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Feather performs important physiological functions in birds, and it is also one of the economic productions in goose farming. Understanding and modulating feather follicle development during embryogenesis are essential for bird biology and the poultry industry. CHIR-99021 is a potent Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activator associated with feather follicle development. In this study, goose embryos (Anser cygnoides) received an in ovo injection of CHIR-9902, which was conducted at the beginning of feather follicle development (E9). The results showed that feather growth and feather follicle development were promoted. The Wnt signaling pathway was activated by the inhibition of GSK-3β. Transcriptomic analyses showed that the transcription changes were related to translation, metabolism, energy transport, and stress in dorsal tissue of embryos that received CHIR-99021, which might be to adapt and coordinate the promoting effects of CHIR-99021 on feather follicle development. This study suggests that in ovo injection of CHIR-99021 is a potential strategy to improve feather follicle development and feather-related traits for goose farming and provides profiling of the Wnt signaling pathway and transcriptome in dorsal tissue of goose embryos for further understanding of feather follicle development.

Dietary copper intake may be associated with cognitive decline and dementia. We used data from 10,269 participants of the Atherosclerosis Risks in Communities Study to study the associations of dietary copper intake with 20-year cognitive decline and incident dementia. Dietary copper intake from food and supplements was quantified using food frequency questionnaires. Cognition was assessed using 3 cognitive tests at study visits; dementia was ascertained at study visits and via surveillance. Multiple imputation by chained equations was applied to account for the missing information of cognitive function during follow-up. Survival analysis with parametric models and mixed-effect models were used to estimate the associations for incident dementia and cognitive decline, respectively. During 20 years of follow-up (1996-1998 to 2016-2017), 1,862 incident cases of dementia occurred. Higher intake of dietary copper from food was associated with higher risk of incident dementia among those with high intake of saturated fat (hazard ratio = 1.49, 95% confidence interval: 1.04, 1.95). Higher intake of dietary copper from food was associated with greater decline in language overall (beta = -0.12, 95% confidence interval: -0.23, -0.02). Therefore, a diet high in copper, particularly when combined with a diet high in saturated fat, may increase the risk of cognitive impairment.

Purpose As radiation therapy is widely used for the management of pancreatic cancer, identifying novel targets to improve the radiosensitivity of cancer cells is beneficial. Rosiglitazone, a specific peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist, has an inhibitory effect on various types of cancer cells. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of rosiglitazone on the radiosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells and the potential mechanism. Materials and Methods PPARγ expression in pancreatic cancer and adjacent tissues was evaluated using immunohistochemistry analysis. The viability, migration and invasion ability of PANC1 and PaTu8988 cells were detected using MTT assay, scratch-wound assay and transwell invasion assay. The effect of rosiglitazone on radiosensitivity of the cells was determined using the clonogenic assay. PANC1 cells were inoculated into BALB/c mice to establish tumors. Microarray was used to investigate changes of genes involved. Results Higher PPARγ expression was demonstrated in pancreatic cancer tissues compared with para-carcinoma tissues. Rosiglitazone inhibited the cell viability and enhanced the radiation-induced anti-migration and anti-invasion effect. Rosiglitazone potentiated the radiosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells and PANC1 xenografts. Microarray analysis revealed that rosiglitazone plus radiation altered the expression of multiple genes and affected multiple pathways. Conclusion Rosiglitazone enhances the radiosensitivity of human pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo via complex mechanisms.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common fatal malignancies and the main cause of cancer-related deaths. The multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) sorafenib and regorafenib are systemic therapeutic drugs approved for the treatment of HCC. Here, we found that sorafenib and regorafenib injured mitochondria by inducing mitochondrial Ca2+ (mtCa2+) overload and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening, resulting in mitochondria-mediated cell death, which was alleviated by cyclosporin A (CsA), an inhibitor of mPTP. Meanwhile, mPTP opening caused PINK1 accumulation on damaged mitochondria, which recruited Parkin to mitochondria to induce mitophagy. Inhibition of autophagy by the lysosomal inhibitor chloroquine (CQ) or inhibition of mitochondrial fission by mdivi-1 aggravated sorafenib- and regorafenib-induced cell death. Moreover, knockdown of PINK1 also promotes sorafenib- and regorafenib-induced cell death. An in vivo study showed that sorafenib and regorafenib inhibited HepG2 cell growth more effectively in PINK1 knockdown cells than in shNTC cells in null mice. Thus, our data demonstrate that PINK1-Parkin-mediated mitophagy alleviates sorafenib and regorafenib antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo.

Additional file 1.Fig. S1. Analysis of OsWRKY62 and OsWRKY76 interacting with OsIM��1 in yeast. (A) Analysis of OsWRKY76 (W76.1) and its deletion mutants, and OsIM�����IBB1 auto-activation. (B) Schematic diagrams of OsWRKY62.1 (W62.1) and its deletion mutants. (C) Analysis of OsWRKY62 and its mutants interacting with OsIM�����IBB1. Yeast cells with serial dilutions were incubated in synthetic dropout medium lacking Leu and Trp (left) or Leu, Trp, His, and Ade (right) and photographed 3 d after plating. Yeast cells harboring AD-T with BD-53 or BD-Lam vectors were used as the positive or negative control, respectively. Fig. S2. Phylogenetic analysis of importin ��s. Importin ��s from Oryza sativa (Os), Lycopersicon esculentum (Le), and Arabidopsis thaliana (At) were compared. Multiple sequence alignments of amino acid sequences were generated using ClustalW in MEGA7.0. The sequence alignments obtained were used as input for the neighbor-joining method using MEGA7.0 to construct the phylogenetic tree. For phylogenetic tree construction, a bootstrap method with 1,000 replications was used for test of phylogeny. Scale bar indicates 0.2 amino acid substitution per site. Fig. S3. OsIM��IBB��1a interacting with OsIM��1 and increased OsWRKY62.1-GFP nuclear localization through overexpressing OsIM��1a. (A) BiFC visualizations of IM��1a and IM�����IBB1a interacting with IM��1. IM��1 was fused in frame with YFP N-terminal region (YFPN) and IM��1a and IM�����IBB1a were fused with YFP C-terminal region (YFPC). The plasmids indicated were introduced into N. benthamiana leaves through agroinfiltration method. Red fluorescence (dsREDNLS) shows nuclear localization. From left panels to right: YFP images (YFP), dsRED images (RED), and combined YFP and RED in the bright field (Merged). (B) Sheaths from three-week-old 35S::OsWRKY62.1-GFP (35S:: W62.1-GFP) and 35S::OsWRKY62.1-GFP/CDU::IM��1a (genetic cross progeny) plants were used. DAPI for nuclear staining. From top panels to bottom: DAPI, GFP, DIC, and the bright field image combined the fluorescent images (Merged). Fig. S4. Simulated structures of AvrPib and the WRKY domain of OsWRKY62.1. (A) The structure of AvrPib was from Zhang et al. (2018). The positive-charged amino acids of AvrPib are shown in red in the structure. (B) The structure of W62WD is simulated based on AtWRKY1WD (PDB code: 2AYD) using homology-modeling by SWISS-MODEL server. Fig. S5. Information of OsIM��1 knockout mutants. (A) Knockout mutant of OsIM��1a (im��1aKO). (B) Knockout mutant of OsIM��1b (im��1bKO). The sequences of the target sites are shown in green and the inserted nucleotides are in blue. Fig. S6. OsIM��1 positively regulated resistance against rice blast fungus. (A) Three-week-old transgenic and wild-type (ZH17) plants were inoculated with M. oryzae SZ (5 �� 105 spores/mL) by foliar spraying. Photographs were taken six days after the inoculation. Bar = 2 cm. (B) P-values were calculated by one-tailed Student's t-test. Prefix CDU for OsIM��1a and OsIM��1b overexpressing plants and suffix KO for the knockout lines. Fig. S7. Induction of OsIM��1 expression. (A) Induction of OsIM��1a and OsIM��1b expression by flg22 (1 ��M) or chitin (200 ��g/mL) treatment. (B) Induction of OsIM��1a and OsIM��1b expression by M. oryzae SZ. Transcriptional levels of OsWRKY62 (C) and OsWRKY76 (D) in their overexpression plants. (E) Expression of OsIM��1a and OsIM��1b in OsWRKY62 and OsWRKY76 overexpressing and knockout plants. Fig. S8. Analysis of OsWRKY62.1 localization. Sheaths of 35S::W62.1-dsREDNLS and 35S::W62.1-dsREDNES rice plants were used for fluorescence observation. DAPI for nucleus staining. From top panels to bottom: DAPI, RED, DIC, and the bright field image combined the fluorescent images (Merged). Bar = 20 ��m. Table S1 Primers used in this study.

Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hUC-MSCs) in vitro expansion for long term may undergo epigenetic and genetic alterations that subsequently induce cellular senescence and associated growth inhibition. Increasing evidence implicated that aberrant histone acetylation modulates gene expression responsible for MSCs aging. Whether the dysregulation of p300 and its KAT activity is involved in the aging process of MSCs was still unexplored. In this study, we found a significant decrease of p300 but elevated p53/p21 levels in senescent hUC-MSCs at late-passage. Then we used two different approaches: (i) downregulation of p300 by siRNA and (ii) inhibition of the acetyltransferase(KAT) activity by C646 to determine the role of p300 in regulating MSCs senescence. We showed that inhibition of p300 induce premature senescence and decrease proliferation potential in hUC-MSCs. Moreover, upregulations of p53 and p21 expressions were confirmed in p300 knockdown and C646-treated hUC-MSCs. Taken together, these results suggest that p300 plays an important role in aging process of MSCs associated with activation of p53/p21 signaling pathway.

Background Culturable bacterial species from the respiratory tract and ileocecal junction of Meriones meridianus (midday gerbils) captured in the Xinjiang Luntai area were isolated and identified to confirm the microflora and develop approaches for biological purification of laboratory animals and relevant microbial precautions. Methods Bacteria from respiratory tracts and ileocecal junctions of 30 wild M. meridianus were harvested and isolated by inoculation into culture media. Isolated strains were confirmed by mass spectrometry and 16S rRNA sequencing. Results Thirty‐nine bacterial species from 20 families and 27 genera were identified and isolated from wild M. meridianus. Typical bacteria were Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus, and Staphylococcus aureus, and the most common microflora were Vibrio, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Conclusion Wild M. meridianus carries multiple bacteria, most of which are pathogenic or conditional pathogens. This study provides a basis for the development of animal models and laboratory animals from wild M. meridianus.

The dielectric permittivity of a material encapsulates the essential physics of light-matter interaction into the material's local response to optical excitation. Dynamic, photo-induced modulation of the permittivity can enable an unprecedented level of control over the phase, amplitude, and polarization of light. Therefore, the detailed dynamic characterization of technology-relevant materials with substantially tunable optical properties and fast response times is a crucial step in the realization of tunable optical devices. This work reports on the extraordinarily large permittivity changes in zinc oxide thin films (up to -3.6 relative change in the real part of the dielectric permittivity at 1600 nm wavelength) induced by optically generated free carriers. We demonstrate broadband reflectance modulation up to 70 percent in metal-backed oxide mirrors at the telecommunication wavelengths, with picosecond-scale relaxation times. The epsilon near zero points of the films can be dynamically shifted from 8.5 microns to 1.6 microns by controlling the pump fluence. Finally, we show that the modulation can be selectively enhanced at specific wavelengths employing metal-backed ZnO disks while maintaining picosecond-scale switching times. This work provides insights into the free-carrier assisted permittivity modulation in zinc oxide and could enable the realization of novel dynamic devices for beam-steering, polarizers, and spatial light modulators.

Zhenyu Wang1 *, Wenhao Shen1 *, Xugang Li,2 Yang Feng,1 Kun Qian,1 Gaoren Wang,3 Yiying Gao,1 Xiaohui Xu,4 Shuyu Zhang,1 Ling Yue,1 Jianping Cao1 1School of Radiation Medicine and Protection (SRMP) of Soochow University, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Suzhou 215123, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Radiotherapy, Anshan Cancer Hospital, Anshan 114036, People’s Republic of China; 3Nantong Tumor Hospital, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226361, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of General Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Taicang, Taicang Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215400, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jianping Cao; Ling Yue Tel +86-512-65880037Email jpcao@suda.edu.cn; yueling@suda.edu.cnPurpose: As radiation therapy is widely used for the management of pancreatic cancer, identifying novel targets to improve the radiosensitivity of cancer cells is beneficial. Rosiglitazone, a specific peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist, has an inhibitory effect on various types of cancer cells. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of rosiglitazone on the radiosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells and the potential mechanism.Materials and Methods: PPARγ expression in pancreatic cancer and adjacent tissues was evaluated using immunohistochemistry analysis. The viability, migration and invasion ability of PANC1 and PaTu8988 cells were detected using MTT assay, scratch-wound assay and transwell invasion assay. The effect of rosiglitazone on radiosensitivity of the cells was determined using the clonogenic assay. PANC1 cells were inoculated into BALB/c mice to establish tumors. Microarray was used to investigate changes of genes involved.Results: Higher PPARγ expression was demonstrated in pancreatic cancer tissues compared with para-carcinoma tissues. Rosiglitazone inhibited the cell viability and enhanced the radiation-induced anti-migration and anti-invasion effect. Rosiglitazone potentiated the radiosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells and PANC1 xenografts. Microarray analysis revealed that rosiglitazone plus radiation altered the expression of multiple genes and affected multiple pathways.Conclusion: Rosiglitazone enhances the radiosensitivity of human pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo via complex mechanisms.Keywords: ionizing radiation, pancreatic cancer, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, rosiglitazone, radiosensitivity

Xiaohui Xu,1,2,* Biao Chen,3,* Qichun Huang,1 Yani Wu,4 Tao Liang5 1Department of Pharmacy, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Cancer Prevention and Treatment of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, People’s Republic of China; 3The First Nanning People’s Hospital, Nanning, Guangxi 530022, People’s Republic of China; 4Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, People’s Republic of China; 5College of Stomatology of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiaohui XuDepartment of Pharmacy, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, No. 71, Hedi Road, Nanning 530021, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/ Fax +86 771-5778582Email 1056112307@qq.comTao LiangCollege of Stomatology of Guangxi Medical University, No. 10, Shuangyong Road, Nanning 530021, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/ Fax +86 771-5358635Email kqliangtao@126.comBackground and Purpose: Autophagy is the main protective mechanism against aging in podocytes, which are terminally differentiated cells that have a very limited capacity for mitosis and self-renewal. Here, a streptozotocin-induced DN C57BL/6 mouse model was used to investigate the effects of puerarin on the modulation of autophagy under conditions associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS). In addition, this study aimed to identify the potential underlying molecular mechanisms.Methods and Results: DN C57BL/6 mouse model was induced by streptozotocin (150 mg/kg) injection. The mice were administered rapamycin and puerarin, respectively, daily for up to 8 weeks. After the serum and kidney samples were collected, the fasting blood glucose (FBG), parameters of renal function, histomorphology, and the podocyte functional proteins were analyzed. Moreover, the autophagy markers and the expressions of PERK/ATF4 pathway were studied in kidney. Results found that the FBG level in DN mice was significantly higher than in normal mice. Compared with DN model mice, puerarin-treated mice showed an increased expression of podocyte functional proteins, including nephrin, podocin, and podocalyxin. Furthermore, the pathology and structure alterations were improved by treatment with rapamycin and puerarin compared with the DN control. The results indicated an elevated level of autophagy in rapamycin and puerarin groups compared with the DN model, as demonstrated by the upregulated expression of autophagy markers Beclin-1, LC3II, and Atg5, and downregulated p62 expression. In addition, the levels of PERK, eIF2α, and ATF4 were reduced in the DN model, which was partially, but significantly, prevented by rapamycin and puerarin.Conclusion: This study emphasizes the renal-protective effects of puerarin in DN mice, particularly in the modulation of autophagy under ERS conditions, which may be associated with activation of the PERK/eIF2α/ATF4 signaling pathway. Therefore, PERK may be a potential target for DN treatment.Keywords: diabetic nephropathy, autophagy, PERK, puerarin

Luhui Qin,1,2,* Xiaolin Zhang,1,* Xing Zhou,1 Xingchun Wu,1 Xiang Huang,1 Ming Chen,1 Yani Wu,1 Shunyu Lu,1 Hongliang Zhang,1 Xiaohui Xu,1 Xiaojie Wei,1 Shijun Zhang,1 Renbin Huang1 1Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 2Center for Translational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Longevity and Aging-Related Diseases, Ministry of Education, School of Preclinical Medicine, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Renbin Huang; Shijun ZhangPharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 530021, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 771 533 9805Fax +86 771 535 8272Email huangrenbin518@163.com; gxykdxzsj@163.comBackground: Studies have demonstrated that the roots of Averrhoa carambola L. (Oxalidaceae), a traditional Chinese medicine, can be used to treat diabetes and diabetes-related diseases. Nevertheless, the potential beneficial effects and mechanism of benzoquinone isolated from the roots of Averrhoa carambola L. (BACR) on diabetes remain unclear.Methods: Diabetic Kunming mice were injected with STZ (120 mgkg− 1) in the tail vein. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and the change of body weight were measured after oral administration of BACR (120, 60, 30 mg/kg/d) every week. The levels of the total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), free fatty acids (FFA), glucosylated hemoglobin (GHb), fasting insulin (FINS), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured. The histological examination of pancreatic tissues and the TLR4/NF-κB pathway was analyzed by RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot.Results: The study found that clearly the BACR obviously reduced the blood glucose, serum lipids, GHb and FINS. In addition, BACR treatment markedly reduced the release of inflammatory factors, including IL-6 and TNF-α, and down-regulated the expression of the TLR4/NF-κB pathway.Conclusion: BACR has potential benefits for the treatment of diabetes by ameliorating metabolic functions and attenuating the inflammatory response via inhibition of the activation of theTLR4/NF-κB pathway.Keywords: benzoquinone of Averrhoa carambola L. root, diabetes, inflammation, TLR4/NF-κB pathway

Urine-derived stem cells (USCs) are autologous stem cells that exhibit self-renewal ability and multi-lineage differentiation potential. These characteristics make USCs an ideal cell source for hepatocellular transplantation. Here, we investigated the biological characteristics of USCs and their potential use for the treatment of chronic liver injury. We characterized the cell-surface marker profile of USCs by flow cytometry and determined the osteogenic, adipogenic, and hepatic differentiation capacities of USCs using histology. We established a chronic liver-injury model by intraperitoneally injecting carbon tetrachloride into nude mice. USCs were then transplanted via tail vein injection. To determine liver function and histopathology following chronic liver injury, we calculated the liver index, measured serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, and performed histological staining. USCs were small, adherent cells expressing mesenchymal but not hematopoietic stem-cell markers. Some induced USCs underwent osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. When co-cultured with hepatic progenitor cells, about 10% of USCs underwent hepatic differentiation. The ALT and AST levels of the USC-transplanted group were lower than that of the chronic liver-injury model group, and there were no significant differences between the two USC-transplanted groups. However, hepatocyte degeneration and liver fibrosis substantially improved in the hypoxia-pretreated USC-transplanted group compared with the normoxia USC-transplanted group. Taken together, USCs display desirable proliferation and differentiation characteristics, and USC transplantation partially improves abnormal liver function and pathology associated with chronic liver injury. Furthermore, hypoxia pretreatment promotes cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation by inducing autophagy, leading to USC-elicited liver tissue recovery following injury in vivo.

To solve the problem of artificial potential field algorithm(APF) being liable to fall into local minimum，this paper presents a strategy based on angle of rotating speed vectors to accurately locate the position of jump point.Combined with improved APF,the RRT based on transition of angle different of rotating speed vectors(TAS-RRT)can be used to path planning dynamicly. Firstly, artificial potential field algorithm is used in obstacle avoidance motion planning. When falling into local minimum,the sampling strategy of the basic RRT is improved to adaptively seek the target point and the connection mode of the local planner is adjusted to change exploration rate of the tree,so that the search process can be made to jump out of the attractive areas of local minimum point quickly.In addition, APF will be applied again when the the sampling point meets the stop condition of angle of rotating speed vectors. The simulation experiments show that the control precision and velocity of the motion planning are enhanced with TAS-RRT guiding the sampling nodes to the target one gradually and quickly.Besides that,the method can be applied to motion planning of different obstacle environment.

Polydatin (PD), a resveratrol glycoside, has been shown to protect renal function in diabetic nephropathy (DN), but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. This study demonstrates that PD stabilize the mitochondrial morphology and attenuate mitochondrial malfunction in both KKAy mice and in hyperglycemia (HG)-induced MPC5 cells. We use Western blot analysis to demonstrate that PD reversed podocyte apoptosis induced by HG via suppressing dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1). This effect may depend on the ability of PD to inhibit the generation of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). In conclusion, we demonstrate that PD may be therapeutically useful in DN, and that, podocyte apoptosis induced by HG can be reversed by PD through suppressing Drp1 expression.

Integrated on-demand single-photon sources are critical for the implementation of photonic quantum information processing systems. To enable practical quantum photonic devices, the emission rates of solid-state quantum emitters need to be substantially enhanced and the emitted signal must be directly coupled to an on-chip circuitry. The photon emission rate speed-up is best achieved via coupling to plasmonic antennas, while on-chip integration can be easily obtained by directly coupling emitters to photonic waveguides. The realization of practical devices requires that both the emission speed-up and efficient out-couping are achieved in a single architecture. Here, we propose a novel platform that effectively combines on-chip compatibility with high radiative emission rates, a quantum plasmonic launcher. The proposed launchers contain single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in nanodiamonds as quantum emitters that offer record-high average fluorescence lifetime shortening factors of about 7000 times. Nanodiamonds with single NV are sandwiched between two silver films that couple more than half of the emission into in-plane propagating surface plasmon polaritons. This simple, compact, and scalable architecture represents a crucial step towards the practical realization of high-speed on-chip quantum networks.

Rationale: Cases of intussusception caused by mucinous carcinoma have been rarely reported, and those caused by colonic mucinous adenocarcinoma (MAC) with distant metastasis were even fewer. Patient concerns: A 60-year-old woman who complained of severe pain around the navel with nausea and vomiting for a week was admitted on November 28, 2017. There were multiple watery stools and abdominal pain was worsened over the prior week. Diagnosis: She was diagnosed by abdominal computed tomography, current medical history, and abdominal signs. Her initial diagnosis was acute abdomen, intussusceptions, and intestinal obstruction. The final diagnosis was MAC, which was based on postoperative pathology. Interventions: The patient received emergency laparotomy, followed by 5 courses of chemotherapy with oxaliplatin plus capecitabine, and then 6 courses with 5-fluorouracil + oxaliplatin + calcium leucovorin. Outcomes: The patient was in good nutritional condition, and no obvious tumor recurrence or metastasis was found until July 9, 2018. Lessons: Even though the prognosis of colonic MAC is poor, being able to receive timely surgical treatment, good nutritional status and reasonable postoperative chemotherapy are the key factors to prolonging patient's survival.

The article of record as published may be found at https://doi.org/10.1002/prep.201900134 Nanocomposites of aluminum and fluoropolymers react rapidly due to highly exothermic aluminum fluorination because of the high specific surface area nanoscale particles. In-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques are invaluable for real time monitoring of the reactions in these systems at the nanoscale. Here, we investigated the reactions in nanoscale Al (nAl) and THV (terpolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, hexafluoropropylene, and vinylidene fluoride) and nAl-LDPE (low density polyethylene) composites, heated using a pulsed laser in a TEM. Results show that reactions are initiated at about 720 K, when THV starts to decompose, and proceed with the formation and growth of a hollow aluminum fluoride (AlF3) shell. Diffraction patterns revealed that this phase is the rare η-phase AlF3. In contrast, no reactions were observed in the inert nAl-LDPE composites. The experimental and theoretical results reveal that rapid pulsed laser heating and subsequent cooling of a nanoscale sample influences the phases that can form, and can be utilized to investigate other systems. This work was supported by the Young Investigator Program of Department of Defense Office of Naval Research (CBET-1437219) This work was supported by the Young Investigator Program of Department of Defense Office of Naval Research (CBET-1437219)

Investigation of laser-matter interaction has been an important research topic which is closely related to applications in various fields including industry, military, electronics, photonics, etc. With the advent of ultrafast transmission electron microscope (UTEM), in situ investigation of the interaction between pulsed laser and nanostructured materials becomes accessible, with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. Here, we studied two categories of materials with the help of UTEM, namely, energetic materials and plasmonic nanostructures. The results demonstrate that UTEM provides a novel and convenient way for the investigation the structural and morphological change of energetic materials under external stimuli at nanoscale. Also, UTEM makes it possible to visualize the light-induced welding between plasmonic nanostructures at real time, which helps to reveal more details about the mechanisms involved. Furthermore, we studied the formation of some novel structures by combing different gold and silver nanostructure.

This paper carried out an optimization design and application study on a high temprature resistant borated polyethylene shielding material, according to the nuclear power plant source characteristics and special protection requirements. The composition of borated polyethylene shielding material was optimized based on the genetic algorithm and Monte Carlo methods, then it was realized by blending modification and graft copolymerization to improve the high temperature resistant, shielding and mechanical properties. Finally, comprehensive properties such as mechanical, neutron shielding, irradiation resistance and high temperature resistance experiments were verified with the ordinary borated polyethylene and polypropylene. Those just proved the optimized borated polyethylene shielding material has excellent performance comparatively, especially it could keep complete structure in a high temperature environment up to 190°C during 48 hours, meeting the requirements of radiation protection safety for nulear power plant completely.

Valve-regulated batteries(VRLA) have been widely applied as backup power supply to ensure the uninterrupted operation of systems in various fields, such as power system, communication system, railway system, banking business and national military defense. Because the application environment of VRLA is complicated, many factors will influence their service lives, for example, charging and discharging current rate, depth of discharge, temperature, etc. The existing estimation methods usually regard the total battery capacity as a fixed value, which results in the estimation error accumulated with the change of charging and discharging current rate. In charge and discharge conditions, the battery capacity is calculated accurately by means of an improved Amper–Hour (AH) method, which has been put forward by us. The influence of discharge rate, charging efficiency, and temperature on the remaining capacity of the lead-acid battery is considered. Therefore, the state-of-charge (SOC) of battery can be quantitatively evaluated and estimated. A real-time dynamic modeling method is proposed to calculate the relationship between the remaining capacity of battery and the internal resistance of battery. The SOC of battery is determined quantitatively by means of measuring the internal resistance of battery accurately. The evaluation system will update the relationship between the internal resistance of the lead-acid battery and the remaining capacity during routine processes of charging and discharging, thereby further improving the system’s accuracy in estimating the remaining capacity of VRLA. An experimental comprehensive evaluation system was built to perform real-time detection and estimation of the SOC of lead-acid batteries.

Wireless power transmission (WPT) technology has been widely applied in various fields, such as electric vehicles and wireless sensor networks. Magnetic coupling resonance technology is one of the most important technologies in wireless power transmission. A large number of experimental studies have shown that wireless power transmission systems have good power transmission performances when they work at the natural frequencies. Nevertheless, many relevant parameters‘ differences in design, such as the choice of coupling coil structures and parameters, the coupling coefficient between transmitting coil and receiving coil and the quality factor of each coil, will lead to changes in terms of transmission performances. To reduce these adverse effects and make the wireless power transmission system maintain better transmission efficiency, a resonant magnetic coupling four-coil model with Series-Series-Series-Series (SSSS) structure is established based on the equivalent circuit theory. An optimization factor α is proposed to evaluate the transmission performances of the wireless power transmission system. Parameters characteristics of the optimization factor α between the excitation coil and the transmitter coil in the established symmetric structural system model are analyzed in detail. By means of the simulation analysis software MATLAB, the influences of the distance between the excitation coil and the transmitter coil and their respective radius on the optimization factor α are analyzed. And the variation tendency of α with regard to the parameters of the excitation coil and the transmission coil is clarified. Also, the influence of the optimization factor α on the transmission efficiency of the wireless power transmission system is analyzed and the variation trend is cleared up. By studying the optimization factor, the selection specification of system parameters is analyzed and provides a theoretical basis for system design. A resonant magnetic coupling four-coil wireless power transmission experimental system was built through optimization design. Theoretical models and experimental measures are in good agreement in terms of the influence of system transmission distance on transmission efficiency. After optimization, the transmission efficiency is increased by 3.1% compared with the system before optimization

As a haloalkaliphilic, sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, Thialkalivibrio versutus D301 can remove sulfide, thiosulfate and polysulfide in wastewater, we investigated how it might be reused when mixed with high concentrations of elemental sulfur.A process is described to immobilize T. versutus cells by using superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) under haloalkaliphilic conditions (i.e. pH 9.5, 0.5 M Na(+)). The saturation magnetization value (δs) of immobilized cells was 55.1 emu/g. The Fe3O4 NPs-coated cells had the similar sulfur oxidization activity to that of free cells, and they could be reused six batch cycles. Analysis of hydraulic diameters showed that bacterial cells were immobilized by Fe3O4 NPs due to the nano-size effects.Magnetic immobilization is a convenient technique for cell immobilization under haloalkaliphilic conditions and is a promising technology for large scale application.

The characteristics of the electrical matching are the key issues for the applications of the power piezoelectric transducer. This paper proposed a method to evaluate the electrical mismatch between the transducer and the driving signal source, which used an electrical matching circuit with the combination of both the transformer and inductance-capacitance. The characteristics of the electrical matching circuit have been carefully examined by the effects of series inductor, total power and operating frequency on the reflected power. The results show that the designed circuit has a good suitability with changing the value of the series inductor. Moreover, the actual center frequency of the transducer is lower than the tested resonance frequency (50.18 kHz), and it declined from 49.20 kHz to 48.93 kHz with increasing the total power from 8 W to 40 W. The results demonstrate the closely relationships of the reflected power with the series inductor, total power, and operating frequency. This work can provide an experimental reference for applications of the electrical matching circuit for power piezoelectric transducer.

In view of the current problems of complex structure and small capacity of the four quadrant medium voltage frequency converter, this paper puts forward the topology of the three - level, high power, and the four - quadrant medium voltage inverter based on IGCT. Based on the study of the characteristics of IGCT switch, the topology and control technology of three levels PWM rectifier are studied. At the same time, the decentralized coordinated control technology is studied. In this paper, the simulation and experiment show that based on the IGCT three level four quadrant medium voltage inverter has a high capacity of 10MVA.

The genome of the thermophilic fungus Scytalidium thermophilum (strain CBS 625.91) harbours a wide range of genes involved in carbohydrate degradation, including three genes, abf62A, abf62B and abf62C, predicted to encode glycoside hydrolase family 62 (GH62) enzymes. Transcriptome analysis showed that only abf62A and abf62C are actively expressed during growth on diverse substrates including straws from barley, alfalfa, triticale and canola. The abf62A and abf62C genes were expressed in Escherichia coli and the resulting recombinant proteins were characterized. Calcium-free crystal structures of Abf62C in apo and xylotriose bound forms were determined to 1.23 and 1.48 Å resolution respectively. Site-directed mutagenesis confirmed Asp55, Asp171 and Glu230 as catalytic triad residues, and revealed the critical role of non-catalytic residues Asp194, Trp229 and Tyr338 in positioning the scissile α-L-arabinofuranoside bond at the catalytic site. Further, the +2R substrate-binding site residues Tyr168 and Asn339, as well as the +2NR residue Tyr226, are involved in accommodating long-chain xylan polymers. Overall, our structural and functional analysis highlights characteristic differences between Abf62A and Abf62C, which represent divergent subgroups in the GH62 family.

In order to improve the efficiency of new adsorbent, grafting-allylamine bacterial cellulose(al-BC), response surface methodology(RSM) was used for the optimization of preparation process. Three factors affecting the yield of grafting reaction are the amount of allylamine, the concentration of ceric ammonium nitrate(CAN) and the concentration of nitric acid. Based on the regression coefficient analysis in the Box-Behnken design, a relationship between the preparation variable and grafting yield was obtained. Square error analysis on main factors, and multi-variable interactions were employed for studying grafting yield. The results show that at the conditions of CAN of 23.00 mmol/L CAN, 0.17 mol/L nitric acid, adding an amount of grafting-allylamine bacterial cellulose of 26.49 mL/L made grafting rate reach maximum of 24.25% at 40 °C after the reaction for 4 h. The experimental results are in good agreement with the calculation values via proposed regression equation, indicating that the equation could be used to predict and optimizate the preparation of grafting al-BC.

Diabetes mellitus (DM), a chronic metabolic disorder, is increasing tremendously around the world. Assessment of interventions designed to prevent disease progression in humans takes years. On the other hand, the use of plants as diabetic agent needs preclinical test to obtain scientific evidence. Therefore, appropriate experimental animal model of diabetes mellitus is essential tools for understanding the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus and effectiveness of diabetes phytotherapy. Streptozotocin-induced diabetes is a well-documented model of experimental diabetes. The present study is aimed to investigate the diabetogenic activity of streptozotocin influenced by difference of doses, sex, administration route, duration induction and injection frequency on Kunming strain mice. Induction of STZ on Kunming mice were done according to experimental design and fasting blood glucose level measured using automatic glucometer, in which blood glucose more than 11.1mmol/L is considered as diabetes mellitus. These findings suggest that mild diabetes refers to type 2 diabetes mellitus when fasting blood glucose level is between 11.1-24.9mmol/L. It can be obtained by inducing male Kunming mice using STZ administrated either intravenously at dose of 100 mg/kg or intraperitoneally at dose of 180 mg/kg, in single injection for duration of 3 and 7 days, respectively.

Purpose In order to maximise the utility of [11C]-PBR28 for use in longitudinal studies and clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), there is a need to develop non-invasive metrics of tracer binding that do not require arterial cannulation. Recent work has suggested that standardised uptake value (SUV)-based methods may be sensitive to changes in translocator protein (TSPO) levels associated with neurodegeneration. However, the test-retest reliability of these approaches in AD over a time period relevant for clinical trials is unknown. In this study, the test-retest reliability of three SUV-based metrics was assessed in AD patients over 12 weeks. Methods Five patients with mild AD and the high-affinity binding TSPO genotype underwent two [11C]-PBR28 PET scans approximately 12 weeks apart. The test-retest reliability (TRR) of the unadjusted SUV, SUV relative to cerebellar grey matter (SUVRC) and SUV normalised to whole brain activity (SUVRWB) in nine cortical and limbic regions of interest was assessed using the absolute variability and the intraclass correlation coefficient. Results Of the three measures, SUVRWB performed best overall, showing low absolute variability (mean −0.13 %, SD 2.47 %) and high reliability (mean ICC = 0.83). Unadjusted SUV also performed well, with high reliability (ICC = 0.94) but also high variability (mean −1.24 %, SD 7.28 %). By comparison, the SUVRC showed higher variability (mean −3.98 %, SD 7.07 %) and low reliability (ICC = 0.65). Conclusions In this AD sample, we found that SUV-derived metrics of [11C]-PBR28 binding showed high stability over 12 weeks. These results compare favourably with studies reporting TRR of absolute quantification of [11C]-PBR28. Pending further validation of SUV-based measures of [11C]-PBR28, semi-quantitative methods of [11C]-PBR28 analysis may prove useful in longitudinal studies of AD. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13550-016-0226-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Purpose To establish an untransfected human corneal endothelial (HCE) cell line and characterize its biocompatibility to denuded amniotic membrane (dAM). Methods Primary culture was initiated with a pure population of HCE cells in DMEM/F12 media (pH 7.2) containing 20% fetal bovine serum and various supplements. The established cell line was characterized by growth property, chromosome analysis, morphology recovery, tumorigenicity assay, and expression of marker proteins, cell-junction proteins, and membrane transport proteins. The biocompatibility of HCE cells to dAM was evaluated by light microscopy, alizarin red staining, immunofluorescence assay, and electron microscopy. Results HCE cells proliferated to confluence 6 weeks later in primary culture and have been subcultured to passage 224 so far. A continuous untransfected HCE cell line with a population doubling time of 26.20 h at passage 101 has been established. Results of chromosome analysis, morphology, combined with the results of expression of marker protein, cell-junction protein and membrane transport protein, suggested that the cells retained HCE cell properties and potencies to form cell junctions and perform membrane transport. Furthermore, HCE cells, without any tumorigenicity, could form confluent cell sheets on dAMs. The single layer sheets that attached tightly to dAMs had similar morphology and structure to those of HCE in situ and had an average cell density of 3,413±111 cells/mm2. Conclusions An untransfected and non-tumorigenic HCE cell line has been established, and the cells maintained positive expression of marker proteins, cell-junction proteins and membrane transport proteins. The cell line, with excellent biocompatibility to dAM, might be used for in vitro reconstruction of HCE and provides a promising method for the treatment of diseases caused by corneal endothelial disorders.

In this study, ethylene diamine phosphate (EDP) was employed as an activator to improve the sulfidization and flotation of chrysocolla. The micro-flotation experiment results indicated that EDP could greatly increase the flotation recovery of chrysocolla. BET and TEM measurements confirmed that the porous structure of the chrysocolla’s surface would lead to large amounts of the reagents. ICP-AES analysis revealed that the addition of EDP caused more active Cu sites formed on the chrysocolla’s surface, enhancing the adsorption of S2− on its surface. Meanwhile, a redox reaction occurred between the S2− and [Cu(en)2]2+ ions causing the Cu, S, and N in the solution to counter-adsorb onto the chrysocolla’s surface by forming new complexes. During this reaction, the Cu(II) species reduced to Cu(I) species and the sulfide ions in the form of S2−, S22−, Sn2−, and SO42− appeared on the mineral surface. The zeta potential measurements further revealed that the EDP-activated chrysocolla surfaces adsorbed more sulfide species and xanthate species, thereby improving the floatability of the chrysocolla.

The HOPS complex serves as a tethering complex with GEF activity for Ypt7p in yeast to regulate late endosomal membrane maturation. While the role of HOPS complex is well established in yeast cells, its functional and mechanistic aspects in mammalian cells are less well defined. In this study, we report that RILP, a downstream effector of Rab7, interacts with HOPS complex and recruits HOPS subunits to the late endosomal compartment. Structurally, the amino-terminal portion of RILP interacts with HOPS complex. Unexpectedly, this interaction is independent of Rab7. VPS41 subunit of HOPS complex was defined to be the major partner for interacting with RILP. The carboxyl-terminal region of VPS41 was mapped to be responsible for the interaction. Functionally, either depletion of VPS41 by shRNA or overexpression of VPS41 C-terminal half retarded EGF-induced degradation of EGFR. These results suggest that interaction of RILP with HOPS complex via VPS41 plays a role in endocytic trafficking of EGFR.

The concept of interactive load was proposed in this paper. The renewable energy consumption can be achieved in a wide range by matching the energy output with the interactive loads. Firstly, the theories, methods and technologies of comprehensive interaction among generation, transmission, distribution and consumption were introduced. Then a new operation mode of power gird was proposed, through the constructions of transmission interactive platform and distribution interactive platform. The two-way communication network was built to support the platforms to achieve the depth perception, accurate prediction and intelligent decision of each part. Finally, the integrated demonstration project with comprehensive interaction was constructed in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The interactions between each link, including traditional generators, concentrated renewable energy, industrial consumers, transmission network and distribution network, were realized on the transmission interactive platform. The interactions between grid and various loads, such as charging and swapping stations of electric vehicles, smart residential districts, and microgrid, were developed on the distribution interactive platform. The demonstration shows that the proposed interactive operation mode can enhance the consumption ability of renewable energy, can promote the levels of safety, economy and environment of power gird.

Assuming that all electric vehicles (EVs) integrated to the grid are managed by aggregators, it is possible to make full use of the controllability of the charging EVs. Based on this, the charging load of each EV aggregator is defined as one of the optimal scheduling variables in the unit commitment (UC) model. This can be accomplished by assessing the upper and lower limit of charging load of each EV aggregator in different scenarios, which is simulated by Monte Carlo method. According to this, a UC model is proposed for optimal coordination of EV aggregators and wind generation, considering the EV owner's requirement, the range of charging load and the unit constraints. Using the10-units system as the test system, the results of UC models with different EVs charging strategies and the wind power integration indicators such as utilization rate are investigated. Simulation results show that both the abandoned wind power and the unit operating costs can be decreased more effectively in the proposed UC model.

With the increasing concerns on energy shortage and environment protection, the energy conservation and emission reduction is becoming a more of concern for electricity consumers. In this paper, typical indexes are selected for reflecting electricity consumers' statues of energy shortage and environment protection. To simply the analysis on energy conservation and emission reduction for electricity consumers, the Principal Component Analysis is adopted to reduce the number of indexes whereas without original information about energy conservation and emission reduction loss. Finally, an example is presented to demonstrate the analysis process of the proposed method for the electricity consumers in an actual region.

Nowadays, growing number of electric vehicles (EVs) can not only be controllable load to regulate power system, but also serve as distributed energy storage unit that can feedback to the grid by vehicle-to-grid (V2G). Therefore, ancillary services for the grid such as frequency regulation can potentially be provided by the use of EVs with scheduling capacity. However, the scheduling capacity is limited by factors such as the constraints of customers travel demand and the battery life. Based on this, a centralized control mode is applied for distributed EVs and a mathematical model with charging and discharging static frequency characteristics of aggregators is established, considering EVs scheduling capacity. According to this, load frequency control models both for single and two-area power systems are proposed. The simulation results show that using EVs scheduling capacity for frequency regulation can effectively help reducing the system frequency deviation and thus improving the electricity quality. Furthermore, the reserve capacity of traditional frequency regulation units can be decreased and especially power system economics has developed.

Recently, the monitoring service for important users in the distribution network is relatively insufficient in China, which greatly influences the efficiency of power distribution. Based on the embedded MCU, wireless sensor network and Ethernet communication technology, a kind of intelligent monitoring system for distribution network is presented according to the characteristics of important power users. The collected data could be shared with the electric power company through Ethernet, which realizes the automation and remote power information monitoring. The monitoring system consists of data acquisition terminals, network concentrator and remote server. The power information and the status data of key devices could be collected by the data acquisition terminals, which consists of precision sensors and a signal conditioning circuit. The data are sent to a network concentrator through 433MHz wireless networks. The network concentrator communicates with the remote server and exchanges data with the data acquisition terminals simultaneously. The remote server is able to display, process and store the real-time information, including grid basic energy data, major power quality parameters and equipment operating status.

In allusion to the increasing demand of electric vehicle, the elements that the AC charging pile construction which can adapt to multiple scene application is required to follow has been proposed through the analysis of the electric vehicle charging user's demand characteristics under different scenarios, and influencing factors such as electric vehicle charging technology, power distribution network planning and commercial operation mode. At last, it has been verified that the AC charging pile under above mode can guide the user to charge orderly, lower the charging cost and reduce the peak and valley difference of the power grid, etc.

In order to improve the smart grid energy efficiency and reduce the power cost, a kind of intelligent building is adjustable resource coordinate multi-objective optimization operation control model is presented through the analysis of intelligent building is adjustable resource load characteristic. The optimization goals contain smooth load fluctuation and electricity cost minimum. The multi-objective optimization is verified by calculation example the effectiveness of the operation control model of coordination, which both lowers the peak valley of the distribution network and decreases the cost building charging.

Trabajo presentado en el 10th International Congress on Extremophiles, celebrado en San Petesburgo (Rusia) del 07 al 11 de septiembre de 2014., Several microorganisms have the ability to gain energy from hydrophobic organic solvents that are highly toxic for the majority of them. When bacteria are confronted with aromatic compounds, cells face an enticing contradiction. Briefly these chemical species can be mineralized, allowing the microorganism to colonize niches refractory to other microbes for which they are toxic. Therefore, once a site is contaminated, the microbial community greatly changed allowing “extremophiles” to develop. Microbial ability to thrive in polluted sites depends upon adaptation of their enzymatic machinery. To note is that enzymes commonly work in complex environments. External factors (substrate diversity, concentration, presence of ions, temperature, pH, protein-protein interactions, etc.), and protein features themselves (modularity, overall structure and single or multiple mutations), exemplified a complex scenario that may influence activity levels and substrate specificity in a way that cannot be derived from community genome and transcript datasets. Accordingly, this stresses the need for further biochemical and structural studies in order to quantify more accurately enzyme activity characteristics as they may have ecological implications. C-C meta-cleavage product (MCP) hydrolases are key enzymes for the complete mineralization of aromatic pollutants. The catalytic mechanism of MCP hydrolases is well-known; still the mechanisms by which promiscuity can be gained in this protein family, in particular the unusual ability to hydrolyze both esters and MCP, is not clearly understood. Herein, we describe six distinct α/β hydrolases obtained by genomic approaches, four of which have the un-precedent characteristic of activity towards multiple substrates. Using crystallography and site-directed mutagenesis we have identified three residues of the binding site (S32, V130 and W144) of one of these proteins that provides a cogent explanation for the unusual selectivity profile (Alcaide et al., 2013). The data suggest that hydrolases with such broad substrate range may persist in microbial communities to much greater extent than previously anticipated, expanding the pool of substrates available to microorganisms that mineralize organic carbon. Hence this type of enzyme may contribute to the global carbon cycling processes and for channeling complex substrates into the common catabolic pathways, including recalcitrant organic pollutants. The results may open up new research avenues into comparative catalysis models, structural and mechanistic studies, as well as expand the ecological implications and biotechnological applications of MCP hydrolases., The authors acknowledge the financial support of the European Community projects MAMBA, MAGICPAH, ULIXES and KILLSPILL and grants CSD2007-00005 and BIO2011-25012 from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.

Summary Alkali production by oral bacteria via the arginine deiminase system (ADS) increases the pH of oral biofilms and reduces the risk for development of carious lesions. This study tested the hypothesis that increased availability of arginine in the oral environment through an exogenous source enhances the ADS activity levels in saliva and dental plaque. Saliva and supra-gingival plaque samples were collected from 19 caries-free (CF) individuals (DMFT = 0) and 19 caries-active (CA) individuals (DMFT ≥ 2) before and after treatment, which comprised the use of a fluoride-free toothpaste containing 1.5% arginine, or a regular fluoride-containing toothpaste twice daily for 4 weeks. ADS activity was measured by quantification of ammonia produced from arginine by oral samples at baseline, after washout period, 4 weeks of treatment, and 2 weeks post-treatment. Higher ADS activity levels were observed in plaque samples from CF compared to those of CA individuals (P = 0.048) at baseline. The use of the arginine toothpaste significantly increased ADS activity in plaque of CA individuals (P = 0.026). The plaque microbial profiles of CA treated with the arginine toothpaste showed a shift in bacterial composition to a healthier community, more similar to that of CF individuals. Thus, an anti-caries effect may be expected from arginine-containing formulations due in large part to the enhancement of ADS activity levels and potential favorable modification to the composition of the oral microbiome.

With many distributed generations (DGs) connected to distribution networks, the traditional power flow methods are difficult to deal with PQ(V)-node, PV-node and PI-node types DGs. Therefore, in this paper, a novel power flow algorithm for unbalanced three-phase distribution networks with DGs based on phase-sequence hybrid modeling is proposed. By using the phase-sequence hybrid modeling method, three-phase load models and parameter models of distribution network are established. And combined the special topological structure of distribution network and the three-sequence decoupling-compensation models of unsymmetrical branches with the path-loop circuit analysis method, an effective power flow algorithm for unbalanced three-phase distribution networks is proposed. Then, kinds of DGs are divided into PQ-node, PQ(V)-node, PV-node and PI-node types DGs, their calculation models are derived in detail and can be simply integrated into the proposed power flow algorithm of distribution networks. Test example results show that the proposed method possesses good convergence and efficiency of processing DGs, furthermore, it is verified from the simulation results that robustness and usefulness of the proposed algorithm.

With the accelerated pace of plug-in electric vehicles (EV) access to the smart grid, large quantities of EV charged in old communities may cause the overload of distribution network. Reconstruction of the network appropriately and accordingly should be a fundamental solution to prevent the potential crisis. In this paper, prospective scale of EV is firstly estimated with the statistics of historical ownership of vehicles through logistic curve based on least absolute deviation (LAD) method. Under the scenarios estimated, the Monte Carlo simulation method is applied to determine the starting state of charge (SOC) and the initial point. Then an assumed demonstration district is employed to study the charging load in the uncoordinated charging mode at different EV penetration level. Simulation results indicate that, in the future, EV will pose great pressure on the distribution network and the reconstruction of power facilities such as transformers and transmission lines is necessary to ensure the security and stability of the network. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eee.19.6.4554

Fifteen compounds, which included six chiral lignans and nine phenolic glycosides, were separated from the butanol fraction of Averrhoa carambola L. root and identified. All of the compounds, namely 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenol-1-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), benzyl-1-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), (+)-5'-methoxyisolariciresinol 3α-O-β-D-gluco-pyranoside (3), (+)-isolariciresinol 3α-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (4), koaburaside (5), (+)-lyoniresinol 3α-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (6), (−)-lyoniresinol 3α-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (7), (−)-5'-methoxyisolariciresinol 3α-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (8), (−)-isolariciresinol 3α-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (9), 3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl 1-O-β-apiofuranosyl (1''→6')-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (10), 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl 1-O-β-apiofuranosyl (1''→6')-β-gluco-pyranoside (11), methoxyhydroquinone-4-β-D-glucopyranoside (12), (2S)-2-O-β-D-gluco-pyranosyl-2-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (13), 3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenol 1-O-β-D-apio-furanosyl-(1''→6')-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (14) and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenol 1-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1''→6')-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (15) were isolated from this plant for the first time.

This paper analyses security key technology in the, puts forward the Internet integration model, and researches the key technologies of safety certification and control about in such a network environment. Including the proposition of equipment authentication mechanisms which is appropriate for the IoT, group authentication mechanism, IoT key management methods based on the certification, and the key security control technologies in the Internet of Things.

Due to the increase new boundary conditions of the distributed generation, distributed storage, diversity of load and user demand side response in smart distribution park, the traditional park planning method, integrated technology and operation control technology is no longer to adapt to the new requirements. According to analysis the implementation key technology of smart distribution park, give recommendations construction for the smart distribution park: put forward a new smart distribution park planning method, including park distribution network planning method and distributed energy storage planning method; introduced equipment and equipment integration, equipment and system integration, system and system integration from the function and the integrated way angle; In the light of the distributed generation and distributed storage access with systems and equipment integration in park, discusses the operation control technology and comprehensive energy management technology in the park.

Smart distribution network involves distributed generation, micro-grid, electric vehicles, energy storage and other new elements. Besides it has characteristics of bidirectional interactive, network self-healing, power quality improvement, protection of reliability of power supply, elimination on the spot of distributed clean energy and so on. It is currently an important and popular research focus of smart grid. In this paper smart distribution network system architecture was introduced from four aspects, which include planning, operation, management, and integrated application, then different construction modes of smart distribution network were proposed. Finally, the evaluation indicator and methods for smart distribution network construction were discussed.

Dethiobiotin synthetase (DTBS) is involved in the biosynthesis of biotin in bacteria, fungi, and plants. As humans lack this pathway, DTBS is a promising antimicrobial drug target. We determined structures of DTBS from Helicobacter pylori (hpDTBS) bound with cofactors and a substrate analog, and described its unique characteristics relative to other DTBS proteins. Comparison with bacterial DTBS orthologs revealed considerable structural differences in nucleotide recognition. The C-terminal region of DTBS proteins, which contains two nucleotide-recognition motifs, differs greatly among DTBS proteins from different species. The structure of hpDTBS revealed that this protein is unique and does not contain a C-terminal region containing one of the motifs. The single nucleotide-binding motif in hpDTBS is similar to its counterpart in GTPases; however, isothermal titration calorimetry binding studies showed that hpDTBS has a strong preference for ATP. The structural determinants of ATP specificity were assessed with X-ray crystallographic studies of hpDTBS·ATP and hpDTBS·GTP complexes. The unique mode of nucleotide recognition in hpDTBS makes this protein a good target for H. pylori-specific inhibitors of the biotin synthesis pathway.