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Minimal residual disease (MRD) based risk stratification criteria for specific genetic subtypes remained unclear in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Among 723 children with newly diagnosed ALL treated with the Chinese Children Leukemia Group CCLG-2008 protocol, MRD was assessed at time point 1 (TP1, at the end of induction) and TP2 (before consolidation treatment) and the MRD levels significantly differed in patients with different fusion genes or immunophenotypes (P all < 0.001). Moreover, the prognostic impact of MRD varied by distinct molecular subtypes. We stratified patients in each molecular subtype into two MRD groups based on the results. For patients carrying BCR::ABL1 or KMT2A rearrangements, we classified patients with MRD < 10–2 at both TP1 and TP2 as the low MRD group and the others as the high MRD group. ETV6::RUNX1+ patients with TP1 MRD < 10–3 and TP2 MRD-negative were classified as the low MRD group and the others as the high MRD group. For T-ALL, We defined children with TP1 MRD ≥ 10–3 as the high MRD group and the others as the low MRD group. The 10-year relapse-free survival of low MRD group was significantly better than that of high MRD group. We verified the prognostic impact of the subtype-specific MRD-based stratification in patients treated with the BCH-ALL2003 protocol. In conclusion, the subtype-specific MRD risk stratification may contribute to the precise treatment of childhood ALL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnCdS quantum dots (QDs) are highly coveted in photocatalysis research for their exceptional visible-light responses and high light-absorption coefficients. However, their practical application is hindered by their tendency to aggregate, due to having high surface energies. To address this issue, herein, a heterostructure is synthesized by growing ZnCdS QDs with a size of approximately 5 nm onto the surface of a two-dimensional (2D) covalent organic framework (COF), TpPa-1-COF. This approach suppresses the aggregation of the QDs and improves their stability. The ZnCdS/TpPa-1-COF composite exhibited a peak hydrogen evolution rate of 6244.16 µmol·g−1·h−1, which was 2.89 and 4.18 times greater than that of ZnCdS and TpPa-1-COF, respectively. The zero-dimensional/two-dimensional (0D/2D) heterojunction formed by ZnCdS and TpPa-1-COF generates a strong interfacial force, which is attributed to the intimate contact between the interfaces. Tight connections accelerate charge separation, improve the utilisation of reduced electrons, and reduce the extent of agglomeration of the ZnCdS QDs, thereby resulting in high hydrogen production activity of the composites. Meanwhile, the photocatalytic mechanism is studied using Kelvin probe force microscopy and theoretical calculations. This study offers a novel approach for creating sulfide photocatalysts and is crucial for investigating the potential practical applications of the related photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Accurate prediction of the grade of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) before treatment is vital for individualized therapy and improving patient outcomes. This study aimed to develop and validate a mammography-based radiomics nomogram that would incorporate the radiomics signature and clinical risk factors in the preoperative prediction of the histological grade of IDC. Methods: The data of 534 patients from our hospital with pathologically confirmed IDC (374 in the training cohort and 160 in the validation cohort) were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 792 radiomics features were extracted from the patients' craniocaudal and mediolateral oblique view images. A radiomics signature was generated using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method. Multivariate logistic regression was adopted to establish a radiomics nomogram, the utility of which was evaluated using a receiver-operating characteristic curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: The radiomics signature was found to have a significant correlation with histological grade (P < 0.01), but the efficacy of the model is limited. The radiomics nomogram, which incorporated the radiomics signature and spicule sign into mammography, showed good consistency and discrimination in both the training cohort [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.75] and the validation cohort (AUC = 0.75). The calibration curves and DCA demonstrated the clinical usefulness of the proposed radiomics nomogram model. Conclusions: A radiomics nomogram based on the radiomics signature and spicule sign can be used to predict the histological grade of IDC and assist in clinical decision-making for patients with IDC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is a key enzyme in the purine salvage pathway. Genetic defects of the ADA gene can cause a subtype of severe combined immunodeficiency. To date, few Chinese cases have been reported. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients diagnosed with ADA deficiency in Beijing Children's Hospital and summarized the previously published ADA deficiency cases from China in the literature. Results: Nine patients were identified with two novel mutations (W272X and Q202 =). Early-onset infection, thymic abnormalities and failure to thrive were the most common manifestations of Chinese ADA-deficient patients. The ADA genotype has a major effect on the clinical phenotype. Notably, a novel synonymous mutation (c.606G>A, p.Q202=) was identified in a delayed-onset patient, which affected pre-mRNA splicing leading to a frameshift and premature truncation of the protein. Furthermore, the patient showed γδT cells expansion with an increased effect or phenotype, which may be associated with the delayed onset of disease. In addition, we reported cerebral aneurysm and intracranial artery stenosis for the first time in ADA deficiency. Five patients died with a median age of four months, while two patients received stem cell transplantation and are alive. Conclusions: This study described the first case series of Chinese ADA-deficient patients. Early-onset infection, thymic abnormalities and failure to thrive were the most common manifestations in our patients. We identified a synonymous mutation that affected pre-mRNA splicing in the ADA gene, which had never been reported in ADA deficiency. Furthermore, we reported cerebral aneurysm in a delayed-onset patient for the first time. Further study is warranted to investigate the underlying mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coordination polymers (CPs) are a class of crystalline solids that are considered brittle, due to the dominance of directional coordination bonding, which limits their utility in flexible electronics and wearable devices. Hence, engineering plasticity into functional CPs is of great importance. Here, we report plastic bending of a semiconducting CP crystal, Cu-Trz (Trz = 1,2,3-triazolate), that originates from delamination facilitated by the discrete bonding interactions along different crystallographic directions in the lattice. The coexistence of strong coordination bonds and weak supramolecular interactions, together with the unique molecular packing, are the structural features that enable the mechanical flexibility and anisotropic response. The spatially resolved analysis of short-range molecular forces reveals that the strong coordination bonds, and the adaptive C–H···π and Cu···Cu interactions, synergistically lead to the delamination of the local structures and consequently the associated mechanical bending. The proposed delamination mechanism offers a versatile tool for designing the plasticity of CPs and other molecular crystals. Coordination polymers are normally considered to be brittle due to the dominance of directional coordination bonding. Here the authors report the plastic bending in a semiconducting coordination polymer crystal enabled by delamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most prevalent chronic liver disease in the world, however, no drug treatment has been approved for this disease. Thus, it is urgent to find effective therapeutic targets for clinical intervention. In this study, we find that liver-specific knockout of PPDPF (PPDPF-LKO) leads to spontaneous fatty liver formation in a mouse model at 32 weeks of age on chow diets, which is enhanced by HFD. Mechanistic study reveals that PPDPF negatively regulates mTORC1-S6K-SREBP1 signaling. PPDPF interferes with the interaction between Raptor and CUL4B-DDB1, an E3 ligase complex, which prevents ubiquitination and activation of Raptor. Accordingly, liver-specific PPDPF overexpression effectively inhibits HFD-induced mTOR signaling activation and hepatic steatosis in mice. These results suggest that PPDPF is a regulator of mTORC1 signaling in lipid metabolism, and may be a potential therapeutic candidate for NAFLD. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a prevalent chronic liver disease, however, drugs to treat this disease are still lacking. Here, the authors show that PPDPF inhibits the development of hepatic steatosis by negatively regulating mTORC1-S6K-SREBP1 signaling, which provides a potential therapeutic candidate for NAFLD treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new benzazepine alkaloids (1 and 2) were isolated from the whole plants of Thalictrum wangii. Their structures were determined by means of HR-ESI-MS and extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic studies. Compounds 1 and 2 were tested for their anti-rotavirus activity. The results revealed that compounds 1 and 2 exhibited potent anti-rotavirus activity with TI values of 17.9 and 17.6, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the problems of finite-time prescribed performance tracking control for a class of strict-feedback nonlinear systems with input dead-zone and saturation simultaneously. The unknown nonlinear functions are approximated by fuzzy logic systems and the unmeasurable states are estimated by designing a fuzzy state observer. In addition, a non-affine smooth function is used to approximate the non-smooth input dead-zone and saturated nonlinearity, and it is varied to the affine form via the mean value theorem. An adaptive fuzzy output feedback controller is developed by backstepping control method and Nussbaum gain method. It guarantees that the tracking error falls within a pre-set boundary at finite time and all the signals of the closed-loop system are bounded. The simulation results illustrate the feasibility of the design scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perforin (PRF1) gene mutation can cause the onset of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). It has reported that PRF1 Ala91Val polymorphism was related with HLH risk. In the meta-analysis, we aim to evaluate the association between PRF1 Ala91Val polymorphism and HLH risk. Methods: We accomplished a meta-analysis of six published case–control studies including 391 patients with HLH and 975 controls. We evaluated the quality of each study through Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS). Data analysis was performed with Stata software. Results: In general, all studies were of high quality (NOS score higher than 7). There were statistically significant between the PRF1 Ala91Val polymorphism and HLH risk though the pooled analysis [for Ala/Val vs. Ala/Ala: pooled odds ratio (OR) = 3.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08–9.56, P = 0.035, random model; for Ala/Val + Val/Val vs. Ala/Ala: pooled OR = 2.96, 95% CI 1.14–7.69, P = 0.025, random model]. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis also revealed a relationship between PRF1 Ala91Val polymorphism and HLH risk (for Ala/Val vs. Ala/Ala: pooled OR = 5.236, 95% CI 2.72–10.08, P < 0.000, I2 = 12.1%, Pheterogeneity = 0.332; for Ala/Val + Val/Val vs. Ala/Ala, pooled OR = 4.856, 95% CI 2.66–8.85, P < 0.000, I2 = 5.9%, Pheterogeneity = 0.373). Funnel plot and Egger's test did not indicate obvious published bias (P = 0.841 for Ala/Val vs. Ala/Ala; P = 0.284 for Ala/Val + Val/Val vs. Ala/Ala). Conclusion: This meta-analysis indicated that PRF1 Ala91Val polymorphism affects the factor for developing HLH and future studies of PRF1 Ala91Val on the onset of HLH will be guaranteed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sucrose non-fermenting-1 related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) family plays an important role in the response to abiotic stress. To characterize the function of the SnRK2 gene from Agropyron cristatum in stress protection, we cloned the complete coding sequence of the AcSnRK2.11 gene from A. cristatum and generated AcSnRK2.11-overexpressing tobacco lines. The open reading frame of AcSnRK2.11 was 1083 bp in length and encoded a polypeptide of 360 amino acid residues. The sequence analysis results showed that AcSnRK2.11 contained conserved domains typified in SnRK2 protein kinases. Subcellular localization analysis showed that AcSnRK2.11 was located in the nucleus. AcSnRK2.11 was constitutively expressed in all of the examined tissues, and its transcription was induced by cold, dehydration, and salt stress, but not by abscisic acid treatment. Overexpression of the AcSnRK2.11 gene conferred freezing tolerance in yeast. AcSnRK2.11-overexpressing tobacco lines showed higher tolerance to freezing stress than did wild-type (WT) based on higher survival rates, lower malondialdehyde content and increased relative water content retention, chlorophyll yields, superoxide dismutase activities, reactive oxygen species content, peroxidase levels, and soluble carbohydrates under low-temperature conditions. The transcripts of NtDREB1, NtDREB2, NtERD10A, NtERD10B, NtERD10C, NtERD10D, NtMnSOD, NtCDPK15, and NtMPK9 in AcSnRK2.11-overexpressing tobacco lines were more abundant than in WT plants under low-temperature stress. These results suggest that AcSnRK2.11 may function as a regulatory factor associated with a cold-response pathway and could be used in plant breeding for cold resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are closely related to abiotic stress tolerance of plants. In the present study, we identified a novel Em-like gene from lettuce, termed LsEm1, which could be classified into group 1 LEA proteins, and shared high homology with Cynara cardunculus Em protein. The LsEm1 protein contained three different 20-mer conserved elements (C-element, N-element, and M-element) in the C-termini, N-termini, and middle-region, respectively. The LsEm1 mRNAs were accumulated in all examined tissues during the flowering and mature stages, with a little accumulation in the roots and leaves during the seedling stage. Furthermore, the LsEm1 gene was also expressed in response to salt, dehydration, abscisic acid (ABA), and cold stresses in young seedlings. The LsEm1 protein could effectively reduce damage to the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and protect LDH activity under desiccation and salt treatments. The Escherichia coli cells overexpressing the LsEm1 gene showed a growth advantage over the control under drought and salt stresses. Moreover, LsEm1-overexpressing rice seeds were relatively sensitive to exogenously applied ABA, suggesting that the LsEm1 gene might depend on an ABA signaling pathway in response to environmental stresses. The transgenic rice plants overexpressing the LsEm1 gene showed higher tolerance to drought and salt stresses than did wild-type (WT) plants on the basis of the germination performances, higher survival rates, higher chlorophyll content, more accumulation of soluble sugar, lower relative electrolyte leakage, and higher superoxide dismutase activity under stress conditions. The LsEm1-overexpressing rice lines also showed less yield loss compared with WT rice under stress conditions. Furthermore, the LsEm1 gene had a positive effect on the expression of the OsCDPK9, OsCDPK13, OsCDPK15, OsCDPK25, and rab21 (rab16a) genes in transgenic rice under drought and salt stress conditions, implying that overexpression of these genes may be involved in the enhanced drought and salt tolerance of transgenic rice. Thus, this work paves the way for improvement in tolerance of crops by genetic engineering breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freezing often results in a significant loss of sugarcane production. An investigation was conducted in two sugarcane cultivars, GT28 (Guitang 28, cold tolerant) and YL6 (Yuanlin 6, cold sensitive) to understand the cold tolerance mechanisms. The plants at early ripening stage, 245 days after planting, were exposed to cold stress (0 °C) for 0, 2, 4, and 6 days. The changes in chloroplast structure, microtubule, and physiological parameters under cold stress were determined. The morphology and chloroplast ultrastructure of the cultivar GT28 were observed normal while those of the cultivar YL6 was severely damaged and accumulation of starch grains in chloroplasts was evident under cold stress. At the beginning of cold stress, the microtubules in the cultivar GT28 was more obviously depolymerized than those in the cultivar YL6. With extended cold stress, the microtubules in the cultivar YL6 decreased noticeably and the chloroplast membrane became indistinct, while the microtubule fluorescence in the cultivar GT28 was intensified, indicating that the structure of microtubules was reorganized. Consequently, the cultivar GT28 showed a greater photosynthetic activity than YL6 under cold stress. The cold tolerance of the cultivar GT28 appeared to be related to the integrity of chloroplast structure, the stability of microtubule structure, and balanced physiological metabolisms. These results revealed that more stable chloroplast structure and microtubule structure under cold stress are the important physiological foundation of cold-tolerant sugarcane cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional methods for analyzing system reliability involve the use of unit reliability and system composition. However, these methods have limitation on considering the type of failure distribution that exists in unit of system, resulting in inaccurate evaluation of system reliability as the bathtub curve. The process in which unit and system go from a normal working state to a failure state can be described as a fuzzy process. The fuzzy probability of unit reliability is defined in formula, and its curve is drawn based on bathtub curve, reliability function curve and fuzzy probability. For two systems that have the same system reliability, conventional methods also fail to take into account the effect of differences in unit reliability on system reliability. In this study, we introduce a novel method to analyze system reliability that based on fuzzy probability. This method is an assumption that unit reliability is a fuzzy probability-based event, and then these concepts of system failure probability and integrated system reliability are proposed. The system failure probability is a characteristic quantity used to measure the effect of different unit in system reliability. The integrated system reliability is a characteristic quantity that evaluated the comprehensive system reliability. These proposed concepts are applied in the reliability analysis of series system, parallel system and compound system. These results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method by the application and comparison in these examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injury to the nervous system induces localized damage in neural structures and neuronal death through the primary insult, as well as delayed atrophy and impaired plasticity of the delicate dendritic fields necessary for interneuronal communication. Excitotoxicity and other secondary biochemical events contribute to morphological changes in neurons following injury. Evidence suggests that various transcription factors are involved in the dendritic response to injury and potential therapies. Transcription factors play critical roles in the intracellular regulation of neuronal morphological plasticity and dendritic growth and patterning. Mounting evidence supports a crucial role for epigenetic modifications via histone deacetylases, histone acetyltransferases, and DNA methyltransferases that modify gene expression in neuronal injury and repair processes. Gene regulation through epigenetic modification is of great interest in neurotrauma research, and an early picture is beginning to emerge concerning how injury triggers intracellular events that modulate such responses. This review provides an overview of injury-mediated influences on transcriptional regulation through epigenetic modification, the intracellular processes involved in the morphological consequences of such changes, and potential approaches to the therapeutic manipulation of neuronal epigenetics for regulating gene expression to facilitate growth and signaling through dendritic arborization following injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The J-lay method is regarded as one of the most feasible methods to lay a pipeline in deep water and ultra-deep water. A numerical model that accounts for the nonlinear soil stiffness is developed in this study to evaluate a J-lay pipeline. The pipeline considered in this model is divided into two parts: the part one is suspended in water, and the part two is laid on the seabed. In addition to the boundary conditions at the two end points of the pipeline, a special set of the boundary conditions is required at the touchdown point that connects the two parts of the pipeline. The two parts of the pipeline are solved by a numerical iterative method and the finite difference method, respectively. The proposed numerical model is validated for a special case using a catenary model and a numerical model with linear soil stiffness. A good agreement in the pipeline configuration, the tension force and the bending moment is obtained among these three models. Furthermore, the present model is used to study the importance of the nonlinear soil stiffness. Finally, the parametric study is performed to study the effect of the mudline shear strength, the gradient of the soil shear strength, and the outer diameter of the pipeline on the pipelaying solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify candidate biomarkers associated with stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Sera from three groups, a lung cancer group ( n = 11), benign control group ( n = 12), and normal control group ( n = 10), were collected and pooled. Protein expression profiles were analyzed by a combination of two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). These methods were used to separate, screen, and identify proteins that were differentially expressed between stage I NSCLC and controls. Differentially expressed proteins were validated by both Western blot and ELISA in an expanded sample size (22, 18, and 18 in three groups, respectively). MALDI-MS identified 12 differentially expressed proteins in the lung cancer group compared to the two control groups. Expression of carbonic anhydrase 1 (CA1) was validated by Western blot. CA1 was significantly elevated in the lung cancer group compared to controls. ELISA results confirmed that CA1 in the lung cancer group (3.18 ± 1.27 ng/mL, n = 22) was highly expressed in stage I NSCLC patients compared to those in the benign control group (2.21 ± 0.71 ng/mL, n = 18) and the normal control group (2.04 ± 0.63 ng/mL, n = 18) ( P = 0.001). In conclusion, we provide evidence that CA1 is highly expressed in the sera of stage I NSCLC patients. Additionally, CA1 might serve as a novel biomarker for early detection of NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of the hydrodynamic interaction with the arc-shaped bottom-mounted breakwaters is investigated theoretically. The breakwater is assumed to be rigid, thin, impermeable and vertically located in a finite water depth. The fluid domain is divided into two sub-regions of inner and outer by an auxiliary circular interface. Linear theory is assumed and the eigenfunction expansion approach is used to determine the wave field. In order to examine the validity of the theoretical model, the analytical solutions are compared to agree well with published results with the same parameters. Numerical results including wave amplitude, surge pressure, and wave force are presented with different model parameters. The major factors including wave parameters, structure configuration, and water depth that affect the surge pressure, wave forces, and wave amplitudes are discussed and illustrated by some graphs and cloud maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Emerging evidence has showed that interleukin-18 (IL-8) promoter polymorphisms and plasma IL-18 levels may be associated with increased risk of periodontitis, but individually published results are inconclusive. The aim of this meta-analysis was to derive a more precise estimation of these associations. Methods: A literature search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, SpringerLink, China BioMedicine and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was conducted on articles published before April 1st, 2013. Crude odds ratio (OR) or standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results: Nine case-control studies were included with a total of 576 periodontitis patients and 458 healthy controls. Two common polymorphisms (−607A > C and −137G>C) in the IL-18 gene were addressed. Our meta-analysis results indicated that the C variant of IL-18 −607A>C polymorphism was associated with increased periodontitis risk (C allele vs. A allele: OR = 1.86, 95 % CI: 1.30-2.65, P = 0.001; AC+CC vs. AA: OR = 2.64, 95 % CI: 1.34-5.21, P = 0.005). There was also a significant association between the C variant of IL-18 −137G>C polymorphism and an increased periodontitis risk (C allele vs. G allele: OR = 1.47, 95 % CI: 1.13-1.91, P = 0.004; GC+CC vs. GG: OR = 1.66, 95 % CI: 1.21-2.29, P = 0.002). Furthermore, the mean levels of plasma IL-18 of periodontitis patients were also higher than those of healthy controls (SMD = 1.18, 95 % CI: 0.51-1.85, P = 0.001). Conclusion: The current meta-analysis suggests that IL-18 promoter polymorphisms and plasma IL-18 levels are associated with increased risk of periodontitis. IL-18 promoter polymorphisms and elevated plasma IL-18 levels may be useful biomarkers for predicting the development of periodontitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to obtain a new-type short cylindrical cup-shaped flexspline that can be applied to space mechanisms, the APDL language of ANSYS software was employed to develop a parameterized equivalent contact model between a flexspline and a wave generator. The validity of the parameterized equivalent contact model was verified by comparing the results of the analytic value of the contact model and the value calculated by the theoretical formula. The curvilinear trend of stress was obtained by changing the structural parameter of the flexspline. Based on the curvilinear trend of stress, multi-objective optimizations of key structural parameters were achieved. Flexspline, wave generator, and circular spline of a new 32-type short cylindrical cup-shaped harmonic reducer were designed and manufactured. A performance test bench to carry out tests on the harmonic reducer was designed. Contrast experiments were implemented to determine the efficiency of the new 32-type short cylindrical cup-shaped harmonic reducer and the conventional 32-type harmonic reducer under different conditions. The experimental results reveal that there is approximately equality in terms of efficiency between the new 32-type short cylindrical cup-shaped harmonic reducer and the conventional 32-type harmonic reducer. The volume of the flexspline of the new 32-type short cylindrical cup-shaped harmonic reducer is reduced by approximately 30% through multi-objective optimization. When the new 32-type short cylindrical cup-shaped harmonic reducer is used on the wheel of a rover prototype, the mass of the wheel hub is decreased by 0.42 kg. Test analysis of wheel motion verifies that the new 32-type short cylindrical cup-shaped harmonic reducer can meet the requirements regarding bearing capacity and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ralstonia solanacearum is a devastating bacterial pathogen that has an unusually wide host range. R. solanacearum, together with Arabidopsis thaliana, has become a model system for studying the molecular basis of plant-pathogen interactions. Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) play a critical role in the infection process, and some PPIs can initiate a plant defense response. However, experimental investigations have rarely addressed such PPIs. Using two computational methods, the interolog and the domain-based methods, we predicted 3,074 potential PPIs between 119 R. solanacearum and 1,442 A. thaliana proteins. Interestingly, we found that the potential pathogen-targeted proteins are more important in the A. thaliana PPI network. To facilitate further studies, all predicted PPI data were compiled into a database server called PPIRA (). We hope that our work will provide new insights for future research addressing the pathogenesis of R. solanacearum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As there are no specific guidelines on design of subsea pipelines crossing active seismic faults, methods for land buried pipelines have been applied to. Taking the large seismic fault movement into account, this paper proposes improved methods for seismic designs of subsea pipelines by comprehensively investigating the real constraining of soil on the pipelines, the interaction processes of soil with the pipeline, the plastic slippage of the soil, and the elastic-plastic properties of the pipeline materials. New formulas are given to calculate the length of transition section and its total elongation. These formulas are more reasonable in mechanism, and more practical for seismic design of subsea pipelines crossing active faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unsupervised anomaly detection can detect attacks without the need for clean or labeled training data. This paper studies the application of clustering to unsupervised anomaly detection (ACUAD). Data records are mapped to a feature space. Anomalies are detected by determining which points lie in the sparse regions of the feature space. A critical element for this method to be effective is the definition of the distance function between data records. We propose a unified normalization distance framework for records with numeric and nominal features mixed data. A heuristic method that computes the distance for nominal features is proposed, taking advantage of an important characteristic of nominal features-their probability distribution. Then, robust methods are proposed for mapping numeric features and computing their distance, these being able to tolerate the impact of the value difference in scale and diversification among features, and outliers introduced by intrusions. Empirical experiments with the KDD 1999 dataset showed that ACUAD can detect intrusions with relatively low false alarm rates compared with other approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Editors therefore no longer have confidence in the reliability of the data reported in the Article. Retraction of: I Scientific Reports i https://doi.org/10.1038/srep12477, published online 24 July 2015 The Editors have retracted this Article. [Extracted from the article]

Compared chemical bonds change situation of coal surface and oxygen molecules before and after coal surface adsorption to three oxygen molecules, after adsorption each oxygen molecule’s chemical bond got longer, but had not broken, the coal surface’s chemical bonds changed a little. It proves that the coal surface adsorption to five oxygen molecules is the physical adsorption and is the multilayer adsorption according to the optimized geometry structure. The oxygen molecule’s bond length that adsorbed by the side chain of coal surface changes most from 1.258 2×10−10 m to 1.316 8×10−10 m, which indicates this oxygen molecular to be the liveliest. The analysis of charge population reveals that how many electrons shift in the atom is directly proportional to the change of chemical bonds. The more electrons shift in the atom, the more molecule chemical bond changes. In the adsorption state, which is composed of coal surface and five oxygen molecules, the vibration frequency of oxygen molecules drops off, and the adsorption energy reached by calculation is 202.11 kJ/mol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research which found the interconvertible isomers that could be detected in Salvia roborowskii. Topics covered include the wide distribution of the isomers in the different provinces of China including Qinhai, Xizang and Gansu. Also mentioned is the isolation of hemiketal metabolites from various sources.

We compared the therapeutic effects between botulinum toxin and surgery for acute acquired comitant esotropia (AACE) and analyze its clinical characteristics. The data of the 29 cases, who received treatment for AACE in the Ophthalmic Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Provincial Ophthalmology Hospital between January 2016 and January 2017, were collected. The 29 cases with AACE were followed for 6 months or more, and received either botulinum toxin injection (group A with 13 cases) or squint correction (group B with 16 cases). The distant and near deviation angles were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. The success rate (total horizontal deviation of 10 prism diopters or less) and stereopsis were compared between the two groups at post-treatment 6 months. At the same time, the relations between distant and near deviation angles were analyzed among different myopia levels and different AACE types. Results indicated that he success rate was not significantly different at post-treatment 6 months (84.6% vs 81.3%, P = 1.00). The distant and near deviation angles were all significantly different one day and one month after treatment (all P < 0.05); but at post-treatment 6 months, they were not significantly different (all P > 0.05) between the two groups. There were no significant differences in the distant and near stereoacuity between the two groups at post-treatment 6 months (all P > 0.05). Among the 25 cases with myopia, the pre-treatment distant deviation angle was significantly higher than pre-treatment near deviation angle in the cases with myopia level >−2.5 D (P < 0.05), and the pre-treatment distant and near deviation angles were all significantly higher in the cases with type-IIAACE than in the cases with type-IIIAACE (all P < 0.05). This study suggests that Botulinum toxin is as effective as surgery in the treatment of AACE at post-treatment 6 months. For the cases with myopia level >−2.5 D, the pre-treatment distant deviation angle is significantly higher than pre-treatment near deviation angle; and both pre-treatment distant and near deviation angles are greater in the cases with type-IIAACE than in the cases with type-IIIAACE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Ser105Ala mutant of the lipase B from Candida antarctica enables 'perhydrolase-only' reactions. At the example of the chemoenzymatic Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of cyclohexanone, we demonstrate that with this mutant selective oxidation can be achieved in deep eutectic solvent while essentially eliminating the undesired hydrolysis reaction of the product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethylene perceived by a family of five receptors regulates many developmental processes in Arabidopsis. Here we conducted the yeast two-hybrid assay to screen for additional unidentified proteins that interact with subfamily II ethylene receptor ETR2. Three SAUR proteins, named SAUR76, 77 and 78, were identified to associate with both ETR2 and EIN4 in different assays. Interaction of SAUR76 and SAUR78 with ETR2 was further verified by co-immunoprecipitation and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays. Expressions of SAUR76-78 are induced by auxin and ethylene treatments. Compared with wild type, SAUR-overexpressing plants exhibit reduced ethylene sensitivity, while SAUR-RNAi lines exhibit enhanced ethylene sensitivity. Overexpressing the three SAURs partially complements the phenotype of subfamily II ethylene receptor loss-of-function double mutant etr2-3ein4-4, which has increased ethylene response and small cotyledon and rosette. saur76 mutation partially suppresses the reduced ethylene sensitivity of etr2-2. SAUR76/78 proteins are regulated by 26S proteasome system and larger tag increases their protein stability. These findings suggest that SAUR76-78 may affect ethylene receptor signaling and promote plant growth in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]