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

The evolution of fermentation technology was outlined, offering a comprehensive overview using the skincare industry as a case study/illustrative model. With the integration of various scientific disciplines and the application of emerging technologies, it discusses the diverse purposes, developmental phases, techniques, and prototypical fermentation products presented in various historical contests. Fermentation can be categorized into five stages: traditional fermentation, engineered development, microbiological applications, synthetic biology, and intelligent fermentation. Furthermore, the characteristics, advantages, and effectiveness of fifth-generation fermentation technology were exphasized. Using HiMurchaSin® as an example, how fifth-generation fermentation technology employs a mechanistic exploration guided by 'constituents-efficacy-targets-mechanisms,' to achieve a multi-target anti-aging effect on the skin was explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wenzhou has improved its environmental quality because of comprehensive environmental remediation; nevertheless, the semen quality of infertile males remains unclear. This study determined whether better environmental quality improved semen quality in this region. We recorded semen quality data from 22 962 infertile males from January 2014 to November 2019 at the Center for Reproductive Health of The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University (Wenzhou, China). Patients were predominantly 30–35 years old (33.1%) and workers (82.0%), with high school education or lower (77.6%); more than a half of the patients (52.6%) were Wenzhou household registration; and most patients (77.5%) had abnormal semen quality. Patients who were older than 40 years and workers, and those with Wenzhou household registration, had significantly worse semen quality (all P < 0.05). From 2014 to 2019, progressive sperm motility, total sperm motility, and semen volume showed increasing linear trends in all patients (P = 0.021, 0.030, and 0.005, respectively), yet normal sperm morphology showed a linearly decreasing trend (P = 0.046). Sensitivity analyses for subgroups yielded similar results. In conclusion, the improvement of environmental quality and better function of the accessory glands are associated with progressive sperm motility, total sperm motility, and semen volume. Normal sperm morphology is influenced by occupational exposures and personal lifestyle and does not improve with environmental quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic caused extensive loss of life worldwide. Further, the COVID‐19 and influenza mix‐infection had caused great distress to the diagnosis of the disease. To control illness progression and limit viral spread within the population, a real‐time reverse‐transcription PCR (RT‐PCR) assay for early diagnosis of COVID‐19 was developed, but detection was time‐consuming (4–6 h). To improve the diagnosis of COVID‐19 and influenza, we herein developed a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) method for simple and rapid amplification of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), the causative agent of COVID‐19 and Influenza A (H1N1, H3N2) and B (influenza B). Genes encoding the matrix protein (M) for H1N1, and the hemagglutinin (HA) for H3N2, and the polymerase A (PA) for Influenza B, and the nucleocapsid protein (N), the RNA‐dependent‐RNA polymerase (RdRP) in the open reading frame 1ab (ORF1ab) region, and the envelope protein (E) for SARS‐CoV‐2 were selected, and specific primers were designed. We validated our method using SARS‐CoV‐2, H1N1, H3N2 and influenza B plasmid standards and RNA samples extracted from COVID‐19 and Influenza A/B (RT‐PCR‐verified) positive patients. The method could detect SARS‐CoV‐2 plasmid standard DNA quantitatively between 102 and 105 copies/ml with a log linearity of 0.99 in 22 min. And this method also be very effective in simultaneous detection of H1N1, H3N2 and influenza B. Clinical validation of 100 cases revealed a sensitivity of 100% for differentiating COVID‐19 patients from healthy controls when the specificity was set at 90%. These results demonstrate that this nucleic acid testing method is advantageous compared with traditional PCR and other isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods in terms of time and portability. This method could potentially be used for detection of SARS‐CoV‐2, H1N1, H3N2 and influenza B, and adapted for point‐of‐care (POC) detection of a broad range of infectious pathogens in resource‐limited settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cinnamomum camphora pigment is made from Cinnamomum camphora leaves and the pericarp in the extraction of red pigment, green pigment and its derivatives, with the activities of antioxidant, antibacterial, fall blood sugar, health care function, etc..It is a kind of natural pigments which is abundant, colour diversity, non-toxic, high stability. It has great application potential and value in the fields of food, textile, pharmaceutical and beverage. In order to further study, better develop and utilize Cinnamomum camphora pigment, the research at home and abroad of Cinnamomum camphora pigment in chemical structure, physical and chemical composition, extraction method, purification and separation, functional activity and application were reviewed in recent years, and the future research direction and application prospect of this pigment were prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the trend in semen quality of infertile male patients in Wenzhou, China, based on the data obtained from 38 905 patients during 2008–2016 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University (Wenzhou, China). The results showed that only 24.9% of the patients had normal semen quality. For the semen quality of infertile male patients, that of the workers and 40-year-olds was significantly worse than the other occupational and age groups. For all the infertile patients, low semen volume, asthenozoospermia, and teratozoospermia accounted for 8.4%, 50.5%, and 54.1%, respectively. During 2008–2016, the annual mean percentage of fast forward motile spermatozoa, percentage of total forward motile spermatozoa, and percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology decreased linearly with slopes of −2.11, −2.59, and −0.70, respectively. The proportion of patients with asthenozoospermia and multi-abnormal spermatozoa increased during 2008–2016 with slopes of 4.70 and 4.87, respectively, while for low semen volume, it decreased with a slope of −0.47 in the same time period. The proportion of patients with teratozoospermia increased from 2008 to 2011 and from 2011 to 2016 with slopes of 17.10 and 2.09, respectively. In general, the deteriorating trend of semen quality of infertile male patients in Wenzhou was obvious. Future efforts should be made to reveal the adverse influences on semen quality, such as occupational exposure, environmental quality, and living habits. Furthermore, more pervasive reproduction health education is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: There is a lack of research on metastatic renal pelvis cell carcinoma in the current literature. In this study, we aimed to detect distant metastatic patterns in renal pelvis cell carcinoma, and illustrated the affection of different metastatic sites, surgery to primary site and chemotherapy on prognosis outcomes in patients with diverse conditions. Methods: We collected data between 2010 and 2015 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. Kaplan–Meier analysis with log-rank test was used for survival comparisons. Multivariate Cox regression model was employed to analyze the effect of distant metastatic sites on overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Results: A total of 424 patients were included in the analysis, the median follow-up time was 5 months (interquartile range (IQR): 2-12) and 391 deaths (92.2%) in all patients were recorded. Among them, 192 (45.3%), 153 (36.1%), 137 (32.3%) and 127 (30.0%) patients were diagnosed with lung, bone, liver and brain metastases, respectively, while only 12 (2.8%) patients had brain metastases. The bi-organ, tri-organ and tetra-organ metastatic pattern was found in 135 (31.8%), 32 (7.5%) and 11 (2.6%) patients, respectively. The multivariate Cox analyses showed that distant lymph nodes (DL) metastases was not an independent prognostic factor for both OS and CSS (OS: Hazard ratios (HR) = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.8-1.4, P = 0.622; CSS: HR = 1.0, 95% CI = 0.8-1.3, P = 0.906). Besides, there was no significant difference of survival in patients with T3-T4 stage (OS: HR = 0.8, 95% CI = 0.5–1.2, P = 0.296; CSS: HR = 0.8, 95% CI = 0.5–1.2, P = 0.224), N2-3 stage (OS: HR = 0.8, 95% CI = 0.5–1.3, P = 0.351; CSS: HR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.4–1.2, P = 0.259) and multi-organ metastases (OS: HR = 0.8, 95% CI = 0.5–1.3, P = 0.359; CSS: HR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.4–1.2, P = 0.179) between surgery to primary site group and no-surgery to primary site group. Conclusion: we described the metastatic patterns of mRPCC and the prognosis outcomes of DL metastases, surgery to primary site and chemotherapy. Our findings provide more information for clinical therapeutic intervention and translational study designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: to describe the methodology of transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy and the anatomy of the area of the verumontanum, and to determine the safety of this procedure, especially in terms of postoperative complications.Methods: This retrospective observational study enrolled 144 patients with intractable hematospermia from May 2011 and August 2019. A 4.5/6.5-Fr vesiculoscope was inserted into the seminal vesicle to deal with the positive findings. The solution of quinolones was used to rinse each seminal vesicle.Results: In this study, Transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy was successfully performed in 139 patients (96.53%). Hematospermia was alleviated or disappeared in 116 (80.56%) patients by less than half a year after surgery. Common intraoperative manifestations were hemorrhage, stones, utricle polyps and cysts. The surgical approach in our study were categorized into four types, including 24 (16.7%), 73 (50.7%), 42 (29.2%), and 5 (3.5%) cases in Type A (natural opening of the ejaculatory duct), B (trans-duct fenestration), C (trans-utricle fenestration), and D (not founded), respectively. Sexual function change was recorded in 12 patients of 111 patients, all by the method of trans-utricle fenestration, including 8 (7.21%), 3 (2.70%), and 1 (0.90%) patients in shorter intravaginal ejaculatory latency time, worse erection hardness and loss of orgasm, respectively.Conclusion: Transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy is an effective and safe procedure for the management of hematospermia. The anatomy of the distal seminal tract should be understood more deeply and Wu'method (uncover-curtain method) needs to be promoted to verify its universality and safety. Besides, the complications of the function dysfunction should be discussed in the future in multi-center clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the anti-noise performance of speech communication system in industrial field, a speech de-noise algorithm based on adaptive filtering was proposed. The algorithm improved the recursive logarithmic least mean pth algorithm, and constructed a positive definite matrix by quasi Newton method for speech de-noise. STM32F429 was taken as the control core to design the hardware of dual channel speech noise reduction system, and the adaptive filtering algorithm processing software was compiled. The experimental verification was carried out. The results show that the proposed algorithm has faster convergence speed and smaller steady-state error than these of RLLMP algorithm and RLS algorithm, which is suitable for the colored noise signal described by a stable distribution. Under the experimental conditions, the signal-noise ratio(SNR) of the de-noise speech signal received is increased by 10 dB and the speech intelligibility is increased by 0.3 on average compared with that of the noise speech signal. It illustrates that this algorithm can effectively reduce the mixed colored noise signal in speech signal and improve the quality of speech signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

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

RON (recepteur d'origine nantais) and MET (hepatocyte growth factor receptor) are tyrosine kinase receptors. Various cancers have aberrant RON and MET expression and activation, which contribute to cancer cell proliferation, invasiveness, and metastasis. Here, we explored RON and MET expression in pancreatic cancer and their relationship with overall survival (OS) time, and evaluated their significance as therapeutic targets of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in pancreatic cancer. We enrolled 227 patients with pancreatic cancer in the study. RON and MET expression was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. Four human pancreatic cancer cell lines expressing variable levels of RON or MET and four MET superfamily inhibitors (BMS777607, PHA665752, INCB28060, Tivantinib) were used. The effect of the four tyrosine kinase inhibitors on cell viability, migration, and apoptosis were determined using cell viability, scratch wound healing, and Caspase-Glo 3/7 assays. Cellular signaling was analyzed by immunoprecipitation and western blotting. The therapeutic efficacy of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors was determined with mouse xenograft pancreatic cancer models in vivo. There was wide aberrant RON and MET expression in the cancer tissues. In 227 pancreatic cancer samples, 33% had RON overexpression, 41% had MET overexpression, and 15.4% had RON and MET co-overexpression. RON and MET expression were highly correlated. RON and MET expression levels were significantly related to OS. Patients with RON and MET co-overexpression had poorer OS. BMS777607 and PHA665752 inhibited pancreatic cancer cell viability and migration, and promoted apoptosis by inhibiting RON and MET phosphorylation and further inhibiting the downstream signaling pathways in vitro. They also inhibited tumor growth and further inhibited phosphorylated (phosphor)-RON and phospho-MET expression in the mouse xenograft models in vivo effectively. INCB28060, which inhibits the MET signaling pathway alone, was not effective. RON and MET can be important indicators of prognosis in pancreatic cancer. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeting RON and MET in pancreatic cancer are a novel and potential approach for pancreatic cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ebolavirus (EBOV) life cycle involves interactions with numerous host factors, but it remains poorly understood, as does pathogenesis. Herein, we synthesized 65 siRNAs targeting host genes mostly connected with aspects of the negative-sense RNA virus life cycle (including viral entry, uncoating, fusion, replication, assembly, and budding). We produced EBOV transcription- and replication-competent virus-like particles (trVLPs) to mimic the EBOV life cycle. After screening host factors associated with the trVLP life cycle, we assessed interactions of host proteins with trVLP glycoprotein (GP), VP40, and RNA by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). The results demonstrate that RNAi silencing with 11 siRNAs (ANXA5, ARFGAP1, FLT4, GRP78, HSPA1A, HSP90AB1, HSPA8, MAPK11, MEK2, NTRK1, and YWHAZ) decreased the replication efficiency of trVLPs. Co-IP revealed nine candidate host proteins (FLT4, GRP78, HSPA1A, HSP90AB1, HSPA8, MAPK11, MEK2, NTRK1, and YWHAZ) potentially interacting with trVLP GP, and four (ANXA5, GRP78, HSPA1A, and HSP90AB1) potentially interacting with trVLP VP40. Ch-IP identified nine candidate host proteins (ANXA5, ARFGAP1, FLT4, GRP78, HSPA1A, HSP90AB1, MAPK11, MEK2, and NTRK1) interacting with trVLP RNA. This study was based on trVLP and could not replace live ebolavirus entirely; in particular, the interaction between trVLP RNA and host proteins cannot be assumed to be identical in live virus. However, the results provide valuable information for further studies and deepen our understanding of essential host factors involved in the EBOV life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

A new, reliable algorithm for nonnegative, stabilizing solutions for the periodic Riccati differential equation (PRDE) is proposed based on Fourier series expansion and the precise integration method (PIM). Taking full advantages of periodicity, we expand coefficient matrices of the underlying linear time-varying periodic Hamiltonian system associated with the PRDE in Fourier series, and a novel extended PIM for the transition matrix of linear time-varying periodic systems is developed by combining the doubling algorithm with the increment-storage technique. This method needs to compute the matrix exponential and its related integrals only once for all evenly divided subintervals, which greatly improves the computational efficiency. Further, by introducing the Riccati transformation, a fast recursive formula for the PRDE is derived based on the block form of the transition matrix computed by the extended PIM. Finally, two numerical examples are presented to verify the numerical accuracy and efficiency of the proposed algorithm with compared results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

The effect of solution treatment on the martensitic transformation behavior of a NiCoMnSn polycrystalline alloy fabricated by an arc melting method was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The examination indicates the presence of severe chemical segregation in the dendritic as-cast structure because of solidification. This chemical segregation completely impedes the intrinsic martensitic transformation. Annealing at 1223 K for 24 h is identified as the threshold annealing condition to eliminate the microstructural segregation and begin the martensitic transformation, as indicated by a broad and obscure feature. Annealing at 1273 K for 24-48 h is found to be effective at promoting notably the martensitic transformation, but the martensitic transformation exhibits a multiple-step feature. Complete homogeneity is achieved by annealing at 1273 K for 72 h, which produces a sharp, single-step martensitic transformation. The microstructural evolution and the valence electron concentrations of alloys (e/a ratio) are evaluated, which are reflective of the degree of compositional homogeneity of alloys, confirming that high annealing temperature and long holding time are vital to reveal the intrinsic martensitic behavior of this alloy. The adequately homogenized alloy displays a martensitic transformation at 292 K and an enthalpy of 11.2 J/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Interferon- β has anti-viral, anti-proliferation and multifunctional immunomodulatory activities and shows promising clinical effects for treatment of inflammatory disorders. The recombinant human interferon- β (huIFN- β) 1b was expressed in the food-grade lactic acid bacterium, Lactococcus lactis, using a nisin-controlled gene expression system. huIFN- β production from recombinant strains (with and without LEISSTCDA propeptide) was approximately 21 and 7 μg l−1, respectively. Moreover, 95% (former strain) and 88% (latter strain) of total recombinant proteins were secreted into the culture medium. The biological activities of huIFN- β from recombinant strains revealed similar antiviral activities of 107 I.U. mg−1. These results demonstrate the potential application of recombinant strains as a food grade vehicle to deliver bioactive huIFN- β in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper gives the sensitivity analysis for some scheduling problems, including the following: what are the limits to a parameter change such that the solution remain optimal? Given a specific change of a parameter, what is the new optimal cost? Given a specific change of a parameter, what is a new optimal solution? Here, the concern is mainly with the sensitivity analysis for some single-machine and flowshop scheduling problems with polynomial time algorithms. It is shown that, for these problems, the sensitivity analysis results depend on the positions of jobs with changed parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graph: Figure 3 Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and immunoblot analysis of interaction between target proteins and EBOV-trVLP glycoprotein (GP). Extracts from HEK 293T cells infected with trVLPs were incubated with antibodies recognizing candidate host proteins plus Protein G beads; pulled-down proteins were detected by western blotting using anti-GP antibody. Ebola virus life cycle, trVLPs, RNAi screening, glycoprotein, protein 40, immunoprecipitation. [Extracted from the article]

The general principles and realizations of FBG wavelength tuning with elastic beams are proposed and demonstrated. Theories and experiments show that when displacement at the center point of simple beams, deflection of cantilever beams and torsion strain of torsion beams are relatively small, Bragg wavelength shifts of sensing FBGs have linear relationship with applied external stress, lateral displacement, torque and torsional angles, respectively. The experimental results indicate that the curvature sensitivity of the simple beam is 1.65 nm/m−1, the displacement sensitivity of the equivalent-strain cantilever beam is 4.4 cm/kg and the torque and torsional angle sensitivities of the torsion beam are 6.27 nm/Nm and 0.0867 nm/degree, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pure maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles were prepared via so-called homogeneous co-precipitation method using urea and ammonia as precipitation agent for ferrous and ferric ions at ambient temperature. X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectrometer and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer revealed that the obtained product was pure γ-Fe2O3. Transmission electron microscope investigations showed the morphology of the nanoparticles were of approximate spherical shape with an average diameter of 11 nm. Magnetic measurements showed that resulting iron oxide nanopowder exhibited a characteristic ferromagnetism with a maximum saturation magnetisation of 66.83 emu/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]