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Renal fibrosis is an outcome of chronic kidney disease, independent of the underlying etiology. Renal fibrosis is caused primarily by oxidative stress and inflammation. We identified the components of Plantaginis semen and elucidated their anti‐fibrotic and anti‐inflammatory mechanisms. The renoprotective components and underlying molecular mechanisms of P. semen were investigated in rats with adenine‐induced chronic tubulointerstitial nephropathy (TIN) and in idole‐3‐acetic acid (IAA)–stimulated NRK‐52E cells. Acetate and n‐butanol extracts were found to be the bioactive fractions of P. semen. A total of 65 compounds including geniposidic acid (GPA), apigenin (APG), and acteoside (ATS) were isolated and identified. Among the seven main extract components, treatment with GPA, APG, and ATS reduced the serum levels of creatinine and urea in TIN rats. Mechanistically, GPA ameliorated renal fibrosis through repressing aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) signaling and regulating redox signaling including inhibiting proinflammatory nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐ƙB) and its target gene products as well as activated antioxidative nuclear factor‐erythroid‐2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its downstream target gene products in both TIN rats and IAA‐stimulated NRK‐52E cells. The inhibitory effect of GPA on AHR, NF‐Ƙb, and Nrf2 signaling were partially abolished in IAA‐stimulated NRK‐52E cells treated with CH223191 compared with untreated IAA‐stimulated NRK‐52E cells. These data demonstrated that GPA alleviates oxidative stress and inflammation partly by suppressing AHR signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rare Metals is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The environmental prevalence and potential toxicity of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) motivate the attempt to develop feasible strategies to deal with DBP contamination. In this study, a strain of endphytic bacteria HB-T2 was isolated from sorrel roots and identified as Bacillus sp. by analysing its morphology, physiology, biochemistry and 16S rDNA sequence. The degradation efficiency of DBP by HB-T2 was almost identical under the temperature of 30∼40°C, but was significantly enhanced as the culture pH and inoculum size increases from 6.0 to 8.0, and 1% to 5% respectively. The degradation kinetics of DBP could be well described by the first-order kinetic model, with the degradation half-life ranging from 1.59 to 7.61 h when the initial concentrations of DBP were in the range of 5–20 mg/L. LC-MS analysis of the culture samples taken at varying intervals revealed monobutyl phthalate, phthalic acid and protocatechuic acid as the major metabolic intermediates during the degradation process. HB-T2 exhibited an excellent capability to degrade a wide range of phthalate esters (PAEs), especially butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), dipentyl phthalate (DPP), and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP). Inoculation of HB-T2 into Chinese cabbage (Brassica chinensis L.) growing in DBP-contaminated soils could significantly reduce the DBP levels in plant tissues and relieve the phytotoxic effects of DBP. Results of this study highlighted the great potential of this novel endophytic Bacillus subtilis strain HB-T2 for bioremediation of PAEs contamination and improvement of agricultural product safety by reducing PAEs accumulation in edible crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to external threatening signals, animals evolve a series of defensive behaviors that depend on heightened arousal. It is believed that arousal and defensive behaviors are coordinately regulated by specific neurocircuits in the central nervous system. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a key structure located in the ventral midbrain of mice. The activity of VTA glutamatergic neurons has recently been shown to be closely related to sleep–wake behavior. However, the specific role of VTA glutamatergic neurons in sleep–wake regulation, associated physiological functions, and underlying neural circuits remain unclear. In the current study, using an optogenetic approach and synchronous polysomnographic recording, we demonstrated that selective activation of VTA glutamatergic neurons induced immediate transition from sleep to wakefulness and obviously increased the amount of wakefulness in mice. Furthermore, optogenetic activation of VTA glutamatergic neurons induced multiple defensive behaviors, including burrowing, fleeing, avoidance and hiding. Finally, viral-mediated anterograde activation revealed that projections from the VTA to the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) mediated the wake- and defense-promoting effects of VTA glutamatergic neurons. Collectively, our results illustrate that the glutamatergic VTA is a key neural substrate regulating wakefulness and defensive behaviors that controls these behaviors through its projection into the CeA. We further discuss the possibility that the glutamatergic VTA-CeA pathway may be involved in psychiatric diseases featuring with excessive defense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction to valuable chemicals, especially fuels, is considered as a promising strategy to mitigate CO2 accumulation and tackle the energy crisis, among which photocatalysis is vital to achieve efficient and selective reduction of CO2. In this work, phosphorus-doped hollow polygonal g-C3N4 rods were prepared through phosphoric acid assisted self-assembly under hydrothermal conditions and subsequent thermal polymerization using phosphoric acid as the phosphorus source and melamine as the nitrogen-rich precursor. The resulting phosphorus-doped hollow polygonal g-C3N4 rods feature increased specific surface area, visible light absorption and photogenerated carrier separation and transfer efficiency according to the structure and photoelectric properties characterization. Coupled with an earth abundant metal-based complex, i.e. [Co(bpy)3]Cl2, as a co-catalyst, the phosphorus-doped hollow polygonal g-C3N4 rods deliver a CO evolution rate of up to 447.5 μmol g−1 h−1 with a selectivity of ca. 96%, being much higher compared to the pristine g-C3N4 (67.01 μmol g−1 h−1 with a selectivity of ca. 94%) resulting from the improved light harvesting and charge transfer to the co-catalyst. Remarkably, the phosphorus-doped hollow polygonal g-C3N4 rods can be reused 6 times while retaining constant catalytic activity in the photoreduction reaction. This work presents new insights into photocatalytic CO2 reduction by developing non-metal doping and hollow structural designs for semiconductor photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop a robust metalearning system for rapid classification on a large number of tasks. The model-agnostic metalearning (MAML) with the CACTUs method (clustering to automatically construct tasks for unsupervised metalearning) is improved as EW-CACTUs-MAML after integrated with the entropy weight (EW) method. Few-shot mechanisms are introduced in the deep network for efficient learning of a large number of tasks. The process of implementation is theoretically interpreted as "gene intelligence." Validation of EW-CACTUs-MAML on a typical dataset (Omniglot) indicates an accuracy of 97.42%, performing better than CACTUs-MAML (validation accuracy = 97.22%). At the end of this paper, the availability of our thoughts to improve another metalearning system (EW-CACTUs-ProtoNets) is also preliminarily discussed based on a cross-validation on another typical dataset (Miniimagenet). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem of low accuracy and efficiency of soil moisture content prediction in tea plantations and improve the level of soil water content prediction, a soil moisture content prediction model for tea plantations based on the support vector machine (SVM)‐optimised bald eagle search (BES) algorithm (BES‐SVM) is proposed. Soil data and environmental data of tea plantations were transmitted to the server using sensor nodes and weather station nodes. The prediction models of soil moisture content and natural environmental parameters such as soil electrical conductivity, soil temperature, air temperature, air humidity, light intensity, and rainfall were developed using the SVM model optimised by the bald eagle search algorithm, and the mean square error (MSE) and coefficient of determination (R2) were calculated to evaluate the model performance. Meanwhile, the performance of the BES‐SVM model is compared with the particle swarm algorithm optimisation SVM (PSO‐SVM) and genetic algorithm optimised SVM (GA‐SVM) models. Results show that the proposed model has a mean coefficient of determination of 95.65%, and the prediction performance is better than the PSO‐SVM and GA‐SVM model, indicating that the BES‐SVM model has good performance and is a feasible prediction method for soil water content prediction and guiding irrigation and fertilisation management in tea plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Horseshoe kidney (HSK) is a common congenital defect of the urinary system. The most common complications are urinary tract infection, urinary stones, and hydronephrosis. HSK can be combined with glomerular diseases, but the diagnosis rate of renal biopsy is low due to structural abnormalities. There are only a few reports on HSK with glomerular disease. Here, we have reported a case of PLA2R-positive membranous nephropathy occurring in a patient with HSK.Case Presentation: After admission to the hospital due to oedema of both the lower extremities, the patient was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome due to abnormal 24-h urine protein (7540 mg) and blood albumin (25 g/L) levels. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed HSK. The patient's brother had a history of end-stage renal disease due to nephrotic syndrome. Therefore, the patient was diagnosed with PLA2R-positive stage II membranous nephropathy through renal biopsy under abdominal ultrasonography guidance. He was administered adequate prednisone and cyclophosphamide, and after 6 months of treatment, urinary protein excretion levels significantly decreased.Conclusion: The risk and difficulty of renal biopsy in patients with HSK are increased due to structural abnormalities; however, renal biopsy can be accomplished through precise positioning with abdominal ultrasonography. In the literature, 20 cases of HSK with glomerular disease have been reported thus far. Because of the small number of cases, estimating the incidence rate of glomerular diseases in HSK is impossible, and the correlation between HSK and renal pathology cannot be stated. Further studies should be conducted and cases should be accumulated to elucidate this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead contamination is hazardous in urban areas and Pb enrichment in the fine soil particles has important implications for its migration and bioavailability in the soil environment. However, the impact of soil particles on partitioning the pollution sources is seldom addressed in previous studies. In this study, the bulk soil and < 2.5 μm fraction of soil samples selected in Xuzhou (a highly industrialized area), China, reveal the Pb distribution and isotope composition of different soil particles. The results show that the size of the soil particles not only affects the concentration of Pb but also influences the partitioning of anthropogenic Pb due to changes in their Pb isotope compositions. Pb is significantly enriched in the < 2.5 μm fraction with an average enrichment [100 × (Pb in < 2.5 μm fraction − Pb in bulk soil)/Pb in bulk soil] in the concentration of 109%, more than double the bulk concentrations. The isotopic ratios of Pb in bulk soil indicate that the contribution of heavy metals to soil mainly comes from industrial lead and automobile exhaust. For the Pb concentrated in the fine particles, the 206Pb/207Pb values are higher and closer to the isotopic composition of industrial and geological Pb. According to the results of concentration and isotopic composition, an effective remediation method, especially for the fine particles, needs to be developed when restoring the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Message: Pollen abortion could be mainly attributed to abnormal meiosis in the mutant. Multiomics analysis uncovered significant epigenetic variations between the mutant and its wild type during the pollen abortion process. Male sterility caused by aborted pollen can result in seedless fruit. A seedless Ponkan mandarin mutant (bud sport) was used to compare the transcriptome, methylome, and metabolome with its progenitor to understand the mechanism of citrus pollen abortion. Cytological observations showed that the anther of the mutant could form microspore mother cells, although the microspores failed to develop fertile pollen at the anther dehiscence stage. Based on pollen phenotypic analysis, pollen abortion could be mainly attributed to abnormal meiosis in the mutant. A transcriptome analysis uncovered the molecular mechanisms underlying pollen abortion between the mutant and its wild type. A total of 5421 differentially expressed genes were identified, and some of these genes were involved in the meiosis, hormone biosynthesis and signaling, carbohydrate, and flavonoid pathways. A total of 50,845 differentially methylated regions corresponding to 15,426 differentially methylated genes in the genic region were found between the mutant and its wild type by the methylome analysis. The expression level of these genes was negatively correlated with their methylation level, especially in the promoter regions. In addition, 197 differential metabolites were identified between the mutant and its wild type based on the metabolome analysis. The transcription and metabolome analysis further indicated that the expression of genes in the flavonoid, carbohydrate, and hormone metabolic pathways was significantly modulated in the pollen of the mutant. These results indicated that demethylation may alleviate the silencing of carbohydrate genes in the mutant, resulting in excessive starch and sugar hydrolysis and thereby causing pollen abortion in the mutant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chaos theory has been proved to be of great significance in a series of critical applications although, until now, its applications in analyzing soil respiration have not been addressed. This study aims to introduce a chaotic component in the control system of soil respiration and explain control complexity of this nonlinear chaotic system. This also presents a theoretical framework for better understanding chaotic components of soil respiration in arid land. A concept model of processes and mechanisms associated with subterranean CO2 evolution are developed, and dynamics of the chaotic system is characterized as an extended Riccati equation. Controls of soil respiration and kinetics of the chaotic system are interpreted and as a first attempt, control complexity of this nonlinear chaotic system is tackled by introducing a period-regulator in partitioning components of soil respiration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Central South University is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Motivated by the detection of neutrons, europium‐doped Li2B4O7 glasses enriched with both lithium and boron elements with high cross‐section capture were developed. A highly effective method of realizing the self‐reduction of Eu3+ to Eu2+ ions in europium‐doped Li2B4O7 glasses prepared by high temperature melt‐quenching technology in air was revealed. The self‐reduction of Eu3+ to Eu2+ ions can be easily achieved by the partial replacement of B2O3 with BN within 2 mol% concentration. And the effect of partially replacing B2O3 with BN on the optical properties of europium‐doped Li2B4O7 glass are systematically studied by transmittance, photoluminescence, and radioluminescence spectra, together with the luminescence decay curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly effective method of synthesizing transparent and colorless Ce3+‐activated aluminoborosilicate glass in air by high temperature melt‐quenching is reported. This is achieved by partial substitution of AlN for Al2O3 without using any reduction in atmosphere. The optimized Ce3+‐activated aluminoborosilicate scintillating glass is featured with a density of ~4.5 g/cm3 and a lifetime of 41.74 ns. Compared to the glass synthesized without AlN substitution, both the photo and raidoluminescence intensity of the optimized Ce3+‐activated aluminoborosilicate scintillating glass are enhanced by a factor of 24.4 and 6.76, respectively. The corresponding integrated raidoluminescence intensity is about 17.6% of that of BGO crystal under X‐ray excitation at 30 kV and 3 mA, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Few studies have systematically assessed symptom‐based diagnoses of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) in China. This study aimed to evaluate the positive endoscopic and ultrasonographic findings in patients with symptom‐based FGID. Methods: Adult patients with gastrointestinal symptoms but not red flag symptoms who were empirically diagnosed with FGID underwent an upper or lower gastrointestinal endoscopy. An abdominal ultrasonography was also performed to screen for potential organic diseases. Patients' data were collected and the Rome III questionnaire was used for symptom‐based assessment. Results: Positive endoscopic and ultrasonographic findings were detected in 31.8%, 26.2% and 9.9% of patients with esophageal, gastroduodenal and intestinal disorders, respectively. Among patients diagnosed with FGID using the questionnaire, the rates of positive endoscopic and ultrasonographic findings were higher in patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms than in those with lower gastrointestinal symptoms. Moreover, patients elder than 34.5 years with upper gastrointestinal symptoms and those elder than 47.5 years with lower gastrointestinal symptoms were more likely to have positive endoscopic and ultrasonographic findings. Conclusions: The Rome III questionnaire is a valuable diagnostic tool for screening FGID in China. However, the rates of positive endoscopic and ultrasonographic findings vary depending on the location of symptoms. Endoscopy and ultrasonography have irreplaceable value, especially for investigating upper gastrointestinal symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The synthesis of polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers (DMMx) with a selectivity of 84.3 % by direct oxidation of dimethyl ether (DME) was realized over 30 %Ti(SO4)2/active carbon (AC) catalyst. This process also significantly promotes the growth of the C−O chain. The catalytic performances of Ti(SO4)2/AC and Ti(SO4)2/graphene (G) catalysts differ largely for DME oxidation reaction, although both AC and G are carbon materials. The carbonyl and hydroxyl groups on the surface of the carbon‐based catalysts play an important role in DME direct oxidation to DMMx. Owing to the differences of surface structure and chemical properties of AC and G materials, the different interaction between the Ti(SO4)2 and supports remarkably affects the sulfate structures on the supports surface and leads to the large differences in the acid and redox properties of catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background To investigate the effect of metformin on pulmonary artery remodeling and indexes of endothelial–mesenchymal transition in rats with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Methods Sixty Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control, metformin control, CTEPH, metformin low-dose (50 mg/kg d) CTEPH, and metformin high-dose group (100 mg/kg d) CTEPH groups. The autologous blood clots were repeatedly injected through the jugular vein to establish the CTEPH model. After 6 weeks treatment with or without metformin, the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), pulmonary artery wall area to total tube area ratio (WA%), and protein levels of vimentin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), CD31, E-cadherin, β-catenin, and p-adenosine 5′-monophosphate activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) in the pulmonary artery were measured. Results The mPAP and WA% were significantly higher in CTEPH compared with normal control rats (P < 0.05). Metformin treatment dose dependently decreased mPAP and WA% in CTEPH rats (P < 0.01). Compared with normal controls, protein levels of vimentin, α-SMA, and β-catenin were significantly increased while CD31 and E-cadherin levels were decreased in CTEPH rats (all P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in p-AMPK levels between normal control and CTEPH groups. Metformin treatment increased p-AMPK (P < 0.05) but had no significant effect on vimentin, α-SMA, CD31, E-cadherin, or β-catenin levels in control rats. Metformin treatment dose dependently decreased vimentin, α-SMA, and β-catenin levels, and increased CD31, E-cadherin, and p-AMPK levels in CTEPH rats (P < 0.05). Conclusions Metformin reduces mPAP and improves pulmonary vascular remodeling possibly through attenuating endothelial–mesenchymal transition of the pulmonary artery in CTEPH rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparent and colorless CeO2‐activated borogermanate glasses, with the nominal molar composition of 25B2O3–40GeO2–14Gd2O3–1CeO2–(20−x) BaO–xBaF2 (x = 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20), were synthesized by a melt‐quenching method in air. Their optical investigation on the transmittance, photoluminescence (excitation and emission spectra), the luminescence decay curves, as well as the temperature‐dependent Ce3+ emission are studied systematically with the gradual substitution of BaF2 for BaO. The room‐temperature photoluminescence results reveal that the emission intensity can be improved by about 2.5 times with the full substitution of BaF2 for BaO. The blue shift of the cut‐off edge, excitation and emission spectra of Ce3+‐activated borogermanate glass, and the emission intensity of Ce3+ ions as a function of temperature range in 80–500 K are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background To examine interactions between optic nerves. Methods A total of 24 Sprague-Dawley rats received unilateral intravitreal injections. The rats were equally divided into four groups: group A was administered an adeno-associated virus ( AAV) carrying an exogenous gene ( ND4; rAAV- ND4); group B, AAV carrying a green fluorescent protein ( GFP; rAAV- GFP); group C, fluorogold ( FG) nerve tracer dye; and group D, phosphate-buffered saline ( PBS) as a control. Two weeks later, GFP expression was evaluated in both retinas and optic nerves of group B rats after frozen sectioning. The presence of FG was also evaluated in group C optic nerves by fluorescent microscopy after frozen sectioning. Four weeks after injection, ND4 expression was evaluated in both eyes of groups A and D using western blotting and immunofluorescence. Results FG was observed in the optic chiasm posterior segment along the optic nerve of injected eyes. Some FG reached the anterior optic nerve of the non-injected eye. GFP fluorescence was observed only in the retina of the injected eye but not in the contralateral retina or either optic nerve. ND4 expression was significantly different between injected and non-injected eyes but not between the non-injected eyes in groups A and D. Conclusion Unilaterally injected material can reach the contralateral optic nerve through axoplasmic transport. It is possible that this the only mechanism by which the optic nerves directly communicate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Biochemistry / Turk Biyokimya Dergisi is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Borogermanate scintillating glasses with nominal composition of (70\-x)B_2O_3\-xGeO_2\-29Gd_2O_3\-1Eu_2O_3 (20\leq x \leq 45) were synthesized by melt-quenching method. Their structure and optical properties were characterized by transmittance spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), Raman spectra, excitation and emission spectra, and X-ray excited luminescence (XEL) spectra in detail. Transparency of the as-synthesized borogermanate glasses exceeds 80% in 400-800 nm regions. The cut-off edges of borogermanate glasses are in the vicinity of 308 nm, and they shift towards longer wavelength (red-shifted) with the elevated x values. Both glass density and mean molecular weight increase in a linear relationship with increasing x values. With increasing x values, the characteristic emission intensity of both Gd^3+ and Eu^3+ ions decrease progressively under 276 nm excitation, while these emission intensities seem irregular under 394 nm excitation. The strongest X-ray excited luminescence (XEL) intensity occurs at x = 35 glass sample, which is improved about 35% with comparison to the x = 20 one. Additionally, the information on glass structure is also discussed by FTIR and Raman spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT BaGd2- xO4: xEu3+ and Ba1- yGd1.79-2 yEu0.21Na3 yO4 phosphors were synthesized at 1300°C in air by conventional solid-state reaction method. Phosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra, photoluminescence (PL) spectra and thermoluminescence (TL) spectra. Optimal PL intensity for BaGd2- xO4: xEu3+ and Ba1- yGd1.79-2 yEu0.21Na3 yO4 phosphors at 276 nm excitation were found to be x = 0.24 and y = 0.125, respectively. The PL intensity of Eu3+ emission could only be enhanced by 1.3 times with incorporation of Na+ into the BaGd2O4 host. Enhanced luminescence was attributed to the flux effect of Na+ ions. However, when BaGd2O4:Eu3+ phosphors were codoped with Na+ ions, the induced defects confirmed by TL spectra impaired the emission intensity of Eu3+ ions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent publication demonstrated a non-biological CO absorption by saline-alkali soils ( A) at desert ecosystems. Still little is known about the mechanisms of A and it might be a hidden loop in the carbon cycle. Although it was separated after sterilization treatment on bare saline-alkali soils by high-temperature vapor steam method, its contributions to soil CO influx and efflux remain undiscussed. Even the separation of biological and non-biological components from measured F remains unresolved. Therefore the evaluation on the time lag between carbon dioxide influx to and efflux from bare saline-alkali soils is rather complicated and hence admits more uncertainty. This manuscript was designed to detect the time lag between carbon dioxide influx to and efflux from saline-alkali soils. We focus on bare saline-alkali soils to cut down uncertainty. Some data of this study are collected from the Tarim River Basin [87°56′E, 44°17′N; elevation: 461 m].Considering potential influence of A to CO influx and efflux, we partition F into three components, R, A and their interaction i. It is demonstrated that diurnal time lag between A and R is about 2 h. The contributions of A definitely prolongs the period of R to maximum. To our surprise, there exists a significant time lag between F and R, about 1 h, which can be merged after reconciling F as a direct sum of total CO influx and efflux. Further between-ecosystem comparisons suggest that the surprised time lag between F and R should be attributed to the contributions of A and R in i. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LiSrDySiO phosphors were synthesized at 900°C in the normal atmosphere by a solid-state method. The synthesized phosphors were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra show excitation peaks ranging from 300 to 400 nm due to the 4 f-4 f transitions of Dy. This mercury-free excitation is useful for solid-state lighting and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The predominant emission of Dy ions under 349 nm excitation is observed at 479 nm (blue) due to the F→H transitions and 572 nm (yellow) due to F→H transitions, respectively. The PL results reveal that the optimal concentration of the Dy ions in LiSrDySiO phosphors is x=0.03 mol. The nature of the resonance energy transfer for the Dy ions is confirmed by Huang's rule. Simulation of the white light excited by 349 nm near-ultraviolet (n-UV) light is also performed for its potential for white LEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the physical properties of pure tungsten and tantalum and their carbides, a layer of tungsten thin films coating three tantalum filaments at a current of 750 A was prepared by us for the first time and called tungsten coating. Diamond thick films were deposited in a hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) reactor using tantalum filaments before and after tungsten coating, respectively. The success of tungsten coating is verified by scanning electron microscopy examination of these filaments. The remarkable discrepancies in thermal conductivity, colors of diamond thick films, and electron dispersion spectroscopy of the films substantiate the success of tungsten coating, too. The effects of tungsten coating on the quality of diamond films were finally evaluated by Raman spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete mitochondrial genome sequences of Heterakis dispar were determined for the first time in present study. The lengths of mtDNA sequences of H. dispar is 13,995 bp in size, containing 12 PCGs (cox1-3, nad1-6, nad4L, atp6, and cytb), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and two non-coding regions, all genes are encoded by the same strand. The phylogenetic analysis by Bayesian inference method revealed that Ascaridiidae was closely related with Heterakidae than to other Ascaridida nematodes. In Heterakidae, H. dispar was closely related with H. gallinarum than to H. beramporia with high statistical support. The mtDNA dataset provided useful genetic markers for studying the molecular ecology, systematics, and population genetics of Ascaridida nematodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MADS-box genes are involved in various developmental processes including vegetative development, flower architecture, flowering, pollen formation, seed and fruit development. However, the function of most MADS-box genes and their regulation mechanism are still unclear in woody plants compared with model plants. In this study, a MADS-box gene (CiMADS43) was identified in citrus. Phylogenetic and sequence analysis showed that CiMADS43 is a GOA-like Bsister MADS-box gene. It was localized in the nucleus and as a transcriptional activator. Overexpression of CiMADS43 promoted early flowering and leaves curling in transgenic Arabidopsis. Besides, overexpression or knockout of CiMADS43 also showed leaf curl phenotype in citrus similar to that of CiMADS43 overexpressed in Arabidopsis. Protein–protein interaction found that a SEPALLATA (SEP)-like protein (CiAGL9) interacted with CiMADS43 protein. Interestingly, CiAGL9 also can bind to the CiMADS43 promoter and promote its transcription. Expression analysis also showed that these two genes were closely related to seasonal flowering and the development of the leaf in citrus. Our findings revealed the multifunctional roles of CiMADS43 in the vegetative and reproductive development of citrus. These results will facilitate our understanding of the evolution and molecular mechanisms of MADS-box genes in citrus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Type-specific high-risk HPV (hrHPV) infection is related to cervical carcinogenesis. The prevalence of hrHPV infection varies geographically, which might reflect the epidemiological characteristics of cervical cancer among different populations. To establish a foundation for HPV-based screening and vaccination programs in China, we investigated the most recent HPV prevalence and genotypic distributions in different female age groups and geographical regions in China.Methods: In 2012, a total of 120,772 liquid-based cytological samples from women enrolled for population- or employee-based cervical screening in 37 Chinese cities were obtained by the Laboratory of Molecular Infectious Diseases of Guangzhou KingMed. A total of 111,131 samples were tested by Hybrid Capture II and the other 9,641 were genotyped using the Tellgenplex™ HPV DNA Assay.Results: The total positive rate for hrHPV was 21.07 %, which ranged from 18.42 % (Nanchang) to 31.94 % (Haikou) and varied by region. The regions of Nanchang, Changsha, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Fuzhou, Guangdong, and Guiyang could be considered the low prevalence regions. Age-specific prevalence showed a "two-peak" pattern, with the youngest age group (15-19 years) presenting the highest hrHPV infection rate (30.55 %), followed by a second peak for the 50-60-year-old group. Overall, the most prevalent genotypes were HPV16 (4.82 %) and HPV52 (4.52 %), followed by HPV58 (2.74 %). Two genotypes HPV6 (4.01 %) and HPV11 (2.29 %) were predominant in the low-risk HPV (lrHPV) type, while the mixed genotypes HPV16 + 52 and HPV52 + 58 were most common in women with multiple infections.Conclusions: This study shows that HPV infection in China has increased to the level of an "HPV-heavy-burden" zone in certain regions, with prevalence varying significantly among different ages and regions. Data from this study represent the most current survey of the nationwide prevalence of HPV infection in China, and can serve as valuable reference to guide nationwide cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]