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A superoxide dismutase (SOD) was characterized from Beauveria bassiana, a fungal entomopathogen widely applied to insect control. This 209-aa enzyme (BbSod2) showed no more than 71% sequence identity to other fungal Mn-SODs, sharing all conserved residues with the Mn-SOD family and lacking a mitochondrial signal. The SOD activity of purified BbSod2 was significantly elevated by Mn2+, suppressed by Cu2+ and Zn2+ but inhibited by Fe3+. Overexpressing the enzyme in a BbSod2-absent B. bassiana strain enhanced its SOD activity (107.2 ± 6.1 U mg−1 protein) by 4–10-fold in different transformants analyzed. The best BbSod2-transformed strain with the SOD activity of 1,157.9 ± 74.7 U mg−1 was 93% and 61% more tolerant to superoxide-generating menadione in both colony growth (EC50 = 2.41 ± 0.03 versus 1.25 ± 0.01 mM) and conidial germination (EC50 = 0.89 ± 0.06 versus 0.55 ± 0.07 mM), and 23% more tolerant to UV-B irradiation (LD50 = 0.49 ± 0.02 versus 0.39 ± 0.01 J cm−2). Its virulence to Spodoptera litura larvae was enhanced by 26% [LT50 = 4.5 (4.2–4.8) versus 5.7 (5.2–6.4) days]. Our study highlights for the first time that the Mn2+-cofactored, cytosolic BbSod2 contributes significantly to the virulence and stress tolerance of B. bassiana and reveals possible means to improving field persistence and efficacy of a fungal formulation by manipulating the antioxidant enzymes of a candidate strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Central Asian orogenic belt is the largest tectonic assembly of continental and oceanic terranes on Earth due to closure of the paleo-Asian Ocean in the Phanerozoic. Among major suture zones in the North Xinjiang region of western China, the North Tian Shan suture zone, because of collision between the Yili terrane in the south and the Junggar terrane in the north, contains the youngest ophiolitic rocks and may represent the terminal stage of development of the Central Asian orogenic belt in western China, but the timing of the suture zone remains poorly constrained. A sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) zircon U-Pb age of 316 ± 3 Ma (i.e., the beginning of the late Carboniferous) from the undeformed Sikeshu pluton, which crosscuts the suture zone, places a crucial upper-age bound for the time of collision between the Yili and Junggar terranes. This event occurred later than, or nearly concurrent with, other accretion-collision events in the North Xinjiang region, implying that final terrane amalgamation was completed in the late Carboniferous. The Sikeshu pluton shares geochemical characteristics of the widespread late Carboniferous to Permian postcollisional A-type and I-type granitoids with depleted-mantle--like Sr-Nd isotopic signatures in the North Xinjiang region. They all occurred during a protracted (ca. 320-270 Ma) episode of postcollisional magmatism that may have been induced by basaltic under plating due to either slab breakoff or delamination of thickened mantle lithosphere beneath the Central Asian orogenic belt. The same postcollisional magmatism also generated Cu-Ni-sulfide-bearing, mafi c-ultramafic magmatic complexes, adakites, and porphyry-type copper-molybdenum--bearing magmatic rocks in the North Xinjiang region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  The tolerances of 20 Beauveria bassiana isolates derived from host insects worldwide to UV-B irradiation were assessed quantitatively in multi-dose bioassays. Conidial suspensions of the isolates smeared on glass slides were exposed to the gradient UV-B doses of 0.1–1.6 J cm−2 (D), which generated from 0.75 to 10.17 min irradiation of weighted 312-nm wavelength at 2.0–2.61 mW cm−2. Irradiated conidia were then incubated for 24 h at 25°C under saturated humidity. The ratio of germination at each dose over that in the blank control was defined as survival index (I s). For all isolates, the I s − D observations fit well with the survival model I s = 1/[1 + exp(a + bD)] (0.94 ≤ r 2 ≤ 0.99) generated widely spanned lethal doses of 0.154–0.928, 0.240–1.139, and 0.383–1.493 J cm−2 for their losses of 50%, 75%, and 95% viabilities, respectively. These were far below the solar UV-B dose of 2.439 J cm−2 measured in a sunny day during the summer. The large variation of UV-B tolerance among the isolates indicates a necessity to select UV-tolerant candidates for formulations applied to insect control during summer. The highly efficient bioassay method was developed to measure accurately the UV-B tolerances of fungal biocontrol agents as lethal doses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abundant kaersutite and alkali feldspar megacrysts occur together with mantle-derived and lower crustal xenoliths, including kaersutite hornblendite and syenite, in the Early Cretaceous alkaline basalts of the Tuoyun basin in the westernmost Chinese Tian Shan. Particularly, several kaersutite hornblendite cumulate xenoliths have the assemblage of kaersutite + alkali feldspar + titanian mica ± titanomagnetite ± clinopyroxene, in which kaersutite occurs as an early-stage cumulus phase crystallized from a parental magma and alkali feldspar occurs as a late-stage intercumulus phase from the evolved magma between accumulating kaersutite grains. The megacrystic and xenolithic kaersutite has much higher Mg# values (0.70 -0.96) than the host basalt (0.47-0.60). The kaersutite and alkali feldspar megacrysts have similar initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7032-0.7033 and 0.7035-0.7038, respectively), significantly different from their host basalts (0.7047-0.7054). Xenolithic petrography and megacrystic Sr isotope geochemistry support a common origin for the kaersutite and alkali feldspar megacrysts and preclude the precipitation of the megacrysts from their host basalts. As the fragments of kaersutite hornblendite and syenite that may have crystallized from a trachytic parental magma and its evolved magma underplated earlier in the crust-mantle transition zone, these megacrysts, together with other xenoliths, were captured and brought to the surface by the Early Cretaceous basalts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A partition function and a complete thermodynamic description for pure polymer fluids have been investigated based on a self-avoid-walk lattice model. Caused by the introduction of Gibbs distribution into the Flory-Huggins theory, the partition function and the thermodynamic description depicted their dependence on temperature well. In the present study, we applied the theory to calculate polymer solubility parameters. The polymer solubility parameters predicted by our theory are well consistent with the experiment values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Altai Mountains are a key area for understanding the development of the Altai Tectonic Collage and accretionary orogen. However, the orogenic processes, particularly their early stage, have not been well understood. In this work, we undertake zircon U-Pb dating of six Paleozoic synorogenic plutons in order to better define the early magmatic and tectonic evolution of the Chinese Altai Mountains. The results revealed three Paleozoic granitic plutonic events at ca. 460, 408, and 375 Ma. These ages, along with the structural patterns of the plutons, suggest two periods of regional deformation, 460–410 Ma and 410–370 Ma. The granitoids mainly follow the tholeiitic and calc-alkaline trends and are mostly I type. Sr-Nd isotopic analyses indicate that the sources of the granitoids contain both old continental and younger (juvenile) mantle-derived components. Chemical, isotopic, and structural features suggest that the plutons were formed mainly in continental arc settings and that the subduction and accretion processes began at ca. 460 Ma and culminated at ca. 408 Ma. Thus, the Altai orogen was mainly built up during early-middle Paleozoic time, rather than during late Paleozoic time. Furthermore, the southern Altai terrane comprises not only Silurian to Devonian island arcs but also old continental fragments. With these new constraints, we present a new model to account for the tectonic evolution of the Altai orogen. This model proposes that early-middle Paleozoic Altai orogenic processes could have experienced formation of an active continental margin, the splitting of this margin to form a back-arc oceanic basin, and the final closing of the back-arc basin. Consequently, the opening and closure of back-arc basins along active margins is probably a common process in the central Asian accretionary orogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Hybrid inorganic-organic polymer electrolyte based on the monomer of organically modified polysiloxane was prepared by UV radiation curing in the presence of liquid electrolyte. The organically modified polysiloxane monomer with acrylate groups at the terminal position was synthesized by hydrolytic condensation of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and followed by demethanolation reaction using 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (2-HEA). The rational formula of the monomer was SiO1.1436(OH)0.01606(OCH3)1.3394(OCH2CH2OCOCH= CH2)0.3574 which was determined by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and silica analysis. The monomer was polyfunctional with a number average molecular weight of 1185 and a weight average molecular weight of 2292 determined by GPC analysis. The electrochemical properties of the hybrid inorganic-organic polymer electrolyte were determined by ac impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Ionic conductivity was greatly enhanced with increasing amounts of liquid electrolyte. When the polymer electrolyte contained 80 wt% liquid electrolytes, the conductivities were around 3.3 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 21°C and 8.0 × 10-4 S cm-1 even at -23°C. Interface resistance increased initially and reached a steady value after 2 days. Oxidation stability was up to 5.0 V against the lithium reference electrode and electrochemical plating/stripping of lithium on the stainless steel electrode was reversible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a series of metallic chloride catalysts supported on activated carbon are prepared. The results show that NiCl2/C has a high conversion of methanol, and CuCl2/C has a high selectivity to methyl acetate for methanol vapor-phase carbonylation without addition of any promoter in the feed. The results show that NiCl2–CuCl2/C has a higher activity and selectivity of methanol carbonylation than NiCl2/C, and the yield of methyl acetate increased by 25%. The optimum component of composite catalyst is 5% NiCl2 and 15% CuCl2. This novel NiCl2–CuCl2/C catalyst has high activity and good stability for methanol vapor-phase carbonylation. The reaction conditions are optimized as follows: reaction temperature of 573 K, methanol concentration of 14.5 mol% and carbon monoxide space velocity of 3000 L/(kgcat h). Under the optimum conditions, methanol conversion of 34.5% and carbonylation selectivity of 94.7 mol% are obtained. Structures of catalysts are characterized with SEM-EDS and XRD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective To investigate the chemical constituents from Ligusticum daucoides Franch. and detect their antibacterial activities in vitro. Methods The roots of L. daucoides were collected in Dali, Yunnan. The methanol extract of this plant was subjected to column chromatography over silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and RP-18, further isolated by various chromatography methods. The antibacterial activities were assayed in vitro by broth dilution method. Results Nine compounds, including 8 coumarins, were isolated from the roots of this plant. Conclusions L. daucoides is rich in coumarins. The compound ferullic acid exhibits notable antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, with MIC and MBC values of 2.5 and 5.0 mg/ml, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the change of IL-6 in Lyme arthritis. Methods Twenty female Kunming mice were selected and randomly divided into two groups. The recombinant BmpA of Borrelia burgdorferi was injected into the tibiotarsal joint of experimental group mice to induce the arthritis. ELISA experiment was used to detect the concentration of IL-6 in murine joints. Results The average concentration of IL-6 in the joint fluid of experimental mice and normal control group was 72.26 pg/mL and 31.32 pg/mL, respectively. The difference was statistically significant between two groups (P < 0.01). Conclusion IL-6 is a important inflammatory cytokine, it has obvious correlation with Lyme arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract To investigate mRNA Expression profile and associated signaling pathways in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer healing by tibial cortex transverse distraction. Tissue samples were collected from the wound edge before and after the surgery. After reference genome transcriptome sequencing and subsequent bioinformatics analysis, the differentially expressed genes and related pathways were explored, and functional analysis of important genes and pathways was conducted. qRT-PCR was used to verify the significantly expressed genes-HLA-DRB1, HLA-DRB5, CXCL5 and IGFL1. There were 2441 significantly up-regulated and 3904 significantly down-regulated genes in the postoperative group. The qRT-PCR results showed the expression of HLA-DRB1, HLA-DRB5 and CXCL5 was consistent with the transcriptional sequencing results. CXCL5 and CXCL6 differentially up-regulated genes are involved in the process of neovascularization, and HLA-DRB1 is involved in the improvement of the degree of diabetic peripheral nerve degeneration. Pathway analysis showed that differential genes were most significantly enriched in Adherens junction, Inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels and Wnt signaling pathway. Inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels is involved in the improvement of peripheral neurodegeneration, VEGF signaling pathway is involved in the process of neovascularization, and Wnt signaling pathway is involved in the process of bone healing. Significantly up-regulated CXCL5 and CXCL6 and enriched VEGF signaling pathway analyzed are involved in postoperative lower limb neovascularization. The HLA-DRB1 and the enriched Inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels may be related to the improvement of postoperative peripheral neurodegeneration. The differentially expressed genes and related pathways can provide objective basis for further mechanism study.

To improve seismic performance of double-deck frame bridge system, a novel precast double-deck rocking frame bridge pier system is developed based on ductile and rocking seismic conception design in this paper. In this novel system, the upper columns are allowed to rock between the precast cap beams to form the rocking story, while the lower columns are connected to precast cap beam and footings by grouted splice sleeve to form emulative cast-in-place story. The seismic response of this novel frame bridge pier system is investigated. Nonlinear equations of motion of the system are established following Lagrange's equation and conservation of angular momentum, and the analytical model is used to conduct case study, parametric study and stability analysis. The results show that seismic responses of the lower columns of the proposed structural system are smaller than cast-in-place bridge pier, while it has an opposite trend for upper columns. The effect of deformability of the lower story on the stability of the system is marginal for low-frequency pulses or small column size, while for high-frequency pulses or large column size the deformability jeopardizes the stability of the system. • A novel precast double-deck rocking frame bridge pier system is developed. • Nonlinear equations of motion of the novel structural system are established. • The analytical model is used to conduct case study, parametric study and overturning instability analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To study the seroprevalence of Lyme disease and scrub typhus among college freshmen in Yunnan province. Methods ELISA method was used to detect IgG antibody to Lyme disease and scrub typhus, and the antibody positive rate was calculated. Results Totally 42 college freshmen were enrolled in this study. The positive rates of IgG antibody to Lyme disease and scrub typhus were 2.4% and 4.8%,respectively. Conclusion There are Lyme disease and scrub typhus infections in Yunnan province. The surveillance,prevention and control for these insect-borne infectious diseases should be strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The Late Permian alluvial fans on the northern Kazakhstan terrane are reported. • The stream-dominated alluvial deposits received detritus from the Altai terrane. • Their deposition was after amalgamation of the Altai and Kazakhstan terranes. • They were formed in a relative humid and rainy paleoclimate. Because of few reports on the Upper Permian in the NW Junggar terrane, Northwest China, the recently identified Upper Permian Zaya conglomerate in the Saur area can provide insights into tectonics and paleoclimate at that time. The succession consists of predominant composite cobble-pebble conglomerate (~80%) and subordinate (gravelly) sandstone (~20%), showing sedimentary structures of stream-dominated alluvial fans and the unique lithofacies in the Saur area. This conglomerate was originally classified as a part of Lower Carboniferous, but its youngest detrital zircon U-Pb age is 265.3 ± 1.7 Ma and the succession shows the deformational patterns different from those of the Triassic sequences in the West Junggar terrane. Thus the conglomerate was deposited during the Late Permian. The Zaya conglomerate was unconformably deposited upon the Lower Permian volcano-sedimentary strata over the Devonian–Carboniferous Saur Arc (SA) and Saur Forearc Basin (SFB) on the northern margin of the Kazakhstan terrane, which currently juxtaposes with the Devonian Buerjin Accretionary Complex (BAC) on the southern margin of the Altai terrane to north. The contributions of the SFB + BAC and SA to the Zaya conglomerate are 89.6–96.7% and 3.3–10.4%, respectively. The conglomerate clasts are derived from Permian–Carboniferous volcano-sedimentary rocks in the SA, but the sandstones contain not only volcanic materials from the SA and SFB but also metamorphic and ultramafic detritus from the BAC. This is in support of the pre-Permian amalgamation of the Altai-Kazakhstan terranes. Plant fossils and organization of conglomerate would suggest a relatively humid paleoclimate with abundant rainfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vadose zone serves as a connection and transformation link between the atmosphere, plants, soil, surface water and groundwater. It is considered to be an important component of the geosphere and has sensitive interactions with the hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere, which greatly impacts the environment and human health. This study was conducted in the Achnatherum splendens grassland of the Qinghai Lake Basin, NE Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China, and can provide references and guidance for research on the mechanisms governing the circulation and evolution of vadose-zone water in cold arid regions. Precipitation, dustfall, and vadose zone samples were collected to investigate transport in the vadose zone water using stable isotopes of hydrogen (δ2H) and oxygen (δ18O) as well as chloride as environmental tracers. The results showed that precipitation was the main source of chloride in the research area, accounting for 86.5% of total chloride deposition. The soil water in the vadose zone was mainly recharged by local precipitation. Strong evaporation occurred before the precipitation infiltrated and recharged soil water. The soil water, chloride content, and isotope values in the soil profile varied across different depths. The annual potential recharge from precipitation to the vadose zone soil water was 9.20 mm/yr, accounting for 2.17% of the local precipitation. The actual recharge from precipitation to groundwater was 26.29 mm/yr, accounting for 6.19% of the local precipitation. The infiltration recharge from preferential and piston flow accounted for 66.40% and 33.60% of the total infiltration recharge to groundwater, respectively, indicating that preferential flow was the main source of groundwater recharge in the studied grassland. The results of this study were compared with those of other relevant studies. The recharge mechanisms of the vadose zone soil water and groundwater varied between different regions and were controlled mainly by the spatiotemporal distribution of precipitation, topographic characteristics, and soil structure. These findings provide a reference and guidance for research on the circulation and evolution of vadose-zone water in the Qinghai Lake Basin and Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether the southward subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO) beneath the northern North China Craton (NCC) was still on-going during Permian is a key issue for understanding the tectonic evolution of the southeastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (Xing'an–Mongolia Orogenic Belt), and the voluminous Permian plutons distributed along the northern margin of the NCC can provide important insights into this controversy. New LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb ages from 4 basic, 6 intermediate and 11 acidic plutons in the Langshan area in northwestern NCC indicate that the plutons were formed during the Early–Middle Permian (290–265 Ma). Four basic diorites show affinities with continental basalts and probably crystallized from mantle-derived melts, whereas the intermediate and most acidic plutons are calc-alkaline I-type granitoids and four acidic plutons have the features of aluminous A2-type granites, and all of them probably originated from partial melting of various crustal materials. The Early–Middle Permian plutons and coeval bimodal volcanic rocks and continental basaltic intrusions occur together in both the northern NCC and adjacent Xing'an–Mongolia Orogenic Belt, implying a uniform extensional setting at that time. In addition to the intense magmatism, the regional extension also resulted in the development of a Red Sea-like limited oceanic basin within the Xing'an–Mongolia Orogenic Belt, and its subsequent closure may have created the Solonker suture. Such a tectonic scenario is in agreement with the Late Permian–Early Triassic blueschist-facies metamorphism induced by warm subduction of young oceanic slabs, Permian stratigraphic and paleontological data, and paleomagnetic record. • Coexistence of Permian basaltic to felsic plutons and A2-type granites in Langshan. • They crystallized from mantle- and crust-derived melts. • Southeastern CAOB and northern NCC were in an extensional setting during Permian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of the current study was to explore the role of the basal forebrain (BF) in propofol anaesthesia. Methods: In the present study, we observed the neural activities of the BF during propofol anaesthesia using calcium fibre photometry recording. Subsequently, ibotenic acid was injected into the BF to verify the role of the BF in propofol anaesthesia. Finally, to test whether GABAA receptors in the BF were involved in modulating propofol anaesthesia, muscimol (GABAA receptor agonist) and gabazine (GABAA receptor antagonist) were microinjected into the BF. Cortical electroencephalogram (EEG), time to loss of righting reflex (LORR), and recovery of righting reflex (RORR) under propofol anaesthesia were recorded and analysed. Results: The activity of BF neurons was inhibited during induction of propofol anaesthesia and activated during emergence from propofol anaesthesia. In addition, non-specifical lesion of BF neurons significantly prolonged the time to RORR and increased delta power in the frontal cortex under propofol anaesthesia. Next, microinjection of muscimol into the BF delayed emergence from propofol anaesthesia, increased delta power of the frontal cortex, and decreased gamma power under propofol anaesthesia. Conversely, infusion of gabazine accelerated emergence times and decreased EEG delta power. Conclusions: The basal forebrain is involved in modulating frontal cortex delta activity and emergence from propofol anaesthesia. Additionally, the GABAA receptors in the basal forebrain are involved in regulating emergence propofol anaesthesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reconstruction of the Late Devonian arc belt in the West Junggar and adjacent Kazakhstan regions is crucial for understanding the architecture of the southwestern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Here, we report zircon U–Pb age, elemental, and Sr–Nd isotopic data for the firstly recognized Late Devonian pluton in the central West Junggar terrane (NW China) to constrain the component of the inner arc belt (IAB) of the Kazakhstan Orocline. Dioritic rocks from the pluton, dated at ∼368 Ma, are calc-alkaline and display negative Nb–Ta–Ti anomalies and positive ε Nd (t) values ranging from +6.6 to +7.0, implying a juvenile arc setting. Such a Late Devonian arc may thus represent the eastern part of the northern limb of the IAB, but it was built on early Paleozoic accreted terranes, which is distinct from a Precambrian continental basement for the coeval arcs in the central and southern parts of IAB. This difference could be attributed to the lateral inhomogeneity of arc basement, similar to the Aleutian arcs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We previously reported transferring seventh cervical (C7) nerve from unaffected side to affected side in patients with spastic hemiplegia due to chronic cerebral injury, to improve function and reduce spasticity of paralyzed upper limb. In the clinics, some patients also reported changes of spasticity in their lower limb, which could not be detected by routine physical examinations. Pennation angle of muscle can indirectly reflect the condition of spasticity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether this upper limb procedure may affect spasticity of lower limb, using ultrasonography to detect changes of muscle pennation angle (PA). Methods: Twelve spastic hemiplegia patients due to cerebral injury including stroke, cerebral palsy, and traumatic brain injury, who underwent C7 nerve transfer procedure, participated in this study. B‐mode ultrasonography was used to measure PA of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle at rest preoperatively and postoperatively. The plantar load distribution of the lower limbs was evaluated using a Zebris FDM platform preoperatively and postoperatively. Results: The PA of the GM was significantly smaller on the affected side than that of unaffected side before surgery. On the affected side, the postoperative PA was significantly larger than preoperative PA. On the unaffected side, the postoperative PA was not significantly different compared to preoperative PA. The postoperative plantar load distribution of the affected forefoot was significantly smaller than preoperative load distribution, which was consistent with ultrasonography results. Conclusions: This study indicates that C7 nerve transfer surgery for improving upper limb function can also affect muscle properties of lower limb in spastic hemiplegia patients, which reveals a link between the upper and lower limbs. The interlimb interactions should be considered in rehabilitation physiotherapy, and the regular pattern and mechanism need to be further studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endogenous α-synuclein (α-Syn) is involved in many pathophysiological processes in the secondary injury stage after acute spinal cord injury (SCI), and the mechanism governing these functions has not been thoroughly elucidated to date. This research aims to characterize the effect of α-Syn knockdown on transcriptional levels after SCI and to determine the mechanisms underlying α-Syn activity based on RNA-seq. Result: The establishment of a rat model of lentiviral vector-mediated knockdown of α-Syn in Sprague-Dawley rats with T3 spinal cord contusion (LV_SCI group). The results of the RNA-seq analysis showed that there were 337 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the SCI group and the LV_SCI group, and 153 DEGs specific to LV_SCI between the (SCI vs LV_SCI) and (SCI vs CON) comparisons. The top 20 biological transition terms were identified by Gene ontology (GO) analysis. The Kyoto Gene and Genomic Encyclopedia (KEGG) analysis showed that the LV_SCI group significantly upregulated the cholinergic synaptic & nicotine addiction and the neuroactive ligand receptor interaction signaling pathway. Enriched chord analysis analyzes key genes. Further cluster analysis, gene and protein interaction network analysis and RT-qPCR results showed that Chrm2 and Chrnb2 together significantly in both pathways. The proliferation of muscarinic cholinergic receptor subtype 2 (Chrm2) and nicotinic cholinergic receptor subtype β2 (Chrnb2), and the neurogenesis were elevated in the injury site of LV_SCI group by immunofluorescence. Further by subcellular localization, the LV_SCI group enhanced the expression of Chrnb2 at the cell membrane. Conclusion: Knockdown of α-Syn after SCI enhance motor function and promote neurogenesis probably through enhancing cholinergic signaling pathways and neuroreceptor interactions. This study not only further clarifies the understanding of the mechanism of knockdown of α-Syn on SCI but also helps to guide the treatment strategy for SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a two-stage end-pumped Nd:YVO4 amplifier seeded by a passively Q-switched microchip laser. An average output power of 13.5 W with repetition rate up to 7 kHz and pulse duration of ∼1.24 ns is obtained, corresponding to a pump extraction efficiency of 16.1% (19.5% for the second stage) and peak power of ∼1.5 MW. The beam quality factors at maximum output power are measured to beand . We introduce an analytical model to estimate gain and beam quality after amplification. This model focuses on the influence of ratio of seed spot radius to pump spot radius when designing an amplifier. Moreover, our experiments reveal that the re-imaging system in the double-pass configuration can be used to enhance the beam quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Vascular calcification (VC) is a complication in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. Osteogenic phenotype switching of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) plays a critical role in diabetes-related VC. Mitophagy can inhibit phenotype switching in VSMCs. This study aimed to investigate the role of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist exendin 4 (EX4) in mitophagy-induced phenotype switching. Materials and methods The status of VC in T2DM mice was monitored using Von Kossa and Alizarin Red S (ARS) staining in mouse aortic tissue. Human aortic smooth muscle cells were cultured in high glucose (HG) and β-glycerophosphate (β-GP) conditioned medium. Accumulation of LC3B and p62 was detected in the mitochondrial fraction. The effect of EX4 in vitro and in vivo was investigated by knocking down AMPKα1. Results In diabetic VC mice, EX4 decreased the percentage of von Kossa/ARS positive area. EX4 inhibited osteogenic differentiation of HG/β-GP-induced VSMCs. In HG/β-GP-induced VSMCs, the number of mitophagosomes was increased, whereas the addition of EX4 restored mitochondrial function, increased the number of mitophagosome-lysosome fusions, and reduced p62 in mitochondrial frictions. EX4 increased the phosphorylation of AMPKα (Thr172) and ULK1 (Ser555) in HG/β-GP-induced VSMCs. After knockdown of AMPKα1, ULK1 could not be activated by EX4. The accumulation of LC3B and p62 could not be reduced after AMPKα1 knockdown. Knockdown of AMPKα1 negated the therapeutic effects of EX4 on VC of diabetic mice. Conclusion EX4 could promote mitophagy by activating the AMPK signaling pathway, attenuate insufficient mitophagy, and thus inhibit the osteogenic phenotype switching of VSMCs.