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Mongolian horses have been bred and used for labor and transport for centuries. Nevertheless, traits of testicular development in Mongolian horses have rarely been studied; particularly, studies regarding the transcriptional regulation characteristics of testicular development are lacking. In this paper, transcription specificity during testicular development in Mongolian horses is highlighted via a multispecies comparative analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Interestingly, the results showed that most genes were up-regulated in the testes after sexual maturity, which is a phenomenon conserved across species. Moreover, we observed nine key genes involved in regulating Mongolian horse testicular development. Notably, unique transcription signatures of testicular development in Mongolian horses are emphasized, which provides a novel insight into the mechanistic study of their testicular development.

Although some studies have investigated the DNA methylation modification in goat ovaries, it is not understood DNA methylation related to goat litter size. This investigation was designed to explore the DNA methylation status in the ovaries of high litter size and low litter size groups using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS). We found that there was global difference on DNA methylation in high litter size and low litter size goat ovaries. Many differentially methylated region-related genes (DMGs) were found in the ovaries of these two different goat populations. Moreover, enrichment analysis discovered that many DMGs were involved in gamete development, reproductive system development, wingless-type MMTV integration site family (WNT) signalling pathways and mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK) signalling pathways. The data indicated that DNA methylation in goat ovaries may play important roles in the folliculogenesis, the oocyte ovulation rate and finally the litter size. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in ovaries of high and low litter size goat which helps the understanding of ovarian DNA methylation in relation to goat fertility capability.

From the previous research, it has been supported that activin A (ActA) is conducive to ovarian development in vitro. In the present paper, with the aim to identify the molecular pathways through which ActA can influence processes of the fetal and early postnatal oogenesis, we analyzed the transcriptome of embryonic ovaries (12.5 days postcoitum) in vitro cultured with or without ActA for 6 days, as well as the produced oocytes for 28 days, and further compared the gene expression profile with their in vivo counterparts. With the confirmation of designed test, we found that the addition of ActA to the ovary culture tended, generally, to align oocyte gene expression to the in vivo condition, in particular of a number of genes involved in meiosis and epigenetic modifications of histones. In particular, we identified DNA recombination during the oocyte meiotic prophase I and lysine trimethylation of the histone H3K27 during the oocyte growth phase as molecular pathways modulated by ActA.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant and aggressive glioma with abnormal expression of genes that mediate glycolytic metabolism and tumor cell growth. Petunidin-3-O-glucoside (Pt3glc) is a kind of anthocyanin in the red grape and derived beverages, representing the most common naturally occurring anthocyanins with a reduced incidence of cancer and heart diseases. In this study, whether Pt3glc could effectively regulate glycolysis to inhibit GBM cell was investigated by using the DBTRG-05MG cell lines. Notably, Pt3glc displayed potent antiproliferative activity and significantly changed the protein levels related to both glycolytic metabolism and GBM cell survival. The expression of the proapoptotic protein Bcl-2-associated X protein was increased with concomitant reduction on the levels of the antiapoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma 2 and caspase-3 activity. Furthermore, the levels of survival signaling proteins, such as protein kinase B (Akt) and phospho-Akt (Scr473), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and phospho-ERK, were significantly decreased by Pt3glc in combination with the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor of LY294002. Most importantly, the levels of Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) and phosphorylated p53 were also downregulated, indicating that Pt3glc combinated with PI3K inhibitor could induce GBM cell death may act via the SIRT3/p53-mediated mitochondrial and PI3K/Akt-ERK pathways. Our findings thus provide rational evidence that the combination of Pt3glc with PI3K inhibitor, which target alternative pathways in GBM cells, may be a useful adjuvant therapy in glioblastoma treatment.

Opinion words are crucial information for sentiment analysis. In some text, however, opinion words are absent or highly ambiguous. The resulting implicit opinions are more difficult to extract and label than explicit ones. In this paper, cutting-edge machine-learning approaches – deep neural network and word-embedding – are adopted for implicit opinion mining at the snippet and clause levels. Hotel reviews written in Chinese are collected and annotated as the experimental data set. Results show the convolutional neural network models not only outperform traditional support vector machine models, but also capture hidden knowledge within the raw text. The strength of word-embedding is also analyzed.

Aims and objectives Our study was conducted to further investigate the model of social support and care for People Living with HIV/AIDS(PLHA), to explore their role in People Living with AIDS's quality of life (QOL) as reference for improving nursing policies for AIDS. Background Social support and care are the most important factors impacting the QOL of People Living with HIV/AIDS, but most studies conducted upon the influence of social support and QOL of People Living with HIV/AIDS are mainly based on cross-sectional design. Design Our study was a nonrandomised controlled community intervention study. Methods The participants diagnosed as People Living with HIV/AIDS at Beijing You An Hospital received a comprehensive social support care from December 2013 to December 2014. To evaluate the impact of social support and care model on People Living with HIV/AIDS, our study analysed the different dimension scores of social support scale and quality of life before and after the intervention. Correlation between the net benefit value of social support and that of QOL from various dimensions were analysed. Results There were significant differences in the score of objective support and usage of support (all p = 0·02) for social support. Net values of objective support score and usage of support were 0·25 and 0·19, respectively, after intervention. There were significant differences in physiological function, role physical, general health, vitality, social function, mental health, health transition and total score of quality of life (all p

The 2D coordination polymer {[Cu32(pa)24(μ2-OH)8(μ3-OH)8(bibp)8]·(CH3OH)3(H2O)5}∞ was prepared by the solvothermal reaction of Cu(NO3)2·3H2O with phthalic acid (H2pa) and 4, 4′-bis(imidazol-1-yl)biphenyl (bibp). The CuII ions show five different kinds of coordination environments, which are all connected by the pa2– ion into an interesting 1D carboxylate-copper chain with rare icosacopper and tetracopper clusters. The 1D chain is further bridged by the bibp ligand to form a 2D layer, which could be viewed as an unprecedented (4, 4) lattice based on rectangular and butterfly-shaped tetracopper clusters with the ratio of 2:6. The magnetic properties were studied, and the results show antiferromagnetic interaction in the complicated 1D chain.

Sprague Dawley rats and Kunming (KM) mice are artificially infected with type II Toxoplasma gondii strain Prugniaud (Pru) to generate toxoplasmosis, which is a fatal disease mediated by T. gondii invasion of the central nervous system (CNS) by unknown mechanisms. The aim is to explore the mechanism of differential susceptibility of mice and rats to T. gondii infection. Therefore, a strategy of isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) is established to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the rats’ and the mice's brains compared to the healthy groups. In KM mice, which is susceptible to T. gondii infection, complement component 3 (C3) is upregulated and the tight junction (TJ) pathway shows a disorder. It is presumed that T. gondii‐stimulated C3 disrupts the TJ of the blood–brain barrier in the CNS. This effect allows more T. gondii passing to the brain through the intercellular space. info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion

Two new co-crystals based on 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid, (H2BETC)(H4tpim)](NO3) (1) and [(H4BETC)0.5(H2BETC)0.5(HVB4)](H2O) (2) [H4BETC = 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid, Htpim = 2,4,5-tri(4-pyridyl)-imidazole, and VB4 = adenine], were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and X-ray powder diffraction analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 were further assembled to form 3D supramolecular frameworks with 1D channels by intermolecular C–H···O, O–H···O, and N–H···O hydrogen-bonding interactions. The results reveal that the structural differences of 1 and 2 may be attributed to different molecular components. Moreover, the UV/Vis and luminescent spectra of ligands and corresponding compounds were briefly investigated.

The first solvent-free manganese(III) acetate-promoted reaction of benzothiazole/thiazole derivatives with organophosphorus compounds including phosphine oxides, phosphinate ester, and phosphonate diester has been efficiently developed under ball-milling conditions, providing a highly efficient and green protocol to structurally diverse C2-phosphonylated benzothiazole/thiazole derivatives with remarkable functional group tolerance and excellent yields.

Three copper-rich framework selenoarsenates, (H2en)1.5[Cu8(μ8-Se)(AsSe4)6/2] (1), (H2dap)1.5[Cu8(μ8-Se)(AsSe4)6/2] (2), and Na2(H2dap)0.5[Cu8(μ8-Se)(AsSe4)6/2] (3), were synthesized under solvothermal conditions. These three compounds are isostructural and contain a 3D Cu-As-Se framework constructed from novel icosahedral Cu8Se13 clusters linked by As5+, with counterions located in the cavities. The icosahedral Cu8Se13 clusters represent the first icosahedral Cu-Se unit found in 3D framework chalcogenides, and contain an unusual μ8-cubic bridging Se2– ion at the core site. The covalent 3D Cu-As-Se framework is rigid and not sensitive to the shape and charge density of counterions.

To explore the coordination abilities of nitronyl nitroxide ligands, two ligands substituted with quinoxaline (L1) and 2-phenyl-1, 2, 3-triazole (L2) and their NiII and ZnII complexes: Ni(L1)(hfac)2 (1), Ni(L2)(hfac)2 (2), and Zn(L2)(hfac)2 (3) (hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate), were synthesized and characterized. X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis shows that compound 1 has a mononuclear structure, which is further linked into a three-dimensional (3D) supramolecular network by C–H···F hydrogen-bonding, C–H···π, and π···π stacking interactions. Complexes 2 and 3 have similar mononuclear structures, which are further linked into one-dimensional (1D) supramolecular chains by various intermolecular weak interactions, such as C–H···F hydrogen-bonding, and π···π stacking interactions. The results indicate that the steric bulk of L1 and L2 and the existence of hexafluoroacetylacetonate (hfac) play important roles in controlling the formation of the final frameworks of complexes 1–3. Moreover, the luminescent properties of the ligands and their complexes were investigated in detail.

PGD2 (prostaglandin D2) is a mediator in various pathophysiological processes, including inflammation and tumorigenesis. PGD2 can be converted into active metabolites and is known to activate two distinct receptors, DP (PGD2 receptor) and CRTH2/DP2 (chemoattractant receptor-homologous molecule expressed on Th2 cells). In the past, PGD2 was thought to be involved principally in the process of inflammation. However, in recent years, several studies have shown that PGD2 has anti-proliferative ability against tumorigenesis and can induce cellular apoptosis via activation of the caspase-dependent pathway in human colorectal cancer cells, leukaemia cells and eosinophils. In the lung, where PGD2 is highly released when sensitized mast cells are challenged with allergen, the mechanism of PGD2-induced apoptosis is unclear. In the present study, A549 cells, a type of NSCLC (non-small cell lung carcinoma), were treated with PGD2 under various conditions, including while blocking DP and CRTH2/DP2 with the selective antagonists BWA868C and ramatroban respectively. We report here that PGD2 induces A549 cell death through the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, although the process does not appear to involve either DP or CRTH2/DP2. Similar results were also found with H2199 cells, another type of NSCLC. We found that PGD2 metabolites induce apoptosis effectively and that 15d-PGJ2 (15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2) is a likely candidate for the principal apoptotic inducer in PGD2-induced apoptosis in NSCLC A549 cells.

To explore the coordination possibilities of fluorene-based ligands, two manganese(II) complexes with the ligand 9,9-dibutyl-9H- fluorene-2,7-carboxylate (L) were synthesized and characterized: (Mn2(L)2(DMF)3)∞ (1) and (Mn2(L)2(DMF))∞ (2). X-ray single-crystal diffraction analyses show that complex 1 has a two-dimensional (2D) (4,4) structure, whereas complex 2 consits of a three-dimensional (3D)

To explore the coordination possibilities of anthracene-based ligands, three cadmium(ιι) complexes with anthracene-9-carboxylate (L) and relevant auxiliary chelating or bridging ligands were synthesized and characterized: Cd2(L)4(2bpy)2(μ-H2O) (1), Cd2(L)4(phen)2(μ-H2O) (2), and {[Cd3(L)6(4bpy)]}∞ (3) (2bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, and 4bpy = 4,4′-bipyridine). Structural analyses show that complexes 1 and 2 both take dinuclear structures by incorporating the chelating 2bpy or phen ligand, which are further interlinked by intermolecular hydrogen-bonding, π···π stacking, and/or C–H···π supramolecular interactions to generate higher-dimensional supramolecular frameworks. Complex 3 has a one-dimensional (1D) ribbon-like structure, which is further assembled into a two-dimensional (2D) layer, and a three-dimensional (3D) framework by the co-effects of interchain C–H···O hydrogen-bonding and C–H···π supramolecular interactions. Moreover, the luminescent properties of these complexes were further investigated in detail.

To explore the influence of anthracene skeleton with a larger conjugated π-system on the structures and properties of its complexes, two AgI–carboxylate complexes based on anthracene-9,10-dicarboxylate (L) were synthesized and characterized: [{[Ag(L)][Ag(dmpy)2]}∞] (1) and [{[Ag2(L)(bipy)2]}∞] (2) (dmpy = 2,6-dimethylpyridine and bipy = 4,4′-bipyridine). Complex 1 has an interesting framework consisting of anionic chains {[Ag(L)]–}∞ and the mononuclear cationic units [Ag(dmpy)2]+, which is further assembled to form networks along the different crystallographic directions by the intermolecular C–H···Ag hydrogen-bonding interactions. Complex 2 takes a ladder-like chain structure by incorporating 4,4′-bipyridine (bipy) as a bridging co-ligand, which is further interlinked to generate a planar network through interchain Ag–Ag bonding contacts. The steric bulk of anthracene ring in L may play an important role in the formation of 1 and 2. Moreover, the luminescent properties of the 1 and 2 were investigated in detail.

The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the effect of rumen escape starch (RES), accomplished by altering dietary starch concentrations on pancreatic exocrine secretion of goats. Four goats (36.8 +/- 3.2 kg) with common bile duct re-entrant and duodenal catheters were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square. Goats were fed diets containing 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% starch. Periods consisted of 10 day adaptation followed by 3 day of sample collection. Juice was collected in 1-h fractions continuously for 72 h. Total juice secreted was recorded, and 3% sub samples were retained to form a composite sample. The remaining fluid was returned to the duodenum. Juice composite samples were analyzed for activities of alpha-amylase, trypsin, chymotrypsin and lipase. Secretion of pancreatic alpha-amylase was lower (p0.05) when comparing lambs fed 20% starch diet with 30%, 40% and 50% starch diets. Lipase secretion was greater (p0.05) in lambs fed 40% starch diet compared with the other diets. Total secretion of juice, trypsin and chymotrypin was not affected (p0.05) by dietary starch concentration. Rumen escape starch increased with increasing dietary starch concentration (p0.05). Regression analysis showed that increasing RES results in a quadratic increase (p0.05) in pancreatic alpha-amylase and lipase secretion, and the secretion of alpha-amylase and lipase is maximum when RES is 113 and 83 g/day respectively. These results suggest that optimal RES for pancreatic secretion of alpha-amylase and lipase is 80-110 g/day in adult goats.

Based on an unsymmetrical 2-pyridylphosphonate ligand, two types of Ln(III)-Cu-II compounds with three-dimensional structures were obtained under hydrothermal conditions, namely, Ln(2)Cu(3)(C5H4NPO3)(6)center dot 4H(2)O (1 center dot Ln: Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd) and Ln(2)Cu(3)(C5H4NPO3)(6) (2-Ln; Ln = Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho). Compounds 1.Ln are isostructural and crystallize in chiral cubic space group I2(1)3. In these structures, each Ln ion is nine-coordinate and has a tricapped triprismatic geometry, while each Cu center is six-coordinate with an octahedral environment. The {LnO(9)} polyhedra and {CuN2O4} octahedra are connected by edge sharing to form an inorganic open framework structure with a 3-connected 10-gon (10,3) topology in which the Ln and Cu atoms are alternately linked by the phosphonate oxygen atoms. Compounds 2-Ln are isostructural and crystallize in trigonal space group R(3) over bar. In these structures, the {LnO(6)} octahedra are triply bridged by the {CPO3} tetrahedra by corner sharing to form an infinite chain along the c axis. Each chain is connected to its six equivalents through corner sharing of {CPO3} tetrahedra and {CuN2O2} planes to form a three-dimensional framework structure in which the Ln and Cu atoms are linked purely by O-P-O units. The formation of these two types of structures is rationalized by quantum chemical calculations, which showed that both the lanthanide contraction and the electron configuration of Cu-II play important roles. When Cu-II was replaced by Zn-II, only the first type of compounds resulted. The magnetic properties of complexes 1.Ln and 2.Ln were investigated. The nature of Ln(III)-Cu-II (Ln = Ce, Pr, Nd) interactions is illustrated by comparison with their Ln(III)-Zn-II analogues.

The microstructure and the microwave dielectric properties of nano-scaled α alumina (α-Al 2 O 3 ) ceramics with various added amounts of nano-scaled TiO 2 have been investigated. The sintering temperature of nano-scaled α alumina can be effectively lowered by increasing the TiO 2 content. The Q x f values of nano-scaled a alumina could be tremendously boosted by adding an appropriate amount of TiΟ 2 . However, introducing excessive TiO 2 into the alumina ceramics would instead lead to a decrease in the Q xf values. The phases of TiO 2 and Al 2 TiO 5 co-existed at 1350°C, and the maximum Q × f value appeared right after the eradication of TiO 2 phase at 1400°C. Consequently, increasing the TiO 2 content to 0.5 wt% yielded a Q × f value of 680 000 GHz (measured at 14 GHz) for nano-scaled a alumina prepared at 1400°C for duration of 4 h. In addition, a very low loss tangent (tan δ) of 2 x 10 -5 was also obtained at 14 GHz. The τ f value is strongly correlated to the compositions and can be controlled through the existing phases. In fact, τ f could be adjusted to near zero by adding 8 wt% TiO 2 to a alumina ceramics. A dielectric constant (e r ) of 10.81, a high Q × f value of 338000 GHz (measured at 14 GHz), and a temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τ f ) of 1.3 ppm/°C were obtained for nano-scaled α alumina with 8 wt% TiO 2 sintered at 1350°C for 4 h. Sintered ceramic samples were also characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.

The microstructures and the microwave dielectric properties of the (1-x)(Mg 0.95 Zn 0.05 )TiO 3 -xSrTiO 3 ceramic system were investigated. (Mg 0.95 Zn 0.05 )TiO 3 possesses high dielectric constant (e r ∼17.05), high quality factor (Qx f value∼264000 at 9 GHz), and negative τ f value (-40.31 ppm/°C). In order to achieve a temperature-stable material, SrTiO 3 , having a large positive τ f value of 1700 ppm/°C, was added to (Mg 0.95 Zn 0.05 )TiO 3 . Two-phase system was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction patterns and the measured lattice parameters. Evaporation of Zn occurred at temperatures higher than 1300°C and caused an increase in the dielectric loss of the system. As the x value varies from 0 to 0.1, (1-x)(Mg 0.95 Zn 0.05 )TiO 3 -xSrTiO 3 ceramic system has the dielectric properties as follows: 17.05

Using high permittivity ceramic substrates and capacitive coupling to miniaturize the sizes of Butterworth bandpass filters are investigated. The selectivity and stopband rejection of the designed filters can be improved significantly by utilizing a skew-symmetric (zero degree) feed structure. These factors result in reducing the size of the filter. The responses of the Butterworth filters using Al2O3 (er = 10, Q × f = 20,000 GHz) and 0.85(Mg0.95Zn0.05)TiO3 − 0.15Ca0.6La0.8/3TiO3 (er = 26, Q × f = 86,000 GHz) ceramic substrates are designed at a center frequency of 2.4 GHz. The compact size, low-loss, sharp response, and performance of the filter are presented in this article. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 1609–1613, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22533

The reactions can be performed without microwave irradiation providing the corresponding products after significantly longer reaction times in lower yields.

The advantage of using high permittivity ceramic substrates is to miniaturize the sizes of microstrip bandpass filters. The selectivity and stopband rejection of the designed filters can be improved significantly by utilizing open stubs. The designed filter with appropriate open stub can create tunable transmission zero. These factors will reduce the size of the filter and increase its performance. The responses of the filters using Al2O3 (er = 9.8, tanδ = 0.0001) and 0.96(Mg0.95Zn0.05) TiO3-0.04SrTiO3 (er = 20.7, tanδ = 0.00007) ceramic substrates are designed at a center frequency of 2.45 GHz. Finally, the open stub and high permittivity ceramic substrates are applied to the design of a direct-coupled hairpin filter. The compact size, low-loss, sharp response, and performance of the filter are presented in this article. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 771–773, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22252

The new isostructural compounds (IV), (V), and (VII) crystallize in the cubic space group Fmc with Z = 2.

In this study, PEGylated nanoparticles quercetin drug delivery vehicles were investigated as carriers for anticancer drugs induced programed cell death (PCD). PEG2000-DPSE-coated quercetin nanoparticles were prepared and tumor cell killing efficacy was studied on glioma C6 cells and assayed for cell survival, apoptosis, or necrosis. The levels of ROS production and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) were determined. Western blot assayed p53, p-p53, cytochrome C, and caspase proteins expression were also studied. Results indicate that PEG2000-DPSE-QUE-NPS showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity to C6 glioma cells and enhanced ROS accumulation induced upregulation of p53 protein, which was accompanied with an increase in cytochrome c and caspase-3 protein levels. These results support the hypothesis that quercetin nanoparticles-coated PEG2000-DPSE remarkably enhanced anticancer effect of induced programed cell death on C6 glioma cells. Overall, PEG2000-DPSE-coated quercetin nanoparticles showed promising potential as a drug carrier for cancer therapy.