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Organic matter transport from watershed soil into an aquatic ecosystem plays a key role in the fate of contaminants and lake eutrophication. Special emphasis is needed to understand whether sensitive river indicators can reflect watershed non-point source organic carbon (OC) pollution, in which the accurate assessment of non-point source (NPS) pollution is crucial. This study selected a sub-basin within the Taihu basin, China, as the study site, a typical rural-urban fringe region undergoing rapid urbanization where soil organic carbon (SOC) loss would likely take place due to the integration of agriculture NPS and impervious surface NPS. The seasonal tendency of NPS soil organic carbon (SOC) loads were evaluated by using the integration of SEDD and PLOAD models, which consider the sediment adsorption fraction loads (Sed-OC) and runoff dissolved fraction loads (Dis-OC) together. And then the sensitive water indicators for OC loads were determined by measurements of inflowing river properties and stepwise regression analysis. The results showed that active dissolved carbon fraction loads were the dominant contributors to the total organic carbon loads (Tot-OC) and that Sed-OC loads have more spatial variation. With respect to sensitive river properties, the lignin owned the greatest correlation degree with different OC fraction loads, in which the correlation coefficient between particulate lignin and Sed-OC loads reached 0.782, which is the greatest among the different indicators. In addition, the colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) was also correlated with Dis-OC loads. However, the particulate organic carbon (POC) was not well related to OC loads. The findings of this study are useful for better understanding the nutrient migration from watershed soil into aquatic ecosystem controlled by watershed NPS pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Blastocystis are common digestive tract parasites in humans and animals, extensively parasitic in humans and other primates. They exhibit extensive genetic diversity; Currently, 17 subtypes (STs) and some populations called non mammalian and avian STs (NMASTs) have been proposed. To understand the infection status and genotype distribution of Blastocystis sp. in wild mouse, this study used PCR technology to study the fecal DNA samples of 111 Leopoldomys edwardsi and 117 Berylmys bowersi collected from Guangdong and Chongqing. Among 228 fecal samples, 4 samples were positive for Blastocystis sp., with a total infection rate of 1.8% (4/228). Four positive samples formed two subtypes of ST3 and ST4, all of which were zoonotic genotypes. This article aims to investigate the infection status and genotype distribution of wild mouse Blastocystis sp., which will help reduce the infection of this pathogen to animals and thereby reduce their risk of zoonotic transmission.

Resumo Fundamento: O antibiótico quimioterápico antraciclina doxorrubicina (DOX) pode induzir cardiotoxicidade cumulativa e levar à disfunção cardíaca. RNAs não codificantes longos (lncRNAs) podem funcionar como importantes reguladores na lesão miocárdica induzida por DOX. Objetivo: Este estudo tem como objetivo investigar o papel funcional e o mecanismo molecular do RNA antisense lncRNA OXCT1 1 (OXCT1-AS1) na lesão celular miocárdica induzida por DOX in vitro. Métodos: Cardiomiócitos humanos (AC16) foram estimulados com DOX para induzir um modelo de lesão celular miocárdica. A expressão de OXCT1-AS1, miR-874-3p e BDH1 em células AC16 foi determinada por RT-qPCR. A viabilidade das células AC16 foi medida pelo ensaio XTT. A citometria de fluxo foi empregada para avaliar a apoptose de células AC16. Western blotting foi utilizado para avaliar os níveis proteicos de marcadores relacionados à apoptose. O ensaio repórter de luciferase dupla foi conduzido para verificar a capacidade de ligação entre miR-874-3p e OXCT1-AS1 e entre miR-874-3p e BDH1. O valor de p

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to investigate the polymorphism of the silence information regulator 5 (SIRT5) gene in 103 Congjiang Xiang pigs from Southwest China. We searched for SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) loci of SIRT5 gene through sequence alignment and PCR. We obtained nine SNP loci: g.14135 A>C (intron 6), g.14247 C>A (intron 6), g.14305 C>T (exon 7), g.14335 C>T (exon 7), g.16603 T>C (intron 7), g.16613 T>C (intron 7), g.16800 G>A (intron 7), g.16812 C>G (intron 7), and g.16916 A>G (exon 8). Further analysis of SNP genotypes associated with the carcass traits of skin thickness, backfat thickness, and eye muscle area was carried out in pigs. We found that the genotypes g.14305 C>T (CC) and g.16812 C>G (CG) had certain advantages for improving the carcass traits of Congjiang Xiang pigs. The haplotype combination of the SIRT5 gene that improved skin thickness was H2H3:CCGGCTCA. These results may provide empirical support for molecular-based breeding of carcass traits in Congjiang Xiang pigs.

ABSTRACT To explore the functions of Txnip and its mechanism in adipocyte differentiation, the preadipocytes were isolated from subcutaneous adipose tissue of three-day-old piglets and induced into adipogenic differentiation. The expression of Txnip and ChREBP was silenced, and the Txnip overexpression was achieved in the cells with transfection of the recombinant lentivirus strategies. Txnip silencing promoted the differentiation of porcine preadipocytes and PPARγ expression, and a PPARγ inhibitor reduced this facilitation. Instead, Txnip overexpression exerted a suppressive effect on the cell differentiation and PPARγ expression, and the PPARγ agonist offset this inhibition. High glucose stimulated the preadipocyte differentiation and expressions of ChREBP and Txnip. In contrast, Txnip expression was reduced by ChREBP silencing, suggesting glucose-regulated Txnip expression through the mediation of ChREBP. Moreover, the expressions of ChREBP and Glut4 induced by high glucose and glucose uptake of the cells were reduced by Txnip-overexpression, but increased by Txnip silencing, while these changes of Txnip did not alter their expressions under low glucose. Collectively, Txnip could be an inhibitor of porcine preadipocyte differentiation, which attenuated the adipogenesis through the negative feedback regulation on PPARγ. Txnip impaired the induction of glucose on the preadipocyte differentiation through decreasing Glut4 expression and glucose uptake and subsequent decrease of the expression and transcriptional activity of ChREBP.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is related to a higher risk of thromboembolic events and mortality. Some studies have demonstrated that the inflammatory biomarker interleukin-6 (IL-6) is associated with a higher risk of higher thrombosis in AF patients, but the real effect of IL-6 remains a controversy. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the association between IL-6 and thromboembolic events, as well as bleeding events, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) events and all-cause mortality in AF. Results: A total of five studies involving 22 928 patients met our inclusion criteria for the systematic review. The higher level of IL-6 in AF patients is related to long-term thromboembolic events including stroke (RR 1.44, CI 95% 1.09-1.90, p=0.01). IL-6 meant a higher risk of long-term bleeding risk (RR 1.36, CI 95% 1.06-1.74, p=0.02), ACS risk (RR 1.81, CI 95% 1.43-2.30, p

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the predictive validity of the day‐1 PELOD‐2 and day‐1 “quick” PELOD‐2 (qPELOD‐2) scores for in‐hospital mortality in children with sepsis in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a developing country. Methods: The data of 516 children diagnosed as sepsis were retrospectively analyzed. The children were divided into survival group and non‐survival group, according to the clinical outcome 28 days after admission. Day‐1 PELOD‐2, day‐1 qPELOD‐2, pediatric SOFA (pSOFA), and P‐MODS were collected and scored. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted, and the efficiency of the day‐1 PELOD‐2, day‐1 qPELOD‐2 score, pSOFA, and P‐MODS for predicting death were evaluated by the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Results: The day‐1 PELOD‐2 score, day‐1 qPELOD‐2 score, pSOFA, and P‐MODS in the non‐survivor group were significantly higher than those in the survivor group. ROC curve analysis showed that the AUCs of the day‐1 PELOD‐2 score, day‐1 qPELOD‐2 score, pSOFA, and P‐MODS for predicting the prognosis of children with sepsis in the PICU were 0.916, 0.802, 0.937, and 0.761, respectively (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: Both the day‐1 PELOD‐2 score and day‐1 qPELOD‐2 score were effective and able to assess the prognosis of children with sepsis in a PICU of a developing country. Additionally, the day‐1 PELOD‐2 score was superior to the day‐1 qPELOD‐2 score. Further studies are needed to verify the usefulness of the day‐1 qPELOD‐2 score, particularly outside of the PICU. Resumo: Objetivos: A finalidade de nosso estudo foi avaliar a validade preditiva dos escores PELOD‐2 no dia 1 e “quick” PELOD‐2 no dia 1 com relação à mortalidade hospitalar em crianças com sepse em uma UTIP de um país em desenvolvimento. Métodos: Foram analisados retrospectivamente os dados de 516 crianças diagnosticadas com sepse. As crianças foram divididas em grupo sobrevida e grupo não sobrevida de acordo com o desfecho clínico de 28 dias após internação. Foram coletadas e pontuadas as variáveis PELOD‐2 no dia 1, qPELOD‐2 no dia 1, pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (pSOFA) e Pediatric Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score (P‐MODS). A curva da característica de operação do receptor (ROC) foi plotada e a eficiência preditiva do PELOD‐2 no dia 1, o escore qPELOD‐2 no dia 1, pSOFA, P‐MODS com relação a óbito foram avaliados pela área abaixo da curva (AUC) da curva ROC. Resultados: O escore PELOD‐2 no dia 1, escore qPELOD‐2 no dia 1, pSOFA e P‐MODS no grupo não sobrevida foram significativamente maiores do que os no grupo sobrevida. A análise preditiva da curva ROC mostrou que as AUCs do escore PELOD‐2 no dia 1, escore qPELOD‐2 no dia 1, pSOFA e P‐MODS com relação ao prognóstico de crianças com sepse na UTIP foi 0,916, 0,802, 0,937 e 0,761, respectivamente (todas p < 0,05). Conclusões: Tanto o escore PELOD‐2 no dia 1 e o escore qPELOD‐2 no dia 1 foram válidos e conseguiram avaliar o prognóstico de crianças com sepse em uma UTIP de um país em desenvolvimento. Além disso, o escore PELOD‐2 no dia 1 foi superior ao escore qPELOD‐2 no dia 1. São necessários estudos adicionais para verificar a utilidade do escore qPELOD‐2 no dia 1, principalmente fora da UTIP.

Having defeated all his political enemies and expanded the rule of Rome enormously, Octavian, from 27 BC known as Augustus, ended the civil wars which had plagued the Late Republic and founded the system known as the Roman Principate. The Res Gestae purports to be a retrospective survey by Augustus of his own public achievements in restoring the res publica and conquering the world. It was published in Rome but the only surviving copies were found in the new and distant province of Galatia. In this paper I will try to explain how Augustus, as the founder of the new era known today as ‘the Roman Empire’, envisages and presents Roman rule under his leadership by analysing the content of the Res Gestae. From it we can see that there indeed emerges a concept similar to our ‘empire’. The narrative structure of the Res Gestae shows that Roman imperial rule is conceived of by Augustus in a scheme of core-periphery, in which the core is composed of the provinces under direct Roman control, while the periphery is an area of more vaguely subject people or places maintained by threats and intervention, or more weakly by ‘friendship’ (amicitia), which vary according to the historical specifics of contact between these areas or peoples and Rome. In both cases, whether subjection is in the name of the ‘rule’ or the ‘friendship’ of Roman people, it is Augustus’ personal authority that appears to matter the most, which indicates that Augustus’ institution of a monarchic system was a decisive element in the development of this new holistic concept of Roman imperial rule.

ABSTRACT: Velvetleaf, an annual broadleaf weed, is a common and troublesome weed of cropping systems worldwide. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to determine the effects of environmental factors on germination and emergence of velvetleaf. Seeds germinated over a range of constant temperatures from 10 to 40 oC regardless of light conditions, but no germination occurred at temperature below 5 oC and beyond 50 oC. Seeds germinated at alternating temperature regimes of 15/5 to 40/30 oC, with maximum germination (>90%) at alternating temperatures of 40/30 oC. Germination was sensitive to water stress, and only 0.4% of the seeds germinated at the osmotic potential of -0.4 MPa. There was no germination at ? 0.6 MPa. Moreover, germination was reduced by saline and alkaline stresses and no germination occurred at ³ 150 mM NaCl or ³ 200 mM NaHCO3 concentrations. However, pH values from 5 to 9 had no effect on seed germination. Seedling emergence was significantly affected by burial depth and maximum emergence (78.1-85.6%) occurred at the 1-4 cm depth. The results of this study have contributed to our understanding of the germination and emergence of velvetleaf and should enhance our ability to improve control strategies in cropping systems in central China.

The passage of the NCLB Act enhanced accountability policies in the United States, and standardized testing became prevalent as a policy tool to ensure accountability in K-12 education. Given the high stakes of state administered accountability tests, more school teachers have adopted test-preparation strategies to ensure satisfactory student performance on state tests. However, it remains unclear as to whether and how test preparation relates to students’ state test performance. In this study, by drawing on the Measure of Effective Teaching (MET) longitudinal dataset, we examined the relationship between test preparation and students’ state test performance. We found that students with lower test performance in Year 1 received more test preparation in Year 2; however, the effects of test preparation on students’ state test performance were rather small and mixed. In regard to racial differences, we found that Black and Hispanic students received more test preparation than White students. Further, the effect of test preparation measured by the item “practicing for the state test” on state test performance was significantly greater for Black and Hispanic students than for White students. The implications of the study, its limitations, and directions for future research are also discussed.

ABSTRACT: Yellowing is a key stage in the curing of flue-cured tobacco (Nicotiana tobacum L.) as much of the chemical transformation occurs during this period. This study examined the effect of different yellowing degrees on the value of flue-cured tobacco leaves at the farm level for both processing and manufacturing. The study was conducted in the counties of Chuxiong, Dali, and Yuxi in Yunnan, China over two years. Yellowing treatments have been designed to have either a mild or a regular yellowing degree. Yield, value, appearance, suction property, smoking characteristics, and physical resistance to further processing were investigated to evaluate the effect of degree of yellowing on the industrial utilization of flue-cured tobacco leaves. The regular yellowing degree enhanced yield, value, and appearance compared to the mild yellowing degree, regardless of cultivar or location; however, physical resistance to further processing and the suction property of the mild yellowing degree treatment were better than with the regular yellowing degree regardless of cultivar or location. Furthermore, although the regular yellowing degree recorded higher smoking characteristic scores than the mild yellowing degree immediately after flue-curing, the scores of mild yellowing degree leaves could be further augmented by increasing intensity in the re-drying stage. The smoking characteristic score in the regular yellowing degree can only be increased by low intensity re-drying, and significantly decreased by mild and high intensity re-drying. Therefore, in terms of industrial utilization, mild yellowing is the better choice for flue-curing tobacco. This study also suggested that the current regular yellowing stage in Yunnan should be shortened to meet the demands of the traditional tobacco industry.