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Large pre-trained language models (LMs) have been widely adopted in biomedical and clinical domains, introducing many powerful LMs such as bio-lm and BioELECTRA. However, the applicability of these methods to real clinical use cases is hindered, due to the limitation of pre-trained LMs in processing long textual data with thousands of words, which is a common length for a clinical note. In this work, we explore long-range adaptation from such LMs with Longformer, allowing the LMs to capture longer clinical notes context. We conduct experiments on three n2c2 challenges datasets and a longitudinal clinical dataset from Hong Kong Hospital Authority electronic health record (EHR) system to show the effectiveness and generalizability of this concept, achieving 10\% F1-score improvement. Based on our experiments, we conclude that capturing a longer clinical note interval is beneficial to the model performance, but there are different cut-off intervals to achieve the optimal performance for different target variables. Our code is available at https://github.com/HLTCHKUST/long-biomedical-model.

Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) is a type of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-related vasculitis. Autophagy-related gene 7 (ATG7) protects against complicated disorder states in model organisms, but the way ATG7 dysfunction contributes to MPA remains elusive. This investigation assessed the impacts of ATG7 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) in China. A total of 211 controls and 214 MPA patients were recruited and analyzed. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and high-throughput sequencing were adopted to detect the ATG7 SNPs (rs75492008, rs2594966, rs6442260 and rs8154), and stratification analysis, different genetic models and differences in allele and genotype frequencies were evaluated. Haplotype evaluation was performed after linkage disequilibrium (LD) analyses, and interactions between alleles were assessed. Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) was adopted to analyze SNP-SNP interactions among the four ATG7 SNPs and phosphatidylinositol-4, 5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) and unc-nc-like autophagy activating kinase 1 (ULK1) SNPs previously studied by our team. Relationships between ATG7 polymorphisms, disease activity biomarkers and therapeutic effects in MPA were analyzed. Sex stratification analysis of the rs2594966 GG genotype with codominant and recessive models showed OR=3.42, 95% CI [1.19-9.80], P=0.041 and OR=3.31, 95% CI [1.23-8.90], P=0.012, respectively. Haplotype G-G-C-T was related to an increased MPA risk (OR=1.5, 95% CI [0.999-2.266], P=0.029). Permutation testing of GMDR suggested that ATG7 rs6442260 and rs8154, PIK3CA rs1607237, and ULK1 rs4964879 might interact with each other in MPA development (P

E-marketing is an important tool for real estate enterprises. We evaluate 3 online marketing channels of 44 Chinese real estate companies. Super-efficiency DEA and grey entropy methods are applied to analyse the influence of E-marketing on the performance of real estate enterprises. We find that E-marketing will affect the business performance of real estate companies. Real estate company managers should adopt more strategies to improve corporate performance.

The hot flow behaviors, microstructure evolution and fractographs were studied to optimize the hot forming process of the TA32 titanium alloy thin-walled part. A set of microstructure-based constitutive equations were developed based on the experimental data, which described the relationships among the hot flow stresses and the evolution of phase volume fraction, dislocation density, grain size and damage. The constitutive model was imported into ABAQUS 6.14 to simulate the hot forming process for a typical thin-walled part. The effective strain, dislocation density and damage distribution as well as forming defects of formed parts under different process parameters were predicted. A qualified part without wrinkling and fracture defects was produced at a loading speed of 5 mm/s at 800 °C by the modified blank shape, where the maximum damage value was only 18.3%. The accuracy of constitutive model and finite element (FE) simulation was verified by the microhardness tests, which indicates that the FE model based on physical internal-state variables can well optimize the hot forming process of TA32 titanium alloy complex parts.

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a key hormone that regulates fish growth. It acts on a variety of organs and regulates multiple signaling pathways. In order to explore the specific effects of IGF-1 on fish nutrient absorption, immune system, and other functions, the present study investigated the transcriptional changes of stomachs in tilapia by IGF injection. The tilapias were divided into two groups which were injected with saline (C group) and IGF-1 (2 μg/g body weight) (I group), respectively. After three times injections, the stomachs from the tested tilapias were collected 7 days post the first injection and the transcriptomes were sequenced by Illumina HiSeqTM 2000 platform. The results showed that a total of 155 DEGs were identified between C and I groups. By gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, two GO terms related to absorption function were enriched including organic acid transport, and amino acid transport which contained 6 functional DEGs. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis suggested that Staphylococcus aureus infection, as well as complement and coagulation cascades pathways were enriched and contained 6 DEGs. Taken together, the present study indicated that IGF-1 injection altered gene expression related to amino acid transporting, complement and coagulation cascades which provides a promise immunopotentiation therapy by IGF-1 in digestive tract of tilapia.

The development of pharmaceutical companies, which is an important part of the national economy and industry, is closely related to people’s livelihood issues. With the era of big data, this paper uses the two-stage DEA and Malmquist method to evaluate the efficiency of listed Chinese pharmaceutical companies. From a static and dynamic perspective, it analyses the total factor productivity index, pure efficiency change index, scale efficiency index, and so on. The results show that government subsidies have not had a positive impact on most Chinese pharmaceutical companies, and for films, diseconomies of scale caused by rapid expansion should be avoided.

Background: The 2020 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 edition) has 255 Chinese prescriptions with different dosage forms, accounting for 21.09% of the total prescriptions (1,209) in Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 edition. However, the scientific rationality of the phenomenon of “Different Dosage Forms of the Same Prescription” of Chinese proprietary medicine has been less explored. Based on the dosage form theory of “components in pills release slowly and take effect in slow-acting manner, while in powders release quickly and take effect in fast-acting way,” we provided the in vitro dissolution experiment and in vivo pharmacokinetics of Chuanxiong Chatiao powders and pills in order to rationalize the phenomenon of “Different Dosage Forms of the Same Prescription” of Chuanxiong Chatiao prescription.Materials and Methods: Chuanxiong Chatiao powders and pills were prepared in the laboratory referring to the preparation methods in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 edition, and the contents of tetramethylpyrazine, ferulic acid, nodakenin, and isoimperatorin were determined by the external standard method. We measured the in vitro dissolution of four analytes of Chuanxiong Chatiao powders and pills according to the second method for dissolution determination (paddle method) in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 edition, and their corresponding contents in each sampling point were determined by LC-MS/MS. We also provided a pharmacokinetic study of Chuanxiong Chatiao powders and pills. Six female domestic rabbits were divided into two groups (powder and pill groups) and given Chuanxiong Chatiao powders and pills (9.85 g/kg) by surgical administration separately. Blood samples were collected at 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 240, 360, 480, 720, and 1,440 min after drug administration to measure the plasma concentration of the four analytes by LC-MS/MS.Results: The results of in vitro dissolution experiment showed that the dissolution rate of four analytes in the powder group was greater than that of the pill group. However, the solubilities of tetramethylpyrazine and isoimperatorin were very low in the powder and pill, which may be related to their low solubility properties. The results of the in vivo pharmacokinetic study of Chuanxiong Chatiao powders and pills showed that Tmax (h) of ferulic acid and nodakenin in the powder group was 0.420 and 0.053 times that of the pill group and t1/2 (h) of ferulic acid, nodakenin, and isoimperatorin of the powder group was 0.910, 0.262, and 0.661 times that of the pill group, respectively.Conclusion: The in vitro dissolution rate and in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters of four analytes in CXCTF could partly explain the scientific rationality of the classic theory of “丸者缓也, 散者散也” as in Chinese, which is helpful for providing a basis for the comparison of subsequent dosage forms. The results of our studies also suggest the complexity of the design of dosage forms of Chinese proprietary medicines and imply that we should pay more attention to the scientific rationality of the phenomenon of “Different Dosage Forms of the Same Prescription.”

Objective: The main aim of this study was to identify immune-related genes in Kidney clear cell carcinoma (ccRcc) patients.Methods: We downloaded RNAseq data and clinical information of ccRcc patients from the TCGA database and retrieved the immune-related genes list from the web of Immport. We performed Cox and LASSO analyses, using “survival” and “glmnt’ packages implemented in R, to reveal survival immune-related genes. Next, we verified the prognostic signature of these genes, and further confirmed its survival value using Kaplan-Meier analysis and ROC time dependent curves. We also evaluated the signature’s immune cell component and the results of immunotherapy.Results: Analysis of 526 tumor samples revealed a total of 770 immune-related genes, after four steps of primary screening. Cox and LASSO analyses revealed 11 hub immune-related survival genes, namely ADRB2, AGER, BIRC5, CDNF, CXCL2, ESR2, F2RL1, IFITM1, PTX3, SEMA3G, and TCF7L2. Kaplan-Meier curves revealed prognostic signature of the 11 DEGs, with the high-risk score group in ccRcc patients exhibiting a worse survival rate (PConclusion: Our results revealed 11 survival immune-related genes (ADRB2, AGER, BIRC5, CDNF, CXCL2, ESR2, F2RL1, IFITM1, PTX3, SEMA3G, TCF7L2) in ccRcc patients. We used these genes to develop a signature that can act as an independent prognostic predictor for overall survival and response of ccRcc patients to immunotherapy.

Background Long-chain non-coding RNA (LncRNA) plays a key role in the biological processes of tumors. LncRNA-FTX has been the invasion of tumors. However, its function and mechanism in osteosarcoma have not been studied. Methods qRT-PCR was measured the expression levels of FTX and miR-214-5p in osteosarcoma. The protein levels of SRY-related HMG box transcription factor 4 (SOX4) were detected by Western Blot. Cholecystokinin (CCK-8) assay, cell colony formation and Transwell assay, Annexin V-FITC/PI assay were analyzed the effects of FTX and miR-214-5p on cell proliferation, cell invasion and apoptosis. The relationship between FTX, miR-214-5p and SOX4 was analyzed by bioinformatics analysis and Luciferase. The tumor changes in mice were detected by vivo experiments in nude mice. Results The expression levels of FTX were increased in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines and negatively correlated with the expression levels of miR-214-5p. FTX could modulate the expression of miR-214-5p in osteosarcoma cell lines. sh-FTX inhibited the growth and metastasis of osteosarcoma. FTX could regulate the growth of osteosarcoma through miR-214-5p. The knockdown of miR-214-5p reversed the inhibitory effect of sh-FTX on osteosarcoma cell proliferation and growth in mice. Furthermore, FTX regulated the expression of SOX4 by acting as a sponge of miR-214-5p in osteosarcoma. Conclusion FTX could promote proliferation, invasion and inhibited apoptosis by regulating miR-214-5p/SOX4 axis in osteosarcoma, suggesting that FTX might be a potential target for osteosarcoma treatment.

A clustering algorithm is a solution for grouping a set of objects and for distribution centre location problems. But the common K-means clustering algorithm may give local optimal solutions. Swarm intelligent algorithms simulate the social behaviours of animals and avoid local optimal solutions. We employ three swarm intelligent algorithms to avoid these solutions. We propose a new algorithm for the clustering problem, the fruit-fly optimization K-means algorithm (FOA K-means). We designed a distribution centre location problem and three clustering indicators to evaluate the performance of algorithms. We compare the algorithms of K-means with the ant colony optimization algorithm (ACO K-means), particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO K-means), and fruit-fly optimization algorithm. We find K-Means modified by the fruit-fly optimization algorithm (FOA K-means) has the best performance on convergence speed and three clustering indicators, compactness, separation, and integration. Thus, we can apply FOA K-means to improve the distribution centre location solution and the efficiency for distribution in the future.

Liupao tea, a drink homologous to medicine and food. It can treat dysentery, relieve heat, remove dampness, and regulate the intestines and stomach. The objective of this study is to explore the material basis and mechanism of Liupao tea intervention in COVID-19 and to provide a new prevention and treatment programme for COVID-19. We used high performance liquid chromatography to analyze the extract of Liupao tea and establish its fingerprint. The main index components of the fingerprint were determined using SARS-COV-2 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro ), and an in vitro drug screening model based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer was used to evaluate its inhibitory activity in vitro. The fingerprint results showed that the alcohol extract of Liupao tea contained gallic acid, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), caffeine, epicatechin gallate, rutin, and ellagic acid. The molecular docking binding energies of the six index components of SARS-CoV-2 3Clpro were all less than -5.0 kJ/mol and showed strong binding affinity. The results of in vitro activity showed that the IC50 of EGCG was 8.84 µmol/L, which could inhibit SARS-CoV-2 3Clpro to a certain extent. This study unleashed that EGCG has a certain inhibitory effect on SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro , and Liupao tea has a certain significance as a tea drink for the prevention of COVID-19. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The objective of this study was to explore the material basis and mechanism of Liupao tea intervention in COVID-19 and to provide a new prevention and treatment programme for COVID-19. The molecular docking binding energies of the six index components of Liupao tea with SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro were all less than -5.0 kJ/mol, among them, the enzyme activity experiment shows that EGCG has a certain inhibitory effect on SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro , it can be used as a potential SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitor. We predicted that the understandings gained in the current research may evidence that Liupao tea has a certain significance as a tea drink for the prevention of COVID-19.

Nicotinamide adenine diphosphate (NAD+) is a novel messenger RNA 5' cap in Escherichia coli, yeast, mammals, and Arabidopsis Transcriptome-wide identification of NAD+-capped RNAs (NAD-RNAs) was accomplished through NAD captureSeq, which combines chemoenzymatic RNA enrichment with high-throughput sequencing. NAD-RNAs are enzymatically converted to alkyne-RNAs that are then biotinylated using a copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction. Originally applied to E. coli RNA, which lacks the m7G cap, NAD captureSeq was then applied to eukaryotes without extensive verification of its specificity for NAD-RNAs vs. m7G-capped RNAs (m7G-RNAs). In addition, the Cu2+ ion in the CuAAC reaction causes RNA fragmentation, leading to greatly reduced yield and loss of full-length sequence information. We developed an NAD-RNA capture scheme utilizing the copper-free, strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction (SPAAC). We examined the specificity of CuAAC and SPAAC reactions toward NAD-RNAs and m7G-RNAs and found that both prefer the former, but also act on the latter. We demonstrated that SPAAC-NAD sequencing (SPAAC-NAD-seq), when combined with immunodepletion of m7G-RNAs, enables NAD-RNA identification with accuracy and sensitivity, leading to the discovery of new NAD-RNA profiles in Arabidopsis Furthermore, SPAAC-NAD-seq retained full-length sequence information. Therefore, SPAAC-NAD-seq would enable specific and efficient discovery of NAD-RNAs in prokaryotes and, when combined with m7G-RNA depletion, in eukaryotes.

Liupao tea, a drink homologous to medicine and food. It can treat dysentery, relieve heat, remove dampness, and regulate the intestines and stomach. The objective of this study is to explore the material basis and mechanism of Liupao tea intervention in COVID-19 and to provide a new prevention and treatment programme for COVID-19. We used high performance liquid chromatography to analyze the extract of Liupao tea and establish its fingerprint. The main index components of the fingerprint were determined using SARS-COV-2 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CL

The technology in Taiwan’s panel industry is changing fast. However, after the financial tsunami and the increased price for raw materials, enterprises’ abilities to select suppliers and purchase have great influences on plan implementation. Therefore, with the prevailing issues of supply chain management, how to evaluate and select appropriate suppliers has become a very important topic for enterprises. Depending on customers’ needs, the requirements for suppliers vary from industry to industry. On this basis, this study summarizes and analyzes the literature on supplier selection to develop the supplier selection criteria, constructs the hierarchical network architecture by an expert interview, and proposes a complete supplier evaluation model by the fuzzy theory and network analysis. This study shows that the order of the important dimensions is as follows: performance evaluation, customer service, technology and competitiveness, cost benefits, and architecture, and the most important criterion is quality. Finally, the material suppliers of backlight modules in the panel industry are taken as the examples and ranked by VIKOR, based on their merits and demerits, to help related industries to understand their current advantages and disadvantages according to the selection results obtained by the fuzzy analytical network process and improve the gap between their actual situations and enterprises’ expectations and thus enhance their competitiveness.

Haicong Chen,1,* Tianfeng Liu,1,* Hanbin Ouyang,1 Sien Lin,1 Huan Zhong,1 Hongwu Zhang,2 Yang Yang2 1Department of Orthopedics Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Anatomy, School of Basic Medicine Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Huan ZhongDepartment of Orthopedics Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, Guangdong, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 759-2369606Email nq6584@163.comBackground: Long-chain non-coding RNA (LncRNA) plays a key role in the biological processes of tumors. LncRNA-FTX has been the invasion of tumors. However, its function and mechanism in osteosarcoma have not been studied.Methods: qRT-PCR was measured the expression levels of FTX and miR-214-5p in osteosarcoma. The protein levels of SRY-related HMG box transcription factor 4 (SOX4) were detected by Western Blot. Cholecystokinin (CCK-8) assay, cell colony formation and Transwell assay, Annexin V-FITC/PI assay were analyzed the effects of FTX and miR-214-5p on cell proliferation, cell invasion and apoptosis. The relationship between FTX, miR-214-5p and SOX4 was analyzed by bioinformatics analysis and Luciferase. The tumor changes in mice were detected by vivo experiments in nude mice.Results: The expression levels of FTX were increased in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines and negatively correlated with the expression levels of miR-214-5p. FTX could modulate the expression of miR-214-5p in osteosarcoma cell lines. sh-FTX inhibited the growth and metastasis of osteosarcoma. FTX could regulate the growth of osteosarcoma through miR-214-5p. The knockdown of miR-214-5p reversed the inhibitory effect of sh-FTX on osteosarcoma cell proliferation and growth in mice. Furthermore, FTX regulated the expression of SOX4 by acting as a sponge of miR-214-5p in osteosarcoma.Conclusion: FTX could promote proliferation, invasion and inhibited apoptosis by regulating miR-214-5p/SOX4 axis in osteosarcoma, suggesting that FTX might be a potential target for osteosarcoma treatment.Keywords: FTX, miR-214-5p, SOX4, osteosarcoma, proliferation, apoptosis

Arsenic has been used for various purposes throughout human history, such as medicinal and industrial applications, while its health risks have only been gradually recognized in the 20th century and have raised global concerns since the 1990s. Reviewing the progress of arsenic research from a scientometric viewpoint is of great value and importance to predict future trends in arsenic studies. Unfortunately, such review is lacking, which could possibly lead to a biased understanding of the role of arsenic in human health. In this study, we collected 61,988 published literatures on arsenic research in the past 120 years from Web of Science, on which scientometric analysis using CiteSpace and subsequent review were conducted. Our scientometric-based review demonstrated the progress in the past 120 years of arsenic research and identified emerging trends in recent years, emphasizing the health risks posed by arsenic, arsenic applications, and their interaction. The information summarized in this study will shed light on the wise and extensive use of arsenic, which could be a double-edged sword in human health.

To improve the efficiency of warehouse operations, reasonable optimization of picking operations has become an important task of the modern supply chain. For the purpose of optimization of order picking in warehouses, a new fruit fly optimization algorithm, particle swarm optimization, random weight, and weight decrease model are used to solve the mathematical model. Further optimization is achieved through the analysis of the warehouse shelves and screening of the optimal solution of the picking time. In addition, simulation experiments are conducted in the MATLAB environment through programming. The shortest picking time is found out and chosen as an optimized method by taking advantage of the effectiveness of these six algorithms in the picking optimization and comparing the data obtained under the simulation. The result shows that the optimization capacity of RWFOA is better and the picking efficiency is the best.

The ducted propeller is superior to the open propeller in hovering efficiency. However, the overall system efficiency of a ducted propeller is reduced due to its heavy structure. If the weight penalty is taken into account, will the ducted propeller still be superior to an open propeller? And in this scenario, how will a ducted propeller with better efficiency than an open propeller be designed? This paper investigates these questions by parametric analysis based on experiments and then parametric optimization that involves hovering efficiency and structural weight in objective functions. Both multi-disciplinary design optimization and multi-objective programming are performed by surrogate-based optimization. An in-house automatic structured mesh generation module is developed to deal with significant geometry variation in design space. Finally, the optimization results are validated by post-optimization experiments. The results of experiment and optimization indicate that the effects of weight penalty play a leading role at low disk loading and hence in this case, the one with lighter structure is superior. But at high disk loading, as thrust gets higher, the leading factor turns into aerodynamic hovering efficiency, therefore the one with higher aerodynamic hovering efficiency prevails. The multi-objective optimization produces an L-shaped Pareto front, and the optimum of multi-disciplinary optimization is quite close to the Pareto front knee point. The designs in this region encounter limited aerodynamic hovering efficiency loss but gain significant weight reduction. Therefore, we can obtain a ducted propeller superior to an open propeller in system efficiency with pretty low disk loading, although the weight penalty is considered. These designs feature a relatively large inner lip radius, a small outer lip radius, and a short or even no diffuser. This means that the inner lip radius contributes the most to the aerodynamic hovering efficiency, followed by the diffuser and outer lip. These designs have very low height to diameter ratio therefore they can be easily integrated into aircraft structure.

Core-shell structured cobalt coated tungsten carbide (WC/Co) composite powders were prepared by intermittent electrodeposition. The influence of process parameters such as current density, single deposition pulse, pH value and surfactants on the formation of WC/Co was investigated and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical station, acidometer and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The composite powders with 54% cobalt content were fabricated at a current density of 16 A dm−2, with a load of 10 g dm−3 WC powders and a stirring speed of 600 r min−1 at an operation temperature of 40 ± 2 °C, and 90% current efficiency was obtained with a single deposition pulse of 1.5 min and single stirring pulse of 2 min during 12 min efficient electrodeposition time. The uniformly distributed WC/Co powders could be obtained in the cobalt electrolyte containing 300 mg dm−3 PEG-2000. The spherical cobalt grains coated WC particles were prepared in the pH 4−5 electrolyte at the Co deposition rate of 0.58 g min−1. A practical process for high efficient production of WC/Co powders by electrodeposition was developed in the present work.

The 5' end of a eukaryotic mRNA transcript generally has a 7-methylguanosine (m7G) cap that protects mRNA from degradation and mediates almost all other aspects of gene expression. Some RNAs in Escherichia coli, yeast, and mammals were recently found to contain an NAD+ cap. Here, we report the development of the method NAD tagSeq for transcriptome-wide identification and quantification of NAD+-capped RNAs (NAD-RNAs). The method uses an enzymatic reaction and then a click chemistry reaction to label NAD-RNAs with a synthetic RNA tag. The tagged RNA molecules can be enriched and directly sequenced using the Oxford Nanopore sequencing technology. NAD tagSeq can allow more accurate identification and quantification of NAD-RNAs, as well as reveal the sequences of whole NAD-RNA transcripts using single-molecule RNA sequencing. Using NAD tagSeq, we found that NAD-RNAs in Arabidopsis were produced by at least several thousand genes, most of which are protein-coding genes, with the majority of these transcripts coming from

Background: Comprehensive analyses of multi-omics data may provide insights into interactions between different biological layers in relation to distinct clinical features. Here we integrated data on the gut microbiota, blood parameters and urine metabolites of treatment-naive individuals presenting a wide range of metabolic disease phenotypes to delineate clinically meaningful associations. Results: Trans-omics correlation networks revealed that candidate gut microbial biomarkers and urine metabolite features covaried with distinct clinical phenotypes. Integration of the gut microbiome, the urine metabolome and the phenome revealed that variations in one of these three systems correlated with changes in the other two. Of specific note in relation to clinical parameters of liver function, we identified Eubacterium eligens, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Ruminococcus lactaris to be associated with a healthy liver function, whereas Clostridium bolteae, Tyzzerella nexills, Ruminococcus gnavus, Blautia hansenii, and Atopobium parvulum were associated with blood biomarkers for liver diseases. Variations in these microbiota features paralleled changes in specific urine metabolites. Network modeling yielded two core clusters including one large gut microbe-urine metabolite close-knit cluster and one triangular cluster composed of a gut microbe-blood-urine network, demonstrating close inter-system crosstalk especially between the gut microbiome and the urine metabolome. Conclusions: Distinct clinical phenotypes are manifested in both the gut microbiome and the urine metabolome, and inter-domain connectivity takes the form of high-dimensional networks. Such networks may further our understanding of complex biological systems, and may provide a basis for identifying biomarkers for diseases.

Additional file 2. NMR spectra of fecal extracts and serum.

Additional file 1. The Minimum Standards of Reporting Checklist.

It has been shown that piRNA is the largest class of small non-coding RNA in germline cells of animals which plays key roles in transposons regulation and transcriptional activities. In the present study, piRNAs from two small RNA libraries including ovary and testis of Nile tilapia were identified and characterized. By length and k-mer based small RNA prediction algorithm, 279,059 and 583,230 small RNA reads were confirmed as piRNA from ovary and testis, respectively. The identified piRNAs showed evolutionarily conserved characterization, such as uridine bias in the 5′ ends. The 142,961 and 296,775 piRNAs from ovary and testis were mapped to the draft assembly of the tilapia genome, respectively. Both ovary and testis piRNAs were enriched from linkage (LG)6 and LG7. Meanwhile, the even distribution of +strand and −strand suggested the Ping–pong pathway (a double-displacement reaction of +strand and −strand) hypothesis. These piRNAs were derived from the upstream −2 kb and downstream +2 kb as well as gene regions which suggested a regulatory function on transcription activities. In gene regions, abundant piRNAs were derived from 5′UTR, 3′UTR and CDS. Furthermore, we characterized the differentially expressed piRNAs between ovary and testis. In total, 1979 and 2453 piRNAs were significantly higher and lower expressed in ovary compared to that in testis, respectively. Thereinto, the most concentrated up-regulate and down-regulate piRNAs were both from serine/threonine–protein kinase PIM genes of different transcripts. These findings will be helpful to facilitate studies on the piRNAs regulation on genes during gonad development of teleosts.

SPIRIT 2013 Checklist. (DOC 121 kb)

Field experiments were conducted in Shilin and Xundian respectively to study the diffe- rence of rhizosphere microbe quantity and functional diversity with plate culture method and Biolog technique among Hongda (high susceptibility, S), Yun87 (middle resistance, MR) and K326 (high resistance, R) , three flue-cured tobacco cultivars with different resistance to bacterial wilt and black shank. The results indicated that the amounts of bacteria, actinomycetes and the total number of microbes in tobacco plants' rhizosphere were positively correlated with the cultivar' s re- sistance, while it was opposite for the fungi. The consistent tendency was obtained not only at 35 d, 55 d and 75 d after transplanting, but also at two experimental sites. Cultivar and experimental con- ditions greatly affected the utilization of six types of carbon source by rhizospheric microbes, as well as the AWCD value. In Xundian site, rhizospheric microbes' utilization of carbohydrates, amino acids, carboxylic acids, polymers,. amines and the AWCD value were all higher at 55 d and 75 d after transplanting for the resistant cultivar than the susceptible one, but it was opposite at 75 d after transplanting for the phenolic acids. In Shilin, significant differences existed among the three culti- vars at 35 d, 55 d and 75 d after transplanting for the indices mentioned above, although they were not consistent with cultivars' resistance. Principal component (PC) analysis even showed that utili- zation of carbon sources by rhizosphere microorganisms differed significantly among the three culti- vars at the two sites, and it was better reflected by PC1 and PC2 at 55 d and 75 d after transplan- ting, respectively. In conclusion, rhizosphere microbial community structure and functional diversity were greatly affected not only by the cultivars' difference in resistance, but also by experimental conditions.

We sampled a short sediment core in Lake Kongmo Co on the southern Tibetan Plateau,and extracted terrigenous alkanes (n-C_(25) to n-C_(31)) from the core spanning the past near-50 years at 7-year resolution,and compared the hydrogen isotope ratios of these biomarkers with meteorological records of the nearby Langkazi and Lhasa weather stations.Hydrogen isotope ratios of these n-alkanes significantly correlated with mean growing season air temperature,whereasδD values of these biomarkers showed poor correlations with both precipitation amount and relative humidity during the growth seasons,indicating that these n-alkanes recorded the air temperature signal and can be used as a proxy for paleotemperature reconstruction.

The hydrogen isotopic composition (δD) of leaf water used for biosynthesis of n-alkanes can be modified by climate. Therefore, the δD can be considered as potential paleoclimatic proxy to explore. We compared measured δD values of alkanes (n-C25 to n-C31) extracted from a short sediment profile spanning the past 50 years with a 7-year resolution from Lake Yamzho, southern Tibetan Plateau. Climatic control was reconstructed using meteorological records of the nearby Langkazi and Lhasa weather stations. We found that the δD values of the n-alkanes correlated with the mean annual air temperature and significantly correlated with the mean growing season air temperature. On the other hand, the δD values show poor correlations with both rainfall amount and relative humidity. These results indicate that stable isotope composition of n-alkanes could be an excellent proxy for paleotemperature reconstruction.

δD values of terrigenous n-alkanes (n-C25, n-C27, n-C29 and n-C31) extracted from recent lake surface sediments of Lake Qiangyong Glacier, Lake Kongmu Co, Lake Nam Co, Lake Keluke and Lake Xiao Qaidam along the S-N transect of Tibetan Plateau are compared to those of precipitation spanning a wide range from -167‰ to -51‰ and clearly correlate with δD values of meteoric water during the growth, indicating that terrigenous n-alkanes record the precipitation signal during the growth. The isotopic fractionation between precipitation and alkanes of n-C25 and n-C27 cover a range from -45‰ to -70‰ whilst that between precipitation and alkanes of n-C29 and n-C31 vary from -70‰ to -95‰, both being fairly constant along the S–N Tibetan transect with the mean at -57‰ and -82‰, respectively. By comparison with the apparent isotope fractionation of -130‰ along the S–N European transect, it implies that the apparent hydrogen isotopic fractionation between meteoric water and terrestrial n-alkanes along the Tibetan transect is much smaller.

Hydrogen isotope ratios were measured on terrigenous alkanes (n-C25 to n-C31) extracted from recent lake surface sediments from the climatically and environmentally distinct basins Qiangyong Glacier Lake, Yamzho Lake, Nam Co Lake, Keluke Lake and Xiao Qaidam Lake along a S-N transect in the Tibetan Plateau to explore the climatic implication of these biomarkers. δD values of these n-alkanes are compared to that of precipitation spanning a wide range from -167‰ to -51‰ and clearly correlate with δD values of meteoric water, indicating that terrigenous alkanes record the precipitation signal. The fractionation between precipitation and n-C25, n-C27 alkanes cover a range from -45‰ to -70‰ whilst that between precipitation and n-C29, n-C31 alkanes varies from -70‰ to -95‰ both being fairly constant along the S-N Tibetan transect with the mean at -57‰ and -82‰ respectively. By comparison with the fractionation of -130‰ along the S-N European transect, it implies that the hydrogen isotopic fractionation between meteoric water and terrestrial n-alkanes along the Tibetan transect represent distinct character.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an important modality in tumor treatment. One of the challenging issues is how to control and evaluate RFA treatment. This study is one of the first systems to examine magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) for RFA evaluation. The ex vivo experiments were designed and performed on bovine and porcine liver tissues respectively. It is found that the contrast ratios of the common imaging protocols were 1:1.09 (2.44:2.65) only for bovine tissues and 1:1.12 (2.19:2.45) for porcine tissues, but they were enhanced to 1:3.03 (25.74:78.04) and 1:3.66 (9.16:33.55) respectively on MRE. In conclusion, MRE is a good solution for RFA evaluation.

A field experiment was conducted to study the nutrient balance between N, P, and K in flue-cured tobacco production in Shilin County of Yunnan Province under the effects of different preceding crops including rape, wheat, barley, and green manure planting. Overall, there existed significant differences in the soil nitrogen availability, tobacco plant dry matter accumulation, plant uptake of N, P and K, residual amounts of soil N, P, and K, apparent soil N loss, and apparent soil P- and K surplus during tobacco growth period under different preceding crops planting. Under preceding crop green mature planting, the soil mineral N content before tobacco plant transplanting, the soil N net mineralization rate during tobacco growth period, and the tobacco plant dry matter accumulation and N- and K uptake at maturation were all the highest, followed by under preceding rape planting, and under preceding barley or wheat planting. The P uptake by tobacco plant was also obviously higher under the preceding green manure or rape planting than under preceding barley or wheat planting. After the harvest of tobacco leaves, the soil residual mineral N content was the highest under the preceding green manure planting, followed by under preceding rape planting, and by preceding barley or wheat planting, while the soil available P and K contents were in adverse, being the highest under preceding barley or wheat planting and the lowest under preceding green manure planting. The apparent soil N loss during tobacco growth period was the highest under the preceding green manure planting, whereas the apparent soil P- and K surplus was obviously higher under preceding wheat or barley planting. It was suggested that an appropriate adjustment should be made on the fertilization rates of N, P, and K for tobacco production based on the preceding crops, i. e., lesser N application when the preceding crop was green manure or rape, and lesser application of P and K when the preceding crop was wheat or barley.

To study the chemical constituents from Clematis brevicaudata.The compounds were isolated by column chromatography and their structures were elucidated through spectroscopic analysis (NMR).Eight compounds were isolated and identified as: palmitic acid (1), 1-docosanol (2), pentacosanoic acid-2', 3'-dihydroxypropyl ester (3), beta-sitosterol (4), daucosterol (5), a mixture of the trans-p-coumarate of the n-alkanols (6), 3,4-dihydroxy-trans coumatate ethyl ester (7), syringaresinol-O-D-glucopyranoside (8).All these compounds are obtained from Clematis brevicaudata for the first time.

Long-reach optical access technologies have emerged as a promising solution for combining access and metro backhaul networks in a cost-effective manner. This study develops a Slotted PON (SPON) architecture based upon an AWG for long-reach optical access networks. The AWG enables the SPON to achieve wavelength spatial-reuse and to provide an internetworking capability amongst ONUs located within different local access networks. In addition, a Slotted MAC (SMAC) protocol is proposed to arbitrate the access of the individual ONUs over the DWDM layer. The simulation results show that the SPON architecture integrated with SMAC protocol enhances the bandwidth utilization within the network, and therefore achieve a significant reduction in the average packet delay.

Systematic studies on enhancing normal treatment processes were performed in order to remove aquatic organic matter economically and efficiently. Enhanced coagulation and polymer coagulant-aid coagulation were compared through jar tests and on-spot experiment (Pilot-scale and full-scale experiment). Fractionations of raw water and water after treatments of above two strategies were performed based on selective adsorption of resin DAX-8. It was found that matters causing UV absorbance at 254 nm were well removed by above two treatments; removals of which could be achieved 90% or more. Hydrophobic bases and acids fractions were more removed under enhanced conditions with removals 66% and 35% respectively; while hydrophilic fraction could be better removed by about 45% using polymer coagulant aids. But the whole removals of the two strategies were almost equal.

A system has been designed for the mass production of solar cells using simple processes based on evaporation in a low vacuum with a controlled gas. The system involves a minimum amount of high technology equipment and can be readily constructed.

In silicon films deposited in vacuum by electron beam evaporation of solid silicon, the substrate temperature dependence of the formation temperature of amorphous silicon and crystalline silicon is determined. On steel and alumina substrates, below 520°C, the silicon film is amorphous. Above this temperature, the film is crystalline with a pronounced optical band gap of 1.7 eV. With thermal treatment in vacuum, a transformation from an amorphous to a crystalline state is observed at 650°C.