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3D printed structures illustrating a post-printing programmed shape change could be defined as 4D printing. Currently, the dehydration-induced shape-change of 3D printed edible structures has never been reported. Herein, in this study, spontaneous dehydration-triggered shape-change of starch-based edible 3D printed structure was firstly introduced. The relationship between material's properties, heating mechanism and shape-change behavior were investigated. Results indicated that a certain degree of adhesion of printing materials was required to realize the programmed shape-change of printed samples. The bending degree is proportional to the water evaporation amount and shrinkage ratio, but inversely proportional to the dielectric constant loss factor (e''). The rapid dehydration rate and internal heating model of dielectric microwave dehydration (MD) were not conducive to bend the samples. While, during air dehydration (AD), the greater shrinkage ratio and the “bending accumulation effect” caused by from surface to inward dehydration mechanism were beneficial to improve the bending degree of samples. Next, effects of infill structures on shape-change were then investigated to create complex structures (like butterfly). The knowledge obtained may provide a universal applicable information on the production of dehydration-triggered shape transformable 3D printed foods.

An efficient nanocomposite adsorbent of magnetic core-shell MnFe2O4@TiO2 nanoparticles loaded on reduced graphene oxide (MnFe2O4@TiO2-rGO) was successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal followed by sol-gel route. By using the ciprofloxacin (CIP) and Cu2+ as target pollutants, the adsorption properties of MnFe2O4@TiO2-rGO were systematically learned as well as the factors dependance on the adsorption properties, such as temperature, adsorption time, initial pollutant concentration and pH. The adsorption thermodynamics and kinetics for CIP and Cu2+ were also explored. According to the experimental results, the maximum adsorption capacities for CIP and Cu2+ are 122.87 and 225.99 mg/g, respectively. Their adsorption behaviors conform to the Langmuir isotherm and follow a pseudo-second-order kinetic model at all temperature. It is proposed that adsorption is spontaneous and endothermic chemisorption. Furthermore, the MnFe2O4@TiO2-rGO adsorbent can be easily recycled from polluted solution by external magnetic field. After the adsorbent recycled 6 times, the adsorption capacities for CIP and Cu2+ could still reach up to 76.56 and 118.45 mg/g, respectively. Based on the excellent adsorption performance, magnetic separation and recycling performance, therefore, it is highly believed that our MnFe2O4@TiO2-rGO adsorbent has huge potential applications in the field of water purification.

In this work, the controlled deformation of the double layer structure of 3D printed pumpkin/paper was studied. Firstly, the rheological analysis was done to characterize the rheological properties of different solid-liquid ratio of pumpkin puree, and were related to the extrusion behavior and support performance during 3D printing. The double-layer structure of the pumpkin/paper had different temperature response characteristics due to the composition and starting moisture content, so there was an anisotropy in the thickness direction. The pumpkin puree having the moisture loss characteristic acted as a deformation driving layer to cause the structure to bend toward the pumpkin puree side. In addition, different deformation effects were obtained by controlling the drying time, printing path and thickness, thereby achieving directional deformation of the printed structure. The changes of moisture content, color and texture during the deformation of the double-layer structure of pumpkin weighing paper were measured and correlated with the deformation of the double-layer structure of pumpkin weighing paper.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the proposed mobile self-regulated learning approach in higher education settings. A mobile self-regulated learning system was developed to improve students’ learning achievements and self-regulated learning skills. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach by 60 undergraduates. The experiment group adopted the mobile self-regulated learning approach to read English passages, whereas the control group was not supported by the self-regulated learning mechanism while reading English passages. The results suggested that the mobile self-regulated learning approach significantly enhanced students’ learning achievements and self-regulated learning skills. Furthermore, it was found that the proposed approach did not increase students’ cognitive load. Participants also revealed that the mobile self-regulated learning system was very useful and effective according to the interview results and questionnaires.

As increasing demand for green energy and high-tech devices grows, so does rising prospection of rare earth metals required for their production. Protecting the environment and public health from rare earth elements mining as well as emerging pollutants is urgently required to achieve sustainable development. This study mapped earth's hidden rare earth elements deposits to identify potential contamination hotspots with the aim of preventing the deleterious effects on the environment. We worry about there would be widespread tailing facilities concomitant with serious pollutions like as the Bayan Obo tailings site and suggest that a tradeoff between the underground REE exploration and environment conservation should be reached as soon as possible.

Histone acetylation is known to affect the speed of seed germination, but the molecular regulatory basis of this remains ambiguous. Here we report that loss of function of two histone deacetylase-binding factors, SWI-INDEPENDENT3 (SIN3)-LIKE1 (SNL1) and SNL2, results in accelerated radicle protrusion and growth during seed germination. AUXIN RESISTANT 1 (AUX1) is identified as a key factor in this process, enhancing germination speed downstream of SNL1 and SNL2. AUX1 expression and histone H3 acetylation at lysines 9 and 18 is regulated by SNL1 and SNL2. The D-type cyclins encoding genes CYCD1;1 and CYCD4;1 display increased expression in AUX1 over-expression lines and the snl1snl2 double mutant. Accordingly, knockout of CYCD4;1 reduces seed germination speed of AUX1 over-expression lines and snl1snl2 suggesting the importance of cell cycling for radicle protrusion during seed germination. Together, our work identifies AUX1 as a link between histone acetylation mediated by SNL1 and SNL2, and radicle growth promoted by CYCD1;1 and CYCD4;1 during seed germination., Histone acetylation influences the speed of seed germination. Here, Wang et al. show that loss of the SNL1/SNL2 histone deacetylase binding factors accelerates seed germination and provide evidence that they act by regulating the expression of AUX1 which in turn influences cell division.

With the increase in food standardization and the pace of modern life, the demand for ready-to-eat foods is growing. The strong processing conditions of traditional technology often accelerate the rate of deterioration of quality, and microbes are the safety hazard of ready-to-eat foods. Ultrasound technology is an environmentally friendly technology that hardly causes thermal damage to raw materials. In this paper, the ultrasound technology is used in the disinfection, sterilization, enzyme inactivation, desensitization, dehydration, curing, tenderization and cooking process of fresh food from the perspective of microbial safety and quality of fresh food. The cavitation effect of ultrasound can improve the mass transfer rate of infiltration processes such as dehydration and curing, promote the oxidation of lipids and proteins for enrich the flavor of meat products, improve the microbiological safety and reduce the sensitization by destroying the integrity of the microbial cells and the conformation of the protein. In addition, ultrasound as an auxiliary processing technology can reduce the damage of traditional production technology to reserve the quality and nutritional value of food. Ultrasound has proved to be an efficient and green processing technology for ready-to-eat food.

Totally, 23 and 26 loci for the first count germination ratio and the final germination ratio were detected by quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and association mapping, respectively, which could be used to facilitate wheat pre-harvest sprouting breeding. Weak dormancy can cause pre-harvest sprouting in seeds of common wheat which significantly reduces grain yield. In this study, both quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and genome-wide association study (GWAS) were used to identify loci controlling seed dormancy. The analyses were based on a recombinant inbred line population derived from Zhou 8425B/Chinese Spring cross and 166 common wheat accessions. Inclusive composite interval mapping detected 8 QTL, while 45 loci were identified in the 166 wheat accessions by GWAS. Among these, four loci (Qbifcgr.cas-3AS/Qfcgr.cas-3AS, Qbifcgr.cas-6AL.1/Qfcgr.cas-6AL.1, Qbifcgr.cas-7BL.2/Qfcgr.cas-7BL.2, and Qbigr.cas-3DL/Qgr.cas-3DL) were detected in both QTL mapping and GWAS. In addition, 41 loci co-located with QTL reported previously, whereas 8 loci (Qfcgr.cas-5AL, Qfcgr.cas-6DS, Qfcgr.cas-7AS, Qgr.cas-3DS.1, Qgr.cas-3DS.2, Qbigr.cas-3DL/Qgr.cas-3DL, Qgr.cas-4B, and Qgr.cas-5A) were likely to be new. Linear regression showed the first count germination ratio or the final germination ratio reduced while multiple favorable alleles increased. It is suggested that QTL pyramiding was effective to reduce pre-harvest sprouting risk. This study could enrich the research on pre-harvest sprouting and provide valuable information of marker exploration for wheat breeding programs.

The electrocatalysis properties of the dual catalysts system composed of metal nitrophthalocyanines (TNMPc, M=Fe, Ni, and Cu) and nano-manganese dioxide (nano-MnO2) in alkaline media were studied by cyclic voltammetry, line sweep voltammetry, and chronocoulometry method. The optimum ratios of TNMPc (M=Fe, Ni, and Cu) and nano-MnO2 were obtained. The relationships of peak current and scan rate were investigated. Furthermore, the number of electron transfer was calculated. The results implied that the dual catalysts showed higher catalytic activities involving a four-electron mechanism for oxygen reduction reaction.

A survey was performed to assess the current management of targeted temperature management (TTM) in patients following cardiac arrest (CA) and whether healthcare providers will change target temperature after publication of 2015 American Heart Association guidelines for resuscitation in China. 52 hospitals were selected from whole of China between August to November 2016. All healthcare providers in EMs and/or ICUs of selected hospitals participated in the study. 1952 respondents fulfilled the survey (86.8%). TTM in CA patients was declared by 14.5% of physicians and 6.7% of the nurses. Only 4 of 64 departments, 7.8% of physicians and 5.7% of the nurses had implemented TH for CA patients. Since the publication of 2015 AHA guidelines, 33.6% of respondents declared no modification of target temperature, whereas 51.5% declared a target temperature’s change in future practice. Respondents were more likely to choose 35∼36 °C-TTM (54.7%) after guidelines publication, as compared to that before guidelines publication they preferred 32∼34 °C-TTM (54.0%). TTM for CA patients was still in the early stage in China. Publication of 2015 resuscitation guidelines did have impact on choice of target temperature among healthcare providers. They preferred 35∼36 °C-TTM after guidelines publication.

Background Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is still one of the most severe complications in immunocompromised patients. Our previous systematic review showed noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) reduced mortality, length of hospitalization and ICU stay in AIDS/hematological malignancy patients with relatively less severe ARF, compared to invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). However, this systematic review was based on 13 observational studies and the quality of evidence was low to moderate. The efficacy of NIV in more severe ARF and in patients with other causes of immunodeficiency is still unclear. We aim to determine the efficacy of the initial ventilation strategy in managing ARF in immunocompromised patients stratified by different disease severity and causes of immunodeficiency, and explore predictors for failure of NIV. Methods and analysis The VENIM is a multicentre randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the effects of NIV compared with IMV in adult immunocompromised patients with severe hypoxemic ARF. Patients who meet the indications for both forms of ventilatory support will be included. Primary outcome will be 30-day all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes will include in-hospital mortality, length of stay in hospital, improvement of oxygenation, nosocomial infections, seven-day organ failure, adverse events of intervention, et al. Subgroups with different disease severity and causes of immunodeficiency will also be analyzed. Discussion VENIM is the first randomized controlled trial aiming at assessing the efficacy of initial ventilation strategy in treating moderate and severe acute respiratory failure in immunocompromised patients. The result of this RCT may help doctors with their ventilation decisions. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02983851 . Registered 2 September 2016.

Histone acetylation regulates gene transcription by chromatin modifications and plays a crucial role in the plant development and response to environment cues. The homeostasis of histone acetylation is controlled by histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) in different plant tissues and development stages. The vigorous knowledge of the function and co-factors about HATs (e.g. GCN5) and HDACs (e.g. HDA19, HDA6) has been obtained from model plant Arabidopsis. However, understanding individual role of other HATs and HDACs require more work, especially in the major food crops such as rice, maize and wheat. Many co-regulators have been recently identified to function as a component of HAT or HDAC complex in some specific developmental processes. The described findings show a distinctive and interesting epigenetic regulation network composed of HATs, HDACs and co-regulators playing crucial roles in the seed performance, flowering time, plant morphogenesis, plant response to stresses etc. In this review, we summarized the recent progresses and suggested the perspective of histone acetylation research, which might provide us a new window to understand the epigenetic code of plant development and to improve the crop production and quality.

A novel mixed-ligand complex [CuL(2-MeIm)(H2O)] was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In the structure, Cu (II) was five-coordinated by three O atoms and two N atoms. L acted as a tridentate ligand, which formed two stable five-numbered chelating rings sharing one edge in the keto form. The coordination polyhedron around Cu (II) was described as a square-pyramidal. The electrocatalytic properties for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronocoulometry (CC) in oxygen-saturated 0.1 mol· L−1 KOH. The results showed that complex had pronounced electrocatalytic activity for ORR with a four-electron transfer mechanism.

Based on the ablation profile of conventional refractive surgery, the influence of transition zone on induced wavefront aberrations with decentration, as well as laser oblique incidence, was studied. The results indicated that transition zone played a significantly important role in the influence of decentration on the postoperative aberrations. The induced coma increased rapidly with the increase of lateral translation of the centre of ablation. Furthermore, the induced spherical aberration increased theoretically as the translation increase and the sign of spherical aberration was usually positive for myopic correction. And yet it changed from positive to negative for hyperopic correction. In addition, the induced spherical aberration was related with the corrected refraction. As an important goal for refractive surgery, the optimal postoperative visual performance may be smoothly achieved by minimizing treatment decentration and optimizing transition zone in refractive surgery.

The coal bed methane content (CBMC) in the west mining area of Jincheng coalfield, southeastern Qinshui Basin, is studied based on seismic data and well-logs together with laboratory measurements. The results show that the Shuey approximation has better adaptability according to the Zoeppritz equation result; the designed fold number for an ordinary seismic data is sufficient for post-stack data but insufficient for pre-stack data regarding the signal to noise ratio (SNR). Therefore a larger grid analysis was created in order to improve the SNR. The velocity field created by logging is better than that created by stack velocity in both accuracy and effectiveness. A reasonable distribution of the amplitude versus offset (AVO) attributes can be facilitated by taking the AVO response from logging as a standard for calibrating the amplitude distribution. Some AVO attributes have a close relationship with CBMC. The worst attribute is polarization magnitude, for which the correlation coefficient is 0.308; and the best attribute is the polarization product from intercept, of which the correlation coefficient is −0.8136. CBMC predicted by AVO attributes is better overall than that predicted by direct interpolation of CBMC; the validation error of the former is 14.47%, which is lower than that of the latter 23.30%. CBMC of this area ranges from 2.5 m3/t to 22 m3/t. Most CBMC in the syncline is over 10 m3/t, but it is below 10 m3/t in the anticline; on the whole, CBMC in the syncline is higher than that in anticline. Keywords: Coal bed methane content, Amplitude versus offset, AVO attribute, Correlation coefficient

Green-emitting Zn 2 SiO 4 :Mn (ZSM) phosphors were prepared via a low-temperature hydrothermal route with further calcination. Two types of MCM-48 submitted and not submitted to post-synthesis treatment were used as Si source. The phosphors prepared from post-treated MCM-48 show much higher crystallinity and emission intensity than those from MCM-48 not submitted to post-synthesis treatment. This can be attributed to the larger pore volume and pore size of post-treated MCM-48 which facilitates Mn 2+ ions to disperse more homogeneously as well as provides more free space for the growth of α-Zn 2 SiO 4 . Increasing the hydrothermal reaction temperature can enhance the emission intensities of particles. The ZSM phosphor showing the highest relative emission intensity was obtained at a hydrothermal temperature of 110 °C and calcining temperature of 1000 °C by using the post-treated MCM-48 as Si source.

The electrochemical performance of the dual-catalyst system composed of nickel phthalocyanine (NiPc) and nano-manganese dioxide (nano-MnO2) for O2 reduction in alkaline media was studied. The electrocatalytic activities for oxygen reduction were evaluated by cyclic voltammeter method and linear sweep voltammeter method. The optimum ratio of NiPc and nano-MnO2 was established by Job's method. The methanol tolerance property of dual catalysts with the optimum ratio was tested. The results implied that the dual catalysts showed excellent ORR activity involving a four-electron mechanism, with a Tafel slope of about 130 mV, indicating a one-electron process in the rate-determining step.

Objectives To evaluate the pH and effects on Streptococcus mutans growth of denture adhesives. Background There is little information regarding the pH of contemporary adhesives and their influences on S. mutans growth. Materials and methods The adhesives tested were Polident® cream, Protefix® cream and Protefix® powder. Samples of each adhesive were added to deionized water to produce solutions of 10.0, 5.0, 2.5 and 1.0% w/v (cream formulations) or 5.0, 2.5,1.0 and 0.5% (powder formulation). The pH values were measured immediately after preparation and at 1-, 2-, 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-h intervals using a digital pH meter. Streptococcus mutans UA159 was inoculated in the Brain Heart Infusion medium with or without the adhesive extracts (control). Bacterial growth was observed by measuring absorption at 600 nm every 1 h for 12 h using a spectrophotometer. Results The tested adhesives generally remained relatively pH-stable over 24 h, ranging from 5.5 to 7.0. There were no statistically significant differences in S. mutans growth rates between the extract-treated and control cultures (p > 0.5). Conclusions Some adhesives produce a pH below the critical pH of hydroxyapatite and may not be suitable for patients with natural teeth. None of the tested adhesives significantly affect S. mutans growth.

Background To date, there have been very little data on the cytotoxic responses of different cell lines to denture adhesives. Objective To determine the cytotoxicity of three denture adhesives on primary human oral keratinocytes (HOKs), fibroblasts (HOFs) and permanent mouse fibroblasts cell lines (L929). Methods Three commercial denture adhesives (two creams and one powder) were prepared for indirect contact using the agar diffusion test, as well as extracts in MTT assay. The results of the MTT assay were statistically analysed by one-way anova and Tukey's test (p

The projecting grating method is used to measure the profile of the object. When the object has the steps shape or there are shadows in the grating stripes, the disconnected phase cannot be correctly unwrapped. In order to resolve these problems, the dual-frequency grating is programmed by the computer. And it is projected to the measurement object. The measurement object is placed on the exact rotary platform. After getting two images, the two images are mosaiced, the clear object image modulated by the grating is got. Then a novel Fourier transform profilometry is used to process the image, and the filter is designed to filter the high frequency and the low frequency. The phase difference of high frequency is worked out based on that of the low frequency. At last, the three dimension profile measurement is realized. Comparing with the traditional Fourier transform profile, the method cuts down three times frequency shifting reduces the calculation time and improves filter precision. The result indicates that the method is simple, with high precision. Three dimension profile measurement of the object that has the steps shape or there are shadows in its grating stripes can be successfully resolved.

Porous silica ceramics with low dielectric constant were prepared by sintering cobalt-doped MCM-48 (molar ratio of Co/Si = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05 and 0.08) at 1100°C for 2 h. The influence of cobalt on microstructure and dielectric properties of ceramics were examined. According to XRD pattern, the phase structure of the ceramics changed from amorphous to crystalline with cobalt doping. When the Co/Si ratio is greater than 0.03, the porosity of ceramics increased with increasing cobalt content. As a result, the density and dielectric constant dramatically decreased. The best results are obtained at Co/Si = 0.08: density is 1.21 g/cm3, dielectric constant is 2.59 and dielectric loss tangent is 6.67 × 10−2.

A staggered-grid finite difference method is used to model seismic wave records in a coal bearing, porous medium. The variables analyzed include the order of the difference calculations, the use of a perfect match layer to provide absorbing boundary conditions, the source location, the stability conditions, and dispersion in the medium. The results show that the location of the first derivative of the dynamic variable with respect to space is coincident with the location of the first derivative of the kinematic variable with respect to time. Outgoing waves are effectively absorbed and reflection at the boundary is very weak when more than 20 perfect match layer cells are used. Biot theory considers the liquid phase to be homogeneous so the ratio of liquid to solid exposure of the seismic source depends upon the medium porosity. Numerical dispersion and generation of false frequencies is reduced by increasing the accuracy of the difference calculations and by reducing the grid size and time step. Temporal second order accuracy, a tenth order spatial accuracy, and a wavelength over more than ten grid points gave acceptable numerical results. Larger grid step sizes in the lateral direction and smaller grid sizes in the vertical direction allow control of dispersion when the medium is a low speed body. This provides a useful way to simulate seismic waves in a porous coal bearing medium.

We conducted a case-control study to estimate the association between IL-17A rs2275913, rs3819025 and rs3748067 polymorphisms and development of coronary artery disease. A total of 415 patients with coronary artery disease and 448 health controls were recruited during the period of March 2013 and October 2014. Genotyping of IL-17A rs2275913, rs3819025 and rs3748067 were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction coupled with restriction fragment length polymorphism. By logistic regression analysis, we found that individuals with the AA genotype (OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.35-3.56) and the GA+AA genotype (OR, 1.39, 95% CI, 1.06-1.84) of rs2275913 were associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease when compared with the GG genotype. Individuals carrying the GA+AA genotype of rs2275913 were more likely to have a higher risk of coronary artery disease in those with hypertension and smoking habit, and the adjusted ORs (95% CI) were 3.92 (2.13-6.82) and 2.74 (1.71-4.40). In conclusion, we suggest that individuals with the AA genotype and the GA+AA genotype of rs2275913 are associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease, especially in those with hypertension and smoking habit.

Histone H2B monoubiquitination (H2Bub1) is an important regulatory mechanism in eukaryotic gene transcription and is essential for normal plant development. However, the function of H2Bub1 in reproductive development remains elusive. Here, we report rice (Oryza sativa) HISTONE MONOUBIQUITINATION1 (OsHUB1) and OsHUB2, the homologs of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) HUB1 and HUB2 proteins, which function as E3 ligases in H2Bub1, are involved in late anther development in rice. oshub mutants exhibit abnormal tapetum development and aborted pollen in postmeiotic anthers. Knockout of OsHUB1 or OsHUB2 results in the loss of H2Bub1 and a reduction in the levels of dimethylated lysine-4 on histone 3 (H3K4me2). Anther transcriptome analysis revealed that several key tapetum degradation-related genes including OsC4, rice Cysteine Protease1 (OsCP1), and Undeveloped Tapetum1 (UDT1) were down-regulated in the mutants. Further, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate that H2Bub1 directly targets OsC4, OsCP1, and UDT1 genes, and enrichment of H2Bub1 and H3K4me2 in the targets is consistent to some degree. Our studies suggest that histone H2B monoubiquitination, mediated by OsHUB1 and OsHUB2, is an important epigenetic modification that in concert with H3K4me2, modulates transcriptional regulation of anther development in rice.

Natural variation for primary root growth response to high Ca stress in Arabidopsis thaliana was studied by screening a series of accessions (ecotypes) under high Calcium (40 mM CaCl2) conditions. The genetic basis of this variation was further investigated by QTL analysis using recombinant inbred lines from Landsberg erecta (Ler) × Cape Verde Islands (Cvi) cross. Four QTLs were identified in chromosome 1, 2 and 5,and named response to high Calcium (RHCA) 1-4. The three QTLs (RHCA1, RHCA2 and RHCA4) were further confirmed by analysis of near isogenic lines harboring Cvi introgression fragments in Ler background. Real-time PCR analysis showed that several genes associated with high Ca response including SMT1 and XHT25 have changed expression pattern between Ler and near isogenic lines. These results were useful for detecting molecular mechanisms of plants for high Ca adaption.

Chitosan oligosaccharide (oligoCS) is a low molecular weight chitosan and its potential for DNA delivery is described here. DNA-loaded oligoCS nanoparticles were prepared by ionic gelation using thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) as cross-linker. The nanoparticles with oligoCS:DNA: TPP weight ratio of 50:1:25 were approximately 170 nm in diameter with a zeta potential of +40 mV, and were used in the permeability study. The cytotoxicity of oligoCS solutions and nanoparticles was evaluated by MTT assay. The concentrations that exhibited minimal cytotoxicity were employed to investigate their effect on trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and cellular uptake across the Calu-3 cell layer which was used as a nasal epithelial model. OligoCS nanoparticles were able to cause a significant and reversible decrease in TEER and promote efficient cellular uptake. In addition, the oligoCS nanoparticles were able to enhance paracellular permeability to a greater extent than oligoCS solutions at an equivalent concentration. However, the oligoCS nanoparticles were too large to cross the cell layers through the paracellular route. The transcellular pathway appeared to be the major mechanism of the transportation of oligoCS nanoparticles across the cell layers. OligoCS nanoparticles also allowed efficient DNA incorporation, thereby providing the possibility of controlled nucleic acids release and absorption across epithelial surface.

Histone (de)acetylation is a highly conserved chromatin modification that is vital for development and growth. In this study, we identified a role in seed dormancy for two members of the histone deacetylation complex in Arabidopsis thaliana, SIN3-LIKE1 (SNL1) and SNL2. The double mutant snl1 snl2 shows reduced dormancy and hypersensitivity to the histone deacetylase inhibitors trichostatin A and diallyl disulfide compared with the wild type. SNL1 interacts with HISTONE DEACETYLASE19 in vitro and in planta, and loss-of-function mutants of SNL1 and SNL2 show increased acetylation levels of histone 3 lysine 9/18 (H3K9/18) and H3K14. Moreover, SNL1 and SNL2 regulate key genes involved in the ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA) pathways by decreasing their histone acetylation levels. Taken together, we showed that SNL1 and SNL2 regulate seed dormancy by mediating the ABA-ethylene antagonism in Arabidopsis. SNL1 and SNL2 could represent a cross-link point of the ABA and ethylene pathways in the regulation of seed dormancy.

The electrophoretic karyotypes of 32 clinical and 3 environmental Cryptococcus neoformans isolates from New York City were studied by contour clamped homogeneous electrophoresis. There was extensive variation among the electrophoretic karyotypes of isolates from different patients. Sequential C. neoformans isolates from patients with chronic or relapsing infection had very similar karyotypes. However, minor differences in electrophoretic karyotypes were detected among sequential isolates from 50% of the patients studied, suggesting the occurrence of chromosomal rearrangements or deletions in vivo. This hypothesis was tested by infecting mice, recovering isolates from mouse organs, and comparing the electrophoretic karyotypes before and after passage. Three clinical and three environmental strains were studied before and after passage in mice. Karyotype differences were detected after mouse passage for one clinical and two environmental strains. Our results indicate (i) extensive karyotype variation among isolates from a small geographic regions, (ii) a high frequency of electrophoretic karyotype differences among sequential isolates from individual patients, and (iii) the occurrence of electrophoretic karyotype changes during experimental infection of mice. The implications of these observations are discussed.

• Seed dormancy controls germination and plays a crucial role in the life cycle of plants. Chromatin modifications are involved in the regulation of seed dormancy; however, little is known about the underlying mechanism. • KYP/SUVH4 is required for histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation. Mutations in this gene cause increased seed dormancy. KYP/SUVH4-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants show decreased dormancy. KYP/SUVH4 expression is regulated by abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellins (GA). The sensitivity of seed germination to ABA and paclobutrazol (PAC) is enhanced slightly in kryptonite-2 (kyp-2) and suvh4-2/suvh5 mutants, but weakened in KYP/SUVH4-overexpressing plants. • In the kyp-2 mutant, several dormancy-related genes, including DOG1 and ABI3, show increased expression levels, in agreement with a negative role for KYP/SUVH4 in gene transcription. • Genetic analysis showed that DOG1 and HUB1 are epistatic to KYP/SUVH4, suggesting that these genes regulate seed dormancy in the same genetic pathway.

Recently, with the development of the communication and the computer technology and the improvement of the storage technology and the capability of the digital image equipment, more and more image resources are given to us than ever. And thus the solution of how to locate the proper image quickly and accurately is wanted.The early method is to set up a key word for searching in the database, but now the method has become very difficult when we search much more picture that we need. In order to overcome the limitation of the traditional searching method, content based image retrieval technology was aroused. Now, it is a hot research subject.Color image retrieval is the important part of it. Color is the most important feature for color image retrieval. Three key questions on how to make use of the color characteristic are discussed in the paper: the expression of color, the abstraction of color characteristic and the measurement of likeness based on color. On the basis, the extraction technology of the color histogram characteristic is especially discussed. Considering the advantages and disadvantages of the overall histogram and the partition histogram, a new method based the partition-overall histogram is proposed. The basic thought of it is to divide the image space according to a certain strategy, and then calculate color histogram of each block as the color feature of this block. Users choose the blocks that contain important space information, confirming the right value. The system calculates the distance between the corresponding blocks that users choosed. Other blocks merge into part overall histograms again, and the distance should be calculated. Then accumulate all the distance as the real distance between two pictures. The partition-overall histogram comprehensive utilizes advantages of two methods above, by choosing blocks makes the feature contain more spatial information which can improve performance; the distances between partition-overall histogram make rotating and translation does not change. The HSV color space is used to show color characteristic of image, which is suitable to the visual characteristic of human. Taking advance of human's feeling to color, it quantifies color sector with unequal interval, and get characteristic vector. Finally, it matches the similarity of image with the algorithm of the histogram intersection and the partition-overall histogram. Users can choose a demonstration image to show inquired vision require, and also can adjust several right value through the relevance-feedback method to obtain the best result of search.An image retrieval system based on these approaches is presented. The result of the experiments shows that the image retrieval based on partition-overall histogram can keep the space distribution information while abstracting color feature efficiently, and it is superior to the normal color histograms in precision rate while researching. The query precision rate is more than 95%. In addition, the efficient block expression will lower the complicate degree of the images to be searched, and thus the searching efficiency will be increased. The image retrieval algorithms based on the partition-overall histogram proposed in the paper is efficient and effective.

To analyze the status quo of the diagnosis and treatments of primary gastrointestinal lymphoma (PGIL) in order to improve it.Eighty-one patients with PGIL were analyzed retrospectively including clinical manifestations, endoscopic features, pathological features, HP infection, treatment, and prognosis.The age of patients with gastric lymphoma was (52.84+/-15.33) years. The age of patients with intestinal lymphoma was (42.09+/-15.28) years. Common symptoms included abdominal pain (76.5%), gastrointestinal bleeding (55.6%), anemia (54.3%), abdominal mass (25.9%), hypoproteinemia (40.7%), bowel obstruction (11.1%), abdominal distension, vomiting, and other non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms (32.1%), weight loss (33.3%); fever (8.6%), diarrhea (7.4%), digestive tract perforation (1.2%), constipation (1.2%), and dysphagia (1.2%). Endoscopic appearances were as follows: tumor type (67.7%), ulcer type (27.7%), and diffuse type (4.6%). Clinical diagnosis rate and endoscopic biopsy confirmation rate were 30.9% and 73.8%. MALT lymphoma accounted for 61.7% of the patients. HP detection rate was 39.5% and positive rate was 37.5%. A total of 69 patients received surgeries: 3 had preoperative chemotherapy, and 34 had postoperative chemotherapy. Twelve patients had non-surgical treatment, 6 patients of whom had simple chemotherapy and HP eradication therapy, and the other 6 gave up during the treatment. There was no significant difference in the survival rate of Stage I-II patients in the surgery alone group, surgery plus chemotherapy group, and chemotherapy and HP eradication therapy group(P0.05). The survival rate of Stage III-IV patients in the surgery alone group was lower than that in the other 2 groups (P0.05). The 5-year, 3-year, and 1-year survival rate was 55.87%, 70.96%, and 96.39%, respectively.There are no specific clinical and endoscopic features in PGIL, so the misdiagnosis rate is high. Multi-site biopsy or repeated biopsies and immunohistochemical methods can be used to raise the pathological diagnosis rate. Chemotherapy and HP eradication are recommended.

To characterize the brain mapping on reinforcement acupuncture stimulation at ST36 (zusanli), and to discuss the mechanisms of acupuncture to treat diseases. fMRI was performed on 26 healthy Chinese student volunteers. Sixteen subjects were acupunctured at the acupoint ST36, while 10 others at sham-acupoint (lateral from ST36 about 3 cm). The fMRI studies were performed using a gradient echo-EPI sequence. Brain mapping were generated using GE Functool program. Cerebral blood flow and correlation coefficient (CC) of ROl were analyzed. Stimulation at the right ST36 elicited 13 brain functional areas, and 10 of these areas were the same with the sham-acupoint group. However, only the temporal gyrus was specificity while by using reinforcement manual acupuncture (MA) at ST36 (Fisher's Exact test, P=0.022), and the contralateral hemisphere activation was prominent (McNemer test, P=0.020). Our results support the theory of acupuncture about meridian distribution overlapping on the whole body. The special transmission channel of meridian may exists, and it may be consist of spinal nerve and autonomic nerve. However, our results may oppose the theory concerning on stomach meridian walking lateral.

PURPOSE: To study motor cortex mapping in patients with mass lesions near primary motor and sensory cortices with BOLD-fMRI. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 18 patients with mass lesions near primary motor and sensory cortices, and 8 healthy volunteers were investigated with fMRI using a 1.5 T GE Signa scanner. The specific task was repetitive selfpaced index finger to thumb opposition with a frequency of approximately 2 Hz. Each task paradigm consisted of twelve 20-second blocks alternating between rest and activation. All functional data was sent to SUN GE Advanced Workstation 4.0 for post processing. RESULTS: 14 patients showed functional activation near mass lesion, 4 patients failed to show, and one patient with meningeoma was excluded because of heavy head movement. Of 14 patients, the functional activation of eloquent cortex was different between the group with declination of muscle force and the group with normal muscle force, generally the activated areas of the former were more scattered, dislocated, relative smaller than that of the latter. CONCLUSION: fMRI is a valuable method for pre-operative evaluation of neurosurgical patients and probably can evaluate the muscle force pre- and post-operation approximately.

We evaluated the impact of the Stiles-Crawford effect (SCE) on visual performance following laser in situ keratomileusis procedures. This prospective study included 71 eyes of 36 consecutive myopic patients (mean age, 20.94±3.69 years). Ocular aberrations and contrast sensitivity were measured one month after surgery. The SCE was modeled optically as a filter placed in front of the eye, and then the modulation transfer functions (MTFs) and the predicted log contrast sensitivity were calculated from the measured wavefront aberration data. Then the visual Strehl ratio for MTF (VSMTF) was calculated. The results indicated that the computed MTF with SCE were superior to that without SCE. The predicted contrast sensitivity functions were underestimated about 20% when the SCE was not taken into account for the scotopic pupil. Moreover, the measured contrast sensitivity was not significantly different from that with SCE at 6, 12, and 18 cycles/deg spatial frequencies. According to the obtained VSMTF ratio, optical qualities of all eyes were underestimated with the range from 5% (0.02 log unit) to 65% (0.22 log unit) without SCE, and the average value is 41% (0.15 log unit). When only taking higher-order aberrations into account, the predicted postoperative visual performance would be different from the real values. The evaluation of postoperative visual performance from wavefront aberrations should consider not only the compensation relationship between defocus and spherical aberration but also the SCE.

Abstract With the recent development of seismic exploration, prospecting for structure in the exploration state has evolved into prospecting for lithology in the development stage. Seismic information of large amount, better quality and wider variety will be required. prospecting for lighology bears a close relationship with other related disciplines. Development seismics has become a comprehensive system approach in petroleum exploration and development. Introduction Shengli Oilfield, located in he south of Bohai Bay is an oil and gas province with abundant composite fault-block pools. From early sixties to early eighties, petroleum exploration and development was carried out in a conventional way.

Cryptococcus neoformans isolates from eight patients with cryptococcal infection were previously assigned into three groups on the basis of repetitive DNA probe (CNRE-1) restriction fragment length polymorphisms. These groups accounted for a disproportionate number of recent clinical isolates in New York City. To further examine the genetic relatedness of isolates within and across CNRE-1 groups, the DNA sequence of the 779-base URA5 gene from each strain was amplified and sequenced. The number of nucleotide differences occurred in the third codon position or in introns. Pairwise comparisons revealed average nucleotide differences within a CNRE-1 group of 4.8 +/- 2.6 (n = 8) and between CNRE-1 groups of 21.9 +/- 7.0 (n =20) (P