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Many students with autism have difficulties engaging with their classroom environments and forming friendships, which are mostly affected by deficits in social, communication, and motor skills. The Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS, 2000) data set was used, focusing on elementary age students with autism, to explore the longitudinal relationships between social, communication, and motor skills and the mediating role of motor skills in between communication and social skills by using structural equational modeling analyses. Results show that (a) motor skills mediate the relationship between communication and social skills in elementary school, (b) there are significant longitudinal relationships among these skills in elementary school. Increased motor skills may improve social skills for students with autism in elementary school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing evidence suggests that the gut microbiome (GM) plays a critical role in health and disease. However, the contribution of GM to psychiatric disorders, especially anxiety, remains unclear. We used the Collaborative Cross (CC) mouse population-based model to identify anxiety associated host genetic and GM factors. Anxiety-like behavior of 445 mice across 30 CC strains was measured using the light/dark box assay and documented by video. A custom tracking system was developed to quantify seven anxiety-related phenotypes based on video. Mice were assigned to a low or high anxiety group by consensus clustering using seven anxiety-related phenotypes. Genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) identified 141 genes (264 SNPs) significantly enriched for anxiety and depression related functions. In the same CC cohort, we measured GM composition and identified five families that differ between high and low anxiety mice. Anxiety level was predicted with 79% accuracy and an AUC of 0.81. Mediation analyses revealed that the genetic contribution to anxiety was partially mediated by the GM. Our findings indicate that GM partially mediates and coordinates the effects of genetics on anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid pyrolysis heat treatment was proposed to prepare YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) films by a self-developed fluorine-free polymer-assisted chemical solution deposition (PA-CSD) approach. Metal acetates and polyvinyl butyral (PVB) in YBCO wet films were pyrolyzed within 30 min, which is less than one-twentieth the pyrolysis time for conventional fluorine–free CSD methods. The influence of the rapid decomposition on the microstructures of YBCO precursor films was investigated compared to conventionally pyrolyzed films. Based on the rapidly pyrolyzed films, high-temperature firing process was further optimized to fabricate epitaxially grown YBCO films. The results demonstrate that most of the defects generated in the rapid pyrolysis process can nearly be eliminated by extending firing time to 2 h, and thus the textured YBCO films with denser and smoother morphologies were obtained with superconducting transition temperature Tc of 93.3 K and critical current density Jc of 3.1 MA/cm2 at 77 K and self-field. This is almost three times of the Jc of the conventionally pyrolyzed film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The difficulty of achieving full densification of TiAl powder by pressureless sintering makes spark plasma sintering (SPS) an attractive alternative. In this study, Ti-48Al-2Cr-Nb alloy was fabricated by SPS from gas-atomized TiAl powder. Near-full densification was achieved after 4 min at 1100°C under applied pressure of 80 MPa, accompanied by the formation of an unexpected bright-contrast phase when observed under backscattered scanning electron microscopy. Detailed characterization revealed that the bright-contrast phase was composed of oxygen- and carbon-enriched α-Ti and chromium-enriched β-Ti. A two-particle model was used to simulate the current passing through the particles during SPS. The model predicts that when a high density of current passes through the narrow particle–particle contact area, it can produce a high-temperature zone (~ 1-μm-thick surface layer), in which the temperature is high enough to allow the decomposition of the surface oxide layer and melting of the TiAl alloy underneath. These complex changes lead to the formation of the unexpected phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brittleness is a key controlling parameter for rock engineering projects such as hydrocarbon production and other applications. In this paper, commonly used methods based on stress-strain curves of Class I for the calculation of rock brittleness are reviewed. In order to describe the rock brittleness more reasonable, the new index B was proposed based on the stress drop rate obtained from post-peak stress-strain curve and the ratio of elastic energy released during failure to the total energy stored before the peak strength. Then the validity of B is verified with experimental tests conducted on rock specimens drilled from the interlayer and oil layer through a well of Shengli Oilfield. Moreover, numerical simulation is performed to analyze the effects of primary mechanical parameters on the brittleness of rock masses. Based on experimental tests and numerical simulation results, the acoustic emission modes influenced by brittleness index B are summarized. At last, correlation between acoustic emission mechanism and index B is verified by comparing the acoustic emission modes of limestone under different levels of confining pressure and various types of coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common childhood illness that is caused by enteroviruses, and the prevalence of HFMD in China and around the world has resulted in a huge disease burden. Since 2010, the HFMD incidence has been the highest among infectious diseases in Suzhou, China. To investigate the epidemical, features, etiological characteristics, and clinical characteristics of HFMD in Suzhou City, East China, from 2011 to 2014. We retrospectively analyzed HFMD epidemiological data in Suzhou from 2011 to 2014. A total of 80,723 outpatients in the city of Suzhou were diagnosed with HFMD, including 1,846 severe cases. There were 2,387 (3.0 %) laboratory-confirmed cases, 807 of which exhibited severe symptoms. All analyses were stratified by age, disease severity, laboratory confirmation status, and enterovirus subtype. From 2011 to 2014, HFMD mainly affected children aged 1-3, and boys were more affected than girls. The highest peak incidences of HFMD occurred in May or June from 2011 to 2014, and lower peak incidences were observed from November to December and in districts with higher humidity. Enterovirus 71 and coxsackievirus A16 were the predominant viral genotypes in Suzhou in 2011 to 2012 and 2014, and the severe cases mainly correlated with EV71 subtypes. In 2013, other EVs were dominant. The proportion of patients with severe disease decreased significantly, and the VP1 capsid proteins of EV71 and CA16 from severe and mild cases were nearly identical. This study shows that it is time to start monitoring EVs in China and that we should accelerate vaccine research and develop public-health interventions for the control and prevention of HFMD, all of which will play an important role in the prevention of HFMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chili consumption may have a beneficial effect on muscle strength in the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between frequency of chili consumption and handgrip strength in adults. Design: Population-based cross-sectional study. Setting: This study used baseline data from the Tianjin Chronic Low-grade Systemic Inflammation and Health Cohort Study. Participants: A total of 3 717 subjects were recruited to the study. Frequency of chili consumption during the previous month was assessed using a valid self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Analysis of covariance was used to examine the relationship between muscle strength and frequency of chili consumption. Handgrip strength was measured using a handheld digital dynamometer. Results: After adjustment for potential confounding factors, significant relationships were observed between different categories of chili consumption and handgrip strength in males, the means (95% confidence interval) for handgrip strength across chili consumption categories were 44.7 (42.1, 47.2) for < one time/week; 45.5 (42.9, 48.1) for one time/week; and 45.8 (43.3, 48.4) for ≥ 2-3 times/week (P for trend < 0.01). Similar results were not observed with sweet pepper consumption. Conclusions: This study reveals a positive correlation between frequency of chili consumption and muscle strength in adult males. Further studies are necessary in order to determine whether there is a causal relationship between chili consumption frequency and muscle strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of austenite from pearlite in high-carbon low alloy steel occurs with and without alloy element redistribution depending on the amount of superheating above the eutectoid temperature. The transition temperature of austenite growth (denoted PNTT) is calculated as a function of pearlite transformation temperature and subsequent holding time, which affect the degree of partitioning in pearlite, using experimental partition coefficients k of Mn, Cr, Co, Si, and Ni reported in the literature. PNTT is the highest in Cr-containing alloys which have the largest k in pearlite. Post-transformation aging, usually accompanied by cementite spheroidization, leads to a marked increase of PNTT in Mn and Cr alloys. PNTT of Ni alloy does not depend on pearlite transformation temperature because practically the formation of partitioned pearlite is severely limited in this alloy for kinetic reasons. Above PNTT, austenite growth occurs fast initially, but slows down in the order of ten seconds when the ferrite disappears, and the remaining small carbide particles dissolve very slowly under the control of alloy element diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To determine the effects of endostatin on vascular growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and the mechanisms underlying its radiosensitizing effect. Methods: VEGFR2 mRNA levels were determined in different NSCLC cell lines using qRT-PCR. RT-PCR and Western blot assays were used to assess the expression of mRNA and proteins. The radiosensitivity of the cells was determined by colony-formation assays; and cell apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were determined by flow cytometry. Results: VEGFR2 mRNA levels differed among the five NSCLC cell lines ( P < 0.01), with the highest expression in Calu-1 cells and lowest in A549 cells. Endostatin significantly inhibited the growth of Calu-1 cells ( P < 0.01) (IC20 = 296.5 μg/ml), and the expression of VEGFR2 and HIF-1α ( P < 0.05). Phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt), extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2), and p38 were significantly lower in endostatin-treated cells than control ( P < 0.05). Endostatin enhanced the radiosensitivity of Calu-1 cells to SER = 1.38 and induced apoptosis ( P < 0.01) and G2/M blockage ( P < 0.01). However, endostatin had limited effects on A549 cells. Compared with Calu-1 cells, there was not significantly effects on cell radiosensitivity (SER = 1.09). Conclusions: Endostatin induces apoptosis and enhances radiosensitivity of the VEGFR2 high-expressing cell line Calu-1, but it has a limited effect on the VEGFR2 low-expressing cell line A549. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing evidences indicate that calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) are involved in many aspects of plant's growth, development and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the biological roles of most CDPKs remain unclear. Here we report that CDPK1 is induced by infection with both virulent and avirulent Pseudomonas syringae strains. To understand the biological function of CDPK1, we analyzed phenotypes of the T-DNA insertion line ( cpk10) which did not express the CDPK1 gene. The cpk10 mutant exhibited deduced expression of the defense-related genes PR1, PR2, and AIG1 following inoculation with the avirulent pathogen Pst AvrRpt2. In addition, the CDPK1 gene was found to be expressed in guard cells and the cpk10 mutant showed alteration in stomata closure after Pst DC3000 infection. We also found that expression of CDPK1 is induced by plant hormones salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, and abscisic acid. These results indicate that CDPK1 may be involved in plant defense response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oncolytic adenoviruses, such as Delta-24-RGD (Δ24RGD), are replication-competent viruses that are genetically engineered to induce selective cancer cell lysis. In cancer cells, Δ24RGD induces massive autophagy, which is required for efficient cell lysis and adenoviral spread. Understanding the cellular mechanisms underlying the regulation of autophagy in cells treated with oncolytic adenoviruses may provide new avenues to improve the therapeutic effect. In this work, we showed that cancer cells infected with Δ24RGDundergo autophagy despite the concurrent activation of the AKT/mTOR pathway. Moreover, adenovirus replication induced sustained activation of JNK proteins in vitro. ERK1/2 phosphorylation remained unchanged during adenoviral infection, suggesting specificity of JNK activation. Using genetic ablation and pharmacological inactivation of JNK, we unequivocally demonstrated that cells infected with Δ24RGD required JNK activation. Thus, genetic co-ablation of JNK1 and JNK2 genes or inhibition of JNK kinase function rendered Δ24RGD-treated cells resistant to autophagy. Accordingly, JNK activation induced phosphorylation of Bcl-2 and prevented the formation of Bcl-2/Beclin 1 autophagy suppressor complexes. Using an orthotopic model of human glioma xenograft, we showed that treatment with Δ24RGD induced phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of JNK, as well as phosphorylation of Bcl-2. Collectively, our data identified JNK proteins as an essential mechanistic link between Δ24RGD infection and autophagy in cancer cells. Activation of JNK without inactivation of the AKT/mTOR pathway constitutes a distinct molecular signature of autophagy regulation that differentiates Δ24RGD adenovirus from the mechanism used by other oncolytic viruses to induce autophagy and provides a new rationale for the combination of oncolytic viruses and chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether the specific genotype of exon 19 deletion has a better survival outcome than that of exon 21 substitution in advanced lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR mutant patients that were treated with EGFR-TKIs as second-line therapy after first-line chemotherapy. Methods: Between April 1, 2010 and December 31, 2012, the detailed clinical information of 128 patients was screened from the hospital information database of the First Affiliated Hospital and the Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University by inclusion/exclusion criteria. Then, a telephone follow-up and a review of all patients' image data were done to obtain the survival information of all patients. After that, all patients' data were processed by IBM SPSS version 19.0. Results: There were correlations between EGFR mutation status, gross tumor type and PFS or OS according to the Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and log-rank tests. The exon 19 deletions had significantly better survival outcomes in comparison to exon 21 substitutions (median PFS: 8.1 vs. 6.8 months, P = 0.002; median OS: 17.6 vs. 12.5 months, P = 0.000). Stratification analyses of PFS and OS revealed that exon 19 deletions had a survival superior to exon 21 substitutions. Conclusion: Compared with L858R mutation, the genotype of exon 19 deletion had a better survival outcome in terms of PFS and OS in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma treated with EGFR-TKIs as second-line therapy after first-line chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objectives:Previous studies have indicated that higher levels of food consumption are associated with fatty liver disease (FLD), but few studies have investigated the relationship between this disease and different dietary patterns. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between dietary patterns and FLD in adults.Subjects/methods:Dietary intakes of participants in the Tianjin were assessed via questionnaire. Factor analysis was used to identify dietary patterns, and FLD was defined as having a FLD diagnosis using liver ultrasonography. Relationships between dietary patterns and FLD were assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis.Results:Female participants in the highest quartile of high-carbohydrate/sweet pattern scores had a 2.19-fold greater risk (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.40-3.46) of developing non-alcoholic FLD (NAFLD) than those in the lowest quartile after adjusting for confounding factors. No significant differences were found between any dietary pattern and NAFLD in males. In males, a significantly increasing trend of alcoholic FLD (AFLD) prevalence was associated with increasing high-protein/cholesterol pattern scores (P for trend=0.03; odds ratio (OR), 2.08; 95% CI, 1.15-3.81) while an increased high-carbohydrate/sweet pattern score appeared protective against AFLD (P for trend=0.02; OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.29-1.00).Conclusions:Our study demonstrates that high-protein/cholesterol pattern scores are associated with higher prevalence of AFLD in males. We also show high-carbohydrate/sweet pattern scores are associated with higher prevalence of NAFLD in females; but, interestingly, this pattern shows a favorable effect on AFLD in males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lily is universally known for its large, showy, fragrant flower, and Sorbonne is one of the best-selling Oriental hybrid lily cultivars. To accelerate lily breeding for more robust, attractive, and disease-resistant cultivars, it is essential to introduce molecular marker-assisted breeding. However, the enormous genome size, of around 36 Gb, is an obstacle for genomic information mining. We sequenced and assembled a mixture of six tissues of Lilium 'Sorbonne' using Illumina HiSeq2000. A set of 49,991 Unigenes with an average length of 673 bp was produced, and 36,093 sequences were annotated against public protein databases. The number of transcripts with GO annotation was 26,212, with 55 subcategories. Virus transcripts were detected, even though in very small amounts. From the 49,991 Unigenes, 1,853 SSRs were identified. The most common repeat motifs were trinucleotide and dinucleotide with GA/CT and GGC/CCG the most common repeats. Fifty-seven EST-SSR markers were validated in 32 lily genotypes with a mean PIC value of 0.55. A 57-primer-based dendrogram was in accordance with the genetic background derived from complex breeding practices and previous studies. Thirty out of the 57 SSR-derived Unigenes were of function-known genes. Subsequently, a comprehensive hybrid assembly was generated, merging the current transcriptome with two more lily transcriptomes available on the public database. The distribution of gene ontology for the three sets of assembly and mismatch/gap uncovering for Unigenes before and after hybrid assembly was analyzed. Our data are an extensive complement to the lily genome database, which will benefit genetic research and candidate gene mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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BaZrO (BZO) epitaxial films have been deposited on single-crystal substrate by polymer-assisted chemical solution deposition method and have been studied with X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM, and AFM analyses. It is found that the surface morphology and degree of c-axis texturing of the epi-films vary with processing temperature and atmosphere, with the optimized processing temperature of 900 °C in argon. The films are found with good phase purity, high-degree in-plane and out-of-plane texturing, good density with pin hole- and microcrack-free nature, and a sufficient thickness of >250 nm. Highly epitaxial 700-nm-thick YBaCu O (YBCO) thin film exhibits the self-field critical current density (Jc) that reached 1.2 MA/cm at 77 K. These results show that the BZO epi-films made with the current technique possess potentials as a single buffer layer for YBCO-coated conductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new structure basis of SmBiO (SBO) potential buffer layer for low-cost coated conductors fabrication methods has been introduced in this paper, and studied with XRD, SEM and AFM analyses. It is found that highly in-plane and out-of-plane oriented, dense, smooth, and crack-free SBO buffer layer has been prepared on NiO-buffered Ni-5 %W (NiW) tapes via a CSD route. YBCO epitaxial film was obtained on CSD-YBCO/CSD-SmBiO/SOE-NiO/NiW by using F-free CSD method which shows a new route to search for SmBiO new buffer layer material for coated conductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Pulmonary metastasis (PM) following curative hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is indicative of a poor prognosis. This study aimed to develop a nomogram to identify patients at high risks of PM.Methods:A primary cohort of patients who underwent curative hepatectomy for HCC at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital from 2002 to 2010 was prospectively studied. A nomogram predicting PM was constructed based on independent risk factors of PM. The predictive performance was evaluated by the concordance index (c-index), calibration curve and decision curve analysis (DCA). During the study period, a validation cohort was included at the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University.Results:Postoperative PMs were detected in 106 out of 620 and 45 out of 218 patients, respectively, in two cohorts. Factors included in the nomogram were microvascular invasion, serum alpha-fetoprotein, tumour size, tumour number, encapsulation and intratumoral CD34 staining. The nomogram had a c-index of 0.75 and 0.82 for the two cohorts for predicting PM, respectively. The calibration curves fitted well. In the two cohorts, the DCA demonstrated positive net benefits by the nomogram, within the threshold probabilities of PM >10%.Conclusion:The nomogram was accurate in predicting PM following curative hepatectomy for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Emerging evidence has demonstrated that lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) has an important role in many pathological processes of cancer cells, such as carcinogenesis, proliferation and metastasis. In this study, we characterised the role and molecular mechanisms of LSD1 in proliferation and metastasis of colon cancer.Methods:We evaluated the correlation of LSD1, CDH-1 and CDH-2 with invasiveness of colon cancer cells, and investigated the roles of LSD1 in proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of colon cancer cells. We further investigated the mechanisms of LSD1-mediated metastasis of colon cancer.Results:Lysine-specific demethylase 1 was upregulated in colon cancer tissues, and the high LSD1 expression was significantly associated with tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) stages and distant metastasis. Functionally, inhibition of LSD1 impaired proliferation and invasiveness, and induced apoptosis of colon cancer cells in vitro. The LSD1 physically interacted with the promoter of CDH-1 and decreased dimethyl histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) at this region, downregulated CDH-1 expression, and consequently contributed to colon cancer metastasis.Conclusion:Lysine-specific demethylase 1 downregulates the expression of CDH-1 by epigenetic modification, and consequently promotes metastasis of colon cancer cells. The LSD1 antagonists might be a useful strategy to suppress metastasis of colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous disease with a strong genetic origin, but the specific determinants are still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the ( TTTA) polymorphism in intron 4 of CYP19 and the PCOS risk in a Chinese population. We performed a case-control study which involved 222 PCOS patients and 281 controls. The fluorescent-labeled target DNA fragments containing the ( TTTA) short tandem repeats were obtained by PCR, thereafter genotyped via capillary electrophoresis. Representative alleles were directly sequenced to confirm their repeat numbers. Genotype analysis revealed seven different alleles including 7-3(∆)-, 7-, 8-, 10-, 11-, 12- and 13- TTTA-repeats. The most common allele in a Chinese population is ( TTTA) in our study (0.354 for PCOS and 0.390 for controls). PCOS patients showed a higher frequency of short alleles compared with controls (0.47 vs. 0.41, OR = 1.245, 95 % CI 0.97-1.60). The overall allelic distributions of this polymorphism did not show any significant differences between PCOS patients and the control group. No statistical differences were found in the clinical parameters or serum steroid hormone levels among PCOS patients with different genotypes. In conclusion, PCOS patients had a higher frequency of short alleles, albeit this might not strongly affect the risk of PCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an increasingly recognized complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). To develop a more comprehensive understanding of the clinical and pathological characteristics of pulmonary hypertension associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (PH/SLE) in the Chinese population, a systematic review of the literature up to 2012 was conducted. Six hundred and forty-two Chinese PH/SLE cases from 22 studies were identified as well documented and further analyzed. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), X-ray, electrocardiogram and right heart catheterization (RHC) were performed to diagnose PH in SLE patients. The mean age of subjects was 35.5 years, the male to female ratio was 1:14, and the mean duration of SLE when PH was diagnosed was 10.7 years. The prevalence of PH in SLE was 2.8-23.3 %. Symptoms were usually nonspecific, and the observed clinical characteristics include Raynaud's phenomenon (41.4 %), serous effusion (27.7 %), positive RNP (51.5 %) and positive ACL (46.6 %). Gold standard RHC is strongly recommended, especially for those who had resting pulmonary arterial systolic pressure >30 mmHg on TTE with the aforementioned clinical characteristics. Corticosteroids, immunosuppressants and vasodilators were the most common medications employed in treatment. Early identification and standard PH treatment with intensive SLE treatment can improve the prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over a period from June to October 2010, we carried out four short campaigns on the northern alpine ridge (High Altitude Research Station Jungfraujoch, 3,450 m above sea level) to determine bacterial number concentrations by collecting aerosol with liquid impingers, followed by filtration, fluorescent staining and counting with a microscope. Impinger liquid was also subjected to drop freeze tests to determine the number of ice nucleators. Parallel measurements of Rn enabled us to distinguish air masses with no, or little, recent land surface contact (free troposphere, Rn ≤ 0.50 Bq m) from air masses influenced by recent contact with land surface (Rn > 0.50 Bq m). In free tropospheric air, concentration of total bacteria was on average 3.4 × 10 cells m (SD = 0.8 × 10 cells m). When wind conditions preceding sampling were calm, or when the station was in clouds during sampling, there was no detectable difference in bacterial number concentrations between free tropospheric air and air influenced by recent land surface contact. One campaign was preceded by a storm. Here, recent land surface contact had enriched the air in bacterial cells (up to 7.5 × 10 cells m). Very few of these bacteria may act as ice nucleators in clouds. The median ratio of ice nucleators to the number of bacterial cells in our study was 1.0 × 10. We conclude that injection of bacterial cells into the free troposphere is an intermittent process. Conditions controlling the release of bacteria into near surface air are probably more of a limiting factor than vertical transport and mixing of near surface air into the free troposphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNA (miRNA) has an important role as a master regulator of gene expression in immune system and is upregulated during T cell differentiation, however its function is not clear yet. In this study, the contribution of miR-31 in T cell activation was investigated. miR-31 was upregulated during the activation of primary T lymphocytes upon T-cell receptor (TCR) stimulation. Ectopic expression of miR-31 increased the expression of interleukin (IL)-2, while knockdown of endogenous miR-31 decreased the IL-2 expression. To gain more insights into the regulatory mechanism, we performed a bioinformatic analysis and found miR-31 potentially targeted kinase suppressor of ras 2 (KSR2), a repression factor of Ras2 kinase. Using reporter gene and western blotting assays, we confirmed that miR-31 could inhibit KSR2 by directly targeting its 3′ untranslated region (UTR). Moreover, miR-31 enhanced nuclear factor of activated T cells (NF-AT) activity in Jurkat T cells, and increased transcription activity of IL-2 promoter in primary T cells. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that miR-31 upregulated IL-2 expression via reduction of its up-stream kinase suppressor, KSR2, and is a component of T cell activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel structural damage detection method with a new damage index, i.e., the statistical moment-based damage detection (SMBDD) method in the frequency domain, has been recently proposed. The aim of this study is to extend the SMBDD method in the frequency domain to the time domain for building structures subjected to non-Gaussian and non-stationary excitations. The applicability and effectiveness of the SMBDD method in the time domainis verified both numerically and experimentally. Shear buildings with various damage scenarios are first numerically investigated in the time domain taking into account the effect of measurement noise. The applicability of the proposed method in the time domain to building structures subjected to non-Gaussian and non-stationary excitations is then experimentally investigated through a series of shaking table tests, in which two three-story shear building models with four damage scenarios aretested. The identified damage locations and severities are then compared with the preset values. The comparative results are found to be satisfactory, and the SMBDD method is shown to be feasible and effective for building structures subjected to non-Gaussian and non-stationary excitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

5,6-Dihydrothymine (DHT) is a nucleobase lesion induced by the action of ionizing radiation on thymine residue in DNA. In this work, we present the hydrogen bonding base pairs involving 5,6-dihydrothymine bound to four bases in DNA: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). Full geometry optimizations are performed for the studied complexes by the B3LYP method. Interaction energies are corrected for the basis set superposition error, using the full Boys-Bernardi counterpoise correction scheme. Hydrogen bonding patterns of these base pairs are characterized using NBO and AIM analysis. According to the calculated binding energies and structural parameters, the stability of the base pairs decrease in the following order: DHT:G ∼ DHT:A > DHT:C > DHT:T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pin1 regulates a subset of phosphoproteins by isomerizing phospho-Ser/Thr-Pro motifs via a 'post-phosphorylation' mechanism. Here, we characterize TR3 as a novel Pin1 substrate, and the mitogenic function of TR3 depends on Pin1-induced isomerization. There are at least three phospho-Ser-Pro motifs on TR3 that bind to Pin1. The Ser95-Pro motif of TR3 is the key site through which Pin1 enhances TR3 stability by retarding its degradation. Pin1 can also catalyze TR3 through phospho-Ser431-Pro motif, which is phosphorylated by extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2), resulting in enhanced TR3 transactivation. Furthermore, Pin1 not only facilitates TR3 targeting to the promoter of cyclin D2, a novel downstream target of TR3, but also promotes TR3 to recruit p300, thereby inducing cell proliferation. Importantly, we found that Pin1 is indispensable for TR3 to promote tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo. Our study thus suggests that Pin1 has an important role in cell proliferation by isomerizing TR3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an efficient scheme for deterministic one-step generation of three-particle Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state in a bimodal cavity based on quantum Zeno dynamics, which reduces the complexity of the experiment operations. The cavity modes are not excited in the evolution and the influence of atomic spontaneous emission and the cavity decay is also discussed by numerical calculation. The results demonstrate that the scheme is robust against the cavity decay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a scheme to control the coupling between two arbitrary atoms scattered within a quantum network composed of microtoroidal cavities linked by a ring-fibre. The atom-atom effective couplings are induced by pairing of off-resonant Raman transitions. The couplings can be arbitrarily controlled by adjusting classical fields. Compared with the previous scheme [S.B. Zheng, C.P. Yang, F. Nori, Phys. Rev. A 82, 042327 (2010)], the present scheme uses microtoroidal cavities with higher coupling efficiency than Fabry-Perot cavities. Furthermore, the scheme is not only suitable for the short-fibre limit, but also for multiple fibre modes. The added fibre modes can play a positive role, especially when the coupling rate between cavity-mode and fibre-mode is not large. In addition, a wider frequency domain of fibre modes can be used in this scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the dynamics of quantum discord and entanglement in a two-qubit system coupled to the same quantized field without rotating-wave approximation. In the absence of initial correlations, we show that maximal quantum discord (entanglement) can be obtained in the strong coupling regime. Analytical result corresponding to an effective Hamiltonian is given. In a deep strong coupling regime, sudden death and sudden birth of entanglement are observed, while the peak value of quantum discord is reached periodically. The results of our investigation also suggest that some special quantum state with non-zero quantum discord may be created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plug-flow digesters with periodic loading mechanism are more enthusiastic than fully mechanized digestion plants for the majority of small or medium scale farms according to the costs and operational complexities. A dual-compartment plug-flow reactor equipped with a passive heating system was designed and experimentally operated by purpose of demonstrating a simple and low cost technology for handling the biodegradable agricultural wastes. The reactor was successfully started up with pig feces as feedstock under a quasi-continuous loading and semi-dry condition with an average total solids content of 12.8% inside the digester and an average organic loading rate of 2.06kg-VS/(m³.d). The start-up phase was followed by co-digestion of pig feces and pre-treated cotton stalk. Even though the digester actually worked at a temperature range 12 to 30% below the optimal mesophilic level, acceptable rates of methane generation and VS destruction were observed. The biogas and methane yield were measured for single digestion stage as 0.332 and 0.202 m³/(kg-added VS) and for co-digestion stage as 0.482 and 0.325 m³/(kg-added VS) respectively. The cumulative biogas production data demonstrated a reasonable correlation (R² over 0.99) with a simplified consecutive kinetic model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study quantum correlation in separable systems termed quantum dissonance [K. Modi, T. Paterek, W. Son, V. Vedral, M. Williamson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 080501 (2010)]. Firstly, we study the emergence of quantum dissonance between two atoms prepared in uncorrelated states and coupled to a single-mode thermal field. We show that even for situations when the thermal field cannot entangle the two atoms, it can nevertheless induce quantum dissonance between them. Then, we investigate the dynamics including the transfer in both Markovian and non-Markovian regimes of quantum dissonance due to dissipation modeled by two independent subsystems each of which consists of a leaky cavity containing a two-level atom and surrounded by a reservoir. The two subsystems possess some amount of atomic quantum dissonance at the beginning but do not interact with each other by any means later on. We show that the quantum dissonance can be transferred among the composite subsystems, but the way it evolves and is transferred may be very different compared to that of entanglement. Finally, we present an efficient method to refrain the unwanted transfer of quantum dissonance from interested systems to reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BiTe nanobelts were synthesized on quartz substrates by gold-mediated vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth through a thermal evaporation process. The structure and morphology were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).The temperature dependence of the conductivity of BiTe single crystal nanobelt shows a semiconductor behavior, and the activation energy was calculated as about 25 meV, indicating that the thermal activation of carriers from the impurity level dominates the transport property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a scheme for deterministic generation of entanglement embodied by two $\Lambda $-type atoms distributed in two coupled cavities. We study such a system in the dispersive atom-field interactions, where the dynamics of the system operates through the virtual population of both the atomic excited states and the photonic states in the cavities (plus the fiber). We verify the validity of the dynamics, and moreover, study the influences of the decoherence due to the spontaneous emission and photon leakage. We also apply the dynamics for realizing quantum state transfer and quantum phase gates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a linear optical protocol for teleporting a multi( W)-photon Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) polarization-entangled state from a sender to a receiver under control of a number of controllers in terms of optical elements. We show that the protocol can be successfully realized with a certain probability. This protocol has the advantage of transmitting much less particles and classical information for teleporting the W-photon GHZ polarization-state than others, and the protocol is based on linear optical elements and postselection strategy, which are feasible with existing experimental technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]