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Pentatomidae includes many species of significant economic value as plant pests and biological control agents. The feeding habits of Pentatomidae are closely related to their energy metabolism and ecological adaptations. In this study, we sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of 12 Asopinae species using the next‐generation sequencing to explore the effect of dietary changes on mitochondrial genome evolution. Notably, all sequences were double‐stranded circular DNA molecules containing 37 genes and one control region. We then compared and analyzed the mitochondrial genome characteristics of phytophagous and predatory bugs. Notably, no significant difference was observed in the length of the mitochondrial genomes between the predatory and phytophagous bugs. However, the AT content was higher in the mitochondrial genomes of phytophagous bugs than that of predatory bugs. Moreover, phytophagous bugs prefer codon usage patterns ending in A/T compared with predatory bugs. The evolution rate of predatory bugs was lower than that of phytophagous bugs. The phylogenetic relationships across phytophagous bugs' lineages were largely consistent at depth nodes based on different datasets and tree‐reconstructing methods, and strongly supported the monophyly of predatory bugs. Additionally, the estimated divergence times indicated that Pentatomidae explosively radiated in the Early Cretaceous. Subsequently, the subfamily Asopinae and the genus Menida diverged in the Late Cretaceous. Our research results provide data supporting for the evolutionary patterns and classification of Pentatomidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We here describe the external morphology and complete mitochondrial genome characteristics of Mecidea indica Dallas, 1851, and clarify the evolutionary rate and divergence time. The M. indica mitochondrial genome length is 15,670 bp, and it exhibits a typical high A+T-skew (76.31%). The sequence shows strong synteny with the original gene arrangement of Drosophila yakuba Burla, 1954 without rearrangement. The M. indica mitochondrial genome characteristics were analyzed, and phylogenetic trees of Pentatomidae were reconstructed using Bayesian methods based on different datasets of the mitochondrial genome datasets. Phylogenetic analysis shows that M. indica belongs to Pentaotominae and form a sister-group with Anaxilaus musgravei Gross, 1976, and Asopinae is highly supported as monophyletic. Molecular clock analysis estimates a divergence time of Pentatomidae of 122.75 Mya (95% HPD: 98.76–145.43 Mya), within the Mesozoic Cretaceous; the divergence time of M. indica and A. musgravii was no later than 50.50 Mya (95% HPD: 37.20–64.80 Mya). In addition, the divergence time of Asopinae was 62.32 Mya (95% HPD: 47.08–78.23 Mya), which was in the Paleogene of the Cenozoic era. This study is of great significance for reconstructing the phylogeny of Pentatomidae and providing insights into its evolutionary history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease is a special self-limited disease in pediatric orthopedics with a high disability rate and a long-term course, and there is still no clear and effective therapeutic drug in clinic. This study aimed to investigate the potential efficacy of biochanin A, a kind of oxygen-methylated isoflavone compound, in treating Perthes disease based on network pharmacology, molecular docking and in vitro experiments. Methods: IL-6 was used to stimulate human umbilical vein endothelial cells to construct endothelial cell dysfunction model. We demonstrated whether biochanin A could alleviate endothelial dysfunction through CCK8 assay, immunofluorescence. Targets of biochanin A from pharmMappeer, SWISS, and TargetNet databases were screened. Targets of endothelial dysfunction were obtained from Genecards and OMIM databases. Protein–protein interaction, Gene Ontology, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomics analyses were used to analyze the potential target and the key pathway of the anti-endothelial dysfunction activity of biochanin A. To validate the potential target-drug interactions, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were performed and the result was proved by western blot. Results: It was found that biochanin A can promote the expression of ZO-1, reduce the expression of ICAM-1, which means improving endothelial dysfunction. A total of 585 targets of biochanin A from pharmMappeer, SWISS, and TargetNet databases were screened. A total of 10,832 targets of endothelial dysfunction were obtained from Genecards and OMIM databases. A total of 527 overlapping targets of endothelial dysfunction and biochanin A were obtained. AKT1, TNF-α, VCAM1, ICAM1, and NOS3 might be the key targets of the anti-endothelial dysfunction activity of biochanin A, and the key pathways might be PI3K-Akt and TNF signaling pathways. Molecular docking results indicated that the AKT1 and TNF-α had the highest affinity binding with biochanin A. Conclusion: This study indicates that biochanin A can target AKT1 and TNF-α to alleviate endothelial dysfunction induced by IL-6 in Perthes disease, which provides a theoretical basis for the treatment of Perthes disease by using biochanin A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was aimed to determine the relationship between PLR (platelet to lymphocyte ratio) and the lateral pillar classification of Perthes disease, and to provide an alternative index for clinical diagnosis. In addition, the association of the PLR with the necrosis stage of Perthes disease was also explored. This was a retrospective study. 74 children with Perthes disease and 60 children in the healthy control group without femoral head necrosis in our hospital from 2012 to 2021 were collected. The general data and clinical parameters were collected from the hospital information system. The modified herring lateral pillar classification was collected for the fragmentation stage case group and the PLR, NLR (neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio), LMR (lymphocyte to monocyte ratio) and PNR (platelet to neutrophil ratio) were calculated. The cases were divided into four groups, herring A and B were group I, herring B/C and C were group II, the healthy control group was group III, and the necrosis stage was group IV. The hematological indexes (NLR, PLR, LMR, PNR) of children at different stages were statistically analyzed. Group I consisted of 36 patients, with an average age of 7.4 ± 2.0 years (3–11 years). Group II consisted of 23 patients, with an average age of 7.4 ± 1.9 years (4–12 years). Group III consisted of 60 patients, with a mean age of 7.4 ± 2.7 years (4–13 years). Group IV consisted of 15 patients, with an average age of 6.4 ± 1.7 years (3–10 years). The average values of PLR in groups I, II, III and IV were 131.98 ± 47.44, 122.19 ± 37.88, 102.46 ± 30.68 and 128.90 ± 28.11, respectively. It's worth noting that there was statistically significant difference among groups I, II and III (P = 0.003). The optimal threshold of PLR was 130.25, the sensitivity was 45.8% and the specificity was 85%. PLR was also significantly different between groups III and group IV. PLR was higher in Herring A and B classifications than in Herring B/C and C classifications. PLR had certain diagnostic value in both the necrosis stage and fragmentation stage as a risk factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to explore the influence of ulnar bow on the surgical treatment of Bado type I missed Monteggia fracture in children. A retrospective review of 28 patients was conducted between November 2010 and June 2020. All patients were treated with open reduction of the radial head and ulnar opening wedge osteotomy without annular ligament reconstruction. Four months (range 1–12 months) was the mean interval between injury onset and surgery. The average age of patients at the time of surgery was 6.1 years old (range 2–10 years old). The maximum ulnar bow (MUB) and MUB position (P-MUB) via radiography were evaluated. The patients were divided into two groups according to P-MUB, as follows: middle group (A) included 17 cases, and the MUB was located at 40–60% of the distal ulna; and distal group (B) included 11 cases, and the MUB was located at 20–40% from the distal end of the ulna. The mean follow-up period was 33 months (range 6–102 months). At the last follow-up, all the children showed stable reduction of the radial head, and the flexion function of elbow joint improved after the operation (P < 0.05). Group A presented a larger ratio of maximum ulnar bow (R-MUB) and angle of ulnar osteotomy (OA) than group B (P < 0.05). The osteotomy angle was positively correlated with the R-MUB (R2 = 0.394, P = 0.038). The osteotomy angle was positively correlated with the P-MUB (R2 = 0.683, P = 0.000). The R-MUB was proportional to the P-MUB (R2 = 0.459, P < 0.0001). The regression equation of P-MUB and osteotomy angle was as follows: OA = 32.64* P-MUB + 7.206. If the ulnar bow was positioned at the middle ulna, then a stable reduction of radial head needed to be achieved through a large angle in the ulnar osteotomy. If the position of maximum ulnar bow (P-MUB) was closer to the middle of the ulna, or the ratio of maximum ulnar bow (R-MUB) was larger, then the osteotomy angle was larger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ultrasound examination can be applied to the diagnosis of pediatric elbow fracture. This study aims to analyze the application value of ultrasound in the surgical treatment of supracondylar humeral fractures. Methods: 64 children with supracondylar humeral fractures were treated with ultrasound-guided closed reduction and percutaneous pinning (CRPP), 31 patients were treated with CRPP under radiography guidence. The reduction effect of supracondylar humeral fractures was determined through the perioperative ultrasound images of the lateral, medial and posterior aspects of the elbow. Percutaneous pinning was performed after supracondylar humeral fractures were well reduced. A follow-up examination was performed and all the patients were evaluated according to Flynn's criteria. Results: The mean duration of surgery was 58.3 min (42–108 min) in the ultrasound group and 41.5 min (24-63 min) in the radiography group (P < 0.05). The mean carrying angle was 8.2° (0°–15°) in the ultrasound group and 9.4°(3°–16°) in the radiography group; The mean Baumann's angle was 75.5°(60°–85°) in the ultrasound group and 73.4°(62°–82°) in the radiography group; The mean lateral humerocapitellar angle was 38.4° (26°–54°) in the ultrasound group and 41.6°(29°–52°) in the radiography group; No significant differences were observed between the two groups. According to the Flynn's criteria, 49 (76.6%) patients had excellent, 10 (15.6%) patients achieved good, 3 (4.7%) patients showed fair results and 2 (3.1%) patients achieved poor results in the ultrasound group; 22 (70.9%) patients had excellent, 6 (19.4%) patients achieved good, 2 (6.5%) patients showed fair results and 1 (3.2%) patients achieved poor results in the radiography group; No statistically significant difference was noted between the results of these two groups (P > 0.05). After surgery, three patients had pin tract infection. One patient had ulnar nerve neurapraxia in the radiography group. No cases with Volkmann's contracture were reported. Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided CRPP is a safe and reliable surgical treatment of pediatric supracondylar humeral fractures. Trial registration Retrospectively registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acetabular retroversion has a moderate incidence of 31–60% in all patients of the Perthes disease. It might be caused by posterior wall dysplasia based on recent animal researches. However, some studies support that hemipelvic retroversion is the main factor for the acetabular retroversion. The primary pathological factor of increasing retroversion angle is still controversial anatomically. This study aimed to identify whether there is acetabular retroversion in children with Perthes disease,and to find a method to distinguish version types. Forty children with unilateral Perthes disease who were admitted to our hospital from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2018 were enrolled, and 40 controls were matched based on sex and age. The acetabular anteversion angle (AAA), internal wall anteversion angle (IWAA), anterior wall height of the acetabulum (A), acetabular posterior wall height (P), and acetabular width (W) were assessed on computed tomography (CT) at the level of the femoral head center. The acetabular wall difference index (AWDI; AWDI = P-A)/W*100) was calculated. The mean AAA was significantly lower in Perthes disease hips (10.59 (8.05–12.46)) than in contralateral hips (12.04 (9.02–13.33)) (p = 0.002) but did not differ from control hips (9.68 ± 3.76) (p = 0.465). The mean IWAA was significantly lower in Perthes hips (9.16 ± 3.89) than in contralateral hips (11.31 ± 4.04) (p = 0.000) but did not differ from control hips (9.43 ± 3.82) (p = 0.753). The mean AWDI did not differ between Perthes hips (0.41 ± 4.94) and contralateral hips (− 1.12 (− 4.50, 2.17)) (p = 0.06) or control hips (− 0.49 ± 5.46) (p = 0.437). The mean W was significantly higher in Perthes hips (44.61 ± 5.06) than in contralateral hips (43.36 ± 4.38) (p = 0.000) but did not differ from control hips (45.02 ± 5.01) (p = 0.719). The mean A and P did not differ between Perthes hips and contralateral hips or control hips. Correlation analysis of all hip joints revealed a significant correlation between AAAs and IWAAs (r = 0.772; r = 0.643; r = 0.608; and r = 0.540). Linear regression analysis revealed that AAAs increased with IWAAs. Multiple linear regression showed that IWAAs and AWDIs have good predictive value for AAAs in both Perthes and control hips (R2 = 0.842, R2 = 0.869). In patients with unilateral Perthes disease, the affected acetabulum is more retroverted than that on the contralateral side, which may be caused by hemipelvic retroversion. The measurements in this study could distinguish the form of acetabular retroversion. IWAAs and AWDIs can be used as new observations in future studies of acetabular version. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endothelial dysfunction caused by the stimulation of endothelial microparticles (EMPs) by the inflammatory factor IL-6 is one of the pathogenic pathways associated with Perthes disease. The natural active product biochanin A (BCA) has an anti-inflammatory effect; however, whether it can alleviate endothelial dysfunction in Perthes disease is not known. The present in vitro experiments on human umbilical vein endothelial cells showed that 0-100 pg/ml IL-6-EMPs could induce endothelial dysfunction in a concentration-dependent manner, and the results of the Cell Counting Kit 8 assay revealed that, at concentrations of <20 µM, BCA had no cytotoxic effect. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR demonstrated that BCA reduced the expression levels of the endothelial dysfunction indexes E-selectin and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in a concentration-dependent manner. Immunofluorescence and western blotting illustrated that BCA increased the expression levels of zonula occludens-1 and decreased those of ICAM-1. Mechanistic studies showed that BCA inhibited activation of the NFκB pathway. In vivo experiments demonstrated that IL-6 was significantly increased in the rat model of ischemic necrosis of the femoral head, whereas BCA inhibited IL-6 production. Therefore, in Perthes disease, BCA may inhibit the NFκB pathway to suppress IL-6-EMP-induced endothelial dysfunction, and could thus be regarded as a potential treatment for Perthes disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Revision operations have become a new issue after successful artificial joint replacements, and periprosthetic osteolysis leading to prosthetic loosening is the main cause of why the overactivation of osteoclasts (OCs) plays an important role. The effect of biochanin A (BCA) has been examined in osteoporosis, but no study on the role of BCA in prosthetic loosening osteolysis has been conducted yet. In this study, we utilised enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, computed tomography imaging, and histological analysis. Results showed that BCA downregulated the secretion levels of tumor necrosis factor‐α, interleukin‐1α (IL‐1α), and IL‐1β to suppress inflammatory responses. The secretion levels of receptor‐activated nuclear factor‐κB ligand, CTX‐1, and osteoclast‐associated receptor as well as Ti‐induced osteolysis were also reduced. BCA effectively inhibited osteoclastogenesis and suppressed hydroxyapatite resorption by downregulating OC‐related genes in vitro. Analysis of mechanisms indicated that BCA inhibited the signalling pathways of mitogen‐activated protein kinase (P38, extracellular signal‐regulated kinase, and c‐JUN N‐terminal kinase) and nuclear factor‐κB (inhibitor κB‐α and P65), thereby downregulating the expression of nuclear factor of activated T cell 1 and c‐Fos. In conclusion, BCA may be an alternative choice for the prevention of prosthetic loosening caused by OCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malignant gliomas are a heterogeneous group of brain tumors with a poor prognosis, which is largely due to its aggressive invasiveness and angiogenesis. In recent years, it has been found that multiple long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in a wide range of biological functions including angiogenesis through the regulation of gene expression in cancers. In this study, we investigate and report the novel role of lncRNA SLC26A4‐AS1 in gliomas, with a novel mechanism involving transcription factors NFKB1 and NPTX1. We determined that SLC26A4‐AS1 was downregulated in human glioma tissues and cells. Furthermore, overexpression of SLC26A4‐AS1 or NPTX1 restrained the aggressiveness of glioma cells and their pro‐angiogenic ability. SLC26A4‐AS1 was also found to upregulate NPTX1 by recruiting NFKB1 into the NPTX1 promoter. Moreover, silencing of either NPTX1 or NFKB1 restored the aggressive and pro‐angiogenic properties of glioma cells in the presence of SLC26A4‐AS1. Taken together, we demonstrate that SLC26A4‐AS1 promotes NPTX1 transcriptional activity by recruiting NFKB1 and thus exerting antiangiogenic effects on glioma cells. This study provides an experimental basis for the intervention of SLC26A4‐AS1 in the treatment of gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background To assess the associations between family characteristics and influenza vaccination coverage among children. Methods Data were used from the National Health Interview Survey 2011–2016. Results The number of children ranged from 10 720 to 12 991 per year from 2011 to 2016. After adjustment for the high-risk status of influenza complications, sex, age, region, race and office visits of children, children of adults who received influenza vaccination were 3.83–4.79 times (the lowest and the highest odds ratios from 2011 to 2016) more likely to be immunized for influenza. Health insurance (1.36–1.61) was also associated with vaccination in children. However, the education level of family adults (0.59–0.79) and marital status of being widowed/divorced/separated (0.74–0.79) were negatively associated with vaccination uptake in children. The following characteristics were not major concerns with influenza vaccination in children: class of worker, years on the job, physical activity, drinking, smoking, hepatitis B immunization, number of family members aged ≥65 years and the ratio of family income to the poverty threshold. Overall, results from the pooled analysis (2011–2016) were consistent with the above-mentioned findings. Conclusions Promoting parental influenza immunization and access to health insurance may be the most effective tools to promote the coverage of influenza vaccine among children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the clinical imaging manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of intraperitoneal extraosseous osteosarcoma.Case Presentation: A 52-year-old male patient with intraperitoneal extraosseous osteosarcoma was retrospectively analyzed. He suffered from left lower abdominal pain accompanied by mass for 6 months. On abdominal CT scan, multiple patchy and banded calcification were found. The largest is about six centimeters in diameter and underwent mass resection. Postoperative pathology revealed retroperitoneal osteosarcoma. The reported intraperitoneal extraosseous osteosarcoma was analyzed and the related literature was reviewed. Two years after operation, the patients had recurrence of the tumors and invaded sigmoid colon, peritoneum and bladder. Palliative operation was performed to remove the tumors in the bladder and transverse colostomy was performed. The patients were followed up by telephone and died 2 months after the second operation.Conclusions: Intraperitoneal extraosseous osteosarcoma has a low incidence and has no specific imaging features. Surgical resection is the main treatment and the prognosis is poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prosthesis loosening is a highly troublesome clinical problem following total joint arthroplasty. Wear‐particle‐induced osteoclastogenesis has been shown to be the primary cause of periprosthetic osteolysis that eventually leads to aseptic prosthesis loosening. Therefore, inhibiting osteoclastogenesis is a promising strategy to control periprosthetic osteolysis. The possible mechanism of action of rhoifolin on osteoclastogenesis and titanium particle‐induced calvarial osteolysis was examined in this study. The in vitro study showed that rhoifolin could strongly suppress the receptor activators of nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) ligand‐stimulated osteoclastogenesis, hydroxyapatite resorption, F‐actin formation, and the gene expression of osteoclast‐related genes. Western blot analysis illustrated that rhoifolin could attenuate the NF‐κB and mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathways, and the expression of transcriptional factors nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATc1) and c‐Fos. Further studies indicated that rhoifolin inhibited p65 translocation to the nucleus and the activity of NFATc1 and NF‐κB rhoifolin could decrease the number of tartrate‐resistant acid phosphate‐positive osteoclasts and titanium particle‐induced C57 mouse calvarial bone loss in vivo. In conclusion, our results suggest that rhoifolin can ameliorate the osteoclasts‐stimulated osteolysis, and may be a potential agent for the treatment of prosthesis loosening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper matrix composites with functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized using powder metallurgy with hetero-aggregation mixing and spark plasma sintering. Surface modification of the CNTs was controlled using acid oxidation with different treatment times. After a moderate treatment time of 3.5 hours, the CNTs had enough charged groups to maintain a moderate structural integrity in a CNT/Cu composite material. The prepared composite exhibited a tensile strength of 457 MPa and Vickers hardness of 130 HV, which are 1.6 and 2 times higher, respectively, than those of unreinforced copper prepared by the same method. The electrical conductivity of this composite was 92 pct IACS, which is 94 pct of that of the unreinforced copper. The carbon nanotube/copper (CNT/Cu) composites exhibited a good combination of high strength and high electrical conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In currently popular access control models, the security policies and regulations never change in the running system process once they are identified, which makes it possible for attackers to find the vulnerabilities in a system, resulting in the lack of ability to perceive the system security status and risks in a dynamic manner and exposing the system to such risks. By introducing the maximum entropy (MaxENT) models into the rule optimization for the Bell–LaPadula (BLP) model, this paper proposes an improved BLP model with the self-learning function: MaxENT-BLP. This model first formalizes the security properties, system states, transformational rules, and a constraint model based on the states transition of the MaxENT. After handling the historical system access logs as the original data sets, this model extracts the user requests, current states, and decisions to act as the feature vectors. Second, we use $k$ -fold cross validation to divide all vectors into a training set and a testing set. In this paper, the model training process is based on the Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno algorithm. And this model contains a strategy update algorithm to adjust the access control rules dynamically according to the access and decision records in a system. Third, we prove that MaxENT-BLP is secure through theoretical analysis. By estimating the precision, recall, and F1-score, the experiments show the availability and accuracy of this model. Finally, this paper provides the process of model training based on deep learning and discussions regarding adversarial samples from the malware classifiers. We demonstrate that MaxENT-BLP is an appropriate choice and has the ability to help running information systems to avoid more risks and losses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study aimed to investigate the effects of different distillation patterns on main compounds of Chinese Luzhou-flavour liquor. Results showed that more volatiles of raw liquor might originate from fresh grains for a newly constructed pit. A modest ( p = 0.05) increase in the total amount of volatiles was found in the heart liquor from fermented grains added to fresh grains and rice hulls to distillate (AG pattern), reaching a maximum value of 1012.22 mg/L. The percentage of esters in the AG pattern ranged from 81.22 to >95.03% compared with samples from fermented grains only added to rice hulls to distillate (NG pattern). Acids in the heart liquor obtained by the AG pattern were higher than those for NG, but the corresponding proportion was opposite. Alcohols were detected at ~1.62% in NG pattern but were 1.42% in AG. Cyanide and ethyl carbamate content in the head liquor were far higher than those in the heart and tail liquor. In particular, cyanide content dramatically increased after adding fresh grains during the distillation process. Copyright © 2017 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The aim of this study was to investigate the archaeal community in different ages of pit mud by a combined fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) method. Four probes were used to detect the major methanogenic archaea by FISH experiments, and the results showed that orders Methanosarcinales, Methanobacteriales, Methanomicrobiales and Methanococcales were detected in the various ages (50, 100 and 300 year) of pit mud, except for the 1 year-old pit and the 100 year-old sample, which exhibited the highest numbers of archaea. The amounts of the four methanogenic archaea significantly increased from the 50 to 100 year-old pit mud and slightly decreased in the 300 year-old pit mud. Results of PCR-DGGE analysis suggest that all archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences fall into the phylum Euryarchaeota, and Methanobacteriales and Methanomicrobiales dominated in low-age (1 and 50 year) and old age (100 and 300 year) of pit mud, respectively. Analysis of the community diversity based on the DGGE profiles showed that the 100 and 300 year samples exhibited similar diversity indices compared with the 1 and 50 year samples. This is the first report about the archaeal community structure in different ages of pit mud determined by both FISH and PCR-DGGE analysis. Copyright © 2015 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, characterises of the microbial community structures of three typical Chinese liquor Daqu, as well as different kinds of light flavour Daqu were investigated using nested PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The results showed that microbial diversity was considerably different, and the microfloral compositions were highly variable among various Daqu. Lactic acid bacteria, which accounted for 30.95 % of all identified bacteria, were dominant in all Daqu samples, whereas Bacillus species were also predominant in the Luzhou (14.8 %) and Langjiu Daqu (18.2 %). Citrobacter and Burkholderia were first identified in light flavour Daqu. Aspergillus was the dominant moulds, and the non- Saccharomyces yeast species, Saccharomycopsis fibuligera, Wallemia sebi, Wallemia muriae, and Pichia subpelliculosa, were the dominant yeasts. Rasamsonia, Galactomyces, Geotrichum and Wallemia were first identified using nested PCR-DGGE. Cluster analysis indicated that the microbial community structures of different Daqu samples exhibited some differences. These may be ascribed to the different peak production temperatures, raw material constituents and microhabitats around the liquor enterprises. The current study provides insights into the microbial community structures of three typical Daqu samples, and may facilitate the development of starter cultures for manufacturing Chinese liquor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because cross-realm C2C-PAKE (client-to-client password authenticated key exchange) protocols can not resist some attacks, this paper writes up new attacks on two representative protocols, then designs a new cross-realm C2C-PAKE protocol with signature and optimal number of rounds for a client (only 2-rounds between a client and a server). Finally, it is proved that the new protocol can be resistant to all known attacks through heuristic analysis and that it brings more security through the comparisons of security properties with other protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oxidation behavior of four Ti-Al-Nb ternary alloys with different microstructures were investigated at 1000°C using interrupted oxidation test in air. Alloys with single-phase γ-TiAl, two-phase γ-TiAl + α2-Ti3Al, multi-phase γ-TiAl + α2-Ti3Al + Nb2Al and two-phase α2-Ti3Al + Nb2Al were prepared. The oxidation resistance of the Ti-Al-Nb ternary alloy at high temperature was found to be better than that of the binary Ti-Al alloy. Among the four Ti-Al-Nb ternary alloys, the γ + α2 two-phase alloy has the best oxidation resistance. The presence of Nb-enriched phase such as Nb2Al and Nb3Al decrease the oxidation resistance at elevated temperature presumably due to the formation of Nb2O5, which would accelerate the exfoliation of oxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the stress-focusing effect in an infinitely long cylinder on the basis of the Lord-Shulman (L-S) theory and the Green-Lindsay (G-L) theory, which are referred to as the generalized thermoelasticity theories. The combined forms of the governing equations of both theories are used. The solution for the symmetrical and instantaneous heating is derived in the Laplace transform domain. Then, using the numerical inversion of the Laplace transform, the temperature and the thermal stress fields in the cylinder and obtained. The numerical results of the thermal stress wave based on the L-S theory are discussed. It is shown that the stress-focusing effect occurs and the order of the stress singularity is 1/ρ[sup 2] . The effects of the thermomechanical coupling and the relaxation time on the stress-focusing phenomena are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]