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College students are at a critical stage of exploring identity and romantic relationships, where they become more sensitive to their appearance, shape, and posture, and are more likely to be dissatisfied with perceived flaws or deficiencies in their body image, i.e. body image concerns. However, little is known about how body image concerns among college students may affect them to engage in healthy Heterosexual interpersonal activities or further cultivate intimate relationships. This study investigated the mediating role of body esteem and the moderating effect of gender in the relationship between body image concerns and heterosexual interaction anxiety. Based on a field survey of 838 college students, the results showed that: (1) body image concerns positively predicted college students’ heterosexual interaction anxiety; (2) body esteem played a partial mediating role between body image concerns and heterosexual interaction anxiety; and (3) gender moderated the association between body esteem and body esteem. Compared with males, the effect of body image concerns on body esteem among females was stronger. These findings explained the generation of heterosexual interaction anxiety and provided theoretical guidance for prevention and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L-serine and its derivative L-cysteine have broad industrial applications, and their direct fermentative production from renewable biomass is gaining increasing attention. Corynebacterium glutamicum is an extensively studied and well-established industrial microorganism, which is a predominant microbial host for producing amino acids. In this review, updated information on the genetics and molecular mechanisms underlying L-serine and L-cysteine production using C. glutamicum is presented, including their synthesis and degradation pathways, and other intracellular processes related to their production, as well as the mechanisms underlying substrate import and product export are also analyzed. Furthermore, metabolic strategies for strain improvement are systematically discussed, and conclusions and future perspectives for bio-based L-serine and L-cysteine production using C. glutamicum are presented. This review can provide a thorough understanding of L-serine and L-cysteine metabolic pathways to facilitate metabolic engineering modifications of C. glutamicum and development of more efficient industrial fermentation processes for L-serine and L-cysteine production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the correlation between central and peripheral thyroid resistance indices and diabetic retinopathy(DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), so as to provide a clinical basis for the prevention and treatment of diabetic retinopathy. This study retrospectively analyzed 1249 euthyroid patients with T2DM hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology, Peking University International Hospital from January 2017 to June 2022, including 852 males and 397 females, with an average age of 54.73 ± 13.40 years. According to the degree of DR, the patients were divided into three groups including the no diabetic retinopathy (NDR) group, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) group and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) group. Free thymidine (FT4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroid feedback quantile index (TFQI), thyrotropin-T4 resistance index (TT4RI), thyroid stimulating hormone index (TSHI) and free triiodothyronine/free thyroxine (FT3/FT4) levels among the three groups were significantly different, with the NDR group having lowest TSH, TFQI, TT4QI, TSHI and the highest in the PDR group (all p < 0.05). Logistic regression showed that after adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), sex, diabetes duration, blood pressure, blood lipid, HbA1c, lower level of FT4 was an independent risk factor for DR, high level of TSH, TFQI, TSHI and TT4RI were independent risk factors for DR. Central and peripheral thyroid sensitivity indices have predictive value for DR, the overall predictive accuracy of FT3/FT4 was 0.61 (95%CI 0.57, 0.65), the overall predictive accuracy of TFQI was 0.66(95%CI 0.63, 0.70), the overall predictive accuracy of TSHI was 0.66(95%CI 0.62, 0.68), the overall predictive accuracy of TT4RI was 0.63 (95%CI 0.59, 0.66). The reduction of central and peripheral thyroid hormone sensitivity is an independent risk factor for DR. These results can help predict the risk of the occurrence and development of DR, which may provide a clinical basis for the prevention and treatment of DR in T2DM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to demonstrate a method for improving the solubility and relative bioavailability of artemisinin using a self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS). The self-emulsifying drug load, solubility, and emulsifying time were used as the evaluation indices, based on a solubility test and a ternary phase diagram. Optimal Mixture Design in Design-Expert software was used to optimize the prescription of the artemisinin SEDDS. By determining the water distribution coefficient in vitro, combined with the drug concentration–time curve in vivo, a comparison was made of the relative oral bioavailability of the artemisinin SEDDS and the crude drug. The optimal prescription ratio of oleic acid polyethylene glycol glyceride, polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil, and diethylene glycol monoethyl ether in the artemisinin SEDDS was 0.5:0.2:0.3 (wt/wt/wt), with a drug loading capacity of 41.556 mg/g, a solubility of 1.997 mg/mL, and a self-emulsification time of 214 s. The optimal prescription was transparent, slightly yellow, and oil-like. The average loading capacity of artemisinin was 41.912 mg/g, the emulsification time was 231 s, the average particle size was 128.0 nm, the average Zeta potential was –4.29 mV, and the solubility of artemisinin SEDDS in water was 1.997 mg mL–1. It is 33.85 times of the solubility of artemisinin in water, which achieves the purpose of increasing the solubility of artemisinin. The comparison of the oil/water distribution coefficient of the artemisinin SEDDS with that of the crude drug in vitro showed that SEDDS could improve the permeability of artemisinin and promote the absorption in vivo, and the relative bioavailability of the SEDDS agent was at least 1.47 times higher than that of the crude drug. The artemisinin SEDDS could significantly improve the solubility and relative bioavailability of artemisinin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence, severity, and factors associated with multidimensional fatigue in Chinese patients with newly diagnosed meningiomas. This cross-sectional study included 120 Chinese meningioma patients. Data were collected before surgery, including demographic, clinical, psychological, and sleep characteristics, as well as fatigue scores based on completion of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20). Mann–Whitney U tests, Kruskal–Wallis H tests, Spearman correlation and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data. The results showed there was a high prevalence of severe fatigue for each dimension: general fatigue (33.3%), physical fatigue (27.5%), reduced activity (28.3%), reduced motivation (12.5%), mental fatigue (11.7%), and total fatigue (23.3%). Headache and anxiety were found to be associated with general fatigue. Depression was related with physical fatigue. The Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score and depression were associated with reduced activity. Depression and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score were correlated with reduced motivation, while the KPS score and anxiety were associated with mental fatigue. Importantly, comorbidity, the KPS score, headache, depression, sleep disturbances, and the ESS score remained strong correlates of total fatigue. Our findings indicate that newly diagnosed meningioma patients are affected by multidimensional fatigue. For patients with risk factors of fatigue, targeted interventions are advised to decrease fatigue and improve HRQoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease, and topical sequential therapy with a combination of calcipotriol and calcipotriol betamethasone is currently approved topical treatment. However, the exact mechanism by which this treatment regimen relieves psoriasis is unknown. We assembled a cohort of 65 psoriasis patients and divided post-treatment cohort into responder group and non-responder group according to the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score after 12-week treatment. We measured the expression levels of proteins in collected 130 serum samples using our in-depth proteomics platform with a data-independent acquisition mass spectrometer and antibody microarray. We performed bioinformatics analyses of the biologic processes and signaling pathways that were changed in the responder group and constructed a proteomics landscape of psoriasis pathogenesis response to treatment. We then validated the biomarkers of disease severity in an independent cohort of 88 samples using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We first identified 174 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) for comparative analysis of proteins between responders and non-responders at baseline (p < 0.05). Then pathway analysis showed that the responders focused more on signaling molecules and interaction, complement and coagulation cascades, whereas the non-responders more on signal transduction and IL-17 signaling pathways. We further identified four candidate biomarkers (COLEC11, C1QA, BNC2, ITIH4) response to treatment. We also found 125 DEPs (p < 0.05) after treatment compared with before treatment in responder group. Pathway analysis showed an enrichment in pathways related to complement and coagulation cascades, phagosome, ECM-receptor interaction, cholesterol metabolism, vitamin digestion and absorption. CD14 was validated as potential biomarkers for the disease severity of psoriasis and treatment targets. In this work, we analyzed the response to topical sequential therapy and finally identified four biomarkers. Additionally, we found that topical sequential therapy may alleviate psoriasis by regulating lipid metabolism and modulating the immune response by affecting the complement activation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the status and change trend of forest in China, an indicator framework was developed using SDG sub-indicators. In this paper, we propose an improved methodology and a set of workflows for calculating SDG indicators. The main modification include the use of moderate and high spatial resolution satellite data, as well as state-of-the-art machine learning techniques for forest cover classification and estimation of forest above-ground biomass (AGB). This research employs GF-1 and GF-2 data with enhanced texture information to map forest cover, while time series Landsat data is used to estimate forest AGB across the whole territory of China. The study calculate two SDG sub-indicators: SDG15.1.1 for forest area and SDG15.2.1 for sustainable forest management. The evaluation results showed that the total forest area in China was approximately 219 million hectares at the end of 2021, accounting for about 23.51% of the land area. The average annual forest AGB from 2015 to 2021 was estimated to be 105.01Mg/ha, and the overall trend of forest AGB change in China was positive, albeit with some spatial differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combined effects of degrading bacteria (Paracoccus sp. LXC), humic acid (HA), and soil amendments, including chicken manure, biochar, and wormcast, were investigated through 84 d of incubation in order to improve the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in aged contaminated agricultural soil. PAH concentrations and dissipation kinetics were analyzed, and the biomass and communities of microorganisms and soil enzyme activities were examined to clarify the possible mechanism. The highest removal efficiency of PAHs was 42.1% when treated with Paracoccus sp. LXC combined with biochar and HA. PAH dissipation was consistent with the first-order kinetics model and the half-life of PAHs decreased from 2323.3 d in the natural attenuation to 103–277 d in the amended microcosms. Soil amendments and HA promoted the development of PAH-degrading bacteria and diversity of bacterial communities in soil but not that of fungi. The removal efficiency of PAHs was positively correlated with the density of PAH-degrading bacteria and soil urease (Ure), dehydrogenase (Deh), and manganese-dependent peroxidase (Mnp) activities (r = 0.824–0.941, p <.01). The Paracoccus sp. LXC apparently removed 2–4-ring PAHs, and biochar and wormcast were effective in removing 2–4-ring and 5–6-ring PAHs, respectively. The combined bioremediation strategy using degrading bacteria with soil amendments and HA has high potential for PAH removal in aged contaminated agricultural soil and the possible mechanism was the combination of bioaugmentation with Paracoccus sp. LXC and biostimulation with HA and soil amendments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Megakaryocytes (MKs) are the unique non-pathological cells that undergo polyploidization in mammals. The polyploid formation is critical for understanding the MK biology, and transcriptional regulation is involved in the differentiation and maturation of MKs. However, little is known about the functions of transcriptional elongation factors in the MK polyploidization. In this study, we investigated the role of transcription elongation factor EloA in the polyploidy formation during the MK differentiation. We found that EloA was highly expressed in the erythroleukemia cell lines HEL and K562. Knockdown of EloA in HEL cell line was shown to impair the phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) induced polyploidization process, which was used extensively to model megakaryocytic differentiation. Selective over-expression of EloA mutants with Pol II elongation activity partially restored the polyploidization. RNA-sequencing revealed that knockdown of EloA decelerated the transcription of genes enriched in the ERK1/2 cascade pathway. The phosphorylation activity of ERK1/2 decreased upon the EloA inhibition, and the polyploidization process of HEL was hindered when ERK1/2 phosphorylation was inhibited by PD0325901 or SCH772984. This study evidenced a positive role of EloA in HEL polyploidization upon PMA stimulation through enhanced ERK1/2 activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inherited thrombocytopenia 2 (THC2) is difficult to diagnose due to the lack of specific clinical characteristics and diagnostic methods. To identify potential plasma protein biomarkers for THC2, we collected the plasma samples from a THC2 family (9 THC2 and 15 non-THC2 members), enriched the medium and low abundant proteins using Proteominer and analyzed the protein profiles using the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in data independent acquisition mode. Initially, we detected 784 proteins in the plasma samples of this family and identified 27 up-regulated and 36 down-regulated in the THC2 group compared to the non-THC2 group (|log2 ratio| >1 and p-value <0.05). To improve the predictive power, top eight dysregulated proteins (B7Z2B4, LTF, HP, ERN1, IGHV1-8, A0A0X9V9C4, VH6DJ, and D3JV41) were selected by an area under the curve-based random forest process to construct a clinical model. Multivariate analysis with random forest and support vector machine showed that the prediction model provided high discrimination ability for THC2 diagnosis (AUC: 1.000 and 0.967, respectively). The potential plasma protein biomarkers will be tested in more THC2 patients and other thrombocytopenia patients to further validate their specificity and sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is a clinically important causative agent of acute respiratory diseases in postweaning calves and feedlot cattle and causes numerous economic losses to the cattle industry. In June 2018, an outbreak of an acute respiratory disease occurred among 4- to 10-month-old calves on three intensive beef cattle farms in Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China, with a 27.42% morbidity rate (329/1200) and a > 25% mortality rate (85/329). Using next-generation sequencing, we comprehensively analyzed microbial diversity in the lung samples of the diseased cattle and found that the causative agent of this epidemic outbreak is mainly a bovine orthopneumovirus named BRSV strain DQ. We then isolated and confirmed the virus by RT-PCR and an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Phylogenetic analysis of genes G, F, N, NS1, NS2, and SH of BRSV strain DQ showed that this strain shares the highest genetic similarity with strains USII/S1, 15489, V41, and NY487834 belonging to subgroup III of BRSV. This is the first report of subgroup III strain of BRSV presence in China. Heilongjiang Province is a major cattle-breeding province in China; therefore, it is necessary to test for BRSV in the cattle trade and to conduct region-extended epidemiological surveillance for BRSV in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aromatic structure of three different-rank vitrinites, V-YJL (Ro =0.61%), V-AW (Ro =1.13%), and V-JC (Ro =2.22%), was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), and atomic force microscope (AFM). Based on the HRTEM experimental results, it was found that with vitrinite reflectance increasing, the distributions of aromatic layers changed from disordered to well-aligned. The shapes of aromatic layers changed from twisted to more straight and parallel. In addition, there were more large-sized aromatic layers in vitrinite samples with larger vitrinite reflectance. XRD experimental data also showed that the sizes (La, Lc and N) of vitrinite crystallite structures increased and the inter-layer spacing (d002) decreased with increasing the vitrinite reflectance, which was consistent with the HRTEM data. AFM images illustrated that the surface morphologies of V-YJL, V-AW, and V-JC vitrinite samples showed as granule-like structure, compact spherical clusters, and irregular network with granular structure. Through comprehensive analysis of HRTEM data, XRD data, and AFM data, it was found that the morphology of the vitrinite samples obtained by AFM was related to the aromatic structural features of vitrinite from HRTEM and XRD. Both the aromatic chemical structure and morphological structure were coal rank dependent, and greatly affected by the arrangement of heterogeneous atoms. This study can provide helpful information on aromatic structure of vitrinite, which is important for investigation of coal and coal clean utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the pricing of basket credit linked notes (BCLN) under the reduced model. Three types of BCLNs are discussed: the first, the second and the mth-to-default BCLNs with and without counterparty risks. Based on conditional independence, the joint distribution of default times can be calculated and thus the price problems are transformed into partial differential equation (PDE) forms. Then the semi-analytical pricing formulas for the above BCLNs are obtained with PDE method and the calculation of credit valuation adjustments are also obtained. Finally, numerical test results show the high precision of the derived pricing formulas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gout Impact Scale (GIS) is a disease-specific health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) measurement for patients with gout. This study aimed to investigate the quality of life in Chinese patients with gout and potential risk factors for poorer HR-QoL by GIS. Adults with gout from February 2017 to February 2019 were invited to complete a questionnaire containing the GIS, social demographic characteristics, clinical information and gout-specific questions. Pearson/Spearman correlation and linear regression were used to analyze the data. A total of 413 patients were included in the analysis (mean age, 51.85 years; 96.4% male). The mean (SD) score of GIS total was 56.79 ± 15.45. Worse gout-specific HR-QoL was associated with anxiety (p <.05), depression (p <.05) and fatigue (p <.05). The effectiveness and global satisfaction of Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM) were negatively related to each dimension of GIS. Age (B = −0.251, p =.013), fatigue (B = 1.850, p <.001) and depression (B = 9.068, p =.042) were independent predictors of GIS total score. Gout-specific HR-QoL is impaired by social demographic and clinical characteristics, highlighting the importance of psychological factors (fatigue and depression) and patient-reported outcomes (patients' satisfaction and confidence in gout treatment). These findings suggest that more studies should focus on disease-specific HR-QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, simultaneous removal of methylene blue (MB) and Pb2+ from the binary component system by an easily prepared cross-linked lignosulfonate bio-adsorbent (CLLS) was described. CLLS was characterized by FTIR, SEM/EDS and TGA. The influences of pH, temperature, contact time and initial MB and Pb2+ concentrations on the adsorption performance were investigated. The results demonstrated a good ability of CLLS to remove MB and Pb2+ simultaneously. Using of 1.0 g L−1 loading, removal efficiency of MB and Pb2+ reached 98.0% and 97.8%, respectively, in the MB (100 mg.L−1)-Pb2+ (50 mg.L−1) system. Moreover, the adsorption isotherms and adsorption kinetics indicated that the results were fitting well with the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order model, respectively, for both MB and Pb2+. Based on the Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacity of MB and Pb2+ reached 132.6 and 64.9 mg g−1, respectively, in the MB-Pb2+ system, which was much lower than that in the single component system (358.4 mg g−1 100.9 mg g−1 for MB and Pb2+, respectively). Hence, simultaneous adsorption of MB and Pb2+ onto CLLS was an antagonistic adsorption. In addition, an apart-sequential adsorption method was used to study the action of adsorption sites on CLLS for MB and/or Pb2+ with the help of an efficient self-made apparatus. Rudimental results showed that there would be three different kinds of adsorption sites on CLLS: MB-site, Pb2+-site and MB/Pb2+- shared sites. Furthermore, in the MB (100 mg.L−1)-Pb2+(50.0 mg.L−1) system, the simultaneous removal efficiency of MB and Pb2+ still maintained 91.8% and 85.0%, respectively, after 6 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stroke-related stigma can have a negative effect on patients, and is associated with stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination; however, the exact stigma experienced by patients remains ambiguous. Objectives: To evaluate the stigma experienced by patients with stroke, determine associated factors, and explore relationships between stigma and early rehabilitation. Methods: Overall, we examined 288 patients with stroke. Patient characteristics were determined through medical records and investigations, while stigma status (comprising total stigma, internalized stigma, and enacted stigma), depression level, functional independence, and functional outcome were also assessed. Demographic and clinical characteristics were evaluated through univariate analysis, and significant variables were further analyzed through linear regression. The relationships between stigma and early rehabilitation (depression, functional independence, and functional outcomes) were also analyzed. Results: The sample's total stigma, internalized stigma, and enacted stigma scores were 47.76 ± 18.00, 30.07 ± 12.25, and 17.69 ± 6.37, respectively. Employment status before stroke, caregivers, physical impairment, and number of impairments were all relevant to all types of stigma (P<.05). The regression analysis showed that caregivers and physical impairment are the two main predictors of total, internalized, and enacted stigma (P<.01). The correlation analysis revealed that stigma is associated with depression (r = 0.671 ~ 0.690, P<.001), functional independence (r = −0.562~−0.707, P<.001), and functional outcomes (r = 0.436 ~ 0.637, P<.001). Conclusions: Stigma was moderate, and internalized stigma may be more apparent; therefore, physicians should pay more attention to patients who report or show signs of experiencing stroke-related stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the recent developments in science and technology, torque measurements have been widely used in many fields. However, present torque measurement methods have limitations for long-term applications. Therefore, a new method of non-contact torque measurement based on the magnetomachanical effect is reported that may be used in reducing fatigue for long-term measurements. The theory of the changes in magnetization with torque are analyzed to construct a model. Hence, an experiment platform was constructed that includes an excitation coils, shaft, and Gauss meter. The relationship between the magnetic induction and the torque was measured using this apparatus. The results show that the experimental measurements are in agreement with mathematical models obtained using magnetomechanical concepts. The results also show that the maximum nonlinearity error of the system is 0.6% and the maximum repetitive error is 3.125%. Additionally, this proposed method meets the requirements for long-term torque measurements and may also be used for the non-contact characterization of the torque of watercraft and airplanes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the second largest corn producer in this world, China has abundant corn straw resources. The study assessed the energy balance and global warming potential of corn straw-based bioethanol production and utilization in China from a life cycle perspective. The results revealed that bioethanol used as gasoline and diesel blend fuel could reduce global warming potential by 10%-97% and 4%-96%, respectively, as compared to gasoline and diesel for transport. The total global warming potential, net global warming potential, net energy, and Net Energy Ratio per MJ ethanol generated from corn straw-based bioethanol system are estimated to be 0.20 kg CO2-eq, 0.012 kg CO2-eq, 0.60 MJ, and 1.87, respectively. By using sensitivity analysis, we found that the collected coefficient and compressing density of straw have a more obvious influence on energy balance; transportation distance has a more obvious influence on global warming potential emission factor. The by-products may be utilized as fertilizer, animal feed, cement replacement, or high-value lignin chemicals, which make a contribution to offsetting 0.28 MJ per MJ ethanol of energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a kind ofZaocys dhumnadesDNA test kit and it’s indexes including specificity, sensitivity and stability were evaluated and compared with the method recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2010 edition). The bioinformatics technology was used to design primers, sequencing and blast, in conjunction with PCR technology based on the characteristics ofZ. dhumnadescytochrome b (Cytb) gene. The efficiency of nucleic acid extraction by the kit was done in accordance with Pharmacopoeia method. The kit stability results proved effective after repeated freezing and thawing 20 times. The sensitivity results indicated that the lowest amount detected by the kit was 0. 025 g of each specimen. The specificity test of the kit was 100% specific. All repeatability tests indicated the same results when conducted three times. Compared with the method recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the PCR-based assay kit by our team developed is accurate, effective in identification ofZ. dhumnades, it is simple and fast, demonstrating a broad prospect in quality inspection ofZ. dhumnadesin the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: To assess the acceptability, reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the Chinese Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (C-AQLQ) in a sample of Chinese asthma patients. Methods: The C-AQLQ and Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) scales were administered to patients at baseline and 3 months later. Asthma severity condition and lung function were evaluated. Necessary data were gathered to assess the psychometric properties such as the feasibility, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, structural validity, discriminant validity, convergent validity, and responsiveness of the C-AQLQ. Results: One hundred and thirty-seven patients completed the investigation. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total scale was 0.96. Factor analysis yielded five factors that generally corresponded to the five proposed subscales. Patients with mild asthma reported higher scores than patients with moderate/severe asthma on all subscales other than environmental stimuli. Lung function measurement and the asthma severity score correlated significantly with domains of the C-AQOL but with fewer domains of the SF-36. The questionnaire detected within-subject changes in patients' asthma status during follow-up. Conclusions: Results indicated preliminary support that the C-AQLQ is a reliable, valid, discriminating, and responsive measure of quality of life in Chinese asthma patients. It is more sensitive than the generic SF-36 in detecting differences in asthma severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land surface temperature (LST) is a key parameter in land surface physics and depends on energy and water exchange processes with the atmosphere. The generalized single-channel (GSC) algorithm is an operational approach for retrieving LST from satellite sensors with only one thermal infrared channel. Until now, validations of the GSC algorithm usingin situdata were limited. In this study, Landsat 8 imagery and SURFace RADiation budget network (SURFRAD) ground observations were employed to test the accuracy of the GSC algorithm. The validation results show that the GSC algorithm can obtain high LST retrieval accuracy when the total atmospheric water vapour content is between 0.5 and 3 g cm−2, with coefficient of determination (R2) between the retrieved LST and the ground LST greater than 0.97 and mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) values of 1.57 K and 1.96 K, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land surface temperature (LST) is a key parameter in the physics of land surfaces through the processes of energy and water exchange with the atmosphere. For Landsat data with only one thermal infrared channel (Landsat 4 to Landsat 7), LST cannot actually be retrieved, and external data sources, such as meteorological observations or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, are needed to obtain the water vapour content parameter (an important input parameter for the LST retrieval algorithm); this results in limitations on deriving LST. However, the band designations of the Landsat 8 sensors enable the derivation of LST from the Landsat 8 data. This article demonstrates an LST retrieval methodology that makes use of only Landsat 8 image data. In this methodology, the split-window covariance-variance ratio (SWCVR) technique is introduced to derive water vapour content from Landsat 8. A comparison between the retrieved LST and thein situLST measurements shows good accuracy, with a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.83 K. The fact that the proposed LST estimation method utilizing solely Landsat 8 image data does not rely on any external data is a significant advantage for the development of an operational Landsat 8 LST product generating system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

High-levelab initiocalculations have been performed on the PBr radical by using multi-reference configuration interaction method plus Davidson correction (+Q) with correlation-consistent quadruple-ζ quality basis set. The potential energy curves (PECs) of the 22 Λ–S states of PBr have been obtained, most of which are reported for the first time. From the PECs of the bound states, the spectroscopic constants have been determined, in good agreement with the experimental results where available. Due to the large state density, there exhibits complicated interactions in the electronic excited states of PBr. The possible interactions by the spin–orbit coupling (SOC) effect have been discussed based on the evaluatedR-dependent spin–orbit matrix elements. The 51 Ω states, generating from the 22 Λ–S states after taking SOC into account, have been computed. The Λ–S component analysis of the wavefunctions for the Ω states indicates the strong interaction of the Λ–S states especially at the avoided crossing points and near the dissociation limits. Finally, the transition dipole moments of several transitions arising from upper Ω states to the X10+and X21 states and the corresponding radiative lifetimes have been studied. Our calculation results provide new information that should be valuable for further experimental studies on the electronic excited states of the PBr radical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new [#x003B2]-cyclodextrin functionalized poly (styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) was synthesized for removal of basic fuchsin (BF) and methylene blue (MB) from water via grafting reaction of [#x003B2]-cyclodextrin onto poly (styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) and then acylation with chloroacetyl chloride. Its structure was characterized. At a dosage of 0.25 g[#x000B7]L[#x02212]1, pH 6, and 25[#x000B0]C, adsorption equilibrium was reached in 600 min and maximum adsorption quantities to BF and MB were 295 mg[#x000B7]g[#x02212]1and 528 mg[#x000B7]g[#x02212]1, respectively. The equilibrium data fitted the Langmuir isotherm and the adsorption kinetics data followed the pseudo-second-order model. Adsorption processes were endothermic, entropy gained, and spontaneous in nature within 288-308 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a new enantiornithine bird, Linyiornis amoena gen. et sp. nov., from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in northeastern China. Traces of ovarian follicles indicate that the specimen represents a female individual. The nearly three-dimensional preservation of the new specimen reveals morphological details rarely visible in other Early Cretaceous enantiornithines, allowing more detailed comparison with Late Cretaceous enantiornithines. Differences in the preserved morphology of the right and left coracoids suggest that the appearance of some features is strongly affected by preservation, indicating that the distribution of these features in compressed specimens may need to be reevaluated. Like Late Cretaceous enantiornithine specimens, the holotype of Linyiornis amoena preserves a hypertrophied pit for muscle attachment on the bicipital crest but clearly did not preserve a fossa for the capital ligament, present in Late Cretaceous taxa; we discuss the functional morphology and implications of these features in Linyiornis amoena. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EFFD4348-7376-4201-A948-CEC686E2E0DC SUPPLEMENTAL DATA—Supplemental materials are available for this article for free at www.tandfonline.com/UJVP Citation for this article: Wang, Y., M. Wang, J. K. O'Connor, X. Wang, X. Zheng, and X. Zhang. 2016. A new Jehol enantiornithine bird with three-dimensional preservation and ovarian follicles. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2015.1054496. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]