoA-dependent lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC) acyltransferase (LPCAT) catalyzes the reacylation of lysoPC. A number of genes encoding LPCATs have been cloned and characterized from several plants in recent years. Using Arabidopsis and other plant LPCAT sequences to screen the genome database of Nicotiana benthamiana, we identified two cDNAs encoding the putative tobacco LPCATs (NbLPCAT1 and NbLPCAT2). Both of them were predicted to encode a protein of 463 amino acids with high similarity to LPCATs from other plants. Protein sequence features such as the presence of at least eight putative transmembrane regions, four highly conserved signature motifs and several invariant residues indicate that NbLPCATs belong to the membrane bound O-acyltransferase family. Lysophospholipid acyltransferase activity of NbLPCATs was confirmed by testing lyso-platelet-activating factor (lysoPAF) sensitivity through heterologous expression of each full-length cDNA in a yeast mutant Y02431 (lca1△) disrupted in endogenous LPCAT enzyme activity. Analysis of fatty acid profiles of phospholipids from the NbLPCAT-expressing yeast mutant Y02431 cultures supplemented with polyunsaturated fatty acids suggested more incorporation of linoleic acid (18:2n6, LA) and α-linolenic acid (18:3n3, ALA) into PC compared to yeast mutant harbouring empty vector. In vitro enzymatic assay demonstrated that NbLPCAT1had high lysoPC acyltransferase activity with a clear preference for α-linolenoyl-CoA (18:3), while NbLPCAT2 showed a high lysophosphatidic acid (lysoPA) acyltransferase activity towards α-linolenoyl-CoA and a weak lysoPC acyltransferase activity. Tissue-specific expression analysis showed a ubiquitous expression of NbLPCAT1 and NbLPCAT2 in roots, stems, leaves, flowers and seeds, and a strong expression in developing flowers. This is the first report on the cloning and characterization of lysophospholipid acyltransferases from N. benthamiana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead-free 0.725BiFeO 3 -0.275Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Ti 0.9 Zr 0.1 − x Sn x O 3 (BF-BCTZS-1000 x , x = 0, 0.025, 0.050, 0.075, 0.100) multiferroic ceramics were fabricated via a conventional solid-state reaction method. Effects of Sn substitution on the structural, electrical and magnetic properties have been studied. The XRD patterns reveal that the pseudocubic structure of the ceramics transforms into rhombohedral after Sn substitution for Zr. The SEM images show that Sn doping effectively facilitates the grain growth and densification of the ceramics. Room-temperature dielectric properties are apparently improved. The temperature-dependent dielectric results show that the Curie temperature of the BF-BCTZS-1000 x increases almost linearly from 401.0 °C to 418.8 °C with the increasing Sn content, and the diffusivity γ of the system decreases from 1.958 to 1.361. Both remnant polarization and hysteresis loop squareness of BF-BCTZS-1000 x ceramics are improved obviously after Sn substitution. Piezoelectric coefficient shows a sharp increase after Sn substitution and decreases slightly with further increase of Sn content. Weak ferromagnetism is revealed in all BF-BCTZS-1000 x ceramics, but is weakened for Sn-doped samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In high-throughput screening (HTS), compounds can be tested in mixtures using the orthogonal pooling strategy. However, several experimental studies that used two-way orthogonal pooling have shown that the rate of false negative testing errors is still not negligible. Because replicate screening is prohibited due to the large number of compounds that need to be tested, the false negative results eventually lead to loss of active compounds. This article generalizes the two-way orthogonal pooling strategy to a three-way pooling and develops statistical methods to evaluate the false negative rate (FNR) and the false positive rate (FPR) for the two-way and three-way pooling strategies. Calculations show that the three-way pooling strategy decreases the FNR but increases the FPR to approximately three times that of the two-way pooling strategy. In terms of strategy selection, three-way pooling requires 50% more tests than two-way pooling but gains benefit when the testing technique has low sensitivity and high specificity, while two-way pooling may be preferred when the technique has high sensitivity and low specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is reported that CLU rs2279590 polymorphism is significantly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in European ancestry. Recent studies investigated rs2279590 polymorphism in Asian population (Chinese, Japanese and Korean). Four studies showed negative association and two studies showed weak association between rs2279590 and AD. We believe that the weak association or no association may be caused by the relatively small sample size in Asian population. Here, we reinvestigated the association in Asian population. Meanwhile, to investigate the genetic heterogeneity of the rs2279590 polymorphism in Asian and Caucasian populations, we searched the PubMed and AlzGene databases and selected 11 independent studies (6 studies in Asian population and 5 studies in Caucasian population) including 20,655 individuals (8,605 cases and 12,050 controls) for meta-analysis. Our results showed significant association between rs2279590 polymorphism and AD in Asian population with P = 2.00E−04 and P = 2.00E−04 using additive and recessive models, respectively. We observed no significant heterogeneity between Asian and Caucasian populations. We believe that our results may be helpful to understand the mechanisms of CLU in AD pathogenesis and will be useful for future genetic studies in AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]