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The complexity of urban congestion requires policy-makers to adopt different congestion control measures that suit the characteristics of the city at the proper time. The paper focuses on the most controversial congestion pricing and offers methods to judge the efficacy of the policy by game theoretic approaches. It is found that congestion pricing is not merely a Pigouvian tax that internalizes drivers’ externalities, but also a powerful means to enhance public traffic proportion and balance road utilization on the premise of maximized social util-ity. Meanwhile, the embedded multiple case study shows that theoretical correctness of the policy is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for its effectiveness because the valid operation of the policy further requires cities to hold certain attributes in some aspects, such as econom-ic level, population density, proper pricing mechanism, and the ability to limit access to and from certain areas. Moreover, the authority should pay attention to matching the policy goal and its functions for successful implementation.

ObjectiveTo use the fetal pylorus as a reference point to conveniently display the normal fetal duodenum by ultrasound.MethodsThis study was designed in cross-section. A total of 450 healthy singleton pregnant women at 19–39 weeks of gestation who underwent prenatal screening at our hospital from January 2019 to February 2020 were selected. They were divided into three groups according to gestational weeks: the 19–23 gestational weeks group, 29–32 gestational weeks group, and 34–39 gestational weeks group. The duodenal bulb was identified. Its movement and course were continuously and dynamically observed. The descending part of the duodenum was identified, and the duodenal course was traced.ResultsThe fluid-filled in the fetal duodenum was discontinuous. The overall detection rates of the duodenum in the 19–23 gestational weeks group, 29–32 gestational weeks group, and the 34–39 gestational weeks group were 82.2%, 26.2%, and 13.8%, respectively. The detection rates of the bulbar, descending, horizontal, and ascending parts of the duodenum were 94.4%, 58.2%, 58.0%, and 52.0%, respectively. The anatomical structures of the duodenum as a whole and the pancreas were most easily recognized in the 19–23 gestational weeks group; while in the 34–39 gestational weeks group, the bulbar part had a maximum detection rate of 98.8%, and it had the longest filling time and the shortest examination time.ConclusionThe pylorus is an ideal starting point for tracing the fetal duodenum. The overall detection rate of the fetal duodenum decreases with gestational age. The duodenal bulb is the most easily detected site.

Additional file 1: Figure S1. a-b Venn diagram of target genes related to pyrotinib-induced diarrhea treated with SBP(a). Intertarget interaction network of SBP in the treatment of pyrotinib-induced diarrhea(b). Figure S2. (a, b) GO enrichment analysis was performed on potential targets of main active ingredients from SBP against diarrhea. BP, biological processes; CC, cellular component.

Understanding the water use efficiency (WUE) and adaptation strategies of plants in high-temperature and rainy areas is essential under global climate change. The leaf carbon content (LCC) and intrinsic WUE of 424 plant samples (from 312 plant species) on Hainan Island were measured to examine their relationship with geographical and climatic factors in herbs, trees, vines and ferns. The LCC ranged from 306.30 to 559.20 mg g−1, with an average of 418.85 mg g−1, and decreased with increasing mean annual temperature (MAT). The range of intrinsic WUE was 8.61 to 123.39 μmol mol−1 with an average value of 60.66 μmol mol−1. The intrinsic WUE decreased with increasing altitude and relative humidity (RH) and wind speed (WS), but increased with increasing latitude, MAT and rainy season temperature (RST), indicating that geographical and climatic factors affect the intrinsic WUE. Stepwise regression suggested that in tropical regions with high temperature and humidity, the change in plant intrinsic WUE was mainly driven by WS. In addition, the main factors affecting the intrinsic WUE of different plant functional types of plants are unique, implying that plants of different plant functional types have distinctive adaptive strategies to environmental change. The present study may provide an insight in water management in tropical rainforest.

Rationale: Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a clinically asymptomatic clonal plasma cell or lymphoplasmacytic proliferative disorder. Recently, some case reports have described the association of pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) with MGUS, even with a relatively low monoclonal immunoglobulin burden. T large granular lymphocyte leukemia (T-LGLL) is a chronic lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by clonal expansion of T large granular lymphocytes, which is rare in China. There are some reports about T-LGL leukemia in patients with B-cell lymphoma; however, it is very rare that T-LGLL coexists with MGUS and clonal B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (CB-LPD). Patient concerns: A 77-year-old man was hospitalized because of anemia. He was diagnosed with MGUS, CB-LPD, and PRCA. During the development of the disease, a group of abnormal T lymphocytes was detected by flow cytometry of peripheral blood. Diagnosis: Combining clinical manifestations with the result of T cell receptor gene rearrangement and immunophenotype, it was consistent with the diagnosis of T large granular lymphocyte leukemia. Interventions: The patient was treat with bortezomib and dexamethasone regimen, Rituximab and sirolimus. Outcomes: The patient was transfusion independent after therapies. Lessons: We report a patient with 4 concomitant hematological disorders: T-LGLL, MGUS, CB-LPD, and PRCA, aiming to represent the clinical and flow cytometry characteristics of these concomitant diseases, analyze the mechanism between diseases, and provide a clinical reference.

Quinclorac (QNC) is a persistent, highly selective, hormonal herbicide of low toxicity. QNC accumulates in soil and affects the growth and development of crops planted subsequent to its application. In this study, we isolated and screened a QNC-degrading bacterial strain, strain D, from rice paddy soil. Morphological analysis, physiological and biochemical tests, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing led us to identify strain D as a Cellulosimicrobium cellulans strain. We investigated the characteristics of strain D in relation to QNC degradation. Under optimal culture conditions, the QNC degradation rate was 45.9% after 21 days of culture. QNC degradation by strain D in the field was modeled and quantified by a pot experiment. The results show that strain D promotes rice growth and degrades QNC. This research has identified a new bacterial species that degrades QNC, providing a foundation for further research into QNC remediation. IMPORTANCE QNC-degrading bacteria have been isolated from different environments, but there are no reports of Cellulosimicrobium cellulans strains that degrade QNC. In this study, a previously unidentified bacterial strain that degrades QNC, strain D, was screened from paddy soil. The characteristics of strain D that relate to QNC degradation were investigated in detail. The results showed that strain D effectively degraded QNC. Two degradation products of QNC formed by strain D that have not been reported previously, i.e., 3-pyridylacetic acid (m/z 138.0548) and 3-ethylpyridine (m/z 108.0805), were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry. Strain D has the capacity to degrade QNC in a QNC-polluted paddy.

An electrochemical N-acylation of carboxylic acids with amines was reported. The sustainable TBAB electrocatalysis proceeded with excellent chemoselectivity and positional selectivity, and with ample scope, allowing electrochemical N-acylation under mild reaction conditions at room temperature in water. Moreover, the synthetic utility of the current method is demonstrated by the synthesis of melatonin.

Additional file 1: Table S1. The effect of DAPA on blood pressure detected by cardiac hemodynamic monitoring and non-invasive tail-cuff system respectively in normal and Ang II-infused rats treated with vehicle or DAPA.

Low-abundance proteins (LAPs) play a very important role in interaction, regulation, and metabolism of plant biological processes. A combinatorial peptide ligand library (CPLL) can solve the problem of high-abundance proteins (HAPs) masking LAPs and enlarging the dynamic range of protein concentrations perfectly and be considered as one of the most advanced approaches for plant proteomics research. In this paper, a proper CPLL method to rice leaf proteins was established for the first time and 1056 proteins were identified in rice leaf extracts, and 624 (59.1%) LAPs were newly detected after CPLL. Based on this technology, we detected the response of rice to Cd stress and analyzed the differential LAPs and the biological significance of misexpressed proteins before and after Cd stress by bioinformatics analysis. An important contribution has also been made to a better understanding of the complex mechanisms by which rice adapts to Cd stress. Graphical abstract.

An efficient and convenient Ni-catalyzed C–N bond formation for the synthesis of various benzimidazoles from various 2-haloanilines, aldehydes, and ammonia in a concise manner is reported. This protocol uses commercially available, nonhazardous, clean ammonia as a reaction partner instead of other nitrogen sources. Benzimidazoles, as the sole products, were obtained in high to excellent yields (up to 95%).

An efficient copper-catalyzed three-component reaction of 2-haloaniline, ammonia and aldehyde for the synthesis of benzimidazoles with 1,10-phenanthroline as the ligand has been developed. A variety of substituted benzimidazole derivatives can be obtained in yields up to 95%.

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) pollution is a serious threat to human health, so the preparation of electret films with high efficiency and low resistance capturing particulate has attracted wide attention. Herein, a strategy for the fabrication of all-polymer hybrid electret fiber membranes by electrospinning is reported based on the ethyl cellulose (EC) and polystyrene (PS). The preparation conditions of electret fiber membrane were optimized by focusing on the effect of the mass ratio of EC/PS and the spinning time on the structure, surface potential and purification performance of fiber membrane. The result showed that the fiber membrane has a low fiber diameter of 572 ± 113 nm and porosity of 82.4%, and a better potential stability when the EC/PS mass ratio was 2.5/1 and the spinning time was 10 min. As a result of the enhanced effect of electrostatic attraction on particle capture, the EC/PS composite electret membrane could make the purification efficiency of PM2.5 reach to100% within 11 min. Moreover, the EC/PS composite electret membrane has the properties of ultra-light base weight of 1.08 g·m−2, low air resistance of 28 Pa and long service life. Therefore, the all-polymer EC/PS electret nanofiber membranes have broad application prospects in the field of air purification.

Conventional water-based foam decontaminants used for the removal of radionuclides lose their efficacy in winter at temperatures below 0 °C. To address this problem, an antifreeze foam, with characteristics of good stability, high decontamination efficiency, less liquid waste generation, and excellent biodegradability, was developed using a biomass-based surfactant, a polysaccharide foam stabilizer, and an antifreeze agent. Furthermore, the surface tension, solution viscosity, foam stability, and decontamination of simulated radionuclides on different plates of a xanthan gum (XG)-stabilized antifreeze foam at temperatures ranging from −10 °C to 10 °C were investigated. Especially, the bulk-phase performance and stabilizing mechanism of the antifreeze foam were analyzed. Compared with the antifreeze foam without stabilizer, the half-life of the XG-stabilizing foam increases from 30.5 min to 2785 min, and the initial drainage time increases from 5 min to 383.5 min at −10 °C, which considerably extends the decontamination time and is conducive to improving the decontamination efficiency. Furthermore, the foam stability and bulk viscosity of the foam solution at a low shear rate exhibited a significant positive correlation. As a result, with decreasing the temperature, the viscosity of the XG-stabilized antifreeze foam solution increased leading to a better stability of foam at a lower temperature. The stabilizing mechanism of the XG stabilizer would possibly be the rigid chain structure of the XG molecule, which could lightly resist the contraction and bending of the molecular chain caused by Na+ originated from the surfactant sodium alpha-olefin sulfonate (AOS) and H+ originated from acidic chelator citric acid (CA) in the decontamination foam. Another probable stabilizing mechanism would be that the electrostatic repulsion generated by the negatively charged groups on the XG molecular chains could prevent the molecular aggregation and precipitation. Moreover, surface decontamination results revealed that the XG-stabilized antifreeze foam can remove >90% of the radionuclide contamination physically attached to surfaces of glass, stainless steel, white paint, green paint, and tile plate below 0 °C. Therefore, the antifreeze foam detergent exhibits good application potential for the decontamination of surface radioactive contamination in winter due to its excellent stability, high decontamination efficiency, and biodegradability.

Background Plant glutathione S-transferases (GSTs, EC 2.5.1.18) are multifunctional enzymes involved in heavy metal cellular detoxification by conjugating the tripeptide (g-Glu-Cys-Gly) glutathione to heavy metals. Previous studies demonstrated that individual rice GSTs were differentially induced by heavy metal exposure at the mRNA transcript level. However, little information is available concerning changes in protein concentration of rice GSTs under heavy metal stress. Because the correlation between changes in protein concentration and gene expression under abiotic stress is poor, direct determination of rice GSTs protein concentrations during cadmium (Cd) exposure is a more effective and reliable approach to explore possible mechanisms of rice Cd translocation and accumulation. Results This study established an optimized and advanced liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS)-based targeted proteomics assay for quantification of OsGSTF14 and OsGSTU6 proteins in Cd-stressed rice roots. The tryptic signature peptides were chosen as surrogate analytes and winged peptides containing the isotope-labeled signature peptides were used as the internal standards. The signature peptides exhibited good linearity in the range of 0.6–60 and 0.3–30 nM, respectively. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 4.5 and 14.5 µg/g for OsGSTF14, respectively, and 2.1 and 7.0 µg/g for OsGSTU6. The spiking recoveries rates at low, medium and high levels were in the range of 72.5–93.4%, with intra- and inter-day precisions of 5.5–9.1 and 4.2–10.2%, respectively. Conclusions The assay successfully quantified the temporal and dose responses of OsGSTF14 and OsGSTU6 proteins in Cd-stressed rice roots, with good accuracy, precision and high-throughput. This assay will have significant application in developing quantification methods of other proteins in Cd-stressed rice, which may provide more insight into the mechanisms of Cd translocation and accumulation in rice. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13007-017-0214-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor of the lung, also known as clear cell “sugar” tumor, is a rare benign tumor arising from perivascular epithelioid cells. Herein, we present a case of spindle cell subtype of pulmonary perivascular epithelioid cell tumor with prominent calcification and malignant potential in a 49‐year‐old woman. Histologically, the striking feature of this lesion was attributed to the presence of spindle cells arranged in a diffuse pattern, which is a pitfall for diagnosis. However, some of the lesion contained polygonal tumor cells with clear abundant cytoplasm surrounded by thin‐walled vascular spaces. The size of the tumor and its Ki‐67 index suggested malignant potential, and calcification was another rare characteristic. Immunostaining indicated that the tumor cells were positive not only for HMB‐45 and Melan A, but also for CD34 and CD1a. This tumor should be distinguished from tumors with rich spindle cells such as sarcoma, clear cell carcinoma, or metastatic tumors. The patient in this case was alive with no tumor recurrence or metastasis six months after lobectomy.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is a serious widespread environmental problem that not only destroys the microbial ecology of soil and decreases crop production, but also poses a serious risk to human health. Many methods have been used for the remediation of Cd pollution but none of these is totally satisfactory. Microbial remediation strategies have attracted increasing interest since they are environmentally friendly and cost-effective. In the present study, three Cd-resistant bacteria were isolated and evaluated for potential application in Cd bioremediation. Based on their morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics, together with 16S rDNA gene sequence analyses, bacteria were identified as Stenotrophomonas acidaminiphila (2#), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9#) and Delftia tsuruhatensis (12#). Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed very high tolerance to metals, especially Cd (2200mg/L), Zn (1800mg/L) and Pb (1200mg/L), and is thought to be a multi-metal-resistant bacterium. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was also sensitive to 13 different antibiotics. The effects of the bacterial strains on the growth of rice plants and their ability to reduce Cd accumulation from Cd-contaminated soils in pot experiments were also evaluated. For Oryza sativa L. A grown in contaminated soil (3mg/kg Cd), the accumulation of Cd was decreased by 31.2 and 25.5% in brown rice and polished rice, respectively, by strain 9#; Pseudomonas aeruginosa was more effective in reducing Cd accumulation in rice grains than a mixture of strains. For Oryza sativa L. B, a mixture of strains acting synergistically was more effective than a single strain in reducing Cd accumulation; treatment with mixed strains (strains+3mg/kg Cd) resulted in 41.3, 35.9, and 32.6% reductions in Cd accumulation in unhulled rice, brown rice and polished rice, respectively. Although different results were obtained for two rice varieties, it can still be concluded that Cd-resistant bacteria are suitable for reducing Cd accumulation in rice grains and show potential for bioremediation of Cd-contaminated soils.

The flower-like porous In2O3 pompon assembled from two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets was synthesized through a simple thiourea-assistant hydrothermal method following the annealed process. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images manifest that the In2O3 pompon possesses a clear porous structure with a nanosheet thickness of about 37.5 nm. Further, we compare the performance of intermediate products (In2S3, In2S3/In2O3) and In2O3 nanostructures as ethanol detection gas sensors. The fabrication of In2O3-based sensors exhibits enhanced ethanol sensing performance than that of In2S3/In2O3-based and In2S3-based sensors, which is mainly attributed to more chemical oxygen and oxygen vacancies on the material surface. The In2O3-based sensors for ethanol detection revealed a wide linear range from 2 ppm to 100 ppm, meanwhile the corresponding detection limits (LOD) as low as ~0.4 ppm at 260 °C. And the In2O3-based sensors also exhibit superior repeatability and reliable selectivity. The simple fabrication strategy of 2D nanosheets-assembled flower-like In2O3 porous pompon may facilitate other ethanol gas sensors production and other 2D metal oxide semiconductor materials-based sensors preparation.

The aims of this study had been to classify the superior angle of the scapula based on morphological features, and to investigate its correlation with the suprascapular notch. 303 samples of Chinese dried scapular specimens were collected from the Department of anatomy, Southwest Medical University. According to the anatomical morphological characteristics of the superior angle of the scapula, the morphological classification was performed to explore its correlation with the suprascapular notch (SSN). The superior angle of the scapula was classified into three types (Hilly shape, Mountain Peak shape and Chimney shape). There were 143 cases of Hilly shape (47.20%), 144 cases of Mountain shape (47.52%), and 16 cases of Chimney shape (5.28%). The angle of Hilly shape (93.36° ± 7.76°) was significantly larger than the Mountain Peak shape (86.60° ± 6.61°) and the Chimney shape (86.22° ± 7.20°), and the difference was statistically significant (P

In this work, we propose a new approach to create striped patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) under the circumstance that grooved patterned sapphire substrate technology exhibits more potential to reduce dislocation density in GaN (gallium nitride) epilayers. The striped grooves of patterned sapphire substrate are ablated by femtosecond laser. After the process of metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method, the c-plane GaN epitaxial layers grown on striped PSS have larger crystallite size, which brings much less crystal boundary. There is much less compressive stress between the GaN crystals which improves the smoothness and compactness of GaN epilayers. This result demonstrates a significant improvement in the crystallinity of the c-plane GaN epitaxial layers grown on striped PSS.

This paper is dedicated to studying the following elliptic system of Hamiltonian type: $$\left\{ \begin{array}{ll} -\varepsilon^2\triangle u+u+V(x)v=Q(x)F_{v}(u, v), \ \ \ \ x\in \mathbb{R}^N,\\ -\varepsilon^2\triangle v+v+V(x)u=Q(x)F_{u}(u, v), \ \ \ \ x\in \mathbb{R}^N,\\ |u(x)|+|v(x)| \rightarrow 0, \ \ \mbox{as} \ |x|\rightarrow \infty, \end{array}\right. $$ where $N\ge 3$, $V, Q\in \mathcal{C}(\mathbb{R}^N, \mathbb{R})$, $V(x)$ is allowed to be sign-changing and $\inf Q > 0$, and $F\in \mathcal{C}^1(\mathbb{R}^2, \mathbb{R})$ is superquadratic at both $0$ and infinity but subcritical. Instead of the reduction approach used in [Calc Var PDE, 2014, 51: 725-760], we develop a more direct approach -- non-Nehari manifold approach to obtain stronger conclusions but under weaker assumptions than these in [Calc Var PDE, 2014, 51: 725-760]. We can find an $\varepsilon_0>0$ which is determined by terms of $N, V, Q$ and $F$, then we prove the existence of a ground state solution of Nehari-Pankov type to the coupled system for all $\varepsilon\in (0, \varepsilon_0]$.

Ustilaginoidea (U.) virens grows on rice grains and leads to significant rice yield losses in most of the major rice producing areas. Meanwhile, ustiloxins produced by U. virens are a serious hazard to human health and ecological safety of farmlands. The other key point is that ustiloxins have been regarded as a novel resource with their potential in the treatment of cancers. There is no better way to extract ustiloxins than from pure culture of the high ustilotoxin-producing strains. U. virens has become a key research organism. However, due to the presence of some interference components, it is a certain difficulty in the successful isolation of the strain from the false smut balls. We present here a detailed study based on the separation, screening and identification of high ustiloxins-producing strains of U. virens. Through this study, we got a satisfactory success rate of separation and provided a good solution to the problem of separation. At the same time, this study provides quality resources for researchers interested in ustiloxins as anticancer agents.

Nanopores have emerged as a powerful, label-free single molecule biosensor based on resistive pulse sensing. Nanopipettes, a sub-type of solid-state nanopores, exhibit several advantages, including easy and low-cost fabrication, good mechanical stability and easy routes for integration with other sensors. In this thesis, nanopipettes were used for single molecule sensing of proteins which play key roles in human diseases. In the first part, DNA-aptamer functionalised gold nanoparticles were used as carriers for single molecule protein sensing. High levels of selectivity were achieved, enabling effective detection of the target in a protein mixture. Furthermore, the larger dimension and decreased charge of the gold nanoparticle-aptamer/protein complex compared with the pure protein contributed to improved signal-to-noise ratios and enhanced event rates. Nanopores were subsequently employed to probe the heterogeneous protein aggregation, which is highly related to human neuro-degenerative diseases. The nanopore sensor was able to characterise the behaviours of different species of lysozyme aggregates during the seeded polymerisation, revealing the microscopic process occurring to 1% seed fibrils. Fragmentation of the seed fibrils was observed at a short time scale not previously reported, revealing the pathogenic mechanism of protein aggregations in human diseases. Attention was finally shifted to the subtle changes occurring to proteins during folding and drug binding. The effect of two actin-binding drugs was studied with the nanopore sensor, elucidating the different action modes that prevent the filamentation of actin. Furthermore, nanopipettes were employed, for the first time to our knowledge, to study the folding landscape of proteins, revealing the conformational states and transient intermediates of actin with urea incubation. In summary, different species of proteins were studied using nanopores with single molecule resolution. From selective protein sensing to macromolecular protein aggregation, subtle protein folding and drug binding, nanopores have proven their potential in early diagnostics, drug discovery and therapeutics. Open Access

This paper is dedicated to studying the following elliptic system of Hamiltonian type: $$\left\{ \begin{array}{ll} -\varepsilon^2\triangle u+u+V(x)v=Q(x)F_{v}(u, v), \ \ \ \ x\in \mathbb{R}^N,\\ -\varepsilon^2\triangle v+v+V(x)u=Q(x)F_{u}(u, v), \ \ \ \ x\in \mathbb{R}^N,\\ |u(x)|+|v(x)| \rightarrow 0, \ \ \mbox{as} \ |x|\rightarrow \infty, \end{array}\right. $$ where $N\ge 3$, $V, Q\in \mathcal{C}(\mathbb{R}^N, \mathbb{R})$, $V(x)$ is allowed to be sign-changing and $\inf Q > 0$, and $F\in \mathcal{C}^1(\mathbb{R}^2, \mathbb{R})$ is superquadratic at both $0$ and infinity but subcritical. Instead of the reduction approach used in [Calc Var PDE, 2014, 51: 725-760], we develop a more direct approach -- non-Nehari manifold approach to obtain stronger conclusions but under weaker assumptions than these in [Calc Var PDE, 2014, 51: 725-760]. We can find an $\varepsilon_0>0$ which is determined by terms of $N, V, Q$ and $F$, then we prove the existence of a ground state solution of Nehari-Pankov type to the coupled system for all $\varepsilon\in (0, \varepsilon_0]$.

Porous zirconium alginate beads as a novel adsorbent were prepared for fluoride removal and characterized by SEM, FTIR, TG, EDX and XPS. The effect of solution pH, adsorbent dose, initial fluoride concentration, contact time, medium temperature and the coexisting ions on adsorption capacity of fluoride ion has been studied. The presence of HCO3−, SO42− and PO43− had a large negative impact on fluoride removal. The kinetics of fluoride ion adsorption onto porous zirconium alginate was followed the pseudo-second-order with correlation of 0.9953. The isotherm data were well fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model and the maximum capacity was 32.797 mg g−1. The values of ΔH0, ΔS0 and ΔG0 were calculated and the results indicated that the process of fluoride adsorption was exothermic and spontaneous. The comparison between porous zirconium alginate and other adsorbents suggested that porous zirconium alginate beads possessed a potential for fluoride removal.

The replication enzyme of RNA viruses must preferentially recognize their RNAs in an environment that contains an abundance of cellular RNAs. The factors responsible for specific RNA recognition are not well understood, in part because viral RNA synthesis takes place within enzyme complexes associated with modified cellular membrane compartments. Recombinant RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRps) from the human norovirus and the murine norovirus (MNV) were found to preferentially recognize RNA segments that contain the promoter and a short template sequence for subgenomic RNA synthesis. Both the promoter and template sequence contribute to stable RdRp binding, accurate initiation of the subgenomic RNAs and efficient RNA synthesis. Using a method that combines RNA crosslinking and mass spectrometry, residues near the template channel of the MNV RdRp were found to contact the hairpin RNA motif. Mutations in the hairpin contact site in the MNV RdRp reduced MNV replication and virus production in cells. This work demonstrates that the specific recognition of the norovirus subgenomic promoter is through binding by the viral RdRp.

Sulfur (S) fertilizer application in rice (Oryza sativa L.) is crucial in determining rice grain productivity and quality. However, little information is available concerning the effect of S supply on cadmium (Cd) uptake and translocation in rice. In this study, both hydroponic and soil experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of S supply on Cd accumulation in rice under two Cd levels (0 and 50 μM), combined with three S concentrations (0, 2.64 and 5.28 mM). The moderate and excessive S supply (2.64 and 5.28 mM) tended to increase plant growth, root length, root and shoot dry weights of rice seedlings, and significantly decreased Cd concentrations in rice plants and grains in the absence or presence of Cd. The subcellular distribution and chemical forms of Cd in roots and shoots also varied with S supply levels. The decreased Cd uptake and translocation in rice grains could be ascribed to the enhanced formation of iron (Fe) plaque on the root surfaces and increased Cd chelation and vacuolar sequestration in roots, since Fe, Mn concentrations in Fe plaque, glutathione and phytochelatins contents, as well as phytochelatin synthase (OsPCS) and tonoplast heavy metal ATPase (OsHMA3) expressions in roots significantly increased with increased S supply. This work provides more insight into the mechanisms of Cd uptake and translocation in rice, and will be helpful for developing strategies to reduce rice grain Cd through S fertilizer application in Cd-contaminated soil.

Nickel (Ni) concentrations in milled rice obtained from China and their variations among different provinces and varieties, as well as associated health risks, were investigated. Results showed that the mean Ni concentration in milled rice was 0.49 ± 0.51 mg/kg, which was much higher than reported in United Kingdom, French and Iranian cereals. There were significant variations (P

Ustiloxins are cyclopeptide mycotoxins produced by the pathogenic fungus Ustilaginoidea virens of rice false smut. Quantification of ustiloxins is essential to assess the food safety of rice infected by rice false smut disease. This paper describes a sensitive method for the simultaneous quantification of ustiloxins A, B, C, D and F in rice grains using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Since notable matrix enhancement effects (21%-78%) occurred for all of the target analytes (except for ustiloxin A), several solid phase extraction materials were tested for their ability to retain ustiloxins from aqueous solutions prior to the LC-MS/MS analysis, including C18 sorbents, polymer anion exchange sorbents resin (PAX), and polymer cation exchange resin (PCX). The PCX resin was adopted due to its higher extraction capability and selectivity for all targets compared to others, and in this case, almost no matrix effects (-5% to 8%) were observed for all of the ustiloxins monitored. The developed method reached limits of quantification of 0.2-2ngg-1, and linearity was statistically verified over two orders of magnitude with regression coefficients (R2)>0.991. The mean recoveries were from 85% to 109%, and the inter-day precisions (n=11) were less than 16%, with intra-day precisions (n=6) within 12%. Analysis of samples showed that ustiloxin A was the dominant species, with the content ranging from 5.5 to 273.8ngg-1, followed by ustiloxin B (≤88.7ngg-1), while concentrations of ustiloxins C, D and F were slightly lower (≤43.2ngg-1). To our knowledge, this is the first report on the determination and analysis of five ustiloxins simultaneously in a single analysis.

An improved phase-measuring deflectometry (PMD) is presented for the aspheric surfaces test. We explore this method from the Ronchi test in a reverse way. With this concept, a camera aperture is placed near the center of curvature of the test mirror, and fringes are displayed on a liquid crystal display screen. The fringes reflected off the test mirror are observed by the camera. By analyzing the captured fringes, the deviations of the test mirror from its ideal shape are obtained and the aspheric surface under test is reconstructed. Compared with traditional PMD, this method needs only to determine reflected rays and doesn't need to know the corresponding incident rays by calibrations, moving screen, or approximation. Both a computer simulation and preliminary experiment have been carried out to demonstrate the validity of the improved PMD. This improved PMD provides a new tool to measure aspheric surfaces quantitatively in full field for optical manufacturing.

A sensitive method was developed for the simultaneous identification of five ustiloxins in the false smut balls of rice by high performance liquid chromatography-linear ion trap/orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-LTQ/Orbitrap MS). The samples were extracted with deionized water under ultrasonic condition for 10 min, then purified by a strong cation exchange column (PCX). The ustiloxins were separated on an Xselect HSS T3 column (150 mm x 2.1 mm, 3.5 μm) by using 0.1% (v/v) formic acid water solution and methanol as mobile phases with gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The full scan range was m/z 200-1 000. The confirmatory analysis of the target compounds was carried out by the accurate mass of quasi-molecular ion, isotope abundance ratio and qualitative fragments. The results showed that the five ustiloxins (A, B, C, D and F) were identified from the false smut balls with mass accuracy less than 1 x 10(-6) (1 ppm) and the absolute values of the deviation of isotope abundance ratio were not more than 3.3%. The product ions were consistent with the theoretical fragment mode. The recoveries were 90% to 105%. This method is accurate and sensitive for the simultaneous identification of the five ustiloxins, which can provide technical means for the research of the ability in toxin producing by Ustilaginodea virens.

A high-throughput method was developed using liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the profiling and quantification of 43 phytohormones and their major metabolites, including auxins, abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, cytokinins and gibberellins in a single sample extract. Considerable matrix effects (MEs) were observed (with most ME values in the range of 29%-84%, but maximum MEs of more than 115%, even up to 206%, existed) in sample extracts for most of the compounds studied. The application of the proposed binary solid-phase extraction using polymer anion and polymer cation exchange resins, was performed to purify 25 acidic and 18 alkaline phytohormones and their major metabolites prior to the LC-MS/MS analysis, which markedly reduced the MEs to acceptable levels, with ME values in the range of ±15%. Moreover, all of the isomers of cytokinins and their metabolites were fully separated on a sub-2μm particle C18 reverse-phase column with the optimized mobile phase consisting of methanol and 5mM ammonium formate. The method showed good linearity for all 43 analytes with regression coefficients (R(2))>0.991. Limits of detection ranged from 0.19 to 7.57 fmol for auxin, gibberellins, abscisic acid and their metabolites, 29.7 fmol for jasmonic acid, 18.1 fmol for salicylic acid, and from 0.03 to 0.31 fmol for cytokinins and their metabolites. The mean recoveries for all of the analytes were from 70.7 to 118.5%, and the inter-day precisions (n=6) were less than 18.7%, with intra-day precisions (n=6) within 25.4%. Finally, 20 compounds were successfully quantified in rice sample profiles using the proposed method, which will greatly facilitate the understanding of hormone-related regulatory networks that influence rice growth and development. To our knowledge, there are limited reports that measure this level of phytohormone species in rice samples using a single analysis.

Cress(Lepidium sativum L.) seed germination test is an internationally recognized method for evaluating the maturity of biosolids.However the cress seed is not available in China and needs import from foreign countries.In order to screen out vegetable seeds native in China and sensitive to the phyto-toxicity of treated municipal sewage sludge,17 species of vegetable seeds from 5 families were used to test the germination index of composted or phyto-treated sewage sludge in comparison with the cress seed.The preliminary tests with non-matured sludge composts,which were co-composted with wood chips for 12,26 and 40 days,showed that there were significant difference between the seeds of 6 species and the cress seed towards to the sludge composts according to the paired T-test,while the seeds of Brassica parachinensis Bailey(Cultivar: Youqing Sijiu),Brassica campestris Pekinensis and Brassica oleracea L.(Cultivar: Jingfeng-1) were rather sensitive to the phyto-toxicity,rather similar to the cress seed and classified in a same group according to the cluster analysis of the germination indexes.Further tests with phyto-treated sludges including matured and non-matured samples showed that B.campestris and B.oleracea were significantly different to the cress,only B.parachinensis did not exhibit significant difference to the cress seed.The germination indexes of B.parachinensis were significantly correlated(R2=0.7465) with those of the cress.When the cress seed germination index is 0.50,which signifies fairly matured of the compost sample,the corresponding value of B.parachinensis was 0.53,the two values were rather similar.Therefore,this native vegetable seed can replace the cress seed for evaluating the maturity of the biosolids.

UNLABELLED: All members of the Caliciviridae family of viruses produce a subgenomic RNA during infection. The subgenomic RNA typically encodes only the major and minor capsid proteins, but in murine norovirus (MNV), the subgenomic RNA also encodes the VF1 protein, which functions to suppress host innate immune responses. To date, the mechanism of norovirus subgenomic RNA synthesis has not been characterized. We have previously described the presence of an evolutionarily conserved RNA stem-loop structure on the negative-sense RNA, the complementary sequence of which codes for the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (NS7). The conserved stem-loop is positioned 6 nucleotides 3' of the start site of the subgenomic RNA in all caliciviruses. We demonstrate that the conserved stem-loop is essential for MNV viability. Mutant MNV RNAs with substitutions in the stem-loop replicated poorly until they accumulated mutations that revert to restore the stem-loop sequence and/or structure. The stem-loop sequence functions in a noncoding context, as it was possible to restore the replication of an MNV mutant by introducing an additional copy of the stem-loop between the NS7- and VP1-coding regions. Finally, in vitro biochemical data suggest that the stem-loop sequence is sufficient for the initiation of viral RNA synthesis by the recombinant MNV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, confirming that the stem-loop forms the core of the norovirus subgenomic promoter. IMPORTANCE: Noroviruses are a significant cause of viral gastroenteritis, and it is important to understand the mechanism of norovirus RNA synthesis. Here we describe the identification of an RNA stem-loop structure that functions as the core of the norovirus subgenomic RNA promoter in cells and in vitro. This work provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of norovirus RNA synthesis and the sequences that determine the recognition of viral RNA by the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.

The effect of Mn addition on the magnetic properties and microstructure of exchange coupled Nd 2 Fe 14 B/α-Fe nanocomposites magnets was investigated. The results show that, for nanocomposite NdFeB, the manganese addition can promote crystallization and enhance both coercivity and remanence ratio. Thermomagnetic analysis (TMA) showed that the Mn doping reduces the Curie temperature ( T c ) of the Nd 2 Fe 14 B phase and raises that of α-Fe phase. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) shows an increase of disorder degree around Fe atoms with increasing Mn doping content for as-spun samples. Nevertheless, similar to the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), after annealing, the effect of Mn doping on the EXAFS results almost disappeared. Hysteresis loops after zero-field cooling (ZFC) and field cooling (FC) shows that there is an exchange bias between the Fe–Mn alloy and the magnetic phases. The results of TMA and exchange bias are explained in terms of two roles of the doping Mn element: ferromagnetism at high temperature and antiferromagnetism at low temperature.

A novel microcalorimetric technique based on the bacterial heat output was applied to evaluate the special growth model, the protein expression and the generation time of Bacillus thuringiensis for the first time. The thermogenic curves of the aerobic metabolism of B. thuringiensis strains YBT-833, YBT-1520 and YBT-833-2-1 were determined by using an LKB-2277 BioActivity Monitor. The analysis of the thermogenic curves indicated both the mutant strain and the wild-type strains followed the same linear growth model during sporulation. The metabolism heat output revealed heat output was correlated to the yield of the insecticidal crystal proteins (ICPs) very well, the more protein product, and the less heat output. Based on the data acquired, we proposed that this method could be a useful tool in monitoring the fermentation of B. thuringiensis.

The Tenth International Symposium on Mitigation of Geo-disasters in Asia. Kyoto Symposium. Place: Uji Campus, Kyoto University. Date: 7 October 2012

Based on classical quaternary constacyclic linear codes, we construct a set of quantum codes with parameters [[(4/sup m/ -1)/3, (4/sup m/ -1)/3 -2(3l + b)m, 4l + b + 2]] where m/spl ges/4, 1/spl les/b/spl les/3, and 12l + 3b < 2 /spl times/ 4/sup /spl lfloor/(m+2)/3/spl rfloor//-1, which are better than the codes in Bierbrauer and Edel (2000).

Thermoplastic of carboxy methyl cellulose graft methyl acrylate (CMC-g-MA) using ammonium per sulfate (APS) as an initiator was carried out in an aqueous solution. The percentage grafting percentage (%G) is affected by increasing reaction time, concentration of monomer and initiator, and reaction temperature. These graft copolymers were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry. Experiments showed that the optimal conditions for grafting were: ammonium per sulfate of 150 mg, methyl acrylate of 40 mL, reaction time of 4 hour and temperature of 70 iaC.

The performance of low-cost adsorbent such as raw rice husk (RRH) fixed bed column in removing Pb2+from aqueous solution are studied in this work. Different column design parameters like bed height, flow rate and initial concentration are calculated. It is found that bed height, flow rate and initial concentration were important parameters for evaluating the efficiency of sorbents in continuous treatment process of effluents on pilot or industrial scale. The dynamics of adsorption process is modeled by bed depth service time (BDST), and indicating the validity of BDST model when applied to the continuous column studies.

The adsorption performance of aminoalky cellulose (AmAC) for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) was investigated in afixed bed column. The fixed bed column parameters such as bed height, flow rate, influent TNT concentration were studied by a series of dynamic adsorption experiments. The result showed AmAC was an effective adsorbent for removal of TNT, and the equilibrium uptake increased from 27.76 to 36.18 mg/g when the bed height increased from 4.5 to 7.3 cm at flow rate of10mL/min and influent TNT concentration of20mg/L. The equilibrium uptake decreased from38.01 to 22.03 mg/L with increasing of flow rate from 10 to 20 mL/min. As influent concentration increased from 20 to 80 mg/L, the equilibrium uptake increased from 31.69 to 52.20 mg/g. The minimum column height of 2.3 cm was calculated by the bed depth service time (BDST) at flow rate of 10 mL/min and influent TNT concentration of20mg/L.

We compare the non-photonic electron and $D^{0}$ meson $p_{T}$ distributions measured at RHIC with the PYTHIA Monte Carlo event generator in p+p collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV. A delta fragmentation function much harder than the Peterson function, consistent with recombination scheme for charm meson formation, is needed to match the experimental data. Attempts to fit the non-photonic electrons at high $p_{T}$ show large uncertainties and the $B$ meson semi-leptonic decays may not be dominant for electron $p_{T}$ up to 8 GeV/c. Correlations of non-photonic electrons with charged hadrons are studied. We propose an experimental method to quantitatively determine the relative contributions of $D$ and $B$ meson semi-leptonic decays to the non-photonic electrons., Comment: revised version with modified title, refined figures and more references added

We present a study of charmed hadron transverse momentum distribution from p+p collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV using the PYTHIA Monte Carlo event generator. The PHENIX tuned PYTHIA parameter set based on electron measurements alone yields a $D$ meson $p_{T}$ distribution softer than the preliminary STAR experimental data from d+Au collisions scaled by the number of binary collisions. In order to match the STAR $p_{T}$ spectrum, the higher order QCD effects in PYTHIA have to be taken into account, and a fragmentation function of charm quarks much harder than the default Peterson function is needed. Electrons from beauty quark semi-leptonic decays are found significantly below the contribution from charm quark decays for the $p_{T}$ region up to 8 GeV/c in our modified fragmentation scheme, while in the default fragmentation scheme the B decay electrons dominate at $p_{T}$ above 4 GeV/c. We propose an experimental measurement of electron and charged hadron correlation to differentiate these scenarios., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 table