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Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) has emerged as a promising technology for targeting multiple genetic loci simultaneously in forensic genetics. Here, a novel 193-plex panel was designed to target 28 A-STRs, 41 Y-STRs, 21 X-STRs, 3 sex-identified loci, and 100 A-SNPs by employing a single-end 400 bp sequencing strategy on the MGISEQ-2000™ platform. In the present study, a series of validations and sequencing of 1642 population samples were performed to evaluate the overall performance of the MPS-based panel and its practicality in forensic application according to the SWGDAM guidelines. In general, the 193-plex markers in our panel showed good performance in terms of species specificity, stability, and repeatability. Compared to commercial kits, this panel achieved 100% concordance for standard gDNA and 99.87% concordance for 14,560 population genotypes. Moreover, this panel detected 100% of the loci from 0.5 ng of DNA template and all unique alleles at a 1:4 DNA mixture ratio (0.2 ng minor contributor), and the applicability of the proposed approach for tracing and degrading DNA was further supported by case samples. In addition, several forensic parameters of STRs and SNPs were calculated in a population study. High CPE and CPD values greater than 0.9999999 were clearly demonstrated and these results could be useful references for the application of this panel in individual identification and paternity testing. Overall, this 193-plex MPS panel has been shown to be a reliable, repeatable, robust, inexpensive, and powerful tool sufficient for forensic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data centers are usually characterized by high energy loads, which raises increasing sustainability concerns in both academic and daily usage. To mitigate the uncertainty and high volatility of distributed wind energy generation, this paper proposes a hybrid energy storage allocation strategy by means of the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) technique and the two-stage robust method. First, this paper conducts the evolution analyses for the over- and under-evaluated uncertainty of wind power fluctuation under different time scales. Second, we employ the EMD technique to configure a high-frequency flywheel energy storage device, realizing the wind power transformation from large fluctuations to small fluctuations and the convergence of the wind power fluctuation curves in minute- and hour levels. Finally, based on the hour-level wind energy stable power curves, we carry out two-stage robust planning for the equipment capacity of low-frequency cold storage tanks and lithium bromide chillers. The case study on a data center microgrid in northeastern China confirms the effectiveness of our proposed strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black polyimides (BPIs) have attracted increasing attention owing to their growing demand in optoelectronics. However, commonly used black polyimides doped with black fillers suffer from poor mechanical and electrical properties. To address these issues, a new diamine (2,5-bis(4′-amino-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)-3,4-bis(4-fluorophenyl)cyclopenta-2,4-dien-1-one, TPCPFPDA) bearing a tetraphenylcyclopentadienone (TPCP) moiety bonded with benzene and fluorine units was synthesized. The diamine was reacted with 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) to yield a soluble intrinsic black polyimide (TPCPFPPI). Bonding fluorine (auxochrome group) and benzene units to TPCP can increase the conjugation of π-electrons systems and facilitate the movement of electron throughout the big π bond, respectively. Owing to the structural features, the synthesized TPCPFPPI exhibited complete visible-light absorption with high blackness and opacity. Its cutoff wavelength (λcut) and CIE (Commission Internationale de I' Eclairage) parameter L* were 684 nm and 1.33, respectively. Moreover, TPCPFPPI displayed exceptional electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties as well as excellent solubility. A detailed theoretical calculation was conducted to gain better insight into the electronic properties of the TPCPFPPI. Results showed that the blackness of TPCPFPPI was chiefly attributed to the electron transition from highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) to lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) in the diamines, where the charges primarily migrated from the aryl groups in the 2- and 5-positions to the cyclopentadienone center. The as-obtained intrinsic BPI (TPCPFPPI), exhibiting both high solubility and outstanding overall properties, has important applications in photo-electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With growing attention to the protection of circuit design, the demand of black polyimide (BPI) for flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) is increasing. However, the existing BPIs suffer from problems of poor mechanical and electrical properties, low solubility and masking capacity. To address these issues, a diamine monomer (TPCPODA) containing tetraphenylcyclopentadienone (TPCP) connected with phenyl ether unit was designed and prepared, which was subsequently reacted with 4,4'-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) to prepare a soluble intrinsic BPI (TPCPOPI). TPCP grafted with phenyl ether acts as chromophores that shift the absorption scope of PI to the long wave direction. The resulted TPCPOPI shows a cut-off wavelength (λcut) high to 673 nm. Theoretical calculations suggest that the visible absorption of TPCPOPI is mostly resulted from the electrons transitions of HOMO to LUMO within diamines moiety, in which the charges chiefly migrate from the aryl units at 2, 5-position to cyclopentadienone. Moreover, TPCPOPI shows outstanding electrical, mechanical and thermal properties and excellent solubility. Further investigation shows that the TPCPOPI-based two-layer flexible copper clad laminates (2L-FCCLs) has high peeling strength due to the incorporation of ketone and ether units. This work offers a prospective solution for the property improvement of BPIs for FPCBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is a prevalent mental illness that imposes a substantial public health burden. However, the diverse clinical phenotypes observed in patients make it difficult to realize precise diagnosis. Recently, accumulating preclinical and clinical evidence has suggested that inflammation is involved in the pathophysiology of depression. Herein, a molecular imaging–based strategy was proposed as a means to diagnose depression precisely by specifically visualizing the inflammation status associated with depression. Inflammation-targeting MRI nanoprobes were constructed by attaching an intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)-targeting peptide to biocompatible Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Systematic studies demonstrated that the nanoprobes could specifically target inflamed vascular endothelial cells and visualize the spatial distribution of inflammation in the depressed brain in vivo through susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), which was further confirmed by histological analysis. Additionally, these inflammatory brain regions identified by nanoprobe-based imaging are consistent with the focal regions closely associated with the symptoms of depression as reported in previous behavioral studies. Overall, this is the first study to directly visualize the distribution of inflammation in the depressed brain in vivo through a molecular imaging strategy, which may not only facilitate insight into the biological mechanism underlying depression but also provide a potential target within the depressed brain for the further development of anti-inflammatory therapies. A molecular imaging-based strategy was proposed for precise diagnosing the depression through specifically visualizing the inflammation status associated with depressed brain. The inflammation-targeting MRI nanoprobe that can specifically target the inflamed vascular endothelial cells was constructed through attaching the ICAM-1 targeting peptides on biocompatible Fe3O4 nanoparticle. Through nanoprobe-based SWI, the spatial distribution of inflammation in depressed brain can be mapped in vivo. This strategy not only facilitate insight into the biological mechanism underlying depression, but also provide a target within the depressed brain for the further development of anti-inflammatory therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In forensics, accurate identification of the origin of body fluids is essential for reconstructing a crime scene or presenting strong evidence in court. Microorganisms have demonstrated great potential in body fluid identification. We developed a multiplex PCR system for forensic salivary identification, which contains five types of bacteria:Streptococcus salivarius, Neisseria subflava, Streptococcus. mutans, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, and Bacteroides. uniformis. And the validated studies were carried out following the validation guidelines for DNA analysis methods developed by the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM), which included tests for sensitivity, species specificity, repeatability, stability, and mixed samples, trace samples, case samples, and a population study. Our result depicted that the lowest detection limit of the system was 0.01 ng template DNA. Moreover, the corresponding bacteria can still be detected when the amount of saliva input is low to 0.1 μL for DNA extraction. In addition, the target bacteria were not detected in the DNA of human, seven common animals, and seven bacteria DNA and in nine other body fluid samples (skin, semen, blood, menstrual blood, nasal mucus, sweat, tears, urine, and vaginal secretions). Six common inhibitors such as indigo, EDTA, hemoglobin, calcium ions, alcohol and humic acid were well tolerated by the system. What is more, the salivary identification system recognized the saliva component in all mixed samples and simulated case samples. Among 400 unrelated individuals from the Chinese Han population analyzed by this novel system, the detection rates of N. subflava, S. salivarius, and S. mutans were 97.75%, 70.75%, and 19.75%, respectively, with 100% identification of saliva. In conclusion, the salivary identification system has good sensitivity, specificity, stability, and accuracy, which can be a new effective tool for saliva identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased sympathetic nervous activity is one of main contributors to pathogenesis and progression of hypertension. Renal denervation (RDN) has been demonstrated as a potential therapy for treatment of hypertension; however, lack of indicators of intra-/post-procedure results in inconsistent clinical outcomes. Renal nerve stimulation (RNS), a simple and promising method, could evoke elevated blood pressure as an intraoperative indicator for RDN. But related researches on patterns of blood pressure responses to RNS are still incomplete. To investigate and categorize the phenotypes of blood pressure response to RNS and heart rate alteration before and after RNS, 24 Chinese Kunming dogs were used to perform RNS from bifurcation to ostium of renal arteries after angiography, and a total of 483 stimulated sites were complete. We identified five different patterns of blood pressure response to RNS in 483 stimulated sites, (1) continuous ascending and finally keeping steady above baseline (26.9%), (2) declining and then rising over baseline (11.8%), (3) declining and then rising but below baseline (14.5%), (4) fluctuating in the vicinity of baseline (39.5%), and (5) continuous declining and finally keeping steady below baseline (7.2%), and found no difference in RR intervals among five blood pressure responses before and after renal nerve stimulation. Renal nerve stimulation could elicit different patterns of blood pressure response, which could potentially assist in distinguishing sympathetic-excitatory sites and sympathetic-inhibitory sites from mixed nerve components, which might help to improve the efficacy of RDN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxia promotes both total extracellular and exosomal amyloid-β (Aβ) production and aggravates Alzheimer's disease (AD). Resveratrol (RSV) has been proved to be neuroprotective in AD models, and down-regulated the expression of CD147, an additional subunit of γ-secretase. In this study, we aimed to explore the role and mechanisms of RSV in hypoxia-induced upregulation of Aβ, especially exosomal Aβ. SH-SY5Y cells and HEK293 cells overexpressing amyloid precursor protein (APP) as well as C57BL/6 mice were treated with RSV and exposed to hypoxic conditions. The expression of SIRT1 or CD147 was modulated by transfection of specific siRNAs or plasmid. Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 levels were determined by ELISA. Hypoxia increased the levels of both Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 in the hippocampal lysates and serum-derived exosomes of mice. Hypoxia also increased both Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 levels in the total culture medium (CM), cell-derived exosomal lysates, and exosome-free CM of both cell lines. Treatment with RSV abrogated these changes in Aβ expression, inhibited the hypoxia-induced down-regulation of SIRT1 and up-regulation of CD147. Knockdown of SIRT1 promote total Aβ level but has no effect on exosomal Aβs expression. Knockdown of CD147 inhibits both total and exosomal Aβs expression. Furthermore, overexpressing CD147 in cells exposed to hypoxia facilitated the production of Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42, while application of RSV reduced the CD147 expression as well as Aβ levels in both exosomes and exosome-free CM. These results suggested that RSV abrogated hypoxia-induced up-regulation of total and exosomal Aβ partially by inhibiting CD147. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the influence of dynamical in-consistency of initial conditions on the predictive skill of decadal climate predictions. The investigation builds on the fully coupled global model 'Coupled GCM for Earth Simulator' (CFES). In two separate experiments, the ocean component of the coupled model is full-field initialized with two different initial fields from either the same coupled model CFES or the GECCO2 Ocean Synthesis while the atmosphere is initialized from CFES in both cases. Differences between both experiments show that higher SST forecast skill is obtained when initializing with coupled data assimilation initial conditions (CIH) instead of those from GECCO2 (GIH), with the most significant difference in skill obtained over the tropical Pacific at lead year one. High predictive skill of SST over the tropical Pacific seen in CIH reflects the good reproduction of El Niño events at lead year one. In contrast, GIH produces additional erroneous El Niño events. The tropical Pacific skill differences between both runs can be rationalized in terms of the zonal momentum balance between the wind stress and pressure gradient force, which characterizes the upper equatorial Pacific. In GIH, the differences between the oceanic and atmospheric state at initial time leads to imbalance between the zonal wind stress and pressure gradient force over the equatorial Pacific, which leads to the additional pseudo El Niño events and explains reduced predictive skill. The balance can be reestablished if anomaly initialization strategy is applied with GECCO2 initial conditions and improved predictive skill in the tropical Pacific is observed at lead year one. However, initializing the coupled model with self-consistent initial conditions leads to the highest skill of climate prediction in the tropical Pacific by preserving the momentum balance between zonal wind stress and pressure gradient force along the equatorial Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preeclampsia is associated with developmental delay in infants and with an increased risk of various diseases in adulthood, including hypertension and epilepsy. It has been reported that several organs show developmental retardation and functional deficiency in offspring of preeclamptic rats. However, the developmental and functional changes in brains of the offspring of preeclamptic rats remain unknown. Here, we established a preeclampsia-like rat model induced using Nω-nitro- l-arginine methyl ester ( l-NAME) to analyze the developmental and functional changes in brains of the offspring. Body and brain weights were decreased in the l-NAME group at postnatal day 0 (P0). However, there were no significant differences between the l-NAME and control groups in brain and body weights at P56. Upon further analysis, we detected a deficiency in neurogenesis, but not in apoptosis, which contributed to the smaller brains of the offspring in the l-NAME group at P0. Additionally, we observed an increase in gliogenesis to compensate for the brain weights of the offspring at P56. Although the weight and laminar structure of the brains were essentially normal at P56, spatial learning and memory were severely impaired. We also found that adult hippocampal neurogenesis was disrupted in the offspring from preeclampsia-like rats, which may explain the cognitive deficiency. Moreover, qRT-PCR revealed a reduced expression of neurogenesis-related genes in the offspring. Overall, we have described the deleterious effects of preeclampsia on the brains of offspring, providing clues to the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in this pathogenesis, which may aid in the development of therapeutic approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objective is to explore the effects of levetiracetam on the levels of neuropeptides, serum activity and concentrations of oxidative stress and inflammatory response proteins, and levels of brain injury marker in patients with refractory epilepsy. Seventy-two patients with refractory epilepsy received levetiracetam treatment. Neuropeptides galanin (GAL) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were detected using double-antibody sandwich immunoassay and radioimmunoassay, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect serum activity of paraoxonase (PON1) and serum concentrations of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and S100B. Arylesterase (ARE) activity was measured by colorimetric assay, and immune scatter turbidimetry was used to detect a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). After treatment, NPY and GAL in plasma and CSF of the patients were significantly decreased as compared to concentrations before treatment ( P < 0.05). Levetiracetam reduced serum activities of PON1 and ARE ( P < 0.05) and led to markedly increased serum levels of ox-LDL ( P < 0.05). Serum concentrations of hs-CRP and S100B protein were significantly lower after levetiracetam administrations than before treatment ( P < 0.05). Levetiracetam treatment had a clear beneficial effect on the overall quality of life (QOL) scores of the patients, as indicated by significantly improved cognitive functioning, behavior problems, emotional conditioning, physical condition, social functioning, self-assessed life quality score, self-assessed health score, and the total QOL score ( P < 0.05). Levetiracetam can improve life quality of patients with refractory epilepsy, decrease NPY and GAL in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid, serum PON1 and ARE activities, and serum levels of ox-LDL, hs-CRP, and S100B. Levetiracetam therefore may be considered a drug of choice for treating refractory epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaporin 9 (AQP9), an aquaglyceroporin, is an important aquaporin in the brain. This study examined the expression patterns of AQP9 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) in ischaemic brains from rats with permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) to elucidate the function and regulation of AQP9 after ischaemia. AQP9 was co-localised with glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive astrocytes and neuronal nuclei-positive neurons in rat brains. Expression of AQP9 increased continuously until 24 h after pMCAO in the ischaemic core region and the border region. Importantly, this increase in expression of AQP9 correlated with brain oedema. AQP9 expression was predominant in astrocytes within 3 h after pMCAO and then in neurons 6 h after pMCAO. Phosphorylated p38 MAPK was also induced in the ischaemic core region and the border region at different time points after pMCAO. Interestingly, intracerebroventricular injection of the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 attenuated AQP9 expression after pMCAO. Taken together, these results indicate that dynamic changes in AQP9 expression, mediated in part via the p38 MAPK signal transduction pathway, may contribute to the development of cerebral oedema after brain ischaemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous celluloses (PCs) were successfully prepared by a simple process of freezing the cellulose solution in ionic liquid, followed by solvent exchange and drying at normal temperature instead of the supercritical drying. PCs were composed of cellulose sheets of low crystallinity, as evidenced by SEM, XRD, TGA and FTIR, oriented into unidirectional structures when the cellulose concentration was low (1 %). When the cellulose concentration was high (4 %) the structure was twisted and randomly oriented. PCs had low apparent densities of 44-88 mg/cm and oil adsorption capacities ranging from 9.70 to 22.40 g/g (oil/PC) due to the ultralight porous structures. Oxidation of sodium periodate introduced dialdehyde groups into the porous structure. After the same reaction time, the aldehyde content of PC was much higher than the untreated cellulose counterpart. The resultant dialdehyde modified-PC had better urea adsorption than modified-viscose fiber. The high reactivity of PCs was related to the low crystallinity and porous structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroblastomas are tumors of peripheral sympathetic neurons and are the most common solid tumor in children. To determine the genetic basis for neuroblastoma, we performed whole-genome sequencing (6 cases), exome sequencing (16 cases), genome-wide rearrangement analyses (32 cases) and targeted analyses of specific genomic loci (40 cases) using massively parallel sequencing. On average, each tumor had 19 somatic alterations in coding genes (range of 3-70). Among genes not previously known to be involved in neuroblastoma, chromosomal deletions and sequence alterations of the chromatin-remodeling genes ARID1A and ARID1B were identified in 8 of 71 tumors (11%) and were associated with early treatment failure and decreased survival. Using tumor-specific structural alterations, we developed an approach to identify rearranged DNA fragments in sera, providing personalized biomarkers for minimal residual disease detection and monitoring. These results highlight the dysregulation of chromatin remodeling in pediatric tumorigenesis and provide new approaches for the management of patients with neuroblastoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occludin is an essential component of tight junctions, which are involved in controlling the integrity of the blood-brain barrier and blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB). Diabetes-induced alteration of occludin in rat BSCB and the relationship between occludin level and disease course was examined. Diabetes was induced using streptozotocin. Occludin rat spinal cord mRNA levels were assessed by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. Protein levels were examined by western blot. Occludin expression in 1-month diabetic rats was significantly reduced compared to the controls (0.20 ± 0.01 vs 1.00 ± 0.01, respectively; P < 0.05). Expression was also significantly lower in the 3-month diabetic group (0.06 ± 0.02; P < 0.01). Occludin protein levels of 1-month (0.53 ± 0.01) and 3-month (0.31 ± 0.01) diabetic rats were also significantly reduced compared to controls (0.91 ± 0.06; P < 0.01 for both). Diabetes decreased BSCB occludin expression at the mRNA and protein level. This down-regulation appears to correlate with the course of the disease, and may be a causal factor of diabetes-induced increase of BSCB permeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four solid complexes of alkaline earth picrates with N,N,N′,N′-tetraphenyl-3,6,9-trioxaundecanediamide (TTD), M (Pic)2TTD ( 1, M = Mg; 2, M = Ca; 3, M = Sr; 4, M = Ba), have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, conductivity measurement, IR spectra, 1H NMR spectra and TG-DTA techniques. Crystal structure of complex 3 shows that the Sr(II) ion is 9-coordinated by five oxygen atoms from TTD and four oxygen atoms from two bidentate picrates, and the coordination polyhedron is distorted tricapped trigonal prism. TTD as a pentadentate ligand forms a right-handed helical coordination structure. The chelating helical chain has a relative fixed radius and then shows a high coordination selectivity to metal ion. The high selectivity of TTD to alkaline earth ions is explained elementarily from the special coordination structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]