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• Corporate financialization weakens in the early stages of a CEO's tenure. • CEOs tend to increase corporate financialization in the later stages of their tenure. • In normal departures, CEOs increase financialization in the later stages of their tenure, while in abnormal departures, financialization remains unchanged. • CEOs of non-state-owned enterprises, older CEOs, and CEOs with lower shareholding ratio increase corporate financialization more in their late tenure. We examine the relationship between CEO tenure and corporate financialization using data of non-financial listed companies in Chinese A-share market from 2010 to 2021. We find that corporate financialization is weakened in the early stage of CEO tenure and strengthened in the late stage. Depending on the predictability of CEO's departure time, we classify departures as normal and abnormal. Only under normal departures do CEOs increase corporate financialization in their late tenure. We also find that CEOs of non-state-owned enterprises, older CEOs, and CEOs with lower shareholding ratio increase corporate financialization more in their late tenure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 1272 myxomycetes species have been described, accounting for more than half of all Amoebozoa species. However, the genome size of only three myxomycetes species has been reported. Therefore, we used flow cytometry to present an extensive survey and a phylogeny-based analysis of genome size and GC content evolution in 144 myxomycetes species. The genome size of myxomycetes ranged from 18.7 Mb to 470.3 Mb, and the GC content ranged from 38.7% to 70.1%. Bright-spored clade showed larger genome sizes and more intra-order genome size variations than the dark-spored clade. GC content and genome size were positively correlated in both bright-spored and dark-spored clades, and spore size was positively correlated with genome size and GC content in the bright-spored clade. We provided the first genome size data set in Myxomycetes, and our results will provide helpful information for future Myxomycetes studies, such as genome sequencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the initial trajectory planning research on Integrated Symmetrical Concentrated architecture (ISC) which is a kind of a space solar power station (SSPS), a new trajectory optimization scheme adopting dynamic programming is presented, which combines the joint energy consumption with particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The advantage of the optimizing scheme can mitigate the difficulty in regulation and control due to the inertia shock of huge spatial structure during the course of solar-tracking, also it can balance the relationship between energy consuming and concentration efficiency. Firstly, the theory of energy-time integral in velocity space is given for this nonholonomic system; secondly, the angular positions of the joint are expressed as a set of spline interpolating functions expressed by piecewise 4-3-3-4 polynomial interpolation; then the dynamic programming is proposed which is realized by PSO searching algorithm; finally, a geometric method is proposed to analyze the relationship between the optimized position deviation and concentration efficiency, simulation results illustrate that the proposed optimization scheme can great mitigate the velocity sudden change and satisfy the required concentration efficiency. The proposed trajectory optimization strategy has practical engineering value for huge spatial structure especial in mechanism joint accelerant motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxymatrine (OMT) often used in treatment for chronic hepatitis B virus infection in clinic. However, OMT-induced liver injury has been reported. In this study, we aim to investigate the possible mechanism of OMT-induced hepatotoxicity in human normal liver cells (L02). Exposed cells to OMT, the cell viability was decreased and apoptosis rate increased, the intracellular markers of oxidative stress were changed. Simultaneously, OMT altered apoptotic related proteins levels, including Bcl-2, Bax and pro-caspase-8/-9/-3. In addition, OMT enhanced the protein levels of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress makers (GRP78/Bip, CHOP, and cleaved-Caspase-4) and phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), as well as the mRNA levels of GRP78/Bip, CHOP, caspase-4, and ER stress sensors (IREI, ATF6, and PERK). Pre-treatment with Z-VAD-fmk, JNK inhibitor SP600125 and N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger, partly improved the survival rates and restored OMT-induced cellular damage, and reduced caspase-3 cleavage. SP600125 or NAC reduced OMTinduced p-JNK and NAC significantly lowered caspase-4. Furthermore, 4-PBA, the ER stress inhibitor, weakened inhibitory effect of OMT on cells, on the contrary, TM worsen. 4-PBA also reduced the levels of p-JNK and cleaved-caspase-3 proteins. Therefore, OMT-induced injury in L02 cells was related to ROS mediated p-JNK and ER stress induction. Antioxidant, by inhibition of p-JNK or ER stress, may be a feasible method to alleviate OMT-induced liver injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Except the tunable photoluminescent property, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) with special structures have also exhibited other novel properties. Herein, GQDs played a novel coreactant role in Ru(bpy) 3 2+ /GQDs system to increase the anodic ECL signal of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ , which has been testified by ultraviolet, fluorescence, and electrochemiluminescence (ECL) experiments. Based on the coreactant mechanism of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ /GQDs system, a chlorinated phenol-related quenching ECL sensor was designed and the sensor showed a good linear relationship in the range from 0.60 to 55 μM with the detection limit of 1.4 × 10 −8 M (S/N = 3). These results were not only beneficial to resolve the structure of GQDs, but also expanded the application field of GQDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Isolating of primary motor neurons from animal embryos is critical for the study of neurological disease including mechanistic discovery and therapeutic development. Density gradient centrifuge taking advantage of the buoyant of motor neuron permits the enrichment of motor neurons. Despite the metrizamide, an OptiPrep medium has been introduced to separate the motor neurons by gradient centrifuge. New method We hereby used single density gradient of OptiPrep medium to isolate the spinal motor neurons from the fetal mouse. Results Single density gradient of OptiPrep medium is effective to isolate spinal motor neurons from the fetal mouse. The immunofluorescence staining analysis showed that the purity of cultured motor neurons at 72 h was between 90% and 95%. Comparison with existing method Four gradients of OptiPrep medium have been previously used to isolate the motor neurons from spinal cord of mouse. In this study, the single gradient of OptiPrep medium was demonstrated to effectively isolate spinal motor neurons from the fetal mouse. Conclusions The single gradient of OptiPrep medium is enough to produce high purity of spinal motor neurons from the fetal mouse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space Solar Power Station (SSPS) is a kind of space electrical power system which converts space solar energy into electrical power and transmits it to Earth ground receiving station, the energy from which is a kind of clean and renewable resource. Compared to others, the SSPS with concentrator represents the developing direction of SPSS in the future, among which, Integrated Symmetrical Concentrated system (ISC) proposed by NASA has the advantage of high collecting sunlight efficiency. However, the addition of concentrator system results in complicated mechanism and is more difficult to control in motion than before; therefore, it is particularly important to plan the effective and realizable motion trajectory when travels on its orbit in the space. For the purpose, a method of trajectory planning for this kind of system is proposed in this paper to make concentrator to realize real-time solar tracking by means of the cooperative rotation of transverse truss and concentrator on the Geostationary Orbit (GEO), and the simulation demonstrates its validation and feasibility. Finally, two improved measures especially solution 2 are presented to mitigate the overheating as the result of nonuniformity of the flux distribution on PV array caused by rotation of concentrator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the treatment of carpal collapse using a four-corner arthrodesis concentrator of nickel-titanium memory alloy. Methods: From August 2006 to August 2010, 18 patients with carpal collapse had scaphoid excision and four-corner (capitate, lunate, triquetrum, and hamate) arthrodesis using a nickel-titanium memory alloy four-corner arthrodesis concentrator. The mean follow-up time was 30 months (range, 12–48). Various wrist parameters, including grip strength, wrist motion, and degree of pain were recorded and compared before and after surgery. Results: The average fusion time was 2.3 months (range, 2–4). Neither nonunion nor wound infection was found in any of the patients. At one year follow-up, the grip strength had reached 80% of that of the healthy side, whereas the range of motion was greater than 50% of the contralateral side. After the surgery, the mean pain scores were improved. Conclusions: Four-corner arthrodesis using a nickel-titanium memory alloy four-corner arthrodesis concentrator effectively treated carpal collapse and preserved most wrist function. Type of study/level of evidence: Therapeutic IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: This study was designed to determine the expression of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) and its downstream genes during development of the enteric nervous system (ENS) in ethylenethiourea (ETU)-exposed fetal rats with anorectal malformations (ARMs). Material and Methods: Anorectal malformations were induced by 1% ETU (125 mg/kg) given on gestational day 10, and the litter was harvested at term. The fetal anorectum and rectosigmoid region, including any communication with the urinary tract, were collected for gene expression studies and immunofluorescence study of the ENS. Gene expression of Shh cascade was performed using reverse transcription and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The myenteric plexuses of the ENS in normal and ARM rats were visualized with fluorescent antibodies. Results: Reverse transcription-PCR confirmed expression of Shh and its target genes in all parts of the ARMs. Quantitative PCR demonstrated that levels of expression of the genes of the Shh cascade were low in the ARMs. The immunoreactivity of neuromarkers was markedly reduced in high ARMs and slightly reduced in low ARMs. Conclusion: This study demonstrates reduced expression of Shh and its target genes in ARMs in ETU-exposed fetal rats. Neurons in the myenteric plexus were decreased in high and low types of ARMs. Our results support a role for the Shh cascade during development of the ENS during hindgut development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: shh signaling pathway has been shown to be involved in the morphogenesis of many organ systems. In this study, we investigated the expression of shh and its targets, BMP4 and Hox genes, in the development of anorectal malformations in Ethylenethiourea (ETU)-exposed embryos. Methods: We used ETU murine model of the vertebral, anal, cardiac, tracheoesophageal, renal, and limb association. Ethylenethiourea 1% (125 mg/kg) was given to the pregnant females via gavage feeding on gestational day (gD) 10 and saline to control animals. Embryos were collected at gD12 to gD16 and gD21; hindguts were dissected and snap frozen. Highly purified RNA was isolated, and expression of shh, BMP4, Hoxa13, and Hoxd13 genes was confirmed with RT-PCR. Relative quantitative expression of shh and target genes at each time point was done with SYBR Green I qPCR. Normalized gene of interest expression was calculated by geNorm, and data analysis was done with 2-tail Student t test. Results: shh, BMP4, Hoxa13, and Hoxd13 transcripts were detected in all samples, confirming that shh cascade is active during the process of hindgut development in fetal rats. Relative quantitation demonstrated that shh cascade expression shows time-dependent changes in the developing hindgut. Conclusion: This study shows that ETU disturbs the expression of shh signaling pathway during the development of hindgut. We provide evidence that shh plays a pivotal role in the hindgut morphogenesis, and its misexpression affect the expression of targets, BMP4 and Hox genes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Twelve diorganotin(IV) complexes of 2-quinaldate R2Sn(2-quin)2 and R2SnCl(2-quin) have been synthesized by dealkyltion reactions of 2-quinaldic acid (2-quinH) with (R3Sn)2O (R=PhCH2 1, 2-ClC6H4CH2 2, 2-FC6H4CH2 3, 4-FC6H4CH2 4, 4-CNC6H4CH2 5, Ph 6, 2,4-Cl 2C6H3CH2 7) and R3SnCl (R=2-ClC6H4CH2 8, 4-ClC6H4CH2 9, 2-FC6H4CH2 10, 4-FC6H4CH2 11, PhCH2 12), and all the complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR and multinuclear NMR (1H, 13C, 119Sn) spectroscopies. The structures of (4-FC6H4CH2)2Sn(2-quin)2 ·2CH3CN (4) and {[(2-ClC6H4CH2)2Sn(2-quin)Cl]2 ·CH3OH} n (8) have been determined by X-ray diffraction. Studies show that complex 4 is a monomer with the central tin atom six-coordinated in a skew-trapezoidal-bipyramidal geometry and complex 8 is a one-dimensional polymer with the tin atom six-coordinated. Studies also show that the nitrogen atoms of the 2-quin ligand are coordinating to the tin atoms for all of the 12 complexes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Eight ionic organotin compounds [R2SnCl2(2-quin)]−(HNEt3)+ have been synthesized by reactions of 2-quinH with R2SnCl2 (R=PhCH2 1, 2-Cl-C6H4CH2 2, 4-Cl-C6H4CH2 3, 2-F-C6H4CH2 4, 4-F-C6H4CH2 5, 4-CN-C6H4CH2 6, Ph 7, 2,4-Cl2-C6H3CH2 8) in the presence of organic base NEt3, and their structures have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR and multinuclear NMR (1H, 13C, 119Sn) spectroscopies. The structure of [(2,4-Cl2-C6H3CH2)2SnCl2(2-quin)]−(NEt3)+ (8) has been determined by X-ray diffraction study. Studies show that compound 8 has a monomeric structure with the central tin atom six-coordinate in a distorted octahedral configuration and the nitrogen atoms of the 2-quin ligands are coordinating to the tin atom in all the eight compounds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Fecal accumulation, constipation, soiling, and incontinence are common sequelae after repair of anorectal malformations (ARMs) in children. It is believed that besides the abnormalities of sacral roots, certain inherent abnormalities of the myenteric plexuses may play an important role in the final outcome after definitive repair. Methods: This study was conducted to investigate the distribution of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and substance P (SP)–100 neurotransmitters in the rectosigmoid and fistulous tract of the ethylenethiourea-treated rat with ARMs. Results: ARMs were induced by administering 1% ethylenethiourea (125 mg/kg) on gestational day 10, and the litter was harvested on gestational day 21 by cesarean section. Forty-eight controls and 63 with ARMs (46 high-type and 17 low-type) were recovered. Whole-mount preparations of each rectosigmoid and fistulous communication between the rectum and genitourinary tract were stained with fluorescent antibodies against NSE, VIP, and SP-100. The tissues were counterstained with Eriochrome black-T and methyl green dyes to improve the visualization of the myenteric plexuses. Conclusions: The immunoreactivity of NSE, VIP, and SP-100 was markedly reduced in the rectum and fistulous tract of high-type ARMs and slightly reduced in low-type ARMs compared with controls. Intramural nerves stained by VIP and SP-100 antisera were decreased in both types of ARM, indicating that both inhibitory and excitatory motor neural elements were affected, and this may explain the distal colonic dysmotility seen postoperatively in both high and low ARMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatoid adenocarcinoma (HAC) is a rare tumor. We described here a rare case of appendix HAC. A 59-yearold man underwent F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for gradually elevated alpha-Fetoprotein level. Multiple masses in the abdominal cavity with moderate FDG uptake were revealed, suggesting malignant tumor with peritoneal metastasis. The patient underwent radical resection, and the postoperative pathological result was HAC originated from the appendix. To our knowledge, it is the first report of HAC of the appendix. Our study suggests that FDG PET/CT may help in detecting the primary tumor and the metastases of HAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The reverse transcriptase (RT) domain of the copia retrotransposons was amplified from genomic DNA of an aquatic perennial grass, Zizania latifolia (Griseb.)—a wild relative of rice. In total, 71 different sequences were obtained, which, according to alignment and phylogenetic analysis, can be classified into seven distinct families, with five each containing multiple sequences and two each containing a single sequence. The nucleotide sequence similarity values varied widely among the sequences, indicative of their high degree of heterogeneity. Of the 71 sequences, 25 are intact whereas the others have a frame-shift, a stop codon, or both. Southern blot analysis revealed differential occurrence of the Z. latifolia copia retrotransposons among representative species of the grass family, and upon which three groups (I, II and III) can be divided. An interesting observation is that whereas the occurrence patterns of groups I and II among the grass species is compatible with their organismal phylogeny, which of group III shows apparent incongruity. Because cytosine methylation has been proposed as a major mechanism controlling transpositional behavior, amplification, and hence distribution, of mobile elements, the extent and pattern of this epigenetic modification were analyzed for the Zizania copia retrotransposons. Southern blotting with a pair of isoschizomers, HpaII and MspI, with differential sensitivity to cytosine methylation revealed an atypical methylation pattern of the Z. latifolia copia retrotransposons. It was found that only two of the seven families (families 1 and 4) showed typical methylation patterns as found in other plants, i.e., CG is more heavily methylated than CNG, while the rest five families showed an atypical pattern, i.e., CNG is more methylated than CG, which was further verified by using the Z. latifolia copia-mixture as a probe. In addition, the homologues of those Z. latifolia copia elements that exist in both cultivated rice and the common wild rice are largely undermethylated and highly conserved, though some of which showed evidence for methylation alteration in several rice-Zizania introgression lines. Thus, the atypical patterns of cytosine methylation of the copia retrotransposons in Z. latifolia might have played a role in their differentiation into distinct groups, and differential occurrence of their homologs in other species of the grass family. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Space solar power station (SSPS) is a comprehensive system that continuously collects solar energy in space and transmits it to ground with a wireless power transmission (WPT) system. These systems have great potential to provide large-scale energy. To increase the efficiency and reduce the weight and cost of the photovoltaic (PV) components, a huge light-weighted concentrator was introduced in the latest SSPS concepts, such as integrated symmetrical concentrator (ISC) and arbitrarily large phased array (ALPHA). However, for typical SSPS running in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), the sunlight direction varies with time, leading to a great challenge for concentrator design. In ISC, the two-dimensional mast is used to realize sun-tracking. However, a multi-thousand-ton structure is difficult to control precisely in space. For this reason, ALPHA comprises a large number of individually pointed thin-film reflectors to intercept sunlight, mounted on the non-moving structure. However, the real-time adjustment of the thousands of reflectors is still an open problem. Furthermore, the uniformity of the time of the power generation (UTPG) is another factor evaluating the system. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel concentrator based on zero-index metamaterial (ZIM) called Thin-film Energy Terminator (SSPS-TENT). This will aid the control of the massive reflectors while avoiding the rotation of the overall system, the control of the massive reflectors and the influence of the obliquity of the ecliptic. Also, an optimization design method is proposed to increase its solar energy collecting efficiency (ECE) and flux distribution (FD). The ray-tracing simulation results show that the ECE is more than 96% of the day. In terms of the FD, the uniformity varies from 0.3057 to 0.5748. Compared with ALPHA, the UTPG is more stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our previous study, we reported that sodium arsenite induced ROS-dependent apoptosis through lysosomal-mitochondrial pathway in pancreatic β-cells. Since the thioredoxin (Trx) system is the key antioxidant factor in mammalian cells, we investigate whether the inhibition of Trx system contributes to sodium arsenite-induced apoptosis in this study. After treatment with low-level (0.25–1 μM) sodium arsenite for 96 h, the thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) activity was decreased significantly in pancreatic INS-1 cells. Following with the inactivation of TrxR, ASK1 was released from combining with Trx, which was evidenced by increased levels of ASK1 in sodium arsenite-treated INS-1 cells. Subsequently, activated ASK1 accelerated the expression of proapoptotic protein Bax and reduced the expression of anti-apoptic protein Bcl-2. Finally, low-level sodium arsenite induced apoptosis via caspase-3 in INS-1 cells. Knockdown of ASK1 alleviated sodium arsenite-induced apoptosis. In summary, the precise molecular mechanisms through which arsenic is related to diabetes have not been completely elucidated, inactivation of Trx system might provide insights into the underlying mechanisms at the environmental exposure levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to effectively enhance the boiling heat transfer under microgravity, experiments were performed using micro-pin-finned structure as heater surface in subcooled nucleate pool boiling of FC-72 under short-term microgravity condition utilizing the drop tower Beijing. Micro-pin-fins with the dimensions of 30×60μm2 (thickness×height) and the space of 30μm were fabricated on the surface of square silicon with the dimensions of 10×10×0.5mm3 by using the dry etching technique. The results were compared with previous published data of smooth chip both in normal gravity and microgravity conditions. The micro-pin-finned chip showed a considerable heat transfer enhancement in the nucleate boiling region with higher upper limit heat flux and lower mean heater surface superheat compared to chip S under microgravity condition. The high-efficient heat transfer performance of FC-72 on the micro-pin-finned surface is independent of gravity, which stems from the sufficient supply of fresh liquid to heater surface due to the capillary forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper revealed the expression pattern of ERα in the ovoviviparous teleost, Sebastes schlegeli. In this paper, we isolated the cDNA encoding for estrogen receptor alpha of black rockfish (S. schlegeli) from its ovary, named as black rockfish ERα (brfERα). The cDNA sequence of brfERα consists of 2972bp with an open reading frame encoding a 624 amino acid putative protein which exhibits high identities with other teleosts’. The tissue distribution of brfERα mRNA was examined using RT-PCR. BrfERα showed generally expressions in most tissues of female black rockfish, besides, the higher degree of expressions were seen in ovary, liver, duodenum and fat, whereas it had a more restricted distribution in male fish. In ovary, the expression level of brfERα was as similar as the serum levels of E2 and P in female. However, it was a different situation in male, where the serum concentration of E2 showed higher levels after spermiation and Serum concentration of P did not show any significant changes during a year. Based on the present study, it is supposed that brfERα plays an important role in ovary and other target organs during the reproductive cycle, Further studies will focus on the transcriptional regulation and localization of brfERα in gonad in order to get a better understand of the physiological function of brfERα in ovoviviparous teleost. This study indicates that the black rockfish may be a good candidate for understanding the mechanism of estrogen in ovoviviparous fish. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Unlike fungi, which have a universally accepted barcode marker, universal primers still lack in myxomycetes. Typically, DNA barcode primers were designed based on comparing existing myxomycetes sequences and targeting the conserved regions. However, the extreme genetic diversity within major myxomycetes groups and the frequent occurrence of group I introns have made the development of universal DNA barcode a severe challenge. The emergence of next-generation sequencing provides an opportunity to address this problem. We sequenced the mixed genomic DNA of 81 myxomycetes and extracted the SSU gene's reads using next-generation sequencing. After alignment and assembly, we designed a set of SSU primers that matched all potential SNPs, avoided all known group I intron insertion sites, and were highly conserved between major myxomycetes orders. This set of SSU primers has the potential to become one of the universal primer combinations. Due to the high genetic divergence caused by long and complicated evolutionary histories, the lack of universal barcode primers is common in protists. Our research provides a new method to solve this problem. • Mixed genomic DNA of 81 myxomycetes was sequenced by next-generation sequencing. • A set of potentially universal SSU primers was designed. • Our research provides a new method helping to design universal barcode primers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]