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Accurately positioning and segmenting thymoma from computed tomography (CT) images is of great importance for an image-driven thymoma analysis. In clinical practice, the diagnosis and segmentation of thymomas for radiologists are time-consuming and inefficient tasks. Thus, it is necessary to develop a method to accurately and efficiently realize automatic segmentation of thymoma. Here, a dense skip connection encoding–decoding model (DSC-Net), which is a deep convolutional neural network, was proposed to perform automatic segmentation of thymoma with the ability to fuse feature maps under receptive fields of different scales. An image preprocessing method was also proposed to provide much more texture information and enhance the contrast between thymoma and its surrounding tissues. A total of 310 subjects who underwent contrast-enhanced CT scanning were included in this ethically-approved retrospective study. All of the CT slices were manually labeled by four experienced radiologists, and 80% of images were included in the training set and the rest were included in the testing set. The performance of segmentation was evaluated by calculating the accuracy, intersection over union (IoU), and Boundary F1 contour matching score (BFScore) between the predicted segmentation and the manual labels. For segmentation of thymoma in the testing set, the accuracy, IoU and BFScore were 92.96%, 87.86% and 0.9087 respectively. Compared to the U-Net method, the DSC-Net model improved IoU by 3.94%. In addition, the efficacy and robustness of DSC-Net in segmentation of different patients and different types of thymoma classified by the WHO histological classification criteria were verified. The proposed preprocessing method and DSC-Net demonstrated improved performance in segmentation of thymomas, suggesting the ability to provide consistent delineation and assist radiologists in their clinical applications.

Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) has been emerging in several swine-producing countries for years. In our study, 719 porcine diarrhoea samples from 18 provinces in China were collected for PDCoV and porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) detection. The epidemiological survey revealed that the positive rates of PDCoV, PEDV and coinfection were 13.07%, 36.72% and 4.73%, respectively. The entire spike (S) genes of eleven detected PDCoV strains were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the majority of PDCoVs could be divided into three lineages: the China lineage, the USA/Japan/South Korea lineage and the Viet Nam/Laos/Thailand lineage. The China and the Viet Nam/Laos/Thailand lineages showed much greater genetic divergences than the USA/Japan/South Korea lineage. The present study detected one new monophyletic branch that contained three PDCoVs from China, and this branch was separated from the China lineage but closely related to the Viet Nam/Laos/Thailand lineage. The strain CH-HA2-2017, which belongs to this new branch, had a possible recombination event between positions 27 and 1234. Significant amino acid substitutions of PDCoV S proteins were analysed and displayed with a three-dimensional cartoon diagram. The visual spatial location of these substitutions gave a conformational-based reference for further studies on the significance of critical sites on the PDCoV S protein., Highlights • The majority of global PDCoVs could be divided into three lineages. • Three sequenced PDCoVs from China were closely related to the Viet Nam/Laos/Thailand lineage. • The China lineage showed the greatest genetic divergence. • One sequenced strain CH-HA2–2017 had a possible recombination event.

Since late 2011, outbreaks of pseudorabies virus (PRV) have occurred in southern China causing major economic losses to the pig industry. We previously reported that variant PRV forms and recombination in China could be the source of continued epidemics. Here, we analyzed samples from intensive pig farms in eastern China between 2017 and 2019, and sequenced the main glycoproteins (gB, gC, gD, and gE) to study the evolution characteristics of PRV. Based on the gC gene, we found that PRV variants belong to clade 2 and detected a founder effect during by the PRV epidemic. In addition, we detected inter- and intra-clade recombination; in particular, inter-clade recombination in the gB genes of strains FJ-ZXF and FJ-W2, which were recombinant with clade 1 strains. We also found specific amino-acid changes and positively selected sites, possibly associated with functional changes. This analysis of the emergence of PRV in China illustrates the need for continuous monitoring and the development of vaccines against specific variants of PRV. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12250-019-00140-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Bone cancer pain is a common symptom in cancer patients with bone metastases and its underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we report that Runx1 directly upregulates the transcriptional activity of P2X3 receptor (P2X3R) gene promoter in PC12 cells. Knocking down Runx1 in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons suppresses the functional upregulation of P2X3R, attenuates neuronal hyperexcitability and pain hypersensitivity in tumor-bearing rats, whereas overexpressing Runx1 promotes P2X3R gene transcription in DRG neurons, induces neuronal hyperexcitability and pain hypersensitivity in naïve rats. Activation of GDNF-GFRα1-Ret-ERK signaling is required for Runx1-mediated P2X3R gene transcription in DRG neurons, and contributes to neuronal hyperexcitability and pain hypersensitivity in tumor-bearing rats. These findings indicate that the Runx1-mediated P2X3R gene transcription resulted from activation of GDNF-GFRα1-Ret-ERK signaling contributes to the sensitization of DRG neurons and pathogenesis of bone cancer pain. Our findings identify a potentially targetable mechanism that may cause bone metastasis-associated pain in cancer patients.

As the outbreaks of COVID-19 in worldwide, coronavirus has once again caught the attention of people. Canine coronavirus is widespread among dog population, and sometimes causes even fatal cases. Here, to characterize the prevalence and evolution of current circulating canine coronavirus (CCoV) strains in China, we collected 213 fecal samples from diarrheic pet dogs between 2018 and 2019. Of the 213 samples, we found 51 (23.94%) were positive for CCoV. Co-infection with canine parvovirus (CPV), canine astrovirus (CaAstV), canine kobuvirus (CaKV), Torque teno canis virus (TTCaV) were ubiquitous existed. Mixed infection of different CCoV subtypes exists extensively. Considering the limited sequences data in recent years, we sequenced 7 nearly complete genomes and 10 complete spike gene. Phylogenetic analysis of spike gene revealed a new subtype CCoV-II Variant and CCoV-IIa was the most prevalent subtype currently circulating. Moreover, we identified strain B906_ZJ_2019 shared 93.24% nucleotide identifies with previous strain A76, and both of them clustered with CCoV-II Variant, which were not well clustered with the known subtypes. Recombination analysis of B906_ZJ_2019 indicated that strain B906_ZJ_2019 may a recombinant variant between CCoV-I and CCoV-II, which is consistent with strain A76. Furthermore, amino acid variations widely existed among current CCoV-IIa strains circulating in China and the classic CCoV-IIa strains, in spite of the unknown functions. In a word, we report a useful information as to the etiology and evolution of canine coronavirus in China based on the available sequences, which is urgent for the devise of future effective disease prevention and control strategies.

A novel series of 2-amino-2-phenylethanol derivatives were developed as β2-adrenoceptor agonists. Among them, 2-amino-3-fluoro-5-(2-hydroxy-1-(isopropylamino)ethyl)benzonitrile (compound 2f) exhibited the highest activity (EC50 = 0.25 nM) in stimulating β2-adrenoceptor-mediated cellular cAMP production with a 763.6-fold selectivity over the β1-adrenoceptor. The (S)-isomer of 2f was subsequently found to be 8.5-fold more active than the (R)-isomer. Molecular docking was performed to determine the putative binding modes of this new class of β2-adrenoceptor agonists. Taken together, these data show that compound 2f is a promising lead compound worthy of further study for the development of β2-adrenoceptor agonists.

Mg-12Li, Mg-12Li-3(Al-Si), Mg-12Li-7(Al-Si) and Mg-12Li-9(Al-Si) alloys (all in wt%) were fabricated by high frequency vacuum induction melting in a water cooled copper crucible. After subsequently hot-rolling and annealing, their microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. Experimental results show that mechanical properties of Mg-12Li alloy were significantly improved by the addition of Al-Si eutectic alloy. Mg-12Li-7(Al-Si) alloy shows the highest strength of 196 MPa of the investigated alloys, which is about 1.8 times of the strength of Mg-12Li alloy, and maintains high elongation of 27%. The improved mechanical property with addition of Al and Si in the eutectic proportion into Mg-12Li alloy was attributed to the solution strengthening effect of Al and precipitation hardening effect from AlLi and Mg2Si precipitates.

The outbreak of piglet diarrhoea caused by porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) began to spread in Southern China in late 2010 and resulted in significant economic losses throughout the country. To determine the prevalence and the molecular characteristics of common PEDV strains in China, 1272 faeces and small intestine samples in pigs were collected from 17 provinces and inspected for PEDV; the full-length spike (S) gene of 18 detected PEDV strains collected from five eastern provinces were sequenced and analysed. The epidemiological data revealed that the PEDV-positive rate in diarrhoea specimens was 28.93%. Phylogenetic analysis of the S genes showed that the CH-JSYC-1-2016 strain was clustered into a G2-a subgroup (US and Asian non-S-INDEL), and other seventeen virus strains was clustered into a new subgroup G2-b (Chinese non-S-INDEL). The G2-b subgroup only contained Chinese PEDV strains that were isolated after 2014. Compared with the CV777 vaccine strain, Eastern China PEDVs were genetically distinct and had various amino acid differences in the neutralizing epitope domain of the S protein, as well as different patterns of predicted high-specificity N-glycosylation sites. The prevalence of Chinese non-S-INDEL strains may be responsible for the immunization failure by using currently available commercial vaccines (based on attenuated CV777 strain), and the development of novel vaccines based on these newly identified PEDV variants may contribute to the control of PED outbreaks in China.

In a previous publication [1], a 20-minute UPLC®-MS/MS method, employing a surrogate analyte approach, was developed and validated to measure fructose and sorbitol, as mechanistic biomarkers, in human plasma to support first-in-human (FIH) studies. Different from plasma which maintains its homeostasis, urine has no such homeostasis mechanisms [2], therefore it is expected to be able to accommodate more changes. Here we describe the development and validation of a LC-MS/MS method for the quantiation of fructose in human urine to support clinical trials. A hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) method using an Asahipak NH2P-50 column (Shodex, 4.6 × 250 mm, 5 µm) was developed. Acetone precipitation was utilized to extract fructose from urine. For validation, stable isotope-labeled 13C6-fructose was used as the surrogate analyte for fructose in the preparation of calibration curves. QCs were prepared using both the surrogate analyte (13C6-fructose) and the authentic analyte (fructose). Difficulties were encountered for post-extraction stability experiments especially for authentic fructose QCs at low concentrations. Extensive troubleshooting revealed that fructose’s chromatography improved as the column aged. As a result, the response factor of fructose increased over time for low concentration samples, leading to failed post-extraction stability experiments. A column cleaning procedure was implemented to ensure consistency in chromatography performance. The HILIC-MS/MS method was successfully validated and applied to analyze clinical samples with a 91% overall run passing rate.

β2-Agonists that bind to plasmalemmal β2-adrenoceptors causing cAMP accumulation are widely used as bronchodilators in chronic respiratory diseases. Here, we designed and synthesized a group of 8-hydroxyquinolin-2(1H)-one analogues and studied their β2-agonistic activities with a cellular cAMP assay. Compounds B05 and C08 were identified as potent (EC50

As a novel member of the Orthomyxoviridae, influenza D virus (IDV) was firstly isolated from swine. However, cattle were found to serve as its primary reservoir. The study of IDV emergence can shed light into the dynamics of zoonotic infections and interspecies transmission. Although there is an increasing number of strains and sequenced IDV strains, their origin, epidemiology and evolutionary dynamics remain unclear. In this study, we reconstruct the diversity and evolutionary dynamics of IDVs. Molecular detection of swine tissue samples shows that six IDV positive samples were identified in the Eastern China. Phylogenetic analyses suggest three major IDV lineages designated as D/Japan, D/OK and D/660 as well as intermediate lineages. IDVs show strong association with geographical location indicating a high level of local transmission, which suggests IDVs tend to establish a local lineage of in situ evolution. In addition, the D/OK lineage widely circulates in swine in Eastern China, and all of the Chinese virus isolates form a distinct sub-clade (D/China sub-lineage). Furthermore, we identified important amino acids in the HEF gene under positive selection that might affect its receptor binding cavity relevant for its broader cell tropism. The combined results highlight that more attention should be paid to the potential threat of IDV to livestock and farming in China.

Objective Recent studies suggest that excess dietary fructose contributes to metabolic dysfunction by promoting insulin resistance, de novo lipogenesis (DNL), and hepatic steatosis, thereby increasing the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and related comorbidities. Whether this metabolic dysfunction is driven by the excess dietary calories contained in fructose or whether fructose catabolism itself is uniquely pathogenic remains controversial. We sought to test whether a small molecule inhibitor of the primary fructose metabolizing enzyme ketohexokinase (KHK) can ameliorate the metabolic effects of fructose. Methods The KHK inhibitor PF-06835919 was used to block fructose metabolism in primary hepatocytes and Sprague Dawley rats fed either a high-fructose diet (30% fructose kcal/g) or a diet reflecting the average macronutrient dietary content of an American diet (AD) (7.5% fructose kcal/g). The effects of fructose consumption and KHK inhibition on hepatic steatosis, insulin resistance, and hyperlipidemia were evaluated, along with the activation of DNL and the enzymes that regulate lipid synthesis. A metabolomic analysis was performed to confirm KHK inhibition and understand metabolite changes in response to fructose metabolism in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, the effects of administering a single ascending dose of PF-06835919 on fructose metabolism markers in healthy human study participants were assessed in a randomized placebo-controlled phase 1 study. Results Inhibition of KHK in rats prevented hyperinsulinemia and hypertriglyceridemia from fructose feeding. Supraphysiologic levels of dietary fructose were not necessary to cause metabolic dysfunction as rats fed the American diet developed hyperinsulinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hepatic steatosis, which were all reversed by KHK inhibition. Reversal of the metabolic effects of fructose coincided with reductions in DNL and inactivation of the lipogenic transcription factor carbohydrate response element-binding protein (ChREBP). We report that administering single oral doses of PF-06835919 was safe and well tolerated in healthy study participants and dose-dependently increased plasma fructose indicative of KHK inhibition. Conclusions Fructose consumption in rats promoted features of metabolic dysfunction seen in metabolic diseases such as T2D and NASH, including insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia, and hepatic steatosis, which were reversed by KHK inhibition., Highlights • PF-06835919 is a potent inhibitor of fructose metabolism in rats and humans. • Rats fed fructose at levels consistent with the typical American diet develop hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipidemia and steatosis. • KHK inhibition reverses fructose-induced metabolic dysfunction by blocking ChREBP activation. • Due to the global dietary prevalence of fructose, KHK inhibition is a potential pharmacotherapy for metabolic diseases.

A new ligand Adbdp and its four ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes [Ru(N-N)2(Adbdp)](ClO4)2 [N-N = dmb: 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine 1, bpy: 2,2′-bipyridine 2, phen: 1,10-phenanthroline 3 and dmp: 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline 4, Adbdp = acenaphtheno[2,3-b]-1,4-diazabenzo[i]dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine] were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, ESI-MS and 1H NMR. The cytotoxicity in vitro of the complexes against BEL-7402, HeLa, MG-63 and A549 cells was studied by MTT method. The IC50 values are 24.2 ± 1.9, 11.5 ± 3.6, 3.4 ± 0.3 and 9.7 ± 0.5 μM for complexes 1, 2, 3 and 4 toward A549 cells, respectively. The apoptosis was assayed with AO/EB and Hoechst 33258 staining methods. The cellular uptake was investigated with DAPI-stained cell nuclei. The reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial membrane potential were performed under fluorescent microscope. The cell cycle distribution was studied by flow cytometry and the protein expression of Bcl-2 family proteins was analyzed by western blot. The results show that the complexes induce A549 cell apoptosis through a ROS-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction pathway.

A series of β2-adrenoceptor agonists with an 8-(2-amino-1-hydroxyethyl)-6-hydroxy-1,4-benzoxazine-3(4H)-one moiety is presented. The stimulatory effects of the compounds on human β2-adrenoceptor and β1-adrenoceptor were characterized by a cell-based assay. Their smooth muscle relaxant activities were tested on isolated guinea pig trachea. Most of the compounds were found to be potent and selective agonists of the β2-adrenoceptor. One of the compounds, (R)-18c, possessed a strong β2-adrenoceptor agonistic effect with an EC50 value of 24 pM. It produced a full and potent airway smooth muscle relaxant effect same as olodaterol. Its onset of action was 3.5 min and its duration of action was more than 12 h in an in vitro guinea pig trachea model of bronchodilation. These results suggest that (R)-18c is a potential candidate for long-acting β2-AR agonists.

High-frequency stimulation of subthalamic nucleus (STN-HFS) is highly effective in alleviating motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, there are few reports about the simultaneous changes of neural information, including neurotransmitter signal and neuro-electrophysiological signal (multiple brain regions), under the influence of STN-HFS. Here, a comprehensive system was established, while applying electrostimulation, modified microelectrode arrays were utilized to record dopamine concentration in caudate putamen (CPu) and to detect neuro-electrophysiological signal in primary motor cortex (M1) and CPu synchronously. Results show that rats with PD, dopamine level is significantly lower than that of normal rats; powers of spike trains in M1 and CPu are much higher than these of normal rats in low delta frequency range (0.3–1.5 Hz). Additionally, significant responses to STN-HFS were recorded. After STN-HFS, dopamine level dramatically increased more than 2-fold its pre-HFS; powers of M1 spike and CPu spike were suppressed in ∼1 Hz; Sequentially, neurotransmitter and electrophysiology activities gradually returned to stable, and recovered to PD-state. These observations revealed that the effects of STN-HFS were highly correlated with dopamine and electrophysiology activities in cortex-basal ganglia loop but last a brief duration, a theoretical basis that could be applied in closed-loop STN-HFS for long-term suppression of tremor.

In electroencephalography (EEG) study, gamma oscillations were reported to participate in pain processing; theta oscillations were also involved in pain processing. Moreover, theta always modulated gamma activity by phase-amplitude coupling in event-related oscillations. Whether theta modulate gamma by phase-amplitude coupling in pain processing is of interest. In the present study, using EEG of rats after laser nociceptive stimulation, we investigated gamma activity and phase-amplitude coupling between theta and gamma. It was found that induced gamma power increased starting 200 ms after nociceptive stimulation onset. Moreover, significant coupling between theta phase and gamma amplitude was found over frontal and parietal region after nociceptive stimulation. Our results for the first time suggest that coupling between theta and gamma is involved in nociception processing.

The NMDA receptor and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are involved in central sensitization and synaptic plasticity in the spinal cord. To determine whether the spinal cord BDNF contributes to the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain by activation of the dorsal horn NR2B-containing NMDA (NMDA-2B) receptors, this study was designed to investigate if alterations in BDNF and its TrkB receptor in the spinal dorsal horn would parallel the timeline of the development of neuropathic pain in lumbar 5 (L5) spinal nerve ligated (SNL) rats. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that the BDNF concentration significantly increased during 24 h post-surgery, and the maximal enhancement lasted for 48 h. It declined as time progressed and returned to the level of pre-operation at 28 days after SNL. In parallel with the alteration of BDNF concentration in the spinal dorsal horn, the 50% paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) of the ipsilateral hind paw in SNL rats also showed a significant decrease during 24-48 h after SNL as compared with those in sham-operated rats. The correlation analysis revealed that the BDNF concentration had a negative correlation with 50% PWT in early stage (0-48 h) (r=-0.974, p=0.001), but not late stage (3-28 days) (r=0.3395, p=0.6605), after SNL. Similarly, the immunohistochemical staining revealed that a significant up-regulation of BDNF expression in the spinal dorsal horn appeared as early as 12 h post-operation in SNL rats, peaked at 24-48 h, declined at 3 days and disappeared at 14 days after SNL. In contrast, an increase in NMDA-2B receptors expression in the spinal dorsal horn was delayed to 48 h after SNL. The increase reached peak at 3 days, lasted for 14 days, and returned to the control level of pre-operation at 28 days after SNL. The maximal enhancement of BDNF expression occurred in early stage (24-48 h) after nerve injury, while the peak of NMDA-2B receptors expression appeared in late stage (3-14 days) post-nerve ligation. As compared with the dynamic changes of 50% PWT in the timeline after nerve injury, the maximal enhancement of BDNF expression closely paralleled the maximal decline in the slope of 50% PWT, while the peak of NMDA-2B receptors expression corresponded with the plateau of the decreased 50% PWT. Therefore, the increased BDNF in the spinal dorsal horn was likely to be associated with the initiation of neuropathic pain in early stage (0-48 h), while the activation of NMDA-2B receptors was involved in the maintenance of persistent pain states in late stage (2-14 days) after nerve injury. Moreover, the present study also demonstrated that the BDNF/TrkB-mediated signaling pathway within the spinal cord might be involved in the induction of neuropathic pain in early stage after nerve injury, and the selective NMDA-2B receptors antagonist (Ro 25-6981) almost completely blocked the BDNF-induced mechanical allodynia in all of the tested rats. These data suggested that the BDNF/TrkB-mediated signaling pathway in the spinal cord was involved in the development of nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain through the activation of dorsal horn NMDA-2B receptors.

Activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the spinal dorsal horn has been shown to be essential for the initiation of central sensitization and the hyperexcitability of dorsal horn neurons in chronic pain. However, whether the spinal NR2B-containing NMDA (NMDA-2B) receptors are involved still remains largely unclear. Using behavioral test and in vivo extracellular electrophysiological recording in L5 spinal nerve-ligated (SNL) neuropathic rats, we investigate the roles of spinal cord NMDA-2B receptors in the development of neuropathic pain. Our study showed that intrathecal (i.t.) injection of Ro 25-6981, a selective NMDA-2B receptor antagonist, had a dose-dependent anti-allodynic effect without causing motor dysfunction. Furthermore, i.t. application of another NMDA-2B receptor antagonist ifenprodil prior to SNL also significantly inhibited the mechanical allodynia but not the thermal hyperalgesia. These data suggest that NMDA-2B receptors at the spinal cord level play an important role in the development of neuropathic pain, especially at the early stage following nerve injury. In addition, spinal administration of Ro 25-6981 not only had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the C-fiber responses of dorsal horn wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons in both normal and SNL rats, but also significantly inhibited the long-term potentiation (LTP) in the C-fiber responses of WDR neurons induced by high-frequency stimulation (HFS) applied to the sciatic nerve. These results indicate that activation of the dorsal horn NMDA-2B receptors may be crucial for the spinal nociceptive synaptic transmission and for the development of long-lasting spinal hyperexcitability following nerve injury. In conclusion, the spinal cord NMDA-2B receptors play a role in the development of central sensitization and neuropathic pain via the induction of LTP in dorsal horn nociceptive synaptic transmission. Therefore, the spinal cord NMDA-2B receptor is likely to be a target for clinical pain therapy.

Type 2 porcine circovirus (PCV2) is associated with post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome in pigs. In this study, three monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the capsid protein (Cap) of PCV2, eight mAbs to Cap of type 1 porcine circovirus (PCV1) and five mAbs specific for Cap of both PCV1 and PCV2, were generated and used to finely map the antigenic sites of PCV1 and PCV2, and to identify the antigenic phenotype of PCV2 with different length of genome. Five linear B-cell epitopes, including the residues 231–233 and 195–202 specific for PCV2, residues 92–103 specific for PCV1, and residues 156–162 and 175–192 shared between PCV1 and PCV2, were finely defined with synthetic peptides, and the critical residue in epitope 231–233 and 156–162 was located at residues 233 ( 233 Proline) and 156 ( 156 Tyrosine), respectively. The conformational epitopes recognized by mAbs with neutralizing activity against both PCV1 and PCV2 were detected in transfected PK-15 and the residues 231–233 also participated in the formation of conformational epitopes. Analysis of antigenic diversity on these epitopes exhibited three antigenic phenotypes of PCV2, 1766 PCV2, 1767 PCV2 and 1768 PCV2 using mAbs. The results from this study first demonstrated the different antigenic phenotype between PCV2 isolates.

This study was conducted to compare two water-saving practices, deficit irrigation (DI) and partial rootzone drying (PRD), and examine how they affected soil water distribution, water use, growth and yield of greenhouse grown hot pepper compared to commercial irrigation (CI). Control (CI) in which irrigation water was applied to both sides of the system when soil water content was lower by 80% of field capacity; deficit irrigation (DI50, DI75) in which 50% and 75% irrigation water of CI supplied to both sides of the root system; 1PRD with half of the root system exposed to soil drying and other half kept well-watered with 50% irrigation water of CI, and 2PRD with 50% irrigation water of CI supplied, half to fixed side of the root system. The results showed mean soil volumetric water content of DI75, DI50, 1PRD and 2PRD were lower by 21.06%, 28.32%, 24.48% and 34.76%, respectively than that of CI after starting the experiment. Water consumption showed some significant effect of irrigation treatments during the growing period of drought stress application, and therefore decreased in DI75, DI50, 1PRD and 2PRD to a level around 75% and 50% of CI. All the DI and PRD treatments resulted in a reduction of total dry mass of 7.29–44.10%, shoot biomass of 24.97–47.72% compared to CI, but an increase in the root–shoot ratio of 12.50–35.42% compared to the control and with significant differences between 2PRD, 1PRD, DI50 and CI. The yield of 1PRD was significantly reduced by 23.98% compared to CI (19,566 kg hm −2 ) over a period of 109 days after transplanting. However, the 1PRD treatment had 17.21% and 24.54% additional yield over the DI50 and 2PRD treatments and had 52.05% higher irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) than CI treatment. At harvest, although there was a significant difference recorded as single fruit weight and single fruit volume were reduced under the DI and PRD treatments, total soluble solids concentration of fruit harvested under the water-deficit treatments were higher compared to CI. Stomatal conductance measured in fresh leaf was the lowest under 1PRD treatment relative to CI and other treatments. The low stomatal conductance of fresh-leaf issue observed in the work supported the root signaling mechanism reported earlier in plants having undergone partial root drying cycles.

The growth mechanism of carbon nano-materials by arc discharge in water or liquid nitrogen was investigated using a special arc discharge apparatus. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to observe and analyze the products. Results indicated that multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and carbon onions can be produced by arc discharge in water and liquid nitrogen respectively. Single-walled carbon nanohorns can be produced by arc discharge in liquid nitrogen, and cobalt encapsulated carbon nano-particles can be produced by cobalt catalyzed carbon arc discharge in water. The liquids acted as quenching walls for the nucleation and growth of carbon nano-materials, resulting in the formation of different forms of carbon nano-materials. A cross alternating magnetic field with a frequency 5 Hz can affect the nucleation of nano-materials to form MWCNTs or carbon onions because nucleation time is longer than the periodicity of the magnetic field. Based on the experimental phenomena, a primary physical model was proposed to interpret the growth of nano-materials by arc discharge in liquids.

To change the structures and yields of carbon nano-products, transverse magnetic field (TMF) was introduced to arc discharge in liquid (de-ionized water, liquid nitrogen). Direct current was used to sustain the arc discharge between two graphite electrodes and cobalt powder was filled in drilled anodes as catalyst sometimes. Scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate the nano-products. Some novel carbon nano-structures were obtained with the effect of TMF. For arc discharge in water, curled multi-walled carbon nanotubes and nano-structures with few layers were found in cathode depositions and floating products, respectively. For arc discharge in liquid nitrogen, twists of single-walled carbon nanotubes appeared in cathode depositions and the yields of spherical nano-particles in floating products increased.

Peripheral nerve injury causes ectopic discharges of different firing patterns, which may play an important role in the development of neuropathic pain. The molecular mechanisms underlying the generation of ectopic discharges are still unclear. In the present study, by using in vivo teased fiber recording technique we examined the effect of ZD7288, a specific blocker of hyperpolarization-activated current (Ih), on the ectopic discharges in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons injured by spinal nerve ligation. We found that ectopic discharges of all three firing patterns (tonic, bursting and irregular) were dose- and time-dependently inhibited by local application of ZD7288. Interestingly, the extent of suppression was negatively related to frequency of firing prior to application of ZD7288. We also observed that ZD7288 could alter the firing patterns of the ectopic discharges. At 100 AM, tonic firing pattern was gradually transformed into bursting type whereas at 1 mM, it could be transformed to integer multiples firing. These results indicate that Ih might play a role in the generation of various forms of ectopic discharges in the injured DRG neurons and may thus be a possible target for neuropathic pain treatment. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Theme: Sensory system Topic: Pain modulation: anatomy and physiology

Recent progress in the rational design of metal sites within peptide model systems shows increasing control in the placement of metals within helical bundles and inclusion of sophisticated elements such as second-sphere ligand interactions. A crystallographically characterized two-metal peptide model for diiron proteins represents a major achievement in de novo design methodologies. Increasingly complex and robust models for electron transfer through and between helices, and electrode-supported electron-transfer peptides, have been constructed. Design elements for peptide-supported ferredoxins and mononuclear Fe(II) and Zn(II) sites have been refined.

A magnetic field parallel to the carbon arc in water was used to increase the directionality of moving carbon particles and generate carbon nano-materials. The products were analyzed and compared with those obtained without a magnetic field. The study shows that the purity and quality of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in the cathode deposition formed by an arc in water with a magnetic field were both improved, and cylinder-like carbon structures were also found in the deposition. The influence of the magnetic field on the formation of the products was analyzed.