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Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) plays an essential role in neurogenesis, oxidative stress, and emotional behavior. However, the evidence regarding the role of FGF2 in the pathophysiology of depression remains limited and inconclusive. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate peripheral blood FGF2 levels in patients with depression and healthy controls. The PubMed and Web of Science databases were used to identify relevant articles for systematic retrieval. Eight studies involving 310 patients with depression and 268 healthy controls were included in this meta-analysis. A random-effects meta-analysis showed no difference in peripheral blood fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) levels between patients with depression and HC (Hedges' g = − 0.288, 95% CI = − 0.828 to 0.253, P = 0.297), but there was heterogeneity (Q = 55.719, df = 7, I2 = 87.437, P = 0.000). Subgroup analysis showed no statistically significant differences in the blood (serum/ plasma) and assay (ELISA/ no ELISA) FGF2 levels between all patients with depression and controls; however, there was heterogeneity. The meta-regression analysis showed that age, sex, sample size, depression severity, and publication year did not affect the results. Patients with different subtypes may have mild-to-severe symptoms or a different course of the disease, affecting neurotrophic factor levels. We could not obtain sufficient data from different studies to control for variables. Although the relationship between our findings and the pathophysiology of depression and the role of FGF2 in disease development remains to be determined, FGF2 may be a potential biomarker for depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conidia of Pyricularia oryzae were cultured on barley grain medium for 17 days in this study. Two hundred milliliters of barley grains of each tested strain were cultured in a 500 mL Erlenmeyer flask. The conidia were eluted with 300 mL of sterile water from the cultivated barley grains in each flask. The barley grains were placed in aluminum plates for continued cultivation. The conidia were eluted with 48 h of interval culture, and the elution method used each time was the same as that used for the first elution. All the tested strains could be eluted 6 times; thus, we obtained a large number of conidia. The numbers of conidia produced in the elutions of all the strains were significantly different, with the smallest number produced in the first elution, followed by a gradual increase and then a gradual decrease after reaching the peak; the number of conidia produced in the sixth elution, that is, the final elution, was also low. The total number of conidia and the total number of effective conidia differed among the strains. A large number of effective conidia can be obtained by using the method described in this study, and much time can be saved because the conidia can be eluted six times in one culture cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to preliminarily analyze the differences in pathogenicity and physiologic races between Pyricularia oryzae isolates from indica and japonica rice varieties. Five to 7 isolates of P. oryzae from indica and japonica, having good sporulation capacity, were screened out in each experimental year. To determine the pathogenicity of P. oryzae, different kinds of rice varieties were inoculated with mixtures of indica and japonica isolates. A total of 46 isolates, including 23 indica isolates and 23 japonica isolates, were screened out in four years. In total, 1252 rice varieties, including 490 indica, 296 japonica and 466 indica-japonica hybrid rice varieties, were inoculated. Our results suggested that the degree of disease was more severe in most indica varieties infected with indica isolates than in those infected with japonica isolates. That is, indica isolates were more inclined to infect indica varieties. A majority of japonica and indica-japonica hybrid rice varieties infected with japonica isolates showed more severe infection than those infected with indica isolates. In other words, japonica isolates more easily infected japonica and indica-japonica hybrid rice varieties. The differences in quantity among the varieties indicated high resistance to rice blast in the corresponding kinds of rice inoculated with indica and japonica isolates, fully explaining the above viewpoint. Most of the 23 indica isolates belonged to indica races. Among the 23 japonica isolates, half were indica races and half were japonica races. In addition, there were significant differences between the isolates selected in the first two years and those selected in the second two years. The isolates in the first two years were all of indica races, and those of japonica races all appeared in the second two years. The results showed that the race of isolates shared little association with the kind of rice variety collected but was associated with the year of neck blast sample collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We study the two-body anti-triplet charmed baryon decays based on the diagrammatic approach with SU(3) flavor symmetry. We extract the two W -exchange effects as EB and E' that contribute to the Λ c + → Ξ 0 K + decay, together with the relative phases, where EB gives the main contribution. Besides, we find that B Λ c + → p π 0 = 0.8 − 0.8 + 0.9 × 10 − 4 ,which is within the experimental upper bound. Particularly, we obtain B Ξ c + → Ξ 0 π + = 9.3 ± 3.6 × 10 − 3 , B Ξ c 0 → Ξ − π + Λ 0 K ¯ 0 = 19.3 ± 2.8 8.3 ± 5.0 × 10 − 2 and B Ξ c 0 → Ξ − K + = 5.6 ± 0.8 × 10 − 4 , which all agree with the data. For the singly Cabibbo suppressed Λ c + decays, we predict that B Λ c + → n π + pη ' Σ + K 0 = 7.7 ± 2.0 7.1 ± 1.4 19.1 ± 4.8 × 10 − 4 , which are accessible to the experiments at BESIII, BELLEII and LHCb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold expansion is widely used to improve the fatigue life of fastener holes. However, fatigue crack often initiates at the entrance edge of the hole due to lower compressive or tensile residual stress as a result of cold expansion. In the current study, the entrance edge of the cold expanded hole has been ultrasonically impacted with a specially designed pin, and comparative fatigue tests are performed to evaluate the influence of the ultrasonic impact treatment on the fatigue performance of the cold expanded holes. The findings show that the ultrasonic impact treatment imparted a larger compressive residual stress and created a fillet arc at the entrance edge, which resulted in an obvious reduction in the fatigue crack propagation rate in the earlier stage of the fatigue crack growth and extended the fatigue life of the cold expanded holes further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Compound epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are defined as double or multiple independent mutations of the EGFR tyrosine kinase domain (TKD), in which an EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-sensitizing mutation is identified together with a mutation of unclarified clinical significance. Lung adenocarcinoma with compound EGFR mutation shows poor clinical response to EGFR-TKIs. Kobayashi et al. reported a non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient whose tumor had EGFR exon21 L858R/A871G mutation presented rapid disease progression to erlotinib. However, in this case, we present an EGFR exon21 L858R/A871G mutation patient exerted significant benefit to icotinib, another first-generation EGFR-TKI, indicating that different EGFR-TKIs have diversiform sensitive sites and therapeutic effects, consistent mutation sites might achieve heterogeneous benefits from different EGFR-TKIs. Our case report provides promising EGFR-TKI for clinical treatment with EGFR exon21 L858R/A871G mutation in NSCLC. More dedicated efforts are needed to clarify their biologic effects on disease course and drug responsiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thiamin diphosphate (ThDP) analogs have been designed and synthesized based on the ThDP binding site of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex E1 of Escherichia coli. This study investigated the effect of 66 novel ThDP analogs on rice bacterial brown stripe pathogen Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae strain RS-1. Results indicated that three of the 66 ThDP analogs (designated as 20, 21 and 53) significantly inhibited the in vitro growth of strain RS-1. However, no obvious cell lysis and destruction was found for this rice pathogenic bacterium, which were supported by morphological evidence of transmission electron microscope. In contrast, the three ThDP analogs significantly reduced biofilm formation and the activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase of strain RS-1. Furthermore, the differential expression of ThDP target gene and 20 secretion system related genes were revealed by using quantitative real-time PCR. Among these, the expressions of ThDP target gene and VgrG-5 under the treatment of ThDP 20 were strongly induced compared to the control, which indicated that the antibacterial mechanism of ThDP analogs may be mainly due to the changed expression of ThDP target gene and secretion system related genes rather than causing damage to cell membrane. Taken together, the application of synthesized ThDP analogs might be a tractable strategy to overcome the pathogen of rice bacterial brown stripe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the suspended sediments have severe influence on acoustic radiated field of transducer, it is significant for sonar system to analyze the influence of suspended sediments on acoustic pressure in the seafloor mining environment. Based on the KZK (Khokhlov-Zabolotkaya-Kuznetsov) equation, the method of sound field analysis in turbid water is proposed. Firstly, based on the analysis of absorption in clean water and viscous absorption of suspended sediments, the sound attenuation coefficient as a function of frequency in the mining environment is calculated. Then, based on the solution of KZK equation in frequency domain, the axial sound pressure of transducer in clear water as well as turbid water is simulated using MATLAB. Simulation results show that the influence of the suspended sediments on the pressure of near field is negligible. With the increase of distance, the axial sound pressures of transducer decay rapidly. Suspended sediments seriously affect the pressure in far-field. To verify the validity of this numerical method, experiment is designed and the axial sound pressure of transducer with a frequency of 200 kHz and a beam width of 7.5° is measured in simulated mining experiment. The results show that the simulation results agree well with the experiments, and the KZK equation can be used to calculate the sound field in turbid water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of thermal aging on the fatigue crack growth (FCG) behavior of Z3CN20?09M cast duplex stainless steel with low ferrite content was investigated in this study. The crack surfaces and crack growth paths were analyzed to clarify the FCG mechanisms. The microstructure and micromechanical properties before and after thermal aging were also studied. Spinodal decomposition in the aged ferrite phase led to an increase in the hardness and a decrease in the plastic deformation capacity, whereas the hardness and plastic deformation capacity of the austenite phase were almost unchanged after thermal aging. The aged material exhibited a better FCG resistance than the unaged material in the near-threshold regime because of the increased roughness-induced crack closure associated with the tortuous crack path and rougher fracture surface; however, the tendency was reversed in the Paris regime because of the cleavage fracture in the aged ferrite phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For Gu-Ag alloy, an important parameter called workability in the forming process of materials can be evaluated by processing maps yielded from the stress-strain data generated by hot compression tests at temperatures of 700-850 °C and strain rates of 0.01-10 s. And at the true strain of 0.15, 0.35 and 0.55, respectively, the responses of strain-rate sensitivity, power dissipation efficiency and instability parameter to temperature and strain rate were studied. Instability maps and power dissipation maps were superimposed to form processing maps, which reveal the determinate regions where individual metallurgical processes occur and the limiting conditions of flow instability regions. Furthermore, the optimal processing parameters for bulk metal working are identified clearly by the processing maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile and general route to a new generation of polyaniline (PANI)-citric acid (CA) crystals such as 2D nanoplates, 2D nanosheets and 3D microrods self-assembled by the π-π stacking interaction is reported. Dramatic, 3D rectangular shaped microrods and 2D nanosheets are single crystals indicated by SAED patterns and HRTEM images. Moreover, the method does not depend on any specific equipment or heating, cooling and complex procedures. The novel polyaniline crystals will be useful for next generation organic electronics such as nano-transistors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To observe the effect of balancing yin-yang needling manipulation on post-stroke upper limb spasticity and changes of electromyography (EMG) after treatment. Methods: A total of 60 eligible cases were randomly allocated into an observation group and a control group, 30 in each group. Based on routine medication, cases in the control group were treated with conventional needling manipulation, whereas cases in the observation group were treated with balancing yin-yang manipulation. After the courses of treatment were completed, the therapeutic efficacies were evaluated using modified Ashworth scale and clinical spasticity index (CSI), coupled with the integrated electromyography (IEMG) and root mean square (RMS) value of biceps in passive flexion of the elbow joint during isokinetic testing recorded with the surface EMG. Results: The total effective rate in the observation group was 86.7%, versus 53.3% in the control group, showing a statistical significance ( P < 0.05). After treatment, there was between-group statistical significance in severity of elbow spasticity ( P<0.05); there were intragroup ( P<0.01, P<0.05) and inter-group ( P<0.05) statistical significances in CSI index; and there were intra-group ( P<0.01, P<0.05) and inter-group ( P<0.01, P<0.05) statistical significances in IEMG and RMS values. Conclusion: Balancing yin-yang and conventional needling manipulations can both improve upper limb spasm and reduce CSI as well as IEMG and RMS values in stroke patients; however, balancing yin-yang manipulation is better than conventional manipulation in clinical effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To design a hyperchaotic generator and apply chaos into secure communication, a linear unidirectional coupling control is applied to two identical simplified Lorenz systems. The dynamical evolution process of the coupled system is investigated with variations of the system parameter and coupling coefficients. Particularly, the influence of coupling strength on dynamics of the coupled system is analyzed in detail. The range of the coupling strength in which the coupled system can generate hyperchaos or realize synchronization is determined, including phase portraits, Lyapunov exponents, and Poincaré section. And the critical value of the system parameter between hyperchaos and synchronization is also found with fixed coupled strength. In addition, abundant dynamical behaviors such as four-wing hyperchaotic, two-wing chaotic, single-wing coexisting attractors and periodic orbits are observed and chaos synchronization error curves are also drawn by varying system parameter c. Numerical simulations are implemented to verify the results of these investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel ofloxacin-imprinted polymers have been prepared using poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylenedimethacrylate) (P) particles as a support and their recognition abilities evaluated. Several factors that are known to influence the rebinding of the imprinted polymers were investigated, including the pH and water content of the adsorbed solutions. The binding capabilities of the materials were also evaluated. The resulting P molecularly imprinted polymers were used as selective solid phase extraction sorbents for the simultaneous determination of three different quinolones in milk, with the results revealing high levels of selectivity. The use of 10 % methanol-water as washing solution together with 2 % trifluoroacetic acid-acetonitrile as an elution solution allowed for the three different quinolones to be selectively extracted from the milk samples. Furthermore, all of the matrix interference factors were eliminated simultaneously, whereas the enrichment factors were >234. The quantification limit was determined to be 1.00 ng/mL using an ultraviolet detector, and the recovery was in the range of 81.8-102.0 % with a relative deviation of <9.6 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Such deaths are due, in large part, to its propensity to metastasize. We have examined the effect of alternol on human HCC cells and the underlying molecular mechanism. Therapeutic effects of alternol on cancer cell migration and invasion were analyzed with Boyden chamber and wound healing assays. Effects of alternol on the levels of various proteins involved in cancer cell migration and invasion were determined with gelatin zymography, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting. As shown, treatment with alternol has resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of cell migration and invasion of HepG2 cells. The inhibition of HCC invasion by alternol was associated with the suppression of MMP-9 expression and reversal of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The above results indicated that alternol has the ability to inhibit the migration and invasion of human HCC cells by reversing the process of EMT, suggesting that alternol may be developed as an alternative drug for the treatment of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase field simulations of phase separation in Fe-Cr binary alloys were performed by using the Cahn-Hilliard diffusion function. A new mobility model in relation to aging temperature and Cr content was used in the simulations. Two alloys of Fe-30at%Cr and Fe-35at%Cr were investigated at two different aging temperatures of 573 and 673 K. The phase separation kinetics was found to consist of three stages: wavelength modulation, amplitude increase, and coarsening of Cr-enriched regions. A higher thermal aging temperature accelerated the phase separation and increased the wavelength of concentration fluctuation. While the effect of Cr content on the phase separation kinetics was slight, Fe-Cr alloys with a higher Cr content were found to generate a larger number and a finer size of Cr-enriched regions. The simulation results provide consultation for design and safe operation of duplex stainless steel pipes in nuclear power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study systematically analyzed the concentrations of cations and anions and determined the pH in the rainwater at Guiyang from Oct. 2008 to Sep. 2009. The pH in the rainwater varied between 3.35 and 9.99 with a volume-weighted mean value of 4.23. The volume-weighted mean concentrations of anions followed the order SO>Cl>F>NO, whereas the volume-weighted mean concentrations of cations followed the order Ca>NH>Na>Mg>K. This finding indicates that SO was the main anion and that Ca and NH were the main cations. Significant correlations between each pair of ions (SO, NO, NH, Ca, and Mg) were observed, suggesting that CaSO, Ca(NO), MgSO, Mg(NO), NHNO, (NH)SO, and/or NHHSO exist in the atmosphere at Guiyang. The soil-derived species (such as Ca) played an important role in the neutralization of the acidity in rainwater. The SO and NO in the rainwater were mainly from anthropogenic sources, and their contributions accounted for 98.1 % and 94.7 %, respectively. NH was also most likely derived from anthropogenic sources, such as domestic and commercial sewage, and played an important role in the neutralization of the rainwater at Guiyang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pile-soil system interaction computational model in liquefaction-induced lateral spreading ground was established by the finite difference numerical method. Considering an elastic-plastic subgrade reaction method, numerical methods involving finite difference approach of pile in liquefaction-induced lateral spreading ground were derived and implemented into a finite difference program. Based on the monotonic loading tests on saturated sand after liquefaction, the liquefaction lateral deformation of the site where group piles are located was predicted. The effects of lateral ground deformation after liquefaction on a group of pile foundations were studied using the finite difference program mentioned above, and the failure mechanism of group piles in liquefaction-induced lateral spreading ground was obtained. The applicability of the program was preliminarily verified. The results show that the bending moments at the interfaces between liquefied and non-liquefied soil layers are larger than those at the pile’s top when the pile’s top is embedded. The value of the additional static bending moment is larger than the peak dynamic bending moment during the earthquake, so in the pile foundation design, more than the superstructure’s dynamics should be considered and the effect of lateral ground deformation on pile foundations cannot be neglected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A relative complete study on the mechanisms of the proton transfer reactions of 2-thioxanthine was carried out with density functional theory. The models were designed with monohydrated and dihydrated microsolvent catalyses either with or without the presence of water solvent considered with the polarized continuum model (PCM). A total number of 114 complexes and 67 transition states were found with the B3LYP/6-311+G** calculations. The energies were refined with both B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ and PCM-B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ methods. The activation energies were reported with respect to the Gibbs free energies obtained in conjunction with the standard statistical thermodynamics. Possible reaction pathways were confirmed with the intrinsic reaction coordinates. Pathways via C8 atom on the imidazole ring, via the bridged C4 and C5 atoms between pyrimidine and imidazole rings and via N, O and S atom on the pyrimidine ring were examined. The results show that the most feasible pathway is the proton transfers within the long range solvent surrounding via the N, O and S atoms in the pyrimidine ring with di-hydrated catalysis: N(7)H + 2HO → IM89 → IM90 → P13 + 2HO → IM91 → IM92 → P6 + 2HO → IM71 → IM72 → P7 + 2HO → IM107 → IM108 → P18 + 2HO → IM111 → IM112 → P19 + 2HO → IM113 → IM114 → P17 + 2HO → IM105 → IM106 → N(9)H + 2HO that has the highest energy barrier of 44.0 kJ mol in the transition of IM89 to IM90 via TS54. The small energy barrier is in good agreement with the experimental observation that 2-TX tautomerizes at room temperature in water. In the aqueous phase, the most stable intermediate is found to be IM21 [ N(7)H + 2HO] and the possible co-existing species are the monohydrated IM1, IM9, IM39 and IM46, and the di-hydrated IM5, IM8, IM13, IM16, IM81, IM89, IM90, IM91 and IM106 complexes that have a relative concentration larger than 10 (1 ppm) with respect to IM21. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the performance of chaotic secure communication, three simplified chaotic systems with one variable parameter were investigated. Basic properties were analyzed including symmetry, dissipation and topological structure. Complex dynamical behaviors of the systems including chaos and periodic orbits were verified by numerical simulations, Lyapunov exponents and bifurcation diagrams. Interestingly, the three systems were integrated in a common circuit, and their dynamical behaviors were easily observed by adjusting regulable resistors R, R and R, respectively, and the relations between the variable resistor and the system parameter were deduced. The circuit experiment results agree well with the simulation results. Finally, a secure communication scheme based on chaos shift keying (CSK) was presented, which lays an experiment foundation for chaotic digital secure communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship among the surface fissure ratio, moisture content, seepage coefficient and deformation modulus of field unsaturated expansive soil in Nanning, Guangxi Province, China, was obtained by a direct or indirect method. Digital images of expansive soil of the surface fissure with different moisture contents were analyzed with the binarization statistic method. In addition, the fissure fractal dimension was computed with a self-compiled program. Combined with in situ seepage and loading plate tests, the relationship among the surface fissure ratio, moisture content, seepage coefficient and deformation modulus was initially established. The surface fissure ratio and moisture content show a linear relation, ' y=−0.019 1 x+1.028 5' for rufous expansive soil and ' y=−0.071 x+2.610 5' for grey expansive soil. Soil initial seepage coefficient and surface fissure ratio show a power function relation, ' y=1×10exp(15.472 x)' for rufous expansive soil and ' y=5×10exp(4.209 6 x)' for grey expansive soil. Grey expansive soil deformation modulus and surface fissure ratio show a power function relation of ' y=3.935 7exp(0.993 6 x)'. Based on the binarization and fractal dimension methods, the results show that the surface fissure statistics can depict the fissure distribution in the view of two dimensions. And the evolvement behaviors of permeability and the deformation modulus can indirectly describe the developing state of the fissure. The analysis reflects that the engineering behaviors of unsaturated expansive soil are objectively influenced by fissure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ages at natural menarche and menopause are influenced by several genetic factors. This study aimed to investigate the possible relationship between the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype and the age at menarche and natural menopause in Chinese females. In the current study, 398 (elderly group, aged 47-80 years) and 825 (young group, aged 15-25 years) Chinese females were enrolled under informed content. Ages at natural menarche and menopause were obtained by questionnaires. ApoE genotypes were identified by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. In the elderly group, the number of pregnancies and live births and breastfeeding were associated with the age at menopause ( P = 0.008, P = 0.002, and P = 0.023, respectively). One-way ANOVA analysis revealed that the ApoE genotype was significantly associated with age at natural menopause (ANM; P = 0.010). Compared with ApoE ε3/3 carriers, ApoE ε3/4 females showed a 1.8-year delay in ANM ( P = 0.002). Single ApoE allele-positive/allele-negative analysis also showed that the age at menopause of ApoE ε4 carriers was delayed compared with those who were not carriers ( P = 0.023). In the young group, no statistical difference was found in the age of menarche between the carriers of ApoE ε3/3 and ε3/4. Single ApoE allele-positive/allele-negative analysis showed that the age at menarche in ApoE ε4 carriers was slightly earlier than in those who were not carriers ( P = 0.048). Meanwhile, univariate association analysis revealed that the ApoE genotypes were not significantly associated with the age at menarche using age as a covariate in the pooled group (young + elderly) ( P = 0.143). We demonstrated that the ApoE genotype is significantly linked to the age at natural menopause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess whether the TaqIB polymorphism of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) in Chinese population, we performed a meta-analysis in this paper. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, the Science Citation Index (SCI), the China Biological Medicine database (CBM), the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the Wanfang database for relevant articles. Data were extracted, and pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results: The literature search yielded 448 studies, in which 10 case-control studies including 1 694 cases and 1 456 controls matched the selection criteria. The combined B1 and B2 allele frequencies were 0.587 and 0.413, respectively. The pooled OR was 1.10 (95% CI, 0.89-1.34) for comparing the B1B1 or B1B2 carriers with B2B2 carriers, and was 1.27 (95% CI, 1.09-1.49) in the B1B1 carriers versus B2B2 or B1B2 carriers. Conclusions: In the present study, the TaqIB polymorphism of CETP was found to be associated with CAD in the Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of rhizobacterium Burkholderia sp. strain R456 on the inhibition of Rhizoctonia solani, sheath blight of rice was examined. Results from this study indicated that strain R456 not only suppressed the in vitro mycelial growth of R. solani, but also reduced the incidence and severity of rice sheath blight under greenhouse conditions. However, similar to plant pathogenic strain LMG 1222 of Burkholderia cepacia, the type species of the genus, infiltration of tobacco leaves with cell suspension of strain R456 resulted in typical hypersensitivity reactions while the two bacterial strains were unable to cause disease symptoms on rice seedlings. The fatty acid methyl ester profile, sole carbon source utilization, and biochemical tests confirmed that the antagonistic rhizobacterium R456 is a member of the genus Burkholderia. Furthermore, strain R456 was differentiated from B. cepacia LMG 1222 and was identified as Burkholderia seminalis based on recA gene sequence analysis and multilocus sequence typing. In addition, this rhizobacterium had a lower proteolytic activity compared with that of the pathogenic B. cepacia LMG 1222 while no cblA and esmR marker genes were detected for the two bacterial strains. Overall, this is the first characterization of rhizobacterium B. seminalis that protected rice seedlings from infection by R. solani. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon foams with pore sizes of 10-50 μm were prepared with mesophase pitch and toluene as the carbonaceous precursor and supercritical agent, respectively. Results revealed that the light pitch components and dissolved toluene in pitch significantly affected the pore structures of resultant carbon foams. The amount of toluene dissolved in molten pitch is greatly dependent on the foaming conditions, such as the ratio of toluene to pitch, foaming temperature, foaming pressure and saturation time. Carbon foams with hierarchical porous structures are obtained by controlling the amount of light pitch components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel cyano-bridged heterotrinuclear FeIII/CoII/FeIII complex, [Co(phen)2][Fe(phen)(CN)4]2·4H2O ( 1) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), has been synthesized under solvothermal conditions, and characterized by elemental analysis, FI-IR spectrum and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The structure analysis reveals complex 1 is constructed into a 3D supramolecular architecture through abundant intermolecular non-covalent interactions. According to the supramolecular self-assembly of complex 1, five types of π–π stacking models of phenanthroline ligands, hydrogen bonds formed by four lattice water molecules, and C–H···N weak interactions involving cyano groups are all observed. Electronic absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence titration studies of the interaction between complex 1 and calf thymus DNA are suggestive of an intercalative binding mode with an intrinsic binding constant of 7.95 × 103 M−1 and a linear Stern–Volmer quenching constant of 1.033 × 105 M−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin foils of 50 μm in thickness of Fe-6.5wt.%Si alloy were obtained by conventional hot-cold rolling method. The rolling texture and basic mechanical properties of the foils were examined. The foils were heavily work-hardened and exhibited high tensile fracture strength with some extent of plastic elongations. Their bending ductility was more remarkable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The peroxisomal matrix proteins involved in many important biological metabolism pathways in eukaryotic cells are encoded by nucleal genes, synthesized in the cytoplasm and then transported into the organelles. Targeting and import of these proteins depend on their two peroxisomal targeting signals (PTS1 and PTS2) in sequence as we have known so far. The vectors of the fluorescent fusions with PTS, i.e., green fluorescence protein (GFP)-PTS1, GFP-PTS2 and red fluorescence protein (RFP)-PTS1, were constructed and introduced into Magnaporthe oryzae Guy11 cells. Transformants containing these fusions emitted fluorescence in a punctate pattern, and the locations of the red and green fluorescence overlapped exactly in RFP-PTS1 and GFP-PTS2 co-transformed strains. These data indicated that both PTS1 and PTS2 fusions were imported into peroxisomes. A probable higher efficiency of PTS1 machinery was revealed by comparing the fluorescence backgrounds in GFP-PTS1 and GFP-PTS2 transformants. By introducing both RFP-PTS1 and GFP-PTS2 into Δ mgpex6 mutants, the involvement of MGPEX6 gene in both PTS1 and PTS2 pathways was proved. In addition, using these transformants, the inducement of peroxisomes and the dynamic of peroxisomal number during the pre-penetration processes were investigated as well. In summary, by the localization and co-localization of PTS1 and PTS2, we provided a useful tool to evaluate the biological roles of the peroxisomes and the related genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several image fusion approaches for CCD/SAR images are studied and the performance evaluation of these fusion approaches is completed in this paper. Firstly, the preprocessing of CCD/SAR images before fusion is fulfilled. Then, the image fusion methods including linear superposition, nonlinear operator method and multiresolution methods, of which the multiresolution methods include Laplacian pyramid, ratio pyramid, contrast pyramid, gradient pyramid, morphological pyramid and discrete wavelet transform, are adopted to fuse two types of images. Lastly, the four performance measures, standard deviation, entropy, cross entropy and spatial frequency, are calculated to compare the fusion results by different fusion approaches in this paper. Experimental results show that contrast pyramid, morphology pyramid and discrete wavelet transformation in multiresolution approaches are more suitable for CCD/SAR image fusion than other ones proposed in this paper and the objective performance evalution of CCD/SAR image fusion approaches are effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]