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The Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chen is mainly grown in China, and Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma is widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Ancient Chinese medical books recorded that Sanchi processed products were used to treat various diseases. However, its extracts were used for clinical applications. Currently, more attentions are paid to using the Sanchi for dietetic and health-care, hence, many products of Panax notoginseng are available for medicine and food. This review summarizes the present uses of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma products worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to identify suitable reference genes that can be used for quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) analysis in mung bean (Vigna radiata). Therefore, 10 potential reference genes were selected and the results showed that ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme was suitable as reference under drought and pathogen infection stress; elongation factor 1-α was the most stable gene under waterlogging; and actin performed the best under saline stress. These selected reference genes were further confirmed by analysis of the expression profiles of catalase and peroxidase under waterlogging. Our results will contribute to the improvement of the accuracy of gene expression evaluation in mung bean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: As the research of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in human malignant tumors has been increasing, multiple circRNAs have been discovered to be engaged in the modulation of the liver cancer cell functions. This study aims at exploring how circSOX4 affects the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: CircSOX4 levels in HCC tissue samples were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRTPCR) analysis, and the relationship between circSOX4 expression and HCC patients' prognosis was analyzed. CircSOX4 expression was knocked down by transfection of small interfering RNA. The effects of circSOX4 on cell functions including proliferation, invasiveness and migration ability were examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), transwell, cell wound healing test and flow cytometry experiments, respectively. The target RNA of circSOX4 was predicted through searching bioinformatics website, and the binding between the two was verified through Luciferase assay. RESULTS: CircSOX4 was abnormally highly expressed either in HCC tissues or in cell lines, which was positively correlated with the poor prognosis of HCC patients. Transfection of small interfering RNA against circSOX4 in HCC cells resulted in inhibited migration and proliferation of HCC cells, while an increase in cell apoptosis. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that microRNA-432 contained the binding site pairing to circSOX4 3'UTR, and their binding relationship was confirmed by Luciferase assay. Their expression levels were negatively correlated. In addition, downregulation of microRNA- 432 can partially reverse the effect of silenced circSOX4 on regulating apoptosis, proliferation and migration of HCC cells. CONCLUSIONS: CircSOX4, highly expressed in HCC, indicates a poor prognosis. CircSOX4 may mediate the progression of HCC by binding to microRNA-432. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the effects of micro ribonucleic acid-34a (miR-34a) on repair and inflammation of rats with spinal cord injury (SCI) through the toll-like receptor (TLR)/nuclear factor kappalight-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 12 healthy rats (control group (CG)) and 24 SCI rats (experimental group (EG-1)) were selected as subjects. A total of 12 experimental rats randomly selected from EG-1 were injected with 5 μL agomiR-146 as EG-2 group. Serum levels of miR-146a, TLR, NF-κB, interleukin-8 (IL-8) and IL-6 of rats in CG and EG-1 were detected by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, the protein levels of miR-146a, TLR, NF-κB, IL-8 and IL-6 in rats of CG and EG were detected via Western blotting. Spinal cord tissue sections of SCI rats after treatment with agomiR-146 were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) staining. RESULTS: The mRNA level of miR-146a in SCI rats was significantly lower than that in healthy rats, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0 .05). The mRNA levels of TLR, N F-κB, IL-8 and IL-6 in SCI rats were markedly higher than those in healthy rats, showing significant differences (p < 0.05). However, the relative mRNA level of miR-146a in EG-2 group was significantly higher than that in EG-1 group, with a significant difference (p < 0 .05). Relative level of miR-146a was not significantly different between EG-2 group and CG group (p > 0.05). Meanwhile, the mRNA levels of TLR, NF-κB, IL-8 and IL-6 in EG-2 group were evidently lower than those in EG-1 group, displaying significant differences (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MiR-146a can promote the repair of SCI and reduce inflammatory responses in rats through the TLR/NF-κB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the potential functions of miR-137-5p and interleukin-10R1 (IL-10R1) in mediating the immune inflammation after spinal cord injury (SCI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Firstly, primary microglia were isolated from the spinal cord of newborn rats. Expression levels of miR-137-5p and IL-10R1 in LPS-induced microglia were determined by quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). In addition, mRNA expressions of Janus kinase (Jak1) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) were also examined by qRT-PCR. SCI model in rats was established and randomly assigned to three different groups: Sham group, SCI group and miR-137-5p mimic group. Within one week of spinal injury, relative levels of miR-137-5p and IL-10R1 in rats of different groups were detected by qRT-PCR. The mRNA levels of JAK1, tyrosine kinase (Tyk2) and STAT3 in rats were also measured. Moreover, protein expression of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 in rats was measured by Western blotting. Finally, the improvement of locomotor function in three groups of rats within 4 weeks via BBB rating scale. RESULTS: Transfection of miR-137-5p mimics upregulated relative levels of IL-10R1, JAK1 and STAT3 in in vitro cultured microglia. Similarly, IL-10R1/JAK1/STAT3 pathway was activated in rats administrated with miR-137-5p mimics. Nevertheless, relative levels of classical inflammatory stimulators IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 were downregulated accordingly by miR-137-5p overexpression. Moreover, miR-137-5p effectively improved the locomotor function of rats after SCI. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-137-5p exerts an anti-inflammatory response by upregulating IL-10R1, thus improving locomotor function and alleviating spinal cord injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aims to recognize M-type stars which are classified as 'UNKNOWN' due to poor quality in the Large sky Area Multi-Object fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) DR5 V1. A binary nonlinear hashing algorithm based on Multi-Layer Pseudo-Inverse Learning (ML-PIL) is proposed to effectively learn spectral features for M-type-star detection, which can overcome the bad fitting problem of template matching, particularly for low S/N spectra. The key steps and the performance of the search scheme are presented. A positive data set is obtained by clustering the existing M-type spectra to train the ML-PIL networks. By employing this new method, we find 11 410 M-type spectra out of 642 178 'UNKNOWN' spectra, and provide a supplemental catalogue. Both the supplemental objects and released M-type stars in DR5 V1 are composed of a whole M-type sample, which will be released in the official DR5 to the public in June 2019. All the M-type stars in the data set are classified as giants and dwarfs by two suggested separators: (1) a colour diagram of H versus J − K from 2MASS, (2) line indices CaOH versus CaH1, and the separation is validated with the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram (HRD) derived from Gaia DR2. The magnetic activities and kinematics of M dwarfs are also provided with the equivalent width (EW) of the Hα emission line and the astrometric data from Gaia DR2 respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe-Cr-Ni-Mn-Mox-Si0.5-B0.5 (x=0.0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8, 1.0) alloy systems with close-to-equiatomic ratios were fabricated by laser surface alloying onto Q235 steel substrates, aiming to obtain excellent coatings. The experimental results indicate that the phase composition consists of face-centred cubic (FCC) phase with a few intermetallic FeMoSi as a result of adding Si and Mo into FeNiCrMn alloy system. It makes lattice constant increase and lattice expansion. The coatings also shows excellent corrosion resistance in the simulated saturated brine slurry, especially FeCrNiMnMo0.8Si0.5B0.5 coating is the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain high performance coating materials a Fe5Cr5SiTiCoNbMoW high entropy alloy coating was prepared for deposition onto 6542# and Q235 tool steel by CO2 laser cladding. The microstructure, microhardness, corrosion resistance and wear resistance of the coatings were investigated. The experimental results showed that the Fe5Cr5SiTiCoNbMoW high entropy alloy is mainly composed of body-centred cubic (BCC) phase accompanied with a few metal carbides. The microstructure was dendritic crystal. The hardness and wear resistance of the Fe5Cr5SiTi-CoNbMoW high entropy alloy coated 6542# tool steel with high C content was higher than those of the Fe5Cr5SiTiCoNbMoW high entropy alloy coated Q235 tool steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: It's of great significance to investigate the novel targets of drugs for the treatment of stroke. In this study, we explored the neuroprotective role of miR-424 in oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced injuries in PC-12 cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PC-12 cells were subjected to OGD stimulation to mimic ischemic injury. The expressions of miR-424 and mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) were altered by transient transfection with miR-424 mimic, miR-424 inhibitor, pEX-MKP-1, or sh-MKP-1. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, flow cytometry, and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), were conducted to respectively detect cell viability, apoptotic cells, and the expression of miR-424 and MKP-1. The protein expressions of several factors were determined by Western blot. Meanwhile, relative luciferase activity assay was done to verify the predicted targets association. RESULTS: OGD induced injury in PC-12 cells by suppressing cell viability and inducing apoptosis. OGD also induced the expression of miR-424 in PC-12 cells. Overexpression of miR-424 protected PC-12 cells from OGD-induced injury by increasing cell viability and decreasing apoptosis. MKP-1 was a direct target of miR-424, and its expression was negatively regulated by miR-424. Up-regulation of expression of MKP-1 aggravated OGD-induced cell injury by inhibiting the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), thus inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways. CONCLUSIONS: miR-424 protected PC-12 cells from OGD-induced injury through direct suppression of MKP-1 expression, as MKP-1 promoted OGD-induced cell injury by inhibiting the expression of HIF-1κ and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine if short-term nutrient alteration affects (1) ovarian morphology, (2) plasma and ovarian antioxidant capability and (3) cell apoptosis and AKT signaling within the ovary. After estrus synchronization, 24 Hu sheep were assigned to three groups based on the nutrient requirement recommended for maintenance (M): 1 x M (Control), 1.5 x M (S) and 0.5 x M (R) during days 7-14 of their estrous cycle. The results indicated that undernourishment significantly increased the counts and volume of follicles <2.5 mm and decreased the counts and volume of follicles ⩾2.5 mm (P < 0.05). Feed restriction altered the plasma and follicular redox balance within follicles ⩾2.5 mm by inhibiting total antioxidant capacity, increasing malondialdehyde concentration (P < 0.05) and reducing the mRNA expression levels of superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), as well as the activities of total SOD and GSH-PX. Feed restriction also attenuated B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2) but enhanced Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX) and BAX/BCL2 transcription and translation levels in granulosa cells (P < 0.05). Uniform staining intensities of AKT and P-AKT-Ser473 were observed in each follicle stage, whereas weaker P-AKT-Thr308 staining in the antral follicle than in the pre-antral follicle suggested possible involvement of P-AKT-Thr308 during the beginning of follicle development. P-AKT-Ser473 levels in follicles ⩾2.5 mm was significantly reduced in the R group (P < 0.05). The results presented in this study demonstrate that suppressed folliculogenesis caused by feed restriction might be associated with attenuated AKT signaling, reduced follicular antioxidant capacity and enhanced granulosa cells apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single domain YBCO bulk superconductors with different additions of ZnO have been successfully fabricated by RE011 TSIG process with a new solid phase of [(100-)(Y2OBaCuO2)+ZnO] and a new liquid phase of (Y2O3+6CuO+10BaCuO2). The effects of ZnO additions on the growth morphology, microstructure, critical temperature (), the levitation force and trapped field of the YBCO bulks have been investigated. It is found that within the range of ZnO additions =0-1.0 wt.%, all the samples are of the typical characteristic of single-domain YBCO bulk; the of the samples decreases from 92 K to 80 K when the ZnO addition increases from =0 wt.% to =1.0 wt.%; the levitation force and trapped field of the samples firstly increase and then decrease with increase of ZnO additions after going through a maximum, which is closely related with the ZnO addition and the resulting flux pinning force caused by lattice distortion due to the substitution of Zn for Cu site in the YBCO crystal; the largest levitation force 36.8 N (77 K, 0.5 T) and trapped field 0.416 T (77 K, 0.5 T) of the samples are obtained when =0.1 wt.%, respectively. This result is significantly important and helpful for us to improve the properties of YBCO bulk superconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Poultry Science / Archiv für Geflügelkunde is the property of Verlag Eugen Ulmer and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

ABSTRACT This article describes a novel aperture-coupled feed, for the excitation of a cavity-backed quad-slot antenna with circular polarization. Firstly, a quad-slot cavity-backed antenna with linear polarization (LP) is proposed. Then, a novel aperture-coupled feed, which is composed of a cross-shaped coupling aperture and a T-shaped feeding microstrip line, will be applied to this LP antenna. By differing the lengths of the four radiation slots together with the novel aperture-coupled feed, 90° phase difference and equal magnitude between the radiations from the two pairs of slots can be generated. As a result, a good performance of axial ratio will be achieved for the proposed antenna. A prototype is fabricated at Ka band for a demonstration. Investigations show that the antenna can present a minimum axial ratio (AR) of only about 0.37 dB, as well as a fractional AR bandwidth of about 0.94%. A relative high gain of 6.9 dBic at 32.1 GHz is also achieved for the prototype. The proposed substrate integrated cavity backed antenna with circularly polarization has great potential to be integrated into millimeter-wave transceiver modules. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 26:588-594, 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Locating ultracool companions to M dwarfs is important for constraining low-mass formation models, the measurement of substellar dynamical masses and radii, and for testing ultracool evolutionary models. We present an optimized method for identifying M dwarfs which may have unresolved ultracool companions. We construct a catalogue of 440 694 M dwarf candidates, from Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, Two Micron All-Sky Survey and Sloan Digital Sky Survey, based on optical- and near-infrared colours and reduced proper motion. With strict reddening, photometric and quality constraints we isolate a subsample of 36 898 M dwarfs and search for possible mid-infrared M dwarf + ultracool dwarf candidates by comparing M dwarfs which have similar optical/near-infrared colours (chosen for their sensitivity to effective temperature and metallicity). We present 1082 M dwarf + ultracool dwarf candidates for follow-up. Using simulated ultracool dwarf companions to M dwarfs, we estimate that the occurrence of unresolved ultracool companions amongst our M dwarf + ultracool dwarf candidates should be at least four times the average for our full M dwarf catalogue. We discuss possible contamination and bias and predict yields of candidates based on our simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the Meissner effect of Mg-doped InN film with superconducting transition onset temperature Tc,onset of 5 K. Mg-doped InN is magnetically ordered and exhibits a simultaneous first-order magnetic and electric transition near 50 K. Its behavior is similar to that of iron-based superconductors. A strong correlation is proposed to exist between structural distortion and superconductivity when Mg is doped into InN. The suppression of magnetic ordering close to Tc by doping is further demonstrated by anisotropic magnetoresistance and M-H measurements. The findings suggest that the superconducting mechanism in the system may not be conventional BCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree of pozzolanic reaction and active ion dissolution of fly ash in different concentrations of Ca(OH)2 solution dissolving in 48 hours. The active ion concentration and conductivity of filtrate were measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer and conductivity metre. The micromorphology of residue in different dissolving times was analysed by field emission transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate the following: (a) the fly ash has pozzolanic activity and it has similar variation of active Al3+, Fe3+, Si4+ ion concentration in 1 mol L−1 Ca(OH)2 solutions compared with 0·1 mol L−1 Ca(OH)2 solutions with an increase in dissolving time: the concentration of Al3+, Si4+ ions appears to have two peaks at 6 and 24 hours, whereas Fe3+ ion concentration appears declining. (b) Conductivity of 1 and 0·1 mol L−1 fly ash-Ca(OH)2 solution shows decreasing tendency, the degree of pozzolanic reaction in 1 mol L−1 Ca(OH)2 solution appears to be higher than in 0·1 mol L−1 Ca(OH)2 solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]